baking

Over-The-Top Carrot Cake

September 14, 2015September 16, 2015 RefreshHer5 Comments

I LOVE Southern Living recipes, and I really, really, LOVE their cakes. It seems that they take a simple recipe and just take it over the top! I have made several of their cakes that have become some of my all time favorites. The Blackberry Raspberry Truffle Cake and Coconut Cake are two. They will stay on my list for special occasions, but I’ve recently found another one – it’s for The Ultimate Carrot Cake! I made this because my husband is a fan of Carrot cake, but honestly, this recipe has changed my mind about this old classic!

In my standard fashion, I made the cake layers a few days in advance and froze them so that the icing and assembly would be faster and easier. The cake rose beautifully and was very moist. The icing calls for 7 cups of powdered sugar – I only used 5. It was delicious! Then the thing that was the “Icing on the Cake” (ha!) were the carrot curls on top. They are so yummy and resemble fruit leather. They were not hard to make and made a pretty presentation and a nice little added treat to each piece of cake! So, be sure to add the pretty embellishment, because it’s more than just decoration!

The Ultimate Carrot Cake

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups chopped pecans

1 tablespoon butter, melted

1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon table salt

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

1/2 cup canola oil

3 large eggs

3/4 cup buttermilk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3 cups grated carrots

1 cup peeled and grated Granny Smith apple

1 cup sweetened flaked coconut

Candied Carrot Curls

Brown Sugar-Cream Cheese Frosting

See a Collection of Classic Appetizers

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Toss together first 3 ingredients; spread in a single layer in a foil- lined pan. Bake 10 minutes or until toasted, stirring once.

2. Stir together flour and next 4 ingredients. Beat butter and both sugars at medium speed with an electric mixer until blended. Add oil; beat until blended. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until blended.

3. Add flour mixture to butter mixture alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Stir in vanilla; fold in carrots, next 2 ingredients, and 1 cup toasted pecans. Spoon batter into 3 greased (with shortening) and floured 9-inch round cake pans.

4. Bake at 350° for 23 to 28 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks 15 minutes. Remove from pans, and cool completely. Spread Brown Sugar-Cream Cheese Frosting between layers and on top and sides of cake. Top with Candied Carrot Curls and remaining toasted pecans.

Do you have any Southern Living Cakes that you make regularly? Tell me about them! I’m always on the lookout for a recipe to add to my collection!

With love from my country kitchen,

Uncategorized

Bow Making Is Easy!

September 11, 2015September 16, 2015 RefreshHer8 Comments

I made this flag last year. I simply

Cut the burlap to the size I wanted
Frayed the edges of three sides.
On the top, I turned it down and made a casing for the pole to go through.
I used acrylic paint and free-handed a simple pumpkin on.
I used narrow ribbon to create the monogram and attached it using hot glue.

It was a super easy project and held up in the weather really well! The only thing that needed replacing was the bow. Here’s a video about how I made my bows:

Here’s the finished edge of the bow:

Will you make something crafty for your fall decor? Sometimes all you need is a fresh bow…try it!

Stay refreshed,

Uncategorized

Before your Blessing, First This

September 9, 2015September 9, 2015 RefreshHer6 Comments

A Peek at my week will reveal…

Without six weeks of classes, cooking and hard work, there would have been no celebration dinner like we had last Saturday night! All the husbands were invited to join their wives in celebrating the completion of the Six-week course of Apples of Gold. We had seventeen in attendance and had a really sweet time together!

I used fall colors and apples as my theme for the tables as you can see on this one.

Without a job, there would not be the need for rest on Labor Day! I’m thankful for the Monday we were able to spend at a park with views of the mountains and a lake! It was gorgeous. We had KFC grilled chicken and I brought Mason jars of sweet tea to cool our parched throats. How pretty is a jar of tea at a picnic?!

Without dark nights there would be no joy of morning! The picture below was taken from my rocking chair at around 7:00 a.m. It was so special to sit there and watch the sky go from black night to the wonderful colors of the morning!

After our picnic on Monday we headed further up the mountain to get fresh South Carolina Peaches! These were about the size of baseballs! Without the further drive up the mountain and enduring some steep curves and slopes, we wouldn’t have had the blessing of peaches in our yogurt yesterday morning! It was worth the trip!

Liza surprises me sometimes and enjoys being in my lap while I work at the computer. She’s not really a lap cat, so I’ll take all the attention she’ll give me! Pets are work and take special care, but without them, life wouldn’t be nearly so sweet! She’s a faithful companion!

I hope you see where this post is going. Without hard things there’s no blessing – no reward. Whatever hard thing you’re enduring right now – like

early mornings because of job schedules
sleepless nights because of a baby
interruptions in life because of illness
waiting instead of possessing whatever it is your heart wants right NOW

remember that it will be worth it to receive the blessing – and it will come eventually. Don’t give up. One day you’ll be posting a picture on Instagram or writing an update in your status about God’s answer and how much better it is than you ever imagined! Keep waiting.

Lovingly,

Parenting

Loving Training VS. Unfair Cruelty

September 8, 2015September 9, 2015 RefreshHer2 Comments

Family Camps and Family sermons are a blessing for a mom who is hungry to do things God’s way! I can remember times when after attending Family Camp, I’d come home all fired up and ready to set my girls on the straight and narrow path of discipline. Yes sir, we were going to have an organized, happy, well-run home now! So I’d get out my notes from the sermon on Child Discipline and I’d begin to apply the rules, and the loving discipline that came as a result of not obeying Mommy. Wow! What a change! My daughters knew their limitations, what was expected, and what would happen if they chose to disobey. I learned that children want to know where the boundaries are. It made our girls feel loved and safe. It made them happy, and it made their parents happy! That is until…

A tiring day would set in. Maybe it started because I had a migraine the night before and got little sleep. Maybe we’d had a busy day, and everyone was worn out…especially Mom. One of the girls would “cross the line” and do one of the “Taboo” things they were recently taught not to do, and in my weariness I’d overlook it. I’d excuse it for one reason or another. Then not long thereafter, she’d add another “taboo” action or response, and she knew it, and so did I, but in my weariness I’d reason, “don’t we all have bad days now and then, for goodness sake?”

On and on this would continue, until finally Mom had had ENOUGH. The proverbial tea kettle boiled over and Katie bar the door, this child was in BIG TROUBLE! Discipline was given, but in anger and frustration, rather than loving correction. How unfair. How cruel of me. The only thing I taught my child in moments like those was to be afraid of Mom!

It was time for Mom to go to school and learn some parenting Math:

Discipline + Consistency = Loving Training

BUT,

Discipline – Consistency = Unfair Cruelty

This equation is true in every area of parenting. We learn this from our heavenly Father. God is a just God. He’s immutable (never changing). He loves us enough to consistently discipline and correct every time we disobey.

Last week I gave some encouragement for moms who desire to train their children to sit in church. I heard through the grapevine that one mom read that post and then said, “I sure hope this works!” It’s no secret formula, for sure, it’s just doing the math problem above, adding discipline with consistency in order to lovingly train your child to sit quietly in church. It takes time, it takes patience, but probably the most important ingredient is the consistency!

When you’re doing the training at home on your couch, if you overlook him getting down a couple times because he “needed his blankie,” or “he wanted his other sippie cup,” you are headed for nothing but frustration. It’s essential that what you expect from your child you adhere to each and every single time. Without that consistency, your child won’t know what’s really expected. They will be confused. One day you correct him for getting down or throwing a fit, the next day, you overlook it. Then when you’re sitting in church and he decides to take a trip down the aisle during the sermon, you’re now embarrassed by his actions, and you chase him down, snatch him up in anger, and storm out of the service. How unfair and cruel.

On my inconsistent days with my daughters, when I finally got back on track and followed through with the loving training, you know what happened? The strife was gone from our home! The Tea Kettle settled down, and my child was once again happy! Yes, even after being corrected. Love your child enough to be consistent with him. It’s the loving training that will bring glory to God and peace in your home and hearts!

When do you find it hardest to be consistent in child-training?

With love,

Home decor

Transitioning Fall Into Your Home

September 4, 2015September 9, 2015 RefreshHer7 Comments

On our walks this week I’ve seen little touches of fall – a few red leaves are swinging on tree branches, the corn is cut and turned to silage, the hay bales are rolled, and acorns are rolling on the street like marbles in a little boy’s pocket.

I love how the Lord slowly brings us into the fall season like that. We don’t wake up one morning and find it. BLAM! All the trees have changed colors, the birds have flown south, the days are short and summer is out of here! No, it happens slowly. It waltzes in, swirling and blowing about our feet.

The “Blam!” description has often been my approach to fall decorating. I’d open the boxes and spill it out everywhere. But I’m trying to make my technique mature a little. I’m having to rein myself in, but I think it’s going to happen! I still want to hang onto summer while I can and enjoy its sunshine and warm days, but also embrace the cool nights and changing hues. I believe it’s really best if our home decor echoes what’s going on outside.

So, here’s how I’m trying to do that:

Layering. I’ll start with subtle layers like here on the coffee table. As the season progresses, I’ll add additional layers by placing rugs on the floor, or throws on the side of a chair or the bed. It gives a warm, inviting feeling to the room.

My fall magazines and Scrabble tiles give a natural transition into September and the new season.

What says Autumn more than hot coffee? Coffee beans around a candle are almost as good! I love Susan Branch’s seasonal books! They inspire me! This one is my favorite!

Of course a kitty makes any room more inviting!

I think a bookcase is so inviting and welcoming on its own, but with a few touches it can also say Autumn! I added a few books, leaves and an acorn dish.

So, there’s a little of what I’ve done so far. Little by little, it will be finished – maybe just in time for the first day of Autumn at the end of the month!

Do you transition the fall decor into your home or do you add it all at one time?

Stay refreshed,