Epic Fail to Yummy Success

Yes yes I know, its hard to believe that I could have an Epic fail in the kitchen! If you take a look at the picture on the left you see that yes sometimes I do.  The crumbling lump of dryness is my attempt at reconstructing a childhood memory...Something I smell every time I am pregnant...Weird I know and NO  I'm not.  Peanut Butter Cake. This is another failed attempt and something I remember at being moist and yummy, not coarse and crumbly. Oh well back to the drawing board I suppose.  I will prevail, but not today (or tomorrow) for that matter. My pursuits were in another sugar ladened direction!

Today I pulled out my Woman's Home Companion Cookbook!.. You know the one I found browsing in the incredible Antiques shop of discovery ...hahahahaha.  It has given me a few successes so hey why not give it another go. My ego needed a success after the epic fail above.  See it was a necessity that I make this dessert and some homemade applesauce. Really EmBee a necessity to make a dessert laden with sugary goodness??? Oh yes, you see thanks to the crazy fluctuating weather my apples that usually last a long time were starting to show signs of distress due to the warmth in their normally cool storage place. So out I pull out this recipe... I put a copy here, in case you want to give it a try as well.  ....CRISP APPLE SCALLOP!  My youngest was inquiring whether there was fish in the recipe (scallops...get it)  The only change I made in the dessert was I didn't have Corn Flakes, but I did have FROSTED FLAKES... A little more sugar cant hurt..right? hahaha. Doesn't it look delicious?  Now I didn't have the whipped cream as suggested in the recipe, but look there is another suggestion..Hard Sauce! Yes!...huh??? Hard Sauce on pg *** Well hey why not.  My thoughts immediately went to my favorite move, Anne of Green Gables, where Anne is serving the plum pudding "without the sauce" because a mouse drowned in it....could this be the same kind of thing???? 

Fluffy Hard Sauce, involves butter, sugar, flavoring...Egg whites. (ohhhh booo) . These days raw egg whites are frowned upon in this establishment  ..hahaha.  What could I add, What could I add...thinking, thinking ...OHHHH I know!!! I have two jars of marshmallow fluff!  (I only used one) That isn't the same, but its similar. Hey why not what is more sugar among sugar.  I mixed the recipe for Fluffy hard sauce and Brown sugar hard sauce and added the marshmallow fluff...OH WOW. Sugar HEAVEN!!!!!  Its a good thing I have multiple spatulas, because every one wanted a spatula to lick.  All the ingedients in my trusty kitchen aid, whipped and whipped and....drooooool.  The slight gainyness comes from the brown sugar recipe.

This was a hit! A yummy success!!!  Everyone requested I save this one and make it again! Look below and see for yourself! It is a good thing that only one panful was made and I had so many people to eat it or I would have to start waaaaay over on the fitness plan. As it was I had to do an hour of Just Dance 2 for Wii with the kids...(yup their idea of how to help mom get fit..and shhh don't tell them I said so, but its FUN)  ...Scroll down to the bottom for the recipes and give it a try you won't be disappointed!

EmBee

 

 You may have to zoom in to see the ingredients!

A Serious Post from Veggie Soup

Most of my posts do revolve around food or baking or silly things that occur in my life, but today as I was making up veggie soup out of all the leftover vegetables in my refridgerator and freezer I was thinking about the craziness of the year that has just past...2011.  I would have to catergorize this year as ONE I AM GLAD I WILL NEVER HAVE TO REPEAT!  How is the year like veggie soup??? Well its like this,  every pot of veggie soup I make is different, sure it has basically it has the same ingredients, but each batch has more of this, less of that ...more spice, Less carrots... The taste comes out slightly different each time.  Each year is basically the same as well...You have the same basics like Birthdays, holidays, school, summer time etc.... However it is the "other " things added to it that make it taste different, Things like deaths (2 this year in my family), births, spontaneous events, outside activites (lots of those), and choices that people make....OH yes CHOICES!!!  Sigh.  Yup that was what I saw so much of this year..Choices that people made that affected the lives of other people.. LOTS of them.  Did you know despite what I have heard "proclaimed from certain high places" your choices DO make an impact on those around you and on your life as well. Just because something isn't occurring anymore or changes have been made, doesn't mean the effect of those choices you made is OVER or all done....What EmBee??? What are you saying??? What about mercy?? What about grace???  What about forgiveness??? What about covering of sin??? Are you judging????  ...Yes I can hear the questions. I have questioned the balance of alot of things myself so much in the last few weeks....  I have seen the lives of some beautiful young ladies  take a horrible turn because of events (more than one)  that have occurred in a supposedly "safe place" by people that they should be able to trust, I have seen friendships dissolved, relationships destroyed,  health take a turn for the worst all because of choices THIS YEAR!!! and yes I have wanted to operate in judgement really bad.  In my own life as well I have seen the impact of negative choices and the impact on my life....why not stuff in another doughnut to make myself feel better, sure why not use the credit card.  We all make them. My responses and choices weren't ideal ...Yes this is why I have to start all over in the weight loss dept..(that is another post) and get my BP back to a normal state.  Well anyway to answer your questions...YES I believe in grace! I believe in mercy! I believe that God take any negative circumstance and work it to his good...I believe in forgiveness, that Jesus took the penalty to our sin. What I don't believe in is manipulation, Cover up, control, or deception.I don't think Love covers a multitude of sins means to try and manipulate situations so "you" look okay.  I don't believe in trampling on the grace or mercy that has been granted.  Grace without identity is just lawlessness. I will say despite alot of negative I did see God's grace did sustain me though the tough moments, and loving encouragement of friends and family meant a whole lot!!

Do I still have alot of questions? Areas of anger to deal with ? Areas to allow healing and forgiveness? Absolutely!!! (Seriously its alot to handle when you are reprimanded for reaching out to families, who when they asked the very people reprimanding me, for help, were never given the time of day)  I choose to see people as God sees them.  Easy??? Hahahaha ...Are you serious, definitely not always easy!  I will see the beauty of circumstances ..And will always continue to pour out my life to help and be there for others, its just who I am  ( no matter who doesn't appreciate it) ..... I am choosing to allow 2012 to be allowing of restoring, healing, getting back on track and making good choices.  Never give up!.....And put the doughnuts back on the shelf and get an apple instead :)

Well anyway if anything, its an honest post ..I promise to return with the lightheartedness very soon. I just had to get that off my chest. I will admit I am thankful for the opportunity to run away a couple times and retreat :)... Here is a a photo of the latest place, My view at breakfast!