Do I make them heartsick or happy?

This morning I stopped in the store for a few minutes to pick up some baking supplies. Upon leaving I couldn’t help but feeling a bit contemplative and dejected.

Why is it that when my cart clanged loudly into the corner of some shelving as I tried to turn onto an aisle (because the cart was pulling impossibly to the right) that the lady on that aisle looked up at me with disgust on her face and said not a word? Was she wondering how I could possibly be so clumsy? Was she upset that I offended her eardrums with my banging? Why did she not instead ask if we were okay? Or maybe make a funny quip about the state of the shopping carts these days? I just kept pushing along, burying my head in shame.

Maybe 5 minutes later when I stepped a couple of feet away from my cart and turned to grab some sugar, my toddler decided to stand up in her seat (which of course was possible because the seat belt didn’t function properly). Why was it that when I turned back and see this…I also see not one but two people just standing there staring at her? Were they just waiting to see what would happen? Were they just itching to report to someone how I was a terribly neglectful parent? Were they looking for a chance to publicly scold me? Instead why did they not say something to get my attention? Why did they not rush over to make sure she didn’t fall? Again no one uttered a single word to me, they just looked on. Again I pushed on…beating myself up for always failing to check the seat belt before heading off into the store.

When did we become a society that just stares at one another and looks for chances to tear each other down? Why don’t we spend our time caring for one another and look for ways to help each other out?

Lord, I pray that I would not be one that simply looks on and judges. Although sometimes, I fear, possibly without even realizing it…that is exactly what I am. Help me to be caring. Help me to be helpful. Help me to build others up instead of tearing others down.

You have no idea how much a kind word, a simple act of kindness, or even a sympathetic look can edify someone, can change their mood, can make their day, or could even impact the course of their life. Lets all strive to be building each other up instead of being corrosive.

"Homemade" King Cake

So, as far as I'm concerned, Mardi Gras has but one positive attribute...the King Cake! A friend from the west coast recently contacted me for advice on where to buy the best King Cake to have shipped to her. We quickly realized that they were charging $40 or more JUST for shipping the thing. Really (no matter how good it is) there is no way they are worth paying that premium. So I began searching around to find alternatives. Much to our delight, I stumbled upon this recipe and we were certain we could pull this off.

I didn't actually go by the recipe but I am so thankful for the inspiration! :)

Here's what I used:

2 - 12.4 oz cans of cinnamon rolls

1/2 cup of frosting (homemade or store bought)

Yellow, green, and purple (or colors of your choosing) food/icing color

sprinkles (optional)

THAT'S IT! :)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees (or whatever your package says) and grease/spray a baking sheet

2. Unroll the cinnamon rolls. Mine didn't seem to be actually rolled but they sort of had perforations. Just tear, stretch, make do...until they resemble this.

(Am I the only one who thinks these look like sea turtle legs? Didn't think so!)

3. Divide strips up evenly and pinch ends together

4. Braid each set of strips. Mine made 4 groups of 4. Eventually I figured out how to braid with 4. ;) You take the strip from one side, over the middle two, and lay it down before the last strip....and so on.

You should end up with this.

5. Twist/pinch the ends of the braids together to form an oval or shape of your choice. Next time I will do a better job of this step. My seams sort of separated when it baked...but we didn't care! ;)

My adorable helper

6. Bake until golden brown. Mine was only in for 12 minutes and I think I'll check it after 10 next time. I prefer it a little gooier.

Here are those separations I was telling you about.

7. While your King Cake is in the oven, you'll want to prepare your frosting. I scooped out the icing that came with the cinnamon rolls into a bowl and added some homemade buttercream I had on hand. You may get the urge to add more icing, but 1/2 cup is really more than enough. :) Mix well and then divide into 3 bowls. Add your colors and stir until completely distributed.

Jackson liked this part.

Katy woke up from her nap just in time for a taste too.

8. Spread or drizzle icing all over your King Cake any way you like. You may wish to add sprinkles too. It may not be the prettiest thing you've ever seen, but it sure is good!

Some of the reviews on the original recipe I saw claimed theirs tasted "just as good as the best King Cake I have ever had"...to me it tasted a whole lot like canned cinnamon rolls. ;) Still it's yummy, easy, inexpensive, and fun so it gets an "A" from us.

I hope you can make one for yourself. Get your kids in the kitchen and have some fun! Tonight I plan on doing another one but heart shaped with red and pink icing for Valentine's day. Thanks for visiting my blog!

**UPDATE**

I actually did make the Valentine one already so I wanted to share! :)

Here's what it looked like before going in the oven.

After baking and a coat of icing. I obliged Jackson with a few sprinkles this time.

See...that 1/2 cup frosting really is more than enough! ;)

NOTE: This time it actually did taste like a real King Cake! I think the lesser baking time (I did 375 degrees for 10 minutes), the cream cheese (instead of regular vanilla) frosting, and a little bit of sugar sprinkles (I used Cake Mate Cupcake Gems) went a long way to making this more like the real deal.

Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies

My husband and I share a passion for pretty much anything mint chocolate. Early in our dating we discovered that Mint Chocolate Chip was our mutual favorite ice cream and that discovery only made us fall more madly in love (you know...the important issues of life). Over the years the brands have changed several times but Mint Chocolate Chip still reigns supreme in this house...currently Blue Bell holds the title. We also love Junior Mints, Andes Mints, Thin Mint Girl Scout cookies, and our most recent discovery Haviland Dark Chocolate Covered Thin Mints (OH MY WORD!). You get the picture. So when I saw these at the store on clearance after Christmas, they were just screaming to be baked into cookies.

I loooove cookies but I don't at all like crunchy cookies. A while back I set out to find THE PERFECT chocolate chip cookie recipe, never having had much luck in the past. Along the way I think I discovered that much of the success of the cookie lies in the way you bake and handle it and not necessarily the recipe itself. Having said that, I have found 2 recipes that I like best. One is for a more cake-like cookie and the one I share with you today is of the ooey gooey chewy variety (yes that's a technical term). This cookie is my absolute favorite!

Best Big, Fat, Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie

One of my favorite things about this cookie is the amazing crispy crackle it gets.

Now, here are my tips on how to make it come out juuust right!

• Confession...I always use salted butter (even in my buttercream frosting). I know everyone says not to. I use it because: A. I always have it on hand, B. I like the way it tastes (granted I've never actually tried it with unsalted), C. I'm stubborn. If the recipe calls for salt I don't omit it but cut it, usually by half. If someone gives me a convincing argument one day on why I should use unsalted, I'll try it. So far that hasn't happened.
• Confession #2...I don't stir the chips in "by hand using a wooden spoon". I use my Kitchenaid mixer from start to finish.
• I use a baking pan, not a cookie sheet. I'm sure this varies widely by brand but I find that the bottoms of my cookies come out too well done on the cookie sheet I have...so I opt for the baking pan.
• I don't use any sort of cooking sprays but I do line my pan with parchment paper.
• I don't measure out my dough but instead use an ice cream scoop. Not a big rounded scoop, but not leveled off either. I was able to fit 8 cookies on the pan (rows of 3, 2, and 3) and 2 batches just about used up all my dough...leaving just a little to nibble on. ;)
• Don't bake your cookie until you think it looks or feels done. THIS is the most important of the tips and also the hardest one to learn. If your cookie looks, or especially feels done...then it is overcooked. Your cookies will look very lightly browned, don't look for any drastic color changes here. Do not stick your finger on a cookie to see what it feels like...it will go right to the bottom of the pan. You can maybe tap the edge with a fingernail and feel it just starting to get a little firmness to it. This is when you pull it out. I know it doesn't look ready AT ALL. I know it goes against every gut feeling you have. But if you stick it in for another two minutes...you will regret it. Haha! This takes a lot of fine tuning. You can't throw out a recipe after one failed attempt. It's not the recipe...it's you. ;) In my oven I have found that right about 16 minutes is perfect.
• Once they are pulled from the oven I set a timer for 2 minutes. At that time I very carefully move the cookies from the sheet pan to a cooling rack, using a spatula, to finish cooling. You can then spoon your second batch onto the same piece of parchment and put those into the oven. Make sure when the second batch is pulled from the oven to move those to cooling racks to cool also. If you leave them on the pan to cool, the bottom will get overdone. You will be amazed how the cookies firm up after 15 minutes or so of cooling. The inside should be soft and chewy and the outside will have the perfect crispy crunch.

I'm not sure how much of this is specific to my oven or the tools I have, but I really hope these tips help you. I had to bake a whole lot of cookies and burn through a ton of recipes before finally figuring out these things that seem to work for me. Don't give up! The perfect cookie can be achieved! :D

Party of 12

Last weekend I was FINALLY able to meet my friend (and caking mentor) Rose, of Rose Bakes face to face. We have shared many emails, countless IM sessions, some texts, and a few phone calls...but with busy schedules and a 2 hour drive in between us we had never been able to arrange a meeting until now.

Us and the babies

Let me give you the back story on how we "met". Rose and her husband (Richy) went to college with my husband (Toby) WAAAAYYYY back in the day. ;) Richy and Toby were even roommates for a while. Toby caught up with them on facebook and he showed me some of Rose's cakes on several occasions. He also told me that she had a money saving blog, to which I replied "COOL!" but I didn't look at it right then. Just a short while later Toby sent me an urgent message that I must read this post and make him some tater tot casserole (Which I did, by the way, and it was easy and yummy!). He had always told me about someone (not Rose and Richy actually) making him tater tot casserole in his college days and raved about it.

I began browsing her site and was excited to see so many great recipes and tutorials on there. I was actually going to be doing a hot pink and zebra cake for a friend's daughter's birthday very soon and thought it was the perfect opportunity to try decorating with fondant for the first time...not just any fondant though, homemade marshmallow fondant! Despite her very thorough tutorial with lots of pictures, I still managed to have questions ;) so in early February 2011 I dropped her a line and introduced myself. She answered all my questions (despite being at home with a newborn) and after I showed her the finished product she was excited that my first time with fondant went well. That cake is pictured here.

The next several months we kept in touch some...mainly it was me incessantly asking her questions about cakes or coupons or sometimes we talked baby. Then, over the summer, we began to share more about ourselves with one another. We quickly realized that we had quite a lot in common and our friendship sparked. We are both Christians (born-again, saved by God's grace through faith in Jesus Christ, Bible believing Christians). We are both stay at home moms (myself of 2, and Rose of 6 beautiful sweet children). We homeschool (well she homeschools and I WILL BE homeschooling). We serve with our husbands at our churches in various capacities. We are both baking enthusiasts (obviously)! She was just the friend I needed at exactly the right time. Sometimes it's awfully hard and isolating being a stay at home mom but, no matter the struggles, it is always worth it.

Since then we have talked recipes and hashed out cake designs. We have made each other laugh (especially the night I spent at the hospital with Katy :P) and laughed at each other. We have prayed for one another and prayed with one another. We have confided in one another and sought advice from one another. We have encouraged one another. We have had each others backs (unfortunately a situation occurred in which that was necessary). We have checked in on each other at times that really counted. I mean, she even listened to me ugly cry over the phone on an especially bad day. I can laugh about it now ;).

It was such a great time to finally sit down together...old friends and new friends and all of our children...at a table of 12 with some good country cooking...overflowing with laughter and love.

Our hubbies and the babies

Our pretty girls

Who happened to wear matching outfits

Boys being boys

Fun with friends

Hanging out

Awesome photo taken by my hubby