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Archive for June, 2010

Delicious Sour Cream Chocolate Bundt Cake

Posted in Desserts, Easy Recipes, tagged , , on June 11, 2010| 8 Comments »

Be generous with the chocolate frosting. Let it drizzle down the sides and pool along the bottom.

Hubby’s Grandma Nell loves to cook and she shared this chocolate cake recipe with me years ago. I start drooling just thinking about making it because it is so moist and good. It turns out delicious every time and is really simple to make.

My BFF and her husband came to help us with a project a few weekends ago. I made this cake to serve for dessert and her husband, who is a fellow chocolate devotee, seemed to really enjoy it as well.

The ingredients.

The cake batter will be really thick, so don't be surprised when it turns out that way. All will be well in the end.

Once the cake is baked and cooled, put it on your platter or cake stand. I love this bundt pan made of silicone. It is a breeze to get the cake out.

The bare cake, begging for frosting.

As I mentioned before, be generous in your chocolate drizzle.

Finally, enjoy the fruits of your labor. Your taste buds will thank you!

Chocolate Bundt Cake

1 Triple Chocolate Betty Crocker Cake Mix (18 ounce box)

1 small box of instant chocolate pudding

1 cup sour cream

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup oil

3 eggs

1/2 cup chocolate frosting

berries (optional)

whipping cream (optional)

mint leaves (optional)

Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl and pour into a greased and floured bundt pan. Bake at 350 degrees of one hour or until edges start to pull away from the pan.

You can use a fun bundt pan shape to make this cake look like you went to a lot of work (when you really didn’t). I like to finish the cake with some pre-made chocolate frosting (yes, right out of the can) that has been warmed. Use about 1/2 cup and microwave for 10-15 seconds, just until it starts to melt. Pour over the top of the cake. You can dust it with powdered sugar or cocoa powder or top with festive sprinkles. You can also pour on caramel sauce and serve while the cake is warm. This is especially taste when served with a side of Dulce de Leche ice cream. Trust me. It will nearly make you faint with bliss.

I like to make the cake the day before, frost it then refrigerate and serve chilled. My favorite presentation is to serve it with a dollop of whipped cream and fresh raspberries. So good!

Enjoy and Happy Entertaining!

Shanna

(aka – The Chocoholic)

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Blooms of Death

Posted in Entertaining at Home, Home and Garden, Musings, tagged , , on June 10, 2010| 1 Comment »

Dracula Lily - a plague in my backyard bliss.

When we moved into our current home, it came with an assortment of  beautiful flowers and plants. I enjoyed the rose bushes, the mums,  and hydrangea. Because we moved in during the summer, I had no idea what interesting plants would bloom in the spring.

I was in for a great surprise.

One warm and lovely spring day, right around this time of year, I was enjoying the breeze blowing in the window from the back yard when the most atrocious smell came floating in. Whoa, Nelly! It smelled exactly like something dead and decaying.  I hurried to look outside and see if someone had drug the rotting carcass of a large animal into our backyard. The smell was that bad. I couldn’t see anything from the window, so I went outside to investigate. What I found was the oddest plant with the most horrendous smell issuing forth from its blooms.

According to the information I found, the plant is called Dracunculus Vulgaris,  also known as the Voodoo Lily or Dracula Lily. I can see how it acquired those names. I think it is a great insult to the beautiful lilies that grace formal bouquets at special celebrations to even be in the same family as this blight on the plant world.

Honest to goodness, the plant smells like death and decay. If you’ve never smelled that rotting decayed smell count yourself fortunate. Growing up on a farm, I’m unfortunately well acquainted with that particular odor.

Because I hate the two plants that burst forth in prolific and horrific bloom each year, Hubby absolutely loves them. I’ve threatened to dig them up, spray them, mow them over and do anything I can to destroy them. He won’t have any of it. So the deal is I put up with the awful lilies and he leaves my roses alone.

Wish me luck, it looks like the plant is heading into full bloom!

Shanna

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They Know How to Hustle

Posted in Musings, Referrals, tagged , on June 9, 2010| Leave a Comment »

My Wednesday Shout-Out this week goes not to an individual, but to a business.

It became quite apparent during the weekend that my car brakes needed some work. The horrendous noise it was making was screaming out “fix me now!” Someone who drives the car a lot evidently is a little hard on the brakes. I’m really going to have to talk to Hubby about that…

Yesterday, Hubby took pity on me and took the car to Les Schwab Tires to see if they could get it in. He arrived at about 3 p.m. and they told him if he’d leave the car they would probably have it ready the next morning.

If you’ve never been to a Les Schwab service center, let me tell you, these guys know how to hustle. They don’t walk, they move and they get things done. In a hurry. Like, right now.

Even knowing that, we were surprised when we received a call just before 5 p.m. that the car was ready to pick up. Not only did they do the job quickly and well, they under-promised and over-delivered.

Anyone who is in business could take a lesson from their work ethics.

• Hustle to get the customer what they need

• Offer courteous, professional and friendly service

• Do the job well

• Give more than the customer expects

So thank you to everyone at Les Schwab for getting my car back on the road and taking away the awful, awful noise! I promise to be kinder to my brakes!

Shanna

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Host a Flag Day Party

Posted in Entertaining at Home, Entertaining Ideas, Holidays, tagged , , on June 8, 2010| 2 Comments »

Monday, June 14, is Flag Day.  A great day to put out some red, white and blue decorations and celebrate with family and friends.

From the information I gathered, Flag Day’s history goes back to 1885 when schoolteacher  BJ Cigrand arranged for  students  in the Fredonia, Wisconsin, to observe June 14 (the 108th anniversary of the official adoption of The Stars and Stripes) as ‘Flag Birthday’.

George Balch, a kindergarten teacher in New York City, planned festivities for the children of his school on June 14, 1889, and his idea of observing Flag Day was later adopted by the State Board of Education of New York. The Betsy Ross House in Philadelphia held a Flag Day celebration June 14, 1891, and the following year, the New York Society of the Sons of the Revolution, celebrated Flag Day.

The Pennsylvania Society of Colonial Dames of America on April 25, 1893 adopted a resolution requesting the mayor of Philadelphia and all others in positions of authority as well as all private citizens to display the Flag June 14.

The governor of New York directed that on June 14, 1894,  the Flag be displayed on all public buildings.

Franklin K. Lane, Secretary of the Interior, delivered a 1914 Flag Day address in presented a speech that he said was given him by the Flag that morning: “I am what you make me; nothing more. I swing before your eyes as a bright gleam of color, a symbol of yourself.”

Inspired by these three decades of state and local celebrations, Flag Day – the anniversary of the Flag Resolution of 1777 – was officially established by the Proclamation of President Woodrow Wilson on May 30th, 1916. While Flag Day was celebrated in various communities for years after Wilson’s proclamation, it was not until August 3rd, 1949, that President Truman signed an Act of Congress designating June 14 of each year as National Flag Day.

Plan a get together to celebrate Flag Day. It doesn’t have to be complicated. You could serve something as simple as blue and white corn chips with salsa and sugar cookies topped with red, white and blue sprinkles.

Flags should be the highlight of your celebration. Make sure you are flying one outside and use small flags throughout your buffet table or centerpieces.

The ingredients for a simple centerpiece. I would recommend purchasing a bag of patriotic M&Ms over picking out the appropriate colored ones. Although that does give you a reason to eat 2/3 of the bag before the guests show up!

Put out some fun and festive decorations. You can fill small canning jars with red and blue candy then tie with a festive bow.  Line them down the center of your table or tuck them in among your buffet. You could also put at each place setting if you were doing a family-style meal with a little name place card on a flag in each jar. You could also use the same little jars to stagger red, white and blue candles down the center of your table.

Cute little jar of patriotic M&Ms makes a fun accent for your table. As long as you aren't a peanut M&M freak and can stay out of them unlike some people who will remain nameless.

You can give your guests a fun take-away by putting red, white and blue M&Ms (or any red, white or blue candy) in a festive cupcake paper then making a little bag out of plastic wrap. Secure with a rubber band and tie with a ribbon. Who wouldn’t love to leave a party with one of these edible and festive gifts.

A fun take-away for guests is a bag of patriotic treats. Have them in a basket by the door for an easy way to pass them to guests when they are ready to depart.

Keep your entertaining casual and simple and focus on connecting with those gathered in your home.

Happy Entertaining!

Shanna

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