RAZ’s Neighborhood

Gingerbread House: Oops!

anna
10 hours ago
3 comments

Here is a picture of my new and improved gingerbread house....it's new and improved because when I took a look at it the other morning I noticed that my once enclosed house had become a convertible style house.....

Brokenroof

yep, the whole back side of the roof slid right off! I am used to small losses, like icicles falling off and candies falling off- that's why I always keep a backup arsenal of icing to fix any mishaps but the roof falling off was kinda major. Luckily it fell off in one one piece! But wait.... then I noticed that all my sugar windows were falling off! They get kinda sticky and they just started sliding down the wall! Grrrrr..... I thought the windows were a lost cause but my dad suggested creating an icing "ledge" on the inside for them to sit on when they start melting again! Works great! To further seal them on I created "snow" on the front of all the windows which helped hide the windows that got broken. I figure with all that icing crammed on there it ought to last til Christmas! Then my dad and I re-glued the roof on with TONS of icing inside and out....and then I re-icicled the roof, filled in any holes and this is how it came out:

Fixedside

Actually, I like my new and improved gingerbread house better that before. You can't even tell where the "mistakes" are....I think the snow on the windows adds some nice detail and it make the lights on the inside glow even more nicely! Like i've said before, icing hides all mistakes!

a paragraph a day

They came into the kitchen just as Lois was putting the last of the food into a small brown sack. There were a few loaves of bread wrapped in towels, some jerky and salted meats and a variety of dried fruits. A canteen dangled from one of the straps.
"Ah! There you are." She said when she spotted her daughter and the young man in the doorway. "I've got everything ready for your journey. Oh--!"
She ran into the large pantry and came out a moment later with a small wooden box.
"Can't forget these!" she exclaimed, shaking the box at them before stuffing it into the bag.

(What is this weird little post?)

Cinnamon Roll Coffee Cake

anna
Yesterday
1 comment

Pic_10_finished

What are you serving for Christmas morning? Everyone I know loves Cinnamon Rolls and Coffee Cake... so this year I am making a Cinnamon Roll Coffee Cake! This recipe is terrific, you can mix up the topping, streusel, dry ingredients and wet ingredients separately in their own bowls the night before. Christmas morning all you need to do is preheat the oven, assemble the cake and bake. Everyone should be awake by the time its finished baking (and if they aren't the smell will surely wake them up!) ready to dig into a nice big slice with a cup of coffee or homemade hot cocoa and marshmallows! This cake has it all: toasted nuts, sticky caramel, warm soft coffee cake and spicy streusel filling! Its great warm and gooey outta the oven or try it at room temperature the next day (if there is any left!). This cake stays nice and moist. If you want to re-heat, use a 250 degree oven for 15 minutes. Note that you need a 9" round cake pan with 2" sides to accommodate all the batter (thanks for the new pans Gigi)! Here is how you can make your own:

Cinnamon Roll Coffee Cake adapted from Cuisine At Home Magazine
Makes one 9" cake
Total time: About 1 1/2 hours

For the Caramel-
Stir Together in a measuring cup:
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup heavy cream
Pinch of salt

Sprinkle:
1 cup chopped toasted pecans (toast whole pecans in the oven at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Let cool slightly then chop)

For The Streusel-
Process:
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
4 tablespoons unsalted cold butter, diced
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt

For The Cake-
Whisk Together in a measuring cup:
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup lowfat vanilla yogurt (I used plain with 2 tsp. vanilla extract)
2 eggs
Sift Together:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon table salt
Cream:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees; coat a 9" cake pan with 2" sides with pam. Place pan on a cookie sheet. [Pan needs to have 2" sides or the cake may overflow.]

Pic_1_carameltopping

Stir together brown sugar, cream, and salt for the caramel. Pour into prepared pan and spread to coat the bottom. Sprinkle pecans over the caramel.

Pic_2_streusel

Process brown sugar, flour, butter, cinnamon, and salt for the streusel in a food processor. Pulse until it looks sandy; set aside

Pic_3_wet_ingred

Whisk buttermilk, yogurt, and eggs together for the cake in a measuring cup with a pour spout.

Pic_4_dry_ingred

Whisk flour, baking powder, soda, and salt into a bowl.

Pic_5_buttersugar

Cream butter and sugar with a mixer just until combined.

Alternate dry and wet ingredients by hand with spatula, starting and ending with the dry. Blend each addition just until incorporated. I blended by hand with a spatula so that I wouldn't over beat and get a tough cake.

Pic_7_makecarameltop

Spread half the batter over the caramel, then sprinkle with half the streusel. Carefully spread remaining batter over that and top with remaining steusel. I used my damp fingers to manipulate the batter smoothly over the nuts and streusel. Worked better than any spatula!

Pic_8_layerdough

Bake 50-60 minutes (make sure to keep the pan on a cookie sheet to catch any overflow), or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Pic_9_baked

Cool cake for 5 minutes on a rack, then run a paring knife around the sides to loosen. Invert onto a serving platter while hot, then let cool slightly before slicing. Store at room temperature in air-tight Tupperware.

Inside bougainvilla tunnel@Taman Botani,Putrajaya

20122009156

it's the most wonderful time of the year

pebaline
2 days ago
1 comment

Somerset House

Have a lovely Christmas everyone! I'm off on my holiday for the next week+ so see you for the annual review of 2009 next week! <3

hmm

Feruz
3 days ago
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I'm still sad. I'm still hurt.

Must be that I didn't know him well enough to understand what is going through his head.

Sucks when someone you thought is a good friend takes you for granted.

I do miss hanging out with him. BUT... It has to end somewhere... I don't want to get into the same situation again. Painful. Awefully painful. As much as hanging out with Shima helps... or going out with Jep or talking to Zai... it still hurts. Looks like its going to take longer than expected to get over this thing.

Note to self:
Sabar feruz... you have some other really good friends out there who cares for you, and who really appreciates you. T____T

Aside to all my friends::
I love you guys! Especially to Shima&Chep, Eema, Zai, Jep & Arm... for being there when I needed them the most :)

oh my....

Joey
3 days ago
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Almost a month?
Seriously?

the longest drought ever....since I started this blog.

I don't like it. I miss my blog..
and I don't even know why I stopped for so long....

The craziness of the holidays...
Having nothing to say....
I feel guarded, at times, on what I can write on this blog.....because at some point, everyone does stop by...
A wee bit sad about "life" in general for a little bit there.
Of all the friends and family I have, very, VERY few people read this....so why bother?

Because it's for ME and I LOVE having it.....and some people DO read it, faithfully.

So back to it, I go.....I hope to not let this happen again...a friggin' month. Just crazy.

Right off the top of my head.....what has been going on in the last few weeks...okay, okay..almost MONTH.

Thanksgiving was nice...quiet, uneventful and just....nice. :-)
Jaime made honor roll!!!
J got a web cam and I get to SEE HER TALK NOW!!!! Amazing....and I am so addicted to it. I love getting to "see" her, love getting to see her son....it's just an awesome thing.
A little girl I love dearly....is so growing up and it makes me miss her so bad.
I got my Christmas cards out---watch your mail, they are on the way!!--THAT makes me so happy.
Rode the roller coaster of Zak's work....had a potential multi million dollar client change their mind about moving to NH. It's not completely over with, though. They are not 100% sure what they are doing. They know they are leaning toward not New Hampshire right now, but it's not definite and they LOVE Zak. So if they DO decide NH after all, it will be Zak they use. That right there, is cool. That they dug him so much. But it was quite the roller coaster for a bit. lol.
Benjamin is going to be Rudolph in his class play....!!! I CANNOT WAIT!!! It's the 23rd.
I injured myself really, REALLY bad. Fell off one of our high dining room chairs and fell about 2 feet ONTO the chair, right on my ribs. Pretty sure I did some serious damage.....it's finally better but it was almost 2 weeks of hell. Couldn't sleep...couldn't hardly walk....couldn't bend. Just sitting was painful if it I did it for too long...I'm still feeling it, but I can function now. Zak and my mom really stepped up and saved me. They did the laundry and dishes and were just amazing...thank God.
My business is doing pretty good. I have made enough money in the last couple of months, to pay for Christmas. I am pretty freakin' proud of me! And I love having my business!!!! So nice to be doing what I love and get PAID for it! I haven't done much marketing, just because I keep getting clients and work without having to do much marketing, so I've just been working with the business I have and keeping things at a reasonable pace. After the new year, I will start putting a plan in place and I am really excited to see what kind of business I do once I do some marketing! VERY exciting.
I had started going to the gym and then hurt myself so I haven't been able to. THAT is a little frustrating.
I am annoyed as hell that I STILL have not "reviewed" Bon Jovi's new album.
Mariah Carey is coming in concert, within in driving distance of me, THREE TIMES in January. I am really bummed I will not be able to see her. She is one of my all time favorite artists and I've never seen her in concert and I would do anything to be able to. BUT....I think I am going to bust my ass with my shop and see if I can manage to earn the money to go. Kind of a birthday present to myself. Good Luck to me!!!
Very excited about the new year and knowing it's going to be a better year for us.

Sooo...that's it. A little run down of the major things going on. I'm sure I'm forgetting stuff or leaving stuff out.....meh...one step at a time, right? LOL

12.18.09

Tracy
4 days ago
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a paragraph a day

Dinner was sitting on the counter getting cold, but the girl still wasn't home. Lois rested her chin in her hand. Just for a moment, she thought. But a moment became a nap, and Lois was soon snoring loudly. The fire in the hearth flickered and sputtered. As it began to die out, sparks flew out and landed on the flagstone floor. At least, they would seem to be sparks to the common eye. But these were long and skinny, and when they landed, they began to scuttle about.

(What is this weird little post?)

Spiced Rum Balls

anna
6 days ago
3 comments

Pic_6_finish

Rum Balls are a traditional Christmas treat but most of the recipes I've come across use crushed vanilla wafers or chocolate cookies, not this recipe! These Rum Balls are made with a rich, dark chocolate brownie base that is crumbled and mixed with dark spiced rum (I've spiked mine with vanilla beans!) to create the most delicious "dough" that is then rolled into little balls and coated with sparkling sugar! This recipe in simple, easy and tastes amazing! These balls are best served chilled or at least cool to hold their shape well. They make a terrific addition to any gift basket and are a very welcome hostess gift as well. Here is how you can make your own:

You can find the entire recipe for Rum Balls here. Pre-heat the oven to 350. Generously coat a 12"x17" rimmed baking sheet with Pam and set aside. In a small bowl set over a pan of simmering water, melt together the chocolate and butter until smooth and combines. Set bowl aside to cool slightly.

Pic_1_makebatter

Whisk together eggs, brown sugar, vanilla and salt in a large bowl. Slowly whisk in the cooled chocolate mixture, then mix in the flour. You will have enough batter to create a shallow layer in the baking sheet. Spread the batter evenly over the baking sheet and bake for about 10 minutes. Let cake cool completely.

Pic_2_makebrownie

After cake has cooled, break into small pieces and place in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. I like the turn on the machine and let it break up the cake into small crumbs.

Pic_4_addrum

With the mixer running, slowly pour in the rum (I used a Spiced Rum that I had added a few vanilla beans to the bottle to give a vanilla essence to the rum) to create a nice dough ball.

Pic_5_balls

Using a 1 inch ice cream scoop, make small balls and coat in sanding sugar. When all balls are finished, chill in the fridge for around 2 hours.

For gift giving: wrap each of the balls individually in a small square of plastic wrap and place in a mini-muffin paper. Fit a small rectangle of cardboard (my dad cut up some Macy's shirt boxes! Yeah Dad!) on the bottom of a cello bag and add a small strip of decorative paper. Place two rows of three rum balls each in their muffin papers into the bag, tie with ribbon and add a tag. Store in a cool place before giving.