A Little Bakin'

Gentle Friends, Sunday afternoon I made this Strawberry Pound Cake.....

.... and try as I might I can not find the web spot that I got the recipe from - I am usually pretty good about noting where I get things and try to link back to an original source, but no such luck this time - I even tried searching using the picture that accompanied the recipe - and although I found the photo - I found the picture connected to quite a few other "strawberry" cakes - there where at least three completely different recipes using the exact same picture - and although I followed the recipe pretty closely even the cake I turned out doesn't quite look like picture that accompanied the recipe..... so me-thinks that photo was a stock shot of some sort.....  Here's the recipe I used - and if you recognize it or know the source do let me know and I'll edit the post......  here goes.....

"Strawberry Pound Cake"

2 Packages (10 oz each) frozen sweetened sliced strawberries

   (I used flash frozen whole berries that were unsweetened - 

    to control how sweet I knew this cake would be)

1 C Butter - room temp

2 C White Sugar

4 Eggs - room temp

3 C AP Flour 

1 teas Baking Soda

1/2 teas Baking Powder

1/2 teas salt

2/3 C Buttermilk

1/2 C Chopped Pecans optional (I left them out)

1/4 teas Strawberry Extract*

Strawberry (Sauce) Glaze

 1 1/2 C Icing Sugar

1/2 C Sliced Fresh Strawberries

1/2 teas Vanilla Extract

1/4 teas Strawberry Extract*

1/2 C Butter

Thaw and drain strawberries, reserving 1/2 C of the juice.  Chop the strawberries; set juice and berries aside.  In a large bowl cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

Add eggs to butter/sugar, one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Combine the dry ingredients; add to creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk and mix well.  At this point stir in pecans, chopped strawberries and extract*.

Pour into greased and floured 10 inch tube pan.  Bake at 325 degrees for 1 1/4 hour or until tooth pick inserted near the center comes out clean.  (Mine cooked at about an hour).  Cool for 10 minutes; remove from pan to wire rack.

In a small saucepan, combine the butter and reserved strawberry juice.  Add the sliced strawberries.  Bring to boil; cook and stir for 1 minute.  Remove from heat; stir in extracts and icing sugar. 

 Pour over warm cake.

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*  I couldn't find "strawberry extract" so I ended up making a trip to a super shop for baking stuff called "Sugar and Spice" - and the owner suggested I used strawberry flavouring oil .....

instead of extract.  it's more concentrated and works better, so I went with the oil for flavouring instead of extract - it worked a dream ( 10 drops in the cake and 5 in the glaze)

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The picture accompanying the recipe shows a pink glazed cake - now, the sauce I made was basically a jam and not really a glaze - it was great on the cake and the cake was super moist with a burst of strawberry flavour that just screamed Welcome Spring!! 

 It's a cake I would recommend and I will make again.

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That's about it for today sports fans, thanks for stopping by do stop again!!

Take care,

edgar

A Little Stitchin'

Gentle Friends, I got a little more stitchin' done......  here's a snap....

... working on the 3rd of 12 houses in Santa's Village, "North Pole Post Office" - slowly but surely coming along..... and here's a snap of how the entire piece looks......

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Short and sweet today sports fans, thanks for stopping by!!  Do stop again soon.....

Take care,

edgar

A Puppy Post for Friday

Gentle Friends.....I thought that Wahumpi would be a fun snap for the end of the week...... I know he's thinking  "no pictures please, I want to be alone!!".......

....  he's on one of his blankets and as always has pulled it up right next to the baseboard heat we have in out townhouse - both he and Lolly will snuggle blanket lying next to the heater all evening....  even with the sunny 65+ degree days, once the sun goes down behind Twin Peaks, the temps fall quickly and we usually turn the heat on a bit.

That's about it for the week sports fans - thanks again for stopping by, do stop again!!  

Have a super weekend!!!

Take care,

edgar

Thrifty Thursday

Gentle Friends, over the weekend, which were two lovely sunny days here by the Bay, there were 3 Estate sales to visit - and my regular Thrift/Consignment stores.....  can we say "in Hog Heaven!!"  Although two of the sales were a bust the third and last one we got to was gigantic.  There was a ton of stuff and a ton of folks shopping.  I found some fun things......

.....  there were 100's of books to see and sift through with bookshelves everywhere....  The book about the Atoche is really nice as it is signed by the Head Conservator and the head archaeologist, both talking about all the support given to the search - I am guessing that the person who's stuff we were all pawing through was an investor. I was really excited to find the great matryoshka of the Czars and Czarina of Russia.....  I saw it on Saturday but it was far to expensive so I left it knowing that Sunday was 1/2 price day..... I went back on Sunday and I thought someone had already bought it, but after searching around I found it in a back pantry and totally snapped it up!

.......here are the 7 dolls unstacked/nested.....  Peter the Great, Emperor from 1721 - 1725, Catherine II The Great, Empress from 1762 - 1796, Paul I, Emperor from 1796 - 1801, Alexander II, Emperor from 1801-1825, Nicholas I, Emperor from 1825 -1855, Alexander III, Emperor from 1855 - 1881 and Nicholas II, Emperor from 1881 - 1917...... when I was paying at the check out card table the woman running the register asked about my ""Shakespeare" Russian Thing".......  I saw it as a teaching opportunity so I quickly explained who each person was and after a few minutes of what I thought was really interesting information I could see her eyes glazing over...... I do love Russian Imperial history!!  I guess Peter the Great could be mistaken from the Bard of Avon......... but then again maybe not.  I do love matroyshkas and especially when they are on the unusual side.

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There you go sports fans, more fun stuff  - or as I've heard around my house lately... "more stuff to dust".....  thanks for stopping by do stop again!!

Take care,

edgar

A Little Stichin' on the "Village" and an Exchange Arrives

Gentle Friends.....I've not really felt like stitching lately - so not much progress on "the Village"...   here's were I'm at with the North Pole Post Office......

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I heard form Jayne,  my partner that the HOE Year of the Sheep Exchange piece I made has arrived in the UK.... here's a snap......

.... I chose a March and Sheep theme, from Prairie Schooler Book #23, "Prairie Year II" I used DSD Pecan Sandy 28ct linen, and the called for DMC Floss - finished as a Pyn Keepe.
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I wanted to mention that the Star of the Month over on TCM (the best TV channel IMHO) is one of my Favorite actresses.... Ann Southern......

Every Wednesday they will be highlighting her film career, with tonight's line up of her wonderfully funny Maisie Films... - she played Maisie 10 times on film....You can click HERE to go to her TCM Biography.

That's about it for today sports fans.....  thanks for stopping by d stop again!!

Take care,

edgar

Thrifty Thursday..... on a Friday

Gentle Friends..... a pretty sparse week this week Posting  - not too much to Post about I guess - on the stitching front I am working on "Santa's Village" and frogging as much as I stitch - I just can not get happy with a couple of the floss colours I chose.... so I will just stitch and frog until I am happy!!!!  I've not posted a Thrifty Thursday in a while so I gathered up all the stuff I've bought lately and here 'tis.......

... the main pile o'stuff......  a great book on Midway and finding the Yorktown, sitting on the book is a super 19th century brass candlestick - and you know how I love me a good ole candlestick, plus it was only $2 - so how could I pass it up!!  That's a Belleek Christmas Ornament on the vase, and a copy of RR Recipes, it's a super cookbook and replaces my old one that was just falling apart - and a the little box of Gifts of the Magi - here's a description..... "Gold, frankincense, and myrrh were the precious offerings brought by the magi, But who were these men and why did they choose such gifts? This new book—illustrated in color with masterpieces from the Medieval and Renaissance collections of The Metropolitan Museum of Art—tells the story of the magi and the history and lore of their gifts. In addition, samples of the gifts are included: 24-kt. gold in a glass bottle, and frankincense and myrrh."   - and a lovely little Depression Era dish with a sterling overlay......  

..........back to the vase which I found in this condition....

....got out the silver polish et voila...

.......a really lovely silver piece... and the dish came with the silver overlay pretty tarnished.....

... and once again some polishing and it shined up nicely......

.......I always find some DVD's I don't have to add to my ever growing collections......

.... as you can see I had some help with the picture taking......  

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That wraps up this weeks Thrifty Finds.....  there are 3 Estate sales this weekend and I am really up for finding some treasure!!! 

 Thanks for stopping by do stop again - and have a super weekend!!

Take care,

edgar

Lemon Cake

Gentle Friends....I saw a recipe over at "Mennonite Girls can Cook" and just knew I would make this cake.... called "Lemon Bundt Cake" ........

......  I don't like my Bundt pan so I used a plain tube pan....  I think it got over mixed a bit as it did slump as wasn't a pretty as it could have been, but it was really a delicious cake!!!  If you like lemons and it is the season of sour just now, you should give it a whirl!!!

Short and sweet today sports fans, my stitching has been on an Exchange Piece, so no shots of that just yet.  Thanks for stopping by do stop again soon.

Take Care,

edgar