Tips Cooks Love

My awesome friend, Camille, gifted me an awesome book called Tips Cooks Love: Over 500 Tips, Techniques, and Shortcuts That Will Make You a Better Cook!


It's pretty much the encyclopedia of cooking in a neat little package. This little book is jam-packed with amazing tips and explanations for all things cooking and baking from cookies to grilling to pressure cooking. I've learned the chemistry of baking soda and baking powder, the difference in heat conduction between a ceramic and glass pie pan, the way to make a perfect fudge brownie, and the best way to make a nice and juicy hamburger.

I once tried to convince Lucas that baking could be fascinating to him because it's scientific. He just laughed at me. This book however provides the proof that baking is scientific! In cooking you can throw a dash of this and a dash of that (which admittedly, I find to be the fun part), but with baking you must accurately follow the recipe. The amount of baking powder or soda you use impacts the way your baked goods rise and how much air is incorporated. The difference between cold butter and warm butter impacts how flaky your pie crust will be. How long and at what heat level you cook corn starch impacts the thickness of your pie filling. I love learning more about the things I love.

You can get your own copy of this book on Amazon.com!

Sitting and Planning

My husband and I are house/pup-sitting this weekend. It's always strange to be alone in a house that's not your own.This is our second house/pup-sitting adventure in our marriage. Honestly, I think we've only been home about 10% of the time we've been married. We've been honeymooning, traveling to out-of-state weddings, and house-sitting. I miss our home while we're away. Though, it is kinda nice being just five minutes away from Target and Jo Ann Fabrics for the weekend.

I picked up some lovely fabric today that I'm stoked on turning into some Etsy goodies. They already have Christmas fabric and decor on display at Jo Ann's. This year, I'm going to try to be a good girl and get a head start on Christmas shopping and crafting. Please don't be mad at me for mentioning the C word so soon. I know, I know- we're not even past Halloween yet. But, I'm a planner and I must plan ahead!

Hello, Tomatoes.

I started off my morning with a visit to our lovely tomato plants. I love walking down to see them, watering can in hand. I'm so excited about our first gardening experience. We started off with potted parsley, oregano, and basil. I still appreciate our tending to those plants, but there's something different about planting things in the ground. I love just working with the earth, creating something new, and having my hands in the soil. I like looking at our plants and watching them grow and get so excited over each little change. I was so excited when we first spotted little green tomatoes, then again when they started to turn red, then I got really excited when Lucas told me that they were ready to be picked. We used them in a pasta salad for a friend's birthday party and I swear they are the best tomatoes I've ever had.

Cold Weather and a Warm Oven

It's down to 69 degrees outside and it's absolutely delightful. Fall is coming and my excitement is building. It's my absolute favorite season. I can't wait until it's officially time for red and yellow leaves, cool breezes, tights, scarves, sweaters, and hot apple cider.

To celebrate this lovely, chilly, breezy day I baked a yummy fall-like treat- cinnamon and nutmeg spice cupcakes with maple butter cream frosting. They were so delicious and the smell of cinnamon and nutmeg filling my home was an added bonus.

Hello, fall weather. Please feel free to stick around.

Cinnamon Nutmeg Spice Cupcakes

Ingredients:
3 eggs
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 cup buttermilk (if you do not have buttermilk, pour 1 tbsp white vinegar into a measuring cup then fill with milk until 1 cup is reached)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line cupcake pan with liners.

Cream the butter and sugar together. Add in the eggs and mix well after each until combined. Add vanilla to mixture. Mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices in a separate bowl. Add the flour mixture and the buttermilk alternately in three parts. Fill cupcake tins 2/3 full.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 17-18 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Maple Butter Cream Frosting

Ingredients:
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 3/4 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
3 tablespoons maple syrup
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:
Cream butter in bowl. Mix in powdered sugar and beat for about a minute, scraping sides of bowl as needed. Add the brown sugar and maple syrup.  Mix for 2-3 minutes until frosting is well mixed and fluffy.


(NOTE: If you use salted butter for the cupcake and frosting, do not add the 1/4 teaspoon of salt. I use unsalted butter when I cook/bake so that I can control the amount of salt I put in)

Contest given by Gypsie {On My Mind}!

*CONTEST NOW CLOSED*

Head on over to Gypsie {On My Mind} to learn about a contest, hosted by CSN, to win a $40 gift card which can be redeemed at any of their 200+ online stores!

As mentioned in the giveaway post, they have awesome and affordable cookware, including Le Creuset. You can take a peek at their list of stores here.

Just leave a comment on her blog about what you would spend your money on if you're the lucky winner, and you'll be entered into the contest. Then check out the rest of her blog. She is the manager of the new Farm Chicks store and posts all kinds of cute stuff.

The Blueberry Tastes Like Blueberry

I've been on a real pie kick for the last year and a half (which my husband greatly appreciates). In fact, the reason I started baking pies was to impress Lucas. We were still just friends, but I had entered the crush zone, and he had made a comment about wanting to marry a girl who could bake pies.That sealed the deal- I had to become the best pie baker ever.

For those of you who don't know, I'm the world's pickiest eater. The first pie I ever made was the first pie I ever ate. I clearly had no idea what I was missing. I'm over the moon for pie these days. My first pie was apple, which is still my favorite. It changed over time and became a sort of a caramel apple pie. Next up was cherry, a gift for a friend of ours. It wasn't until my second cherry pie that I actually knew what cherry pie tasted like. Then, it was on to blueberry, which is now my husband's favorite pie of mine. As I mentioned a couple days ago, it was our 5 month wedding anniversary, so I decided to surprise my darling husband with a blueberry pie. I love baking. And I love baking even more when it's for him. I love the look on his face when he spots homemade goodies on the table as he comes in from work.

Sick Day

Today, I'm feeling miserably sick. Being sick in the summertime is the worst. All I want is soup, stew, and cream of wheat: all nice hot, body warming foods.

I'll admit that I'm a pretty big baby when it comes to being sick. I like being fussed over. I was probably the most spoiled little girl ever. My father would give me little toys and treats when I was sick. I always slept in his bed (nice of me to share my germs) when I was sick, because it somehow felt better.

Lucas has learned this and carries on the tradition of fussing over his pitiful wife. The first sign of sniffles in our relationship was met with a tub of Edy's Caramel Delight ice cream (as far as I'm concerned, this is the ultimate treat for a sore throat). We sleep in the same bed, but laying on his side when I'm sick feels much better than mine. The most amazing thing though was his gift of Luden's throat drops. I had told him previously about my go-to sick treatments: ice cream, cream of wheat, and cherry Luden's throat drops. More specifically, I preferred the throat drops that were packaged separately in little cardboard boxes. However, I couldn't find them anywhere. So, what did he do? He went out and searched store after store until he found them for me.

This morning I woke up all sad and pathetic, feeling sorry my stuffed up nose and sore throat, until I remembered that I still had a box of those throat drops left! I searched frantically through the mess on top of my dresser until I found it- my little box of throat drops. Now, I'm still very much sick, but I'm smiling because I have my cherry Luden's throat drops. Ah yes- a very spoiled girl indeed.

Our Barn Apartment

My husband, Lucas, and I live in a tiny apartment inside of a barn on his parents' farm. We spent a great deal of time and effort searching for the perfect house for us, but never found it. By the time our wedding came, we were without a house. But, in perfect timing, Lucas' brother had just moved out of his apartment at his parents' house and we were able to move in. We spent the week of our wedding scrubbing walls and moving in what little amount of furniture we had into our new apartment.

It's a teeny tiny apartment with half a kitchen and only one, small bedroom. We don't have an oven, other than a toaster/convection oven that was gifted to us as a wedding present. Our living room is only big enough for one couch. We have two small windows that I made two sets of small curtains for. It's the teeniest little home, and I absolutely adore it. It's perfectly cozy for a newly married couple. I sit on my couch and look out at the beautiful farm that my husband and I frequently walk through at night. I can spot our tomato plants and the two cats that linger around the farm. On cool nights, we open the windows and smell the wonderful country breeze coming in. My husband and I spend our evenings on our single couch in our small living room, together, either working separately on our computers or cuddled up next to each other for a movie. One day we'll have a real house with multiple bedrooms and a regular sized oven. But for now, I'm absolutely in love with this wonderful life of ours in our teeny barn apartment.

So This is Love...

Today I'm celebrating five months of marriage to my wonderful husband. Five months isn't lot. It's not even half a year just yet. But, something about the number "5" seems special. We still have seven months to go until we finish out this first year of marriage, but so far it's been amazing.

I'm head-over-heels in love with this man. He is my absolute best friend and the most perfect companion. It's funny to think that it took me ten years to realize that. Through friendship and a sibling-like relationship, we found love. I feel like we're the luckiest people in the world. Our love is founded on an honest, trustworthy, loyal friendship- one greater than any friendship I've ever known. The Lord, in His perfect timing, brought this love out of our friendship in the most perfect way. Our hearts were prepared perfectly for one another. (Now, I say perfect and I mean it, but perfect love includes hardships and sacrifices. It isn't always easy, but it's completely worth fighting for.)

My husband is a sweet, honest, godly man. He lifts me up and  gives me the encouragement I need. I have never laughed as much or as hard as I have with him. He gives me romance in the form of hand-picked flowers, walks on the farm, and caramel delight ice cream. He does all that he can to help me, in even the littlest ways. He knows how to calm me. He helps me to stay focused on the Lord. He is my partner in ministry. He is the man I want to share every bit of my life with. I get excited everyday thinking about all that our future has in store. We're blessed with such a beautiful life.

Love and Marriage...

"...You can't have one without the other."

I just uploaded about 80 of our 400 wedding pictures onto Facebook. Our wedding was so small, it's hard to imagine so many pictures were actually possible.

Photo taken by Heather Vaught of Steadfast Media (http://steadfastmedia.net)

We started off with a traditional wedding: in the church where I grew up, with everyone and their mother invited, and a reception with dancing and professional catering. However, as we went along, and the stress built up, we realized how we didn't really want that big wedding in front of people we barely know. We realized that the wedding was about us and God, not fancy plates and perfectly decorated cakes. We didn't need a big party with the "Electric Slide" or a memorable entrance into a jam packed church so that people could "ooh" and "ahh" at my dress and fancy hair-do. Not to say that such things are wrong, it just wasn't us. It wasn't what a wedding represented to us. We just needed us and God, in front of those we love most, completely vulnerable and in love, saying words orchestrated by our own hearts and mouths, committing to a life of serving and sacrificing for one another. It was perfect and I wouldn't change a thing. In my new home, I prepared for my wedding with my best friends and my mother. My friend from Florida came out and did my hair for free. Nothing fancy. Just lots of curls. My girls wore $40 Target dresses and $12 Target shoes with floral hair and pin accessories made by me. Lucas prepared for our wedding with his best friends in his soon to be old bedroom in his parents' house. I am the most sappy, sentimental person ever; so these circumstances were so very very perfect to me. We walked down to the barn, where our wedding would take place, and I felt so alive, so content, and not at all nervous. I soon stood with my best friend, and spoke lifelong promises to him. Our good friend and pastor Loyal married us, making it all the more special. It was a perfect ceremony. We all sang Amazing Grace, my husband's favorite song, then enjoyed treats lovingly made by my best girl friends. This may seem so very plain and simple, but I can't imagine a better way to have celebrated my new life with my husband.

Photo taken by Heather Vaught of Steadfast Media (http://steadfastmedia.net)

A New Beginning

This is my new adventure. I'm not even sure yet where this adventure will lead. But I'm taking it a day at a time.

Pohickery is a beautiful, non-operational farm. It is my home. It is the home of my husband's parents, grandmother, and brother. It is the beginning of our life together. I'm a newly wed as of March 18th. My husband and I have a happy little life in a little apartment inside of a barn on this beautiful farm. We're beginning to develop our plans for the future. These plans are still quite foggy, but are starting to take shape.

My husband has always lived in the country, and I am just now fulfilling my desire to do the same. We're practicing our gardening skills and hoping to someday move on to taking care of chickens and goats. The latter of these is admittedly more so my own desire... However, my wonderful husband is incredibly supportive of my goals. I've been at home since February, due to health reasons, and trying to figure out what to do with all of this spare time. This task proves difficult as I'm limited in what I can do. It's a disadvantage, but at the same time, it's allowed me to really focus on things I love: gardening, crafts, ministry, and tending to my new home. I'm a new Etsy seller, making and selling items I myself adore (homemade jam, aprons, and dish towels). I can be found under the name "starrling".

I guess that's enough for now. As I said, this is the beginning of an adventure. I hope to use this blog to mark my journey in farming, crafting, and life as a new wife.

Pohickery Farm. Photo by Lucas Walther of Martyr Media (http:://martyrmedia.com)