Sour Cream Pound Cake

Im back. Summer morphed into fall, Christmas, and: " oh my gosh, how can it be January already!!"



Here's the recipe I promised my Facebook folks I'd post for Sour Cream Pound Cake with Buttered Rum Glaze.

2 sticks of butter (1/2 lb)
2 cups sugar
1 cup sour cream
1/2 tsp baking soda
3 cups flour
6 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Cream butter & sugar together.
Add sour cream & mix till incorporated. Sift baking soda and flour together.
Add to cream mixture alternating with eggs, beating each egg one a time.
Add vanilla & pour into a greased and floured 10 inch tube pan. Bake for 1 hour & 20 minutes.
Buttered Rum Glaze
1 cup brown sugar
2 Tablespoons water
1/4 cup dark rum
2 Tablespoons of butter

While cake bakes prepare glaze.
Combine brown sugar, run and water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil stirring until sugar dissolves.
Add butter, stirring until butter melts.

Pierce baked cake with a skewer all the way to the bottom.
Drizzle half the warm glaze evenly over the warm cake allowing it to absorb.
Drizzle remaining glaze over the cake and allow to cool completely.

Psychic Fair

In addition to our soap making adventures, we also host classes & events for the Walker Valley Metaphysical Society out in The Soap Barn. Join us this Sunday for some Metaphysical Merriment!

Don't miss this latest installment of the Walker Valley Metaphysical Meet Up's Psychic Fair!!

Did you know that the veil between the world grows thinner the closer we get to October 31st? This is a perfect time to join in the Psychic Fair Festivities! Come on by to have a reading or take one of our great workshops or just have some tea and cookies and enjoy the company of great people!

We have a number of readers (Renee, Chandra and Jean) coming directly from their appearances at the New York Renaissance Fair!

The Intuitives available for the day will be:

Renee D'Amoiselle - Renee utilizes a combination of Tarot and Oracle cards as well as a touch of psychometry with crystals to divine your future and give you some insightful direction. Renee's empathic abilities make her a very compassionate diviner. She has guided many through the grief of loss of a loved one and can help you to make more empowered decisions about life's difficult situations. Appointments beginning at 12:45 until 5pm.

Our Tea Leaf reader, Chandra (from the first fair back in March!) will be returning! Chandra Concepcion, our "Gypsy Bone Goddess" is a very experienced and wise reader. Her tea leaf readings can produce very surprising results. Chandra is also a medium, so for those of you who would be interested in messages from the spirit world, Chandra is a great choice. Reserve Early!

Readings from 11:30 am until 5:00 pm

And a new reader to our group- Jean Lari - Jean will be doing "Junk Readings" !! This form of divination is unique, fun, accurate and - well.. kinda mind blowing! Jean uses a bag filled with ordinary small items; buttons, game pieces, little plastic and wooden toys, seashells... you name it! The items are scattered on a table and Jean divines for you from the patterns and configurations of the items. This form of divination includes an opportunity to symbolically discard and be cleansed of any negative issues that come up in the reading. This is a magical working that can be very powerful and effective! Jean will be reading from 11:30 am until 5:00 pm. I have a feeling these will be very popular to book your spot now!

Also back by popular demand is our lovely Palm Reader, Maree! Maree's palm readings are extremely accurate character studies that can give you powerful insights about yourself and your direction. Her kind, compassionate and fun manner make this reading a joy from beginning to end. Book soon to find out what all those many lines and bumps on the palm of your hand mean!

Maree will be reading from 11:30 am until 5:00 pm.

Bill Wiand will be reading for us again! Bill from Wiand Wellness, one of our sponsors, is a noted and popular local psychic. He will use a combination of Tarot, as well as his own psychic style of "reading a person" (aura, surrounding spirits, etc. ) to give you a very powerful and fun reading. Bill is very well known in this area - so book your time slot quickly! Bill will be reading from 11:30 am to 12:30 pm - and then again from 2:15 pm until 5:00 pm.

All readings will be $30.00 (Reduced Price!) - the time frame will depend on the individual person - but generally last about 20 minutes....

(readings are for entertainment purposes only)

Class schedule!

12:00 noon to 12:30 - Opening Meditation with Renee! This is a tradition now. We will come together to set our group mind for the day. This is a lovely relaxing way to start your Sunday. All meditators are welcome - from absolute beginners to experienced yogis! As my good friend says... it's good to be "Oooommmmm!" --- This workshop is FREE!

12:45 to 2:00 - Past Life Regression with Bill and Sue Wiand! - This guided journey was wildly popular when we held it for a separate meetup and we expect it to fill up fast. Bill and Sue will guide us through a relaxing and revealing meditation where we will have the opportunity to discover some information about our past lives! It's fun, extremely informative and you will leave feeling rested and rejuvinated! $20.00 Donation

2:15 to 3:15 - Universal Energy Healings with Angel! - Angel is a gifted healer, utilizing the white light energy of the universe and the chakra system to address all issues from physical to emotional to spiritual. Angel will give demonstrations and discuss her methods and give you some insights as to how you might use this energy to do self healings! This powerful energy has to be felt to be believed. Sign up today! $20.00 donation

3:30 - 4:30 - Totem Animals with Obila Bao (Chuck Finfrock)! What is a Totem Animal? What about a Power Animal? Find these answers and more! There will be a discussion of the totemetic connections to the chakras via the totem pole as well as magickal and healing uses for your totems. Obila Bao will then lead you on a guided meditation pathworking to discover your personal totem!

Do Not miss this opportunity! $20.00 donation

Call Renee at (845) 649-0787 to book your appointments for Readings and Classes! They will fill up fast so call today!!

See you there!

• 500 characters left

Trick or Treat!!

La Cucaracha!! How much fun would this be in the office restroom??

Candy Corn, Witches Brew, and Black Licorice for your favorite Little Goblins!

Retro layered Spooky Spider Web Soap with Goat Milk, Shea Butter, and a touch of Magic!

Our Black Jack Pumpkin Soap smells good enough to eat in Maple Cream!
Good Clean Fun for all your favorite Ghosts & Goblins
But like all Halloween Magic, they're only available for a short time.
www.1846housesoaps.etsy.com

A Tall Tale

Once upon a time, in the shadow of the Shawangunks, there dwelled some honeybees with an unusual sense of humor. Honeybees are generally orderly & methodical in all they do.
Late one night, these pollinating pranksters decided to go from the pumpkin blossoms to the blue hubbard squash blossoms just to see what would happen.
BLUMPKIN appears to be the result. We wont know for sure until this blue beauty has outlived his usefullness as a fall decoration, EXACTLY what he is: but Im sure he'll taste great!

Doing the Basket Hokey Pokey!!

We just got a big new shipment of African Market Baskets!
They come flattened and we have to do 'the dip & roll" to shape them into what you
see here! If you've purchased a basket that had gotten dirty or the shape has gone 'wonky',
here's the fix!
Immerse the basket for 15-20 seconds in plain water.
(Try not to wet the leather as you rehydrate the grass fibers.)
Turn it on its side on your counter or picnic table and roll it.
Flatten the bottom and let air dry!
Now YOU"RE doing the Basket 'Hokey Pokey'!!!

Midway

I hope everyone has a happy and safe 4th of July, doing the things that they like best! Family gatherings, the great outdoors, fireworks, parades: It dosent get any better than this!!

But this also marks the half way point of the year. How can 2010 be half over already??
What have you done for the first 6 months of this new year? What are your goals for the next 6 months? I plan on spending some time on this one. What do you hope to accomplish before years end?

Walk Way Over the Hudson

What a treasure we have right here in the Hudson Valley!

The longest pedestrian walkway in the world soars 280 feet above the Hudson River and is a brilliant example of re-purposing an existing structure. A 100 plus year old railroad bridge , damaged by fire in 1974, has been made into a 'linear park' for walking, roller blading, and bike riding. The views are phenomenal!!
My daughter asked me if I thought this is what the birds see when they fly?
I think shes got it EXACTLY right!