Lemon Poppyseed Bundt Cake for the Rosary Tea

Hello sweet friends!

Oh boy, I'm still so busy and I know I have to answer you my sweet friends all your wonderful comments that always do make my day, even when I'm down with the blues...and there you go saying something pretty and sweet about my posts.

I am gonna dedicate myself the first of the new year to answer each one of you, just excuse me and be patient, I haven't forgotten, ever!

I'm posting a small one just to tell you that the following day I came from DD Sofie were we spent Christmas, three hours away, I hosted my monthly Rosary prayers with my friends. I want to tell the friends that requested prayers and to the ones I offered, that we did, specially for your health and your family members.

I didn't post a table as it was the same as the last one I posted with the plaid, except for a tea setting. I did bake a great cake with my Heritage Nordic Ware pan I just bought from Miami.

Here it is.

Wishing you and yours a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year 2016.

Here's the "Lemon Poppy seed Bundt Cake" that I baked for my Rosary prayer group, in my new Heirloom, Nordic Ware pan I just got in Miami.
They all loved it; it's very moist because of the cup of ricotta it has.

Recipe is at the end of this post.  It is GREAT!

"Mr. and Mrs. Living wishes all and each one of you, only the very best that can bring you this new year 2016. Specially, happiness and health for you and each dear member of your family."

LOVE,
FABBY

Lemon Poppyseed Bundt Cake

Serves 10 to 12

For the cake: 3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2 cups granulated sugar
4 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
2 tablespoons lemon zest
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 cup ricotta
1 1/2 teaspoons poppy seeds
 
For the glaze: 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise and seeds scraped out
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
2 tablespoons milk
Sliced almonds, to top
 
To make the cake: Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a bundt pan extremely well. Sift together the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl.
With an electric mixer, beat butter on high until light and creamy. Add the sugar and beat until fluffy. With the mixer on medium-low, add the eggs one at a time. Add in the lemon zest and lemon juice, followed by the ricotta.
Stop mixer and scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl. With the mixer on low, gradually add in the dry ingredients. Mix until just combined. Stop the mixer and fold in the poppy seeds.
Pour the batter into the prepared bundt pan. Bake 50 to 60 minutes, until a cake tester or skewer inserted in the cake comes out clean or with just few crumbs.
Let cake cool in the pan for 10 to 15 minutes, or until you can comfortably touch the pan. Use a flexible rubber spatula to release the edges of the cake from the pan, then invert the cake onto a large plate or cooling rack. Cool completely.
→ Make-Ahead: Once the cake has completely cooled, you can cover it with plastic wrap and refrigerate it for a few days or freeze it for several weeks. Allow the cake to thaw in the fridge before glazing.
To make the glaze: Combine the vanilla bean seeds with the powdered sugar and milk. Whisk until smooth.
To assemble: Carefully level the bottom of the bundt cake with a large serrated knife. Drizzle the cooled cake with the vanilla bean glaze and sprinkle with sliced almonds.

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Whimsy Christmas Table and Cookies

Hello sweet friends!

Wow, it's been some hectic days with so much work around the house, my mother, invitations and dinners over family and friends and to top it all off, I've been baking and cooking for my DD Sofia, Sil and the girls.

We are on our way to our kids house tomorrow, about a three hour drive where we're spending the holidays and a whole week in total.

I've also made a ham and a Sweet Potato pudding they love, among other not important things, except they take my time. Let's not forget all the tiring gift wrapping too! I sure am quite exhausted... I'm getting old.

I did this Christmas tablescape to show just some of the cookies I baked for the girls and the 'Banana Best ever Cake' with walnuts and decorated with Dulce de Leche in a Nordic Ware wreath bundt pan I bought in Miami.
Recipe from Pinterest.

Ok, here it is.

I WISH ALL OF YOU AND YOUR DEAR FAMILIES A WONDERFUL CHRISTMAS AND A VERY BLESSED NEW YEAR 2016.




                              

I created this Christmas tablescape mainly to use my tray decorated for the holidays as a centerpiece....oh and yeah, to show off all my baking, lol..

Tartan table topper.

I love the tea set from my green china I was gifted for last M'sD by sweet Mr. Living.

I love this green china, is so versatile!

I'm loving this inexpensive cut out tray, I decorated it for Christmas using mainly my German Santa and my Italian toy Horse, a crystal candle stick among other lovelies in the front and back.

The napkin is a fine linen embroidered with a cute blue basket and a small tree. I won them among other things several years ago for teaching how to make a C'mas tree in a big store.

The back of the tray contains some white pine cones I painted last year, a silver present and some faux apples.
I used a lazy Susan for the tray so I can move it around for better pics.

The best Banana Cake and Dulce de Leche topping.
I just used it to outline the bow and tassels in the wreath.
 
The pan is Nordic Ware I acquired it in Miami last month. Recipe from Pinterest.

In real life the wreath cake is so much prettier!

Some figure ginger cookies for the girls to decorate and of course, I made a few batches.

This is my first try on 'German Linzer Cookies' and I must say, although they're easy, they take a lot of time, so they came out 20... aren't they peaty? 
Look for the recipe on Pinterest too.

I couldn't NOT bake if I wasn't making my Granola Cookies my daughter and grandgirls love. Of course, my Brownie recipe too! 

My Sweet Potato Bake for the
ham I also made.
 

The white place mats are from Miami and are of a cotton linen and pretty cut out edges.

My inexpensive red tartan topper is from last year.

What can I say to you my wonderful 'Bloggy' friends, except I love and appreciate you all, as it's another year in your company, that forever make me happy.
 
I love you all, and I pray for you and your families and wish you and yours the best Christmas, ever!

Thank you for your sweet comments, you always make my day!

Thanking the lovely hostesses for having me at their great parties, yet another year.

LOVE,
FABBY

I will be partying here:


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Family Christmas Luncheon

Hello sweet friends!

I hope you are all enjoying the Christmas Holiday Season thus far.

I've been late decorating the house and for the first time in our 40 years of marriage I haven't any time to make my 'memory tree' this year.

It actually takes me lots of time; plus we are going to our DD Sofie's, on a three hour drive to spend Christmas with the grandgirls and we also just got back from Miami from DD Alex's for the birth of her first child, baby Maxima.

Now I have to bake away to take lots of cookies and cake for my sweeties, therefore, hardly time to even enjoy a Christmas tree.

I am making a luncheon for the family this Friday, so here is the tablescape I created for them, plus the dining room and breakfast area with Christmas décor and display.

                                 Merry Christmas and Many Blessings dear friends!

View towards the breakfast area.

The tablescape with my old Christmas china and tablecloth.

Red charger, the china place set and the sherbet glass for shrimp cocktail.



These tea set was made at our former ceramic company Monte Turi. I designed the holiday decoration from a piece of cloth.

The Belgium buffet all done up, but I managed not to remove the usual things I keep here.

This vignette is formed with some mercury glass candle sticks and Nativity pieces under glass on centerstage.

 





I love how the angel and Friendly Village pieces are exactly the same tone of green. 

I may have to do a second table with my green china I got as a gift from Mr. Living, last M's Day.

I love the pull out serving tray some antique pieces have, such as this one, where I placed a tea service for the afternoon to sip with cookies and cake.

Once I finish my baking I will a post it too.

Thank you so much dear friends for your sweet and kind comments, you always make my day!

Thanking the lovely hostesses for having me at their great parties.

LOVE,
FABBY

I will be partying here:

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Meet Baby Maxima !

Hello sweet friends!

    I'm back after a month away at Miami for the birth of our third granddaughter, which was a total blessing. God is wonderfully great!

The first child of our daughter Alexandra was born November 20th. weighing 8 pounds and 53 cmts., tall. Quite the girl!

Alexandra gave birth naturally for which I'm so happy as the recuperation is faster then a C-section.

I'm the grandma so I can say the baby is gorgeous! So there...

We were also pleasantly surprised when our DD Sofia arrived for the birth as well. We were all complete.

Here are some pics, me, this proud grammy is sharing, along with our Thanksgiving table setting and food. We had so much to be thankful for.

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving along with your dear ones and received many blessings.

And here's babyyyyy....

Here is our sweetie, baby Maxima Juliette

With her lucky parents, Alexandra and Sergio.

With grandpapa Alejandro

Of course, you know the happy grammy!

Bundle of joy with her auntie Sofie

Our Thanksgiving setting at the gorgeous apartment of Sergio's parents in Miami.

The beautiful metal reticulated chargers.

Lovely china, but I don't remember what it was.

Love the dining set and fabulous chandy

The food came out delish. I did the turkey, the salad, mashed potatoes and gravy, pecan pie and DD Alex did a delicious quinoa with pine-nuts.

We also had champagne to celebrate baby Maxima, along with some wine at dinner time.

Dessert was pumpkin cheese cake with French vanilla ice-cream.

The quinoa up front was yummy, as it was cooked in chicken broth and the regular spices, etc. I also added toasted pine nuts to give it an elegant touch.

We had so much to thank our Lord Jesus Christ... for our dear daughter Alexandra's great and smooth delivery and the gorgeous perfect baby girl.
 

Thank you so much lovely and sweet friends, I will answer the wonderful comments soon, as you know, they always make my day!

Thanking the lovely hostesses for having me at their great parties.

LOVE,
FABBY

I will be partying here:

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Going to Miami for the Birth of our New Grandgirl

Hello sweet friends!

This Wednesday Alejandro and me are going to Miami for the birth of our third granddaughter, Maxima Juliette Vinueza.

I'm taking hand crocheted baby cloths as presents from Alexandra's aunts, my mother and dear Carla a double cousin of my daughters.

With this said, I'm saying goodby to you all and wish you the best and many blessings.

I know that a just born baby takes up so much time so I won't be blogging for a month.

See you when I'm back home, early December, to share all the news and how it all went.
 
In the meantime I wish you all my dear sweeties a wonderful, happy and blessed THANKSGIVING 2015.

The hand crocheted outfits in the 'traditional colors,' pink, green and white for just born babies here in Ecuador.
The pink is for a baby girl and would be replaced for baby-blue if it's a boy. The white represents the purity of the infant and the green is my favorite one, as it represents 'hope' for the baby's future.

All three baby outfits were hand crocheted by a friend of my mother's who is very skillful and her work is very sort after, as she uses the right materials, like antiallergenic for a new born and is very talented as you can see.

The green little outfit is the very 'first item of clothing' a baby boy or girl wears as soon as she or he is born, as I mentioned before it represents 'hope' for the baby's future.

The red velvet embroidered skirt and white embroidered blouse is of the 'indigenous' little girls of Ecuador's outfit and are just the cutest!

The tradition here is that when our babies are little girls, maybe 1 or 2 they wear it for fun, as a custom, specially at Christmas time to visit baby Jesus at the church December 25th., the day of His birthday. 
Anyway, our new granddaughter will wear this cute custom
 just for 'fun pics' in Miami, lol.. 
 

My dear Mil had given my Sil, her daughter this lovely and dainty antique collar, hand done by needles from Belgium, for a little sweater for her daughter Carla and she never used it, nor did she used it for her two granddaughters.

Therefore, she had it finally made for my own daughter and her niece's baby girl and now I'm taking it to Florida in her behalf.

I love her color choice for the little sewater, as it's like a 'mulberry,' right?

Here I leave you with the lovely baby outfits. I will see you early December when I get back.
Thank you so much for all your wonderful wishes and comments. I will be visiting you each, one when I come back, I promise!

Big hugs and have a blessed and "Happy Thanksgiving" my dearest friends.

Love you all,
FABBY

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