Sweetflutterbys3

Old Fashioned Coconut Cream Pie

2012-02-05T16:46:00.005-05:00

I've always been a little hesitant to try making cream pies because I'm afraid to burn them. I have a great recipe for a chocolate cream pie, but it's all cold ingredients so there is no boiling involved. So when my husband requested his favorite coconut cream pie for his birthday, my first thought was I wonder which restaurants sell coconut cream pies? But since I couldn't find one that didn't charge an arm and a leg, I decided to jump in with both feet and make one. I couldn't have been more surprised at how easy this recipe was. I even used the microwave as one reviewer suggested and it worked like a charm. And to top it off, the pie was delicious. Coconut cream pie was never a favorite of mine but after tasting this pie, I've changed my mind!

Old Fashioned Coconut Cream Pie

1 1/2cups half-and-half
1 1/2 cups coconut milk
2 eggs
3/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup corn starch
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup flaked coconut, toasted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (you can substitute coconut extract)
1 (9 inch) pie shell, baked
1 cup frozen whipped topping, thawed

In a medium saucepan, combine half-and-half, eggs, sugar, corn starch and salt. Bring to a boil over low heat, stirring constantly (or put into microwave for 7 minutes stirring as needed) . Remove from heat (or microwave), and stir in 3/4 cup of the coconut and the vanilla extract. Pour into pie shell and chill 2 to 4 hours, or until firm.

Top with whipped topping, and with remaining 1/4 cup of coconut.

Note: To toast coconut, spread it in an ungreased pan and bake in a 350 degree F (175 degrees C) oven for 5 to 7 minutes, or until golden brown, stirring occasionally.

Adapted from All Recipes.com

"What? Ridden on a horse?
Yes
You're using coconuts!
What?
You've got two empty halves of coconuts and you're banging them together!
So?"
-Monty Python

White Chocolate Peppermint Fudge

2012-01-13T18:31:00.003-05:00

Every year at Christmas I try a new recipe just because I like the variety and to keep things interesting for the kids. If I don't do this, I would make the same recipes every year. My only criteria for the new recipe is that it is easy. I'm in way over my head during the holidays and making some new recipe with 20 steps isn't for me. This year, this recipe fit the bill. It was fun to make and it was delicious. Very few ingredients and it tasted like I worked all day. Now that it's after Christmas, I'm still thinking about this fudge. I'll be making it again very soon. Those left over candy canes will get used up too!

White Chocolate Peppermint Fudge

3 bags white chocolate chips
3 containers, 16 ounce Vanilla Frosting
1-½ teaspoon Peppermint Extract
12 drops Red Food Coloring
6 Candy Canes, Crushed

Line a jelly roll pan with wax paper or parchment paper. Leave some to hang over the sides to use as a handle. Set aside.

Melt white chocolate chips in a double boiler or in the microwave, stirring often. If you use the microwave, heat for 30 seconds at a time and stir. While the melted chocolate is still warm, quickly stir in the frosting before chocolate starts to set up. Add peppermint extract and mix well.

Evenly spread the mixture into the prepared pan, then drop food coloring over the top of the fudge. Swirl it with a knife to create a marbled effect. Add crushed candy canes and press lightly to adhere them.

Cool for 1 hour in the fridge.

Remove from the pan using the wax paper or parchment paper. Cut into squares.

"Every man dies. Not every man really lives."
-William Wallace

Happy New Year!

2011-12-31T11:06:00.002-05:00

"Year's end is neither an end nor a beginning but a going on, with all the wisdom that experience can instill in us."

-Hal Borland

"People are so worried about what they eat between Christmas and the New Year, but they really should be worried about what they eat between the New Year and Christmas."

-Author Unknown

So with those thoughts in mind, eat and be merry! Happy New Year to everyone!

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-24T15:33:00.001-05:00

I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas and a very Happy New Year!

Peppermint Patties

2011-12-18T16:01:00.005-05:00

I have been terribly neglectful about writing on my blog. Every time I went to post, there was another interuption. Such are the holidays! As I am making my way through baking this year, I noticed that no matter what else I make, these Peppermint Patties always top the list of favorites with everyone. I almost always end up baking a batch at the beginning of my baking run and one at the end because all the orginial ones are gone by then. So I thought it might be worth reposting the recipe for anyone who missed them the first time around. These are very easy too make and the only time consuming part is dipping them in chocolate. Other than that, you can whip these up in no time and they are impressive enough to take to parties or just enjoy with guests. I bet they don't last long in your house either!

Peppermint Patties

2 cups powdered sugar
1 1/2 tsp. softened butter
2 tsp. peppermint extract
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
2 tbsp. cream
8 oz dark chocolate, chopped (about 1 1/3 cup)
1 tbsp. vegetable shortening

Line a cookie sheet with wax paper. In a medium bowl, blend together sugar, butter, extracts, and cream on low speed. After blended, increase mixer speed to medium high and beat an additional 2 minutes or until mixture is creamy.

Using about a teaspoon size, roll candy into small balls and place on wax paper. Using your thumb, press top of ball down but do not flatten all the way. When completed, place cookie sheet into refrigerator and chill for 20 minutes (I have found that freezing them makes it very easy and much neater when you dip them in the chocolate).

Meanwhile, melt chocolate and shortening in microwave (on 50% power) or over a double boiler until melted.

Using dipping tools or two forks, dip the candy into the chocolate one at a time. Remove excess chocolate by scraping bottom of candy on the side of the bowl. Place back on cookie sheet and refridgerate to harden chocolate. Store patties in the refrigerator.

Make about 36. Recipe is easily doubled.

"There has been only one Christmas - the rest are anniversaries."-W.J. Cameron

Eggnog Spice Bundt Cake

2011-11-23T16:17:00.012-05:00

I have made Thanksgiving dinner each year over the past several years. It just worked out that way because both moms are getting up in years and don't get around so well and my sister is a nurse and therefore either sleeping off a shift or working one. I didn't mind because the house always smelled so good and I love the holidays! But this year, my brother is home after 20 years of missed Thanksgivings. He wants to make up for being away so he has been planning Thanksgiving since he was stationed in Cuba almost two years ago. When I offered to help make something, he suggested desserts. Right up my ally! Instead of my usual Pecan pie, this year I can afford to be a bit more creative. I found a recipe in the newspaper for Eggnog Spice Bundt Cake. This cake is easy to make and smells divine. Along with the pumpkin pie and chocolate pie, I think the desserts are covered!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Eggnog Spice Bundt Cake

1 (181/4-ounce) boxed spice cake mix
1 (4-serving) instant vanilla or cheesecake pudding and pie filling mix
1 cup nonfat vanilla yogurt
1/4 cup canola oil
1 cup light eggnog
1 egg
3 egg whites
1 1/3 cups toasted chopped pecans
Powdered sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Coat a nonstick Bundt pan with cooking spray.

2. Combine cake mix, pudding mix, yogurt, oil, eggnog, egg and egg whites in a large bowl. Mix until creamy.

3. Stir in pecans. Pour into prepared pan. Bake 40 to 45 minutes, until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack. When cool, dust with powdered sugar.

"What we're really talking about is a wonderful day set aside on the fourth Thursday of November when no one diets. I mean, why else would they call it Thanksgiving?"
-Erma Bombeck

Sweet Potato Pie

2011-11-07T16:48:00.006-05:00

For those of you that requested a simple sweet potato pie recipe (ahem...you know who you are, Debi and Beth), here is my favorite. It comes from an Old Virginia Receipts recipe I have framed on my kitchen wall. I've tried to make other recipes, but this is the one I always come back to. I'm making it again this year for Thanksgiving. I wrote it out as it is written exactly in the recipe. I really don't talk like that, honestly!

Tidewater's Own Sweet Potato Pie

1 unbaked 9 inch pie crust
1 1/2 cups sweet potatoes, mashed
3/4 cup brown sugar
3 eggs, beaten
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tablespoon butter, melted
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tsp. lemon peel
1 cup light cream

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Combine sweet potatoes, brown sugar, spices and salt in a mixing bowl. Mix well! Fold in lemon juice and peel. Slowly, you hear, add butter, vanilla, eggs and cream. Make it smooth. Spoon into pie shell. Bake 45 or 50 minutes. Poke a straw in center....clean? Done!

"Thanksgiving dinners take eighteen hours to prepare. They are consumed in twelve minutes. Half-times take twelve minutes. This is not coincidence." -Erma Bombeck

"Thanksgiving, after all, is a word of action."
-W.J. Cameron

Baked Apple Pies

2011-10-23T14:52:00.003-04:00

On a recent trip to Virginia (I just can't stay away!) we picked up some apples from the farm market. Along with the apple cider, the apples there are some of the best I have ever tasted. So much so that I try to make at least one trip around fall each year just to get some. Inevitably, I buy too much and my apple saturated family won't eat any more. So to avoid waste, I make something with the rest. This year, I found a recipe for individual apple pies. They can be baked or fried, but I like baked the best. They are sweet, tart, delicious and portable!

Baked Apple Pies

1 tablespoon butter
4 or 5 medium to large apples
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 (8-piece) container refrigerated flaky biscuit dough
1 tablespoon water
Powdered sugar

Add the butter to a large pan and melt. Add the apples, sugar, cinnamon and lemon juice. Cook over medium heat until the apples are soft, about 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and cool.

When the filling is cool, roll the biscuits out on a lightly floured surface so that each biscuit forms a 7 to 8-inch circle. Place 2 to 3 tablespoons of the filling on each biscuit circle. Brush the edges of the circle with water. Fold the circle over the filling to make a half-moon shape. Seal by pressing the edges with the tines of a fork.

If you are baking these, pre heat the oven to 400 degrees. Place pies on a baking sheet and bake for about 20 minutes or until the top is browned. Remove and cool.

If you are frying the pies, preheat deep-fryer with oil to 350 degrees.

Carefully add the pies to the oil, 1 at a time, and fry until golden brown, turning the pies as necessary for even browning, about 5 to 8 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Sprinkle with powdered sugar immediately.

Adapted from Paula Deen's Fried Apple Pies

"We are born believing. A man bears beliefs as a tree bears apples.”
-Ralph Waldo Emerson

Victoria Sponge Cake

2011-09-28T13:02:00.005-04:00

This recipe is for a quick and easy cake that is popular in the UK. Who knew that such a simple cake with so few ingredients could be so good? This cake is perfect for a light after dinner treat or it could be served at a party for an elegant yet simple dessert. It is not overly sweet, so the texture of the cake, the fruit and cream really come through. You can use raspberries as I did or the more common strawberries and cream. Dust with a light coating of confectioner's sugar and you are done!

Victoria Sponge Cake

1 cup butter or margarine, softened at room temperature
1 cup caster sugar
4 medium eggs (I used large)
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups self raising flour

milk, to loosen

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees

Grease and line 7in cake pans or 1 larger baking pan (10 inch) with parchment paper. Butter the parchment paper.

Cream the butter and the sugar together in a bowl until pale and fluffy.

Beat in the eggs, a little at a time, and stir in the vanilla extract.

Fold in the flour using a large metal spoon, adding a little extra milk if necessary, to create a batter with a soft dropping consistency.

Divide the mixture between the cake pans and gently spread out with a spatula.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden-brown on top and a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.

Remove from the oven and set aside for 5 minutes, then remove from the tin and peel off the paper. Place onto a wire rack.

(If you made one large cake, use a serrated knife and cut the layer in half. Proceed below)

Sandwich the cakes together with jam, lemon curd or whipped cream and berries or just enjoy on its own.

Adapted from the BBC Food Recipes

"The greatest pleasure in life is doing what people say you cannot do.”
-Walter Bagehot quotes (British political Analyst, Economist and Editor, one of the most influential journalists of the mid-Victorian period.1826-1877)

Favorite Sugar Cookies

2011-09-10T15:09:00.003-04:00

The kids finally started school. I was beginning to think it would be Christmas before they got to go back. Our district's high school was being renovated over the past year and after much chaos, rumors and other fun, my two youngest went to school yesterday. My oldest, who starts high school this year, goes back on Monday. Keeping with tradition (even if that tradition is two weeks late this year!), I made a treat for the kids for after school on their first day. They all suggest different desserts (my son, who is 7, wanted Jello) but after much debate, I decided to try a new recipe. I've made plenty of sugar cookies before, but the addition of lemon to the mix was new to me. But the difference it makes in the taste and texture is out of this world. So I named these Favorite Sugar Cookies because from now on, they are our favorite!

Favorite Sugar Cookies

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups white sugar (I used 1 1/4 cup which worked fine)
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 teaspoons lemon extract (I didn't have lemon extract on hand so I used regular lemon juice. You can add more if you like your cookies more lemony!)
1 tablespoon lemon peel
1/2 cup sugar for rolling cookies

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
In a small bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
Using a mixer, beat together the butter and sugar until smooth and very fluffy.
Beat in egg, vanilla extract, lemon extract and lemon peel.
Gradually blend in the dry ingredients.
Roll rounded teaspoonfuls of dough into balls, and roll in sugar. Place on lined cookie sheets about 1 1/2 inches apart.
Bake 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until lightly browned.
Let stand on cookie sheet two minutes before removing to cool on wire racks.
Adapted from Bunny's Warm Oven Blog

"Think what a better world it would be if we all, the whole world, had cookies and milk about three o'clock every afternoon and then lay down on our blankets for a nap." -Barbara Jordan

Devilishly Good Chocolate Cake

2011-08-21T13:57:00.004-04:00

When you are craving chocolate, this is the perfect cake. It's moist, full of chocolaty goodness, and most of all, easy. I've made it twice already (my daughter asks for it all of the time) and each time, it suprised me with the depth of the chocolate flavor. I've made this with Chocolate Pan frosting but you can also make it with Old Fashioned Cola Frosting as well (instructions included). This cake would go great with, well, anything! You can also make it in a 9 x 13 pan or a bundt pan (which I prefer). This recipe comes from The Cake Mix Doctor.

Devilishly Good Chocolate Cake

1 square (1 oz.) unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped
1/2 cup water
1 pkg. plain devil's food cake mix
1 pkg. chocolate instant pudding mix
4 large eggs
3/4 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Chocolate Pan Frosting
8 Tbsp. (1 stick) butter
4 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
1/3 cup whole milk (for Cola frosting, subsitute 1/3 cup cola for milk)
4 cups powdered sugar, sifted

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350. Lightly mist a 12-cup Bundt pan with vegetable spray, then dust with flour. Shake out the excess flour. Set the pan aside.

Place the chocolate and water in a small saucepan over low heat. Cool, stirring, until the chocolate is melted, 3 to 4 minutes. Set aside.

Place the cake mix, pudding mix, eggs, buttermilk, oil, and vanilla in a large mixing bowl. Fold in the melted chocolate. Blend with mixer on low speed for 1 minute. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat 2 to 3 minutes more, scraping down the sides again if needed. The batter should look thick and well combined. Pour the batter into the pan, smoothing it out with the rubber spatula. Place the pan in the oven.

Bake the cake until it springs back when lightly pressed with your finger and just starts to pull away from the sides of the pan, 45 to 50 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and place it on a wire rack to cool for 20 minutes. Run a long, sharp knife around the edge of the cake and invert it onto another rack to cool completely, 20 minutes more.

Meanwhile, prepare the frosting:

Place the butter in a medium saucepan and melt over low heat, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the cocoa powder and milk. Let the mixture come just to a boil, stirring, and then remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the powdered sugar until the frosting is thickened and smooth. Pour the warm frosting over the top of a cooled cake, spreading it with a spatula so that it reaches all sides of the cake. Work quickly because this frosting goes on best while still warm.

Transfer the cake to a serving platter and spread the warm frosting over the cake. Let the frosting set for 20 minutes, then slice and serve.

"Coffee makes it possible to get out of bed. Chocolate makes it worthwhile."
-Author Unknown

Cinnamon Sugar Pull Aparts

2011-08-07T15:34:00.006-04:00

My husband's second job is teaching. He is a professor at two colleges, one a community college and the other a university. He teaches nights and weekends, in his spare time ;) His last Saturday morning class was this weekend and he asked me if I would fix a simple snack for the class. I decided on these pull aparts. Pretty much everyone loves cinnamon and sugar with bread so I thought it might appeal to everyone. It did and they loved them. These would be a great addition to a buffet breakfast or a tasty late night snack.

Cinnamon Sugar Pull Aparts

1/2 cup sugar
2 1/2 tsps. cinnamon
1/3 cup melted butter
1 can (12 oz) refrigerated buttermilk flaky biscuits

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Generously grease or spray a square glass baking pan.

In a small bowl, combine the cinnamon and sugar and blend well.

Separate dough into 10 buscuits and cut each into quarters. Dip each quarter into the melted butter then dip into the cinnamon sugar mixture. Arrange in the baking pan so they are touching.

Bake for 19 to 27 minutes. When done, let cool. Remove the pull aparts from the pan and serve on a plate.

Makes about 10 servings.

"Cinnamon bites and kisses simultaneously."
-Vanna Bonta

Nutella Brownies

2011-07-27T19:21:00.003-04:00

I thought I was all done with the Nutella recipes for a while when I spotted this one as I was just browsing on the internet. Really, who could pass up something that looks like this?! Icing on top of rich, chocolaty Nutella? Not me, no way. As a coincidence, the same kids I made the Nutella Bites for were over visiting my kids again. So I made these brownies for them. They must think all we eat is Nutella in this family. They loved these so much one of them insisted on the recipe. I sent some of the brownies home with them along with the recipe and a jar of Nutella, partly just to save myself from making more of brownies (and eating them).

Nutella Brownies

1 cup butter (2 sticks), melted
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
4 large eggs, room temperature
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup cocoa
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 cup Nutella
1/2 cup peanut butter

In a medium bowl combine all-purpose flour, cocoa (sift this in to get rid of lumps), baking powder and salt. Set aside.

Over low heat, melt butter and stir in sugar and vanilla extract until well combined.

To the butter-sugar mixture add eggs, one at a time. Beat until blended. Add cocoa mixture and mix on slow speed, just until blended.

Heat Nutella and peanut butter in the microwave in 20 second intervals until it reaches a runny consistency. Stir this mixture into the batter.

Pour the batter into a glass 9 x 13 pan that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Bake for 30 minutes in a 350 degree oven.

Cool completely before cutting.

Icing- Mix just enough milk and 1 cup of confectioner's sugar until smooth but not runny, drizzling it over the brownies, then with chocolate chips, if desired.

"Without friends no one would choose to live, though he had all other goods."
- Artistotle

Brown Sugar Cinnamon Peach Pie

2011-07-13T10:49:00.002-04:00

When my husband was in Virginia recently, he was kind enough to stop by the Virginia Farm Market in Winchester and pick me up some fresh peaches. I love peaches, but I can't eat a 1/2 a peck before they go bad. So my oldest daughter and I decided to make a peach pie. I found a great recipe in Southern Living magazine that sounded different than the usual. Brown sugar and peaches together? Yum. And it was good. I used a frozen crust instead of the homemade one the recipe suggests, but I included the ingredients anyway for anyone who is more ambitious than I am!

Brown Sugar Cinnamon Peach Pie

Ingredients

1 1/3 cups cold butter
4 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, divided
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 to 3/4 cup ice-cold water

8 large fresh, firm, ripe peaches (about 4 lb.)
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces
1 large egg, beaten
1 1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar

Cut 1 1/3 cups butter into small cubes, and chill 15 minutes. Stir together 4 cups flour and 1 1/2 tsp. salt. Cut butter into flour mixture with a pastry blender until mixture resembles small peas. Gradually stir in 1/2 cup ice water with a fork, stirring until dry ingredients are moistened and dough begins to form a ball and leaves sides of bowl, adding more ice water, 1 Tbsp. at a time, if necessary. Turn dough out onto a piece of plastic wrap; press and shape dough into 2 flat disks. Wrap each disk in plastic wrap, and chill 30 minutes to 24 hours.

Preheat oven to 425º. Place 1 dough disk on a lightly floured surface; sprinkle dough lightly with flour. Roll dough to about 1/4-inch thickness. Starting at 1 edge of dough, wrap dough around a rolling pin. Place rolling pin over a 9-inch pie plate, and unroll dough over pie plate. Press dough into pie plate.

Roll remaining dough disk to about 1/4-inch thickness on a lightly floured surface.

Peel peaches, and cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices; cut slices in half. Stir together brown sugar, next 3 ingredients, and remaining 1/4 cup flour in a bowl; add peaches, stirring to coat. Immediately spoon peach mixture into piecrust in pie plate, and dot with 1 1/2 Tbsp. butter. (Do not make mixture ahead or it will become too juicy.)

Carefully place remaining piecrust over filling; press edges of crusts together to seal. Cut off excess crust, and reserve. Crimp edges of pie. If desired, reroll excess crust to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut into 3-inch leaves using a knife. Brush top of pie with beaten egg; top with leaves. Brush leaves with egg; sprinkle with 1 1/2 Tbsp. granulated sugar. Cut 4 to 5 slits in top of pie for steam to escape.

Freeze pie 15 minutes. Meanwhile, heat a jelly-roll pan in oven 10 minutes. Place pie on hot jelly-roll pan.

Bake at 425° on lower oven rack 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 375°; bake 40 minutes. Cover loosely with aluminum foil to prevent excessive browning, and bake 25 more minutes or until juices are thick and bubbly (juices will bubble through top). Transfer to a wire rack; cool 2 hours before serving.

“A Georgia peach, a real Georgia peach, a backyard great-grandmother's orchard peach, is as thickly furred as a sweater, and so fluent and sweet that once you bite through the flannel, it brings tears to your eyes.”
-Melissa Fay Greene, ‘Praying for Sheetrock’

Mini Nutella Bites

2011-07-05T19:55:00.003-04:00

Here in Pittsburgh we have a part of town that is called "The Strip". Now, I know what you are thinking, but it's not really like that. It's a strip of road that runs from downtown to one of the local communities. It has wholesale produce vendors, Italian goods, a seafood market, a Chinese grocery store and many other fascinating places. One of my favorite is Mon Ami, which is a chocolate/candy store with exotic chocolates from around the world. When my brother was home in June, we took him there. As the kids were ordering gelato, I started a conversation with the owner. She mentioned a recent trip to Florida and a lovely dessert she had called Nutella bites. Well, you know me and chocolate, I had to ask for the recipe! Wouldn't you know that nice lady emailed me the recipe right the next day? She kept telling me how good they are. And she could not be more right. I made a double batch and they were literally gone within 30 minutes. These are super easy. Just be sure you make enough!

Mini Nutella Bites

Ingredients
1/2 cup Nutella spread
1 large egg
5 tablespoons all purpose flour
1 ounce chopped chocolate or chopped nuts to put on top before baking

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line or grease mini cupcake/muffin pan
(12). Put the nutella and egg in a medium bowl and whisk until smooth and well blended. Add the flour and whisk until blended.

Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin tins (about 3/4 full ) and sprinkle with the chocolate or nuts. Bake for about 10 minutes.

You can also serve with some fruit and whipped topping for company
dessert.

"You can't live a perfect day without doing something for someone who will never be able to repay you."

-John Wooden

Happy 4th of July!

2011-07-04T09:49:00.003-04:00

To all those who serve or have served to give us freedom and independence, thank you! Happy 4th everyone.

Wilmington Island Marsh Mud Cake

2011-06-18T15:16:00.004-04:00

Ever since the kids got out of school a week and a half ago (Could it be just a week and a half? It feels like last year!), we have all been running. My brother visited with his kids starting the afternoon the kids got out of school. And it's been crazy ever since. But fun. Lots of fun. While we had everyone here, Jim cooked as usual. I handled dessert. But what to make with 5 kids and 4 adults for dinner? It had to appeal to everyone. Well, Paula Deen came up with the answer for me, with a little spin. This is from her The Lady Just Desserts cookbook. This recipe was easy and everyone enjoyed it. It was gone within a day. Can't have a better endorsement than that!

Wilmington Island Marsh Mud Cake

Cake:
1/2 cup cocoa
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, melted, plus extra butter for greasing pan
4 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1/8 teaspoon fine salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups chopped pecans

Frosting:
1 (16-ounce) box light brown sugar
1/3 cup cocoa
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1/2 cup milk, scalded
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 (10.5 ounce) package miniature marshmallows
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Grease a 13 by 9 by 2-inch pan with butter.

In a large mixing bowl, stir together the cocoa and the melted butter. Add the eggs, flour, granulated sugar, salt, and vanilla. Beat well with a hand-held electric mixer. Add nuts, stirring with a rubber spatula. Pour batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 35 minutes.

While cake is baking, prepare the frosting. Beat the brown sugar and butter. Add the cocoa and beat. Stir in the scalded milk and vanilla together in a mixing bowl and beat with the hand-held mixer until smooth. Set aside.

Remove the cake from the oven, and pour the marshmallows over the cake while it is still hot. Pour the frosting over the marshmallows. Let cool slightly before cutting into pieces.

"A happy family is but an earlier heaven."
George Bernard Shaw

Lemonade Pie

2011-06-02T12:57:00.004-04:00

Over the Memorial Day weekend, I went a little crazy making food for our family get together. Considering that we were only having two people over and there is five of us, I made enough to feed an Army! But it was fun. And, of course, I had to make dessert. Being that I was so tired from making all the salads, drinks, and other food for the party, the dessert had to be simple. Plus it was over 90 degrees here that day, so the dessert also had to be light and refreshing. This recipe was perfect. It was so simple and so good. It's great for a picnic or get together or just on a hot summer night.

Lemonade Pie

1 store bought graham cracker pie crust
1 14 oz size sweetened condensed milk, chilled
1 12 oz container Cool Whip, thawed
1 6 oz can frozen lemonade concentrate, still frozen

In a bowl, gently fold the condensed milk and the Cool Whip together until blended. Add the frozen lemonade concentrate and stir until mixed. Pour into the pie shell and freeze several hours or overnight.

"We are living in a world today where lemonade is made from artificial flavors and furniture polish is made from real lemons.”
-Alfred E. Neuman

Devilishly Good Chocolate Cupcakes

2011-05-26T18:18:00.005-04:00

After several weeks without having a chance to bake, I finally got back to it this week. It felt good to be at it again! I decided to start off slow and easy, especially since it was another busy week and because I will be making lots of desserts for our family get together this weekend. I've been saving this recipe for a while now. I have no idea why because it's so easy it's ridiculous. It only uses two ingredients and totals one Weight Watcher point, if you follow the diet. I added icing and chocolate chips just because I knew my kids would want something extra.

Devilishly Good Chocolate Cupcakes

1 box Devil's Food chocolate cake
15 oz pumpkin puree
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips, if desired

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Beat cake mix and pumpkin together until blended. Add chocolate chips if desired. Batter will be thick.

Line muffin pan with cupcake liners. Fill cups 3/4 full.

Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool.
Makes about 24 cupcakes.

Icing:

6 tablespoons softened butter
3 to 4 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup milk
1 tsp. vanilla

Beat butter until smooth. Add powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time until blended. Add milk and vanilla. Beat until smooth.

"Whenever you are confronted with an opponent, conquer him with cupcakes"
-unknown

Welcome Home USS Kearsarge

2011-05-19T12:01:00.009-04:00

After the stress of the adoption situation, our family was anxious to get out of town for a break. We had already planned to go to meet my brother this past weekend when his ship, the USS Kearsarge, came home to Norfolk Naval Base after 9 months on tour, including a stint as the flag ship in the Libya conflict. After many emails to the ship's Ombudsmen (contact personnel for military families) and much planning, we got to the Naval Base on Monday at 6:30 am.

The Ombudsmen, military and businesses around Norfolk set up a very nice area at the pier for the military families. We had chairs under a large tent, lots and lots of food, music and much hoopla to keep us entertained.

Around 9:00, everyone started moving towards the railings. Someone saw the ship come around the corner and cheers and screams went up! Flags were flying everywhere and everyone who had a sign held it high in the air. You could just about make out the sailors in their whites all standing at attention around the ship perimeter. It was a sight to behold. As the ship slowly made it's way around the pier, tug boats went out to greet it. They helped to pull the ship in and dock it, a long and slow process.

Finally, the ship was docked. After a bit more waiting the families were allowed on the pier. We waited anxiously for my brother, who had warned me that he might be one of the last off the ship. True to his word, he was. But I was so happy to see him I didn't care. He dropped his sea bags as soon as he saw me running towards him. We had a long hug then the kids joined in. My brother and husband even gave each other one of those manly hugs, the ones that end with pats on the back.

My brother was able to give us a tour of the ship. I have no idea how the Sailors and Marines handle being in such tight quarters for months at a time, but they should get special awards just for being able to handle that :) The ship was quite impressive and gives you a new appreciation for what the military does to protect us all.

After the tour, we gave my brother a ride home to Chesapeake and took him out to lunch. I asked him about his plans for the next few weeks, and he said all he wants to do is sleep.

Welcome Home, Jim! We are so proud of you.

Not So Good News

2011-05-10T11:25:00.005-04:00

Things did not turn out so well in the adoption situation. I had such hopes that I could finally, after three long years, have a child or children as part of our family. But it seems it isn't meant to be.

The situation I wrote about in my last post with the respite for the two children not only didn't work out, it ended up with my husband and I being called liars and everyone angry at us.

The initial meeting with these children was with me, the adoption counselor, the pre adoptive mom, and the kids. We met at my house, so the kids could meet me and my kids and get used to the surroundings. We met for over 3 hours. I was a little concerned when most of the meeting was about the pre adoptive mom and no one told me any information or was able to answer my questions, but I chalked it up to her bad situation. By the end of the meeting, the agreement was for us to take the kids starting Saturday until Tuesday. Then we would take them again for a longer periods of time until the pre adoptive mom had a chance to make up her mind about the adoption and we had a chance to get to know the kids.

Well, she dropped them off Saturday without car seats, medical cards or even so much as telling us their last names. We coped the best we could, going out and buying all the supplies they needed ourselves. We tried to keep them busy all weekend running in the yard, going to McDonald's, and having as much fun as we could fit in.

Then, come Sunday night, the pre adoptive mom calls and tells us she is not coming back to get the kids. We were floored. We called the adoption counselor and explained what had happened. We were told, "Well, aren't you were interested in adopting?" After a series of phone calls and emails, it was decided that the pre adoptive mom would come back as planned on Tuesday. On Tuesday she did show up but she was very angry. She came, grabbed the kids and left.

I contacted the adoption counselor and asked what was happening. She explained that the pre adoptive mom could never have abandoned the kids like we told her and that we were wrong by not taking the kids on permanently. I explained that a day and a half was not long enough to decide if we were a good fit (the agency promotes a good fit ad nauseum in their trainings), and she kept implying we were wrong not to take the kids. I also asked why we didn't get any support with this situation and she again said we were wrong and that she did support us.

My husband was pretty upset by this whole conversation and decided to contact the director of the agency. She listened to him, had me send all the relevant emails between us and the counselor, then never contacted us again. My husband emailed her yesterday after waiting a week and she told him that we were liars (it was all "miscommunication") and that the counselor did everything right. She refused to allow us to change counselors, saying this counselor is the only one who does matching (we know there are two) and basically blew us off. So much for being the best adoption agency in Pittsburgh.

So ends our adoption attempts. My husband keeps saying we should try again with another agency, but that means starting all over from the beginning with trainings, CPR certifications, clearances, letters of reference, home inspections and all the stacks of forms you have to fill out. I just can't bring myself to go through it all again, just to sit and hope. It's time to count my blessings and move on. It breaks my heart and I can't stop crying about it, but sometimes you just have to know when it's over. And it's over.

Good News

2011-04-29T11:12:00.008-04:00

Sometimes, in those rare moments, the sun seems to be shining right on you. That is how I've felt the past few weeks. It so rarely happens so all this good news has me on cloud nine.

A week before Easter we took the family on a long awaited vacation. We hadn't gone for over a year and a half, partly because of the economy and partly because it was just too hard to get away. So to make up for it, we took a long vacation. First stop was Danville, Va, my home town. There are no words to describe how much I had missed it. I think it was even a surprise to me how much. I finally got to take my kids to Skatetown USA where I skated every week growing up. We ate at Pete's Pizza, who has the best pizza ever (at least in my limited experience!). For only being there a day and a half, we fit a lot in.

Then it was off to Outer Banks for a week. We hadn't been there for over 6 years so my youngest, who is 7, didn't remember it. The look on his face when he saw the ocean was priceless and worth all the effort getting there.

On the way back, we stopped in Winchester, VA. Not as southern as it used to be but still nice. You may think we are strange, but we love the Mt. Hebron Cemetary. The history is unbelievable. And the Virginia Farm market is a definite each time we are there.

Overall, we drove over 600 miles. We even fit in a half hour stop in Williamsburg, which had the only down point of the trip. We saw they are tearing down part of the pottery. Very sad. I grew up going to the pottery every year on my family vacation. We decided that next vacation, we are going back to visit Willamsburg.

While we were on vacation, I got an email from our adoption counselor. They have two kids, ages 3 (girl) and 4 (boy), they want us to take as a respite situation, until their pre adoptive mom can decide if she can adopt them or not. She may not be able to adopt them because of a changed family situation. It's hard to balance my joy of finally having kids in our home with her loss. She is one brave lady to put the kids first and to try to decide if she can let them go. But while she decides, we can care for them and pray for the best decision for everyone.

And last but not least, it looks like my brother may be on schedule to come home from his deployment next month. Yippeeee! He is thrilled to be finally done (and safe). They have a virus going around the ship which he caught so I haven't been able to talk too much to him lately, but I was able to email him about us being there to meet his ship next month. All the arrangements still need to be made (special passes to get on base, hotels, etc) but if it all goes well, we will get to see him come off the ship.

I am so glad to be able to share all the good news, for a change. Although I know things will calm down soon, just to finally have good things happen feels so wonderful.

Cherry Fluff

2011-04-21T07:06:00.003-04:00

Yes, I am a little nuts about the fluff these past two weeks! But I just feel the need to have something light and airy after the long winter. Plus, it's so easy to make and to eat. This is a great dessert just to have around or to take to some of those first picnics of the season.

Cherry Fluff

21 ounces cherry pie filling
8 ounces Cool Whip
14 ounces sweetened condensed milk
8 ounces crushed pineapple, drained
1 cup of chopped pecans, if desired

Mix all ingredients together and refridgerate for at least two hours. Serve.

"Break open a cherry tree and there are no flowers, but the spring breeze brings forth myriad blossoms."
-Ikkyu Sojun

Fluffy Key Lime Pie

2011-04-13T19:35:00.010-04:00

With the weather up and down all the time now, it's hard to know if I need a sweater or a short sleeve top each day! But I know it's getting warmer when I get the urge to make light desserts. And warm weather always makes me think of fluff. I'm not sure if that is the formal name for these types of desserts, but to me fluff is anything made out of whipped cream, jello or pudding mix and some type of citrus flavor. Since I bought key limes last week, this pie was the natural choice. It's light, sweet and tangy. Perfect for those warm nights.

Fluffy Key Lime Pie

1 1/2 cups boiling water

1 pkg.(8 oz) Lime Flavored jello

2 tsp. grated lime zest

1/4 cup fresh lime juice (use bottled if needed)

1 large container whipped cream, thawed to room temp.

1 Graham Pie Crust

In a bowl, pour 1 cup of the boiling water over the jello. Stir until dissolved. Add an additional 1/2 cup of ice. Let melt, stirring as needed. Stir in the zest and key lime juice. Add the whipped cream, folding until completely mixed. Pour into crust. Cover lightly and place in freezer for 1/2 to 1 hour or until firm. Serve. Keep cold.

"Deep summer is when laziness finds respectability." -Sam Keen

No Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Bars

2011-04-07T12:05:00.007-04:00

Sometimes, I just get the most awful cravings for oatmeal. I'll eat it straight, meaning as a cereal. McCain's makes a wonderful Irish oatmeal that is very good. But more often than not, I like my oatmeal in something sweet along with chocolate, butter and lots of sugar! I love the chewy texture it gives cookies, cakes and bars. This recipe makes very chewy oatmeal bars. And it's no bake which I like. Easy and quick and it really satisfies that craving.

No Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Bars

1 cup butter

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 cups quick cooking oats

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup peanut butter

Grease a 9x9 inch square pan. Melt butter in large saucepan over medium heat. Stir in brown sugar and vanilla. Mix in the oats. Cook over low heat 2 to 3 minutes, or until ingredients are well blended. Press half of mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan. Reserve the other half for topping. Meanwhile, melt chocolate chips and peanut butter in a small heavy saucepan over low heat, stirring frequently until smooth. Pour the chocolate mixture over the crust in the pan, and spread evenly with a knife or the back of a spoon. Crumble the remaining oat mixture over the chocolate layer, pressing in gently. Cover, and refrigerate 2 to 3 hours or overnight. Bring to room temperature before cutting into bars.

"Anticipate the difficult by managing the easy." -Lao Tzu

Homemade Georgia Peach Ice Cream

2011-04-01T10:46:00.007-04:00

An update on my brother in the Navy: I've heard from my brother several times through email since I last posted. Whew! I was very relieved. Apparently, the Navy has sent a ship to relieve the Kearsarge (I learned this from the news) so the Kearsarge may be heading back to port soon. The ship personnel is great about posting updates via Facebook and I've even had the chance to talk to one of the ombudsmen who help the families of those on board with information. It was good to talk to them. They were calm and reassuring.

Thank you to all of you for your thoughts, prayers and very kind words of support this past week. You can't know how much it means to me to know that you all were thinking and praying for us. It was like getting a big hug every time I thought of you all, which was a lot.

On to the sweet stuff now! I know it's probably still cold where most of you live (it is here, it's snowing right now), but that little taste of summer we had last week up here had me thinking about all the great summertime recipes I want to make. I had some peaches from our tree last year that I froze in Fall on hand too. I usually love making peach cobbler, but I came across a recipe for peach ice cream that got rave reviews, so I changed plans and tried it. Yum! There is nothing like homemade!

Homemade Georgia Peach Ice Cream

2 1/2 pounds fresh peaches - peeled, pitted and chopped
1/2 cup white sugar
1 pint half-and-half cream
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 (12 fluid ounce) can evaporated milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups whole milk, or as needed

Puree peaches with the sugar and half-and-half in batches in a blender or food processor. In a gallon ice cream freezer container, mix together the peach mixture, sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, and vanilla. Pour in enough whole milk to fill the container to the fill line, about 2 cups. Follow the manufacturer's instructions to freeze the ice cream.

Tips- You can make this ice cream a little sweeter by adding up to 1/2 cup more sugar. Cooling the container first will help the ice cream harden faster

"In the depth of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer." -Albert Camus

War and Kentucky Woodford Pudding

2011-03-24T11:40:00.006-04:00

Last weekend I decided to try Southernlady's recipe for Kentucky Woodford Pudding. It just sounded so delicious I could not wait to taste it. The cake was easy to put together and as it baked, I made the sauce. Southernlady couldn't have been more right, that sauce was out of this world, slap yo momma twice good! I kept some for us and sent some to work with my husband who said it was a super big hit. Hop on over to Southernlady's blog and try it out. You will not be sorry.

By now you might be wondering why I don't have a recipe this week to share (besides that wonderful pudding!). Well, I was planning on baking this week but after learning that my brother, who is in the Navy, is in Libya, I didn't have the heart. My stomach has been in knots all week.

He is assigned to the USS Kearsarge (photo above) and was in Iraq. No shocker there. And up until last Thursday, we could email each other pretty regularly. But then the news of Libya started coming out and the Kearsarge was mentioned on MSN as being assigned to head over. I emailed by brother who said "so much for operational security" but yeah, it is true. We emailed a few more times, with reassurance from him that they were just chasing their own tails in the water and nothing more. Then the weekend strikes started. I emailed him again but with no response. I was pretty worried so I found the Facebook page for the Kearsarge and all the relatives were saying the same thing, no communication from their loved ones on the ship. So we all are watching the TV news closely and checking Facebook for any word. It is good and bad that they mention his ship a lot. I know what he is doing but I am almost afraid that if Libya strikes back, they will focus on the lead ship. So it's many prayers and hopes that this will end quickly and I can breathe again.

I will try to get back to some type of routine next week, if my nerves hold out, that is! Hopefully by then, I will have something delicious to share.

No Flour Chewy Chocolate Cookies

2011-03-17T11:15:00.003-04:00

When my son had Autism, he was on the Gluten Free Casin Free (no flour, no dairy) diet. I searched high and low for recipes for sweets I could make him. Most of the recipes available subsituted real flour with rice flour. If you have ever used rice flour you know it is heavy and makes your baked goods flat. So we ate flat cookies and flat cake. Now, with Celiacs disease becoming more well known, the flour free recipes are pouring out. My son no longer is Autistic (thank the good Lord for that) but I still make the occasional flour free cookies. The recipes are so good nowadays, why not? These cookies are no exception. They remind me of brownies- chewy and chocolately. And very easy to make. You'll never miss the flour!

No Flour Chewy Chocolate Cookies

1 3/4 cups powdered sugar

1/2 cup cocoa

2 tsps. cornstarch

1/4 tsp. salt

2 egg whites

1 cup coarsely chopped pecans or walnuts, toasted if desired

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.

Mix sugar, cocoa, cornstarch and salt. Gradually add egg whites and stir with a spoon until the mixture forms a dough. If the mixture is not thick enough to form into balls, add more powdered sugar and cocoa (I added about 3/4 cup more mixed). Add the nuts and mix well.

Form dough into tablespoon sized balls. Place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake 16 to 19 minutes or until the cookies are glossy and crackled. Remove and cool. Makes about 15 cookies.

This recipe is easy to double.

"The path I travel is lit by those who came before me, and it will shine brighter for those who follow me"

-Autism quote, unknown author

Mud Hens

2011-03-10T14:07:00.003-05:00

Mud what?! That is what my kids said when I mentioned what I made them for an after school snack. I explained that Mud Hens are a Southern dessert. They still think the name is odd, but they loved the bars! I got the recipe from Christy Jordan and her new book Southern Plate (there is a link to her blog in my favorite blog's list). These bars remind me of smore bars a bit with the chocolate, marshmallows and nuts. Yum! Very good, chewy and a bit crunchy. This recipe makes about 16 to 20 bars.

Mud Hens

1/4 cup shortening
1/4 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 whole egg
2 eggs, separated
1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup nuts, chopped
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup miniature marshmallows
1 cup light brown sugar, packed

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cream shortening, butter, and sugar together. Beat in whole egg and two egg yolks.

In a separate bowl, sift flour, baking powder and salt together. combine flour mixture with creamed mixture, blending thoroughly. Spread batter in buttered 9 x 13 x 2-inch pan. Sprinkle nuts, chocolate chips and marshmallows over batter.

Beat the two egg whites stiff and fold in brown sugar. Spread over the top of the batter. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes. Cool then cut into bars.

True Southerners know instinctively that the best gesture of solace for a neighbor who's got trouble is a plate of hot fried chicken and a big bowl of cold potato salad. (If the trouble is a real crisis, they also know to add a large banana puddin'.) - from Georgia Girl

Breakfast Cookies

2011-03-03T13:59:00.006-05:00

Although I have been tempted many times, I've never had cookies for breakfast, until now. I was struck by how different this recipe is, at least in my limited and humble experience! The appeal of having something so easy to grab and eat, especially while running out the door (which I do most mornings!) is too much, so I had to make these. I was a bit overwhelmed by the ingredients at first, but once I got going it was easy. These are sweet, chewy and very versatile. Changing the ingredients to suit what you like is very easy. What's not to love?!

Breakfast Cookies

2 large eggs, beaten
1/2 cup of honey (I used 1/4 cup)
1/4 cup of butter (I used 1 Tblsp.)
1 cup grated carrots
1/2 cup raisins (I used dried cherries)
1 cup walnuts, chopped
1/2 cup dried apricots, chopped (I didn't use)
1 cup all-purpose flour (I used 1/2 whole wheat flour and 1/2 all purpose)
1 cup rolled oats
1 tsp Nutmeg
1 tsp Cinnamon
1 and 1/2 cups Cheerios

Combine egg, honey, carrots and butter. Add raisins, walnuts and apricots.
Stir to combine.

In a separate bowl combine flour, oats, nutmeg and cinnamon.
Add this to wet mixture and stir until everything is wet. Fold in Cheerios.

Drop mixture onto cookie sheets about an inch apart and bake at 350 for 15 minuts or until cookie is firm.

“Only dull people are brilliant at breakfast.”
-Oscar Wilde

Butterscotch And Chocolate Chip Cake

2011-02-24T11:06:00.007-05:00

I am a regular reader of SouthernLady's blog. I love the kinds of food she makes and she always mixes it up between sweets and savory so you have many different recipes to choose from. Although I usually want to make everything she posts, I really couldn't wait to try this cake recipe, especially when she mentioned it is a family favorite in her home. The ingredients are simple but the taste is out of this world. The mixture of butterscotch, chocolate and nutmeg is fantastic. The cake is both crunchy and soft with texture from the nuts and chips. I only changed a few things to suit me, but otherwise kept it the same. It is seriously hard to stay away from this cake! It's a new favorite in our home now too. Thank you, SouthernLady!

Butterscotch and Chocolate Chip Cake

1 Butter Pecan cake mix, moist
1 package (3.4 ounces) vanilla instant pudding
2 large eggs
1 stick butter, melted (I used 1/2 stick butter, 1/4 cup Smart Butter spread and 1/4 cup skim milk)
2/3 cup water
2/3 cup chocolate chips
2/3 cup nuts, chopped small
2/3 cup butterscotch chips

In a large bowl, combine the cake mix, pudding, eggs, butter, milk and water. Fold in chocolate chips and nuts. Spread into a 9x13 inch pan sprayed with cooking spray. Sprinkle butterscotch chips over batter. Bake at 375 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes. Remove and let cool.

Frosting:

1 can rich and creamy vanilla frosting

1 teaspoon vanilla flavoring
1 1/2 teaspoons ground nutmeg (I used fresh grated)

Put frosting in a glass bowl. Add the vanilla flavoring and nutmeg. Microwave on high about 10 to 15 seconds. Remove and mix well with wire whisk. Pour over cake. Add more nuts on top if desired.

"He who distinguishes the true savor of his food can never be a glutton; he who does not cannot be otherwise."
-Henry David Thoreau

Chocolate Cake Cookies

2011-02-17T14:07:00.003-05:00

Lately I have been trying to find recipes that are beyond simple. I don't have as much time as I used to but I still want to bake something for the kids for after school. The trick, I'm finding, is to have a recipe be so simple it is easy to remember, you always have the ingredients around the house and the kids (and I) will love it. This cookie recipe fits all the criteria. I adapted it from Paula Deen's recipe for Ooey, Gooey Chocolate Cookies. They are soft, chewy and addicting!

Chocolate Cake Cookies

1 box chocolate cake mix, any kind

1 8 oz cream cheese (I used low fat)

1 egg

1 stick of butter

1 cup chocolate chips

1 tblsp. vanilla extract

confectioner's sugar

Mix together the butter and the cream cheese until well blended. Add the vanilla. Beat in the egg then add the chocolate cake mix and chocolate chips. Do not over beat. Chill the mixture for about 2 hours or until the dough can be rolled into 1 tablespoon sized balls. Roll the balls in the confectioner's sugar. Place on a baking sheet about 1 inch apart. Bake at 350 degrees until the tops are cracked and the cookies are set (they will be soft). Let cool. Add more confectioner's sugar if desired.

"There seems to be some perverse human characteristic that likes to make easy things difficult."
-Warren Buffett

Nutella Bars

2011-02-10T14:45:00.003-05:00

For the Super Bowl, we had a little family party. Along with the Shredded BBQ Chicken sandwiches, Veggies and other goodies, I made Nutella Bars. I found the recipe in the newspaper in an article for Super Bowl recipes. I usually don't make newspaper recipes, but this one was easy and I knew my kids would love it. I thought it might taste like Rice Crispy squares (yuck, I don't like those!) because the recipe is so similar, but the Nutella added a depth of chocolate flavor that made these irresistable! So even though our Steelers lost, we can console ourselves with these bars, until next year's Super Bowl :)

Nutella Bars

1 cup of light syrup

1 cup sugar

1 cup Nutella (chocolate hazelnut spread)

6 cups crisp rice cereal (like Rice Crispies)

Lightly grease an 9 by 11 inch baking pan (I used cooking spray).

In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the corn syrup, sugar and Nutella. Heat and stir often until the sugar is melted (be very careful. this gets hot). Remove from heat and add the cereal. Toss well, until all the cereal is coated. Transfer to the prepared pan and push down to form an even layer in the pan. Rinse hands in water to help with stickiness.

Let cool 30 minutes then using a knife run under water, cut into 20 squares.

"As a player, it says everything about you if you made the Hall of Fame. But, then again, boy... there's something about winning a Super Bowl."
-Terry Bradshaw

Fruit Pizza

2011-02-02T20:32:00.002-05:00

With all the snow this winter, I was feeling the need for a little reminder of summer. Fruit seemed like a natural choice. I remember my mother making fruit pizza when I was a teenager and how hard it was to stop eating it, even right out of the refrigerator! At first, I wasn't sure my recipe was going to taste good. But I was very surprised when I took the first bite. The cookie provides crunch, the cream cheese a bit of tart, and the fruit was refreshing and sweet. This would be fantastic for a party or any get together.

Fruit Pizza

20 oz package refrigerated sugar cookie dough, softened

8 oz package cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla

Fresh fruit such as strawberries, kiwi, fresh or frozen (thawed) blueberries, fresh or canned peaches. Slice or cut into bite sized pieces.

1/4 cup orange marmalade

1 tblsp. water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Slice cookie dough as directed on package. Arrange slices in the bottom of a 15 x 10 x 1 inch pan. Using floured fingers, press the dough evenly into the pan. Bake about 16 to 20 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool.

In a small bowl, beat the cream cheese with the sugar until blended. Add vanilla. Spread the mixture over the cookie to the edges. Arrange the fruit as desired over cream cheese.

In another small bowl, combine orange marmalade and water. Using a brush, spread over the fruit evenly. Refrigerate for at least one hour. Cut into slices. Serve. Keep remainder refrigerated.

"Don't be afraid to go out on a limb. It's where all the fruit is."
-Shirley MacLaine

Chocolate Brownie Drops

2011-01-27T10:41:00.003-05:00

Since Christmas, I have been trying to cut back on the amount of sweets I eat. I gained a few pounds at Christmas (always do) and since I have a metabolism as slow as a turtle, I need to cut way back for a while. But me without chocolate makes for one cranky person, so I had to make something. I found this recipe on my Sparkpeople site. I changed it a bit to make it even healthier (i.e. I could eat more) so I was surprised when my kids ate most of the cookies! You can add whatever you want to the batter or leave them plain. Since I still don't have any chocolate chips in the house (check out my willpower!), I couldn't add anything. But next time, I think mini chocolate chips would be a great choice.

Chocolate Brownie Drops

2 cups flour (I used 1 cup regular flour, 1 cup whole wheat flour)
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup unsweetened baking cocoa
2 large eggs (I used 1/4 cup Egg Beaters (equals 1 egg) and 1 regular egg)
1 tsp vanilla

In medium bowl combine flour, baking soda and cocoa powder.

Cream butter and both sugars with electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add vanilla and mix again.

Gradually add flour mixture and combine well. Add any extra ingredients like chocolate chips, dried cherries, walnuts, etc. Drop onto baking sheets using a cookie scoop.

Bake at 350 F for 13-15 minutes. When cookies seem soft yet hold their form, they are done. Do not overbake, which will make the cookies dry.

"Chocolate is the answer. Who cares what the question is."
-Author Unknown

Butterscotch and Chocolate Brownie Bars

2011-01-19T11:05:00.003-05:00

After Christmas, my pantry looks like a train wreck. I have half used bags of this kind of chips and half used of that. When I went to make something sweet the other night for the kids (really, just for the kids), I didn't have enough chips of any kind to make cookies. Since I did have 1 bag of butterscotch chips, I was able to scrounge up a recipe for Butterscotch brownies. I altered the recipe a bit to fit what I had left in the pantry, plus I added a bit of oatmeal just because I was craving some. They were so soft and chewy. Considering they are already gone, I think I'll be making these again!

Butterscotch and Chocolate Brownie Bars

1/4 cup butter, softened
1 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg
1/2 cup oatmeal
1 tablespoon milk
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup chopped nuts, if desires
1 cup each Butterscotch and Chocolate chips

Melt butter in a saucepan over low heat. Remove from heat. Mix in brown sugar, vanilla and egg; stir well. Stir in remaining ingredients. Spread in greased and floured 8x8x2 inch pan. Bake butterscotch brownies at 350° for 20 to 25 minutes.
Cut butterscotch brownies while warm.

"Woke up, it was a Chelsea morning, and the first thing that I knew There was milk and toast and honey and a bowl of oranges, too. And the sun poured in like butterscotch and stuck to all my senses."

-Joni Mitchell

Go Steelers!

2011-01-15T20:19:00.003-05:00

Way to go Steelers!! On to the next playoff game. All the way to the Super Bowl!

A Thursday Meme

2011-01-13T13:36:00.002-05:00

Well, as much as I would love to be sharing a new recipe with you right now, I haven't had any time to bake. I thought it might slow down a bit after Christmas but for some reason, life has been put on high speed and we are just as busy as before. Plus my mother in law got sick and was in the hospital for a while. She is fine now, but we were so worried. Pittsburgh got itself a bit of a snowstorm this week and we spent most mornings running from radio to the computer trying to see if there was a school delay or if it was cancelled, like yesterday (only a delay today-whew!). But I am determined to bake something next week, even if it kills me so I hope to have a goodie to share with you then. In the meanwhile, I thought I'd steal Anita's Meme and give it a go:

Marched in a protest? No

Slept past 5 pm? No

Fallen asleep at work/school? Yes

Held a snake? Yes

Ran a red light? Yes

Been given detention in school? No

Totaled your car/motorbike in an accident? No

Been fired from a job? No

Eaten your kid's Halloween candy? YES!

Sang karaoke? No

Done something you told yourself you wouldn't? Yes

Laughed until something you were drinking came out your nose? Yes

Caught a snowflake on your tongue? Yes

Kissed in the rain? Yes

Cross dressed? No

Sang in the shower? Yes

Sat on a rooftop? No

Been pushed into a pool with all your clothes on? No

Broken a bone? no

Shaved your head? No

Played a prank on someone? Yes

Felt like killing someone? Yes

Made your girlfriend/boyfriend cry? Yes

Had Mexican jumping beans for pets? Yes

Been in a band? No

Shot a gun? Yes

Donated Blood? No

Eaten alligator meat? No

Eaten cheesecake? Yes

Worry about the future? Yes

Believe in love? Yes

Like to cuddle? Yes

Sleep on a certain side of the bed? Yes

Talk in your sleep? Yes

Daydream? Yes

Laughed until you peed your pants? Yes

Spend too much time on Facebook? No

Play a musical instrument? No

Been to Canada? No

Been to Mexico? No

Been to Europe? No

Been to China? No

Been skinny dipping? No

Gone sky diving? No

Killed an animal without hunting? Yes

Gone snowmobiling? No

Been on TV? No

Dated someone longer than you should have? Yes

Given the wrong person a second chance? Yes

Adopted a stray animal? Yes

Climbed a mountain? No

Taken to the hospital in an ambulance? Yes

Been bungee jumping? No

Knitted? Yes

Miss someone every day? Yes

Speak a second language? No

Passed out when not drinking? Yes

Simple And Easy Chocolate Fudge

2011-01-05T13:09:00.003-05:00

Right before Christmas I was listening to a local radio station called KDKA, (supposedly the first ever radio station in the U.S but that is up for debate) and they have a program on each weekend called the Kuhn's Cooking Hour. People around the area can call in and share recipes. One woman called with a recipe for fudge she said was so simple it was silly. And it was. I copied it down and added it to my Chrismas cookie baking blitz. I was very surprised at the results. I don't like fudge all that much but this stuff was good! I didn't even add anything to it like she suggested and I still liked it a lot. Now I can make it anytime for a quick treat or to give away as a thank you gift. Fudge in no time. Who can argue with that?

Simple and Easy Chocolate Fudge

3 cups semi sweet or dark chocolate chips

1 can sweetened condensed milk

1 tsp. vanilla

(you can also add 2 tablespoons of cream cheese for tartness if you like)

Place chocolate in a glass bowl set over a pan with hot water on medium heat. Add condensed milk. Heat over water, stirring often until chocolate is melted. Take off the heat and add 1 tsp. of vanilla. You can also add anything you like such as chopped nuts, dried fruit, or other candies.

For thick fudge, pour fudge into an 8 inch pan. For thinner fudge, use a 9 inch pan. Cool, covered, in the refrigerator until set. Cut into small pieces. Serve.

'Twill make old women young and fresh,
Create new motions of the flesh.
And cause them long for you know what,
If they but taste of chocolate."
-James Wadworth

Happy New Year!

2011-01-01T00:00:00.002-05:00

Happy New Year! Welcome 2011!

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-24T07:54:00.003-05:00

Just wanted to say Merry Christmas to everyone, and I hope you all have a wonderful holiday!

Peppermint Bark

2010-12-21T13:30:00.002-05:00

Although I wish I had all the time in the world to bake for Christmas, truth is I have so much else to do that I can only fit in a few batches of cookies here and there. So it makes it so much easier when I can make something with only a few ingredients and have it taste like I worked on it all day. That is the case with this Peppermint Bark. It's from Martha Stewart. (What is up with me and her recipes lately I have no idea. I'm more a Paula Deen type.) The recipe calls for only three ingredients. I altered the original recipe a bit mainly because I needed more bark than the recipe called for. This would make a perfect gift for friends, neighbors and kid's teachers. Just be sure to save a little for yourself!

Peppermint Bark

3 pounds premium white chocolate (I used the big block they sell at Sam's Club plus one bag of Nestle white chocolate chips)

12 large candy canes

3/4 tsp. peppermint oil

Line an 11x17 inch baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

Chop the white chocolate into bite sized pieces. Place in a bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Stir chocolate until melted and smooth.

Place candy canes in a large storage bag. Using a rolling pin or kitchen mallet, pound the candy until it's less than 1/4 inch in size.

Stir the candy and peppermint oil into the melted chocolate. Remove from heat and pour the mixture onto the prepared baking sheet. Spread evenly.

Refregerate until firm, about 30 minutes. Break into pieces with a knife (you can use your hands but it gets messy). Store in an airtight container.

Peppermint Patty: [on the phone, to Marcy] Marcy, what book were we supposed to read during Thanksgiving Vacation?
Marcy: This is Christmas Vacation, Sir.
Peppermint Patty: Christmas Vacation? How can I read something during Christmas Vacation, when I didn't read what I was supposed to read during Thanksgiving Vacation?
Marcy: Duck, Sir. Easter is coming
-It's Christmas Time Again, Charlie Brown

Gifts In A Jar- Hot Chocolate Mix

2010-12-16T14:47:00.002-05:00

I am running like a crazy person getting ready for Christmas, as I'm sure most of you are as well. I love this time of year, but it's also the most stressful! One of my biggest stressors is finding a way to give a meaningful gift to the numerous teachers and friends of my three young ones. This year, I thought I'd try hot chocolate mix. It was easy and very tasty (oh yeah, I tried a few cups myself. Just a few....). I have yet to have time to cover the tops with the cute Debbie Mumm fabric I found at JoAnn's today, so that'll be this weekends project. Maybe I can get those wonderful kiddies of mine to help!

Hot Chocolate Mix

1½ cups skim milk powder
1 cup white sugar
¾ cup unsweetened cocoa
¾ cup non-dairy creamer

Place all ingredients in a large mixing bowl and stir well. For a finer mix, combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor and mix well. Add to small canning jars. Fill to the top. Seal with canning lids. Decorate as desired.

Store in an air tight container.

Directions for label (add to ribbon around jar or print out and use as a label on the jar)

Place 2 or 3 tablespoons in a mug and add boiling water or warm milk. Enjoy!

Decorate the jar lid with a circle of fabric or lace, tied on with ribbon or raffia.

"Gifts of time and love are surely the basic ingredients of a truly merry Christmas."
-Peg Bracken

Thursday Thirteen- Underrated Movies and Shows

2010-12-09T14:23:00.002-05:00

I haven't done a Thursday Thirteen in ages! But since I've done hardly any baking this week in anticipation of next week's baking blitz, I thought I might give this a go.

One of the things the husband and I do on a regular basis is veg out in front of the T.V. at night. Not exactly a recommended activity, but we are so pooped from the day it's the only way to keep our sanity. Because of all our wonderful viewing experience, we have quite a few shows and movies we've had a chance to see that made us wonder why they weren't more popular. Here are some of those shows:

1. Supernatural- A tv show about two brothers who travel from town to town searching for their father and seeking out mysteries that are weird or well, supernatural. Sort of like an X-Files but with siblings and easier to understand.

2. IP Man- A super awesome movie about Bruce Lee's trainer (which I didn't know until after I watched the movie) and how he made it through some very difficult times by sticking to his morals and using his seriously good martial arts abilities. A must see even if you don't like martial arts.

3. Jericho- An interesting show about what might happen if major cities were destroyed and most of the population was gone. The characters really make this show and the story line is quite plausible.

4. Survivors- A similar story line to Jericho, but a very smart British medical version. A bit liberal for my taste (no guns until late in the show, in the U.S we would have been armed to the teeth within an hour!) but understandable given it's Britian. Adds some medical drama to the already incredible story. Again, the actors really make this a good show.

5. The Simple Life of Noah Dearborn- Sidney Poitier is the star. What more do I have to say? That man can't make a bad movie! Very moving, grabs you in the beginning and pulls you in. You can't help but cheer for him.

6. The Jesse Stone series- Tom Selleck is the main character, a cop with a drinking problem who is hired in a small town. Tom Selleck really pulls off a great performance. Robert Parker wrote the series, one of my favorite authors. I really miss him.

7. Life on Mars- Set in the 1970's, it's about a present day cop that gets pulled into the past to a precinct in the 70's. He spends his time trying to figure out what happened to him, keeping himself out of trouble and solving crimes without letting anyone know where is from. Just fun to watch, remembering all the craziness of the 70's.

8. The Express- a story about racial inequality on and off the football field. Very well done, it's a tough but wonderful story that will stick with you for a long time.

9. Life- One of my favorite tv shows. To this day, I really don't get why they cancelled it. Excellent characters, interesting story line and funny too. It's about cop who gets wrongly accused of a crime, does time, then gets exonerated and gets rehired. He is quirky but lovable and the chemistry between him and his partner is strong. The music on the show is great too.

10. Band of Brothers and The Pacific- I know the Band of Brothers did well (one of the main characters is the lead in Life, the tv show) but I hardly heard anything about The Pacific. Both are fantastic and hard to forget.

11. Taking Chance- Kevin Bacon leads this movie and does an excellent job. It is a very still movie, no action except emotions, but it's unforgetable.

12. Moonlight- ok, it's a vampire show. Still, it was well done and fun to watch. Another one they cancelled and I can't figure out why.

13. Dark Angel- Jessica Alba before all the glamour. Great show, lots of action, a bit corny but it's worth it.

Cream Cheese Pumpkin Pie

2010-12-03T13:44:00.006-05:00

It feels like it's been forever since I've had time to blog. So much has happened since Thanksgiving. My sister had emergency surgery on Monday to have her gallbladder removed. She is doing much better, but it was quite a saga for her. Then I had to attend an all day seminar for credits for my license (National Certified Counselor/Licensed Counselor), see the doc for a checkup and we have company tonight. Whew! Since this all started, I've been wanting to share a new recipe I tried over Thanksgiving. I've been getting a little tired of the same old pumpkin pie so I tried this one instead. Just a little twist on the old favorite! It was really good. Pumpkin with just a hint of tangy sweetness. The above photo is courtesy of Betty Crocker. I never got a chance to take a picture of our pie. It was gone that quick!

Cream Cheese Pumpkin Pie

1 package (8 oz.) cream cheese, room temperature
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg (I used Egg Beaters)
1 9-inch pastry pie shell, unbaked
1 1/4 cups pumpkin puree
1/2 cup sugar
dash salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 eggs, slightly beaten (again, Egg Beaters)
1 cup evaporated milk (I used skim/fat free)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a mixing bowl, combine cream cheese, 1/4 cup sugar, and vanilla extract; beat until light and fluffy. Beat in 1 egg; spread mixture in the unbaked pastry shell.

Combine pumpkin, 1/2 cup sugar, salt, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg. Blend in the 2 beaten eggs and evaporated milk. Pour pumpkin mixture over cream cream cheese layer. Bake for about 65 minutes, or until set. Cool pumpkin pie thoroughly. Serve with whipped cream.

"I've learned there are three things you don't discuss with people: religion, politics and the Great Pumpkin."
-Linus from A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-11-25T09:14:00.004-05:00

I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving!

No Bake Graham Cracker Cheesecake

2010-11-18T13:30:00.002-05:00

After all the craziness of the past month, I needed comfort food, something sweet and creamy. But since I've been eating a bit too much lately (stress does it everytime!), I also wanted something low in calories and fat. I found this recipe on one of my favorite websites, Sparkpeople. A former instructor at my gym recommended the site. She is a member and it helps her keep track of her eating habits. I joined (it's free) and I enjoy the heck out of the tips, articles and especially the recipes. This recipe was no exception. Even my kids, who didn't even know it was low calorie/low fat, loved this dessert. A definite make again in our house.

No Bake Graham Cracker Cheesecake

Two packets of low fat graham crackers

8 oz. fat free cream cheese, softened (I used low fat)

1 cup cold skim milk

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 small box instant vanilla pudding (can use sugar free)

8 oz. fat free Cool Whip

1 can lite cherry pie filling (or any flavor prefer)

Line the bottom of a 9 x 13 baking dish with graham crackers. Beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add the milk and lemon juice to the cream cheese and beat until smooth. Stir in pudding mix, then fold in the Cool Whip. Pour mixture over the graham crackers then spread the pie filling over the top. Eat right away or refridgerate overnight to soften the crackers.

Makes about 20 servings (or in my case 5 large servings ;)

Fat: 0.3 grams

Calories: 80

"....I can dream away a half-hour on the immortal flavor of those thick cheese cakes we used to have on a Saturday night."
-Mary Antin, 'The Promised Land' (1912)

Roanoke Addendum

2010-11-14T07:11:00.002-05:00

Well, Roanoke County did call again. On Thursday of this past week. It's just not the news we wanted to hear. I, of course, got myself all excited seeing the county's phone number come up on my husband's cell phone (he was home, off for Veteran's Day so he was with me). "Oh boy, they didn't forget about us and they are calling to offer the job!" was exactly what went through my head. Ha! Who was I kidding?

As Kurt listened to what the caller was saying to him, his expression changed to worry and strain. He mouthed the words, "What?!" and then said a few "Ok's" to the caller, said he call back in an hour and got off the phone. His first words were, "I don't believe this". Then he explained they wanted him to come down for another interview, an all day one this time, and meet the staff. They also wanted him to meet with the other candidate and compete with him during questioning. They explained that they couldn't decide on which candidate to pick so this was their solution. They named a day next week and said it was non negotiable.

So Kurt spent the next hour stressed trying to find a way to work around their demands. He was already scheduled with two important mandatory meetings at work that day plus he had his class to teach the night before. There were no direct or indirect flights to Roanoke and driving was out of the question since his class the night before didn't end until 9 pm. To add to the fun, Roanoke County refused to move his start date of mid December so if he did land the job, he would only be able to provide two weeks notice at his current job to make the Roanoke start date. That is just not something you do when you are a manager of an important social service program. Talk about burning your bridges.

We talked about the options, got upset about the options and finally decided the option was to call back and ask for another date for the interview. After another phone call back from Roanoke, Kurt was told that the administrator was not willing to compromise. It was over for real this time. No job, no moving. Kurt told them goodbye and that was it.

It was meant to be, nothing was going to change that. It was tough having hope again after I was just settling with the idea that it was done with before, but at least we knew now for sure what had happened.

Given the job situation, the economy, and the luck we've had so far getting calls on resumes we send (read: no calls at all!) I don't see us moving anytime soon. But hope springs eternal and that's what I've got now- hope. Like I tell my husband, and myself on bad days, it's not the end of the world. It's not like one of us is sick, our house burned down, or we have no jobs. It's just a dream I have. And though it may stay a dream the rest of my life, at least we tried. And to me, that counts for a lot.

The Job That Wasn't

2010-11-10T18:24:00.003-05:00

It was close. So close. But it didn't happen. Moving back home just wasn't meant to be.

About three weeks ago, after sending an untold number of resumes over the last few years, my husband Kurt finally got the call. Roanoke County wanted to interview him for the Director of Social Services position they had available. I couldn't believe how great the job fit Kurt's experience. We both believed he had a great shot at the job.

After "the call" we went into big time prep mode. We looked up everything we could about the County, researched our butts off about everything and everyone and went over and over possible interview questions. After an intense phone interview and a series of written questions from the County in the first week, it was time for the face to face panel interview in Roanoke. By the time he left for the interview last Monday, Kurt was prepared. My stomach was in knots, not over how well I thought he would do (because I know him- he was prepared!) but how much of a shot he had at the job.

After the interview, Kurt called me on the way home. He was very happy with how it went, mostly because everyone seemed to love his answers during the interview and afterwards, the director of human resources told him he did a fantastic job. I couldn't believe it. Finally, a shot at going home. Raising my kids where I grew up. Man, I was on cloud nine.

Although the administration let us know there were more interviews and the competition was tough, they still gave us encouraging signs. Kurt heard a lot of "good answers", "thanks for being so quick with your response", "you did a great job with that problem" kinds of things. The immediate director seemed to really take to Kurt too. It all seemed to fall into place.

I started getting excited. It was really hard to not start planning our move. We got a little ahead of ourselves, but we also felt we wanted to be prepared in case he got the job. We looked up schools, apartments (for Kurt to stay in while we sold our house here), homes for sale, stores, gyms, and all the general information about Roanoke we could find. We loved everything we saw. Even the kids got into it when they saw the new Green Ridge Rec Center. What a cool place! I couldn't wait to take them.

Then last week, Kurt got a call saying they had more questions. After an hour and a half panel interview, we were perplexed at what more they could ask! But ok, it was a big decision they had to make. They asked a lot of questions that didn't make any sense. Then they started calling Kurt's references, asking odd questions about his faults. Things started looking bad. The final decision on the candidates was going to be this past Friday or Monday. They said would let Kurt know by then. As the days passed and no one called, we knew it was over. Not even a call to say, sorry we decided on someone else. Just nothing.

I got a little down in the dumps about the whole thing for the past few days. But I realized that in all the bad things that can happen to people, this one doesn't even register. So no hiding in bed with covers over my head. It's back to square one. Maybe someday I'll get back home, maybe not. Either way, it won't be the end of the world and it won't be for lack of trying. It was worth it just to know someone paid attention to one of the resumes my husband spends a good portion of his time every week filling out! Maybe someday someone will pay attention. All it takes is one time.

Chocolate Mint Cake

2010-11-03T10:58:00.003-04:00

It's been a very busy couple of weeks. Every time I wanted to get back to blogging, something new came up. I've been itching to share this great cake recipe I found last week too. Again, my kids came up with the suggestion of making a mint cake out of Andes Candies. Like my kids need more sugar in their diet after Halloween, but hey, someone asks can we bake, I'm in! I have to say, out of all the cakes I've made, this one ranks up there as one of the tastiest. I literally could not stop eating it. You have got to try this one.

Chocolate Mint Cake

1 (18.25 ounce) package chocolate cake mix

1 1/3 cups water

1/3 cup vegetable oil (I substituted applesauce)

1 tablespoon melted butter

3 eggs

1 cup chopped chocolate mint candy pieces (Andes Candies)

1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened (I used low fat cream cheese)

1/2 to 1 tsp. peppermint extract

Pinch of salt

1/4 cup butter, softened

2 1/2 to 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1/3 cup light cream (I used skim milk)

2 drops green food coloring, if desired (I didn't use this ingredient)

1/2 to 1 cup chopped chocolate mint candy pieces

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray the bottom of a 9 x 13 inch baking pan with nonstick baking spray with flour (I just used the spray without the flour, liberally). Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine cake mix, water, oil, melted butter, and eggs. Beat for 30 seconds on low speed, then increase to high and beat for 2 minutes. Stir in 1 cup of the candy pieces and pour into the pan.

Bake for 28 to 34 minutes until top springs back when lightly touched. Cool completely.

For the icing, in a medium bowl, beat cream cheese, extract, salt, butter and 1 cup of the powdered sugar. Add remaining powdered sugar alternately with the cream until frosting is fluffy. Beat in food coloring.

Frost cake. Top with remining mint candy. Store in fridge. Serves 16.

"It is the destiny of mint to be crushed."
-Waverley Lewis Root

White Chocolate Chip Cherry Oatmeal Cookies

2010-10-21T13:07:00.003-04:00

How about that for a loaded cookie?! Last week, I could not decide what snack I wanted to make and these cookies seemed to have it all. They bake up high, so the cookie is almost rounded at the top. All those ingredients in one little cookie gives it great texture and flavors. Great for days when plain old chocolate chip won't do!

White Chocolate Chip Cherry Oatmeal Cookies

1 2/3 cups flour

1 1/2 cups old fashioned rolled oats (I used instant)

3/4 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

1 cup brown sugar

1 egg

2 tsps. vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups white chocolate, coursely chopped or white chocolate chips

3/4 cup dried cherries

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

Combine the dry ingredients together starting with flour and ending with salt. Set aside.

Using a mixer, beat the butter in a large mixing bowl until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the brown sugar and mix until smooth. Add the egg and vanilla. Blend in the flour mixture in three steps. Stir in the white chocolate and dried cherries.

Scoop out walnut sized mounds of cookie dough and place on cookie sheet, leaving 2 inches between cookies. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until cookies are a light golden brown. Place on cooling racks and store in airtight containers.

From: Chocolate Lover's Cookbook for Dummies

"C is for cookie. That's good enough for me."
-Cookie Monster, Sesame Street

Vacation, Sort Of

2010-10-14T18:23:00.008-04:00

My husband and I decided earlier on in the year to spend our money to fix up our house instead of taking a vacation this year. Nobody was happy about it, but our house desperately needed updating. We have been working on it slowly since we bought it 10 years ago. We added a new sun room, installed wood floors, put in new kitchen counters and cabinets, painted and added crown molding, refinished the basement and added a bathroom. We both agreed that now it was time to update the outside of the home. Plus we needed more space for our family and a front porch would be a great place to hang out. So we had my brother in law, who owns his own contractor business, add a front porch to our house, a new driveway and a new stone wall. We also decided to build pillars with solar lights at the beginning of the driveway. It was a lot of work and took three months to complete, but I'm so glad we did it.

Since my husband had not taken his vacation time this year, he scheduled it for this week. Just some time at home. No plans. Having a husband at home is a lot of work! Just today alone he had us going out to buy bikes (I haven't owned one since I was 14 years old!) and riding them all afternoon on the local trail. He also took me to lunch the other day and tomorrow he wants to go for coffee. Some people. Really.

Needless to say, I haven't been home much to get any baking done and dinners have mostly been on the fly. It's a nice change of pace and I'm enjoying having some company all day! I'll miss him next week when he has to go back to work. I will have my baking to comfort me, though.

"A vacation is having nothing to do and all day to do it in."
-Robert Orben

Slow Cooker Apple Onion Soup

2010-10-07T10:40:00.002-04:00

With this past week being in the 50's and rainy, I felt the need to make lots of soup. Being that French Onion soup is one of my favorites, when I received this recipe through Paula Deen's monthly newsletter, I was intrigued. A little worried too. Would it taste weird combining the apples with onions? To me, that doesn't sound too good! So after cooking it all day, I was dying to taste it. Suprisingly, it was good! The diced apples add texture and the apple juice in the recipe gives it a slight sweet taste. Add that to the cinnamon sprinked on the bread, and the flavors taste just like Fall should. I hope you enjoy it too!

Slow Cooker Apple Onion Soup

1/2 cup butter (I used about 4 tablespoons of SmartBalance butter)

4 large sweet onions, thinly sliced

3 apples peeled and diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons all purpose flour

5 cups beef stock

1 cup apple juice

1/4 cup white wine (I used cooking sherry)

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp. brown sugar

1/2 tsp. salt (I omitted due to large amount of salt already in recipe)

1/4 tsp. thyme

1/2 tsp. black pepper, freshly ground

For Cinnamon Cheese Toast Top:

6 slices French bread, sliced

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 1/2 cups Swiss cheese

In slow cooker on high, combine butter, onions, apples and garlic. Cover and cook on high for 45 to 60 minutes or until the onions begin to brown around the edges. (I didn't use the cooker. Instead I completed this step on the stove top with a frying pan)

Sprinkle mixture with flour and stir to coat (at this point I added the mixture to the crock pot). Add beef stock, apple juice, white wine, Worcestershire, brown sugar, thyme, salt and pepper. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours or on high 3 to 4 hours until onions are tender and soup is hot.

To serve: Ladle soup into ovenproof crocks. Top with one slice of bread per crock. Sprinkle cinnamon over each bread slice and cover with 1/4 cup of cheese. Place under preheated broiler on low for about 2 minutes or until browned.

Makes 6 servings.

"Winter is an etching, spring a watercolor, summer an oil painting and autumn a mosaic of them all."
-Stanley Horowitz

Peanut Butter Chocolate Oatmeal Squares

2010-10-01T11:12:00.002-04:00

There are so many varieties of bar cookies that you could probably make a different one everyday and not run out of recipes for months! I love them cause they are so easy to make and fun to tweek to your own taste. They never fail to be chewy, crunchy and full of sweet goodness. These bar cookies have all of my favorite ingredients- peanut butter, chocolate and oats. And M&M's to boot! I used the minature instead of full size regular M&M's, but you can pick your favorite to add.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Oatmeal Squares

1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, softened

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 cup packed brown sugar

3 large eggs

1 1/2 cup peanut butter

1 1/2 tsps. vanilla extract

1 1/2 cup flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1 1/2 cup old fashioned oats

12 ounces candy coated chocolate, like M&M's

1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9 by 13 inch baking pan with parchment paper, leaving some paper hanging over the edge of the pan to make it easier to lift bars out after baking.

Beat together butter and sugars until creamy. Beat in eggs one at a time. Mix in the peanut butter and vanilla to form a smooth batter.

In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder and oats. Slowly add the dry mixture to the wet mixture, mixing until flour is just blended. Batter will be thick.

Spoon half the batter into the prepared baking pan. Smooth over with a spatula. Sprinkle M&M's over the batter then top with remaining batter.

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes until top is lightly browned and toothpick or knife comes out clean. If middle is not done yet, cover pan with alum. foil until baked through.

Cool pan completely on a wire rack. Lift bars out of the pan and drizzle with melted chocolate. Cut into squares. Store in sealed container.

"Tell me what you eat, I'll tell you who you are."
-Anthelme Brillat-Savarin

Cool Site

2010-09-27T12:06:00.002-04:00

I heard about this site on our local radio station this morning (KDKA). Even though the weather is so easily accessable anymore, it's a fun way to find out on this site too.

http://www.doineedanumbrella.com/

Banana Crunch Muffins

2010-09-22T15:27:00.005-04:00

I have found that it's really hard to come up with creative recipes using bananas. At least ones that my kids will eat. Searching my recipes and the internet usually gets me the usual Banana cake, banana splits, banana smoothies. This time I decided to search Food Network. I found this recipe by Barefoot Contessa, one of my favorite people on Food Network! The site even includes a clip from her show letting you see how she makes the recipe, which I find immensely helpful. These muffins took less time than I thought and came out beautifully.

Banana Crunch Muffins

3 cups all purpose flour

2 cups sugar

2 tsps. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 salt (I omitted since I used salted butter)

1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

2 extra large eggs (I used large eggs)

3/4 cup whole milk (I used skim)

2 tsps. vanilla extract

1 cup mashed bananas (2 bananas)

1 cup medium diced bananas (1 banana)

1 cup chopped walnuts

1 cup granola (I used Just Bunches cereal ground up a bit and 1/4 cup oats)

1 cup shredded sweetened coconut

Dried Banana chips, granola, or shredded coconut, optional

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray muffin pans with cooking spray to prevent sticking. Line with cupcake liners.

Sift flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into bowl of an electric mixer. Add the cooled butter and blend on slow speed. Combine the eggs, milk, vanilla, and mashed bananas in a bowl. Add the mixture to the flour and butter mixture in the electric mixer bowl. Mix on low, scrapeing the sides as needed. Do not over mix.

Fold in sliced bananas, walnuts, granola, and coconut into the batter. Spoon the batter into the paper liners, filling each cup to the top. Top each muffin with dried banana chips, granola or coconut, if desired.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until tops are brown and toothpick comes out clean. Cool on wire rack. Makes about 18 muffins.

"As for butter versus margarine, I trust cows more than chemists."
-Joan Gussow

Better Than ? Chocolate Cake

2010-09-14T12:31:00.003-04:00

I know what you are thinking and yeah, that is what this cake usually is called. But since I have little ones, I can't say that! So for now, it's Better than fill in a fun family activity here chocolate cake :) Anyway you call it, this cake is good! Lots of chocolate and very easy to make, it is fun to throw together and you can add or alter any of the additions to the basic cake to make it what you like. For me, I added different chips and left out the pecans. Everyone here liked the results. I hope you enjoy this one!

Better than ? Chocolate Cake

1 package (18.25 ounces) plain devil's food cake mix

1 package (6 ounces or 1 cup) semi sweet chocolate chips

3/4 cup pecans

1 package (3.9 ounces) chocolate instant pudding mix

1 cup sour cream

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup water

4 large eggs

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Frosting of your choice

Spray and flour one tube pan. Set aside. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place 2 tablespoons of cake mix, chocolate chips and pecans in a small bowl. Stir together and set aside.

Place remaining cake mix, the chocolate pudding, sour cream, oil, water, eggs and vanilla in a large mixing bowl. Beat on low speed for 1 minute, scraping sides as needed. Increase speed to medium and beat 2 to 3 minutes more, scraping sides as needed. Batter should be well blended. Fold in chocolate chip mixture and mix until well distributed. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing top with spatula.

Bake for 50 to 55 minutes or until the top springs back when touched. Remove pan and let cool 15 minutes. Using a butter knife, run it along the outer rim of the cake, separating it from the pan. Invert the cake onto a cooling rack then invert onto a plate when cooled completely. Frost and decorate as desired.

"Anybody who believes that the way to a man's heart is through his stomach flunked geography."
-Robert Byrne, quoted in 1,911 Best Things Anybody Ever Said, 1988

Cowboy Cookies

2010-09-08T12:17:00.003-04:00

Things are finally getting back to a semi normal routine with the kids settling into school and routines getting set. After all the stress from the starting school, the kids wanted nothing more than to snuggle up and watch a movie last weekend. We decided on the movie Up (which is fantastic, even for adults!) and as we were watching it, the kids wanted something sweet to eat. So I baked these cookies. We nearly made ourselves sick eating them! They are so good, full of wonderful chunks of chocolate and oats, my favorite. The recipe makes 4 to 5 dozen so you may want to cut it in half, unless you really love cookies like I do!

Cowboy Cookies

1 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. baking powder

3/4 tsp. salt

1 cup butter, softened

1 cup peanut butter (I used Dark Chocolate peanut butter)

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup packed brown sugar

2 large eggs

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 cups quick cooking oats

2 cups semi sweet chocolate chips or chunks (I used chunks)

1 cup coarsely chopped peanuts or pecans (I omitted these and substituted white chocolate chips)

Lightly grease a baking sheet or line with parchment paper. Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, beat butter and peanut butter with granulated sugar and brown sugar, until creamy. Beat in vanilla and eggs until smooth. Stir in the flour mixture then oats, chocolate chips and nuts.

Drop cookie dough by tablespoonful onto a prepared baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes or until lightly browned on edges.

Cool completely and store in tightly sealed container.

From: Southernfood.about.com

Carl Fredricksen: Hey, let's play a game. It's called "see who can be quiet the longest."
Russell: Cool! My mom loves that game!
-from the movie "Up"

Glazed Lemon Pound Cake

2010-09-03T13:13:00.003-04:00

This is one of my all time favorite recipes. A friend of mine gave it to me and every time I make it, I think of her. The cake is so easy. And it's so good. Sweet, tart and moist, it would be perfect for a get together of any kind.

Glazed Lemon Pound Cake

4 eggs

1 package of 2 layer cake mix, without the pudding

1 3.75 ounce package instant lemon pudding mix

1/3 cup oil (I use applesauce instead for less calories)

3/4 cup water

Beat eggs until thick and lemon colored. Add the cake mix, pudding mix, oil (or applesauce), and water. Beat at medium speed for 5 minutes. Pour into an ungreased bundt pan or 10 inch tube pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 to 45 minutes. Cool before removing from pan.

Glaze:

2 cups powdered sugar

1/3 cup lemon juice

In a saucepan, combine the powdered sugar and lemon juice. Bring to a boil, stirring as it boils. Using a toothpick, poke holes over top and sides of warm cake. Pour warm glaze over the cake, using a plate underneath to catch drips. Decorate with lemon slices, if desired.

"When someone asks if you'd like cake or pie, why not say you want cake and pie?"
-Lisa Loeb

Outrageous Chocolate Chunk Cookies

2010-08-31T13:20:00.005-04:00

Wow. I made it. I feel a bit like Chevy Chase on Christmas Vacation at the end of the movie when he says, "I did it". Two and a half weeks of a house full of company, orientations for school, doctors appointments, karate lessons, and trips to zoos and amusement parks and a house renovation (we are adding a front porch). We even went through a possible adoption situation on top of all that. It didn't turn out :( but it worked out for the best (the kids were acting out too much to bring them into a family with other kids). I'd be lying my pants off if I said I wasn't a bit relieved when it was all over. Sad in a big way too with missing my brother and especially his kids, but happy to get the house back in order, the kids off to school, and some sanity in my schedule.
To vent some of the stress from our end of summer blast of fun, I baked cookies from a new recipe last night. Talk about your stress relievers; these cookies turned out better than I had hoped! I adapted them from a Martha Stewart recipe, changing some of the ingredients to what I had on hand. If you decide to try these (and I hope you do, they are to die for!), make sure you only bake them for the time recommended, just when they start to crack on the outside and are still soft. Store them in a sealed container and they will stay soft for 2 to 3 days.

Outrageous Chocolate Chunk Cookies

1 cup (8 oz.) semi sweet chocolate chips

4 tablespoons butter (I used salted but unsalted works too)

2/3 cup all purpose flour, spooned and leveled

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt (I used 1/4 tsp. due to using salted butter)

2 large eggs

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 package of semi sweet chocolate chips (I also threw in 1/2 cup white chips and 1/4 cup Reese's mini peanut butter pieces)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Heat semi sweet chips and butter in a microwave safe bowl in the microwave at 20 second intervals, mixing as needed, until melted. Remove and cool slightly.

In another bowl, whisk flour, baking powder and salt together. Set aside.

In a mixing bowl, beat eggs, brown sugar and vanilla on high speed until light and fluffy. Reduce speed to low and beat in the melted chocolate. Mix in flour mixture until just combined. Stir in chips.

Drop dough in rounded tablespoons on baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes. Cool cookies on sheets for about 10 minutes then remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Audrey: Do you sleep with your brother? Do you know how sick and twisted that is?
Ellen: Well, I'm sleeping with your father. Don't be so dramatic.
-Christmas Vacation (1989)

Be Right Back.....

2010-08-13T13:55:00.002-04:00

Just letting everyone know that I probably won't be able to blog for the next few weeks. My brother is coming home on leave (Navy) from Cuba and will be shipping out back to the war early September, so this will be our last visit for a long while. He is also bringing my niece and nephew so my kids are all beside themselves about getting to see their cousins, who live several hours away.

So, needless to say, with a houseful of company and school starting August 30th, I'm one crazy woman! If I get a chance to sit down, I'll attempt to blog. But I'm hoping that if I don't get a chance until school starts, I will at least have some great recipes to share. My brother loves to cook and I'm sure he has some good ones up his sleeve!

I'll still be reading everyone's blogs so I hope to at least stay in touch.

Enjoy the rest of summer! Soon, we'll all be talking about the fall foliage!

Chocolate Covered Popcorn

2010-08-10T14:12:00.003-04:00

Talk about your lazy day desserts! Chocolate Covered Popcorn has got to be in the top ten. Yesterday, the kids and I were all lazy bums. No one felt like doing anything. Normally, I don't let the kids watch t.v. during the afternoon, but I made an exception yesterday and suggested a movie. That is when daughter number one decided we needed popcorn to go with the movie. And being my daughter, she of course suggested chocolate popcorn. In no time, we had a large bowl of yumminess!

Chocolate Covered Popcorn

2 packages of Simply Salted popcorn

1 cup (or more to taste) semi sweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup white chocolate chips (if desired)

1/2 cup peanuts (honey or regular) if desired

Pop the popcorn and let cool. Melt the semi sweet chips in a glass bowl set over a pot of simmering water. Stir as needed. Once melted remove from heat (do the same for the white chips if using).

Place popcorn on an aluminum lined baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray. Add peanuts if using. Using a spoon, drizzle the melted semi sweet chips (and melted white chips if using) over the popcorn, covering most of the surface. Using clean hands, toss the popcorn until the chocolate coats most of the kernels. Serve.

"The laziest man I ever met put popcorn in his pancakes so they would turn over by themselves."
-W. C. Fields

Japanese Rice Balls

2010-08-04T14:20:00.002-04:00

My middle daughter loves anime. She watches it, reads about it and draws it. Ad nauseam. It was no surprise to me then when she asked if I would make her rice balls. She had seen characters on her shows eating them and wanted to try them. I found a recipe and got all of the ingredients together. It was surprisingly easy. I did substitute some things, like the fillings. I just could not find "ume" which is pickled plum nor did I think the kids would go for grilled salted salmon, but otherwise we stuck to the recipe. It was fun to make and even more interesting to eat!

Japanese Rice Balls

4 cups of Japanese rice, steamed (I used sticky rice from the grocery store)

8 strips of dried nori (seaweed)

Salt to taste

Recipe fillings- ume, grilled salted salmon, kombu tsukudani

My Fillings- sweet pickles, pepperoni (requested by my daughter- yuk!), pineapple, sweet smoked ham- all chopped to fit inside

Cook rice. After dipping your hands in water, take about 1/3 cup of rice and form a ball, pressing in until the ball is firm. Make a dent into the center of the ball with a chopstick. Place filling inside and cover with rice. Wrap the ball with one slice of nori, pressing firmly until nori forms over the rice firmly.

Serve with teriyaki and other Japanese dipping sauces.

"Success is 99 percent failure”
-Soichiro Honda quotes (Japanese Honda Motor Company Founder, b.1906)

Easy And Fast Cresent Roll Snacks

2010-07-29T13:59:00.004-04:00

Last night, when we were running around with errands and Karate classes, everyone was hungry for a snack. I usually let the kids forge for themselves, eating whatever they like. But I recently discovered how easy it is to throw together some really yummy snacks with a couple of tubes of cresent rolls and a few extra ingredients. Last night, I made pepperoni rolls and chocolate filled rolls. I had already made the chocolate rolls at the beginning of last year for an after school snack, but I'd never made the pepperoni rolls. As I suspected, it was so easy! I imagine you could come up with your own ideas of what would work as a filling. Ground beef/turkey, a little cheese and some taco seasoning would make great taco rolls. Juliened carrots and zucchini and some dressing would make a great veggie roll. The ideas are endless. Please share any ideas you might have. I'd love to hear them!

Pepperoni Rolls

1 can reduced fat cresent rolls

1/2 cup pepperoni, small pizza sized

1/2 cup reduced fat finely shredded cheese

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Spray a cookie sheet with Pam. Set aside.

Spread out the cresent roll dough, separating the individual rolls. On each section of dough, place about 1 tablespoon of cheese. Layer pepperoni over the cheese, using about 4 to 5 pepperonis. Carefully roll the cresent dough, starting with the wider side. When completely rolled, tuck sides over so no cheese leaks out. Place in rows on cookie sheet and bake about 10 to 15 minutes, or until browned on top. Serve.

Chocolate Filled Rolls

1 can reduced fat cresent rolls

1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup white chocolate chips, if desired

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a cookie with Pam and set aside.

Spread cresent dough out, separating the individual rolls. On each section of dough, place about 1 tablespoon of semi sweet chocolate and one tablespoon of white chocolate chips. Roll dough over chips, starting at the wider end. Tuck sides in to prevent chocolate from melting out. Bake for about 10 to 15 minutes or until browned. Serve.

“I like vending machines, because snacks are better when they fall. If I buy a candy bar at the store, oftentimes I will drop it so that is achieves its maximum flavor potential.”
-Mitch Hedberg

Twenty Questions

2010-07-22T13:51:00.004-04:00

Twenty Questions

1. When you looked at yourself in the mirror today, what was the first thing that you thought? ---I'm tired!

2. Do you miss anyone right now? ---my brother in the Navy stationed at Gitmo

3. If you could move anywhere else, would you? ---oh, yeah!

4. If you could choose, what would your last meal be? ---I would eat at my favorite restaurant, Hyeholde, and include every dessert they have!

5. What famous person, dead or alive, would you want to have lunch with? --Jesus. I'm not sure I would be able to speak, though!

6. What was the last book you read? ---A Matter Of Class- Mary Balogh. Gotta get that romance in sometimes :)

7. What was the last movie you watched?---Green Zone. What a bad movie! The entire story was about Hollywood's liberal point of view about WMD's in Iraq. It would be nice if they would just stick to acting and not political agendas. We couldn't even finish the movie.

8. What was the last song you heard? ---I don't what it was. I was on hold so something like elevator music.

9. What's your dream vacation?---A week in Williamsburg, VA and a week at the beach. That was my honeymoon, actually!

I would love to see France and England too.

10. What is the next trip you'll take? ---to the grocery store! Nah, we aren't going on vacation this year because of lack of funds.

11. Did you ever go to camp? --no

12. Have you ever been in love? --yes!

13. What do you want to know about the future?---if my children will grow up happy and healthy and if we will be together as a family. I pray for it everyday.

14. Where is your best friend?--- at work. He'll be home for dinner then off to teach school tonight.

15. How is your best friend? ---he is tired too! We both are struggling to keep things going but we are ever so grateful for our jobs and family.

16. Who is the biggest gossiper you know? ---some of my friends at my gym

17. What does your last text message say? ---I don't text too often (cheap phone) but probably something in response to my daughter asking to do something.

18. What are 3 things you've always wanted to do, that you still plan to accomplish? ---move back home to VA, own my own successful business, be there for my kids whenever they need me.

19. What is one thing you've learned from your parents? ---how not to parent.
20. What is one thing you hope to teach your own children? ---to put God first always in their lives, use their manners in all situations, treat others as you want to be treated. Ok that is three things, but they are all so important!

If you want to do this meme, just copy and paste then erase my answers and write your own. Let me know if you do, I'd like to see it!

Chocolate Raspberry Brownies

2010-07-19T14:45:00.003-04:00

Finding time to do anything with the kids home for the summer is tough. Don't get me wrong, I love having them home. But it is a challange some days (one I signed up for, so I shouldn't complain, I know!). Along with breaking up fights, getting house work done, outside activities and the "I'm bored" comments, getting time to bake is near impossible. But since all my raspberries came in this week, I really needed to do something with them and I was itching to bake again. I decided to make Chocolate Raspberry Brownies. Something simple yet fancy enough to be a bit challanging. Rich and moist, the kids love them and I'm happy!

Chocolate Raspberry Brownies

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

First layer:

1/2 cup butter, divided

2 oz. unsweetened chocolate

1/2 tsp. instant coffee

3/4 cup sugar

1 egg

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla

1/2 cup flour

Combine 1/4 cup butter, chocolate and coffee in a small saucepan and melt over low heat, stirring. Once melted, set aside.

With an electric mixer, beat 1/4 cup butter and sugar together. Add the egg and vanilla until incorporated. Add the melted chocolate mixture and the flour. Mix well.

Pour into an 9 inch square pan sprayed with cooking spray. Bake for 15 minutes or until top springs back when touched.

Second Layer:

1 cup fresh raspberries

1/2 walnuts, chopped and toasted (I didn't toast mine)

1 Tblsp. flour

In a small bowl, combine the raspberries, walnuts and flour. Stir until combined. Set aside.

Third Layer:

6 Tblsp. flour

3 Tblsp. butter, melted

3 Tblsp. cocoa powder

1 tsp. vanilla

2 eggs

3/4 cup brown sugar

Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Mix until blended. Set aside.

Remove the brownie layer from the oven and sprinkle the second layer raspberry mixture over the brownie. Spoon the third chocolate mixture over the raspberry layer, carefully smoothing it out to touch the sides of the baking pan.

Return the pan to the oven and bake another 25 to 30 minutes.

Garnish with Raspberry sauce

Raspberry Sauce:

1 cup fresh or frozen raspberries

2 Tablespoons water

2 Tablespoons sugar

Mix all ingredients in a small pan and bring to boil, stirring. Stir until mixture becomes thickened slightly. Cool and use over brownies.

"There is something in the red of a raspberry pie that looks as good to a man as the red in a sheep looks to a wolf."
-E. W. Howe

Garden Pesto

2010-07-12T17:45:00.003-04:00

Basil is one of my favorite spices. You can use it in so many dishes, or you can just leave it plain, adding it to tomatoes, mozzarella, whatever. I have two basil plants in the garden and both have produced lots of basil this year, something I'm really pleased about. The last few years, the bugs got to my basil before I did and I was so disappointed! But this year, I've found myself looking for ways to use my basil and pesto won out as the quickest, tastest way to eat it. I made two batches already and I'm freezing it to keep it fresh, as it does go bad fast in the refrigerator. Tonight, I tossed whole wheat thin spaghetti with the pesto, added fresh twisted bread from a local bakery, and threw together a salad from the garden. All that healthy food helps me compensate for the big bowl of chocolate ice cream I plan to eat later!

Garden Pesto

1/2 cup walnuts or pine nuts

2 cups firmly packed fresh basil leaves

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

4 gloves garlic, peeled and quartered (I used bottled chopped garlic)

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 to 1/2 cup good olive oil

In a food processor, combine basil leaves, Parmesan cheese, garlic, and salt. Cover and process, adding the oil through the top until smooth. Stop processor and scrape down pesto as needed. Add more cheese and/or salt to taste.

Toss with hot pasta. If not using right away, pesto will store in the refrigerator for up to three days. Store in freezer if not using within that time frame.

Recipe adapted from Better Homes and Gardens

"Why do I get pesto? Why do I think I'll like it? I keep trying to like it, like I have to like it. Everybody likes pesto. You walk into a restaurant, that's all you hear: pesto, pesto, pesto. Where was pesto ten years ago?"
-George Costanza, Seinfeld

No Bake Trash Cake

2010-07-06T13:12:00.003-04:00

I hope everyone had a great holiday! We kept very busy, visiting the Carnegie Museum of Natural History and having a picnic at home. We also met my sister and her husband for fireworks, in our usual spot in a local church parking lot.

While planning the meal for our picnic, my husband said he wanted to make the dessert. Huh? My husband make a dessert? I thought he was joking! He's cooked before but he's never been interested in making desserts. He said he is quite happy letting me do that duty (like it's a duty- Ha!). But this time, he said leave it all to him. Now, you can imagine that my curiosity was super high about what he was going to make, especially when he came back from the store with pineapple and Twinkies. He said he overheard some of his co-workers talking about this "Trash Cake" they made and he heard the ingredients and wanted to try it. So I stayed out of the way. The results were a cool, refreshing and very good dessert that I have to say was a great first effort we all enjoyed :)

No Bake Trash Cake

1 large box of Twinkies

1 15 oz can of crushed pineapple

1 half gallon vanilla ice cream, softened

1 large tub Cool whip, softened

maraschino cherries

In a 9 x 11 glass pan, line the Twinkies next to one another in rows, placing them as close as you can to completely fill the bottom. Spread the vanilla ice cream over the Twinkies out to the edges of the pan. Drain most of the juice from the pineapple then spread over the ice cream. Top with the Cool whip and cherries. Freeze until served.

"If it can't be fixed with duct tape or WD-40, it's a female problem."
-Jason Love

Greens N' Beans

2010-07-02T19:27:00.003-04:00

Speaking of Southern foods, my husband comes home the other week and says that a nurse he works with heard I grew up in the South and asked if I'd make her Greens and Beans. Now I send sweets with my husband all the time for his co-workers, but I've never made a regular meal for anyone. Plus, even though I'd consider myself a Southerner through and through, I'd never heard of Greens and Beans, nor am I known for my cooking! Since I couldn't find the recipe in any of my Southern cookbooks, I looked it up online. Good thing there is the internet! I found a recipe from Bon Appetit. While I was making it, I tested it on my eldest daughter and my husband. It got rave reviews so I felt a bit more confident sending it to work the next day to pass on to my husband's co-worker. The next day she told my husband that she had planned on eating half the bowl but ended up eating the whole container! She sent me a sweet thank you note too. I was surprised and thrilled at the same time that it all came out so well. Now the family is bugging me to make this for dinner!

Greens N' Beans

5 tablespoons of olive oil, divided

3 gloves of garlic, chopped fine (I used the bottled garlic)

1/4 to 1/2 crushed red pepper (add more if you like spicy)

1 large bunch of greens about 1 pound (I used bagged Collards and Turnip greens)

1 cup or more of chicken broth

1 15 oz can of white cannellini beans (white kidney beans) drained and rinsed

1 tablespoon of Sherry cooking wine

In a large pan, add 4 tablespoons of the olive oil. Add garlic and red pepper. Stir until garlic is pale golden, about 1 minute. Add greens a handful at a time, using tongs to turn and coat with oil. Cook until greens begin to wilt. Add 1 cup of broth, cover and simmer until greens are just tender. Add more broth as needed, if dry. Add the beans and cook uncovered until heated through and liquid is evaporated. Add sherry and drizzle with last tablespoon of oil. Serve.

"Growing up Southern is a priviledge, really. It's more than where you were born, it's an idea and a state of mind that seems imparted at birth. It's more than loving fried chicken, sweet tea, football and country music. It's being hospitable, devoted to front porches, magnolias, moon pies, and coca cola.....and each other. We don't become Southern, we are born that way."

-unknown

Grits, Grits, And More Grits

2010-06-28T10:21:00.004-04:00

One thing about living outside of the South is the unavailibility of Southern foods. It took many years for grits to even make it to Pittsburgh grocery shelves and when they did, it was in the form of instant grits. Greens are not common, and are mostly found at Wal Mart (I grow my own so that helps!). Any variety of beans is on short supply and any mention of ham hocks usually gets you funny stares and a "what's that?" from the locals. So when my husband asked me back in May what I wanted for my birthday, I told him I wanted some South in my mouth and to order me up some of my favorite Southern staples on line- White Lilly flour, Dixie sugar, Dukes mayo and real grits. I can't tell you how wonderful it was to taste that first bowl of grits! Usually I have to visit home to get some and now I can make it for myself. What a treat! A little honey and butter on top and if I close my eyes, I'm home!

Grits

2 1/4 cups of water

1/2 cup of grits

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tbsp. butter

Mix all four ingredients in a medium saucepan. Bring to boil over medium heat, stirring often. Reduce heat to low and cover. Simmer for 50 to 60 minutes, stirring occasionally. If grits become too thick, add a bit of water. Serves 2 large bowls or 4 smaller bowls.

"No self respectin' Southerner uses instant grits. I take pride in my grits."

-Mr. Tipton, My Cousin Vinny

"Don't that just butter your grits?"

-Southern saying

Chocolate Banana Cake

2010-06-24T17:47:00.003-04:00

Tired of the same old banana bread? Well, I've got a great recipe to share that I think you'll love! I found this recipe on Joy of Baking. And you know me and chocolate, I could not resist, especially when I saw that the icing is Chocolate Ganache. But don't let the fancy name fool you. It's just good chocolate mixed with cream. I threw this cake together in between chores this afternoon and was very happy with the results. The flavors of chocolate and banana go together very well, neither one of them overpowering. The only thing I changed in the recipe was to use half applesauce half oil instead of all oil in the cake. This would be a great cake to take to a picnic or any gathering this summer.

Chocolate Banana Cake

2 cups granulated sugar

1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup cocoa
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt

2 large eggs

1 cup mashed ripe bananas (about 2 medium sized)

1 cup warm water

1/2 cup milk (I used skim)

1/2 cup safflower or canola oil (I used 1/4 cup applesauce 1/4 cup oil)

1 1/2 vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9 x 11 inch baking pan with Pam.

In a medium bowl, combine the first 6 ingredients, blending well. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the next 6 ingredients (eggs through vanilla) mixing until blended. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients until just blended. The batter will be thin.

Pour the cake mixture into the prepared pan. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until center springs back with light touch.

Cool completely.

Chocolate Ganache

8 ozs of semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, cut into small chunks (I used Ghirardelli chips)

3/4 cup heavy whipping cream

1 tblsp. unsalted butter (I used salted)

Place chocolate in a medium size glass bowl. Set aside. In a saucepan, heat cream and butter over medium heat. Stir and bring to a boil. Remove immediately. Pour over chocolate and let sit for 5 minutes. Stir until blended. When completely cool, beat with mixer until soft and fluffy. Spread over cake.

"Life without chocolate is like a beach without water."

-unknown

Red Velvet Cream Filled Cupcakes

2010-06-21T15:40:00.002-04:00

What is it about Red Velvet cake that is so appealing? It's a classic Southern dessert that never gets boring. When my new cookbook Southern Living Comfort Food arrived in the mail last week, I could not wait to try a recipe. My middle daughter begged for the Red Velvet cake. The recipe in the book was for a three layer cake but she wanted cupcakes so I cut the recipe in half and made cupcakes instead. Then we decided we wanted to fill the cupcakes with cream, something I'd never done before. But I found out it's super easy. The usual icing for this recipe is cream cheese but my middle one doesn't like cream cheese so I tried another regular white icing. The recipe turned out bad so next time, it's the cream cheese icing. She can just scrape it off :)

Red Velvet Cream Filled Cupcakes

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 1/4 cup sugar

3 large eggs

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 tablespoons cocoa

1/8 tsp. baking soda

4 oz sour cream

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 1 oz. bottle of red food coloring

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Beat the butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add sugar, beating until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until blended after each addition.

Stir together flour, cocoa, and baking soda in another bowl. Add to butter mixture alternately with the sour cream, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Beat at low speed just until blended after each addition. Stir in vanilla; stir in red food coloring. Spoon batter into lined or greased cupcake pan, filling about 2/3 full.

Bake at 350 degrees for 18 to 20 minutes or until wooden pick inserted comes out clean. Remove cupcakes onto a wire cooling rack. Cool throughly.

Filling:

1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream

sugar to taste

Whip the heavy whipping cream with a mixer until stiff peaks form. Add sugar to taste.

Using a decorator's bag and a long decorating tip (Joann's has these available with the cupcake supplies), fill the bag with the whipped cream. Insert the tip into the top of the cupcake about half way and squeeze the cream inside until the top moves up slightly. Cover with icing. Keep in the refridgerator.

"Cakes nourish much more than the body. They feed the soul."

-Southern Living Comfort Food cookbook

School's Out Campfire Meat Buns

2010-06-16T14:36:00.002-04:00

School was over as of last Friday so the fun has begun! The kids are behaving themselves so far (which I'm very grateful for!) and it's been a non stop hub of activity with friends coming and going. We spent most of last week searching for our lost cat Cleo, but to no avail. Over the weekend we talked about her a lot, each of us expressing our feelings about what a great cat she was. We are slowly picking up her food bowls, blankets, and litter pan, dragging it all out as much as possible to avoid acknowledging she is actually gone.

On top of all the other activity, my husband had a bad wisdom tooth pulled the other day (ouch!) and is in pain; enough pain to make him pop aspirins around the clock. He's having trouble eating, so when contemplating dinner last night, I was balancing kids running in and out and my husband's need for soft foods. When looking around for something to try, I found Christy's Southern Plate blog had a easy and tasty recipe for Campfire Meat Pies. They sounded so good I had to try them! I changed the recipe to include ground turkey mixed with mild taco seasoning and piled with 2% fat cheese, instead of the lunchmeat Christy's recipe called for (though that sounds very good too!). I also changed the name to "buns" instead of "pies" just for my own entertainment! Everyone in the family loved them. My son was asking for more today for dinner. A little too soon, bud, but we'll be making them again in no time!

Campfire Meat Buns

2 tubes of reduced fat Cresent rolls

1 pound ground turkey

1/4 cup water

taco seasoning to taste

4 oz. finely shredded cheese

Cook turkey in a skillet until all meat is browned. Add water and stir. Add taco seasoning to taste and blend. Once water is mostly evaparated, remove from heat.

On a baking sheet sprayed with Pam, lay out indiviual cresent rolls. On the wide part of the dough, add about 1 tablespoon of meat. Top with a tablespoon of cheese. Fold the cresent roll matching up the corners until the meat and cheese are contained.

When all cresent rolls are completed, bake in the oven at 350 degrees for about 10 to 15 minutes. Cool slightly and serve.

"I don't think a really good pie can be made without a dozen or so children peeking over your shoulder as you stoop to look at it every little while."

-John Gould

Rest In Peace, Cleo

2010-06-09T05:24:00.007-04:00

She came to us on a brisk October night in 1990. I was coming home from a late class and she was there, a little orange long haired cat meowing at me on my front steps. My first reaction was to stomp my foot near her and I said, "Shoo, kitty!". I was allergic to cats and knew I couldn't get near her. I went inside and mentioned the cat to my husband. He said he'd seen her and didn't know if we should help her. I reminded him I was allergic, but if he wanted to leave out a bowl of tuna and a makeshift bed outside, I was ok with that. Although I thought we couldn't take her in, the thought of turning away a hungry kitty tore at me. My husband and I made a deal. If the cat was still there in the morning, we would call the landlord and ask to keep her. I would just have to stay away from her and let my husband care for her.

As it turned out, the kitty was there in the morning and we ended up letting her in. She seemed so grateful. For the first few days all she did was sleep, eat and crawl up on my chest to purr and purr. At first I was nervous, thinking I'd be allergic. It turned out that if I was careful and didn't touch my eyes after I touched the cat, I was ok. So we slowly got to know each other during her recovery period. We took her to the vet and he cured her ear mites and told us she was probably about 6 months old, making up the birthdate of May 1st. We named her Cleopatra, after the queen. Since neither of us ever owned a cat, we took a while to learn about her and she, never owning a human before, learned about us. We later learned from our neighbors that shortly before she came to us, she had been going house to house meowing at the doors. Some people fed her, but no one let her in. To this day that story brings tears to my eyes.

Over the years, Cleo would come to see us at night while we watched TV and she would sit on my chest and purr, just like in those first nights. She did funny things like trying to jump onto a window sill that was covered in plastic for the winter. That earned her the nickname, KittySplat. But she was most of all a very stoic, intelligent kitty who seemed very determined to be above it all and except for her love for us, dignified in all situations.

We thought she might be lonely so we adopted a sister for her from the shelter. We named her Nephertiti. But Cleo never seemed to take to her too well, always wrestling with her and attacking her when she did something stupid, which was often. They did curl up together and groomed each other, but Cleo never seemed to need anyone else for companionship. She didn't seemed bothered when we had to put Nephie down at age 9.

Cleo also seemed to defy odds with her health. The only time she was sick in her life, before now, was when she had a bladder infection. She started meowing at me one day and led me down to her litter box in the basement. She got in, tried to go to the bathroom, and looked at me when she couldn't, as if to say, "See, I can't go. Something is wrong." I took her to the vet and sure enough, she had an infection.

As Cleo got older, we began to wonder if she was a super cat. She outlived three dogs and Nephie. She was only sick once. She survived three moves. Year after year, she kept going. She just seemed like she'd always be here. But recently, we noticed Cleo started to look bad. She stopped being able to groom herself, leaving us to shave off knots in her long hair, a miserable process for both of us. She also couldn't walk steps anymore. She started having accidents in the house, something she never did before. She was always a clean and meticulous. She seemed to be losing weight. I took her to the vet a few months ago, after trying everything to help her. They took blood and said she had thyroid disease and kidney disease. Basically, her kidneys were failing from old age and there was nothing they could do. They recommended a low protein diet and sent us home. Poor kitty. I asked the vet if Cleo was in any pain, they thought she wasn't. So we watched her. We gave her a low protein diet, with some of her favorite wet food here and there. She drank a lot of water, even out of the dog bowl at times. We moved her litter pan so she had everything in one area. We gave her a fluffy towel to lay on and kept an eye on her.

Cleo always loved outdoors. She was an indoor kitty, but would meow at us to be let out. Most of the time, I would let her go. Though I was scared she wouldn't come back, she always did. I think she just looked around, ate some grass and came back. Smart kitty. But in the last few months, I was too scared to let her go out without keeping an eye on her. She only asked a few times to go out anyway. I think she was too sick.

This past Sunday, my husband stayed home from church to deal with the weekend flooding in our basement from all the rain. He left the glass sliding doors open for the dogs to go out so he could work on the basement, never thinking that Cleo would go out. She spent most of her time sleeping in the other room. She had been acting strange all week and truth be told, we actually considered putting her down. We wanted to wait to see if she seemed to be in any distress. She had acted so strange when the rain came, putting herself underneath a leaking window, letting the rain hit her in the back. It was odd for a cat who always hated water.

By afternoon, we were home from church and lunch was cleaned up. I asked my husband if he'd seen Cleo. He said he hadn't. We looked around the house and couldn't find her. He told me then that he had left the door open and we figured she might have slipped out. I went outside and called her. Nothing. We waited. We thought for sure she'd show up. By nightfall, still nothing. In the morning, we started to wonder if she was in trouble. I had heard that cats wonder off to die, but I couldn't imagine that would happen to us, to Cleo. But as the days went on and we had one night in the 40's, I started to realize she wasn't coming back. We looked every where, all through our yard, in the woods, on the next street. We told neighbors about her in case they saw her. Nothing.

She's gone. I can feel it in my bones. She would never do this normally. And she was too sick to go far. She is a smart kitty and knows how to come home. We've called her and the dogs have been barking, so she would hear us and know to come home. I can't stand the thought of her laying out there, by herself, dead. I could use the closure of a least having a body to mourn over. But knowing my smart kitty, she hid herself well in a small cozy place to rest her bones.

I think it's time to let go. Cleo, my wonderful baby kitty, rest well. We will always love you. I'll be seeing you in Heaven someday, where I know you've already taken over as queen of the animals. My smart kitty.

"Of all God's creatures, there is only one that cannot be made slave of the lash. That one is the cat. If man could be crossed with the cat, it would improve the man, but it would deteriorate the cat."

-Mark Twain

New York Style Cheesecake

2010-06-07T13:08:00.004-04:00

I used to make cheesecakes all the time, before I had kids. I used a wonderful recipe that always turned out great. My husband even encouraged me to sell them, an endeavor that never quite panned out, unforturately. It would have been fun. I've since missplaced that great recipe so when daughter number one asked what a cheesecake tasted like, I had to make her one. I found a to-die-for recipe on Joy of Baking. The recipe steps seemed daunting, and I thought a time or two about modifying them, but I decided to follow it through the first time and see how it turned out. I'm so glad I did. This cheesecake is restaurant quality and tastes fantastic! It's so hard having it close by in the fridge cause it just keeps calling my name. If you get the time, make this cake. You'll be so glad you did.

New York Style Cheesecake

For the crust:

2 cups of graham wafer crumbs or finely crushed vanilla wafers or gingersnaps (process whole cookies in a food processor until they are crumbs)
1/4 cup granulated white sugar
1/2 cup butter, melted (they recommend unsalted, but I used salted)

For the filling:

4 8 oz. size cream cheese, at room temperature (they recommend full fat, I used Neufchatel cream cheese)
1 cup granulated white sugar
3 tablespoons all purpose flour
5 large eggs, at room temperature
1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For the topping:

1 cup sour cream (they recommend full fat, I used reduced fat)
2 tablespoons granulated white sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Butter, or spray with a non stick vegetable spray, a 9 inch springform pan. Place the springform pan on a larger baking pan to catch any leakage while the cheesecake is baking. Preheat oven to 350 degrees with rack in center of oven.

For Crust: In a medium sized bowl combine the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and melted butter. Press the crumbs evenly over the bottom and about 1 inch up the sides of the springform pan. Cover and refrigerate while you make the filling.

For Filling: In bowl of your electric mixer place the cream cheese, sugar, and flour. Beat on medium speed until smooth (about 2 minutes), scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well (about 30 seconds) after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the whipping cream, lemon zest, vanilla extract and beat just until incorporated. Remove the crust from the refrigerator and pour in the filling. Place the cheesecake pan in the oven.

Bake for 15 minutes and then lower the oven temperature to 250 degrees and continue to bake for about another 1 1/2 hours or until firm and only the center of the cheesecake looks a little wet and wobbly. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl combine the sour cream, sugar, and vanilla extract. Spread the topping over the warm cheesecake and return to oven to bake for about 15 minutes. Remove from oven and carefully run a knife or spatula around the inside edge of pan to loosen the cheesecake (helps prevent the surface from cracking as it cools).

Let cool before covering with plastic wrap and refrigerating. This cheesecake tastes best after being refrigerated for at least a day.

Serve with fresh fruit or fruit sauces.

Makes one - 9 inch cheesecake.

To freeze: Place the cooled cheesecake on a baking pan and freeze, uncovered, until firm. Remove the cheesecake from the freezer, wrap it in heavy duty aluminum foil and place in a freezer bag. Seal and return to freezer. Can be frozen for several months. Thaw uncovered cheesecake in the refrigerator overnight.

Tips: Sometimes the surface of the cheesecake cracks. To help prevent this from happening do not overbeat the batter, especially when creaming the cheese and sugar.

Another reason for cracking is overbaking the cheesecake. Your cheesecake is done when it is firm but the middle may still look a little wet.

Also, make sure the springform pan is well greased as cracking can occur if the cheesecake sticks to the sides as it cools.

Source: The Joy of Baking

“....I can dream away a half-hour on the immortal flavor of those thick cheese cakes we used to have on a Saturday night.”
-Mary Antin, 'The Promised Land'

Memorial Day

2010-05-31T07:00:00.000-04:00

To all who gave the ultimate sacrifice......Thank you.

Fluffy Buttermilk Biscuits

2010-05-27T12:52:00.003-04:00

In my quest to make the perfect Southern biscuit, it occured to me that I might be using the wrong flour. So I ordered some White Lily from an online company and went to work. Apparently, the lower protein content of Southern flours makes for lighter, tastier biscuits. The results I got were some of the best I've had! Since I've never seen good Southern biscuits being made, I kept wondering if the instructions were right. But the biscuits turned out so good, I knew I had a keeper. I did change one ingredient in the recipe but it only helped them taste better (see recipe). I hope you get inspired to make some good homemade Southern biscuits!

Fluffy Buttermilk Biscuits

2 cups White Lily self rising flour

1/4 cup butter, cold and cut into small pieces (you can use Crisco here instead but the butter flavor is better)

2/3 to 3/4 cup of buttermilk (I used regular milk (sweet milk) and a tablespoon of lemon juice to make buttermilk)

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees.

Measure the flour and place in bowl. Add butter and with a fork or pastry cutter incorporate the butter until the mixture resembles crumbs. Blend in enough of the milk to make the dough separate from the sides of the bowl, but don't stir too much, just until moist. Gently knead dough two or three times then roll out on a floured surface to about 1 inch in height. Cut with a large biscuit cutter but do not twist the cutter (it makes the edges tough). Place on a cookie sheet making sure the sides touch. Bake approx. 8 to 10 minutes or until tops are lightly browned. Brush with butter.

"Well, butter my butt and call me a biscuit"

-famous Southern saying

Orange Julius

2010-05-24T11:35:00.002-04:00

Since my daughter got home from her surgery last week, she has struggled with a bad stomach ache and a sore throat. It's hard to see her refuse food. Before her surgery, her nickname was "The Hoover" and she found it funny to eat me out of house and home on a daily basis. I swear I have no idea where she puts all that food either. But now that she is having trouble eating, I thought she might want to try something that is both cool and offers some nutrition. Plus it's easy for her to sip since solid food hurts her throat. She liked the idea of an Orange Julius. It was easy to make and delicious! This would be a perfect drink to dress up or just enjoy on a hot summer day.

Orange Julius

1 cup orange juice

1 cup water

1/4 cup egg substitute

3/4 tsp. vanilla extract

1/4 cup sugar

1 heaping cup ice

Combine all of the ingredients in a blender set on high speed for 15 to 30 seconds.

Makes two drinks.

From Top Secret Recipes by Todd Wilbur

"If life gives you lemons, make some sort of fruity juice."

-Conan O'Brian

Where Has The Time Gone?

2010-05-18T13:13:00.002-04:00

I really wanted to have a great new recipe to post today but I never got around to making anything. Since the weather was so nice, we spent all weekend working on our pool, porch and garden. We also visited the Prime Outlets near us and did some much needed shopping. And after all that, we celebrated my birthday over the weekend and we had so much cake and ice cream that making something sweet didn't seem appealing at all!

My eldest daughter is getting her adenoids out tomorrow so everyone is on edge about her surgery. She had been having so much trouble breathing and she sounded chronically stuffy, we just always thought she had colds. Finally, we tried a netti pot and when she couldn't get the water to go all the way through, we knew it wasn't just a cold she had. We made an appointment with the ENT. When he saw her he said her adenoids were "huge!" as he put it, so we scheduled her for surgery. It's only a 10 minute surgery and it's outpatient, but it's just the thought of having my baby under anesthetic makes me so nervous.

The business is not going too well either. I'm having issues with my partners, who are brothers (one is my brother in law). When I went to bid on a home last week, the one brother lowered his bid by $10,000 which left us without enough money to buy the house. Grrrrr! I called them and asked that we meet to get everything down on paper so next time there isn't an issue. If they keep creating problems, I'm thinking of doing this on my own and just hiring them to fix the homes for me. The person who said that you don't have a real business unless you are losing sleep over it is absolutely right!

I'm hoping for my next post to be able to bake soon and post something yummy for everyone.

Fresh Strawberry Pie

2010-05-10T13:25:00.003-04:00

It's Strawberry time! Yum! I'm finding it hard to resist buying the strawberries in the stores because I can smell them from several isles over. When I ended up with more strawberries than my kids could humanly eat last week, I went to one of my favorite recipe sites, Southernfood@about.com and found this recipe. It took some alterations (some recommended by other users) to get this just right, but it was worth it. Even my husband couldn't resist a piece even though he was stuffed from dinner. I'm definitely going to make this again.

Fresh Strawberry Pie

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

6 tablespoons cornstarch

1 package strawberry flavored gelatin, 4 serving size

3/4 cups of water

3 pints of strawberries, hulled and sliced in half

1 graham cracker pie crust

In a medium saucepan, combine sugar and water and heat through, stirring often. Add jello and combine. Cook until thick (about 8 to 10 minutes) and remove from heat. Cool. Place berries in crust, pour cooled jello mixture over berries and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled.

Serve with whipped topping.

"Doubtless God could have made a better berry than the strawberry, but doubtless God ever did."

-William Allen Butler

McDonalds Around The World

2010-05-05T17:18:00.002-04:00

This is a very interesting site showing all the different items McDonald's sells around the world. Some of it sounds good, some of it, well....I think they are acquired tastes!

www.foodnetworkhumor.com/2009/07/mcdonalds-menu-items-from-around-the-world-40-pics/

Raspberry Chocolate Brownies

2010-05-02T19:47:00.005-04:00

After much determination, I got to make my brownies. Baking helped burn off a lot ofmy stress and to make it even better, these brownies turned out incredibly rich and moist. The chocolate and raspberry together made the brownies taste like a fancy restaurant dessert. I can't wait to make these brownies again!

Raspberry Chocolate Brownies

3/4 cup all purpose flour

3/4 cup baking cocoa

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

2 tsp. vanilla extract

3 large eggs, divided

1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

1/2 cup seedless raspberry jam

1 1/2 cups semi sweet chocolate chips, divided

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a nine inch baking pan with cooking spray.

Combine flour, cocoa, and salt in a small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla in a large bowl until creamy. Add 2 eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in flour mixture.

Spread 1 cup of the batter into the prepared baking pan. Sprinkle pecans over the batter. Heat jam in the microwave until easily stirred, about 10 seconds. Drizzle over the pecans in the baking pan.

Beat remaining batter and 1 egg in the same large bowl until light in color. Stir in one cup of chocolate chips. Spread evenly over jam. Top with remaining chips.

Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until center is set. Cool completely and cut into squares.

"He who distinguishes the true savor of his food can never be a glutton; he who does not cannot be otherwise."

-Henry David Thoreau

Quick Update

2010-04-29T13:37:00.002-04:00

I feel like I'm neglecting my blog. The days are flying by and each time I look at the clock, it's later than I thought. I'm keeping up but someone needs to add at least a couple of hours to each day!

Regarding my home rehab business, we found a house we like. It's a HUD home, which is a way new experience for me! The home is located north of Pittsburgh and is priced in the 40's, not bad and just in our range for our first home (I'll post pictures if we get it). I learned from our real estate agent that investors have to wait to bid at least a week after the bidding starts (it gives homeowners a chance to get the home), so our bid can go in on May 7th. In the meanwhile, I'm getting everyone's information together to apply for a revocation loan (I hope I got that right) through Fannie Mae. They help pay for the mortgage and some construction costs. I had no idea this type of loan existed. To say I'm relieved is an understatment, at least I will be if we qualify!

I took my oldest daughter to the eye doctor last night and we found out she is nearsighted and needs glasses. I just started wearing +1 glasses for reading only, so I'm kind of a newbie to all this. My husband, on the other hand, is blind as a bat and so the doctor thinks my daughter might have inherited some of his eyesight. She is only 20 over 50 at this point. She was thrilled to pick out glasses and she found a pair she loves. I'm glad she is ok with it all. I was afraid she'd be self conscious about it.

My mother, who is doing pretty poorly with memory loss and walking, decided to move in with my sister until my brother is discharged from the Navy next year and can take her in.My sister is a nurse, so that helps. My mother can no longer care for herself and she is afraid of falling down the steps in her apartment. It's hard to see someone deteriorate.

My husband is thinking about writing a book. He is feeling stuck in his career (and his three jobs routine!) so last weekend we talked about what he'd like to do when he grows up :) He said he'd love to teach full time, college level or seminars, something he does part time now. Since you need a Ph.D to teach college full time and he only has a Master's, I suggested he try his hand at writing a book in his field (psychology) and see if he could base a seminar off it. He can't write, but he can give a mean seminar so I told him I'd help do some writing. We are both out of our element here but it can't hurt to try. I'm sure we'll be asking someone for help sooner than later!

My brother is coming home on leave this summer from Gitmo and I can't wait to see him! Once he gets his orders, we'll know when exactly he'll be home. But just the idea of getting to see him and his kids gives me something fun to look forward to. He wants to buy a house while here so he has a place to come home to next year after discharge. That will keep us busy, but we'll squeeze in a visit to Kennywood park and any other fun we can find.

I managed to fit in my grocery shopping today and I bought the ingredients to make Raspberry Swirl brownies, which I hope turn out so I can post the recipe. Plus I can use some serious chocolate about now, especially if next week is like this one was!

Thursday Thirteen- Things On My Mind

2010-04-22T10:59:00.003-04:00

You know how each week you get things in your head you either need to do, or need to think out? I thought I might make a list of 13 things in my head I'm working on, thinking through, or that is just stuck there:

1. The Potential Break up song- I took my kids to a new store last week and this song was playing very loudly over the speakers. The kids and I downloaded it and now it's been stuck in my head all week! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=03oe7hpGbMM

2. How to find a house for my business- we decided HUD, Fannie Mae, and Freddie Mac are probably the best options. Now it's just learning how to buy one through those programs.

3. Angel Food cake- I bought egg whites in a carton and I want to try making an angel food cake out of them. I hope it works. My middle daughter really wants a cake and keeps begging me to make one.

4. Bananas- the bananas are getting very ripe and I need to make something with them.

5. My husband's flight- he has to go to Iowa today to do a seminar and though I'm very used to him being gone, I get nervous when he flies.

6. My oldest daughter- she was diagnosed with enlarged adenoids last week and we also discovered that she has a hard time seeing at a distance. She was on steroids for the adenoids and it seemed to work (thank God. The next option was surgery- ugh!) but now she has bad allergies. The eye doc appt. is next week. I hope it goes well.

7. The adoption- waiting is tough.

8. My mother- she is losing her memory and is having trouble walking. My brother was supposed to be home but his Navy stint got extended, otherwise he would be getting a house with her. Now it's how do we take care of her till he gets home next year. I'm hoping she can hang in there.

9. My brother- he does have to stay in the Navy after we thought he'd be home this year. That means he had to get new orders. He gets to leave Cuba but now he is assigned to a huge ship and he has to go back to the war- his third time. Sailors are safer than ground troops, but I still worry.

10. Our house- it's a nice house but it's too small. I worry that my daughter is sleeping in the basement and that we have no space for anything. I do feel blessed to even have a house, though, so I try not to complain too much.

11. My diet- I try to be good, but it is difficult! I'm at the age where I need to worry about getting enough calcium and iron too. Then there is all that chocolate calling my name.....

12. Health- All of us are healthy, I just worry that someone will get something more than a cold. My husband tells me I worry too much, but I can't help it. It's always in the back of my mind.

13. Money- this past year was hard, on everyone. People lost jobs, and even though my husband worked his usual three jobs, the money wasn't there. We made less last year, for some reason. I also hope things inprove in our economy. I worry about all the spending that is going on. Scary stuff.

What is on your mind today?

Adoptions, Businesses and Chocolate Peanut Butter Layered Cupcakes

2010-04-20T11:52:00.004-04:00

Those who have read my blog before know that I am in the process of trying to adopt. We are looking for a little boy under the age of 10, but if he comes with a sibling we are open to it. Well, today we signed our final papers at the new adoption agency (the last one pooped out on us) so the approval process is finally over and we can start actually looking for a child. Yippeeee! The ink wasn't even dry yet and already we've been asked if we want a 10 year old child that is available and if we are willing to go to Texas and Oregon for a kid. Whew! These adoption folks are quick with the questions! We thought we might wait it out and see what other options pop up before we make plans for a road trip.

As for my business, we decided not to take the house in my last posting. After meeting with a banker, he let us know that an unfinished house is considered one of the highest risks in real estate, due to the possible contractors/subcontractors who may show up later and asked to be paid for work on the house they never received reinbursement for. Not something we want hanging over our heads. So the search continues for a house.

In the middle of all this I carved out some time for myself to bake. The stress was getting to me and I needed a release. I found the most sinful recipe I could and baked up a storm. This recipe comes from a local Pittsburgh paper, The Tribune Review. It won a recent Pillsbury Bake Off so you can't go wrong with that! If you like chocolate and peanut butter, you'll love these. I did change them a little to make them slightly less sinful, but I wrote out the original recipe anyway in case you want the full sin version!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Layered Cupcakes

1 1/2 cups flour

1/3 cup baking cocoa

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/3 cup vegetable oil (I used applesauce)

1 cup water

1 Tblsp. white vinegar

1/2 tsp. vanilla

1 large egg

1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened (I used fat free)

3/4 cup peanut butter

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup confectioners' sugar

1/4 cup Reeses peanut butter chips

1/4 cup semi sweet or dark chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two muffin pans with paper baking cups, using about 18 to 20. Fill water half way in muffin cups not used.

In a large bowl, mix the flour, cocoa, brown sugar, baking soda and salt. Add the oil, water, vinegar and vanilla to the flour mixture and stir until just smooth (do not over mix).

In another large bowl, beat egg, cream cheese, peanut butter and granulated sugar on medium speed until smooth. Add the confectioners' sugar and beat until creamy.

Spoon 1 level tablespoon of chocolate batter into each cup and evenly spread 1 level tablespoon of peanut butter filling on top. Repeat layers. Sprinkle with peanut butter and chocolate chips.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Do not overbake. Cool for 15 minutes then remove cupcakes to a cooling rack and cool completely. Serve warm or cool.

"Adoption is when a child grew in its mommy's heart instead of her tummy." ~Author Unknown

Am I Really Doing This?

2010-04-13T12:56:00.004-04:00

Sometimes I feel like a kid in an adult's body. I even look at my kids sometimes and think they can't be mine cause I'm too young to have kids. And now that I'm a partner in a business, I've found out how much I really don't know!

I wanted to show everyone the reason why I haven't baked one thing this week and why I have no recipe to share. I found a house for our company to rehab. It's located in a plan. The builder only roughed in the house before he quit altogether, for some unknown reason. The house has been sitting here, surrounded by completed homes, for over 7 years. The neighbors are anxious to have it either torn down or completed. We hope to be the company that buys it and gets it done.

But in order to own said house, we have to find a source of money. I spent all weekend writing a business plan (should have done that first, shouldn't I?), figuring out how to do a spread sheet, calling mortgage lenders begging for money and reopening my accidentally closed business bank account. Sleeping soundly is a joke, and I can't relax without going over possible places to get money to buy our house. But I keep reminding myself that I really wanted to do this. Plus lots of other people manage to make it work so I can too.

So it may be a little while before I can share another recipe, but hopefully not. I really could use something chocolate right now!

To open a shop is easy, to keep it open is an art.

-Chinese proverb

Thursday Thirteen- Southern Food

2010-04-08T14:30:00.002-04:00

I'm so far behind this week. And that includes with my Thursday Thirteen. I didn't even remember until this morning that today is Thursday! Since I've been feeling homesick (a little more than usual, if that's possible), I thought I might list some of the foods I love from the South. These are foods I can't get easily here in PA so when I go home for a visit, I stock up.

1. Grits- it's easy to get instant grits here, but not real grits. I've been wanting to make Shrimp and Grits for a while now, but I can't get real grits!

2. Greens- I love greens with cider vinegar and bits of ham. Oh my, I'm drooling now. I grow greens every year in my garden and with the cool weather here in the north, I usually get a good crop.

3. Pecan pie- Of course I can get that here in Pa in some places, but most people here don't like it. They say it's too sweet. Is it possible for a dessert to be too sweet?

4. Sweet Potato Pie- I make it almost every Thanksgiving, mostly for myself.

5. Mint Julep- Neither my husband or I drink more than twice a year, but one time in Williamsburg my husband had a mint julep on an empty stomach. It was hysterical to watch as he tried to reason out why he felt so weird.

6. Spoon bread- speaking of Williamsburg, spoon bread is so good. When I mention to my friends here that it's on my Thanksgiving or Christmas menu, they have no idea what it is.

7. Sweet potatoes- With butter and brown sugar. Oh my.

8. Pinto beans- Not found as a side dish anywhere here except Cracker Barrel. I go there to get my fix. I eat mine with mustard and ketchup. Yum!

9. Corn bread- it's getting more common here, but it's still mostly Italian bread you find in restaurants and with most folk's dinners. I still don't have a great corn bread recipe to use, but I'm still looking.

10. Biscuits- no one makes them better than Southerners!

11. Sauces- from BBQ to glazes, I love them all.

12. Black eyed peas- I eat them with mustard too. They are also great to toss into sweet and tangy salads.

13. Sweet tea- I made a batch almost everyday. Everyone in my house drinks it like water!

What is your favorite Southern foods?

Easter Sweets And Other Fun

2010-04-06T13:12:00.007-04:00

I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter! I think it was our busiest Easter ever. On Thursday, my little guy had a Kindergarten Easter party at school and I was drafted to make cupcakes. I cheated and used a cake mix. I don't think the kids noticed :)

On Friday, each of my kids had friends over for a total of 9 kids in the house. I had pizza, chips, soda and popsicles for them, which they promptly finished off in no time. It was beautiful outside so they all ran up and down and throughout the house. It sounded like a herd of screaming elephants came for a visit.

Saturday was buying summer clothes for my oldest and a visit to the spa (courtesy of an anniversary gift certificate from my husband) for me and my girls. That night, our neighbors who raise dogs for show, let us come by and socialize the puppies. That was lots of fun! The kids didn't want to leave and there were lots of pleas of "Oh, we've got to buy one!" Hard to resist, let me tell you. There were so cute!

Then Sunday was Easter. We had an Easter egg hunt, colored eggs and ate lots of candy! I made a bunny cake for dessert for my mother in law, who did dinner.

Here are some pictures I managed to take:

This one wouldn't leave my husband's side. I had to peel my husband away when we left. It was a close one!

So cute! I just wanted to hug them all at the same time.

The cupcakes for my son's party. I managed to take this picture in my car on the way to school to drop the cupcakes off (I was parked at the time!)

Hoppy Easter Bunny cake. My daughter decorated him. I think she did a great job!

Happy Easter!

2010-04-04T10:02:00.000-04:00

Have a wonderful, blessed holiday!

Thursday Thirteen- Happy Easter!

2010-03-31T17:38:00.006-04:00

Wow, it was a tough winter but spring is here. And it's Easter time already. Several people told me this week that they just realized Easter is this coming weekend. There are so many fun things about Easter. Here are a few:

1. Jesus- People forget, or at least don't talk about it openly, but Easter is about Jesus and his resurrection.

2. Bunnies- quite a different thing than Jesus, but who can think of Easter and not think of bunnies? Besides, God made bunnies, didn't he?

3. Jelly Beans- I love the grape ones best

4. Chocolate- of all kinds! I don't go for those hollow bunnies, though. Eww!

5. Coloring eggs- The smell of vinegar, the bright colors, dipping eggs. All fun!

6. Easter clothes- the first chance to dress up and wear pastels

7. Flowers- they are just starting to bloom here. I can't wait to see some color out there

8. Dinner- my mother in law refuses to let anyone else make dinner, but I happy with that. As long as I'm not making it, that is good!

9. Family- getting a chance to see everyone and take a break from our crazy schedule

10. Easter baskets- I no longer get one :( but I like making them up for the kids. I love the looks on their faces when they find their basket.

11. Easter egg hunts- no matter how old you get, these are still fun

12. The colors- all the bright colors everywhere- light greens, yellows, pinks, light blue

13. Peeps- most people find them gross but they still stock them in droves in stores and people still buy them, like I do every year. They are too cute!

What is your favorite thing(s) about Easter?

Happy Easter everyone!

Double Fudge Coca Cola Cake (Cracker Barrel Copy Cat)

2010-03-29T17:01:00.003-04:00

While my husband was out of town last week (he was in Arkansas, lucky dog!), I took the kids out to dinner for a treat at Cracker Barrel. We get lonely without Daddy around, so it's nice to have some fun. During dinner, my middle daughter kept saying how hungry she was, so I let the kids order dessert. She decided on Double Fudge Coca Cola cake with vanilla ice cream. We all got a taste and we fell in love! I found the recipe when we got home and made it. It turned out great. It's so moist and the icing is irresistable. I hope you get a chance to make this one.

Double Chocolate Coca Cola Cake

1 cup Coca Cola

1/2 cup oil (I used applesauce)

1 stick butter

3 Tblsp. cocoa

2 cups sugar

2 cups flour

1/2 tsp. salt

2 eggs

1/2 cup buttermilk

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. vanilla

Frosting:

1 stick butter

3 Tblsp. cocoa

6 Tblsp. cream or milk

1 tsp. vanilla

1 pound (3 3/4 cups) confectioner's sugar

In a saucepan, mix Coca Cola, oil, butter and cocoa and bring to a boil. In another bowl, combine the sugar, flour and salt. Pour the boiling Cola mixture over the flour mixture and beat well. Add the eggs, buttermilk, soda and vanilla and beat well. Pour mixture into a greased and floured 13 x 9 inch baking pan and bake at 350 degrees or 20 to 25 minutes. Remove pan and cool for about 10 minutes. Frost.

Frosting: In a saucepan, combine the butter, cocoa, and milk. Heat until the butter melts. Beat in the remaining ingredients and spread on the cake while it's warm/hot. Cool and cut.

Coca-Cola Slogans through the years:

"The Pause that Refreshes."

"I'd Like to Buy the World a Coke."

"Coke Is It"

"Things Go Better with Coke"

"I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing" (a hit single in the 1970s).

“It's The Real Thing"

Thursday Thirteen- Favorite Things About Summer

2010-03-25T13:32:00.002-04:00

All these days above 50 degrees is making me think about summer days. I may not be the biggest fan of summer, but after this past winter I think I'm ready this year! Here are some things I'm looking forward to:

1. Corn on the cob- canned is blah, frozen is ok, but on the cob, with butter and pepper, divine.

2. Gardening- The garlic I planted last fall is coming up already, and I'm itching to plant some vegetables. I'm planting an easy garden this year, mostly greens, beans, lettuce and zucchini.

3. Green grass- all that snow for weeks on end has me looking forward to slipping off my shoes and wiggling my toes in some warm grass.

4. Swimming- we got one of those easy to set up pools last year for the kids but summer wasn't that warm. Hopefully it will be this year and the kids spend a lot of time in the pool.

5. Watermelon- juicy and wonderful on a hot day

6. Picnics- the option to eat outside on a nice summer evening is great. The kids think it's a big adventure.

7. Grilling- I've already squeezed in a few grilling sessons on the warmer days, but it's nice in summer to grill a lot. Hamburgers, shrimp, and vegetables, it's all good.

8. Peaches- right off our peach tree in the front yard. Last year wasn't so good so I hope that means this year will be much better.

9. No school- I love having the kids home, love having no school demands (believe it or not, the school is constantly asking parents for time, paperwork and money) etc. I could live without the constant fighting and "I'm bored" comments, but it's a good tradeoff.

10. Flowers- for some reason the older I get, the more I appreciate the beauty of flowers and all their colors.

11. Time off- there is more time to spend together with friends and family, more time to take trips or just get away for a day.

12. No coats- less to lug around!

13. Food- more salads, fruit choices, vegetables and whipped desserts. I love throwing together dinners made of various salads with fruit for dessert. Easy and good!

What is your favorite thing about summer?

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

2010-03-22T13:28:00.003-04:00

Being sick last week didn't stop me from baking. I had to do something to make myself feel useful, and baking made me feel better. Plus I needed something to go with all the hot tea I was consuming, in a desperate attempt to make my throat feel better. This recipe is one of my favorites. I love how simple and easy it is and how wonderfully delicious it tastes warm. My middle daughter is already begging "please please make some more!"! I did double this so we had a loaf at home and my husband had one for work.

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

1 1/3 cups of very ripe mashed bananas (about 2 large)

3/4 cup of sugar

1/4 cup of milk (I used skim)

3 Tablespoons vegetable oil (I substituted applesauce)

1/2 tsp. vanilla

3 eggs (I used Egg Beaters)

2 2/3 cups Originial Bisquick (I used the low fat version)

1/2 cups semi sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a loaf pan with cooking spray.

Stir together bananas, sugar, milk, oil, vanilla and eggs in a large bowl. Stir in Bisquick and chocolate chips. Pour into pan.

Bake 50 to 60 minutes or until top bounces back when touched or toothpick comes out clean when inserted.

Cool for 10 minutes then remove the bread from the pan and cool further. Serve warm or cooled completely. Makes about 12 slices.

Recipe from Betty Crocker

Photo from eHow

"My friend asked me if I wanted a frozen banana. I said 'No, but I want a regular banana later, so... yeah.'"

-Mitch Hedberg

Thursday Thirteen- Being Sick

2010-03-17T18:24:00.006-04:00

On Monday, I was feeling kinda iffy. I did my usual routine, but I swore I had really bad allergies or something. By Tuesday, I was sick. Ugh. I haven't even had a sniffle since last year so I was really bummed when I realized I had a cold. I'm whining, I know. Poor me, a cold! Here are 13 things I hate about being sick:

1. The beginning- when you aren't sure your sick but you just don't feel right. I hate the not knowing if I'm sick part.

2. Staying in the house- I am not a stay at home person. I like being out in the morning doing my errands and getting my work done. Being sick, you can't go anywhere. It makes me feel like I'm missing something.

3. Missing something- I miss work, the gym, grocery shopping, my friends, even those tedious errands. And those little things that happen that make your day interesting- good or bad, I miss them too.

4. Stuffy nose- you can't breath, can't sleep, can't taste anything. And you have trouble catching your breath when you talk! Then your nose runs while your asleep! Yuck!

5. Swollen glands- for some reason, swollen glands make me nervous. I always wonder if I have an infection somewhere. And they hurt like heck.

6. Lack of sleep- No matter how tired I get while sick, I don't sleep well until I feel better.

7. Coughing my lungs out- and not being able to catch my breath. I couldn't sleep I was coughing so much the other night.

8. Restlessness- I get bored and daytime TV is awful! I read and try to work on chores, but I can't sit still or concentrate.

9. Lack of rest- I do have all day but once the kiddies are home, it's business as usual. Moms don't get downtime like Daddies do! No sick days here. No one does the laundry, makes dinner, cleans or runs the kids to activities if I don't. We women are a tough lot!

10. Forgetting healthy- Even if I'm sick only a few days with a mild cold, I forget what it felt like to be healthy. And it makes me that much more grateful when I am healthy.

11. Being woozy or dizzy- nothing feels scarier to me than feeling like the world is tilting or spinning. It usually stays with me until I get my strength back.

12. Weakness- I like feeling strong and in control of my body. Being sick doesn't let you do that!

13. I feel like a big baby!- Gosh, it's just a cold and I've had a lot worse. But I still feel like whining!

Hot Fudge Brownie Cake

2010-03-16T09:48:00.004-04:00

Yesterday, I was craving cake. A big chocolate cake. But being that I was feeling lazy, I didn't want to make a cake and have to make icing too. So I made the next best thing, Hot Fudge Brownie cake. This dessert is so easy, it even makes it's own sauce! Serve it warm and top with some whipping cream and you'll have a little bit of heaven!

Hot Fudge Brownie Cake

1 cup of all purpose flour

2 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa

1/4 tsp. salt

2 tsp. baking powder

1 1/4 cups of granulated sugar, divided

1/2 cup milk, at room temp.

3 Tbsp. vegetable oil

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa

1 1/2 cups boiling water

Whipped cream or ice cream

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Stir together flour, the next three ingredients and 3/4 cup of the granulated sugar in a large bowl. Stir in the milk, oil and vanilla. Spread the batter in a lightly greased 8 x 8 baking pan.

Combine brown sugar, cocoa, and the remaining 1/2 cup granulated sugar in a small bowl. Sprinkle over batter in the pan. Using a spoon, gently drizzle the boiling water over the batter, being careful not to disturb the layers. Do not stir.

Bake at 350 degrees for 35 to 45 minutes or until a cake layer forms on top and springs back when touched. Let cool. Serve warm or cold with whipped cream or ice cream (or both!).

-from Southern Living, January 2009

"Always serve too much hot fudge sauce on hot fudge sundaes. It makes people overjoyed, and puts them in your debt."

-Judith Olney

Thursday Thirteen- Best Chocolate

2010-03-11T11:02:00.002-05:00

There is so much chocolate out there, and so little time! I've tried many different types of chocolate but I'm sure I've only barely skimmed the surface of what is available. Here are some I've tasted and loved-

1. Lindt- this used to be my go-to chocolate but they've branched out so some so their stuff is not as good. But still a good fall back, especially the 70 to 80% dark. Very sharp, very good for everyday eating.

2. Leonidas- Oh man. This stuff is fancy and delicious. My hubby gets it for me every Christmas and I have a very hard time making it last to New Year's!

3. Ghirardelli- nice smooth chocolate taste. Just sweet enough but also gives a good bite.

4. Dagoda- organic chocolate. Dark, fruit infused, chocolate nibs, it's all good!

5. Scharffen Berger- the different flavors available are too tempting- sea salt, honey and coffee bars. Very upscale and to me, expensive. But worth every penny.

6. E. Guittard- some of the best, basic chocolate around. They use fresh ingredients and offer milk, semi sweet and bittersweet bars with hints of cinnamon, cherry and nuts. They also offer a lot of good baking bars for those bakers out there who want the best!

7. M&M's- who can stop eating them?!

8. Chocolove- the packaging makes it look like really cheap chocolate, but it's not. They offer flavors like toffee, raspberries, and orange peel. I grab one everytime I go to the specialty chocolate store.

9. Aero bars- from Europe. Light and airy, it has bubbles inside! Even though I don't normally like milk chocolate, I can't resist these.

10. Michael Cluizel- Very French plantation bars of chocolate. Flavors like dark chocolate with hazelnut, praline, and coffee. They also offer a chocolate bar that is 99% dark. Whoa!

11. Valrhona- another wonderful French chocolate company. Very high end, offering chocolate bars and baking chocolate to chefs.

12. Chocolate milk- not the skinny stuff, but the whole milk/cream with chocolate. Organic, off the farm, is even better. With Oreos.

13. Avalanche bark- not really a chocolate at all but so good. I get a piece every time I go to Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory. It's a mix of rice krispies, white chocolate, peanut butter and mini semi sweet chips. I've posted it before on this blog but here is a link to the recipe on line if you want to make it-

http://online-cookbook.com/goto/cook/rpage/001568

What is your favorite chocolate?

Nutella Cupcakes With Nutella Coffee Icing

2010-03-08T19:22:00.003-05:00

Talk about your Nutella overload! The flavor of these cupcakes is intense and so wonderfully sweet and cakey (is that a word?). The chocoalte coffee combo in the icing tops the cupcakes off perfectly. They are hard to resist!

Nutella Cupcakes With Nutella Coffee Icing

10 Tbsps unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3 eggs
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 3/4 cups sifted all-purpose flour (sift then measure)
1/4 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking powder
1/3 cup Nutella- you can add more if desired!

Preheat oven to 325. Line 12 muffin tin with paper liners.
Cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add in eggs, one at a time, until fully incorporated. Don't worry of the batter looks curdled. Add vanilla.
Stir in flour, salt and baking powder until thoroughly combined and no flour remains.
Fill each paper liner with batter, 3/4 full. Top each cupcake with approx. 1 1/2 tsps. Nutella.
Swirl Nutella and batter together with a toothpick, making sure to fold a bit of the batter up over Nutella. Bake 20-25 mins., until toothpick inserted into middle comes out clean (except for the Nutella). Remove cupcakes to a wire rack and cool completely.

Nutella Coffee Icing

4 tablespoons butter, softened
4 tablespoons Nutella
3 cups powdered sugar
2 to 4 tablespoons milk
2 teaspoon instant coffee
1 teaspoon vanilla

In a small bowl, combine 2 tablespoons milk with 2 teaspoons instant coffee and stir until coffee is dissolved.
In a separate bowl, combine butter, Nutella, sugar, salt, vanilla, and the 2 tablespoons of coffee-milk mixture. Mix well with electric mixer for at least 2 minutes, adding more milk as needed to make a fluffy spreadable frosting.

“Who throws a cupcake? …honestly!”
- a young Dr Evil, Austin Powers movie character

Thursday Thirteen- Retro Candy

2010-03-04T12:12:00.003-05:00

I loved growing up in the 70's. Call me weird, but I miss so many things about that time. I guess being a child during that decade helped me see it a bit differently than an adult would have, but I thought it was a total blast. Disco, banana bikes, roller skating, etc. All fun. Especially the candy. Yum! There just seemed to be so many choices, and nothing was alike. Here are some I loved:

1. Candy necklaces- having candy that available was too cool! Never mind it got sticky on your neck. I was having too much fun eating it to notice.

2. Chunky bar- I used to think they were huge! Now they make them even bigger. My favorite was the chocolate mixed with raisins.

3. Fun Dip- talk about sugar! I loved the way your tongue felt rough after eating the whole package.

4. Now and Laters- never failed to make my jaw hurt and my teeth ache, but it was a good pain! They seemed to last forever too.

5. Pixy Sticks- powdery goodess. But I never could open one without getting the end wet and my powder would stick. Still didn't stop me!

6. Candy buttons- on those sheets of white paper. Everyone complained that you ate more paper than candy, but they were irresistable.

7. Wax lips and bottles- I could never just drink the liquid. I always had to chew the wax until my jaws ached. I still don't know what that liquid was but I always wanted more. And wax lips were fun to suprise your friends with.

8. Candy cigarettes- a major no no today, but we never cared what they were as kids. I just remember the fun of blowing out the powder and feeling like a grown up.

9. Pop Rocks- they were new in the 70's and everyone had to have some. I think someone even called them space rocks. Very unique and fun to stick your tongue out so your friends could see.

10. Chocolate powder gum- I remember having a packet similar to a pop rocks packet and there was a chocolate powder in there. As you chewed it, it became gum. I never saw it again but it was really neat.

11. Flying saucers- addicting, for what reason I still don't know. For me, this candy was all about sensation. The wafer melting then the coolness and crunch of the little candies inside was too hard to resist.

12. Zero bar- A white candy bar? How cool! I guess everyone else thought so too because they are still around.

13. B-B-Bats- So many flavors and so cheap! I remember our local 7-Eleven having an entire row of different flavors of b-b-bats along the bottom of the candy isle. I tried everyone of them. Chocolate was my favorite, of course!

If you are a child of the 70's (or you are just hip enough to be into the 70's!) can you recall your favorite candies?

French Quiche

2010-03-02T12:28:00.005-05:00

I feel like I've been away forever. With more snow storms, kids off school, starting my business, and a death in the family (my brother in law's wife) all occuring at the same time last week, I ended up getting sick over the weekend. No surprise there. But I'm feeling better and better everyday, and I finally got time to cook and blog! I found a wonderful and easy recipe for French Quiche this week. It comes from the kitchens of a French language camp that I, unfortunately, did not get to attend! But since I love anything French, I tried this the moment I got a chance. So good and so authentic! I'll give the basic recipe but you can change any ingredients to whatever you like.

French Quiche

Layer in order:

Leeks

Spinach

Mushrooms

Broccoli

Chedder

For the Liquid:

4 to 5 eggs, beaten (I used Eggs Beaters 1 1/4 cup)

2/3 cup of cream

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

large pinch cloves

1 Tbsp. dried thyme

1/2 tsp. rosemary

salt

Line a glass baking pan with a pie crust (I used a store bought one). Layer the veggies then mix and add liquid ingredients. Bake at 400 degrees for 45 to an hour (depends on your oven). When the quiche puffs up, it's done!

"Prejudices are what fools use for reason."

-Voltaire

Thursday Thirteen- Sleeper Movies and Shows

2010-02-18T11:07:00.003-05:00

With all this crazy weather, we have doing as much "cave time" as we can. That is, staying in watching movies snuggled up with something good to eat and no where to go. As we go through our collection of DVD's, it makes me think of movies and shows that we love that never did all that well at the box office, but should have (IMHO). Here are some:

1. The Cutting Edge- I first saw this at a bargain matinee with a client of mine. She wanted to go to the movies and chose this one. It surprised me with how good it was. The banter between the characters is sharp, the skating beautiful and the story had depth and meaning.

2. Tombstone- the one with Kurt Russell. Everyone seems to like the Kevin Costner version but I like this one the best. Val Kilmer is perfect as Doc and all the characters stand out in their own right. Plus I love a good shootout!

3. Blade- the movies did well, but I was really impressed with Wesley Snipes athletic abilities and the action was very good as a result. The characters have deep dimension too which makes it not just another karate movie.

4. Pride and Prejudice- the Keira Knightly version. The music, settings, and tension between Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy makes this movie a favorite of mine. I watch it nearly everytime my husband is out of town just because I can't help crying at the end!

5. The Express- we just got to see this movie last week. I couldn't believe that I had never heard of Ernie Davis. If the movie is true to who he really was, he was a fantastic example to the current lot of football players who could learn a lot from that man. It also gives a sobering view of the kinds of discrimination blacks faced back then.

6. Frequency- takes place in New York with a father and son who find each other through an unusual way. Without giving it away to those who haven't seen it, I'll just say I love the "back and forth" of the movie mixed with a thriller.

7. The Count of Monte Cristo- not accurate to the book, but a terrific story nonetheless. The layers of the story and the excellent acting make it fun to watch. I especially like Richard Harris's character ("you have some pressing appointment, perhaps?). And we are always quoting Jacopo with his "how is this a bad plan?" Funny! Jim Caviezel is a hottie in this one too (whoops, there I go again)!

8. Kate & Leopold- speaking of Hugh Jackman, this is one of his earlier roles I believe. Kind of corny story but interesting to watch for a bit of romance and time travel fun.

9. Life- we just got done watching this fantastic show. It ran for two seasons before they canceled it. For what reasons I have no idea. It's smarter and better than most of the cop shows out there. The Charlie Crews character is perfect with Dani Reese. It has story lines with layers running all through it. And the music for this show is intense. I've looked up several of the songs for my collection.

10. Firefly- it's Sci Fi but the only thing I see to make it that way is that it's set in the future in space. Otherwise it seems like a regular adventure to me. It didn't look interesting at first, but once I watched it, I was drawn in. If you catch it, watch the show before the movie. I didn't get the movie at all without seeing the show. Nathan Fillon is in this, way before Castle.

11. Moonlight- if you liked Buffy this is another angle to that vampire thing that everyone loves. I don't typically get into vampires (well, except for Buffy), but the story line for this show was great. I couldn't believe they didn't keep it going. Grrrr!

12. Fringe- I keep hearing all the time that this show is going to be cancelled. I sure hope not. It reminds me of the X-Files but without all the strangeness. The characters are easy to take seriously and yet they use a lot of humor to keep things interesting. I can't wait for season two on DVD!

13. Dark Angel- set in the future on Earth. Interesting story line and Jessica Alba is great as Max, before she got all Hollywood! She reminds me a lot of Buffy in this series. Michael Weatherly (from NCIS) is also fun to watch as Max's helper and maybe boyfriend. The reviews on this show were good, but for some reason it only ran two seasons. Bummer.

Any good movies or tv shows you think should have done better?