Handcrafted by Rachel

What Happens When You Ask Rachel to Bake a Giant Cake

I baked a cake yesterday. Not just any cake, but my graduation cake. And not just any graduation cake, but a 12x18 cake, the biggest thing I've ever baked in my life! (12x18 inches that is, not feet. I got covered in enough batter just from this one!)

When one is baking a foot and a half long cake, proper greasing of the pan beforehand is vital. It is equally important to cover the pan well with a fine layer of flour. As a side note, when I had finished, I too was well-greased and covered with a fine layer of flour.

This is what happens when you give the camera to your sister and tell her to take some nice photos.

Next, the eggs. All ten of them. Cracking two eggs at a time certainly helps it go faster. As an added benefit, it also adds that nice crunch to the cake, so important for one's daily calcium intake.

How do you mix up three boxes of cake mix at once?

Just like this! I hope you like cake batter, because when you do this, you're certainly going to get a lot all over the place.

The biggest bowl of cake batter I've ever seen for the biggest cake I've ever baked...

When you mix up three boxes of cake mix my way, you end up splatting the batter on yourself and the counters (but mostly on yourself).

Licking off the spatula just a little bit too eagerly. I get excited about cake batter, ok?

I told her to look normal and pretend I wasn't even taking pictures.

The sad thing is, this is normal...

After gallons of batter all over the kitchen, you may be wondering how the cake turned out. Well, see for yourself!

Yes, this is actually the only good picture I have of the cake. It was late at night...

It's amazing how hilarious baking a giant cake can be. Of course, when you've had as much sugar as Esther and I did, everything seems hilarious!

All About Sprouts

Sprouts are an amazing vegetable full of tons of vitamins, nutrients, and other good stuff. In fact, they have even more nutrients than normal salad greens. Plus, they're just plain delicious. Normally, sprouts tend to be a rather hard-to-find, expensive item at the grocery store, but the good news is, it is super easy and a lot of fun to grow them yourself at home. All you need are a few simple supplies and a little extra counter space.

You will need:

A sprouting lid and jar (we got sprouting lids that screw onto wide-mouth canning jars. A quart size jar is best.)
Sprouting seeds: Some seeds are treated to prevent them from sprouting, so make sure you get special seeds that say they are made for sprouting. Probably organic ones too.

Here's what you do:

Put about one or two tablespoons of seeds in your jar, depending on the size of the seeds. The smaller the seeds, the fewer you will put in the jar. Your package of seeds should tell you how many. Fill the jar with some water and let the seeds soak for about 8 hours.
After the seeds have soaked, tip the jar upside down to let the water drain out. Rinse and drain the seeds, leaving the jar in a bowl at around a 45 degree angle.
Rinse and drain the seeds about two or three times a day. If they start to smell or get moldy, you're probably not rinsing them often enough or draining them well. If this happens, throw them out and start over again. But as long as you rinse and drain your seeds well, you shouldn't have to worry about bacteria forming.
The seeds should begin to sprout within 24 hours, and they will be ready to eat in about 3-5 days. When they're almost done, leave them in a sunny spot to "green up" a bit.
Keep your sprouted sprouts in the refrigerator for up to a week, rinsing them once a day to keep them fresh (if you leave them out, they'll keep on growing!)

Here's a series of photos I took showing how the seeds sprout. The seed mix is called "Crunchy Bean Mix", and since the seeds are really big, they take the longest of all to sprout. However, as you can tell, they're still ready in about 4 days.

Dry sprouting seeds, ready for soaking

After about 9 hours of soaking (soaking them for an hour or two longer won't hurt them)

24 hours later

After about 30 hours

After two days, you can see the sprouts have really begun to sprout!

Three and a half days later, the leaves of the sprouts have developed. This is when I like to put them in some light so they can get greener and even more nutritious!

The sprouts were ready on the fourth day, but I don't have any photos of that. Sprouts never seem to last very long in our house!

I hope you enjoyed this post on sprouts! If you have any more questions that I didn't answer in this post, just leave a comment below.

~Rachel

The Thrill of Breakfast

If you're like my sister, you most likely love cooking and experimenting with new recipes. Sometimes, it probably seems like you're cooking up a new experiment every day, from homemade bread to homemade yogurt to homemade cheese that more than slightly resembles a brain (yeah, that’s kind of a long story...)

But not everyone is like my sister.

If you are like me, you don’t really like cooking. Oh, you like eating all right. In fact, you might like it just a little too much. So much, in fact, that despite your distaste for cooking, you find yourself in the kitchen every morning, searching for something delicious to have for breakfast.

For me, smoothies are one of my most favorite things to have for breakfast, as well as other breakfast foods. They're quite easy to make, and they taste so good. There are literally hundreds of different ways to make them, and thousands of possible ingredients.

We always seem to have various old food sitting around our house, and smoothies are a great way to use up that old cranberry sauce that’s been sitting in the fridge for 6 months. (Let’s just say we have had some very interesting smoothies in the past.) I have this basic recipe that I like to be creative with:

Sprouts and flax seed. What could be better

Some liquid (I usually use milk, but you could use any nut milk, fruit juice, ect.)
The “base”. I usually use some fruit like strawberries, blueberries, peaches, ect. This time, I also threw in some sprouts to get some vegetables in. Yes, this was one of those more interesting-tasting smoothies.
“Seasoning”: cinnamon, vanilla extract, pumpkin pie spice, ect. I also love putting in about a tablespoon of flax seed. It’s surprising how much your smoothie thickens up when you add a bit of flax seed.
“Extras”: old applesauce; that last bit of yogurt nobody wants; leftover codfish. (Then again, even the taste of a smoothie is no match for the aroma of leftover codfish)

Well, I hope you have enjoyed this post about breakfast, one of my favorite meals of the day (my other favorite meals of the day are lunch and dinner.) Happy smoothie making!

Do you like cooking or not? What is your favorite food to make?

A Dangerous Ride

Snow.

For some people, a feeling of dread settles over them at the mere thought of winter, with its freezing cold temperatures, and snow, and ice. But for other people, the word sends a thrill of excitement racing through their entire body. Even if the winter is filled with a hundred snow storms, these people still love the last snowstorm just as much as the very first one of the season. I am one of those people.

Let me tell you why.
Sledding is one of the most fun winter sports in the world. Last Friday, at our friends' farm, I experienced a few short hours of sledding, real sledding, for the first time in my life.

Esther and I brought the Flexible Flyer sleds that belonged to our parents, and our friends brought round saucer sleds and surf board sleds. I decided to go down the hill on the Flexible Flyer first because it seemed like a fairly undangerous option for my first ride down a hill of this size.

Now I know why they call it a “flyer”. The first bump sent me flying down the hill and landing in a snow-covered heap (with an evil-looking sled rattling down after me).

I didn't use the Flexible Flyer too much after that.

This is what happens when you try to sled down the hill on a rusty Flexible Flyer. (I'm the one in the teal coat who just fell off the sled.)

Racing down the hill on the sleds was so much fun, we didn't even think about the long walk back to the top. Of course, we thought about it a lot when we had to trudge back up! The hill was so long and so steep, we had to rest many times before we got to the summit. Of course, the snow made it a million times harder –every footstep we took was sucked up by about 6 inches of snow.

Those flying saucer sleds were something else. As soon as you took your hands off the ground at the top of the slope, all the way down to the bottom, you spun, around and around and around and around (are you dizzy yet? Because I sure was!)

Sometimes the saucer dumped you off right in the middle of the slope and you kept right on sliding.

Sometimes you hit a bump and did a complete somersault, like me.

Or sometimes, you happened to hit someone pulling up a snow tube on a leash, and you, your boots, the sled, your socks, and your gloves went flying in all different directions, like Esther.

Tragically, there is no photo of Esther's near death experience
involving the snow tube on a leash, so you'll just have to look
at this picture of me instead.

Although summer will always be my favorite season of the year, I love winter. I an sure I will always remember this first time sledding on such a huge hill as one of the most thrilling (and possibly dangerous) experiences of this winter.

Adventures in Cardstock: Make your own 3D Stickers!

Hello everyone! (I'm back) Today, I thought I would do a craft post!
Have you ever seen those cool, three dimensional stickers for scrapbooking and other crafts? The ones you would love to get but that cost about a million dollars a sheet? Well, today, I made my own 3D stickers, and they didn't cost a ton of money either!

You will need:

Cardstock in cool colors and patterns
Foam craft sheet (or any other foam you happen to have lying around)
Paper punches, or some other way to chop shapes out of your cardstock
Glue and scissors

Here's what you do:

Punch out shapes from your cardstock. We have a thingy called a Sizzix that punches out shapes from paper and fabric, and anything else you might want shapes punched out of. Or you could use paper punches, or you could cut out shapes by hand. Or you could just ask a friend who happens to have a Sizzix and paper punches.
Now, cut out a square from your craft foam that is smaller than one of your cardstock shapes. Glue this between two of your shapes. This is what makes your sticker 3-dimensional!
I didn't use any more than two pieces of craft foam in one sticker (and only one in the smaller flower ones), but experiment to see what you like best.
Enjoy experimenting with making your own three dimensional stickers! You can use your new stickers to make cards, scrapbook pages, or any other project that needs something like this.

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial! I will hopefully be posting more soon (but don't get your hopes up too much, I'm afraid).

Paper punches

Sizzix thingy

Di's Quest

Hello everyone! I know it's been a while since I last posted ~I got busy with school and stuff. I'm taking a writing class this year and our first assignment was to write a story. I had so much fun writing this, and I hope you guys have fun reading it! :)

Di’s Quest

I quietly slip out the door, pausing to ensure that the household is still asleep. The full moon is the only light over the countryside tonight. Glancing around once more, I silently run towards the forest.

I still remember the day my brother left many years ago. Our parents had just died, and we were starving. He left me at the house of a nobleman, where I would be taken care of, and then he stowed away on a ship bound for the country of Palladius. He had always intended to come back for me, but years had gone by without a word from him.

Cringing slightly as I touch my side, I remember the scene in the kitchen this afternoon. I had just crept into the kitchen, hoping for a scrap of food. But when the cook saw me, she yelled, “Get out of the way, Di!”, kicking me roughly aside. I wince at the memory, gingerly touching my side. Of course, my brother had no idea I would be so mistreated when he left me here that day so many years ago. But now that I am grown, I can finally begin the search for my missing brother.

Pulling my pack of supplies onto my back, I run through both woods and open fields, crossing many streams as I travel. When I reach the harbor, I quickly scan the line of ships docked there. Quietly, I slip onto a ship bound for Palladius. I descend into the hold and hide behind a stack of boxes labeled “SALT”. My eyelids grow heavy as I wait for morning, and soon I am fast asleep.

At dawn, we set sail. I hear the sailors shouting above me, and I look around the hold for another hiding spot. But all I see are more stacks of boxes labeled “SALT”.

On the seventh day at sea, a great storm comes up from the west. I hear the rain pounding above as the waves toss the ship from side to side. Suddenly, I feel a sickening crunch, and the great ship begins to splinter. A massive wave rushes in and knocks me into the sea. As I struggle to the surface, I watch the boxes from the hold burst open into the sea. To this day, the ocean is still salty.

I fight my way to shore, desperately struggling to avoid the sharp rocks. Finally, wet and bedraggled, I pull myself onto the beach. Exhausted, I fall into a fitful sleep.

The sun is rising when I wake. A cold wind blows off the ocean as I slowly stand up and try to decide what to do next. Slowly turning around, I look at my surroundings. The beach stretches out endlessly in either direction, and a steep cliff looms in front of me. I know the waves would dash me to pieces at once if I attempted to get to Palladius by sea. Instinctively, I know that Palladius lies beyond the high cliff looming in front of me.

The sea has washed away all my supplies, including my length of rope. I must find a way to the top of the cliff. Carefully, I begin picking my way over the rocky surface. It’s slow going, and several times I nearly slip, but I am surefooted, and finally I reach the top.

I am standing at the edge of a wide-open, grassy field. Far in the distance, in the direction of Palladius, is a forest. I shiver in the cold wind and begin making my way toward it.

The sun is sinking below the horizon by the time I reach the forest. I pause at the edge, listening, before warily slipping in. One can never be too careful in a strange forest at night.

I pad quietly through the forest, acutely aware of everything around me. Suddenly the sound of a voice makes me jump behind a tree.

“Wise Owl,” squeaks the voice, “Tell us how we can be wise like you.” I sneak a glimpse of the speaker –a bat. Bats are not known for their high intelligence.

The Owl replies, “Obviously, your brains are not very well developed. I recommend getting better blood circulation to your heads. Go home and hang upside down in order to get better circulation in your heads.”

The Bats, who seem to actually believe the Owl, fly home to their caves to do just that. To this day, bats still hang upside down in their caves. ¹

After the Bats and Owl leave, I continue through the forest as the daylight slowly fades away. I don't like being here alone at night, but time is important and I have no choice.

I hear a low growling sound to my left. As I back away, I hear another growl to the right. Wolves! I take off as fast as I can, but I know I can never outrun them. Glancing behind me, I see the wolves are quickly gaining on me. My only hope is to somehow trick them.

As I dash through the woods, I notice a particularly large tree straight ahead. Focusing on the great tree, I put on one final burst of speed. At the last moment, I make a sharp turn to the right. The wolves realize it a second too late, and the entire forest shakes with the impact of the wolves crashing into the tree. To this day, the head of a wolf is still flatter than it once was.

I travel for what must be weeks. The trees become sparser, and the rolling hills slowly straighten into a wide-open, rocky land. During the day, the hot sun beats down on my head, but at sunset, the temperature rapidly drops until I begin to shiver.

On the fifth day in this land, I hear a rumbling sound in the distance. A cold shiver shoots down my spine as the strange noise grows nearer. As I draw closer to the rumbling, I notice that pebbles are shaking on the ground, and the trees are beginning to quiver. I look in the distance, and my heart sinks with dread at what I see. A massive cloud of dust is rising on the horizon, growing larger with each passing second. The entire ground is shaking now. Without waiting to see the cause of this great thing, I tear off in the opposite direction as fast as my legs will carry me.

Closer and closer the rumbling approaches. My legs burn, and I am gasping for air, but still I press on, knowing I would be crushed instantly under the force of this thing.

The thing is almost on top of me now. I frantically search for a place of safety, anywhere I can escape this great rumbling thing that threatens to crush me. Then I see it –a tiny gulley, just large enough for my small body. Swiftly, I leap into the gulley, just in time to avoid being crushed.

I wait for what seems like hours as the great rumbling thing passes over my head. Bits of rock rain down all around me, and I hope desperately that my small gulley doesn’t collapse under the weight of the massive thing roaring over my head. The noise is louder than anything I have ever heard in my life, and the entire world seems to quake. But gradually the noise and quaking begin to subside, until I am sitting in complete silence. I scramble out of the gulley –and stare in shocked horror at the world around me.

It is completely unrecognizable.

Where there was once wide open land is now massive destruction. Rocks and uprooted pine trees are strewn everywhere. But the most noticeable of all is the vast chasm that stretches for miles in either direction. I am standing at the very edge of the precipice, which must be hundreds of feet deep and several miles wide. To this day, the Grand Canyon still exists.

I wearily travel many more weeks. Finally, the country of Palladius emerges on the horizon. My heart quickens as I approach the country. Will I finally be reunited with my brother? Or will I perish on this final leg of my journey?

I roam the countryside of Palladius for many days, searching for my brother. Finally, when I have nearly given up in despair, I see it –the familiar form of my brother dragging a bale of hay across the field. My heart soars with joy as I race across the field to join my brother.

After many long months of hardships and trials, my brother and I have finally been reunited. As we dash through the field toward the setting sun, we feel like we are puppies again, instead of full-grown dogs.

I hope y'all enjoyed my story! Thanks for reading! :)

Florida Vacation (Part 2)

Hey everyone! Well, I finally got around to finish going through the rest of the photos of our Florida vacation and posting them, so here they are!

(Here's Part 1 if you missed it: http://countrygirl-writer.blogspot.com/2014/06/florida-vacation-part-1.html )

Esther and I built a sandcastle! 6/3/14

Unfortunately, Esther got sick with a stomach bug for a few days the second week we were in Florida. We were all going to go to the Gumbo Limbo Wildlife Preserve, but since she was sick just my dad and I went. It was a really cool place!

They had a rehabilitation center for injured turtles. This one's a loggerhead turtle. 6/4/14

They also had some really big fish tanks. This fish was smiling for the camera! 6/4/14

We went to Butterfly World on June 5. It was so much fun -they had butterflies everywhere, and some of them even landed on us!

This Blue Morpho butterfly landed on my mom! 6/5/14

They also had rainbow lorikeets there, and we got to feed them!

One of them decided to land on my head! 6/5/14

My mom fed them too. 6/5/14

Family picture ~6/5/14

One of the butterflies landed on my arm! This is another Blue Morpho. 6/5/14

I was able to complete two drawings while we were in Florida (quite an accomplishment if you know how slowly I draw!!) I haven't scanned in the other one yet, but here's one of them.

Graphite pencil on cardstock -June 2014

All of us went swimming in the ocean the last Friday we were in Florida. Unfortunately, my mom and I ended up getting bitten by some sea lice (baby jellyfish). It was kind of like being bitten by a bunch of mosquitoes.