Cheese Souffle

It is a bit more work than macaroni and cheese, but if you're into dinner guests thinking that you really care about them, cheese souffle is the ticket. Served with a salad, and a simple dessert, this would make a romantic meal for your sweetie.  It can also be used as teaching moment for the kids. It teaches important lessons about how buying a stand mixer can save one's wrists from fatigue, or how incorporating air into egg whites makes them all pretty, and cloud-like.

 Cheese Souffle

4 egg yolks
4 egg whites
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
dash ground red pepper
1 cup skim milk
2 cups shredded cheddar

 Allow the egg yolks and egg whites to stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.

For cheese sauce, in a medium saucepan melt butter; stir in flour, dry mustard, and cayenne pepper. Add milk all at once.

Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened and bubbly. Remove from heat. Add cheese, a little at a time, stirring until melted. In a medium bowl beat egg yolks with a fork until combined.

Slowly add cheese sauce to egg yolks, stirring constantly. Cool slightly.

In a large mixing bowl beat egg whites with an electric mixer on medium to high speed until stiff peaks form (tips stand straight). Gently fold about 1 cup of the stiffly beaten egg whites into cheese sauce.

Gradually pour cheese sauce over remaining stiffly beaten egg whites, folding to combine. Pour into an ungreased 2-quart souffle dish.

Bake in a 350 degree F oven for about 40 minutes or until a knife inserted near center comes out clean. Serve immediately. Makes 4 servings.

Recipe mildly modified from BHG

Linking to some of these great sites. 

Butterscotch Brownies

Grandma Bethie's Butterscotch Brownies

These butterscotch brownies are one of the cookies that I remember baking, and enjoying as a young girl This is a perfect recipe for teaching a child how to bake. What fun it is to pack a cup full of brown sugar! I sound like a book from the 1960s, which is when I was learning to cook, and read. See Lisa crack an egg. Crack Lisa, crack. Hey, that sounded better than my initial thought of Dick likes cookies. Eat Dick, eat.  Okay, enough Dick. It's recipe time!

 My mom's recipe is torn, and tattered from heavy use. 

My daughter, BG, copied it onto a recipe card when she was a child. 
(Thanks to Lori for noticing that BG copied the butter amount incorrectly.
It is 1/4 cup butter NOT 1/2 cup.)

These are simple, yet delicious.

Grandma Bethie's Butterscotch Brownies

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

1/4 cup butter

1 cup brown sugar, packed

1 egg

3/4 cup flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup walnuts or pecans, chopped 

Melt butter in a saucepan, remove from heat.

Stir in brown sugar.

Stri in egg, beating well.

Add dry ingredients, and mix well.

Stir in nuts, and vanilla.

Spread in greased 8 inch square pan.

Bake 20-25 minutes.

Cool. Cut into Bars.

Yield: 16-20 bars.

Linking to some of these great sites.

Messy Craft Armoire

 Pinkapotamus thinks I have a messy craft area.

How did she know?

I am joining her October Overhauling "Party"

The rules to play along are EASY!  

First and ONLY RULE:  

No buying craft supplies from Oct 1 - Oct 31st

 (but you can trade with other bloggers!)

Week 1:   Share your messy craft area!

 

Behind the doors...

 is a mess, and printer on a temporary perch, 

which has resulted in an unsightly visible cord.

Linens? 

Yes, the drawers have napkin, and tablecloths,

which will never hit a table in this house, 

yet they must be saved.

 

Magazine pages curled, and glued.

Why? 

It seemed like a fun way to spend my time.

and then I lost interest.

Bags of ribbon bits,

and my favorite paper cutter,

complete with dull blade.

My dance bag from long ago,

filled with cross-stitch projects,

that need to be completed.

So, there you have it. 

My messy craft area,

with a basket of fabric on top, and a circle of wood, 

peeking out from below.

To be continued...

Week 2:  Clean out your craft area so that it is organized and neat and share your progress!

Week 3:  Make 1 project from your existing craft stash!

Week 4:  Share your experience, what you created and how happy you are NOT be embarrassed by your craft hoarding anymore!

Also we will be featuring YOU guys each week.. our favorite hoarders, crafters and cleaners! 

So come join in the fun and let's get some work done!

Shaker Table

 Side Table Revamp

BEFORE and AFTER

 

This little lamp table was in dreadful condition when I found it at Goodwill. I knew with some wood filler, sanding, and a few coats of Rustoleum Heirloom White, the scratches, and hole would be replaced with cuteness.

I can see you shaking your head, wondering why I didn't use chalk paint. Am I the only chalk paint virgin left? I know I need to try it, and I will, but I am still loving the results of the old standbys - Heirloom White, and Oil Rubbed Bronze, not to mention plenty of plain ol' black.

After removing the lamp portion, I taped up the hole's underside, and filled that baby with wood putty. I then went after the deep gouges with more wood putty.  Rain prevented me from finishing, so I parked the table next to my dolly, ignoring her disdainful looks, as she wondered how many weeks, or months until I got around to finishing the table. We won't go there, since it is finished now!

The table top is perfect enough for me, i.e., some of you perfectionists might have worked harder, but it looks great to me. I was all set to sand a bit, and go for a cute distressed look, but I was liking the solid color, and put down the sandpaper. Should I go back, and rough it up a bit? Would the knob look better in a different color?

A potted fittonia, which is proving extremely difficult for me to grow, despite taking it in the shower with me for added humidity, is perched upon a gift wrapped book. Dolly Parton's bio completes the look. Dolly P. seems sweet, but I really chose the book for its gold cover.

This room is also known as the Halloween room, ever since a mover agreed with BG that yes, the walls were reminiscent of his last Jack-o-lantern. No, exploded pumpkin was not the look I intended when I chose Desert Caravan by Behr. It looks better at night. It really does. Camels, and sand are often make appearances in my dreams, so perhaps the paint was correctly named.

Halloween 365 days a year. 

or

a sweet reading nook?

Don't answer that, question, please.

Linking to some of these great sites: 
Metamorphosis Monday @ Between Naps on the Porch

Under 300 Followers Link Party

Many hugs go out to Amie at Pinkapotamus for choosing me  to co-host this week's blog hop! I am so excited! 
I can't wait to meet many new bloggy friends!

Hey Pink Hippos!  It's Thursday once again and time for your FAVORITE Thursday Blog hop..

Hosted by Me, Amie @ Pinkapotamus

Lelanie @ To Sew With Love

Amanda @ City Girl Gone Coastal

Now before I introduce our Newest Co-host, Lisa, I would like to share some fun stuff going on Here at Pinkapotamus..

First you can sign up for October Overhauling which you can find out more about HERE and

then a super fun GIVEAWAY from my friend Kate HERE

Hi Bloggy (future) Friends! I am Lisa from akawest, a blog where I share my love of sugar, spray paint, and laughing at life, while inching towards adulthood in my forties. I am the mother of two grown kiddos, and the wife of one very patient man, whom I often coerce into doing fun projects that involve saws, or any sort of measuring, 'cause if precision is involved, you can count me out!

My talents include surviving marathon thrift store shopping, gluing a zillion buttons onto a mirror frame,  sprinting through Disney World, 
and dressing like a People of Walmart character.

I hate cold weather, but since moving to Florida, 
I am no longer a witch, and have stopped blogging about shivering in my house, and cursing the snow.

Please join me in the fun, where I prove that messily iced cookies taste as good as prettier treats.

A great big THANK YOU, and a hug to Amie, for inviting me to give you a glimpse into my blog. Even though in real life I am sort of a germaphobe, and would just hand you a platter of cookies to show my gratitude, this bloggy hug is a full body bear hug!

Now don't forget to follow your hosts and cohost!  Link up, Grab a Button, Be a Follower and make some NEW bloggy friends!

<a rel="nofollow" href="javascript:bloghop()"><img src="http://i1220.photobucket.com/albums/dd447/citygirl101/under300followers.jpg" /></a>

Love,

Pinkapotamus and Friends

Desk to Media Stand

Adding shelves to a desk is an easy way to create a place for the giant TV that your husband loves.
It also gives you a place to display your cutesy chalkboard creation, as well as a DVD player, and video game thingy.

 

This desk set me back twenty bucks at Goodwill. The TV, which SH insisted he needed to be able to see the pores on Natalie Gulbis's face, well, that was a bit more.

When he brought home the TV, we temporarily placed it on top of the dresser that was in PG's childhood bedroom. She gave me a big, "No, thank you!" when it came to taking any furniture when she moved away from home. How could anyone pass up a Sears bedroom collection circa 1987? I do not know.

It looked, well, it looked like you dragged out your child's old dresser, and plopped a TV on the top.

Yes, that is a different TV. I do realize that.

The new TV made its appearance rather quickly. This is what our old TV looked like stuck on the dresser. It also could serve as a plea for decorating help. I am not trying to insult your intelligence, as I point out the obvious. Yes, I write confusing blog posts, and I love self-deprecation passing as humor. I know that you want to become a follower, so you won't miss a minute of the hilarity.

Not much better, but then I had an idea!

WOOD!!!

 

and

STAIN!!!

(with polyurethane)

So, with a bit of sanding, staining, and those little shelf holder doohickeys,

The thrift store desk went from

THIS

TO 

The perfect spot for the giant TV, and all its goodies.

Just imagine a very happy husband sitting across from this, watching LPGA golfers.
SH was happy enough to create the shelves, and install them, but he drew the line at golf viewing photos.
Ms. Gulbis might be young, and beautiful, but she didn't dream up a way to convert a desk to a media center. Yeah for me, the middle aged wifey!

Linking to some of these great sites. 

Touring the Garden in the Heat

Have a seat on the yellow and white polka dot cushion, so you can have a view of the water.

Don't you worry about me. I will be fine without a pillow. 

My naturally padded behind was made for the chair. 

Oops, I forgot to bring out some refreshments for us. 

That's okay. The beauty of the surroundings will take our minds off of our parched throats.

Look over there!

No, not at the pile of dog poop in the foreground.

See the duckies behind the fence?

I agree. They are just adorable.

 Okay, enough sitting. Come along...

Look at this pink Hibiscus. Isn't she pretty?

This is the third summer that I have managed to keep her alive.

Yeah me!

This is how she looked a few months back.

With my amazing skill, or what others refer to as water, and fertilizer, 

I brought her back to a dark green leafy splendor

Look at my doggie at the door.
He wants to go inside.
Wow, it sure is hot!

These are Alstroemeria 

Aren't they pretty?

Yes, I will ask you to compliment each flower. 

When I am satisfied with your enthusiasm, I will then offer you a cold drink.

Keep smiling, and nodding.

I like that.

I grew the Cosmos from seed.

Act all impressed, as if it takes great skill to dump a seed packet into a pot of soil, and keep it watered.

Thank you.
Let's take a look at another.

And another.

 And two more!

Yes, I agree that the color of this flower is stunning.

It's a good thing you are visiting the garden early in the season.

(or you're a time traveler)

I may or may not have let the tall pink flowers croak.

They were pretty, even if I forget their name.

The flowers in the foreground are still alive.

Is that an ooh, and an aw?  Good, good...keep walking.

Yes, you guessed it.

I grew the Marigolds from seeds.

Yes, I realize Marigolds are extremely rare, and you have never seen them.

 

More pink flowers!

These are Geraniums, another rare species.

Yes, you are so lucky to get to see them.

It sure is hot out here.

You're doing well.

Let's keep walking.

Zinnias are my favorite. 

The yellow are okay, but the pink are extra pretty.

The butterfly agrees. 

Red Pentas. 

Yep, I am winding down.

I sure could go for some iced tea.
How 'bout you?

Look at the blinding sun.
No wonder we are thirsty.

 

We will look at the veggies another day.

Let's go back inside.

 Oh, no!!!!




 I forgot to finish making the tea!
What's that you say?
Water suits you fine?

You're my kind of friend.
Come back any time!

Linking to some of these great sites.