Potpourri of the Week #3

The Nerd went to a business conference this past week.  He left me with four kids and five cold rainy days.  This means trouble, in case you have never mixed kids and rainy weather.  Thankfully, my mother-in-law has helped (forced) me out of the house to alleviate some of the stir-craziness in the kids.  We have been quite busy and way off schedule.

Anyway.  So the bottom line is that I haven't done a whole lot of reading or googling or much of anything this week, really.  It's a shame because I just can't sleep with my man gone and I could have been really productive with that kind of time.  Oh well, laundry and dishes are done at least.  All kids are accounted for and have been bathed on a somewhat regular basis.  Little Sprout is practically sitting up on her own now and scooting around the room in a most disconcerting fashion.  It's been the perfect combination of busyness and lazyness.  Still, here are a few things worth mentioning:

1.  I have wasted time a-plenty on Pinterest for sure.  I am trying to figure out what to do for the Beast's teachers for their end-of-the-year gifts.  Here are some of my ideas.  Anyone want to shout out their favorite??  The Beast graduates from blended-preschool in a little over a week; therefore I need to get busy!

(photo from MommyZing.com)

2.  I did try making my own animal crackers this week.  I followed this recipe, and surprisingly, they taste quite a bit like the store-bought ones.  Only mine are a little softer, a little tastier, and they do not look like animals. I got a little carried away when adding the buttermilk and so was forced to double the recipe.  We have made stars and letters of the alphabet (mostly D's and 8's, don't ask); and there are still two large rounds of the dough waiting in the freezer.  I definitely recommend MommyZing's recipe.

3.  Would it surprise you to know that homemaking does not come naturally to me? (hahaha)  Despite that, I have embraced it as my calling in life.  A good portion of my blog reading is perusing other homemaking blogs in an effort to figure out their secrets and make it more enjoyable.  Passionate and Creative Homemaking put up an thought-provoking read on "Do You Ever Feel Guilty For Staying Home?"  Been there, done that - enough times that I ought to have a souvenir collection or something!

4.  A couple of weeks ago, the Nerd and I (and little tag-along Sprout) as well as the awesome in-laws went to a Tim Hawkins concert.  (or act? or show?  not sure what you call it when the guy does Christian comedy and sings hilarious parody songs too).  Super funny.  Super made-my-day.  I especially like the pretty pink tractor song.  Enjoy.

Better Than Twix Bars

I have been finally getting to some of the bazillion projects pinned to my "Making This" board in Pinterest. I chose my "Homemade Twix Bars" pin to make this past weekend for a family get-together. The recipe comes from King Arthur Flour under the title "Thousand Dollar Bars."

Don't lick the screen now, but I promise they taste as good as they look and in my opinion are even better than Twix bars! The recipe is made in three parts: the cookie, the caramel, and the chocolate. That worked out well for me because I had three eager little helpers, each of whom got to assist in a different part.

Here's the ingredient list: (for the cookie) 2 sticks of salted butter, 1 cup powdered sugar, 2 tsp vanilla extract, 2 cups flour (for the caramel) 1 bag of Kraft caramels, 3 TBS whipping cream (for the chocolate) 2 bags of milk chocolate chips. {some of these vary slightly from the original recipe, but I chose them because either it's what I had already or what I thought would work better.}

First, you will make the cookie. Make sure the butter is at room temperature (a quick way to soften butter is to grate it or use the defrost function on your microwave.) Then beat the butter, sugar, and vanilla together until thoroughly mixed. Add the flour and continue to mix until it is all incorporated into a stiff dough.

Take this dough and press into a greased 9x13 pan. (I lined my pan with parchment paper so that it would be easy to get the cookie out later.) Make sure the dough is evenly pressed down.

Next, use a fork to poke holes in the shortbread cookie dough before baking. Then bake the cookie at 300 degrees for 35 to 45 minutes.

This is what your baked cookie will look like. Only don't look that close or you'll be tempted to eat it all up before you make the caramel and chocolate layers. Here's where patience comes in. You need your cookie layer to completely cool before you make the next layer. Don't rush it!

When your cookie layer is completely cooled, start on the caramel layer. Unwrap the caramels (this is where it is very handy to have an autistic boy who is obsessed with opening things!) and melt them in a saucepan with the cream over low heat.

Pour the hot caramelly goodness over the cookie crust and put it in the fridge for thirty minutes to harden. (Hey, I said no licking the screen!)

When the caramel layer has hardened, cut it into long thin bars with a hot knife. Put the bars back into the fridge to stay cool while you get the chocolate ready.

Melt your milk chocolate chips in a sauce pan over low heat, stirring constantly. When the chocolate is melted and smooth, it is time to cover the bars. I decided to set my bars on wire racks and pour the chocolate over them. It worked but the bars looked messy and some chocolate was wasted, which was a terrible shame. Next time I will dip the bars into the chocolate. Anyway, put your chocolate-covered bars in the fridge and WAIT for the chocolate to completely firm up before attempting a taste. Also, if you are planning on taking these to a party or some other function, you should not taste these ahead of time. Once you try one, you will not be able to stop at just one.

I can't wait to try this recipe again but use semisweet chocolate chips instead. It is definitely a time-intensive recipe but completely worth it. :) Have fun indulging your sweet tooth!

The Craft Nerd Needs Her Mojo Back

I joined the Pinterest craze last summer in the midst of the nesting phase of my pregnancy. Within the first two weeks of joining, I had already tried several crafts, sewing tutorials, and recipes from my boards.

Then. Well, I got larger and larger and less and less motivated. My kids were lucky to be getting fed those days, let alone with some fancy recipe off Pinterest. At the peak of my largeness, Little Sprout finally joined our family and we entered a new era of crazy. I have changed my outfit three times today due to that darling little child's spit-up and other body fluids. I have not counted how many times I changed her outfit. I explored the territory of root words and suffixes with my first-grader while simultaneously nursing the baby and imploring the boys to just clean up their room already. Pinterest has dropped way down on the priority list.

So. I am determined to rediscover some of the things that originally captured my attention and do them. It might take me several weeks to accomplish them, but hey, creativity needs to make a comeback at this house. I actually started one project already (two weeks ago), and the second my hand touched the paintbrush, I did a giddy little dance of excitement. Yes, I am that crafty-nerdy.

Here's a couple of things I am hoping to try soon:

Source: kingarthurflour.com via Jeanette on Pinterest

Source: simplesimonandco.com via Jeanette on Pinterest

Source: daydreamliving.blogspot.com via Jeanette on Pinterest

Source: bystephanielynn.com via Jeanette on Pinterest

cheer me on!