sour cream coffee cake

here is the recipe that i've been promising many of you for months. okay, maybe years. it is one of the few recipes that i don't already have saved on my computer, so i'm finally taking the time to sit down and type it out. this recipe comes from the nordic ware bundt classics cookbook that i bought years ago at williams sonoma when i bought this bundt pan. there are lots of yummy recipes in it! it is well worth the $15 i spent on it. here is the recipe as it is in the book. at the bottom are some changes that i make when i bake it.

filling:

1 c finely chopped walnuts or pecans

3/4 c sugar

2 tbsp cinnamon

coffee cake:

1 (18.25 oz.) package yellow cake mix

1 (3.4 oz) package instant vanilla pudding mix

1 c sour cream

3/4 c water

1/4 c vegetable oil

4 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

heat over to 325 degrees. grease a 10 or 12 cup bundt pan.

stir together filling ingredients and set aside. in a large mixing bowl, mix all other ingredients. mix on medium speed for 2 minutes. sprinkle bottom and sides of prepared pan with 3/4 c of the filling mixture. gently spoon half of the batter into pan. top with remaining filling mixture. spoon remaining batter over mixture.

bake at 325 degrees for 50 - 55 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. cool 10 minutes. remove from pan and cool completely on rack. to store, wrap tightly in plastic wrap. flavor increases overnight.

** i use low-fat sour cream, egg beaters instead of eggs, and applesauce instead of oil. it cuts down on fat, but tastes just as good! when baking, i don't layer the cake. after mixing the cake batter, i gently fold in the filling. i don't mix it completely, i just swirl in it. i found that when i layered it, the top layer of the cake (the cinnamon sugar) would burn a little. it's just a lot easier to swirl it in instead of layering it. i don't use the nuts, either.

beer bread

here is the easiest bread recipe ever! it is quick to throw together, very simple, and delicious! sara, a friend of ours, brought it to a baby shower several months ago, and i've made it many times since then. all you need is:

3 c self-rising flour

1 (12 ounce) bottle of beer (i use shiner)

1/2 c sugar

mix ingredients together and bake at 350 degrees for about 50 - 60 minutes. brush with melted butter during the last few minutes of baking if desired. that's it! it's really that easy!

gardening

yesterday at my in-laws, the girls did a little gardening. their garden consisted of rocks, sticks, dirt, grass, bumbleberry seeds, flowers, and an acorn. they "planted" all of this on the driveway. i'm pretty sure they are expecting to find a beautiful assortment of flowers growing on the concrete when they return. i wonder what they will do when they see a car there instead?

i'm thankful for:

1. a wonderful, relaxing weekend with friends

2. my husband, who took care of the girls while i was gone

3. getting a little color this weekend...i can't call it a tan, but it's an improvement!

4. coming home to a clean house and clean dishes

5. a power nap

weekend away

this weekend, i spent two days and two nights with five of my mgm (moms gone mild) friends. it was 2 breakfasts, 2 lunches, 2 dinners, 2 evenings, and 2 car rides of absolute bliss. we spent the weekend relaxing by the pool, talking, and giggling. lots of giggling. for just a few days, we got to be ourselves. we weren't mommies, we were just us. we remembered what it was like not to have responsibilities. it was so nice! there were no noses or bottoms to wipe, no food to cut, no teeth to brush, no sippy cups to assemble, and no sibling wrestling matches to break up. the only bad thing about all of that was that there were also no hands to hold, foreheads to kiss, sleepy kids to sing to, or funny faces to laugh at. don't worry, though, they were all waiting for us at home. we all came back refreshed, relaxed, renewed, and a little sunburned! some much more than others. it was without a doubt one of the best weekends in a very long time. there is nothing better than great girlfriends!

what just happened?

last night for dinner, we had hot dogs (sliced length-wise to avoid choking, of course!). the girls were so excited to finally be eating hot dogs like big girls do...bun and all. two bites into dinner, and grace's hot dog was swiped! she was holding it out to the side, giving our dog, sam, the perfect opportunity to jump up and take it right out of her little hand. needless to say, she wasn't happy. sam, however, was extremely happy! so sad. don't worry, we made her another one!

shop-a-thon

i did something today that i don't really recommend to anyone. i went shopping for a bathing suit. with both girls. like i've said before, they give a pretty detailed play-by-play analysis of what's going on in the dressing room. fortunately, they are very complimentary and generally make only positive comments. they just make those comments very loudly. i tried to keep them occupied today with tic tacs while i tried on clothes. it worked fairly well...as long as i could change clothes faster than they could eat the tic tacs. we went to seven stores in two different malls. i felt bad for dragging them all over the place, so we stopped in the mall's play area to run off some energy. for the first time ever, my two were the biggest kids there. they were able to walk across the balance beam alone, climb in and out of the cars alone, and they knew not the leave the play area. i even got to sit on the bench and relax. i didn't have to intervene a single time. the first time we went there, i spent most of my time chasing each one back inside the play area. how times change!

today, i'm thankful for:

1. my new, black bathing suit

2. my husband, who stopped on his way home from work to pick up something from the mall that i wished i had bought while i was there

3. my kids' patience and cooperation today at the mall

4. a vacuum cleaner that works again

5. tic tacs!

bucket of fun

yesterday, i bought a big red bucket to hold all of our outdoor toys. this morning, the girls found the new bucket while i was out of the room. apparently, it's more fun without the toys!

things i'm thankful for:

1. creative kids

2. target (cute, cheap stuff!)

3. sleeping in past 7:00 today

4. being able to stay home with the girls

5. a chance to get out of town with some girlfriends this weekend! i can't wait!!!