This week was the week. I am calling it (I know I shouldn’t, but I am) SPRING!!!!! I am so excited. Spring is my favorite season, full of warm sunny days, cold nights, lots of mud, lots of freshness, lots of new. Everything feels possible, not to mention all the spring cleaning! (I like to clean) And today we lost an hour of sleep but we gained an hour of sunshine.  It”s all downhill from here.

A small list of happy spring stuff for the week

• Start seeds
• Open a window
• Clean up the trash outside my house that was hidden by the snow
• Pack away boots
• Wash salt off of car
• Eat dinner at 6 instead of 5

A bit of internet stuff from the week.

 – I am a camper and need a new sleeping bags. I really want one of  these bags SO BAD. Anyone is more than welcome to buy me one!

– Good stuff to  know if.  Snow Is Delicious. But Is It Dangerous To Eat?

– MOORTEN BOTANICAL GARDEN…Love

– Another one of those things I want but will never get. The Aether Cone.

-For India’s Widows, A Riot Of Color, An Act Of Liberation.. The pictures are beautiful, as is the story behind them.

-Ben and Jerry’s would consider making pot-flavored ice cream. Well yeah. 

This weeks pictures are all old, but they make me happy.

One year ago.. Making snow people with some littles.

Holy cuties! They were so small and innocent. Now they are just little monsters (in the best way)The mister and the bees.

I am trying to find some cheap tickets fly out to the coast. Miss the big trees (that’s our old car, which I also miss)

No flowers this week, but for sure lots and lots of colorful veggies

That’s what I got, now get outside and enjoy the day!

-C

  There is irish soda bread in your future. I can see it. A nice hardy hunk slathered in butter and honey, crumbs all over the place.  So all you have to do know is make it. 

I remember reading somewhere (I wish I could remember where) that irish soda bread is just four ingredients, flour, sea salt, baking soda and buttermilk and adding  anything else would make  it a cake. So when I decided to make irish soda bread, thats all I used. ( I made it with some wheat flour) What you end up with is a highly dense, super fragrant, soft, chewy bread with a crunchy crust. Definitely not a cake.

Note….You can for sure add in a bit of sweetener or even little fat to make it richer and softer, but then it wouldn’t be bread (or so that’s what I read) There are tons of other recipes out there that have other stuff in them. This is just a really simple basic recipe. 

White whole wheat flour and all purpose flour mixed together. Salt baking soda and buttermilk. That’s it.All the dry whisked together and in goes the buttermilk. Mix together until dough starts to form then dump onto a floured surface.  Handling dough as little as possible, knead into ball.

Place on a baking sheet and dust with flour. Take a sharp knife and cut  an X through the top about 1/2 inch deep.

Stick in into the oven for 50 ish minutes, or unit la tester stuck into the middle comes out clean and there is kind of a hollow thunk when tapped on. 

And now you have a very pretty, dense hunk of irish soda bread. 

Cut and serve with butter and honey (thats how the mister likes it) or whatever you want to eat it with.

-C

Irish Soda Bread

• 1 cup all purpose flour 
• 1 cup white whole wheat flour (or you can use all purpose) 
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup buttermilk (or your choice if milk plus a tablespoon lemon juice) 

Preheat oven to 375

In a large bowl, whisk together flours, baking soda and salt. Mix in buttermilk until the dough starts to come together. If the dough seems to dry, add another splash or two of milk. Dump out dough onto a floured surface and shape into a ball. transfer onto a baking sheet, dust with flour and cut a x about 1/2 inch into the top. Stick into oven for 50 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean and the bread makes a hollow sound when tapped.

Let cool enough to handle.

Cut into and serve with a smear of whatever you want

Best eaten within a day or two

We made it ! FRIDAY!!! Fridays always make me think about Steve Urkel, you know, the geeky guy from the show Family Matters who’s catch phrase was “Did I do that?.  Weird, I know, but when I was a kid, Fridays meant TGIF on abc (the Tv show line up) It was something I looked forward to all week.  Get out of school, go home, have dinner (usually pizza) and spend the night in front of the Tv. And honestly, not mush has changed. We still keep Fridays the same. Work, Pizza, and Tv.. Just now its not Family Matters and Urkel, but Netflix binge watching and me making the mister a fancy ass pizza. But if Family Matters makes it to Netflix… I will for sure be watching that!

 So anyways, This particular pizza was inspired by a small batch of kohlrabi and red cabbage sauerkraut I made, plus a block of swiss cheese that I found hidden in the back if the fridge. I guess it was meant to be.  The mister was much into this concoction… like I will be making this again and maybe again after that. Its kind of like a reuben, but without the corn beef, which you could totally add if you wanted, or the mayo and ketchup dressing, which you could swap in instead of the mustard sauce.  You can even make it vegan if you use vegan cheese. Do what ever you need to do here cause hey, its your pizza to eat.

The stuff. Pizza dough, stone ground mustard, shredded swiss cheese, kraut, and caraway seeds. 

The dough is rolled out and smeared with the mustard. (The mister said I could have added more)

Cheese goes next and a good sprinkle of caraway seeds too.  Now stick that lovely into the oven.

And after 15 minutes, this is what you get… Bubbly, cheesy, crusty pizza.  

And it’s for real one of the prettiest pizzas that I ever have made.  Slice and serve…. and eat in front of the TV.

HAPPY WEEKEND!!!!

-C

Kind of a Reuben Sauerkraut and Swiss Pizza

This is the stuff you will need..adjust the amounts to you liking 

• Pizza dough (this doughor store bought)
• 1/4 cup Stone Ground Mustard
• 1 cup Cabbage and Kohlrabi Sauerkraut ( or just regular sauerkraut)
• 1 cup Swiss Cheese (Use vegan cheese to make this pizza is vegan)
• 1 teaspoon caraway seeds

Preheat oven to 450

Roll out the pizza dough to desired thickness and place on skillet or baking sheet. Smear with mustard, then layer the sauerkraut then cheese, and sprinkle with caraway seeds. Place into oven to cook for about 15 minutes. Pizza is done when dough s cooked and cheese is all nice and bubbly. 

Remove from oven, let cool for a minute, cut into slices, and eat. 

     Before we get to the fries, I just want to mention that  yesterday was one of those fantastic winter days that reminds me why I love living in Vermont.  Pretty white snow everywhere, the sun was out, and 20 degrees without a gust of wind. The trash dog an I were even able to go for a little hike.  It was so nice and soooo sooo needed!  Anyways, the other day as me, my sister and the mister where putting together  one more piece of Ikea furniture, (I am the master at Ikea assembling!)  a little runs into the room and presents the mister with a Dominos pizza. Yup, a whole pizza just for him. Why you might ask? Well I guess my sister was  delivered the wrong pizza and the place didn’t want it back and she didn’t want it, so she gave it to him.

A whole pizza to himself. I didn’t mind too much..he was just going to be eating it for lunch and dinner until it was out of the fridge. But for dinner I did want him to eat something of the vegetable matter that didn’t come out of a box. I was going to make him a big salad, but then realized that would mean sharing the last of the greens that I had for MY dinner and I was not about to do that, so I made him parsnip and carrot fries instead. No biggy, just some slicing, a little tossing and a bit of time in the old oven. And I figured I might as well make a nice sauce for those fries because I be so very nice.

The biggest problem that I ran into when I made these fries was that I didn’t make enough, so you should probably make twice as many as you think you will eat. If you end up not eating them all (which you probably will), well then you now have a great start for a soup or a nice addition to a salad. Either way, you will eat them because they are amazing and addicting… and as healthy as can be!

The carrots and the parsnips are all sliced up into big matchsticks and ready to be baked to crispy browned perfection.  I added the oil to the pan to toss the fries in and then sprinkled with a fair amount of salt and pepper.  If you don’t have and or want to use a cast iron pan, a baking sheet works just the same.

   Oh saucy sauce stuff. Tomato puree, sriracha, and yellow mustard. Add a little bit of honey to lighten it up (can use brown sugar if keeping it vegan), a splash of apple cider vinegar and a couple minced cloves of garlic. Topped off with the smokey delightful spice of cumin. I cold eat this on everything…and I kind of did. 

All mixed up in an oven safe dish, I stuck it into the oven for a about 8 minutes until it got a little bubbly, just to let all the flavors fuse together…

Fries are done, Sauce is ready. Served in super cute tea cups.(from now on I want to serve everything in tea cups.) A perfect side dish, snack, or even a light meal.  It lead the mister to ask the question…What pizza? 

Happy Day!

-C

Parsnip and Carrot Fries with Smokey Sriracha Sauce

The Stuff

For the Fries

• 2 large parsnips
• 2 large carrot
• salt and pepper
• 1 tablespoon oil

For the Sauce

• 1 tablespoon Sriracha
• 1 tablespoon mustard
• 2 tablespoon tomato puree (or 1 tablespoon tomato paste and 1 tablespoon water)
• 2 cloves or garlic
• 1 teaspoon honey or brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• a splash of apple cider vinegar
• a pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 425.

Wash and trim carrots and parsnips and cut into large matchsticks (any shape is good, just make them all uniform) Toss with oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place on cast iron pan or baking sheet and stick in oven for 30 or so minutes, and rotating after about 20. The fries are done when  crispy and brown.

For the sauce. Mince garlic and add to all the sauce ingredients in an oven safe bowl. stick into oven for about 8 minutes until slightly bubbly and hot.

Dip fries in sauce

Happy Friday!

A simple post for the simplest of soups. Minimal ingredients, no fuss, fast to make but can be left all day to simmer……. And oh so very very good. 

This has been one of my go to soups this winter. Warming, hardy, comforting….every kind of soft cozy feeling that I need when I can’t leave my house because it’s so cold out that all I want to do is sit on the couch wrapped up in a blanket, with a book, and eat hot soup. (That’s the my plan for the weekend) But it’s also good for any type of weekend activities you might have… it’t kind of the perfect soup.

The Stuff. A medium sized butternut squash, seeded and diced (no need to peel, but go for it if you want) About a pound of broccoli, (fresh or frozen) and a few shallots. Salt, pepper and a few cups of water. 

Note.. I didn’t add any spices to this batch because I really love the flavor without anything. With that being said, I have made this same soup with sage, rosemary, turmeric, even curry. Almost any flavor works in this soup. 

    The chopped squash and broccoli go into a big pot with about 2-3 cups of water. Add about a tablespoon of salt and pepper. Lid up the pot and place on medium low heat for about a half hour, or unitl squash and broccoli is fork tender. Now blend together with either a emulsion stick blender or place in a blender for 3-5 minutes until completely smooth. Add enough water to keep things moving. Add more water if you want a thinner soup, less for a thicker soup. Season with more salt and pepper to taste. Once blended, place back in pot on simmer until ready to serve. 

When the soup is simmering, thinly slice the shallots and toss into a pan. Sauté until soft and fragrant. 

 Finish off with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar and top with the  sautéed shallots.

Soup and a spoon. So simple, so good.

Have a great weekend…..Try and stay warm!

-C

The Stuff 

• 1 medium butternut squash 
• 1 pound of broccoli (crown and stem and can use frozen)
• 4 shallots
• Balsamic Vinegar
• salt and pepper

Split squash in half, remove seeds, and dice into chunks.  Place in big pot. Chop up broccoli and add to pot. (or just add frozen chopped broccoli) Add water until stuff is about half way summered. Place a lid on the pot and cook on medium low heat for about 30 minutes or  until squash and broccoli are fork tender. Blend together with either a stick blender or place in a blender. Add enough water to keep things moving. Add more water if you want a thinner soup, less for a thicker soup. Add more salt and pepper to taste. Once blended, place back in pot on simmer until ready to serve. 

When the soup is on simmer, thinly slice the shallots and place in a pan to sautee until soft and fragrant.  

To serve, ladle soup into bowl, drizzle with balsamic vinegar, and top with sautéed shallot.

Eat with a spoon

Another week in the Siberian Express (and another catchy name for weather)  The lake is completely frozen over and the snow piles are getting bigger then ever… We are in the dead of the winter, which means it an only get better from here.

Yes cold, but not a bad week. I have been getting our stuff together to start the ever daunting task of filing our taxes (blaaahhhhh), and the lovely mister has spent his week pretty much dealing with everyone’s frozen pipes (poor guy), but we have managed to fit in a little fun. Dinner with sisters. A day with a little that included a lunch date of clementines and mustard. We even went to a high school play that my littlest sister was in. (She was so freaking awesome!) Plus, this week I have really noticed the longer amounts of daylight happening. (I can’t wait for daylight savings)  I can feel it in my inner most parts of myself..that its going to be spring soon!!! I just need to keep from freezing to death for a few more weeks.

Here is some fun internet stuff  I have found this week.

• Ever wonder how mushrooms grow? Take a look inside a mushroom house.

• These Stuffed pets are pretty funny. If I were to bring home a stuffed animal that looked like the trash dog, he would almost certainly love it for about a week, but the moment he feels like he is not getting the adequate amount of attention, would stand in front of me and slowly tear it apart. (because that’s what he does)

• I want to make this Marbled paper… But am going to wait until I can do it outside, so maybe in like a few months

And a few bits from the real world

This little is rocking out to some sweet tunes….We started out listening to Beck and ended up listening to Elmo. I guess that happens sometimes. 

Can I buy then all? I am a plant hoarder… and can never get enough. I took this picture, walked away to contemplate about weather or not to buy the purple one, went back and someone else had grabbed it. Bummer,…So instead I bought some fresh daffodils, YAY!

 Romanesco. A cross between cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, brussels sprouts, and a space ship.  Pretty Pretty!

It took this guy about 5 minutes to cross over this bridge. The stick in this mouth was too long and would get stuck between the two railings. It  was some funny shit. 

Of things to come!!! 

Have a fantastically lovely week..It’s the last one of February! 

-C

Weird week. I feel like I have been so busy, but can’t quite figure out with what. I guess winter can do that to you, you know, when leaving the house kind of feels like a chore. Yup, it’s mid February when its cold, windy, snowy, and kind of mah. But it’s cool cause I feel like it’s all down hill from now. Soon we will be looking at an extra hour of daylight and hopefully some above freezing temps! (I think we have had a record amount of days below freezing here in VT) No, I am not complaining, just looking forward to getting out of hibernation.

Anyway, here is some internet stuff I have found fun and interesting this week

And some life stuff from the week…It was farm share week and yes, that’s a kohlrabi bulb. And no, I have never in my life seen a kohlrabi as big as this one. It is for real bigger then my head.  If I didn’t know my farm was organic, I would think that they were growing these in toxic sludge. Wondering what I am going to do with it? Come back this week and see.

Oh my love… A few days ago I had my super comfy warm rag wool mittens stolen from me at the gym. I know, I was so pissed, but hopefully whom ever stole them is getting good use out of them. Anyway, to my Valentines Day surprise, the mister got me a new pair and sewed a heart into the palm of one. So freaking cute right!

 I like to take a look back at old pictures when I am feeling the crazy.. This one makes me think of summer and our honey bees. (That’s the mister digging into the top bar hive)

 The blue sky! And oh man am I craving some traveling. I think this was taken somewhere is Colorado. I want to go back.

Well that’s about it. Hopefully where ever you are, you are warm and staying out of crazy. Just wait, a few more weeks we will have more daylight and I bet even some above freezing temperatures because it has to happen, right?

Have a great week!

-C

 It’s Friday!!! And what does that mean? Pizza Pizza!!!!But not just Fridays…pizza happens more times then not in our house…It’s the misters favorite food and for real, he could eat it everyday, all day.…He is kind of made of the stuff. As for me, well I don’t mind making it for him because it’s easy. And because I am making it, it doesn’t have 8 million calories, 9 million grams of fat and have 10 million milligrams of sodium like takeout of frozen.  My pizzas are for the most part pretty freaking heathy. It really depends on how its topped. Like take this one.. Homemade pesto, good quaility cheese, (you can use vegan or low fat) chickpeas and tomatoes. Not to shabby. And really, it isn’t any more complicated then calling the take-out place or unwrapping the frozen plastic disk from the box. All you need is some good dough (I guess you could use store bought) and some good quality toppings… and you’re there…Pizza in your face.

For this pizza I used the skillet cooking method. This crust is one of  the misters favorites. It is a basic pizza dough but cooked on the stove in a skillet. It’s almost like a pita bread, but not. And I like to make it this way because its really fast (once the dough is made) and I can even make up a few crusts to have on hand for later.

Fast, healthy, and tasty…..Why not eat pizza every day? 

Not too many ingredients here. 3 cups of all purpose flour or 2 cups all purpose and 1 cup white whole wheat. A teaspoon salt, a teaspoon honey (use sugar if vegan), yeast and warm water… 

Start with the dough.  Add honey or sugar to yeast and warm water and let sit to active, which should take about 5 minutes.

 Mix together the salt and flour(s) and add the foamy yeast mixture. Mix until it all comes together and dump out onto a floured surface. (if the dough seems to dry add a splash of water..if way to wet, add a little flour) Give the dough a good 2-3 minute knead session, adding flour as needed to keep the dough from sticking. Form a nice ball, place back into bowl and drizzle with oil. Cover bowl with a towel and stick in warm place to rise for about an hour or until it has doubled in size.

When dough has doubled, dump back onto a floured surface and divide into 4 equal sized balls (or as many balls at whatever size you want)

Now you have a few choices here. You can either cook up all the dough now if you need it, or freeze dough balls for future use. If you think you are going to make pizza again within the next few days, it can be refrigerated, or you could also blind bake the dough and freeze or fridragerate that and have pre baked crusts all ready to go. So many options… just do whatever works for you. 

To make the dough in a skillet, oil the bottom of a 15 inch skillet, turn burner on to high and let preheat until the oil is sizzling. Roll dough out to roughly the size of the skillet and when it has preheated, place dough on in there and let cook for about 3-5 minutes, or until the dough starts to bubble and the bottom has started to brown. Turn burner down to medium and flip. Cook this side for another 3-5 minutes.

If you want oven crust, just roll out and place on a baking sheet and bake with topping on at 475 degrees for about 20 minutes

Now the crust is ready for the toppings!!

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. 

Smear the pesto (for this pie, I used the last of my homemade pesto from last summer…sad face) Mince garlic and distribute evenly on top of that. Then do the cheese, followed by the tomato slices and chick peas. Sprinkle with a bit of salt, cracked pepper and some parmesan cheese. 

Stick into oven for 10 or so minutes or until the chesse is nice and bubbly and the crust os crispy and brown.

And that is pizza. A super duper, yummy, healthy, not too fatty or overly salty…  can be eaten breakfast lunch or dinner time, pretty, satisfying, pizza.  

Make it for yourself, for you lover, for a friend. Make it in the shape of a heart or an elephant. Give you kid(s) a ball of dough and have them make their own… I know… such a good idea. 

Everyday, all day.. Happy Friday and Happy Pizza

Stay warm!

-C

For the dough ..Makes about four 10 inch pizza doughs or three 12 -14 inch doughs. This is also the same recipe I use for all of my pizzas (skillet and oven)

• 3 cups of all purpose flour or  2 cups all purpose and 1 cup white whole wheat
• 2 teaspoons of yeast or 1 packet
• 1 teaspoon of honey or sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups warm water

The Pizza Toppings (for a 15 inch crust..adjust amounts to your need or liking)

• 1/4 cup of pesto
• 1 large  roma tomato thinly sliced
• a few cloves of garlic minced
• 1/1 cup of prepare chick peas.. rinsed and drained
• 1/2- 3/4 cup of cheddar cheese (or any kind you like..use vegan cheese if you want too)
• salt, pepper, and parmeasan (optional) to sprinkle on top

To start, place honey, yeast and water into a jar or bowl and let sit to active until mixture starts to foam. Mix together flour and salt into a large bowl and add in yeast mixture. Stir until combined and dump onto a well floured surface. Knead dough for a a few minutes and form into a ball. Place back into bowl, drizzle with oil and top with a towel. Place somewhere warm to rise for an hour, or until dough has doubled in size.

When dough is done rising, dump back onto floured surface and divide into 4-8 equal sized balls.( 4 balls make  15 inch pizza… 8 balls are good for individual size pizzas) Place whatever dough you are not going to use into a closable plastic bag and either stick in fridge(if using within a few days) or freeze for future use.

Place skillet on high heat on stove and drizzle with oil. Also, preheat oven to 450 degrees. Roll out you dough and when the skillet is has gotten really hot, place dough right on in. Let cook for about 3-5 minutes or unit the cough has started to form bubbles and the bottom has started to brown. Turn heat down to low and cook other side for another 3-5 minutes or until browned. 

Now pizzafy it.. Add on the toppings. Smear with pesto, add minced garlic, then evenly sprinkle cheese. Top with the chick peas and the sliced tomatoes. A sprinkle of salt and pepper and a dusting of grated parmesan……Right into the oven for about 10 minutes to melt it all together…..

Pizza Pizza!!!

First off.. Happy Saturday  and Happy Valantines Day!

Once again, it is so F-ing cold out and I don’t want to leave my house! And because of the cold we decided to forgoing the traditional V day hike(kinda sad) but instead are going to just hang at home and watch movies. (which is actually kind of nice because now I get to stay all frumpy and warm , hanging out in my baggy old sweats and oversized sweater (so sexy right?)  

Anyways..  being all cozy usually entails something warm and yummy to drink. Neither of us are really big on hot chocolate, (plus we don’t have the stuff to make it) and sure we could crack open the fancy bottle of wine we bought for dinner (4.99 Trader Joes Special!!!!) or we can save that and I can whip up something a little spicy sweet.

Warm winter lemonade!! We are both big on lemon in everything and I just bought a bunch of sweet meyers lemons, so I think it’s meant to be.

Sweet, a little spicy, and warning….Perfect for a day of cuddling on the couch or for something to warm you after being outside. Great for anyone who wants a little something tasty that isn’t chocolate or booze, even good for those that might be feeling a little under the weather.  Kids and adults alike…. this winter lemonade works for it all.  

So whip some up and stay warm!

And have a fantastic day!!!

-C

Serves 2

• 1 Meyer lemon (can use regular lemon too)
• 3 cups water
• 2 tablespoon of honey (use sweetener of choice if vegan)
• A few sprinkles of cinnamon(optional but recommended!)

Slice lemon and place into a pot with water, cover, and bring to a boil. Once boiling, remove from heat and let sit for a minute or two. Transfer to a blender (or use a emulsifier) and blend until frothy.  Place a tablespoon of the honey or whatever sweeter into each cup. (add more if you like) Strain lemon mixture in equal amounts into mugs. Stir and sprinkle with cinnamon.

If you don’t want to use the blender method, you can juice 1 lemon, split into two mugs , add sweetener and top with hot water.. Don’t forget the cinnamon! 

I am the best sister.  .

Yesterday was my sisters 31 birthday. Yuck..If she is 31, what does that make me?( I am younger, but not by much) The ladies in my family have a really hard time with birthdays. We act like we don’t care, but we do. We say don’t do anything, it’s no big deal, but it is. Who cares that we are getting older……oh we care. We are all crazy.

So while the birthday lady who doesn’t care was out picking up her darling children, I showed up with ingredients for a cake from scratch..a bad ass bundt pan…and a bunch of beautiful sunflowers. I prepared the batter, popped it into the oven and me and my mr. proceeded to clean her house. Yup…#1 right here!

For real, I love my sister and I wanted to do something nice for her on her birthday. Pumpkin is nice. Pumpkin is not the conventional birthday cake. It’s a little different, a little spicy, much like my sister.

All the right stuff nicely measured out and the oven preheating.. I really like baking in her kitchen. She has the best light and a bunch of kitchen gadgets, lots of bowls, plus a dish washer. I miss having a dish washer.

                                         Creaming the sugars with butter and adding the eggs…It took me like 20 minutes to find the beater which was in my face the whole time. I was looking for a white beater. Hers is black.I am oblivious.Here comes the  pumpkin. I added the spices at this point.  (This picture is awesome)

Beat in the flour and milk….and now you have cake batter. I made the mr. lick the spatula just to make sure the spices and stuff were right. He always says everything is right.

Greased and flour dusted bundt pan. This pan is my new favorite, another one of my junk store scores! If you use a  shaped pan like this, really make sure you get every line greased or else… Dusting the greased pan with flour makes it easier to see if you missed a spot. Pour in batter and stick on middle rack in oven.

Pop it out of the oven when a tester come out clean and…TADA! What a beauty. I decided to forgo any frosting. The cake shape is too nice to cover. And bonus, since there is no frosting…didn’t have to wait for it to cool. Dug right into warm pumpkin goodness.

Look at those flowers. Trader Joes has it going on.  We looked all over her house for a vase and good thing I found this one. Nick had cut the top off of a 2 liter of mountain dew and stuck the flowers in that. I mean, it worked, but I think the vase was the better choice. And did I mention I am a genius? We couldn’t find any candles so I cut pieces of a striped straw and stuck matches in them. Best on the fly candle creation ever!

Left with crumbs… Notice the finger marks in the powdered sugar? I bribed one of her littles with that sugar. I told her if she emptied the dish washer she could lick the plate clean. I am a fantastic sister!!!

Happy Birthday!!

INGREDIENTS

• 1 stick unsalted butter
• 1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 l eggs
• 1 cup Pumpkin Puree
• 1/2 cup milk

DIRECTIONS

Pre heat oven 350 degrees.

Butter a bundt pan or a 9-inch round cake pan.

Whisk together flour, cinnamon,  allspice, salt, baking powder, and baking soda

In a large bowl, beat sugars and butter together until light and fluffy. Add eggs, pumpkin and milk and beat until combined. Mix in dry ingredients and beat until combined Pour batter into greased pan, and bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted i the middle comes out clean.

Remove from oven and let cool for a few minutes in pan. Remove from pan and dust with powdered sugar.

And there you have it a cake fit for a birthday, a holiday, or a breakfast on a Tuesday morning.