Do Try This at Home's Best of 2015

Everyone and their brother seems to be doing a "most popular post" of 2015, and I figured I better get in on the fun before the year was over...tonight. 

Many of my posts this year went onto other websites and I'm not counting those here (although I believe I will repost them here eventually). 

One thing is very clear though: the people who came to visit me here on my very own blog came HUNGRY. I wanted to do my top 10 most popular, but I didn't think of it until too late, so here are the top few:

1) Mrs. Freedman's Gluten Free Peanut Butter Cookies - They're gluten free. They're extremely easy to make. And apparently they're very likable.

2) Bottle cap table - I actually posted this at the end of 2014, but it was either second or first most popular for 2015, depending on how proficient one is at finding information in Google Analytics. I'm not that good. But I'm hoping to make another of these in 2016:

3) Tres Leches Cake - See? I told you people were hungry. 

4) Peanut Butter "Dinosaur Eggs" - These are fun, easy and yummy. So...I guess people like them.

After that, because of my iffy relationship with Google Analytics, it gets a little tougher to tell. But right up there were the following:

Grandma Olga's Fresh Hot Tortillas

My Stalking Story

Tribute/memorial to Oren Miller

Bad News Folks: Kale is Still Good for You (a kale chip recipe)

So that's the best I had in 2015! Mostly people came with an appetite. Some people came to check out the stalking. Unfortunately, the world of blogging lost a wonderful soul this year and quite a few people stopped by to read my post about my old blogging friend Oren.

I look forward to visiting with everyone next year!

Wordless Wednesday: New Kitchen Countertops

My Mom's Pecan Pie

My boy came home from Thanksgiving at his dad's asking, "Can I have any leftover pie?" Imagine his horror and surprise when I told him, "I didn't make any pie this year."

Because. We didn't have any kitchen countertops.

So I told him that when he got his first college acceptance letter, I'd make him a pie. 

Fortunately or unfortunately he got a college acceptance letter BEFORE we got any kitchen counters. So I made him this pie...on the dining room table. We were also out of wax paper and had to use parchment paper, which is not the same at all.

Still, it was yummy.

I had a lot of help with this particular pie.

Total wrong way to roll out pie crust

My point is, this post does not include instructions for making the crust. Because I did it all wrong this time. You need actual kitchen counters, and also wax paper, preferably.

The crust is the hardest. Here's the easy part. You put in the pecans. Mom's recipe says to chop them first, but I wanted them all big and pretty.

Mix together everything else except the butter and pour the mixture over the pecans. This way they all get nice and yummy glazed with the filling as you pour.

Then you just put little pats of butter on top and bake!

Pecan Pie

2 cups pecans, (coursely chopped if desired)
1 cup sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
2 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 eggs
2 tablespoons butter (optional)
one 8 or 9 inch uncooked pie shell

Line pie shell with chopped pecans.
Mix all other ingredients except eggs and butter.
Mix in beaten eggs until well blended.
Pour over pecans and dot with butter (if desired).
Bake at 350 degrees until firm - 45 minutes to an hour.
Allow to cool before cutting.

Wordless Wednesday: Neighborhood Sunset

Want words? I'm on Mock Moms today (like The Onion for parents) with Doctors Seeking Cure for Chronic Elf Ennui Syndrome!

Toddler Has Need That is Not Life Threateningly Urgent

Wait...were you looking for me? I'm over on Mock Moms this week with the breaking news!

Click here to read all the excitement caused by a toddler with a reasonable request!



And thanks for the picture Meg!

Wordless Wednesday - Galveston Train Museum

Puffy Paint Snowman (that looks like Olaf if you squint and maybe take off your glasses)

Long, long ago when the Chief Travel Correspondent was just little, we used to make puffy paint snowmen. And then I forgot it for 17 years.

But suddenly now that the Head of Demolition is in love with Olaf, I remembered!

And then I put here because I sort of forgot that I'm supposed to be selling a book that has all kinds of kid activities.

(GREAT BIG GIANT WARNING - these are affiliate links!)

Here's the book:
Learn With Play (all formats)

And here it is ON SALE bundled with a bunch of its friends!

The whole big 38 eBooks at 89% off (sale good until December 14th!)

And here's the activity:

Puffy Paint Snowman

Materials:

Glue
Shaving cream
Bowl
Craft sticks
Construction paper
Googlie eyes, sticks, pompoms or other embellishments

Driving With Toddler in Car Discovered to be More Like Driving in Car Full of Bats Than Car Full of Screeching Monkeys

A decade-long study done by the National Institute of Parenting Science at CordanUniversity has yielded surprising results: driving a car containing a toddler has proven to be most similar to driving a car full of bats.

If you would like to find out more about this amazing new study (and I haven't already pummeled you to death with it over Facebook or Twitter), head right here to Mock Moms, which is basically a parent's version of The Onion and so fun!