Cooking On A Wood Burning Stove, Easy Cake Recipe and Cute Winter Birdie Free Design

Welcome to The Cherry On Top.

Winter is very near. The days are shorter and the wood stove's been on for over a month, now. I cook nearly everyday on the wood stove. It saves us a lot of energy. Did ya know you can even bake on a wood stove? I'm learning, too.

Everything tastes better when cooked on the wood stove. All four of us agree. Everything cooks slow and low. I guess that's the flavor trick. Hehehe...Here's a blog with various apple recipe ideas for ya. Most of them can be made on the wood stove.

Above is my first winter birdie design for you. I'll be back with another very soon. Use it for cards, stickers, sublimation projects like Christmas ornaments, too.

Here's a look at our stove. It's a Vermont Casting stove and it is amazing. You can regulate the heat very well. We can go to bed at night with the stove on, wake up at 8:00 am and it's still going. I've never worked a wood stove until we bought this one. It's pretty darn easy to work once you get used to it. We did a lot of research before we bought this one. We payed around 5,000 Euros for everything including that glass floor protector and installation. This model is the Encore model. We don't put the heat on when we run this and the entire house stays warm. The back rooms are cool, but doable. The entire front part of our home stays cozy.

I baked this cake last weekend. If you follow me all of these years, you'll know I'm not a fantastic baker and I only do easy, healthy recipes. I've shared several recipes with this pancake recipe on the blog. Even a fun, huge sheet pan pancake. It's mega easy and looks very impressive. Grab a recipe from Pinterest or use the one we used.

Just look how high this cake got. I was really surprised it got to this height. I baked it in a really good, hefty cast iron pan. Heavy pans are key for cooking on a wood stove. I used to be so afraid to cook in a cast iron pan, but not any more. I've put on my big girls panties! Hehehe...Just let it get really hot before you put anything in it. Give it time.

Just in case you didn't know, you do NOT use soap to clean your cast iron. Just use hot water. I did not know that. Two pans later...

Here are a couple of pictures of some meals and dishes I've made on the wood stove to give you some more ideas. Once ya start doing this often, more and more ideas will come to your mind.

Start with your meat if you're using it and brown it on a higher setting. Then add your onions, garlic and peppers if you're using those and let them cook for a few minutes. Add bouillon if you need or other liquid like water or stock. Cover it and let it simmer and make sure your stove is on the lowest setting for this part. Keep your eye out for the ideal moisture level. I might guess the above photo is for paella. It could be for many, many meals.

Spaghetti is ideal for the wood stove. Let your sauce cook long and slow. I can slide over this big pot and even make pasta next to it.

If you are in a hurry, cooking on the wood stove is not ideal. Though it can go fairly quickly for recipes like oatmeal and other meals that just need to be warmed through. Warm left overs on the stove. It is a lot healthier and tastes much better than in the microwave.

Have you ever made home made cranberry sauce? It is crazy easy! You'll shake your head at how simple it is. It's as easy as rinse your berries, chuck them in a pot, add a cup of oj, apple juice or water, let it simmer until you hear popping, add your favorite kind of sweetener like sugar or honey, stir and then let it set and cool. That's it!

Cranberry sauce and jams are ideal for on the stove. Just don't forget it! I recently made hot chocolate, too. Save energy and get the benefits from a wood stove. The warmth that comes from a wood stove is like no other. You'll love it!

You can throw your cake in a regular oven if you like or bake it any way you want.

The recipe card provides the way I make mine. Your stove is going to determine a lot. If it runs too hot, it might get a bit tricky. If you see it's not going well, put your cake in the oven to finish it off.

My cake cooked a lot like a pancake. It got all bubbly on the top. Then the sides got nice and firm. When I first checked, the cake was a bit wobbly in the middle. So, I let it cook further. When the sides easily pulled from the pan and the cake was nice and firm, I flipped it on to a plate with a large, metal spatula and then put the cake back in the pan with the cooked side up and added the lid. Let it cook until it's done. Mine was just under 15 minutes. Use a toothpick or cake tester to see if it is finished.

Obviously, I'm not a professional. My main point of this particular entry is to let ya know that you can bake on a wood stove. I find it really cool and a great way to save energy. An oven sucks up a lot of it.

Feel free to download the recipe card I provided. I hope it works out for ya. It certainly can be a bit daunting. I would have never dared this recipe without my years of experience, but I'm kind of a wuss when it comes to baking. Hehehe...

Thanks for checking out The Cherry.

Happy cooking!

 

Visiting Monshau Germany in the Winter

Welcome to The Cherry On Top.

Here's the second part to my travel edition on Monschau, Germany. If you missed the first part, head on back, check it out and grab the fun, free, Germany design I've got for ya. There's another freebie at the bottom of this post.

I have an outline for all of the things I want to include in today's blog and the first item I wrote down is, "Relaxing". However, a few nights ago, I could not sleep. The reason I couldn't sleep was because in the mail, I received a speeding ticket from my trip in Monschau. It was a whopping 100 Euros! My offense? I was driving the insane speed of 47 kilometers per hour (29 mph) on a beautifully paved, straight road, early in the morning and there were no other cars on the road and the houses were nowhere near the street. Nor were there bike paths or side walks. 47 kilometers per hour?!?!

This region, North Rhein Westfalia is by far, the worst place for police presence and harassment in regards to ticketing and driving. After this last ticket, I will not go to this area any time in the near future. We were in this region in the spring with an enormous RV and were flashed three times in the same day and just missed several parking tickets! I've never experienced anything like this in decades of travel and thank goodness for that.

I digress, but I find this important for travelers. Go very, very slow. Try your best to figure out what the heck the speed limit is because it changes quickly and there could even be a police officer giving tickets at the border of these changes, hiding around the corner. That was one of our experiences and in my honest opinion, entrapment! We received warning from other drivers via means of flashing the beamers who probably do not like this type of aggressive police action. I will mention that this isn't the case all over Germany.

So, if you drive grandma, bike like speeds you may be able to avoid this mega stressful aspect of this area and you might be able to enjoy the beautiful nature which we definitely did find in Monschau. I'm going to show you some beautiful pictures that my friend took in scrapbook format, of course and give tips and information about this gorgeous area of Germany.

I'm keeping my pages super simple so we can focus on the pictures. The goodies are from Clever Monkey Graphics, Birdie and Bright that you can find at Sweet Shoppe Designs.

Speaking of relaxing and nature. How cool was our Air BnB we stayed at? If you're looking for a very rustic, typical, old Germany style house, this is definitely the place for you. My friend and I, fell in love with it immediately. Not only was is crazy cheap, it's in the middle of nowhere, but then again, in the middle of everything. Keeping in mind that everything isn't much. Hehehe...Which is great when ya wanna be in a relaxing, low stress environment surrounded by nature.

My first page is the inside of the place. You get the entire bottom floor to yourself. It includes two full, big bedrooms with double beds. These are lovely, lived in feeling kind of spaces. No sterile, Ikea vibes whatsoever. We loved that! This area was where grandma stayed. It's full of really, really old books, well loved furniture, old Chinaware and it is cozy as all get out. Especially, when ya crank up that wood stove, which we totally needed! You can grab a pan from the full, very well thought out kitchen and heat up some gluhwein on the wood stove. Awesome, right? 

The bathroom has been modernized and every little nook and cranny is clean, in good ole German fashion. This was one of the very first Air BnB's I stayed in where I didn't need or miss something. I love that!

The owners totally left us alone. Some people don't like that. It may have something to do with our less than perfect German, though. I did stumble my way with Herr Hermaan. He was fab! I had heard this ... sound which I first thought was a goat. I was in the middle of clearing the snow off of the car. I found the source of the sound. It was the cutest, little ... I have no idea! A small deer? He was right over at the gate, looking at me, "bleeting". Hermann opened the gate and he came charging at me. Of course, I got down on my knees, opened my arms and embraced one of the softest, cutest, creatures I've ever met.

The property is very large. There are no neighbors to see! I want to buy this house! Hehehe...There are horses and doggos and guests can bring their dogs, too. Don'cha just love that? They have games in the living room and whilst perusing the enormous book collection, I found one from the 1700's. It's in one of the pictures in my first page. Unreal! The ancient books and fireplace might be the source of the odiferous quality of a few of the rooms.

This lovely page, above was our hike through several feet of virginous, white, fluffy snow (eek!) from the hunter's house to the altstadt. It's about 3 kilometers (2 miles) away and the hike goes all through huge fields and some woods.  We were the only ones out. After our crazy ass adventures driving through the snow, the day before, I was in no way ready for another go at it. Besides, I didn't have snow tires on and that's also against the law.

There was good signage in the beginning of the trip, but none once we made it to the woods. No big deal, really. Just keep going to the right, essentially. Hehehe...Some paths lead to a dead end and any other lead away from the altstadt (old town) which you could clearly see straight ahead. As shown in the pretty pictures.

Every time we made it down another layer of the mountain, the view got more and more incredible. Of course, the snow made it magical. I had tears in my eyes from the beauty and the cold. Isn't it just a fairy tale village? It's just as beautiful in the town as it is from above.

I lived my first few years in a Pennsylvania Dutch environment. So, I'm super keen on the German diet. It's not something for everyone. If you've no idea what it's like, I'll give ya my spin on it. Most German fare is basic. It's most often meat, very often pork, potatoes in all kinds of wonderful varieties and nearly always, a wonderful serving of vegetables. As you can see from these few photos in the page, above.

At the top left is me and my tafelspitz with a creamy onion sauce. That's basically roast beef. It's served with markt gemuse. That's a lovely variety of vegetables often including brocoli, carrots and maybe koolrabi and or cauliflower with a hefty helping of butter sauce over the top. My only complaint about German food, in general, is that it is under herbed and often salty. Definitely test your food before adding salt or pepper. The potatoes were a first for me and they were beyond fab. They were halved kriel potatoes (the really small ones) with parsley. I'd wager they were boiled first and then sautéed in butter, salt, pepper and a good dose of parsley. There were the herbs that are usually missing.

My friend had a visit to the little salad bar, fries (pommes in German) and a cordon bleu smothered in zucchini, carrots, broccoli and parmasean cheese. Later I went back and got a gorgeous breast of chicken with that same smothering and holy wow, was it awesome.

I had a land bier which is just a regular, tap beer and my friend a riesling. When we went back the next day, we had a gluhwein (warm, mulled wine) to warm up from our hike down the mountain. It really is a fabulous way to heat up those bones. You can get it nearly everywhere.

The bottom left is me devouring some super smokey sausages or knackworst. The potato salad was really yummy, too. My friend had a bowl of the very popular, goulash soup which is a tomatoey, beef stew. This was in a different restaurant, across the street. German food is pretty good if you like the basic fare. The prices are ok as well and the quality is almost always good as well. Again, I am a bit partial to German cuisine.

This little cafe above was so idyllic. I would want to own it. It's full of old, wood furniture, framed art and get a gander at that ceiling. Each and every tile was unique. Super cool, eh? They served a very large variety of dessert, coffee, tea and sweets. Definitely worth a try if you've a sweet tooth. it was also one of the few places open in the late fall. Coffee and dessert is very, very popular in Germany. Have I now won you over? Hehehe...

Don'cha just love all of this fachwerk and historic architecture? I find if most charming and feel right at home traipsing through this small, old village close to the Belgian border. It's even more beautiful bedecked in snow. Another fabulous feature here is all of the greenery. Even in freezing temperatures there are all kinds of plants, bushes, trees and even flowers which lends a soft, warm and inviting feel. Imagine it in the summer!

I noticed a lot of parking and there were some larger hotels that had pools and menus. You could easily lodge here and go on long hikes around the village and the surrounding area. There are numerous nature parks. A few days here wouldn't put ya back too far financially. Besides this village and the nature parks, there really isn't all that much to do.

For us it was a great and needed contrast to the bustle of Haarlem, Amsterdam and Ghent. Perhaps that's an idea for you? Do all of the hubbub of a or a few large cities and round off your trip in the quiet, nature rich Monschau? Aachen, Maastricht (NL) and nearly any major Belgian city like Brussels (not at all a favorite), Antwerp, Ghent, Brugge ... Ghent, I'd choose first and will come back with another post on that recent trip. Then Antwerp if you like big cities. Brugge is a lot smaller and charming. Maastricht, Netherlands is a good sized city and fairly cozy.

The tour we did was a few nights stay in Zandvoort, Nederlands and trained out to Amsterdam one day. Then bussed to Haarlem one day and returned to Belgium the next day. Then a day out in Ghent, an afternoon in Dendermonde and then three nights in Monschau with a quick visit to Hasselt on our way back to East Flanders. It was a nice mix of big cities, smaller towns, mega walking and action and perusing and chilling.

I hope this information will be useful to you. I'll be back with more photos and details on the other places I mentioned, above. This way you can get a better idea of what these are like.

Above, I've got some close ups of me and my delicious meal I had in Monshau at a super, small and cozy cafe. It's also a glimpse of today's freebie. Click on the image to get the download.

Let me know how ya like the travel blogs. There are more to come. Including more from the book I'm working on, The Walking Stick. Keep your eyes out and thanks so much for visiting The Cherry.

How to Use Digital Templates for Scrapbook Pages, Sublimation Projects and Printables

Welcome to The Cherry On Top.

I've been wanting to do this blog for so long and I know my views are up big time for the winter holidays. I love, love, love this time of year. Even though it's nippy out there, a bit grey and getting dark early. There are some things to love. Like decorating the tree. I get grief from the Grinch squad for putting up my tree in November, but I do not care. I just read the other day, that people who put their tree up early are happier. So take that! Hehehe...

I'm showing off my new, Winter templates bundle and Chai 18 Designs, All Things Christmas kit. I want to demonstrate how layered, digital templates can be used for other projects besides scrapbook page layouts. Below, you can see how I used the globe template to make a planner insert.

Design cards and other printables like planner inserts.

Above, I used my planner mockup. Check out more mockups, here.

Here I used the same design on a card.

Grab the mockup, here. It's in a layered template format for the ultimate customization.

And here I used it for a garden flag.

Templates are perfect for flag designs.

I finally scrapped a page. That's me playing and working in the snow.

These tags on this digital scrapbooking page would make awesome tags for Christmas gifts as well as bookmarks, right?

This is a cute kit from Chai Eighteen Designs that I used for the images, above.

Again, I used a template from my shop for this other flag design.

Above, I took a digital template, moved around some of the elements and made a few small, quick changes and I've now got a design for a sublimation project like this seasonal garden flag. Slap it on a mug, plate, door hanger, cutting board, kitchen towel ...

Easy, right?

Here's another example of a template used for a sublimation project, a mug.

Not sure how to digital scrapbook? Interested in learning how to digital scrapbook? The Cherry has got you more than covered. I've got dozens of blogs if not more, on how to digital scrapbook including an introductory, step by step video with a free digital kit and free template to get you started. Amazing, right? I know! This is another awesome blog. My You Tube channel is full of tutorials of all kinds as well.

This is a very long blog full of tips, tricks, advice and well over 2 dozen page examples with full descriptions on how to scrapbook a wedding.

Isn't this birdie freebie so cute? I've got another little birdie coming up, too. So stay tuned to this scrap-a-licious program for more. 

Thanks for hanging with the Cherry!

 

Huge Bundle of Holiday Templates for Scrapbooking, A Free Printable Holiday Card and Creative Christmas Page Layouts

Welcome to The Cherry On Top.

I've got another free Christmas card for ya, digital templates that are fairly new to the shop and your favorite and mine, digital scrapbook page layouts with our favorite theme, Christmas. 

Look at this huge bundle of new digital templates.

The last template used in the page below, is FREE on the blog. Scroll back to the Love for Layout Templates blog and grab this other free templates from some of your favorite designers.

I finally scrapped a page! I wasn't sure about this template and just had to see it in use. My friend took such great pictures on our last trip. These totally look like stock photos. Hehehe... We had a blast playing in the snow at our BnB in Germany. What an adventure that was. I've got another blog sharing pictures and travel tips in Monschau, Germany. Of course, there are freebies on those blogs, too.

I used my planner mockup to design the image below. I wanted to show off Chai Eighteen's holiday kit and my new templates.

Here's an image of another fun planner style mockup. Both of these mockups would be such a cool way to show off your scrapbook page. As would the scrapbook album mockup also pictured.

See how cool you can show off your designer's goodies?

This is Chai Eighteen's kit.

And a gorgeous page using it.

Here's a look at more templates from my shop which is on sale at 50% off.

You can go all out scrap-a-licious or just add pics and you've scrapped.

So, what are ya doing with fussy cuts? They can be so mega fun! No, ya don't even need a cutting machine. I still don't have one and even through the pain of arthritic thumbs, I still get my fussy cutting on and scrap and paper craft with fussy cuts like these. Surly, you've seen my famous page? Keep scrolling for a peek.

Use them to make tags either digitally or traditionally with paper and glue. They'll look great on your cards and gifts.

Fussy cuts are perfect for cards, too. You can print and cut or design them in your digital software, print and cut.

I have no idea how. long it took me to do this page, but it sure was therapeutic. Hehehe...I've got several tutorials on how to make yourself.

I put in a bunch of vintage holiday designs in my shop. See if you find something you like? Maybe these money cards?

I'm giving away a free folding card for Christmas. The preview shows off how it works. Simple, right? Print back to back if you like. You can cut out the circular shape and use some foam tape for extra dimension. Add your own sentiment. If you need an appropriate sentiment, check out our blog on holiday verses and quotes. 

This is the free card, below. Make sure it's the size you need in your printer settings and use rigid paper.

You could use our free envelope below if you like. Again, make sure everything is the size you need. All printers have their own flukey ways of printing.

Thanks so much for popping by. I've got so much more in store for you. More from the Catalonian Collection, book previews, travel and cooking blogs and some adorable, wintery birdie freebies, too.

Coming soon!

Sign up for the newsletter, follow our awesome Pinterest boards or just make The Cherry On Top your Saturday Special.

I hope your holiday isn't too hectic and that you can enjoy this very special time. Take deep breaths, enjoy the small things and embrace yourself in nature whenever ya can.

 

Free Digital Scrapbooking Template, Holiday Page Layouts and More Free Stuff with the Cherry On Top

Welcome to The Cherry On Top.

Here we are with the last free template for the Love For Layout Templates train. Did you get all 6 for the year? The links are still there. Try using the search bar or hit our Pinterest board, The Cherry On Top's Freebies. I lost my Pin It button for the blog and cannot for the life of me, figure out how to get it back. I've tried! I did research, no luck.

Anyway, you're going to love today's blog. I've got the free template, the last of the freebies from, Welcome to the Coop and some layout love to inspire you.

Did you catch Wednesday's blog? I posted some links for Thanksgiving with a lot of recipes. Scroll back and see what ya missed, grab some recipes and use them any time of year. Last week, I showed off some old, traditional pages of a trip to Monschau, Germany. There's a Germany freebie there, too.

Y'all, I know this is a kind of crappy thing to say, but I'm afraid I'm going to have to give up my shop at Design Bundles. Unless, I can get more support there. It's a whole lot of work for a handful of sales. I'm giving it one last try with this big bundle of templates. Please support the work I do and consider all of the free stuff I've been sharing for well over a decade. Thanks!!! I'll be having a winter sale of 50% off.

You just came from Throwing Some Scraps Around. The next stop is my gal from, Aimee Harrison Designs.

Think outside of the box with templates. There are so many ways you can change them up. Use templates to design cards this holiday. That snow globe would make a great card. The shoe template would be awesome as well. Ditch the photo spots and add large text like, Happy Holidays. Move the elements around, ditch the large photo spot and your card will be nearly finished if you use the big mug template. I left the first template pictured in the above image uncropped so you can not only move it all around, but you could also use the tree as an actual template. Print it out, trace around it and design your very own, Christmas mini scrapbook. How cool would that be?! Sounds like a super fun kid's project.

The desktop style templates can be used for any pages at all. Not just holiday ones.

Enjoy the layout love!

I'll be having a lot of food related gifts this year. I want to do something for my neighbors and for the family part, I need 4 different gifts. I'll be sharing those ideas with you in another blog. Maybe you'll get inspired. I do have a Christmas Pinterest Board as well as a gift giving board that might be helpful for you.

My goodness! I just love the shadow's on Bernice's page. Just one sweet cluster, the text from the template and a few papers. It's a simple page, but stunning.

I'm a big fan of desktop style template, like the one above. They are great to make mockups, too. I use them all of the time.

I'm working with Chai 18 Designs this season. My team and I used this fun kit with my templates. Click on the preview to get the collection.

Changing gears a bit. Have you got all 10 parts of the, Welcome to the Cool Collection?

Here's a peek at the collection. Scroll through the blog and get all 10 packs of freebies.

This is the newest pack of freebies and the last one from this collection.

Here's some previews of the other free parts.

And now for the layout love. Did you create a page with the collection? Share it in the group.

I love the warm, natural colors in this collection. The designs are super fun. They are from Design Bundles, of course.

I thought I'd share some of Chai 18 Designs kits and coordinating pages. They are seasonally perfect! 

Look at these gorgeous clusters on Jenni's page!

Here are some more pretty, natural colors.

These colors are way fab! I love the mauve color.

A torn paper effect looks perfect on an autumnal page.

I'll be back next week with more from Chai Eighteen, another free pack from the Catalonia Collection, holiday card making, tags, gift ideas and tutorials for crafting this winter. I'm hoping to get a few travel blogs in soon as well. Don't miss out!

I hope you had an amazing Thanksgiving if you celebrate it. If not, remember to take the time to be grateful for all of the little things, everyday. As I am grateful for you.

Happy scrapping!