I don’t know about you, but Sunday mornings are the one day of the week we linger over coffee in our jammies and we usually  make an effort with breakfast. During the week, it’s cereal, oatmeal, bagels…quick food.  But, on Saturday mornings, we try a little harder. Today, I decided to bake off Pillsbury Crescent rolls to use for egg sandwiches with turkey pastrami, aged cheddar cheese and fresh arugula.

The beautiful thing about Pillsbury Crescent rolls, is they are convenient. It took me less than 5 minutes to unroll the dough and pop in my Advantium oven. Meanwhile, the eggs and pastrami are sizzling on the pan and breakfast will be ready in about 12 minutes.

Just the right enough time to make another Americano and get back to being inspired over at Pinterest.

Oh, Pinterest, how we love thee! If you haven’t discovered this little world, you should! It’s like a virtual inspiration board. You can set up your own themed boards and anytime you see something on the internet that inspires you, you can click the little “pin it” icon and stick it to your board. Being a visual person, this is so much more up my alley than clicking “bookmark”. You have to have an invitation to join Pinterest…not sure what that’s all about. We think everyone should have access to Pinterest! So, if you need an invitation, send us a gmail at lovefeasttable at gmail dot com  and we’ll be sure to send you one.

Well, my coffee is hot and I need to get back to my delicious sandwich.  If you have a minute, before you get wrapped up in Pinterest, would you take a moment to vote for our Strawberry Heart Cups with Goat Cheese Whipped Cream?  You will automatically be entered to win a $1,000 grocery shopping gift card.  You can come back and vote once a day for more chances to win!

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Vote for my Creative Crescent Recipe and you’ll be entered to win a $1,000 grocery gift card!

Find more quick and easy Pillsbury recipes at www.CreativeCrescents.com.

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Pillsbury. The opinions and text are all mine. Official Contest Rules.

Vote for my Creative Crescent Recipe and you’ll be entered to win a $1,000 grocery gift card!

Find more quick and easy Pillsbury recipes at www.CreativeCrescents.com.

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Pillsbury. The opinions and text are all mine. Official Contest Rules.

Vote for my Creative Crescent Recipe and you’ll be entered to win a $1,000 grocery gift card!

Find more quick and easy Pillsbury recipes at www.CreativeCrescents.com.

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Pillsbury. The opinions and text are all mine. Official Contest Rules.

I have two amazing sister-n-laws that I have made many wonderful memories with.  My Colorado sister-n-law has taken me down treacherous 4-wheeling mountain trails in the pelting rain convincing me I could survive the elements and trail.  My Chicago sister-n-law Kim, I had a chance to make different type of memory several years ago ~ a little less life threatening.  This past Thanksgiving we were remembering one of our favorite Holiday memories together.

Our Holiday Sangria Memory ~

A few years ago when Kim’s family was visiting our home for Christmas, we had run out to pick up a few more gifts at the Mall of America, here in Minnesota.  Like many Moms this time of year we were tired, a little stressed with the holiday “to-do” list lurking in our minds. Running at the last minute to the MOA is not the fastest trip you’ll ever take shopping. Soon we found our feet dragging and our stomachs rumbling. We were going to have to stop and get a bit to eat. We found a restaurant with “faux outdoor dining” overlooking the indoor amusement park. The shoppers, the squeals, the echo, and the piped music dulled to a quiet roar as we found our seats. Ahhhh! A bit of rest in the whirr of it all.

The waiter came to the side of our table and greeted us,”Can I interest you in a holiday cocktail?” Not quite what we were thinking in the midst of our midday.  I glanced at Kim and saw that she had raised her eyebrow and given me the eye.  Well, one glass into our Holiday Sangria we had made friends with our waiter and secured the recipe.  You can find the recipe and original story here.

The best of this memory ~ we remember it every holiday we are together and try to make sure that we have a batch of Sangria waiting each other. While arrangements are made via phone call before my arrival this past Thanksgiving Kim assured me, “Don’t worry the I’m thinking of you sister, your glass of sangria will be awaiting you!”

We laugh, we remember, and we treasure a memory that renews itself every year.

We happened that year upon a chance to remember what this season is really about.

Savoring all the gifts we have been given ~ treasures of spending time, savoring a moment and making memories!

More holiday inspiration at our table ~

Milk Punch Recipe ~ Holiday Cookie Exchange ~ Gifts ~ Velvet Pumpkins

*****

Kristin’s family treasures a Homemade Cinnamon Bun Tradition every year.

Do you have a holiday memory that you continue to savor?  Leave a comment ~ we’d love to hear you story!

Every Christmas morning, as my kids are unwrapping their gifts, cinnamon wafts through our house.  Homemade Cinnamon Buns are a requirement, (according to my kids) for Christmas Morning.  I remember one Christmas, our whole family was spending a  couple of months in the Philippines.  We were living with a team of people on a missions base in Baguio.  Our family was there on a service project.  We were volunteers, living on, next to nothing.  My children remember that Christmas as one of their favorites.  We made decorations out of paper and shopped for each person with a $10 budget.  We were living with people from 11 different countries, so we were blending our traditions to create a unique holiday.  We wanted to share our tradition.  I emailed home and had my mother in law send me the recipe for the Homemade Cinnamon Buns.  I tracked down the ingredients at the local store and got to mixing and baking.  As our team slowly awoke that morning and the kids and their parents came to breakfast, they were greeted with an ooey, gooey cinnamon bun.

This year, my 14 year old, (who wants to be a baker when he grows up) has volunteered to get up with me Christmas morning and help make the Cinnamon buns. I have a feeling this tradition will continue with his family one day.

Tell International Delight what your favorite holiday tradition is for a chance to win a $200 Target gift card from BlogFrog.

Add some cheer to your coffee or baking this season with International Delight’s holiday flavors. Enjoy the taste of Peppermint Mocha, Pumpkin Pie Spice,  White Chocolate Raspberry, Vanilla Spiced Rum or Gingerbread Latte and stir up a moment of sweet inspiration.

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of International Delight.  The opinions expressed by me do not necessarily reflect the view of the International Delight Brand.

It is possible that you like I have more than a few extra apples rolling around the house right now.  This is one of our favorites this time of year.  Kristin got this recipe called Caramel Apple Cake recipe originally from our friend Amanda before she moved to Africa.  (You can see our LoveFeast style going away party for Amanda and her family here.)

The last time I made this cake was a couple of years ago.  Kristin and Devon had rolled in for a long long drive from Maryland to Minnesota.  It was around 10:30pm or so.  I think if I remember, our 4 kids greeted their 5 kids jumping up and down with leftover sparklers as they came down our street.  Our kids greeted and disappeared to the corners of the house.  Which no matter how the years pass we always marvel at how they find each other once again…and disappear.  We adults always get some nice un-interrupted catching up time because of that.

Kristin and Devon found a place around the island, a round of beers and waters were cracked open.  This is my favorite type of entertaining.  The kind where everyone is a little more real than normal.  The kind best savored with old friends.  Our hair messed a bit, make-up warn off from the day, re-acquainting after a long drive and a long time.  The kitchen was tidy but not perfect, a pencil and hairband here or there a few scattered dishes in the sink, a cupboard left open…  And, warm apple cake on a stand, with right-off-the-stove caramel poured over top.  It doesn’t get better than warm apple cake to greet old friends, a little worn from the day and drive.  (I have pictures to prove it all – a cherished memory – but left out the pictures of Kristin fresh off the drive and me in the kitchen – were a little more “real” than I wanted to share with the world – ha!)

Caramel Apple Cake

Preheat oven to 350 F.

2 Cups sugar

1 1/2 Cups vegetable oil

2 tsp vanilla

3 eggs

3 Cups flour

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking soda

2 medium granny smith apples, peeled, finely chopped

1 Cup nuts (I use pecan) chopped

Mix together sugar, vegetable oil, vanilla and eggs in an electric mixer.  In a medium bow, mix together flour, salt and baking soda.  Add dry ingredients to wet mixture and mix just until blended.  Add the apples and nuts and mix just until blended.

Pour cake batter into a greased bundt pan.

Bake cake for 1-1 1/2 hour…until knife comes out clean.

While cake is baking put…

1/2 Cup butter

1/2 Cup brown sugar

2 tsp. milk

In a small saucepan and boil until it becomes a golden caramel.

Pour on warm cake.

Share with old friends or new!

Kristin and I have a little saying called “breathing the dust” — and by this I don’t mean flour dust…I mean more like pixie dust.  Dust that when you breathe it in, makes you dream crazy things.  Dust that makes you believe crazy things.  Dust that makes you do crazy things.  Things you barely have time to do because the laundry is piling up, and you drive in your van running kids all day long.

This dust makes you dream things you are technologically underdeveloped to do.  But, you do it anyway.  But, sometimes it makes you want to whack things.

Occasionally, you just want to toss your dream away.

You feel like your brain has been flattened out, your feet in the fire.

But, then something like a good idea, falls from above.

Again, things look greener, more beautiful.

And, definitely better when divided and shared.

While we were in Washington DC, for dinner at Potenza…

which was less about Italy…

and more about the wallpaper…

and the wine…

We got to see our friend, Elyse, who happened to be in Washington, DC on business as well!  We visited Elyse in New York City, last January where,  Elyse took us to one of her favorite places for cocktails, Death & Company.  We also dined, with her and her family at Hearth.  So, while the guys played pool…

we caught up with Elyse.  We were glad we stayed up the extra hours to do that, even though we were so tired we could have grown a rocket ship on our head,  to take us off to zzz-land!!!

Thanks for coming out with us Elyse, we’ll see you soon!!

Things are getting a bit ramped up around here!  I’ve been scrubbing floors, washing sheets, cleaning up the patio, cutting the grass, painting walls (I like having a reason to check off my list) and menu planning.  Why?  You might ask…well, the other half of LoveFeast is coming for a B’More visit!!  Tomorrow, Chris Ann, hubby and half of their clan are coming!

You have to understand, for the past five years (since living on opposite sides of the map) we have maintained strong friendships through visits.  These visits are precious, not long enough and not often enough!  So, we tend to try and pack in a years worth of visits in a short time.  It makes for an incredibly fun and exhausting time!  We eat like kings!  We drink like…well, let’s just say we’re always very thirsty!

This visit, my handy man hubby, took the libations into his own hands.  He came home a couple of days ago with this.

I said, “What is that for?”  His chest swelled with pride as he responded, “That’s for the sangria brew!”

This morning, he made a pit stop in between jobs, to begin the marinating process.

The fruit went in.

The alcohol went in.

The wine went in.

The fire-pit is ready.

Even the little ones made a contribution.

24 hours to go!  Not to worry, we will keep you posted on all our antics!

As I have said before, I can be a cooking challenged food blogger, known for being desperate for dinner and “Avoiding Supper”. I have been even know to chuck meat. It seems if I get one part done, the shopping, or the menu planning, I can’t get the other part done, the cooking.Time, you see, is not on my side.I have four kids, and a full time van chauffeuring job that keeps me driving from 9am-4pm with an hour and a half window to plan, shop, cook, and eat.  It’s not that I don’t try.To ease my load a CSA from Jackson Hollow Farms is getting delivered and occasionally I make time to take the trek into the city for organic shopping at Whole Foods.Kristin is use to my manically cheerful phone call on the ride back, “Guess where I was?”Kristin, “oh, noooo!” (I always think it would be really great to answer; I got a tattoo or won the lottery.) But usually you could insert, Pier One/spent to much, my fav boutique Covered/spent too much, or new hair cut/new look.  Sometimes, it is something very close to winning the lottery– I had time to go to Whole Foods/spent too much/but feel good about it/sort of.That is typical me, good intentions, good groceries, now no time to cook them in!Well, eventually twittering and surfing around the blogging community I found another, I think, like minded food blogger.Chaos in the Kitchen is a great food blog with just what I need, a weekly planning menu with a master grocery list.And, with a name like Chaos in the Kitchen, I count her as a friend, although we’ve never met. So, after I read her Blogging the Recession, one of the recipes I made, was the Creamy Shrimp and Mushroom Pasta.It was really good; everybody in my family liked it.  Next time, I might add a little bit more spice for me and my husband, perhaps some Old Bay-just a touch.So, Chaos, thanks for the recipe help and planning and thanks for veering me off the path of unhappy all yellow food!

Also, thank you to the reader (someone who works with my husband) who sent him home with some of their stash of good ole’ fashion, Oh Henry Bar candy bars!  That made my night last night, with a glass of wine!  They’re almost as good as the real thing!  Ha!

Readers:  How do you tame your kitchen chaos conundrum?  Share your help with us!

There are a lot of similarities between me and and my blogging partner in crime, Kristin.  We generally WANT the same outcome when it comes to the way things should come out.  But, let’s just say, sometimes it takes me a little bit more time to get there!  A perfect example of this is the cake I am about to share with you.  This cake, is the Pioneer Woman’s Strawberry Shortcake Cake.  There are some similarities between me and the Pioneer Woman and I will point them out as we roll along here.  But, this does not insure instantaneous success, even with much hopefulness. I baked her cake, not once, but twice.  So, you, dear reader, can learn, by my example, what not to do.  Kristin also baked a cake, Martha Stewart’s.  (This post is coming, a beautiful wedding cake!)  She did hers’ in one day, one morning actually.  I’ve seen her work in her kitchen.  I can tell you this.  It was relaxed, smooth, and graceful.  I am sure that a soft breeze blew gently through her sunny window and birds chirped as she ran her mixer.  That is her kitchen mojo.  Mine involved breakage, failure, starting over, a sundown and a sunup and then finally success.  But, in the end, we both got what we wanted, a beautiful cake to share with our family and friends.

Here was my first mistake.  I skimmed the directions.  I admit it.  I’m a skimmer.  I skimmed through my Charles Dicken’s class in college and I skimmed through this recipe.  This is why I don’t get an “A” in Dicken’s or this cake.

Here is my next mistake.  Do not do this.  Do not be tricked into thinking that the power of a cowgirl boot can summon the power of the Pioneer Woman to make this cake.  For me, it did not.  Also, it did not help that I decided to bake my cake inside an old coffee can.  I did it here, for Banana Bread, and it worked out beautifully.  For Strawberry Shortcake Cake, not so much.  Pioneer Woman specifically says to use a “cute pan”  specifically and 8 inch round cake pan.  Old coffee cans are not cute.  Enough said.

My strawberries turned out beautifully.  But, then again because I again, skimmed, Pioneer Woman’s blog post I missed the tip of the day.  Add Grand Marnier here.  This would make this cake more happy.  But, because I have success with crushing strawberries I think I’m on my way.  I can do this thing.  And, then I see a sign.  Some thing, some critter, some thing of nature, has pooped on my deck.  This must be an omen of good luck.  Why do I think this?  Because the Pioneer Woman has animals pooping on her deck (or porch) all the time (at least I think she does).  And, I am trying to make her channel her pioneer energy into my suburbia cake!  Obviously, it all adds up!! 

Would you be tricked by this beautifully browned top of this cake?  Cause I was.

But, the inside was gooey and undone.

It’s a dilemma but, I am committed.  I will not give up.  The day is young…at least at this point.

So, I remix the ingredients and pour them correctly this time into two cake pans!  I later discover it is suppose to be one cake pan.  I leave out the sour cream, which I think is what probably makes this cake “the bomb“.  I scrape out the pans.  I wash the pans.  I remix.  I re-pour.  I revisit my commitment.  I bake.  I cool.  I sleep.  I wake.  I frost.  I get this:

And this:

Lots of kids around our homes tend to do this, lickin’ the plate clean thing!