Chocolate Sour Cream Tortilla Cake

Chocolate & sour cream. Doesn't sound good does it? My husband decided he wanted this cake for his birthday. I promise that this "cake" is good-- and super easy to make.

You will need:
1 pkg, 10 count, large flour tortillas
1 bag, 12 oz, semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips
16 oz sour cream
1/4 c confectioners sugar

Micro Macrame Bangle Bracelet Tutorial

Today's guest post is by KNOTS AND SPARKLEZ, who specializes in micro macrame jewelry. 

My name is Vicky and I'm a working at home mom by choice since I believe raising my daughter is more important than my personal financial gratification, and doing this allows me to work in my free time and still be there when my daughter needs me. 
I work with tiny (less than 1mm) cords and mostly crystals and Japanese glass beads. Thus the name. Macrame is the art of knotting. All jewelry pieces are designed (aside from a few) and hand knotted by me, and are crafted in a smoke free environment. Some items can be crafted without metallic components for allergies sufferers (even the buttons are metallic-looking but contains no metals) and all items can be made to custom fit. If for any reason you have difficulties in finding the right size jewelry this is for you. I can custom make to fit your size.

Property of Knots and Sparklez 2012         www.knotsandsparklez.weebly.com 

BANGLE BRACELET TUTORIAL  

Lavender Lemon Sugar Cookies

This wonderful recipe is courtesy of guest blogger Cafe Primrose. Enjoy the recipe, and make sure to stop by her blog or Facebook page to say hi!

 Hello, my dearest darlings. Tonight, I have the most sophisticated tea snack you have ever seen. It would also go great  as accompaniment to an afternoon coffee event. You could even eat these fabulous French inspired cookies with a nice cup of Viennese Melange coffee…. Delicious! So buckle your seat belts! Lets get started!

Ok folks, here we have a French twist on an old and time honored American favorite. Soft baked lemon sugar cookies. Frosted in mouth watering butter cream lavender frosting, topped with a sprinkled pinch of dried lavender flowers. This, is so delicious we are declaring it one of our signature yummies here at Cafe Primrose.

Artisan Free-Form No-Knead Bread

I love bread. Any type of savory or sweet baked good is fine with me. A few years ago my dad found this recipe and shared it with me. It is seriously the easiest bread recipe ever. I love that I can customize the recipe to fit with the meal I'm serving, which I will discuss more below.

Master Recipe: Artisan Free-Form Loaf
makes 4 1-pound loaves

3 cups lukewarm water
1 1/2 tbsp granulated yeast (1 1/2 pkgs)
1 1/2 tbsp coarse kosher or sea salt
6 1/2 cups unsifted, unbleached, AP white flour
cornmeal for pizza peel

dough resting 40min before baking

• Heat the water to just a little warmer than body temp (100 degrees F)
• Add yeast and salt to the water in a 5 qt bowl, or in a resealable container. Allow to yeast bloom.
• Mix in the flour by gently scooping it up and leveling (don't sift). Mix with a wooden spoon or mixer with dough attachment. Don't knead! This yields a wet dough loose enough to conform to the container.
• Cover loosely, and allow the mixture to rise at room temp until it begins to collapse (about 2 hours).
• You can use a portion of the dough anytime after this point, but it is recommended to refrigerate dough for at least 3 hours before shaping the loaf.

Birdwatching & The Great Backyard Bird Count

For the past several years, I have become increasingly intrigued with the feathered visitors to our backyard.

Now that I am home full-time with a growing toddler, bird watching has become a passion of ours. We like to sit and watch the birds on the back deck while we have breakfast. We are working on identifying birds, like the "daddy Carm-in-al" above, as well as counting how many birds we see. Our daughter enjoys when we see a morning "bird party." If they aren't at the feeder when she is ready for them to be, she asks, "more birds, please?"

sparrows & house finches