ordinary day

Our big trips and events for the summer have passed and now we are looking into the second half of summer with quite a blank calendar.  Makes me a little queasy to think about it.  At my most recent Target trip I noticed that the back to school signs are already up.  The idea of not buying school supplies this year (I resigned from my teaching position in June) makes me even more sick to my stomach.  It's one of my FAVORITE traditions of all time!

 

Needless to say, I have been feeling a little discontent...I highly dislike that feeling.  So, in addition to making the effort to get some things on the calendar, I have been praying that God would help me to find the beauty in the ordinary things.  Here is a glimpse of my ordinary day...

 

I bake for many reasons, but one of them is for comfort.  I am home alone with a baby on a muggy day with little to do besides laundry...so, I bake.  I decided on Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies.  I tried using 1 cup regular flour with 1/4 cup whole wheat flour.  I am trying to do the "healthy, whole wheat flour" thing.  They tasted a little heartier than usual, but still yummy.  I also substituted chocolate chips for the raisins (yes, my logic on "being healthy" doesn't make much sense).  Here is the basic recipe if you are interested!

Beacon's rebellion continues with him scattering his food everywhere, which happens to be a new thing.  This picture was taken after I sprayed him with the water bottle for trying to lick the cookie dough on the kitchen counter.  I feel like I am dealing with a teenager. ugh.

I put Quinn down for a nap and walked downstairs to see this.  Nothing unusual here.  Just a lot of baby stuff scattered around.  For some reason, my eyes saw this picture differently in that particular moment.  My heart was filled with joy.  What a gift to have a sleeping baby with all of her cute little toys filling my home.  I know it sounds mushy, but I needed to find joy in that.  It's too easy to take these things for granted.

And, finally, I sit down and enjoy a homemade cookie with a diet pepsi (I know, it's not right.  Matt is a sucker for a good deal, and coke products weren't on sale).  Of course, I had a little appetizer of the actual cookie dough first ;)

When you are at home with a baby, it's easy to feel a little isolated.  I have started posting bible verses around the house and praying the second I feel "off."  God is meeting me in those moments and teaching me how to appreciate even the little things.

s'mores bars

recipe source 



I am a big s'more lover, so I was pretty excited when I found this recipe on Pinterest.  These treats take s'mores to a whole new level!  I made them because I wanted to bring in a summer inspired treat from some of the teachers on the last day of school.  Let me break this down for you...

 

Taste: cookie cake-esque

Ingredients: simple, only thing I had to look for was graham crack crumbs

Time & Ease: easy

Notes: I baked these for 20 minutes, just like the recipe directed, but they didn't really look done.  I took them out anyway and let them completely cool, and they ended up being perfect!  Also, making the graham cracker crust was a little messy, but it still turned out just fine.

 

into the oven!

sprinkled some extra mallows on top at the end

 

final creation...the Hershey bars are just for looks (they were added last)

Let me know if you try these!  They won't disappoint!

Floral and Fudge

It's always fun when I come across a new blog that I enjoy reading.  About a month ago I started following along with Rachel at Floral and Fudge.  It turns out we have a lot in common!  First off, Rachel loves to bake (she sells her own hot fudge...how cool is that?!).  We both went to small colleges in the Chicago area, which happen to be rivals!  And, we both have a little one that we look after at home.  Anyhow, this creative mama put together a yummy treat that I CAN'T wait to try.  Mint, chocolate, Oreos, whipped cream?!  I'm in!

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I’m honored to be guest posting for Marissa today on Our Little Family Blog! I’m Rachel from Floral & Fudge. I blog about my family, desserts (mostly chocolate ones), and a little bit of fashion. My husband Steve and I have been married almost four years. We have the sweetest little boy named Nolan, and he has kept me busy every day for the past 20 months! I hail from Chicago, but we are currently enjoying small-town life while Steve finishes his PhD. Blogging has become my favorite creative outlet. And a perk is meeting wonderful people like Marissa!

This dessert is perfect for a hot day. It is a minty mix of cream cheese, marshmallow cream, and whipped cream with a crunchy Oreo crust!

Ingredients:

1 cup chocolate cookie crumbs (about half a package of Oreos, without the cream, crushed)
2 Tablespoons sugar
3 Tablespoons butter, melted
1 package cream cheese (8 ounces) cubed and softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon peppermint extract (or mint extract)
3 Tablespoons milk
1  1/8 cup marshmallow cream (5.25 ounces from a 7 ounce jar)
¾ cup whipping cream

Directions:

Line an 8x8 inch pan with foil, folding the edges over the sides of the pan. Spray with cooking spray. In a bowl, mix cookie crumbs, sugar, and butter. Press evenly into the pan.

In a large bowl, beat cream cheese, vanilla extract, mint extract, and milk with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Next, add marshmallow cream, and beat until well-mixed. Refrigerate for 45 minutes.

In a chilled, large bowl, beat whipping cream with the mixer on high speed until stiff peaks form. Fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese/marshmallow mixture until blended. Add a few drops of green food coloring if you want the dessert to be green instead of white. Pour over the crust. Freeze at least four hours before serving.

Remove from the pan, lifting up the foil to help. Let it sit for a few minutes in room temperature before cutting. Optional: garnish with a dollop of whipped cream or mint candies.

Keep remaining dessert tightly-covered in the freezer.

Thank you for letting me share this recipe on your blog, Marissa!

Come visit Floral & Fudge for more dessert recipes, and adventures of our family! Feel free to follow along!

Rachel

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Yummy!  I'm so glad that Rachel was willing to share one of her dessert creations on our blog.  Don't forget to check out more of her dessert recipes and cute family at Floral and Fudge!

saturday morning at mary's farmhouse

While up north, Quinn and I visited my good friend Mary at their new/old farmhouse.  Mary was my Young Life leader in high school.  We would often meet on Friday mornings before school at a local coffee shop and read the Bible together.  I am so thankful that God placed her in my life during those challenging high school years.  She has always a been wonderful mentor and friend.  So, whenever I come home it is always good to visit with her!  Her family has been renovating an old farmhouse, and it is so cool!  We enjoyed these yummy muffins from Pioneer Woman's blog.  PW called them "My Mom's Muffins."  Since we don't know PW's mom we decided to rename them as "Farmhouse" Muffins.  :) We enjoyed these earthy and moist muffins with  Mary's three little girls (Tessa, Lucia, and Maggie) and her lovely mother.  It was a great way to spend Saturday morning!



I decided to make a batch the other day.  They do require a lot of ingredients.  There were only a couple that I had to go out and buy...ground flaxseed, buttermilk, molasses and walnuts.

I froze these suckers so I can enjoy them again and again!

Isn't her kitchen so cute?! 

Sweet Tessa and Lucia loving on Quinn.

baking with babies

SUGAR COOKIES WITH VANILLA BUTTERCREAM FROSTING

 

It's been a while since I have done some baking but it feels good to be at it again!  For some reason I always end up baking when Matt is away.  It's a fun and rewarding project that I find comforting.  Here are some "welcome home" cookies that I made for him.  Quinn "helped" by sleeping so I could bake :)

For the dough: I used Betty Crocker's Sugar Cookie mix.  Easy peasy.

For the frosting: I usually make frosting from scratch.  It doesn't require a lot of ingredients and you can definitely taste the difference.  I don't mess around when it comes to frosting!

I  found the recipe on Pinterest.

 

1/2 stick of butter softened (make sure it is really soft!)

3 cups powdered sugar

1/4 cup whole milk (I used half & half with a little water)

3/4 tsp vanilla

 

In your mixer bowl, cream the butter. Add 1/2 of the powder sugar, mix well. Add the rest of the powdered sugar, mix well. Add the milk and vanilla. Mix until smooth and creamy. Stick the frosting in the fridge for 20 to 30 minutes to firm up a bit before using. 

 

PEANUT BUTTER RICE KRISPIES WITH M&M'S

 

A few weeks ago, my good friend Deb and her son Wesley visited.  I hadn't seen Wes since he was 2 weeks old!  We had a good time playing with the babies and doing a little baking. This is a very EASY, QUICK, and DELICIOUS recipe...perfect if you have little ones around!

I found the recipe off of Mix and Match Mama's blog.  

Ingredients: 1 cup sugar, 1 cup light corn syrup, 1 cup creamy peanut butter, 6 cups Rice Krispies cereal
Directions: In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, bring sugar and corn syrup up to a boil, stirring continuously. Once to a low boil, remove from heat and stir in peanut butter. Pour peanut butter mixture over 6 cups of cereal in a large mixing bowl. Combine quickly until cereal is covered and then spread out into a well greased (I use Pam) 8x8 inch baking dish. Cool at least 10 minutes before cutting into squares.

*We added easter colored M&M's.  I would highly reccomend it if you are a chocolate lover!

Looks like somebody has a lil' crush!  Good luck, Wes...Quinny is already playing "hard to get!"

Cupcake Obsession Continues

Last weekend, I got in the baking mood and decided to make some cupcakes. My goal was to make something with what I already had in my kitchen and attempt to tie in a Valentine's theme. This is not the first time I have written a post about making cupcakes, so I think it is safe to say that I am a little obsessed!

I used Devil's Food cake from the box and made vanilla frosting from scratch. The recipe for the frosting was called "That's the best frosting I've ever had." I figured that sounded pretty good :) And, it was! The frosting was sweet and fluffy, and was a nice complement to the rich chocolate cake. Get the recipe here. (You can also see this recipe on The Pioneer Woman's website) It's pretty easy and yummy.

Topped it all off with a raspberry and all of a sudden it was a Valentine's Day cupcake!

Baking just because.

Baking comforts me, especially when I am one my own (Matt traveled this week). So, I went ahead and made red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting and crushed peppermint :) It was a pretty easy recipe. I just used cake from the box and followed a simple cream cheese frosting recipe from online. These were delicious. Now, I just need to find some people to give them to so I stop eating them!

Very soon, I will have plenty of people around to share all of my treats with! Christmas is around the corner and I am looking forward to having the McCauleys to entertain!

I'm kind of sick of eating cake now...

My cake class ended last week. For the last class we had to make a design for our cake and come prepared to make it. I chose to go with a floral look. Here are some pics below!

marble cake with chocolate frosting in the middle and vanilla on the outside

other students' creations

Cake

Last week I began a cake decorating class with a friend from small group and her sister in law. I am definitely a rookie but I have already learned a lot! It is fun to let my inner perfectionist go loose for a couple hours...no holding back on this one! It's also nice to be the student again, and not the teacher :)

my first cake

Yummmy! Let me know if you want a cake in the future! I think I found a new hobby!

Oh! And, did I mention....SCHOOL IS OUT! I survived!!!!! (Clearly its summer, since I have time to update my blog and take a cake decorating class...haha)