Web Finds Wednesday

Dedication to Medication: A great blog post about organizing meds etc! Sooo need to do this! Seems like we have cough drops, mucinex and everything just all jumbled together goodness...

Homemade Croutons - tried this here recently and LOVE THEM! Perfect way to use up the ends of your bread or pieces of toast that doesn't get eaten at breakfast time. Yum!!

Blueberry Streusel Muffins - Another tested recipe here recently to use up some blueberries that were going a little soft in our fridge - I left out the cinnamon in the streusel and it was perfect!

Cake Batter Pudding Cookies - Oh my - must try this recipe soon! Though, after celebrating my birthday with tons of cupcakes and an angel food cake I should wait a little bit before whipping these up - haha! :)

Homemade Caramel Apples

Apple awaiting their caramel coating!
This is why I am glad I save all my Popsicle sticks throughout the year! :)

Yum!

In progress - I am so messy in the kitchen!

Our little spoon licker!

Yum!

After getting our pumpkins for this year, we hunkered down at home while our stew simmered in the crockpot and made some caramel apples! With homemade caramel! So easy and so good!

Here is the recipe! (found here at Tasty Kitchen)

• 12 whole Apples (we only had 9)
• ¼ cups Butter
• 1 cup White Syrup (used Karo Corn Syrup)
• 14 ounces, fluid Eagle Brand Condensed Milk
• 2 cups White Granulated Sugar
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

Assemble all ingredients: wash and dry apples, insert sticks, and butter a cookie sheet and dinner plate before starting to cook.

Heat all ingredients except vanilla in a heavy 2-quart saucepan over medium/low heat. Stir constantly! (Unless you really like the look of scorched bits on your apples.)

When caramel reaches soft ball stage (235°F–240°F) remove from heat and add vanilla. Let cool a few minutes.

Using the stick inserted in the apples, dunk apples in the hot caramel and twirl slowly away from the heat for a couple of minutes. It’s nice to have a helper or two at this point.

Place caramel-covered apples on a buttered cookie sheet. Optional: drizzle with melted chocolate or roll in chopped nuts.

Extra caramel from the bottom of the pan:
1. Can be scraped out with a spatula into a buttered plate or dish to be cut into individual pieces when cool.
2. Can be thinned in the pan with half-and-half and eaten warm, as a dip for apple wedges.
 

Reading This Week...

In lieu of a Web Finds Wednesday post - here are a few things I've found interesting this week on the web.

How to Get Things Done with a High Needs Baby or Toddler

Whirley Pop Recipe Book

Basic Newborn Pant Sewing Pattern


How to Make Easy Kid Pants

Easy Pleated Baby Top

No Milk Here - New Daddy Blog

Web Finds Wednesday

In a strange land... (great read - especially after just having gotten back from the dentist for a filling :))

Practice Positive Discipline

Dark Sky Park (things to do in Michigan)

Coxhall Gardens (things to do in Indiana)

Frozen Lemonade Pie

Amber Teething Necklaces Inspired by Finn

Summer Sangria

Web Finds Wednesday

Lessons From a Sleeping Baby

How to Make a Heart Shaped Egg

Best Blueberry Muffins

DIY A-Frame Tent

Nutella Chunk Cookies

Clone Your Herbs

Bacon Wrapped Asparagus

Web Finds Wednesday

Fireman's Beef Stuffed Shells

Sugar Cookies

Mexican Lasagna

Hot Chocolate Souffle


Make Your Own Shade Sail

Light Scoop: Say Goodbye to Ugly Flash Photos


Personalized Sand Heart Doormat

Web Finds Wednesday

This To That - Glue Advice

Pineapple Whip Ice Cream - further proof (to my husband) that we need an ice cream maker


Marshmallow Fluff Icing - my new favorite icing! pipes beautifully and is easy to make!


Slouched Beanie Knit Pattern

Coconut Cake with a Twist

Strawberry Cake

Web Finds Wednesday

Homemade Samoas


Tres Leches Pancakes

Strapless Summer Top Sewing Pattern

Tiramisu

Grilled Skirt Steak w/ Herb Sauce

Free Summer Twitter Backgrounds

Quesadilla Casserole

Up Too Early = Sunday Morning Oatmeal Creme Brulee

Up a tad bit early this Sunday morning. Was thinking about making this last night for dinner, but when my eyes started blinking open and my mental to-do list started kicking at 6:30AM this morning - it seemed like an even better time to try it out!

I have researched two variations of Oatmeal Creme Brulee, one with eggs and one without - it is really the creme brulee element I am interested in, being the sweet tooth that I am. So, this morning I am trying out the recipe without the eggs (gotta save my eggs for all the meringue kisses I am making as guest favors for the baby shower!).

Another appealing aspect of this first recipe I am going to try is that you cook the oatmeal first in a rice cooker instead of on the stove - any recipe where I can push a button and walk away is fabulous! To create the crunchy topping we'll take the cooked oatmeal out and transfer it to either ramkins (which I don't have - sensing a Christmas Wishlist item here...) or into a baking dish, sprinkling with the brown sugar and white sugar mixture and popping it into the preheated broiler for about a minute.

Oh, I am also leaving out the fruit - I would like to try raspberries - but alas the fruit I have in my fridge and freezer right now are apples, grapes and frozen strawberries. If I am going to use strawberries I prefer fresh - so we will just try the recipe without the fruit element this time - just for sake of convenience.

Recipe #1 (w/out eggs)


Creme Brulee Oatmeal
1 1/2 cups old-fashioned oatmeal
3 cups milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch of salt
berries of choice
1 tablespoon white sugar
1 teaspoon brown sugar

Additions: I ended up adding about 2 tablespoons white sugar and 2 tablespoons brown sugar to the oatmeal after it cooked - was a little bland for my taste - but if I had added fruit I may not have had to.

P.S. I may never go back to regular oatmeal again!

Update @7:11AM - Well, it certainly smells delicious just cooking in the rice cooker! I could see have the liquid ingredients mixed together beforehand, left in the fridge of course since it's milk, having the oatmeal already measured out in the rice cooker and waking up early Sunday mornings to come downstairs mix together and turn on the cooker and walk away to get ready, etc.

Update @7:51AM - (Delayed by doing dishes, putting up meringues I had drying overnight in the oven, cleaning the rice cooker, etc) Oatmeal is really good! I don't think my broiler got hot enough because the sugar just melted on top of the oatmeal - didn't crispen. The oven was asking me too many questions when I hit the broil button - Hi or Lo? Set Temp or Auto Set???

It "auto-set" at 350 but I think this needs to be hotter. I left it in for longer than a minute too because I could see it was melting and not necessarily burning on top. :( Still tastes good nonetheless!. (Possible mini-kitchen torch on my Christmas wish list??) :)

Warning: It did make quite a mess out of my rice cooker. I have a large rice cooker, but somehow the oatmeal managed to boil up over through the steam spout. :( AND it did burn/scald and make a little weird skin on the bottom of the pan - but I did just have to hit the button and walk away so not sure which is worse. Standing over a saucepan making oatmeal or cleaning up a messy rice cooker?

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To try next time - when I am not rationing out my eggs for other things or if I happen to have egg beaters in the house...

Recipe #2 (w/eggs)

Oatmeal Creme Brulee
2-1/4 cups Steel Cut Oatmeal
1/2 cup chopped Fruit of your choice (Sliced and Chopped Apples are Great)
1/4 cup granulated white sugar
3-1/3 cups non fat milk
1/2 cup egg substitute (such as Egg Beaters)
2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/3 cup firmly-packed light brown sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 8-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Place oats, chopped fruit and sugar in the prepared baking dish. Stir until well combined. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together milk, egg substitute, and vanilla extract. Pour over oatmeal mixture. Stir to make sure the oatmeal mixture is well-coated. Bake 40 to 45 minutes. Be careful not to over-bake. You want the center to still be moist, like a thick soup. Remove from the oven. Turn oven temperature up to broil. Sprinkle with the brown sugar in a thin layer, making sure the sugar coats the entire surface of the oatmeal. Return to the oven and broil 2 to 3 minutes, until the top is browned and crusty. Serve warm. For the Individual Ramekin Oatmeal Recipe Click HERE.

Web Finds Wednesday

Vanessa's Chocolate Chip Cookies (with vanilla pudding!)

Frozen Blue Hawaiian and other fun summer drinks

Complete Online Grilling Cookbook from Sunset

Fair-Style Lemon Shake Ups Recipe 

Potato Towers - Must try this in the garden next year!


Healthy Snacks for Moms to Be

Web Finds Wednesday: Zucchini Recipe Edition

My favorite zucchini recipe : Zucchini Fries

Zucchini Parmesan Crisps

Baked Zucchini Strips

Parmesan Zucchini Sticks with Smoky Roasted Romesco Sauce

Parmesan Crusted Baked Zucchini Strips with Marinara Sauce

Baked Zucchini Coins

Oven Fried Zucchini Crisps

Sweet Zucchini Crisp

Chocolate Zucchini Muffins

Web Finds Wednesday!

Peanut Butter Buckeye Bars

The Do's and Don'ts of Small Talk With Pregnant Women
(pretty sure my husband could write the book for husbands - "What NOT to Say to Your Pregnant Wife" - this might be a later blog post. :) )

Yummy Cupcake Recipes from Ming Makes Cupcakes

DIY Fabric Boutonnieres 

Zucchini Recipes

Raspberry and Nutella Crepes

Summer Fruit Soup

Dried Fruit Rolls

Web Finds Wednesday!

Golden Girl Bundt Cake

Oeuf Au Lait (the simple man's version of creme brulee)

Shoofly Pie

Shaker Lemon Pie

Hoosier Sugar Cream Pie

Crochet Coaster Pattern

Eton Mess - A fun strawberry recipe!!

Blueberry Muffins

Recently tried a recipe for homemade blueberry muffins to make and take to church - our small groups switch off and provide breakfast on Sunday mornings - it was our small groups turn this past Sunday! And of course I wait until 11:30PM Saturday night - after getting home late from watching fireworks with a good friend and her adorable 2 1/2 year old -  to finally decide what to make. Not the best plan - definitely required a nap the next afternoon! :)

The only thing about this recipe I think is the crumble on top - I am not sure how I feel about cinnamon on top of my blueberry muffins. I want a sugary, crunchy crumble but without the cinnamon. Next time!

And of course they disappeared too fast to snap a picture! :(

From AllRecipes.com

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1 cup fresh blueberries
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup butter, cubed
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon (will omit next time)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease muffin cups or line with muffin liners.
2. Combine 1 1/2 cups flour, 3/4 cup sugar, salt and baking powder. Place vegetable oil into a 1 cup measuring cup; add the egg and enough milk to fill the cup. Mix this with flour mixture. Fold in blueberries. Fill muffin cups right to the top, and sprinkle with crumb topping mixture.
3. To Make Crumb Topping: Mix together 1/2 cup sugar, 1/3 cup flour, 1/4 cup butter, and 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon. Mix with fork, and sprinkle over muffins before baking.
4. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until done.

Web Finds Wednesday

6 Ways to Green Clean Your Couch

Strawberry Lime Slush (our abundance of strawberries this year and the random lime left in the fridge is spurring me on towards this recipe!)

Tropical Smoothies

Mama Carolla's Bruschetta


Crochet Pattern Provence Summer String Bag


Grilled Citrus Chicken Teriyaki


Mediterranean Turkey Bagelwiches


Root Beer Barbeque Beef Sandwiches

Web Finds Wednesday

Grilled Chicken with Watermelon Glaze

Fiery Orange Glazed Pork Tenderloin

Grilled Chili-Lime Chicken

Grilled Taco-Barbecue Chicken

Lime Chicken


Mexican Chicken Pizza with Cornmeal Crust

Strawberry Lavender Soup

The Perfect Recipe For Saturday Morning Pancakes

We officially ran out of our dry mix for both pancakes and waffles (how can we go through TWO boxes of that stuff??) - and no Saturday morning is complete without one or the other - so we decided to flex our baking muscles a little this morning and find a recipe for homemade pancake mix!

Here's the our favorite for pancakes: Found on Allrecipes.com - they were perfect! May never go back to store bought dry mix again!

Good Old Fashioned Pancakes

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 1 1/4 cups milk
• 1 egg
• 3 tablespoons butter, melted

Directions

1. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Make a well in the center and pour in the milk, egg and melted butter; mix until smooth.
2. Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. Brown on both sides and serve hot.

Web Finds Wednesday!

Potluck Beans Slowcooker Recipe
I usually don't like just beans - but this has bacon and the picture makes it look really tasty. Just might have to try it out!

Compost Cookie Bars

Chicken Mexican Soup


Key Lime Pie Bars


Lemon Curd Tart

Peach Yogurt Pops 

Make This Skirt!

Web Finds Wednesday!

Fluffy French Toast

Granola Crusted French Toast with Strawberry Rhubarb Compote

Plant Spacings in a Square Foot Garden 

Natural Herbal Recipes for Homemade Soap

1-Hour Dress - Sewing Tutorial 

Homemade Poptarts 

Fairs and Fesitvals: Reasons to Savor Summer

French Toast Kabobs on the BBQ

Web Finds Wednesday!

4 Ways To Clean Green With Fresh Herbs

18 Antibug Cleaning Tips: Fighting Off the Summer Bug Invasion 

5 Things You Might Not Know About Watering Plants

Sewn Stash Baskets 

Lemon-Kissed Buttermilk Cupcakes with the World's Fluffiest Cream Cheese Frosting

Tart Cherry Crumb Cake

Rhubarb Crumb Bars

Rhubarb and Blackberry Snack Cake

Rhubarb Iced Tea