Baby Shower

Thanks to all of those that came to the baby shower last week. We had tons of fun! We wish you the best Sarah, Quichee, and Stephanie.

BABY SHOWER TODAY APRIL 22

There is a baby shower today for Quichee Stallings, Stephanie Jacobson, and Sarah Adams today.
Its at 2 at the Church. Please come and enjoy a good time! If you were wondering they are all expecting boys!!!!!

who needs store bought?

I have been given a few recipes that can help with costs. The first is home made wheat thins.

1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour
3/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 cup flour
1/3 cup oil
1 cup water
Mix dry ingredients. Add oil, salt, and water mixture. Knead as little as possible to make a smooth dough. Roll dough very thin. Score with a knife and desired size. Prick each cracker a few times with a fork. Sprinkle dough lightly with salt or onion salt. Bake at 350 until light brown and crisp; about 30-35 minutes

The second I would like to share is Graham Crackers

1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup oat flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/3 cup + 1 tbsp. sugar
1/3 cup butter
1 tbsp. milk
1 tbsp. honey
Sift flours, sugar and soda into a mixing bowl. Heat butter, honey, and milk until melted. Pour into dry ingredients and stir until smooth. Let chill one-half hour to 45 minutes. Roll out dough to 1/4 inch thick. Prick crackers with fork as they come out of the oven.

Hope you enjoy!

Whats for dinner?

This recipe comes from my moms blog http://homeandtherange.blogspot.com/ She got it from Brandy of ThePrudenthomemaker.com website. It was surprising how easy and good this recipe is.

Chicken Fried Steak (minus the hen)

2 2/3 cup old fashioned oats
1/4 cup dried onions
1 1/2 - 2 cups water
2 eggs
2 tsp rubbed sage
2 tsp Lawry's Perfect Blend Chicken and Poultry Seasoning
3 tbsp oil for frying

Gravy
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
3 cups milk (can use powdered milk)

Mix first six ingredient. It should be wet and stick together well. If it does not, add enough water until it does. Form into six patties and fry both sides until browned. Meanwhile, whisk soup and milk together to make gravy. Lower heat to simmer and pour gravy on patties. Flip them over to coat both sides with gravy. Cover and simmer on low for 10-15 minutes, checking occasionally to make sure that they don't stick or burn.

You can do it too!!!

Who needs to go and buy really nice cakes? You can make your own special cakes just like the pros do.
Okay...so it may not look exactly like the pros but it can look pretty close.

This cake took me around 3 hours, but that includes the baking time and cooling time.
Fondant is now my new best friend and there are so many things that you can do with it on cakes.

Marshmallow Fondant:
5 cups marshmallows
1 1/2 tbsp water
1 lb of powder sugar
* you can add both food coloring and flavors to your liking and taste

Just melt the marshmallows and water in a microwave safe bowl until melted and then add the powder sugar. Its as easy as that. If you plan on using it right away I made it first and put it in the fridge for about 30 mins or so to cool it down and then brought it back out to get to room temp. Just have a flat surface with powder sugar on it and roll it out. You want it some what thin. You can add food dye and then use cookie cutters or free hand designs to put on.

Quick note: make sure you put a butter cream frosting on the whole outside of the cake. ( 1/2 c softened butter, 1 1/2 c powder sugar, 1 tbsp milk and 1 tsp of vanilla or any other flavor you want) and if you want to put fondant on fondant (like I did with the hearts) just wipe a small amount of water on the back side and stick it.

:) Enjoy being your own bakery chef

Please spread the word and come! It's going to be a wonderful night!

72-Hour Kit Add-In With Little Ones

I was at a friend's baby shower and heard this idea. Rather than try to spend too much money, or guess what size diapers you'll need in case of an emergency, packing cloth diapers is an idea for your 72-hour kits.

They're also great for spit-up rags as well (that's what we use them for, currently). You can easily look up several different ways to fold them and wash them, too. Not to mention, they take up less space. :)