Kentucky Derby!

Cookies ready for the Derby tonight!!

Yule Log

Halloween Treats!!

Those lucky kindergartners!

Vivi's 8th Birthday

My mom and I were put in charge of the cupcakes for our neighbors 8th birthday beach party! They look great!

Making ocean themed cookies with Grandma Sharon.

Pastry Magic!

Lunch Hour NYC

Here are some recipes from Horn & Hardart's Automat.  I picked these up at the Lunch Hour NYC exhibit at The New York Public Library.  I will add some more soon.  Below the recipes are some videos related to the exhibit.  The second video is really interesting.  I watched it in the exhibit.  

Burgundy Sauce with Beef and Noodles

2 lbs. lean beef (chuck or round)

2 tbsp. flour

1 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. black pepper

1/2 medium carrot (grated)

1/2 medium onion (grated)

1/2 celery rib (finely minced)

2 garlic cloves (finely minced)

1 tsp. salt

1 bay leaf

1 tsp. Maggi seasoning

1/2 cup tomato juice

1/2 cup water

1 1/2 cups Burgundy wine

2 cups broad noodles, freshly cooked

Trim beef of any fat or gristle.  Save the fat.  Cut beef into 1 1/2-inch cubes.  Season it with salt and pepper. Dredge with flour.

Render the fat in a heavy pan.  Sear the meat in it.  Add all the other ingredients.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and cover.  Cook slowly until tender.

Just before serving, remove the bay leaf and mix in two cups of freshly cooked noodles.  Serves 4-6.

Creamed Spinach

1 lb. raw spinach

2 tbsp. butter

1 1/2 tbsp. flour

1/4 cup milk

1 tsp. sugar

1/4 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. white pepper

Wash spinach.  Cook in a covered pan, using only the water that clings to the leaves.  When done, chop fine.  

Melt butter in a separate pan.  Add flour gradually, stirring constantly until it is of smooth consistency.  Add milk slowly.  Cook until thickened.  

Add spinach to the sauce.  Add seasoning and blend well.  Serves 4.

Pumpkin Pie

2 cups cooked pumpkin (mashed)

3/4 tbsp. salt

1 can (14 1/2 fl. oz.) evaporated milk

2 eggs

3/4 cup sugar

1 tbsp. butter, melted

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. ginger

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

Heat oven to 425.

Beat all ingredients together with a rotary beater or wire whisk.  Pour into a pastry-lined 9-inch pan.  

Bake 40-45 minutes.  Insert a silver knife into the filling about one inch from the side of the pan.  If knife comes out clean, the filling is done.

AUSTIN 2011

Claire did a great job on the Bunny Cake and Baby Dolls. Bridget making the pizza.

Happy Birthday John

Marie and I want to wish John a Happy Birthday! In the tradition of Marie's favorite show the Cake Boss. We designed and made this cake especially for him!

Christmas Pictures: Part I

My Christmas Tree



Claire gave me these last year. So cute!!



It's not the birth of Christ without Snoopy.

Halloween Preparations in Providence

I went to Providence this past weekend for a visit. The new cat apparently was pregnant which I did not know, but a few days before I arrived, these 3 kittens were born. I have forgotten their names, maybe one of the kids could blog with the kittens' names, or add it as a comment to this post.

In Providence, I did lots of art and some crafts. We did some for John and Katherine's school and some for Halloween. Sandra made these cupcakes and then we decorated them like little monsters.

On Columbus Day, we went to Salem, MA. I will post some of those pictures soon. When I make these cupcakes again in the coming weeks, I will post the recipe and more pictures.

Sour Cream Spice Cupcakes

Yesterday, I made these yummy cupcakes and iced them with cream cheese icing.


Taken from The Joy of Cooking.

Yield: 18 cupcakes

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Have all ingredients at room temperature. Line muffin pan with cupcake liners.

Whisk thoroughly in a bowl:
1 3/4 c. sifted cake flour
1 3/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground cloves

Beat in a large bowl until creamy:
5 tbsp unsalted butter

Gradually add and beat until light, 3 to 5 minutes:
1 c. packed brown sugar

Beat in:
2 large egg yolks
1 tsp. vanilla

Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture in 3 parts, alternating with:
1 c. sour cream or plain yogurt
in two parts, beating until smooth.

Using clean beaters, beat at in a medium bowl medium-high speed until stiff but not dry:
2 large egg whites
1/8 tsp. cream of tartar

Fold one-third of the egg whites into the batter, then fold in the remaining whites. Fold into the finished batter:
3/4 c. chopped walnuts or pecans

Fill muffin cups about two-thirds full. Bake for 15 minutes. Serve plain or iced.

Fruit Tart

Hi all,

Laura made a fruit tart for dessert last night so we took a picture because it was so pretty we thought you should all see it. We had a nice Sunday. The highlight was the viewing of the movie Babies. We highly recommend it!

Blueberry upside down cake

Hi All,

Tonight we tried a recipe for cake on the grill! It was a Rachel Ray summer recipe. It is made in a cast iron skillet and cooks on the grill so we made it after we grilled dinner. The cake was much like corn bread and can also be made with cherries. It was a success and seemed like a recipe someones "forefathers" may have cooked on a trail ride out west.Hope all had a nice Labor Day Weekend!

Papa's Birthday

After returning from the hospital Papa celerbrated his 77 birthday. Kellie made a light lunch and a not so lite cake for everyone. It was all wonderful.

Fourth of July Weekend

This weekend we celebrated Independence Day and Mary Lou's 50th birthday with a party in the backyard. We ate fajitas and swam. Then we went to the neighbors and did sparklers and fireworks. Here is a picture of a firework called Purple Rain.


Christine and PJ came in too. Above is a picture of Marcy and PJ playing in the living room. The cousin dogs got along well. PJ only went over the fence a few times. Tim, Mary and Catherine also visited for the weekend.


Mary Lou's cake was a tres leches cake, and Gloria brought a fun cake for the Fourth that looked like the American flag.