Need I say more ? ;)
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Dulce De Leche Frosting
Dulce De Leche! It's such a fun word to say. It reminds me of my daughter's favorite book "Fancy Nancy". She's so fun and always has something marvelous and fancy to say. Being a mom of all girls is like being a little girl and getting to play dress up with her little dolls everyday!
Ok, I'm getting way off topic. I could talk to you about how adorable my kids are all day long, but I think you really want to know all about this delicious sweet treat.
So here's a funny story..just a couple days ago I learned how to make dulce de leche. I have never made this before and I have to say I was quite excited about it! I love to google and surf all over the internet for delicious goodies. On this particular night I was up late and exhausted from a long day. I had just come across this recipe for a one step, one ingredient recipe for dulce de leche! I was so excited! So the trick is to get a can of "condensed milk" and put inside of your crock pot for 6/8 hours and let it come to room temp. and inside will be this delicious caramelized can of goodness. Well, silly tired me put in a can of "evaporated milk" instead! haha. Needless to say when I opened the can, it wasn't what I had been dreaming of all night long! To my dismay, all I had was caramelized milk? lol It was brown and did not smell pleasant. The following day I retried this recipe the correct way and the outcome was so much better and tastier!
So you will need:
1-2 cans of Condensed Milk
1 crock pot
Remove the label off the can and place the can in your crock pot and fill it up with water.
Leave it in the crock pot for 6/8 hours and apply water as needed.
Remove the can from the water and let it come to room temperature.
Open the can and enjoy the delicious goodness you've created! I used mine to make frosting.
Frosting
Milk
2 cups Powdered Sugar
Dulce De Leche
scoop 1/2 cup of the dulce de leche mix from the can into a bowl. With your mixer mix the dulce de leche and slowly add in a little powdered sugar at a time. The mix will become really thick so you will need to apply a little milk as you go until you get the consistency that you want.
This will be so lovely on any treat, but today I put mine on butter pecan cupcakes. Once a month I try to make cupcakes to celebrate a new milestone for my newest addition. This month we are celebrating 4 months!
Ok, I'm getting way off topic. I could talk to you about how adorable my kids are all day long, but I think you really want to know all about this delicious sweet treat.
So here's a funny story..just a couple days ago I learned how to make dulce de leche. I have never made this before and I have to say I was quite excited about it! I love to google and surf all over the internet for delicious goodies. On this particular night I was up late and exhausted from a long day. I had just come across this recipe for a one step, one ingredient recipe for dulce de leche! I was so excited! So the trick is to get a can of "condensed milk" and put inside of your crock pot for 6/8 hours and let it come to room temp. and inside will be this delicious caramelized can of goodness. Well, silly tired me put in a can of "evaporated milk" instead! haha. Needless to say when I opened the can, it wasn't what I had been dreaming of all night long! To my dismay, all I had was caramelized milk? lol It was brown and did not smell pleasant. The following day I retried this recipe the correct way and the outcome was so much better and tastier!
So you will need:
1-2 cans of Condensed Milk
1 crock pot
Remove the label off the can and place the can in your crock pot and fill it up with water.
Leave it in the crock pot for 6/8 hours and apply water as needed.
Remove the can from the water and let it come to room temperature.
Open the can and enjoy the delicious goodness you've created! I used mine to make frosting.
Frosting
Milk
2 cups Powdered Sugar
Dulce De Leche
scoop 1/2 cup of the dulce de leche mix from the can into a bowl. With your mixer mix the dulce de leche and slowly add in a little powdered sugar at a time. The mix will become really thick so you will need to apply a little milk as you go until you get the consistency that you want.
This will be so lovely on any treat, but today I put mine on butter pecan cupcakes. Once a month I try to make cupcakes to celebrate a new milestone for my newest addition. This month we are celebrating 4 months!
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Preserving Jack
Fall is amongst us and it is one of my favorite seasons. It is the one time of the year when Mother Nature elegantly paints her leaves with a gorgeous array of colors, and lays a bed of leaves on the ground so that memories can be made as we dive into natures beauty.
It is also the one time of year that families gather together and make long lasting memories at the local pumpkin farms. Fact: did you know that 90 percent of the pumpkins grown in the United States alone are raised within a 90-mile radius of Peoria, Illinois?
Every year families gather to pumpkin farms all around the country to (Top pumpkin production states are Illinois, California, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Michigan.) enjoy the essence of finding the perfect pumpkin in the patch. It's a wonderful tradition to start with your family.
As we all know, pumpkins come in all shapes and sizes, but when you find yours and I know you will! He will need to be preserved. Now, please do not think you need to preserve your pumpkin, you can also choose leave him Au Naturale. However, if you choose to preserve the life of Jack. I have found some tips to help you so he will live a longer life.
For Starters! When prepping your pumpkin(s) for carving, you should remove as much of the pumpkin pulp as possible, so the inside flesh of the pumpkin would be dry and provide a uniform surface for topical application of the preservative treatments.
The Treatments are: Bleach, Acrylic Spray, and Vaseline.
Bleach Method: Soak your pumpkin in a bleach solution (1 tsp. bleach/gallon water) for 8 hours and thereafter keeping the pumpkin hydrated by spraying the pumpkins flesh with a mild bleach solution, while the bleach is an antimicrobial.
Acrylic Spray: spray the inside flesh with acrylic finish spray. The spray is intended to seal the pumpkin flesh, preventing dehydration and acting as a barrier to mold growth.
Vaseline: coat the inside and cut surfaces with petroleum jelly. This is intended to keep the pumpkin flesh from dehydrating.
Your pumpkin could last up to 10 days by preserving it with any of these methods and slowing down the molding process.
If you try to preserve your pumpkin, please let me know how it worked for you and what method you chose to preserve Jack. Please remember to use appropriate protection when using any kind of chemicals and as always wash your hands thoroughly with soap and warm water. :)
If you try to preserve your pumpkin, please let me know how it worked for you and what method you chose to preserve Jack. Please remember to use appropriate protection when using any kind of chemicals and as always wash your hands thoroughly with soap and warm water. :)
Letters to Rhys
Little girls usually dream of becoming mothers and marrying an amazing husband. I never dreamed that one day I'd have the opportunity to be both a mother and a wife. Only a mother can express the amazing feeling you get the first time you hold your new born in your arms for the first time. It is truly an amazing feeling to hold the life in your hands that you and your partner have created. I have four amazing children that I thank God for every day, but I will never forget Rhys.
I became pregnant with Rhys in September of 2007. I was extremely excited, after having 2 beautiful little girls, I was now being blessed with a son. A SON! My heart could have burst with excitement. Christmas morning was wonderful. Our children woke us from bed to show us what Santa had brought to them. We exchanged our gifts, played with toys, laughed, and loved.
During breakfast I started to not feel so well. Unsure of what was happening I went to lay down and prayed everything would be ok. I prayed that this would pass and that I'd be able to enjoy the rest of the night with my kids. All I wanted to do is snuggle with them and watch "It's a Wonderful Life", but all I could do is lay in my bed, in pain and fear the worst. The last thing I wanted to do is to spoil Christmas for the children. So my husband and I decided I'd go to the doctor first thing in the morning if I continued to not feel good.
I continued to have pains, which seemed to get stronger and stronger. When I realized that the pains might have been contractions I hurried to get to their things together. Which did not go to fast in reality. Trying to pack two bags for two small children and try not to upset them through all of this was not easy.
I was finally on my way to the hospital and my parents were meeting us to take the kids home with them for a while. As soon as I was placed into a room, my parents showed up. I was so relieved that my kids didn't have to see me in so much pain, but most of all what was to come next.
My family no longer left my room and my water had broke. At 12:45am December 26th the pain stopped, but a new pain had begun. My son entered the world but I was only 18w 1d pregnant with him. The hospital staff told me they was sorry. They told me they couldn't do anything to save him. They told me he was gone.
I laid there in disbelief. This was all a dream, one huge nightmare! How could something I longed for, wanted so badly be gone so quickly! How could this have happened! What did I do wrong! All we could do is stare at him. His perfect tiny self, his skin so transparent you could almost see through him. His tiny long fingers. He had toes like his daddy, and perfect little lips.
My husband was very inquisitive, curious he asked why his chest was moving if he was no longer with us. The nurse checked him out and his tiny heart still beat. We held onto him for two hours before God reached down, cradled my baby in his arms and took him home.
I think about him often. My daughter loves and misses him so much. She thought it would be a great idea to write him a letter and draw pictures for him. I asked her, "honey, how will he get these letters?" she replied "The mailman from heaven will swoop down and take it to him". So she tossed the letters out the door, and up in the air they went. God must have taken it, because it was gone the next day. :)
So when we are feeling sad, and missing our son and brother, we write letters to Rhys.
I became pregnant with Rhys in September of 2007. I was extremely excited, after having 2 beautiful little girls, I was now being blessed with a son. A SON! My heart could have burst with excitement. Christmas morning was wonderful. Our children woke us from bed to show us what Santa had brought to them. We exchanged our gifts, played with toys, laughed, and loved.
During breakfast I started to not feel so well. Unsure of what was happening I went to lay down and prayed everything would be ok. I prayed that this would pass and that I'd be able to enjoy the rest of the night with my kids. All I wanted to do is snuggle with them and watch "It's a Wonderful Life", but all I could do is lay in my bed, in pain and fear the worst. The last thing I wanted to do is to spoil Christmas for the children. So my husband and I decided I'd go to the doctor first thing in the morning if I continued to not feel good.
I continued to have pains, which seemed to get stronger and stronger. When I realized that the pains might have been contractions I hurried to get to their things together. Which did not go to fast in reality. Trying to pack two bags for two small children and try not to upset them through all of this was not easy.
I was finally on my way to the hospital and my parents were meeting us to take the kids home with them for a while. As soon as I was placed into a room, my parents showed up. I was so relieved that my kids didn't have to see me in so much pain, but most of all what was to come next.
My family no longer left my room and my water had broke. At 12:45am December 26th the pain stopped, but a new pain had begun. My son entered the world but I was only 18w 1d pregnant with him. The hospital staff told me they was sorry. They told me they couldn't do anything to save him. They told me he was gone.
I laid there in disbelief. This was all a dream, one huge nightmare! How could something I longed for, wanted so badly be gone so quickly! How could this have happened! What did I do wrong! All we could do is stare at him. His perfect tiny self, his skin so transparent you could almost see through him. His tiny long fingers. He had toes like his daddy, and perfect little lips.
My husband was very inquisitive, curious he asked why his chest was moving if he was no longer with us. The nurse checked him out and his tiny heart still beat. We held onto him for two hours before God reached down, cradled my baby in his arms and took him home.
I think about him often. My daughter loves and misses him so much. She thought it would be a great idea to write him a letter and draw pictures for him. I asked her, "honey, how will he get these letters?" she replied "The mailman from heaven will swoop down and take it to him". So she tossed the letters out the door, and up in the air they went. God must have taken it, because it was gone the next day. :)
So when we are feeling sad, and missing our son and brother, we write letters to Rhys.
Monday, October 17, 2011
Support Our STL Cardinals
I love making bows for my kids and I've recently started making and selling them for all to enjoy. I LOVE our St. Louis Cardinals and we're going to the World Series!! What a great way to celebrate their victory and support our team.
The bow below is for sale $6.50 plus shipping. I created Fredbird, and I think he turned out very nice. If you're interested send me a message! Buy two and take $1 off
The bow below is for sale $6.50 plus shipping. I created Fredbird, and I think he turned out very nice. If you're interested send me a message! Buy two and take $1 off
Sunday, October 16, 2011
Balsamic Marinated Slow Cooked Pulled Pork
French Bread Cinnamon Rolls
Ok, so here's the thing! Yesterday I told you all about how I was going to make cinnamon rolls from French Bread that comes from a can! I have to say that it turned out somewhere between Flop and Success.
Here is what I used.. brown sugar, butter, cinnamon & maple sprinkles, Pam (yes I use a non-stick pan and still apply Pam to make sure it doesnt stick, lol), rolling pin, round baking pan, french loaf bread in a can, and a rolling mat.
Roll the dough into a rectangle shape,. When or IF you try this I suggest you roll it a lot wider. I rubbed a tablespoon of butter all over and generously applied a lot of mixture over the top.
Once this is done, start rolling the dough as tight as you can until it is all completely rolled. When I was done with this part, it looked like a giant thin snake! lol
See!! it's kind of funny looking isn't it! haha.. I cut this into 1.5 inch pieces with a pizza cutter and squashed them down into the pan and baked at 350 for 20 mins, or until they was completely cooked.
Frosting: take a half of a cup of powdered sugar, a dash of vanilla extract and a little milk mix well. Drizzle all over warm cinnamon rolls and DEVOUR!
They're not perfect at all, but they tasted delicious and that's all that matters!
Here is what I used.. brown sugar, butter, cinnamon & maple sprinkles, Pam (yes I use a non-stick pan and still apply Pam to make sure it doesnt stick, lol), rolling pin, round baking pan, french loaf bread in a can, and a rolling mat.
Once this is done, start rolling the dough as tight as you can until it is all completely rolled. When I was done with this part, it looked like a giant thin snake! lol
Frosting: take a half of a cup of powdered sugar, a dash of vanilla extract and a little milk mix well. Drizzle all over warm cinnamon rolls and DEVOUR!
They're not perfect at all, but they tasted delicious and that's all that matters!
Saturday, October 15, 2011
New to Blogging
I am new to the world of blogging! I am excited to get started and share my life and inspirations with you. I love to be crafty, I love to bake, I love to cook, I love to travel, I love to make memories with my family and I love to live life.
Tonight, I watched a great movie with my family that involved a lot cuddle time with my kiddos. I love weekends! Not only because I get to snuggle with my kids but I don't have to get my tired behind out of bed and drag the kids out of bed by their toes to get ready for school.
I have been thinking about Sunday breakfast all day. The thought of cinnamon rolls makes my mouth water! Oh, Yeah! you know that yummy warm roll with delicious frosting drizzled all over the top!
With that said, I am going to experiment on a new (to me) quicker way to make and bake cinnamon rolls. It will either be a HUGE flop or a great SUCCESS!
Tonight, I watched a great movie with my family that involved a lot cuddle time with my kiddos. I love weekends! Not only because I get to snuggle with my kids but I don't have to get my tired behind out of bed and drag the kids out of bed by their toes to get ready for school.
I have been thinking about Sunday breakfast all day. The thought of cinnamon rolls makes my mouth water! Oh, Yeah! you know that yummy warm roll with delicious frosting drizzled all over the top!
With that said, I am going to experiment on a new (to me) quicker way to make and bake cinnamon rolls. It will either be a HUGE flop or a great SUCCESS!
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