Western Warmth: September 2013

Sunday, September 29, 2013

Making Better Pancakes While Camping

So, I made the mistake of taking cold cereal for breakfast on our last campout and to add insult to injury I forgot the milk. Forgot the milk!

So my sad children ate their dry cereal from a plastic bowl while longingly sniffing the campground air that was permeated with fresh sizzling bacon and sweet pancake batter just hitting the griddle. It wasn't my finest mom moment.

So we came up with a new creation this last weekend: CAMPCAKES (my children's new name for them)! Casey decided to make Pioneer Woman's pancake batter recipe (which we highly recommend) to cook over the campfire.

Oh yum.

Instead of spending an hour making 3 or 4 pancakes at a time, he decided to make each person a big one of their own.

This is a large skillet. These things were big!

And so, so good! One filled each person, so the cooking time was minimal.

And the yum-yum time was maximized! Have a cast iron skillet? Next time you camp, make CAMPCAKES. My kids recommend it :).

Tuesday, September 17, 2013

Horse Shoe Decorating

horse·shoe / ˈhôr(s)ˌshoō/• n. a shoe for a horse formed of a narrow band of iron in the form of an extended circular arc and secured to the hoof with nails.∎ a shoe of this kind or a representation of one, regarded as bringing good luck. ∎ something resembling this in shape: [as adj.] a horseshoe bend. ∎ (horseshoes) [treated as sing.] a game in which horseshoes are thrown at a stake in the ground.

Eclectic Entry by Los Angeles Interior Designers & Decorators Suzan Fellman LLC

Eclectic Entry by Athens Photographers Corynne Pless

Traditional Kids

Eclectic Bathroom by Steamboat Springs Interior Designers & Decorators Lynne Barton Bier - Home on the Range

Rustic Powder Room by Steamboat Springs Interior Designers & Decorators Lynne Barton Bier - Home on the Range Interiors

Traditional Kitchen by Minneapolis Architects & Designers TEA2 Architects

Rustic Closet by Provo Building Supplies Rustica Hardware

Eclectic Bathroom by The Woodlands Architects & Designers JAUREGUI Architecture Interiors Construction

Contemporary Living Room by Nampa Doors Reclaimed Lumber Products

Contemporary Deck by Bozeman Interior Designers & Decorators Envi Interior Design Studio

Peanut Butter Cup copycat recipe

Overall, I'm grateful for many of the things I learned from the 10 different roommates I had in my college experience. But this tip (how to make your own PB cups) I'm still torn on. Is it good to know how to make candy this good?

I'll let you decide.

1 1/2 C chocolate chips (milk for regular, semi-sweet for dark)
1 C peanut butter
3 T softened butter
1 C powdered sugar

First of all I'll explain that you can buy the little paper cups that look like the store-bought ones and line muffin tins with them, to make these appear like the ones you can purchase.

However, if you are inpatient like me, you can just make a great big one in a round glass pan and dig in with a fork!

Melt half the chocolate chips in the microwave. Spread on the bottom of the pan. Put this pan in the freezer while you mix the peanut butter, butter, and sugar. Then spread the peanut butter layer over the hardened chocolate. Next, melt the rest of the chocolate chips and spread over the peanut butter. Cool to harden and enjoy!