Mid-Week Musings

Hi! Happy almost Spring!

I don't have a set schedule of posting here on my blog so it has been awhile since I visited with you all.

So, what have I been up to since my last post?

Musing about this and that. Planning some updates for my home. A little Spring decorating.

Because we are in the middle of another storm I can't seem to erase the Let it Snow sign. It will have to share the side of my dining room with the bunnies.

I was inspired to make this basket when an Etsy buyer bought a similar basket from me and recreated a Martha Stewart design she saved from a magazine years ago. She sent me the picture of hers in her new basket and it was fabulous.

This basket was still in my shop. It is a vintage Harry and David gift basket from Oregon. I quickly deactivated it so I could use it to create my own Easter basket centerpiece. I guess that's a perk of having over 640 items in my shop. No one will miss the ones I keep for myself!

The greens are a garland from Michaels all bunched up inside; I painted the ceramic brown bunny about 40 years ago in ceramics class; the ribbon is new and the eggs are ones I painted last year. Of course I had to change my "Winter" scrabble pieces to "Spring".

My dress form got a new look. I have been searching online for the perfect Spring dress but until I find just the right one, I decided to dress her in this vintage long dress I found at a thrift store in Rochester, NY. I layered some of my personal necklaces with some vintage ones and she's ready for the transition from Winter to Spring.

My window seat in the parlor got Springified too with some new pink pillows added into the ones I have had there for 20 years. Love my new bunny pillow.

My sweet girlfriend Colleen gave me the beaded candleholder for my birthday. She is all about the baubles and bling, and me...I am a little understated in that department. I didn't know where to put it in my home but when I stuck a faux fern in it and put it under my gallery wall, it added just enough elegance to the room. 

One of those updates I mentioned earlier will be done in my parlor. The walls are called Cranberry Cocktail and although I love the color I am tired of it after 21 years. My new rug does not match perfectly to them so I want a fresh look with a more muted color. I am 99% sure I am going with the top color called Portobello. 

I have to decide soon since my painter is coming to paint on the 24th!

~~~~~~~~~~~

A couple of things I have been musing about are toilet rugs and mug cupboards. Yup, you read that right!

For some reason in this house I have had a toilet "rug" on the seat in whatever color the room currently is. I match it nicely to the rug. 

My husband hates it. It prevents the seat from staying up on it's own and that can be a problem for him if you know what I mean.

The other update we are planning is for this bathroom. It will be pretty much a gut job. That ugly tile? Gone! That ugly floor? Gone! That ugly old thingamajig under the toilet? Gone! Actually the toilet itself will be gone too and now, so will the toilet rug.

My husband asked me why I even have it there. 

I could not answer.

I thought it was the thing to do. You know, match it to the rug. Toilet seats are plain and ugly. Anybody out there with me on this?!

Another thing I have been musing about is my mug cupboard. To clean it out or leave it be.

My kitchen cupboards are tall, narrow and deep with lots of shelves. One of them is filled with mugs. Almost every time my husband goes for a mug he asks me why I keep all those mugs in there.

Because I can.

What if I get a house full of people that all want coffee?!?

I am quite attached to most of my mugs although I only use three of them on a daily basis. I have two 4 cup coffee mugs in two different colors to interchange daily and my tea mug. I have to start my day with a large cup of coffee and I am so afraid of my 4 cupper breaking again that I now have two of them.

Gotta cover all the bases on things you love.

~~~~~~~~~

I went to Trader Joe's recently with my sister and she insisted that I buy myself this huge chocolate bar to stash away and have a piece every day.....like she does.

Since I do like a little chocolate every day, I gave in. 

She twisted my arm after all.

It is my new favorite Trader Joe's item! Really thick chunks of milk chocolate with huge almonds inside.

I decided to give a bar to my husband for our monthly (on the 13th) anniversary gift. It's his favorite kind of chocolate bar. For those that don't know, we exchange a small gift every month on our wedding date. We have been doing it for 21 years.

He surprised me with this book. I actually had it in my cart on Amazon but never ordered it.

I think the two go perfect together......

Having endured three nor'easters with snow still on the ground, I can only hope Spring comes our way soon and gives me lots of ideas for future posts :-)

AnnMarie xoxo

I am linking up to these great blog parties:

Wonderful Wednesday

Thursday Favorite Things

Home Sweet Home

Over The Moon

Dishing It & Digging It

Cooking & Crafting with J & J

Keep in Touch

Vintage Charm Party

Share Your Cup

Thought Full Thursdays Link Party

Chocolate Avocado Cookies

My son's Health teacher is quite creative.

Last week he had to bring the Real Care Baby 3 home to care for the entire weekend.

This week he has to make and bring in a healthy food.

Guess who is really going to make it?

The first thing I thought of was Chocolate Avocado Cookies. What 16 year old, 11th grader could resist trying these?

So far other students have brought in spicy almonds, trail mix with healthy cereal, and healthy cookies.

He's got this!

Avocados are incredibly healthy. And mixed with chocolate? Win, win.

The avocado makes for a creamy, smooth cookie without any taste of the fruit. There is lots of 100% cacao unsweetened chocolate with milk chocolate chips in these tasty cookies. The recipe is below but first I want to brag on the healthy avocado. If you don't care how healthy it is and just want to get to the chocolate goodness, scroll down!

I had heard of some of the avocado's virtues before this but I decided to Google it for my son to bring in for extra points. This website goes into great detail of the 12 proven benefits of eating avocados, but I will just highlight them here.

1. Avocado is incredibly nutritious including 5 vitamins, folate, and potassium. The fat in them is HEALTHY.

2. They contain more potassium than bananas.

3. They are loaded with heart-healthy monounsaturated fatty acids.

4. They are loaded with fiber.

5. They can lower cholesterol and triglyceride levels.

6. People who eat them tend to be healthier.

7. The fat in them can help absorb nutrients from plant foods.

8.They are loaded with antioxidants that can protect eyes.

9. They may help prevent cancer.

10. Avocado extract may help relieve symptoms of arthritis.

11. THEY MAY HELP YOU LOSE WEIGHT.

12. They are delicious and easy to incorporate in the diet.

I agree wholeheartedly with number 12. I love avocados in salads, on sandwiches, on tacos, and especially in guacamole. And now add to my list chocolate cookies!

For even more detailed benefits Balance Me Beautiful cites 35 more of this delicious fruit.

Okay here is the recipe:

Chocolate Avocado Cookies

1/2 cup butter, 1 stick

3 one ounce squares unsweetened chocolate

3/4 cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed

2 large eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 cup mashed avocado (1 large)

3 cups flour, firmly packed

1 cup chocolate chips (I used milk chocolate chips)

Melt the butter with the squares of chocolate in the microwave in 30 second intervals till melted. Let cool.

Combine white sugar with brown sugar in mixer till uniform. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing after each.

Mix in vanilla and beat till light and fluffy.

Mix in the salt and baking powder and beat till combined.

Mash the avocado until it is a smooth puree. Add it to the mix and beat till well blended.

Once the butter/chocolate is cooled, add it to the mix and beat till combined.

Add flour, 1/2 cup at a time, mixing after each addition. Mix till the dough is smooth and well blended.

Add chocolate chips and mix by hand.

Drop by rounded teaspoons onto greased cookie sheets.

Bake at 350 for 13-15 minutes (12 minutes worked great for my oven) ONLY TILL TOP IS DRY. DO NOT OVERCOOK.

Glaze if desired.

I chose not to glaze these this time and they are still really good!

(Note: Every time I post a recipe I wish I could figure out the template for blogs to just insert a recipe which then can be printed. Anyone master this yet?)

I hope you try these and let me know what you think. I have gotten mixed reviews just by mentioning the name of these cookies!

AnnMarie xoxo

I am linking up with these great blog parties:

Munching Mondays
Amaze Me Monday
Show and Share
Treasure Box Tuesday
Roses of Inspiration Linkup
Tasty Tuesday
Home and Garden Thursday
Share Your Cup Thursday
The Weekend Social
Let's Get Real Friday Party
Pure Blog Love Link Party

Pasta and Chocolate

Mmmmm....my favorite Italian comfort food meal is pasta, a little salad, some crusty Italian bread and chocolate for dessert.

That is just the meal I made recently for an informal dinner party. Aside from being an easy - albeit time consuming - dinner, it is a real crowd pleaser.

I would even call it the Ultimate Italian Comfort Meal.

I have been craving for a good, hearty Lasagna because the last few times I made it, it just didn't come out very good. It just isn't tasty enough when made and served the same day.

I think I may have finally figured out the secret to the ultimate lasagna.

36 hours.

You know how certain foods taste so much better the next day? Homemade Italian spaghetti sauce, chili, and dishes like Lasagna are among them. Something about marrying all the flavors for that extra 24 - 36 hours makes all the difference. So, this time I made my Lasagna the day before and I made my sauce 2 days before! I even par-baked the lasagna for 30 minutes the day I assembled it. Turns out it was in and out of the oven and fridge 3 times before we actually ate it. My guests were running late and I had to try and estimate when to put it in the oven and have it done for when they got there!

It only made it all the more scrumptious!

I mentioned that this meal can be time consuming. Well, making the sauce two days ahead takes some planning to make sure you have the time ( I cook my sauce for 6-8 hours) and then preparing and putting the layers together for the Lasagna takes a good part of the afternoon. This Lasagna has 8 layers consisting of 8 eggs, 3 pounds of ricotta, 2 boxes of noodles, and 2 cups of mozzarella.

Of course you don't have to make yours this thick or big (I used a lasagna pan which measures 15 x 10). The recipe below is for one box of noodles in a 9 x 13 pan and makes about 4 layers.

My only side dish was an antipasto salad.There are many versions of this Italian specialty and I usually make mine meatless if serving it with a meal. I use romaine lettuce, canned artichoke hearts, jarred roasted red peppers, provolone cheese, green and black olives, chick peas, pepperocini and italian dressing. Layered on a large platter, it is beautiful!

Wrap a loaf of Italian bread in foil and put it in the oven with your lasagna and it comes out all warm and crusty. Three course meal, done.

The dessert I made is an all time favorite that I go to when I want simple but fabulous. It is called Jimbo's Chocolate Cake and it is a rich chocolate bundt cake with some chocolate chips inside and frosting on the outside. It is the only chocolate cake I will eat, as I don't really like the stuff! I served it cold out of the fridge with chocolate chip ice cream.

Here are the recipes:

The lasagna recipe is compliments of Treasured Italian Recipes, distributed by The Rotary Club of East Rochester, 1990. My copy is quite worn from making a lot of the wonderful recipes inside.

Lasagna Deluxe
(Make a day ahead)

1/2 lb. ground beef
1/2 lb. sausage, casing removed
1/2 cup minced onion

2 quarts of your favorite spaghetti sauce

2 lb. ricotta cheese
1/2 cup romano cheese, grated
2 raw eggs
salt, pepper, garlic powder to taste
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley or 1 tblsp. dry

1 lb. lasagne noodles
8 oz. mozzarella cheese, grated
6 hard boiled eggs, peeled

Brown meats and onion in a lightly greased saucepan. Salt and pepper to taste. Add sauce and let this simmer.

Mix ricotta, grated cheese, raw eggs, salt and pepper, parsley and garlic powder to taste.

Boil noodles in salted water with a little oil in it to prevent the noodles sticking together.

Layer as follows in your lasagna pan:

spread bottom of pan with sauce mixture
layer with noodles
sprinkle with romano
spread a layer of ricotta
top with slices of hard boiled egg
sprinkle with mozzarella

Continue layers beginning and ending with the noodles. Cover with a layer of sauce and sprinkle with romano.
Bake at 350 for 45 minutes or until heated through and bubbly. If it is refrigerated first (recommended to make a day ahead!), it will take longer to heat through.

Notes:

- if possible make this a day ahead, parbake for 30 minutes and then refrigerate till ready to cook the day of eating.
- don't put any sauce in between the layers. This is the first time I followed this tip and the lasgana stayed perfectly layered when cut. It becomes too soupy and sloppy to cut with too much sauce.

There is nothing like ending a filling, satisfying pasta dinner with chocolate!

Jimbo's Chocolate Cake

1 box Duncan Hines chocolate fudge cake mix (no substitute if you want the chocolatey goodness!)
4 large eggs
1 box instant (3.5 oz) chocolate pudding
1/2 cup oil
3/4 cup water
1 cup sour cream
1 cup chocolate chips

Frosting

1 cup chocolate chips
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons water
confectioner's sugar

Mix all cake ingredients, except chocolate chips, by hand till moistened. Then mix in electric mixer for 3 minutes. Pour into greased bundt pan. Sprinkle 1 cup chocolate chips over batter and press in. Bake at 350 for 50-55 minutes.

For the frosting melt 1 cup chocolate chips with butter and water. Add confectioners sugar to thicken to pouring consistency. Drizzle over the top of the cake. Refrigerate and serve cold for best taste.




This meal totally satisfied my cravings for the ultimate Italian comfort food. I don't mind the cold as much now!

AnnMarie  xoxo

I am linking up with these great blog hops:

Be Inspired
Weekend re-treat link party
diy Sunday showcase
Bouquet of Talent Linky Party
Sweet and Savoury Sunday
Make It Pretty Monday
Nifty Thrifty Tuesday
You're Gonna Love It
The Scoop
What's It Wednesday
Wednesday's Adorned from Above Link Party
Showcase Your Talent
Thursday Favorite Things Blog Hop
Share Your Cup Thursday