Page 98 | A Small Snippet | A snapshot into the small snippets of life...to expose the Bigger Picture

Jun

25

a new addition

remember how i mentioned earlier this week that i had made a purchase last weekend? well…i am pleased to present to you:

if you recall from here and here..i had been saving money to purchase a new lens, with the hopes of having it before our upcoming trip to Haiti. well….guess what? i bought a lens!! its a Nikon 35mm f/1.8, and although it isn’t the lens i was initially hoping to purchase, it was far less expensive, auto focuses on my camera, and has gotten amazing reviews. and i must say…i am in LOVE with it!

i am still learning how to use it, as it is a prime lens (aka: fixed…does not zoom), and is very different to shoot with than my other lens, but it has been really fun to play around with it over the last few days. here are some photos taken with the new addition:

i’ve got lots to learn still, but i’m excited that a whole new aspect of photography has opened up for me with this lens, and i am pumped to get to keep practicing!

we’ve got two weddings this weekend, so i gotta run and go get ready for the first one! hope you’ve enjoyed your first week of summer!

Follow

Share

3 Comments

Jun

22

Funnel Cakes and Strawberry Sauce

i’m back with another recipe to help grow your waistline like mine 🙂

we blew it this weekend with the cinnamon rolls and this next recipe, but it was well worth it, and every once in a while, i think its okay to just go crazy!!

i wanted to make a fun surprise dessert for Father’s Day…something that we don’t normally have. so i pulled out this recipe that i had cut from the newspaper years ago when they ran a column on Fair Food:

and attempted to whip up some Homemade Funnel Cakes.

let me tell you…they are fantastic! and do not be intimated like i was at first, cause they are a cinch to make!! and a bonus…now you don’t have to wait for the Fair to come to town to enjoy this goodness!!

FYI: the recipe says it yields 8 cakes, so i doubled the recipe since i was feeding a crowd, and was left with an obnoxious amount of batter! i think the recipe yields more like 10-11 large cakes!

First off, combine some powdered sugar and cinnamon in a container and mix well. i didn’t measure…just kept adding cinnamon until it tasted right! Set to the side.

Sift all your dry ingredients together.

Mix the eggs and milk together in a large bowl:

Add in the lemon extract:

And whisk liquid ingredients well. Fold the dry ingredients into the egg mixture, and stir until smooth (its okay if there a some small lumps, but get it as smooth as possible.)

Heat oil in an electric skillet or large saucepan until its 375 degrees. Spoon the batter into a small funnel, while covering the hole with your finger. move the funnel over the oil, remove your finger, and scribble and crisscross the batter into the hot oil.

Fry until golden brown on both sides (takes a few minutes on each side.) When done, drain on paper towels for a few seconds, and immediately sprinkle with cinnamon powdered sugar.

Top with homemade Strawberry Sauce, if desired.

Strawberry Sauce:

(so so easy and quick!! this recipe comes from Rachel Ray)

Wash and drain 2 lbs fresh strawberries:

Coarsely chop the strawberries:

Juice 2 lemons (my sauce turned out a little bit tart, which we like, but if you want, you can cut back a bit on the lemon. just taste it and add juice to your liking!)

Put strawberries and lemon juice in large saucepan. Add in 3 TBSP of dark brown sugar (i actually used 4 TBSP).

Stir until sugar dissolves. Cover partially and cook over medium/low heat about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until strawberries are soft.

Take off heat and cool completely. Once cooled, place in blender and puree a few seconds until smooth.

this sauce keeps in the fridge for 10 days or in the freezer for 6 months. it was excellent over the Funnel Cakes, as well as vanilla ice cream. or use it with this granola recipe in a yogurt parfait.

but we used the sauce the next morning on waffles that we made with our leftover Funnel Cake Batter. it was delish!!

i have yet to tell you about a new purchase i made this weekend!!! and i’m excited to show it to you but am just not quite ready! so hoping to do that later this week!

be back soon,

Follow

Share

4 Comments

Jun

21

Cinnabon Cinnamon Rolls

We had a blast celebrating Dad yesterday!

We started out with a scavenger hunt to find Jake’s gift from the kiddos, with clues totally thought of and constructed by the boy:

the crazies got Jake a new football, and the boys enjoyed teaching Bella how to be the holder so they can practice their kicking skills:

then for breakfast, we had THE BEST cinnamon rolls!! the recipe is a knock-off of Cinnabon’s, and i have to say…it tastes just like them!

there is a massive amount of butter in this recipe, so be forewarned…they are anything but good for you. but its worth it to blow a day’s worth of calories on one!

the ingredients list is all jumbled, but it’ll make sense in the steps below!

Cinnamon Buns like Cinnabon’s:

1 1/2 cups sugar

3 TBSP ground cinnamon

2 (.25 oz) packets of active dry yeast

1 tsp sugar

1 cup 110 degree water

1 cup warm milk

2/3 cup sugar

2/3 cup melted butter

2 tsp salt

2 eggs

up to 8 cups of all purpose flour

1/2 cup melted butter

1 1/2 cups walnuts or pecans (i did not use these, but you can!)

1/2 cup melted butter

1/3 cup sugar

4 cups powdered sugar

1 stick butter, softened

2 tsp vanilla

milk

Mix together 1 1/2 cups sugar and cinnamon. Set aside.

In a small bowl, dissolve yeast and 1 tsp sugar in warm water. Set aside. (let me interject here. i actually did not do this. i just ended up adding in my Instaferm Instant Yeast that i use to bake bread into my mixer with the flour. I still added the water in too, but with Instant yeast, you don’t have to let it dissolve in perfect temperature water first…you can just add it in! i get mine through www.breadbeckers.com, but you can certainly follow this recipe and use the active dry yeast too.)

In a mixer, mix milk, 2/3 cup sugar, 2/3 cup melted butter, salt, and eggs. Add in the yeast mixture (or just instant yeast and 1 cup water) and 4 cups flour. Mix well. Keep adding flour until you get a slightly stiff dough (when it stays together, pulls away from the sides of the bowl, and is elastic). Put on dough hook and let knead for 8 minutes, or knead by hand.

Place dough in large greased bowl, cover, and let rise until double, about 1-1 1/2 hours.

Punch down and let rest for 5 minutes.

Roll out dough on a floured surface to a 15 x 20 inch rectangle.

Brush with 1/2 cup melted butter and sprinkle the cinnamon sugar mixture evenly over dough. (Sprinkle nuts at this point, if using).

Tightly roll up dough and pinch edges together to seal. (note: wish i had rolled tighter, so roll as tight as you can!)

Cut into 12-15 slices. (i got 13.) Use either a pastry cutter, dental floss, or thread for this. a knife squishes them too much.

Coat the bottom of a 13 x 9 baking pan with 1/2 cup melted butter and 1/3 cup sugar. (this part is important in keeping the rolls moist, so don’t skip. just use the butter and don’t eat them everyday!!)

Place roll slices close together in pan.

Cover and let rise in warm place for 45 minutes. (another note: i ran out of time the night i made these, so at this point, i put them in the fridge on Friday evening and then took them out Sunday morning, let them sit for a while on the counter, and then baked them. worked great!)

Bake rolls at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes (mine took more like 35 minutes…make sure you check the bottoms to see if they are baked all the way through, even if the tops look okay.)

for the frosting, whip a stick of softened butter in your mixer. add in some powdered sugar, 2 tsp vanilla, and a splash of milk until you get a thick but spreadable consistency. you can also add in a bar of cream cheese…which would be excellent with these rolls!!