Pretty Prowler: February 2011

Monday, February 28, 2011

Amish Friendship Bread

My friends were coming to visit last Friday. Amidst all of the bustle and stress of a sick child, I called and told them that I just couldn't do it. The bad friend I am but, a really good friend at recognizing my guilt, I decided to make them Amish Friendship bread.

Problem numero uno, I didn't have the Amish bread starter. No worries I found a delicious recipe without the starter! Problem number two: the recipe calls for a box of vanilla pudding and I had none. But, I did have chocolate...hmmm...I'm doing it.

Images via Springpad

Can I tell you something? This stuff rocks the house. Apparently there are a ton of different Amish bread recipes you can choose from. Apple Cinnamon, Caramel Pecan, Blueberry, Chocolate Almond Joy, and the list goes on! Check all the options out here!

Amish Friendship Bread

1 cup oil
1/2 cup milk
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
In a separate bowl combine the following dry ingredients and mix well:
2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1-1/2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 - (5.1 oz) box instant vanilla pudding
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup nuts
Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients. Mix and pour into two well greased and sugared bread pans. Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour.

Thursday, February 24, 2011

Another Dr's Appointment.....

My daughter is going again to the doctor today for more blood tests. Apparently, in addition to Alopecia, she might be anemic. So here we go again. Isn't it crazy how having a sick child affects every part of your life, specifically your sleep?! I just toss and turn with worry and can't shut down for the night. I'm hoping we'll have some closure to all of her issues today. Wish me luck so I might be able to sleep peacefully again!

Meg Ryan's Bedroom

Via Elle Decor

This looks like a room where I could actually relax and recharge.

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Tuesday Thoughts...

Stairways and banisters seem to always catch my eye in how they're decorated or how ornate the banisters are...you get the idea. All of these images have caused me to take a moment and admire. I hope you do too.

Click on Image for Source

Friday, February 18, 2011

Happy Birthday!

It was my little girl's birthday the other day! I cannot believe how big she is getting. She was recently diagnosed with Alopecia (hair loss and baldness on her head) and has had a hard couple of weeks.

So, I decided to make it a special day and take her mind off of her hair. Her and I went to "Tangled" together and then we got pizza for the party dinner. I had let her pick what cake I was going to make...mistake number 1. (I knew it was going to be chocolate.) The second mistake I made was letting her look at Picky Palate's Blog to check out what cake she wanted. It was this:

It's a cake with a scoop of ice cream in the batter! It was crazy how delicious it was!

It was way moist, super chocolatey, and we decorated it with hearts and shaved chocolate. If you need a good cake recipe for a pig out weekend, head here! I only made it three layers and it was still huge! Thanks for inventing this cake, Jenny!

Happy Friday!

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Decisions, decisions........

You know how there's an idea in your head over a space in your home and your only problem is that you're too afraid to do it? That's me. You see when we built our home, I chose basically the standard options because it was the most affordable. The problem now is, I hate the colors or style in some of the rooms. My kitchen has dark wood, dark counter tops, and dark tile. I really would like to paint the cabinets two tones to brighten it up with a lighter back splash. Issue number 1: Do I really want to paint over the cabinets that I actually upgraded? 2: How are painted cabinets for resale value? and 3: What are good colors with a dark silestone counter and dark tile?

I seriously need some advice. Please help.

Here are some of my inspirational photos: