Creative writing

Today I don't have any pictures, crafts, or anything visual to share but I think it is important to mention creative writing when considering creativity. One of the greatest pleasures I have in life is reading and writing. When I am able to bring a story to life on paper it really is one of the greatest feelings in the world. I am not a great or accomplished writer but I do believe that the first step to becoming great at anything is studying. People go to school and learn about anatomy and biology and great number of other things to become experts on the body (doctors) and in order to be a great writer research is key! This is actually the greatest research too, because it requires reading the books you love to read. I aspire to write children's books so I read children's books every chance I get.

Recently my sister gave me a great idea to help aspiring writers get their ideas down on paper. Start with writing out short summaries of scenes until you reach the end of your story. This method is great because it helps you find the direction you want to take with your book and in a general sense so that you can later return with detail. My most recent story has about 52 scenes and I could have made more! Next write out all the characters, their names, and a short description. This is a good beginning for anybody who is interested in writing a short (or long!) story.

I would also like to point everyone to a blog by my brother-in-law who is a writer. If you leave a comment about a character, event, and place he will write a short story! Check it out.

http://theforsakenpetal.blogspot.com/

Chocolate Raspberry Sundae Topper

I found this recipe during the summer while I was working as a food preservation specialist in Salt Lake. Its something different and fun that you can preserve and eat throughout the year. It is also super tasty. NOTE**Due to their low acidity, most homemade chocolate sauces are not suitable for safe home canning. This recipe has been tested by the USDA and it is safe as long as you follow the directions.*


Ingredients:
1/2 cup sifted unsweetened cocoa powder
1 package powdered fruit pectin
4 1/2 cups crushed red raspberries (I used strawberries)
4 TBSP lemon juice
6 3/4 cups sugar

1. Prepare canner, jars and lids. I just keep my warm in the hot water bath or in the sink with hot water.

2. In a medium glass bowl, combine cocoa powder and pectin, stirring until evenly blended. Set aside.

3. In a large sauce pan, placed crushed raspberries and lemon juice. Whisk in pectin mixture until dissolved. (If you used a Teflon coated pan, don't whisk too hard or you will have flakes of Teflon in your topper). Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring frequently. Add sugar all at once and return to a full roiling boil, stirring constantly. Boil hard for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and skim off foam.



4. Ladle hot sundae topper into hot jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Remove air bubbles and adjust headspace as necessary. Wipe rim. Center lid on jar. Screw band down until fingertip tight.

5. Place jars in boiling water bath. Make sure your jars are covered with 1 1/2 inch to 2 inches of water. Bring to a boil and process for 14 minutes. (This time is for altitudes 4000 feet above sea level. You would only need to process it for 10 minutes at sea level. Add an additional minute for each 1000 ft above sea level).

6. After the required processing time, turn off the heat and remove the canner lid; wait 5 minutes. Remove jars and allow to cool for 12-24 hours. Remove screw bands, wash well and store. *Don't store with the screw bands on jars. This will prevent mold from getting into your food. It also helps you to know if a jar has gone bad if the food is spilling out of the edges.



This recipe makes about six 8-oz jars. They are best used within a year, but will last for longer than that. Just remember to rotate your canned goods and you should be fine.

Chinese Take In

Last week I was having a major pregnancy craving for Chinese food. Normally I would cave and go to the nearest restaurant for Chinese but on this night, my husband was feeling particularly angelic and offered to make me "anything I wanted." I immediately pulled out my binder of recipes and pointed to these three items... Crab & cream cheese won-tons, ham-fried rice, and sweet & sour chicken. This meal takes a little effort and planning, but it is well worth it and you will have leftovers for a week. :)

First: The Ham-Fried Rice
The best recipe I have found is at one of my favorite recipe blogs... Favorite Family Recipes. They have an array of Asian food recipes that look really good. This Ham-Fried Rice is so delicious! I always end up with way too many helpings.

Ham Fried Rice
2 c. uncooked long-grain white rice
4 c. water
1 Tbsp. sesame oil
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
1-2 c. cubed ham
3/4 cup diced veggies or peas
3 eggs, beaten
soy sauce

Cook rice according to package directions. Heat sesame oil and vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and stir in onion. When onions become clear and light brown, add garlic. When garlic is lightly browned, add ham and cook for about 3-4 minutes or until ham is hot. Add peas or veggies and cook until tender. Stir in beaten egg and cook until egg is scrambled and firm. When rice is done, add to skillet and mix in thoroughly. Stir in soy sauce, enough to make it light brown. About 1-2 tablespoons. Serve immediately.

Second: The Sweet & Sour Chicken
I have tried a lot of different recipes for this and my favorite by far is from All Recipes... See that recipe HERE.

Sweet & Sour Chicken
1 (8 ounce) can pineapple chunks, drained (juice reserved)
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 3/4 cups water
3/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup distilled white vinegar
2 drops orange food color
8 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into 1 inch cubes
2 1/4 cups self-rising flour
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
1 egg
2 cups water
1 quart vegetable oil for frying

In a saucepan, combine 1 1/2 cups water, sugar, vinegar, reserved pineapple juice, and orange food coloring. Heat to boiling. Turn off heat. Combine 1/4 cup cornstarch and 1/4 cup water; slowly stir into saucepan. Continue stirring until mixture thickens.

Combine flour, 2 tablespoons oil, 2 tablespoons cornstarch, salt, pepper, and egg. Add 1 1/2 cups water gradually to make a thick batter. Stir to blend thoroughly. Add chicken pieces, and stir until chicken is well coated.

Heat oil in skillet or wok to 360 degrees F (180 degrees C). Fry chicken pieces in hot oil until golden. Remove chicken, and drain on paper towels.

When ready to serve, layer pineapple chunks and cooked chicken pieces on a platter. Pour hot sweet and sour sauce over top.

Finally my favorite part of this meal: Crab & Cream Cheese Won-Tons
I actually came up with this recipe all on my own... Yay me! Everyone that I make these for absolutely loves them so I tend to think I am an expert. :)

Crab & Cream Cheese Won-Tons
½ package won-ton wrappers (find near produce section in grocery store)
⅔ package cream cheese, softened
1 large can crab meat (yes the REAL thing! You can use imitation if you are on a strict budget but one can of crab meat isn't too bad and well worth the splurge!)
1½ tsp. garlic powder
1½ tsp. onion powder
Salt & pepper, to taste

Mix cream cheese, crab, and seasonings together. Put 1½ tsp. in each won-ton wrapper, be careful not to over-fill. Follow instructions on won-ton wrappers about how to fold and seal. Fry in oil that has been heated to medium.

There you have it, a delicious Chinese "take-in" meal that is sure to please. My kids even love this dish.

Kid Crafty

I have been bugging my daughter (I think this is what term she would use because she seems annoyed that I keep asking) what she wants to be for Halloween. I told her no on the pirate because that was what she was last year so we have settled on princess. While we were browsing hobby lobby yesterday we saw these little masks and feathers and I thought it would be cute to make a pink mask to go with her princess dress! I think I like how it turned out and it was very simple to make. We smothered it with elmers glue, sprinkled glitter over it and then glued feathers on. This is a fun project that can get pretty creative with all t

he decorative feathers out there. I can't wait to make my mask!

Just a side note...they do have children's masks that will fit their faces better than this adult size mask! (And only 2.00$ at hobby lobby)

Easy Job Chart

I really try to keep our home a happy and orderly place…some days are better than others… I really want to teach my boys good habits and how to be responsible for their own things and not expect me to clean up after them.

So to help my 2 year old start learning all of thee above, I put together this Job Chart.

What you need:

One Muffin Tin (I used a cheap kind & a regular size, you could use the mini ones too if you have older kids or want to put more than one kid’s jobs on the same tin)

Chipboard (or an old cereal box)

ModPodge & Brush

Scrapbook Paper

Pictures or Words of the Jobs

Stapler & Staples

Magnets



1. Measure how big your squares need to be… I actually just took a piece of scrap paper and made a template of how big I wanted them, then cute 12 squares out of your scrapbook paper.

2. Cut matching squares out of the chipboard

3. Adhere your words or pictures for you jobs with ModPodge (you could just use glue, I knew this chart would have to take a bit of abuse so I thought ModPodge would be best)

4. I used those free magnets you get from businesses for the back… I put the magnet on the back but on the bottom of the square, this helps to hold the prize in the cup when it is hung up… To hook them all together I used a simple stapler. It was fast, easy and boy-ish.

5. Put your squares over the cups, add a ribbon through the hole to hang and you are done.



My 2 year old has really gotten excited about this chart…why? Because I put his ‘pennies’ ( he will do anything for pennies right now-he loves to buy books from the DI with his own $$) right in the cup under the job. When he completes the task he gets to get out the penny and put it in his money jar. I have also been using single stickers, smarties etc.

Raspberry Lime Rickey

I have been wanting to try this drink for months but kept forgetting to get limes at the store. I finally remembered when my neighbors got together for a little dinner and we were assigned a drink to bring. I found this recipe at my new favorite food blog... Mel's Kitchen Cafe. I have tried a ton of her recipes and absolutely loved every one. Her recipe is HERE and I highly recommend checking out her site. You won't be disappointed.

Raspberry Lime Rickey

12 oz. package frozen raspberries
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup water
4 teaspoons grated zest and 1/2 cup juice from 4 limes
Club soda, chilled
Ice

Start by combining raspberries, sugar, and water in a medium saucepan on medium heat. Cook until raspberries release their juices, about 5 minutes.

While waiting for that to cook, squeeze your limes and grate your zest.

Pour the lime juice and zest into the raspberry mixture and cook until slightly thickened, another 5 minutes. Then strain the syrup into a bowl to get rid of seeds.

It will look about like this after that point. Let it cool completely and when ready to serve, mix 3/4 cup club soda with 3 tablespoons syrup. I used all of the syrup and combined it with a 2 liter bottle of club soda and it tasted good that way. Add limes and ice and you are good to go. I think this would also be good with water for more of a raspberry lemonade taste. I also wanted to try making a peach or strawberry syrup for lemonade. Everyone at the dinner must have loved it because I took nothing home.

Marshmallow Fondant

It was my son's birthday last week and he has been asking for a Transformers cake for months now. I wasn't sure how I was going to go about making it but I found a picture online and thought the easiest way was to use fondant... provided I could figure out how to make it first! A friend of mine who makes adorable fondant confections told me about marshmallow fondant. Apparently it is much better tasting than buying fondant and turned out to be pretty easy to make. I found a youtube video online done by The Twisted Sifter with really good instructions... Go HERE to see that.

I did a half batch because I didn't want to cover the entire cake with fondant. So here are the ingredients for half the recipe.

You will need:
1/2 bag marshmallows
1 lb. bag powdered sugar
1 1/2 tbs. water
1/2 cup shortening
Gel food coloring, if you want colors

Start by putting the powdered sugar and shortening in your mixer. Melt your marshmallows and water in a microwave safe dish for 1 minute. Mix them around until melted together and pour this over the powdered sugar.

It will look like this at that point. Turn your mixer on low and mix until pretty well incorporated.

Turn mixture out onto your counter covered with powdered sugar and knead until it forms a semi-dry ball. It will be pliable like play-doh but a bit thicker and less sticky. Add gel coloring and knead until you reach the color you want. That part was the hardest because I needed a dark red. I kneaded it for a good 30 minutes to get it the color I finally wanted.

(Disclaimer: no my nails aren't disgusting, the dye turned them blue! I will be using gloves next time.) Roll the dough out with a rolling pin and cut whatever design you like. I also rolled balls of it for the bottom of the cake. You can cover the entire cake with fondant but you will probably need a full batch for that.

This picture has nothing to do with fondant, but it looked too good not to post. :) Fill your cake and frost it. You will need to do this even if you put fondant on the entire cake. Then just place your fondant creations right on the frosting. I put my cake in the fridge over night and the fondant still looked good the next day. It also tasted really good. My grandma suggested dipping balls of it in chocolate as another treat.

Ta Da! My son was so excited about his cake that he wanted it before presents! I am totally in love with using fondant now. Try it out, you will be too!