Hello Again World.....

I don't know why I can't keep up with blogging.  However, it's just been since last fall....not like a year or two break as I have done before.

I wonder sometimes with having facebook and instagram if there is really a need for me to blog and I think about shutting the whole thing down then something draws me back.  Not everyone on my facebook wants to hear or read about everything that is going on in my little corner of the world but for those who are interested can simply be directed here.

We've had alot go on in the past several months.  And this little man right here is the greatest blessing!

Meet Callen Oakley born on December 27th.  He adores his big sister, Rylee Brooke and she adores him!

And I get the honor of taking care of him just as I did Rylee.  

LOTS of great adventures are in my future!

Well, if you are here and reading, thanks for stopping in! 

Hope your day is fabulous!

Baby Quilt Finish

A few weeks ago I shared the beginnings of a baby quilt....well, between ripping up carpet and repainting the living room, I've managed to get this cute little number hand quilted and the binding sewn on.  While I am pleased with the outcome, I do need to work on the evenness of my quilting stitches. 

Practice makes perfect so now on to the next one....this one is all sandwiched together and ready to quilt.

Chocolate Fudge Brownie Cake

I found this recipe on pinterest some time back and I've made it a couple of times now.  This time I changed it up a bit...just in the frosting part...I've included the pinterest link below the recipe.

CHOCOLATE FUDGE BROWNIE CAKE

1 box chocolate cake mix

1 box fudge brownie mix (9"x13" size mix)

4 eggs

1 1/4 cups water

1 cup oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Prepare a bundt pan by spraying with a non-stick cooking spray...I like *Baker's Joy.

Combine all ingredients in mixer bowl and mix well to combine thoroughly.  

Pour into prepared pan.

Bake 50-55 minutes.

Allow to cool for a bit before turning out of pan.

Melt 6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate plus 4 tablespoons whipping cream, stir to smooth consistency.

Pour over cake.  As you can see, I topped with a handful of chopped pecans.

Enjoy!

*** https://www.pinterest.com/pin/177258935311431014/

Taco Soup.....

I know.  Who eats soup in the middle of a Missouri summer? 

I do.

 The older I get the more  my taste buds change.  Over the past several years I've come to like a number of foods.  Peas are still not a favorite and I probably will never like mixed vegetables or vegetable soup.  For years, I've heard people talk about taco soup and one day I decided to gather recipes.  The first time I made it I used the ground beef as the recipe called.  After making it a couple times and making a few changes to a combination of recipes, I think I have arrived at a recipe that I can kinda claim as my own......

TACO SOUP

2 boneless skinless chicken breast, cooked and shredded/chopped

2 cans black beans (do not drain)

1 can corn, drained

1 large onion, chopped

1 can ro-tel tomatoes with green chilies 

1 pkg taco seasoning mix

1 pkg ranch dressing mix

1-1/2 cups broth from the chicken

Combine all ingredients in the crock pot....you see that I have mine lined with a *Reynolds Slow Cooker liner. (These can be found at Wal-Mart with the wax paper, saran, etc...)

Let cook on low 4-6 hours.....or all day....

Precook your chicken as you prepare supper, just remember to reserve a bit of your chicken broth.....chop your onion.....toss it all in the crock pot the next morning....let it cook all day and supper is ready when you get home!

A few things on the side.....shredded cheese, sour cream!

ENJOY!

Something New.....

Remember these?  The fat quarter bundle that I just couldn't resist buying while waiting for interfacing to be cut.  And as it turned out, once I got started with a plan, I had to go back and buy another bundle to have enough...

I pressed them all out and cut them into 3 1/2" strips and sewed them together....

Then cut those sections into 3 1/2" strips......

Sewed them into strips to form blocks....

......then stitching blocks together and adding more strips as I went to make the finished size top that I decided I wanted to go with.....

So here we have the quilt sandwich ready to be quilted.

  I don't know whether I will hand quilt it, machine quilt it myself or send it out to be machine quilted by someone with alot more experience than me!

I will post more photo's once it's complete.  

An Unfinished Project.....

I recently went through an old dresser that was taking up space in the garage. It held an assortment of things.....from old papers to apparently, unfinished counted cross-stitch projects. This is from *Homestead Classics Cross Stitch Collectibles*....the November 1989 issue! I stitched one for my mother-in-law then decided I wanted one for myself.  As you can see I got a great start on it...actually closer to being finished than just beginning... then for whatever reason it got set aside, packed away, moved and misplaced. I was so glad to find it once again.  I have had some unexpected time off from work this week so I've gotten caught up on some alterations work so I won't feel guilty that if today I stitch away and continue with my 'Downton Abbey' marathon.....at least for a little while.

Enjoy your day!

Death by Chocolate Zucchini Bread

So this is one of those recipes that popped up in my facebook newsfeed .  I really like zucchini and I love chocolate so I thought I'd try this for a little something different.  Just a couple of things I did differently was to use *Splenda for baking rather than real sugar and rather than brushing the pan with butter and cocoa, I sprayed it with *Baker's Joy.  The recipe and web-site are shared below! 

ENJOY!

INGREDIENTS

1/2 c. melted butter, plus more for brushing pan

1/2 c. cocoa powder, plus more for dusting pan

1 1/4 c. all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. kosher salt

1 c. sugar

1 egg plus 1 egg yolk

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 c. grated zucchini (from 1 large or 2-3 small)

2/3 c. chocolate chips

Flaky sea salt, for garnish

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and dust a loaf pan with cocoa powder.

In large bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.

In another large bowl, stir together sugar and egg and egg yolk until smooth, 1 minute. Add melted butter and vanilla extract and mix until smooth. Add zucchini, then add flour mixture in 3 additions. Fold in chocolate chips.

Transfer batter to prepared dish and bake 50 minutes.

Let cool slightly in pan, then transfer to a cooling rack. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt and serve.

http://www.delish.com/cooking/recipe-ideas/recipes/a48378/death-by-chocolate-zucchini-bread-recipe/