Black Friday Sale coming from Vintage Remedies!!!

I am so excited about the Black Friday sale that begins next Monday on the Vintage Remedies site.  The sale runs from midnight to midnight, starting at 12:01am on Monday, November 24, and ending at 11:59pm on Tuesday, December 2nd. (All times central standard time.)

I have so many of the classes on my list that I want to take that I am not sure which one will be first!

I am kind of pulled in a couple of directions these days because I have started working on my Aromatherapy website, so perhaps I will take their Essential Oils class first.  Whichever direction I go, check back next week and I will have their sale prices available for you.

Want a bit of a carrot??  Try out their free course . . . but beware!!!  One bite and you'll be hooked!!!

If at First you don't Succeed . . .

Added 10/8/2014 ~ For those of you who don't want to read my ramblings or the extensive journey of the Pecan Tea Biscuit, feel free to click here for the cut and dried "revised" recipe! :D

Busy day at the Hootenanny today!  I've been scrounging around for days looking for a blog post that isn't just ho-hum!  So I found a recipe from a Better Homes & Garden 1973 Homemade Bread Cookbook for Pecan Tea Biscuits and thought I would try them out for breakfast this morning.

Pecan Tea Biscuits ~
     In mixing bowl stir to combine thoroughly 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, 3 tablespoons sugar, 2 teaspoons baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.  Cut in 1/4 shortening till mixture resembles coarse crumbs.  Combine 1 beaten egg and 3/4 cup milk;  add all at once to dry mixture, stirring just till dough clings together.  Stir in 1/2 cup finely chopped pecans.  Drop by heaping teaspoonfuls onto greased baking sheet.  Combine 2 tablespoons sugar and 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon;  sprinkle over biscuits.  Bake at 425 for 8 to 10 minutes.  Makes 36 biscuits.

Of course I had to manipulate the recipe to make them whole wheat, so here's my take . . .

Whole Wheat Pecan Tea Biscuits ~
     1 3/4 cups soft white wheat flour, freshly ground (started with a little less than a cup of berries)
     3 tablespoons unbleached, all-purpose flour

     1/4 cup sugar (probably should have used sucanat, but I didn't)
     2 teaspoons baking powder
     1/2 teaspoon sea salt
     1/4 cup coconut oil
     1 beaten egg
     3/4 cup milk
     1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
     2 tablespoons sugar
     1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
     I mixed it according to the directions above.  I made these bigger drops than the teaspoon drop they recommended - more like biscuit size.  About 14.

Well the batter seemed REALLY wet (not exactly "drop" consistency) and thus I added the extra flour.  It seemed better . . . but as soon as I popped these in the oven they became like pancakes!  (Left side of photo)  They tasted good, but were kind of hard on the eyes!  ;-)  Oh well,  I decided maybe I wouldn't blog about them after all.

So, school as usual . . . ran my son to his Nana's to mow . . . cleaning, dishes, laundry . . . and I realized I was out of dishwasher detergent AND laundry powder.  For the past three months I have been using Doterra Essential Oils and have been replacing store bought cleaners/soaps with homemade . . . see a post on this soon!!!  So I threw together a couple of batches . . .

By dinnertime, that Pecan Tea Biscuit recipe was STILL nagging at me.  So after dinner I was going to try them again.  When I started I was truly just going to make the same recipe, but with more flour adjustment.  I had good intentions, truly I did, I'm not sure what came over me, but what came out was more like . . . DESSERT!  Introducing

Double Chocolate Pecan Tea "Cakes" (I'm sorry but these things are NOT biscuits)
     1 3/4 cups soft white wheat flour
     1/4 cup sugar
     1/4 cup unbleached flour
     1/4 cup cocoa
     2 teaspoons baking powder
     1/2 teaspoons sea salt
     1/4 cup coconut oil
     1 beaten egg
     3/4 cup milk
     1/4 cup finely chopped pecans
     1/4 cup mini chocolate chips
     2 tablespoons sugar
     1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
     I mixed these the same as the directions above and dropped them about biscuit size again.

Now I know that we are usually our own worst enemy . . . I STILL was not happy with how flat they were, or how they spread out on the pan.  Nor was I happy with the overall consistency.  If these are supposed to be biscuits then I felt they needed to be drier - denser maybe.  They were so flat they could have been cookies, but again the consistency wasn't right for a cookie either.  They were truly the consistency of cake.  Again they tasted GREAT!!  Oh well . . . I don't dare try these again today!  :D

Summertime and Chocolate Cake!

How is it that during the summer when we are not schooling and we are supposed to have so much time for other activities . . . we are soooo busy!?!  I have had several blogging ideas the last couple of weeks, and so little time to blog.

Tonight's blog is is more like a confession!!!  A couple of months ago I received an email that had the title "5 Minute Chocolate Mug Cake."  Well I have to admit that I delete a lot of emails in a day . . . you know the endless forwards, etc. that come from who knows where . . . but this one said something about chocolate so I kept it ;D !!!  Anyway, it was several days later before I actually opened it to see what it was . . . MISTAKE!

I never would have believed that it was true, but this cake is fabulous!!!  And so easy!!!  Too easy, if you get my drift! 

5 Minute Chocolate Mug Cake ~

4 Tablespoons flour
4 Tablespoons sugar
2 Tablespoons cocoa
1 egg
3 Tablespoons milk
3 Tablespoons oil
3 Tablespoons chocolate chips (optional - I left these out!)
A small splash of vanilla extract
1 large coffee mug (Microwave safe)

Add dry ingredients to mug and mix well.  Add the egg and mix thoroughly.  Pour in the milk and oil and mix well.  Add the chocolate chips (if using) and vanilla extract and mix again.  Put your mug in the microwave and cook for 3 minutes at 1000 watts.  The cake will rise over the top of the mug, but don't be alarmed!  Allow to cool a little and tip out onto a plate if desired.  EAT!  (This can serve 2 if you want to feel slightly more virtuous.)

The email also said that this is the MOST DANGEROUS cake recipe in the world!!

I have made it approximately 4 times in the last week and a half -- but not for me, of course!!!!   :D