Kanakuk Coffee Cake

Hubby and I met working at Kanakuk, a Christian sports kamp in Branson, MO.  We LOVE it there! (and yes they replace all "c's" with "K's" because Kanakuk starts with a K.)  Every Sunday they serve coffee cake (or maybe it's Koffee Kake) for breakfast.  And let me tell you, it's delicious!  Ask anyone who has ever been a kamper before, and they will tell you that Sunday morning coffee cake is the best!

I have had this recipe for years, I think I found it on their website a million years ago.  But I forgot about it and rarely make it.  I had my last Wednesday morning Bible study with my 7th grade girls last week and thought I'd bring this coffee cake as an end of the year treat.  Hubby was thrilled! Although he was a bit skeptical that I could make it "as good as kamp."  I assured him I could. 

The Ingredients: 
Cake:
2 eggs, beaten
2/3 cup melted margarine (I used butter)
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup evaporated milk
3/4 cup water
1 3/4 cup sugar
3 cup all purpose flour
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt

Topping:  (I made a little extra, you can never have too much topping)
1/2 pound brown sugar
1 Tbsp cinnamon
1/4 cup flour
1/4 stick softened margarine (I used butter)

First I let my eggs sit out just a little while to warm up to room temperature. I've read that helps with "fluffiness" I have no clue if it did anything.

Beat the eggs.  Add melted margarine, vanilla, evaporated milk, and water.

Combine the dry ingredients.  Add to the liquid mixture and beat until batter is smooth.

Here's the topping, you mix it until it's crumbly.  I guess you could use a pastry blender or a mixer. I just used my hands.  But HERE'S THE TRICK... you mix the topping DAYS BEFORE you want to bake the cake.  That was the secret in the K-Kountry kitchen... they mixed topping on Wednesday or Thursday and left it on the shelf until Sunday morning.  I have no clue why it works, but trust me, it's an important step.

Next pour the batter into a greased 9x13 pan.  Sprinkle on the topping and bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes. (Mine had to bake closer to 40 minutes and was still VERY moist!)

We ate it all so fast I didn't get a picture of a slice of it! But let me tell you, it's delish!!  Oh, and yes, Hubby agreed that it tastes EXACTLY like kamps!  Success!

Easy, Adorable Centerpieces and a Wedding Story

A few weeks ago, we traveled to Branson, MO for a sweet wedding.  My dear (and VERY creative friend), Jane, made these awesome centerpieces for the wedding!!

How cute are those??? Mason jars of various sizes, wrapped in burlap, lace, and twine.  With tea lights in the bottom.  And on a few tables, we placed our bridesmaid bouquets in one of the jars. Simple.  Gorgeous.  Oh and the tree "disk" that they were on was pretty cute too.

 So I've been saving EVERY glass jar we empty in the kitchen with the full intention of recreating these this summer.  Now I don't have a dead tree to cut up, so I'm thinking I'm going to use a variety of old (and hopefully tarnished) silver trays to hold the jars.  I have some burlap already, looking at garage sales for some old lace curtains to cut up (thought that would be cheaper than buying at Joann's), and I need to get some twine.  But I think I can make LOTS of these centerpieces for less than $10.  Sweet!

Here is a close up of the beautiful bridesmaid bouquets... all green. Love it.  I probably won't use flowers in mine... all candles. And actually, for our outdoor party, I"ll probably get some citronella candles, double duty!   But I think simple white daisies would look super cute as well.

While we're looking at the wedding centerpieces... thought I'd share a few more of the wedding pics.

This is why I miss living in Branson.  Look at that view.  Takes my breath away these days.  I took it for granted for so long.

 Me and the Mr.  Man he looks good.

 The wedding party... isn't the chapel adorable!!  The girls got ready in the small building on the left... it was a GORGEOUS day, until we were supposed to head to the chapel for the wedding.   Then for about 30 minutes, it POURED down rain! We rain to the chapel under umbrellas.  There was awesome thunder echoing off of the lake throughout the ceremony.  VERY dramatic. VERY movie-esque.

 The sweet couple!!  LOVE THEM!!  Such a testimony of  FAITH, God's TIMING, God's PROMISES and God's GOODNESS!  Oh man oh man, does it make me excited to see what He is going to do next with them!

 They probably don't love this photo, but I wanted you to see the front of the chapel. Gorgeous!  Great view of the lake from the front windows.  AND when it was raining, it was super cool looking!  Maybe not what the original plans were, but I liked it. 

And that was my fun wedding trip to Branson.  Hubby and I met in Branson working at a summer camp.  I lived there when we started dating, actually I was roommates with the bride in this wedding.  So we have a TON of memories in Branson. BUT we haven't been back since we've been married.  It was a great trip! We spent the car ride home considering how we can move back.  Don't think it's going to happen, but Branson sure has a soft spot in our hearts.

New Favorite Song

Loving this song right now... on repeat as I drive... The lyrics are seriously amazing!  My prayer all day, everyday.

Shane and Shane "Without You" (their new CD, #3)

I can walk through the storm
I can walk by faith when my sight is gone
Just as long as You are here with me
And I can gain everything
But what do I have if I don't have the King?
Oh I need to know You're here with me

Here I am, I'm calling out, "Father,
Can You hear me, can You hear me?
I don't wanna to go without You
Here I am, can You talk a little louder
So I can hear You? I want to hear You
I don't wanna to move without You."

Even though I believe
You've taken up a home inside of me
And You'll never leave
I still need to know You're here with me

Here I am, I'm calling out, "Father,
Can You hear me, can You hear me?
I don't wanna to go without You
Here I am, can You talk a little louder
So I can hear You? I want to hear You
I don't wanna to move without You."

If Your presence goes, I don't wanna stay
If Your presence stays, I don't wanna go
If Your presence goes, I don't wanna stay
If Your presence stays, I don't wanna go
I need You

Here I am, I'm calling out, "Father,
Can You hear me, can You hear me?
I don't wanna to go without You
Here I am, can You talk a little louder
So I can hear You? I want to hear You
I don't wanna to move without You."

A Sweet Notepad

I do not teach for the gifts. But the gifts are awesome! 

Especially in kindergarten when the parents and kids really love you!

I received some amazing gifts this year... but this was one of my favs!

 Look at this cute personalized notepad!  This sweet mom has a super cute notepad with a photo of her beautiful photogenic kids across the bottom.  She regularly sent me notes at school on this paper and so I asked her about it one day.  She thoughtfully decided to have one made for me for the end of the year!  I sent her a couple of pics of me and the hubby and she designed it from there!

 I cannot believe she picked one with a monogram!  She doesn't even know of my LOVE for obsession with monograms!  Perfect choice!

Of course the hubby loved it because the photo was taken at the ballpark during the World Series last year!  Double perfect choice!

You can make your own notepad too! She made it at Shutterfly.  And the quality is awesome! And the turn around time was quick!  Great teacher gift! Or mother's day gift (for next year) or father's day gift!

Magnificent Magnolia

Since my camera is a small pathetic point and shoot, these pics do NOT do justice to the beauty that was our Magnolia Tree 2 weeks ago. 

I came home one day to see that a flower had opened on literally EVERY branch! It was STUNNING!!

 Look at that flower. Wow. 

The sun has scorched all of those blooms since then. We've gotten a sporadic one or two in the past week.  But I believe the magic of the Magnolia is over for the year.

We realized that our rose bushes and Lorepetelums (no clue how to spell that, only know how to say it), well they were overgrown and really encroaching the magnolia on the bottom half. So last weekend the hubby and I really trimmed back the bushes and gave the magnolia "room to breath."  Hoping that this encourages more growth and an even bigger display next year!

Dishwashers

Last summer when we did our large home addition (adding a master bedroom and 2 bathrooms), we had to put in a new dishwasher in order to pass the Green Energy Inspection.  Yes I know, a dishwasher has NOTHING to do with a bedroom or a bathroom.  But that is how "well thought out" the green energy inspection laws are. 

Anyway, we got a new dishwasher out of the deal.  Can't complain.

So when my 10 month old dishwasher QUIT WORKING, I was a little perturbed.  Fortunately it was still under warranty, so the service call was free.

Turns out a little wire had not been fully "clicked" to the next wire at the factory. And after many uses, the wires had disconnected.  The nice man fixed it in less than 5 minutes and there was no cost. Yay!

But then he proceeded to give me some dishwasher tips... so far I've only really done 1 of these... but I fully intend to do both.

1.  Pre-Wash:  I showed him that I really only use the little dishwasher packets. He said those aren't his favorite (since you can't adjust how much detergent you put in based on whether or not you have hard or soft water. Which, of course, I have no clue if I have hard or soft water, so the packets work just fine for me.)

But he asked if I ever put detergent in the "pre-wash" spot.  Um... no. 

He kindly explained that I was missing out on the full capabilities of my dishwasher and by just adding some detergent to the Pre-wash, I could get much cleaner dishes.  He said powder or gel work equally well. And he typically uses powder himself.

Done and done.  I bought some gel dishwasher detergent (because the gel was on sale)

I add a small amount and I have to say, it is truly amazing how different my dishes now look!

2. Dishwasher Magic 

Apparently you're supposed to clean your dishwasher every 6 months.  Who knew!
He says this "Dishwasher Magic" brand is great and to just follow the directions on the bottle.  I still haven't done this because the one time I remembered to look for the dishwasher magic I was at the grocery store and I couldn't find it and I gave up after 2 minutes.

But he said it helps clean out all of the gears and stuff under the bottom of the dishwasher and really prolongs the life and productivity of your dishwasher. So I fully intend to do this.

In fact, when searching for a photo of the stuff for this blog, I found their website and turns out they offer free shipping. So I really have no excuse not to buy this stuff right this minute.  And neither do you! 

So while this is a somewhat boring post... I felt those 2 tips were worth sharing!  I hope you try at least one of them!  and maybe I'll go get some dishwasher magic right now too!

A Cookbook

Last weekend I had the honor of being in a dear friend's wedding in Branson. It was awesome!

She asked me to be a bridesmaid right after she got engaged... only TWO months ago!  I knew the wedding was coming quickly and I wouldn't have any way to attend a shower in Branson or host a shower during the short engagement. So I decided to do a "shower by mail." Or really a "shower by email." 

You see my sweet friend has worked for the Kanakuk Institute for the last 10 years.  I think her official title is Dean of Women. But I have no clue. I just know that she supports, mentors, encourages, and loves all of the girls who attend each and every year.  That's how we met... I went to KI and she became a sweet friend.  Then after I graduated, I moved in with her.  And that's when I really, fully understood the depth of her love for food and cooking.

So... I emailed every girl who had ever attended the Kanakuk Institute and asked for recipes.  (Okay, I didn't personally send the email. I wrote it and a KI staff girl sweetly helped me send the email.)  And then the recipes started pouring in.  I think we ended up with about 90 recipes from 60+ girls. 

Then the fun part... scrapbooking the cover :)  Here it is... The Connolly Cookbook.

 Do you see the sweet scrapbook paper I found?  "1 cup of love"  "top chef"  and decorated with measuring cups and spoons and oven mitts. Precious!!  Do you also see how I need a real camera and not a dumb point and shoot that never wants to focus where I want it to?

On the inside of the front cover I wrote a note to my friend.  Then I separated all of the recipes by type... we had Starters and Sides

 Soups and Salads
Main Dishes
Desserts
and Breakfast and Breads

I found this cute stationary paper at Office Depot and printed each and every recipe on one of the pages.  Some of the girls went all out and added photos (like the one below), colorful and fun fonts, and sweet notes to our friend. (cannot get this photo to rotate. Ugh)

 If the girls just emailed the recipe to me, I copied it into a word document and then I changed up some of the fonts so that many of the pages looked different.  and of course each recipe included the name of the girl who sent it.

 I found this super cute paper too! Had to use it!  Inside of the back cover.

 And then the back cover matches the front.


I had it bound and covered with clear plastic at FedEx Kinkos for only $4. Sweetness.

I of course did my favorite scrapbooking technique on the covers and embellishments... antiqueing with ink. No clue how to spell antiqueing.

My friend was super excited about the cookbook! I was so happy to bless her and her new husband in the kitchen!  And now I have a plethora of awesome looking recipes saved in my email :)  Hoping to try some new ones soon!

An Attempt to Blog... Again

Well... not sure what happened... I was doing so well- blogging, taking photos, blogging.  and then, Nothing.  Sorry. 

So, today is my first day of summer break. And after some sweet encouragement from dear friend Sarah... here I am!  Thanks Sarah! Get ready for a lot of random and way overdue posts...

A Classroom Lamp

I've always had a table lamp in my classroom. Just makes it look home-y.  Is that a word?

Well I inherited a plain white lamp years ago from another teacher.  I immediately painted the base blue and then hot glued some dangly sequin ribbon to the lamp shade. (apparently "dangly" is not a word according to spell check.  Spell check did not consult me. I disagree.)  Don't have a picture of that lamp.  It was like that for a few years. and it was cute. But time for a change.  The white shade had gotten dirty and was not cleanable.

So- I found some fabric scraps, copied an idea I saw on one of my favorite blogs (Whatever) and grabbed my hot glue gun... here she is...

I loved it!  Made me happy all spring!  Ty did not love it! He was super glad to see it go into my car and go to school.  Definitely a "kid friendly" or "classroom" lamp.  or a craft room. Could be super cute in a craft room.

Yay! one blog post done!!  :)