The hunt for decent Keto-friendly bread and pasta continues.
I discovered this bread mix at Save-on the other day. It cost $9.99 and makes 3 loaves. I have paid upwards of thirteen dollars for a loaf of low-carb bread in the past. And I love the smell of bread baking. So I was pretty stoked with my find.
I resisted the urge to go all hoarderish and buy all 8 packages they had on the shelf. I bought two.
Just add water, yeast and oil. Easy peasy.
It was already beginning to raise by the time I got it into pans. As were my hopes. I was anxious for it to get into the oven and cook, not only so I could eat it but so I could jump in the car and race off to Save-on and buy whatever they had left on the shelves before I shared my great discovery with the world. (I promise I did NOT hoard toilet paper, yeast, rice or flour last March.)
The directions say it makes 3 loaves. I'm sure you could easily get 4. I made 2 large loaves, 4 buns and 9 cinnamon buns.
Swerve brown sugar replacement is sooo delicious!
A heavy dose of cinnamon and a handful of chopped pecans.
I was already planning my afternoon coffee break.
It took about half an hour to raise to double in size and be ready for the oven.
Forty minutes in the oven and my house smelled amazing!
I slapped some butter on a bun as soon as it was cool enough to handle. I was giddy.
And I sunk my teeth into what I can only describe as cardboard with butter on it. I was so deflated.
The cinnamon buns of course taste like sugar and cinnamon, so they get a pass, but I changed my mind on running out to Save-on for more.
It will probably make a decent grilled cheese sandwich or garlic toast. I won't throw it away.
The texture is good. There's just no flavour. But I think there is potential to use the mix as a base and concoct a decent keto bread out of it. I think I'll try adding nuts and seeds and maybe a dash of monk fruit.
(And for the record, the mix has some wheat protein [gluten] in it, so it's not actually gluten-free for those who have issues with such.)
While many people have found 2020 difficult to deal with, I in fact, am feeling pretty blessed this year. But yeah, it has certainly taken some dramatic twists and turns. And getting married certainly tops the list.
On August 3rd Jim and I got married mid-COVID season. The fact that we took our 30-year friend relationship in this direction is a complete other story in itself. But a COVID wedding is legally bound to a guest list of less than 50. (Ok, we snuck in 51 cuz I forgot to count the photographer) But limiting to 50 when our combined family members is somewhere around 250 people was no small task. Just we two and our children and grandchildren number 29.
We are grateful for a very understanding circle of family and friends who all make us feel loved, blessed and supported. It's overwhelming actually.
Anyway, for those of you who could not attend that day, I have assembled some video footage and photos so you can share in our joy and get a glimpse of our day.
It truly was a day filled with joy. So much joy.
Here is a 14 minute video that includes walking down the aisle and our vow ceremony.
Here is a 13 minute video of speeches by John, Lucy, Jed and Brandi
There was a bit of a sound glitch with the speeches so the audio was dubbed over top. I apologize if you have OCD and the out-of-sync video drives you bonkers. :)
This is a slideshow of photos from the wedding. The music was recorded durning the ceremony so you can hear some background noise along with it, but I figure that just gives you a little more sense of being there in the moment.
If you'd rather not watch a video and just want a little synopsis:
In keeping with the COVID regulations, Jim and I got married on Monday August 3, 2020 with a small crowd of 49 guests. We had our 8 youngest grandchildren participate in the ceremony. The decor and wedding party attire had a roaring 20's flavour - appropriate since we are back in the 20's again.
The bride wore a dark red/burgundy dress with black overlay and carried 2 dozen red roses and a feather fan. The groom was in black pants, white tailored shirt and double vest, accessorized with cuff links and a tie. The boys wore black pants, burgundy button-down shirts with bowties. The little girls wore black flapper style dresses with lots of fringe and headbands with feathers adorning them.
The guests were all seated at round tables for the entire thing. The tables had black tablecloths and silver runners and the ever-classy white and silver Mosaik dinnerware. The table centrepieces were charcuterie boards with lots of yumminess to nibble on during the ceremony, and drinks were available as well. Each place setting was adorned with party favours representative of the times - a black face mask and a custom labelled bottle of hand sanitizer which was brewed here in Prince George by Trench Brewing.
While Jim's brother John officially signed the papers (Jed and Molly witnessed the signatures) we didn't have an actual ceremony officiant. At 4:30 the 8 littles walked and danced in to "Deku Palace" - a theme song from The Legend of Zelda (as chosen by Xander and Oliver) bringing in the rings and our vows and scattering feathers and flower petals and just generally looking spectacularly cute.
Jim and I walked in at the same time, coming from opposite sides of the room, to the Skydigger's song, "Slow Burning Fire" which really represents how our relationship developed. When we joined together at the front of the room, we finished out the song by slow dancing. Our glittery vow booklets shimmered in the light from the overhead Edison lights as we interactively read our vows in alternating fashion and exchanged our rings.
It was such a nice touch for Sherry to have Carter, our oldest grandchild, on FaceTime as he recently moved to Ontario and could not attend.
The entire ceremony wasn't more than 20 minutes and the crowd was free to continue nibbling, drinking and chatting for about half hour while some of our sons grilled salmon fillets out back. During this time the fabulous Rebekah took photos onsite. Nothing too formal, but a nice collection of memories - just as we wanted.
Dinner was a giant make-your-own salad bar with grilled salmon, roast beef and ham slices. There were cupcakes and an assortment of cookies for dessert. No cake. No garter toss. No bouquet toss.
There was music playing throughout the evening and a small dance area. But mostly people just visited and had a good time. At one point the young grandies hosted a mask decorating contest and chose three adult winners and one child winner. Everyone participated and it was lots of fun.
Most people were heading out by 8:30pm. Except a handful of amazing folk who stayed behind for cleanup and food removal.
The day could not have been much more perfect. The weather was good, God was honoured, we were blessed, the day was fun and not too long. We are so so grateful.
