Apr 5

March’s Tasty Treats

March was a busy month. I had a cookie catering gig, and Dylan’s birthday too. I also tried out a few new dessert recipes that I liked, but the family didn’t care for too much. Maybe I’ll come up with a few new ones to try out in the next month.

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I made a Cream Cheese Cherry Crescent Roll Bake for dessert one night. I liked it, but the rest of the family wasn’t a fan, sigh…

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The mini-cherry pies were for the cookie catering gig,

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along with some cakerdoodles,

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and teeny-tiny 100% from scratch Dutch Apple Pies.

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I also attempted a Cherry Cheesecake. I liked it, but no one else did… Hmmm, maybe I’m starting to take a hint that my family just doesn’t care for cherries.

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For Dylan’s party I made some Green Velvet Cupcakes.

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I also made some Chocolate Cake Pops too. This was James first time to try them, and he went crazy for them. They were pretty tasty.

I have a few recipes in mind for April. I want to make something extra special for Easter, but I just don’t know what yet. Maybe a Coconut Cream Pie is in order, or a Strawberry Cake, maybe both, it is a holiday after all.

Apr 2

March’s Favorite Photos

The weather is still a bit on the gloomy side, but I have kept my camera with me as always. I have a few favorites to share this month, and many more to come.

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I took this one off of a store-front window. It was a cloudy day, and the sign was reflecting off the glass.

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A scene from downtown, I think I’ve taken this photo about a million times…

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A Wintry scene from the very top of the park.

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The boys!

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Pretty building at PSU.

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All 3 kiddos, all in one photo. Agnes is teething in this one, but her smile makes me giggle.

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A stately clock from the pavilion downtown.

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A view from the trolley ride.

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One of my favorite buildings locally, I took this one on the trolley too.

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Miss Agnes riding the trolley.

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The little man on his birthday!

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One of Dylan’s very favorite things about his hometown.

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A church steeple not too far from my hubby’s workplace.

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A little picture of the super-moon. I stood out in the middle of the street, in the middle of the night and took a few photos.

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Flowering tree.

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Me and my adorable kitty.

Apr 1

April’s Monthly Menu

The school-year is wrapping up, and I’m ready for the temperature to finally start warming up, so I can make some Spring and Summer favorites. I’ve got a pretty tasty menu planned for April, with a new Sunday favorite too. Here we go, it’s April’s monthly dinner menu.

  • 4/1/2011: Biscuit Sandwiches and Breakfast Potatoes
  • 4/2/2011: Dinner Out!
  • 4/3/2011: Panko Chicken, Fried Okra, and Mashed Potatoes
  • 4/4/2011: Soft Tacos, Tortilla Chips, Cheese Dip, and Salsa
  • 4/5/2011: Breakfast Ham, Cheese Grits, Dutch Apple Crescent Bake, and Breakfast Potatoes
  • 4/6/2011: Ham & Beans, Cornbread, and Macaroni & Cheese
  • 4/7/2011: Nacho Bar
  • 4/8/2011: Pancakes, Sausage, Coffee, and Juice
  • 4/9/2011: Homemade Pizzas
  • 4/10/2011: Panko Chicken, Corn, and Biscuits
  • 4/11/2011: Chicken Chow Mien, Rice, Chow Mien Noodles, and Sugar Dumplings
  • 4/12/2011: Chili, Saltines, and Brownies
  • 4/13/2011: Hamburgers and Kettle Chips
  • 4/14/2011: Grilled Hot Dogs and Kettle Chips
  • 4/15/2011: Monkey Bread, Bacon, and Breakfast Potatoes
  • 4/16/2011: Spaghetti with Meat Sauce, and Homemade Bread
  • 4/17/2011: Panko Chicken, Mashed Potatoes, and Corn
  • 4/18/2011: Tacos, Tortilla Chips, Salsa, and Cheese Dip
  • 4/19/2011: Chicken and Noodles, Mashed Potatoes, and Homemade Bread
  • 4/20/2011: Hamburgers and Kettle Chips
  • 4/21/2011: Chicken Fajitas, Tortilla Chips, Salsa, and Cheese Dip
  • 4/22/2011: Biscuits & Gravy, Sausage, and Cinnamon Rolls
  • 4/23/2011: Nacho Bar
  • 4/24/2011: Panko Chicken, Fried Okra, and Cherry Pie
  • 4/25/2011: Ham & Beans, Cornbread, and Macaroni & Cheese
  • 4/26/2011: Grilled Hot Dogs and Kettle Chips
  • 4/27/2011: Chili, Saltines, and Brownies
  • 4/28/2011: Chicken Chow Mien, Rice, Chow Mien Noodles, and Sugar Dumplings
  • 4/29/2011: Pancakes, and Breakfast Ham
  • 4/30/2011: Beef Stew and Homemade Bread

Time to get in the kitchen and get to cooking.

Apr 1

When The Weather Is Cold And Dreary

When the weather is cold and dreary… I grab my camera, and head downtown to take pictures. No one is out and about when the temps are cold, and only a few people give me strange looks as I crouch down to get the perfect shot…

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The double-daffodils are in full bloom near some local shops.

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No one was out, so I could get a decent shot in without a single car in the way.

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And I could stand out in the middle of the road without anyone honking at me to stop taking pictures and move out of the way.

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Blooming trees still look very pretty on overcast days.

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Porch lights in the distance give a pretty bokeh view to this photo.

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The cheery daffodils are also in full bloom at the library.

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Rainy days aren’t so bad…

Mar 30

Green Velvet Cupcakes

When it was time for Dylan’s birthday he wanted Green cupcakes. Green just happens to be his favorite color, so I thought I would try to tweak a recipe and make Green Velvet Cupcakes.

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I have a recipe for homemade-made-from-scratch Red Velvet cake, but it called for a lot of ingredients that I didn’t have on hand, so I decided to start with a box mix. The thing about red or green velvet cake is it tastes a bit like chocolate, so I added in 2 teaspoons of cocoa powder to a white cake mix, and it did the trick. I also added in 30 drops of green food coloring, and I was pretty happy with the color after the little cakes had baked.

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I topped off the cupcakes with my homemade icing for Red Velvet Cupcakes, and they turned out great! Dylan was really happy to have the green cupcakes for his birthday, and he even helped out with the mixing too.

If you aren’t a fan of green the same method would be great to make Blue Velvet cupcakes, or Purple Velvet cupcakes too. Happy baking!