Easy Fruit Cobbler

This recipe speaks to the inherently lazy nature of my baking skill set. Plus, it tastes great and I used a dairy-free cake mix to make it friendly for my eldest son.

While the recipe calls for a can of diet soda, I can tell you definitively that you do not need to use chemical-laden-artificial-sweetener-grossness. Instead, use a can of sparkling water; I used grapefruit-flavored LaCroix. The cake mix and fruit are plenty sweet enough and do not need any extra sweetness from soda.

The recipe calls for mixed berries but I used what I had in the house, which happened to be raspberries, mango and blackberries. It was so, so good and got great reviews from the people I had over that evening. This is a great recipe to throw together in a hurry for a last-minute dessert or impromptu get together with friends.

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DIY Microdermabrasion

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Somehow I managed to get through the entirety of my adolescence with flawless skin. Not that I ever complained back then, but I'd have much rather had bad skin when everyone else was enduring the same horrors of hormonal imbalance than now, when I should be well on my way to worrying about crows feet and age spots. At any rate, I've not yet mastered my post-children-approaching-my-30's-getting-drier-and-simultaneously-more-breakout-prone skin.

I've paid ridiculous sums of money for microderm product sets that did nothing more than cause teenage-esque breakouts on my late-twenties complexion, so I was excited to find this suggestion for inexpensive, at-home microdermabrasion. Simply mix three parts baking soda with one part water, forming a paste, then massage in a circular motion over your entire face, avoiding the delicate eye-area. It works beautifully and leaves your skin feeling silky-soft. Follow it up with your favorite moisturizer and you'll be delighted with the results.

I do this before bed and not more than twice a week; don't overdo it because you'll strip your skin past the point of silky and into the raw neighborhood. I've also used orange juice in place of water and found that to be a great combo when fighting a breakout. The citric acid in orange juice works as a great toner, brightener and tightener. Plus, it smells awesome.

Slow Cooker Steel Cut Oats

I adore crock pot cooking for about a million reasons, not the least of which is the dump-it-and-forget-it aspect. This recipe for overnight steel cut oats is nothing short of brilliant and absolutely delicious. I've made it twice now with varying results but the issue is not the recipe, rather my old crock pot that was in the midst of a long, slow, tortured death.

The offending crock pot chose to take a big fat dump while I was at work a few weeks ago. I anticipated coming home to a kitchen that smelled of delicious southwest chicken to be served over rice with cheese, green chiles and sour cream.  Rather, I arrived home to a blackened, acrid smelling, unrecognizable hunk of dehydrated chicken and what was at one time a jar of salsa and some taco seasonings. After a rather unceremonious tossing of said crock pot into the dumpster, I vowed to splurge on a beautiful new slow cooker. Or at least borrow my sister's.

But back to the overnight oats. They're delicious and I can see this being a staple in our family during the cold months. The original recipe doesn't make as much as I thought it might so I'll double it in the future. This will allow for leftovers that I can bring along to work. And I think you could easily freeze leftovers in single-serving containers, just add a little liquid when re-heating. We love hot breakfasts at our house and the versatility of the recipe will work greatly in my favor. It's also easy enough that my kids can help prepare; as every parent knows, kids are far more likely to eat something that they've had a hand in making.

Let me know if you try the recipe and what you used to flavor it. And how did your kids like it?

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Calm Bottles: Not Just For Kids

I renamed these Calm Bottles and made them for my kids a few weeks ago. They are seriously awesome and I love them just as much as my kiddies do. My intent was not to use them as a "time-out" tool but rather as a distraction from gross behavior and sibling fighting. Also as a fun tool to help them settle down at bedtime and for trips in the car.

We took a family trip to the craft store and stocked up on ultra-fine glitter and coordinating glitter glue. Turns out we didn't actually need to spend the money on glitter glue; clear craft glue will work just as well at a fraction of the price. Also lacking from the original posting was the size of the bottle used for the recipe given. I bought the one-liter bottles of SmartWater and ended up having to halve the mixture because it was far, far too thick to ever settle. Talk about a break, if you're using them for time-outs.

I'm going to make a few more so the kids can choose different colors and to maintain the novelty; I plan to milk this project for as long as I'm able.

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This Could Be A Problem: Coconut Chocolate Mousse

Holy crap, this is ridiculously delicious. I've made it twice with better results each time after some small modifications. I used Golden Star brand coconut milk, and while I put it in the fridge overnight, I didn't leave it uncovered; I didn't want it to end up tasting like the inside of my fridge. I would recommend not using any of the liquid that remains at the bottom of the can. And don't be like me: I got a little aggressive with my spatula while trying to coax the solid milk out of the can and ended up splashing a pretty healthy amount of coconut water all over myself. And my kitchen counters. And the floor. Coconut is oily. It was awesome.

The recipe needs sugar! I used a smattering of Stevia the first time and a few tablespoons of powdered sugar the second time around and neither time was it sweet enough for me. I would use at least 1/4 cup of a dry sweetener, and I think powdered sugar and Stevia are the best choices. For the second trial, I crumbled up some shortbread to sprinkle on the top and the texture it added was great. I used my hand-mixer both times to get a great whipped/mousse consistency and then I put it in the freezer to set up a little further. The freezer step might not be necessary if you omitted the remaining liquid.

The best part about this recipe is that aside from tasting delicious, it's made with healthy, good-for-you coconut milk and it's dairy-free, ensuring that my son can enjoy it along with the rest of us. This will be a staple dessert in our house.

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Baked Oatmeal To-Go (directly into the trash)

This recipe sounded great and had me dreaming of lovely, simple mornings with my kids. I pictured our usual frantic race out the door for work and school tempered by the nutritious and delicious portable breakfast in our hands. As is so often the case, with my endless optimism, that isn't even close to how things played out.

The recipe author touts the "sugar free" aspect and the versatility of this ideal breakfast; while it's certainly versatile, there isn't one mother-loving ounce of flavor in these squishy, sad lumps of oatmeal. My two oldest children politely tasted the original product; G took a teeny, tiny bite and gave me a sweet, polite grimace and T swallowed hers with a look of genuine disgust adorning her pretty face. The Baby, not yet being versed in social graces, grabbed it out of his mouth and threw it on the kitchen floor, spitting out the remainder. His comment: gucky (our family's versatile word for gross, yucky, icky, dirty, don't-touch-that, spit-that-out-right-this-instant).

My second effort had me slathering enough peanut butter on these suckers to make them palatable to even the pickiest of eaters. But still, no takers. I grudgingly ate every last one of these leaded breakfast bombs because, Dammit, They're Healthy!

Best part? I made a gigantic double batch. You see, I was so convinced that they would be incredibly delicious that I made a batch of regular muffin-sized bombs for my family and a whole pan of mini-muffin sized bombs to take with to work. As for this recipe, it won't be happening again at House of Schroeder.

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My Latest Project

So, as any of my Pinterest followers know, I'm a total whore for that website. And I'm convinced I'm now an incredibly-stylish-DIY-master-gourmet-chef-fitness-model-parenting-expert-interior-designer-extraordinaire because of all of my amazing re-pins. But the guilt has started to eat away at me. What if all my loyal followers are under the impression that I've actually accomplished such amazing feats as I'm so quick to Pin?

And with that guilt, my latest undertaking was born. Well, that and the fact that I no longer have cable and there is only so much time I can spend listening to my iPod and paging through old pictures. Seriously, add a little liquor and I'd be a drunk-in-the-making. So I've decided to challenge myself to A-Pin-A-Day; I'll be keeping myself accountable by posting the results of my attempts here on the very pages of this virtual, filterless therapy session. You'll have to bear with me as I try to figure out how to link up my Pins with the blog etc.

I'll be attempting recipes, DIY projects, home design tips, sewing fabulousness, skincare remedies and other Pinterest magic. I'm really excited about this and I can't wait to share my latest and great accomplishments and tragic failures with all of you. Cheers to crazy craftiness!