My Kitchenaid Mixer - The Workhorse in my Home

I love to bake, as you can see by my blog posts and I have a few items in my kitchen that get a workout on a daily basis.

The Kitchenaid mixer is a must-have in any domestic diva's (or cowgirl's) kitchen.


I have had mine for YEARS and it still works the same as when I purchased it. I believe that it is one of those items you buy and you will have forever.

I have only one attachment for it and I use it about once a month. The Pasta Press is so simple and so great to make homemade noodles.

My favorite ones to make is macaroni noodles for homemade macaroni and cheese. I am still on the lookout for a good recipe if you have any suggestions.

First day of Spring…

Well…Spring…where are you? I look out my kitchen window and this is what I see…

Yes…I do live in California.

Yes…It is the end of March.

Yes…There is over 3 feet of new snow on the ground.

Yes…I am ready for some sunshine.

Yes…I am just going to have to wait…

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Homemade English Muffins

This morning was miserable…the snow is still falling, the winds are howling, the schools are closed and there is no way I am making it out of my driveway without a lot of plowing. So…I decided to bake. I had printed off this recipe from Lauren’s Latest Blog a bit ago and was saving it for a rainy day…more like a day that my littlest one slept in, my middle child was entertained enough and my oldest…well she is always self-sufficient.

This recipe was very easy to bake, the only tricky part is making sure they are totally baked through without burning the outsides. I think next time I will try to use my Panini Maker with the flat plates so that heat comes from the top and the bottom.

Rolling out the dough…

I used my large biscuit cutter to cut them out.

 

Be sure that your griddle or pan is not too hot. The trick to these little guys is to slowly cook them so the outsides are golden brown and the insides are cooked throughout.

Golden brown goodness…

    

Breakfast is served!

Meet Hailey…

We purchased Hailey about a year ago for our daughter’s birthday. She is a 17 year old paint.

Hailey was a very loved horse but the owner was no longer to keep her horse property and

couldn’t afford to board her. She had owned Hailey since she was a wee one. It was heartbreaking but we knew we would give her a loving home and a little girl that would adore her.

Emily got to do a test ride before we purchased her. She was very easy to ride and would “teach” Emily when she was riding incorrectly.

Once we got her home she checked everyone out. Even little Jack. He just loves her.

She is absolutely beautiful. I love her one brown and one blue eye. She seems almost mystical.

Emily does let Jack ride her on occasion. I am sure when he gets older he will want one for his own.

I cannot believe it has been a year since we brought her into our home. We look forward to many long rides and long years with her.

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Soft Pretzels…Homemade Goodness

I love soft pretzels and have tried MANY different recipes. This one was quick and easy and tasted great! I made them this morning while juggling a two year old and a newborn…that is how easy they are!

Soft Pretzels

2 1/4tsp of yeast (or 1 1/4oz package)

1 1/2 cups of warm water

1 tsp salt

2 Tbsp sugar

3 cups of flour

1 egg, beaten

Toppings – kosher salt, cinnamon and sugar, parmesan cheese, etc

 

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Lightly grease a baking sheet.

Combine warm water and yeast in a small bowl and let it sit for about 5 minutes until it get a bit frothy.

In your mixer combine the salt, sugar, water and yeast. Then add the 3 cups of flour.

Change to your dough hook and kneed the dough until it is smooth.

Lay your dough out on a lightly floured surface and roll it into a log about 2-3” high. Using a dough scraper, cut it into 12 pieces (about 1-2” wide).

Roll each piece into a long string and then twist into the pretzel shape. Repeat with each piece of dough.

In a small bowl beat one egg with 1 Tbsp of water to create and egg wash (you can also use butter). Brush over each pretzel and then dust with the topping of you choice. Bake for 12-15min

(I used a green egg in spirit of St. Patrick’s Day!)

 

Honey Mustard Dip

3/4 cup mayonnaise

3 tablespoons yellow mustard

3 tablespoons honey

 

Combine all three ingredients and whisk together.

 

 

Perfect little snack!

Snickerdoodle Muffins…Oh My Sweet Heavens!

As I was browsing Twitter updates, I came across a link to Snickerdoodle Muffins on the Tasty Kitchen Website. I was already planning on doing some baking this morning so I printed out the recipe.

They were super easy to make and thank goodness I had everything on hand. I do think that the prep time is a little off on the recipe, it took me about 30min to get them from fridge to oven. Also, be sure to check your center muffin with a stick to make sure it is totally done.

Be sure to check out the step-by-step instructions to get a visual of how to cover them in the cinnamon-sugary goodness!

Here are the muffins before going into the oven:

While baking…

 

The finished product…

These muffins are very light and fluffy and the tops turn out a bit crisp, just like the cookies. It is a great muffin base and I am already thinking of ideas to incorporate with it.

Great little morning treat or an afternoon snack!

gDiapers

So in our attempt at a greener lifestyle, we have decided to use cloth diapers on our youngest. After a bit of research we decided to try out gDiapers. We purchased a few to try them out and make sure they were a good fit for Elizabeth and our family.

We started using them this morning on Elizabeth, she doesn’t look too sure!

gDiapers are a “hybrid” cloth diaper. You purchase the gPants, available in small and medium/large and then you choose whether to use cloth inserts (gCloths) or biodegradable disposable inserts (gRefills). The inserts tuck neatly into the gSnap-in Liners.

The gDiapers come in a variety of colors for both boys and girls. They also have a good selection of gender neutral colors too.
We started out with 4 gPants, 2 sets of gCloths (12) and a bag of gRefills (40). I plan on purchasing 2-4 more gPants and a pack of gSnap-in Liners(6) to make sure we have enough that I can do laundry every 2 days. We will only use the gRefills when out and about.

I think this is going to be a great solution for our family. I like the option of the gRefills (disposables) and the gCloths. When we go on a long drive or use a sitter it would be a lot easier to use the gRefill liners. While at home, we will be using the gCloths. I love that they are a “green” option and the soiled gRefills can even be used in a composter (the pee-pee ones that is). They also break down so much faster than regular diapers that are full of chemicals and plastics.

And they look so adorable on Miss Elizabeth’s little bum!

If you are ready to make the change to gDiapers the best way to purchase them would be through www.diapers.com. Click on the banner to get 30% cash back on gDiapers for 90 days. Be sure to use the promo code "gDiapers30" to get your cash back.

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Oven Baked Beignets

In honor of Fat Tuesday I wanted to bake something traditional!

I found a recipe from Eat, Live, Run that I had to try.

It looked great and I had all the ingredients. Plus it wasn’t fried so I can file it under Cowgirl Food…right???

The beignets ready for the oven…

Here they are with powdered sugar…

 

and here they are with cinnamon sugar on them.

They are way better with the cinnamon sugar.  I melted some butter (because butter makes everything better) and brushed the tops of them with it. Then I dipped the top in a bowl full of cinnamon sugar goodness.

It was a perfect dessert for our supper tonight!