Pumpkin Brownies Halloween Recipe

Hola Amigos! If you follow me on FB you know I got a little help from my friends to get me through what I call a seasonal blogger dilemma. For a while I was seriously considering going into hibernation, closing shop, sort of speak through the Fall and then wake up and join the living on Winter time..odd I know, but here is why:  I couldn't figure out what to blog about because we all know this is Pumpkin Season and I Hate Pumpkins, with Passion!!!

Pumpkins, Squash, Gourds, Sweet Potatoes, Yams...you name it! If it's orange and it's not a carrot I don't like it!. Believe me, I've tried, very hard, but a single bite won't go down my throat.
I don't cook them, I don't know how to cook them and never been interested in them until this Fall, when the entire bloggy community is going head over hills over pumpkins and since now I'm blogging...well what to do!

I got a lot of good suggestions. This was among them, recipe and all courtesy of Paula D. Wilson, one of my FB readers. She promised me I would not be able to taste the pumpkin in these brownies and I thought.....what do I have to lose!

Well, Shut The Front Door!!!! They are amazing! and No Pumpkin Flavor!!! To the point that my little one who can't stand pumpkins either ate the first one and then I was just waiting for the other shoe to drop, but nothing...he loved them!

They are soft, fudgy and so chocolaty! I followed the recipe to the T...well there are only 2 ingredients as you probably know. Just added some chocolate chips and M&M's as I do with all my brownies! Oh My!!!
Just grab the milk and keep them coming!

Decorate them with seasonal candy, more fudge, caramel, peanuts or marshmallows!!! They are good!

I want to thank Paula for her help and for sharing her recipe with me and let me try some pumpkin without really tasting it!!! how great is that?

Thank you for visiting the blog today! Every Thursday on FB I'm having a Thankful Thursday as a way of thanking my readers and fellow bloggers for their support. If you are a small blog, you are just starting as a blogger, you are an artist, you are a reader with a great recipe, Comment on this post leaving me a link to your blog,  contact me and send me your recipe and I will try it and post it here on my blog giving you the credit you deserve. You don't need to be a blogger to do this, just email me or PM me on FB or G+.

Have a great day and keep in mind friends...everything tastes better with a Pinch of Love and a little help from your friends!

 Besitos,

Lizy

Pumpkin Brownies

Ingredients:

1 Box Brownies (18 -20oz) I used Ghirardelli's Ultimate Brownie Mix

1 can (15 oz) Pumpkin Puree

M&M's candy (optional)

Chocolate Chips (optional)

Seasonal Candy (optional)

Directions:

Mix together Brownie Mix (no eggs, no oil, no water) Just the powder with the Pumpkin Puree. It's going to be a thick mix. Pour it into a 13x9 baking dish and bake for 18-24 minutes at 350F or until a toothpick in the middle comes out clean.

Let it cool, cut in squares and decorate the brownies any way you like it. Enjoy!

Prep Time: 3 minutes                                                                  Baking Time 18-24 Minutes                          

Bringing a sweet treat with a trick to these Fa-BOO-lous parties:

Planned in Pencil, Tatertots and Jello, Not Your Ordinary Recipes, SerenityYou, Classy Clutter, Fox Hollow Cottage, Cheerios and Lattes, Too Much Time, Twigg Studios, Life on Lakeshore Drive, WCFS, Your Homebased Mom, Mommifried, The Thriftiness Miss, Under the Table and Dreaming, Dear Creatives, Flamingo Toes, I Should be Mopping the Floors, Frugal Foodie Mama, Sumo's Sweet Stuff, Coastal Charm, Between Naps on the Porch, Carrie This Home, A Pinch of Joy, PandP Kitchen, Jembelish, A Southern Fairytale, Setting for Four, Titi Crafty, Huckleberry Love, VMG 206, The Gunny Sack, Ladybug Blessings, Home Stories A to Z, Chef in Training, Our Table for Seven, Nap-Time Creations, Mandy's Recipe Box, The Everyday Home, The Well Crafted Home, Smart School House, My Sweet Mission, Lady Behind the Curtain, Thank You Honey, All She Cooks, Ducks 'n a Row, Delish, Sweet Haute, A Handful of Everything, The Mandatory Mooch, Saving 4 Six, The Crafty Blogstalker, Maid in a Day, Simply Dream and Create, The Best Blog Recipes, Craftionary, Tidy Mom, The Girl Creative, Home Maid Simple, Love and Laundry, Todays Crative Blog, Practically Functional, My Turn (for Us), Kitchen Fun with my 3 Sons, Sara Howe, Townsend House, Cooking with Curls, Living Better Together, Shaken Together, The Pin Junkie, 504 Main, Six Sisters Stuff, It's Overflowing, Be Different Act Normal, What's Cooking with Ruthie, Angels Homestead, Suburbs Mama, WOM, Housewives of Riverton,SNAP, Cassidy's Cooking, Classy Clutter

Butterscotch Banana Harvest Cake with Apple Butter Maple Sauce Recipe

Hola Amigos! Happy to have you join me and share a piece of this gooey cake with me! As you can see, I'm getting better with the "bundt' pan and so far no other accidents.
I have a hard time giving this cake a name..why..because it's really put together with all the things I love other than chocolate. It reminds me of fall because of some of the ingredients but you could actually have it all year long! It's good anytime and with everything.  Here is the recipe:

Butterscotch Banana Harvest Cake with Maple Apple Butter Sauce

1 Box Yellow Cake

1 box (3.5 oz)  Butterscotch Instant Pudding

1 (6 oz) Container Banana Yogurt

2 Ripened Bananas, Pureed 

1/2 Cup Butterscotch Chips 

Banana Chips for garnish (optional)

Heat you oven at 350 F or according box instructions. As a suggestion, substitute the amount of water called in the recipe for apple juice. Mix ingredients called on the box until moistened. Add yogurt, pudding and bananas. Mix for about 2 minutes as called in the recipe. Fold in the Butterscotch chips and bake according to the box instructions.

Garnish with Banana Chips and drizzle with Mapple Applebutter Sauce

 Apple Butter Maple  Sauce

1 Cup Apple Juice

3/4 Cup Maple syrup

3 TBSP Brown Sugar

1 1/2 Tsp Lemon Juice

1 Cinnamon Stick

3 Tablespoons Apple Butter

3 TBSP Butter

3/4 Cup Butterscotch  Chips 

In a sauce pan on medium heat, add Apple juice, Maple Syrup, brown sugar Lemon and Cinnamon and let this simmer for about 5 minutes without letting in boil. Remove Cinnamon Stick and add Apple Butter and Butter, simmer for another 2 minutes. Finally add the Butterscotch chips and bring to a slow simmer and boil until it thickens enough to coat a spoon. It is not going to be a thick sauce while it's hot, it thickens as it cools. 

Once it has cooled drizzle it liberally on your cake.

Listo,

The cake is delicious even without the Apple Butter Maple Sauce!

So good, my hubs couldn't resist having it sitting there waiting to be photographed and had a slice of it!!!

Needless to say I pretty much took it out of his mouth and send him to "blogger hubby retraining camp" LOL

I figured this would be the perfect cake to welcome the fist days of fall. You can find it's ingredients anytime of the year!

Thank you so much for your kind visit. Let's keep enjoying our summer...after all this cake has a good dose of bananas to take you back to your tropical summer vacation mood with every bite!

Keep in mind my dear friends, everything you do tastes better with a Pinch of Love!

Besitos,

Lizy

Sharing some Harvest Cake at these Fabulous Parties:

The Princess and her Cowboys, Cooking for the Seven Dwarfs, A Pinch of Joy, The Plaid and Paisley Kitchen, Jam Hands, Boogie Board Cottage, Mad in Crafts, Making the World Cuter, Feeding Big, Love Grows Wild, The Blackberry Vine, Pint Sized Baker, Kathe with an E, Nap-Time Creations, Coastal Charm, Sugar Bee Crafts, Today's Creative Blog, Mandy's Recipe Box, My Mixing Spoon, I Gotta Try That, Love Bakes Good Cakes, Cozy Little House, Smart School House, Thank You Honey, Daisy Cottage Designs, Ducks'n a Row, The Lady Behind the Curtain, Ginger Snap Crafts, The Style Sisters, Twin Dragonfly Designs, Handy Man, Crafty Woman, Worthing Court, Life with the Crust Cut Off, Rose Chintz Cottage, Trendy Tree House, The Mandatory Mooch, Real Coake.com, The Crafty Blog Stalker, Live Laugh Rowe, 52 Mantels, Saving 4 Six, House of Hepworths, Sew Crafty Angel, A Handful of Everything, Living Well, Spending Less, Artsy Fartsy Mama, Consider Me Inspired, The Best Blog Recipes, Craftionary, Naptime Crafters, Kitchen Fun with my 3 Sons, The Answer is Chocolate, Living Better Together, The Jenny Evolution, Becoming Martha, Happy Hour Projects, Rooted in Thyme, Home Maid Simple, One Tough Mother, Tidy Mom, 504 Main, The Pin Junkie, My Turn (for Us), Love and Laundry, Happy and Blessed Home, Chef Picky Kid and Me, The Wondering Brain, Lovely Crafty Blog, A Little Claireification, Homemade Ginger, 4 Little Fergusons, 30 Handmade Days, Five Days 5 Ways, Dessert Now, Dinner Later, 4 You with Love, Angles Homestead, Be Different Act Nomal, Too Much Time on my Hands, Cheerios and Lattes, It's Overflowing, Serenity You, Mama Gab, Spatulas on Parade, Life on Lakeshore Drive, Bowdabra, Titi Crafty, WCFS, Crate with Joy, Frugal Foodie Mama, Claire Justine oxox, Uncommon Designs, Alderberry Hill, Flour Me with Love, Keeping It Simple, Sew Can Do, Cupcake-n-Bake, Jembellish, Sumo's Sweet Stuff, The Chicken Chick, Craft-o-Maniac, Huckleberry Love, Under the Table and Dreaming, Ms enPlace, My Romantic Home, I Heart Naptime, All She Cooks, Six Sister's Stuff, Esskunst, Cheerios and Lattes, My Sweet Mission, Gina's Craft Corner

Blueberry Cupcakes with Lemon Glaze

I'm learning to adapt to a new way of life.  Most of my new skills now involve doing things with one hand.  I've almost mastered typing on the computer with just my left hand, I've developed a system of getting dressed with one side of my body accessible at a time, and most importantly, I'm learning to eat one handed all while I have a wiggly 13 pounder in my other arm.



















The key to my new eating style revolves around easy, unfussy foods.  Having these muffins/cupcakes in the fridge might be one of the best things that has ever happened to me.




Why are these muffin cupcakes you ask? They are light, fruity, and some days serve as breakfast; hence, muffin.  They are hearty enough for a good afternoon snack; ergo, muffin or cupcake depending on what makes you feel better.  And they are sweet and tangy enough for a perfect summertime dessert; therefore, cupcake.  Oh yeah, they also hit the spot at 3:30 in the morning in case you find yourself needing a little something.  You see, I think the lemon glaze is what allows this to jump all over the place.  It's tangy and sweet and adds a punch of citrus that will excite your tastebuds.  How's that for the perfect one handed treat?


You should be buying blueberries right now.  You should be buying as many as you can get your hands on.  You should be eating them by the handful, freezing them for smoothies and tossing them into this little muffin/cupcake number.  Why you ask?  Because it's summer and blueberries taste like the sweet and juicy morsels they were designed to be.  And, they are cheap!  What could be better?

Lets call these muffins in the morning and cupcakes at night.  Lets call these the best thing that happened to summer since the push pop.

From my little kitchen to yours... Happy Summer.
Blueberry Cupcakes with Lemon Glaze
Recipe adapted from: aspicyperspective.com
Makes 24 cupcakes

Recipe Notes
A note about greek yogurt: It is important to use good quality greek yogurt in this recipe.  I recommend Oikos or Fage brand and you can use 0% fat or 2% fat as well as plain or vanilla. These authentic greek yogurts are thick and will give your cake a great consistency.

A note about baking time:  I know 20 to 30 minutes is a pretty wide range for doneness.  Depending on exactly how much batter goes into each cupcake and the type of pan you are using, the time varies greatly.  Dark pans bake faster than light pans. The tops will be slightly brown and when you press the tops of the cakes, they will spring back just a bit.  Doneness can also be checked by inserting a toothpick into the cake.  When it comes out clean, the cupcakes are done.   

A note about cupcake liners: You can make these without using the liners, but the finished product is a lot cleaner and portable with the wrappers.  The lemon glaze can be contained in the wrapper and you won't have to worry about a dirty cupcake pan to clean.

Ingredients

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2 cups sugar
3 large or extra large eggs
5 tablespoons lemon juice, divided
Zest of 1 lemon
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour, divided
½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
8 oz. plain or vanilla, greek yogurt (see recipe note)
15 oz. fresh blueberries (about 2 cups), washed and still slightly wet
2 cups powdered sugar
cupcake liners

Step by Step
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a cupcake tin with liners.   Sift together the 2 ¼ cups of flour, baking soda and salt. Mix in the lemon zest and set aside.

With an electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in 1 Tb. lemon juice. Alternate beating in the flour mixture and the yogurt, mixing just until incorporated.
Toss the blueberries with the remaining ¼ cup of flour. Gently mix them into the batter.
Pour the batter into each cup, about 2/3 full. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes, depending on your type of pan.  Dark pans seem to bake a little bit faster than light pans. Cupcakes are done when a toothpick comes out clean and the tops are slightly brown.
Allow cakes to cool in the pan.  Once cooled whisk together the remaining 4 Tb. of lemon juice and the powdered sugar. Drizzle about a teaspoon on top of each cupcake.  Refrigerate for about an hour to help the lemon glaze set.  Cupcakes can also be eaten straight out of the oven after they are glazed... whatever you prefer. (I happen to love them cold).

Store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.  Serve cold or reheat individually in the microwave for 15 seconds.

Marshmallow Salads Oreo and Strawberry Recipes

Hola Amigos! Happy First Day of Summer 2013!!!! Let the good times roll!!! Today I'm ending my series of Deli Salads with one seeing everywhere...the marshmallow salads...they must be good because they are in every single deli counter I've been. As it has been happening so far, I tried some...and some where too sweet   (to the point of  giving me a headache) yikes, some had nothing but marshmallows and no fluff and some others were just right but too many calories. Here is my version of the 2 most popular ones, chocolate and strawberry, I think I managed to keep them "waist friendly" but just in case I made only small batches!

Oreo Marshmallow Salad

1 1/2 Cups Mini Marshmallows
1/2 Container Fat Free Whipped Topping
1 (4 oz ) "Whips" Chocolate yogurt
6 Oreo Cookies Crushed, plus 4 for garnishing
1 1/2 TBSP French Vanilla Creamer
1 TBSP Chocolate Syrup

Mix all the ingredients, saving 4 Oreo cookies for garnishing. Chill and serve after 2 hours.
Listo,

Strawberry Marshmallow Salad

1 1/2 Cups Mini Marshmallows
1/2 Container Fat Free Whipped Topping
1 (.3oz) envelope Sugar Free Jello
1 (4 oz) "Whips" Strawberry yogurt
1 mandarin orange in segments
4 Strawberries chopped
2 TBSP shredded coconut
Maraschino cherries for salad and garnish

Mix all the ingredients saving some Cherries for garnish. Chill and serve after 2 hours.
Listo,

Pretty Tasty I should say and definitely a treat for kids and summer!

It's on the sweet side, so I'm glad I made small batches so it won't be tempted.

I don't think there's any way of making this salad light...I tried though, but with the marshmallows...forget about it, lol

There you have it my friends, we have explore this week at the blog a few of  my favorite Deli Salads, I hope I have inspired you to go and make some of your own. Who knows what beautiful and tasty things we are all capable of creating! Have a fantastic Summer everyone! and remember, everything tastes better with a Pinch of Love!

Besitos,
Lizy
Follow my blog with Bloglovin


Bringing some marshmallow fluff at these Fabulous Parties:
Cheerios and Lattes
Life with the Crust Cut Off
Dragonfly Designs
Ginger Snap Crafts
Ducks 'n a Row
Marty's Musings
Fluster Buster
Clean and Scensible
Love Bakes Good Cakes
Shaffer Sisters
Memories by the Mile
Cozy Little House
Anyonita Nibbles
Feeding Big
Nap Time Creations
Our Home Away from Home
Sugar Bee Crafts
Hun...what's for dinner
Pint Sized Baker
I Gotta Try That
This Moma's Ramblings
WCFS
Opulent Cottage
The Plaid and Paisley Kitchen
Sweet2Eat Baking
Dessert Now, Dinner Later
Classy Clutter
Sew-Licious Home Decor
Heatherly Loves
Life in Lakeshore Drive
Spatulas on Parade
Navy Wifey Peters
Pink When
The Chicken Chick
Ms. enPlace
Frugal Foodie Mama
twelveOeight
Claire Justine oxox
The Tumbleweed Contessa
Under the Table and Dreaming
In the Kitchen with Jenny
The Shabby Nest
Chocolate Chocolate and More

Lemon Strawberry Pound Cake

This cake will forever have a special place in my heart.  If you read my last post, you can see why.  What was originally intended to be a tasty treat at Easter brunch, turned into a birthday cake for our sweet little Lilly who decided she wanted to be born on Easter.

After realizing we would not be making it to brunch, friends and family snacked on this cake in the waiting room at the hospital. 

I couldn't have picked a better cake for such a special day.  There is no other way to put it... it's the perfect cake.  Fresh and ripe strawberries are complemented by a hint of lemon, and together they give this cake a flavor and texture that tastes like a perfect spring day feels.

This cake is a stand alone star.  A slice of the cake, hot or cold is satisfying all by its lonesome.  However, with my first two attempts, I did not have complete success popping the cake out of the pan.  A big chunk got stuck in the pan.  I quickly scraped the cake out of the pan and sort of packed it back into the cake.  It left part of the top looking less than pretty, so I decided to cover it up with fresh whipped cream.  Not a necessity but delicious and a good tool to have in your back pocket if you need to hide a few imperfections.  See my recipe notes below to avoid the cake coming apart on you.

From my little kitchen to yours... Enjoy.

Lemon Strawberry Pound Cake
Adapted from aspicyperspective.com

Recipe Notes
A note about greek yogurt: It is important to use good quality greek yogurt in this recipe.  I recommend Oikos or Fage brand and you can use 0% fat or 2% fat as well as plain or vanilla. These authentic greek yogurts are thick and will give your cake a great consistency.

A note about cooling time: In my testing, I had only one thing go wrong the first two times around... half the cake got stuck in the pan.  I found that the key is to let the cake cool completely in the pan before turning it out onto a plate. My cake cooled in about an hour, but leave it to cool as long as you possibly can.

Ingredients

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
3 Tb. lemon juice, divided
Zest of 1 lemon
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour, divided
½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
8 oz. plain or vanilla, greek yogurt (see recipe note)
12 oz. fresh strawberries, diced
1 cup powdered sugar
Optional
Fresh whipped cream, for serving (click here for recipe)

Step by Step
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Coat a bundt pan with cooking spray or grease with butter and flour.  Sift together the 2 ¼ cups of flour, baking soda and salt. Mix in the lemon zest and set aside.

With an electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in 1 Tb. lemon juice. Alternate beating in the flour mixture and the yogurt, mixing just until incorporated.
Toss the strawberries with the remaining ¼ cup of flour. Gently mix them into the batter.
Pour the batter into the Bundt pan. Place in the oven and reduce the temperature to 325 degrees F. Bake for 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
Allow to cool completely in the bundt pan, at least an hour and then turn out onto a wire rack.  See recipe note for notes on cooling time.  Once cooled whisk together the remaining 2 Tb. of lemon juice and the powdered sugar. Drizzle over the top of the cake.

Store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.  Serve cold or reheat individual pieces in the microwave for 15 seconds.

Death By Chocolate Cake & Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe

Hola Amigos! It's been a while since we dipped something in chocolate on the blog, so...let's dip it Big Time!
I'm sharing with you today my recipe for Death by Chocolate Cake with a Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting! Yup, this recipe is not for the faint at heart. It will cure your chocolate craving for an entire week for sure.
Here is the recipe and a Disclaimer saying this blog is not responsible if you: Fall into a Sugar induced Coma, Your kids go into Hyper Mode, Your Teeth Hurt, You gain 20 pounds just by reading this recipe or you Fall completely In Llove with it and make it over and over again! LOL

Death By Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

Death by Chocolate Cake
1 Box Chocolate Fudge Cake 
1 Cup of Milo chocolate energy drink or your favorite chocolate milk
1/3 Cup Caramel Coffee
1 Small box Instant Chocolate Pudding
eggs according to box instructions
oil according to box instructions 
1/2 Cup Chocolate Chips
1 Bar (6.5 oz) Milk Chocolate Shredded, I used Trader Joe's

 Follow the instructions on the box of your Fudge Cake. I replaced 1 Cup of Chocolate energy drink plus 1/3 cup of coffee for the same amount the ask for water. Also add the pudding and manualy add the chocolate chips and shredded chocolate before putting the mix in your pan.
Bake according to instructions.

Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

8 oz Cream Cheese Softened.

1/4 Cup Butter Softened

3 oz Semisweet Chocolate Melted

2 Cups Confectioners Sugar

1 TSPS Vanilla Extract

1/3 Cup Cream 

Pinch of Salt

Mix Cream Cheese and Butter until creamed. Add Melted chocolate, Sugar, Vanilla Extract , Cream and salt until everything is smooth and ready to spread.

Listo,

If you are a chocolate lover, you are in heaven! Chocolate Chips inside, Chunks of Milk Chocolate in the frosting and Big Chocolate Balls and Chocolate Syrup to decorate. Do you have enough?

I hope this recipe helps you have a Sweet Head Start this Week! Remember that everything tastes better with a Pinch of Love! and lots and lots of Chocolate!

Besitos,
Lizy

Sharing a few extra sweet calories at these Fabulous Parties:
Worthing Court
Under the Table and Dreaming
The NY Melrose Family
Will Cook for Smiles
Sweet 2 Eat
Heatherly Loves
Spatulas on Parade
Life on Lakeshore Drive
Sew-Licious Home Decor
Dessert Now Dinner Later
Your Homebased Mom
Serenity You
Claire Justine oxox
My Turn (for Us)
Simply Designing
The Best Blog Recipes
Chic on a Shoestring
Rattlebridge Farm
504 Main
One Artsy Mama
The Thriftiness Miss
My Romantic Home
This and That
The Home Girl
Kitchen Fun with my 3 Sons
The Charm of Home
Food Done Light
RealCoake.com
Nap-Time Creations
Pint Sized Baker
Love Grows Wild
Sarah Lynn's Sweets
Love Bakes Good Cakes
Memories by the Mile
Our Home Away from Home
twelveOeight
Fluster Buster
Feeding Big and More
Mom's Test Kitchen
Clean and Scentsible
The Style Sisters
No Minimalist Here
The Mandatory Mooch
Seven Alive
Jennifer Rizzo
Natasha in Oz
Rain on a Tin Roof
I Gotta Try That
Between Naps on the Porch
The Pin Junkie
Cozy Little House
Tumbleweed Contessa
Ginger Snap Crafts
Handy Man, Crafty Woman
Life with the Crust Cut off
Rate the Plate Utah

Lemon Blackberry Bundt Cake, in theory

Hola Amigos! Today I'm sharing with you my bitter sweet story of my first try and fail at Bundt Cake making! As you all know, I'm not a baker, I can ship you a fest out of things coming from a can, baking I don't do, but lately I've been inspired by all these marvelous food bloggers and their creations. To the point that I wanted to make something pretty too...after all how difficult could it possibly be! It's just flour, eggs, butter. pan it and bake it, right? RiGhT??? Wrong! There is a lot more behind it...little tricks that with the help of a few encouraging friends I've learned and will practice after today!
                                                                                                                                                                               

It all started well, like everything in life I was full of excitement with my pink Bundt pan ready to bake a masterpiece, a Lemon Blackberry cake worthy of the Gods of Sugar and Spice! In the oven it went and once it was done, I thought it looked pretty good too! So far so good!

Then disaster struck!...it was going well...until the Blackberries got stuck in the bundt pan!..Blackberry Craters were left behind on the face of my almost perfect bundt!..Why? Why? My dreams were crushed! I even had a speech planned in my head of the things I was going to write on the blog about how good and pretty it came out!

       

                                                                                Even my 4 yo had to mess with it too! Like having blackberry holes all over wasn't enough...my bundt got poked and pinch and left yet with another hole...this one made by little hungry fingers!!! grrrrr!

I must confess at this point I had everything ready to go with a second recipe and post it because I've done it a million times before and I know it would save my blogger's behind. But what's the merit on that?..No! I was going to try my best to give "Bundt" an Extreme Makeover" make it presentable so we all could talk about what went wrong!

My great fans on FB were so supportive and helpful giving me awesome hints...
Kathrin a wonderful blogger at Ginger, Lemon and Spice, suggested I used dry fruits next time. Due to the fact the fruit was fresh it sank to the bottom of the pan creating a perfect storm, also, which I thought it was genius, she suggested I coated each fruit in flour so they wouldn't sink or layer them in between the batter!

Reader Ceria offer a solution on how to recycle the disaster..cube it and make trifle with it! That was a great idea! Marlys at This and That blog, also offered a brilliant solution, cover it with icing and it will be ok! another great idea. A few other readers shared their "fails" with me and encouraged me to keep on trying, Bonnie, Lorna, Claudia...Thank You guys! and then, reader Larissa said the magic words..."Nothing Chocolate Can't Cover"!!!! Well I'll be!!! This is just the perfect opportunity to make my Motto, The entire name of this blog come to life...JUST DIP IT IN CHOCOLATE!

So I did...and also gave "Bundt" a crown of gold. Sweet Coconut flakes with a hint of yellow food coloring! "Bundt" looked so pretty!!!...

Not perfect...after all what is perfect in this world? It's finding the pretty among the chaos what makes us smile, sing and love..it's what makes us feel alive!
It was delicious inside..lemony and soft..crumbling in little pieces of goodness with every bite!
And then...there they were...the culprits of the whole debacle...the blackberries!...

On a second look...even though I don't like what they did to "Bundt" they also looked and were delicious!
Is this going to be my last bundt...no...I will keep on trying until I get it right!

In a way I'm glad this mess happened, because without it I wouldn't have had the opportunity to  get the support and feel the bloggy love of fellow bloggers and readers who cared enough to write and help me out in my time of need! For them...I will keep on trying until I get it right!

Remember everything tastes better with a Pinch of Love, a little help from your friends and Dipped In Chocolate!

Besitos,

Lizy

Bringing 'Bundt" story to these Fabulous Parties:

Cheerios and Lattes
Life on Lakeshore Drive
The Chicken Chick
The Frugal Foodie Mama
Couponing and Cooking
The Plaid and Paisley Kitchen
Eyes on the Source
Sugar Bee Crafts
The 36th Avenue
Foodie Schmoody