Tasty Tuesday

              We love brownies, and I haven't met a brownie yet that we wouldn't eat! Just call us the Brownie Bunch! One of my grand daughter's loves my brownies so much, it's all she wants everytime we see her, so this post is for her! With Valentines Day coming up soon, I thought I'd make my loved ones something different this year and this Red Velvet Brownie is just the perfect thing!

Red Velvet Brownie

Ingredients

• 1 (4-oz.) bittersweet chocolate baking bar, chopped
• 3/4 cup butter 
• 2 cups sugar
• 4 large eggs 
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 (1-oz.) bottle red liquid food coloring
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/8 teaspoon salt 
• Small-Batch Cream Cheese Frosting
• Garnish: white chocolate curls

1. 1. Preheat oven to 350°. Line bottom and sides of a 9-inch square pan with aluminum foil, allowing 2 to 3 inches to extend over sides; lightly grease foil.
2. 2. Microwave chocolate and butter in a large microwave-safe bowl at HIGH 1 1/2 to 2 minutes or until melted and smooth, stirring at 30-second intervals. Whisk in sugar. Add eggs, 1 at a time, whisking just until blended after each addition. Gently stir in flour and next 4 ingredients. Pour mixture into prepared pan.
3. 3. Bake at 350° for 44 to 48 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out with a few moist crumbs. Cool completely on a wire rack (about 2 hours).
4. 4. Lift brownies from pan, using foil sides as handles; gently remove foil. Spread Small-Batch Cream Cheese Frosting on top of brownies, and cut into 16 squares. Garnish, if desired.

Note:

Line pan with foil by trimming two long foil pieces to a 9-inch width. Fit strips, crossing each other, in the pan.

Southern Living 
DECEMBER 2010

Planning with Pinterest!

      I feel like a slug today, caught a cold from my granddaughter plus were still socked in with fog, which I don't mind, the cold can pass though.......so I'm cheering myself up by planning my spring garden projects using Pinterest! Not only is this site for swooning over all the pretties, yummy recipes and cute things to make, it's also a very useful tool in planning, be it a garden, remodel or anything really! You can create a board on any subject and start saving all the information right there, very handy and cleaver!  So, now I'm on a hunt for a old gate so I can make this charming window box!

        I'm definitely trying this, they claim you can grow 100 lbs of potato's in a 4 foot square space! Sounds perfect to me and it's on the to do list!

       Another keeper, the $50 greenhouse, great for my budget and will help get a jump on the growing season adding more savings, love it!!

      And last, but not least and I don't know why I didn't think of this one, the cheapest greenhouse ever, well, the effects of a greenhouse that you can move about then indoors at night! Cleaver and cheap, right up my alley!!  Planning for spring projects sure has made me feel better on this gloomy day and I'm one step closer to being prepared for my favorite season of all, gardening!!! If your still in the dark about Pinterest, check it out, light bulbs will go off in your head each and every time you visit and add to your boards! This much fun and inspiration in one place is genius!!

My New Sewing Addiction!

           In keeping with my Pinterest pledge for the New Year, I've been making dresses from onesies for my grand daughter, Miss Ellie, who might have to wait till summer to wear the blue dress, it did come out bigger than I thought but it was my first one! Because Pinterest has tons of craft ideas, my sewing has improved and expanded to keep my hands busy all winter long! I just wish they made oneies for bigger girls, but I'm wondering why can't I make a dress from a tshirt? Thank you Pinterest for keeping me inspired and creative!

VALENTINE APRON SWAP UPDATE:
    Did everyone get their email with their swap partner? You should of by now, because none of them came back? I hope you will enjoy creating a Valentine theme apron for your new friend, and PLEASE, if some reason you can't follow through, let your partner know then me so I can make arrangements to find a replacement, I don't want another swapper to go without like the last swap! Don't forget your tuckins and mail by the first, unless you make arrangements with your partner to be late. Happy sewing!!

Tasty Tuesday

         
            Saturday mornings have taken on a whole new look, are you watching The Pioneer Woman Cooks on the Food Network? I was hooked from the start, and I mean when I first found her blog a few years ago, then the cookbook came out and another book of her life, then the cooking show! Can't get enough of Ree!! This past Saturday was the start to season 2 so I'm featuring one of her recipes from that show, and because I told my hubby I'd make him one this week, so yes, I'm killing 2 birds with 1 stone = flat apple pie!

Ingredients

• 5 Granny Smith apples, peeled and sliced
• 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1 recipe Perfect Pie Crust, recipe follows
• 6 tablespoons butter

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

In large bowl, stir together the apples, brown sugar, granulated sugar, flour, salt and lemon juice. Set aside and see how long you can keep from sneaking a slice of apple.

With a rolling pin, begin rolling out the Perfect Pie Crusts into large circles. Roll the dough from the center outward. Be gentle and patient, it'll take a little time to get the dough completely rolled out.

If you think the bottom is really sticking to the surface below, use a nice, sharp spatula to loosen the dough and sprinkle some extra flour on top. Then flip it over to finish rolling. Remember to roll from the center in single, outward strokes, no back-and-forth rolling.

Again with a spatula, loosen and lift the dough and carefully place the circles on large baking sheets.

Place half the apple mixture on one crust and the other half on the other crust. Fold over the edges of each crust so that it covers 2 to 3 inches of the apple mixture. No need to be artistic - the more rustic the better. Dot the tops of the pies with chunks of the butter.

Bake until the filling is golden and bubbly, 30 to 40 minutes. If the crust appears to brown too quickly, cover the edges with aluminium foil for the remaining baking time.

Allow to cool slightly, then slice into wedges with a pizza cutter. Eat 'em on the go!

Perfect Pie Crust:

• 3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 sticks cold butter
• 3/4 cup vegetable shortening
• 1 egg
• 5 tablespoons cold water
• 1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar

Combine the flour and salt in a large bowl. Add in the butter and shortening. Using a pastry cutter, gradually work the butter and shortening into the flour until the mixture resembles tiny pebbles. This step should take 3 or 4 minutes.

Lightly beat the egg with a fork, and then add it to the mixture. Next, add in the cold water and vinegar. Stir the mixture together until it's just combined, and then remove half the dough from the bowl. Yield: dough for 2 crusts.

                 This recipe is also in this cookbook, her first.  She also has another cookbook due out soon. I love her style, easy recipes and the show is down to earth with simple yet fun to make dishes for all occasions. Needless to say, I'm a big fan and I know you will be too, tune in this Saturday morning, DVR it if the kids get up before you do and the cartoons win!

Baby Caps

           I've had so much fun making baby caps for our newest grand daughter, she has to keep one on her head most of the time to keep the heat in, since she was born 6 weeks early but she sure is catching up fast! I tried my hand at a couple  free patterns but was limited since I don't know how to knit or crochet ( on the to do list ) so I finally found a easy pattern using t-shirts! I'm hooked, so easy, cheap too since one t-shirt I caught on sale for $1 made 2 caps and the best part, they are adjustable, just untie the knot at the top if it's too tight! These make great gifts as they can be trimmed in all kinds of pretty ribbon, rick rack, lace....and the list goes on! I'm sorry, I can't find the link that I used, just google baby caps to find the one you like best!

          Just a reminder, you only one more day to join us in the Valentine Apron swap, deadline to sign up is midnight the 15th, I'll pair us up on Monday! So, if you love aprons like we do and enjoy making and receiving them, we have room for you on this swap! Just scroll down to that post, you can't miss it!  And one last thing before I leave here, thank you for all the comments on my living room. I wish I could paint the black furniture white, but that's not possible, nor is replacing it. This makeover like all my makeovers will be on the cheap, so I'm still hunting for the perfect cream color paint and will start looking at wallpaper this week for that big red wall! Keep the ideas coming, I've enjoyed them all. Many thanks!!

Tasty Tuesday

                I've shared recipes from King Arthur Flour before and they never let me down when I need to whip up something special and muffins are special! The perfect portion of sweetness that's all yours, no sharing! But, I must confess, I still can't make a good homemade cinnamon roll !! So, I compermise by baking other cinnamon rich goodies that come close! And these simply sinful cinnamon muffins are a close second the  roll!

Topping
1/3 cup brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup diced pecans
1/4 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
3 tablespoons soft butter

Filling
1/2 cup Baker's Cinnamon Filling mix*
3 to 4 tablespoons water

*Or substitute 3 tablespoons butter, 1/2 cup brown sugar, and 1 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon for the Baker's Cinnamon Filling mix and water.

Batter
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
3/4 cup milk
2 large eggs
1 3/4 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1/2 cup rolled oats
2 tablespoons Signature Secrets(r) Culinary Thickener or cornstarch
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 cup cinnamon chips or butterscotch chips

Preheat your oven to 400°F. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with cupcake papers, or grease it lightly.

Prepare the topping by mixing the ingredients together until crumbly. Set aside. 

Prepare the filling by mixing the Baker's Cinnamon Filling with enough water to make filling with a soft, pudding-like consistency. Set it aside. 

To make the batter: In a large bowl, whisk together the melted butter, milk, and eggs. In a separate bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients, including the chips. Add the dry mixture to the liquid, stirring just until combined. 

Divide half the batter evenly among the muffin cups. Dollop 2 teaspoons cinnamon filling onto each muffin, then top with the remaining batter. Sprinkle with topping, pressing it in lightly.

Bake the muffins for 20 to 25 minutes, or until they're golden brown. Remove them from the oven, and wait 5 minutes before transferring them from the pan to a rack to cool. Yield: 12 muffins

   

          

My Bungalow is Begging!

       Winter always temps me to play with color and our living room needs a face lift, it's been 3 yrs. since it was painted the coffee with cream color and brick red, which I was happy with till now. Note to self: never use flat paint with big sloppy dog! I painted every room before we moved in, and that's my excuse but it's a pain to clean so my winter project is giving this space a upgrade and trying to restore the bungalow feeling it never had! This poor house has been neglected for many years, if only you could see the state it was in when we bought it, every room was white, and dirty! The only thing I haven't painted was the ceilings, I hate them, and one day, I will come up with a fix for them! The red wall behind the couch will either get painted or papered, which might be easier than painting over the red and wall paper has made a comeback! :)

         My hope for this good size room, which is open to the dining room ( that is brick red on one wall and coffee with cream on the other) is to make it lighter, with only the one window plus door light, it's not very bright in here. I'm thinking a lighter cream color maybe? Any ideas? Most of my furniture is black with other black accents in both rooms.

       If you know of any cottage decorating sites that might help, let me know and please feel free to offer any ideas that will help make this space lighter and more cottage-ish. I'm especially interested in changing the look of the leather couch, something to tone it down a bit? So, now you see it, hopefully in a month or so, I'll have a after tour and a bungalow that no longer begs for attention!

Stats & Status

               One of the things I'm liking about the new template designer is the stats tab. I've only recently been checking it faithfully, for the last 3 months maybe and it's just amazed me, the high traffic here on my little ole blog!  Rush hour has nothing on this, and I'm not bragging but merely in awe so forgive me! But I had almost 6000 hits last month, 5936 to be exact! And the other morning, I had 171 before 7am! WOW! I love seeing where all of you are, even though the comments left are few compared to the hits, this action keeps me inspired to post more, and I'm trying! And the food posts seem to get more hits than others, hmmm.
      This numbers game is fun, and equally fun is keeping my Facebook status updated! I'm loving the new timeline layout there, the photos are bigger and you have more room for your posts, plus you can go to any year listed and see what was going on, not only on your page but your friends too! This will handy if I need a recipe I posted or link I wanted to save but forgot too. It's almost like blogging but with that instant connection to your friends and family. Yep, I"m spoiled by technology, sure will miss the simple life but we must keep up with modern times! Life at home will remain simple and easy but communication is the key to success so I'm trying to keep up! Thank you all for visiting, you make my status in life: SWEET!

Tasty Tuesday

                 I love pancakes, all flavors, shapes and creations! I especially love pancakes for dinner when I can eat my supper and dessert on the same plate! lol  I rarely make them for breakfast anymore but for all seasons: pumpkin pancakes for fall, followed by apple cider pancakes. Whole wheat, oatmeal, buckwheat too! Gingerbread pancakes for Christmas and winter but the best is homemade! If you've never made them from scratch, try this recipe, you'll never go back to the box! Gingerbread pancakes are moist, spicy and nothing warms the body like ginger! Grate some fresh ginger in the batch if you dare, just don't think of pancakes as breakfast food anymore!


Gingerbread Pancakes

2 c. flour
1 t. baking soda
1/4 t.salt
2 Tb. sugar
1 t. ginger, cinnamon
1/4 t. nutmeg
1 1/2 c. buttermilk
2 lg. eggs
1 1/2 Tb. oil
1/4 c. molasses
In large bowl whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, sugar and spices. In med bowl whisk buttermilk, eggs, oil and molasses. Pour into dry ingredients and mix well. Heat a non stick or lightly greased pan over med heat and cook on both sides till done.

         
              So, if your ever in a stump for dinner, try this recipe, pass the syrup and dig in! Pancakes, it's what's for breakfast and dinner!

Welcoming the Change....

         
                       Does it feel like just another day? That's because, it is! The only difference is were beginning 2012, the numbers may have changed, but we haven't, yet! We welcome the thought of setting high goals for ourselves but how often in real life do we reach them? I'm not downing the day, instead, I use this day to look back, take note and become humble over all the things I've accompished, the hard times I survived and beam with pride over the blessings added to my year, like the arrival of our newest grand daughter who was born 6 weeks early. It wasn't the best of years, way too many hardships, but we made it! And that's what this day is for, to me! To revel in the positives and celebrate the good times!

        What is old, is new again! Time has a way of bouncing back, to teach us things we never thought we'd learn. No matter our age, were always learning. And I love that part of growing old, to master something I never thought I could do. Sure, I could stand to lose about 20 pounds, but I'm finding that I'm loved regardless of my weight, and the really important thing is being healthy. So, no diet resolutions for me anymore, instead, I will try to eat better, eat less and move more! I will also work harder to get the projects in my mind and on my list, finished! And thanks to Pinterest, that list is really long..........but staying creative is just how I was made, I can't fight it any longer! lol  I don't want to look back in 20 years with regret for not doing something I had my heart set on. Life is sweet, but oh so short!!

        So, what's in store for Country Pleasures? Glad you asked, we are hoping to make our dream of starting a herb farm come true this year, it's doable as in the only real expense is our labor, I have the knowledge of herbs and my strong husband has the muscles! I do help when I can, but the last flower bed I made by myself left me with a bad case of tendinitis that I'm still struggling with, so I'm leaving the heavy work to him, bless his heart! The house won't be forgotten, it's a never ending journey to revive it's cottage charm while keeping it cozy and welcoming! The living room is in need of a makeover, it's been 3 years since it was painted, and for some reason we used flat paint? With a big drooling dog, that's getting old and so is the color! That project will keep me busy this winter and I'm anxious to begin!

        So, you see, I'm looking forward to this change on the calender, a chance for us to change, to improve and to grow! I vow to cook, sew, garden, write, bake and create more!! I hope you will continue to follow me on this journey, one country pleasure at a time......