I Love Fall

I love that it is cooling off(somewhat) and all the pretty fall decorations are out, I picked this up the other day to start my fall decorating.
This is what I am reading at the moment. The new Martha magazine, the two Japanese sewing books and the two sewing books my lovely sister got me, which has inspired me to get back into sewing.

Chocolate Truffle Cakes

I know another chocolate recipe! What can I say I love chocolate and this one is extra good if you need a chocolate fix.

Chocolate Truffle Cakes
from Martha Stewart

5 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
14 ounces semisweet chocolate,chopped ( or use chocolate chips like I do)
2 tablespoons sugar
2 eggs
1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Generously butter a standard 6-cup muffin tin. Dust with flour, tapping out excess; set aside. Or you could use a mini muffin tin so there snack size.
Put the chocolate, butter, and 1 tablespoon sugar in a medium heat-proof bowl set over a pan of simmering water; whisk occasionally until smooth. Remove from the heat, and let stand until thickened and cooled,3-5 minutes. Process the eggs and remaining sugar in a food processor until pale and doubled in volume, about 2 minutes. Sift flour and salt into egg mixture;pulse to combine. Add the chocolate mixture 1/4 cup at a time;pulse each addition until combined, about 10 times.(batter will be thick.)
Spoon mixture into prepared muffin tin, filling cups three quarters full. Bake until tops are springy to the touch, 18-20 minutes(half that for mini ones). Immediately turn out onto wire racks;re invert and let cool.

For extra fudgy results, make these cakes the day ahead; wrap them well in plastic wrap, refrigerate. Serve them chilled or at room temperature.
I got these cute paper cups at my local restaurant supply place. They are called nut cups. They are awesome to bake in, I just line them up on a sheet pan and fill. I use them for cupcakes, muffins and these little guys. I think I would spray these with some non-stick spray before filling, we had to rip the paper off to get them out. But they were still yummy and they are so good cold. And if I have leftovers I will pop them in the microwave for a few seconds til there nice and warm.
One last note, you don't want to over bake them as soon as they are springy when you touch the tops take them out, you want them to be nice and moist in the middle.

Easy Caramel Corn

Okay I lied about the coffee cake recipe, I just didn't think it was that tasty so I am going to try to get the one from the Bakery and post that one, it is just way better then the one I made. So instead of that I will do two favorite snacks, and yes now that I am prggo I will probably be in the kitchen making all kinds of fattening things to eat! I just need to watch it though, I gained 50 pounds with the first one, 30 with the 2nd and hopefully maybe I can just stick to the 20-25 that your supposed to!
So up first is our family's favorite to have when we watch a movie(which do a lot of!)

Caramel Corn

1 stick of butter
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup light karo syrup
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 bags of popped microwave popcorn- I don't have an air popper so I use two bags of the microwave ones, If you do fresh popcorn I think its about 6-8 cups.

Put the butter, sugar, and karo in a medium size pot on medium high heat. Heat until mixture is melted and comes to a boil. Boil for 2 minutes exactly (3 if you want the Carmel to get crunchy on the pop corn). Take off the heat and stir in the baking soda.
Quickly pour over the pop corn and stir until all the pop corn is coated. Be vary careful when stirring the Carmel over the popcorn, it's very hot! Let cool a few minutes before eating.
In joy with your favorite movie.

Notes: Some people like to lay the mixture out an a sheet pan and dry it out in the oven to make a crunchy caramel corn, we prefer the chewy kind so I skip that part, plus it take to long.
Also you will get addicted to it and have to eat the whole batch so make sure there are lots of mouths around to help you eat it.

The Dogs

This is mainly for my sister who loves her two dogs and wants to know how mine our doing.
This is Jack aka Jack boy by the kids, and your going to think I favor my boxer over him(which I do) but the truth is he is so hard to take a picture of because the darn thing won't be still! He used to be a spaz but has calmed down, A LOT! He is almost 9 in human years that's 45 in dog years so he should be slowing down. He is still the boss at the house over the puppy and can keep up with her fine.
Jill aka Jill Jill by the kids, is such a liker! She is 9mo.

I keep trying to get a picture of her standing sideways so you can see how big she is but she keeps sitting down! She is about 45-50 pounds.

This is after running around all morning.

Whenever I give them bones Jill runs around with hers hanging out of her mouth like a cigar, its so funny to watch!

Wow 3 post in one day! Up tomorrow? Coffee cake recipe, its not the best recipe but it turned out okay. My favorite recipe for coffee cake is from the Bakery, which I can't find. I will have to see if I can get it some how!

Sleeping Babe

This is what happened after all his "hard work" on the deck today. Dont worry I fixed his fingers after I saw the picture!

Working on the weekend

Instead of working for the weekend! Justin was able to get a lot done on the deck today so I thought I would post his handy work for him.

Helping dad, actually trying to stay out of the way. And look he has clothes on!!

Done for today, this part still needs to be covered.

Looking good! this also going to be a covered gazebo. Everyone thinks we should put a hot tub under it, I do to!

Now I need to clean up the yard and do some landscaping!

I want to be like my Dad

I caught Zander the other day messing with Justins computer he left on the floor. It looks like he knows what he is doing!

Sorry he doesn't have clothes on, he never keeps clothes on at home. Justin told me I should stop taking pictures of him with out him in clothes, but then I wouldn't get cute pictures of him being natural. You have to be quick with the little ones! So looking back we will always know that Zander likes to be free of clothes when he is at home.

Two lines

Yep there was two lines, which could only mean? I am pregnant! I cant believe it my self, all I can think of is 3 children 3 children I am going to have 3 !?! I also didn't think it would happen this quickly after two years of trying with Zander. I was in for the long haul but got surprised sooner! Which is good! I think Annalyse is the most excited of all of us she thinks it will be a girl.

Now I need to get off my butt and potty train the boy, I will not have two in diapers!

Chocolate Bread

I have been wanting to make a chocolate yeast bread for a long time and finally found a good recipe. The recipe I found was for the bread machine(don't have one, don't like the texture of the bread that comes from them). So I tweaked it just a tad and it came out great. I made half into rolls and the other half into the little loaf you see, I didn't get a picture of the rolls cause we (or I) eat them to fast.

Ingredients

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup warm water

1/3 cup sugar

1/4 cup Dutch process cocoa powder (or regular unsweetened cocoa powder)

1 tablespoon butter, softened

2 packages active dry yeast

1 teaspoon salt

4 oz bittersweet chocolate chunks (I used chocolate chips)

1 large egg yolk

Put the water and yeast into the mixing bowl and let sit for 5 minutes, add the sugar and let sit another 5 minutes. Add the cocoa powder, butter and egg yolk mix for 2 minutes. Next add the flour and salt (never put the salt onto the yeast mixture it will kill it I usually put it with the flour). Kneed until the dough comes off the sides of the bowl, and continue for 5 minutes. Put the dough into a greased bowl turning over once to get the top. Let rise for 1 hour. Shape into loaves or rolls, I used little brioche tins and they came out great. Let rise for another 30 minutes. Bake 350 degrees for 20 minutes for the rolls and 30-35 for the larger loaf, to test if down tap the bread with the back of a table knife, if it sounds hallow its done. This bread was so good warm.

And the next day, and the next day! The original recipe said it was good for PB&J sandwiches, I didn't try it. But it sounds good.

Update

First an update on Zander and then the Chocolate Bread recipe.
The poor boy has allergy's and after inhaling who knows how much baby powder he now has a sinus infection and eye infection. All the powder blocked up his little sinus, goop was just coming out his eye on Sunday so I decided to take him in to the doctor today. He is okay he is running around the house pushing his Tonka truck into the furniture, so he can't be that sick!

Snowing in the house?

So this afternoon when the kids had gotten settled from getting home from school, I decided to sit down at the computer and post the chocolate bread recipe that I have been trying to get to, I was also talking on the phone with my sister. I could hear them playing in Zanders room getting along and laughing together and I thought well that's nice they found something to do. And then I started to smell baby powder, why do I smell baby powder? Oh no! They better not be doing what I think they are! I quickly go over to Zanders room and what do I see but a layer of powder on EVERYTHING! Annalyse was just covered, Don't ask me why she just let him squirt her over and over with the stuff I am still trying to understand. She said it was funny at first and then she thought she better start cleaning it up(that's her in the picture trying to put it in a bag). All I was worried about was them breathing it in, Z has lung problems from RSV 2 years ago so I got him out of there and cleaned up and told A to take a shower. I then proceeded to clean up the disaster, I had to wipe down all of the toys, get the shop vac from the garage and vacuum everything, wipe down the furniture, rip of the sheets and throw them into the wash. And then I had to clean up about a gallon of water all over the bathroom floor because A forgot to put the shower liner inside the tub! After all of that I still maneged to make dinner, that no one really liked. On the plus side (there is aways an upside to everything! Even bad things) My house smells like a fresh baby's bottom! And Zanders room got a good cleaning.

I think I will have some of the yummy chocolate bread, watch some t.v. and go to bed!!!!

Mini Cinnamon Muffins

6 Tablespoons butter, melted

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 buttermilk

1 egg

Mix all of these together.

Fold in:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Mix until just incorporated. Do not over mix!

Scoop into a mini muffin pan (makes 12 minis) or into these cute little papers that I found at the restaurant supply place.

Bake 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until tooth pick comes out clean.

After they cool a bit melt the 2 Tablespoons butter left over from your stick, make some cinnamon sugar(1/3 cup sugar and 1 tablespoon cinnamon).

Dip the muffins in the butter and then the sugar.

Wee Jacket

I just finished this little thing, it was so fast! You just cut out and sew up the sides and put binding around the neck. That's it! I got it from this book, that my sweet sweet sister gave me for my birthday, Love ya Ro!

I need to figure out how to make it bigger so I can make one for Annalyse. The size of the pattern is for 18-24 mo. , I love the book but don't like to have to go in large the patterns, and the only place in my small town couldn't in large some of them with out doing it in 4 parts. But other then that its a great book, I have already made quite a few things and have some more to come.

Baby Bib

This is a bib I made the pattern came from this book, I love these Japanese books!
I did A little quilted strip across it in flannel, same as the back.

The Deck

This is the project Justin should have been working on, I want to have it done before our annual pumpkin party next month. He ripped out the old deck that was a quick put up so we wouldn't drop 2ft when we went out the back door. And now we added a second level, a walkway and the hexagon shape thing is going to be a gazebo. He is also going to cover the part by the house, can't wait for that part, then I can sit out side during all of these thunderstorms. I just love a good thunderstorm! I also want to put a small pond next to the walkway and second level. I just hope Jill will keep out of it. When we had the kid pool up out back she total destroyed it! She was jumping in, pulling at it and having a good time, me on the other hand had to pick up plastic pieces all over the yard! Not fun. Her and Zander I tell ya! They keep me busy. So here are some pictures of our deck in the works, I hope to have finished pictures up soon(one can only hope!).

Projects

There always seems to be projects that we have gong on and then we add new ones before the others are done and then we have lots and lots of things to keep us busy. Like this weekend J should have been working on the deck out back but instead went to go pick up a piece of junk(not to him though) Actually it is an '83 CJ7 Jeep. He has been wanting one for, well forever. And he wanted one that he could restore himself from the ground up. He found one sitting in a field out here and so he finally got one. So now my hubby will be hanging out in the garage a lot with this thing instead of with me( I think I am way better looking then 'ol hunk a junk there).

Quick Dessert

Chocolate Cherry Trifle

This came from a friend of mine

I had some leftover un-iced cake in the freezer but you can use non frozen chocolate cake

break it up and put on the bottom of your bowl(I haven't got my trifle bowl yet) layer some Cherry pie filling on top of the cake, then some whipped cream, cake, pie filling, and end with whipped cream. In joy!

Olive

Olive the sister of Archie is done! I just love the patterns from Wee Wonderfuls, they are real easy to do. So now they are together at last and have been renamed Max and Ruby. I really think we should stop watching that cartoon! It is seeping into there brains.

I am sorry that my child never has any clothes on in these pictures, he just takes off whatever he has on when he is at home. I guess he likes to run free!

We lost another!

Tooth that is! There justa fallen out! I have never known a child that gets so excited to lose teeth!