Faith, Trust, & Pixie Dust

Faith, Trust, & Pixie Dust is all it took to put this cake together! Bear asked for a chocolate Tinkerbell cake for her 5th birthday. I used the Rich Chocolate Cake and cream cheese frosting recipes from my ever trusty Good Housekeeping Cook Book.


This was my first layered cake with a column, so I did not have materials and was rather nervous. After waiting until the night before her birthday, at 8 pm, I searched Michaels and Walmart (the stores that weren't already closed) and did not find the column I was envisioning. I grabbed a cheap plastic cup from the cabinet and hot glued a cardboard cake round to the bottom. After frosting the base (9x13), I added forced the cup down into the cake. I piped a basic chocolate butter frosting onto the cup to form a tree trunk before placing the remaining 5" circle cake on top the base. Adding some extra green coloring to the remaining frosting before piping leaves with a large Wilton leaf tip added just the right contrast. Tinkerbell and other fairy figurines and a sprinkling of pastel flowers completed the cake.


It even survived the daunting trip across town to great-gram's apartment where family awaited. Bear was quite pleased.


Looking for more cake decorating inspiration? Check out my past cake posts or head over to
Life As Mom for a birthday cake round-up.

Meal Planning Monday (Week 3 of the Pantry Challenge

We've completed Week 2 of the Pantry Challenge. Are you following along? Follow along or link-up your progress at Good Cheap Eats.

I'm slowly working toward my goals. Though last week was thrown off a bit when Daddy Cow picked up some marked down spareribs and brats- one of the positives and negatives of his working at a local grocery.


Breakfast
oatmeal
Coco Wheats
cereal x2
eggs and toast x2
waffles


Lunch
peanut butter and jelly sandwiches
tuna salad sandwiches
cottage cheese and crackers
macaroni and cheese
meatloaf sandwiches
sausages with spaghetti
leftovers (turkey and rice soup)


Supper
cheesy bean and rice bake, tossed salad
tater tot casserole, peas
oven fried fish, waffle fries, salad
scalloped potatoes with ham, peas
I week: Italian sausages with peppers and onions, Italian bread, ice cream
black bean soup, cheese quesadillas
lasagna, green beans, tossed salad, garlic bread



Interested in participating in the Pantry Challenge? Link up at Good Cheap Eats.

Meal Planning Monday (Week 2 of the Pantry Challenge)

We've completed Week 1 of the Pantry Challenge. Follow along or link-up your progress at Good Cheap Eats.

I'm slowly working toward my goals. This week, we started clearing out the freezer and limited our grocery purchases. I bought 2 gal milk, 1.5 doz eggs, 3 packages marked down deli ham, cheese, a loaf of bread, bananas, and Pepsi for Daddy Cow. Total= $28.53

We followed last week's plan fairly well, but because I slept in and didn't get the beans cooking, we swapped our ham and beans for Sunday night lasagna. Having planned lunches available in the refrigerator and posted on the side of the refrigerator has prevented Daddy Cow's lunchtime pizza and Jimmy John's orders- and also made taking lunch with me to work a simpler process.

Here's what's on the plan for next week.

Breakfast
freezer waffles
oatmeal
Coco Wheats
cereal
eggs and toast x2
french toast

Lunch
cheese toasties and tomato soup
peanut butter and jelly sandwiches
cottage cheese and crackers
hot dogs and baked beans
cheese quesadillas
leftovers x2 (ham & beans, lasagna)

Supper
ham and spinach quiche, fruit
pork loin, sweet potatoes, green beans
lemon pepper salmon, Steamfresh multi-grain blend, broccoli
H week: ham, hashbrowns, honeydew
hamburgers, sweet potato fries, salad
turkey and rice soup
meatloaf, crash hot potatoes, peas


Interested in participating in the Pantry Challenge? Link up at Good Cheap Eats.
For more meal planning inspiration check out OrgJukie.

Ham n Beans

Christmas means ham dinners and ham dinners mean ham bones! If you have a ham bone (or leftover chopped ham) in the freezer, try this simple hearty meal to warm your family.


- 1 lb pinto beans
- 1 ham bone with leftover ham (if you are a poor carver, the residual meat will work- if you there is little left on your bone, you may want to add some diced ham)
- 2 onions, diced
- 4 stalks celery, diced
- 4 carrots, diced
- 2 T seasoned salt
- 2 T cumin
- 1 T thyme
- 4 c water

Pick through beans and soak overnight. Place ham bone in slow cooker. Add vegetables, beans, seasonings, and water. Make sure beans are submerged. Cook on high 6 hrs or low 10 hrs. Pull out bone- all meat should easily fall off. Stir well before serving.

Ham n beans is best served with warm cornbread. I use this recipe from the trusty Good Housekeeping cookbook I received as a high school graduation present.

12 DIY projects for 2012

I was inspired last year by the 12 DIY projects Crystal from MoneySavingMom completed and have created a pretty long list of projects I'd like to try. When I saw her list this year, I decided to create my own list of projects. I'll share how they go and maybe this will keep me motivated to finish them. What are some things you would like to accomplish this year?

Homemade Draft Stop
Remote Control Pocket Pillow
Picture Frame Headboard
Rag Quilt Letters
Photo Coasters
Strawberry Freezer Jam
Homemade Vanilla Extract
Homemade Salad Dressing
Children's Aprons
Slow Cooker Apple Butter
Rice Bags
Christmas Stockings (from kits)

Meal Planning Monday (and a pantry challenge)

It's Day 2 of the Pantry Challenge. We started the New Year with corned beef and cabbage adapted from this recipe at A Year of Slow Cooking.

A successful Pantry Challenge requires knowing what you have. The easiest way is to take an inventory and meal plan. Meal planning prevents the deer-in-headlights freeze when asked "what's for dinner?" and reduces the temptation to cave and pick up supper on the way home.

We have a good stockpile so with some creativity, the need to purchase additional groceries will be easily kept to a minimum. This week we will need to buy eggs, milk, and sandwich cheese (sneaky kids have apparently swiped it all).


Breakfast
freezer waffles
oatmeal
Coco Wheats
cereal
eggs and toast x2
pancakes

Lunch
ham and cheese sandwiches
ham salad sandwiches
peanut butter and jelly sandwiches
cheese quesadillas
cheese toasties
baked macaroni and cheese with ham
leftovers

Supper
black bean burgers, salsa, corn, tossed salad
turkey, stuffing, sweet potatoes
tuna noodle casserole, peas
chili spaghetti, salad
horseshoes, fruit
ham & beans, corn bread
lasagna, green beans, salad, garlic bread


Interested in participating in the Pantry Challenge? Link up at Good Cheap Eats.
For more meal planning inspiration check out OrgJukie.

Pantry (and freezer) Challenge

Jessica at Good Cheap Eats and Life as Mom is hosting another Pantry Challenge. Despite holiday sales not being quite what I'd hoped, this fall has left our freezer pretty full. This Pantry Challenge isn't about going without or what we don't have; it's about focusing on the bounty before us. Focusing on what we already have will help us start out the new year in the right direction and set us on the path toward our yearly family goals.


Pantry Challenge Goals
Cleaning out the Freezer
I knew we were starting to build up some frost on the sides of our freezer, but when inventorying, I also found greasy orange frost in one of the bottom corners. I'll be focusing on using what is in the freezer this month and not be adding to our freezer stockpile. Hopefully by the end, I'll have cleared out enough to defrost and clean our chest freezer.

Cutting the Budget
One of our family goals this year is to expand our garden. Cutting the grocery budget this month will provide money to put toward soil in the increased area, seeds, and plants if my first attempt at indoor seedlings flops. I will still need to purchase some fresh produce and dairy, but will be greatly reducing our grocery spending this month.

Follow along each Monday as myself and others link-up at Good Cheap Eats.