Closing out 2012: Christmas, Crochet Hats, and 1000+ Views

How is it nearly 2013 already?

I apologize for my 'absence' over the last several weeks. I have no other excuse than the simple fact that life got in the way -- Thanksgiving week, 1st Birthday parties, a funeral, and a trip to NY for Christmas. I will be very content to stay home for a good long while once we get back!

Even in the absence of new material, my blog has gotten over 1000 views -- so THANK YOU to all of you readers. :) Be sure to check back often, and leave comments or questions.

This holiday season for me has been focused on one word:

homemade.

Every year we spend so much money buying things for others... Things that they don't necessarily need. Things that add up to quite a lot of mulah when you tally it up. And things that they really don't have a place for at home.

So this year I decided that if I was going to give presents, I wanted to take the time and effort to make something special for everyone. Something unique that you couldn't just pick up at the store. I should have started the process months in advance, but here is what I managed to "whip out" by Christmas time:

Crocheted scarves for the sisters (infinity scarves, from this pattern)
Crocheted hats for the kiddos (pattern here)
Crafty canister set for my mom's bathroom (see post here)
Candy jar for my dad (see blog here)
Homemade spice mixes
Felt Bible Story Quiet Book for the niece and nephew

Now, I spent all this time crocheting things for other  people, and just in the last few days I've had time to finish a hat for myself. :)

Here it is...

I found the pattern here. My sister and I scoured the web trying to find the hats we liked the best. The one downside of looking on Pinterest is that not all those hats come with a free pattern... so we found one that we really liked, but alas, the link was broken. This is the closest I could come to it. What do you think?

The pattern called for a bow on the brim instead of a flower, but it looked terrible. So here's a closeup of the flower I made instead:

Now, a few words about crochet.

I'm 100% self-taught. My oldest sister and I decided one winter that it would be fun to teach ourselves how to crochet. Boy, were we in for it... I'm pretty sure what we did back then was not even a second cousin to actual crochet... we have quite a collection of "scarves" that we made back then. Mine always came out really tight and skinny, and my sister's always came out chunkier and looser. Needless to say, we gave up crochet quite easily.

When my niece Cheyenne was born, though, I decided to make her a baby blanket. From then on I got slightly "better" at it. I bought myself some more hooks, a reference book, and plodded along. She is now almost 5 years old... and just this year I decided to put the time and effort into learning how to fully follow crochet patterns and *GASP* learn to crochet "in the round" as it were.

Let me tell you, a little dedication, a lot of patience (pulling out hours worth of work and restarting it), and countless hours of working on it at night after the munchkin went to sleep has truly paid off. :) I started crocheting nearly 10 years ago, and it has taken me this long to get "good" at it.

So, I guess my point is... if you have a hobby that you really want to try but just don't think you are "good enough" at it, put in the time and effort it takes to master the skill. Be patient with yourself. "Good things come to those who wait." In the end, you will feel a well-earned sense of pride. And perhaps you'll even have a few awesome hats to keep you warm in the winter!

First Birthday Sneak-Peek

My little Munchkin turns one year old on Saturday.

How did that happen!?!?!?

*Pause to consider the passage of time and how old I now feel.*

Since half of the week is going to be spent out in the woods, and the other half is going to be spent eating Thanksgiving goodies and hanging out with family and friends, I've done a lot of the party planning ahead of time. I'm sure I will post pictures of the party (parties, actually), but I want to share some of the "fruits" of my puttering over the last few weeks. :)

Thanksgiving, Brewer-Style: Hunting Camp and Sausage Biscuits

In just under 6 hours the Hubby, the Munchkin and I will be packing ourselves into the truck and heading off to the woods of West Virginia (wild and wonderful) as the festivities of Thanksgiving Week begin to unfold.

And since the woods does not have Internet access, my "Thanksgiving" post needs to be up before Thanksgiving. I'm sure you'll forgive me. There are several other luxuries we'll have to do without this week, like extra space (cramming 8-10 adults and 5 children into a small space is a trick!) or running water, so I made tons of food to bring with us (the women folk and the kids) to snack on while the men-folk hunt.

The last few years for Thanksgiving (minus LAST year, in which the Munchkin decided to make his first appearance and I spent the holiday in the hospital) I have made one of the special treats that my Mom makes for Christmas every year....

Sausage biscuits.

Since Thanksgiving is the "big" holiday in the Brewer family, I decided to bring my own little bit of tradition into it and make these a yearly treat. They are usually gone within a few minutes, so I guess everyone likes them. :) 

Even if people comment that they would be better with cheese, or even gravy. 

Let me set you straight, people -- these are NOT "sausage biscuits and gravy" sausage biscuits. These are just plain old "sausage biscuit" sausage biscuits. They stand very well on their own, thankyouverymuch. 

I have strayed from tradition insomuch as to use spicy or maple-flavored sausage, and they taste just as delicious.

(You are welcome to make them however you like, and use whatever you like to serve them with -- I just like to stay true to the original). 

This year I made a quadruple batch. I hope it's enough! :)

So, I give you the recipe and share this one small piece of tradition that makes this holiday special to me. What recipes make Thanksgiving special to you?

Sausage Biscuits

Makes: 36

1 lb. sausage

2 2/3 cup flour

2 T. sugar

1 t. baking powder

1/2 t. baking soda

1/2 t. salt

1/2 cup shortening or butter

1/4 cup warm water

1 T. dry yeast

1 cup buttermilk

1. Cook sausage into crumbles, drain well, and set aside. 
2. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a large bowl. 
3. Cut in shortening (or butter) until mixture resembles small peas.
4. Combine warm water and yeast in a small bowl, stirring until yeast is dissolved. 
5. Add buttermilk and yeast mixture to dry ingredients and mix well. 
6. Stir in drained sausage and drop by teaspoon on to lightly greased baking sheet. 
7. Brush with melted butter (optional - they are great without it!)
8. Bake at 450F for 12 minutes or until lightly browned. 

Note: You can freeze them before baking (after dropping the biscuits onto a baking sheet, pop them into the freezer to harden for 1 hour, and then place them in a large Ziploc bag). When ready to bake, just place them on a baking sheet again and add one or two extra minutes to the baking time. 

Frankenstorm

So I apologize for the nearly-month-long-silence on here. The rest of October got pretty busy, and just about when I was getting ready to post some wonderful things (felt-book how-to's, November meal plans, first birthday party ideas)...

...Hurricane Sandy dumped over 2 feet of snow in our area of West Virginia and knocked out power in 90% of the county.

*Sigh*

Call it the Frankenstorm, the Octoblizzard, or whatever you like. It stinks.

Our house is on a side road off of a side road, several miles down the 'main' road from town. So when power goes out, we don't get it back for a LONG time. Last July it was out for about 10 days. We have a well pump, so when the power goes out... so does our water.

It was easier to "handle" in the summer, but in the winter it gets pretty chilly without heat. Especially when it is FREEZING and SNOWING outside.

So, the Hubby and I packed our perishables into coolers, gathered up a few days worth of clothing, and squeezed into the cab of his Ford Ranger with the Munchkin and his enormous car seat. Oh, I should also mention that the truck is a stick shift, so the person sitting in the middle seat (*ME*) gets absolutely no leg room whatsoever.

ANYway, we were able to make it "out", dodging downed power lines and hundreds of fallen trees, and utilizing the 4WD. Thankfully, a family from the church here has alternate heat and city water, and they were gracious enough to let us stay at their home.

After several days, though, we realized that it was going to be several more days until even the first customers received power back, and even longer before the 'rest' of us.

So, what did I do? I bundled up the Munchkin, repacked my car, and headed to NY to visit my parents. :)

I tell you what, it sure is nice to be able to wash bottles with warm water again!

Oh, and the Munchkin got to meet my mom's parents for the first time on Saturday. So thankful for that! Their health has been failing lately, so it is wonderful to get to visit with them and have them meet my little guy.

So, I really don't have much to post about other than this long and rambling apology for not posting anything OCD within the last month. Hopefully I'll be able to organize all the chaos that is going on right now, and get something posted soon!

No-Knead Salt Rise Bread

Have I mentioned before that I love Pinterest? Well I do. Since I've joined I spend much more time doing domestic-y things. Just ask the hubby!

Now, I know that not everyone actually does 100% of the things that they 'pin.' If they are honest, in all reality it's probably more like 5-10%.

But when all of your friends are pinning about all of these wonderful crazy things that you never bothered to try before, you start to think, "hey, even I can make my own taco seasoning!" and other such nonsense.

So, without further ado...

Today I was inspired to bake the bread recipe found here.

Now, I have a bread machine. It is one of my favorite things in my kitchen. If I had to choose, I would keep it over my crockpot (and that's saying something!). So I can make bread in an hour, without kneading anything. Why would I need to try any other ways to make bread, you ask?

Because this bread is CHEAP.

Bread machine recipes require quite a bit of yeast, especially if you use the quick recipes.

This recipe only requires

3 cups all purpose flour
1 3/4 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon yeast
1 1/2 cups water

And that's IT. Well, there is the additional flour required to keep the dough from sticking to your counter. But it still comes out a lot cheaper than recipes that require cooking oil, butter, or additional yeast. And, even though it takes a long time from start to finish, it's really easy to make. (See end of post for a copy/paste version of the recipe!)

First, mix up all your dry ingredients in a bowl. Add water and mix until dough forms a messy ball. Cover with plastic wrap and leave for 12-18 hours (do NOT refrigerate).

Preheat oven to 450. Once oven is hot, place a crock or dutch oven with a lid into the oven for 30 minutes. (I've discovered that one of my Fiesta Ware platters fits the top of my small crockpot perfectly!)

While your pot is heating, dump the dough out onto a heavily floured surface, shape into a ball, and let sit.

Remove the pot from the oven, take off the lid, and transfer the dough to the pot. Replace the lid, and bake the whole thing for 30 minutes. Then remove the lid, and bake the pot and bread for an additional 15 minutes.

Take pot and bread out of the oven and carefully transfer the bread to a cooling rack. Let fully cool before slicing. This part is the hardest, because it smells and sounds (crusty is a sound!) amazing.

Here's the recipe for those who want to copy and paste. Or you can go print off the original directions from this blog

No-Knead Salt Rise Bread

3 cups all purpose flour

1 3/4 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon yeast

1 1/2 cups water

1. Mix all dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add water and mix until dough forms a messy ball. Cover with plastic wrap and leave for 12-18 hours (do NOT refrigerate). 
2. Preheat oven to 450. Once oven is hot, place a crock or dutch oven with a lid into the oven for 30 minutes. 
3. While your pot is heating, dump the dough out onto a heavily floured surface, shape into a ball, and let sit for 30 minutes.
4. Remove the pot from the oven, take off the lid, and transfer the dough to the pot. Replace the lid, and bake the whole thing for 30 minutes. Then remove the lid, and bake the pot and bread for an additional 15 minutes. 
5. Take pot and bread out of the oven and carefully transfer the bread to a cooling rack. Let fully cool before slicing.

Homemade Playdough Part 2

Here's the full set of colors after I made a second batch of playdough today. Add some cookie cutters, a placemat, and a case to keep it all in, and you've got a great homemade birthday present for a 2 year old nephew! :)

Homemade Playdough

My little Munchkin is way too young to play with playdough. I'm pretty sure he would just sit there and eat bits of it until the whole thing was gone. Just like he tried to eat the leaves outside today. 

So I'm not making the playdough for him. 

But, I do have a nephew who turns two tomorrow, and his mommy is certain that he can play with big boy things like playdough. So, since I am such a procrastinator an awesome aunt, I decided to make some for his birthday. 

I waited until the Munchkin was asleep so I wouldn't have any interruptions. I'm not much of a chemist, and didn't want to take any chances with the recipe failing due to lack of diligence. 

There are many recipes out there, but I followed one from here.

Super Soft Homemade Playdough

1 cup flour

1 cup water

1/4 cup salt

2 tsp cream of tartar

1 Tbsp vegetable oil

food coloring of choice

Measuring everything out is the hard part. Here's the easy part - dump everything into a saucepan. Stir well to get rid of flour lumps and evenly distribute the food coloring. 

Turn heat to medium, and stir constantly. The dough will start to clump up and stick to the soon. Once it forms a large ball, remove from heat and place dough on wax paper to cool. 

After a few minutes, knead the dough to eliminate any remaining lumps. When the dough is fully cooled, store it in plastic bags or containers. I have tons of baby food containers on hand, so I stored mine in these:

One recipe made enough for three containers, plus a little bit left over. To make several colors, cut the recipe in half or pour portions of it into separate sauce pans and then add the food coloring.

~ ~ ~

Since I ended up with 7 containers (half green, half blue) I have plenty of playdough to send to the birthday boy and some to keep. It really is a great stress reliever to sit and knead it with your hands. :)

October Menu Planning

How is it nearly October already?

Yikes.

After two complete months of menu planning, I think I've finally "honed" my technique. I've realized that I really only need to fix about 10 different meals, and we can eat leftovers the rest of the time.

We've tried some new recipes decided to keep them in the permanent rotation, and we've also found some that we will never make again.

Another thing to note is that we've started a once-a-month Bible study at our house, so I have the food from that night to factor into my monthly plan.

So, here is my meal list for October. With what I had on hand already, the grocery bill was just over $100 (and that included some baby food, stuff for lunches, and water bottles!). One thing that we saved money on this month was switching from already-frozen chicken breasts to fresh chicken breasts in a club pack. (Not only is it cheaper per pound, but I found a few that were marked down too). All I have to do is prepare them for the freezer myself, and we will literally eat the savings!!

October Meal List
Click here for the Monthly Meal List
Click here for the Full Recipes with Instructions

Main Dishes:

Poppy Seed Chicken

Mexican Chicken

Crockpot Lasagna

Mexican Stuffed Shells

Mini Taco Pizzas

Homemade Pizzas

Venison Steaks

Hamburger Soup

Macaroni & Cheese (with tiny shell pasta)

Chicken & Vegetable Stir-fry

Sides & Desserts

Apple Crisp

Cinnamon Sugar Quick bread

Pumpkin Bread

Parmesan Knots

Parmesan Pull-Aparts

Homemade French Bread

Green Bean Casserole

Fresh Salads

White Rice

Frozen Corn

Once-A-Month Bible Study:

Chicken & Vegetable Chowder

Homemade French Bread

Chocolate Peanut Butter No Bake Cookies

I want to leave you all with an image to help keep things in perspective as the holiday season approaches, and our lives get slightly crazier and busier... 

Get out your glue gun - it's time for a craft!

I don't know about you, but I'm getting tired of posting about food. Don't get me wrong, I love a fabulous new recipe. But I also love a good craft project. So here goes.

I've recently started saving nearly every kind of container - formula cans, coffee cans, cereal puff containers, baby food jars/tubs, etc. Some of them I save because they can be re-purposed, but others I save just because the Munchkin likes to play with them. All of you moms out there know that an empty water jug or formula can is way more entertaining to a 10 month old than an expensive toy!

So this evening, instead of sitting around and watching episodes of My Fair Wedding on Netflix, I decided to sit down and turn some of these containers (that are slowly taking over my store room) into something fabulous. Well, I crafted while I watched My Fair Wedding. :)

I haven't decided for sure where I want to use these, but I'm in the process of redecorating our bathroom, so I went with an overall color scheme that would work for what I have in mind.

DIY Crafty Canisters 

(If you can think up a more concise, clever name, please share!)

Supplies:

Empty containers (labels removed, wiped clean)

1 sheet of graph paper

Scissors

Pen/pencil

Fabric (or scrapbook paper, your choice)

Ribbon (or other embellishments)

Glue gun & glue sticks

Clear nail polish

1. Remove the labels from your containers and wipe them clean with a damp cloth.

 

2. Use the graph paper to make a template to cover the container. Make sure to make the top and bottom exact so it hits right on the top and bottom of the container. Allow some overhang on the ends to lap edges over each other.

3. Lay your template over your fabric (or scrapbook paper), and cut it out. 

4. Heat up your glue gun!

5. Glue the fabric (or paper) onto the container! Do a little bit at a time, since hot glue dries fast. Make sure to keep fabric smooth to ensure a fabulous finished product. When you get to the end of the piece, overlap the edges to completely cover the container. If desired, gently brush some clear nail polish over the fabric edge to prevent excess fraying. 

6. Measure and cut ribbons, and glue as desired on you container. You could also embellish with a piece of twine (tied in a bow).

Voila! 

*****UPDATE*****

So I ended up using my crafty canisters in the bathroom. They all sit nice and pretty atop our over-the-toilet cabinet. The tiny one holds cotton swabs, the middle one holds cotton pads, and the largest one holds... other stuff. :)

If any of you have been to our house, you'll know that the bathroom is TEENY tiny. The ceiling is low, the window is about 10-inches square, and the tub is peach-colored. And not a pretty peach. More like, "thank goodness this tub is brown because our hard water makes nasty rust-stains" peach.

When I started playing around with decorating the bathroom and asked the Hubby if I could buy us a new shower curtain, he said "Anything you can do to make it prettier!" So I tried. Here are the results...

This is the cabinet over the toilet. I added scrapbook paper to the clear panes so that you can't see the stuff inside. It makes it look more uniform and much cleaner.

Close-up of the canisters holding their goodies.

Teeny tiny window. I've tried to disguise it with a scarf (that my sister bought in France!) and some candles. It sort of works...

And here is our extra "storage" in the bathroom. I've wanted to use the whole scrapbook-paper-on-plastic-drawers for a while, but didn't get around to it until recently. I went the quick route and just taped the paper onto the drawer from the inside. Not the most durable method, but it's prettier than it was, and I can change it later on.

Comfort Food at Its Best: Chicken & Dumplings in the Crock Pot

My maternal grandmother is one of those dainty Southern ladies that can cook up a storm without breaking a sweat -- all while wearing nothing but dresses. Such a classy lady.

ANYway...

Growing up, one of my favorite things that she would fix was Chicken & Dumplings.

Even now, I can remember sitting down to a full table in my grandparent's dining room, with steaming bowls of Chicken & Dumplings, fried okra, corn off the cob, and plates of sliced tomatoes. Are you hungry yet?

She's also one of those ladies who doesn't follow a written recipe, so even though I have several of her recipes written down, they never EVER turn out exactly the same.

This is why I've never bothered to try and make her Chicken & Dumplings recipe. I just order it every time we eat out at Cracker Barrel, and constantly remind myself with each bite that it comes awful close, but ultimately cannot hold a candle to Grandmama's recipe.

Now that we live out in the Sticks, the closest Cracker Barrel is an hour away and I need to put my big girl pants on and make Chicken & Dumplings myself.

I found a recipe in the Fix It & Forget It cookbook for Chicken & Dumplings made in the crock pot. I was skeptical, but it sounded easy enough.

I ended up tweaking the recipe enough that I'm claiming it as my own. Just ask the Hubby -- I complained so much while making this that we were both pleasantly surprised when it turned out so delicious. So, without further ado, here it is.

Chicken & Dumplings

Time: 7 hours

Servings: 8+

Chicken & Broth:

2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 - 32 oz. container chicken broth

2 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

1 tsp poultry seasoning*

1 cup chopped celery (1" pieces)

1 cup chopped carrots (1" pieces)

1 cup water

2 cups milk

Dumplings:

2 cups biscuit mix

3/4 cup milk

1 tsp parsley

1. Place chicken in slow cooker**. Pour broth and water over chicken.

2. Combine spices in small bowl, and sprinkle over chicken.

3. Spread carrots and celery over top.

4. Cover and cook on low for 6 hours.

5. Remove lid and "shred" chicken breasts with a spoon. 

6. Turn slow cooker on high. Add milk, and stir. Let sit for 30 minutes. 

7. Combine biscuit ingredients and drop by spoonfuls over chicken.

8. Cover. Cook on high 35 minutes. (DO NOT remove cover while dumplings are cooking!)

9. Remove cover. Dough will have formed a thick layer over top of chicken. Break it up gently with a spoon, and stir to moisten all of the dumplings. Serve immediately. Makes 8 servings.

*I used a homemade poultry seasoning recipe, found here.

**I used a 5Qt. cooker. Make sure to use one that is big enough to add the additional liquids and the dumplings after the chicken is cooked.

Starting off September with Strawberry Pie

The end of August was a whirlwind for us, so I apologize for taking so long to post anything new! 

We had a fabulous Labor Day picnic with family to start off the month of September. Does it get any better than good food, good friends and family, and good weather?

How about all those things plus a delicious strawberry pie.

I made two of these for the picnic, and we only brought home a couple of slices. Which were devoured within 24 hours. In fact, I had to make two so the Hubby would agree to share the pie with others. 

This pie is easy, delicious, and a nice cool treat for those last days of summer.

I'm a strawberry pie snob.

I'll order it for dessert if a restaurant has it, but with each bite I am comparing it to my mom's homemade strawberry pie.

My mom made this when I was growing up. I was a SUPER picky eater, and really didn't eat any kind of pie at all. 

I loved this pie. 

The glaze gels up really nice, so if you make it right the slices hold their shape. I know you can buy tubs of glaze at the store, but this is so much better. Trust me.

Please excuse my messy homemade pie crust. I need to learn how to make it pretty. If anyone has tips or tricks, please share!

Strawberry Pie

1 c. water

1 c. sugar

3 T. cornstarch

1 pinch of salt

4 T. strawberry jello

2 cups whole strawberries

Baked pie crust (8-9 in.)

Mix sugar, cornstarch, and salt in small saucepan. Add water and stir well, eliminating all clumps.

Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. 

Reduce heat and cook until mixture thickens and looks clear (about 4-5 minutes).

Remove from heat. Add strawberry jello, stirring until it is fully dissolved.

Arrange strawberries in pie crust.

Pour glaze over the strawberries. Make sure that each berry gets coated in glaze.

Chill 4-5 hours (or overnight) before serving. Serve alone or with whipped cream.

Birthdays, Adventures, and Peanut Butter Cake

Today is the Hubby's birthday.

Coincidentally, the Munchkin turned 9 months old today. But that's not why we had Peanut Butter Cake.

Mmmmm.

Just saying the name makes me remember how delicious it was...

I make a special dessert each year on the Hubby's birthday. He usually picks either Stawberry Cake or Strawberry pie, but this year I decided to try something new. Since those things usually turn out deeelicious (not bragging, but they are pretty good!), making something new is a risk.

Let me tell you, risks can be pretty stinkin' yummy.

The Hubby's grandmother makes a really good Peanut Butter Cake. In fact, she's a wiz at desserts. So I had to get a recipe that was similar to her's. It took me a while to find a recipe to try. I ALWAYS read the reviews, since anyone can post a recipe these days and talk it up to sound fabulous. I ended up choosing this recipe here:

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/peanut-butter-sheet-cake/

(The recipe is also posted at the end of this blog).

Instead of making a large sheet cake I made two 9-inch rounds. I also like a lot of frosting on my cakes, so the recipe only made enough for one of the rounds. I'll save the second one and freeze it, so we can re-live this whole experience again later this year. 

Let me tell you, this cake is not diet-friendly. It calls for three different types of oil (peanut butter, butter, and vegetable oil). Yikes! I'm no chemist (that's my sister!) but it must need them, because the cake itself came out fairly fluffy for having so many oils in it.

This cake is also not for the faint-hearted. Seriously - you might get a heart attack after eating it. But it is worth it!

Make sure to have plenty of milk on hand, as I downed a full glass with my piece.

In addition to the cake, I made shrimp and pasta for dinner. There aren't any seafood restaurants within an hour's drive, but I managed to fix one for the both of us for under $10. Beat that, Red Lobster!

Besides all of the yummy foods, we also went to Babcock State Park so that the Hubby could play around with a newly acquired tripod and take some pictures of the riverbed and grist mill. The Munchkin and I wandered around with the stroller and enjoyed being outdoors. While the Hubby was all camped out in the river taking shots of the waterfalls, we met another photographer. He must have realized that the Hubby and I were together, and he said I must be a "photographer's widow." :-) I laughed and told him that I didn't bring enough things to do while we waited for him to finish taking pictures. But really, I can't complain about the Hubby's new hobby. He sure loves it, and I enjoy having great pictures to document our adventures!

Peanut Butter Cake

Originally from http://allrecipes.com/recipe/peanut-butter-sheet-cake/

Ingredients:

2 cups flour

2 cups white sugar

½ tsp baking soda

¼ tsp salt

1 cup water

¾ cup butter

½ cup peanut butter

¼ cup vegetable oil

2 eggs

½ cup buttermilk

1 tsp vanilla

Frosting:

2/3 cup white sugar

13 cup evaporated milk

1 Tbsp butter

1/3 cup peanut butter

1/3 cup mini marshmallows

½ tsp vanilla

Directions: 

• Preheat oven to 350F. Grease two 9-inch cake pans, or one 10x15 inch jelly roll pan.
• In a large bowl, stir together flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
• In a saucepan, combine the water and ¾ cup butter and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in oil and peanut butter until well blended.
• Add peanut butter mixture to dry ingredients. Combine eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla, and add to bowl. Mix well.
• Pour batter evenly into prepared pan(s). Bake for 18-26 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
• While cake is baking, mix sugar, evaporated milk, and butter in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Cook for two minutes. Remove from heat and stir in peanut butter, marshmallows, and vanilla. Stir until mixture is smooth. Spoon over warm cake and spread in an even layer. Allow to fully cool before cutting and serving.