Tastefully Tuesday - The (Yogurt) Cake Is Not a Lie!

The source behind the catchphrase “The cake is a lie” is the popular game, Portal. The game is built around the message of false promises without any intent to deliver. One of those promises is cake, which is never seen by players until after the ending credits roll up and even then it’s only temporary and changes back to the standard background screen after a short while. As the Portal character GLaDOS would say, “This is your fault. And the cake is gone. You don’t even care, do you?”

Actually, I do care. If the fireman and our teenage sons devoured an entire cake without leaving me even one slice, then I'd be pretty ticked off. After learning about Dr. Oz's new, healthier version of cake made with Greek yogurt, Thing2 said he'd never eat it. This presented two challenges for me. First of all, was the recipe as easy as it sounded? And secondly, could I trick my precious snowflake into eating it?

The answer is yes, to both. And it was really tasty. It's probably no healthier than cakes that use oil and eggs, but at least it didn't cause me to break out in hives or develop an itchy, burning sensation in the back of my throat. Now I want to try other variations of this recipe. Vanilla cake with flavored yogurt. Vanilla yogurt with flavored cake. Et cetera. Have you tried this? I'd love to hear tips for future success, or even at your unsuccessful attempts.

Tastefully yours,
Becky

Tastefully Tuesday - Chili Cupcakes

I know, right? They sound disgustingly delicious. This is actually a recipe that we haven't tried yet, but found online. We'll be creating them for NFL Day, which occurs every Sunday afternoon from early September-ish until late January-ish.

The recipe I'm using is very easy. It involves pressing biscuit dough (pre-portioned from the can, because we all know I don't cook) into a muffin tin, topping it with an ice cream scoop full of chili and a sprinkling of shredded cheddar, and then baking until the biscuits are golden brown around the edges and the cheese is just melty enough. Top them with yummy extras like sour cream, crumbled corn chips or nachos, more cheese, onions, or even a jalapeno pepper.

I'm pretty excited about it. Here are some pictures I found online, and one even uses wanton wrappers which might come in handy for my friend Dawn of Dragonflies@Dawn fame. And if it doesn't, I'm sure she'll offer up a tasty alternative in the comments section.

Thrifty Thursday - The Eyes Have It

These shoes cost $1600. Eye kid you not.

The Fireman and I have a deal - I won't buy any shoes that cost more than a house payment. $1600 is about four times our house payment, so this pair is something I won't be purchasing unless we hit the lotto. In the meantime, I can make my own!

Just take your favorite pair of black pumps, some randomly sized googly eyes, and some E-6000 glue. (That stuff is fairly awesome in the strength category.) then go to town, gluing the eyes to the shoe.

Be creative! And why limit yourself to shoes? Hair clips, bangles, eye glasses - they call can be improved with a few googly eyes.

Your ensemble isn't complete if your nails aren't accessorized accordingly.

Can you imagine this on a black pleather motorcycle jacket? Neat!

Everyone will be eye-ing your new look. Can you think of other fun items? Have you had any success with adding googly eyes to your unique fashions? I'd love to hear about in the comments section below.

Stay thrifty!
Becky

Something Else Saturday - National Buy a Book Day

Did you buy a book for National Buy a Book Day Yesterday? Did you even know it was National Buy a Book Day? Here's the official logo. Even though I didn't design it, I think it's pretty snazzy.

Logo by Clifton Hill

I only know about it because I was invited on Facebook. And yes, I did buy a book. I bought this one:

Actually CLICK HERE to look inside.

I've already read this book, but as I confessed on the National Buy a Book Day Facebook Page, I borrowed this from my community library without officially checking it out. That's right, I stole The Book Thief. And then after I read it, I misplaced it. So after my boys and i read this copy I'm going to do the right thing and donate it back to the library. It will be a weight off my conscience and then someone else can enjoy the wonderfulness that is this book.

What books have you bought lately? I'd love to hear all about them in the comment section!

Thrifty Thursday - Free Magazines

This morning I woke up to an email from FreeBizMag.com. In it was the following link:

http://www2.freebizmag.com/10023695/welcome.html?ref=email2&tcode=&fid=104273008495

If you want free magazines, click the link. Whether you need some for crafting or you just need extra reading material, they have a huge selection of informative literature with colorful pictures. You'll be taken to a page where you have to give up some information to continue. This combination has always worked for me in the past. If you aren't sure what to put, just select whatever. They make it easy for parents of home schooled children.

1. Industry
   - Education
   - Other education
2. Job Area
   - Education
   - 08: Teacher / Educator
3. Company Size
   - 1 - 4

Next, select the featured title. Then, scroll down and click "Continue".

You'll be taken to a page called "Qualify for Your Selections" like this. While you have to answer every question. However, you do not have to answer YES to every question. You might have to answer something multiple choice like the size of your company or your business industry. And of course, you have to provide the first letter of the state you were born in, to prove you're a real person. Once this is done, click "Continue" again.

This will take you to a page called "Please Sign In". If you have an account, sign in. If you don't, it's safe to create one. You can always set up a gmail account called something like homeschoolfreebies4me@gmail.com or something so your regular inbox doesn't get cluttered with mail. This site's pretty good and only sends me email a couple of times per week.

Now you should be at a page called "You've Reached the Last Step".Just fill in your name and address and at the bottom, click submit.

THIS PART IS VERY IMPORTANT -- YOU ARE NOT DONE YET!

See this page here? It's the "Check out Our Great Offers" page. Click no on everything, and then click "Submit" again.

This is going to take you to an offer for magazines. In huge letters it will say "YES! SHIP MY SELECTIONS >>" and in teeny, tiny letters beside it, "no thanks" -- you'll want to click "no thanks". Magazines are free, trust me on this.

Then a pop-up comes up that asks if you're sure you want to click this offer. Yes, yes you are sure!

And that's it! Your application is complete. Wasn't that easy? And now you're getting a free magazine!

Our family has skipped some of the titles offered. Most of the ones we take them up on are automotive or science related. Honestly, my boys have shocked me with some of the titles they actually wanted to read like Tech Briefs, Solar Today, and something about farm machinery.

If you're looking for free magazines, whether for crafting or just to have extra reading material around, try this site. I don't think you'll be disappointed!

Tastefully Tuesday - Chicken Parm & Picky Eaters

Different people look at this picture and they see different things. Quite literally, the picture is of a plate with a serving of chicken parmesan. I look at it and see a mouth-watering dinner option. The Fireman and Thing1 feel the same way. My friend over at Dragonflies@Dawn looks at it and probably sees a trip to the ER for too many allergic reactions to list. (Although she probably also sees the chance to share a healthier, gluten/soy/etc-free version in the comments section below, which is better for everyone. Hint-hint. Not that I'm hinting or anything.)

However, Thing2 looks at the picture and thinks, "OMG WHY THE FRUIT IS THEIR FOOD TOUCHING?!" I know this because when I showed him the picture, he vocalized his thoughts using just about that same phrasing. Then he launched into a monologue that declared his dislike for the meal, the directive that if that's what I'm fixing then he's eating something else, and a lengthy explanation about why some foods should not ever touch. Apparently it messes with the universe or something.

Little does he know, he's been eating chicken parmesan for ages. I just fix his plate a little differently. Here's how to fix a picky kids' version of one of my family's favorite meals.

• Fix spaghetti noodles like normal but replace red sauce (or if you're Italian, the gravy) with cheese sauce. Call it "long macaroni and cheese" if they balk about the noodle shape.
• Instead of chicken breast, use chicken nuggets and serve them on the side.
• Whereas you'd normally melt cheese over the chicken, try serving up some mozzarella sticks instead.

And there you go. While your picky eater's plate may not look like everybody else's (which is half the fun in being a picky eater in the first place) at least he or she is getting all the same foods so you don't have to feel like your family is eating several different meals during the same mealtime session.

What are some ways you get around picky eaters? I'd love to hear all about them in the comments section!

Becky

Something Else Saturday - 5 Tips for Freelance Writers

As a freelance writer, I get a lot of my work through Elance, an outsourcing company. Contrary to popular belief, not all outsourcing takes place by underpaid workers holed up like sardines in a tiny office somewhere in a third world country. And I've yet to meet "Peggy" from the credit card company's commercial.

Don't get me wrong, a LOT of outsourcing comes from those places, but quite a bit of it takes place right here in the good old, U S of A. It's not bad work. Because the Fireman's paycheck goes for bills, any money I bring in goes for fun things like hotel stays, video games, or upgrading things in the house - for instance, the 15-year-old gas grill.

Starting out, freelancing was difficult. On more than one occasion I debated if I was doing the right thing and there were a couple of clients who made me consider throwing in the towel altogether. But then good clients began hiring me. They praised my talent with words - a huge boost to my self-confidence - and then even more flattering, they rehired me for a few more jobs.

If you're thinking about freelancing, here are some suggestions that have helped me along the way. Hopefully they save you a little pain and suffering.

• Be patient. I signed up on January 1st and didn't start getting jobs on a regular basis until mid-February. Don't give up. The right job will find you but it takes time. You're worth the wait for the right client to find you - trust me on this one. 
• Communicate. I can't stress this enough. There have been a few times when I had a question or ran into a snag. In most cases as long as I communicated while being honest and polite, my clients were more than happy to oblige requests to answer questions, or even for extra time on a deadline.
• Keep your word. If you say you're going to deliver 500 words of written work in two days, then do it. Don't deliver 250 words in 36 hours, or 1200 words in 6 days. Deliver what the client asked for within the deadline. I try to deliver a day early so that I have time to revise. Does it always work out like that? Absolutely...not. I'm a mom of two teenage boys and married to the Fireman who is dealing with a shoulder injury. Sometimes life has to come first.
• Don't give away custom samples. One thing Elance does that I love is that they will not allow clients to ask for custom samples based on their specific jobs. That means if you're hiring someone to write about sweaters made from a certain type of goat wool and ask the person for a 400 word article about goat wool, you're violating the policy. This is because there's nothing stopping you from taking that article and using it on your own blog.
• Don't under-bid. When you want high-quality products and services, do you settle for second-rate things for discount prices? Probably not! Your clients will feel the same way. At first I bid too cheap and got crappy jobs. I was astounded when people who charged much higher kept getting selected over me. Then I inched up my prices - and was selected! And then I inched them up a little more, and was selected again! Right now, my rates are up between 300% and 500% of what I initially charged, depending on the job, and I'm still getting hired. While some potential clients will claim you're out of your mind, others will be glad to pay you for your professionalism.

If you've ever wanted to try your hand at freelancing, whether it's writing, art, or IT work, why not sign up for Elance? The basic account is free - no strings attached. You have nothing to lose!