Karen’s Opinion

I spent all day, yesterday, at the sewing machine. I have been asked to teach a purse making class at our quilt guild meeting this Thursday. I am making mock ups of each step of making a purse. It will be fun and I hope the ladies understand what I am trying to say. I also have an order to make a grocery bag for a customer. My sewing machine loves me!

Hubby has been struggling with a case of gout. Have any of you experienced gout? It is quite painful. He needs to stay away from shrimp. He had eaten a good bit of shrimp last week and now he is paying the price. He also needs to stay away from red meat. That is difficult. Last night, friends had us over for steak dinner. That was too hard to pass up.

After our steak dinner, we had homemade black raspberry cobbler. Oh my gosh! It was heavenly. The berries were picked from a farm not far from where we live. I am so glad they picked them and not me. I have a tendency to brush up against poison ivy. No amount of berries is worth a poison ivy encounter.

We played a couple rounds of Farkle. Have you become addicted to this game? Even the minister of our church plays Farkle. It cracks me up. I wonder how it got such an odd name. It is a dice game and winning is by luck.

You may have seen rumors of an exciting contest from Charter on Twitter. You may have read about this contest from Charter on Facebook. Well, the rumors are true. Charter is at it again!

It seems like only yesterday that I was telling you that Charter was giving away laptops, Xboxes and an HDTV every day in their effort to get the word out about their wonderful services. Last year, they even gave away a Hybrid Car! They have not given up on finding the customer who has not heard about Charter. Now, they are offering a Camaro Sweepstakes!

Charter offers the best pricing on their services and now they are holding a sweepstakes to get you to look over what they have.

When you win this sweepstakes, you will be the envy of all those who have been trying to buy the new 2010 Camaro 2SS. I know that not everyone can win the Camaro but there are great consolations gifts! How about a $100 gift card to a major retailer just for trying 3 charter services? You only need two of their services? That earns you a gift card of $50! I can think of a few clothing items, restaurants and items for my home that a gift card would afford!

Simply go to charter.com/camaro to view all the rules and regulations of this fantastic contest.

The theme for Heads or Tails this week: Use any form of the word “Book” in any kind of post.

Janet Evanovich’s book,

Plum Lucky

is sitting on my nightstand. It is the next book I plan on reading and I cannot wait! I love Janet Evanovich’s books.

Janet Evanovich (born Janet Schneider, April 22, 1943, in South River, New Jersey) is an American writer. She began her career writing short contemporary romance novels under the pen name Steffie Hall, but gained fame authoring a series of contemporary mysteries featuring Stephanie Plum, a lingerie buyer from Trenton, New Jersey, who becomes a bounty hunter to make ends meet after losing her job. The fifteen novels in this series consistently top the New York Times Best Seller list. I have helped in that cause!

Today is my husband’s birthday and his only request is for this dessert.


Peanut Butter Chocolate Cake
INGREDIENTS

* 2 cups all-purpose flour
* 2 cups sugar
* 2/3 cup baking cocoa
* 2 teaspoons baking soda
* 1 teaspoon baking powder
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 2 eggs
* 1 cup milk
* 2/3 cup canola oil
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 1 cup brewed coffee, room temperature
* PEANUT BUTTER FROSTING:
* 1 package (3 ounces) cream cheese, softened
* 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
* 2 cups confectioners’ sugar
* 2 tablespoons milk
* 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
* Miniature semisweet chocolate chips, optional

DIRECTIONS

In a bowl, combine dry ingredients. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat for 2 minutes. Stir in coffee (batter will be thin).
Pour into a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking pan. Bake at 350° for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool completely on a wire rack.
For frosting, beat the cream cheese and peanut butter in a bowl until smooth. Beat in sugar, milk and vanilla. Spread over cake. Sprinkle with chocolate chips if desired. Store in the refrigerator. Yield: 12-16 servings.

Click here to find out more!
Printed from tasteofhome.com Sep 21, 2009
Copyright Reiman Media Group, Inc © 2009

If you remember, I wrote about how I become addicted to shows that show me just enough to lure me in. These cliff hangers grab me! One such “grabber” was the series of videos from Red Chair Confessions. I had a feeling that the addiction in the videos was and addiction to shoes or some type of clothing and I was right! You are not going to believe who sponsored these videos! It was Talbots!

Here is the big reveal:

I remember Talbots from my high school days. I rarely found anything that tickled my teenage fancy. Today however, Talbots is a hip, modern retailer of women’s apparel, shoes and accessories. They have so many classic styles that I know when I buy from them; I will have an item that will not go out of style. Their things are affordable and well made. I love Talbots! Check out their website and let me know in a comment, which item is your favorite.

Go back and watch all the Red Chair Confessions videos now that you know who sponsored them. Knowing the sponsor gives a different spin on each episode. I would have never guessed the sponsor would be Talbots!