99 Sales on the Wall

It's a milestone for LeytonSmiles - ALMOST!  Currently at 99 sales, and I'm offering something fun for my 100th sale - free shipping!  I'll refund my 100th sale the price of shipping paid.  So hurry on in and buy that item you've had your eye on - free shipping could be yours!  ;)

Happy weekend everyone!

Comfort Food

As the roads continue to clear (we made it to Starbucks this morning - and that's HUGE in my book), I continue Bakefest 2011.  :) Today's menu - Banana bread!  I had a handful of very ripe bananas, which my kids absolutely won't touch if they even have a spot of brown on them, so I thought this would be a great way to use them up.  This recipe came from my friend Katie, but I believe it's actually a Martha Stewart recipe.  Definitely a keeper! 

Banana Bread (makes 1 loaf)

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, at room temperature, plus more for pan
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups unbleached flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup mashed very ripe bananas (which is about 3 bananas)
1/2 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-by-5-by-3-inch loaf pan; set aside. In an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, and beat to incorporate.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. Add to the butter mixture, and mix until just combined. Add bananas, sour cream, and vanilla; mix to combine. Stir in nuts, and pour into prepared pan.
Bake until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 1 hour 10 minutes. Let rest in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a rack to cool.

A few notes from my experience with this recipe - I've made it twice now, and both times I reduced the cooking time to an hour.   I also lightly covered it (just "tented") with foil about halfway through so the top wouldn't get too dark.  Last, I leave out the nuts, but that's just a personal preference.  :)  Enjoy!

Pineapple Yumminess

The one benefit to our current blizzard situation: With all this snow, I've had plenty of time to cook!  For a SuperBowl party we attended, I made this Pineapple Cake, and it was a hit!  I can't take credit for the recipe - it came from a friend's Mom, and oh my.  It's wonderful.  I could eat the whole thing myself if left alone with it for too long...



Pineapple Cake
White or yellow cake mix - add regular ingredients as indicated on box
Add small can of crushed pineapple (with liquid)
1 cup pecans (I used 1/2 cup because we aren't huge pecan people)
1/2 cup coconut (toasted in oven)
Bake as indicated on box; (mine took a few extra minutes).

Frosting
Make cream cheese frosting using 4 oz cream cheese, 1 stick of butter, 1 tsp vanilla
and mix with 1 box (1 pound) powdered sugar. Add a few teaspoons milk
if needed for spreading consistency. Optional: Sprinkle (toasted or not) coconut and toasted pecans on top.

Enjoy!  If you make it, I'd love to hear how it turned out for you!

It's -6 degrees. How about some ice cream?!?

Snow ice cream that is...  ;)  Currently, this is the view outside my front door...  I was a little afraid to even open the door - I didn't exactly want to be run over by a drift, fun as that sounds.  We are all getting a bit stir-crazy as this is day four of my car not leaving the garage...  Oklahoma is just not equipped to handle 16 inches of snow at once, and we are expecting a few more today.  I'm considering fashioning my own version of a snow plow to the front of my Honda and venturing out - call it a omg-I-am-losing-my-mind 'mental health' mission.  Ok, not really.  But only because I have nothing that would actually work as a snow plow.  :)

I remember making this when I was little with a friend, but of course that recipe is long gone.  Here's one my family will be trying today, courtesy of Paula Dean and the food network.  And don't worry, we'll avoid the snow with tracks in it - not exactly sure what creature made those, and I don't think I want to know...

You need:
8 cups of snow or shaved ice
1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp vanilla extract

Place snow or shaved ice into a large bowl. Pour condensed milk over and add vanilla. Mix to combine. Serve immediately.

Germ Fest

Probably my least favorite part of parenting is when my kids are ill.  It truly is terrible - no matter what's wrong.  You agonize over how to make them feel better, and feel incredibly helpless because you can't fix it by just snapping your fingers.  I really. really. really. hate. it. 

Leyton, the namesake for my Etsy shop, is sick.  And I mean really sick.  Big Brother Britton had the flu AND croup this past weekend (even with a flu shot), and apparently Leyton has picked up the croup piece of that fun little duo.  4 days later, 2 visits to the doctor, steroids, and we are NOT much better.  Oh my goodness how long is this going to hang on?!?  I realize it's January - and they are going to get sick at some point.  But I'm over it at this point.  I'm really for healthy Leyton again!  Poor baby.

A little fun for your Wednesday

I admit, I'm not really a romance reader.  And let's face it, these days with two small children I'm lucky if I get to read anything more than the daily reports they bring home from school and their bedtime stories.  However, I do try to catch up on my favorite blogs on lunch occasionally, and this is one I'm addicted to.  She's not only absolutely hysterical, but very real.  She's honest, intelligent, and makes me realize we all deal with similar things as moms to little ones. 

She's now drafted a romance novel, "Union Pacific," and is publishing one chapter a week (on Fridays) here.  Let me just say, it's FABULOUS.  A quick, fun read, and now I'm hooked.  Seriously, check it out.

...And Something For Her!

As promised, a peek at my newest (and current favorite) item! After making the necktie burp cloths for the boys, I knew I needed something for the little girls! I'm currently a huge fan of ruffles (putting them on anything and everything), and thought it would be fun to add some to a burpie! These are very simple ruffles - just made from jersey knit fabric... So no hems, just a shabby ruffle! Love it!

Something for Him...

You may have noticed there are a few new items in my shop recently... One of which is specifically for the little man in your life! I've really enjoyed making the necktie burp cloths, but I can't take all the credit... I was talking to my friend Jill (of bellalulu) about all the super cute neck tie onesies you see on Etsy - LOVE these! She said something like, "it's too bad you can't put those on a burp cloth or something" and the neck tie burp cloth was born! Thanks Jill for the inspiration! And look for more necktie items coming soon!



(and stayed tuned for a post tomorrow just for the girls!)