Make it a good one!

I LOVE this time of year. ..
the anticipation,
the dreams,
the wonder,
the excitement,
the energy,
the determination,
the will...

Seldom does one find all of this so perfectly bundled together at any other time of the year.

I am crazy excited about the plans I have deliberately put together and cannot wait to see the beautiful results that will come from the energy I WILL be attaching to them.

Every area of my life I have spent effort and prayer as I have focused on what is thriving and what is dying...FOCUS and INTENTION are key for me.

Sooooo ready for the beautiful story 2015 is sure to tell!

The Challege ~ GF Dinner Rolls for Thanksgiving Dinner!

I'm always up for a challenge!

I have finally perfected a bread recipe 

that I have pretty much fallen in love with,

(Because of that,

I don't cook it all that often...

I really don't need to eat a whole loaf in one setting, 

and believe me, 

it's that yummy, I just might be tempted!)

Well...bread is great, but it's not PERFECT

when it comes to a Thanksgiving FEAST,

so...

I did a little playing around and came up with 

a Super Yummy GF Dinner Roll Recipe topped off with Cinnamon Honey Butter!

Is your mouth watering yet???  It should be...so, so good!!!

Here we go...

2 C GF Mix *

1 C Featherlight Mix *

1/3 C Sugar

2 1/2 tsp xanthan gum

2 tsp salt

3 tsp yeast

1/4 C Veggie Oil or Olive Oil **

(I prefer the veggie oil as it does not have a powerful flavor)

1 1/4 C Hot Water

2 tsp rice vinegar

3 eggs

*  Recipes for flour mixes found here

** Side note:  IF I were to be making these for an event other than Thanksgiving, and I wished for a little more flavor in my dinner rolls, I would definitely use Olive Oil and then I'd toss in a tsp or two of my favorite Italian seasonings...yummmm!

In the bottom of your mixing bowl 

( love my kitchen aid )

combine your flours, sugar, xanthan gum and salt.

Then pour the yeast right on top BUT DON'T MIX IT IN!

Just let it sit there for a few while you

grab another bowl,

(I love to use my big Pyrex measuring bowl for this step)

Combine your hot water, oil and vinegar

(yes, it can be hot, because it cools with the oil and vinegar)

Pour this over the top of your yeast 

and set the timer for 3 minutes.

Don't mix, just let it staring working its magic.

After 3 minutes you can start to mix on low speed, then add eggs.  

Mix until well combined.

Set your timer, again for 3 minutes, and beat on high speed.

While the dough is doing it's thing, 

get out 2 cupcake/muffin pans

and grease generously.

About the time you are done with that,

your timer should be beeping away...

...stop the mixing,

scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl,

and this is what you should have.

It will be a bit gooey.  

(Not at all like regular Bread Dough)

Fill the muffin cups to about 1/2 full...

like so ~ 

This recipe will fill 2 pans,

yielding 24 dinner rolls.

Allow to rise for 45 minutes...

they will reach the top of the cup and maybe even just a bit more.

While they are rising,

set your oven to 350

making sure to have your oven rack in the middle.

If it's too low, they just don't cook quite so nicely,

yes, I found out the hard way.  Darn it!

Once they have risen nicely, 

pop 'em in the oven for 18-20 minutes...

mine come out pretty perfect at 19 minutes.

The tops will be golden, in fact, they are pretty golden all around.

Tip them out on your cooling rack and 

serve with cinnamon honey butter!

Cinnamon Honey Butter is a cinch to make ~

and it's perfect for Thanksgiving!

1/2 C Butter

1/4 C Honey

1 tsp Cinnamon

Combine and whip until light and fluffy!

BONUS:

IF you are looking for a flaky, delish PIE CRUST...search no further,

I've got one for you here!

Wishing you each a beautiful day 

filled with all that foods 

that make your 

taste buds do a happy dance!!!

#NaPhoPoMo Day 12...A reason to celebrate!

Today is November 12, 2013 

A more exciting way to see this date would be ~
11 - 12 - 13

Today is also 
DAY 12 
in this wonderful journey of photographing for the #NaPhoPoMo challenge!

This is the way our day started out:

My kids really have the greatest Dad...
this morning before he left for work, 
he called everyone downstairs, 
acting all serious like...
then wrote down some numbers on a paper saying this was a very special day. 
Side note: 
Our kids are ALWAYS pointing out "special numbers" on the clock, 
such as 11:11 or 3:33 or 12:34, 
you get the idea...
it's fascinating to them. 
(yes, I am sure this is my fault...I'm a little weird sometimes and I'm fairly certain it is rubbing off on them!!!)

So Chad shows them that today is 11-12-13 
and that is the ONLY time 
this will EVER happen in their lifetime!!! 
In unison,
the 3 youngest yelled out shrieks of excitement...
so, in honor of our craziness around here, 
I decided we should have a PARTY tonight at 9:10 to celebrate!!! 



Party at 9:10 on 11-12-13...
Mighty Fantastic Plan, if you ask me!!!

And PARTY we did!!!

Homemade Maracas were made for the special occasion...
yep...two bottles of sprinkles taped together...PERFECTION!


Banana Splits with whip cream, chocolate syrup and sprinkles ... check!


Banana Splits ready and waiting...
KIDS are all WAY READY!!!
And tired of waiting...
9:10 seems to NEVER get here when you are watching the clock!

And it is time to celebrate a time that none of us will ever see again.

Time to dig in to this delicious bowl!


Good to the very last drop!


Party night was a success...
We should really do this for no real reason more often!

WHY NOT???

Don't we all need to have more things to celebrate in life?

My theory...
make 'em up
if they don't already exist!!!

#NaPhoPoMo Day 8...I get by with a little help from my friends

DAY 8

Tonight was our MAN FEAST for DHSA,

our local Homeschool Organization...

It was our 3rd Annual "Feast".

See these two lovely ladies hanging out with me???

I LOVE them both to pieces!!!

We had sooooooo much fun today, 

We cooked

and we decorated

and we ate chocolate

and we laughed

and we took goofy pictures together

and then we hung out together until almost midnight

then we decided we should all go back to being moms again....

Sure glad those special men in our lives support all our fun together!

Yes, life is good

and the saying is true...

I get by with a little help from my friends!

Love you girls!!!

#NaPhoPoMo Day 2...Kitchen Creations!

I love creativity
AND I LOVE
creating in my kitchen...

so THIS
Pumpkin Shaped Cheese Ball 
is the perfect combination for me!
Day 2

It is just PERFECT for a Harvest Party...
soooo tasty!!!
And super easy!

Blend together:
2 blocks (16 oz) room-temperature Cream Cheese
1 1/2 C Shredded Cheddar Cheese
2-3 Tbls dried minced onion
1/4 C of your favorite salsa
3 tsp ground cumin
a dash of salt and pepper

Then grab some plastic wrap and plop your cheesy mixture right in the middle, form the mixture into a nice pumpkin-shaped ball (with a flat bottom to rest on)  making sure it is wrapped well.
Then pop it in your fridge for a couple hours to chill.
If you are in a bit of a hurry, just throw it in the freezer for 30 minutes or so.

To serve, unwrap from plastic wrap and roll in crushed Nacho Doritios...
(These give a nice orange glow to your pumpkin!)
I find it helpful to pat some on the sides of the pumpkin if it isn't sticking well when rolling.
(For a super easy way to crush your Doritos...
get a gallon sized ziploc bag, toss a few chips in and start smashin'!)
No mess...  :)

For the finishing touches ~
remove the top of a bell pepper and place it right atop your pumpkin,
PERFECTION!  
Then add a few chips around the edges of your pumpkin.

Sure to be a crowd pleaser!!!

Osmosis and Naked Eggs

Science Experiments are a FAVORITE around here!!!

Want to know a little more about OSMOSIS??? 

Or "Awesome-osis" as my kids would call it!

Okay, then join us in making a "NAKED EGG"!

Simple Supply List:

A Jar

Apple Cider Vinegar

An Egg

In a few days, you'll need:

A clean jar

Corn Syrup

Let's get started!!!

How to make a Naked Egg

A “naked egg” is simply an egg that no longer has its shell... 

The shell will be gone – yet the egg stays intact, held together by two fragile membranes just inside the shell of the egg.  

The shell of an egg is made up of calcium carbonate. 

When you place your egg into a jar filled with apple cider vinegar, you start a chemical reaction that dissolves the calcium carbonate shell. This is due to the acetic acid in the vinegar;  it reacts with the calcium carbonate in the egg shell and releases carbon dioxide gas that you will begin to see as bubbles on the shell.

Are you ready to check it out???

Grab your jar and gently place the egg inside and cover with apple cider vinegar...

your egg will most likely start to float...

don't worry if it is not completely covered, it will work out just great!  

Then cover the egg either with the lid to the jar or with a piece of aluminum foil.  

Then stick it in the fridge and prepare to be patient for the next few days.

The only job you will have over the next number of days will be to just gently swish the egg around, check out the bubbles (remember the carbon dioxide gas we talked about...it's happening now) and take careful notice of what is happening to your egg...the shell is beginning to disintegrate and float around and may form a layer of "stuff" on the top of the liquid.

After a few days of soaking in vinegar, you will end up with a pretty cool Naked Egg. 

Be sure to notice that your egg is a bit bigger than when you first started. 

This is because some of the vinegar (and some of the water in the vinegar) has moved through the membranes to the inside of the egg. The membranes are semi-permeable and allow water to move through them. This is called osmosis.  (For a better understanding of how osmosis works...check out the info at the end of the post)

When you remove your egg from the vinegar, you may be a little surprised at the new texture...it feels quite "rubbery"...

we did the Bounce Test to check out just how rubbery and tough our naked egg had become...but before doing the Bounce Test, we were curious to see if we could shrink our egg and cause it to shrivel up.  

So can YOU Shrink your Egg???

You bet...

all you need to find is a liquid that contains a very small amount of water...

corn syrup is a perfect match for such a job!

Time to grab your next round of supplies ~ you will need a clean jar or glass and enough corn syrup to cover your naked egg.  

 Now, the waiting time starts again...
give it a day or two (we did two days) and see what happens!
When we pulled ours out, it was still very much intact, seemed MUCH more fragile and looked a little baggy, shrunken and raisin-like.  
How did this happen???
Well, corn syrup has very little water content, so the water inside the egg begins to move across the semi-permeable egg membrane to equalize the water concentration. Again, that’s osmosis at work. You could leave your egg inside the corn syrup until it shriveled up to look just like a big raisin with the yolk inside.

And IF you are as crazy as we are 

and you just cannot seem to get enough of this Naked Egg Experiment...

just reverse this process again by tossing 

(No Don't Toss, gently 

place your egg inside a clean glass again) 

and cover with water...

The water will do its magic again and move across the membrane filling the egg with water and in a couple days your Naked Egg will be nice and rubbery...

leading you to another fun experiment to try out...

The BOUNCE TEST!!!

We didn't video the 1inch drop up to the 6 inch bounce test...but decided after a while that we NEEDED to have proof of just how amazing this naked, rubbery egg was...so here you have it!!!

(side note:  As I've watched the video a couple of times now, it occurred to me that I have one very interested son...he made it up to the front of the crowd and was DETERMINED to save the egg from impending doom...only to be told to stop many times...lesson to me (as Mom and Teacher) ~ some kids just feel things so much more intensely than others, embrace it and love it...they are special and unique and I am lucky enough to be his Momma!)

Click this link to check it out!

For further clarification on Osmosis, read below:  Sorry, that I don't know who to give credit to for these words...but to whomever, thank you!

It's diffusion of water through a semi-permeable membrane (a membrane that's semi-porous) from an area of low solute concentration (less stuff in the water) to an area of high solute concentration (more stuff in the water). Or in other words, water will flow from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure. 

Here's a way to look at it, that'll be helpful for you. 
A hypertonic solution is a solution that has lots of stuff in it. What happens when you have lots of stuff in the water? Well you're going to have LESS water. Right? A hypotonic solution is a solution that has less stuff in it. When there's less stuff in it, there's going to be a lot more water. 

In nature everything needs to be balanced, something called equilibrium. Whenever you place a cell in a solution that is hypertonic (lots of stuff in it), the solution is obviously going to have less water than the cell. So what happens is the cell's water flows outwards into the solution to balance out. Because all the water flows out of the cell, the cell has little water left and so it shrinks in size. Another way to think of it is the water went from an area of high concentration (the cell) to an area of low concentration (the surrounding solution). 

If you place the same cell in a hypotonic solution (a solution that has less stuff and more water), the cell will then have more stuff in it than the surrounding solution. Because the cell has more stuff in it, that means the water in it is less than the surrounding solution. In other words, the amount of water in the solution is higher than the cell. So the water flows INTO the cell, causing it to swell up. Another way to think of it is the water went from an area of high concentration (the surrounding solution) to an area of low concentration (the cell).

Retreats + Catering = Happy ME!

Sooooo super fun to see a blog post from one of my new friends tonight!!!
She highlighted some of the food I prepared for a group of ladies attending the Craft Taffy Retreat in McCall last week ~ Check it out to see some of the fun I had catering !

To get an even better idea of the amazing time to be had at one of these retreats...check out this blog post from Corrie @ Quilt Taffy!!!



And this photo, compliments of another new friend while I was having the time of my life! ...these ladies totally ROCK!!!

So many fun memories...can't wait for the next one!

Very soon, I will be posting more photos of our fabulous weekend along with some recipes you can give a shot...everything turned out yummy as could be!

Cupcake vs. Cake, The Ultimate Companionship Battle

Spent about an hour back and forth with my sweet Danielle this morning...she sounds wonderful!

She is still just as full of spunk and energy as ever.  I have no doubt she is keeping everyone on their toes in Hancock, but it sounds like they love her, not to my surprise at all...she is quite lovable!!!

Today, I am going to pack up the BEST CUPCAKE SUPPLIES EVER to send her way...

time to end this battle properly!  :)  

Be sure to enter into "The Contest"...

I'll be reporting to Danielle if it's Cupcake or Cake.  

Let the games begin!!!

Dearest Idaho people, and others,

I'm a month old as of Saturday, the 3rd!! 

Time flies!

This week was wonderful and we saw so many little miracles. 

This week I also found out that 

my companion is a psycho. 

She doesn't like cupcakes! 

Who is she?? 

Since that confession of hers / argument of ours, 

we have been holding a cake vs. cupcake poll. 

It's about 50/50, but I'm obviously the right one here. 

Also, as a result, one of our friends out here is referring to me as Sister Cupcake. 

I love it, and Sister B hates it. 

Which makes it all the better :) 

other than that little spat, we are getting along well here. 

Miracle of the week:

We were given a challenge at Zone Conference that was quite intimidating, and we were hesitant to try it out. But we decided to have faith that if the Lord gave us counsel to do something, that we would do it. When we applied the training, we were soooo nervous. But it worked! And we were hitherto humbled. And it just made me realize, that when we are asked to do something, that the Lord will always prepare the way before us if we will have the faith in Him.

Quote of the week: 

"Oh Sister Lytle, you're not our 'friend.' You're family here.

You heard Abe, I don't have to be nice to you! 

You're my sister now!  Kind of... you're just a special sister I guess. 

But I still don't have to be nice"  (Hailey is one of my favsies)

Sorry this is so short this week, but I love you all and will write you a long one soon!

Sister Lytle / Sister Cupcake

So, here's the deal...just write me a quick "Cupcake" or "Cake"

and I'll do the reporting to Danielle...She will LOVE it that we are joining in!!!  (Feel free to write anything else as well and I'll pass it on for her...thanks for joining in on the fun!)

Where will I walk?

I find it fascinating that during the times I am in the midst of deep introspection 

regarding my passions, 

my purpose, 

my desires and my dreams...

that things such as these two little gems of thought cross my path...

I do not think this is happenstance, 

chance, or luck of the draw...

There are REASONS these came to me...

and 

now

it is time 

for me to decide...

Where will I walk?

What I am afraid of?

What is out there waiting for me...and what is it that is holding me back

from seeing places I've never seen before?

Time to take that first step...

Where

Will

I walk???

And what does this journey hold for me???

(to be honest, I'm feeling a little giddy...

I've always LOVED a great adventure,

and this may prove to be one of the greatest!)

Those Greeks knew how to do it!!!

After a very joyous month of learning about the Ancient Greeks, the geography of Greece, the Greek Gods and Goddesses, the architecture, and the customs and cultures of the various city-states...

it was time to have a PARTY!!!!

~ Greek Style ~ 

Togas?  
Well, Of COURSE!!!

Pictured here are my four youngest kiddos...
the only ones I could actually get into a toga...
the other ones couldn't believe I would PROMOTE wearing togas...
hehehehe...
it's all good and innocent and fun!
If you are wondering what my little guy is doing ~
 he is depicting "The Thinker"

~ we all laughed because he decided to go with a little clothing instead of doing it in the buff!!!










Food?
What would a party be without food?

This amazing layout of Greek foods included:
Chicken Souvlaki
Greek Festival Lemon Rice Pilaf
Greek Potatoes
Greek Salad
Pitas and Hummus
Falafels and Tzatziki
Dolmades
Figs and Dates and Grapes
and to top it all off ~ Baklava!

I'm tellin' ya...THIS was some fabulous food!!!!!
The Greeks know how to eat!



Music and Dance?
YOU know it!!!  Again, what good would a party be without music and dancing???

We threw in a little learning time ~

We had a Greek Herb Identification Station...

We had several dried herbs for them to see and 5 bottles of oils (also herbs) for them to smell.  The task before them was to do their best to identify what they saw or smelled.






Little noses were turned up here and there as they sniffed,
many were surprised by the contents.
It was fun to see how many of the herbs were familiar to the kids...great exercise!!!
I, for one, might never tire of such savory sniffs...yum, yum, yum!!!



All parties need a little creating ~
Each of the kids tried their hand at decorating Greek Pottery...













The pottery of the Greeks was painted showing significant historical events,
it often included paintings of their gods or goddesses,
and was full of geometric designs.
We decided to use Paint Pens, rather than messy paint and brushes.
Clean up was a cinch!!!
Paint pens and small terra cotta pots ~ PERFECT combination!

Their designs were so varied and so fun...
it was fantastic to see the work that they put into these!!! Kids LOVE to be creative!

They also had the opportunity to make Greek Theater Masks ~
one for comedy and one for tragedy...
again ~ they came up with some great designs!

I have to admit, I am feeling just a little sad to move on...
the study of the Ancient Greeks was fascinating, to say the least!

We enjoyed our time with all our co-op friends who meet with us twice a week ~
these days make learning a BLAST!!!

I think Zeus and Apollo will be favorites here for years to come...
And we'll probably always reflect back to what we've learned about the architecture of the Greeks...it surrounds us!

The influence that the Ancient Greek Civilization has had on the Western Civilization abounds ~
so many gifts were handed down to us:
to name just a few...
The OLYMPICS
Theatre ~ Comedy, Tragedy, Satire
Greek Columns and Architecture
Fables, legends and myths ~ we had a great time reading through many of Aesop's Fables ~ the best part of spending time in these fables was the opportunity to dig into the "moral of the story" and how significant they can be!
Trial by Jury
Roots of Democracy
and ancient inventions such as the ice house -- the first being built by Alexander the Great!

Time to switch gears a little and dig into CHINA...
What would February be without a little China New Year Celebration???

I really do have the BEST JOB EVER!!!

On the first day...

In honor of 12/12/12 and the Twelve Days of Christmas,
I challenged myself
and each of our children
to ponder
and then write down
12 things
they are Thankful to God for...

This is something we typically focus on around Thanksgiving,
but this just feels right to revisit.

The tough part will be to narrow my list to just 12...
my problem has never been with ingratitude;
I could go on and on and on and on and on with all that I am truly grateful for, I have been richly blessed in this life and
I choose to focus on my blessings,
it keeps me smiling each day!

So, the song that comes to mind that is just replaying itself over and over is ~

"On the first day of Christmas,
my true love gave to me..."

maybe that is because the things I am grateful or thankful for I really do believe have been given to me...God or Heavenly Father (however you wish to refer to Him) has blessed my life in the richest of ways. 
Sometimes those blessings are revealed through trials, and at other times through rays of sunlight and smiles...
but He is always there giving me what He knows I need to become who I am to become.

So back to it...here is my list:

On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...
The blessing of a husband who treats me as a Princess each day of my life.
He is my Knight in Shining Armor and I KNOW he was a gift to me, he was given to me to help me smile each day, he was given to me to help me see me the way he does, he was given to me to help me make my dreams come true, he was given to me to help me work through the trials I would face in this life, he was given to me as a reminder that good does exist in this world!

One the second day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...
one little baby girl
and another baby girl
and then a little baby boy
and one more baby boy
and another tiny little baby boy
and then another sweet baby girl
and finally one last little baby girl...

On the third day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...
Arms and a Body to hold that dear husband of mine close
and to rock those sweet little babies each and every beautiful night.
This body He gave me allows me to do all I could ever dream of,
the only thing that limits me...is me ~ He sent me here to show Him and myself what I could and would do. 
The best thing I believe I could do is to use this body to Love those He sent to me
and to love the body I was blessed with.

On the fourth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...
The best friends I could ever dream of having...
those that I could laugh with
cry with
run with
dance with
and talk endless hours with...
he gave me friends for every season of my life.
He gave me a heart big enough to love each of them for who they are
and to cherish the time (limited as it may be) that I have with them.

On the fifth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...
Parents who have always loved me and supported me.
A mom who showed me how to love my family through the service I could share with them, a mom who taught me the value of taking care of myself, my family and my home, a mom who is always there, a mom who I treasure and am thankful every day of my life for, a mom who is so much more than just a mom...she is my friend!
A dad who showed me what hard work is, a dad who taught me to play baseball in the backyard and run for all I was worth, a dad who tried with all his might to turn me into the boy he never had, a dad who has softened into one of the sweetest men you will ever know.  A dad that I am so grateful I can call My DAD. 

On the sixth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...
A sister that I could grow up with...
a sister that I could learn life lessons with...
a sister that even through all the hard times and the battles we've had to endure is still present in my life and more importantly in my heart...a sister that I love and cherish and am so grateful to have close by.  A sister that I hope to spend countless hours of happiness with in the very near future!

On the seventh day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...
A mind with which to think
and to dream
and to imagine
and to create.
A mind that allows me every opportunity in the world.
A mind that is alive and vibrant and full of life and wonder!

On the eighth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...
flushing toilets,
hot showers,
curling irons and hairspray and lip gloss,
and at the end of a hard day
hot bubble baths with beautiful candles and dark chocolate.
(Do you like how I squeezed a whole bunch all into one...that still counts, right?)

On the ninth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...
Wonderful kitchen tools
and the desire to create in that wonderful room in my home!
I am so thankful for all of the delicious foods we have to choose from,
I love the colors of food
and the smells
the various textures...
I love spices and how they make food just JUMP to life!
I love the fun I have in my kitchen with my family.
I love the smiles and the oohs and aahs that come after a yummy meal has touched their happy little taste buds.

On the tenth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...
Beautiful things that surround me no matter which way I turn ~
whether they be artwork created by a famous artist or the sweet artwork of a child,
the beautiful music that I am blessed to hear,
the budding flowers,
or the snowflakes falling from the skies.
The sunsets and rainbows,
the smiles of little children,
the birds that fly overhead
or the wonder created by using my imagination.
I am so thankful for this magnificent world and all the creations that are here for us to enjoy.

On the eleventh day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...
The gift of expressing myself.
The gift of being okay with expressing myself.
The gift of being me and finally loving me.

On the twelfth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...
the gift of the Atonement...

the biggest of all gifts.

My Savior died for me and I know with all of my heart, He would have done it for me and me alone if I were the only person on this earth...I am thankful to Him for loving me enough to pay the price for me...to suffer for me...to experience all the trials, heartache and disappointments I would have to go through. He gives me strength and a purpose...He helps me to believe when I doubt.

"The Atonement makes wrong things right"
is a quote that I received from a friend many, many months ago...
it just makes sense and again proves that HIS GIFT is the greatest of all.
With this gift, things that I may do wrong can be made right through repentance.
With this gift, things that others do to wrong me allows me to feel peace because that is His promise.
With this gift, the ugly things in this world, the things that bring tears to my eyes and pain in my heart can and will be made right.
The Atonement is a most priceless gift for each and every one of us, but is often unnoticed or invisible, please always remember how very much YOU are loved.

My gift back to Him will be to live a life in which I share all the love I can with all that I ever meet.

Happy 12 Days of Christmas to you!

I'd really love to do a little cheating about now...
Don't you think we should add a couple extras???

On the 13th day, on the 14th day, on the 15th day...

I feel like I should be listing the 25 days of Christmas...

So so so so many wonderful things to cherish and be thankful for in life...
now I'm challenging you...
you will be grateful you spent the time on this.

I am happy enough to do a little happy dance...don't ya wanna feel that way, too?
Then we could be happy dancin' together!  :0)

Texas Grilled Chicken with Lime Butter and Mexican Rice with Creamy Tomatillo and Cilantro Dressing

Oh my goodness...

Are you ready for the yummiest dinner EVER???

This is so tasty that my mouth is actually watering just thinking about it!!!

YOU WILL WANT TO MAKE THIS ONE...don't even give it a second thought, just get all your ingredients together and get busy...you are gonna WOW everyone who eats it, I PROMISE!!!

First, let's make a little marinade and get that chicken doin' it's thing!

Texas Grilled Chicken with Lime Butter

You will need:
4 -5 large chicken breasts,
set them to the side to rest
while you combine the following for your spice seasoning marinade:
(JUST A LITTLE NOTE HERE:
if you are feeding an army, like I do...
You can easily adjust this recipe, just double it.
OR if you are preparing it for a dinner party, quadruple the hummer and make a load of people smile!)
2 Tbsp Cinnamon
2 Tbsp Chili Powder
2 Tbsp Brown Sugar
2 tsp Cocoa powder
salt and pepper (probably a tsp of each...or more if you prefer)
5 Tbsp Olive Oil
3 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
Stir together well...then add a little water (just a tsp or so at a time...you just want this to be runny enough to coat your chicken breasts well on both sides)

Coat the chicken breasts and let them hang out for a while...you decide...could be for as little as 30 minutes or so -- up to all afternoon if you stick them in the fridge.
When ready, grill over medium heat -- about 7-8 minutes each side.

Drizzle with lime butter: 
(Don't be tempted to leave this off thinking the chicken will have enough flavor ~ even though it really does ~ but I'm tellin' ya this drizzle is to die for, so take just a minute and throw it together, you'll be so happy you did!)
1/2 C melted butter
1 Tbsp fresh lime juice
1 Serrano Chili, minced
2 Tbsp minced onion
Handful of cilantro, chopped

Mix all together and drizzle away over the top of your grilled chicken breasts...
Garnish with lime wedge and serve with the delish Rice Recipe.

Alrighty...now for that deeeeelicious rice recipe...

Mexican Rice with Creamy Tomatillo and Cilantro Dressing

Ingredients for Rice:
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 large white or yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small can chopped mild green chiles
2 C Brown Rice
3 1/2 C chicken stock
salt and pepper

Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat...toss in onion, garlic and green chiles.  Cook until onion is soft, about 5 - 10 min.  Mix in rice, stir about 2 minutes.  Add chicken stock, bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to low and cover...cook until rice is tender and broth is absorbed.  (BROWN RICE takes a little longer to cook, so be patient...it is so much tastier than white rice, you'll be glad you tried it!)
Turn off heat and let rice rest covered for about 5 minutes, then add dressing and toss...then serve alongside your Texas Grilled Chicken!

Ingredients for Tomatillo and Cilantro Dressing:
First I'll give you the "real" recipe...
Then I'll give you "MY FAVORITE VERSION"...
both are super yummy!!!

2 C Mayonnaise
2 C Sour Cream
Bundle of fresh Cilantro, washed and with stems removed
3-5 Tomatillos, quartered
1 garlic clove
2 green onions
1 Serrano chile, seeded and chopped
1 tsp salt and pepper
2 tsp Cumin
3 Tbsp fresh lime juice (about 2 limes)

Place all ingredients in blender and blend until nice and smooth.
Give it a little taste, if it still needs a little extra zing, add in a bit more lime and possibly another pinch of salt and pepper.

Now for MY FAVORITE VERSION!!!!
Substitute the Mayo for Vanilla Bean Ice Cream...
You gotta try it, it is so, so, so divine!!!

It's actually a GREAT thing when you run out of certain ingredients...
that's when the magic happens!!!
I love "creating" in the kitchen...the things we can come up with are remarkable!

I do hope you'll love these recipes...they are some of my favorites...I've done a lot of tweaking to get them "JUST SO" ~ feel free to do the same if you desire.  :0)

And the Magic has begun...

Only 20 more days!!!


So many wonderful things to fit in...

right now, it's time to finish up our paper snowflakes...love, love, love making these with my kiddos!!!

Tomorrow, we'll be whipping up a batch of these adorable snowmen!!!

Is it any wonder, I LOVE this time of year???

So many fun things to do with so many fun kids...

Our paper countdown chains are up,
and the creations are appearing EVERYWHERE!!!

(along with the creations, come huge messes...
papers here and there
yarn spread throughout the house
stickers stuck to every surface
glue residue on the counters
scraps of fabric and cotton scattered
and my personal favorite --
my floor glitters and shines like no other...
pretty magnificent!)

We have so much more to do...
here's a small sample of the fun we've been having!
Stinkin' cute, huh???


December is the perfect month to be as creative as your heart desires...
keep watching...
I'm sure I'll be doing a little show and tell throughout the month.  :)

I LOVE Packages....

I just received a second gift in the mail from a friend I made while on a retreat in McCall earlier this Fall...

I am so excited to learn from all that these pages hold me for ~ I know it's going to be so helpful to me while I am on this path of learning all I can about the world of cooking.  I would LOVE to go to a Culinary Arts Program, but that is not in the cards for me at this time in my life, soooo.....I'll just soak it all in through these pages and do it "my way!"

After all, I am a homeschooling Mom, so I am used to doing it my way.  :0)

A HUGE THANK YOU to Ramona for such a sweet gift ~ I am overcome by your kindness!
...I will love, love, love using this book and will hopefully be able to share something wonderful from it's pages with you!  :0) 


Not too long ago, I also received this in a package in the mail...

Can I tell you how exciting it is to get a package in the mail??? 

I am used to just receiving bills and junk mail,
nothing fun and for me...
so this has been quite the treat...
two in the same month...
Sandy and Ramona...
the two of you have given me a wonderful reason to smile...
I really appreciate you and your kind hearts!!!

YOU both make me want to do something nice for someone else so they can feel as great as I do ~ it's not even about the sweet gift, it's just about you reaching out...your kindness and your sweet thoughts mean more than you'll ever know.  {{HUGS}} to you!

Now, I'm off to flip through the pages and do a little baking...
who knows what I'll come up with!!!

Delish PIE CRUST ... I am SO happy!

Okay...I spent pretty much my entire day Monday determined to PERFECT and MASTER a Gluten Free Pie Crust...
I am happy to say that I accomplished what I set out to do!
At least as far as the taste factor goes...
still working on making them look PERFECT...
not sure if that is going to happen, but I'm giving it my best shot!
Those of you who know me well know that I don't give up easily!!!
The truth is though, if I can only have one thing pretty close to perfect, I'd prefer it were the taste...if it doesn't look quite so beautiful, maybe that's okay...it really is all about how happy it makes your mouth feel, right?

After spending most of the day, I started to wonder if it was really worth all the effort...
That was about the time for taste tests...yep, I'd say it was worth it!
Pretty yummy!

When my hubby came home from work,
he asked what we were having for dinner...
I looked at the clock a little shocked at the time and suggested,
"PIE?" 
He smiled his great smile,
so pie it was for the whole family...
I had all my little judges critiquing which crust was the tastiest and the flakiest and the prettiest...

I tried a couple different recipes, one that I found on the internet and another that I reworked from my FAV Recipe ever...
in the end, "THE CHOSEN ONE" turned out the be the one I had re-invented to be Gluten Free...
it turned out very flaky...and reminded me very much of a shortbread flavor and texture.
Oh Happy Day!!!

So without further adieu...let's get to making a delicious, flaky GF pie crust...

Your list of ingredients:

3 Cups All Purpose GF Flour Mix
2 Cups GF Mix for Goodies
(Flour Mixes are on a past post that you can find here: Gluten Free Flour Recipes...
3 Tbsp Brown Sugar (packed)
2 1/2 tsp Xanthan Gum
1 3/4 tsp Salt
2 tsp Baking Powder
1 Cup Crisco
1 Cup Butter
1 Egg
2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 Cup (or less) Ice COLD water

Mix all dry ingredients together with a fork
Add Crisco and Butter, sliced into small pieces, into flour mixture.
Use your pastry blender for the first couple of minutes to help break up the fats.
Then put it to the side and let your fingers get busy...this works the very best!

The motion you will use is NOT like Kneading bread dough...
You are kind of massaging with your thumb and your first two fingers and just gently working the dough...This breaks up the fats and allows them to bind with the flours nicely.


You are done when your mixture resembles small pebbles in your bowl ~ a cornbread type consistency.


Now you will beat your egg and apple cider vinegar together and pour into your flour mixture, spreading it as evenly as possible over the top, then simply work it in with your fingers just as before.

Now take your ice cold water...I prefer to have a larger bowl of ice water and then pour it into my measuring cup...

SLOWLY add your water,

a LITTLE at a time until you end up with a nice ball of dough. 

IF you have some crumbly stuff on the bottom, LEAVE IT...
take out the nice ball you have and set it to the side. 
NOW you can add a smidgen more water to pick up your leftover crumblies...
when they have formed a nice ball, just stick them right into the middle of your larger ball...
they will mesh together very nicely.

At this point...
grab out your parchment paper
your rolling pin
and a little tapioca flour.

Also, this is a great time to choose the pie plate you will be using.
I LOVE using my glass pie dishes...
I think they cook more evenly and I just love the way they look compared to the little metal tins...
BUT those will work just dandy if that's what you have.  :0)

Okay, ready to roll???
;)

You will need a nice amount of pie dough in your hands,
I like to just mold it nicely into a small disc and then place it on my parchment paper that I've put just a little flour onto...
FLOUR TIP -- 
You only need to place your hand into your flour bowl
(Fingers out, just like you would do if you were going to trace your hand to make a lovely little turkey!) 
What comes out on your hand is plenty enough flour to add to your parchment paper...place your little disc down and do the same with the flour on your rolling pin...One hand print will do...You will reapply it as needed when the dough starts wanting to stick to the rolling pin.

Rolling pin in hand???
Let's get to it!


Roll a couple times back and forth (same direction) always starting in the center and working out.
This will ensure an even crust...if you start from the edges and work in...it's just not good, so don't do it. 
Then FLIP your dough and do the opposite side, back and forth.
If necessary, do again and again...

YOU do NOT need to make a perfect circle here, so don't even bother with such craziness...you will be cutting off any excess in a minute anyway, so save yourself the bother.

When it looks just as you'd like, roll your parchment paper and pie dough and then place over the top of your pie dish...this is so much easier than trying to lift the dough...
one sad note: 
GF pie dough is not as easy to work with as regular dough...it is a little more fragile and less forgiving...BUT never fear, you can always do a little patchwork if needed.  :0)

After you've got that pie crust in your dish just so...you can grab yourself a little butter knife and trim away the edges...super easy!  NOW, IF you are wishing to add a top crust, you will want to trim a little less so as to have some extra for adhering the top layer to.

After you are done there, add your favorite "insides"

This scrumptious looking one was a hit for dinner...

Cherry/Blueberry Pie,

yeah, it was gooooood!

Something to make note of here:

Make sure to NOT fill your dish TOO FULL

or it will just bubble out all over and make a nasty mess.

I fill it to just barely below the top of my pie dish.

Next, you'll add your top crust...

do just as you did for the bottom layer, rolling it up to place over the top...

this is where you may have to do a little patchwork...

I had to, sadly, but it still turned out pretty nice. 

And again...what matters the most???

The taste...

If it tastes yummy, they will get over it not looking Perfect!

If you add just a little water to your finger tips, it makes the two layers of crust stick together quite nicely as you flute the edges.

Make sure to put a few little slits (4 is fine)

to vent.  This will also help with not having it bubble over.

If you wish to make it adorable...

use your favorite little cookie cutter right in the middle.

(this is actually done prior to placing it on the pie)

I cut out the shape and set it to the side.

After the pie is all nice and ready for the oven, I place the little cut out shape right back in its place and let it bake...looks just cute as can be when it's baked!

If you like, you can add a dandy little wash over top to make it shine...

This again, would be done, PRIOR to BAKING...
Simply beat an egg and brush over the top,
then sprinkle evenly with a dusting of sugar.
YOU will love the shine!

Sadly, I left out that little detail prior to my baking, so no shine happening here, but next time, ya better grab your sunglasses cause I won't forget!!!
 

THIS NEXT STEP IS A SUPER, SUPER, SUPER IMPORTANT ONE!!!

Place your pie in your preheated oven ~

I chose to set mine at 400*

Move your bottom rack ALL THE WAY DOWN TO THE VERY, VERY BOTTOM!!!

That's the IMPORTANT part if you didn't catch it.

Your top will NOT burn and will turn out just lovely this way...

no need to do any covering of the edges at all...

AND the bottom crust turns out just right...

nice and flaky ~

none of that ooey, gooey, yucky mushy crust goin' on here!

Just cook until the crust is nice and golden on top...

I think mine cooked for about 4o minutes...just watch for that golden color.

Check it out!!!

And the next picture speaks for itself!

This pie was a hit!

So what do you think? 

A wasted day???

Or a day to treasure?