tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13028259420151568572024-03-17T20:01:28.906-07:00Confections from the Cody KitchenAdventures of an Amateur Bakermorganecodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17185136905892806461noreply@blogger.comBlogger177125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1302825942015156857.post-13984356134294776922013-08-22T10:05:00.001-07:002013-08-22T10:05:36.210-07:00Anyone still home?Anyone still there? <br />
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I know I fell off the bandwagon big time after the holidays this past year and then only followed up with 3 posts in March. I had every intention of making my return to the blogging world a regular one. I absolutely love it, after all. So March came around and I got all excited with those 3 posts.....and then the hubs and I decided to put our house up for sale. Little did I know how many changes such an endeavor would bring.</div>
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It went something like this: the Saturday before Easter the hubs and I went to look at a few homes to see if we could find any we liked. If we could, then we agreed that we would put our house on the market. Of course, we toured THE house that day. You know, THE ONE. You walk in and just know from the moment you step inside that it's where you're supposed to be. It just has a peace about it and feels like home.<br />
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A lot of times this gets confused with a home just being super nice. This home wasn't the biggest or the most expensive home we toured, but it had the most charm by a long shot for us. It had character and we loved that so much attention was paid to the details. You know those mammoth homes you walk into and it seems like they just went big for the sake of going big? We wanted plenty of room to grow as a family down the road, but certainly didn't want the aforementioned feeling.<br />
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People kept reminding me that home is wherever you make it and that you can be incredibly happy in several homes. While I know without a doubt this is so very true, I still kept going back to "Yeah, but this is different because I just know we're supposed to be there". I even referred to it as "our house" when talking to other people. Lordy. Dramatic much? My poor husband....when we walked out of the house after touring it I looked over at our real estate agent with a big cheshire grin and shouted "We'll take it!". I turned back to my hubby only to see a look of pure bewilderment, as we obviously had yet to discuss it ourselves. Whoops. Too late to shovel the words back in now. He kept telling me I was a real estate agent's dream.<br />
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To make a long story short, we listed our home 2 weeks later on a Wednesday, sold it to the first potential buyers 3 days later, offered on "our" home 2 days after that and closed on both 4 weeks later. To say it was a whirlwind would not even come close. A good whirlwind though. </div>
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We've been in the new place for a little over two months but it still doesn't feel anywhere near settled. We were lucky that we didn't have to do any major repairs, but there were several cosmetic things I wanted to take on. Of course there is this little thing called a budget (smile) and I have been trying to spread the projects out. </div>
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One of the things that needs to be replaced is the double oven. It's a great brand (Thermador), but it's an older model and never heats evenly. I've tried to bake 3 different layer cakes only to have them burn and/or cook so unevenly that they weren't edible. While we have certainly been busy moving, one of the biggest reasons for the lack of food blogs is this issue with the oven. Because of its issues I don't feel like I can even begin to give someone instructions as to how to prepare something.<br />
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Exhibit A: The Culprit</div>
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Hopefully there will be some food posts soon! I certainly hope so because I miss this blog something terrible. <br />
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Below are a few pics of our new home and things we want to work on. I figured this could be a peace offering since I don't have any food pictures to share at the moment. I won't regularly post pics of my home and/or household projects considering it's not an area in which I hold any ounce of expertise. Rather it's just a means to help explain my absence. That and several out of town friends kept asking for pics.<br />
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Enjoy!<br />
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DISCLAIMER: Nothing is clean or "finished" per se. Beds are not made and wallpaper is only partially removed. But I figured it will be a LONG time until everything is done, so I might as well go ahead and share. That and all of these pics were taken with my iphone. Not the best quality, but better than nothing, right?</div>
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The play set needs a bit of cleaning off, but considering its use</div>
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isn't imminent we should be fine for a while. </div>
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PS Those are blueberry bushes to the left behind the tree...one</div>
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of my favorite finds!</div>
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Next up is the foyer...</div>
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It needs some love and a few prints for the</div>
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stairway, but that's pretty low on my list right now.</div>
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The dining room...one of only two rooms that I really consider to be "done".</div>
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The other "done" room. Of course I chose the two least practical rooms (the</div>
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dining room and the formal living) to finish first [insert sarcasm].</div>
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There was that one lone window on the only wall that made</div>
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sense for the couch and I was at a complete loss as to what to do with it. I used</div>
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these prints to make a gallery of sorts until I find a more</div>
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permanent solution. At least they can distract a bit, right?</div>
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Other side of the formal living</div>
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The other "least done" room in the house besides the bedroom: the den. </div>
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Just ignore the fact that there is no coffee table, no lamps, the fact that the TV is not yet </div>
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mounted and the ironing board over there in the corner. </div>
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The TV is currently sitting on my beloved mirrored buffet until it gets mounted. </div>
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I kindly requested that we at least drape a blanket over the top lest it get scratched.</div>
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The good news is that we have several things on their way to round out the room. </div>
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A pair of chinoiserie lamps very similar to these will find their homes on the end tables.</div>
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These chairs are coming in the Martin Sapphire shade for more seating. When</div>
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they arrive the tan chair will go upstairs.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDSxZL8vanN0NaFC3STEJTq4g_ZESSO2fyoeacEbvhNb10umahdqqMSOAn4XE1qIHfMwQYeDU3WmFhs1djU6KoEiaqGUsnhxikVXXnd-C2F1zwMxgs_RaSCrWRHqYwmBwIDIlZRmkcSaw/s1600/CR+Laine+Colby+Chair.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDSxZL8vanN0NaFC3STEJTq4g_ZESSO2fyoeacEbvhNb10umahdqqMSOAn4XE1qIHfMwQYeDU3WmFhs1djU6KoEiaqGUsnhxikVXXnd-C2F1zwMxgs_RaSCrWRHqYwmBwIDIlZRmkcSaw/s400/CR+Laine+Colby+Chair.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjEW1fEPlNVEyN2x0KzdMuzB9swmf3Su0SlLVPmWFR7VtqJImqXneBwEJz0D_NAvv_-xF2QlhIYDfppeFdrLz7vWsFEHnxdRyLAIVVjFs40I-8FtPgsNDCea1EAE0gPkN0AxIDYmTgVao/s1600/Martin_Sapphire.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjEW1fEPlNVEyN2x0KzdMuzB9swmf3Su0SlLVPmWFR7VtqJImqXneBwEJz0D_NAvv_-xF2QlhIYDfppeFdrLz7vWsFEHnxdRyLAIVVjFs40I-8FtPgsNDCea1EAE0gPkN0AxIDYmTgVao/s1600/Martin_Sapphire.jpg" /></a></div>
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Martin Sapphire </div>
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The cane chairs up towards the fire place are ones that I found at a tent sale for </div>
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90% off (score!) We had them recovered in the fabric on the left below. We are going to </div>
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have some pillows made in that fabric and also in the fabric on the right.</div>
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*So sorry for the small size..when you try to enlarge it everything gets blurry.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB3LoDJMpzGjcE69tc4FqSA_bntI_ZC_DQ3nuHop8StAIWgYpHwVFogIyv_X7w3onlfLsbvDrIf8dUEieb4pkwMbR9QBpbEEEEKgBtOYDtRIOKBOTI2V_Vg-VBPKOo2eT7ihMbFfD7GEU/s1600/Caroline_Mist.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB3LoDJMpzGjcE69tc4FqSA_bntI_ZC_DQ3nuHop8StAIWgYpHwVFogIyv_X7w3onlfLsbvDrIf8dUEieb4pkwMbR9QBpbEEEEKgBtOYDtRIOKBOTI2V_Vg-VBPKOo2eT7ihMbFfD7GEU/s1600/Caroline_Mist.jpg" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWvPRFfdN-_Rx0c9NKKvti8lIkJSuBwIdSOFs9sgmTyMuI3ezmTIiwSNTyzJXFt5H6JO-Fil5creVxAJE3bRzMAIopUjpMVdfRvVBj7RQKnVBudeGkjdemzDqBp-9fwllq3bosWbWLHs4/s1600/Windsong_Breeze.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWvPRFfdN-_Rx0c9NKKvti8lIkJSuBwIdSOFs9sgmTyMuI3ezmTIiwSNTyzJXFt5H6JO-Fil5creVxAJE3bRzMAIopUjpMVdfRvVBj7RQKnVBudeGkjdemzDqBp-9fwllq3bosWbWLHs4/s1600/Windsong_Breeze.jpg" /></a></div>
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Probably my favorite room in the house. The kitchen: where the blog magic will finally happen one day. </div>
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I love to cook and one of my favorite things about this kitchen was the amount of space it has. </div>
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Perfect for having groups over. And since it opens up to the den I won't feel</div>
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shut off from everyone when I'm in there.</div>
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In several years I would love to redo the counter tops with marble, but</div>
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that is definitely a ways off. It's a dream inspired by Pinterest :) One day....</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGjjAD5iFlIfBJZTUpsKGMUxQXJm4l5fUPQ7yIaeCqrthw3urWIhkGLdN5_ASPKRZ7D2-Cs6ahrW-8wKlO_4dJV7djC7DvW1TxrRd1vUpFzlrRFJzRy_ZzqvZxR4ObL7MVuvx8T2WHrMM/s1600/Wood+home+050.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGjjAD5iFlIfBJZTUpsKGMUxQXJm4l5fUPQ7yIaeCqrthw3urWIhkGLdN5_ASPKRZ7D2-Cs6ahrW-8wKlO_4dJV7djC7DvW1TxrRd1vUpFzlrRFJzRy_ZzqvZxR4ObL7MVuvx8T2WHrMM/s400/Wood+home+050.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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More wallpaper (smile). This is the powder room right off the kitchen.</div>
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I know it sounds crazy, but I'm really hoping to put fabric up on the walls like you would</div>
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with wallpaper. I saw this done at Phoebe Howard's showroom in Atlanta and </div>
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have been coveting the idea ever since.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIWRX7JStfmVZcXSi5peDqg_vlSKQnXgITo_-ff50PbaA3hNPXOnAfKTBV85ndveIZgnvxAoxVhRyO1zviqS7aUWqDwn2tvBtWGYSpXAALiEISzSre5ecLBHMqOQi8N7uijCG_xyVPfOU/s1600/Wood+home+006.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIWRX7JStfmVZcXSi5peDqg_vlSKQnXgITo_-ff50PbaA3hNPXOnAfKTBV85ndveIZgnvxAoxVhRyO1zviqS7aUWqDwn2tvBtWGYSpXAALiEISzSre5ecLBHMqOQi8N7uijCG_xyVPfOU/s400/Wood+home+006.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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These are my favorites now...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdXTLdwiZOXsogSlhuJIqkN-uVNAG_3pUrtIxT7CZFOKvy8ePzMa_vMr-PHP4qyN1u_r5LxDysKQTcDApjqL7wHWJHXs3XZRpPr6bq-k0l8n-wmLXfkaFA_sdWNrj7mUvF3ZHEoJndMWc/s1600/wallpaper+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdXTLdwiZOXsogSlhuJIqkN-uVNAG_3pUrtIxT7CZFOKvy8ePzMa_vMr-PHP4qyN1u_r5LxDysKQTcDApjqL7wHWJHXs3XZRpPr6bq-k0l8n-wmLXfkaFA_sdWNrj7mUvF3ZHEoJndMWc/s320/wallpaper+2.jpg" width="240" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPmk9z442o9KE18qjM-Tgd092tPfhQ5-KSUZ8Yll3ev6pFciL-mi6-tylycJw72SXR5_CAJv-nbtb-0bUD2z6X_-pjJmdggX9Ny6dez4PQQgNmH7S86PZxFuPonAYQ628aWgTodbfiQ0I/s1600/wallpaper+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPmk9z442o9KE18qjM-Tgd092tPfhQ5-KSUZ8Yll3ev6pFciL-mi6-tylycJw72SXR5_CAJv-nbtb-0bUD2z6X_-pjJmdggX9Ny6dez4PQQgNmH7S86PZxFuPonAYQ628aWgTodbfiQ0I/s320/wallpaper+3.jpg" width="219" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5YpRMajwGN2MvQLCFXI3yQgmurmL6-kTEoul1MJM20Jgs6-BAOewM_dboP5XCzVWeCBY8Ck0Ow3erNQyUJ9-NXaRJwbHWVIUEnZZagOqbEWfiOzukjZe3M88wnPeZLr_NgDPiR4h6i6A/s1600/wallpaper+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5YpRMajwGN2MvQLCFXI3yQgmurmL6-kTEoul1MJM20Jgs6-BAOewM_dboP5XCzVWeCBY8Ck0Ow3erNQyUJ9-NXaRJwbHWVIUEnZZagOqbEWfiOzukjZe3M88wnPeZLr_NgDPiR4h6i6A/s320/wallpaper+4.jpg" width="238" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicATYA8or3DK7ibvlYA4OxoFiSj-UfPlf-0NEUjAmRwDi6iCqtIe8brRpL5IaRkprtkLzN-wzPhnGwXDtievrH-mzWaBnwDJBEtFt43ohf5d21YM63Cem3QtLpMzXWdA2Ng_z386jhiwk/s1600/wallpaper.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicATYA8or3DK7ibvlYA4OxoFiSj-UfPlf-0NEUjAmRwDi6iCqtIe8brRpL5IaRkprtkLzN-wzPhnGwXDtievrH-mzWaBnwDJBEtFt43ohf5d21YM63Cem3QtLpMzXWdA2Ng_z386jhiwk/s320/wallpaper.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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I know, I have officially lost my marbles. Wallpaper and the like is outdated and those </div>
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colors/patternsabove are nutty. And considering I'm a pretty "vanilla"</div>
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person about everything else you would think I would get tired of them in a matter of months.</div>
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But I love them. A lot. We'll see....</div>
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I decided to get a bit creative with the panoramic feature for the mast bath....</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghUWlN_MSqUOMxI7miK7J6KVfD03B5cZQS5e8xiBLkgOv04b7pLiQ1njvpmc3aEZN-3PAmFW5GiAuRMBmRDHCzXjdg9erlCc25WHUZF0ZO4a4gB6pnnDnD4CP2RaZmydq0JY6iMaIZp7g/s1600/Wood+home+002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="162" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghUWlN_MSqUOMxI7miK7J6KVfD03B5cZQS5e8xiBLkgOv04b7pLiQ1njvpmc3aEZN-3PAmFW5GiAuRMBmRDHCzXjdg9erlCc25WHUZF0ZO4a4gB6pnnDnD4CP2RaZmydq0JY6iMaIZp7g/s400/Wood+home+002.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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The wallpaper will most certainly go, but I'm going to hire someone</div>
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else to do that because of all of the angles, nooks and crevices. I'm thinking of a light</div>
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cream..??</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSJuFVszl8TIAJQ3pKDFwTlDiEdR05Kw1n3uqklM5vNC4j4HnX978yU5OWb-Y5eMjwe2EeB6-MGIXzHQS-sWsy5-3CEj69hQw7tiHM3jffZZ4p1aj6Gfjh3IT7LbLoLffB65wv0ESmxSQ/s1600/cloud+white.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSJuFVszl8TIAJQ3pKDFwTlDiEdR05Kw1n3uqklM5vNC4j4HnX978yU5OWb-Y5eMjwe2EeB6-MGIXzHQS-sWsy5-3CEj69hQw7tiHM3jffZZ4p1aj6Gfjh3IT7LbLoLffB65wv0ESmxSQ/s200/cloud+white.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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Benjamin Moore Cloud White - 967</div>
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One day I would love an oushak rug in there...maybe like this one....</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiZgedEYEznJfIzW8Mt1OSJm-TdAx-5u8hyphenhyphenKiX8E0W37lDY76_Z_LZ5Fr2MpDcH66HyTllWnNlu2C4uOcqJHMlI2iL2gIPn_09LuQ4bPMmyAg5FWxna63BlixIeCmSPP_-mxookDIN6zE/s1600/oushak+rug.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiZgedEYEznJfIzW8Mt1OSJm-TdAx-5u8hyphenhyphenKiX8E0W37lDY76_Z_LZ5Fr2MpDcH66HyTllWnNlu2C4uOcqJHMlI2iL2gIPn_09LuQ4bPMmyAg5FWxna63BlixIeCmSPP_-mxookDIN6zE/s320/oushak+rug.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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The bedroom is really the only room where anything major will</div>
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take place. While the tile floor is really nice, I can't quit wracking my brain trying</div>
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to figure out why in the world you would pull up nice hardwood floors to put this down</div>
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in your bedroom of all places. I'm still undecided between carpet and hardwood</div>
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but we'll be switching it out one way or another by Christmas. </div>
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*Those are most certainly not our regular sheets. Yikes!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDLzBAN6VjI_AyMA5lQrY0iwll9YxwoiCTuigYjk1ICoCGQd5myOeG9rwq6vCQMMvK-iDbhT4g9BzCq4ud6NewA0tUBsuBI8n_e6ArmmDDZ6oN0a0Xvl-3xtwEh4_q4G4Jazh3twOj1kU/s1600/Wood+home+052.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDLzBAN6VjI_AyMA5lQrY0iwll9YxwoiCTuigYjk1ICoCGQd5myOeG9rwq6vCQMMvK-iDbhT4g9BzCq4ud6NewA0tUBsuBI8n_e6ArmmDDZ6oN0a0Xvl-3xtwEh4_q4G4Jazh3twOj1kU/s400/Wood+home+052.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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We don't have nightstands right now (can you spot that lovely</div>
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plastic drawer set on the right), but I found some at Scott's Antique Show</div>
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that I plan to purchase this next month.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_ODkW46ugdZi_tb600_lSD8t3wesqyW0Olsph01WyQig5QnDxC2rVm7T7JFctfH_JP4x_XwvFyPRxQNVBEVsQ1HHvO6-VW1D831avnxnEED60FS4Pbj6zd6_m_6eLWc5TKXzd1WQNc3I/s1600/photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_ODkW46ugdZi_tb600_lSD8t3wesqyW0Olsph01WyQig5QnDxC2rVm7T7JFctfH_JP4x_XwvFyPRxQNVBEVsQ1HHvO6-VW1D831avnxnEED60FS4Pbj6zd6_m_6eLWc5TKXzd1WQNc3I/s320/photo.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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As far as the color goes, I had already purchased 2 cans of Benjamin Moore Spa in</div>
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anticipation of painting at our old house. When we suddenly decided to sell I opted to</div>
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save it for wherever we moved.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXN7xNg-pdQK_S2cipBjrfsOUsB1C1lNKzXcOsxTo6vXaUBO8wZ24EzFhQyGuo-TSI0Mm8okkzaZQK7OLl5yaiua9LNXo2_7tiN2ctFPN_dmZyD701NoJ-IfRd8djlP8TayIiQ0AM7_KY/s1600/AF-435.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXN7xNg-pdQK_S2cipBjrfsOUsB1C1lNKzXcOsxTo6vXaUBO8wZ24EzFhQyGuo-TSI0Mm8okkzaZQK7OLl5yaiua9LNXo2_7tiN2ctFPN_dmZyD701NoJ-IfRd8djlP8TayIiQ0AM7_KY/s200/AF-435.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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Benjamin Moore Spa - AF435</div>
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It looks a little more lime in this pic, but it's really soft in person. That's what I'm hoping anyways. </div>
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Once we get the room painted I will finally hang all of our prints on the walls. </div>
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I've got some Ryan Studio slubby linen double flange pillows that will go on the bed</div>
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along with our regular bedding.</div>
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Aloe Ocean</div>
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I debated over whether to dress the plantation shutters</div>
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but am going to end up doing pinch pleat panels flanking them. I think this will </div>
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look better especially considering that the only good place to put the bed</div>
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was right in front of a window.</div>
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Now upstairs...kid room #1</div>
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Kid room #2. We are leaving these empty for the time being. I</div>
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just don't want to spend money decorating them only to have to </div>
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get rid of everything when it's time for a nursery.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjegZFYtbkmdZE-JBvKnZsozVi5XK939uTIFo9I0vHpWSKE3xbWaJ4uzZanBCigVbl6ywUj1lVUwr_KPTXtdlt-VRfGXwPG1Rej4Yd9iwILqdZ3_ouQC_1j9fB3K6feQ3q0oUHk24i2JfQ/s1600/Wood+home+042.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjegZFYtbkmdZE-JBvKnZsozVi5XK939uTIFo9I0vHpWSKE3xbWaJ4uzZanBCigVbl6ywUj1lVUwr_KPTXtdlt-VRfGXwPG1Rej4Yd9iwILqdZ3_ouQC_1j9fB3K6feQ3q0oUHk24i2JfQ/s400/Wood+home+042.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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More wallpaper! This is the bathroom adjoining kids rooms #1 and #2.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6iIbM6U9wcX3EzsbrFhAhivkyVYPe9JNcnXMdpdlZx_CGyLBvAom1b7heQRvFobUETlS5uexExy0LoPjDP8JxtFyDogutrIzUsBiY6Si9-abZOI2MYlh21u6y4YptQM0PqDFoGVSaBY0/s1600/Wood+home+041.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6iIbM6U9wcX3EzsbrFhAhivkyVYPe9JNcnXMdpdlZx_CGyLBvAom1b7heQRvFobUETlS5uexExy0LoPjDP8JxtFyDogutrIzUsBiY6Si9-abZOI2MYlh21u6y4YptQM0PqDFoGVSaBY0/s400/Wood+home+041.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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Guest bed. Also known as our dumping ground for</div>
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extra clothes at the moment.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmqxP_-Wu6aVxBK4aY5PDrdBWl0HZlEhV6hGLEbr_Kg6llBkoE7MVzXFuaDx15qg3JHlQaIMx34hd-s_1wJiCddxnSBVfXZb6aUon_MoEGdlqiL3Fm70vf4Vm26akMFRAmsLREcQ3YaNM/s1600/Wood+home+044.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmqxP_-Wu6aVxBK4aY5PDrdBWl0HZlEhV6hGLEbr_Kg6llBkoE7MVzXFuaDx15qg3JHlQaIMx34hd-s_1wJiCddxnSBVfXZb6aUon_MoEGdlqiL3Fm70vf4Vm26akMFRAmsLREcQ3YaNM/s400/Wood+home+044.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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I spotted this bedding at the Mart not too long ago and would</div>
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love to get a version of it for this room.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN_Q0Wrfb8H2R9vCG9_-1qfj8O6gysznf6Nw5JMAoMvCgT2LIYwKl5AVCDZ854YkOb8UI-VEFFuZK8fkWqhbgr6Pe5lXfvSWZfdVf3xbi1eqdoRd8TkYzUEyoKpm_ROSlbr7o7qMvUWxI/s1600/photo+(1).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN_Q0Wrfb8H2R9vCG9_-1qfj8O6gysznf6Nw5JMAoMvCgT2LIYwKl5AVCDZ854YkOb8UI-VEFFuZK8fkWqhbgr6Pe5lXfvSWZfdVf3xbi1eqdoRd8TkYzUEyoKpm_ROSlbr7o7qMvUWxI/s320/photo+(1).JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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The bath for the above room...and the only place where</div>
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I have started to tackle the wallpaper. </div>
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Oh.my.lord. I had no idea what I was getting myself into. It's not a hard job at all. It's </div>
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just that it takes tons of patience and is super time consuming. Maybe in 3 months I'll be done. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdk1wrT4IaQ0g5XRH5eBK4LJYVjy_8hLPxdbkVeoYLiyiGqLEDe5ZIY3Oc9lQPzqhwP8z063C9uw5vQXDEK0vCjPVoJzzkkkSQQmBg02ki6VBy-rTFXixBi9lyYINB23xRpvqekZSf8Bc/s1600/Wood+home+046.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdk1wrT4IaQ0g5XRH5eBK4LJYVjy_8hLPxdbkVeoYLiyiGqLEDe5ZIY3Oc9lQPzqhwP8z063C9uw5vQXDEK0vCjPVoJzzkkkSQQmBg02ki6VBy-rTFXixBi9lyYINB23xRpvqekZSf8Bc/s400/Wood+home+046.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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I'm hoping to do a cornice for this bath, kind of like the one below.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWtre1ZZLVJxtMoLOOq-GPcRI7PKPpSE3SSvS7Ggtnan1Lq7ZDuWP2UR3Vy1MzBjmHBk5ztKCYnJBg_VOca-EmcHu3suaDY7CuFwSDVEDn2Rv3MntCilvEtd-wUYZGMHvpaBklNGqGHbY/s1600/bath2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWtre1ZZLVJxtMoLOOq-GPcRI7PKPpSE3SSvS7Ggtnan1Lq7ZDuWP2UR3Vy1MzBjmHBk5ztKCYnJBg_VOca-EmcHu3suaDY7CuFwSDVEDn2Rv3MntCilvEtd-wUYZGMHvpaBklNGqGHbY/s320/bath2.jpg" width="239" /></a></div>
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And last but not least, the hubby's office. There are still several prints and</div>
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paintings that need to find a home, but it's getting there.</div>
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He loves it so much he didn't even want to move for the picture :)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu7nFFoSGBmqd8CSt3Sz4Xe5QIL9VXm9TIyhGUcany7zpQQBiWKPiqllTG_s5XPjb-zbjhQ7MoQvcQMlUFagSNnv64zfcfMaqkd8nwBuOSYd4kBlHeB561PYv6p87gXEQ__D0wdFg7AK8/s1600/Wood+home+047.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu7nFFoSGBmqd8CSt3Sz4Xe5QIL9VXm9TIyhGUcany7zpQQBiWKPiqllTG_s5XPjb-zbjhQ7MoQvcQMlUFagSNnv64zfcfMaqkd8nwBuOSYd4kBlHeB561PYv6p87gXEQ__D0wdFg7AK8/s400/Wood+home+047.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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And now for what has been added to the outside..</div>
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Hydrangeas along the corner of our property. Hydrangeas are so southern</div>
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and have always been some of my favorite flowers. These are the endless summer</div>
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kind, so I'm hoping they live up to their name and bloom from spring-fall.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6MmFY3dM3ZFa_PBcWZZ1uDP1x44uH1CnQVk6qxGEI2UVdN2yxodUAd6t6nCU73pxgV5yGjaFgXyXrIjMdpBmflP9X2OvsSKfOrqtzSEgwgflHZn5YViqRWBv5ahL5Sp-uCXAPRz25pPA/s1600/Wood+home+014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6MmFY3dM3ZFa_PBcWZZ1uDP1x44uH1CnQVk6qxGEI2UVdN2yxodUAd6t6nCU73pxgV5yGjaFgXyXrIjMdpBmflP9X2OvsSKfOrqtzSEgwgflHZn5YViqRWBv5ahL5Sp-uCXAPRz25pPA/s400/Wood+home+014.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Some baby blooms...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu6D8ZN3vpMJcbKOGse5qWigX86EGveB10CFh8SLzZZWG9LY1tacDgmsFAqGE9OFdB08PafBj-n2ue0cZqdoCEh2A-IhlzO1YyvM-zx6h2J6Mt_vuAEXJymKUQcXEr0ennl6ggji0L1Bk/s1600/Wood+home+015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu6D8ZN3vpMJcbKOGse5qWigX86EGveB10CFh8SLzZZWG9LY1tacDgmsFAqGE9OFdB08PafBj-n2ue0cZqdoCEh2A-IhlzO1YyvM-zx6h2J6Mt_vuAEXJymKUQcXEr0ennl6ggji0L1Bk/s400/Wood+home+015.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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That apparently turn purple...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2r6s31mMf5_NqvcL0qlcu4NddQFbk2LhdQUgmUdnprox7wrOnon-5q6K3V8qIl__ey8jVs9hZvDnqB5hh339iS0XTKHgu0MKNY4CEhN49M7F9v0s_8TtYRRZdLegZB2U0pghReSC3rxw/s1600/Wood+home+016.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2r6s31mMf5_NqvcL0qlcu4NddQFbk2LhdQUgmUdnprox7wrOnon-5q6K3V8qIl__ey8jVs9hZvDnqB5hh339iS0XTKHgu0MKNY4CEhN49M7F9v0s_8TtYRRZdLegZB2U0pghReSC3rxw/s400/Wood+home+016.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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Love.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHFEvgXsui3b6JV5xwngnWpW_5APXI_3kdZ9l_D7mz3xyQHbDevBiinK6U_mZDWprcGIcRp_8ICdO2QdUyRL0UGTzhgZcGWg92reyV1eXHeugWd79qUbZEEh418r9yls50eUh_b1Vb-zY/s1600/Wood+home+017.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHFEvgXsui3b6JV5xwngnWpW_5APXI_3kdZ9l_D7mz3xyQHbDevBiinK6U_mZDWprcGIcRp_8ICdO2QdUyRL0UGTzhgZcGWg92reyV1eXHeugWd79qUbZEEh418r9yls50eUh_b1Vb-zY/s400/Wood+home+017.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Added some ferns to the front door..</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDkRDQYDOVhTYEYgsHdW_X_4_j2TFTuC0WNUHSwVZUPq2zQbKy8qbiN97M9lhVQ2U9U-9lKdZcPeIKLCDQukWw80Ud-jQkkNAc2X1Q8n2MNhr3L3wJ3ZLVJbf4HmN5lreR74IB4LABy-E/s1600/Wood+home+020.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDkRDQYDOVhTYEYgsHdW_X_4_j2TFTuC0WNUHSwVZUPq2zQbKy8qbiN97M9lhVQ2U9U-9lKdZcPeIKLCDQukWw80Ud-jQkkNAc2X1Q8n2MNhr3L3wJ3ZLVJbf4HmN5lreR74IB4LABy-E/s400/Wood+home+020.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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and a climbing rose around the side by the bathroom</div>
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window (this thing has grown like crazy!)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghVeAjYQHru9QFlm-my3a0d38ioCxYhDCSpwogNkSoKe6E2gHVDjuNNauoK-HIZjCM10kN_bjjYR0xS5JDFXTKkBPUrGJ3gDUt0kF-kYhXSSbvbjHpF28BwuKR-GZRs51DtslhB-XbNUU/s1600/Wood+home+024.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghVeAjYQHru9QFlm-my3a0d38ioCxYhDCSpwogNkSoKe6E2gHVDjuNNauoK-HIZjCM10kN_bjjYR0xS5JDFXTKkBPUrGJ3gDUt0kF-kYhXSSbvbjHpF28BwuKR-GZRs51DtslhB-XbNUU/s400/Wood+home+024.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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some lovely red impatiens along the walk way</div>
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and a mix of different flowers by the patio.</div>
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I just wish I had know how aggressively some of these plants were</div>
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going to grow. I figured there was no way a teeny container of lantana could </div>
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ever get this big. Wrong. Do you see those tiny white flowers underneath? </div>
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The ones getting choked? Sigh. </div>
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Several rose bushes were planted. I was kind of intimated by them at first</div>
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because I've always heard they were high maintenance, but thus far</div>
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they have been pretty easy to deal with.</div>
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Lots of baby buds!</div>
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That's a bout it for now! Hopefully I will have some food posts very soon :)</div>
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morganecodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17185136905892806461noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1302825942015156857.post-59671470731242069102013-03-15T09:23:00.003-07:002013-03-15T09:23:37.124-07:00Mint Brownies with Fudge FrostingAs I've mentioned before in a previous post, I've always been a bit indifferent to the idea of making brownies from scratch. It just seems like there are so many steps when a boxed mix is quite frankly (in my opinion) just fine. And by just fine I mean that I would have no problem finishing off the whole pan by myself :) I always end up loving any brownies I make from scratch, but my preconceived notions still somehow manage to persist.<br />
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But during a Pinterest search for some St. Patrick's Day recipes I kept coming across mint brownies. And the more pins I saw the more I was craving some for myself. Typical, I know. I swear I believe Pinterest is responsible for 99.9% of my food cravings! <br />
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There are tons of great mint brownie recipes out there, but I decided to try my hand at coming up with something new that would have all of the aspects that I was craving. i.e. a soft brownie base, a thicker layer of mint and then a fudge frosting on top. These brownies are extra minty in flavor because I used mint chocolate chips for the fudge frosting instead of semi sweet chocolate chips. If you're not looking for as much of a punch you can stick with semi sweet. <br />
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I don't really have a lot of green in my closet, so hopefully I can placate anyone who might pinch me for not proudly bearing the color with one of these babies....at least that's my plan :) <br />
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Happy {early} St. Patrick's Day!!<br />
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<u style="font-weight: bold;">Mint Brownies with Fudge Frosting</u> <i>CCK Original </i><br />
For the Brownies:<br />
1 C butter, melted<br />
1/2 C cocoa powder<br />
1 Tbsp honey<br />
4 eggs<br />
2 C sugar<br />
1 3/4 C flour<br />
1/2 Tbsp baking powder<br />
1/2 tsp salt<br />
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For the Mint Layer:<br />
1/2 C butter, softened<br />
1/4 tsp salt<br />
1 1/2 Tbsp light corn syrup<br />
3 1/2 C powdered sugar<br />
1 tsp mint extract<br />
5-6 drops green food coloring<br />
1/3 C milk<br />
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For the Frosting:<br />
1 1/2 C sugar<br />
6 Tbsp milk<br />
6 Tbsp butter, softened<br />
1 C mint chocolate chips<br />
dash vanilla extract<br />
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For the brownies:<br />
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 9x13 pan and set aside.<br />
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In large bowl combine melted butter and cocoa powder. Allow to cool.<br />
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Add all remaining brownie ingredients and mix well. Pour into prepared pan and spread into even layer. Bake approximately 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs. *There's nothing worse than a dry brownie! I sometimes tend to take mine out sooner rather than later for this reason.<br />
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Allow brownies to cool completely before adding the mint layer.<br />
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For the mint layer:<br />
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In medium bowl combine butter, salt, corn syrup and powdered sugar. Use electric beaters to mix well. The mixture won't be moist yet but that's okay. Just make sure everything's mixed as well as you can get it.<br />
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Add green food coloring and mint extract. Add 1/4 C milk and increase to 1/3 C only if needed. Beat well. Add just enough milk to get frosting to a soft enough consistency to easily spread over the baked brownie bottom layer. If you get the frosting too runny it won't set.<br />
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Spread mint frosting over bottom layer of brownies. Place in freezer for 15 minutes before starting the fudge frosting to allow mint layer to set.<br />
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For the fudge frosting:<br />
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Add sugar, milk and butter to medium saucepan over medium high heat. Stir occasionally. Bring mixture to rolling boil and allow to boil for 30 seconds, removing from heat immediately thereafter.<br />
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Stir in mint chocolate chips and vanilla. <br />
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Allow to cool for 4 minutes, stirring every 60 seconds. <br />
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Removing brownies from freezer and pour fudge frosting over top, using spatula to spread frosting into an even layer. <br />
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Allow frosting to set before cutting and serving. <br />
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<br />morganecodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17185136905892806461noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1302825942015156857.post-60496137675747911402013-03-06T11:16:00.002-08:002013-03-06T11:16:54.048-08:00Tomato Basil Soup with Grilled Cheese CroutonsA while back I fixed this tomato basil soup and had the idea of adding grilled cheese croutons. I've always loved the Campbell's tomato soup with grilled cheese on a cold day and thought that surely the presence of basil in my dish wouldn't throw things off too much. <br />
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Apparently this is a pretty popular idea though, seeing as how I glanced over at a Food Network magazine last night in line at Publix and saw this exact dish on the cover. Great minds think alike, right??<br />
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This was the first tomato soup I have ever made, unless you count the aforementioned Campbells. While I'll probably tweak it as I make it more in the future, I must say I was pleased with how it turned out. It was creamy, but not so thick that I felt like I was slurping down whipping cream. And even with 4 cups of basil the tomato flavor still took center stage. The only thing I might change next time is that I might remove the skins of the tomatoes that I roasted before adding them to the stock pot. That's just a weird texture preference though :)<br />
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Just make sure not to add the croutons until you're ready to eat them. Otherwise they tend to sink in the soup and get really soggy. Yuck!<br />
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<a name='more'></a><strong><u>Tomato Basil Soup</u></strong> <em>CCK original inspired by multiple recipes</em><br />
For the Soup:<br />
3 lbs tomatoes<br />
1/4 C olive oil<br />
Tbsp salt<br />
1 1/2 tsp pepper<br />
2 large sweet onions, almost quartered *see below<br />
6 cloves garlic, minced<br />
4 Tbsp unsalted butter<br />
4 C fresh basil leaves<br />
1/2 tsp dried thyme<br />
3 C chicken stock<br />
1 C whole milk<br />
28 oz canned whole plum tomatoes<br />
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For the Croutons:<br />
Bread<br />
Butter<br />
Cheese of choice<br />
*I'm not adding quantities because it all depends on how many croutons you want. And I figured everyone knows the basics of a grilled cheese :)<br />
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*I love the flavor of onions but not the texture, so I quartered my onions almost all the way, leaving the onion in tact by the bottom (make two perpendicular cuts, stopping just before you get to the bottom). This way all of the flavor of the onion can be absorbed into the soup and then I just retrieve the whole onions at the end. Because they are still in tact at the bottom I don't have to go fishing around for onion pieces.<br />
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Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Halve tomatoes and toss with olive oil, salt and pepper to evenly coat. Place tomatoes on large pan and roast 45 minutes.<br />
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When the tomatoes are almost done roasting, melt butter over medium heat in large stock pot. Add garlic and sautee approximately 5 minutes until fragrant. *If you want you can chop your onions instead of quartering them. If you do this, just sautee the onions during this step with the garlic until translucent. <br />
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Add chicken stock, milk, canned tomatoes, basil, and dried thyme. Remove other tomatoes from oven and add to stock pot. <br />
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Bring mixture to a boil, then continue to simmer 45 minutes. <br />
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Use hand blender to break up soup until it has reached desired consistency. If you don't have a hand blender you can always put your soup in a stand blender. Just know you'll have to do this in batches since the whole recipe won't fit at once.<br />
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Add additional salt or pepper if needed.<br />
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To make the croutons, lightly spray skillet with oil and place over medium heat. <br />
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Butter one side of bread (2 slices for each sandwich you want to make). Place half of the bread slices buttered side down in the skillet. Top with cheese and place remaining bread buttered side up on top of the cheese.<br />
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Toast sandwiches until browned, flipping to repeat this step on the other side. Remove sandwiches from skillet and cut into bite sized pieces. Serve with soup.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVDui3p4qsborLs09MtrJ52DWAesLeTHFdNEFV-C7LdW3WLzia2HDh9gFljcXG_c22gmh0Vsfhl4Wo8ESoqFS0ZRPYCBivHSB88YJTJrHA-eV058Y2AKpMojcJ3FwRuK55CYBTAmu1ck0/s1600/tomatosoupcroutons0004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="408" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVDui3p4qsborLs09MtrJ52DWAesLeTHFdNEFV-C7LdW3WLzia2HDh9gFljcXG_c22gmh0Vsfhl4Wo8ESoqFS0ZRPYCBivHSB88YJTJrHA-eV058Y2AKpMojcJ3FwRuK55CYBTAmu1ck0/s640/tomatosoupcroutons0004.JPG" width="640" /></a><br />
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<br />morganecodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17185136905892806461noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1302825942015156857.post-37334578772500313642013-03-04T09:30:00.001-08:002013-03-04T09:30:04.162-08:00Red Velvet S'more BarsAnyone still there?? Anyone?? Geez it's been a long time since I've posted. Almost three months to be exact. This blog is something that I've been (for the most part) pretty regular with for quite some time and then I just stopped cold turkey not too long after Thanksgiving. [pun intended]<br />
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I guess I could come up with some pretty good excuses:</div>
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1. I battled a gnarly sinus infection for about 8 weeks there. No lie. Nothing would get rid of it. The netty pot became my best friend.</div>
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2. Then I got the flu. For the first time. Ever. It was awful. 103.7 degree temps are no fun.</div>
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3. Because of the aforementioned excuses I lost my sense of smell and thus taste. And when you can't taste you can't cook.</div>
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4. Who wants to eat food prepared by someone who's sick??? Even if I had cooked something, I wouldn't have felt right asking someone to eat it.<br />
5. I still haven't been able to transfer all of my old food photos onto my new laptop and thus can't blog them.<br />
6. By the time I get home and cook something there is ZERO daylight left which means I can't take photos in our sunroom the way I like. I've tried shooting with artificial lighting and I never can get it to look the way I want it to.<br />
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And honestly I just needed a break. I tried to take a break here and there for a while, but 1 or 2 weeks just wasn't enough. I needed a breather. This blog is just a hobby, but it takes a great deal of time and I think I just got burnt out. <br />
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I felt like every post there was an apology for the week of silence followed by a promise that I was back in action. But really I just needed to step back from everything a bit. <br />
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So for my return post I wanted to feature something that I absolutely loved. And these red velvet s'more bars fit the bill :) I always loved sitting around a fire, whether I was camping or just in someone's back yard, and toast a marshmallow until it turned that perfect golden color. That meant it was just crispy on the outside, but still warm and not burnt to a crisp on the inside. And of course you always had to have half a Hershey's bar for each smore. I don't know how some people can use just one or two of those tiny little squares.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4eDe0RhzrZCxn_3j24EYqUN2gfMq1y_HRcRtnYrAU82oEIz8ZFzPIEdEtc4GqFao1IcxNc_jdzd-hibBtn-e79przF2-u93GuvsYSY3SqeS9t6QBya1tgFkcrEmvOSPIOU5R-hs3HQB4/s1600/IMG_5191.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4eDe0RhzrZCxn_3j24EYqUN2gfMq1y_HRcRtnYrAU82oEIz8ZFzPIEdEtc4GqFao1IcxNc_jdzd-hibBtn-e79przF2-u93GuvsYSY3SqeS9t6QBya1tgFkcrEmvOSPIOU5R-hs3HQB4/s640/IMG_5191.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
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This recipe is the perfect solution when you want to have a great comfort food-type dessert for a get together, yet you don't have a fire pit in sight. These little guys were super easy to make and certainly won't last long once you bring them out!</div>
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*More pics coming tonight! Apparently they didn't save on the draft, but I didn't want to delay the post just for that reason. </div>
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<a name='more'></a><strong><u>Red Velvet S'more Bars</u></strong> adapted from<a href="http://www.howsweeteats.com/2012/02/gooey-red-velvet-smores-bars-2/"> How Sweet Eats</a><br />
For the crust:<br />
1 1/4 C graham cracker crumbs<br />
6 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted<br />
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For the bars:<br />
3 Tbsp cocoa powder<br />
2 Tbsp red food coloring<br />
2 tsp vanilla, divided<br />
1/2 C butter, softened<br />
1 1/2 C sugar<br />
2 eggs<br />
1 1/4 C flour<br />
1/4 tsp salt<br />
2/3 C chocolate chips<br />
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For the marshmallow topping:<br />
1 C marshmallow fluff<br />
35 jumbo marshmallows<br />
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease 8x8 pan and set aside.<br />
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Combine melted butter and graham cracker crumbs in small bowl and press evenly into bottom of prepared pan.<br />
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In small bowl combine cocoa powder, red food coloring and 1 tsp vanilla. Form a paste.<br />
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In bowl of electric mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. With mixer running on medium speed, add eggs one at a time. Add remaining 1 tsp vanilla. With mixer still running, add red paste. *If darker color is desired additional color can be added at this time. <br />
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Add flour and salt. Mix until just combined. <br />
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With mixer on low speed, fold in chocolate chips. <br />
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Gently spread brownie batter onto graham cracker crust. *It's easiest to pour the batter into the middle of the pan and use the back of a spoon to work your way from the inside out, being careful not to pull any of the crust as you go.<br />
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Bake 30-35 minutes or until brownies are almost set.<br />
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Remove from oven and spoon marshmallow fluff evenly over brownies. Top with jumbo marshmallows. <br />
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Set oven to broiler and place brownies underneath for 15-20 seconds or until just toasted. <br />
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Allow to cool before serving.<br />
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morganecodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17185136905892806461noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1302825942015156857.post-67059223516704452892012-12-11T09:51:00.001-08:002012-12-11T09:51:33.736-08:00Gingerbread Pumpkin BarsKind of like the last post on pecan pie, these gingerbread pumpkin bars are a wee bit tardy. I realize that although there's no law stating you can't whip up a pumpkin based recipe after Thanksgiving, Christmas always takes over and most of the recipes are geared towards all things red, green and peppermint. <br />
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[Just a forewarning though...I still have some homemade pumpkin puree to post....]<br />
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But alas I couldn't let this recipe go to waste. I saw a ton of pumpkin recipes floating around Pinterest all throughout the fall, but these bars caught my eye because they deviated just ever so slightly from your standard pumpkin pie bars....these bars have a gingerbread base and a streusel topping. I know, it sounds kinda funny; gingerbread AND pumpkin? Isn't gingerbread supposed to be reserved for Christmas and gingerbread boys and girls with those cute m&m buttons?<br />
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I know it sounds weird, but somehow it works. Gingerbread is a bit spicy, pumpkin pie is a bit spicy....so together they go, right? <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg19eWZJkohAAalbnrquyGIiYf1UAld4FfOQp8jht0rWNA_TkmlONZ8gGVXF_QEm_oi3JTdRKGYkVJ7O4klgmDnPlU-CGs6-gnpevflD0tiwAfRNL8ihim0q39euY7Ec_2TbcY1_dYT9xg/s1600/GingerbreadPumpkinStreuselBars.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg19eWZJkohAAalbnrquyGIiYf1UAld4FfOQp8jht0rWNA_TkmlONZ8gGVXF_QEm_oi3JTdRKGYkVJ7O4klgmDnPlU-CGs6-gnpevflD0tiwAfRNL8ihim0q39euY7Ec_2TbcY1_dYT9xg/s640/GingerbreadPumpkinStreuselBars.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I only made one change from the original Land O' Lakes recipe and omitted the glaze. These bars were sweet enough on their own and I didn't feel they needed it.<br />
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While the bars are so delicious they probably won't last that long, I will admit that these little guys did get a bit soggy by day 2. So just a word of warning: if you're making them ahead of time for an event I wouldn't do so really far in advance. To combat this I might bake the bottom layer solo for a few minutes while preparing the filling the next time I make these.<br />
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And there will definitely be a next time. Yum!<br />
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PS If you want lots of streusel you can make extra. There was just enough, but I might try doubling the amount I use next time.<br />
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<a name='more'></a><u style="font-weight: bold;">Gingerbread Pumpkin Bars</u> <i><a href="http://www.culinaryconcoctionsbypeabody.com/2007/10/15/pumpkin-and-an-apology/">adapted from Culinary Concoctions by Peabody</a></i><br />
<i><a href="https://sites.google.com/site/confectionsfromthecodykitchen/gingerbread-pumpkin-bars?tmpl=%2Fsystem%2Fapp%2Ftemplates%2Fprint%2F&showPrintDialog=1">Printable Version</a></i><br />
2 1/4 C flour<br />
1 1/2 tsp baking soda<br />
1/2 tsp salt<br />
1 rounded tsp pumpkin pie spice<br />
1 C unsalted butter, softened<br />
1 1/2 C sugar<br />
1/4 C molasses<br />
1/3 C rolled oats<br />
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6 oz cream cheese, softened<br />
1 3/4 C mashed pumpkin<br />
1/2 C sugar<br />
1 tsp vanilla<br />
1 rounded tsp pumpkin pie spice<br />
2 eggs<br />
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease 10x15 baking sheet and set aside.<br />
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In medium bowl whisk together flour, soda, salt and pumpkin pie spice. <br />
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In separate large bowl beat together butter, sugar and molasses until smooth. Add dry ingredients and mix until combined. Reserve 3/4 C of this mixture for the streusel topping.<br />
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Press remaining gingerbread mixture into bottom of pan. <br />
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Stir oats into reserved 3/4 C mixture and set aside.<br />
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For the filling blend together cream cheese and pumpkin until smooth. Beat in sugar, vanilla and pumpkin pie spice until just combined.<br />
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Add eggs, one at a time, beating until combined after each. <br />
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Spread filling over top of bottom layer of gingerbread crust, using spatula to smooth out.<br />
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Sprinkle reserved streusel mixture over top. <br />
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Bake 25-30 minutes or until topping is golden brown. <br />
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Cool completely before cutting into squares and serving. <br />
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<br />morganecodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17185136905892806461noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1302825942015156857.post-27578135421771231552012-12-07T10:05:00.003-08:002012-12-07T10:05:51.846-08:00Pie Crust Now for the follow up from <a href="http://codykitchenconfections.blogspot.com/2012/12/no-fail-pecan-pie.html">Wednesday's post</a>....the pie crust! For me this is always the hardest part. When I mentioned before that making pies is really an art I was referring more so to the crust than the filling. <br />
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For me, making pie crust takes practice. And lots of it. Just like with anything else, the more you do it the more comfortable you are and the better you become. It's kind of like my grandmother who doesn't measure any ingredients for her biscuits, but rather claims that it just has to "feel right". With some practice you'll be able to tell as you work if the recipe needs more flour, water, etc. <br />
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I've used a few different pie crust recipes over the years, but this one from Smitten Kitchen is my favorite. I completely agree with her reasoning regarding mixing the dough by hand instead of with a food processor. I know everyone from Ina Garten to Alton Brown advocates the food processor method, but I've always found that (for me) it's much harder to overwork the dough by hand than with a food processor. The food processor always seems to leave me with tiny bits of dough down at the bottom that get overworked and larger pieces at the top that never get down to the blade. But hey, if you're a firm fan of the food processor you can certainly use the below recipe with one. <br />
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This past Thanksgiving I used this recipe for a pecan pie and for a custard pie. But when spring rolls around the flavor of this crust will also be a perfect pairing for fruit and meringue pies. <br />
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The recipe below makes enough for two generous pie crusts, which I loved. So often a recipe leaves me rolling the dough super thin just to try to get it to stretch over the pie pan by the time it's divided in two. <br />
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Also, make sure to read the tips down at the bottom. I compiled that list based on things I learned from other food bloggers and also some insight that I learned myself the hard way :)<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #282828;"><u style="font-weight: bold;">Pie Crust</u> <i><a href="http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2008/11/pie-crust-102-all-butter-really-flaky-pie-dough/">adapted from Smitten Kitchen</a></i></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #282828;"><i><a href="https://sites.google.com/site/confectionsfromthecodykitchen/pie-crust?tmpl=%2Fsystem%2Fapp%2Ftemplates%2Fprint%2F&showPrintDialog=1">Printable Version</a></i></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #282828;">2 1/2 C flour</span><br />
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1 Tbsp sugar</div>
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1 tsp salt</div>
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1 C fat**</div>
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1 C water plus a few ice cubes</div>
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**Butter, shortening or lard. This is where personal preference comes in. Some people swear by all butter while others swear by a combination of butter and shortening. All butter is going to taste better while butter+shortening is easier to work with. I used a combo of half butter and half lard and loved it!</div>
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Whisk together flour, sugar and salt in large bowl. (Bowl should be large enough that you can get both hands in and work the dough). Place bowl in fridge to chill for 30 minutes along with rolling pin and pastry blender.</div>
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Cube 1 C fat (of your choice). Place in freezer for 15 minutes.</div>
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Remove bowl from fridge and scatter fat cubes into flour mixture, tossing to coat. Use pastry blender to work fat into mixture until butter is size of small peas. </div>
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DO NOT overwork the dough though! Stop even if fat pieces are slightly uneven. Overworking the dough will make it tough.</div>
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Drizzle approximately 1/2 C ice water into bowl, using rubber spatula to pull dough together. Add additional water 1 Tbsp at a time as needing, just until dough pulls together. </div>
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Divide dough in two, wrapping each portion in plastic wrap. Use rolling pin to flatten portions into disc shapes.</div>
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Place dough in fridge to chill for 1-2 hours.</div>
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Dust rolling pin with flour and roll dough out on well floured surface, adding more flour as needed. Roll edge of pie crust up onto rolling pin, rolling and draping the crust over the pin. I just a spatula to help lift the dough. Line pie pan with crust as desired. Place lined pie pan in fridge to chill to additional 20 minutes before continuing with pie recipe.</div>
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Some tips: </div>
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-EVERYTHING should be cold. The colder everything is the less likely the fat is to melt and make it impossible to roll out your dough and shape your crust. I like to put my flour/sugar/salt mixture in the fridge to chill for 30 minutes and put my fat in the freezer for this reason. I know it seems like forever when you're chilling your dough, but trust me, it will be worth it. Unless you're a pie crust pro this step will ensure that you'll have a much easier time pulling off this fete. <br />
-Making sure not to overwork your dough and resting it in the fridge will keep too much gluten from forming. More gluten=tougher crust.</div>
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-A lot of recipes call for using a food processor to mix your dough, but I prefer doing it by hand. It's much harder to overwork the dough this way, which ensures a tender and flaky crust.<br />
-When you roll your dough out you should be able to see fleck of fat (be it butter, shortening or lard) in it. These little specks mean your crust will be flaky!</div>
morganecodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17185136905892806461noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1302825942015156857.post-62027262018804236022012-12-05T05:02:00.003-08:002012-12-05T05:02:40.953-08:00No Fail Pecan Pie<span style="background-color: white; color: #282828; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; line-height: 19px;">Oh my dear! Where to start?? First off, let me apologize for the silence. My beloved macbook officially bit the dust last week and I've been in the process of mourning the loss. You know the stages: denial (pretending that my mac would somehow come back if only I plugged it into so many different outlets), bargaining (if I buy it a new screen maybe that'll do it!) and acceptance (finally realizing that my time with my first ever macbook was done....I've officially become one of those crazy Apple converts and saying goodbye to the piece of technology that was responsible for this was tough). I got a new Macbook Pro this weekend and finally began the process of transferring photos and getting some new posts put together. Woohoo!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #282828;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">Today's post is a little late due to the </span></span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19px;"><span style="color: #282828;">aforementioned issues, but I figured it is better late than never. Pecan pie reminds be a lot of Thanksgiving, but you can also eat it year-round, which is why I decided to still do a post on it. I mean, I would never turn a slice down.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #282828;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">I don't bake a lot of pies. I love eating them, but making them really is an art. It's not making cookie dough, rolling it into a ball and then you're good to go. If you're not used to making your own crust it can be quite a daunting task. Remember <a href="http://codykitchenconfections.blogspot.com/2012/01/pecan-pie-disaster.html">this terrible awful scenario</a> from my last year's Thanksgiving pecan pie attempt? Yeah, I'd like to forget it too. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #282828;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; line-height: 19px;">Because of that terrible awful experience I did a LOT of research with regards to recipes and techniques. I absolutely love caramel pecan pie but wanted to stick with a traditional recipe since it's the kind my hubby's grandad loves so much. I also knew I wanted something that wouldn't leave me with that dreaded watery/wet middle which can sometimes happen. </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #282828;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">I ended up settling on a pie crust recipe from Smitten Kitchen (hello obsession!) and a filling recipe from King Arthurs flour which had received rave reviews. Luckily for me (and the hubby's family), this pie turned out just as I had hoped and I was actually able to bring an edible dessert to this year's get together. [Insert loud sigh of relief} I loved the flavor and texture of the pie crust and thought the filling had the perfect amount of richness while still keeping with the familiar flavor that everyone loves. I definitely found my new go-to!</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #282828;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">Today's post will only feature the filling recipe....I tried to post both the crust and filling recipe and it was WAY too long! Check back Friday for the crust recipe and details!</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><u style="background-color: white; font-weight: bold;">Pecan Pie</u><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><i style="background-color: white;"><a href="http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/pecan-pie-recipe">adapted from King Arthur Flour</a> </i></span><br />
<i><a href="https://sites.google.com/site/confectionsfromthecodykitchen/pecan-pie?tmpl=%2Fsystem%2Fapp%2Ftemplates%2Fprint%2F&showPrintDialog=1"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Printable Version</span></a></i><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">1/2 C chopped pecans</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">1 C pecan halves, roughly chopped (*these pieces should be slightly larger than those listed above)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">1/2 tsp salt</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">3 eggs</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">1/2 C dark corn syrup</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">1/2 C light corn syrup</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">1/4 C sugar</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">1/2 C unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">1 tsp vanilla</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; line-height: 19px;">Preheat oven to 325. </span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 19px;">Place chopped pecans on large baking sheet and sprinkle with salt. *I placed the 1/2 C finely chopped pecans on one side and the roughly chopped 1 C on the other to keep them separate. Toast in oven for 10-15 minutes or just until nuts become fragrant. Don't let them burn! Remove nuts from oven and set aside to cool.</span></span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 19px;">Increase oven temperature to 375.</span></span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 19px;">In medium bowl beat together 3 eggs, both corn syrups, sugar, butter and vanilla. Stir in 1/2 C finely chopped pecans (first ingredient).</span></span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 19px;">Pour mixture into prepared pie shell. Sprinkle/arrange 1 C roughly chopped pecans (2 ingredient) over top, ensuring they are spread evenly. I like to barely push them to halfway submerge them in the filling so they hold their place.</span></span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 19px;">Bake pie in 375 degree oven for 45 minutes or until middle of pie is puffed up and seems fairly set. Remove pie to cooling rack and allow to cool completely before serving. Center will sink back down to even level as pie cools.</span></span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 19px;">Some tips:</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; line-height: 19px;">-If you don't like the idea of chopped pecans you can arrange whole nuts on top in a pattern. I just happen to like this rustic look better and find it easier to cut and serve the pie this way.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; line-height: 19px;">-Some recipes call for pre-baking or blind baking the pie crust. This keeps it crisp and non-soggy when you're making a pie that has a custard type filling. I blind baked one pie crust and didn't with the other....surprisingly I liked the pie crust that was NOT blind baked much better. The blind baked one was way to crisp and almost hard. Still, to each their own.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Puppy wants a piece too! Ellie Bear managed to sneak</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">into this shot while I was snapping away.</span></div>
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</span></span></span></section>morganecodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17185136905892806461noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1302825942015156857.post-77493433845187066922012-11-28T10:28:00.000-08:002012-11-28T10:28:18.110-08:00Easy Chicken and DumplingsYou have no idea how bad I wanted to title this post "Chicken and Dumplins". I mean, I've never heard anyone below the Mason-Dixon line actually annunciate the "g" in dumplings. And if they do they must be a relocated yankee. It's kind of like how southerners use the working "fixin'" when they are talking about how they are about to do something. Can I get an amen?? Anyone??<br />
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I gave in and added the "g" because I was afraid that when people searched for this recipe that it wouldn't show up otherwise. Fine. Just know I'll call them dumplins for the rest of the post....<br />
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Anyhow, when my hubby and I first got married I asked him what recipes he would like for me to try out and the first recipe he mentioned was chicken and dumplins. It's now been almost ten months since our wedding day and I finally got around to making them. This is definitely a cold weather dish and I just didn't feel right whipping a big pot of them up in August, you know?<br />
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There are a lot of great chicken and dumplin' recipes out there: some that only call for 4 ingredients, others that require 3+ hours in the kitchen so that you can make your own biscuit dough. I'm sure I'll try the completely from scratch route at some point, but on this particular night I simply didn't have time. I combined portions of several recipes and added a few twists of my own to come up with the recipe below. I did take a few shortcuts, but I don't believe the flavor and quality of the dish suffered at all.<br />
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From start to finish it took me an hour and fifteen minutes. Often I see prep+cooking time that is WAAAY shorter than what it takes me, but the time I mentioned includes pulling all of the utensils out, cooking the chicken, etc.<br />
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<a name='more'></a><u style="font-weight: bold;">Easy Chicken and Dumplings</u> <i>CCK Original, inspired by multiple recipes</i><br />
<i><a href="https://sites.google.com/site/confectionsfromthecodykitchen/chicken-and-dumplings?tmpl=%2Fsystem%2Fapp%2Ftemplates%2Fprint%2F&showPrintDialog=1">Printable Version</a></i><br />
1 Tbsp butter<br />
1/2 medium onion, chopped<br />
1 clove garlic, minced<br />
2 C chicken broth<br />
water<br />
5 boneless chicken breasts<br />
1 (10.75 oz) can cream of celery soup<br />
1 (10.75 oz) can cream of chicken soup<br />
1/2 tsp dried parsley<br />
salt and pepper to taste<br />
2 bay leaves<br />
1/2 C frozen peas (optional)<br />
1/2 C frozen carrots (optional)<br />
Additional broth or water if more liquid is desired (optional)<br />
1 (16.3 oz) pkg refrigerated biscuit dough<br />
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In large pot heat 1 Tbsp of butter over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook until soft, adding garlic in just before onion becomes completely translucent. <br />
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Add chicken breasts to pot. Add 2 C chicken broth and add enough water to cover the chicken by 1 inch. Bring water to boil and cook chicken until done. <br />
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Remove chicken to plate and allow to cool. <br />
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Reduce heat to medium and add the 2 cans of condensed soup. Stir with whisk to break up soup and combine. Add parsley, salt, pepper and 2 bay leaves. Add frozen vegetables if desired.<br />
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Once chicken is cool, shred with 2 forks. Return to pot. <br />
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Add additional water/milk if you want more liquid in your dish. Milk will obviously add some richness that water won't.<br />
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Tear biscuit dough into bite sized pieces and simmer 7-8 minutes until cooked through. I just pulled one out to test for doneness.<br />
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Serve immediately. Make sure to either remove the bay leaves or keep an eye out for them when serving.<br />
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*Some notes:<br />
-I used butter flecked biscuit dough because I wanted an extra buttery taste in my dish. Almost any kind of biscuit dough will work, but I would be careful with the flakey kind because of the texture.<br />
-You can always add more liquid (water or chicken broth) if your dish is to "hearty" for your liking. This is totally based on your personal preference. I like mine really thick (per the photos) and actually removed some of the liquid.<br />
-This dish make a LOT of food and is perfect for freezing! Just store in serving size containers and re-heat when needed. Great for a cold night when you don't feel like cooking.<br />
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<br />morganecodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17185136905892806461noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1302825942015156857.post-64121151115302313412012-11-19T06:47:00.001-08:002012-11-19T10:36:49.606-08:00Oooey Gooey Red Velvet Chess SquaresEvery Wednesday night growing up I would eat dinner at our church before whatever activities I had on hand. The food was always the very best kind of down home Southern food you can imagine: fried chicken, green beans flavored with ham hocks, homemade biscuits and sweet tea. If it was something your great grandmother might have made from scratch it was there.<br />
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It's been a while and my memory is a little fuzzy, but I'm pretty sure a local restaurant called Lulu's came in and fixed everything. Some Wednesday nights they would make this stuff called ooey gooey cake. It was basically heaven in sugar form. <br />
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Ooey gooey cake is very similar to chess bars and pies. They both don't completely firm up when done, resulting in a gooey texture. And seeing as how I'm that person who loves pulling cookies out of the oven when they're not quite finished baking to keep them super soft, this recipe hits the spot for me.<br />
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I've had the basic yellow cake-type and then chocolate versions of ooey gooey cake and chess squares, but had never tried a red velvet version. Curious, I did a quick search of the internet to see if I could find a recipe, but to no avail. <br />
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Off to the mixing bowl I went armed with a few ingredients I thought might produce the result I was looking for. And I've got to say I feel like I got exactly what I was hoping for. <br />
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The bottom layer of these ooey gooey red velvet chess squares is somewhat similar to that of a brownie. But the top layer of butter and cream cheese is what qualifies them to carry their title. These squares are really easy to make and would be perfect to take to a Christmas or holiday get together. Or if you're like me and have a slight obsession with red velvet recipes then you can make them all year long!<br />
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Warning: These bars are very rich and extremely addictive. Eat one (or three!) and then give them away, lest you end up eating the whole pan.....<br />
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<a name='more'></a><br />
<u style="font-weight: bold;">Ooey Gooey Red Velvet Chess Squares</u> <i>CCK Original</i><br />
<a href="https://sites.google.com/site/confectionsfromthecodykitchen/ooey-gooey-red-velvet-chess-squares?tmpl=%2Fsystem%2Fapp%2Ftemplates%2Fprint%2F&showPrintDialog=1"><i>Printable Version</i></a><br />
1 18.25oz box red velvet cake mix<br />
1 C melted butter<br />
1 egg<br />
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2 (8oz) packages cream cheese, softened<br />
4 C powdered sugar<br />
4 Tbsp cocoa powder<br />
2 eggs<br />
1 oz red food coloring<br />
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 9x13 pan and set aside.<br />
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In large bowl whisk together cake mix, melted butter and egg. Press mixture into bottom of prepared pan. <br />
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In separate large bowl beat together cream cheese, powdered sugar and cocoa powder. Beat in eggs one at a time. Add food coloring and beat mixture at medium speed until coloring is evenly distributed and mixture is well combined.<br />
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Spread cream cheese mixture over cake mixture in pan. <br />
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Bake 45 minutes. Allow bars to completely cool before cutting.<br />
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<div><a href="javascript:void((function(){var%20e=document.createElement('script');e.setAttribute('type','text/javascript');e.setAttribute('charset','UTF-8');e.setAttribute('src','http://assets.pinterest.com/js/pinmarklet.js?r='+Math.random()*99999999);document.body.appendChild(e)})());"><img class="aligncenter" src="http://www.clickinmoms.com/cmprodaily/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/pinit.jpg" alt="Pin It" /></a></div>morganecodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17185136905892806461noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1302825942015156857.post-45125691411036689802012-11-16T08:01:00.001-08:002012-11-16T08:01:12.661-08:00Roasted Potatoes with Parsley, Parmesan and Bacon<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The potato is one of those foods that is pretty versatile. You have baked potatoes, mashed potatoes, hash browns, potato hash; you can make them into chips or fries, or make potato salad. The list is quite long. And unlike some foods such as fish, potatoes are a safe bet when you're hosting since pretty much everyone will eat them.</div>
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I've made several of the aforementioned dishes and have always had pretty good results. It's always great when you can throw a few potatoes in the oven and let them bake while you fix the rest of your meal. I mean, can I get a shout out for baked sweet potatoes topped with brown sugar, cinnamon and butter?! </div>
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But when about when you want to add a little more of a different flavor to potatoes? This recipe adds parmesan cheese, bacon and parsley to roasted yukon gold potatoes to create a flavor combination that is second to none in my humble opinion. The bacon and cheese add a wonderful richness while the parsley brightens it just a bit to keep it from getting too heavy. </div>
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I used baby yukon gold potatoes since they would cook faster, but the regular sized ones will produce the same result. And the original recipe called for the removing of the potato skins, but I liked the rustic look and decided to leave them.</div>
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These potatoes are just as delicious as they look and they have most definitely earned a spot on my list of go-to recipes for when I'm hosting a get together. After all, I'm pretty sure no one would complain about anything that has bacon and cheese :)</div>
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<u style="font-weight: bold;">Roasted Potatoes with Parsley, Parmesan and Bacon</u> <i><a href="http://www.myadventuresinthecountry.com/2012/03/23/oven-roasted-potatoes/">adapted from My Adventures in the Country</a></i><br />
<i><a href="https://sites.google.com/site/confectionsfromthecodykitchen/oven-roasted-potatoes?tmpl=%2Fsystem%2Fapp%2Ftemplates%2Fprint%2F&showPrintDialog=1">Printable Version</a></i><br />
3 1/2 lbs Yukon gold potatoes<br />
2 Tbsp olive oil<br />
1/2 lb bacon<br />
2 cloves garlic, minced<br />
1/4 C parmesan cheese, freshly grated<br />
fresh parsley<br />
salt<br />
pepper<br />
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Boil potatoes until fork tender. Drain potatoes and rinse with cold water. Set aside to cool.<br />
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Preheat oven to 425 degrees. <br />
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Heat 1 Tbsp oil over medium-high heat in large skillet. Cut bacon into half inch pieces and place in skillet. Cook until bacon is golden, but not yet crispy. (It will crisp up in the oven.) Remove bacon pieces from pan and set aside. Reserve bacon drippings.<br />
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Once potatoes are cool enough to touch, quarter them. You may have to cut them into smaller pieces depending on how large they are.<br />
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Brush remaining 1 Tbsp olive oil and bacon drippings on bottom of large baking pan. Place potatoes cut-side down on pan and season with salt and pepper.<br />
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Bake 35-40 minutes, turning potatoes halfway through to ensure even browning.<br />
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Remove pan from oven and sprinkle potatoes with garlic, parmesan and bacon. Reduce oven temp to 375. Bake additional 20-25 minutes or until cheese is melted, bacon is crispy and potatoes are evenly browned. <br />
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Remove potatoes from oven and sprinkle with fresh parsley. Serve immediately.<br />
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<br />morganecodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17185136905892806461noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1302825942015156857.post-57988299641274854312012-11-14T04:19:00.004-08:002012-11-14T04:19:56.528-08:00Caramel Pecan BrowniesNot gonna lie. I like boxed brownies better. Most of the time, that is. I think it's just that I don't see why you should add all the fuss that comes with making brownies from scratch when the "just add eggs, oil and water" version does the trick just fine.<br />
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But after seeing these caramel pecan brownies on Pinterest one day my curiosity got the best of me. And I must say I was pleasantly surprised. Little things like toasting the pecans and making your caramel sauce with real cream do indeed make a noticeable difference. While you'll dirty up a few more bowls than you normally would, it will definitely be worth it. Plus, that gives you more batter to sample :)<br />
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Feel free to leave out the pecans if they're not your thing. You could also substitute with walnuts or add butterscotch chips. Or white chocolate chips. Or mint. Your choice!<br />
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<u style="font-weight: bold;">Caramel Pecan Brownies</u> <i><a href="http://www.sixsistersstuff.com/2012/04/chocolate-caramel-brownies-recipe.html">adapted from Six Sisters' Stuff</a></i><br />
<i><a href="https://sites.google.com/site/confectionsfromthecodykitchen/caramel-pecan-brownies?tmpl=%2Fsystem%2Fapp%2Ftemplates%2Fprint%2F&showPrintDialog=1">Printable Version</a></i><br />
1 C unsalted butter<br />
12 oz semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped<br />
1 1/2 C sugar<br />
4 large eggs<br />
1 Tbsp vanilla<br />
1 1/4 C flour<br />
1/2 tsp salt<br />
1 1/2 C pecans, chopped<br />
1 C semisweet chocolate chips<br />
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14 oz caramel candies, unwrapped<br />
1/4 C heavy cream<br />
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Preheat oven to 350. Line 9x13 pan with foil and lightly grease. <br />
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Place butter and chopped semisweet chocolate in large heat proof bowl. Microwave at 30 second intervals until melted and ingredients blend together smoothly when stirred.<br />
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Whisk in sugar, eggs and vanilla until combined. Stir in flour and salt.<br />
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Spread half of batter into bottom of prepared pan. Bake bottom layer for 18 minutes and then remove to cool for 20 minutes while remaining layers are prepared.<br />
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While bottom layer is baking, add pecans to large skillet and set over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until pecans are just toasted and begin to give off nutty aroma. Remove from heat and set aside.<br />
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Combine caramels and heavy cream in separate heat proof bowl. Microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring between each, until mixture is smooth and combined. Watch closely as this can burn easily! Stir half of pecans into caramel mixture.<br />
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Quickly spread caramel mixture over bottom layer of cooked brownie. Spoon remaining brownie batter over caramel layer and use spatula to smooth out. <br />
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Sprinkle remaining pecans and semisweet chocolate chips over top.<br />
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Bake 20 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely before cutting. To cut, lift the brownies from pan by tin foil and then cut and desired. <br />
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*If your brownies are difficult to cut you can place the cooled pan in the fridge for an hour or two. <br />
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<br />morganecodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17185136905892806461noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1302825942015156857.post-15121280907439218142012-11-09T05:10:00.000-08:002012-11-09T05:12:12.175-08:00Chocolate Pound Cake with Old Fashioned Fudge IcingI made my first pound cake not too long ago, and after the pleasant (and delicious) experience I decided to branch out and try another flavor. My hubby's stepmom made the most amazing chocolate pound cake with a fudge icing one night when we were over there (think icing being poured directly over the hot cake just out of the oven....) and that sealed my decision to take on this recipe from the Junior League's Perennials cookbook. <br />
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Some chocolate on chocolate cakes are too much for some people. I may not be in that camp, but there are those out there who don't particularly care for the "death by chocolate" types of confections. The good news is that this is a cake even those said individuals will love. The actual cake's flavor isn't so overpowering, letting the rich fudge icing get its share of the limelight as well. <br />
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This icing is the kind that everyone's grandmother used to make. The kind you cook. I'm not sure what it is about cooking chocolate icing, but it makes it so much better than the frosting you simply whip in a stand mixer. Simply put, this icing takes the cake (pun intended). <br />
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<u style="font-weight: bold;">Chocolate Pound Cake with Old Fashioned Fudge Icing</u> <i>Adapted from Perennials Cookbook</i><br />
<a href="https://sites.google.com/site/confectionsfromthecodykitchen/chocolate-pound-cake?tmpl=%2Fsystem%2Fapp%2Ftemplates%2Fprint%2F&showPrintDialog=1">Printable Version</a><br />
<i>Cake Ingredients</i><br />
3 C sugar<br />
1 C unsalted butter, softened<br />
1/2 C shortening<br />
5 eggs<br />
3 C flour<br />
1/2 C cocoa<br />
1/2 tsp baking powder<br />
1/4 tsp salt<br />
1 C milk<br />
1 tsp vanilla<br />
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<i>Icing Ingredients</i><br />
2 C sugar<br />
2/3 C milk<br />
1/2 C butter<br />
1/4 C cocoa<br />
1/4 tsp salt<br />
1 tsp vanilla<br />
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<i>For the cake:</i><br />
Preheat oven to 300 degrees and grease and flour a 10 inch cake tube pan.<br />
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Cream sugar, butter and shortening until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. <br />
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Sift together flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt in large bowl. Set aside. Combine milk and vanilla in separate small bowl. Set aside.<br />
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With mixer on low/medium speed, add dry ingredients and wet ingredients to butter/sugar/shortening mixture alternately, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. <br />
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Pour into prepared pan. Bake 1 hour and 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.<br />
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Cool in pan for 10 minutes. Remove cake to wire wrack or plate to cool completely. <br />
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**I had maybe a tsp of batter overflow from my cake, so stick a pan under your cake in the oven just in case. Better safe than sorry!<br />
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<i>For the icing:</i><br />
Combine all ingredients except vanilla in heave saucepan. Bring to boil and boil 2-4 minutes, stirring constantly until mixture slightly thickens. <br />
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Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Beat with electric mixture until creamy. Pour over cooled cake.<br />
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Now take that spoon and scoop out all of that delicious icing that's pooled in</div>
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the middle and around the sides :)</div>
<br />morganecodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17185136905892806461noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1302825942015156857.post-23618280218515357342012-11-07T06:23:00.000-08:002012-11-07T06:23:25.922-08:00Nutella Surprise Chocolate Chip Cookies<div>
Last summer my sister spent six weeks in Paris and fell in love with this stuff called Nutella. Maybe I've been living under a rock for the past 26 years, but I had never really heard that much about it until her love affair began. Still, it took about 16 months and a special occasion for me to ever buy a jar of this chocolate hazelnut spread. </div>
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I had stumbled upon a recipe for nutella stuffed cookies on Pinterest (surprise, surprise) a while back and figured Sarah Beth's birthday would be the perfect time to give these babies a go. Sure, they took a bit longer to make than your average cookie, but they were so good that the extra effort was MORE than worth it. </div>
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These cookies have brown butter, brown sugar and three (yes, three) different kinds of chocolate chips mixed into the dough. A nice plump dollop of nutella fills the middle while a light sprinkle of sea salt on top gives these cookies an unexpected pop of flavor. <br />
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While these cookies are certainly nothing less than delicious once they cool, they taste the best just out of the oven when the dough is still incredibly soft and warm and the nutella just spills out when you bite in.....can you tell I ate several of these and know just how they taste best??? If you're not near the oven when they come out just pop them in the microwave for 10-15 seconds.<br />
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<u style="font-weight: bold;">Nutella Surprise Chocolate Chip Cookies</u> <i><a href="http://www.ambitiouskitchen.com/2012/09/nutella-stuffed-brown-butter-sea-salt-chocolate-chip-cookies-my-favorite-cookie-ever/">adapted from Ambitious Kitchen</a></i></div>
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<a href="https://sites.google.com/site/confectionsfromthecodykitchen/nutella-surprise-chocolate-chip-cookies?tmpl=%2Fsystem%2Fapp%2Ftemplates%2Fprint%2F&showPrintDialog=1">Printable Version</a><br />
2 1/4 C flour</div>
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1 1/4 tsp baking soda</div>
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1/4 tsp salt</div>
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2 sticks (1 C) unsalted butter</div>
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1 1/4 C dark brown sugar</div>
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1/4 C sugar</div>
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1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk</div>
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1 1/2 tsp vanilla</div>
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1 Tbsp plain greek yogurt*</div>
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3/4 C semi sweet chocolate chips</div>
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1/2 C milk chocolate chips</div>
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1/2 C dark chocolate chips</div>
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1 jar of Nutella, chilled in fridge</div>
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Coarse sea salt for sprinkling<br />
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*I didn't have any greek yogurt and used sour cream instead. </div>
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Whisk together flour, baking soda and salt in medium bowl. Set aside. </div>
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To brown the butter, melt butter over medium heat in saucepan, whisking constantly. Butter will begin to foam. Remove butter from heat just as soon as it begins to brown on the bottom after a few minutes. It will also begin to give off a nutty aroma. Pour into large bowl and set aside to cool. </div>
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Beat sugars into butter with electric mixer until thoroughly blended. Beat in egg, egg yolk, vanilla and yogurt. Beat on low speed while slowly adding dry ingredients until everything is fully incorporated. Use large spoon to gently fold in chocolate chips. </div>
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*Make sure the batter isn't too hot from the butter or the chocolate will melt!<br />
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Chill dough in fridge for 2 hours.<br />
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease or line large baking pan. <br />
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Gather 1 1/2 Tbsp of chilled dough and roll into ball. Press ball of dough flat in your hand. Place 1 tsp nutella in middle of dough. Roll back up around nutella, making sure none is seeping out.<br />
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Place balls of dough on prepared pan 3 inches apart. Very slightly flatten tops of dough balls. *My cookies spread more and I didn't need to flatten them.<br />
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Bake 9-11 minutes or until edges of cookies are just beginning to turn golden brown. Remove from oven and allow cookies to cool on pan for 10 minutes before removing to cool on wire wrack.<br />
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The cookies may look raw in the middle when you take them out of the oven, but mine firmed up perfectly by the time they cooled.<br />
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morganecodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17185136905892806461noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1302825942015156857.post-60109193581845374062012-11-01T10:47:00.003-07:002012-11-01T10:47:21.212-07:00Funfetti Cake Mix CookiesIs this funfetti overload? I realize today's post might be a bit much since I just did a post on <a href="http://codykitchenconfections.blogspot.ca/2012/10/funfetti-cake-batter-fudge.html">Funfetti Cake Batter Fudge</a> last week. But these cookies were so delicious that I couldn't help continuing the trend......<br />
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Apparently October is popular for birthdays in my family, as my mom, sister and grandmother all have their special day during the month. I had already agreed to make a pound cake for our breakfast brunch, but also wanted to bring something else. A sweet something else on the side. I had a friend in high school who made the most amazing cake mix cookies, so I thought funfetti cake mix cookies might hit the spot.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt2uCRFMCR6kZLC1s2QUUN5l7cKD-os9wG_fHM5u_gzPU8pbCpebfC9MFwOk4JP_bXp0dsKFULUp9diAoMHSxJxTAFC2ggH_uY7jxU_rLlF-M3QGGRIvzQC9OG_oxA4I90pQy-9mnMOkg/s1600/funfetticakemixcookies0005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt2uCRFMCR6kZLC1s2QUUN5l7cKD-os9wG_fHM5u_gzPU8pbCpebfC9MFwOk4JP_bXp0dsKFULUp9diAoMHSxJxTAFC2ggH_uY7jxU_rLlF-M3QGGRIvzQC9OG_oxA4I90pQy-9mnMOkg/s640/funfetticakemixcookies0005.JPG" width="640" /></a><br />
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These cookies are based on the cult favorite funfetti cake mix, so they don't take too long to make it from the bowl to the oven to your tummy. Four ingredients, eight minutes in the oven. <br />
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I added a bit of cornstarch to these as I've found that doing so keeps cookies soft and fluffy. You could really use any cake mix you'd like....I think next time I might try red velvet!<br />
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<a name='more'></a><u style="font-weight: bold;">Funfetti Cake Mix Cookies</u> <i><a href="http://www.pillsbury.com/recipes/funfetti-cookies/3bd6c62e-7f45-46e9-8067-e72cf500c45c">adapted from Pillsbury</a></i><br />
<em><a href="https://sites.google.com/site/confectionsfromthecodykitchen/funfetti-cake-mix-cookies?tmpl=%2Fsystem%2Fapp%2Ftemplates%2Fprint%2F&showPrintDialog=1">Printable Version</a></em><br />
1 (18.9 oz) box Funfetti Cake Mix<br />
2 tsp cornstarch<br />
1/3 C oil<br />
2 eggs<br />
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Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease large baking sheet and set aside.<br />
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Combine all ingredients in order in large bowl. <br />
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Shape dough into 1 inch balls spaced 2 inches apart. Slightly flatten the tops with the back of a spoon.<br />
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Bake 8-10 minutes or until edges of cookies are just beginning to turn golden brown.<br />
*I like my cookies soft so I tend to take them out of the oven when they still look a little under-done.<br />
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Remove from oven and cool on pan for 1 minute. Remove to wire wrack to cool completely.<br />
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<br />morganecodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17185136905892806461noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1302825942015156857.post-27404422406169979872012-10-24T04:46:00.000-07:002012-10-24T04:46:01.074-07:00Funfetti Cake Batter FudgeWhen I think of celebrations I usually think of something sweet; something sugary and rich and quite sinful. While everything that falls into these categories is delicious, all those recipes often take quite a bit of time, effort and energy to prepare. This isn't necessary a bad thing unless you're in a time crunch. A layer cake is great, but you also have to consider that one will take you anywhere from 2 1/2 - 3 hours to make.<br />
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Insert today's funfetti cake batter fudge recipe. You get all the sugary goodness with just 5 ingredients that literally take 5 minutes to throw together. And funfetti just screams "celebration" in my book. <br />
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This was my first time making fudge and I must say it was much easier than I thought. I got a little impatient waiting for the fudge to set and tried to cut it too soon....word to the wise: patience is a virtue. If you try to rush this step your fudge won't be firm enough to cleanly cut and remove from the pan. What you end up with is a gooey mess. Albeit, a gooey mess that I enjoyed eating before returning the pan back to the fridge, but still.<br />
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Just make sure to give this stuff away ASAP unless you're okay with devouring the entire pan :) It's delicious!<br />
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<a name='more'></a><u style="font-weight: bold;">Funfetti Cake Batter Fudge</u> <i><a href="http://momscrazycooking.blogspot.com/2012/01/funfetti-cake-batter-fudge.html">adapted from Mom's Crazy Cooking</a></i><br />
<a href="https://sites.google.com/site/confectionsfromthecodykitchen/funfetti-cake-batter-fudge?tmpl=%2Fsystem%2Fapp%2Ftemplates%2Fprint%2F&showPrintDialog=1">Printable Version </a><br />
3/4 C sweetened condensed milk<br />
1 (12oz) bag white chocolate chips<br />
3 tsp vanilla extract<br />
1 tsp almond extract<br />
1 (1.75oz) bottle of sprinkles<br />
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Line 8x8 pan with foil or parchment paper. Set aside.<br />
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Stir together condensed milk and white chocolate chips in large, microwave safe bowl. Heat on high 2-3 minutes until white chocolate chips almost completely melted. *Do not overheat or the mixture will burn!*<br />
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Remove bowl from microwave and whisk until smooth. Use electric beaters if necessary.<br />
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Stir in vanilla and almond flavoring. Allow mixture to slightly cool, 3-4 minutes.<br />
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Add 3/4 of bottle of sprinkles. Gently stir, making sure not to over-mix, as this will cause the sprinkles to melt and turn the fudge a purple/brown color.<br />
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Pour fudge mixture into prepared pan and spread evenly. Top with remaining sprinkles.<br />
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Place pan in fridge for 2-3 hours or until fudge is set. <br />
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Cut fudge into squares and serve.<br />
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*If you do not let the fudge completely set before cutting it, the fudge will not be firm enough to cleanly remove from pan. Don't rush it!<br />
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<br />morganecodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17185136905892806461noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1302825942015156857.post-29858501778937559562012-10-22T06:37:00.004-07:002012-10-22T06:37:56.865-07:00Thai Peanut SauceAre you ready for the worst excuse ever for my absence these last two weeks? Revenge. As in all 22 episodes (and bonus features of course) from Season 1. My mom had ordered the DVD set a while back and loaned it to me last Sunday. I had only seen bits and pieces from an episode or two, but once I started the series I might as well have been sucked into a vortex. <br />
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My poor husband didn't really get anything all that special for dinner because I was too busy glued to the TV. A bowl of cereal and 45 minutes of this soap opera trumped a made from scratch meal and blogging every day for the last 14 days. Whoops.<br />
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But hopefully today you'll accept my peace offering: a quick and easy version of Thai peanut sauce that doesn't skimp on flavor in the least. I know peanut sauce isn't exactly something you're probably itching to make at home, but it's so much better than the bottle store bought version and it makes a great addition to so many dishes. <br />
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I added some of this sauce to a meal of quinoa, chicken and veggies, but you could easily serve it on it's own as a dipping sauce. Or you just might want to lick it off the spoon [guilty].<br />
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I adapted the below version by cutting down the amount of sugar added (the original called for 3/4 C) and might consider cutting down the salt next time. </div>
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This sauce freezes beautifully, so don't worry if you don't polish off the entire quantity the recipe yields. </div>
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กินเกลี้ยง </div>
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(that's "Eat up!" in Thai)<br />
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<b><u>Thai Peanut Sauce</u> </b><i><a href="http://shesimmers.com/2009/03/how-to-make-thai-peanut-sauce-my-moms.html">adapted from She Simmers</a></i><br />
<i><a href="https://sites.google.com/site/confectionsfromthecodykitchen/thai-peanut-sauce?tmpl=%2Fsystem%2Fapp%2Ftemplates%2Fprint%2F&showPrintDialog=1">Printable Version</a></i></div>
13.5 oz can coconut milk<br />
2 oz (approximately 1/4 C) Thai red curry paste<br />
3/4 C natural creamy peanut butter (kind with oil on top)<br />
1/2 Tbsp salt<br />
2 Tbsp dark brown sugar<br />
2 Tbsp sugar<br />
1/2 C water<br />
2 Tbsp white vinegar or apple cider vinegar<br />
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Bring to a gentle boil and turn down heat. Allow simmer, whisking constantly, for 3-5 minutes. Allow to cool slightly before serving.<br />
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<br />morganecodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17185136905892806461noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1302825942015156857.post-42436468086527571712012-10-05T11:19:00.003-07:002012-10-05T11:19:39.210-07:00Mashed Sweet PotatoesI've always been a sucker for both mashed potatoes and a good sweet potato casserole. But what about straight up mashed sweet potatoes? When my sister and I were planning a dinner menu for my parents' 30th anniversary celebration she suggested just that.<br />
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My main concern was that they would be bland. I can eat a sweet potato plain without any dressings, but most people like that combination of cinnamon, butter and brown sugar that's often added. You know, the kind they give you at Longhorn? It's kind of like making a dessert out of your dinner by the time you add all that sugar. <br />
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The recipe below lists what I added, but to be honest it's pretty hard to mess these up. If you taste them and find there isn't enough flavor you can definitely add additional brown sugar or cinnamon. Or butter :)<br />
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Considering that a sweet potato casserole calls for a cup or more of sugar I thought that this was kept relatively healthy. Therefore, that means two servings are okay, right???<br />
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<strong><u>Mashed Sweet Potatoes</u></strong> <em>CCK Original</em><br />
<i><a href="https://sites.google.com/site/confectionsfromthecodykitchen/mashed-sweet-potatoes?tmpl=%2Fsystem%2Fapp%2Ftemplates%2Fprint%2F&showPrintDialog=1">Printable Version</a></i><br />
3 lbs sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks<br />
1 Tbsp maple syrup<br />
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon<br />
5 Tbsp unsalted butter<br />
2 Tbsp brown sugar<br />
1/4 tsp salt<br />
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Add potatoes to large dutch oven or pot and cover with water. Bring water to boil and then reduce to simmer. Simmer for 8-10 minutes or until potatoes are tender and easily pierced with a fork. Drain well.</div>
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Return potatoes to dutch oven and add all remaining ingredients. Use electric beater to beat to incorporate all ingredients into potatoes evenly. Additional amounts of brown sugar, cinnamon or butter can be added for a stronger flavor.</div>
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<br />morganecodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17185136905892806461noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1302825942015156857.post-20061921340247333832012-10-02T05:30:00.001-07:002012-10-02T05:30:50.520-07:00Tuesday's Tips, Tricks and Tid-Bits: Evenly Cooking a Piece of MeatIt's one of the most common mistakes people make when cooking a piece of meat either on the stovetop or the grill. In an effort to make sure that the meat is cooked evenly they turn it too often. <br />
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Ideally, a piece of meat should only be turned once: you cook it on one side and then flip to the other....no more, no less.* Reason being that every time you flip a piece of meat back over to a side that's already been cooked the outer layer of meat gets cooked yet again before the heat ever makes it towards the center. What results is a tough, overcooked exterior. This is especially true if you need a good crust.<br />
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*This assumes you're cooking a two-sided piece of meat such as a burger patty. If you're working with a larger piece that needs searing on more than two sides just make sure to cook it once on each side. <br />
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Also along those same lines it's worth noting that you should never use a spatula or tongs to press down on a piece of meat. This is quite a common practice (prior guilty party myself) that does nothing other than squeeze out the juices that keep your meat moist and flavorful. <br />
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This is one of those situations in which patience is a virtue. Just let the meat do it's thing...it will be well worth the wait!morganecodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17185136905892806461noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1302825942015156857.post-61146293798847525342012-10-01T06:19:00.002-07:002012-10-01T06:19:22.451-07:00Sour Cream Pound Cake<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I've been baking pretty steadily for the past few years, but somehow have never managed to get around to making a pound cake. I think I've always found them a bit intimidating and would rather just go the good old fashioned layer cake route, which is what I'm most comfortable with. </div>
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I feel like so many things can go wrong with a pound cake...it can get too dry and then there is no icing to mask the problem (literally and figuratively)....they have a bad reputation for sticking to the pan.....they can collapse during the baking process leaving you with nothing but a big battered mess and a bad mood. I'm pretty sure the list could go on and that a lot of you reading this have a few mishaps of your own that you could add.</div>
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I had been perusing various sites and blogs for a pound cake recipe that would be worthy of my maiden voyage with the dessert, but always came up short: the recipe instructions wouldn't be specific enough ("bake 40 minutes to 95 minutes"...what?!), there would be less than glowing reviews from frustrated bakers, maybe the picture accompanying the recipe couldn't exactly be characterized as aesthetically pleasing which would lead me to the believe that it probably didn't taste good either.</div>
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I was about to write off my search as a lost cause when I got wind of the infamous sour cream pound cake recipe that belongs to my hubby's stepmom. Cathy has always turned out delicious meals, but apparently this recipe takes the cake (pun intended). My husband's grandfather has even dubbed the dessert the best cake he's ever eaten.</div>
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The crust is hands down my favorite part.</div>
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And I must say that I have now seen the light and will be turning to this recipe from here on out when I need a no-fail sweet staple. This recipe was super easy to follow and produced the most amazing cake that had both that perfect crackled crust on the outside and the moist flavorful inside that I was looking for. </div>
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Cathy's suggestion to dust the pan with sugar also turned out to be a new favorite tip. I used a 2-piece fluted angelfood cake pan and sprayed it with Pam for Baking (it contains flour) and then sprinkled the pan with some sugar. The usually frustrating task of removing the cake from the pan was a breeze and I loved the extra bit of flavor the sugar dusting gave the crust. </div>
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*Two extra tids bits and tips:</div>
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1. I will say just a teeny bit of batter seeped out of the bottom of my 2-piece pan, but it didn't affect my cake. Next time I'll just set a baking pan underneath the cake in the oven to eliminate any small mess.</div>
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2. I was a bit unsure of how to remove the cake from the pan since technically it wasn't made for a pound cake. If I were to flip the pan over like I normally do it would have ruined the crust. I ended up pulling the top portion of the pan out of the bottom by the flute and then literally used my hands to lift the entire cake off of the flute after it had cooled for about 30 minutes. This may not be the correct way to do it, but it worked for me.</div>
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What about you? Do you have a favorite pound cake recipe? If not, let this be yours!<br />
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<u style="font-weight: bold;">Sour Cream Pound Cake</u> <i>adapted from a family recipe</i><br />
<i><a href="https://sites.google.com/site/confectionsfromthecodykitchen/sour-cream-pound-cake?tmpl=%2Fsystem%2Fapp%2Ftemplates%2Fprint%2F&showPrintDialog=1">Printable Version</a></i><br />
1/2 lb (1 C) unsalted butter, softened<br />
3 C sugar<br />
1 C sour cream<br />
6 eggs, at room temperature and separated<br />
3 C flour, sifted<br />
1/4 tsp baking soda<br />
1/2 tsp salt<br />
1 tsp vanilla<br />
1/4 tsp almond<br />
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Preheat oven to 300 degrees and prepare tube pan. *I use Pam Baking spray since it contains flour and then dust the pan with a bit of sugar. It adds to the great crust and helps keep the cake from sticking to the pan.<br />
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Cream sugar and butter. Add egg yolks one at a time, beating well with each addition. Add sour cream. Mix thoroughly.<br />
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Add vanilla and almond. Mix in 1 C flour.<br />
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Beat egg whites until stiff peaks are formed. Fold into batter.<br />
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Add remaining 2 C flour, baking soda and salt.<br />
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Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 1 hour and 15 minutes to 1 hour and 30 minutes (mine took 1 hour and 25 minutes) or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.<br />
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<br />morganecodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17185136905892806461noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1302825942015156857.post-30246525173332145642012-09-28T05:59:00.000-07:002012-09-28T05:59:03.126-07:00Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bread with Brown Sugar Pecan StreuselGeez, do you think the title is long enough? I was trying to think of a way to pare it down, but it didn't seem fair to cut out the cream cheese part or the very descriptive streusel part. That's what makes this pumpkin bread different from your basic, run of the mill (yet still delicious) pumpkin bread.<br />
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My mom always made pumpkin bread from, well, as long ago as I can remember. You knew fall had officially arrived when the first batch was made. Even when we were too young to help with the baking my sister and I would gather in the kitchen because we knew we would be given one of the beaters to lick. And I've been obsessed with the stuff ever since. I'll eat it for breakfast, dessert, dinner, as a snack...<br />
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She has made this pumpkin bread so many times that the cookbook she uses is permanently creased and falling apart on the recipe page....splatters of dried batter everywhere. I love seeing those worn and stained pages almost as much as I love the recipe itself. It conjures up all kinds of warm and fuzzy childhood memories.<br />
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But alas I didn't have that beloved recipe two nights ago when I set out to make some for myself. So what's a girl to do? Well, I turned to everyone's good friend Google and sought out every type of pumpkin bread recipe I could find. I combined aspects of two recipes to come up with my final version below.<br />
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I was a little apprehensive about adding all these new things into the bread. Sure, cream cheese and pecans are great, but did I really want them messing up a classic? <br />
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It turns out I did :) You can definitely omit the cream cheese, pecans or the streusel if you'd like, but you'll be missing out if you do. <br />
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I know it's not officially fall yet, but since it's been in the mid-50's here in Georgia a few mornings lately I feel like it's okay to pull out the fall recipes. Here's to fall.....leaves, football, boots, scarves and PUMPKIN RECIPES!!!<br />
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<u style="font-weight: bold;">Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bread with Brown Sugar Pecan Streusel</u> <i>adapted from <a href="http://blissfulbite.wordpress.com/2009/11/03/pumpkin-chocolate-chip-bread-with-streusel/">A Blissful Bite</a> and <a href="http://www.joyofbaking.com/breakfast/PumpkinBread.html">Joy of Baking</a></i><br />
<i><a href="https://sites.google.com/site/confectionsfromthecodykitchen/pumpkin-cream-cheese-bread-with-brown-sugar-pecan-streusel?tmpl=%2Fsystem%2Fapp%2Ftemplates%2Fprint%2F&showPrintDialog=1">Printable Version</a></i><br />
Streusel:<br />
1/2 C flour<br />
1/2 C brown sugar<br />
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon<br />
1/2 C pecans, chopped<br />
1/4 tsp salt<br />
2 oz cream cheese, cut into small pieces<br />
3 Tbsp cold butter, cut into small pieces<br />
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Cream Cheese Filling:<br />
8 oz package cream cheese, softened<br />
1/3 C sugar<br />
1 egg<br />
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Bread:<br />
3 1/2 C flour<br />
1 tsp baking powder<br />
1 tsp baking soda<br />
1/2 tsp salt<br />
2 tsp pumpkin spice<br />
1/2 C pecans, chopped<br />
4 eggs, at room temperature<br />
2 C sugar<br />
1 C unsalted butter, melted and cooled to room temperature<br />
15 oz can pure pumpkin<br />
1/2 C water<br />
1 tsp vanilla<br />
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease two 9"x5" loaf pans. <br />
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For the streusel:<br />
Combine the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, pecans and salt in medium bowl. Use pastry cutter to cut in cream cheese and butter until the mixture resembles a coarse meal. Refrigerate.<br />
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For the cream cheese filling:<br />
Beat together all ingredients until smooth. Set aside.<br />
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For the bread:<br />
In large bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and pumpkin spice. Whisk well to free any lumps. Stir in pecans. <br />
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In separate bowl whisk eggs until just beaten. Add sugar and butter and whisk to combine. Add pumpkin, water and vanilla and whisk together.<br />
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Add wet mixture into dry mixture and stir until just combined. Do not overmix...this will lead to a tough bread.<br />
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To assemble:<br />
Divide batter in half. Distribute one half of batter into bottom of the two pans. Divide cream cheese filling between two pans, gently spooning it over first layer of pumpkin batter. Top pans with remaining pumpkin batter.<br />
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Remove streusel from fridge and use fingers to crumble it over top of batter.<br />
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Bake 55-65 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean (a few moist crumbs are okay....no one wants dry bread!). Allow bread to cool 10 minutes in pans before removing.<br />
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<br />morganecodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17185136905892806461noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1302825942015156857.post-19243158334037237102012-09-27T11:15:00.000-07:002012-09-27T11:15:12.481-07:00Not Your Basic Black BeansBlack beans most certainly have never been on my list of favorite foods. It's not that I don't like them, but I'm pretty sure I've never come home, opened the pantry and thought "mmm, black beans! Those will hit the spot!". I've had them in my Joey Junior burrito at Moes but that's about it.<br />
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However, the other night when I needed a relevant side dish for my <a href="http://codykitchenconfections.blogspot.com/2012/09/mango-salsa-for-meats.html">mango salsa topped pork chops</a> it was the black beans that kept coming to mind. I had been set on rice, but alas there was none in our pantry and quite frankly I was tired of having 5 cans of black beans staring me in face every time I opened the pantry door. <br />
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But I didn't want just any black beans. I needed something with a little bit of a kick. Something with a bit of flair. <br />
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After searching out several recipes online I came up with the below combo. I know lime juice sounds like an odd ingredient to add to beans, but paired with the cilantro it does the trick. And the cayenne pepper and chili powder really do add a kick that I liked despite the fact that I'm normally not crazy about spicy foods. <br />
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These beans definitely have a Cuban or Mexican taste to them and would be perfect to add to those types of meals. <br />
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<a name='more'></a><strong><u>Not Your Basic Black Beans</u></strong> <em>CCK Original</em><br />
<a href="https://sites.google.com/site/confectionsfromthecodykitchen/not-your-basic-black-beans?tmpl=%2Fsystem%2Fapp%2Ftemplates%2Fprint%2F&showPrintDialog=1"><em>Printable Version</em></a><br />
16 oz can black beans<br />
1/2 small onion, chopped<br />
1 clove garlic, finely minced<br />
1 Tbsp lime juice<br />
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper<br />
dash of chili powder (optional)<br />
1 Tbsp fresh cilantro<br />
salt to taste<br />
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In medium saucepan combine beans, onion and garlic. Bring to a boil.<br />
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Reduce heat to low and add in lime juice, cayenne pepper and chili powder (optional). Simmer 5 minutes. Remove from heat and add cilantro and salt to taste.<br />
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I really hated we didn't have more beans left over, thus</div>
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the less than overflowing bowl...</div>
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<br />morganecodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17185136905892806461noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1302825942015156857.post-34817354240832148322012-09-26T05:26:00.002-07:002012-09-26T05:26:28.291-07:00Mango Salsa for MeatsMango salsa for meats?? As in, mango the fruit? On top of protein?<br />
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I know it may sound a bit odd, but this simple blend of mango, onion, peppers and cilantro is quite the pairing for everything from mahi mahi to pork to shrimp. You can actually keep your meat on the simple side (i.e. no crazy sauces or marinades) and just let the salsa take front and center stage.<br />
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I paired mine with some seared pork chops and then added a side of dressed up black beans (recipe coming tomorrow). I prepared the salsa first and then let all the flavors meld together while I finished up the rest of the meal. You could also prep it the night before and just keep it in the fridge until you're ready to use it.<br />
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I've never tried it, but I'm sure that you could jazz this stuff up and serve it with chips as well.<br />
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Words of wisdom: Just make sure you don't use an overly-ripe mango....it will be super duper slimey and will mush together.<br />
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<a name='more'></a><br />
<strong><u>Mango Salsa</u></strong> <em><a href="http://allrecipes.com/recipe/mango-salsa/">adapted from allrecipes</a></em><br />
<em><a href="https://sites.google.com/site/confectionsfromthecodykitchen/mango-salsa?tmpl=%2Fsystem%2Fapp%2Ftemplates%2Fprint%2F&showPrintDialog=1">Printable Version</a></em><br />
1 mango, peeled, seeded and diced<br />
1/4 C finely diced red bell pepper<br />
1 green onion, chopped<br />
1 jalapeno, seeded and finely chopped*<br />
2 Tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped<br />
2 Tbsp fresh lime juice<br />
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice<br />
*Use 1/2 if you don't want some heat to your salsa<br />
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Combine all ingredients in small bowl. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes prior to serving.<br />
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<br />morganecodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17185136905892806461noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1302825942015156857.post-59375407146011278382012-09-25T10:32:00.003-07:002012-09-25T10:32:43.101-07:00Tuesday's Tips, Tricks and Tid-Bits: Baking with Glass, Metal andSiliconeIn this day and age one has endless options when it comes to baking dishes. You've got glass pans, metal pans and even silicone ones in every size and shape you can imagine. While this convenience is wonderful in many ways, it can leave you feeling a bit lost at the same time. Or on the other hand you may not even realize that it was the lighter aluminum pan that caused your beloved brownies to bake much slower than usual. This is why you often see various baking instructions on the back of boxed cake mixes that are based on what type of pan you use.<br />
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So what's the difference? Below is a quick overview to help you understand how each type of pan will affect your dish.<br />
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<strong><u>Glass</u></strong>: Glass pans earn points for being easy to clean, a common complaint with most metal pans. Glass dishes also tend to absorb heat more readily resulting in the ability to brown your food versus burning it. <br />
Good for: meats, casseroles, savory dishes<br />
Not so great for: sugary treats (they tend to burn around the perimeter before they finish cooking in the middle)<br />
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<strong><u>Metal</u></strong>: Most metal pans are typically made from aluminum. There are 3 factors that will affect how fast your food cooks: the color of the pan, how shiny the metal is and whether or not it is coated. The rule of thumb is that the darker the metal, the more heat it it will absorb and the faster the food will cook. <br />
Good for: cakes, cookies, muffins, bread<br />
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<strong><u>Silicone</u></strong>: The new kid on the block. If sticking is a concern for you, then silicone is a great option. The only thing to consider is that silicone is a poor heat conductor and your baked good will brown very little, if at all.<br />
Good for: anything that tends to stick, anything you don't want a crust on<br />
Not so great for: meats you're wanting to brownmorganecodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17185136905892806461noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1302825942015156857.post-52328267096550833492012-09-21T12:26:00.000-07:002012-09-21T12:26:00.382-07:00Chewy Chocolate Chip Toffee BarsI wouldn't necessarily consider myself a huge toffee fan, but when I caught a glimpse of these Chewy Chocolate Chip Toffee Bars over on Pinterest I couldn't resist giving them a go. Reason being that I linked over to the recipe and realized just what all kinds of goodness went into these little babies....<br />
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Layer 1: Graham cracker crumbs, butter, toffee bits<br />
Layer 2: Chocolate melted with sweetened condensed milk<br />
Layer 3: Chocolate chip cookie dough and a few graham cracker crumbs<br />
Layer 4: Toffee Bits sprinkled all a-top<br />
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Hhhhmm...considering that I would have eaten just the bottom layer alone I figured that these couldn't turn out too bad. And I will have to say that they certainly didn't disappoint in the least. I was worried that each of the layers would be too thin (my graham cracker mixture barely covered the bottom, but because all of the ingredients are pretty rich and flavorful the ratios turned out to be spot on.<br />
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I enjoyed the idea of these bars so much that I think I might experiment in the future with sugar cookie dough or mint chocolate chip bits....or maybe peanut butter...or white chocolate. Well, you get the idea.<br />
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Enjoy!<br />
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<a name='more'></a><br />
<b><u>Chewy Chocolate Chip Toffee Bars</u> </b><i><a href="http://familybites.blogspot.com/2011/07/fudgy-chocolate-chip-toffee-bars.html">adapted from Family Bites</a></i><br />
<i><a href="https://sites.google.com/site/confectionsfromthecodykitchen/chewy-chocolate-chip-toffee-bars?tmpl=%2Fsystem%2Fapp%2Ftemplates%2Fprint%2F&showPrintDialog=1">Printable Version</a></i><br />
1/2 C butter, melted<br />
2 C graham cracker crumbs<br />
8 oz bag toffee bits<br />
1 roll refrigerated chocolate chip cookie dough<br />
12 oz bag semi-sweet chocolate chips<br />
14 oz can sweetened condensed milk<br />
1 Tbsp butter<br />
1 tsp vanilla<br />
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Preheat oven to 350 and grease 13x9 pan. Set cookie dough out to slightly soften.<br />
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In small bowl combine 1/2 C melted butter, 1 1/2 C graham cracker crumbs and 3/4 C toffee bits. Press evenly into bottom of prepared pan to cover. Place pan in fridge for approximately 10 minutes.<br />
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In small saucepan combine condensed milk, 1 Tbsp butter and chocolate chips over medium heat and stir until melted and smooth. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.<br />
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Remove pan from fridge and pour melted chocolate mixture over crumbs. <br />
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Use a spoon to spread the mixture from the middle *out* to keep from</div>
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pulling up all the crumbs as your spread the chocolate.</div>
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In separate bowl combine cookie dough and remaining 1/2 C graham cracker crumbs. Use fingers to crumble and then sprinkle evenly over melted chocolate mixture. Top off pan with remaining 3/4 C toffee bits.<br />
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Ready to go!</div>
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Make 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Allow to cool (about 2 hours) before cutting bars. <br />
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<br />morganecodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17185136905892806461noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1302825942015156857.post-39600455175584372642012-09-20T10:06:00.003-07:002012-09-20T10:06:36.365-07:00Lemon Poppyseed Bread with Lemon GlazeMaybe I'm alone, but I've always wondered just why poppyseeds are so often added to any type of lemon flavored bread. They don't really have a taste (not one that I can detect anyways) and they don't enhance the texture of the bread. But I'm not complaining because I love the way they look and I love the little crunch you get from each of those little seeds.<div>
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<div>
I've always had a soft spot for lemon poppyseed muffins, but I've never had them in loaf form and thought it was time to concoct such a recipe. The below recipe is quick and easy to throw together because it is based on a boxed cake mix. The bread is also pretty sweet which means I enjoyed it for both breakfast and dessert :) Okay, and maybe for a mid afternoon snack too.</div>
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I will say that this bread is very dense and moist. It doesn't have that fluffy texture that you get in a sandwich bread. But that's what I was going for so it didn't disappoint me in the least. </div>
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*Don't worry if your loaf "collapses" after you pull it out of the oven. Mine was really high and shrunk back down even though the bread was cooked through. That's to be expected, so don't think you did anything wrong.</div>
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<u style="font-weight: bold;">Lemon Poppyseed Bread with Lemon Glaze</u> <i>CCK Original</i></div>
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<i><a href="https://sites.google.com/site/confectionsfromthecodykitchen/lemon-poppyseed-bread-with-lemon-glaze?tmpl=%2Fsystem%2Fapp%2Ftemplates%2Fprint%2F&showPrintDialog=1">Printable Version</a></i></div>
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<i>Bread:</i></div>
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1 box yellow cake mix</div>
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3.4 oz instant lemon pudding mix</div>
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1.4 oz instant vanilla pudding mix</div>
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1/2 C milk</div>
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1/2 C vegetable oil</div>
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1 C sour cream</div>
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4 eggs</div>
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1/3 C lemon juice</div>
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2 tsp lemon zest (or substitute an additional Tbsp lemon juice)</div>
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2 1/2 tsp poppyseeds</div>
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<i>Icing:</i></div>
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3 C powdered sugar</div>
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4 1/2 Tbsp lemon juice, plus more if needed</div>
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For the bread:</div>
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease two loaf pans. My pans were 10"x5".</div>
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Combine all bread ingredients except for the poppyseeds in large bowl. Beat ingredients together until smooth. Stir in poppyseeds.</div>
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Pour batter into prepared pans and bake 45-55 minutes or until knife inserted comes out clean. Remove from oven and allow to cool 10-15 minutes before removing from pans.</div>
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For the icing:</div>
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Combine powdered sugar and lemon juice in bowl and stir until smooth. Add additional lemon juice if needed to reach pourable consistency.</div>
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Pour glaze over bread and allow to sit uncovered at room temp until glaze sets. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8nE2Zv_PI705bfmM1qbRsG1i_KLe0tMrjyl6W8g7HVe_3qFkM5bqXSi4BHheCqQRT5QdvpP0xljo-j8MumUE0qeWb4b2koloXzg4wsiVsL40iC_fTmb0HO4vTn3aGKIalW6B2RXHpxdU/s1600/lemonpoppyseedloaf0001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8nE2Zv_PI705bfmM1qbRsG1i_KLe0tMrjyl6W8g7HVe_3qFkM5bqXSi4BHheCqQRT5QdvpP0xljo-j8MumUE0qeWb4b2koloXzg4wsiVsL40iC_fTmb0HO4vTn3aGKIalW6B2RXHpxdU/s640/lemonpoppyseedloaf0001.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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The glaze makes it.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitHCTn7ImDw9YZKUyX129hZoDLWKrrcRWgd_KDD2TbmQWJS69eG_v6TnORB9gwsADlx329t1sxg4oLzXQv3vjLlaf0Lnlz2mSsR37B8NTO0YxzVZOmSvjF_SQxualFhseOamrj8DCEOQ4/s1600/lemonpoppyseedloaf0002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitHCTn7ImDw9YZKUyX129hZoDLWKrrcRWgd_KDD2TbmQWJS69eG_v6TnORB9gwsADlx329t1sxg4oLzXQv3vjLlaf0Lnlz2mSsR37B8NTO0YxzVZOmSvjF_SQxualFhseOamrj8DCEOQ4/s640/lemonpoppyseedloaf0002.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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I love all that glaze that pools around the bottom...delish!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkG8YFXAZT_9u56md1hLoxFuOc_mbNDROwIpLWP6BCW9E0uxf8BfD5DUBAh1aVHsP3XPSVD-ySrbczcLTVqupvNdhP6_E6-R6q8mCKuk0yUSnkR9YRUkIj79n-SDopH1-ZMx1kvEPOzEQ/s1600/lemonpoppyseedloaf0005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkG8YFXAZT_9u56md1hLoxFuOc_mbNDROwIpLWP6BCW9E0uxf8BfD5DUBAh1aVHsP3XPSVD-ySrbczcLTVqupvNdhP6_E6-R6q8mCKuk0yUSnkR9YRUkIj79n-SDopH1-ZMx1kvEPOzEQ/s640/lemonpoppyseedloaf0005.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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morganecodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17185136905892806461noreply@blogger.com2