Scrabble, Anyone?

Nick and I have a lot of plans for our house.  It was built in 1969 and hasn't really been changed since.  Most of the work will be on the inside, updating and replacing, no major structural changes.  We recently  started talking about outside and came up with a great idea.
I will admit that this idea spawned from my excessive snooping on Pinterest.  I have acquired way too many project ideas from that site and really need to get started on some of them.  I am particularly excited about this plan for our yard and the fun it will create when we have cookouts.
We have a little kick-out in our driveway that is meant as a turnabout.  The driveway is currently gravel and we would like to eventually pave it (although there is some debate about what the paved surface will be, but that's another story).  We have gone back and forth about whether or not to keep the kick-out spot.  Of course there was talk of a basketball hoop, or a little parking lot with a tiny garage for Ellie's toy cars and bikes, but after seeing this

 we know exactly what we'll do with it!

It would be so easy!  I actually found another example of this that is closer to what would work for us.

We could put in little pavers, and then use squares of plywood as our game pieces.  Painting everything would be a no problem, and it wouldn't even be an expensive project!  I realize Cornhole is the usual yard game at a cookout, but I feel the need to change it up, or at least have options.  Plus, what a great way to help Ellie with her spelling when she's older!  Oh, I can't wait!

Happy Birthday Shelby!

When I was pregnant with Ellie, my sister-in-law and two of our friends were also pregnant, so all four of our children are the same age.  This means they'll all be one year old this year and my niece was the first. 

She had a princess themed party and she was adorable in her princess sash and party hat.

  

Even Ellie tried out the party hat.

Shelby was next.  I was asked to make the cake for her party.  I was so excited to do it.  The theme was snowflakes, which would have been perfect last year with all the snow we got, but this year it was nearly 50 degrees outside.  Figures.  

(you can't really see it, but there was shimmer dust all over that cake!)

The cake was white cake (yes, from a box) with a white chocolate pudding and raspberry filling.  This is my little secret that I guess won't be much of a secret anymore.  I use box cake because its easier.  There are several cakes I'll make from scratch, but generally I go with the box.  The easiest way to dress it up and make people assume you slaved over it is to make a special filling.  This one sounds fancy and complicated, but it's so simple.  Pudding is always a great filling because it's cheap and easy to make, no fuss.  Plus there are so many different flavors!  Another trick is to use heavy cream instead of milk.  This gives the pudding a thick, rich flavor and texture, almost like custard.  Sometimes I do half whole milk and half heavy cream (this is dessert, no skimping!).  For the raspberry, I used store bought raspberry jam, which I spread on each layer of the cake.  Then you add the pudding, put the layers together like a sandwich and ice it.

You could also try ganache, fresh fruit, canned pie filling, or cream cheese blended with fruit.  There are so many options.  Just keep in mind the cake's texture; soft and creamy foods work best.  Whenever you do a filling remember to leave about a half inch border.  You could even pipe some of your icing around the edge of the first layer.  This keeps the filling from seeping out the sides when placing the top layer.

Before I know it I'll be making Ellie's first birthday cake!  Eek!

Why have dessert when you can have dirt?

We celebrated my father-in-law's birthday last weekend and I offered to make dessert.  I know cake is traditional on a birthday, but I just wasn't feeling it.  I wanted something comforting after the week we had, and what's more comforting than a family recipe?
This is my Grandma Taylor's recipe.  She always made it at Christmas and I could never get enough.  It feels like you're eating something light, but of course it's not.  Grandma Taylor never made anything low-fat. And frankly, I don't think low-fat and dessert belong in the same sentence.  If you're going to eat dessert, eat dessert. 

Dirt Dessert

1 large package Oreo chocolate cookies  
8 ounces cream cheese, softened to room temperature
4 tablespoons butter (1/2 stick)
*1 cup sugar (Grandma usd powdered sugar)
2 (3.4-ounce) boxes vanilla instant pudding
4 cups milk
1 (8-ounce) carton whipped topping

 

Crush the cookies, I use my food processor.  Set aside.

Blend the cream cheese, butter, and sugar together until smooth. Set aside.

Prepare the vanilla pudding according to package directions. Fold the whipped topping into the pudding.

Fold the cream cheese mixture into the pudding mixture.

 

Assembly:

Sprinkle 1/3 of the cookies on the bottom of the bowl

Top with 1/2 of the pudding mixture

Another layer of cookies, then another layer of pudding.

Sprinkle remaining crushed cookies over the top.

Chill for several hours, preferably overnight.

I like to really drive home the dirt theme: add some gummy worms and maybe even stick a flower in the top.  You could even make individual cups, which would be great for a birthday party!

*I actually leave out this cup of sugar.  The combination of Oreos, pudding and whipped topping are sweet enough for my taste.

A Note to my Ellie

Dear Ellie,                                                                          January 6, 2012
     Bear left us this morning to go to doggy Heaven.  He was an old dog and got sick very suddenly, it was his time to go.  We will miss him so much, but feel better knowing he is no longer suffering.  He is buried in the yard and we plan to plant some flowers and the tree we're growing as a marker.
     He was a good dog.  Aunt Sharlene and Uncle Jason got him when they were in college when he was about a year old.  He was a German Shepherd Husky mix, very beautiful.  Grandma always said he looked regal.  He most certainly held his head as if he was a king, and he would trot like he was big stuff when he went on a walk.  He had beautiful markings.  There were black streaks by his eyes, almost like a mask.  He was black and brown on his back, but his chest was white, super soft and fluffy!  He had one all white toenail on his front paw and a little white tuft of fur on his back just before his tail.  He had all the markings of a German Shepherd, but his fur was fluffy like a Husky.  He had a big head, shaped like a German Shepherd, with extra large ears, but a smaller, muscly body of a Husky.  It was an odd porportion, but it worked.  He was perfect.
     When he was about 8 years old he came to live with me.  He was starting to age, but you could never tell him that.  His black fur was starting to turn grey, but he still loved to chase anything that moved, go on long walks, get into the trash, sit on my lap, lick my face and hog the bed at night.  He was so loveable and cuddly, like a giant teddy bear.  He would lay in my lap, all 75 pounds of him, and I would hug him and bury my face in his fur.  He would wrap his neck around mine resting his chin on my shoulder, almost as if he was hugging me back.
    By the time we had you, he was finally showing his age.  He was 14, eating less and had dropped to 65 pounds.  He would still have random (short) spurts of energy when he would want to play fetch or tug o' war, but mostly he just slept.  The one thing that remained to the very end was his love of being outdoors, espeically in the snow.
     You absolutely loved Bear, and he approved of you.  It took you awhile to notice him, but recently he had become your favorite thing.  You would see Bear and literally squeal with delight.  You weren't exactly gentle with him, despite our best efforts, so Bear didn't usually stick around to play with you.
     Bear was always a pack dog.  True to his shepherd blood, he always wanted us to be in the same place.  If daddy was in one room and mommy was in another, Bear would pace back and forth between us.  Same with you.  When we brough you home, he gave you a good sniff and a little lick and you were part of the pack.  At night when I would put you to bed, Bear would wait outside your door, guarding it, while you slept.  He loved you, he just didn't want to play with you.
     As much as it drove me crazy, I will miss his fur everywhere.  As bad as they smelled, I will miss his sloppy, sticky kisses.  As huge and heavy as he was, I will miss him insisting on sitting in my lap.  As cold and frozen as I got, I will miss playing in the snow with him.  He was a good dog and even though he's gone, he'll be with us forever.

Love,
Mommy

(An entry from Ellie's journal)

Mexican Pizza

My family has been making a dish we Shalupa for, well, as long as I can remember. I have no idea why we call it Shalupa. No one does. It's basically Taco Salad. Recently, Nick and I turned it into a pizza and it was a complete success, so I decided I would share our success with others. Unfortunately, I do not have pictures because as I said, it was a success. So...it's all gone.

 Crust :
I made dough in my bread maker and used that for crust. However you could either buy a ready-made crust or pizza dough from the refrigerator section.

Sauce:
Taco Sauce, not too much, just a thin layer.

Toppings:
 *Ground beef or turkey, browned
Black Beans, drained and rinsed
Onion, chopped
Bell Pepper, chopped
Cheddar Cheese, shredded

(There are no measurements here because I feel like there are a lot of personal preferences with pizza toppings, proportions, etc.)

Bake at 400 degrees until you have reached your desired bubbling cheesy brownness. I personally like it pretty bubbly and golden brown. That means crispy. And I like crispy.  

Optional Garnish For After Baking:
Shredded Lettuce
Tomatoes, diced
Avocado, diced
Sour Cream

ENJOY! We certainly did! Next time I make it I'll try to post a picture before we devour it. No promises.

*We usually leave the ground meat off and just make it vegetarian. It's one less cooking step, which I like.

Our first family Christmas card

Stationery card

View the entire collection of cards.

Question of the Day

How does something so small create so much poop?

That is all.

Cooking Spree!

Nick and I were sick last week, along with the majority of middle Tennessee, apparently.  I got sick first, then Nick.  Nick's was worse than mine and he lost his voice, so once I was feeling better I thought I would make him some chicken soup...from scratch.
After a quick trip to the store I started what would be an entire day of cooking.  First I roasted a whole chicken.  I had only done this a couple of times, but this was the most successful one yet, which just goes to show that you really do have to keep practicing to become a good cook.  Thanks to some helpful hints from my brother, this bird came out perfectly.

As tempting as it was to dive in and eat the whole thing straight out of the oven, I managed to refrain because I knew other goodies were in store.
Once it was cool enough to handle, I shredded all the meat from the bone and set it aside for later.  Then I put the carcass in a stock pot with the onions that roasted with it, some carrots and broccoli stalks (basically whatever I found in our frig), covered it with water and set it on the back burner to simmer for however long I could stand it (turned out to be about 2 hours).
In the meantime, I had more cooking to do!  Well, in this case, baking.  The weekend before, my mother-in-law had given me some over-ripe bananas for banana bread.  I was already in the kitchen, why not make it now?  I put Ellie in her high chair on the counter at a safe distance from the mixer.  She loves to watch the mixer when I'm baking.  I got the batter all mixed, and turned to get the loaf pan, and when I turned back I found this:

She had leaned over as far as she could to get the spatula out of the bowl!  I certainly couldn't let her have the spatula covered in batter.  So I gave her a clean spatula to chew on and went on with my tasks.

(They make great teethers!)

Banana bread was in the oven, now it was time to strain the stock and figure out what to do with the chicken.  I knew I wanted to save some to make baby food for Ellie.  Per advice from a friend, I kept the chicken in large pieces, placed them in my ice cube trays and covered them just slightly with the stock.  Into the freezer they went!  I also did an ice cube tray of just chicken stock; very handy for sauces.
Next I started chopping veggies for the soup: carrots, potatoes, cabbage.  Once I got everything in the pot, I thought, "Soup requires rolls." So I started a batch of dough in the bread machine.  At the end of this epic day of cooking, I had freshly baked banana bread, toasty warm rolls and a huge pot of chicken soup made from scratch.

Dinner is served!

Baby Food Made Easy

For some reason people have this idea that making your own baby food is complicated.  I say, if you can make mashed potatoes, or even a smoothie, you can make baby food.  Its as simple as 1, 2, 3...

1. Steam or roast the item.  In this example, I am making sweet potatoes, so I steamed them in about an inch of water for approximately 15 minutes (it may have been longer because Ellie decided she wanted a bottle).

When I made butternut squash I roasted it with about a teaspoon of oil (to keep from sticking) and it worked great!  Boiling is not the best option because you lose a lot of valuable nutrients.

2. Puree!  I usually have to add some water (leftover cooking liquid when steamed). 

3. This is two medium sized sweet potatoes.  It makes a ton of food, which is the whole idea, so the best way to store it is to freeze it.  I use ice cube trays.

Once these are frozen, I transfer them to a labeled freezer bag.

This is the butternut squash from last week, as you can see there are several perfect little cubes in there!

I realize this isn't for everyone.  I happen to love cooking, so it just made sense that I would enjoy making Ellie's food.  We buy groceries once a week and I spend a little time prepping produce and its the perfect opportunity, while I'm chopping, to go ahead and make baby food.  I have so much baby food in my freezer.  One batch lasts for months!  ...except the sweet potatoes, she LOVES them!

At this point Ellie is still being introduced to solid food, so we have only tried carrots, sweet potato, butternut squash, and bananas. I will have to post again when we start mixing and creating baby food recipes.

Reader Request: Chocolate Ganache

I recently had a friend request that I post about Chocolate Ganache.  I had a list of future blog post ideas and ganache actually wasn't among them so I figured, why not?

Ganache is actually really simple to make and I use it for a lot of things: truffles, frosting, glaze, sauce for ice cream, or for dipping.  The basic recipe is always two ingredients: heavy cream and chocolate, but what you intend to do with the finished product is what determines the ratio of those two ingredients.  For example, if you want to make frosting or a sauce, you would use equal parts chocolate to cream (this ratio also stays closest to a liquid when chilled).  To make truffles you would increase it to two parts chocolate to cream (for a thicker, "fudgier" consistency).  For chocolate covered strawberries, or for coating those truffles you just made, you would need three parts chocolate to cream because this ratio will harden the most (people often add a tablespoon of corn syrup or a dash of vegetable oil to keep the final product shiny).

The Chocolate

You will want to use a bittersweet chocolate.  I usually go with Ghiradelli 60% cacao.  You will not get the same result with milk or white chocolate as they have a higher cocoa butter content.  I tend to use chocolate chips, but if you get it in bar form just be sure to chop it into small pieces.  You can do this with a very sharp knife, or by banging the crap out of it with a rolling pin (also a good stress reliever).


The Cream


Yes, I said heavy cream.  This is not low fat or fat free and any substitutions will result in a completely different (and probably disappointing) final product.  This is indulgent chocolatey goodness.  Just go with it.


The easiest way to make ganache:


People assume anything with melted chocolate is fussy and difficult, but ganache is quite simple.  If you can heat liquid in a pan, you can make ganache.


-Place desired amount of heavy cream in a sauce pan on medium/low heat.  You might want to stir it occasionally.  Do not walk away from it as you do not want it to boil at any point.

-Heat until tiny bubbles just barely begin to form around the edges of the pan.

-In the meantime, place desired amount of chocolate in a bowl (metal or glass is preferable).  Chocolate should be room temperature.

-Pour hot cream over chocolate and walk away for a few minutes.
-Then very slowly stir the two to combine.  You can use a whisk, but I always use a wooden spoon because it means the chocolate will get on the wooden spoon and I can lick it off.  Its much harder to lick a whisk.

Things to Make With Your Ganache:

-Dress up the flavor: add orange zest, or a tablespoon or two of a flavored liquor, bourbon, or espresso.
-To make truffles: use the 2:1 ratio, pour into a shallow dish and cool in frig, use a small ice cream scoop and roll into 1 inch balls.  Roll in powdered sugar, cocoa powder, nuts, anything!
-Frosting: use the 1:1 ratio, let cool on counter, transfer to mixing bowl and whisk to desired frosting texture.
-Chocolate covered strawberries: use the 3:1 ratio, while still warm dip strawberries* and place them on a sheet of wax paper.
-If you need the strawberries to cool quickly you can place them in the frig, but just know they might sweat.

I hope you find all this chocolate talk informative and helpful.  If you're not salivating by now I have not done my job.  Do you have any dessert ideas that you have questions about?  Feel free to post them below and they will be featured in future Reader Request posts!  That's all for now, I need some dessert.


*For extra flavor, immediately after dipping strawberries in chocolate, roll them in other coatings such as coconut or crushed nuts.  You can also try this with bananas.

Cider

The leaves are changing and there is already a thick layer on the ground waiting to be raked.  I'm putting it off because I really want to dress Ellie up and take her picture in them before they're all gone.  Anything for a cute photo op, right?

I love fall.  I love getting cozy in a comfy chair and reading a book, or just watching the leaves float down from the trees.  I love the way it smells outside, the crisp cool air first thing in the morning and bonfires in the evening.  And the best accompaniment to it all is a steamy cup of hot cider, or, to kick it up a notch, Spiked Cider.  All the fall flavors with just a little extra kick.  It's also great for holiday parties.

Spiked Cider

1/2 gallon of apple cider
1 orange, sliced
1/2 tbsp pumpkin spice mix
spiced rum, to taste

-Pour half gallon of apple cider into a crock pot and turn heat to low.*
-Add orange and pumpkin spice mix.  Stir to combine.  (I use pumpkin spice mix because it has all the flavors I want in one container.)
-Allow mixture to come to desired temperature.
-Add spiced rum.  I used approximately two shots, but you can add as much or as little as you want depending on how strong you like it.
 -At this point you can turn the setting on your crockpot to "warm" and keep the cider toasty warm for hours.
-Ladle into mugs for you and your family and friends to enjoy!**

*You can also do this in a large pot on the stove with the heat on low.
**A fun party addition: Place a cinnamon stick in the each mug as a garnish/stirrer.

The Icing on the Cake

Over the years I've noticed that when it comes to cake there are two kinds of people: Cake People and Frosting People (Yes, I realize there is a third type that doesn't like cake at all, or even dessert for that matter, but frankly I just don't get you.) Personally, I am a cake person. I will eat the icing, but often leave most of it on the plate. Especially when said icing is too sweet. Super sugary icing can ruin a cake. This is often the problem with store-bought cakes and can frosting. I'm all for using box cake mix, but when you go to frost it leave the can on the shelf and make your own! It's so simple. Here are a couple of icing recipes with a few helpful tips:

Basic White Icing
*This recipe will frost an entire 2 layer 8 inch round cake. 

1 lb butter (or 4 sticks)
1 lb shortening (same as one small can of Crisco)
2 lb bag of powdered sugar

1. Put room temperature butter in mixer and whip on high until pale in color. (If you don't have a stand mixer you can do this with a hand mixer, it will just take a little longer.)
2. Scrape down sides.
3. Add shortening and whip to combine.
4. Scrape down sides.
5. Turn mixer to its lowest setting and very slowly add powdered sugar.
6. Mix on low until smooth and slightly shiny. This could take up to 15 minutes, your patience will be rewarded.

Tips:
 -If you can find it, use European style butter. It contains less water than American butter, so your icing will have a stiffer consistency which is better for decorating.
-Use gel or powder food coloring as it will not change the consistency of your icing. It is also more potent so you can use less.
-Extra icing should be stored in air-tight containers in the refrigerator. When you need to use it again, simply place it back in the mixer and whip for a few seconds.

Cream Cheese Icing

8 oz cream cheese
2 sticks or 1 cup of butter
2 cups powdered sugar

1. Add room temperature butter and cream cheese to mixer and whip on high.
2. Scrape down sides.
3. Slowly add powdered sugar.
4. Mix until well blended.

Tips:
 -It is unnecessary to use European butter for this recipe.
-Cream Cheese Icing will not absorb food coloring the same as the Basic White Icing. Keep this in mind when using it to decorate.

Variations:
-Use strawberry cream cheese for a great flavor addition to an ordinary box cake.
-Fold in homemade whipped cream or Cool Whip for a lighter texture.

Snow

It snowed today. I love snow. I love that when you look up into the snow it seems that time slow down a bit. Snow makes us focus on the little things. Every needle on every pine tree and every branch of a leafless tree is made more vivid with a dusting of snow. That light blue-grey color the sky turns and that distinct snow smell. Yes, snow has a smell.
Its nostalgic for me. It seemed no matter my grandpa's age, no matter the time of day, he was always right there to help us build that first snowman. With his help it was always the biggest snowman, taller than me...at the time. We'd find things in his shop for his eyes and his mouth, and put a scarf and hat on him and twigs for his arms. The first Christmas after grandpa passed away we all went to Iowa. Christmas had always been in Iowa growing up, but for the past couple of years we'd stayed in Kentucky. This particular Christmas it felt very important that everyone be in Iowa, at home. It had snowed a little, and all the grandkids, even though we were grown, went outside and built a snowman. We made it the best snowman, as big as us, just like grandpa would have made. We found things in the shop for the face, twigs for the arms, and then we found grandpa's old work coat and put that on our snowman too. Grandpa would have been proud.
I think about grandpa all year long. Every now and then a little something will creep up in my day that will remind me of him, a smell, a saying, a laugh, a gruff but friendly voice. But for some reason when the snow is falling at Christmastime, I feel his absence even more. I look up into the sky, watch the snow fall and feel time slow down a bit, if just for a little while.

Proctor

I volunteered to proctor for Tennessee's state testing. Basically there are lots of rules about the teachers not being allowed to touch the tests, or help the students and blah blah blah. Anyway, I was put in a first grade classroom. We have discussed in a few of my classes how ridiculous it is to attempt to put a young child through any test, let alone a standardized test. Part of the reason there is so little research in child psychology is the difficulty in testing.
I felt so bad for these kids. It doesn't matter if you're one of the "smart" six year olds or a little behind, which at the age of six is really not a big deal. All of them suffered through this test. I mean, the ones who get it get finished quickly and then still have to wait the full timed portion before they're allowed to go on, so they get bored and you lose their attention span and patience and then when they're allowed to continue they do badly because they're tired of sitting in a desk for three hours. The ones who don't get it are so frustrated they start crying because they feel the pressure of doing badly, they're afraid of the test. This affects the "smart" kids too because maybe they've heard the pressure from teachers and parents to do really well and if they run out of time, they literally can't force themselves to just guess. They can't. I don't know how many times I stood with one of the kids at their desk telling them for five minutes that they just had to guess because we had to go on, their time was up. They just stare at the page, they try to keep guessing, sounding out words, counting on their fingers, whatever it may be. They can't let themselves guess and possibly get it wrong, they have to try to the very end. Its too much pressure for a six year old. There's no reason for them to go through this.
For one thing, the test doesn't measure what they know. Maybe the responses from the first twenty minutes measures what they know. After that you've lost them. Granted they get little breaks, but a five minute break that then leads to another twenty to thirty minutes of testing is not sufficient. This measures nothing of a six year olds achievement or ability or knowledge. And the amount of reading they were supposed to do on their own! Are you kidding me?! They had to read an entire page of a story, then answer questions (which the testers must not realize is yet another page of reading) and then attempt to comprehend what all of it means in order to answer the questions. Its enough to bring a kid to tears, literally, I witnessed it. It makes them not want to go to school. Its the saddest thing I've ever seen, and its horrible that the teachers are fully aware of how ridiculous it is and they have no control over the situation.
Who makes these decisions?! I would love to see the person who implemented testing 1st graders come and attempt to test them himself. Its exhausting and its a waste of time and money

UPS Truck

When I was a kid, the UPS truck was a thrilling sight. It didn't stop at our house often, and I don't know why I never made the connection that it always stopped on someone's birthday month (a little early, a little late, depending on how much Grandma had going on). The packages always seemed to come at such random times, which made it that much more exciting.
The box would seem gigantic - full of all our favorites treats that mom didn't buy on a weekly basis. They were things Grandma and Grandpa spoiled us with. Any other way, and they wouldn' be treats.
Swiss Cake Rolls, Nutty Bars, homemade cookies maybe. Whatever junk food they knew we'd love.
And of course the birthday girl or boy would always have a card and some wrapped presents inside, but with all the snacks it seemed like a present for us all!
It was big deal when it was your birthday and your box - everyone had to wait until you were there to open it. Or maybe that was just me.
I guess as we got older getting packages wasn't as exciting, or maybe we saw Grandma and Grandpa more so it wasn't as necessary. I know it picked up a little in college which always made me so happy - a little taste of home. Yes, you can taste home in a pre-packaged Little Debbie Snack Cake. At least I can.
I don't get many packages anymore. Usually its something I bought myself. And that's ok, I like that everytime I pass a UPS truck on the road or see one go by my house it fills me with this completely nostalgic, exciting childhood feeling that I couldn't get from anything else.

Cake

So last night I decided to make dessert. Sometimes you just want something sweet, plus I find baking very soothing for some reason.
Anyway, last year my extended family put together this cookbook of all the family recipes for generations back and I was thumbing through it while we watched tv. I came across this recipe for chocolate cake that was my grandpa's favorite. Its chocolate mayonnaise cake (the mayonnaise replaces the butter/oil and egg). So I decided to make it. Well, when it was done and I opened the oven this smell wafted out that was obviously the cake, but to me it smelled like more than that. It smelled like my grandma's house, it smelled like grandpa, it was this overwhelmingly familiar, comforting take-you-back kind of smell. I wanted to cry, but all I could do was laugh - both at myself for wanting to cry over a cake and for all the memories that were flooding back. Over the fact that for the first time something that reminded me of my grandpa didn't immediately send me into fits of sobs and tears and pain, but made me smile.
Its amazing how something can be so heart-wrenchingly sad and so joyfully happy at the same time.