Owl Creek Cottage

Lava, Pickle Ball, and Baseball Cookies

We had a full, full week and weekend!  There was too much going on to put into one post, so here are a few highlights from the week. 

The boys are studying astronomy this year for science, and this week we learned about Venus.  We made a volcano of butter and flour to show how lava melts, then cools.  I love easy science experiments that require very little work but are fun for the kids.

And for P.E. we bought a volleyball/badminton/pickle ball set and put up the net in our back pasture.  I left the rackets and balls on the deck, and the kids have gone out all week and played.  It's a little hard to play badminton with three players, so I ended up playing with them a lot.  They think I'm extremely athletic and good (I'm not), so it's very gratifying :-)  Addie is actually pretty good at sports, so she and Caiden played lots and lots of pickle ball.

One of the things we really loved about our house when we first looked at it, is that it's fully fenced and gated, with cross fencing for the pastures and paddock.  So the kids can go outside and play, and I don't have to worry about them getting into the street--or into the land behind us, which has a large den of coyotes!  The freedom means they spend a lot of play time outside, now that it's finally cooling down.

On Wednesday, we had a little family party to celebrate our Texas Rangers appearing in the World Series!  I taught the kids "Take Me Out to the Ballgame," which required looking up the lyrics on the phone.  I'm famous for messing up lyrics, so I figured I'd rather be safe than sorry.

Then we made nachos and a plate of cookies.  I got the idea from Erin, who made hers several years ago.  I bought Nutter Butters to be the peanuts and then dipped Oreos in white candy coating, let them harden, and used an icing writer to draw on the threads for the baseballs.  Can you guess what was the kids' favorite part?

They turned out cute (and delicious!)--thanks Erin!

On Thursday we had a wedding rehearsal to go to and had to miss some of the game, but even our babysitter Kristina and her precious baby Abby (The kids call her "The Evil Dr. Abby" because she chases the cat, but fortunately Kristina thinks it's funny!) got into the spirit!

I have tons more pictures from Grayson's birthday party and the wedding he and Chris were in this weekend that I'll post next time.  It was a full, full week, and although it was all really fun, I'm very glad to see a quiet, foggy Monday here today!  And that is good, because the second half of this week and the weekend are going to be really full, too!  Today I'm savoring doing not much else besides school, sipping chai tea lattes, and heating up chili for tonight's game--go Rangers!!

Bread for the Morning

These are perfect for making ahead, freezing, and looking like you have it together when you have surprise company.  Quick breads are made without yeast, so they're easy to throw together quickly--even in time for breakfast, if you're up with the birds, which we are most days around here.  Here are two recipes I've adapted from Pillsbury's Best Muffins & Quick Breads.

Sweet Cinnamon Quick Bread

Preheat your oven to 350.  Grease and flour or use non-stick spray on the bottom of an aluminum loaf pan.  Don't use a glass pan; your bread will stick.

Combine the following ingredients in a large bowl:  2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 cup sugar, 4 teaspoons baking powder, 2 teaspoons cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 cup buttermilk*, 1/3 cup oil, 2 teaspoons vanilla, and 2 eggs.  Beat 3 minutes at medium speed.

Pour batter into the prepared pan.  In a separate, small bowl, combine the following:  2 tablespoons sugar, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, and 2 teaspoons softened butter.  Feel free to double these amounts.  Sprinkle this streusel evenly over the batter, and then use a regular knife to swirl the streusel into the batter.  

Bake 45-55 minutes.  Cool 15 minutes in the pan, and then remove from the pan and cool another hour on a cooling rack.  Serve immediately after, or do either of the two options:  Wrap tightly and store in the  refrigerator, or wrap first in plastic wrap, then in foil, and insert into a gallon storage freezer bag, and freeze.  To thaw, bring to room temperature on the counter top.

Buttermilk Chocolate Quick Bread

Preheat oven to 350 and grease/flour or spray with nonstick spray the bottom of an aluminum loaf pan.

In a large bowl, combine 1 cup sugar and 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, blending well.  Add 2 eggs and beat well.  Stir in 1 cup buttermilk* and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla.

Add 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, and 1/2 teaspoon salt to the wet ingredients.  Stir just until moistened.  Pour into prepared pan.

Bake 55-65 minutes.  Follow same directions as above for cooling and storage.

*To substitute for buttermilk, use 1 tablespoon white distilled vinegar or lemon juice plus enough milk to make 1 cup.

Falling

We're slowly falling into the rhythms of fall:  schedules are picking up, routines are becoming more routine, and slowly, slowly, the days are cooling down.  

 I have a well-known love (obsession) for autumn, and I purposefully look for ways to squeeze every bit of life out of the season.  This fall, I'm reading Dickens' Bleak House, a perfect autumnal story.  For years Wuthering Heights was my go-to fall read, but I'm branching out this year.  (Speaking of books, I just finished The Chosen, and it was fascinating.  I want to read its sequel, The Promise, this fall, too.)  And then, of course, there's All Creatures Great and Small, because what could be more perfect for autumn than the musings of a country vet in rain-soaked England?

Soccer starts up this week, and Caiden is ready.  He has grown an amazing amount since last fall, and his cleats look bite-sized next to his feet.  He's growing so fast it makes my heart hurt, and I'm reminded how quickly time passes.  Maybe that's why I love autumn so much; it is a fleeting season.

 We're baking more, cinnamon breads and buttermilk chocolate muffins, and loaves of crusty French bread.  Soups are finding their way to the table, music is quiet in the house, and I'm hunting for a new pair of dress boots for church.  

Fall is almost here.  

 

A Jelly Roll for the Holiday

For Labor Day we made a jelly roll, using the guidelines from my ancient copy of a "step-by-step" cookbook.

Why jelly rolls aren't in favor anymore, I don't know.  There's nothing not to love about them:  thin cake, rolled around jam or pudding or whipped cream, topped with a liberal dose of powdered sugar.

 I'd have made this even if it weren't a holiday.

Fairy Buns

Thanks to "The Gentle Art of Domesticity," we are now acquainted with fairy buns.  

Tiny, cupcake-like (but not quite the same) treats covered in the brightest, citrus-hinted frosting.  Making the frosting is the best part, and Addie is smitten.

 

They make up quickly and are eaten even faster.  Next time we'll have jelly beans on ours, too.

Making Donuts

Sometimes we get a little tired of our oatmeal regimen and we break out into powdered sugar bliss.  These donuts were made this weekend, with Grayson acting as kitchen assistant and Addie as taste tester.  

 

Never mind that they came out shaped more like tires than donuts; nobody seemed to notice aesthetics while shoveling them in!

Strawberry Jam

We are a family passionate about our berries.  One of us, who shall remain unnamed, has been known for swiping pints of blueberries out of the fridge and eating them in the closet.  So when I spied pints of strawberries on sale at my grocery store, we loaded the cart with so many that the boys' eyes shone.

This weekend Addie and I got down to business with those berries, making pints and pints of jam, freezing trays of sliced berries for smoothies and ice cream this summer, and baking strawberry tarts.  Addie made it even sweeter by singing in her famous falsetto voice the entire time she washed the dishes.  

 

Cottage Banana Bread

My own recipe for banana bread, it makes a never-fail loaf, perfect for breakfast with yogurt and fruit, or at afternoon tea (or a midnight snack?)~

 
2 cups all-purpose, unbleached flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup butter 
1 cup turbinado sugar ("Sugar in the Raw") regular is also fine
2 fresh eggs
1 1/2 cups mashed bananas
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla

Beat butter and sugar with electric mixer until fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time and beating well, and then bananas, milk, lemon juice, and vanilla. In a separate bowl, sift and combine dry ingredients. Add dry mixture to banana mixture and beat until combined.

Pour batter into a greased loaf pan and bake in a 350 degree oven for 50 minutes or until set. Cool in pan 10 minutes before cooling further on a rack. Cool completely before slicing.

Stores at room temperature up to 3 days or refrigerated 1 week. Can also be frozen. 

*I double my recipe, as one loaf lasts us less than two days!

A Birthday Cake

 This is not your norm for a little girl's birthday cake, but your birthday guests will thank you.

One bite in, you'll realize it doesn't have to be beautiful because it's that good.

Gooey Butter Cake

Cake:

box yellow cake mix

2 eggs

1 stick butter, melted

Topping:

1 pound confectioner's sugar

2 eggs

8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla or almond extract

Combine cake ingredients and spread into prepared 9x13 inch pan.  Combine topping ingredients and pour over cake mixture.  Bake 45 minutes, coving top with foil after 30 minutes of baking.  Don't panic; the center will not be fully set, and the topping is supposed to crack slightly.  Serve with fresh berries and whipped cream.  Share, if you're generous, or hide it in the back of the cupboard to finish off in private!