Welcome to another beautiful Monday. I hope your day is already off to a great start! I’m off to a late start (with posting) today but thought a quick look at the weekend was in order. Not a lot “out of the ordinary” but a nice weekend all the same. I’m pretty happy with maintaining the status quo, for the most part, and something as simple as breakfast with a friend is all it takes to make the weekend a good one. (Well, for the most part.) Let’s see, three things I enjoyed and I would change about this past weekend. I would not change:
Early morning snow. Yes, you read that right. I am actually saying something positive about snow. It snowed every so lightly throughout the night on Saturday and we woke to a very pretty dusting of white. I will admit, the world just looked cozy. And clean. And crisp. For some reason, I just really enjoyed it. I also enjoyed that it was not really on the roads and no Saturday plans were interrrupted and, as well, it was all gone and overwith by midday. That is my kind of snow. Short and sweet:) But it really was pretty!
Pancakes for breakfast. I had my monthly breakfast with my best friend on Saturday morning. Typically, I enjoy an omelet…especially if grits are on the menu. But, this past weekend, I threw caution to the wind and ordered the pancakes. The full stack with blueberries inside and sliced bananas on the top. It was decadent and I have no regrets. Ok, maybe a teeny bit of regret. One pancake would probably have been a plenty of pancake but, oh my, they were tasty!! Every once in awhile, you just have to go for it:) By the by, those are not my pancakes in the photo above but they do look amazing!
Letting the men do the cooking. Last night, we had our annual men’s bakeoff/cookoff at church. I had no idea what or how to expect. These monthly fellowships are a potluck type of meal and sometimes there is “a feast” and other month’s it is….well, slim. But the men totally outdid themselves last night. There was so much food. And so much good food! They brought things in the sweet category or the savory category. (Or both!) And there were as many delicious entrees as there were desserts. There were ribs that had been smoked for hours (which were a group favorite but something I could not really comment on!), as well as shrimp scampi, pot roast with vegetables, the most amazing stuffed mushrooms, casseroles and homemade crescent rolls. To name a few. The desserts were just as noteworthy but the homemade buckeyes, by far, got my vote! As far as I’m concerned, the men can handle the food for our fellowships every month!!
And the one thing I (we) would change:
Using a bundt pan. Grrr. I had mentioned that my husband was wanting to make something yummy for his entry in the bakeoff yesterday. I read through several recipes and scrolled Pinterest and, eventually, he settled on a lemon cake. Not only did it sound delicious but (of course) the picture looked just as wonderful. It also helped that it was not a complictaed recipe. However, the recipe did call for baking it in a bundt pan. I have always been leery of bundt pans and have a bit of a love/hate relationship with them. I love them when they work well but hate them when they don’t. And far too often they do not. As in, do not give up their baked goods without a fight. Which was exactly what happened yesterday. We prepared the pan well (or so we thought) but it just would not come out of the pan. Once we (um, I) pryed it out of there, it was a hot mess. Just sad looking. It was so disappointing.
We tried to make the best of it but, at the end of the day, it was not even that tasty. Maybe it would have been even worse, if it looked beautiful but was bleh when we served it. Hmmm. (I hadn’t thought of that.) I’m not sure but, this morning, that pan went into the donate pile (would make someone a nice garden planter!) and the cake was crumbled and put out for the birds!! Certainly cannot win every year:)
So, how was your weekend? What is one thing you enjoyed just the way it was….and would not change??
What a shame that the cake did not turn out well. I’ve never tried a bundt cake because I have visions of exactly the same thing happening to me! All that effort and nothing to show for it , I think I’m better off making something with straight edges! How lovely that the men have proved that they are just as capable as the ladies at providing a lovely spread for everyone – no excuses for doing it again 😉
I quite agree….no more excuses!!:)
Sorry about your cake, I have had my own issues with Bundt pans. I didn’t have much success with one of my cookie recipes the other day (a new recipe) but am going to make another and see if it turns out better. I always love to hear about men being comfortable in the kitchen. Mine started helping when he retired and now he enjoys it so much he puts a whole meal together. Most of the time we divide the work. The nice part about it is that they suddenly realize putting a meal on the table can involve quite a lot of hard work 🙂 Happy week to you Jennifer.
I don’t think my husband could put an entire meal on the table…but he does help. And I appreciate any help that is offered!:) Thanks, Denise!
Sorry about the cake. It is always disappointing when you take the time to bake and it disappoints. And frustrates! The meal sounds amazing, though!!! And a dusting of snow does indeed bring a crisp, clean feel to a February day. I hope you have a cozy evening, my friend.
Hope your week is cozy as well, Billie Jo. Glad you stopped by!
Sorry to hear about the cake. When it comes to baking it’s always a hit or miss for me.
Dawn – me too! Baking is very hit or miss for me. But I keep trying!
The food choices at the bake off all sound lovely! The omission of the lemon bundt cake from the mix of food hopefully was not too sorely missed. Buckeyes are always a good idea! It sounds like the guys need to keep on cooking/ baking.
Maria…right?! Buckeyes should not be reserved just for Christmas! They were so incredibly delicious!! I’m with you…guys keep cooking!
Awww man! I’m so sorry about that Bundt cake not turning out. I’m like you, if it turns out good then I like the pan, but if it doesn’t then I’m not in love with it. So far though, I have not put mine in the donate pile.
Your breakfast out with your best friend sounds like fun and it also sounded delicious!
Congratulations on the positive outlook on snow! It is beautiful…as long as I can stay inside. 🙂
I think I would tend to agree with you about allowing the men to do the cooking for the fellowship every month! The food sounds wonderful!
Our monthly breakfasts really are a blessing!! And I agree, Dianna, the men should just keep right on cooking each month!:)
I haven’t made a bundt pan in ages.. and I’m pretty sure its for that very reason! LOL. One thing I would not have changed about our weekend was our wonderful date night. We went to a local Italian place we haven’t been to in years but I had forgotten how much of their food is made fresh, from-scratch right there in house and it was so delicious. I totally splurged too and I don’t regret it at all!
Joanne, hooray for yummy date nights! Glad you rediscovered such good food!!:)
I love pancakes and rarely eat them! Those look amazing in that picture. Oh, the Bundt pan. Maybe you do this, but I put a lot more oil in the bottom than I think I should. I grab a brush and coat every nook and cranny really well, then when it’s done and I’ve pulled it out of the oven, after five minutes of sitting, I flip it over upside down onto a plate. I never have issues anymore since I’ve been doing this, so try it again and see if that helps you! If that doesn’t work, you may actually need a new Bundt pan. That did happen to me once. I’m so glad you loved your snow and that you had a lovely weekend. Take care, my friend!
Pancakes are a delicious treat, aren’t they? Thanks for the bundt pan tip, Jennifer! Glad you stopped by!
Hi Jennifer! It sounds like you had a lovely weekend! A sprinkling of snow is also what I like, I hate slick roads. I hsve the same problem with bundt pans. I really need to find one that doesn’t stick… every time! Also, the pancakes sound delicious, I may need to have a “breakfast for dinner night. 😋 Have a great rest of the week!! Hugs, Barb
Breakfast for dinner sounds like a wonderful idea!!