How to Make Awesome Vanilla Cupcakes From Scratch

 With the pandemic still around us, snuggling at home can be the perfect time to bake.  Put on your chef hat and instead of a mix, try these vanilla cupcakes from scratch using actual vanilla beans which you can get online believe it or not!

Supplies for cupcakes:

3/4 cup of softened butter

1-1/4 cups of regular white sugar

2 large eggs (best if at room temperature)

2 vanilla beans (you must use real vanilla beans not extract for this to be super awesome!)

2 cups of flour (cake flour is best)

2 teaspoons baking powder

dash of salt

2/3 cup of milk

cupcake pan

Method:

Step 1 - Cream together the butter and the sugar until fluffy. Then beat in the eggs, do this one egg at a time for best results.  Remember you are not in a hurry, enjoy the process as well as the eating!

Step 2 - Spend a bit of time with the vanilla beans!  Take a sharp knife and slit the bean casing down the center, and then scrape out the seeds etc from the center.  The center is the stuff you want, and place right into your batter mixture.

Step 3 - Dry Ingredients.  In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.

Step 4 - Add this flour mixture to the batter you have, a bit at a time as well as the milk a bit at a time and stirring in between until your batter is nice and smooth.

Step 5 - Fill Your Muffin Tins! - Fill them about 2/3 full with a spoon or a scoop.  Lining the muffing tins is the best way, so no greasing needed.

Step 6 - Bake for approximately 20 minutes.  Keep an eye on them as they can burn easily.  Use the toothpick method or a knife to insert in center and see if done.  Nothing should come out on the toothpick or knife other than a few dry crumbs.  Let Cool.

Vanilla Cream Cheese Icing - What You Will Need:

1 pkg of plain cream cheese (not the low fat for this one, full fat is best)

6 tablespoons of softened butter

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3 cups icing sugar

Method:

Step 1 - Blend the cream cheese and the softened butter and vanilla and then slowly add the icing sugar.

Use a pasty bag to ice the cupcakes if you have it, but if you don't you can simply spread it on with a butter knife, you fill a sandwich baggie with icing and cut the bottom corner so you can now pipe it onto the cooled cupcakes.

NOTE:  Make sure the cupcakes are totally cooled or the icing will simply melt.

I also find these cupcakes taste awesome without the icing, but that is me!

Freezing

You can freeze these cupcakes NOT iced, so you can pull some out on a rainy day for some fun.

Vanilla Bean Shells

Don't throw away those vanilla bean casings, boil them on the stove to make your house smell wonderful!

Using a cooking scoop can make filling the cupcake pans consistent and quick.

DIY Lazy Susan to Organize Your Refrigerator

 In my refrigerator, there are tons of bottled sauces, that I still want to keep.  They stay fresh for a long time, but they are taking up a lot of shelf room and I have to drag them all out when I am looking for a particular one.

DIY LAZY SUSAN to the rescue.

If you have one of these, then use it in your refrigerator.  If you don't... you can make you own simple one with a few supplies you may have on hand.

What you will need:

2 x sturdy pie plates the same size..  I used the glass ones I had in my cabinets.. not much of a pie baker so this puts them to good use!

1x bag of standard sized marbles (dollar store) all the same size.

That is it!

Method:

Take the one pie plate, and fill with the marbles in one even layer.

Place the other pie plate on top

The top one will now spin.  The marbles act like ball bearings.

Now clean your refrigerator out and get rid of unused and past the sell by date bottles and sauces.

Place the ones you use the most often on your lazy Susan and now you simply have to spin it around to find what you need.

You could use this set up for anything in your refrigerator.  The goal is to not have things work their way to the back of the fridge and become science projects!

This keeps your fridge organized and you don't repeat purchase things you don't need.  I am loving this!

If you are not into DIY, then you can purchase a lazy Susan online with Amazon below:

These easy to use storage ideas, are not only for your kitchen cabinets but work perfectly in the refrigerator too!

How to Repurpose a Real Christmas Tree - Since You Missed the Local Pickup Date

 If you have been enjoying your real Christmas tree, all the decorations and the lights, and then noticed into January that the free pickup and recycle of the holiday tree just drove by....  do not despair! 

How to Repurpose that Christmas Tree for the Winter Months

You can take the tree yourself to parks and designated spots your local township offer for the free chipping and mulching, or you can do this....

1.  Find a sturdy large Flower Pot from the summer months still full of dirt and place your tree in this pot, or a large tote and fill with rocks..

(or failing that wire it to a fence to keep it from blowing away in your yard)

2.  Fill the branches with food the birds and squirrels will love.

3.  Now You have a yard ornament that will keep you entertained until the spring!

Homemade Bird Feeder Ideas

1.  Collect pine cones, and butter them with peanut butter, and then roll in bird seed and hang from the branches and watch the birds enjoy.  This one works really well at attracting birds.

2.  Hang slices of oranges with ribbon to add some color and feed the colorful birds.

3.  Create little feeders from milk cartons and hang in the tree.

Hopefully this has got you thinking....

Failing that you can also purchase affordable feeders online here:

You can make your own or purchase a few to add to your tree. By repurposing your Christmas tree you create places for the birds to hide in the branches and some much needed nourishment for the winter months.

In the spring you can compost the tree or cut it up and use the branches.  It is amazing just how fast the birds will find this instant tree full of food and entertain the family during these lockdown times.

Repurpose that Christmas Tree This Year and Help the Birds!

So if you missed the free pickup of trees or simply don't want to cram that tree back in the car and face all those needles again, and you have a yard, then give the above option a try.  

As long as you can secure the tree so it doesn't blow away you have instant entertainment for the entire winter months.  

Maybe this will become your new Christmas tradition!!
 

DIY Wrist Wallet on the Cheap

 If you love the idea of not dragging a purse everywhere, and simply want a place to store your essential cards or drivers license, or a spare mask, then check out this video on making a wrist wallet.

Perfect for out walking the dog, jogging, or anywhere!  

I have decided simple is better, and especially with the winter months around the corner, dragging a purse into the stores all seems a bit unsanitary with the COVID going on.  I figure the less to handle the better. I can even store a spare mask in here.

This is a very simply pattern, and the video is not too long.  

After the Covid...

Once this pandemic is under control and you can put on your dancing shoes and head to parties and clubs, this wrist wallet would be perfect.  No more fears of stolen purses.  You can keep cash and cards in this wallet, it holds a surprising amount.

DIY Gift Ideas?

If the budget is tight this year, then getting creative and making your gifts, can really personalize it.  You can pick fabrics you know they will love, and it will be something a littler different.  Or repurpose clothing you have into wrist wallets.

Not Big on DIY?

If you want this wrist wallet to hold more, such as a cell phone, you can also purchase these online for guys and girls.  Check them out:

I love the idea of the freedom from a purse in many situations such as walking the dog, exercising, at the gym and more.  If DIY is not your thing, there are affordable options above with Amazon.

Last Minute Coworker, Boss or Colleague Gift

 If you are looking for last minute Secret Santa, or Office gifts for your coworkers, boss or colleagues, then your best option is printables.

Printables are items such as quotes that you can purchase, download to your computer and then print.  I found this awesome ETSY shop that offers mostly 8x10 printable quotes.  These won't take up so much ink, and all you need to add is a frame.  DONE!

GOOD VIBES WORD ART

Click on cubicle decor for awesome office, coworker, boss and colleague gift ideas, or just to decorate your own desk with fun and humor, or cheeky advice.  Example:

Funny, Cheeky, Sarcasm Quote

These are mostly 8x10, with lots of different ideas depending on what you like.  Some are more on the cuss word sides of things and others are inspirational and a bit mushy.

These are definitely on budget and there is a sale on right now.  Many people are purchasing printable quotes from this shop for the office, home office, fun, friends, colleagues or coworkers.  

Cubicle Decor Printables

There are many other sections such as bathroom fun, inspirational and more, but if you are looking for work related quotes and prints, then click the above link for cubicle decor and you will find many funny and inspiring quotes.

Match them with your office or coworker personality and you have an awesome office gift, or Secret Santa Gift Idea that is presently under 5 bucks!

With the mail becoming backlogged with this year of the COVID taxing the postal system, printables are a stress free way to get creative fun gifts.

Print on Nice Paper

To make the gift special, once you make your purchase and download the file you can print as many times as you need for yourself or for gifts.  

Try using different quality papers or photo paper, and have fun with thrift shop frames.  These quotes print in any printer.

I have many myself!  I liked them so much I didn't give them as gifts, I kept them.

This Christmas will definitely be different this year, but you can still have some fun.

Enjoy the holidays!

Homemade Outdoor Cat Shelter - For Those Free Spirited Kitties

 I have 2 cats.  One is perfectly happy indoors 24/7 but the other one, we inherited as he just showed up at our back patio door one day and has adopted us!

He comes in the house, is litter trained, and neutered, but he still loves to go out at night no matter how hard we try otherwise.  It is either he goes out or none of the household sleeps!  But with our Ontario winters, it is super cold outside.

I found this awesome cat shelter that you can make yourself.  After a recent move we had those inexpensive foam coolers to move the refrigerator contents and now are simply sitting under the stairs.

Check out this video to see just how quickly you can make them.

It really doesn't take much to make these.  

I am making the foam one, and just need to get straw from my local pet supply outlet.  Remember, NO pillows, blankets, newspaper or other bedding as the cat will make it wet and then it will freeze.  Straw wicks away moisture.

PUT A WEIGHT ONTOP

If like me, this will sit somewhere where the wind could take it away, especially the foam ones, find some bricks to keep it weighed down, or a more sheltered area.

YOU CAN ALSO GET PRE-MADE CAT SHELTERS ONLINE IF YOU PREFER BELOW:

These do look cuter, and do a wonderful job of keeping kitty out of the weather.  I also find by keeping the shelter close to the house, you will deter other critters.  

I hope this gives you some inspiration to keep your "free spirited" kitty warm this winter.

Homemade Car Interior Cleaning Solutions - All Natural

 Has your car interior seen better days?  Is the sun shining through the filthy windshield and highlighting the dust, dirt and grime on the dashboard?

This is the sad state of my car.  I didn't want to go and buy and car cleaning products, so I researched on how to clean the car interior, especially the dashboard with products you use everyday.  Check it out.

To Clean the Dashboard and All Vinyl Surfaces

What you will need:

White vinegar

Water

clean cloth

Method:

Mix equal parts white vinegar with warm water into a spray bottle, and spray on your dashboard and then wipe off with the cloth.  If super greasy and dirty, let it sit for a few minutes.

Vinegar is the best cleaner for the vinyl and dashboard since regular household cleaners are too harsh and tend to leave a film.

THIS WORKS!

Now condition the surfaces.

How to Condition the Dashboard and All Vinyl Surfaces

What you will need:

Olive oil

Clean cloth

Method:

Take your clean cloth put a LITTLE olive oil on the cloth and then wipe onto the surface and then rub in and wipe off. 

You don't need much olive oil.  You will get a feel for the right amount, best to start with a tiny amount.

Car Upholstery and Carpets

If your upholstery is looking sad and stained...

What you will need:

1 x cup of white vinegar

2 x drops of dish soap

1 x gallon of warm water

Method:

1.  Vacuum the seats and carpets first to get rid of crumbs and debris.

2.  Take a cloth or soft scrubber brush and dip into the water/vinegar/ dish soap solution and dab and scrub at the stains.  Don't over saturate, the idea is to just get rid of the dirt and stains.

3.  Let dry.

Hopefully the above were helpful hints to clean and bring the inside of your car to life on the cheap, without having to risk your health in a store.

Then there is always new car mats or seat covers you can buy online if the dirt has simply gone to far!!  check out below for ideas.

STAY SAFE EVERYONE!