I had my glucose test this morning.

I’m hoping it comes back all clear.

Because I plan on eating this throughout the week.

After last month’s flop, I’m happy to report a Pinterest success.

I made it yesterday and I feel like it’s 100 times better today.

So I HIGHLY recommend letting it chill overnight.

I feel like it makes the cake.

Well, that.

And the Reese’s.

And the peanut butter whip.

And the peanut butter chocolate fudge.

And the way the condensed milk makes the cake super moist.

It’s all almost too much.

But not.

Make it.

Thank you.

Goodbye.

Original recipe here.

Or maybe it’s me?

I haven’t had the best luck with Pinterest lately.

But I will also say I haven’t been trying very much either.

A Pinterslump, if you will.

I made this watermelon drink for bible study on Tuesday night and I didn’t love it.

And I’m mostly going to blame the fruit.

It was bland to begin with.

Which didn’t help.

But the drink texture was strange, too.

It didn’t look like the picture.

A little thick?

Gritty, even?

Not very refreshing.

And not as sweet as I expected it to be.

Also, this is my first time trying coconut water.

And I’m just going to come out and say it.

It’s not my favorite.

So, sorry watermelon drink.

I won’t be repeating you.

How about you?

What have you and Pinterest been up to?

Grab a button in the sidebar and link up below!

Easter was amazing.

One of my favorite Sundays in Hope’s short history.

The weeks leading up to it were crazy.

Our little family is pretty tired.

But the best kind of tired.

So now we’re up at Bass Lake for spring break vacationing with friends.

Relaxing.

Swimming.

Fishing.

Semi-hiking.

Eating.

All the best things.

On Easter Sunday I made this sour cream almond pound cake that I had pinned a while back.

And you need to, too.

As soon as possible.

It’s quite delicious.

Add strawberries and fresh whipped cream.

And you will be a very happy camper.

What have you been up to?

Don’t forget there’s a really fun perk this month thanks to Julie.

Every single link up gets this cute printable from her amazing shop!

Things are a little crazy up in here.

Ashlyn’s IEP (our annual meeting with the school district) was on Thursday and I’m still recovering.

They are quite stressful and not my favorite.

She’ll be mainstreamed into a first grade class at our local public school come September.

We are thrilled that she will stay on track and not be driving as a freshman.

And 5’9 in the fifth grade.

She’s a smart cookie.

And I’m so proud of how hard she works.

We know she will do great.

Even though she’ll probably have to lose the bunny ears.

We leave for a few days of camping tomorrow night.

Well, I’m lying.

It’s in a cabin.

With wi-fi.

In the woods though.

I like to pretend I’m a camper.

So right now.

Lots of loads of laundry.

And last-minute shopping.

And cooler and beach chair borrowing from neighbors.

And food and dessert prep.

Like this sour cream almond pound cake that is baking right this very second.

I’m making it for Hope’s Easter brunch tomorrow and Pintertesting it for Thursday.

The smell alone makes me want to give it rave reviews without even trying it.

Also, I’ve discovered that the Pintertest Kitchen linky party is way more fun when bribery is involved.

So Julie is giving away the cutest printable ever to one lucky linker.

Be sure to link up.

This Thursday.

One final note, if you don’t have a place to worship tomorrow, come to Hope!

10 am.  Sunnybrae Elementary.

It’s gonna be great.

So I’ll just be honest.

This dish was not my favorite.

It’s ok.

Easy.

Slightly spicy.

My kids wouldn’t really look at it.

But they decided they are vegan now.

Well, vegans who eat chicken nuggets.

I don’t know that I will repeat it.

Dave didn’t love it.

I might have screwed it up by replacing the egg noodles with ziti.

And I served it in the same dish as my regular ziti.

Which is his favorite of all time.

So he described this as a ziti oasis.

Also, it was difficult to make look pretty.

Mine was less festive red like the picture and more brainy gray.

And I just don’t trust gray food.

Maybe I needed some parsley.

You win some, you lose some.

On a happier, more redemptive note, I made these a while back and they are delicious.

What have you been up to?

Grab a button in the sidebar and link up below!

So, yes.  Hi.

I know I’ve grossly neglected my blog as of late.

I blame lingering hardwood floor fumes for compromised creative writing skills.

But you GUYS.

I need you to make this cake.

Dare I say favorite chocolate cake ever?

I’m just going to say it.

FAVORITE CHOCOLATE CAKE EVER.

And EASIEST scratch chocolate cake ever.

Which, my friends, unlike fumes and blogging, is a winning combination.

{original recipe pinned here.}

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease 9 x 13 Pyrex dish.

Mix and set aside:

2 cups flour

2 cups sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp cinnamon

In saucepan over medium heat stir until boiling:

1 cup butter

1/4 cup Ghiradelli unsweetened cocoa powder

1 cup coca-cola

1/2 cup buttermilk

Remove from heat and add to the flour mix, whisk until combined.

Then add 2 eggs and 1 tsp vanilla, whisk until combined.

I used my KitchenAid whisk attachment but I’m sure a hand whisk would work fine.

Pour batter in greased Pyrex dish and bake 30-35 minutes.

Test with toothpick until it comes out clean.

DO NOT OVER BAKE.

When the cake is nearly done, start on the glaze.

In saucepan over medium heat, stir often until boiling:

1/2 cup butter

1/4 cup unsweetened Ghiradelli cocoa powder

1/2 cup Coca-Cola

1/8 tsp cinnamon

Remove from heat and add 4 cups powdered sugar and stir until combined.

Once cake is done, immediately pour glaze over warm cake and let sit for an hour or so.

YUM.

I can still taste it.

Probably because I just had a piece for breakfast.  Or two.

I blame the fumes.

What have you been up to this month?

Grab a button in the sidebar and link up below.

I can’t wait to see!

We have friends in town.

And we’re doing lots of eating.

And talking.

And exploring.

And not a lot of blogging.

I came across this idea on Pinterest a few months ago.

And I thought it would be a perfect craft to start the new year.

A craft that’s my style.

Quick and easy.

Stickers, labels, mason jars.

10-15 minutes of creative chaos.

Ready?

Have your children decorate a mason jar however they see fit.

A Maple syrup leaf sticker?

Animal print “D”?

I mean.

What blessing jar is complete without them?

And you could probably have them decorate more.

But I’ll be honest.

We had beach plans.

Have them write blessings down throughout the year.

Start January 1.

Add them to the jar.

Daily.

Weekly.

Whenever.

Then, as a family, read them together on New Years Eve.

I want to raise grateful children.

Joyful children.

Children that recognize and reflect on the good things in life more than the bad.

I can’t wait for December 31.

And to hear all the good that 2013 will bring.

What have you been up to?

Grab a button and link up bellow!

Good morning, party people.

Welcome to the 15th monthly installment of the PinterTest Kitchen.

Dave took our fancy camera to New Jersey.

So, well.  My pictures are not very fancy.

I tried a plethora of pins from my “Sweet Treats” board last month.

Some for Thanksgiving.

Some because I coped with the loss of my favorite four legged friend with chocolate.

And peanut butter.

And almond extract laced desserts.

Sue me.

I’m excited to review them.

My extra pounds are not in vain.

 Ready?

OK.

We spent Thanksgiving in the country this year.

At my sister-in-law’s parents house.

It was beautiful.

I took more pictures of my kids with horses than desserts.

I blame pet loss grief.

You’ll just have to trust when I say they were ALL winners.

Be sure to click over for each of the recipes.

And pretty pictures without horses.

Some I’ve tried before.

Like my most favorite

Almond Cake

in all the world.

Modified to glazed cupcakes.

I use silicone baking cups.

Adjust bake time to 17 minutes, let cool in cups for about 20 minutes.

Remove from baking cups, place cupcakes on cooling rack (with baking sheet underneath to collect excess) and slowly pour glaze on top.  Let cool for an hour or so.

Place each glazed cupcake in a cute cupcake liner and you are good to go.

This is my favorite Pinterest recipe BY FAR.

I make them all the time.

I also whipped up some tried and true

White Chocolate Cranberry Cream Cheese Snickerdoodles.

A holiday classic.

And there were some new recipes.

Like

Coconut Oreo Brownies.

A HUGE hit.

Magical, I would say.

Easy.  From a box.  Taste like they took hours.

And my new favorite

Soft Almond Sugar Cookie.

Which is quickly surpassing the almond cake in frequency produced.

I’m obsessed with them.

I add a bit more cake flour and regular flour than recipe calls for to thicken them up.

And bake longer, too.

12 minutes is perfect.

And I didn’t press down, mid-bake like recipe calls for.

I used my thumb to press down on the center before baking and they turned out perfect.

And chopped cherries are a delicious add-in.

Try them.

Today.

It’s a life choice you will not regret.

After Thanksgiving was over, I dabbled in the

Sugar Cookie Bar

department.

For no good reason.

Well, or pet loss grief.

I think I may have over-baked the bars because they were a little dry.

And next time, I would sub shortening in the frosting for butter to make it less soft.

But not bad, I tell you.

Buckeye Truffles.

Because it was Monday.

And oh my goodness, they are GOOD.

Double the recipe because the peanut butter mixture is a little difficult to work with.

I had to wash my hands after every three because the peanut butter would get angry and sticky.

I’m sure I washed away 1/3 of the mixture.

Next time I make them (like tomorrow), I may chill the mixture a bit before rolling into balls.

But, you guys?

They are crazy delicious.

Your turn!

What have you and Pinterest been up to this month?

Grab a button in my sidebar and link up below.

I can’t wait to hear.

It’s Halloween night.

I ate bite-size Snickers, Junior Mints and SweetTarts instead of dinner.

And I just tucked a sugar-amped fairy princess and horse jockey into bed.

I’m exhausted.

This is going to be easy, short and sweet.

Because, really?

There’s not much to say.

You 100% NEED to make all of these dips.

You will find the recipe for the Pottery Barn Dip HERE.

I don’t get the name.

And I don’t really care.

But it’s better than anything I’ve ever purchased at Pottery Barn.

And I LOOOOVE Pottery Barn.

Weird ingredients that don’t sound right together but that come together in perfect harmony.

It was my favorite of all three.

Recipe HERE for the corn dip.

I made it five times this past month.

And I want it right now.

And recipe for the jalapeño popper dip is found HERE.

A few deviations.

Double the recipe.

Because it goes quick.

Replace the cheddar with Mexican blend.

Add 1 small can diced green chiles.

And add 1/2 stick melted butter to the topping.

And I subbed both the canned and fresh jalapeños the recipe called for with two small cans of regular diced jalapeños (hot).

Don’t forget to double the recipe or that will be some crazy, spicy dip.

It’s so good.

And helped the Giants win the World Series.

I’m convinced.

Your turn!

Grab a button in the sidebar and let me know what you’ve been up to.

Oh one more thing!

My crazy talented friend, Katy just opened her holiday card shop.

Super cute designs.  I can barely stand it.  Impossible to chose.

She’s offering a special discount.

15% off thru Sunday with the code: HEYKATY15

Go.  Now.  Order.  You won’t be sorry.

And that’s a wrap, friends.

Can’t wait to see what you link up!

Old school raffle style again.

I know I have other options.

Quicker, cuter, more tech-savvy options.

But I like yellow post-its in my Longaberger.

Before I reveal the big winner, I want to share with you the link that got the most hits.

It’s also one of my favorites.

Kaylee over at Life Chasers and her glitter cup.

Such a good idea.  And executed perfectly.

I’ve been mesmerized by it since last week.

It’s the fancy glitter, I’m sure.

Well done, Kaylee.

Well done.

I want to thank each and every one of you who linked up this month.

For pinning and testing.  And documenting and sharing.

This was fun.

I’m definitely going to bribe you more often.

OK.

On to the reason we’re here.

The winner of so many fabulous, fun prizes is…

Congratulations Kristin!!

You are one lucky duck.

Contact me for details on how to claim your loot.

Same time, same place next month.

November 1st, to be exact.

It will sneak up on you.

Mark those calendars.

And thanks again to all who participated.