I heart U

It was one of those days. You know the kind. Where you stay in bed until 12 just 'cause there's nothing else to do. And I am not even lying when there's nothing else to do. I promise the house is clean, including the bathroom free of toothpaste dots on the mirror and the laundry folded and put away. Well I felt a little guilty living my dream life this way. I mean, I've got it good. I'll be the first to admit. I've got an awesome husband that just got a raise at work. A job of my own that pays for gas and my crafties. Callings in church where I can make an impact (nursery leader and girl's camp director) and a house that is slowly becoming a home (including a table, chairs, couches, tv, bed minus the headboard or frame and some awesome scentsy Hemmingway drifting among the smell of baked pretzels that I just pulled out of the oven) Needless to say, a housewife who spends the day in bed has no room in this picture. So I got up, skipped around blog land and found a recipe for soft pretzels and ahem, an idea was born. Not original, by any means. But an idea. Now when Steven comes home from work and I am in Sugar House putting together frame orders for people with money to do things like that he will know that I was thinking of him today. I was also thinking of our own darling children that will come to us someday as I made these. In 3rd grade I had a teacher who had given us a soft pretzel recipe and I remember spending large amounts of time making just the right snail or mickey mouse shape to put in the oven. And having friends over and having contests on who could make the best shape or when it was just a few girls we would make the first initial of the boy we had a crush on, completed only with a + and our own initial. It's such an easy way to entertain some kiddos and as I hastily pulled and kneaded the dough I wished that there were some kiddos running around that I could enlist to make some shapes for me. I concentrated most of my energy on making traditional pretzel shapes but I still managed to slip a snail in there. There's just something satisfying about pulling apart the dough snail swirls as you eat it.

Soft Pretzels
2 1/4 tsp yeast (or 1-1/4 oz package)
1 1/2 cups warm water
1 tsp salt
1 Tbls sugar
3-4 cups flour
1 egg, beaten
Flavorings such as course salt, cinnamon and sugar, parmesan cheese, sage etc.

Preheat Oven to 425 degrees and cook for 12 -15 min.