Wordless Wednesday

Tasty Tuesday

Back Posting ;)

Sauted Green Beans with Cranberries and Pecans

Ingredients:

2/3 cup (about 3 ounces) dried cranberries

1-1/4 cups fresh orange juice

2/3 cup (2 ounces) toasted pecans

3/4 pound sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch dice

1/4 cup maple syrup

1/2 teaspoon plus 1/4 cup kosher salt; more as needed

1/4 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper; more as needed

1 to 1-1/4 pounds fresh green beans, rinsed well, stem ends trimmed

3 ounces (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh sage 

 

Instructions:

Step 1: Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Put the cranberries and 1 cup of the orange juice in a small bowl and let sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes.

 

Step 2: Increase the oven temperature to 450 degrees F. Toss the diced sweet potato with the maple syrup, the remaining 1/4 cup orange juice, the 1/2 teaspoon salt, and the black pepper. Spread the potato pieces on a rimmed baking sheet, stirring occasionally, until just tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Set aside

Step 3: Meanwhile, bring 4 quart water and the 1/4 cup salt to a boil in an 8-quart pot. Put the beans in the boiling water, stir once or twice to distribute them, and cook until just tender throughout, 4 to 5 minutes, depending on their size and freshness. Drain the beans well in a colander.

Step 4: When ready to serve, strain the cranberries and reserve the juice. Melt the butter in a large (preferably 12-inch) skillet over medium-high heat until bubbling but not browned. Add the chopped sage and let sizzle for just a few seconds, stirring, to flavor the butter and crisp the sage. Add the green beans and spread them out in the pan. Let them cook for 2 to 3 minutes without stirring. Add the cooked sweet potatoes, toasted walnuts, and strained cranberries. Toss all together and cook, stirring occasionally, for 2 minutes more, to let the ingredients warm and their flavors mingle. Add the reserved orange juice, stir well, and cook until most of the liquid has evaporated, about 1 minute more. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed. Transfer to a serving dish and serve immediately.

Make Ahead:
You can make this recipe up to 4 hours ahead, stopping after you par-cook the green beans. Plunge the hot green beans into an ice bath to stop the cooking, drain well in a colander, and set aside until ready to proceed with the recipe.

Recipe adapted slightly from the recipe.com website

Wordless Wednesday

School Christmas Party

Twink had her Christmas party at school yesterday and she had so much fun. She was not afraid of Santa and in fact when we entered the room she made a bee line to be front and center. The first picture she was so excited she was jumping up in down in front of him. She turned around to give everyone a big smile as all the kids were trying to find seats. In the second picture she was venturing even closer to him.

The school has sponsers that buy the children gifts every year for Christmas. Twinks teacher wrote us a note and asked us if it would be OK for Santa to bring her a toy fire truck. She explained that there was one in the classroom that Twink has claimed as her own. When another child tries to play with it Lia gets rather upset. I told her that she would like any truck.

This has now become Lia's new favorite obsession! Who knew Santa would get it right. Darn him for ALWAYS getting credit for the best gifts. Oh and have I told you I'm ready to send it back to the North Pole?!?! Just kidding...sort of. Seems Spitfire knows that and Twink totally goes nuts when someone touches it so there have been mega  a few tears over this truck that we've had just barely 24 hours now. If she could have, it would have been tucked away in her bed with her last night! LOL

Be sure to check out my Wordless Wednesday tomorrow, your in for some serious cuteness!

Tasty Tuesday

Chocolate Peppermint Bark

Ingredients:
1 pound dark chocolate chips
1 pound white chocolate chips
1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
3/4 cup crushed peppermint candies, such as Candy Canes or Starlight mints


Instructions:
Step 1: Line a 13 x 9 inch pan with foil.  Set aside.

Step 2: In top of a double-boiler or in microwave (I used the microwave), melt dark chocolate chips.  Spread into prepared pan.  Refrigerate until JUST ABOUT set, about 15-20 minutes.  The just about part is important as this will help meld your chocolate together.

Step 3: In top of a double boiler or in  microwave, melt white chocolate chips.  Stir in peppermint extract.  Spread on top of dark chocolate.  Sprinkle with crushed peppermint candies.

Step 4: Refrigerate until set, about an hour.  Remove from pan and break into pieces.  Store at room temperature.

Tasty Tuesday

Chinese Chicken Salad

Ingredients:
Dressing:
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon sesame oil (optional)
¼ cup vegetable oil
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 (8ounce) package  rice noodles
1 head iceberg lettuce (rinsed and chopped)
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts halves (cooked and shredded)
1 small can mandarin orange slices (drained)
3 green onions (chopped)
1 tablespoon sesame seeds (toasted)

Cooking Instructions:
Step 1: To make the dressing- In a salad dressing carafe or container combine brown sugar, soy sauce, sesame oil, vegetable oil, and rice vinegar. Shake and mix well (dressing should be prepared a half hour before making the salad)

Step 2: To cook rice noodles- Heat a wok with a few tablespoons of oil. Break off a little bit of the rice noodles and add them to the skillet and fry them (they will puff up so only add a few at a time). As the rice noodles begin to puff up, remove from the wok and drain on paper towels.  Be sure to cook them longer enough because undercooked rice noodles will be very hard to eat.

Step 3: In a large bowl combine iceberg lettuce, cooked chicken, mandarin oranges, green onions and toasted sesame seeds. Let chill for 10 minutes in the refrigerator. Just before serving add the rice noodles. Pour dressing on the salad or allow everyone to put the dressing on their own plates of salad.

(Makes 6 Servings)

Two Years Ago

Two years ago our daughter was living with this beautiful couple above who fostered her and another little girl who also had cerebral palsy.

Two years ago this man brought his daughter to the civil affairs building in Kunming, Yunnan and listened to her morn for him and his wife. Her cries were gut wrenching.

Two years ago our daughter was placed in mine and my husbands arms and our world was forever changed.

Two years ago our daughter life with us began and her life with her foster parents ended. We have been blessed by pictures of her foster parents and we can even correspond with them. In fact we are sending them an update on Twink with new pictures very soon.

Twink came to us as a frightened little girl who wanted nothing to do with us. The fear in her eyes was nothing like I'd ever seen. The cries were so deep that it made the whole room go quite. Although I was extremely happy she was finally with us, the tears I had in my eyes were not of happiness they were of sorrow for what she was going through.

Twink has come along way in two years. She has made many gains that a few doctors and therapists had few hopes for. She is a fighter!

 She is our daughter!

We share her with two other families. One we know nothing about and the other we only know a bit.

She is our daughter!

(Meaning all of OURS)

We are blessed beyond measures to be the forever parents to this little girl. Thank you Lord for trusting us with your gift.

Piggy Back Rides!

Dash has become the master at piggy back rides and the girls love it! You should hear them giggle as he runs around the house. It is quite cute. Both girls adore him and love to play with him. Can't wait to throw Bebo into the mix! :)

Tasty Tuesday

Eggnog Cupcakes

Ingredients:
 1 1/2 cups AP flour
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup softened butter
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp rum extract
3/4 cup eggnog
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg

Cooking Instructions:
 
Step 1. Sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Set aside.

Step 2. Cream the sugar and butter together until fluffy. Add the eggs, vanilla and rum extract and beat until smooth. Alternate adding the flour mixture and eggnog, beating well with each addition. Continue beating for 1 more minute.

Step 3. Spoon batter evenly into 12 muffin liners and bake at 350 degrees for about 18 minutes until toothpick inserted in center of cupcakes comes out clean. Cool completely before frosting.

Rum Frosting

Ingredients:
2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup softened butter
1/4 cup vegetable shortening
1 tsp rum extract
1-2 tbsp eggnog

Instructions:
Beat the powdered sugar, butter, shortening, and rum extract on low speed until blended. Add the eggnog 1 tsp at a time until desired consistency is reached.Wait until cupcakes are cooled completely to frost them.

She's Done!

When we came home from China almost two years ago we had no idea Twink loved her paci! They told us in the Civil Affairs building on adoption day that she liked a nipple but we had no idea what they were talking about. We tried the bottles and different types of pacifiers but she didn't want any of them. Looking back I think she was just plan mad that day. Twink would down bottle after bottle just to comfort herself while in China as we did not have any clue she had a strong desire to suck.

When we returned home we developed the pictures we sent to her orphanage the first thing we noticed was she had a paci in her mouth in almost all of the pictures. Jet lagged we went out to find a paci that looked similar to the bottle nipples we were using. We found some and have being using them ever since. The first couple weeks we were home we let her have them whenever she wanted them. Then we noticed she really only wanted them when she went to sleep. Twink has used her paci to help soothe herself to sleep for the last two years here and probably a year plus in China. As you can see though she has been chewing on them to the point where all I have to do is pull on the tip and it comes off.

She has been paci free for three nights. The first night she cried maybe five minutes but we gave her a silky blanket to love on and she has been fine since. She does "ask" for one but as soon as you give her the blanket and run her hand over it she is fine. Now we had to hide them because her big sister Spitfire has become her best friend and protector. She would search high and low for one and when found give it to her! So today I am throwing all of them away! WooHoo!

Maybe we'll have to tackle potty training soon. LOL

Wordless Wednesday

Tasty Tuesday

Moo Shu Beef

Ingredients:

1/2 pound deli roast beef, cut 1/8 inch thick

1 tablespoon dry sherry

3 teaspoons reduced-sodium soy sauce, divided

2 teaspoons cornstarch, divided

1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1/4 cup cold water

1/4 cup beef broth

3 tablespoons peanut or vegetable oil, divided

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 cup shredded carrots

1 can (8 ounces) sliced bamboo shoots, drained and cut into thin strips

3 green onions with tops, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

Hoisin or plum sauce

8 flour tortillas (7 to 8 inches), warmed

 

Cooking Instructions:

 

Step 1. Cut beef into thin strips. Combine sherry, 1 teaspoon soy sauce, 1 teaspoon cornstarch, ginger, garlic and sugar in large bowl; stir until smooth. Add beef and toss to coat. Marinate 10 minutes.

Step 2. Stir water, broth and remaining 2 teaspoons soy sauce into remaining 1 teaspoon cornstarch in cup until smooth; set aside.

Step 3. Heat wok over high heat about 1 minute or until hot. Drizzle 1 tablespoon oil into wok and heat 30 seconds. Pour egg into wok; tilt to coat bottom. Scramble egg, breaking into small pieces as it cooks. Remove from wok.

Step 4. Add remaining 2 tablespoons oil to wok and heat 30 seconds. Add carrots; stir-fry 1 minute. Add beef mixture, bamboo shoots and green onions; stir-fry 1 minute. Stir broth mixture until smooth; add to wok. Cook and stir 1 minute or until sauce boils and thickens. Cook 1 minute more. Stir in egg.

Step 5. Spread equal amount of hoisin sauce on each tortilla. Spoon beef mixture over sauce. Fold bottom of tortilla up over filling, then fold sides over filling. Transfer to serving plate.

 

(I found this yummy recipe on-line at TLC Cooking.)

Inspiration

There has not been much talk about Twink and her progress or lack of progress in sometime on the blog. Basically there was really not much to blog about. She had been holding steady at the level she was at until recently.


If you've been following Twinks story for sometime hang in here with me for a few minutes as I recap a bit. During the summer Twink transitioned out of EI (Early Intervention) and into our local school district. They have been wonderful so far. Twink started an inclusion preschool this past summer. During that time it was more of a transition time. We really did not see much growth and I was frustrated. In September she started back to the same school, different class, and few of the same therapists. She receives ST 4x a week, OT 3x a week and PT 3x a week. We are now seeing amazing results!

Twink receiving speech therapy 4x a week is definitely helping. She is really starting to talk! Whenever we have to do something that requires us to hold her (brush her teeth, wash her face) she will tell us to "let go". This does not happen once, she will tell us this over and over until we let her go. LOL She tells us when she wants to eat and when she is hungry. She says her name all . the. time. She tattles on SPITFIRE by name and tells her to "go". ;) On Halloween I gave her a piece of candy and she walked over to Daddy and said "I got candy". I asked him if he had heard what I heard and he said yes. I often wonder if I hear words coming from her that are just something I want to hear. So if someone else is around I'll often double check if they heard the same thing. They always hear the same word or phrase. We asked Twink to repeat the sentence and she came out with jumbled words. I did give her another package of smarties and she repeated the sentence "I got candy"! I must say it brought tears to my eyes. There are times when she just busts out with a new word or a sentence. She amazes us.

School asked me to stop in yesterday as her new brace for her arm came in and they wanted to show me how to put it on. Unfortunately the lady that brought the brace in came earlier than expected but luckily it is much like her old one so I already know how to place it on her. When I arrived at school Twink was working at a table with her brace on. I was afraid she would not be able to use her right hand as well as she did previously. The brace is to help keep her hand open and in the correct position. We do not want her hand to contract in a closed position. Twink is still able to take the tops off makers with this brace on. She holds the maker in her right hand (affected) and will pull the top off with her left hand. She never even used to use the right hand. Oh and did I tell you Twink was writing her name with those markers?!?! She can't make the A yet but she can make the LI. Short names people, short names! LOL :) She loves to do anything with arts and crafts.

I was also able to talk with her PT. She would like me to talk with our developmental doctor next month but she thinks it would be a good idea for Twink to be fitted with a brace for her right leg. I've questioned her leg for many months (over a year) but they always wanted to hold off. Actually the dev. doc did have a PT in her office that wanted to see how Twink was doing at her next appointment way back when but she ended up quitting. We will see how things go next month after our visit with her doctor.

To think about all Twink has been through and all she still has to go through is mind boggling. We are her family and we will do everything humanly possible to help her through whatever struggles she faces. She is our inspiration.

Our daughter WILL talk clearly one day! The odds were against her and she is beating them everyday!

Wordless Wednesday

Tasty Tuesday

Southwestern Chicken 

Ingredients:
1 Tbsp. oil
4 small boneless skinless chicken breasts cube (1 lb.)
2 cups of water
1 cup salsa, thick 'n chunky
1 pkg. (10oz.) frozen corn
2 cups brown rice, uncooked
1/4 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

Cooking Instructions:

Step :1 Heat oil in large skillet on medium-high heat. Add Chicken; cover. Cook 4 minutes on each side or until cooked through (170*F).
Step 2: Remove chicken from skillet; set aside. Add water, salsa, and corn to skillet; mix well. Bring to a boil.
Step 3: Stir in rice. Reduce heat to low; cover. Simmer 5 minutes. Top rice mixture with chicken; sprinkle with cheese. Cover; simmer an additional 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.

(Makes 4 servings)

Communication

Many could say our communication with Twink is a struggle. We do rather well most days. We've actually been complimented on how well we can read her and understand her wants and needs.

There is one area that is extremely hard. We had a video done for Twinks adoption journey. She will watch it with no problems until the moment her orphanage director takes her from her Foster Father's arms and places her in mine. She actually will hide her head in my chest and cry the minute she sees the director turn around with her. I picked up on it the very first time she watched it with us. She even had a hard time sleeping the next couple of nights after viewing the video. The second time she watched it, it happened again. The same exact response. We put the video away for awhile.

A couple weeks ago The Count and I were watching it and didn't even think about her reaction but sure enough she turned and clung to me. She sobbed. It amazes me that a child not even two (almost) can remember almost two years later. What makes us sad is she can not express what it is that makes her so upset. We can only guess. So we reassure her that she is safe with us and that day, December 10th was a very hard day for her. We pray one day that she will be able to tell us in her own words, what it is excactly that makes her so sad about that part of the video. She did watch it just a couple of days ago without turning away but did cry for a few minutes after viewing it. It will be awhile before we watch it again.

twink is proof that children can remember into their past and it still makes her sad.

Tasty Tuesday

Sorry about skipping last week but there was so much excitement from receiving LOA that I totally forgot!

General Tso's Chicken
 
Ingredients:
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast
3 dried red chilis
2 teaspoons minced ginger
2 teaspoons finely chopped garlic
3 cups peanut oil for deep-frying
2 cups cornstarch
1 big pinch white sesame seeds, for garnish
Scallions, thinly sliced, for garnish

Marinade:
2 teaspoons dark soy sauce
2 teaspoons sesame oil
1 egg yolk

Sauce:
1 1/2 tablespoons tomato paste, mixed with 1 tablespoon water
1 teaspoon cornstarch
3 teaspoons white sugar
2 teaspoons dark soy sauce
1 teaspoons rice vinegar
3 tablespoons chicken stock or water

Cooking Instructions:


Step :1 Mix ingredients for marinade. Slice chicken into 1-inch cubes and add to marinade mixture. Let sit for 15 to 20 minutes.

Step 2: Mix ingredients for the sauce. Set aside.
Drip excess marinade off the chicken, and toss cubes in the 1 cup cornstarch. Shake off excess cornstarch before frying. Add about 2 inches of peanut oil to your wok. Heat wok until just smoking, then add the first batch of chicken cubes and deep-fry until cooked through, about 4 to 5 minutes. Remove chicken with a metal slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Repeat with the rest of the chicken.

Step 3: Drain all but 1 tablespoon of oil. (You can pour the oil into a heatproof container and save for later use.) Reheat wok over medium-heat heat. Add dried chilis, garlic, and ginger to wok and stir-fry until chilis begin to blacken and become fragrant, about 1 minute. Add sauce mixture and stir until thickened, about 1 to 2 minutes. Return chicken to wok and stir well to coat with sauce. Transfer chicken to serving dish.

Step 4: Sprinkle with white sesame and scallions. Serve with white rice and vegetables.

(Makes 4-5 servings)

Our Kera

I took a billion this picture yesterday of Spitfire. It is beautiful in color but I loved it even more when I turned it black and white! The lighting was perfect and she was more than willing to participate. Well there was a cookie incentive thrown in there! ;) Now if only Twink would sit still long enough.

No Dec. Travel

Most information on Bebo and his adoption will be on his blog until we arrive home. Then we will switch over to this blog, our family blog. 

 It is very unlikely we will travel in December. Actually our tentative travel date is late January per our agency. They have stated the current trend for Hague families to receive their TA's are 9-11 wks. Someone asked if we traveled in December when we traveled for Twink, that would be correct! We left the States Dec. 6th and returned from China Dec. 19th. We made it back for her 2nd birthday - January 15th. Unfortunately we will not make it to China in time for Bebos 7th birthday which will be January 1st. :(
 
God's timing is perfect, so we wait and praise Him for his blessings even if we do not see them in our timing.

LOA is Here!!

WooHoo, 63 days after CCAA logged us into their system they have officially approved us to be the parents of Bebo in the Chongqing SWI! He has a repaired cleft palate (not a lip, a palate) and is deaf. We have been very busy learning sign language the past couple of months and are so excited!

We have a separate blog going right now for him.

Booked Weekends!

In a blink of an eye it seems as though our weekends for November have quickly filled with activities. Well I should say the kids and mine as The Count is finishing his last semester of his masters program! PTL!!!! It is actually a good thing as it will make this wait for Bebo go much faster and their are a few fun activities for the kids. Not to mention I am able to sneak away a couple of Saturdays for a couple of hours.

As you can see in the above pictures we went trick or treating without Jewel this year. She actually went with a few of her friends. I have no pictures of her in her costume though. Do you see a miracle in the above picture? Twink with her hat on and NO tears?!?! Yes, she actually wore the hood to her costume without any tears or screams. Big improvement from last year! She did not want Dash's arm around her so she took two steps away from him. Spitfire was not happy everyone kept calling her a bunny as she was a kitty. I think we'll hold onto the kitty costume for Twink and pass on the butterfly one.

Spitfire finished her last soccer game this past weekend. Let's say the weather was less than perfect. Wind, rain and we wonder why these kids are so sick. They ended up cutting the game short but not before our girl scored another goal! WooHoo! As you can see she received not one medal but TWO! Her coach did not realize the league handed out medals so he also bought them. The ones he bought though he had the childrens names and jersey numbers engraved on the back making the medal even more special. She is excited for the spring season to start already! She has a bit of a wait ahead.

Twink was sick last week. I had to go pick her up from school early on Wednesday as she was running a temp. We ended up keeping her home the rest of the week. She is doing much better. Actually all the kids are feeling better and I'm praying that it stays that way. I hope all of you are staying healthy.

Waiting...

We've now been waiting 60 days for our LOA or RA as some would call it. We are praying we will hear something next month.

Tasty Tuesday

CHICKEN RIGGIES

Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) butter or margarine
1/2 pint heavy cream
2 cups chicken broth
2 to 3 red and/or green bell peppers, cut into strips
1 to 2 medium onions, diced
2 to 3 cloves garlic, minced
olive oil (as needed)
3/4 cups plain tomato sauce (I use one LARGE can of Hunts sauce)
Hot Cherry peppers (to taste)
1 cup GOOD grated cheese
1 1/2 tbsp cornstarch
1/4 cup GOOD white wine
2 pounds rigatoni, uncooked

Cooking Instructions:

Step 1: In a large pan, melt butter and saute peppers and onions until soft and onions are translucent. Add garlic and cook about 1 minute more. Remove and put aside.

Step 2: Put chicken in pan and cook until lightly brown. You may have to add some olive oil, as there may not be enough butter. Add peppers and all other ingredients (except macaroni) and simmer about 1 hour.

Step 3: Cook rigatoni according to package directions.

Step 4: Pour chicken mixture over cooked pasta and toss.

Happy Birthday Dash!

Happy 11th Birthday to our Dash! What a handsome, sweet young man you are becoming. Keep up the great job at school, we are so proud of you!

Pneumonia

Took Spitfire into the doctor yet again yesterday and he sent us for a chest x-ray. Her lungs sounded fine but he said sometimes it is hard to hear pneumonia in children. Better safe than sorry. Sure enough, he was spot on! I'm glad we didn't wait the weekend to see how she did. She will have to go back in 6 wks for a re-check as the area where the pneumonia is tends to come back.

Thank you for your prayers!

Fall Sports End

Jewel had her last field hockey game last week. Unfortunately her team lost all of their games. They had a very new team with only three girls returning from last year. Most of the girls were not motivated to move and Jewel became very frustrated with her team. She worked very hard and scored two of the three goals of the season. That is right, their team only scored three goals the whole season.

She has been asked by the JV coach to play summer ball and to talk to the varsity coach (her math teacher) about the details. The JV coach told Taylor that she like her "game". Jewel had wished she tried out for JV but I do think this year allowed for her to grow and gave her a lot of playing time. Something she may not have had on the JV team this year. She has turned into a great field hockey player.

Spitfire will be done with soccer next weekend. Last weekend she scored her first two goals of the season! We were so excited. She has really grown this soccer season. Unfortunately she will not be able to play in her game this Saturday as she is actually doing worse. Her fever is getting higher not lower and her cough is non-stop. We are going into the doctor AGAIN today. PTL, no one else seems to be sick in the family.

Sick Kiddo's

I know I've been around much these days but half of my crew has been sick. They all went to school on Monday but Spitfire came home from school that afternoon and you could just tell she did not feel well. One look at her eyes and I knew she was running a fever. Sure enough she was 102.2 and all she wanted to do was go to bed. Jewel complained her throat was hurting and she ran a temp of 100.5.

Our schools have been hit HARD with H1N1, strep and the stomach bug. The school nurses office should have had a revolving door from what I heard. The student parking lot at the high school looked like it does after school with just a few stray cars. Jewel is back at school today and Spitfire is still out and probably will be tomorrow as well. She is still running a fever.

She was just sick a couple of weeks ago with fevers as well as was Twink. Many of you know how nervous we become when Twink has a fever. We were very blessed the last time as she did not have an seizures with her high temps. Normally that would have sent her into one. It seems the medication is working. We are praying that this flu season is easy on her little body and the rest of the children. No more sickness!

Hope the rest of you are staying healthy!

Tasty Tuesday

Pumpkin Buttermilk Bundt Cake

Ingredients:

2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened, plus additional for greasing bundt pan
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour plus additional for dusting pan
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups canned solid-pack pumpkin (from a 15-oz can; not pie filling)
3/4 cup well-shaken buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
3 large eggs

For glaze:

2 T butter
1 cup powdered sugar
1-3 T cream or milk

Cooking Instructions:

Step 1: Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour bundt pan.

Step 2: Combine together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, allspice, and salt in a bowl. Whisk together pumpkin, buttermilk and vanilla in another bowl.

Step 3: Beat butter and granulated sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes, then add eggs and beat 1 minute. Reduce speed to low and add flour and pumpkin mixtures alternately in batches, beginning and ending with flour mixture and mixing until batter is just smooth.

Step 4: Spoon batter into pan. Shake a few times to be sure to remove any bumps then bake until a wooden pick or skewer inserted in center of cake comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes. Cool cake in pan on a rack 15 minutes, then turn cake over and let cake cool on rack. Cool 10 minutes more.

Step 5: To make glaze, heat butter until melted. Stir in sifted powdered sugar. Mix in cream or milk 1 Tablespoon at a time until desired consistency. Drizzle over cake while it is on a wire rack so excess falls through.

Side note - Cream Cheese Frosting is a great choice as well!

Where's Autumn?

Can someone please tell me where the Autumn weather is? I know it is not here because it is 11:00am and it is 35*F. Too bad the weather forecaster say it feels like 31* outside. The cold weather reeks havoc on body and I am feeling it too early in the season this year. Since my neck surgery in 2007 the winter months are hard for me at times.

Snow is in the forecast the next couple of days! Can you believe it. Brrr!!! Hope all of you are staying warm and enjoying Autumn.

Tasty Tuesday

Spaghetti Pie

Ingredients:

6 oz. spaghetti, cooked and still warm
2 tbsp. butter
1 well beaten egg
1/3 c. grated Parmesan cheese
1 c. cottage cheese
1 c. Mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 (28 oz.) jar spaghetti sauce

Cooking Instructions:

Step 1: Combine hot cooked spaghetti with butter until butter is melted. Add egg and Parmesan cheese. Place in pie dish and form a "crust".
Step 2: Spread cottage cheese over spaghetti in pie dish.
Step 3: Cover with spaghetti sauce and sprinkle with mozzarella cheese.
Step 4: Bake 30 minutes at 350*F or until bubbly. Let set, then cut into slices and serve.

(Makes 9 servings)

Babies!

Over the weekend we went to visit my sister and my niece. Look how much she has grown! Is she just not the happiest baby from just getting her nap cut in half. Her mommy woke her up way too early so we could see her. Not to mention take a couple of cute pictures. I'm thinking she is going to have red hair like her mom and hazel eyes (a mix of mom and dad). They could still turn brown but we will see.



After we visited with my sister we went over to my IL's to visit. My SIL and BIL were in town and we were going to meet the newest family member. He is the sweetest little guy. Twink was very interested in watching him lay on the ground. She would not touch him but she loved to look at him. She found it interesting when he had his diaper changed.


So you know your past the baby stage when all you really care to do is hold them and have no longing to have one of your own! That's me! :) I'm even past the toddler stage. LOL

Oh and go check out Bebos blog for an update! ;)