{DRUMROLL.......} AND HERE IT IS!!!!

The new and improved upstairs hall bathroom!!!!!


This is the tub tiling. The little different colored bits are a river-green glass tile. The same large tile is on the floor. The towels are lime green, although they are washed out in this photo.

The basis of the color scheme/design: a painting of "catfish" we acquired in Maui. It holds a place of honor.




Melody's special touch (well, special in that she knew exactly what she wanted and didn't rest until she found them): bamboo looking water faucet (I love it so much), bamboo mirror frame, hibiscus appliqued washclothes (thanks to Tar-jay for putting out the Hawaiian theme bath accessories right when I needed them!--washclothes, shower curtain and rug). Granite countertop--YAY!!!



I looooove the granite countertop!


We were able to add some storage by putting in a "linen cabinet", replacing the humongous sink vanity with a smaller one. We gained a TON of storage space!



Pretty, huh? It is currently the best bathroom in the house! All that's left is to seal all the grout, then I'm movin' in, baby...

In memoriam

"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing."

---British statesman Edmund Burke

April is Grilled Cheese Month

..or so says Monkey...

and just for kicks, Monkey has instructions for making grilled cheese with your iron and ironing board at http://www.himonkey.net/cooking/IronGrilledCheese/index.html

I'm working on my ode to cheese haiku even as we speak...er...type...

(Yes, I realize this website is rapidly turning into a repository of very weird cooking stunts, but I find them to be very CHEESY!....HAHAHAHAH)

Meatcake is the new Cheesecake?

http://www.blackwidowbakery.com/demo/meatcake/



I don't know...really...I don't even know how I came across this monstrosity...it is really bothering me, thinking of the hunks o'meat that people are decorating all over the world (if you look at the submitted photos on this site)...what was that movie with Richard Dreyfuss & the Devil's tower sculpted out of mashed potatoes...Close Encounters of the Meatcake Kind?

The big reveal

of the bathroom remodel will occur very, very soon. it looks charming. 1 down, 2 to go...

Hope

Hope begins in the dark, the stubborn hope that if you just show up and try to do the right thing, the dawn will come.
- Anne Lamott

As we all know, however, hope is not always realized, even if you have shown up, tried hard to do the right thing, and dawn comes....without hope.

Wow, I'm depressing. Sorry.

Chili Basil Chicken

A take-off on Thai take-out from Rachel Ray's magazine. Good, unusual Easter dinner. I used Udon noodles, as that is what I had on hand. Warning--thin sauce, and I could have used alot more heat, but that is my personal lack of sensitivity, as there was a significant amount of crushed red pepper in this to begin with.

Global Warming Strikes Texas

It is snowing.

Today is April 7, 2007.

We are in Texas. Not Potsdam, New York.

Tomorrow is Easter Sunday, the day on which I normally take my first swim in the [unheated] pool. No swimmies here.

So much for global warming.

Hail Happens

but thankfully not very often. This evening brought nickel to quarter size lumps of ice falling from the sky--even the dogs didn't want to go out! Around here, April showers bring flattened May flowers!

The best cake ever

I made this recipe for the first time this weekend. It looked like a tea cake I had in England last month, that was to die for...the "Chatsworth Estate" caramel cake (that is my name for it--it was from the farm market on the Chatsworth Estate).

This cake elicited rave reviews from hubby. This recipe is a keeper, for sure. I just need to be sure I don't make it too often or I'm going to really become large!! These are the types of things I hide in the freezer so I forget about them.

Buttermilk Cake with Caramel Glaze

3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 large eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
1t. baking powder
1 t. baking soda
1 cup buttermilk (at room temperature)
1 1/2 t. vanilla

1. Arrange the rack at the middle of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x13 pan with baking spray.

2. Beat the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer for 5 minutes at medium speed until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Scrape the sides of the bowl and ensure everything is mixed.

3. Stir the flour with the baking powder and baking soda in a separate bowl. Add 1/4 of the flour mixture to the butter-egg mixture, then add vanilla and 1/3 of the buttermilk. Mix. Repeat, beginning and ending with the flour mixture and scraping well after each addition.

4. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread to edges with a spatula. Bake 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a rack.

Caramel Glaze

3/4 c. brown sugar
1 1/2 c. heavy cream
1 1/2 T. unsalted butter
pinch salt

Place all ingredients in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir with a wooden spoon, bring to a simmer--reduce heat and simmer for 7 minutes, stirring frequently until glaze thickens. Cool until barely warm. Pour on cake.

Tips: Really let the glaze cool completely before putting on cake. This cake is even better the second day. Microwave for 30 seconds or so then eat with a mug o'tea. Make sure it is stored in the refrigerator!