Newest Etsy treasury list

New jewelry from Qaygee on Etsy.com

 Handmade hammered hoops with wine crystals and gold-rutilated quartz.

 Moonstone cairns

Lamp work yellow beads and green leaves, with moonstones and silver.

Oils from Qaygee's Palette...

Here is my first attempt at oil painting...as you can tell, neither of these is the finished product but I thought I would post them together to get an idea of where I am going. :)

From Qaygee's Palette...

Here are some watercolors I have done...started working in oil recently...we'll see where that goes:)

From Qaygee's Kitchen...

So my neighbors' kids brought over some fresh eggs yesterday so I decided to make my sour cream coffee cake. I've been making this for years, having adapted my mother's original recipe, which I started making at age 10, to something that I have found to be foolproof. The testament to my claim of foolproof is that my son, who lives in Boston while attending Northeastern University, makes special Sunday trips home (45 minutes) in order to have my coffee cake:)

Yum!

So here it is...interestingly, because the eggs were so fresh, the batter was practically jumping out of the pan after only about 8 minutes in the oven! We'll see when it comes out in about 10 minutes...

Mom's sour cream coffee cake (full recipe below) 

 1) Stir or whisk together dry ingredients

2) Cream butter with sugar then add sour cream and eggs

3) Mix dry ingredients into wet, just blending, then add vanilla and beat on high for 30 seconds

                                4) Combine sugar, cinnamon, and nuts for filling

 Fill Bundt pan with half the batter

Sprinkle nut mixture over entire cake  

Cover with remaining batter and bake 

Mom's sour cream coffee cake

Oven: 350℉ Time: 50 mins - 1 hour Tins: Buttered or Pam coated Bundt pan

Serves 12-15

Ingredients:

·      2 sticks butter, softened

·      2 cups granulated sugar

·      1 pint sour cream

·      4 large eggs

·      3 cups all-purpose flour

·      3 tsp. baking powder

·      2 tsp. baking soda

·      2 tsp. vanilla extract

Topping

·      ¼ cup granulated sugar

·      1 TBSP cinnamon

·      ¼ cup chopped walnuts or pecans

Directions:

1.     In a small bowl, stir together dry ingredients and set aside.

2.     Cream butter and sugar until smooth and “fluffy” – about 3-5 minutes

3.     Add sour cream and mix thoroughly

4.     Add eggs one at a time and blend after each one

5.     Mix dry ingredients into wet ingredients with mixer on low

6.     Once incorporated, add vanilla

7.     Mix on high for 30 seconds

8.     Pour half the mixture into the greased or Pammed Bundt pan

9.     Sprinkle cinnamon sugar and nuts evenly over batter

10.  Add the remainder of the batter, spreading if necessary in order to evenly cover nut mixture

11.  Bake at 350° 50 minutes to an hour until cake tester comes out clean

From Qaygee on Etsy.com...

Jewelry

From Qaygee on Etsy.com...

New jewelry posted on Etsy.com on my shop Qaygee. Check it out here!

Baltic amber with pale blue and honey beads

Rose quartz drops with peridot and jade

Aquamarine green trumpets with lapis, iolite, and jade

Getting started again

My creative juices are flowing after many bottled years...maybe this means they have aged and deepened like fine wine. I am bringing them up from the cellar where I recently found myself, in order to taste them again. Really good, well-aged wine is an elixir, with healing properties including a miraculous ability to bring a tired soul back to life.

Here we go...