The Muffin Fail

Things do not always go right for me in the kitchen!  Sometimes the fails are my fault and sometimes they're not, but I take comfort in knowing that all of my friends fail sometimes in the kitchen.  Right??  Just nod yes and make me feel good.  :)

Sometimes fails aren't pretty...

like this one...

Pound cake fail.

Or this one.

Strawberry ice cream fail.

But sometimes they are deceptively pretty...

like this one...

Chocolate chai fail.

Or my latest failure ~ Chocolate Raspberry Muffins!

Muffin fail.

Such pretty muffins ~ such horrible taste!

Don't those muffins look delicious?!  The recipe sounded yummy to me.  Unfortunately I was making them very late at night to take to church in the morning, so I was under time pressure.  I did follow the recipe exactly (which was in a cookbook!), but if I had more time I might have realized that something was wrong.  It was the salt.

The recipe called for 2 teaspoons of salt, but it only made 12 muffins.  And it called for a stick of salted butter too!  Now, I did hesitate as I was adding the salt, thinking it seemed like a bit much, but surely the cookbook couldn't be wrong (and it's not like they said something crazy like tablespoons!) - they must know something I don't!  LOL!  I knew there was a problem as I was putting them into the oven and then tasted the leftover batter from the bowl.  WOW - super salty!  But...maybe...possibly...the flavor cooks out?  Or combines with the chocolate and raspberry so you don't notice it?  Noooooo...it did not.

Sadly, I kept sampling the muffins thinking that they couldn't be THAT bad because they looked so good!  But they were bad every taste I took - LOL!  Hubs tasted them and was disgusted.  Son took one little teensy taste and couldn't stand it.  There was nothing I could do with them other than throw them away  - AFTER taking pics for a blog post, of course!  :)

So, what do you think?  12 muffins with chocolate chips, some raspberry jam filling, a stick of butter and the other usual ingredients - how much salt would you add?  If I can figure it out, I may try again, but I really don't want a chance of having to throw out another dozen pretty muffins - it makes me cringe.

Have you had any failures lately?  It's OK to share - you're in good company.  :)

Have a lovely day friends!

Vanilla Cheesecake Shots

Don't those look yummy??!!  I have to tell you, they are DElicious!!  I posted the recipe for these Vanilla Cheesecake Shots as my first official Contributor post over at Pennies and Blessings.  I hope you'll stop over there and let me know what you think of the recipe (an easy one that you could add in to your Easter menu).  While you're there, look around - I know you'll love what Pennies and Blessings has to offer!

Have a wonderful day and a blessed Resurrection Day friends!

Spring Breakin'

Does that title make it sound like I'm break dancin'?!  Is this where I should admit that I had a break dancing record (yes, I said record) when I was in junior high and it had directions on how to do some of the moves?  And should I tell you that that's when I taught myself how to moon-walk?  Hmmm...no, then you might start feeling envious of my skillz.  :)

Sorry I haven't been around much friends!  Last week was Birthday Week so I made the most of it and now I'm enjoying Spring Break!

The kiddo gets 2 weeks off around Easter every year since he attends a private Christian school.  Since we'll have company next week, all my housework catch-up, errands, etc. need to be finished up this week.  That and paying some attention to my kiddo while he's home during the day and hubs in the evening aren't leaving much time to be online.

Posting may be sporadic next week while my Dad visits, but then hopefully the following week I'll get back into a bit of a rhythm.

Are you on Spring Break right now?  Do you have next week off?  If you homeschool, do you take a Spring Break?

Stay tuned for a post telling you where you can go find a yummy dessert recipe I made!

Have a lovely day friends!

Monday Musings

My friend Charlotte does Monday Musings which I enjoy because I always know a little about what's happening in her life.  I thought I would do the same today!

What I'm thinking: That I can't figure out the best time of day to blog anymore.  I used to do it in the evenings, but my brain is usually mush by then.  And I don't like mornings as now I'm in the habit of having prayer time and reading Bible, devotional, and other books before doing anything else.  And then I have to try to get a few chores done and fit in time for exercise.  And don't forget mealtimes - LOL!  I'm thinking that after lunch will be best if I can get more chores done before lunch.  We shall see...

What I'm reading: I'm still sticking with my slow-but-sure Bible reading (1 chapter Old Testament and 1 chapter New Testament per day).  I love my newest set of devotionals!  I finished the one on Contentment (so good) and am now reading the one on Trust.  And I'm behind on my 12 books in 12 months by a couple of months, but I think I'll get caught up by next month.  Right now I'm reading Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen.

What I'm listening to: Hubs listening to talk-radio while working from home and son making all sorts of annoying noises as he lets off steam after a day of school!

What we're learning: Son is taking beginning tennis classes this month and likes it so far!  He's also learning fishing knots for Boy Scouts.  I'm supposed to be working on my typing skills this month, but haven't started yet.

What I'm watching: Friday night we watched our son's Christian school perform Pirates of Penzance!  They have a very impressive drama department (for such a tiny school).  The play was so much fun, the costumes were lovely (many talented seamstress moms), and the cast did a great job!

What's cooking: Yesterday I tried a new recipe for 3 herb drumsticks that bake in the oven - they were good!  Other than leftovers, I won't be cooking up too much as it's my Birthday Week - LOL!  What's my fave dinner to have out for my bday?  Steak!  I'm still a meat & potatoes Montana girl at heart!  :)

What I'm buying: Well I've gotta mention Birthday Week again 'cause it means that I'll go shopping.  I haven't purchased new clothes for quite some time other than odd pieces here and there from thrift stores.  I really need some exercise clothes since I started going to the gym regularly and only have 2 pair of exercise pants that can be seen in public - LOL.

What I'm thankful for: So many things!!  I'm thankful for my fabulous family and sweet friends, for the sunshine, for Birthday Week Starbucks card blessings, and for Spring Break coming soon!

What I'm creating: Nothing at the moment!  Does my blog count?!

What I'm praying: For God's wisdom and guidance for our family and I'm praying for so many dear friends going through a variety of trials right now - financial, medical, emotional, etc.

What I'm planning: We just decided that we will stay in town for Resurrection Day (Easter), so I need to figure out what to serve and see if any of my brothers-in-law ( I call them "The Brothers") will be coming over.  Also, son's class will be celebrating their Literature Day in a few weeks (Hans Brinker) and I'm helping plan the food part of the day.

What we did this last weekend: Friday night we went to the play and then out for dessert (which turned out to be a terrible restaurant experience - oops!).  Saturday involved lots of errands and Sunday was relaxing with Church.

What I'm looking forward to: Easter Break!!  Our Christian school takes 2 weeks off at Easter - Woo Hoo!  My Dad may be visiting during the 2nd week, so I'm looking forward to that and hoping the weather will be nice!

A picture to share:

The devotionals I'm enjoying right now.

What's happening with you?  Enjoy the rest of your day friends!
 

Wordless Wednesday: The Squirrels

I just had to share these pics and Wordless Wednesday happened to be at the same time!

I had just got used to the idea that we had "a" squirrel that was hanging around our yard.  But it now turns out  there are more.

Not one...

 

Not two...

Not three...

Not four...

Not five...

But six (4 on the right, 2 on the left)!!!  In addition to the main squirrel, who isn't even pictured!

Now don't you find it a little strange that they don't seem to feel threatened by Buster??

Hee,hee.  Poor clueless Buster.  :)

Now friends, I do think squirrels are cute, but I find this number of them at once a little disturbing!  And we have a small yard.  I'm hoping once they're full grown, they'll decide that the park behind our house is a much more fun place to be.

Got any good squirrel stories?  Don't forget to check out Wordless Wednesday over at 5 Minutes For Mom!  Have a wonderful day friends!

Another Reason I Had To Come Back

There is another reason why I simply had to come back to my blog!

How else could I continue using my fave customized Starbucks card??

LOL!  Hope you all are enjoying a beautiful day!

You Thought I *Quit* Blogging? April Fool - Joke's On You!

Oh I SO had you with the quitting thing!  I can't believe you all fell for that!  ;)

OK, so maybe I did quit.  But now I'm quitting the quitting.  I'm coming back!  I did need the break and I did need to feel like I had really quit in order to get what I needed from that break.  God always knows what He's doing.  :)

My blog may not be exactly the same going forward (for example, there will be less recipes posted because you already have my best recipes in the recipe index!), but it will reflect ME.  Coming up soon, I'll do a reintroduction post for you so you'll have a better idea of what you'll find here.  My posts will be about a variety of subjects and probably won't appear every day.

I'll work on updating things a bit over the next couple of weeks.  I hope you'll stop by and say hello! I've also got a new "gig" that I'm happy to tell you about!  I'll be a contributor over at Pennies and Blessings!  Mandy just relaunched the site today and has a great team of contributors there to help you save money!  I'll give you a heads up when I post (only once or twice a month), but I'd love it if you'd stop by there today and tell Mandy hello and congrats!

Did I catch you off guard?  We'll see who even notices this post - LOL!  Though my subscribers and followers didn't drop much in the almost 4 months I was gone, I'm sure that many readers are long gone.  And that's OK - I'm not all about the numbers, but I am about the friends!  Welcome back to those of you who couldn't stand to be without me (Kim) and welcome to the rest of you too!  :)

Have a fantastic weekend friends!!  By the way, have you played any tricks for April Fool's Day?