Mmmmm...giant pretzels

These are the BEST giant soft pretzels I've ever made! Ok, it's not like I make giant pretzels all the time, but I have made them before and because they haven't turned out as amazing as I expected, I gave up. Then I discovered this recipe, and homemade giant soft pretzels are now everything I've ever dreamed of...try it for yourself.

Auntie Ann’s Pretzels
1 1/2 c. warm water
2 T brown sugar
1 1/8 tsp salt
2 c. bread flour
2 c. all-purpose flour
1 1/8 tsp yeast

2 T baking soda
2 c. warm water

2 T melted butter
coarse salt or
cinnamon & sugar

Dissolve yeast in water. Add sugar & salt, stir to dissolve. Add flour and knead dough until smooth. Let rise 1/2 hour.
Prepare warm water & baking soda, stirring often.
After dough has risen, pull off handfuls and roll into a long rope about 1/2 inch or less thick and shape. Dip pretzel into soda solution & place on a greased baking sheet. Allow pretzel dough to rise once more.
Remove from oven and coat with melted butter and sprinkle with coarse salt, cinnamon & sugar, or any topping your heart desires!
Bake: 10 min. @ 450˚ Makes approx. 8-10 pretzels

Happy Easter!

Holidays are a million times better when you have a kid experiencing them for the first time. Elliott got to hunt for eggs this year and could do it all by herself. It was sooooo cute! She got an Easter egg hunt all to herself at Grandma Debbie's and got to hunt again later at Grandma Roxanne's. It was so much fun with all of the grandkids. Elliott has recently perfected the art of hopping. She would hop her way around the grass to the eggs. She was really in the Easter spirit this year. What a goof!

Naynan!

My sister Katherine had her baby girl on April Fool's day. I went to her house to watch her boys while she was at the hospital and Norman kept asking me if it was a joke that mommy was at the hospital having her baby! It was cute. Megan Ann was 8 lbs. 5 oz. and 19 inches long. She is adorable. Now Elliott's new obsession is babies! She yells, "Naynan! Naynan seeping!" because Megan was sleeping almost the whole day while we were with her. I can't wait to have another one so she can be an amazing big sister.