Hi all ! I have been on a long break for the most part and not been too much into the blogging thing ,with all the holiday things going on and working I've been pretty busy . I did take some much needed time off and spent it with good friend sand family ,so now that things have started to calm down I think I can get my groove back into motion . I took a trip up to the north country this weekend with some friends and took some Fantastic pics I want to share with you all . HAPPY NEW YEARS ,and enjoy ,be safe out there ,don;t forget if you drink don't drive !

Nothing like the North country for a great photo,find me on facebook for the rest ! :0)

Apple-Cream Cheese Bundt Cake with Praline Glaze

I'm so glad that the storm missed us ,but I am real sorry for all those who have suffered the effects of this storm my families thoughts and  prayers are with you all God Bless .


Now I would love to share this wonderful recipe I found enjoy ! :0)

Apple-Cream Cheese Bundt Cake with Praline Glaze

Apple-Cream Cheese Bundt Cake
Recipe from Southern Living September 2011


Ingredients

    CREAM CHEESE FILLING:
    1 (8-oz.) package cream cheese, softened
    1/4 cup butter, softened
    1/2 cup granulated sugar
    1 large egg
    2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
    1 teaspoon vanilla extract

    APPLE CAKE BATTER:
    1 cup finely chopped pecans (I was cheap and just bought the little 1/2 cup bag in the baking aisle)
    3 cups all-purpose flour
    1 cup granulated sugar
    1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
    2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
    1 teaspoon salt
    1 teaspoon baking soda
    1 teaspoon ground nutmeg Since mine was freshly ground, I used about half this.
    1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
    3 large eggs, lightly beaten
    3/4 cup canola oil
    3/4 cup applesauce
    1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    3 cups peeled and finely chopped apples (about 1 1/2 lb.) I used Mutsu, and it only took 2 to get to three cups!

    PRALINE FROSTING:
    1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
    1/4 cup butter
    3 tablespoons milk
    1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    1 cup powdered sugar

Preparation

    1. Prepare Filling: Beat first 3 ingredients at medium speed with an electric mixer until blended and smooth. Add egg, flour, and vanilla; beat just until blended.
    2. Prepare Batter: Preheat oven to 350º. Bake pecans in a shallow pan 8 to 10 minutes or until toasted and fragrant, stirring halfway through. Stir together 3 cups flour and next 7 ingredients in a large bowl; stir in eggs and next 3 ingredients, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened. Stir in apples and pecans.
    3. Spoon two-thirds of apple mixture into a greased and floured 14-cup Bundt pan. Spoon Cream Cheese Filling over apple mixture, leaving a 1-inch border around edges of pan. Swirl filling through apple mixture using a paring knife. Spoon remaining apple mixture over Cream Cheese Filling.
    4. Bake at 350º for 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes or until a long wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool cake in pan on a wire rack 15 minutes; remove from pan to wire rack, and cool completely (about 2 hours).
    5. Prepare Frosting: Bring 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/4 cup butter, and 3 Tbsp. milk to a boil in a 2-qt. saucepan over medium heat, whisking constantly; boil 1 minute, whisking constantly. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla. Gradually whisk in powdered sugar until smooth; stir gently 3 to 5 minutes or until mixture begins to cool and thickens slightly. Pour immediately over cooled cake.
 

Happy Monday Everyone ! I'm sure most of you are like me though Monday aren't my best days that is for sure ..lol
But I have been busy ,except for this weekend .The hubby and I decided to sneak off for a weekend get away and we are so glad we did . We try to soak up some of the Autumn weather before old man winter sets in . We stayed in a place near and dear to my heart ,I use to stay there  as a Wee one, with my family for many years so it was nice to revisit the past .

There is the handsome fella looking out at the lake that is the cabin we stayed in ,it was nice to have the front cabin ,the view was fantastic!

I was temped to jump in till I felt the water I bit nippy for my taste ,better to wait for the warmer weather  :0)

There is Mr. Loon fishing for his supper ,brave lad that water was COLD !!



We filled the weekend with many great things but one of the best for me, was the quilt show we stopped in to see,  FANTASTIC work is all I can say !!

These are just a few of the beautiful quilts ,there were three rooms filled with them ,well worth the trip to see ,it inspired me to get out the old sewin machine and see what I could do .
As we wondered around they also had glass sculptures,amazing !

This is all done in lines of glass ,I would of loved to see it done !

This was the only fish we caught on our weekend stay ! by the way he was priced at $5000.00 fish anyone YIKES!!

This was a quick way back to the cabin ,just slip on the ruby slippers and away we go ..(there's no place like camp ...there's no place like camp ) :0)

 I got to enjoy many memories from days of old, and made some new ones with my hubby .Have a great week all !

Apple Fritter Bread

Apple Fritter Bread

If you like apple fritters then you'll love this bread!  I tried rolling the dough, like cinnamon bread, however the texture wasn't right.  So even though this may look somewhat complicated to make, it's not.  You get all the flavors of an apple fritter, the texture and the wonderful glaze baked into one big bread.  We ate ours warm and it is delicious! UPDATE ON THIS RECIPE ,I HAD TO BAKE IT A LITTLE LONGER THEN RECIPE CALLS FOR PLEASE CHECK TO MAKE SURE YOUR CENTER IS COOKED BEFORE TURNING IT OUT(I USE A KNIFE TO CHECK MIDDLE)

Ingredients are as follows:

Dough:

3 C flour

1 package yeast

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 C brown sugar

1/4 C water

1 egg, beaten

3/4 C milk

1/4 C butter

Filling:

6 small apples, peeled & diced

1 Tbsp. lemon juice

1 C brown sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

2 Tbsp. butter

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 tbsp. cornstarch

Glaze:

1 Tbsp. butter, softened

1 tsp. vanilla

3/4 C powdered sugar

3 tsp. half & half (or milk)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a 9 x 5 bread pan. 

In a skillet, cook apples, lemon juice, brown sugar, vanilla, butter, cinnamon & cornstarch until mixture is thickened.  Set aside to cool.

Heat the milk in a small saucepan until it bubbles; remove from heat. Add the butter and stir until melted; set aside.

Put flour, yeast, brown sugar and salt in a bowl, mix well.

Add the water, egg and milk/butter mixture.

Mix until dough forms into a ball; knead for an additional five minutes.

On a well floured surface, roll dough into a rectangle. 

Evenly spread apple mixture over dough.

Cut dough into even squares (I got 20 from my dough).

Carefully stack pieces of dough onto each other forming four piles.                                      (use a spatula, it makes stacking much easier!)

Place piles of dough into prepared pan.

Bake 45-50 minutes; until golden brown.  Immediately remove from pan.

Mix butter, vanilla and powdered sugar into a bowl.  Add half & half; stir until you get a creamy consistency. 

Pour on glaze and allow to setup for a few minutes.

Pull some apart and enjoy!

Happy October All !
Well the summer has past and the cooler crisper season is upon us ,and I'm lovin it sooooooooooo much !!

This weekend was the first chance we had to hit the high country to check out the colors ,so we jumped in the trusty old Jeep and let it roll enjoy the pics !

 A great opportunity to catch some furry friends !

 Childhood memories just filled my heads standing here ,looking out over the water.

 Always lookin for a snack ,sorry guys no bread today !

Enjoy all Gods gifts !

Legendary Singer Andy Williams Has Died at 84

Lennox McLendon / File / AP

This Feb. 23, 1978 file photo shows performer and host Andy Williams at the Grammy Awards in Los Angeles.

ST. LOUIS — Andy Williams, the silky-voiced, clean-cut crooner, whose hit recording “Moon River” and years of popular Christmas TV shows brought him fans the world over has died, his publicist said. He was 84.
Williams died Tuesday night at his home in Branson following a yearlong battle with bladder cancer, his Los Angeles-based publicist, Paul Shefrin, said Wednesday.

He continued to perform even after announcing his bladder cancer diagnosis in 2011.
Williams is survived by his wife, Debbie, and his three children, Robert, Noelle and Christian.

Hey Gang ! I've a mad busy around here ,and I've gone hemp crazy !!!
It has gotten under my skin for sure I love the different patterns I have learned and come up with myself .
Everyone loves the new Hemp jewelry I have been making ,it has been going so quick that I can't even get it on here for you all to see . I thought if you would like to check out a good learning experience watch and give it a try .New stuff on it's way I promise ! :0)

ALL THAT GLITTERS...MINUS THE MESS

ALL THAT GLITTERS...MINUS THE MESS

so...are you like me?...you heart all things glittery...but hate it being all over you?...you know....looking like you're about ready to hit the clubs...well...here's some ornies that have all the sparkle...but none of the mess...

i so wish i could claim this idea as mine own...because it's pure genius!...but i can't!...insert sad face here...actually came across it on everyday cricut...these make the best gifties!...why?...because they're so dang purty!...sorry...my southern roots are  showing...lol...

the trick?...the glitter's on the inside!...that's right!...oh...and did i mention how freaking easy they are to make?...well...keep reading....and you'll find out for yourself!....

 

you'll need some pledge with future shine floor wax...you read that correctly...lol...i got mine from walmart...now...it's very important that you get this bottle with the blue cap...not sure if it'll work with just any kind of floor wax....glitter...it needs to be fine stuff...i've found that martha stewart's works the best...some clear glass ornies...cotton swabs....and i "borrowed" some paper cones from my work...they make the best funnels!...

 

pop all the hangers out of the glass ornies....

 

do 'em all...

 

squirt some of the floor wax into the ornie....

 

swirl it around to coat the inside...it's best not to shake...you don't want any "froth" in there....

 

take of the cap of the floor wax...and let all the extra drain out...hee hee...kinda looks like a person...

 

if you have any bubbles in the ornie...you can take a cotton swab to get 'em out...i used to put my pinkie in there...until it got caught like a fish hook...did that freaking hurt!...so...use the cotton swabs...your fingers will thank you...

 

take your paper cone...and snip the top off...if you don't have any of these...just cut the corner off an envelope...and snip the tip of it...voila...instant funnel!...

 

insert the funnel...and start adding the glitter!...it's best to put a bunch in...don't worry...you're actually using just a small amount...but you want to make sure you have enough to coat the inside...

 

start rolling the ornie around...the glitter will start to coat the inside...

 

put your finger over the opening...and start to shake the glitter....this will get the neck of the ornie...and any other bare spots...

 

take the lid off your glitter container...and place the ornie neck in there...all the glitter will start to run back in the jar...you can lighty tap on it...to make sure all the loose stuff comes out...

 

plop those toppers back in!...

 

and there ya go!...one ornie that glitters without all the mess!....

 

i usually do up a whole set for gifties...they're just too pretty to break up!...

 

but if you do want to give 'em individually...how 'bout clear take out boxes? ...you can nestle one in a bed of eco friendly packaging(ummm...mine's straight from the paper shredder!)...

 

or...tie a little ribbon and adhere with a glue dot...then display on a brass ornie hanger...got this one at michael's!...

 

of course...you can personalize by adding vinyl or paint pens...but i like to keep 'em simple!...