Cheesecake Brownies



What's better than cheesecake?

What's better than a brownie?

The two together...just saying.

Yesterday my knitting group was here.

We have been meeting weekly for several years.

We meet most Wednesdays and alternate

going to each other's homes.

The hostess usually provides

coffee, tea and a little snack.

Yesterday I made

Cheesecake Brownies

Start by making your favorite brownie recipe.



Reserve about 1/2 cup of the batter,

and spread the rest in an 8-inch square baking pan.



In another bowl, beat 8-oz. cream cheese until smooth.

Add 1/4c. + 2T sugar

and beat until fluffy, about 2 minutes.

Add 1 egg and 1t. vanilla, beating well.

Pour the cream cheese mixture on top of the brownie layer in pan

and smooth mixture until it reaches all the edges.

Combine 1T milk with the reserved brownie batter.

Stir well.



Drop spoonfuls on top of the cheesecake layer.

Drag the tip of a knife

through the brownie and the cheesecake layers

to create swirls.

Bake 25-30 minutes, or just until the center is set.

Let cool.

Cut into squares,

Makes 1 dozen Cheesecake Brownies.

What is better than a Cheesecake Brownie?

Eating them with your knitting buddies...

on the first day of Spring!

Happy Spring everyone!

Please join me for
Foodie Friday at Rattlebridge Farm

My "Eureka" Moment!



I have a nice collection of ceramic, blue and white balls.

Other than decorative, I'm not sure what their purpose is.

I've heard them called "carpet" balls, but not sure why.

(If anyone knows anything about them, I'd love to hear.)

At any rate, other than gracing a wooden bowl,

I've been unsure where to use them.

Until now!

I have been collecting animal candlesticks for many years.

However, I rarely burn candles.

Eureka! 

They belong together!

This little guy sits on my kitchen window sill.

These are two of my favorites.



The balls work great on "regular" candlesticks too.

I did decide however, in homage to the season,

the bunnies were better suited to colored eggs!

Have you had an "eureka" moment lately?

Join me at the
Open House Party at "No Minimalist Here"
Anything Blue Friday at The Dedicated House

Spring Lambing at Buttermilk Cottage



Look what was created today!

Sweet little knitted sheep ornaments,

just in time for Easter,

favors for baby showers,

cottage chic decor,

or a perfect Mother's Day gift!

They come in a set of two

and I made them from an

up cycled, cotton sweater

which was embellished with

embroidered flowers.

How sweet is that?

You can find them in my Etsy shop.

Slipcovering a Chair...#2



I have this little side chair that

went from the living room to the the basement

several months ago.

At that time I decided to "lighten" my decor a bit

and it just didn't work in the living room any longer.

It's a perfectly nice little chair,

but I have too much brown

in my house.

My plan was to slipcover it and

move it to my bedroom.

I purchased this white, embossed

fabric a few months ago,

with the chair in mind.

The first step was to wash and dry the fabric.

No point in making a slipcover if

it doesn't clean easily.

I have made one other chair slipcover in the past

using a commercial pattern.

This time I decided to wing it without a pattern.

Measuring, cutting and labeling all my pieces

started the process.

And of course, I made lots of notes for myself.

My approach was to "build" the slipcover,

piece by piece.

It took three separate sessions

to assemble all the pieces.

The trickiest part of the whole process

was the side area where the back, seat and bottom

all come together.

This was the same area that gave me

problems on the chair I had done previously.

Try as I might, I could not get that area

to come together nicely.

Finally, after venting to Nancy,

non-sewer that she is, 

her idea was to cover it up with a sash. 

Brilliant!

This turned out to be a bit of detailing

I had not planned on,

but it totally "makes" the chair!

Assessing the final results,

it's not perfect.

But it's a learning process.

And until I want to attempt it again,

I can at least use my little chair.

This week I'm partying at
Etsy Cottage Style.

In Search of the Elusive ... & Perfect White Shirt



In my closet right now,

are seven white shirts.

(This doesn't include the ones presently

residing in the basement because

they're out of season.)

There are cotton,

cotton blend, silk, and linen

white shirts.

There are short sleeves,

long sleeve,

and 3/4 length sleeves.

(There are no sleeveless,

because sadly to say,

I don't really do sleeveless anymore.)

We won't even get into the

white tees, white sweaters and

white jackets I also have.

Yet I find I'm always checking out

the white shirts when I shop.

What is going on with me?

I'm looking for that

Perfect White Shirt,
which none of those seven
in my closet quite achieve.

I want that white shirt I can

wear with a pair of jeans

and feel "put together."

I want a white shirt that looks good

and feels good.
I want a "crisp" look but
not a starched feel.

It would be even nicer

if that same white shirt

could be dressed up on occasion too.

It's probably impossible to have

only one white shirt to fill all

my wardrobe desires.

But I keep looking for it,

 shopping for it,

and hoping for it.

Just this week I ordered this shirt from

Soft Surroundings.

Maybe this will be my

Perfect White Shirt.

Do you have one?

Note:  Since writing this post,
the above shirt arrived.
It's now repackaged and
ready to be sent back...

Honeybell Oranges



Have you heard of Honeybells?

Have you been lucky enough to taste them?

A nice neighbor recently sent some over to Buttermilk Cottage.

She was gifted with too many to eat herself,

so we got the excess!

Lucky us!

Can you see why they're named "honeybells?"

Honeybells are a cross between tangerines and grapefruit.

They reach their peak only during January and February.

They are incredibly easy to peel.

When was the last time you peeled an orange

and the rind came off all in one piece?

This fruit only grows along the

Indian River in Florida.

They are especially sweet and juicy.

They also make a really nice

spinach and fruit salad.

I made a base of torn spinach leaves,

put the peeled fruit on top,

and sprinkled everything with roasted, sliced almonds.

For the dressing I mixed the following in a blender,

and blended for 20 to 30 seconds:

1/2 c. sugar

1T. sesame seeds

1T. poppy seeds

1 1/2 t. minced onion

1 1/4 t. Worcestershire sauce

1/4 t. paprika

1/4 c. cider vinegar

1/2 c. vegetable oil

I usually make this dressing for

a strawberry spinach salad.

(Canned Mandarin oranges work well if

you're not lucky enough to have Honeybells!)

My Creative Process



What gets your creative juices flowing?

I recently bought these two balls of yarn

at a discount store.

I'm always on the prowl for yarn to add to my stash.

What usually gets my attention is

something that sparkles or

has an interesting texture.

Both of the yarns above qualify

and the extra bonus was they are

both in the same colorway.

I decided to make one of my reversible cowls

to be lined with the scarf above.

So out come the yarns,

anything and everything that coordinates

with the colors in the scarf.

Then the really fun part,

knitting!

It's so exciting to see the

interaction of the colors as

I knit them, row upon row.

Here's the knitted cowl,

all ready to be lined with the scarf.

The finished cowl.

This colorway, which I'm calling,

"Raspberries & Blueberries,"

is the perfect pop of color

to get us through

the final days of this winter

and into spring!

I decided to knit a slouchy hat too!

FUSION Yarn, colorway "Raspberries & Blueberries"

That's how my creative process works!

How about yours?

What's in a Name?



I'm sometimes asked,

"Why Buttermilk Cottage?"

"Where did that come from?"

The house I lived in before moving here

was the polar opposite of where I live today.

It was a large contemporary house

perched on the side of a hill.

It was a wonderful house

with an even more wonderful view.

My then-husband and I had worked with

an architect to design it.

We had it built, doing a lot of the work ourselves.

That house was situated in the country on "Buttermilk Road."

During that time, more than 20 years ago,

 I started my wholesale bag business,

and since it was a home-based business,

it became,

"Designs from the House on Buttermilk Road."

Over the years the business grew and

as is often the case, my life situation changed.

When it was time for me to downsize and move,

I was by no means ready to end my business.

My customers all knew me by the Buttermilk Road name.

So, when I moved here, I needed to keep a bit of

my business's name recognition.

Therefore its name had a small change and it became

"Buttermilk Cottage."

Since the house seemed to need a name too,

it happily became Buttermilk Cottage as well.

Because Nancy and I do several events during the year,

(i.e. the Bistro on the Porch and the Holiday Show),

the house's name has almost taken on a life of it's own.

I'm giving you this lengthy explanation because

I have several new followers as a result of

the "Grow Your Blog" Party hosted by

Vickie at Two Bags Full.

Several blogs taking part in that event

are hosting giveaways today.

Me included!

This morning, the names of all those

who left comments for me

on the party post were put in the pot...

err...basket.

Every name was assigned a number or letter and

Number 16 is the winner...

Evalina at "This and That."

Congratulations... I'll be in touch.

To everyone who participated,

visited, left comments and joined as new followers,

and especially Vickie for organizing the whole thing,

Thank You!

A note about the cataract surgery yesterday,

my vision is still a bit blurry today.

I go back this morning for a follow up,

but I anticipate a good report!

Thanks for all your nice thoughts!

Happiest of weekends!