Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups that are… Buttons!

Hello friends!

See the above little buttons of deliciousness? So much yumminess in such a little, er.. button.

Why are they called Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups, then?

I’m glad you asked.

It’s because they should (if you are a stickler for rules and such) look like these..

These pretty cupcake size treats were made by Mercy Campbell, who originally found them over at Prevention, a blog by a clever lady named Nicole. Who also made them cupcake size.

But here’s the thing – those treats looked sooooo goood. AND they contain two of my  favourite foods in the world in one place (that would be chocolate and peanut butter) and.. I had no paper patty pans that size.  And small is cute, right?

Without further excuses ado, here’s how to make them.

Bottom Layer:
2 Tbsp coconut oil, melted if it’s cold in your neck of the woods
1/4 cup smooth peanut butter
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 packets stevia or 2 teaspoons of Natvia

Top Layer:
2 Tbsp coconut oil, melted
1/4 cup natural smooth peanut butter
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 packet stevia or 1 teaspoon Natvia

Directions:

Put all the bottom layer ingredients in a bowl, and stir.

Put all the top layer ingredients in a separate bowl, and stir. (Complex, yes? )

Here you can choose how dedicated you want to be*.  If you want a pretty, defined line between your two layers, fill your patty pans or chocolate moulds with the bottom layer of mix, and freeze.  Wait for it to harden, and add the top layer. Refreeze.

You eat these goodies straight from the freezer, and if there any left (ahem!) you store them in the freezer, else your coconuty peanutbuttery chocolatey treats will melt back to their original gooey state.

Freeze.. Enjoy!

*It’s peanut butter and chocolate.  No way was I waiting an extra 15 mins.  I half filled each chocolate mould with the base mix, then immediately added the top layer.

Friends, these are yummy.  AND good for you, and quick to make!

The Forbidden History of Terrible Taxes

 

Here’s a dose of libertarian thought for the common man. Or woman. Or child.  AND it’s Australian (Hello Aussie homeschoolers!! Great resource here!)

If you go to http://theforbiddenhistory.com/  you can also watch The Forbidden History of Unpopular People: an engaging introduction to the value of free speech.  Now if THIS kind of stuff ever made it to the national curriculum, well… I’d eat my hat.

 

Enjoy!

 

P.S… There is, restless readers, a real blog post coming.  But this was too good to not post

 

 

The Sweetest Thing

Hello dear bloggy friends!

You know this already.  But I still have to say…

I have the best blogging friends in the world.

The Bluestocking household were invited to spend Christmas at the farm of a certain blogging friend whom I will call Ms H.   Ms H invited us to stay a few days so we could be woken up each night by dogs and roosters and frogs, oops, no.. um.. It was so we could be waterbombed and shot at by small boys with nerf guns,   (It’s awful when posts will write themselves!) One more try…  She invited us to stay so we could grow corpulent and happy eating delectable baked chocolate cheesecake and roast dinners and homemade caramel slice…  (That is the honest to God truth.)

While I’m tempted to tell you a bunch of funny stories about things that went on during our stay,  and the many fun activities Ms H involved us in, I really want to share something that I thought was as sweet as pie.

Christmas in Australia is hot.  (That’s not the sweet part!).  Children were in the pool, or stalking us with water-bombs, grown-ups were sitting in the shade in that lazy, Christmas-arvo kind of mood. A fellow guest brought out a red, wrap around skirt her husband had made for her, with the view to embroidering flowers around the hem. And here’s the sweet thing: she invited everyone to join her.  Can you imagine?! It was so lovely of her to share her new skirt! A bunch of little girls felt ten feet tall being able to help in such an endeavour, and of course conversation flowed more easily because we were working on a project together.

The experience was so inclusive. Coupled with Ms H’s ability to entertain eight overnight house guests without developing a nervous twitch, it has caused me to re-think how I try to make people feel special.  When I entertain, I plan and plan and stress and stress about it being perfect. Why? Because I want it to be special.  But this visit has shown me that being relaxed, and allowing people to be a part of your life is what actually makes an experience special.  Happy realisation!

Thank you, Ms H and family for opening your hearts and home to a bunch of city folk! ♥

And now, friends, I offer you  Lies People Tell about Chickens and the Joy of Good Friends…. The Sequel! Yes.  Because there is a lot I have to tell you about chickens (and good friends), that the unwary ought to know.  For example: have I told you I have geese?  I do.  Adorable things, geese. Lookie…

A dear friend gave these to me, and when they are good, they are very, very good, and when they are bad.. well, they are certainly naughty.  Just like puppies, they get bored if you don’t play with them. Then they find something to play with that you’d rather they didn’t. But as my geese are well  loved  and frequently cuddled, I had opportunity to notice giant, prehistoric looking insects crawling on them. Really, really big insects.  Horrid looking things.

I looked on-line. I rang the vet. I determined to rid my geese of what turned out to be (shhhh…. they are still embarrassed about it.. ) lice. Uh huh.  My geese had nits.

I turned to my trusty, farm wise friend, Ms H.  She informed me that a dunking of the geese AND the chickens was necessary, told me what to buy, where to buy it, and blithely instructed me to fill something with water and pop the birds in.

Well.  This is where I tell you the truth about friends, AND birds who need to be dunked.  Friends who give you chickens, and say that those chickens need to be dunked, and imply that the process is not going to endanger your very life or at least your sanity, are Not Quite Being Truthful.

 

After repeating this process on three geese and four chickens, I spent days wafting the aroma of  freshly washed puppy wherever I went.  Fleas, lice, and probably man-eating crocodiles if I encounter them, will melt before me in a three mile radius for weeks to come, I’m sure, so saturated was I in the “kill any baddies” wash. The moral of this story is that friends who lead you to believe that your birds getting lice is no big deal, are telling whoppers, and that should you ever find yourself in that lamentable circumstance, wear a raincoat! (and goggles, and gumboots, and… )

And that’s it folks.  I hope you are all enjoying  time with family and friends over the holidays. Stay safe!

Lies People Tell About Chickens, and the Joy of Good Friends

Hello Bloggy friends!

 

I hope you are well and hearty

 

Today something delicious happened to me. Yes, delicious.  I have to tell you!

 

But first, do you recall back in January, the very dear Heidi ( alias: Super Secret Agent Chicken Little), surprised the BB household with four chickens?

Chickens generate an enormous amount of fun.  Chickens make great pets (here’s Bloss having a ball with them..)

 

 

They are relaxing to watch, they keep down weeds in the lawn, they eat your left over veggie scraps and if all that weren’t enough for you, they also lay eggs.

But friends, there is a dark side to chicken ownership.  At least, there is if you believe every thing you read  about the purported benefits of chickens.  I have read times without number that chickens will keep down pests in your garden. That they will help fulfil your permaculture dreams. (Yes, I can hear everyone who has ever owned chickens, snickering.) And I am going to expose that claim for what it is: chicken propaganda.

Let me tell you the truth.

 

Chickens, those dear, sweet, relaxing-to-watch creatures, will wait until you are out, and they will EAT your garden.  They will DIG in your garden. They will DESTROY your garden.

Yessssirrreee.

Those sneaky girls will betray you.  If they survive that, they will openly defy you, and right under  your very nose,  will waltz up to your lettuce and eat it clean up.  Just. like. that.

And if that isn’t insult enough, they will abscond to your neighbour’s yard, the neighbours who haven’t given you a moments grief in all the years you’ve been neighbours, and decimate their pride and joy flower garden.  It will happen.  You can take it to the bank.

So, what’s a chicken owner to do?  WELL.  Cue the joy of having The Best Friends in the Whole World.  And I do.  And two of them came over today, and, in an act of something between mercy and insanity, they undertook to fence my chickens in.

 

 

With the help of five members of the BB household, I’m sure you can imagine what a task it was to achieve.  As a bit of a hint… we are so accustomed to doing useful jobs such as fencing, that three of our number were wearing ankle length skirts. (Yes. We have never put up fences before. You live and learn!)

 

Not only did my very dear friends fence in my chickens and in many other ways improve my yard, but they came bearing gifts.. There were little butterfly cupcakes baked fresh this morning, and enough cut jasmine that every room in my house is perfumed.

 

I may have mentioned once or twice before, but it bears saying again…

 

I have the best friends in the world! ♥

Hairdos, History, and St Helena Island

Hello Bloggy friends!

I have much to tell you.  HEAPS to tell you.  But the worst of it is that when we have a lot of adventures, there is little time to blog about them.

Here’s a quick peek at this weekend’s activities..

Off to a ball Friday night…

A couple of hours sleep, and it was time for the Abbey Tournament!  If you haven’t been to a medieval fair….go!  There is jousting, sword fighting, birds of prey, Turkish oil wrestling (yes! ), and.. and… one of the joys of my life.. a furrier!  I thought that nothing in the world could be softer than the beaver pelt I became attached to last time we went.  But!  When dragging a bunch of friends there today to see why beaver fur is a great passion of mine, one of my friends had the sense to ask the lady stall holder if there is anything softer.

Oh.  Friends.  I want a chinchilla.  I want a warm, live one to love and stroke, and conversely I’d like a bundle of them to wear.

And because history is irresistible fun for us..  we recently went to St Helena Island.  If you are studying Australian History and you live in SE Qld, this is a great excursion.  Truly, this deserves a post all its own, but you may all have finished homeschooling before I get to it.  Have a look at Brisbane Bay Tours.  Brendan (the proprietor)  is very friendly, will transport you to the island,  provide a guided tour and a yummy lunch, and take you back all happy and exhausted.

You’ll see prison ruins..

There were wallabies about the ruins.. cute!

There is also a museum.

And.. one of the extra fun activities was feeding the fish at the end of the jetty before going home. The water is crystal clear, and we saw a couple of stingrays on the walk back to the boat, and some days you can see sharks.

And the good news? Brendan will offer a discount to homeschooling groups/families if you book during the quieter midweek time.  Sweet? Yes! Oh, and I must say: wear comfy shoes for walking. And the kind of clothes that are sensible for getting on and off boats. Just saying…  ;)

That’s it for now folks.

Hear Ye, Hear Ye! …or… Dead Easy Rag Curls.

Bloggy friends!

Rejoice with me!  My life just got easier.

I now share with you the rag curl method that will make Regency Ball preparation fast and painless! (Um, painless for me.  That’s what counts. )

Ready?

Tear (or cut, if you feel civilized) a sheet into strips twice as long as the hair you want to curl.  The Chicklette has ridiculously long hair, so my pieces were.. ridiculously long.

Divide the hair into five or six big sections.  Brush, smooth, and spray each section as you go with a little styling lotion.  No need to wet all over.  Leave enough rag out to allow you to tie it off when you  finish winding, and ask someone to hold it firmly in place.  You can see I have borrowed the hand of the Miss 13 to hold the rag in place for me.

Wind the hair smoothly around the rag. By not overlapping the hair on itself, it will dry faster and produce an even curl.

Wind all the way to the end.  Smoothing the hair around the rag (you don’t want the very last bit crinkly!) flip the end of your rag back around the part you have just been winding, and commence winding the rag around the hair.

Keep going all the way to the top.  This gives you the two ends to tie together, and the rag wound back around the hair stops it getting all ruffled while your poor petal sleeps in it.

When you get back to the top, tie the two ends.  You don’t have to tie it in a bow, I just couldn’t resist.  Because… how cute is this?!

Leave in over night.  When you take them out, unwind carefully.  You can separate each curl into two for a “more curls” look. If you attempt that and get a big, foofy, fuzzy disaster, don’t panic.  Brush the end of the particularly disastrous curl, and then wind it around your finger, encouraging it back in the direction it was wound the first time, and it will behave nicely.  A little Anti-frizz serum or ends shine, or similar product, will help, but don’t over do it or your curl will soften too much.

This method doesn’t curl right to the roots of the hair, which is easier if you’re going for an upstyle - hooray!  We weren’t as this was only for experimental purposes,  so I added a bow.  High is cute for little people, low is more suitable for older girls.

And that’s it folks.  Toooooo easy!

Chocolate: not just for breakfast anymore!

Yes, Bloggy friends, it’s a chocolate so good for you, that you can eat it regularly, and guilt free.

You can!  Honest!

I have to thank my Mama ♥ for this new addiction recipe: she is a great experimenter!

Now.. before we go any further, I must preface this with saying I am a heavy Lindt dark chocolate user.  If you’re a milk chocolate fan, you may want to try some of the tamer recipes out there using condensed milk to sweeten.  Or you could play around with this one and add more sweetener than I have.

I regularly use coconut oil and am happy with that taste, but if you and coconut oil are not well acquainted, try it with mostly butter first.  It won’t be as good for you (don’t get me raving on the benefits of coconut oil!) but you can build up to it.

Here’s the list of so-spanking-good-for-you ingredients that even your weirdest, most alternate, sugar hatin’ , barley green eatin’, homeschooling friends won’t grimace at.

Ready?

3/4 cup honey ( I use raw.. because it’s good for you! But any honey with a mild taste will do.)

stevia to taste (it’s not necessary: you can add more honey, but stevia adds a big punch of sweetness with zero calories.  AND it contains nothing artificial. It’s a herb. )

125 grams butter

1/2 cup coconut oil (now remember… if you don’t normally use it, add a couple of tablespoons, and make the rest of the measurement up with extra butter.)

1/2 cup cacao powder  (you can use more if you want a more chocolately taste, and this friends, is the beauty of this recipe: the amount of times you have to taste test it while making.  Glory!)

Almond meal. I used 125 grams, but you could add more.  It gives the mixture body, and almonds are yummy.

Mix the whole lot together.  There is no need to warm it, even, if room temperature has your coconut oil runny and your butter soft.  If it’s cold, or you are impatient, then warm in a double boiler enough that you can blend the ingredients.  It doesn’t need to cook in any way, it’s only necessary  to make the ingredients blend.

And now for the fun part…  (um… that would be more taste testing! )

Here you add whatever grabs your fancy.  I *adore* peanut butter.  So, if I have it on hand, I add great wads of peanut butter to the mix.  Oh, but not that stuff you buy in the supermarket that has no taste.  If you go to the health food shop (unless you are a REAL die-hard homeschooler and have your own super juicer that makes nut butters..  or you can just go to the health food shop as I do) they will grind it fresh while you wait, to the texture you specify.

Toasted, flaked almonds tossed in at the end are great, too.

What is truly, ruly, delectable if you have no peanut butter, is throwing a large handful of macadamias into your food processor and adding those along with macadamia halves, to your glorious, chocolately, experiment.  Then…taste, of course! You know, just to make sure there isn’t something else it needs…

You could try shredded coconut, dried fruit, any kind of nuts you fancy.

When you’re all done, pour it into a greased tray or Pyrex dish to set in the fridge.  The texture will depend on what your ingredient choices were, and it will come out more like a fudge than a hard commercial chocolate.  If it is not perfect for you, if it needs more sweetening, or less sweetening, or to have more texture, melt it down in a double boiler (or a bowl over hot water) until it is liquid again, and adjust!

Friends, experiment with me!