My Blog is a Year Old!

*****The Chocolate Truffles Giveaway has officially ended. Thanks to everyone who entered!*****



And I made a cake to celebrate!

It's hard to believe that I've already been food blogging for an entire year. I've come such a long way (especially in the quality of my pictures - check out this awful picture!), and have really enjoyed getting to know my fellow food bloggers and trying new recipes. This is an exciting thing for me!

Of course, go figure that after having the blogoversary button up on my blog for months, and looking forward to it for weeks, I actually forgot that it was today until earlier this afternoon. So I had to come up with a great recipe to post quick! I found what I was looking for on allrecipes.com.

Thirty Minute Yellow Cake
1/2 cup shortening (we're running low, I used margarine)
1 1/4 cups white sugar
2 eggs
2 cups self-rising flour (add 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder and 1/2 tsp. salt per 1 cup of all-purpose flour)
1 cup milk
1 tsp. vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 9x13 inch pan, or two 9 inch round pans.

Cream together the shortening and sugar. Beat in the eggs. Add the flour, milk, and vanilla, and beat to a soft smooth batter.

Bake 20 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until tester inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.


I actually didn't want a full-sized cake, so I cut the recipe in half and made 1 9-inch round layer. I frosted it with this recipe. I took the opportunity to test a tightwad tip I recently read about - substituting flour for some of the powdered sugar in frosting. I used all-purpose flour for about half a cup of the powdered sugar. The results were encouraging - it mixed up just as fluffy and creamy as it always does when I make it, and the flour took a bit of the edge off the sweetness. So I'll keep using flour for part of the sugar in frosting to save a few calories and a few pennies. :-)

As I was taking pictures, I suddenly became aware of the fact that there was about to be a native uprising - the kids were eying the cake like cannibals and looked as though they could strike at any minute.


So I wrapped up the picture taking, grabbed a fork, and we all shared a piece. Yum!




And now on to something even funner than a little cake with tightwad frosting. I'm so excited to present to you:

MY FIRST GIVEAWAY!!!!

In keeping with my entire blogging premise, this giveaway will feature a tightwad offering - something I make myself. One lucky reader will win a tin of homemade chocolate truffles.


I have personally tested these truffles :-) and can honestly say that they are delicious and rich and thoroughly enjoyable! I will make them to your specifications, with your preferred flavoring and coating.

To enter, leave me a comment telling me which flavor you would prefer (plain chocolate, almond extract, lemon extract, mint extract, or maple extract) and which coating sounds best to you (cocoa, powdered sugar, white sugar, green sugar, chopped nuts, or coconut).

The giveaway ends on Friday, February 27 at 5:00 p.m. I'll announce the winner sometime between then and Saturday morning. Eeeee! I'm so excited to have a giveaway!