THE BASICS: HOMEMADE BROWN SUGAR

 

Sometimes, in the kitchen, magic happens. You mix two ingredients and BOOM. You've made something you never thought was possible to make on your own. It's science, it's magic, it's both.

 

That's how I felt when I found the recipe for brown sugar in the Joy the Baker Cookbook. I figured that brown sugar was a process that was only going to happen at the sugar factory. In fact, it is a simple process of mixing two sugar products-white, granulated sugar and molasses-into one another. 

 

 



 

One cup of sugar to one tablespoon of molasses.

 

 

We mix.

 

 

Soft, sticky, sweet brown sugar. Making cookies better, I promise.

 

I've stopped buying brown sugar at the store. I keep a bottle of unsulfured molasses in the house and just make up a cup or two at a time and store it in an airtight container in the cupboard. One bottle of molasses makes a ton of brown sugar. It tastes better and saves money. Win/win.

 

 

Homemade Brown Sugar

from the Joy the Baker Cookbook by Joy Wilson

 

Mix 1 cup of granulated cane sugar with 1 tablespoon unsulfured molasses with a fork. As the sugar and molasses combine, it will appear clumpy and sticky. Keep going! Don't give up! Continue stirring until sugar is light brown in color and fluffy. For dark brown sugar, add another tablespoon of molasses.

 

Enjoy!



FRONT PORCH CHALKBOARD

In our new neighborhood, fixing up your front porch is a big deal. Kids play outside together a lot in our neighborhood and parents sit out front and talk. It has an old fashioned, small town feel. We wanted our porch to be useful, comfortable, and pretty. We when we first arrived, there were no flowers out front, so while we waited a week for our furniture to arrive, we planted some shrubs and flowers, and the kids each chose a bird feeder as well. We already had the flag, the metal chicken (silent auction win!), and the vintage Coca-Cola chairs and table. It was all looking pretty nice but basic, so I decided to put out a welcome chalkboard sign.

 

The chalk board used to be inside our old house, but I couldn't find the right spot for it in our new place. But it looks super cute on the porch. I like the idea of changing it throughout the season. Just the right little extra for front porch sittin'.

 

Also, this cuteness helps.

SCENES FROM A CROSS COUNTRY ROAD TRIP

 

 

The Sierras.

 

 

Nevada Sky.

 

 

 The Great Salt Lake.

 

 

Sven the Reinder in Utah.

 

 

Dinosaur Land.

 

Dinosaur National Park//Future Scientist

 

 

Wyoming.

 

 

 Hello, Mr. Presidents.

 

 

 

Over 100 miles of advertising for Wall Drug deserved a shop.

 

 

Hotel life is cartoons with breakfast.

 

 

 Alpacas in Iowa.

 

 

There were lots of French fries on this trip.

 

 

Home stretch.

 

Arrival!

 

Details of places we saw and things we did to come!