Chocolate heaven

I've had several requests for this recipe and I'm happy to share.


Enjoy!




Kahlua Cake


Cake:
1 dark chocolate cake mix
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup oil
3 eggs
3/4 cup water
1/4 cup bourbon
1/2 cup Kahlua
3/4 strong black coffee
2 teaspoon cocoa


Mix all cake ingredients together and beat 4 minutes on medium high. Pour into 2 greased and floured cake pans. Bake for 40 minutes. Let cool.


Once you are able to handle the cakes, cut them in half so that you have a total of 4 cake rounds.


*Helpful hint ...
I put mine in the freezer and let them harder. They are much easier to cut and less crumbly.


Filling:
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips ~ use a good quality brand
8oz. cream cheese
1/2 powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup whipping cream


Melt the chocolate chips in the microwave. In a mixer, beat the cream cheese until smooth, then add the powdered sugar and vanilla. Pour the chocolate into the cream cheese mixture and combine. Set aside. Beat the whipping cream until soft peaks form. Gently fold into the chocolate and cream cheese mixture. Spread on the layers of each cake round.


Once this step is completed, I place my cake in the frig to firm up a bit.


Icing:
1/2 stick butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup Kahlua
1/4 cup evaporated milk
1 1/2 cup chocolate chips


Heat all the ingredients, except chocolate chips, in a pan and increase heat until it is just beginning to boil. Add Chocolate chips and stir until melted.


Drizzle over cake.

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Holiday Favorites

I think I may be on to something ...


less stress
and
more enjoyment
and
relaxation

that's what my holiday decor was all about this year.

Guess what ...

it worked!

By this time {every other year} I'm climbing the walls with anxiety to get it all down and put away so I can have a fresh squeaky clean slate. I don't like going back to school with my house messy and in disarray.

Yes, I realize I should seek therapy for this "issue" but I don't want to waste the money when there are great end of the year sales to be had! :)

Well, this year the scenario is different.

Very different.

I am actually still {very much} enjoying my simple decorations and plan to leave them up the rest of this week.

I rather enjoy all the gold, silver and candle light.

So much so, that I plan to leave my mercury glass and extra candles out for the entire month of January.









This is what we've been snuggled up to every evening for the past few weeks. Comfy and cozy ~ I love this time of year!

 





When I spied these angels I knew I had to have them! They are moss covered and will probably lose their soft green color but no worries, I can re-cover the wire frame them next year with ease.


Not only to they add height to my table but a special beauty. Oh, and my husband just L O V E S them. In fact, he wishes I had been able to bring a few more home. Well, that's how I remember his response when they arrived. :)

 The paper whites are just now blooming ~ so pretty.





A small sampling of my nutcrackers. To along with my theme of the season, I didn't bring them all out this year. Only a few of our favorites. The baker is my all time favorite ~ a  gift from my husband.






Just a few more little goodies that brighten my home.

I grew up ice skating ~ lessons at MSU, skating on our lake in Michigan, and the ice rink my father made for me and brother each winter in our backyard. We have a new outdoor rink near us but it's been so warm that the ice is a bit gummy. If it ever gets cold enough, I'm grabbing my skates and heading over.

I made a few ivy topiaries which I plan to share with you as well.






On my last trip to Trader Joe's, a very sweet sales person struck up a conversation as I was getting ready to check out. I don't really remember how it began or all that we talked about but it was fun and a gentle reminder that there are some really nice people left in the world. Anyway, as I was about to leave the store, she came up to me and gave me this sweet little evergreen and wished me a very Merry Christmas. It's been sitting proudly on my island all season. Each time I pass my special gift I'm reminded of my encounter with kindness and the need to pass it on daily.

That's one of my goals for 2012
~ Pass on a bit of kindness each day ~

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Holiday Time

I can't believe how quickly Christmas arrived {and left} this year. I was actually doing really well until the last week before the holiday when I was "gifted" the tummy bug and a cold with barky cough ~ these were not on my list to Santa this year.

If that wasn't exciting enough, on Friday before Christmas Eve, after school let out for Christmas break, I was driving down 95 to finish my shopping {delayed due to illness; not insanity} when my transmission went out ~ not the shiny bling I was hoping Santa would bring me this year :(

We rallied {thankfully, Kevin was home and not at sea ... whew!} and enjoyed a beautiful Christmas Eve at our friends. Sadly, I forgot my camera so I have nothing to show of the evening. It was fun getting all dressed up. I bought a great dress for the evening and Kevin looked so handsome. Everything was picture perfect and I have to say that Brenda is a fabulous hostess who remembers every tiny detail and welcomes her guests with such grace and ease. It was an intimate dinner of 17 {her words} with a wonderful group of friends. With amazing talent, she pulled it off in grand style. The evening began with cocktails at their full bar station and then we were escorted to a candle lite dinner. Amazing! Kevin and I are still reliving the night :)


Christmas morning began with a nice slow pace of opening stockings, gifts, followed by a light brunch. It was really nice not to rush around this year.












The pink fleece is a gift from Bentley. He "rearranged" the zipper on mine one afternoon when I wasn't looking. He was very proud of his gift ... hoping to get his paws on this one too, I'm sure.

After a brief clean up, we headed to our friends for Christmas dinner. This was a much more relaxed affair and the best part ... the men do the cooking! How neat is this tradition of theirs?! They wanted to try deep fried turkey so we let them borrow our turkey fryer. Kevin manned the boiling pot of oil ~ he fried two turkys and both were delicious. 





It's the end of December and we have green grass. Crazy! This has been such an incredibly mild winter. I'll be honest, I'm ready for snow. Yea, you heard me correctly. I can't believe I'm saying that after last years never ending snow storms.





We ladies had time to chat and enjoy a glass of wine while the guys were prepping in the kitchen.


Courtney's birthday is on Christmas day. Since we had to arrive before all the other guests to get the fryer ready, I gave her gift. I made soft faux fur scarves this year. I'll post more about that later.



My husband is rather handy around the house which has provided many great additions to our home. This past year he helped Mike with a few of his projects in their home. As a thank you gift they gave Kevin a beer making kit. The best part of the gift was the mustache they drew on the box. I'm sure I posted about this but Kevin decided to exercise his facial hair ability this past summer and grow a mustache while at sea. Let's just say that I'm glad this "phase" has past :)



I was asked to bring a dessert with a request it be something in the  chocolate food group . Always happy please, I made my Kahlua cake. It's easy to make and soooo yummy! It's great for breakfast the next morning as well ;)

We had a great day filled with fun, friends {their families} and {way too much} fabulous food! It is really dangerous to have a circle of friends that enjoy cooking as much as we do.

My word for the new year ... d i e t  ... my jeans are screaming for some relief!



I hope you were all able to enjoy some special time spent with family and friends over the holiday as well.

We are very blessed and being surrounded by the people we love is a great reminder.

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Glittery Goodness

Some time last fall, I decided I wanted to decorate with pine cones. Glittered pine cones, to be exact, for our tree and a few around our home for some added sparkle.

It's a simple idea

Inexpensive

Not that difficult to "create"

Only a couple of simple steps

Spray paint, spray adhesive, glitter!

Or so I thought! 

What I wasn't prepared for was the lack of pine cones ~ as in none to be found!  I ask, begged, and was willing to buy pine cones from friends, family and co-workers. Compliments of our hurricane, we are lacking here in my area!

Nope, Nada, None!

The only pine cones available for purchase are coated in {fake} cinnamon scent. They give me the worst headache. I hold my breath every time I pass them in the craft stores.

I was just about to give up on my idea when Lori came to the rescue. During one of our chats, pine cones came up and she offered to send me some. Apparently, they have more than their share this year and she was happy to share.

I'm thrilled with how they turned out and how wonderful they look in our Christmas decor. Just what I had envisioned.


 I've set aside a few of the teeny tiny ones. I plan to add them to my packages once their wrapped {no need to rush in this department, I have 3 more days. Yikes!}  They will be the perfect special touch with the satin ribbon and wrapping paper.

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Cookie Exchange

I've been looking forward to this afternoon all season. This afternoon was my annual Cookie Exchange. It's always such a fun afternoon. I get to catch up with friends and neighbors, eat girlie finger foods, and in the end, I have an amazing platter of cookies to enjoy ~ yum!

I made chocolate covered cherry cookies for the exchange this year.




In keeping with my "low key" holidays, I didn't go overboard on the menu. No one seemed to notice and for the first time in years, I wasn't stressed. What a joy, I should have done this years ago.





I'm really blessed to have such a great circle of friends. Each of these wonderful women have such amazing talents. There is never a quiet moment when we are together.




My sweet friend and neighbor grabbed a few shots of me while filling my platter. She's a wife and mom too! {aka always behind the camera and never in a photo! :) } 


Our week ahead is going to be a crazy one and that's putting it nicely. We are in school until the bitter end :) I'm in charge of putting on our staff breakfast, we have have two parties to attend, and somewhere in all my (nonexistent) free time I need to squeeze in last minute shopping and prepping for Christmas Eve and Christmas.

Is it too late to hire an assistant?

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Boxwood Wreath

I was going to order a couple of boxwood wreaths when I realized ....

~We have boxwoods in our yard

~I know how to make a wreath

~It takes very little time to make one

~I could spend the money on something else {that I really want}

so, a crafting I went.

I love the little corner cabinet in my kitchen with the glass front. She just needed a little something, something to dress up for the holidays ~ enter the wreath idea.




My boxwood gathered and secured into small bundles.




Add the bundles by over lapping as you go along.





All finished and pretty darn cute, if I do say so myself.




I love this ribbon. I wish I had purchased all they had in stock when I found it last year. It has just the right touch without being over the top.




On display ~ just what I was looking for to add a little Christmas cheer to my kitchen.






It's simple, homemade, and just the perfect touch.
Not to mention that it brings a smile to my face :)



Merry, merry!

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My Blog is Back

Well over a week ago I popped on my blog only to find out it had been shut down.

Why you ask?

They {Blogger} are claiming spam.

Seriously ...


Well, after a lengthy and painful process, I'm back!

I can't wait to catch up with all of you and see all the great holiday goodies you've been up to. I'm right on track with my holiday list and projects. I'm rather surprised by this as I'm usually stressing big time by this date.

*Lori ~ no changes after my tour ;)

Have a wonderful Sunday.

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