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.