Orange Blossom Special!

This was a fun glimpse of spring/summer in the cold depths of winter, and delicious, regardless!

But first, a glimpse of our shaggy dog, Maggie Mae....

She is so fluffy! And she loves the snow (which has been in scarce supply)

And she loves the mud (big supply.... unfortunately!!!)

But we'll come back to Maggie later. Stinkin' cute dog.

This week I wanted cake. I blame Mindy Obenhaus because she was talkin' cupcakes and deliciousness and I was thinking about our visit to Waco and Magnolia and I wanted cake.

You gals out there will totally understand my rationale.

Cake is cake. It should never be taken for granted.

And this one was so stinkin' easy and wonderful, so I have to tell you about it.

Here is the secret recipe:  ORANGE BLOSSOM SPECIAL!

1 DH Orange Supreme Cake Mix baked as directed except use one cup of orange juice instead of one cup of water...

Bake at 350 until done. (toothpick inserted into center leaves moist crumbs or a light finger touch in center bounces back)

Cool on baking racks.

So that was simple, right?

Orange Cream Cheese Frosting

6 oz. cream cheese, softened
6 oz. butter (3/4 stick), softened
4 cups powdered/confectioner's/10X sugar (all the names we've used for powdered sugar)
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/4 cup Frozen Orange Juice Concentrate, thawed.

Blend softened cream cheese and butter.  Add sugar, vanilla and orange juice concentrate. Mix on low speed until blended, then beat on high for a few minutes to fluff the frosting a bit.

Spread on first half of cake. Top with second layer. Then frost whole cake.

You can decorate it with orange slices or mandarin oranges, but I knew it would take a while for me to eat THE WHOLE CAKE and I didn't want old oranges on top, but if it was for a party, I'd have piped little swirls and topped each with a slice of peeled orange glazed with warm apple jelly so it doesn't get nasty. And the apple jelly is clear and shiny, like a really delicious glaze for fruit on cakes. 

This was delicious.

And wonderful.

A people pleaser if you like fruity cakes. Also, using the juice gave the cake a more homemade texture, so that was different.

And marvelous!

Wednesday was jam making day.... Sour cherry and Very Berry Cherry...

And then we mosey on back to Maggie Mae...

What???

SPA DOG!!!!! Hey, that's a mighty fine trim there, young lady! You look like a classic Doodle!!!! And so sweet and pretty.

Oh mylanta, she is such a nice dog.

I love her.

I still don't let her out with Libby, our 12 year old Standard Poodle. Libby's too old and frail to have to deal with Maggie's puppy ways.

But she loves romping with Jeter, and together they make mad dashes everywhere they can, until the electric fence warns them to s-l-o-w d-o-w-n....

And along with a really cute dog haircut and a great cake we have about ten days until "Finding Peace in Wishing Bridge" releases!!!!

LINK TO AMAZON!!!! And yes, it will be in paperback & Kindle, darlings....

WE ARE SO EXCITED!!!!!

And I hope that folks love Jazz's story as much as they loved Kelsey's and Thea's.... I know I do!

And that's it from the farm this week. Snow/wind/rain/wintry mix/ more rain/mud.... and it's all good. Sending you blessings from all of us on Yankee Belle and the farm!

USA TODAY bestselling author Ruth Logan Herne is tucked on her cold and wet pumpkin farm, writing delightful stories with unforgettable characters because she knows that when the weather warms up, farm duties tug her away from the keyboard and into the beautiful topsoil out back... where she will have dirty fingernails for MONTHS. :)  Visit her website ruthloganherne.com, friend her on Facebook, follow her on Twitter (which can be a really weird place) or email Ruthy at loganherne@gmail.com