A day in my life being a mom...... when a kid needs treats for school activities

Today I needed to be a mom rather than work on business projects.

Today is day 3 of feeling pretty good with limited pain unlike the last month where my pain was really bad.  The break is kinda nice and I hope it lasts! 

But before I did anything I delivered a bag of Taste of the Wild (grain free) dog food and some canned dog food as well to donate to the Uffda Fund that our vet runs. They take animals that are homeless or where owners can't care for them anymore and find new homes for them.     If you don't know what your feeding your dog, please check out the dog food advisor and see how your dog food rates. It's really important to change food and feed a 3-5 star food.  Feed the best quality that you can afford.   The site doesn't rate each food on their personal opinions but instead each food is rated based on it's guaranteed analysis and it's ingredient list.   I just wanted to mention that quickly......  Then off to the drug store to pick up a refill for my meds before I began my day and got busy.  


The other day Kylie told me that SADD (students against destructive decisions) were doing concessions for the ballgame tonight and she needed to bring a pan of bars....  Well I knew right away what I wanted to bake for this event, but I needed a few things.   The day before yesterday I got what I thought I needed..... But I realized yesterday that I didn't have a key thing for this project to take shape.   So I ended up going back to Devils Lake last night to get a coupler for the large frosting tip, only to find they didn't carry the larger one!  Ugggg why sell it then!   So I settled for buying a frosting tool instead hoping it would work and I could pull off the design in my head.

After using this tool today, I know I want to get another one!  Both will be clearly labeled of course and stored in their own containers.  But I want another one of these to use for soap and top some cupcake soaps with some whipped soap!  How fun would that be!  It's simple to use and comes with several tips but the larger metal wilton tips also fit it as well.  That gives it a few more uses.

Fast forward to this morning.... I thought I really needed 2 days to pull off the design I wanted to do so I went on pinterest to look for ideas.

This was the first idea that I saw, but I'm not to overly fond of oreo's myself....   But I am going to tuck this idea away for another day.

http://www.bakedperfection.com/2011/07/chocolate-oreo-cupcakes-with-cookies.html


Next I saw this idea.
http://www.brandysbaking.com/2011/08/rolo-cupcakes.html

Oh my what's not to like about that!   And rolo's.... yummy good!   Don't you just want to sink your teeth into that?

So I went to the grocery store armed with my shopping list with back up plan B and C if necessary.  Since plan A will have to wait until I have at least two days to accomplish it.    Since I live in a tiny town you just never know what the grocery store will carry sometimes or more often than not, what it doesn't carry.  I wasn't sure if they had a larger package of rolo's or not.   Well they didn't so I ended up picking up a package of mini reeces peanut butter cups to top them with instead. 

I began my baking.......  Well I learned not to overfill my cupcakes because some got to high and weren't so nicely shaped.  But have no fear those will be be frosted for the kids and hubby to enjoy.   

For the cake part I cheated and I used a boxed cake mix.  That made my life a tad easier!   So if you want to make your own, just use your favorite cake recipe or a box mix.  I just made the cake mix as directed on the package and didn't add anything additional to it.

While my cupcakes were baking I happened to come across this idea. 

http://www.yourcupofcake.com/2012/09/snickers-cupcakes.html

So I went with the concept and did my own thing a little....... 

Once they have fully cooled, and this is important then you can mix up this next part.   I went with the recipe on the top part for the caramel buttercream frosting that was on the rolo cupcake recipe.

4 sticks real butter, room temp

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1/3 cup caramel syrup

1 1/2 pounds confectioners (powdered) sugar, sifted

I  creamed the butter in a mixing bowl.   Then I added the vanilla and the salt and continued to cream it for a bit more.  

Instead of 1/3 cup of the caramel syrup I used a 1/2 cup of it.  I used the smuckers brand one.   If you spray your measuring cup with a bit of non-stick cooking spray the caramel syrup will slide right out when you pour it.    I didn't measure the powdered sugar, but just added enough until the frosting was a nice thick consistency and would pipe nicely.   But you can measure if you want to.  If you use additional caramel sauce like I did you may need more than that 1 1/2 pounds of powdered sugar. 

I used that Wilton frosting tool shown above and used the tip that was like the top left corner with the pink frosting.  I wanted the grooves in the frosting for the chocolate syrup to get hung up on. Oh yeah!  Yummo.....

Next for the ganache that gets drizzled over the top. 

4 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

2 tablespoons honey

2 tablespoons corn syrup

2 teaspoons vanilla

I did mine in the microwave.  But I heated the whipping cream in a 4 cup glass pyrex measuring up for 30 seconds at a time until it was hot.  It didn't take long, this may vary depending on your microwave.  I have a pretty big one.    I used a whisk between to stir it well, I didn't want hot spots in this.  

Once it was hot, I removed it from the microwave oven and mixed in my bittersweet chocolate.   Stir with a whisk and let it sit for a few minutes until the chocolate melted.   I ended up buying unsweetened chocolate in the squares since my grocery store didn't have the bittersweet so I just used that and just added a bit of sugar to compensate.  I read on line where you add 1 tablespoon sugar for each ounce of unsweetened chocolate to make bittersweet chocolate.  I did add a tad more than that but not much. You don't want this to be a sweet chocolate with all the sweetness from the rest of the frosting and the cake.  Followed by adding the honey, corn syrup and vanilla.   Also spray your measuring spoon with non-stick cooking spray to make it easier to get the honey and corn syrup out of it.   I did use a regular hand whisk to mix it all up and it made a great ganache.  I drizzled this over the top of the cupcakes using a regular table teaspoon. 

I ended up going back up to the store again because I saw the idea of putting a cut up chunk of snickers on the top so I got 2 bags of mini snickers. I didn't even use one bag but I didn't want to run out.  I think a whole mini-snickers would have been to much and the half was just perfect!   I cut them on the bias as well and I think that added to how they looked.

This is what mine looked like!   The ones I made with the reject cupcakes that were less than perfect I did add a drizzle of the caramel syrup onto of the chocolate ganache.  Not much, just a drizzle!  Topped with my snickers.  The kids and hubby are going to be happy tonight with their dessert after dinner.  The hubby and I are going to eat a RAW meal tonight so I guess that almost defeats the purpose of doing that when you eat something like this after it!   Oh well we don't often have dessert or sweets around.   

I had 27 to send up so I hope they sell well for them!

I also happened to have this cupcake stand that I bought to display bath bombs at the local farmers market but I never used it for that.  So I brought it up from the basement so Kylie could use it to display them for the sale.   That would make them look even better.

I found this image online of the wire rack that I have.   I think they will look fabulous and inviting!

So instead of Plan A I went with Plan D and I was really happy with the outcome! 

When you go somewhere where there are baked goods to choose from for dessert or a snack do you have a favorite that catches your eye first?  

Editing On 2-8-2013 to add that they ALL sold and sold rather quickly.  Someone commented saying how nice the stand was and it made them look even better.  Others thought they were store bought cupcakes, but wondered where they were purchased.  Now that's a nice compliment to get!    One guy bought four for himself, saying they were rather small.  *cough*cough* they were your standard sized cupcake piled high with frosting!  While one of Kylie's classmates really thought I needed to make treats for their class at least once a week.  I got a laugh out of that one!   But I was so pleased to find out how quickly they sold and the compliments received.   I didn't want the same boring pan of brownies that are always present at these events.  I wanted something with a little class and I nailed it.   That was my goal to have something that looked like it came from a nice bakery somewhere fancy in my little small town.   So if you make these yourself I hope yours come out as nice as mine, and they are very simple to make as well.  ~enjoy~   

Almost Fresh Lemonade

Lemonade is something we drink year round around our place!   In the winter it's not just good cold, but it's also good warmed up and served hot especially if your chilled to the bone and need to thaw out.  But in the summer it's wonderfully refreshing on a hot day!  

I call mine ALMOST fresh lemonade because I actually make my own concentrate from lemon juice.  Sometimes buy the name brand lemon juice and other times I buy the generic brand.   I usually do buy the generic because it's cheaper and it works equally as well in this recipe.  You know the stuff that comes in the green bottle.  But if you have access to lots of real actual lemons that are inexpensive you could squeeze lemons as well to acquire the needed lemon juice.  But here in North Dakota we don't exactly have lemon tree's around here.  

 It's super simple to make.

Almost Fresh Lemonade Concentrate
1 cup Water
1 1/2 cups Sugar
1 1/2 cups Lemon Juice

This can be made on the stove top or the microwave oven.  
Mix the water and the sugar together and heat until the sugar is fully dissolved stirring occasionally.
Remove from heat and stir in the lemon juice. 
When cooled pour into a container that has a lid and pours easily.  Label if desired.

To Use:
Mix 1 part lemonade concentrate and 3 parts water.  Stir.
But if that is not to your liking, mix to your own taste using more or less water.
Garnish with a lemon wedge if desired. 

I made a label for our bottle of lemonade concentrate and it looks like this.

When we travel since I can't drink bottled soda anymore because it has too much carbonation and makes me physically ill, I often buy FUZE or Pure Leaf Tea instead.   Well since these two drinks comes in nice hard plastic bottle instead of throwing them away we remove the labels, wash and refill them.  Then use them as a refillable drinking bottle.   I like to use them around the house instead of a glass, because you just never know if a dog will knock one over and vola` no mess.   Or I can just grab it and go as well.   I often fill these bottle with the lemonade concentrate but I often dilute it quite a bit so there is just a hint of the lemon and it's mostly water since I don't care for drinking plain water and don't want the empty calories of all that sugar.  But real sugar is better than high fructose corn syrup that is found in many store bought lemonades.  And this is super simple to make that even kids can mix their own up or you can make a whole pitcher of it.


Well my son Case (12) has a trip school Robotics meet tomorrow out of town, and their coach said they could eat their breakfast on the bus or at home but they should eat in the morning.  Well I told Case he had to have breakfast at home but he could take a snack for the road.  He wanted to take a couple of granola bars and a bottle of our almost fresh lemonade.   So I made him his very own label for his "recycled" reusable bottle!

~enjoy~

Personal Updates AND 2 New Ready To Ship Shaving Soaps Added

WOW it's been a long week.  Last week I didn't get a lot accomplished because I was nursing our dog back to health.  Well it's not as bad as it sounds, but our one dogs did injure himself and needed a bit of attention.   He was trying to jump up on our higher than normal bed and didn't make it.  He fell backwards onto his hip and thankfully it was just a sprain and not broken or dislocated.   So I had to coddle him and carry him around a bit.  When he went outside (to attend to business) he only could walk so far, and needed to be carried in.   Or so he thought, but it was quite painful for him.   Monday he started walking more normal and today he's back to running, although it is still sensitive.  But he won't even attempt to jump up on my bed anymore, he won't even go close to it and stands in the doorway and yips, because that's where he sleeps at night.  By my feet so I have to lift him up there yet.   But I did bring up from the basement the step stool that my dad made my oldest daughter when she was a toddler so she could wash her hands at the sink herself.  It's well crafted and made from solid wood and has two steps to it to put by the bed.  Later when he's gotten over his shell shock I plan on teaching him to use the step to get up onto the bed instead of jumping.  We have had the bed for over a year and this is the first time he did this and it scared the daylights out of me.   I hope it's the last time because Jack is my cuddle bug.   He's not a big dog, just a terrier mutt about 20 pounds.   I'll get a photo of him later to add.


Yesterday my daughter called me from school because she remembered that she signed up to take treats to the basketball game concessions after school!  Yikes, that put me in a pickle because as I was planning on working on orders I ended up baking cupcakes instead.  I made white cupcakes (thanks Duncan) then I frosted them with red frosting (school color)  that was doodled on with a piping frosting tip and sprinkled a bit of regular white sugar on top.   But I did make the frosting from scratch as I can't stand the stuff in the jars in the stores!   They did turn out very nice looking at least.  But did you know that cupcakes cool very quickly when placed out in the garage when it's ten below zero out.  Thank goodness because they cooled nice and quick so I was able to get them frosted and up to the school without being too late.  She needed them by 3:30 when the game started, but they actually got there about four.  But it was worth it!

Here is the frosting recipe that I used.
3 sticks + 2 tablespoons Butter, softened
3 cups Powdered Sugar, sifted
3 tablespoons Milk (I only used 1 tbs but I used half and half instead)
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract*

* real vanilla is best.  I made mine just before Christmas by using real vanilla pods in bourbon.  I'll post the recipe and instructions in another post. 


Whip the butter with a hand mixer on medum high speed for six minutes.  The butter will turn a nice light yellow color and the butter will be very soft and creamy.

Add the powdered sugar, vanilla and milk adding one tablespoon at a time until it reaches the desired consistency.    This is a very light and creamy frosting and whipping the butter first really makes a big difference on how it tastes.  It's much better than just whipping the butter for a minute before adding the powdered sugar.  I want to say it doesn't coat your mouth with the butter when it's whipped for that six minutes.   I'll be using this recipe more often!

I didn't get pictures of the cupcakes because I was so busy trying to get them done and out the door.

But last night I did work on some orders that I had so I could get them out in the mail today!!!  Yay!   I've decided to increase the batch size of my Tallow & Lanolin Shaving Soap that I make.  Normally I made smaller batches more often.  But my last batch earlier earlier in the month I did increase it some from the size I normally made.  But last night I made it even bigger!  The total weight of the batch made to over 13 pounds!  That's a LOT of shaving soap and it will save me quite a bit of time.  Since the whole recipe is based on percents the batch will be exactly the same regardless if I only used 500 grams of oils or as this batch was 3,000 grams of oils.   I have a special way that is long and drawn out technique to prepare the shaving soap that I make into the scented pucks that are desired.  Because of it's time consuming process I have chosen to fill those orders that are made to order (called custom on my site) shaving soaps.  While I am working with it I make extras to list as ready to ship (RTS) shaving soaps.

Each batch of shaving soap is given a batch number and a born on date.  That's the date in which the batch of shaving soap was made, not the date your particular order was scented.   I keep the actual recipe sheet of that particular batch in a binder for future reference if needed.  On each package of shaving soap, either puck or put into a jar, that number and date goes onto the side.   I decided to do this because a number of years ago I was falsely accused of selling shaving soap that was lye heavy.  That means that there was too much lye in the product.  That was simply untrue and was a ploy to hurt my business.   The person also refused to send the soap back at my expense to me so I could test it myself and instead chose to post it all over any and all shaving soaps as further attempt to hurt my business.  Also there was no one else who came forward with the same accusation and my batches at that time were very large to accommodate a lot of customers as I was just starting to sell my shaving soap and getting caught up with orders.  Similar numbers go onto other products as well, but are on the actual label.

  


The mold that I use for my pucks has 6 cavities in it, (I used 2 molds) and I needed to make 10 pucks for customers so the two left over cavities didn't go to waste.  I used them to make pucks to add to my store in the ready to ship section for the Tallow & Lanolin shaving soap made with aloe.
http://prairie-creations.com/pc/index.php?cPath=40_121
At the time this is written I currently have 25 listings of shaving soaps that have already been made up and are ready to be shipped!  You will find scents here that are not in my current listing for something different and unique.

Or I can make a custom one for you that is made to order with one of the numerous scents that I carry.
http://prairie-creations.com/pc/index.php?cPath=40_122


But if you prefer your shaving soap to be made with Blue Moon Beer, I do have several that are ready to ship.  The scent does not smell like beer but it has it's own unique scent that can morph any scent added to it.  This happens to be my husbands favorite shaving soap at the moment.   The beer does add to the lather of the shaving soap in a very positive way.  So the beer isn't added just for label appeal or looks.
http://prairie-creations.com/pc/index.php?cPath=40_123
At the time this is written I currently have 3 listings of shaving soaps that have already been made up and are ready to be shipped.  That have been made with my Beer version of my Tallow & Lanolin Shaving Soap.  The scents currently there are ones that I have as a part of my normal stock with the exception of the beer scent. 
I can also make shaving soap for you with the beer in any one of the scents that I carry.
http://prairie-creations.com/pc/index.php?cPath=40_124



The two pucks that I made up and added to my store are............
Both made with the Aloe version of my Tallow & Lanolin Shaving Soap

  









French Lavender Essential Oil ~
Lavandula Angustifolia imported from France. Lavender essential oil is native to the Mediterranean region and is cultivated in France, Spain and elsewhere. It has been used for aromatic purposes by the Romans in washing water and baths. Lavender essential oil has uses in culinary, cosmetics and medicine. It is effective to cure headaches, especially when related to stress, to clear depression associated with weakness and depression. Externally, lavender essential oil has been used as a stimulating liniment to help ease aches and pains of rheumatism.
Link To French Lavender EO Shaving Soap

Lemongrass & Sage ~
A fresh clean perfectly balanced mixture of lemongrass and sage. Top notes of ozone, zesty lemon, grape, muguet and lemongrass. Middle notes of jasmine, rose and sage. Powder and musk at the base completes the fragrance.
Link To Lemongrass & Sage Shaving Soap



This afternoon I'll be working on a PIF giveaway on my website.  I'll make another blog post about that once I have it ready to go! 
http://prairie-creations.com/pc/index.php?cPath=119

Hot Soup On A Cold Day....

Well yesterday I learned of an impending storm system moving into our area today and as a result school was closed this morning!   So not only did I have to put up with the kids today but the hubby was home as well.   He went to work early this morning only to come home two and a half hours later.   Another guy that also lives in Cando left his car at work and they both put their vehicles in the shop and took the 4 wheel drive pickup back to Cando.  It wasn't to nice out.

So tonight I thought I would make a hearty soup for supper.  A family favorite actually.  While I do have a recipe for it, I really only use it as a guide and most ingredients are not really measured out.   Don't you just love those kinds of recipes!

This is a traditional German soup recipe but I do change it a bit to make it a main dish.  Such as adding cooked, diced chicken breast to it add I add more celery, carrots and onion than the original recipe calls for.  I don't like my knoephla soup to be watery but like it full of diced veggies, potato chunks, cubes of chicken and plenty of dumplings of course!   

Knoephla Soup

Chicken Breast as much or as little as you want to add
4 tablespoons Butter which is a half a stick
Carrots ~ about 1/2 bag of a pound package of baby carrots
Celery Ribs ~ about 4 ribs, you can use more or less depending on what you have
1 large Onion (you can use medium or small if desired)
1 quart (4 cups) Water
4 Bouillon Cubes
2-6 Potatoes cut into bite size pieces
1-3 teaspoons Black Pepper
Salt To Taste
1 can Cream of Chicken Soup
1-2 cups Half and Half 

DOUGH
2 cups Flour
2 Eggs
1 teaspoon Salt
1/2 cup Milk

Cook the chicken breast until it's cooked but not overcooked.  Overcooking the meat causes it to dry out.  When the meat is cooked, set it aside on a plate to rest a minimum of 5 minutes before dicing.  This helps keep the juices in the meat.

In a soup pot, melt butter.  While that is melting in a food processor chop the onion until it's finely chopped and add it to the melted butter and stir.   Next add your carrots and celery into food processor and chop until it's fine and add it to your soup pot.  Sir with the onions and let it cook for about 5 minutes.  If you don't have a food processor, finely chop the vegetables by hand, a food processor just makes it go faster and is much easier.

Add water and Bouillon cubes to pan and stir.  Cut your potatoes into bite size pieces and add them to the pot at this time.   Sir, add another cup or two of water if necessary.   Add diced chicken, pepper and salt if desired.  I happen to like mine heavy on the pepper.   

Make dough at this time and add it to the soup so the kneophla's (dumplings) can cook at the same time as the potatoes.  I usually use frozen dough pieces that my grocery store carries adding a half bag to my soup.  I thaw them on a cookie sheet in the oven that is set to 170` for a few minutes, just until they thaw. 

To make the dough, mix the dough ingredients and knead until smooth and elastic.   Lightly flour your counter and gently roll out the dough into a "rope" approximately 1" in diameter.  Use a pizza cutter or a scissors to cut the dough into 1" pieces.   Or you can roll it out flat and use a pizza cutter to cut them into 1x1 inch cubes.    As you cut them put them into the soup to cook.  Let them simmer until cooked.

Once the potatoes and dumplings are cooked add a can of cream of chicken soup.  Mushroom or celery can also be used if you don't have the chicken soup.  Also add 1-2 cups half and half depending on your own personal preference.  I use 1 cup saving the other cup for another soup.  I also buy the fat free version!    Stir well, heat until hot and serve.

yummo.....

Welsh Rolls A Bread Recipe

This is my grandmothers recipe on my dad's side of the family. However it's also the recipe that my mother made since my parents married. As a child I never had store bought bread until we moved overseas when I was 8 years old! Even then she occasionally made it when we lived overseas.

So I'd like to share the recipe with you. However I have scaled this recipe down so it will fit and the dough can be made inside a bread machine. Which makes my life much easier. They don't last long in our house to say the least! As a child my mum used this recipe to make buns, cinnamon rolls and loaves of bread. But honestly it's best as buns and cinnamon rolls.


Welsh Rolls In Bread Machine

• 1 tsp slightly heaped yeast
• 1 1/4 cup warm/hot water
• 1/3 cup milk powder
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 cup flour

In a 4 cup measuring cup dissolve yeast in the warmed water. Add milk powder, sugar and flour. Mix with a whisk and pour into bread machine bowl and cover and let rise. (Wash the 4 cup measuring cup right away!) This makes the sponge for the bread. When it has doubled in size continue with the recipe.

• 1/4 cup liquid oil OR melted shortening
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 1/2 cups flour

Add oil or shortening, sugar, and egg, salt and flour. Set the bowl into the bread machine and set it for the dough cycle and turn on.

When the dough cycles has completed put dough into a large greased bowl and punch down and make into buns, bread or cinnamon rolls. Once you decide what to do with the dough, let it rise again until it doubles. I use a digital scale to weigh out the dough for my buns so they are all the same size and bake more uniformly. Depending on what the buns will be used for I make them between 50 and 80 grams. I do use a scissors to cut the dough when weighing it out then make into bun shape and place on foil lined pan for easier clean up.

For buns, bake 350` for 13 minutes in a regular oven.
If you are using a convection oven bake them for 7-8 minutes depending on how light or dark you like them to be.

Wipe the tops down with butter I'm not sure why but my mother and grandmother always did this step. But they are just as good if this step is not done.

This makes about 15 buns when they are made with 70 grams of dough plus a little wee bun with the left over dough.  If you want equal portions take the total weight of the finish dough and divide by the number of buns you want to get out of the batch. Then use that weight to figure out how much dough to use for each bun.


According to my family these are the best buns ever! Of course it reminds them of their grandma Caryl who is no longer with us so that makes them even more special now. And they are gone just as fast now as before. I can't make enough of them to keep my kids happy so they are a frequent treat now thanks to the bread machine that does all the hard work for me and saves my hands. With the fibromyalgia affecting my hands so much I'm so happy that I could scale the recipe down to fit the bread machine so I didn't have to give up making this treat for my kids.

Orange Julius Smoothie

We have had this particular blender that I got from walmart for quite some time and we really love it.   The best thing is that it's not the big blender so you can make individual serving size drinks and clean up is so much easier and faster.   We drink our smoothies right from the cup we mix it in.
http://www.walmart.com/ip/GE-17-Piece-Single-Serve-Rocket-Blender/17780929

Tonight we experimented with making our own single serve Orange Julius.  Remember that refreshing vanilla orange baby asprin tasting beverage!


Here is my recipe.  Since I use my scale for crafts I find I like using it for cooking as well.   It sure beats trying to measure some things in measuring cups that's for sure.   I just zero out my scale each time I add an ingredient so I'm not messing up any other dishes to make clean-up faster.  I also prefer to weigh in grams because it's more accurate than ounces.  There are 28 grams to the ounce.   If your a little over or under it's no big deal at all. 

85 grams frozen orange juice concentrate
115 grams skim milk
30 grams of sugar (more or less to taste, or use splenda to taste since it has a different weight than sugar)
Small dash of vanilla about 1/4 teaspoon but you don't need to dirty a measuring spoon for this
115 grams CRUSHED ice *

We have an ice machine that crushes the ice cubes it makes.  Don't try this in this small blender with large ice cubes, it's not made to handle that load.   Use a large regular sized blender instead.

Once you measure all your ingredients, blend until smooth.   Pulsing as needed and taking the canister off as needed to shake.   It's all contained with the lid so you can do that with this type of blender.    Wash the top part with the blending blades right away and let air dry for the next time it's used.

Best of all enjoy a cool refreshing smoothie !!!