keeping it casual.

plaid is what the fashion industry has been forcing us to accept as "trendy" this fall. so why are we not LINING OUR PANTS with plaid? i always enjoy it in small amounts and that application of it is perfect. and you get to show a little bit of leg as well!

sautons!

jumpers. i'm really surprised that these haven't come back into fashion since they made a slight revist in the 1980s. i remember wearing them, but they were not as chic as these. i cannot take my eyes off from the lady in the yellow shirt & black/grey plaid. that belt she's posing for us is killing me, it's so punk rock with that large saftey pin buckle. and those straps! geometric styling always makes my heart swoon. the more angles, the better! the other ladies are not cutting it for me today. i might have considered the blue embroidered one, especially with that amazing shirt with the starched popped collar, but punk rock sally came along and stole my heart.

brrr!

where is fall this year?



these are definitely for us active ladies, especially those of us who have to throw snowballs. there is so much about her ski jacket that i adore; the cinched waist, impeccably folded over collar and quilted lining. and don't forget about our sunglasses clad lass. she's ready to be outside to keep an eye on her little ones while they toboggan down the hill in the backyard. i'm not too fond of that jacket, but i'd take her sunglasses any day!

wackiness.

what happened a few weeks ago was so out of this world and what better way to deal with it than to make a "crazy" cake? chocolate cures the soul, as well as visiting friends, watching old movies and sharing your craziness with them! unfortunately, the cake was SO scrumptious that i was unable to get a photo of it before it was completely inhaled. not only is this recipe great to make for vegans, no one will suspect that there are no eggs or animal fat in it. it's simply leavened by the chemical reaction between the baking soda and acidic liquid. it is definitely one of the moistest, can't resist to have seconds cakes i've ever made. i found this recipe in a couple of old spiral bound fundraising cookbooks that i have, one from 1957 for a church and the other from 1975 that was from my grandmother that i never met due to her untimely death. there are a few handwritten recipes in the latter one that i MUST try if i can decipher her handwritting. and now, here is a variation of this cake for your enjoyment!

"Wacky" or "Crazy" Chocolate Cake
3 Cups flour
2 Cups sugar
6 Tbsp. cocoa
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
2 Cups water
3/4 Cup oil (vegetable, canola, etc.)
2 Tbsp. vinegar*
2 tsp. vanilla

*you can substitute the same amount of freshly squeezed lemon juice or apple cider vinegar.

preheat oven to 350 F. grease a 13x9 inch pan and set aside. in a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. mix the dry ingredients thoroughly. add water, oil, vinegar and vanilla. mix on medium speed until there are no lumps in the batter. immediately pour the batter into pan* and bake for 40 minutes.

*DO NOT let this batter sit around or the chemical reaction will end before it starts baking. you don't want to end up with a flat cake in the end, right?

it's sweater time!

sorry for the delay in posting. i'm attempting to update this at least twice a week but the drama that was thrown at me last week haulted everything in my life to a standstill. everything is much, MUCH better now and life goes on...



i LOVE fall weather and it is finally starting to get a little bit chilly out. i ventured to the thrift store the other day trying to find a nice vintage cardigan, but no such luck. i tried on a few but they were all too frumpy. only if i could have that lovely light blue one pictured. i'm looking through my archives of vintage knitting patterns from vogue to find something similar to knit up myself because i'll probably never find my dream cardigan. now time to find a yarn that is worthy of being knit into such an amazing piece of warmness!

super surprise birthday cake!

a few weeks back, i came across a recipe in my Campbell cookbook "Cooking With Soup" (1968) that completely baffled me at first: Tomato Soup Cake. After looking over the ingredients, i noticed that it essentially is a spice cake that has added fruit to make it nice & moist. you could make this same cake with applesauce or pumpkin purée if you please, but tomato soup is a cheaper and much more interesting substitute. after poking around on the internerd, it makes complete sense that this recipe came from the depression era. you could make this cake with just a can of soup, some water & spice cake mix and voilà! you have a cake to please your guests on a budget.

since katie's birthday was coming up, what better than to surprise her and her guests with a mystery cake! everyone thought it was a carrot cake until i told them there was soup in it. after i let the cat out of the bag, everyone was trying their hardest to see if they could taste the tomatoes in it and no one accomplished that at all, not even myself! it was definitely a hit & i would make this again without any hesitation at all.


katie cutting the yummy cake!

i took some liberties with the recipe and added or changed a few ingredients to give it a bit more depth of flavor.

Tomato Soup Cake, à la reannuh!

2 Cups all purpose flour
1 1/3 Cups sugar*
4 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. allspice
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
pinch of nutmeg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 Cup UNSALTED butter, softened at room temp.
1 can (10.75 OZ.) reduced sodium condensed tomato soup
2 eggs
1/4 Cup water

*i used the same amount of well packed light brown sugar since that was all i had in my cupboard at the time... i tasted it before pouring & added just a hair bit more so it didn't taste so tomatoey. and in the end, it turned out great!

preheat oven to 350 F. grease & flour two round layer pans (8" or 9"x1 1/2") OR an oblong 13x9 pan. mix dry ingredients in a large bowl. add butter & soup, mix at medium speed for 2 minutes, scraping the sides from time to time. add eggs, water & vanilla, mix for 2 more minutes. pour batter into pan(s). bake for 25-30 minutes. let the cake stand in the pan for at least 10 minutes before removing to a cooling rack. once cooled, frost with cream cheese frosting and nom!

you can also add these for different variations:

1 cup of raisins or nuts and increase the time to 35-40 minutes.

or

1 cup of dates and 1 cup of walnuts and increase the time to 40-45 minutes.


Cream Cheese Frosting (from better homes & garden cookbook)
1 8oz. package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 tsp. vanilla
5 3/4 to 6 1/4 cups sifted powdered sugar

beat cream cheese, butter and vanilla with mixer until light & fluffy. gradually add powdered sugar until desired consistency. this will frost a two layer cake. for a 13x9 cake, just halve the recipe! once the cake is frosted, be sure to refrigerate it.

get around.

what is there not to like about either of these outfits? first off, i would die to have that hooded jacket. three quarters sleeves & a nice slouchy hood to hide in, i'll take one in each color! i think i want to try to make a hoody that is similar to this so i can rid myself of my holey black hoody once and for all! i also am smitten with the print on the toreador pants. now, i usually don't wear much prints, especially on my lower half, but i would definitely consider these in a heartbeat! i've always been a huge fan of geometric diamonds and these pants do them right with a slight lines & squiggles through them. if i could only have both of these outfits head to toe. they would be such a great addition to my closet due to the simple fact that they are bike friendly. flat shoes and skinny legs make for an easy commute. and not to forget, no butt cracks hanging out because of the high waist. thank goodness.

le 1er.

since becoming unemployed, i've had to set aside my love of thrifting and hitting up the weekend flea markets. in place of actual shopping, i've been finding myself browsing through my collection of magazines and catalogs from the 1950s & 1960s, dreaming up all the amazing consumer goods that i would be searching out. i consider it to be a sort of in depth research while i'm on a purchasing freeze. whether it be apparel or appliances, the design from this era has always allured me with its sleek, simple uber moderness that has a certain futuristic feel that still lingers with it today.

first up, sears & roebuck fall/winter 1955 catalog since we're coming close to that season! time to think about warm attire and christmas gifts to order! and remember, you can order the easy, modern way... by phone!