Raspberry or Peanut Butter ?

Last week I shared with you my altered recipe for Cottage Cheese and Coconut Cookies and promised I’d be back with more.  This is the more…much better huh?   This time I followed the Cottage Cheese Cookie recipe from my Searchlight Recipe Book, almost to a tee, and I’m humbled to admit, it is tastier than my own rag-tag creation.  

Though labeled as cookies, I noticed the pie dough resemblance pretty early on and went with it, making over 30 mini tarts using a mini muffin pan.  Had I actually used the rolling pin to roll out the first batch I probably would have made even more!

Half the tarts were filled with a peanut butter confection and the other half held macerated raspberries and home-whipped cream.  Can you guess which ones were everyone’s favorite…you do remember who’s house this is don’t you?

 

Summer of Science 2012 – Rubber Eggs

First I want to do a little homeschool mom whining.  At the beginning of the year I spent several hours, over the course of several days, mapping out our curriculum calendar.  During Christmas break I made adjustments, namely switching to year-round homeschooling, to better fit with family activities, work schedules, and my desire to spend a portion of the day outdoors and on field trips.  So how…oh, how…did I end up out of work?  More than that, what am I going to do to fill those mandatory hours for the rest of the year?

The answer my friends…science experiments.

Looking at this stack of books, that it seems like I should’ve thought of this a long time ago.  These pages contain enough science experiments to get me through this year and well into the next!

So I’m pleased to bring you a preview of my newest series: A Summer of Science!  Beginning in June (that’s just a few days from now), every Tuesday and Thursday, I’ll be sharing a science experiment geared towards keeping our little brains thinking throughout the summer months!  Don’t worry, most of them will be quick and easy with supplies you already have at home.

Now on to the preview…Rubber Eggs!

Recipe: Cottage Cheese & Coconut Cookies

When I first found this recipe I was instantly smitten with it.  We always end up with a cup of cottage cheese at the bottom of the container that no one eats.  Usually it’d get tossed down the garbage disposal, but now I’m making cookies with it!

You know me, I can’t just follow a recipe so the first couple of batches I played around with ingredients.  The first run through resulted in a cakey cookie with a clean-cut flavor.  The second time around I added coconut which seemed to give it more pizazz.  I like that word…pizazz, it’s fun to say and not said nearly enough in my opinion.  On to the recipe!

Redecorated Magazine Rack

On top of yet another medical drama (it’s okay, I’ve been told I won’t miss my gallbladder), these past few weeks we’ve been busy turning our thrift store finds into bona-fide treasures.  One very practical piece has already found a home in our living room and I wanted to share it with you.

Emily, a bloggy friend, just featured a post on how to store and organize your favorite magazine articles and clippings.  But, before I get to a point, where I’m comfortable taking a pair of scissors to those glossy pages, I covet them in a sewing basket by my bedside, under the couch, and hidden in my notebook, purse, and library bag.  

I get many magazines and yes, I know the ecological nightmare to which I am contributing.  But see, their articles cater to my short attention span, they have pretty pictures depicting images far outside my realm of reality, and they offer me advice and shopping tips for both a lifestyle and pocketbook I don’t have.  They are fairy tales for the modern housewife…what’s not to love?

Back to the project…We found this dowel rod magazine rack at Good Samaritan for $5, slapped on a coat of paint, added a graphic from The Graphics Fairy, and viola.  Now, instead of being strewn across the house, all of my magazines are in one place and looking rather snazzy if I do say so myself.  Here’s more pictures and a few tips on adding the graphic.

Chocolate Chip & Sweet Potato Scones

So, how do you like the new logo and header?  I know, I know, it’s still a little blurry, off centered, and God bless me, I went and absent-mindedly changed the template so now I have these darn borders that I don’t remember how I got rid of the first time.  Any suggestions?

Well, after messing with pictures, codes, and layouts I was in desperate need of something made with all-purpose flour.  I tried to make cottage cheese cookies.  They weren’t bad but I want to tweak the recipe a bit before I share it here.  So, what else is a girl to do but go to her old standby and for me, that’s scones.

This time I wanted to incorporate leftover sweet potatoes and I gotta say, the results are delectable!