Toffee Bits Brownie Cookies

After holidays like Halloween and Easter, you often see candy bar recipes - ways to use up extra candy in cookies and cakes.  We almost never make anything like that, because candy doesn't last very long around this house.  CG's favorite type of candy is toffee.  Every now and again, I'll splurge and buy him the really good English toffee bars and they never last for more than a day or 2, certainly never long enough to bust up for desserts.  Luckily, you can buy Heath bar toffee bits all busted up and ready for baking.

I made a batch of Toffee Bits Brownie Cookies the other day and boy were they ever good.

I started by whisking together 1/2 cup brown rice flour, 1/4 cup white rice flour, 1/4 cup sorghum flour, and 1/2 cup potato starch.

Melt 1 stick(1/2 cup) of butter and 1/3 cup of semi-sweet chocolate in a heavy bottomed pan set on a super low burner.

When the butter and chocolate had melted and was velvety smooth,


I added 3/4 cup of turbinado sugar.

I like using turbinado sugar(sugar in the raw) on top of pastries for a caramelized crunch, but I break it down when I make cookies so that it absorbs into the batter better.  A quick whirr with my stick blender is all it needs.

I added 1 egg and 2 tsps vanilla before adding the flour and 1/8 tsp salt.  Fold in half a bag of toffee bits and drop by tablespoonfuls on a parchment lined sheet.  Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes.  These cookies are chewy perfection.

Thanks for popping in and baking with me.  I'm linking up to Gluten-Free Homemaker's Gluten-Free Wednesdays.

Where's that Money Tree?

If anyone was wondering why we DIY all our projects instead of just hiring out - this is why.

Last spring I posted a pic of 2 lacrosse heads broken within a week of each other, here.  This shaft lasted nearly 7 weeks, so not too bad.  It's a carbon fuse composite - stronger than aluminum alloys, but lighter than titanium alloys.  You can buy it right now off Amazon for $110.  That's $110 for a headless stick.  WD's using a back up stick today, but I'll be shaking that money tree for a new shaft.  Laxers should always have one stick waiting in the wings.    Sigh.    He does love the sport, though.

Thanks for popping in and seeing where my renovation money keeps going to.

Orange Crockpot Chicken

I honestly have no idea how moms with more than 2 kids manage to stay on top of everything, because I feel like I never get a moment to take a breath with just the 2.  As the spring sports schedule gets into full swing,

I find myself filling the crockpot a couple times a week to make evenings easier.  The other evening we had a simple no fuss Orange Chicken.

Nothing could be easier.  I started by browning my chicken thighs in a skillet.  While the thighs were browning, I chopped up an onion and a half a dozen carrots.

The onions went into the bottom of the crockpot.  I added the browned thighs, carrots, some salt & pepper, a smidge of asian 5 spice powder, 2/3 cup of orange marmalade, 1 tbsp of apple cider vinegar, and 1 tbsp of tapioca flour.  I let that cook away on low all day.  Crockpot meals are generally done in 6-8 hrs on low or 4-5 hrs on high.

Crockpot meals are especially nice when you've sat in the rain for 2 hrs in 35 degree weather on a cold metal bench watching your son's team lose.  Speaking of lacrosse, the team dresses up for away games, and here's the pic I snapped this morning of my man child who wears crazy lacrosse shorts & t-shirts in the middle of winter(he was heading out the door and wouldn't pose for the pic.)

The bookcase we built here is surrounded by stuff ready to head out of the house when it's not prettied up for company.

Thanks for popping in and crockpot cooking with me.  I'm linking this up to the Gluten-Free Homemaker's Gluten-Free Wednesdays.

One Last Blast of Winter

After coming home with tons of flowers to plant this weekend, I was reminded by Mother Nature that we live in Upstate NY.  Never ever bother planting anything before Mother's Day.

The view out our front window this morning.

We were lucky.  Just to the west of us in Tioga county, they received much more snow.  Tompkins county received as much as 10 inches.

Thanks for popping in and enjoying this last blast of winter.

In Bloom

Happy Earth Day, everyone!

It's a bit cold & wet here today, but we'll be celebrating Earth Day by doing some planting.  We picked up some marked down dianthus pots,

and several 6packs of marigold and pansies.

We've planted a few azaleas, too.

And since, I like to see blooms on my door, too, I made a new wreath.  This one came together just like my Easter wreath with dollar store floral stems.

For those of you living near a Pottery Barn Kids, you can stop by today and pick up free flower seed packets to start your own flower gardens, and Target will be giving away a free reusable shopping tote to customers who stop by their service counters.

Thanks for popping in and planting and crafting with me.  I'm linking up at Nester's Planty Party.

These Boots Were Made For...

Strutting, For Sure.  Shopping, Absolutely.

Hauling Stone?  Not so much.  After you all urged me to run back over to the redemption center to ask about the granite slabs I posted about the other day, I had to squeeze in a stop while I was running some errands.  The folks at the redemption center knew nothing about the stone, and pointed me to the neighboring business on the other side of the parking lot.  I asked about them at the other building, and the gentleman I talked to told me that I could take any of the broken chunks on the ground for free.

I only grabbed a couple, because I hadn't really been ready for that answer.  While I may be able to squat 270 and bench 90lbs, lifting chunks of stone in heels without work gloves is not something I'd recommend.  My hands are all chewed up from my efforts.  The little one in the front is brown and red.  CG really liked this one and said I should go back for more.  The large one has the prettiest garnet inclusions and to my eye looks like it could be Bianco Antico.  Score!

At about 20lbs per sqft, the big one works out to about 180-200lbs.  I am woman hear me roar.  When I got back to the house, CG unloaded the little one then asked me to grab one end of the big one.  I responded, "I got that in the van by myself."  He just gave me a withering glance, and I grabbed one end.  I think these will make some fantastic outdoor tables or something.  The folks over at the GardenWeb Kitchen Forums gave me some great ideas.

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I'll be going back in some sensible shoes w/ work gloves to take a look at what else is there.  Oh, If you're wondering why the stone is in the passenger section of my van, the back was already full of groceries, and I didn't want to move them all to flip the back row flat.  I'll be ready next time.

Thanks for popping in and checking out my free haul.

Slab-Tastic

Have you ever come across something so unexpected that set your mind running?

Here in NY, we pay a nickel deposit on every water bottle or soda/beer can or bottle.  With the cost of materials skyrocketing, we can take our bottles and cans to a redemption center for 6 cents back on every bottle or can.  On my last trip to the redemption center, I noticed an A-frame on the edge of the parking lot.  There was a broken slab of granite on the one side, a neutral slab behind it,

And this gorgeous slab of granite on the other side.  Love the movement in this one.  Yes, that is miscellaneous garbage surrounding this A-frame of granite slabs.

Weird, right?  I had to quickly redeem my bottles, and rush off to WD's lacrosse game, but I couldn't stop thinking about the granite.  What was it doing no where near a stone yard, in a parking lot surrounded by trash?  Could one of the broken pieces be a good fit for the hutch we're building?(I'd need to pick up a diamond blade and some polishing wheels for our grinder)  Who would I ask about the granite?  If they're abandoned or crazy fire sale prices, do I need to invent a reason to use the one with movement?  

So what do you all think?  Should I run back over there and ask some questions?

Week in Review

After a Spring Break week that both the kids and I thoroughly enjoyed, they'll be heading back to school Monday morning, and I will be back to posting on a regular basis.  I hadn't planned on the blogging break, but sometimes you just have to put the camera down, step away from the computer, and enjoy your kids.  Here's some of what we've been up to during our week off.  Our in-laws are getting ready for the cottage expansion project by taking down a few trees.  The chain saws were buzzing for most of 2 days.

The boys helped with branches, and WD stacked logs.

We had a roaring fire going for days.

Maybe a little too big.

In between all the tree related work, we still found time to dye eggs,

and stage an egg hunt.

SB practiced his swing in preparation for the little league season starting up,

WD had 2 lacrosse games this week.

Wednesday, his team fought a very good Horseheads team as well as some crazy weather.  It rained, snowed, and hailed during that game all with bracing wind gusts.  At halftime, the ref said, "If this was baseball, I would have called it 20 minutes ago."  With SB deciding he likes baseball over lacrosse, I only have a couple more years of freezing on the sidelines.  No pictures from that game, because I was sitting at the scoring table as a spotter.  2 days later he played a home game that was a lot easier on the spectators.  We like 70 and sunny.

Our hyacinths are finally blooming.  Because of our home's elevation, we have to wait a little longer to see spring blooms.  I cut a bunch to bring inside and the smell is just heavenly.

I took SB and the Princess to the zoo and Story Garden during their week off.  Even with a broken arm, P decided they were going to be "miners."

And no week around here would be complete without some dessert.  Here's the fruit tart and fruit salad that I brought to a barbecue yesterday.  I love making fresh fruit salads for warm summery days when I may be drinking a few too many calorie-laden beverages.

Thanks for popping in and spending spring  break with us.

Modern Backsplashes

Sorry about the lack of posting lately.  The kids are on spring break, and I just haven't felt motivated to take any blogworthy pictures.  I do have several projects in the works, though.  Unfortunately none of them are ready for a reveal.  One thing I have been thinking about lately is modern backsplashes.  You've all seen glimpses of my backsplash with my barcode tiles.

And a view of the window area where I tiled all the way up the wall and into the window well.

Our friends recently moved into their gorgeous new build, and are busy putting all the finishing touches on their home.  I can't wait to give you a tour when it's all spit-shined and polished up.  One of the decisions that they still need to make is for the kitchen backsplash.  Their home is uber contemporary with strong horizontal lines, and mostly neutral, with fun pops of color.  Here's a sneak peek at their hickory floors that I'm totally in love with.

These are some backsplash ideas that I've come up with.  I love the look of back-painted glass and these images have been sitting in my ideas file from since before I had a blog.  If anyone knows the sourcing let me know.  I love the way the vibrant color of back-painted glass pops off the background.  Our friends also have white cabs, and I can't wait to share them, because they are truly special custom cabinetry.

Here's another example of backpainted glass in a setting with even more chutzpah.


Some amazing results could be had with backlit glass.


I love these Walker Zanger damask tiles.  Gorgeous!


The damask tiles got me thinking about wallpaper, and I love the idea of wallpaper as a backsplash.  It comes in such amazing designs that the sky is really the limit as to the graphic possibilities.

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I love this Cole & Son's birch tree paper used as a backsplash.

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Most of these papers aren't scrubbable, but a couple coats of polyurethane on top makes them kitchen ready.  Here's a link to a tutorial on how to cover wallpaper with polyurethane.

Thanks for popping in and checking out backsplash ideas with me.