The prodigal blogger returns!

I have returned!!  time to kill the fatted calf!

 So- here is our gross totally 80s brass "chandelier"  ick.  Not only is it brassy, but it is totally un-centered.  Why does that happen?  is it that hard to measure out what would be the center of the "dining room"?  ANYWAY, I am too cheap to buy a new fixture....but I did buy some spray paint! (do you like how half of the lights are burned out?? classy.)

 Soon- so very soon, we will have moulding up....so so soon.  Dave got a nail gun/air compressor for Christmas....what a great gift right?  I digress....

 eeewww so dusty.  Here is one of my skeletons....I HATE dusting.  It is one of my "pay" jobs.  The kids know that if they want money, there are always jobs that I will pay to have done.  Dusting is one of the many :)

 My VERY high tech spray guard.  I didn't want the hassle of taking it down just to have to put it back up again.

 TA-DA!  ooooooo so much better  AND it is now centered.

 hmmmmm couldn't decide which was the better pic--lights on or lights off.

 I know right?  you want to blow this picture up and put it on your wall :)

I recently saw a post on another blog about how to cover these little dandies....so that might be coming sooner than later.

Bean cake? I'd love some

 I have been reading about using beans in place of "fats" in cakes, cookies etc.  what??  I know right?  So I was hosting a book club at my house, we were going to discuss "Freakonomics" which-if you have read it- you know it is all about unlikely comparisons....hmmmm as unlikely as beans in cake?? Perfect.

Here is the recipe-as in the whole thing- nothing taken out...all the "modifications" will be listed!  I have no idea where the original recipe came from so I can't give proper "props"  It is my favorite go to cake recipe for box cakes.  SO many flavor combinations--I have yet to have a bad one.....well OK chocolate cake mix and banana pudding=not so good.

BEAN CAKE

1 cake mix (I used white this time)

1 4 oz box of instant pudding (in this case I used white chocolate)

1 cup sour cream

1/2 water

1/2 cup oil (this is where I used 1/2 great northern beans blended up)

4 eggs

mix on low until ingredients are combined then speed it up for 2-3 minutes.

***if you usually use 2 rounds- you might want to consider 3...this will overflow!

350 degree oven for  ?? minutes.  Times will vary I usually check mine after about 18 minutes.  Nobody likes dry icky cake!  Whatever the box says for the pan size, I usually take 5 minutes off.

So YUMMY!  I made a swiss meringue buttercream recipe.  SO light and fluffy!  It uses A LOT of egg whites....so what do you do with all the yolks??  you make lemon curd to fill your cake of course!!

 This might look hard- but it is way easier than trying to get a smooth layer of frosting!  As you might have noticed in the first picture- I did a crumb coat first.  Then using a 1M or 2D (sorry, I can't remember) tip you start from the center of the rose and swirl out.  

It was DELICIOUS!!  So moist, there is no way that you would know it had beans in it.  

What we have been up to....

I LOVE the fall.  Not only do I love the weather but I LOVE  as Mr Putter would put it "all the juicy things to eat!" (Mr Putter books are some of my favorite children's books)

I got these beauties from a neighbor...in hindsight I should have taken all those tart little green guys out, but it still turned out good.

I borrowed this guy from the same neighbor.

mmmmm, "homemade" grape juice.  VERY nostalgic.

 I LOVE grape jelly.  I had never made it before and had a few gallons of grape juice on my hands.  Is that like making lemonade out of lemons??  I guess it can't be, 'cause, since when is having gallons of fresh juice a bad thing?  

 Walmart had peaches for .50 a  pound! I bought 10 pounds and I had to do something with them before my daughter ate them all.

 *sigh* even messy, it is a beautiful kitchen.  I can't wait to get that backsplash done.

There is something seriously satisfying about seeing a counter full of "canned" goods.  Only freezer jams here, I think that they taste so much better than the processed variety.  I can't wait for my counters to be full of canned apple pie filing!!  On to find some cheap apples!