summer baking fun

Someone I know put a baking day on her summer bucket list. The exact wordage was "baking day/ donate what we bake". I am always down for a baking day despite the 86 degree temps outside. We love to bake, we love to experiment with our baking, and it's a great way to turn off the TV and do something hands on. Who could say no to staying at home in pajamas and eating cookie dough?!

We used the cookie recipe on the back of the chocolate chips and I am sad to say, the cookies looked like crap. They tasted perfect, but for some reason they didn't bake the way I expect a cookie to look. Note to self: stick to the recipes we know. Do NOT veer! It was a rookie move, but now we know.

She also decided to bust out the ol' Easy Bake Oven. The pink cookies with lemon frosting and tiny cookie sandwiches are compliments of the Easy Bake. And after almost a year of that thing sitting in the cupboard, she decided she still loves it and it will be back in our regular baking rotation. Who knew? Everyone needs tiny baked goods in their life every once in a while :)

As for the crackers... we bought this delectable bacon ranch packet from Galena and thought it was a dip mix. It turns out it was for crackers. All you do is combine oil and the mix and shake well. Then add the crackers and shake well. Then they rest for 4 hours and you can eat. Simple enough.

Our little playdate was able to help us bake and she took her share home to her family. We considered that the "donation". The rest will be donated to the snack table at our next camping trip, so everyone wins. I love simple activities that turn into fun days making memories. And not every bucket list item involves me packing a big bag for sunscreen, snacks and cash, so I win!

getting organized

Huge thanks to Marie Kondo, Tiny Home Nation, and The Home Edit for getting my kid hooked on organization! We love those Netflix shows and actually have some great new storage ideas because of them. We are pretty organized anyways, but going through all the little places no one looks made us realize we could do better. It didn't cost much. It simply took some time to find matching bins/containers.

The linen closet now has all matching baskets. Our closets have all matching hangers. The coat closet has bins for gloves, scarves and hats. The junk drawers have tiny baskets for all that junk. Even the pantry got sorted. 

She actually asked for clear, small bins to put in her bathroom drawers. Thank you, Amazon! She even asked for under drawer storage. Also an easy Amazon purchase. Anything that makes clean up faster and easier is a good purchase!

The after.

Totally worth it!

comfort foods are SO comforting :)

It's almost spring which means it's that time of year when you can see three different seasons in a day. We wake up to winter, have spring in the afternoon, and feel fall like temps in the evening. Because of this, it's dressing in layers and prepping for warm/cold/humid/dry weather. You just never know. I mean, it's the midwest! 

Some nights we still light a fire and some nights we open the doors up. After all these years living here you just get used to it. This also means that we try to wrap up the rest of our winter fun. All the favorite winter games, crafts and recipes get pulled out. This includes homemade pot pie. You just can't make a good pot pie in warm weather!

My shortie loves to roll out the homemade pie crust. I always make the yummy, gooey filling and she does the crust. This new recipe made 2 pot pies, so we had gobs of food. It's completely worth the time and the mess watching my kid work her way around our kitchen with such confidence and ease. This is by far our favorite winter food that I make.  

In a month we will be ditching the crockpots, comforters and casseroles. We will crack some windows, prep the grill, and pull out the bikes. Goodbye winter, hello spring! In the meantime, though, no one goes hungry. And no one can get bored with all the recipes we can work through (and clean up!). 

an ode to a messy kitchen

The fresh zucchini meant fresh zucchini bread and I have an amazing recipe for Zucchini carrot bread. Everyone loves it (thank you, Pillsbury!!). Since we had time, the junior chef decided to pull out her new cookbook and chose to bake mini apple bundt cakes. And since we don't actually own bundt pans, we did mini cupcakes with shaped, silicon cupcake tins.

This is what a kitchen with two bakers now looks like. I must say, it wasn't as messy as I expected. The apples went to compost and the egg shells were crushed and sprinkled in the garden (we teach being green AND being resourceful here!). She read and followed her recipe and I read and followed mine. I even generously shared the use of the Kitchenaid mixer for her ease and I mixed by hand. Now THAT is love!

A rule of thumb is to call out the measurements as you go so you don't miss anything. Once my breads were in the oven, I assisted her work. We realized that 6 tablespoons of oil is NOT optional and that got added. In addition to the 3rd egg. She thought it said 2...

She measured and mixed the powdered sugar glaze, put the food in the oven AND pulled it out by herself. She measured: math. She baked: science. She had to troubleshoot: real life! She cleaned messes: Health??? I was so proud. She even licked the entire batter spoon clean.

So it was hot this afternoon, yet we baked. Mistakes were made, but we laughed about it. Spills were made, but we laughed about it. Ever spilled flour on a black lab? It was kind of hilarious. Ever watch a dog get excited to eat spilled flour and then realize it's NOT sugar? It was kind of hilarious.

If all my days were spent like this, I would be the happiest ever. I would love to bottle up the 9-year-old-going-on-19's cute sweetness and keep it forever. Rumor has it they don't stay little for long :( If letting her cook, bake and also clean keeps her happy, content and glad to hang with mommy, then bring on the next baking project! 

Follow up: zucchini bread is fantastic. Apple cupcakes are unique and chewy. We will try them again when I can supervise fully on the measurements!