My new love?

1940s wallpapers! Our home was built in 1946, and Mr. S and I have worked hard over the past 5 years to keep the post-war era integrity and style originally found in the house. I'm having a hard time choosing just one for our new kitchen; I'm afraid that before long, the entire place will be covered in these beauties!

Check out my sweet new ride

Just kidding. This was the scene on my front lawn as we had new front steps poured. Needless to say, Little Guy #1 (and every other child on the block) got a huge kick out of watching it.

Easter Candy Leftovers

Finally something to do with the Peeps that are just sitting around getting stale!

"Leftover" Easter Candy Cake

You'll need

2 cups coarsely chopped leftover Easter candy
2 3/4 cups sifted flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla
8 oz unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 large eggs
1/4 tsp almond extract
1 cup sour cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Grease bundt pan (10-12 cup capacity) and dust with fine bread crumbs. Tap out excess crumbs. Set pan aside. Sift together the flour, salt and baking soda and set aside.

In large bowl, cream butter until soft. Add vanilla, almond extracts and sugar to butter. Mix well. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each one. On low speed, alternate adding dry ingredients with sour cream, scraping the bowl as necessary.

Place 1 1/2 cups mixture in prepared pan. Add candies to remaining batter, fold in gently. Pour this mixture into pan over plain batter.

Bake 1 hour or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool 15 minutes. Cover pan with rack and invert. Remove pan. Let cake cool. Serve plain or with confectioners' sugar dusted on top.

I am excited to try this recipe for the first time. I'm sure it is going to make for great "leftovers" after Halloween and Christmas, too!

Wordless Wednesday

Little Guy #2's chubby little fingers. Can't get enough of 'em!

Happy Easter!

There's something sweet about seeing bright, colorful Easter eggs all snuggled in their carton I can never put my finger on. I love looking at them on Easter morning while they are still perfectly arranged and none have been eaten.

Call me old fashioned, but I stick to the traditional water/vinegar/food coloring combination when I color Easter eggs. You just can't go wrong. I admire the creative egg decorating ideas of others, but know that the simplicity of my plain jane eggs is what I really love.

Wordless Wednesday

One of Little Guy #1's favorites. Sadly, I know that my floor won't be littered with his treasures forever.

MAAAAAAA!!! The meatloaf!!!!

Meatloaf always makes me think about the scene in Wedding Crashers when Will Ferrell is yelling to his mom. This is THE BEST meatloaf recipe.

You'll need:

1 tbsp. olive oil
1 yellow onion, chopped
2 celery stalks, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
3 or 4 slices white bread
1/4 cup milk
1 lb. ground beef
1 lb. ground pork
8 oz. tomato sauce
1 egg, lightly beaten
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1/4 cup ketchup

Preheat oven to 350º F.

Warm the oil. When the oil is hot, add the onion, celery and garlic and sauté, about 5 minutes. Set aside.

Pulverize the bread into crumbs in a food processor. Combine the bread crumbs and milk, stir until blended and let stand for a few minutes.

Add the onion-celery mixture to the bread mixture and stir until blended. Add the meat, tomato sauce, egg, salt and pepper and fold together gently until blended. Transfer the mixture to a loaf pan and spread the ketchup evenly over the top.

Bake until a thermometer reads 165ºF, about 1 1/2 hours.

Wow...$99 flights!

You just can't go wrong with Expedia! They always have such great bargains, check this one out. It's where Mr. S and I will be taking our next vacation with the Little Guys. I hear it's out of this world!! (Lame, I know)

And by the way, happy April Fool's Day!