The Pink House of Claremore

Ever had the Red Carpet rolled out for you?

Well, through the month of February, at the Pink House we’ll be rolling it out in style and treating you like a star with our soon to be famous Red Carpet Red Velvet Cake. We’ve made it just in time for the Oscars and want you to come by for a slice.

You’ll love our rendition…plenty of moist layers of rich chocolate cake and creamy, white frosting. Of course, like all desserts at the Pink House, our cake is made from scratch and features fresh ingredients such as real cocoa, sugar and fresh buttermilk. YUMMMM

The half baked legend of Red Velvet Cake…

You’ll get a kick out of this one…legend has it that in the 1940s, the glitzy Waldorf Astoria Hotel began making the cake for its guests. A diner loved it so much, she asked for the recipe, which the Hotel gladly gave her.
 
A short time later, however, the hotel sent her a bill in the amount of $100 for the recipe. The woman became so angry, she began spreading the recipe around along with her story. I guess you could call it “sweet” revenge. LOL.

Anybody else know another story about Red Velvet Cake?

Let me know…

Margo

Ok, folks…here it is. The definitive list of top things to do while it’s snowing. Remember, you no longer have the excuse of a lack of the white stuff. We’ve gotten at least 20 inches up in Claremore and we're expecting more! :)

1. Go Sledding. Ok, I’m not wishing any broken bones on anybody, especially if you’re over 45, but sledding can be exhilarating, if you do it right. Wear plenty of warm clothes and make sure the hill you’re on doesn’t empty out into high speed traffic.

2. Snowball Fight. Calling all soldiers. Your mission, if you wish to accept it…is to vanquish your enemy by hitting him with a giant snowball. Remember, no whining or crying, and sneak attacks are allowed.

3. Make Snow Angels. This is your chance to act like an angel. Fall on the fluffy stuff and spread your wings. Short-lived I know, but it’s fun while you’re doing it.

4. Build a Snowman. Couldn’t skip this one. The trick is checking the snow to make sure it’s the right, sticky consistency.
Next, start the snowball in your bare hands and keep it rolling till you have a nice size and shape. Judge where you want it to end up or you’ll be building your snow guy in the bushes.
Make the middle section and head the same way but a little smaller, then stack them up.
Shape him up with your hands and make him perfectly round—then throw on some accessories. Twigs for arms, stones for eyes, carrots for a nose…you get the picture.

5. Make Snow Cream. My all time favorite. Alot of moms make this with snow, of course, milk, vanilla, and sugar. My suggestion is sweetened condensed milk, vanilla, and a little milk. Talk about heaven…and you’ll already be a snow angel. Ha, Ha.

Well that’s all I have for now. Let me know if you have any suggestions or fond memories of things you used to do in the snow.

Go to our Facebook Page and tell us about it.

Enjoy the white stuff,

Margo

If there’s one thing I look forward to every fall, it’s the taste of pumpkin. Pumpkin bread, pumpkin pie, it doesn’t matter what form it takes, if it’s got pumpkin in it, I love it. There’s something about the sweet, spicy taste that’s perfect for the season.

Here’s some of the best pumpkin bread you’ll ever try. It’s called Pumpkin Cheese Bread. I got it from allrecipes.com. It has cream cheese in the middle of the loaf and an aroma that’s out of this world . Let me know what you think.

What You’ll Need…

• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon orange zest
• 1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Lightly grease two 8x4 inch loaf pans.
2. In a medium bowl, combine cream cheese, 1/2 cup sugar, 1 tablespoon flour, 1 egg and orange zest; beat until smooth. Set aside. Sift together 1 2/3 cup flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves and pumpkin pie spice; set aside.
3. Place pumpkin, vegetable oil, 2 eggs and 1 1/2 cup sugar in a large bowl; beat well. Stir the pumpkin mixture into the flour mixture just until combined. Fold in the pecans if desired. Pour 1/2 of the pumpkin batter into the loaf pans. Spoon cream cheese mixture on top of this layer and then pour on the remaining batter.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 60 to 70 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into center of the loaf comes out clean. Cool bread in pans for 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Enjoy,

Margo

Yes, National Apple Month is here…and knowing how much everybody loves apples, we knew it would be a great time to offer some tasty apple themed meals and desserts at the Pink House for October. 

Look at some of the incredible dishes we’ve dreamed up—

Apple Turkey Burgers with Cranberry Apple Salsa, Apple Turkey Pot Pie, Grilled Chicken with a Crunchy Apple Salsa and Apple Topped Pork Loin.

And, for dessert, you can choose from Caramel Apple Pudding Cake, Toffee Apple Cheesecake, and Apple Cranberry Crisp to Celebration Cake, and Chipotle Apple Pecan Cake. Sound good?  

Remember to make plans now to visit us this month. We love fall and hope you’ll come and celebrate the season with us.

See you soon,

Margo 

In honor of National Waffle Day, August 24th, I’ve decided to come up with a “best of the best” list for everything waffles. I hope you enjoy it and remember, no waffling around. LOL. 

Best Waffle Recipe:

Sweet Potato Pecan Waffles with Praline Peaches. Loaded with pureed, rich sweet potatoes and pecans, topped with butter and out of this world peach sauce. Find it at allrecipes.com.

Best Waffle Topping:

Hands down, strawberries, bananas or peaches. Nothing like fresh fruit on golden delicious waffles. Oh, and can’t forget a dusting of powdered sugar for added bonus. Talk about heaven. FYI Chocolate, honey or pure maple syrup come a close second.  

Best Waffle Song:

Don’t know any, but imagine it would be a syrupy love song. Get it, syrupy.

Largest Waffle Ever Made:

1986 in Chicago. It measured over 3000 square feet, larger than the average American home.  

Most Waffles Eaten in 10 minutes:

In 2006, Joey Chestnut consumed 23 Waffle House waffles in 10 minutes to claim the title of World Waffle Eating Champion and broke his record of 18.5 waffles set from the previous year.
Best Waffle Quote:

“A waffle is just a pancake with a syrup trap.”—Mitch Hedberg, comedian.

Also, I like “He gave her a look that you could have poured on a waffle.”—Ring Lardner, writer.

That’s all for now.

Enjoy,

Margo

One sprig of fresh mint in your ice tea and you’ll be hooked for life. That’s how it started for me.  I soon found myself putting it in fruit salad, spring rolls and even luscious chocolate desserts. Mint is the perfect flavor for adding a little zing to everything you can think of.

It’s even been used for centuries for medicinal purposes and its wonderful aromatic qualities.  The more popular varieties today I’ve seen are spearmint, apple, and chocolate (yes, it does taste a little like chocolate mint). Mint is refreshing and most people absolutely love it.

If you’ve never grown mint before, here are some tips you may want to follow:

• Plant it in well drained, non-acidic soil, preferably in shade or in sun for some varieties.
• Keep in containers to keep its spread in check.  Also, separate varieties or they may lose individual flavors.
• Keep it moist. Mint is a thirsty herb, so be sure to keep it well watered.
• Propagate each spring by taking fresh cuttings from the base of the root and putting it in water. Plant in pots when the roots of the plant begin to grow.

Mint is a great herb to grow. It’s a cinch to take care of and a refreshing flavor.

Try it this summer…I’m know you’ll be hooked, too.

Margo