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Tuesday, February 25, 2020

Pisces Mug Reviewed

Sign of the Fish Gift Idea

I was looking for a Pisces mug to give as a gift recently. Let me review the one I chose for you. There are two important men in my life that were born under this particular sign of the Zodiac, my Dad and my sweet husband. They are both a little difficult to buy for because both of them just go get whatever it is they feel they might need or want. Mugs are usually a safe bet for either one of them as a small gift.

Pisces Sign
image courtesy of pixabay.com

They say a girl is often attracted to men who are like their father. I guess that is true in my case. My Dad and husband are so much alike.

The Pisces Man

If your man was born between February 19th and March 20th, then he is a part of the water sign of Pisces. He is a romantic sort, caring, and sensitive. I don't know about my Dad being romantic but my sweet hubby sure is. Another strong trait in the Pisces man is that he is creative. Both my Dad and my husband are very artistic.

A man born under Pisces influence is usually very giving in their nature. I would agree with that on a couple of levels. They are giving in the material sense, often the most happy when they can give a gift to someone. I see my Dad and husband both being very giving when it comes to emotional support which is a sort of gift giving act, too. I would say that both have a tendency to think with their heart more than their heads in a lot of situations. Neither like confrontation of any kind and are most unhappy if they think they have hurt someone.

I would have to say that a girl like me has been pretty lucky to have a Pisces father and even luckier to have a Pisces husband.

Anyway, one of the gifts that both of them will get from me this year is a Pisces Mug. The one that I chose for my husband looks like the one below. It is a nice ceramic mug for him to enjoy his coffee in each morning and will hold 11 oz of his favorite brew. There is an option for a 15 oz one too. It is printed on both sides with the lovely Pisces art. I think it will make him smile in the mornings when he sits down at the breakfast table.

Pisces Mug For Birthday or Fathers Day

Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN), Esty (Awin), and/or Zazzle Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”

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Monday, February 24, 2020

Celebrate Paczki Day!

Fat Tuesday is also known as Paczki Day in Detroit! You may be wondering what a paczki is and the second most popular question is, "How do you pronounce paczki?" Both questions will be answered as we learn and review the traditional and delicious packzi!

Hamtramck And Paczki

In Southeast Michigan and probably throughout Michigan, Hamtramck and Paczki are synonymous.
When preparing for Fat Tuesday people drive many miles to Hamtramck for the traditional Polish Paczki! Fans stand in line at the bakeries early Tuesday morning to pick up their order of this delicious pastry.

Hamtramck Michigan is known as "The World In Two Square Miles" and the city "within the city " of Detroit. Hamtramck became a destination for Polish immigrants when an auto plant was opened by the Dodge Brothers in 1914.

The city boundaries are literally within the city of Detroit. In 1970 ninety percent of the population was Polish. Through the years the demographics of the city have changed and Hamtramck is a multi cultural city which continues to celebrate the traditions of Poland. And Paczkis of course!

What Is a Paczki?

Paczki are filled pastries that resemble a traditional American filled doughnut, but that is where the similarities end for true aficionados. I am not one to turn down any type of doughnut, but paczki are deliciously unique and different.

Supermarket versions of paczki are usually like door stoppers = not a paczek! The inside should be light and fluffy and the outside is crispy and topped with sugar. Traditional flavors of paczki are: Powidła (plum jam) and wild rose petal jam; but the more popular fillings are custard, lemon, strawberry, blueberry, raspberry, and apple. My personal favorite is Bavarian cream!

How Do You Say Paczki?

Poonch-kee !

What Is the Difference Between Paczki and Paczek?

A single pastry is a Paczek - Poon-check!
Many pastries are Paczki - Poonch-kee!

Paczki festivities in Hamtramck celebrate all week long including what has become a pre Fat Tuesday event the Paczki Run.

The Paczki Run

Prior to Fat Tuesday, Tour de Troit holds its' annual Paczki Run which is a 5k race highlighting the sights of Hamtramck. Traditional post race refreshments are a little different for the Paczki Run. Let's keep in mind this is a winter run in Michigan so Paczki participants are hardy braving snow, ice and wildly varying weather conditions.

Post race includes Polish music, dancers and "paczek from New Martha Washington Bakery & New Palace Bakery and a beer from Motor City Brewing Works are served to each finisher! Na Zdrowie! "

If you are a fan of pastries and doughnuts I highly recommend the Paczki (because noone can eat just one!)

More Michigan Travel

It's not St. Patrick's Day without the traditional Wigley's Corned Beef. Head over to Eastern Market to ensure you have the best! corned beef for St. Paddy's.

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Sunday, February 23, 2020

Family Favorite Pancake Recipe

A Family Favorite Pancake Recipe - Easy and Delicious

Here I go again. Another weekly review post about a recipe.

If you've seen my last few Sunday posts you've already heard me express how I'm shocking myself with all these recipe shares. Like I already said, it's not because I can't cook, it's just not my favorite thing to do.

I may be possessed by a Chef or something? Yah, like I'm a chef; not.

Today I'm sharing our family recipe for Pancakes. It's another easy recipe.

But wait, one of my fellow writers, Lou16, just wrote about her best pancake recipes! Oh no. I don't want to step on toes so be sure to check out her article. She provides several fantastic and unique recipe ideas. I'll have to try them.

How Many Ingredients Are in This Family Pancake Recipe?

There are 8 ingredients. This recipe, like most pancake recipes, is made by mixing everything together in one bowl.

What Makes this Pancake Recipe the Best One in the Entire World According to My Family - Tongue in Cheek :)

It's not just my family who love these pancakes; it's friends and visitors as well.

My mother passed this recipe along to me decades ago, and I can pretty much make it with my eyes closed. However, I did tweak the recipe and added one more ingredient.

That one ingredient addition is "Vanilla Extract".

For this basic pancake recipe, this small addition gives it that extra punch. Top your pancakes with strawberries and whip cream and it pretty much tastes like 'pancake cake'.

How to Make This Simple Recipe

1 Cup of Flour
3 Teaspoons of Baking Powder
2 Tablespoons of Sugar (Optional)
3/4 Teaspoon of Salt (Optional)
1 Egg
1 Cup of Milk
2 Tablespoons of Melted Butter
1 Teaspoon of Pure Vanilla Extract

You can double or triple this recipe as well.

Mix everything together in one bowl. Don't over mix. Once all the ingredients are blended together, let the batter sit for 10 minutes.

Cook it on a greased grill. I use butter, but normally only need the butter for the first batch.

Most of you who make pancakes already know this basic tip: When you put a pancake on the grill, you only flip it once and flip it over when you see the batter bubbling through the top.

Additional Family Recipes Previously Shared:

So there it is again, another peek into our kitchen.

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Saturday, February 22, 2020

Reviewing Pancake Recipes

Pancake Day isn't very far away and I can remember as a child being very excited when this date came around. As an adult I don't get quite as excited, want to know why?

Decadent Protein Pancake stack layered with yogurt and berries

Protein pancakes - photo by Lou16

I grew up in the UK and the only time I remember ever eating pancakes was on Shrove Tuesday - everyone seemed to eat pancakes then! Mum would make what I now think of as crepes and we would squirt on lemon juice (definitely not fresh in those days but in a little plastic bottle!) and sprinkle on sugar. We would then proceed to roll them up and eat them - quicker than my poor mum could make them!

I should mention that this was for our dinner, it was unthinkable for us to have pancakes for breakfast!

Fast forward a few decades and with the take over of the world by McDonalds and their hotcakes along with the internet where recipes for American style pancakes were easy to find and I do enjoy pancakes throughout the year and for breakfast!

The drawback to pancakes whenever I want is that I no longer feel that excitement for Pancake Day when it comes around!

The Best Hotcakes My Husband Ever Made

Not long after we brought our first home in New Zealand the fast food giant, McDonalds opened up just down the road. My husband popped down to get me hotcakes for breakfast one Sunday and then for the next couple of years that was my Sunday breakfast!

We moved to Australia over twenty years ago and he has cooked hotcakes a few times using a couple of different pancake mixes from the supermarket (similar to the Stonewall one Cynthia reviewed). About five years ago I brought him the cookbook Relaxed Cooking with Curtis Stone and in this book my mum and I were about to feast on some delicious hotcakes.

If you don't have time to grab the book then I've found the link to the recipe and a video (you will not regret making these!) on the foodnetwork for you - https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/hotcakes-with-delicious-blueberry-compote-recipe-2041480

The Best Hotcakes I Make Are Healthy Ones!

I have in the last couple of years discovered a few different pancakes and my favorite are protein pancakes like the ones featured in the photo at the top of the page. These pancakes are simply delicious, healthy and I get to eat them as one of my meals when I'd doing the 30 days to healthy living and beyond plan.

Chocolate Protein Pancakes You NEED To Make!

Ingredients

1 scoop Arbonne chocolate protein powder

1/2 tbsp raw cacao powder

1/2 tsp baking powder

125 ml unsweetened almond milk (I prefer to use either the Vitasoy or the So Good brand)

1 tbsp coconut flour

2 eggs

Directions

Simply mix all of the ingredients together well and then let stand for 10 minutes. Letting it stand is very important, I can't remember why I was told that but I've also done this and my hotcakes have turned out really well so why risk it?

Make sure you have a hot pan, I usually use coconut oil to cook them in, but that's not essential I know some people use rice bran oil or a butter and oil mix. I use a ladle to put my mixture into the pan and I do them the size of a Macca's hotcake, I also only cook one pancake at a time.
When there are quite a few bubbles showing on the top of the mixture it's time to turn the pancake over and cook the other side.

Serve with your usual toppings. I usually take a scoop of Arbonne's vanilla protein powder and mix it with coconut yogurt to a thick cream consistency and layer them with that and whatever fresh berries I have. It's like eating cake, but it's healthy for you!

Healthy Pancake Recipes for Children

I really don't think there was any nutritional value in the pancakes I had as a child, but the chocolate protein pancakes above would certainly fill a child up with some good quality protein without them realizing it.

Another idea for them is Hulk Pancakes! You could call these Shrek Pancakes or Monster Pancakes depending on what they like. These are basically protein pancakes with a serve of fruit and veg ....

1 scoop Arbonne vanilla protein powder
1/2 tbsp (which is about 1/2 a scoop) Arbonne's Super Greens
1/2 tsp baking powder
125 ml milk of choice (I'd use almond milk personally)
1 tbsp coconut flour
2 eggs

Mix all of the ingredients together and then allow to sit for 10 minutes before cooking in a hot pan.

You could also try these Green Smoothie Pancakes which include spinach and bananas.

Banana Pancakes are often a hit when it comes to healthier pancake choices.

Here are two other healthy pancake recipes which I haven't tried yet, but are on my to-eat list.

White Bean Pancakes
Linseed & Walnut Pancakes

Will you be eating pancakes on Shrove Tuesday?

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Friday, February 21, 2020

The Perfect Lego Display Shelves Reviewed

You've just finished the next great Lego masterpiece! Now what?

The biggest problem for any avid Lego builder is where to display their finished objet d'art. After spending hours, often days, building a Lego design, you're pretty excited and wish to set it in a place of distinction. Any open, flat surface is subject to being seized for Lego display.

Many Lego builders don't plan to play with their creations. They have the heart of an artist, or an art collector. For them, the completed project is a valued treasure that should not be tampered with or dismantled.

I have often felt like the Lego masterpieces that our son has made deserve to be placed behind museum ropes, never to be touched again. Perhaps an alarm should be set up to alert the household if anything, like a dog's tail, gets too close.

While ropes and alarms would be extreme, the reality is that we really don't want the finished Legos to be thwacked. I suspect all Lego builders have had the horrible experience of helplessly watching their masterpiece literally break to pieces. That experience is neither fun, nor desired.

Therefore, Lego treasures need a safe place for display. In my most recent search, I found a set of shelves that is perfect for Lego display!

Lego Display Shelves

Ameriwood Home Hazel Kids'
4 Shelf Bookcase, WhiteAs you know, Lego projects come in all sizes. Even mini-figures are extremely popular and collectable. Finding a way to display everything together, in a way that each piece can been seen well, is very challenging.

With standard shelves, the back of the sets tend to be blocked by the shelve just above them. An observer must contort their bodies, or hunker down to be able to see the complete finished Lego. Even then, you're not getting a really good look and are tempted to pick it up so you can really see it.

With the tiered shelves, it is no longer necessary to struggle to see the larger Lego completely without touching it. Only the bottom shelf sitting on the floor seems to be tucked away & slightly hidden from view. However, the front wood piece does keep feet from accidentally kicking whatever is displayed on that lowest shelf.

As you can see in the picture above, the shelves are deep enough for those Star Wars Kylo Ren's TIE Silencer, the Darth Maul's Sith Infiltrator and tall enough for even the Imperial TIE Fighter. My son used the next shelf for a collection of Lego Rebel Starfighters, including Luke Skywalker's X-Wing. The very top shelf was reserved for the tallest in this group, his combined Jabba Palace & Rancor Pit set beside the Jabba Sail Barge.

It took us approximately one hour to assemble the shelves. The bookcase was very heavy broken down and in the box. Once they were assembled, the shelves were easy to slide across the carpet and into place.

Additional Ideas for These Bookcase Shelves

These shelves would be awesome for displaying anything. As a matter of fact, I am considering replacing the shelves in my craft room with several sets of these bookcase shelves. I love the tiered design that allows you to easily see the back of each shelf. They would definitely allow for better organization.

They would also be awesome for actual books! Like Legos, books come in many sizes. It would be so nice to have my bookshelves organized with the smaller books on the top shelf of the tiers and the largest on the bottom. Sure would make scanning the titles easier!

Last, but not least, the bookcase shelves would be great in a kids room for their toys. I haven't actually tried to climb on the shelves myself, but the tiered design would certainly make these shelves less likely to turn over.

Ameriwood Home Hazel Kids'
4 Shelf Bookcase, WhiteCheck Price