Zelma's Bakery: My Brownies

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="White and Dark Brownies"][/caption]

You may have wondered why my Facebook page is titled "Brownies and More by Zelma" and yet I keep calling it "Zelma's Bakery". Well the story behind it is very simple: it's the first thing that I sold, and at the time, my imagination was non-existent. Besides, I never thought it would become a long-term thing, much less that people would actually be interested in anything that I baked!

You see, last year, when lil man started preschool, I noticed that there were many holidays and special occasions where I would need to buy gifts for his teachers and classmates. Since I am extremely cheap and a horrible shopper (that's a story for another day!), I decided that a good alternative was baked goods, so I started taking classes at the local cake supply store.

One day, Vanessa, a coworker and one of my closest friends, asked me for a dozen of my "White and Dark Brownies" that she had heard me talk about. I posted a pic of those brownies on Facebook and people liked them!

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Heart-shaped Fudge Brownies"][/caption]

At first, Vanessa and her mom were my only paying customers, and I was happy to bake for them. Every time I took a different class - cupcakes, cookies, etc. - I tried out the different recipes at home and posted the pics on Facebook. That's how it all started! Pretty soon I had friends calling me for cakes, cupcakes, cookies, and tons more.

It wasn't until I started getting calls from strangers that I thought "hey, I might have something here!" That's when I realized that the name "Brownies and More by Zelma" was silly. People kept asking me why I had named it like that, and after having to explain the whole story about a dozen times, I decided to change the name. However, my brain was still drawing a blank, so I ended up with the simple "Zelma's Bakery". It's not very catchy, but it does the job. I actually kinda like it now, and it goes with my blog "Zelma's Workshop", so everything worked out. :)

What do you think? Do you like it? Not? Maybe? Suggestions? Sound off below, I would love to read your feedback!

Wordless Wednesday 2: Puerto Rico!

Those of you who know me know that I'm very proud of the little island that I call home: Puerto Rico. Its nickname is "La Isla del Encanto" or "The Isle of Enchantment", and it completely lives up to its name. The downside to living here is that if we want to "get away", the only ways to do it are hopping on a plane or boarding a ship. The upside? There's TONS of beautiful places to go right in our backyard.

Last year we took lil man to El Morro, the most famous Spanish fort in Old San Juan. He just loved it, and I hope you enjoy some of the pics too!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="400" caption="Arriving at El Morro, very excited!"][/caption]

For you Disney fans, you'll notice that this is where they shot the last scene of "Wizards of Waverly Place: The Movie". Actually, the entire movie was shot in different parts of Puerto Rico!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="400" caption="Mama & lil man"][/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="400" caption="View from inside the fort"][/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Showing off our 3 flags: Puerto Rico, USA & Spain"][/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Checking out one of the "garitas" inside the fort"][/caption]

If you have a Wordless Wednesday post, link it here for others to see!

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Thanks to Resourceful Mommy and 5 Minutes for Mom for introducing me to Wordless Wednesday.

Thanks to Uisce for creating Wordless Wednesday.

Tackle it Tuesday 1: Back to School

I have enjoyed and admired the "Tackle it Tuesday" series by 5 Minutes for Mom for some time now - I mean, who would be bold enough to dare show everyone their messy lives and their piles of clutter? But when I read the story behind it (you can read about it here), I jumped on board immediately!

Only a handful of unfortunate people really know how incredibly messy I am, but if it will help me get my life - and my house - in order, then bring it! I think it's safe to assume the hubby will be very happy about this.

This week I will start with an easy one: Back to School. Lil man started Pre-K this week and for the first time he had a big-boy bag and lunchbox, and tons of books and notebooks. Since last year all his gear and materials had his name scribbled on a Sharpie - very sloppy - I decided to plan ahead this year, and purchased a combo pack from Mabel's Labels. Can you say adorable?

OK, full disclosure time: this is NOT a sponsored product review. Mabel's Labels did not ask me to write this post, nor did they give me the labels. I paid for them myself, and liked them so much I decided to share it with you. I do participate in their affiliate program, which I joined after trying out the labels. That is all.

Now that we've taken care of that, I can go back to gushing about the awesomeness of these labels. I mean, sticky labels that are microwave AND dishwasher safe? Clothes labels that are machine-washable? Nah, they must be joking!

Well, take a look at these pics and tell me they don't look gorgeous! It definitely made preparing for back to school enjoyable instead of dreadful. Thanks ladies!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="320" caption="There are several sheets per type of label. Plus 2 bag tags, fab!"][/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="320" caption="Shoe labels: these are my fave - genius!"][/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="320" caption="Tag Mates for clothes: yet another genius idea!"][/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="320" caption="Sticky labels and bag tags, so friggin cute!"][/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="240" caption="And now lil man is ready for school, and very excited!"][/caption]

If you have a Tackle it Tuesday post, link it here for others to see!

Here's the fun thumbnail linky:
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Thanks to the ladies at Mabel's Labels for creating such great products!

Thanks to the ladies at 5 Minutes for Mom for creating Tackle it Tuesday!

Wordless Wednesday 1: Disney memories!

[caption id="attachment_198" align="alignleft" width="224" caption="Lil man's first visit to Magic Kingdom, 2009"][/caption]

Starting off my very first Wordless Wednesday with Disney seemed like a no-brainer, so I chose my absolute favorite pic from lil man's first trip last year. He was so in shock to see the "castle from the movies" in person, that he was still a bit shy when I took his picture in front of it. Enjoy and comment!

Here's a fun thumbnail linky:

If the thumbnail doesn't work for you, or if you prefer to leave a text linky, enter it here:

Thanks to Resourceful Mommy and 5 Minutes for Mom for introducing me to Wordless Wednesday.

Thanks to Uisce for creating Wordless Wednesday.

Foodie Review: Cherry Pie Cups

Last month was my husband's 35th birthday, and even though I was making the cake, I decided to also make all the appetizers and hors d'oeuvres. Browsing through the internet for foodie blogs, I came upon these Cherry Pie Cups from Recipe Girl, which not only looked delicious, but was very convenient because I happened to have canned cherry filling in my house.



There are 2 changes that I made to the original post:

• This recipe uses homemade cherry filling, and I vow to someday make it, but I used canned cherry filling and it still worked great!


• The instructions call for regular cupcake tins, but since I wanted finger food, I made it in mini-cupcake tins, and they looked super cute! 

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="This is my version, don't they look cute?"][/caption]

 

 



Here’s the recipe so you can try it out for yourself. You can also find the original blog post and pic here.

Cherry Pie Cups

1 package of ready-made pie crusts (or make homemade)

FILLING: (I used canned, but this filling looks delicious!)
2½ cups pitted & halved fresh cherries (about ¾ lb.)
2 Tbsp white granulated sugar
1 Tbsp finely grated lemon zest
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 Tbsp cornstarch
¼ tsp salt

EGG WASH:
1 large egg yolk
2 Tbs milk or cream

TOP:
coarse grain sugar (I used red sprinkling sugar cause they matched!)

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray 8 muffin cups with nonstick spray.
2. Roll out ready made pie crust until it’s a bit thinner. Use a plastic tupperware-type bowl as your “cutter” to cut out 5-inch rounds. You should be able to cut out 8 rounds from a package of pie crust (re-roll scraps, if needed). Line 8 muffin cups with the rounds, pressing in lightly.
3. Place filling ingredients in a medium bowl and toss. Scoop into crust-lined cups.
4. With leftover pie crust scraps, cut out decor for the tops of the pie cups- stars, stripes, whatever you’d like… be creative! Then crimp the edges of the pie cups.
5. Brush them lightly with egg wash, and sprinkle with sugar- the chunky, sparkly kind of sugar if you have it.
6. Bake 15 to 20 minutes (watch closely since baking time will depend upon how thinly you’ve rolled your crust). Cover lightly with foil during baking if they’re browning too quickly. They should be lightly browned (like the photo above) with the filling slightly bubbly.
7. Remove from oven and let cool for 15 minutes. Remove to a wire rack and cool completely (or serve warm). Serve with whipped cream and blueberries, if desired.

Many thanks to Recipe Girl for the great recipe!

The Balancing Act: A Day in the Life of a First-time Soccer Mom

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="500" caption="Chart courtesy of Mommy Blips at www.mommyblips.com"][/caption]

Now that lil man is 3 1/2 years old and in pre-school, I decided to enroll him in soccer camp. Patricia, one of my girlfriends who is a teacher had told me that soccer should be a child's first sport, because it involves the most basic of motor skills: running and kicking. I also took him to the Children's Hospital for evaluation, and even though he's not that far behind, they still suggested both physical and speech therapy to catch up (for some sounds that he hasn't developed yet). So now I found myself juggling soccer camp in the mornings 5 days a week, and physical and speech therapy for 2 days each in the afternoons.

Did I mention that I also work full-time? AND that I was in the middle of a very important project? AND that neither my husband nor my mom could help me out? AND that I didn't have money for a babysitter? Yeah, this was going to be a tough one.

I still don't know how I managed to survive those 3 weeks, but somehow I did. Let me tell you what my days were like:

• 6:00am - stupid annoying alarm clock goes off; I hit the snooze button 2 or 3 times before I realize that the day's happening whether I get up or not

 

• 6:30am - by now I'm "supposed" to be ready (clothes and makeup) and fixing lil man's breakfast - usually oatmeal or scrambled eggs, depending on how late I am

 

• 6:45am - first attempt to wake up lil man. He's not a morning person either, so takes a while to wake him up. If he's non-responsive, I start undressing him and putting on his soccer uniform right in bed - not very comfortable for me, but usually does the trick because of all the tugging and pulling, and that wakes him up eventually. And don't even get me started on brushing his teeth! This whole process can take up to 30 minutes, easy.

 

• 7:15am - yep, we're late. I try to make him eat his breakfast quickly, but turns out 3-year-olds don't eat quickly, much less when still groggy - how rude!

 

• 7:30am - if we're not in the car and ready to go, it's pretty much guaranteed that he's going to be late for camp, cause it's a 30 minute drive and camp starts at 8am. Simple math.

 

• 8:00am - drop off lil man at camp. I watch other older kids get out of the car by themselves and go in while their parents drive away quickly, but no, I have to park, get him out of the car, carry his bag (and his ball if he's feeling lazy), and walk him over to his teacher.

 

• 8:15am - I arrive at the local Starbucks with laptop in hand. I tried to drive back home or to my office, but it takes too long, and time is precious!

 

• 8:30am - my daily project status call begins. Bring on the stress! I have exactly 3 hours to accomplish what other people do in 8. That means a double-shot nonfat mocha latte during the conference call, and then put my best Project and Time Management skills to work. By the way, my time management skills are: no bathroom breaks, no looking up, nothing!

 

• 11:30am - I have to start packing up to go pick up lil man. By now I'm so stressed that my neck hurts, I'm thirsty, and still have a gazillion things to do from work. It usually takes me about 15 minutes to finally be out the door.

 

• 12:00pm - pick up lil man at camp. This is a whole process as well, because the guy is so dirty that besides cleaning his hands and face with anti-bacterial wipes (yes, that was plural), I even had to change his clothes several times!

 

• 12:15pm - drive home. I still don't understand how a 30-minute drive in the mornings takes 45 minutes to get back, but Puertorrican driving is a mysterious thing. That's a story for another day.

 

• 1:00pm - get home and quickly fix lunch - either a sandwich, hot dog, or Chef Boyardee. Yes, I know I'm not winning "mom of the year" any time soon. Again, same problem as breakfast, the guy doesn't understand that we're against the clock here!

 

• 1:45pm - bath time. This was very difficult for lil man to accept, because his bath time was usually at night before bedtime, so I'm getting a lot of resistance, and very wet.

 

• 2:00pm - nap time. Spend the first 20 minutes telling him to get back in his room. When he finally surrenders, I try to catch up on the gazillion things from work that I was supposed to finish in the morning.

 

• 3:30pm - wake lil man up. This one is the worst, because he's so tired from soccer camp, that he simply won't respond! Most days I end up carrying him downstairs and putting on cartoons on TV until he notices he's not in bed anymore. This process can take up to an hour.

 

• 4:30pm - therapist arrives home. The reception is not always warm, but he warms up quickly and does his exercises. In the meantime, I try to catch up on some more work.

 

• 5:00pm - therapist leaves. Lil man plays (finally!) while I try to make dinner, although most of the time it's just defrosting or microwaving something - hey, I'm a baker, not a cook!

 

• 6:00pm - hubby arrives home. Cue the singing angels. If lil man hasn't finished his dinner, I turn him over to him. Yes, I know, he's been working all day, he has to change his clothes, take a load off, yada, yada, yada. Come on, it's your turn!

 

• 7:30pm - lil man drinks a tall glass of milk while watching a DVR'd program (either Discovery Kids or Playhouse Disney).

 

• 8:00pm - bedtime. Yet another entire process: brush teeth, read a story, pray, sing a song or two, then spend up to an hour telling him to get back in bed. This involves several trips to the bathroom; the record is 8 times!

 

• 9:00pm - finally collapse on the couch, where hubby has been watching TV. I spend the next 2 hours between watching TV (mostly DVR, I never get to watch live TV), catching up on Twitter, Facebook, my blog, or more work. Barely. By now my productivity and concentration has dropped significantly.

 

• 11:00pm - I give up. By now I'm so tired that I spend the next 45 minutes getting ready for bed. Lame. And stupid. And now I only get to sleep 6 hours, because guess what happens next morning at 6:00am? That's right, I get to do this all over again!

So that's what my days were like - every single day. I know that experienced moms have no problem with this, but this was my first real "mom" test for me. And it was exhausting. And draining. And stressful. And the weirdest part about it is that I enjoyed every minute of it! Am I crazy?