Stabilized whipped cream is a light and delicate frosting for cakes, cupcakes, and layer cakes, and it can be whipped up ahead of time to top pies, cobblers … really, anything you can think of. Unlike plain whipped cream, stabilized whipped cream keeps its shape over time instead of melting or deflating. When making this recipe, the key is to slowly sprinkle in the ChillOver Powder while whisking to avoid any clumps, and to keep whisking during the 3-minute simmer time.

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We’ve been getting a lot of snow, and from the sounds of it, we aren’t the only ones. But my sister and I have been making the most of this winter weather!

We were out the door before the sun rose in the morning. A good time to get some sledding in before we were off to school.

We can’t bring our sleds to school, but the slide will do just fine.

And after school, perfect for a sledding playdate …

Over the weekend, we enjoyed some daylight sledding with our baby dolls.

And we even ventured to the ice-skating rink for the first time.

It’s been an awesome week of winter. Hope you are enjoying yours.

I heard Mia call our pup into the living room, so I dried off my hands and peeked around the corner.

It puts a smile on my face to hear her “reading” nursery rhymes to her buddy. She knows most of them by heart and picture, and if not, her own version will do just fine for the pup.

My kindergarten class spent an afternoon coloring our plans for the future. From firefighter, THE cashier, to football player… My classmates and I chose what we’d like to be when we grow up.

And my mom and a classmate’s grandmother made our artwork into this beautiful quilt!

Each class does an art project that gets auctioned off at our annual school fund-raising auction. The art projects are usually some of our highest bids and this one went for $1,600.00!

I pick up my Mia from pre-kindergarten just before lunch. This works out well, as we often sneak down to our local Moscow Food Co-op to pick up a little lunch and grab a few dinner groceries. Guess what happens sometimes on Mondays?

It’s Mustache Monday! Their yummy little deli/bakery gets a little wild with the breadsticks on Mondays. Perfect for dipping into some of their scrumptious homemade soup.

Mother and child. Or rather … sweet and sweeter.

Meet Lord Charles (properly), Studmuffin Charlie (daily), and his mother Sweetheart (properly), Loverly and Sweetie Pie and Dream Girl (daily).

Don’t you love they way they posed for you? Not at all camera shy these two.

I recently used up the last of the “herb cubes” in my freezer. Here’s the recipe again—an oldie but a goodie!

Preserving herbs in oil is a quick and easy process that adds convenience to cooking and reduces waste. Whether you buy herbs from the market or you grow your own, it always seems like there comes a time when you have more than you need. Rather than let them sit in your fridge with the best intentions of using them before they spoil, try preserving them.

First, gather your ingredients …

To properly preserve whole sprigs of hardy herbs like rosemary, sage, and thyme for later use, place a sprig in the bottom of a small jar and cover with olive oil, butter, or a combination of both.

Place in the freezer and remove when ready to use.

For convenient portions of minced herbs, mince any extra and fill ice cube trays about ¾ of the way full with herbs. For our cubes, we used parsley rosemary, sage, thyme, and basil.

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