My husband is a better blogger than I am!

My hubby started a blog years after I did.   He posts more regularly than I do.   Today,  I took a picture of him,  setting up and taking a picture for his blog.   He already had posted today's entry.   Check it out! It is his "Lifetime Beer Blog"

Pinned it and Actually DID it! (new blog topic…)

I saw this on a blog somewhere and thought it was a GREAT idea.  You know all those things you “Pin” from pinterest?  Well, I actually DO try to do some of them.  And honestly, I have yet to try one that is a “pin fail” or a “pinstrosity”  I’m sure my time is coming.  But either way, when I try something new from Pinterest, I will try to share it here, and let you know…thumbs up or thumbs down. 

First up…MARGARITA CAKE

OK…just to be clear…this is a total and COMPLETE thumbs up.  This.  Was.  AWESOME!!!  My best friend and coworker has decided that she isn’t coming back next year to work as an associate with me.  Often, our beverage of choice when we get together after a long, HARD day of work, is a margarita.  In honor of her last day of school, I made this margarita cake. 

THIS IS NOT MY PICTURE….it is from the above linked site where I originally found the recipe I was going to follow!  (I would have taken a picture, but…umm…well…the people that I work with tend to make things disappear quicker than I can get a picture!)

It was a hit by all who tasted it.  Seriously good cake.  There is a crushed pretzel crust on the bottom, which took this cake over the top. 

• 1½ cups coarsely crushed pretzels
• ½ cup sugar
• 1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted
• 1 box white cake mix
• 1¼ cups bottled nonalcoholic margarita mix
• 1⁄3 cup vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon grated lime peel
• 3 egg whites
• 2 cups heavy whipping cream (I deviated from the recipe here…it really called for cool whip, but I SO MUCH prefer whipping cream!)
• 1/3-1/2 cup sugar
• Grated lime peel or wedges, if desired

Preheat your oven to 350*.  Spray the bottom of a 9 x 13 pan with Nonstick cooking spray)
Place pretzels in food processor and pulse to a crumb (or…if you need to get out some aggression, pound it in a baggie)  Add sugar (I think next time I might leave out the sugar and just go for the salty in the pretzels.  There is enough “sweet” in this cake) and butter and press into the greased pan.  Press down gently.

In large bowl, beat cake mix, margarita mix, oil, lime peel and egg whites with electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds. Continue beating on high speed for 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Pour batter over pretzel mixture.

Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until the cake is done (very lightly golden on top)  Cool completely, about 1 hour. **Stick the bowl and beater of your mixer into the freezer for about 15 minutes.  Pour heavy whipping cream and 1/2 cup sugar into bowl and whip til stiff peaks form.  Top the cake.  Sprinkle with freshly grated lime peel.  Store, covered, in the fridge.

**Now, IF a person weren’t taking this to school, one could take a little bit (1/4 cup or less) of Jose Gold tequila and, using a pastry brush, just lightly brush tequila over the top of the cake.  Not much, but it can add just a nice touch.  THEN frost it with the whipped cream.  OOOH…sends it over the top!

Long Lost Hello

Ok, so It has been over a year since I last posted, (as I was so kindly reminded a couple of weeks ago by a longtime friend)  This blog started as a way to easily keep family and friends from all around the country updated with pictures and stories of what was going on here in Iowa country.  But then facebook came along, and it became quicker (instantaneous!) to post pictures and status updates about what was going on in the lives of myself and my kids.  It was just easier.  But sometimes I miss blogging…and being able to browse back through the online journal.  So…we will see.  I will try, once again, to post a bit more regularly.  We will see.  It may, or may not happen!

Since my last post, we have had a high school graduation (Rachel), the completion of a freshman year of college (at Ron and my Alma Mater, no less!) (Rachel) a college graduate and successful completion of a move and first year of a “real” job, (Caleb), a new collegiate “Ultimate Frisbee” player and completion of junior year of college (Cameron) and…a cross country running, Sensation show choir performing, vocal singing, band playing, driving, socializing, dating AND first ever in the family to have a broken bone high school freshman (Ethan).  That is a bit of why I just haven’t kept up…too much going on.  But again, I kind of miss the “journal” aspect of this blogging thing, so…I will try again.

Send me a “nudge” if I get lax again, would you please?

Sandy