All Cakes Considered

To all the cakes I've loved before, I am sorry but you have been replaced.  You see I have found something better.  I have found a cake that is moist and delicious and tastes oh so yummy!  

 My new favorite cake EVER is a Peach Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting.  It may well be the most delicious things I have ever put in mouth! 

Now that your mouths are watering let me tell you where I found this wonderful recipe.  I found it in a cake cookbook called All Cakes Considered by Melissa Gray. 

Melissa has done all the research and found the best of the best!  She decided to make a new cake each week and bring it into work to share with her colleagues at radio station NPR.  Melissa works behind the scenes of the radio show All Things Considered, hence the name of the book.  Lucky them!  After finding the very yummiest cakes, she put them all together into a great cookbook.  Thanks Melissa!

The majority of the cookbook is filled with fabulous cakes but in case you get tired of those she even threw in some great cookie recipes (great thinking Melissa!).  I do the happy dance when I find a cookbook that is filled with beautiful pictures, especially cake pictures!  I like to see whatever I am making is supposed to look like, ya know.

The Cake Recipes Included Are:

• Sour Cream Pound Cake - which she calls The Man Catcher, LOL!
• Brown Sugar Pound Cake
• Missy G's Sweet Potato Pound Cake
• Key Lime Cake
• Procrastinatin' Drunken Monkey Banana Bread
• The Barefoot Contessa's Sour Cream Coffee Cake - WOWWY!
• Argroves Manor Coffee Cake
• Miss Saigon Cinnamon Almond Coffee Cake
• Swedish Visiting Cake - Yummmmm!
• Rum-Drenched Vanilla Cakes
• Gingerbread
• Wacky Cake w/ Seven Minute Frosting
• Cocoa Bread with Stewed Yard Peaches
• Tunnel of Fudge Cake - Just looking at the the oozing fudge makes my mouth water!
• Butter Rum Cake
• The Naughty Senator
• Paula Deen's Almond Sour Cream Pound Cake
• Coffee Spice Cake
• Spanish Meringue Cake
• Honey Spice Cake with Rum Glaze
• Holiday Honey Cake
• Araby Spice Cake
• Black Walnut Cake
• Banana Cake w/ Chocolate Frosting-  Does it get any better than this??!! 
• Fresh Apple Cake
• Paula Deen's Grandgirl's Fresh Apple Cake from Georgia - Ok, maybe it does!
• Peach cake with Cream Cheese Frosting - MY FAVORITE!!
• Faux Fruitcake
• Martha Washington's Great Cake
• Bittersweet-Chocolate Frosted Layer Cake
• Whipped Cream Cake
• Honey Buttercream and Apricot Jam Cake
• Italian Cake - Coconut and Walnuts Galore!
• Sour Cream Spice Cake w/ Orange Butter Frosting
• Devil's Food Cake with Quick Fudge Icing and Raspberry Jam
• Dark Chocolate Red Velvet Cake
• Triple Chocolate Orange Passion Cake
• German's Chocolate Cake
• Angel Food Cake
• Chocolate Angel Food Cake
• Lady and Lord Baltimore Cakes
• Lane Cake
• Appalachian Stack Cake - The next time that I have company over this will be their dessert, WOW!
• Graham Cracker Cake
• Dark Chocolate Peppermint Pattie Cake
• Heaven and Hell Cake - If you love chocolate and peanut butter you are sure to love this one!

These cakes would be great to make and take, for special occasions or for any ol' reason at all!  You can purchase your own copy of All Cakes Considered on Amazon for $16.47.  I am sure that you too will find a new cake to LOVE!

Please note that I received All Cakes Considered free of charge for review purposes, but this not not in any way change my opinion of this product.

A Biblical Approach to Early Childhood Discipline

Just wanted to share something with you all.  As I have mentioned before, once the kids are nestled all snug in their beds at night sometimes I finish folding laundry, mopping the kitchen floor, etc. and I like to listen to messages while I am doing these chores.

I have been listening to FamilyLife Today's Dennis and Barbara Rainey give sound biblical wisdom on raising children.  They have 6 grown children of their own and have been in the thick of raising children.  This couple really encouraged me as I listened to them talk about some of the very challenges that I am currently facing. 

 You really should listen to the message on your own but I wanted to share some of the golden nuggets that really stuck with me:

• I really liked their suggestion of sitting down with your spouse and each of you coming up with 10 things that are most important in raising your children.  After each of you come up with your Top 10 then come together and agree on the Top 5 that you both agree are important.   
• Dennis Rainey gave the scripture Hebrews 12:5-11 and explained that after he would discipline once of his children he would read them this verse.  I LOVE this idea and want to work on memorizing this passage of scripture: 5And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: 6For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. 7If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? 8But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. 9Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? 10For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness. 11Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.
• Barbara explained connection with that they modeled the correction that the gave their children after God's discipline of Adam and Eve in the garden.with how they disciplined their own children. 

They have several messages that look very good.  I think that it is very profitable to glean from those that have gone through the very same things that I am going through.  Hopefully you will enjoy them too!

Menu Plan Monday

I have been trying out some new crock pot recipes lately and found several keepers.  As I have told you all a few times before, I L-O-V-E my crocky pots.  One of them pretty much has taken up permanent residency on my counter.  They really just make life much simpler, whether you homeschool or work full time it is a major time saver. 

Last Saturday night I put a frozen pot roast, along with all the fixin's, in my crock pot dish so it would be ready for Sunday morning.  On Sunday mornings we are usually tight on time, since we are getting ready for church, so it was nice to have everything ready the night before.  All I had to do was pull my crock pot dish out of the refrigerator, put in the crock pot and turn it on.  Really, it just doesn't get any easier than that, you know what I am sayin'!!

I actually did tried several crock pot recipes last week, hope you enjoy them:

Monday
Pizza Chicken over Noodles w/ Mixed Veggies on the side - All the kids loved this one!

Tuesday
Rosemary Chicken, Carrots and Brown Rice

Wednesday
Loose Meat Sandwiches w/ Chips and Fruit - These sandwiches are a new favorite for us!

Thursday
Pioneer Dinner - This was possibly the easiest dinner I have ever made (next to a bowl of cereal, yes, we had had cereal for dinner more than once) and EVERYONE liked it! 

Friday
Pizza

Saturday
Layered Beef Casserole w/ Broccoli - this was really yummy too!

Sunday
Sweet & Savory Pot Roast w/ Carrots and Potatoes - Y-U-M-M-E-E-E-E-!-!

Glorious and Mighty

Words by Joel Sczebel, Todd Twining and Bob Kauflin


Majesty, Your glory is shining
Brighter than the moon and the stars
Marveling, we honor and fear You
Above all gods

Chorus Glorious and mighty, You’re awesome In beauty
Joyful songs we raise
Glorious and mighty, You’re awesome in beauty
Greatly to be praised

Majesty, You fashioned the heavens
Your decrees can never be changed
Over all the plans of the nations
Your judgments reign

Majesty, we’ll sing with creation
When You come again in the clouds
Every knee will bow down and worship
The one true God


While this is not a traditional hymn it is a fabulous song about our Glorious and Mighty Creator, God.   You can listen to the song here or purchase the CD from Sovereign Grace Ministries (it is actually on sale right now for only $6.00).

Saturday Solutions: Garlic Ear Drops

If you have children then chances are that you too have been awakened in the middle of the night with a crying sick child.  This is not fun for anyone and mom's can sometimes feel helpless.

If one of our children wakes crying in the middle of the night complaining of an ear ache or pulling on their ears then I go right for my garlic ear drops.  We've been using them for years, they are safe, natural and have been very effective for us.  Usually, we have all been able to return to sleep.

There have been times that I have taken our children to the doctor's, been told that they have an ear infection and then been given a prescription.  I politely decline and explain that we have garlic drops at home.  We have in the past used the garlic ear drops and returned to the doctors for a follow up, the results have been excellent. 

Usually I buy the garlic ear drops from a health food store but am starting to make them on my own.  Here is the recipe I am using:

1/2 cup of olive oil
1 head of fresh garlic - peel and slice all cloves
small glass jar, like a mason jar
small square of cheese cloth - enough to cover the top of your jar

Gather your supplies.  Peel and slice all of your garlic cloves and place in the jar.  Pour the 1/2 cup of olive oil over the cloves.  Place the cheese cloth on top and secure with a rubber band.  Give a little swirl to mix.

Keep in a warm place.  Every day or 2 give a little swirl to mix, do this for 2 weeks.  After the 2 weeks are up, strain the oil through the cheese cloth and into a a small glass jar with a lid (preferably a small dark glass jar where the lid has a built in dropper).


Using the Garlic Ear Oil:

Place the glass jar into a bowl full of hot water.  Heat the oil to a nice warm temperature but be VERY CAREFUL NOT TO MAKE IT TOO HOT!!  Check the temp on your wrist.  Place a few drops in each ear and then use a cotton ball.  After a few minutes the cotton balls can be removed.  It is also helpful to rub the oil around the lymph nodes and neck. 

CAUTION:  DO NOT USE EAR DROPS IF THE EAR DRUM IS RUPTURED! 

Please note that I am NOT a doctor, just a mom.   I am just offering a suggestion that has worked for us in our home.  Please use your own judgement in caring for your children.  Obviously, if the drops are causing additional pain STOP using them and see your doctor. : )