Wellies!

I woke up to low gray clouds covering the sky, muted light, and the sound of rain on the roof...and it just made me smile. There are not many days like this where we live. The only thing that would make this better would be if they were big fluffy flakes falling from the sky (I'm not normally a fan of snow after New Years, but we haven't had a single good snow yet...so I'm good with a big snow before everything warms up for good). In honor of the beautifully rainy day, I thought I'd do two posts...a Pin Win and a Pinstrosity. First...the Pin Win. And, I found the perfect one for a rainy day, submitted from England. 

The Original Pin

http://www.styleyourlifeblog.com/2011/06/how-to-guest-post-beach-brights.html

Aren't those cute? I love them. I've never owned wellies...or rain boots of any kind. There just isn't much point here. My parents and brother now have them, but they use them when they go down to the barn to feed the calves. 

Deb saw this pin and knew that she needed these in her life. "I already had the wellies & the ribbon so that was ok, then had to borrow the eyelets & things to make the holes from my amazing DIY dad.  Did the borrowing, got the scissors out, realised I have absolutely no strength whatsoever & so had to take the whole lot back to my dads to sort out for me! By the way I'm 29 so clearly should have been able to do this myself!" 

The Pin Win

"I'm so impressed by how they've turned out & I completely love them! I guess though that this should be my dads pin win but I'm claiming it for myself!! Ps. He even had to tie the bows for me!!!"

I love seeing simple ordinary things spiffed up to add personality and character. It just warms my heart. These make me want to go find a puddle and jump in it. Today is going to be a good day, I can just feel it.

Come back later for today's Pinstrosity! And don't forget to check out our Pinstrosiversary Challenge and enter your project in!

I'm Not Laughing Taffy...

Does anyone love Laffy Taffy as much as I do?! I LOVE Laffy Taffy, it's one of those foods where I say "Oh i just want one...", and then I end up eating every single one, minus banana. Anyone want my leftover untouched banana Taffys?! Gross. 

Maribeth seems to like taffy as well and she decided to try a recipe she saw on Pinterest (Famous last words... "I saw this on Pinterest!"). 

Here is her Pinstrosity!

The Original

http://www.dvo.com/newsletter/monthly/2012/august/funtimes.html?CID=aug_news12

That looks sooooo good right now! Of course I don't have any on hand, so I will just have to salivate over virtual taffy instead. Bahumbug.

Here is Maribeth's version:

The Pinstrosity

Here is how it started, so far so good...

Then this...

Then this...

Here is her bleeding heart Taffy. :(

It really does kind of look like a heart! 

So no it didn't work...and why not? Let's break it down.

According to the directions, you are to use a candy thermometer, however Maribeth didn't have one, so she used a meat thermometer instead. This would definitely have something to do with her sad taffy. She also said because it was a meat thermometer, she feels that she was unable to read the temperature as accurately. 

She then explains that it also cooked too long, and ended up looking like glass.

as soon as she touched it it turned to gunk, (the second picture), and she was unable to pull it. 

Let's start at the thermometer. There is a difference between a meat thermometer and a candy thermometer. One intended for meat is metal, and will range from 0-220 degrees (Farenheit). Whereas a candy thermometer is glass and will range from 40-440 degrees, quite a difference huh?!

The boiling point of candies is usually higher than 220 degrees (Fahrenheit), therefore a meat thermometer really won't do the job, especially for this recipe where if you cook the Taffy too long it ruins it. 

There is always a chance also that even if you are using a candy thermometer it could be inaccurate. To test this follow the directions seen here. It might be good to test your candy thermometers every once in while so you don't ruin Grandmas famous divinity right before a big family event...yes let's avoid that please!

One thing to remember when making candies, or fudges caramels anything like that is that the temperature is key. Any deviation at all will almost always end in a mess, I think that is exactly what happened here. 

Based on the comments from the original site, it looks like this is a really hard one to get just right. A lot of people had trouble with this.

 Growing up on the side of a mountain had its drawbacks with candy making, where we lived we had an elevation of 7,300 feet. The elevation has some weird effects on candy making, like divinity or caramels. The weather can also play a part, which sounds strange but is true!

If the air is too dry, or too humid is can really take a toll on your foods, so that is another thing to consider in this Pinstrosity. 

Has anyone had success with this recipe?! Or have any ideas for Maribeth?! I think it was a valiant attempt  but I would suggest next time, watching that timer, and the candy thermometer closely for better results!

Happy Friday Pinstrosipeeps!