Just call me Susie Homemaker

Because not only am I a Stay-at-Home mom, I'm also a connoisseur at whipping up homemade delicacies. (feel free to gag at the pompous nature of that statement)

Here are some imitation 'goldfish':

I used this recipe - worked like a charm. But next time (cough, cough - this week) I'll make the crackers much bigger. I made them small so they'd be easy for Eva to pop in her mouth, but I'd rather save time on cutting, rolling, cooling, REPEAT and just break apart crackers when it's time to eat. If you're wondering how I made little round ones, I popped off the 'horn' of my turkey baster and used that end to cut out the dough ;)

After a couple rounds of CRCR (cutting, rolling, cooling, REPEAT) I just started cutting random triangles just so I could be DONE! But the little buggers were good. And relatively easy. Hence why I plan to torture myself bake these again.

Then I ventured into the land of graham crackers using this guide. Sorry, no pics - graham crackers enter this home and are soon nothing but a memory thanks to me Eva's love for them. After making the goldfish, these were cake, because you don't have to cut as much. I'm going to make some more this week, but only because I got lazy and left the last of the dough in the fridge, so really, it just needs to be popped in the oven. Next time I make it though, I'll use a different recipe OR will use the recommended ingredients. I used unbleached flour instead of whole wheat pastry flour, and light brown sugar instead of dark. But I also think the honey was somewhat overwhelming, so I'm going to probably use a recipe that contains molasses instead. 

In the midst of cracker heaven, I attempted this fro-yo recipe twice. And I will never try it again.

I will mention first of all, that I have made homemade ice cream several times before. My dad bought a homemade ice cream maker back when I was in high school. During the summer months, I'd make the base, he'd set up the ice cream maker, and together we made our family and friends very happy ;) Fast forward a few years and I got an electric Cuisinart ice cream maker (highly recommend!!!) And I've used it several times in the past to make ice cream and frozen drinks with no problem.

I think the first batch was ruined because the gelatin and sugar did not adequately dissolve into the milk - which meant that when I mixed in the yogurt and vanilla, it was all lumpy. I thought maybe the paddle in the ice cream maker would fix it. I was wrong. The texture and taste was OFF, to put it mildly. 

So I strictly follow the instructions for batch #2. I put it in the fridge to chill for a bit. I take it out to put it in the ice cream maker - it's the consistency of jello/thick pudding. Which meant that the gelatin had set! Again, I thought maybe the ice cream maker could fix this, and yet again I was wrong. The texture was okay, but the taste was still off.

The only thing I can think of if I were to try this again (and I'm not) is to use high quality yogurt, maybe even organic and to NOT chill the mixture before putting it in the ice cream maker. But I'm sorry Tom, I gave you a try and you let me down, horribly.

Oh, and I guess I'll add that last week I made the infamous Pioneer Woman's cinnamon rolls.

First of all, if you have not heard of the Pioneer Woman, can I ask the color of the rock that you have been under these past few years? Please check out her website now. No really, NOW.

Now that you've perused her site (you have perused her site, right?) don't you agree that it's just the bee's knees? (by the way, who came up with that expression? I've used it lots before but I'm now wondering what the heck is the origin...) I recommend that if you have all the ingredients for her cinnamon rolls (which you probably do) that you stop what you're doing and make them. Right now, the knowledge that I have another batch in the freezer that simply needs to be reheated and frosted is hurting my soul. 

That is all for now - I must go channel some June Cleaver at once!

Y3W | Dream Big Dreams

My high school was a near-dynasty when it came to two sports: softball and wrestling. In the eighties and early nineties our softball team won several state titles. While I was a student, we usually sent 2-4 guys to compete for state titles in wrestling each year.

Every fall, winter and spring, the athletic teams sold school-spirit apparel to raise money for their respective sport. On e particular year the wrestling team sold shirts with the letters DBD on the front. On the back it read 'Dream Big Dreams' (actually the front said DBD squared and the back read 'Dream Big Dreams, Don't Back Down' - but you get the point)

This post is all about my 'big dreams'. Now these are different than my life goals, which can be found here. I'm talking about things you occasionally fantasize about, but don't give real thought into. If they happen-great! If not, no big deal.

• Go to school to become a pastry chef. I LOVE baking. And I enjoy taking the extra steps to make my baked goods look good as well. Sometimes I fancy what it would be like to attend Le Cordon Bleu or some other froo-froo school. This may still be a second career option...someday.
• Become a certified personal trainer. I like taking group exercise classes. And I like to think I'm pretty good at speaking in public. If I became a personal trainer, I'd HAVE to go the gym and my days of making excuses would be over.
• Travel throughout the Mediterranean. And I don't just mean the tourist destinations. Like, I would love to also see the countryside in Spain, Greece, Turkey and Italy. This is a big dream because of 1. cost and 2. I don't know who would come with me. My husband likes traveling, but only where 'people speak English' and I don't know who else would be willing to be adventurous with me in this venture. Either way, I definitely want to visit that area of the world, even if it means I only hit the tourist stops...

That's it for now. I may add on to this post as more random big dreams come to me ;)

Remember this?

A couple weeks ago, I posted this little beauty:

via Sprinkle Bakes

Did you think I'd let Easter pass without attempting it? If so, you were very, VERY wrong. ;)

So here is my version below:




Of course it looks a bit different. I made several changes. First of all, I decided to only do a 2-layer, rather than 4-layer. The ingredients are kind of expensive, so I purchased half to save some dough. Plus, even as a 2-layer, it's a very rich decadent dessert, so I'm very glad for that change.

Also, I skipped the peanuts (I don't like nuts. Normally I may try to incorporate them somehow for people that do, but it was kind of difficult to do 50% with and 50% without for this dessert). I didn't whip the ganache for the sides, I just poured it all over. And I skipped the chocolate curls and peanut butter cups (on top), because other than being pretty, I didn't think they'd be missed.

Now, I must say that this is really good. It's also super rich and a small piece will do you for a few days. IF I make it again (I'll be honest, even cutting out some steps this is still labor-intensive and takes several days to complete) here are the final tweaks I would make:

• Cut the caramel in half. It was just too much. This could be due to the fact that the cake was missing peanuts, but it was definitely caramel overload.


• Cut the peanut butter frosting in half. As much as I tried to use it all, I still had about 1/3 cup left after I was finished.


• Put more peanut butter cups in the cheesecake. I didn't follow this part to the 'T' and it definitely could have used more peanut butter cups.

So I hope I haven't scared you off from this tantalizing treat. I'm glad I tried it, it wasn't difficult, just time-intensive. And I'm saving it to maybe try in the future with oreos & whipped cream replacing the peanut butter cups and peanut butter frosting, respectively...

Cakeballs 101

Last week I made cake balls for the first time. If you've never heard of these little delicacies, head over to Bakerella's blog site. She is now 'internationally renown' for all her cakeball creations. But don't go to her website if you're short on time. Because once you get over there, I'm sure you'll keep clicking through the oodles of cuteness and creativity.

Anyhoo, I'm going to make these for Eva's birthday party, but I definitely didn't want to attempt them for the first time that weekend. I had been wanting to practice for a while, but due to my new healthy lifestyle I didn't want a bunch of cakeballs in the house. So when my local MOMS group planned a 'St. Patrick' family day last weekend, I knew that was the perfect opportunity.

So what do you think?

I know, I know - technically they're cakePOPS

What I learned about cakeballs:

• They truly are better the next day. I tried one the night I made them and they were too 'wet'. The next day they had the perfect moist consistency.
• If you want the inside to be white, you'll have to cut the 'crust' off of the cake, otherwise you'll have brown crumbs mixed in and it won't be perfectly white.
• I made them a little bit on the big side. Quarter-sized is perfect.
• Next time I will definitely make them with homemade frosting. I didn't want to go through the hassle of making it if they turned out to be gross, and the store-bought stuff was only $1 at the commissary. But it's too sweet for my liking, and I think they'd be better with frosting from scratch.
• Although Bakerella is the undisputed cakeball queen, I found Pioneer Woman's 'how-to' guide much easier. (the funny thing is, Bakerella is featured in the lesson!)

Now that I'm a 'pro', lol I have a little twist planned for when I make them for the party. But you'll have to wait and see ;)

My inner struggle

I haven't blogged much about my plans for Eva's birthday, but as I start finishing projects, I promise I will add more. All I'll say for now, is we're doing a music theme for our little 'Eva Diva' and the color scheme is black, white, plum purple and buttercup yellow. More details to follow...

But for now, I've been looking at blogs and websites for dessert ideas. I know most birthday party hosts offer cake and ice cream - but I'm trying to do something different. I want to do a mini dessert buffet (especially since I'm keeping the food VERY simple). And I'm so excited to execute it. There's only one problem.

My new healthy lifestyle.

I desperately want to try out some of these creations, not really to eat them, but more so to practice before I attempt it for the party. And as I mentioned before, I love baking and being creative with it - I find it so fun! But I'm trying to keep treats out of the house so I can't go overboard like I have in the past and eat everything in sight. So baking right now is out of the question. To get around that, I'm hoping there's some event or get-together around the corner that 1. would give me a legitimate reason to bake and 2. give me the opportunity to give those creations away, so they're not in my house.

Hopefully that happens soon, because I have the baker's itch. One can only hold off so long before you must scratch...