Fourteen Days of Love - Day 9 - Sweets for the Sweet

If ever there was a holiday directed at those particular taste buds–this one's it! Let's share our favorite "sweet" recipe(s)–cookies, cakes, candy, beverages–to satisfy the sweet tooth in all of us.

Had I actually taken the time to make the two desserts I'm sharing with you today in this post, the Yankee would probably have thought he had died and gone to Heaven. Why? Well, I have a confession to make…I don't make sweets very often. 

While I have made both of these treats in the past, because I am so time-challenged these days, I'm simply sharing the recipes–accompanied by one lovely photo for each–and letting you experience the step by step instructions when you make them for yourself!

The Yankee and I have been big fans of Southern Living magazine for decades. I would even dare to say, the majority of the recipes we have in our files have come from Southern Living. 

If you are a cheesecake lover, this first recipe will tickle your taste buds divinely! As a matter of fact, it is so good, it won the Cook-Off challenge in 2006! 

We've been using this recipe since then, and it's one of our very favorite desserts. You will love this yummy cheesecake...and so will anyone you might decide to share it with!

Caramel Macchiato Cheesecake With Caramel Sauce

from Southern Living

2006 Cook-Off Finalist. Prep: 20 min.; Bake: 1 hr., 10 min.; Chill: 6 hrs.

Yield: Makes 8 servings

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 cups crushed crisp, sweet cookies (about 27 cookies)
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• PAM Original No-Stick Cooking Spray
• 4 (8-oz.) packages PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
• 1 cup DOMINO Granulated Sugar
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream
• 1 1/4 teaspoons instant espresso
• Caramel Sauce, divided [recipe follows]
• 4 large eggs
• Garnishes: Caramel Sauce, whipped cream, dark chocolate curls

Preparation

1. Stir together crushed cookies and butter; press mixture on bottom and up sides of a 9-inch springform pan coated with cooking spray.

2. Bake at 350° for 10 minutes. Cool on a wire rack. Reduce oven temperature to 325°.

3. Beat cream cheese and sugar at medium speed with an electric mixer until blended. Add heavy cream, espresso, and 9 Tbsp. Caramel Sauce, beating at low speed until well blended. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until yellow disappears after each addition. Pour batter into prepared crust. Cover and chill remaining Caramel Sauce until ready to serve.

4. Bake at 325° for 1 hour or until center is almost set. Remove cheesecake from oven; gently run a knife around edge of cheesecake to loosen from sides of pan. (Do not remove sides of pan.) Cool completely on a wire rack. Cover and chill 6 hours.

5. Release and remove sides of pan from cheesecake. Garnish, if desired, and serve with remaining Caramel Sauce.

Note: For testing purposes only, we used Pepperidge Farm Bordeaux cookies.
Bryan Thomas, Kent, Washington, Southern Living, OCTOBER 2006

[LIZ'S PERSONAL NOTE: We've experimented with graham crackers and various cookies, but the Bordeaux cookies are the best!]

Caramel Sauce
Yield: Makes 1 3/4 cups

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup light corn syrup
• 1 1/3 cups DOMINO Granulated Sugar
• 1 1/4 cups warm water, divided
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons butter, softened
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preparation
1. Cook corn syrup, sugar, and 1 cup warm water in a medium saucepan over high heat, stirring constantly, 3 minutes or until sugar dissolves. Using a pastry brush dipped in water, brush down any sugar crystals on sides of pan.

2. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium, and simmer, stirring occasionally, 23 minutes or until mixture turns pale amber. Remove pan from heat, and carefully stir in remaining 1/4 cup warm water. Stir in cream, butter, and vanilla.

3. Cook mixture over medium-low heat 5 to 6 minutes or until sauce thickens and a candy thermometer registers 220° to 222°.
Bryan Thomas, Kent, Washington, Southern Living, OCTOBER 2006

The Yankee and I are trying to be a bit more health-conscious as we get older. Well, actually, I've always been health-conscious...I'm just still trying to convert the Yankee after all these years.

 A great resource for recipes with a healthy slant is this magazine.  It's where I discovered the next sweet treat.

Photo: Randy Mayor; Styling: Leigh Ann Ross (for mint bars)   

Chocolate-Mint Bars 

from Cooking Light

The dense base layer is like a rich, fudgy brownie, so don't overcook it or the dessert bars will be dry. Refrigerating the mint bars allows the chocolaty top layer to set properly. You can make the dessert up to one day ahead. For a more grown-up taste, you can also use dark chocolate chips for some or all of the semisweet chocolate chips in the glaze.

Yield: 20 servings (serving size: 1 piece)

Ingredients

BOTTOM LAYER:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour (about 4 1/2 ounces)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1  cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup egg substitute
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 1 (16-ounce) can chocolate syrup
• Cooking spray

 MINT LAYER:

• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 2 tablespoons fat-free milk
• 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract [LIZ'S PERSONAL NOTE: I amended this to 1 ½ tsps for an even greater minty flavor.]
• 2 drops green food coloring

GLAZE:

• 3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 3 tablespoons butter

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350°.

2. To prepare bottom layer, lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour and salt; stir with a whisk. Combine granulated sugar, egg substitute, 1/4 cup melted butter, 2 tablespoons water, vanilla, eggs, and chocolate syrup in a medium bowl; stir until smooth. Add flour mixture to chocolate mixture, stirring until blended. Pour batter into a 13 x 9–inch baking pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 23 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out almost clean. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack.

3. To prepare mint layer, combine powdered sugar, 1/4 cup melted butter, and next 3 ingredients (through food coloring) in a medium bowl; beat with a mixer until smooth. Spread mint mixture over cooled cake.

4. To prepare the glaze, combine the chocolate chips and 3 tablespoons butter in a medium microwave-safe bowl. Microwave at HIGH 1 minute or until melted, stirring after 30 seconds. Let stand 2 minutes. Spread chocolate mixture evenly over top. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. Cut into 20 pieces.

Nutritional Information

Calories: 264 (30% from fat)
Fat: 8.7g (sat 5.2g, mono 2.5g, poly 0.4g)
Protein: 2.8g
Carbohydrate: 45g
Fiber: 0.5g
Cholesterol: 38mg
Iron: 0.9mg
Sodium: 139mg
Calcium: 12mg
Megan Patterson, Cooking Light, MARCH 2008

Now, please don't you worry about the Yankee being sugar deprived. He will get plenty to satisfy his cravings…at least on February 14th. ; )

Hmm…what would be a good giveaway for today? That's the very question I pondered for weeks leading up to this post topic. Come back tomorrow to see what you think of my idea.

Reminder:  Please be sure to publish your
Valentine's post, before you link to the party. And

don't forget to mention the Brambleberry Cottage

in your post.

Remember to leave a comment to be entered in this

week's drawing for the giveaway!

1. http://tinandsparkle.blogspot/ 2. http://sweetnothingsbj.blogspot.com/2010/02/cake.html 3. Jenn Raley 4. Marilyn

5. http://donna-sugarspicesouthernlife.blogspot.com/ 6. Tammy 7. lululiz

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Fourteen Days of Love - Day 8 - Must Love Pets!

There is no question about it.
For most of us, our pets are very special parts of our families.

You're probably glancing at the image above, wondering if it's a mistake,
or if I actually have cows as pets.  No…on two counts!

Although, if it were up to me, I would have at least one cow as a pet.
I've been enchanted with that adorable species of mammal since I was a child—
and always thought hoped that someday I might just own one.

Well, I've lived on a small farm for over four years now,
and the Yankee and I still can't see eye to eye on that matter.
MOO MOO…I mean BOOHOO!   ; )

But, I have managed to have some very special pooches as pets.

This was Sasha. She was the very first pet I had when I left my parents' home

 to go out on my own. She was my "baby" before I ever had babies.

A sweet, yet timid little lady, her very favorite activity was

going for rides in the car with me.

Wasn't she a pretty princess?

When my daughter, Asheley, was seven, she received a Maltese

as a present from a dear family friend.

Tasha was only two months old when she came to live with us

 and would literally fit in the palm of my hand.

Ashe and Ta were totally inseparable for many years. And that
pretty little girl—the furry one—would let Asheley do just about anything to, and with, her.

It was not uncommon to find the two of them together in various
 comical situations—like Tasha donning doll clothes, while being wheeled around in a doll carriage by Ashe, both as content as could be.

Our son, Joshua, thought it quite unfair that his sister could have a pet
when he did not.  So, six months later, Samson, a sweet Labrador
 Retriever puppy, joined our family.

Samson and Tasha were six months apart in age—though worlds apart in size.

 Yet, the two played together as though they were from the same litter of pups.

Not only were these two canines the best pals for our children,

 they were best pals to one another.

When our children moved out on their own, Tasha and Samson moved to the farm with us.

I asked the Yankee to craft a sign for me that read:

FIRST YOU HAVE DOGS, THEN YOU HAVE KIDS, THEN YOU HAVE

THE KID'S DOGS.

Can anyone out there identify?   ; )

This sweet guy was a rescue. A visit to the veterinarian's office

determined him to be a German Shepherd/Basset Hound mix. With the torso of a

shepherd and the legs of a Basset Hound, he is quite a sight.

When we brought him home, daughter Asheley chose the perfect

name for him—Frodo, of the Lord of the Rings Trilogy. 

He's short, has furry feet and is totally lovable.

One of his favorite pastimes is playing fetch.
When he couldn't find a stick in this thick blanket of snow, he improvised and broke
 off the lower limb of a small tree!

Frodo is really a great name for him, although...
the way he likes to wander, Bilbo might have been a better choice.

This is really our son's dog, Ellie. But she is so adorable, I thought

 I would include her in the lineup. She's a purebred German Shepherd pup.

We're all hoping she soon grows into certain parts of her body!

Can you guess what they might be?   ; )

Do you believe that animals have personalities—all animals? Well, I do!
We had nine chickens the first few years here at the farm.

We found out very quickly that chickens indeed do have personalities. So much so,
that we were able to name each one and identify one from the other.

They dearly loved the Yankee and would follow him like he was the Pied Piper.

When he began constructing the small addition on the back of the cottage, they

 thought he was Prince Charming building a castle just for them.

They free-ranged on the farm and from sunup until sundown

would be scattered all around our eleven acres. But, if one of us left in a vehicle, 

upon our return they would run to greet us—just like dogs!

That's the back of the outbuilding near our long driveway that they're
running toward—to greet the Yankee. I shared a photo with you earlier of the side of
that building and part of our driveway in the snow pictures here.

And how many pets do we have right now?
Zero, nada, not one!

A temporary situation we are looking to correct very soon!   ; )

Today—the first day of the second week of the Valentine's party—
I will be adding a Cup O' Cats to the giveaway.

What? You're allergic to cats, you say! No problem.
These cuties won't make you sneeze, but they are guaranteed
to make you smile!

This box of 24 assorted Punch Studio Valentine's Cards is as sweet as it gets!

Reminder:  Please be sure to publish your

Valentine's post, before you link to the party. And

don't forget to mention the Brambleberry Cottage

in your post.

Remember to leave a comment to be entered in this

week's drawing for the giveaway!

1. Jenn Raley 2. Meghan 3. Marilyn 4. http://sweetnothingsbj.blogspot.com/2010/02/day-eight.html 5. http://beansiebabbles.blogspot.com/2010/02/some-superbowl-blues.html

6. Debbie 7. http://donna-sugarspicesouthernlife.blogspot.com/ 8. lululiz 9. Pamela

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AND THE WINNER IS...

What tremendous fun we had with the first week of the Fourteen Days of Love Valentine's party!

Be sure to take a look at all the wonderful posts linked to those first seven days.  Great job everyone!

Here is the wonderful assortment of treasure this week's grand prize winner receives:

Day 1 – How do I love thee?    Bag of Chocolate Mint Bliss Ghirardelli Chocolates

Day 2 – On Angels' Wings    Sweet Vintage Cherub Dish

Day 3 – Pretty in Pink    Bejeweled Gift Box of Note Cards

Day 4 – Straight to the Heart    Lovely Decorative Heart Plate

Day 5 – Seeing Red    Sweet Nesting Bowl Pair

Day 6 – Oh…You're so Crafty    Assortment of Vintage Fabric, Trims, & Buttons

Day 7 – Kid Central – Crafts, Projects, and Games    Young Crafter's Starter Kit

And now...drum roll please!!!

The winner of the first seven days' bounty of gifts for the

is...

Jenn Raley

of

Peacorn, Popnuts, Soda Gum & Chewing Water

CONGRATULATIONS, JENN!!!

Now, is everyone geared up for the next seven days of fun and creativity?

OK...here comes week two of the Fourteen Days of Love.

Kid Central — Crafts, Projects, and Games

Originally, this was a post for my Valentine's party, but the activities—with a few minor tweaks—are terrific for any time of year.

So...I'll be linking this post to the summer blog party hosted by At the Picket Fence.

There are many wonderful ideas to draw from to make every day special for kids.

Here is just a sampling of fun crafts, games, and projects to keep your brood busy for Valentine's Day and beyond.

Having taught children of all ages—for over twenty years—I consider myself fairly seasoned at providing creative activities to keep youngsters busy, while they're also having a good time.

One of my main mantras, in that endeavor, has always been keep it simple, inexpensive, and fun!

Using items you probably already have on hand is the best way to do just that.

If you work with children—your own or someone else's—there are certain items that are considered staples for kids' crafts:

• Paper (plain and colored)
• Scissors
• Glue
• Pens, pencils, markers, and crayons

Add these few extras to that collection, to ensure even more creative fun: 

• Empty toilet paper or paper towel tubes
• Tissue paper
• Pipe cleaners
• Glitter 
• Buttons 
• Cotton balls
• Kid-safe paints

These first two projects–LoveBug and Cupid–could not be more adorable! And their simplicity of design and craft level makes them appropriate choices for a range of ages.

For summer fun, substitute some of the great ideas over at Enchanted Learning for the Cupid. 

Of course, the butterfly is still seasonally appropriate.

If you bake cupcakes on a regular basis, you already have the main ingredient for the next two ideas—Puffy Heart Decoration and Tissue Flowers.

You can use the paper liners—probably already on hand—or tissue paper. Just add cardstock and pipe cleaners and voila!

Kids and crayons just seem to go together like peanut butter and jelly.

But, how often do you end up with crayon stubs and the dilemma of what to do with them—keep them or throw them out.

Stained Glass Hearts puts those little pieces to good use.

You could choose a summer-related shape to your liking, to substitute for the hearts.

We all know kids just want to have fun! And why not?

Provide some wholesome entertainment for them, and then join in on the activities!

We're all familiar with the game Bingo–this one just has a sweet Valentine's twist!

Why not use gummy worms, fish, or frogs in place of the conversation hearts—to tie in to summer?

Do you believe learning should be fun?  Want to teach logic and reasoning skills?

Giving children the opportunity to discover what's different in two seemingly identical pictures accomplishes both tasks.

I can assure you, there are more differences in this Sweetheart pair than might be apparent at a quick glance. Can you find all ten?

There is a seemingly infinite pool of ideas online—something many of us didn't have the advantage of years ago.

So…what are you waiting for? Grab the kids and get busy! 

(NOTE:  The giveaway below has already been won.  But keep checking back for others in the future.) 

To encourage your budding crafter's creativity, I've added today's final addition to this week's giveaway.

It's something I call a Young Crafter's Starter Kit. 

It's sure to keep them positively engaged for hours.

Wow! It's hard to believe we're already at the end of one full week of party love.

Tomorrow evening, I will be announcing the winner of the first giveaway in the Fourteen Days of Love...

and the very first giveaway at the Brambleberry Cottage!

1. Jenn Raley

2. Donna

3. Marilyn

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Fourteen Days of Love - Day 6 - Oh...You're so Crafty!

We all know there is no shortage of
 creativity out in the blogosphere.  So, there
should be quite a show of special crafts dedicated to LOVE
for this Valentine's party!

I come from a long line of crafty women—no,

not that kind—the good kind!!!   ; )

My grandmother was a seamstress, who passed that skill on to

her daughter—my mother—who passed it on to me.

 It's a craft that has proven to be quite useful for all of us,

especially during the years of rearing children and making our homes

our families' havens.

I have a daughter who now also has a daughter—my granddaughter, Lana.

My daughter, Asheley, set out to find a very 

unique Christmas stocking for her daughter's very first Christmas.

(I know you must be thinking I have my holidays mixed up, but I don't.

Since the current holiday is all about love, I thought I'd share a very special

craft project that I feel totally represents that topic.  So just

hang in there!)

Asheley looked for weeks for that special stocking,

but found nothing she felt was special enough.

So, Grammy—that would be me—put the old (but not that old!)

thinking cap on and came up with this solution.

I felt that if I could pull together everything I needed,
from bits and pieces gathered from the four generations who came before her,
I could craft a very unique Christmas stocking for my first grandchild.

Each of the items you see in the photo above represents something that
belonged to either my grandmother, my mother, my daughter, or me.

My grandmother had already moved on to heaven,

years before Lana was born.

And the only thing my mom could find that had belonged to Grandma—something

appropriate for this project, anyway—was a pink cotton nightgown,

stored away in her keepsake trunk, along with some vintage buttons.

My mom donated a variety of lace pieces
and several cards of tiny vintage buttons that were
just perfect for a baby's stocking.

From my collection of vintage fabrics
and notions, I was able to select a fabric for the stocking itself and several
battenburg lace doilies to use as embellishment.

Asheley has not yet taken up the craft of sewing. So, it was even more challenging
 to determine what her contribution to this project would be.

But, as she and I sorted through her keepsakes, I spied two items that
were exactly what was needed to finish off this one-of-a-kind gift.

There was a garter from Asheley's wedding—there had been two,
one to throw and one to keep—and a piece of sequined trim that
we had used on a costume we'd made for her senior prom.

The theme for her prom had been Phantom of the Opera and that pretty 

trim had been used on an elaborate mask we had

created to go with her gown and cape.

Now, with all the necessary elements assembled,

I was ready to embark on the journey to create that

 "special" Christmas stocking.

The pink cotton from Grandma's gown was used for the lining

and the inside ruffle at the top of the stocking. 

The outer ruffle, at the top, was created from a piece

of my mother's lace.

There could not have been a more appropriate trim—to unite

the ruffles at the top and the stocking fabric itself—than

 Asheley's bridal garter.

Look back at the image above.  See how the solitary

 rhinestone heart plays up the tiny hearts in the lace?

Hearts are synonymous with Valentine's, right?  And you thought

 I was confused about the holiday!   ; )

There was just enough of the sequined trim to

 create a heart in the center of the stocking

 and accent the toe and heel as well.

Isn't that pink heart button

from my grandmother's collection precious?!

One of my battenburg lace doilies was heart-shaped,

so it became the focal point at the center of the stocking.  It made a terrific

 background for the sequined heart and pink heart button.

The other doily was cut apart and used as

decoration on the toe and heel.

I selected several other vintage buttons—from the assortment 

gathered from my grandmother, my mother, and me—and used

those as the final decorative touches.

And the bits and pieces of

four generations culminated in this.

The three generations of mothers still living, 

who have seen this sweet little Christmas stocking in person,

are well pleased with the end product.

And I believe Grandma is smiling down from heaven,

 knowing that she was able to contribute something special

to one of her great-great-grandchildren.

But Grandma's most beautiful contribution 

was not the material things needed to create a Christmas stocking.  It was her link in the chain

of mothers' love that has been passed down through the generations!

Now on to the giveaway goodies:

Crafting is so much more that just assembling bits and pieces.  It's

 an expression of who we are.

So…

today, I'm adding an assortment of fabric, buttons and trim to

this week's giveaway—some vintage, some new. 

Hopefully, the winner will be able to create 

her own very special keepsake for a loved one.

And...

did I create a little suspense about yesterday's giveaway?

I certainly hope so!!!

I know you're just dying to know what it is.

So, without further delay...

here is the adorable set of mini bowls

that will be added to the giveaway, for yesterday's topic—Seeing Red.

Sharing at

Tiffany's Making the World Cuter Mondays, Kaysi's Motivate Me Monday,

Diana's Just Something I Whipped Up Monday, and Summer's Market Yourself Monday.

Beverly's Pink Saturday.

Reminder:  Please be sure to publish your

Valentine's post, before you link to the party. And

don't forget to mention the Brambleberry Cottage

in your post.

Remember to leave a comment to be entered in this
week's drawing for the giveaway!

1. Patricias Heart Banner 2. Jenn Raley 3. http://sweetnothingsbj.blogspot.com/2010/02/hugs-and-kisses-to-you.html

4. http://beansiebabbles.blogspot.com/2010/02/day-six-of-fourteen.html 5. Ann Creek 6. http://donna-sugarspicesouthernlife.blogspot.com/

7. barbara jean 8. Marilyn

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