OH DEAR, DEER ME !

This Winter has been brutal !!!!!
It has been snowing and snowing...
it has been icing....



the temperatures are mostly in the "deep-freeze",
and the winds are often howling.




Even though some snow has melted in a brief thaw,
there are still deep piles everywhere.......




here the heights of the fence by the walk-up to our entrance.

It is no wonder, that the deer are starving and eating

everything in sight, even things they normally

don't eat.

We often have at least ten or more deer feeding at the

bird station.
This mom and her one year old little girl have chosen

to make our property their "main base".

This is the mom...we call her Dopey.
She got over all the netting and is laying on the
door mat, keeping warm.
Her baby is always close by, but on the outside

of the netting.

I think Dopey ate something not to her liking!

She really does not scare easily and stood

there looking at me for the longest time.

She also was not budging from the mat.

I think it was cozy there for her.

And because some of you have asked.....

this was our girls get-together Valentines table.
We were missing three friends,

Laura @52 Flea, Carole @ maynardgreenhouse,

and Deanna from Gather in CT.

The weather played with our plans,
and the date was changed three times.
We had a wonderful day, but missed

the rest of the girls !!!!!!
Plus, Laura and Carole are our photographers.
With them missing, and I as the hostess
being busy, not many pictures were taken.

Paula made these lovely cones for all of us.

She tied little metal hearts to each bag..
( they came from an antique floor mat ),
and each cone held hand-made buttery toffees.
Yum !!!!

After a meal of cream of wild mushroom soup....
( Ina Garten's recipe),
spinach quiche, quiche Loraine, a nice salad and rolls......
we indulged in dessert....

and what would Valentines day be without heart-shaped

chocolate cakes.

I sliced and filled these with seedless raspberry jam

mixed with Chambord, chocolate ganache,

whipped cream and raspberries.

Kathleen's nails matched the strawberries......

and if that was not enough,

an apple cake from a baking book, that my nice

send to me from Germany.

It is called ...German Baking Today..

and is by Dr. Oetker.

It is written in English.

The women in my family are great cooks and bakers.

Stephanie, thank you my love, for this great book

and always sharing recipes.

And so, I want to share this recipe with all

my blogger friends.

APPLE CAKE, VERY DELICATE

For the topping 2 tbsp butter, melted

1 1/2 lb apples..I used firm Golden Delicious

For the cake...

4 1/2 oz ( 5/8 cup) soft butter

4 1/2 oz (5/8 cup) sugar

1 tbsp vanilla sugar, 1 pinch of salt

freshly squeezed lemon (from 1 small lemon)

or a few drops of Natural Lemon Extract

3 medium eggs

2 cups all purpose flour

2 level tsp baking powder

1 - 2 tbsp milk

For the glaze:

2 tbsp apricot jam ( I used more )

1 tbsp water

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Grease the bottom of a 10 " springform pan....(removable sides)

Whisk butter until soft. Add sugar, vanilla sugar, salt,

lemon juice or extract little by little, whisking all the

time until you obtain a smooth mixture.

Whisk in the eggs, one after the other, for about 1/2 minute

each at the highest setting on your mixer.

Mix together the flour and baking powder and whisk briefly

in 2 instalments on medium setting, alternating with the milk

into the batter.

Transfer to springform and smooth to make even.

Melt butter, peel apples, cut into quarters, remove cores

and make several length ways incisions.

I use the tines of a fork.

Arrange the apple quarters in two concentric circles

on the cake and pour melted butter over apples.

Put cake in the bottom third of the oven.

Bake for about 45 minutes.

Heat apricot jam till warm and strain through a sieve.

Put back on stove and bring to boil with a little water,

stirring all the time.

Pour or brush on the cake immediately

after taking cake out of the oven.

Release, then remove the ring of the springform.

Loosen the cake away from the bottom of the springform,

then leave to cool on cake rack.

Enjoy.....this cake is great!

Blessing,

Evi