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Thursday, May 30, 2013

Recipe Adventures #21: German Apple Pancake

I just whipped this up for breakfast this morning and it turned out excellently!  I have had this dish before when we stayed at a local B&B several years ago called The Lamplight Inn and was wowed by it.  Actually since we are talking about The Lamplight Inn, I must say that we had an amazing time there.  Everything about the inn was so nice and relaxing.  The innkeeper plays piano and sings each night and the seranade continues in the morning during a super-yummy breakfast.  Not mention I had the best night's sleep EVER in the bed that was in our room!  So good in fact that we actually bought a mattress just like the one we had slept on!  If you are ever in the Berlin, Ohio area and need a place to stay, be sure to check out the Lamplight Inn..you won't be disappointed!  They actually have several other yummy recipes that they serve to guests on their website!  They know how to cook a mean breakfast so I'm sure all the dishes are yummy!

*Once you read the recipe, you will realize that this is NOT necessarily healthy!  But sometimes you just gotta indulge, you know?

Now, back to the recipe....

German Apple Pancake

Pancake Mixture:
4 lg eggs (at room temperature)
3/4 c milk
3/4 c flour
1/2 t salt
1 t baking powder

Mix together until frothy and set aside.

Apple Filling:
3 Granny Smith apples, peeled and sliced thin
1 t lemon juice
1/3 c sugar
1/4 c brown sugar, firmly packed
1 t cinnamon

Mix lemon juice with sliced apples.  Add sugars and cinnamon; mix thoroughly.  Microwave for 3 mins to soften the apples.  Set aside.

Heat oven to 400 degrees.  Place 4 T butter in a glass 9x13 baking dish.  Place in oven until butter is melted.  Spread apples over the butter, then pour the pancake mixture evenly over the apples.

Bake 15-17 mins.  Meanwhile, prepare Vanilla Cream Sauce and pour over pancakes once done baking.  Serve immediately.

Vanilla Cream Sauce:
1 c firmly packed brown sugar
1 c light Karo
1 c heavy whipping cream.

Heat in saucepan over medium-heat heat until it comes to a full boil.  Remove from heat and add 1 t vanilla.


Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Recipe Adventures #20: Pig Licking Cake

Ok, I know what you're thinking...Pig Licking Cake?  Don't let the name turn you away from this yummy dessert.  I assure you there was NO pig licking involved in the making of this cake!  I seriously wonder where that name came from by the way...

As always, I forgot to snap a picture of it...but it's good and looks pretty too!

Pig Licking Cake

2 lg cans mandarin oranges or 3 small cans
1 Yellow cake mix
1/4 c. oil
1 egg

Frosting:
1 container Cool Whip
1 can crushed pineapple, drained
1 box vanilla pudding.

Mix the cake ingredients together (do not drain oranges!).  Pour into a greased 9x13 cake pan and toss it in the oven.  Bake according to the directions on the cake box.  Let cool completely.

Mix the frosting ingredients together and spread over the cooled cake.  Keep refrigerated until time to serve.

This is a great dessert to take to cookouts this summer!

Thursday, May 16, 2013

Getting Used to My New Routine

Well, it's been a little over a week since the hubster started his new job away from home and I think I'm FINALLY getting into the swing of things.  Last week was super-ultra crazy at my job with Mother's Day so it was a bit of a blur, but this week is a bit slower and I feel like I'm finally settling in to our new family dynamic.  Thank Goodness...I really don't like change!

So today is my 2nd day that I've had with no hubby and no kids at home during the day!  I'm loving this free time!  Not that it's really free...because I end up cleaning and doing laundry and such, but it just feels good to only take of myself for a total 8 hr period!  I'm sorry if that sounds selfish, but I haven't had this for literally 12 years since Evan was born.  And it will end once again next Friday when the kids are home from school for the summer.

One thing I have to be wary of is that I need to use my time wisely and actually get something done around here!  My house is driving me nuts and I'm in the mood to just organize everything.  A hefty task, I know.  And when I get in that mood, I end up having soooo many things I want to do that I try to start all at one time....which results in a house that looks way worse than when I started.  That is never a good thing.  So here is what I would like to accomplish TODAY (ok, maybe over the next week):

1.  Vacuum & Shampoo the living room carpet.  Last time I shampooed the carpet (just a month or so ago), I didn't realize until AFTER I was done that the soap wasn't dispensing AND it wasn't sucking up the extra water.  So I'm going to try again.  And if I have enough time I would like to shampoo the hallway and my bedroom.

2.  Bake muffins for Allie's class.  I'm in the middle of this task so I can almost cross it off my list already!

3.  Pay some bills & balance my checkbook.  Need I say more?

4.  I would LOVE to pressure wash the porch.  This one may have to wait until I'm under hubby's supervision.  Last time I tried to use the washer by myself I hooked it up wrong and ended up with a huge bruise on my leg when the hose flew off the washer at great force.  Not fun.  So I'm bit gun-shy of trying to use it on my own again!  lol

5.  Get ALL the laundry washed, dried, and folded.  Enough said!

6.  Start packing bags for this weekend.  

7.  Mop the kitchen floor.

8.  Wash down and paint foyer walls.

9.  Plant my garden.

Ok, I think that's enough for now!  That's more than enough to keep me busy for the next week!  Guess I will have prioritize a bit!

This weekend the kiddos are going to their grandma's and hubby and I are heading to Cleveland for the Rite Aid Half Marathon.  I'm both excited and nervous.  My IT Band has been really hurting towards the end of my last two long runs and I'm nervous about how it will react to 13 miles on Sunday.  I really hate the thought of having to walk the last part of the race, yet I don't want to have a serious injury either.  I guess I will just see what happens and then decide.  Other than my knee, I'm really excited about the rest of the weekend!  We are going with another couple and planning to go to the race expo, then to a casino (my first casino trip!), then to dinner to carbo-load, then bed, then RACE DAY!  After the race we will probably get some lunch before heading home.  I'll try to catch some pics to post when I get home!

Tuesday, May 7, 2013

I've Been Thinking...

There has been so many things going on the past couple of weeks my head has been spinning.  This week is a busy one, however this was hubby's 2nd day at his new job and we are slowing starting to get used to the transition....thank goodness!  I also had today off which means I'm COMPLETELY alone ALL DAY.  And I love it!  Not that I don't miss my hubby and kiddos, but I've just been so busy lately that I haven't had much time to just rest, let alone be...well...alone!  After I put the girlies on the bus I decided to head out on a 5-mile training run.  Last week I was only able to run 3.1 miles all week and that was only because I had signed up for a 5K.  And I have to work the rest of the week (and some days will be long ones...10-12 hrs, etc), so I knew I needed to take advantage of the time I had and get runnin'!  It felt great.  I didn't push myself super hard, and I walked when I felt like I needed to catch my breath but running is just so great for your mind.  When you are able to clear your mind, guess what happens?  You have empty space in there where all the junk used to be!  So what did I do?  Yup...I started thinking again.  I read something recently about fat loss that intrigued me.  Mainly because I feel fat.  I know I have muscle on my body, but it's just not noticeable because I have a layer of fat all over.  So naturally I want to lose this fat.  

What I read was that consumption of sugar and carbs messes with our blood sugar, which in turn triggers our insulin levels to increase to deal with the increased sugar in our blood.  Insulin is a fat storing hormone.  Now, I'm not a nutritionist by any standards, but I get it.  The more sugar and carbs I eat, the more fat I am going to store on my body.  Ugh.  And when I really think about my diet, I eat alot of carbs...and sugar in the form of evaporated can juice, honey, etc.  Even though my sugar-alternatives are better for me than white sugar, I'm pretty sure my body doesn't really know the difference between them in my blood.  Ever since reading that information, I'm starting to really feel inspired to try it.  And honestly it goes along with my goal to eat healthier..namely more fruits and veggies.  Yesterday for lunch I had some fresh strawberries and pineapple, a homemade granola bar (you can find the recipe HERE), and some California Blend veggies with some Parmesan cheese sprinkled on top.  And you know what?  It wasn't bad.  And I didn't feel as run down by the afternoon/early evening.  

My dilemma is that this week is going to be BUSY.  And I'm at the end of my 2-week grocery budget, which means I won't be buying much/any groceries until next week.  So I'm going to have to get creative on what I can eat.  And I'm not going to go all gung-ho either.  I just want to really start to make conscious decisions about what I am consuming.  And I also need to do some more research about foods & recipes that fit this lifestyle.  

When I got home from my run I hopped onto Facebook to see what was going on and found an interesting article that a friend has posted.  You can find the article HERE.  It sort of goes along with what I read, but gives more of the long-term effects of eating sugar and simple carbs.  

I will keep you posted on how it goes!