Cinnamon Roll Cookies...

I recently found this recipe on another website and it sounds soo good! I can't wait to try it :)

Cinnamon Roll Cookies

Filling:

1/2 cup sugar

2 Tablespoons cinnamon

Dough:

3 c all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. salt

2 sticks (1 cup) softened unsalted butter

1 c brown sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

Icing:

1 c confectioners sugar

1/4 c water

Combine filling ingredients in a small bowl set aside.

Sift flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt together in a bowl and set aside. Meanwhile cream butter and brown sugar until smooth. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well, then vanilla. With mixer on low speed add dry ingredients just until mixed. Do not overmix.

Refrigerate dough for 1 hour.

On a piece of wax paper or parchment pat dough into a 16 x 9" rectangle. Dough will be sticky. Wet fingers to keep dough from sticking. Sprinkle half the filling over the dough. Roll the dough into a log starting on the long side, use the paper to help the process and make the log as tight as possible. Sprinkle the remaining filling all over the outside of the log. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.

Preheat oven to 350. Line two baking sheets with parchment. Slice dough into 1/4" slices and place on baking sheets 1" apart. Bake 10-12 minutes or until slightly brown. Cool cookies completely. Mix icing ingredients then drizzle over the top. Let icing dry completely.

Facebook...

It's been such a blessing these past few months. I've gotten in touch with an old school mate (hadn't seen her since the 6th grade), and just today I got in contact with a friend I met at youth camp back in 1991 or 1992 (getting older so the memory isn't what it used to be :P)  If you can look up those old "friends" and truly make them your friends again. It's hard sometimes keeping up with life and friends but in most cases it's worth it! I wonder who I'll find next on Facebook....

Happy 4th of July!

Happy 4th of July!! Please be safe and use common sense this Holiday weekend!

Remember were your freedom really comes from...

John 8:36
So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.

2 Corinthians 3:17
Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.

Patience is a virtue but...

I don't have much. I'm the kind of person who needs to know NOW. I hate surprises...don't try to tell me something and them say you won't finish it. I'll bug ya until you tell me! LOL 

Right now with a potentially great situation I'm impatiently waiting for an answer to it. I know God has a plan for us and it's in his time but I'm just really wanting to go on to the next chapter in life or see if I'm not finished with the current chapter.

But I need to remember these verses below...

Galatians 5:22-23

²²But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 
²³gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

Life Opportunities...

Can't go into too much detail but please pray for a situation (a good one) for God's will to be done. God is good and if the situation is right for us that God will work everything out and we will get green lights the whole way.

Thanks!

Matthew 18:19 ( NASB )
¹⁹“Again I say to you, that if two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask, it shall be done for them by My Father who is in heaven. 

Ding Dong Cake...

I saw this recipe on a forum I post at and it sounded sooo good!

Ding Dong Cake
1 (18 ounce) box Pillsbury Plus Devils Food cake mix
FILLING
1 cup milk
4 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
ICING
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 tablespoons milk
2 tablespoons cocoa
powdered sugar, to desired consistency

Directions

Bake cake according to directions on box, using a 9x13-inch pan. After it cools, slice in half horizontally and set aside until filling is prepared.

FILLING: Combine milk and flour. Cook until thick, then cool. Mix butter and shortening for 4 minutes. Add sugar and vanilla and mix 4 more minutes. Add flour mixture and beat 4 minutes more.

Spread on bottom layer of cake and replace top layer of cake.

ICING:.

Combine butter, vanilla, milk, cocoa and mix. Add powdered sugar until quite thick.

Nutro catfood recall...

I just got an email from Nutro saying that they are recalling two kinds of cat food. here's the link for full details... http://www.nutroproducts.com/

Nutro Products Announces Voluntary Recall of Limited Range of Dry Cat Food Products

Franklin, Tennessee (May 21, 2009) -- Today, Nutro Products announced a voluntary recall of select varieties of NUTRO® NATURAL CHOICE® COMPLETE CARE® Dry Cat Foods and NUTRO® MAX® Cat Dry Foods with “Best If Used By Dates” between May 12, 2010 and August 22, 2010. The cat food is being voluntarily recalled in the United States and ten additional countries. This recall is due to incorrect levels of zinc and potassium in our finished product resulting from a production error by a US-based premix supplier. 

Two mineral premixes were affected. One premix contained excessive levels of zinc and under-supplemented potassium. The second premix under-supplemented potassium. Both zinc and potassium are essential nutrients for cats and are added as nutritional supplements to NUTRO® dry cat food. 

This issue was identified during an audit of our documentation from the supplier. An extensive review confirmed that only these two premixes were affected. This recall does not affect any NUTRO® dog food products, wet dog or cat food, or dog and cat treats. 

Affected product was distributed to retail customers in all 50 states, as well as to customers in Canada, Mexico, Japan, Korea, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, and Israel. We are working with all of our distributors and retail customers, in both the US and internationally, to ensure that the recalled products are not on store shelves. These products should not be sold or distributed further. 

Consumers who have purchased affected product should immediately discontinue feeding the product to their cats, and switch to another product with a balanced nutritional profile. While we have received no consumer complaints related to this issue, cat owners should monitor their cat for symptoms, including a reduction in appetite or refusal of food, weight loss, vomiting or diarrhea. If your cat is experiencing health issues or is pregnant, please contact your veterinarian. 

Consumers who have purchased product affected by this voluntary recall should return it to their retailer for a full refund or exchange for another NUTRO® dry cat food product. Cat owners who have more questions about the recall should call 1-800-833-5330 between the hours 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM CST

Please if you feed this to your cats stop feeding them it until you find out if it's the affected cat food.

Chuck's gonna be back for another season!!

Chuck's got to be my favorite show on TV right now. In a world filled with "reality" shows Chuck is a refreshing change. It was "on the bubble" for renewal and just this week I learned it was renewed. It was only renewed for 13 episodes (instead of the normal 21-22 episodes) but I'm hopeful that we will get a full season. If you've never checked out Chuck go to  http://www.nbc.com/Chuck/ and check out episodes online. If your already a fan let NBC know you appreciate them renewing this great show!

Check out the great season ender for season 2...

Sacred Marriage and Sacred Influence...

these are two great books from Gary L. Thomas. He also just released a video series on Sacred Marriage recently. The first book talks about how marriage isn't designed to necessarily make us happy but to make us Holy.  The second one is about how wife can influence the husbands. 

Here are links to Amazon.com in case you would like to check them out...

Sacred Influence...http://www.amazon.com/Sacred-Influence-Wives-Shape-Husbands/dp/031027768X/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1242625364&sr=8-4

Sacred Marriage...http://www.amazon.com/Sacred-Marriage-Gary-L-Thomas/dp/0310242827/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1242625364&sr=8-1

Sacred Marriage DVD...http://www.amazon.com/Sacred-Marriage-What-Designed-Happy/dp/0310291445/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1242625364&sr=8-6

...'till next time.

Rain!!

It finally rained today. My husband says it looks like we got about 1 inch of rain. Which is much needed here! Thank you Lord for the rain!

"He spreads clouds over the sky; he provides rain for the earth and makes grass grow on the hills." Psalm 147:8

I've got a Key Lime tree and it has quite a bit of fruit on it...but it will still be a few more months before they're ready. The rain will do it some good. Can't wait to make my first Key Lime Pie or Cherry Limeade with it!

Here's a few Key Lime recipes for you to enjoy!

Sonic Cherry Limeade Clone

1 cup Sprite
1/4 cup cherry juice (Juicy Juice) <--I don't care for Juicy Juice so I'm substituting  maraschino cherry syrup instead...it shouldn't take as much syrup as the juicy juice so add it to taste  2-3 lime wedges (each wedge is 1/8 of a lime) 1. Pour Sprite into a glass over ice. 2. Add cherry juice. 3. Add 2-3 lime wedges, squeezing slightly before dropping each one in.

Key Lime Pie  

Key Lime Filling 
4 teaspoons grated zest plus 1/2 cup strained juice from 3 or 4 limes 
4 large egg yolks 
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk 

Graham Cracker Crust 
11 full-size graham crackers, processed to fine crumbs (1 1/4 cups)
3 tablespoons granulated sugar 
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 1/2 cups Whipped Cream, made without vanilla and whipped to stiff peaks 
1/2 lime, sliced paper thin and dipped in sugar (optional) 
1. For the filling: Whisk zest and yolks in medium bowl until tinted light green, about 2 minutes. Beat in milk, then juice; set aside at room temperature to thicken. 
2. For the crust: Adjust oven rack to center position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Mix crumbs and sugar in medium bowl. Add butter; stir with fork until well blended. Scrape mixture into 9-inch pie pan. Press crumbs evenly onto bottom and up sides of pie plate. Once crumbs are in place, line pan flush with large square of plastic wrap, and use spoon to smooth crumbs into curves and sides of pan. Refrigerate lined pie plate 20 minutes to firm crumbs. Bake until lightly browned and fragrant, about 15 minutes. Transfer pan to wire rack; cool to room temperature, about 20 minutes. 
3. Pour lime filling into crust; bake until center is set yet wiggly when jiggled, 15 to 17 minutes. Return pie to wire rack; cool to room temperature. Refrigerate until well chilled, at least 3 hours. (Can be covered with lightly oiled or oil- sprayed plastic wrap laid directly on filling and refrigerated up to 1 day.) 
4. Decoratively pipe whipped cream over filling or spread evenly with rubber spatula. Garnish with optional sugared lime slices and serve.

...'till next time!

My first blog!

I'm not the best writer but it seems everyone is blogging nowadays so I thought I'd give it a shot...

I'm a stay at home wife with a wonderful husband and 7 cats (yes I said 7 cats!) While my life wouldn't be consider real "exciting" it works for me. :) My husband and I have been married almost 8 years  and I am married to a great man who takes great care of us. I'm blessed to have him. 

I have several hobbies...Cross Stitch, Punch Needle, Candle Making, Soap Making, Wreath Designing, Painting plaster and wooden objects...all of which I (except the first two) I haven't done in years. I really need to get back and rotate some of those back into my everyday hobbies. 

My main hobby right now would be Astronomy. I've even dabbled in some astrophotography! 

 <--Jupiter taken last year.

I'm also in the midst of VBS (Vacation Bible School for those who've never heard the term before.) My husband and I rejoined my home church after we felt led back there after a 4 year absence this past December.  My husband and I are co-directing VBS this year. So we need a lot of prayers to keep the ball rolling and make this an awesome VBS for the kids! What we have to offer isn't a lot but through Christ we can do all things! (I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me. Philippians 4:13)  

Well, that's my first blog....'till the next one.