Milton's Gluten Free Snickerdoodle Cookies | Review

Before you say it. I know, snickerdoodle's have cinnamon in them...
My Dad got these for me so I figured I'd give them a go, and I seem to be able handling only having one here and there.
These are super flavorful and not obnoxiously spice-flavored, soft, and chewy. They also are certified gluten-free, non GMO project verified, no high fructose corn syrup, kosher, rBST free, xanthan gum free, peanut and nut free, certified vegetarian, no trans fat.

 I'm unable to fish up the ingredients because I'd already thrown the box away, and the ingredients aren't list on their website. So I do apologize for that. But I do assure you, these are pretty decent. I probably won't be getting them again because of the cinnamon, however that's person preference, but if you're a Snickerdoodle-lover, I would certainly suggest them.

My Week pt.1 : Fishies, Fall, and Food | 9.21.15

Holy smokes! I still can't believe it's turning into fall outside!

The fish you see above with the black, that's Pouncey. He's hard to snap a picture of, he's like the Road Runner of fish. He's there one second and gone the next!

I've fallen inlove with them. It's hard not to get attached to animals.

Even though I'm much more of a summer kind of girl, it's flannel season. And hoodies. Oh, how I've missed them.

My mom got me these really cute blue mini ceramic pots from Burlington, they were supposed to be a Christmas gift but she said she wanted to give them to me early because she didn't want me to get them when we go back cause she wouldn't know what to say. I had planned on getting them too!
Originally, I had planned out to make oatmeal, and somehow that got turned into this and it was SO GOOD.
It was slightly just a little too much in one sitting though, next time I'll cut back on some of the pasta.

Ingredients:

1/3c gluten free pasta. (I used Sam Mills)
1/2 a can of Del-Monte Zucchini in Tomato Sauce
A Spinkle of Sargento's Cheddar Cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Over medium heat, bring a small pot of water to a boil, add pasta and let boil for 8mins. Drain pasta and add to ceramic pot, add a pasta, spoon over zucchini and tomato sauce, top with cheese and bake until cheese is golden brown.
Enjoy!

My Week pt.2: Starbucks, Doctors, & Ginger 9.20.15

Hello hello hellloooo, I... am your beloved Count Olaf...

Just kidding.

He scares me a bit...

It's just me. Amber, the actual author of this blog, I promise! I'm here to present a late night post of this past week. Hope you enjoy!


On Thursday, Mom and I went out for our weekly day out together. I had a few things I was in desperate need of.

Our first stop, Mom needed rocks for the pond.

We hit up a local place that is pretty much rocks-galore and Mom got probably six different large rocks to put around the pond. It's so exciting watching it all get done. She seems super excited about it too!

Since Burlington Coat Factory didn't open for about another half-hour we went to Starbucks.
Let me just state the fact that where we live, even though it's not, our town is considered 'country'. Therefore we are country people. At heart we certainly are, we just don't like on 5acres with a farm. So us in Starbucks is a bit of a train-wreck trying to get the lingo and everything down, it's quite funny.
The guy who served us was so incredibly nice, he even made mine specially. If there was a way I could get his boss to give him a raise, I'd try!
I ordered a Grade, which really should have just been a small, Strawberries & Creme Frappe but with coconut milk, it was soooo good! I always try to get something different when we do go.
Mom got their Apple Spice drink which smelled like apple crisp.

After sucking down our drinks Burlington opened and we were able to look for what we needed.

I was on the hunt for shoes for my brothers wedding. The dress code seems to have gone from semi-casual to all the guys wearing suits. So apparently converses won't do... -.-
So instead I got combat boots! [side note: I'll add pictures tomorrow, promise!] Along with a much needed 'winter' jacket that's faux brown leather, so hopefully it'll keep me warm. I freeze just from opening a freezer, so.
Plus I got a cute long sleeved night shirt for cheap. Another needed item is long-sleeved clothing.


On Friday...

It was a trip to the hospital for an Endoscopy for my stomach issues. My doctor seems to want to get this kicked in the butt.
I've had one done before by a very not-so-great specialist who would not listen to any of the problems once so ever, but thankfully this doctor was sooo nice! He listened and seemed to have checked over what the previous doctor had done, from what files were found. Sketchy, right?
So, as of now, nothing major was found, no ulcer or anything like that which is great, but also a little frustrating. He's gonna test for celiac, and depending on how the results come out I'll probably get the gallbladder checked next.



Lastly, today. It was nice outside and I had a bit of time to myself so I went out and snapped a couple pictures. This isn't all of them, but these are two of my favorites.

oooh-aahhh, so artsy.

While working on editing the photos I made lunch. Since the Endoscopy my stomach has been kind of touchy when it comes to food. It's probably a mind thing, but whatever. I've been really craving dairy lately, and I've been having ice cream on the mind for the past week and a half so I decided to cave but I made myself a salad first to get in something healthy. I used:
Mixed organic greens, organic kidney beans, organic ketchup, and a bit of lemon pepper. It's weird, I know. But it was surprisingly good. It was like non-spicey chili.

Lastly, hung out with this cutie. She plowed down a spot of grass to the dirt, silly girl. She really enjoyed it though. I've been wanting to get her outside. I don't like keeping her in so much.

Operation Wedding Cake: Numero Uno

My oldest brother is getting married in less than a month. About two months ago he asked me if I'd be interested in making him and his fiance's wedding cake, supplies paid, me paid. Of course I said yes because A) He's my brother. 2) An excuse to bake an unholy amount of things that would be considered 'too much' on a typical monthly/weekly basis. Blue Seventeen) This may have been a secret dream, to bake a wedding cake. It's as if I have my own business. Except I don't have 25lbs sacks of flour in a spare room, or those gorgeous fancy ovens. And Z) It would be a little extra cash in my wallet... that will probably have a hole burned in it by the following week.

The information:

The wedding colors are turquoise and brown.

THEE cake, the Groom's and Bride's cake, is going to be dark chocolate, with chocolate icing, two layers, with a possible ginache on the top.

She wants it to look like this, or 'whatever I'm comfortable with.'

I've tried hunting this cake down in Google Images Search/Pinterest for the source of information on it and have had no luck, so if anyone knows who this belongs to, please let me know so I can put a source link.

As far as I'm aware, this is piped with a French tip.


The cupcakes:

Chocolate & Vanilla. Two-toned vanilla icing. Possible filling.

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Assuming it's either a #4B or #6B French tip, and another with a star #1M(?).
What makes me nervous about this is that I've never done two-tone before, or any of this spike like decorating.
What makes me even more nervous is that my brothers fiance want me to do what I'm comfortable with, meaning: the icing flavor and the possible icing flavor. I do better when people tell me exactly what they want, and me telling them if I can/can't do it. Not so much the 'whatever suits you' thing.
That sounds horrible, doesn't it? That should be a blessing!


The fact I can't figure out the exact tip number drives me crazy. Ugh, perfectionists.

Through My Eyes by Tim Tebow - Book Review

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"Over the course of the last five years, Tim Tebow established himself as one of the greatest quarterbacks in the history of college football and a top prospect in the NFL. During that time he amassed an unparalleled resume—winning two BCS national championships, becoming the first sophomore in NCAA history to win the Heisman trophy, and in the face of massive public scrutiny, being drafted in the first round of the NFL draft by the Denver Broncos.

Now, in Through My Eyes, Tebow brings readers everywhere an inspirational memoir about life as he chose to live it, revealing how his faith and family values, combined with his relentless will to succeed, have molded him into the person that he is today. As the son of Christian missionaries, Tebow has a unique story to tell—from the circumstances of his birth, to his home-schooled roots, to his record-setting collegiate football career with the Florida Gators and everything else that took place in between.

At every step, Tebow's life has defied convention and expectation. While aspects of his life have been well-documented, the stories have always been filtered through the opinions and words of others. Through My Eyes is his passionate, firsthand, never-before-told account of how it all really happened." -- Goodreads

This was such an amazing book! Tim Tebow is a class act, he is.
Hes a great writer, I like how he talked a lot about God, and his family. There's a lot of football talk, of course. Which I'm totally okay with.
I also loved how humorous some parts were, just little quirky things here and there throughout it that helped make it much more enjoyable and light to read.
He is sooo talented, I'm not saying that just because he is who he is, I'm saying that because he is TALENTED. Just knowing how much work he put into his football career astounds me, even days after I've read the book, I'm still in awe.
He's going far. He deserves every bit of it. He's a very blessed man, and I can't wait to see what else he accomplishes.

Alton Brown's Gold Cake

Have I ever told ya'll how much I love Alton Brown? Seriously. Any time someone suggests baking something I'm always like 'See if Alton Brown has one!'. Me and my  mom used to watch Good Eats all the time, in fact, it may have counted as school work because of him going into the science behind everything. It was very cool, and he's very entertaining to watch.
Although, on Cutthroat Kitchen? He does scare me a little...

A while ago some family friends came over making the perfect excuse to bake something. Everyone in the house is watching what they eat *sighs* My baking addiction has been put on hold :[

I've tried making a yellow cake before and it didn't turn out good at all, it was a train-wreck in a 9 by 13in pan. So this was a lovely discovery! I made homemade peppermint icing to go with it, too.

The only complaint about this is that it needed a little extra vanilla or something, there wasn't enough flavor that really seemed to come through. (Not that I'm dogging on Alton!! His scones are AMAZING.) This was my first time making this recipe so I was afraid to alter it with how scary it sounded to make.

What you'll need:

3/4 cup butter flavored vegetable shortening, 140 grams
1 1/4 cup sugar, 300 grams
2 1/2 cups cake flour, sifted, 300 grams
3 teaspoons baking powder, 14 grams
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 egg yolks, beaten, 130 grams
3/4 cup milk, 180 grams
1 teaspoon vanilla

If you have a scale, it's better to use that, this is a very precise recipe and goes more by weight than it does volume and what not.

Also, Pillsbury Cake Flour is really good to use!! It's already pre-sifted.

Start by setting everything out to get to room temperature and setting the oven to 350.
Prepare two 9in pans, or one 9 x 13in pan with shortening and flour. Don't use butter because it's more water based and will cause the cake to not brown.

Using an electric mixer, mix shortening for about a minute until creamy and fluffy,  add in sugar and a pinch of salt then mix on medium for 4mins. (Side note, I didn't do this part. I'd completely forgotten all about it. Don't make that mistake!)
Put milk & vanilla in one container, mix, and  in a separate container mix flour and baking powder together and set both aside for later.

After the four minutes is up add in the egg yolks in slowly to the butter/sugar while mixing, don't rush this. 
Once mixed, alternate adding wet & dry ingredients by slowly adding half the flour & baking powder mixture. If you're not careful, the flour mixture may not smooth out like it should and not everything will be properly combined.
Next add half the liquid slowly, adding too much at once can possibly screw up the batter because of there not being enough try to soak it up.
Add the rest of the dry slowly, then the rest of the milk.
Add to pan(s) to oven. If you're baking with the two 9in make sure there's three inches all around each pan, or put one on a top shelf and one below it to allow proper heat circulation.
Bake for 18 - 20mins, use a toothpick and if it comes out clean, it's done!

Here Fishy Fishy Fishy!

Over the course of the past month or two my Mom has been working on getting a pond together in the back yard (if she posts a blog about it I'll be sure to attach the link!). The birds have been LOVING it. They like to stand on the rock where the water falls from the box into the lower water and bathe themselves, it's so cute to watch.
We even had an Eastern Painted Turtle for a short while.

Her name was Squirt, like in Nemo. At least I'm pretty sure it was a female. Anywho, she stuck around for about two weeks, two-and-a-half then suddenly was gone. My Dad think a racoon or a hawk got it, I think she ran away. It was a wild turtle, so it wouldn't be a surprise if it just took off to find somewhere else to be.
It was very friendly. We had the chance of keeping a Snapping Turtle, but Mom didn't like that idea... :[ I got to hold it though! It was only a juvenile, he fit right in the palm of my hand and was in fact very friendly, he didn't bite once, and he liked to have his shell rubbed. I wish I would've gotten a video of it, it was so funny. He looked like he belonged in Harry Potter.


When you have a pond, you need fish. I'm pretty sure it's the law to have a pond without any sort of animal or something ;]

So this past week me and Mom set out in search for fish. Of course, being mid-Spetember (I almost put October. Where has the time gone??) the choice of fish is very slim, and it's getting a little late to get any just because of the weather. But that didn't stop us!

One week we went to a pond store where Mom's been getting all her pond supplies to build the beautiful water habitat (a picture will be posted when it's completely finished) and the owner of the store has two ponds. A small one outside the building that has beautiful small and giant Koi, along with a much bigger one with a waterfall that has like three dozen huge Koi in it.

The black ones are my favorite. They don't stick out as much as the colorful ones so you have to look a little harder for them in the water. It's cool (and sounds really weird) only being to see something moving just under the surface.

When we finally set out to actually get the fish, and not just look at what was around we went to a completely different pond store. It was both a nursery, a feed store, and a pond supply place. It's huge. We were expecting it to be all nice and sunny, but it was raining buckets that day, therefore making it a little difficult to take a lot of pictures.
Although, I got one of a Damselfly.

We got two Fan Tails. The bottom one, with the mostly white tail is named Nemo, and I haven't decided on the other yet.

 They are very photogenic.

On the way to the pond store with the Koi ponds, Mom had to stop at the bank and she got me two DumDum lollipops in Blue Raspberry. I haven't had one of these things in forever! We used to get them all the time as kids at the bank downtown.

At the store with the Koi ponds, and saw a GORGEOUS gold and white one that was all fancy looking but we found another tank outside that had younger ones and there was this black one with a silver stripe on its back, but when the lady put it in the bag it looked more like a trout... so we got one that was still a good bit of black, with orange/red on the sides, and silver/white on it's belly. It's name is Pouncey. I can assure you he won't be out for 6 weeks with a torn fin.

Last stop was a pet store that had tons of tanks, lots of salt water fish, too.
 

Mom got 12 feeder fish, which kept in tanks that I would be embarrassed for people to see, however, the other tanks were very nicely kept. Specifically the salt water tanks.
On the way home though one of them was belly up, but all the others were okay, they were all active and it's been a few days and none have passed.

So now the pond has 3 Blue Gills, 11 Feeder Fish, 2 Fan Tails, and 1 Koi. Next summer Mom wants to get tadpoles, another Koi with the fancy tail, and I want a turtle and an all black Koi.
No pond is complete without a turtle.