Hyde Park Fudge Cake

I mentioned making this cake for Thanksgiving on twitter earlier, some of you showed interest in it. So here it is for your chocolate loving delight! This is a recipe is from a local bakery here in Austin, this cake has been requested for many birthdays and family gatherings.

Cake
5 1/3 oz unsweetened chocolate
3/4 cup buttermilk or sour milk
2/3 cup all-vegetable shortening
2 3/4 cups sugar
2 2/3 eggs*
3 cups flour
1 1/3 cups water
1 1/3 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/3 teaspoons vanilla
1 1/3 teaspoons salt
Bunt Pan

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt the chocolate with the shortening. Combine all liquid ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Mix all dry ingredients thoroughly so the flour will not clump in the batter. Gradually mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients blending on low speed with a mixer until well mixed scrape the sides of the bowl well. Pour mixture into a greased bunt pan. Bake until done about 50 to 65 min. Let cake cool in pan for 30 min. Turn out on cake rack and glaze with icing.

Icing
3/4 cup granulate sugar
6 tablespoons evaporated milk
3 oz unsweetened chocolate
1 1/2 tablespoons butter (not margarine)

While cake is cooling, in top of double boiler heat sugar with milk until the sugar is dissolved. ( The mixture will not feel grainy when rubbed between fingers) When sugar is dissolved combine with chocolate and butter, which have been melted together. You can 1 to 2 teaspoons of hot water to the icing to add to the sheen. Pour icing over the cake.

* the recipe does call for some interesting measurements, that's because was broken down for home use. the recipe recommends using 3 small or medium eggs instead of rounds up to 3 large eggs.

Thanksgiving

I think Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday of the year. It's time for friends and family to gather together with out having to worry about the presents like at Christmas. We get a chance to look back on the past year and discover all the things we are thankful for. I also love the holiday because of the food! This girl likes to eat and I always look forward to the yummy food that we have for Thanksgiving lunch ( this family doesn't even wait around until dinner). There are some recipes that are must haves at our Thanksgiving meals. The one thing we always have to serve is my grandma's Broccoli Cheese Rice Casserole . Someone suggested that we have a different broccoli casserole recipe , let's just say there was a slight uproar. Let's just say we will be having that recipe this year. Other recipes on this years menu:

Turkey with Dressing and Gravy
Stuffing Stuffed Mushrooms
Sweet Potato Casserole
Spicey Green Beans
Dinner Rolls

Desserts
Hyde Park Fudge Cake
Toffee Coffee Pecan Pie
Pumpkin Cheesecake

What are some most have recipes at your house? Do you do something out of the ordinary and not even serve a turkey?

Maddie

Where do I begin? Today should be your 2nd birthday , today you should be in the arms of your family , today your legions of fans should be anxiously awaiting a picture of the birthday girl. Today is not what it should be, it is so different that anyone could have ever imagined. Heather, Mike, Grandma, Bampa and many others you are all are in my thoughts and in my heart today and always.

I wish there was more that I could say or do to my make this day any easier for those who love you. All I can do is share your story with all those I know. I can laugh and cry while I remember the life of a brilliant girl with my group of friends who also fell under the Maddie charm.

Maddie you are truly missed by so many , you are a light that will always shine bright in so many lives. Happy Birthday sweet Maddie, Happy Birthday.


Please consider making a donation in honor of Maddie's birthday to Friends of Maddie.

10 things about me

Aw I just received my first blog award, which is pretty funny because I'm a pretty lousy blogger. It was given to me by the lovely Lu who blogs at http://jadedperspective.wordpress.com/ and who I chat with on twitter . I do think this was her way of saying I should blog something !

She gave me the Honest Scrap award and here are the rules that go along with it.
Here are the rules for receiving the award:

1. Present this award to 7 others whose blogs you find brilliant in content and/or design, or those who have encouraged you. ( Although almost everyone I follow has done this so I'm just going to do it on my own).
   
2. Tell those 7 people they’ve been awarded the HONEST SCRAP AWARD and inform them of these guidelines in receiving the award.
3. Share “10 Honest Things” about yourself.

10 Honest Things About Me

1.I am 22 years old and I haven't graduated from college yet or even really figure out what it is I want to do with my life. I have hard enough time figuring out who I am right now much less try to figure out what or who I will be in a few years

2. I love kids, I've been working with children or volunteering with them to some degree since I've been in 6th grade. As much I love babysitting/nannying the thought of having my own children someday completely scares the shit out of me. It will be the real deal and mom and dad won't be coming home at the end of the night to take over. I know I want children but it's something I can wait for.

3. I think mayonnaise is quite possibly the worst substance ever to be invented. There is something about the consistency and taste that just makes me want to gag. I absolutely hate it if makes on a burger or a sandwich and may throw a fit if I requested for the mayo to be left off. Don't even get me started on miracle whip!

4. I am self conscious, have low self esteem and am shy all to some degree. It's something that I've dealt with all my life and I find it hard to really admit to people how deeply these things effect me. There are times where I feel like I am nothing and have nothing to offer to the world. Luckily I have some great friends who support me and remind me of all the things that I am .

5. I took ballet lessons from age of 3 till I was about 14. When I quit my training it had got to the point where you had to either get really serious and commit your self completely to ballet or not. At the time I didn't think I wanted to do that, to this day I wish I had stuck with it. I miss dancing so much there is just something about the joy of losing your self in the music.

6. I am completely OC about being on time for thing and running on schedule. If we plan to meet at 6 I expect to meet at that time not 6:15 not 6:05. If you say pick you up at 5:00 I will be pulling up outside your house at 4:59 and I expect you to be outside at 5:00 If I am running late for something or even think that I might be late I start getting anxious. It's something I'm trying to work on because most of the people in my life are on a 15 minute delay and there isn't much I can do about it.

7. I have lived in Austin all my 22 years and I absolutely love it. I really can't picture my self living anywhere else and I encourage everyone to move here or at least visit. I promise that everyone will find something to love about it ( and if you don't I'm not sure we can be friends).

8. I will admit that I am one of those people who starts listening to Christmas music Thanksgiving day. Christmas is my favorite time of year! The lights, the music, the smells of Christmas have a way of transporting me back to my childhood when things were so simple. I love nothing more then to go to the Christmas tree farm and cut down a tree to decorate. I only wish Texas got a little colder so I could actually wear sweaters and scarves with out sweating like a pig.

9. I have a pretty irrational fear of bug and all things creepy crawly. Spiders are the worst doesn't matter the size they are horrible and nasty little things. No matter what anyone says bleh!

10. I love to bake cakes, pies, cookies you name it I love to make it. However I don't eat any of this stuff other the occasional cookie. I don't really know why I think it has to do with a lack of a sweet tooth.

6 Months

6 months ? How could it possibly be 6 months since the world lost one of it's brightest lights ? It seems like just yesterday I was reading of Maddie's many adventures on Heather's Blog . I don't think a day has gone by in these past 6 months that I haven't thought of you sweet Maddie Moo. Anything purple instantly reminds me of you, the sun makes me think of your sunny curls , the giggle of a child in the distance reminds me of your infectious laughter.

Maddie although I never had the honor of meeting you in person you have changed my life for the better. You will always have a sunny spot in my heart that will always be bright with your stunning smile.Much love and support to Heather, Mike and Maddie's baby sister Binky today, tomorrow and always.

Thank You

This one is for David and Crystal.

Thank You for letting me be part of your special day 3 years ago.


Thank You for taking me into your home overseas not once but twice.





Thanks for putting up with my camera and being such a ham








Most of all Thank You for serving our country. Thank you for sacrificing your time together.




I'm glad to see that you can still be a ham all the way over there!

Stay Safe and Stay Strong I love you both more then y'all know.

Excited!

I found out a little awhile that my cousin and her hubby are expecting a baby! I'm so excited for them and for their little bean! I love children and babies and I am looking forward to helping welcome a new little life into the family. My other cousin Erik has a little boy but they live in Florida so even though he's a year old I've only met him once! It's so sad to know that I don't get to see him grow up. Lauren and her husband live in Austin so it will be exciting to be witness to their family growing! Here's to you Lauren and Kent and little "duckie". Auntie Magda loves you already!

Almost Wordless Wednesday

My future summer home...

Red Velvet Cupcakes

Cooking and baking has always been one of my favorite things so I thought I'd use my blog to share some of my favorite recipes. I thought I'd start with Red Velvet cupcakes.I got the recipe from the Cake Mix Doctor's Cupcakes book by Anne Byrn. Her books are teh awesome, she turns normal cake mixes into yummy unique cakes that taste nothing like boxed cake. So go out and try one of her books (she has a great one for dinners too). Ok enough of that and on to the recipe!



Red Velvet Cupcakes
24 paper cups for cupcake pan
1 pckg plain German Chocolate Cake mix
1 pckg vanilla instant pudding 3.4 oz
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup of water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 bottle of red food coloring 1oz
3 large eggs
1 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips

Line 24 cupcake cups with paper cups.Place a rack in the center position in your oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Dump the cake mix, pudding mix, sour cream, water, oil, food coloring and eggs in a large mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer on low for 30 seconds just to everything gets nice and mixed up stop the machine. Scrape the sides down and mix for 2 minutes on medium the mixture should be nice and thick and well mixed.



Fold in the chocolate chips and eat a few. Scoop about 1/3 cup of mixture into the paper cups filling them about 3/4 of the way full. (don't do more then that or you'll have a cupcake explosion all over your pan. Cupcake tops should be small and not big like muffins) Fill up all the cups that you can I only filled up 23 cups. Stick the pans in the oven and bake for 18- 20 minutes. Cupcakes are done when you press the center of the cupcake and it springs back. Let the cupcakes cool for 5 minutes before removing from the pan.

Wait till the cupcakes are completely cooled before frosting.Top them with your favorite frosting and enjoy nom nom!


Note: Now I used the white chocolate peppermint cream cheese frosting that the book recommends. However cream cheese frosting can get really pissy during the summer and never sets well so it ended up being a runny mess. So I'm not even going to include it until I can figure out where I went wrong with it. If you really want the recipe ask me and I can pass it a long but I probably would save it for when it's a little cooler out.

Oh Hai!

Hi there and welcome to my teeny tiny corner of the internet! Feel free to kick off your shoes and make your self at home,as long as your feet don't stink then I'll have to ask to kindly keep them on Kimmie!

To say that I am crappy blogger is a complete understatement. I have had three blogs in the past um 6 years and probably have written on them all of about 10 times collectively. I've had blogs that have gone back to Xanga days, yeah does the site still exsist ?! So here I sit trying once again trying to start up my blog and this time I really want it to work out. I've seen the power of blogs have to bring people to together and create new long lasting friendships and I want in! I have purchased tickets to Blogher 10 and figured now I have no excuse not to start writing.

I'm not sure what this little piece of the internet will turn into. Will it be a place for me to rant and rave, a place to expand and share my love of cooking and photography or will it be another failed blog in the universe. Here's hoping it's one of the first two, this is a new adventure for me so won't you join me?

For Maddie

It has been two weeks since the world lost Maddie, and so many are still trying to come to terms with this devastating loss. I my self struggle to understand what has happened how I can feel such a hurt for a little girl I never met. My mind can't even begin to comprehend the pain and sorrow that Heather and Mike are feeling. I want to wrap them in my arms and take away the pain and the hurt and make everything better. I know that I can't do that and that just hurts even more.

While I can not take away the pain there is something I can do for Maddie. Maddie lived her life with abandon even in the short time she was with us. For her I will my live life to the fullest. I will treasure those precious moments that life gives us and bask in their glory. Maddie gave unconditional love to her family, friends and that was shared with thousands of strangers around the world. For Maddie I will love my friends and family with all my heart and show love to those I don't know. I will keep Maddie's memory alive by sharing her story and all the love that surrounded her. Every year I will raise money and walk for the March of Dimes, in hopes that some day no hearts will have to break for another child lost to soon. I will think of Maddie when I wear purple or I see purple through out the day . Someday when I have children I will tell them Maddie's story so that the story of her life can be carried on by the next generation.

There is not a lot I can do right now, but I think that if I can do these things for her and try to live my life the way she did I think it might just be a start. What can you do for Maddie? How can you live your life for her?

Questions and few answers

It's been four days since the world lost Maddie and I find my self sitting here with a thousand question swirling through my mind. Why did this happen to one of the nicest families in the blogosphere? How could a little be girl be ripped from the world much to soon? Why? Why? How can I feel such pain and emotion for a little girl I never met except through an amazing blog? While

I can't find answer for most of these question still I have discovered something amidst all this tragedy. I have stumbled upon an amazing community of strangers and friends. They have surrounded this family with love, friendship and support. I have discovered that I am not the only one that feels this broken feeling in heart and not being able to quite understand that pain they feel. I have watched the donations pour into March of Dimes in honor of Maddie . Over 17,000 dollars raised in a day! People did everything could they could to wrap this family in love. Money for Maddie's service have poured in. Blogs,avatars and twitter pages have gone PURPLE for Maddie. Strangers have turned into quick friends and a little online support system. Every day that I log onto twitter and see all the #maddie tweets my heart soars because I know this little one will not be forgotten she will live on in the hearts of so many. Wow blogosphere you have truly knocked my socks off. I just wish I had dived into this community sooner

Heart Broken

My heart is heavy today for a little girl and a family that I have never met . Madeline Alice Sphor November 11th, 2007 - April 7th 2009. All my Love and Thoughts to the Sphor family in their time of need.....

Today was a great day all in all. I had to wake up early to get to an early doctors appointment to get some shots updated. It thankfully didn't take very long it would have been an even shorter visit had I not forgotten something and had to go back and get it. Today when I was picking N and S up from school we saw a car similar to their mom's and lil miss s said "hi momma hi momma" and waving so excitedly it was too cute! It was such a relaxing today with the girls, S had a docs appt so I just had the older girls. We went to a playground close to their house had snacks and played. On the way back to the girls house G kept telling how she wanted to show me something and it was so fun that I just had to see it but she would have to ask her mom. I would ask her what she wanted to show me but she kept telling she would have to wait to ask her mom..... turns out she wanted to show me how to use her netipot. yeah I didn't stay to see that!

magda = epic fail

I failed.......I am lousy work out person. I always start out strong and then crap out within a week a so. I can't even blog regularly ..... I will blog at least three times a week even if no one reads this!

Day 3

Day 3 March 4th

Today was a lot easier then the first day, still had to push my self through it but less pushing. Instead of feeling nearly dead with in the first 5 minutes I felt like dying towards the end. I'm finding that I should have not been so ambitious and gone with 3lbs weights instead of the 5lbs weights. I'm actually looking forward to working out tomorrow and getting my shred on!

The Shred!

I've hopped on the shred bandwagon and bought the DVD. Weight loss is not really the goal but some fat burning toning would be wonderful. So I took my little happy self to target and bought the DVD, the hand weights and got to work.

Day 1 March 2nd

DAYUM! I forgot truly out of shape I was, about 15 minutes into the work out I was dying. I was breathing heavily, dripping in sweat, standing on legs that felt more jello like as each minute ticked by. I so badly wanted to turn off the DVD put on some mindless TV and eat the leftover Tiff's Treats that were calling my name from the kitchen. Every time I thought about turning off the DVD Jillian would seem to know what I wanted to do and I swear she'd give me a look saying "don't even think about it and I saw cookie number 6 last night". So I pushed through and finished the 30 minutes of hell and collapsed into a heap on the ground. It felt good though, it's been so long since I've pushed my body to that point and it was great to finish it and still be alive.

Day 2 March 3rd

Holy sore muscles batman! I woke up and I could feel it everywhere! My thighs, my arms and abs all ached and moaned. It felt good though, a pain that you've worked for and will hopefully take you somewhere better. Ok sooooo I had every intention of waking up early and Shreding in the morning since I had plans for the evening. The best laid plans......I hit the snooze button one to many time and woke up with just enough time to get some food in my stomach and get the girls from school. So failing and I'm only at day two *sigh*. I will do this I will make it through 30 days and I will lose some of this flab that has started to settle on my belly. Now does chasing three girls aroud a park, helping them fly kites, running to keep them out of the streets, strapping a struggling two year old and 20 minutes of wii fit make up for my not working out today?! yeah, I didn't think so either......