The digging started and finished today. Husband spoke to the guy who was just finishing up and was told that they were supposed to dig earlier last week but due to the rain, they weren’t able to. Then, they also had to wait for the utilities people to mark the utility areas so that they don’t dig in those areas. Tomorrow, they will prep (put up metal stands) for the foundation. Once the foundation is in, the utility lines go next.
Categories: Home
A couple of weeks ago, I went to the asian market and saw this pre-mix batter for coconut rice cakes. I thought I’d give it try and make some. I’ve eaten these layered cakes before but have never made them. When I got home, I realized that I already have ingredients to make them from scratch. The ingredients were tapioca powder and glutenous rice powder. I use these two ingredients to make other dishes.
I first decided to make the one from scratch. I didn’t have a recipe handy and the recipe on the pre-mix box was not very clear as to the type of rice used so I went online to search for a recipe. I came upon this one: Rainbow Rice Cake, and decided to use this.
After I started steaming the liquid, it seemed that the rice was not hardening. The recipe said to let it steam for 3 to 5 minutes. I had to let it steam for at least 10 minutes or more. After losing patience, I decided to just do the pre-mix and forget about the online version. I didn’t dump out the from scratch one though…just in case.
I’m glad I didn’t throw it out because the pre-mix also took a very long time to steam. I was relieved after this and so finished up the pre-mix one then went back to finish the from scratch one.
The pre-mix (below) wasn’t as sticky and wasn’t as sweet but it was tasty. Also, as you can see the caked did not turn out as pretty as what’s on the box. But, maybe this was just my first time and will just take practice.
The from scratch was a bit sticky and too sweet at first. Cutting it was difficult because it would stick to the butter knife. I thought about using strings but it wasn’t that big of a deal to get it to cut perfectly.
The next morning, the one I made from scratch tasted a lot better. It wasn’t as sticky but still sticky and sweet. The pre-mix one became a little dry and chewy. Ovearall, I would recommend making it from scratch if possible.
Earlier this week, the lot was staked! This means they should be digging later this week or next week!! We are also keeping in mind that the weather has gotten colder and the last couple of days have been rainy so there might be some delays but they are planning to get the roof on the house before the winter snow hits.
My sister was surprised that our house wasn’t going to be that big. She didn’t realize that we could have gone bigger but we felt that 2400 sq ft was enough for us. This doesn’t include the basement which we plan to finish ourselves and should add another 800+ sq ft putting the total sq ft at 3200. We are pretty humble.
Categories: Home
Last weekend, husband worked some overtime in the far away city of Clifton so the whole family decided to go and hang out with him. It was a refreshing mini vacation. The hotel we stayed at was in Grand Junction which was about 7 minutes from Clifton. The girls really enjoyed the trip even though there wasn’t much to do there. We basically hung around the hotel and went swimming a few times. I did some reading while the girls watched a lot of t.v! The hotel was pretty neat. It had a small kitchen with a fridge, dishwater, a microwave, sink, utensils/plates, a desk, a living space with a couch, a lazy boy, and a t.v. There was another room for the bedroom with a king bed, another t.v., a closet, and a bathroom. It wasn’t anything fancy but it was roomier than any hotels I’ve stayed at!
Grand Junction is right next to the town of Palisades and Palisades was hosting their annual wine tasting event that weekend! Since husband worked into the evening we missed the event but hope to go to it next year…and either bring a sitter for the girls or have someone sit them at home so that we can enjoy some grown-up fun.
Top photo: A vineyard in Palisades. Bottom: Sunset by the vineyard.
Categories: Family · Photography · Reviews
I made pumpkin muffins last week and thought I’d share the recipe. I’ve made pumpkin muffins/breads in the past but the recipe I had previous was a bit too greasy so my girls didn’t like them. This version is not oily and both girls loved it to death!
Pumpkin Muffin/Bread recipe:
3 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs, lightly beaten
16 oz canned unsweetened pumpkin
3 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp allspice
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger (this was not part of the recipe but I added this because I wanted to have a semi-ginger taste to it)
1/2 tsp cloves
2/3 cup water
Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour 2 9×5 loan pans (NOTE: I used a 24 mini muffin pan). Stir together sugar and oil. Stir in eggs and pumpkin. Combine dry ingredients in separate bowl. Blend dry ingredients and water into wet mixture, alternating. Divide batter between the loaf pans. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean. Let stand 10 mins. Remove from pans and cool. Prep: 20 min/Cook time: 30 to 40 mins.
Recipe courtesy of foodnetwork.com.
Categories: Recipes
Our house will look exactly like this in the front except for the exterior colors. We are going with an olive green color. Also, there will be rocks going around the garage instead of just halfway.
The entrance will be similar to this except it will be flipped. Instead of the steel rails (which was an upgrade) we will be going with the standard wooden rails. And instead of a living room on the right, we will be putting a formal dining there.
We also drove around town today just checking out different exteriors of homes and both husband and I realize that we hope to someday build a custom home. Maybe this house that we are building now will not be our last. We will probaby take what we learn from this and apply towards a custom home.
Categories: Home
This morning, the girls, husband and I went for a walk around the block and brought the camera with us. We also made a stop at the playground so the girls can get a headstart on spending some of that energy.
Autumn is in the air. The leaves are slowly retiring their greens for vibrant fall colors.
Categories: Family · Photography
Someday, we will retire to these chairs and remember the ups and downs of younger years.
Categories: Art · Photography
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