#flowertherapy might be right up there with #water #flowertherapy might be right up there with #watertherapy.  Love passing the time in secret wildflower patches. As you do. 🌸
I remarked how pretty that tiny sliver of the moon I remarked how pretty that tiny sliver of the moon was on the way home tonight, and my friend pulled over right away so I could grab a photo. That’s when someone really knows you! It was just too beautiful to resist. 🌙
Weekend photos in review, old school style. ✨ C Weekend photos in review, old school style. ✨ 
Context: 1/ picture perfect weekend, 2/ threw together a quick meal w udon noodles, steak and broccoli, so good, 3/ the sun reflections on this painting struck me today, looked like a cross 4/ it takes all afternoon but nothing like Sunday Gravy, 5/ six months old, 6/ when he wants some serious zzzz’s, he covers his eye with his ears, the cutest, 7/ breakfast pastries at @coniglios
I have plenty of reusable shopping bags since New I have plenty of reusable shopping bags since New Jersey banned the plastic ones last year. But when I spied this beauty for a buck, how could I resist? It just is so darn happy, which makes me happy. The little things aren’t so little. 💛
Cheers to the weekend! This may look like a staged Cheers to the weekend! This may look like a staged photo, but Lola just has ZERO boundaries and Clifford is exceptionally patient. 😂
I’ve been on a smoked salmon kick lately (it’s I’ve been on a smoked salmon kick lately (it’s so good for you), so when I saw that a local patisserie has a smoked salmon croissant available (weekends only), I added it to my list of things to seek out. I popped into @chocolatinenj early on Mother’s Day and was rewarded with this deliciousness. Layers of soft flaky croissant dough, tender smoked salmon, light whipped cream, thinly sliced red and green onion slivers and dotted with capers… it was every bit as amazing as you’d imagine it would be. If you’re local, don’t sleep on this one. 😋
Weekend photos in review, the belated edition. 1/ Weekend photos in review, the belated edition.

1/ hit up a few yard sales and snagged this beautiful pasta dish from Italy with my favorite color for a buck, 2/ and one of these printer trays came home with me too, 3/ pre Mother’s Day celebrations with 30 local moms, 4/ finished the weekend supervising furniture assembly
Today would have been my friend Cathy’s 53rd bir Today would have been my friend Cathy’s 53rd birthday. Unfortunately she’s not here to celebrate because she died suddenly at age 49. I think of her often … every Mother’s Day because we spent most of them together since her husband worked weekends … when I discover a new food adventure (we once did a day long donut crawl) … when I’m sharing a special time with my kids knowing that her then-11 year old is growing up without her. Before she passed, I always appreciated every day, but since then, even more so. You never know what the next day can bring, so relish in the sunshine, surprise rainstorms, making wishes over railroad tracks and all the wonderful randomness life can throw your way. Don’t waste a single second, say yes, live on the outskirts of your comfort zone, laugh often, tell people you love them, give eight second hugs, and squeeze every ounce of joy you can out of life. Do it for the people who can’t. ✨
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Sweetnicks

Food and Life

Recipe: Chocolate Sheet Cake from The Pioneer Woman

March 13, 2012 · Narrative

Best Ever Chocolate Sheet Cake
Awhile back, Mystic’s daughter came over to help me out in the kitchen.  I had a long list of things to make, and she likes to cook and is a willing sous chef for the right price.  She asked if she could bring a friend with her.

“I always learn more from cooking with you than we do in Home Ec class, and she wants to learn too.”

That statement was both flattering and shocking.

Shocking because I’m not a chef.  By any stretch of the imagination.  I use cups instead of rolling pins.  Measure liquid and mass in the same types of measuring cups (ask Joanne, I’m a work in progress).  Cut tomatoes in a completely different manner than my Mom does.  And do way more through intuition and winging it than any right way of doing things.

Which is to say that I have my own way.  I’m ok with that.

It mostly works for me.  And while it may not always be the correct way, I do have my own little cache of tips and tricks that Taylor (and now her friend) pick up on.

It’s all good.

When we made this giant Chocolate Sheet Cake two weeks ago, days later Taylor was asking when we could make it again.  High praise from someone who is a work in progress in terms of palate expanding.

This new-to-me recipe is from The Pioneer Woman.  As I’ve mentioned before, I have a love/hate relationship with her recipes.  I’ve made tons of them, and most have been meh.  I think I have two that went into our semi-regular rotation.  The rest have been average and left us wanting more.

This chocolate sheet cake?  An utter success.  We were having company for dinner.  The kind that trade a good meal and a six-pack of Bud for installing a new toilet.  My kind of people.  I made the cake the night before, crossing one thing off the menu in under 45 minutes.  Super simple to make.  The cake on its own is ordinary.  The frosting on top?  Extraordinary.  And in another surprise turn of events, my girlfriend brought another Pioneer Woman dessert recipe, which is also a hit.  Go figure.  And that’s a story for another day, like when I make it myself so I can take proper pictures of it.  Because I may or may not have eaten all the pieces she left without getting a good picture.

This chocolate sheet cake is a perfect simple dessert for when you need such a thing.  For when you have to bring a dessert to a potluck.  Or have an 18-year-old in your kitchen who wants to learn how to cook.  Or you have a houseful of people with a chocolate sweet tooth.  For when your kids are home from school and you need a sweet surprise for them.  And better still?  For when you have buttermilk to use up.  And that, sometimes, is the most important reason of all.

This is that recipe, and you can find it right here.

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Posted In: Narrative · Tagged: chocolate sheet cake, Home Ec, The Pioneer Woman

Comments

  1. Cathy says

    March 13, 2012 at 9:22 pm

    I cook the same way… and I improvised her recipe a bit… used pistachios and almonds AND her phyllo layering instructions were too fiddly for me- I slapped a ton of butter in between each layer :-) Glad you liked it!

    Reply
  2. patsy says

    March 13, 2012 at 9:38 pm

    I’ve found her recipes hit or miss as well. Her photos make me WANT to love them, but sometimes they just don’t work for us. This one looks like it would HAVE to be a winner!

    Reply
  3. Shelly says

    March 13, 2012 at 10:56 pm

    I used to follow the Pioneer Woman but not so much anymore. With her currently embroiled in a plagiarism scandal stemming from a home school post on Valentine’s Day and the fact that rumors have been swirling for years that her recipes are ripped off from church cookbooks, I think I’ll stick with Smitten Kitchen. She credits her sources. For more info on Ree’s plagiarism, see http://bit.ly/zPeeV4

    Reply
  4. Ramona says

    March 14, 2012 at 2:30 pm

    Every time I see that recipe, I want to make it. Looks good. Glad it turned out.

    Reply
  5. Joanne says

    March 15, 2012 at 6:27 am

    Just because we bake DIFFERENTLY doesn’t mean that one of us bakes BETTER than the other :P We just have different styles. And I’ve never had anything you made that I didn’t love…so it obviously works for you!

    What I’ve found with PW is that her savory stuff is eh and her desserts are super delicious. This definitely holds with that motto.

    Reply

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#flowertherapy might be right up there with #water #flowertherapy might be right up there with #watertherapy.  Love passing the time in secret wildflower patches. As you do. 🌸
I remarked how pretty that tiny sliver of the moon I remarked how pretty that tiny sliver of the moon was on the way home tonight, and my friend pulled over right away so I could grab a photo. That’s when someone really knows you! It was just too beautiful to resist. 🌙
Weekend photos in review, old school style. ✨ C Weekend photos in review, old school style. ✨ 
Context: 1/ picture perfect weekend, 2/ threw together a quick meal w udon noodles, steak and broccoli, so good, 3/ the sun reflections on this painting struck me today, looked like a cross 4/ it takes all afternoon but nothing like Sunday Gravy, 5/ six months old, 6/ when he wants some serious zzzz’s, he covers his eye with his ears, the cutest, 7/ breakfast pastries at @coniglios
I have plenty of reusable shopping bags since New I have plenty of reusable shopping bags since New Jersey banned the plastic ones last year. But when I spied this beauty for a buck, how could I resist? It just is so darn happy, which makes me happy. The little things aren’t so little. 💛

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#flowertherapy might be right up there with #water #flowertherapy might be right up there with #watertherapy.  Love passing the time in secret wildflower patches. As you do. 🌸
I remarked how pretty that tiny sliver of the moon I remarked how pretty that tiny sliver of the moon was on the way home tonight, and my friend pulled over right away so I could grab a photo. That’s when someone really knows you! It was just too beautiful to resist. 🌙
Weekend photos in review, old school style. ✨ C Weekend photos in review, old school style. ✨ 
Context: 1/ picture perfect weekend, 2/ threw together a quick meal w udon noodles, steak and broccoli, so good, 3/ the sun reflections on this painting struck me today, looked like a cross 4/ it takes all afternoon but nothing like Sunday Gravy, 5/ six months old, 6/ when he wants some serious zzzz’s, he covers his eye with his ears, the cutest, 7/ breakfast pastries at @coniglios
I have plenty of reusable shopping bags since New I have plenty of reusable shopping bags since New Jersey banned the plastic ones last year. But when I spied this beauty for a buck, how could I resist? It just is so darn happy, which makes me happy. The little things aren’t so little. 💛
Cheers to the weekend! This may look like a staged Cheers to the weekend! This may look like a staged photo, but Lola just has ZERO boundaries and Clifford is exceptionally patient. 😂
I’ve been on a smoked salmon kick lately (it’s I’ve been on a smoked salmon kick lately (it’s so good for you), so when I saw that a local patisserie has a smoked salmon croissant available (weekends only), I added it to my list of things to seek out. I popped into @chocolatinenj early on Mother’s Day and was rewarded with this deliciousness. Layers of soft flaky croissant dough, tender smoked salmon, light whipped cream, thinly sliced red and green onion slivers and dotted with capers… it was every bit as amazing as you’d imagine it would be. If you’re local, don’t sleep on this one. 😋
Weekend photos in review, the belated edition. 1/ Weekend photos in review, the belated edition.

1/ hit up a few yard sales and snagged this beautiful pasta dish from Italy with my favorite color for a buck, 2/ and one of these printer trays came home with me too, 3/ pre Mother’s Day celebrations with 30 local moms, 4/ finished the weekend supervising furniture assembly
Today would have been my friend Cathy’s 53rd bir Today would have been my friend Cathy’s 53rd birthday. Unfortunately she’s not here to celebrate because she died suddenly at age 49. I think of her often … every Mother’s Day because we spent most of them together since her husband worked weekends … when I discover a new food adventure (we once did a day long donut crawl) … when I’m sharing a special time with my kids knowing that her then-11 year old is growing up without her. Before she passed, I always appreciated every day, but since then, even more so. You never know what the next day can bring, so relish in the sunshine, surprise rainstorms, making wishes over railroad tracks and all the wonderful randomness life can throw your way. Don’t waste a single second, say yes, live on the outskirts of your comfort zone, laugh often, tell people you love them, give eight second hugs, and squeeze every ounce of joy you can out of life. Do it for the people who can’t. ✨

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