Chocolate Zucchini Cake

 Mmm.  A delicious way to eat your veggies.  Or something like that.  This recipe is adapted from this recipe.  The zucchini keeps the cake moist while the chocolate chips settle in the bottom for a little fudgy surprise. 

Chocolate Zucchini Cake

1 stick butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 T strong coffee
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup cocoa powder
2 cups flour
2 cups shredded zucchini
1 cup chocolate chips

Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs, beat. Mix in vanilla and coffee.  Mix in soda, baking powder, salt, cocoa powder.  Add flour.  Add zucchini.  Stir in chocolate chips.  Bake in greased 9x9 square pan at 350 for ~45 minutes.  Dust with powdered sugar just before serving.  Enjoy!

DIY: Patio

This was our DIY project in 2009.  My brother was visiting and my husband had a couple of days off.  I found over $100 of edging and stakes on the side of the road with a FREE sign.  I took that as a sign that we 'needed' a patio.  So, I ordered the supplies to put in our own patio.  My brother was a good sport.  My husband was not excited to get signed up for another one of my ideas (as usual).  But they both cooperated and it turned out even better than I had hoped.  And it has wintered 2 winters perfectly.

Here's the before (blah):

Here's the immediately after:

This surface used to be a pool for the previous owners.  I thought that the prepping they had done with the rocks and sand would make the perfect base for a patio.  We measured out where we wanted the one foot square concrete bricks to go.   Dug the dirt out, pounded the ground flat and placed the bricks.  We placed edging with stakes to make sure it stays put.  Pounded the bricks in and filled in between the bricks with sand. It was actually easier than I thought and went fairly quickly with my free (grouchy) labor.  It has sustained 2 winters and is really quite awesome!

Each year I keep adding to the gardens (most importantly is my herb garden...LOVE that!). Here is what it looks like now (last picture): http://bornambitous-bornimaginative.blogspot.com/2011/08/our-new-garage.html .  I think it will be 2-3 more years before the gardens are the way I want them to be, but it's getting there.

Although it was quite a bit of work, the patio is perfect for entertaining.

Plymouth...Ahhh....

I'll tell you what I'm not good at.  Relaxing.  Give me a deadline and I want to make sure all of our ducks are in a row.  I want to be on time, scratch that, I want to be early.  I always get all worked up when we travel that sometimes I forget to enjoy the journey.  A dear friend of mine got married in Plymouth, MA.  I couldn't wait to see her and be there for her wedding.  However, I was worried about missing everything because we were went from Maine to Plymouth in 24 hours, since my husband had to work.  Boston traffic makes me nauseous...and in summer months, you never know how long it may take to get from one end of the city to the other. Not only was it incredibly special to see her glow with happiness, but it was also special that I did remember to slow down a bit, and just enjoy my family.  Here's what made me happy:

Waving at the cars.  Definitely not something that I ever thought of doing before, but waving at cars, boats and the like makes my little one happy.  What does not make him happy is when mama interrupts for a picture.  Anyway, it's the simple things.

 Giggles with daddy.

 Breathing in that sea air. 

Watching the boats.

 Admiring the Mayflower from afar.

 Appreciating the Mayflower up close and thinking of how brave those individuals were to embark on such a journey.

 

Glimpsing at the man I love.

 
Catching a sunset together.

Celebrating my good friend's marriage and enjoying our own marriage.

Quilt 17

Quilt 17~2000~Twinsize

Five Bucks and a Thrift Shop

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This really awesome bug book/game where you snap in the wings and such.

Wooden apples for the play kitchen.

Wooden bowls for the play kitchen.

Another wooden storage box...which I collect.

(Not pictured) a like new large kiddie pool.

Cost:  $7.00

Five Bucks and a Thrift Shop?  What's this all about?

I am a big fan of thrift shopping.  It's not because I can't buy things new and I'm dragging myself to the thrift store out of necessity. Instead, it's for the find, the score, the excitement.  The "I can't believe I found this...and I need this" moment. It's amazing the stuff you can find. It sort of gives you a high.  And then I come home and set up a little display for my husband to gawk at.  Okay, so "Yup, that's nice" isn't quite a gawk, but I'm sure his non-nonchalant, monotonous mannerism is a cover up.  Surely, he's silently just as enthusiastic and excited as me!  How could one not be?!  I mean, isn't this pile of treasures what you've always dreamed of having?  He must be secretly busting at the seams with excitement.  Okay, maybe not. But one can hope. 

What's with the five bucks?  Well, I saw some sort of article somewhere about a woman who goes to the drug stores with coupons and records what she can get for five bucks.  Five bucks is usually what I end up spending at a thrift store anyway. Instead of spending $5 on a coffee, might as well see what you can get elsewhere.

Won't you play along?  If you are a deal seeker, post a link with pictures or describe the awesome deal you got!  I promise I will be just as excited as you!  If no one posts, I'm going to assume no one cares about my treasures.  It will be simply heart breaking to think I'm the only one who gets outrageously giddy over a brand new set of navy plaid cloth napkins for only $0.50. For a set of six, none less!  Certainly, I must not be the only one, right?

Summer memories...

Summer days of my childhood. How I miss thee.  Getting up with the sun, secretly waking my brother, tiptoeing downstairs.  A breakfast as quick as quick can be so we could go outside.  Barefoot. Greeting the cows, horse, pigs, chickens, sheep, cats, dogs and rabbits. Trucks in the dirt.  Buckets in the sandbox. Cabbage patch dolls on the playset.  Obstacle courses for our bikes.  'Houses' out of bales of hay in the haymow.  Wildflowers bouquets.  A fort in the woods.  Snacks out of the garden.  A cool drink from our outdoor water fountain. "C'mon kids, time to go!"   Go where?  To swimming lessons.  Had to get there for 10:00.

 And off we'd go to the beach.  Which looked so big as kid.  Here it is...

Swim lessons (with the teachers who appeared so big, but they were high schoolers). My brother shivering, claiming it was too cold for him to go in.  Friends. Sand castles.  Diving for rocks.  Picnics.  Moms watching with buckets of beans to snap and peas to shell.  Craft time (my fave).  Popsicles from the concession stand.  "C'mon kids, time to go!"   "Five minutes on the playground, pleeeease?"  "Okay". 

And now, I can enjoy the same little beach with my little one.  Spashing. Waving at the kids. Dropping rocks. Waving at the kids.  Digging.  Waving at the kids.  Not sure why waving at the kids is the favorite pastime, particularly since they're too busy to notice, but nevertheless, we wave.  Even if no one waves back.

How special that I was able to meet my friends who are also mamas to continue this tradition. And it's even more special that there are now walking trails.  This mama and baby are starting a new vacation tradition.  Walks together to watch the sunset. 

 What a marvelous life I live. 

White cake with Strawberry Frosting

First of all, I must apologize for this picture, as it was taken on a super humid day...were the frosting was melting off of the cake.  It's not nearly as runny in real life, under more ideal circumstances.  It's yummy though.  MMM.

White Cake

2 ¼ cup flour

1 ½ cup sugar

3 tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. salt

½ cup unsalted butter (at room temp.)

¾ milk

2 tsp. vanilla

4 egg whites (at room temp.)

Mix all dry ingredients.  Stir in, butter, milk and vanilla.  Mix for 2 minutes.  Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well.  After eggs are added, mix another 2 minutes.  Pour into two greased circular pans to make a tier cake.  Bake at 350 for 25 minutes. 

Yield: two layers for a cake

Strawberry Frosting:

1/2 cup unsalted butter (room temp)

½ cup pureed fresh strawberries

1 tsp. vanilla

5ish cups powdered sugar(may need more depending on humidity)

Cream all ingredients together and whip until smooth and spread over cake. You can add sliced strawberries in between the layers or on top.  If you're like us and don't like frosting too sweet, replace one cup of the powdered sugar with flour.

yield: enough for 2 layer cake