Banana Bread Cupcakes



Banana Bread Cupcakes with 'Gravy Frosting'


Banana bread has been on my mind  for a few weeks now. It stemmed from having a few really ripe bananas that I didn't want to toss. Unfortunately, I did not share my banana bread making plan with my husband and the bananas were eaten. :( After that I couldn't seem to get banana bread off my mind. So I bought more bananas and had to patiently watch them ripen. With the extra days I had while the bananas ripened, I was able to search for new recipes. I really enjoyed this one. Who wouldn't enjoy banana bread cupcakes with frosting? The frosting is amazing and I am already dreaming up other delicious baked goods to put it on and in.

Banana Bread Cupcakes:


1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup chopped pecans(or walnuts), optional
1 cup mashed ripened bananas

Preheat oven to 350* F. Grease cupcake pan, do not use paper liners. In a stand mixer cream butter and sugar together. Add the eggs and vanilla, mix well. In a separate bowl mix flour, baking soda, and salt together. Add flour mix to butter mixture at medium speed until combined, scrape sides of bowl as needed. Add sour cream, bananas, and nuts just until combined. Fill cupcake pan 2/3 full. I used a jumbo cupcake pan (which makes 6) and 1/2 a cup of batter per cupcake worked perfectly. I had enough batter left to fill an individual bread pan. Bake in preheated oven for 30-35 min. If you are doing normal size cupcakes you may need to reduce the time by 10 minutes, just keep an eye on them.

Gravy Frosting: (sounds weird but SO amazing)

1 cup milk
5 Tbs. all purpose flour
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar

Begin by pouring milk into a saucepan over medium heat. Add flour while constantly stirring to make sure it is well incorporated. Do not leave this unattended. It will need to be constantly stirred while it thickens. This takes about 2-3 minutes. Just keep stirring until it thickens, then remove from heat and pour into a bowl and let cool completely. Once it is completely cool add vanilla and stir well. In a stand mixer cream butter and granulated sugar together. Add the milk mixture and whip for 1-2 minutes or until it resembles whip cream. It will be light, fluffy, and irresistable!

Black & Tan Cupcakes

Black & Tan

About a week ago my neighbor came across some Guinness recipes that had her drooling. She sent them my way with hopes that I would drool too and make them for the neighborhood, it worked. A week later I made them for my husbands birthday and distributed them throughout our cul-de-sac. Using Guinness was a fun twist for me. The cupcakes and frosting turned out incredible and I will absolutely make them again. The frosting is out of this world, there is definitely a Guinness finish to it along with some hints buttery caramel that are quite addicting.


Cupcakes:

1/2 cup butter
1 cup Guinness or other dark stout
1 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cup cocoa
1 cup sour cream
2 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt

Frosting:

1/2 cup butter, softened
3 cups powder sugar
1/4 cup Guinness

Preheat oven to 350* F. In a small saucepan, melt the butter with the Guinness over medium heat. When butter is melted into the Guinness remove from heat and set aside. In a large mixing bowl combined sugar and cocoa, stir well. Slowly add the butter/Guinness mixture to the sugar/cocoa stirring until well incorporated. In a separate bowl mix flour, baking soda, and salt together and set aside. Add sour cream, eggs, and vanilla to the cocoa and Guinness mixture, stir until well combined. Continue stirring while adding the flour mixture. Do not over mix once the flour is added only stir until it is incorporated with the liquid, do not beat. Fill lined baking cups 2/3 full (about 1/4 cup) Bake for 20-25 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.

For the frosting, beat butter while adding Guinness until combined then add powder sugar until desired consistency is reached. Wait until the cupcakes have cooled completely before frosting. Enjoy!

Starting An Organic Garden

Recently I was bitten by the gardening bug. It all started when my husband bought me a window box planter for herbs that I kept on my kitchen windowsill. After planting basil, rosemary, cilantro, and parsley in my planter box I wanted to try something more. A lot of people I know have had successful tomatoes with a Topsy Turvey so I decided to try it out.

There are many choices when it comes to tomato plants. Usually I prefer cherry or grape tomatoes but my husband prefers a bigger tomato so I chose Roma's, a well flavored medium size tomato that we can both enjoy. Hopefully by next year I will have attempted cherry tomatoes. Our Roma tomatoes are growing nicely, we have several golf ball size green tomatoes that are getting bigger everyday.

Topsey Turvey with Roma Tomatoes

With the success of the window planter and the tomatoes I decided to go all in and start an actual garden. Off to Lowes we went. My husband got the supplies he need for building the frame while I browsed the surprisingly big selection of organic seeds. I am a picky vegetable eater, I bought only what I knew I would eat. We ended up with green beans, white beans, snow peas, cucumber, multi colored carrots, broccoli, multi colored bell peppers, sweet basil, red basil, oregano, and peppermint. Yikes, maybe I am not so picky after all. Since I bought organic seeds I did some comparisons on regular garden soil vs. organic garden soil . Maybe if there was a huge difference in price I may have stuck with regular soil but it was only around a dollar more a bag and I like being able to say the I have a completely organic vegetable garden.

Multi Colored Bell Peppers

My son Logan was very interested in helping. He ended up helping build the frame, level the ground, and he did most of the planting. I made the holes in the ground and he put the seeds in and covered them up. He looks forward to going to the garden every morning and seeing what has come up. He even helps me water too. The first day that our beans sprouted we were so exited, then he turned and asked me "where are the vegetables?", I love my son. 

Snow Peas

When I had the garden idea I thought it would be enjoyable to grow our own vegetables but it ended up being so much more. Logan and I have something that only him and I do. It is mommy and Logan's garden, no daddy or brother allowed. I love the look on his face when something new sprouts and how excited he is that he did it. We have also started going on rock hunts together, we try to find smooth rocks to paint and put in our garden. Some rocks end up being animals or insect while others are markers for our plants. If you have the time and patience I highly recommend starting a garden, it has multiple benefits.

Cucumbers and a giraffe

Broccoli meets Ladybug

Chocolate Ganache Glaze

Chocolate ganache is one of those things that once you have made it, you will try to put it on everything. The first time I made it I was sure that it wouldn't turn out or wouldn't be the same as some fancy bakery, I was wrong. This is one of the easiest recipes that anyone can make and not mess up. Just writing this is making me want to go make a chocolate cake so I can try this as a filling. The possibilities with this are endless, enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 8oz Bittersweet Chocolate bar, Ghirardelli is best 

1 cup heavy cream

2Tbs. Powder Sugar

Finely chop chocolate bar and place in microwave safe bowl. Pour heavy cream over the chocolate then add the powder sugar. Microwave for 30 seconds, then stir. If it is still lumpy microwave for 10-15 seconds at a time until it becomes smooth when you stir it. Do not over heat. Once chocolate is smooth it is ready to be used.

 For the cookies pictured (salted brown butter cookies), i put the ganache in a piping bag to decorate the cookies. However, you can pour the glaze over a cake, drizzle on cupcakes, or dip pretzels. If you refrigerate the glaze until firm and then use an electric mixer to beat until fluffy you will get a completely different ganache which is more like a frosting or a filling. The ganache is amazing both ways. Once you are comfortable with making it you can play around with the ingredients. Lately I have been adding Baileys Irish Cream to mine, replacing a couple Tbs. of the heavy cream for Irish Cream gives the ganache an extra richness that is even more incredible. Plus with all the flavors Baileys offers now the sky is the limit with your gananche.

Antique Door Headboard

Lately I have posted a lot about food which is obviously a passion of mine but I also love projects. A few months ago I was walking through my very favorite hole in the wall antique store/garden, yes it is both. Inside the store they have small antiques but outside they have a variety of plants, ceramic pots, old tables, doors, etc. Most of the doors are just like any other door not decorative or pretty but one caught my eye. It was beautiful and I wanted it. What would I do with it though? Somewhere I remember seeing a door turned into a headboard, this would make an awesome headboard! After very little haggling it was mine for the rock bottom price of $50. Loading a nearly hundred pound door into my highlander with two car seats wasn't the easiest thing in the world and I am sure it looked hilarious but the door and I made it home in one piece. However, my husband was less than thrilled when he saw my amazing find. He did have reason though,  i do bring home a lot of projects. Sometimes they sit for a while or I make him 'help' me with them and by help i mean make him do all the work.  After taking off the hinges and door knob the door sat for a month before I got around to fixing it up.

After a little sanding, some wood putty, and a little more sanding it was almost ready for paint. My husband graciously 'volunteered' to fill in the hole where the door knob had been. He also built a ledge on the side that would be the top to give it a more finished look. It turned out beautiful, even my husband likes it :)

Frito Corn Salad

(picture courtesy of realmomkitchen.com)

This is another great potluck dish, I have brought it to a few events now and everyone raves about it. We have a lot of gatherings in our neighborhood and my friend Becky always shows up with a great dish that everyone loves, this is one of them. For me one of the best parts of this recipe is that you can make it the night before which I actually recommend because it really lets the flavors come together. Just make sure you don't add the Frito's until you are ready to serve.

3 cans corn, drained
1 1/2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
4 green onions, chopped
1/4 red bell pepper, chopped
1/4 orange bell pepper, chopped
1 cup mayonnaise, i use the olive oil mayo but any will do
1 large bag chili cheese Frito's

Mix all ingredients except Frito's. When ready to server crumble Frito's and add to the top of the corn mixture, do not stir them in or they will become soggy.

BBQ Pulled Pork

This is another wonderful summertime dish that is great if you are having a large gathering and feeding a lot of people. I always receive a lot of compliments on this dish and many recipe requests. Most of the time people look at me a little funny when i tell them how I make it but the proof is in the pork, it's delicious, tender, and full of flavor. With this kind of pulled pork it is best served on a roll or bun, I use the Kings Hawaiian sweet rolls.

1 4-5lb pork loin
4 cans of Root Beer
2 bottles of your favorite BBQ sauce, i prefer a tangy sauce
1 large crock pot/slow cooker
Buns
Coleslaw, optional but recommended

Place pork loin in crock pot and pour in root beer, just enough to cover the meat. Turn the crock pot on low and leave it for 6 hours. At 6 hours drain the liquid, shred the pork with a fork in the crock pot. Add the BBQ sauce and stir. Let sit in crock pot on low for 30 min. Then serve on rolls/buns and top them with coleslaw. It is good to have an extra bottle of BBQ sauce on hand for your guests if they want to put it directly on there sandwich.

Sopapilla Cheeseccake

This is a super easy recipe that my dear neighbor Becky sent my way. At a few neighborhood gatherings she made this delicious faux cheesecake that everyone fell in love with. When you make it and realize how easy and wonderful it is you will fall in love too. This a great potluck dish and I can't say enough good things about it. Even my husband loves this and he is generally not a dessert person. Thanks Becky.

Ingredients:

2 8oz.pkgs. of cream cheese, softened
2 cans crescent rolls or the seamless crescent dough
1 cup sugar, this would be a good recipe to use vanilla sugar if you have made some
1 & 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 stick butter, melted
1/2 cup cinnamon sugar (mix 1/2 cup of sugar with 2tsp. Cinnamon powder)

Spread one can crescent rolls into greased 9X13 pan for crust.

Mix cream cheese, 1 cup sugar, and vanilla together. 
Spread over the bottom crust.  Cover the cream cheese with the second can of crescent rolls for the top crust.

Pour melted butter over the top crust, sprinkle with cinnamon sugar mixture

Bake at 350* for about 30-35 minutes

Individual Sopapilla Cheescakes

-same ingredients as above

You will need a Jumbo Muffin pan and a 2" biscuit cutter.
Prepare cream cheese, 1 cup sugar, and vanilla as directed above and set aside. Prepare cinnamon sugar mixture and set aside. Roll out both cans of cresent seamless dough on a greased pan and use biscuit cutter to cut out as many as you can, i could get about 9-10 per can. Grease muffin pan and place 1 dough cut out in the bottom of each cup, like this...

Then spread 2-3 Tbs. of cream cheese mixture ontop of each piece of dough...(i threw in a few chocolate chips as a tester)

Then place a new dough circle ontop of the cream cheese mixture...

Then add 1 tsp. melted butter to the top of each cup. Then sprinke with 1-2 tsp of cinnamon sugar...

Bake at 350* for 25-30 minutes

Raspberry Puff Tarts

A few weeks a go I was having a severe turnover craving. After searching the internet I came across this amazing recipe. Originally it was for a standard triangle turnover but after making them as triangles I found that they lost way too much filling. By making them into pouches they lost little to none of the filling and I feel they look even prettier. I have tried the filling two ways. First was with 1/2 raspberries & 1/2 blueberries, so far that is my favorite. Then I tried it with just raspberries and it is delicious, i tried to tweak it and add less sugar but that was a mistake. Stick to the recipe and you should produce some amazing raspberry tarts. The crust is flaky and delicious and I have found myself using it for other recipes as well. Enjoy!

Dough:

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 cup cold butter, cubed
1/2 cup sour cream

Filling:

3 Tbs. cornstarch mixed with 2 Tbs. Water
2/3 cups granulated sugar
3 cups fresh raspberries
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. lemon zest
1 egg beaten with 1 Tbs. water, to seal pastries *optional*

Directions:

For Crust-
Using an electric mixer with paddle attachment mix flour, salt, and baking powder. On low speed continue mixing while adding cubed butter a few pieces at a time until mixture is crumbly but incorporated. Then add sour cream until well combined. Mixture will be a bit on the wet side. Move the dough mixture to a well floured surface and knead a few times until less sticky. Then pat the dough into a rough rectangle, about an 8"x10". Dust both sides of the dough with four. Starting with the shorter end (8") fold the dough into thirds like a business letter, flip it over so the flap is on the bottom. Roll the dough in to an 8"x10" again and fold it into thirds. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 30 minutes. (Can be refrigerated overnight)
While the dough is chilling you can start on the filling.
For Filling-
In a medium sauce pan over low heat combine the raspberries, sugar, vanilla, lemon zest, and cornstarch/water mixture. Stirring often until the raspberries begin to fall apart and you have a jam like consistency. Cook just until it begins to bubble and thicken, this should only take a few minutes. Refrigerate until you are ready to use. You can make the filling a few days before hand. I usually have a little filling left over and end up using it a few days later to make a few more.

When you are ready to assemble the tarts preheat the oven to 400°F. Roll the chilled dough on a floured surface into a 16" square. Cut sixteen 4" squares. Brush the corners of each pastry with egg/water mixture. Place about 2 Tbs. of filling in the middle of the square. Carefully pull together opposite corners and seal them together, do this to both sides. When you are done it should look like this....

Place turnovers on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. You can brush the top of all of them with milk and sprinkle with organic or raw sugar (coarse sugar, not fine), this is optional but recommended. Bake in preheated 400°oven for 22-25 min or until thy are a golden brown. Remove baking sheet from oven. Allow pastries to cool on sheet for 2 minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack. Once cool sprinkle with snow sugar or powder sugar. Serve at room temperature.

Salted Brown Butter Cookies

These gems are lighter and fluffier than other brown butter cookies I have made in the past which are more like shortbread. This recipe was someones attemp to recreate a 'famous' cookie companies recipe. After a few changes to make it my own, this is what I came up with. Using a 1 in cookie scoop my first batch made 32 delightful cookies.

Recipe:
1 & 1/8 cup salted butter
2/3 cup brown sugar
2 Tbs sugar
2 tsp vanilla
2 1/4 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
Coarse Kosher Salt


In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until browned. Pour browned butter into a heat safe bowl then stir in sugars and vanilla.
Let the butter/sugar mixture cool in the refrigerator until it has hardened, at least an hour.
In a mixing bowl combine flour, baking soda, and  baking powder. Set aside.
Take the butter/sugar mixture out of the refrigerator and scrape into a mixing bowl and beat on low speed until creamy, then add flour mixture half a cup at a time.
The mixture will be crumbly, this is normal.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
Roll 1 inch balls of dough and dip in coarse kosher salt. Place on cookie sheet with salt on top.
Bake for 15 minutes.

Sour Cherry & Mascarpone Pound Cake

Last night my husband and I took our kids to dinner at Ruby's diner (a family favorite) and then to see Cars 2. We had lots of fun but taking a 4 & 2 year old out for the evening can be a little stressful at times. When we got home I wanted to relax so I tucked the kids in bed, made a pot of coffee and got out this recipe. It isn't an overly hard recipe but it does take time so I would not attempt this one at 9 pm again.  The recipe I followed is from Domenica Marchetti's cook book Big Night In http://www.domenicacooks.com/2011/05/cakewalk/

Sour Cherry-Mascarpone Pound Cake:

1 1/2 cups ( 3 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more to grease the pan
3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more to flour the pan
2 cups fresh sour cherries, pitted and halved
3 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon salt
6 large eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
8 ounces mascarpone or sour cream, at room temperature
Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting
Heat the oven to 325 degrees F. Lightly butter and flour a 10-inch Bundt or tube pan and set it aside
In a small bowl, mix the cherries with 1/2 cup of the sugar. Let the mixture steep while you prepare the batter for the cake.
In a medium bowl, mix together the flour and salt. Set aside.
Put the 1 1/2 cups butter in the bowl of a standing mixer and beat briefly on medium speed to soften. Add the remaining 3 cups of sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, and beat at high speed until light and airy, 5 full minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Beat in the vanilla. Change the speed to medium and alternately add the flour-salt mixture and the mascarpone and sour cream, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Beat until incorporated.
Drain the cherries, reserving the syrup that collects in the bowl. With a rubber or silicone spatula, fold the cherries into the batter.
Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and shake lightly to even out the top. Bake until the cake is golden brown and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, about 1 hour & 15 minutes.
While the cake is baking, put the reserved cherry syrup in a small saucepan and boil for about 5 minutes, or until slightly thickened. Strain and reserve the liquid.
When the cake is done, place the pan on a cooling rack and cool for 20 minutes. Remove the cake from the pan. While it is still warm, brush the top and sides with the warm cherry syrup. The cake will absorb the syrup. Let the cake cool to room temperature.
To serve, transfer the cake to a decorative platter or cake stand. Dust with confectioners’ sugar.

I was very happy with how it turned out, so was my husband. I did have to tweak a few things because I didn't have the exact ingredients. I substituted bleached all purpose flour for the unbleached, i used 6 Tbs. of salted butter because I only had 2 sticks & 2 Tbs. of unsalted butter, I used 4 ounces of mascarpone and 4 ounces of sour cream. I also unfortunately do not have fresh sour cherries available near me so I used the canned Oregon Tart Cherries in water (not syrup). It is a great recipe and I will definitely make it again.  

Strawberry Frosting

This is Sprinkles Cupcakes' Strawberry Frosting Recipe:
I tried the strawberry cupcake recipe with strawberry frosting from Sprinkles. I wasn't impressed with the cupcake but I loved the strawberry frosting. I hope you do too.

1/2 c. fresh whole strawberries
1 c. unsalted butter, slightly cold
pinch of coarse salt
1lb. box of Powdered Sugar
1/2 t. pure vanilla extract

Place strawberries in food processor and puree. In a stand mixer with paddle attachment beat butter and salt together on medium speed until fluffy. Turn the mixer to low and add powdered sugar, beat until well combined. Add vanilla and 4 T. of strawberry puree(save any remaining for another use) mix until just blended, do not over mix. Frosting should be dense and creamy like ice cream.


**Frost cakes or cupcakes with Strawberry Frosting then garnish with quartered fresh strawberries for an extra treat **

Brown Butter Shortbread

1 cup butter (I prefer salted)

2/3 cup sugar

1 T. vanilla sugar (If you dont have vanilla sugar you can use 1 T. fine sugar with 1 t. pure Madagascar vanilla extract)

2 1/3 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

In a small saucepan melt butter on medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until browned. Stir in sugar and vanilla sugar and remove from heat. Refrigerate for about an hour.  

Combine flour and baking powder and beat in cooled butter mixture to form a dough, it's okay if it is crumbly.

Preheat oven to 325* Roll dough into balls about 1 inch in diameter.

Place dough balls about an inch apart on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Press each ball of dough down using the tines of a fork, you may have to hold the edges of the cookie while you press down to keep it from crumbling. 

Bake at 325* for 18-20 minutes, or until edges just start to turn golden. Let cookies sit on baking sheet for 1 minute then transfer to cooling rack.

 

**If you have tried this recipe leave some feed back, I love to hear how your creations turn out**

Vanilla & Chocolate Ganche Cupcakes

1 box of French Vanilla or Vanilla Bean Cake mix
8 ounces of the best Bittersweet or Dark Chocolate (I use Ghirardelli)
1 c. Heavy Cream
2 Tbs. Powdered Sugar

Finely chop chocolate and place in microwave safe bowl with powder sugar and heavy cream. Microwave on medium-high heat for 30 seconds. Stir until smooth, if chocolate isn't melted yet place in microwave 15 seconds at a time until it is smooth. Then refrigerate for 1 hour.

Prepare Cake Mix as directed on the box. Pour batter into lined cupcake tins, each cupcake should be 2/3 full. Place 1 Tbs. ganache carefully on top of the cupcake batter and bake as directed on the box.

Once cool top with Brown Butter Frosting and gold sprinkles.

Brown Butter Frosting

1lb. box of Confectioners Powdered Sugar
1/4 c. milk
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1/2 c.(or 1 stick) of brown butter (see notes below)

Beat milk, vanilla, and brown butter with an electric mixer until mixed. Gradually add powdered sugar 1 cup at a time. Mix for about 2 minutes.

Notes: Brown 1 stick of butter and refrigerate for about an hour before you make this frosting. It will not turn out if you use brown butter straight from the sauce pan.

Brown Butter Cut-Out Cookies

*Picture Coming Soon*

1 c brown butter (see notes below)
1 c powdered sugar
2 c flour
¼ tsp. salt
1. Preheat oven to 325*. Using a stand mixer with paddle attachment. Beat butter until creamy about 2 minutes. Gradually add in sugar, beating until well mixed.

2. Combine flour and salt; gradually add to mixture, beating until blended.

3. Roll dough to 1/8 inch thickness on a lightly floured surface. Cut with a 2 inch cookie cutter, and place 1 inch apart on baking sheets.

4. Bake at 325* for 11 to 13 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes then transfer to cooling rack.

5. These cookies are excellent with Brown Butter frosting.

Notes: After you brown 2 sticks of butter let it chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour then follow recipe.

The Amazing World of Brown Butter

   Brown butter is also known as hazelnut butter because of the nutty aroma, flavor, and color that the butter turns after the milk solids have been toasted and any water has evaporated. The best thing about brown butter is the diversity it has. Traditionally it is served over fish or vegetables and some times used in pastry dishes but the possibilities are endless. Simply use brown butter in place of regular butter in almost any recipe.


How to:
Place butter in sauce pan over medium high heat, stirring occasionally.

The butter will begin to boil and making a crackling noise, this is normal. Once the crackling stops you need to keep a watchful eye on the butter because it is almost done. When you are able to smell a wonderful nutty aroma and can begin to see brown flecks on the top of the foam, stir, remove from heat, and pour into a heat safe bowl.

 If you will be using this for pasta, veggies, fish, or anything else requiring melted butter then you are done. If you want to use this in a baking recipe for cookies or frosting you need to refrigerate it for about an hour until it is the consistency of softened butter. Don't worry if you leave it in the refrigerator for too long it will never be as hard as regular butter again.

Making Flavored Sugar

Recently I came across several recipes for making vanilla sugar, I was inspired. I chose mason jars to store my sugar because they are aesthetically pleasing on a pantry shelf as well as nostalgic(they remind me of my childhood summers drinking sun tea and picking cherries).


Vanilla Sugar:

8 cups of granulated sugar
2-3 Madagascar vanilla beans
1/2 gallon mason jar or large air tight container

    Measure out all 8 cups of sugar and place in a large mixing bowl and set off to the side. Starting with one vanilla bean, slice lengthwise down the middle then run the back of the knife over the inside of the bean, removing the seeds, repeat process with remaining vanilla beans. Then place scraped seeds into bowl with sugar and mix well.

Pour into air tight container and allow to sit untouched for a minimum of 1-2 weeks. Use in place of regular sugar when baking cookies, pies, or even in your morning cup of joe.


Orange Sugar & Lemon Sugar:

8 cups of sugar
2 naval oranges OR 2 lemons 
1/2 gallon mason jar or air tight container


   Measure out the sugar and place in a large mixing bowl. Take the zest from both oranges(or lemons) and mix it in to the sugar. Let sit for about an hour before putting it in an air tight container. Use in cakes, cookies, tea...the possibilities are endless.


   These sugars are shelf stable for several months. If you find the sugar is hardened at all you can put 2 saltine crackers in each container to keep any moisture out. Use in place of granulated sugar in any recipe.

Vintage Lovebirds

My new necklace arrived today! This is again from thevintagepearl.com and is called Vintage Lovebirds. I am in love with all of there necklaces but this one is my new favorite.

Vintage Cup of Joe

Just found this adorable necklace at my favorite place, the vintage pearl. Seems like a perfect fit for a coffee lover like me.

The Truth of Freedom

Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children’s children what it was once like in the United States where men were free.—Ronald Reagan

How Can I Help Our Military Families?

Today I was asked a question. This question while simple evoked such emotion that I had to sit down. How can I help our military families?  A National Guard wife that has not experienced a deployment or the same routine that many military spouses face asked me what she could do to help our military families. It made me happy to hear her say she wanted to help but it didn’t surprise me. Most people affiliated with the military have a greater knowledge of the struggles we face and always want to help. I am a marine wife and I am always looking for ways to help our men and women in uniform. My heart swells with pride when I take the time to think of all the sacrifices our military makes for us daily. Even those who aren’t deployed face so many challenges but they take it in stride. They give up many freedoms and liberties in their own lives to be there for us whenever we may call upon them. I have been blessed enough to be surrounded by these amazing people and here are a few of my own experiences of generosity from every side of the equation.

My husband deployed to Iraq when our son was only 8 months old. For me the day to day was bearable because of the wonderful neighbors I had. We lived on base and most of my neighbors had husbands deployed as well. It was a great bonding experience for us all. The hardest part for me was that my husband was going to miss our son’s firsts. My husband missed crawling, walking, Halloween, Christmas, first birthday and many more. At the time it seemed like such a big deal, looking back now though it really wasn’t. However, my memory of that Christmas is wonderful thanks to a VFW from NC that went out of their way to do something special and ultimately memorable for my family.  Here is the letter I received that still brings tears to my eyes simply because someone who didn’t know me went out of their way to think about me at an especially difficult time in my life.  

“Mrs. Carrie M********,

          We are comrades and personal friends of Marine Captain S*** L****, Officer-In-Charge of the unit in which your loved one serves. The Captain has invited our VFW post 8466 to help the families of the Military Personnel under his command celebrate Christmas in their absence.

Captain L****’s friends, members of our Wake Forest, North Carolina Post, thought long and hard on how to do what he requests. As we can’t know the circumstances of any given family, we have enclosed a modest material gift to help with Christmas, along with a promise: If you or your family have a specific need at any time during your loved-one’s deployment, please, let us know, and we will put maximum effort behind ensuring you receive what is identified.

As Veteran’s of Foreign Wars, we know what you must be going through during the holiday season, and in the absence of your deployed family member. Please, accept our gift, our promise, and our prayers for the safety of your family.

                                               

Claude Snyder, Commander

Wake Forest VFW Post 8466”

Enclosed in the envelope had been a $50 check from Mr. Snyder’s personal bank account. It was just a wonderful reminder that I wasn’t alone, that someone out there knew my struggles and wanted to let me know they were there for me if I needed anything. Four years later I still think of Mr. Snyder and the Wake Forest VFW and how much of a difference they made for me in that deployment by just reaching out.

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 My friend Tasha lost her husband Sergeant Mickel Garrigus on January 27, 2007. I can never imagine what her loss is like or how it will affect her for the rest of her life but I do like to let her know that I am thinking of her.  On January 27 every year I let her know I am thinking about the sacrifice Mickel made. I let her know I haven’t forgotten and that I will share his story with my children.

The year after Mickel passed away I was at a craft fair in North Carolina. A local photographer was selling beautiful handmade cards. Flipping through them I found a breathtaking picture of Arlington National Cemetery, covered in snow, wreaths laid at every headstone. It made me think of Tasha, her husband Mickel is buried in section 60. I bought the card. I held onto the card for a few months unsure of when to send it but knowing who it was meant for. In the spring I began to think of Mothers Day. A day I knew my husband and son would take me to my favorite restaurant, where we went every mother’s day. At that moment I knew when to send the card. I knew that Tasha’s husband wasn’t there to plan a trip to her favorite restaurant and that her son was too young to know it was mother’s day. I wrote a short note in the card saying I was thinking of her and that I knew mother’s day must be especially hard for her. All I wanted is for her to not feel alone on a day that should be special for any mom. I enclosed a small gift card and told her to buy something just for her, just because. It wasn’t much but I knew it made a difference when I got a tearful phone call from her on Mother’s Day.  The smallest gestures mean the most.

A simple card with a heartfelt message made a difference to someone that day just as it had for me on a lonely Christmas. Just knowing someone is thinking of you can make all the difference. Money doesn’t need to be donated, though the generosity is appreciated when it is given. A card though, a card with a ‘thank you for all you do’ or ‘you’re not alone’ is all it takes.

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Coffee is a vice of mine and I make routine trips to the Starbucks drive thru. Our car has base stickers on the front windshield. At times people ahead of me have noticed these in their rearview mirror and paid for my drink. These simple small acts of kindness bring tears to my eyes each and every time. It may be ironic or it may be Gods plan that these things happen at times when I seem to need it the most. A reassurance that people want to help, that people care, and that our sacrifices are not unnoticed.  The times that have affected me the most and made me proud of my fellow Americans are when people do things for my husband and other military members.

My husband and sixteen other people from his Battalion were on a motorcycle ride early this year, they do safety rides together ever month. This particular one took them up the coast about an hour from where we live. They stopped at a Ruby’s diner for lunch. I can’t imagine how funny they must have looked in the ritzy town they stopped in, seventeen marines on motorcycles, picturing it makes me smile. When they were ready to pay and leave they were informed that someone had picked up there tab. A tab for seventeen men, even at a Ruby’s diner couldn’t have been cheap. An elderly lady had overheard that they were Marines and paid for their meals. They thanked her then took down her address to mail her a thank you as well. Things like this lift the spirits of our men and women in uniform.

If you buy a four dollar cup of coffee for a military spouse one time you make a difference.  I have never forgotten any act of kindness shown to me and I know that is how most of us military spouses are. We never expect anything from anyone, we can make it on our own, and of course we will rarely ask for help, if ever. However, the little things that people do randomly not because they know who we are but just because they know we are in the military or are married to it make all the difference.

Buying meals, a coffee, or even sending cards aren’t the only way to show your appreciation for the military though. A great way to give back is to volunteer through organizations like the USO, Operation Homefront, or even the Wounded Warrior Project. There are so many ways to give back in any community all it takes is a little research and the desire to ask ‘how can I help our military families?’

Shower Curtains

While showering this morning I noticed my shower curtain for the first time. I mean really noticed it. I thought about when my husband and I had it in our first apartment together, then how we moved it to our new home before we had kids. Two kids later we moved it to our next home. Then last year we moved it across country to our new home in California. I guess what I am saying is, I need a new shower curtain!

The Vintage Pearl

I have been eagerly awaiting the arrival of my Vintage Pearl necklace. I really didn't think it would arrive as soon as it did but when I checked the mail today it was here. Hooray! It is even more beautiful then I could have imagined. Find this one at thevintagepearl.com it is called vintage silver charms necklace. I got an L and a J for my sons names. My next purchase will be the vintage lovebirds. Is it obvious I like vintage?