St. Patrick's Day Recipe - One of My Favorite Holidays!!!

One of my favorite holidays is St. Patrick's Day.  I am never able to go out and celebrate but I soo.... love this holiday.  My ethic background has quite a bit of Irish - something I am very proud of.  One day - I am sure I will be able to go out and celebrate the food and drink of Ireland on St. Patrick's Day but for now it will have to wait.  This year - I decided to make several desserts with Guiness or Bailey's Irish Cream to share with friends and coworkers.  YUM!!  Two wee 'lil tidbits about baking with Irish liquor or beer...Guiness is on sale this time of year so using this beer this time of year is smart and you can buy any Irish Cream Whiskey (and skip the expensive Bailey's) to bake with and it turns out great.  Enjoy! GUINNESS CHOCOLATE BUNDT CAKE   A wonderful recipe by Erin Bolger - The Happy Baker

1 cup butter, softened 2 cups sugar 4 eggs 2 tsp. vanilla extract 1 cup Guinness 1 cup unsweetened cocoa 2 1/2 cups flour 1 1/2 tsp. baking soda 1 tsp. baking powder 1 tsp. salt 1 cup buttermilk - make homemade buttermilk and it turns out perfectly (while saving some money).  (Homemade buttermilk is one tablespoon of white vinegar in a one cup measurement cup and then fill up the rest with milk/stir) Thoroughly grease a bundt pan. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Mix together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla;mix until just combined. Stir in the Guinness. In a separate bowl whisk or sift together the cocoa, flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Gradually add to the wet mixture; mix Once combined gradually stir in the buttermilk. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.  Bake for about 1hr or until a toothpick inserted closer to the middle comes out clean.  Check on it at 50 mins to see how it is baking.  Remove from the oven. While the cake is slightly warm and cool enough to touch place a plate on the top. Invert the cake. GUINNESS CHOCOLATE GLAZE 1/2 cup butter 2 tbsp. cocoa 1 cup sugar 1/4 cup water 1/4 cup Guinness In a small saucepan over medium heat combine the butter, water, cocoa and sugar. Bring to a boil and continue boiling for about 5 minutes. Mixture will thicken up. Stir often. Remove from the the heat and stir in the Guinness. Let the sauce sit until it reaches room temperature. It will thicken up as it cools. Just before you are ready to serve the cake (30 minutes before) brush or spoon the sauce on to the outside of the cake. Letting the sauce soak in. Serve & Enjoy!! Store any uneaten pieces in an airtight container in a cool dry place or the fridge. HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY EVERYONE!!!!!

Strawberry Cream Cheese Pound Cake Will Make You Feel Like Spring Is Coming!

Hello everyone!!  I know I have found a good recipe when my son asks twice in one week for me to bake this.  Enjoy this easy recipe from Southern Living -

Ingredients

• 1 1/2  cups  butter, softened
• 3  cups  sugar
• 1  (8-oz.) package cream cheese, softened
• 6  large eggs
• 3  cups  all-purpose flour
• 1  teaspoon  almond extract
• 1/2  teaspoon  vanilla extract
• 2/3  cup  strawberry glaze
• 1  (6-inch) wooden skewer

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Beat butter at medium speed with a heavy-duty electric stand mixer until creamy. Gradually add sugar, beating at medium speed until light and fluffy. Add cream cheese, beating until creamy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until blended after each addition.
2. Gradually add flour to butter mixture. Beat at low speed just until blended after each addition, stopping to scrape bowl as needed. Stir in almond and vanilla extracts. Pour one-third of batter into a greased and floured 10-inch (14-cup) tube pan (about 2 2/3 cups batter). Dollop 8 rounded teaspoonfuls strawberry glaze over batter, and swirl with wooden skewer. Repeat procedure once, and top with remaining third of batter.
3. Bake at 350° for 1 hour to 1 hour and 10 minutes or until a long wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack 10 to 15 minutes; remove from pan to wire rack, and cool completely (about 1 hour).

What did you do today?

Sorry I have not been around lately.  The fall came and went and then we sped thru the holidays.  So here we are in the new year.  What will 2011 hold?  Hmmm...

I heard something today I wanted to share.  How many times have you asked your child, spouse, friend - "How was your day today?  What did you learn?"  These words are asked countless times.  Another interesting question to ask is "What questions did you ask today?"  Minds are precious things and our curiousity helps us grow, sustain growth and knowledge and learn.  So next time, ask "What questions did you ask and learn from?" 

Happy New Year to all!  I hope to write more this year and share with you what things I am learning and asking questions about.

Family & Warm Banana Bread

Good Morning to all this Sunday morning! 

I made one of the family favorite things for this morning's breakfast.  I cherish my family time and sometimes we rush thru our weekend.  By the time Sunday morning comes around, I realize how many things I left to the last minute.  This is usually when I hyperventilate (not really but sorta) and get the Sunday migraine.  (LOL - I actually think my mom would get the Sunday migraine also) 

Sundays can often times become errand day - a bad habit.  So in the spirit of a calm Sunday morning appreciating the family time - I made a loaf of yummy banana bread.  I even went to the extra effort of one loaf with walnuts for Joey and I.  And a 2nd separate loaf with no walnuts for Anthony and Rob/Bob (my husband and yes there is long story why his name is "different").

I share this recipe with you so maybe one morning you can make or even make the night before.  Happy Sunday!

Banana Bread

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup of sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup of mashed very ripe bananas (approx 3 bananas)
1/4 sour cream
1 tsp of vanilla extract
2 cups of all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup chopped walnuts (or not)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Generously spray a 9x5 inch loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray.  If you have problems with burning the bottoms of bread - line baking sheet with parchment paper.  Place loaf pan on baking sheet.

In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until well blended.  Add eggs, banana, sour cream and vanilla.  Fold in flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt scraping bowl often.  Mix on low speed then fold in walnuts.(or not)

Spoon batter into prepared pan.  Bake until bread springs back with gently pressed with fingertips, 50 to 55 minutes.  It may have a crack in center.  This is fine - no problem.  If bread does not seems done after 55 minutes, reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees and bake 10 to 15 more minutes. 

Cool in pan 20 minutes.  Then turn out and cool on a wire rack.

The Silence of Friendship

“True friendship comes when the silence between two people is comfortable.” - David Tyson Gentry

I have been reminded of this quote two times this week.  One time - it was a quote from a friend's Facebook page.  The second time - on the dry erase board at Joey's swim team practice.  When I saw the quote at swim practice - an unlikely place - it struck me.  How many times do we read a quote from someone and we say to ourselves - "Wow, this is so true!"  This quote on friendship is so true. 

I have to say - honestly - I did not learn this lesson of friendship until much later in life.  I can now feel comfortable in my friendships to let things move however they need to move.  But in my grade school days, high school days and even college days - I am sure I was unsettled at times with my friendships.  This is of course is how a young female matures into the wife, mother, coworker and true friend.  I love seeing my two sons develop their friendships and wonder how they will move thru life together. 

I am truly thankful for my friends and everything I have learned or will learn from them.  Take time to thank the friends in your lives but know that “True friendship comes when the silence between two people is comfortable.”

Take care - my friends...

I'm back...

Hello again - Sorry for my absence.  I have been working thru the new school and work routine the past one and 1/2 weeks.  WHEW!  I think we are all adjusted and ready for the fall.
I hope all is well with you and I promise to post regularly.  I do find the short blog posting process to be cathartic. 

Hope you have a nice weekend!  Take care and we will talk soon.

F.I.S.H. Philosophy

Today at work we had our annual fish fry at work where both offices get together to relax and catch-up.  I was reminded of the F.I.S.H. philosophy our firm goes by.  The F.I.S.H. philosophy is a workplace management system developed by John Christensen.

Four Key Concepts:

Play
Work Hard
Be There or Be Present for Co-Workers (Give full attention to task or individual)
Choose Your Attitude

These four items can easily get lost in the work day.  Although the concepts were "born" from Seattle's Pike Place Market and the employees at the fish market - the concepts are basic and applicable everyday with all facets of my life.

So - I pass this F.I.S.H. philosophy on to you today even if all I do is make you think abit differently or from a different perspective.