Whole Wheat Coffee Cake

This is a recipe from my mother...real simple and yummy!!! If you haven't gathered already I use whole wheat flour in almost all of my baking as well as raw sugar, it makes me feel a little better about consuming sweets, its semi wholesome:o) but this doesn't mean you can't use white flour/white sugar instead.

Tip: If you don't keep plain yogurt on hand you can make buttermilk using milk and lemon juice, here is how at Kayotic Kitchen, a blog I love to browse.

2 1/2 c whole wheat flour
1 c brown sugar
3/4 c raw sugar
3/4 c vegetable/corn oil
1 t cinnamon
1 t salt
Mix all these ingredients together and save one cup for topping.

Add:
1 egg
1/2 c plain yogurt
1/2 c milk
(instead of yogurt and milk you can use 1 cup buttermilk)
1 t baking soda


Pour into 9x13 greased baking sheet and sprinkle the saved one cup of sugar mixture. You can sprinkle pecans on top if you would like.

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Enjoy!

Buttermilk Whole Wheat Pancakes

Finally another recipe for you! Don't ask me where this recipe originated, but I've been eating these pancakes since my childhood. They go far beyond the easy boxed kind you find in the store. Best of all they are delicious, healthy, and hardy.

I usually cut this recipe in half and it makes about 8 medium pancakes.

2 eggs beaten
2 1/2 c buttermilk or (1c plain yogurt and 1 1/2 c milk)
2 1/2 c flour (I use whole wheat)
1 t baking soda
2 t baking powder
1 t salt
2 T sugar
1/4 c butter melted

Combine well beaten eggs with buttermilk in large bowl. Sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and sugar. Stir dry ingredients into egg mixture. Blend until smooth. Add melted butter until combined.
Using ladle or measuring cup pour into little round circles onto lightly greased pan over medium heat. Flip when bubbles start to form. Remove when cooked through. Enjoy!

Family Get-a-way

Our 2 night get-a-way to Willow Valley was great fun! Kiddie pool, play ground, pond, ducks, bakery are some of the things we enjoyed.

Tia trying to get her bathing suit on..."I do it, I do it"

Daddy was privileged to be a kid again (no adults allowed down slide)

The water in the frog was none too warm!

Silas loved every minute of this pool!
Tia on the other hand doesn't have enough fat to keep her warm.

To the playground...

Our little sanitary worker, aka garbage picker.

Falling asleep...

Thoroughly enjoying bath time.
Again, "I do it, I do it"

Play Dough Disaster!

Never try this unless you are ready to clean up a BIG mess!

I do have the play dough from the store but it is so sticky, I thought, lets try some home-made stuff.
I found this recipe from another blog with great reviews so I thought sure lets try it. Well well well...

This is what it looked like after I thought to add flour(quite a bit) to the mixture while kneading it. It was getting to a pretty good consistency but by that time we were sick of it.

Even Tia found some enjoyment...
Pure delight!
Now out comes the play dough the next day and boy what a mess. It was pure sticky-ness! We tried adding more flour, but finally threw up our hands in disgust(me that is)
You can just imagine the many faces I was pulling as I looked on at the big mess to clean up!Poor kid! He was having a blast until Mommy came along and had to clean up!

Anyone have a better recipe?

A Much Needed Visit

My Mom and brother Caleb came for a few days this past week...the kids were overjoyed to have their company, not to mention me too! Silas followed Caleb everywhere, poor guy he could hardly use the bathroom in peace:o) On the last night Silas thought he should climb into Caleb's bed in the middle of the night...Caleb woke up wondering what this fuzzy head was sleeping next to him:o)

Grandma and Silas' snow man

Our little clown.

The inseparable.

Towel turbans.

Snowy Days

Love every minute of it, this boy!

This is 2 snow storms ago...poor Tia is wearing the only snowsuit near her size and she is just swimming in it...she belongs in the circus!

We all went out after dinner and had our winter shoveling fun.

A Wonderful Anniversary Dinner

Here we are looking over NYC...beautiful!
Here are a few of the things we enjoyed, the best being firecracker shrimp appetizer(no picture.)
Lobster Bisque...delicious! The lighting was too romantic to get good shots of the food.

Prosciutto wrapped salmon in maple glaze.

Sweet and spicy Mahi Mahi

Great place!