About Me

Labor Day 2011

Mon, 5 Sep 2011 00:41:14 -0600

Harmon Family Reunion! So much fun. Hopefully Christen will help with adding some pictures but HERE are the ones I took. Enjoy!

Anglesey Campout

Fri, 19 Aug 2011 00:39:51 -0600

We all met up at Jesse and Sarah’s stake campground for a last little summer get together and had so much fun! HERE are the pics.

Lets Go Do-nuts!

Mon, 8 Aug 2011 21:51:04 -0600

For those of you that didn’t know, I teach cooking/home organization classes for a company called Mary Ann’s Cupboards, based in Boise. I am also one of their weekly bloggers (the foodie) so I figured I would share posts here as well! There are weekly posts by several other amazing women that have so much to share in other areas. If you haven’t checked out the website, you should: www.maryannscupboards.com for all sorts of fun food storage, organization, time management strategies and techniques. Our motto is: Live better with less: less time, less money, less stress. So enjoy the recipe below and look forward to more!

Hello all! I'll be sharing fun foodie ideas for the blog and we are starting with . . . (drumroll please) . . . doughnuts! That's right. This is going to kick off the Family Favorites section of the foodie posts and trust me, it's a goodie! It's definitely a family favorite of ours, in so many ways. Everyone else loves them cuz they're de-lish and I love them because they're easy. So first of all, if you don't have the doughnut recipe from the book, get it! SO easy to make up in advance and quick to put together, just add water.

Basic doughnut ball recipe:
*found in Mixing It Up With Grains recipe book*
8 c. flour
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. cornstarch
1/4 c. non-instant powdered milk
2 tsp. baking soda
2 c. sugar
1/4 tsp. True Lemon
(Blend together in large bowl with wire whisk and store in airtight container.)

Get your oil heating as it will take a few minutes. I don't have a fryer so I do it the old fashioned way . . . fill my pot halfway up with canola oil, clip my little candy/frying thermometer to the side of the pot with the tip fully submerged in the oil (but not touching the bottom of the pot) and let it heat up to between 350-375 degrees. I usually like mine about 375 best. If you have a fryer, set it to doughnut or just 350 degrees or just heat 'er up! Ya'll have it easy. If you are using the classic pot method, make sure you are keeping an eye on your temperature, adjusting it occasionally to keep it at the appropriate temperature.

To make the dough mix 2 1/4 c. mix with 1 c. water. (The recipe calls for 1/2c.+1/3c. water, but for simplicity's sake I go to 1 c. and it makes the doughnuts themselves a little fluffier. Either works fine!) The batter should be the consistency of thick pancake batter. After the oil is heated to the proper temperature, drop your batter into the oil using a mini cookie scoop. This is the easiest method, the cookie scoop with soon have its very own blog post, but till then just trust me, the mini scoop is perfect for doughnut balls! If you don't have a mini scoop, no worries - couple of options here. I've done it just scooping it off using 2 regular eating teaspoons, also you can put batter in a ziploc bag, seal it, and cut a hole in the bottom corner and squeeze out little dollops.

As the doughnuts cook they will turn a lovely little golden brown and should flip over halfway through. If they don't flip over, feel free to just use your slotted spoon and encourage them a little. ;o) It usually takes between 4-5 minutes and they will be a nice crispy golden brown on all sides when they are done. Take them out using a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Let cool for a couple minutes then roll/shake in powdered sugar, regular sugar, cinnamon sugar, or just eat them plain! They are a HUGE hit with our family and a great weekly (at least) tradition we love. We hope you do too!

Now that you realize how fun and easy homemade doughnut balls can be, let me blow your mind . . .

There are even more exciting ways to make yummy doughnut balls! I'm swallowing my pride and joy and sharing with you all my family's favorite secret doughnut recipes (that's the point of Family Favorites right?). You'll use the same steps as above, just amplify with the add-ins below. So feel free to make these your own family tradition and share other ideas you may have for our delightful little doughnut balls.

Berries 'n' Cream (Our overall, #1, worlds best favorite )
Use 2 1/2 c. doughnut mix and do not add water yet!
Take 4 Tbsp. of cream cheese and cut into small cubes. (I would slice my cream cheese rectangle into Tbsp. slices, then cut that in half lengthwise, then cut each of those strips into 4-5 cubes. Make sense?) As you cut these, drop them into the dry mix to coat the cubes. This keeps the cream cheese from just turning into a big yummy blog of cream cheese when you stir it and disperses it evenly through your doughnuts!
Now add the 1c. water.
Add 1/2-1c. (depending on taste) of pureed berries and stir to combine. Our favorite is strawberries, but get creative with what your family likes. (We like to freeze our strawberries beforehand so when we thaw them they are extra juicy and then puree them.)
Follow frying instruction above. We like to let the kiddos shake these in powdered sugar. Mmmmm . . .

Banana Nut
Mix 2 1/2 c. mix to 1 c. water. Stir to combine.
In chopper/mixer put 1 banana and 1/2 c. walnuts and blend till combined. (You are welcome to just puree your banana and chop your nuts and then combine, this just saves me a step in my Magic Bullet.)
Add to batter. Follow frying directions.
We roll these in cinnamon sugar. (1/2 c. sugar mixed with 1 tsp. cinnamon.) Delish!

Dough-NUTS
Our first experimentation on the original recipe . . .
Just add 1/2 c. chopped nuts to the recipe and enjoy, it really does make them go up a notch!

Chocolate
Pretty self-explanitory . . . just add 2-3 Tbsp. cocoa powder and 1 Tbsp. water to the mix. (Taste test to decide how chocolately your family likes it!)
*Make sure you cook these long enough because the batter will already be dark and if you don't fry them long enough they will still be runny on the inside.* Not going to lie, it's happened before to me, but nobody complained. ;o)

Double Dark
Add 2-3 Tbsp. cocoa powder, 1 Tbsp. water, and 1/4 c. chocolate chips to batter.
*Make sure you cook these long enough because the batter will already be dark and if you don't fry them long enough they will still be runny on the inside.*

German Chocolate
Add 2-3 Tbsp. cocoa powder, 1/4 c. chopped nuts, 1/4 c. shredded coconut to batter.
*Make sure you cook these long enough because the batter will already be dark and if you don't fry them long enough they will still be runny on the inside.*

Future posts will be divided into the following categories: Family Favorites, Gadgets & Gear, Tips & Tricks, and Misc. If you have any questions or ideas for a post or want something covered, let me know and we'll squeeze it in somewhere. Now get cookin'!

Britney :o)

Relay for Life 2011

Fri, 5 Aug 2011 00:30:55 -0600

We did Relay for Life again this year and LOVED it again! Instead of organizing a huge team it ended up being just our family which was SO nice. We literally slept under the stars just in our sleeping bags! The girls even set up a little fingernail painting booth to do for people walking around the track. Anyway, here are a bunch of pics. I’m (obviously) exhausted from being up all night so this is quick but it is such a wonderful experience to have the opportunity to teach/show our children ways to care and support others through hard times. We always have so much fun as a family doing this and encourage you to find one for your family to participate in as well, they’re everywhere! Pics HERE

Sidewalk Chalk and Smiles

Sun, 31 Jul 2011 00:26:46 -0600

After returning home from my 10 year HS reunion (cue gasp!) we all lazed about outside eating edamame and sidewalk chalked, honestly one of my favorite past times growing up. So fun. We are so blessed to have such a wonderful happy family. I love seeing the girls’ creativity!

Happy 6th Birthday Miss Pink!

Sat, 23 Jul 2011 00:20:45 -0600

Although I was sort of hoping for a new theme party this year, it ended up being really convenient that Miss Pink wanted yet ANOTHER fishy party for her birthday this year. Cue all the previous party pools and tableware! Lots of sun, fun and friends. Happy birthday Miss Pink, we love you so much! Pictures HERE

At the Bike Wash

Wed, 6 Jul 2011 00:17:05 -0600

Our neighbors down the street made the cutest little bike wash with PVC pipe and a hose! The girls love going down there and it’s so fun to see them go through and ride and giggle and play in the water and just have a good ol’ time! So thanks for sharing your bike wash, we loved it! Pictures HERE

Remember when . . .

Sun, 5 Jun 2011 00:13:07 -0600

Haha!! This picture makes me laugh SO hard. Remember when Kaylee was this age and had her own Comb Catastrophe stuck around her hair in the very same way? Hilarious! Anyway, Kev came to the rescue again and cut the teeth out off of the comb (again!) to get it out. Silly girls . . .

Dirty Dash 2011

Sat, 4 Jun 2011 17:27:55 -0600

Wow what a weekend! After seeing a friend’s picture from the Dirty Dash in Boise last year, I just knew we needed to do it! So fun. Honestly. So. Filthy. Fun. After a LOT of convincing we got Miss Pink just to TRY it and after listening to “I wish it was still winter so we wouldn’t have to do the Dirty Dash” and similar comments all the way to the race (she admittedly perked up after we stopped for beloved Subway for lunch) she quickly changed her tune to “I can’t WAIT till next year so we can do the Dirty Dash again!” Haha! Kids. Pinky had to (of course) take her TWO WHEEL bike and ride all afternoon. She won’t get off that thing! Anyway, the girls loved it and as soon as they finally finished their Piglet Plunge it was time for the adults to go! However, my usual expertise at planning failed me and I forgot to bring a babysitter for the girls for while we were running so Kevin had to stay with them instead of doing the 5K with the rest of us. (He honestly didn’t seem that disappointed though. He did the 1 mile with them right!) They were all so patient while Sarah, Rachel, Cecily, Ryan and I “ran” the 5K. OK, Sarah and Rachel ran, the rest of us took a rather leisurely pace and enjoyed the scenery ;o). Training next year . . . lol. Anyway, after a VERY dirty weekend we came home, scrubbed and scrubbed to clean off and have lots of good memories to think of. Curious for yourself? Checkout their website: www.thedirtydash.com
And here is a link to all our NOT flattering, unedited, dirty, yucky pictures: ENJOY! (And for some reasons all the pictures uploaded backwards! SO annoying, so just start at the end and work your way backwards if you care.) Here’s a link to a video of this year’s festivities: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mk5rtyB84fk&feature=player_embedded SO fun!! I wish we could do it again! (Hmmm, maybe train for the 10K in the fall . . . admittedly that may be a stretch but at least there’s a fun reason to do it right?!)

Ellie’s Circus Ballet Recital 2011

Thu, 2 Jun 2011 17:58:49 -0600

Bellie was the CUTEST little tap dancing Zebra you have ever seen! She had so much fun and was so expressive and did such a great job. HERE is a link to videos of the dress rehearsal and (if I can figure out how to get it off the video camera) performance and a few little pictures of the evening. Miss Pink even got all dressed up for the occasion. We are so proud of our little Belle! (PS-she is the third one in going L->R in the videos.)