Cake Information

Here's the cake I made yesterday. I will confess that the first bite I took I was a little disappointed as this is a very dense cake, unlike the light and fluffy box mixes. But the more I ate the more I loved it and my beloved agreed - this cake actually has FLAVOR...unlike the box mixes! This will be the yellow cake I make over and over.

The recipe can be found here if you'd like to try it. And in fact I highly recommend this cooking blog as every recipe I've tried from there is great. She shows the recipe with a fluffy white frosting, but Lynne' and I weren't in the mood for that, so I found a chocolate frosting recipe here and used the cream she suggested. We prefer a 'harder' frosting, but this one has such good flavor that it's ok. And we liked the recipe enough that we plan on trying it with the Godiva liqueur once we acquire some.

And let me just add that a piece of cake and glass of milk has made a wonderful breakfast today! ;)

Arctic Blast

Today has been COLD here in the Dallas area! The news station has even made a graphic announcing the Arctic Winter Blast or Ice Storm depending on which channel you are watching. So far it's not too bad, but they are saying that overnight is when the really big ice storm will hit.

So I have spent the day knitting, doing laundry and baking. There is something about really cold weather that makes a woman want to bake! Of course I'll have pictures and links shortly. :) We also made a big pot of chili and I enjoyed a frito pie for dinner tonight. All of these things seem to herald in the winter in my mind.

January Is UFO to FO Month

You know how January rolls around and people start thinking about organization? Stores have storage bins on sale and my eyes glisten at the sight of all that beautiful plastic just waiting to be filled with stuff. Well step one in organization is getting things OUT of the bins!

Some of the gals in my knitting groups have decided to "knit from our stash" - with a few exceptions of course - and turn our UFO's (unfinished objects) into FO's (finished objects - did you see that one coming?).

The photo shows the projects that made the cut for me. Many projects showed up for the audition, but not everybody can win.

• The far left is an olive green Fetching glove. I guess I should mention that this pair of gloves was destined to be a Christmas gift, but luckily the recipient didn't know that. ;) Need to do another glove.
• Next up is a pair of Joan's Socks. This was the first sock I ever did and my mom showed me how. It's Wool Ease yarn and size big needles. These are just for me to wear around the house and they've been like a monkey on my back every time I cast on for pretty socks.
• A scarf out of Eros yarn - also a Christmas present
• A scarf for the Red Scarf Project that I dearly love and that's what I'm working on most right now.

Last night was knit night and we first met at a restaurant to celebrate one gal's birthday. I tasted a friend's tofu and for the first time ever I actually loved it and plan on ordering it next time we go there - who knew?!?!

Just Some Ramblings....

Joe says "Hey...who stole my toy?" Dopey dog this morning was having a grand time playing with his stuffed fish until he sat on it and couldn't find it. Love the dog toys at the Target Dollar Spot!

Last night was such a relaxing evening. Keith and I made fajitas for dinner and then had the best time cleaning the kitchen. I know that sounds strange, but we were laughing and cutting up and before you know it all the work was done. Isn't it funny how something as mundane as cleaning the kitchen can stand out in my memory as one of the best things that happened last night? These are the best of times.

After cleaning I spent some time on the phone - since that's what I do best - with a couple of people and that also gives me a warm, fuzzy feeling. Life is just so good. :)

Then I sat myself down in front of the tv and knit for about an hour. I'm doing a scarf for the Red Scarf Project and am actually doing it on metal straight needles. The clacking of needles is such a soothing sound. I will admit to staying up too late though because I kept doing the "just one more row!" I took a picture of my progress this morning, but it turned out terrible - I'll try again tonight!

And that's all I've got today. Sorry for the humdrum post, but really I prefer this to any drama!

Candy Corn Sock Yarn

And in knitting news - I received this yarn last week and am in love! I bought it here and it was even marked down in price. The colorway is called Candy Corn and that pretty much clinched the deal for me as it's one of my very favorite candies.

As always, there is a story attached. :) Many years ago, in a land far away, I worked midshift when the kids were younger. The gal that worked with me is the one that got me hooked on candy corn and I was elated when we discovered they have a pastel version for Easter. If you've ever worked midshift then I'm sure you can understand the allure of a candy that is basically all sugar.

Back to the yarn - I can't wait to knit socks out of this. I figure if I start soon then surely I can get it done in time for the fall season!

Happy New Year!

WOW - it's been quite some time since I've been on here! Quite unlike me as I dearly love to talk - LOL!

We've started off the New Year by doing more cooking at home. This meal was last night and for those that have heard me talking about it - I finally made this meal that's been on the list since Christmas Eve weekend! I will say that we won't repeat this exact meal as it probably clogged our veins something fierce. ;)

The creamed corn recipe is supposed to copy that found at Rudy's BBQ. We didn't think it was exact, but it was awesome nonetheless! Lynne' ate a tiny bit as she declared it too rich, but I think it would be great in a crockpot during next year's potluck season.

The other is White Cheddar Scalloped Potatoes in Taste of Home magazine. It was very good, but really no better than our regular scalloped potatoes. This one had added cheese, cream of mushroom soup and sour cream, thereby raising the calories, fat grams and sodium content, so in the future we'll use our old recipe. But the meal was oh so good!

The only other thing really accomplished at home this weekend was replacing the shower head in the main bathroom. Some might think that's no big deal, but at one point during Christmas I did have to use that shower and discovered there was a problem. If you're a Seinfeld fan you might remember the episode where the shower heads in their apartments were replaced with low flow heads. And you might remember what their hair looked like. Yes, I walked around that day with Seinfeld hair and I did NOT love it! So I'm quite pleased to have that little problem taken care of!

Do not say, "Why were the old days better than these?" For it is not wise to ask such questions. - Ecclesiastes 7:10