Baker's Review Wednesday 41: Cinnamon Coffee Cake

Cinnamon Coffee Cake

1 cup margarine or butter, softened

2 3/4 cup sugar, divided

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

4 eggs

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2 cups sour cream

2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and 2 cups sugar until fluffy.  Add vanilla  Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Combine flour, baking powder, soda, and salt; add alternately with sour cream, beating just enough after each addition to keep batter smooth.  Spoon one third of batter into a greased 10 inch tube pan.  Combine cinnamon, nuts, and remaining sugar; sprinkle one-third over batter in pan.  Repeat layers two more times.  Bake at 350 degrees for 60-70 minutes, or until cake tests done.  Cool for 10 minutes.  Remove from pan to a wire rack to cool completely.

***

This cake was so absolutely delicious!!  It was simply amazing and I would definitely make it again.  It was just moist and yummy and said "more"!!  Not that that's really a good thing . . .

But I do repeat . . . make this delicious coffee cake - I urge you to try it and you will find a new favorite . . .

Have a wonderful day!!

Crafter's Weekly - week 16: make a hot pad

Last week we were to make a hot pad.  I decided to do a larger one that you could set under a pan, that had a ruched center.  I also tried doing a bigger piece on the back, and folding it over to the front, but that didn't work out very good.  I guess it just works best to do right sides together, flip, and top stitch, at least for me!!  I still think it's kinda cute though, and I really like the ruched look! 

Did you make a hot pad last week?  Link up below!!

This weeks challenge is to make something with fabrics you normally wouldn't put together (and have it look good!!).  :)  I'm not sure what I'm going to do, but that's the point right, to challenge myself to do something!!  I'd love if you'd join in, of course:)

Hope everyone has a wonderful day!!

Baker's Review Wednesday 40: Lemon Poppy Seed Pound Cake

Lemon Poppy Seed Pound Cake

1 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup butter, softened
2 large eggs
2 Tbsp. lemon zest
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp. poppy seeds
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
pinch of salt
3/4 cup buttermilk

For glaze:
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
2/3 cup powdered sugar

Prepare a loaf pan by misting it lightly with cooking spray and dusting with flour.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Beat butter and sugar until fluffy.  Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Add the lemon zest and vanilla, beating in well.  In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and poppy seeds.  In three installments, alternate adding in your flour mixture into the butter/sugar mixture with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour.  Pour the batter in your loaf pan and bake in the center of your preheated oven for around 40-60 minutes, or until a tooth pick comes out clean.  Let the cake cool in its pan on a rack for 10 minutes while you prepare the glaze by whisking the powdered sugar with the lemon juice.  Run a butter knife around the cake in the pan and lift it out, placing on rack.  While cake is war, place the rack over a sheet of wax paper and poke some wholes on the top.  Brush on the glaze.  Let it cool completely and enjoy!!  This cake stores well at room temperature in an airtight container.

***

This was a pretty good cake, but it wasn't very lemony, except the areas where the glaze had sunk more into the cake, which was more the top half in the middle.  I think it might work to put some lemon juice in the batter to make it more lemony . . . ??  Overall though, it was a good cake and I would recommend it:)

Have a wonderful day!!  Did you bake something this week?  Link up your recipe and review below.

Crafter's Weekly - week 15 - activity w/ children

What do you know?  I didn't do the challenge.  How 'bout anyone else?  I'm just so out of ideas for what to do for crafter's weekly.  I need to get a list out so on Monday, doing my crafter's weekly post, I'm not sittin' there searching my brain, trying to figure out what this weeks challenge is going to be.  Does anyone have any ideas?

Here's some ideas I kind of thought of:

• make something w/ fabric you wouldn't normally put together
• make a hot pad
• make a pillow/pillow cover
• and I'm not really thinking of anything else:(

So does anyone have some ideas to add to my list?  It can be to make something certain, or use some certain object in your craft . . .

Comment if you have some ideas!

This week I'm going to say the challenge is to make a hot pad.  Everyone can use hot pads: keep it for yourself, give it as a gift, sell it, etc.

Did you do an activity/craft with a child this week?  Link up below!!

Have a great HOT day!!  And comment and give me some ideas for crafter's weekly if you have any!!

Baker's Review Wednesday 39: Cinnamon Coffeecake Loaf

 Cinnamon Coffeecake Loaf

2 cups flour

1 1/4 cups sugar, divided

3 tsp. baking powder

3 1/2 tsp. cinnamon, divided

1 1/4 tsp. salt

2 eggs

1 cup buttermilk

1/3 cup vegetable oil (I used about 1/2 olive oil because we didn't have enough regular)

2 tsp. vanilla

3 tbsp. butter, melted

In a bowl, combine the flour, 1 cup sugar, baking powder, 1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, and salt.   In another bowl, combine the eggs, buttermilk, oil, and vanilla; stir into dry ingredients just until smooth.  Pour half of the batter into a greased bread pan.  In a small bowl, combine the remaining sugar and cinnamon; stir in butter.  Drizzle half over batter; cut through with a knife to swirl.  Top with remaining batter.  Drizzle with remaining cinnamon-sugar mixture; swirl with a knife.  Bake at 350 degrees for 45-55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted near center comes out clean.  Cool for 10 minutes before removing from a pan to a wire rack.  Yield: 1 loaf

***

I think this was pretty good.  I had it when it was really fresh, a little to hot, I think, so it might be even better later.  I don't know if making this with real buttermilk would make this different or not, as I just used the regular milk and lemon juice substitute.  Also, I don't know if using olive oil would make a  difference in how it turns out.  My only problem was when taking it out of the pan, part of the bottom just stuck to the pan and didn't come out with the rest of the loaf:(  All in all, though, I think this is pretty good and I would probably make it again, especially if everyone else likes it, but no one else has really tried it yet:)

 

Did you bake this lovely week?  Link up your recipe and review below!!

Anthro Apron Knock-off

I made this apron for our Under the Lilacs sale, for me to wear, so if people had questions about a certain item, they would know who to ask since our names were on  our apron.  So I kind of decided to go all out because that's what I felt like doing!!  The apron is a knock-off of sorts from from the  Anthropologie "Tea-and-Crumpets Apron".  I used more colors than they did, but I was just using scraps we had, so that's more creative anyways!!  The name is just printed on fabric and just basted on so I can easily take it off if I want to.  I really liked how this apron turned out though and just thought I'd share it with everyone!! 

 

Have a wonderful sunny day!!

Crafter's Weekly - week 14: Make a drawstring bag

So our challenge last week was to make a drawstring bag.  I used this tutorial to make my bag.  There were a couple things I did differently.  First, I made my bag 1 1/2 times the size their bag was.  Secondly, instead of just ironing the long sides, I basted them together first so that it would not be as konky when ironed.  Also, if I made this bag again, I might make the contrasting fabric larger, just so you can see more of it.

This bag is for my P.E. clothes.  How attractive is it to carry around a plastic grocery bag with you p.e. clothes in it??  Not very attractive!  So, yes, finally, at the end of the school year, I decided I needed to do something different!!  It works wonderful though, and it's the perfect size for me!  If I needed more stuff in it, like shoes, or whatever, it would definitely need to be bigger, but since it's just my clothes, it suits me just fine:)

Did you make a drawstring bag of some sort this week?  I would love to see what yours looks like!  Link up below and the button code is on the sidebar!

This weeks challenge is to do some fun project with kids.  I was going to say some sewing project or something, but it's supposed to be nice all week long, and I don't think I'm going to really want to be sewing this week, when we haven't had that much nice weather this year . . . so, yeah, do some fun craft project with kids:)

Home Decor and Baby Skirts Sale!!

Check out my other sales if you haven't seen them:

Headbands & Hair Clips Sale

Bags & Purses Sale

Cream & White Ruffled Table Runner - $26.50

This table runner is made of many layers of cotton cream & white ruffles.  It has different widths of ruffles.  The table runner has batting in the middle and a cream cotton back.

Measures about 37" x 16"

This table runner looks super cute with a couple of these bottle vases my mom made in the center of it . . . that you can buy:)

. . . or with this burlap rolled flower frame, too!

5" x 7" Burlap Rolled-Flower Frame - $8.75

These burlap rolled-flowers are glued onto a wooden frame . . . so cute!!  Put a picture or bible verse or saying in it!  (Only thing about this is that the clips that hold the back in, 2 are broken off, so you would just have to tape those areas together to make sure the back stays in:(  It still works great, though; it was just not a brand new frame I used - a thrifted one!)

the Morgan Ruffle Skirt - size 0-3 months - $13.75

This skirt is so darling!  I made one of these for my baby sister when she was born and we just LOVED it!  4 layers of cotton ruffles on a skirt base w/ elastic waistband.

Measures about 12" wide by 6 1/4" tall.  Waist measures 6 1/4" not stretched, will stretch to 10 1/2".

Jean Ruffle Skirt - size 0-3 months - $7.50

This is a darling skirt made of jean with a ruffle at the bottom and an elastic waist.

Measures about 10 1/2" wide by 6 1/4" tall.  Waist measures 7 inches not stretches; will stretch to 9 1/2 inches. (the picture is a little blurry . . . sorry!)

Photo Tile - $4.50

This is a photo with a saying on it mod podged onto a black tile that measures 4 1/4 inches square.  The tile reads:

Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass.

It's about learning to dance in the rain.

"Vintage" Sayings Frame - $15

This is a wooden frame that is painted and embellished.  Some things are put on and/or covered in mod podge.  The frame has a "title" of "What a Friend" and then continues on in the middle:

". . . we have in Jesus, all our sins and greif's to bear!  What a privilege to carry, everything to God in prayer! O what peace we often forfeit! O what needless pain we bear!  All because we do not carry, Everything to God in prayer."

Measures 10 inches square.

SOLD

Bag & Purse Sale

Another sale!!  These are all bags I have made.  They are great for spring and summer and also make great gifts!  If you haven't seen my Headbands & Hair Clips Sale or Home Decor & Baby Skirts Sale, check it out!!

 Copy-Cat Bag II - $16.25

This is made of a gray-ish color heavy fabric, for both the main exterior and lining.  In the inside, there's a pocket the width of the bag, sewn down the middle, so it's like two pockets.  The ruffle and flower edges are zig-zagged so they will not fray.  There are 2 flowers on this bag: one the same fabric as the ruffle, the other a contrasting blue color that is in the ruffle fabric.  There is one long handle so it could be a cross-body bag if you want.

width: 12"

height: 16"

handle length: 44"

Copy-Cat Bag $15.00

This bag is made of a purple cotton paisley printed fabric and a white cotton lining.  In the inside, there's a pocket the width of the bag, sewn down the middle, so it's like two pockets.  The ruffle and flower edges are both zig-zagged to prevent fraying.  The handle, lining, ruffle, and flower are all the same white fabric.  There is one long handle so it could be a cross-body bag if you want.

width:11 1/2"

height:16"

handle length: 44"

Pleated Rows Bag- $16.25

This bag is made of a bright pink fabric for the exterior and the handle.  There are 3 pleated rows of pink, embellished with 3 rolled flowers.  The lining fabric is a cream with black chicken-wire look, same as the rolled flowers.  In the inside, there's a pocket the width of the bag, sewn down the middle, so it's like two pockets.  There are two shorter handles on this bag.

width: 14 1/2"

height: 14"

handle length: 22"

Rounded Ruffles Bag - $15.50

This bag is made of a gray-ish, heavier fabric, as both the main exterior and the lining.  In the inside, there's a pocket the width of the bag, sewn down the middle, so it's like two pockets.  The cotton fabric ruffles have rolled edges to prevent fraying.  The handle is the same fabric as the larger ruffle.  There is one long handle so it could be a cross-body bag if you want.

width: 12 1/2"

height: 15"

handle length: 50"

 

Headband & Hair Clips Sale!!

Need some beautiful hair accessories?  Buy them here!  There are even some items with discounted or final sale prices, as I'm trying to clean out my "inventory" so I can make new stuff:)

Check out my other sales:
Bags & Purses Sale
Home Decor & Baby Skirts Sale

Red Pearl Headband - $4.50

Red 3-Flower Headband - $4.00 - discounted price!!

Black Stripe Ruffle Headband - $3.75

Lace 'n' Flower Headband - $3.75 discounted price (because flowers should've had one more layer)

Pearl Bud Headbands - $4.25

Black Pearl Headband - $4.50

Felt Flower Hair Clips (on french clip) - Final Sale Price!!  Only $1.00 each!!  It's your last chance to get them, so if you want them, buy them now!

Yo-Yo Hair Clips (alligator clip) - $1.25 - discounted price!!

Red Pearl Flower Hair Clip (alligator clip) - $1.75

I also made button headbands for the Under the Lilacs sale.  They all sold, but I would be willing to custom make any for anybody who wants them.  Each is a unique headband with lots of different buttons of different colors and styles sewn onto a headband (the area the buttons are on is not stretchy, just the back area is elastic).  I LOVE this headband of mine.  I wear it all the time because it just basically goes with ANYTHING!  Order one today for only $4.75.

 

If you want to buy something, just leave me a comment here.  I will be posting some more stuff in further posts of different kinds of things:)

Have a wonderful day!!