Carrot Cake Double Doozies

I wanted to make a carrot cake to take to work as an early Easter treat for my co-workers but...one of my co-workers is known as "the cake lady" and she is making a carrot cake next week for someone's birthday, so I didn't want to have 2 carrot cakes back to back.  I will probably make the carrot cake that I've been wanting to try this weekend and take it to my friend Brian's for Easter.

So, I was thinking...what can I take to work?  Then I remembered how popular my Red Velvet Double Doozies had been so thought, 'why can't I make them but with a Carrot Cake twist to them?'

And . . . that is just what I did.

This makes about 20 cookies.  I doubled the recipe for the cookies but not the filling (since I remembered I had more than enough last time).

Carrot Cake Double Doozies

Cookies:

1 box carrot cake mix (I used regular not the Deluxe kind - no raisins for me!)
2 eggs
½ cup vegetable oil

Filling:
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup butter, softened
2 teaspoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 cups confectioner’s sugar

Preheat oven to 375.

Mix together cake mix, eggs and oil (mixture will be thick).

Roll into balls about the size of a walnut and place a couple of inches apart on an un-greased cookie sheet (I line it with parchment paper)

Bake in pre-heated oven 8 – 10 minutes (until tops kind of look cracked).

Removed from oven, set aside until completely cooled.

Meanwhile, in a separate bowl, mix cream cheese and butter until blended. Add milk, vanilla and confectioner’s sugar (a cup at a time) and blend until smooth and creamy (should be slightly thick but spreadable) – add milk a little at a time to thin or add more confectioner’s sugar to thicken.

When cookies are completely cooled, spread filling on half of the cookies, top with the other halves.

I wish I had some pecans to roll the edges in but I didn't have any.  But it didn't matter, they were still very yummy !!

Pinterest

Pinterest? What is Pinterest, you say? Pinterest is, in its simplest definition, a place to catalog the things you like/love.

Basically, it is kind of like bookmarking the websites you like but in a visual way.

You create your own "boards" - for instance, a board for recipes you want to try, a board for free knitting patterns you like (or perhaps want to make one day), a board for your favorite childhood toys, etc.

For instance, say you want to make this delicious these Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars to take to a family reunion 3 months from now. Instead of bookmarking the recipe only to try to find it later among all your other bookmarks, you can "pin" it. Instead of printing it and wasting ink and paper only to try to remember where you put it after you printed it, you can "pin it".

When you pin it, the picture shows up on the board you selected, like this:

Then when you want to make it, you just click on the picture...you are taken directly to the website so you can see the recipe and make this delicious dessert. Very easy and since it is so visual - it is easy to see everything you like at a glance.  You can also see what your

friends are "pinning" - the web pages they like - you can get some good ideas from other's good ideas

Try it now... Here is a PIN of this recipe (click here) - then when you see the pin, click on the picture, see how it takes you directly to the website and the recipe?  Pretty cool, huh? And...much easier to locate than searching through a bunch of bookmarks trying to remember what the name of that recipe was.

Right now the site is still in beta mode so you can request to be added (then you have to wait a bit for them to add you) or you can have a friend invite you and be added right away.  If you would like an invite, leave a comment (with your e-mail address) and I will send you one.

If you like to follow my Pinterest Boards just click HERE

Being Human

My latest obsession is a BBC Three show called Being Human. Wikipedia describes Being Human as a British supernatural drama television series. It stars Aidan Turner as Mitchell, a vampire; Russell Tovey as George, a werewolf; and Lenora Crichlow as Annie, a ghost who are all trying to live a normal life.

Of coure their lives are anything BUT normal. I know this show has been around a while and now there is even an American version on SyFy but I'm hooked on the BBC version.

A couple of Saturdays ago, I was home and picking up a bit and had watched Graham Norton the last time I had the television turn on so it was still on BBC America when I turned on the TV. There was a show coming on called Being Human and I click the Info button to see what it was about.

What? A vampire, ghost and werewolf trying to live a normal life - sounded dumb I thought but kept it there to see what it was like anyway, 10 minutes into it I was already hooked and crazy about Mitchell (which turns out is his last name), George and Annie. I thought, well, I will watch this first episode since it is the first show....

...4 hours later....

I'm still watching and had plans that evening so decided to record the rest - they were showing all of season 1, season 2 and at the end of the marathon was the premier of season 3 - I recorded them all and have since watched all of seasons 1-2. I now have 2 shows from season 3 to watch and I will be up-to-date.

I was sad at the end of last season - not because Mitchell's love interest, Lucy was killed, not because Annie was dragged through the door into the abyss (although I did hate that part, she resurfaced a little so I hope she comes back - since Mitchell and George are going to try to get her back ... but no.... I was sad because they left their home - I liked that place, I especially loved George's David the Gnome Walllpaper. I am going to miss that wallpaper. This is not the kind of bedroom you expect a werewolf to be sleeping in.

There are not that many shows I enjoy watching anymore but I just love this show!

I love the friendship between the three, the challenges they face, the humor of the show (yes there is some). It is like a supernatural soap opera in a way.

Publish Hat Photo

Bev - at BevsCountryCottage.com - made a new page for the Toronto Baby Hat pattern and added my photo along with another Raverler's photo - I love the 2 pics being there so you can see how the hat looks with different yarns, with the brim down or with it up, with a pom pom or without - cute! Thanks for using my hat's picture Bev!

Toronto Baby Hat

Bev, over at BevsCountryCottage.com, put a call out on Ravelry for some photos for patterns she had designed.

I made the Toronto Preemie Hat. The pattern was really easy to follow and the hat is super cute! Thanks for the great pattern Bev!

I used Bernat's Baby Jacquard yarn (06317 Easter Basket) - I never knitted with it before and really loved it, I think I might make some booties now.

CLICK HERE for the free pattern

Mr. Right !

Why, oh why can't I meet a guy like this ?

The world has gone all kinds of crazy

I have spent my whole life being told there are 9 planets... then about 4 years ago, the powers that be decide that Pluto isn't a planet after all

Now the powers that be are trying to convince me that while I have spent 40+ years being told I am a Libra, turns out that I'm really a Virgo because all the Zodiac Signs have been changed

I don't care what they say, I will always be a Libra who believes Pluto is a planet ! So there!

IN

For other Pluto in Libra people - Click Here