Chocolate Decadence

 

It's quite shocking that this week found the oven on quite a bit for baking!

It had been awhile since that former pasttime occurred. 

However, with temps in the low teens and single digits, baking at night warmed up the apartment, just in time for bed. 

Also, a grandchildren visit was coming and the dessert-of-choice turned out to be "anything very chocolatey."

So after some mad mixing, a dark chocolate cake went into the oven.

While making the chocolate frosting to go with the cake, I lamented there was no Hershey's cocoa powder to be mixed into the confectionary sugar and Philadelphia cream cheese.

The thought of going out into the Arctic Tundra and returning to the supermarket made me frantically reach for Google on my cell phone.

Could chocolate frosting be made with chocolate chips?  Yes!

A half package of chips melted nicely in a little pan on the stove.  

One had to wait until the mixture cooled because it was revealed that adding warm  chocolate would make the frosting runny.

Okayyyyyyy.  Cool chocolate mixture, cream cheese and confectionary sugar whirled via hand mixer beaters into a creamy, fabulously delicious frosting.

The kids gobbled some of the cake but the rest has got to be distributed to others and fast.

It is like having a temptation monster on the kitchen counter.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE DESSERT? 

Let There Be Light

The current temp in western Massachusetts is a "balmy" 18 degrees and it's not noon yet. 

During deep freezes, like we are in, coming home at night from errands, visits, or wherever, is a pure joy.

The first thing I do is switch on lights. 

In the small living room, itself, I use three different lamps, one of which is shown in today's video.

Anything fringed sets my heart on fire and, of course, pink is my favorite color.

So the lamp shown casts beautiful light . 

There's a lamp to the side of the lounge chair from which I watch television and there's another fringed lamp on the kitchen table/counter.

Way over by the stove, a lamp, fringed with cranberry-colored beads, gets switched on when more light is needed.

The many lights create a fabulous ambiance in this small apartment and make me want to stay home forever.

However, the next morning, it's get up and go time!

DO YOU USE A LOT OF LIGHTS, TOO?

Easy, Peasy Cornbread

Cornbread with some butter can be a really delicious accompaniment to a cup of coffee or tea.

For more decades than I care to count, I've been making it in a certain way that is quick and easy.

If a last minute dish is needed to bring somewhere, pop a pan of cornbread into a 400 degree oven and 20 minutes later, it's ready to roll.

Pour two packages of Jiffy Cornbread into a big bowl.  Add two thirds of a cup of milk and two eggs that have been gently beaten.

Then, (and this is a key ingredient that makes the cornbread extra yummy), add a can of creamed corn.

Mix all and pour into greased pans or cupcake tins, if you want cornbread muffins. 

Bake about 20 minutes in a 400 degree oven that has been preheated.

If the center of the bread is not quite done after 20 minutes, pop it back into the oven for a few minutes.

Take a tablespoon or so of fresh butter and let it melt all over the top of the cornbread. Spread it around with a dull knife until completely melted.

This cornbread is delicious alone or as a side to chili or any other dish.

Enjoy!

 DO YOU LIKE CORNBREAD? 

Ready for the Next Snowfall

The pretty little lady in today's post is all ready for snow.

Her red coat has white, puffy cuffs at the wrists, and on the bottom as well as on the edge of her hat and at her collar.

She has long, golden curls and big, beautiful brown eyes.

She is one of the dolls that has escaped being sold or given away.

She now stands inside my late grandmother's hutch, looking through one of the glass cabinet fronts.

The doll collection was once very large and loved. 

However, after several moves, ending in a small apartment, there just is no room for a large number of dolls.

They have been among the most difficult of my possessions to give up. 

WHAT IS YOUR OPINION OF DOLLS?  DID YOU HAVE A FAVORITE ONE WHEN YOU WERE A LITTLE PERSON?

 

Folk Art

 

Artistic pieces from other countries have always been intriguing.

The colorful art from Nicaragua, Central America, is very unique and beautiful, in its own way.

The cross shown in today's post is from that country.

Every inch of it tells its own story of everyday countryside life there.

The images are simple and kind of rustic but are very inviting.

Throughout this apartment are examples of folk art from all over the world.

DO YOU ENJOY FOLK ART OR ARE YOU MORE TRADITIONAL WITH ONE  FAMILILAR  STYLE?