Quality Controll

Happy Monday to you! Did you have a good weekend? Over here at the Acres we had a busy one! There was some spring cleaning, furniture building, Sunday dinner with the fam, and we had a house guest all weekend.

He took one for the team and quality checked the frosting for the cake we were making for Sunday.

He heartily approved.

Tell me, what is it about kids covered in sugary sticky frosting that makes them so darn cute?

Oh My, Pie

Can you believe it, it's the middle of July already. Were has the summer gone. I still have a long list of honey-do projects. And my Pinterest list continues to grow. 

 

Now that its July our garden seams to have sprung up over night, along with the weeds. I can't keep up with them any more. I'd show you pictures of the vegetable garden, but I'm too ashamed of the weeds that are competing with the tomatoes and carrots. Yikes!

 

July also means that the bugs are out in full force. The mosquitoes are especially fierce this year. Let's not talk about the flies.I have the bites and the scabbies on my legs to prove it. I can't help it, they itch. And I must itch until they bleed, them I must pick the scabbies. I know it's horrible and I'm working on it.

 

This weekend I braved the flies and the skeeters and picked some raspberries. They are just starting. By next weekend we shall have a plethora of berries. But this past weekend I picked enough to make something. Can you guess. Really the title of the post gives it away. That's right a pie.

 

A scrum-didilie-umptus pie.

 

 

 

I think I'm going to cut myself a piece right now. And wouldn't you know, we have vanilla ice cream to go on top.



Easter Brunch and An Egg Hunt

We went to my mothers over the weekend to celebrate Easter. As usual she hosted a delicious brunch. With all manner of wonderful things to eat. 

My big sista made a sausage roll, OMG wonderful.  My little sista made us a spinach and mushroom frittata. Mom supplied the ham, a fruit tray, and some pancakes. I brought the cake. 

She also hosts an egg hunt for the grand-kids. This year it was a scavanger type egg hunt with clues to find your next egg and ultimately your Easter present. My parents and I fun the night before thinking of all the clues. 

Gus on the other hand decided he need to have his egg hunt on Saturday. See these beautiful eggs. Miss Talula Bell has been working on this nest for over a week. 

Gus took himself on an adventure Saturday while we were working on some major renovation project, we shall talk about that tomorrow. His adventure took him all over the neighborhood and then back to the porch, where he found the nest and the four eggs. He snatched them and ate them. All of them! The odds of us having any goslings running around just went way down. I think she will still be laying for the next few weeks. I might have to purchase a incubator and snatch the eggs myself this time. 

Almond Berry Cake

Last month Mr. B's parents celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary. Sunday some of there friends threw a surprise party for them. I was asked to bring the cake. 

I made a white cake with almond berry filling and almond frosting. I topped it with fresh berries and almond slivers. 

I never know how many people are going to be at these things and how much cake they eat. So I made cupcakes. Of course they were matchie-matchie. 

A Weekend of Curtains

This past weekend Mr. B had to work. Which means I was productive around the house and was able to cross some things off my crafty to do list.

I made curtains.

For the bathroom.

For the past two years I have had a nasty plain white curtain up in our bathroom. The location of the room and the fact that it is well a loo, demands some privacy. The curtain was hideous, therefore there is no before picture. For those of you who have been to the acres you know how horrible the curtain purchased from the big box store that will not be named (couch Wal-Mart) was. 

The new one is much nicer. So glad I finally got around to this project, I've only been sitting on the fabric since we bought the house. Better late than never.

I opted to go with a half curtain, more like two thirds. It lets in so much light. I am also able to open the window from the top and that will still allow for some nice airflow come the summer without blowing the curtain all over the place. 

I also got around to making the curtain for our bedroom closet. 

You heard that right a closet. For the fist two years, while our bedroom was on the fist story we had make shift closets that Mr. B built us. Not any more. The only down side is our current one didn't have a door. Well it had one of the nasty accordion vinyl doors. Needless to say that had to go. 

I found the fabric while with my mom and aunt. I don't know what I was thinking when I bought it, it was a tad  on the expensive side. But that happens when you are with those two... Not saying that I don't like it because it is perfect.

It makes the room look that much more complete. When I bought it I was hoping to have enough to make a throw pillow or reupholster a rocking chair. Good thing I bought as much as I did after I finish the hem I will have only a few inches to spare. (Yes I still need to hem it.)

It was the weekend of sewing curtains. (and reading books I did spend most of Saturday reading). But really it was the weekend of sewing and baking sweet rolls.

Yummm. 

Lemon Blueberry Sweet Rolls. 

Those had to go to work before I devoured the whole pan. 

BTW (Mary, that means by the way) This is my 100th post!! Thanks for tagging along so far!

Triumph

I DID IT!

I baked a pie! First pie ever for this girl. The presentation needs some work, my crust edges aren't picture perfect, but it tastes amazing! The strawberry rhubarb combo is oh so delicious. 

I used my trusty cook book for a butter crust recipe and searched the Internet for a strawberry filling that would require no trips to town for extra ingredients. Most of the strawberry ones I found required tapioca, well we gots none of that on the acres. I managed to find this recipe. It is a really moist pie and a little on the runny side, so I might be changing it up next time.

My Granny makes the best pies ever, but doesn't every one's granny? I have a lot to live up to in the pie department. I know she makes her crust with lard, I might have to give that a try next time. I know doesn't sound so appetizing but it's the bestest flakiest crust that you will ever taste. 

I would have to say this adventure was a success and pie has defiantly been added to the rotation of baked goodies that come out of my kitchen.

Chocolate Chip Banana Cake

Because it's Wednesday and the first 80 degree day this year and I can finally open my kitchen window (the new ones were installed today!!), I decided to bake a cake. It was either that or get my bum kick by Jillian Michaels. I chose the obvious decision. Cake. Really, who would want to work out when they could make delicious cake and perform all the necessary quality checks. 


I had bananas sitting on the counter. It was only a matter of time before they attracted fruit flies. Banana cake it was, with chocolate chips. There were some hanging in the cupboard,I had meant to make Mr. B chocolate chip cookies weeks ago. Now for frosting. No cream cheese to be had in this house. My usual frosting for banana cake. What goes well with bananas...Peanut Butter!! Peanut butter honey frosting it was. 


The combination is amazing. Bananas, peanut butter, honey, and chocolate oh my! Even Mr. B who is NOT a desert person approved.

Banana Cake


1/2 cup butter softened
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 cup sour cream
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
3ish bananas
(half bag of chocolate chips optional)


Cream together butter and sugar. Add sour cream, eggs, and vanilla. In a separate bowl mix flour, sugar, and baking soda. Alternately add mashed bananas and dry ingredients. If adding chocolate chips mix them in at this time. Pour batter into a 11x17 jelly roll pan. Bake at 350 for 20 to 25 minutes. 
Let cool completely.


Peanut Butter Honey Frosting


1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup peanut butter
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 tbsp. honey
2 tbsp. water
2 cups powdered sugar


Cream together butter, peanut butter, and honey. Add vanilla and water. Add sugar mix until well blended.