Easy chocolate chip cheese cake

Since I have a minute and recipes typed up.  I will add another of my favorites. 

Easy Chocolate Chip Cheese Cake
6 oz cream cheese (I don’t like to waste food so sometimes I put the whole 8 oz in so I don’t have 2 oz sitting around.  I finally tried it with 6 oz and I didn’t see much difference)
1 14 oz sweet condensed milk
1 egg
1 tea vanilla
1 cup mini chocolate chips
1 tea flour
1 graham cracker crust

Warm up cream cheese until soft.  (microwave, time cook 30-40, power level, 5 start.) Beat softened cream cheese with sc milk until smooth.  Add egg and vanilla.  In a separate cup or bowl, toss flour with chocolate chips separate then add to mix.  Pour into graham cracker crust. 

Bake 350 degrees for about 35 minutes.  Let cool.  I like to make ahead of time and keep it in the fridge for a little while so it can set up, sometimes I make it the day before.

 (I don’t use the glaze as mine is rich enough without it.  But we do like to eat it with vanilla ice cream.) 

Opt. Glaze
½ cup chocolate chips
¼ cup whipping cream
Warm up together and when creamy pour over finished cheese cake.

Chocolate cake recipe

I don't know if I posted this cake recipe before but as we love it and I got some request for the recipe I may as well post it and share it.  My aunt shared the recipe for me so I will pass it on.  And on my birthday if Justin ask you what I want you can direct him to this page.  Ha ha ha... chocolate!

Triple Chocolate Cake (birthday cake)

Ingredients-
1(18 oz) box devil’s food chocolate cake mix
1 (6 oz) package instant chocolate pudding mix
1 cup sour cream
1 cup vegetable oil
4 Large eggs, beaten
½ cup warm water
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a mixing bowl, use a whisk to stir together the chocolate cake mix, pudding mix, sour cream, oil eggs and water.  Mix in chocolate chips and pour the batter into a greased 12- cup bundt pan.
Bake for 50 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.  Cool cake for 90 min before turning over onto a serving plate.
Either glaze the top or dust the top with powdered sugar.  (We ALWAYS GLAZE, I guess it should be quadruple chocolate cake with this delish glaze and added layer of chocolate).

And of course if you go all out and make this cake and the glaze please don't forget the vanilla ice cream!  Something this rich and divine needs only a scoop of vanilla to compliment and complete the perfect dessert!

Glaze-

3 squares (3 oz) unsweetened chocolate , chopped
5 Tblsp butter in pieces
1 ¾ c. powdered sugar
4-5 Tbls hot water
1 tsp vanilla

Melt chocolate and butter in microwave.  Add powder sugar and water, then add vanilla.

Pour over cake and let run down sides.  It will pool at the bottom. We always have a bit extra but somehow it always seems to disappear so I am not too concerned. 

We are back

Much has happened obviously this many months away from blogging doesn't mean life stopped. But with month after month of internet issues and life changing, it was pretty much impossible to blog any of it. And the fact that we spent a lot of our time away from blogging and close to family and friends means I don't feel so bad about not blogging about it.  And with the new changes of kindles and new phones and broken phones and newer faster phones, and homeschooling every day I pretty much don't see the computer except when my camera flashes red and says the memory is full. Which is less and less as I broke my favorite lens and am still in mourning about it and started taking pictures with my cell phone.  As I can't seem to blog cell phone photos my blogging has become impossible.  So I don't know if it will stick but this is my attempt to remember those who are still far away and to try and get back into blogging.  Good Luck (to me and my family).  ha ha

 I thought I would start simple and just blog about Halloween. Easy enough right?  Now if I could just remember where the button is to add a photo....

We decided to try and match this year and all be from the Narnia book. I know hair color is off but Avery was Susan, Payton was Peter, Paige was Lucy and Ben was Edward.  We ran out of kids so Mabel had to be Reepicheep the mouse.  By the time we took this picture we had lost half of the fun props that made them who they were.  Avery's bow and arrows and quiver, Paige's vial, Payton's sword (actually all their armor was broken before Halloween) and Mabel's tail.  The kids wanted me to be the White Witch but I couldn't find a weeding dress at the thrift store and was a little too busy to make something.  I felt blessed to find the kids costumes all at the thrift store or the fabric at the thrift store or a friend had Avery's dress.  Avery made Mabel's stuff and Ben and Payton helped me make the shields and swords.  It is SO fun to make your own costume.   I'm not a big Halloween person but this was fun!
Of course having Justin come back after being gone a month was a fun addition to the church party fun. 

Memorial Weekend (With Family!!!)

Yep, it is summer!  Justin was blessed with a few days off and my brother Matt and his family decided to drive all the way down from Philladelphia on his few days off too!  I can't believe I had family come to North Carolina.  What a huge treat, and what a great family they are.  We had so much fun every day swimming, cooking, eating, picking strawberries and making jam, working hard and playing hard.  Matt was such a good sport to help with my many projects on the house we decided to take care of.   Justin, Matt and Bruce worked on painting, pull staples out of the floor, putting down new hard wood floors and built a doggy door for my chickens. 


I love this little face! 

Family Home Evening games with water relay races.  Let the Games begin.

I am not sure why I think this picture was so cool but I thought it was cute watching these two dads walking with their little girls.

Paige was ready to leave with Candice and Adelle when they had to leave.  She sure wouldn't mind being Candice's little girl.  I don't really blame her. :)

I guess I never knew Matt was so good at ice skating...  they had the ice rink to themselves!

Boy the kids had a blast with Matt around!!

I wish I had a better picture of the finished product after I touched up our many goofs from me and the kids attempt to paint the room.  Many hands might make light work but they also reaquire much more for clean up.

Bows and Arrows

Payton made this cute little bow for Ben, melted my heart.  Well then one morning I couldn't find Ben for the life of me and finally find him out the front door nailing one of PJ's targets to the first tree in the front yard.  I grabbed the camera and decided to document one of his little adventures.   

I know it looks bad...   but he said it didn't really hurt, he is tough.

Oh to be 4.... :) 

The Race

Well it has been MANY miles of training but I am so proud of Justin.  His time was 1 hour : 16min : 13 sec, his personal best. He has been training for months with a pretty cool 10 miler team.  Justin was 244th out of 1,659 runners. Which put him right around top 15%.  He was 22nd out of 99 in his age group of 35-39 years old.  His pace was a gruelling 7:38 per mile pace.  I wish I had the stats for how hot this morning was, I think that would have been a factor for me.  But he did a lot of time shaving from his time two years ago at 1 hour 30 min.   

I actually was having trouble getting to the race and missed him crossing the finish line but I tried to add a few links to his strong finish.  WAY TO GO, Babe!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/59899770@N05/7176603999/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/59899770@N05/7176603999/

Baby Gray

Sunday Morning surprise!!

I am SO EXCITED!!  My miniature horse, Ginger, had a baby!! When I left I hoped she was pregnant, but wasn't sure.  Only a month or so ago my sister sent me a picture, which confirmed she was really pregnant.  But I wasn't expecting her to have it until we made it back to WA in a few months.  I sure wish I was there to see the little sweetheart.  I can't wait to pet the little guy.  Thanks for the pictures!  Now for the naming game.