Baking with English Breakfast Tea

Tags

birthday, chocolate, cupcake, food, humour, tea

Last Monday I celebrated my birthday, and what better way than to bake a cake, with tea!!

There are tons of recipes on the internet that use tea, loose leaf or steeped, as an ingredient. But since chocolate is a family favourite, I picked a recipe from lifeisbetterwithtea.com. This cake called for 1 cup of strong steeped English Breakfast tea, which if you tuned in last week, you will recall that Assam tea is predominant in the blend of tea leaves, so it’s bold. I used 2 tea bags in my 1 cup of boiling water, and it was decadently dark!

This cake was simple to make and absolutely delish! I can’t say that using tea instead of water, milk, or cream had any influence on its texture or flavour, but it was certainly moist and very chocolatey…which is everything you want in a chocolate cake.  It didn’t last long!

My decorations were severely lacking, and candles, non-existent…but there would have been too many of them even if I had remembered to purchase some. Besides, what good is it to buy candles when the cost of the candles is more than the cake?

Baking with tea may be little more than a novelty, but who cares! If it means combining two great loves, I’m all for it!

Let’s face it, a good creamy chocolate cake does a lot for a lot of people.
– Audrey Hepburn

Here’s the link to the recipe! |Tried any great recipes lately – please dish below.

Bon appetit!

Something…Deadly…?

Tags

birthday, birthday party, family

Something old. Something new. Something deadly? Something blue.

Monday was my birthday, and I discovered something exciting! Math has never been my strong suit, so ahem…imagine my delight when I discovered I was actually turning a year younger than I thought!

My parents drove 4 hours ( or so, round trip) to spend it with me. Big Guy also had the day off. And a friend joined the rest of us ( Hubby and Little Guy too) for dinner. How blessed am I?

We feasted on pizza, because nothing says celebrate getting older like bacon and cheese, and the homemade cake I baked (& will talk about next Monday)!

So what’s old, new, deadly and blue? Some of my birthday presents, of course!

OLD

My aunt gave me this watch and photos, as well as its story.

My Grandmother’s sweetheart (or friend) gave her this watch. He worked in the local bank, but it couldn’t hold on during the depression. The bank closed,  and he moved home to his family’s farm. They kept in touch, but on the night before my Grandmother’s wedding, she sent him a letter telling him that as a married woman, she could no longer correspond. She sometimes wondered what her life might have been like as a banker’s wife?

The time changes, it’s just not the correct time. I still think it’s a really cool piece of history, and I will wear it often.

NEW

Who doesn’t love a new pair of shoes?

Little Guy gave me a new chair for my back porch, and I already have a stack of books for my summer reading.

DEADLY

Big Guy was the most creative this year, and has his Mama’s security and health at heart. When the zombie apocalypse hits, I’m ready!

BLUE

I have to give Hubby credit. He patiently trailed me through the mall for 2 hours on a Friday night, so I could look for “something special” for my birthday. It wasn’t easy, but in the end I chose a blue striped nightshirt from Victoria Secret.

This summer, I’m going to relax on my back porch in my comfortable chair, wearing my oversized nightshirt and my sexy shoes. My watch won’t tell me the time so I legitimately lose track of it…and if anyone messes with me, I can flash them a smile…and my zombie killer blade.

Welcome year 46!

What’s In My Cup: Birthday Cake

Tags

#whatsinmycup, birthday, humour, tea, what's in my cup

It’s hard to believe…13 years ago this morning, my beautiful baby boy was born. So it only makes sense to celebrate with Birthday Cake tea in my cup!

Birthday cake tea is a honeybush, and green and red rooibos blend…with sprinkles!

Honeybush tea is caffeine-free, and is made from the fermented leaves and stems of the honeybush plant. It is grown on the eastern side of the Cape of South Africa. Honeybush has a lightly roasted, floral flavour similar to honey. Although it’s similar to rooibos or red bush tea, it is usually sweeter and rounder flavour.

Reported health benefits may include decreasing blood sugar, boosting the immune system, and relief from menopausal symptoms. It’s commonly used to help calm coughs, and contains expectorant properties for when you have the sniffles.

I wonder…does a Cookies ‘n Cream ice cream cake have beneficial properties too?

Can’t wait to celebrate with you Little Guy! Happy 13th Birthday.

You know, all that really matters is that the people you love are happy and healthy. Everything else is just sprinkles on the sundae. -Paul Walker

And happy Monday to you!

 

Thank you, Enablers!

Tags

birthday, cupcake, family, humour, sweets

“An enabler is a person who by their actions make it easier for an addict to continue their self-destructive behavior by criticizing or rescuing.” – Darlene Albury

Last week, many of my friends and family member were “enablers”…they enabled me to sample and savour many different types of birthday cake. And they were all good!

On Tuesday, my friend delivered a red velvet “tear-away” cake (with fluffy white icing) to one of my bosses, who stored it in the other boss’ office until they could “surprise me”. I shared the bounty.

On Tuesday night, I baked Betty Crocker Reese® cupcakes to celebrate my birthday. Ask my Dad – in his family, chocolate cake is a synonymous with “party”! They were really time-consuming, bur worth consuming!

On Thursday night, Hubby and I went on an impromptu “girls’ night” and I smacked down a supple slice of white chocolate triple-berry cake. I didn’t share…

My parents visited this weekend and we had a family orgy. They brought Henry (O Henry!) in cake-form. Alas! I fear that while I love my husband, my steamy affair with Henry (O Henry) is destined to continue!

And finally, on Sunday afternoon, Hubby brought home a decadent chocolate mousse cake, which resulted in a number of suggestive sounds emanating from my frosting-covered lips.

Add that up! That’s 6 cakes in 5 days.

Thank you to my family and friends for enabling me to enjoy my birthday with such memorable treats!

This Monday morning, I’m taking my car to the mechanic to get the snow tires removed, and I’m walking home…in the hopes of enabling my body to fit into my new jeans by the weekend!

Let’s call it rehab.

Happy Star Wars Day!

We Fight as a Family

Tags

birthday, birthday party, family, humour, laser tag

I stood before the doors dressed in black, with a gun in my right hand and my finger on the trigger. I was prepared to do battle for my family – I would make my guys proud of me. The doors opened and we all surged forward, and into the fray.

Big Guy (aka Blue) was our point person – we were to follow him. His friend, Red, would bring up the rear. The rest of us, Little Guy (aka Black Ninja) and his friend, Racequit, Hubby (aka K) and I were supposed to stay in the middle. But when we moved out, Hubby was not behind me. He got caught in the base so we waited for him because we would never leave a man behind.

The “enemy” swarmed through the door, many stopping as soon as they entered the arena to look around, while others shot at anything that breathed. I told them to keep moving and most listened; maybe they recognized my commanding “Mom” voice?

Once K. arrived, Blue started forward and up a ramp to the left, but there was a group of ankle-biters waiting to ambush us, so he turned and headed to the centre ring. In those first few seconds, despite our careful plans, we managed to get separated. Blue and I looked for the others but we were in a hot zone and had to keep moving. We hoped Red was with them and we’d meet again soon.

I followed Blue, closely guarding his back and watching for snipers. “1:00 o’clock” I yelled, and Blue swung around in time to nail a stunned father in a white tee. Light clothing is a big mistake when there’s black lighting. We quickly inched our way forward, moving as a single unit.

We set stationed ourselves at a half-way point on a series of ramps. I watched Blue’s back and the right flank, which included 2 winding pathways and the ramp leading up. Blue guarded the left flank and fired across the room. Before long the others found us and we set up our home base. I continued to guard the right flank while K, being taller than me, could watch Blue’s back and shoot across the room as well. Red took the left flank, and we stationed the boys in the middle. At one point, Black Ninja was being targeted by 2 girls up close, and I went to his rescue. Nobody messes with my boy.

Before long we had acquired new recruits. While the youngest in our motley crew was 6 and liked to wander away, he always returned and looking into my eyes with his baby blues, would remind me with a gentle lisp, that he was on my team.

Blue got restless and went on a tour of duty so I took his place at the front, shooting across the way while still watching my right flank. I found out later that Black Ninja and Racequit also went on unannounced tours and may have suffered friendly fire as a result!

I shot Old Grandma and Old Grandma2, two little girls, coming up the ramp. They stood in front of me shaking their laser guns, trying to make them reset faster so they could shoot me (or so they told me). I said “like this” and shot their guns again. They whined in their high-pitched girly voices, and I suggested they “keep moving”. They did   but they didn’t get far. It turned out that they were the same girls that had ganged up on Little Guy, and now he was settling the score. When I recounted this story later over gingerale and potato chips, someone suggested I was “heartless”. What can I say? War is hell!

Before long the adrenaline was fading, my trigger finger was getting sore, and I was hot. I was tired of the slaughter and I knew that soon I was going to get sloppy. This battle felt like it had lasted significantly longer than the first one. And then the buzzer sounded. It was time to disarm, regroup, and call it a day!

When the final tallies were publicized, my moniker “PoisonRose” was in 6^th place (out of 33; I placed 8^th in the first game out of 22). It was the best of our brigade. My accuracy was lower than the first game but my score (and the number of shots fired) was higher. I had moved around less, which meant fewer ambushes by unruly gangs of mouthy 8 year olds. I confess, the brattier the kid, the more I took great pleasure in firing.

We had played and fought in Laserquest together, not just as a team, but as a family.

Happy Birthday (party) Little Guy!

Weekly Photo Challenge: Beginning

Tags

birthday, humour, midlife crisis, Photo Challenge, photography, Weekly Photo Challenge

I officially turned the big 40 a few months ago – the beginning of a new decade… and instead of crawling under the covers and staying there (as tempting as that may be some days), I put on my big girl panties and I’m dealing with it!

***

This week’s theme might be obvious, but it couldn’t be helped — it’s a simple and common word, yet can evoke very powerful, emotional images. To see more photos for this challenge, click here.

Birthday Party Pondering

Tags

birthday, birthday party, children, family, friends, home, humour

We were kids in a candy shop. Little Guy and I spent an hour choosing just the right assortment for decorating cupcakes, and we ended up with 13 bowls of goodies…gumdrops, jelly beans, licorice whips, coloured chocolate chips, sprinkles, Skor bits, M&Ms, coloured marshmallows, gummy bears, and 4 different colours of sugar glass. I baked 4 dozen cupcakes (rainbow chip and chocolate fudge). We invited a couple of families with boys over and stuffed ourselves with pizza and “decorate your own cupcakes”. After everyone was gone, the floor was littered with wrapping paper, Lego and building blocks, candy and crumbs…but our hearts were full.

As great as the party was, I still felt a little like a failure as a parent. Little Guy had really wanted a Laser Quest birthday party, but only part of me wanted to get it for him. Part of me was concerned about the cost (and the noise)…and even some of the lessons. Which brings up the questions that have been nagging me all week: When did kids start expecting large birthday parties on a grandiose scale? When did parties become more about entertainment than about friendship or fellowship? Who is setting up who for disappointment or failure? The parent, if I don’t take out a second mortgage on my house to pay for my 8 year olds’ party? Or the child because we didn’t rent a $1,000 party bus?

We (the adults) talked about our birthday parties when we were kids…bringing friends home after school, playing tag outside long after the sun set, munching on hot dogs or pizza before being serenaded in the glow of birthday candles. Who could forget birthday cake with coins wrapped in plastic wrap (who got the quarter)? Some remembered scavenger hunts, while others recalled decorating cupcakes with lots of pink icing. There were a few sleepover parties (at my last sleepover party, the first person asleep had their bra frozen). My first boy-girl party was my sweet 16 in 1950’s costumes. We played lots of goofy games (none of which involved closets or bottles)…and danced a little to Paul Anka. They were all great memories!

I’m not saying it’s wrong to have a lavish party – for girls to have a mani/pedi or for boys to climb a rock wall. And if I sound judgmental, I don’t mean to… I want Little Guy to feel celebrated and I want him to have fun with his friends. But I also want to teach him that while money can buy popularity, it can’t buy lasting friendship. Life can be a grand adventure, even when you aren’t abundantly blessed financially. You may not always get what you want but you can still make happy memories. But most of all, I want him to know that he is loved…not for the entertainment he provided, but simply because of who he is – a loving, funny Little Guy.

Yesterday afternoon, I wiped the chocolate icing off the wall and swept up the candy sugar, while Hubby washed up the pile of dishes. I asked Little Guy what was his favourite part of the party…he thought for only a second before announcing “playing with my friends”. Not the candy or the pizza…nor the loot bags or the presents – the best part turned out to be something that money can’t buy after all…

A Masterpiece in the Making!

A Clandestine Affair

Tags

birthday, family, fashion, humour, shopping

It was a shopping trip that quickly turned into a dangerous covert operation. I had to keep my wits about me and my eyes peeled for the threat roaming the downtown streets – my mother.

My father had asked me to pick up my mother’s birthday gift, something that she liked when we were out shopping together earlier in the week. He secretly passed me the cash and I was on the case. I thought it would be simple to duck into the store on Sunday afternoon, when my parents were away enjoying a leisurely boat cruise. And it would have been simple had the store been open on Sundays. Now I had to come up with a plausible reason to leave the house without her.

An opportunity presented itself the day before I was supposed to head back to the city. Mom was heading out to do a few errands; I had just finished my shower and wasn’t “presentable to the public” yet. She headed out…I headed to my room to get “presentable”, grab the cash and head out too.

Her red car was easily distinguishable in the front line of the downtown parking lot. Do I try to find parking somewhere else or do I park further down the row and hope she doesn’t recognize my new car? I parked down the row. With my fingers crossed, I headed out on foot, desperately trying to remember what she had been wearing when she left the house. I had nearly made it to the NW corner when I spotted her in front of the bank, at the SE corner. I swirled and sprinted back to the parking lot. Shielded by a red brick wall, I leaned against the cool bricks trying to regroup. But I couldn’t stay there – if she was heading to her car, she would spot me.  So I jogged the length of the building and headed down a side alley. I peeked around the corner, grabbing the attention of a father pulling a small child in a wagon. Mom was nowhere to be seen so she must have headed to the car…I started walking east down the street. Curses! Mom was across the road, walking west…and waving at me! She looked confused. I smiled and waved, then motioned that I was also heading to the drug store but I would cross at the light. With my heart pounding, I crossed at the intersection and caught up with her inside the drug store. She was looking at sympathy cards; I went looking for dairy digestive pills (which was true). She said it was too bad we didn’t come together – I reminded her I wasn’t ready yet (which was true) but I was thinking slyly, “not likely”…I made my purchase, told her I was heading to the bank (I did head that way but I didn’t stop there) and made a break for it.

I stood at the red light at the intersection with the sun beating down on me, glancing behind me, expecting to see her heading my way once again. I hustled across the street where I stood at a red light at the intersection with the sun beating down on me, glancing behind me…When the light finally turned green, I raced across the road, past the first 2 stores and into a very large woman pondering the meaning of life at the entrance to my store. I was sure she was going to blow my cover, and I had to bite my tongue to keep from yelling “in or out”!

Once inside, I explained my errand to the sales lady, made my purchase, and scoured the streets through the front windows. It appeared the “coast was clear”. I hesitated again outside the store for just a moment before heading back to the intersection. I was cautiously optimistic that I would be successful.

My sixth sense saved me. When I got the intersection, I stopped just shy of the corner and peered around the lamp post. Mom’s car was still in the parking lot. By now, the heat and sunshine were taking their toll and my racing mind couldn’t form a plan. I peered around the pole again – her car was gone. Where has her car gone? Which way is she turning? What if she sees me standing on the wrong street corner carrying this brown paper bag? I strained my head and neck, I bent my knees, I contorted on that street corner with on-lookers…well, looking on – trying desperately to see if she had turned left or right? She was turning right – curses! I really didn’t care how ridiculous I looked. I fled to the safety of that little shop, finding solace in the jingly bell over the door. Pedestrians on the street were staring wide-eyed, first at me and then where I’d gone. Obviously someone must be chasing me?

I waited. My heart pounded. There was a rushing sound in my ears. The light changed to green…and the red car drove through the intersection. At last I could breathe a sigh of relief, and I hightailed it to the house.

When I got there, I told my Dad that “Mom didn’t make that easy”. I told him what had happened and he burst out laughing. Apparently, the flower shop where she had just been (downtown) had telephoned…she forgot her umbrella. When Mom got home 10 minutes later, she walked in and announced that she would have been home sooner but she forgot her umbrella at the flower shop and had to go back for it. I’m just thankful my clandestine shopping adventure wasn’t further complicated. My nerves couldn’t take it…and someone might have called the funny farm!

Happy Birthday Mom!

A Mani/Pedi Adventure

Tags

birthday, friends, humour

Smooth as a babies’ bottom…I’m talking about my feet! This past Saturday, Star Wars day (May the 4th be with you), I lost my pedicure virginity! It was so deliciously good!

It was a birthday present from a special friend – a manicure and pedicure for 3 of us…so instead of scrubbing my toilet, I sat in a plush leather “lazy boy” chair soaking my feet and watching soundless Ukrainian television (no subtitles either). The plush leather chair also had a built-in massager and a remote…I did figure out how to turn it on, but it was pummelling me so badly, my life flashed before my eyes. It was short and really boring… Thankfully someone noticed I was being brutally beaten and turned it off for me!

Every wall was lined with shelves and shelves of nail polish – every colour and every shade imaginable. And I had to choose just one…blue, pink, black, yellow, green…My one friend suggested neon orange or yellow, but orange looks too much like Big Guy’s work shirts, and yellow reminds me of toe nail fungus (or rather how I imagine toenail fungus would appear)…so I went with a daring hot pink instead.

I wore heels all week, something I haven’t done since I “retired” when Little Guy came along, so my feet were sore. I could feel it soaking away in that lovely warm (aqua) blue water. I was such a pedicure virgin (and I’m sure everyone in the room noticed), that the poor girl working on my feet had to patiently tell me what to do and when to do it. My feet were creamed, clipped, exfoliated, shaved, scrubbed, and massaged…and all I had to do was sit still and listen to the Big Band music play. I didn’t even have to put my flip-flops on…she did it for me.

I also suffered through a manicure and I now have lovely hot pink fingernails. I don’t think I’ve painted my nails since Little Guy came along. What was the point?

I would have posted pictures but I’m vain…I think my hands are kind of ugly and I have weird toes. My toes and fingers are long and skinny, and my second toe is slightly longer than my big toe. Some people believe that means I’m slated to be the boss of the family, or I’m descended from royalty. Others say that it denotes Celtic origins or is simply related to genetics…that sounds more like it (although there are days when Hubby probably thinks I’m acting like a princess).

Once I got home again, I decided to be a bit of a princess…I didn’t wash any dishes, cook our supper, or scrub the toilet! I couldn’t risk breaking a nail!

Happy Revenge of the Six Day!

One of My BEST Birthdays Ever

Tags

birthday, boots, family, fashion, food, friends, humour

There were signs…little ones that sometimes made the voice in my head ask “why does he…? Oh, who cares!”

2 weeks ago: Hubby and I joked about the fact that I am suddenly blessed with a number of girlfriends (how did that happen?)…and he asked me who they were. He also asked me where I’d like to eat out for my birthday dinner if we decided to do that.

Last week: Hubby asked me, at the risk of getting himself in trouble, to not make any plans for Sunday afternoon. I knew I’d be out late Saturday night after the evening worship service, so I was okay with a quiet Sunday. I am also learning not to have big expectations, and therefore avoid big disappointments. Big Guy was down as well, and I enjoy spending time with my whole family.

Sunday afternoon: Hubby asked me what I was going to do for supper and he offered to cook since he wouldn’t be home to do it today. He also suggested I fix my hair and make-up before supper, and get dressed up for a picture for my blog. I was excited that he remembered that I had talked about posting a picture of me (face and all) for my birthday!

Around 4:30, I fixed my hair and my make-up, and tried on several outfits (including the sexy red dress my girlfriend bought for me when I missed Girls’ Night Out. I showed it to Hubby and he asked me if I’d wear that out in public…hmm…I’m not going out anywhere, am I?)– while Hubby cooked supper. I heard Hubby chatting with someone on the phone, and I meant to ask who it was…hmm…but I forgot (old age creeping in?). Hubby took some pictures of me by the apple tree, and laughed at me trying to walk in the mud in my high heels. When I came in, and said I was getting changed, he suggested I stay dressed up. Big Guy piped up – “Yeah, Mom. You look pretty”…hmm…maybe Hubby is going to whisk me out for dinner and leave the boys home. I took my boots off before I killed myself, and started taking the clothes off the line. I was just about to come in when Hubby asked me to go to the door for another picture…hmm…too tired to argue – you take the laundry basket then! Feeling a little irritated, I threw on my jacket as someone knocked on the door. It was my friend, B. and Hubby is standing there with a stupid grin on his face recording the conversation at the door. B: “Did you get your picture?” Me: (confused and a little suspicious) Yes. B: “Are you ready to go?” Me: (confused and suspicious) Are we going some where?”

B. drove – but she wouldn’t tell me where…she just laughed! Once we got to the restaurant, she walked right in past the line up of patrons, and started looking in every room…hmm…are there others? Yes – a group of 8 other ladies waiting for us, and a helium balloon signalling to everyone in the restaurant that this was a surprise birthday party! We dined on Chinese (why did I waste time on rice when there was such a huge dessert buffet?) and everyone sang Happy Birthday while I was forced to wear a floral lei and a grass hat (it was fetching). Lucky me – I have the commemorative photo fridge magnet…and it may magically appear on Facebook when I least expect it!

Thank you Hubby and my amazing group of friends (yes I said it – friends), for such an surprising beginning to the BIG 4-0!!

Hubby’s Favourite Picture

My favourite picture