Best-Ever Chocolate Cake for International Cake Day

Tuesday (November 26th) is International Cake Day, so in honor of this most important day and to help you prepare for it, I'm re-running my recipe for the best-ever Chocolate cake! Don't you just love chocolate cake?!!! Aren't there days when chocolate cake is the best thing you could possibly eat? Well, I do love chocolate cake and there are days when chocolate cake most certainly does put a smile on my face - although since I've been working the past four years to lose weight (and have lost 100lbs), I rarely eat it, but I do fix it for others.

So, when I found the recipe I'm sharing with you today and tried it . . . well, I knew I had to share it with you because it is the best chocolate cake I've ever had! (I found the recipe in my Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book) What could be a better way to celebrate International Cake Day, than with the Best-Ever Chocolate Cake???!!! :-) Or, if you have a special event coming up where a chocolate cake would be the perfect addition . . . or, if you would just like to brighten your family's - and your own - day, bake up this best-ever chocolate cake! But first, some chocolate fun facts . . . did you know -

Christmas Book Review - This Christmas Give the Gift of Prayer with Praying Deeper Through the Psalms for Children

 

One of the most powerful things we are able to do for the children we love is for us to pray for them. One even more powerful thing we are able to do for them is to help them learn to be people who pray. This Christmas give a gift which will help you do exactly this - give the children you love ages four through fourteen the book - Praying Deeper Through the Psalms for Children!

The initial idea I (Lynda Freeman) had for this book was to write a resource to help my grands learn to be people who talked with God; so I took the reading schedule from my book; Praying Deeper Through the Psalms for Grandparents & Parents, Too! and used it to form the basis for the book for children. I also had my grands help write the prayers and draw most of the images in this book. 

grandma's cookbook - Potato, Squash, Oat Bread

I live in the house my grandparents built - my dad was born in this house and when I was a child, I often was able to have a sleepover at my grandparent's and always loved when my grandma baked bread - when it came out of the oven I always got a fresh-from-the-oven slice of bread to enjoy! What could be better! Now I'm the grandma in this house and when my grands come over this weekend, I'm making homemade potato, squash, oat bread - it will be wonderful for sure!

If you would like to try this recipe with the people you love, this is it . . . 

Christmas Book Review - The DNA of Grandparents & Parents Who Hand Down Confident Faith - a Christmas Gift which Makes a Difference

"The DNA of Grandparents & Parents Who Hand Down Confident Faith" is a book for the parents-to-be, parents, grandparents -to-be, and grandparents in your life. Look what Tim Kimmel (Family Matters) and Dr. Scott Turansky (National Center for Biblical Parenting) have to say about it -

crafting with grandma - Fun, Excellent & Inexpensive Gifts - Frosted Mason Jar Candles!

Christmas is often a time where we give gifts to people we love - and sometimes we make some of these gifts, so today I want to share an idea for a gift you could make and give . . . a gift your family and friends will love to receive!

Peanut Butter Balls - A Delightful Treat for Those You Love

If you are looking for a peanut butter and chocolate recipe for a treat which is beyond enjoyable . . . these peanut-butter balls are for you! I made them for Dave 43 years ago and within a month and a half, he proposed to me! Wonderful things happen when you make these peanut-butter balls for people!

Pumpkin Mousse Pie!

Oh yes, I just wrote, "Pumpkin Mousse Pie!" and with Thanksgiving just a week from tomorrow, today is the day to share my recipe so you are able to make one to enjoy with the ones you love! But first, some fun facts about mousse - did you know . . .

Don’t Miss the Opportunity to Do as Jesus Said & Did - Love All Others

Today is a day for us to take note and act upon - Transgender Day of Remembrance. Now, you may be wondering why I am writing about this on grandma's cookie jar - because if you do not have any LBGTQ+ family members, you likely know someone who does and these loved family members often face bullying, abuse, and even death, and so as Christians, we should especially be people who stand with and who stand up for those who experience these things - and who should model this to the children we love so they do the same. 

Tomorrow is National Peanut Butter Fudge Day!

Since Wednesdays - Hump Day - can be a day which is difficult to start and may feel like a long day, I'm very happy to let you know tomorrow is, National Peanut Butter Fudge Day! Sounds like it will be a very sweet day indeed!

As I looked up the info on this sweet day, I found;

"The origins of Fudge Day are unknown, but it cannot be denied celebrating this delicious, sweet treat is a great way to spend the day. Fudge is a soft, smooth confectionary made by heating and mixing milk, butter, and sugar. A variety of other ingredients can then be added to create assorted flavors of fudge. Some of the most popular flavors include chocolate and peanut butter - which is why we have a National Peanut Butter Fudge Day. (These are my two favorite flavors of fudge for sure!)"

I thought it might be fun to share with you some, "fudge facts"! Did you know . . . 

Today is Odd Socks Day!

What is Odd Socks Day, you ask? Well, Nationaltoday.com says, "Odd Socks day is held on the first Monday of the third week in November. The event is not only a great way to express uncanny styles, it’s also promoting a good cause. The day is meant to remind us to think about our words before we say them and their effects on others." 

Today is National Homemade Bread Day!

Today is National Homemade Bread Day, so I thought I'd share a favorite recipe for baguettes! I received baguette pans a few years ago for Christmas, so I found a recipe on-line which I use, but I do not steam the bread - I like a soft crust, not crunchy. I know, not a "true" baguette, but it is tasty for sure! You will find the recipe at this link.

Let's look at some fun bread facts, did you know . . . 

crafting with grandma - Christmas Wind Chimes!

If you are looking for a craft you could help your grandchildren make for their mom for Christmas, consider this one I found on Pinterest  . . . wind chimes!!! They will be able to decorate the clay pots however they like - just give them permanent ink pens . . . yes, I know the potential for getting ink on them is quite high, but you'll be able to remove or cover their shirts and have anti-bacterial hand gel available because a little of this takes ink off of hands . . . and arms . . . and faces . . . pretty much any skin which they may get "decorated" as well! And yes, they are more likely than not to get ink on their skin!

crafting with grandma - Glowing Snowmen!

If you are planning to have your grandchildren to your home for a Christmas party or other special time this year, consider surprising and delighting them with Glowing Snowmen I found on a blog called - "Stuff by Ash" - in your yard to greet them! (This photo is from Stuff by Ash.)

crafting with grandma . . . a Cute Giraffe to Crochet!

I know Christmas is a a month and a half away, but if you would like to get started on gifts for some of the sweet people in your life . . . or for a birthday or "just because", I have an adorable pattern for a cute giraffe you can crochet! You will find it a this link and I am delighted to share it with you!