Happy

Scrolling through Netflix at 4AM this morning (not that I wanted to be up, just couldn't sleep), I noticed a film called Happy.  Its description read:

Happy takes viewers on a journey from the swamps of Louisiana to the slums of Kolkata in search of what really makes people happy. Combining real-life stories and scientific interviews, the film explores the secrets behind our most valued emotion.

It sounded fascinating. Then I skipped it so I could catch up on Doc Martin. But the idea of the movie has stayed with me all day. What makes my family happy?

Knowing how hungry my boys are when they get home from school, I made some pretzels this afternoon. As soon as they found out, my little one started a happy dance. Even the older, "cooler" one threw his image aside, jumped into my arms, and plastered me with kisses. He exclaimed, "My day was horrible until I came home!"

So this was the answer to the question I'd been pondering all day. In our house, happiness is a little bit of flour, yeast, and water.

Assistant baker hard at work

To share our happiness with you, here is the recipe I used.

Soft Pretzels (makes 18 pretzels)

•  1 Tbsp yeast 
•  1 1/2 c Warm water 
•  2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
•  1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour 
•  3 Tbsp canola oil 
•  1 1/2 Tbsp Honey 
•  6 Tbsp baking soda; in 6 cups water 
•  pretzel salt; optional 

In a stand mixer, combine yeast, warm water, flours, oil, and honey. Using a dough hook, mix for about 5 minutes until you have a soft, smooth dough.

Place dough in a greased bowl; turn over to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until double (about 1 hour).

When the dough is almost done rising, line two baking trays with parchment paper. Lightly oil/grease the paper. Set trays aside.

When the dough has doubled, punch down dough, turn out onto a floured board,and divide into 18 pieces. Then roll each piece into a smooth rope about 12-18 inches long (depending on how thick you like them), and twist into a pretzel shape. Place pretzels slightly apart on baking sheets. Let rise, uncovered,until puffy (about 25 minutes).

Meanwhile, in a 3-quart stainless steel or enameled pan (not aluminum), bring soda water to a boil; adjust water to keep water boiling gently. With a slotted spatula, lower 1 pretzel at a time into pan. Let simmer for 10 seconds on each side, then lift from water, drain briefly on spatula, and return to baking sheet. Let dry briefly, then sprinkle with coarse salt if desired. Let stand uncovered until all have simmered.

Bake in a preheated 425 degree oven for 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown. Transfer to racks; serve warm with butter or mustard.

We always seem to run out of pretzels immediately, but if you can't eat all of yours right away, you can cool them completely, wrap airtight, and freeze. To reheat, place frozen pretzel on ungreased baking sheets and bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for about 10 minutes or until hot.

Gak Attack!

As much as I love my children, the rugrats monkeys have been driving me bananas the last couple of days. Between the sniffles and crummy weather, they've been very crabby, which makes me very, VERY crabby.

Although I was momentarily seduced by the the thought of locking the boys in a cupboard under the stairs, I took the high road. Instead, we went shopping for a couple of ingredients so that we could make gak (and no, I'm not referring to a Klingon delicacy best served live). If you've never done this, it's a simple activity that 1) demonstrates science is cool and 2) keeps little hands occupied for awhile.

Quite simply, gak is a kind of rubbery putty made from white glue, water, and borax. Separately, these ingredients are not all that interesting. Mix them up, though, and WOWZA! (If I could make "wowza" sparkly I would because this project is just that awesome.) The borax causes the all the molecules in the solution to hook up and form long chains, turning the mix into a squishy ball of slime.

Of course, the kids couldn't care less as I tried to explain what a polymer was. They were too busy experimenting with gak's various physical properties. For instance, one of my budding scientists was hanging slime out of his nose and exclaiming, "Look, Mom! I've got the biggest booger in the history of boogers!" The other young Einstein was poking his putty and keenly observing, "Hey, my gak is FARTING!"

It occurs to me that life is a little like gak and in more ways than just the boogers and flarpy noises. As individuals, we're like glue, water, and borax. We are who we are. We do our thing. All it takes though, is one special interaction between two people to change everything. We get to be part of something more than just ourselves. We have the chance to create something special, something that's bigger than the sum of its parts.

Today, our special interaction was making gak. The kids and I had a great time and made some new bonds -- both chemical and relational. More importantly, our collective good humor has been restored, so the boys won't have to sleep under the stairs tonight.¹

In case you want to make your own gak, here's the recipe. I'm also going to give you a recipe for another glue-based putty you may want to try.

Gak
Ingredients:
--Solution 1--

• 8 oz white glue (like Elmer's school glue)
• Approximately 6-8 Tbsp warm water
• Food coloring (optional)

--Solution 2--

• 1/3 cup water
• 3/4 - 1 tsp Borax (You can usually find this in the laundry detergent section of your grocery store.)

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, mix all the ingredients together for Solution 1. Note: To measure the water, I fill up the empty glue bottle about 3/4 full and dump the water into the bowl.
2. In a separate bowl, mix the ingredients for Solution 2. It's ok if you don't dissolve every single grain of borax.
3. Pour Solution 2 into Solution 1.
4. You'll immediately start to see the texture change. Stir the mixture until it is thick. Then use your hands to knead the putty. If you have any excess water, you can drain that off, but you probaby won't have any.



Putty
Ingredients:
1/2 cup white glue
Food coloring (optional)
1/2 cup liquid laundry starch

Pour the glue into a bowl. If desired, mix with several drops of food coloring. Slowly add the starch while kneading the mixture with your fingers.

Notes: You can store gak and putty in an airtight container or a resealable plastic bag. Also, you're going to want to keep them off any carpets.

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¹For any overanxious readers, the cupboard-under-the-stairs bit is a joke.  I have never locked the kids up under the stairs. I don't even have a room under the stairs. (Well, at least not one that locks.) I just want to be clear 'cause I don't want no calls from no Family Services.