What Will Happen To Your Stuff After You Die?

What will happen to your stuff after you die? None of us loves thinking about the day we’ll no longer be here. But here’s the truth. If you don’t tell your family what you want done with your things, they’ll have to guess. And guessing during grief is hard on everyone. Today, I want to walk you through why this conversation matters so much, and I’m going to give you a simple list you can use to talk with your family about your wishes.

Sid Dickens Memory Blocks

The Sid Dickens tiles you see in this post are handmade tiles I have collected for about 20+ years. Each one has a saying on the back. Some have been gifted to me; most I’ve purchased over the years because I love the sayings and the designs on tiles or memory blocks. They are hung on my wall, and they give me joy every single day.

What Will Happen To Your Stuff After You Die?

Why This Conversation Matters

Most of us don’t avoid this topic because we don’t care. We avoid it because it feels uncomfortable. Nobody wants to sit around the dinner table talking about who gets Grandma’s quilt. But I promise you, having this conversation now is a gift to the people you love. It saves them from confusion, arguments, and second-guessing themselves during a time when they’re already hurting.

I’ve talked before about wills and trusts, and those legal documents are so important. But a will or a trust doesn’t always cover the personal side of things. It might say who inherits the house or the savings account. It usually won’t tell your daughter that you wanted her to have your recipe box, or tell your son that the old fishing tackle box was supposed to go to his son someday. That’s where a personal conversation and a written list fill in the gaps.

There’s also a practical reason to have this talk. Families sometimes end up in painful disagreements after a loved one passes, not because anyone is greedy, but because nobody knows what mom or dad actually wanted. A misunderstanding over a small item can create hurt feelings that could last for years. A short conversation now can prevent that, in most cases.

Start With A Conversation, Not Just A Document

Paper is important, but paper can’t answer questions unless things are spelled out in detail. A conversation lets your family ask you things in real time. It also lets them hear your reasoning, which often matters more than the item itself. When you explain why something matters to you, it becomes easier for your family to honor that wish later, even if there’s a disagreement.

Pick a calm moment for this talk. It doesn’t need to be heavy or sad. Some families do this over a Sunday dinner. Others bring it up during a holiday visit when everyone is already together. The goal is simply to open the door so nobody feels blindsided.

If your family tends to get emotional or uncomfortable with this subject, consider breaking the conversation into smaller pieces over time rather than covering everything at once. You might talk about funeral wishes one week and household items another week. There’s no rule that says all of this has to happen in one sitting.

It also helps to invite questions. Your children or grandchildren may have things they’re curious about but feel awkward asking. Permitting them to ask questions openly often brings relief to everyone in the room.

A Simple List To Guide The Conversation

Here’s a list of topics to walk through with your family. You can use this as an outline for your talk, and then write down the answers during the dialogue or afterward so nothing gets forgotten.

1. Sentimental items. Talk about specific belongings that carry meaning, such as jewelry, photographs, quilts, tools, or family heirlooms. Explain who you’d like to receive each item and why. Sharing the story behind an item often means more to your family than the item itself.
2. Digital accounts and passwords. Let your family know where to find a list of your important accounts, including email, banking, and social media. Decide whether you want any accounts deleted, memorialized, or kept active. Many families are surprised by how much time it takes to close out digital accounts without this information.
3. Important documents. Tell your family where you keep your will, trust, insurance policies, deed, and other paperwork. A locked box or a folder in a filing cabinet only helps if someone knows it exists. Consider giving a trusted family member a spare key or the combination in advance.
4. Pets. If you have animals, decide who’ll care for them and make sure that person has agreed in advance. Include information about your pet’s routine, medical needs, and their veterinarian so the transition is easier on the animal as well.
5. Funeral or memorial preferences. Share whether you want a burial or cremation, a specific location, particular songs or readings, or a simple gathering instead of a large event. This single conversation can lift an enormous weight off your family. Many families report that funeral planning is one of the hardest parts of losing someone simply because they were never told what their loved one wanted.
6. Charitable wishes. If there are causes or organizations close to your heart, let your family know so they can consider a memorial donation or ongoing support in your name.
7. Family recipes and traditions. Many of us keep recipes in our heads or on scraps of paper. Write them down and decide who’ll carry them forward. Consider including small notes about why a recipe was special, such as whose birthday it was always made for.
8. Photos and family history. Talk about who’ll keep photo albums, journals, or genealogy records so your family story doesn’t get lost. If you’ve done any family history research, write down where that information is stored.
9. Final messages. Some people like to write letters or record videos for children or grandchildren to open later. This is entirely personal, but it’s worth mentioning as an option. A short letter can bring comfort for years to come.
10. Household and everyday items. Furniture, tools, kitchen items, and other everyday belongings often get overlooked, yet they can cause tension if nobody knows your wishes. A simple written note prevents confusion.
11. Vehicles and equipment. If you own a car, tractor, boat, RV, or other equipment, decide who will take ownership or whether it should be sold. Include information about maintenance records or where the title is kept.
12. Collections and hobbies. If you’ve collected coins, stamps, tools, quilting fabric, gardening supplies, or anything else over the years, let your family know whether these items should be kept, sold, or given to someone who shares your interest.
13. Outstanding debts or financial obligations. While your will or trust may address this, it can help to give your family a general idea of any loans, subscriptions, or recurring payments so nothing catches them off guard.
14. Home and property care. If you own land, a garden, or livestock, explain what ongoing care is needed and who might be willing to take that on, even temporarily, while the family figures out next steps.

Write It Down

Once you have talked through the list, take time to write everything down. This doesn’t need to be fancy or formal. A notebook, a typed document, or even a letter works fine. The important part is that it exists somewhere your family can find it, and that more than one person knows where to look.

Consider keeping a copy with your important documents and giving a second copy to someone you trust who doesn’t live in your home. This way, if something happens to your house or your records, the information isn’t lost.

Update this list every so often, especially after a big life change like a move, a new grandchild, or the loss of an item you once listed. A list from ten years ago may no longer reflect your current wishes. Many families choose to revisit this list once a year, perhaps around the new year or a birthday, simply as a gentle reminder to keep it current.

Involving Younger Family Members

It can feel strange to include children or grandchildren in these conversations, but doing so in an age-appropriate way can be valuable. Younger family members often carry forward traditions, recipes, and family stories long after older generations are gone. Even a simple explanation, such as why a certain quilt has been in the family for generations, can help a child understand and appreciate their family history.

What Happens If You Don’t Have This Conversation

Families who never have this talk often end up relying on assumptions. One sibling may assume an item was meant for them, while another sibling remembers a different conversation entirely. Without something written down, there’s no way to settle these differences, and disagreements can linger long after the funeral. Taking the time now to have an open conversation, paired with a written list, removes this uncertainty and protects relationships during an already difficult time.

A Gift Of Peace

Talking about what happens after you’re gone isn’t a morbid task. It’s an act of love. When you take the time to share your wishes clearly, you protect your family from unnecessary stress and give them the freedom to grieve without added pressure. That’s one of the most caring things you can do for the people you love.

11 Things You Should Do Before You Die

Have You Thought About a Will and a Trust?

Final Word

None of us knows exactly when our time here will end, but we do know that a little preparation now can spare our families a great deal of heartache later. Sitting down and sharing your wishes is not about focusing on death. It’s about focusing on the people you love and making their path a little easier during a season that’ll already be hard. A conversation, paired with a written list, is one of the simplest and most meaningful gifts you can leave behind. Take the time to complete it soon. Your family will be grateful you did. May God bless the world, Linda

P.S. No one in my family will want any of my food storage or emergency preps! LOL! I’m being honest!

The post What Will Happen To Your Stuff After You Die? appeared first on Food Storage Moms.

from Food Storage Moms

Traditional Floor And Surface Cleaning Without Chemicals

A clean home is easier to defend than a filthy one. That may sound plain, but it matters. Dirt brings pests. Grease brings smell. Rot spreads. Sickness moves faster where waste, spoiled food, standing water, and grime are allowed to settle. In a long emergency, hygiene is not a luxury. It is one of the […]

from Survivopedia

14 Weird Items That Belong in Your Survival Kit

Estimated reading time: 8 minutes

When most people think about emergency preparedness, their minds jump to classic survival items like flashlights, matches, water filters, and so forth. But some of the most useful items aren't the ones you'd find on a typical prepper checklist.

Consider the garbage bag: it's cheap, lightweight, and most people already have them around the house, yet it can serve as an improvised rain poncho, a water collector, a ground cover, an emergency flotation device, and many other things. The lesson? Ordinary, overlooked items can be very valuable if you know how to use them.

Recently, I can across a video from the YouTube channel DIY Prepper TV, where the host talks about 14 items that most survival lists tend to ignore. And not because they're useless, but because they're…a little weird. You can watch the video and see the list below.

1. Condoms

Yes, really. An unlubricated, spermicide-free condom can hold a surprising amount of water, making it a lightweight emergency water carrier. They can also be used to waterproof small items like matches, lighters, phones, and medical supplies, or even to cover the end of a rifle barrel in muddy or sandy conditions (and you can shoot right through it).

Thanks to their elasticity, they can also function as improvised tie-offs or compression bandages. Just wrap gauze over a wound, then use the condom to hold it in place with steady pressure. Here are some other unusual uses for condoms that might surprise you.

2. Pool Noodles

Those foam cylinders collecting dust in your garage have more going for them than you might think. Pool noodles are structurally similar to pipe insulation and can be used to protect pipes from freezing in winter. They can pad the sharp corners of tables, doors, and tools, which is especially handy if you have young children around.

In a flood or water emergency, they can serve as improvised flotation devices when life jackets aren't available. Cut them into flat sections to cushion and separate fragile gear like radios and optics. They can also be used to make an emergency toilet.

3. Pepto-Bismol

This one might seem obvious, but it earns its place on the weird list because people rarely think of it as a survival item. In a grid-down or travel scenario, gastrointestinal problems like diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting can hit unexpectedly and quickly become dangerous due to dehydration.

Pepto-Bismol addresses all of those issues in one bottle (or tablet). One important caution: it's chemically similar to aspirin, so anyone who can't take aspirin should avoid it. It should also not be given to children 16 and under due to the risk of Reye's syndrome.

4. Trash Cans

A large, clean plastic trash can is an excellent for water storage. Put one under a downspout or at the end of a tarp funnel to collect rainwater for garden irrigation, toilet flushing, and general cleaning.

A galvanized steel trash can can also function as an improvised Faraday cage to protect electronics from electromagnetic interference. Trash cans are also useful for protecting stored supplies like animal feed or seed corn. Just remember that they're not food-safe, so line it with a trash bag instead of putting it in direct contact with the interior.

You can also use a trash can to make a huge survival kit. Just pack your supplies inside, put it in the corner of your shed or somewhere it would likely be overlooked by intruders, and you'll have it when you need.

5. Shower Curtains

Pair one with your trash can and you've got a functional rainwater catchment system. The curtain funnels water right into the container. Beyond that, shower curtains can serve as ground cloths under a tent, privacy screens, window coverings after storm damage, or drop cloths for messy repair work.

Two caveats worth keeping in mind: they're not particularly durable, and many have anti-mold chemical coatings, so water collected from them shouldn't be consumed unless it's run through a good filtration system first.

6. Kitty Litter

One of the more versatile sanitation items on this list. In a bucket toilet setup, kitty litter works just as well for humans as it does for cats. It absorbs and consolidates liquid waste and cuts down on odor. It also excels at soaking up oil and fuel spills in the garage.

Scattered on icy or muddy surfaces, it provides good traction underfoot. And in any situation involving human waste cleanup (illness, flooding, loss of plumbing) kitty litter helps contain and manage the mess.

7. Kiddie Pools

Inexpensive and surprisingly capable. In advance of a storm or power outage, a kiddie pool can be filled quickly and stored in a garage as an emergency water reserve, similar in concept to a commercial WaterBOB.

Their wide surface area also makes them excellent for passive rainwater collection. During an extended emergency, they can be pressed into service for hand-washing laundry, dishwashing, bathing, or watering pets and livestock. In warmer months, a dark-colored pool left in the sun can serve as a solar water heater.

8. Car Floor Mats

Heavy-duty rubber floor mats can provide traction under a tire when you're stuck in ice or mud. They also work as kneeling pads when changing a flat in wet or dirty conditions, keeping your clothes reasonably clean.

Beyond the vehicle, they make decent protective work surfaces for setting down tools, batteries, fuel cans, or doing messy repairs. Old mats that you've already cycled out of your vehicle are perfect candidates for this kind of repurposing.

9. Pantyhose

These are good for pre-filtering dirty water. Just stretch a section over a container before pouring water through, and it will catch leaves, insects, and larger debris before the water hits your main purifier. Because pantyhose are made from synthetic materials, they may not be entirely food-safe, so pairing them with a quality filter like a Grayl purifier is a good idea.

They also work well for organizing gear inside a pack. Loose small items stay contained and quiet. Their elasticity makes them great as light-duty tie-downs, or as slings and wraps to hold ice packs and bandages in place. Here are some other survival uses for pantyhose.

10. Binder Clips

Simple, cheap, and endlessly handy. The most obvious use is keeping open bags of food sealed, but they're also good for organizing cables and cords, hanging up tarps for shelter, or stringing up lights during a power outage. Larger binder clips can be used to secure tarps to ropes or poles when rigging improvised shelters. Keep a handful in your kit and you'll find uses for them constantly.

11. Tampons and Pads

Feminine hygiene supplies are frequently overlooked in preparedness planning, and that's a significant oversight for any household with women. However, I'm gonna have to disagree with the video's suggestion that tampons are useful for wound care.

This is a claim that has circulated widely in survival and prepper circles, but medical professionals are pretty skeptical of it. The core problem is that tampons are designed to absorb passively, not to apply outward pressure against wound walls, and pressure is what actually stops serious bleeding.

Beyond that, the cotton fibers can stick to a clotting wound, to the point where when you remove it, the wound will start bleeding again. There's no solid evidence that tampons effectively slow or stop a significant bleed, and the American College of Surgeons points out that ordinary clothing pressed firmly against a wound is actually more useful.

Pads are a different story. Because they're used externally rather than inserted, the adherence problem is less of an issue, and they can reasonably serve as an improvised dressing for surface wounds, absorbing blood and providing a barrier while you work on a better solution.

The cotton material in tampons does have one legitimate survival application that the video mentions: it ignites relatively easily, making it useful as tinder for fire starting, especially if treated with petroleum jelly beforehand.

12. Medical Clamps (Hemostats)

These look like surgical scissors and are available cheaply at many hardware or sporting goods stores. Beyond their obvious medical applications, hemostats shine as precision maintenance tools. They're excellent for holding small springs during firearm or mechanical repairs.

They can also be used to reach into tight spaces, mop out the inside of a small fuel tank, or clamp off a fuel line while you remove a part from a small engine without soaking everything in gasoline.

13. Old Bed Sheets

Cotton bed sheets, in particular, have a lot of life left in them after they're retired from the bedroom. Cut or torn into strips, they become bandages, cleaning rags, and general utility cloth.

A pillowcase stretched over a bucket and held in place with a bungee cord makes an effective pre-filter for dirty water, catching sediment and debris before it reaches your main filtration system. Sheets can also serve as sun shades, privacy barriers, improvised slings, or emergency bedding in a pinch.

14. Guitar Strings

Guitar strings can be used to set snares for small game or as tripwire for perimeter alarms. Because they tolerate heat better than most improvised binding materials, they're useful for securing things near heat sources.

The same wire-cutting principle that lets a thin wire slice through cheese means guitar strings can also cut through soft materials. One important safety note: guitar strings are sharp enough to cut skin easily, so always handle them with gloves.

You May Also Like:

• 17 Things Everyone Will Soon Be Looking For
• 11 First Aid Supplies You Can't Have Too Much Of
• 15 Ways To Stay Warm When The Power Is Out
• How to Start a Fire with a Bow Drill
• 20 Ways to Stay Cool Without Power

The post 14 Weird Items That Belong in Your Survival Kit appeared first on Urban Survival Site.

from Urban Survival Site

Bread Machine Bread-How To Make It

About 30 years ago, I bought a bread-making machine for each of my daughters when they married or went away to college. They were cheaper than a Bosch Bread Mixer at the time.

The bread maker I’m showing you today is about the same price as a Bosch Bread Mixer. I wanted the girls to be able to make bread and survive on homemade bread and soup with their limited budgets. We all remember those days. Actually, those days are back! LOL!

I wrote a post about making bread and how a bread-making machine can make the process much easier. I can’t remember which post it was, but after reading that post, a reader told me she loved her Zojirushi Bread Maker.

Well, one of my daughters still has her bread machine but has determined it’s on its last leg. I ordered one of the Zojirushi units for us to use, and haven’t looked back.

After reading my reader’s comment, I wish I had written down her name. If you’re reading this and you were the one who commented on the Zojirushi Bread Maker, please remind me who you are so I can get in touch with you. I knew I wanted a bread mixer, but I didn’t know which one to choose.

In case you missed this post, French Bread in One Hour.

Bread Mixer vs. Bread Maker

Let me clarify the difference between a bread mixer and a bread maker.

Bread Mixer

Most of us are familiar with the Bosch bread mixer, which combines and kneads dough for bread. I love mine; I still use it to make the bread dough. We can mold the bread dough once the mixing is complete and the dough has had a chance to rise, then I bake the loaves in the oven.

I can mix and knead eight one-pound loaves in my Bosch. Yes, I freeze a lot of bread for another day.

I wanted to mention that my Bosch has a powerful electric motor. It can mix some fairly large batches of dough. I have to keep an eye on the machine, as it’s been known to shake and shift on the counter while the dough is being mixed.

Yes, it does have suction pads on the unit’s feet, but again, the motor is strong enough to cause the machine to move along the counter. I’m careful to ensure it doesn’t get too close to the edge; I’d hate to see it fall to the floor.

How do I know this? I was teaching a class about making cinnamon rolls, and I asked my “helper” to stand watch over the Bosch. She didn’t realize it could bounce off the counter; it can, not often, but it can. Yes, it cracked the lid. However, the class continued without a lid attached.

Bread Maker

I wanted something to make less bread without having to knead it by hand. This machine produces just two loaves, which is precisely what I needed: small loaves, fewer dinner rolls, and less pizza dough per batch.

A bread maker is a machine, like the one I’m showing you today, that mixes the bread ingredients, kneads the bread dough, lets it rise, and then bakes it. Well, I don’t enjoy the bread baked in a bread maker as much; I like baking my own. More often than not, I’ll let the machine prepare the dough, and then I’ll bake it in the oven.

My daughters and I have always taken the bread dough out after it has been mixed, kneaded, and risen. Then we mold the dough into our greased bread pans and bake it.

Zojirushi Bread Mixer Tips

I’ll be honest, I don’t enjoy going through instruction booklets to figure out how things should work. I don’t like reading them as a means to learn all that goes into a successful result.

BUT, I had to today. I opened the box, washed the measuring cups and spoons, and washed the bread pan. Here’s what I learned:

• The liquid measuring cup is for the liquid ingredients.
• The nested measuring cups are for the dry ingredients.

Items You May Need In The Kitchen:

• Bread Maker
• Cuisinart Bread Maker Machine (reasonably priced)
• Bread Maker
• 2 Bread Pans (I use smaller ones-7.75 x 3.75 x 2.5 Inches)

Bread Machine Bread

Ingredients

• Water
• Bread Flour or White Flour (I only store bread flour)
• Sugar
• Dry Milk (I use Instant)
• Salt
• Butter
• SAF Instant Yeast

Step-By-Step Instructions:

Step One

Measure both the dry and wet ingredients before beginning the process.

Step Two

To remove the baking/mixing pan from the machine, hold the Baking Pan Handles and tilt the Pan towards you to unlatch and lift it out. Do NOT pull the bread pan straight up. You can see Mark’s thumb tilting the pan forward.

Step Three

Attach the Kneading Blades to the Rotating Shafts in the Baking Pan (look at page 14) to confirm the blades are positioned correctly.

Step Four

Carefully add the water, then the dry ingredients, to the Baking Pan (the instructions say to make a depression in the flour and add the yeast to the middle of the depression so the yeast doesn’t come into contact with the liquid at the bottom of the pan). I dumped everything in; that’s how I roll.

Step Five

Set the Baking Pan into the Main Body and close the lid. Insert the Power Plug into an electrical outlet. Press the “COURSE” UP button until it reaches Course #11 (for DOUGH ONLY); this is what I did today. Push the Start button.

You’ll also see the word “Rest” next to #11, indicating that it’s in the “rest” phase while the unit warms up the ingredients. This “rest” phase should last about 20-25 minutes. Note the estimated completion time at the bottom of the screen. We started the machine at approximately 4:00 PM, and the unit estimated that the process would end at 6:02 PM.

Step Six

You’ll hear the unit move into the “knead” phase as the kneading blades start spinning to knead the dough. The screen will change from “rest” to “knead” during this period.

Step Seven

After a few minutes, the unit will make a buzzing sound, and you’ll notice the word “add” flashing on the screen. This is the ideal time to add ingredients you want in your dough, such as nuts or raisins.

You can open the lid, add the desired additional ingredients, and close it without changing any settings.

Step Eight

Once the knead phase is complete, you’ll see the word “rise” on the screen next to #11. This is the phase where the yeast kicks in and does its thing. I forgot to take a picture of the screen showing the “rise” phase. I will add it later.

When approximately 30 minutes remain in the dough-making process, the time setting will change from the estimated completion time to 30 minutes, indicating the remaining time. This clock setting will change in 1-minute increments until the dough-making phase is finished.

I turned the machine off (and unplugged it) and pulled the dough out before it reached that phase. I could see through the glass window that the dough was perfect and ready to mold.

After it stopped, I removed the dough from the Dough-Making Bread Pan to the kitchen counter so I could mold it.

Step Nine

Use a dough scraper to cut the dough into two equal-sized pieces and then mold them into two loaves of bread. (I use bread pans this size: 7.75 x 3.75 x 2.5 Inches.)

Step Ten

Here are the two molded loaves.

Step Eleven

Place the loaves into your greased bread pans, cover with plastic wrap, and let the dough double in size.

Step Twelve

Remove the plastic wrap. Preheat your conventional oven to 350°F (176°C). Bake for 28 minutes, or until the bread is baked through.

Step Thirteen

Remove the baked loaves from the oven.

Step Fourteen

Remove the loaves from the pans and place them on a cooling rack.

Finished Product

I love this recipe because it’s easy. Once you realize how easy the bread mixer steps are to make bread, you’ll be a pro at making it. Here again, I prefer my dough to be baked in a conventional oven, not in this bread mixer. Here is the bread sliced and ready for butter and jam, which I love.

I wanted you to see how perfect the loaves looked coming out of the oven. Often, I’ll take a stick of butter and rub it over the top of the loaves to make the bread crust a little softer. These looked so great, I decided not to do that.

Bread Machine Bread Recipe

Print

Heidi’s Bread Machine Recipe/TWO one-pound loaves

Course Bread

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Knead & Rise 2 hours hours

Total Time 2 hours hours 40 minutes minutes

Servings 2 Loaves

Author Linda Loosli

Ingredients

• 1-1/2 cups water
• 4 cups bread flour
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons dry instant milk
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon Saf Instant yeast

Instructions

Zojirushi Bread Maker Instructions

• Add the ingredients listed to the Baking Pan in the order listed. Press the COURSE button and select Course No. 11 (for DOUGH ONLY), and press the START button. After it stops, remove the dough from the Dough Bread Pan. Use a dough scraper to cut the dough into two equal-sized pieces for the two loaves. I use bread pans this size: 7.75 x 3.75 x 2.5 Inches. Grease your bread pans, place the dough in them, and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise until double the size. Remove the plastic wrap. Preheat your oven to 350°F (176°C). Bake for 28-30 minutes or until baked through.

  PLEASE CHECK YOUR BREAD MAKER BRAND'S INSTRUCTIONS.

Step-By-Step Instructions (Additional Help)

• 1. Set the Baking Pan into the Main Body and close the lid.

  2. Insert the Power Plug into an electrical outlet.

  3. Press the "COURSE" UP button until it reaches Course #11 (for DOUGH ONLY), this is what I did today.

  4. Push the Start button.

  5. You'll also see the word "Rest" next to #11 telling you that it is in the "rest" phase as the unit warms up the ingredients.

  6. This "rest" phase should last about 20-25 minutes.

  7. You'll hear the unit move into the "knead" phase as the kneading blades start spinning to knead the dough.

  8. The screen will change from "rest" to "knead" during this period.

  9. After a few minutes, the unit will make a buzzing sound, and you'll notice the word "add" flashing on the screen. This is the appropriate time to add any ingredients you want to your dough, like nuts, raisins, etc. You can open the lid, add the desired additional ingredients, and close it without changing any settings.

  10. Once the knead phase is complete, you'll see the word "rise" on the screen next to #11. This is the phase where the yeast kicks in and does its thing.

  11. When there are approximately 30 minutes remaining in the dough-making process, you'll see the time setting change from the estimated completion time to 30 minutes, which means there is that much time remaining. This clock setting will change in 1-minute increments until the dough-making phase is finished. When I could see the dough was ready through the glass opening in the lid, I skipped this step. I turned off the machine and unplugged it.

  12. After it stops, you remove the dough from the Dough Bread Pan.

  13. Use a dough scraper to cut the dough into two equal sizes and then mold them into two loaves of bread. (I use bread pans this size: 7.75 x 3.75 x 2.5 Inches.)

  14. Place the loaves into your greased bread pans, cover with plastic wrap. and let double in size.

  15. Remove the plastic wrap.

  16. Preheat your conventional oven to 350°F 176°C and bake for 28-30 minutes or until baked through.

  PLEASE CHECK YOUR BREAD MAKER BRAND'S INSTRUCTIONS.

Final Word

Here’s my take on this excellent bread maker. I love it; I really love it. I’m so glad that a reader mentioned she bought one. I have big plans to teach the world how to make pizza, dinner rolls, French bread, and breadsticks using this incredible machine. I’m sure there’ll be other things I’ll want to make, so stay tuned.

I can use this machine to make bread from start to finish in about 2 hours. I won’t worry about it needing electricity. Mark and I live for today and stock up for tomorrow. This bread can be made with pennies compared to store-bought bread and will pay for itself within a year, depending on how much bread, dinner rolls, or pizza you make at home. Bread is getting so expensive; this is another way to be self-sufficient and save money, too.

I’ve been telling my readers for years that mastering the art of bread making is a must-have skill if you genuinely want to be prepared for the unexpected. You and your family can thrive if you have the ingredients on hand and know how to make bread. If you’ve been reluctant to learn bread making, now is the time to jump in with both feet. Learn how now, and live through most anything!

I can always make bread in a bowl. But until then, I’ll enjoy making bread without hurting my fingers and hands. May God bless this world, Linda

The post Bread Machine Bread-How To Make It appeared first on Food Storage Moms.

from Food Storage Moms

How to Harvest and Store Your Garden Produce

There’s nothing quite as disheartening as taking the time to grow enough food for the winter, only to find that it decayed after just a short a while, and cannot be salvaged. From apples and pears to potatoes and squash, this guide will teach you exactly how and when to harvest and store your different ... Read more

How to Harvest and Store Your Garden Produce can be read in full at New Life On A Homestead- Be sure to check it out!

from New Life On A Homestead