Pinterest Projects

What’s your go-to board on Pinterest? In other words, which category do you enjoy pinning the most? DIY projects? Clothing? Organizing?

I’ve found that it really helps when my mind is blocked (journaling & genealogy this week has been rough) or I’m just sitting somewhere; occupy my time. I have to say that I really like the exchange of ideas without all the ads that seem to plague all the other social media sites. I will admit that I have had one or two people post/promote their own products, but for the most part, I can search for party plan ideas or street style clothing or what or whichever approaching holiday ideas, fairly quickly and without commercials. LOL

Tell me which of your boards has the most pins!

What happens in Vegas stay on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube ~ Melonie Dodaro

 

Cherry Dump Cake

I was asked today for my Dump Cake recipe. I’ve seen all kinds of variations, from blackberry to blueberry and even peach, I even have an old friend Maxine’s on the blog, only because she loves rhubarb. Me, I actually prefer the plain old cobbler that every woman from church makes. I’ve eaten it for as long as I can remember; it’s just to easy to make. So here it is, hope you all enjoy it.

INGREDIENTS:
1 (20 ounces) can crushed pineapple, undrained
1 (21 ounces) can prepared more fruit cherry pie filling
1 (18.25 ounces) box yellow or white cake mix
2 sticks (1 cup or 16 Tablespoons) of butter or margarine, each cut into 12 slices
1/4 cup chopped nuts (I use pecans or walnuts, but you can use your favorite)

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (325 for glass baking dish).
Dump undrained pineapple into a 9x13x2 baking dish and spread it out evenly.
Using a spoon, dump globs of cherry pie filling evenly on top of the pineapple.
Sprinkle the cake mix evenly over the cherry and pineapple layers.
Cut butter into slices with a butter knife and place slices evenly over cake mix.
Sprinkle nuts on top if you’re using them.
Bake for one hour.
To serve, scoop cake out with a large spoon like a cobbler and add a  scoop of vanilla ice cream. Serve warm or cold.

Yield: about 10 to 12 servings

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Many people miss their share of happiness not because they never found it but because they didn’t stop to enjoy it.

 

Buttermilk Cornbread

INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 cups yellow cornmeal
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs, separated
3/4 teaspoons soda
1 1/3 cups buttermilk
2 tablespoons melted shortening

DIRECTIONS
Lift the cornmeal by spoonfuls into the measuring cup, then level off. Sift cornmeal and salt together. Beat egg yolks thoroughly, add soda and buttermilk and beat until completely mixed. Add to cornmeal mixture and stir until ingredients are blended. *Add hot melted shortening, beat again (work quickly so it doesn’t fry) and fold in the stiffly beaten egg whites. Turn immediately into a piping hot greased 10 inch heavy skillet and bake in a hot oven (450 degrees F.) for 30 minutes. Serve at once with melted butter.

Yield: 5 servings.

* Preheat the oven to temperature with the skillet in the oven. Pull out right just before time to bake. Add 3 tbsp tablespoons of shortening and swirl around until it covers the bottom and sides of the skillet. Dump 2 tbsp of the melted shortening into the batter.

That’s the way my mom always coated her skillet. My oldest sister Shirley only uses white cornmeal and adds 2 tbsp of sugar to the mix. She makes everything sweet.

I hope that everyone has a huge assortment of iron skillets, I know I do. Just make sure as soon as you wash them, to place them on top of the burner or back in the oven to dry out. When pan is completely dry, season the skillet (wipe inside & out with a cooking oil on a paper towel).

My dad’s favorite food was always cornbread and buttermilk. Sometimes he’d use crackers instead of the cornbread in his buttermilk. My kids would have staged a protest if I had served them, buttermilk with anything. I still use it in the occasional biscuit or cake. They don’t know the difference. sh

I remember as a kid being cold a lot, and hungry sometimes. We’d go to bed with just cornbread and milk, and I remember wearing shoes with holes in the bottom. I remember having twine for shoestrings. ~ Buck Owens

 

Carrot-Zucchini Muffins

2/3 cup skim milk
1/4 cup fat-free cholesterol-free egg product
OR
2 egg whites
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 cups Bisquick® Reduced Fat baking mix
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
1 small carrot, shredded (1/2 cup)
1/2 cup shredded zucchini

Heat oven to 400º. Spray 12 medium muffin cups, 1 1/2 × 1 1/4 inches, with nonstick cooking spray, or line with paper baking cups. Beat milk, egg product and oil in large bowl until smooth. Stir in baking mix, sugar and lemon peel just until baking mix is moistened (batter will be lumpy). Fold in carrot and zucchini.

Fill cups about three-fourths full. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. Immediately remove from pan. Cool on wire rack. Serve warm or cool.

YIELD: 12 muffins

The only difference was one of them was trying to make a perfect cake and one of them was trying to write a great book. But if we remove that from the equation, it’s the same impulse and they are equally entitled to their ecstasies and their despair.
Michael Cunningham

 

Chocolate Spoons

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
OR
1 cup white baking chips
OR
1 cup mint-chocolate chips
18 gold- or silver-colored plastic spoons (18 to 24)
Candy decorations, crushed hard peppermint candies, miniature candy-coated chocolate chips or coarse sugar crystals (decorating sugar), if desired.

Melt chocolate in heavy 1-quart saucepan over lowest possible heat, stirring constantly. Dip spoons into melted chocolate, coating only the bowl of each spoon. Sprinkle with candy decorations. Place spoons on waxed paper until chocolate is set.

Wrap spoons in plastic wrap or cellophane.

18 to 24 spoons.

Always give them the old fire, even when you feel like a squashed cake of ice. ~ Ethel Merman

 

Chocolate Crinkles

2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla
4 ounces unsweetened baking chocolate, melted and cooled
4 eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup powdered sugar

Mix granulated sugar, oil, vanilla and chocolate in large bowl. Stir in eggs, one at a time. Stir in flour, baking powder and salt. Cover and refrigerate at least 3 hours.

Heat oven to 350º. Grease cookie sheet. Drop dough by teaspoonfuls into powdered sugar; roll in sugar to coat. Shape dough into balls. Place about 2 inches apart on cookie sheet.

Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until almost no indentation remains when touched. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack; cool completely.

A cake is a very good test of an oven: if it browns too much on one side and not on the other, it’s not your fault – you need to have your oven checked. ~ Delia Smith