Merry Bakers

Looking back and moving forward!

2013-03-04T10:17:00.001-06:00

For those new to here, four years ago I slipped on water, tore off my hamstring tendon, injured my sciatic nerve, had a cadeavor tendon put in, developed RSD (a sympathetic system pain disorder). I have had chronic pain issues since then, and the event REALLY changed my life.

Last week, I went to see a doc at the UW. My understanding is there is not much more than can do, I just have to live with this. For the past four years, I have had hope that somehow something could be done, it was difficult to hear that I am now stuck with this.

With that being said, it is now time to start looking at alternative ways to do the things I enjoy doing, and to look at new possibilities. Over the weekend I signed up for two online classes. The first is Colorlove by Joanne Sharpe. I enjoy making journals, I wanted to learn how to make my own pages and take it to the next level.

The second class is on Craftsy and is a class on Plus Size pattern fitting. I start a new job next week, and will need to start wearing regular clothes. For the past 23 years as a nurse, I have worn scrubs to work, now I will only need to do that once a week. Since it is so difficult for me to find clothes that fit up here, and I do not like the cookie cutter selection, I like to sew a lot of my own clothing. With the changing figure as I age, need to learn how to make garments that will fit the first time.

As my world begins to expand, hopefully my blog will also. The thought also just occurred to me that this is such an ironic time to restart my life. Tomorrow my oldest daughter will be celebrating her 37th birthday. I think the birth of my first child was a MAJOR life changing event.

So, on to make her birthday card!

Title of your life's memoir in six words.

2013-03-02T12:25:00.004-06:00

Last week I was listening to WPR (Wisconsin Public Radio), there was a discussion on words. One of the discussions led to a talk on using six words to title your life's memoir.

As woman grow older, our hormones begin to assist in altering our thinking. As our uterus declines, so does our thinking of self. We begin to think more globally and to see the world in a different fashion.

With this< I have also had this yearning to start journaling. I have always been drawn to watercolors and more of abstract art, so I want to incorporate this into my journal. I also enjoy scrapbooking, have spent many hours planning out scrapbook/art journals.

When the discussion came up on the memoirs, I found it quite intriguing. My title came to mind very quickly!

Crazy Horse

Lightly Treading

No REMORSE!

I had the title, now wasn't sure how to proceed.

This morning while searching the net, I found an online class by Joann Sharpe. I find I enjoy her work, so I bought the class. It is a class on art journaling, I am SOOOOOO EXCITED about taking this calss and seeing where it will take me.

Hopefully I will figure out how to post pictures of the pages I make.

Until then, What would be your six words to describe your life's memoir?

My Memories Version 4

2013-01-28T10:15:00.001-06:00

I am SO EXCITED!!!!!!!

My Memories is a digital scrapbooking software that I have been using. They have recently come out with version 4.

Why is this so exciting! This has now opened up a whole new world for me.

This version has a print and cut feature to use with the die cutting machines such as
eclips, Cameo, etc....

Now, instead of having to head down to my local store for embellishments, with the use of my computer, a program like Sure Cuts A Lot, and My Memories 4, I can custom create my scrapbooking!

This is such an advantage for those of us with little space, young children, out in the country.......

My Memories comes with choices of paper, shapes, etc. You can also purchase scrapbooking kits online. Here's what I think is great:

I like the idea of making small scrapbook albums. I'm not ultra creative, so to think of adding embellishments sometimes is over the top and overwhelms me. I am not always sure what colors go together so I am sometimes at a lost.

Now, I buy a scrapbook kit (they have frequent sales) for which I pay about 4.99.

I like to make smaller, sturdier albums, so I buy white heavier card stock. I like using the 110 pound weight, it seems to make the albums stronger.

I open up My Memories, choose to do a blank page. I add my paper make a square or rectangle the size I want, print the background paper. I then cut the paper out. There, one page of background now done!

Say I want to add some journaling to that page. I can use the Word Art feature, make the journaling to look the way I want. I then load my paper into my Eclips machine, I import the word art, and instead of cutting out the the word art, I use the pens and the machine to add the journaling. Viola! A custom made page!

I am so excited to be able to use all these features and to learn more!

My Memories is not so much a photo editing software, and you will not be able to do all the things you can as with photoshop, but for those of us who want to do more with out die cutting machines and scrapbooking, this may be just the thing.

The price is also within reach. Their scrapbooking kits are a reasonable price. They also have great sales, this week I bought many files of word art for 99 cents each.

If interested in this software, there is also a 10.00 off coupon code on my blog.

I also found there customer service very helpful. I was having great difficulty downloading the version4 which I had never had with the previous versions. I have moved, so I thought it was something with my much slower internet. Turned out, it was the way I had my Mac set to download! How Mike from My Memories figured that out for my, I will never know, but he got it working!

I am so excited to take my scrapbooking and die cutting to another level, I hope this will also help others!

Musings

2013-01-07T09:03:00.000-06:00

I am sitting in front of my front window of our new residence, soaking up the warm morning sun, watching the barren trees lightly sway with the morning breeze. Christmas and New Years are now over, the peace and quiet allow me to reflect on the past year, what I hope for the New Year.

The past year has been one of challenges and change. My husband and I have been remodeling this house, having moved in two weeks ago. There is still LOTS to do, but I have a bedroom to sleep in that is 90% finished, and a great bathroom. Walls have been taken down and rebuilt. My son has done an excellent job with the drywall and painting. The color in the living room is quite mellow for me, allows the light from the sun to reflect. Their is a warmth that comes through, even when it is gloomy and dark.

Anyone who has ever tried a remodeling project will attest to the stress it puts on a relationship. There were many times I wanted to just stop and back out, something inside would keep me going. Add to that my chronic pain issues and my sympathetic pain disorder, I'm amazed at how well we have come through this. I hope to post some of my projects, even the mundane such as cleaning the wood furniture.

Not much baking has gone on in the past year in our home. My two biggest baking accomplishments of the year were the wedding cake I made in August, and the baking demos I did at the MN State Fair.

I have enjoyed developing and baking recipes made from cake mixes. One of my goals for the new year, is to come up with a recipe that uses cake mixes, but can be made in small amounts at a time. With families being smaller, a large cake is not always practical.

I will also post more of my scrapbooking projects. I really enjoy spending time making mini albums using my new Eclips die cutting machine, so watch for those in the future.

As we get closer to spring, you will also find gardening tips, stories of my garden. Two summers ago I started a new garden out here, using the Square Foot Gardening method. I am amazed at how well the garden did. This past summer, I had a row that was based on the Lasagna Method, I have never seen tomatoes grow so high with such a huge yield! Looking forward to trying that again this year!

I encourage those reading this, to take advantage of this quiet time in winter, to think back on your past year, to those thing you may want to change, new goals for the next year. This is a great time to sit back and recharge for the busy months ahead..........

Lasagna Garden

2012-09-25T12:14:00.001-05:00

Last year I started a garden on my husbands families farm. We are going to be moving there this December. It is about 20 miles away, so I was not able to be there all the time to give it the watering it needed during this low water past summer. I have 9 beds that are 4x4 which I stared last year as square foot gardens. This past spring I put in a lasagna bed. In the lasagna bed the main things I grew were 12 cherry tomato plants, a few cantaloupe plants and a couple of bean plants.

To our surprise, the cherry tomato plants grew to 8 feet tall! Not only have we had plant growth, from the beginning of July until the frost last week, we were getting at least a 5 quart bucket of tomatoes every other day! In an area where are growing season is so short, never thought I'd actually get melons, we had at least 10 melons that I picked prior to the frost. Phenomenal results!

I am now going to plant the rest of my garden in the lasagna garden. My brother in law has horses, and he grows the hay, so that is readily available to me. In the other beds, I also have the same tomatoes planted, that only got about 2 ft tall.

I found one of the best reasons to do this type of garden, is the way the beds are able to hold in the moisture. Great way to use whatever water is available! The lasagna garden may be the way to garden in the future, giving the way are water situation has been lately. As far as I can tell, instead of pulling all the old plants out of the garden, I just cover them up with hay and let them compost over the winter.

Since I have gone to no soil gardening, one of the pluses is being able to get into the garden as soon as the mixture is thawed. There is no tilling of soil, very little time is spent weeding. as there are very few weeds. I am still able to spend in my garden, instead of spending it pulling weeds, I was able to spend it tending to the vines, planting seeds,etc. Even though a vast portion of my garden froze last week, today I am going to work on getting my garden ready for next spring!

Coming!

2012-09-09T23:06:00.003-05:00

Hello everyone,
Sorry I haven't gotten the recipes up, I've been kinda busy with school and all (SO much homework - even in the first week). I'll get them up as soon as I can! Sorry about the wait!

Maple Pecan Bundt Cake

2012-09-08T20:10:00.002-05:00

Here is my recipe all have been waiting for. Sorry for the long wait. Thanks all for your patience. We ended up camping at the State Fair for two weeks. During that time, we did not have any internet. We also packed up our daughter and got here back off to college. During the fair, there was some sort of viral thing going on, slow moving the past few days since we got back home on Tuesday.

Maple Pecan Bundt Cake

1 yellow cake mix
1 small box instant vanilla pudding
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup maple syrup
3-4 eggs (depends on size of cake mix and moistness desired)
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 325
Place all ingredients in a large bowl. Mix on low speed until all are moistened
Beat at medium speed for 2 minutes
Spray Bundt pan with vegetable oil spray just prior to filling
Pour batter into bundt pan. Batter will be very thick. Even out as much as possible.
Bake @ 325 form 30-60 minutes. Cake is done when toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Let cool in pan for 10 minutes
Put a plate on top of the pan and flip the pan over, so the cake now sits on the plate
Dust top with powdered sugar
ENJOY!

State Fair Recipes

2012-09-08T11:58:00.003-05:00

For all those looking for the State Fair recipes we demoed, will try our best to get them up later today.

Sorry for the long wait!

Sweet Morsels of Life Using the Earth's Bounty

2012-09-05T21:52:00.001-05:00

For the past four months, I have been spending most of my spare time in the garden.

My garden is not overly huge. I have nine beds that are 4x4 feet done in the square gardening way. I have three beds that I started this year that I did in the lasagna gardening manner. I also have numerous boxes done in a homemade earth box. In these various areas I have planted the usual summer garden vegetables- tomatoes, corn, beans, lettuce, cucumbers, potatoes, etc.

In the lasagna garden, I planted 12 cherry tomato plants. I planted the cherry tomatoes, knowing the other varieties would take much longer to harvest, I wanted to be having some tomatoes much sooner. Lo and behold, not only did I start getting the tomatoes over a month ago, they also keep going! The plants have reached over 8 feet tall, with hundreds of bright little tomatoes all over those vines. Every time I go look at my garden, they remind of grape vines. Succulent red fruits that when bitten into, produce an oozing juice.

Having so many tomatoes, have been a challenge. We have given many, many away. I now have in my fridge three 5 quart pails filled with the tasty morsels. My challenge s to find different ways of serving these.

While searching the net, I came across the recipe for roasted cherry tomatoes. I had never thought of roasting the morsels, so I decided to give them a try.

I washed then dried the tomatoes, then placed them on a roasting sheet. I then drizzled olive oil over them, added about six cloves of garlic, mixed all of this together. I placed them in a preheated oven ar 350 degrees for about an hour. After the hour, they were cooked, but I wanted some caramelization
so I turned the oven up to 450 and roasted them for about another 10 minutes.

The result was sweet morsels of tomatoes with just a hint of brown to the tops. I served these succulent morsels over some freshly cooked noodles.

Never would I have thought something so simple would taste so DELICIOUS! The roasting brought out the concentrated sweetness of the little tomatoes.

Just a note- I did leave the tomatoes whole. It made the dish much simpler. Also with leaving them whole, the juice was still slightly encased in the tomato. It also made it a much prettier dish. A small dash of fresh basil or parsley would also add a bit to the presentation.

Enjoy!

Sissix eClips

2012-07-31T11:34:00.000-05:00

So, I finally did it!

I just purchased a Sissix eclips from Svgcuts.com. Best deal I could find after days of searching, also Leo and Mary are some of the nicest people around.

Purchasing the eclips was a very big decision for me. I am a very FRUGAL person. I also have great difficulty buying something like this.

One of the motivators in buying the eclipse- It is a Mothers Day and Birthday present to myself.

Some of the thoughts that had gone thru my mind as I wrestled with this decision:

You have a perfectly good cricut, why do you need another machine...

You ARE remodeling a house, the money should really go for the remodeling project...

Are you really going to use it, or is this just an impulse buy...

You could use the money to do something with the kids....

And, my answers-

Yes, I could use the money on the kids, but they are adults. I could use it to help buy the grandkids their school clothes, they do have parents.

I am remodeling a house, maybe I could use the eclips to make some money to help fund the house.

I am going to use it, I have spent numerous hours making things on the cricut.

The reason for a new machine- I use the SCAL software, which due to difficulties with Provocraft, can no longer be updated to use with the cricut. One of the big problems I have with the cricut, is when I purchase svg files from sources other than svgcuts. com, they sometimes do not work. I have spent numerous hours fiddling around only to find it cut the score lines, didn't align the pages, etc. I know these problems have been fixed by SCAL, only I cannot get the updates to work with the cricut.

I have chronic pain issues, and have found the cricut can be a great distraction for me. There have been many times I have started making things, got so engrossed, I was able to forget about the pain for awhile. It has at times also become a form of meditation for me. I can leave the world and just concentrate on what I am making.

I bought my cricut about 2 1/2 years ago, to make shapes out of fondant to use for cake decorating. A day after I bought it, I was hooked! I had found svgcuts.com the day I bought the cricut, and immediately bought the software to buy the svg files. I have not bought any cartridges during the time I have had the cricut, just numerous files online that I have downloaded.

Why did I pick the eclipse? A scrapbook store about 30 miles away, now carries the eclips supplies. It can also cut fabric for quilting and appliqué, which I also enjoy doing. Another selling point is that I can buy the pen holder, and use various sizes of pens to decorate the objects I cut. This I think was the greatest selling points. I know it cannot cut the variety of materials that other machines can, but it is also one of the few machines that can stand alone and use cartridges as well as software.

I am very excited about the purchase, hopefully it will be here by the weekend! It is supposed to rain this weekend, so I will have time to fiddle around.

I have found that I love to teach, one of the goals I have set for myself is to do some online tutorials for the projects I make. One of my favorite items to make, is mini albums. I spend hours and hours making little mini albums, especially the paper bag ones. I am currently making a wedding one for my nephew, I then want to make a recipe one as a raffle prize at the MN State Fair.

Off now to make the album!

Friday Fish Fry-A Northwoods Tradition!

2012-05-18T20:11:00.000-05:00

Just back from our weekly Friday night fish fry. Once again started me thinkin' on the variety of different fish frys the eateries in our vicinity has to offer.

Fish frys are very popular here in northern Wisconsin. Most bars that serve food also have some version of a fish fry. There are two main thoughts as to how the Friday night fish fry came about. The first has to do with the fisherman. People used to come up and rent cabins for a week at a time. The week went from Saturday to Saturday. On Friday nights, people used to fry up the extra fish, so they would not have to find a way to take it back home. the idea caught on, growing to include the local bars and restaurants. The other theory is the Catholic thing. Catholics could not eat meat on Friday, so if the eateries wanted to attract business, they needed to include some kind of fish on the menu. Now, Catholics weren't too fond of just a piece of baked fish, so the fish was deep fried.

Fish frys are usually some kind of deep fried fish, with a deep fried accompaniment like french fries. Since the population is aging, and so much emphasis is on eating healthy a broiled fish a.k.a Poor Mans Lobster, is also served. This usually is accompanied by a baked potato with some melted butter on the side. Many different kinds of fish are used, the usual being pollock. Some also serve cod or walleye, those usually at a higher price.
Also served with the fish is some kind of a coke slaw. Most are homemade, so the taste of them can vary.

My favorite is the deep fried, whether cod or pollock, usually I can't tell much difference. The main difference is in the breading. Some are bread crumbs, though most are a version of the beer batter.

So, tonight we went to a local bar named "PJ's" which was very good. The fish was hot, well breaded, not much of a beer taste, which I like. It came with soup or coleslaw, I had the soup which was a cheesy potato bacon. They also deep fry their breadsticks, which sounding awful are awesome! My husband had the sweet potato fries, while I had the little spudsters. My daughter was the only rebel, ordering pizza, then having bites of fish from the rest of us.

One of the reasons fish fries are so popular, is that most of them have an all you can eat version,making it a very economical meal. I have made the fish at home a few times, find it is more of a bother and actually costs more than just going out for dinner.

All you other fish fry fans out there, I'd love to here your favorites!

Snow Day!

2012-02-29T12:54:00.000-06:00

Have to admit, I LOVE snow days. While I was walking this morning, the words "silent shroud of snow" crept into my consciousness. Simon and Garfunkl described it just right. There is a stilled silence that comes with the large amount of snow. It covers the trees and ground, hiding what is underneath. It also seems much warmer when we have a big snow. It is as if the snow insulates from the outside world.

During my walk today, I met neighbors I haven't seen. Since all the schools and most businesses are closed, most of us are home today, and shoveling themselves out. Taking the dog for a walk is a joy, I know she is not going to run off into the neighbors yard, since most did not even have the driveways plowed out yet. Do to the fact that even she got stuck in a snow drift, I knew she wasn't going to go far. No need for a leash today! There were very few cars on the road, so I did not have to worry about that either.

There is also a closeness with others that comes out during a storm. It is something that affects us all, there is nothing we can do to stop it. We all just have to wait it out.

Tomorrow all will be back to normal. Schools will be open. Businesses will go about with their everyday tasks. Facebook will have less action, we will be back at work. Funny that this happened on Leap Day. Lots of internet sites are having special sales today, I now have time to look and enjoy them.

It is also "SHOUT OUT" day at St. Catherine'e University in St Paul, Minnesota. I am very lucky my daughter chose to be a part of that community. It is one of the few places that focus on women. Having spent my adulthood as a mother with children around, it was difficult to think of sending her off to college. St Kate's was so welcoming not only to her, but to myself and our family, they made the transition so much easier for us.

Every time I visit the campus, I feel I am a part of the community. St Kates is not only for the students, but also the families. My facebook profile picture was taken at St Kates on the night of Charity Ball, one of the fondest memories I have. Like many of St Kates activities, Charity Ball is a fundraiser for a women's shelter. In a world that is still dominated by males, it is refreshing to find a place offering programs where a woman is allowed to be herself, to grow and blossom into a woman that has value in the universe.

Many thanks and gratitude to the Sisters of St Joseph for the wonderful university. There are no words that can ever express the gratitude I feel for you being there!http://www.facebook.com/st.kates

2012-01-19T15:04:00.000-06:00

Recently I purchased this ground beef log from a local walmart. I purchased it as it was discounted to a price of 8.39. I knew it had a higher fat content, but I was using it for sloppy joes so I could just drain off the excess water and fat.

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Fpl-Food-LLC-73-27-Ground-Beef-5-Lb/15136795
What suprised me, was how much actual fat and liquid where in there!
After I cooked the ground beef, I drained it, then let it sit overnight for the fat and liquids to solidify. I was totally amazed at how much it weighed!

The weight of the fat was 15.4 Ounces and filled a 16 oz dip container. I then weighed the liquids that were left, they weighed 12 ozs. To simplify that means out of the 5 lbs, 1 3/4 pound was fat and liquid. That means the ground beef weighed 3 1/4 pound.
When looking a the package, it seems like a great deal at 8.39 for 80 ounces (5 lbs) the cost is about 10 cents an ounce, or 1.60 a pound. When the amount of fat and water are taken out, the price is now about 16 cents an ounce or 2.58 a pound, which is just about a dollar higher!

The regular price on this somewhere around 11.00. Paying full price, it would come out to about 3.38 for a pound! An astonishing price for those thinking they are getting a good deal.

As our food prices continue to escalate, in order to stretch our food dollar, we need to have an increased awareness of what we are buying, and the quality of that product. For the purpose of the ground beef, and at the price I paid, I am ok with what I found. Had I paid the full price, I would have been a very disgruntled shopper. Would I ever buy this product again? After this, probably not. I usually buy chuck roasts and grind them myself, that way I can control the amount of fat I have added to the product. For those unable to grind their own meat, then buying a more expensive product might not be such a bad idea!

By the way, for those that are wondering, the taste was just fine for what I made.

Scrapbook Mini Album

2012-01-15T12:09:00.001-06:00

Yesterday Mary and I spent the day teaching a 4h group how to make a very simple Scrapbook Mini Album. It looks quite complicated, but is so EASY! We all had a great time! We figure about 10 different scrapbooks were made. Not suprisingly, one of the most popular paper packs were the Halloween one I still had. Great fun was had by all. Pictures coming soon!

Life, Death and in between..........

2012-01-02T23:14:00.001-06:00

Tonight my daughter and I went to see the movie "We Bought a Zoo." It is one of the best movies I have seen in a very long time. I don't wan to ruin the movie for anyone, so this all may seem kinda vague to those of you who have not seen it.

During the movie, I started thinking about death. All that is born, must some time pass on. This may not come at a time that is convenient, thoughtful, or best for everyone. With death, there is usually some sort of sadness, both by those passing, and by those that will remain here.

The movie got me thinking about a time this past July. I have been struggling with pain difficulties for almost three years now. The pain has changed my life and my families life in ways that no one can imagine. It is a result of an accident that occurred. A flash second in time that changed our lives forever.

This past June I had a particularly horrendous flare up. By the beginning of July I was hoping for death. I was not suicidal or anything like that, but if death was to come, it is something I would have welcomed. With the help of many medical professions, and my loving family, I got through it and am still here today. Some days are good, some are awful, but I try to take each day at a time and go from there.

The reason I thought about this time in my life during the movie, it recalled to me that life is an adventure. Something to be lived each moment to the best of our ability. At times, maybe the best we can give is not even getting out of bed, just staying put for the day. Other days we may be filled with life and able to be there for others. Life and the movie, are also about LOVE and overcoming obstacles. There will be many times in our lives that we may feel it unsurmountable to overcome the obstacles in our lives. We do not always receive the results we had planned on, most of the time the results are better than we could have thought.

During this coming year, when the obstacles become too much for us to bear, may we realize that we are loved by at least ONE, we are never alone!

Goals for the New Year!

2012-01-01T21:38:00.002-06:00

I was listening to public radio last week, the guest had written a book on willpower. It was such an appropriate topic for me, especially at this time of year. It seems on New Years a lot of us like to make all kinds of goals for the upcoming year. Most of us fail at these, and according to this gentleman, there is a reason why!http://onpoint.wbur.org/2011/09/19/willpower

According to his research, we each have just so much willpower, and when we use it, it is GONE! So, if you are really trying to not have donuts, the first one in the morning will be easy to pass up. But, if you keep being tempted by donuts all day, unless you have done something to build up your willpower, by the end of the day, chances are you will fail!

My hope for the year is to grow this blog. I'm trying to have my daughters post also. One of my daughters is in Germany, does more baking than I do lately. She is noted for her cheesecakes, YUM!
The other Merry Baker, has also been baking a lot, we just need to have the discipline to sit down and write about it.

My wish for all of you is to have a PEACEFUL coming year. We may not always get what we want or hope for. Events we feel are BAD and UNFAIR will continue to come into our lives. Life will be all around us-both the good and the bad. Some days it may be extra hard to even just get out of bed. But, in all of this, may we find the strength to go on, the determination that may be needed some days to just put one foot in front of the other and keep going. Realize we are surrounded by love and warmth. No matter how devastating it may seem, there are people in our lives who love us and are there for us, if we let them assist us. With this universal love may we find PEACE in our hearts!

Halloween Time!

2011-10-23T21:05:00.002-05:00

I have been spending LOTS of my time with my Cricut. I use SCAL and svg files for my paper crafting. Instead of buying cartridges, I buy SVG files over the internet. Last week, I bought two sets of files to make albums with. Through this process, I have found that not all of the files work as well as they should. This is very discouraging, as I usually spend many wasted hours trying to get things to work.

I would like to say, the files from svgcuts.com are some of the best I have ever had. Over the past year and a half since I started this, I have purchased many, many files from various companies. The ones from svgcuts work with SCAL, are usually easily resizable, and, best of all, lots of the files include video directions on how to correctly put them together!

This weekend, ny daughter and grandkids came for a visit. As usual, I heard the "I'm BORED" from my 11 year old grandson. So, what did I do? I cut out the haunted house from the Elmhurst Hollow set. There were many pieces, so my daughter helped him out with putting it together. It took a couple of hours for the first one to get together, but was well worth it. The haunted house even has an open area in the back for which to add the lights! My daughter put a second one together today, which went much quicker.

As great as the Haunted Houses turned out, the family time spent together was PRICELESS, something my grandkids will not forget!

Minnesota State Fair!

2011-09-02T21:39:00.001-05:00

Got back from the fair today. Will be home two days, then back again on Sunday. I have been asked many times, "What do you do at the fair all those days?"

Here's a general run done of the day:

My day starts out at the Farmers Union for coffee. I enjoy sitting, watching people go by, having a biscotti, while I look over the daily schedule to see what I might like to do. If I am there later in the morning, the music will have started, so I can listen to that also. They had an awesome band last weekend. Think they were called the "Music Mountain Men".
After coffee, I usually take a stroll. Just like the coupons in the coupon books are in zones, I also like to cover the fair in zones. So depending on what music I want to listen to or food I want to eat, that is where I go. I usually end up in Heritage Square for the 11:45 show.
The rest of the day is spent in much the same way. Strolling through the fair, listening to music, trying new foods, speaking with old (and newly made) friends.

A few of the highlights so far:
Winning the dance contest during the pre show warm up for Twin Cities Live! I won a Tshirt and a twenty dollar gift card! I beat out two younger guys!

The Midtown Men show at the Leine stage last night was one of the best shows I have ever seen. When the guys were singing, it felt like they were peering straight into my heart!

The group Rubber Soul who was at the International Bazaar stage. They did Beatles music.

Late night Reubens from O"Gara's are the best! It is nice to have something besides deep fried foods. They also have music going until 10:30 pm.

If you have only a short period of time, don't forget to check out the trampoline act. Never thought those stunts could be done!

Saving the best for last-don't forget the baking and cooking demos at the Saint Agnes Kitchen in creative activities building. Four demos a day. Lots of great info!

State Fair Demos and Recipes

2011-08-29T21:28:00.000-05:00

Hey guys! This is Mary, the famous daughter (Also known as Mary Klecko). Anyway, I apologize for not posting these reciepes sooner, I was having some internet/blog issues.

The recipe for my ableskivers is:

2 eggs separated
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 1/2 tsp. sugar
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp. tsp. baking powder
1 cup milk
1/4 tsp. salt.

In medium bowl beat egg yolks until light in color, stir in sugar. Stir together remaining dry ingredients; add to egg mixture. Alternately with milk. Mix in oil, in a separate bowl beat egg whites until stiff; fold into batter. Bake aebleskiver as directed. Yields about 28.

Tip: Aebleskiver may be filled with 1 small slice of fresh apple, a small cube of cheese or 1 tsp. of jam.

(This is the website we found it on: http://www.aebleskiver.com/Recipes.htm )

My mom's Ice Cream Kolacky recipe is:

Ingredients

1 pint vanilla ice cream
2 cups butter
4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup fruit preserves, any flavor

Directions

Add flour to butter or margarine and crumble in pastry blender. Add ice cream to crumbled mixture and, using dough hooks, work into dough. (If you don't have dough hooks, use your hands. Rubber gloves will help cut down the cold temperature from the ice cream.) When dough is smooth, shape into ball and refrigerate overnight.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Roll dough to about 1/8-inch thickness on a floured surface. Using the rim of a glass dipped in flour, cut out circles. Place on a cookie sheet and make a thumbprint in center of each. Fill thumbprints with 1/2 teaspoon fruit filling.
Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 20 minutes. Sprinkle with confectioners' sugar when cool. Eat and enjoy!

Taken from http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/ice-cream-kolacky/detail.aspx

I hope you enjoyed our demos and had a great time at the fair!

Off to the Minnesota State Fair

2011-08-22T12:40:00.000-05:00

On Wednesday August 24 th, Mary and I are heading over to the Minnesota State Fair. We were very lucky to once again get a campsite on the fairgrounds. YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!!

When we tell people we are going to the fair, so many times we are asked "What do you do for all those days?"
(this year we will be at the fair for 9 days). Our answer is "Go to the Fair!" Yes, it is possible to spend nine days at the fair, and not see all the animals or the shows. The Mn Fair has so much entertainment and activities it is difficult to get to them all.

Besides all the entertainment stages, there are numerous other vendors who have live music. One of my favorite things to do is to go to the Farmers Union building for coffee in the morning. I sit in the coffee shop area and do my knitting while listening to live music that usually begins about 10 am. At 11:00 starts the live cooking demo at the St Agnes Kitchen in the Creative Activities building. After that, it is time to wander around for a snack. Then, back to the St Agnes Kitchen for the 1:00 pm demo. After that demo, it is time to go outside and wait for the 2:00 parade.

After the parade, is the show "Twin Cities Live" that is a daily show by one of the TV stations. Sometimes, you can also get free food!

During the day there are also the Lumberjack shows, dog shows, as well as shows in the honey area. There are also tours of the animals in the barn buildings. And, don't forget-the butter carvings in the dairy area!

One of the most exciting things to watch over the days are the animals born in the Miracle of Life Center. Each year calves, piglets, ducks, chickens, goats and lambs are brought into the world in front of all to see.
They do a wonderful job with the births and the caring for all the animals.

Add to all this the new sing along, rides, vendors etc, there is way too much for us to see in 9 days!

Peanut Butter Pie for Mikey

2011-08-11T10:22:00.001-05:00

The plus side of our vast use of technology, is how fast info can now travel. When you stop and think, it is truly amazing how we have come together as a global society. With facebook, we can become friends with people we never would have been able to meet. As we sit nestled in our little spaces we call home, we are part of a world wide community our parents could never have dreamed about. We are able to partake in events that a few years ago, we would never be apart of.

While on facebook the other day, through a post, I learned of a sudden death of a person I have never known. Even though I have never known this person, or his immediate family, I was touched by the postings of his wife. It got me thinking of how I would be if my husband suddenly past away. Sometimes I need those little reminders of how precious life can be.

Tomorrow, has been dedicated to her late husband Mikey. The tribute is to make a peanut butter pie and share it with your friends and family. Here is the link:
http://www.injennieskitchen.com/2011/08/for-mikey.html
In case the link does not work, here is her posting of the peanut butter pie:

Creamy Peanut Butter Pie
Serves 10 to 12
8 ounces chocolate cookies
4 tablespoons butter, melted
4 ounces finely chopped chocolate or semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup chopped peanuts
1 cup heavy cream
8 ounces cream cheese
1 cup creamy-style peanut butter
1 cup confectioner's sugar
1 – 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
Add the cookies to the bowl of a food processor and pulse into fine crumbs. Combine melted butter and cookie crumbs in a small bowl, and stir with a fork to mix well. Press mixture into the bottom and 1-inch up the sides of a 9-inch springform pan.
Melt the chocolate in a double boiler or in the microwave. Pour over bottom of cookie crust and spread to the edges using an off-set spatula. Sprinkle chopped peanuts over the melted chocolate. Place pan in the refrigerator while you prepare the filling.
Pour the heavy cream into a bowl and beat using a stand mixer or hand mixer until stiff peaks form. Transfer to a small bowl and store in refrigerator until ready to use. Place the cream cheese and peanut butter in a deep bowl. Beat on medium speed until light and fluffy. Reduce speed to low and gradually beat in the confectioner's sugar. Add the sweetened condensed milk, vanilla extract and lemon juice. Increase speed to medium and beat until all the ingredients are combined and filling is smooth.
Stir in 1/3 of the whipped cream into the filling mixture (helps lighten the batter, making it easier to fold in the remaining whipped cream). Fold in the remaining whipped cream. Pour the filling into the prepared springform pan. Drizzle the melted chocolate on top, if using, and refrigerate for three hours or overnight before serving.

I will be making my pie this afternoon, all are welcome to join us. It would be great fun if people would take pictures of their pies, and their sharing it with others!

Happy Pie Making!

Using your Cricut

2011-08-08T03:21:00.000-05:00

One of my favorite pastimes is using my Cricut machine. I originally purchased it to use on cake decorating, but found I was having so much fun making cards and albums, I never did set it up for the cakes. Now there is a Cricut cake machine, I have not yet crossed over to buying that machine.

After I purchased the Cricut, I found I would spend alot of money buying all those cartridges. Being the frugal person I am, I thought, there must be a better way!

Lo and behold, I found the Sure Cuts Alot Software. It is a software that makes svg files usable on the Cricut. Due to difficulties with Provo Craft, they are now unable to sell this software for the Cricut, but they do sell the software to be used with other machines.

One if the best things about using this software, is the ability to buy svg files on the internet, store them as files on your computer, rather than needing cartridges.

One of the best places I have found for svg files is SVG Cuts.com. You can get to their website by clicking the banner on this page. What attracted me to them in the first place, is all the wonderful videos on how to use the software. Also, in learning ot use the software, I also learned my way around the computer better.

I will try to post some of the items I make, so you can see just how beautiful they are!

Summer Time!

2011-07-29T15:48:00.000-05:00

Looked at my blog today, realized I had not posted anything since April! How DOUBLY NAUGHTY of me! It dawned on me, that I also have not done much baking since then! Now that summer is here, I have been spending lots of time outside. Up here in the Northwoods, our summer is very short, better enjoy while we can.

When I started this blog two years ago, it was with the thought of using primarily for our baking. In the past two years, many things have changed. Now that I have chronic pain issues, it is difficult to spend as much time as I had been baking. Instead, I spend time making cards and albums using my Cricut machine. It seems I can get lost for hours making something, just like I did when I baked.

Since my pain issues have kind taken over my life, I have had to reassess my goals, plans and ambitions. There are days when just getting out of bed is a major accomplishment! I am trying to have as much of a life as I can, with a tendency to do way too much, with the crash that follows.

With that in mind, I will be posting more often, just on other aspects of my life that have become predominate. Baking ideas will be posted, along with some of my other designs.

Check back soon, you never know what you may find next!

Snow in April!

2011-04-16T21:00:00.000-05:00

The calendar may say April 16th, but by the snow outside, it looks more like November! Not wanting to go out into the snow today, I asked my husband to stop at the store and bring something home for me to make for dinner. I know, asking him to do something like that was asking for BIG TROUBLE, but I really did not want to go out, nor did I have any idea what to make.

I was mildly suprised when he came home with four small, very thin round steaks. Each was about a quarter of a pound. Now, round steaks can be very good tasting, I just have a knack for overcooking them and turning them into to shoe leather, so I rarely buy them myself.

So, here I was staring at these little steaks, My husband of course, felt very proud of himself at bringing these home. As he was explaining to me why he chose these little morsels of red meat, I imagined him being the prehistoric hunter bringing food home to his family.

As I sat thinking of what I could possibly make with these to make them into the delectable morsels he imagined, I thought of beef stroganoff. I thought I needed mushrooms for that, so it was out of the question.
I decided on a beef stew made with my pressure cooker. For those who do not use a pressure cooker, it is one of the best items to have in a kitchen. The new ones are very safe, and cook foods in a fraction of the time. Into the pressure cooker went a can of diced tomatoes, some celery, carrots, potatoes and onions along with the round steak which I cut into smaller pieces, minced garlic and beef broth. While the stew was cooking, I made drop cheddar biscuits using my favorite White Lily self rising flour.

Forty five minutes after deciding what I wanted to make, we were sitting at the table eating dinner. My husband commented on how tender the round steak was. Guess this one was a success!

Now, time to start thinking of my Easter baking!

Lunch at the feeder!

2011-03-02T16:40:00.000-06:00

We have had birdfeeders in our front yard for the past 12 years. The feeder is in front of my living room window, where I can sit and watch the birds while I drink my morning coffee. In the mornings, I can tell when it is really cold, the birds so not show up until the temp goes above zero.

Since I feed the birds sunflower, I also have many squirrels that come to visit. I have tried many tricks to keep the squirrels off the feeders, the one that works the best is putting hot sauce all over the feeders.

This afternoon my dog started barking frantically, I knew by her bark that the hot sauce must have worn off, and the squirrels were out there. I was sitting in another room, so I did not know for sure what the commotion was. But I figured from her bark that there must have been 2-3 of them feasting on my sunflower seeds.

When I went to the window, I saw the squirrels, at first only two- a black and a gray. Then, I spotted the third- an albino squirrel! Last spring and fall I had thought I saw one in the woods, never could get close enough to get a good look.

Now, I’ve had my look! I rushed to get my camera and get some pictures. Not an easy feat with the dog barking all the while. The dog could sense my excitement, no way was she going to settle down and be quite.

Here are some pictures I would like to share. Please do not make copies, or send to others. Rather, link them to this page. Thanks!