I’ve changed the name of this blog, and moved all the posts over to http://freshlygroundhome.wordpress.com if you’re interested in following my gardening, cooking, and urban homesteading adventures. Since we are looking to move, keeping the apartment in the name didn’t make much sense anymore.
Hope to see you there!
This morning the husband and I went to breakfast at Panera (he took the day off) and we sat down with a notebook and did some serious thinking about what we NEED in a house, and what we WANT in a house. The NEEDS are our sticking points. The WANT list was stuff we thought would be nice.
It was good to actually sit down and map it out. We cleared all the previous searches we’d done online lately, and started fresh. Hopefully we can nail down a short list of places we’d like to see and then call the real estate agent to get started on the house hunt again.
I’ve got one at the top of my list already. Here’s hoping….
We’re hoping that in May we’ll be out of our apartment and into a new house. We’ve got a couple of houses that we’re hoping to be able to go look out in the next few weeks, but the most important thing is moving on from this apartment and its problems.
I’m hoping we’ll be able to find somewhere that will allow us to start with the homesteading efforts we’ve begun. My husband wasn’t much of a gardener at first, but he’s all about it now, and we both want some real space. I’m even considering chickens (!)
Fingers crossed!
Just a note that I’m testing out a new blog, with a name that will be better, since hopefully we’ll be done with our apartment in May. So I’ll be blogging about books and food over on http://kneadforbooks.wordpress.com if you’re interested!
Today is the first day of fall!!! This means that autumn is finally starting to get here, and it also means that I had to come up with a spread for the Faculty Life committee. So I went a bit overboard (like normal) and made several things.
First, I’d been looking for an excuse to play with fondant, so I made an autumn leaf cake. It came out pretty well, especially considering how much I tried to mangle it by being impatient and trying to take the cakes out before they were cool. The leaves looked pretty awesome, even if I do say so myself. 
I also made a french apple tart, which I saw on America’s Test Kitchen, and it smelled pretty good (though I don’t like apples, so I didn’t eat any).
I also made French Onion Soup Dip, which I found on Rumbly in my Tumbly. It was AWESOME! I definitely recommend you try it out! I left off the green onions and bacon (didn’t have either) and it still had rave reviews!
My BFF and I got a few of our other friends together and went back to The Glass Spot in Richmond. Seriously, I think I have a problem. This time, we made flowers. It was just so cool – and with these we got to really manipulate the glass more, which was awesome.
I really, REALLY want to take these classes at some point. I mean, take a look at the photos… what’s not cool about this? (well, other than the glass, obviously. lol)
I also tried a new recipe, because I’m the Faculty Life committee (you read that right – I am a committee of one) and was told that this year I’ll have to fundraise for it, because there isn’t as much money for the school to give it to me. So I found a recipe for Cinnamon Sugar Palmiers at http://www.365daysofbakingandmore.com/day-286-cinnamon-sugar-palmiers/
They were pretty good!
I’ll let you know how they sell – I went to work extra early and managed to lock my keys and everything except my cell phone in my truck, so they didn’t get to the school coffee shop in time for breakfast. Figures.
So, the new school year is starting, and things have already been a bit hairy. Baking has already commensed. I’m going to have to go back to the gym, or I’ll be huge by Christmas. Though mostly, I just bake when stressed. I usually don’t want to eat much of it.
Today I made cupcakes for school as a “you made it through the first day!” item. Partially because I’d decided I would. Partially because I saw this two tone frosting technique and I wanted to try it.
I’m trying this year to cut down on my work and expense a bit, and making some of the stuff for school with cake mixes. They’re doctored, because i can’t leave well enough alone, but it does make things easier.
So here’s the first doctored mix recipe. It came out slightly less sweet and a little bit more tender and moist than the straight mix does. It actually needs a little frosting (confirmed by the DH, who doesn’t have much of a sweet tooth to begin with.)
Semi-Homemade Cake Recipe
Mix these in just like you normally would, and follow the baking temp and directions. For mine it was 350 for 15 minutes for 24 cupcakes.
*Tip – only fill the cupcake tins halfway. They come out just right!
I then let them cool on a wire rack and made some buttercream. One thing I really, REALLY dislike it storebought frosting. I also knew that it wouldn’t dry and have that nice finish like real buttercream. So I used the Wilton recipe my mom uses (one of the few things I actually have to seriously measure or I screw it up)
Just beat it together until smooth.
For the two tone cupcake effect, I actually watched several videos online. Basically, you color it one color, and leave the middle white (or whatever other color you want). You put the colored in the bag, squish it around, pull the bag open, and dump the white in the middle. When it comes out, it has this great graduated color effect. I didn’t have the correct tip to make it look like a rose, but it still came out pretty nice, I think.
I’m planning to get back on track with this blog. There have actually been a TON of food experiments going on – and I’m actually writing things down and everything! 🙂
In the meantime, I have to tell you that my BFF took me with her to do a glassblowing class this weekend. I thought it would be cool but I wasn’t seriously excited or anything when we went. I figured it would be fun and that would be the end of it.
Oh man.
It was SO COOL! I totally want to take all the classes and learn to play with molten glass now. If I only had the time, I’d be all over that! (I’m still plotting ways in my head.) We’re already gathering group to go back and do a private workshop because it was that awesome. Seriously. If you’ve ever thought about it, I highly recommend The Glass Spot in Richmond, VA. They were SO nice and did a really great job.
Check out some pictures! We made apples (you could have made either an apple or a pear. No one wanted to make a pear that day.)
Wow. I didn’t realize its been so long since I’ve blogged here. School is out (yay!) and our first anniversary was this past weekend. We also got back the day before from a week trip to western Maryland and Lancaster, PA. It was a great trip, but now its time to get things done.
We never found a house last year, so we’re in the same apartment (that’s been a saga, but finally all the AC and ceiling leak issues are fixed!) until next year. We’re hoping we’ll be able to find something next spring. Fingers crossed at least.
In the meantime, I’m thrilled that the innkeeper at the B&B we were staying in was generous enough to give me her recipe for the Peanut Butter Schmier she served with breakfast each morning in Lancaster County. It was DELICIOUS. I’d never heard of it before visiting there, and if you ever get the chance, make sure you try some! Every place’s is a little different. Which is just an excuse to eat more.
Right now, I’m working on getting things together to finish the book I’m working on, and planning some things for the release of my next book, which comes out in October!
I hope you’re having a lovely summer!
Whew! This weekend was a whirl. DH and I left Friday morning for a weekend of wedding festivities for one of my college roommates. I was a bridesmaid and the wedding was yesterday. It was a beautiful wedding, she was a beautiful bride, but I’m whipped!
But over the course of the weekend, I’ve come to a conclusion that is both good and bad. Life, work and house hunting are beginning to take their toll. (The wedding is over, so I can take that off the list!) I’ve been sick every day since last week. I know some of it is stress. The second I get to work I feel better, so I know some of it is just because I really, really don’t want to be there. But that’s not everything.
I was discussing everything with my mom, and she pointed out that I might be allergic to a preservative or chemical in some foods. I already make a lot of things, and I get much sicker when we eat out often, or eat things from mixes or boxes. It wouldn’t surprise anyone – I’ve already got sensitive skin, and I’m allergic to Splenda/sucralose.
So in the next couple of days I’ll be sitting down and making some meal plans and shopping lists, as my plan is to try and make anything/everything we eat from scratch for the next month. I want to see what happens, whether I still get sick, and if I do, whether it can be stress, a specific food or what.
If you’ve got any websites you’d recommend for recipes or tips, I’d be happy to hear them!
The Garden Apartment 