Cinnamon-Honey Butter

            I love when simple, and delicious comes together!  Quick is another good thing in my life.  You can pull this little goody together in a blink.

            There are some popular restaurants that serve this with their rolls…and you can even find some popular butter companies who sell it at your grocery market, some times only in certain seasons.  However, to me, nothing compares to making it yourself.  I love knowing exactly what is my food.  Several versions of Cinnamon-Honey Butter are out there, but I’ve experimented several times, and this is the recipe that works best for me, and our preferences.  You can play around with what you like...with a little more honey, or less powdered sugar, or cinnamon.  This is the perfect combination to me:

            Cinnamon Honey Butter

            Ingredients

            2 sticks salted butter (NOT margarine), at room temperature

            ¾ cup honey (I use local honey)

            1 cup powdered sugar

            2 tsp ground cinnamon

            Directions

            Place butter in bowl of stand mixer with whisk attachment.  Mix for about 30 seconds.  Add remaining ingredients. 

When you get everything in the bowl, it will look like this:

Mix until desired consistency.  Give a good stir to make sure everything is incorporated well.  Place in your favorite dish and store in refrigerator.

You can see that I just placed my ingredients in a mixing bowl, and I used my hand mixer.  It works as well, but I will probably stick with using my stand mixer in the future…or I will use a deeper bowl if using my hand mixer, because I got a big cloud of powdered sugar when I turned the mixer on. Don’t you love those?  You know…the kind that shoots powdered sugar EVERYWHERE.  :)  Moving on…

Your finished product should look something like this:

This deliciousness will make a wonderful gift, or a special treat on your biscuits, muffins, waffles, pancakes, etc.  After I made this, I baked some banana muffins, and used the cinnamon honey butter on them.  SO good!  I also use it on top of pumpkin pancakes…again, SO good.  I’m sure you’ll find plenty of uses for it and I would love to hear what you use it on!  Enjoy!

Teaching Little Man to Write His Name

            Realized this week that I have shared that I’m a homeschooling momma, but that so far none of my post have been about our homeschool.  Neither of my children are “school age” yet, so some would say that we are not officially a homeschooling family.  However, since it is our intention that we will not send our children outside of the home for their education, and because we decided to forgo a public or private preschool for our son, I have considered ourselves officially homeschooling.  Additionally, I have used this past school year as practice for our son’s Kindergarten year. 

I will share our reasons for homeschooling at another time perhaps, but we knew soon after our son was born that this was our desire, so I started collecting any free online materials I could get my hands on.  Anything from preschool to high school that I thought there was even a remote chance I could use, because I knew that for now—our resources for buying curriculum for homeschooling would be very limited. 

From my research, I’ve learned some families spend little to nothing per child, per year, to homeschool (around $200 or below).  Some families are blessed to spend quite a bit per child, per year (around $1,000-$2,000+).  According to the HSLDA website, the average is $900 per family.  The reasons for the large price range is because the money you’ll spend depends on many things, including your preference for curriculum, how many subjects you want to cover, and what your homeschool teaching style will be.  For example someone whose method is “unschooling” might spend less than someone who takes a classical education approach. 

Again, at this point in our lives, our budget was zero—a big, fat, goose egg.  There were no extra funds to put towards a beautiful, shiny curriculum.  Therefore, I began to pray.  I prayed that God would show me if this was truly His will for our family, or if it was just my desire and everyone was placating me.  Then I prayed that if this was His will, He would provide what we needed.  As usual, God works in a way that is true to the verse my blog is based on…He does infinitely more than I could ever think or hope.

In spring of 2013 a new, Bible-based, online curriculum came on the market through Dew Learning.  It is available on iPad, or your PC.  I entered a drawing for a free year worth (over $500) of curriculum and never gave it another thought.  A few months later, I learned I had won!  Isn’t God amazing when He shows Himself in such an awesome way?  I was worried how we would pay for homeschooling...worried if I was making the right decision…and then He blessed us beyond what I imagined.  He answered my prayer. 

Kindergarten is the lowest level curriculum they offer (no preschool) so that was another reason I decided to begin my son’s Kindergarten year.  His birthday is in July, and the only thing he lacked at that time to attend Kindergarten (when he was only 4 years old), by the standards of our state requirements (if he were going to public school), was the ability to write his name…which he learned just a few weeks after his birthday.  People are very impressed that he can write so well at 4-years-old and that he can write all of his upper and lower case letters.  We haven’t been focusing on handwriting as much lately as we had been, and I can tell he has regressed a little, but we’re back to doing what has worked for us.  I feel like there are a few things that have contributed to our success that I wanted to share.  I will give you a disclaimer—I’m not claiming to know everything, or saying that this is what you should do for your child…I’m just sharing my opinion and what worked for us.

First, is recognition of the alphabet.  Since I am a musical person, we do a lot with music in our household; however, you don’t have to be a music teacher to incorporate it into your home.  My point is children, and in fact, anyone—retains more information when it’s shared in song.  It involves both sides of your brain…so even something as simple as singing the ABC song with your little one is beneficial, even at a very early age.  A little after my son’s first birthday I was surprised how much of the alphabet he had retained just from that simple act.  Then we began matching the letters we were singing with the image of each letter.  You could use flash cards, magnets, or simply write them out on a piece of paper, which is what I did most often.  We would sing as I pointed to each letter.  Homeschool Creations has some wonderful Alphabet resources, including sheets that you can print on card stock to create your own flashcards.  There are several options to choose from on the website.  It’s a wonderful free resource.  I recently found a website called Reading By Phonics that has some useful free worksheets as well.  If you just Google “alphabet activities” you will have a TON of free resources at the click of your mouse. 

One of the things that helped in Alphabet recognition, and in my opinion helped once he started writing, was tracing the letter with his finger as we talked about it.  There are sheets on the Homeschool Creations website specifically for that.  We also purchased a LeapFrog Printing dry erase tablet at WalMart.  Very inexpensive and great for an “on the go” activity.  We were also blessed to find these Melissa & Doug dry erase mats (one for numbers and one for letters) secondhand:fr Numbers and Letters Again, they are great to occupy him when we’re on the go, or to reinforce what we’re learning at any point in the day.

Probably the most beneficial item for helping him learn to write both upper and lower case letters has been his LeapFrog LeapPad 2.  He also has a Leapster Explorer which we bought first.  We still use it for trips to the grocery store and long trips in the car.  Both include a pet game that teaches writing that my son loves.

Now that my son can identify and write the Alphabet, another tool that I utilize quite a bit is printable handwriting practice worksheets.  This free website lets you type whatever phrase you desire (letters or numbers), up to 17 characters, to print out as practice.  I often use it for his name.  You can make your own here: Practice Writing Printables

Whatever method you choose, as with anything you teach your little ones, having fun is really the key—and finding what piques their interest the most.  For example, on the LeapFrog products, whenever my son writes a letter on the pet game, the pet does a trick or shares something that starts with the letter he has just completed, and he thinks that’s the greatest.  He was learning when he didn’t even realize it.  Therefore, I encourage you to find what it is that motivates your child to learn as well.  It makes the process a lot easier.  Want more Homeschooling ideas?  Visit my board on Pinterest: Infinitely More Than I Think on Pinterest  Blessings!

Slouchy Crochet Hat for Little Boy

          My crochet streak continues.  :)  I have another hat to share with you today, and some more crochet projects coming up!  I wanted a new hat for my 4-year-old son, and while he has a variety of beanie type, fitted crochet hats—he did not have a loose fitting, slouchy hat.  I decided to try my hand at it.  Although, let me share some of my motivation for attempting a “slouchy hat.”  As I mentioned in my post about Baby Crochet Camo Hats, my large pouch of crochet hooks was misplaced soon after our last move—incredibly frustrating.  I had found extras of every size hook I own, except size I and J, which were the sizes I needed for several of the projects I’ve wanted to start lately.  I have this thing…where I HATE to buy something again, that I know I own but cannot find; therefore, I had been putting off buying new hooks.  I know…they are very cheap, but again, it’s just the point to me.  This week, I just gave up and decided to replace my size I and J hooks.  Guess what I found the NEXT day?  My large pouch of hooks.  Isn’t it funny how that goes?  I’m very relieved I found them, but irritated I bought the others.   Turns out the size J hook purchase was warranted.  My original J hook has a place in the tip that is snagging my yarn so it needed to be replaced.  How the tip of the hook was damaged is a mystery.  Back to the hat:

So, again, part of my motivation for the hat was due to the fact that I still couldn’t find my pouch of crochet hooks at this point, and K was the only size hook I could find that came close to making sense.  I used a typical fitted hat pattern, with double crochet stitches.  

I did some extra rounds, and finished with two rounds of single crochet stitches.  I’ve shared my appreciation for Red Heart With Love yarn before, and that is what I used for this hat.  It’s Red Heart With Love Yarn, color: True Blue. 

It is SO soft!  It is definitely the type of yarn you want on your head, and touching your face.  The final product is not quite as slouchy as I was intending for it to be, but it will be something he can wear for years to come because it has plenty of room.  Besides, the purpose of a hat is to keep your ears covered, and your head warm, and that, it will do.  

You can see from the back it’s not as loose as most slouchy hats, but it does have some give to it and a very relaxed fit:

He is pleased so that is what truly counts!  To see more of my crochet inspiration, follow me on Pinterest: Infinitely More Than I Think on Pinterest

Brown Butter Sauce

          Want to try something simple that will give you many savory and sweet cooking options?  Then learn the simple art of making Brown Butter.  It will take you about 5-10 minutes start to finish and you’ll be so glad you did. 

            My first experience with Brown Butter happened when I wanted to recreate one of my favorite dishes from The Old Spaghetti Factory: Spaghetti with Brown Butter and Mizithra.  Mizithra is a type of Greek cheese, made from sheep and/or goat’s milk.  I was pleasantly surprised to learn how easy it was to make this at home.  My first task was trying to find a place that I could purchase the cheese.  It is not carried in any of the grocery stores I frequent.  I finally found it in a specialty food/liquor store.  Since that time I’ve also been told that any of the ingredients The Old Spaghetti Factory uses in their restaurants are able to be purchased from them—but please don’t quote me as correct on that—I’ve just heard that from a friend and have never checked it out for myself.  If you are having trouble finding it in a store near you and have access to a OSF it would be worth asking. 

            After you’ve located your cheese, it’s time to make the Brown Butter sauce.  You’ll need one stick of butter (NOT margarine or any combination thereof).  I use salted butter.  Place your butter in a small saucepan on medium heat.  You will want to stay with the pan until you’re finished.  Let the butter melt and begin to bubble like so:

            Let it gently simmer (I gently stir mine as it is cooking) for 5 minutes, or until the butter turns caramel in color.  You should be able to tell immediately when the butter is done, because it will become darker (the caramel color I mentioned) and will smell wonderful.  It will look like this:

Let cool for a few minutes…then strain.  Often I will make some and use it on pasta, then keep leftovers in the fridge, in a covered plastic container.  It will keep at least a week or two—none I’ve ever made has had the chance to stick around longer.  If you want to recreate the dish I mentioned above, use some of the butter sauce on your cooked pasta, toss, then use a grater to put your desired amount of Mizithra cheese on top.  Simple, and oh so good. 

You can also use Brown Butter in sweet recipes.  Have you ever tried it in frosting?  Such a wonderful flavor!  Be sure to add it on your list of things to try!  Want some more ideas for the kitchen?  Follow me on Pinterest: Infinitely More Than I Think on Pinterest
I've linked up with Hope Studios Tutorial Tuesday's and Moms The Word today.  Give it a look!

Crocheted Cable Headband

            As I’ve shared before, once winter is here, I have this huge urge to crochet.  It’s therapeutic for me other times of the year as well, but something about being holed up in the house on cold winter days makes me want to have a pile of yarn in my lap, creating something unique.  I’m sure you fellow crafters can relate.  For example, right now, after I finish this post, I really need to dig my way out of the mess my children have made in our living room, but all I want to do is finish the scarf I started for my son last night.  I am using the Star Stitch.  I learned this a few years ago, but hadn’t found the time to use it. I’m not particularly “fast” at crocheting, and it’s a little more time consuming than other stitches (at least to me) when you’re first getting the hang of it—but it’s SO pretty.  I’m so excited about the results so far and look forward to sharing it later.

            I have been cranking out projects left and right over the past few weeks.  Not really sure how, because I have been super busy, like everyone else, through the holidays and trying to get 2014 off to a good start, but somehow that’s the way it has been.

            So today, I have another project to share with you.  Admittedly, I actually finished this project last winter, but today I was going through some boxes (remember my family relocated twice in 2013), and found this tucked away.  I love this project!  I have become fascinated with crocheted ear warmers/headbands, etc…mainly because I feel like I have a somewhat larger than normal head and any attempts on my part to crochet myself a hat has not pleased me.  I just don’t think I look good in them.  Although, I’ve wanted something to cover my ears when I’m out and about…thus the crocheted headband.  It’s a good thing for me.  Plus, they are so cute!

            I’ve been digging up different headband patterns, and I have at least two more that I’ll be sharing with you soon.  For now, I found this pattern here: Cable Stitch "Jenna" Headband Pattern

            She says that she used a size I hook, and that it will fit a size 21” head.  I guess my head is not as big as I thought, because I went a little longer than she suggested to accommodate my noggin (to 22.5”) but it’s too big—probably at least an inch too big.  I just overlap it in the back and fasten the button farther up than I normally would so it works, although with my next one, I will be careful to keep it in the 19”—21” range that she recommends.  Guess it also depends on how snug you prefer it to be.  I like mine to feel secure…but it would not be a bad idea to measure your head beforehand to get an idea of where you might want yours before you begin—or check as you go along.

            The skill level for this project is intermediate, but it’s a great place to begin learning Front Post and Back Post stitches, if you’re not familiar with them.  This pattern uses a FPTR (Front Post Treble Crochet) and BPTR (Back Post Treble Crochet) stitch and as you can see, it creates a nice raised surface in the middle of your headband.  Although since it’s a small project, it will not seem as daunting to familiarize yourself with some of the front and back post stitches, and if you do mess up…it’s not a huge ordeal to start over.  For example, I wouldn’t start an afghan or another type of large project that uses these stitches if you’ve never worked with them, because it’s so important these be executed correctly to have the right affect.  You'll just frustrate yourself and loose a lot of time if you're not comfortable with them before you begin a large project, but the effort it well worth it and will open up plenty more pattern opportunities for you.  

            Here is the completed headband.  Isn’t it cute?  Pretend like there are not scratches on my table. lol

          I tried to get a photo that would show the detail well.  Attempt #2 here:

  

          This probably goes without saying, but just in case--I wanted to note that the headband is doubled here...this is not the full length.  It was hard to get a photo of it all stretched out.  I used Red Heart yarn, color: Burgundy.  Red Heart calls this Burgundy, but I would call it deep red.  Maybe that’s the same thing to some people, but I think it’s prettier than what Burgundy is usually considered.  So, go and make these in a rainbow of colors!  They work up quickly and make a great gift!  To find some crochet inspiration, follow me on Pinterest:  Infinitely More Than I Think on Pinterest

Baby Crocheted Camouflage Hats

                Three babies have been born in my family, in the last 4-5 months.  With our relocation in August, I’ve struggled to find the time to make something for these precious babies until now.  I’ve also struggled to find my crochet supplies.  My pouch of crochet hooks is still nowhere to be found.  I’ve searched all the logical places, so I undoubtedly put them somewhere “safe” during our move, and now they’re so “safe” that I have no clue where they are.  I had a few random hooks in my main crochet bag…and that is the only reason I’m able to crochet anything right now.  

            All three of these babies were boys…so I decided to whip up the same thing for each of them.  I used Red Heart color: Woodsy for each of them.  I call them camouflage even though it’s not a traditional camo color scheme. Still looked to me like something you would wear to hunt. :)

            I had to adjust the pattern, and just kind of make it up as I went, because as I mentioned above, I can’t find all my hooks—and the pattern called for a size H.  I found a size G, which could have worked but I just honestly don’t care for using smaller hooks, so I used the next smallest size I have…size K. 

            One of the babies was born in August, so I made his size 6-12 months.  The other two are 3-6 month size.  I was able to finish all three very quickly, and I’m pleased with how they look.

          Pretty little hats all in a row:

Mushroom Meatballs

           After my post about Crock Pot Candy a few days ago, I was in the mood to share another one of my favorite crock pot recipes:  Mushroom Meatballs.  When I hosted my immediate family for our Christmas gathering a few weeks ago, I brought out this recipe and doubled it so I could be sure we would have enough, and is what I'm sharing below.  I usually serve it as an appetizer, but often I make this for my little family, and serve it over egg noodles because the gravy it makes is incredible!

            Mushroom Meatballs (for a crowd):  

            Ingredients:

            2 (2 lbs each) bags frozen meatballs

            2 envelops dry onion soup mix

            2 cans Cream of Mushroom soup

            1 lb fresh sliced mushrooms

            Directions:

            Lightly spray your crock pot liner with non-stick cooking spray.  Pour meatballs into crock (you can thaw them beforehand if you like).  In bowl, combine dry onion soup mix and both cans of cream of mushroom soup.  Pour over meatballs. 

Arrange sliced mushrooms on top. 

Cover and cook on high setting 2 hours.  Stir meatballs and cook on low setting for 2 more hours.  Serve as an appetizer or over egg noodles or rice.

            As I’ve shared before, it is recommended that your crock be at least ½ full, but no more than 2/3 full for optimum results.  Obviously, my 6—6 ½ quart crock (can’t remember which it is) is filled to the brim here, but it turned out great!  The mushrooms will really shrink down.

            Everyone goes on about how wonderful the gravy is on these meatballs, and I have to agree. It is so good, you’ll want some wonderful bread, noodles or rice to soak up every—last—drop!  I would have taken a photo of what they looked like when they were finished, but didn't have the chance.  They were gone in a blink!  Enjoy!