2014 is not going well.

I'm here today to tell you why I may not be here as often as I'd like over the next year or so and why I haven't been here much this month.  To start with I developed a nasty tendon problem with my thumb at the beginning of the month so I've had a hard time crafting or cooking which is most of what I blog about.  I got a cortisone shot on Friday which usually cures 80% of the people with this problem so I hope to get back to the cooking and crafting within the next week or so.

The other thing that happened this month is my beloved dog Freya was diagnosed with cancer in her bladder.  My vet says that on average with the only treatment option she has this means she has 6-12 months.  Of course the hope is that she'll be one of the above average dogs and make it another 2 years, but there is no way to know.  Because of this I'll be spending a lot of spare time and money doing medical stuff with her and making the most of what time we have left together.  Which also means my posting will come when I can, but not as often as I'd like to.  Hopefully you will all bear with me.  And if anyone has any recommendations for things that have helped them cope with the loss of a beloved pet or a terminal illness please share.  I could use all the help I can get.

Cooking Challenge Week 5: Vanilla Buttermilk Pound Cake

This week's theme is vanilla.  I use vanilla in a lot of my baking but rarely do I bake anything that's primary flavor is vanilla.  I've always been more of a chocolate girl.  Or Coconut.  Or both.  But a few of the things I love do have a stronger vanilla flavor.  I briefly debated shortbread, but that's nothing new so I quickly dismissed it and went searching through my binder of magazine recipes.  What I found was a page from an old cooking light for Vanilla Buttermilk Pound Cake and promptly decided that was what I would make.

I love the simplicity of pound cake, but I've only made it once and didn't have good luck with that recipe.  This one was better although I made a few minor adjustments.

1.  I made it in two big loaf pans instead of a few small.
2.  I saw it only called for 1 teaspoon of vanilla and thought that couldn't possibly be enough so I added closer to 2.5 tsp.
3.  I used the emergency substitution of milk and lemon juice in place of the buttermilk.  If I make it again I'd like to use real buttermilk but the cold and snow discouraged me from running out to buy it.

It is an easy recipe and a sweet, simple deliciousness.  Try it!