ANGEL COOKIES
6 teaspoons butter
3 teaspoons sugar
3 teaspoons brown sugar
pinch of salt
1/4 cup flour
1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
Cream together butter, sugars and salt. Add flour, cream of tartar, and baking soda. Bake 5 minutes. Makes one dozen one-inch cookies.
Cookie Mix (8)
1 1/2 cups quick-cooking oats
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup brown sugar -- packed
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
In a medium bowl, combine oats, flour, baking soda and brown sugar. Stir to Blend. Cut in shortening with a pastry blender until mixture resembles corn meal. Spoon about 1/2 cup mixture into each of 8 small containers or ziplock bags. Seal bags tightly. Label with date and contents. Store in a cool dry place. Use within 12 weeks. Makes 8 packages of Children's Cookie Mix. Each package makes 9 cookies.
Use to make:
RAISIN CHIP COOKIES
1 package Children's cookie mix
2 teaspoons water
1 tablespoon raisins
1 tablespoon mini semi-sweet chocolate morsels
sugar
In a small bowl, combine Children's Cookie Mix, water, raisins, and chocolate morsels. Stir with a spoon until mixture holds together in one big ball. Shape one teaspoon of dough at a time into a ball. Arrange on ungreased cookie sheet. Butter bottom of a small drinking glass. Dip buttered glass bottom in sugar. Flatten each ball by pressing with sugar coated glass. Bake as directed in child’s play oven. Remove from oven. Cool on a rack.
Chocolate Chip Cookies
3 teaspoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons shortening
6 teaspoons flour
1/8 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoons vanilla
4 teaspoons milk
12 to 15 chocolate bits
Cream together sugar and shortening. Blend in flour, baking powder, and vanilla. Stir in milk. Stir in chocolate chips. Drop dough by half teaspoonfuls on well greased pan, allowing room to spread. Bake 5 minutes. Makes 12 to 15 cookies.
Snow Mounds
6 teaspoons shortening or soft butter
3 teaspoons confectioners sugar
1/8 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup flour
dash of salt
2 tablespoons finely chopped walnuts
confectioners sugar for rolling
Cream together butter and 3 teaspoons confectioners sugar. Blend in vanilla, flour and salt. Add walnuts and mix well. Shape into 1 inch balls. Place 3 balls onto well greased Easy-Bake pan. Flatten slightly. Bake 5 minutes. When cool, roll in confectioners sugar. Makes 10 to 12 cookies.
Biscuits
1/4 cup commercial biscuit mix
4 teaspoons milk
Combine biscuit mix and milk with a fork. Drop by half-teaspoonfuls onto a well greased pan. Bake 10
minutes. Makes 8 servings.
Caramel Corn
2 teaspoons Caramel Topping
1/2 cup unsalted popcorn
Preheat oven for 15 minutes. Place caramel topping on in warming cup. Put on warming tray and cover. Warm for 9 minutes. Drizzle the warm mixture over popcorn and stir.
Peanut Butter “Cake”
5 teaspoons of peanut butter
1 teaspoon of water
2 teaspoons of chocolate chips
splash of red and green sprinkles
Mix peanut butter and water. It will be a little bit rough. Spread butter all over the Easy Bake® oven pan then spread the peanut butter in the pan - not thick, not thin, just right. Add chocolate chips to the peanut butter in the pan then splash on the red and the green sprinkles. Follow Easy Bake ® instructions to bake.
Rice Krispie Treats
1 teaspoon Margarine
2 teaspoon Marshmallow Cream
Rice Krispies
Preheat oven for 15 minutes.
Place margarine and marshmallow cream in the warming cup. Put on the warming tray and cover. Warm for nine minutes stirring occasionally. Half fill the other warming cup with puffed rice cereal. Thoroughly mix the puffed rice cereal with the warmed mixture of margarine and marshmallow cream in a bowl. Take a small amount from the bowl and form a cookie shape. Place the shapes on a plate. Refrigerate for about 1/2 hour or until firm.
S'Mores
Mini Chocolate Chips
2 teaspoons Marshmallow Cream
2 Graham Crackers
Preheat oven for 15 minutes. Half fill one warming cup with mini chocolate chips. In the other, put marshmallow cream. Put on warming tray and cover. Warm for 6 - 9 minutes, stirring occasionally. Pour chocolate onto one graham cracker and the marshmallow onto another. Sandwich them together and enjoy.
Peanut Butter Treats
Peanut Butter
Graham Crackers
Mini Chocolate Chips
Spread a thin layer of peanut butter on a graham cracker and top with mini-chocolate chips. Bake 5 minutes. Remove and spread the softened chocolate. Cool slightly before eating.
Nachos ‘n Cheese
4 teaspoons soft processed cheese spread
1 teaspoon water
Nacho chips
Preheat easy bake oven for 15 minutes. Mix cheese and water in the warming cup. Place on the warming oven and cover. Remove cover occasionally to stir mixture. Warm until softened (about 9 minutes). Pour on
Nacho's or use as a dip.
Mini-pizzas
Refrigerated Pizza Dough
Tomato Sauce
Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
Spread a small amount of refrigerated pizza dough in an Easy-Bake pan and bake 7 minutes. Top with tomato sauce and shredded mozzarella cheese. Return to oven for 2 minutes or until cheese melts.
Monday, February 28, 2011
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Easy Bake Oven Recipes - Part Two
Crazy Cake
4 1/2 teaspoons flour
3 teaspoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon cocoa
1/8 teaspoon baking powder
Dash salt
1/8 teaspoon vanilla
1/8 teaspoon vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons vegetable oil
Mix together flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder and salt. Add vanilla, vinegar and vegetable oil. Place
in a greased toy cake pan. Pour 1 tablespoon of water over batter. Mix lightly with a fork but do not beat.
Bake 10 minutes. Makes 1 serving.
White Cake
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup vegetable shortening (Crisco)
Water
To make the cake mix: In a medium bowl combine sugar, flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir with a wire whisk until blended. With a pastry blender, cut in shortening until evenly distributed & mixture resembles cornmeal. Spoon about 1/3 cup in each of 10 Zip-Lock bags. Label with date & contents. Store in a cool, dry place. Use within 12 weeks.
To bake: Preheat play oven following manufacturer's directions. Grease & flour miniature cake pan. In a small bowl, combine one container cake mix with 4 teaspoons water. Stir with a fork or spoon until blended & smooth. Pour mixture in a prepared pan. Bake as directed. Remove from oven, cool on a rack 5 minutes. Invert the cake on a small plate. When cool, frost, if desired.
Variations: Add 1 teaspoon of unsweetened flavored drink powder: Lemon, Orange, or Cherry
Scrumptious Orange Nut Cake
6 tablespoons of yellow cake mix
1 teaspoon orange zest
6 teaspoons water
½ tablespoon chopped pecans
½ tablespoon coconut
Orange Glaze:
1 tablespoon fresh squeezed orange juice
1 tablespoon sugar
½ tespoon orange zest
Preheat oven for fifteen minutes. Grease and flour two round cake pans. Combine ingredients for orange glaze and set aside.
Mix 3 tablespoons of yellow cake mix with ½ teaspoon of the orange zest and 3 teaspoons of water. Pour into one prepared cake pan and bake for fourteen minutes. Mix the remaining yellow cake mix with remaining ½ teaspoon orange zest and 3 teaspoons water. Pour into remaining cake pan.
While the first layer is still warm and the second layer is baking, drizzle 1 ½ teaspoons of the orange glaze over the top of the warm layer. Pierce the layer several times with a toothpick to help the cake absorb the glaze. When the second layer is finished baking, place it on top of the first layer and drizzle it with the remaining orange glaze. Sprinkle finished cake with nuts and coconut.
Toffee Trifle Cake
6 tablespoons of yellow cake mix
2 tablespoons of milk
1 small box of vanilla instant pudding mix
1½ cups of cold milk
1 small Cool Whip softened
2 Skor or Heath candy bars (crushed)
Mix yellow cake mix with 2 tablespoons of milk until smooth. Bake in round cake pans for about 15 minutes
each. Let cool. Cut into small squares. Mix milk and pudding mix. Fold pudding and cool whip together.
In a trifle dish or glass bowl, arrange the pieces from one cake in the bottom, then cover with some of the pudding mixture, then sprinkle ½ of the candy. Repeat layers. Chill till served. Enjoy licking and eating the leftover pudding.
Cool Ice Cream Cake
4 packages of chocolate cake mix
2 packages of white icing
vanilla ice cream
colored gel
Follow cake mix instructions. Bake 2 cakes. Place ice cream into cake tin and place in freezer for 30 minutes. Take ice cream out of tin and put in the middle of the cakes. Decorate the cake with white icing and
gels.
Easy Bake Ice Cream Cake
Ice Cream or Frozen Yogurt of your choice
2 easy bake chocolate cakes (already made)
Frosting
Fill an EASY-BAKE Brand cake tin with ice cream or frozen yogurt, then place in the freezer for 20 minutes.
Once it has frozen, take it out of the pan and use it as a layer between two chocolate cake layers that you have made ahead of time in your EASY-BAKE oven. Frost and decorate and now you have a yummy ice cream layer cake!
Raspberry Orange Blossom Cake
Vegetable shortening
Flour
sliced almonds
6 tablespoons of yellow cake mix
6 teaspoons orange juice
¼ teaspoon grated orange peel
3 teaspoons raspberry jam
Preheat EASY-BAKE Oven for 15 minutes, or ask an adult to preheat kitchen oven to 375 degrees. Generously grease bottom and sides of 2 round baking pans. Flour only bottoms of pans. Press almonds onto sides only of greased surface. Set aside.
Stir together yellow cake mix, orange juice and grated orange peel in mixing bowl until smooth. Pour batter into two prepared pans. Bake each pan in EASY-BAKE Oven for 12 minutes or in your kitchen oven for 12 minutes. Remove pan from EASYBAKE Oven. Immediately invert onto small plate.
Spread 3 teaspoons raspberry jam over top of one cake. Lay second cake on top. Arrange six almond slices in center of top cake to resemble blossom.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY BARBIE CAKE
4 teaspoons All-purpose flour
2 teaspoons Cocoa
1 tablepoon Sugar
1/8 teaspoons Baking powder
1 dash Salt
1/8 teaspoons Vanilla extract
4 teaspoons Water
2 teaspoons Vegetable oil
Frosting of your choice
Stir together flour, cocoa, sugar, baking powder, salt, vanilla, water and oil. Stir until the batter is smooth and
chocolate colored. Pour the batter into greased and floured cake pan. Bake 13 to 15 mins. or until you see the sides of the cake separate from the pan. Remove cake and cool. Makes 1 layer cake.
BARBIE PRETTY PINK CAKE (2 layers)
5 tablespoon Cake flour
1/4 teaspoon Baking powder
1/8 teaspoon Salt
5 teaspoons Red sugar crystals
1/4 teaspoon Vanilla extract
4 teaspoons Vegetable oil
8 teaspoons Milk
Stir together cake flour, baking powder, salt, red sugar, vanilla, oil and milk until the batter is smooth and pink. Pour 3 TBS. of batter into greased and floured cake pan. Bake 15 mins. Repeat for second layer. Makes 2 layers.
JEWELED TEA CAKES (4)
1/4 cup All-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon Baking powder
1/8 teaspoon Salt
2 teaspoons Sugar
2 teaspoons Margarine
4 teaspoons Milk
1 teaspoon multi-colored cookie decorations
Mash together flour, baking powder, salt, sugar and margarine until dough looks like medium-sized crumbs.
Slowly mix in the milk. Form dough into a loose ball and divide it into 4 pieces with a spoon. Place a few dough pieces on greased sheet or pan. Sprinkle with cookie decorations over the top of the dough and push them in with your fingers. Bake 20 minutes. Makes 4 tea cakes.
PINK SPARKLES FROSTING (for 2 cakes)
4 teaspoons Shortening
2/3 cup Powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoons Vanilla
2 teaspoons Milk
Colored sugar crystals for decoration
Stir together shortening, powdered sugar, vanilla and milk until smooth and creamy. Spread 2 tsp. of frosting on top of 1st layer. Add 2nd layer and continue frosting. Sprinkle with colored crystal sugars. Frosts a 2 layer cake.
FAVORITE BROWNIES
2 1/2 tablespoons Sugar
1 teaspoon Oil
1/8 teaspoon Vanilla extract
4 teaspoons Chocolate syrup
2 tablespoons Plus
1 teaspoon Flour
Sir together sugar, oil, vanilla, chocolate and flour until the batter is smooth and chocolate colored. Pour batter into greased and floured pan. Bake 15 minutes. When cool, cut them into wedges or little squares. Makes 6 wedges or 1/2 inch squares.
THUMB PRINT COOKIES (12)
1 tablespoon Powdered sugar
2 tablespoons Margarine
1/4 teaspoon Vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon Water
1/4 cup All-purpose flour
Your favorite jelly
Stir together powdered sugar, margarine, vanilla, water and flour until the flour disappears. Roll the dough between your fingers and make 12 small balls, 1/2 inch each. Place a few balls at a time on an ungreased sheet or pan with space between them. Press your thumb into the middle of each ball to make a thumb print. Bake 10 to 12 minutes, then remove. Repeat until all the cookies are baked. When the cookies are cool, fill each thumb print with jelly. Makes 12 cookies.
SECRET CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES (12)
1 tablespoon Sugar
1 tablespoon Firmly packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons Margarine
1/8 teaspoon Baking powder
1/8 teaspoon Vanilla extract
1 teaspoon Water
3 tablespoons All-purpose flour
4 teaspoons Semi-sweet chocolate chips
Stir together the sugars and margarine. Add the baking soda, vanilla, water and flour, stirring until flour disappears. Mix in the chocolate chips. Roll the dough between your fingers and make 12 small balls, 1/2 in. each. Place a few balls on a greased and floured sheet or pan with space between them. Bake 10 to 12 mins. Repeat until all the cookies are baked. Makes 12 cookies.
BUTTERSCOTCH CANDY (6)
1/4 cup Butterscotch morsels or chips
2 teaspoons Margarine
Put margarine and morsels into the melting pan and place the pan on the Warm/Melt area top of the oven. Heat for 15 mins. Stir gently every 5 minutes. Using a spoon, fill the candy molds with melted butterscotch. Place the molds in the refrigerator for 30 mins. or until firm. Remove from molds. Makes approx. 6 candies--depending on the mold size.
DEEP DISH PIZZA (1)
2 tablespoons All-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon Baking powder
1 dash Salt
1 teaspoon Margarine
2 1/4 teaspoons Milk
1 tablespoon Pizza sauce
1 1/2 tablespoon Shredded mozzarella cheese
Stir together flour, baking powder, salt and margarine until dough looks like medium-sized crumbs. Slowly add milk while stirring. Shape dough into a ball and place into a greased pan. Use your fingers to pat the dough evenly over the bottom of the pan, then up the sides. Pour the sauce evenly over the dough, then sprinkle with the cheese. Bake 20 mins. Remove. Makes 1 pizza.
4 1/2 teaspoons flour
3 teaspoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon cocoa
1/8 teaspoon baking powder
Dash salt
1/8 teaspoon vanilla
1/8 teaspoon vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons vegetable oil
Mix together flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder and salt. Add vanilla, vinegar and vegetable oil. Place
in a greased toy cake pan. Pour 1 tablespoon of water over batter. Mix lightly with a fork but do not beat.
Bake 10 minutes. Makes 1 serving.
White Cake
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup vegetable shortening (Crisco)
Water
To make the cake mix: In a medium bowl combine sugar, flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir with a wire whisk until blended. With a pastry blender, cut in shortening until evenly distributed & mixture resembles cornmeal. Spoon about 1/3 cup in each of 10 Zip-Lock bags. Label with date & contents. Store in a cool, dry place. Use within 12 weeks.
To bake: Preheat play oven following manufacturer's directions. Grease & flour miniature cake pan. In a small bowl, combine one container cake mix with 4 teaspoons water. Stir with a fork or spoon until blended & smooth. Pour mixture in a prepared pan. Bake as directed. Remove from oven, cool on a rack 5 minutes. Invert the cake on a small plate. When cool, frost, if desired.
Variations: Add 1 teaspoon of unsweetened flavored drink powder: Lemon, Orange, or Cherry
Scrumptious Orange Nut Cake
6 tablespoons of yellow cake mix
1 teaspoon orange zest
6 teaspoons water
½ tablespoon chopped pecans
½ tablespoon coconut
Orange Glaze:
1 tablespoon fresh squeezed orange juice
1 tablespoon sugar
½ tespoon orange zest
Preheat oven for fifteen minutes. Grease and flour two round cake pans. Combine ingredients for orange glaze and set aside.
Mix 3 tablespoons of yellow cake mix with ½ teaspoon of the orange zest and 3 teaspoons of water. Pour into one prepared cake pan and bake for fourteen minutes. Mix the remaining yellow cake mix with remaining ½ teaspoon orange zest and 3 teaspoons water. Pour into remaining cake pan.
While the first layer is still warm and the second layer is baking, drizzle 1 ½ teaspoons of the orange glaze over the top of the warm layer. Pierce the layer several times with a toothpick to help the cake absorb the glaze. When the second layer is finished baking, place it on top of the first layer and drizzle it with the remaining orange glaze. Sprinkle finished cake with nuts and coconut.
Toffee Trifle Cake
6 tablespoons of yellow cake mix
2 tablespoons of milk
1 small box of vanilla instant pudding mix
1½ cups of cold milk
1 small Cool Whip softened
2 Skor or Heath candy bars (crushed)
Mix yellow cake mix with 2 tablespoons of milk until smooth. Bake in round cake pans for about 15 minutes
each. Let cool. Cut into small squares. Mix milk and pudding mix. Fold pudding and cool whip together.
In a trifle dish or glass bowl, arrange the pieces from one cake in the bottom, then cover with some of the pudding mixture, then sprinkle ½ of the candy. Repeat layers. Chill till served. Enjoy licking and eating the leftover pudding.
Cool Ice Cream Cake
4 packages of chocolate cake mix
2 packages of white icing
vanilla ice cream
colored gel
Follow cake mix instructions. Bake 2 cakes. Place ice cream into cake tin and place in freezer for 30 minutes. Take ice cream out of tin and put in the middle of the cakes. Decorate the cake with white icing and
gels.
Easy Bake Ice Cream Cake
Ice Cream or Frozen Yogurt of your choice
2 easy bake chocolate cakes (already made)
Frosting
Fill an EASY-BAKE Brand cake tin with ice cream or frozen yogurt, then place in the freezer for 20 minutes.
Once it has frozen, take it out of the pan and use it as a layer between two chocolate cake layers that you have made ahead of time in your EASY-BAKE oven. Frost and decorate and now you have a yummy ice cream layer cake!
Raspberry Orange Blossom Cake
Vegetable shortening
Flour
sliced almonds
6 tablespoons of yellow cake mix
6 teaspoons orange juice
¼ teaspoon grated orange peel
3 teaspoons raspberry jam
Preheat EASY-BAKE Oven for 15 minutes, or ask an adult to preheat kitchen oven to 375 degrees. Generously grease bottom and sides of 2 round baking pans. Flour only bottoms of pans. Press almonds onto sides only of greased surface. Set aside.
Stir together yellow cake mix, orange juice and grated orange peel in mixing bowl until smooth. Pour batter into two prepared pans. Bake each pan in EASY-BAKE Oven for 12 minutes or in your kitchen oven for 12 minutes. Remove pan from EASYBAKE Oven. Immediately invert onto small plate.
Spread 3 teaspoons raspberry jam over top of one cake. Lay second cake on top. Arrange six almond slices in center of top cake to resemble blossom.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY BARBIE CAKE
4 teaspoons All-purpose flour
2 teaspoons Cocoa
1 tablepoon Sugar
1/8 teaspoons Baking powder
1 dash Salt
1/8 teaspoons Vanilla extract
4 teaspoons Water
2 teaspoons Vegetable oil
Frosting of your choice
Stir together flour, cocoa, sugar, baking powder, salt, vanilla, water and oil. Stir until the batter is smooth and
chocolate colored. Pour the batter into greased and floured cake pan. Bake 13 to 15 mins. or until you see the sides of the cake separate from the pan. Remove cake and cool. Makes 1 layer cake.
BARBIE PRETTY PINK CAKE (2 layers)
5 tablespoon Cake flour
1/4 teaspoon Baking powder
1/8 teaspoon Salt
5 teaspoons Red sugar crystals
1/4 teaspoon Vanilla extract
4 teaspoons Vegetable oil
8 teaspoons Milk
Stir together cake flour, baking powder, salt, red sugar, vanilla, oil and milk until the batter is smooth and pink. Pour 3 TBS. of batter into greased and floured cake pan. Bake 15 mins. Repeat for second layer. Makes 2 layers.
JEWELED TEA CAKES (4)
1/4 cup All-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon Baking powder
1/8 teaspoon Salt
2 teaspoons Sugar
2 teaspoons Margarine
4 teaspoons Milk
1 teaspoon multi-colored cookie decorations
Mash together flour, baking powder, salt, sugar and margarine until dough looks like medium-sized crumbs.
Slowly mix in the milk. Form dough into a loose ball and divide it into 4 pieces with a spoon. Place a few dough pieces on greased sheet or pan. Sprinkle with cookie decorations over the top of the dough and push them in with your fingers. Bake 20 minutes. Makes 4 tea cakes.
PINK SPARKLES FROSTING (for 2 cakes)
4 teaspoons Shortening
2/3 cup Powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoons Vanilla
2 teaspoons Milk
Colored sugar crystals for decoration
Stir together shortening, powdered sugar, vanilla and milk until smooth and creamy. Spread 2 tsp. of frosting on top of 1st layer. Add 2nd layer and continue frosting. Sprinkle with colored crystal sugars. Frosts a 2 layer cake.
FAVORITE BROWNIES
2 1/2 tablespoons Sugar
1 teaspoon Oil
1/8 teaspoon Vanilla extract
4 teaspoons Chocolate syrup
2 tablespoons Plus
1 teaspoon Flour
Sir together sugar, oil, vanilla, chocolate and flour until the batter is smooth and chocolate colored. Pour batter into greased and floured pan. Bake 15 minutes. When cool, cut them into wedges or little squares. Makes 6 wedges or 1/2 inch squares.
THUMB PRINT COOKIES (12)
1 tablespoon Powdered sugar
2 tablespoons Margarine
1/4 teaspoon Vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon Water
1/4 cup All-purpose flour
Your favorite jelly
Stir together powdered sugar, margarine, vanilla, water and flour until the flour disappears. Roll the dough between your fingers and make 12 small balls, 1/2 inch each. Place a few balls at a time on an ungreased sheet or pan with space between them. Press your thumb into the middle of each ball to make a thumb print. Bake 10 to 12 minutes, then remove. Repeat until all the cookies are baked. When the cookies are cool, fill each thumb print with jelly. Makes 12 cookies.
SECRET CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES (12)
1 tablespoon Sugar
1 tablespoon Firmly packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons Margarine
1/8 teaspoon Baking powder
1/8 teaspoon Vanilla extract
1 teaspoon Water
3 tablespoons All-purpose flour
4 teaspoons Semi-sweet chocolate chips
Stir together the sugars and margarine. Add the baking soda, vanilla, water and flour, stirring until flour disappears. Mix in the chocolate chips. Roll the dough between your fingers and make 12 small balls, 1/2 in. each. Place a few balls on a greased and floured sheet or pan with space between them. Bake 10 to 12 mins. Repeat until all the cookies are baked. Makes 12 cookies.
BUTTERSCOTCH CANDY (6)
1/4 cup Butterscotch morsels or chips
2 teaspoons Margarine
Put margarine and morsels into the melting pan and place the pan on the Warm/Melt area top of the oven. Heat for 15 mins. Stir gently every 5 minutes. Using a spoon, fill the candy molds with melted butterscotch. Place the molds in the refrigerator for 30 mins. or until firm. Remove from molds. Makes approx. 6 candies--depending on the mold size.
DEEP DISH PIZZA (1)
2 tablespoons All-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon Baking powder
1 dash Salt
1 teaspoon Margarine
2 1/4 teaspoons Milk
1 tablespoon Pizza sauce
1 1/2 tablespoon Shredded mozzarella cheese
Stir together flour, baking powder, salt and margarine until dough looks like medium-sized crumbs. Slowly add milk while stirring. Shape dough into a ball and place into a greased pan. Use your fingers to pat the dough evenly over the bottom of the pan, then up the sides. Pour the sauce evenly over the dough, then sprinkle with the cheese. Bake 20 mins. Remove. Makes 1 pizza.
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Easy Bake Oven Recipes - Part One
My gift to you... dig that Easy Bake Oven out of the attic and let your kids use it again! You do NOT have to buy those crazy-expensive little packets in order to enjoy the fun of baking miniature treats. :o) Today and for the next couple of days, I'm posting the recipes from the Easy Bake Cookbook which I created several years ago to give along with the toy oven as a gift.
White Frosting Mix
2 cups icing sugar
3 tablespoons instant nonfat milk powder
6 tablespoons vegetable shortening
In a medium bowl, combine powdered sugar and milk powder. Stir with a wire whisk to blend. With a pastry
blender cut in shortening. Spoon about 1/3 cup of mixture into each of 8 small bags. Seal tightly. Makes 8 packages.
To use: Combine 1 package of the above mix plus 3/4 teaspoon water in a small bowl. Stir well with a spoon until smooth and creamy. Makes about 1/4 cup frosting. A drop or two of vanilla may be added if desired.
Chocolate Frosting Mix
2 cups icing sugar
3 tablespoons instant nonfat milk powder
6 tablespoons vegetable shortening
½ cup unsweetened cocoa
In a medium bowl, combine powdered sugar, milk powder and cocoa. Stir with a wire whisk to blend. With a pastry blender cut in shortening. Spoon about 1/3 cup of mixture into each of 8 small bags. Seal tightly. Makes 8 packages.
To use: Combine 1 package of the above mix plus 3/4 teaspoon water in a small bowl. Stir well with a spoon until smooth and creamy. Makes about 1/4 cup frosting. A drop or two of vanilla may be added if desired.
Sparkling Frosting
4 teaspoons vegetable shortening
2/3 cup icing sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
2 teaspoons milk
Colored sugar crystals for decoration
In a small bowl, mix together shortening, powdered sugar, vanilla and milk until smooth and creamy. Spread 2 tsp. of frosting on top of 1st layer. Add 2nd layer and continue frosting. Sprinkle with colored crystal sugars. Frosts a 2 layer cake.
Brownies
2 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon oil
1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 teaspoon chocolate syrup
2 1/2 tablespoons flour
Stir together sugar, oil, vanilla, chocolate and flour until the batter is smooth. Pour batter into greased and floured pan. Bake 15 minutes.
Quick Brownies
1/3 cup graham wafer crumbs
1 teaspoon cocoa
1 tablespoon sweetened condensed milk
1/8 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablepoons chopped nuts
Blend thoroughly. Spread in well-greased pan. Bake in oven about 10 minutes.
Chocolate Cake
6 teaspoons flour
4 teaspoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa
3/4 teaspoon shortening
1 pinch salt
6 teaspoons milk
Mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder, cocoa, shortening and salt. Add milk and stir until smooth. Pour into greased baking pan that comes with the toy oven. Bake for 12 to15 minutes. If you want white cake, omit the cocoa and add a drop or two of vanilla with the milk. Makes 1 serving.
Chocolate Cake #2
6 tablespoons flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cocoa
3/4 teaspoon shortening
1 pinch salt
4 teaspoons milk
Mix all ingredients well. Bake in Easy Bake Oven for 12 to 14 minutes.
Chocolate Cake Mix
1 cup sugar
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup vegetable shortening
In a medium bowl, combine sugar, cocoa powder, flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir with a wire whisk until blended. With a pastry blender, cut in shortening until evenly distributed and mixture resembles corn meal. Spoon about 1/3 cup of the mixture into each of 11 small containers with tight fitting lids or zip lock bags. Seal containers. Label with date and contents. Store in a cool dry place. Use within 12 weeks. Makes 11 packages Children's Chocolate Cake Mix for Easybake style oven.
To use: To one container of mix add 4 teaspoons water. Stir with a fork or spoon until blended and smooth. Pour mixture into greased and floured 4 inch round miniature baking pan. Follow directions for childs oven or bake in mom's preheated 375 degree oven for 12 to 13 minutes. Remove from oven and cool in pan on a rack for 5 minutes. Invert onto a small plate and remove pan. When cool, frost if desired. Serves 2 children.
Quick Easy Bake Oven Cake
3 tablespoons cake mix
1 tablespoon milk
Grease and flour pan. Mix cake mix and milk until smooth. Pour into pan. Bake in preheated Easy Bake Oven about 15 minutes.
White Frosting Mix
2 cups icing sugar
3 tablespoons instant nonfat milk powder
6 tablespoons vegetable shortening
In a medium bowl, combine powdered sugar and milk powder. Stir with a wire whisk to blend. With a pastry
blender cut in shortening. Spoon about 1/3 cup of mixture into each of 8 small bags. Seal tightly. Makes 8 packages.
To use: Combine 1 package of the above mix plus 3/4 teaspoon water in a small bowl. Stir well with a spoon until smooth and creamy. Makes about 1/4 cup frosting. A drop or two of vanilla may be added if desired.
Chocolate Frosting Mix
2 cups icing sugar
3 tablespoons instant nonfat milk powder
6 tablespoons vegetable shortening
½ cup unsweetened cocoa
In a medium bowl, combine powdered sugar, milk powder and cocoa. Stir with a wire whisk to blend. With a pastry blender cut in shortening. Spoon about 1/3 cup of mixture into each of 8 small bags. Seal tightly. Makes 8 packages.
To use: Combine 1 package of the above mix plus 3/4 teaspoon water in a small bowl. Stir well with a spoon until smooth and creamy. Makes about 1/4 cup frosting. A drop or two of vanilla may be added if desired.
Sparkling Frosting
4 teaspoons vegetable shortening
2/3 cup icing sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
2 teaspoons milk
Colored sugar crystals for decoration
In a small bowl, mix together shortening, powdered sugar, vanilla and milk until smooth and creamy. Spread 2 tsp. of frosting on top of 1st layer. Add 2nd layer and continue frosting. Sprinkle with colored crystal sugars. Frosts a 2 layer cake.
Brownies
2 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon oil
1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 teaspoon chocolate syrup
2 1/2 tablespoons flour
Stir together sugar, oil, vanilla, chocolate and flour until the batter is smooth. Pour batter into greased and floured pan. Bake 15 minutes.
Quick Brownies
1/3 cup graham wafer crumbs
1 teaspoon cocoa
1 tablespoon sweetened condensed milk
1/8 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablepoons chopped nuts
Blend thoroughly. Spread in well-greased pan. Bake in oven about 10 minutes.
Chocolate Cake
6 teaspoons flour
4 teaspoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa
3/4 teaspoon shortening
1 pinch salt
6 teaspoons milk
Mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder, cocoa, shortening and salt. Add milk and stir until smooth. Pour into greased baking pan that comes with the toy oven. Bake for 12 to15 minutes. If you want white cake, omit the cocoa and add a drop or two of vanilla with the milk. Makes 1 serving.
Chocolate Cake #2
6 tablespoons flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cocoa
3/4 teaspoon shortening
1 pinch salt
4 teaspoons milk
Mix all ingredients well. Bake in Easy Bake Oven for 12 to 14 minutes.
Chocolate Cake Mix
1 cup sugar
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup vegetable shortening
In a medium bowl, combine sugar, cocoa powder, flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir with a wire whisk until blended. With a pastry blender, cut in shortening until evenly distributed and mixture resembles corn meal. Spoon about 1/3 cup of the mixture into each of 11 small containers with tight fitting lids or zip lock bags. Seal containers. Label with date and contents. Store in a cool dry place. Use within 12 weeks. Makes 11 packages Children's Chocolate Cake Mix for Easybake style oven.
To use: To one container of mix add 4 teaspoons water. Stir with a fork or spoon until blended and smooth. Pour mixture into greased and floured 4 inch round miniature baking pan. Follow directions for childs oven or bake in mom's preheated 375 degree oven for 12 to 13 minutes. Remove from oven and cool in pan on a rack for 5 minutes. Invert onto a small plate and remove pan. When cool, frost if desired. Serves 2 children.
Quick Easy Bake Oven Cake
3 tablespoons cake mix
1 tablespoon milk
Grease and flour pan. Mix cake mix and milk until smooth. Pour into pan. Bake in preheated Easy Bake Oven about 15 minutes.
Friday, February 25, 2011
Couponing : February 20 & 25, 2010
Just a couple of goodies to share...
Pedigree Marrobone dog treats - I scored a Buy One Get One coupon from someone, which means Tanner has treats for a while! :)
Charmin toilet paper on sale at Zellers for $4.49 (reg. $9.99), and Bounty paper towels on for $4.99 (reg. $7.99). I picked up three of the toilet paper and one of the paper towels, and used two "Save $1.25 wub any two" coupons, working it out to $3.99 each for these. Not as cheap as buying the cheap stuff, but a good deal for these brands.
A really sweet deal at Shopper's Drug Mart - Multibionta vitamins on sale for $9.99 and $15.99, and there is an manufacturer coupon for $10.00 off any. Which could be used to get the smaller bottle for free if you can convince the cashier, but I opted to go for the great price on the bigger bottle. I picked up two using the coupon but I didn't push my luck trying to go for multiples. I also love the in-store coupons at Shopper's - the stickers they put on things when they are close to their best before date. I picked up a box of Ritz crackers for 69 cents because it was within a week of its date - but I knew it wouldn't last longer than that anyway, not with our kids and their cracker addiction.
Pedigree Marrobone dog treats - I scored a Buy One Get One coupon from someone, which means Tanner has treats for a while! :)
Charmin toilet paper on sale at Zellers for $4.49 (reg. $9.99), and Bounty paper towels on for $4.99 (reg. $7.99). I picked up three of the toilet paper and one of the paper towels, and used two "Save $1.25 wub any two" coupons, working it out to $3.99 each for these. Not as cheap as buying the cheap stuff, but a good deal for these brands.
A really sweet deal at Shopper's Drug Mart - Multibionta vitamins on sale for $9.99 and $15.99, and there is an manufacturer coupon for $10.00 off any. Which could be used to get the smaller bottle for free if you can convince the cashier, but I opted to go for the great price on the bigger bottle. I picked up two using the coupon but I didn't push my luck trying to go for multiples. I also love the in-store coupons at Shopper's - the stickers they put on things when they are close to their best before date. I picked up a box of Ritz crackers for 69 cents because it was within a week of its date - but I knew it wouldn't last longer than that anyway, not with our kids and their cracker addiction.
Recipe : Baked Chocolate Cake Donuts
They're not quite what you'd get from Tim Hortons, and they sure don't measure up to my fond memories of a short-lived acquaintance with Krispy Kreme... but they aren't bad, and they were a sure hit with the kids!! Don't try too hard for perfection, and you'll have good results quite suitable for the family cookie jar or sharing with little friends!
I didn't have a donut cutter, so I used my biscuit cutters from Pampered Chef - a 1.5" and a 3" cutter made a nice donut shape, plus some "holes" to bake for the girlies. There's a bit of a learning curve to making them, so the third pan turned out the best. The work surface needs to be VERY well floured as the dough is fairly sticky. What I found helpful was actually to flour the counter and then pat flour over the surface of the dough as well. Keep the cutter well-floured, too.
One other note - I baked these on stoneware, and they took slightly more than 15 minutes to finish baking.
The recipe came from Home Joys, over here: http://homejoys.blogspot.com/2010/02/baked-chocolate-cake-doughnuts.html
Baked Chocolate Cake Doughnuts
1 1/2 cup sugar
3 eggs
4 T butter, melted
1 cup buttermilk
2 cup whole wheat flour
1 3/4 cup white flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 T baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
Beat sugar, butter and eggs until light and foamy. Stir in milk. Stir in remaining ingredients just until blended. Batter will look like a thick cake batter. Cover and chill in fridge for 1 hour or overnight. Turn dough onto a well-floured surface and pat to 1/2 inch thick. Cut with doughnut cutter. Place on greased baking sheet and bake at 350 for 10 - 12 minutes. When cool, dip the tops in fudge glaze. Or roll in powdered sugar.
Fudge Glaze:
Melt 1/4 cup butter in saucepan. Remove from heat and whisk 1 cup powdered sugar, 1/3 cup cocoa powder until combined. Gradually whisk 2 T hot water. If glaze thickens add a few more drops of hot water. If you prefer a mocha glaze add a little espresso powder.
Makes about 2 dozen doughnuts.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Recipe : Fish Cakes
This traditional recipe can be jazzed up a bit by using salmon and substituting sweet potato for the white potato. (No picture for this one, sorry!)
Fish Cakes
makes 6
1 cup cooked boneless fish
1 cup mashed potato
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
2 tbsp butter or margarine
Flake fish. Add potato, onion, salt and pepper. Shape into six patties. Fry in butter, turning to brown both sides.
Fish Cakes
makes 6
1 cup cooked boneless fish
1 cup mashed potato
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
2 tbsp butter or margarine
Flake fish. Add potato, onion, salt and pepper. Shape into six patties. Fry in butter, turning to brown both sides.
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
"But I HAVE to work!!" - Part Four - Reality Check
This is Part Four of a four-part series:Preschool School-Age Part-Time Reality Check
PART FOUR - This post is based in reality and explores my own financial decisions.
PART FOUR - This post is based in reality and explores my own financial decisions.
For the last three posts I've created a fictional set of characters and situations that I think is a fair representation of reality. I've given them a few breaks and a few challenges, to try to reflect what might actually play out. Obviously there are a myriad of variables that could apply to any situation, and I can't begin to consider all of them. And of course bear in mind that I am not a financial expert, a tax advisor nor a lawyer.
Doing this series has been a bit of a 'reality check' even for me. I knew it wouldn't pay off on any great scale for me to get a job, but I didn't think too much about it because I don't want a job. But in the last little while, there have been questions, I have heard conversations, and I have felt challenged to put pen to paper and really start analyzing these things. And the results surprised me, I have to admit. Especially when we did the math again using our own figures - but that comes a little later.
The sad conclusion that I have come to is this - a lot of families are probably in worse shape than even they realize. We just jump on the hamster wheel and run, run, run, assuming that's what we need to do... and then find ourselves with two incomes and still no money left over. Why is that? Why have we bought into the story that we "need" two incomes to make it? Why have we not taken the time to question that "truth," to break down the dollars and cents of it and find the reality?
Three things have become crystal-clear to me in writing this series:
- First - It is essential for husband and wife to sit down together, discuss their money situation, and to make educated decisions about their work and finances. "Jill" could have just assumed it was all for the best, gone to work, and spent the next several years wondering why it was that they were still not making any progress financially.
- Second - If a husband and wife both want to work for whatever reason (personal enjoyment, professional development, etc), then sure - go ahead! But make sure that decision is made from a fully thought-out position. Know the numbers. Know what you're getting into and don't make the decision based on what society tells you is "necessary."
- Third - In all three scenarios, "Jack and Jill" were just one financial decision away from being completely in the hole. Say for example they had decided she should have her own car - after all, we're talking about a full-time, $30K job here! Even going as cheap as possible with that decision would still eat up ALL of her financial gain. And then some.
Choosing a job at random from the classifieds that I think I could get...
Administrative Assistant, $12.00/hour, 40 hours per week.
Administrative Assistant, $12.00/hour, 40 hours per week.
GROSS PAY: $12.00 per hour, 40 hours per week.
$480/week = $24960/year
$480/week = $24960/year
TITHING. $2102.67 per year.
CHILDCARE. Based on posted rates at local daycares.... for Anika it would be $600/month on base. For Cara it would be $5.25 per day for after school care on base.
$705/month = $8460/year
TRAVEL. Jeff leaves pretty early in the morning, but even though this job is full-time, the pay scale doesn't justify a second vehicle. The simplest solution is for Jeff to carpool with a co-worker and for me to pick him up after work on the way home. If he has an evening shift, then he can take the car back with him. We'll offer a gas contribution of $20/week.
$20/week = $1040/year
FOOD. I will go with the same numbers I assumed for Jack and Jill when she was working full-time: a $40/week increase in groceries and a $50/week increase in eating out.
Groceries increase: $40/week = $2080/year
Eating Out increase: $50/week = $2600/year
Let's don't forget about those payroll deductions. At this income level there is federal income tax deducted at the rate of 15%. And provincial income tax of 10% (Alberta has flat-rate taxation). And EI. And CPP. Using CRA's online calculator, the deductions will be:
FED: $34.22 (1779.44/yr)
PRV: $12.45 (647.40/yr)
CPP: $20.43 (1062.36/yr)
EI: $8.54 (444.08/yr)
Deductions = $75.64/week = $3933.28/year
I know without question that I would need to do a major wardrobe overhaul before working in a professional environment. However, this particular job is in a more casual setting, so I think I could get away with a few new pairs of pants and some new shoes.
Total cost: $200 for the year.
I am pretty tight when it comes to the 'latte factor' but it is a given that being out and about leads to a bit of spending. So I will modestly estimate $10.00 per week for a couple of trips to Beantrees for a chai chiller.
$10/week = $520/year
Let's explore the tax situation. Based on the above figures and two kids under seven, I'd end up with a tax refund of $2106.20. Not too shabby. (Except of course if I think about having given that amount as an interest-free loan to the government all year.) As for Jeff, if I had no income, he'd get a refund of $4490.81, but with me having this job he would actually end up owing $9.12. Sorry, hon.
CCTB : $198.73/month assuming I have no income, drops to $115.53 with this job. Loss of $1512.00 per year
AFETC: $961.92/year, drops to $0.00
AFETC: $961.92/year, drops to $0.00
UCCB : remains the same as it is not income-dependent
GST/HST : $57.44 quarterly if I have no income, $0.00 with this job. Loss of $229.76.
WITB : already ineligible
Crunching the numbers...
Gross pay: $24960/year
- Tithe $2102.67
- Deductions $3933.28/year
- Childcare: $8460.00year
- Travel $1040.00/year
- Eating Out $2600/year
- Grocery Increase $2080/year
- Clothing $200/year
- 'Latte Factor' $520/year
- Loss of CCTB $998.40
- Loss of AFETC $961.92
- Loss of AFETC $961.92
- Loss of GST Rebate $229.76
- Loss on Jeff's tax refund $4499.93
= Financial LOSS of $2665.96
I guess Jeff wasn't kidding when he joked that his response if someone asked why I don't have a job would be "We can't afford for her to go to work!"
The rest of the picture is this... I of course do bring in some money. I do graphic design for a magazine in Nova Scotia (www.coastallifepublications.com) and I do web design as well. I also babysit on occasion. And all the work that I do, I do from home, so I benefit from being able to subtract a portion of our home expenses from my income. I work to save money as well, and those dollars are a benefit to our bottom line that doesn't show up on any tax return (see my post about dollars earned vs dollars saved). So I am not overly burdened by a feeling of being a non-contributor to the household finances. We've chosen for me to be a 'keeper at home', and have also chosen to homeschool our children. Not to mention the military lifestyle involves moving every few years, which would sort of cut off any kind of career track. Those things considered, working outside of the home would be possible but quite challenging to fit into the rest of our lifestyle. Adding the financial considerations, it just doesn't make sense for us.
Working for nothing more than paying what it costs you to work... Unless you're doing it because you really want to be working, it hardly seems worth it.
Run the numbers: http://www.bankrate.com/calculators/savings/dual-income-calculator.aspx
(this calculator is simpler than what I did in this series, but you can use it to make the math a little faster)
Additional Reading:
How to live on 1 income without going broke - Liz Weston
9 tips for those going to one income - PT Money
Our One Income Family - Dollar Stretcher
How to Live on One Income - Frugal Dad
Living on One Income - The Centsible Life
The rest of the picture is this... I of course do bring in some money. I do graphic design for a magazine in Nova Scotia (www.coastallifepublications.com) and I do web design as well. I also babysit on occasion. And all the work that I do, I do from home, so I benefit from being able to subtract a portion of our home expenses from my income. I work to save money as well, and those dollars are a benefit to our bottom line that doesn't show up on any tax return (see my post about dollars earned vs dollars saved). So I am not overly burdened by a feeling of being a non-contributor to the household finances. We've chosen for me to be a 'keeper at home', and have also chosen to homeschool our children. Not to mention the military lifestyle involves moving every few years, which would sort of cut off any kind of career track. Those things considered, working outside of the home would be possible but quite challenging to fit into the rest of our lifestyle. Adding the financial considerations, it just doesn't make sense for us.
Working for nothing more than paying what it costs you to work... Unless you're doing it because you really want to be working, it hardly seems worth it.
Run the numbers: http://www.bankrate.com/calculators/savings/dual-income-calculator.aspx
(this calculator is simpler than what I did in this series, but you can use it to make the math a little faster)
Additional Reading:
How to live on 1 income without going broke - Liz Weston
9 tips for those going to one income - PT Money
Our One Income Family - Dollar Stretcher
How to Live on One Income - Frugal Dad
Living on One Income - The Centsible Life
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
"But I HAVE to work!!" - Part Three - Part-Time
This is Part Three of a four-part series:
Preschool School-Age Part-Time Reality Check
Preschool School-Age Part-Time Reality Check
PART THREE - This post is very specifically targeted at moms who are considering going to work part-time.
Let's return to Jack and Jill one more time. They are struggling because they still don't see a real financial benefit from the prospect of Jill going to work full-time, but they want to bring in more money to pay off their debts faster. So they have decided to look at another option. There is a small grocery store a few minutes away which is hiring for an assistant manager. They need someone to work the evening shift, 6:00-10:00 four nights a week, plus a few hours on the weekend doing paperwork. They are offering $12.00 per hour, they offer a 10% staff discount, and plus her kids can have free slushies if they come by while she's working. ;o) The children are now five and seven years old. Technically speaking, the oldest being seven would bring about a reduction in some government benefits. However I am leaving those calculations the same through all three scenarios just for the sake of simplicity in comparing the numbers.
Gross pay: $12.00 per hour, 20 hours per week
$240/week = $12480/year
CHILDCARE. Jill's shift doesn't start until 6:00 pm. Most nights Jack is home by then, so only occasionally will they need a sitter for an hour or two. Jill hires a neighbor's 19-year-old daughter to come over on those nights and pays her $10.00 per visit. Typically this will happen only once a week.
$10/week = $520/year
Next: TRAVEL. The store is only a few minutes away, so Jill decides to take the opportunity for some exercise and walks to work when the weather is decent. Otherwise she takes the car because Jack is home from work already. About twice a month she does need to call a taxi, at a fare of $10.00 each way. Let's estimate the added gas costs at $10.00 per week.
$15/week = $780/year
FOOD. Jill is home during the day so she is able to keep up her baking and is able to plan her meals and grocery shopping. She does pick up a few more convenience foods for the kids' snacks, but she takes advantage of her staff discount at work, so her grocery expenses are maintained. Some evenings she doesn't have supper quite in-hand in time for work and calls Jack to bring home takeout, but it's only about once a week so their eating out costs are only increasing by $25.00/week.
Eating Out increase: $25/week = $1300/year
Let's don't forget about those payroll deductions. I am optimistically assuming that tax rates have remained steady. At her income level she'll have federal income tax deducted at the rate of 15%. And provincial income tax of 10% (assume she lives in Alberta). And EI. And CPP. Using CRA's online calculator and a gross weekly income of $630, Jill's deductions will be:
FED: $0.64 ($33.28/yr)
PRV: $0.00
CPP: $8.55 ($444.60/yr)
EI: $4.27 ($222.04/yr)
Deductions = $13.46/week = $699.92/year
The store is a casual setting and provides her with an apron to wear while she is working. So Jill doesn't need to make much of an investment in clothing. She picks up a couple pairs of pants, a few tops and a good-quality pair of shoes which she sets aside as exclusively for work. They will last her a year.
Total cost: $200 for the year.
Jill keeps her 'latte factor' spending quite low at this job. She has been told that her kids can stop in for a free slushy during her shift, but also that she can have free coffee while she is working as well. She does buy a snack here and there, and buys the occasional gift for a co-worker's or her boss' birthday, but it averages out to just about $5.00/week.
$5/week = $260/year
There's another side of the coin that must also be looked at here, and that is tax ramifications. Now that Jill has an income, there will be an impact on benefits their family now receives.
CCTB : was $249.23/month, drops to $153.49. Loss of $1148.88 per year
UCCB: remains the same as it is not income-dependent
GST/HST : already negligible amount due to Jack's income
WITB : already ineligible due to Jack's income
Finally there is the impact on Jack's income tax return. With Jill having no reportable income, and two children at home, Jack received an income tax refund last year of $3767.06 (based on a net taxable income of $50,000). This year, Jill is earning income but isn't much above the personal exemption level so they decide Jack should claim the kids. His refund this year is would have again been $3767.06 but is now reduced to $527.26 because of the loss of a spousal deduction. However thanks to the kids, her childcare deduction and her low income level, she'll get a refund of $33.28, everything she paid in. This results in a net loss of $3206.52. That smarts.
Finally... and I put this last because it doesn't apply to everyone, but in practise it belongs in the first spot... if Jill's beliefs lead her to tithing from her paycheck, that will subtract another $1178.00.
Let's sum it up again, shall we?
Gross pay: $12480/year
- Tithe $1178.00
- Deductions $699.92/year
- Childcare: $520/year
- Travel $780/year
- Eating Out $1300/year
- Clothing $200/year
- 'Latte Factor' $260/year
- Loss of CCTB $1148.88
- Loss on tax refund $3206.52
= Financial Gain of $3186.68
Again with this scenario, I think I have overall been pretty realistic. In this scenario, Jill is seeing a net financial benefit of $61.28 per week. If it weren't for the dramatic impact on Jack's federal tax return, this would have been reasonably palatable. But considering that... maybe not so much. She could babysit two kids just one day a week and bring in the same amount of money!!
Monday, February 21, 2011
"But I HAVE to work!!" - Part Two - School-Age
This is Part Two of a four-part series:
Preschool School-Age Part-Time Reality Check
Preschool School-Age Part-Time Reality Check
PART TWO - This post is very specifically targeted at moms of school-age children who are considering going to work full-time during the day.
Let's return to Jack and Jill a few years down the road. They decided to continue as they were until the kids were both in school, because they didn't see a real financial benefit from the prospect of Jill going to work full-time before then. Well, the kids are now both in school. They board the bus at 7:30 am and get home at 4:00 pm each day. So it's time to reconsider. As it turns out, the same job is available again, and Jill is excited by the idea of getting back into the adult world.
Gross pay: $18.00 per hour, 35 hours per week (40-hour work week, 9-5 with unpaid lunch hour)
$630/week = $32760/year
First up: DAYCARE. Jack and Jill have two children who are now ages 5 and 7. The neighbor offers before and after school care, which includes getting the kids to and from the school bus, plus a healthy after-school snack. She charges $15/day per child with a small family discount, so the cost is $25/day for both kids.
$125/week = $6500/year
Next: TRAVEL. Jill's lucky horseshoe is still intact and she can continue carpooling with the same neighbor. Gas prices have gone up a bit in the last few years, but she still gets off pretty easy with a $25.00 contribution to the gas fund each week.
$25/week = $1300/year
Since the daycare is so close to home, Jill of course just walks over to get the kids when she gets home from work. She gives the kids a drink and quickly gets something on for supper while waiting for Jack to get home. He still works some evenings but is usually home by 6.
FOOD. I'm keeping these numbers the same as the previous scenario, just for simplicity.
Grocery increase: $40/week = $2080/year
Eating Out increase: $50/week = $2600/year
So far, Jill's actual income has dropped from $32760 to $20280.
Let's don't forget about those payroll deductions. I am optimistically assuming that tax rates have remained steady. At her income level she'll have federal income tax deducted at the rate of 15%. And provincial income tax of 10% (assume she lives in Alberta). And EI. And CPP. Using CRA's online calculator and a gross weekly income of $630, Jill's deductions will be:
FED: $55.20
PRV: $26.45
CPP: $27.85
EI: $11.21
Deductions = $120.71/week = $6276.92/year
So now she actually has $14003.08 to contribute to the household.
It's been a few years since she really did much with her wardrobe, and looking at her closet Jill realizes that she really does need to update her look before entering the workforce. Daycare costs are a lot lower now that the kids are in school, so she decides that she can get away with a little bit of indulgence. She doesn't go too far with it, though. She makes one "good" shopping trip and spends $500 on basics that will get her through the day. Then through the year she spends another $500 picking up accessories, a few tops to change up her look, a new pair of shoes shoes, a classy briefcase, and a nice new coat.
Total cost: $1000 for the year.
Let's don't forget the little things that go along with being in the workforce. There are birthday parties, pot lucks, boss' gifts, lunches out, coffee runs... let's assume that Jill still sticks to her guns most of the time, though, and keeps her 'latte factor' spending down to $25/week.
$25/week = $1300/year
Now we've knocked another $2000 off that number, just on personal things. Oops. $11703.08
There's another side of the coin that must also be looked at here, and that is losses. Now that Jill has an income, there will be an impact on benefits their family now receives.
CCTB : was $249.23/month, drops to $110.03. Loss of $1670.40 per year
UCCB: remains the same as it is not income-dependent
GST/HST : already negligible amount due to Jack's income
WITB : already ineligible due to Jack's income
Finally there is the impact on Jack's income tax return. With Jill having no reportable income, and two children at home, Jack could count on an income tax refund last year (based on a net taxable income of $50,000). However, now Jill is no longer a deduction, as she earns more than the basic personal amount. So this year, Jill claims the kids and Jack is on his own. Remember that when Jill had no reported income, Jack had a refund amount of $3767.06. With Jill earning as much as she is, he now has to pay in $103.04. However, let's look at Jill's return... thanks to the kids and her new childcare deduction, she'll get a refund of $1616.33. So they've only lost $2253.77.
Finally... and I put this last because it doesn't apply to everyone, but in practise it belongs in the first spot... if Jill's beliefs lead her to tithing from her paycheck, that will subtract another $2648.36.
Let's sum it up again, shall we?
Gross pay: $32760/year
- Tithe $2648.36
- Deductions $6276.92/year
- Daycare: $6500/year
- Carpool $1300/year
- Grocery $2080/year
- Eating Out $2600/year
- Clothing $1000/year
- 'Latte Factor' $1300/year
- Loss of CCTB $1670.40
- Loss on tax refund $2253.77
= Financial Gain of $5130.55
Again with this scenario, I think I have overall been pretty realistic. If anything, I suspect I am overly optimistic about how things would go - it's very possible that eating out just once or twice a week is a low estimate. It's possible that the family would decide Jill needed her own vehicle, which would easily add an extra $300+ to each month's expenses. But sticking with the numbers I've used, Jill is seeing a net financial benefit that works out to $98.66 per week. As before, Jill could earn that much easily by starting a small home business, or by babysitting just one child for five days a week at $30.00/day. (With the added benefit of 'business use of home' deductions that would negate any tax costs for doing so!)
Tomorrow I will look at this again, from the angle of Jill going to work part-time, working a few evenings a week. Not an ideal situation from the perspective of family life, but one that does bear consideration.
Sunday, February 20, 2011
"But I HAVE to work!!" - Part One - Preschool
This is Part One of a four-part series:
Preschool School-Age Part-Time Reality Check
Opening Disclaimer: I am not writing this in any way to come across as judgmental toward working moms or to say that they have made the wrong choice. What I am trying to do, however, is lay out the math to help a wife or mom who is struggling with the decision to work or not. I am also trying to offer encouragement to stay-at-home moms who might be feeling a little pressure or guilt that they aren't "contributing" to the household finances, or to husbands who want to support their wives in their wish to be at home but aren't sure it can work. I am not factoring in any of the "intangibles" in the equations - on either side. Some women want to be in the workforce for their own personal enjoyment and the financial gains aren't a primary motivator. On the other hand, some women want to be at home no matter the cost because of the benefits they see in their life, marriage and/or children. I can't put a dollar figure on any of those things, so I'm not even going to consider them. And of course bear in mind that I am not a financial expert, a tax advisor nor a lawyer.
PART ONE - This post is very specifically targeted at moms of preschool-age children who are considering going to work full-time during the day.
So.... you want to stay at home, but you're burdened by the numbers. You're hearing loud and clear the voice of society telling you that you HAVE to work in order to do, to have, to be whatever it is that you're supposed to be doing, having and being right now. Well... I beg to disagree. I'm not planning on sharing all of our personal finances on this blog, because I'm pretty sure my hubby would be less than thrilled by that... but over the next little while I would like to address some financial questions and issues. And this is the first, because this is the one that's heaviest on my heart. I hate to see a mom of littles struggling with working a job she doesn't want to be in, just because she and her husband are convinced it's "the only way." Let's just take a look at the numbers, shall we? Because I am convinced that, short of a high-paying professional career, most of the time it just isn't worth it.
I've created a fictional set of characters and situations that I think is a fair representation of reality. I've given them a few breaks and a few challenges, to try to reflect what might actually play out. Obviously there are many variables that could apply - she may have a family member willing to take care of her children, or she could find a job working at home or that allows her to bring her children, they may or may not decide to buy a second car ... there are a lot of things to factor in but I've tried to lay out something that seems reasonable to me.
Let's call our mom Jill. Jill is in her early thirties, and is happily married to Jack, who makes about $50,000 take-home per year. They have two children under five. She has some college education and is qualified to work in administration. She and Jack have decided that she should get a job in order to help pay down some debt they'd like to get rid of. She's landed an interview for a position that pays $18.00 per hour, but unfortunately doesn't offer medical or dental coverage. Thankfully, Jack's employer does offer coverage for the family, so they decide she should accept the position. But she's not looking forward to having a job again after spending the last four years out of the workforce. She is happy with their life and doesn't really want to change things... but she will if it will really help them get out from under some financial stress. So she and Jack decide to give it a try.
Gross pay: $18.00 per hour, 35 hours per week (40-hour work week, 9-5 with unpaid lunch hour)
$630/week = $32760/year
First up: DAYCARE. Jack and Jill have two children, age 2 and 4. They'll get a better rate than they would if one child were an infant, but they are still looking at paying $50 per day for care. And Jill got lucky - her neighbor runs a dayhome, so there is no cost to transport the kids to and from, and the neighbor is willing to let Jill run overtime by a few minutes here and there if traffic is bad without charging extra. She also offers a family rate, unlike a daycare centre closer to her job which would charge $60.
$250/week = $13000/year
Next: TRAVEL. Jack and Jill are both working full-time now. Trouble is, their jobs are on opposite sides of the city, plus Jack starts work an hour earlier than she does. And his job often requires him to work past five o'clock. What to do? Well, Jill appears to be sitting on a horseshoe as she happens to be friends with someone who does a carpool to the same building. So she gets off easy with a $20.00 contribution to the gas fund each week.
$20/week = $1040/year
Another solution - Jill could drive Jack to work each morning, then drive to her job. When her workday ends, she could pick up the children from daycare then pick up Jack from work, and if he had work to do in the evening he could just bring it home with him. Unfortunately this is the sort of thing that leads us to the next cost...
FOOD. It's a given fact that working full-time means you don't have as much time to cook. Convenience foods replace scratch cooking. Lunches need to be packed or bought now for Jack, Jill and two children. Eating out becomes much more tempting, and mailed-out takeout menus that used to be recycled are now pinned to the fridge. Jill might find herself calling Jack to let him know there is an order at Pizza Hut with his name on it a little more often, especially if it's been a particularly long day. There are two parts to this equation - an increase in grocery spending, and an increase in eating out. Let's take a nice round number and say that the grocery bill jumps by $40/week. Nothing too dramatic, because she's still trying to shop smart. But it's the little things that add up - buying bread and cookies instead of baking, buying pre-prepped veggies to save time... and missing out on flyer specials because she didn't get a chance to look through the flyers this week, much less try to match them to coupons. As for eating out - I'm going to use an actual number from my own records here and say that Jack and Jill have gone from spending $50 per month eating out, up to $250. Sounds like a lot, doesn't it? But what this breaks down to is $62.50 per week. That is one nice meal out, or two inexpensive takeout meals, each week. Not all that much after all.
Grocery increase: $40/week = $2080/year
Eating Out increase: $50/week = $2600/year
So far, Jill's actual income has dropped from $32760 to $14040. Ouch.
Oh... wait... I forgot something, didn't I? At her income level she'll have federal income tax deducted at the rate of 15%. And provincial income tax of 10% (assume she lives in Alberta). And EI. And CPP. Whoops. Using CRA's online calculator and a gross weekly income of $630, Jill's deductions will be:
FED: $55.20
PRV: $26.45
CPP: $27.85
EI: $11.21
Deductions = $120.71/week = $6276.92/year
So now she actually has $7763.08 to contribute to the household. Hmm.
Of course now that she's working in a professional environment, Jill does need to improve her wardrobe a bit. And she doesn't have a lot of time for visiting the thrift shop regularly these days, so she has to shop retail. However she is very good at taking care of her clothes, and knows how to make her wardrobe work for her with basics and accessories, so she's able to keep it limited to a one-time shopping trip of $500 and a few new pieces through the year, plus a couple of visits to a local tailor.
Total cost: $700 for the year.
Let's don't forget the little things that go along with being in the workforce. There are birthday parties, pot lucks, boss' gifts, lunches out, coffee runs... let's assume that Jill sticks to her guns most of the time, though, and keeps her 'latte factor' spending down to $25/week.
$25/week = $1300/year
Now we've knocked another $2000 off that number, just on personal things. Oops. $5763.08
There's another side of the coin that must also be looked at here, and that is losses. Now that Jill has an income, there will be an impact on benefits their family now receives.
CCTB : was $249.23/month, drops to $110.03. Loss of $1670.40 per year
GST/HST : already negligible amount due to Jack's income
WITB : already ineligible due to Jack's income
Finally there is the impact on Jack's income tax return. With Jill having no reportable income, and two children at home, Jack could count on an income tax refund last year of $3767.06 (based on a net taxable income of $50,000). However, now Jill is no longer a deduction, as she earns more than the basic personal amount. So this year, Jill claims the kids and Jack is on his own. The loss on his refund amount this year is significant - he actually ends up owing $103.04. However thanks to the kids and her new childcare deduction, she'll get a refund of $3241.33. So they come close to breaking even, right? Maybe not... a net loss of $628.77.
We haven't even explored some of the pickier details, like... What if the daycare was farther away and Jill had to hire a taxi or take the bus to pick up the kids? There are added health care costs and lost wages to consider due to the kids (and Jill) getting sick more often now that they are in daycare. What if the carpool driver gets a transfer and Jill is forced to use public transit or they decide it is necessary to buy a second vehicle? There is a lot to consider here.
Finally... and I put this last because it doesn't apply to everyone, but in practise it belongs in the first spot... if Jill's beliefs lead her to tithing from her paycheck, that will subtract another $2648.36.
Let's sum it up again, shall we?
I think I've been pretty conservative in a lot of these estimates, not to mention given Jill a series of breaks in order to paint the most positive picture possible. My conclusion remains what it was when I started: the financial gain from Mom going to work in no way balances out the costs incurred from it. If there is a real need for added income, there are a lot of ways to earn that final figure without ever having to leave your home. Assuming she didn't tithe, Jill's net financial gain was $3463.91. That's just $66.61 per week. Jill could earn that much easily by starting a small home business, or twice that amount by babysitting just one child for five days a week at $30.00/day. (With the added benefit of 'business use of home' deductions that would negate any tax costs for doing so!)
Preschool School-Age Part-Time Reality Check
Opening Disclaimer: I am not writing this in any way to come across as judgmental toward working moms or to say that they have made the wrong choice. What I am trying to do, however, is lay out the math to help a wife or mom who is struggling with the decision to work or not. I am also trying to offer encouragement to stay-at-home moms who might be feeling a little pressure or guilt that they aren't "contributing" to the household finances, or to husbands who want to support their wives in their wish to be at home but aren't sure it can work. I am not factoring in any of the "intangibles" in the equations - on either side. Some women want to be in the workforce for their own personal enjoyment and the financial gains aren't a primary motivator. On the other hand, some women want to be at home no matter the cost because of the benefits they see in their life, marriage and/or children. I can't put a dollar figure on any of those things, so I'm not even going to consider them. And of course bear in mind that I am not a financial expert, a tax advisor nor a lawyer.
PART ONE - This post is very specifically targeted at moms of preschool-age children who are considering going to work full-time during the day.
So.... you want to stay at home, but you're burdened by the numbers. You're hearing loud and clear the voice of society telling you that you HAVE to work in order to do, to have, to be whatever it is that you're supposed to be doing, having and being right now. Well... I beg to disagree. I'm not planning on sharing all of our personal finances on this blog, because I'm pretty sure my hubby would be less than thrilled by that... but over the next little while I would like to address some financial questions and issues. And this is the first, because this is the one that's heaviest on my heart. I hate to see a mom of littles struggling with working a job she doesn't want to be in, just because she and her husband are convinced it's "the only way." Let's just take a look at the numbers, shall we? Because I am convinced that, short of a high-paying professional career, most of the time it just isn't worth it.
I've created a fictional set of characters and situations that I think is a fair representation of reality. I've given them a few breaks and a few challenges, to try to reflect what might actually play out. Obviously there are many variables that could apply - she may have a family member willing to take care of her children, or she could find a job working at home or that allows her to bring her children, they may or may not decide to buy a second car ... there are a lot of things to factor in but I've tried to lay out something that seems reasonable to me.
Let's call our mom Jill. Jill is in her early thirties, and is happily married to Jack, who makes about $50,000 take-home per year. They have two children under five. She has some college education and is qualified to work in administration. She and Jack have decided that she should get a job in order to help pay down some debt they'd like to get rid of. She's landed an interview for a position that pays $18.00 per hour, but unfortunately doesn't offer medical or dental coverage. Thankfully, Jack's employer does offer coverage for the family, so they decide she should accept the position. But she's not looking forward to having a job again after spending the last four years out of the workforce. She is happy with their life and doesn't really want to change things... but she will if it will really help them get out from under some financial stress. So she and Jack decide to give it a try.
Gross pay: $18.00 per hour, 35 hours per week (40-hour work week, 9-5 with unpaid lunch hour)
$630/week = $32760/year
First up: DAYCARE. Jack and Jill have two children, age 2 and 4. They'll get a better rate than they would if one child were an infant, but they are still looking at paying $50 per day for care. And Jill got lucky - her neighbor runs a dayhome, so there is no cost to transport the kids to and from, and the neighbor is willing to let Jill run overtime by a few minutes here and there if traffic is bad without charging extra. She also offers a family rate, unlike a daycare centre closer to her job which would charge $60.
$250/week = $13000/year
Next: TRAVEL. Jack and Jill are both working full-time now. Trouble is, their jobs are on opposite sides of the city, plus Jack starts work an hour earlier than she does. And his job often requires him to work past five o'clock. What to do? Well, Jill appears to be sitting on a horseshoe as she happens to be friends with someone who does a carpool to the same building. So she gets off easy with a $20.00 contribution to the gas fund each week.
$20/week = $1040/year
Another solution - Jill could drive Jack to work each morning, then drive to her job. When her workday ends, she could pick up the children from daycare then pick up Jack from work, and if he had work to do in the evening he could just bring it home with him. Unfortunately this is the sort of thing that leads us to the next cost...
FOOD. It's a given fact that working full-time means you don't have as much time to cook. Convenience foods replace scratch cooking. Lunches need to be packed or bought now for Jack, Jill and two children. Eating out becomes much more tempting, and mailed-out takeout menus that used to be recycled are now pinned to the fridge. Jill might find herself calling Jack to let him know there is an order at Pizza Hut with his name on it a little more often, especially if it's been a particularly long day. There are two parts to this equation - an increase in grocery spending, and an increase in eating out. Let's take a nice round number and say that the grocery bill jumps by $40/week. Nothing too dramatic, because she's still trying to shop smart. But it's the little things that add up - buying bread and cookies instead of baking, buying pre-prepped veggies to save time... and missing out on flyer specials because she didn't get a chance to look through the flyers this week, much less try to match them to coupons. As for eating out - I'm going to use an actual number from my own records here and say that Jack and Jill have gone from spending $50 per month eating out, up to $250. Sounds like a lot, doesn't it? But what this breaks down to is $62.50 per week. That is one nice meal out, or two inexpensive takeout meals, each week. Not all that much after all.
Grocery increase: $40/week = $2080/year
Eating Out increase: $50/week = $2600/year
So far, Jill's actual income has dropped from $32760 to $14040. Ouch.
Oh... wait... I forgot something, didn't I? At her income level she'll have federal income tax deducted at the rate of 15%. And provincial income tax of 10% (assume she lives in Alberta). And EI. And CPP. Whoops. Using CRA's online calculator and a gross weekly income of $630, Jill's deductions will be:
FED: $55.20
PRV: $26.45
CPP: $27.85
EI: $11.21
Deductions = $120.71/week = $6276.92/year
So now she actually has $7763.08 to contribute to the household. Hmm.
Of course now that she's working in a professional environment, Jill does need to improve her wardrobe a bit. And she doesn't have a lot of time for visiting the thrift shop regularly these days, so she has to shop retail. However she is very good at taking care of her clothes, and knows how to make her wardrobe work for her with basics and accessories, so she's able to keep it limited to a one-time shopping trip of $500 and a few new pieces through the year, plus a couple of visits to a local tailor.
Total cost: $700 for the year.
Let's don't forget the little things that go along with being in the workforce. There are birthday parties, pot lucks, boss' gifts, lunches out, coffee runs... let's assume that Jill sticks to her guns most of the time, though, and keeps her 'latte factor' spending down to $25/week.
$25/week = $1300/year
Now we've knocked another $2000 off that number, just on personal things. Oops. $5763.08
There's another side of the coin that must also be looked at here, and that is losses. Now that Jill has an income, there will be an impact on benefits their family now receives.
CCTB : was $249.23/month, drops to $110.03. Loss of $1670.40 per year
GST/HST : already negligible amount due to Jack's income
WITB : already ineligible due to Jack's income
Finally there is the impact on Jack's income tax return. With Jill having no reportable income, and two children at home, Jack could count on an income tax refund last year of $3767.06 (based on a net taxable income of $50,000). However, now Jill is no longer a deduction, as she earns more than the basic personal amount. So this year, Jill claims the kids and Jack is on his own. The loss on his refund amount this year is significant - he actually ends up owing $103.04. However thanks to the kids and her new childcare deduction, she'll get a refund of $3241.33. So they come close to breaking even, right? Maybe not... a net loss of $628.77.
We haven't even explored some of the pickier details, like... What if the daycare was farther away and Jill had to hire a taxi or take the bus to pick up the kids? There are added health care costs and lost wages to consider due to the kids (and Jill) getting sick more often now that they are in daycare. What if the carpool driver gets a transfer and Jill is forced to use public transit or they decide it is necessary to buy a second vehicle? There is a lot to consider here.
Finally... and I put this last because it doesn't apply to everyone, but in practise it belongs in the first spot... if Jill's beliefs lead her to tithing from her paycheck, that will subtract another $2648.36.
Let's sum it up again, shall we?
Gross pay: $32760/year
- Tithe $2648.36
- Deductions $6276.92/year
- Daycare: $13000/year
- Carpool $1040/year
- Grocery $2080/year
- Eating Out $2600/year
- Clothing $700/year
- 'Latte Factor' $1300/year
- Loss of CCTB $1670.40
- Loss on tax refund $628.77
= Financial Gain of $815.55
I think I've been pretty conservative in a lot of these estimates, not to mention given Jill a series of breaks in order to paint the most positive picture possible. My conclusion remains what it was when I started: the financial gain from Mom going to work in no way balances out the costs incurred from it. If there is a real need for added income, there are a lot of ways to earn that final figure without ever having to leave your home. Assuming she didn't tithe, Jill's net financial gain was $3463.91. That's just $66.61 per week. Jill could earn that much easily by starting a small home business, or twice that amount by babysitting just one child for five days a week at $30.00/day. (With the added benefit of 'business use of home' deductions that would negate any tax costs for doing so!)
Recipe : Country White Bread
Maybe it was because I used half whole-wheat flour. Or maybe it was because I cut the sugar a little. Either way, this wasn't one of our favorite bread recipes. Darling says I've set the bar pretty high, though, so not to take it personally. LOL It is a nice solid loaf, though. It slices nicely and holds up well for sandwiches or toast, which is a good thing. And the kids liked it. I may give it another go using only white flour and see how it turns out... you never know.
Country White Bread
2 T yeast
2 cups warm water
1/4 cup honey or sugar
1 T salt
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup vegetable oil or soft butter
6 1/2 to 7 cup all-purpose flour
In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in water. Add honey, salt, eggs, oil, and 3 cups flour. Beat until smooth. Stir in just enough flour to form a soft dough.
Turn dough onto an oiled surface and knead until smooth, about 6-8 minutes. (If your mixer has a kneading hook, you may machine knead for five minutes.) Place dough in a greased bowl. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour. Punch dough down. Divide and shape into three loaves. Place in loaf pans.
Let rise until doubled. Bake at 375 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Remove from pans and cool.
If you wish, brush some butter on top while still warm. Try to let it cool before eating!
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Recipe : Chocolate Cake (Dairy Free)
This recipe comes from Cooking For Isaiah
, by Silvana Nardone. Awesome cookbook. We aren't a gluten-free family, but if we were, this book would be permanently on my shelf, as she has created a whole book of gluten-free, dairy-free recipes that she tested on her own family. And they are good. Some of them, REALLY good.The only issue I have with this cake is, it really sticks. So when you prepare the pans, seriously prepare them. She recommended greasing the pan, lining the bottom with parchment and then greasing the parchment. Do it. Otherwise you're left scrambling to figure out what to do with some seriously broken cakes... cookie cutters to the rescue!!
Anyway, without further ado...
Chocolate Cake with Whipped Chocolate Frosting
2 tbsp instant espresso powder (I used instant decaf coffee powder and it worked all right)
1 cup boiling water
1/2 cup cold water
2 tbsp vanilla
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs, at room temperature (if you are out of eggs, you can use 6 tbsp mayo here)
2 cups all-purpose flour (gluten-free? get her cookbook
and find her substitute flour blend)3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare two 9-inch baking pans.
Whisk together the espresso powder and boiling water in a small bowl; let cool slightly. Whisk in the cold water, vanilla, oil and eggs.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, sugars, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Whisk the egg mixture into the flour mixture just until combined. Divide the batter between the prepared pans. Bake until springy to the touch and a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Let cool completely in the pans set on wire racks.
Run a knife around the edges of the pans to release the cake. Invert one cake layer onto a cake plate, flat side facing up. Spread about 2 cups of the whipped chocolate frosting evenly on top. Place the remaining cake layer, rounded side up, onto the frosting. Frost the top and sides of the cake with the remaining frosting. Refrigerate for about 30 minutes before serving.
Whipped Chocolate Frosting: Melt 3 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips with 1-1/2 cups water. Stir until smooth, cool to room temperature. Beat on medium-high speed with an electric mixer until light and whipped, about 12 minutes. If you overwhip the frosting, add a little water to make it glossy and smooth again.
My variant of this .... break the cakes irreparably because you didn't grease the pans properly. Find a large cookie cutter in a cute shape. Cut out mini-cakes and place onto small plates. Melt one square of semi-sweet chocolate in a small bowl along with about 1/4-cup of water. Stir with a fork until smooth. Add 1 tsp vanilla. Stir in icing sugar a bit at a time until a frosting-like consistency is reached. Spread on the top of each mini-cake. Dust with icing sugar and serve. Smile brightly and keep the family out of the kitchen so they don't see the disaster. ;o)
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