The Most Awesome Chocolate Cake, I Can't Believe I'm Sharing This!

Just don't tell anyone how easy this is! It is an extremely moist cake that will still be great a week later. I live alone so I know it's still good after that long, those of you with more in your household will probably never find out!

Chocolate Chip Cake

1 2-layer pkg yellow butter cake mix
3 eggs, beaten
1 cup sour cream (the natural kind like Daisy is best)
1 4-oz pkg chocolate instant pudding mix
3/4 cup water
3/4 cup corn oil
1 cup milk chocolate chips
3/4 cup chopped pecans

Combine eggs, sour cream, water and oil in large bowl, mix with electric mixer until combined. Add cake mix and pudding mix and mix until smooth, scraping sides and bottom of bowl as you go. With spatula, mix in chocolate chips and pecans. Pour into greased and floured Bundt pan (I use that spray that has flour in it). If you will bang the pan on the counter a few times it will get the big air bubbles out. Bake at 350 degrees for 55 minutes or until cake tests done. Cool in pan for 10 minutes then invert onto wire rack to cool completely.

That's the basic recipe, now here is the awesome factor: you can substitute other flavors of cake mix, pudding and/or chips. I've used a fudge cake mix (still a butter recipe type) with semi-sweet chips and chocolate pudding to produce the most decadent, chocolatey cake ever. I've skipped the nuts and used a mixture of milk chocolate and white chocolate chips. One time I added those chips that are crushed Heath or Skor bars. Basically, whatever combination of butter recipe cake mix and instant pudding sounds good to you and then a complimentary nut and/or chip. I'm thinking next time I'll use Reese's chips and milk chocolate pudding, or maybe some of the miniature Reece's.

Most of the time I don't frost this or I just dust it with powdered sugar. If you just don't think a cake is finished without something extra, here is an easy glaze you can drizzle over the cake.

Chocolate Glaze

2 Tbl real butter
6 Tbl unsweetened chocolate (2 oz)
4 Tbl water

Microwave at 50% power until butter melts, about 1 1/2 minutes. Whisk until smooth.

2 cup powdered sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract

Add and whisk until smooth. I usually use the back of a large spoon against the side of the bowl to get it mixed up really well.

This cake makes one of the better bribes I've found to date for the least amount of effort on my part! Since I've found this recipe and started making different variations of it, I haven't used any other recipe. It's just too awesome!

Vintage Toothbrush Holder

Vintage Toothbrush Holder
Originally uploaded by girleddy

I was thinking of listing this but haven't had any luck in researching it. It has 217 as the only marking on the bottom. The green stripe was part of the glaze and the flower motif appears to be a transfer. From the shape of it I'm thinking it is either Art Deco or Art Nouveau but haven't been able to find anything similar on any of the sites I normally use for researching. If anyone knows, I would appreciate the help!

Dionne Quint Spoons

Dionne Quint Spoons
Originally uploaded by girleddy

My mom bought a box of things at an auction "blind" many years ago for a few dollars. This set of spoons was in the bottom of the box, unknown to all! I was pretty young at the time and of course just had to have them, thankfully I was rather spoiled! I remember going through the box while still at the auction and discovering the spoons. A local antique dealer happened to see them and offered mom $50 for them but she had already said that I could have them so she didn't sell them. This must have been hard for her as we were kinda poor and that was probably 3 or 4 weeks worth of grocery money back then. But she had already said I could have them and would never have taken them back. She asked me if I wanted to sell them (it would have been my money) but of course I didn't, they were too much like dolls to me! My mom was so great.

By the way, in case you didn't know, the spoons are the Dionne Quints. The Dionne quintuplets, born on May 28, 1934, were the first fraternal quintuplets known to survive their infancy. The sisters were born just outside Callander, Ontario, Canada in the village of Corbeil.

Tag, I'm it!

I was tagged yesterday by Christina of http://www.mytangerinedreams.blogspot.com/ She's a happy, friendly sort so I thought the smiley mugs were appropriate! The photo is all I'll have left after today as they were purchased from my Etsy shop and now I have to figure out how to package them so that they will make it to L.A. all in one piece.

As part of being tagged I have to list 5 of my many quirks...that should be so easy! Well, here goes...
1. Should be obvious! I'm a such a pack rat! I will have to live to be 250 to be able to get everything done with all the craft supplies I've stashed away!
2. As soon as I come home, first the shoes come off and then the bra, I believe in being comfortable at home!
3. I've had a cat for almost a year that I don't like, now I'm not mean to her and she eats better than I do...I just don't love her like I have all the other cats I've had over the years. I'll pet her and let her sit by me on the sofa but I just can't help but not like her, not sure why...I'm a Leo and have always had an easy time with cats, even friends cats that "don't like anyone else" always like me. I adopted her when she was about 2 yrs old so maybe that's part of it, she was very spoiled and demanding right from the beginning and she tried to bite me every time I got near her for the first month or so. And it bothers me that I can't bring myself to take her to the animal shelter. Want a cat?
4. I live alone so I very seldom make real meals, I just eat whatever, whenever. I don't buy much junk food, just chips once in awhile, so it's not as unhealthy as it sounds. I think the term is a "grazer" but I don't care for that label much, I'm not a cow!
5. I'm one of those people that appears to be out-going and out-spoken but inside I'm a real shy person that has forced myself into anything public.

I have tagged Sandra, a friend at Etsy Vintage, http://scentimentsbysandra.blogspot.com/ and I'll find four more today...

Shadow Box

This was a gift I made for my mom when I was in high school! And if you look closely in the upper left corner, the Betsey Clark cut-out will date me! Most of the items in the shadow box had a special meaning between me and Mom, even the flowered fabric was what we used when she helped me make a jeans skirt. I see the skirts made out of a pair of jeans nowadays and have to smile...the only difference is about 30years!