Yellow Spot Sun

My cake- In Print

2012-12-04T11:20:00.000-08:00

Just happened to be recognized by Distinctly Oklahoma Magazine. :)

Distictly Oklahoma Magazine

My entry for OSSAS 2012

2012-10-04T14:19:00.000-07:00

The Oklahoma State Sugar Art Show and Grand National Wedding Cake Competition 2012

So here is my creation for Hats, Headbands, and Headgear!

I hand rolled each brick and set it in to its specific place to recreate the pattern found on the Doge's Palace walls. The outside panels are "english paneling" with royal icing stringwork and fondant accents.

Winged lions sit on top of my top hat tier. Rice paper feathers and "venetian glass" hat pins poke out from behind the golden broach.

More rice paper feathers. Hand piped filigree on the gumpaste mask, English Panels, figure piped cherub, fondant molded accents, hand made flowers..

I still need to go through my pictures of all the entries but I'll have some to post soon!

This was a monster of a job.. I had several panels break during transit- despite the safe guards that were in place.. My cherubs were also holding bows and arrows.. I'm a bull in a china shop sometimes...

I got some great feedback and I came home with "finalist" I'm not sure what that means exactly. One lady told me it was the top ten while another told me it could be up to top 11. Either way, its only my 4th month of decorating cakes so I'm excited to have walked away with that! Next year, I will have had this experience behind me and will be able to better prepare.

Special Thank you to The CakePro Caddy

These guys carried my ginormous cake up and down the halls of the QT center and they even lugged it half a mile to my car!

2012-07-06T18:07:00.001-07:00

Many apologies.
RBM is super busy with creating a winning cake.. See you in October..

Yeah, my cake is that epic.

Healthy Snacks

2012-03-29T14:24:00.000-07:00

If you love ice cream....
and

if you love bananas....

Boy, are you gonna love this!

This is my secret weapon when it comes to tasty treats and healthy snacks. You can make this ice cream with only one ingredient.

Yes! Only ONE ingredient!

Here's what you will need:

bananas (usually the older spotted ones taste better) 6 bananas= about 1 pint
food processor or blender
flavors.. (I'll get to that later)

Spotted bananas taste sweeter for this recipe

And here's what you do"

Chop up your nanners in to chunks. I've found that cutting them in to thirds is sufficient enough for my processor but you may have to chop them smaller for appliances with less power.

small chunks of banana

Put your chopped bananas in to freezer bags and allow to thoroughly freeze.

Once frozen, put your banana chunks into the processor and turn that sucker on! You may have to use the "pulse" function (or similar) to keep the bananas from getting stuck. Your nanners should go through a couple stages...

The first being chunky bits of banana that I've heard described as "banana gravel."

After that, it goes through a pasty stage with chunks and bits here and there.

And finally to the last stage, your mixture should start to become creamy and look like soft serve ice cream.

I portion my ice cream into reusable cupcake cups and freeze them for single serving use!

This is probably a good point to talk about flavors!

So I've been making banana ice cream for a while and I've collected a few flavors along the way..

**(All the ingredients are "per 6 bananas")

Banana Peanut Butter and Honey
Add 1 tbs peanut butter and either mix in a big squeeze of honey or drizzle a little over top.

Reese's Banana Ice Cream
Add 1/2 c of chopped reese's peanut butter cups. Drizzle with chocolate sauce.. :)

Chocolate Hazelnut
1+ 1/2 tbs Nutella.

Banana Rum Raisin
1/2c raisins (chocolate covered work too)
1/2 tsp rum flavoring

Banana Cream
1/2 whipped topping (honey adds more flavor too!)

Strawberry Banana
1/2c chopped strawberries (frozen strawberries blend well in processor/blender or hand mix for fresh)

At any rate, get creative! You can have ice cream for breakfast now! Remember its only bananas!
Okay you wonderful interwebbers, Thanks for being patient with me while I "get well soon." See ya next time!

Coconut Spiral Sugar Cookies

2012-03-28T08:16:00.000-07:00

I'm sure you've seen these.

I wanted to try my hand at spiral cookies but I wasn't so pleased with many of the recipes.. So much work! And using a food processor to make them.. ugh.

So here is my solution! Green Spiral Coconut Cookies with a crispy brown sugar rim.
note: The brown sugar will cause the cookies to spread a bit.. use candy confetti or sprinkles as a substitute if you want a decorative rim like most of the pictures found lurking on Google. :)

Green Spiral Coconut Sugar Cookies

3/4 cup flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
3/8 tsp baking soda... (1/4+1/8)
1/4 cup white sugar (or sucanat, coconut sugar, or evaporated cane juice)
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 and 1/2 tbs milk (goat milk is amazing here! add coconut milk for extra flavor)
1/4 cup coconut oil
green food coloring

This makes a very small batch. I recommend either doubling the recipe or making 2 separate batches and coloring one of them green(or blue or yellow etc..)

Instructions:
Combine dry ingredients and mix very, very well. In a separate bowl,soften the coconut oil , then stir in vanilla and milk. Pour dry into wet and mix again.
If you have doubled the recipe; split it in half add food coloring to one batch.

Roll out each batch separately onto wax paper. You should have two sheets of cookie dough, one green and one.. cookie colored..

Refrigerate dough until firm.

remove wax paper and stack your dough sheets on top of one another.
(I sprinkled some colored sugar on the innermost layer {the top}to give it an extra splash of color.)

Once your dough is pliable, roll it into a log. Continue rolling your dough gently on a hard smooth surface to squeeze out any air pockets and make sure the cookies come out in neat little circles. This is also the time to roll your log into any decorative stuff you wish. I used colored brown sugar because I like the caramelized taste of brown sugar... nom nom!

Slice and bake in a 325F preheated oven for 9 minutes. They will look very underdone when you take them out, but that’s ok!! Just let them cool for 5 minutes before touching.

Now go get creative! Mothers' Day is coming up... :)

Have a wonderful day! and I will see you soon with more March Green Madness!

T-shirt Rug

2012-03-27T18:11:00.000-07:00

Recycled T-shirt Rug

Cat bed

0_o

So you've had a few jobs, ran a couple marathons, got involved in the community, gave blood, got lots of ugly clothes for X-mas, or etc, AND got the t-shirt. Didn't you? :)

Yeah, me too! I looovee t-shirts! Its sort of my unofficial uniform.. So anyhow, I've got tons of t-shirts. And even more that I don't wear anymore for one reason or another.. Who wants to wear old work shirts around?.. (unless you're going for that dirty trucker look or calling it vintage or you just like free shirts)

Old work shirts

Its a good thing I had so many because it takes a lot of shirts for this project. I had to keep adding more shirts so eventually I lost count as to how many there were... oops.

So here's what we are doing.. Get yourself a big shirt (at least half the size of the rug you want) and cut it open so it will lay flat. I used the back of an old band shirt that was way to big.

Next, cut small slits in to your "master shirt." Make rows and columns of these slits either all at once or cut them as you go, as I did. The slits should be half an inch at most. Remember its t-shirt/cotton so it stretches and tears easily. Space each slit about 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch apart. Don't forget to leave allowances on the edges.. especially if you are going to finish it with a border or something fancy like that.

Now is a good time to start cutting up your t-shirts too. Make strips about 1inch x 6 inches long. It saves time to cut them all up at the beginning. After you have your strips cut, they can be dyed. Its much easier to dye them now rather then later when the rug is complete.

The cool design on the back

Insert one end of your strip into a slit on the bottom of the "master shirt" and the other end into the next slit. You should have made a "U" shape with your strip. Insert the next strip into the same slit as the 2nd end of the 1st strip. The end of the new strip should be inserted into the next available slit down the row. Now you should have made a "W" shape with your 2 strips. You should have strips coming out of 3 slits at this point. Continue on down the row.

If you wish to tie your strips together; after completing poking t-shirt through the slits, tie that row and then continue poking in the next row. If you wait to tie your strips together until all your strips are woven, it will be "puttineer" impossible to find each set.
I chose to tie each strip to the next instead of tying each strip around the master shirt...

Eventually, You will come up with something that looks like a big pile of t-shirt strips.. But in an "I made that" and "It feels so good" kind of way! I think, since this rug is so multi-colored and doesn't match anything in the house.. oops, I will give this one to the cat. I think she has already commandeered it as I have caught her several times stretched out over it.

So good luck! This is such a fun project for almost any age!

Expectant mothers could make for baby

kids could make with outgrown clothes

anyone could make for cool gift

stress relieving to make

time consuming for sick or immobile people

yada yada...

Anyhow, I'm not finished yet. I have to wait until M.J. -the cat- decides to move so I can work on it again!

Have a lovely day filled with all things delicious and fragrant! :)

Painting

2012-03-27T15:20:00.000-07:00

So I suppose I need to start this post off with an apology... :)
I was sick. Now I'm not. I have a bunch of March posts that need to go up.. March is almost over. -_-
So I'm extending March Green Madness into April! Sorry. :)

This post isn't really about being green though. I just thought I would show you what I have been doing while.. not doing anything...

This is my newest project. I am hoping it will inspire me and help me remember my dreams. I have a dream book that hasn't gotten enough attention lately and I wanted to bring that to my waking attention. So here is what I have so far: And no.. its not finished. :)

It says "Where do you go when you dream?"

I also just wanted to see how the progress was coming along in a side by side kinda way..:

"When you"

Crater face..

So there you have it. I have to put this one away for a while because I just got commissioned to do a bunch of nautical themed paintings for a sea-side condo. fun. fun..

So anyhow, get ready for a bunch of posts all at once.. I had them all planned and I'll be bushwhacked if I don't get em posted!

Have a wonderful day! And do something creative and inspiring today! You'll love it!

Newspaper Seed Cups

2012-03-16T08:14:00.000-07:00

Newspaper Seed Pots

So last year, just before planting time, I purchased a bulk amount of seed pots to start our veggies in. I think I used about 15 of them. That may sound like alot, but out of 250 it was just a waste of money. I purchased 2 different sizes. I could not tell you what sizes they were now, however. Each cost about 10-15 cents each. (depending on size) But since I live out in the "Boonies," as its lovingly called, I had to have them shipped to me. (add $25.00 to the total..) All in all, I won't purchase plastic pots again. They turned out to be pretty inconvenient. I had to keep moving my plants to bigger pots or just to the ground, and I found that that procedure tended to be a bit stressful on the plants. It can't be too much fun having your roots broken up and thrust into new earth.

Apologies, I seem to be rambling... or ranting. So I should get to the point and show you how to make these nifty little pots. The coolest thing about them, you can pop them straight into the ground.. No bustin' up roots! (I like to pull off the bottom part of the newspaper when planting but its up to you)

Materials:

Newspaper (plain boring newspaper. Not high color glossy adverts.)

a can ( about 16 oz or any other desired "size")
scissors

First, you'll need one big sheet of newspaper. Use the scissors to cut your sheet in half down the center crease.

Next, you'll need to fold your sheet lengthwise in a tri-fold. Much like folding a letter.

Now, it's time to roll up your can using the newspaper. Remember that you have to pull the can out of your new pot so don't roll it too tightly.

Leave enough extra newspaper at the bottom so that you can fold it up to cover a little more than half way up the can. Let me try that again.. You'll want enough newspaper to measure 1/4 inch more than the radius of the can. I hope that makes sense.. Trial and error will help if my wording is too.. fuddled. :)

Continue rolling your can until you have exhausted your supply of newsprint.

Now it's time to fold up the bottom.

See how the newspaper covers the radius plus about 1/4 inch? Continue folding in this manner until you can stand your can upright on your folds. Then remove your can and you should have a newspaper cup!

Fill with seed starting mix or whatever your grow medium of choice is, add seeds, water.. and

Tada!
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I hope you found this helpful. Its funny how the simplest things can be right in front of your face, but being tv programmed tells me I should try buying expensive plastic pots before anything homemade could ever work... funny.

So get out and garden today. Put away your tv box and get some sun! :) Ramble ramble.. I know.. sorry. Have a great day filled with all things delicious and fragrant!

A Curious State of Affairs

2012-03-14T16:01:00.000-07:00

I dare say curious, indeed. Check out Henry (ahn-rhee) balancing delicately on the tip of one of the plants in the aquarium. I've been feeling a bit like Henry lately. Swaying in the current, and all the while, performing my own delicate balancing act consisting of day to day duties and being sick. My apologies for being so blunt. It seems as though, with the coming of gorgeous spring-like weather, I have fallen a bit ill.

Strangely, my spirits have not followed suit. My garden has gotten on just fine without me. In fact, the heavens themselves have opened up and enriched and softened the soils while I could not. It rained for 3 days but never flooded any of the newly planted beds. The chickens have had a marvelous time pecking and scratching for worms and other creatures that have ventured forth from their flooded dwellings. Everyone is happy and healthy and the Earth keeps spinning and hurtling through space at unimaginable speeds. I was not completely useless though..

I have made newspaper cups for sprouting the season's seeds. I should have the tutorial up tomorrow. I also finished the green spiral coconut sugar cookies that I intend to have posted by the end of the week as well. I'm super excited to share those with you, they made me happy when I (probably shouldn't have had them) was feeling particularly ill and not my usual Radio Birdtastic self.

Sneak peek at unbaked coconut sugar spiral cookies

In the mean time, I hope you are well and have found time for a good book. Truly a blessing it is to have the time to read for pleasure's sake. Now go have a wonderful Wednesday!

Turkey Croquette Recipe

2012-03-08T14:53:00.000-08:00

Turkey Croquette Recipe

I made a turkey dinner for friends this past week and PHEW! I am all turkey-ed out. But I still had some left overs.. What to do.. What to do.. Most of what was left was turkey and mashed potatoes..

I thought about the crab cakes I used to make when I worked for a pub and wondered if I could do something similar with turkey.. Turns out.. yes! I introduce you to Turkey Croquettes. These are like a whole Turkey day dinner rolled into a cute little ball.

Here's what you'll need:

For the Croquettes

2 cups finely minced turkey
1 cup mashed potatoes
1 tbs chopped parsley
1/4 tsp pepper

For the sauce:

2 tbs butter
6 green onions (thinly sliced)
1 clove garlic (minced)
4 tbs flour
1/4 cup chicken or turkey broth
1/4 cup milk
1/2 tsp salt

For the coating:

1/2 cup flour
2 eggs (large lightly beaten w/ 1 tbs water)
2 cup finely ground bread crumbs or panko

optional:
cranberry sauce or turkey gravy

Now, what to do.. what to do...:

Combine turkey, mashed potatoes, parsley and pepper

Melt the butter in pan over medium heat.
Add green onions and cook, stirring for 1 minute.
Add flour and blend until smooth

Stir in broth and milk and stir for 2 minutes.
Add salt and combine with turkey mixture.
Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours.

Shape mixture into ! 1/2 inch balls.

Roll balls in 1/2 cup of flour then dip into the eggs and coat with bread crumbs.

Let stand for 45 minutes.

Now there are 2 different methods of cooking:
Bake:
@ 350 for 20-30 minutes or until slightly browned

Fry:
Heat oil to 360 degrees. Fry balls for 1-2 minutes until golden brown.

Baking may dry out the croquettes but thats easily countered with the help of cranberry sauce or turkey gravy!

At any rate, These are super yummy and really easy to make. I hope you will enjoy them as much as I do!

Now go have a wonderful day filled with all things delicious and fragrant!

Homemade Gel Air Fresheners

2012-03-06T08:36:00.000-08:00

DIY Gel Air Fresheners

I would start this post with some cheesy anecdote about smelly bathrooms or something... But I think you came here to learn a little something.. So let's get to it shall we!?

Ok, Here's what you will need:

Heat-proof jars. Such as canning jars or candle jars..

Food colouring

Essential oils

4 envelopes of Knox powdered gelatin (1 oz)

2 cups cold water

A Tbs of salt or vodka (to keep from molding)

OK, Here's what you do:

Add a few drops of essential oil to each of your jars. (More oil = more scent) I use about 30 drops of oil per 1/2 pint) And add a couple drops of colour. You don't need much food colouring. 2 drops or so should do it. Set these aside.

Bring 1 cup of water to a boil and add the gelatin. Whisk until smooth. Add the salt (or vodka) and the 2nd cup of cold water and whisk until smooth.

Quickly pour the hot mixture into your prepared jars and stir. Now, just allow these to cool and set into their new gelatinous form and you've got yourself some Homemade Air Fresheners!

For my first batch I used plain lavender oil which smelled wonderful! These are so great because they are really cheap and you can put them in virtually any container you want. Makes stashing a little smell good in corners and tight spaces so much easier! And even better than stashing these is displaying them proudly as conversation pieces. You can really dress up this project by decorating your jars to match your decor. I've got a sparkly black and white bathroom that could use a little "mirror ball" type jar filled with smelly goodness!

Oh! Let me send you over to this wonderful site:

Tasty Kitchen

The recipe is the same but she gives you oil recipes for making specific smells such as

Rosemary Orange

Pine scented

Essense of Province

And if you need help finding oils...

Hobby Lobby and Micheals I hear have them..

I found a great set of aromatherapy oils that I, myself, am going to pick up. I'll show you how to use them in candles later on. For now, Click the picture for more info.

Top 6 100% Pure Therapeutic Grade Basic Sampler Essential Oil Gift Set- 6/10 ml (Eucalyptus, Lavender, Lemongrass, Orange, Peppermint, Tea Tree)

And, in sticking to my green theme... Here's a tip.

You can use 2oz of Orange oil to 2 gallons of water as an ant repellant. (heh.. repel-ant.. English is so fun sometimes) Just pour over the mound for 2-3 days and watch the ants line up to leave..

The ants go marching one by one...

Check that out! I bet you could see that line of ants from space! But, I just hope you can see it from the interwebs. ;)

There were so many that they dug trenches trying to escape the smell of orange.

OK, That's all I've got for you today. I've been super busy lately. The garden is HUGE this year.. So that's taking forever.. I'm painting again.. That's taking forever too. :) And a myriad of other things going on. Oh! I still need to brag about purple potatoes..

Row upon row of them. fun!

Well, time to get back to it! Have a wonderful day!

Answers with the Astral Bag Lady

2012-03-04T17:32:00.000-08:00

Answers

with

The Astral Bag Lady

Questions?

Duh.. Everyone has questions.. Questions about love and life. Questions about employment or heh.. unemployment. Questions about career changes or career choices. Questions about the people in our lives or the ones we've lost. Questions about just about everything...

I know of someone with answers.

There is an amazing woman out there in interweb land and I hope you will familiarize yourself with her today. Her name is Rev. Linda Newman. And she is a drummer. :)

I first heard about Rev. Newman through my work. Well, sort of.. I found her radio show

Answers with The Astral Bag Lady

while I was supposed to be working... And I was hooked! Such wonderful advice! ALL THE TIME! The Rev has some wisdom in her. Trust me.

Here's the short info about the show from CBS New Sky Radio.

Join Tom and Linda for Answers on Thursday’s from 6-8 PM, ET

This is a LIVE CALL IN Show!

Join Linda and Tom for fun, uplifting and empowering conversation. “Answers is a forum to bring love, awareness and fun to people who desire it is a wonderful calling!” Reverend Linda Newman and I take that very seriously. Well, not all that seriously. Laughter is an important component of Answers. We like it like that and hope you do too. Call us for fun dose of reality!

Rev. Linda Newman

But this isn't the coolest thing about this lady..

Check out

Mother Peace Drumming

How cool is that!?! Since learning about drumming from "The Rev" I have since hooked up with a local Shaman Drum Circle and absolutely love it!

LOVE IT!!!

I won't repost the poem that heads up motherpeace.net But I highly recommend that you visit this site and read it for yourself. And then take some time to look around. There are so many great tips and even an article on etiquette! YAY!!!

You may also want to check out This bag lady's Astrology reports. They are color coded and super easy to read and follow. Seriously a must-have. For more info

Asrology reports on MotherPeaceDrumming.net

So what prompted me to write about this amazing woman? Well, I contacted her (and Tom Force :) ) while listening to Answers not too long ago.. And the show was hot! I mean everyone and their mother was listening and they didn't quite get to my question. Meh. There is always next week. But I was particularly curious about my question and at the end of the show, Rev. L.N. said she would be happy to answer any questions that weren't addressed during the show via email. Wow right!? Talk about taking your work home with you!

So I asked my question and thanked her for her time and yada yada.. She got back to me and asked for my birth info so she could.. shucks.. i dont know.. make a chart I guess.. :)

So i replied with my info and a day later... I had my answer.. plus some! I was truly not expecting her to go out of her way and make a chart (or whatever) just for me.. Just because I asked.

Her email was done by hand.. I mean, it wasn't generated by a computer program of anything like that. I was impressed. and not only that, I was feeling empowered and just generally stoked at the level of insight and just how accurate she was. So I thought...

A deed such as this should not go un-noticed..

So I wanted to do something to give back. And this is how I am kicking off that notion. I don't think I am going to stop there. Blogging once about someone isn't a huge thank you.. But its a start. I've got something else wonderful up my sleeve. I will show all of you when I have completed the task.

In the meantime:

check out "The Rev's" Facebook page.. I promise it will be worth it. This woman has one heck of a good sense of humor!

MotherPeaceDrum

And don't forget!

Join Tom and Linda for Answers on Thursday’s from 6-8 PM, ET on CBS New Sky Radio and on the Para-X radio Networks.

And I'm sorry about the formatting... Blogger and I don't see eye to eye....

Getting the Garden Ready

2012-03-03T17:54:00.000-08:00

Today... We garden.

Well, sort of.. Today.. we tilled... and weeded.. and just generally got pretty dirty. The chickens came out to help with grub duty about half way through today's operation. That's Honey absolutely loving the fresh new dirt and all the bugs that come with it!

This is how the garden looked before we got to it today... This is a view of last years potato garden.

And a couple potatoes that made it through the winter that I had missed popped out the sides of the tiller unscathed. I think these are Yukon Gold potatoes. Super yummy and almost buttery. Waaaaaaayyy better than store bought!

And Voila! Sorry that there are not too many pictures of the progress. But did you really want 5x7s of me in garden pants and muck boots? RadioBirdDad had on his famous "dog pants" and those I can show you. They are epic.

Gorgeous aren't they? :)

So we didn't really get as far as I had hoped.. But that was mainly because the chickens were out and about and I had to keep herding them out of the neighbor's flower beds. I don't think they minded too terribly much. Besides, the bug population in the freshly tilled dirt was far easier to get to.

Chicken tracks.. How cute!

So here's where we are now:

Tomorrow we get the rest of it. Allll the way back to that fence. I think the width of the whole mess is only 50 ft or so. And maybe double that in length. Should keep me busy year round!

Anyhow, I just wanted to get the garden update up. You can view last years garden progress on my

youtube channel here

Now, I really must say something about that tiller.. OMG! Its amazing! I got this little sucker on amazon for about $99.00. Yeah. $99.00.

Troy-Bilt TB154E 9-Inch 6.5-Amp Electric Garden Cultivator/Tiller

It has gone up a bit in price since last year but still totally worth every penny. I poured over catalogs and websites looking for just the right tiller on a college kid's budget. And I finally found this little tiller.. that could. :) Its so small. Its lightweight. Its red. :) And it tills like the devil. Occasionally getting tripped up on thick weeds and old garden wire (oops!) wasn't even that huge of a problem. It didn't happen all that often and when it did, it was so easy to pull the grass (or wire..) out and just keep going. Rocks and other debris just come out the sides or the back. The tiller didn't even stop to blink when I ran over a cinder block..

The cinder blocks were there to hold down the bug netting from last year.. and by the looks of the "before" picture, you can tell why I didn't see it until I hit it.. :)

Anyhow, I hope you are happy and healthy. I got a good dosing of vitamin D today so I'm totally pumped and excited about tomorrow. Hopefully I can show you what I mean by purple potatoes!

Have a wonderful day! And Happy Green March!

Green Smoothies

2012-03-02T07:46:00.000-08:00

Have you seen these!?
Green Smoothies.
Despite the split pea soup look of the things, they taste rather amazing!

I don't usually follow a recipe when making green smoothies. That's one of the beauties of this concoction! For this batch I added such things as mango, peaches, agave, and honey...

So what makes it green?!
Now follow me on this for a minute and don't get scared... The secret ingredient is
Raw baby spinach!

What an awesome way to get kids to eat gobs of healthy spinach and get a good dose of fruit too!

So heres what I did:

Ingredients:
2 bananas
2 slices of mango flesh
1 can of peaches (yeah, i used the can for this one.. :(
a squeeze or two of honey (or dollop)
and a couple handfuls of raw baby spinach leaves

Add all your wonderful healthy goodies into the blender and push the magic button.
Voila!

Here is a link to the blender that I like to use for my smoothie making needs

Super simple and super easy!

Smotthies are great for:
breakfast,
lunch,
picnics,
after school snack,
eating for beauty/health,
even dessert

I've been seeing different variations on this household favorite.
I found a list of 12 variations here at GreenDivaMom

and a few more here at Raw Family

And a great page with video for tips and tricks as well as more recipes.. here

So I hope you can find some inspiration in these recipes. Its really quite hard to screw these up! yay!

And they would even be a monstrously wonderful drink for a child's birthday party or Halloween gathering! Can't you just see all the gummie worms trying to escape the creepy green witches brew?! Well, its a thought.

Have a wonderful March! A wonderfully Green March!

Tomorrow: The Green Potato Garden.. That's actually purple.. :/

Going green for March

2012-03-01T09:46:00.001-08:00

Hey! welcome to March!
Glad to see we all made it through the leap year!

Speaking of which --side note:

All day, on my twitter, facebook, pinterest, etc, (all of which you can find in the top right corner.. Follow me!) people had been complaining about how there is one more work day inserted into their year. Really? Lets all take a big dose of perspective now....

I think, perhaps, we should be thankful for the time that we do have. And its not an extra day inserted into your year just to get one more days worth of work out of you... Its just how Romans keep time..

Ok. Now back to the good stuff!

Green ideas below!

I'm going to spend the rest of March assaulting the color green. I'm going to explore green in whatever ways I can come up with. :)

On the list:
Recycled T-shirt Rug
DIY Gel Air Fresheners
Newspaper Seed Pots
Green Coconut Spiral Sugar Cookies
Green Smoothies
Green velvet cake balls
Fun and fancy nail art
The Potato Garden (the potatoes are purple this year..:/ but hey, its "green"
Diy window clings
Glow vases with silhouettes
Tons of spinach recipes that I need to put up
Green eggs and ham... maybe.. im still scared..
and more.. I've committed myself to making March one heck of a blog month!

So, stay tuned. I'm putting finishing touches on tomorrows post!
Have a wonderful March 1!

Cake in a Jar

2012-02-27T14:47:00.002-08:00

Cake... in a jar.. :)

So its still wintery and cold and grey and miserable outside.. And what does that have to do with cake.. in a jar? Not a whole lot.. I was just commenting on the weather. :)

Anyhow, I made these shortly after making the truffle bottom cake which you can find here..

I needed something quick and easy for RadioSweet Tooth Man...

Now I must say, I have never heard of such a thing.. Cake... in a jar.... pfft. But its actually rather convenient and not to mention cute! I got the idea here:

babble.com

If you don't eat marinated artichokes or don't have a baby, or just don't know where to get little jars:
These little jars work great and you can use them for canning too! Just click the picture for more info.

I used left over chocolate and whipping cream and marshmallows from the truffle bottom cake mentioned earlier and crushed up some ginger snaps for my "crust."

Now, I don't really have a recipe ... per se... But like I said, the link to the filling is here..

Now I just melted my ingredients and mixed them all up and poured it all over the ginger snaps in the bottom of the jar.. Then I refrigerated them until I couldn't stand it any longer!

A little pouf of whip topping and some sliced strawberries...

I capped the ones I (and RSTM) were not going to eat that night.. I used jars from marinated artichoke hearts but I think they are about the same size as baby food jars.. They make for really great single serving desserts! Especially good for kids whose eyes can sometimes be bigger than their tummies!

Can I take a minute to talk about a pet peeve?

Who's vs whose

This is one of those cases where it is important to remember that possessive pronouns never take apostrophes, even though possessive nouns do. (its/ it's) “Who’s” always and forever means only “who is,” as in “Who’s that guy with the droopy mustache?” or “who has,” as in “Who’s been eating my porridge?” "Whose” is the possessive form of “who” and is used as follows: “Whose dirty socks are these on the breakfast table?”

That is all.

Common errors in English Usage for more.

Ok, well, I hope you enjoyed my little cake jars and can find some inspiration in it.. If not, you didn't click the link.. :) There are tons of ideas (and that's alot because ideas don't weigh much!) and recipes for all kinds of foods in jars.. The link I gave previously is only a list of 15 yummy sweets.. But people have gone crazy with this idea and are cooking in jars as well!

Happy Monday everyone! Oh! And by the way, That color looks amazing on you! :)

Chicken Tractor

2012-02-22T09:00:00.000-08:00

Today we had a field trip!

So the chickens' yard was looking a little bare after all the rains.. They had scratched and pecked for worms so much that they took the grass out with them.. I decided to let the chickies out to play in the big yard. But, I couldn't stay out and watch them all day... So I made a makeshift chicken tractor!

Its not pretty.. and its not built to last... But it was a quick fix for some bug and grass hungry chickens! I found 2 old fence pieces and zip tied them together to make the "roof" and sealed the ends with chicken wire.

I plopped a blanket over one end for shade and put in a portable nest box for comfort along with food and water.. I had some happy chickens!

Why a chicken tractor? Why not let them free range?

Hawks.

We have a hawk problem here.. :(

Well, I.. have a hawk problem. A problem with hawks who eat chicken.

Chicken.

So that's the reason for the nets as well.. Its super tacky.. But the chickens feel safe and can continue laying eggs and eating bugs and doing chicken type things!

12-2011

So anyhow, everyone is happy today! What a wonderful day! Now go out and enjoy it!

I heard somewhere that you can get your days worth of vitamin d by spending just 10 minutes in the sun.. Is this true? If it is... my cat should be having vitamin d overdose issues.. :) She lays in her sunny window for hours!

OK, for real this time.. ciao ciao!

Yellow Spot Sun

2012-02-21T18:23:00.000-08:00

Yellow Spot Sun

What does it mean?

I get asked all sorts of silly questions.. This isn't one of them..

So what does it all mean?! I have answers..

Well, not all the answers.. but I do know why my blog is called Yellow Spot Sun..

Let me tell you about a nerdy little girl in high school. Well, not nerdy as in tortoise shell glasses and crochet sweaters.... Nerdy as in one of the "art nerds" One of the art students that hang out in the art rooms and the halls just outside..

Yep.. That was me..

I would pull up to school about an hour early.. (habit from riding the bus) and I would bee line for the art buildings. I had 2 art teachers.. oh wait, 3 art teachers at this point..

But the place to be was in front of Mrs. Fauchs room.. I don't think I'm spelling that right.. Anyhow, just next door was Mrs Liddell. These were/are? 2 of the greatest teachers I have ever had! I started taking art as an easy elective... (i know, I know.. sorry..) And my first teacher signed me up for AP (advanced placement) art.. where I met Fauchs and Liddell. And my world was turned upside down!


Messy art portfolio

These were teachers who could teach you.. or re-teach you how to see the world.. in color.. hundreds of colors you never knew existed. They taught me everything from how to hold a paintbrush to how to sculpt busts to jewelry making to print making to welding (yes welding!) among countless other things..

So how do you say thank you for something like that?

I said thank you my senior year of high school in my year book. I poured over famous quotes and came up with a few of my own.. but nothing really wrapped up my high school years like I had hoped.... until...

Pablo Picasso came around and said some stuff... Actually this guy was kinda brilliant.. He said things like:

“Art is a lie that makes us realize truth.”

and

“Only put off until tomorrow what you are willing to die having left undone.”

and

“The world today doesn't make sense, so why should I paint pictures that do?”

He also said;

“Some painters transform the sun into a yellow spot; others transform a yellow spot into the sun.”

This is where I get Yellow Spot Sun..

Pablo Picasso

The quote in my year book says

“Some painters transform the sun into a yellow spot; others transform a yellow spot into the sun. -Picasso Thank you to my teachers for the wisdom to know the difference and the skill to create it."

So Yellow Spot Sun is sort of like a reminder for me..

A reminder of where I came from and who helped get me here.

Its also sort of like my way of saying Namste`

(The divine in me recognizes the divine in you)

Namaste'

As defined by Mahatma Gandhi: In India when people meet and part they often say, Namaste' which means: "I honor the place within you where the entire Universe resides; I honor the place within you of love, of light, of truth, of peace; I honor the place within you, where, when you are in that place in you, and I am in that place in me, there is only one of us."

So there you go.. The big mystery unraveled.. If you would like to see the full images of some of my art you can go to my old high school web page here

Now I'm going to have to explain the Dotty part too huh?

My very first email address when I was 5-6 years old was DotCom@prodigy.net - yeah.. remember prodigy? tee hee... I lost that one.. DottCom and DottCommwas taken by that time.. (maybe 12 years old i think) So long story short... Dottycomm was left and the name stuck with me. I started signing my art as Dotty or Dott.. Sort of my Nom de Plume... So naturally my web page would be Dottcomm.com ;0)

Ok! Now go have a wonderful day!

Oh and BTW.. Sorry about the formatting.. Blogger hates me today.. and I've already spent an hour trying to fix it... You will live :)

Braided King Cake

2012-02-21T08:51:00.000-08:00

So you wanna make braided bread, huh?

After having made the king cake on a previous post, I got requests for how to make a braided bread. I wont go into the ingredients and how to mix and how long to rest and yada yada yada... The recipe for this cake can be found on this post. For this batch, I split the recipe into 2 separate cakes.

Instructions:

Go ahead and make the dough just like in the recipe.. when you have finished letting the dough rest for 1 1/2 hours disregard the next few steps about making a canoe shape and rolling your dough. At this point, You are going to punch down your dough and knead it for a bit.. I think 8 minutes.. Now, separate your dough in 3 balls.

Now its time to go back to kindergarten and make dough worms.

Flatten your worms into long strips. This is optional... But I like to have the cinnamon (or sometimes pumpkin pie spice or nutmeg) woven throughout the whole cake.

Next sprinkle seasoning on one side of your smushed worms. (you can also make a cinnamon paste with butter to spread inside too!)

At this point, its time to seal your worms back up with their new yummy innards!

(I just wanted to say innards)

Just pinch all along the edges until you have made a closed seam down the length of your dough worm.

Next, you need to secure the ends of the 3 strands of dough. Simply pinch a small bit of each worm at the top to connect. Now we braid! If you don;t know how to braid...

There is an instructable here on wikihow, that will explain the process with the help of some visual aid.. (pictures )

Left over, right over, left over, right over, left over, right over..... etc... Once you have completed your braid, pinch the two ends together to form a ring.

Ta da! You are so awesome! Look what we have created together!!! Actually, these cakes are alot more impressive after having baked them.. So how do we get to that point?...

Eggs.

Remeber those five egg yolks you used to make this thing? Now you can use the whites to make your bread pretty.. Just paint some egg white over your dough before popping it in the oven.

Mama says use 1 egg white and 1 tsp milk. I say.. just use the egg white.. Your choice. Not a big enough difference to me to be able to tell the difference...

ees preety, no?

ok.. Now Ta Da!!

And now you can dust with powdered sugar or make the icing as in the previous post.. I made these for others so I went ahead with all the festivities.. Minus the plastic baby.. Those are hard to digest.. :)

Wonderful!

Now go get off the interwebs and have a marvelous Mardi Gras! You deserve it after all that baking!

King Cake Recipe

2012-02-13T16:06:00.000-08:00

Mardi Gras is Tuesday February 21, 2012!

So, I thought a King Cake might be in order :)

First, a little history:

Mardi Gras is the last day before Ash Wednesday, when Catholic/Christians receive ashes and begin 40 days of sacrifice in imitation of the Lord, ending at Easter when the resurrection is celebrated. Also known as Shrove Tuesday

As part of the Christian faith, the coming of the wise men bearing gifts to the Christ Child is celebrated twelve days after Christmas. We refer to this as the Feast of the Epiphany or Little Christmas on the Twelfth Night (January 6). This is a time of celebration, exchanging gifts and feasting. Today, the tradition continues as people all over the world gather for festive Twelfth Night celebrations. A popular custom was and still is the baking of a special cake in honor of the three kings called "A King's Cake."

When is Mardi Gras?

Mardi Gras Day is always 47 days prior to Easter Sunday (Fat Tuesday is always the day before Ash Wednesday). Still need some visual aid? Here's a list of the next few Mardi Gras dates..

February 21, 2012
February 12, 2013
March 4, 2014
February 17, 2015
February 9, 2016
February 28, 2017
February 13, 2018
March 5, 2019
February 25, 2020

Fun Mardi Gras Facts:

By law, float riders must always have a mask on. On Fat Tuesday, masking is legal for everyone else, and the elaborate masks that some wear add to the fun.

The tradition of float riders throwing trinkets to the crowds began in the 1870s, and still continues today. Typical throws include beads, cups, doubloons, and stuffed animal.

Rex selected the official Mardi Gras colors in 1872. The 1892 Rex Parade theme Symbolism of Colors gave meaning to the colors.
Purple Represents Justice. Green Represents Faith. And Gold Represents Power. (heh)

OK OK I know what you came for...

I got this recipe from my mama.. but it looks suspiciously like This one. So, I'm giving credit to MardiGrasDay.com This recipe makes a wonderfully moist cake with just enough spice that can also be made as a breakfast bread!

King Cake Recipe

This one was eaten before a proper picture could be taken :) yum!

1/2 cup warm water

2 packages active dry yeast (I only use 1.. :/

1/2 cup plus 1 teaspoon sugar

3 1/2 cups flour unsifted (plus up to 1 cup more)

1 teaspoon nutmeg

2 teaspoons salt

1/2 cup warm milk

5 egg yolks

1 stick butter cut into slices and softened, plus 2 tablespoons more softened butter

1 egg slightly beaten with 1 tablespoon milk

1 teaspoon cinnamon ( I just sprinkle until I have a layer{can also mix with butter to make a paste})

Sprinkle yeast and 2 teaspoons sugar into warm water and allow to rest for about 3 minutes. Then mix thoroughly. Set bowl in warm, draft free place for about 10 minutes or until the yeast mixture has doubled in size,

Combine 3 1/2 cups of flour, remaining sugar, nutmeg and salt, and sift into a large mixing bowl.
Pour in yeast mixture and milk in center of flour mixture. Add egg yolks and, using a wooden spoon, slowly combine dry ingredients into the yeast/milk mixture.
When mixture is smooth, knead in 8 tablespoons butter (1 tablespoon at a time) and continue to knead 2 minutes eventually making a nice little ball.

Place ball of dough on a lightly floured surface and knead like bread. (or use dough hooks and a mixer) While kneading, sprinkle up to 1 cup more of flour (1 tablespoon at a time) over the dough. When dough is no longer sticky, knead 10 minutes more until shiny and elastic.

Using a pastry brush, coat the inside of a large bowl evenly with one tablespoon softened butter. Place dough ball in the bowl and rotate until the entire surface is buttered. Cover bowl with a moderately thick kitchen towel and place in a draft-free spot for about 1 1/2 hours, or until the dough doubles in volume. Coat a large baking sheet with one tablespoon of butter or baking spray and set aside.

Place dough on lightly floured surface. Punch the dough down and make an almost canoe shape. Sprinkle cinnamon over the dough and roll it into a "worm" Twist your worm and pinch the ends together to complete your dough circle. Cover dough with towel and set it in draft-free spot for 45 minutes, or until the circle of dough doubles in volume.

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.

Brush top and sides of cake with some of those egg whites and bake on middle rack of oven for 25 to 35 minutes until golden brown. Place cake on wire rack to cool. If desired, you can hide the plastic baby in the cake at this time.

Es Preetie!

What's that? You want icing!?!

1/4 c. butter (butter)
1 tsp. vanilla (I used rum extract this time.. Yummy!)
1/4 tsp. salt
1 lb. sifted powdered sugar
Milk

Cream butter, add vanilla, salt, sugar together. Add milk enough to make a smooth consistency that drips like slow syrup.

And how about some fancy colored sugars?

1 cup white sugar (light brown works too)

2 drops of any food color.

Place sugar in plastic bag or mason jars and add color drops. Shake sugar until color has evenly distributed. (about 1 minute) Add more color to darken sugar or mix colors.

Primary colors:

Red, Yellow, Blue

Red+ Yellow = Orange

Red+ Blue = Purple

Yellow + Blue= Green

For more on Mardi Gras:

MardiGrasDay.com

MardiGrasNewOrleans.com

MardiGrasGalveston.com

MardiGras 2012

Parade Schedule

Shrove Tuesday Wikipedia

The Well Trained Mind

2012-02-10T17:28:00.000-08:00

Need something to read? :)

I was going through my book shelves today, just looking for something to read while I had down time, and came across The Well Trained Mind. If you have children, are thinking of having children, or you, yourself know how to read, this is a book you don't want to miss!

Written by a homeschooling mother and one of her brilliant children, this book has the potential to change your life.

Seriously!

I learned so much about how children learn and learn to learn. I can now see many of the detrimental effects from lessons learned in my and any public school across America. Things that affected me and my life and helped to "shape" my life the way it is now. This book literally changed my life for the better.

Ever heard of the Great Conversation?
Here's a quick wiki to bring you up to speed
This book allowed me to become a part of that conversation.. A conversation that I never knew I wanted to be a part of. A conversation that was going on around me and in most cases "above my head" so to speak... A conversation that will slowly fade into background noise and cease altogether if more do not join in.

I invite you, personally, to change the history of the world. :0)

I am in no way affiliated with the authors or publishers of this book and I don't get paid to talk about it.. It just changed my life so I wanted to share it..

Just a quick quiz to illustrate my point..

Lets start with history.
1. What happened first? the Hundred Years war or the Spanish Civil war?
2. Who was here before the Egyptians?

Math?
3. In how many formats can a quadratic function be expressed?
4. 4+6*2=? (No, its not 20...)

English?
5. Name the main themes in Pride and Prejudice.
6. What are a couple symbols used to represent abstract ideas or concepts in The Odyssey?

We'll stop there... These are things any high school student should be able to tell you,, Funny thing is, they won't be able to.. and many reading this wont either.. but its not your fault.. And you can learn. You can become a part of that conversation we spoke of previously.. However, with knowledge comes responsibility. The responsibility to speak only truth. and the wisdom to know when that is. That second part... thats the tough one.. I'll show you what I mean..

Here we have Joe. :0)

and here we have Jane <:0) (jane wears a hat)

and we have the company Joe works for. This company is dumping toxic waste everywhere and in a matter of 1 year, the earth will simply die if nothing is changed. hypothetically of course ;)

Joe learned about toxic waste from the company he works for. He went to workshops and meeting about toxic waste and how it is ok. Joe knows that toxic waste isnt so bad. And its ok to dump toxic waste anywhere, in any ecosystem, and it will be ok..

Jane listens to Joe talk about toxic waste and how wonderful it is and how lucky he is to be working for such a great company.

Jane researches toxic waste. She collects samples and sends them to a local lab. She reads about delicate eco systems and what keeps them sustainable. She reads quarterly investment reports published by the company Joe works for. She reads the OSHAA safety manual for dealing with such waste (as provided by Joe's company) and decides, based on first hand collected data as well as supplemented by publications and documents related to the subject, that toxic waste is bad and should not be supported. She tells Joe.

Joe goes through those stages... you know, DABDA

Denial

Anger

Bargaining

Depression

Acceptance

At some point in those stages, Joe does his own research and finds that Jane speaks the truth. Joe now has a choice.

Joe now has the truth. Joe knows that his co-workers are being fed a lie. Joe knows he has now unwittingly lied to anyone hes ever talked to about his job. Joe knows if he continues to work for this company, he is working for something he knows is detrimental to his health as well as everyone else.

Joe can stay and be part of the lie. He can work for the machine that systematically kills his planet. He can work for a corporation that buys allowances or credits with regards to pollution. Credits that are imaginary and don't mean anything to the earth. Joe's home.

Or he can leave the lie and speak the truth. He can change his world. Joe can take responsibility for himself and walk away from something he knows is wrong. (wrong for him)

This is what I mean..

The responsibility to speak only truth. and the wisdom to know when that is

Joe knows. He has the truth. Now what? If Joe lives the lie, we all perish. Joe now has a responsibility to tell others about what he has learned. Even if the people Joe is trying to save are hostile and in the anger stage... It is the truth. It is the natural law.

A quick wiki about natural law.

Anyhow, that story is in no way affiliated with the book.. it was just my little story.. And I wandered away from my point.. oops..
We were talking about kids and adults knowing "stuff". Well this book may help explain why. Why so many can't answer those simple questions without pulling out the google app on their I-phizzle...

Oh! those answers you may have wanted:

1. The hundred Years war came first in 1337 to 1453 the Spanish Civil war was July 17,1936 to April 1, 1939

2. There are far to many cultures to list... I promise! check them out for yourself.

3. 3: standard,, factored, and vortex

4. 16 PEMDAS remember?

5. Class, reputation, love etc

6. food (lack of discipline) and the wedding band (constancy of Penelope and Odysseus’s marriage duh. But the immovable bed is a fun metaphor for their unmovable love for each other.)

I think maybe what I needed and what many need is a classical education.. one based on the trivium..

From Trivium Education.com :

General Grammar, Aristotelian Logic, and Classical Rhetoric comprise the first three rules-based subjects of the 7 Liberal Arts and Sciences. As these disciplines are learned and practiced together, they form the overarching, symbiotic system for establishing clarity and consistency of personal thought called the Trivium.

Basically, Learn the word.. the vocabulary. Fill your head with facts, Names and dates.. All that..
Next, learn about the what? when? and where? of all that stuff..
Now, you're ready for the why and how.. the more philosophical side to the triangle..

That is overly simplified... but you get the point, yes?

The trivium is a method of learning.. An incredibly effective one.. And, it's never to late to learn.. Its not like after the ages of 6 or 7 you can no longer learn a language.. It may take longer because you don't have time to devote to it.. that's all. And once your brain starts soaking up info again... It wont want to stop.. and you wont be able to help but to be well read and thinking critically for yourself.

So, let's at least read a book instead of watch the tv tonight..This book will explain why reading is far more beneficial to learning and retaining information rather than visual stimuli.. So let's all try it out? whatdayasay?
:) Maybe I will start a reading list..That should be fun!

Have a wonderful day! Oh! and did I mention? Your hair looks amazing today! *<:0)

Decadent Truffle Bottom Chocolate Cream Pie

2012-02-07T14:55:00.000-08:00

"Decadent Truffle Bottom Chocolate Creme Pie"

Chocolate Cream Pie Recipe

Yep, it's Tuesday.... and you know what that means!? It means....... Its random Junk food and sweets Day! Actually, I found this recipe on the back of the Hershey's Special Dark chips which you can find at the Special Dark page on the official Hersheys Site.

If you move your mouse over to the right side of the page, there is a small tab which will allow you to scroll through the pages horizontally. Took me a minute to realize it was there! Anyhow, on the subsequent pages, there are links to other recipes and baking ideas as well as nutritional information.

Now, I know, I know! All of you healthy gluten free, lactose free, gmo free, msg free, soy free, etc.. people out there are cursing this post... Sorry! But I'm sure this will work with other chocolate too.. and to get you started... Heres a great list of dairy free chocolates at GoDairyFree.org

as well as the mega list of gluten free "mainstream" products here (pdf)

I can't do anything about the fat content.. :) Besides, its almost Valentines Day and this baby is super easy to make. You get to use the microwave for crying out loud!

Okay, now on the good stuff... whadaya need?

Ingredients:

■ 1 pie crust

■ 2 cups mini marshmallows or 20 large ones

■ 1/2 cup milk (soy/coconut/almond/whatever)

■ 2 cups chocolate chips

■ 1 cup heavy whipping cream

■ whip topping (optional)

■ strawberries (optional)

Now what?

1.)Prepare your pie crust.. did you get a frozen one? read the package... Did you make one? good job! Did you get a ready to bake one? super easy, you're ready.

2.) Place marshmallows and milk in a large microwave safe bowl (told ya about the microwave.. cool huh?) and nuke for 1 minute on MEDIUM (50%) then stir.

If necessary, (probably will be.. several times) nuke for an additional 30 seconds at MEDIUM power and stir after each heating.

Marshmallows will eventually become melted and smooth.

3.) Add chocolate chips. stir. If you need to, you can nuke this mixture again for 15 seconds at a time... but if you move quickly enough, you shouldn't have to. Chips should be melted.

4.) Spread 1 cup of chocolate mixture over the bottom of the prepared crust (this is the "truffle" part) and refrigerate. Allow the remaining mixture to cool to room temperature.

5.) Beat whipping cream until stiff and gradually blend into choco mixture. spread over the bottom layer in your crust.cover and refigerate for 4-6 hours and garnish..

I like to take a strawberry and slice sheets into it and fan them out. It makes a pretty little garnish. Yummy too! and a couple little puffs of whip cream.. :) enjoy..

I also thought about this pie for Valentines day... You know, If you take some red food coloring and mix it into choco syrup you could write a message on your pie..

Or, you could make chocolate dipped strawberries and make a pretty border around the edges.

Or, you could use that weird strawberry pie filling and fresh strawberries and do something fancy with that stuff..

Me? I'm making these in a jar next.. I'll show you how soon!

Not sure about the difference in whip cream and whipping cream?

Here are some fun facts:

According to the Code of Federal Regulations, Title 21, Part 131:
Half and half = 10.5-18% milkfat
Light, coffee, or table cream = 18-30% milkfat
Medium cream = 25% milkfat
Whipping or light whipping cream = 30-36% milkfat
Heavy cream or heavy whipping cream = 36% milkfat or more
The unqualified name ''whipped cream'' should not be applied to any product other than one made by whipping the cream that complies with the standards of identity for whipping cream.
Optional ingredients. The following safe and suitable optional ingredients may be used:
(1) Emulsifiers.
(2) Stabilizers.
(3) Nutritive sweeteners.
(4) Characterizing flavoring ingredients (with or without coloring)

So basically,

Whipping cream is the heavy cream before it is whipped. Remember how in the recipe, you were asked to beat the whipping cream until stiff? Thats what whipping cream is for.. whipping.. whip cream topping is usually some chemical composition very detrimental to your health... but traditionally, it was whipping cream that had been whipped. (or so is my understanding) but you can read more here!

Nom Nom Nom...

See you soon! And don't forget, You are just so gosh darn amazing!

Happy Random Junk food day!!

A Little Inspiration.

2012-02-06T14:18:00.000-08:00

:) I found a really great site with all kinds of pretty things and inspiration. I found this simple little picture and thought it said more than what the words say.. :)

CherryBam.com

Click it. It's safe. Just some fun quotes and backgrounds and pictures and whatnot.. :)

Now have a wonderful day! I will be back with a Traditional King Cake recipe in the pipeline, egg art, chicken updates, and the new garden blog... :) ... okay, One more! I love this...

I'm pretty sure that the point of life is to learn as much as you can. Just sayin' :)

Now have a magnificent day and remember,

you were given this life because you are strong enough to handle it!

Fun Super Bowl Snacks

2012-02-04T19:44:00.000-08:00

Fun Super Bowl Snacks

The above pictured "snack food super bowl" can be found here wackyowl.com

Yay! It's super bowl time! Time to get out all the biggest bowls and cover the furniture in plastic! Here are a few fun super bowl ideas I found that I wanted to remember to try.

A fun one from the Food Network.. here

This looks like one heck of a party! NeonTommy.com

Yes Please! More..

Happy Party Time! Go out and share your wonderfulness with the world :)

Super Bowl Sunday is upon us! 02/05/2012

2012-01-27T17:12:00.000-08:00

OOO OOO!!

Super Bowl Sunday!

If you're like me.....

You don't give a hoo haa. :) But! Its a totally great excuse to have a party and make ridiculously cute football and helmet shaped cookies and muffins, pizza dip and chips, Super Charged Power smoothies, and other fun and sometimes healthy snacks!

I've got great plans.. oh yes.... be on the look out for some super cute SUPER BOWL SUNDAY ideas! Coming soon... to Yellow Spot Sun.. I promise.. before SUPER BOWL SUNDAY!

Now go and enjoy the rest of this wonderful day! You deserve it!