Better Writer Day 16~ Brainstorm

Today's Better Writer challenge was to pick two topics and brainstorm about them. Get them out onto paper and just dump all the ideas that come.  I love brainstorming. And I actually have a ton on my mind, so the practice was a great one for me this morning. I am also rejoicing that I actually had time to sit down and do it... Halle-lujah went back to school this morning, so I had the morning free to 'work'.

I must say that my favorite thing about this challenge so far has been that it has kept me consistently getting words out. I have really felt like God is calling me to write, but until I make it a priority, it obviously won't just happen... have to get pen to paper. And this has been just the 'monkey on my back' to get me to do it! I can't wait to fill y'all in on the project I'm working on~ hoping to reveal next week a culmination of some things God's been doing in my life! Today's assignment was just what I need to get some clearer thoughts on a small piece of what's next!

Completely random, but I also wanted to throw it out there that I made these last night. And they might have been awesome.

A New Recipe and a Happy Weekend!

Happy Friday, sweet things! I wanted to share a new recipe with y'all. We happened to have carrots around, and I absolutely love carrot cake. But not wanting to indulge too much, I wanted to come up with a (slightly) healthier option for breakfast and snacking. So I messed around in the kitchen and came up with this muffin. I was thrilled with the results!

Carrot Cake Muffins with Cream Cheese Glaze

~Muffins~
Ingredients:
3/4 cup flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup oats

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 cup grated carrot
1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup nuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350*. Combine the flour, cinnamon, salt, powder and oats and set aside. In large bowl, cream butter and brown sugar. Stir in egg. Add milk. Add dry ingredients. Fold in carrots and nuts, if desired. Pour into 12 greased or lined muffin tins. Bake about 20 minutes or until centers are set.

~Cream Cheese Glaze~

Ingredients:
2 oz. softened cream cheese
1 Tbsp softened butter
1/4 cup sifted powdered sugar
milk

Mix butter and cream cheese together until smooth. Add in powdered sugar. Then slowly add milk, one tablespoon at a time to desired consistency. I wanted this to be more of a glaze than a frosting to save on calories, so I used a bit more milk. Once the muffins were cool I drizzled this over them.

Soooo good! I would love to know if you try this and what you think! Hope y'all have a great weekend!

Chocolate Cobbler

Well, here it is... the recipe that had my twitter all abuzz yesterday. I didn't take a picture, because mine never turn out very pretty, but it tastes amazing and uses stuff that I typically just have in my kitchen.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup shortening
1/2 tsp. salt
milk
1 cup sugar
4 Tbsp. cocoa
1 tsp vanilla
1 Tbsp. melted butter
1 can evaporated milk
3/4 cup milk

The process:
Combine flour, shortening and salt. Mix with hands or pastry cutter until shortening is evenly dispersed. Add milk, 1 Tbsp. at a time until it makes a smooth ball. Roll out on floured board or pastry cloth as thin as possible.

Spread sugar over dough. Sprinkle cocoa over sugar. Add vanilla to melted butter and sprinkle over dough as well. Roll up dough and place into a baking dish in circle. Cut holes in top of dough and pour evaporated milk over roll. Then pour 3/4 cup milk on top.

Bake at 350* until dough is golden and sauce is bubbly. (about 30 min?)

That's the original recipe. The only places I vary are in the rolling of the dough~ I can never seem to get mine to make a smooth roll that doesn't break. The good thing is that it works out in the end whether you have to cut holes in the top or it just falls apart as you place it in the pan. The more places for the milk to sink in the better, in my opinion!

This is perfect served warm with vanilla ice cream. Coffee is also mandatory. Enjoy!

My Favorite Homemade Dish

Hi, girlies! It's Third Thursday, so once again I'm joining in the hop with Hearts at Home bloggers. The question this month was 'What's your favorite homemade dish?'. I struggled with what to say, because I don't consider most things I make homemade... I make and bake a lot, but I use lots of quick cheats and shortcuts. When I think of 'homemade', I think of slaving away for hours in the hot kitchen... climbing uphill both ways in three feet of snow... Okay, maybe I'm just being hard on myself. 

I decided to share with you today a SUPER TOP SECRET recipe that was handed down to me in my sweet Granny's handwriting on the recipe card. (I only call her Granny behind her back~ she hates that. Something about her mother being Granny, but the name totally fits her!) My Grandma is a small, southern pistol that makes a ton of wonderful things when working in her little kitchen. Her Pecan Pie is my absolute favorite. 

Pecan Pie

Beat 3 eggs slightly, add 2/3 cup sugar, 1 cup white corn syrup, 1/4 tsp. salt, 1/3 cup melted butter, and 1 tsp. vanilla. Stir in 1 cup pecans and pour into unbaked crust. Bake at 375* for 40-50 minutes until knife inserted in middle comes out clean.

This is my grandma's original recipe... now for my variations~ I use halved pecans (granny uses chopped). I also use 1/2 cup corn syrup with 1/2 cup maple syrup because I like the darker, nuttier flavor. For the crust, you can use a purchased, frozen pie crust. I typically make Martha's simple pate brisee or basic crust like this if I don't want to use butter.

Sorry the only picture I could find right now is this terrible yellow one, but you get the idea~ this pie is gorgeous every time! I'd love for you to link up and check out the other H@H bloggers today~ I can't wait to see what awesome things they're cooking up!

Tea Party!

So I am no photographer (not news to you, I know!), but I like to think I know how to party! I have such great memories of fancy teas with my mom and friends that she included, so I decided to gather a few of my girlies together on Saturday for a tea party of our own. We get so little time to just hang out without little ones, husbands, agendas, etc, and it was wonderful just to sit and chat for a bit. I was really hoping to have things set up out on our patio, but the sky that had been threatening rain all week decided to open up on Friday night and continue on all day Saturday. Thankfully I had reserved the church just-in-case, and it all came together!

~The Menu:

Chocolate Cake Balls

Sweet Scones with Peach Butter

Cucumber Sandwiches

Lemon Pound Cake

Berry Tarts with Mascarpone and Fresh Whipped Cream

and of course, TEA!

*PS, I've decided to try the disqus format for commenting. I think it's just a nicer way to keep the conversation going... hopefully it's an easy transition! Thanks so much for your awesome feedback!

WooHoo Granola!

Well, I was really excited about this one... as you can tell by my title.  I was in the mood yesterday for some granola and went digging in my pantry, thinking that I could just wing it and create something. I am thrilled with the result (though not so much the pic from my phone)!

Ingredients (all measurements are approximate, since I really just threw stuff into a bowl...)
~2 1/2 cups oats
~1 cup flaked coconut (not sweetened)
~3/4 cup sliced almonds
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1/3 cup brown sugar (I used half dark and half light)
1/3 cup honey
1/8 cup maple syrup
1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract

Method:
Heat oven to 300*. In a bowl, mix together oats, coconut, and almonds. Pour into greased roasting pan and place in oven for about 25 minutes, stirring several times.

While that's in the oven, in a small saucepan on the stove, mix butter, sugar, honey, and syrup over medium heat. Stirring pretty often until butter is melted. Remove from heat and add in vanilla.

Remove oat mixture from oven and pour syrup mixture over it, stirring to coat. Then spread this out on a cookie sheet that's been covered with parchment. Return to oven for about 5-10 minutes. (This last time is a guess because my oven quit working on me... My granola was a bit sticky but still tasted delicious... just leave in there until it sets up a bit.

I'd love to know if you try it! This recipe is pretty exciting to me because I can think of about a zillion ways to change it~ adding chocolate, dried fruit, different nuts, etc. Happy Thursday!

Recycled Crayons

Worst picture ever, I know... but I wanted to share these sweet little crayons that the littles and I made over the weekend. Like many of you, we have an ever growing pile of broken crayons that are too small to use (or, in the case of my Curly Girl, that she broke to make too small for her brother to use...). Either way, I hate to just dump them, so we made some new rainbow crayons. 

This is the easiest project in the world! All I did was spray my crafting muffin tin with some cooking spray and fill each cup with pieces. I did try to break the bigger chunks in to smaller, similar sized pieces. I wanted to stick with similar colors, but the littles did a few of their own, and we have several rainbow chunks that they love. Then I placed the tin in an oven heated to 275* until they were melted. Sorry, I don't remember how long they were actually in there... you know how that goes. Once melted, I let them cool on top of the oven, and once the tin was cool, I moved it to the freezer until they were solid. They popped right out, and we colored with them right away! We sang the ROYGBIV song from Cat in the Hat as we did it, so I think it counts as a lesson too~ LOVE that!

So what have you been up to lately?

Caramel Apples and a Lesson Learned

Happy Wednesday, lovelies! I adore when a simple project looks amazing...  Caramel apples are one of those treats that look really beautiful and are so easy to make.

Remy and Halle were my chief caramel unwrappers. 'Unwrap one, eat one' was the motto of the morning!

Buttering the parchment

The finished product~ Lovely!

We used the easy directions right on the caramel package for dipping the apples, and the littles chose nonpareils and Halloween sprinkles for the toppings. I also chopped up some nuts for good measure. They had a great time from start to finish, and I was thankful that they were still in their pjs because it was super messy!  My one mistake was that I didn't refrigerate them overnight, and in the morning all the caramel had melted to the bottom of the sweet little cello bags I had put them in. I'm still a bit disappointed about that, but our friends were good sports and ate them anyway! (They know I'd be mean if they didn't, and no one wants me to stop making for them!) 

The one where I steal her idea...

... and I should have stolen her picture! (My problem is not that I don't make tons of beautiful desserts, I'm just a lousy photographer!) Last Monday, Carissa posted her 'Death by Chocolate' as part of her miscellany- a gorgeous brownie topped with chocolate icing. Divine! Her post said that they only eat dessert once a week, which is a rule I think we all know I don't abide by. Anyway, we had friends coming for dinner and needed a quick and simple dessert that was also kid-friendly. I whipped up a batch of brownies, per the 'cake-like brownie' instructions, popped them into my mini muffin tins to bake and made up some chocolate icing while they were in the oven. The icing recipe was straight from the Nestle Cocoa can and mixed up easy-breezy. Aren't they cute?!

I do make brownies pretty regularly, but the frosting was the perfect touch to change it up a bit. Do you have a go-to dessert you make when expecting company? What do you do to keep it from becoming mundane?

Cold Weather Favorite~ Taco Soup & {Almost} Homemade Tortilla Chips

I mentioned this soup the other day and couldn't stop thinking about it... I love that it's inexpensive, and mixes up in just a few minutes. I add my (Almost) homemade tortilla chips, and it's the perfect meal in cold weather.

~First the Chips: These are one of my favorite kitchen 'fakes' because they taste way better than chips from a bag, and people always think you went to some crazy measures to make chips. (And I say, let them believe it!) All you do is buy a pack of extra thin Corn Tortillas. (I have done it with any kind of tortilla, but the extra thin works best in my opinion...) I use my pizza cutter to cut through several rounds into the desired shape (My kids prefer triangles so we stick with that, but I love strips in soup!). Spray a baking sheet with oil, and lay the pieces in a single layer on the sheet. Put into a 350* heated oven, and bake until the edges start to turn up, about 12 minutes. Flip the chips over and put back into the oven until golden brown, about 5-10 minutes. Remove from oven and salt, if desired.

The only catch is that timing is key. You do not want the chips under baked because they will be chewy (trust me). I always have to force myself to leave them for a few more minutes than I think they actually need.

~Now for the Soup~
Ingredients:
     2 cans kidney beans
     2 cans pinto beans
     1 can corn, drained
     1 can ro*tel
     1 can diced tomatoes
     1 packet taco seasoning
     1 packet ranch seasoning
     1 pound ground beef
     1 medium onion, diced

Simple directions: In a large stockpot, brown beef. Drain. Return beef and add onion, cook until soft. Add everything else to the pot plus 2 cans water. Cook on high until boiling then lower heat and simmer for about 30 minutes. Serve. So easy, right?!

This week's Writer's Workshop prompt was to create a how-to, and I already had this one ready... Yippee!

A Bit of House-Wifery~ Chocolate Chip Cookies

I've decided to stick with blogging about my favorite house wife things... Last week I blogged about my dream 'uniform', and today I thought I would share a Top Secret recipe. I've said it many times, but I truly feel like a qualifying skill necessary for being a good mother and housewife is making perfect chocolate chip cookies. (If you aren't a baker, please don't send me angry emails... this is actually not mandatory~ just something I had in my crazy brain!) I searched just to make sure I hadn't posted this before and couldn't find it.

Sorry for the picture with bright flash... I have serious lighting issues!

My recipe really isn't anything fancy, but it consistently makes the best chocolate chip cookies I've ever had. I use the best ingredients I can and have made it in variations with organic, non-organic, name brand, off-brand, and this recipe has never failed me. I think it's from Better Homes & Gardens, though I have it memorized and am too lazy at the moment to look for it in a book.

Ingredients
1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour (I use unbleached)
12 oz. semisweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups nuts (optional)

~Heat oven to 375*
~ In large bowl, mix shortening & butter. Blend until smooth. Add in sugars and baking soda. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Mix in flour a little at a time until well blended. Stir in chocolate (and nuts, if using).
~On baking sheet lined with parchment, scoop out dough with plenty of space between. Most of the time I use a 1/4 cup cookie dough scoop and make fewer, giant cookies. I can fit about 16 on a cookie sheet this size. You can use whatever size scoop you like, just adjust the baking time accordingly. I think it works better to leave them in a ball shape, as they will cook up softer in the middle and won't be cracker-like.  (If that's your thing, press them out a bit!)
~Bake for 12-15 minutes, pulling them out when they begin to brown around the edges but still look soft in the middle. leave on sheet for about 5 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to eat cool.

Ours usually don't last long enough to have to store them, but I recommend keeping them in an airtight container after they've completely cooled. And if you really want to be June Cleaver (because who doesn't!?), put a piece of bread in the container with the cookies to keep them soft. Trust me, if you haven't heard of this, it works! The cookies steal the moisture from the bread and stay extra soft.

I'd love to know if you try out this recipe!! And I'd also love to know if there's anything in the vein of homemaking that you'd like to talk about~ recipes, organization, cleaning, laundry... I'm thinking this will be a regular Wednesday thing, and I'd love your input! 'Til next time!

Normal Days

I'm finding that I don't have as much 'inspired' stuff to post about these days, but I am not at all upset about that! Life is happening all around, and I am just breathing it in~ loving my little people and the things they are learning/doing/making! As I type they are both dancing their little brains out to this cd. (It's called Deliberate Kids by Phil Joel, and has great rockin' Christian music that's not at all annoying for the adults in the room!)

Yesterday Remy started at his new preschool (drama, don't ask...), and on this particular day they had a field trip planned to the grocery store. I was to happy tag along being the helicopter mom that I must be, and for anyone wondering, the grocery store is a fantastic trip for preschoolers! Seeing their little faces light up at the giant skids full of Easter candy was so cute! We also got to see one of the lobsters, the inside of a truck trailer (major score for Remy!), a cake being frosted with icing from a 5 gallon bucket (again, HUGE deal!), and a trash compactor smashing up boxes. This all adds up to a super-fun time for a bunch of 4 year olds!

Today has been slightly less eventful, but that too is fantastic. This morning the wee ones and I decided to paint pictures of spring. Halle had used finger paints but not brushes before, so she was very focused with her new tool. Remy made a great painting too~ his pictures right now always involve some kind of animal/dragon/dinosaur making tracks on the page, and today's narrative was much more involved with something about a duck being chased around a sunflower by a dinosaur. I love that!

And yes, I do feed him...

And lunch, perhaps on of my favorite meals... whole wheat pita with basil/parmesan pesto, sliced romas, and mozzarella cheese~ so good! Happy Tuesday!

4

There is something magical about these early years. Toys can become treasured friends, a box can become a castle, and a house can become a party with the addition of balloons. Remy's birthday was actually yesterday, but the lines began to blur as he celebrated on Friday in his class at school, and then Saturday his party, and finally Sunday by taking donuts to his class at church. Now that the weekend is over he is 4. My sweet baby boy is no longer quite a baby, and I'm feeling a bit sentimental about the whole thing. Quick, Mandy, move on to talking about something else... !

I thought I would share a bit about the party, now that the panic and preparations are over and I can breath a little bit. Everything went off pretty much without a hitch, and we had a wonderful group of friends and family descend upon the house. I always struggle with the menu at our kids' parties because though the party is for a little one, we typically invite quite a few adults. I really strive for the food to be a bit more sophisticated in taste while appealing to the wee ones. Remy's theme this year was dinosaurs, so we went with a bit stack of cupcakes (devil's food with buttercream), dirt pudding with bone 'spoons', and 'pterodactyl wings' (buffalo wings for the adults and chicken nuggets for the littles) were the foundations of the spread.

Cupcake with fondant dinos (from this previous post) and chocolate 'dinosaur eggs'

Dirt pudding with bone 'spoons'~ I really wasn't thrilled with doing the traditional dirt pudding, so I went with my own recipe that included cream cheese, powdered sugar, whipped cream, pudding, and Oreos. It really tasted a bit more like cheesecake, and I was really happy with it! The cookies were crunchy sugar cookies with sanding sugar on top.

 Goody bags~ This was the one thing that Remy requested for his party aside from balloons. Thankfully Easter is fast approaching, so 'dinosaur' eggs are out in full force. We also included some fake bugs, yoyos, glow bracelets, poppers, and various other small treats.

The Boy Wonder had a wonderful time, though having the party in the afternoon meant for a long day. I found myself struggling for things to keep the littles occupied, but in the end it translated into an early and quick bed time routine. Remy and Halle were equally exhausted and fell asleep with almost no coaxing~ I love that! It was a great day, and we are so thankful to everyone who shared the day with us. My only 'complaint' is that we clearly stated NO presents on the invitations and EVERY SINGLE GUEST brought a gift. Late in the day Remy told me that he 'must be really special to have such a great birthday', and I assured him that it's true. My boy is so special, and we are so blessed. Happy Monday!

Anticipation

Well, you can't be around this place for more than a few seconds without hearing that someone has a birthday coming up. Or maybe it's not the actual birthday you would hear of but rather the dinosaur party... We are in full party prep mode, and it's getting more chaotic by the minute. Remy really wanted dinosaur everything, and the first thing I wanted to figure out was the cupcakes. I did a bunch of searching online and found a really cute picture of a tiny little dino standing on top of a layer of buttercream 'grass' that I thought would be perfect. 

In my limited cake decorating experience, I thought that the dinosaur looked like fondant, and I. Hate. Fondant. Not so much working with it, but I detest the taste. And before I get swarmed with the chorus of 'Oh, you haven't tasted mine! and 'You just haven't had it my way' just let me tell you that I have tried lots of it. And I have never found one that tastes as good as it looks. So anyway, my sister consulted with her friend who makes the most amazing cakes, and she suggested that I try marshmallow fondant. I found the recipe here at wilton.com, and not only was it super easy, but it tastes great. I had to practically tear Remy and Halle away from the counter to put it away! I'll show you the finished products next week, but here's a pic of my little helper in action.

This girl hates to miss a party!

In other news, Halle has decided to start talking in sentences. 'Hello, puppy!' and so many other fun things are pouring out of her little mouth. The fondant even prompted her to say the tricky 3 syllable 'marshmallow'. I love this echoing stage, but the other day I happened to say that her wild hair made her look like a mental patient, and what does she say but 'mental patient' with perfect clarity. I am going to scar these sweet children for life, I'm afraid!

Easy Potato Soup

I have to tell you, I have a bit of a milk problem. Or rather, I have an issue with those pesky 'Sell by' dates they print on things. As the date inches closer I have this terrible fear of milk going bad. I'm constantly asking Trace to smell/taste things just to satisfy my irrational fears. Fortunately for me, as I've said before, he's a pretty good sport.

Growing up I can remember in colder weather as the date on the milk would get nearer my mom would decide that the milk must quickly be used, and one of the most common ways she would do that is by making potato soup. Soup is absolutely one of my favorite things about colder weather, and I thought I would share this simple but super-tasty recipe with you that I made today. It consists of just a few ingredients that we typically have on hand and can be ready in minutes!

This recipe makes enough for 2 adults & 2 toddlers but can easily be multiplied...

Wash and peel 5 large potatoes. Chop the potatoes into equal sized pieces (I prefer larger chunks, but you can make these as small or large as you like). Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and drop in the potatoes. Boil until potatoes are soft when pierced by a fork. Drain potatoes and set aside until sauce is ready.

To make the cream sauce: Melt 2 tablespoons butter in pan on medium-high heat. (I like to use the same one I just had the potatoes is to save on dishwashing time...) When the butter is melted, add 2 tablespoons flour and stir until it starts to get golden and bubbly. (This is called a 'roux', for all you technical cooks out there.) To this add 2 cups milk slowly and any seasoning you want. Stir constantly until it comes to a boil. Turn the heat down to medium -low and add in the softened potatoes. For seasoning I add whatever I have on hand. Today I added a bit of minced onion & garlic seasoning. And you're done~ Easy!

I like to serve mine smothered in shredded cheese, as you can see in the picture, but it's just as delicious on its own!