Sugar Cookie Cake

I have been making this Sugar Cookie Cake for awhile now.  Well, during quarantine.  It seems like it has been longer than a few months.  

I found this recipe here.  The fun thing about this recipe is that you can customize it to the holiday.  For example, use white frosting and decorate with red and blue sprinkles for Memorial Day or Fourth of July.  Red and pink sprinkles for Valentines Day.  

If you are a sugar cookie fan like me, you will definitely enjoy this cake.  Oh, and with all of the easy ways to customize it to a holiday, it's a great, easy cake to bring with you to your next family gathering.

Here's the recipe:

Sugar Cookie Cake

ingredients:

3/4 cup butter*

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

2 1/4 cups flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

Frosting:

8 TBSP butter

3 cups powdered sugar

1/4 tsp vanilla

3 TBSP milk

sprinkles, M & M's, chocolate chips, etc.

directions:

Oven 375F.

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

Add eggs and vanilla and mix.

Stir in flour, baking powder and salt.  Mix until combined.

Press cookie mixture in an even layer in a greased 9x13 pan.

Bake 10-13 minutes.  Do not over bake.  Cake should be barely set and no browned edges.

Allow cake to cool completely before frosting.

Frosting:

In a bowl, add butter and 2 cups of powdered sugar and mix until creamy.

Add remaining powdered sugar and vanilla.

Add as much milk as needed to reach frosting consistency.

Smooth frosting over cake and top with sprinkles.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

*You can use vegan butter.  I haven't tried flax eggs yet with this recipe.

*almond milk works perfectly

If you make Sugar Cookie Cake, let me know what you think!

Enjoy!

Quarantine Day 76

Honestly, it feels more like Day 763.

The good news for the week?  Bella has finished 8th grade.  It's official!  The ceremony was virtual, short and sweet.  We did get dressed up to take pictures.  It did seem anti climactic since we could not go anywhere to celebrate or even be around family and friends.  Now that school is over, the world is at her feet!  She can do whatever she wants....as long as she social distances herself from others and, well, stays inside since everything here is still CLOSED!

As I stated in my last post, all of the children  sunflowers were planted.  They are doing great and send their love.

I talked about my wonderful surprise last week.  Nick's visit.  Before he left Illinois, he helped me spread some mulch in the front yard.  I sent him to the grocery store while he was here.  When he returned home he told me that he would not step into any more stores while here in Illinois (because of the mask law).  He was quite happy to go back home.

I finished the huge mulch pile that we had in our driveway and was promised that we wouldn't get more until July.  I exhausted my three secret helpers in the process and ended up completing the job myself.   I found out that RT spoke with a neighbor and we will be getting more mulch in a couple of days.  With all of the mulch tossing I have to say that my arms are looking pretty....pretty....good.  Yes that was a "Curb" reference.

I just finished watching "Waco" on Netflix and it has sparked my obsession with religious groups/cults.  This viewing has lead to me reading and watching everything I can to try and figure out David Koresh.

I accidentally volunteered my mulching services to a neighbor.  I think this quarantine is affecting my brain and ability to think.  I might have a new career on my hands, folks.  

Sunflowers

This Spring we decided to grow sunflowers from seed indoors.  Normally we grow them (from seed) when we plant the garden.  Unfortunately, the birds (or squirrels) start digging where we plant the seeds.  If they survive that and actually grow, then it's the rabbits that get them.  The rabbits think it is a free all you can eat salad bar and snack on the plants until there is nothing left.  It doesn't matter if I plant them in different spots around the house.  I'm lucky if a hand full of them actually grow.  We have learned a valuable lesson during all of this experience.  A good chicken wire fence keeps them safe from snacking rabbits.  This, of course, is all thanks to RT and his fence making business.

So, as I was saying, we started growing our sunflowers in the house.  RT became quite attached to the little guys.  Watering them, making sure they were getting enough sun, giving them pep talks.  He even set them outside a few times so they could get some wind training.  Oh, and he started calling them our children.  

When we planted our garden a couple of weeks ago, we planted half of the children  sunflowers.  RT would go out there daily to check on them and make sure they were adjusting to their new home.  I planted the rest of the children sunflowers out front.  I gave a couple of plants to the neighbor boy.  He was out front digging and I figured it would be fun for him to take care of during the summer.  I asked RT to put up a fence around the children out front,  so they don't get gobbled up by the rabbits.  I also mentioned that I gave a couple of the kids  sunflower plants to the neighbor.  RT put a fence around the neighbor's sunflowers and explained that we raised them like children.  

All the children  sunflowers are planted and are doing quite well in their new homes.   I'll keep you up to date periodically on their progress.   If you want frequent reports, I'm sure RT would be happy to fill you in with daily updates.

Quarantine Day 69

Alex said he might become a vegan after this whole quarantine is over.  He has a good start since I have been making quite a few vegan meals during this time at home.

RT has decided that it hurts to wear shoes so he is going barefoot everywhere.  Parties should be interesting to attend.  I hope there are no formal occasions in the near future.  For all of you local people, keep this in mind before inviting us over.

Bella is no longer an eighth grader.  She has officially moved on.  I was given the task to pick up all of her personal items that were left in her lockers.  Good thing my trunk was empty.  I had to personally apologize for the amount of stuff my child stored at school.  Good thing they didn't charge a rental fee.  We get to view the "Moving On" ceremony via links that will be sent to us tomorrow.  It isn't quite the same as attending the ceremony and seeing her walk across the stage, but, hey, things are different now and we just have to roll with it.  She will also have that as a fun quarantine memory.

We had a surprise visit this week from Nick.  Besides a strong resemblance to a thin Grizzly Adams, he is looking pretty good!  I think he expected us to be having lots of fun here during quarantine because there are more people living in this house.   Sorry we disappointed you, Nick.  At least we were able to have a little pizza party for you.  Thanks, Uncle Steve!

Still home.
Still walking.
Still masked.
Trying to stay insane  sane
Also trying to stay safe and not to kill anyone.

Cheers to this all ending REAL soon!

Bagpipes

Every evening for the last couple of weeks, starting around 5pm, I notice that I can hear bagpipes playing down the street from me.  At first I thought that I was hearing things.  You know how sometimes you hear music in your head (or is that just me?)?  I'm not exactly sure why I would hear bagpipe music in my head.  Maybe I have been watching too much "Outlander?"

Anyway, it all started when we rented that stump grinder a few weeks ago.  When we were finishing up for the evening, I could faintly hear the sounds of bagpipes playing in the distance.  I found it a little odd and thought that maybe I was just hearing things.  I mean, hearing bagpipes playing is a normal thing, isn't it?

Time went by, and every evening when I would step out front, I could hear the bagpipes.  They were always coming from the same direction.  I thought it was pretty cool and would hang outside and listen for a little while.  I didn't think much about it.  The music was played during the late afternoon/early evening.  It wasn't obnoxiously loud.  And, I thought it was cool because it was something different to experience.

Apparently, some of the neighbors do not agree with me.

We have this neighborhood app where people like to complain a lot  you can ask neighbors questions, report traffic issues and sell items.  The app can be quite useful.  Many of the questions are about things happening in the area, like, when is garbage day this week?  Is it branch pick up this week?  Some people ask questions about plants they have found in their yard, recommendations on restaurants, local companies, etc.  Unfortunately, the app sometimes turns into a "complaint department." 

One of the questions asked was about hearing bagpipes playing.  It was asked as an innocent question but the post must have had 50 replies.  Quite a few positive replies with the people thanking the bagpiper, and then there were the complaints.  "It bothers my dog."  "I don't like it."  "It's too loud."

With this whole quarantine time, I've had plenty of time to reflect.  Being isolated or quarantined has helped me to try and find something positive in what is happening around me.  Try to enjoy the little things in life, like bagpipe music in the evenings.  And, if it isn't something that you (or your dog) want to hear, then go inside your house.

Time

Another post about my bedroom clock.  The clock is fine.  It's working wonderfully with just enough brightness at night.  I'm very happy with my clock selection.

My question to you is, do you set any of your clocks ahead?  Say, five or ten minutes ahead? 

For years our bedroom clock has always been set ahead.  And, not something easy like five or ten minutes.  It's usually 7 minutes or 13, 14 or even 17 minutes ahead.  So, when you wake up in the morning (or even the middle of the night) you have to do math in your head just to figure out the time.  Nothing like trying to subtract seventeen from the time on the clock at 3am.

And, before you start praising my effort on intellectual efforts and strategies, I must mention that this is all thanks to RT and his grand master plan.

The upside is that I do arrive places (like work) a lot earlier than expected.  I usually think I'm running late only to arrive 20-30 minutes earlier than I am scheduled.  The down side is that I arrive a lot earlier at places and find myself sitting in the car for 20 minutes.

One day, I looked at the clock, did my subtraction and figured I had some time.  Only to find out later that I somehow lost time and my day was thrown off.  I found out later that RT set the clock at the correct time without telling me.  Our clock has always been set ahead for over 25 years and he decided that it was a good time to set it to the actual time.  Oh, and forget to mention it to me.

So, I did what any normal person would do in this situation.  I set the clock fifteen minutes ahead. 

My Weird Dog

I am beginning to realize that I don't need a weather app on my phone when it comes to finding out when it will rain.

Pippen loves hanging out on the back deck.  Oh, yea, he isn't allowed in the yard because he tends to tear up the grass.  I got tired of hearing RT complain about the grass, so, Pippen is only allowed on the back deck or on the side yard.

Anyway...

One minute Pippen is having a great time on the deck, sunbathing, sleeping or crazy barking when other dogs walk by our house the next thing you know, he's laying by the back door.  That can mean one of two things.  Either he's weirded out by the landscapers (he isn't a fan of lawnmowers or loud sounds) or it's going to rain.

A couple of days ago, I was checking the weather and noticed that thunderstorms were going to hit us during the early morning hours the next day.  I figured I would just let Pippen sleep in our room (so I don't have to hear him crying at 3am). 

Around 7pm, Pippen started acting weird.  Following me around, hanging in the corner of the family room or hiding by my bed.  And then I remembered the storms that were approaching the next morning.  I'm not sure how he can sense these things.  He has been spot on with approaching storms on many occasions.  I'm thinking of contacting the weather channel.  I think he would make a great addition to their team, especially when it comes to predicting thunderstorms.

Quarantine Day 62

Bella has been practicing her Barack Obama impersonation.  At any point during the day you can hear her say, "Good Morning, I'm Barack Obama."  I asked her to put her dishes in the dishwasher and she said, "Would you yell at Barack Obama for not putting his dishes in the dishwasher?"  I said that I didn't care that he was president at one time and would definitely make him pick up his dishes.

In breaking news, Alex actually cleaned the bathroom floor.

In other news,

RT has switched careers for awhile and has launched his vegetable garden fence making business.  His first order was for fences around two gardens.  Those little rabbits don't know what they are up against this growing season!  Better place your orders soon.  I'm sure he will book up fast!

Again, I'm still home.
I'm still walking (as far as I can).
I'm still baking.
And, most importantly,
I haven't killed anyone......yet.

Quick and Easy Artisan Bread

At the beginning of quarantine, I had a difficult time finding flour.  You see, I thought it would be fun to have some flour around so I could bake (cookies, bread, pizza, pretzels, cake, etc.).  It took me a couple of weeks to finally find a (10 lb) bag of flour.   Scary to think that the 10 lb bag came and went rather quickly.  I can't believe how much baking I have done in the last 8 weeks.

I think everyone has entered the bread making phase of quarantine.  If you haven't, and you have never made bread, the following is an easy recipe that anyone can make.  You can't mess it up.  Trust me, I've tried.  Oh, and you don't even need bread flour!  If you need some pictures, you can find the original recipe here.

Here's the recipe:

Artisan Bread

ingredients:
1/2 TBSP Kosher Salt
1 packet active dry yeast
1 1/2 cups warm water
3 cups all-purpose flour, or bread flour

directions:
Place salt and yeast in large bowl.  Pour warm water over the top (make sure the water is not too hot).
Add flour all at once.  Mix all together.  The dough should be sticky.  If too sticky, you can add 1 or 2 more TBSP of flour if needed.
Once flour is mixed in, cover the bowl with a towel or plastic wrap until it doubles in size.  You can let rise for 2-3 hours or 12 hours.  The longer it rises, the better.
When ready, cover the bowl tightly with the plastic wrap and refrigerate it for 30 minutes (dough can be refrigerated for up to one week before baking).

Ready to bake:
Put some flour on your hands and put the dough onto a (lightly) floured surface.  The dough will be a little sticky.  Do not punch dough down, knead it or roll it out.  Just work the dough into a round circle.  Lightly dust the top with flour and then, using a knife, add a few lines across the top of the loaf.
Place dough onto a lightly floured piece of parchment paper.  Let it rest for 30 minutes.

Bake:
Oven to 450F.
Place stone or skillet in the oven and let it preheat for 20 minutes. 
Slide the dough with the parchment paper underneath onto the hot stone.  Place a cup of hot water in a broiler pan on the bottom of the oven.
Bake bread for 25  minutes or until browned.
When done, place bread on a cooling rack.  Store bread in a paper bag so it doesn't soften.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

This bread didn't last long at our house.  And by long, I mean, a few hours.

And, I tried to mess this recipe up.  Not on purpose.  The first time I made this bread, I forgot to set the timer when I put it in the oven.  The bread came out nice and crispy.  That didn't stop my family from eating the entire loaf.

If you make Artisan Bread, let me know how it turns out!

Enjoy!

New Facebook Friend

During one of our free quarantine moments, where we actually talk and communicate, I asked RT, "Guess who friended me on Facebook?"

I thought this would be an easy answer for him.  I figured that he would mention a few people at first, and then eventually figure it out.  Instead, he replied, "Elon Musk?"

Me:  Yea, you're right!  Me and Elon.  I thought we were doing well at hiding our relationship from you.  We're getting pretty close.  You better watch out!  Why would you think Elon Musk would friend me on Facebook?  I don't know him!  We've never even met!

RT:  I don't know.  How about Marty?

Me:  (laughing) Who is Marty?  I don't know anyone by the name Marty.

RT:  Nooma?

Me:  Nooma?

Apparently I lead a secret life and like to party with Nooma and Marty.  For the record, I do not know anyone named Nooma or Marty.  I'm sure they are great people and I am willing to accept their friend request if asked.  I would even enjoy partying with them, if they asked.

I finally had to tell him that one of my coworkers friended me.  I've talked about this person quite a bit and figured he would have guessed right away. 

Oh well. 

I better get going. I have to get ready.  I don't want to be late for my date with Elon.

Mother's Day

I thought I would give everyone a friendly reminder that Sunday is Mother's Day.  I don't want you to forget the most important person in your life.   You still have time to run to the store and buy something essential for your Mom (I'm sure she can use some toothpaste, toilet paper or a block of cheese, or more importantly, a case (or two) of wine!).

If running out to the store is too much for you, maybe you can make a card at home?  All you need is some paper and a pen.

Search Mother's Day on the blog and you will get a few ideas for Mom:

pencil cup
flower pen

How about hosting a Mother's Day Tea?  All you need is some tea and coffee mugs.  You can even get fancy with cucumber sandwiches and/or cookies.

My favorite Mother's Day gift was a letter from each of my children.  Yes.  I was a little frightened when I first requested a letter from them.  Who knows what they would write about and what they would bring up in these letters?  Turns out the letters were a pleasant surprise and are hands down my favorite Mother's Day gift ever.   If you plan on writing one to your Mother, don't fret over what to write.  She will love it and will be very happy to read it (over and over again).

If you really want to surprise Mom this year, National Clean Up Your Room Day is on Sunday, May10 and just happens to be on the same day as Mother's Day (coincidence?).  I think that just cleaning up your room would make a wonderful gift for Mom!  This gift will be one that she remembers and will talk about in the years to come.  For some of you, this might even earn you "Favorite Child" status.

Whatever you decide to do, Mom will love that you remembered her Sunday and every day.

Happy Mother's Day!

Quarantine Day 55

I have been baking something almost every day.  Trying to fatten up my family.  My family is calling this time the Covid-19, where you gain 19 pounds during quarantine.  It's similar to the Freshman 15, but, it happens during quarantine and you gain an extra four pounds. 

The landscaping out front is complete.  All we need now is some mulch.  Next up is the vegetable garden(s). 

Nothing else exciting to report.

Still baking.
Still in quarantine.
Still at home.
Haven't killed anyone.....yet.

This has to end soon.

My Clock

I thought it was about time to give everyone a little update on my clock situation.

I started researching clocks after my last post.  I figured it's going to take awhile for me to analyze all of the clocks out there.

As I was doing my clock research, Bella pointed out that I read all of the bad reviews first.  I replied that I get a pretty good idea of how the clock operates by some of these reviews.

"The clock loses time"
"The clock is too bright"
"This clock is garbage."

Of course, all of the clocks that I looked at had bad reviews.  One bad review and it's back to researching.

Bella finally asked me, "What's wrong with your clock?"   I explained the brightness issue (too bright in our room at night).  She didn't really see a problem so I had to bring her to my room and show her.  I also showed her the directions that tell you how to change the brightness (if you follow the directions that are given, you end up changing the time on the clock).   Bella told me that her clock has a brightness control.  I had her bring it to my room so I could check it out.  I plugged in her clock and it was pretty bright.  Bella told me to press the "snooze" button and it will change the brightness.  I was pleased with her clock and the brightness setting and was all set to go online and order one just like it, but decided that I would try pressing the snooze button on my clock and see if anything happened.

And, guess what?

It worked!

In fact, I can lower the brightness to where you can barely see the time!  So, I now have a functional clock. 

Yea.  It took me a month to figure this all out.   Good thing I had lots of time on my hands.

30 Day Writing Challenge

So, Bella is making me  forced me  asked me to join her in a 30 Day Writing Challenge.   Bella enjoys writing and I try to encourage it (you should read some of her stories). 

So....I thought I would share the challenge with you.  You don't have to write paragraphs (unless you want to).  You don't have to have a blog to do this challenge.  Grab a notebook and start writing.  But, only one prompt per day.  No cheating and writing out tomorrow's challenge.

Here are the prompts we are using:

30 Day Writing Challenge

Day 1:  List 10 things that make you really happy
Day 2:  Write something that someone told you about yourself that you never forgot
Day 3:  What are your top three pet peeves
Day 4:  Write about someone who inspires you
Day 5:  List five places you want to visit
Day 6:  Five ways to win your heart
Day 7:  List 10 songs you are loving right now
Day 8:  Share something you struggle with
Day 9:  Write some words of wisdom that speak to you
Day 10:  Write about something you feel strongly
Day 11: Share something you always think "What if..." about
Day 12: Write about five blessings in your life
Day 13: What are you excited about?
Day 14: Your favorite movies that you never get tired of watching
Day 15: Bullet point your whole day
Day 16: Something that you miss
Day 17: Does your zodiac sign fit you?
Day 18: 30 facts about yourself
Day 19: Discuss your first love
Day 20: Write about 3 celebrity crushes
Day 21: What 3 lessons do you want your children to learn from you>
Day 22: Put your music on shuffle and post the first ten songs
Day 23: Write about a lesson you learned the hard way
Day 24: Write a letter to someone, anyone
Day 25: Think of any word.  Search in on google images. Write something inspired by 11th image.
Day 26:  Write about an area in your life that you'd like to improve
Day 27: Conversely, write about something that's kicking a** right now
Day 28: Write 5 things that make you laugh out loud
Day 29: What are your goals for the next 30 days
Day 30: Your highs and lows for the month

Hope this inspires you to write a little this month!