Apple Streusel Coffee Cake

Hi! I hope it's been a great Monday for everyone! I was blessed to spend a joyful day of lunch and shopping with my daughter, grand-girl, and one of my very best friends. Time with the people I love is so precious to me. It was the perfect way to spend a Monday. 

Once I was back home I was hit by the baking bug, so I preheated my oven and pulled out this recipe that's been in my family for ages. I made this Apple Streusel Coffee Cake often while in college. I was in nursing school and we took turns bringing tasty treats on the days we had clinical. Over the years it's become one of my go-to recipes for gift giving and pot-lucks. This scrumptious cake is irresistibly moist. It's layered with apples, streusel, and finished with a sweet glaze. With the bounty of apples this time of year it's the perfect way to celebrate the harvest season. When I have time I make my own apple filling, but when you're in a rush the canned filling is a real time saver. I hope you'll enjoy this cake as much as we do!   

Oh! I have some happy news to share as well! My secret garden card was chosen as the winner of this weeks challenge at the Shabby Tea Room.  I am so very honored! What a perfect ending to a lovely day. 

Thank you so much for spending some time here at my blog! I hope your day is filled with happiness, laughter and a wee bit of magic (my Irish soul insisted I add that last bit:-) Hugs,   

Apple Streusel Coffee Cake 

(click here for printable recipe)
  
Ingredients:

1 20 oz can Apple Pie Filling (or see directions below for homemade filling) 

2 tsp. Cinnamon

1 cup packed Brown Sugar

1 cup chopped Nuts (Pecans or Walnuts)

3 cups Flour

1 cup Sugar

1 ½ cup Milk

½ cup Butter, softened

3 tsp. Baking Powder

1 tsp. Salt

3 Eggs

3 Tbsp. Butter, melted

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350

Grease a 13 X 9 pan

Combine Pie Filling & Cinnamon – set aside. Combine Brown Sugar and Nuts – set aside. In large bowl combine Flour, Sugar, Milk, ½ cup Butter, Baking Powder, Salt, & Eggs. Mix on low 30 seconds beat on medium 2 minutes. Pour ½ Batter into prepared pan. Spoon ½ Pie Filling evenly over batter. Spread ½ Brown Sugar mixture evenly over pie filling. Add remaining Batter to pan and spread remaining Pie Filling over top. Mix 3 Tbsp. melted Butter with remaining Brown Sugar mixture. Spread evenly over top of cake.

Bake 45-50 minutes until tester comes out clean.     

Glaze

1 ½ cup Powdered Sugar

2 Tbsp. Butter

1 ½ tsp. Vanilla

4-5 tsp. hot Water

Combine all ingredients until smooth. Drizzle over cake 20 minutes out of oven.

* For homemade apple filling: Place 4-5 peeled, cored, and sliced cooking apples, ½ cup brown sugar, ½ stick butter, 1tsp. cinnamon, and ¼ ~½ tsp. salt in a sauce pan over low to medium heat.  Heat until apples are slightly softened.  You use this instead of the canned pie filling/cinnamon mixture. The measurements for this are approximate as there were no actual measurements to begin with and it depends a lot on the size/type of your apples. The amount of sugar can be changed depending on the tartness of your apples. 

Graphic 45 'Once Upon a Springtime' Fairy Garden Shadow Box

 Hi!!

I'm so thrilled to finally be back! For the past few months each time I started using my crafting tools my wrist would take a turn for the worse. I truly hope it is healed once and for all. I'm back in my craft room, joyfully whiling away the hours on whatever inspires me at the moment.

 Lately my crafty thoughts have been filled with the flutter of fairy wings and lush, secret gardens (my Irish heritage peeking through again!) This fairy garden shadow box I created for my grand-girl is a glimpse of what has been going on in my mind's eye. Now my granddaughter will have a little something from me to inspire her own magical dreams. I also entered this in The Shabby Tea Room's weekly challenge. It's my first time doing something like this and I am having a lot of fun with it! If you have any questions about the products I used just leave a message and I'll be happy to answer them.

Much has happened during my little break. Our youngest graduated high school and we moved him to college 4.5 hours away from home. He's happy and had a smooth transition to college life. We are officially empty nesters. I was filled with dread over this and shed many a tear in anticipation of my 'baby' leaving home. So far it is not quite as horrible as I anticipated. I miss him. My heart aches when I walk past his room and he's not in it. But I can happily report my life did not completely end when our last child went off to college. A week ago we attended parent weekend and sat in Death Valley for our very first Clemson football game (Go Tigers!) 

We had an amazing time! I even had my toenails painted orange with tiger paws. I intend to be the best college parent I can possibly be!         

I had my sweet grand-girl over for a slumber party last night. We spent the evening playing Littlest Pet Shop and watching Despicable Me. My little angel is an early riser so at 6:45 this morning we started our day with pancakes. These tender, fluffy, scrumptious pancakes are so easy to whip up that I never use a box mix anymore. If you'd like to make these for your family just click here for the link to the recipe.  

 Thank you for stopping by and spending time with me today!! Your comments and support mean so very much to me! Hugs!!  

 

Pecan Pie Bar Cookie Recipe and The Hunger Games!!

Happy Friday! My favorite day of the week has rolled around again! I'm super excited because The Hunger Games comes out in theaters this weekend. I'm a huge fan of the books, so I can't wait to see how they adapted the first novel for the big screen! I can barely wait to be seated in our favorite spot with that big tub of buttery popcorn, icy drinks, and hear the words "Ladies and gentlemen, let the 74th annual Hunger Games begin!"     

 I'm team Peeta!

So excited to see this movie!!!

Yesterday I mentioned baking pecan pie bars. I love having fresh baked goodies for my son when he comes home from school. Oh, how I'll miss doing this when he goes off to college in August! Empty nest syndrome is already making an appearance for me. My heart aches when I think of his room being quiet and empty. Him not coming through the door around 4pm, hungry, smiling, and full of the exciting news of his school day. It seems like only yesterday I was holding my newborn son in my arms. I created a cozy haven in which to nurture him. A loving home from which he could grow and discover the world, while at the same time be sheltered and protected. Now he's learned and experienced everything he can here. In order to move forward in life he must move on. This place I've created for my little one is quickly becoming obsolete. It's a difficult realization and it tears at my heart, but I need to snap out of this or I'm going to cry again. I'm going to take advantage of these last few months to really spoil him.

We like our desserts to be gooey and chewy, so these pecan pie bars were just the ticket. I finally found a moment to take a quick photo (above) and I have the recipe for you today. These scrumptious treats are amazingly simple to make and are even more delicious than pecan pie. There's a more balanced crust/filling/pecan ratio, plus you can just pick them up and eat them with your fingers. What's not to love? Give them a try and I guarantee you'll never want to bake from the boxed mixes again. The recipe makes a big 15x10 pan so you'll have plenty to share. I know Christmas is a long way off, but I wanted to mention how perfect these are for holiday gift giving (it's never too early to start planning!) 

Thank you so much for coming by and spending a bit of your precious time with me today! My best wishes for a wonderful weekend and 'may the odds be ever in your favor!' Hugs, Nancy

Here's the recipe for the bars:

Pecan Pie Bars (courtesy of allrecipes.com)

Ingredients:

3 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup white sugar

1 cup butter

1/2 teaspoon salt

4 eggs 1 1/2 cups light corn syrup

1 1/2 cups white sugar

3 tablespoons margarine, melted

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups chopped pecans

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease the sides and bottom of one 15x10 inch pan.

In a large bowl combine the flour, 1/2 cup sugar, margarine or butter and salt until the mixture resemble coarse crumbs. Press firmly into the prepared pan.

Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 20 minutes.

In a large bowl stir the eggs, corn syrup 1 1/2 cups white sugar, melted margarine and vanilla until blended. Stir in the chopped pecans. 

Spread the filling evenly over the hot crust. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 25 minutes or until set. Let cool before slicing.



Giveaway update and Oatmeal Carmelita Bars!

Hi! I want to apologize for my silence these last couple of weeks. Everyone in my family has been taking turns being ill, then thoughtfully passing it along to the next family member. Actually we've had a rough time with respiratory infections much of this winter. Not fun! 

My plan was to begin my 'bag of tags' giveaway this week (yesterday, to be exact.) I hope nobody will mind if I postpone it for 2 weeks. We're all just beginning to feel better and I'm trying to get caught up with everything I let slide while we weren't feeling well. 

In the meantime I want to share this much loved family recipe for Oatmeal Carmelita Bars! These are seriously scrumptious. They're ooey, gooey, chewy, soul soothing treats that are super simple to make and wonderful to share with family and friends. This is my go-to recipe for bake sales and school events.         

Oatmeal Carmelita Bars

Ingredients:

2 cups Caramel Bits (or 48 caramel candies, unwrapped)

6 Tbsp. Cream or Milk

1 1/3 cups All Purpose Flour

1 1/3 cups Quick Cooking Oatmeal

1 cup firmly packed Brown Sugar

1 cup Butter, melted

1 tsp. Baking Soda

½ tsp. Salt

1 heaping cup Milk Chocolate Chips

1 cup chopped Pecans (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 13X9 pan or line with Reynolds Wrap Non-Stick Foil.

In small saucepan combine Caramel with Cream and heat on low, stirring constantly until thoroughly melted and combined. Remove from heat and set aside.

In large bowl mix Flour, Oatmeal, Brown Sugar, Baking Soda, and Salt. Add melted Butter and mix thoroughly on medium speed.  Press half the dough into prepared pan. Bake 8-10 minutes and remove from oven. Pour most of melted caramel evenly over base, reserving a small amount for drizzling over finished bars. Spread chocolate chips evenly over caramel. Sprinkle chopped nuts over bars if desired. Crumble remaining dough evenly over top of bars. Bake for an additional 12-15 minutes. Remove from oven and drizzle with reserved caramel. Refrigerate 2 or more hours before cutting into squares.       

I hope you enjoy these as much as we do! Happy baking and I hope you're having a wonderful day! Hugs,



Valentine's 'Be Mine' Tags Tutorial and Cake Batter Blondies!

Hi and happy Friday!! My favorite day of the week has arrived again! I have a few Valentine's Day projects to share over the next few days. I'll kick off the weekend with my sweet  little 'Be Mine' tags.

These will be embellishing my gift boxes of homemade goodies that I'm baking for some of my family and friends.

They're so fun to make! If you need some last minute pretties for your packages you can whip these up in no time at all. Just follow the super easy directions below, and feel free to ask questions if I've left anything out. After the directions you'll find photos of the supplies I used along with links to where they can be found. If you don't have these products, don't worry about it ~ just substitute with whatever you have at home, and have fun!  

Directions

1. Use 'Love Me' patterned paper from MME (or any favorite pattern in your stash.)
2. Cut the tag using the Tag Sale # 5 die from Papertrey Ink. Cut one tag from the patterned paper and an additional one from plain heavy card stock. 
3. Die cut the circles and hearts using the Spellbinder's dies listed below, cutting each shape twice (one in patterned paper and another  plain heavy cardstock.) 
4. Ink the edges of all the die cut  pieces with Tim Holtz distress ink in vintage photo
5. Adhere plain cardstock die cuts to the back of the patterned paper die cuts using Glossy Accents. This will make your die cuts more durable. 
6. Stamp the sentiment using  Basic Grey's Two Scoops-Sweet Sentiments and Staz On ink in Timber Brown.
7. Stamp the little cherub using Inkadinkado's All About Love stamp set and Jenni Bowlin Ink in Cough Syrup. 
8. Adhere glitter to the circle die cuts with Essential Glue Pad (lends a bit of sparkle to the project.)
9. Punch a hole in the side of each heart. 
10. Use pop-up foam adhesive circles to attach the scallop circle and cherub to the heart.
11.  Layer your pieces and tie everything together with a bow made from seam binding (or ribbon of your choice.) 
12. Attach a paper rose to finish it all off.    

  

Supplies

My Minds Eye 6x6 Paper Pad

Papertrey Ink Tag Sale # 5 

Spellbinders Scallop Circles-Large and Small 

Spellbinders Standard Circles-Large

Spellbinders Classic Hearts

'be mine' sentiment from Basic Grey Two Scoops-Sweet Sentiments (even the name sounds yummy!)    

Inkadinkado Mini All About Love stamp set 

Martha Stewart Glitter

Jenni Bowlin Ink in Cough Syrup

Tim Holtz Distress Ink in Vintage Photo 

Staz On ink in Timber Brown

Ranger Glossy Accents

Adhesive Foam Circles

Essential Glue Pad

Pink Cardstock, Seam Binding (hand dyed and scrunched), and Paper Flower from craft supply   

And now for the really sweet stuff! I'm talking moist, chewy, luscious perfection....

photo courtesy of sixsistersstuff.blogspot.com

I happened upon this recipe for Cake Batter Blondies on six sister's stuff blog last week, and my grandaughter's visit today presented the perfect opportunity to try them out. My little angel helped me with the baking. We had so much fun, and oh my gosh, these are amazing! They're rich and moist and wonderful in every way. If you're one who loves to lick the cake batter out of the bowl, then these will be your new favorite. It's another quick and easy recipe using a cake mix as a base. Some people frown on using a mix, and there are times when  I'm one of those people, but there are times (like this!) when I throw caution to the wind and simply enjoy.The white chocolate chips are optional but I highly recommend them. My only suggestion would be to leave off the frosting. It's pretty, but they don't need it. We ended up scraping the frosting off because they're even better without it. I've attached the link to the recipe so you can try them out if you're in the mood for a little Valentine's goodness.

Thank you so much for stopping by. Your visit has added sunshine to my day! I wish you happy baking and crafting! Hugs,

Valentine 'Conversation' Clothespin Tutorial and Strawberry Valentine Oreo Cookies!

                   

Valentine 'Conversation' Clothespins

photo courtesy of Etsy 

Hi! I'm so happy Friday has finally arrived (it's my favorite day of the week!) Weekends are like Chrismas gift waiting to be unwrapped, and Friday has all the exciting anticipation of Christmas Eve. Two fun filled days lay ahead when the family can be together without the demands of work or school. There's less homework, routines can slide a little, it's okay to stay up up a little later or sleep in a bit in the morning. This is our time to enjoy a picnic in the park, a visit to the museum, a night at the movies, dinner out, or an evening of browsing at Barnes and Noble (yes, in our famiy that's considered an excellent weekend activity!) 

In celebration of this lovely day I'd like to share another fun and easy Valentine project. I came across this idea on Pinterest, but unfortunately the link didn't provide the shop or name of the seller who originally made these. Not to worry. I've crafted many of these for different occasions, and in few simple steps you'll have as many of these little cuties as you like. This is a wonderful activity to do with children! You need only three inexpensive items to get started:

Clothespins. These can be found anywhere. I purchased mine at Walmart.  

This cute little alphabet stamp set. I love the vintage type style of this alpahbet. It includes the heart stamp AND a little star (think Fourth of July!) This is available through Hobby Lobby, but I purchased mine at AC Moore using the weekly coupon. I picked it up for practically nothing!    

An ink pad. I used 'Cough Syrup' from Jenni Bowlin, but any color you prefer will work perfectly.

Now that you've assembled your supplies you're ready to begin.

1. If you want your clothespins to have an aged look, follow the instructions from Tuesday's post for tea/coffee staining them, then allow them to dry before you proceed. 
2. It's time to break out your stamps. Stamping is fun! If you're working with a new set of stamps you'll need to gently separate them before using them. Ink up your stamp by gently pressing it onto the inkpad a couple of times. Don't press too hard. You don't want excess ink to run over on the surrounding rubber (you won't get a clean stamped image if this happens.) If you're new to stamping you can practice a couple of times on scrap paper to get the feel of it.   
3. Hold your clothespin steady and stamp your sentiment onto the handle one letter at a time. Press gently but firmly each time you stamp a letter. You don't have to perfectly align your letters. The imperfections lend charm to this project. Use any sentiment you like. I made all of mine different (like the conversation heart candies.) There are no limitations aside from the size of the clothespin.       
4. Once you complete the sentiment follow the same procedure to stamp the heart onto the tip of the clothespin.  

You now have a batch of 'conversation clothespins' to attach to anything and everything your heart desires. It doesn't get any easier than that!

I found the most adorable recipe while blog surfing on Thursday...  

 

Strawberry Valentine Oreo Cookies

I'm so happy I stumbled across these! As it turns out, my son needed treats to take to the chess club meeting today, and I had all the ingredients for these cookies in my pantry. They start with a cake mix, so that alone tells you they're going to be easy. They come out soft and sweet and chewy, really everything you could ask for in  a cookie. What fun it would be to bake these with children!   

I have another addiction to confess to today... I'm completely hooked on reading:-)) I consider it a decadent a treat to curl up with a book and a cup of tea. Even more than that, I love just being around books. I love the way they smell. I love the way the paper feels. Whenever I visit someone's home I always feel more comfortable when I see books lying around. You can learn quite a bit about people by the books they read. At my house there are stacks of books to be found everywhere (one of the rare instances I do not consider a random stack of stuff clutter.)  

When I was little I stored my most loved books on the shelf of my headboard. When I was newly married I was able have an entire shelf unit in our living room just for my books. When we bought our first home I knew I wanted a space designated solely for the purpose of reading, so I created this little library in one of our spare bedrooms. The shelves are filled with books for all ages, so that a magical journey awaits anyone who walks through the door. I truly believe that the love of reading is one of the best gifts a parent can give their children.     

The ceramic jar sitting on the shelf was made by my oldest daughter in art class many years ago. I so love looking at it.

More than anything I wanted our library to be comfortable. I went with big, overstuffed leather recliners, and placed them in front of a sunny window. The floor is covered by a plush area rug. I keep plenty of throw blankets and pillows around so we can really get cozy.     

You don't need a special room to create your own library. A comfy chair and good lighting are the only requirements. You don't even need to buy books. A weekly trip to the public library is an exciting adventure and competely free of charge!     

This is the book I'm reading right now... 

Catching Fire is the second novel in The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins. I'm about 3/4 of the way into it right now, and I can barely put it down. I'd love to hear what you've been reading if you have a moment to share!

 Thank you for visiting and sharing a bit of your day with me!! I hope you have a wonderful day filled with friendship, laughter, and the very happiest of surprises! Hugs,