My Last Blog Post

After much thought and prayer I have decided not to continue with this blog. It's been nice and I've met some wonderful people and had fun. I've learned many things and one of those things is to know when it's time to make changes. One major change is the disbanding of this blog.

I guess I could go into all the reasons why I won't be blogging anymore but that would just bore you. Yes I'm busy, very busy and have much to finish, start, and work on.

I will keep the blog up for some time and may move some of my posts to my website as I know some of them have been helpful to others.

God guide you and keep you,
K Quinn

Friday was and is Baking Day

Today was baking day in our home. We have a family birthday celebration this weekend and I'm one of the resident bakers (started long ago and I'm having a hard time getting out of it). I made two cakes (un-iced, frozen until Sunday) and two pans of cookies.

In honor of the day I'm posting for your vintage, historical, antiquated pleasure some tips from back in day on the way of cake making. And yes back in the day many times Friday was baking day, one of them.

Recipes Tried and True

In making cake, the ingredients used should be of the best quality--the flour super-fine, and always sifted; the butter fresh and sweet, and not too much salted.

Coffee A, or granulated sugar is best for all cakes.

Much care should be taken in breaking and separating the eggs, and equal care taken as regards their freshness. One imperfect egg would spoil the entire lot. Break each egg separately in a teacup; then into the vessels in which they are to be beaten. Never use an egg when the white is the least discolored. Before beating the whites, remove every particle of yolk. If any is allowed to remain, it will prevent them becoming as stiff and dry as required.

Deep earthen bowls are best for mixing cake, and should be kept exclusively for that purpose. After using, wash well, dry perfectly, and keep in a dry place. A wooden spoon or paddle is best for beating batter. Before commencing to make your cake, see that all the ingredients required are at hand. By so doing, the work may be done in much less time.

The lightness of a cake depends not only upon the making, but the baking, also. It is highly important to exercise judgment respecting the heat of the oven, which must be regulated according to the cake you bake, and the stove you use.

Solid cake requires sufficient heat to cause it to rise, and brown nicely without scorching. If it should brown too fast, cover with thick brown paper.

Every cook should use her own judgment, and by frequent baking she will, in a very short time, be able to tell by the appearance of either bread or cake whether it is sufficiently
done.

Yellow Layer Cake Mrs. A. C. Ault

One and one-half cups sugar, one-half cup butter, one-half cup milk, one and one-half cups flour, one-half cup corn starch, two teaspoonfuls baking powder, three eggs (separate whites). Flavor to taste (vanilla).


(Since it wasn't given I'll tell you that most cakes are baked at 350 for 25 to 30 minutes.)

And my own baking tips to mark off this post.

1. Cakes are best mostly mixed by hand. I have many a fallen cake in my past to attest to this.
2. I sift all flours, even cake flour
3. I don't usually mix together all the dry ingredients but that's just me.
   
4. I do use a mixer but only at the beginning to mix eggs and sugar and butter. Then I take the bowl off the mixer and do the rest by hand.
   
5. When mixing in the liquid and your flour mixture begin and end with the flour. Meaning stir in a little flour, then add liquid, then stir in a little more flour etc. until you are finishing adding both ingredients and all you have left is flour.
6. You would be surprised how many people love white cake (I always am)
   

My funny addition that my sister will not think is so funny is when were pretty young. She was probably about 12 (so I was 9 or 10) and she wanted to make a cake. She decided the whole thing was much too labor intensive and poured the batter in the blender. We had rubber cake for dessert! (sorry sis!)

I hope this has got you wanting to bake a cake.

Updating Your Bathroom for Spring

Professional Organizer Maria Gracia has a great post on cleaning up, organizing , and beautifying your bathroom to produce spa-like results. And if you've already done a spring cleaning on your bathroom just skip on down to the beautifying part.

Enjoy =>Turn Your Bathroom into a Spalike Sanctuary

Exercise Update - The Firm Strong Heart

Okay once again I'm a bit behind with these so I'm double posting today. This morning I did The Firm Strong Heart with Heidi Tanner video. This is a crosstrainer video meant to be worked alternate days with The Firm Strong Body but once again I'm using the 90 Day Updated Firm workout calendar so it's a hare video today and I chose Strong Heart.

Despite Heidi's outfit I like this video. It's just kind of fun to do. My husband comments that he can't hear me working out and I tell him it's because The Firm is all business (I don't let him in the room when I workout). You are whooping and hollering (in the old ones) you just get the job done.

This 60 minute video uses all your nice props. Step up box (you need 8 inches and 14 inches), a beginner set of 3,5, and 8 lb dumbells ( I use 3,5,8, and 10), ankle weights (I use 3 lbs) and a 2 X 4 for hitting the screen when you've done one too many leg presses lifting your heels for squats and tricep dips.

This video is not that cardio in terms of jumping around etc. You get your aerobic benefit from switching back and forth between working legs and arms. Your blood is pumping all around. I did have to catch my breath at one point BUT I did make it through the leg extensions on the floor.

In addition to your usual workout moves such as push ups (which start your workout), leg presses, squats, lunges, dips, bicep curls , peck flies, etc. you do 3 aerobic sessions, 2 using the 8 inch box a floor session with the ankle weights and your abs.

The Firm Strong Heart is a nice complete workout that I do enjoy doing.

Still Working Out - Kathy Smith Weight Loss Workout

Okay I'm a little behind on workout updates BUT I have been working out consistently in the wee early AM (holding up hand to hold back the applause) except for last week when I missed Friday because we had an early am appointment. The appointment's fault. Hmph!

Okay on to my workout review.

Kathy Smith Weight Loss Workout. I've had this video in my collection for a number of years but haven't done it in at least 2. When I first got this video I lamented that it was too long. At 70 minutes I didn't think I had it in me to follow through. Several years later and several other long videos under my belt, this is still long but the time seemed to fly by.

Kathy made this video in the early 1990's several months after her daughter was born (toddling in the opening of the video). She says it's for people who may be struggling to drop a few pounds such as reaching a plateau or giving birth as in herself. It was also her introduction of what The Firm was already doing, aerobics with weights. Weights combined with aerobics is supposed to help you burn fat faster. And building muscle helps to increases your metabolism which burns fat (while you sleep so they say).

Equipment needed : Small hand weights (I use 3 lbs).

This video is dated with the music, moves, and outfits but I was breaking quite a sweat at the end.

As with many of Kathy's longer videos it is broken down into segments the first one (after warming up) being one where you use hand weights. Initially since I'm using 5 to 10 lbs with The Firm videos I grabbed my 5 lb weights for Kathy's videos. I quickly put them down and did not look back. Kathy moves much to fast for safe handling of heavier weights for me. I'm hovering right above a petite person (I like to say my legs are too long to qualify me as petite) so sometimes too much weight is just that, too much.

The next few of segments are dancey cardio sessions including one which is all about the 50's. I can't move as well as some of these people and freqently found myself marching in place just to keep some sort of cardio action going.

The next segment is one Kathy is using to tone the legs. There are no weights but you do lunges and sort of side dippy things. She is using momentum and the weight of your body here. I kind of felt the lunges could be a bit dangerous for your knees since she has you kind of dancing into them. A better alternative would be standing dips especially for a beginner.

The last segment is another one with weights (again with the 3 lbs) where you will work thighs and your back. Kathy tends to be rather dancey with her weight moves and looks to me like she could pull a muscle so I just do the moves a little less dancey than she does. Keeping proper form but still moving to get the added benefit.

At the very end Kathy talks about healthy eating for weight loss. I always cut the video off here (what!) so I couldn't tell you what's going on.

I actually will probably be doing this video again tomorrow since it's a cardio day so I will update if any new tips.

I think Kathy has updated and repackaged this video in DVD.

Tackle it Tuesday - A Bit of Spring Cleaning

I've been out of Tackle it Tuesday commission for a week or so. You would think that means I have nothing to tackle but actually the opposite is true. I have so much going on that the thought of posting was just too much.

To keep me on pointe (yes ballet wise) I'm posting my tackle just like I do with Menu Planning.

This week on the home front my tackle is to do a bit of Spring Cleaning in the living room. I'm doing the 15 minute rule so every day I spend 15 minutes doing deep cleaning.

I was doing pretty good yesterday until I popped in my VHS (yes I still have one of those) Gaither Homecoming Landmark. I thought my daughter would enjoy watching it while I got really pepped to clean. Problem was I was so enjoying when Larnel Harris sings All in Favor that I sat down with my daughter and sang hard. I sung that song as a solo in church eons ago before I could play the piano. If I had known it could sound like that I might have sung differently. Would help if I could sing too. Anyway needless to say I got sidetracked. I did eventually reset the timer and do my 15 minute venture so it was okay.

Today I will to some more living room cleaning but I work in another quadrant (I see my rooms in sections).

I'm not doing much. Dusting. Moving things and dusting, tossing, vacuuming. I'll pull down the curtains and wash later in the week (maybe).

Some other Spring Cleaning Chores for the Living Room....
Wipe down upholstery.
Clean windows
Dusting picture frames and cleaning the glass
Wipe switch plates
Wipe lamp bases
Vacuum Lamp Shades or damp wipe depending on material
Clean out fireplace or pellet stove
Dust VCR

The list could go on but that's not necessarily what we want.

To see what other's are getting done this Tuesday March 25th visit 5 Minutes for Mom.

Menu Plan Monday - Still on the Lighter Meal Plan

Welcome to Menu Planning for the week of March 24th. We've been using the menu plans and grocery shopping lists from some old Taste of Home Light & Tasty magazines we have.

We had a great menu week last week. All the recipes were pronounced successes. I was sort of leery of the Turkey Breasts with Orange Sauce on Monday but they were flavorful and delicious. I have been requested to repeat the Roasted Ginger Green Beans.

We're really enjoying all these recipes from Light & Tasty. It's sad the magazine is gone but the recipes are online. I subscribe Country Woman (among many other titles) and so I'm told I have some special access. Please let me know if you can't access any of the recipes.

This week we'll be pulling another light and tasty menu from another rogue issue that I happen to have of Light and Tasty.

The recipes are as follows...

Monday - Saucy Steak Strips and Salad
Tuesday - Sage Turkey Thighs and Winter Floret Medley
Wednesday - Ham and Noodle Casserole
Thursday - Crispy Baked Chicken and Corn Bread
Friday - Slow Cooked Coffee Beef Roast and Spanish Potatoes

For more meals and ideas for the coming week visit Laura at Organizing Junkie.

Home Management Binder Folders

Bloggy Inspiration

Shereen over at W8ng4Him has a great meme every Friday called Sew Crafty Friday. This meme motivated me to start scrapping my daughter's baby book (I know, I know. I can give it to her for college graduation) and now I'm halfway done BUT this the Friday before last she posted her cute dividers for her Home Management Binder so for those need some Home Management Binder inspiration check it out!

Home Management Binder Folders