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Loveliness To Come

So, April calls me one morning, and innocently says, “Do you need to go to JoAnn’s?”

“Neeeed?” I say. “Neeeed? Um…yeah, come to think of it. I DO.”  heh, heh.

I desperately need to buy stacks of interlock to make warm undershirts and nightgowns for the little people. It’s mandatory.

With all those upcoming holidays–I’m pretty sure I need some twirly skirt fabric…and maybe enough for a teeny, tiny bow tie..or two. So very important.

And there’s this special project that I’d like to undertake–I’ll show you soon–that involves Cars, Tinkerbell and Ponyo. It’ll be fabulous…and incredibly necessary.

And lastly…how could we resist this lovely duo for a Toddler Sleeping Bag–for Chompy? She’s in love with “Chally Bown”–besides, it’s emergency preparedness. And of course, we want to “prepare every needful thing.”

snicker-snicker.

Now, I can truly say, “Bring on the blizzard.”

With my needed stash–I’m ready to be snowed in, for at least a month.

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:} Check back at 10:00 am to find out the winner of our “Steamed Pudding Mold” giveaway!

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“That Cake Guy”

I remember some kid at school asking me one day, “Isn’t your dad that cake guy?” and I said, “Yep.” I didn’t really get how he knew it, though. Turns out, that his brother was in my sister’s class and she had brought her teacher a fancy birthday cake that dad had made.

Laurie and I were famous for about two days–as daughters of “that cake guy.” It was lovely while it lasted.

Many years later, when I was married, with a couple of kids, Daddy called me and said, “Marie Osmond wants me to make her wedding cake.” I positively–ok, ok, nearly fainted dead away.

What you may not know, is that I’d always been a Donny fan and was, in fact, certain that if he’d been in his right mind–which he wasn’t–he would have married me…instead of whoever he actually married. So this was indeed big news.

Dad fussed and messed around in the bake shop for weeks, figuring and calculating how to make the most enormous cake he’d ever made before–because it’s what Marie wanted. I remember the day he was working on that bottom tier–biggest thing I’d ever seen–when somebody said, “Well, it’s pretty, but how are you going to fit it out the door?”

Eee Gads.

Seriously.

There he was, nearly finished with the thing and in fact, it wouldn’t, couldn’t possibly fit out the door.

Do you suppose it’s blasphemous to pray your guts out for a cake? I hope not, because that’s exactly what we did. As Dad and the guys lifted the ridiculous thing and headed to the door, we all whispered, “Please-please-please-please…” Then, as they started to tip it to the side, we crossed our fingers that it wouldn’t slide off the cake board and smash to the ground. We all chanted, “don’t let it slip…don’t let it slip…don’t let it slip.”

Miracle of miracles–and lucky for US…our prayers were answered…

and it didn’t.

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Happy Birthday Beckham!

Happy Birthday Lily!

 

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Steamed Chocolate Pudding…


…with Caramel Sauce…AND a giveaway. That’s what I said.

Oh baby–the room is starting to spin. Grab something stable and hold on.

For some odd reason, I’ve been fascinated by the idea of making real Plum Pudding–you know just to see if it tastes like…dirt, or if it’s actually good. Now, it takes a special pan to make traditional Plum Pudding, so, I’ve been on the look-out for just such a pan for many years. Finally, after checking each holiday season, at Williams Sonoma–at last, at last, they had one. But, fortunately for all of us–the recipe included with the pan was for “Steamed Chocolate Pudding with Caramel Sauce.”

Oh my…oh my.  Are you sitting down? Rock beats scissors. Paper beats rock. Chocolate beats just about anything–but certainly…plum.

Dude.

Steamed Chocolate Pudding with Caramel Sauce

Ingredients:

9 oz. semisweet chocolate, finely chopped

9 Tbsp. butter, cut up

6 eggs, separated

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

1-1/2 Tbsp. vanilla

pinch of salt

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup + 1 Tbsp flour

1/2 cup caramel sauce

whipped cream

Directions:

Grease a steamed pudding mold. Melt the chocolate and butter in a double boiler and allow to cool. Beat the egg yolks and brown sugar on high speed for about 4 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add vanilla, cooled chocolate and salt and beat until combined–about 1 minute. Transfer mixture into another bowl.

In a clean, dry bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a clean whisk attachment, beat the egg whites on high speed until foamy, 2 to 3 minutes. Slowly add the granulated sugar and beat until medium-firm peaks form–about 4 minutes.

Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the whites and the chocolate mixture together until no whites are visible. Sift the flour over the batter and fold in until well blended. Pour the mixture into the greased mold. Place the lid securely on top.

Next, set the mold on an inverted colander or steam rack, set in a large pot. Fill the pot with water to come halfway up the sides of the mold. Cover the pot, and set over medium high heat. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and cook for 40 minutes.

Remove mold from pan and let cool on wire rack for about 10 minutes. Uncover the mold and pour caramel sauce over the pudding.  Let cool in the mold for another 30 minutes. Invert onto a serving plate and…

and serve warm.

Hot dang.

We loved this so much–especially the Bald Kid and I–that I can’t bear not to have a partner in-steamed-pudding-crime. Therefore my friends–I’m giving away a true, live, steamed pudding pan to one lucky reader–on Friday at 10:00 am…sharp. To enter, leave me a comment on this post. In fact, I’ll give you one entry for each comment you leave on any previous post–from this moment on. Ha ha! Comments for EVERYone!

Steamed Chocolate Pudding...
 
Print
Ingredients
  • 9 oz. semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
  • 9 Tbsp. butter, cut up
  • 6 eggs, separated
  • ⅓ cup packed brown sugar
  • 1-1/2 Tbsp. vanilla
  • pinch of salt
  • ¼ cup sugar
  • ¼ cup + 1 Tbsp flour
  • ½ cup caramel sauce
  • whipped cream
Instructions
  1. Grease a steamed pudding mold.
  2. Melt the chocolate and butter in a double boiler and allow to cool.
  3. Beat the egg yolks and brown sugar on high speed for about 4 minutes.
  4. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add vanilla, cooled chocolate and salt and beat until combined–about 1 minute.
  5. Transfer mixture into another bowl.
  6. In a clean, dry bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a clean whisk attachment, beat the egg whites on high speed until foamy, 2 to 3 minutes.
  7. Slowly add the granulated sugar and beat until medium-firm peaks form–about 4 minutes.
  8. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the whites and the chocolate mixture together until no whites are visible.
  9. Sift the flour over the batter and fold in until well blended.
  10. Pour the mixture into the greased mold.
  11. Place the lid securely on top.
  12. Next, set the mold on an inverted colander or steam rack, set in a large pot.
  13. Fill the pot with water to come halfway up the sides of the mold.
  14. Cover the pot, and set over medium high heat.
  15. Bring to a boil.
  16. Reduce heat to medium and cook for 40 minutes.
  17. Remove mold from pan and let cool on wire rack for about 10 minutes.
  18. Uncover the mold and pour caramel sauce over the pudding.
  19. Let cool in the mold for another 30 minutes.
  20. Invert onto a serving plate and… and serve warm.

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What Do You Know…

for sure?

That question has become a favorite tagline in the Oprah Magazine–where each month she does a write up called–What I Know For Sure. Reading her top ten affirmations really got my head racing to come to at least one of my own. Of course, I agree for the most part, with what Miss Winfrey has to say, but my own, most heartfelt belief is blatantly missing from her list.  It is this:

“Motherhood is the most important work you will ever do in this lifetime and it has potential to be the most rewarding accomplishment you’ll ever achieve.”

I am impressed with how motivating her words are to me. See what you think~

Oprah’s “What I know for sure” List

1.  What you put out comes back all the time, no matter what.

2.  You define your own life. Don’t let other people write your script.

3.  Whatever someone did to you in the past has no power over the present. Only you give it power.

4.  When people show you who they are, believe them the first time.

5.  Worrying is wasted time. Use the same energy for doing something about whatever worries you.

6.  What you believe has more power than what you dream, wish, or hope for. You become what you believe.

7.  If the only prayer you ever say is “thank you,” that will be enough.

8.  The happiness you feel is in direct proportion to the love you give.

9.  Failure is a signpost to turn you in another direction.

10. If you make a choice that goes against what everyone else thinks, the world will not fall apart.

What do YOU know for sure?

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Things To Love…

Finding a new, zero-calorie, donut shop in town.

Watching a friendly path beaten to our front door.

A stack to sort that was formerly…my closet.

My very first attempt at Steamed Chocolate Pudding–with Caramel Sauce…OooooOOOooh.

Third generation Good & Plenty lovers–such wise children.

Sorting through all the holiday goodie leftovers.

Being so magically close.

Sewing new winter Pixie Hats…

in case we see a pixie!

What do you love? Tell us your favorites and I’ll get them on our Grateful List and put them in the quote rotator down in the bottom right corner. Working on getting 1000 by year’s end. Come help!