Raspberry Breakfast Cake

I'm a bit of a pinterest addict, I will admit. OK, maybe it's more like a full blown obsession.  But there are so many interesting things to find!  And I began to notice, as I meandered through, lots of photos of delicious looking blueberry cakes.  Like this one

blueberry breakfast cake 

 I began to dream of the cake, and what it would smell like baking, and how good and crumbly it would be, to have in the morning with a cup of nice tea.

But, even though the recipes I found were perfectly fine, I just had to tweak them and make something better. First I reduced the amount of sugar. You don't need that much, really! And instead of white flour, we are using wheat flour and almond meal.   And there's a secret ingredient: Trader Joe's meyer lemon curd (aka Food of the Gods).

Lemon Curd

Just for fun, today I'm making a Raspberry Breakfast Cake. Why? Because the grocery had some gorgeous red raspberries on sale, and they smelled divine!

raspberries

Ready? Let's get started!

1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup raw sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 Tbl lemon curd

Whip with a fork or whisk.

Add:
1/2 cup almond flour
1-1/2 cups whole wheat flour
2 tsp baking powder

Mix into the batter, alternating with
1/2 cup half & half

Stir in 2 cups of berries. (1 large or 2 small cartons works fine)

Pour into a greased and floured a 9" cake pan, and then sprinkle the top of the batter with more of the raw sugar and some sliced almonds (optional. Or dust the baked cooled cake with powdered sugar)
Bake at 350* for 40 minutes.

This recipe is also delicious with blueberries.  I think you could probably substitute any kind of berries or chopped apples or peaches or cherries....yum!  Keep it in the refrigerator, or freeze slices in ziplock bags. Perfect for a snack at work!

What are you making for breakfast?  Let me know if you try this recipe! I love comments :-D

Some Seriously Rockin' Jewelry!

 I'm reminded today of how much I love Etsy. Not just because it's a great place to buy and sell handmade or vintage treasures, and not just because it's a way for the middle class to take back the economy and show some love for the planet. I love Etsy because of the unique people I meet there.

Jeannie is one half of the dynamic duo that is JeannieRichard, a husband and wife team that designs and creates hot, stylish jewelry. You can get to know them on their blog ,

Luxe beaded rings

 or stop by their "about" page.  I love this explanation of how they make things work out: "She loves tea, he loves coffee. She loves sea, he loves mountains. She keeps curtains open, he keeps them closed. She loves him, and he loves her. Together they combine."  You immediately get a glimpse of their fashion sense and enthusiasm, but what you don't see is how awesome Jeannie really is. 

I met Jeannie on Etsy. And she's so cool! Kind, compassionate, strong, and truly able to keep a positive attitude no matter how tough the day is. We live on opposite sides of the planet, but I feel like she's the neighbor next door that I have my coffee with. No matter that when I'm getting up in the morning, she's getting ready for bed. She picks me up when I'm down.

Brass Infinity Bracelet

I'm loving the new infinity bracelets in the shop. Aren't these cool?

Color Block Earrings


 Jeannie and Richard make the kind of jewelry I wouldn't dream of attempting. It takes so much skill and patience. Just look at the beadwork on this bracelet and earrings.

Blue Stardust Bracelet

Raspberry bracelet

Here's another new one, the colors are so delicious and vibrant.

Beaded Chain bracelet

Imagine the skill needed to create this piece of gorgeousness? Be still my heart!

So do yourself a favor and stop by JeannieRichard's stunning shop! Right now they are having a 30% off sale. That's right, I said thirty percent! That's huge people!  Just enter coupon code EOS30 at checkout; sale lasts through the end of August. Go on, get over there! 
 Take me to JeannieRichard

Vintage Rhinestones: Peach Tea and Watermelon

The dog days of summer. Yes, they are here. It's 100* in my back yard right now.  Too hot to do much of anything. Certainly no cooking.  I've just been hiding here in the air conditioning, spending way too much time on pinterest, and making some jewelry inspired by the awesome pins I found.

Beads and rhinestones that remind me of food seems to be a recurring theme. It must be subliminal, no?
With these juicy pictures, how could one not be inspired to create something beautiful.

Sangria

Peach tea bracelet

Peach Tea

Rosaline necklace

Melon Balls

Watermelon is so tasty right now.  I have to try some of these frosty watermelon drinks. Don't they look good?

Frosty

Fresh fruit

Rose Lime punch

Punch

Slushy

Sorbet

Watermelon Punch! 

Stay cool and stay fruity my friends!

Healing Balm

So, I've been absent from blogland. I'm sorry.  I had surgery. A hysterectomy. When I was little, I didn't even know I had a hyster, let alone contemplating the removal of one. It was not fun.

Healing Balm

                     But this stuff>>>>>












This stuff has been awesome.  I've used it for everything that hurts.  Kitten scratches, bug bites, the little owie where you got a shot, dry skin, a bruised and swollen hand from my IV infiltrating, the sore tummy muscles above my incision, the itchy scar where my incision was healing. 

I have the worst allergies and most sensitive skin of any person I know. If I can use this and not react, then it's safe for pretty much anyone. That's because it's natural. Organic. It's fantastic. It's terrific. Paleolithic!
Go get some!

Cats in the Garden

Patches and Rusty

Well, I can't believe a month has nearly gone by since my last post! I have been busy working, and on my days off, I am out in the garden or playing with the kittens.

Muppet snacking on some catnip

Rusty says "shh! he can't see me!"

Today was just a beautiful day! Hubs helped me remove an ugly bush, and prepare the area for some foxglove transplants. All the kittens helped, of course.  And Johnny boy climbed all the way up into a cypress tree chasing a squirrel.  He thinks he's a bird. But he made it back down OK.

These are doing well~ black barlow columbine. 

Chinese Houses and Spurred Snapdragon seeds  have sprouted!

Then we had a nice lunch of turkey sandwiches and fresh strawberries, and the cats had a snooze on the patio. Perfect!

Millie sound asleep

*YAWN*

Tomorrow I'll transplant the rest of that clump of a thousand foxgloves (apparently every seed sprouted, no pressure there!).  And then I really have to get busy making some jewelry. I have a custom order to work on, and lots more to do.  Perhaps make some cookies?

Etsy Stalker Giveaway

Oh, SWOON!  Sorry to say it, but....

The Big Dill

Yep, it's kind of a big deal to me.  I've been featured on Etsy Stalker!   Which is only the most fabulous blog that showcases handmade Etsy stuff anywhere out there on the net! Needless to say, I'm just thrilled.

So run on over there and enter the giveaway! You could win my sweet honeybee necklace!

Honeybee

Cats and Flowers ~ in the Garden

My garden is coming along nicely! The late rains we had recently helped a lot.  The Nigella and Johnny Jump Ups have completely taken over in the front. If you live in the LA area and are looking for flowers that need little help from you, try these.  They just need water.  Let them bloom, and form seed pods, and dry out, spilling their seeds on the ground.  Pull the dead plants out and they sprout up fresh again.

Patches

 Of course my rescue kittens love to play in the flowers! They spend all day chasing bugs,  playing hide and seek, and taking naps.

Rusty

I spend a lot more time outside now that I have the kittens.  They are fun to play with, and I enjoy growing flowers for them to play in.

Tessie

So, we decided to give up on growing tomatoes in the back yard. There just isn't enough sun.  I planted some herbs and things in the sunny spots, and the rest is getting shade loving flowers.

The Violets are quite happy! These have always been one of my favorites, and they are easy to grow, making a nice ground cover.

In the corner of the yard under the old orange tree, we cleaned things up and my hubs ran some sprinklers back there.  I planted some woodland flowers that like shade.

Delphinium 

Columbine, Nigella, Parsley, Violets

The parsley has gone haywire and is a giant monster herb with interesting flowers.

Now for some tea and cookies, and a good story.

And perhaps a cat nap!

John Wayne

Amazing Allergy Free Skin Care and a Giveaway!

Update~ We have our giveaway winner!  The gift certificate goes to Maegan, with comment #57 as chosen by random.org.   Congrats Maegan!  Please come back after you have tried out your new products, and tell us how you like them!

Here at Shadow's house, we are having a nice easy day off~ a spa day, for much needed pampering and rejuvenation.  I'm using my favorite new skin care products, and I am SO excited about them! Why?

Spa set 

Because I have dry hypersensitive skin, and the worst allergies of anyone you will likely ever meet. My doctor said he wants to put me in a bubble. I have chemical sensitivity.  That means chemical odors, especially PERFUME, make me very ill. I didn't always have this problem. It came upon me gradually, as my allergies got worse and worse, and I slowly withdrew from the "normal" world. Things got so bad, I had to take a medical leave from work, and I was off for a year.  During that time, I rid my home of all scented items, and now I search for natural alternatives to commercial products that I used to take for granted.

Any of you who have a perfume allergy already KNOW how difficult it is to find  products that won't irritate your skin.  Things labeled 'sensitive', 'hypoallergenic', and 'fragrance free', have gone through my bathroom in a sort of sorry trial and error parade.  Most of them give me the heebie jeebies. Rashes, itching, headaches, nausea, and a general unhappy funk.  Into the wastebasket they go.  If you read the label, yes they might not contain artificial perfume, but they still have harsh chemical additives.
What to do?

I'm so sensitive, I actually cringe at the thought of trying anything new. Branching out into a new line of products took an act of real bravery! If you are hypersensitive like me, let me be your canary in a coal mine, the proverbial guinea pig.

So I decided to try some of the new organic products from Winsome & Green.  The idea of using something made in small batches by a real person is appealing; as well as the use of natural organic ingredients, with no artificial fragrances or chemical additives.

Calendula Baby Balm

Baby Balm

I'm not a baby, but I do love this balm. It takes care of my super dry skin, and soothes the itchy owies away.

Smell: pleasantly warm and buttery.  Yum!

Cleansing Grains

Cleansing Grains

An interesting product! It's a powder. I mixed a tiny bit with some lotion and warm water, and massaged it onto my face; then I scrubbed with a washcloth, and rinsed.  My skin felt soft, smooth, and clean. 

Smell:  fresh, clean oats with a slight pleasant herbal odor.

Honey Bee Lip Balm

Lip Balm 

I confess, I'm a bit of a lip balm addict. Usually I need to reapply my lip balm constantly to keep my lips from chapping.  This balm is the bomb! I used a teeny dab of it last night, and 8 hours later my lips were still moist and protected. 

Smell:  delicious mint and orange. I want to eat it. 

Honey Mint Sugar Scrub

Sugar Scrub 

This is heaven in a jar.  It is wonderfully revitalizing and refreshing, and it feels great.

Smell: like you are enjoying a peppermint patty in the shade of a juniper tree in the high Sierra.  Take me away!

Sierra Juniper

I loved every one of these products, and they passed my sensitivity test with flying colors! No adverse reactions of any kind. I'm very hard to please, but I must admit, I'm impressed! 

In fact, I  love this natural skin care line so much, I have decided to partner with Christa of Winsome & Green  for an exciting giveaway!  Christa has graciously agreed to provide our giveaway winner with a $50 gift certificate.  This gift certificate is good for anything in Christa's shop: beauty products including the lip balms, cleansing grains, detoxifying masks; along with her line of organic garden seeds. Perfect!

Christa has also given our readers a very generous coupon code!  Enter code SHADOW20 at checkout for 20% off any Winsome & Green order through the duration of the contest. :)

The Rules

This giveaway is available to the US and Canada only!

(note: leave a separate comment for each entry to increase your chances!)
To stand a chance to win, you MUST:
1. Be a follower of this blog

For extra chances do any or all of the following: 

1. Tweet about this giveaway and show us a link to your tweet

2. Blog about this giveaway on your blog and link back to our blog (leave your blog link behind)

3. Share this giveaway on your Facebook (leave your FB link behind)

4. Follow Christa on twitter 

5. Visit Christa's shop, and tell us what your favorite item is

6. Like Christa and Shadow, and leave a comment on our pages.

7. Follow Christa's blog 

DURATION 

This giveaway will run for 2 weeks from April 26 to Noon pacific time, May 10, 2012.

The winner will be chosen by random.org on  May 10, 2012 and will be announced immediately and contacted via email.
If the winner cannot be contacted within 48 hours, another winner will be chosen by random.org.

This giveaway is available to the US and Canada only!

Good luck!