Internet Connection and General Update

The last few days have not been the best for my internet connection. I broke my laptop stick on Saturday and got the replacement today.
 It was kind of nice. I think I'm going to have to take one day a week off from now on.  It's so windy I'm having to write this post outside. My Laptop keeps trying to blow away. Which is very distracting to say the lest.

  I found two hornworms on two of the tomato plants today. It's officially pest season. But there are bunches of ladybugs out there breeding and eating nasties. Too bad they don't eat hornworms, but I guess you can't have everything.   

My black iris about to bloom. And it looks like it will be a double at least! And the rose is going great guns. I don't know if it was this winter's freezing temperatures or the recent rains, but everything's blooming nicely here.




Man I wish this wind would die down.


  Bats Bizarre's having a mother's Day sale! Use coupon code MOTHERSDAY for 5% off your total purchase from today 4/29/14 through 5/9/14.

Shasta Daisy Barrette

Happy Earth Day!

 I was going to post my Shasta Daisy Hair Barrette for sale a few days ago, but my internet wouldn't go along. Not that it wanted to work today either.  Oh well... 

   I modeled the daisy on my mom's Shasta Daisies. The real ones have more petals, but other than that I think they look close. I'm rather proud of myself, I crocheted the flowers and it only took a couple of tries to get the stiches right. If you recall I'm just now learning to crochet.


I may have mentioned this before, but I really like these types of barrettes. I prefer to use it to keep my hair up, but it makes a pretty (and surprisingly secure) ponytail too.
 I have three different barrettes planed, maybe even one that's the back part in different colors without any embellishments.
   I had trouble securing my hair at first, but after a bit of trial and error I learned to put the end of my hair to the right of the other part and that I have to twist my hair to the left when putting it up. I don't know why but it works that way and only that way for me. Before it would fall out of the barrette  very quickly.
      
Here is a link to the listing: https://www.etsy.com/listing/186671893/shasta-daisy-hair-barette?ref=shop_home_active_1


                        Thank you for reading Bats Bizarre's offical blog. Have a bat-tastic day!

 P.S. I won't be posting Thursday. I apologize for any inconvenience.

Cucumbers And Other Garden News

I planted a row of cucumber seeds where the snow peas were this winter. When they didn't come up my mother and I planted two more rows, one of either side of the trellis. Some came up. And then something ate them. And mom's squash seedlings! There were dig marks were it grabbed one that hadn't sprouted yet. I'm thinking it was a skunk.

  I bought seven seedling from the store. (I will be keeping them in pots on a shelf on the porch.) Not long after that Mom noticed some more seedlings coming up. We covered them with chicken wire. They look like convict cucumbers. Wish us luck the wire works.

  I can't believe I had to cover the plants the night before last. I was afraid I was going to lose them all.



    Oh yeah, I also can't believe there are two tomatoes on one of the plants in the garden. Must be the chicken poop.

  
Happy Easter!

    Thank you for reading Bats Bizarre's offical post. Have a bat-tastic day!

Yellow Cake with Strawberry Filling and Chocolate Frosting

   We're getting into strawberry season so I thought I'd share this great recipe. The cake is the Egg and Butter Cake recipe I shared earlier, but instead of a cream cheese frosting I used my favorite chocolate frosting recipe, because chocolate and strawberries go pretty well together add some pecans and you've got a great dessert for a spring get together.

                                  
                           Egg and Butter layer Cake

1/2 pound butter                                       1/4 teas. salt
2 cups sugar                                              1 teas. vanilla
5 eggs                                                       1 cup chopped pecans (optional)
2 cups flour
1 1/2 teas. baking soda

Cream butter and sugar well. Blend your dry ingredients together. Add 1 egg then a small amount of the flour mixture. Continue alternating ingredients until all are used up. Beat in vanilla and stir in nuts, if using, then pour into two 9" cake pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes.

Here is a link to a printer friendly version: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1_M5jUvgW_JMJk_KdEk2pJIhSj6zYlTpoiy-t6zf9B-8/edit?usp=sharing


    While your cake is baking you can make your filling. This was originally a lemon filling recipe so feel free to add whatever fruit you like.

                                               Strawberry cake filling

    3/4 cups sugar                                  3/4 cups water
    2 Tbs. cornstarch                              2 egg yolks
   dash salt                                            1 cup of strawberries
   1/2 teas. cinnamon                            1 Tbs. butter

     Stir together sugar, cornstarch, salt, and cinnamon in a sauce pan. To the dry ingredients add water, egg yolks, and strawberries and cook over medium heat until thick stirring constantly. Once the sauce drops heavily from the spoon remove from heat and add butter. Filling will thicken as it cools.

   Printer Friendly version here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1oWsU1uoj4VqgVXyMSzMwxcis0RMPmCVM5USaSzygpv0/edit?usp=sharing

                       Then make the frosting. 

                                     Luscious Chocolate Frosting

   4 sq. unsweetened chocolate                                    2 unbeaten egg whites
   1/2 cup butter                                                            
   4 1/2 cup confectioners sugar
   1/3 cup milk


      Melt chocolate and butter together. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. Place the bowl in ice water and beat with an electric mixer until it is thick enough to spread.

   Printer friendly version here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/16UI8mfvvJDm7EDGoZXak4eA3AmZX08bnpd19COm5doQ/edit?usp=sharing


                   

          Thank you for reading bats Bizarre's official blog. Have a bat-tastic day! 

 

Hair Barrette

  I've become rather enamored with the type of hair barrettes that use a hair stick and a piece of metal or fabric to hold your hair back. Right now I am trying to make my own with knitting. I have three versions in mind - I don't have the yarn for one right now, but I hope to remedy that soon.- I have the prototype for the 'original' done and have finished alpha testing it.

  The hair sticks are holding me up. I tried to dye them by soaking them in green food dye, water, and vinegar; thinking it wouldn't rub off that way, and that it would be easy to dye a bunch at once. But while it did dye them and the dye was a beautiful shade of green, the sticks are little weird looking. The are a lot paler in person then in the photo. I'm not sure if I want to go with it or not. 


P.S. I finished the shorts. They are a little long. But I only plan on wearing them around the house. Not bad considering I didn't have a pattern. Next I will be making pairs out of some fabric I bought. (The shorts I showed you were made from some fabric my grandmother gave me.)  But I won't be using a invisible hem for the others. Such a pain!    
 

                Thank you from reading Bats Bizarre's offical blog. Have a bat-tastic day!

Nothing Much

   I don't have that much to talk about today. I wish I had some new product to tell you about, but I've working on a lot of things instead of foucusing on one and finshing it. Everything has to be done in the garden right now or it be too hot for anything to grow. I'm making a pair of shorts and a hair barret prototype. I haven't been able to work on that blanket I told you about. And my engravings have hit a snag.

  I started out with a large resin bead to engrave, but unlike glass a resin engraving doesn't stand out against the rest of the bead so I'm looking into ways to make it stand out, paint and a sealant? A different color of resin? This calls for a trip to the craft store.

  I'm using a blind hem on the shorts; I've never tried it before, but then I've never had a machine that could make it before. So I thought I'd give it a go. I hemmed one leg last night and I'm not sure how study it'll be. I guess we'll just have to see. It also seems like a lot more trouble then it's worth.



                            Thank you for reading Bats Bizarre's offical blog. Have a bat-tastic day!

Sourdough Bread Bowl

    This is my favorite recipe using sourdough hands down. That's why I saved it for last in my sourdough count down. (There are recipes for sourdough pancakes and rolls, but I haven't made either in years.) It's so good Mom and I had it for New Year's Eve, her birthday, and mine. It was inspired by the Red Lobster appetizer, but only loosely. Like most of our made-up recipes the amounts are all estimates and you should feel free to add or subtract anything to suit your tastes. This is really just a rough idea of how to make it. We never make it the same way twice, but it's always delicious.   

  First make your sourdough, recipe here: http://batsbizarre.blogspot.com/2014/03/make-your-own-sourdough-bread.html, but after the second raise place one loaf in a round pan that has been sprayed with non-stick spray instead of a loaf pan.

   While that is baking you can make your sauce.  

   Sauté chopped garlic, onions, and fresh mushrooms, if using, in a pan with butter for a minute or two. Add 1 cup cubed, peeled and deveined shrimp. Once the onions and garlic soften add about a tablespoon of flour and cook until the flour no longer tastes raw. Add enough milk to make a thin gravy, salt, pepper, a dash of hot sauce, kale, and or spinach. Stir. Test your seasonings and add your cheese,  Monterey Jack and processed cheese loaf together are great in this, add caned mushrooms, if using, one can of crabmeat, and squid. If you are adding fish now would be a good time. Cook until the cheese melts and your seafood is cooked; if the sauce gets too thick add some water or milk.

   Once the bread is done cut the loaf in half and hallow out the halves with a fork. Toast the innards you removed in a toaster oven or on broil for a second or two in the oven. (Watch it carefully if using the oven.) Spoon the sauce into the pie and enjoy. (If you make enough sauce you can fill both the top and the bottom and get two meals out of it.)        

              

          Thank you for reading Bats Bizarre's offical blog. Have a bat-tastic day!