Yummy Recipes...Apple Chocolate Chip Cake

space
Fall is just around the corner...and that means apples around here. If you have 2-3 apples, some chocolate chips and your basic pantry staples...you are good to go for this recipe.
space

space

Apple Chocolate Chip Cake

space

• 2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• pinch of salt
• 3/4 (three quarters of a cup) oil (I use vegetable oil)
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup sugar (white granulated)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 (half a cup) chocolate chips
• 3 cups sliced apples (2 large apples or 3 small apples, peeled)

Directions:

• In a small bowl: mix flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt; set aside
• In large bowl: whisk oil, eggs, vanilla, sugar and chocolate chips
• With wooden spoon, add flour mixture to wet mixture. It will be very thick!
• Fold in sliced apples.
• Spoon into greased bundt pan.
• Bake at 325* for 1 hour.

Enjoy!! The only extra tid bit of info I have is...I tried frosting this cake in different ways. I've tried traditional frosting, chocolate ganache, icing, glaze etc, but my family just likes it plain. Try it plain first, then you decide.

This next recipe is fast and easy and great for parties.
space

Smores On A Stick!

This is all you need for this treat: chocolate chips, graham cracker crumbs, marshmallows and skewers.

space

space

Melt chocolate chips in the microwave. I used 50% power for a minute or so.

Skewer the marshmallow.

Dip in melted chocolate.

Then roll in graham cracker crumbs.

Refrigerate to harden chocolate, then enjoy the chilly version of the melted smores.

If you like the melty kind of smores without the campfire...I make these all summer for the girls and all their friends.

space

Oven Smores

On a cookie sheet, place desired number of graham cracker squares. On each cracker, place a square of a Hershey's chocolate bar and then a marshmallow (on it flat side). Bake in a 350* oven for about 5-8 minutes or until the marshmallow starts to puff. Keep an eye on them all the time. When they look puffy enough, remove from oven and place another square of graham cracker on each one. Push down slightly until you see the marshmallow ooze a little.

space

I know not the best directions with words like puffy and ooze and no pictures either, but give it a try anyway...they are fast, yummy and no marshmallows bursting into flames over the open campfire.

space

Hope you can try some of these recipes,

~Karen~

Last Days of Summer...

space
Here in the northern hemisphere the last day of summer is September 21st, which is tomorrow. I won't lie to you...I'm not a big fan of summer. Oh, I like it, but fall is my favorite. I love the colors, the cool temperatures, wearing just a sweater, apples, hot cider...you get the picture. Well, last weekend fall came early in our house.
space
Out with the sea shelled mirror, the antique fishing basket and the green plant. To make that mirror, I just took an old mirror, a boat load of shells and a lot of hot glue. See that basket that the plant is in...well, I want a sea grassy look, but couldn't find one, so that's an old lamp shade I turned upside down.

space
and now autumn has arrived!
space

I bought this little stitchery at a flea market for $3.00. Thought it was cute for this time of year.
space
space

Here's a little hutch that I change out for the seasons. Crisp white for summer.

To burnt oranges for fall. Still not sure about this look. I might try the plates I usually put in there. I buy plates for different seasons on sale. My husband bought me this service for 8 of this burnt orange, plus platters and a 3 pieces canister set all for less than $10.00. It was on sale at JC Penney for 90% off. He saw it all on his own and knew he had to get it. He said "it looked like me". I love him to pieces...

Here is another sign that fall and winter are coming. This little chipmunk was cuter in person.

Look at her in this pipe with a mouth full of acorns. Looks like me this weekend with all the junk I ate. (long story which I already told to the I Spy swappers in a letter, but the short story is... hubby and kids not home, I didn't cook, ate cookies, chips and dip and mac and cheese all day Saturday) Not pretty.

I visited my sister-in-law today to see her 2 new kittens. I made her a Chocolate Chip Apple Cake. I'll post the recipe in a different post tonight. I also have 2 quick smore recipes too. Ok, Kelly (sisterhood of the junk food) if you are reading this, I just baked the goodies...I was very good, I just had one piece of cake when I was visiting her. I couldn't let her eat alone...wink, wink!
space
Enjoy the last days of summer,

~Karen~

I Spy A Winner...

space
It doesn't get any better than this! Random Number Generator picked #2 (picture below) and the winner is...
space
Mimi, who said this...
space
"OOooooh, yes, yes...please yes!!
space
I love making I Spy quilts for babies and I am having two new grandchildren...one maybe this weekend and another in 2010
space
I would LOVE to win your giveaway, so please count me in.
space
Bend the corner up on my "ticket" to help my chances of winning, please!!;) "
space
space
space
Well, I didn't even have to "bend the corner" of the number generator. I think she won, because that new baby wants to come out and see a new I Spy quilt.
space

Congratulations Mimi!!!!

space

I just need your snail mail address and you'll be ready to sew!!

Have a great night,

~Karen~

A Must Read for I Spy Swap...

Ok, don't shoot me, but I have a big heart and can't say no. There have been several people that really, really, really want to join. I actually emailed a few of them this morning to explain the swap was closed.
space
However, I can't say no. After this addition to the list, I will say no (I think...no I will). So ladies, if you were one of the last few people who wanted in, your name is listed below and I have included you in my final list of I Spy swappers!!.
space
So now here is the NEW swap information change:

• ALL SWAPPERS MUST CUT 40 (FORTY) 5 INCH SQUARES OF 3 DIFFERENT I SPY/NOVELTY FABRICS.

space

• YOU CAN PROBABLY STILL GET THE EXTRA 8 SQUARES OUT OF THE 3/4 OF A YARD (OR 27 INCHES FULL WIDTH OF FABRIC) BUT BUYING A LITTLE MORE NEVER HURTS!!!

HERE IS THE LIST OF NEW COMERS:

1. LyndaG....you are in, but I need your email address (it was a "no reply") -confirmed
2. Elizabeth....I'll email you again to take back what I said earlier lol- confirmed
3. Sandra....you are in, but I need your email address
4. Angela....you are in and I'll send you another email to confirm - confirmed
5. Susan D....you are in and I'll send you an email too. -confirmed
6. Della....woo hoo Della, I'll email you too. -confirmed
7. Diane B (sewman maniac) I will email you too. -confirmed

space

I ALSO NEED EMAIL ADDRESSES FROM:

(I know some of you have blogs that I could go to, but if you could email the address I can compile a master list on my gmail)

1. larry7pokey- Thanks Pokey
2. Anne Thompson- Thanks Anne
3. Miss L's Craft Room- Thanks Elaine
4. Rochelle- Thanks Rochelle
5. Nancy in GA- Thanks Nancy

I really want to thank everyone for joining my first swap and for understanding the extra squares. I know we all don't mind, because that is what this is all about...sharing, giving and bringing this big world a little closer. Ok, that was a little too deep, but you know what I mean...I love quilters...we all have big hearts (not as big as our fabric stash though lol)

More posts to come...you are going to be so sick of me by then end of this.

Have a great weekend,

~Karen~

I Spy Swap Update and Rules...

Space space

Update: this swap is now closed. Thanks for your interest and look for another one soon!!!

space
Hi everyone! What a wonderful turn out for this swap. There are 29 of us already. I'm thinking maybe a few more will be manageable for me, as this is my first swap...a total of 32 is good.
space
It seems that it's the first time for a swap for a lot of us, so this is going to be exciting. I have this Friday off, so I will be emailing everyone directly tomorrow. I just wanted to answer and clear up a few questions that some of you have and post it for all to read here.
space

• this is a centralized swap: which means one person is the host (me), so there will not be swap partners. This way everyone is guaranteed to receive a package back. All the squares will be sent to me. I organize all the fabric so we each receive the same kinds of squares and the same amount of squares. I will then return all the organize squares to you in the return envelope that you send with postage on it.
• you will be receiving 5" squares only (not a quilt or sewn blocks). This way you can do what you want with the squares.
• all fabric should be pre washed to avoid different shrinkage problems.
• I want to include everyone, including overseas and Canada. I'm going to the post office tomorrow to figure out the return postage issue. I did weigh some 5 inch squares (about 130) and the 2 envelopes. It weighs approximately 10-11 ounces.
• We have swappers from Canada so postage is about $3.83 (US) to send and $3.83 to return.
• We also have swappers from Holland, Japan and Australia. The first class international will be $8.84 (US) to send to me and $8.84 (US) to return.
• I just need to figure out how you will put the postage on the return envelope back to you , because it will be leaving the states and needs to have US postage on it. I will be speaking to someone tomorrow. I really want to figure this part out, because I so want to include everyone.
• if we have 32 swappers, each of us will send in 32 squares of 3 different fabrics. That means we will each get 96 different I Spy fabrics from all over the world!!

So here are the official rules for the 5 inch I Spy Squares

1. Purchase 3 different I Spy fabrics about 3/4 of a yard or 27 inches of each one. Pre wash fabric. Cut 32 (thirty two) 5 inch squares out of each of the 3 different fabrics.
2. Place the 96 squares in a plastic bag with your name and address on the bag. This will help if the outside envelope is torn in delivery. Your name will still be on the inside. It will also help protect it if the envelope gets wet.
3. Buy 2 envelopes. Address the outside envelope to me (I will email you all my address). Take the second envelope and address it to yourself.
4. Swappers in the states: bring everything to the post office and have it weighed with the second envelope inside the first with the squares. Whatever the amount of the outside envelope is, place the same amount of postage on the inside envelope with stamps only. DO NOT USE METERED MAIL. Metered mail will have your state on it, but the package will be coming from me.
5. Overseas and Canada hold off on postage until I email you.
6. Have all fabric squares mailed to me by October 31st. That's 6 weeks. If I get them all sooner, I will return them sooner.
7. I will organize and return all the squares in hopefully 2 weeks or less after the deadline

I hope this is all ok with every one. If you have any further questions, please feel free to ask. I will always post the question and answer on a post for all to read.

If anyone needs to drop out for any reason, please let me know and we can work things out.

Good luck shopping for all the different novelty fabrics that are out there and have fun with.

~Karen~

BIOGRAFIA Y FOTOS DE CHIQUINQUIRA DELGADO

Nombre: Maria Chiquinquira Delgado Diaz
Fecha de Nacimiento: 7 de Agosto de 1972
Lugar de Nacimiento: Maracaibo,Venezuela
Profesion: Actriz,Presentadora,Modelo
Sexo: Femenino

Está casada con el también animador Daniel Sarcos.

Luego de ser coronada como primera finalista del Miss Venezuela 1990 y obtener el primer lugar en el "Miss Flower Queen" , inicia su carrera de modelo.

estuvo casada con el cantautor Guillermo Davila. De este matrimonio nace su hija María Elena. Años más tarde, esta pareja pasa por un proceso de divorcio.

Es con el programa de variedades "TV Time" que comienza su participación como presentadora de televisión.

En 1999 se inicia en la actuación con la telenovela venezolana “Calypso”

Ese mismo año se convierte en la imagen del canal "Sony Entertainement Television" y también es animadora, en la misma cadena televisiva, de las secciones “Lo último” y “Estilo Sony”.

En2002 protagoniza,con Marcelo Cezán, la telenovela “María Rosa, búscame una esposa”. Al regresar a Venezuela anima el programa de concursos "Mega Match" y actúa en la telenovela “Mambo y Canela”.

Como modelo ha grabado videos clip junto a Luis Miguel y Alejandro Fernandez

En 2003 es la co-protagonista, junto al colombiano Rafael Novoa, de la telenovela venezolana “Cosita Rica”.

En2004 se desempeñó como presentadora invitada en “Despierta América”, de la cadena Univisión.

En 2005 anima el programa "Portadas" programa venezolano de transmisión diaria. Ese mismo año protagoniza “La Cenicienta” ; este musical fue presentado en varias ciudades de Venezuela. Lanza una línea de productos de cuidados para la piel que llevan su nombre "Chiqui".

Banco Occidental de Descuento la contrata de manera exclusiva para que sea la imagen del banco.

I Spy Swap is a Go...Sign Up Here!

space

Update: This swap is now closed. Thanks so much for your interest. Look for another one soon!

space

Ok ladies, here we go. I am so excited to be hosting this I Spy fabric swap. I think this will be so much fun and just think of all the different fabrics we will be receiving. As of right now there were 26 comments for the poll, so including me that's 27. I'm thinking as the sign up goes along, there might be more. space

These are not the official rules, but just an explanation of how it will work. Once we get the set number of participants, I will re-post the specifics. Some people weren't sure if they would join until they knew how it works.space

This is what I was thinking:

• each person will purchase 2-4 different I Spy fabrics ( if there are a few people we'll do 4, if there are a lot of swappers, we can do 2)


• block size will be 5 inches square (remove selvage before cutting so there won't be a white edge on some of the blocks


• you will then mail me the blocks in a large envelope. Also in the package will be another envelope that is addressed to YOU and will have the appropriate postage already on it. (I'll explain this in detail later)


• there will be a deadline for when the squares are due


• once I receive them all, I will separate all the blocks so that each of us will get one square of every one's fabric.


• I will place all the squares in your pre-stamped envelope and mail them back to you.


• you can get 8 squares out of a 5 inch strip of fabric that is 42 inches wide.


• so just say we have 32 people in the swap. You will need to cut 4 strips of fabric (selvage to selvage) that are 5 inches wide. From each strip cut the 8 squares at 5 inches. This will give you 32 squares. 4 strips at 5 inches wide is 20 inches of fabric that you need.


• I always over estimate, so if you buy 3/4 of a yard of each that should be plenty.


• if we decide to do 4 different fabrics with 32 people, each of us will get back 128 squares


• I have noticed the issue of fabric quality seems to come up in other swaps. During this economic time period , I won't say "only quilt shop fabric". However, I think we all know when some fabrics are just not up to par. Just go by how the fabric "feels" and remember, what would you like to get in return.


• Some people asked...what exactly is I Spy fabric. It is also called novelty fabric. It's usually an all over print of foods, animals, bugs, holiday motifs, sports, trucks, leaves, musical notes etc. Just make sure the design is close enough together so you can see what the object is in the 5 inch square.


• sometimes the pattern is spread out wider on the fabric, you would have to fussy cut that so it showed up on the square. No one will want to fussy that many, so the closer the print the better. Look at the give away post to see some of the examples.


• one more thing about the fabric: no trade marked fabrics. An example of that would be, it's fine to have fabric with footballs all over it, but not fabric with The Patriots football team. It's fine for baseballs or bats all over, but not The Red Sox logo. I'm thinking that someone in Texas really wouldn't want a New England team. Once you get all your squares, you can always add your favorite sports team from your area.


• the only other issue is duplicates, but not sure how to avoid this. Maybe send me a picture of them as you buy them, so I can post it so every one can see before they shop.

Yikes, that was wordy...sorry about that. I'll be better next time. If anyone out there who has been is swaps feels I have left something out, please let me know.

Let's get started.

Sign up here on this post. Make sure I have your name and email address too.

Thanks to everyone for joining me on this adventure!!! I will post often to keep every one updated.

~Karen~