Enjoy Pumpkin Spice Chai Latte at Home

There is a crispness in the air,

leaves turning golden and burgundy,

it's the beginning of Autumn!

 I'm ready to break in the season

with a steaming cup of my favorite

Pumpkin Spice Latte!

But instead of purchasing these at my local

coffee shoppe this year,

I plan on saving my money

and making it at home.

Sometimes I think we forget how simple it can be

to make our favorite recipes at home.

With simple, inexpensive ingredients at the grocery

store, I will make my own decadent chai tea,

"semi-homemade"!

I purchased two types of Chai Tea bags:

Stash "Decaffeinated Chai Spice" 

 and

Twinings "Chai Pumpkin Spice"

I bring fresh, filtered water to a boil

in my tea kettle on my stove.

When the whistle blows,

I know it's ready.

I use two tea bags in an 8oz. mug

because I like it strong.

Let steep 4 minutes.

Then I stir in a couple tablespoons of

Nestle Coffee-mate in the flavor

"Pumpkin Spice"

and a teaspoon of my favorite sweetener

which is Stevia granules.

 

Enjoy!

I spent a total of about $9 for:

2 boxes of tea bags

1 bottle of creamer

1 box of Stevia

This will make at least 18 servings.

That's 50 cents per serving

compared to $3 or $4 per serving at the coffee shoppe....

and I don't even have to change out of my pajamas and slippers

to drive there!

 

Keep Calm and Kerri On!

Even the John (Latrine, Water Closet, Lavatory or Loo) gets Halloween Decorations

 

Some of my decorations

like the Jack-o-lantern above

were passed down from my parents.

Others I purchased at The Dollar Tree

like the crow, hand and grave stone.

These Jack-o-lanterns were made

by my boys about ten years ago...

recycling jars by mod-podging

strips of orange tissue paper and gluing

on cut out facial features from card stock.

The "severed hand" is holding a scoop

to the bath salts.

A black spider is getting ready to crawl up the finger.

I hung a string of pumpkin lights along the mirror.

This gives just enough of an eery effect

for night time-bath time.

I filled the homemade Jack-o-lanterns with a little

bath salts and popped in a few

battery operated votive candles.

How do you decorate your "Loo"

for Halloween?

DIY Wedding Mints - a Family Tradition

This recipe was handed down from my Nana Ruby.

She had four daughters...my mother had four daughters...

my oldest sister Beth had four daughters...

sister Lindy had three daughters....

sister Lisa had a daughter and a son....

and I have three sons.

Most of these have already gotten married and

had these homemade mints at their weddings.

Me included!

We make it a family occasion.  Everybody gets together

around the kitchen table and rolls out mints,

visiting, sharing stories.

IT'S A FAMILY TRADITION 

Now it's my son, Austin who is getting married!

WEDDING MINTS

You will need:

4 oz. of Cream Cheese (not low fat)

1 lb. of powdered sugar

1 tsp. mint flavoring (or flavor of your choice)

food color (I use gel)

Start mixing your cream cheese and powdered sugar.

Use a fork, if needed to "cut" in the cream cheese.

Add in your flavoring and coloring.

It will be extremely dry.

It will NOT look like it will mix into a dough,

but resist the urge to add any water.

I promise it will come together. 

EACH RECIPE WILL MAKE 100 TO 150 MINTS

(depending of the size)

I will be making four batches.

Half with mint flavoring in purple.

Half with almond flavoring in fuscia.

 

Use your (clean) hands to knead the dough...

and knead...

Eventually it will turn into the consistency of play dough.

Yay!

Purchase a candy mold in whatever shape you choose.

Usually we made roses and leaves.

But for Austin and Katlynn's wedding

I chose hearts.

The royal purple will match the bridesmaid dresses!

Set up your work station at a table:

Put down wax paper

a bowl of granulated sugar

a drying rack (cookie rack) or paper towels

a knife

clean hands

roll out a snake of dough about 8 inches long

and the thickness of a magic marker.

Cut into sections.

For my molds I needed about the size of a large blueberry,

smaller than a grape or cherry.

Just keep trying, until you get the right size.

Roll the balls in the granulated sugar

and squish into the molds.

Be sure to push the dough to the edges of the mold.

Turn over the mold

and the mints will pop out.

Turn them right side up to dry.

(if the mints wont come out of the mold easily,

go ahead and take those out and clean the mold.

Now sprinkle the mold sheet with granulated sugar,

this will help them not stick to the mold)

The top row, above is done correctly.

The bottom heart is not pushed completely to the edges... 

Notice how the heart on the left is much more defined

than the one only pushed part way down.

You don't want to "overstuff" the mold either

as shown above on the right....

It will come out as a blob (on the left)

So just take your time to press each mint completely to the edges

and take off any access.

Now put these on a rack to dry for at least 24 hours.

Cover them lightly with paper towel.

If you do not have a rack, lay them on paper towel

and turn them every 12 hours or so.

I let mine dry for 36 hours

and then freeze in between paper towels

in ziplock bags until the day of the wedding.

This can be very time consuming.

So if you have to put away the dough for awhile,

put it in a ziplock bag in the refrigerator.

 

This is a very easy recipe and so delicious!

We usually snack on them as we're making them,

so be sure to make some extras!

 

Keep Calm and Kerri On!

 

Mom's Chocolate Sheet Cake

This is a recipe for my mother's chocolate sheet cake,

a family favorite. Chocolate with a hint of cinnamon.

This is my son, Ethan's, favorite cake.

He requested it this year for his 23rd birthday.

So here's the recipe:

MOM'S CHOCOLATE SHEET CAKE

IN A MEDIUM SAUCEPAN BLEND:

1 stick butter

1/2 c. shortening

4 tsp. cocoa powder

1 cup water

Heat until dissolved (only a slight boil)

Take off of heat and let cool.

IN A LARGE BOWL SIFT TOGETHER:

2 cups sugar

2 cups flour

1 tsp. baking soda

2 tsp. cinnamon

FOR THE NEXT STEP you will need 1/2 cup of buttermilk.

I didn't have any, so I made a substitute out of

1 Tbsp. of Apple Cider Vinegar,

then filling up to the 1/2 cup line with

evaporated milk.

(rarely do I keep buttermilk on hand)

IN MEDIUM BOWL COMBINE:

the 1/2 cup of buttermilk

2 beaten eggs

1 t. vanilla

Pour cooled chocolate mixture over the dry ingredients in the large bowl,

then add the buttermilk mixture.

Stir completely, but do not "over mix".

Pour into a prepared sheet cake pan or stone.

(the average sheet pan measures 13"x18").

Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

While the cake is baking, prepare your

ICING:

IN A MEDIUM SAUCEPAN MELT:

1 stick of butter

6 tsp. buttermilk (again, you can sub sour milk)

4 tsp. cocoa powder

LET THE MIXTURE COOL FOR 10 MINUTES:

Then add 1 box of powdered sugar (1 lb.)

1 tsp. vanilla

and 1 cup of chopped pecans (optional)

Stir to combine...

if too thick, add one Tbsp. of milk at a time,

stirring between each, until a creamy consistency.

ICE THE CAKE AS SOON AS IT IS REMOVED FROM THE OVEN.

This cake is a light chocolate cake with a slight hint of cinnamon.

The frosting is sweet and nutty.

Very moist and decadent.

ENJOY!

Keep Calm and Kerri On!

Ipsy September 2013 "Classic Beauty"

Ipsy Time!  Yay!

Love the little zipper charm on the bag!

Arriving in the mail this morning

is a pretty cobalt blue zippered bag with a pretty butterfly pattern.

The card says:  Classic Beauty and has discount codes on the back.

Here's a quick look at what's inside my bag...

(others may vary)

"John Frieda Full Repair Shampoo and Conditioner"

I am so happy to receive these deluxe samples in my bag.

I use John Frieda hair color and his brunette shampoos and conditioners.

They always leave my hair feeling silky.

I can take these to Texas for my son's wedding next month

and know that my hair will be looking great!

Thanks Ipsy!

"Nyx Eye Shadow Single"

In the color ES29 Charcoal

This is a full sized product.

:)

"It's So Big" Mascara by Elizabeth Mott

I've never heard of this brand

but am looking forward to trying it in this basic black

deluxe sized sample.

Who doesn't need mascara?

...and a "Starlooks Eye Pencil"

in the color K01 Obsidian,

a creamy, deep, dark gray...

and this product is full sized.

Ipsy is the best beauty box I've tried, and I've tried a few!

Remember it's only $10 each month

and you get a different makeup bag each month

packed with deluxe sample sized to full sized products.

 

If you would like to sign up for Ipsy

click on my link below:

 

http://www.ipsy.com/?refer=u-h8hqaawjtrmj2y7

 

Thank you~

Keep Calm and Kerri On!