Chocolate Angel Food Cake

Happy Monday morning to you! I hope you had a great weekend. Ours was spent going to baseball practice, indoor soccer games and church. Hubby had to work on Father's Day, but I made sure I had a special treat for him when he got home... Chocolate Angel Food Cake.

Ever since his mother passed away 6 years ago, he has casually mentioned several times that he loved his mom's Chocolate Angel Food with Chocolate Frosting. I have never tried to make it before because I didn't have an Angel Food Cake pan, and I didn't have the recipe.

So, for Father's Day, I wanted to surprise him with this special cake. The one he remembered so fondly. Not having his mom's recipe, I texted my sis-in-law, Donna to see if she had it. Here was the conversation:

What?!?! She used a mix?!?!? How hard could it be?

I went on the hunt for a cheap Angel Food pan and even asked my mom, the estate-sale-queen, to see if she could find one. I ended up scoring one at Goodwill for a couple of dollars...not too bad...I saw the same one on Ebay for $34.99!

Anyway, I followed the directions on the box, except I added the 3 tablespoons of cocoa to the mix before baking.

I let it cool, just like the box said...upside down on a bottle. This was a bit foreign to me, as I've never made an Angel Food Cake before. An old friend on Instagram assured me that I was doing it correctly.

I was so excited it turned out. Then, I whipped up a batch of Hershey's Chocolate Frosting and spread the yumminess all over the cake.

Chocolate Angel Food Cake

1 Box Angel Food Cake mix and water
3 Tbsp. cocoa

Follow directions on box.

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
2/3 cup cocoa
1/3 cup milk
3 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla

Melt butter and stir in cocoa. Alternately add powdered sugar and milk. Finally, stir in vanilla. Makes about 2 cups of frosting.

So, the Chocolate Angel Food Cake turned out as well as I could have expected. It got the thumbs up from all the family members, especially the one I set out to impress. While it wasn't exactly like his mom's, it was pretty darn close and he liked it. I'll take that for a first try. ;-) Now that I have the pan, I may try making it from scratch one of these days. Have you ever made an Angel Food Cake from scratch? Should I just stick to the box?

I'm linking up at some of these great parties and

Savvy Southern Style, Stone Gable and Between Naps on the Porch

What Makes a Dad?

I saw this poem recently and thought it captured what qualities make up dads beautifully. It's neat how I can see these traits rolled up into the men in my life. And I see many qualities to build into my son for the day he becomes a father. 

What Makes a Dad?

God took the strength of a mountain, 

The majesty of a tree, 

The warmth of a summer sun,

The calm of a quiet sea,

The generous soul of nature,

The comforting arm of night,

The wisdom of the ages,

The power of the eagle's flight,

The joy of a morning in spring,

The faith of a mustard seed,

The patience of eternity,

The depth of a family need,

Then God combined these qualities,

When there was nothing more to add,

He knew His masterpiece was complete,

And so, He called it...Dad.

-Author Unknown-

Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there! We love you and cherish you more than you will ever know! I want to wish my Dad, my hubby and my father-in-law all the best today!  Your position in our family is of infinite worth and we are so grateful for your presence in our lives. Thank you for all the times you've believed in us, you've been there for us, and all the times you've prayed for us and showed us a bit of the Heavenly Father's love.

Happy Father's Day!

Peanut Butter Banana Fudge Pop

Summer is in full swing here in the South. Our dashboard in the car said it was 101 degrees today. Yikes! Time to get the freezer stocked with cool treats. I was wanting something like a fudgesicle a couple of days ago and came up with this Peanut Butter Banana Fudge Pop to satisfy my craving.

Because I hate turning on the oven and heating up my house any more than I have to during the summer, I can see a lot of popsicles in our future. I saw these on Pinterest recently and knew I needed to try them. I had to make some substitutions, but ended up with these delicious fudge pops that are only 66 calories each. (according to My Fitness Pal)

Peanut Butter Banana Fudge Pops (makes 5-6 popsicles)
(adapted from Chocolate Covered Katie's recipe)

2 small bananas
2 Tbsp. cocoa
1/2 cup half and half
1 Tbsp. peanut butter
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 packet or more of Stevia sweetener
dash of salt

Place all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth. Pour into popscicle molds. Allow to freeze completely.

These pops are kid-approved and  totally satisfy any sweet craving I might have in the afternoon too. They won't set me back too many calories either. I love that in a snack! What's your favorite popsicle flavor? Are you a fudgesicle person or do your like the fruity popsicles?

I'm linking up at some of these great parties and

Savvy Southern Style, Stone Gable and Between Naps on the Porch

Shim-tastic Box

Sometime last year, we were visiting my parents in Lubbock when my mom, Moni, decided she was not going to use this pile of shims she had painted for a project. Never one to turn down a freebie, I gladly took the painted shims off her hands. They have been sitting in a box since then waiting for inspiration to strike. (Sometimes it takes awhile.) I had an empty box of trash bags recently and a lightbulb went on. Why not make a Shim-tastic Box to add a little color in my breakfast area?

Here's what you need: sturdy box, spray paint, shims (painted with acrylic paints), and a glue gun.

Start by trimming off the flaps on top of the box and spray paint it white (in case there are any gaps when adhering the shims to the box).

Paint your shims the desired colors and allow to dry. Using the glue gun, adhere the shims to the box alternating thick and thin ends of the shims.

This is a great craft to get the kiddos involved in, by the way.

When it's finished, you can use it as a planter box or whatever your imagination dreams up. I put a plant in mine. I also put a saucer underneath the plant to keep the inside of the box dry. I love the little pop of summer colors here on the window seats in the kitchen{which look like they are in need of a new coat of paint ;-)}.

I still have some shims left over...what should I do with them? Maybe make another box planter? Have you done any fun crafting with shims?

I'm linking up at some of these great parties and

Savvy Southern Style, Stone Gable and Between Naps on the Porch

Luscious Lemon Cookie Bars

After a grueling week of my son's baseball games and other family activities, I finally got to spend some time in the kitchen this weekend. I had some lemons that needed to be used, so I settled on making these Luscious Lemon Cookie Bars. In this house, if it's not chocolate, it's not considered dessert. I had my work cut out for me in making these tempting enough for my family to eat them.

 Here's what you need to make these Luscious Lemon Cookie Bars: flour, sugar, lemon zest, ground almonds, softened butter, brown sugar, baking powder, eggs, toasted coconut (optional), lemon juice and powdered sugar (not pictured).

Start by mixing up the cookie crust ingredients: 1 1/3 cup flour, 1/4 cup sugar, 1 Tbsp. lemon zest, and ground almonds.

Add in the softened butter and mix until crumbly. Press into a 9x9-inch baking pan. Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 20-24 minutes or until golden.

Meanwhile, begin stirring together the brown sugar, 1/4 cup white sugar, baking powder and flour. Add in the eggs, 2 Tbsp. lemon zest and lemon juice. Stir in toasted coconut, if desired. Whisk the ingredients until all the sugar is dissolved.

Pour over the crust. Return to oven and bake for about 15 minutes, or until the filling is set.

Remove from oven to cool.

Sprinkle with powdered sugar and allow to cool completely in pan.

I made a mark so I would know which side I sprinkled the toasted coconut on. Certain members of my family will not touch coconut with a 10 foot pole.

Luscious Lemon Cookie Bars
(adapted from Allrecipes.com)

Crust
1 1/3 cups flour
1/4 cup white sugar
1 Tbsp. lemon zest
1/3 cup ground almonds
1/2 cup softened butter

Filling
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1 Tbsp. flour
1 tsp. baking powder
2 eggs
2 Tbsp. lemon zest
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/3 cup flaked coconut, toasted (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine dry ingredients for the crust, then add in lemon zest and softened butter. Mix until crumbly. Pat into a 9x9 inch baking pan. Bake for 20-24 minutes, until golden brown. While cookie crust is baking, stir together brown sugar, white sugar, flour, and baking powder. Whisk in the eggs, lemon zest, lemon juice and coconut, stirring until sugars are dissolved. Pour over crust and return to oven. Bake for about 15 minutes, or until the filling is set. Remove from oven, sprinkle with powdered sugar and allow to cool completely in pan before serving.

These Luscious Lemon Cookie Bars were the perfect ratio of cookie to filling (more cookie than filling). I don't like for my lemon bars to have soggy bottoms. ;-) With the fresh lemon juice, they were not too tart either. Just right! There's no guarantee that my family will eat these up like they do chocolate chip cookies, but I was happy to introduce them to a summertime favorite of mine. Besides ice cream, do you have a favorite summer treat that your family loves?

I'm linking up at some of these great parties and

Savvy Southern Style, Stone Gable and Between Naps on the Porch

Food for the Soul ~ Matthew 5:9

This is such a powerful verse for my family this time of the year. With schedules becoming a little more lax during the day, there always seems to be more strife between the children. Perhaps it's just the old saying "Idleness is the devil's workshop"coming into play. All the more reason to be reminded of God's Word and how much He values harmony and peace. Now, if I could only get Scamp and Oliver (our dog and new kitten) on board with this truth! May you have the joy of peace in your home this week!
Blessings to you, sweet friends!

Under the Sea Tablescape

I don't know what my obsession with beachy/seaside themes is lately. I seem to be drawn to all things coastal. It must be a summer thing.  Today's Under the Sea Tablescape falls into the same category.

As I put this together, I kept thinking about all the things that could be found in the sea and I went to shop my house.

The main centerpiece is, of course, my seashells on a wire cake stand under a dome. I used this same piece in my Seaside Summer Memories Vignette. I love all the shapes and textures that are represented.

On either side of the centerpiece, you'll find some vintage silver serving pieces that could have been treasures from a sunken ship.  I filled the large overturned seashells with some of my daughter's marbles for a little more whimsy. Then, I used my cute little votive holders from World Market as tiny vases to hold some tiny flowers. I scattered some random shells and sand dollars around also.

Finally, each place setting is punctuated with a seashell wrapped with jute twine and tied with a simple knot. Believe it or not, I got these cream damask placemats for about $2.50 for all four of them at Target after Christmas. I just love their "clearance" items!

I think it might look neat to write your guests' names on the seashell with a silver Sharpie marker too.

There you have it, my Under the Sea Tablescape. Looks like we're all ready for a seafood feast! Well, we would be if any of us ate seafood ;-) I guess we'll just have to stick with the "turf" part of "surf 'n' turf" meals. Thanks so much for stopping by! I hope your summer is off to a good start!

I'm linking up at some of these great parties and

Savvy Southern Style, Stone Gable and Between Naps on the Porch