rum glazed pecans...

These were a fun and scrumptious treat to
make and give away this holiday season...

and it's not late for you to make and enjoy, or share,
for your New Years celebrations.

They are super easy to make.
Here, let me show you...

Combine 1/2 cup white sugar,
1/2 cup brown sugar,
and 2 tablespoons butter in a sauce pan.

Add 1/4 cup Dark Rum.

Put your heat on medium-low.


Begin to stirring to combine.

You'll want to stir continuously until it boils.
Continue to stir for about 7 minutes until the syrup
begins to appear clean and non-granular.

Pour in the pecans.

Here's where you can give another splash or two of rum...
if you'd like, or not. Then stir to coat the pecans.

Remove from heat.

Spray your baking sheet w/ a non-stick spray.


Pour the pecans onto your baking sheet and spread the out evenly.

Give 'em a little sprinkling of Sea Salt.

Followed by a dashing of sugar... or not, if you prefer.
This is totally optional.

Bake for about 10 to 12 minutes in a 350 degree oven.

Remove from oven, cool completely, break apart and devour!

So good.

Happy Holiday's Friends!
xo
Rolo

fall is here...

Two days into Fall...
Would someone please clue Mother Nature in.

That's it and that's all.
Have a great weekend y'all.

buddy loves jude...

Happy Monday and Happy third day of Spring!

So far, Spring has started out fairly well for me.
Lets see...
First, Dallas got about 5 inches of snow! Crazy right? Tell me about it!
It's all melted and gone forever now... but it was the craziest thing!

Second, on this gorgeous Monday morning, our dumb little dog (and I say
that in the most endearing way... I think) pooped on my living room rug.
Just bold faced, looked right at me, and pooped... her dumb little tootsie
roll poops! I could not believe it! Then she ran and put herself in her kennel!
Dumb, I tell ya! ;)

Then... or Third, Buddy (our bigger dog) tracked in mud all over my kitchen rug!

Forth, A particular husband, left the level propped up against the vacuum in the closet
and when I reached in and grabbed the vacuum out the heavy, metal level came
crashing down across my bare toes! OUCH! Dang husband!

Fifth, Baby boy took his poopy diaper off in his crib... and well, you know! UGH!

Then I put baby boy down for his nap after his bath of course, had me some of that
Laughing Cow cheese, and looked at these pictures I took last summer of Buddy
and my baby boy...

They're sure to brighten anyone's day

I know they just did mine.

Hope they did yours too... I'm just here to help.

xo
Rolo

lets eat cake...

Spring is HERE!
Spring is HERE!!
Spring is HEEEERRRREEEE!!!

Lets all run out our front doors, breath in the
fresh air and do cart wheels in our fresh new grass...
that is, if you've got any yet!

In honor of this new season, where everything
is new again, lets eat cake!

In fact, lets eat some Vanilla Cake with,
are you ready for THIS?...
Key Lime Buttercream Frosting!

Oh boy, Oh boy, Oh boy... pass the fork right now!

If you're a fan of Key Lime Pie,
then you're gonna love this!

I couldn't stop licking my fingers on this one!

And the cake... I'm not gonna lie to ya.
Mine got a little too done... I think it's my oven or
my sleep deprivation (please note: I'll probably be blaming
all my mishaps on that for the next year... or twenty!)

Anyway, aside from a little well done, the cake is delicious.
Even the cake batter is to die for... not that I would know anything
about THAT. It's just something I heard. :)

You could totally make this cake for any occasion
and frost it with any flavor of frosting.

Now, go celebrate Spring and bake this cake NOW!


~Vanilla Cake~

2 cups sugar
1 cup butter, softened
3 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. almond extract
3 cups CAKE flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup buttermilk

~Beat sugar and butter at medium until creamy and fluffy (about 5 minutes).
~Add eggs, one at a time, beating until yellow disappears after each addition.
~Beat in vanilla and almond extracts.

~In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.
~Add to sugar mixture alternately with buttermilk, beginning and
ending with flour mixture.
~Beat at medium-low speed just until blended after each addition.
(Batter will be thick.) Use immediately.

~Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees in 2 greased and floured 9-inch round
cake pans for 30 to 35 minutes, checking with a wooden pick for doneness.


~Key Lime Buttercream Frosting~

1 cup butter, softened
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. salt
1 (32-oz) pkg. powdered sugar
4 to 5 Tbsp. milk
2 Tbsp. Key lime zest
3 Tbsp. Key lime juice.

~Beat first three ingredients at medium speed until creamy.
~Beat in Key lime zest.
~Gradually add powdered sugar alternately with milk and Key lime juice,
beating at low speed until blended and smooth after each addition.
~Beat in up to 2 Tbsp. additional milk for desired consistency.

Happy Spring...
and Happy Birthday to Amy!
xo
Ralonda

fall is here...

Autumn is my favorite time of year with October being my favorite month. I absolutely love the cooler temps and the saturation of warmer colors. But living here in the "Big D", for the most part, it's still HOT, which makes getting out and enjoying the new season a bit uncomfortable... especially for an eight-plus month pregnant lady. If we do happen to get a break in the weather and it dips, say below, ninety degrees, people are out in full force... even me. Like last Friday for instance... my good friend, Amy, was headed to the Dallas Arboretum with her kiddos and invited us along. I eagerly accepted the invite and thought it would be a great opportunity to finally blow the dust off my new camera and actually take some pictures with it.

How cool is this... I was in pumpkin and gourd heaven.

Besides getting lots of shots of pumpkins, gourds and flowers, I also used Haley as a subject... she enjoyed that!

Here is Amy's youngest, Tommy... err, I mean, "Super Tommy". He had a blast conquering the mountainous hay bales and pumpkin jungle.

Here is the view of White Rock Lake. I love living near the lake. My next picture excursion will be of the lake. I'm just waiting until it gets a tad bit cooler.

I just love paths like this.

Here are a few up close shots using my powerful zoom lens... this lens really intimidates me.

Haley is now enjoying a refreshing treat near the water frogs.

And one last one of me and my baby girl. What a fun time we had... Thanks Amy!

xo

Ralonda