Rum Cake

Rum Cake

Anyone who knows me knows that I’m not big on desserts.  My brother got the sweet tooth in the family, and generally speaking, I’m disinterested in dessert period.  I don’t even eat cake at weddings – it’ doesn’t tempt me one iota.  So you can imagine my surprise when I fell in love with this Rum Cake recipe that I got from a precious store customer over Christmas.  It was delicious, so I asked her to share the recipe, and now I’m passing it along to you guys.  It’s simple and tasty (two of my favorite food descriptions)!

Disclaimer:  If this recipe belongs to you or someone you know, please let me know and I will happily give them credit for it.  For all I know, it could be in a Betty Crocker cookbook!  ha.   Until proven otherwise, it’s a delicious mystery.  Thanks for the cake (and the recipe), Caroline!

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Rum Cake

1-2 cups chopped pecans, bits or halves

1 Duncan Hines French Vanilla cake mix

1 small vanilla INSTANT pudding mix

4 eggs

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 1/4 cup dark rum, divided (I used Meyers’s)

1 cup (or a bit more) Bakers Fine Sugar

1 stick salted butter

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

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Spray a bundt pan with Baker’s Joy (or you can grease the pan and coat in flour like I did)

Assemble the pecans in the bottom of the pan.

In a bowl, mix the cake mix, instant pudding mix, eggs, water, oil and 1/2 cup dark rum until smooth.  Pour into the bundt pan over the pecans.  Bake cake through, 40-50 minutes (or until a knife comes out clean).

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When done, remove from the oven and “stab with a knife about 20 times.”  (I put this part in quotes because that’s what her email actually said and it’s my favorite part. ha!)

DSC_0657smIn a sauce pan, mix the sugar, 3/4 cup dark rum and stick of butter.  Bring to a boil and then pour over the cake while it’s still in the bundt pan.

DSC_0659smLet sit for 20 minutes.  Remove the cake from the pan.  Best left in the refrigerator for a day or in the freezer.  Will keep up to six months in the freezer (but be sure to keep it wrapped up tightly).

When you’re ready, slice and enjoy!  It’s definitely “rummy”, but I think it’s delicious (and super easy)!

Enjoy!

Hidden Remote Tutorial

Hidden Remote Tutorial

When I saw this idea featured in Country Living magazine last year, I thought it looked like a pretty fun (and clever) idea.  It seemed easy enough (and 0h-so-cute), but I’m going to be honest:  This little project was NOT as easy at it appeared.  In fact, I think the CL article had it listed in just 3 or 4 steps… They conveniently forgot to talk to the person who actually did the cutting with the X-Acto knife about the extra step:  Tending to your blistered fingers!  Maybe it was just my unskilled X-Acto hands (I’m a little out of practice since college), but if you’re interested in doing this project, I thought I’d warn you up front.

If you still think this project looks fun, here ya go!

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You will need:

Glue (I went old school Elmer’s)

Small foam brush

A book that’s thicker than your remote control

About 10 inches of grosgrain ribbon

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1.  Flip to the back of the book and generously apply glue on the back book cover.  Using the foam brush, evenly spread the glue.  Close the book to “paste” the last page to the back inside book cover.

DSC_0130sm2.  Holding the pages of the book together, add glue and use the foam brush to evenly coat the edges (all three sides).

DSC_0136sm3.  Open the front of the book and trace your remote’s outline with a pencil.

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4.  Using an X-acto knife, carefully cut away the pages of the book in the shape of the remote’s silhouette.

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(repeat this process – for days if necessary – this part won’t be fun – just keep shaving away!)

DSC_0154sm5.  Using hot glue (or the Elmer’s), adhere the grosgrain ribbon to the base of the hollowed out space.  This will help you “lift” the remote out of the hole you’ve dug for it.

DSC_0156sm6.  See how nicely it fits in the opening?  This part was NOT easy… just keep testing the remote and carving more paper from the sides of the hollow space.

DSC_0159smThere you have it… a hollowed out book to hide your remote!  It was more work than I expected, but it was also kind of mindless to do while watching tv, and I like the end result!

I Used to Hate Customer Service

When I worked for a wholesale invitation designer straight out of college, my first job was “customer service”.  I answered phones, took orders, did data entry and the like… and I HATED it.  I was pretty eager to move up on the ladder (even an inch) just so I wouldn’t have to take those customer service calls!  Paper stores would call in, irritated that they hadn’t received their order or looking to track it down, or mad that the wrong thing arrived…  It was horrible!  I hated having to be the bearer of bad news (“sorry, it looks like it’s not going to arrive today as planned”) and talking to a  bunch of stressed out, unhappy people all day.  It made me hate dealing with people.  In general.  I was annoyed and really unhappy working in “customer service” for those few years.

Now I get it.  I see the difference.  Customer service on the wholesale end is MUCH different than in retail.

Over the past 5 years on the OTHER SIDE as a store owner, I’ve changed.  I’ve gone from hating that aspect of my job in general to actually loving most of it.  (The funny/sad truth is that customers who say “I must be a pain” are actually not!  It’s the ones who have no clue they are that are the worst!  It’s a little like When Harry Met Sally and he says, “You’re the worst kind; you’re high maintenance but you think you’re low maintenance.” ) HA.

There’s still a little bit of “when is  my order arriving” and “what I received isn’t what I ordered”, but now I get to call the wholesaler and be that grumpy person trying to track it down (kidding)!

The upside is I get to see the smiling face of customers when they pick up their order.  I get t0 hear, “Oh, this is just perfect, thank you so much!”, and I get to be a part of the lives of these people.  You know, the fun stuff!

It’s such an honor.

If it’s important, it’s worth doing on paper, so that means I get to be a part of the milestones – moving, bridal showers, weddings, baby showers, anniversaries, birth announcements, christenings/baptisms, birthdays, proms, engagement parties… and then the circle starts all over again!  It’s a beautiful thing to be a part of the most important moments in the lives of my customers.  In fact, it’s a privilege.  I never knew what that felt like until now, and it feels good!

I used to hate customer service, until I actually started serving CUSTOMERS (not just store representatives).  When you’re directly involved with the end-user, there’s a certain level of pride that you take in your work.  It’s a reward to help these loyal folks again and again, for any occasion that they’re celebrating.

I guess I used to hate customer service, but now I think I kind of like it.

 

 

 

Punny Valentines

Punny Valentines

I’ve always enjoyed collecting vintage Valentines,  mostly because they’re punny!  “I long for you” on the image of a dauchsund, “You make my heart go BOOM BOOM BOOM” with a marching drummer, you get the idea.  I guess I’m a sucker for clever combinations.

Last year, when I needed something to offer as kids Valentines for the store, I decided to design my own.  It was so close to the holiday, I only had a few days to sell them, but the response was good, so this year I designed a few more.

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I think they’re really fun and quirky – and NOTHING like those dreadful, cheap, made in China options you find at every corner drugstore.

Each package includes 12 cards, three each of four designs per theme.  Here are a few of my favorite themes from this year:

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These favorites from last year are still going strong too:

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So what do you guys think?  If want to purchase some, it’s not too late.  You can get them HERE.

Last week my friend Tony, who shares my affinity for collecting Valentines, sent me a text message:

“Ever think how cool it is that someone 100 years from now might have your cards in their vintage collection?”

Actually, it never crossed my mind… but now that you mention it, that’s pretty cool.