28 layers of delicious

Imagine a delicately sweet cake made of layer after layer of thin crispy crepes, filled between each is a delicious vanilla bean pastry creme.  Just a small piece of this wonderful dessert is all the comfort food I need.

For many years crepes have been our traditional Chrismas day treat, but only recently have I transformed them into a cake.

Preparing this masterpiece requires only some crepe-making skills and the courage to believe that you can sucessfully stack them to create the many layered cake.

Begin with a crepe batter which has been well-chilled.  Heat the skillet over medium high, adding only a small pat of butter.  Pour about 3 tablespoons of batter into the hot skillet and swirl until a thin layer of batter covers the whole bottom of the pan.  Cook until the edges curl in a bit and become a lovely golden brown.  

Flip this thin crepe over and let it toast a little longer.

Repeat until you have 20 to 30 crispy beautiful crepes (the number of crepes you have depends on the size pan used - I used an eight inch pan and made 30 crepes).

To create the cake, simply place a crepe on a plate, spread with the lovely pastry creme and add another crepe.

Continue to stack the crepes, filling with the creme until, magically, you have a cake!

Dust lightly with powdered sugar; chill for a couple of hours...and serve!

Crepes:

6 tablespoons butter

1 cup milk

3 tablespoons sugar

Pinch of salt

3 large eggs

3 cups flour

Heat butter until it begins to turn a light golden brown, remove from heat.

Heat milk (don't let it boil-remove from heat just before boiling).

Combine flour, salt, sugar and eggs.  Mix well.

Combine butter and milk, and pour slowly into flour mixture, stirring.

(I do most of this in the food processor, but it can be done by hand mixing too)

Cool this batter for at least one hour.

To prepare crepes, follow directions above.

September? Apple Pie, of course!

September and apple pie are synonymous to me.  The wonderful aroma of apples, spices, and buttery crust.......mmmmmm.

The pie, cooling, is irresistible.  Happiness!

O 

Pie crust fitted perfectly into my dish.

Apples peeled and sliced, begging to be placed inside that delicious crust.

Just enough apples for a pie and an extra dish of applesauce.

Apples, still on the tree, waiting just for me.

What I Adore About September~by Shell

Even though summer is my favorite time of year, fall is pretty much tied.  Who can resist an autumn day filled with bright colors and wonderful food? 

Best things about September:

·         Back to school.  I think of back to school as the beginning of the year~not Jan. 1^st!  Everything about going back to school is great.  It’s a fresh start. New outfits (love!) and school supplies also top my list on this category. What’s not to adore about a great fashionable ensemble and newly sharpened pencils with brand spanking new notebooks?  As a returning student, I have my online classes to look forward to as well as meeting new classmates. 

Outfit Inspiration Blog: http://suburbly-chic.tumblr.com/ 

·         Hiking and Biking.  The best time of year, in my opinion to hike and bike.  The trails are less crowded and the cool air in your lungs makes for a restorative joyful feeling in your soul! My husband and I love to find new waterfalls in the UP of Michigan, just over our border.

Waterfalls in Michigan:

http://www.gowaterfalling.com/waterfalls/maps/statemichigan.shtml 

·         Baking!   As soon as the temperature hits 60 I dust off my cupcake pans and cookie sheets and start pouring over recipes on Pinterest.  I long for apple crisp, granola and, like Ter~anything pumpkin!

 

                  Heather (shesdomestic) on has a whole board on Nutella!

http://www.pinterest.com/shesdomestic/nutella/ 

·         Shorter Hours!  Less work and more time to cuddle up with a great book.  Alas, there are benefits to living in a tourist town!

Spend your down time having fun with this hilarious read:

           “Where’d you go, Bernadette?” By Maria Semple

How do you enjoy September?  Share with us!

SEPTEMBER

September, how do I love thee? ..........

In so many ways, this month is, for me, about love and about color.

This is the month I married my beloved, a short 51 years ago.  In September, my first child was born and I fell in love again.  A second child arrived 3 years later, and he too, stole my heart.

Over the years this month has brought our family so many special occasions-weddings, anniversaries and birthdays...times to cherish each other and time to spend together.

September feels soft, warm and familiar to me- nature's colors pausing to soften from the brilliance and lushness of summer before bursting into the flaming colors of fall.  September is a changeling-part summer, part autumn, letting the deep green pallet of the forest turn softly into lighter, muted greens . She softens the hue of a brilliant blue sky a bit and adds a little more breeze to create playful, darting shadows in the woods, much like the fairies my granddaughters love.

Transition begins in September.....charming me once again, just as those sweet members of my family can charm me into falling in love with them all over again!

What I love about September by T

S had a good idea and we're all going to work harder to blog regularly:    Topic of the Day:

What I Love About September, bullet-style:

• The crispness that starts to creep in the air
• Apple Cider and Apple Cider Donuts at the Vermont orchards
• Getting to wear sweaters
• Zeptember on the radio stations across the country!  (Extra Zep is always a good thing)
• it's again time to wear BOOTS!
• Seeing kids climb on the bus each morning, waving goodbye to their parents
• No heat needed, but no need to cool off
• Going for walks with my husband in the cool morning, or in the cool evening.
• that the leaves will soon change (happens later in VT than WI, I've found - usually October)
• Thinking about preparing for Halloween
• Pumpkin-flavored everything reappears (mmmm!)
• that it doesn't stay light out so late - easier to get cozy at home after work
• That October is next--my favorite month!

And What do YOU like about September, friends?

~t

Michele ....With One L.

Like many a little girl, I grew up singing a lot of little jump rope and patty-cake songs:

… My Boyfriend’s name is Sambo, he comes from Alabambo (which we would oh so cleverly swap with the local Lac du Flambeau)  …with a pickle on his nose and a cherry on his toes. E-I-E-I-O, SAMBO!

    …the one about Miss Mary Mack Mack Mack all Dressed in Black Black Black with Silver Buttons Buttons Buttons all down her Back Back Back…

But the one that comes to my mind most--even to this very day--is the name song.  Over and over and over we would sing it – and in my mind, my beloved Aunt Michele’s name is always the name of choice.  Shella Shella bo Bella, Banana Fanna fo Fella, Fe Fi Fo Fella, SHELLA!   

________________________________________

Shella, Shell, S, Michele with one L. Kate’s Great-Granddaughter.  Gus?   She goes by a lot of names.  She is a very hard worker, a beautiful, strong woman.  Determined, creative, innovative, forgiving, accepting, loving.  Stylish, loving.  Aunt Extraordinaire.  And… Cinco de Mayo Birthday girl.

Happy Birthday, Aunt S. ... I spent the week in a hotel for work, spending my evenings thinking about our shared adventures over the years, trying to figure out what was **just right** to blog about for your birthday.  The shopping trips, bagel retrieval missions, whoopee cushions and plastic spiders? Laughing fits where our faces were beyond red?  Laughing fits where me and my sister ended up under the table in embarrassment?!  Nah, none of it was quite right.  But, wow - was I flooded with memories of shared moments!  How many girls get to spend so much time with their aunt as I was blessed to be able to have while growing up?  Not only am I blessed to have you as an Aunt, I have been blessed with so much time with you over the years...

When you were 16 I was born.  I recall you telling me how cool that was for you to have a niece when still in high school.  I may not remember that time myself, but I'm sure we spent many a minute together.  As I grew, I remember visiting you at college and thinking "HOW COOL IS MY AUNT? She lives on her own, far away...So. Flipping. Neat!"  I remember you moving back, I remember meeting your boyfriend, I remember your a.d.o.r.a.b.l.e. wedding dress (SO beautiful and classic, just like you) and was inspired by your small wedding - so intimate and special. (Your wedding is what inspired mine!)

I remember your gift basket business and shrink wrapping basket's in grandma and grandpa's living room.   I remember you opening the coffee shop, and then is when our many hours together began.   I was in 3rd grade when it opened. I was a senior in college when you sold it.  I grew up there, I grew up in your shadow - learning from you (and mom and grandma) ... getting to know you, sharing loving and living life together.  

The shop sold and you opened another business with B, I moved to Minnesota and life changed for a while.  The next time I saw you is when the girls all packed up to come rescue me from Minnesota.  That was a hard time for me, BUTT you ladies made that ride home unforgettable.
Shella, I can't pinpoint one moment we've shared to write about... but I find it comforting that I'm flooded with memories.  That means we've spent a ton of quality time together... time I cherish.

Happy birthday, my dear Shell.  I love you.

-t.

^ Don't ask me, I found it on Google :)

<3 u, S.

Happy Birthday, SHELLA

Springtime, for me always includes thoughts of you, Shell, for this is the time of year when you arrived on this earth. Along with the promise of fresh air, lovely flowers and sweet, warm days, your smile and sweetness have always been easy to love.
Like a rainbow, you brought color to our family as you grew from that tiny baby into the beautiful woman you are today.

Uniquely Shell:
Instead of a blanket, you preferred to pinch my elbow as you nursed.

You could say your ABC's as easily backwards as forward. This, before you were three years old.

You frightened me and always got my attention when, as a baby,you seemed to pass out by crying and holding your breath.

You were eager to go to school before you were four, willing to take your brother's place in kindergarten (even as he was determined to drop out).

You visited each family on the block, giving them updates on neighborhood news (mostly stuff about us, since, at age 4, that's really all you knew about).

You eagerly played the part of student while your older sister conducted her version of school..all in her pretend classroom.

Always curious, your school years resulted in consistently high marks.

On your 8th birthday we awoke to 8 inches of fresh snow...the bicycle you got as a birthday gift had to be set aside for a while.

You were always the peacemaker, smoothing out disputes between your sister and brother.

You blew up our water bed...Ooohhh that's a story for another post!

As a co-owner in our restaurant, I discovered what a fantastic manager and communicator you are and how much the younger employees looked to you as a role model.

You have become such a beautiful, gracious, loving adult....someone I am proud to know.


There's so much more to say.....but really, mostly, I want to say happy, happy birthday, SHELLA!