Duncan Hines to the Rescue

My poor husband. Everytime he tries to get me something nice for my birthday it always seems to get ruined. A couple of years ago my inlaws had to stay with us for 16 days (not that I was counting) and as a "thank you" they bought us the Kitchen Aid food processor I was dying to have. Guess who had bought me one the day before and had tucked it away for a birthday surprise? Bless his heart, he was so frustrated when his parents brought one over!

This year he ordered my favorite strawberry cake from the Wooden Spoon, a local Mennonite cafe, for my "Larsen family" party this weekend. In case you live under a rock, this is what the midwest is dealing with.

You can't tell, but there is a layer of ice, sleet, and now several inches of snow. The Wooden Spoon is in another small town, about 5-8 miles away. I was informed by my husband last night that I would have to pick up my cake because the weather being as it was, he wasn't sure if he would make it to the Wooden Spoon before they closed. I guess he forgot who he was married to, because this chick is not about ready to drive on hilly, ice and snow packed roads for a strawberry cake. Long story short, the strawberry cake is a no-go, so it's Ducan Hines to the rescue!
Yellow cake with homemade dark chocolate buttercream frosting. Yuh-UM. It's the next best to strawberry cake in my book. Hopefully the roads will clear so we can share the cake with family. If not, I'm sure I can take care of it alone!

Here are some more pics of the winter wonderland outside our windows.

Van Dyne Sourdough Bread

As long as I can remember, my mom, grandma, aunt, and countless Van Dyne cousins have been whipping up this sourdough bread. I think it's on to the third and fourth generations by now. Yes, the starter is technically that old, but technically it's not. I've shared the starter with a few friends, but it seems to be gaining in popularity. This sourdough is a day and a half job, so check the schedule before you start! Also, DO NOT use a stainless steel bowl or spoons when making this. It kills the yeast and your bread will be icky. I use a ceramic bowl that I bought at Walmart and my trusty Pampered Chef bamboo spoon.

Van Dyne Sourdough Bread

Night Before:
Starter (if you want some just ask)
2 c. water
1/4 c. white sugar
2 1/2 c. bread flour (yes, has to be bread flour)

Add the above ingredients to the starter. The batter will be kinda lumpy, but don't worry about it. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and go to bed.

Next Morning:
Your mixture should have lots of little holes/bubbles and "grown" overnight. It will look kinda like this.
Take out 1 1/2 c. of starter and put into a glass jar (about 1/3 of the way for a quart sized jar) and add 1/4 c. sugar, mix well. (Also, don't screw the lid super tight otherwise you will have starter crawling out of it...been there, done that!)

To the remaining starter add:
1 c. water
1/4 c. sugar
1 egg beaten
2 TBS butter
1 TBS salt
5-7 c. of bread flour (humidity outside and inside your house will dictate how much)

When the dough starts to come together put dough on a floured surface and knead. You'll want the dough to be slightly tacky to the touch. Scrape out the bowl you used to mix dough. Spread Crisco or butter in the bowl with a brush, or your fingers, that's what I do. When your dough is kneaded, place dough in bowl then pull out again, turn it over so the butter side is now facing up and place back in the bowl (this helps that icky crusty stuff not to form while it's rising...a little trick from my mommy).


Cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel and place in a "warm" spot in your kitchen. On top of your dryer is perfect, especially if it's laundry day.

Let rise until double in size. About 3-4 hours...again depends on the temp and humidity.
When doubled in volume, punch down (my favorite part). You can also let it go overnight on accident like my friend Kristen. Not to worry, she said that it still seemed to turn out okay.

Then form dough into loaves (you'll have enough for 2 large ones) and place in greased bread pans. Let rise again until double...another 2-3 hours.

Bake at 375* for 15 minutes, then turn the heat down to 350* for another 10-15 minutes until the top is a nice, deep golden brown. Depending in your oven, you may have to adjust the temp and time.

When you pull the bread out of the oven, immediately use a knife to go around the edge of the pan to loosen ( if you greased the pan well, you might be able to skip this part). Flip bread out of the pan and brush the top with butter.

Let it rest for 15-20 minutes before you tear into it. Or, if you have the patience of my Hubbs, wait 5 minutes and destroy.

Today's bread is still rising so I'll have to post a "Ta-Da!" pic later this evening. Give me a shout if you want to try this and I'll make a batch of starter for you. No, I can't deliver past NW Arkansas.

Ta-Da!

This is what happens when you don't Crisco your pan properly. Oops...

I *heart* Hunter Douglas

I keep finding these little tab clippies all over my house. I finally discovered they were from our Hunter Douglas blinds we have in our house. This tiny clip is the the tab that covers the bottom of the blinds where all of the strings are threaded. Apparently we have not been gentle when lowering our blinds and the little tabs are breaking off.

Today I decided to check on the blinds to see if they might be recalled because of these little tabs breaking off. Judging from the size of these clips, I'm seeing a chocking hazard for small children. I find the Hunter Douglas number and give them a call thinking that I'm going to deal with some cubical enslaved, ex-telemarketer with an attitude. It never fails that I get this person when I call customer service numbers. Can I get an Amen? To my surprise, my call was answered by a HUMAN on the second ring. Are you kidding me? I explain my problem and the lady says "Sure, I can send you some replacements. How many do you need?" At this point, I figure it's gonna cost me $10 for 10 new tabs. Wrong! They are sending me replacement tabs for free! Fantastically fabulous.

I have to say that my love for Hunter Douglas blinds is rooted in the fact that my 5-year-old blinds look fabulous and haven't cracked or faded (just like they assured me in the sales pitch). It was a hefty investment, but totally worth it. Now that they are sending me replacement parts for free, my love and commitment for Hunter Douglas has been renewed.

If or when I need blinds again, I will not hesitate to buy Hunter Douglas.

You have 15 minutes, GO!

I have been reading up on Flylady.net look for guidance on getting my house under control and establishing a routine. Last week went really well. I was so proud of myself. This week...I'm not feeling lucky so far! Kiddos are out of school today for Martin Luther King Day so my Monday routine is off. Now that all of my miscellaneous running around done, it's time for the 15 minute challenge!

So, here's how it works. Set a timer for 15 minutes and tackle one room/project around your house. When your 15 minutes is up, walk away. (Or set the timer for another 15 minutes.) You will simply be amazed at what you can get done in 15 minute increments of time.

Off to start the timer and tackle the "weekend" left behind in my kitchen.

Old School

Kindergarten, 1986

First Grade. I was rocking some serious style.

And many years later, I would marry this stud.


Thankfully, by 2005 we looked pretty darn good.


Add about 35 lbs to each person and that's kinda what we look like today.

It Was Easier When...

...my child was this age. Wasn't he a cute little punk? I had to wipe his nose and bottom, start Thomas the Tank Engine movies, give him a bath, BUT there was nap time in the afternoon! Almost enough time to get a few things done (alone I might add) and regain the composure that I lost earlier. Gone are those days. I'm reminded how much I miss those days when we're on what seems like day 52 of "Christmas" break. Do they really need to cancel school because of snow, ice, and negative temperatures?