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  • ramble,  recipe

    Coconut Cream Cake, OOPS!

     

     

    I discovered this recipe just before Easter while searching for a new treat to bring to a family event. How could I possibly go wrong with a cake made of coconut and cream? Here’s how. I left the cake in the refrigerator and only remembered it after we’d traveled an hour down the road.

    So, we had a lovely Easter with extended family, returned home, and ate way too much cake. It was as yummy as I’d hoped. The recipe quickly became a family favorite.

    A few months later, I baked two cakes. The first I delivered to our church to be served after a memorial service. I returned home from the drop off and my husband ushered me right back to our SUV so we could take a look at a car he thought we might want to purchase.

    We came to the address listed in the ad, and as we walked toward the garage something felt wrong. I ran my hand over the back of my jeans and immediately my fingers were covered in coconut goo. The cake had leaked onto the seat, and I had sat right in the mess. As I stared at my dripping hand a women emerged from around the corner. Yep, there I was covered in glop as she reached to shake my hand.

    I greeted her with a blank stare and this profound statement: “I have coconut cream on my hand.”

    To her credit, she didn’t hesitate or even ask how I could possibly have gotten coconut cream all over me while standing in her driveway. She just offered me a sink to wash up.

    And we didn’t even buy her car!

    So, what’s the point of that story? I don’t really have one. That’s the benefit of a blog. I can ramble on about anything I want. But I will offer you a reward for having made it through this post. Here’s the recipe:

     

    1 box of white cake mix.

    3 eggs

    1/3 cup of vegetable oil

    1 cup water

    3/4 teaspoon coconut extract

    14 oz. coconut cream (I find this in the mixed drink section. If you can’t find coconut cream, coconut milk will work but use the thickest brand. That means shaking them in the store.)

    14 oz. sweetened condensed milk

    1 cup heavy whipping cream

    1 tablespoon white sugar

    flaked coconut

    1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9×13 inch pan with non-stick spray.
    2. Combine cake mix, eggs, oil, water and coconut flavoring. Beat for 2 minutes and pour into pan. Bake for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean.
    3. Mix together coconut cream and sweetened condensed milk until smooth.
    4. Poke holes into the warm cake using chopsticks or something similar.
    5. Pour mixture over slowly, allowing it to soak into the cake.
    6. Refrigerate for several hours or overnight.
    7. Whip cream and sugar until soft peaks form. Spread over cooled cake. Sprinkle top with flaked coconut.
    8. Do not forget the cake.
    9. Do not transport cake on an uneven car seat.
    10. Do not sit in coconut goo.

    Enjoy! Leave me a comment if you use the recipe. I’d love to hear what you thought.

     

     

    photo credit: RobynAnderson via photopin cc

     

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  • family,  ramble,  writing

    Overwhelmed!

    OVERWHELMED!

     

    Have you ever felt that way?

     

    It’s not the same as unhappy, angry, tired or even frustrated.

     

     

    You can be overwhelmed and still be so blessed you’d never trade places with anyone…ever.

     

    My life is busy. It’s busy for most of us. When I had four very little children, I was overwhelmed with all their needs. Nothing made me happier than being their mother, but it’s a lot of work with very little respite.

     

    As the kiddos grow, my role in their lives has changed. I’ve taken on new challenges and life is no less busy. Where once I filled sippy cups and wiped up sticky fingerprints, now I drive to and from classes, cheer through numerous sporting events, arrange activities for the Senior All-night Party, homeschool and help with homework. And then there’s my writing. And my husband. And that cat who keeps vomiting as soon as anyone lets her in the house.

     

    All great things. Well…maybe not the part about the cat.

     

    I’m sure you know that feeling. It creeps up from your toes, squeezing you until you can’t take a deep breath. Finally, you hit the point where standing in the field and screaming while it’s pouring down rain seems like a logical solution.

     

    And while this may help for a moment, once you’re back in the house and dried off you’re still in the same situation.

     

    Years ago a friend gave me some advice that really helped. She suggested writing down my top three priorities.

     

    Okay, that’s not so hard, right?

     

    Here’s the tricky part, the part I seem to let slide.

     

    Never (or very rarely) say yes to anything that doesn’t positively relate to one of those priorities.

     

    That means saying no. It sounds so easy, but when some sweet lady is asking you to do something that seems like a good thing, it’s so very hard to muster those two letters. N.O.

     

    There are many wonderful things we can do with our time, but if we continue to divide our days, the pieces become too small to make a difference.

     

    What do you think?

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  • family,  ramble

    Another Nelson Improvision

    I hesitated to post this story. After reading, “How We Became Redneck Ranchers,” you may already wonder about our crazy lifestyle. You may even picture my home as held together with a combination of duct tape, wire and spit. It’s not really so. Well, not everywhere.

     

    We’ve been having some issues with the dryer. When the weather is cold, the thing won’t start. It tries, but like a car that’s not quite getting enough gas, it doesn’t turn over.

     

    Funny thing, this only happens when it’s cold. So, being the brilliant folks we are, we put a space heater near the dryer and warmed the area so we could make it start.

     

    This was supposed to be temporary. But in our busy lives, temporary can ride very close to permanent.

     

    After months of this “temporary solution,” our friend Brian came over to help my husband rewire the outlet. How disappointing to find it wasn’t the wiring. Turns out, something in the panel (looks too much like a computer for my liking) is the elusive piece that isn’t quite making connection.

     

    The guys discovered that a blast from a hairdryer was just the thing to fix the problem.

     

    So that brings me to their solution:

    WP_20130107_002-800x450.jpg

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    This is what you’ll find in my porch, a clothes dryer with a hair dryer attached to the back. I have to turn on the blow dryer a few minutes, then start the clothes dryer.

     

    Silly, but it works, and it didn’t cost a fortune.

     

    Maybe it’s tacky, but doesn’t frugal have a better ring?

     

    I’m just glad we don’t live in town!

     

    So, tell me the truth. Do you have any odd fixes in your house?

  • family,  ramble

    Red AND Green Curry

    It’s a birthday tradition in our house that the special person chooses the meal. My kiddos have eclectic tastes. Choices range from exotic to simply potato soup. Last week my oldest daughter had a special birthday. She transitioned to official teen, something she’s waited for since about age three. Her dinner choice was not one, but two kinds of chicken curry.

    WP_20130103_001 - Copy (800x450)

     

     

    I don’t use a recipe, something I picked up from my grandma, but this is the mixture my family is happy with. And it’s simple!

     

    A couple pounds of chicken breast, cubed

    One large sweet onion cut in about 16ths

    The bell peppers (I like one red and two green) cut into one inch sections

    One can of coconut milk

    Red or Green curry paste

    Olive Oil

     

    Heat the oil in a pan then add the veggies. Cook until the onions start to look translucent. Remove the veggies and add the chicken. Brown well. Add the veggies back in and add the curry paste. Cook for a couple minutes then add the coconut milk. Simmer at least ten minutes. Make sure that chicken is cooked!

    Serve with rice.

    Yummy!

    What would you choose for your birthday dinner?