Mary Mary Quite Contrary... Part 4

First I am so sorry it has taken me so very long to update about my garden. I just can’t seem to find enough time to do the things I really want to. That includes this blog. But I finally made the time to jot down a few updates on the garden, but I do need to get some pictures of the whole deal to show you its grown fairly well! Last night I picked the radishes! They all grew so well. I still have quite a few in the ground that I didn’t thin were quite ready to come up. Now that I am beginning to have some produce I need to add another thing to my list and find some interesting recipes to make with all of my garden fresh veggies. I am excited to see what I find.

Blessings!

Um...Hello Death by Chocolate!

Ok so....I made this cake...and it was sinful. Holy Moly was it delicious. My mother ate a piece and she said it made her dizzy afterwards. Between you and me- I think she's always a little dizzy! But seriously I don't think I ever ate a full piece. Chocolate to this degree is dangerous. I had been wanting to make this cake for quite sometime but never got the ingredients and to be honest i was a little scared! I made everything from scratch except i didn't grow the raspberries. But I may look into getting a bush. My brother AJ ate two pieces the 1st night the cake was around. Ya know- teenage boys- eating everything and anything in sight well the next morning he said "Jess, after I finished my second piece I felt sick, its was too rich to have two pieces at once. So that makes it official if HE says you can't have two pieces then it must be so! That homemade frosting, that was the part that took me the longest I think. I couldn't get it right I didn't like how it was tasting. So I kept adding more sugar then more milk and so on. Finally I had had it and it turned out great. We had to put the cake in the fridge the humidity is too much and after being completely chilled the frosting turned into a fudge on the cake. AHHH! Ok enough about the cake but isn't it pretty?! We all know thats my favorite part. The raspberry filling is the perfect touch and gave you a slight break from the constant chocolate. But not much of one because it too was very rich! This recipe will be a repeat that is for sure!


Miss Ais Loved the cake too! After she got done with her "ronies" she asked, "Time for cake now!?"

Blessings!

My First Bunt Cake...How Sweet

On my baking adventures I encountered this recipe: Almond Pound Cake. Yum Yum Yum! Thanks for Senor Smarty Pants’ Mom I could make this cake possible. My mom didn’t even have a bunt pan! Crazy woman!



It turned out so pretty!




I couldn't wait to dig in!

The Walk...

This book is so goooood! I have a few hours at the Library this summer and while I was checking in books a lady said to me that the book she was turning in was the best book she had ever read-she reads a lot. She said she just couldn’t put it down so I decided I should check it out. It had been a long time since I had gotten completely lost in a book. That is one of my favorite feelings in the whole world, becoming completely engulfed in the world of a book, not being able to put it down and being so excited to pick it up again right after you put it down. Ahh I love reading! This book worth your time. It is the first book I have read by Richard Paul Evans but it will not be my last. Wanna synopsis? Ok!

“What would you do if you lost everything?-you job, your home, and the love of your life-all at the same time? When it happens to seattle ad executive Alan Christoffersen, he’s tempted by his darkest thoughts. A bottle of pills in his hand and nothing left to live for he plans to end his misery. Instead, he decides to take a walk. But not an ordinary walk. Taking with him only the barest of essentials, Al leaves behind all that he’s know and heads for the farthest point on his map: Key West, Florida. The people he encounters along the way, and the lessons they share with him, will save his life-and inspire yours.”

There ya have it! But you should definitely read this book!

The best part....theres a book 2 coming out April 2011!

Blessings! :)

Puppy Love!

Ok. What is cuter than this?! Our old neighbor has yellow lab puppies and they need properly socialized so Senor Smarty Pants, my brothers, parents, and I go out and help him out. They are so precious. Miss Bella had 8 puppies. I know, crazy! She is such a good mamma. I can’t wait to go see them again.



This one even let me hold her like a baby...this makes her extra special because I love babies too!



Snuggle!

Blessings!

Baking Up A Storm!

As I stated in a previous post you have been able to find me in the kitchen a bit more. This is a change from my past train of thought which was that I did not enjoy cooking or baking of any sort. But I now, when I am home alone I find myself drawn to the kitchen and making all different kinds of things. This time I made two chocolate snacks.

The first one is the cookie bars you see. They were delicious! They were called Coffee and Cookie Brownies. They evolved from cocoa scones, a variation of Scottish tea cakes. A little history lesson! :)

I suppose I’ll share the recipe with you....

Coffee and Cookie Brownies

1 16.5 to 10 oz. Pkg. Refrigerated sugar cookie dough
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 19.5 oz pkg. Milk chocolate brownie mix
1/2 cup cooking oil
1/3 cup coffe liqueur of cooled strong coffee
1 cup semisweet of bittersweet chocolate pieces

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Press sugar cookie dough in the bottom 9x13 pan; set aside

In a large bowl combine eggs, brownie mix, cooking oil and coffee liqueur until just combined. Spread over sugar cookie dough. Sprinkle with chocolate pieces.

Bake about 40 minutes or until edges are set. Cool in pan on wire rack. Cut into bars.

The next recipe is called Mama’s Sweet and Saltines

40 saltine crackers
2 sticks unsalted butter
1 cup light-brown sugar

Preheat over to 425 degrees. Line a large rimmed cookie sheet with aluminum foil and saltine crackers.

In a medium saucepan, melt butter and brown sugar together and bring to a boil. Boil for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and pour over crackers covering them evenly. Put cookie sheet into over and watch closely. Bake for about 5 minute, or until just bubbly.

Remove from oven and pour chocolate chips over crackers. When chips begin to melt, spread them over crackers with a knife. Transfer pan to freezer for 15 to 20 minutes, or until completely cold. They will form a solid sheet; break into pieces and store in an airtight container.

These are so simple and so tasty the perfect combo of sweet and salty!

Blessings!

Some Light Reading....

I have cracking open my Bible much more often recently. I just open a random page and start reading. Well my readings led me to some wonderful passages. I love when I find these type of things. I know they are more than just coincidence. They are God things. :) This time I started out in Philippines and then suddenly found myself lead to Romans- one of my favorite books mainly because it is so blunt.

The next few passages are from Romans 12: 1-13 ish They are letters that Paul wrote and they are titled “Personal Responsibility”

“And so, dear brothers and sisters I plead with you to give your bodies to God. Let them be a living and Holy sacrifice- the kind he will accept. When you think of what he has done for you, is this too much to ask? Don’t copy the behavior and customs for this world, but they God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will know what God wants you to do, and you will know how good and pleasing and perfect his will really is.
As God’s messenger, I give each of you this warning: Be honest in your estimate of yourselves, measuring your value by how much faith God has given you. Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, so it is with Christ’s body. We are all part of his one body, and each of us has different work to do. And since we are all one body in Christ, we belong to each other, and each of us needs all the others.
God has given each of us the ability to do certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophecy, speak out when you have faith that God is speaking through you. If your gift is that of serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, do a good job of teaching. If your gift is to encourage others, do it! If you have money, share it generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to other, do it gladly.
Don’t just pretend that you love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Stand on the side of the good. Love each other with genuine affection and take delight in honoring each other. Never be lazy in your work, but serve the Lord enthusiastically.
Be glad for all God is planning for you. Be patient in trouble, and always be prayerful. When God’s children are in need, be the one to help them out.....”

Just some food for thought!

Blessings!