Happy Thanksgiving!

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Boot Watch 2011 is OVER

That's right folks.  I found and purchased my new boots.  I LOVE THEM!


They are very comfortable and stylish.  I also love that they are wide calf....I used to be a jump-roper and was in marching band so my calves are large and in charge.  At any rate, here they are.

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I bought them on clearance at DSW!

Carrot Cake

I made my first carrot cake this week.  Let me just say it was amazing!  Here are the pictures.

Carrot Cake- Williams-Sonoma Cooking at Home


Unsalted butter for pans
2 C. all-purpose flour
2 t. baking soda
2 t. baking powder
2 t. ground cinnamon
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. ground allspice
4 eggs, at room temperature
3/4 C. canola oil
3/4 C. sugar
1 C. firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 C. buttermilk
3 C. lightly packed shredded carrots


Preheat the oven to 350 F.  Butter and flour two 9-inch round cake pans and tap out the excess flour.


In a bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and allspice. In another bowl, whisk together the eggs, oil, granulated and brown sugars, and buttermilk until well blended.  Stir the flour mixture into the egg mixture just until combined.  Fold in the carrots.  Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans and smooth the tops of the batter with a rubber spatula.


Bake until a toothpick inserted into the centers comes out clean, about 40 min. Let cool in the pans on wire racks for 15 min. Invert onto the racks, turn right sides up, and let cool completely.


Place 1 cake layer, top side down, on a plate.  Spread 1 1/4 cups of the frosting over the top.  Place the second cake layer, top side down, on top.  Spread the remaining frosting decoratively over the top and sides of the cake.  Serve right away, or cover with a cake dome and refrigerate for up to 2 days.  Bring to room temp. before serving.


Cream Cheese Frosting- Williams-Sonoma Cooking at Home


1 lb cream cheese, at room temperature
6 T. unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/4 C. confectioners' sugar
1 1/2 t. vanilla extract


In a large bowl, using  an electric mixer, beat together the cream cheese and butter on medium-high speed until smooth.  On low speed, add the sugar and beat until smooth.  Beat in vanilla.


Use immediately, or cover and refrigerate for up to 1 week, then bring to room temp. before using.






I followed both of the recipes and it made an amazing cake.  However, I would recommend putting parchment paper on the cake pans because my cake stuck a LOT!

The Boot

So, I have been hunting for a good boot for this year.  I have a boot from last year, but it is kind of small and let's face it my jeans don't fit well inside it.  Here are some great options Piperlime is offering.

I really like the buckle on this one by Chinese Laundry.

I like the tiny heel on this boot and the slouch by Steve Madden.

I like the clean lines of this boot along with the heel by Very Volatile.

Music

As I have mentioned before, work is very very busy lately and I've been there more than my fair share lately.  To get myself woken up in the mornings, I've been trying to listen to more music.  It isn't as distracting as T.V. while trying to get ready and it just gets me in the right from of mind (mostly because I'm too busy singing along to grumble about work).  Here's what I've been listening to...

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Recipe Cards

I mentioned in my birthday list that I wanted to design recipe cards and fill them up with all of my favorites.  I accomplished this task a while ago, but never shared.  Here are some pictures of the cards I designed.  I still need to make dividers for the recipe box, but other than that I am very happy with how they turned out.

I got the recipe card box from The Container Store.

Banana Nut Bread

I don't typically make a lot of bread, but Banana Nut Bread is something that gets made about 4 or 5 times a year.  I LOVE it!  I have been using my mom's recipe forever, and to be honest, I do not know what cook book it is from, but here it is.

Banana Nut Bread- from my mom


1 C. Butter
2 C. Sugar
4 Eggs
1/4 t. Salt
2 t. Baking Soda
4 C. Flour
6 Bananas- mashed
1 C. Chopped Pecans


Cream butter and sugar.  Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition, mix dry ingredients together. Add dry mix to creamed mixture, stir in bananas and pecans.  Pour mix into 2 greased loaf pans, bake at 325 degrees for 1 1/2 hours or until toothpick comes out clean.






Just for an FYI I used one large and two small loaf pans.  This way I can share the small ones, because Nick and I wouldn't be able to eat two full loaves.

Day Off

Folks, today is my day off this week, and while that means I work all weekend, I'm excited about having the morning to myself.  


I get to do whatever I want this morning, and Nick has promised that I can continue being in control of the T.V., Nook or whatever it is I want when he gets home this evening.  I'm pumped!


So right now...


1. I'm deciding what color to paint my nails: it's between 

Commander in Chic

Mudslide

So Much Fawn

2. I'm waiting for my butter to get soft so I can make Banana Nut Bread (pics to come later this week)


3. I'm trying to pick what movie to watch while I crochet my blanket (that's right, I'm so not done yet lol)


4. I'm listening to Pandora (playing Joshua Radin's You Got Grown' Up To Do) and drinking coffee


5. I'm sitting in a nice shirt with my new pajama bottoms on, because they are short so I can paint my toes 

T.V. Shows

So, I have been watching a lot of T.V. lately.  I have not abandoned my go to shows, but I have added a few to the mix.  So here is a weeks line-up.


Monday:


How I Met Your Mother- CBS 8PM


The Sing-Off- NBC 8PM


Castle- ABC 10PM




Tuesday:


The New Girl- Fox 9PM




Wednesday:


Modern Family- ABC 9PM


Happy Endings- ABC 9:30PM


Revenge- ABC 10PM




Thursday:


The Big Bang Theory- CBS 8PM


Bones- Fox 9PM


Grey's Anatomy- ABC 9PM


The Mentalist- CBS 10PM




Friday:


Grimm- NBC 9PM


Supernatural- CW 9PM


Blue Bloods- CBS 10PM




Sunday:


Once Upon A Time- 8PM ABC




Don't get me wrong, 9 times out of 10 I'm not home to watch these shows.  However, I do catch them online if I miss them.  What do you watch during  the week?

Pillows

I have been desperately hunting for new pillows for our sofa.  The ones we have are the same color and fabric as the sofa.  While they are comfortable, I am in the need for a new, fresh look.  Here are some of my favorites.

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I think the top combo is my favorite, but I'm still on the hunt.

Welcome to November

Do you know what happend to October?  Because I sure don't.


Lately, I have been living week to week or work schedule to work schedule.  I don't make plans anymore either.  Mostly because my schedule is so unreliable.  I am looking to change this habit and or just starting living to live to have fun.  


At any rate, I am also going to try to blog more this month.  So...here is an update as to what is going on with us...


I am still reading the Kingkiller Chronicles by Patrick Ruthfuss. I am now on the second book A Wise Man's Fear. Nick has begun reading the first book.  I am still in love and have a great time talking with a friend at work about it.  We almost have our own little book club (which is a dream of mine).

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I am also working hard on my crocheted blanket.  I have over half of it put together and plan on finishing it this month; especially since I am going to start making Christmas stockings and a tree skirt soon.  

Beyond those projects.  Nick and I are waiting for a good movie to hit theaters.  We are tired of the releases as of late.  

Oh, and the face wash I have been using for over a year now has disappeared from shelves.  I was using St. Ives Blemish and Blackhead Control Apricot Face Wash. It took me a long time to find a good face wash and product line in general that works well with my skin.  I have very sensitive skin.  It likes to break out for odd reasons or have rashes.  I'm allergic to Snuggle and need to be careful to not use Dial soap on a regular basis.  Basically, my skin is picky.  So I am on a hunt for a new line or at lest new face wash.  A blogger that I follow has recently switched to natural skin care products, and I am thinking of following her lead.  I'm in research mode now, but please let me know if you have any suggestions.