October 14, 2008 - Mini Banana Whoopie Pies ~ shared by Mama Bear : )
Posted by Karen
I just found this recipe over at Nikki's place and didn't want to lose track of it. I'd just been searching for this very recipe a few days ago. I'm on a banana kick lately. 
www.homesteadblogger.com/thebearden/113701/
Mini Banana Whoopie Pies (Adapted from Martha Stewart)
For the batter
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup mashed ripe banana
1/2 cup sour cream
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
For the filling
16 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
To prepare the batter
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
In a small bowl, stir together banana and sour cream.
In a large mixing bowl, beat together butter and sugars until light and creamy. Add egg and beat until combined. Mix in vanilla. Alternately mix flour and banana mixture into the creamed butter, beginning and ending with flour mixture, mixing just until combined. Scoop the batter into a pastry bag fitted with a 1/4" round tip.
Pipe batter into 1 1/4" rounds onto parchment-lined baking sheets. Place into the oven and bake until the edges are a light golden, about 10 to 12 minutes. Remove and transfer sheet of parchment to a wire rack and allow the soft cakes to cool completely.
To prepare the filling
In a large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Add confectioners' sugar and vanilla, mixing until smooth and creamy. On the flat side of half the cakes, spoon about one tablespoon worth of the filling on top. Top with the unfilled halves to form a sandwich. Lightly dust with confectioners' sugar before serving.
Makes about 36 whoopie pies.
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Tuesday, October 14, 2008 - learning to be self-sufficient
Posted by Michele
Learning to be Self-Sufficient
by Casey Quinn
You pay a premium on anything done for you
Any financial planner will tell you the best way to control
your wealth is to set up a budget. In that budget, allocate
how much money you need to spend on housing expenses, utility
bills, gas, and of course, food. Ideally, if there is anything
left over, you stash it into savings. The average person will
make about two trips to the grocery store a month and eat out
once a week. This person could spend anywhere from $250 to
$350 a month on food! If the budget is for a family, then the
amount allocated will increase by hundreds of dollars.
What if by making some changes to your everyday life you could
take that number and divide it in half, increase your and your
families overall health and be able to stash away more money
for retirement? Would you keep reading? Of course you would!
Learning to be more self-sufficient is an easy to do and
satisfying lifestyle change.
So, what does it mean to be self-sufficient and how can you
get started? Glad you asked! The idea behind self-sufficiency
is that you pay a premium on anything done for you. If you
could learn to do it yourself, you could pay what it is
actually worth and avoid premium fees. Did you buy a coffee in
the morning from Starbucks? Congrats! You just paid a premium
for someone to brew some beans for you! Anytime you find
yourself paying someone to do something that you could have
done, you just overpaid for it. Self-sufficiency is being able
to control your own living, provide for yourself and remove
the convenience premium applied to restaurants and grocery
stores.
Now with definitions out of the way, let's start with a few
basic changes you can make, which will lead to big rewards to
your bank account and your health.
Make Your Own Bread
Starting in the mid 1950s, chemicals, such as hydrogenated
oils and artificial preservatives, were introduced to the
bread-making process. Also, have you noticed the cost of bread
rising in the last few years? In some places, consumers are
paying 50 cents to $1 more than they did even one year ago.
Making your own bread does not have to be a time-consuming
chore. If that is your concern, get a bread maker. All you
need to do is plug in the ingredients, start it up, come back
in three hours, and enjoy a great tasting loaf of bread. There
are no chemicals, and it's cheaper and leaves your house
smelling like a bakery.
Start a Garden
Have you noticed the price of produce at the grocery store
lately? It keeps going up. I won't go into the details of how
many chemicals are sprayed on produce before you eat it as I
am sure you have heard it all before. However, if you are a
regular veggie eater, then did you know you could have a
year's worth of produce for the cost of what you are paying
now in one month? Interested? Here is all you need:
- Packets of seeds (pick whatever you want to grow)
- Some dirt (either in a pot or in the ground)
- Shovel
- Water
That's it. Seems simple, right? All you need to do is plant
the seeds at the right depth, make sure they get some sun and
water, and in no time at all, you will be eating fresh produce
all year round without paying a convenience premium.
Make the Most of Canning
Now that you have your own veggies in the garden, you can make
your own tomato sauce, ketchup, salsa and many other products
that you are currently buying. Once made, it can be canned and
stored for more than 12 months! When canning on your own, you
are using no preservatives or chemicals, you're using your own
veggies, and best of all, you paid practically nothing for
them!
To get specific recipes, I would recommend getting "The Ball
Blue Book (of Canning and Preserving Recipes)." It has great
recipes and provides specific instructions on how to heat,
prepare and store your goods.
By following the steps in this article, you could save
hundreds of dollars a year! Start today and save!
These items are just the start. Examine what you spend your
money on and ask yourself the question: Could I have done this
myself? If the answer is yes, read up on it, start doing it,
and escape the convenience premium. You'll see a difference in
your savings and in your health.
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Tuesday, October 14, 2008 - are you packing healthy lunches?
Posted by Michele
Include fruits and vegetables. It's likely that many children are not eating the recommended servings per day (3½ cups for girls ages 9 to 13 and 4 cups for boys ages 9 to 13), so include these food groups at lunch.
Toss in carrots and celery sticks and a low-fat dressing or dip. Too time-consuming to cut veggies? Buy a vegetable tray or veggie snack pack from the supermarket. These prepackaged veggies are convenient and may come with low-fat dip.
Add darker-colored leafy lettuce, such as red or green leaf (not iceberg) to sandwiches. Offer cherries, grapes, pineapple chunks or other smaller fruit as a welcome change to apples and oranges.
Provide variety with a mix of dried fruit (such as apricots, banana chips, cranberries, mangoes and raisins) with nuts. Nuts also can contribute vitamin E and omega 3s.
Add fruit (such as apples, bananas and blueberries) or vegetables (such as carrots, zucchini and other squashes) in muffins.
Avoid luncheon meats with lots of fat and sodium. Bologna and salami are two lunch meats that have quite a bit of fat. Many deli meats come in lower-fat, lean and lower-sodium versions.
Incorporate leftovers. Instead of the same old luncheon meats or peanut butter and jelly. Try packing a lunch with leftover pasta, soup or chili. As a change, try whole-wheat pasta, barley soup or vegetarian chili.
Try alternatives to white bread. Make sandwiches interesting with a variety of breads, pitas, wraps or crackers, especially those with whole grain. This will help to achieve the 3 ounces of whole grains per day recommended by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Pack milk or water, not juice or soda. It is best to limit juice and soda since they can be high in sugar and/or caffeine. Opt instead for low-fat milk, which is a good source of calcium, or water. But if your child only drinks juice, look for 100 percent juice or a fruit-and-veggie juice that children actually might try.
Include portion-controlled snacks. These are OK on occasion, especially if the portion size is controlled (such as 100-calorie snack packs) and they are baked or whole grain. Other smart snacks are unsalted pretzels, applesauce (no added sugar), low-fat yogurt, unbuttered and unsalted popcorn, low- or reduced-fat string cheese, baked, whole-grain tortilla chips with salsa.
Source: ConsumerReports.org
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Tuesday, October 14, 2008 - the wisdom of Larry the Cable Guy
Posted by Michele
The Wisdom Of Larry the cable Guy.....
1. A day without sunshine is like night.
2. On the other hand, you have different fingers.
3. 42.7 percent of all statistics are made up on the spot.
4. 99 percent of lawyers give the rest a bad name.
5. Remember, half the people you know are below average.
6. He who laughs last, thinks slowest.
7. Depression is merely anger without enthusiasm.
8. The early bird may get the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese in the trap.
9. Support bacteria. They're the only culture some people have.
10. A clear conscience is usually the sign of a bad memory.
11. Change is inevitable, except from vending machines.
12. If you think nobody cares, try missing a couple of payments.
13. How many of you believe in psycho-kinesis? Raise my hand.
14. OK, so what's the speed of dark?
15. When everything is coming your way, you're in the wrong lane.
16. Hard work pays off in the future. Laziness pays off now.
17. How much deeper would the ocean be without sponges?
18. Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines.
19. What happens if you get scared half to death, twice?
20. Why do psychics have to ask you your name?
21. Inside every older person is a younger person wondering, 'What the heck happened?'
22. Just remember -- if the world didn't suck, we would all fall off.
23. Light travels faster than sound.. That's why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.
24. Life isn't like a box of chocolates; it's more like a jar of jalapenos. What you do today, might burn your butt tomorrow.
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Monday, October 13, 2008 - caramel apple cupcakes
Posted by Michele
I made these cupcakes a couple of weeks ago, and they were a BIG hit! I gave some to a couple of people i work with, and I gave a few to my mom and sent 1 along for my grandmother. I got the recipe out of a cookbook called Cupcakes and Other Goodies by Publications International.
Caramel Apple Cupcakes
1 package (18 1/4 ounces) yellow or butter cake mix, plus ingredients to prepare mix
1 cup chopped dried apples
Caramel Frosting (recipe follows)
Chopped nuts
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line 24 standard muffin pan cups with paper baking cups.
Prepare cake mix according to package directions. Stir in apples. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups, filling 2/3 full. Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until toothpicks inserted into centers come out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks 10 minutes. Remove cupcakes to racks; cool completely.
Prepare Caramel Frosting. Frost cupcakes; sprinkle with nuts.
Caramel Frosting: Melt 3 tablespoons butter in 2-quart saucepan. Stir in 1 cup packed light brown sugar, 1/2 cup evaporated milk and 1/8 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; cool to lukewarm. Add 3 3/4 cups powdered sugar; beat until frosting is of spreading consistency. Add 3/4 teaspoon vanilla; beat until smooth. Makes about 5 cups.
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2008-Oct-12 - I’m Back!
Posted by Crystal Miller
I am home from vacation.. have been for a few days now and just getting life up and running again. Hubby and I had a great time! We flew south to get some of the last rays of sunshine and heat before we burrow in for the winter months. We spent a lot of time pool side and out and about in the sun  . When our time was up we felt ready to come home and enjoy kids and family and look ahead to school time, holidays and a few projects that need to get done.
I spent a good portion of my afternoon packing orders. I said orders would go out tomorrow but did not realize until I got back home that tomorrow is a holiday. So if you ordered from me while I was on vacation your order will go out on Tuesday.
Is it looking and feeling like fall on your homestead? It is on mine! On the last day of my vacation I left a 90 degree day and a couple hours later landed in the cool, damp, and cloudy Pacific Northwest.. I knew I was home! LOL.. and I knew fall had really started. The last couple of days have been cold at night.. almost 35 one night but warming up into the low to mid 60’s and sunny during the day. And there is that familiar October nip in the air.
In the Home: I am currently working on refining my home organization notebook. I am working on the chores. I wrote a master list of all chores and now plan to put together a page for each day of the week showing what jobs need to be done for that day. Our school days take up a good portion of our day so it is nice to have to put a lot of thought into the house work that needs to be done each day. I won’t be trying to remember the last time the stairway was washed or the laundry room floor was mopped. What time is not spent doing school work and chores it is spent cooking and baking!  .. and of course I have my little business to keep making products for. Nice to see and experience the blessings of children that know how to help around the house!
On Budgets: Is everyone enjoying the drop in gas prices?? I know we are. Has anyone seen it go below $3.00 a gallon? A couple days ago I was in town and I saw it at $3.19. Who would have thought I would get so excited about paying $3.19 a gallon for gas! LOL.. 
Well I have a busy week ahead and I will be back blogging and sharing about it as the week goes by. For now I am happy to be and back to my little homestead and preparing for winter.
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Friday, October 10, 2008 - Emily's goat story
Posted by Michele
One Friday I was at work, and one of the grandmothers of one of Emily's classmates came in. She said there was a goat at their school that day. So when I got home from work, I said, "Emily, I heard there was a goat at your school today." Normally she would have just nodded, but she said, "Yeah. It pooped. There was a blueberry in its poop. It ATE its own poop!" I talked to one of the moms and she said that the poop LOOKED like little berries, but yes, it did eat the poop... Whatever floats your boat i guess...
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Thursday, October 9, 2008 - Funny Stuff My Kids Have Said
Posted by Michele
I am going to try to remember as many as possible, but my kids have said some really funny stuff over the years.
One time we were in Altoona, and we got behind a car with one of those Penn State paw print magnets on the back. Cameron was about 2 at the time, and he yelled, "Look! A clue!"
One Sunday, Dave was getting ready to take the kids to Sunday School and he put Emily in his truck and buckled her in. When he shut the door, the window on the side of his cap shattered. Cameron looked down at all the glass and then looked and Dave and said, "That sucks."
Here is a conversation I overheard toward the end of last month: Emily said, "Cameron, when is my birthday?" Cameron said, "I think it's in Secember. Hey, TODAY is Secember!" She said, "Is TODAY my birthday or is it on the 26th like yours?" He answered, "I'm not sure, but I think it's on a weekend." By the way, her birthday is in December...
One night, Dave was trying to do something and I overheard him saying, "Damn!" Cameron said, "D-A-M"
The other day, I packed Cameron's lunch and I gave him an apple, a pudding cup and a sandwich. Dave asked him if he ate his lunch and he said, "I forgot to eat my sandwich and my apple."
Ok, apparently, I need to think about this some more. I can't remember any more. I'm sure more will come to me later, so I'll do another post...
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About Me
I'm a Christian Homemaker, wife to a wonderful husband and mom to my 3yr old daughter. We live in Washington at our home, Rose Cottage.
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