Snickerdoodle Muffins

I've been making these muffins since I was in middle school. It's a modification of a French Puff and has been nicknamed "Satan Muffins" by some of the teens like to hang out at our house. These are easy to make, and don't require a mixer if you have younger kids that would like to make them on their own.

These do not last long! The recipe makes a dozen regular size muffins or 6 jumbo muffins.

Miss Mary's Snickerdoodle (a.k.a. Satan) Muffins

1/3 cup shortening or melted butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 cup flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 cup milk

Pre-heat oven to 350 F
Mix sugar and butter together until well mixed, add egg and mix  in throughly
In another bowl mix together in flour, baking power, salt and nutmeg
Stir in flour alternately with milk
Grease muffin tin (I use Pam Baking spray) - DO NOT USE paper cups
Fill muffin cups 2/3 full (usually one big eating tablespoon full)
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes
Remove from oven, let cool a few minutes then remove from muffin tin

Mix 1/2 cup sugar with 2 tbsps Cinnamon (or mix to your taste) in a container big enough to fit a muffin
Melt 1/4 cup of butter (1 stick) - I nuke this in a bowl big enough to fit a muffin

Roll muffins in melted butter, then roll in cinnamon-sugar mixture
Final step: EAT!

This is what my cinnamon sugar mix looks like:

Homemade Dog Biscuits - Updated!

My dogs love their treats. Even more, they love peanut butter.  I recently tweaked my previous homemade dog biscuit recipe I found on line to make something that my dogs absolutely adore!  Easy to make, the kiddos can easily help out and prep time is pretty minimal.

These last about 3 weeks in a air-tight container in the fridge. With two big dogs, these don't last long. Use cookie cutters or roll into balls and use a fork to cross hatch them as you do regular peanut butter cookies. I typically do some of each so as not to waste any dough.

Peanut Butter Dog Biscuits

1 1/4 cup hot water (tip: use boiling water if possible)
1/3 cup peanut butter - creamy or chunky
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup oatmeal (I use the Old Fashioned Oats)
 
Optional add-ins:
3 Tablespoons brown sugar
Cinnamon  (my female Pyr absolutely adores Cinnamon!)

Preheat over to 350 F.  Bake for 30 - 40 minutes.

Stir the peanut butter into the hot water until it's all melted. Add the optional brown sugar during this step. I typically pour boiling water into my 2 cup Pyrex measuring cup, then add the peanut butter and brown sugar to the cup.

In a larger bowl, lightly mix the oatmeal, wheat flour and cinnamon (if using).  Pour the hot water mixture into the dry mix and stir throughly.  Roll out in between floured wax paper sheets to about 1/4" thick. Use cookie cutouts to make biscuits.  Any leftover dough not big enough - or cooperative enough - can be rolled into small balls and cross-hatched with a fork just like a peanut butter cookie.

Place the cookies on a parchment lined cookie sheet. You can use a pre-greased/oiled cookie sheet but I've found they still stick, so parchment works best for me.  Bake them for 30 minutes if you want slight chewing biscuits, or 40 minutes and leave in the oven to harden overnight if you want really hard biscuits.

Enjoy!

Check Yourself

As the end of October is upon us, I had a stark reminder of the fact that this is Breast Cancer Awareness month.  Please check yourself, every month, and every year if you're off "that age" to get mammograms - this includes you men as well!

Last week I learned that my annual exam came back with unusual results.  I received a call from the testing center to call "ASAP" to discuss my results and then promptly refused to answer the phone when I called back. By the time I finally got them on the phone, I'd had calls from the two doctors I'd had the results sent to telling me to schedule a follow-up exam, but that I shouldn't panic just yet.

Then yesterday, I learned a dear friend has breast cancer on the same side as my abnormal results. In an odd way it's made my waiting for a final diagnosis a bit easier. I have game plans in place for the both of us, one direction if I do have it, another if I don't. Either way, I'll be there to hold her hand, along with my amazing dear hubby. After all, I have the best role models for this.

I haven't noticed anything off, but I'm a dense girl, so more difficult to test. But then, neither did my mom. However, my mom and I have an advantage: her mother. My grandmother had a double mastectomy and was a guinea pig for much of our protocols in use today. She handled it all with style, grace, and fight. My mom also handled hers well, and was fought for what was right for her. As a result, I've done a lot of research and had made all my decisions on treatments plans years ago. I did not want to have to make these decisions while in the throws of the diagnosis.

Either way, I'll have an answer this week.  It is not a death sentence. No matter what the results, I'll fight. In my own way, and on my terms. For myself, my dear, dear friend, and everyone else who may be affected by this.

My only request is this: Check yourself.  Now, and each month. If you don't know how, there are tons of resources online. Start with the Susan G. Komen site at a minimum.

Homemade Doggie Treats

I'll add pictures a bit later, but I wanted to get this posted.  My pups LOVE these treats. Nice thing is you can make them as big or small as you want.

I'm using them as training and bribery treats, but as soon as I pull the container out the puppies are on top of me doing tricks for the treats.

Mix these in a separate bowl, a whisk works great:

1 cup whole wheat flour  (substitute for a different flour if your dog has allergies)
1 cop rolled oats (Old Fashioned, not Quick Oats)
2 tbls Cinnamon (or more if your dogs are nuts for it like mine)

In another bowl mix together:

1/3 cup peanut butter (creamy works best)
1 tbls light brown sugar (optional)
1 1/4 cup hot water (needs to be hot to melt the peanut butter)

Once the peanut butter, water, brown sugar are thoroughly mixed, add the dry ingredients to the wet.  Knead the dough to get all the dough together.  Now, if you want extra dish washing, you can roll out the dough on a floured board and cut it out.  I prefer rolling it in balls and using a fork to cross-hatch it just like you would for regular peanut butter cookies. Use an egg wash if you so desire.

Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 40 minutes to get them really crunchy, or 25 minutes for a softer treat.  Once they're cooled put in an airtight container or resealable bag.  They will last about a week unrefrigerated, 3 weeks in the fridge.

Gardening in Hot Weather

I am so thankful we are on a well. It means I can water my garden for production without worrying about a water bill.  I wish I could say the same for our poor local farmers. The corn crops are pretty much shot for this year. And my last visit to the farmer's market showed how much the heat afffected the already picked produce.

If you run into limp carrots, radishes - pick your favorite root crop - and even lettuce I have a little tip for you. As soon as you get home, put your limp produce in a ziplock bag with cold water and pop it in the fridge. Carrots, celery, and root veggies can stay in it overnight, or even several days and come back to a crispy crunchy state. Lettuce will need to be pulled out after a few hours, rinsed and dried off to save it from getting all slimy. And no one wants slimy lettuce!

Canning is being put off this year until the last possible moment. It's simply too hot to can where I live right now. I'm hoping to get a canning party going towards the end of August. Things go so much faster with a team! I now understand my grandparents much better when they spoke about all the farmer's "women folk" getting together to can every harvest.

For those of you who don't know how to can, check with your local CSA's, state Agriculture departments, local churches, farmer's markets, and churches for possible classes. It is possible to figure it out on your own, but nothing beats having someone walk you through it the first time at least.

And with this long, hot summer, canning may be the only way to make it through the next big price jumps on food...which will happen sooner than we are all ready for.

Looking for canning resources? Check out www.freshpreserving.com - brought to you by the folks who make Ball jars.and canning supplies.

This is now on my Christmas Wish List - who knew that someone would figure out a way to make a home appliance that does all the cooking and stirring for your jams/jellies?

Ball^® freshTECH Automatic Jam & Jelly Maker 2.5-pt 

 

Ball has had such a demand for this that they've delayed delivery until after August. You can find out more information on this here: Ball Automatic Jame & Jelly maker

Truck Troubles

It's been crazy the last several months. Between getting laid off, finding a new job and getting ready for craft sales I haven't had much time to spend here.

And now, of all things, my beloved 22-year-old Ford Ranger needs a new rear axle. After many false starts and stops, I gave up finding one in the near future and broke down and bought a new truck.  Kind of what Cash-for-Clunkers tried to get me to do a few years back. I may have bowed to a new vehicle, but in the opposite direction of what DC wanted me to do. I've now gone from a 22/24mpg V6 to a larger full-size truck that gets 14 and 19.  But I need a truck. I've never been without a truck available to me since I started driving...which I've been doing since I was 5, also in a truck.

The good part about all of this is I did manage to find almost the exact vehicle I wanted, another Ford, and from the dealer who has kept my old truck running for the past 13 years.  Ben, our sales guy, dug around for every discount and rebate and found us over $4K in discounts to go on top of our X-plan discount. So the price was far better than I had hoped for.

So, if you're in the greater Grand Rapids, Michigan area, stop by Tony Betten & Sons. They'll let you take a test drive, sans sales person, and are not pushy.  A nice change of pace. Plus you leave with a bright shiny vehicle and full gas tank.

Grandma's Flapper Coat

I've had Grandma's 1920's Flapper Coat up on the Etsy site for a week or so and there are a few folks interested in it, and more pictures. Rather than try to get back into my pretty-much-dead Flicker account, I've decided to post the pictures here.

Grandma told me lots of stories about the bathtub gin parties she and Pop used to frequent before my dad came along. She was the epitome of style back in the day, and I can just see her all dolled up, with this coat on and the hat that's almost a perfect color match, arm linked with Pop strolling down the streets of Southern California.

A few of her old shoes made it into the trunk I brought with me from California, they're listed too, but not in nearly as good a shape as the pairs I sold to a Hollywood Prop Master.

This is one of the sides, it has some nice art deco effects stitched in, but no pockets. Why do "they" not put pockets in women's clothes?

 
Some of the lining didn't fare so well over the years, and I don't dare try to fix it myself. It's such a pretty fabric I'd hate to ruin it. I hope it finds a new home with someone who will love and care for it like Grandma did.

Time Machine

Well, my Etsy site has travelled back in time to the 1920's and 1930's today. I've been reorganizing my craft room/studio during my downtime between jobs. This involves going through several boxes, containers, and an old trunk that is purportedly from my grandparent's Model-T.

All of this brought me several smiles as I found two of my dad's baby outfits, my grandmother's 1920's Flapper Coat, and several pairs of her slippers.  I decided it would be better to let these items see the light of day and go on to new homes that will appreciate them.

Somewhere I still have to find my dad's old Navy Peacoat set that is similiar to this adorable Kute Kiddies toddler coat set.

 

My grandmother was a bit of a rebel when she was younger, much to my delight. Her flapper coat reminded me of all of her clothes that I should to a Hollywood Prop Master after her passing. One of her dresses showed up on Boardwalk Empire, much to my surprise. My husband actually caught it first, and I did lots of rewinds to make sure it was the one we thought it was. My grandmother would have been tickled pink to know her dress made it into a cable series.

Her pretty Flapper Coat was in the bottom of the trunk I mentioned earlier. I had forgotten about the detailed stitching that is so evocative of the Art Deco architecture.

 I'm not sure what kind of fur that is, but I'm thinking Coyote or Raccoon based on the coloring. It's most definitely not Rabbit...it's not soft at all.

To check out the rest of my time-machine items, visit my Etsy shop.

I'm so excited!

I got a really nice feedback from one of the buyers of my smaller tote bags, the ones sized for tablets, and I sold the Vintage Singer Sewing machine from my Etsy site. Yay!

I'm most excited about the machine. Happy that it's finding a new home, and happy that I'll have a smidge more room in my craft room. I still have over a dozen vintage machines in various phases of my checking them over before determining if they're usable or decorative.

And to top that off, I've apparently landed a new joh (just waiting on the formal offer letter) working with a few friends and on a part of technology that I really enjoy. Great day all around.

For those that pay attention to this blog, you can use the discount code of PYRBLOG to receive 20% off any item on my Etsy shop, just because I'm in a great mood.

Mint Hot Chocolate - Yum!

I made several jars of the Mint Hot Chocolate from the old Girl Scout recipe and it is to-die-for!

There is a slight change to the original recipe though, so here is the updated version:

22 1/2 oz. (box) Carnation Powdered Milk
16 oz. CoffeeMate Powdered Creamer
22 oz. (big container)  Nesquick (a.k.a. Nestle's Quick) Chocolate Milk Drink


Mix according to the size of your mug. For my bigger mugs it takes about 4 tablespoons. But you'll figure it out. :)

Babies on my Mind

I've had babies on my mind lately. First, my cousin had a set of preemie twins that are rocking everyone's expectations and doing really well. Second, a very sweet friend of mine is pregnant after much trying, and is due soon.  She's a lot like me, not "typical" and works in IT, so I've been working on a special diaper bag for her. One that's not the typical flowery, girly type.

I've modified a messenger bag pattern to be a diaper bag. I'm really liking it and will post pictures when it's all done. It's a Detroit Tigers theme bag and would make a really good bag for dad's to carry. one that can double later on as a laptop bag if they really want.

Princess fabric has moved into my house too. I swear, it followed me home, really! I made a couple of purses for a friend's twin girls who love-love-love! the Disney Princesses. They love them! As one of a kind purses, they'll be worn out soon I'm certain, but they did serve a good purpose as I made the pattern as I went along. Now I have a pattern I can use to make more little girl purses for my etsy shop.

Much sewing to get done this week, so come back after the weekend. I hope to have pictures up of a few items that are being added to the store. Hopefully some aprons will get finished up too.

Hope your Holidays were bright!