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Posts Tagged ‘Savvy Entertaining’

I have come to the conclusion that sunflowers should be the official flower of September.

My self-declared proclamation stems from the fact that sunflowers, to me, are the transitional blossom between the true end of summer and the inevitable beginning of fall.

They are like some visible rite of passage for the season with their beautiful little heads, weighted down by seeds, standing in brilliant contrast against the soon-to-be autumn sky.

I do realize I’ve posted more than my share of sunflowers in the past few weeks, but I can’t seem to help myself.

They are cheery and bright.

Nodding their little heads in farewell to summer as they welcome fall.

She Who Needs to Come to Terms with the End of Summer

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Today is Captain Cavedweller’s birthday.

I have a feeling since it is Monday, since we both have to work and since it isn’t a “milestone” birthday, the celebration is going to be pretty low key.

Low key works for CC because that pretty much sums up his personality – low key, laid back and casual.

When I met CC, he was so different than other guys I knew. He liked to stay out of the spotlight, he genuinely cared about others and he wasn’t embarrassed to hug his mom or his grandma. You know you’ve got a keeper when he lets his grandma pinch his cheeks in front of his new girlfriend or allows his mother to hug him or his dad to ruffle his hair without rolling his eyes or complaining.

Some of the things I most admire about CC includes his ability to break the tension in a room with a joke or a laugh. Rarely is anything all about him. He can be completely exhausted, but if someone asks for his help, he’ll see what he can do to provide assistance. He doesn’t dwell in the negative or stew over things he can’t change. I recently witnessed him take the high road when taken the lower road would have been a lot easier.

He has taught me to look beyond what is just in front of my face  – to see the stars twinkling in the night sky or the butterfly dancing with summer’s fragrant blossoms.

CC still holds open doors for me, he brings me flowers “just because,” and makes my world a little brighter just be sharing it with me.

Although I’m sure it would embarrass him to acknowledge it, he provides me with a wealth of inspiration for my romance novels. In my stories, most of the guys are gentlemen. They treat women respectfully, work hard, have fun and do their best. They may not always get everything right, but they try.

Rather like my Captain Cavedweller. He’s not perfect, but none of us are. And if you want to tally flaws, I’m pretty sure his are far, far fewer than mine.

Which is why I love him so.

That, and he looked really cute in his jeans in boots.

CC knows I’m a complete and total nut-job most of the time, yet he loves me anyway.

He gives me time and space to be me… to dream. And he not only encourages my dreams, he does what he can to support them and help them become a reality.

I know his love is unconditional. I like to think he knows mine is too. Unconditional and deeply grateful for the blessing of him in my life. I don’t know how he manages it, but he melts my heart on a daily basis, makes me laugh and gives me more joy, friendship and love than I would have thought possible.

So today, my beloved Captain, I wish for you all that you deserve and so much more. I wish for you a special day and an amazing year ahead. I wish you dreams come true.

Happy, Happy Birthday!

She Who Loves CC From the Very Depths of Her Heart

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I found a recipe on Pinterest the other day for Krispy Kreme doughnuts. Since these are a particular favorite of Captain Cavedweller, I decided to give them a whirl.

Oh. My. Gracious.

While they did not taste exactly like Krispy Kreme’s, they were the best homemade raised doughnuts I’ve ever had. CC agreed as he ate his sixth one.

These weren’t hard to make, but they do take about three hours from start to finish. I tweaked the recipe just a bit, so here it is:

 

Ingredients

 

Scald milk then let cool. While it is cooling, add yeast packets to warm water in mixing bowl.

 

Mix ingredients together on low speed until blended, then high for two minutes.

Once dough is mixed, cover and let rise until double, about an hour.

 

Turn dough out on floured surface. Handle as little as possible.

 

Roll dough out about 1/2 inch thick. Again, try to handle as little as possible. I could tell the doughnuts I made from the dough that I rolled out a second time from the excess after I cut the first group. They were a little tougher. Less handling = softer doughnuts.

 

If you have a doughnut cutter, go to town cutting them out. If you don’t a glass or biscuit cutter will work.

 

If you don’t have a doughnut cutter, you’ll have to get creative in cutting out the holes in the center. A Wilton cake decorating coupler worked perfect.

 

Cover doughnuts and let raise until double (about 45 minutes).

 

When doughnuts have raised, carefully slide into hot oil. Cook until golden brown (about 30 seconds or so on each side).

 

Dip doughnuts into glaze after draining.

Let rest on rack until glaze is set and they are cool enough to eat (but still warm!).

 

Enjoy! And try not to eat as many as we did!

 

Raised Doughnuts

2 packets yeast

1/4 cup warm water

1 1/2 cups milk

1/2 cup sugar

1 tsp. salt

2 eggs

1/3 cup shortening

5 cups flour

oil

Glaze

1/3 cup butter

2 cups powdered sugar

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla

4-6 tbsp. hot water

Scald milk and then cool.

Dissolve yeast in warm water in a large mixing bowl. Add in milk, sugar, salt, eggs, shortening and two cups of the flour. Mix on low speed until blended, scraping the bowl frequently. Once all the ingredients are combined, mix on high speed for two minutes.

Stir in remaining flour until well blended.

Cover and let rise until double (about an hour).

On a floured surface, very gently roll out the dough until about 1/2 inch thick. Handle the dough as little as possible. Cut with a doughnut cutter (if you don’t have one, any circular object like a glass will work. I used a Wilton cake decorating coupler to cut out the centers.)

Cover and let rise until double (about 45 minutes).

Heat oil in a deep fryer or heavy-duty pan until it reaches 350 degrees.  Slide doughnuts into hot oil very carefully. Cook until golden brown. I may have had my oil entirely too hot, but it was taken about 30 seconds per side. You can watch the inside of the doughnut hole and when it starts to turn brown, flip the doughnut over.

Remove carefully from oil when brown and drain.

Dip warm doughnuts on the glaze then set on a rack to cool slightly before devouring way too many!

To make the glaze, melt butter, stir in vanilla and powdered sugar then add enough hot water, one spoon at a time to reach desired consistency. It should be fairly thin. I placed the doughnuts right in the bowl of glaze, flipped them over to coat both sides then moved to the rack to finish cooling.

Makes approximately 24.

I may never make these again since CC and I couldn’t leave them alone when they were fresh and hot. They weren’t that good the next day, so make sure you consume them all right away!

She Who Likes Doughnuts Way Too Much

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A couple weekends ago, I was invited to the wedding of a very sweet girl I work with.

She married a wonderful guy and I felt so honored to be able to share in their special day. I may have mentioned it before, but I love weddings. Absolutely love them!

So of course, I took along my camera.

The wedding was at a ranch way out of town back in the hills and the settling was absolutely gorgeous.

 

The bride arrived in style…

Here’s the bridal party.

 

And the amazingly talented singers.

 

 

The buggy that held the gifts. Love this idea!

 

Table centerpieces – simple, but fun!

And the view as I was driving home.

 

Congrats to Mandi and Justin! Wishing you a lifetime of love and happiness!

She Who Thought Everything was Beautiful

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