Surprise!

Posted on February 1, 2012 by Betsy

One of the ways we save money around here is by buying nearly all of G Bear’s clothes from consignment stores and eBay. I’ve been doing this for nearly 3 years now and have never had a problem with it; the clothes we get are always in good shape, clean and way, way cheap.

So a few weeks ago I had a coupon for 20% off an order at an online consignment shop. Score! I quickly loaded up my cart with new PJs since he had just outgrown his and managed to score some for as little as $2 a piece.

We got a set with construction vehicles and one with fire trucks. Gunne Bear was beside himself wanting to put them on. He could barely wait for me to run them through one last wash cycle.

The first set fit fine, no problems, and a couple of night later I took out the second set.

For some reason, I couldn’t get one of his feet into the foot part of the pajamas. There seemed to be something in there. I figured it was a trapped dryer sheet, and reached in to pull it out.

It was no dryer sheet: It. Was. A. THONG.

A black, lace thong was inside my son’s pajamas. I could not stop laughing or repeating, “Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god” over and over again. Thankfully I managed to get it out of the room before my son started insisting he wear it as a hat.

This post is a part of iPhone Photo Phun.

Gluten Free Flourless Chocolate Cupcakes

Posted on January 30, 2012 by Betsy

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It wasn’t long after we went gluten free that I declared that I would only eat a gf food if it was really, really good – not just “good for gluten free” or “a good substitute” for whatever it was I was missing. No; the food I was eating had to be good in its own right. This had led to a lot of experimenting.

It wasn’t long, however, before I came up with the World’s Best Cupcake Recipe. These chocolate cupcakes are so good, I am BEGGED to bring them to parties. I’ve made them three times in the last month, and have requests to make them twice more before the end of February.

These flourless cupcakes are dense, rich, chocolaty and so good you will want to make them weekly just to have them on hand. I made this batch with a buttercream frosting, but they work well topped with ganache, mousse, fondant – anything at all – or just eat them plain.

Flourless Chocolate Cupcakes

Print recipe

Serves:	20
Prep time:	15 minutes
Cook time:	30 minutes
Total time:	45 minutes
Dietary:	Gluten Free
Meal type:	Dessert
Misc:	Gourmet
Occasion:	Casual Party
Region:	Worldwide

Flourless, gluten free chocolate cupcakes

Ingredients

8oz semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup butter
1 cup cocoa powder
1-1/2 cup sugar
6 eggs (beaten)
1 teaspoon vanilla

Note

Directions

Step 1
Melt the butter and chocolate chips together in a double boiler
Step 2
Remove from heat and stir in other ingredients until well combined
Step 3
Pour into aluminum foil baking cups until about 3/4 full
Step 4
Bake at 300 degrees for 30 minutes or until set in the middle.
Step 5
Let cool for 25 minutes, then frost and decorate however you like.

Linking up this week with Tasty Tuesday, EKat’s Kitchen and Fireflies and Jellybeans

Valentine’s Day Wreath

Posted on January 30, 2012 by Betsy

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After we took the yarn wreath down from the doorway leading from our sunroom into the living room, the door seemed suddenly immense and very, very bare. Because I was already making some Valentine’s Day crafts to dress up the mantel, I figured, what the hell? Why not make a wreath to decorate the door with.

I initially wanted to make this larger, but finances dictated that I buy a small form, rather than a larger one. Oh well; there’s always next year and this one can be moved to decorate a wall.

This was really very simple to make. I used two 3-foot long satin sashes. I wrapped on sash around each side and used a very loose gather stitch to begin sewing it on.

Every few inches, I would pull the thread tight, which caused the satin to bunch up, making a ruffled cover for the wreath form.

When I was finished, I loved the ruffles, but felt it was a little plain, so I added a little embellishment as well. And voila! A new wreath for my door.

I used one last sash wrapped over my wreath holder because I felt it looked a little plain hung the other way. And I’m already thinking up things to replace it with for spring. I’m starting to think I’m sick in the head of something.

Partying this week at The Girl Creative, Inspire Me Monday, Craftomaniac Monday, Today’s Creative Blog, Twin Dragonfly Designs, Yesterday on Tuesday, Fingerprints on the Fridge

Valentine’s Day Garland

Posted on January 26, 2012 by Betsy

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After all the Christmas crafting and Christmas decorating I did, the house felt a little bare, and I felt a little bereft come January. Gunne Bear was really upset, too, wanting me to bring back all the decorations once they were gone. To remedy this, I decided to make a Valentine’s Day garland to dress up our mantle with.

This was really fast and easy to make, which sort of surprised me; I initially thought it would take me all month to do, so I got started on it rather early.

To make it, you need:

3 sheets of white felt
3 sheets of red felt
2 skeins of white embroidery floss
2 skeins of red embroidery floss
Scissors
Embroidery needle
Twine

Cut out 40 red hearts and 40 white hearts from the felt. I freehand drew and cut out one heart and used it as a template to the cut the others. Each heart should be about 2-inches tall and an inch and a half wide.

Double up the hearts, red to red and white to white and use the opposite color thread to blanket stitch the edges of the hearts together. This will give you 20 red hearts with a white border and 20 white hearts with a red border.

Thread the twine onto your needle and string the hearts together like you’re stringing popcorn. The hearts are essentially hollow, so just go between the layers and you’re done!

Linking up with A Crafty Soiree, Crafty Scrappy Happy and Delightfully Inspiring Thursday.

Gluten Free Cheese Biscuits

Posted on January 24, 2012 by Betsy

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We’ve passed the year mark of eating gluten free and I feel like I’ve finally got some really good recipes. Not just good substitutes for other foods, but actual, really tasty recipes that I would make even if we weren’t eating gluten free.

One of our family’s recent favorites is my cheese biscuits.

These are so easy to make, we have them all the time.

Ingredients

1/2 cup olive oil
1/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon milk
2 cups tapioca flour
3 teaspoons garlic – minced
2/3 cup grated Romano cheese
2 eggs, beaten

Instructions

Pour the olive oil, milk, water and salt and into a saucepan and place on high heat. Bring to a boil and remove from heat.

Ingredients in sauce pan

Stir in the tapioca flour and garlic and set aside for 10 minutes. It will look really lumpy and curdy.

Dry and Lumpy

Stir in the cheese and egg and mix well. It will still be lumpy, but more like cottage cheese at this point.

Smoother Now

Drop the mixture 1/4 cup at a time into a greased muffin tin.

Muffin Tin

Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes or until the tops are golden brown. These taste best eaten hot right from the oven, so I always time mine to be ready with the rest of the meal. Enjoy!

Linking up with Tasty Tuesday!

Buttons and Rice

Posted on January 23, 2012 by Betsy

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Now that our sandbox is covered in snow, I’ve had to get creative with ways to let Gunne Bear dig, scoop and dump. After a lot of experimenting, we’ve hit on two great ways to do so: Buttons and Rice.

The buttons I got at the craft store in a mixed pouch. I actually bought them for a few projects, and I suppose that’s what their true purpose still is, but lately Gunne Bear has been getting a lot more use out of them.

They can be scooped, dumped, pushed and sorted by color, shape and size. Sometimes we run them on wire, but mostly we just drive some cars and trucks through them.

The rice Gunne Bear thinks is a lot more fun, but I think is a big PITA, so we bring it out less often.

This is plain white rice that we divided into several bowls. We colored each bowl with a few drops of food coloring and mixed well, then we mixed the colored grains together.

These colorful grains are great for sensory development, but a pain to sweep up when the play is finished. I’m thinking we may try the same thing with dried beans next to see if that works as well, but without the finding of tiny grains all over the house for days afterward.

Linking up with delicateConstruction

DIY Cloth Napkins

Posted on January 20, 2012 by Betsy

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Several months ago, we switched from paper towels to microfiber towels in our kitchen. I cannot tell you how awesome the switch was and how gleeful I am to never buy paper towels again. It made me so giddy in fact, that it made me dig out an old project that I began about 2 years ago, but abandoned for lack of interest: Cloth napkins.

I picked up a bunch of remnants of fabric about 2 years ago with this project in mind. I wanted some pretty, colorful, cheerful napkins for everyday use.

I love the idea of not buying any more paper napkins, and using these instead. I also love the idea of having such a stack of pretty fabrics in the center of my table each day. These were meant to be displayed.

I used a rolled hem, which was super easy to do, and is surprisingly strong.

To make them, cut your fabric down to a little larger than what you want the finished napkin to be. Then, roll in the hem as tightly as possible on one side. I liked the way they turned out with five or six rolls, but you could do more or less.

Insert the needle into the end of the roll, having it poke out toward you from the middle.

Pull it through and poke it below the roll through to the other side.

Pull through, and poke the needle back through the fabric toward you again, below the roll about an 1/8 of an inch from where it went out.

Pull through and give it a little tug, then poke it through the roll to the left, taking care not to come out on the finished side. Bring it through about 1/4 of an inch down the roll.

Pull it through, give it a tug and repeat the first steps. Keep going all the way around the napkin. I like to use one really long thread – seriously 4 feet long – to keep from having to knot off and begin again. It goes really fast and gives them a really charming, handmade/rustic look that holds up well.

I’m planning on making even more in a few other fabrics, but for now I think I have enough that we can really start using them daily. They make me so happy!

Linking up with Blissful and Domestic

Milestone

Posted on January 4, 2012 by admin

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At the beginning of this week, we past a milestone that has been a long time – 30 months – in coming.

We finally turned Gunne Bear’s car seat from rear to front facing.

I am sort of astonished that we made it this far. I’m equally astonished that I finally turned him around. 2 -1/2 years of putting him in one way and not being able to see him while I drove is a long time.

Now, when I glance back, there he is, grinning at me and asking me questions about the dashboard, which he can now see for the first time.

We chose to keep him rear facing as long as possible because of some articles I wrote on car seats – the stories I heard were just too gruesome to think about. So we strived to keep him rear facing until he outgrew the height or weight limits, or he hit the 2 years and 30 pounds recommendation.

We actually hit the 2 years and 30 pounds recommendation at the same time that he topped out height wise, so it was really time to turn him.

Probably it was the length of time we had him rear facing before the switch, but this feels like one seriously momentous occasion to me just now.

This post has been a part of iPhone Photo Phun.

Ratatouille

Posted on January 3, 2012 by admin

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I love my slow cooker, Crock Pot, whatever you want to call it. We use it at least once a week, more if things are going to be crazy in the evenings and I know I won’t have time to cook.

I love the fact that you can just dump a bunch of stuff in there, turn it on, walk away and wait as your home fills up with wonderful smells. It’s like magic.

One of my husband’s favorite meals is a slow cooker ratatouille. This is by far the easiest and fastest meal on the planet to throw together, so I’m always going to say, “Yes” if he requests it.

Making it is merely a layering process:

Start with a summer squash.

Add a zucchini.

Throw on an eggplant.

Throw on red, yellow and orange peppers.

Here’s the secret ingredient: Half a jalapeno. Only half; you want it to brighten the flavor of the dish, not overwhelm it. It won’t make it spicy; it just adds a lot of depth and heightens the other flavors. Trust me.

Add a sweet onion.

Add two tablespoons of minced garlic.

Throw on about 16 ounces of crushed tomatoes, some basil and salt. Mix well, cover and set to low for 8 to 10 hours.

It will cook down a lot. Give it a final stir and set to warm before serving.

Before you serve it, cube up some Muenster cheese and place it on the bottom of the bowl. Ladle in the hot ratatouille on top so the cheese melts. Enjoy with some hot cheese biscuits – recipe to come next week.

Linking up with Tasty Tuesday.

My Mommy Moment

Posted on January 2, 2012 by admin

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I’m not here today. Head over to Mommy of a Monster to read about my Mommy Moment.

Funky Mama Bird

Writer, Crafter, DIY Expert and Slow Cooker Goddess

Surprise!

Gluten Free Flourless Chocolate Cupcakes

Flourless Chocolate Cupcakes

Ingredients

Note

Directions

Valentine’s Day Wreath

Valentine’s Day Garland

Gluten Free Cheese Biscuits

Buttons and Rice

DIY Cloth Napkins

Milestone

Ratatouille

My Mommy Moment

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