{Katie’s Kitchen} ALMOST Scratch Cake

Brought to you by MCCutcheons Apple Products 

Do you have a box cake sitting around? Want to make it BETTER?! This recipe is easy and taste so good, it makes the cake a little more dense and very moist. A little treat while we’re all stuck inside and I found all of the ingredients were things that I already had in my kitchen.

I used a box of Betty Crocker Super Moist Vanilla Cake mix. Grab a large mixing bowl and then add all of your dry ingredients- cake mix, all purpose flour, sugar, salt and whisk it all together!

Then add in your wet ingredients- 3 large eggs, water, vegetable oil, vanilla and the secret ingredient…sour cream! I mixed everything on low until it was combined.

Then I separated the mix into two 9” cake pans. It also works great for two 8” or three 6” pans.

Bake at 325 degrees for 50 mins.

Let the cakes cool on a wire rack. Start on your icing!

This icing is so good, we couldn’t stop eating it out of the bowl! Scroll down for icing recipe….

Ingredients: I got the recipe here! 

-1 box vanilla cake mix

-1 cup all purpose flour

-1 cup granulated sugar

-1/2 tsp salt

-3 large eggs

-1 1/3 cup water

-2 tbsp vegetable oil

-1 cup sour cream

-2 tsp vanilla extract

Icing: butter, confectioners sugar, milk, vanilla extract, food coloring (if you want)

I used my mixer to make the icing! Start out with the softened butter and blend the butter with the confectioners sugar.

Add in milk and vanilla and continue to mix until its very smooth. You can add milk to your preferred thickness. Then, if you want a little color add in the food coloring.

Ingredients:

-1/3 cup butter, softened

-3 cups confectioners sugar

-1 1/2 tbsp. milk

-1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

-food coloring

 

{Katie’s Kitchen} Crock Pot Corned Beef and Cabbage

Brought to you by McCutcheon’s Apple Products

Still celebrating St.Patty’s Day this week! So if you missed out on Corned beef and cabbage, make it! Actually, I think I’m going to start making this more often…it’s THAT good!

This recipe is quick, easy and will cook ALL day and make your house smell amazing.

Start out by chopping your onion into large chunks and place it all in the bottom of your crock pot. On top of the onions, place your corned beef and then sprinkle the seasoning packet all over the beef. Add garlic and bay leaves.

Add in chopped carrots (I used about 3), potatoes about 1lb. (Note- I did not have potatoes in mine…couldn’t find any at the time!) Wait to add the cabbage!

Pour a 10.5 oz can of beef broth over everything in the crock pot. Then add water to cover the sides of the corned beef.

You’re going to cook it on low 8-10 hours, but two hours before serving add cabbage wedges to the slow cooker.

Remove corned beef from slow cooker and let rest 15 minutes before slicing. Serve with potatoes, carrots and cabbage.

It was so good…I started eating it right away and forgot to take a final picture for you 😉

Ingredients:

  • 1 corned beef brisket (3-4lbs)
  • 1 onion
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 2.5 – 3 cups water (I substituted some water with a can of beef broth) 
  • 2 lbs potatoes, peeled & quartered
  • 2-3 large carrots, chopped
  • 1 small head of cabbage, cut into wedges

What’s For Dinner? Check out these great local deals!

Even though we can’t eat out in restaurants right now we can support local restaurants by ordering take out.  Check out these local deals!

***Remember the City of Frederick has established curbside pickup parking zones.  You do not need to pay the meter to park for 10 min to receive carryout orders!***

Brewer’s Alley- $13 Bangers & Mash, $15 Corned Beef & Cabbage

Bushwallers- Free St. Patricks Day Swag with To-Go Orders all day (March 17)

Manalu- 10% off total check and free salad with dinner

Pistarro’s-  Dinner Deal- $18 2 House Salads, 1 Pepperoni Pizza, 1 Cheese Pizza, 4 Chocolate Chip Cookies, 1 2L Pepsi

Thurmont Kountry Kitchen- $9.99 Corn Beef, Cabbage, Potatoes and Carrots, $13.99 8 pc broasted chicken with 2 pint sides

How to Celebrate St.Patrick’s Day While Stuck at Home

 If you’re bummed to be spending St. Patrick’s Day at home this year, here are a few tips to help you celebrate while social distancing . . .

1.  Watch some Irish movies.  “Harper’s Bazaar” posted a list of more than 20 good ones you can look for on various streaming services.  And Screenrant.com ranked the ten best St. Patrick’s Day SITCOM episodes of all time.

2.  Attend a virtual St. Patrick’s Day party.  The Milwaukee Irish Fest is the largest Irish event in North America.  They’ll be live-streaming performances and videos on social media.  Also, the Dropkick Murphys are streaming a show live from Boston with no audience.  (Distractify.com has a list with a few more.)

3.  If you’ve got kids, lean heavily on arts and crafts.  They’ll need something to do that won’t require going anywhere.  And you want it to take a while, so YOU can relax.  “Woman’s Day” posted a list of 35 ideas you can check out.  And YouTube and Spotify have a ton of traditional Irish music you can stream while you get crafty.

4.  Brush up on your Irish-American history.  About 33 million Americans have Irish ancestors.  So it might be a good day to check out sites like Ancestry.com.  The website IrishTimes.com has a good guide for getting started.

5.  Cook some Irish food.  Delish.com has a ton of recipes.  Just don’t DRINK too much.  Alcohol weakens your immune system, which is exactly what you don’t want right now.  It’s not clear what a “safe” amount looks like.  So definitely dial it back this year. 

 

(The Wise Brothers Media)

Wake Up Wiz

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Start your mornings with Tom & Dianah and put your thinking cap on for the “Wake-Up Wiz” trivia! Tune in weekday mornings at 6:20 AM and show off what you know for a chance to win five $5 Maryland Lottery scratch-off tickets and a Fourth Dimension Fun Center Family Fun 4-Pack (valued at $60)! 🎟️🎉

Wake up, stretch your brain, and join The Free Country Wake-Up Crew on 99.9 WFRE every weekday morning for your shot at winning awesome prizes! 🌟

{Katie’s Kitchen} Spicy Shrimp Tacos with Avocado Salsa & Sour Cream Cilantro Sauce Recipe

Looking for something good/ quick/ easy to cook while your stuck at home this weekend? This is it!! AND it’s meat free for lent!

  1. Shrimp:  In a bowl mix together olive oil, garlic, cumin, chili and onion powders, and salt. Add in shrimp and toss to coat completely. Cover and refrigerate for at least 10 minutes or up to 24 hours. Heat a skillet on high heat. Add the olive oil and shrimp. Cook shrimp in a skillet over medium-high heat until pink and cooked through, about 5-7 minutes.
  2. To make salsa: Grab a small bowl and add tomato, avocado, jalapeno, salt, pepper, lime juice, and cilantro and stir to combine.
  3. Sour cream sauce: Stir sour-cream with cilantro and lime juice in a small bowl; set aside. Spoon avocado salsa generously over warm tortillas, then top with 3 shrimp and drizzle with sour cream sauce.

 

Serve as a taco OR I put everything in a bowl over rice and it was DELICIOUS!

My new favorite way to make shrimp tacos!

 

Find ingredients and pictures below!

 

 

 

 

Ingredients:

  • 20 medium shrimp peeled and deveined
  • 1 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 clove garlic minced
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon onion powder optional
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • squeeze of lime optional

Avocado Salsa:

  • 1 tomato seeded and chopped
  • 1 avocado peeled, seeded and cut into chunks
  • 1 jalapeno seeded and chopped
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice from half a lime
  • 1/4 cup loosely packed fresh cilantro leaves coarsely chopped

Cilantro Sauce:

  • 1/4 cup sour cream
  • 2 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
  • 6 small flour tortillas corn tortillas can also be used

CORONAVIRUS CLOSINGS AND CANCELLATIONS

Last Updated: 4/1/2020 1:15 p.m.

April 1, 2020: Frederick County residents can stay up to date with the latest on the COVID-19 emergency. Text the keyword FredCoVID19 to 888777, and receive messages from the Frederick County government on operational changes, news conferences and much more. Message and data rates may apply.  You can also go to frederickcountymd.gov/Alert for more information and to sign up.

 

Governor Hogan has enacted an executive order which institutes a Stay at Home directive, effective at 8pm on March 30, 2020.

  • No Maryland resident should be leaving their home unless it is for an essential job or for an essential reason, such as obtaining food or medicine, seeking urgent medical attention, or for other necessary purposes.
  • Only essential businesses are allowed to remain open in Maryland, and those businesses must make every effort to scale down their operations in order to reduce the number of required staff, to limit interactions with customers, and to institute telework for as much of the workforce as is practical.
  • No Marylander should be traveling outside of the state unless such travel is absolutely necessary. If you have traveled outside of the state, you should self-quarantine for 14 days.

PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Update: ALL MARYLAND PUBLIC SCHOOLS WILL REMAIN CLOSED UNTIL AT LEAST APRIL 24, 2020

Maryland Public Schools: ALL Schools Closed March 16-April 24. 

Frederick County Public Schools (FCPS) is serving breakfasts, lunches and suppers to go at 18 sites throughout Frederick County. Participants must be age 18 or under unless they are adults enrolled in an educational program for persons with disabilities. They do not have to live in Frederick County, be FCPS students or be registered to attend the schools serving meals. They do not have to be eligible for free or reduced-price meals. From all locations and at all mealtimes, children’s meals are “to go.”   Monday-Friday, breakfasts are served “to go” 8:30-9:30 a.m., with lunches and suppers served “to go” 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m., at the following schools:
Ballenger Creek Elementary
Crestwood Middle
Frederick High
Hillcrest Elementary
Lincoln Elementary
Monocacy Elementary
North Frederick Elementary
Waverley Elementary

In addition, staring Wednesday, March 25, the following community-based sites will serve a cold “grab n go” breakfast from 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. along with the lunches and suppers they’ve been serving. Look for the bright yellow school buses. Lunch sandwich options at community-based sites include turkey and cheese, ham and cheese, Italian combo, and wowbutter, an all-natural nut-free peanutbutter substitute.

Brunswick – Rite Aid Parking Lot, Brunswick Heights Shopping Center, 92 Souder Road, Brunswick
Buckeystown United Methodist Church –  Parking Lot, 3440 Buckeystown Pike, Frederick
Concord Mobile Homes Park Community – 4828 Pioneer Circle, Jefferson
Jubilee Foods – Parking Lot at 515 E. Main Street, Emmitsburg
Heather Ridge – School Parking Lot, 1445 Taney Avenue, Frederick
Lucas Village Community Center – 111 Pennsylvania Avenue, Frederick
Max Kehne Ball Field – Parking Lot, 1100 West 7th Street, Frederick
New Market Shopping Center – Parking Lot, PNC Bank Location, 11717 Old National Pike, New Market
Thurmont  Elementary – School Parking Lot, 805 E. Main Street, Thurmont
Walkersville – Discovery Shopping Center Parking Lot (Goodwill Store), 8425 Woodsboro Pike, Walkersville

FCPS is planning to add locations as early as Thursday, March 26; for the newest information, please visit www.fcps.org/update. For additional information, please call 301-644-5061.

 

COLLEGES

Frederick Community College: For the rest of the Spring semester to May 20, 2020, instruction and College services will be delivered remotely.

Hagerstown Community College: All credit classes will be held via remote instruction, through the end of the spring semester. Employees to work remotely until further notice. For more information, visit hagerstowncc.edu/covid19.

Hood College: Online classes will continue for the remainder of the spring semester.

University of Maryland College Park: The University is operating in a partial online environment as of March 18, 2020 with reduced operations the week of March 23, 2020. Starting March 30, 2020 and continuing through the end of this academic year, all classroom instruction will be conducted virtually. Residence halls will officially close for the semester on April 5, 2020. Click here for more information.

 

GOVERNMENT

All Maryland State Government level 2 and all non-essential persons are required to telework.

Frederick City: Access to facilities are restricted to appointments only. Frederick City Board, Commission and NAC meetings are canceled. Talley Recreation Center is closed. Daytime meter enforcement is suspended. There will be curbside parking zones established in order to pick up food from downtown restaurants.

Frederick Community Action Agency: will continue to operate it’s health center, food bank, and soup kitchen. Frederick County Government access to public buildings is limited.

Frederick County Adult Detention and Work Release Center: visitations and fingerprinting services have been suspended.

Frederick County Board and Commission: meetings have been cancelled until March 27th.

Frederick County Chamber of Commerce: will cancel all meetings and member functions until further notice.

Frederick County Health Department: Building closed to public access and FCHD is currently operating on an appointment-only basis. For more details, visit health.frederickcountymd.gov

Frederick County Parks and Recreation programs have been canceled. Parks will remain open.

Frederick County Public Libraries: branches are closed until further notice.

Frederick County Senior Services Division: temporarily closed all senior centers to the public.  The Meals on Wheels program will continue to deliver two meals a day to home bound adults, M-F, who meet eligibility guidelines.

Town Hall in Mount Airy: Closed for all public meetings in March and April unless otherwise noted.

Town of Brunswick: City Hall, the City Annex Building, Police Department, Pubic Works, Wastewater Treatment Plant and the City Park building are closed to walk in visitors

State Courts in Maryland: Maryland courts are currently closed to the public; however, the courts will continue to hear certain types of emergency matters. Most courthouses are operating with essential staff only. See http://mdcourts.gov/ for the latest information.

 

BUSINESSES 

CLOSURE OF ALL NON-ESSENTIAL BUSINESSES:

Governor Hogan has enacted an emergency order to close all non-essential businesses across the state.

Please consult https://www.cisa.gov/identifying-critical-infrastructure-during-covid-19 for
additional guidance about what is and is not included in the federal critical infrastructure sectors.

Frederick Health:

For complete information on all of Frederick Health’s closures and cancellations, please visit Frederickhealth.org/coronavirus

Frederick Health Medical Group’s Myersville Office- effective 3/25, closed until further notice. All other offices remain open at this time.

Liberty Office – Discontinue Walk-In Visits: Effective March 21, Frederick Health Medical Group will temporarily discontinue walk-in services at the Liberty office on Thomas Johnson Drive. Those that need to be seen are encouraged to stay home and use our Virtual Visit service, currently available for free at FrederickHealth.org/virtual-visit.

Imaging – Postponing Elective Services: In the interest of protecting the community from COVID-19, we have decided to postpone many elective services including screening imaging exams. The following exams will be postponed for the duration of the coronavirus crisis:

  • Screening Mammograms
  • Screening Breast MRI
  • DEXA Bone Density
  • CT Lung Screening
  • CT Calcium Score

The Office of the Surgeon General of the United States, American College of Radiology, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the American Society of Breast Surgeons are all in support of this nationwide endeavor to postpone routine screening exams. Patients currently scheduled for routine screening exams will be contacted for rescheduling.

This temporary policy applies to routine screening evaluations only. Patients who are symptomatic should continue to seek treatment from their providers and will receive timely diagnostic exams and procedures from Frederick Health.

 

Hot Fired Arts: closed to walk-ins. Open for pottery-to-go-kits and pickups. Curbside pick-up of kits is available. Temporary Hours: M-Sun 12p-5p.

McCutcheon’s Apple Products: closed until further notice. This closure includes Mail Order, Retail, and Wholesale.

Rita’s of Frederick: Closed until further notice.

Stumpy’s Hatchet House of Frederick: Closed

Transformed Med Spa: Temporarily closing their doors, effective March 19, 2020, until further notice.

 

CHURCHES/ RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATIONS

Saint Catherine Drexel Catholic Church: All weekend Masses are Canceled

Saint Katherine Drexel: Until further notice all public masses, Lenten Friday night meal/prayer are canceled as well as all prayer groups. Weddings/funerals  may proceed BUT attendance should be limited to immediate family.

St. Paul’s Evangelical Lutheran Church of Utica: closed through April 5th.  Re-evaluation will occur by April 1st.

Trinity United Methodist Church: Church services suspended through April and will reconvene May 3rd.

 

EVENTS

*Maryland Governor, Larry Hogan: ALL events limited to fewer than 10 people.*

Brunswick Fire Department: Spring Sportsman’s Raffle (3/14) postponed until 4/11

Brunswick Community Home and Craft Expo scheduled for April 4th has been canceled.

Bush Creek Church of the Brethren: Turkey, Oyster and Country Ham Dinner on March 28th is canceled. The next dinner will be Oct. 24, 2020.

Cunningham Falls Maple Syrup Festival: March 14-15 and March 21-22, has been canceled

Frederick County Builder’s Show (March 21-22): CANCELED

Frederick Fairgrounds: All events canceled until further notice. For a listing of those events and updates, go to www.thegreatfrederickfair.com.

Frederick Running Festival: (May 2-3, 2020) has been postponed. Rescheduled date TBA.

Graceham Moravian Church: Canceled their Turkey and Oyster Dinner for March 27 and March 28

Hagerstown Christian Women’s Connection: breakfast will NOT be held Thursday, April 9, 2020

Libertytown Unionville Lions Club: Benefit Breakfast (March 22) is Canceled

Libertytown Volunteer Fire Department: Canceled all events scheduled in the fire department social hall March 14 to April 14.

New Market Fire Department: St. Patrick’s Day Mega Bingo scheduled for March 20 canceled.

Mount Airy Lions Club: canceling two events — Easter egg hunt scheduled for April 5 & the city-wide yard sale that was scheduled for April 25.

Maryland Ensemble Theatre: Annual Fundraiser Retro Prom rescheduled from March 28 to August 22.

Pleasant Grove UMC in Ijamsville: Spaghetti Dinner on March 21st is canceled until further notice.

St. John the Evangelist Roman Catholic Church: Canceled Lenten Fish Fry Fridays, March 13 to April 3.

Wolfsville Volunteer Fire Company: Country Breakfast on March 28th has been cancelled.

YMCA of Frederick County: will be holding it’s weekly Community Produce Market as usual, Wednesday, March 18 from 3-6pm HOWEVER the location has changed from the Y Teaching Kitchen to the Downtown Y. Stop by the Downtown YMCA, Wednesday from 3-6pm for fresh affordable produce.