Babka x's 2

I can't believe I made a BABKA! 

Actually TWO babka's!!

I did not plan on making two however I was not sure the dough was rising the way I thought it should so I decided instead of taking a chance of wasting the wonderful apricots on failed bread I would start another loaf. Since I have made quite a bit of bread over the years I was pretty sure the dough would actually turn out just fine so instead of throwing it out I elected to go ahead and make it into a cinnamon babka. I also knew there was a better chance the guys would try it if it was cinnamon.  

Babka takes about 4 hours to make so I made it Friday evening while I had the house to myself for a few hours and that way it would be ready for breakfast first thing on Saturday morning.

While the dough was raising I worked on the apricots. They had to simmer in a mixture of lemon and orange juice for about 15 minutes. Once they were soft I pureed them into a smooth sweet filling.

I spread a layer of cream cheese filling over the apricot puree and then... 

...rolled, folded and twisted the dough, placed it in a pan and let it raise a second time.

Next I baked the cinnamon babka and while it was in the oven...

prepared the crumb topping for the apricot babka and...

sprinkled on top once it was ready for the oven. 

Once they finish baking they have to rest in the pan for almost another 30 minutes and then cool on a rack for a few more hours. By this time it was getting late so I let them cool overnight.

Both Babka's turned out beautiful and tasted great. I think I might try chocolate babka next time.

Happy Saturday!

new recipe night

Miss E and I had fun trying new recipes for Sunday Supper. She wanted to try Spaghetti and meatballs from her new cookbook and I wanted to try making a Peanut Butter Chocolate Pie. I started on my pie crust and she started on the meatballs.

While the pie crust baked we made thirty meatballs to go with our spaghetti sauce. 

She continued working on the sauce and I started some homemade french bread.

There was a lot going on in the kitchen so I did not get many meal prep photos but I did get one picture of our dinner which was a hit with the family.

And so was the Peanut Butter Chocolate Pie!

A friend brought a peanut butter chocolate pie she had picked up at a Shari's restaurant to our Thursday night ladies dinner. I had never had one before and loved it so decided to try making one.

I think our new recipes are keepers! 

Have a happy day!

DIY Master Bathroom Makeover ~ update

Progress is being made on our master bathroom project ~ phase 1. The wood floor and the old oak cabinet doors and drawers have all been removed.

The tile floor is now finished except for the sealer and the cabinet frame has been painted.

Since the oak grain is difficult to cover with paint Mr. Wonderful went ahead and made brand new doors and drawer fronts. While he was at it we decide to change the style too. 

All the doors are now raised panel and painting is currently in progress. 

Since they are almost ready to hang we will need to make a decision on hardware soon

as well as coordinating fixtures for the sinks, tub and lights. I have also asked for sliding drawers in the cabinets to make things easier to access. He now has those supplies on hand and that should be finished this week as well. I should have more updates to post later next week.

Have a super Saturday!

Grilled Shrimp ~ two ways!

Last Sunday our supper menu included some tasty shrimp.

We marinated about 2 pounds of jumbo shrimp and then skewered and grilled them. 

They were wonderful and so was the rest of the meal so needless to say we had some leftovers.

So a few days later

Papa Bear decided to make fried rice with Shrimp.

It was very quick and easy  

and so delicious! A great way to use the leftover Shrimp.

Happy Friday!

February ~ hearts & cherries

I made grape tomato hearts to serve with our amazing Sunday Supper which I will post later this week.  Papa Bear grilled some amazing entrees and I made Valentine grape tomato hearts to go with our meal.

For dessert I made cherry pie bars plus a cherry pie to celebrate Presidents day however I discovered I was a week early on the cherry desserts. Oops. I guess I got ahead of myself. It still tasted great and both desserts work well for Valentines Day too. 

Have a lovely Valentines Day!

comfort food

Sometimes the best thing for dinner is simply

tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches.

I love to make menus and cook full balanced meals however there are times we are just in the mood for something quick and simple. And last week I discovered that we aren't alone. 

We had dinner at our friends house two days after I made this dinner and they served the same thing! The only differences were our tomato soup recipes and our choice of bread and cheese. A good week, I'd say, for comfort food.

Also, the master bedroom/bathroom update is coming along. Once the hubs is finished painting I can get photos of the walls and the new tile floors in the bathroom and will be posting those soon. 

Have a wonderful Wednesday!

DIY Master Bedroom / Bathroom Makeover....phase 1: progress

 The Hubs is making progress on our master Bedroom/Bathroom makeover.  This time around, aka: phase 1, we are removing all the old { really old! } wallpaper in both the bedroom and bathroom, making repairs to the skylight drywall, replacing the outdated fixtures, changing the bathroom flooring, replacing all base molding and adding crown molding to bedroom. Phase 2 will be a complete bathroom remodel. It will include an entirely new floor plan with new tub, shower, cabinets, closets and floor so this will be a nice temporary fix until we decide on the new design. 

The drywall around the skylight has been replaced and he has also patched and textured the walls in both rooms.

The ceilings have been painted and the walls have a base coat of paint which makes everything look very bright and clean.

The bathroom floor is currently in progress. 

The original floor was linoleum which he replaced years ago with hardwood so he could practice before changing our kitchen to hardwood floors. Now he has removed the hardwood and is replacing it with a tile floor.

The crown molding is up however I have not taken a photo of it since it has been painted. The fresh paint looks amazing and will look even better once the walls are painted too. So now comes the hard  part...

Choosing paint colors!

The plan is to choose the wall colors by Monday so that painting is finished by Wednesday. The pressure it on. By next weekend I hope to also have the light fixtures chosen as well as bedding and lamps and will try to take plenty of photos to share. 

Happy Saturday!