Thursday, May 19, 2016

Soooo Good! And Sooo Bad~Happy looong weekend to all!











Coffee Almond Crunch Cake~

Sooo Good~
I cannot believe it's been around since at least 2008~This recipe I mean~

Oh Yum.

By the time I got it out of the oven..and it was cool enough to dust and decorate with wild violets..the clouds had come in..thunder clapped..the skies were black and it started to pour.
Overexposed from ..well from my fault.

So please forgive the pics of an aboslutely delicious cake..
It's  a Gordon Ramsay cake and believe me..it is addictive..super easy to make..you should enjoy coffee because you certainly can taste it..served warmish ..wowsers.
Really..try it and tell me:)
I popped half over to our daughter across the street and she printed up the recipe right away..that's how good it is..super moist meets super crunch.
I made mine in a 9 inch sprigform and had to bake a tad longer.

Sooo bad~
My tulips on the other hand are not a raging success:(
Only about 6 Parrots developed buds..and the stinking squirrels bit the heads off..so as I walked that area..all I saw were the tops w/ stems chopped off..one was nibbled on..the rest not.I guess the glutton decided it was not in his top 5 food choices and left the rest to rot there.
That's why I have those squirrels..they do have cute faces..but I know their nature.Hoodlums.
So I gathered the tips and some FMNs and wrapped them..
I didn't wait all winter to throw them away..so I played with them..and now they are in a vase on my windowsill and I hope they will open.
Hope I didn't offend all the squirrel lovers.

Went to a fave garden centre for certain things..been going for over 35 years I am certain..I have a couple of favorite nurseries..only one is far..Jasmine..the others are perfectly doable for me..who stopped driving far..a few years back.



The owners and staff are so friendly,helpful and knowledgeable.
I picked up some herbs..a mature Cobea Scandens,a mature Morning Glory..some Lantana..Pansies..and that trailing blue plant I love...Scaevola Blue Lagoon.
Still need impatines..oh and I got a big rhubarb plant..I changed mine of place and we cannot find it..I have surmised it hated the move.
So an orphan came home with me.

And quite a few others today~

Have a beautiful weekend~:)
It's a long one here ..

40 comments:

  1. Oooooohhh, your cake is making my mouth water. I don't like squirrels, either. They ruin everything. Hope I don't offend the squirrel lovers, either. But, you hit the nail on the head.....hoodlums! Isn't it so much fun to go to the nursery! I found a nice one near home and have found their plants to be so much healthier than Lowes. And I can find such an assortment there, also. Have fun playing with all your flowers.

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    1. :) Love nurseries..I find our big box hardware stores..let the plants die:(I often want to get a watering can and water their plants! Must say Costco(turnover is huge..so I guess fresh always).. and our Walmart.. a young man named Jonathan is making them proud these days....they water..but the hardware stores.. shame on them.And a few large food stores..shame on them..

      Great you and me in the squirrel hoodlum corner:)

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  2. Oh, would I love a slice of that cake! Looks delicious, Monique.
    Squirrels!!!!!! They are hoodlums! Not only do they dig in my beds an containers, they chew up our outdoor cushions. The only squirrels I want around are the inanimate sort. '-)
    Happy weekend ahead!

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  3. One slice of cake, please!! Looks so delicious! Going to the nursery tomorrow too. Always need or want...something pretty! Have a wonderful weekend!
    Hugs Jody

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  4. A little bit of caffeine makes such a difference in a cake, love it, overexposed or not :)

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  5. The photos of your tulips still look beautiful! I planted them the first year... the dear ate every one. Since then it has been daffodil which thankfully they haven't touched. I do miss the beautiful tulips though. xoxo Have a beautiful weekend.

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    1. You too:)
      It is very disappointing to anticipate with such an outcome..things could be far worse;)

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  6. Beautiful photos, so nice visiting your lovely blog!
    Have a happy friday...
    Titti

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  7. I think I'd hate the squirrels if they ate or just nipped off the heads of all my flowers. Fortunately ours stay away in the pine & oak trees which surround us so I must say I do love it when I see one running up the trunk of a tree , I must say over the past few years I have seen less. I hope the buds you found on the ground will open up their petals. Enjoy your visit to your local garden centre, I have to go back to my garden centre for some more plants to finish off the window boxes for our gite /guest house, we have just had a last minute booking come in for this weekend, so I need to make it look welcoming. So I have a busy weekend, getting the gite ready, flower plants for the welcoming & friends visiting us this evening, I do like the temptation of the coffee cake you showed, but not sure if I'll have time to fit everything in. Enjoy your weekend,

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    1. Have fun getting the guest house ready..for some reason..I would have loved doing that ..yrs ago..I thought I wanted a B and B also..now..I would prefer a guest house:)
      And even then..sooo retired now..I am fine w/ no responsibilities..
      Barbara..I wonder if you do this..a lovely surprise in one of the places we went to in Tuscany..the owne had lft a cake under net cloche..with aa bottle of wine and olive oil..as a welcome..his wife had baked the delicious cake.I have not forgotten that..it was so wonderful!

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  8. I know I would love this cake and already have the recipe copied :) Almonds, crunch and coffee sound like a perfect weekend morning to me, especially when it's a long one! It seems many of my tulips that had lasted for years are gone. Maybe it's because they were eaten by hoodlums a few too many times. Not stinkin' cute, just stinkin'! I see fewer squirrels and chipmunks this year. We've seen a fox around again and a large, hungry hawk and I'm sure they take some of the credit. Your nursery looks wonderful! Hope the weather stays nice for us both to get our nurseries finds planted. Then it can rain :)

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    1. Yes then the rains can come..ours just seem to be on no form of birth control and when not devastating..procreating..chipmunks too..but they don't seem to destroy and they are cute..they hop!Leap in mid air!
      Have fun this weekend..I am starting today as the day is glorious.

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    2. Our chipmunks have caused stone steps to tilt and concrete patios buckle. They make their 'mazes' underneath the worse possible places but at least they don't eat tulips :) Me too - Happy planting!

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    3. I remember being a Gardenbuddy with such stamina...oy...3 hrs today..and I was done;)

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  9. That cake needs to be made. If my broken wrist does not allow me to do it, I'll have Jerry make it. That he will do over gardening chores! It is so frustrating to have the tulips nipped in the bud.but the bouquet loos so pretty. Enjoy your long weekend.

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    1. You too and rest and relax..and Gerry can make this no problemo..I know he can..it would be a lovely treat for a broken arm..uncanny he just retired and is being put to more work:) Kidding..need to make you smile too..
      I would so make you that cake.

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    2. He can make I know he can. I know it is a good thing he is retired to help out and drive me to my appointments. Im going to sped my time sending you yummy looking recipes for you to try out.

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  10. I love a simple, and simply wonderful cake. I love baking in my springform pan too. Darn squirrels - they are a mess sometimes. I bet the tulips will be beautiful! Happy weekend :)

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  11. The cake looks lovely. I should get in the kitchen and bake up one now. My Mother is coming over today. She wants me to add more songs to her iPod. We are also going to a nursery in town to see if they have more fairy garden accessories. My Mother is in love with the fairies. We have squirrels too. I love their cute little faces too, however they can do some damage. They recently were eating the petunias. They also took some stuffing from some outside cushions last year. Your tulips are lovely....enjoy.

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    1. If your mom likes coffe ..she will love this..how fun that you are going fairy accessory shopping..little girls never grow up..mine are whispering secrets outside:) have fun!

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  12. That cake is a real favourite of ours also! It's lovely and yours looks gorgeous with the flowers in the centre, even if you think the photo is overexposed. It's still bautiful. Squirrels are so cute and so cheeky, but boy they can also be real pests! We had our battles with them when we lived down South. We don't seem to have any bothering us here. Poor Tulips. We don't bother putting in Tulips nowadays, they don't last very long at all when they bloom, kind of like the oriental poppies. They don't last long either! Our rhubarb never seems to do well, no matter where we move it to. It just fails us every year. I hope you have good luck with your orphan! Have a superdy duperdy long weekend! xoxo

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    1. Marie it is gorgeous out..I was following abee in my almond tree:)
      The joys of sunny warmer days..cameras in hnand without freezing fingers..everything is coming to life again...taking it while I can..Yes poppies.. so many beauties leave far too early.
      You too have a sweet weekend~

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  13. You have my sympathy on the parrot tulips...I think all the squirrels got the same memo :-(

    I will make this cake...I've been looking for a recipe like this so I can use my almond meal from Trader Joe's.

    Have a wonderful weekend. We finally have leaves on the trees. I love this time of year.

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    1. I love this time of year too Debbie..we have a saying in French...:"le mois de mai..c'est le mois de Marie..le plus beau mois de l'année~"

      The month of May is Mary's (Jesus' mother) month...the most beautiful month of the year..
      I am torn between May..June and October:)
      I am making that cake again tomorrow for dinner w/ my family..it's that good:)
      Happy weekend Debbie.

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  14. So sorry about your tulips - those darn animals....

    Your cake sounds wonderful - do you have a printed recipe that you could email me? I would love to make it.




    All of your photo's are so good. Enjoy your weekend. I'll be planting more flowers...

    Mary

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    1. Hi Mary..at the very top of this post if you click on the name of the cake..it brings you a link that is printable:)
      But I will look at your email and do it..it's just in caseyou canot find the link:)Thank you Mary!

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  15. Oh no! I'd be heart sick! They will be beautiful again. Oh my, that cake sounds absolutely scrumptious. Such a sweetheart to share it with us, Nana!

    Have a wonderful evening and Sunday~
    Nancy

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    1. We had a wonderful evening! I stayed up so late like Cinderella..and today is pretty..thank you!

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  16. Lovely blog
    http://inthebothv.blogspot.ae/?m=1

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