Doughnuts and Cookies

I love to bake.  It's therapeutic and an escape.  I get to whip up something yummy, and use my fun kitchen tools to make pretty treats for my family and friends.  I like to try new recipes and use my old favorites.  One of my favorites is my chocolate chip cookie recipe, I've tweaked it to make it my own, everyone raves about them.  Maybe one day I'll share my recipe.

The problem is that I have very little time to bake and/or decorate. A certain little girl gets all my time.  So I try to sneak it in.

Last night I was feeling to urge to bake.  I wanted to try something new maybe for Valentines Day.  I made Baked Strawberry Doughnuts, using a quick recipe I found on another blog (forgive me for not remembering which, if you know please let me know so I can give credit where it is due).   Here is the recipe:

2 cups cake mix (I used DH Strawberry)
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup melted butter
1 egg

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.  Mix all ingredients well by hand till well mixed.  I put the mixture into a gallon zip lock bag and snipped the corner about 1/3 of an inch in.  Now, this is very important, SPRAY YOUR DOUGHNUT PAN WITH NON STICK SPRAY, I forgot on the first batch, big mistake, very hard to get out of the pan.  I used the  Wilton 6 cavity doughnut pan.  Pipe the mixture into the pan.  It is thick and I just pipe an "O" following each cavity.  Bake 10 - 12 minutes until cooked though and slightly golden, I test it like a cake.  Remove from pan.

Now you can glaze them while still warm for thin glaze or when cool for a thicker glaze, I did both.  I cheated and put tub icing into a microwave safe bowl and melted 30 seconds and stirred then repeated (may vary with your microvave) till the icing was thin like glaze. Dip each doughnut into the glaze, I just lay it on top and twist as I pick it up.

Now you can see the the doughnuts on the left were the first batch and were not smooth and pretty due to the lack of non-stick spray.  So I let them cool then glazed them (don't you love the mini heart sprinkles?  I have a sprinkle fetish, I'll get into that another time too).   They came out with a thick frosting. The one on the right I glazed while warm.  It is translucent almost and the pink blended with the white.  Still tasty.  Both of the glazed dry completely and you can stack them.  The magic of tub frosting?

Honestly next time, I think I need to use just chocolate or vanilla cake mix. Strawberry was okay, the kids liked them though and that's who they were for.  I think the scratch ones I made months ago were better.  But with "Baby Brain" I don't remember.   Maybe from  KAF.

So tonight, I felt the need to bake again.  Just really in the mood.  Have you seen these?

Hershey's Cinnamon Chips.  AMAZING!  GO BUY SOME! Just follow the Oatmeal Cinnamon Chip Cookie recipe on the back (I added 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt) .  They are amazing, yummy, delicious goodness.  And, they are oatmeal so they must be good for you right?!?  Enjoy!

I received no compensation from anything or one mentioned.  Just stuff I like and/or love and wanted to share.

Next....

My poor baby.  First she gets a cold for Christmas.  Then, this weekend she got a stomach bug.  Not fun, for her, or for me.  I awoke Saturday morning to her throwing up in my bed, all over both of us. Not spit up,  throw up! We got up, showered, and headed down stairs.  Where I nursed her and she once again threw up all over me.  It was horrible, thank goodness I was sitting in the leather chair, easy clean up.  Like my friend Talana, I had to strip downstairs, it was horrible! Thank God Aaron was home to help me.

She was miserable all day and slept a lot as long as she was being held.  And on top of it all we are still waiting on teeth 7 and 8 to break through.  Luckily she only threw up once more late at night and it was just a tiny bit.  She did continue to nurse and seemed much better the next day.  I felt so bad that she got this, just looking at her eyes you could tell she felt horrible.  She never cried, just looked confused and spit a lot afterwards.  And a huge THANK YOU to Meara for bringing me a coffee and a fabulous dinner.  We are so blessed with great friends.

She is back to normal now and her eyes are happy and bright again.  This was during her bath last night.

The count down to the River is now 51 days.  But, it does look like there will be no need to live in the van.  Aaron has been interviewing with a company in Suitland, Maryland. We most definitely will NOT be living there.  I have been looking at surrounding areas outside the 495 belt.  Very scary since I know nothing about those areas but am thankful for good friends offering help.  Now if he can just go on terminal leave, otherwise he'll have to go out to sea until just before he retires, this would be very bad.  Especially if he doesn't have a job.  Go Navy!

Parker finally agreed to a hair cut.  It looks really nice and it tamed his fro.  Doesn't he look pleased to have his picture taken.

Well, I'm off to make dinner.  Wahoo! 

This just in!

Piper has discovered the entertainment center!

Great!

I told her "NO". She laughed and just went back to what she was doing.

...Boots with the fur...

OK, it's a vest with the fur.  But, I am always singing this to Piper so I thought it appropriate for the outfit she's wearing.  It was one of her Christmas gifts from Grandma.  It is too cute, and her skinny little legs crack me up!  So does her "You lookin' at me?" gaze!

I wanted to get a picture of P2 and P3 together.  As you can see, no one was interested!

Piper is finally getting over her cold, but her sleep schedule is still screwy.  Therefore, so is mine.  I am exhausted and it doesn't help the Dude has duty.  I cant wait to never use that word again!  Oh yeah, "Count Down to the River: 56 days.

Now I need to go make dinner.  I don't want to.  Most the time I love to cook, tonight, not so much!  Parker wants KFC, Pizza Hut, Chinese, I keep saying no.  So sandwiches and apples it is.  Sounds good to me.

Have you seen this commercial?  Love it !

http://www.values.com/inspirational-stories-tv-spots/112-Purse

Happy New Year

Countdown to the "River" - 58 Days

Let the purging begin.

With the upcoming move and the motivation of a new year, I am really trying to go through everything, and I do mean everything.  We have got to downsize.  I am sick of stuff.  We have a lot of stuff.  I always say to Aaron "Who buys all this CRAP?"  ME THAT'S WHO!

So after the Christmas shit stuff came down, I started with the coat closet.  Seems innocent enough.  Yes it would appear so, until you are mortified that you have a bakers dozen of Yankee Candles in there.  Uh, do you know how much money that is?  I do, don't speak it aloud or lightening may strike me dead.  I don't care that I bought them on sale, it is shameful.  I also found assorted purses, Dooney, Coach, Vera, yup, more shame.  And of course dust bunnies with huge fangs.

I've since moved on to the lined closet, which is also where we store games.  I have 25 games to get rid of, only saving about 5 and a few decks of cards.  Again, shame, most are not played.

So, I have learned that I buy too much shit stuff.  I haven't even gotten to my yarn or craft stuff yet.  UGH, I am going to go hang my head and rest a few minutes till Piper gets up.  Happy New Year.