Let's talk about BUTTER!

Let's Talk About BUTTER! 

We have all done it. Found an amazing recipe that you just HAVE to try! It calls for butter and we reach for that tub of margarine. I never knew how much of a difference it made until recently! 

We all know the infamous Paula Deen swears by butter. We know the health risks using butter vs. margarine. Margarine is just so much cheaper too! However, if you are baking, or plan to make browned butter sauce, or anything like that, use real butter. The flavor alone is worth it. Not to mention in your baked goods, the difference in texture is astounding! 

When you are buying real butter, you need to know a few things. First, the more expensive the butter, the better it is! It's not just a brand name thing bringing prices up. The butter is just that much better quality. If you can buy in bulk, or find a sale, BUY IT! You can freeze your butter with no issues. Biggest problem you will have is waiting for it to soften. I use most of my butter frozen, but more on that in a moment. If you are going for success.... go with real butter. 

A few tips on working with real butter.

As I said, I use most of my butter frozen. When I am making biscuits, or anything that calls for butter that is solid, I grate the frozen butter. This is especially wonderful for buttermilk biscuits, puff pastry, anything you need to make a "meal" to make. 

When melting butter for recipes, melt it slowly. This keeps the butter from being heated. You just want to melt it, not warm it. Let it sit out a few mins if it does get heated. There is nothing worse than the butter being too hot and cooking the egg in your brownies.
If a recipe calls for "soft butter" that means half butter half shortening. If you are using margarine, you should still use some shortening, it helps with texture and consistency. 

If making flavored butter, use real butter only.

I have fallen in love with real butter. Sure it costs more, but the difference in my cooking is simply amazing!  

Recipe: Oatmeal Face Scrub 

1/2c. Oatflour*
2Tbs. Brown Sugar
1Tsp Baking Soda
2Tbs Coconut Oil

Mix all ingredents and keep in an air tight container. :)

Baking Soda is cleansing, and Oatmeal is soothing :)
*Use Oatmeal, put it in the food processor and grind to desired consistency. I left mine a bit more coarse so it was more of a 'scrub'. 

Fails: We all have them

Ok, I would like to think I am not alone here when I say what I am about to say. Sure I get inspired by others recipes, blogs, ect. However, if my food even turns out remotely like theirs is in their picture, I can NEVER get a beautiful picture. I get that I don't have a fancy camera, but even without that, my plating never looks pretty. The things in the picture with it don't look as nice. (I'm talking of course about the flowers or maybe a couple extra plates with forks. It just never looks as good.) This can sometimes make us feel like we were unsuccessful after we were SO inspired! I call these my failures.  

Of course there are the oh so famous pinterest fails. I have had several of those myself, as have some of my friends. 

Here is the number one rule I use in the kitchen: Don't be afraid to experiment. With that in mind, these 'failures' become lessons learned. You can fix the recipe, and make it your own. How wonderful it feels when you improve upon a recipe or even create your own! 

One thing I have been unable to accomplish successfully is making tortillas. It has taken me FIVE tries, but I finally got it! I am SO proud of myself. I used my mother in law's recipe, and just kept giving it a try from time to time. I can't even tell you what it was that I did this time that I haven't previously. Perhaps it was determination. I have been told I'm stubborn. ;) 

Don't get discouraged. Try again. If you need help, I will help you to the best of my ability. Feel free to ask :) 

Tips and tricks to make your life easier: The problem with them.

As we have begun this journey making our Handmade Home I have learned quite a bit, and we are only a month into it. 

Most of what I have enjoyed learning has been the tips and tricks for making things easier. Being as I am awaiting back surgery and everyday is filled with pain, I need life to be simple. 

Part of the problem with many of the "hacks" that I have seen are that they require special equipment, and most seem to require that you have some sort of training to make it. This is NOT the case. Do not be afraid to take something you find and make it work. 

You don't NEED any special equipment, everything can be done by hand, special equipment just makes it easier. We live on a budget around here. There is no "Hey, I need a food processor for this, lets get one!" It's "Hey, this calls for a food processor, but I've got a sharp knife that will work just fine." 

Kitchen tools are just a convenience. Consider this my first official, tried and true, tip. 

Don't be afraid to try out new things, and don't be afraid to make it your own.  As I continue this journey, I will share tips and tricks to help make your life easier. Fear only causes hesitation and holds you back. Overcome your fears. Start in your own kitchen. When you are surrounded by your loved ones for support, you can't lose! 

Please let me know if there are any tips/tricks/hacks that you would like :) 

Welcome!

Welcome!

Thank you for stopping by! Let's all take a moment to introduce ourselves!

My name is Katie and I would like to be completely upfront with you. I honestly have no idea what I am doing here, please bear with me. I decided to start a blog because recently my family and I have begun cutting out all the junk in our diets and around our home in general. This requires more work, but it is worth it! We will get to more of that later though. :)

A little bit about me now that you know what I will be doing here. I am a wife and mother. I have my 9 year old daughter, my 7 year old daughter, and my 8 year old step son. I enjoy nothing more than spending time with my family. We are nerds, and I wouldn't have it any other way. I am a great friend(I feel like I'm tooting my own horn here, but I know that I am a great friend.), I have helped so many friends in time of need and I enjoy doing so. I'm a bit crazy, eh?

That being said, please take a moment to introduce yourself. I will have a worthwhile post for you in the next few days.

:)