Hair by Dad

Benny Front

Benny side

Tati front

Tati Side
HooRay for Dad! ;)

Character Study

I volunteered for next Wednesday night's character study. I get to choose one person in the Bible, and study them, and lead the study next week. I just feel a bit lost. I can't say that I have a favorite character. Who is your favorite character? Any suggestions!? After it's done, I'll let you all know how it turned out. I'll give you a few highlights.

Praise God!

Wow, thing after thing after thing has just been proving to Brandt and I that God really cares for us! He's so obvious in His love for us!

busy days

We have had a very busy last few days. Alex and Levi have joined us for daily living, and honestly, doubling my kid count that fast is something the non-talented me finds a little stressful. I will resume a proper blog after deliver of the boys to their momma, and after I unpack my Pampered Chef box scheduled for delivery today :) Have a super Easter weekend! He is Risen!!! Praise God!

The Simple Complexity of Easter

There is a neat 3 minute or so video I would love to share with you all! We are playing it at church Sunday for Easter. I tried to upload it so you could view it here, but after 5 hours and two tries, it just was a garbled mess, so I'll give you a link to one you can look at online. Maybe you would like to purchase it for showing at your church!

The Simple Complexity of Easter

Hope you have a blessed week remembering how Christ conquered death so we could be with God! :)

Snow and Frost

It is amazing! Spring never ceases to surprise me. One day, we can have blizzard like qualities, wind, snow, cold. . . you get the picture. Then the next day can be 45 degrees, sunny, everything melting like crazy, and then the next day it's just miserably cold again! Today is a cold day again. Our muck boots are getting put back so we can use the winter boots again. :) Oooh Spring! You can be so mean!

I'm a Consultant now :)

Ok, I've signed up. I will be selling Pampered Chef products now! If you want me to come show you and some friends all our fun products, and make something tasty for you, I would love to come! If you're too far for me to come, I can send you a catalog show packet, and you can glean orders from friends, family and associates, and still earn free and discounted products.

It really was inevitable that I sign up. I already have a good portion of their products, and really am convinced they are wonderful! Shoot me an email if you will be kind enough to help me start my new career. :) You won't be disappointed. :) jenny4wen at yahoo dot com

Thanks guys! :)

The power of static!

It is TRULY amazing what a little bit of static can do to ones hairdo :)

This was accomplished with the aid of a little tykes slide in the house. After a walk in the afternoon warmth, inside was just too boring.

That tempting, elusive spring. . .

My hibiscus plant has started blooming. I think I have forgotten to mention to it that we are living in Minnesota, and there is still a foot of snow on the ground. It likes my southern window. When I moved it this winter to make room for our Christmas tree, the hibiscus just about croaked on me. I moved it back to it's window, and now it's blooming. What a temperamental creature. I thought I would share it's double blossom beauty with you. Have a great day! (And no fear, Spring really is coming. . .)

It's a puzzle!

Wow! I have not put together a puzzle in years! I visited a friend, and she had been working on a large, challenging puzzle, and it peaked my interest. So Brandt and I bought one. It's a Thomas Kinkade 1000 piece puzzle. We finished it in one day :) . I feel so smart.

Making Blinis

Blinis

Blinis are a type of pancake from Russia. My dad grew up Russian orthodox, and learned to make these growing up. Usually they were made for special days, like around Easter. They look very similar to a crepe, but don't taste the same at all. I'll give you the recipe, and pictures to go by, but beware, it takes lots of practice to get the proper consistency of the batter, and the timing down on the cooking.

Blinis
1 Cup Flour
6 eggs 1 tsp salt
1/4 cup sugar
At this point, batter will be about the consistency of a cake batter. It needs to be loosened with water to make consistency.

That's the easy part! :)





The Batter needs to be very thin, but not TOO thin. . . (Maybe comparable to egg nog, or a little heavier than heavy whipping cream-before it's whipped :D ) It is better to be too thick then too
thin.





We use a 9 inch cast iron skillet. It works wonderfully for making blinis. You want to make sure it's not going to stick at all, oil it up, and turn the heat as high as it will go. Let it sit that way for just a little while, you need a hot skillet. Also, keep some oil in a bowl close by to re-oil skillet between blinis.





We use a 1/3 cup measuring cup to pour the batter, but only fill it to about 1/4 cup. As you pour it on to the very hot skillet, shake the skillet to help disperse the batter evenly. This is a very quick process. This is also where you will be able to tell if the batter is too thick. The Blini should be about the thickness of a crepe. If it is too thick, just add a little more water (not too much). If you get the batter just right, then you can get them even thinner. The thinner, the better.




Cook the blini for 45 to 60 seconds. That is not a science it may take longer if your skillet is not hot enough and less after the first few blinis. You can pick up the edge of it and see if it is golden brown evenly on the cooked side.

Flip carefully and cook for about the same amount of time. Check for burning by lifting edge. We use a silicon spatula. It gets under the edge very nicely.

The second side will look more blistered then evenly browned.











Your blini is ready to remove, butter, and roll.

Top with Maple Syrup.

Other suggestions:
*Roll with fruit and top with whipped cream or powdered sugar.
*Add sausage or bacon and serve with Apple Jelly.
*Try out any new way of serving for your own taste.

















Mmmmm. . .. Feel free to make your reservation, and we'll show you how it's done!
*This blog was not possible without the valuable insight of the chef shown in the pictures. I actually have never made a blini. :) I have eaten my fair share over the years though.