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  • Flour Tortillas {Foodie Friday}

    Flour Tortillas {Foodie Friday}

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    Flour Tortillas
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    I really enjoy making tortillas from scratch! They taste so good. It took me all of summer and into the fall, but I have finally perfected them. All my previous tries ended with mini tortillas, but this time I got full size 12 inchers!
     
    Ingredients
    4 cups flour
    1 1/2 tsp salt
    1/2 cup shortening
    1 1/4 cup warm water (possibly a little more)
     
    Directions
    Combine flour and salt in a small mixing bowl.
    Cut in the shortening.
    Add water a little at a time, while stirring it in. You want the dough to be smooth and elastic. So don’t over do the water, but add enough it holds together.
    Form into approximately 18 balls (just depends on the size, I got 14 this time around).  Cover with a towel. This step is very important.  If you don’t cover the dough part of it will dry and when you go to roll them, they won’t stretch as far.
    Begin heating a griddle (I use my cast iron skillet) on medium to low heat.
    Roll out the balls fairly thin, or to a desired size. Like I said, I’ve had some pretty small ones, but they still tasted great. While rolling, keep the balls covered still!
    Place dough on the griddle. When bubbles begin appearing, flip dough to cook other side. It takes about a minute or two per side.
    Remove from griddle and enjoy!
     
     
     
    ~Last week’s Features~
    I can tell Fall is in the air with all the apple recipes linked up last week. Time to warm up with these comfort and filling foods.
     
    Spiced Cider
    I can’t enjoy Fall without a good wassail
    from Jen’s Favorite Cookies
     
     
    Warm up with this Zucchini, Tomato and Chickpea Stew
    from Meatless Mediterranean
     
     
    Apple Cinnamon Cereal Treats are going to be a must try with any kid!
    from Feeding My Temple
     
     
     
     

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  • Teacher Gift

    Teacher Gift

    Princess V had her last day of preschool last week. Come fall I’m going to have a kindergartner and preschooler! Kids grow up too fast sometimes.
    I missed Teacher Appreciation week, but I wanted to get Princess V’s teachers a gift. They are wonderful teachers, and they really did a lot to help Princess V learn socially and educationally.  I’m hoping we’re still around this fall so that Princess C can have the same great teachers.

    There’s never enough we can do for our kids teachers. They strive hard to plan lessons, and help our kids. A little gift at the end of the year doesn’t even scratch the appreciation they deserve, but it does put a smile on a teachers face.  Using Pinterest I found a lot of clever gift ideas. So using those I came up with these cute buckets.

    I bought the metal buckets and sticky notes from Target’s deal section.  The chackboard labels I got from Finger Snapper.  We filled the buckets with mints and then wrote on the top sticky note
    “Thanks for your Commit – “Mint” to teaching”.  Princess V loved making these and giving them to her teachers.

    Did you make your kids teachers a gift?
  • Foodie Friday – Chocolate Syrup

    Foodie Friday – Chocolate Syrup

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    We still have not completed our kitchen remodel.  Although we have a working sink and dishwasher, we are in the process of finishing the butcher block countertop.  That means, I can’t use the countertops. Once again, cooking has become a tad difficult.  So this week I headed to pinterest for some fun treats to make with the girls.
    Awhile ago I came across a pin for home made Chocolate Syrup. It claimed to be more chocolatey then Hershey’s Syrup, plus you get the added benefit of knowing exactly what was put in it.
    Home Made Chocolate Syrup
    (recipe originally from Annie’s Eats)

    Igredients
    1 1/4 cups sugar
    1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (I used Rodelle Gourmet Baking Cocoa)
    1 cup water
    1/4 tsp salt
    2 tsp Vanilla extract (I used Rodelle Organic Vanilla Extract)

    Combine sugar and cocoa in a medium saucepan.  Whisk together to break up any clumps.  Stir in the water and salt and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring frequently. Once it boils reduce heat to low, and simmer until thickened.  Remove from heat and let stand 5 minutes.  Mix in the vanilla.  Store in the fridge.

    Voila! Home made chocolate syrup! These are all ingredients I always have on hand, so it is definitely cheaper for us to make our own, then to buy it.  I do think it is more chocolater than Hersheys as well. 

    I am so excited to try out all the recipes you linkd up last week!!  Check out these three delicious looking treats, and then link up your recipes below!
    Mixed Berry Muffins from Sugarbeams
    Roasted Garlic and Butternut Squash Soup from Being MVP
    and don’t forget dessert with Simple Nests Rice (Krispy) and (Swedish) Fish Sushi

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  • Menu Planner

    Menu Planner

    How cute is this?!
    A lady in my ward makes these cute weekly menu planners.  We made it to playgroup for the first time today, and she was giving them out.  We had a service auction a couple weeks ago, and she was auctioning these off.  They were the hottest item that night! So I count myself very lucky that she was kind enough to give me one anyways.  There is velcro under each day of the week, and then meals with velcro to go under each day.  Things like soup, sandwich, casserole, leftovers.  I am so excited to use this in my menu planning.  Since moving I’ve really slacked in the dinner department.  I don’t think I can resist using such a cute item!! Oh and then you just clip the recipe card to the bottom, and even husbands can get dinner started!!
  • Big Moving Event: Off Cut Studio Feature

    Big Moving Event: Off Cut Studio Feature

    Today on the Big Moving Event I am featuring Off Cut Studio’s Etsy shop.
    Wooden Skate GuardIn my search for fun and unique shops I came across Off Cut Studio.  Cameron is a furniture designer and cabinet maker in Toronto.  I personally love his wooden bike fenders and Wooden skate guards.  Aren’t those just cool!  Too bad I haven’t been able to get the hubster out skating with me ever. Maybe this next winter will be my lucky one.
    I sent Cameron a questionnaire, and here are his responses.  

    BME: What is your name?
    OCS: I go by Cam or Cameron… no preference really. I live in Toronto with my girlfriend (touchthedutch on etsy) and one cat (no etsy shop yet). I love city life and couldn’t imagine it without my bike.

    BME: How did you get started?
    OCS: I got into woodworking about five years ago when I first moved to Toronto. So many people here put their old broken furniture out by the curb. For some reason I couldn’t stop myself from taking it home with me and trying to do something with it. Since then I became a cetified furniture maker and now work full time building furniture, cabinets, and making things for etsy.

    BME: Do you have a favorite piece in your shop?
    OCS: Not particularly… it’s usually my most recent item.

    BME: What motivates you?
    OCS: The enjoyment I get from designing things… and it doesn’t hurt that wood is such a lovely median to work with.

    BME: What is your decorating style?
    OCS: street furniutre…

    BME: Do you prefer indoors or outdoors?
    OCS: It’s imposible to choose one over the other

    BME: What’s your favorite season?
    OCS: Winter stinks! I love everything outside of the December through February.

    BME: Do you listen to music while you work? What is your favorite genre?
    OCS: To one side of my studio my neighbour likes to play bad eighties pop music, on the other side my neighbour likes to listen to bad electronic dance music. I usually just run my machines to dry and drown these offending sounds out.

    Take a minute of your time and go visit Cam at his etsy shop: Off Cut Studio!  I’m loving this wooden sugar bowl!
    wooden sugar bowl