Apple Cake with Butter Sauce

I made this for my family last night, and it was gone fast! It turned out so rich and yummy, I will be making this one again soon!

Apple Cake with Butter Sauce

1/4 cup butter, softened

1 cup sugar

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

2 tart apples, cored, peeled and grated

Cream butter and sugar together. Beat in egg and vanilla and set aside.

Combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt and nutmeg; gradually add to creamed mixture.

Fold in apples. Pour into a greased 8"x8" baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes. Serve with warm butter sauce. Makes 12 servings.

Butter Sauce

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar, packed

1/2 cup half-and-half

Melt butter in a saucepan; stir in sugar, brown sugar and half-and-half. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

This cake recipe is from Gooseberry Patch Taste of Autumn cookbook.  

I hope that everyone is having a wonderful fall so far. I'm so excited to start putting some recipes together for Thanksgiving. I can't believe it is getting so close. We'll most likely be staying home for the holiday. It's almost impossible for dairy farmers to go anywhere far, at least all together. :)

Happy Fall!

Snappy Apple-Cinnamon Pizza= Sweet, Rich Comfort Food!!!

Today was one of those yucky, rainy days. The kind of day where napping all day seems like the only thing to do.

I also like to make comfort foods on rainy days.

I came across a recipe the other day. I was making my grocery list, and I usually pull out one cookbook and pick out a few new recipes to make.

The perfect comfort food stood out.

Apples and cinnamon. Perfect Fall Comfort Dessert! YUM!

And how cool, you use refrigerated cinnamon rolls for the crust! Easy and yummy!

Snappy Apple-Cinnamon Pizza

GBP Homestyle in a Hurry cookbook

12.4 oz. tube refrigerated cinnamon rolls

21 oz. can apple pie filling

1/4 cup brown sugar, packed

1 Tbsp. butter, melted

Seperate cinnamon rolls, setting aside the frosting from tube. Flatten each roll into a 4-inch circle. Arrange rolls on a greased 12" round pizza pan, overlapping edges to form a crust. (I used a pie dish, it was what I had ready). Bake at 400 degrees for 8 minutes.  Spoon pie filling over crust within 1/2 inch of edge. Combine brown sugar and butter; sprinkle over pie filling. Bake an additional 6-8 minutes, or until crust is golden. Cool. Warm reserved frosting slightly and drizzle over pizza; cut into wedges. Makes 10-12 servings.

Have a great weekend!

We Welcome Mocha To Our Family!

We've added another 4 legged "kid" to our family two weeks ago! Her name is Mocha, she's a 7 year old Chocolate Lab. I just love her! She's so sweet!

Emily has declared Mocha her best friend.

We wasn't planning on adding another dog to our family, yet. Annie (our beagle) is getting older, so we have talked about another dog, someday. We're glad Mocha is here, though.

She was my Dad's dog. He raised her from a puppy, and trained her.

In mid-September he was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. It started in his lungs, spread through his lymph nodes and into his brain. Unfortunately, at this stage, they don't give too much hope with treatment. :(
It's been so hard to accept this diagnosis. Thankfully, my Dad is accepting it, is faithful and is feeling blessed, even with such a difficult illness.

We don't know how long we'll have my Dad around, the drs. have said he may have a month, but they never really know for sure.  I'm just thankful we have been able to relieve his worry of where Mocha would go. And I think she'll be good for me, in the coming weeks.

My Dad with Emily, Christmas 2010. :)

Tiny Tips for the Kitchen

In our house, my favorite room is, of course, the kitchen. I love cooking, baking and just visiting with family and friends in the kitchen. And I always love helpful hints for the kitchen.

Gooseberry Patch has a book that is perfect for me, it's called Tiny Tips for the Kitchen. I've enjoyed getting new ideas from this book. I even picked out a few to share...

~Create a pretty marbleized effect when baking a white cake mix. Simply sprinkle batter in its pan with a few drops of food coloring, then swirl the color around with a knife tip.

      I love doing this! It's fun for birthdays and makes a pretty cake, that is easy!

~A mini photo album is just right for keeping tried & true recipes handy on the kitchen counter. Slide in a few snapshots of happy family mealtimes, too!

     This is a fun idea for making a recipe book for a gift, also.

~Chopped or crushed candy bars make a fast & easy topping for frosted cakes. Try using toffee, caramel or nougat bars...mmmm...!

      This is super yummy! Again, a perfect topping for that swirled birthday cake! ;-)

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Tiny Tips for a Cozy Home

I've been looking through the newest books from Gooseberry Patch.
Tiny Tips for a Cozy Home has so many wonderful ideas for around the home.

I've chosen a few to share with you.

~"This super-simple table runner adds a cheerful look to any tabletop. Simply line up enough bandannas to fit the length of a table, then stitch them together. Oh-so easy and colorful!"

This is one that I love, and it brightens up any table!

~"Hang up an old fashioned mini washboard where family messages, calendars and to-do lists can easily be found. Button magnets and clothespin clips will hold everything in place and add a dash of whimsy."

In our busy household, this is a must!

~"Who says teacups need to be tucked away on a shelf? Insert cup hooks along the top of a window and hang teacups up side-by-side. What a sweet "valance" for a cozy kitchen.

I love to find teacups at flea markets and thrift shops. And it doesn't matter if they don't match, they are all pretty!

I feel that fall is the perfect time of year to make our homes cozy!

It's September! That means Fall!

I am so excited that September is here! I'm looking forward to fall! The cooler weather, leaves changing, and fall cooking. I seem to cook and bake more in the fall than any other time of year. I just love the flavors of fall like pumpkin, apple, cinnamon...yum!

I made some Pumpkin Pancakes yesterday morning and they were a hit.  Emily loved them plain, without syrup. The recipe comes from the Gooseberry Patch Autumn in the Country cookbook. 

Pumpkin Pancakes

2 c. all-purpose flour

2 Tbsp. brown sugar, packed

1 Tbsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

1/4 tsp. ginger

1/2 c. canned pumpkin

1-1/2 c. milk

1 egg, lightly beaten

2 Tbsp. oil

Combine flour, brown sugar, baking powder, salt and spices in a large bowl; set aside. Combine remaining ingredients in a seperate bowl; mix well. Stir pumpkin mixture into flour mixture just until moistened. Pour batter by 1/4 cupfuls onto a lightly greased hot griddle. Cook until bubbles appear on the surface; turn and continue cooking for an additional 2-3 minutes, until golden. Makes 16 pancakes.

With the end of summer, and the beginning of fall, we've noticed that the butterflies have been extra busy before leaving for the coming winter.  Emily and I took a "butterfly walk", and took some pictures of our colorful friends.

 Emily started 1st grade two weeks ago. She was worried that they would have a test on the first day! She's loved 1st grade so far, and really likes her teacher, and she even lost her first tooth this past week. So far the school year is getting off to a good start!

Have a great week!



Short on Time? Quick Soup Recipe!

Today we're busy running errands and doing chores. Typical Monday!

I ran across a quick soup recipe. I'm making a grilled chicken salad to go with the soup for a quick lunch!

Fast-Fix Tomato-Basil Soup

4 (10.75 oz.) cans tomato soup

2-1/2 c. water

1 cup whipping cream

1 Tbsp. chicken bouillon granules

3 Tbsp. Romano, Asiago & Parmesean cheese blend

2 Tbsp. dried basil

Add soup to a stockpot over medium heat. Stir in water, whipping cream,

bouillon, cheese and basil. Whisk ingredients together and heat through,

but do not boil, stirring occasionally. Serves 4-6

Recipe from: Gooseberry Patch Homemade Harvest

Have a great week!