The Top 3 Ways I Find New Blogs To Follow

You have probably noticed that I post a lot of new blogs in The Wednesday Weekly Review. In case you are wondering, yes there is a method to the madness of finding so many wonderful blogs! Here are the top three ways I decide to follow a blog and how I find the blogs I do follow!

1. Does she cook, craft, sew, refashion, and post tutorials? Is she Apostolic?
If the answer is yes to any of these questions I will follow the blog 90% of the time. I love to follow bloggers who have the same interests and beliefs as me. Even if the beliefs are not the same but the blogger has several of the other topics in common then I will still follow the blog. I like to have as many databases at my expense to pull creative ideas from!

2. Pinterest!
I am a Pinterest addict, as you well know, and I have a lot of pins. Before I delete a pin (because I delete a lot quite often) I see what the pin source is. If it is tumbler I don't follow it, but if it leads to a blogspot or other blog address then I will follow it to check out the blog. This is the main way I have discovered many of the blogs I currently am following. This is my favorite way to find a new blog.

3. Followers of other blogs!
When I find a blog I like I will click on the individual follower's icon to see what blogs they follow and/or contribute to, or post on, or host. This is a great way to find blogs which are related to many of the same topics and beliefs that I have. This is my second favorite way to find blogs!

4. Yes I know I said three, but a very important one is this: Do I have the option to follow via Email?
A lot of the time I will choose to follow a blog more willingly if the blogger has offered the option of following via email. I check my email a lot and therefore will be more likely to see the bloggers posts and will then be even more likely to leave encouraging comments. This is a huge deal for me! I hate it when I find a great blog and they don't have the option to follow via email. Why? Because most of the time, even if I am following the blog, I will forget to go back and check to see the latest posts.

Final Thoughts
I hope this has helped you understand my method a little better. Of course if I have visitors leave a comment anywhere on my blog I always check to see if they have a blog and then go check it out (bonus for leaving a comment on my blog!) I have found a few really good blogs this way as well.

All The Blogs I Love are pinned to the board at the end of this link! I also have a seperate board for the Blogs I Enjoy, Blog Hops & Parties, and Apostolic Blogs. Visit the Pinterest Board: Blogs I've Featured to see each blog that has been mentioned, featured, or promoted on Blue Eyed Beauty Blog!

Do you have a favorite way to find new blogs to follow? I am always looking for new ideas! Be sure to your blog finding tips below!

Apple Pecan Spice Bread

Since I have all of these apples from the neighbors I have been making a lot of recipes with apples in them. So far that includes an Apple Pie recipe, Cinnamon Apple Swirl Bread, and Crockpot Apple Butter. Today I am making apple bread.

Ingredients

2 cups flour

2/3 cup sugar

2/3 cup powdered milk

1 Tablespoon baking powder

1 Tablespoon baking soda

2 Tablespoons cinnamon

2 Tablespoons corriander

1/2 cup melted butter

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 eggs

1/2 cup water

2 cups diced apples (about 5 apples)

1/2 cup chopped pecans

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Mix together flour, sugar, powdered milk, baking powder, cornstarch, cinnamon and coriander.

3. Melt the butter in the microwave and add to flour mix. Add in vanilla and eggs. Stir until well blended.

4. Add in diced apples.

5. Chop pecans and add them. Stir everything together well.

6. Pour dough into a greased bread pan.

7. Bake in oven for 1 hour and 10 minutes. Make sure that when you stick a toothpick/knife into the middle nothing comes out on it before you take it out of the oven. If this isn't enough time the continue baking in 5 minute segments, checking the loaf before resetting the timer until it is finished.

Notes

~The mix will look like it should be split into two loaves, but don't do that or you will have to flat loaves instead of one large loaf.



Here is what my loaf looked like once it was finished baking.
It looks really dark but the crust was surprisingly soft and tasty.
Also, it doesn't taste burned at all...which I was worried about since it was so dark.

~The dough cooks dark so don't be worried if the top of the bread is dark and the inside isn't finished cooking yet.

Other Apple Recipes: Apple Breakfast Cake, "Baked" Apple Oatmeal, Grandma Karon's Apple Pie, Crockpot Apple Butter, Fried Apples, Apple Pecan Spice Bread, Apple Oatmeal Spice Drop Cookies, Apple Oatmeal Breakfast Cake, Apple Raisin Bran Muffins, Cinnamon Apple Swirl Bread, Apple Oatmeal Pancakes, Healthy Applesauce Muffins, Apple Pecan Cake, Healthy Crockpot Applesauce.

Cinnamon Apple Swirl Bread

Okay so you know I have been making lots of recipes with apples in them...well here's a new one for you: Cinnamon Apple Swirl Bread! Not only is this delicious, but it is light and airy and a perfect side for breakfast or a snack. This recipe springs off of the Sweet White Bread recipe which I love so much! I have made a few tiny changes to make this recipe taste like it does. I hope that you will enjoy the deliciousness of this bread!

This recipe makes 4 loaves.

You can freeze the extra loaves to enjoy at a later time.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups of water

1/2 cup of butter

1 teaspoon vanilla

3/4 cup + 1 Tablespoon of sugar

2 teaspoons salt

9 cups white flour

1 Tablespoon cinnamon

1 egg

2 cups of warm water

2 Tablespoons of yeast

Flour for surface

Filling

4 Tablespoons butter, melted

4 Tablespoons brown sugar

2 pints (4 cups) of Apple Butter

Directions

1. In a microwave safe bowl put milk, butter, vanilla, and 3/4 cup of sugar. Microwave for 2 minutes.

2. In a liquid measuring cup pour the water and yeast and 1 Tablespoon of sugar. Set aside.

3. Stir salt, two cups of flour, cinnamon, and the egg into the microwaved mixture.

4. Add yeast mixture to cooled butter mixture.

5. Mix in 2 cups of flour at a time. Remember you have already added two cups.

This is half the dough in one bowl. It is ready to be divided up.

6. Divide the dough into two bowls. Set in a warm place (garage in summer works great! Outdoors in fall is good also.) to rise for about 2 hours.

7. In a small bowl mix the melted butter and brown sugar for the filling.

8. Divide the risen dough into four sections. Try and make them as even as possible.

9. On a floured surface roll out one section at a time into a rectangle shape (don't worry about the shape being perfect).

10. Spread four spoonful's of the butter mix on the dough.

This is what my bread looked like right after I
put apple butter all over it.

11. Spread 1 cup of the apple butter over the butter on the dough.

12. Roll the dough up like you are making cinnamon rolls.

13. Place in a greased bread pan.

14. Repeat steps 9-13 for the remaining three loaves.

This loaf is reaady for the oven!

15. Set all of the loaves in a warm place and cover with a cloth or paper towel. Let rise for 1 hour.

16. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

17. Bake the loaves for 25-30 minutes.

18. If you have remaining butter/brown sugar mix you can spread it over the top of the loaves as they are comming out of the oven.

19. Let the loaves cool completely and store them in Ziploc bags or in an air tight container. If you are going to freeze them make sure to get all the air out of the bag before sticking the loaf in the freezer.

Other Apple Recipes: Apple Breakfast Cake, "Baked" Apple Oatmeal, Grandma Karon's Apple Pie, Crockpot Apple Butter, Fried Apples, Apple Pecan Spice Bread, Apple Oatmeal Spice Drop Cookies, Apple Oatmeal Breakfast Cake, Apple Raisin Bran Muffins, Cinnamon Apple Swirl Bread, Apple Oatmeal Pancakes, Healthy Applesauce Muffins, Apple Pecan Cake, Healthy Crockpot Applesauce.

Sweet White Bread

The first run in creating this recipe went extremely well. I have never had that good of luck in the area of bread making, but I think my luck is changing! This recipe is created specifically for white flour. I am still working on a recipe which uses only wheat flour so be looking for that one soon! I made this recipe twice because after the first run I realized that the recipe really needed salt to make it complete. I usually avoid cooking with salt, but I really felt like this recipe needed it so therefore salt is in the list of ingredients.

This recipe makes 4 light, airy, and delicious loaves of bread.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups water

1/2 cup (1 stick) of butter

3/4 cup + 1 Tablespoon of sugar

1 Tablespoon salt

9 cups white flour

1 egg

2 cups of warm water

2 Tablespoons of yeast

Flour for surface

Directions

1. In a microwave safe bowl put water, butter, and 3/4 cup of sugar. Microwave for 2 minutes.

2. In a liquid measuring cup pour the water and yeast and 1 Tablespoon of sugar. Set aside.

3. Stir salt, two cups of flour, and the egg into the microwaved mixture.

4. Add yeast mixture to cooled butter mixture.

5. Mix in 2 cups of flour at a time. Remember you have already added two cups.

6. Divide the dough into two bowls. Set in a warm place (garage in summer works great! Outdoors in fall is good also.) to rise for about 2 hours.

7. Divide into four sections. Try and make them as even as possible.

Flour the surface.

Put the section of dough on the floured surface. Notice I already have the dough shaped
like I want the finished product to be (rectangle).

Roll the dough out.

8. On a floured surface roll out one section of dough at a time into a rectangle shape (don't worry about the shape being perfect).

9. Roll the dough up like you would if you were making cinnamon rolls.

10. Place in a greased bread pan.

11. Repeat steps 8-10 for the remaining three loaves.

12. Set the loaves in a warm dry place and cover them with a cloth or paper towel. Let them rise for 1 hour.

13. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees when the dough has filled the pan.

14. Bake the loaves for 20-25 minutes.

15. Let the loaves cool completely before putting them away. The loaves can be stored in a Ziploc and put in the freezer for future use.

Variations of this Recipe
Cinnamon Apple Swirl Bread
Double Cinnamon Rolls
Italian Buttered Croissant Rolls
Whole Wheat Bread

"Baked" Apple Oatmeal

Title explanation: have you ever had baked oatmeal? Well this is just like it, except you can make it on the stove AND you don't have to use eggs! This is the best part for me since I can't eat real baked oatmeal due to the amount of eggs used in the recipes I've found. This recipe is meant to be served with milk as if it was real baked oatmeal or a breakfast cereal.

Ingredients

5-6 peeled and diced apples

1 Tablespoon butter

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

3 cups water

4 cups oatmeal, not quick oats!

Directions

1. Peel and dice apples

2. Cook apples on medium-high with butter, sugar and vanilla. This will take anywhere from 7-10 minutes.

3. Once the apples are cooked turn the heat to high. Add the water.

4. Bring the water to a boil.

5. Add in oatmeal and stir until all the oatmeal is coated in the water mix.

6. Turn down the heat to 3-4. Cook 5-7 minutes or until oatmeal is ready to eat.

7. Serve hot/warm with milk.

Other Apple Recipes: Apple Breakfast Cake, "Baked" Apple Oatmeal, Grandma Karon's Apple Pie, Crockpot Apple Butter, Fried Apples, Apple Pecan Spice Bread, Apple Oatmeal Spice Drop Cookies, Apple Oatmeal Breakfast Cake, Apple Raisin Bran Muffins, Cinnamon Apple Swirl Bread, Apple Oatmeal Pancakes, Healthy Applesauce Muffins, Apple Pecan Cake, Healthy Crockpot Applesauce.