Monday, December 2, 2013

Cranberry Orange Pecan Coffee Cake

Oops, it's been a while since I've posted!

We had a snowy day here in Fredericton yesterday.  Snow makes me want to cook - and bake!  So I decided I would try another new-to-me recipe yesterday that's been on my "want to make" list since very early this year.

I saw this recipe: Cranberry Orange Pecan Coffee Cake on the JoyTheBaker blog (joythebaker.com).  I am typically not a lover of fruit breads (unless it's banana bread).  But her photo and the ingredients intrigued me.  So I made it yesterday!



I have a bit of a confession though - I didn't have fresh cranberries, so I used frozen and thawed them before chopping them up.  Little suggestion - chop them while they are still slightly frozen, it will be much easier and cleaner that way.   AND - I had two large navel oranges, which gave me just under 1 cup of fresh squeezed juice, so I topped it up with some clementine juice that I had in my fridge.

Verdict: this is tasty!  The crumble top (and glaze) makes it even better.  I brought one loaf in to the office this morning (the other one is staying at my house).  And I will probably make it again just before visiting the family at Christmas, to add something a little different to the sweets tray.

Speaking of Christmas - I don't have ANYTHING done yet.  Sigh.  I guess I'd better get at it, right?

Thanks for looking!

Wednesday, October 30, 2013

A Baby Shower and an Anniversary

Hi everyone!
I have another new-to-me recipe to talk about today.  My friend and co-worker Kendra is expecting a little girl in the next month or so, and we had a baby shower for her at the office.  I made the cake.

I decided to try this Dark Chocolate Dream Cake from the Novice Chef.  I'll admit, I was a little bit worried when I added all that water, and the mix was quite runny when I put it in the pans.  I baked it for 28 minutes - I think I'll go for 30 minutes next time.  I cheated and used ready-made frosting instead of making her marshmallow frosting, or buttercream.

The verdict - wow!  Sooo tasty!  The cake was SUPER moist, and a little bit dense because of how moist it was.  It is not a light-and-fluffy-but-dry-so-you-need-milk-to-drink kind of cake, believe me.  It received rave reviews from the gals at the shower, and the two or three pieces left were quickly gobbled up by some of the guys in the office.  I'm disappointed I didn't get a picture of the inside of the cake - but here is a photo of the outside:

For the icing, I used Duncan Hines whipped vanilla frosting, and tinted it three different shades of pink.  The decorating isn't what I was planning in my head, but the frosting was too soft to do what I wanted to.  So just plain ombré it is.  I'm looking forward to meeting the little one!

Next week, my parents celebrate their 47th wedding anniversary.  So I sat down last night to make a card, since it has to be mailed out today or tomorrow to have ANY chance of getting there on time.  In the spirit of ombré, I tried this technique that I found on youtube, using an ink brayer.  The video was by Stamp with Tami - she's a Stamping Up demonstrator.  Once I find the link again, I'll share it here.

I don't have Stampin Up inks, so I used my Distress Inks.  Mustard Seed, Rusty Hinge, Aged Mahogany for the sky.  I used Brushed Corduroy for the background behind the trees.  And Adirondack Ink in Black for the trees.  Then I used a bit of Vintage Photo around the edge of the piece before adhering it to white cardstock (after wrapping the ribbon around it) and then putting that onto a black card base.  A sharpie was used for the birds and the sentiment.

I really like this technique, I am keen to try different color combinations now.  Mom and Dad, if you're reading this - Happy Anniversary!  Hopefully this card will get to you on time.  Love you!

Thanks for looking!

Sunday, October 6, 2013

Let's make Whoopie!

Whoopie pies, that is. :)  Sorry for the bait and switch, but I couldn't resist.

Today brings another new-to-me recipe to the blog.  My office is beginning this year's United Way fundraising tomorrow, and of course part of that is a bake sale.

I had bought this Wilton Whoopie Pie pan about 6 months ago because I have another recipe on my to-do list that uses this kind of pan - but I just haven't gotten around to it yet.

But when the bake sale came up, I thought about making Whoopie Pies.  I've had them before, but never made them myself.  So I was on the hunt for a recipe.  And let me tell you, there are LOADS of Whoopie Pie recipes out there.  So what did I do?  I used the Wilton recipe from the cover of this pan.  Yep, I did.  Here is the recipe: http://www.wilton.com/recipe/Whoopie-Pies

This is a picture of the first pan that came out of the oven - I cooked them for 10 minutes.  Waited 8 minutes for them to cool in the pan, then popped them out to cool on a rack.  Filled the pan again and threw it back in the oven for the rest of the pies.


The recipe made 24 individual pies - so 12 Whoopie Pies.  And the recipe for the filling was just enough to fill them all.
The pies look fluffy to the point where you'd think you would want more filling, but I think any more filling would put folks into a sugar coma.  I taste-tested one, so only 11 are making it to the office.  Maybe 10 - there are still a few hours before bed, LOL.

Now that I've broken this pan in, I look forward to trying other recipes for it.  Stay tuned!

Sunday, September 15, 2013

I'm baaack!

Whew!  You blink, and months go by.  I wonder how that happens??

Anyway, I'm back!  I fell off the resolution wagon a while back, but I'm still interested in trying new recipes, so this weekend, I've done THREE!  Yep, THREE!

First off - I've been eyeing this Zucchini Lasagna from Skinnytaste.com for a while now, and I finally decided that this weekend was the time to make it.  Although the only zucchini I could find at the grocery store were small.  I *knew* I should have gone to the farmer's market Saturday morning!  Oh well.  So, because I didn't have enough zucchini to do the 9x13 pan (and because I'm only one person, and that is a LOT of lasagna for one), I decided to make mine in an 8x8 pan.   And I still didn't have enough zucchini.  But it was good!  I will make it again, making sure to have enough zucchini, and I might even make the whole thing vegetarian next time too.

When I was at the grocery store on Saturday, I also spied canned pumpkin.   So on a whim, I picked it up, and thought I'd search for recipes when I got home.  And I found a couple that I wanted to try!  I wanted cookies.  We'd been talking at work on Friday about baking, and cookies stuck in my head.  So I was on the search for a pumpkin chocolate chip cookie, that wasn't "cakey".  The last time I made pumpkin cookies, they were good, but... "cakey".   And then I found these!  Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies 

Mine look a little different than hers, but they taste good!

And well - they only took 6tbsp of the can of pumpkin, so what to do with the rest?  The cookie batter had to chill for at least 30 minutes, which meant I had time.... so I figured why not make something else, while all the baking stuff was already out?  So I also made the Mini Cinnamon Sugar Pumpkin Muffins from her site.

Let me tell you, her recipe was BANG ON.  I got 24 muffins - could have maaaybe squeeked out another one, but then that would have meant another pan?  Nuh-uh, not gonna happen.  And the melted butter and cinnamon sugar to roll them in?  Juuuust enough to get them all done!  And these are good too!  My co-workers are going to be happy tomorrow. :)

Both of the recipes are super easy to put together - I didn't use my stand mixer, and I *always* use that when I bake.  I would make both of these recipes again.  In fact, I may do that this week, since I still have pumpkin left....

Thanks for looking!

Monday, August 19, 2013

Crafty DIY - Distress Ink Holder, Thickers Holder

Hi everyone!

I had a few different projects floating around in my brain this weekend.  Let me tell you, my list was WAY too long for a weekend.  But I did manage to do two of them!  And both were for my scraproom.

I've been wanting a holder/stand for my Distress Inks for some time now.  But I was not about to pay $50 or so for one.  Which is kind of crazy, when you see how many inks I have and what they cost me (more on that later).

I saw a link online on how to make a stand that would spin: Spinning Distress Ink Holder  I loved the look of it and was going to do it, but when I thought about it - it wouldn't really be practical for my scrap space.  I don't use my inks all the time, so having it take up real estate on my desk would bug me.  My scrap room is in the basement, and I have a ledge on two of the walls, which is about a foot above my desk.  Having them on that ledge would be perfect - close and at hand, but not in my way.  And then I found this one: Distress Ink Holder  Now THAT is what will work for me!

I didn't like the idea of using just plain cardstock for the little boxes, it seemed like it would be flimsy.  And in the tutorial for the *other* holder, they use chipboard.  I didn't have chipboard on hand.  But I *did* have a large pack of watercolor paper sitting in my scrap room, and that is quite a bit thicker than regular cardstock.  So I was off to the races!

I followed her directions for the little squares, then kind of went off on my own a bit.  I used part of a shoe box for a base to make the stand a little sturdier (painted with Distress Crackle Paint).  Other than that, it's just watercolor paper.  And I wrapped the box with some Lost and Found paper by My Mind's Eye.  There are still some rough edges to work out (the width was a little bit wider than 12 inches, so I may need to wrap the edges in Washi tape or something).


It is surprising how sturdy it is!  And yes, there are 31 inks there.  Sigh.  I don't want to think how much $$ is in that tiny box, LOL.

Project # 2 this weekend was to corral my Thickers.  I admit it - I'm a Thicker-holic.  I love me some Thickers!  I was going to go to an office supply store and buy a wide magazine holder - then I remembered that the last time I was in that store, I looked, and they didn't have the wide ones in stock.   Then inspiration hit me!

I had a box of cereal from Costco sitting in my pantry.  OK, they were Mini-Wheats (you were wondering, right?).  I ran downstairs, grabbed a few packages of Thickers - and they fit GREAT!  So the second bag of cereal went back in my pantry just like that (it didn't need the box), and I cut down the cereal box a bit, added some more paper from My Mind's Eye, and voila!
And no, those aren't all my Thickers.  Not even close.  I may have to stock up on cereal, LOL.

But there you have it - two of my weekend projects that I've been wanting to do for quite some time now.

Monday, July 8, 2013

Turtle Cookies

I'm back!  I have another new-to-me recipe that I tried this week.  However, I wasn't very smart about it.  We've been in the middle of a heatwave the past few days, and what do I decide to make?  Cookies!  Yep, that have to be baked in the oven.  So. Not. Smart.

Anyway - as I mentioned in last week's post, my office has an annual fundraiser - the Craig Leech Memorial Fund - where the funds go to our local hospital.  The past few years, the funds have gone towards the Oncology department - we've bought iPads for those going through treatment to use; a new refrigerator, new  television for the lounge, etc.  Whatever would make the patients' time there just a little bit more bearable.

This year, funds raised will go towards the Pediatrics unit.  So every little bit helps!  We have many activities planned, including bake-sale goodies.  So I'm trying to contribute as best I can.

This week's new-to-me recipe is Turtle Cookies!  Again, I don't have pictures.  But the site where I found the recipe has some awesome pics: http://www.thekitchenismyplayground.com/2012/09/insanely-delicious-turtle-cookies.html

This pic is from Tracey's site (see the link above).  Now that I'm looking at it again, maybe I needed to use a larger spoon to make the indent, in order to make more room for caramel.  Oh well.


I have to say, I love me some Turtles, so I was really looking forward to tasting these cookies.  But honestly?  My reaction was "meh".  I enjoyed eating the leftover caramel sauce (yum!) more than I enjoyed eating the cookie.  So I will likely not make these again.  They were ok, just not really worth the effort (and added heat in my kitchen!) that it took to make them.

Oh well, the recipes can't ALL be winners, right?
See you next time!

Wednesday, July 3, 2013

Time Flies

Wow, I can't believe how quickly the weeks have gone by lately.  But I've come to the realization that my resolution for 2013 (try at least one new-to-me recipe a week)  will not be completed fully.  Life got in the way - tearing down and rebuilding my deck, my best friend's wedding, transitioning into a new (somewhat stressful) role at work.  It seems like I blinked, and another month has gone by.  But that doesn't mean I'm going to stop trying new recipes, though - I'm enjoying it too much to stop!

I was away this past weekend for my best friend Lisa's wedding (congrats, Lisa and Steve!), so I didn't get groceries last week.  I came back home on Sunday, but it was after 5pm when I realized I should have gone to the store since Monday (July 1) was Canada Day.  So my cupboards and fridge were looking a little bare.

As luck would have it, I was invited to a BBQ for Canada Day.  But what to bring??  With my limited supply of items in the house?  AHA!  I had bookmarked these Meltaway Lemon Cookies a while back - and I had the staples in the house, and a couple of lemons.  Score!

The recipe was created by Jessica at http://www.thenovicechefblog.com/.  This is the link to her post on the cookies: http://www.thenovicechefblog.com/2013/04/meltaway-lemon-cookies/   There is another link on that post to take you to the actual recipe - that link is http://www.dixiecrystals.com/recipes/desserts/cookies-bars/Meltaway-Lemon-Cookies

This picture is from Jessica's site:
Meltaway Lemon Cookies from thenovicechefblog.com

Oh. My. Gosh.  These cookies are FANTASTIC!  We served them up for dessert at the BBQ, and they were a hit.  One of the guys started getting everyone to flip the cookie over and eat them upside down - you seem to get a bigger hit of lemon that way with the icing hitting your tongue first.    I'm told he was a little upset when I left and took the remainder home with me, LOL.

Sorry I don't have any pictures of my own - I wasn't thinking about my camera at all when I was making these. Jessica's pictures say it all though.  And mine turned out like hers, except I didn't add the lemon zest/sprinkles on top.  These cookies were so simple to make, I made ANOTHER batch last night, and brought them in to the office this morning.  Again, a hit.   These will definitely be part of my go-to cookie list - thank you, Jessica!!!

Sunday, June 9, 2013

Brown Sugar Chicken

Hi everyone!
I've been on a major red-meat kick lately (I loooove steak!).  But I've been reading the book "Eat Right 4 Your Type" - and according to that book, red meat is a no-no for my blood type. *sob*  I know that TOO much red meat is not good, but... cutting it out is going to be a hard one for me.

So I thought I would find a new-to-me chicken recipe this week, and see how that goes.

Brown Sugar Chicken.  I know, sounds weird, right?  But I read the reviews, and a huge percentage of them were positive.  And the only thing I needed to get was chicken, and a new bottle of soy sauce because I ran out of it.  So I picked that up yesterday.  Oh - this is where I got the recipe!  http://crockpot365.blogspot.ca/2008/08/crockpot-brown-sugar-chicken-recipe.html

These are my ingredients:


I didn't use all of the chicken.  In fact, I only used two chicken breasts, cut up into large chunks.  The other 3 breasts are in the freezer for another day.  I made the sauce as per the recipe (but added a touch more vinegar than called for because that 1 cup of brown sugar had me doubting the recipe).  I left my chicken in the crockpot for 7 hours on low, made some carrots and broccoli, and heated up some leftover long-grain rice, and this was my supper:


The verdict:  it was good.  Kind of sweet-and-sour'ish (although the extra vinegar pushed it slightly more to the sour side).  I enjoyed the veggies and rice with the broth, and the chicken was tasty as well.  This will be my lunch tomorrow at work.  Anything left over after that will go in the freezer for a future fast meal.

I would make this again!

Monday, June 3, 2013

Beans, beans, the musical fruit....

Hi everyone!

I bet you couldn't help yourself but finish off the title, right? LOL.

I'm behind again on my new-to-me recipe resolution.  But that's ok, I'm not stressing about it.  I'm still doing it, though - and we're in June now!  Yay for me!

This week's recipe comes courtesy of my friend's cousin's wife's Mom.  Got that? ;)  I do not like baked beans.  Categorically do NOT like baked beans.  Never have.  Anyway, I went to my friend's wedding shower on the long weekend in May.  Her cousin's wife hosted it (see where I'm going with this?).  Karen (the cousin's wife) put on a FEAST for us.  And the first dish that she served (yes, it was a sit-down meal at this shower.  Totally blew me away!) was these beans.  I thought it was chili, so I took a big spoonful.  Thought it didn't have much kick for a chili.  Took another spoonful, still thought it was kind of different tasting for chili.  Then it hit me - I was eating BAKED BEANS!  That had hamburger in it!?  And.... I liked it?  Will wonders never cease!

Here is a photo of the ingredients:


And now you can understand why I first thought it was chili, right?

Here is the recipe that I got from Karen.  It's from her Mom.

1/2 lb hamburger
1/2 lb chopped bacon
1 chopped onion
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup white sugar
1/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup barbecue sauce
2 tbsp prepared (yellow) mustard
2 tbsp molasses
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1-14oz can kidney beans
1-14oz can Pork & Beans
1-14oz can lima beans

Brown hamburger, bacon and onion in a pan.  Add the rest of the ingredients (not the cans of beans yet though).  Mix well.  Place in a roaster.

Do NOT drain the beans.

Add the cans of beans (with liquid) to the roaster with the rest of the ingredients.  Mix well.
Bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees, covered.

Verdict:  I still liked it!  I had it for supper last night, and brought it to work today for lunch.  I think I like this one because of the hamburger, and the lima beans.  It's not just "mush", which is what I associate baked beans to.  The lima beans and kidney beans help to give it some texture.

I think this recipe is a keeper.  Thanks to Karen's Mom!

Sunday, May 12, 2013

Swiss Steak and Cornbread

Hi everyone!
First off, Happy Mother's Day to my wonderful Mom, and to all of you Moms out there.  I hope you all have had a wonderful day.

This morning, I decided to shop my pantry/cupboards/fridge for this week's new-to-me recipe.  And since I wanted to get caught up on my resolution, I decided to make two recipes again.

The past few days have been rainy and gloomy, so I decided this morning to take the slow cooker out of the cupboard and put it to use.  I've had this Swiss Steak recipe from allrecipes.com bookmarked for a while now, and as I was shopping my pantry, I found steak in the freezer, and everything else was already in my cupboards.  Yay!  Here is the link to the recipe: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Grandmas-Slow-Cooker-Swiss-Steak/Detail.aspx


It was ok, I guess.  Kind of bland.  I won't make it again.

The second recipe of the day comes from my friend Lynn (the owner of A Pile of Scrap!).  In January at a scrapbooking crop at the store, we had chili for supper and Lynn made cornbread.  I loved it!  And of course asked for the recipe.  Today is the first time I've made it myself.

 It was delish!  Here is Lynn's recipe:

1 cup flour
3/4 cup cornmeal
2-4 tbs sugar
1 tbsp. baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 egg
1/3 cup veg. oil
2/3 cup milk
Mix together just until all ingredients are combined. Pour in a greased 8x8 square or round pan.
Bake at 425 for 20-25 minutes.

Thanks for the recipe, Lynn - it's a keeper as far as I'm concerned!

Sunday, May 5, 2013

National Scrapbooking Day!

Yesterday was National Scrapbooking Day - and even though I'm still fighting a nasty cold, I was NOT going to miss the crop put on by my local scrapbooking store, A Pile of Scrap!  I haven't worked on anything scrappy since my LOAD project back in February, so it was really nice to get back at it.

I was at the crop from 10am to about 7pm or so (with some time in the afternoon where I went back home to let the dog out).  My plan for the day was to get 2 layouts done, 2 cards, and work on a special project.  And I brought a few more pictures with me, just in case.

Well, the special project didn't turn out the way I was hoping for, so I stopped working on it after an hour or so.  I ended up creating 5 layouts, and the two cards.  I could have done another layout, but I didn't bring any other photos with me.  Oh well!

Here are the layouts:
This is a photo of my grandparents on my Dad's side; and my brother, sister and I with three of our cousins (the other cousins weren't born yet, LOL) at our grandparents' house on Stout Court in Bathurst, New Brunswick.  I think this picture was taken at Christmas of 1979 or 1980, I'm not quite sure.  See that cabinet on the right-hand side?  My Grampy made that for my aunt (she had porcelain dolls).  I have that cabinet now, and it holds my collection of pottery.

This layout is of my niece Chelsea.  She's 16 now, so looking at this old photo of her really brings back memories.  She might have been 2 or 3 here? 



This layout is for my friend Jackie, the manager of Paw & Order, where Rudy goes to daycare.  Her little Sierra passed away last fall, so this layout will be framed and given to Jackie.

The layout below is another memorial layout.  This is Winnie, and her Mom Stephanie owns Paw & Order.  I told a story on this blog back in February about how Stephanie and her family went to a medium, and Winnie came through, asking why she didn't have a "plaque" on the wall like her brother Calvin did (I made a layout of Calvin for Stephanie a few years ago, and it's been hanging on the doggy daycare wall ever since).  Winnie passed away around Christmas time, and I had plans to make a layout, but Steph was going through a lot at the time, so I waited to ask for photos.  It will be framed and given to Stephanie this week, and I'm sure will be on the daycare wall by next Monday.  I've got you covered, Winnie girl!


And finally, this layout is of me, my high school graduation photo.  Yep, that was in the 80's.  Although my hair wasn't nearly as high as other girls.  But I do have the "wings", LOL.  Good times!

So those are the layouts!  I can't share the cards just yet - they need to be given to their intended people before I post them. 

I had a great time at the crop yesterday - Lynn always does her best to make sure we scrappers are comfortable, fed, and have a good time.  This time was no exception.   Thanks Lynn!

Until next time,
Dana

Saturday, April 27, 2013

I'm back!

Wow, a month has gone by since my last post.  Oops!  Those of you who know me, know that I was really busy preparing for the World Mixed Doubles Curling Championships and the World Senior Curling Championships which were held here in Fredericton from April 13 through April 20.  I was Chair of the Officials committee, and I am happy to say, we had a very successful event!  Fredericton showed the world what we can do, and I am very proud of that.  I need to say a very special thank you to my group of volunteers - they were the BEST!

Being so busy, my new-to-me recipe resolution kind of went on a hiatus.  I did a couple of recipes after the waffles, but just posted those on Facebook.  And the two weekends of the Curling Championships?  Forget it, I was at the arena from 7am til 10pm most days.  So there was NO cooking being done in this house, I can guarantee you that!

I am back at it this weekend, though - two for one!  I've been wanting to try a chicken in wine recipe for a while now.  So I went on a search of the Allrecipes.com site, and found this recipe:
Quick Chicken in Wine

I also needed a side dish to go with it.  And since the chicken recipe had parmesan cheese in it, I found this recipe for asparagus which ALSO used parmesan cheese.  I like asparagus - but I've never cooked it before.  Bonus!  Here is the asparagus recipe, again from Allrecipes: Roasted Asparagus with Parmesan

I tweaked the chicken recipe a bit as per a few of the comments from reviewers on Allrecipes: I dredged the chicken in flour seasoned with pepper, oregano, basic, garlic powder, and onion salt before dipping it into the egg wash and parmesan cheese.  When cooking the wine, I added in two cloves of minced garlic, and a chopped green onion.  I also added a bit of flour to the wine sauce to thicken it up, but I would not do that next time.  I also squeezed in some fresh lemon to the sauce while it was cooking.

Cooking the chicken, before the wine and extra butter were added:

The asparagus, before hitting the oven:

And the results!  I obviously also made a side of carrots to go with it.

I overcooked the asparagus since I lost track of time.  But it was still really good!  And the chicken was tasty too - like I mentioned above, I would NOT do my tweak of adding flour to the sauce to thicken it up.  It thickened it up too much, so I basically ended up with very little sauce. 

Verdict? I'll make both recipes again, but I'll learn from my mistakes. :)

Thanks for looking!

Sunday, March 24, 2013

Gingerbread Waffles!

Hi everyone!

I've been wanting to make this recipe since I decided on my 2013 New Year's Resolution, to make one new-to-me recipe a week.  Gingerbread waffles!  Yum!

This is where I found the recipe: Gingerbread Waffles Recipe

The one problem with wanting to make this recipe?  I don't own a waffle iron.  So I borrowed one from my friend Natalie (thanks, Nat!).  Natalie's waffle maker doesn't make your traditional square waffles - oh no, it makes HEART waffles, sort of like a flower.  Fancy, right? :)  And they're BIG!  The recipe says it makes about 14 waffles; for Natalie's waffle maker, I ended up with 8.


I plated two waffles (big mistake, I should have only plated one - like I said earlier, they are BIG!).  Added a few pieces of strawberries, and some maple syrup.  All I needed was a little dusting of icing sugar. :)

These were delish!  I could see these being for special occasions, or used as a dessert waffle.  You can really taste the molasses.  I'm going to freeze the leftovers, and reheat them in my toaster oven when the fancy strikes.  Honestly? I don't think they're going to be in my freezer for very long, LOL.

Thanks for looking!  And let me know if you give this recipe a try, will you? Thanks!

Sunday, March 17, 2013

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Hi everyone!

Wow, I definitely took some time off from blogging after LOAD.  Oops - it wasn't supposed to be this long!

In honour of St. Patrick's Day, I decided that this week's new-to-me recipe would be Guinness Cupcakes, with Bailey's Irish Cream buttercream frosting.  And I'm not even Irish!! ;)  This is where I got the recipe: http://www.food.com/recipe/guinness-cupcakes-with-baileys-frosting-360499

The only tweak I made to the recipe - after reading some of the reviews - was that I used 1/2 cup less of the icing sugar for the frosting.  And I didn't use any milk in the frosting - all Bailey's, baby!

The ingredients:
The first batch fresh out of the oven!

And the completed cupcakes!  Some of my frosting work isn't that great, but I don't think my co-workers will mind.

I don't really taste the Guinness in the cupcake itself.  To me, it just takes like a good chocolate.  So I'd say the Guinness enhances the chocolate flavour.  You can definitely taste the Bailey's in the icing, though. :)

I didn't post last week's new-to-me recipe here, I just mentioned it on Facebook.  I had leftover Pomegranate juice from the roast I made on my birthday, and I remembered seeing a recipe for a Pomarita (pomegranate margarita) a while back, and I found it!!  Here is the recipe for the Pomarita: http://cocktail365.blogspot.ca/2012/06/pomegrante-margarita.html

So sue me, I don't have any Margarita glasses in the house - I had to make due with a wine glass. :)  Regardless, it was very tasty!!!  And the best thing? I still have a bit of pomegranate juice, so I can make more.  Yay!

Thanks for looking, and I hope you have a great St. Paddy's Day!



Thursday, February 28, 2013

LOAD Day 28 - I did it!!!!!

Yaaaaay!  I DID IT!  I'm glad I had the blind drawn in my scraproom tonight, because I'll admit I did a little happy dance when I finished tonight's layout.  28 layouts, 28 days.  And I followed the prompt each day too.  What the heck am I going to do tomorrow night???

Oh right.  I have to clean my house.  I've been a little slack on that this month.  Huh.  Oh well.

Anyway, today's prompt was to scrap "your spot".  Your safe place.  For me, "my spot" is really my couch.  That's where I eat, read, watch tv, talk on the phone, surf the 'net, cuddle with Rudy, nap when I'm sick.  Definitely my spot. 



Supplies:
Cardstock: Reflections
All pattern paper and diecuts: My Mind's Eye "On the Bright Side"
Thickers
Sharpie Pen

Take a look at that pile of layouts!!!  I've been waiting to put them in my album just so I could take a picture like that, LOL.

SUCCESS!  Thanks for checking in on me this month!

Back to my happy dance - AFTER I close the curtains. :D

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

LOAD Day 27 - Learn Something New

OK, I am *really* losing steam here, LOL.  Today's prompt was to "learn something new" - either learn something new and scrap about it, or learn something new and apply it to your page.

I learned about alcohol inks before, but I haven't used them in AGES.  So I watched a couple youtube videos and dug out my alcohol inks.  First, I played on glossy paper, then I grabbed a tag and played with the alcohol inks and it a bit (porous paper totally takes alcohol inks differently than glossy paper).  Once I created the tag, then I needed to find a picture to go with it.  So I flipped through my LARGE pile of photos and found this one of my friend Stacy's girls.  This photo is about.... 10 years old I think?


This is a super simple, plain page, but as I said earlier - I'm losing steam. :)

ONE DAY LEFT!!

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

LOAD Day 26 - New Holiday Traditions

Hi;
Today's LOAD prompt was to scrap what you would do for a 'fake' holiday, or what new holiday traditions you would do.  Being single, and not having kids, a lot of holidays don't mean much to me.  Let's face it, holidays are meant for families or couples:
Christmas (family)
New Years (couples) - and I *hate* New Year's Eve because of it
Valentine's Day (no explanation necessary)
Mother's Day
Father's Day
Halloween (kids)

See what I mean?  So the only 'fake' holiday was going to be around being single, but I decided that would bring me down a bit, and decided instead to scrap the photos of Rudy's pictures with Santa this year.  THAT could be a new Christmas tradition for me.


Only two days left!  I can do this!

Monday, February 25, 2013

LOAD Day 25 - 13 Things in 2013

Hi everyone!
Wow - I just realized I forgot to come back yesterday to talk about this week's new-to-me recipe.  OK, I'll get to that in a second.  First, today's layout.

Today's prompt was to do a Bucket List.  But rather than scrapping my full Bucket List, I decided to do a "13 in 2013" page.


Supplies:
All the pattern paper: My Mind's Eye
Flower: Prima
Doilies: Bobunny
Ranger Distress Stain (Stormy Sky) for the doilies
Ranger Distress Ink (Walnut Stain) for the paper edges
Liquid Pearls

Only 3 layouts left to make a complete month!!!

Now, on to this week's new-to-me recipe.  Through my random foodie blog hops, I found this recipe and decided to try something other than soups and slow-cooker meals.  Click here for the recipe to Maple Mustard Chicken .



I halved the recipe; and didn't make the dipping sauce.  I cut up a VERY large chicken breast that I had, and made large chicken nuggets. :)

It was good.  Not great, but to be honest, I'm not much for breaded chicken.  But I thought I would give this recipe a try anyway.  I'm glad I did, it was a nice change.

Thanks for looking!

Sunday, February 24, 2013

LOAD Day 24

Hi everyone;
Today's LOAD prompt was to make use of items in your scrappy stash that you have been hoarding - you know, the stuff you don't want to use because you love it so much?  Seems ironic that you wouldn't use something you love, but we all do it, don't we?

I hummed and hawed about what to scrap today.  So I decided to look through my stash first for inspiration, and I found what is left of my FancyPants "My Family" collection.  I loved that collection, I really did!  I have a few layouts already with it, but was holding on to the few leftovers.  So I decided to use that today - and that inspired me to go to my old photo album that my Mom gave me when I left home.

This photo is of my sister, brother and I one Christmas (I want to say 1974, but I could be off by a year on either side).  "Rockband" has nothing on us, LOL.  I'm betting Mom and Dad weren't so keen on those Santa presents after the fact. ;)


Supplies:
Kraft paper
All other pattern paper, and the labels above/below the photo: FancyPants "My Family" collection
Distrezz-it-all to distress all the paper edges
Distress Ink: Aged Mahogany, Walnut Stain
Creative Memories Cutting System (for the circle)
Sharpie pen

I'll be back later with this week's new-to-me recipe.  It is currently in the oven.  Thanks for looking!

Saturday, February 23, 2013

LOAD Day 23 - All About You

Today's prompt was to scrap a page that was "all about you".  Well, I am "all about" my dog, so I made a slight re-interpretation of the prompt.  Especially when I took these pics of Rudy on the couch this afternoon - I couldn't wait to scrap them!


Now, I know Rudy is a boy dog - but he can handle flowers.  And doilies.  He's confident in his masculinity, LOL.  Since today's prompt was "all about you", I decided to stick with a scrappy style that *I* love.  I wasn't feeling it the past couple of layouts, but THIS one?  My heart is going pitter-patter.

The layout is based on a Sketchy Thursdays sketch.
Supplies:
Base "wood" paper: My  Minds Eye "Dilly Dally" collection
All the other pattened papers: Simple Stories
Doily: Wilton
Flowers: Prima
Dew Drops
Dear Lizzy Thickers
Signo pen
And I used my Distrezz-it-all to distress the edges of the papers.

Only 5 days left! Thanks for looking!

Friday, February 22, 2013

LOAD Day 22- Taste

Wow, we're in the final week of LOAD.  And to be honest with you - I'm starting to lose steam, and I'm looking forward to the end. 

Today's prompt was to scrap about "taste" - how something tastes to you, your favorite taste, whether you love sending Christmas Cards because you get to lick 47 envelopes.... ;)  I decided to scrap about the fact that I have a definite sweet tooth.  There's no denying that!


Supplies:
Cardstock: Core'dinations
Pattern Paper: American Crafts (I really dug into my old stash for this, LOL).
Border Punch: Martha Stewart
Liquid Pearls
Dymo Labeller
Signo Pen
The tooth and 'Sweet Tooth' were cut on the cricut.

And I was told this AWESOME story tonight when I picked Rudy up at his doggy daycare.  A few years ago, the owner's oldest dog passed away, and I had scrapped a memorial page for Calvin, framed it and gave it to Stephanie.  It's been hanging in the reception area at the daycare ever since.  A month or two ago, another of her dogs passed away, Winnie.  Winnie used to come greet me and to get attention when they were in their first location.

I was going to ask Stephanie for pictures of Winnie so I could do a layout like Calvin's, but she had a lot going on at that point so I decided to wait.  And of course, then it slipped my mind.   Stephanie recently went to a Medium; and during the session, the Medium asked if she'd lost a dog recently.   So of course Steph said yes, and mentioned Winnie.  Know what the Medium said?  "She wants to know why SHE doesn't have a plaque on the wall".!!!!    This Medium hadn't been to the daycare, so would have no way of knowing about Calvin's layout.  How cool is THAT??  

Hold on, Winnie girl, I'll make you one.  I promise.

Thanks for stopping by. :)

Thursday, February 21, 2013

LOAD Day 21 - Landmark in your life

Day 21.  Three weeks complete!

Today's LOAD prompt was to scrap about a landmark in your life - your house, the spot your hubby proposed, etc.  My high school was a HUGE part of my life, and I look back on those days fondly.

A lot of people know BHS as the school related to the "Boys in Red" tragedy from a few years ago.  And while that will also be forever etched in my mind, it doesn't take away from the wonderful memories that I have of my high school years.


Supplies:
Black paper and flower, and Red twine: Bazzil Basics
Alphas: Thickers
Ribbon, Red corrugated paper: Dollar Store
Dew Drops
Button: from my friend Jessica (Hey Jess, have you got any buttons? *private joke, sorry*).

One week left!  Thanks for looking.

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

LOAD Day 20 - Hidden Element

Today's LOAD prompt was to have a hidden element on the layout.  This was really hard for me, I never do hidden journalling or anything like that on my layouts.  I figure my pages are in page protectors, and the only way people are going to see the hidden journalling is if they take the entire page out of the protector.  And realistically, that's not going to happen.

So, I couldn't go the full month of LOAD without sneaking in a layout about Thomas Ulsrud.  Lain, the woman who is running LOAD, has a thing for Hugh Jackman.  She can have Hugh, I'll take Thomas, LOL. 


As you can see, I busted out my Cuttlebug to emboss the red and silver paper.  And I fussy-cut some curling stones from pattern paper that I have (and that's something else I rarely do, is fussy-cut).  The layout is based on a PageMaps sketch (sorry, I don't have a link to it).  And the hidden element?  It's behind the photo:


Yep, that's his autograph.  I got it a few times the week of the Ford Worlds in Moncton in 2009.  I also have pictures of him and I (don't get me started on the photobomb, where a fellow volunteer and new 'friend' lost patience with the kind gentleman taking our picture who didn't know how to work my camera.  She stuck herself right in between us.  Grr.).

I'm on the homestretch now for LOAD - 8 layouts left! 

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

LOAD Day 19 - Tigger or Eeyore

Hi everyone;
Today's LOAD prompt was to think about a Tigger or an Eeyore in your life, and scrap about that.  You know, Tigger is always upbeat and happy, and Eeyore... well, he's not, LOL.  So when I think of Tigger, my friend Judy comes to mind (hi, Judy!).

That girl is BUSY!  And she's a very positive person.  Compared to her, I am definitely Eeyore.  Yes, I can admit it.  I'm Eeyore.  Although I always loved Roo the best.  OK, I'm getting off track.

Here's the layout I made today.  I went a little outside of my comfort zone by using pastels.


Supplies:
Paper: Fancy Pants
Twine: American Crafts
Ribbon: Dollar Store
Flowers: Prima
Dew Drops
Doilies: Wilton

As you can probably tell by the last few layouts, I have a thing right now about using Doilies.  I love them!  They're not just for baking. :)

Anyway, thanks for looking.  Nine layouts left now!

Monday, February 18, 2013

LOAD Day 18 - An oops that turned out well

Hi folks;
I woke up this morning feeling like I hadn't slept at all, and just downright blah.  So I turned off the alarm, took the dog out to pee in about 2+ feet of snow, then crawled back in to bed for a few hours.  When I got up, I had to clean the driveway (yay for my snowblower!) and I napped when I came back in.  And I laid down for another nap this afternoon.  Hopefully all this sleep will nip whatever it is in the bud, and I'll be fine tomorrow. (I'm hoping to get to bed early tonight, too).

In between napping, I thought about what to do for today's LOAD prompt: scrap about an "oops" moment (something went wrong) that ultimately turned out well.  I was having a hard time thinking of what to do, so was just going to do ANY layout, ignoring the prompt.  Then I found these photos of my parents, brother and nieces and I having dinner on my patio.

Every time my parents come down to stay for a day or two, they insist on going out for dinner.  I've suggested many times that I could make something, and they say no, and we go out.  So I finally told them I was getting a complex, that they think I can't cook.  So we agreed to BBQ that night and invite my brother and his girls over as well.  Anyway, I *still* didn't cook!  Dad manned the BBQ, and Mom wanted to do some roasted potatoes (I threw together a salad).  Anyway, Mom couldn't find a jellyroll pan - and she didn't ask me if I had one - so she used one of my flat (no edges) cookie sheets.

Dad, Mom and I were sitting at my dining table chatting when all of a sudden Dad gets this weird look on his face, and asks "Why is the oven on fire?!?".  Yeah.  The oil on the cookie spread over the sides,and ended up catching on fire when it hit the base of the oven.  Have you ever tried to take a pan with hot oil dripping over the sides out of the oven?  Well, I managed.  And we put the fire out.  And put the potatoes in the proper pan, back in the oven.  And we had a great dinner.   And Mom cleaned out my oven later that night. :)


Only 10 more days of LOAD to go!

Sunday, February 17, 2013

Taco Soup

Hi everyone;
With yet another snowstorm-y weekend, and with both hamburger and canned tomatoes on sale, I thought it would be good to try a hearty soup as my new-to-me recipe.  So I've gone back to the Crockpot365 blog this week and decided to try her Taco Soup.  You can find the recipe here: http://crockpot365.blogspot.ca/2008/02/original-taco-soup-crockpot-recipe.html

Here is a photo of the ingredients.  Although I didn't use that much hamburger; I took half and used it in another batch of Stuffed Pepper Soup that I made a few weeks back.  My heart broke a little last week when I took the last serving out of the freezer, so I made another batch this morning. :)

Everything thrown into the crock - it makes a lot!


And the final result:

I would say it makes more of a loose chili than a soup.  The taste is good, I would totally scoop some into a taco shell, and it would be great.  But to be honest, I probably won't make this again.  This isn't soupy enough for me to consider it a soup.  And if I'm going to have chili, I want the chili that I normally make.   That's just my personal opinion though.

Oh well.  I tried!