This is what I do all day!

I saw this on a blog and thought it was perfect. I have been asked even by friends with kids, just why are you so busy!? So this article sums it up plus add in there house work, school work for the older one and pretty much everything else that needs to be done at home. But like she said it is a joy and I do love staying home with my children :)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/22/AR2007052201554.html

Just in time for V day

Molten CHOCOLATE cake!

Your probably thinking, I can't possibly have more chocolate recipes, but oh! I do! Lots and lots!!!

These little baby's are so dang easy and quick to make its crazy! I have already made them twice. And since Justin is not a big chocolate lover(crazy I know! esp. being married to me!) I get to eat both of them!!! I had to share one with Annalyse yesterday though.

So go ahead and try these and then make them again for you and your sweetie for Valentines. I on the other hand will probable make something like cherry turnovers for my sweet.

And if you have a toaster oven you can bake them in there so you don't have to turn on the big oven.

Individual Chocolate Cake with Whipped Cream
from MarthaStewart.com by Ralph Rucci
Serves 2
Ingredients: Cake
1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
cocoa powder, for dusting molds
2 ounces semi-sweet chocolate
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1/8 cup sugar
1 tsp all-purpose flower
Confectioners sugar, if desired for dusting finished cake
Ingredients: Whipped Cream
1 cup whipping cream
2 tbls sugar
Directions: Cake
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Butter the 2 - 4 ounce ramekins and lightly dust the inside of each with cocoa powder, tapping out excess. Heat butter and chocolate in heat proof bowl set over (but not touching) simmering water until chocolate is almost completely melted. Meanwhile, in the bowl of an electric mixer, whisk egg, egg yolk, and sugar until light and thick. Slowly add butter mixture to mixer, add flower and mix until combined. Divide batter between ramekins. Place on a baking sheet and transfer to oven. Cook for 7 - 10 minutes - sides should be set and center soft.
Direction: Whipped Cream
Take whipping cream and whip it using an electric mixer until firm and creating peaks. Add the sugar and beat again.
Serve whipped cream aside the warm cake - dust cake with confectioners sugar if desired.

What do ya think?

I finally made the purse that I have been wanting to get to. I think it came out cute, Justin thinks it looks like a little girl purse that Annalyse would carry, what do you think?

I could go get that designer one that I have been wanting if he doesn't like this one! :)

Fistful of Green Beans

I guess someone likes green beans! He had two handfuls going!

These are good

Mmmm......warm soft tasty muffins for breakfast. I love this recipe, they were so soft and delicious!

Leave it to King Arther to have the best recipes!

Oatmeal Muffins
1 1/2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1/2 cup quick-cooking or old-fashioned oats
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 cup milk
1/3 cup vegetable oil or softened butter
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
cinnamon-sugar for topping (optional)
Preheat your oven to 400°F. Lightly grease a standard muffin pan; or line the pan with papers, and grease the papers.

In a large bowl, stir together flour, oats, sugar, salt and baking powder. In a separate bowl, beat together milk, oil or butter, eggs, and vanilla.

Gently stir wet ingredients into dry ingredients, mixing only enough to blend. Spoon batter into 12 muffin cups. Sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar, if desired.

Bake muffins for 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove muffins from pan and cool completely on wire rack. Yield: 12 muffins.

Young and in LOVE

I forgot to do our anniversary post. I found this picture of when we were first married. SO skinny and so young! My what kids and years do to a person! We have had the best 11 years! I am so glad I am with you for all eternity! I wouldn't have it any other way!

I love you Justin more to day then ever before! :)

XOXOXO

TGIF-NOT!

Wow, I'm slowing down on the post lately. I guess I have nothing interesting to post about. Just doing the same old same old, trying to pry Annalyse out of bed for school, cleaning up the house, taking care of the boys, dishes, dishes and more dishes, laundry, laundry and more laundry, I could go on but I don't want to bore you and lose you as a faithful reader of my blog.

I want to get started making this purse out of my new book, but I just cant find the time. The Baby also has a little cold which is keeping me up at night so I don't sleep, which means I am very tired during the day.

I did just finish doing my new work out video, couldn't do half the stuff on there, I am so out of shape, but I started it so at least that is a start.

I guess I am whining and complaining because Justin had to take my truck to work today, so I am stuck out here and know I can't go anywhere, just knowing that is frustrating, even if I wasn't going to go anywhere. I am spoiled having my own vehicle to do and go wherever. But I also live in the boonies, where we couldn't even walk anywhere! Just one day, I guess I'll live.

Maybe I should go make some cookies. I thought Mondays were supposed to be like this, not Fridays!

My girl!

Talking 'bout my.... girrrrl!

My girl!
Wants so much to be like her Mama!

I put my hat on and she had to go get hers on.

So we took some pictures! I don't get that chance to much. She is growing up! She gets baptized this summer!!! I cant believe it! My little girl, how I miss the days of just you and me! And now cherish the time we get to do things together, like our favorite, shopping!

Hello, My name is Cara

And I have a baking addiction!

I know I said I was going to cut back on the baked goods, but then I come across these yummy recipes waiting to be made, staring me down, I even think about recipes I want to try at night while I am trying to fall asleep, and well, I cave! At least I'm honest right? Well today it was this way delish coffee cake.

New York-Style Crumb Cake
Adapted from The Best of America's Test Kitchen 2008.
Makes one 8-inch square cake.
Crumb Topping:
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and still warm
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup packed light or dark brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 cups (7 ounces) cake flour

** Preheat oven to 325 degrees F and set oven rack to upper or upper-middle position. **

1. Whisk the warm melted butter, sugars, cinnamon, and salt together in a medium bowl.
2. Stir in flour until mixture becomes a thick dough and no streaks of flour remain.
3. Let cool 10 minutes.
4. Lay sheet of wax paper on workspace.
5. Break off pieces of dough and roll them between your fingers to the size of peas. The crumbs must be relatively small. Set each crumb on wax paper so that all the crumbs are in a single layer or are slightly overlapping.

Cake:
1 1/4 cups (5 ounces) cake flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 6 pieces, softened
1/3 cup buttermilk
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Crumb topping

1. In large bowl, whisk together cake flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt.
2. With electric mixer on low speed, add butter pieces one at a time. Mix until no large chunks of butter remain, 1 to 2 minutes.
3. Add buttermilk, egg, egg yolk, and vanilla. Beat on medium-high speed until batter is light and fluffy, about 1 minute, scraping sides of bowl if necessary.
4. Scrape the batter into a greased 8 x 8-inch pan and smooth the top with a knife or rubber spatula.
5. Sprinkle crumbs evenly over cake, working from the edges toward the center so as not to make the center too heavy.
6. Bake in preheated oven until crumbs are golden and a toothpick inserted near center comes out with moist crumbs, 35 to 40 minutes.
7. Cool on a wire rack and enjoy warm or at room temperature. If desired, dust with powdered sugar just before serving.

Happy New Year

I know this is a little late, but its still January so I'm OK!

To start the new year off I made this gingerbread with lemon curd. When I was a little girl(that sounds like so long ago!) My mom had made this gingerbread with lemon sauce and I have never forgotten it. I think she only made it once or twice, but the flavors stuck with me. So 20 some odd years later I finally made it! Only I did a lemon curd, which is not as sweet, more tangy. It went well with the sweet bread. You don't see this paring much, my mom said its an old fashioned thing, what ever it is it stuck with me all these years and I finally recreated it!

I'm not going to write out my resolutions and such cause I never keep them, I just have a list of things that I am forever working on, -working out, eating right, reading scriptures, praying more, you know, things I will never be perfect at but will be working on for the rest of my life.

I'm just glad 2008 is over, it was a long trying year! I hope this year will be a bit more calm.

2 deaths, a baby, turning 30 and a wedding made for a crazy year! But some years are like that!

Here's hopping for fun trips, lots of family time and me being able to do a lot around the house, this 2009!

Gingerbread

From Joy of Cooking

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9-inch square pan (I used a round).

Whisk together thoroughly:

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

Whisk together in a small bowl:

1 cup hot water

1/2 cup light molasses

1/2 cup honey

Whisk together in a large bowl:

1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1 large egg

1/2 cup sugar

Add the dry and liquid ingredients alternately to the butter mixture, whisking well after each addition. Poor the batter into the prepared pan. Bake until a tooth pick inserted into the center comes out clean, about an hour. Let the pan cool on a rack for 10 minutes.

Lemon Curd

Whisk together in a medium stainless steel or enamel saucepan until light in color:

3 eggs

1/3 cup sugar

grated zest of one lemon

Add:

1/2 cup strained fresh lemon juice

6 tablespoons unsalted butter. cut into small pieces

Cook, whisking, over medium heat until the butter is melted. Then whisk constantly until the mixture is thickened and simmer for a few seconds. Using a spatula, scrape the filling into a medium-mesh sieve set over a bowl and strain the filling in to the bowl.

Stir in:

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Let cool, cover, and refrigerate to thicken. This keeps, refrigerated, for about 1 week.

P.s. You might find that I will not be posting as many goodies, I need to lose the 10 pounds that I found over the holidays! don't fear though! I can't go long with out baking so there will be some from time to time, I just have to many recipes to try!

The Doors

No not the band! Justin made some beautiful doors for the office. He is so talented! They came out great. Now I want him to redo all the doors in the house!

Oooops!

I forgot to blog our Christmas!

First we opened stockings.

Annalyse got her DS, Santa was so nice this year :)

Zander got his Pirate ship he has been wanting.

Everyone got LOTS of nice things!

Then we had our usual, Monkey Bread!

Justins family came over for Christmas dinner, sorry no pic's, I was busy cooking.

We had ordered smoked turkeys from Rudy's, they were SO good! I also got a pit smoked ham! It was a smokin good dinner!

And then after dinner the kids did a little song for us, Senate played his recorder and the girls sang. This was a surprise for us adults, they did this all on there own, it was so cute! The thing on the ground is the stable and Inn. These kids have such an imagination!

It was a wonderful full, and in Zanders terms "loud" Christmas. Loud because when all of the family gets together it tends to get busy and loud around here, but isn't that what the holidays are all about? It was good. I am sad its over. and now that its already the 4th of January, the tree is put up and all the decorations stored until next year. I hope everyone had a good Christmas this year!