Thursday, June 06, 2013

NEW ENGLAND HOME by Dominic Davison






















Everyone knows I am a big fan of Mike Savad and I feature his work here quite often. But now I want to introduce to another artist that I absolutely love. This one is called New England Home by Dominic Davison.  Keep in mind, these are not paintings. They are digital photographs that he has purposely enhanced to make them look like a painting. He is a young digital artist from the UK and uses the same technique as Mike Savad.
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♥ Sweet Potato Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting


Sweet Potato Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Cake
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1½ cups oil
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 cups sweet potatoes, grated

Icing
½ cup (1 stick) butter
1 cup (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup pecans, chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, mix together sugar, eggs and oil. Add remaining ingredients one at a time, adding potatoes last. Coat a sheet cake pan with a nonstick spray. Spread batter into pan.

Bake in round pans for 25 minutes or in a sheet cake pan for 35 minutes. Insert a toothpick in the center to determine doneness. Cool in pans before turning out for frosting. To make the icing, cream together butter and cream cheese. Add remaining ingredients and mix well.

Spread on cooled cake, spreading between layers and on sides and top for round layers or over the top and sides of a sheet cake.

http://farmflavor.com/sweet-potato-cake-with-cream-cheese-icing/
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Cleome (Spider Plant)


Cleome or Spider Plant
One of my favorite flowers in the garden each year is the Cleome, also called the spider flower. It is an annual known for its exceedingly long seedpods. They develop below the flowers are as bloom progresses upward on the stalk to give the... plants a spidery look.

Cleome clusters of flowers are six to eight inches in diameter and come in white, pink, or lavender. They perch atop stems that can grow up to six feet high. Cleome grows well in average soil located in full or nearly full sun. It is very drought-tolerant, though it will look and grow better if it is watered well. I will post another picture of a Cleome in full bloom next.
 
Here is a full shot of a Cleome (Spider Flower) already beginning to open. They are beautiful but have a pungent odor that can make you think a skunk has moved through the garden! That scent also repels pest such as moles and some insects like mosquitoes. You get used to the scent when you see it's beauty and realize it's benefits. I plant mine deep in my garden.
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♥ Peaches and Cream Tartlets



























I love peaches and this is one of my favorite desserts to make in the summertime. Doesn't it just say summer all over it?

Peaches and Cream Tartlets

For The Crust

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cold butter, cut into small pieces
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt

For The Filling

1 (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup sugar
1 can sliced peaches in syrup (20 oz for large tart)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a food processor, blend flour, butter, 1/3 cup sugar, and salt until moist crumbs form. Transfer dough to a 9-inch round tart pan with a removable bottom. (I used mini tartlet pans).

With fingers, press dough evenly into pan and up sides. Dip a dry-measuring cup in flour, and use it to press dough firmly into bottom and against sides of pan. Freeze crust until firm, 10 to 15 minutes.

Using a fork, prick crust all over. Bake until golden, 25 to 30 minutes, pressing down gently once or twice with a spoon during baking if crust puffs up. Cool completely in pan.

Make the filling: In a medium bowl, mix cream cheese and remaining 1/4 cup sugar until smooth. Spread into bottom of baked tart crust. If making tarlets, as shown in the photo, add a teaspoon or two of syrup from can to thin filling just enough to be able to pipe it into baked crust using a Piping bag or Ziploc bag with bottom corner snipped.

Chill in pan at least 1 hour (and up to 6 hours); remove from pan just before serving. Serve with whipped cream and peach slices.

Photo and recipe ©Welcome Home
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♥ Raspberry Bread Pudding

























I make this with strawberries too! Warm... just out of the oven... with a sweet vanilla sauce....Oh my!

Raspberry Bread Pudding

12 Rhodes Warm-N-Serve frozen Soft White Dinner Rolls, previously baked and at least a day old.

... 1 quart heavy cream
2 cups sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla

Fruit Filling:
12 ounces frozen raspberries, thawed (I use strawberries)
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup apple juice

Vanilla Sauce:
2/3 cup butter
2 teaspoons flour
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Cut rolls into 1-inch cubes and place in a large bowl. Combine cream, sugar, egg and vanilla. Mix well and pour over roll cubes. Let roll mixture stand 30 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes, to allow cream mixture to absorb completely.

Combine fruit filling ingredients and mix well. Pour 1/2 of the roll mixture into a sprayed 9 x 13-inch pan. Top with fruit filling and remaining roll mixture. Bake at 350°F 60-70 minutes. Cover with foil last 30 minutes to prevent over browning.

Vanilla Sauce:
Over medium heat melt butter and add flour. Cook about 10 minutes, but do not brown. Add cream and sugar and boil until mixture starts to thicken. Remove from heat and add vanilla. Serve warm over pudding.

http://www.rhodesbread.com/recipes/view/2202
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Wednesday, June 05, 2013

Momma Finch 1







 I snapped this picture today in my garden as this little Momma was going home to feed her little ones a fresh new crane fly. She turned and looked at me just as I started to snap the picture as if to get my approval on what she was serving the kids for dinner tonight.


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African Daisies




I love African Daisies...especially for my container gardening. They are an annual and come in such an array of different color combinations. .The flowers open fully only in direct sun, and they complete close each evening.





They love cool evenings and will bloom profusely when the temperatures fall down to the 70's. During periods of the summer when the nights are very warm, there will be a period of reduced blooms. When the nights cool off, they will perk back up and put on a fresh show.

The Osteospermum does best when situated in sunny areas
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Frozen Yogurt Covered Strawberries




















Warning: These are addicting! They are cold and sweet and refreshing and just delightful to pop in your mouth on a hot summer day! Try them...they're so easy to make!

Frozen Yogurt Covered Raspberries

1 container Vanilla Yogurt (Use Greek Yogurt because it's thicker)
 
Fresh ripe strawberries

Slice strawberries in half. Spoon Greek yogurt onto a shallow dish and dip the strawberries in the yogurt. Place dipped strawberries in a plastic container lined with parchment paper and freeze.
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I Only Have You

I Only Have You
 
Don't be angry with me for long.
You have your friends, your work, your entertainment.
I only have you.

Talk to me sometimes. Even if I don't understand your words, I understand your  voice when it is speaking to me and it comforts me
and makes me feel loved.

Remember, before you choose to hit me: I have teeth and jaws that could easily crush the bones of your hand,
but I choose not to bite you.
I understand. But please be aware of how you treat me.
I will never forget it.

And always remember that it is you that I live for.
It is you that I am loyal to.
It is you that I want to please.
It is you that I love unconditionally.
Without you, I would have no one at all.
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Broccoli and Cheese And Bacon Cornbread


Here's a quick cornbread made with a mix that is so fast and easy to make and so good!

 Broccoli and Cheese And Bacon Cornbread

4 eggs, beaten
2 sticks melted butter
1 medium onion, chopped
2 ounces cottage cheese
1 package chopped broccoli, thawed
2 boxes Jiffy corn muffin mix
1/2 pound bacon, cooked and crumbled
1/4 cup bacon drippings

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Add the bacon fat to a well seasoned 10-inch cast iron skillet and place the skillet into the oven to melt the fat and heat the skillet.

Mix together eggs, butter, onion, cottage cheese and broccoli. Add corn muffin mix and bacon and stir until mixed well. Carefully remove skillet from oven and pour in batter. Bake for 45 minutes or until knife inserted into center comes out clean. Remove the skillet from the oven, let rest for 5 minutes, then very carefully turn the cornbread out onto a plate or platter to preserve that nice crispy crust!

Recipe Adapted from Farm Flavor.com
http://farmflavor.com/broccoli-cheese-cornbread/
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Butterscotch Bubble Loaf

I love making monkey bread or bubble loaf or whatever you choose to call it. I especially like to make this one using butterscotch pudding! I love that warm butterscotch on hot sticky bread! Oh to die for!

Butterscotch Bubble Loaf

24 Rhodes Dinner Rolls, thawed but still cold
1/2 box butterscotch or vanilla pudding mix, non-instant
1/2 cup pecans, chopped
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter or margarine

Cut dinner rolls in half and dip in dry pudding mix. Arrange rolls in sprayed bundt pan, alternately with pecans. Sprinkle any remaining pudding mix over the top.

Combine brown sugar and butter. Heat together until butter is melted and a syrup is formed (microwave about 1 1/2 minutes). Pour syrup over rolls. Cover with sprayed plastic wrap. Let rise until double in size or even with top of bundt pan. Carefully remove wrap.

Bake at 350°F for 30-35 minutes. Cover with foil the last 15 minutes of baking. Immediately after baking, loosen from sides of the pan with a knife and invert onto a serving plate.

http://www.rhodesbread.com/recipes/view/1613
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Momma Finch








I stopped in the garden and snapped a few early morning photos for you to enjoy. Like this one of that same little Momma bird who likes to show me what she will be serving her kids for breakfast before she heads home.
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White Henryi Clematis


I've featured my pink and purple Clematis that grows throughout my garden but I have saved the best for last...this is my White Henryi Clematis. Nothing pleases the eye quite as much as the sight of a clematis vine in full early-summer bloom, cascading over a wall or climbing a fence. The single daisy-shaped blooms are 6 to 7 inches across, with a dark center and a creamy "crease" or two up the center of each petal. I haven't made up my mind just yet but I think this one might be my favorite.
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Baxter The Box Turtle

My new garden friend ....a boxer turtle traveling through my garden this morning. I shall call him "Baxter the Boxer." As you can see, he tolerated my snapping a half dozen pictures of him, making sure he shot me a dirty look first. But all is well...we are friends now. I gave him some fresh bib lettuce and I am sure he will be back tomorrow for more.
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Before I was a Mom


Before I was a Mom
Before I was a Mom...
I never tripped over toys or forgot words to a lullaby.
I didn't worry whether or not if my house plants were poisonous.
I didn't worry about my carpets being so clean or my cabinets safety locked.

Before I was a mom.......
I had never been puked on.
Pooped on
Chewed on
Peed on
slobbered on.

Before I was a Mom...
I had complete control of my mind and my thoughts.
I slept all night and enjoyed staying in bed later on weekends.
I never held down a screaming child so a doctor could give a shot.
I never looked into teary eyes and wept myself.

Before I was a Mom....
I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin.
I never sat up late at night watching a baby sleep.
I never held a sleeping baby for hours just because I didn't want to put him down.

Before I was a Mom....
I never felt my heart break into a million pieces when I couldn't stop the hurt.
I never knew that something so small could affect my life so much.
I never knew I would cherish every moment and those moments would turn into memories that would last forever.

Before I was a mom...
I never knew my heart could love this much.
I never knew my chest could swell so much with pride.
I never knew my eyes could cry so many tears.
I didn't know the feeling of having my heart outside my body.
I never knew how much I would love being a Mom.

Author: Unknown
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Saturday, June 01, 2013

Sausage and Dirty Rice

I like making this recipe as a side dish with a main course or sometimes even making it my main dish. It's really good!

Sausage and Dirty Rice

1/2 cup uncooked Uncle Ben’s® Converted® Brand rice
1 package (16 ounces) Johnsonville Hot Italian Sausage
1 package (16 ounces) Johnsonville Mild Italian Sausage
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup chopped onion
1/3 cup parsley
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
5 green onions, thinly sliced

In a saucepan, prepare rice according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a skillet, brown sausage over medium-high heat until no longer pink; drain. In a Dutch oven or large skillet, melt butter; sauté onions until tender. Add parsley, bay leaf, thyme, Worcestershire sauce, rice and sausage; stir until blended.

Transfer to a greased 2-quart baking dish. Bake, covered, at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Remove from oven, discard bay leaf, garnish with green onion and serve.

http://www.johnsonville.com/recipe/dirty-rice.html?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=Social&utm_term=Cooking&utm_campaign=Recipe
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Cinnamon Sugar Banana Lumpias

my gosh, these are just to die for!

Cinnamon Sugar Banana Lumpias

3/4 cup Dixie Crystals Light Brown Sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
... 8 bananas, peeled and ends cut
8 lumpia wrappers (or use egg roll/spring roll wrappers)
Dixie Crystals Confectioners Powdered Sugar
Salted caramel for drizzling
Melted chocolate for drizzling

Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, combine brown sugar and cinnamon.

Working one at a time, dredge banana in cinnamon sugar mixture and place banana on lumpia wrapper. Bring bottom edge of wrap tightly over banana, rolling from bottom to top until the top of sheet is reached, being careful not to tear wrapper. Repeat with remaining wrappers and filling.

Place wrapped bananas onto prepared baking sheet and lightly coat with cooking spray. Place into oven and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve immediately, garnished with confectioners sugar and drizzle with salted caramel and melted chocolate, if desired.


 Recipe developed for Dixie Crystals by Chung-Ah Rhee http://www.dixiecrystalssugar.com/recipes/ethnic-cuisine-/asian/Cinnamon-Sugar-Banana-Lumpia
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The Digital Age


I know I have shared a lot of this artist's work with you over the last few months and for many of you it was here at Welcome Home that you were first introduced to this incredible photographer who takes a simple photograph and then enhances it with lighting, and shadows and so much detail that it takes on the look of a painting. You are used to seeing his urban series of Victorian style houses and front porches. But I wanted to show a different side of Mike Savad and I think this is the best example of the detail in his work and why I call it a masterpiece. This one is called, "The Digital Age." Remember, this is just a photograph....
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Slow Cooker Chocolate Turtle Monkey Bread




















Oh My! And you make this in your slow cooker! What more could one want?

Slow Cooker Chocolate Turtle Monkey Bread

2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 can (16.3 oz) Pillsbury® Grands!® Home-style refrigerated buttermilk biscuits
3/4 cup pecan halves
2 tablespoons whipping cream
1/3 cup milk chocolate chips
Spray 4 1/2- to 5-quart slow cooker with cooking spray. In 2-cup microwavable measuring cup, mix brown sugar and butter; microwave uncovered on High 1 to 2 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds, until mixture is boiling and smooth.

In large resealable food-storage plastic bag, place granulated sugar. Separate dough into 8 biscuits; cut each into fourths. Add a few of the biscuit pieces at a time to bag; shake to coat. Sprinkle 1/4 cup of the pecans in slow cooker; top with half of the biscuit mixture. Pour one-third of the butter mixture over biscuits in cooker. Repeat with 1/4 cup pecans and remaining biscuit mixture. Pour remaining butter mixture over biscuits, and sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup pecans.

Cover; cook on High heat setting 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until knife inserted in center comes out clean and biscuits are no longer doughy in center. Tops of biscuits will be moist and may appear unbaked. Turn off cooker.

Carefully remove cover so condensation does not drip onto bread. Cover opening with paper towels; return cover to cooker. Let stand 10 minutes. Run a knife around edge of cooker; turn bread upside down onto heatproof serving plate.

In 1-quart saucepan, heat cream over medium heat just to boiling. Remove from heat. Stir in chocolate chips until melted and smooth. Drizzle over monkey bread. Serve warm.


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Thursday, May 30, 2013

♥ Homemade Crescent Rolls


























I have a weakness for homemade bread....especially just out of the oven! I love to make rolls and slather them with butter while they're still hot...how about you? And there's that added bonus of the smell of bread baking in the oven. Here are some homemade crescent rolls just for you....

Homemade Crescent Rolls

 2 packets active dry yeast or 4-1/2 teaspoons
2 cups of warm water
1/2 cup butter, softened
2/3 cup nonfat dry milk powder
6 tablespoons of sugar
1/2 cup mashed potato flakes or cooked potato
2 large eggs
1 ½ teaspoons salt
6-6 1/2 cups of flour
¼ cup butter, softened

In the bowl of a stand mixer, dissolve yeast in warm water with a tablespoon of sugar for about 10 minutes until foamy. Add the butter, rest of the sugar, potato flakes, dry milk powder, eggs, salt and 3 cups of flour, knead until smooth using the dough attachment of your mixer. Stir in enough remaining flour ½ cup at a time to form a firm dough but still pliable.

Form into a ball, put in a greased bowl, lightly cover with kitchen towel, set aside in a warm place until double in size about 2 hrs. When dough it ready, deflate the dough and turn onto a lightly floured surface.

Divide dough into 2 equal pieces. Roll out each round into two 12-inch circles and cut each circle into 16 wedges (I used pizza wheel to cut this). Brush with softened butter. Roll up wedges, starting at widest end first, to form a crescent shapes.

Place in lightly greased baking sheets with points underneath. Cover and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour or until doubled. Bake at 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.

NOTE: If you don't have a stand mixer, you can mix by hand if necessary or use a bread maker. If you choose to use a bread maker, use the instant yeast.

Photo and recipe copyrights ©Welcome Home
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