Grinch scarf

I was making this with some bits and pieces from my yarn stash for a gift exchange at work-we had to bring a $10 gift and drew numbers to choose a gift-but I didn't get it finished in time.  It was a new stitch and I was struggling with it and had to tear out a million times.  Anyway, I finally got it finished and my daughter Kim wanted it to wear for the holidays.  I thought it was cute actually.  If you want the pattern let me know and I will post it, although there are a lot of them out there on Ravelry etc that are similar and free.  It was a fun project and once I got the hang of the stitch it went fast..one project I actually finished for the holidays!

I ended up making a second one for my "daughter" Annette per her request!-(top one)

A last minute invention for a birthday at work. Raspberry, chocolate ganache cake dessert

I stepped in to make the dessert for a coworkers birthday this month because the original person is due to have a baby any minute and had enough on her plate with that and Christmas this year.  As usual I procrastinated and all of a sudden it was 6:30 last night and I had nothing made.  I had high expectations and fantasies about a 6 layer beautiful white chocolate raspberry cake that I now figured out was just not going to happen.  I ended up creating this lazy girl version that actually went over very very well considering!  Luckily I had the ingredients and luckily they liked it.  Here is what I did.

Raspberry, white poke cake with chocolate ganache and raspberry/cool whip topping:

Bake a white cake according to the package instructions.  Meanwhile dissolve one 4 oz package of raspberry jello in 1-1/2 cups boiling water.  Stir until dissolved and let sit at room temperature.  When you remove the baked cake, poke holes with the end of a wooden spoon into the cake all over, not going completely to the bottom of the cake.  Slowly spoon the jello mixture into the holes and let the cake completely cool.

once cool make the ganache.
Place 1-1/2 cups mini semi-sweet chocolate chips into a heat safe medium bowl.  Pour 1 cup hot/boiling heavy whipping cream over the chips and stir until they start to melt.  Then add 2 Tablespoons room temperature butter and continue stirring until its all melted and smooth.  Pour over cake.

Let cool in the fridge.  Then take a normal sized bowl of unthawed Cool Whip and add 1 cup of unthawed frozen raspberries that have been drained, and mix carefully together.  Apply like frosting to the cooled ganache.  Refrigerate.

Baby blanket and hat for a coworker's baby shower

We haven't had an expectant mom in our department at work for decades.  People tend to stay in our department until retirement, which has started to happen more frequently-I expect I will be next-but we have had some departures and replacements with new fresh faces in the last few years.  One of them is expecting a baby boy in mid December, so we are having a shower for her the Monday after Thanksgiving.  Everyone has been acting like "work moms and grandmoms, sister") so we are all excited about the pregnancy and future baby.  I decided to crochet a pattern by Kerry Jane Designs..I love her work..it's so fresh and yet modern and this  mom likes the same.  The nursery is charcoal, gray and soft green with white accents, so I used gray and white.  The little hat is also one of her designs and comes in a variety of sizes so if the mom wants one like it I have enough yarn leftover that I could do that with a big fluffy pom-pom.  I will see after she opens it.  The pattern is easy and fast because you use bulky yarn.  I am thinking it's perfect for covering the baby in the car seat or across his back/bum when it's a cold night here in Minnesota to keep him cozy.  Hoping she is liking it as much as I do.

Spa Puffs for Christmas Gifts

My daughter Kim, asked me to make 7 spa balls for gifts with some spa type soap for her coworkers gifts this year.  She even sent me a free crochet pattern, and since I have tons of cotton yarn around here (surprise!) I agreed.  They are turning out pretty and use about 1 ball of the Peaches and Cream cotton for the solid colored ones and 1-1/2 of the variegated type.  The last row is kind of tedious because it has almost a thousand stitches, but otherwise they are easy.  It takes about 1-1/2 hours to make one if you stick to it..at least for me.  Here is the link to the pattern.  https://daisycottagedesigns.net/bath-pouf-crochet-pattern/
just copy it in your browser and it should bring you right to the pattern if you want to try them..

Apple Crisp with Diane's Graham Cracker Crunch Topping

My sister, Diane, posted this recipe for me and my sister, Karen, for her apple crisp when I made an apple pie a few weeks back.  I had never in my life heard of crunch with graham crackers, but it sounded good since I like graham cracker crusts on a lot of desserts and pies.  Today I had more Haralson apples and am having my son over for supper, who loves apple desserts, so thought I'd give it a try.  thinking it's going to be good with vanilla ice cream or cool whip!  I can tell you it smells like it's definitely going to be a hit!  Hers her recipe:

Apple Crisp: 4 c. sliced, pared, cored baking apples. Place sliced apples in greased 8x8x2 or 10x6x1/2 pan or 1 1/2 qt. baking dish. Blend 2/3 to 3/4 c. brown sugar (packed) with 1/3 c. soft butter, add 1 c. graham cracker crumbs (I crush my own crumbs using honey graham crackers placed in a plastic bag and running the rolling pin over them until I get the consistency I prefer), 3/4 tsp. cinnamon and 3/4 tsp. nutmeg and mix until crumbly. Spread over apples, pat down lightly. Bake at 375 degrees for 30 to 35 mins. or until apples are tender and topping is golden brown. Serve with cream, whipped cream (or Cool Whip), ice cream.

Breakfast burritos for now or to freeze for later

I am always wondering what I can have for breakfast that is filling, yet quick, yet not too high caloried and carb laden.  I ran across this recipe from one of my Favs "Smitten Kitten" and thought I'd try it.  I added a few more vegetables and changed the wraps to different flavor and size, but otherwise made it like she suggested..Here is my version (that was really good by the way!)..

BREAKFAST BURRITOS:

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

On a large jelly roll pan that has been slightly oiled (I used avocado oil, but you can use anything), add small cubes of below in "strips" so you can remove if some are getting done too quickly:

Two large potatoes, peeled and diced in about 1/2 x 1/2 inch cubes
One yellow squash, washed and cubed
1 small zucchini, washed and cubed.
1/2 of a red pepper cubed finely
one small red or yellow onion, diced finely

Put in oven and bake about 30 minutes, then add 1/2 can of black beans that have been drained and rinsed well if you like black beans-actually I will leave them out next time because I am not a fan-and a 5-6 ounce bag of baby spinach-chopped fine-I didn't do this and it gets stringy when thawed out- on top.  put back in the oven until the spinach wilts.  Toss all and remove from the oven.

In the meantime: prepare 1 lb of breakfast sausage (in the roll)  so it's into fine crumbles.  add to the finished vegetables (you can also used cooked, crumbled bacon).  Using a large fry pan (perhaps the one you cooked the sausage in) scramble 12 eggs with added salt and pepper.  cook and beat until almost done-a little moisture left in them, but almost completely cooked.

On a square of aluminum foil (I use those squares for baking potatoes), lay out one of your tortillas.  I used the Ole brand lower carb with no added sugar, 5 net carbs, in both the tomato basil and spinach flavors -they had them at Walmart, but if you want a bigger one you can use the burrito soft pliable ones and just make less of them..maybe 8 per recipe. I thought these were really good though and made a smaller size for breakfast).  Anyway, after laying out your tortilla, lay a portion of egg, depending on the size of your tortilla, on it, then some of the vegetable/meat portion, then some salsa..I used fresh salsa and drained the juice off, and cheese according to how much you like.  Roll it up like a burrito (pay attention to Chipotle when they roll them, or find a tutorial online if you haven't rolled them or eggrolls) and then use the foil underneath to wrap them up to finish heating or freeze in.  Try not to way overload them and this will be a lot easier.  hopefully you have some flexible tortillas that will stretch a little or you can warm them a little in the microwave and that will help.

If you are eating them right away, heat the oven to 350 degrees and warm for 5 minutes to melt the cheese.  If you freeze them (up to 2 months) you can remove the foil and heat in the microwave for 2-1/2 to 2-3/4 minutes, turning over halfway through the cooking time.

NOTE: you can make this your own by adding other ingredients or taking away them.  You just don't want anything with a lot of water in it so it's not drippy and soggy when you heat them back up.

Crockpot Pumpkin Butter

With Fall in the air and all the ads for pumpkin everything popping up, I decided to make some pumpkin butter today.  I really like it on bagels, toast etc, along with some melting butter.  This is a new recipe that I tried and it's really a good one, nice and mild yet flavorful.  It makes two jars so I can take one to work tomorrow to share along with Robyn Hastings ginger snaps she brought in, or with english muffins and butter.  It's so simple, just dump everything in the crockpot, stir every hour and then put in a glass jar to store in the fridge.  It's supposed to last quite a while in there according to the recipe..hope so!

CROCK POT PUMPKIN BUTTER:

Put all the below ingredients in a crockpot on HIGH for 2-3 hours stirring every  hour:

2 cans (12 oz) plain pumpkin
1/2 cup apple cider or apple juice
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 Tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt

Once done store in mason jars in the fridge..lasts all fall according to the writer.

CROCKPOT BBQ SHREDDED PORK

I was going to be really busy today and decided to put something in the crockpot.  I had purchased some boneless country pork ribs, so found this recipe to try.  It's really easy and turned out great!  I just made some mashed potatoes, some of the copycat KFC coleslaw (recipe in my blog) and warmed up some baked beans and pineapple to go with it all.  I will make it again..

CROCKPOT BBQ SHREDDED PORK:

3-4 pounds of boneless country style pork ribs
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 cloves of garlic minced
1 onion, halved and thinly sliced
1/2 cup apple juice or cider
1 16 oz bottle BBQ sauce (I used Kraft -one of the spicier ones)

1) Lightly spray the crock insert of a 5-6 quart slow cooker.
2)  Rinse the pork, trim and discard any excess fat and pat dry with paper towels
3) Scatter the sliced onions in the bottom of the slow cooker, then place ribs on top.
4) sprinkle the pork with salt/pepper and brown  sugar and minced garlic turning the ribs to coat all the pieces.  Pour apple juice into the crock. 
5) cover and cook on LOW for 7-9 hours until it easily will shred. 
6) Drain the liquid off the pork and add your BBQ sauce.  Toss to cover.  Cook an additional hour for 1 more hour.  Serve on potatoes or buns with coleslaw. 

Thank You Coconut and Pineapple Layer Cake for Coworkers

I was on vacation last week and wanted to do something for my coworkers who helped pitch in and do my job duties while I was gone.  We got back from Vacation last Saturday and this recipe happened to pop up on Facebook.  I thought it looked super good because I love both coconut and pineapple, and so made it on Sunday.  The people LOVED it.  Some took 2 pieces and one said she'd order it and pay for it because it was so delicious.  I am documenting it here in case I lose my recipe (which has occasionally happen, right when I want to make something again!).  It definitely made a big mess in my kitchen..uses a lot of bowls and even a kettle, but it's a great special occasion cake and looks so inviting besides.  I don't have a picture of it cut, but it's 4 layers of pineapple filling and the fluffy cream cheese filling in a moist, yet light coconut cake.  Here is the recipe and a picture of my finished cake:

Coconut Cake with Pineapple Filling

Prep Time

4 hrs 30 mins

Cook Time

30 mins

Total Time

5 hrs

 

Servings: 16

Calories: 575 kcal

Author: Lauren Allen

Ingredients

For the Coconut Cake:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 Tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter , room temperature
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 13.5 ounces canned unsweetened coconut milk , divided
• 1 1/2 teaspoons coconut extract
• 5 large egg whites

For the Pineapple Filling:

• 20 ounce can crushed pineapple
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 2 Tablespoons cornstarch

For the Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting:

• 1/2 cup butter , room temperature
• 8 ounces cream cheese , room temperature
• 4-5 cups powdered sugar
• Remaining coconut milk , or 2 tablespoons regular milk
• 1 cup shredded sweetened coconut

Instructions

For the cake:

1. Line the bottom of two 8 or 9-inch cake pans with wax or parchment paper.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
3. In mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
4. In a separate mixing bowl, beat the butter on medium speed (with hand or stand mixer) for 1 minute, until light and fluffy.
5. Add sugar and mix 1 minute.
6. Add 1 1/4 cups coconut milk and coconut extract and mix.
7. Gradually add flour mixture and mix on medium speed for 2 minutes.
8. In another bowl, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form.
9. Fold the egg whites into the batter until incorporated.
10. Spray the bottom and sides of the lined cake pans with non-stick cooking spray. Divide batter evenly between the pans.
11. Bake at 350 degrees F 23-28 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
12. Remove the pans from the oven and  allow to cool for 5 minutes before inverting them onto a cooling rack to cool completely.
13. Once cakes have cooled, use a sharp serrated knife cut each cake round in half horizontally, so that you end up with four cake rounds.
14. At this point I like to freeze the cakes for several hours or up to 3 weeks. They're much easier to assemble and frost when they are frozen. But, you can assemble them fresh, the day of.

For the Pineapple Filling:

1. Add all ingredients to medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir well to combine.
2. Cook, stirring frequently, until mixture thickens and looks "glossy", about 5-8 minutes.
3. Pour filling into a tupperware. Place a piece of plastic wrap gently over the top and allow it to cool.
4. Once cooled, cover it with an airtight lid and refrigerate until you're ready to use it (up to 1 week).

For the frosting:

1. Beat butter and cream cheese together until smooth.
2. Add powdered sugar and the rest of the remaining coconut milk (or regular milk). Mix until smooth and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
3. Add a little more milk, to thin, or powdered sugar to stiffen, if needed, until you reach your desired frosting consistency.
4. Stir in coconut flakes, saving some for sprinkling on the sides and top of the cake, if desired.

Assembly:

1. Place your first cake layer on your cake board or serving platter. Spread half of the pineapple filling over it.
2. Top with another cake layer. Smooth a layer of frosting over it.
3. Top with third cake layer. Spread remaining half of the pineapple filling over it.
4. Top with last (4th) cake round.
5. Frost the sides and top of the cake. Sprinkle with coconut, if desired.
6. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, before serving. Tastes even better the next day
    
    

Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry (adapted from Vern's recipe)

I had this once when I was in Florida visiting my sister, Karen, and her family.  (at least Vern, her husband, thinks it was this one), and I really liked it.  I think the one I had was more of a mixed vegetable stir fry, but when I asked him for the recipe he sent me this one and I like it too, so... I changed it up a bit because I added some sliced carrot for color and flavor and also added some red pepper flakes for a little kick, maybe 1/2 tsp or something, but you could add as much as you want for heat..and cut back on the onion soup mix a little.

Here is how I made it. 

BEEF AND BROCCOLI STIR FRY:

1 Tablespoon vegetable oil or peanut oil in a wok or large skillet
1 pound sirloin steak cut into thin strips
4 heads fresh broccoli, or 2 pkgs frozen broccoli florets, thawed.  I like the fresh so it's not so soft.
1 large carrot, peeled and sliced thinly
3/4 envelope Lipton Onion soup mix
1-1/4 cups water
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
2 Tablespoons soy sauce
1/2 tsp dry ginger or 1 inch fresh ginger grated
3-5 garlic diced (I use pre-diced garlic in the jar and eyeball it)
about 1/8 cup of KC Masterpiece Honey Teriyaki marinade

In your wok add the oil on high heat.  when very hot add the steak -I added some black pepper, but waited with the salt until the end so it wasn't too salty.

When browned remove from skillet and set aside.

add remaining ingredients into the wok and reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally until vegetables are tender crisp.  Return steak to skillet and cook about 1 more minute until steak is done.  Make a slurry with a few Tablespoons of corn starch in a small bowl, add a little water to dissove and add slowly to broth stirring steadily to thicken juices.  Serve over cooked rice.  (I did add a little salt and more pepper plus about a tsp of red pepper flakes and stirred it in.) with soy sauce to add if you wanted it.

Slow Cooker Loaded Cauliflower Cheesy Soup with Bacon

I am trying to get my diabetic numbers under control so have been eating low carb for a few weeks now.  I actually feel a lot better and my legs are even feeling less sore and usable!  Anyway, I bought a couple KETO cookbooks to make some very low menu items for me with.  Dave definitely eats pretty much KETO as it is, although it's good for him to stay away from sugar because of his neuropathy issues since he had a fall.  Anyway, enough health talk, THIS soup is delicious!  It tastes a lot like loaded potato soup and is super easy to make.  It makes a big crock pot full so good for a family supper with a nice salad, or to freeze for individual lunch or supper meals in the future.  That's my plan of action! 

SLOW COOKER LOADED CAULIFLOWER CHEESY SOUP WITH BACON:

10 slices bacon fried (or you can use bacon crumbles or precooked bacon if you want to)..chop finely and put in fridge on a paper towel

2 large or 3 small heads of fresh cauliflower (yes, lots of cauliflower), cleaned and finely chopped or use a food processer to chop into small chunks (not riced though).

4 cups chicken broth (I used used 4 cups water and my chicken base in a jar)

1/2 yellow onion chopped..I used a medium sized one

3 cloves or garlic pressed.  I used the minced in a jar

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) salted butter

Put all of this in a large crock pot and set on high for 4-5 hours or until the cauliflower is all softened.  when done I used my immersion blender until it was all smooth or use a whisk.  (I love my immersion blender though and I just bought a cheap one at Walmart and it works great)

Once smooth, add 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, 1 cup heavy whipping cream, salt and pepper and 3/4 of the chopped bacon.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Stir well until cheese is melted. 

Serve garnished with additional cheese, some of the remaining bacon and chives or green onions if desired. 

Total carbs 6 g. per serving.  (1 cup serving) 282 calories.

Crocheting a Chameleon for a guy at work

There is a guy kid at work who has a colorful chameleon on his desktop at work.  When I came across a picture of a crocheted one online I decided I just had to make one for him for his desk.  I found some clearance Red Heart stripes yarn on clearance at Walmart for $1 a skein and then went home to get the pattern and it wouldn't let me pay or purchase it.  I emailed the seller twice, no response, so kind of gave up on the whole idea.  months went by and I decided to check one more time and it worked!  Yay!  I had been staring at the yarn and feeling bummed out because it's not something I would normally use for a project.  Anyway I started it last week, bumped it ahead of my other multiple projects and got it made for him.  The pattern is called Pascal the Chameleon and I believe it was on Ravelry if you are interested. 

Old fashioned Goulash

I have been thinking about comfort foods from the growing up years and decided to make some goulash today.  It actually takes a little time to make, more than when I get home from work and have maybe 30 minutes to make something for supper, so since this is my day off I decided it would be perfect.  Plus it's been a rainy day and that's also a plus for cooking.

Here's how I put it together:

Old Fashioned Goulash:

1 pound hamburger
1 smaller onion
1 large garlic clove minced
1-1/2 cups water
1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 (14.5 ounce) diced tomatoes
1-1/2 Tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
1 Tablespoon dried Italian herb seasoning
1 large Bay leaf
1/2 Tablespoon seasoned salt
1 cup uncooked elbow macaroni

1.  Cook and stir the hamburger in a large Dutch oven over medium high heat (no salt added), breaking it up as it cooks until the meat is no longer pink and browned.  drain off extra fat.  Stir in the finely chopped onion and the garlic.  Cook and stir the mixture until the onions are translucent.
2.  Add water, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, soy sauce, Italian seasoning, bay leaf and seasoned salt into the hamburger mixture and bring to a boil.  reduce heat to low, cover and simmer 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3.  Stir in macaroni and simmer over low heat until the pasta is tender, about 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Remove from heat, discard bay leaf and serve. double  if making for a larger crowd.

Another banner for outside my work cube-Summer Sailboat

I started this banner last year and decided I was sick of it laying around unfinished, so finally got it layered and quilted.  I did get the binding on it, but took it to work and finished hand sewing it down and then hung it up right away, so never did get a completely finished picture yet.  Anyway, I am going to post this one until I get one of the binding sewn down!  It's called Summer Sailing.  Looks nice and summery outside my cube.

Lillian's Lemon and Blueberry cake

My Director at work has a daughter named Lillian who loves to bake.  She, in fact, made a whole beautiful display of baked goods, cakes, bars, etc on pedestals for her own graduation party that looked like a caterer did it.  One of the cakes she made was this Lemon and Blueberry cake.  All of the cakes looked delicious, but she made it again recently and her mom shared the recipe for everyone.  I, of course, had to give it a try today.  This would be such a wonderful special occasion cake for anyone!  It's like a light sponge cake with the perfect lemon flavor, not overpowering, yet it's there and then throw in the blueberries with the light cream cheese frosting between the 3 layers and covering it and you have an absolutely gorgeous, delicious dessert.  I had to document it on here so I don't lose the recipe.  The creator was Sally's Baking Addiction.

Ingredients:

Cake

• 1 cup (230g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 1 and 1/4 cups (250g) granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup (100g) packed light brown sugar
• 4 large eggs, at room temperature1
• 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
• 3 cups (345g) sifted all-purpose flour, (spoon & leveled)2
• 1 Tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (240ml) buttermilk3
• zest + juice of 3 medium lemons4
• 1 and 1/2 cups blueberries, fresh (258g) or frozen (do not thaw-- 275g)
  
• 1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour

Cream Cheese Frosting

• 8 ounces (224g) full-fat brick style cream cheese, softened to room temperature5
• 1/2 cup (115g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 3 and 1/2 cups (420g) confectioners' sugar
• 1 - 2 Tablespoons (15-30ml) heavy cream6
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• pinch salt

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Grease and lightly flour three 9x2 inch cake pans with nonstick spray. Set aside.
2. Make the cake: Using a handheld or stand mixer with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on high until creamy - about 1 minute. Add granulated and brown sugars and beat on medium-high speed until creamed, about 2-3 minutes. Add eggs and vanilla. Beat on medium speed until everything is completely combined, about 2 full minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Set aside.
3. In a large sized bowl, toss together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Beat on low speed for 5 seconds, then add the milk, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Remove from the mixer and stir lightly until everything is just combined. Toss the blueberries in 1 Tablespoon of flour and fold into the batter. Batter is extremely thick. Do not overmix at any point. Overmixing will lend a tough, dense textured crumb.
4. Spoon batter evenly into 3 prepared cake pans. If only using 2 cake pans, your bake time will be longer. Bake the three layers for about 21-26 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Mine took 21 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before frosting.
5. Make the frosting: Using a handheld or stand mixer with a paddle attachment, beat cream cheese and butter together on medium speed until no lumps remain, about 3 full minutes. Add confectioners' sugar, 1 Tablespoon cream, vanilla extract, and salt with the mixer running on low. Increase to high speed and beat for 3 minutes. Add 1 more Tablespoon of cream to thin out, if desired.
6. Assemble and frost: First, using a large serrated knife, trim the tops off the cake layers to create a flat surface. Place 1 layer on your cake stand. Evenly cover the top with cream cheese frosting. Top with 2nd layer, more frosting, then the third layer. Top with frosting and spread around the sides. The recipe doesn't make a ton of frosting, just enough for a light frost. Top with blueberries or lemon garnish if desired. Refrigerate for at least 45 minutes before cutting or else the cake may fall apart as you cut.
7. Make ahead tip: Prepare cakes and frosting 1 day in advance. Keep cakes at room temperature, covered tightly. Refrigerate prepared frosting in an airtight container until ready to use. Frosted or unfrosted cakes may be frozen up to 2 months, thaw overnight in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature if desired before serving.

Recipe Notes:

This batter will fit into a 9×13 pan. Fill 2/3 full. If there’s extra batter, you can make a few cupcakes. I’m unsure of the baking time since I only typically make it as a layer cake.

1. Room temperature eggs preferred for even distribution among batter. Simply set into a bowl of warm water for 5 minutes before using or set out when you set out your cream cheese/butter for the recipe.
2. Be very careful not to overmeasure your flour. This will result in a heavy, dense crumb. You want a precise 345g all-purpose flour. For a lighter crumb, you can use 3 + 1/4 cups (about 325g) sifted cake flour instead.
3. Please use buttermilk in this recipe. See note in post about how to make a DIY version at home.
4. 1 medium-size lemon = approximately 1 tablespoon of lemon zest = 2 to 3 tablespoons of lemon juice.
5. Use brick-style cream cheese. Not cream cheese spread.
6. Heavy cream with 30% or more milk fat preferred in frosting for creamiest texture. For a less creamy texture, milk would be fine.

Fluffy Pillow Shams for Shellie's Bed

After I made my daughter, Shellie, the quilt for Christmas (previous post), she asked me to make her pillow shams, which I quickly said no to.  LOL.  Wasn't ready to take on another project quite yet and had a lot of other projects in the works.  Well, she looked online and in the stores and couldn't find what she wanted exactly, plus they were expensive, so I finally caved and made her them.  She found some yarn to use, but it isn't her first choice for color..they just didn't have the chenille bulky kind in a color she wanted to match her quilt.  First she wanted the blue in it, nothing close, then green, nothing close, and she didn't want brown because she thought it was just too much brown, so she ended up with red.  She also has some smaller throw pillows with more muted colors, so hopefully it will be nice with those and she will be happy with it all together.  It took me a while to design the size and what I was going to do for it to work out, but I think they fit well on her king pillows.  Hope you enjoy them Shellie!  Happy Birthday!

Chocolate Chip Date Cake

I know this may surprise some of you, but I was on Facebook this morning!  LOL.  I saw a posting that I decided I had to try today.  I happened to have dates in my cupboard (love date bars and so does my son so I keep them on hand).  The sister of my director from work, Susan Lightner, posted it per a request from someone, so I threw it together..didn't take long at all..and it's definitely a keeper.  One of those more old style cakes from a church cookbook that never fails.  It's much lighter than I expected and  yet moist and tasty.  It smells like heaven when you are baking it besides.  You don't even need to spend time making frosting as it's already built in, so less dishes and time before you can dive in..I added a dollop of cool whip, but real whipped cream would really take it over the top.  Here is exactly how she posted it.  I wanted to use her photo because it suits this cake so well!

and here is a picture of my finished cake!  I only added 1/4 cup of sugar on top and it was plenty to me..probably could even eliminate it if you wanted. *also Spry is shortening-there used to be a brand named that.  I used half butter and half shortening.

Mini Quiche's

I made these about 10 years ago and decided it would be a good idea to make some again.  If you follow the recipe they are only 165 calories for two of them and they freeze well.  I thought I'd package them up with 2 in a pack and freeze them to grab for breakfast at work.  You can vary with different ingredients such as a little green pepper, mushrooms, 3 slices of cooked bacon diced up finely, sausage crumble, use all veggies, whatever you like.  I made them with swiss cheese and ham before and that was good too.  You can make a bunch of varieties ahead of time and reheat them for a family brunch.  They are cute and good.

MINI QUICHE:
spray a 12 place muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray. 

In a medium bowl; add 9 eggs, salt and pepper and whip until thoroughly mixed.  (or you can substitute egg whites in a carton although they will be more bland tasting, or combine half eggs and half egg whites.  set aside.

Toss in whatever ingredients you want into the muffin cups.  (divided into each cup)  I used 2 slices of ham diced tiny, about 3 Tablespoons of chopped spinach (I buy the frozen in a bag and rinse and dry it-then just toss the rest back in the freezer), cherry tomatoes diced up-I used about 6 of them, a little bit of diced onion or green onion, and about 2 ounces of shredded cheddar cheese.  Then using a 1/4 cup measuring cup, pour the beaten eggs in each cup.   Put the muffin tin on a cookie sheet and baked at 350 for 20-15 minutes.  Voila, breakfast!

Italian Sausage and Broccoli Pasta

My Supervisor, Kim, took a two week vacation to Italy recently and when she was there she stayed some of the time with her sister-in-law who would cook for them at times.  One of the last days she made this pasta dish and Kim posted it saying it was one of her favorites.  I asked for the recipe and her hostess was kind enough to share it so I made it tonight.  It was great!  I did a few changes that I will put in parentheses because I was scared of putting white wine in it (not much on wine in food) and I used half hamburger and half mild Italian sausage because I like Italian sausage a little but not a ton of it in my food either.  I couldn't find her cheese she used either, so just substituted a 3 cheese Italian blend instead.

Here is the recipe:

ITALIAN SAUSAGE AND BROCCOLI PASTA: (per her sister-in-law)
I just sautéed garlic in olive. I used about 2 minced garlic cloves and added a little finely diced onion. Then I added ground sausage. I used about half a lb each of hamburger and mild Italian sausage.  I let it cook through and added about a cup of wine. I used chicken stock. I cooked it till the wine evaporated half way. In the mean time I boiled water with salt added. Once it boiled I added fresh broccoli and let it cook till it was soft. I used a smaller bag of frozen chopped broccoli. Once soft, I scooped out broccoli and added it to the sausage mixture keeping the broccoli water in pot to then cook orecchiette pasta in.  I used about 8 ounces of pasta)  I smashed broccoli with a potato masher and let it cook some more in the pan with the sausage. I cooked the pasta as directed on the package. Then I mixed everything together and added a loooooot of pecorino cheese to it. I couldn't find this cheese, so used a small tub, maybe 1 cup,  of Italian 3 cheese blend.  Voila’!

Second set of washcloths for Yvonne's birthday

I finished my second sister's washcloths for her birthday today.  This set went way slower because life keeps taking up my time!  This set I am calling "Pretty in Pink" because Yvonne likes rose, mauve and pinks a lot.  I used the same pattern as the previous set because I really like the bumpy effect.  I chained 32 for this set, the last one I used 36, but really like the size of these.  I can't believe the original pattern called for 46!  They must have been huge!  I don't like really big cotton cloths, once they are wet they weigh a ton and are hard to manage, I think.  Anyway, one more set for my 3rd sister whose birthday is the 2nd of September, so I have some time.  Have a crochet project to make for my daughter Shellie some king-sized pillow shams for her bed first though.  She brought the yarn over for them about a month ago already..like I said..life keeps getting in the way!

Pad Thai Salad

PAD THAI SALAD:

1 pad thai kit with the noodles and sauce packet included (discard oil packet if included), save seasoning packet.

Prepared noodles as per package instructions.

IN A  LARGE BOWL:
Combine the noodles (cut up a little smaller)
1-2 packages of mixed salad greens (I like the spring mix style)
a handful of mixed nuts or peanuts chopped up)
2 chicken breasts that have been cooked and seasoned with ginger and salt and pepper-then diced in bite sized pieces)
a handful of fresh pea pods that have been washed, deveined, and chopped up

(optional: chopped scrambled egg, fresh chopped mushrooms, bean sprouts etc)

DRESSING: ADD WHEN READY TO SERVE

In a small saucepan combine and stir until sugar is dissolved:
4 TBSPS white vinegar
3 TBSPS white sugar
1 TBSP MSG (ACCENT) optional
1-1/2 tsps salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Add the reserved pad thai seasoning packet and 1/2 cup vegetable oil and either whisk well or use a blender and combine well.  Pour over salad part at a time and toss until well coated, but not soggy.

Serve immediately as the lettuce will wilt.

Malia Bag for Net's Birthday Present

I crocheted a bag for Annette's birthday and gave it to her today at a little get together with some of the family at Khan's.  (her choice) We had a nice time visiting..Kim gave her a nice yellow wallet that matches so she has a whole yellow set!  The pattern was a "crochet-a-long" from one of my bloggers I follow.  I think I started it in mid February and then was given 3 different parts of the bag each week thereafter.  Tons of people did it and are on their 6th bag, but I just finished this one.  She said she's going on vacation to South Dakota next month some time so she is taking it there for sure. 

Wash or Dish Cloths for a gift

I am going to be starting a new crochet project next week, so decided to make some wash/dish cloths for my sister Karen for her birthday in April.  We don't always share birthday gifts, but sometimes we do, and I think these are nice cloths.  The pattern is bumpy on one side and smooth on the other, good for showering or dishes I think.  I finished the pink one today and will make 3 altogether to bundle up and tie with a ribbon to send her.  The next one will be yellow and not sure what the 3rd will be of the colors in the picture.  I actually like the deep brown for some reason, although I like all the colors.  They are kind of fun to make; I can watch a movie or TV and not have to concentrate that much.  I think she will like them too with the pretty colors.

I got her bundle done, I am calling it the Neapolitan collection..I think it turned out pretty.

A Big Fluffy Afghan

I saw a posting on one of my blogs of this afghan that a lady (Purple Poncho) made for her daughter.  I fell in love with the cushiness of it and went out and bought the yarn the next day and got started on it.  Even though I didn't work on it for the month of February it was still one of the fastest afghan's I have ever made.  I thought about leaving it all cream and putting fringe on two of the ends, but after thinking about it and people telling me the fringe gets all funky and tangled when you wash it, I decided to put a border on it instead.  I found one of the colors for this brand with gray, beige and cream and went for it.  In life it looks more muted and lighter gray than this picture.  Anyway it was lots of fun to make and is super soft and comfy..love it!

Ina Gartin's Ice Box Cake for a birthday for a coworker

It was my turn (January) to bring a dessert or treat to work for a coworker's birthday Monday.  She requested something chocolate, and to be honest I don't mind chocolate, but it's not my favorite..too rich sometimes for me.  I am a fruity dessert girl.  Soooo, after wracking my brain for a while I found this recipe for an icebox mocha chocolate dessert from Ina Gartin's site.  fluffy, pillowy mousse layered with chocolate chip cookies..what more could you want?  I make chocolate curls from Ree Drummonds site and it was a big hit.  You can find both recipes online.  I only changed the cookies to a Walmart brand because her brand wasn't readily available.  This recipe would be so easy to change up to any flavor and use different cookies, like the thin chocolate wafery ones, or shortbread cookies etc.  It is super simple to assemble..in fact I think easier than making a real cake!  It was a show stopper and big hit!