Baking....Gets rid of the Winter Blues

If you don't have this cookbook...GET it! I am a true fan of Paula Deen's homecooking and this book has never let me down. Of course, I can't give any recipes due to copyright law, but I can wholeheartedly recommend this cookbook. Today I'm baking a "Gooey Butter Cake" from pages 125 - 126. Every time I serve this, I get raves...just like Paula said I would.

...gathered my ingredients


...mixed and patted first layer into the pan

...ingredients for filling

Mix well. Add sugar slowly!

Spread filling on unbaked first layer.

Okay, I couldn't resist showing off my new Maytag Gemini here! I love this oven!! Supper's in the top (chicken enchiladas) and dessert's in the bottom. Yum!

Done and cooling. The top gets a thin, delicate, almost crunchy layer like fudge brownies. The rest is gooey goodness. Soooo good with a glass of tea. Not too sweet, of course. Thank you, "Lady and Sons."
I hope you're inspired to get this cookbook and try this recipe. You might be able to find it online. If you do, your family and friends will love you for it. The variations are also wonderful. Try the pumpkin version in the Fall. It has become a Thanksgiving tradition for us.

Ready for the Birds to Come Back!

Christmas is over, New Year's Eve has come and gone. It's a new year, and I'm ready for Spring!!! Once Christmas is past, I've had enough of the cold, unless it's snowing. So....since we've only had a light dusting lately, I'm done with Winter!! I look forward to Spring's renewal, birds coming back to enjoy the birdfeeder just outside my kitchen door, and the bright green sprouts of perennials peeking out of the ground. I'm ready to dig in the dirt, only it's sooo cold right now. We'll just have to settle in with some hot cocoa, football games and homemade chili to pass the rest of Winter. God be with you all through this time and may He richly bless you all in 2010!