The Day I Became A Mom

Long, long ago, I became a mom on this day. Thirty-seven years ago, at 6:38AM. 

Here is my first-born child with his first-born child.   

Now he has six children and they are all wonderful! I am grateful to be Samuel's mother. He has taught me more than I have taught him. I love you, Son. I hope you have a Happy Birthday! 

Agnes Is Eight!

 It's Agnes' turn to have a birthday today~ and she is 8 years old! I'm so excited for her! I have a very special relationship with this lovely young lady. I'm so happy she is nearby so I can see her often. She is a precious angel!

A donut for her first birthday! 

A fondue party for her second birthday! 

See what I mean about her being an angel? Totally.

Happy Birthday, Agnes! I love you more than you can imagine! 

Happy Third Birthday Olive!

Three years ago, this beautiful little girl came into our lives and changed our hearts forever! 

Olive Hazel Read with her siblings, Agnes and Eliot.

On her first birthday she was in California to celebrate with her great grandpa Bill, with whom she shares a birthday, 79 years apart.

Here is our little doll on her second birthday! 

The night before her baby brother, Matthew was born

At the Sweet Fairy Bakery

I love you, Olive! I hope your birthday is wonderful for you, because YOU are wonderful! 

Diet Cupcakes- Almost!

My last post was about superifically-calorified cupcakes. These, on the other hand are practically calorie-free. Okay, so not quite but they are "slimmed down." 

A friend of mine was having some challenges with her three-year-old son's escapades, so I figured she needed a treat. I had just cleaned out the refrigerator and knew I had some strawberries, and I had some chocolate frosting that I'd made a couple days earlier. Why not put them together? By the way, you know it's time to clean the fridge when you have absolutely no idea what is inside a particular container and/or your plasticware drawer (I'd say Tupperware, but it's actually all Rubbermaid or Snapware) is empty!  

Another friend of mine was celebrating a birthday, so she got a plate too. 

Another friend has a two-year-old boy who is my best pal, so they got a plate too. The first friend wasn't home (she was the reason I turned the oven on in the first place!) so I picked a different friend and it seemed to brighten her evening a lot. I'll try the first friend again tomorrow. My idea came from here, but I've changed the recipe a lot. Still, let's give credit where credit is due. My eighth-grade history teacher, Mr. Beglinger always said, "Fair is fair." So thanks to Lizzy Early over at Your Cup of Cake for the recipe idea. Anyway, let's get to how I slimmed these down. 

Neapolitan "Diet" Cupcakes

3 eggs 

1/2 cup applesauce

1/2 cup strawberry greek yogurt (I use Dannon Light and Fit, 2X protein, 0% fat- so that's 80 calories and 12 grams of protein!)

1/2 cup strawberry jam (I used my homemade freezer variety) 

1/4 cup milk (I used 1%)

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 box chocolate or devil's food cake mix (I used Duncan Hines Swiss Chocolate)
Preheat oven to 350°F. Mix together all the ingredients except the cake mix until the mixture is blended. Add the cake mix and beat at low speed until it's moistened, then beat on medium speed for two minutes.
I use a medium-sized cookie scoop to put the batter into the cupcake liners. It makes the process a breeze. Bake cupcakes for 17-21 minutes (mine were just right at 19 minutes) or until toothpick tests clean.
Cool in pans for about one minute and then remove the cupcakes to either a cooling rack or a couple of 9x13 pans and cover them with plastic wrap while you make your frosting.
I used the chocolate frosting from this post and then I made some vanilla frosting too.

Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting
1/2 cup butter, softened
4 oz cream cheese, softened
2 tsp vanilla extract
5 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream (or if using milk, start with only 2 T and add a little more milk if necessary, until you reach your desired consistency)
Fresh strawberries for garnish
Beat butter and cream cheese for three minutes. Add vanilla extract and then the powdered sugar. Beat until creamy and there are no sugar lumps remaining. Add cream or milk and whip until it's smooth, about three minutes.
I have a nifty bag that you can fill with two different frostings and then place that bag into another bag with a tip and then you can just pipe away and get the two-toned effect. If you don't have a nifty bag but you do have regular bags, put one flavor in a bag and the other flavor in another bag and then put those two bags into a third bag that has a tip on it and you're all set. Pipe away and top with a fresh strawberry half.
Now go take them to a few of your favorite friends, or treat yourself. Way less guilt on these if you do eat them all because of the applesauce and greek yogurt!
The app, My Fitness Pal, counts these at 98 calories (without the frosting!). They'd be even less if I left out the strawberry jam (86 calories).

Cupcake Deliveries

I've come across a cupcake recipe that is simply divine. That is, if you're not on a diet. Otherwise, avoid these at all costs. The recipe comes from the book, Cupcakes from the Cake Mix Doctor. I frosted the first batch with strawberry frosting and the second batch with chocolate frosting, topping both with a fresh raspberry and some heart-shaped sprinkles. In two different sizes. Because...I have a sprinkle addiction. It's Orson Gygi's fault.

Let's start with the cupcake itself.

Best Birthday Cupcakes (slightly adapted from Cupcakes From the Cake Mix Doctor, page 138)

8 oz. reduced-fat cream cheese, at room temperature

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup oil

1/2 cup water

4 large eggs

1 T vanilla extract

1 box (16.5oz) Duncan Hines Butter Golden cake mix

Preheat oven to 350°F. Prepare cupcake pans by placing cupcake liners in 24-30 cups (I've made this recipe several times and always get 28-30 cupcakes from it, not the 22-24 listed in the book).

Place softened cream cheese in mixing bowl (if your cream cheese isn't soft, place it on a microwaveable dish and heat on full power for 20 seconds). Beat cream cheese for one minute, then add the sugar and beat for another minute. Add oil, water, eggs, and extract and beat until combined. Add cake mix and beat at low speed for 30 seconds and at medium speed for 2 minutes. 

Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full of batter and bake for 18-24 minutes or until lightly browned and toothpick tests clean.

Remove from pan and immediately place cupcakes into a 9x13 pan and cover with plastic wrap until cupcakes are completely cool.

Now let's talk about the frosting. It can be tricky to get a good tasting fruit-flavored frosting. I adapted the strawberry buttercream recipe from Lizzy Early's website, Your Cup of Cake.

Strawberry Buttercream

1 cup butter, softened

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 teaspoons strawberry flavored gelatin (Jell-O powder)

1/4 cup strawberry jam (I used my homemade freezer jam)

4-6 cups powdered sugar
Add the strawberry Jell-O to the strawberry jam and heat it in the microwave for 30 seconds. Remove from microwave and stir until the Jell-O powder is no longer gritty. Allow jam mixture to cool completely.
Place butter in mixing bowl and beat for two minutes. Add vanilla extract and cooled jam mixture, beating briefly. Add four cups of powdered sugar and beat at the lowest speed possible unless you want a cloud of powdered sugar swirling around your head (I don't know, maybe that's a good thing?). After the sugar begins to incorporate, increase speed to medium. Continue to add powdered sugar, 1/2 cup at a time until you reach your desired consistency and flavor. Once you've arrived, continue beating the frosting for at least five more minutes to make it fluffy and fabulous. 

Chocolate Frosting
1 cup butter, softened
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 T vanilla extract
3/4 cup cocoa powder
4-6 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream (approximate)
Place the butter and cream cheese into mixing bowl. Beat for three minutes. Add vanilla extract and beat until blended. Add cocoa powder and beat on low speed, then add two cups of powdered sugar and mix slowly until it starts to come together. Add two more cups of powdered sugar and when it is mixed in, increase speed to medium-high. Add the whipping cream as needed if the frosting is too thick. When the frosting is mixed well, taste it and see if you need to add more sugar or not. When you are satisfied with the chocolate to sugar ratio (my preference is about 5 cups of sugar), continue beating the frosting on medium-high speed for about 15 minutes. Yes, 15 minutes. You want to whip in a lot of air into this frosting which will give it a light and airy deliciousness that is incomparable to canned frosting.

I realize this just looks like a blob of brown mess. It is, in fact, fantastic chocolate frosting. It's the extra beating time that turns it from good to great. Now go deliver your cupcakes to all your friends (or just one or two of your friends) so they don't stay in your house, because they are dangerous.

Bran Muffins

Don't judge these by their name! In 2006, I assembled a family recipe book. My mother requested that I include this recipe in the book (page 209) because she loves it so much.

Refrigerator Bran Muffins
1 1/2 cups hot water
3 cups 100% bran cereal (All-Bran)
1 cup raisins
1 cup applesauce
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup honey
1 cup nonfat yogurt
1 cup buttermilk
2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
2 tsp soda
3/4 tsp salt
Pre-heat oven to 400°F. Put bran cereal and raisins in a large bowl. Stir in the hot water to moisten the mixture. Let the cereal absorb the water for a couple of minutes. Add applesauce, eggs, honey, yogurt, and buttermilk and stir to combine. Combine flour, baking soda and salt, and stir into the cereal mixture just until blended. Fill muffin tins 2/3 to 3/4 full (you can either use cupcake liners or spray the pan to prevent sticking). Bake for 15-18 minutes.
The batter will keep in the refrigerator for about a month if you don't want to bake all the muffins at once. If you choose this option, don't re-stir the batter. Just take it out and fill your cupcake pan. I prefer to bake mine all at once and then freeze the muffins. Pop a frozen muffin into the microwave and heat it until it is as warm as you like it.
(77 calories per muffin)

Minestrone Soup

Not too long ago I made some soup. It was the recipe of my friends over at OBB with a couple of modifications to suit us better. We loved it! It kept us going through a week of rough times. I bought some french-cut green beans because the recipe called for it. When I began making the soup, I looked for the green beans. Never did find them. I figure they never made it to the car from the store. 

Minestrone Soup (slightly adapted from Our Best Bites)
1 T olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 large carrot, thinly sliced
2 stalks celery, diced
1 small zucchini, quartered and sliced
2 cloves garlic, pressed
1 (12 oz) bag of mixed veggies (I used a mixture of carrots, corn, peas, and green beans)
2 (15 oz) cans red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
2 (15 oz) cans Great Northern white beans, drained and rinsed
1 (14 oz) can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
3 (14.5 oz) cans chicken broth
3 cups hot water
1/2 cup small pasta (I used Ditalini)
4 cups loosely packed fresh spinach leaves (just grab a couple good handfuls)

Heat a large stock pot to medium-high heat, then add olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Add onion, carrot and celery. Sauté 4-5 minutes. Add zucchini and garlic and cook for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add beans, tomatoes and seasonings, stirring to combine. Add broth and water. Bring soup to a simmer, then cover the pot and reduce heat to low. Cook for about 20 minutes or until carrots are tender. Add pasta. When the pasta is cooked to your liking, turn off the heat and stir in the fresh spinach leaves. Season with additional salt and pepper, if you wish. This soup tends to thicken up slightly when you refrigerate the leftovers. I opened another can of chicken broth and poured in just enough to make it "soupy" again when I reheated it. Bud asked for leftovers of this again and again.
The toasted bread you see in the photo is a loaf of store bought french bread. I butter one side, sprinkle it ever-so-lightly with kosher salt and place it butter-side down in a medium-hot frying pan just until it is golden. That smidgeon of salt makes all the difference between good and great.

Matthew's Big Smiles

Yesterday when I was in Provo, I caught Matthew in a particularly good mood and snapped a few photos with my phone. 

You can't get too much of a good thing! He is such a sweet boy! I love him, love him, LOVE him!