As you come to different seasons in your life, different accomplishments carry different weight. For example, in High School, you might very well feel that a worthy accomplishment is pulling an all-nighter getting your biology report done, and still getting to class on time in the morning. When you are a young, married couple without any kids, painting your entire house and cleaning out all of the cupboards might seem like a reasonable accomplishment, and when you have you first newborn, getting out of bed and showering is something that deserves applause some days.
Now that I am expecting our third child, my idea of being productive varies day-to-day. Sometimes I'm proud of myself for making supper on time, other days I'm proud of myself for not losing it because of my lack of sleep and over-abundance of hormones. Today, however, productivity actually looked like checking off items from my to-do list, and setting myself up for finishing a number of tasks this week. My secret to pregnant productivity? I enlisted my Mom's help!
We started the morning by visiting our local Farmer's Market. Sadly, that title is a misnomer, since their "Farmer's Market" license was revoked due to a lack of actual farmers, and they've been operating as a "public market" for the last few years where anyone can, and does, come and set up to sell whatever they want - including garage sale items. However, given that this was one of the last markets of the year (thanks to the early Thanksgiving), there was a higher percentage of BC Fruit stands and yummy, farm-fresh treats. We loaded up on yellow beans, berries, plums, macintosh apples, and even enjoyed some fresh squeezed lemonade while we browsed. Now, this was a much needed shopping trip since I have been relatively isolated this week thanks to a resurgence in my little one's health issues. He's been waking up about 8 - 10 times a night and not napping during the day because of breathing issues, so Mommy hasn't been sleeping much either - meaning I'm a mess. I haven't even made it to the grocery store this week. But now we have produce! YAY!
After the market we hopped over to Walmart to get some other shopping done. My household ran out of diaper genie refills, Tylenol, paper towel, toilet paper, diapers and wipes, all in one week. It was a BIG shopping trip. I also needed to get some craft supplies to finish up some projects (buttons for the knitted headbands I make, quilting thread for the quilts that I've been chipping away at for two years now, and dark thread for a soft bow case I'm making for my husband) and luckily I found it all at Walmart! $150 later, we were on our way out.
My mom treated us to lunch at Booster Juice (Strawberry Sunshine and BBQ Chicken Panini - YUM!) which we took back to her place so the boys could play once they were fed.
After the delicious lunch, my mom treated me to something else I hadn't had in a while... a nap! After averaging 5 hours of sleep a night (most of which I got after 7 a.m.), and not getting a nap all week thanks to the rugrat, I was burned out and could barely keep my eyes open. So my parents took the wee ones outside while I passed out on the couch for an hour and a half.
After supper we ran a couple quick errands and I picked up some stuff to give to my mom, and now, at 9:00 at night, I'm very pleased to say that I accomplished more in one day, thanks to my mom, than I did all the rest of the week.
I must admit, were I not pregnant, I might find today's accomplishments meager at best, but given my current state, I have to say I'm proud of all I got done.
And now I can be lazy tomorrow.
Mrs. VanderLeek ;)
Saturday, September 22, 2012
Thursday, September 20, 2012
Rewards Programs
As I mentioned in my last post, I am super excited to be going with my darling husband on a trip to the mountains come December! However, as fun and lavish as the trip plans might sounds, the reality is, this trip will be taken a few weeks before Christmas, when funds get really tight, right after a tax installment is due, and just after we have to pay our annual home insurance installment.
Money is going to be tight...
However, there's always a way around that! This time around, we've opted to not cut back on the fun, but rather to get creative in how we afford the fun!
Reward Programs.
I have always been a fan of rewards programs. I have a ridiculous number of rewards cards in my wallet, for everything ranging from pet stores, grocery stores, travel programs and department stores. It has never made sense to me why you would a) not have a membership card (which you get for free), that allows you to pay less when you shop at a store (even if you only shop there once a year!) and b) why you wouldn't cash in on a rewards program for some of the things you buy most, like gas and food.
Myself, I shop primarily for groceries and fuel at our local Co-op, which offers a cash-back rebate program for all members. Whatever I spend in the course of the year, at the end I get a percentage back. This membership program does not keep me, however, from keeping Safeway, Save-on and Sobeys membership cards in my wallet. And while you may think, "You can't expect to get many points if you only shop somewhere a couple times a year," you're right, I won't get many, but as is the case with Safeway and Save-on-Foods, club members get an additional discount, which adds up quickly, and at Sobeys, you can convert your club points into Aeroplan miles! And those babies are things that we collect alot of.
If your credit card is not linked to a rewards program, get a new card. My husband has a work card which is linked to our Aeroplan account. The best part is, he has to buy flooring for people from time-to-time, which is automatically paid off the card as soon as we charge it on, but we get the points for the $3000 purchase too. The product of which is, after having his credit card for only two years, we now have just about enough points for two, round-trip, long haul flights.
You can also collect Airmiles, which rack up just as fast for some people, but while I've had an Airmiles card for years, we've barely raised enough points to buy much of anything (I just don't shop in Airmiles places). I was pleasantly surprised, however, to find that you can use your Airmiles rewards to buy passes to the Banff Hot Springs! For 35 points per person, you can be bathing in the natural hot springs on a cold Decemeber day - and that's just what we're going to do!! It's been a long time since we went to the Hot Springs (it just doesn't work as well when you have little ones), so for no skin off our noses, or money out of our wallets, we will spend a chilly afternoon in the warm pools.
My credit card has its own rewards program, which I basically forgot about until today when I realized I had a considerable number of points. While perusing their catalogue I found that I could redeem my points for a Keg giftcard, and wouldn't you know it, but the Keg in Banff overlooks the parade route that we were hoping to catch a glimpse of during dinner! I've got enough points for a $100 gift card, which will buy us a nice meal, and maybe even enough points afterwards for a $25 Starbucks giftcard, which will always get used in our household.
Besides the freebies, we're also going to be bringing our SUTP coupon book to help us decide where to eat, and what to do while we're in the Rockies. You can get discounts on things like Gondola rides, tours, spas and shops and while I'm not sure that we'll do any of those, it's nice to know we can if we want - and pay a bit less!
Do you have Rewards cards? If so, check out your balance - you might be surprised! If not, ....WHY????!!!?
Mrs. VanderLeek ;)
Money is going to be tight...
However, there's always a way around that! This time around, we've opted to not cut back on the fun, but rather to get creative in how we afford the fun!
Reward Programs.
I have always been a fan of rewards programs. I have a ridiculous number of rewards cards in my wallet, for everything ranging from pet stores, grocery stores, travel programs and department stores. It has never made sense to me why you would a) not have a membership card (which you get for free), that allows you to pay less when you shop at a store (even if you only shop there once a year!) and b) why you wouldn't cash in on a rewards program for some of the things you buy most, like gas and food.
Myself, I shop primarily for groceries and fuel at our local Co-op, which offers a cash-back rebate program for all members. Whatever I spend in the course of the year, at the end I get a percentage back. This membership program does not keep me, however, from keeping Safeway, Save-on and Sobeys membership cards in my wallet. And while you may think, "You can't expect to get many points if you only shop somewhere a couple times a year," you're right, I won't get many, but as is the case with Safeway and Save-on-Foods, club members get an additional discount, which adds up quickly, and at Sobeys, you can convert your club points into Aeroplan miles! And those babies are things that we collect alot of.
If your credit card is not linked to a rewards program, get a new card. My husband has a work card which is linked to our Aeroplan account. The best part is, he has to buy flooring for people from time-to-time, which is automatically paid off the card as soon as we charge it on, but we get the points for the $3000 purchase too. The product of which is, after having his credit card for only two years, we now have just about enough points for two, round-trip, long haul flights.
You can also collect Airmiles, which rack up just as fast for some people, but while I've had an Airmiles card for years, we've barely raised enough points to buy much of anything (I just don't shop in Airmiles places). I was pleasantly surprised, however, to find that you can use your Airmiles rewards to buy passes to the Banff Hot Springs! For 35 points per person, you can be bathing in the natural hot springs on a cold Decemeber day - and that's just what we're going to do!! It's been a long time since we went to the Hot Springs (it just doesn't work as well when you have little ones), so for no skin off our noses, or money out of our wallets, we will spend a chilly afternoon in the warm pools.
My credit card has its own rewards program, which I basically forgot about until today when I realized I had a considerable number of points. While perusing their catalogue I found that I could redeem my points for a Keg giftcard, and wouldn't you know it, but the Keg in Banff overlooks the parade route that we were hoping to catch a glimpse of during dinner! I've got enough points for a $100 gift card, which will buy us a nice meal, and maybe even enough points afterwards for a $25 Starbucks giftcard, which will always get used in our household.
Besides the freebies, we're also going to be bringing our SUTP coupon book to help us decide where to eat, and what to do while we're in the Rockies. You can get discounts on things like Gondola rides, tours, spas and shops and while I'm not sure that we'll do any of those, it's nice to know we can if we want - and pay a bit less!
Do you have Rewards cards? If so, check out your balance - you might be surprised! If not, ....WHY????!!!?
Mrs. VanderLeek ;)
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
Fifth Anniversary
A year and a half ago, I was musing with my darling husband about our fifth anniversary. I said that I'd like to save up, spend a weekend in Banff, do the things that we never get to do with kids (visit certain stores, go to the Hot Springs, etc), and just have a trip to the mountains all by ourselves, for the first time since our honeymoon. Well, given my exciting news last post that I am expecting a baby at the end of March, on our first anniversary we will have a one-month-old baby. Not exactly the ideal age to have Mommy and Daddy jet off for the weekend. Mommy wouldn't handle it very well either.
However, Matt and I have formed a new plan. If you remember last time I was pregnant, Matt and I actually planned a trip to Calgary for the weekend where we had one last date weekend before the baby came. We called it a Babymoon. So, this time around, we are coupling our Babymoon with our fifth anniversary celebration.
That means, this December, Matt and I will be headed off to the mountains one fine Saturday morning while my beloved Mother will come over and take care of the kids here. And I've got to say, I'm really excited! I don't think I've ever been to the mountains in the winter!
The weekend we're hoping to go is actually the weekend of Banff's Christmas in the Mountains celebration where they'll have bonfires set up around town, ice sculptures, wagon rides, hot chocolate and popcorn, carolers, and anything else your seasonal heart desires! Matt and I plan on going in time to enjoy the festivities for a bit before we head over to the Hot Springs (money-saving tip: Airmiles can be used to purchase tickets for the Hot Springs! Just make sure you order them enough in advance so they have time to get to you before your trip!) After the hot springs, we'll head back into town where we'll have supper, and depending on whether we feel like it or not, we may get a restaurant that has a view of the main street so we can watch their Parade of Lights while we eat. Or, it might be safer to have a quieter meal one street over. Either way, the way the events are scheduled, Matt and I plan to be moving just ahead, or just behind of the crowd. (we'll go to the Hot Springs an hour before the Christmas celebration ends, and then we'll have supper just when the parade starts and everyone else is on the street)
That night we plan on staying at the Georgetown Inn in Canmore. This was the cute little inn that we stayed at on our wedding night, and even though it's on the main hotel stretch of town, it's strategically tucked behind trees and a huge wood pile, so you can't actually tell you're not in the country!
The next day we have a plan, and a plan to not use a plan. We'll take the day leisurely, doing whatever we feel like doing, and if we get bored I'll have a list of activities we can look into (like going to Canmore's Festival of Trees, or hitting up a cute Panini shop)
I'm so excited to spend this time with my man! I also can't wait to take pictures of the gorgeous mountains covered in snow!
Now I just have to wait two more months...
Mrs. VanderLeek ;)
However, Matt and I have formed a new plan. If you remember last time I was pregnant, Matt and I actually planned a trip to Calgary for the weekend where we had one last date weekend before the baby came. We called it a Babymoon. So, this time around, we are coupling our Babymoon with our fifth anniversary celebration.
That means, this December, Matt and I will be headed off to the mountains one fine Saturday morning while my beloved Mother will come over and take care of the kids here. And I've got to say, I'm really excited! I don't think I've ever been to the mountains in the winter!
The weekend we're hoping to go is actually the weekend of Banff's Christmas in the Mountains celebration where they'll have bonfires set up around town, ice sculptures, wagon rides, hot chocolate and popcorn, carolers, and anything else your seasonal heart desires! Matt and I plan on going in time to enjoy the festivities for a bit before we head over to the Hot Springs (money-saving tip: Airmiles can be used to purchase tickets for the Hot Springs! Just make sure you order them enough in advance so they have time to get to you before your trip!) After the hot springs, we'll head back into town where we'll have supper, and depending on whether we feel like it or not, we may get a restaurant that has a view of the main street so we can watch their Parade of Lights while we eat. Or, it might be safer to have a quieter meal one street over. Either way, the way the events are scheduled, Matt and I plan to be moving just ahead, or just behind of the crowd. (we'll go to the Hot Springs an hour before the Christmas celebration ends, and then we'll have supper just when the parade starts and everyone else is on the street)
That night we plan on staying at the Georgetown Inn in Canmore. This was the cute little inn that we stayed at on our wedding night, and even though it's on the main hotel stretch of town, it's strategically tucked behind trees and a huge wood pile, so you can't actually tell you're not in the country!
The next day we have a plan, and a plan to not use a plan. We'll take the day leisurely, doing whatever we feel like doing, and if we get bored I'll have a list of activities we can look into (like going to Canmore's Festival of Trees, or hitting up a cute Panini shop)
I'm so excited to spend this time with my man! I also can't wait to take pictures of the gorgeous mountains covered in snow!
Now I just have to wait two more months...
Mrs. VanderLeek ;)
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Confession
I've got a confession. I've been hiding something. Not a bad something, mind you, but hiding, nonetheless.
I'm pregnant!
Baby number 3 is due March 27th, which makes me about 12 weeks pregnant at this point!
Anyone want to draw any conclusions about my lack of posts in the last 12 weeks? Turns out, when I'm pregnant, I don't have the energy to be creative! However, hopefully the second trimester will treat me a bit better and I'll be able to tinker in some fun things!
The last few days I've really had no choice but to keep busy... Sunday we went for a fun fishing trip with my parents, at which point I got caught in the rain. Once we got home and dried off I had to crack down on some bookkeeping that I had to have done by today. I got in about 5 hours over the weekend, but something that I had anticipated taking me 30 minutes ended up taking me 3 hours, so it threw off my planning a bit. Monday I had to make up time, so I did 6 hours of bookkeeping, which isn't hard, but it sure is mind-numbing. Somewhere in between that we got our piano tuned and Nathaniel and I both had doctor appointments (the appointment time was 2 and I didn't get home until 4.) I worked until 11 last night on the books, and then helped my poor hubby clean the house (he got tired of not being able to reach the coffee maker in the morning so he made the kitchen spotless!), and then needed to get up again this morning to finish off the books. Oh, and then I have a meeting tomorrow that I needed to do some prep work for so I wrote out a more complete Sunday School lesson plan for the next few weeks.
The good news of all that busy-ness being that by 11:30 this morning, my house was clean, my bookkeeping was done, my Sunday School lesson was planned, and for the first time in a long while, I had a chunk of time that I didn't know how to fill!
I assure you, it didn't last long.
Do you remember a few months ago when I was knitting headbands? They were cute little things that I had seen on Pinterest that turned out to be a breeze to make, and I could easily fire one off while having a leisurely afternoon. Well, I made about 4 and a half of them before life got busy and I stopped have leisurely afternoons for a while. I took one on vacation back in June to finish, but I didn't write down the pattern and relied on memory. Turns out, my memory sucks. So I nearly finished the stupid thing, but that hardly counts when about half of it is done wrong. I tried unwinding it to the part where I still knew what I was doing, but apparently my stitch-catching skills also suck. Today I tried again, and finally gave up on finishing the half-done headband. So I unwound the whole thing and started clean. But it didn't matter, because I still got it done in the time it took me to watch a few Big Bang Theories. In between knitting (I can only sit still for so long), I learned to play another song out of my Grade 4 Royal Conservatory practice book (it's been so long since I played 'real' piano that I need to work my way back up), and I kept my house clean! YAY!
And now, it's 9:15 p.m., both of my boys are asleep, the supper dishes are done, I've finished my apple cider and my second Kraft Handi-Snack of the night (pregnancy craving), and I think I'm going to turn on another Big Bang and knit something else!
Mrs. VanderLeek ;)
P.S. For those of you who are skeptical about the speed in which you could knit one of those headbands, my first one took 3-4 hours, and I am, at best, moderately not-slow at knitting. I can finish one up in 2 hours now, when I'm not messing it up, so really, give it a try!
P.P.S I also reduce the width by about 40% now since many of the people I'm making them for request in narrower. I think the one in the picture is about 30% reduced.
I'm pregnant!
Baby number 3 is due March 27th, which makes me about 12 weeks pregnant at this point!
Anyone want to draw any conclusions about my lack of posts in the last 12 weeks? Turns out, when I'm pregnant, I don't have the energy to be creative! However, hopefully the second trimester will treat me a bit better and I'll be able to tinker in some fun things!
The last few days I've really had no choice but to keep busy... Sunday we went for a fun fishing trip with my parents, at which point I got caught in the rain. Once we got home and dried off I had to crack down on some bookkeeping that I had to have done by today. I got in about 5 hours over the weekend, but something that I had anticipated taking me 30 minutes ended up taking me 3 hours, so it threw off my planning a bit. Monday I had to make up time, so I did 6 hours of bookkeeping, which isn't hard, but it sure is mind-numbing. Somewhere in between that we got our piano tuned and Nathaniel and I both had doctor appointments (the appointment time was 2 and I didn't get home until 4.) I worked until 11 last night on the books, and then helped my poor hubby clean the house (he got tired of not being able to reach the coffee maker in the morning so he made the kitchen spotless!), and then needed to get up again this morning to finish off the books. Oh, and then I have a meeting tomorrow that I needed to do some prep work for so I wrote out a more complete Sunday School lesson plan for the next few weeks.
The good news of all that busy-ness being that by 11:30 this morning, my house was clean, my bookkeeping was done, my Sunday School lesson was planned, and for the first time in a long while, I had a chunk of time that I didn't know how to fill!
I assure you, it didn't last long.
Do you remember a few months ago when I was knitting headbands? They were cute little things that I had seen on Pinterest that turned out to be a breeze to make, and I could easily fire one off while having a leisurely afternoon. Well, I made about 4 and a half of them before life got busy and I stopped have leisurely afternoons for a while. I took one on vacation back in June to finish, but I didn't write down the pattern and relied on memory. Turns out, my memory sucks. So I nearly finished the stupid thing, but that hardly counts when about half of it is done wrong. I tried unwinding it to the part where I still knew what I was doing, but apparently my stitch-catching skills also suck. Today I tried again, and finally gave up on finishing the half-done headband. So I unwound the whole thing and started clean. But it didn't matter, because I still got it done in the time it took me to watch a few Big Bang Theories. In between knitting (I can only sit still for so long), I learned to play another song out of my Grade 4 Royal Conservatory practice book (it's been so long since I played 'real' piano that I need to work my way back up), and I kept my house clean! YAY!
And now, it's 9:15 p.m., both of my boys are asleep, the supper dishes are done, I've finished my apple cider and my second Kraft Handi-Snack of the night (pregnancy craving), and I think I'm going to turn on another Big Bang and knit something else!
Mrs. VanderLeek ;)
P.S. For those of you who are skeptical about the speed in which you could knit one of those headbands, my first one took 3-4 hours, and I am, at best, moderately not-slow at knitting. I can finish one up in 2 hours now, when I'm not messing it up, so really, give it a try!
P.P.S I also reduce the width by about 40% now since many of the people I'm making them for request in narrower. I think the one in the picture is about 30% reduced.
Saturday, September 1, 2012
Promises, Promises
The promises to which my title refers are the promises I made to try and post more regularly! Unfortunately, life got too full of baking and parties to have any time for posting!
This past week I held one of my Pampered Chef tasting parties! Each new season I get a new recipe book and I need to test the recipes to see which ones are actually doable in a short enough time to make them for a show, and which ones taste yummy enough to serve! Instead of incorporating them into our weekly meal plans, I've taken to hosting parties where I whip up 7 or 8 recipes, everyone comes and tries them, and I get the whole job done in one day!
This time around I made Mexican Fajita Bites (spicy chicken, herbs and cheese stacked on pepper wedges and baked like nachos), Tangy Gouda Gems (in phyllo cups with sweet pepper jelly), Savory Parmesan Thumbprints (with a roasted red pepper and apricot filling), Orange Blossom cupcakes (with cream cheese topping), Mini Cherry Cordial Cups, and a German Chocolate Lava Cake. The Fajita Bites were an unexpected sensation. I didn't think they'd be bad, I just didn't think they'd be that good! It was a bit tedious stacking the pepper wedges, so after the first round of those, I put the rest of the mix on top of tortilla chips and made Fajita Chicken Nachos. They were wonderful!
The gouda bites were great, but that didn't surprise me; warm melty gouda in phyllo cups topped with sweet pepper jelly? Perfect.
The Parmesan Bites were more popular than I thought they'd be, and I was given a license to play with the recipe more to add some herbs and depth to the flavors.
The Lava Cake was a guilty pleasure (not for me though, I don't do lava cakes).
The Cherry Cordial Cups were a bit of a marachino cherry overload, but still yummy.
And the Orange Blossom Cupcakes? I had to fight my natural urge to tweek the recipe as I went. It called for two small oranges, zest and juice. I thought for sure they wouldn't be tangy enough, but I'm glad I stayed my hand. They were declared beyond improvement - absolutely perfect.
The recipe were all from the Fall/Winter Pampered Chef Season's Best recipe book, except for the Tangy Gouda Gems, which were from the Cooking for Two or More recipe book.
On Wednesday I had a meeting, at which I served the leftover cupcakes, and then Thursday I had a birthday dinner at my parents' house, where Matt surprised me with the Persuasion metal cuff bracelet that I've been fawning over for a year!
My mom asked me to come over the next day to help her get some cleaning done since they had just come home from holidays this week, but when I got there I noticed very soon that something was up - especially when a houseful of people started singing happy birthday to me! My parents threw me a surprise 25th birthday party, complete with some of my favorite people and my favorite foods! It was a great evening, and there wasn't even any cleaning for me to do! And as a gift for me, my parents asked everyone to bring me a spice! I FINALLY HAVE SAFFRON! I'm so excited!! I never wanted to pay the $15 for a few tiny pieces of it myself, but for 3 years I've asked for it for Christmas, and no one was willing to get it for me! Now I have three bottles of it, a bottle of cardamom, and some vanilla beans too! YAY!
Today I hope to get around to making some muffins since it's such an ugly, windy day, but we'll have to see! Perhaps I'll get sidetracked with my new spices and make up a homemade chai tea?
Mrs. VanderLeek ;)
This past week I held one of my Pampered Chef tasting parties! Each new season I get a new recipe book and I need to test the recipes to see which ones are actually doable in a short enough time to make them for a show, and which ones taste yummy enough to serve! Instead of incorporating them into our weekly meal plans, I've taken to hosting parties where I whip up 7 or 8 recipes, everyone comes and tries them, and I get the whole job done in one day!
This time around I made Mexican Fajita Bites (spicy chicken, herbs and cheese stacked on pepper wedges and baked like nachos), Tangy Gouda Gems (in phyllo cups with sweet pepper jelly), Savory Parmesan Thumbprints (with a roasted red pepper and apricot filling), Orange Blossom cupcakes (with cream cheese topping), Mini Cherry Cordial Cups, and a German Chocolate Lava Cake. The Fajita Bites were an unexpected sensation. I didn't think they'd be bad, I just didn't think they'd be that good! It was a bit tedious stacking the pepper wedges, so after the first round of those, I put the rest of the mix on top of tortilla chips and made Fajita Chicken Nachos. They were wonderful!
The gouda bites were great, but that didn't surprise me; warm melty gouda in phyllo cups topped with sweet pepper jelly? Perfect.
The Parmesan Bites were more popular than I thought they'd be, and I was given a license to play with the recipe more to add some herbs and depth to the flavors.
The Lava Cake was a guilty pleasure (not for me though, I don't do lava cakes).
The Cherry Cordial Cups were a bit of a marachino cherry overload, but still yummy.
And the Orange Blossom Cupcakes? I had to fight my natural urge to tweek the recipe as I went. It called for two small oranges, zest and juice. I thought for sure they wouldn't be tangy enough, but I'm glad I stayed my hand. They were declared beyond improvement - absolutely perfect.
The recipe were all from the Fall/Winter Pampered Chef Season's Best recipe book, except for the Tangy Gouda Gems, which were from the Cooking for Two or More recipe book.
On Wednesday I had a meeting, at which I served the leftover cupcakes, and then Thursday I had a birthday dinner at my parents' house, where Matt surprised me with the Persuasion metal cuff bracelet that I've been fawning over for a year!
My mom asked me to come over the next day to help her get some cleaning done since they had just come home from holidays this week, but when I got there I noticed very soon that something was up - especially when a houseful of people started singing happy birthday to me! My parents threw me a surprise 25th birthday party, complete with some of my favorite people and my favorite foods! It was a great evening, and there wasn't even any cleaning for me to do! And as a gift for me, my parents asked everyone to bring me a spice! I FINALLY HAVE SAFFRON! I'm so excited!! I never wanted to pay the $15 for a few tiny pieces of it myself, but for 3 years I've asked for it for Christmas, and no one was willing to get it for me! Now I have three bottles of it, a bottle of cardamom, and some vanilla beans too! YAY!
Today I hope to get around to making some muffins since it's such an ugly, windy day, but we'll have to see! Perhaps I'll get sidetracked with my new spices and make up a homemade chai tea?
Mrs. VanderLeek ;)
Friday, August 24, 2012
Red Velvet Cake
As I mentioned in my last post, Musings, yesterday I intended to make a Red Velvet Cake using beet powder instead of food coloring.
I had planned on doing this for a while, and a friend had given me a pack of beet powder that she happened upon, so I finally had the opportunity, and the occassion, to make the cake yesterday.
AND IT WORKED!
Food dye allergies are quite common, with sensitivity to red food dye being the most common. I know, and pity, some people who are not capable of eating jello, nibs, or red smarties because of their allergies, and I know that carries over for most Red Velvet Cakes. And let's face it, the more natural you get, the better it gets for you.
Enter beet powder.
I've used beets in baking before, much like how you would use grated carrot in a carrot cake. They of course add some color to whatever you're making, and a nice earthy flavor, but they aren't overwhelming by any means. Beet powder has a more mild flavor, essentially being roasted beets that are dried and ground up, but it still has the same coloring properties. The recipe I used was a simple google-and-choose-the-best-picture recipe. I did look at a couple other recipes, and some got pretty 'inventive' about their interpretation of what a red velvet cake really is. For those of you who are unaware, a red velvet cake traditionally is a buttermilk-based devil's food cake (which typically means lots of baking soda to get the red-chocolate color), and half a container of red food dye. Some of the recipes I saw were based off of a cream cheese sponge cake and had no chocolate, just beet powder. Not exactly the same thing...
There are some tricks to making sure beet powder will work. Apparently you need to be careful about the overall acidity of your batter, or the color will turn out purpley-brown instead of red. So baking soda is basically a no-go. Without soda as a leavening agent, the next best way to get a cake to rise is the volume mixing method. Essentially, you beat eggs to high volume and fold everything together to get it to rise. That's the method this recipe used. (Note: this link is to an online document, not a webpage per say)
Well, I set about making the cake and made one mistake right off the bat: I broke a yolk and some fell into my egg whites. That, my friends, is why you should use an egg separator instead of trying to be a hero. The result of that tiny little gaffe was that my eggs never hit the stiff peak stage that the recipe called for, and that affected the overall rise of my cake. Mine by no means looked like the picture on the link, however I can see how it could potentially get close.
If you've never looked into beet root powder before, you can buy some online from wholesalers, or check out this link on amazon for 1 pound for $13.95.
The taste of my finished cake was surprisingly normal! There's a very faint hint of the beet powder, but it goes nicely with the chocolate. The cake is a bit more eggy than a traditional devil's food, but that's not to say it's a bad thing. I only had a bit of cream cheese (silly me), so I help the cake together with the cream cheese frosting, and then I made a chocolate-coffee icing for the top. Yum!
One more note about the recipe: typically when you are making a cake, it's wise to not oil the sides of your pan so the cake rises better, however, because of the high egg content, and the fact that as big as your batter gets is basically as big as your cake will get, I'd recommend a very light layer of oil on the sides. It was a bit of a trick to get it out of the pans at the end.
Give it a try - you won't be disappointed!
Mrs. VanderLeek ;)
I had planned on doing this for a while, and a friend had given me a pack of beet powder that she happened upon, so I finally had the opportunity, and the occassion, to make the cake yesterday.
AND IT WORKED!
Food dye allergies are quite common, with sensitivity to red food dye being the most common. I know, and pity, some people who are not capable of eating jello, nibs, or red smarties because of their allergies, and I know that carries over for most Red Velvet Cakes. And let's face it, the more natural you get, the better it gets for you.
Enter beet powder.
I've used beets in baking before, much like how you would use grated carrot in a carrot cake. They of course add some color to whatever you're making, and a nice earthy flavor, but they aren't overwhelming by any means. Beet powder has a more mild flavor, essentially being roasted beets that are dried and ground up, but it still has the same coloring properties. The recipe I used was a simple google-and-choose-the-best-picture recipe. I did look at a couple other recipes, and some got pretty 'inventive' about their interpretation of what a red velvet cake really is. For those of you who are unaware, a red velvet cake traditionally is a buttermilk-based devil's food cake (which typically means lots of baking soda to get the red-chocolate color), and half a container of red food dye. Some of the recipes I saw were based off of a cream cheese sponge cake and had no chocolate, just beet powder. Not exactly the same thing...
There are some tricks to making sure beet powder will work. Apparently you need to be careful about the overall acidity of your batter, or the color will turn out purpley-brown instead of red. So baking soda is basically a no-go. Without soda as a leavening agent, the next best way to get a cake to rise is the volume mixing method. Essentially, you beat eggs to high volume and fold everything together to get it to rise. That's the method this recipe used. (Note: this link is to an online document, not a webpage per say)
Well, I set about making the cake and made one mistake right off the bat: I broke a yolk and some fell into my egg whites. That, my friends, is why you should use an egg separator instead of trying to be a hero. The result of that tiny little gaffe was that my eggs never hit the stiff peak stage that the recipe called for, and that affected the overall rise of my cake. Mine by no means looked like the picture on the link, however I can see how it could potentially get close.
If you've never looked into beet root powder before, you can buy some online from wholesalers, or check out this link on amazon for 1 pound for $13.95.
The taste of my finished cake was surprisingly normal! There's a very faint hint of the beet powder, but it goes nicely with the chocolate. The cake is a bit more eggy than a traditional devil's food, but that's not to say it's a bad thing. I only had a bit of cream cheese (silly me), so I help the cake together with the cream cheese frosting, and then I made a chocolate-coffee icing for the top. Yum!
One more note about the recipe: typically when you are making a cake, it's wise to not oil the sides of your pan so the cake rises better, however, because of the high egg content, and the fact that as big as your batter gets is basically as big as your cake will get, I'd recommend a very light layer of oil on the sides. It was a bit of a trick to get it out of the pans at the end.
Give it a try - you won't be disappointed!
Mrs. VanderLeek ;)
Thursday, August 23, 2012
Musings
It's been FOREVER! I've been such a lazy bum!
Actually, what I've really been is a busy bum. It's been hard for me to fit in everything in the past month and that's lead to less time for me to do fun things like crafts, baking, or even planning to do crafts and baking.
But today, despite the fact that I have a load of cleaning and bookkeeping and furniture moving today, I'm taking a break. Why? Because it's my birthday!
It's an interesting birthday this year. Usually I'd have a birthday dinner with my parents, or at very least cake with Matt's family, but since my parents are away this week, and his parents are busy, we've got no real plans. In fact, my birthday dinner with my parents won't be for another week, and the cake date with his family hasn't even been set yet. So tonight we're kicking around the house, having time as our own small family, and moving a piano. But that's okay, because the piano's for me!
As I mentioned, my time has been so full of other duties that I haven't had time for pretties and parties, but now that I've slowed down for the day I'm thinking it would be fun to bake something. I hit up Pinterest for the first time in a while and I saw abunch of cute ideas for Hallowe'en (I know - forever away.) and now I want to make costumes. And I've still yet to finish my nightstands by modge podging sheet music on top (I'm trying to find the music still!) I'm sure I could fill my whole day up with doing useless pretty things! OH, and I've also got jewellery to make! I'd made up a whole bunch of those bird nest necklaces and I ended up selling a handful of them, and now I've ordered in some bronzed wire that will make a more rustic looking nest. Those ones I plan to sell for a bit more.
While I still don't know all that I plan to accomplish today (obviously), I think it would be fun if I posted some of the thoughts that are roaming through my head - they range from tips to musings, and hopefully you'll find them inspiring!
1. Have you ever tried shaving pumpkins instead of carving them? It involves shaving down the shell until light can shine through partially. You can do alot of neat things with shading, and more intricate designs because you don't have to worry as much about connecting lines and having pieces fall out. I like this Spiderman Pumpkin and this Volkswagon Pumpkin!
2. Incidentally, who says you need to use pumpkins? Pineapples, mandarin oranges and watermelons can all be used in creative ways! And pineapples and mandarin oranges are in season closer to winter, too!
3. I'm hoping to make a red velvet cake today, but instead of using red food coloring, I'm going to try making it with beet powder! It's a natural dye, I've got a bit on hand, and I'm going to see how the color holds up against the chocolate in a devil's food cake!
4. I think I need a custom seal. Like, a wax one. Apparently you can carve one out of a dowel and then drip some red wax on your envelope and stamp it in. Worth trying, no? Wouldn't it be cool to have your own formal seal?
5. I've still got some of that stone ground flour that I need to make a muffin recipe with. I've got an original recipe for Pumpkin, Apricot, Date muffins, but I'm wondering if I should make up a whole new one? Maybe an apple one?
6. Some of the crafts that I've seen lately (everything from halloween costumes and wedding decor to nail art and jewellery) require feathers. Here's a hint: before you go to Michaels or to a florist to shell out big money for a peacock or ostrich feather, try visiting a sporting store. Fly fishers use feathers in their fly tying and you can find a variety of colorful feathers for a very reasonable price at somewhere like Bass Pro Shop, Cabela's, or even Canadian Tire.
7. Looking for more cheap crafting supplies? Ebay. Especially things like beads and wire, you can find a variety of supplies for dirt cheap, and with free shipping. I made my Chan Luu imitation bracelet for about $5 (I paid about $10 for the supplies, but I have enough of everything to make a second triple-wrap bracelet). My bird nest necklace wire was $6 for A LOT (it'll probably work out to 10 cents per piece), and you can find some varieties of genuine semi-precious stones for wholesale pricing. Just watch the shipping - Lots of places from Hong Kong will do free shipping, but closer places can charge an arm and a leg.
8. I'm getting calling cards printed soon. I've been meaning to for a while, and now that I have some birthday money I might use a bit for that. I'm involved in a number of unrelated projects, businesses and volunteer efforts where I give out my information a lot. I've got recipe cards that I use as business cards for my Pampered Chef stuff, but it would be nice if I had one card, mostly with personal info on it, that I could write a note on the back of, about why that person was talking with me. They'd be handy!
9. I'm planning a surprise party for someone this year and I want to make it a theme party - but I've been toying with the idea of a secret theme, that only people who are familiar with the references will know it's actually a theme. What do you think? It'll be a very mixed group, so I'm having troubles thinking of one theme that would work across the board.
10. What do you buy a couple that are both mature and have lived on their own for over a decade? We're going to a wedding this winter for just such a couple and I think we're going to pool resources with a few other couples to buy them something big and fantastic - but what?
11. I'm a little torn about what to do with the rest of my birthday money. I've been meaning to get a few more Sophie Conran for Portmeirion pieces (I need new kitchen canisters and Matt likes the contrasting blue dinner set) but there's also this Metal cuff imprinted with text from Jane Austen's Persuasion, with the line, "You pierce my soul. I am half agony, half hope." in larger letters overtop. It's $40 + shipping from the UK, and I've wanted it since I saw it last year, but I've never really thought about ordering it until now. It's gorgeous! Who knows, maybe I'll get enough money for both?
12. I need to get me some Toms. You know about Toms, right? Most of the world does. They specialize in canvas shoes, and have branched out in their style quite a bit, but the big deal is that for every pair you buy, they donate one pair to kids in need. Awesome, hey? I'm getting mine from Adrenaline Clothing and Boardsports.
well, a dozen will have to be enough, because my battery is dying. I promise I'll try to post more! Until then, check out all the links I put in through this post!
Mrs. VanderLeek ;)
Actually, what I've really been is a busy bum. It's been hard for me to fit in everything in the past month and that's lead to less time for me to do fun things like crafts, baking, or even planning to do crafts and baking.
But today, despite the fact that I have a load of cleaning and bookkeeping and furniture moving today, I'm taking a break. Why? Because it's my birthday!
It's an interesting birthday this year. Usually I'd have a birthday dinner with my parents, or at very least cake with Matt's family, but since my parents are away this week, and his parents are busy, we've got no real plans. In fact, my birthday dinner with my parents won't be for another week, and the cake date with his family hasn't even been set yet. So tonight we're kicking around the house, having time as our own small family, and moving a piano. But that's okay, because the piano's for me!
As I mentioned, my time has been so full of other duties that I haven't had time for pretties and parties, but now that I've slowed down for the day I'm thinking it would be fun to bake something. I hit up Pinterest for the first time in a while and I saw abunch of cute ideas for Hallowe'en (I know - forever away.) and now I want to make costumes. And I've still yet to finish my nightstands by modge podging sheet music on top (I'm trying to find the music still!) I'm sure I could fill my whole day up with doing useless pretty things! OH, and I've also got jewellery to make! I'd made up a whole bunch of those bird nest necklaces and I ended up selling a handful of them, and now I've ordered in some bronzed wire that will make a more rustic looking nest. Those ones I plan to sell for a bit more.
While I still don't know all that I plan to accomplish today (obviously), I think it would be fun if I posted some of the thoughts that are roaming through my head - they range from tips to musings, and hopefully you'll find them inspiring!
1. Have you ever tried shaving pumpkins instead of carving them? It involves shaving down the shell until light can shine through partially. You can do alot of neat things with shading, and more intricate designs because you don't have to worry as much about connecting lines and having pieces fall out. I like this Spiderman Pumpkin and this Volkswagon Pumpkin!
2. Incidentally, who says you need to use pumpkins? Pineapples, mandarin oranges and watermelons can all be used in creative ways! And pineapples and mandarin oranges are in season closer to winter, too!
3. I'm hoping to make a red velvet cake today, but instead of using red food coloring, I'm going to try making it with beet powder! It's a natural dye, I've got a bit on hand, and I'm going to see how the color holds up against the chocolate in a devil's food cake!
4. I think I need a custom seal. Like, a wax one. Apparently you can carve one out of a dowel and then drip some red wax on your envelope and stamp it in. Worth trying, no? Wouldn't it be cool to have your own formal seal?
5. I've still got some of that stone ground flour that I need to make a muffin recipe with. I've got an original recipe for Pumpkin, Apricot, Date muffins, but I'm wondering if I should make up a whole new one? Maybe an apple one?
6. Some of the crafts that I've seen lately (everything from halloween costumes and wedding decor to nail art and jewellery) require feathers. Here's a hint: before you go to Michaels or to a florist to shell out big money for a peacock or ostrich feather, try visiting a sporting store. Fly fishers use feathers in their fly tying and you can find a variety of colorful feathers for a very reasonable price at somewhere like Bass Pro Shop, Cabela's, or even Canadian Tire.
7. Looking for more cheap crafting supplies? Ebay. Especially things like beads and wire, you can find a variety of supplies for dirt cheap, and with free shipping. I made my Chan Luu imitation bracelet for about $5 (I paid about $10 for the supplies, but I have enough of everything to make a second triple-wrap bracelet). My bird nest necklace wire was $6 for A LOT (it'll probably work out to 10 cents per piece), and you can find some varieties of genuine semi-precious stones for wholesale pricing. Just watch the shipping - Lots of places from Hong Kong will do free shipping, but closer places can charge an arm and a leg.
8. I'm getting calling cards printed soon. I've been meaning to for a while, and now that I have some birthday money I might use a bit for that. I'm involved in a number of unrelated projects, businesses and volunteer efforts where I give out my information a lot. I've got recipe cards that I use as business cards for my Pampered Chef stuff, but it would be nice if I had one card, mostly with personal info on it, that I could write a note on the back of, about why that person was talking with me. They'd be handy!
9. I'm planning a surprise party for someone this year and I want to make it a theme party - but I've been toying with the idea of a secret theme, that only people who are familiar with the references will know it's actually a theme. What do you think? It'll be a very mixed group, so I'm having troubles thinking of one theme that would work across the board.
10. What do you buy a couple that are both mature and have lived on their own for over a decade? We're going to a wedding this winter for just such a couple and I think we're going to pool resources with a few other couples to buy them something big and fantastic - but what?
11. I'm a little torn about what to do with the rest of my birthday money. I've been meaning to get a few more Sophie Conran for Portmeirion pieces (I need new kitchen canisters and Matt likes the contrasting blue dinner set) but there's also this Metal cuff imprinted with text from Jane Austen's Persuasion, with the line, "You pierce my soul. I am half agony, half hope." in larger letters overtop. It's $40 + shipping from the UK, and I've wanted it since I saw it last year, but I've never really thought about ordering it until now. It's gorgeous! Who knows, maybe I'll get enough money for both?
12. I need to get me some Toms. You know about Toms, right? Most of the world does. They specialize in canvas shoes, and have branched out in their style quite a bit, but the big deal is that for every pair you buy, they donate one pair to kids in need. Awesome, hey? I'm getting mine from Adrenaline Clothing and Boardsports.
well, a dozen will have to be enough, because my battery is dying. I promise I'll try to post more! Until then, check out all the links I put in through this post!
Mrs. VanderLeek ;)
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