I have received multiple requests to share the recipe for my colorful Peeps Easter Cake. I found it in Woman’s World Magazine so I can’t take credit for doing anything more than making it.
So here it is. If you make please let me know how it came out or even better share a picture 🙂
Last year I was still working at my previous employer and that means I was going into an office every day.  We were quite a social group and often had pot luck parties. Around Easter last year we had a Spring party and I contributed a “Peeps Sunflower Cake”. Some of my long time readers may remember it.
Since I no longer go into an office regularly and when we do, lunch is usually delivered, I haven’t done any baking since Christmas. (I’m supposed to be losing weight. Just ask my Doctor). But a few weeks ago I ran across a recipe for another “peeps cake”. I cut it out and left it on the end table.
Every night I’d look at it sitting there. Some nights I’d pick it up and read it. Oh I was tempted to try it. It looked so pretty.
Well I finally gave in. The problem was that once I got into it I realized I didn’t have the right size cake pans. It’s a 4 layer cake and even if a 9″ pan worked I only had 3 pans. I could use the 9″ pans and have skinny layers or I could do the right thing and get 4 new  8″ pans. I’d already been to the store and had all the ingredients. It would be a shame to quit now.
So off to Michael’s Craft Store I went. Sure enough, they had 8″ cake pans. They aren’t cheap! But I consoled myself that I’d have them for future cakes.
I baked the cake after work and let the layers cool completely. In the morning I frosted and decorated the layers. And here’s the end result 🙂
I do love being creative!
Easter is almost here. I remember Easter Sunday services. They were a big deal when I was growing up. We always had on our EASTER Sunday best.
You see there was our Sunday best but on Easter we really went all out.
We had hats (Easter bonnets) and white gloves and the first time I was allowed to wear stockings and pointy high heels was on an Easter Sunday. I remember one year Jackie Kennedy had made pill box hats the fashion so that year  I had to wear one on Easter.
I went to church every Sunday. I was active in the choir but my Dad only went to church on High Holidays…Christmas and Easter. I remember one Easter I had the Easter Sunday Solo. I was scared to death but so proud that both my Mom and Dad were in the congregation that day.
After the church service we’d all stay for the traditional Easter Egg hunt.
Up in the Adirondacks it was not unusual for snow to still be on the ground where there was shade. Snow banks and snow patches were perfect places for those colored eggs. I wonder if my old church still has Easter Egg hunts.
Back home we got our Easter Baskets. They always had a chocolate bunny as the center peice but the really special Easter candy was a sugar egg. I never see them anymore. They were so pretty and delicate. They were almost magical. Eventually the egg got eaten just like the chocolate bunny and the jelly beans but part of me always hated to eat something so pretty.
As an adult I could almost believe that I dreamed it up but I remember the way the sugar melted on my tongue. It was like eating a sugar cube. But I could never find them anywhere. Then about 6 years ago I found them in a little candy shop in Old Saybrook , CT. I said I’d go back to get one at Easter but I never did.
Recently I did a search on the internet and I found them. There weren’t too many places to get them and they are really expensive but they are just as beautiful as I remember.
So what’s your favorite Easter Candy?
Hurray It’s Approved! My boss approved my vacation time so it’s official, I can really count on heading to Tennessee in May.
So far I ‘ve got a at least 1 day in Dollywood with a ride on the Dollywood Express, a day exploring the trolley routes of downtown Gatlinburg and a day sampling moonshine and whiskey.
Along with the liquid treats my cousin recommended an restaurant called The Greenbrier Restaurant . http://www.greenbrierrestaurant.com/Â It’s billed as a romantic, Â fine dining establishment.
Well since I’ll be alone we can skip the romance but I like the fine dining description and I loved the menu. Two of my very favorite things are on it. I could make a meal of just the appetizers, My favorite: Escargot Ala Bourguignon  French selects served in mushroom caps and simmering garlic butter. I’ve never had them served in mushroom caps but I like mushrooms so should be yummy.
The main course is bound to be just as good : Lobster Tail
One Tail  or Two ?  Steamed and served with lemon wedges and drawn butter.
Who would think that someone from Massachusetts would always be on the lookout for lobster tails when I’m surrounded by Maine lobster all the time. Well, they are not the same and (I’ll probably have to hide out after this comment) I like the tails better than Maine Lobster. There I said it. My New England Yankee card will probably be revoked. I don’t dislike Maine Lobster I just prefer the Langoustines , those big , juicy tails usually served on the shell. They are a different animal and more common in the south. When I was growing up in upstate New York the frozen variety was more common than the live Maine lobsters. I imagine that’s changed now. Every high end restaurant seems to have a lobster tank.
Now I’m hungry and it isn’t even noon yet!
Anyway the same cousin that tipped me to the restaurant also gave me a link to a train ride out of Chattanooga. http://www.tvrail.com/pages/etowah-train-rides-train-excursions-in-Tennessee Known as the Hiwassee River rail Adventure it sounds perfect. The ride is described as the historic Hiwassee River Rail Adventure scenic rail excursion through the unspoiled Cherokee National Forest, along beautiful and scenic Hiwassee River, and through the secluded Hiwassee River Gorge. It leaves from Etowah. My only decision is do I do the short or long version?
I think I’m leaning toward the all day trip but I’m open to suggestions too.
Since my 2 vacations in Hawaii the idea of living there is never far from my mind. Lately I’ve been missing Hawaii even more because there’s a great show about Hawaiian Real Estate on HGTV.
Hawaii is known to be an expensive place to live. As an island everything has to be brought in from the mainland. One of the largest and oldest cattle ranches in the United States  is located on the Big Island. Known as the Parker Ranch is was founded in 1847, almost 30 years before most of the southwestern ranches on the mainland.
The ranch is a working cattle ranch even today and is now run by a charitable trust. The Ranch owns approximately 26,000 head of cattle, mostly Angus and Charolais breeds, with 17,000 pastured on the Ranch at any given time. The rest are in pasture or feedlots on the mainland. With about 300 breeding bulls, the cowherd is divided into two breeding seasons, winter and summer, with about 50% of the herd in each season.
When we visited the Big Island we drove past sections of the Parker Ranch but we didn’t take time for the tours.
One night we stopped at a local grocery and bought a steak to grill. Since we were on vacation I didn’t hesitate to buy it  but I did notice it was expensive. It surprised me since we’d just heard about how big the Parker Ranch was and how much cattle was raised there.
Never being shy, we asked about the high price of beef and milk and were told that the Parker Ranch sends just about all of it’s beef cattle to the mainland for slaughter and then the butchered meat is shipped back. That extra step is the added cost but I will tell you it was one of the best steaks I have had in a long time. Well worth the extra money.
Back to the show, Hawaii Life, I was surprised that they show case many affordable homes less than $500,000. It looks like the real estate market is comparable to the Boston market. Of course , there are the million dollar homes too. 🙂
Anyway, in our meeting yesterday at work, our manager said the company is planning to expand into Hawaii. Of course that is on the drawing board and no one knows how soon it will actually happen, but maybe my dream of living there isn’t so far fetched after all!
