First Order

I received my first order this week and I am so excited.  She even sent my a photo (see below) of how she set it up.  Rock candy was a success.  She is even thinking of using me again for Father’s Day and mini cupcakes.  It feels good to be able to share my love for baking and making candy with others.  I can’t wait to get more orders.  I promise I won’t let it go to my head.  I’m just happy that I can make other people happy with what makes my happy.

 

It’s a little blurry but as you can tell she put the packages in a vase with some flowers for a mother’s day event.  I’m so happy that she shared the picture with me.

 

This is all the little packages that are in the vase. 46 packages of bubble gum flavored rock candy.

One day I might go big but right now, I am enjoying doing the small things right now.  Especially now that summer is here, baking will almost impossible unless I bake at night when it’s cooler.  However rock candy is easy and doesn’t require heating the entire house up.  So feel free to order but please give me a week to two weeks notice.

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Last Night’s Dinner

So Friday morning while dropping off the other carrier’s papers (I deliver the newspaper for those who don’t know), I made the comment that I was going to make carnitas for dinner and that the recipe called for a beer.  Of course someone had to chime in a say you don’t use beer to make carnitas.  Well in one ear and out the other, personally it’s my kitchen and I make the choice of how I am gonna make something.  I read the recipe first and if has something in it that I know I wouldn’t like I move on to the next one.  Well I read this and to me it was simple enough and the pictures that were posted with it, just made it look yummy.  So of course I made it.  With my husband always being my trusty taste tester, I knew he would tell me if it was a pass or fail recipe.

Mexican food has always been a staple in my family, and now that I have married an “Italian beaner” (his words not mine because he is Italian and Mexican mix) I knew he would make a great taste tester for when I made Mexican food from scratch.  A couple of years ago I made tamales for the first time ever, and he loved them.  His oldest daughter said that I passed. I personally think I did one hella of a job on them.

So back to the carnitas…sure it may not be made the traditional way, and who ever said I was a traditional person. I love my crock pot, so when I find a recipe that says I can use it and make a wonderful dish for not one night but two, I am all over it. After all the cooking and then the shredding and then putting in the broil to get a “burn” on the meat, hubby was very please.  I was told I did a great job on the meat.  I really wanted to take some meat to the girl that made the comment and say see, taste, damn I’m good huh? But hubby said I needed to deflate my head and not give into someone who has no idea of my cooking skills, or in the case the blog that I got the recipe from cooking skills.

So I would have taken pictures but it was late, hubby just came home from his softball game and he was hungry, but you can tell from the link here in the pictures the meat look delish.  So take my word when I say this is a keeper here, plus with the extra meat you can make Carnitas Tamale Pie.  That’s what is for dinner tonight.

Almost Done

I stopped working on this website for a few weeks.  I know, I know, what was I thinking?  Well I needed a break and I really needed to figure out what I really wanted to sell. You just don’t realize how much work goes into something when you are doing it all by yourself.   So now two long weeks later, I am almost done.  YAY!!!!

I just need to add some more details to the Truffles, explaining what each is.  I’m hoping that it is more user friendly.  I would like some feedback if anyone is willing to do so. I would like to know what you think.

Samples

I have given my nail tech some samples of cinnamon rock candy.  I do hope that this will bring in some interest.  I mean why can’t I get a boost in the candy making world?  I’m not trying to be a Buddy from Cake Boss, I am just doing something that makes me happy to do.  Please for those that are interested, yes I can bag up the candy into baggies so you can give to your guest.  I can even do the cake pops and the truffles.  C’mon I know someone is having a party some where and needs some candy to give their guest, or even a wedding!

 

Need Some Help

Need some more likes on my Facebook page.  Who is willing to help me out?  Any of my followers just want to hit the like button and just follow my page?  It would mean a lot to me, I would like to get more people who are trying to do the same thing that I am so that we can share and support each other.

Comment your links or Facebook page and I will like your page and post it on my wall to show support.

Also who has Instagram and needs or wants more followers?  You can follow me on Instagram @treatsbyangie78.  Follow me and I will follow back. Show each other support.

 

https://www.facebook.com/TreatsByAngie78

Rebuilding my web page

So I have been changing some things up.  I do like doing cake pops and truffles, but I don’t want to overwhelm anyone with all of the flavors.  At first I had 12 basic and 12 seasonal flavors and sure that doesn’t seem like a lot because you have a specialty flavor every month along with the 12 basic, but then again it is.  Well to me it is.  So I cut it down to just 12 basic flavors to choose from.. I may still add a page of seasonal flavors but for now while this website is under construction, I’m sticking to the basic 12. 

The rock candy flavors are growing.  I want to be able to offer all flavors and soon I will be able to.

I’m working on what flavors of cupcakes I would like to make, and of course those will be coming soon, but those are for local pick only.

I’m not sure if I would like to keep the cookies on the menu.  That is something I will have to work on.

 

 

Here is the link to my website if you want to check it out.

This rebuilding of this page is taking longer than it did to build it the first time.  Boy what did I get myself into?

Spring has sprung

So I have has some plants that I started growing a couple weeks ago. Ok so lets say I started over 60 little pots of vegies. What the heck was I thinking? Saving money is what. So I know I can freeze bell pepper strips and chopped up. I can also freeze chopped onion and carrots. I have never done fresh spices so it will be a first for me. But seriously if I can freeze all of this stuff think of the money I’m not spending every week for fresh vegetables. Now I will have to get tomatoes and lettuce from the store but that’s nothing.

Now I had some left over planters from my make shift garden two years ago so that helped. As for the rest I used Easter buckets that walmart has on sell for 97¢. Why not? Sure they may not be a strong as planters but if I can avoid spending $100’s of dollars to make my garden then I will. I have to charge a drill and make some drain holes in each bucket but that’s easy peasy.

Today I transplanted 38 of my vegies that were beyond ready to have some space of their own. Now I still have 20 pods that I’m waiting for them to start growing and then I have 18 pods of spices that I will need smaller planters for and I’m waiting for the other 10 jalapenoes and 10 bell pepper plants to get big enough to move. But its a good start and besides it gives some of the plants time to adjust to their New territory and the weather to get really nice before living out of the green house so I can have more room.

As you can see in the last picture the top shelf has the starter plants on it.  I hope I still have a green thumb and this works. I would really like to freeze my own vegies.

Shepherd’s Pie

Ok, so we all know that there are a million recipes for making Shepherd’s Pie.  I used to make a basic one, hamburger meat, corn, potatoes, cheese, and I don’t remember ever making it with a sauce.  What is wrong with me?  It was still good, maybe there was a sauce and I just don’t remember.  Either way Shepherd’s Pie was a once a month, fall, winter, spring and even during the heat of the summer meal, because the hubby requested it.  It was simply one of his favorite meals.  However after eating it, even just once a month I was getting burnt out on it, him nope not even close.  Well since I make the dinners, I took it off the menu for a while, and by a while I mean for over 6 months.  He would suggest it but I would just blow it off.  Well without him knowing it, I put it back on the menu after finding this recipe.

 

 

 

This is before going into to the oven and getting all melt-y yummy.

 

30 minutes later this is the result….

 

Now personally I should have left in the oven so that the cheese gets that burn on it…(call me weird I like the burnt cheese on pizza too).  But this Shepherd’s Pie is a keeper for sure, and I think it may have just been because of the sauce that was made to make the meat moist and delicious. Plus it’s a great way to use up those leftover potatoes or if you like use instant (I did).

 

Now there is one thing I would change and that is the sauce mix, I would and this is my personally, omit the Italian dressing and add more gravy mix.  Of course everyone is different and has different tastes so you may like that little hint. I used my own homemade version of Italian dressing too, and that could have been the difference itself.  Again to each their own when you are  cooking,  it is what makes it your own.

 

So try the recipe.  Here is the link again to Shepherd’s Pie, and let me know if you added or changed anything to your recipe to make it your own.

Freezer Meals

So I’m sure everyone has heard about freezer meals. In case you don’t know what a freezer meal is, it is basically where you prepare a crap load of meals all at once, and put them in gallon size bags and freeze them for later. Now I have read where others have gone thru and chopped up all of the vegies and placed them in bowls and then just take what they think is the correct amount and toss it in the bag. I can’t do that. I don’t know if it is an OCD thing, or if its just because I like the put a whole bell pepper in and not what I think is a whole bell pepper, (which is usually either way under or way over what it really is).

So anyways I made my monthly grocery list (yes I only go shopping once a month, because I hate grocery shopping, I do go and pick up milk and fresh vegies when needed, because then its an in and out thing), I added 6 freezer meals to make for this month.  Seems simple enough right?  Well it is, it is the getting up and actually doing it part that seems to take forever.  Let’s be honest you spend and hour or more at the store buying your groceries, then standing in line waiting to check out, then loading car, driving home, unloading car, and the funnest part of all putting it all away. If you are anything like me, you feel exhausted after all of that. So even thought you just went shopping and you have all of this food in your house you order pizza or you buy one so it can go in the oven while you are putting away the groceries.  Story of my life.

So I went shopping 6 days ago, at night, so of course I’m not preparing any freezer meals that night. Then the next day is Tuesday and those that know, it’s free paper day, so that is 700 papers to individually fold and throw to houses who do not order the daily paper. So needless to say Tuesday is out of the question.  So how about Wednesday?  Nope. I had cupcakes to bake and frost for the AJ’s class because her birthday always falls during spring break. So 48 cupcakes to bake and frost so that I can deliver them on Thursday. I actually only gave them 30 cupcakes and turned the other 18 into cake truffles for them.  I will post those pictures later.  Then time just escaped me the past two days.

So today even though I have only 4 hours of sleep and some how still going, I managed to make 6 different freezer meals. One reason was because I had the pork loin chops waiting for me in the fridge taking up spacious room.  So I threw together the Shredded Pork Tacos in the crockpot and another in a freezer bag. Then it started. I had to finish what I had started, again the OCD thing again I think.  I doubled this Chicken Broccoli and Rice recipe because what was I going to do with half a can of Cream of Celery soup?  Then I started preparing the Chicken Tortilla Stew  and even though it doesn’t say that it makes two bags, it really does.  At least for my family.  I kept everything the same except the salsa I did double that. Then I made the Chicken Taco Chili and BBQ Chicken and Veggies. And last but not least Slow Cooker Chicken Broccoli Alfredo. Now that is 10 meals in my freezer and I don’t have to do much except remember to pull them out the night before and place in fridge so that they thaw enough for my to force them into the crock pot. Besides prepping all of this one meal at a time only took me a little over two hours, but that is dealing with kids and a dog who was tangled up on his lead.  I will take a picture of the ones I have in the refrigerator freezer here shortly and add it to this post.

For the new mothers to be, this is a great way to have everything ready for when your bundle of joy comes.  Hubby can grab a bag the night before and put in the refrigerator and in the morning you can dump it in the crock pot and let it cook while you tend to your newest addition.  Each link posted above has several more recipes that you may like. I only made the ones I knew my family would really enjoy.  I hope that you enjoy them as well and that they make those hectic days that we all have a little easier, especially in the dinner department.

That is 6 out of the nine that are being frozen.

Sorry I’ve Been Gone For So Long

So I am sure you can tell it has been several months since my last blog.  I am sorry, but I do hope that you understand that I have in my own way been morning my the loss of my mother and because of her medical history I have been having tests done on myself and having to get her records (and of course the one that I really need I get to jump through hoops for).

I will start blogging again and I will post some of the treats I have made (it isn’t a lot, just not in the mood to get back at it full time).  So please stay tuned for updates and such. I promise I will get there again.