Rediscovering My Cookbooks

Can I just tell how happy I am that it is the final day of January? This month seems to have dragged along on purpose, just to spite me. At least today was a sunny day but most of the week was cold and gray. Don't get me wrong, it's still freezing outside. When you have to bundle up just to get the mail and then actually getting the mail requires strategic acrobatic moves, and to make the challenge more interesting you happen to have impaired gait it isn't at all fun. Yes, I am looking forward to Springtime, yes it is months away, but at least January is nearly done.

Before I let the first month of the year come to a close, I wanted to write about one of my goals for this year. I had decided to become less reliant on using the internet for everyday things like cooking. I love social media, but not everything in my life requires a Google search. I have an amazing collection of cookbooks. I have some classics, some new gems, baking cookbooks, and ethnic cuisine cookbooks. I have practically everything I need to help me create fantastic dishes. I even have two binders filled with recipes that I've printed out over the years- some of them I printed out in 1998. So, I decided to start using my cookbook library again.

Once I started searching for specific recipes for making dinner or baking cakes, I began noticing some fantastic recipes for other things that I never once considered making, mostly because I had no idea that I had the recipe on hand. It is actually a lot of fun skimming through my books and finding endless possibilities.

This afternoon, I found myself getting sucked into re-watching season one of Pretty Little Liars on Netflix and I decided to bake some soda bread. I used a recipe from my "Irish Food & Cooking" cookbook. After looking through that book, I found a bunch of recipes that I had completely forgotten about. I know that a lot of those dishes my husband would love. I think I will be experimenting with those recipes over the next month. If and when I make something from that book, I will let you know. Until next time~Toodahloo!

Hello Summer, Goodbye PLL

You know it is officially summer when you're able to finally get fresh strawberries and rhubarb. My father cut some rhubarb from one of his plants and he bought some strawberries from a local farm. I could wait to make a strawberry rhubarb pie, one of my favorite pies to make and eat! I discovered last summer, that the trick to a perfect rhubarb pie is the addition of an egg. I found this by accident when I was looking for a strawberry rhubarb pie recipe and the one I used happened to include an egg. What makes this so essential, compared to other recipes that omit the egg, is the way the fruit and sugars bake. The egg absorbs a lot of the juices and makes a thick sauce. I have had many strawberry rhubarb pies that tasted wonderful but were incredibly runny. By simply adding an egg along with the sugar to the fruit and mixing thoroughly, you get a nicer pie in the end. I had so much fruit, I ended up making two pies, one for my parents and one for myself. This is one of my favorite things about summer, all the pies that I get to make!

I repurposed pallets to make a compost bin.

Now that summer is in full swing, I have been putting a lot of energy into the house and the garden. It can get pretty exhausting, but it will be well worth it once winter arrives. The weather has been so gloomy lately. The week before was perfect weather, the week before that was nothing but humid and horrid. This past week, the weather has been partly cloudy with a chance of showers, almost every day. One day, I was trying to clean and organize my garage and that was tricky because the rain kept coming and going. in between rain showers it would be nearly sunny, then it would rain again. If I were just cleaning the garage, it would be fine, but I like to keep my dogs in our fenced in area of our yard. That way, they aren't left inside where they can get into all kinds of mischief. My goal for Monday is to get the garage cleaned.

I was very happy to finally get my compost bin built. It was very simple to do. I looked up a number or ways to do it on Pinterest and Youtube. I decided to take an easy way. I had my husband help me move the pallets to rest behind the garage. Then, I stood one next to another and tied the sides together using a thick yarn that is meant for macrame. I found that tying the upper and lower corners of each side was the easiest way. Then, I tacked a mesh material to the bottom and I used scrap wood slats to weave through the front and side of the bin and that created a brace for the mesh. The point of the mesh at the bottom was so that air could circulate all around the compost and allow it to break down properly.

Once the bin was built, I took all the leaf piles that we had throughout the yard and transferred them to the bin. I also added the extra apples that I had in the basement over the winter and the compost from the kitchen. While I'm tidying the garage, I hope to create a special area for the recycling and I'll be one step closer to getting the house organized. All of this is to help the household function better in the colder months.

What happens to abandoned dolls. It hardly seems dignified.

PLL SPOILERS! If you haven't watched the final episode, don't read this!

So, after seven years of faithfully watching Pretty Little Liars, the show came to and end. I have mixed feelings about this. It's bad enough that my beloved Orphan Black is heading towards the sunset, this was just too much. The only reason I started to watch PLL, was because House wasn't on one night. With nothing to watch, I found myself channel surfing and stumbled on Holly Marie Combs, so I assumed that a re-run of Charmed was on, so I settled on that. What I thought was one show, turned out to the pilot of the new show Pretty Little Liars. The show had a bit of intrigue and being the sucker for Agatha Christie that I am, I couldn't stop watching it. The show had its hooks in me. After that, I couldn't miss an episode. As an adult watching the show, I thought that many aspects of the story line were disturbing. "Ezria", for instance, was very creepy. I don't care about the fact that the teacher was fresh out of college, it was beyond inappropriate and also totally illegal. Yet, most fans wanted those two love birds to make it. Was it because he was charming and had a baby face? The relationship was a bit reminiscent of The Thorn Birds, but also a bit Lolita. It was very toxic and the relationship continued to grow more and more disturbing. Yet, in the end, fans gushed when they finally made it down the aisle. 

Poor Wren, that's ll I have to say about him.

The final episode was long and the first part of the episode seemed to drag a long bit. I honestly think the show would have been better if it had ended back when CeCe was revealed, but I don't think they ever should have made her A, in the first place. If the show was going to end, I think that it would have been okay to end the show on episode 19 with AD driving away. It would have really angered the fans, but if they had AD look into the rearview mirror, revealing their face, that would have been enough for me. However, the writers wanted to tie up loose ends and explain it all. The problem is, it seems like there were a lot of holes throughout the story, The never explained why their therapist had an existing file on Aria, or why AD favored Aria over the other girls. They tried to make three different A's, one picking up from the other. Also, when AD was revealed, it wasn't too shocking as many fans had picked up on clues from previous episodes of the final season. However, when it was revealed, they actual character, was annoying to me. As much as I like the actress, the character felt too much like a rip-off of the Sarah Manning character from Orphan Black. A London punk, grifter, with cockney accent takes over the life of a woman who looks exactly like her, taking her boyfriend and her friends. It wasn't direct theft, as this is a common story used in books and film, but the similarities were enough to irritate me. At the end of it all, I was glad it was finally over, not because I hate the show, but because I didn't like the way the story was going. I'm glad it had a happy ending, but I just wish it ended differently. I did love the last bit with Mona, she was a fantastic character. That part of the ending did have a bit of a Hitchcock flair.

With the show done, I will be a little bummed when winter comes and there won't be a new season. However, there is always Netflix and the books to read. So, if I ever need my fix, I can turn on the show while I bake cookies.  I will look forward to watching Lucy Hale in her new show, this Fall. It actually looks kind of cute and it would be nice to watch to balance out the emotions endured after watching Supernatural. 

That pretty much sums up what's been happening in my world. Gardening, cleaning, watching tv and trying to build a quilt. It may not be crazy exciting, but this is what happens when the weather isn't reliable. Also, the end of the school year was tremendously hectic, so I'll take the boring for a while. Things will be picking up again, soon, it is summer after all. Until next time~ Toodahloo!

Post Thanksgiving Tidy

I am turkeyed out. As much as I love turkey, I just need a break. I bought a 16 pound turkey, hoping to feed the family for the holiday and yield plenty of leftovers. I certain accomplished that goal! After Thanksgiving, I continued to enjoy a few turkey sandwiches and turkey with gravy over mashed potatoes. Today, I decided to freeze the rest. I divided the remains of the turkey and I split the poultry between two freezer bags. This will come in handy when I want to make something for dinner throughout the next few weeks.
I also needed to figure out what to do with all of the leftover cranberry sauce that I made. My husband has always consumed canned cranberry sauce on the holidays, but that was not my tradition. Since we were combining our traditions, I made the cranberry sauce. This is a task that I have done the night before Thanksgiving since I was a teenager. As such, I am accustomed to having to make a lot. In my family, growing up, everyone piled on the cranberry sauce and they still do. On Thanksgiving, only my husband and I ate the sauce. So, after snacking on the cranberry sauce as much as I could, I decided to re-use it for a treat. I modified a recipe that would typically be used for raspberry bars, and substituted the raspberry jam with the cranberry sauce. I can't wait to eat a bar with some tea!

I also baked a batch biscuits to have for supper, tonight. I decided to make biscuits and gravy, and my husband was happy to go along with that. Today, I spent the day cleaning and preparing for tomorrow, as I intend to break out the Christmas decorations. While I was baking, I listened to my Spotify Christmas playlist and it put me in such a delightful mood! It felt good to get work done after taking a breather over the weekend. The holiday weekend really wore me out, so I took it easy yesterday. I just didn't feel inspired to do much, especially with such gloomy weather outside. Today was perfectly sunny and just right for being industrious.
So, I have been eagerly waiting to watch the new Anne Of Green Gables movie, which I will do tomorrow. I have also been anxious to watch the new Gilmore Girls episodes. Most people, ahem (women/girls), that I know who watched the show binged the entire day after Thanksgiving. I only watched one episode. I prefer to enjoy them a bit at a time, savor them, really. So, I think I will go sip some tea, eat a cranberry bar and watch another episode of Gilmore Girls. Until next time~ Toodahloo!

Super Easy And Fast Cinnamon Buns

I"m going to be straight with you readers...I LOVE bread! I love homemade bread, homemade yeast rolls, scones and, especially, cinnamon rolls. Now, I'm not some high baker snob. It is NOT beneath me to crack open a can of cinnamon rolls when the moment strikes me. Heck, I even buy generic rolls, that just my way. However, nothing beats baked goods made from scratch. I do have my favorite recipes that I've tried over the years. I have one recipe from a 1960's baking cookbook which is very involved and takes hours, but the end result is worth it. Once in a blue moon, I'll indulge and a bake those. I've been craving cinnamon rolls, lately, but it's also 90 degrees (fahrenheit), so I need another option. 

This summer, I discovered an amazing recipe for homemade hamburgers buns. I found it after being dissatisfied with store bought buns and not being super excited to go to the store. The buns can be made in less than and hour! I know and they make gorgeous buns. I wish I hadn't deleted my photo of my burger buns, but this isn't so much about burger buns and more about how I made cinnamon buns, but I needed to include my story about burger buns, because it's important to the story.

So, after making the buns a few times and craving cinnamon buns during a heat wave, I decided to experiment and see if I could adapt the recipe for cinnamon buns. The end result was beautiful! So, you begin with the original recipe for hamburger buns, which can be found on the Taste Of Home webpage. I'll include the link here: http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/40-minute-hamburger-buns?keycode=ZPIN0414. Side note: I adore the Taste Of Home website and magazine. I have one of their cookbooks, and it is fantastic!

So, following the burger bun recipe up to the point where you form the dough into balls, here is where you use the dough for cinnamon rolls. Rather than forming the balls, I rolled the dough out into a 10x12 rectangle. Then, I added 1/4 cup melted butter and spread it over the dough. Then, I sprinkled 1/2 cup of sugar (white, but brown would work nicely). Next, I sprinkled ground cinnamon over the sugar and then topped it off with 1/2 a cup of raisins. Then, I rolled the doll into a log and cut the cough in eight pieces. I placed the buns onto a prepared cookie sheet, leaving enough space for expansion, and I covered the buns to rise for 8-10 minutes. Finally, I baked the buns according to the hamburger bun recipe. It was THAT easy! They came out beautifully, huge and tasty. You might need to bake a few extra minutes so the centers are fully baked, just keep an eye on them.

 I love recipes like this that are so versatile and can be adapted to use for a number of treats. If you need fantastic hamburger buns for a bbq, or you really want to impress your friends, make the hamburger buns, you won't be disappointed. I'm going to pull some out of the freezer to have for burgers tonight! Until Next Time~ Toodahloo!

The Great Artisan Bread Experiment

I bought this online and neither the seller, nor the online store sponsor me. I just thought I should point that out before there's any sort of confusion. I DID get this discounted for an honest review, but I was not paid to feature this item in my blog. I just happened to use it to make delicious bread. I will admit, that I really liked this and I am glad I got to try it out.

If you've read a few of my posts, you might have observed that I have many hobbies. One of the more obvious of which is baking, but another hobby of mine is reviewing products. I like testing products out; most of which, I get at a discounted rate in exchange for my testing and reviewing the product, honestly and fairly. I have a lot of fun with this, and it allows me to write for an entirely different genre. So, when I have the opportunity to combine hobbies, I'm more than delighted. Recently, I acquired a banneton basket, which is a wicker basket used for proofing bread dough. After searching Pinterest for artisanal bread recipes, and making my own additions to the recipe, I had delicious bread.

When I first found the recipe that I wanted to use, I was very excited. It only had a few ingredients, and it claimed that I didn't need to knead it! However, once I started making the bread, I soon discovered that it was a two-day job, as I had to mix the batter and let it rest overnight, When I finally returned to the dough, it was far runnier than I'd expected. So, I added more flour and kneaded it (I couldn't help myself). Then, I let it rest in the banneton. I lined the basket with a tea towel, to prevent the dough from sticking. After a few hours, it was ready to go into the oven.

According to the recipe, the dough had to be placed in a Dutch oven, with a lid and baked in the oven for 25 minutes. Then, I had to (carefully) remove the lid and bake the bread for an additional 10 minutes. I was very nervous about this. I wondered if my herbed bread would even come out. After all the work that I put into it, would all be wasted? However, once I sliced into the bread, I soon found perfection. It tasted just like the fancy bread at the grocery store. It made fantastic toast and was outstanding with fried eggs for breakfast. When my husband first tried it, he said that it was chewy, but I explained to him that it was meant to be that way. He loved it. So, for my first time baking artisanal bread, I really lucked out with the recipe that I used. It was super basic. I added sage, rosemary and thyme to the mixture. Had I any parsley, I would have added that, too. I think this would be great with Herbs de Province added. I've been dipping this in lovely herbed olive oil and it's dreamy. I think that I might need to make herbed olive oil, this summer, perhaps some herbed vinegar, as well.

The other day, we put in our garden. we're still adding more vegetable plants. As my father plants vegetables in his garden, whatever has left over, he brings to us and we're planting those, as well. I hope the veggie garden works out this summer. Already, our flowers look gorgeous. The lilacs have come and gone, but now the peonies, irises and lilies are blooming. Keep an eye out on my Instagram and Tumblr pages for pictures of my flowers and my latest baking experiments. Until next time~ Toodahloo!

Soft And Chewy Molasses Cookies

So, hello there! I'm sitting at my kitchen island, watching the train go by. I'm cuddled up with a fluffy blanket and a hot cocoa is at my side, as I've been cold all day. For some reason, I've been very cold lately which is odd, considering we've been experiencing warmer weather. This week, I've been baking a lot. I'm trying to improve my gluten free goodies. If you follow me on Instagram or Twitter, you would have seen the gluten free cheesy crackers that I baked today. Earlier in the week, I baked amazing oatmeal bread for the gluten eaters of the household (I'm a glutenvore) and last night, I made homemade gluten free granola bars. I used to make granola bars all the time, never considering that they were gluten free. These granola bars are a breeze to make and are more economical than buying gluten free granola bars. I will share the recipe the next time I make them! (I'm not yelling, I'm just really excited.)

Last week, I baked molasses cookies. I love homemade cookies; my favorites being chocolate chip, oatmeal raisin, and molasses cookies. In a post that I wrote a few years ago, I mentioned an old recipe book that I had, where old hand written recipes from the 1940's - 1950's had been collected. This book contains a handful of molasses cookie recipes. So, I combined all of my favorite elements from a few recipes and made my own recipe.

The Recipe:

Molasses Cookies

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup (packed) brown sugar

1 cup molasses

1 stick of butter (room temperature)

1/2 cup shortening

2 eggs (1 egg if you want less chewy cookies)

1 tbsp. baking soda

1/2 cup strong black coffee

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

1/2 tsp ginger

1 tsp. cream of tartar (or Bakewell Creme)

3 cups flour

- In a mug, combine the hot coffee and the baking soda and set aside.
- Cream the sugars, the shortening and the butter until fluffy. Then, add the molasses and egg(s) and mix until combined.
- Slowly add the flour, alternately with the coffee mixture, until a dough is formed.
- Refrigerate for one hour.

Initially, I tried rolling out the dough and cutting the cookies, but they were too soft. So, I used the drop method, instead!

- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Spoon small mounds of dough, six at a time, on a lined cookie sheet. The cookies spread, so it's best to give them adequate space.
- Flatten each mound slightly and sprinkle with white sugar.
- Bake the cookies for 12-14 minutes.
- Allow to cool and enjoy!

I stored these in a cake safe, they were too chewy to place in a cookies jar. These didn't not last very long in my house, we all love cookies! I've recently decided to incorporate more baking in my week. Homemade bread and cookies are so much tastier! Not the mention, they are better for you and cost a fraction of the price of store bought baked goods. The kitchen always smells fantastic! I always post photos of what I'm baking on Instagram and I share them on Twitter and Tumblr. I will happily recipes on this blog as well! If you're on  any of the social sites that I mentioned keep and eye out for my pics. You can find me by clicking on the link on the side of my wall. If you try making these cookies, share your photos and tag me, I"d love to see them! Until then~ Toodahloo!

Kitchen (Mis)Adventures

This is what my kitchen island looks like on a regular basis. This is my reality- a slightly controlled mess. Last Friday, I had decided to delight in the anniversary of my sorority's founding by baking a big batch of pink cupcakes; a tradition that I began long ago. Everything was in place, I had my eggs, my strawberry cake mix, freshly brewed coffee and a marathon of Chasing Life on Netflix. First, I made a batch of gluten free chocolate cupcakes, then I baked the strawberry cupcakes. Before I began adding water, eggs and oil to my mix, I double checked the "best by" date. The mix was "Best" by November 2015. Unsure of the safety of the mix, I did one inquiry after another, reading a ridiculous amount of literature on Google. After inspecting, sniffing and eye balling, I surmised that the mix was "safe" and I began the baking process. The sun was shining, the house was clean and it smelled amazing, it was a unicorn eating jellybeans kind of afternoon. That all changed after I frosted the cupcakes....

I don't know if it was the frosting (chocolate fudge from a can), the cupcake, or the combination of the two, but something was just off about the cupcakes. I ate one and it "seemed" okay, but something told me to try another. After smelling a cupcake, breaking it open and smelling more, something seemed sour. I just felt uneasy about these cupcakes, One part of me, the part that loves cupcakes, told myself not to worry, that the mix was properly stored and couldn't possibly be off. However, another part of me, the part that knows I'll wake up at 3 am in a panic, told me to toss the batch. I decided to feed the bin. I didn't like the idea of the kids getting sick off of cupcakes. The gluten free cupcakes were fine, Sadly, I had to go without my pink cupcakes on Founders' Day, this year. As Celine Dion says (err, sings) "my heart will go on......"

To make up for my kitchen mishap, I was determined to be a culinary crusader for the rest of the week. A few days ago, I baked a delicious batch of soft molasses cookies, using my very own recipe! They are a hit. Last night, I made Toll House Pie....swoon!

Monday, I needed fried food in a way that almost seemed obscene. I searched Pinterest for the perfect onion ring recipe. After pinning a few copycat recipes, I'd decided that those recipes were more complicated than they had any business being. Instead, I relied on my trusty Betty Crocker; she never fails me. Sure enough, I found a simple recipe that lent itself to be improved upon with the addition of spices and cornmeal.

The end result was nothing short of amazing. I enjoyed these with fried chicken nuggets. Again, it was that kind of day. Now, I have big plans to make some deep fried pickle chips, with onion rings. I know that it sounds terrible. However, this is something that I delight in once in a blue moon. Normally, I eat more healthy meals and I exercise, the key is moderation. When you use moderation, you can indulge in a few naughty meals.

So, that has been my week in the kitchen. We've been enjoying warmer weather, the days are getting longer and Maine Maple Sunday is just around the corner! Soon, we'll celebrate St. Patrick's Day, then Easter and then....Spring will be here! I am really..really looking forward to Spring. I'll keep you updated on any new kitchen adventures and any other adventures that come my way. Hopefully, no more pastries will be sacrificed. Until next time~ Tooddahloo!

Remembering To Rely On Trusted Cookbooks

I like to cook and I love to bake. Baking is where I find my happy, relaxing place in the kitchen. When I was a little girl, I learned to bake chocolate chip cookies, using my mother's Betty Crocker cookbook. When the internet became a cultural thing, I was in college; I remember my first online recipe came within a viral e-mail that one of my high school friends had sent. It was the notorious fake cookie recipe from a mall bakery. After that, I thought that it would be tremendously useful to find recipes on the internet. I've had good luck with recipes from brand sites, sites of famous cooks and allrecipes.com. What is great about allrecipes is that people with rate the recipe and write in the comments what worked and what didn't work in the recipe. Often, when people share how they improved upon the recipe, I'll use their addition(s) to make a better treat/meal. This method has never really failed me, as far as I can remember.
Then, there's Pinterest, my favorite site. However, it's also the worst site when it comes to recipes. There are so many recipes that look amazing and people claim them to be amazing, but it's such a guessing game. I've found some good recipes and some horrid recipes. Today, for instance, I was in the mood to make some cinnamon rolls, because it was rainy today. I thought that it would be great to warm up the kitchen and make the house smell like baked goods. I went to online and found what was supposed to be an amazing recipe. The recipe (initially) claimed to take 20 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to bake, with a total of 40 minutes. I thought that it would be wonderful to throw together some pastry just in time for the Mister to come home for his lunch break and enjoy some freshly baked cinnamon rolls. Once I got 3/4 of the way through the recipe, with dough half-way mixed, the directions said to let the dough rise for an HOUR! Then further down, the recipe requires the rolls to rise for an additional 30 minutes. It would have been great if this little note was included at the top of the page, where it claimed to be a 40 minute project. I was thoroughly annoyed, to say the least.
The rolls, two hours later, came out great and were very much appreciated when the gentleman came home for the day; it was a welcome treat after being out in the rain. However, the experience has left me a bit jaded.
 Lately, I've decided to stop the game and just rely on my cookbooks. I have a wonderful cookbook collection and those recipes have never failed me. I even have a spiral bound version of the same Betty Crocker cookbook like my Mum has. I rely on that book, still, to bake excellent treats. I've gotten into the habit of grabbing a small stack of books from my cookbook library and finding good recipes to meal plan for the week. The most surprising thing is, I'm now discovering recipes from cookbooks that I overlooked for years. One year, I received the "Desperate Housewives Cookbook" for Christmas. It was a gift, because I was so addicted to the show. I never took the book too seriously. After a recent meal planning session, I discovered that the cookbook is actually pretty great! It has a nice variety of recipes and they are all very easy to throw together. So, for now on, I'm going to take a more old fashioned approach to cooking and baking, and hopefully I'll have more success and less frustration.
Until next time~ Toodahloo!

Getting My Baking Mojo Back

Fresh baked blueberry muffins, right out of the oven!

You might have noticed over the previous months a lack in baking posts. There is a very logical, if not sad, and slightly funny story behind the reason why. At least, in the end, there's a happy ending. Back in November, I was looking forward to the holiday season. I couldn't wait to bake Thanksgiving pies and I was anticipating all of the festive treats that I could bake in December. Thanksgiving arrived and I found myself baking pies the night before, then getting up early on Thanksgiving morning to bake homemade cinnamon rolls. It was all very delicious and I felt like I was finally making my kitchen my own. Then, the Friday after Thanksgiving, in the wee hours of the morning, something very strange happened. Around 1 o'clock in the morning, I woke to hear a faint beeping sound coming from downstairs. This is odd, because I am hearing impaired, however I can still hear high pitched sounds very clearly. I woke the Mister and asked him if he could hear it too. He got out of bed, went downstairs and discovered that the noise was coming from the oven.
I quickly shot downstairs to investigate. The oven display was showing an error code and the oven was very hot. (No, the oven had not been left on earlier in the evening.) The Mister tried to hit cancel, but the oven would not shut off. Strangely this very thing happened to my parents the year before. A few days after Thanksgiving, while my Mum was roasting a turkey, the oven shot up to 500 degrees F. The only solution that my Dad could find was to unplug the oven. I decided that we needed to immediately unplug the oven in order to prevent any sort of major problem. So, the oven was unplugged and it began to cool down. After the Mister returned to bed, I couldn't rest until I researched online any possible cause and/or solution to our problem.  I narrowed it down to either a problem with the temperature sensor or the control panel. Once I saw that there was at least a solution, I was able to go back to bed and get some rest.
The next morning, we plugged the oven back in, hoping that the problem went away, but the problem was still there. So, the Mister discovered that it was most likely (hopefully) a problem with the temperature sensor. So, he was able to make it so that the oven was no longer in use, but the stove could still function.
Christmas came and went, and we were able to improvise and had a lovely holiday meal with the family. However, January arrived and that month is full of birthdays, not to mention that February has my birthday and Valentine's Day. I really, really wanted my oven back. I went online and did some research, I found the type of sensor that I needed for my oven and ordered a replacement on ebay. When the Mister replaced the old with the new and oven was working again. I was beyond happy. Since then, I've been baking up a storm. I made homemade bread, cookies, birthday cakes, and the other day, I made blueberry muffins. Not to mention, that I can cook more versatile meals for supper again. Life is back to normal. I know that it seems like such a small thing, and compared to other much bigger problems out there, this is rather silly. I never saw this situation as a problem, I understood that it was nothing more than an inconvenience; nevertheless, I am very grateful to have my oven back. Now, You'll find more baking stories coming your way! Until then~ Toodahloo!

October Is Here!

I am only in the first week of October and already it is full of surprises! We were experiencing an unusually warm Fall, in the beginning, but I knew that would be short lived. Now it is super chilly and as if over night, most of the leaves have turned. The hurricane brought a bit of rain and wind and those stormy days tend to be crazy. Last week, I decided to take a crack at my bread machine. I received the machine for Christmas a decade ago and I stored it in my parents attic to use when I moved out. The appliance came with a lovely manual/cookbook. So, using a recipe from the cookbook, I followed the directions and added the ingredients to the pan. Then, I popped myself some popcorn, grabbed a blanket and set off to watch The Omen on Netflix. Just after Damien's nanny performed her party trick, the power went out. It was a stormy day, which would have been perfect for that sort of movie. I went downstairs, after the power returned and check int he bread machine. It seemed to have resumed the baking process, so I returned to the movie. However, after losing the power, I saw it as a sign to not watch the movie and turned on something else, instead. When the bread finished baking, it certainly smelled like bread, but after seeing the dent, I was worried if it would taste like bread. The Mister came home and made corn chowder and sliced my bread for me. To my delight, it tasted like delicious bread. Next time I decide to use the bread machine, I will check my weather app for any storms first.

Earlier in the week, the Mister's parents visited and his father handed me a bag of rhubarb. I love rhubarb, especially in pie. I chopped it up and froze to have on hand. Later, my parents came over for dinner, so I made rhubarb crisp; it was delicious!

The end of the week to an unexpectedly heartbreaking turn when one of the family dogs died. I am grateful to have been home, to hold him as he passed so that he wasn't frightened or lonely. I miss him terribly, he was a wonderful friend. We spent the rest of the weekend staying busy and doing our best to keep our chins up. We decided to go apple picking and that helped tremendously. We picked apples and pumpkins and enjoyed the fresh air and beautiful sunshine.

This pumpkin looks like it could make the perfect Jack-O-Lantern! Now, I am looking forward to the rest of October. At some point today, I will need to unearth all of my Martha Stewart October edition magazines and glean some ideas for baking and cooking. I hope to make this October fun, relaxing and make the house feel super cozy. Until next time~ Toodahloo!

A Relaxing Memorial Day Weekend

It is a three day weekend here. I thought that I would thoroughly enjoy the moment. On Friday, I made biscuits, using the recipe on the back of the Bakewell Creme tin. This recipe makes huge biscuits and I only need a few for dinner. The rest were dedicated to homemade strawberry shortcake. I adore strawberry shortcake, the fresh strawberries and the sweet juice that is produced when you combine strawberries and sugar is pure magic. Strawberries piled on top of a biscuit with a huge mound of whipped cream, it's simply fabulous. This delight was pure bliss. I was riding on a high, and then I watched Orphan Black and I received a swift kick in the gut. Sigh.

Fortunately, this morning was bright and sunny. It was much warmer than yesterday, but with a slight breeze to keep things comfortable. So, I took Fred to the lake to play in the grass.

Then, Fred decided to take a little dip in the water. I can't believe how clear the water is now. It was a much murkier lake when I was a little girl. Now, it is beautiful and filled with life.

Still, no sign of the loon. Since it is the start of the summer season, the lake was very active today, I'm certain the loon was hiding on the other side... avoiding the boats.

In the afternoon, I set out to work in the garden. It is tilling time, so I was clearing the excessive debris that resurfaces after a run-through. The air smelled of honeysuckle and apple blossom; the fragrance would have made "Anne Shirley" swoon.

Spread throughout the yard are wild strawberry blossoms and these little blue flowers, I positively love wildflowers!
Now, I'm home after working in the garden, running errands and doing a bit of rose rescue (the indoor miniature rose was looking unwell) I now have on my lounge pants and a there's mug of coffee at my desk. I am done for the day. I still have some writing to do. I'd like to tidy up a little corner in my room and I'd really like to enjoy a pedicure. The night is still young, so I'll see how it all works out. Tomorrow morning, I'll go to the parade, then visit family and I will not do any yard work. It will be a very, very relaxing, but reflective time. Until next time~ Toodahloo!

Taking It Easy On A Rainy Day

I took this photo when I was out on a walk with Fred, the other day, That was very warm and it was bright and sunny. I certainly could not resist a lovely stroll with my canine companion. The fresh air and sunshine was good for the soul.

As hot as it was on that day, I needed chocolate chip cookies. I just had to have them. So, I pulled out the trust Betty Crocker cookbook and baked that best cookies ever. I grew up with this cookbook and I use it for practically everything. This cookbook was my home textbook from which I studied numerous recipes , starting at the age of 8, and it never has failed me. These cookies are so delicious and comforting to eat.

Today is a different story, It is slightly cold, damp and rainy. I am sleep deprived, because I stayed up way too late listening to old Boyzone and Girls Aloud songs (it was one of those days), and my dog likes to get up at sunrise. I am at my desk with a big mug of hot cocoa with whipped cream and Steven & Chris is on in the background. I know that I should keep working on a sewing project, but I've decided to work on that a little at a time. Plus, I have a big bucket of Wet n' Wild nail polish on my desk, inches from my face and it is very distracting.

I've been working on making curtains for my Dad. He needed curtains for his "man cave" and I already had this fabric on hand. These are really simple panels that I am going to attach to a rod with ring-clips. I decided to work on it a little at a time so that I wouldn't get bored with it. Recently, I have been inspired by so many things and I have so many ideas for projects, that I have to write everything down to keep track of it all. Then, when I visit Pinterest, it is even worse, the site has so many resources for inspiration. With all of this whirling in the head, it is hard to focus. I do hope that I am able to get more of things that I want to do, soon, I have a big pile of jeans that I will be repurposing for a number of crafts, very soon. So, keep an eye out for that, there should be posts on those projects in June. Until next time~ Toodahloo!

Nutty Chocolate Biscotti On A Rainy Afternoon

This week has been one of those weeks that is typical of April. This has been a very damp and cold week and I hope it leads to really beautiful flowers in May. When you live in a small town that lacks cafes and bakeries, it can be depressing when you find yourself craving a bit of decadence. Lately, I've been craving biscotti and decided that the best option was to search Pinterest for a good recipe. I stumbled upon a recipe for chocolate biscotti which was pinned from Martha Stewart's website (www.marthastewart.com). I decided to try that recipe, because Martha never fails me. I added my own flair to the recipe, with the addition of walnuts and 1/8 cup of instant coffee granules.

The recipe was very easy to follow. You just need to plan ahead of time so that you have softened butter for the dough. The recipe said to shape the dough into a log and flatten the log. I found that it was easier to do when that I placed a sheet of plastic wrap on top of the dough. This also helped me to eyeball the size and shape of the dough. Then, I placed it in the oven and baked according to the directions in the recipe. (I removed the cellophane first, obviously.)

After baking the dough for 25 minutes, I took it out to cool and reduced the oven temperature. I let the giant cookie cool for 5 minutes and mid-way through cooling time, I began cutting out the biscotti. First, I cut off the ends. Then, I cut the rectangle in half, length-wise, and then I began cutting in 1 inch wide strips. The dough expanded quite a bit while baking, so this made a surprising amount of biscotti. I arranged the biscotti  on their sides on the baking sheet and allowed for plenty of space between the pieces. When the oven cooled to the right temperature, I baked the biscotti for 8 minutes. I didn't bother to dip the biscotti in melted chocolate or drizzle chocolate on them. I like them plain. They are very tasty as they are.

I enjoyed these with a nice cup of black coffee and had a girl moment, eating these whilst watching last night's episode of "Younger" on www.tvland.com. I really do love that show; Sutton Foster is great, I remember her from "Thoroughly Modern Millie." Debbie Mazar is a hoot, it is fun to see her on television again; although, I love her on the cooking show "Extra Virgin." It's simple delights like these that make life fun. Now, I must finish this up so that I may do some yoga. More on that subject in this weekend's post. I haven't forgotten about part 2 of my Truly Outrageous post, that will be up on Friday. Time to stretch...Until next time~ Toodahloo!

A White Easter

Yesterday was such a fun day! It snowed in the morning, and it snowed the day before that, too. I spent Saturday morning having a relaxing marathon of the first four episodes of the BBC America show, Orphan Black. The show is available to stream on the BBC America channel on youtube. I've seen those episodes before, and I can watch them on demand any time I'd like. However, Saturday morning, I was on Facebook and there was a post from BBC America where they'd shared their youtube playlist. I decided to cozy up at my desk and watch the show. It was snowing and I knew that I'd be busy the rest of the day, preparing for the holiday. I took the morning to rest. I am so happy that I did. The rest of the day, I was cleaning, organizing, baking carrot cheesecake and carrot cake with a cream cheese center and I was making homemade chocolates for my sisters Easter baskets. I forced myself to stop, sometime around 8 pm. Featured in the photo below, is one of the many homemade Needhams that I made. It is strange to think that coconut, butter, powdered sugar and mashed potato can be such a delicious combination!

Easter morning arrived, I made a mad dash to do any last minute tidying and then my sisters and their families arrived. It was such a delight to see my nephews and to be silly with my sisters. I introduced my teenage nephews to the youtube talent, Flula Borg- a German musician, comedian and all around nice guy. He is very funny and I could spend a good hour bingeing on his videos. With all of the food and treats, I was exhausted at the end of the day. While my sisters were back on the interstate, heading home, I was cleaning up the kitchen and doing dishes, whilst watching Monarch Of The Glen on Netflix.

Now, I am at my desk with a mug of hot mocha and a plate of cakes (thanks to aid of Lactaid). Outside my window, snow is falling from the sky. Since it is so cold and grey, I am watching the BBC show Murder In Paradise on Netflix. Usually, I watch reruns of this show on PBS, but I discovered that it's now on Netflix. It really couldn't come at a better time. When the weather is especially disappointing, I turn to tv shows that are set in warm climates. This is why I watch so many reruns of McLeod's Daughters and Hart Of Dixie in the winter. I also really enjoy watching youtube videos from beauty blogger and makeup artist Sharon Farrell. She's Irish, but lives in Sydney. Often, her videos are filmed in front of a window, so you can see the warmth of Australia radiating inside. I find it very helpful when battling the winter blahs.  Once I finally recover from the exhaustion of the holiday and winter, in general, I'll return to being wacky with the sewing machine and the hot glue gun. I just need to have that snow go away. Until then~ Toodahloo!

Ps.
 If you're curious about Sharon Farrell here is a link to her channel, she's really great! https://www.youtube.com/user/sharonmakeupartist

Seeing Green

Yesterday, we celebrated St. Patrick's Day. Even though we are not of Irish ancestry, we love to celebrate the holiday. Traditionally, I bake green velvet cake. However, this year, I decided to try something different. I did miss having green baked goods. I decided to begin the celebrating early, and made fluffy green pancakes. They look like something the Hulk would create, but they are delicious. I always use the recipe from the trusty Betty Crocker Cookbook. It was a fun way to start the day and it put a smile on my face.

In the afternoon, I made Irish soda bread, whilst watching the show Moone Boy on hulu.com. Growing up, my mother never made soda bread. The first time I ever had soda bread was when I was in college. I was at a cast party hosted my the director who also happened to be my adviser. She cooked a delicious dinner for the cast that included scrumptious soup and soda bread. I was hooked from that point. Every time I bake soda bread, I think of that night, it was a great time.

I use Craisins in my soda bread rather than currants or raisins. I also soak my Craisins in Red Rose tea for at least 30 minutes before draining them and adding them to the dough. I found the recipe way back in 2002 on epicurious.com. However, the internet is full of thousands of recipes for soda bread, I'm sure you can find one easily.

I ran out of time to make a dessert, so I waited until today. I wanted to make a dessert using only ingredients that I had already on hand. This morning, I decided to have fun and make up my own recipe. I call my creation- "Last Minute Key Lime Pie."

Last Minute Key Lime Pie

Ingredients:
1 (2.75 oz.) pkg. lime gelatin mix
1 (3 oz.) pkg. vanilla pudding mix
1 1/2 c. water
1 can sweetened condensed milk
4 oz. cream cheese (softened)
2 tbsp. lime juice
1/2 c. whipped topping
graham crack crust

Directions:
1) Prepare a graham cracker crust for a 10 in. deep dish pan according to directions on the back of the graham cracker box.
2) While the crust is in the oven, blend the gelatin mix and the pudding mix in a medium saucepan. On medium heat, add 1/2 cup of water and mix until the mixture is fully combined, then add the remaining water.
3) Remove crust from oven, and set aside to cool.
4) Continue to stir the gelatin and pudding mixture and bring to a full boil. Once it comes to a boil, let it cook for one minute and continue to stir, then remove from heat.
5) In a large mixing bowl, add the sweetened condensed milk and beat with an electric hand beater for 2 minutes. Add the lime juice and beat another minute.
6) Add the cream cheese to the milk mixture and beat on low speed until smooth. Then, switch the beater to high speed and beat for three minutes.
7) Slowly add the lime gelatin/pudding mixture to the milk mixture a little bit at a time. You don't want to pour it all in at once, because it will still be quite warm and it will make your mixture freak out on you. Beat on the lowest setting, with each addition until blended.
8) Once the all of the gelatin mixture is added, gently fold in the whipped topping and fold until smooth.
9) Pour mixture into graham cracker crust and chill until set.

Now, I know that technically this isn't Key Lime pie, as it doesn't use key lime. It is a sort of mock key lime pie. This took, roughly 30 minutes to through together. If you need to make a dessert quickly, this is great. This is also great to make if you are feeling a bit lazy and don't want to jump through a lot of hoops to get a tasty dessert. Sometimes, you just want a great dessert and you don't feel like you need to impress anyone. To be honest, I'm a bit impressed with myself. I don't often create my own recipes. I think my sister will dig this, because her little boy absolutely LOVES Key Lime Pie and this takes little effort and is practically fool proof. The trickiest part for me was folding in the whipped topping. Full disclosure: I didn't use vanilla pudding, I actually used vanilla tapioca pudding. This happened because I saw what looked like a box of vanilla pudding and I didn't see the word "Tapioca" that was in small lettering. I was initially a bit vexed, but I quickly got over it, and it turned out perfectly fine. These things happen and you just have to roll with it.

So, there you have it. A wonderful emerald green day was had. Tonight I will eat the delicious pie for dessert after I eat hash that will be made with the left overs from last night's boil dinner. I intend to be more creative this week and I can't wait to share it all with you. Until next time~ Toodahloo!

Repairing A Tattered Quilt

Last week, I was anticipating the arrival of my sisters, who I though would be lodging at my house for the night. I grabbed fresh sheets and then found a quilt that my nephews borrowed over the holidays. When I was shoving the quilt into my washing machine to be clean and fresh, I discovered a massive hole in the quilt. Nobody told me that this had happened. I thought I would have to repair it that night. However, my sisters stayed at a nearby hotel; so I was off the hook, for a while. I wasn't upset about the hole (it isn't a hand-made quilt), I was dumbfounded. I have no idea how this massive hole happened. Nothing was frayed, it almost looks like it had been chewed, but we don't have a mouse problem in my house, still strange. So, over the weekend, I grabbed the quilt, a needle and thread, some batting and my quilting loop and began repairing the hole. I had to put patches on both sides of the quilt, as the hole went all the way through the quilt (again, strange). I layered some batting between the layers to keep the quilt warm. Four "Gossip Girl's" and two slices of sausage and green pepper pizza later, the quilt is as good as new, if not better than new.

Yesterday, I baked Boston Cream cupcakes. I used a mix for the cake, but I made the vanilla custard and the chocolate icing from scratch. I just really needed some kind of baked good. I also really needed some chocolate. The more comforting the food, the better these days. I have been so tired lately. Not only am I tired, but I am also feeling sluggish. I really hope that Spring arrives soon. I need the warm sun and the fresh air. I have to keep myself busy so that I don't fall asleep during the day. Otherwise, I'll not sleep at night. Lately, my sleep has been crazy and my dreams have been most bizarre. Last night, for instance, I had a dream in which I was living back in Cape Cod, working at a very posh coffee shop. However, the coffee shop was Dunkin' Donuts, but a super high end DD. The interior looked like a cross between a chic nightclub and the interior design of Abercrombie & Fitch. That is not the strange part. What was odd about this dream, was that, I was the manager of the establishment. I was wearing jeans and a black t-shirt. However, all of the other employees were men in drag. I was surrounded by drag queens. So strange. I've been to many coffee shops on The Cape, none of them looked like the one in my dream. I've also seen my share of drag queens on The Cape, but I don't recall ever seeing them inside a cafe. Perhaps, it is my dream to live in a small town surrounded by sassy drag queens. Who knows?

In other news, Bingo, the elusive house cat, has come out of hiding! Spotting her outside of my lair is like catching a glimpse of a Sasquatch. Now, she's even spending time in the sunny living room, curled up in an armchair. As soon as any company arrives though, she'll flee straight to my bedroom. She should have been named "Dickinson." Oh well, I do hope to get my energy up soon. I relax by watching shows on hulu.com and Netflix. I really hope to be back on the craft kick. I've been itching to go to the thrift store so that I can begin some re-fashion projects, in time for the warm weather. That would be a lot of fun. Hopefully, I ll be energized and pepped up enough to be active and have more to write about. As soon as that happens, I'll share it with you. Until then~ Toodahloo!