Sweetsome Sundays...Argentinean Ricotta Cake

Happy Palm Sunday everyone!

(This piece looks more flat because it broke in half while my brother was taking a picture and he just kind of squished it back together: the actual cake had a more rounded top)

The recipe for this cake came from a good friend of ours in California (Hi Faby😜!), and I would have made it a while ago if my new spring form pan had not taken over *three* weeks to get here...I'd never even heard of a normal ricotta cake, let alone the Argentinean version, so I was pretty curious to see how it would turn out, and, people, this cake was deeelicious! Imagine blending a cheesecake with doughnuts and then dusting it all with powdered sugar...and it happens to be really simple to make, so double win! We ate half this cake for my brother's feast day on Saturday and then the rest of it on Sunday (I actually ate my piece for breakfast😊); it just keeps getting better the longer you refrigerate it.

Ingredients:

Dough:

• 2 cups Self Rising Flour (for grain-free version, use 11/4th cup Almond Flour, 1/2 cup Arrowroot Flour, 1/4th cup Coconut Flour, and three tsp Baking Power)
• 1/2 cup Sugar
• 10 Tbs Butter
• 1 Egg plus 1 Egg Yolk
• 2 Tbs Milk/Cream

Filling:

• 35 ounces Ricotta Cheese
• 2 Egg Yolks
• 3/4 cup Sugar
• 2 Tbs Milk/Cream
• Zest from one lemon
• 1 tsp. Vanilla Extract 

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Butter a spring-form pan.  Combine the dough ingredients in a food processor and mix till combined.   If it is too dry, you can add a little more cream/milk.  Take half the dough mixture and spread it out over the bottom and up the sides of the spring-form pan to form a sort of bowl, then set aside.  Mix all the filling ingredients together in a glass bowl with a hand mixer (or a fork; it works just as well) until combined.  Pour filling into dough.  Roll out the remaining dough into a circle and use it to cover the rest of the cake, sealing the edges as best you can.  Bake in the oven for 45-60 minutes, until top is golden brown.  Once done, dust the top with powdered sugar and refrigerate before serving.

Have a lovely week!

Awkward/Awesome

Awkward...

...making a big deal about a friend who spilt a little root beer on our floor (all in good fun), and then spilling a whole cup full myself

...an eight year old one-upping me by doing double flips on the trampoline

...singing Christine's part in  "The Phantom of the Opera" title song on our hayride, but starting out waaayyy too high and ending up just screeching

...not getting to bed before midnight for weeks and having dark circles under my eyes that no amount of makeup will conceal

...re-reading the "Maze Runner"series, and bothering my brothers with all my outbursts about how the movie ruined the story

...the feasts of St. Benedict and The Annunciation being moved to after Easter...I mean,we only get a few days off during Lent and taking one away just isn't fair...

...mooorrreee car trouble...groan...

...realizing that soy sauce did have wheat in it and that's why I've felt so bad all month...you LIED, Japanese guy from Whole Foods...

Awesome..

...cinnamon honey face masks

...sneaking into the kitchen with one of my Munchkins to have maraschino cherries while everyone else isn't looking =)

...Coldplay's newest album FINALLY being released on Spotify

...teaching my brother how to swing dance

...having long, deep conversations with my brothers' friends about the morality of the "Hunger Games"movies

...lovely weather for our St. Patrick's Day party

...trying a new conditioner in my hair that smelled like Papayas and Oranges, and my youngest brother following me around the house saying "THAT SMELLS SOOO GOOD...

Have a lovely weekend!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

I hope you all had a blessed feast day! We went all out on the decorations this year...tulle, bows, leprechaun hats, shamrock ears; even Mishka had a sparkly bow.

Every year we have a party to celebrate with our friends and take a short break from our Lenten Fasting...my brother's Shamrock Punch is always one our traditional beverages, along with corned beef, guacamole, and brownies...mmmmm...

Our new kitchen is perfect for parties; there was plenty of room for everyone to get their food without stepping on each other for once...

As always, the trampoline was immensely popular =).  We had several new additions to the "Munchkins" this year, and while they were all a little shy around each other at first, there's something about bouncing on a trampoline that makes instant friends.

Between the hay ride, campfire, delicious food, conversation, playing pool, and spontaneous dancing, everyone had a lovely time...I got to spend the whole day surrounded by all my little friends, so, yep, I was one happy lady =P...

Have a lovely weekend! =)

Wednesday Reading...

Happy Wednesday Everyone!

Hope you find these articles as interesting as I did =)...

Tips For taking Your Lifestyle Blog to the Next Level from Lauren Conrad.com...I found this to be very informative and am planning to use some of these tips myself in the future.

Ten Things To Do Every Sunday For A More Productive Week...from Daily Dose of Design...Personally, I will be doing these on Saturdays, because I try not to do any unnecessary work on Sundays, but these are all really great tips =).

The Wife List from Good Guy Swag (LOVED this!)

The Husband List  from She Is More

Strollers, Baby Carriers, and Infant Spinal Development from Welcome Baby

Sweetsome Sundays...Paleo Donuts

So who else forgot about the time change? We baaarrreeelllyyy made it to Mass in time, but some of our neighbors didn't get there until after the Gospel...oh, Daylight Savings Time, how we hate thee...=)

We were finally able to have a Sunday all to ourselves, so I didn't work too hard on making a fancy dessert, but I was hungry for donuts and decided to try out a new recipe I had found.  Being myself, I didn't have half of the ingredients, so I improvised...and I'm just going to suggest that if you try out this recipe, you might want to just FOLLOW THE RECIPE and not try to change it like I did...
This recipe came from one of my absolute *favorite* Paleo blogs: primalpalate.com.  If I need a recipe, I always check this blog first.  They used Chocolate Ganache on their donuts, but I'm a Lemon person, so I made a lemon glaze=)...I also cut all the donuts into little bite-sized pieces so there'd be enough for all of us.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cup Blanched Almond Flour
• 1/2 cup Arrowroot Flour
• 3 tsp Baking Powder
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 2 Pastured Eggs
• 1/2 cup Pure Maple Syrup
• 1 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
• 3/4 cup Coconut Milk
• 3 Tbsp Organic Coconut Oil, melted
• 2/3 cup Lemon Glaze

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the almond flour, arrowroot flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir with a wooden spoon until combined.
3. In a smaller mixing bowl, add the eggs, pure maple syrup, vanilla extract, and coconut milk. Using a hand mixer, blend ingredients until smooth.
4. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry, and blend all ingredients with your hand mixer until smooth.
5. Add your softened coconut oil to the batter, and blend again until all ingredients are combined evenly.
6. Liberally grease your donut pan with coconut oil, and spoon about a cup of batter into a ziplock bag.
7. Snip one of the corners off of the ziplock bag, and pipe the batter into the donut mold. More batter makes a fluffy donut, but you will have less total donuts. Filling the molds 3/4 full will yield about 12 donuts.
8. Smooth the tops of the batter by carefully banging the donut pan on the counter, and smoothing any uneven spots with a spoon or your finger.
9. Bake the donuts for 12 minutes, making sure to check then after 10 minutes. Remove donuts from oven, and allow to cool on a wire rack.
10. Grease donut pan again, and repeat for another batch of donuts.
11. Once donuts are completely cool, dip them into your choice of frosting. It helps to have the frosting in a shallow bowl to dip to donut. Place donuts in the fridge for a few minutes to help the frostings set before serving.
12. If using the lemon glaze, refrigerate donuts after dipping, then dip a second time, and refrigerate once more to allow the glaze to set.

(To make a lemon glaze, whisk the juice of one lemon with 1/4 cup of powdered sugar until you have a pour-able icing)

Awkward/Awesome...

Hey Everyone!

Pretty much every other blogger I know has started writing these Awkward/Awesome posts, so I decided to finally hop on the band-wagon and start posting them myself to replace my usual "Weekly Roundup", and to give you all an idea of what I've been up to during the week.  I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it!=)

Awkward:

...trying to be inconspicuous while pulling out rolls of fabric at the fabric outlet store and ending up knocking two metal poles off a shelf onto the floor and making a LOT of noise...

...every morning this week being greeted by my mom with "I need you to pack some more squash seeds..."

...trying to make sushi with nothing but Sriracha, Nori paper, and rice

...ladybugs infesting my room

...one of my "Munchkins" getting onto me for having Christmas lights up in my room..."It's NOT Christmas..."

...having to finally admit to myself that, as much as I love winged eyeliner, it just does not love me...

...the siding on our house being yellow...hopefully we can paint it before anyone sees... 

Awesome...

...being asked to take over decorating for friend's wedding reception

...our family business being invited to the Earth Day Texas show in Dallas

...my brother digging the hole for our new fire pit! The land here is pretty much all rock, so he had to use a sledgehammer, but he got it done and now we can start having campfire parties again =)

...finding material for two new table cloths plus some beautiful white gauze to decorate for the bridal shower I'm hosting in April

...thinking I was one short on some invitations I had ordered...and finding an extra one at the last minute

...finally starting to get the hang of our business's inventory system

...grass, yes, GRASS!!! starting to grow in our yard

...pork tenderloin and pretty purple cabbage for dinner...mmmm...

How was your week?

Wednesday Reading...

Hey there, everyone!

Today I'm starting a new series on my blog meant to share whatever good reading material I may have found online during the week...on pretty much any subject whatsoever =).  I hope you find something here to entertain or instruct you!

The Housewife As Guerrilla- from The Remnant Newspaper...this had to be my favorite thing to read all week!!! A few years old, but still spot on and well written...I wish I had found it before now.

Lauren Conrad DIY Table Numbers...I've been on the lookout for homemade/easy wedding and party decor for the last few months because I'm hosting a bridal shower for a friend, and this tutorial was just so darn cute and creative I had to share it! Too bad I don't have a fancy cutting machine to make these myself...

Lauren Conrad DIY Pressed Flower and Ombre Glitter Easter Eggs...I doubt I will have time to do this in the next ten years, but it's on my bucket list for sure =)!

Fresh Modesty When A Conviction Has Social Ramifications...this had a lot of truth in it! There are some times when it is necessary to speak up and correct our neighbor when they are wrong, out of charity, but often times we choose the wrong time to do so, and end up causing our neighbor to be even more firmly entrenched in error than if we had waited for an opportune moment.

The Art of Manliness How to Develop The Situational  Awareness Skills of Jason Bourne...yes, please, I would love to, thank you =)!

The Catholic Gentleman Six Ways to Live A Joyful Life from St. John Bosco...St. John Bosco is one of my favorite saints, and this article is just one of the many reasons why...

The Book Addict's Guide to MBTI: Valentine Wiggin, INFJ...I have never read the "Ender's Game" books, but when I watched the movie I was able to relate to Valentine most of all, and that makes since now that I see we have the same personality type.  Probably not an interesting read to anyone else but me, but I enjoyed it =).

Let me know in the comments if you found any of these interesting!

Sweetsome Sundays...Paleo Blueberry Pound Cake

Happy Laetare Sunday, everyone!

This Sunday we (once again) had some friends over for dinner and dessert.  Somehow there was some miscommunication about who was providing dinner, because we both did...and we both made roast chicken! It was a good thing, though, because we were all pretty hungry and did the meal full justice =)

For dessert, I made a Paleo Blueberry Pound Cake from AskGeorgie.com...the original recipe had lemon extract in it as well, but I didn't have any so I just skipped it =).  I also found the batter to be too dry, so I added about 1/4 cup of water to it, and baked it for an extra fifteen minutes to make sure it cooked all the way.  This cake disappeared so fast off the platter that I only got one small bite, and that was only because I stole it off my brother's plate.  It was one the most delicious Paleo desserts I have ever made and I will definitely be making more! I think it would be delicious in muffin form as well, so I may try that next time...

Ingredients:

1 cup + 2 tablespoons almond flour

1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons coconut flour

3/4 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3 eggs

1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons water

1-1/2 cups blueberries

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter or oil the inside of a loaf pan.

2. In a large bowl, combine almond and coconut flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder.  Whisk to mix well and break up any lumps.

3. In a second bowl, combine lemon extract, vanilla extract, eggs, and water.  Stir to blend.

4. Add wet ingredients to dry and mix until uniformly moist. Spoon 1/3 of batter into the bottom of the loaf pan. Sprinkle 1/3 of the berries on top. Repeat layers two more times.

5. Bake for 35 minutes. Cool before slicing into 8 slices.

I managed to keep everyone away from the cake long enough to take this one photo...half of it was already eaten by the time I got my phone out =).

If you try this recipe, let me know in the comments how it turns out!

Have a lovely week =)!

Photo-shoot With My Brother...

As many of you know by now, one of my brothers *happens* to be a very talented photographer =).  He recently started his own business and has been practicing taking different styles of photos of everything from babies to rain drops...

Yesterday he found a field that was easy to get to from the road ("easy" meaning we had to walk down a dry creek bed, climb a fence, and try avoid falling into one of the many holes hidden in the grass...and lets not go into the creepy fact that an army of vultures circled over us the whole time we were there), so he asked me if I wanted to do a photo shoot in my blue formal dress I had bought for the Christmas Ball.  A chance to get all dressed up and run barefoot in a field with the wind billowing the skirt of my super flowy dress? Yes, please!

We went out about an hour before sunset...the weather was lovely, and a breeze was blowing softly the whole time we were out there.  My other brother came along as well, in theory to hold the reflector, but in reality saying random things to make me laugh when I was trying to look dramatic =).

In case anyone is wondering, I'm wearing the "Mythical Kind of Love" dress from LuLu's...I have been more than happy with this dress and would highly recommend it as a formal gown!  The skirt is soooo flowy and is perfection itself when you're dancing =).  Short girls be warned, though; I'm wearing a small, and I still had to cut off six inches for it to be floor length on me! You can purchase it at this link...another reason I loved it is because all I had to do was wear a sweater or jacket to make it modest! I get so tired of having to add to the bottom, cover the neckline, and add sleeves to a dress just to make it decent...

Check out all of my brother's amazing photos at his website http://www.josephnationphoto.com/!

Tell me which photos were your favorite in the comments!