Ya Gotta Love Coconut Cake

Soooooooooooo GOOD!! I was organizing my pantry a few weeks ago and came across THREE bags of coconut???! So like any good girl, I went on Pinterest to find a recipe to make with it. I found this oh-so-yummy one...an instant favorite over here.

The recipe needs Coconut Milk (Found in the Hispanic section) and Coconut Cream (Found in the mixed drink section).

Ok. So here we go......... Ingredients: 1 box Betty Crocker white cake mix (The girl who invented this said a box mix worked much better than making it from scratch) 1 1/4 cup coconut milk 1 can cream of coconut 8 oz. container of Cool Whip (This was NOT enough for the Treatgirl, and I used a BIG container) 1 cup flaked coconut (Also, not enough for the Treatgirl...I used a lot more :) Directions: 1. Prepare cake mix according to the directions on the box, substituting coconut milk for the water in the mix. Bake in a 9x13" pan. 2. While the cake is still warm, poke holes all over the cake. 3. Warm cream of coconut for 1 1/2 minutes on HIGH in the microwave and pour over the cake. Chill. 4. Frost with container of thawed Cool Whip. Sprinkle with flaked coconut. Keep refrigerated. *********OK. Once again, I REALLY, REALLY DO NOT LIKE this new BLOGGER AT ALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I can't figure out why I type my directions out all lined up to the left....and they keep turning out all in a paragraph like that?????? aaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrggggggggghhhhhh!!! ************** Oh, and I'm linking up to Jennifer Juniper's Tutorial Tuesday Linky party...Check it out......ALWAYS tons of great stuff!

Favorite Friday

Hi! Another week flew by......and every day I used my new Magic Bullet!! MY MOST favorite thing this week. I've been wanting one forever and this past weekend someone surprised me with one. It's even more fabulous than I thought. I've been using it to make my protein smoothies everyday....but it can do soooo much more! It comes with several cups, lids, gadgets and a recipe book. I can get rid of my blender, because it makes wonderful frozen drinks...and my little food processor because I can use it to chop onions and garlic too. It should be called the Miracle Magic Bullet. Do any of you have one????? Do you love it too??? Can you share any little tips or tricks? Let me know and have a terrific weekend.

Wheh! My First Afghan is Done!!

I've been working non-stop on this pretty afghan since the beginning of February. I actually started it last summer and worked on it for just a little bit before life got in the way. I got started on it again to finish it in time for a birthday present for my mom. She is a knitter too....and I've found over the years knitters tend to knit for everyone else except themselves. So I thought she would love having someone knit something for her :) I knit the large afghan....and it's really big.....I think I may knit one for me someday...but the smaller size would be plenty big enough.

I found the pattern online...and for the life of me I can't remember where????? But it's really easy....the pattern goes fast and it's not hard to remember.

All you need is 40 oz. 4 ply worsted weight yarn for a large afghan. Here are the directions: For a large afghan cast on 210 sts, for a small one cast on 144 sts. Pattern is a multiple of 11 sts. + 1. Row 1: K1, *yo, k3, k2tog, k2tog, k3, yo, k1. Repeat from * to end. Row 2: Purl Row 3: Knit Repeat rows 1-3 until desired length. I'm linking up to Hope Studios Tutorial Linky Party....Go on over and check it out.
******Okay. I am writing this post and blogger is all new and different and I don't think I like it :( When I typed the directions out for the afghan they are listed with a space in between each row....and are easy to follow. When I previewed it they are now like that and I can't figure out why???? Sorry :( Anyone else having trouble??? Do you like it??????*********

Favorite Friday

Once again, it is really just the little things in life that make the Treatgirl really happy. And this week I'm going to share with you one of my new favorite things...Suavitel fabric softener. I'm in looooooove with it. A friend of mine has been using it for long time and I've been meaning to ask her what she used and kept forgetting....every time I went to the store I would stand and sniff a bunch of them and just couldn't find it. FINALLY over spring break I ran into her and remembered to ask. You just can't believe how happy I was went I got into bed last week after washing and pressing my sheets. It was heaven....I actually woke up a few times during the night smelling them. Please don't think I've gone off the deep end.....but it has been such a pleasure doing laundry recently because everything smells so wonderful!

My Baby is Cutting the Lawn

I can't believe it. I really can't. And it was so unexpected...no warning. I just happened to look out the window and saw it. Chip was giving him a little lesson...



...and he just took off. Just like that. Something about cutting the lawn makes boys seem soooooo much older than they really are. He's only 8. He should just sloooooooow things right down and stay little.



He's ready, but I'm not.



He's my baby.

Favorite Friday

Happy Friday!! It's a beautiful sunny day here and I am in total "Bruce Mode" ....I'm on my way out the door to Buffalo, N.Y. for Bruce's concert tonight. I am soooooooooooo excited!!!!!!!!!! It's the Wrecking Ball tour....an awesome album!! My sister is flying in from New York to go with me. It's her first time seeing The Boss. My dad was so gracious to treat me to the tickets for my birthday. As of now, he's not scheduled to stop in Pittsburgh...but I'm crossing my fingers he does...then I can see him again on this tour :)

I Love Jars

I love jars. I really do. Any size. Any shape. Pretty. Plain. Old. New. Big. Little. Mason....you name it. When I see an empty jar I immediately wonder what I can fill it with? where I can put it?...If I can make it into a craft? A gift? Use it to get organized....something the Treatgirl is always striving for!! :)




I have some very sentimental jars. After my mother in law passed away, my father in law had all of us girls help him go through her things. One thing I chose was this very pretty jar. I love the etched detail and the perfect ball for a handle on the lid. I usually keep it out of harm's way in the dining room and at different times of the year fill it with treats.



This little candy jar was a gift from my husband's grandmother, Mimi, for my wedding shower. It's just precious....again, very sentimental.



Here is my newest jar....We were helping my husband's Aunt get packed up to move and she had several boxes of things in her garage that she was going to donate...and this perfect jar was on top. OF COURSE I picked it right up and thought what I could do with it....and for sure...as with many jars they are a wonderful keepsake reminder of a very dear person. So, it came home with me....and I filled it with coffee.....for the time being. Because I always like to rotate and re-purpose my jars....one week candy, the next week paper clips. Keeps things interesting.




These are some random jars I found around my kitchen....and old Mason jar with green tea bags, that's my protein dust in the middle one...and some nuts in other. I just feel like everything is a bit more special in a jar. Am I the only one????? Do you have a few around too????

Fresh Berry Shortcakes

OH.MY.GOODNESS!!!! These are delish!!!! I have to be VERY honest....I have never made shortcakes before...I generally just use angelfood cake when I do this kind of thing. Well, never again....These shortcakes are SUPER easy and reeeaalllllyyyy good. I am a HUGE fan of homemade whipped cream too....so when I came home the other day with a big container of strawberries from Costco I pulled this recipe out and got busy. Cindylou was hanging around the kitchen while I was making them....and I mentioned to her that when you make homemade whip cream you should always put your mixing bowl in the freezer for a while before you make it. She answered back that she would never be making it because she has me!! .....alrighty then........Let's get on to the recipe.

Prep: 35 minutes
Bake: 20 minutes
Yield: 10

Ingredients:

5 cups sliced fresh strawberries
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup orange juice

Shortcakes:

3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1 Tbsp. grated orange peel
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup cold butter, cubed
1 1/2 cups plus 1 Tbsp. heavy whipping cream, divided
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Coarse sugar, optional

Whipped cream:

2 cups heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup powdered sugar

Directions:

1. In a small bowl combine the strawberries, sugar and orange juice; set aside.

2. For the shortcakes, combine the flour, 1/2 cup sugar, baking powder, orange peel and salt; cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbles. Whisk 1 1/2 cups cream, egg, egg yolk and vanilla; add to flour mixture. Stirring just until moistened. Turn gently onto a lightly floured surface; gently knead 8-10 times.

3. Roll out to 1 inch thickness. Cut with 3 inch round biscuit cutter. Place 2 inches apart on a parchment lined baking sheet. Brush tops with the remaining 1 Tbsp. heavy whipping cream. Sprinkle with coarse sugar if desired. Bake at 400 degrees for 15-18 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes.

4. For whipped cream, beat cream in a large bowl until it begins to thicken. Add confectioners sugar; beat until soft peaks form.

5. Just before serving, cut shortcakes in half horizontally. Place bottoms on dessert plates; top with strawberries. Replace the tops and dollop with whipped cream. And if you're like the Treatgirl....put some extra whipped cream on your plate to dip into!! You will loooooooove these....Enjoy!

Also......I've linked up to Hope Studios Tutorial Tuesday Linky Party....hop over there and check out all the cool stuff!!!!