Friday's Foto Fun with SITstas

It's time for Carrie's Friday Foto Fun:-)

Oh my gosh!! I am still coming down off of my comment buzz from yesterday! Not only did I get featured here (thanks Carrie:-) but I also got a full dose of SITs. I have been SATs!! I got all my comments answered but, I am still in a bloggy haze so, this is all I got today:-)

Welcome Sitstahood!!

That's right!!! Today I am being featured on that wonderful comment love site: The Secrets in the Sauce !! These wonderful women believe that the secret to success in the blogosphere is support. If you are a Sitsta, you are dedicated to supporting one another by leaving comments. Lots and lots of comments. Here, I have found so many new sites to follow and who follow me. I just love my Sitstas!

For those of you who are new to Susie's Homemade, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Susan (a.k.a. Susie) Ewing. I am a thriving stay-at-home mom of two wonderful girls (5 and 18) and a caretaker of my 67 year old live-in mother. I started this blog to support my chocolate shop on Etsy.com ( Susie's Homemade Chocolate Shop ) but, it has become so much more.

It is here that I explore my adventures in homemaking, baking, cake decorating and gardening. This has lead to competitive baking , writing for other sites and designning other blogs . I am thrilled by all that has come to me over the last year that I have been on line.

The thing that is nearest and dearest to my heart is cake design. When I celebrated my blogoversary, I posted this slide show. I am reposting it here for the benefit of my new readers. This really shows what I am all about.

I love stalkers. Check out my left-side-bar for the many ways you can stalk me in cyberspace! I sure hope that you like what you see here and come back soon:-)

Mocha Ganache Cupcakes

It's time for Tackle It Tuesday with 5 Minutes for Mom .

I tackled another Iron Cupcake: Milwaukee Challenge . This time, the ingredient was coffee and my submission was Mocha Ganache Cupcakes.

These are chocolate cupcakes with a mocha ganache glaze. I made the mocha ganache by steeping the coffee right in heavy cream. Then, I took the hot cream to make the ganache. Oh my...they had a really, really strong coffee flavor!! But, that was the jist:-)

Friday's Foto Fun with Dreams

It's time for Carrie's Friday Foto Fun:-) I am tired and uninspired today. So, I am dreaming.

Cupcakes Take the Cake says that this can by yours for $50,000 start up.

Anyone interested in an investment opportunity? Hee, hee, hee:-) A girl can dream, right?

My Nemesis Plant

Check me out at Happy to be at Home . I am writing about taking care of my mom:-)

You see this:

This is new growth on my poinsettia plant! The one plant that I have not been able to keep. The one plant I was not going to try. And here it is with new growth!! Yeah me:-)

Now, let's see if I can keep it alive. Cross your fingers for me (or your green thumbs:-)

This is My Attitude Today

We are expecting 3 to 5 inches of snow...AGAIN:-(

Valentine Brownies

This week, I am sharing the special Valentine's Day treat that I made for my family.

Aren't these cute little heart brownies? They couldn't be easier!

I love how Semi-Homemade these are. Here are my tools:

I just made brownies right out of a box. I cut them with bread tube (but you can use any heart-shaped cutter you have at home). Then, I used the cake stencils and powder sugar in a shaker to make the designs on top. Here is a closer look:

Gardening Thursday

We had such great weather this weekend however is too early in the season to do anything outside. It did inspire me to get my spring plants ready.

I didn't get as much done this weekend on my indoor garden as I wanted to. I was able to repot my five pots of impatiens. That is what you see here under the grow light. Once they have re-established in the new soil, I will prune off the leggy looking portion so the healthy new growth will come through.

I also repotted 2 ferns (not pictured here). Next week, I have got to get my seedlings transplanted into bigger pots and start some new ones. A gardeners work is never done:-)

Biker Chick

Somebody got a helmet and pads for her birthday:-)

Good for What Ails You Cupcake

It's time for Tackle It Tuesday with 5 Minutes for Mom .

I tackled another Iron Cupcake: Milwaukee Challenge . This time, the ingredient was tea and my submission was Good for What Ails You Cupcake.

Whenever I get sick, hot tea with honey, lemon and brandy always makes me feel better. So, when I heard about the ingredient, I knew I wanted to incorporate these flavors into the cupcake.



I took to the web and found Smitten Kitchen's Majestic and Moist Honey Cake recipe . It had most everything that I needed to make my idea work. Frosting it with lemon icing was the final component.

Then, I wrapped my cupcakes in candy clay and painted them to look like my grandma's china. I think it turned out pretty well:-)

Friday's Foto Fun with a Birthday Girl

It's time for Carrie's Friday Foto Fun:-)

Five years ago today, we welcomed this baby into our lives.

Now my sweet baby is this beautiful little girl.

Who could ask for anything more?

Let's Get Going on That List!

Happy Birthday Lizzie!!! Now everyone go over there and wish her well:-) She's a good egg!

I have been trapped in birthday land at home too. Now, I have a lot of gardening items on my to do list that have been left unattended. Here is what I plan to get done this week:

Force spring bulbs
Test seeds
Repot houseplants
Repot seedlings
Start watering German Ivy

Whew! That's a lot. I had better get going!

Classmate Cupcakes

Remember that mess I showed you on Friday? This is the result of that mess:

My daughter's birthday is this Friday and I made these beauties for an early party. Today, I will be making 11 more for Friday. Each one will look like her classmates and her teachers. Cute, right?

Recipe Organization

This week, I am writing about a task that isn't completed. In my defense, it's HUGE!! Check out all the magazines I have to go through:

And all the binders:

All of this has to go into my recipe software! This may take a while:-)

Special Fried Rice with Shrimp

Happy Monday:-) Check me out over at At Work, At Play or At Home All Day :-)

I am doing more menu planning with I'm an Organizing Junkie . Now, I am getting more ambitious and adding the weekend. Wish me luck:-)

Here is what I plan on serving this week:


Monday: Spaghetti Dinner
Tuesday: Chicken and Pasta
Wednesday: Special Fried Rice with Shrimp (see recipe below)
Thursday: Leftover Buffet
Friday: Eat Out
Saturday: Birthday Party with Cupcakes and Sloppy Joes
Sunday: Leftover Sloppy Joes

Special Fried Rice with ShrimpIngredients:
2-3/4 c water
1-1/2 c white rice
3 Tbps vegetable
2 eggs, beaten
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 inches fresh ginger, minced
1/2 cup shredded carrots,
1 small red bell pepper, diced
4 scallions, thinly sliced on the bias
1/2 cups frozen peas
1/3 cups soy sauce
16 frozen shrimp

Directions:
1. Cook rice per package instructions.

2. Heat a wok, wok shaped skillet or large nonstick skillet over high heat. Add oil to the pan. Add egg to hot oil and break into small bits as it scrambles. When eggs are scrambled, add garlic and ginger to the pan. Add carrots, pepper, scallions to the pan and quick stir-fry veggies 2 minutes.

3. Add rice to the pan and combine with veggies. Fry rice with veggies 2 or 3 minutes. Add peas and soy sauce to the rice and stir fry 1 minute more, then serve.

Serves 4

Nutrition (calculated from recipe ingredients)
----------------------------------------------
Calories: 449.14
Calories From Fat: 124.58
Total Fat: 14.08g
Saturated Fat: 1.81g
Cholesterol: 122.67mg
Sodium: 788.32mg Potassium: 359.92mg
Total Carbohydrates: 68.35mg
Fiber: 3.69g
Protein: 11.53g

Recipe Author: Rachael Ray Recipe Source: http://www.foodnetwork.com/

Recipe: $3.16
Serving: $0.79