Strawberries

Was able to get a couple of boxes of strawberries this past weekend.

I was so ready for fresh, I love have them in the freezer for winter, but to have fresh ones...

So have been making a few goodies with these.

Angel Food Sparkle Cake

I saw this recipe on Pioneer Women.  You could use an angel food cake mix or your favorite angel food recipe.  I used a recipe that I have had for years.  Its a nice surprise when you serve the cake as there are strawberries inside. You cut about an inch off the top of your cake, set aside, then make a trench by cutting around the edge and middle and pulling the cake out of the trench.  Make sure that you don't cut all the way to the bottom.

You can see how the trench is cut.  The filling is very easy...one cup boiling water and a package of strawberry jello dissolved in the water then just slice up some berries into the jello.

Fill up the trench with the berry mixture.  Put top piece back on and frost with homemade whip cream and decorate with some berries.

Made this cake for our church potluck dinner on Sunday.  Was able to sneak a picture of what it looks like inside before it was gone.

Other strawberry treats...

Strawberry Pie

Strawberries and bananas in left over glaze from the pie, I just thin it a little with some water so it won't set up completely.  This is one of my DH favorites, so he will be happy to see this for supper tonight!

Strawberry Glaze for Pie

3/4 c. sugar

2 Tblsp. cornstarch

1 & 1/2 c. water

1 ~ 3oz. package strawberry jello

Combine the sugar, cornstarch, and water in a saucepan and blend together.  Cook over medium heat until the mixture starts to get clear in color and comes to a boil.  Take off heat and stir in jello.  Pour over sliced strawberries in a baked pie shell.  Cool in refrigerator until set.  Serve with whip cream or icecream.

Have one more box to use in smoothies, salads, pie, fresh eating....

~Cheryl~

 

 

Butter Sponge Cake

Sunday at church we are having our monthly potluck.  I made an Angel Food Cake (will post that later) so what to do with all of those egg yolks...

Butter Sponge Cake with Creamy Pineapple Frosting.

Ready to be frosted!

This recipe made two loaf pans. I love old dishes, this plate was my moms.

Ready for tasting...just a corner.

Butter Sponge Cake

11 egg yolks

2c. sifted sugar

1c. milk,scalded

1 tsp. wanilla

2~ 1/4 c. sifted cake flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 c. melted butter

Beat together egg yolks and sugar until light-colored and fluffy.  Add milk and vanilla.

Sift together flour and baking powder. Add to egg yolk mixture. Fold in butter.

Bake in 2 greased (I floured just the bottoms) 8" square baking pans (I used 2 5x9 bread pans) in 350F oven 30 to 40 minutes.  Cool on racks.

Creamy Pineapple Frosting

Cream together 1/4 c. butter and 1/4 c. shortening.  Gradually add 3c. sifted confectioners sugar; beat until light and fluffy.  Blend in 1 (8~1/2 oz) can crushed pineapple, drained, 1/8 tsp. salt, 1/4tsp. vanilla.

~Cheryl~

Updates

School has been out for a week, I am enjoying being home again.

  This past month on Mothers Day we attended the dedication of our four new adopted grandchildren.  It was a precious time. 

They are a precious gift from God, so excited to see what the Lord has in store for each of them.

Our grandsons have been great big brothers!

Time goes by so fast it seems like yesterday that the grandsons were little.  

Took a picture of the hand prints that were put into the cement at our house up north.

Now and Then

They are no longer little boys, growing into fine christian young men.

It has been so nice to have warm weather after our long cold winter, 55 days below zero gets to be a bit much.  Enjoying getting into the garden and the flowers are starting to bloom.

If only they could all bloom the entire summer.

This little fellow has been living in the flowers, thought he was so cute until....he started eating one of the flowers.  He seems to have a taste for just one kind of perennial in my gardens so they have the bottom leaves eaten off and some of the shorter stems, will get some blossoms on the taller parts of the plants. Thinking he isn't so cute anymore:o)

He is setting next to the plant he loves to eat!

Looking forward to getting a lot of projects done this summer and least that is my plan.

~Cheryl~

Easter Goodies

 

 

 

 

Hot Cross Buns

 

 



 

Chocolate covered cookies

 

 

Challah Bread

 

 

Bunny Cake

 

 

Strawberry Dessert

 

 

Finally a warm day to hang some clothes out!

This week it is suppose to be cold and rainy so won't be hanging out clothes for a while.

 

Have a joyful Lords Day tomorrow.

 

~Cheryl~ 

 

 

39 Years

Where has the time went, it seems like only yesterday that we said our vows to each other, and started this journey together as husband and wife.  

April 5, 1975

I am so thankful for the man that the Lord brought into my life.  He is a wonderful husband who loves the Lord and his family.  I have been truly blessed.

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:

Ecclesiastes 3:1

From the time we first looked into the candles thinking about our future together, to 39 years later, so many changes...  children, grandchildren, job changes, moves, losing loved ones... but through good and hard times the Lord has blessed us beyond measure. 

For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

Matthew 6:21

  

~ Cheryl ~  

February Days

February has been busy and going by fast this year.  We had one day that reached 41F all of the rest have been below normal.  This weekend we had another storm move through high winds and snow, school was let out early on Thursday and closed on Friday.  Not looking forward to getting out later in the spring.

I have been canning with a pressure caner for a number of years, but have never cooked with one.  My mom had a pressure cooker I always thought they would be difficult to use.  After seeing a blog where she was using a pressure cooker decided it was time to give it a try.  After doing some looking for a while found a stainless steel 6 quart cooker on sale.

I love it!!

The first thing that I made in it was a pork roast after church one Sunday.  In less then an hour had a complete meal on the table.  I browned the roast in a pan first.

Then put it into the pressure cooker on the rack and added 2 cups of water, onion and bay leaf.

The roast took about 45 minutes to cook.

It was fall apart tender and very good.

Also cooked an old stewing hen that I had in the freezer for chicken stock, I added onion, garlic, carrots, and celery. It cooked for about one hour.  The stock was so nice and dark and made the best chicken soup with out adding anything else to the stock.

Have loved it for making roasts and soups so far and looking forward to trying other recipes.

 Strawberry Cupcakes in a jar.

~Valentine treats for co-workers and friends~

They were easy and fun to do, first you bake strawberry cupcakes ( used a cake mix for this).

 Cut the cupcakes in half through the middle. Put bottom of cupcake in a jelly jar, then add some cool whip, another piece of cupcake, more cool whip, last add the top of a cupcake and more cool whip.  Decorated with Valentine M & M's.

~Also made one for my Valentine~

Waiting for the weather to warm up, our forecast shows below temps into March.

The snow is higher than the garden fence.

Our bench swing is buried under the snow by the thermometer.  One of these days spring will be making an appearance again.  Until then I will enjoy looking at seed catalogs and dreaming of warmer weather to come.

On Friday I was finally able to finish both of the quilts that I have been working on for our son and daughter.  A late Christmas gift!

Now I can start on a baby quilt for a close friend of our daughters.  Have the material, but told myself  I could not start on it until these two quilts were done. 

To every thing there is a season,

and a time to every purpose

under the heaven...

a time to plant,

and a time to pluck up

that which is planted;

Ecclesiastes 3: 1 - 2b

~Cheryl~

Fellowship Dinner

Enjoying a couple of days off from school because of the wind chills.  We are having -35 to -40 today and -40 to -50 tomorrow...brrr

I will enjoy my days off, but am sure it won't be as nice working longer this summer...so far we have three days to make up and the winter is not over yet!

Picture from the patio door in the kitchen, at least the flowers are cover well with snow so the cold temps won't hurt them.

The third Sunday of each month our church has a Fellowship dinner, it is always so fun to see what different dishes there will be.  Some Sundays there is more than we can eat and others we worry if there will be enough, but it always works out.  It is a nice time to sit and visit and get to know people better and just enjoy each others company.

This month I made two new recipes a crock pot chicken and a Flan Cake.  The chicken recipe was given to me from my neighbor, is easy to make and we really like it.  The Flan Cake was from Cooks Country on tv, Bob thought it looked very interesting and wanted me to make one.  It was good, very rich, and takes a while to make.

Magic Chocolate Flan Cake

 

It is called magic because when you put it into the bundt  pan the caramel sauce goes in first, then the chocolate cake mixture, then you pour the Flan on top, during baking the chocolate and flan change places.

The chocolate cake on top of the caramel sauce.

In the oven after the flan was poured on top and bundt pan put into a roasting pan with water.

With baking and cooling it takes about eleven hours from start to finish.

The recipe and a video of the show can be found on Cook's Country web sight.

The Crock Pot Chicken is much easier!

Start with 4 to 6 chicken breast and place them in the crockpot.

 

Mix together in a separate bowl one can golden mushroom soup, one can of water, 1/2 of an 8 oz container of cream cheese with chives and onion, 1/4c. butter (melted), 1 pkg. dry mix Italian or ranch dressing, 1/2 c. white cooking wine.

Pour over chicken, cook on low for 7 hours if chicken is frozen or 4 hours if chicken is thawed.

After it is cooked shred the chicken, I added cooked Penne Rigate noodles to mine.

 

In the original recipe you do not add any water, so it is much thicker and can be served over angel hair noodles, rice, or served on rolls.  I have made it both ways now and we enjoyed them both. Adding the water and noodles made it nice for the Fellowship dinner.

This is the day which, the Lord hath made;

we will rejoice and be glad in it.

Psalm 118:24

I couldn't help but think of this verse this cold morning, I am rejoicing that I can be home where it is warm today!

Stay Warm,

~Cheryl~