In the Kitchen

If I came to one conclusion this weekend

it is that I enjoy cooking more than baking

with cooking you have variables

you can omit this and add this

it's all about your taste

with baking I have to follow the recipe step by step

I guess I am more of a free spirit than I thought I was!

As you know I started my cooking challenge on the 1st

and I ate take out on the 1st

yeah ~ I know!

the thing is to cook 28 recipes that are new to you

ones that you have never cooked before

expanding your horizons ~ and your taste buds too

you can do one recipe a day or mash 5 into a weekend

like I did.

Saturday morning I hit the ground running

I will tell you that this cake is in my top 10 now of favourite cakes ever

even after all the grief it gave me

after I mixed it up and plopped it in the oven

my cake runneth over

oh yes it did

so picture this ~ the cake is still not cooked

but every time I open the oven to check on it

smoke pours out ~ the smoke detector went off

the dog is howling from the pain in her ears

and we have the windows open on this balmy -20 C

that's -4 F to my friends south of me

Trevor says to me ~ so we are not going to make this one ever again.....right?

yeah right ~ after we tasted it ~ it was worth the cold

and the smoke

the recipe can be found here

and the cooking time is not correct ~ it took about another 20 minutes or so.

Next up was a recipe I had pinned but never tried

slow cooker rolls ~ recipe here

2 thumbs up!

which went great with this soup

the best part I likes about this recipe is that I used it as a base

and made it my own by adding a few of my own things to it.

It was game night on Saturday

and this dip was a big hit

picture and recipe found here

since it is a bacon double cheeseburger dip

I added a couple of tablespoons of relish

which added a little something extra

and we all loved it.

After all the cooking on Saturday ~ I was ready to just relax today

but before I did that I made these

it's chocolate and peanut butter so basically it is a no brainer

a little more work than your normal everyday cookie

as you make the chocolate balls

then the peanut butter balls

flatten the choc into a disc and mold around the pb

well hello there ~ they are worth the extra time 

all in all my weekend was a success

every recipe that I tried ~ I would make again

so that's the glory about trying something new

this little man celebrated 6 candles yesterday

my Cooper cat

in his Playcat pose ~ just for you

he is going for a haircut tomorrow morning

shhh ~ don't tell him ~ it's a surprise!

Hope you had a fabulous weekend

I am now headed around to catch up on some blog reading

see you soon!

Monday Ramblings...

Hey there ~ how was your week-end?

I was basically a working widow

Trev was on call and put in over 30 hours of overtime

starting Friday night at 7

until Sunday night

he is now functioning on not much sleep

and raw nerves

so no paint on the walls

or even a color chosen this week

I did go and look for a sample pot of another shade

on Friday night ~ but it was not there

oh well ~ it will get done!

While I was in the bedroom on Sunday taking "before" pictures

I had a model

Cooper 2011

that's my boy

all freaky whiskers and a wet chin

I think he is a cutie pie

so on Sunday because he was working so hard

I made Trev chocolate chip pancakes

and sausages for brunch

too bad he had to eat them while on yet another

conference call!

He went back into the office that afternoon

so I took off with my camera and got some snow shots

which I posted about here

then I met up with my brother and niece at the sliding hill

Samantha had a ball!

~*~*~*~*~

I thought I would share our office re-do with you

it is a "man cave"

it is finished except for baseboards

which will be stained and installed in the spring

and we have a couple more things to hang on the walls

it was the last room in the house to have anything done to it

I looked for a before picture ~ but cannot find one

it had white walls and teal colored carpet

we painted the walls a terracotta

and the room is all about trucks and the

fire department

the flooring is the same throughout the top floor

except for the master which we have not chosen yet

I love the color of it and how it matches 

all the other wood pieces in the house

I chose a roman shade and has a variation of colors

like the floor.

we took the closet door off and painted the area

so now it acts a cubby

which our filing cabinet fits into perfectly

if the cabinet did not weigh 500 pounds empty

I would take it outside and spray paint it

either black or a chocolate brown

but that my friends ~ ain't gonna happen

it is just too heavy

I am also on the look out for a little shelf
that will slide in beside the cabinet
then I can get some cool storage pieces
and get rid of those paper boxes!

I am looking for some ideas for the bulletin board

I think I will paint the frame out in brown

but not sure what to do with the cork area

any ideas??

I will leave you with another shot
of my model...

Have a fabulous Monday!

xo

Celebrate the Season

Mom bought me this plate
a couple of years ago
and every time I look at it
I smile

it reminds me
to take the time
and do the things
that truly celebrate the season
and not think about
all the prep that goes into it

so...

add lots of marshmallows

get cuddly

sleep under the tree
this is my Cooper ~ he is not sleeping
but he loves it under the tree

act like a kid

never count calories

drop coins in the kettle

sing

I wish you all the good things
that the season has to offer.

xo

What Makes Your Heart Happy?

What makes your heart happy?

When Trevor asked me why I loved him ~
I told him it was because he made my heart happy.
At our rehearsal party, the gift I gave him had the inscription:
"To the man that makes me heart happy"
He still makes my heart happy
and I thought I would share some other things
that also make me happy......

Books

Touch

A long distance call

A letter or a card

My favorite chocolate!

Good sheets

Music
I know that I could NEVER live without it

Dancing

Hugs

A walk through the woods

The cape road

My husband and my furry kids

He's not mad ~ that's just his face!

And last but certainly not least ~
My friends & family....most days anyway!

What makes your heart happy?

Red & White

The rain held off so we ventured over to the park to celebrate and people watch. We ran into quite a few friends and some family too. I took some random shots and we saw:

A giant Canada flag was hung from the quint ~


The band played on ~


Snacked on some BBQ'd burgers ~


There were lots of activities there for the kids ~


There was also an appearance by the Canadian wonder dog ~ Molly ~


Then when it got dark, we walked down to the river and watched the fireworks display ~ simply beautiful. Cooper felt left out, so he posed for this shot just for you ~



I hope all my fellow Canuks had a great Canada Day and I wish my American friends a fun & festive July 4th!