Power Washer A Hit!

I just arrived home from a little grocery shopping trip with Mom along with a side trip to McDonald's for a coffee treat, compliments of Mom and what do I hear when opening our door???? A strange noise, one I had not heard before...and there was Ben power washing the deck!!!

Ben is difficult to buy for as he likes the really expensive toys but I went off on a limb for his recent birthday and purchased him a power washer that was on sale. Actually Tyler (our son-in-law) picked it up for me at Target:) Many-a gift have found their way to the back of the closet never to be seen again so I am simply thrilled that this particular gift will be used.

And please note the Shimano shoes he is wearing!!! Compliments of Matt and Courtney and they will be happy to see that the shoes are a hit also (and not just for fishing/boating).

Ben also received, from Tyler and Caribe, a beautiful pizza cooker for the grill and he is anxious to try that also. I guess he is waiting for me to make some pizza dough, I'll have to get that recipe from Coco. I will post the pizza at a later date, please stay tuned!!!

Stella

I snapped a pic of Stella recently and she looks pretty comfortable to me!

Jazzed-Up Corn on the Cob

Upon receiving the July 2009 issue of Better Homes and Gardens magazine and being mesmerized by the cover photo of grilled corn on the cob I was just waiting for the opportunity to try the recipe.


The recipe was tucked in the back of the magazine in small print and I couldn't believe how simple the instructions were. Peel back husks and remove silk. Strip about half the husks from each ear and place in a large kettle of boiling water and cover. Boil for about 5 minutes and drain. Grill corn on rack of uncovered grill until tender, turning several times. Time will vary but it took about 12 minutes.


To serve, remove remaining husks (if desired) and brush corn generously with butter. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and garnish with chopped red and yellow cherry tomatoes, along with chopped parsley, basil, and green onions. Top with crumbled feta cheese (I used basil & tomato feta). The nasturtiums in our little garden were the perfect color for presentation along with some fresh parsley!






Fourth of July Celebration



Today would have been Vinnie's birthday and we all were thinking of that special golden retriever that blessed our lives for fifteen years! Happy Birthday Vinnie!

We had a little Independence Day get-together today with Mom, Caribe and Tyler at our house and as always there was a lot of food. We hope that Courtney and Matt can join us next July 4th...we miss you two!

Today's menu consisted of hot dogs on the grill, calico baked beans in the crockpot, chips & dip, a jazzed up corn on the cob, and a fruit pizza.

The fruit pizza is nothing more than sugar cookie dough that you spread on a pizza stone and bake for 11 minutes at 350 degrees. I then mixed two 8 ounce packages of cream cheese that had been softened and gradually added about a cup and a half of powdered sugar. Finally I added some strawberry/rhubarb preserves for color and taste. That mixture was spread on the round baked cookie. Using blueberries I created a star...which is a little off center but you get the idea and then raspberries were placed around the edge.

I had some red-white-and blue striped crepe paper and I pinched it and tucked under the cookie which added a little festive touch.

Happy Father's Day Ben!

With Ben's birthday and Father's Day so close on the calendar I decided that two cakes were out of the question. So I made cupcakes for Father's Day and decorated them to resemble a lawnmower. I chose a chocolate cake mix and made Coco's buttercream frosting and tinted it green. I used Wilton tip # 233 to make the "grass" and was pleased with the results. Then for the mower I used a milk chocolate Hershey Nugget and the wheels were M & M's and the engine was a red M & M attached with a little frosting. The handle should have been made from licorice laces but they were not available at our local grocery stores so I cut the regular licorice and made do.

Another photo of Carrot Cake

I was disappointed with my previous photo of the carrot cake so here is another attempt!!

How do you like the new look of my blog? I surely didn't do any of the work but Coco did and I thank her for it! Caribe will be asked to vote on it today (there is one other background that I thought was nice).

Carrot Cake

Now here is a carrot cake that everyone should try! I had never made it before but decided to prepare and deliver to the Johnson family that I mentioned in an earlier post. ***I had forgotten that Mr. Johnson introduced C & C to Hot & Now Burgers...what a guy***

Carrot Cake:

4 eggs
1 1/3 cups vegetable oil
2 1/4 cups sugar
2 1/1 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3 1/4 cups shredded carrots
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup crushed pineapple, well drained

Preheat oven to 350 degrees... Line bottom of three 8" round cake pans with parchment paper. Leave sides of pan dry, no greasing necessary. You can use two 9" pans but do not overfill as the cake will run over. Combine the eggs and oil in a large mixing bowl and beat for two minutes with a mixer on medium speed. Add 1 cup sugar and continue mixing for two minutes. Add remaining sugar and mix for three to four minutes. Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg; add to egg mixture, beating on low speed until blended (about one minute). Add carrots, walnuts, and pineapple; mix until well blended. Divide batter evenly among pans. Bake for 60 minutes OR until wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool to room temperature on wire rack. Run knife around edge of cakes and remove from pans. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting:

1 1/2 pounds cream cheese, at room temperature
2 cups white chocolate chips, melted
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 teaspoons grated lemon rind
Chopped walnuts

To prepare frosting, place cream cheese in mixing bowl and beat with mixer on medium speed until smooth. Add melted chocolate a little at a time, continuing to beat at medium speed. Add butter a little at a time. Scrape down sides of bowl; add lemon rind and beat until combined.

Remove cakes from refrigerator and ice top of one layer. Place second layer on top and ice. Place third layer on top and ice. Now frost sides of cake and finally press walnuts into the sides of cake and top if you desire. I made a chocolate carrot for the top and garnished with a sprig of parsley.

Ben has decided that this should be his birthday cake so I will be making another carrot cake soon!