Fun Friday Recipe for Cake in a Mug Aug. 29th

LARGE CHOCOLATE CUPCAKE IN A MUG. (5 minutes )

4 Tablespoons cake flour (I've used all-purpose flour and it works fine)
4 Tablespoons sugar
2 Tablespoons cocoa
1 Egg
3 Tablespoons milk
3 Tablespoons oil
1 Mug

Put flour in mug.
Stir in Sugar and Cocoa
Spoon in one egg
Stir in milk and oil
Microwave for 3 mins on high til cake sets in mug
Remove from mug when slightly cooled.

Saw Sonny last weekend

He is doing so good, he likes his new place. He has made a ton of new friends, has read his textbook front to back 3 times, twice in the first week.

He went with us to the 1880 train, we rode it from Hill City to Keystone, it was a nice relaxing ride, saw lots of wildlife. Mule Deer and Whitetail, both are unique in their own way.

I never tire of hearing the story of Mount Rushmore or the Crazy Horse story. We saw Crazy Horse this time, it has come a long way since we went last time. I think it was 2001, the face is done, they have started blasting away the rock to make the horse head. The tools have become more sophisticated, making the work run smoother. 7 out of 10 of Korczak Ziolkowski's children work on the monument full time. It continues to be funded by private donations, there is now an investor that will match every dollar donated. That's good news, I love the way the statue is being done, with Crazy Horse pointing into the Black Hills. He said, "My lands are where my people lie buried." It gives me chills each time I think of it, I am ashamed of how we treated the indians.

I have photos to post, but will do that when I get home. Having trouble with our computer and our car. It always hits in double barrels, doesn't it?

Recipe Friday Aug. 22nd

I am on the way to see Isaac this morning, here's a recipe that Karen makes on occasion, we really like it for something quick and easy.

Sandwich


1 tube Pillsbury refrigerated French bread
6 oz. thinly sliced deli ham
6 green onions, sliced
8 bacon strips cooked and crumbled or bacon bits in the package (This is what I use)
1 1/2 c. shredded Swiss cheese

Unroll dough on a greased baking sheet. Place ham over dough to within 1/2 in. of edges; sprinkle evenly w/ onions, bacon and cheese. Roll up jelly roll style, starting with long side, pinch seams, seal and tuck ends under. Place seam side down on baking sheet.
With sharp knife, cut several 1/4 in deep slits on top of loaf. Bake at 350 for 26-30 min until golden brown. Cool slightly before slicing. Serve warm. Yield: 6-8 servings.

Off to see Sonny

Steve and I are off to see Isaac in South Dakota. We really miss him, and hope he is doing well. We call him on the phone, but he is a typical boy, getting information out of him is like pulling teeth.

See you all next week.

Recipe Friday Aug. 15th: LATE!!!

I have been busyily checking laptops for our biggest project at the Med Center. I work late and then work late. It has left me no time at all. Here is the best cake you will ever taste. Compliments of Arleta Young from my bead group:

Oatmeal Cake


Bring 1 1/2 cup of water to a boil
1 c quick cook oatmeal

let stand until cool

in a bowl
1/2 c butter
2 eggs
1c white sugar
1c brown sugar
1tsp.cinnamon
1tsp.vanilla
1/2tsp.salt
1tsp.baking soda
1 1/2 c flour

Add the oatmeal mixture and beat for about 3 min. Bake in 350oven for 45--60 minutes.

The frosting
1cup brown sugar
1 1/2c white sugar
1/3 cup milk
1/4cup butter
1T white syrup bring to a boil..and boil for 1 min. beat until thick enough to spread.

Recipe Friday August 8, 2008

Coffee Chocolate Brownies with Mocha Frosting
Brownies:

½ c. butter, softened
1/3 c. packed brown sugar
1 Tbsp. instant coffee crystals
1 Box Betty Crocker’s super moist Devil’s food cake mix
1 Large egg
¼ c. water
¼ tsp. pure almond extract
1 c. slivered almonds, toasted

Frosting:

1 stick butter, softened
4 c. powdered sugar
½ c. Hershey’s Chocolate Syrup
1 ½ tsp. instant espresso Powder (medaglio D’oro, get it at Hy-Vee)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9x13 pan. For brownies, in a large mixing bowl, combine butter, brown sugar, and coffee. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add cake mix, egg, water and almond extract, beat until smooth. Stir in almonds. Spoon batter into pan, spread to edges. (batter is stiff, don’t worry about it, you did it right) Bake 30-35 min. or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. (everybody’s oven is different, so watch it closely, I start with 30 and work my way up.) Cool completely in pan on cooling rack.

Icing: in a small mixing bowl, beat butter with electric mixer until smooth. Add powdered sugar one cup at a time, beat well after each addition. When sugar is incorporated, beat on medium speed until light and fluffy. Beat in chocolate syrup and espresso powder until smooth. ( I add more espresso powder, I like the coffee flavor) Let brownies cool. Once cooled, spread brownies with icing, and cut into squares.

Family Portrait

I just found this in my personal folder, thought I would share it with you all.















We are from Left to Right:

Front Row: Dianne (Twin to Deanne), Deanne, Me, and Michelle
Back row: Wendy, Michael, Ronnie, Kevin


This picture was taken in Michelle's outbuilding during a family night. She is all set up to have sing alongs, there are instruments in the background, guitars, amplifiers, microphones, etc. Michelle sings like Patsy Cline, I love to hear her sing, but she won't do it for me very often.

The two sets of twins are Dianne and Deanne, in the front, then Michael and Michelle. They were born when I was 15 years old, I adored them!

Wendy not so much.....haha, just kidding, Whimpy! She was born after I got married. She looked just like a little cupie doll. I have a ton of pictures of them, I used to go up and see Mom and shoot all kinds of pictures of the kids. I loved them so much! And still do, they have such neat personalities, I enjoy the time I spend with them.

It is nice to see them all pulling together now that Mom is sick. I am so proud of them.

Recipe Friday August 1st

I made some peanut butter no bake cookies and peanut butter bars to take to the nurses at the hospital. They really liked the bars, so I thought I would include the recipe here:

Peanut Butter Bars

INGREDIENTS

1 cup butter or margarine, melted
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 cup peanut butter
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
4 tablespoons peanut butter



DIRECTIONS
In a medium bowl, mix together the butter or margarine, graham cracker crumbs, confectioners' sugar, and 1 cup peanut butter until well blended. Press evenly into the bottom of an ungreased 9x13 inch pan.
In a metal bowl over simmering water, or in the microwave, melt the chocolate chips with the peanut butter, stirring occasionally until smooth. Spread over the prepared crust. Refrigerate for at least one hour before cutting into squares.

It was especially nice that they didn't have to be baked, the humidity is so high, I didn't want to heat the house, or stress the air conditioner.

Here's the no bake cookies:


No Bake Peanut Butter Cookies

INGREDIENTS

3 cups white sugar
3/4 cup butter
3/4 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups peanut butter
4 1/2 cups quick-cooking oats


DIRECTIONS
In a saucepan over medium heat, combine sugar, butter and milk. Bring to a rapid boil and boil for one full minute. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla and peanut butter. Mix in the oats, stirring until the mixture begins to cool. Transfer to a large bowl if it does not fit into the pan well. Drop batter by teaspoonfuls onto waxed paper. Let cool until set. Makes 60 cookis or so.