A new Post after 5 Months!

So about the time my son started walking, I stopped blogging.  It is not a coincidence.  I have practically not sat down for about 5 months.  Also, when you're actually Doing home/garden projects...there is little time to Blog about them.  Things have been crazy.  But things are settling down.  Yay!

In the Yard:  

Well since my last post was May, the vegetable garden has gone dormant after a pretty weak harvest season.  I think since all but a third of the garden was brand new, the soil was just not right for a good crop.  We are in major composting mode now.  Our tomatoes were a disaster; I've heard they were all over the region.  We got mild temperatures until pretty late in the season, and so they never had a good chance to set good fruit.  Plus, mine had some issues with a disease that made the flowers break off the plant before they could fruit.  hmm.  Next year, Steve has promised that we can try raised beds and bring in some outside soil to mix with the compost we've been making.
It's frozen and snowy right now, but in a month or so I will be starting to flip through garden magazines and planning for 2011 harvest!  Excited!  This year, Owen will be able to eat more out of the garden.  We have discovered that cherry tomatoes are a definite weakness for him.  He will do anything for them.  I call them "candy".  haha...

 In the House:

The Bathroom Renovation took place over the summer.  I'm glad we did it.  It was not fun; it was expensive; it was inconvenient; it was messy; it was a bit stressful.  But I'm really glad we did it.

 Again, the before picture:
 
 

  Not a bad space...but had plumbing and mold problems that needed to be fixed.


Here's the midway picture:

You can see that there used to be a window in the tub area.  It was probably removed because of mold issues.  I can only guess.  And perhaps to create some privacy?  *smile*

Here's the after picture:

We swapped positions of the sink and toilet.  Makes much more sense to have the toilet by the tub.  Now, the door doesn't open into someone trying to use the toilet (lol...we are a family, afterall...)  Plus, it's nice to be able to sit on the closed toilet while Owen happily plays in his bath.


In the Kitchen:

Over the past 5 months, I've been meaning to post a hundred different recipes!  Lately, I've been making "The Cake of the Week"  Here are the last three weeks of cakes:


Week 1:  Fresh Banana Cake

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/reviews/Fresh-Banana-Layer-Cake-14502

I made this super light and yummy cake for our three year anniversary.  The cake was like a lighter, cakeier banana bread and the cream cheese frosting wasn't too sweet at all!  I actually cut the recipe in half and made only 2 layers instead of 3.  However, I made the cake layers the day before and stored them at room temperature, wrapped in plastic.  And of course, the next day..the layers were as moist as ever, but the little banana fragments turned an unappealing black.
Steve and I actually drank beer with this cake.  Sound kind of weird, but the Hefeweizen complimented the cake perfectly!  It cut the sweetness of the cake, and the cake brought out a VERY distinct grapefruit flavor in the brew.  It was an almost tropical combination perfect for a cold November weekday night. 



Week 2:  Gingerbread

Sorry, no picture!  We ate it too fast. 

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened

3/4 cup packed light brown sugar

2 large eggs

1/2 cup molasses (not blackstrap)

2/3 cup hot water

Read More http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Old-Fashioned-Gingerbread-106379#ixzz16sdgjWWY

Again, I cut this recipe in half and baked in a glass pie dish.  We had just gotten home from visiting family in Puyallup.  The drive over the snowy mountain pass (with a 16 month old...) was exhausting.  This was the perfect thing served with (yes, with) French Onion Soup.
I am a purist when it comes to gingerbread and feel that it should not be served with a frosting.  Perhaps a tiny bit of whipped cream...but that's it! 


Week 3:  Vanilla Bean Cake with Chocolate Satin Frosting

Doesn't this cake look like a giant chocolate glazed donut?  Again, we ate half the cake before I got around to taking a photo.  Sorry.

2 cups cake flour (not self-rising)

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 stick (1/2 cup) salted butter, softened

1 cup sugar

3 large eggs, kept at room temperature for 30 minutes

1 vanilla bean, halved and seeds scraped out 

3/4 cup whole milk

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour a baking pan.  This is amazingly versatile, so use whatever pan you have.  I used a bundt pan. 

Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt into a bowl. 

Measure out the milk and add the vanilla bean seeds to the milk.  Set aside.  

Beat butter and sugar with an electric mixer (fitted with paddle if using a standing mixer) at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time, and beat until thoroughly incorporated, about 5 minutes. Mix in flour mixture in 4 batches alternately with vanilla milk at low speed, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Mix until batter is just smooth, then spread evenly in pan.

Bake cake in middle of oven until it begins to pull away from sides of pan and a tester comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes (cake will be pale in color, not golden brown like a cake-mix cake). Cool 5 minutes in pan, then invert onto a rack and cool completely.

Chocolate Satin Frosting:  

This is from the JOY of Cooking.  The BEST place to find a recipe using ingredients that you already have on hand.  I only had unsweetened chocolate...and no heavy cream.  I spent a long time looking for a frosting that called for unsweetened chocolate.  This one is PERFECT!  I would make this, again, to keep in the fridge and used as an ice cream topping.  YUM!

Break into 1/2-ounce pieces:  

6 oz unsweetened chocolate

Bring to a boil in a small saucepan:  

1 cup evaporated milk

Remove from the heat and add the chocolate, without stirring.  Cover and let stand for exactly 10 minutes.

Scrape into a food processor or blender and add:

1 1/2 cups sugar

6 tablespoons of unsalted butter, cut into small pieces (I used salted)

1 tsp vanilla (I used almond)

Process until the mixture is perfectly smooth, 1 minute or more.  Transfer to a bowl.  If necessary, let stand for a few minutes, until thickened to the desired spreading consistency.  This keeps, refrigerated, for about 3 weeks.   

Already can't wait to make next week's cake!!  (I must be housebound)