Who doesn't love chocolate?!

Okay, so the PTO ladies are coming over tomorrow night to help me count these 50 billion BoxTops we've collected.  Yay for BoxTops!!!

Okay, back to the story.  So, I had to decide what snacks to make for the ladies!  Who doesn't love chocolate?  And who doesn't love cupcakes?  But ... who loves all the fat and calories?  Yuck.
So began my search for a healthy-ish cupcake ... WITH frosting (It's communist to eat cupcakes with no frosting!)

So, here's the recipe.

Heat oven to 325 (this is important.  325 works the best for big, round cupcakes.  To hell with what the box says!)

Mix contents of cake mix (whatever flavor you please.  I went with .. duh, dark chocolate) with 6oz. plain greek yogurt.  I used full-fat greek, but fat free works fine too.  Now, here's the catch ... read the cake box.  The first mix I picked up had 5grams of fat.  The next brand had only 3.5 grams of fat.  No brainer there!

Add 1 cup of water to the cake mix and mix it all up.

At this point, it will look like thick chocolate mousse.  Yumm.  Yes, it's safe to eat at this point, there are no eggs!

Spray your cupcake liners with cooking spray, and fill 2/3 full.  This is important too.  If you fill them too full they won't puff up, and round cupcakes are prettier than flat ones!

Bake at 325 until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.  Don't jump around like a dang fool while they are baking, or they will go flat.  I have a 7 year old in the house.  My first batch went flat.  Then the kid got sent to bed.

The cupcakes come out fluffy and airy.  Most definitely the fluffiest cupcakes I've EVER had!

For the frosting you can do it several different ways.

1.  prepare 1 small package of jello instant pudding (flavor of choice) and let set up.  Whisk in 1/3 c. frosting of choice.  Again, read the labels.  Some have less fat/calories/sugar than the others, and it'll all taste the same in the end!  This gives you a thin-pudding consistency.  You can either spread a small amount of the mixture onto the top of your cupcakes (it doesn't set up hard, think ganache consistency), or you can inject some into each cupcake.  The injection is my preferred method.  Either way, you need to frost them right before serving or they get too squishy.

2.  Mix the prepared chocolate pudding with 1 tub non-fat Cool-Whip topping and spread on cupcakes.

**I made the pudding to the package directions.  2 cups milk, 1 envelope pudding.  I'm going to play with only using 1 cup of milk next time, maybe I will get a thicker frosting.  Either way, it's delish!!!

So, I calculated the fat and calories using the pudding/frosting icing.  My calculations for 18 cupcakes:
135 calories and 2 grams of fat each!  Awesome!
Here's the catch - it will actually be less, because this pudding makes a TON of icing, and you don't use very much at all.  Only about 1 Tbsp of icing per cupcake, so that really knocks down your calories and fat.  But I'm too lazy to do the math again.

And here's the ooey gooey injected cupcake.  What?  Injector?  We live on a farm, of course I have a clean syringe (or a hundred) lying around!  If you don't, just use your turkey injector, or even a turkey baster, or a piping bag with the long, narrow tip - or come up with some other creative idea.

Either way, these things are freaking awesome!  I have some other healthy recipes in the works for the PTO ladies tomorrow evening, I'll tell you about them some other time!

Fancy Restaurants Be Damned!!!

So, here at Casa de Hazaleus we have cattle.  And horses. And dogs.  And kids.  We live in a small town, the dining consists of a Mexican restaurant, a cafe or two for lunch, and fast food.  Luckily, my husband pampers me with a monthly date out to a fancy restaurant, concert, trip out of town, etc. etc.  I'm a VERY pampered ranch hand!

The other day though, I had a craving ... no, a NEED for some Creme Brûlée.  Those of you that know me know that I am domestically challenged.  I doctor and care for critters.  I can even be OCD about a clean house - but I'm a lousy cook!  So, what was I supposed to do about this Creme Brûlée hankering?!

I put on my big girl undies and made some Creme Brûlée!!!  The first night I made it Jeff wasn't home. Which was good because the texture was off.  Flavor was spot-on but it looked more like curdled egg mess than Creme Brûlée. That gave me time to perfect my creation.  This is even a lower-fat version, since I made it with 1% milk and not heavy cream!  Go team me!

Here's the details:

6 egg yolks (save the whites for breakfast egg cups!)
2 cups 1% milk
1/2 cup sugar
teaspoon vanilla


Top:
1/2 cup sugar
4 Tbsp butter


Here's the easy-peasy directions!

Pre-Heat oven to 350
Warm the milk in the microwave, and stir the sugar in until it is dissolved.
Slowly add the eggs to the milk.  Add vanilla.  Pour into oven-proof glass cups (ramekins).
Place cups in a cake pan, and fill the pan with water until it goes 1/2 way up the cups.  Bake at 350 for 40 minutes or until set.

Once set, remove from oven and remove from warm water bath.  Let cool thoroughly, then place in refrigerator to chill.

After the cups are cooled, you are ready for the top!

In a small saucepan, combine sugar and butter.  Heat on med-high heat, stirring constantly.  Once sugar is dissolved, you can up the heat a little to get caramelization.  Once the mixture is *almost* the color of honey, take if off the burner.  Spoon 1 Tbsp. of the mixture over the cold cups and rock them back and forth, and all around, until there is a light coating over the top.  The thinner the better (if you ask my husband), but I really enjoyed a thicker crunch on top.  Either way - it's your choice!

Now, you are ready to eat these yummy treats!  Take your spoon and give it a good !whack! to crack the topping.  Then enjoy!

I have good news ... and bad news...

So, some of you may remember that I used to own a soap company.  After having "her" (my business was a she!) for several years, I closed it down last summer.  I guess it's a good thing, but it had just gotten TOO big for this one-woman show.  With a husband, and daughter, and another baby on the way, cattle, horses, life ... it was just TOO much.

So, good news first -

I will be making soap again!  I've had several requests, and I'm finally going back to soap making.

The bad news -

It will be on MY terms.

- NO craft shows.  I don't get to spend a lot of time with my family, and it's just not worth it to sit in a craft show on a beautiful Saturday.

- All soaps will be made to order.  I have the basic, unscented batch made up, cured, and ready to go (soap needs to cure for 8+ weeks to be fabulous).  That will be milled and additional oils, fragrances, colorants added to make YOUR bar of soap.  No more having 1,000 bars of soap in my inventory.  It's just too much to keep up with.

- I'm making what I like to make!  That means this line of soap will NOT be vegan.  This line will be a "back to basics" brand, made with my signature olive oil blend and milk.  I LOVE milk soaps!  They make such a creamy "lotion-like" lather, and are so amazing for the skin!

- I'm NOT going to obsess over packaging.  This line will be in a basic package, perhaps a basic brown paper wrapping with a simple string.  Not sure yet, but I know it's going to be simple.  I will also not be trimming and polishing these bars.  I spent HOURS trimming soap bars, wrapping them, polishing them, putting fancy labels, designing said labels ... not anymore!

- Also, I'm doing minimal colorants.  Looking and hundreds of soap pictures ... the ones that make my heart skip a beat are those with the least amount of color, glitter, imbeds, fancy peaks ... just a simple bar of soap.  I will still do additives such as oatmeal, oat milk, lavender buds, exfoliants, etc.  But I'm not going crazy with it, and it will NOT keep me up at night like it used to!

So ... that being said, today I showered with one of my soaps from THREE years ago.
It. Was. Amazing.
It was a Chocolate Stout soap.  Made with beer (did you know beer has some great skin-loving properties?), and a rich chocolate fragrance.  It makes it a hoppy, nutty chocolate, not a sweet Valentine's day type chocolate.  That stuff should be in a museum somewhere!

On top of that good news ... I made strawberry shortcake today.  Strawberries are on sale for $.99/lb at Price Chopper if y'all have one of those near you.  Limit 4.  But you could be like me and go back tomorrow for 4 more and freeze them :)  I have food hoarding tendencies.

Oh, here's the link for my company - Red Dirt Candle Company.  I don't have the soaps added on there yet, but will soon.  Red Dirt Candle Company

Here's some yummy pics for you!
Have a great night!

Salt Scrub

Facial Bar with pureed apricots

Baked kale chips!!!

Have y'all ever had baked kale chips? I found a recipe, and after tweaking it a bit, I think I have perfected the kale chip!

These are a crispy, fat-free treat that the whole family will love (at least MY whole family does, and that's who I've tested these on!) **correction:hubby says he didn't like the kale chips. But I say he sucks, and you will love them!***

1 bunch fresh kale (you can actually use as much as you want)
Cooking spray- like Pam, flavor unimportant
Seasonings to taste - seasoned salt, cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes, garlic powder, etc.

Remove the kale from the send and place on baking sheet
Lightly spritz the kale with cooking spray
Sprinkle your seasonings of choice
Toss together and spread kale out on your pan

Bake in a 350 degree oven 8-10 minutes until crispy!

These are SO yummy, and kale retains its nutritional value when cooked! Did you know a 1 cup serving of kale has 89% of your DV Vitamin C, 354% DV Vitamin A, and a whopping 1300%DV of Vitamin K?!

Enjoy!!!

I am SO over today!!

I am over today.  Done with it.  Kaput.  (I spent 10 minutes googling how to spell that damn word.  You're welcome.)

Woke up feeling fine.  My head hurt(s), right behind my ears.  Wasn't too worried about it though.

Took Jeff to the dealership to pick up his car after it's oil change and new shoes.  I figured while I was out, I would run my errands.

So, I went to the grocery store for Kale and broccoli, and a few other treasures.  They had beans on sale, so I picked up Cannellini beans.  Now I'm gonna have to go to Pinterest and find some recipes, because I don't know what to do with these damn beans!

Then I went to Shae's school to do some PTO stuff.

Then I went to the feed store to get a mineral block for the horses.

By now, I'm not feeling very good.  Head hurts worse, and my stomach is flip floppy.

Go to another store, Alco, for a few school supplies for kidlet.  HOW she is out of pencils and pink erasers, I do not know.  But I bought her more.  Whatever.

NOW I'm feeling quite yucky.

Head home.

Feeling extra generous, so I drive around back to put the mineral block out for the horses.  Pick it up, and here it comes.  Throw up.  I dropped the block quick-like, but it was too late.  I threw up all over it!  Ugh.  Go get the hose, spray off the throw up block, then kick it under the fence.  Put hose in the tank for the baby calves while I'm out there.

Kick throw up block onto my foot.  Ouch.

Go inside, unload groceries and school supplies.  The 900,000,000,000 Box Tops on my dash can just wait!

Unload Carter, luckily he's ready for a little sleep so I put him down.

Unload the groceries, and decide I should ... okay, correction ... Jeff decides I should take some Aleve, eat something, and lay down.  He's such a good husband, taking care of me even when he isn't here!!  So, I eat 3 prunes and some lunch meat.  It sounded good at the time.

Laying on the couch and I'm thinking "I really need to feed the calves.  It isn't their fault I feel sick."  Guilt trip running over and over in my head.  So, I figure while Carter is sleeping I'll get that done.  Go out and get them fed, they were much appreciative.  Until I threw up in their trough.  Shit.  Hose doesn't reach the trough, how am I supposed to clean this mess up now?!  So, I tip it up on it's side and kick the throw up out of it.  This farm livin' is tough!

Head back to the house to lay down.  I'm officially over today.  Carter slept 6 hours last night (2 nights in a row now!), so his daytime naps are shorter.  Luckily he entertains himself with his feet and blowing spit bubbles.  So he played and talked while I laid on the couch.

The highlight of my day?  I got to wake up to my hubby this morning (that's rare around here), and he bought me a Diet Coke that I forgot about until  minutes ago.

If I drank whiskey, I would drink this for Whiskey Wednesday!

Hello Fruit Loops!!!

I have decided that I'm loopy for doing all this kitchen-y crafty crap lately.  So if I'm loopy, y'all are fruit loops.  You're welcome.

So, my newest obsession is smoothies.  Not really a new thing for me, but I'm branching out in ingredients, flavors, and preparation.  So ... I decided to make a whole mess of smoothies.  I did some research, and my protein powder can safely be frozen, so I decided to make baggies full of smoothie ingredients, freeze them, and then I'll have them ready to make!

I started with this ...

A huge pile of healthy crap.  spinach, strawberries, pineapple, oranges, carrots, blueberries, pears, tomatoes, frozen mixed fruit, vanilla protein powder, non-fat yogurt of varying flavors, and bananas.  I apologize for the condition of those 3 bananas on top.  I cannot eat ripe bananas, they have to have green edges.  If they don't have green edges, they get fed to the kids.  If they don't eat them before they get really ripe, I pop them into the freezer to use for baking, or smoothies!

So, I put a scoop of protein powder in, and a cup of spinach, and topped each ziploc sandwich baggie off with mystery fruits and a "blop" of yogurt.  Remember, I don't measure, so I can't say how much yogurt I put in there.  about 1/3 of a little cup.

I ended up with 15 sandwich bags of smoothies, all ready to just dump in the cup and whiz around!  Here's the trouble ... 1 sandwich baggie makes TOO big of a smoothie!  So, if you are going to use this clever trick (and you totally should) either fill the baggies 1/2 up, or be prepared to have the leftover smoothie for lunch.  Either way works fine!

Lemon fish

My lemon asparagus fish was a success!

4 fish filets. I used sole, but I think any fish would be good.
3 Tbsp nonfat plain yogurt
1Tbsp lemon curd
Salt and pepper to tast
1 lb asparagus (woody ends removed)

Place fish in bottom oven proof dish. Place asparagus spears on top. Salt and pepper to taste.
Mix yogurt and lemon curd, drizzle over fish.
Bake in 350 degree oven 30-ish minutes or until done.