tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29181388139486533462024-03-05T08:59:12.906-08:00Crayons, Biscuits and LaceLinseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11391180551436835970noreply@blogger.comBlogger22125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2918138813948653346.post-86932090497029045542015-04-17T17:45:00.002-07:002015-04-17T17:55:14.751-07:00Happy Birthday, Wyatt<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This sweet boy's birthday was on April 6th and I just have to brag a bit. He isn't only the most hilarious little monster i've ever met...with a sense of humor that rivals his uncle Jon's...but he's also one of the sweetest and friendliest 3-year-olds to walk the earth. </div>
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I'm a pretty friendly person...I enjoy talking to people in the checkout line at the grocery store, and I love moving and meeting new people in the neighborhood and ward, but Wyatt makes me move out of my comfort zone all the time! He loves people so much! We were stopped at a light and had the windows down in the car. I was zoned out, thinking about the morning and what needed to be done when we got home. After a few seconds of being stopped I hear Wyatt say "Hi!" from the back seat. A gravelly, high-pitched voice answered "Hi...How ya doing?" I looked back to see an old, leathery man who had (by the sound of his voice) been a smoker most of his life in the car next to Wyatt's window. He was talking to my almost 3-year-old. Wyatt proceeded the conversation while I smiled from the front seat:</div>
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"I'm doing good. What's yours name?" </div>
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"My name's Wilfred." </div>
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"Oh, that's a good name. Yours car is blue."</div>
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And then the light turned and I reluctantly moved forward in the line of traffic. </div>
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Do our children need to be wary of strangers in the alarming world we live in? Yes...but I hope that I can do more than teach my children to watch out for "bad people". I hope I can help them understand that while they need to take care of themselves and stand up for their values and beliefs...part of those beliefs we hold so dear is to love those around us. To be non-judgmental and understanding of others and their problems. To always give others the benefit of the doubt and be kind without being a push-over. I want strong kids...but caring and feeling kids. I may have been a little taken aback by the sound of a smoke-worn voice speaking to my child, but my wonderful little boy was not. Who knows what Wilfred was doing that day or where he was coming from, but I know Wyatt helped him smile and made his day a little bit brighter. As he did mine.<br />
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I love you, Crash. Thank you for teaching me to better love those around me. And thank heaven's Granny got you a spiderman helmet for your birthday to protect your cranium.</div>
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"Verily, I say unto you except ye be converted and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of Heaven." -Matthew 18:3</div>
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<br />Linseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11391180551436835970noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2918138813948653346.post-51078700826752054652014-04-28T09:21:00.001-07:002014-04-28T09:21:43.895-07:00Ode to Barbara...and Keaton<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Those of you who know my family know that we LOVE music! I can't count the number of times my family sang for different church/community functions growing up. And we (at least my dad, sister and I) LOVE Barbara Streisand. That voice!!! Nobody sings like that anymore and she is fabulous.</div>
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So my nephew's birthday was March 27th and he was in the cast of "Hello, Dolly!" at his school. So for his birthday, my sister asked me to make a special cake. An "Ode to Barbara and Keaton" cake.</div>
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Here she is!:</div>
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Remember those feathers and the gold sequined dress Barbara wears at the end of the movie?? INCREDIBLE! and that gave us the top tier.</div>
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I overheard one of the girls say: "It looks just like one of Buddy's cakes on that show (cake boss)." Her eyes widened, "...<i>Is</i> it one of his cakes!?" I'm sure Buddy would cringe at having my amateur cake compared to his, but I was flattered beyond words! Anyways, hope they loved the cake! It was an incredible learning experience for me. Those glitter letters were a PAIN and I had to rethink them about 3 times as they dried due to breakage, but I really like how it turned out! </div>
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Thanks for being born, baby nephew...I can't believe how old you are!</div>
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So Long, Dearie! ;)</div>
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Linseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11391180551436835970noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2918138813948653346.post-18090840826464401182014-04-15T14:56:00.000-07:002014-04-15T14:58:04.098-07:00To InfinityI made this cake a couple months ago for a little girl, Ivee, that's in our church. She loved Toy Story at the time, and especially Buzz (i'm a Cowboy Woody gal myself, but to each her own)! I need to tell you that the hardest part of this cake was Buzz. GAH!!! I thought it would be so easy! No....nope....resounding "NO"....guys....no. The way I did it was NOT easy. BUT!!!....it looked pretty darn cool in the end. :)<br />
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When I make a name tag ahead of time, I make sure to put it on a pot so as it dries, it will dry to the right curve. Otherwise, it will break when I try to attach it to the cake. Luckily...Buzz didn't need to curve. (I randomly thought of the movie "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance" as I uploaded these pictures. I just realized it's because I watched that movie while making my Buzz topper! haha!)</div>
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Pretty cute, right? I learn with each cake I make and it's awesome! Although I will say, after the 3-tiered monstrosity I just made a week ago...I think i'm caked out for a while. Maybe I should post a recipe or two!<br />
<br />Linseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11391180551436835970noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2918138813948653346.post-61312306372105514622014-03-17T15:38:00.002-07:002014-03-17T15:38:43.391-07:00Farm FunAll this blog is really going to be is a photo montage typey....thing of how grateful I am to have healthy, happy kids and a great husband who loves to play with them! So basically...this post is just for me. :) And any grandmas that happen to stop by.<br />
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We live next to this awesome little farm, and I think it's my favorite place to take pictures right now. My kids LOVE it over there, which makes for some great, happy action shots. I can't wait for the two huge pecan trees to get their leaves back this spring. They are so beautiful!<br />
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This was right before I cut off Wyatt's curls. I love those wavy curls, but I just think his head is so cute when it's buzzed! What can I say??...I'm a short-hair-on-my-boys kind of gal.<br />
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Best shot of the whole day coming up!<br />
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Watch out, Sister!!!</div>
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I can still hear the giggling in these ones. Charlotte would spend time with her daddy 24-7 if she could. At church, yesterday, she said to a near stranger "This is my daddy," turns and points to Matt. "He loves me." I think it was the proudest dad-moment of Matt's career. There's nothing like being a parent!</div>
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And only because I know I will be harassed for not being in any pictures (there's a reason for that, btw) I was present, and playing with everyone. ;)</div>
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...and laughing <strike>at</strike> with my daughter.</div>
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What a blessing to have access to this little farm (and huge garden!) in the middle of the city. I don't know if we will ever be able to leave it!</div>
Linseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11391180551436835970noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2918138813948653346.post-71805695415962185532014-03-15T11:57:00.000-07:002014-03-15T20:37:51.240-07:00Flan is Great!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Flan. Four letters that make me happier than any other four letters ever could.<br />
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Wait...<br />
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Cake.<br />
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Pork.<br />
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Tart.<br />
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Pita.<br />
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Brie.<br />
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Cake.<br />
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Eggs.<br />
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Did I say cake twice??...oh well.<br />
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Today's four-letter-food is FLAN! Flan can be a little tricky if you are prone to worry. Because you have to caramelize sugar. (insert scream here) But i'm here to tell you that I made my first flan and caramelized my first sugar in one fell swoop a few months ago and it was NO big deal! Don't be afraid. Especially when the outcome is SOOO worth it. And caramelizing sugar is sorta like rappelling. The worst part is stepping over the edge, then everything's fun from there...<br />
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Please excuse my rappelling metaphor...it didn't work like I thought it would.<br />
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I found this recipe on <a href="http://allrecipes.com/recipe/spanish-flan/" target="_blank">Allrecipes.com</a> and there is even a video of someone making it! The comments were REAL helpful, and I've adapted the original recipe quite a bit to suit my own likes and food needs.<br />
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These are your ingredients! Just 5...plus Cinnamon which I forgot to picture :(<br />
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FIRST, I want you to blend the milks, eggs, vanilla, salt and cinnamon. Because once you get started on the sugar, it will be hard to multi-task.</div>
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All blended and tasty. But don't dip your fingers!...there are raw eggs in there!....okay, dip your fingers. </div>
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Unless you're pregnant!</div>
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.....maybe just a little one......</div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">This is your yummy custardy part of the flan. </span><i style="text-align: left;">(what? custardy is a word? spell check didn't correct me, so I guess so!)</i></div>
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On to the sugar! </div>
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All that I have in the below pictures is a cup of sugar in a pot. No water or anything else. You're going to see the stages the sugar will go through as you heat it up over medium heat. If your temp gets too high, it will burn the sugar in about a millisecond. If your temp stays too low, your sugar will take AGES to caramelize! Done it...not fun...you get really hot standing over the burner for 45 mins. So try to keep your heat at medium-low to medium. The sugar will go from granules, to hard-candy clumps (!!Don't Panic!!) and then start melting down to syrup.</div>
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READ THIS! The above picture and the below picture were taken about 10 seconds apart. I had my heat too high and was trying to multi-task too much and my sugar got TOO dark and burned! Of course, I did this for your benefit so you could see the difference.......</div>
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If you still have some little clumps of sugar that haven't completely caramelized, it's okay! Take your sugar off when it's a nice golden color...not a sickly rusty brown.</div>
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This is my pyrex heating up on the hot stovetop. The reason I do this is because if you put your caramel into a cold glass dish, it will harden up before you have the chance to swirl it around and get it incorporated all over the bottom of your dish. So if you put some hot water in your dish or put it on your warm stove, it will make your life easier.</div>
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Here is my second batch of caramel, which I did stir a rough teaspoon of vanilla into right before it reached the desired consistency. That's just personal preference. ;)</div>
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This is what the caramel looks like after it's been swirled into my dish. GAH!!!! I can't wait to make another!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhdxxUGDeZfJ0WevBPKYVzpnfZTXqncaCwiGy26V8iSyMVIyBn0t9tznMEFPhB_MDwmN7Ssd3lYbEeydITApOD1gCcmXyQPBvXATFqrWoe7D62vKNOd4k_VFPjh8E4Wu-bIUHl1hkgkgA/s1600/IMG_4502.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhdxxUGDeZfJ0WevBPKYVzpnfZTXqncaCwiGy26V8iSyMVIyBn0t9tznMEFPhB_MDwmN7Ssd3lYbEeydITApOD1gCcmXyQPBvXATFqrWoe7D62vKNOd4k_VFPjh8E4Wu-bIUHl1hkgkgA/s1600/IMG_4502.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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In goes the custard...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyR9kTCjZx0-Pq9rmzt-BUx-01Vl9KhyphenhyphenE6Z6Eo8JTOZ4JvbDjoVcqHh3XecrWwhm-utHU91Kwmdi_fk2Uzd1rez6hbUVoGSdzipW9wiErTDxJdXpVX_wG_iXE4SYD0Jk-fa2d7M7BZyZE/s1600/IMG_4503.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyR9kTCjZx0-Pq9rmzt-BUx-01Vl9KhyphenhyphenE6Z6Eo8JTOZ4JvbDjoVcqHh3XecrWwhm-utHU91Kwmdi_fk2Uzd1rez6hbUVoGSdzipW9wiErTDxJdXpVX_wG_iXE4SYD0Jk-fa2d7M7BZyZE/s1600/IMG_4503.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH4dvjkUcKIvi1bYlbVveR7SnJiveygOQjSpLHSG4osl7F831_k0bV4CD99RKe8oaPH53hGUIZ9czeQFw9GFlDE3CqGEigZ4JVbjPId2WyI7HMypYMq0i1P-c4lOiQbFnFM5F2WET1FOw/s1600/IMG_4504.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH4dvjkUcKIvi1bYlbVveR7SnJiveygOQjSpLHSG4osl7F831_k0bV4CD99RKe8oaPH53hGUIZ9czeQFw9GFlDE3CqGEigZ4JVbjPId2WyI7HMypYMq0i1P-c4lOiQbFnFM5F2WET1FOw/s1600/IMG_4504.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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And now i'm pouring water into a cookie sheet that I have my flan mixture sitting on. Baking the flan in a water bath keeps it from baking too quickly...which can cause cracking in your flan and a rubbery texture. That would be a catastrophe after all this work!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhurdHgGFVJiyuHlXuwqSnFNbLjYz7rvH-M_HK6ldtFauUS85JMSo_Za6UBmLV809XlL3v7qiWUW6G5HWaxjc4e-1Cf03Y1CKwIE6j7CeEK33KoiuN5Tx1Tz2eLNR91RA4ykXCbYXjcN_Q/s1600/IMG_4505.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhurdHgGFVJiyuHlXuwqSnFNbLjYz7rvH-M_HK6ldtFauUS85JMSo_Za6UBmLV809XlL3v7qiWUW6G5HWaxjc4e-1Cf03Y1CKwIE6j7CeEK33KoiuN5Tx1Tz2eLNR91RA4ykXCbYXjcN_Q/s1600/IMG_4505.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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Here is the flan fresh out of the oven! A word here...bake for the allotted time and don't be afraid of some significant jiggle on the flan's departure! Since this is a custard-based dish, it will seem VERY under-cooked when it's still hot. It just needs to set as it cools, which I promise it WILL do. Trust.</div>
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See the little scoop in the middle of mine? That's not normal unless you have a need to just try a tiny bit while it's fresh from the oven. (Hey, i'm just gonna flip it anyway)</div>
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Let the flan cool completely...best if you pop it in the fridge overnight after it's cooled on the counter.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQV03CvpT7C2tYcZNWJ7W3cJIhIcGhRtWbezUL51BxlAVOMfTLE79cDkn1QZIyjQ_GN1P8EyRNCDixCjBO3g7BZ6rHFBYVYTa9BSiucBCAibBoN8Xgw5O3R_YeZ6dd_SDCUjJAP81J7E0/s1600/IMG_4507.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQV03CvpT7C2tYcZNWJ7W3cJIhIcGhRtWbezUL51BxlAVOMfTLE79cDkn1QZIyjQ_GN1P8EyRNCDixCjBO3g7BZ6rHFBYVYTa9BSiucBCAibBoN8Xgw5O3R_YeZ6dd_SDCUjJAP81J7E0/s1600/IMG_4507.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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Now, it's the next morning and I have my trusty cookie sheet out again. I have filled my cookie sheet up with HOT water to help the carmel syrup warm up and detach from the glass dish.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpBO56HRtuPsEPgdQKtKt7rK6r91vSry2_nG_oeZ-O8ge7dnP6i2QejyLmAHFFRh78zpZRkLImP6vMI7bXCU91U-OpTx9uCdX80oTtthSsNJ2VD41yaJTVZQFXuQT-y9ckHE6fSxNrn2A/s1600/IMG_4512.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpBO56HRtuPsEPgdQKtKt7rK6r91vSry2_nG_oeZ-O8ge7dnP6i2QejyLmAHFFRh78zpZRkLImP6vMI7bXCU91U-OpTx9uCdX80oTtthSsNJ2VD41yaJTVZQFXuQT-y9ckHE6fSxNrn2A/s1600/IMG_4512.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpJ9GTVg2bUx77MhU7TMhYawkbW6ai96MbXiDEHZMRwuvR0_1zk1XxIUjuvJhJlv3D7-S2xl6Of8m6aPH_2e_apX8__siaLhxAxBdtY7MBuroGw-CZ7el62KQlad1BRukab3kciv7iKDw/s1600/IMG_4510.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpJ9GTVg2bUx77MhU7TMhYawkbW6ai96MbXiDEHZMRwuvR0_1zk1XxIUjuvJhJlv3D7-S2xl6Of8m6aPH_2e_apX8__siaLhxAxBdtY7MBuroGw-CZ7el62KQlad1BRukab3kciv7iKDw/s1600/IMG_4510.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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After the cold flan has been sitting in the hot water bath for about 15 - 20 mins, cut around the edges and flip it onto a plate! You should hear a satisfying *shloorph* sound.</div>
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Then let all the yummy syrup drip onto the top.</div>
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And here she is! I love topping mine with whipped cream and strawberries, and I love it plain...totally up to you. OH! I'll bet its amazing with chocolate syrup, too. Next time!</div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Four-letter Flan</span></b></div>
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- 1 heaping cup white sugar</div>
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- 6 eggs</div>
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- 1 (14oz) can Sweetened Condensed milk</div>
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- 1 (12oz) can Evaporated milk</div>
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- 1 T. + 1 t. vanilla, separated</div>
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- 1/2 t. cinnamon</div>
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- 1 pinch of salt</div>
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1. Preheat oven to 350*F</div>
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2. In a blender, combine eggs, milks, 1T. vanilla, cinnamon and salt. Let it sit in the blender while you work on other things.</div>
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3. Warm a 9-inch round pyrex with boiling water or on your warm stove.</div>
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4. In a medium sauce pan, heat sugar over medium-low to medium heat. Stir regularly (or the whole time if it makes you feel more comfortable) until sugar is caramelized and syrupy. Stir in your 1t. of vanilla.</div>
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5. Quickly pour the caramel syrup into the round pyrex and swirl to coat the bottom before it hardens. Pour the custard mixture on top of the hardened syrup and cover with the lid or some foil.</div>
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6. Bake in a water bath in your preheated oven for 60 mins. Cool in fridge overnight, or until ready to serve. At least let it cool to room temp. </div>
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7. Before inverting on a plate, place the dish in a hot water bath to help soften the caramel from the bottom of the dish. Cut around the edges and flip onto your serving dish. Top with whipped cream, strawberries, chocolate, more caramel syrup...whatever your heart desires!</div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Adapted from "Spanish Flan" recipe on Allrecipes.com</span></div>
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Linseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11391180551436835970noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2918138813948653346.post-45987572500689760592014-02-18T12:53:00.001-08:002014-02-18T12:53:07.009-08:00Little Mav's Shower Cake...and BIG Mav!!Back in December, I had the opportunity to make a cake for my sister, Jenn's, baby shower! They decided to name their upcoming little boy Maverick (which I love so much it kills me!). Since the shower was around Christmas, the theme was Winter Wonderland which made for an ADORable cake!<br />
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See??...<br />
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I just have to say that I LOVED using my new silicone pearl mold for this! It was perfect to glam the cake up for mommy, but still have a boy-themed cake. And I just called them snowballs for the spirit of things. </div>
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As always, I learned a ton with this cake! For Instance: Make sure you have an extra long skewer to support your tree as WELL as your sign! I did a long skewer into the cake for the sign, but I didn't think ahead with the tree, so it ended up needing toothpicks behind to hold it up. :( Good thing my family lets me practice on them! </div>
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Here is my gorgeous sister, Jenn. She's a petite little thing and her baby was a monster! He was measuring huge every time she had a checkup! This was one hard-working mommy.</div>
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This next picture is one of the best. My grandma and sister playing <i>Guess the Dirty Diaper</i> game. Have you heard of this!? It was awesome. You melt different chocolate candies into diapers and people have to guess which candy it is. I thought it was hilarious! I kept trying to get pictures of grandma sniffing the diaper, but none of them turned out! *Sigh* Woe is me.</div>
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This is Jenn with her friend, Marissa, who hosted the shower. I think Marissa must have taken weeks to recover after the party because she WAY outdid herself! It was incredible!</div>
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Yes...to the cake.</div>
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And here's the little (okay, big...over 9 pounds) bundle. I got to shoot newborn pics last night, which got me right in the mood for this post, today. </div>
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Isn't he a handsome boy!? Takes after his parents.<br />
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Love you guys!</div>
<br />Linseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11391180551436835970noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2918138813948653346.post-80034059403831357552014-02-16T18:38:00.002-08:002014-02-16T18:40:24.642-08:00Wyatt's First HikeMy husband and I both love the outdoors. And our babies have inherited that passion...although I need to insert here that EVERY kid is born with the love of the outdoors. It's up to us to keep that flame alive. So in November we decided to take Wyatt for his first official hike! LOTS of pictures here...<br />
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I think the above picture was the only time when Wyatt was grouchy. The reason??...being held. He just wanted to be free and run! So we put him back down to find rocks. And eat them.</div>
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Then throw them. </div>
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I love this next picture because by the position of Wy's hand you would imagine the rock being straight out in front of him....but then you see the shadow of the rock over Wyatt's shadow-head. Do you see the rock now?</div>
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One of my favorite shots of the day!<br />
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Charlotte loved this little hike. It's at hole in the rock, and Char called it Rhinoceros mountain for some reason. Maybe because it's right next to our zoo??? Or because Rhinoceros' are cool.<br />
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After having a snacky, Matt manned the camera. And thank heavens he did! </div>
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Pretty sure this is my favorite picture I have with my little gal. Oh, she's sweet!</div>
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Happy Hiking!</div>
Linseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11391180551436835970noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2918138813948653346.post-74062648148529826752014-02-15T15:34:00.000-08:002014-02-15T15:34:14.220-08:00Time's a' Turnin'My last blog was six...SIX months ago. And in that six months, a great many things have happened that made me think "Hey! I need to blog about this!" And not a single one made it to my blog. Until NOW!<br />
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BAM!<br />
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Hahaha...I hope I don't get verbally slapped for putting that picture so prominently on my blog. This blog is going to be about my church and the aMAzing gals that I work with. And maybe some cupcakes will work their way in here somewhere... </div>
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These photos are pretty old, so some of my favorite ladies aren't featured...they missed out on this one. But I love this group of women so much! Here they are:</div>
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Hopefully the "Thing 1" and "Thing 2" tipped you off on our Dr. Seuss theme (if not...go get a copy of "The Cat in the Hat", PRONTO! For this particular church activity, we threw a Dr. Seuss party for our brand new girls (age 11 turning 12) with lots of fun stuff and some spiritual/churchy stuff. In my church (<a href="http://mormon.org/people" target="_blank">I'm a Mormon</a>, aka LDS) we have something called "Young Women's" and the best thing I can compare it to is girl scouts. We have our own sunday school on sundays for all the girls ages 12-18 and we go to a girl's camp in June and do TONS of other fun things...as you can see. I love it because since I am one of the leaders over these girls, I get to eat yummy food, and get dressed up in floral pants with a black afro wig. Holla!</div>
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See...I told you there would be cupcakes. I LOVE watching people eat my cake! I think it's quickly becoming one of my new favorite pastimes (notice Madison's epic photo-bomb). And you know what??...i'm gettin' good! Now, my cakes don't just look pretty, they taste great! It's taken me a while to get those two in tandem.</div>
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These cupcakes had so much cream cheese frosting on them, the girl's were in a coma when they went home. I got the inspiration for these babies <a href="http://www.goodlifeeats.com/2011/02/dr-seuss-party-ideas-dr-seuss-birthday.html" target="_blank">here</a>. </div>
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One more close-up:</div>
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Whoo! I feel so much better now that I got that off my chest. I think i'm out of practice because i'm reading through this and it seems a little random and sporadic. Oh well!Linseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11391180551436835970noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2918138813948653346.post-3408753769311432292013-08-27T14:51:00.002-07:002013-08-27T14:51:59.873-07:00With Hope, The Odds Don't Matter<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.mesotheliomatreatmentcenters.org/img/mesothelioma-ribbon.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.mesotheliomatreatmentcenters.org/img/mesothelioma-ribbon.gif" /></a></div>
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Heather Von St. James is a Mesothelioma survivor. Mesothelioma is a form of lung cancer and is most commonly caused by exposure to asbestos. If you do some <a href="http://www.mesothelioma.com/mesothelioma/" target="_blank">research</a>, you will learn that the survival rate is very low...as it is for most forms of cancer.<br />
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Heather is a survivor. She contacted me and shared her story, and in turn i'd like to share it with you. Heather was diagnosed with mesothelioma at age 36, when her daughter was 3&1/2 months old. She is now a 7-year survivor and works toward building the awareness of mesothelioma, and most of all, inspiring people to fight and never give up hope. <a href="http://www.mesothelioma.com/heather/#.Uhuj92TXhQY" target="_blank">Here's</a> a link to her full story.<br />
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Since Heather contacted a couple days ago, I have been thinking a lot about how grateful I am for my and my family's health. I could never imagine anything happening to my children or husband and feel extremely blessed to be living what is truly a charmed life. These feelings of gratitude make me more sensitive to those who do suffer from illness or disease of any kind.<br />
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I hope and pray that my family never experiences the kind of trial that Heather Von St. James and her family did. But if for some reason, its in God's plan for us...I hope even more that we grow closer together as a result. Whatever the outcome.<br />
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So for today, my thoughts and prayers are with those suffering the effects of Mesothelioma. Keep up your spirits, send up your prayers, and never give up hope.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgVGIsIddRi-Cm_sU7avTC-ZTkfENdQVWqMGn2ldUvOTe0nIMCQfXlywKd8gYjLtTc-S2M3VgFzyleQcBjTRZrtkyR4XqMUt5aNJu2FhHywKOZ8vymFM7-Hs2z0E-v-B3kkuJG2iyWBB4/s1600/IMG_2285.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgVGIsIddRi-Cm_sU7avTC-ZTkfENdQVWqMGn2ldUvOTe0nIMCQfXlywKd8gYjLtTc-S2M3VgFzyleQcBjTRZrtkyR4XqMUt5aNJu2FhHywKOZ8vymFM7-Hs2z0E-v-B3kkuJG2iyWBB4/s1600/IMG_2285.jpg" height="320" width="244" /></a></div>
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Btw...the ribbon color for Mesothelioma is Pearl. My Charlotte and I decorated these cupcakes with that in mind.<br />
<br />Linseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11391180551436835970noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2918138813948653346.post-11027311979664808952013-08-26T10:03:00.003-07:002013-08-26T10:03:58.584-07:00Shabby Garden CakeJust a quick blog about cake, and the amazing women in my church. There is a couple in our church who was engaged with not much in the way of money, family or friends. They wanted a reception, but were unsure how to do it. So one of the ladies in the church said "I will throw you a reception!" And that's what she did! She'd just inherited a bunch of wedding decor, and there are amazing caterers in our church. So with a lot of helping hands, everyone threw a quaint, personal, elegant and classy wedding reception. It was so fun!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJCUZL44r-zzX7uvsbMPOoUM9cL9pQuSttPGBv0MLiCOFXjML7KO556aa1EWJMOhnOhcVeg0J7H-EFev4k_fcCm1-ftpx8U5FbpWbNrdaKDiwFyP53P82ne9OhUxxaXA0dMuJLjynHd2M/s1600/IMG_2245.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJCUZL44r-zzX7uvsbMPOoUM9cL9pQuSttPGBv0MLiCOFXjML7KO556aa1EWJMOhnOhcVeg0J7H-EFev4k_fcCm1-ftpx8U5FbpWbNrdaKDiwFyP53P82ne9OhUxxaXA0dMuJLjynHd2M/s1600/IMG_2245.jpg" height="572" width="640" /></a></div>
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I made this cake for them, and it was perfect for my first wedding cake because they wanted it small with simple decorations, but it tasted amazing! Lime whipped cream, lime filling with strawberries and a white cake. (well...green and yellow, white cake) A far cry from the usual chocolate with buttercream that i'm used to. It turned out a little flowery for me, but the bride loved it. And look at the inside! That's my favorite part.<br />
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And I need to say a quick word about the cupcakes.<br />
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Pretty much everything was donated by our church, so a couple ladies made the cupcakes at home, brought them to the building, and I threw some decorations on them. One flavor was Tres Leches....and HOLY COW! They were amazing! Afterwards, while cleaning up in the kitchen...I took 6 home. And I ate them all by myself. Here is the super simple recipe that was used:<br />
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<b><u><span style="font-size: large;">Easy Tres Leches</span></u></b><br />
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<u>Cupcakes:</u><br />
-1 box white cake mix<br />
-1 T. ground cinnamon<br />
-4 eggs<br />
-1/3 c. oil<br />
-1&1/4 c. water<br />
-foil liners<br />
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-Spray liners with Pam. Mix all other ingredients together and fill foil liners. Let cupcakes cool completely.<br />
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<u>Leches:</u><br />
-1 c. whole milk<br />
-1 c. evaporated milk<br />
-1 c. sweetened condensed milk<br />
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-In a bowl, stir 3 milks together until well combined. Poke holes in your cupcakes with a toothpick and slightly pull liners away from cupcakes (this will help keep milk IN the cake, not pouring over the sides). Pour 1 spoonful of milk on each cupcake and then repeat 4-5 times.<br />
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Tip: To completely soak the cake, let them chill in fridge 1 hour - overnight.<br />
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<u>Topping:</u><br />
Pipe whipped cream onto each cupcake and drizzle with caramel.<br />
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Good luck!<br />
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PS: I know people will be wondering what the Fox and the Hare are all about??? Well, the bride bought them as their cake toppers because she calls her hubby a fox, and he chased her down like a hare. Hence: Fox and the Hare. :)</div>
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<br />Linseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11391180551436835970noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2918138813948653346.post-47280019814252065752013-08-10T22:35:00.000-07:002013-08-10T22:35:22.042-07:00Zoey's Zebra Cake!So...my family is having babies. Lots and LOTS of babies. At least my in-law side of my family. My side of the family is old, so we're having a bit of a dry-spell. Good news is...i'm not one of the pregnant ones! So I celebrated by helping to throw one of my sisters-in-law a shower!<br />
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Here I have a cake:<br />
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My lovely sister and brother (Mariah and Taylor) decided to name their coming daughter Zoey, and theyre going with a zebra/jungle theme. You know...Zoey Zebra...so cute. So I thought I would finally get brave and try a real, fondant-covered cake. The last time I tried to cover a cake in fondant was about 3 years ago and it was a DISASTER! It ended in tears and a messy cake. I resorted to moulding fondant, and I got pretty good at it. But THIS turned into a work of art! Let me tell you, my hands were shaking, but I finally did it! The fondant boots and zebra took me hours of work, but I think the 2 minutes it took me to cover the cake was a million times worse! Until it turned out PERfect...then I cheered. Anyways, enough bragging and self-congratulating. Here are some cupcakes:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4pEQSMB0gFG1tH9-oAfCoHsmPv6XLEisB-vYAZKPMLVcXvAN4tkOhzjElgft4hWgA-dyJJqrDvTs7NTznHEsf5j4Po73RhhaiYtTXWQQDC6X45ha1PSvDXJkC0D8jrAINcufXXAXnr-I/s1600/IMG_2149.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="409" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4pEQSMB0gFG1tH9-oAfCoHsmPv6XLEisB-vYAZKPMLVcXvAN4tkOhzjElgft4hWgA-dyJJqrDvTs7NTznHEsf5j4Po73RhhaiYtTXWQQDC6X45ha1PSvDXJkC0D8jrAINcufXXAXnr-I/s640/IMG_2149.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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When I arrived with the cupcakes, my other sister-in-law had these adorable cupcake pokes leftover from a shower she had done the weekend before. They looked so cute! I have to put a quick plug in for Costco (because it's amazing). Pastry Pride Ready to Whip Cream. Its flavored...its fluffy...you can pipe it...it won't melt when it sits at room temp for a few hours...I love it! And I don't have to stress out about stabilizing my own whipped cream. That's what I used on the Heath cupcakes this time and it was stupendous. Anyways, you can find a pretty good tutorial on how to make the boots <a href="http://cakesdecor.com/KosmicCustomCakes/blog/617" target="_blank">here</a>. I added quite a few details to the design, but it's a good base to start with. My only complaint is that she doesn't provide a printout of the pattern, so you will have to play around with it for your sizing.</div>
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<br />Linseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11391180551436835970noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2918138813948653346.post-22086052684610316312013-06-17T11:08:00.000-07:002013-08-27T15:10:07.207-07:00German Apple Pancakes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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When Matt thinks of Father's Day (or Christmas, or St. Patrick's Day, or our kid's birthdays, or any holiday, really), he thinks of German Apple Pancakes. They are all he wants for breakfast most of the time, but I try to keep it special for Father's Day. He doesn't read my blog, so this will be our secret....I want them every morning for breakfast, too! I'm such a good wife, though, that I don't make them without him (very often. what??).<br />
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I can't really remember where the original version of this recipe came from...probably somewhere on google. All I know is that it's Yummmmmmy!!!! Anyways, here are the step-by-steppers:<br />
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You will need a cast iron frying pan or some other oven-safe stove-safe pan.<br />
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Whisk together 1/2c. flour, 1T. sugar, a pinch of salt and 1/2t. baking soda.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLRfpPsEPKtbno0MLb5ZYxRGz2FTKBEwHxf0uOQpUA1jiJZ6Ujo3CsOGc6QlqUFS600B6mJpcRqhqRfUyV6FczoCg4mKxddtNm2xCaNy_Wb6DuMt6K87S311Nl1b0Ma7ZYoTW2QqAbbpo/s1600/IMG_1876.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLRfpPsEPKtbno0MLb5ZYxRGz2FTKBEwHxf0uOQpUA1jiJZ6Ujo3CsOGc6QlqUFS600B6mJpcRqhqRfUyV6FczoCg4mKxddtNm2xCaNy_Wb6DuMt6K87S311Nl1b0Ma7ZYoTW2QqAbbpo/s400/IMG_1876.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
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Add 4 whipped eggs, 1c. milk, 2 t. vanilla, 2T. melted butter and some cinnamon and nutmeg.<br />
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Let the batter sit for 20-30 mins at room temperature It will thicken significantly over this time, but should still be pretty runny and pourable. Is pourable a word? I guess so, since spell check didn't kick in.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNxuqUgjDUK66bQGEFzOKjBsq2hYRLXSQlA-JOZ0lLEnzyDLqZe-2fEtbE7AZc0_Pfbk-vDnOHrfnByOAXSFgyoiPOemHbuKNuIprDX0g__AO3-ZyqxOhLU-lEu82rjikVg01sGK1_WVo/s1600/IMG_1881.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNxuqUgjDUK66bQGEFzOKjBsq2hYRLXSQlA-JOZ0lLEnzyDLqZe-2fEtbE7AZc0_Pfbk-vDnOHrfnByOAXSFgyoiPOemHbuKNuIprDX0g__AO3-ZyqxOhLU-lEu82rjikVg01sGK1_WVo/s400/IMG_1881.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
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Preheat your oven to 425*F. Coat your pan with LOTS of butter before turning on the heat. (sorry, there's not a picture for this step). I just take the stick and rub it all over the bottom AND sides of the pan super well. Combine some cinnamon, nutmeg and sugar. Sprinkle it liberally all over the pan. Add 1 whole sliced apple (peeled or unpeeled is up to you). You want to try to get the slices to lie as flat on the pan as possible. Sprinkle more of the sugar mixture over the apples.</div>
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Cook, covered, over medium heat until the apples are tender and bubbling. Don't let them scorch! Make sure your heat doesn't get too high, and be sure to have plenty of butter in the pan. If you need to add some pads of butter while the apples are cooking, that's totally fine. Covering the pan isn't necessary, but it helps the apples steam and cook more quickly and evenly. Don't be picky about every apple being tender... you're going to bake them soon.<br />
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GENTLY pour your batter over the apples. If you pour the batter too fast, all the apples will float to one side. You want them to stay evenly distributed here.</div>
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<u>Use an oven mit</u> to transfer the pan into your oven. That handle gets hotsy totsy!! Bake about 10-15 mins at 425*F. Then reduce the heat to 375*F and bake another 10 mins or so. We were hungry and anxious to eat, so I pulled this out about 5 mins early. It was still totally cooked, just not as golden on top as usual.<br />
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Slice and top with powdered sugar and Creme Fraiche (or whipped cream if you're lazy like me.)</div>
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Or cut them into little bite-sized pieces for your minions. :)</div>
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Happy Father's Day!!!</div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">German Apple Pancakes</span></b></div>
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1/2 c. flour</div>
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1 T. sugar + more for sprinkling</div>
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1/2 t. baking soda</div>
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pinch of salt</div>
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4 large eggs, whipped</div>
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1 c. milk</div>
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1 t. vanilla</div>
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2 T. butter, melted + more for coating</div>
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1 apple of any kind, sliced</div>
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cinnamon & nutmeg</div>
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powdered sugar</div>
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Creme Fraiche (or whipped cream)</div>
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1. Whisk together flour, sugar, baking soda & salt. Add eggs, milk, vanilla, melted butter, cinnamon and nutmeg. Let stand at room temperature 20-30 mins.</div>
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2. Preheat your oven to 425*F. Coat a cast iron pan with butter. Combine sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg and sprinkle the pan liberally. Line your pan with sliced apples and sprinkle the apples with more sugar mixture. </div>
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3. Cook apples, covered, on medium heat until apples bubble and caramelize. Add more butter if needed. Once the apples are mostly tender, pour batter very gently over the apples.</div>
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4. Put the pan in the oven and bake about 15 mins at 425*F. Reduce heat to 375*F and bake an additional 10 mins.</div>
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5. Slice and top with powdered sugar and Creme Fraiche or whipped cream.</div>
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Serves 4</div>
Linseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11391180551436835970noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2918138813948653346.post-54648799250526056072013-06-13T14:34:00.003-07:002013-08-28T14:13:40.567-07:00Salted Butterscotch Chocolate Chip CookiesOkay, guys. I know how many thousands of people claim to have THE cookie recipe. And I know how amazing some of those cookies are because I've made them. But nothing..."I repeat...nothing gives a student the right to walk around the school at night." Oh, shoot...Prof. McGonagall just popped into my head mid-sentence. Back to business: ...nothing has ever beaten plain old homemade Chocolate Chip Cookies. At least, for Matt and I...it just doesn't get any better than Chocolate Chip Cookies!<br />
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Until Now:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi58y5R-3F8spGkCZjG_ANc9Etr-kVx9qlpi4h20uYuHxBHYZVRg8kKHXD8y8eVKi_hzIJKyKTn3Ih0dk7D73a75z1t6ZpmK9m9jbh6zRIYpPedU7f7ubcSv3Ol16ACisdIvv5g05PH8aQ/s1600/cooks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi58y5R-3F8spGkCZjG_ANc9Etr-kVx9qlpi4h20uYuHxBHYZVRg8kKHXD8y8eVKi_hzIJKyKTn3Ih0dk7D73a75z1t6ZpmK9m9jbh6zRIYpPedU7f7ubcSv3Ol16ACisdIvv5g05PH8aQ/s1600/cooks.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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Let me tell you a story:<br />
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Once, (2 days ago) we were going to have a swim party with my side of the family. My mom went to Wal-mart and saw these cookies. "Hmm, those look good," she thought. And so she bought them and brought them to the party. They were SO GOOD! Grocery store cookies are never good, unless they are from Costco. We all were so impressed with how amazing these cookies were! So...two days later, I still couldn't get those cookies off my mind. I went to the store this morning and there they were...calling to me. And I thought, "If those were SO GOOD, then the homemade version will probably put me into a coma." So today, I took that never-fail chocolate chip cookie recipe, tweaked it a bit and VOILA! Salted Butterscotch Chocolate Chip Cookies.<br />
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Guys...I may not be in a coma, but these cookies are no joke. I don't have step-by-steppers, because I was way too excited about making them to take pictures, but here is my recipe. <br />
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And some pictures of Char eating them with her cute new haircut.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9UUiHiq1d-kgoj5EYNekd3M2CCuFUbft1QtbcQQmZIFWtqTxgtCm9rojaLkIhb4n7rCOFfaGNm82AFCrwxOjeFF3p8_icHvqJyn7_TFH5CK6uOQiFKEQ8L-Fc2kobERJOUpXs_a64mDk/s1600/char.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9UUiHiq1d-kgoj5EYNekd3M2CCuFUbft1QtbcQQmZIFWtqTxgtCm9rojaLkIhb4n7rCOFfaGNm82AFCrwxOjeFF3p8_icHvqJyn7_TFH5CK6uOQiFKEQ8L-Fc2kobERJOUpXs_a64mDk/s1600/char.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Salted Butterscotch Chocolate Chip Cookies</span><br />
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1/2 c. butter, room temp<br />
1/2 c. butter flavored shortening<br />
1 c. brown sugar<br />
1/2 c. white sugar<br />
2 eggs<br />
2 t. vanilla extract<br />
2 - 2&1/2 c. flour<br />
1/2 t. baking soda<br />
1/2 t. baking powder<br />
2 t. coarse kosher salt (plus more for sprinkling)<br />
1/2 c. semisweet chocolate chips<br />
1/2 c. butterscotch chips<br />
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1. Preheat oven to 350*F. Cream the fats and sugars in a mixer. Add eggs and vanilla.<br />
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2. Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Gradually add to mixing bowl until incorporated. Do not overmix! Add your chips and mix just until they are evenly distributed.<br />
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3. Spoon dough onto greased, or parchment-lined cookie sheets about 1-inch apart. Sprinkle with coarse salt if desired.<br />
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4. Bake in preheated oven 10-13 mins until JUST starting to brown around the edges.<br />
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5. Let the cookies cool on the pan about 5 mins. Enjoy!<br />
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Yields 3 dozen</div>
Linseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11391180551436835970noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2918138813948653346.post-62733547548866278192013-06-03T09:48:00.003-07:002013-06-03T09:48:35.723-07:00A Tea Party!!My little girl turned 3 on May 18th. It's so exciting!! She had a great, but very simple birthday. I didn't even make her a cake! But Papa and Nana came over and she opened presents, then relaxed to a movie with daddy. And really, what else does a girl need?<br />
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Oh, yeah....I guess a girl could use some of that. Cake, cookies, pearls...yeah, a girl could definitely use that.</div>
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So, I did make a cake. It may have been 2 weeks after her birthday, but I did make a cake! Remember that Rainbow Brite cake I talked about a couple posts ago? With the Rainbow Horse, Starlight? Well, I completely changed my mind about that cake. I'm still going to do it for a future bday, I think, but I really wanted to do something girly and vintage for Char's 3-year pics. </div>
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My sister happens to be one of the best decorators I know. I walk into her house and want to weep at how adorable everything is. She decorated my wedding reception and it was...BEAUtiful!</div>
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See?? Gorgeous. (I can't get my pictures to get in the right place on the dumb page!! Anyone have suggestions? It's driving me crazy.) When she told me she was using the green fencing we had for my dad's and my horses...I thought "huh?" But it looked SO gorgeous. And unique.</div>
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So I raided her house of many of it's decorations. I also grabbed things from my sister-in-law and mom, then I went to Goodwill and got some great stuff that I knew would get used again and again. Like that tiered glass tower?? It's Goodwill plates and bowl and candlesticks. I wanted to make one of those forever! And it will be great for cupcakes, etc. I think it costed $10 when all was said and done, which was actually more than I was expecting, but still a great deal considering some of the pieces look like crystal.</div>
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ANYways...my niece came to play with Charlotte for the pics and let me tell you...we got some beautiful shots! The cake turned out just how I was imagining, and the girls had so much fun dressing up!<br />
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I had a really tough time getting my girl to look into the camera, but that's okay. She had fun and that was the most important thing. Happy 3rd, my beautiful Char!!<br />
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<br />Linseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11391180551436835970noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2918138813948653346.post-14223921357255129472013-06-02T07:53:00.002-07:002013-06-02T07:53:35.790-07:00Camping with the Babies"The monster....I hear it! It's gone, it ran away. The monster..."<br />
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This is what my two-days-shy-of-three-years-old said to my husband in the wee hours of the morning while we were camping. I just laid in my sleeping bag, and laughed in my head because I was too cold to laugh out loud. Let me tell you something about camping with kids: It is a BLAST! But it's also an adventure in both the good ways and the not-so-fun ways. There are older and wiser people in my family that have mastered the art of camping with kids. Matt and I are just scratching the surface.<br />
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<span style="text-align: center;">I would call our first attempt at camping with our kids a success. Nobody got serious bodily injuries. None of us starved. We all made it home without damaging any of our goods. Also, Charlotte LOVED going potty in a hole. That's my girl! The only hang-ups were Wyatt not walking, and it being colder than the northern tundra at night.</span><br />
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A word on taking a crawler camping...it's fun for a little bit, then they get sick of it. Wyatt got so frustrated that he couldn't get up and run around with Charlotte! He also got pretty tired of the pine needles.<br />
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SO....we will probably wait until Wyatt is REALLY walking before we camp again (which shouldn't be too long, now. He finally started walking everywhere this weekend!!! Hooray!!!!)<br />
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Now...i'm going to share with you the best 2 camping recipes I have ever had. (outside of my dad's stew)<br />
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<a href="http://www.echoesoflaughter.ca/2012/06/camping-bbq-recipes-weeklumberjack.html" target="_blank">This</a> recipe was great because I could make it ahead of time, and just throw in the eggs and cheese when we got there. I also LOVE the "no clean-up" factor. From now on, I will look for almost all tin-foil meals for this reason. No clean-up makes camping a lot more enjoyable for me. Although I do love cooking in my dutch oven. I also loved how healthy this breakfast was. Biscuits and bacon-gravy are amazing, but I usually want to go lie down and sleep for 6 hours after eating them.<br />
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Our next favorite was a twist on a classic. M&M Smore's. Have you heard of these? I wish I had a picture. You roast a mallow, pull off the outer skin, roll the gooey part in mini mm's and smoosh it between the crackers. Guys...it...was...amazing! Matt doesn't usually like smore's. (what!?) He is crazy. He ate 3 of these I think. Which is kind of a big deal.<br />
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Anyways, a quick word on that cobbler made with two cans of pie filling and cake mix....DON'T make it! It was awful. Even ice-cream couldn't rescue it. I will never take a cobbler short-cut again. The fresh berries and real batter is the only way to go. And if you mix the dry ingredients ahead of time, bag it, and put it together there, it makes life much easier.<br />
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Also....bring Hostess (or Tasty Kakes or whatever it's called now) cupcakes...</div>
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They will make everything better. Happy camping!Linseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11391180551436835970noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2918138813948653346.post-15714581197115094092013-05-04T10:07:00.002-07:002013-05-04T10:11:22.414-07:00Coconut Flour in my CookiesI have been dying to try baking with some almond flour. Unfortunately, the cheapest i've found it has been about $4.24/lb. Really?? So instead, I opted on Coconut flour which is about $3.15/lb at Winco. Still pricey for my tastes, but for those times when I want to go without gluten for a few days, it could be worth it. Little did I know how differently coconut flour reacts from almond flour! You can't substitute coconut flour for wheat flour by a 1:1 ratio. It's finicky, slow to react and unpredictable. Like my daughter right after nap-time.<br />
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Yesterday, I decided to try some cookies. <a href="http://thelemonbowl.com/2013/03/coconut-flour-chocolate-chip-cookies-gluten-and-dairy-free.html" target="_blank">Here</a> is the recipe I used. I am not great at following directions. Especially when i'm cooking and baking. I like to switch things around and am constantly trying to improve on things. The only problem with this is that sometimes I don't know what the heck i'm doing and meals turn into things like "oops soup" and "pasta brick" and "cookie bombs" (actually, that one was kindof yummy). So where this recipe called for a 1/4 c. of coconut oil, I subbed 1/4 c. butter. Only because coconut oil is pricey and I didn't want to use what I had. I also subbed date sugar for raw sugar and used normal-sized chocolate chips instead of minis, because I don't like minis. They never give me enough chocolate.<br />
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I have no pictures, but I can explain what happened. I mixed up the eggs, butter, sugar, milk, vanilla and salt. Then I stirred in the flour. This is where things got...runny. It was like when you mix your wet ingredients for regular chocolate chip cookies, before the flour. It was not pretty. So I turned my back on it and started reading through some comments to see if I could get any tips. WAAAAY down at the bottom, there were 3 or 4 people that had my same problem. It sounded like adding more flour was the key. So I turned around, measured out 1/3 c. more flour and was about to dump it in, when...AHHHH! Guess what? The dough was thick! In the 3 minutes it took me to do some research, the flour had absorbed most of the moisture! I left a quick comment to share the info, I was so excited! What a weird substance. See what I mean about "finicky"?? and "unpredictable"? and "slow to react"??? I added about 1-2 Tbsp more flour, because it was still a tiny bit soft. But not too much! Since it's coconut flour, the dough needed to be softer than normal, but not runny. Things were looking promising! And guess what......<br />
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.....they turned out yummy! They aren't normal chocolate chippers (really, can anything compete?) but they're a really good substitute! Matt went back for seconds, and my Charlotte and nephew had 4 each. They are especially great for those who have to be gluten-free for health reasons.<br />
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So here is my modified version of the recipe. You may prefer the original, though, if you are super healthy or can't have the dairy in the butter. Happy experimental baking! :)<br />
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One more quick note: I noticed that the cookies I left on the pan for longer than about 20 mins, began sticking. So I would say to make sure you transfer them to a cooling rack or towel after they cool for a few minutes.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Coconut Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies</span></b><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">--adapted from Liz DellaCroce @ The Lemon Bowl</span><br />
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- 2 eggs<br />
- 1/4 c. butter, melted<br />
- 1/4 c. raw sugar<br />
- 1/2 c. coconut milk<br />
- 1 t. vanilla<br />
- 1/4 t. salt<br />
- 1/3 c. + 1-2 T. coconut flour<br />
- 1/3 c. chocolate chips<br />
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1. Preheat oven to 375*F and spray 2 cookie sheets or line with parchment paper.<br />
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2. Whisk the first 6 ingredients in a bowl until well combined.<br />
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3. Stir in the flour, giving it about 3-4 minutes to soak in the moisture. You do not need to stir the whole time. Just stir everything enough to get it incorporated, then lit it sit. Then give it another good stir.<br />
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4. Fold in your chocolate chips.<br />
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5. Make about 22-24 small dough mounds on your prepared cookie sheets.<br />
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6. Bake for about 11-13 minutes, until cookies have set and are slightly brown at the peaks.<br />
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7. Let the cookies cool on the pans about 5-10 minutes, then transfer onto a cooling rack. Enjoy!<br />
<br />Linseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11391180551436835970noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2918138813948653346.post-78050266353103946592013-05-01T14:22:00.001-07:002013-06-03T12:07:22.251-07:00Maple Vanilla Granola Clusters with Almonds and Coconut<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Growing up, I remember my mom making granola. She would bake it and then store it in her big orange (or was it green???) tupperware and keep it out in our Arizona room (is that what those rooms are really called? or is it something my family made up?). The whole house smelled like cookies on the day she made it, and then, when I would go into the backyard, that heavenly scent would be lingering in the Arizona room. I hated it, because I didn't like granola!!! What was I thinking? We may never know. I believe that in my naivety, I couldn't fully appreciate how amazingly delicious granola could be!<br />
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I've been buying the vanilla almond granola at Winco (this is the same as Sprouts vanilla granola, but about half the price per pound) and MAN is it good! So I wanted to find a copycat recipe. I found a great one <a href="http://goodcheapeats.com/2012/05/maple-vanilla-almond-granola/" target="_blank">here</a> that sounded promising. I made it today with a few adjustments and let me tell you. Delish!!<br />
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So, here are the ingredients. Oats (they always say not to use quick oats, and I just realized that I have been for the last 2 years. TWO YEARS and I didnt realize I grabbed the wrong box at Costco. *shaking the head in shame* Anyways, i've never noticed a difference. Obviously.), wheat germ, oat bran, salt, maple syrup, raw sugar, vegetable oil, vanilla extract, almonds and shredded coconut.<br />
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First, combine your oats, wheat germ, oat bran and salt in a big old bowl.</div>
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Then, mix your syrup, sugar, oil and vanilla together in a saucepan and stir over med-low heat until the sugar dissolves. I used raw sugar because that's what I had, but the original recipe calls for brown sugar. Brown sugar would dissolve more easily. Or if you have white sugar and molasses, just use the white sugar with about a Tbsp or two of molasses. There really is a plethora of choices here with the sugar.</div>
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Next, make a well in your oats and pour in the sugar, oil, vanilla, syrup goodness.</div>
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Blend everything real well. Don't be afraid to be a little intense, here. The better coated your oats are, the better the clusters will stick together. YAY clusters.</div>
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See how moist mine looks in the picture above? I was pretty intensely mixing. And in the picture below, I intensely spreaded and packed the granola into my parchment-lined cookie sheet.</div>
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Pack that baby tight! Less air means more, longer-lasting clusters. (can you tell I really like my clusters?)</div>
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After you have everything packed down good and tight, throw the cookie sheet into a 300*F preheated oven for 40-45 mins. Pull it out and start cutting square-like pieces with a spatula. You just want to define some big pieces here.</div>
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This is where I added my sliced almonds and coconut. I wanted them to toast a little bit and stick to the rest of the granola in the oven. (Update: Just mix the almonds and coconut into the oats and other dry ingredients. I don't know why the original recipe said to wait to add them, but I like the way they taste better if the bake with everything from the start.)</div>
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Ignore the lighting in these pictures...it is aweful. Toss things just enough to get the coconut and almonds all over, then put it back in the oven for 5-10 more mins.<br />
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When I pulled mine out after the last cook-time, it wasn't quite as toasted as I wanted. (bear in mind, my oven is from the 1800's. It doesn't even have a window. Or a lock.) So I tossed the granola a tiny bit and put it under the broiler for about 2 mins. Turned. Out. Perfect!!!! Go make you some and enjoy!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiARa_Avh2HJHLgiKCUjSccKbbXGG5Im19IDwfeL7FDPRO82f6GUHYsPdfm_xZbbryczA7B96r7vCfASPKh1gcNt9BXVkUzL3uTt9Clf1a_R5lL6KJDqyjvq9YcLsQmX8KfpoEzX05Uito/s1600/DA91F8BD-EE4D-447D-87B0-4BC6328FF906.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiARa_Avh2HJHLgiKCUjSccKbbXGG5Im19IDwfeL7FDPRO82f6GUHYsPdfm_xZbbryczA7B96r7vCfASPKh1gcNt9BXVkUzL3uTt9Clf1a_R5lL6KJDqyjvq9YcLsQmX8KfpoEzX05Uito/s400/DA91F8BD-EE4D-447D-87B0-4BC6328FF906.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<b>Maple Vanilla Granola Clusters</b></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>w/ Almonds and Coconut</b></span></div>
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- 5 c. oats (rolled or quick will work)</div>
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- 1 c. wheat germ</div>
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- 1 c. oat bran</div>
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- 1/2 t. salt</div>
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- 1/2 c. sliced almonds</div>
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- 1/2 c. shredded coconut</div>
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- 1/2 c. maple syrup</div>
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- 1/2 c. raw sugar</div>
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- 1/2 c. vegetable oil</div>
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- 2 t. vanilla extract</div>
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1. Preheat oven to 300*F and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.</div>
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2. Combine oats, wheat germ, oat bran, salt, almonds and coconut in a large bowl.</div>
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3. Mix syrup, sugar, oil and vanilla in a small sauce pan. Stir over medium-low heat until the sugar is dissolved.</div>
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4. Pour the syrup mixture into the oat mixture and stir until evenly distributed. Pour the contents of the bowl onto your prepared cookie sheet and press the oats firmly and evenly into the pan.</div>
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5. Bake about 40-45 mins in preheated oven. Break into clusters and <u><i>gently</i></u> toss. Return pan to oven for 5-10 minutes more, or until you reach desired toastiness. Feel free to crank up the broiler if needed, but don't forget about it! Broilers work very quickly.</div>
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6. Store in an air-tight container or ziplock baggy. Serve plain or with milk as a cereal.</div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Adapted from Maple Vanilla Granola with Almonds at goodcheapeats.com</span></div>
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Linseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11391180551436835970noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2918138813948653346.post-8743234349844324482013-04-30T11:05:00.003-07:002013-04-30T11:05:55.678-07:00Peachy Frozen Yogurt<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuMEUElAptRPxrnMsPwVlNkquOqmNCeP-OF6tKHdKW963QInQTtBp66YG4M8nutBiAV_5DuwqQE3-wRAnGDcYPqU8n3QPvjuQ5aOHF_zBrikUfYI_UwHuKibnG-4obVfTP5RhY3XSCAeE/s1600/9EB32C37-2315-4206-B159-2AA7EF0667BD.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuMEUElAptRPxrnMsPwVlNkquOqmNCeP-OF6tKHdKW963QInQTtBp66YG4M8nutBiAV_5DuwqQE3-wRAnGDcYPqU8n3QPvjuQ5aOHF_zBrikUfYI_UwHuKibnG-4obVfTP5RhY3XSCAeE/s640/9EB32C37-2315-4206-B159-2AA7EF0667BD.JPG" width="640" /></a><br />
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I have a bit of an obsession with my mom's Cuisinart Ice Cream Makers. She has two of them, because one isn't enough. She is just around the corner for me, so it's convenient to borrow it every now and then, but when we move...I will be getting one. I promise. Because they are AMAzing.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNx0Y39R2ZrJRByZKblPny8WGnCO4wNVN8KlhrklmwXiPrS11U7o0RPksrICJgTwtUc9bZbkMBL91cIlycvhvu-MFl0VWb9BEWK0kuzjvCFk-b8D178nJ_ikntffibPPEf9d9COAMZh5KD/s400/turquoise+cusinart+ice+cream.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNx0Y39R2ZrJRByZKblPny8WGnCO4wNVN8KlhrklmwXiPrS11U7o0RPksrICJgTwtUc9bZbkMBL91cIlycvhvu-MFl0VWb9BEWK0kuzjvCFk-b8D178nJ_ikntffibPPEf9d9COAMZh5KD/s200/turquoise+cusinart+ice+cream.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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My mom's are white, but I am dreaming about this little turquoise one. Isn't it cute? Cant you just picture it on my counter? I can. And I do. No ice, no salt, and usually no extras which means i'm not eating a gallon of leftover ice cream by myself. It's wonderful.</div>
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So this morning I woke up and realized I still have my mom's maker from the weekend. And when the question of what to have for breakfast came up, hello!!...frozen yogurt makes so much sense! I looked at a recipe or two and decided peach was sounding pretty good. The only sad thing is that peaches aren't in season right now. *sigh* So canned peaches feature in this recipe, and while they can't hold a candle to fresh peaches, they still got the job done. The measurements aren't exact, but it will get you close. And don't be afraid to play around with flavors! Next time I kinda want to throw in some pineapple or something. Yum!</div>
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You will need some vanilla, sugar, greek yogurt and a 15oz can of peaches.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeSCGUXWbhTwatbFwnFd4XiXajV5krxTaF3o6qtJb4_rcI9gmgcAc9krlP4luvQaNtkfZMmoPJcgmQwU4fz0MnHB4quc5i-_SG48zoUuyWWBTpYg_KmDsgeZIjeRZGx0Hkfl_AskURnU0/s1600/2CFD791E-30E6-414C-9B8D-AF8C5AEA2512.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeSCGUXWbhTwatbFwnFd4XiXajV5krxTaF3o6qtJb4_rcI9gmgcAc9krlP4luvQaNtkfZMmoPJcgmQwU4fz0MnHB4quc5i-_SG48zoUuyWWBTpYg_KmDsgeZIjeRZGx0Hkfl_AskURnU0/s320/2CFD791E-30E6-414C-9B8D-AF8C5AEA2512.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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First, drain the peaches. They don't have to be perfectly drained...I didn't even use a strainer because I hate dirtying dishes if I can avoid it. I'm sure none of you can relate to that...</div>
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Next, put your peaches in a food processor and hack them up real good. I like to keep some little chunks, though so it's not a complete puree.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMnn6EvS4X7ioQBfCthxc8ahcH1eGiDa8MksmYhSStkeWeTlxX419e1EBlz604_MzZxPz9QNGZjKYAEx3pU4C_BkEpQCZQsGnb8HhLDG_7sGSX8HVZu8Es0vCFURDkBOEYwyOYR_6DR48/s1600/D8D2BD71-9F86-4304-AE05-B0B54FE4932C.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMnn6EvS4X7ioQBfCthxc8ahcH1eGiDa8MksmYhSStkeWeTlxX419e1EBlz604_MzZxPz9QNGZjKYAEx3pU4C_BkEpQCZQsGnb8HhLDG_7sGSX8HVZu8Es0vCFURDkBOEYwyOYR_6DR48/s320/D8D2BD71-9F86-4304-AE05-B0B54FE4932C.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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...see? Little chunkies.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMrRMkRKDnRQjcVSuwiYBpuEpVRcD8VSmm0KedpbXtNnRmNp0jQySGUSQTrZ9gtK_vsVe_lq6qrzMJFnskR8RcteV1AXsleV9OKuqigxup4oE8DXKbJR6l6Wkor0P9Gnv6lS97wPkJK28/s1600/665DC0FE-FAC6-4A41-A7B8-6669F19281F3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMrRMkRKDnRQjcVSuwiYBpuEpVRcD8VSmm0KedpbXtNnRmNp0jQySGUSQTrZ9gtK_vsVe_lq6qrzMJFnskR8RcteV1AXsleV9OKuqigxup4oE8DXKbJR6l6Wkor0P9Gnv6lS97wPkJK28/s320/665DC0FE-FAC6-4A41-A7B8-6669F19281F3.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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Next, put about 2 cups of the greek yogurt in a bowl. If you havent used this brand, run out of your house and get some right now. HURRY! It's my favorite. Chobani, shmobani. Okay, I do like Chobani. But this stuff is better because it's made by Greek Gods and cherubs.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdDh4uERUF6WTjr8xHaObJ_S4YaMX6xmJvxQSVV96KYUjHs7tV-Wifb54iuF9JAzmQoDPy5c3gt-3_8pXNeoWMxVTzOvOzC0k-aHBHF9LnvEbViXvYiIZyP2Ze00tuvoZP7khkDW0M4EU/s1600/81192D30-16CA-43AA-8FC5-5F4F529A61EB.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdDh4uERUF6WTjr8xHaObJ_S4YaMX6xmJvxQSVV96KYUjHs7tV-Wifb54iuF9JAzmQoDPy5c3gt-3_8pXNeoWMxVTzOvOzC0k-aHBHF9LnvEbViXvYiIZyP2Ze00tuvoZP7khkDW0M4EU/s320/81192D30-16CA-43AA-8FC5-5F4F529A61EB.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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Also, add about 2-3 Tablespoons of sugar (depending on how unhealthy, I mean sweet, you want it), 2 teaspoons of vanilla and your chopped peaches.</div>
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After I mixed all this together, I decided to add 1 Tablespoon of honey. You don't have to do the honey, it just sounded yummy to me. Make sure you melt it for about 10 seconds in the microwave so it incorporates into the yogurt and doesn't clump up.</div>
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After you mix that all up, throw it in the maker and freeze it until it thickens. I like to cover the top of mine (or my mom's, rather) with a cloth. That way, no toys can get thrown into the unsuspecting yogurt...or gelato...or ice cream...or whatever i'm making. I also think it helps it freeeeeeeeeeze faster. But that may be untrue. :(</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh3o9WIni8cIHNBxUOXa9C-ShVfeKJmniuj83pgmaMnDcZ5VvfqDDvgNKRhSvQPBMuvK1JhNsIxqZKQxwRO4iohXWWGbexi13BkZZM6XfMJ9CFBmFFDD_fidW14s6jP9m3W3Sqwm76oSk/s1600/E41E1F6F-05B4-4CB9-8986-F120B08814E3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh3o9WIni8cIHNBxUOXa9C-ShVfeKJmniuj83pgmaMnDcZ5VvfqDDvgNKRhSvQPBMuvK1JhNsIxqZKQxwRO4iohXWWGbexi13BkZZM6XfMJ9CFBmFFDD_fidW14s6jP9m3W3Sqwm76oSk/s320/E41E1F6F-05B4-4CB9-8986-F120B08814E3.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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And then, eat it right out of the container.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5YfbHosVioS60uTcVWqA7b7_RWSK1K6BhbGxgP2EtANoKwEocj_Hk31z0gmwv4_kZ8W9eur_27_GS9_MCVuOd3klhQpjjLc1UzLEs4pW7ACYmPMHMmOdNXtZ1Azd2eoOvL-jhGmC-l0w/s1600/055E0DF4-270E-4DA0-B269-B88886B98FBE.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5YfbHosVioS60uTcVWqA7b7_RWSK1K6BhbGxgP2EtANoKwEocj_Hk31z0gmwv4_kZ8W9eur_27_GS9_MCVuOd3klhQpjjLc1UzLEs4pW7ACYmPMHMmOdNXtZ1Azd2eoOvL-jhGmC-l0w/s320/055E0DF4-270E-4DA0-B269-B88886B98FBE.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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Or put it in a pretty ramkin, on a dishtowel with the only fancy-looking spoon you have hanging around and snap some pictures for your new blog. I really need to get some cute utensils and measuring cups...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEIUgGMDgyVXuYA9vB3TZm9o_59YlcR8wkWA24adVNWcaDJQyPE9YqB1UqBCXVCMwHnJfZftbTojnh7HFhjjUJwElJYlBQqHH3JC9LmJY0LjmWnRZSqMUzM0QeuCPwQMnzJtvUTUxYGI4/s1600/27A2A517-B04A-49CE-AE97-3B750E79E467.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEIUgGMDgyVXuYA9vB3TZm9o_59YlcR8wkWA24adVNWcaDJQyPE9YqB1UqBCXVCMwHnJfZftbTojnh7HFhjjUJwElJYlBQqHH3JC9LmJY0LjmWnRZSqMUzM0QeuCPwQMnzJtvUTUxYGI4/s400/27A2A517-B04A-49CE-AE97-3B750E79E467.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Here is my raggedy "printable" that I made in allrecipes. I'll have Matt show me how to create a real one for the future. :)</div>
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<h1 class="plaincharacterwrap fn" id="itemTitle" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #999999; font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; outline: 0px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;">
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Peachy FroYo</h1>
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Ingredients</h3>
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<li class="plaincharacterwrap ingredient" style="border: 0px; line-height: 16px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;">1 15oz. can peaches
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<li class="plaincharacterwrap ingredient" style="border: 0px; line-height: 16px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;">2 c. plain greek yogurt
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<li class="plaincharacterwrap ingredient" style="border: 0px; line-height: 16px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;">2-3 T. sugar
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<li class="plaincharacterwrap ingredient" style="border: 0px; line-height: 16px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;">2 t. vanilla
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<li class="plaincharacterwrap ingredient" style="border: 0px; line-height: 16px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;">1 T. honey (optional)</li>
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Directions</h3>
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<li style="border: 0px; line-height: 16px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span class="plaincharacterwrap break" style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;">-Chop peaches in food processor until you've reached desired chunkiness. Combine peaches with yogurt, sugar and vanilla.</span></li>
<li style="border: 0px; line-height: 16px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span class="plaincharacterwrap break" style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;">-Warm honey in the microwave 8-10 seconds and add to the peach mixture until well incorporated.</span></li>
<li style="border: 0px; line-height: 16px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span class="plaincharacterwrap break" style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;">-Freeze in an ice-cream maker until thick and delectable.</span></li>
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Linseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11391180551436835970noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2918138813948653346.post-65754750926838589012013-04-28T10:44:00.000-07:002013-04-28T10:44:02.957-07:00Cakin' itCake<br />
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I love it.<br />
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I love it more than words can express, but if words could express, it would be the words of Jim Gaffigan. Listen to his bit on Cake and you will understand.<br />
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It's difficult to ruin a cake, taste-wise. It really is one of those things that nobody cares how it looks, they just want it in their bellies. Unless it looks like feces. And even then! If it's supposed to look like poop, people grab their forks and dig in.</div>
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But one of my favorite things about cake is how beautiful it can look! And it can take anywhere from very little effort, to exorbitant amounts of time, effort....tears. huh? ya...i've cried over my cakes....many times. There was a time when making a beautiful cake would make me break out in cold sweats. But I enjoyed it so much at the same time, I knew if I could practice and get over that fear of failure, I would love it! So now, I welcome an opportunity to make a beautiful cake or cupcakes. Or anything with the word "cake" in it, really.</div>
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A few weeks ago it was my little Wyatt's 1st birthday. It was so fun that I made him TWO cakes. Because I wanted a fun one for his birthday and a cute one for his pictures I took a few days later. Sounds extreme and stupid, right? Well...I have a trick! When I made his "birthday" birthday cake, I did a layer in yellow cake and a layer in chocolate. That meant I had plenty of batter for a 9-inch cake and a 6-inch. So I baked everything on the same day and then...get ready...I froze the smaller layers! Yes...cake freezes. Some of you may know this from freezing wedding cake, but I had completely forgotten how well it freezes! All you need to do is thaw it out in the refrigerator before you decorate it. If you thaw it at room temp, you run the risk of it getting soggy. Yuck! Cold cake is also MUCH easier to work with than warm or room-temp cake.</div>
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After the cake has thawed you can do a couple of things. Level it and decorate, OR pop it under the broiler for a couple minutes! It gets this nice crust on the top and seems like it is fresh from the oven. I love to serve hot chocolate cake with a maple frosting melted over the top. Trust me...the combination is incredible. I grew up on a recipe called "Old Black Joe cake with Maple Frosting" and to this day, it is my favorite. thing. ever. Now I have a better chocolate cake recipe, but nothing can beat that frosting I grew up on. This is my husband's current favorite cake. Anyways, back to the frozen birthday cakes.</div>
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Here is the cake for Wyatt's birthday: (and <a href="http://fredellicious.blogspot.com/2011/09/my-baby-turns-2.html" target="_blank">here</a> is a link to the tutorial I used)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXQy_ehIBHe8h8IEoGG0vB_nn2jum-cnQEg3FDK7KlfY_wL5sttEyeLvTJc6j5RwZ5dvH5pp_YXF1GMZK42PsB_57McDzCX0aPD_DFwTw3SAK2MNgYF4UfZ8lXIiO3RS2DN3GvoxcjQKw/s1600/IMG_0824.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXQy_ehIBHe8h8IEoGG0vB_nn2jum-cnQEg3FDK7KlfY_wL5sttEyeLvTJc6j5RwZ5dvH5pp_YXF1GMZK42PsB_57McDzCX0aPD_DFwTw3SAK2MNgYF4UfZ8lXIiO3RS2DN3GvoxcjQKw/s320/IMG_0824.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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And here is the little frozen cake I decorated for his pictures:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL7lpvy5DKPiww2f0hTwbo7s3qf-Jo1aMJ2aEw75LMdUNn8Pq0WOKgsire3YYDs8ja8Up0d3pZo-TAoPHbYSfeKI5bPGyvPEJyfPVOQHrrrfJMM2Axc0DZDCCvDYaz3Gs83JzW6JXWUgk/s1600/IMG_0976.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL7lpvy5DKPiww2f0hTwbo7s3qf-Jo1aMJ2aEw75LMdUNn8Pq0WOKgsire3YYDs8ja8Up0d3pZo-TAoPHbYSfeKI5bPGyvPEJyfPVOQHrrrfJMM2Axc0DZDCCvDYaz3Gs83JzW6JXWUgk/s320/IMG_0976.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcPs3GihElKef8lpOv_VbebRpgwZ2p5Aj3lZkeaZHG_z2QFLjZu2Yjo1LSoxIitj4ZUioRE0-M1yHJeJwzLLiLwDK7579UEKltNnwaTFt916PrENcu8V70kvRZcX7ZXqRuD9RY-kfm8Yg/s1600/IMG_1009.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcPs3GihElKef8lpOv_VbebRpgwZ2p5Aj3lZkeaZHG_z2QFLjZu2Yjo1LSoxIitj4ZUioRE0-M1yHJeJwzLLiLwDK7579UEKltNnwaTFt916PrENcu8V70kvRZcX7ZXqRuD9RY-kfm8Yg/s320/IMG_1009.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Can't even tell it was in the freezer for a week, right? And yes...it tasted great, too. Charlotte snuck in a bite in that last picture. Little monster!</div>
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Right now I am getting ready to make Char's cake for her 3rd birthday in May. She is in LOVE with Rainbow Bright, so I knew I wanted to make a cake with "star sprinkles" and a rainbow and Starlight as the topper. But in all my years of searching I had never found an ELEGANT horse tutorial. They all look like this:<br />
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<a href="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5009/5382747236_fc640135c4_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5009/5382747236_fc640135c4_z.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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...which is so adorable, but not what I am usually looking for. And having grown up very seriously into horses, i'm a little picky. I like my horses muscular and regal and perfect. Also, if you've ever seen Starlight, he is a slender, fancy, "incredible horse." So finally...after literally YEARS of searching and trying to overcome my fear of fondant...I found <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xtd3Pr3qCXA" target="_blank">this</a> tutorial. Trust me when I say that if you are a caker and in need of a beautiful horse...this is it! The tutorial is actually for a unicorn, but take off the horn and you have a horse! Great tutorial. So here was my first attempt and while it's not perfect to the trained eye, i'm still so happy with it! I'll be sure to post pictures of the completed cake with my final Starlight on top.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn9t1xE_mtf_OUSLVhDapWcNV1Pfk4UWsEeIRRDQsuFbrw7VHYCz9jhVijwLQNiFjfVp0aK8rQTbXzw8HYtkEzwKO1ZYRIc5tW24KTcAIWTxGSiThq87guwf3QHotlabValYF_lbiVRlg/s1600/588981B7-6D82-42F2-8D62-F973F7115F90.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn9t1xE_mtf_OUSLVhDapWcNV1Pfk4UWsEeIRRDQsuFbrw7VHYCz9jhVijwLQNiFjfVp0aK8rQTbXzw8HYtkEzwKO1ZYRIc5tW24KTcAIWTxGSiThq87guwf3QHotlabValYF_lbiVRlg/s1600/588981B7-6D82-42F2-8D62-F973F7115F90.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Linseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11391180551436835970noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2918138813948653346.post-6449839966691209372013-04-25T13:20:00.001-07:002013-04-25T13:20:32.812-07:00I Have FishAfter last night, I was a little unsure whether or not I really created a blog or if it was all just a whirlwind dream. Here it is! My blog! So...I guess i'd better introduce a little of myself. My name is Linsey Merrill and I am married to a wonderful husband with 2 great kids -- Charlotte (3) and Wyatt (1).<br />
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We live in Mesa, AZ and love it here! Well...I love it here. I think Matt would love it anywhere if it included acres of land to ride, hunt and farm. Alas, we currently barely have a backyard. But we sortof live on a farm...sortof. Anyways, I have a lot of hobbies and that's probably most of what i'll be talking about. Because even if nobody reads this, it will be a fun way to document the many shenanigans I decide to attempt. But sometimes...SOMEtimes, they aren't shenanigans at all! And I actually succeed. That's when I cheer for myself. So get out the pompoms!! Because my newest obsessions are goats (which is safe because I cant actually go out and buy any on impulse until we move and have room for them, which means lots of time to do research) and archery (which is NOT safe because it includes blunted arrows).<br />
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The former...Oberhasli Goats.<br />
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That is the breed I have decided to get when I have my dairy goat farm. Do you know how amazing these animals are? I am quickly becoming a fan. I'm not completely hopelessly ignorant when it comes to goats, but outside knowing how mischievous they can be, I have a lot to learn.<br />
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The latter...archery. Every summer at girl's camp, I loved the archery rotation! LOVED it. I am not Katniss Everdeen, but I will be. And I will lead my district into a glorious rebellion. Actually, I have 2 months of research before I can afford the bow I want:<br />
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That will be a good amount of time to really gauge how serious I am. But I did just finish an arm guard out of leather...<br />
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...which I will have to remake because it's not long enough. And the snaps are a little annoying. I need to find a better way to close it up there. Maybe I could still wear it as a fashion statement??...I have to since I spent a good 4 hours on that thing.<br />
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I think this is a good start to my blog. I look forward to a giddy relationship with you, my happy little computer friend!<br />
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BTW...the title of this post. I used to have fish and I miss them terribly. "you miss fish??" yes, I do. They are worthless unless big enough to eat, but I love their pretty colors. ;( And look! There? to the right? in my column thingie???....I have colorful fish. Welcome back, lovelies. Don't feed them too much, the little darlings have no restraint whatsoever!Linseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11391180551436835970noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2918138813948653346.post-76837567609863489202013-04-25T00:20:00.002-07:002013-04-25T00:21:19.277-07:00I did it!!<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">I posted my first thing on my first....well, not first....blog! It's true. I had a blog once. Matt said I would like it. The last time I posted was when the Half-Blood Prince came out. The movie. I didn't like it. The blog. But I like this! It's easy to use! I've had many followers (namely...me) tell me they were eagerly awaiting my next post for the last 5 minutes! You guys are so awesome. Your support and criticism is truly what makes me want to continue with this blog.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Ps: Matt is my husband. He is sleeping right now instead of figuring out that there is a world of blogging at his fingertips. Slacker.</span></div>
Linseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11391180551436835970noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2918138813948653346.post-71458522204397492082013-04-24T23:54:00.002-07:002013-04-24T23:57:56.197-07:00So behindI clearly have no idea what I'm doing. I had no idea I could have a blog through my google account, had no idea that "blogger" and "blogspot" were of one heart and despite my family and close friends having their own blogspots, I had no idea how to create one! Actually, I still don't. But I'm trying to know how to do it because I am bored with trying to fall asleep and since my family is all sleeping, I get to send my thoughts into the computer universe, where they will probably be bumped into a dusty corner far away. That's okay, though. I'm just having fun typing and pretending somebody will, one day, stumble upon and read this post. Although....I regularly type long, and intricate comments on other people's blogs, only to have them fail when I click on the "send" button. I sit there, harried and trying to recall my words, then finally think "it probably didn't publish for a good reason." Then I want to carress my computer for saving me from a social-media type blunder. Should there have been a second dash in there??...oh we'll. how do I turn off autocorrect? Oh we'll.Linseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11391180551436835970noreply@blogger.com0