Round the Sphere Again

• Update: Saving Money
  If you live in the U.S., you can get free shipping this weekend on orders from Monergism Books (click on ad to the left).

  Instructions for Free Shipping
  
  1) Sign in to your customer account. You must be a registered customer for your coupon to work. If you are not already registered, simply register with username and password before you place your order.
  
  2) Place at least $25.00 in your shopping cart
  
  3) At checkout type the text May2009 in the “Coupon” area. Click “submit”.
  
  4) Shipping charges will automatically be removed from your order.
  
  Offer good for domestic (within the USA) orders only. Offer ends Sunday May 3, 2009 at midnight and does not apply to any previous orders.

• Giving Answers
  John Piper answers the question, “If perfect angels could sin and fall, how do we know this won’t happen to us sometime in eternity?” Some of his answer is connected to the God planning the fall discussion.

  
  TulipGirl has a quote from Martin Luther on whether one may flee from a deadly plague. Just in case you ever need to make this decision.
  
  And because I can never pass up a good gospel post: Jared at The Thinklings tells us why Evangelicalism should reclaim the gospel.

  Gospel deficiency is the biggest crisis of the American church. It has been replaced by many things, most commonly a therapeutic, self-help approach to biblical application. … The result is a Church that, ironically enough, preaches works, not grace, and a growing number of Christians who neither understand the gospel nor revel in its scandal.

• Suggesting a Pattern
  I never knew how handy reusable shopping bags are until I started grocery shopping for one person. You can put so much more in them than you can in those plastic grocery store bags and the cloth handles make them much easier to carry. Here’s an easy pattern for one that folds up into a little wallet-sized carrier and then tucked in a purse. I made one using some leftover lightweight denim yesterday and I was very pleased with the results.


• Sharing Photos
  There are a few new photos in the family photo album, including this one of youngest daughter who was featured in the last Saturday’s Old Photo and whose birthday is today.

Mashed Potato Bread

This is one of my favorite ways to use up a little bit of leftover mashed potatoes. The potatoes make the bread very soft and moist.

• 2 cups milk
• 1/4 cup salted butter
• 1 cup leftover mashed potatoes
• 1 tbsp. dry yeast
• 1 tbsp. sugar
• 2 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 3 cups whole wheat flour
• 3 cups unbleached flour

I made my mashed potatoes with unpeeled potatoes and the bread turned out just fine.Heat milk and butter in a small saucepan until butter melts. Stir in mashed potatoes. Dissolve yeast in lukewarm water.

In a mixing bowl, blend milk mixture, yeast mixture, sugar, salt, and egg. Add whole wheat flour, one cup at a time. Stir in enough white flour to make a soft, kneadable dough. Knead dough for 10 minutes.

Let rise in a greased bowl covered with plastic wrap until doubled in size. Punch down and form into 2 loaves. Put into loaf pan, cover with plastic wroap, and let rise.

Bake in 375 oven for 45 minutes. Remove from pan and cool on wire rack.

My Desktop Photo 55

Photo by Andrew Stark
(click on photo for larger view)