Perfecting the Silicone

Last year I got new silicone bakeware. I'm still not sure what or if there are adjustments that I need to make in times. So, I did try making the pull-apart rolls again. This time, the dough was great! However, my muffin pan, cooked at least 7 minutes faster than it should have. I'm not sure I like silicone.
So if anyone has any tricks, I'd like to know!

Since I told Josh that I would use my mixer every day if he bought it for me, today I tried Melanie's recipe for Lemon Blueberry bread, however I made muffins. (I like the individual portions for some reason)
they turned out really good!

however, the silicone once again, cooked some faster than others, but it still turned out AWESOME!
...so good, I'll share with all. (sorry if it was a secret)

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 3 eggs
• 3 cups flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2/3 cup buttermilk
• 2 tablespoons tightly packed lemons, zest of
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 8 ounces frozen blueberries

Icing

• 8 ounces powdered sugar (or 1/2 box)
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 1 1/2 tablespoons tightly packed lemons, zest of
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

Directions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

1. Important: grease and flour two loaf pans.

2. Cream butter and sugar.

3. Add eggs and beat until smooth.

4. Add buttermilk.

5. Mix dry ingredients together and add to buttermilk mixture.

6. Blend well.

7. Mix in lemon juice and zest.

8. Gently fold in blueberries and only mix until incorporated.

9. Pour batter into loaf pans.

10. Bake loaves on the middle rack of the oven for 60 to 65 minutes.

11. Cool bread 10 minutes, remove from pan and place on a large cookie sheet, top side up.

12. For icing: Combind icing ingredients in a bowl.

13. Beat icing with an electric mixer until smooth.

14. Drizzle icing over the warm loaves.

15. The icing will harden when the bread cools to room temperature.

16. I thought I should mention, if you make this bread without the addition of the blueberries, the baking time is closer to 50 minutes and I recommend increasing the amount of buttermilk from 2/3 cup to 1 cup.

Little Vampire

Short story.

While I was trying to bake yesterday, Bridget decided that she wasn't getting the attention she needed. After throwing a fit and clamping her hands together and shaking with her teeth clenched together (this is what she usually does when she is really mad), she decided to bite my butt! Yeah, and it wasn't just a little bite, she totally drew blood! I was very upset for ONE: Where did that come from? and TWO: It HURT like crazy!

So I apologize NOW to all of you if my daughter tries to turn all of you or your kids into vampires as well.

I'm sorry.

Slick-Deal!

So a week or so ago, Melanie called and told me of an extremely great deal on Slickdeals.
Knowing I wanted a KitchenAid mixer for my birthday, Josh thought (with my enthusiasm) that it truly was a great deal. We ordered ours and later heared that others who ordered the same thing had thier orders canceled or other charges made instead of the great deal.
Our order number never showed, so we assumed that it wasn't ordered. It showed on our bank account on Tuesday and SURPRISE!!!!

UPS knocked on the door with my Birthday TODAY! I was/am very excited!

I already tried to make some pull a parts, but I screwed them up. Bread isn't as easy as I was thinking. Better luck next time.

Early arrival

Welcome Baby Peyton!

Bridget has a NEW girl cousin, and we are so excited! We (well just Jessica) got to go see her this morning while Bridget and her other cousins Lucy and Ammon waited in the waiting groom.

Congrats to Big Sis, for only the 4 1/2 hour labor!!!

Mother & Daughter!

Can't Hardly Wait

Rain/snow or shine, Spring has sprung!

Time to prep the BARB'e!

As for the Smith family, we are very excited for spring/summer, and the dutch oven Potatoes!

So Tuesday we had to test the grill and dutch oven out for the "pre"-season!

MMmmm! The BEST potatoes yet! (even in the snow!)

Bridget stole Grandmas lipstick!

Bridget found Grandma's old lipstick. On the way home, she discovered how to get it from the bottom. This picture doesn't do justice... she had it mostly licked off her face by the time I could find the camera!

One more time...

Since today was such a good warm(er) day, we got the chance to do a little in our yard, like pick up winter-broken branches, take down the Christmas lights, play with the Pup. Bridget did however have fun chasing Joey (the dog) around the yard trying to feed him some snow. It was really funny to watch. I am glad that Joey is good with her for being twice her size!

While we were putting things away and cleaning up, Bridget pulled her snow sled out and demanded a ride.







I don't think she cared that there wasn't any snow.

3 1/2 inches

All of you have known or have noticed that Josh was trying to grow his hair out for at least the last 6 months. This morning when he came home from work he said that someone called him "Penny". After he woke up he decided that today was the day!

(Penny is/was a guy... that works with Josh. He's about in his mid 50's and just recently decided that he was a woman and started wearing pink barrettes in his hair.)

Services

So we have finally decided to get the internet, and an actual phone line to our house. So I will no longer have my cell phone. However, our home line will be the same number. Just in case you need to catch us.

Today in preperation for Qwest to come and do there thing, we needed a place for our phone, so we put in a counter top in the kitchen. This was in the plan since we built... but you know how fast we get projects done around here!
We had a hard time getting the board to fit in between the two walls... (there is no such thing as square walls in our house) But Josh did a pretty good job for not being a carpenter!

Then Josh helped me lay the laminate down, and then he rolled it with the rolling pin.
All in all, it turned out ok. ...just OK.