Mom bakes this DELICIOUS (and beautiful) cake around every Valentine's Day. She found it in a Better Homes and Gardens magazine back in 2009. She made one last night, and this morning it's already half-eaten.
Ingredients:
3/4 cup plus 1 tsp. all-purpose flour
1/3 cup plus 1 tsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt
1/3 cup unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup sour cream
1 Recipe Cherry or Chocolate Frosting, recipe below
1 Recipe Chocolate-Dipped Cherries, recipe below (optional)
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease two 6×2-inch round cake pans or springform pans. Mix 1 teaspoon each flour and cocoa powder; dust pans. Set pans aside.
2. In bowl combine 3/4 cup flour, 1/3 cup cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt; set aside.
3. In large bowl with electric mixer beat butter on medium to high for 30 seconds. Add sugar; beat until smooth and fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla until smooth. Beat in sour cream and flour mixture. Pour batter in pans; spread evenly.
4. Bake 22 to 26 minutes or until top springs back when lightly touched and edges begin to pull away from sides of pan. Cool in pans on wire rack 10 minutes. Remove from pans; cool on rack.
5. Use serrated knife to horizontally cut cakes in half to make 4 layers total. Place bottom layer on plate; spread with 2/3 cup frosting. Repeat with layers. Place top layer on cake. Heap remaining frosting, swirling in peaks. Refrigerate. To serve, top with Chocolate-Dipped Cherries. Serves 8.
Cherry Frosting: In chilled large mixing bowl combine one 8-ounce carton sour cream. 1 cup whipping cream (do not use ultra-pasteurized whipping cream), 1-1/2 cups powdered sugar, and 2 tablespoons maraschino cherry juice. Beat with chilled beaters on medium-high until fluffy, about 3 to 5 minutes.
Chocolate Frosting: In a chilled large mixing bowl combine one 8-ounce carton sour cream, 1 cup whipping cream (do not use ultra-pasteurized whipping cream), 1-1/2 cups powdered sugar, and 1/4 cup sifted unsweetened cocoa powder. Beat with chilled beaters on medium-high until fluffy, about 3 to 5 minutes.
Chocolate-Dipped Cherries: Drain 16 maraschino cherries with stems; pat dry with paper towels. In small microwave-safe bowl combine 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate pieces and 1 teaspoon shortening. Cook on 50 percent power (medium) 1-1/2 to 2 minutes or until melted, stirring once. Dip cherries in chocolate; place on waxed paper until set. Store, covered, up to 24 hours.
"In 1900, a young widow finds her seaside cottage is haunted... and forms a unique relationship with the ghost."
- IMDB
My favorite movie of all time is the 1947 classic “The Ghost & Mrs. Muir,” starring Gene Tierney and Rex Harrison.
If you have never seen this film, PLEASE be sure to watch it when there will be no interruptions. I would also recommend watching it late at night. There is such a uniqueness and otherworldly charm with this movie that watching it in a peaceful, quiet atmosphere is absolutely key. (Besides, aren't all the old black-and-white classics best when watched with all the lights off?)
You will not regret seeing this gem. The storyline is beautiful, and Lucy's home by the sea (Gull Cottage) is equally as gorgeous. And then there's Bernard Hermann's music score... BREATHTAKING! Pardon the pun, but it really is haunting. There's no other word to describe it.
Everything about this film is a masterpiece. The only thing that I didn't like (and I know I'm not alone here) was when George Sander's character butted in on Captain Gregg and Lucy's budding romance.
Okay, I'm gonna have to stop rambling right there. Otherwise, I'd start posting spoilers which I really don't want to do.
To see pictures of Gull Cottage from the movie, click HERE
Isn't this interesting? Look at the physical similarities here between Gerry and The Captain. Be sure to click on the picture to enlarge it.
Just FYI - The painting of The Captain can also be seen in the Jimmy Stewart movie, "Mr. Hobbs Takes A Vacation." That movie was also set on a beach... although the house isn't quite so romantic.
Back to what I originally intended for this post to be about.
Over the past couple of weeks one of my long-time wishes came true, thanks to the wonderful world of YouTube. What I'm speaking of is "The Ghost & Mrs. Muir" tv series, of course! I've never seen it, and always wanted to. The series was made in the 60's, and is very different from the movie.
While the movie is superior, the series is fun. Both are rarities when you compare them to the kind of "entertainment" we find on tv and in movie theaters nowadays. They just don't make 'em like they used to.
I DEFINITELY recommend seeing the movie before the tv series. I can't stress that enough. The movie is the original, and it's bittersweet and romantic. The tv series is comedy, with little sprinklings of romance every now and then. Blink, and you might miss it. I also have to say that the captain in the series was a nice surprise. I really liked him and thought he fit into the role very well.
To see pictures of Gull Cottage from the tv series, click HERE
I wonder if someone ever bought the place after it was put on the market? It's such a beautiful house.
Happy 5th Birthday To Our Little Lass of Fluff & Sass!
Izzy introduced herself on her own blog, so for this birthday post I'll share photos of her from puppy-hood on up. The day we brought her home (2007) she weighed only 1.9 pounds. Today, she's at least 5 pounds.
Didn't she look like a little bear cub as a baby? So cute.
(That last photo is a clickable thumbnail. It's one of my favorites)
(Click on Thumbnails)
Those last pictures crack me up.
It was before her adult coat came in. Her awkward teenage days.
Since Santa and his flying reindeer have left town with an empty sack of toys, Love Month has finally arrived. And with February comes that little archery-happy cherub, firing little heart-tipped arrows at unsuspecting passersby.
I confess to being a little addicted to popular quotes, so for the month of February expect to find little smatterings of lovey-dovey passages and sayings around here.
So, having said that let's get started! I figured who better to start us off than the Roman poet himself, Ovid. This particular quote I've always liked because it's short, simple and gets straight to the point.
True and beautiful words, but how could I make A DECENT LIVING doing what I enjoy?
I know, I'm a party pooper this morning but this really does feel hopeless. And it feels hopeless, because it is. Working from home is every bit as likely to happen as winning the lottery today. Apparently, I'm asking too much.
Either that, or Karma is biting me in the rear for-- oh, I don't know... crushing pansies beneath my heels in a fit of rage once? Going against my nature and squashing a spider to Kingdom Come?
Okay, so that can't be it. I'm not a fan of heels, feel a twinge of guilt whenever picking flowers, and I really do rescue spiders. They seem to like my bathroom sink a lot. When taking off my makeup, I try not to drown the little creatures.
