Ok... so, I didn't fall off the earth

Hi anyone who reads this... I just wanted to say, HI!!! here I am! I have had a busy few months, with my husband away on a boat in the Pacific (right near Tonga... he was studying seismic activity on the ocean floor in the month or so before they had the volcano erupt there... probably obviously in hindsight, it was pretty wiggly), and with 2 major illness going through me and my kids in one month. Oh... and I spent 12 hours doing a painting that I was asked to do for by daughter's school's auction, and 6 hours doing art for the school calendar, and I was asked to take over a friend's business at the end of March.... so, it's been busy. Anyway... Onward.

I few friends have asked me lately about my daughter's cool lunches, about the neat and tidy containers I use and how I manage to get her lunch basket looking so tidy when their kids lunches are an explosion of containers and water bottles. So, I intend over the next week or so to do a few posts about bento lunches and what I pack for E and how I pack it.

little dolly lost

So, what should a mom do when her daughter has lost her favorite doll... the one mommy made for her at christmas... the one that she sleeps with every night... and you know it must be in the house someplace, because you haven't gone anywhere all day... what should a mom do when she has looked in every conceivable hiding place for a doll and all the inconceivable ones too... we're talking sifting through the trash and looking into freezers and under beds... then what? I feel like a terrible mother, like I like should just know where to find it because I am the mom... but I don't... I have exhausted all the possibilities several times over and the doll still has not come forward and admitted to hiding. How could it have even gotten lost in the first place? My immediate thought is to beg the two year old to tell me where she put it and hope that she knows, but she seems as confused by this as I am... and with A away, there is no daddy to help look either. What to do (she said while wringing her hands and tearing her hair)?

life is what happens...

i haven't posted in ages, and I really don't have an excuse except that I have been busy and my husband is away in the middle of the ocean on a research ship for the next month and half... so, I have been being a single mom for E and L and that doesn't leave a lot of extra time in my day for writing. But I recently started yet another diet, and in an effort to make it work I have downscaled some cup-o-cake recipes and you can find them here at my other bloglosergourmet.

The winter here has been long and gross... we have been busy with snow and ice and I have to saw, though I like winter, I am ready for spring about now. This slushy muck we are getting right now is pretty nasty and I am not looking forward to cleaning up after it.

It's howling outside right now, and I imagine that I will have to go out into it soon... wish me luck in getting the driveway cleared of a ton of leaden sludge.

gingerbread cake

Gingerbread Cup-o-Cake

Into a large coffee mug put:

5 Tbs all purpose flour
2 Tbs sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
a pinch of salt
a rounded 1/4 tsp ginger
a rounded 1/4 tsp cinnamon

mix it all up and add:

1 Tbs very soft butter (or oil)
1 Tbs plus 1 tsp molasses
2 Tbs milk (or 1 Tbs milk and 1 Tbs well-beaten egg)

Mix it all very well and microwave for 1 minute and 45 seconds to 2 minutes. Turn it out of the cup to cool or eat it straight from the cup. It's yummy with some canned peach slices and a little bit of whipped cream

Enjoy!

tis the season (almost)

Well, I haven't posted for a while. The kids have been sick, I have been sick. There has been that every present problem of too much to do and too little time. E is on a decorating kick. She is obsessed by snowflakes. I know, I know... It's only November, and a little early for snowflakes, but E is insisting on making piles of them. They now brighten every window in the house here, and all the front windows at E's grandparent's house too. And she makes pretty darn great ones for a 5 year old too! I will have to post some pictures soon.

I gave out my cake in a cup recipes to a bunch of friends... they are all the rage... I foresee everyone swearing off them after a few weeks of one a day and gaining a few pounds... but it's fun while it lasts.

I am trying to come up with a) some fun inexpensive Thanksgiving and Christmas projects to keep E busy and b) some projects that actually produce something she could give as gifts to grandparents and aunts and uncles. Hmmm... gonna have to think on this one... I'll let you know.

some cup-o-cake notes

ok... so, here are some notes about cup-o-cakes (that is, cakes made in mugs in the microwave.

my cornbread mug-o-muffin recipe works fine if you don't have buttermilk, just make the following changes: don't put in any baking soda, but put in 1/2 baking powder. Use regular milk instead of buttermilk (obviously).

any of the recipes can be made with less oil, though they are best eaten right away if you reduce the oil (they will get tough if leave them to cool when they are lower fat). I recommend using at least 1 teaspoon of oil or butter, and not omitting the fat completely for flavor and texture. If you reduce the oil or butter make it up with other liquid... basically make sure there are still approximately 5 tbs of liquid (if you used milk in the cake, just add more milk, if you used oj, use more of that, etc).

Know your microwave... some take longer some take less time. If you have a more liquid batter you will need to nuke it longer than you do with a stiffer, thicker batter.

be a kitchen scientist.... observe what happened if something doesn't seem to have worked, and try again using the data you have collected from making the cake once... lots of info on kitchen science can be found on the internet and in cookbooks... just keep at it or drop me an email if you would like some help! i am noisybnora@aol.com

oh... and for those of you who want to make the mug-o-muffin pictured in today's post, here is the recipe. It is

Apple Spice Mug-o-muffin

Into a good big coffee mug put:

6 Tbs all-purpose flour
2 Tbs packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt
about a 1/2 tsp cinnamon (I eyeballed it, it was about 6 or 8 shakes from the container)
about 1/8 tsp nutmeg (again, eyeballed, about 2 or 3 shakes)
1/8 tsp ginger (about the same amount as the nutmeg)

Stir it all around with a fork and add:

4 Tbs milk
2 Tbs very soft butter
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 of a apple, grated (my apple was sort of a medium sized one, about 3 inches across at the widest point)
1 Tbs pecans (optional)
1 Tbs raisins (optional)

mix it all really well and put it into the microwave for about 2 to 2 and a half minutes (I set it for 2 and a half, but ended up stopping it at about 2 minutes and 5 seconds cause it looked done to me). Let cool 3 or 4 minutes and then turn out of the mug to cool a little more before sharing it with the kids

oh... and if you want plain spice cake just leave out the apple and maybe cook for not quite as long

a lunch time muffin treat

ok... today's mug o muffin was an apple sauce and maple syrup flavored one. it was basically this:

into a big mug put:

5 Tbs all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1 tiny pinch ground cloves

mix it all up and add:

2 Tbs apple sauce (ours was home made chunky spiced apple sauce)
2 Tbs grade b maple syrup
1 tsp oil or butter

1 Tbs toasted peacans (optional)

mix it all up really well, and if it seems too thick add a little bit of milk to make it more like a cake batter consistency. Microwave it for about 1 and a half to 2 minutes. Turn it out of the mug and eat it up... yummy :)