The last big push to gather recipes for Easter on Sunday.

We are not having the usual Ham/Potato dinner that we always do.

Hubs is breaking out the smoker and I can positively guarantee that it will be mouth-watering and to-die-for!

The entire week I have been trying to think of something to have for dessert and whether I should attempt to make something fancy or simply go buy a bunny cake at the store.

My mom let me off the hook and said she will bring dessert so I can put that issue to rest!

If you still need an Easter dessert check out the link below!

20 Easter Desserts
These desserts are the perfect ending to an Easter dinner full of spring recipes from our 20 Easter Dishes.

Love the look of the Daisy Cake!

Daisy Cake

Rich Butter Cake:
3 cup(s) all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon(s) baking powder
1/2 teaspoon(s) salt
1 cup(s) whole milk
2 teaspoon(s) vanilla extract
2 cup(s) sugar
1 cup(s) butter or margarine, softened
4 large eggs
6 tablespoon(s) seedless red raspberry jam

Fondant Daisies:
Confectioners’ sugar
6 ounce(s) ready-to-use white rolled fondant
1/4 cup(s) ready-to-use yellow rolled fondant

Lemon Frosting:
1 lemon
Buttercream Frosting
Yellow food coloring

Garnish:
Bumblebee cookie
Coconut
Green food coloring

Directions
Prepare Rich Butter Cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease three 8-inch round cake pans. Line bottoms with waxed paper; grease and flour paper.

On another sheet of waxed paper, combine flour, baking powder, and salt. In measuring cup, mix milk and vanilla.

In large bowl, with mixer on low speed, beat sugar and butter until blended. Increase speed to medium-high; beat until creamy, about 3 minutes, frequently scraping bowl with rubber spatula. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Reduce speed to low; add flour mixture alternately with milk mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat just until smooth, scraping bowl occasionally.

Spoon batter evenly into prepared pans. Stagger pans on 2 oven racks, placing 2 on upper rack and 1 on lower rack, so that pans are not directly above one another. Bake 25 to 28 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks 10 minutes. With small knife, loosen layers from sides of pans; invert onto racks. Remove waxed paper; cool completely, about 45 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare Fondant Daisies: On surface dusted with confectioners’ sugar, roll out white fondant to 1/8-inch thickness. (Keep unused fondant covered with plastic wrap; fondant will dry quickly.) With daisy-shaped cookie cutters (3/4-inch to 2 1/2-inch), cut out as many daisies as possible. Roll yellow fondant to 1/8-inch thickness. With round cutters (5/8-inch and 3/8-inch), cut out a center for each daisy. With small brush, moisten 1 side of each yellow round with water and place, moistened side down, on daisy, using small rounds for smaller daisies and large rounds for large daisies. Gently press together to stick. Set daisies aside, uncovered (so they’ll start to set for easier handling), at room temperature, until ready to use.

Prepare Lemon Frosting: From lemon, grate 1 teaspoon peel and squeeze 2 tablespoons juice. Prepare Buttercream Frosting as recipe directs, adding lemon peel and juice with vanilla. When frosting is a good spreading consistency, beat in enough yellow food coloring to tint a pale yellow.

To assemble cake, place 1 cake layer, rounded side down, on cake plate; spread with 3 tablespoons raspberry jam. Top with second layer, rounded side down, and remaining 3 tablespoons jam. Top with third layer, rounded side up. Use Lemon Frosting to frost sides and top of cake, making frosting as smooth as possible.

Arrange daisies all over cake and gently press into frosting so they stick. If you like, garnish top of cake with bumblebee cookie and sprinkle coconut, tinted green, around base for “grass.”

Daisy Cake

Rebecca
Country Meadow Ltd.
Eco Friendly Shea Butter Spa Products

www.countrymeadowltd.com

Easter Egg Nests

Due to intermittant internet service there will be no blog post today.

Hoping things are back to normal tomorrow!

Rebecca
Country Meadow Ltd.
Eco Friendly Shea Butter Spa Products

www.countrymeadowltd.com

Need ideas for quick and easy not to mention delicious snack recipes for Easter? Kids would love to help make these.

Check these out!

Easter Egg Dipper Treats™
These eggs dipped in chocolate and colorful sprinkles make an extra special goodie for your child’s basket!

Ingredients
3 tablespoons butter or margarine
1 package (10oz., about 40) regular marshmallows
OR
4 cups miniature marshmallows
6 cups Kellogg’s® Rice Krispies® cereal
1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate morsels or milk chocolate morsels
5 teaspoons shortening
Multi-colored sprinkles

Directions
1. In large saucepan melt butter over low heat. Add marshmallows and stir until completely melted. Remove from heat.

2. Add KELLOGG’S RICE KRISPIES cereal. Stir until well coated.

3. Using 1/4-cup measuring cup coated with cooking spray divide warm cereal mixture into portions. Using buttered hands shape each portion into 2 1/2- x 1 1/2-inch egg shapes. (Or, coat insides of plastic snap-apart Easter eggs with cooking spray. Press cereal mixture into eggs. Remove cereal mixture from plastic eggs.) Cool.

4. In small saucepan combine chocolate morsels and shortening. Cook over low heat until melted, stirring constantly. Dip bottoms of cereal eggs into chocolate. Decorate with sprinkles. Place on wax-paper-lined baking sheet. Refrigerate until chocolate is firm. Individually wrap in plastic wrap. Best if served the same day.

MICROWAVE DIRECTIONS:

In microwave-safe bowl heat butter and marshmallows on HIGH for 3 minutes, stirring after 2 minutes. Stir until smooth. Continue with recipe as directed above. Microwave cooking times may vary.
Note

For best results, use fresh marshmallows.

1 jar (7 oz.) marshmallow crème can be substituted for marshmallows.

Diet, reduced calorie or tub margarine is not recommended.

Store no more than two days at room temperature in airtight container. To freeze, place in single layer on wax paper in airtight container. Freeze for up to 6 weeks. Let stand at room temperature for 15 minutes before serving.

Easter Egg Dipper Treats™

Easter Bunny Treats™

Ingredients
3 tablespoons butter or margarine
1 package (10 oz., about 40) regular marshmallows
OR
4 cups miniature marshmallows
6 cups Rice Krispies®
Canned frosting or decorating gel
Pink construction paper cut into bunny ears
Assorted candies

Directions
1. In large saucepan melt butter over low heat. Add marshmallows and stir until completely melted. Remove from heat.

2. Add KELLOGG’S RICE KRISPIES cereal. Stir until well coated.

3. Using 1/3-cup measuring cup coated with cooking spray divide warm cereal mixture into portions. Using buttered hands shape each portion into ball.

4. Use frosting to attach two balls together, forming bunny body and head. Repeat with remaining balls. Use frosting to attach paper ears. Decorate wtih frosting and/or candies for eyes, mouth, whiskers and tail. Best if served same day.

MICROWAVE DIRECTIONS:
In microwave-safe bowl heat butter and marshmallows on HIGH for 3 minutes, stirring after 2 minutes. Stir until smooth. Follow steps 2 thru 4 above. Microwave cooking times may vary.

Note
For best results, use fresh marshmallows.

1 jar (7 oz.) marshmallow creme can be substituted for marshmallows.

Diet, reduced calorie or tub margarine is not recommended.

Store no more than two days at room temperature in airtight container. To freeze, place in single layer on wax paper in airtight container. Freeze for up to 6 weeks. Let stand at room temperature for 15 minutes before serving.

Easter Bunny Treats™

Rebecca
Country Meadow Ltd.
Eco Friendly Shea Butter Spa Products

www.countrymeadowltd.com

I hardly ever take time out for myself..I just have too much to do and 99.9% of the time on weekends I play catchup both on business and household stuff.

For the last few years I have wanted to go up to Skagit Valley to one of the tulip farms but for one reason or another just never made it.

However, this year we are going!
(Guess I’ll have to play catch up on Sunday!)

Tomorrow it is supposed to be somewhat sunny and around the mid-60′s so it will be perfect!

I had a hard time choosing between Tulip Town or RoozenGaarde but because Tulip Town had a more informative website I chose them for this year!

I have my camera and flip charging and I’m ready to pack a lunch for everyone that is going.

I can hardly wait!

Life
We watched a couple episodes of Life last Sunday and while I loved the show I think they could have done a better job picking the narrator. Sorry, but Oprah just doesn’t do it for me.

Inhale
Sorry but if I want chocolate or coffee I want the real thing!

National Tsunami Week
This is National Tsunami Awareness Week (March 21–27). The Washington coast is at-risk for a major tsunami of either distant or local origin.

That’s it for today.
I have a lot to do this weekend and will upload any pictures/videos we take as time allows!

Rebecca
Country Meadow Ltd.
Eco Friendly Shea Butter Spa Products

www.countrymeadowltd.com

Countdown to “Free” Renewable Energy from Sewage Begins
Written by Tina Casey

They prefer to call it wastewater, but the bottom line is that researchers at the University of Nevada are close to commercializing a process for generating renewable energy from sewage sludge. The energy could be used to run equipment at the plants, which is a big deal because sewage treatment plants (okay, so wastewater treatment plants) are massive energy consumers. Operations like pumping and aerating, skimming off trash, separating grease, drying sludge, and disposing of sludge have a huge carbon footprint, especially when you get into big-city treatment systems that handle hundreds of millions of gallons daily.

Nationwide, that activity adds up millions of tons of greenhouse gases which could be neutralized by sewage-to-electricity technology. It could also help reverse the relationship between cities and energy; they will produce a good chunk of the energy they use instead of importing it, using wastewater treatment plants and other infrastructure as inexpensive clean energy generators that help keep local budgets manageable while reducing air pollution and greenhouse gases.

Generating Renewable Energy From Sewage Sludge
The University of Nevada project will be set up at the Truckee Meadows Water Reclamation Facility, which serves the cities of Reno and Sparks. They hope to have the system up and running in May. In a continuously cycling process the system will dry sludge (the organic byproduct of sewage treatment) into a solid fuel that could be used in a gasification process, and converted into electrical energy. In addition to generating electricity, the process would significantly reduce the cost of trucking sludge off site for disposal. The researchers estimate that a single full scale facility could generate about 14,000 kilowatt hours daily.

Mining the Potential of Sewage Sludge
The potential for renewable energy generation from sludge on a national level is enormous. The researchers estimate that California alone generates approximately 700,000 metric tons of dried sludge every year, enough to yield 10 million kilowatt hours daily. Access to inexpensive, renewable (and reliable) energy will become even more important because the cost of sewage treatment is bound to rise (there are a variety of reasons for that, including stricter environmental regulations). Electricity from sewage sludge isn’t entirely free of course, but the feedstock is free through the generous contributions of numerous small donors. With the addition of solar energy installations and other renewables at treatment plants, sewage-to-energy could at least help keep costs manageable.

Support Your Friendly Neighborhood Sewage Plant
Seriously, we ought to be way past the ick factor when it comes to exploiting the abundant riches of municipal sewage. It truly is a renewable, reliable feedstock and it can be harvested quite easily through existing infrastructure (aka sewers) without blowing up pristine mountains. Among the new sewage resource developments to look out for are a bacteria that could directly convert sewage to electricity, a method for making bioplastics from sewage, and biogas recovery. The treated effluent from sewage treatment plants, which used to be shunted into the nearest waterway, is now being used to irrigate golf courses and recharge aquifers. The U.S. Navy is even getting into the act with a test-run of a portable wastewater recycling system. Reclaimed water from the system meets drinking water standards but for now the Navy uses it to flush toilets and perform maintenance tasks. Waste not, want not, right? Go, Navy!

Rebecca
Country Meadow Ltd.
Eco Friendly Shea Butter Spa Products

www.countrymeadowltd.com

Get Out Your Dessert Bowls!
9 Tempting Spoonable Dessert Recipes

Custard, pudding, parfaits, and mousse: All these delicious, decadent desserts can be eaten with a spoon, served in a bowl, and dressed up or down. Perfect for all occasions and many ingredients, what’s not to love? Here, FoodandWine.com has found eight sophisticated, spoonable desserts including chocolate pots de crème, banana pudding, bread pudding, and even Italian zabaglione — and they’re easy enough for everyone to try.

This one looks absolutely divine!!!
Since I’m not really a fan of cherries (let alone brandied cherries!) I think I would delete the cherries and add more raspberries or use strawberries!

Vanilla Zabaglione with Raspberries
The ethereal Italian dessert sauce zabaglione (known in French as sabayon) consists of egg yolks beaten with sugar and the Sicilian fortified dessert wine Marsala. Steeping vanilla seeds in the Marsala adds lovely flavor; folding in whipped cream increases the decadence factor.

Ingredients
1 cup(s) Marsala
1 cup(s) sugar
1 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped
12 large egg yolks
1 cup(s) heavy cream
2 1/2 cup(s) brandied cherries or Amaretto cherries
5 cup(s) raspberries

Directions
In a small saucepan, whisk the Marsala with the sugar and vanilla bean seeds and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat.

Meanwhile, bring a medium saucepan of water to a simmer; turn the heat to moderately low. Fill a large bowl with ice water. In a large stainless steel bowl, whisk or beat the egg yolks at low speed to break them up. Gradually add the hot Marsala mixture and beat until smooth.

Set the bowl over the simmering water. Beat the egg yolk mixture until it is hot and foamy and leaves a ribbon trail when the beaters are lifted, about 10 minutes. Don’t cook the zabaglione for too long, or it will curdle. Transfer the bowl to the ice water bath and let stand, whisking the zabaglione occasionally, until cooled. Cover and refrigerate for about 1 hour, until thoroughly chilled.

In another large stainless steel bowl, whip the cream to form firm peaks. Fold the whipped cream into the chilled zabaglione. Spoon the cherries into rocks glasses or bowls. Top with the zabaglione, garnish with the raspberries, and serve.

Vanilla Zabaglione with Raspberries

Rebecca
Country Meadow Ltd.
Eco Friendly Shea Butter Spa Products

www.countrymeadowltd.com

Zabaglione Pan

As anyone with a parrot knows…they chew….agressively and sometimes it’s a challenge trying to keep up with them in providing chewable, safe toys.

One of the best and cheapest toys is one you can make yourself!!

Take an adding machine paper roll and remove the plastic middle.
Then string a section of chain through the center and hook it to the bars of the cage.

This simple toy will provide hours of fun once your parrot realizes he can unroll the tape and either string it throughout the cage or in Lemons case….simply shred into pieces!

It took Lemon (umbrella cockatoo) a month or so before he even attempted to shred it. Now he plays with it just about every day!

One day I came home and found the entire brand new paper roll shredded into pieces on the bottom of his cage.

Adding Machine Paper Shredded

Needless to say Lemon will always have a roll of paper in his cage!

Rebecca
Country Meadow Ltd.
Eco Friendly Shea Butter Spa Products

www.countrymeadowltd.com

Unfortunately for me we just don’t have the space to set up elaborate holiday decorations. I’m hoping that will change in the next year or so (major house remodel!).

In the meantime all I can do is drool over special findings and plan on the day when we do have the space!!

I saw these ceramic Easter eggs on etsy and immediately envisioned a decorative basket full of these eggs along with a few spring flowers for a tabletop centerpiece!

For more ceramic delights check out SueSueSueCrafts!

Ceramic Easter Eggs

Rebecca
Country Meadow Ltd.
Eco Friendly Shea Butter Spa Products

www.countrymeadowltd.com

Yea!
Tomorrow is the first day of spring!!!
It could very well hit 70 degrees for the first time this year.
Decisions…Decisions….

Do I work on inside stuff…or outside stuff?

HoldonaminutewhileIthinkaboutit……

Um…..
Outside Stuff!

Aiming to be the world’s fattest woman
First off let me make it perfectly clear..
I have NO problem with heavy people…and in fact I, myself, could stand to lose quite a few pounds.

But when you already weigh 600 lbs. and your very highest goal in life is to be the fattest woman topping out over 1,000 lbs. something is seriously wrong with your thinking.

‘Shaming’ her in-laws costs 19 year old her nose, ears
I have no words for this….
Actually that’s not true…
I have ALOT to say about this, however, it would contain a lot of profanity so I think it’s best for me to not say anything. I’m certain you all feel the same.

Two New Shows
Aftermath
One night I had this on but since I was doing other things I didn’t sit down and actually watch it. I listened to most of it and it sounds like a good show…something similar to Life After People! I think hubs recorded so when we have time we will sit down and watch the series.

Life
This series starts Sunday at 8:00 pm.
I plan on having everything done and in my pajamas just in time to watch the first episode!

Guess that’s it for now.
I’m off to find the sunscreen!

Rebecca
Country Meadow Ltd.
Eco Friendly Shea Butter Spa Products

www.countrymeadowltd.com

How much carbon does that tree store? DNR’s urban foresters have answers
By Ear to the Ground

That maple tree in the backyard that seems to produce twice its weight in leaves every fall is more than just good lookin’. In addition to a home for wildlife, summer cooling, rain run-off control and more, that tree — if you live in the city — is part of the urban forest. Trees in urban areas also have a measurable role to play in absorbing carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gasses from the atmosphere.

How measurable? The Center for Urban Forestry Research has an updated new Tree Carbon Calculator. It covers six U.S. climate zones and includes new features including emissions factors and energy information for energy conservation by trees in 16 regions.

Enter the tree species, size (diameter-at-breast height) or tree age and find out how much biomass and carbon is stored in the tree. The calculator also helps show the benefits of energy conservation projects. All results are based on tree growth data from each region.

The calculator is a free Excel (Microsoft) application that you can use or download from U.S. Forest Service’s Climate Change Resource Center website, which has a help menu and list of frequently asked questions.

Next year, the Forest Service hopes to post a web-based calculator. But for now, you can download this tool (about 5 MB) and start estimating the carbon sequestration of trees on your home site.

Thanks to Center for Urban Forest Research, part of the US Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Research Station.

Visit the Washington State Urban and Community Forestry Program to find more tools and links to information about the economic, environmental, social and aesthetic benefits of trees.

Rebecca
Country Meadow Ltd.
Eco Friendly Shea Butter Spa Products

www.countrymeadowltd.com