Almost Holidays = Baking! ...right?

      On Tuesday my mom and Jerusha went to meet some friends at the mall. Jerusha and two of her friends got their ears' pierced! Anyway, I decided to stay home so I could get some school done.Along with the attempt to get some schoolwork completed, I went on a baking frenzy! It was so great!! Very relaxing. In the midst of other things, I found a recipe for Buttery Soft Pretzels, which I thought looked fun to make. After making them, this is my conclusion:

Homemade pretzels are like, one of the most fun things to make!!!! If I were creative, it would be even more enjoyable to make, but since that is not one of my strong points . . . . ;) I've included the recipe (which I obtained from allrecipes.com) below in case y'all want to check it out.

Because the Holiday season is rapidly approaching, I think I'll put up pictures and recipes if we make any fun things that we'd like to share! :) In case you didn't follow that train of thought, The Holiday season = lots of fun baking! (among other things...) lol :)
Well, I must get back to my "busy life". Spiced Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies are next!! ;) The verdict is pending....

Buttery Soft Pretzels

Ingredients

• 4 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 1 teaspoon white sugar
• 1 1/4 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
• 5 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

• 1/2 cup baking soda
• 4 cups hot water
• 1/4 cup kosher salt, for topping

Directions

1. In a small bowl, dissolve yeast and 1 teaspoon sugar in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
2. In a large bowl, mix together flour, 1/2 cup sugar, and salt. Make a well in the center; add the oil and yeast mixture. Mix and form into a dough. If the mixture is dry, add one or two tablespoons of water. Knead the dough until smooth, about 7 to 8 minutes. Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
3. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). In a large bowl, dissolve baking soda in hot water.
4. When risen, turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 12 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a rope and twist into a pretzel shape. Once all of the dough is all shaped, dip each pretzel into the baking soda solution and place on a greased baking sheet. Sprinkle with kosher salt.
5. Bake in preheated oven for 8 minutes, until browned.