Tuesday, I left work early enough to run to walmart for a few groceries and some discount mums.
The result was a quick cherry crisp-I had a craving for pie filling!-and the following dinner:
Spinach and Ricotta Stuffed Shells
They were super easy and fairly cheap to make. They freeze will and keep well as leftovers.
Ingredients:
Salt and pepper
Two packages of frozen spinach
One box of large pasta shells
Small container of ricotta
An egg
Two cups mozzarella
A jar of Alfredo sauce
I boiled the shells per the package directions and drained them. I rinsed them only to make them cool enough to work with.
Thaw and drain the spinach. Mix with ricotta, the egg, salt and pepper and some of the mozzarella. (I had some leftover spinach in the freezer that had some goat cheese and red pepper flake in it so I used that. You could always wilt some fresh spinach too. My frozen stuff was bad so I had to use a can instead to add to the leftovers.) You can go crazy in this step with your stuffing-chicken, pine nuts, feta, sun dried tomatoes, etc.
Stuff the shells. (I find that a whole box is too much and either throw out the rest or the dogs eat them. )
Place stuffing side up in a baking pan. Cover with Alfredo sauce and top with mozzarella.
Bake for like 30 minutes at 350. Or until bubbly and 165 internal temperature.
Even with the metallic taste from the canned spinach, it was really good. The Alfredo sauce and cheese covers the taste well and makes it super rich.
Friday, September 27, 2013
Sunday, September 22, 2013
Ghetto Motel
Joe and I were coming back to the hotel last night. It's kind of a confusing area with lots of hotels and the turnpike making things a little complicated.
Joe had some difficult and ended up going into the wrong parking lot. This parking lot has a single level hotel building that is partially demolished. No walls, no roof but the mirrored bathroom tile on the wall is still present and there are all sorts of pink insulation strewn about. It's really messy. We go to turn around but the parking lot dead ends on the front side of this building. The rooms still exist but there are no doors, beds have been strewn about and its actually pretty scary. It's the hotel ghetto.
Joe and I are laughing and joking about how scary this place is. This is where underage prostitutes come to die.
Then as we were almost gone, out of two separate rooms two rough looking men step into their respective doorways. I wave to the young one and its weird.
Do you think they live there?, I asked Joe.
They likely do as transients. We were both slightly afraid.
Joe had some difficult and ended up going into the wrong parking lot. This parking lot has a single level hotel building that is partially demolished. No walls, no roof but the mirrored bathroom tile on the wall is still present and there are all sorts of pink insulation strewn about. It's really messy. We go to turn around but the parking lot dead ends on the front side of this building. The rooms still exist but there are no doors, beds have been strewn about and its actually pretty scary. It's the hotel ghetto.
Joe and I are laughing and joking about how scary this place is. This is where underage prostitutes come to die.
Then as we were almost gone, out of two separate rooms two rough looking men step into their respective doorways. I wave to the young one and its weird.
Do you think they live there?, I asked Joe.
They likely do as transients. We were both slightly afraid.
Wednesday, September 11, 2013
Puppy Mills
Well, before I launch into my 'puppy mill' experience from today, I'll share a little from my weekend on call.
Nothing really happened.
That's a good thing.
I guess. I could of used more emergency bonus.
Friday night-no calls, Saturday-very slow on appointments which normally means a whole bunch of emergencies but I saw one thing. I can't even remember what it was. Oh, a laceration. Sunday, I saw a dog that was ADR in the morning and then a cat in the PM. The cat was found by its owners when they got home from the weekend away. He was an older outdoor cat and hadn't greeted them as usual. Eventually, they grew concerned and brought him in. I was thinking he was probably blocked and his belly pain would have suggested this. I couldn't touch his abdomen without him screaming in pain. I didn't feel a large bladder but was concerned regarding a 'mass'. I took an x-ray and noticed what I suspected to be a pneumothorax (air in the chest outside of the lungs) and an abdominal hernia. I was also suspicious of sepsis due to a fever and the abdominal part of his radiograph being hard to read (possible fluid in his belly). It was decided to hospitalize him for the night on pain meds and fluids then reassess in the AM. Joe came in to play vet tech and the CBC was ran. It was normal. I gave pain meds and the cat started purring but still didn't want his belly touched. I did manage to get a better look and concluded that he had a large bruise on his belly. He was probably hit by a car. I reassessed the rads and called the owners with the poor prognosis. What I had suspected (pneumothorax and hernia) were really there; we should consider euthanasia. With this cat's pain level, I was concerned about the intestines within the hernia strangulating and dying. AND with this cat's chest injury he wasn't a great surgical candidate. We gave him the night and in the morning after some pain meds, he still seemed reasonably happy. We did a different view on radiographs and he appeared to maybe have a diaphragmatic hernia as well (a hole from this abdomen into his chest). Plus his heart was really round. So we elected to euthanize him. It wasn't an easy choice especially since he was happy and purring but his injuries were really severe.
Anyway, that was my excitement from the weekend.
Today, though, I got to experience a 'puppy mill'.
One of our better dog breeders wanted me to come out and vaccinate her breeding dogs. Normally, we only see dogs if they are sick or for puppy wellness visits before the puppies are sold. Understandably, this breeder didn't want to bring in her 20 breeding dogs (including puppies and pets) into the office.
What makes a dog breeder a better dog breeder?
1) bringing dogs in when you have an emergency-once, this lady brought me two of her dogs that were shaking and having seizures. One was almost comatose. Then as they were in the office, two more of the dogs at home started having tremors. I spent several hours working on these dogs. Ultimately, I sent these dogs home to be nursed by the owner. All the dogs recovered. They had gotten into some toxins-moldy corn with tremorgenic aflotoxins.
2) spaying dogs when you suspect there is a problem-we had a litter of pug puppies (the main breed this lady raises) that had a variety of aliments-hernias, prolasped rectums, etc. Of course with that number of problems, you suspect genetics. We recommended spaying the bitch and the breeder did.
3) making it right with your clients-the breeder has sold several puppies that have come down with various aliments-parvo, parasites, etc. After each time it happens and its reported back to her, we give discuss the issue with the breeder and discuss the solutions.
4) she doesn't breed mutts. When she has been phasing out certain breeds, she either spays or neuters the dogs or finds them new homes. She doesn't just let them go breed with whatever.
5) she's happy to bring new puppy owners to her place.
And those are just the examples I can remember.
So today, we (a tech and I) were excited to go to her place despite it just being outside of our practice range and it being unseasonably hot. We wanted to know what her kennels looked like. When we got there, we went to the back of the yard where the kennels were located. The first thing you noticed was 1) there was no dog odor, 2) there was no dog poop in the yard (or not excessive anyway) and 3) there was very little barking.
Now all but one bitch that had a young litter of pups still nursing were outside of the kennel. We went into this building which was probably 20' long by 10' wide. There were multiple 3'x3' pens that were waist high. The walls were easily cleaned laminate sheeting. There was no smell. The only smell was the cedar shavings used to bed the kennel pens. The area was clean. The pen where this momma was was clean. The pups were clean. The pups were rolly polly fat.
Moving back outside, the dogs were tied to trees. While that statement alone sounds bad, here's the situation. The dogs were only tied outside when the kennels were being cleaned (and for our visit). There were no wear marks around the trees; there was not excessive feces. All the dogs were in the shade. All the dogs had water. All the dogs were friendly and happy to see us. All the dogs had names and were cuddled by the breeder while we vaccinated them. All the dogs were well fed and in excellent body condition. All the dogs were clean. We looked at some puppies and noted that one had a very recently developed ulcer. We doctored it and the owner was notably concerned.
We moved back up to the front of the house and vaccinated the three house dogs and a handful of dogs that were in some wire kennels. They were only in there due to the fact that if they were loose as they normally would, they would have licked us to death!
With only three exceptions-one bred bitch, one bitch with her puppies and one dog that we knew had a rabies vaccine, all of the dogs were vaccinated for rabies.
Leaving this place, I knew even more than ever that this woman was an exceptional breeder.
Oh, and did I mention that this breeder is Amish?
I think that the Amish get a bad reputation for their treatment of any of there animals. I think that 'puppy mill' and Amish go hand in hand and I think that this breeder is a great example of the fact that it isn't always what it seems. This woman deeply cares for all of her dogs...all of her animals. She always questions what else can she do? How can I make this animal better?
I work with the Amish and previously the Mennonite communities on their horses and their dairy farms on a fairly regular basis. There is a big difference between Mercer County, PA (and the area) and Cumberland County, PA in terms of how the communities act but the one thing that I can say is that I've never seen an Amish person be cruel to a farm animal any more than I see on 'English' dairies. While these cows and horses are forced (?) to work for their place in life, I've never seen one that I thought would be better off elsewhere. There are always exceptions and we should realize it.
Just because a dog breeder is Amish, doesn't make them a puppy mill. And this client is a shining example of how ANY breeder should act and behave and most importantly, treat their animals.
Nothing really happened.
That's a good thing.
I guess. I could of used more emergency bonus.
Friday night-no calls, Saturday-very slow on appointments which normally means a whole bunch of emergencies but I saw one thing. I can't even remember what it was. Oh, a laceration. Sunday, I saw a dog that was ADR in the morning and then a cat in the PM. The cat was found by its owners when they got home from the weekend away. He was an older outdoor cat and hadn't greeted them as usual. Eventually, they grew concerned and brought him in. I was thinking he was probably blocked and his belly pain would have suggested this. I couldn't touch his abdomen without him screaming in pain. I didn't feel a large bladder but was concerned regarding a 'mass'. I took an x-ray and noticed what I suspected to be a pneumothorax (air in the chest outside of the lungs) and an abdominal hernia. I was also suspicious of sepsis due to a fever and the abdominal part of his radiograph being hard to read (possible fluid in his belly). It was decided to hospitalize him for the night on pain meds and fluids then reassess in the AM. Joe came in to play vet tech and the CBC was ran. It was normal. I gave pain meds and the cat started purring but still didn't want his belly touched. I did manage to get a better look and concluded that he had a large bruise on his belly. He was probably hit by a car. I reassessed the rads and called the owners with the poor prognosis. What I had suspected (pneumothorax and hernia) were really there; we should consider euthanasia. With this cat's pain level, I was concerned about the intestines within the hernia strangulating and dying. AND with this cat's chest injury he wasn't a great surgical candidate. We gave him the night and in the morning after some pain meds, he still seemed reasonably happy. We did a different view on radiographs and he appeared to maybe have a diaphragmatic hernia as well (a hole from this abdomen into his chest). Plus his heart was really round. So we elected to euthanize him. It wasn't an easy choice especially since he was happy and purring but his injuries were really severe.
Anyway, that was my excitement from the weekend.
Today, though, I got to experience a 'puppy mill'.
One of our better dog breeders wanted me to come out and vaccinate her breeding dogs. Normally, we only see dogs if they are sick or for puppy wellness visits before the puppies are sold. Understandably, this breeder didn't want to bring in her 20 breeding dogs (including puppies and pets) into the office.
What makes a dog breeder a better dog breeder?
1) bringing dogs in when you have an emergency-once, this lady brought me two of her dogs that were shaking and having seizures. One was almost comatose. Then as they were in the office, two more of the dogs at home started having tremors. I spent several hours working on these dogs. Ultimately, I sent these dogs home to be nursed by the owner. All the dogs recovered. They had gotten into some toxins-moldy corn with tremorgenic aflotoxins.
2) spaying dogs when you suspect there is a problem-we had a litter of pug puppies (the main breed this lady raises) that had a variety of aliments-hernias, prolasped rectums, etc. Of course with that number of problems, you suspect genetics. We recommended spaying the bitch and the breeder did.
3) making it right with your clients-the breeder has sold several puppies that have come down with various aliments-parvo, parasites, etc. After each time it happens and its reported back to her, we give discuss the issue with the breeder and discuss the solutions.
4) she doesn't breed mutts. When she has been phasing out certain breeds, she either spays or neuters the dogs or finds them new homes. She doesn't just let them go breed with whatever.
5) she's happy to bring new puppy owners to her place.
And those are just the examples I can remember.
So today, we (a tech and I) were excited to go to her place despite it just being outside of our practice range and it being unseasonably hot. We wanted to know what her kennels looked like. When we got there, we went to the back of the yard where the kennels were located. The first thing you noticed was 1) there was no dog odor, 2) there was no dog poop in the yard (or not excessive anyway) and 3) there was very little barking.
Now all but one bitch that had a young litter of pups still nursing were outside of the kennel. We went into this building which was probably 20' long by 10' wide. There were multiple 3'x3' pens that were waist high. The walls were easily cleaned laminate sheeting. There was no smell. The only smell was the cedar shavings used to bed the kennel pens. The area was clean. The pen where this momma was was clean. The pups were clean. The pups were rolly polly fat.
Moving back outside, the dogs were tied to trees. While that statement alone sounds bad, here's the situation. The dogs were only tied outside when the kennels were being cleaned (and for our visit). There were no wear marks around the trees; there was not excessive feces. All the dogs were in the shade. All the dogs had water. All the dogs were friendly and happy to see us. All the dogs had names and were cuddled by the breeder while we vaccinated them. All the dogs were well fed and in excellent body condition. All the dogs were clean. We looked at some puppies and noted that one had a very recently developed ulcer. We doctored it and the owner was notably concerned.
We moved back up to the front of the house and vaccinated the three house dogs and a handful of dogs that were in some wire kennels. They were only in there due to the fact that if they were loose as they normally would, they would have licked us to death!
With only three exceptions-one bred bitch, one bitch with her puppies and one dog that we knew had a rabies vaccine, all of the dogs were vaccinated for rabies.
Leaving this place, I knew even more than ever that this woman was an exceptional breeder.
Oh, and did I mention that this breeder is Amish?
I think that the Amish get a bad reputation for their treatment of any of there animals. I think that 'puppy mill' and Amish go hand in hand and I think that this breeder is a great example of the fact that it isn't always what it seems. This woman deeply cares for all of her dogs...all of her animals. She always questions what else can she do? How can I make this animal better?
I work with the Amish and previously the Mennonite communities on their horses and their dairy farms on a fairly regular basis. There is a big difference between Mercer County, PA (and the area) and Cumberland County, PA in terms of how the communities act but the one thing that I can say is that I've never seen an Amish person be cruel to a farm animal any more than I see on 'English' dairies. While these cows and horses are forced (?) to work for their place in life, I've never seen one that I thought would be better off elsewhere. There are always exceptions and we should realize it.
Just because a dog breeder is Amish, doesn't make them a puppy mill. And this client is a shining example of how ANY breeder should act and behave and most importantly, treat their animals.
Monday, September 9, 2013
Frankie
Frankie is the new cat that we have hanging around our house. He showed up probably a month ago and I neutered him after luring him into the cat carrier. He was absent for a few weeks and had been showing up every two or three days after that. This weekend, he hung out the entire weekend if we were careful about letting the dogs out. Tonight, figuring if he's going to be our cat, he'll have to learn about the dogs, I let them out while he was chilling. He hid under the trailer and then was run off by the bad dogs. He hasn't been back. :( I just bought him a new bag of cat food too.
I told Joe that if he hung around consistently for 30 days he was our cat. I've already neutered him, gave him a rabies vaccine and treated him once for fleas. He needs dewormed though.
I told Joe that if he hung around consistently for 30 days he was our cat. I've already neutered him, gave him a rabies vaccine and treated him once for fleas. He needs dewormed though.
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| He's obviously very friendly. Very loud too! He's a talker! |
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| And he likes to eat! |
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| And I found him asleep in the horse trailer once. |
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| Hanging out in the morning after eating breakfast. |
Jamestown Fair Winnings
I decided I was going to be pretty ambitious this year for the Jamestown Fair. Not only was I going to enter baked goods but some crafts too. Unfortunately, ambition was greater than time (but less than my ability to procrastinate) and managed to make 8 entries-four baked goods, four crafts. A fifth baked good was made but didn't turn out and wasn't entered.
My peeps on other social media know the score but I'll include recipes now.
Joe asked for molasses cookies once and this was the recipe that I made. They were really good even though I don't really like molasses or spice...this was the only entry I made that didn't place. Got rave reviews at work though.
Molasses Spice Cookies-makes 24 cookies
1/3 cup granulated sugar plus additional for dipping
2 1/4 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp salt
12 tbsp (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened but cool
1/3 cup dark brown sugar
1 large egg yolk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup molasses-light or dark
Heat oven to 375. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
Whisk flour, spices, baking soda and salt in medium bowl and set aside.
Beat butter and sugars (brown and granulated) at medium-high speed until light and fluffy (about 3 minutes). Decrease speed and add yolk and vanilla. Increase speed and beat until mixed. Add molasses, mix until incorporated scraping sides with spatula.
On low speed, add flour/spice mixture and mix until just incorporated. Make sure no dry flour remains. Dough will be soft.
Roll one tablespoon of dough between palms to form 1 1/2" ball. Roll in additional granulated sugar to coat. Place on baking sheet 2" apart. Bake one sheet at a time until cookies are browned but still puffy; should appear cracked-about 11 minutes. Rotate baking sheet halfway through baking. Do not overbake. Allow to cool slightly on cookie sheet before moving to wire rack.
Now this is the one I'm really proud of. And if I had been more ambitious I would have located the PA Preferred products and entered it in the class with some real (read $25 for first place) money. But I was lazy. This cake is very rich and somewhat intricate to make. Always a winner.
Chocolate Stout Cake
CAKE
4 large eggs
4 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking soda
1 1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
4 cups sugar
2 cups unsalted butter
1 1/3 cups sour cream
2 cups stout-(example-Guinness Stout)
ICING
1 pound bittersweet (not unsweetened) or semisweet chocolate-chopped
2 cups whipping cream
Cake Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350. Butter 3 8" round cakepans with 2" sides. Line with parchment paper; butter paper.
Bring stout and butter to simmer in heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add cocoa powder and whisk until smooth. Allow to cool slightly.
Whisk flour, sugar, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Set aside.
Beat eggs and sour cream in a separate bowl. Add stout-chocolate mix to egg mixture and beat just to combine. Add flour mixture and mix on low to just combine. Finish mixing by hand.
Divide batter evenly amoung three pans. Bake until tester comes out clean-about 35 minutes.
Allow cakes to cool about 10 minutes then remove from pan onto wire rack. Cool completely.
Icing Instructions:
Bring cream to simmer in heavy medium saucepan. Remove from heat. Add chopped chocolate and whisk until melted and smooth. Refrigerate until icing is spreadable, stirring frequently-about two hours.
Place first cake on plate and spread 2/3 cups of icing over, repeat with second layer. Place third cake on top and spread remaining icing over top and sides of cake.
Then I made peanut brittle. I've only made it once before and hated making it. I hated it this time too and it didn't get brittle enough.
Peanut Brittle-makes one pound
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup water
1 cup peanuts
2 tbsp softened butter
1 tsp baking soda
Grease large cookie sheet and set aside.
In heavy 2 qt saucepan, over medium heat, bring to boil sugar, corn syrup, water and salt. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Add in peanuts.
Set candy thermometer in place and continue cooking. Stir frequently until temperature reaches 300 degrees or until small amount dropped into very cold water separates into hard, brittle threads.
Remove from heat and immediately stir in butter and baking soda.
Pour at once onto cookie sheet. With two forks, lift and pull peanut mixture into 14x12" rectangle. Cool then snap into pieces.
This was my disappointing recipe. Its normally a huge hit at work and was really good. I think for an 8x8" pan its too much caramel. I won third with this.
Carmelita Bars
32 caramel squares-unwrapped
1/2 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup butter-melted
3/4 cup brown sugar-packed
1 cup flour
1 cup rolled oats
1 tsp baking soda
6 oz semisweet chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350.
Combine caramels and cream in small sauce pan over low heat. Stir until completely smooth then set aside.
In separate bowl, combine butter, brown sugar, flour, oats and baking soda. Pat half of mixture into bottom of 8x8 pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.
Remove from oven and sprinkle chocolate chips over crust. Pour caramel mixture over chocolate chips and crumble remaining oatmeal mixture over top. Return to oven and back for additional 15-20 minutes or until edges are lightly browned.
Allow to cool completely before cutting.
Double for 9x13". Can substitute 1 1/4 cups caramel sauce in place of caramel squares and cream.
Because I always have too many cakes to bake, I go with cupcakes for this one. I've made it before and its really great. Sadly, due to lack of refrigeration, I went with buttercream frosting (gross) and then used canned cream cheese frosting for the ones that I took to work. I would have preferred to use a refrigeration free cream cheese frosting.
Red Velvet Cake
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1 oz red food coloring
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
In medium bowl, mix eggs with wire whisk. Add oil, vinegar, vanilla, buttermilk and food coloring. Set aside.
In large bowl, mix dry ingredients. Add wet ingredients and mix on medium high until combined.
Bake cupcakes for 20-25 minutes. Makes about 36 cupcakes
On the crafting front, I wanted to make one of those tulle wreaths for a long time. And I suppose I should be glad I did, it won first!
Then I took down a wreath off of my door for the grapevine wreath class. Apparently, it 'needs a bow'. The first place wreath was beautiful though.
My peeps on other social media know the score but I'll include recipes now.
Joe asked for molasses cookies once and this was the recipe that I made. They were really good even though I don't really like molasses or spice...this was the only entry I made that didn't place. Got rave reviews at work though.
Molasses Spice Cookies-makes 24 cookies
1/3 cup granulated sugar plus additional for dipping
2 1/4 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp salt
12 tbsp (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened but cool
1/3 cup dark brown sugar
1 large egg yolk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup molasses-light or dark
Heat oven to 375. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
Whisk flour, spices, baking soda and salt in medium bowl and set aside.
Beat butter and sugars (brown and granulated) at medium-high speed until light and fluffy (about 3 minutes). Decrease speed and add yolk and vanilla. Increase speed and beat until mixed. Add molasses, mix until incorporated scraping sides with spatula.
On low speed, add flour/spice mixture and mix until just incorporated. Make sure no dry flour remains. Dough will be soft.
Roll one tablespoon of dough between palms to form 1 1/2" ball. Roll in additional granulated sugar to coat. Place on baking sheet 2" apart. Bake one sheet at a time until cookies are browned but still puffy; should appear cracked-about 11 minutes. Rotate baking sheet halfway through baking. Do not overbake. Allow to cool slightly on cookie sheet before moving to wire rack.
Now this is the one I'm really proud of. And if I had been more ambitious I would have located the PA Preferred products and entered it in the class with some real (read $25 for first place) money. But I was lazy. This cake is very rich and somewhat intricate to make. Always a winner.
Chocolate Stout Cake
CAKE
4 large eggs
4 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking soda
1 1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
4 cups sugar
2 cups unsalted butter
1 1/3 cups sour cream
2 cups stout-(example-Guinness Stout)
ICING
1 pound bittersweet (not unsweetened) or semisweet chocolate-chopped
2 cups whipping cream
Cake Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350. Butter 3 8" round cakepans with 2" sides. Line with parchment paper; butter paper.
Bring stout and butter to simmer in heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add cocoa powder and whisk until smooth. Allow to cool slightly.
Whisk flour, sugar, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Set aside.
Beat eggs and sour cream in a separate bowl. Add stout-chocolate mix to egg mixture and beat just to combine. Add flour mixture and mix on low to just combine. Finish mixing by hand.
Divide batter evenly amoung three pans. Bake until tester comes out clean-about 35 minutes.
Allow cakes to cool about 10 minutes then remove from pan onto wire rack. Cool completely.
Icing Instructions:
Bring cream to simmer in heavy medium saucepan. Remove from heat. Add chopped chocolate and whisk until melted and smooth. Refrigerate until icing is spreadable, stirring frequently-about two hours.
Place first cake on plate and spread 2/3 cups of icing over, repeat with second layer. Place third cake on top and spread remaining icing over top and sides of cake.
Then I made peanut brittle. I've only made it once before and hated making it. I hated it this time too and it didn't get brittle enough.
Peanut Brittle-makes one pound
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup water
1 cup peanuts
2 tbsp softened butter
1 tsp baking soda
Grease large cookie sheet and set aside.
In heavy 2 qt saucepan, over medium heat, bring to boil sugar, corn syrup, water and salt. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Add in peanuts.
Set candy thermometer in place and continue cooking. Stir frequently until temperature reaches 300 degrees or until small amount dropped into very cold water separates into hard, brittle threads.
Remove from heat and immediately stir in butter and baking soda.
Pour at once onto cookie sheet. With two forks, lift and pull peanut mixture into 14x12" rectangle. Cool then snap into pieces.
This was my disappointing recipe. Its normally a huge hit at work and was really good. I think for an 8x8" pan its too much caramel. I won third with this.
Carmelita Bars
32 caramel squares-unwrapped
1/2 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup butter-melted
3/4 cup brown sugar-packed
1 cup flour
1 cup rolled oats
1 tsp baking soda
6 oz semisweet chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350.
Combine caramels and cream in small sauce pan over low heat. Stir until completely smooth then set aside.
In separate bowl, combine butter, brown sugar, flour, oats and baking soda. Pat half of mixture into bottom of 8x8 pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.
Remove from oven and sprinkle chocolate chips over crust. Pour caramel mixture over chocolate chips and crumble remaining oatmeal mixture over top. Return to oven and back for additional 15-20 minutes or until edges are lightly browned.
Allow to cool completely before cutting.
Double for 9x13". Can substitute 1 1/4 cups caramel sauce in place of caramel squares and cream.
Because I always have too many cakes to bake, I go with cupcakes for this one. I've made it before and its really great. Sadly, due to lack of refrigeration, I went with buttercream frosting (gross) and then used canned cream cheese frosting for the ones that I took to work. I would have preferred to use a refrigeration free cream cheese frosting.
Red Velvet Cake
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1 oz red food coloring
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
In medium bowl, mix eggs with wire whisk. Add oil, vinegar, vanilla, buttermilk and food coloring. Set aside.
In large bowl, mix dry ingredients. Add wet ingredients and mix on medium high until combined.
Bake cupcakes for 20-25 minutes. Makes about 36 cupcakes
On the crafting front, I wanted to make one of those tulle wreaths for a long time. And I suppose I should be glad I did, it won first!
But here's a tip-while fairly inexpensive to make (about $15), it is super time consuming. This one took 40 YARDS of tulle and probably 6 hours to complete.
Then I made a centerpiece. We found some old wooden tool boxes in the garage to which I painted 'HARVEST' and some leaves on the neatest one. I sewed small fabric apples (three) and two large pumpkins and one small pumpkin. Add in a little burlap (from a burlap wreath that didn't get made), leaves, ribbon and hot glue and you have yourself a second place winner.
And finally, my old work socks made good!
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