Pictures from the Backyard Homestead August 2014

Do you like Claire's photobomb?

3D Sculpted Pikachu Birthday Cake

If you follow me on instagram, you've probably noticed that I'm working on Wyatt's birthday cake. Did you know I've been decorating cakes for about 5 years now? I don't make them all the time anymore, but at one point I seriously considered making it a career. I'd need fancier equipment for that, but it doesn't pay much anyway. I'm perfectly content just making them for us and the occasional friend.

For Quinn's birthday I made a Pikachu cake and sent out a few spoilers on Instagram. The only finished product picture was this one:

I had a few requests to see more, so here you go. The cake didn't turn out perfect and it gave me a lot of grief, but Quinn didn't care, she loved her "Pikachu birthday cake"

Since this blog is about living on a budget, let me talk about the cost of making this cake for a second. The base of this cake is reusable and I've already used it several times, but I think I paid $5 for it. The fondant can be extremely expensive, but you can make your own using this recipe/tutorial and it'll cost you $5-10 per batch. You'll need 2-3 batches for this particular cake and base. Cake recipes can vary in cost, but you could easily make enough for this cake without spending more than $10. Icing recipes vary too, but $5 could make you enough for this cake. Add in an extra $5 for random supplies like dowel rods and cake boards and you have yourself a fancy cake for $40-$55. Plus of course all the time, effort, and utilities. I think it's worth it, because it's fun and the kids like that I do something designed just for them for their birthdays.

Do you make your kids' birthday cakes?

100% Whole Wheat Banana Muffins

Today is Zeke's first day of Kindergarten, so to get him off to a good start, I made these Whole Wheat Banana Muffins. These are a favorite around our house and a batch never lasts long. Usually I make these and we eat them fresh, but occasionally, I make them the night before so that the outside of the muffin gets a nice crisp crust. They also freeze well.

 My kids prefer them plain, but David prefers to add in a chopped walnuts, so I've added that as an optional ingredient in the printer friendly version.

 You'll need: salt, white wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, melted butter, over-ripe bananas, and an egg. A note on the butter: I don't normally say recipes require a certain brand, but I have noticed a superior flavor when I use Land-o-Lakes unsalted butter as opposed to store brand unsalted butter. The ingredient lists are the same, so I never thought about it, but there really is a difference.

Whisk flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda together in a small bowl. Set aside.

Place bananas in a medium-large mixing bowl. Mash with a fork. It should be super easy, if your bananas are overly ripe.

 Add the sugar, egg, and melted butter to the mashed bananas and stir together.

 Add dry mix to the wet mix and stir until incorporated (about 50 strokes).

 Add 1/4 C batter to each greased muffin tin cup. Use a spoon to evenly distribute any remaining batter. Bake for 23-25 minutes in a 350 F preheated oven.

Whole wheat muffins often come out a bit darker than ones made with all-purpose flour, so don't worry they're not necessarily burnt.
Enjoy!

printer friendly version

Do you like to add extra ingredients into your banana muffins?

Easy Chicken Pot Pie and Tasty Tuesday Link-up

I love pot pie and this one allows me to have it very quickly. If you're going to make the cream of celery or pie crust yourself, you could make several pies at once and freeze it. The filling also freezes well in a bag on it's own too.

1 box refrigerated pie crust (or make your own)
1 1/2 C chicken or turkey, chunks or shredded
1 (10.5 oz) can cream of celery (or make your own- recipe to come soon)
12 oz frozen vegetable soup mix

Preheat oven to 425 F.
Unroll one sleeve of crust and line the bottom of pie pan.
Mix together chicken, cream of celery, and vegetables in a bowl. Transfer mix to pie pan.
Unroll second crust and place over pie. Trim excess crust and seal edges together. Slit the center of the top crust to vent.
Bake in oven for 40 minutes or until crust is golden brown. If edges start to brown too quickly, place foil strips around them.

Enjoy!

A note on cream of celery: You can buy cream of celery at Aldi's for $0.59 a few months out of the year. If you can't get it this cheap, you could substitute cream of chicken, which you can easily get for $0.50. Or, you can make your own for a mere $0.10 (give or take)- recipe coming soon.

This recipe originally appeared on 11/17/11 @ oneincomefamilyliving.blogspot.com. I wrote it, edited it, and transferred it here.

This month, Tammy from Creative K Kids, Dina from My UN-Entitled Life, and I are running this party on our blogs!    

We would love to have you link up to three of your old or new food posts!   Here are  just a few requests for this linky:

• PLEASE follow the hosts and co-hosts of this party through one of their social media listed below.  They visit your post, leave a comment, and pin your post.  Just pick one (or more) of the options below and please follow them.

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An InLinkz Link-up

30+ After school snack ideas

Quinn went back to preschool on Thursday and Zeke starts Kindergarten on Wednesday, so instead of sharing my dinner menu for the week (check out my other meal plans here), I've compiled this list of after school snacks ideas. These are all affordable and easy enough. For more ideas check out my pinterest page: snacks.

 Fruit and Veggie Popsicles

Cheerio Treats

Mini Pulled Pork Taco Boats This one would require some leftover meat or beans, but the little ones will enjoy assembling these, if you just set out the ingredients.

Mini Pizza Snackers (from Sweet Pennies from Heaven)

Cat in the Hat Kabobs (from Sweet Pennies from Heaven)

Lucky Charms Trail Mix (from Sweet Pennies from Heaven)

S'more Snack Mix (from Frosting and a Smile)

Heart-Shaped Popcorn Balls (from Pays 2 Save)

Wild Berry Cream Cheese Crackers (from Pays 2 Save) It calls for food coloring in the spread, but I would just omit that part.

Pepperoni Pizza Dip (from Eating on a Dime)

Easy Baked Apple Chips (from Eating on a Dime)

No Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies (from Ann's Entitled Life)

No Bake Peanut Butter Corn Flake Bars (from Ann's Entitled Life)

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus (from Mama Likes to Cook)

Ants on a Log (from Stockpiling Moms) I use raisins when I make these.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Energy Balls (from Mission to Save)

Easy Pizza using flour tortillas (from Southern Krazed)

Apple Sandwiches (from Thrifty Jinxy)

Healthy Carrot Cake Muffins (from Farm Fresh Feasts)

Mini Cranberry Yogurt Oatmeal Muffins (from Farm Fresh Feasts)

Creamy Dark Chocolate and Banana Muffins (from Farm Fresh Feasts)

Edible Pencils (from Heavenly Savings)

Frozen Pumpkin Pie Yogurt Dots (from Family Centsability)

Fruity Pebbles Parfait (from Simplee Thrifty)

Slimy Snail Snacks (from Two Kids and a Coupon)

Mini Sausage and Cheese Pockets (from Savings Every Day)

Camouflage Popcorn Balls (from The Frugal Mom)

Homemade Cheese Crackers (from The Frugal Mom)

Homemade Banana Chips (from Chickadee Homestead)

Oatmeal Cookie Granola (from Pint Size Farm)

Cranberry-Lemon Drop Biscuits (from Schneider Peeps)


What is your favorite after school snack?