Baking Disaster

We had Thanksgiving dinner at my mom's last night and I offered to bring dessert.

My plan was to make black forest cake. I serve a wedge of chocolate cake topped with homemade fudge sauce, cherry pie filling, whipped cream and chocolate shavings.

When I'm in a hurry I sometimes cheat and use a cake mix (gasp!)

This time I thought I'd have some fun and try out a new cake recipe from my new favorite cookbook (I found it at the library) The New Canadian Basics by Carol Ferguson with Murry McMillian.

This cookbook has a little of everything and I have already tried out several recipes with great success.

Imagine my surprise when this is what came out of the oven!



I just couldn't figure it out!

Then I looked over the recipe.

Yep, you guessed it, I had forgotten something!

Bet you can't guess what it was. . . !

Obviously we weren't going to be having black forest cake for dessert, so I opened my first jar of Brin's Magical Apple Pie Filling,(http://messythrillinglife.blogspot.com/2008/04/magical-apple-pie-filling.html) whipped up the topping for apple crisp (also out of this cookbook) threw together some nanimo bars and we were on our way.

The apple crisp? Delicious!

Tune in tomorrow to see how my mom and I canned all those jars of pie filling.

You won't believe how many jars we made!

*And I'll tell you just what I forgot to put in the cake. You may be surprised. I was!

Canning

My mom's coming over soon and we hope to spend the day canning quarts and quarts of Brin's (http://messythrillinglife.blogspot.com/ )Magical Apple Pie filling.

With that in mind I have to run.

There are pots and pans left from dinner last night and I want to throw a coffee cake into the oven so we have something sweet to go with our tea later.

Have a great day!

Simple Things

The air was crisp and the sun shone brightly on our morning walk.

While Jada sniffed and occasionally bounced on the other end of the leash, I just breathed it all in . . . Content and at peace with the world.

It was free, this lovely interlude, something these days that I no longer take lightly.

If you watch the news, read the paper, or even experience in a personal way, you know that times are getting tough and the signs point to it getting tougher before it gets better.

It's hard not to worry is it?

Thankfully, we know that God is in control.

Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink: or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air: they do not sow or reap or store away in barns,and yet your heavenly father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? Mathew 6:25-27

Easier said than done though, isn't it?

I've chosen to watch and read only what I need to to stay informed.

Then I focus on what I have, faith, a home, a job, a wonderful family, and good friends.

And I'm making a list of the small things that make life beautiful:

Flowers, gardens,

fresh baked bread,

a pretty fall vignette,

art, books, good food, sheets fresh from the line, autumn leaves and

silly hairy dogs.

This is only the beginning of my list.

What's on yours?

A Lesson Learned (Again!)

Remember how one of the things I had to do yesterday was come up with a delicious quick meal?

I did. (at least, I thought I did.)

Leftover roast beef with gravy from the freezer, scalloped potatoes from a bag (sidekicks), corn, beans and homemade apple sauce.

Yum, right?

Just one small problem.

Once heated the 'roast' and gravy turned out to be pretty much only gravy.

Looks like Henry's eating mostly vegetarian tonight.

Gasp!

Lesson learned? Always label things going into the freezer. You really won't remember!

* and by the way, don't knock my potatoes from a bag. They are actually very tasty!

What are you doing today?

Today is all about dog walking, house cleaning, yard work and coming up with a delicious dinner that can be made quickly.

Oh yes, and it's very much about raking up the mounds of hair Jada's leaving all over the house after her bath the other day!

So. . .

What are you doing today?

Fall Blooming

I did a field trip this morning, for the kids in grade 11 and 12, so my day is rather short.

I thought I would give you a quick peek at a few of the things still blooming in my garden.

Happy fall gardening!

Our little Getaway

We've been home for over a week now so I had better fill you in on our little getaway before I start to forget what happened!

We went down to British Columbia's Frazer Valley to attend the wedding of my lovely niece Mini Me ( aka Tamara's daughter.) http://thegreenhousediaries.blogspot.com/

As many of you may know, if Tamara is going to do something, she's going to throw her heart and soul into it. I figured she might want a little help, so Henry and I went a few days early.

The question arose as to where we might stay while we were there.

Henry and I will be celebrating our 24Th anniversary next month and we had never left the kids for much longer than a day and a night. On this trip we would be gone five days and nights!

I thought it would be nice to spend a few days at a bed and breakfast.

While I was down for my youngest sister's wedding, Tamara and I checked out a five star B&B close by.

It was amazing. The beds were sky high, the house had been a Travelers Inn, since I don't know when (was it over a hundred years Tam?)and breakfast was to be a dining experience.

But, oh the cost!!

At that rate all we could afford would be a two night stay and you've got to know there is no way I could eat $20 worth of breakfast every morning! (Henry could have though. . .)

We went home and I started checking out the local hotels.

Tamara, as usual came up with a winner.( with most of the glory going to her sister-in-law Darlene!)

Because Darlene knew someone. Someone in the process of starting a B&B.

In historic Fort Langley. How charming is that?

After chatting with Marilyn ( our host) I was thrilled to discover that due to the many discounts she came up with for us,(one of which was because we were her first guests) we would be able to stay for the entire 5 days! In her suite called The Nest!

It was a lovely place to stay. We were in a separate suite that was reached by going up the stairway in the main hall.

The decor was quite inspiring and at the same time cozy. ( It made me feel as though I was in an artist's retreat.) Many different paintings and sketches hung on the walls. You knew that our hosts collected as there was evidence throughout the suite.

Those furs are real people!

A delicious breakfast was brought up each morning and left on a trolley outside the door.

Henry did not have to complain about being hungry after these meals! ( I tried to be artistic when I took this picture. I think I fell a little short don't you?)

How cute is this?!

This suite had a large bedroom, dining area, living room, bathroom and a bit of a kitchen. And I can't forget the lovely gas fireplace that we found lit each evening when we came home, or the baking left to snack on. . .

Henry was sick on Sunday, so as I left for church I left a message telling our host not to worry about the room that day. She was up there before he knew it, asking if he would like some soup or an electric blanket to keep him warm on the little balcony!

I know she had a few things she still wants to work out , but for us it was wonderful!

Of course the very best thing about it all was being able to spend all that time together, without the kids.

I mean I love them but. . .

This was bliss. ( Although I had a very hard time not phoning home. But I didn't. Until the day we left. But that's another story.)