List of 52 - #7

7 - Make 12 new recipes from Whitewater Cooks cookbooks in 2011

Now this seems too easy!!!  These books are a pleasure to cook from and I've already made 3 recipes and it's still January!!!

Alright, lets catch you up!  While Princess Amanda was home this past weekend her boyfriend Brian (really he's already family!)   was saying how his mom has made a list of 52 things she would like to do this year....what a fantastic idea!!!

So, I've started a list - although I haven't gotten to 52 it's a great start and it's only January!
I'm using it as part of my Happiness Year - yes, I just finished reading The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin.

So far my list looks like this:

1.  Sign up for Pilate's classes  (I have signed up and made it to 1 - last Thursday snowed in)

2.  Sign up for Zumba classes (I have signed up and it starts this Friday - alas!  I will be shopping with my BFF Sandy in the USA for quilting fabrics etc.!)

3.  Do Bunny Hill Designs Free BOM "Henrietta Whiskers" - each month (this is one of the fun reasons for above trip to the states!) I haven't started this months block because I need fabric!!!  Technically this is number one on my list of 52 BUT I decided to put the exercise 1st because my New Years Resolution is to get 4 or more hours of exercise each week...I make this resolution every year so I have to take myself seriously (although secretly, I keep just missing the mark by 15 minutes each week this month - DUE to SNOW!!!)  Shhhh!  I can't drive in the snow and don't make me jog in the snow and I can't seem to turn on the treadmill in the snow either!!!!!  Anyways - it's good to leave room for self improvement!

4.  Join Flicker!  I want to join Flicker because I want to share my Henrietta Whiskers block each month with other's making them!  I really enjoyed Flicker when Bunny Hill Designs had "A Tisket A Tasket" BOM in 2009!  (too busy blogging to learn flicker yet but watch out!)

5.  Start a Blog!!!  OK, I thought (while jogging with my husband I might add)  that if I was going to flicker I might as well blog!  This is really exciting since I really don't even do email (gave the wrong address AGAIN at quilting!)  I'm Technology illiterate - until 2011!  Whoop!  Whoop!

6.  Have my sewing machine maintained (I had this done earlier than this list started BUT I have been putting it off for a few years so technically I had to add it because it is quite an accomplishment!!!)  PS great to have Lily 545 back at home!

7.  Make 12 new recipes from Whitewater Cooks cookbook during 2011.

Back to the beginning of all this - I've already made 3 recipes!

These two cookbooks were the only things I wanted for Christmas and I received the first one from my son and the second one from my husband!!!!

 I somehow got the recipe for "Toad Mountain Granola" before I was given the books - hmm - and I made this and gave it out to my peeps at Christmas.  Lucky peeps!

The 2nd recipe I made was out of determination to use my ugly bananas for good instead of evil (frozen in the freezer for eternity)  so I made "Old Fashioned Banana Cake"  Quite yummy!!!  I didn't have round cake pans so I made it in a square pan and a large rectangular pan (secretly I froze most of this -evil ugly bananas!!!  Although some good came of it - I was able to give some to Princess Amanda to take back to University.)

I changed a few things in the recipe - regular Becel instead of butter (heart friendly)
Less Becel than butter called for (3/4 cup instead of 1 cup)
I then added 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce to make of for butter.
I also used skim milk instead of whole milk.
Then I blew it out of the water by adding 1 cup of semi sweet chocolate chips instead of walnuts (this is just one of  the many reasons my husband loves me!)

Really great cake!!!

Tonight I made recipe number 3!!!!  Ta Da!  WhiteWater Brownies!!!  These were fantastic!!!  I made these purely to impress my husband and son who have been away overnight at our cabin!  We had them warm with ice cream and YUM!!!!
I didn't change ingredients but I did change the method (I don't like change BUT look at me go!!!)
I warmed the butter and chocolate chips in the microwave instead of tedious double boiler!  I melted the butter first in large measuring cup for 30 seconds, then added chips and did another 20 seconds, then stirred!)  Impressive!

Interesting side note - I didn't want these books for the desserts as much as the soups, salads and mains!!!

Well!  Sense of rambling and accomplishment at 2 blogs in 1 day!