Our (Neurodiverse) Family

It wasn't dessert this Sunday that was sweet, it was breakfast. On Saturday night, I decided to start some cinnamon rolls to bake in the morning. Just because. Instead of giving you the recipe and giving you pictures, I'm just going to be lazy and link you up to The Pioneer Woman's and show you the picture of mine. Summer induces laziness, didn't you know? Here's a link to Pioneer Woman's cinnamon rolls . There are a couple things I did differently: I didn't put coffee or maple flavoring into my icing. I also used coconut oil instead of vegetable oil in the dough. Despite these changes, they were the gooiest, most delicious cinnamon rolls I EVER had. My husband agreed. Here's a picture of mine: My hips are not thanking me, no sirree.

Image Credit I was reading this post  at Heavenly Homemakers  last night, and it made me feel very, very guilty. Why? I complain. A lot. And I hate it. See? I'm complaining about complaining. This really needs to change. I complain about my husband still being in school, not having very much money, the piles of dishes and laundry that need to be done...the list goes on and on. Does complaining make me happy? Not at all. When I complain, I fail to see how the Lord has blessed me in my life, and if I stopped focusing on the negative, I would probably realize how much I have been blessed in my life, and be more grateful. So yes, Stephan is still in school, but I'm grateful he's getting his education now to better support our family when he graduates (which will be next spring!). We don't have a lot of money, but we're learning how to budget properly so we can better provide for our needs. That pile of dirty dishes and dirty laundry? We have food to dirty th...

Are probably already in your pantry! Yes, they are useful for more than just science fair volcanos. They are also very effective and very inexpensive household cleaners. I first tried them on some horrible soap scum in my bathtub. I had tried other generic household cleaners to no avail, and was interested to see if a natural solution would work. You can't see the dirt, but I assure you it was there. So first, I sprinkled a lot of baking soda in the tub.... Poured some vinegar (I always close my drain before I get started)... Yes, you will have the fizzy effect going on, and this will help lift the dirt off! It's quite cool, actually. Get your scrubbing brush and start scrubbing! I'm right-handed, but I needed my right hand to take this picture :) After you're done, open the drain, and rinse it off with hot water.  And you'll have this A nice, clean bathtub. Of course, you'll probably have a vinegar-y smell going through the house. It will...

My most popular recipe post of all time thus far? My recipe for alfredo sauce. Who would have thought everyone was looking for a recipe for alfredo sauce? It gives me hope for the world. As a sequel to my alfredo sauce recipe, how would you like my recipe for a very tasty spaghetti sauce? Was that a yes? Alrighty then :) Here are the ingredients you'll need: 1 pound ground beef 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder (or four garlic cloves, minced) 1 medium onion (or one tablespoon dehydrated onions) 28 ounces diced tomatoes 8 oz. tomato paste 16 oz. tomato sauce 2 teaspoons basil 2 teaspoons oregano 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/8 teaspoon pepper I also like to add a little cooking wine and sneak some carrots in too for a little extra vitamin A. Do what you like :) First, cook up the beef with garlic and onion. Cook until brown. If your husband volunteers for this task (especially if the beef is still a little frozen), let him do it. Ain't he handsome? When it'...

Man, I've been bad about posting. Is anyone still out there? Anyone? *crickets* I'll explain eventually what happened last week, but not in this post right. We shall move on to more delightful things, like chocolate cake. From scratch. Wait, you like cake from boxed mixes better? Oh, what am I going to do with you? Once you make this cake, you will wonder why they make boxed mixes in the first place. Seriously, it isn't very hard, and probably takes no more time than the boxed stuff. Just a couple more ingredients, is all. This recipe is more or less two recipes in one. Both came from  Pioneer Woman . First, is her chocolate sheet cake recipe (also used for her Death By Chocolate cupcake recipe). The second is her chocolate ganache frosting recipe (minus corn syrup) used for said cupcake recipe. It was delightful. The only modifications I made for this were so I could use as few bowls as possible, thereby reducing the number of dishes to be washed ;) Oh, and if y...

Image Credit While I was at the park with Snow Monkey yesterday, a friend from our ward (congregation, for my non-Mormon readers) told me that our local library was hosting a "Teddy Bear Picnic" and there were a few other women from our ward who were going to take their kids. Of course, I accepted the invitation, and proceeded to get Snow Monkey pumped about it. So today, we got our teddy bears (don't judge me), a few granola bars, and met up with the other women who were going to the library. I was the only one without a kid in a stroller. Of course, I forgot my camera or else I would have taken a picture of the four women with strollers walking through the neighborhood. It was pretty awesome, and a sight you probably only see here in Utah. I probably didn't mention that we walked to the library. Snow Monkey wasn't too happy at this prospect, even though we don't live very far at all from our library. I guess to a four-year-old, things seem a lot farth...

Did you know that I was afraid of alfredo as a child? Silly, I know. I don't know why I hated it so much, but I would whine and gnash my teeth whenever my mom announced that she was making alfredo for dinner. I'm a spaghetti lover myself, still am. My mom made alfredo for the spaghetti haters in the family--there was at least one. I seriously cannot understand how it's possible NOT to like spaghetti! Back to the alfredo... It started growing on me as I got older, and eventually, I came to love it as much as I love spaghetti. When Stephan and I were first married, I tried to replicate my mom's alfredo sauce recipe to little success. The cheese and the cream always separated, and I realized that heavy cream was a no-no. So, I bought the normal whipping cream, and SUCCESS! The cheese and the cream blended beautifully, Stephan sang my praises, and everyone was happy. And folks, this is probably one of the easiest sauces you can make, provided you DON'T use hea...

I, Laura, the Sushi Snob, do not like brownies made from boxed mixes. There, I said it. I mean, I'll eat them, but I don't care for them. It seems like most people prefer them, but I don't. You see, I grew up with brownies made from scratch. Actually, the vast majority of desserts that were prepared for my family's weekly Sunday night dessert were made from scratch, hence my love for homemade desserts.  My problem with boxed mix brownies is that they are usually too cake-y, too dry, and there's this aftertaste taste that seems to scream: "I AM FROM A BOX!" These brownies that I am about to show you, are indeed made from scratch. I know it's a little more effort than pouring out the boxed mix, but I assure you that it is more  than worth it. This recipe is adapted slightly from the Classic Brownie one on  Cooks Illustrated . The only deviations from the original I made: I didn't use aluminum foil and I didn't use nuts.  No pictures except f...

I'm sorry for not posting since Friday. I don't know if I have much of an excuse, except a lack of motivation and poor planning on my part. Yeah, great excuses ;) Nothing for Food Storage Friday today (hence the poor planning) but I would like to show off one of my greatest sewing accomplishments thus far: Please ignore the mess behind me. Please? It's a hobo purse. My mom sent me the kit a few months ago (she's really excited that I actually want to sew). The kit included the fabric, handles, and instructions. After sewing up three decorative pillows (pictures to come at another time), I decided I was ready for this. I started it last night, and finished it this afternoon. It wasn't *too* hard, although the instructions were a little confusing at times. Yes, I'm pleased with myself. Although I'm a little disappointed that it isn't more..."tote" like, like the package. Maybe I sewed it a little too small? Who knows. I'm such a...