BLOGGER QUESTION

What has been the best way you have found to get answers from blogger. My edit page STILL doesn't have the "add element" button to click. I have to mess with the template to make changes. I AM signed in on blogger. I dont' even remember the old sign in info. ::snort:: I can GET to the add element page...but I don't have any buttons to easily do this any longer....I have surfed the "blogger buz" and I'm not finding an answer. Is it a sign that I should quit blogging? Begin a new blog...what....I even changed templates and it didn't help.

I'm basically computer illiterate...I'm open to ideas....step by step ideas. LOL

WEDNESDAY

Our day began bright and early with an eye appointment for Bre. She no longer is on our military insurance. Ouch. We got her a year's worth of contacts.

We came home for a bit. Krista had figured out how to load CD's to the ipod, but only one computer is now working well. She was busy with that job.

Josiah didn't feel well, but had to work. He worked a full day.

BreAnne and Krista went for new haircuts. I enjoy them visiting with my young (18yo) hair stylist. They talked with her about their life, vision, Master's Commission...totally new views of life for her....and I think she enjoys it as well because she hugged them goodbye.

We met Tricia and family and Adrienne and family at our city's newest park. Fun. Zander chased down an 11 year old who stole their light saber. Zander has bully tendencies...but it was nice to see him use that spunk to defend others today.

We came home to more visiting. The girls had stayed home to work on course work....Cy was home and asking about ways to clear his sinus'. I had just the thing...tea tree oil. I got it all out....managing to drop and break the bottle so the whole house now has clear sinus'....there was just enough left in the bottle to set Cy up....he reports that it worked well.....I'm going to be ordering some more oils from herbco....Heather, let me know if you want me to order anything else for you. I'll get you a bottle of tea tree oil as I know you gave me YOURS. Wow...does my whole tile floor smell like tea tree oil. I wonder how long it will last???? LOL

We are getting lots of phone calls from students, friends and Master's Staff...it's fun to see how well adjusted our little homeschooled unsocialized "misfits" are. ::snort::

I managed to make sweet potato fries, fries (LOVING that french fry slicer LOL), stroganoff, salad and fruit for dinner. . .between the phone calls and exploding tea tree oil bottles.

We are going to end the night by playing Lord of the Rings Trivia DVD game....Bre is taking pity on my sharing how I feel so outnumbered around here most days...there are lots of boys here...and I love them dearly but I miss the nicey nice things...she just came to tell me that she has a pot of tea ready...think I'll grab a cuppa and watch the children play.

Hope you all are having as wonderful breaks as we are. If only the photos would load!!!

NOTE: I added new posts below the older ones you may recognize. They were written last night but the photos wouldn't load and I wanted them to be down there....so scroll down Mike - there are more photos....

Chocolate Mint Cheesecake (Andes Mint or Tropical Source Mint LOL)

This is one that I knew would be requested for Christmas. It was requested at Thanksgiving. It took a bit of time to gather all the ingredients to make it "healthier" but certainly not healthy. It was amazingly yummy...and no preservatives or dye or such of any sort. It's still incredibly rich and you'd do well to start with a sliver. This is a recipe I came up with years ago and has repeatedly been shared on SHS but I couldn't find it on the blog this week when I thought the recipe was lost. ::snort:: So now it will be somewhere online that I can access easily. This cheesecake has earned the title the "400 lb cheesecake" and earned me the title of "cheesecake diva". Kelly in OH makes it very pretty by adding some dollops of whip cream along the bottom..... I still have an idea for a maple/honey cheesecake but I didn't want that many competing flavors in the chocolate one. I used Rapadura, which has a mild toffee flavor. Sucanat would work -sucanat is a bit grainier than Rapadura. The girls were suitably impressed - comments such as "I never knew organic could taste this good" flew around the table...along with my comments that this is a RARE treat these days. I also made an organic cheese ball so the girls are starting to realize I am not depriving the youngers with our lifestyle change. The favorites are still there...just adapted. ::snort::

Crust: *See note

1 1/2 C Oreos (about 22 - I used Newman O's)

2 T sugar (Rapadura)

1/4 C melted BUTTER

Mix. Press onto the bottom and up the side of a greased 9 inch spring form pan.*** Bake at 350* for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 325*. Set aside to cool.

Filling:

1/4 C Semi-sweet Chocolate Chips (Sunspire)

1/2 a pkg of Andes mints (1 1/2 - 2 bars Tropical Source Mint Crunch Dark Chocolate)

1/4 C Whipping Cream (NOT cool whip)

4 packages (80z) cream cheese, room temp (Organic Valley)

1 C sugar (Rapadura)

1/3 C baking cocoa (ahLaska!)

4 eggs

1 tsp pure vanilla

In a small bowl melt chocolate and mints (double boiler or microwave - stir every 30 seconds). Add 1/4 C whipping cream and stir until well blended. Set aside.

Beat cream cheese and rapadura on low speed until there are NO LUMPS. Add the baking cocoa and beat on low until blended. Add eggs and stir until blended. Add the reserved chocolate mixture and 1 tsp of vanilla and stir until blended. Pour into prepared spring form pan.

Bake for 45-50 minutes until center is almost set (small cracks begin to appear around the edges of the cheesecake) I do the water bath **** here so it takes about 10 - 20 minutes longer. Cheesecake is fine without the water bath if time is short.

Topping:

1 C Andes Mints (1 C Tropical Source Mint Crunch)

6 T butter (or Whipping Cream to thin)

Melt. Spread on cheesecake. Cool completely before covering in any way. Chill. Refrigerate overnight. Just before serving garnish with whipped cream if desired.

*We like a thicker crust so I use 3 C of cookie crumbs, 1/3 C of butter and 2 T of Rapadura for my 9 or 10 inch cakes. The sugar could be left out but I like the hint of crispness that it gives the crust.

**The second batch of chocolate mint can either be melted with the chocolate chips and incorporated into the topping (my favorite) or shaved over the top of the topping....or used to garnish before serving....but that makes for BIG bites of mints...

***I have used 9 or 10 inch pans...either work.

****To water bath or steam your cheese cake: Wrap the bottom and up the side of the pan in foil (I'll have to illustrate this as this is the most questioned step). Set the cheesecake in a pan big enough to hold the spring form pan. Pour boiling water 11/2 -2 inches up the side of the pan. Set the whole thing in the 3255* oven and continue. Water baths improve the texture of the cake and get rid of most of the cracks.....however when you top the cake it tastes wonderful and looks pretty either way.

NOT SURE WHY BLOGGER HATES PARAGRAPHS AND SPACES ::snort::

Radio Controlled Tarantulas...this gift was from Arielle and Nolan for Zander....

TRAMPOLINE

Here you go, Mike. If you can zoom in on the one of Arielle the expression is great. The other photos that show all three aren't so clear....but you can get a flavor of it with these photos. What a great thing for the big ones to do for the younger ones. Yes, they are all enjoying it.