Karen’s Opinion | 2011

Fall is the Season for Baking

The cooler weather makes me want to bake! I also like to eat soup and love that my husband likes to make big pots of the stuff. Here is one of my favorite pumpkin recipes.
Pumpkin Cake
2 cups white sugar
1 1/4 cups vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups canned pumpkin
4 eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 12×18 inch pan. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Set aside.
In a large bowl combine sugar and oil. Blend in vanilla and pumpkin, then beat in eggs one at a time. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in nuts. Spread batter into prepared 12×18 inch pan. (make cupcakes by reducing the baking time to 20 minutes)
Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow to cool.

Can use applesauce–3/4 cup and reduce the oil to 1/2 cup

This cake is so moist that it doesn’t need to be frosted! I do like to spread mine with cream cheese frosting. Yummy!

Tags: baking, fall, pumpkin cake
Posted by karen in Food 6 Comments →

Three Blind Mice

The only mice I like are the ones in a song! The colder weather we are having here in the mid-west has apparently annoyed the mice and they have decided they like it indoors better. Last night, I was sitting in the recliner and out of the corner of my eye, saw something run across the floor. EeeeWW! I hate mice. I ran and set a trap. In only a few minutes, the trap was sprung and I had caught Mr. Mouse. Yucko. I hope he had time to holler out to all his friend, “don’t come in this house! She will get you.”

Tags: mice, traps, varmits
Posted by karen in Heads Up! 4 Comments →

Tell It to Me Straight Talk

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Straight Talk for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

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I am convinced, Hook, line and sinker, that Straight Talk 's "All You Need Plan" meets all my calling needs. With 1000 minutes and 1000 texts included in the plan, I would be crazy not to switch. This plan even includes a web data package that would allow me to utilize my Android on Straight Talk. With the money I'd save, going with Straight Talk, I could afford a phone with all the bells and whistles! I'd be able to make my own restaurant reservations without having to Call a friend to find out the restaurant's phone number. Yes, we are talking twenty-first century technology at my fingers!

Straight Talk has excellent nationwide coverage and doesn't have those hidden fees, activation charges or termination fees like other places. They are simply Straight Talk.

Posted by karen in A Bit of Everything 1 Comment →

Top Droppers

I don’t know about you but, as an Entrecard dropper, I am always excited to see my blog listed as a top dropper on someone’s blog. I know, I need to get a life but I actually read the blogs I drop on and have pared down my drops to only 27 of my favorite blogs. Here are the bloggers who have dropped the most on My Opinion Counts. Thanks guys!