experiment = addiction

This year I have resolved to be better at our food budget.  The food budget is the hardest thing for me to submit to.  Food costs money (and it seems like everything is becoming more pricey), and there just never seems to be enough of it.  I am convinced that my two boys are going to eat us out of house and home.  I have always struggled with our food budget, and as a result, it has brought a bit of stress on my husband.  So, this year, I am determined to stay within our budget so we can use other money for more fun things, rather than covering my food spending.

As a result of my determination, I started this week with $4 and we were out of a lot of things, but I didn't want to have to go to the store until our normal shopping day (this case Wednesday, usually it's Thursday), so I got creative and looked for a bagel recipe.  I've always wanted to make bagels.  They are on my secret baking bucket list (did you know I had one of those?).

I really wanted to make these, but the thought of making my kitchen aid mixer smoke kind of scared me.  Plus, I really wanted to use my bread machine (I'm kind of a lazy bread maker. . . and it does all the hard work for me).  So, I took a gander and googled one that had 4.5 stars and it was so worth it.  I may NEVER buy store bought bagels again.

These were seriously the best bagels ever!  I think that if my family didn't have self control we would have eaten the whole batch Sunday afternoon (that may have been carb overload!).  Plus, factor in that the fact that I used the bread machine and you can consider this recipe super easy!  It really wasn't as intimidating as I anticipated.  

Also, before I forget, don't forget their are 2 days left to get in on my bloggie birthday give-away. . . follow the blog to enter.  Be entered twice if you share my blog.  Be entered a third time if you comment in the comments below by answering the following question:

What's your favorite bagel?

Here's the recipe:

Bread Machine Bagels

adapted from allrecipes.com

Ingredients:

1 cup warm water

1 1/2 tsp salt

2 tbsp sugar

3 cups bread flour

2 tsp dry active yeast

3 quarts water

3 tbsp sugar

1 tbsp cornmeal

poppy seeds, sesame seeds, and dried onion for topping

Directions:

1. Place your water, sugar, flour, and yeast in your brad machine pan.  Set to dough setting and let your machine do all the work.  Remember, it is important to not let your yeast touch the water until the cycle begins.  It helps to make a divot in the flour to hold your yeast.  

2.  When the dough is finished, let it rest on a lightly flowered surface.  Meanwhile, bring your 3 quartts of water and sugar to a boil.  Cut dough into 9 equal pieces.  Roll each piece into a ball and poke a hole in it with your finger.  Twirl the dough on your finger to enlarge the hole.  Cover the bagels with a clean cloth and let rest for 10 minutes.  

3.  Sprinkle an ungreased baking sheet with cornmeal.  Carefully transfer bagels to boiling water.  Boil for 1 minute, making sure to turn each one over halfway through.  Drain briefly on a clean towel   Arrange boiled bagels on a baking sheet.  Glaze top with egg white and sprinkle with your choice of toppings.  

4.  Bake in an preheated 375 oven for about 20 minutes, until well browned.  

Happy Belated Birthday, Blog!

Okay, my fellow readers. . . I sit here in the peace and quiet of my office as it is late and half of my family is sleeping (the kiddos, of course!).  I decided to check out the day that I started this blog. . . I knew it was after Christmas sometime during Ethan's first year of life. Apparently, I started blogging on January 23rd, 2009. . . Over 4 years ago.  I missed my blog birthday. . .  oops!

I started this blog as an outlet to share my creative side and get back into the occasional writing spurt, and maybe connect with the outside world sometime.  I am enjoying being able to share with you my creations, my thoughts, and sometimes, my dreams.  I have shared so many goals with you and many of those goals never came to be, but you are still here. . . reading. . . I appreciate it!  

So, I am taking this grand opportunity of peace and quiet to share an awesome give-away. . . for you, in honor of my blogging adventure.  First of all, if you are following me regularly, THANK You!  I love that you read my blog and are sharing in my journey of creative-ness in the chaos of motherhood.  If you read my blog and don't follow me. . . thank you for reading my words and taking the time to check my blog, you are also appreciated!  And thanks to all those who have pinned or stumbled upon me by accident. . . I hope you have had a good visit and come back soon. 

So, in honor of the 4th birthday of Out Of The Right Brain, help me get to 100 Followers by the end of February.  At the end of February, I will give away a handmade coffee cozy. . . just for you!  

Feel free to share my blog as much as possible.  

Enjoy the rest of your week!  

Delicious fudge-y brownies

Okay, so this is a week that needs chocolate.  Some weeks just call for it, right?  And it's not that anything bad is going on, It's just a week that screams chocolate! I am thankful for these leftovers (I made them on Valentines Day. . . and took the leftovers to Bible Study this morning).  They were delicious.   I have been on the search for a yummy fudge brownie recipe, and I am getting closer.  Most call for things I generally don't keep in the pantry all the time, whereas this recipe called for ingredients I most always have on hand. . . staples, shall we say.  They were really good, super chocolatey, and nice and rich. . . perfect brownies.  Trust me when I say they were perfect. . . I don't lie.

Fudge Brownies

from Yammie's Noshery (seriously, lovin' the word Noshery, by the way!)

Ingredients:

2 sticks of butter

2 1/4 cups of sugar

4 large eggs 

1 tablespoon vanilla

1 1/4 cups of cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups chocolate chips 

Directions:

Grease your favorite 9x13 inch pan and preheat the oven to 350º.
Mix together the butter and sugar in a microwave safe bowl. Heat in the microwave, stirring about every 30 seconds, until the mixture is bubbly and smooth (this took 5 to 6 times). Add in the eggs and vanilla and beat until smooth. Mix together the cocoa powder, salt, baking powder, and flour and add to the butter mixture, mixing until smooth. Stir in the chocolate chips. Pour the batter into the pan. Bake for about 28 minutes. 

Enjoy!  They really are delicious!  

Weston turned 2: alphabet style

My baby boy turned 2 years old last week.  I can't begin to describe how quickly it is going for this little boy.  I think Ethan's first 2 years seemed to go slightly slower (still quick, but not warp speed like the past 2 years have gone!).  We celebrated his birthday on Friday as a small family by going to Sky Walk Trampoline Park (Totally Awesome!) and then naps.  Saturday was the party where we invited family and some friends.  

 I love throwing parties and this year my wonderful husband gave me a budget. . . a small one.  I had to throw a party for Weston for 100 dollars.  Yep.  I was incredibly frustrated at first because I didn't want him to grow up thinking that his older brother got all the cool parties and he didn't (although his first birthday was awesome, if you ask me).  But then I got started, made a plan, and started getting ready.  And believe it or not, I came out at about 120 dollars, including food.

I made this W for the front door with the help of my husband.  He cut out a w out of a diaper box and I covered it in red tissue paper that we had laying around.

I loved the table.  I bought a stack of fun paper from JoAnns when they were on sale for half off (best deal. . . ever!) and that played the center for it.  I used my cricut and cut out every single letter (I must have messed up on o, because we didn't even know it was missing until we were hanging it up and at 1:00 am, we just wanted to go to bed).  For food, I did caramel popcorn, Funfetti popcorn, ABC cookes (Trader Joe's), Chips and Guac, spinach dip, and artichoke dip, plus a veggie platter, some candy and goldfish.

I went simple with the drinks and did lemonade and iced tea.  I had some Subway Art (check out my Pinterest Board, Let's throw a Party) and a questionaire that I printed at Costco and framed with some IKEA frames I had laying around.

The cupcakes were chocolate with a ganache glaze and then a whipped cream frosting topped with alphabet sprinkles (I found them here).

The W is a cardboard one from JoAnns.  It only ended up costing about 3 dollars because they were on sale the day I bought them.  I then used paper from the same pack that I did the banner with and cut strips and modged podged them on to the W.

I made the W is for Weston digital art using my Creative Memories software and then printed an 8x10 at Costco.

Favors were fun crayons.  All I did was buy a large box of crayons from Target and bagged them up in cello bags and decorated them with decorated tape (I love this stuff!).  They ended up being a big hit!

To give the kiddos something to do, I bought foam letters and let them glue them to construction paper and made some kool-aid play dough for them to cut letters out with.  

And here is my sweet, little 2 year old!  Happy Birthday to him!

He did a great job blowing out the candles!

Thanks for letting me share my baby's birthday with you.  I still can't believe that I did it for about 120 dollars.  Ethan has already picked his theme and I have already started getting ideas. . . because I have to stick to a low budget once again.  Enjoy your 3 day weekend!  I have a yummy treat coming soon. . . don't worry. :)

Adventures in Gardening: Starting out!

I ma so excited!  My wonderful hubby is building me some fantastic planter boxes.  This is a project that we have been talking about for a couple of years.  I am so excited that he's getting into it.  He even did research and designed my boxes.  I am so proud of him!  I also love that my kids have been involved with this project.  

Ethan helped me clear out the majority of the weeds and grass that was growing is an empty section of our backyard.  He did such a great job. . . especially since it was sooo cold the week we worked on it!

Once we got the area clear, we laid down a barrier that allows moisture to go through, but doesn't let the weeds go through.  Ethan thought this was cool.  We put rocks in the corner, because that's where the water comes off our patio when it rains.  

Weston loved helping put rocks in the corner, especially since as the ice was melting that morning, water had been collecting in that corner, so now there was a big puddle.  Splash!  (Yes. . . water and dirt make 2 very happy boys!)

 Here is the first planter (we are waiting on tax money to do the other two).  We used redwood and didn't treat it.  Have I mentioned lately, how much I love the boys that God has blessed me with?  It is so much fun being able to include the whole family in this project.  And look, Can you see that I have lemons? It's my favorite time of the year!

We moved the box in over the top of the barrier. . . 

 and filled it with rocks.  We happen to have a section of yard that the previous owners filled with rocks (which we are planning on changing anyways), so we put a small layer of rocks to help with the water drainage.  We also made a barrier along the sides so dirt can't escape from the bottom.

 Then we filled it with some organic soil made specially for vegetable gardens.  It took 2 containers to fill up, but now that it's been about 2 weeks it has definitely settled about 2 inches.  We will probably add more soon.

 Here are some of my baby seedlings.  It's too cold for them to stay outside all night, so they get a bath and sun during the day.  They are growing beautifully!  I can't wait to show you!  I chose to plant my seeds in egg shells because they are compostable and I will just be able to stick them in the soil.

It's about time you meet these guys

I honestly can't believe that I never posted these last year. . . but I think that I will just declare 2012 as a year of slacking off when it comes to the blog realm of my life.  I created these monsters to keep my boys company while I was in Wyoming last June.  Seriously, I was so excited as I worked on them and I can't wait to make more.  

The green dinosaur one was the first one I made. . . he went to Weston.  He is just the right size for cuddles.   Math Whiz on the Left was made for Ethan.  He was the second one and I got more creative with that one. . . the wheels in my head kept on turning. Like I said, I can't wait to make more.

Ethan's also has a really cool letter E sewn into his butt.  Super cool feature.  I am tempted to sell these on Etsy. . . but that's a topic to be discussed at a later time.

Hope you all are having a great day!  Thanks for taking time to read my blog. . . off to work on some birthday preparations. . . my baby will be 2 next week!

Stuffed Mushrooms: a tutorial of awesomeness!

I love stuffed mushrooms.  I especially love the ones you can get as a small plate at the cheesecake factory. . . it is a guilty pleasure my mom and I enjoy every year because the men in our lives just don't agree with our love of mushrooms.  In fact, my husband, will probably disagree on my title of awesomeness.  But, these ARE awesome!  I promise you.  

I made these for some family gathering back in November and my sister-in-law, Kristal, keeps asking for the recipe.  Since, I made up the recipe and it was all in my head, I decided it was time to get it down electronically so that it can be enjoyed by all.  (So, Kristal, in case you are reading this. . . this post is for you!).  

The first step in every recipe is gather and prep your ingredients.  You will need some bread crumbs, white wine (I like the sweetness that a moscato has to offer), parsley (dried or fresh work), Parmesan cheese, cream cheese, garlic, \ a shallot, and mushrooms, of course.

First, take your mushrooms and wash them very carefully.  Pull out the stems (it's okay if one mushrooms break apart).  Heat your pan to medium with about a tablespoon of olive oil.  Allow to heat, while you chop your veggies. Set your stems aside and chop them up.   Then chop up your shallot. 

Add to the heated oil, your chopped shallot and mushroom stems.  Also add a few cloves of garlic, chopped (I love my Pampered Chef garlic press for this job!).

As your shallots start looking soft, pour 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup of your favorite white wine into your pan with the mushroom mixture.  Allow it to simmer/cook for about 10 or so minutes.  A lot of the liquid will evaporate during this time, which is what you want. 

While you are cooking down your wine, in a small bowl, combine your cream cheese (you can use 1/2 to 1/3 of a block.  It's up to you how cheesy you want it to be.  You can zap it for a few seconds to make it soft if you need it to be.  Add your parsley and a few handfuls of Parmesan cheese.  I honestly don't measure too much here, just however much you feel is necessary. Using a spatula, mix that up as well as you can.

After 10 or so minutes of simmering, your mushroom stem mixture should be soft and the liquid should be reduced to about 1/2 of what it was when you first put the wine in.  Pour into your cream cheese mixture.  The heat, will melt everything and make it easier to stir.

Spoon the mixture into the mushrooms.  Mine are usually overflowing with goodness.  Then sprinkle your favorite bread crumbs over the top and stick in the oven at 350 for about 10-20 minutes. . . keep an eye on it until they have a nice golden top.  

Oh, don't they look wonderful?  It makes me want to go make some right.now.  Seriously, they are that good!  And they are way cheaper to make then ordering them at Cheesecake Factory.  That makes me happy.  Very happy!

Okay, one last picture. . . i'll bet you are checking your refrigerator for ingredients. . . don't lie. . . you know you are.

Now, that I am done blogging for the day, I am going to go sew on some buttons. . .