Bundty Love

Check it out.  It is my new treasure!  I got it from an estate sale for a song.  I didn't have to sing thank goodness but it was one item I stuffed into my dollar bag  :)  I've never had a bundt pan before.  I'm actually a decent baker for most things.  Cakes, however, are not usually my forte.  Challenge accepted. 

Pan... Chocolate... Taste of Home Cookbook...Eggs...o'man there were so many eggs!   

Check... Check...Check...Check Check Check.

I have a lot of bowls.  I like bowls.  My husband fed into the madness by hookin' me up with a set of coloured ceramic ones that are similar to the multi-coloured Fiestaware I've been collecting.  Then, in a fit of insanity, he agreed I could get yet another set of melamine bowls to add to the multi-coloured collection.  Aren't you glad I am spelling bowls correctly? Had I misspelled it would be a whole nuthuh' story. Oh the places my mind goes!   Back to the story at hand. They are wonderful and match the Fiesta.  Happy wife.. Happy life  :)    

I've always wondered if I would ever use ALL my bowls in one cooking/baking event.  Challenge accepted!  On this mission I got closer than I've been before.  I've never made a marble cake before.  If you do find every bowl you own and get ready to use them.

 

Here are the bowls in action.  Aren't they great.  The stirrer whisky thing came from King Arthur Flour.  Thanks Mom.

 

  

Into the mixer went a whole lot of egg whites.  Funny thing happens when you are told to whip them to stiff peaks and while they are flinging around you wonder what exactly does that mean?  I raced to the computer to check.  Drat, it had signed off.  Fingers flying and precious moments later I am reading that... OH NO it is possible to over whip.  Did I do that?  I ran back to check and I couldn't tell.  The picture I thought was the over whipped one looked a lot like what was happening in the mixer.  Eeeek.  Meringue madness.  Back and forth I ran until I figured out I was looking at the picture of what I wanted to happen.  Success - my peaks were stiff!  In case you were wondering the over whipped batch would have looked like a soupy butter coloured cottage cheesy mess.  Stiff peaks: when pulling the whisk from the whites the whisker that forms does not wilt and stands straight and tall! I should've snapped a picture.

Here it is.  The cake in all it's glory!  I think it turned out quite yummy if I may say so myself.  If you make a marble cake pay attention to the instruction that says split the batter in half and add the chocolate to only one bowl.  I made a mistake and added the chocolate to the bowl with way more than half the batter.   The chocolate portion of the marble turned out only kinda chocolatey hence the barely visible marbling.

Obviously I didn't have any problem with the results as the piece of cake shrunk before taking this picture. Looking at it now what remains looks a lot like meatloaf.  Didn't taste like it tho.  Thank goodness!  Yum.  

I am thinking it is the best cake I've made in quite some time. The icing was so rich and sweet.  I added way less sugar than the recipe called for but wish I had used even less than I did.  

So good.  Soooo good.  

Chocolate induced nap.  Just kidding..!

My nap was the only one chocolate induced.

Til next time...

Holding Down a Couch

Outside the door the world is dimming and gray.  There are snow flakes a'fallin'.  I need to get Zach to take more pictures.  Did you see his snowflake picture?  The post prior to this one has a link.  Go check it out... I'll wait.

Here's mine:

ok... so you can only see the ones already on the ground.  I promise there are flakes a'fallin'.  I think I see one against the dark of the tree...

Makin' tracks!

Here are the ones stuck to my shoes...

..I quickly changed for these  :)

And now I am sippin' some tea.  I am glad for bright things on a gray day such as this.  Last night I re-purposed a melamine plate to be my tea tray.   Isn't it pretty?

 
And today... I am using my new silver (plated, I think!) tea tray I picked up at the neighbor's estate sale.  Got it for a song.  It was the end of the sale and they were looking to get rid of things so I packed a bag with goodies for a dollar.  Here it is...

shiny and sparkly yay!

Sooooo in addition to sippin', holding down a couch, enjoying my kittie (who is curled up in my lap)

Isn't she sweet? 

I may use another one of my new treasures...  maybe...

so please stay tuned....

Have a great day everyone!
K

Hubbie's Bloggin' Too

What I'd Say... 
The above link is to my hubbie's brand new bloggie!   Go check it out  :)

Here it was quite chilly and my coworker snapped this awesome picture that says it all.
Zach's snowflake pic
Go look.  It's a great picture.

Back soon.

I Am Shocked .. Another Year

Inside the house my feet are resting on the ottoman and outside the wind  is howling.  Woo hoo it is finally above freezing.  Behind this screen is the book I am reading.  Next to me is a pot of tea (P.G. Tips, thanks for askin').  Ahhh can this day off be any better?

Kittie and I are enjoying a fine day off.  Of course she is off each and every day.  How does one get that deal?  I am still slinging coffee for a large conglomerate.  For a customer I have  been making a skinny peppermint mocha with 7 equal.  How anyone thinks 12 pumps of flavour, even if it is sugar free, and 7 packs of equal is any kind of skinny is beyond me!  Go figure!

B is still working with the local law enforcement team!  He is enjoying the newer patrol area and has now switched to the evening shift... criminals beware!

B's parents are pretty well.  Both are carrying along best they can.
J is playing bingo regularly and settling in after a move.  If you need a change in routine may I suggest going to a local Senior Center/Living Home and play Bingo!  Phew these ladies and gents take their game seriously.  One such experience: A resident wanders in and sits herself down.  At the same time her tush hits the chair a growley voice erupts from the corner of the room, "She didn't pay her quarter.. she has to pay her quarter."  Sheesh.  Also beware the glares and  shuushes you get should you say anything while the game is being called.  They rival those at the library!  This experience is not for the faint of heart.  To be prepared maybe you should see your doctor before attending.   :)   Don't say you weren't warned!

C is chillin' and smiling a lot.  The last couple visits were great as he was able to interact more.  It's been exciting to hear him talk a little bit more than what had become the more recent normal.  I still find it amazing how the mind works (and sometimes misfires)!  He also spent some time in hospital to heal from pneumonia and a broken leg... ouchie!
If you know anyone who works in the caring profession (nurses / home workers, etc.)  take the time to tell them thank you!  It is a wonderful thing they do and so often thankless!

B is looking forward to warm weather.  This below freezing all the time is getting to him.  What is getting to me is the freezing of our pipes!  Thanks mom for all those times you drilled into my head..."Make sure the tap is dripping!"  That training has saved us 3x so far and more cold weather is forecast in a couple days.  The first freeze was discovered when I arrived home from work and filled or tried to fill my kettle or some such thing.  Uhhhh where's the water...?  I turned on the hot and got only a slow trickle (now I know I should have done the happy dance that I got anything at all!).  Uhh ohhh no tea for me!  I tried running it for a while to see if it would clear.  Nope...  I ran the hot in the bathrooms and found we were good there and tried again at the kitchen sink.  Nope.  Please God .. Please God... Internet... where's the computer?  Visions of waterfalls where water pipes used to be danced in my mind.  Found some information.  What did we do before the internet?  Hairdryer to the rescue.  Turned the hot on full (still nothing), hairdryer on and blasting heat at the faucet, then the pipes under the sink and finally to the basement.  I hit one of the curves of the hot water line and voila... I began to hear this gurgling and grumbling sound and then the most welcome sound of rushing water (thankfully still overhead and not ON head)!  The pipe was finally warm and the sink was steaming by the time I got back there!  I am so thankful for the information that people post on-line!  :)

Several snowstorms and muddy ground makes for a seriously ickie floor.  I am procrastinating the cleaning of said floor.  B keeps saying I need a new bloggie so here I am doing this instead of that!  :)  Here you go honey.. this is why the floor is not clean yet!