Just for Fun - Disneyland

Just for fun today, we escaped the snow and 32 degree cold and went to Disneyland.

The airplane, which then became the park tram.

Trying on hats at the Mad Hatter.

Favorite rides. Dumbo, Peter Pan, Buzz Lightyear...

It's Mr. Incredible!

A Princess sighting. Sleeping Beauty signs the book.

Followed by a movie and popcorn. It was a supercalifragilisticexpialidocious day.

Baker Thursday - Sticky Buns, Monkey Bread, or What You Will

What do you feed monkeys on a cold day?

Hmmmm...


A little sugar and spice

Secret's in the sauce

Helping the monkey love soak in...

TA DA!!

Monkeys go bananas for Mom's Monkey Bread!

Makes one 8x8 pan
Thaw 12 Rhodes rolls for one hour. Cut in half and dip in 1/2 cup sugar, mixed with 2 tsp cinnamon. Place in pan and cover. Allow to rise for four hours or until tripled in size. Heat 1 stick unsalted butter in saucepan and stir in 1 cup brown sugar. Stir over medium heat until combined and simmering. Spoon over rolls. Run knife along sides of rolls to help sauce soak to bottom of pan. Bake at 350 degrees. Check after 15 minutes. Remove and invert pan onto baking sheet. Keep pan over rolls for a few minutes, allowing caramel sauce to coat bread. Serve to monkeys, kids and anyone else who loves cinnamon, sugar and caramel.

After reading a few recipes, I concocted this yesterday. It was so good, we had to make it again today. I use a dark, nonstick pan and bake at 340 degrees for 16 minutes. I realize you could use refrigerated biscuit dough and cut the wait time. But I prefer rolls to biscuit dough.

Musical Baker Thursday - Pies in a Tin

A homage to one of my favorite musicals, from my teenage years. As much as I heart Johnny Depp, I prefer the original Angela Lansbury and Len Cariou recording. You've heard of Mrs. Lovett's meat pies...how 'bout Mrs. McGee's sweet pies? (Non people, of course.)

The lazy baker

Have a little priest... or, how 'bout just some apple or cherry filling?

You'll never know...

Sweeney TODD: No, this isn't fiddle player -- it's piccolo player!
Mrs. LOVETT: 'Ow can you tell?
Sweeney TODD: It's piping hot!

Silly mom. You tricked us. It's apple pie!

*Bake (pies, not people) at 425 degrees for 20-25 minutes, until golden brown. Great a la mode.

Baker Thursday

Just when you thought this was not really a blog...

Pretty fall colors

As I moved them to the cooling rack,

one got squished...

So we put it out of its misery.

Bakery-Style Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
(from allrecipes.com, with some tweaks...)

1 cup + 1 tablespoon canned pumpkin pie mix
2/3 cup white sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1-1/4 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon milk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1-1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
red food coloring (optional)

Directions:
Beat together pumpkin, sugar, vegetable oil, vanilla and egg. Dissolve the baking soda in milk and beat in, along with two drops of red food coloring. In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, and salt. Add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture, stirring with spoon and mix well. Stir in chocolate chips.

Drop by spoonful on greased cookie sheet and bake at 365 degrees F for approximately 12 minutes or until lightly brown and firm. Cool on rack. Serve warm.

Substitutions:

• If using 1 c. plain canned pumpkin, change sugar amount to 1 c.
• If pumpkin pie spice is unavailable, use 1 tsp. cinnamon, and 1/4 tsp. each: nutmeg, ginger and cloves.

Note:

• The red food coloring helps brighten the color of the cookie, so it looks more golden orange, as opposed to brown.
• If possible, use light instead of dark cookie sheet. I tried both and the cookies baked darker on the dark sheet. Also, if you need to bake at 350 degrees, check cookies after 14 minutes.
• And I bet buttercream or cream cheese icing on top would be a fantastic addition.
  

Silly Spiders with Pipecleaner Legs

Silly spiders make you act silly.

The List:

• pipe cleaners
• hot glue gun
• puffs (or for more stability, try painted styrofoam balls for the body)
• googley eyes (who can resist googley eyes?)

They're pretty floppy and don't stand too well. But they behaved for the picture.

So did the kids.

Halloween Dipped Pretzels

As much as I'd like to look like a genius, in the spirit of full disclosure, I found these from Parenting magazine. However, the ghosts and Frankenstein were original ideas...by my five year-old. (Alas, I am just a good copier.) He also asked why we didn't make jack o'lantern faces. Apparently I've got my work cut out for me.

I apologize, in advance, for the bad photography. I'm saving for a nice camera.

Here's the grocery list:

• pretzel rods
• candy melts (or white chocolate and shortening)
• food coloring
  
• black icing in a tube
• shredded coconut
• hershey kisses

Of course the perfectionist in me screams that you could use chocolate and shortening and make fancier witch hats sitting on discs with brims, but the easy road made my kids just as happy.

Dip

Decorate

Devour

Witches, ghosts...

and the lone Frankenstein

Next time I'd probably cut the pretzel rods in half. Otherwise it's a lotta plain pretzel to eat.

A Change of Heart

"Motherhood...is near to divinity. It is the highest, holiest service to be assumed by mankind. It places her who honors its holy calling and service next to the angels."

-The First Presidency, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

I've been fighting against it for five years and as I look at this picture taken by Andrea, my sister-in-law, I see nothing but smiling faces, cute feet, wind-blown hair and joy. I think it's time I embraced being a mother.

Last week I had a change of heart about many things in my life. I realized I needed an attitude adjustment. I've always known I've needed to focus more on the positives, especially regarding my children. But knowing is never enough. This blog is about the doing.