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Friday, July 18, 2014

DIY Cloud Dough

Finally sharing our Cloud Dough experiment...


...my Little Ms LOVED this...


...but "Ricky" wasn't thrilled with the mess it created:)  
After hosing off the patio he inquired, "What is this stuff?  It's like cement!"


If you're up for some messy play, then this stuff is sure to delight your kiddos 
and it's super cheap, delighting Mamas:)


Simply mix 4 cups of flour with 1/2 cup baby oil & ta da!

FYI: my Little Ms played with this outside on their picnic table; 
for the next batch I'll place this in large tubs, hopefully containing it better:)

Enjoy!
Tiffany

Thursday, July 10, 2014

Beets, Blueberry & Banana Baby Food

I've been experimenting with my recent homemade yogurt to 
produce some DIY YoBaby options for Buttercup...

Photo: This Mama is pretty happy- Buttercup is enjoying homemade yogurt with beets & blueberries!  Worth the work:) #frugalorganic

...my latest combo was beets, blueberry & banana which proved to be scrumptious!

I thawed these...


...and simmered for a few minutes to release more juices...


...then scrubbed these...


...wrapped in foil & roasted for an hour...


...put on my "messy" gloves, peeled & pureed with the blueberries:)

I placed the puree in ice cube trays to freeze individual portions.



Then I placed a small amount of homemade yogurt in a container, added a thawed cube of beets & blueberry & added some mashed banana- "it's a hit!"

All natural, organic, homemade goodness for my Buttercup- worth the work:)

Thanks for stopping by,
Tiffany

Wednesday, July 9, 2014

Homemade Yogurt

Each week, I've been tackling multiple pins from my growing Pinterest boards- some are ok, some need "tweaking" and some are fabulous, like this homemade yogurt.

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAJzu_0zeZdTS42ZwXEC6bP_SQnh6eT8rm-zrWBb-Q2I-GyRtVJKjLIx68-yHu8ldX_tAJ0vp1gcn8oa7qSFdbqxAdUotWrSWIU8-EbVTbGOZNQMQmkKMU_Ti0VdBFtcRSHme_xAjVeoA/s1600/IMG_8748edit.jpg

I looked at multiple methods and recipes and settled on this crockpot version
instructions  were easy to follow and spot on:)


I started at 4pm (start time is important!) with a 1/2 gallon of organic whole milk...


...poured the milk into my crockpot, set to low for 2 1/2 hours and then unplugged and allowed to rest for an additional 3 hours...


...then took a cup of milk from the crockpot, added 1 cup of plain, whole milk yogurt, gently combined and returned the mixture to the crockpot...


...then covered the crockpot with 2 large towels and left in the garage overnight (8-12 hrs) to incubate.


At approx 9:30 the next morning I unwrapped my homemade yogurt...


...and opted to strain the yogurt through cheesecloth to achieve a thicker consistency...


 ...and then poured yogurt into a small tub & added a mango puree 
(used frozen mango & a swirl of maple syrup)...


...to achieve a DIY YoBaby meal:)

Rosebud could tell this wasn't as sweet as the YoBaby so I've been tweaking- 
she liked my homemade version even better with some mashed banana added to the mix:)

The finished yogurt will keep for 7-10 days & don't forget to keep 1 cup as a starter for your next batch!

TOTAL COST: $3!





Next up, DIY Cloud Dough!

Thanks for stopping by,
Tiffany

Tuesday, July 8, 2014

Pinterest Paper Roll

During one of my Pinterest visits, I came across this:
DIY Vintage Bistro Union Hanging Paper Roll #diy #vintage 
...and fell in love:)

So I asked Granddaddy if he could replicate this happen in my kitchen...


...and he did! 
It's nestled perfectly below my vintage recipes- love:)


Gramma ordered the paper online...it's the biggest roll of kraft paper I've ever seen, and this is after Granddaddy unrolled half of it in an effort to mount it to the wall!!!


Olivia is already making good use of our new addition, practicing her name:)

A huge thank you to Granddaddy for making this happen, despite the multiple hurdles encountered!
 

I like to keep this quote scribbled on my new paper roll- 
it's a favorite Cary Grant line that always makes me smile:)

 On to the next pin!
Tiffany

Friday, July 4, 2014

Happy Independence Day!

It's Independence Day!


Last year at this time we had just 2 Little Ms and we trekked to IKEA...


 ...with Gramma & Granddaddy:)


This year we started with a neighborhood parade!

Photo: En route to our neighborhood 4th July parade!

Livy & Jonah just barely squeezed into the wagon...

Photo: Happy Independence Day!

...while Rosebud rode in her private chariot:)


And despite the warming temperatures, our big Ms got to perch on "Fire Sam truck"...


...and met a very large bear...


...that Jonah really wanted to bring home:)

Photo: Preparing some patriotic goodies:)

And despite some "fussies", we managed to make cookies...


...festooned in patriotic splendor & delivered to friends & family.


And to be true to our roots...

Photo: Independence Day is just around the corner and why not celebrate freedom with us this year? We've got special holiday hours to keep the smoked meats and beer flowing all day on July 4th & July 5th from 11am-10pm. That means our more modern style dinner service is taking a back seat to pure meaty goodness. We'll be offering smoked all beef hotdogs from "44 Ranch" (Cameron,TX) with house made buns, pickle relish and mustard. So stop by anytime on Friday and Saturday from 11am-10pm to get your hotdog fix. Lets celebrate freedom from bad beer and mystery meat hotdogs. It's what our forefathers would have wanted!

...we headed to The Granary for the best 4th of July meal ever!

Photo: To celebrate this Fourth of July weekend, we're doing Market Style BBQ all day long! From 11 AM to 10 PM, come in and enjoy our traditional counter-service and classic market style TX 'Cue with the family; it's what the Founding Fathers would have done!


Pulled pork...

Photo: Sipping root beer at The Granary- true Patriot!


...the best smoked hotdogs & house made Root Beer, a fave with Livy...

Photo: Playing while Uncle Alex works- only young for a bit;)

...house made lemonade, Blonde Brownies, squash casserole
 & more resulting in very happy Ms and full tummies:)

Happy Independence Day & take time to love those you hold dear:)
Tiffany



Thursday, July 3, 2014

Greek Yogurt Pancakes

I've been chipping away at my Pinterest "to do" list and recently tackled these:

Greek yogurt pancakes: the holy grail of all pancake recipes. MUST TRY!



This recipe was another way to use our wonderful local, farm eggs:)


A simple mixing of wet ingredients...


...folded into the dry ingredients...


...and into a hot, buttered skillet...


...resulting in happy little munching faces...


...and lots of "Mmmmms"!

We usually enjoy oatmeal pancakes so these were a nice change.

Recipe: Greek Yogurt Pancakes
adapted from EverydayBelle

Ingredients:
6 oz Greek yogurt (I used honey, whole fat)
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup flour
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp baking soda

Directions:
1. Combine dry ingredients & whisk until combined.
2. Combine wet ingredients in bowl and whisk until combined.
3. Fold dry ingredients into wet- if batter is too thick, add a spot of milk (I did!)
4. Heat greased griddle/pan on medium high heat and divide batter into 4 pancakes.
5 Flip the pancakes when they start to bubble & cook until both sides are golden brown.
6. Serve with your choice of fruit, nutella, maple syrup etc....

My Little M's topped their "new" pancakes with butter, 
a drizzle of maple syrup & a sprinkling of "sugar snow" aka powdered sugar:)

Hope you enjoy!
Tiffany

Sunday, June 29, 2014

Happy Sunday!

Here is my lovely family, ready for church:)


Jonah wasn't thrilled at being told to stand still, hence his sour expression...


...and Livy was enamored with her "mermaid skirt":)


Happy Sunday!