Wordless Wednesday

I adore Fall….it is my favorite season, bar none.  Living in Georgia there really wasn’t a fall season.  Last year at this time the boys were still running around in t-shirts and shorts.  Thank goodness Washington has seasons…and has THIS season.  Yesterday was a perfect fall day.  Slight crisp. Clear sky. Sun shining.  And what better thing to do on such a day then take the boys to the park afterschool to play with their friends.  Perfect.

Monkey Monday: A Friends List

Yesterday the boys and I went to Priest Pointe Park for the afternoon….to make new friends.  Finally, Amanda and my schedules worked and we were finally getting to meet face to face.  The boys were excited to meet new people and have some fun…my little extroverts. It was a beautiful day, a fun afternoon filled with yummy snacks, sunshine, and new friends.

On the way home Jakob suggested we make a “Friends List” to keep track of all of our friends.  And while that seemed like a good idea for them, it got me thinking about my own “Friends List”.  Are there people on my list that I need to erase?  Are there people who got left off the list that I need to put back on?  Definitely, on both counts.  I need to work harder to put those people back on it….desperately.  And those that need to be erased…need to do that too…don’t need the negativity and stress that comes along with it.  I am exhausted from trying to keep those people on the list when they don’t make the same effort.

Do you have a Friends List?  Do you need to do some housekeeping to your List?  What do you do to help rebuild a damaged friendship?

Wordless Wednesday

LOVE these freckles….

PS….I am starting a 30 day Photo Challenge with my good friend Mia Cupcake, so next week will be a 7 day round up of the weeks photos.

Old Fashioned Recipes

I love recipes that get handed down from other generations.  I have several that I have been lucky enough to receive from my mother and Omi.  But this one isn’t from my family.  My amazing friend, Laurie (aka @SuperSlush) was kind enough to share her Grandmother’s Pound Cake recipe with me….and told me it would be ok if I posted it here to share with you all.   This recipe is very basic, but absolutely delicious.  There are so many different things you can add to this recipe to make it even more delicious depending on your mood….on my first attempt to make this recipe I was in the mood for a Cherry Lemonade….a la Sonic.  So I added these…

Maraschino Cherries!! Oh, and some lemon.  I love these cherries…I really don’t care how they are made, or what goes in them…they are yummy. 

Old Fashioned Pound Cake   Recipe Graciously Given by Laurie

Preheat to 350. Grease a 10 inch bundt or tube pan.

Ingredients:
3 cups sugar
2 sticks butter
1/2 cup shortening
6 eggs
3 cups flour
1 cup milk

Cream sugar, butter and shortening until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, scraping sides in between additions. Alternate flour and milk, starting and ending with flour. Pour into greased bundt/tube pan. Bake for 55-65 minutes or until a tester comes out clean.

To make this a Cherry Lemonade Pound Cake zest and juice two lemons and add to the sugar, shortening and butter while creaming.  Drain a jar of maraschino cherries (save the juice to make a powdered sugar glaze), and fold in cherries before putting batter in pan.

To make the cherry glaze mix the juice from the jar of cherries with powdered sugar until you achieve the desired consistency.  Pour over cooled pound cake.

Look at this cake….but look quick, it wont last long….

Thank you, Laurie for sharing your Grandmother’s recipe with me…and for letting me pass it on to all of you.

xo

Monkey Monday

 

I got my “craft on” yesterday.  I use to be a big crafter.  I would obsess over scrapbooks, card making, knitting (failed miserably), attempted to crochet, quilting, stamping….you name it – I have the supplies for it.  Seriously, I have enough crafting supplies to open a small store.  When we lived in CT I would visit the JoAnn Fabrics so often they knew Jakob by name!   But baking and cooking have temporarily taken over my creative brain.  I really should sort through all the crafting supplies and sell some of it…to pay for new baking pans and sprinkles. 

I saw a picture of this on Pinterest (if you love to be inspired by all things beautiful you must check out pinterest) and thought it would be a fun thing to make for the students in Jakob’s class.  A cute little incentive to do some reading.  And it involves gummy candy…come on, we all love gummy worms.

So easy.  I took little cellophane bags (the same ones I use for my cookies), put in three gummy worms, and staple on the cute little tag.  I downloaded some free tag templates, glued onto red card stock and folded it over the top of the bag. 

Jakob was SO excited to take them to school and hand out to his friends.  And they were all pretty happy to receive them.

Are you allowed to take in treats like this to your child’s class??  If so, what do you like to take in for a special treat?  Ideas and links always appreciated!

Meatless Monday

 

I am guest posting over at Piccante Dolce, pop over and check out my recipe for an Asparagus & Goat Cheese Quiche.  Leave some comment love while you are there.    Look at this….it’s delicious.  Seriously.

Gone in 21 hours….

And 10 of those Aiden was sleeping!  Aiden has devoured 75% of this yummy cake:

Aiden is my baked goods fiend.  He will try my creations and ask for them over and over again.  Jakob likes certain things I make; chocolate chip cookies, cupcakes, sugar cookies, and chocolate cake.  But when it comes to new things like scones, biscuits, or this ah-mazing Strawberry Cake, he hesitates.  Not sure if he will like it he immediately says “No, Thank You” rather than taking a bite to see if he likes it.  Quite frustrating as this goes with ALL food, if he isn’t sure he will like it he refuses to try it.  Makes for a very limited diet for him.   But I digress.

Aiden makes it easy for me to consider if a recipe is a success or not, usually by how quickly he devours it.  And I will guarantee that this recipe from Maria, Two Peas and Their Pod, is a KEEPER.  With strawberries about to come into season here, I can picture this being made many times over.  And will make it with other berries as the seasonal fruit comes in. I look forward to making it again and adding a little bit of lime to it….maybe a glaze?  Not that it needs it.  It is light, a delicate crumb, with the burst of berry slices peeking out.  It is called a cake, but I had no problem serving and eating this for breakfast….Aiden inhaled his piece! (I also recommend eating this with a little dollop of whipped cream….just saying!)

You can find the recipe HERE.  And while you are there, check out Maria’s recipes for cookies….she always has great cookies going on!

Pie Love(r)

 

I adore a good piece of pie.  The flaky crust, the yummy filling….I am drooling.  I prefer a fruit filling, but am not one to turn down a cream, pumpkin or pecan pie.  

When doing some research a few months ago about all the places (mostly food related) that I wanted to visit in Seattle when we moved out West, I stumbled on High 5 Pie.

I knew that it would have to be one of the first places I check out.  So last week when I was in desperate need for a break from these crazy boys, I tweeted that I was heading to Seattle for some pie, and did anyone want to join me.  I was super excited when a new (and awesome) friend said that she would be in the city and would love to join me.  Yippee!  Pie and conversation….yes, please.

Libby and I decided to share a couple of slices so that we could, without huge guilt, try two slices out of their incredible looking selection.

Lemon Shaker

and Maple Blueberry

I have to say that I can’t decide which I enjoyed more….they are both delicious and so different from each other.  I had never heard of lemon shaker….but it is a candied lemon peel filling.  Tart, tangy and just a little sweet.  Perfection.  Loved that the Maple Blueberry was a one crust pie with a crumble topping…it was so great.  Had those tiny blueberries that just burst with juice when you bite them. It was so good that is what I chose to bring home to Jason.

So, if you are ever in Seattle, and want to go for some pie….this is the place.  And call me, I’ll join you for a slice!

 

Sunday Supper and a National FOOD holiday!

 

Happy National Pie Day!!  I know, holidays for food.  But did you know that each day of the year is a holiday for a different kind of food?  Check out my friend Susan’s blog for a daily round up for each special food’s holiday.  Incredible, right?

Pie Day!  I have many favourite kinds of pie.  I love a great lemon meringue, chocolate cream, strawberry, cherry….etc.  But nothing beats a really great APPLE pie.  It has to be really great.  This past Thanksgiving the Stenzel’s were invited over to the household of Team Wallace for dinner.  It was an honour to be included in their family celebrations.  And of course I wanted to contribute, I begged to be able to contribute.  To show up empty handed would have been awful for me.  Nikki was kind enough to oblige my desire to cook or bake and asked me to bring an apple pie. Just one??  Yup, just one.  So I was on the quest to make the BEST apple pie I could find.  And it would have to be tested before Turkey Day.  Poor Jason.  He a lot of pie that month (though didn’t complain once).  After several different crust and pie fillings, it was decided that The Pioneer Woman’s Dreamy Apple Pie would be what was served at Casa Wallace.  It is perfect.  It isn’t easy to describe this pie.  Just perfect.  I love a single crust apple pie. Don’t get me wrong, I love a flaky pie crust…but this pie doesn’t need that double crust. It has a crunchy nutty topping that is heaven….probably why she called it a Dreamy Apple Pie.

For National Pie Day, I decided to make mini versions of this pie.  I cut the recipe into thirds and baked them in these really cute mini pie plates I picked up at World Market (did you know I collect pie plates??).  A third fit perfectly….baked them for 45 minutes and they were done.  As all apple pie should be served, I scooped a perfect scoop of vanilla bean ice cream on top. And then Jason suggested some caramel sauce….a decadent finish, but not necessary.  For Thanksgiving I made The Pioneer Woman’s Maple Whiskey Sauce, which later was named Pie Crack by a certain Wallace.

I recommend pie.  For any occasion. A simple Sunday Supper, a birthday, a more traditional holiday, but definitely for today….National Pie Day!

Did you make a pie today??  What kind?  Have a recipe to share?  Share a link!!

AboutOne Twitter Chat….Raising Kids

I have recently discovered AboutOne.  It is an online website to “Safely Store and Manage Your Household Information”.  A great site to record memories, scan and keep important documents, and health info about the whole family. And now I am going to be a blogger for them, check it out.  (scroll down and you will see me!) I am going to write bi-monthly posts about Military Life….the good, the bad, and the ugly.

Today’s twitter chat was about raising kids.  Some great questions, some interesting answers.

Question #1: What are your tips for traveling with children? Do you travel a lot with your family?

We use to travel quite a bit.  When we were living in Connecticut we were only about 8 hours from my parents and I would make the drive with Jakob (and then Aiden too) about every three months.  It was a long day of driving, but worth it.  Most visits it would be just me driving, leaving Jason at home, so I had to make sure I was prepared.  Snacks, drinks and toys all within reach.  I made sure that all the snacks were portioned out, and easy to open.  Drinks were either juice boxes or premade sippy cups.  And when Jakob and Aiden were infants I made sure to have water from home, or bottled water, for their bottles so that there wasn’t anything in the water that their tummies weren’t use to.

The other side of travelling with children is entertainment….keeping them occupied = happy children!  DVD players in the car was key for us….the perfect distraction.  Now it takes a bit more.  Both Aiden and Jakob are obsessed with my iTouch.  They love the games (the free apps are awesome), and the videos and sometimes the music.   I have a feeling it will be a lifesaver for our cross country trip to Washington.  8 days on the road…help me!

Question #2:  How much TV do you let your kids watch? Do you limit? What are their favourite shows?

I am guilty of my boys watching a lot of TV.  I know it isn’t right, I know it isn’t good for them….I know.  Enough said.

Shows…..Phineas and Ferb, Team Umizoomi, Magic School Bus, most of the shows on PBSKids, and the Food Network!!  LOL

Question #3: Has your child ever been bullied? Have you talked to them about this issue?

Jakob has not been bullied at school.  And Aiden isn’t in school.  Jakob is a pretty popular kid, bit of a teacher’s pet too.  But there have been days that he has come home and said others were mean to a friend, which strikes a convo about how it isn’t nice to be mean to someone.  He knows what is good and bad behaviour, what is nice and what is mean.  He’s a good egg.

Question #4: How do you give your children quality time?

Jason and I try our best to spend some one on one time with each of the boys.  Jakob is old enough to sit through a movie, but Aiden isn’t quite there yet, so Jakob gets some one on one time going to the occasional movie.  Aiden gets special treats like trips to the ice cream shop.  We also do things like taking one out to run errands while the other stays home. 

We also swap out bedtime.  We each take a boy, read or talk, and tuck in.  That way they are getting equal attention from us.

It’s important. We make it a priority.

Question #5: How do you treat yourself?

I am happy to say that I am pretty good at treating myself.  I work dinners out into our budget so that there are days that I don’t have to cook.  I take time with my friends to get our nails done, go out for lunch, or even go to the bookstore for a coffee and poke at some books.  I am lucky.  I have a great husband who understands that “if Mama ain’t happy, no one is happy”.  Jason is great at hanging with the boys so that Mama can have some me time.

I also find a few minutes at the end of the day to reflect.  I keep a gratitude journal and write the highlights of the day.  Things I am thankful for.   AboutOne has a section on their site for keeping track of memories and I am looking forward to adding to that part of my account as well.

Whew….Those are some great questions, and long answers.  It was a great opportunity to hear what some other mother’s are going through, and realizing that I am not alone, that we all have similar things going on, choices to make, and love for our children. I will definitely be participating in the AboutOne chats on twitter.  You can too!  Wednesday mornings, 10 am EST, #AOChat  See you there?

Military Monday….a farewell and a hello!

I am going to miss Nikki.  Next week there is a change of command happening….  Nikki’s husband Cory, Jason’s current Commanding Officer, is being moved to a different “company” and a new Commanding Officer is coming in….I don’t do well with some change.  But what this change means for me is a new FRG (Family Readiness Group) leader.  I am sure that JoAnn and I will get along well.  I am just sad that I wont be able to finish out my time at Ft. Stewart with Nikki as my partner in crime. 

Anyway…..so a few weeks ago we had a meeting to welcome JoAnn, and say goodbye and THANK YOU to Nikki.  Nikki has done a phenomenal job pulling all us crazy wives together and into a cohesive group.  She will be greatly missed. 

So, as co-leader of the group I thought it was only appropriate to acknowledge the occasion with cookies!  LOL

Here are my Thank You and Welcome cookies for Nikki & JoAnn.

Thank you Ladies for all your hard work.

I have always wanted to belong to a club…

Seriously….I have always wanted to belong to a book club.  The idea of reading a novel and then spending time with like-minded people talking about the book….that would make me happy.  I just never found the time, the right group, or the right books.  So I have decided that since I have made so many great online friends that are also interested in joining a book club but just can’t seem to find the time, the right group, and the right books….that we should have an online book club.  I am still fine tuning the plans for this, but I wanted to put it out there, to get some ideas of what kind of books people want to read together, how long do think we need to read said book, etc. 

So these are the questions….leave me a comment if you would like to join us, or email me (lovebigbakeoften@gmail.com).

1.  What are some books that you have been meaning to read?  What “genres” would you like to read?

2.  How long do you think you would need to read a book? Is a book a month too much? 

3.  Would you want to be checking in through the month and discuss or just discuss after everyone has read it?

4.  Do we want to take turns choosing the books we read, or take a poll/vote?

I think that is all the questions I need some help with.  Hope you will join me. 

Monkey Monday

Happy Belated 4th of July readers! I hope you all had a great holiday weekend. We were lucky enough to celebrate with some new friends at their house for a BBQ. I, of course, brought dessert....brownies, sugar cookies and s'mores on a stick. Here are a couple of pic of the boys enjoying their treats! Recipes and food pics to follow (hopefully later today)!

Take Care,

Tania

Love Big, Bake Often

Macarons, the fancy french kind!

I did it. I conquered one of my baking fears. I made French Macarons. I was totally inspired by my friend Susan over at She's Becoming Doughmesstic. Susan made some gorgeous Orange Dreamsicle Macarons this week and her pictures and write up made me feel like I could do it. Her tweets of encouragement gave me no other option but to try. And I had egg whites in the fridge needing to be used too.

I had decided to make lemon lime macarons. I had some great limes in the fridge and some leftover lemon buttercream from this weeks cupcakes. I was hesitant to add too much food colouring and I really didn't add enough. They aren't green at all! They are more orange than green, so that is why I used an orange backdrop! Compliments them nicely! But they do taste like lemon and lime, nice and citrusy. Fantastic!

Susan has the recipe posted on her blog here. Rather than copy it all out for you, hope over there and check out her Orange Dreamsicle Macarons, and all the other amazing things she does!

Thank you Susan for the inspiration and motivation! Now to make them chocolate and hazelnut, chocolate and mint, ooohhh chocolate and orange! Bring it on. I am no longer afraid!

Take care,

Tania

Love Big, Bake Often

Not quite baking!

I am not sure if you can call making Rice Krispie Treats baking! But that is what I did today. We were having company today. Jakob's little friend Phoenix was coming over to play. Phoenix and Jakob met in swimming class. Phoenix's mother had a doctor's appt and rather than have to take him with her, I offered to watch him for her. That way the boys would get a chance to hang out....and she would owe me one!! Smart, right? I have been needing someone to watch the boys while I go to the dentist and haven't felt comfortable asking anyone for such a favor. So Jamie and I talked about it and we are going to be there for each other and swap off for appts and dates. Jason and I might get to go out for our birthdays in a couple of weeks! The only downfall to today's visit was the timing - right at nap time. So no nap for Jakob (he does fine without one) and a short one for Aiden (we will see tonight what that will cost us!).

Back to the treats. I didn't have time to do any serious baking before he arrived, and I like to have treats for my visitors....so I made some Rice Krispie Treats! Not technically baking....but they are so tasty and kids love them. The boys ate their treats with some vanilla milk after running around outside for over an hour. Good fun. Such a beautiful day today....sunny, warm and just the perfect breeze. And then they played Playdoh for over an hour....awesome!

Thank goodness for easy treats and beautiful days.....and well behaved boys!

Hope you all had a good day!

Take care,
Tania
Love Big, Bake Often