Thank you for finding That Old House amidst the chaos of the Internet. We are delighted that you are here.

Friday, September 28, 2012

Thrifts And Auctions and Cake. Woo-Hoo!


I haven't had much luck at our local Goodwill Store
lately.  But that's okay.  One of my favorite thrift
shops has reopened after its summer hiatus.  
And on a recent visit,
it was loaded with loot.

I am a pushover for blue and white china.
Especially when a nice big plate costs $3.

True, the farmer looks a bit of a doofus,
but I plan on hanging him 'way up high on this wall,
with some other blue and whites:

 The same fate awaits this smaller plate:
Haha -- just noticed the little screw in the upper right corner of the picture.
Something around here has a screw loose! 
Why are you pointing at me?

I like this plate even better than the farmer one.
Love the pierced edges.
It's from Portugal.  Set me back a whole 4 bucks.


On Saturday I need to enlist Howard and Annie to help me
bring some fresh pieces to my antiques booth;
some furniture sold this week and I need to fill in the gaps.

Luckily, that's not a problem.
I've got stuff waiting in the wings.

Or, in this case, the dining room.
Yes, I'm a little behind in refinishing and painting.
Oy.

This chair, from an auction
back at the end of August, is ready to go.
I think it's walnut, but I'm not sure.
It's clean and in beautiful shape, including the fabric,
but its seat is unusually low.

I suspect it might have been a rocking chair once upon a time.
Although a reader commented that it might
be a low-to-the-ground nursing chair, common in Victorian times.
With old furniture, much of the fun is figuring out 
why something is the way it is now, and what it might have been.

***************************************
 As promised . . .
Irene's Cheater's Cake


My mother-in-law, Irene, is a consummate baker,
renowned for her cakes and pastries.
She never, ever takes shortcuts or uses (gasp!) mixes.

Her sour cream coffee cakes are famous, but
recently when my husband Howard was in Florida
visiting his Mom . . . the unthinkable happened:
Bobi made a sour cream coffee cake.  From a mix.

I know, I know.  Shocking!
But here's what she did, and she calls it
Cheater's Cake.

Ingredients
One yellow or butter flavored cake mix (we like Duncan Hines)
One cup (8 oz.) of sour cream (not yogurt, not light sour cream, but the real stuff)
3/4 cup of oil (we used canola)
3 whole, large eggs
(And -- one cup brown sugar mixed with one spoon of cinnamon; your choice of spoon size!)

Bundt pan -- two bucks at the thrift.  In brand new condition.

Method:
1. Don't follow the directions on the cake mix box.
2. Instead, mix all of the ingredients (except sugar) in a mixer until it all looks like, well, cake batter.
3. Pour half into a greased bundt or angel food cake pan, and sprinkle it with some of the
brown sugar & cinnamon mix, then add the rest of the batter and top with the rest of the sugar mix.
4. Pop the pan into a preheated 350-degree oven.
5. Bake for 3 days.
No, that's not really true . . . but when Anne made this recipe on Wednesday of this past week, she baked the cake for the 40 minutes or so that was suggested on the cake box.  It was not enough time, so back into the oven it went.  Again.  And again.  I think the total time for baking was about 75 minutes.

This was probably for two reasons. 
1 -- the batter is heavier because of the sour cream and the oil.
2 -- Anne had added chopped apples in the bottom of the bundt pan,
and they add moisture to the mix.

Anyway -- let it cool enough to handle, then turn it out of the pan onto a rack.
Let cool some more, cut, and enjoy!
It's delicious with good coffee, and I'm sure would work with tea as well.
Or milk.
Hmmm . . . I just remembered there's still some left on the kitchen counter . . . . 

Bye!  Have a wonderful weekend.
We've got projects in the pipeline, here at That Old House.
Like, rearranging the Parlor furniture.  It's hopeless.

But we have to get moving; it's T.B.D.B.T time already!  -- Cass

Link Parties!
At My Romantic Home, it's Show And Tell Friday Click here!
Feathered Nest Friday makes its home at French Country Cottage.  Click here!
The Charm of Home features Home Sweet Home on Fridays.  Click here!
It's Vintage Inspiration Friday at Common Ground.  Click here!
Miss Mustard Seed hosts the Furniture Friday Feature.  It's a must visit -- Click here!
At Rattlebridge Farm, it's Foodie Friday.  Go!  Click here.

Foodie Friday

13 comments:

  1. Looks and sounds yummy.
    Lots I need to do this weekend - now if I could just get motivated.
    Enjoy your weekend.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I love the plate. It has a bit of a Quimper look to it. He does look a bit silly..like he's rather be dancing. That cake looks amazing. I am sitting here with tea and would love a big slice of it, too. Have a good weekend, Cass. I just became a nana again this week so I'll be doing some cuddling for sure. Deb

    ReplyDelete
  3. I love that second plate as well. And that cake looks so good. I'll have to give it a try. Thanks.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I've been under the weather but need to get well soon.... you made me yearn to go thrift store hunting for treasures. Love that second plate.

    ReplyDelete
  5. just Lovley china :)
    and do not miss......

    S
    A
    T
    U
    R
    D
    A
    Y

    S
    H
    O
    W

    O
    F
    F

    it is FUN :)
    last week 109 lovley blogs..
    WELCOME
    Håkan ( The Roseman)

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hi Cass...love your blue and white dishes and your parlor is so pretty.....That cake looks delicious and not surprised it had to be baked that long....I only use Duncan Hines and doctor them and this is a great recipe I can only imagine how moist it is...never heard of using sour cream and oil in the same recipe....I love the idea of the apples on the bottom....Hope all is well up in Jersey..
    THE Boss just went to a new doctor and the doctor asked him where he was from....he tells him Jersey and the doctor says "Oh I like that governor up there he seems like a good guy....in fact you sort of resemble him"......thought I would die laughing because he only said that because they are both fat....my husband looks nothing like Christie....I guess all fat men look alike...

    ReplyDelete
  7. We're a Betty Crocker family (daughter Sarah) but I will try this next time I need to make a bunt cake -- looks good and sounds super easy.

    Love your two plates -- it's fun to find new things! And thrift shops there are THE BEST!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh Martha -- you were WITH me when I bought those two blue plates,
      at the thrift shop. :-)

      Good time, good times.... Cass

      Delete
  8. Well,even us cooks who do things from scratch will bend the rules every once in a while ;) The cake looks scrumptious! I always look forward to seeing your refinishing projects and looks like you've got plenty waiting for you in the wings.
    Have no idea what T.B.D.B.T. means,but enjoy...I think ;)

    ReplyDelete
  9. These low chairs used to be called 'nursing chairs' here in Scotland. Maybe this was the same, here is a link to some.
    http://www.antiques-atlas.com/antiques/antique-furniture/armchairs-occasional-chairs/Nursing_Chair

    Looks much the same.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Wow -- I just looked up "nursing chairs" on Google Images, and you may be on the right track! I tried to leave a comment on your LiveJournal page, but Live Journal makes it so very complicated that I'm pretty sure it got lost somewhere in cyberspace.

      Anyway -- I LOVE smart readers with good information! :-)
      Have a lovely weekend ... Cass

      Delete
  10. That cake looks sooooo good!
    I'd love 10 minutes in your antique store booth!

    ReplyDelete
  11. I love the farmer plate it’s kind of vintage but I'm in love with the plate with the pierced edges. I'm going to try to make that cake. I'm an avid THRIFT Shopper!
    AACBid.com

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for visiting That Old House; it's always exciting to find new comments -- they are treasured! Because of increasing spam, I have reluctantly eliminated "Anonymous" commenting. Legitimate anonymous commenters, please forgive me! You might try using "Open ID" instead. Blogger's spam software worked for a good long time, but, sadly, no longer.