House Hunters South Dakota

So remember, this post and this post? Still two of my favorite blog posts. I haven't seen House Hunters in a while (I usually caught up when we were visiting Mom), but I'm assuming it hasn't changed much. So I now present...the South Dakota Edition of Wood Family House Hunters.

After Dale's help in selling their previous home and with Brian getting comfortable in his new job,  the Wood family, now with two kids, is looking for a new home in South Dakota. Their new agent, Tonya, is helping them as they navigate the unique housing market in this small college town. Will they find the family home they are looking for?

The first home they see is an older ranch with 2,800 square feet on .26 acres. Tonya advises Sarah that although it is priced at $179,000 the seller is pretty motivated, and would likely accept an offer at $175,000. "The kitchen is nicely updated, but it is very orange,and I really don't know how much we would use the dining room," Sarah notes. Tonya lets them know that there have been lots of updates on this house: newer roof, deck, windows, and furnace. "It really has a lot of space," Brian says, "but there are some weird things going on in the basement. And you have to drive around the house to get to the garage in the back, which would be a pain"

The next home they see is a 1800 square foot bi-level on the edge of town. It is priced at $199,000 "I really like the location and the yard: no backdoor neighbors and .4 acres," Sarah says. "The kitchen has been nicely updated as well." Brian agrees that the big yard is nice, but he is concerned that it is a bilevel, so stairs are unavoidable. "Plus the garage smells like smoke," he adds. "The garage is huge though. So is that walk-in closet." Tonya gives them some important info on the house: "I don't know if this will matter to you, but there was a suicide in this house. It was a few years ago, but most people in town will still remember."

The last home they visit is a 1940 home with 2400 square feet. It is priced at $165,000. "It has good curb appeal, which I like," Brian says, "and it's across the street from an elementary school, so the kids could just play on the playground there." Tonya advises them that street parking is limited since it's across from the school, but there is parking in the alley. She has listed this home before, something apparently common in this small, but transient town. "I really like the white cabinets," Sarah says. "The narrow stairs could be a problem, though, and the yard is pretty small."

Which home will they choose: the ranch with lots of room, the bi-level with the big yard, or the cute house across from the school?

100% Whole Wheat Bread Recipe

I dislike when recipes are called "The Best." It's subjective, so what you think is the best chocolate chip cookie recipe probably won't be what I think is the best chocolate chip cookie recipe. With that being said, this is my favorite wheat bread recipe. Since I started making bread, I've tried lots of different recipes in my quest to find what I wanted: 100% wheat, low-cost, preferably no vwg, and doesn't dry out too fast. This is the one that has best met my requirements, and the taste is great to boot.

I'm not sure how I came across it, but it's originally from food.com.

100% Whole Grain Wheat Bread

YIELD 2 LOAVES

INGREDIENTS

2 3⁄4 cups hot water
1⁄3 cup olive oil, any oil is fine
1⁄3 cup honey (when I'm feeling poor, I use brown sugar and add a little extra water, and it's still delicious)
2 tablespoons molasses
1 tablespoon salt
7 1⁄2 cups of 100% whole grain wheat flour
2 tablespoons dry active yeast


DIRECTIONS
Place the first five ingredients in the bowl and mix.
Add: 2 Cups 100% Whole Grain Wheat Flour. (to cool the water and end up with warm dough) Mix then add 2 Tbs of Dry Active Yeast. If your not sure about your yeast proof it in a little warm water first.
Add: 4 Cups of 100% Whole Grain Wheat Flour.
Mix until the consistency is some what even. Then continue to slowly add flour 1/2 Cup at a time until the dough quits sticking to the sides of the bowl. It should be tacky to the touch. The trick is to have enough consistency to stand up with the least amount of flour so the bread will be fluffy. It will most likely be 6 1/2 cups but in any case do not exceed 7 1/2 cups of wheat flour. You can trade one cup of wheat flour for one cup of all purpose white if you wish. Don't over mix or the bread will be tough.
When your dough is finished, leave it in the mixer, cover the bowl and let it rise for about 30-45 minutes. The dough will be larger but it doesn't need to double.
Grease two bread pans with Crisco. You can also flour the pans to reduce sticking.
Mix the dough again just enough to knock it down at least close to the original size.
Drop the dough on a floured surface so you can work the dough and shape it. Shape it with your hands to make a nice ball getting enough flour on it so it isn't sticky. Divide the ball in half and do it again. Shape the loaves by turning the dough under it's self over and over. When the dough is shaped the sides and ends will be sealed and all you will see is a nice oblong shaped loaf with smooth sides and top. Drop the loaves in your bread pans and let them rise until almost doubled. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 for 36 minutes. If you forgot to preheat 41 minutes. (gas oven).
When done turn the bread out of the pan to a rack to cool. You can eat it right away (a great time for real butter) don't wrap it until completely cooled. (Condensation will make it soggy) Put in tinfoil to store on the counter. If you put it in the refrigerator it will turn into a brick. Enjoy.
My notes: I'm not sure, but I probably always use more than 7 1/2 c flour. Fresh ground flour is fluffier. Also, it does stick quite a bit in the pan. I always need to grease well my non-stick pans when I make this bread. I also only cook it 27-30 minutes.

Roll Out the Vermillion Carpet

Fun facts about Vermillion:

The Lakota name of the area was "The Place Where Vermilion is Obtained." In case you weren't aware, vermilion is a shade of red or scarlet made from cinnabar.

Spirit Mound

Vermillion is in the Southeast corner of the state. It's a 45 minute drive to Sioux City and an hour to Sioux Falls.

Main Street

The population is about 10,000. I'd say a significant percentage of that is university students, so the demographics are skewed. There are two elementary schools, one K-2, and one 3-5, and a middle school and a high school. Happily, there is a small Walmart.

The University of South Dakota is here. Pretty much everything revolves around it. It has the state's only law school and only medical school. Two of our uncles attended school here.

USD

There is an LDS branch of about 250 members. The branch is a mix of professors (most are really young), grad students, and people who have been here forever. It seems to be a very transient unit between the students and the young professors who are probably all trying to get back to BYU.

Snow-loving kids

We would love to have you visit, but I would appreciate having a house before we have company.