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.