merryweather mama

So, We're an Aggie family now.

2011-08-28T18:19:00.022-07:00

So apparently I am much better food blogger than I am a personal blogger.....sigh.

Moving on!

I have this girl.

She's awesome and almost all grown-up. She makes me proud, she makes me laugh, she makes me super glad to be her mom. I don't know how I lucked out, but I'm not going to keep asking why, I'm just going to accept that she's mine!

So, like I was saying; she's almost all grown-up. We dropped her off at college last week. Go Aggies!

I will say that this event is bittersweet. I have always gotten a ton of satisfaction by watching my kids grow up and do the things that we want them to do. You know: go to school, learn to be independent, get jobs, learn to be self-sufficient, all that good stuff.

But here's the down side: They go and get all independent and self sufficient and leave you to go to school!

Sucks in a way!

It makes me all wistful and lonely and afraid that she'll starve and freeze!! Worried that she might just go off and have a life of her own or something. Without me being able to watch all the funny and the frustrating and the entertaining stuff! (she's so dang entertaining!!)

See--such conflicting emotions!!

Well, I managed to bypass most of the angst leading up to her leaving by driving myself into a different kind of frenzy. The kind that comes from deciding to make her a secret (ha!) going away to college quilt.

Did I plan to do this all along and just procrastinate like I usually do?

No. Not this time.

I was flat-out last-minute guilt tripped into making one. Not by Sid, mind you. I think I had her convinced that it couldn't possibly happen.

It was me. And Lisa Young a little bit.

Sidney fell in love with the quilt Lisa made her college-bound boy and I just couldn't make myself disappoint. Not when I could use it as the perfect opportunity to make Sid something that would remind her of all the people she left behind. That would possibly make her cry when she looked at it, and would make it impossible to wrap herself up in the snuggly softness of it without thinking of her ever-loving mama.

No devious intentions here at all!

Thank goodness Lisa had already done the creative, brain-thinking work on the quilt she made allowing me to shamelessly steal her idea for family handprints. So cute and sentimental!!

Thank you ever so dang much, Lisa!!

And thank goodness also that I have a never-ending supply of half-finished projects (Yay!! Totally knocked two birds in the head with this project!) that I could poach from making it possible to actually finish this quilt in a little over a week without buying much fabric at all. Which, by the way, never could have happened without the help of several people, two being Kellie, who quilted it in record time, even though she should have been training for her marathon, and sewing her own kid's college quilt, and also Sid's friend, who kept me alerted with texts as to when she would be arriving home from work and dates so I could frantically hide the project before she came in. Seriously couldn't have done it without you, *Dust!

Here is a look at the college/UFP quilt that Sid seemed to love!

The fabrics in this quilt were scraps leftover from my parents 50th wedding anniversary quilt. So Sid has a bit of grandma and grandpa with her up there as well.

I used Lisa's idea for a handprint from everyone in the family. I love it. It's what makes the quilt such a special thing! Most everyone's print was stitched in their favorite color.

I'll admit that this block was an indulgence. I think of Sidney when I see Tinkerbell. I like to pretend that Sid likes her as much as I do.....Tink was actually stitched twice--each line in two colors to give her some extra dimension. The pattern for Tink came from a shirt Sidney got last time we went to Disneyland.

Sid is a cowgirl at heart. This quilt wouldn't have been complete without some horseflesh!

When Sid was describing the college quilt she wished I could make, the only block she specifically requested (before I told her that no way could I make a quilt in time for her to take to college) was a block in the middle that said "Crazy Girl". Her song of the Summer.

This was the most special block of the quilt. I had *Dust be all sneaky-like and secretly get her handprint so I could include it in the quilt. I just didn't think it would be complete without all of us on it together. I asked everyone in our family, and a couple of Sid's close friends, to tell me three words that make them think of Sid. (Had to be a little creative when it came to Jack--his words are in orange. Oh yeah-- you can click on the pic to read all the awesome things about Sid!)

I stitched all those words around her hand in colors that coordinated with that person's handprint so Sid would know who said what. A couple of words were said by multiple people and I wanted to include that, so they have different colors making up the word. I will forever love this block!

Never a second passed that I wasn't grateful to be able to make this quilt. For all that it signifies, for all that it says about Sidney, for all that it symbolizes how much I love her, I am thankful.

That's my BOY.

2011-05-10T10:40:00.012-07:00

Nicholas is an artist. Seriously. Since he was very little, he's had such a talent for drawing, coloring, creating.

Very imaginative!

A few months ago, (yes months.....-'cause that's how I row (hehe)) Nicholas came and asked me to draw a picture with him. Usually we do this back and forth, random thing where in the end we create an amazing and kind of nonsensical piece of art work with all sorts of cool elements.

This time, I drew a happy little snail that obviously was on it's way to help himself to the Hosta in my front yard:

Then I gave it back to Nicholas so he could add his bit.

This is what I got back:

I like to imagine that now the happy snail is all dressed up ready to combat the tuna fish cans full of beer that I set out for him to drown in.

On a side note:

My SIL and I are putting together an actual website to house our recipes and food photograpy which is really why I have not posted since February. Now, just maybe, my blog can go back to it's original purpose which was more of a family journal. It seems that it eventually became overcome with posts about my secret food desires as the wife of a chef and so, you should be looking soon for

The Secret Life of a Chef's Wife

on a computer screen near you. Or in front of you, or on your lap.....whatever.

Island Ranch Chicken

2011-02-22T14:28:00.005-07:00

I love community cookbooks.

Whether a city, school, business, or League it seems that when asked to contribute, people pull out all the best recipes in their cache.

Almost without exception, you can count on the recipes being great! Every so often you might come across a dud, but I account this to the fact that everyone has at least one bizarre family 'treasure' that they have no idea is actually kinda weird.

Case in point:

My dad used to make 'french omelette's' every Christmas morning and we'd eat them topped with tomato sauce straight out of a can. I loved this family tradition and so of course I pulled it out one Christmas after we had kids, wanting to continue on with it. Needless to say, I got some puzzled looks and had plenty of leftovers, if you know what I mean!

I'm not going to lie though, I sometimes get a wicked craving for those thin eggy pancakes with warm tomato on top!

This recipe came right out of one of those cookbooks. A compilation of recipes from the families in our church group. There are recipes in this book that are GOLD I tell you! I think this is one of them. Originally dubbed 'Keele's Favorite Chicken', this dish's original instructions require cooking three hours in a crock pot which comes in super handy if you belong to my church, as our meetings last three hours exactly each Sunday. Perfect!

Not being crock pot proficient, I let mine bake in a 9x13 pyrex in the oven. Takes less time and I have better luck keeping the chicken tender.

Sometimes you just need something simple and delicious, and I think this should be in everybody's recipe box under that heading. The sauce comes together in a slightly sweet, slightly sour, slightly creamy way, and gives the chicken a nice flavor. I serve it over rice, but it could easily be served with noodles or potatoes. Add a vegetable, and you're good to go!

Island Ranch Chicken (aka Keele's Favorite Chicken)

3-4 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken breasts or tenders

(brine chicken breasts if needed)

1 jar apricot preserves (12 oz)

8 oz. ranch dressing--you can use bottled, but I make my own:

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup buttermilk

1 1/2 T. Hidden Valley Ranch dressing mix

1 envelope Lipton Onion Soup Mix: original,dry

After brining chicken, rinse it off and place in a 9 x 13 casserole dish. Mix together the sauce ingredients, mixing dressing ingredients together separately if making your own. Pour over chicken and cover dish with foil. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes, depending on the thickness of your chicken, making sure your chicken is cooked thoroughly

Remove chicken from dish and set aside. If desired, thicken sauce with approx. a tablespoon of corn starch mixed with 2 tablespoons of cold water.

Serve over rice.

Breathe

2011-02-14T18:52:00.013-07:00

After baking, icing, decorating and wrapping 20 dozen of the pretty pastries pictured below for a posh little local boutique, I switched gears and decided to try something different to hand out as my personal Valentines this year.

I played around with a glace icing technique that turned out to be so much fun! I experimented with all sorts of designs, and found that Valentines Day is the perfect holiday for these type of cookie! Swirls and hearts are easy and beautiful and I even see EKG blips in the

Mille Feuille pattern!

I boxed them up for friends and found these adorable Vintage Valentines to attach!

I love Valentines Day, and even though for me this year it was stretched out to about two weeks long, I still couldn't stop myself from sticking to tradition and finishing up with my own Valentines to hand out. I feel like I can breathe freely now and I'm pretty sure I won't be tempted to make sugar cookie for at least another two weeks!

Giorno felice dei biglietti di S. Valentino!

(It sounds prettiest in Italian!)

Valentine Whoopie Pies

2011-02-03T10:27:00.015-07:00

Whoopie Pies.

I'm about to climb on my soapbox here, so either settle in,

or scroll down to the actual recipe.

This could get ugly.

Like I was saying:

Whoopie Pies.

That delicious, American Original dessert, ostensibly created by

Amish women when confronted with an excess of cake batter.

Sent lovingly with their men into the fields where, upon discovering

the sweet treat in their lunches, would yell,

"WHOOPIE!"

I'm pretty certain there is no connection to the other connotation of the word.

Now, here's my problem:

Whoopie Pies are springing up all over the food-o-sphere.

In basically as many variations as there are cake and frosting.

And all are delicious! I mean, what could be bad about

a yummy pumpkin cake/cookie schmeared with fluffy cream cheese frosting?

Nothing in my book.

I'd eat 'em all the live long day!

I just wouldn't call themWhoopie Pies.

Let me explain:

I count myself as a member of that particular group of people who harbor very protective feelings about the Amish and all things ascribed to them.

I see them as quaint, peace-loving, artistic people who embrace a simpler,

very devout way of life. Their love of God and family mirrors

my own feelings and their sense of community is beyond compare.

While I can't see myself personally adhering to their strict way of life, I do respect and appreciate it.

I mean, the quilts alone--devine!!

However;

I think the area in which the Amish utterly excel

and where a good deal of my respect resides is the food.

My mom had an Amish cookbook that I used to pour over

even as a 10-12 year old.

The fact that it held my attention even then (sans photographs) is a testament to how scrumptious the recipes sounded.

My favorite being the Amish Stew that I faithfully use today.

Lucky Amish that they can stick to the traditional use of

butter, lard, and cream

and still maintain a lifestyle that allows the correct

metabolism to avoid obesity.

I have to stick to moderation.

That being said, the correct, traditional Amish definition of a

Whoopie Pie

is a Dark Chocolate cake filled with a

fluffy white filling which utilizes a flour/milk thickener.

Oh, and shortening.

The filling contains shortening.

This gives me pause, as I find it a rather abhorrent ingredient

to put in anything. I avoid it whenever I possibly can and only

include it in recipes that would be sacrilege to alter.

Like Lunch Lady Peanutbutter Fingers.

But that is another post for another day.

I digress--

Just put the shortening in and forget about it.

It's not that much in the grand scheme of things and

if you've ever eaten a Twinkie, well, you're obviously still here,

so it's gonna be okay.

FACT: Cake sandwiches with frosting in between

do not a Legitimate Whoppie Pie make.

Long hours of discussion with my BFF Kellie,

who left her heart in Lancaster County PA bears this out.

So make 'em however you want, with whatever you want,

but for the sake of avoiding discombobulation and

degridation of this American Classic, we will call them:

Cake Sandwiches Not To Be Confused With Legit Whoopie Pies.

This recipe comes straight out of BFF Kellie's box.

i.e. Legit Whoopie Pies.

The addition of raspberry curd is my own just to dress them up for Valentines Day and because raspberry never made anything taste worse.

For a truly original version, just make the cake/cookie and filling and Enjoy!

**Another seemingly huge recipe, but DON'T WORRY! Just break it down into parts and take your time! It is a lot to accomplish in one day so make your curd first. It can easily sit a couple of days in the refrigerator. Then make the cookie/cake portion. I do the filling last.**

Whoopie Pies

Mix until smooth:

1 cup cocoa

1 cup hot water

Cool 5 minutes.

Cream together:

1 cup shortening

3 cups granulated sugar

Add:

4 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

cooled cocoa mix from above

Sift together:

5 1/3 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

Add to above mixture alternately with :

1 cup buttermilk

Make sure you mix well (but don't over mix!) or you'll get pie halves that do this:

Scoop onto silpat or parchment lined baking sheet using a large level scoop (I use the 3 Tblsp. size for large pies. I get about 20-24 finished pies. You could use a 2 Tblsp. size.) Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 10-11 minutes. Cool on pan a minute, then remove to a cooling rack. When cooled, set aside. Keep unused batter in refrigerator until ready to bake.

Filling for Whoopie Pies

6 Tablespoons flour

1/8 teaspoon salt

2 cups milk

1 1/2 cups shortening

3 cups powdered sugar

4 teaspoon vanilla (use clear vanilla if you want really white filling)

1 recipe Raspberry Curd

Mix the flour and salt in a small saucepan. Slowly whisk in milk. Stir and cook until thickened, about 5-7 minutes. Cool in fridge.

Cream shortening and powdered sugar in a mixer. Add vanilla and chilled milk mixture. Mix well. I run the mixture through a sieve at this point just to get rid of any flour lumps. Return to mixing bowl and mix for 7 minutes. I use the wire whisks for the filling.

Fold in as much raspberry curd as you like according to your taste.

Assembly:

Match up the whoopie pie cookies as best as you can. Spread filling on one half and sandwich with matching half. I like a lot of filling, use what you want. I individually wrap whoopie pies and store in the refrigerator (or freezer).

Give these a try and as always, I'd love your feedback!

Raspberry Curd

2011-02-03T08:18:00.011-07:00

This is good stuff, man.

I mean,

it's 'take-a-taste-to-see-how-it-turned-out-and-then-forget -that-you-actually-made-it-for-a-specific-purpose-and-keep-spooning-it-in-your-mouth-with-abandon!'

good!

I think I'm a curd fan for life. If you've got puree or juice, or nectar; you've got the beginnings of some delicious yum! I made this particularly for the Valentine Whoopie Pies, but I could see it used in many ways:

1. Cupcake filling

2. Served with raspberry scones

3. Mixed with butter for rolls or frybread

4. Layered in a cake or pie

5. On pancakes or crepes.......

Possibilities are unlimited! It's not difficult, but it does require a few specifics:

1. A non-reactive pan to cook it in.

If you have a glass or stainless steel double boiler, super!!

If not, fashion one, like I do:

Take a medium-sized stainless kitchen bowl and place it on a smaller saucepan containing an inch or two of water. As long as the water is not touching the bottom of the pan it will work. I use this to melt chocolate, make pastry cream, curds, anything you would need a double boiler for! It works like a charm! You can easily control the heat by how much water is in the bottom pan and the temperature of your stove! If you use a pan with reactive metals, like aluminum, it will react with the acidity of your ingredients and impart a metallic taste to your curd.

Yuk.

It's now ruined.

Don't do it.

2. Actual raspberries.

Frozen is fine.

3. Butter.

Lots of it.

Unsalted, please!

4. Plastic wrap.

To place directly over the top of your curd.

So it doesn't form that yukky dried-out skin on the top.

Don't skip this step.

That's pretty much it! Are you ready?

Let's begin!

Raspberry Curd:

10 oz. fresh or frozen raspberries (thaw if using frozen)

1/2 cup granulated sugar

4 egg yolks

juice from half a medium lemon (about 2 tsp.)

6 Tablespoons butter--cut into Tablespoon-sized chunks.

Puree raspberries. Run through a sieve small enough to catch the seeds. Measure enough puree to equal 3/4 cup. You might get a different amount using fresh vs. frozen, so be ready to puree more raspberries if needed.

Fashion a double boiler using a medium, non-reactive (stainless steel is great) bowl fitted over a small pan with an inch or so of simmering water. Or if you actually have a double boiler, great!

Pour 3/4 cups raspberry puree, sugar, Egg yolks, and lemon juice into the double boiler. Stir well and let cook over simmering water until mixture thickens, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the chunks of butter. Mix until butter is melted.

Strain through sieve again and place into a small bowl. You should have about 1 1/2 cups of curd. Lay some plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the curd and set in fridge to cool.

Garlic Knots--Another App idea for the Super Bowl

2011-01-28T10:57:00.009-07:00

The last week in December, My Sil (emphasis on sister; the in-law is just a formality...) Tonja, took Kellie and I to Este Pizzaria in SLC. It's one of her favorite places to visit and she wanted to share. The pizza itself was superb, but it was the app we ordered that wouldn't leave my mind!

Garlic Knots!!!

I was in heaven! I love bread, I love garlic, I love to dip stuff....YUM!!

I immediately came home and tried to recreate! Of course I went to Google searching for recipes. Little did I know that Garlic Knots have become quite the popular little item! Versions were represented everywhere! Why hadn't I been paying attention?!??

Emeril Lagasse has one.

Whiteonricecouple has one.

Even Martha Stewart.

Shame on me for slacking off!

Essentially, Garlic Knots are pizza dough (duh) rolled and wrapped into a knot and baked.

Then topped or tossed with a garlicky topping.

Easy.

I decided on WORC's recipe 'cause, come on...their

pics are gorgeous and I love that they made them at a cafe.

Since everyone is different and I like my stuff a certain way,

I did end up changing a few things, but this is your journey! Make them six different times/ways like I did! What can a few extra batches of garlic knots hurt?

(Actually, I was trying to recreate as close as I could to Este's.

Theirs were softer and less pretzel-like.

So my proportions and some ingredients are different.

Also, my method for shaping.)

MMmmmm!!....I'm eating one right now! They are great made ahead

and re-heated, and sublime dipped in a marinara sauce.

Last night I made them to go with

Pioneer Woman's Chicken Parmigiana and man oh man!!

I could have eaten 12 dipped in that sauce alone!!

I hardly touched the chicken!!

Your SuperBowl Party peeps would love it if you made these!

Garlic Knots

adapted from WhiteOnRiceCouple

Makes about 3 dozen

You can mix these by hand but I use a Bosch mixer.

1 3/4 cups very warm water

4 tablespoons butter--melted

1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt (Costco has a store brand I like for cooking. This amount might be too much if you're using table salt. You'll have to be the judge.)

1 Tablespoon sugar

1 1/2 tablespoons yeast

4 1/4 cups AP flour

4 tablespoons melted butter for tossing

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons minced or crushed garlic

2 tablespoons dried parsley (fresh is better, but I rarely have it on hand)

Maldon sea salt (you can just throw in a few pinches of regular sea salt, but I loved the crunch this flaky, beautiful salt gave the final product. It's pricey, but so yummy to use to finish things off. I ordered it from Amazon (free Super Saver Shipping item!) as I've never actually seen it for sale around here. So good on salted caramels and toffee!!)

Place flour, sugar and salt in the bowl. Measure out the warm water in a separate bowl and add the yeast. Let sit a few minutes until it begins to proof. Drizzle the 4 tablespoons melted butter over the flour. Mix together. Add the water/yeast mixture and mix until dough forms a ball. It should be cleaning the sides of the bowl. Dough will still be sticky.

Put dough into a large bowl that has been oiled with olive oil. Cover with a cloth and let double in size, about 1 1/2 hours.

I portion my dough into 1 ounce balls using a scale, but it ends up being about 34-36 golf-ball sized balls. Roll out each portion into a 7-8 inch snake. Cross ends and pull one end up through the hole to form a knot. They should look something like these:

You can either bake in cast iron pans like this, or on a baking sheet that has been oiled or buttered.

Brush with melted butter on the top and cover and let rise until doubled--about 30 minutes.

While rising, melt the unsalted butter and olive oil together in a small pan over medium heat. Add the parsley and minced garlic and let soften in butter/oil mixture for 20 minutes or so. Este's garlic was very raw and delicious, which I loved, but some prefer a more mellow garlic.

When rolls have doubled in size, bake in a pre-heated 400 degree oven for about 12 minutes. They should be browning on top.

Dump the rolls right off the pan into a large bowl and toss with the melted butter. Then you can either dress them with the garlic topping by drizzling it over the warm rolls and tossing, or individually scoop the topping on like this:

One way is messy and quick, the other precise, time-consuming and pretty! Either way they are delicious! If you have time, make a scrumptious marinara to dip into. So, so delicious!!

If you try them, let me know what you think!

There's an App For That--The first in what might possibly be a series of Super Apps for the Super Bowl--or--Carciofo Tu-What??!?

2011-01-26T11:00:00.004-07:00

I am not Italian. I don't look Italian, I don't speak Italian, I don't smell Italian (pretty sure Italians smell like Tiramisu; I smell like vanilla and chocolate)--therefore I couldn't possibly be expected to know what the title of this recipe means.

The nearest I can tell, it has something to do with diving into a vat of warm artichokes. Now this might seem weird, but when you combine those warm artichokes with the remainder of the ingredients in Rina's Carcio Tuffo Caldo, I do believe we just might have something here.

In planning for any Super Bowl get together, one must be sure to provide a host of non-utensil- wielding dishes. Having a chip or bbq chicken wing in your hand when the ref pulls a non-sequitur regarding the previous play, is a lot safer than, shall we say, a fork. Plus, it eliminates the extra thought one would have to reallocate to the process of guiding some flatware into a more high-maintenance dish. The following recipe is appena il biglietto (if this doesn't translate correctly into 'just the ticket' blame Bable Fish).

Carcio Tuffo Caldo

(blatantly lifted from Rina on Tasty Kitchen)

1 (14 oz.) can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped

1 whole roasted red pepper, chopped (how to here!)

1 cup pitted black olives, chopped

1 teaspoon minced garlic

4 whole sun dried tomatoes (not in oil--check photo at bottom of post)

1 cup mayonnaise

1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

1/2 cup mozzarella, grated

Mix all ingredients in a bowl. place in a baking dish, bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes, until hot and bubbly. Serve with crackers or toasted baguette.

Things I may or may not have done during the preparation of this recipe:

**used 1/2 the amount of olives--not the biggest fan of the fruit

**made up for the olive thing by using twice as much garlic--I just can't be stopped!

**added a squirt of fresh lemon juice because I cannot utilize artichoke without it

**uttered a small prayer that I am not vegan

**unknowingly used monterey jack cheese instead of mozzarella because someone threw away the label I keep with my blocks of cheese

**moaned a little when I tried the finished product

This recipe will rival any warm artichoke dip out there. I loved the addition of roasted red peppers, and could totally see some left-over chicken being thrown in as well.

If this doesn't do it for ya, there's always this yummy looking recipe from Pamela over at French Knots

I found the sun dried tomatoes at Macey's in the produce department. You could always dry your own in the summer!

How to Roast a Red Pepper (or a green, yellow, orange, any.....)

2011-01-25T07:42:00.011-07:00

It's hard.

It's sooooooo hard.

I can't believe something that sounds so simpele is So. Dang. Difficult!!

Follow me.

Deep breath.

#1.

Place......the pepper......on a baking sheet.

#2.

Preheat your oven to 500 degrees.

That's 5--0--0.

#3.

Set your timer for 20 minutes.

After 10minutes, turn your pepper over.

#4.

Then take that pepper and

place into a paper bag.

#5.

Seal up that bag and set

it into your refirgerator for 10 minutes.

(you'll want to place the bag onto

a plate or something because.......)

#6.

Sometimes the juices are overwhelming!

#7.

Then, scrape and peel the

charred skin from the pepper.

Make sure you leave a

few blackened bits so that your

friends and family will know how

much hard work you went to for them.

#8.

Next, slice or chop your hard work

into chunks and wait for the

perfect recipe calling

for roasted red peppers to come along.

(Hint: Tomorrow's post.)

Now go and watch yourself an episode of Veronica Mars as a reward for all your hard work. You've earned it!!!

Snow Ice Cream

2011-01-14T09:08:00.004-07:00

Did anyone else ever make this as a kid? We Love a good, deep snowstorm because it means SNOW ICE CREAM!! My kids get pretty excited about this rare treat. Anytime a snowflake makes it's way into their line of vision I start getting the question: "Is THIS enough snow for snow ice cream?" I tell them: "It's got to be a good 6-8 inches before it's clean enough!" hen I launch into a lecture about dirt particulates, exhaust from cars, various other kinds of pollution, and of course, the importance of staying away from snow around trees--especially if it's YELLOW!

They think this is funny, and then they wait.

Every 30 inutes or so they ask again and I look outside to check. When finally I deem it clean enough to eat, we run outside and scoop up the biggest Tupperware bowl we have of clean, topsnow! (like topsoil, only whiter....)

The ingredients are simple:

1 LARGE bowl of CLEAN, WHITE, YUMMY SNOW!!

EVAPORATED milk--1-2 cans (depends on how wet the snow is, how much, and your taste)

Granulated sugar (again, to your taste--maybe 1/2 cup per large bowl)

Pure Vanilla extract

Don't pack the snow down too much. The whole point is to have fluffy snow ice cream, not flavored snow ball. Slowly fold in enough evaporated milk to make it stirable. Sprinkle sugar into the mixture and stir slowly. Add vanilla and as much milk as you need to get it the texture you want. You can see ours is actually scoopable, but you can make it more like a smoothie if you like!

Oh! And regular milk doesn't really cut it, so get yourself a few cans of evaporated to have on hand. Nothing is sadder than a perfect storm and no evaporated milk! I mean, there's a foot of snow outside!! How are you going to get to the store to buy evaporated milk?!?

**Disclaimer: Obviously there is no way the average Joe can actually measure the amounts of pollution there is in fallen snow. I tell myself that a good couple of hours of falling pulls down the gunk in the air so we just make sure we scoop it up off the top. Hey, I ate this by the bucketfull as a kid and I'm still here!**

Chicken Tikka Masala

2011-01-13T08:18:00.004-07:00

Chicken Tikka Masala is a dish with vague origins. You'd think with such a name that it would have come straight from the Middle East, but more likely it came about as a variation of curry sometime in the last half-century. That 50 years was apparently enough time to firmly place it at the top of British restaurant picks. It's unofficially called 'Britain's National Dish'. Any legit Brits want to substantiate this for me?

I first made this for dinner a couple of years ago. It immediately became one of my Top 5 Recipes for my family dinners! I love the taste, the fresh, natural ingredients, and the simplicity of preparation! It might look like a long list of ingredients, but if you utilize a 'mise en place', then it goes together really fast.

Lately I've been using crushed tomatoes canned from my garden last summer. Oh man. I'm going to bottle a zillion pints next year!! I can't believe how fabulously yummy it makes dishes!!

I vary the chicken I use according to necessity. If I need to use chicken breasts from the freezer, I make sure I brine them for an hour or so before using. Most often I use chicken tenders from Costco. The ginormous breasts-from-a-box from the local grocery stores are driving me crazy!! No way can chicken naturally be so HUGE!! Hormones BAD!! Sadly, I have several pounds left in my freezer I'm trying to use up. Sigh.

So back to the tenders: These don't need to brine, and they cook much faster. In fact, sometimes I cheat and season them frozen, and they end up being half-frozen by the time I broil. Seems to work just fine in a pinch!

Remember--DO NOT BE INTIMIDATED by the length of the recipe! It's simple stuff!

CHICKEN TIKKA MASALA

(adapted from Americas Test Kitchen)

serves 4-6

2 pounds bonless, skinless chicken breasts or tenders

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

1/8-1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (vary to your preference of spicyness)

1 teaspoon table salt (if you brine, use half)

1 cup plain, whole milk yogurt

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 teaspoons minced or pressed garlic

1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger

Masala Sauce

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 1/4 cups onion--diced small

2 teaspoons garlic--minced or pressed

2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger

1/2 jalapeno--ribs and seeds removed (you can use more, but I would try it at this level first. Once I used a serrano and hoo--eee!! I like spice, but I also like to be able to taste my food!)

2 tablespoons tomato paste (freeze unused portion of can in a ziploc--smoosh it flat so you can just break off peices to use in other dishes!)

1 tablespoon garam masala (you can make your own, but McCormicks blend is pretty dang good!)

28-32 ounces crushed tomatoes (make sure they are plain, not Italian style)

2 teaspoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon table salt

3/4 cup heavy cream

1/3 cup chopped cilantro (omit if you don't like)

1 1/2 cups Basmati rice--cooked to package directions

Combine the cumin, coriander, cayenne, and salt in a small prep bowl. Sprinkle both sides of the chicken with the spice mixture. Cover and refrigerate 30-6- minutes. In medium bowl mix: yogurt, oil, garlic, and ginger. Set aside.

In a large cast iron pan or dutch oven pan, heat oil for sauce. When shimmering, add the chopped onion. Cook, stirring until onions soften and start to brown. Add garlic, ginger, jalapeno, tomato paste, and garam masala. Cook, stirring about 3 minutes. Don't let the garlic burn! Add crushed tomatoes, sugar, and salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce, and simmer, loosely covered, for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add cream, stir, and return to simmer. Remove from heat and cover to keep warm.

While sauce simmers, put oven rack in middle-top position, (6 inches from heating element), and heat broiler. Place your chicken either on a cooking rack fitted in a baking sheet, or on a foil-lined baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray. With a silicon pastry brush, or spoon, brush both sides of the chicken with a good coating of the yogurt mixture. Discard leftover yogurt mixture. Broil the chicken until instant-read thermometer reads 160 degrees. This takes 10-18 minutes if you are using breasts, less time if you are using tenders. Flip half way through.

Let chicken rest 5 minutes, then cut into bite-sized pieces and stir into warm masala sauce. Stir in cilantro and adjust seasonings.

Serve over Basmati rice.

Name It Yourself

2011-01-01T15:30:00.007-07:00

I had what I thought was a clever name for this dip. Until my husband pointed out the, shall we say, unchaste sounding nature of the title to me. And no, I'm not going to let you know what it was.....

So, you can pick a better name if you want, but addicting is what it is. My friend, Cecilia, brought this dip to a little gathering we had a few days ago. I couldn't stay out of it! I felt dirty...like I was taking advantage of the fact that everyone else was playing Wii, while I was furtively dipping chip after chip into the little croc pot, taking WAY more than my share of this creamy, spicy goodness!!

After consulting with her on her recipe, I put a version together with just a bit of tweaking....I have a tendancy to add a little somethin' somethin' to the recipes I steal from people!

So here you go. Don't say you weren't warned:

Thought I Had A Pretty Good Name Dip

1 pound Jimmy Dean Regular Sausage

1/2 of a red bell pepper--diced

1 small onion--diced

1 8 oz. pkg cream cheese

1 cup sour cream

1 10 oz. can Rotel tomatoes with green chilis--mild

1 tsp cider vinegar

3 dashes tobasco (optional--I found that it added just the right amount of spiciness)

Brown the Jimmy Dean in a small cast iron saute pan. Or any saute pan, for that matter...

Chop it up real good! And then chop it up some MORE!! Make it real tiny!! Unless you like chunks...then stop whenever you like!

Add the pepper and onion and let them cook and soften some with the sausage.

At this point, you may throw everything together in a croc pot and let it sloooowly melt together, while you occasionally stir to mix it up.

--OR--

You can do what I did because you are impatient and don't want to dirty more dishes:

Add the cream cheese to the sausage and let soften some. Then add the sour cream, Rotel tomatoes, cider vinegar, and tobasco if using.

Cook over medium-low heat until all is melted and blended together nicely!

I added a scosh (that's a bit more than a titch) of milk to thin it down some. Only do this if it's to your liking. This is YOUR dip! Make it personal-like!

Serve hot with some lovely corn tortila chips and all will be right with the universe! World peace will ensue! Things will be cured!

Thank you Cecilia for one more uber-fattening, utterly delicious recipe I can add to my collection. You're the best!

Peppermint Meringue Cookies with Chocolate Ganache

2010-12-10T13:48:00.006-07:00

These little cookies are more like a little bite of confectionery. Very airy and sweet with just a hint of mint to carry over the candy-cane theme. Some bittersweet ganache to sandwich them together and you have an adorable, albeit slightly fragile, Christmas cookie!

Meringue is one of those things that is simple and yet complicated at the same time. You need to understand some baking science to be successful, but really it's nothing difficult. I found a great webpage that explained things really well. The only thing I altered was to whisk the first two stages by hand. My mixer wasn't really getting all the whites off the bottom of the bowl, so starting off with a hand whisk gave me the volume I needed to continue on with the remaining steps.

The ratio for meringue is:

2 lg egg whites ( be very sure that no yolk remaining in the whites, the fat will prevent the whites from peaking correctly)

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar (egg whites benefit from a small bit of acid to help them whip right)

That's it. Pretty simple huh? How many cookies you produce will depend on the shape and size. This little kiss-size yielded about 2 dozen sandwiched cookies.

Step #1

Separate the whites from the yolks. Save the yolks in the fridge for another recipe. Let whites rest on counter until room temperature. Place in a very clean, dry bowl of a mixer. Beat at a low speed until whites look frothy & cloudy.

Step #2

Increase mixing speed to medium and add the cream of tartar.

Step #3

Mix until whites reach soft peak stage. The soft peak stage is reached when the peaks of the whites droop slightly, when the beater is turned off and lifted.

Step #4

Increase mixer speed to high. Add the sugar at this stage. I added it at a steady stream on the inside edge of the bowl. Beat until firm peaks form. The egg white foam will become smooth, moist and shiny. Stop the beaters and then lift them -- straight peaks should form.

Step #5

Now continue beating on high until stiff peaks are formed. Whites will be very stiff and glossy. Make sure they are complete to this stage if you want defined peaks at the top of your cookies.

Refer to the webpage mentioned above to see step by step photos.

For these cookies, add 1/4 tsp. peppermint extract now.

To continue you will need:

A piping bag

A piping/writing tip about 1/4 inch in diameter (I used a #10)

Red gel paste food coloring. I use AmeriColor Red Red (You can find this at the Bosch Kitchen Center in Orem)

A small food-safe paintbrush

Parchment paper

A quarter

With a pencil, use the quarter to trace several (4-5 dozen) circles on the parchment paper. Turn this paper upside down onto your baking sheet. ( I used two baking sheets) You should be able to see the circles through the parchment. Preheat your oven to 225 degrees Fahrenheit.

Fit the piping tip into the piping bag. With the paintbrush dipped in food coloring, paint three stripes down the inside of the bag. A medium amount, not too heavy, not too light.

Scoop the meringue into the piping bag. Close and pipe circles onto the parchment, filling to fit the circles. Pull up at the end to make the peak. They should look like chocolate kisses. Just practice to get this shape. The not-perfect ones still taste delicious!

When all meringue is used or pans are filled, place into the oven for 1 hour and 30 minutes. Don't peek! Let set on pans for a few hours after done baking before filling. They are a little fragile, especially at the tip, but so yummy!

Ganache filling:

1 cup heavy cream

6 oz. semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate

Heat cream to almost boiling and pour over chocolate in a bowl. Let cream melt chocolate and then stir well. Place in fridge for about 1 1/2 hours. Stir again and use same piping bag and tip to fill cookies.

I Loved Her First

2010-12-01T08:15:00.003-07:00

She's 18 today.

I think she's amazing.

And fun.

And smart.

And beautiful.

And kind.

And hilarious.

And amazing...

And I'm 94% ok that she's 18.

'Cause watching her grow up has been so fulfilling.

I'm 3% okay that she's on the verge of leaving and being on her own.

'Cause it's the next step in her Great Adventure.

I'm 0% ok that last night I dreamed that she got engaged on her 18th birthday.

'Cause........ well, just 'cause!

I'm 2% ok that she's such an independent girl.

It's a love-hate thing for me.....(mostly love it though!)

I'm 1% ok with all the best songs about little girls are from a daddy's point of view, but just pretend that this one is being sung by mama.

100% of me would go back to the very first second and do it all over again!

Happy birthday Sid. I love you.

Mexican Hot Chocolate Cookies

2010-11-16T16:56:00.005-07:00

Picture a chocolate snickerdoodle.

With heat.

Not too much heat, just enough to let you know it's there.

Subtle-like.

Ground Chipotle seems an unusual ingredient for a cookie, but I think it works--I actually put cinnamon in several Mexican dishes I make, so it seems a logical trade to put Chipotle in desserts!

This is a Martha Stewart recipe from her website. I'm always looking for a new, interesting cookie, and this one is pretty simple, so here you go!

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

2 teaspoons cream of tartar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (or ¼ tsp table salt)

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 3/4 cups sugar (divided)

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons cinnamon (divided)

1/2 teaspoon ground chipotle powder (divided)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees, with racks in upper and lower thirds. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, cocoa powder, 1/4 tsp. chipotle powder, 1 tsp. cinnamon, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter and 1 1/2 cups sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down side of bowl. Add eggs and beat to combine. With mixer on low, gradually add flour mixture and beat until combined.

In a small bowl, combine remaining 1/4 cup sugar, 1 tsp. cinnamon, and 1/4 tsp. chile powder. Using heaping tablespoons, form balls of dough and roll in cinnamon-sugar mixture. Place, about 3 inches apart, on parchment or silicone-lined baking sheets. Bake until cookies are set in center and begin to crack, about 10 minutes. Let cookies cool on sheets on wire racks 5 minutes, then transfer cookies to racks to cool completely. (Store in an airtight container, up to 1 week.)

2010-11-12T08:38:00.002-07:00

I found these totally cute cupcakes on Tasty Kitchen. I loved the recipe for the cupcakes, but thought the frosting was less than flavorful. I would use this recipe for browned butter frosting instead.

I thought the idea for using green cupcake liners and a craft stick was adorable!

Here's the recipe:

3 cups all purpose flour

1/2 tsp. baking soda

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. cinnamon

3/4 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup applesauce

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

3 whole eggs

3 cups finely chopped Granny Smith apples

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Line cupcake pan with liners (20-24 liners)

Combine flour, soda, powder, salt & cinnamon in a large bowl.

Combine sugars, oil, applesauce and vanilla in another bowl. Add eggs and mix well. Add to dry ingredients and gently mix.

Fold in chopped apples.

Pour into cupcake liners about 2/3 to 3/4 full.

Bake 18 minutes or until toothpick comes out not wet. Don't over bake or they get a little dry.

Cool cupcakes and frost with this frosting: (I'd double the recipe.)

Browned Butter Frosting:

3 cups powdered sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

3-4 Tbsp. milk

1/3 cup butter

In med. bowl, place powd. sugar, vanilla, & 3 Tbsp. milk. In saucepan, heat butter over med. heat, stirring constantly, until medium brown. Pour butter over powd. sugar mixture. Beat 1 min. or until smooth. Add remaining milk, if necessary. Generously frost cupcakes.

recipe adapted from irunforcake on Tasty Kitchen

Right Up My Alley

2010-11-10T13:55:00.008-07:00

I love me a good movie. I've seen a few notable cinematic selections this year:

1. Inception.

Saw it twice in one week I loved it so much. I even understood 87% of it the first time I watched it. Good show.

2. How To Train Your Dragon.

So funny! Fresh, interesting, entertaining......Hiccup reminds me of Spencer, so of course I'm gonna love it!

3. Toy Story 3.

Seriously....I couldn't imagine TS2 being as good as TS1, but it was! And I can find no fault with TS3, except the absence of Jim Varney, and that couldn't be helped as he is a resident of the Great Beyond.....Disney (well.....Pixar, to be accurate...) nailed TS3! I cried and Nicholas cried in the back of his throat. (His description for getting choked up.)

But if I'm going to be honest, the most under-advertised movie that I've seen three times already, and can see myself watching it SEVERAL more times, is this one:

It's simply called BABIES.

It follows four diversely situated babies from their birth, to approximately one year, chronicling the vast differences in their lives, while simultaneously giving the sense that they aren't so dissimilar after all.

I'm not even going to get started on how much this movie tickled me. I won't be able to stop, and then you will have a synopsis of the entire thing and thus won't be motivated to watch it yourselves. I will say, however; keep your eyes on Bayar, from Mongolia, and his older brother....pretty sure I wet myself a little over that storyline!

And I call dibs on this little one:

Ponijao.

I. Want. To. Steal. This. Baby.

If any baby out there could even rival the cuteness of my kids, (or yours for that matter...) it's Ponijao.

AAARRRGGGGHHHHH!!!!

This little tyke/cherub/ankle-biter is beyond ADORABLE!!

Take note at how even though he is the least materialistically endowed, he is the most giddy, happy, gleeful, carefree, buoyant baby-child I think I've ever seen!!

I dare any of you to watch this movie and not be captivated. It streams on Netflix, and Blockbuster has it on DVD. This movie deserves to be noticed!!

**one minor caveat: Babies is peppered with National Geographic-style boobage. So......you're on your own with that!

A gorgeous home

2010-11-05T20:05:00.004-07:00

If anyone out there is interested in buying or knows someone who is interested, my friend Erin is selling her BEAUTIFUL, beautiful home in Pleasant Grove. This girl has serious good taste in homes. If she weren't such a dang good friend and wonderful person, I'd pretty much have to avoid her altogether because her beautiful house makes me covet, and that's WRONG!!!

Check the link below to more sweet photos and information:

The most amazing house you'll ever want to buy

Seriously; this house and yard (and family) are awesome!!

Spooktacularnessism

2010-10-30T15:29:00.009-07:00

Next to the Fourth of July, Halloween is my favorite holiday. As a kid, I dreamed about costumes and candy, parties and pranks. My mom had some fabulous costumes made for me in my young years. Someday I'll hunt for pics and post.

I love spooky as long as it's all in fun. Not a huge slash and horror fan, but vampires and demons and such are totally my fantasy genre.

I used to make the most elaborate costumes for the two oldest kids. Crazy sewing pieces of art with yards and yards of fabric.......

Well, now I'm a lot more busy, and a lot less crazy. In that sense only, I mean. I'm still all sorts of other kinds of crazy......

Here is this year's costume cuteness:

Anything Pooh Bear is always adorable. Tigger is a particular fave.

The elephant costume. Fun and functional!

Any super hero at all works for the boys.

The first time Nick wore this costume, he was three. It's starting to get a little short on him.....

Zombie is the new vampire, you know. Trust me, they're gonna be big! People are going to start featuring them as the love interest in all the books and movies.

Spencer likes going for the understated, obscure characters.

And my personal favorite costume this year: I chose to go as one of the most awesome, super-hero, amazing people I know.......

Peggy Eddleman!!!!!

Hope your Halloween was Spooktacularistic!!!

It All Ends Here

2010-10-18T16:28:00.002-07:00

So. I've been waiting for a couple of months to hear about Harry Potter 7 tickets going on sale. I signed up for a cool text alert to ket me know when my favorite theater had them ready for me to buy!! Well, today was the day!! I got a text at about 1:15 saying Larry Miller Theaters were selling now!

I scurried to my computer and brought up Thanksgiving Point's Megaplex web page. Hmm......no HP. What about all the other LHM theater complexes? Check. All up and running! Cool. I don't want to go to any other theaters. I like Thanksgiving Point. It's in my comfort zone. I really like reserved seating--I can get there about 20 minutes pre-movie and be just peaches!! Don't have to leave my kids for hours to stand in line--don't have to leave my kids to stand in line for hours........ha. That was only partly a joke......

Anyway! Back to my story...... So I called the theater to see what the problem was: Very nice man told me they were having problems and it should be up for sale within a couple of hours.

So I was patient. I waited. Checking back every so often to see if they were ready.

Flash forward 2 hours......5 minutes before I am to pick Cameron up from pre-school. (they really frown on lateness down at the rec-center....charge you money and everything.....)

Tickets. Are. On. Sale.

Holy cow!! I think I can make it quick before I leave to pick him up!!!!

I hurriedly type in my credit card info: 7735 8429.......wait a minute.....that part's boring. You don't need to know that.....

OOhhh!!! I get my pick of the theater!! How lucky am I??!?? I quickly select the best seats in the house!! The row behind the disabled area where you can put your feet up on the bar in front of you without disturbing anyone's head!!

"Click to confirm sale" it says....

CLICK!!

Nothing is happening.

Wait 10 seconds.

CLICK!!!! I'm in a total hurry!!!! Why won't it confirm??!?

Wait 20 more seconds.

CLICK!!!CLICK!!CLICK!!!!!!!! What the heck is wrong with my mouse!!?!!!!!

CLICKCLICKCLICKCLICKCLICK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh. There we go. Nice! We got the first seats!! I'm so excited!! Let me just print out my conformation........HUH??!? Seats 8-21 Row 'D'? That's not my row!! What the Heck??

**checking seat preview**

Oh. Um......It seems that I have just purchased 80% of the seats in the theater..........

So, long story short: I have approx. 80 more seats to sell from my original 98 extra seats. If any of you at all have the slightest desire to see the FABULOUS Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part One with 112 of the coolest people in Utah on NOVEMBER 18th at 11:59 P.M.

Trust me. If I don't get these $1200 worth of tickets sold it will all end here. With me. At my house. Jason will never let me forget it.

Have Mercy!! Please?

2010-10-11T08:46:00.002-07:00

Recipe: Monster Cookies

These cookies are a Pioneer Woman recipe. I love PW. I was so excited to make these cookies! The ingredient list sounded amazing and the M&M's were so colorful--also, lots of oatmeal--love, love, LOVE oatmeal cookies!! Of course, I doubled the recipe because I have a phobia of not having enough cookies.....

I would totally suggest making these cookies if:

1. You like flat cookies.

2. You like cookies that are more 'Stuff' than cookie.

3. You like peanut butter chips.

4. You like cookies, period.

We were divided in my house over these. My boy thought they were the greatest! He loves flat cookies (you there, Carp?) I was hoping for something different. More cookie, I suppose. I think I will try adding various extras to my favorite cookie recipe to see if it's more to my liking. Needless to say, the cookies were devoured. Unlike a previous forgettable recipe.....

Recipe: Monster Cookies

Prep Time: 15 Minutes | Cook Time: 12 Minutes | Difficulty: Easy | Servings: 36

Ingredients

2 sticks (1/2 Pound) Butter (salted) Softened

½ cups White Sugar

1-½ cup Brown Sugar, Packed

2 whole Large Eggs

1 Tablespoon Vanilla Extract

1-½ cup All-purpose Flour

½ teaspoons Baking Soda

1 teaspoon Baking Powder

2 teaspoons Kosher Salt

1-½ cup Oats (either Quick Or Regular)

½ cups M & M's (more To Taste)

½ cups Pecans, Chopped (more To Taste)

¾ cups Chocolate Chips (milk Or Semi-sweet)

½ cups Peanut Butter Chips

2-¼ cups Rice Krispies

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Cream butter with sugars until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla and beat.

Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, and kosher salt. Add to mixing bowl and mix till combined. After that, add in remaining ingredients in whatever quantity you prefer. Add more nuts if you’d like, or more M & M’s, more peanut butter chips or chocolate chips.

Add Rice Krispies at the very end, mixing until just combined. Do not overmix!

Use a cookie scoop to scoop balls of dough onto a cookie sheet. Bake until golden brown, then allow to cool on a rack.

Serve with glasses of cold milk.

Coming Soon.......

2010-10-08T10:37:00.004-07:00

Is it even scientifically possible to combine the above ingredients and not have a supernatural occurrence?

**anyone who may or may not have brought me an entire pan of decadent cinnamon-maple rolls may or may not expect their pan returned with or without combined above ingredients....**

Really, really, really good-looking.......cookies

2010-09-29T07:57:00.003-07:00

This was a new recipe I tried from Melodysoul on Tasty Kitchen. The reason I love them so much is their resemblance to actual brownies, which the name obviously implies, but usually tends to leave me a little skeptical.....some recipe names just don't live up to their potential, you know? Well, these totally hit the bullseye!

My favorite brownies are the perfect mix of chewy, cakey, fudgy, AND the great crispy edges. The best part of the brownie, for me, is the corner. We know this in my house. Sometimes I'll make brownies and later walk by the pan to see the sides and middle brownies gone--eaten by the other inhabitants of my house--and the corners left intact, either because they love me so much, or because they fear me......I don't know which. If the entire pan could bake up like the corner we will have achieved nirvana!

I know you can get crazy pans to maximize corner-goodness, but really--I like kitchen gadgets, not gimmicks. And besides, it costs $20 on the 'as seen on TV' aisle at The Walmarts and you only get like, 8 brownies....not near enough!!

These cookies, however, had all the essentials of the perfect brownie! Chewy, cakey, and fudgy on the inside, and crispy-chewy like the corner on the entire outside!! And they bake up so pretty! I love it when all the cookies come out the same size....it feeds a need for order that I am unable to achieve in other areas of my life.

The dough is very thin (for a cookie...) until it is chilled. I baked one pan after about two hours of refrigeration, and baked a minute or two less, and they were good. I let the dough sit overnight before baking the rest of the dough and then I used a medium cookie scoop and baked them for 11 minutes. A lot of dough loses integrity after sitting for a day, but this dough improved! Let them sit on the pan for a couple of minutes before moving to a rack. The only change I made to the recipe was to QUADRUPLE it the second time I made it. That's how much I loved them.

Brownie Cookies

• ¼ cups Butter

• 1-½ cup Semisweet Chocolate Chips

• ¾ cups Sugar

• 3 whole Eggs

• 1 teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract

• 1 cup All-purpose Flour

• ¼ teaspoons Baking Powder

• ¼ teaspoons Salt

In a saucepan, or in the microwave, gently melt butter and chocolate chips until the butter is melted and chocolate begins to melt. Remove from heat and stir until all the chocolate has melted completely.

In a separate bowl, beat together the sugar, eggs and vanilla until they’re thoroughly combined. Add the melted chocolate mixture, then stir in the remaining ingredients. Refrigerate the dough for 1 hour or until manageable.

Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Using a tablespoon or mini ice cream scoop, drop cookie dough onto baking sheets, leaving a couple of inches of space in between each cookie.

Bake for 12 minutes.

From Melodysoul on Tasty Kitchen

Got Rum?

2010-09-12T13:00:00.000-07:00

I love looking at pictures of food. It's slightly embarrassing how much time I can spend doing it if I'm not careful. It's just that looking at other peoples food inspires me. It's almost as good as eating it! There is so much beautiful food out there! I'm always checking up on Tasty Kitchen and filling my recipe box with all sorts of delicious possibilities. Looking at the featured recipes is one of the online highlights of my day! Always really good stuff there.

Every few days or so, five recipes are chosen by one of the administrators and are placed in the featured recipe section. I am not going to lie. I really wanted a recipe of mine featured on TastyKitchen. I've been really picky about the recipes I've submitted so far. I don't want to just put stuff in my box. I want to make sure that my box is full of the most delicious, most beautiful food I make. Stuff my family and friends really, really like. So I posted the yummiest cake I know. And look what happened on Friday:

(click on the picture to make it bigger)

I screamed out loud a little when I opened TK last night! I was so excited! It's even in the #1 spot so it's the first thing people see when they go to Tasty Kitchen! Go check it out for yourself--I don't know how long it will be there before it's replaced with other yummy recipes, which is, after all, the entire point, so hurry along!!

This cake has become one of my favorite cakes to make and serve. If you are a rum fan, a banana fan, a chocolate fan or a rumbananachocolate lover, you should definitely try this! It uses a mix as a base, adding things to make it extra moist and from-scratch tasting, so it's super easy, and then it has the yummiest cream cheese frosting in the middle.

The ganache is very simple, but it's the banana filling that makes it crazy delicious! You literally cannot take brown sugar and butter, melt it together in a pan, and come up with a bad result! (unless of course you walk away to attend to one of the fifty-seven other things pulling you in all directions and come pack to a burnt caramel pancake.....don't do that.)

Add rum to said butter-brown sugar bath and man, oh man!! Even if you don't particularly like bananas, their flavor is subtle enough that it only rounds out the rum mixture instead of overpowering it.

Bake the cake layers in three 8 or 9 inch pans. If you only have two pans, set one third of the batter in the fridge and wash your pan before re-using, then bake the last layer. Let cool.

Spread one half (not counting the reserved 1/3 cup) of cream cheese frosting on bottom layer.

Cover with one half of banana filling over cream cheese. Spread to within 1/2 inch of edge of cake.

Repeat with remaining layer and fillings. Top with last layer.

Cover with the ganache. Ganache is angel food. Chocolate nectar. The spread that gets in my head........

(it's good)

You will never want to use frosting in a tub ever again. Unless you are making Lunchlady Peanutbutter Fingers. Then you have to. It's the law.

Drizzle with the reserved cream cheese frosting using a #3 or 4 piping tip in a decorating bag

Now stand back and give a little cheer for yourself because you just made one seriously yummy cake!!

Chocolate Bananas Foster Cake

FOR THE BANANA RUM FILLING:
⅔ cups Brown Sugar, Packed
4 Tablespoons Butter
2 cups Bananas--ripe And Chopped Fine
¾ teaspoons Rum Extract
¼ teaspoons Ground Cinnamon--heaping
_____
FOR THE CAKE LAYERS:
1 package Cake Mix-chocolate Or Devil's Food-18 Oz. (no Pudding In Mix)
1 package Instant Pudding--3.9 Oz.--chocolate Or Vanilla
2 whole Eggs
1 cup Sour Cream
½ cups Vegetable Oil
½ cups Water
1 cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
_____
FOR THE GANACHE:
1 cup Cream
12 ounces, weight Semisweet Chocolate
_____
FOR THE CREAM CHEESE FROSTING:
1 package Cream Cheese (8 Oz. Softened)
1 cube Unsalted Butter, Softened
5 ounces, weight Powdered Sugar
½ teaspoons Vanilla

For the filling: In a small saucepan combine the brown sugar and the butter. Cook on medium heat, stirring, until butter is melted and ingredients are well incorporated. Add the chopped bananas, rum extract, and cinnamon. Cook 5 more minutes on medium-low, stirring occasionally. Set aside to cool completely.

For the cake: In a mixing bowl, combine cake mix, pudding mix, eggs, sour cream, oil, and water. Mix on medium speed until well blended (batter will be thick). Pour equally between three greased and floured 9-inch round cake pans. (I use a parchment circle in the bottom of each pan. Sprinkle each layer with 1/3 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes or until toothpick in center comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 minutes; then remove to wire racks to cool completely.

For the ganache: Heat the cream in a small saucepan until just barely boiling. Remove from heat and add 12 ounces semisweet chocolate. Let sit 5 minutes. Stir until smooth. Cover and set aside to cool.

For the frosting: Cream together the softened cream cheese and the softened butter. Add powdered sugar and vanilla and beat well. Frosting will be quite soft. Reserve 1/3 cup and set aside.

For the assembly: Place one cake layer on your serving platter or cake round. Spread half of the remaining (non-reserved) cream cheese frosting on top of this layer. Spread half of the cooled banana mixture on top of that to within 1/2 inch of the sides of the cake. Top with the second cake layer. Spread with remaining (non-reserved) cream cheese frosting and top with remaining banana mixture. Top with the last cake layer. Frost the top and sides of the third layer with the chocolate ganache. Garnish with the reserved cream cheese frosting. Refrigerate until chocolate is set. Once it is set, serve it! Refrigerate leftover cake.

**You can use 8-inch cake pans. Just adjust baking time if needed. If you only have two pans, refrigerate one third of the batter while first two layers bake. Bake last third in a cleaned and greased pan.

Navajo Tacos

2010-08-14T09:04:00.006-07:00

This is one of my family's favorite meals to eat. The scone recipe came from Faye Jaynes, an amazing cook in my neighborhood who used to work for the school lunch system back when they actually made the food. I'm not going to comment on school lunch right now. Let's just say my kids usually come home STARVING! And my kids aren't terribly picky, either. I do remember when I was a sixth-grader getting to take turns helping in the lunchroom. It was so fun! I searched for YEARS to find a comparable peanut finger recipe, and I still haven't found a no-bake cookie that comes close. They were so yummy!

O.K. That was just a little tangent. Back to the Tacos....

I love this recipe because the chili mixture is from scratch. It doesn't even use a taco-seasoning packet! Stop using those, people! There are better ways!

Make the dough in advance. It takes three hours to rise in the fridge. It's also great for honey butter.

Scone Dough:

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

3 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

2 Tablespoons sugar

8 cups flour

1 quart buttermilk

2 Tablespoons yeast

1/2 cup warm water

2 eggs

6 Tablespoons oil

Mix dry ingredients together, set aside. Heat buttermilk until lukewarm. Mix yeast in water and add to buttermilk. Mix in eggs and oil. Add dry ingredients. Dough will be sticky. Cover and refrigerate at least three hours. Roll 1/2 inch thick and cut to desired size. Deep-fry in hot (375 degree) oil. Drain on paper towels and serve hot.

Honey Butter:

1 pound butter, softened

3/4 cup powdered sugar

honey to taste

Whip softened butter and add powdered sugar and honey. Beat well.

Chili topping:

1 pound ground beef

1 onion, chopped

2 teaspoons chili powder

1 teaspoon cilantro, dried

1/2 teaspoon cumin

2 Tablespoons cider vinegar

3 Tablespoons brown sugar

4-8 oz. cans tomato sauce

salt and pepper to taste

2 cans dark kidney beans, 15 oz. size

1 can light kidney beans, 15 oz size

Brown ground beef and onion. Drain fat. Add seasonings and cook one minute. Add tomato sauce, cider vinegar, and brown sugar. Add beans which have been drained and rinsed. Simmer 20 minutes.

Top hot scones with chili and other traditional toppings of your choice: sour cream, lettuce, tomatoes, chopped onions, guacamole, taco sauce, limes, cilantro, cheese.

Spencer's Eagle Project

2010-08-11T12:06:00.004-07:00

Hello, my name is Spencer Merryweather. I am working on becoming an Eagle Scout. For my Eagle Scout project, I am holding a Hygiene Item Drive and will be donating items for the people in need that come to the Food and Care Coalition in Provo.

Any of the following items would be appreciated.

**Disposable Razors
**Deodorant/antiperspirant
**Feminine Hygiene products
*Shampoo, Full size
*Conditioner, Full size
*Lotion, Full size
Shave cream, regular & travel sizes
Hair spray/gel
Toothbrushes, children’s & adults
Toothpaste: full & travel sizes
Dental Floss
Hairbrushes
Anti-bacterial ointment
Pocket Kleenex
Adult Medicines - pain reliever and stomach remedies
Lip Balm
Denture Adhesive
Fingernail clippers
Foot powder

(Asterisks symbolize items of most need. The more asterisks, the greater the need.)

**Cash donations also accepted**

Thank you very much for your donation.

TMI or Why Holding it in is a Bad Idea

2010-08-03T20:09:00.005-07:00

***Heads up on this being a rather gross post of a personal nature. If you read further, please don't judge me***

I'm in the middle of making something of a pastry-ish nature for a friend. I need my marble slab which I am positive is down in my basement where I've kept it for years. I go down to our laundry/stuff room and begin to look.

It isn't in it's normal spot so I begin to search deeper into areas that are less accessible. My bladder begins to give me warning tingles. I ignore it. I keep looking. I just KNOW it's down here somewhere! I push aside a few boxes in an annoyed manner. Where the heck is it?

I HATE losing things!

My bladder warns me again, this time a little more forcefully. I know I am THIS CLOSE to finding that slab!! Shove a few more boxes aside. No marble slab. More tingly-wingly.

OK! OK!!

I pick my way quickly through the stuff piled everywhere and head for the door.

Fortunately we have installed a bathroom in the basement. I run for the potty and begin to drop trou.

Two things happen at once: My bladder begins to let loose and my stack of credit cards falls out of my back pocket and into the toilet. I helplessly watch as they sink to the bottom. They're plastic!! Shouldn't they FLOAT?! Apparently not.

I make a grim decision: A little pee is no better than a lot of pee so I cater to the bodily urge to relieve myself and and let them sink. Then yes. I REACHED IN and RETRIEVED my cards. Then I bleach disinfected both my cards and my hand. Which was a bold move, as you know how I feel about bleach! Anyway, I think everything turned out fine. Just trust me when I say I ultra disinfected my cards AND my digits, so NO WORRIES about the pastry thingy, ALRIGHT??

What We Do When the Boys Are Gone

2010-07-28T19:14:00.008-07:00

Or more like what we don't do. On top of my normal lack of sleep, you can add an extra dose of sleep deprivation simply because I am too paranoid to sleep without Jason here. If any or all of this blog post is incoherent, now you know why. I also knock down my responsibility level a couple of notches. Less cleaning, less laundry......but honestly, I'm just saving up energy 'cause I know when they get home, I'll have triple the normal cleaning & laundry waiting for me.

But there is fun stuff! We did Henna Tattoos. They turned out pretty cool. Sid had a peacock, and Jen, a tree of life, which I do not have a photo of, but believe me when I say it was cool!

Then, I fulfilled a life-long dream of mine. OK, more like a few month-long fascination of mine. It was baking these:

Don't they look yummy? Look closer:

Um, yeah. I just kept hearing about chocolate chip bacon cookies (for real--not a joke). So with a tiny bit of encouragement from Jen, I candied some thick slice bacon and added it to my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe.

Were they good, you ask? Hmm.....I really, really wanted these to be spectacular.

1. I love bacon.

2. Bacon is good with some sweet things (think pineapple wrapped with bacon and broiled--super yummy!).

3. The candied bacon was scrumptious--just sprinkle bacon with brown sugar and bake in the oven. Really--it's like candy!

4. Chocolate is good with a lot of strange things.

5. My chocolate chip cookie recipe could make almost anything better.

And the first two I ate while still warm were pretty great! But as time went by, I just kept thinking: "there's MEAT in my cookies!" And really, I just can't get past that. So taste good they might, but is it necessary? I don't think so. Let's just say I took this one for the team and now you don't ever have to wonder if it's the right thing to do.

(And no; this bacon experiment wasn't a result of some wacky no-sleep delusion. The recipes are legit.)

Let me know what you think!

Great cookbook idea!

2010-07-19T12:16:00.003-07:00

I came across this cookbook today and thought it was such a creative idea that I would share it with you! As you enjoy making the recipes with your kids, you take a quick picture, which you can then slip into a photo sleeve on the recipe page! A reminder of the recipe and how much fun you had preparing it with your kids. So clever!! There is a website where you can check it out: Picture Me Cooking.

Yum, Smack, Drool!!!

2010-07-17T20:16:00.002-07:00

Aren't these mouth-watering? These beautiful cupcakes come from a just about to open in Orem store named Cupcake Chic. Check out their website and look out for the store. I love supporting local business run by local people! If you Twitter, you can sign up to follow and get updates about when they will open!

Happy Birthday Spencer

2010-07-17T17:01:00.003-07:00

I'd like your interpretation of this masterpiece in 15 words or less:**

**Spencer promises $5 to anyone who uses the magic phrase in their response.

Rope-1; Sidney-0

2010-07-09T09:38:00.004-07:00

Sidney was playing a little game of tug-of-war with a horse. Normally, a person would be wearing gloves whilst handling rope in this manner. However, Sidney frequently has more than gloves on her mind and this time was no exception. Short story even shorter: horse bolted; rope started to slip; Sidney didn't let go. Held on tighter, in fact. Picture below shows why this is a bad idea:

I don't have a before bandage picture, but believe me; the bandages are a good gauge of what lies beneath! I don't envy the next few days.

Do not despair! Sidney has assured me that her texting skills will only diminish slightly.

Father's Day Cake

2010-06-24T20:01:00.001-07:00

One of my favorite websites to visit is Tasty Kitchen. It's this great forum for people to search for and post recipes to share with everyone. It's an extension of The Pioneer Woman's website. I love her. I think she is genius. She is part of what makes my life complete.

I visit every day and tuck peoples recipes into my personal 'recipes to try' box. I'm amazed at how many superb cooks there are, and how many of them are so good at photography as well! Tasty Kitchen truly inspires me to cook for fun as well as helps me come up with new dishes to try for dinner.

My latest new recipe try was this:

Raspberry and Chocolate Ganache Cake with White Chocolate Buttercream

from Kelly @ EvilShenanigans.

I know. A total mouthful of a name. I'm just going to call it 'Father's Day Cake' since that's what I made it for. I spread the cooking over two days so it wasn't too overwhelming. Everyone thought it was yummy. I even liked the frosting quite a bit more than a regular buttercream. And there is no denying that it's a beautiful cake to serve!

Here's a look at the inside: cake layered with raspberry curd and chocolate ganache. Raspberry & chocolate are one of natures perfect combinations!

This wasn't even all that difficult a cake to make--it's just a whole lot easier to spread it out over two days, and a whole lot easier to cut and frost a frozen cake!

So, check out Tasty Kitchen--you will be glad you did, either for the recipes or the fabulous looking food photography!

This one's for you, Vickie!

2010-06-14T18:13:00.005-07:00

So today I got a phone call from a friend.

Some of my friends I think of often, but rarely physically talk to. You know how it is--so many things get in the way of staying in contact in a way other than Christmas cards and Facebook. It doesn't mean I don't care, and it also doesn't mean I don't feel some guilt, but life has a way of taking over all my good intentions.

I am always happy when I do get to talk to old friends, except sometimes it happens over bad news. Like today. I found out a sweet, dear fried died last week in a car accident. A mother like me. A barely forty-something like me. A daughter whose parents are still alive and having to bury a child. It just is so sad!

So I'll take a second to say: Karilyn--I love you and I'll miss your smiley face whenever I would run into you! No matter what trials seemed to be going on in your life, you had the ability to laugh and move on. I always admired your strength and optimism. You are a beautiful spirit!

Karilyn Farnworth Mehlhoff

1969-2010

So how is it my post about Karilyn is actually for Vickie? Well, she happens to be another friend with whom I rarely physically speak but am always thinking of and wondering about. So today, we spoke over the phone about our friend Karilyn and the sadness of the news and commiserated about how easy it is to let time slide by until it is too late. We reminisced over some times the three of us had together and concluded that we should take the opportunity to not be such strangers in the future.

I got thinking more about my friend, Vickie. We both went to PG high school but didn't become friends until after graduation. We had some hilarious (translate: don't ask......) times and then both got married and just lost touch. I would hear occasionally of how she was doing from her and mutual friends. She really is a wonderful person and so, so funny! I remembered a time we both watched the Strawberry Days parade with our two oldest children and thought of a picture I had taken. I searched and finally found it:

Look at these little critters! How cute are they? And now they are both going to be Seniors! And Vickie, look at the date--EXACTLY 15 years ago today! How weird is that? Pretty crazy, I'd say.

So. Now I will polish off my good intentions and try to do a better job of keeping in touch with old friends. Notice I said try--I do have seven kids after all. And I find them to be a really great excuse for all my slacker tendencies.....

All my old and not-so-old friends: have patience with me. I really do love and care about you all. But I'm still learning so many of life's lessons. Including not taking friends for granted before it's too late.

None of us are guaranteed one more day.

Just a teaser.

2010-05-04T10:03:00.006-07:00

So Sid had Prom last Saturday. So excited, she was......she found a dress to rent that she loved. We only had to spend six hours making it wearable. Still, better than spending $350 dollars on a new one ;). After a trial-run on her hair the week before, we managed a mighty fine finished product. Images wanted $40 for an up-do. As if! I'd say we did just fine without their help!! She looked absolutely beautiful and had a ton of fun! Her date looked dapper in his tails, (he'll probably want to shoot me when he finds out I called him dapper.....) and got to take a few photos before they left on their big night. By 6:00 I was super-pooped, (as opposed to the regular-pooped that I normally am) and really couldn't pull out fabulous shots, but there were a few that I liked well enough.....you will have to tune in soon for the mega-awesome shots taken the day after by Tonja, but here is what I came up with:

My favorite.

I just love the subject matter, of course, and the glowy-ness of it! (yeah...check the hair!!)

Ha ha! Bridger's cute smile...(seriously, Bridger, smile MORE!!!)

Nice shot of Sid's dress.

And the elm branches all over my lawn. And the Napoleon Dynamite

tether-ball pole....

Looks kinda happy, don't ya think? Oh, and super beautiful, as per usual!

Taco Town

2010-05-03T21:09:00.002-07:00

Hahahahahahahaha!!!!!!!!!

I watched this a couple of weeks ago and have been laughing to myself ever since!

Hahaha!! Guacamolito!!!

Quite Possibly the Cutest Thing I Have Ever Made.

2010-04-27T08:00:00.003-07:00

I finished this baby quilt for Jackson not too long ago. I think that's a record for me. Actually finishing a quilt before my baby is two.....not exactly my style! I had quite a bit of it done before he was born, then got hung up on the applique, as usual. I had a few things occupying my time for a while, so I worked on the last bits in a not very driven fashion. I think sometimes, in my sleepy stupor I actually forgot to look at what I was doing because when it was finally finished, I couldn't believe how adorable it was!

I just love the bright colors! I remember picking them out so carefully--trying to picture the sweet baby I was making it for, wanting it to match the little happy boy personality I knew he would have! Some of the fabric was from my stash, but most I bought at Quilts Etc. in Sandy. My go-to shop for when I just can't find what I'm looking for....

I wanted to stay very geometric so I stuck with lines and dots for the most part. The brown sashing is a print resembling dirt--for the roads, of course!

I copied the idea from Sharon at American Quilting to use black rick-rack for the nubbly tractor tires. That was genius! So much cuter than the pattern!

I didn't take a picture, but the back is a print that had been out for over a year. I had to scour the internet to find it, but I love it! Here is a pic I pulled from a website:

I wish I could say that I quilted it myself but alas--quilting is not my thing, so a wonderful lady at American Quilting named Becky custom quilted it like she did the original; each block is treated differently depending on the fabric in the block. I love how she followed the stripe on the orange print in this one:

Jackson loves sitting on it. He tries to grab the colors right off the quilt! He is so interested in touching everything right now--if I don't keep him constantly occupied with new things to grab and suck on he gets quite put out!!

Okay. Maybe the quilt is the second cutest thing I ever made. Or the eighth.....however you want to count it!

I love you Baby Jack!

87 dollars later......

2010-04-06T20:17:00.005-07:00

Our family just got back from seeing 'How to Train Your Dragon' in 3D. Since Spring Break Vacations for Nine are reserved for wealthy or crazy people, we decided that a family movie would be our treat for the week.

Taking out whole family to see a movie is a rare thing. We first have to consider whether it will be a movie that will entertain each person who goes. I wouldn't expect Connor (2) to enjoy say, 'The Blind Side', or 'Clash of the Titans'. And I wouldn't subject Jason and my older kids to "Space Buddies', or 'Curious George'. So you can imagine that even finding a movie is a difficult thing.

I ponder the reason why we are going to the theater in the first place. We generally wait until a movie comes out on DVD because the convenience and cost can't be beat! Everyone has quick access to a bathroom, and we can pause the movie if we need to. Or watch it 27 times for the same price as once--(or free!--Princess and the Frog...thanks Kellie!)

Next, the time of day must be considered. Of course a matinee is preferred, but sometimes not available. Can't go too late, either. Young kids, you know....I typically don't even consider a movie if we have an infant to accommodate. I enjoy actually seeing the movie myself, and have spent several bouncing a fussy one in the doorway or hall so as not to disturb other movie-goers, thus defeating my attendance.

So after taking all these issues into consideration, we choose to take everyone, including Jackson, to a 3D, evening showing of 'How to Train Your Dragon'.

FYI--It costs $73 dollars to buy tickets to a 3D movie for 7 people. Jackson and Connor were free as long as they were not occupying a seat. Shelby and under were child pricing, and each ticket was $1 more for reserving our seats online--WELL worth it, I say, since there is no reason at all to get there early. $14 for assorted goodies (at Macey's, of course!) and we were set!

Long story short--The theater wasn't full so no one had to sit on a lap. Jackson slept through 93% of the movie, Connor was riveted (and kept his glasses on for 83% of the movie). No one asked to use the bathroom, and EVERYONE thought the movie was excellent! I loved every minute of 'How to Train Your Dragon' and 100% recommend seeing it in 3D. Thanksgiving Point Theaters are further away, it's true, but when you factor in the reserving of seats, the extra time it takes to get there is totally worth it in time saved standing in line. We go there for all our midnight release movies just for that reason!

Do yourselves a favor and don't wait for this one on DVD. The big screen enhanced the 3D effects. I give this movie 3 1/2 stars!

I have this friend....

2010-04-01T10:51:00.004-07:00

My friends Erin & Mark Summerill are so talented! Check out what they are putting out there in the form of a CONTEST!! Yes! You too can win cool, amazing things by entering the contest on their PHOTO BLOG:

This one only took eight years or so.....

2010-03-23T13:06:00.004-07:00

Hey Wendy.....remember that one Shop Hop when Kellie & I ran into You & Kathy at Thimbles and Threads? You and I were checking out the back room and we came across this amazing quilt class taught by Peggy Waltman. It was for this crazy Whimsical Star wall hanging and I remember looking at that with you and saying how bad I wanted to take that class but I couldn't imagine ever finishing such a project. It had all this applique and even then I had a pretty good handle on my proclivity for procrastination and putting away of unfinished projects. I figured, realistically, that having three little kids and all the busy that brings would totally preclude me from EVER finishing such a project!! You turned to me and said "I absolutely think you would finish that quilt. You should take that class!" I'm not sure why you said such a thing, I'm not even sure you really believed what you were saying, but apparently it was all I needed to hear 'cause I signed right up!

I remember the class and how much I loved learning from Peggy Waltman. She has all these crazy techniques and imaginative ideas and I had a blast! I remember that she said that circles in nature were never perfect, so why did our applique circles have to be? BAM!! This was a revelation to me! All of a sudden, I had PERMISSION to NOT BE PERFECT!! From an EXPERT!! I have since applied this life lesson to many areas of my day to day existence--one of the epiphanies I hold most dear!!

Well Wendy, you were right. I did finish that quilt and it's hanging on my wall right now! I actually got pretty far pretty fast. Then the applique held me up for a while, and then the quilting was another hold up. But DANG! I actually finished it! And thanks to Ella, won $50.00 off it in a quilt show which made up for the price of the class and pattern, so YE-HA!!

You are my quilt class taking muse, Wendy. The quilt class Whisperer! And apparently I believe in the fact that you believe in me more than I believe in myself!! So thank you very much! This one's for you!! (although not literally....'cause after all, it DID take me eight years....)

A little up-close of some of the blocks.

Raspberry Ginger Chicken

2010-03-01T15:04:00.008-07:00

We had this last night. It pleased everyone! I altered the original recipe I found to make a sweeter, thicker sauce. Kind of plum-saucy. Just remember that when you brine your chicken, it adds saltiness, so keep this in mind as you salt your dish.

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts that have been brined (*see note below regarding brining)
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 Tbsp olive oil
3/4 cup onion-chopped

1 cup seedless raspberry jam
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup soy sauce--low sodium if you have it
1 tsp. grated fresh ginger (use a microplane)
3/4 tsp. crushed rosemary
3-4 Tablespoons brown sugar, depending on taste

cornstarch & cold water--to thicken

Cut chicken into approx. 1 inch pieces--like stir-fry. Sprinkle with pepper. Saute the onion in the olive oil. After 3-4 minutes, add the chicken and saute until chicken is cooked. I separated my chicken into 2 cast iron saute pans. You don't want to cook that much chicken together or it will steam, not brown & saute. Do two separate batches in one pan if you have to. In a small bowl, mix the remaining ingredients. Pour over chicken when it's cooked and heat through. Add cornstarch & water mixture to thicken to your liking. Serve with rice.

*Brining chicken*

I'm not going to lie. The chicken we buy these days is pretty bland & not very tender. I don't make ANYTHING with the helpless, hormone-infused, ginormous chicken breasts without brining first. It makes all the difference in the world.

In a large Ziplock bag put

1 cup HOT water and add:

1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup kosher salt

Shake to dissolve. Add:

3 cups cold water

Place unfrozen chicken breasts inside bag and seal. Let sit about 2-3 hours. This does make your chicken a bit saltier, so adjust salt in your recipe accordingly. I rinse my chicken well before using.

How a brine works:

***WARNING---THIS NEXT BIT IS AS DRY AS THE UNBRINED CHICKEN BREAST--SERIOUSLY........DO NOT READ UNLESS YOU REALLY ARE WONDERING HOW IT WORKS!***

Moisture loss is inevitable when you cook any type of muscle fiber. Heat causes raw individual coiled proteins in the fibers to unwind—the technical term is denature—and then join together with one another, resulting in some shrinkage and moisture loss. (By the way, acids, salt, and even air can have the same denaturing effect on proteins as heat.) Normally, meat loses about 30 percent of its weight during cooking. But if you soak the meat in a brine first, you can reduce this moisture loss during cooking to as little as 15 percent, according to Dr. Estes Reynolds, a brining expert at the University of Georgia.

Brining enhances juiciness in several ways. First of all, muscle fibers simply absorb liquid during the brining period. Some of this liquid gets lost during cooking, but since the meat is in a sense more juicy at the start of cooking, it ends up juicier. We can verify that brined meat and fish absorb liquid by weighing them before and after brining. Brined meats typically weigh six to eight percent more than they did before brining—clear proof of the water uptake.

Another way that brining increases juiciness is by dissolving some proteins. A mild salt solution can actually dissolve some of the proteins in muscle fibers, turning them from solid to liquid.

Of all the processes at work during brining, the most significant is salt's ability to denature proteins. The dissolved salt causes some of the proteins in muscle fibers to unwind and swell. As they unwind, the bonds that had held the protein unit together as a bundle break. Water from the brine binds directly to these proteins, but even more important, water gets trapped between these proteins when the meat cooks and the proteins bind together. Some of this would happen anyway just during cooking, but the brine unwinds more proteins and exposes more bonding sites. As long as you don't overcook the meat, which would cause protein bonds to tighten and squeeze out a lot of the trapped liquid, these natural juices will be retained.

He Likes His Fingers

2010-02-25T10:09:00.009-07:00

Jackson has really started to show his personality. Lately, he has discovered the magic that is his fingers. A couple of times he has attempted to shove his whole fist into his mouth.

Gosh dang it. He's so adorable!

Know What?

2010-01-30T08:53:00.002-07:00

Farenheit 350 is having another giveaway. This time it's a beautiful Strawberry Chocolate Caramel Pecan Log. Visit her blog for a chance to win!

10 Year Project

2010-01-13T09:16:00.006-07:00

I don't really make New Years Resolutions. My Defeated Perfectionistic self understands that this would only add to the big pile of 'things that cause me angst'. I do everything I can to NOT willingly add to that pile.....

That being said, I'm always trying to accomplish things that reside in my 'you shouldn't have started that if you weren't going to finish it' pile. I feel that if I balance things in this pile with the 'just bought it yesterday even though I know I have plenty of unfinished projects already' pile, then eventually, I will make progress. I has occurred to me that the flaw in this plan is in finishing one project while buying two new projects. This has generally been my M.O. up until just recently. Mostly driven by financial priorities, I have taken to focusing a little harder on my pile-to-pile ratio.

I usually have to be mentally and emotionally motivated to tackle a 'WIP' (aka-work in progress.) WIP is much more positive than 'UFO' (aka unfinished object.) UFO implies that underneath it all, you really never expect to finish said project. WIP at least leaves the possibility open. I have had projects in the past that I let go for sooooo long that they no longer appealed to me in any way, shape, or form. Maybe 2 or 3 of these went the way of the yard sale or DI, but I really try very hard to finish something before it falls into the 'EW, BLECH, YUKKY' category. I don't deal well with guilt......which brings me to today's project:

A Long Time Ago, and Far, Far Away.......I decided that I wanted to learn to paper piece. This is a quilting technique that enables some seemingly impossible and very precise piecing. I was at one of my favorite quilt shops, Gentler Times, up in Holiday. Sadly, they no longer exist, but 10 years ago, they offered a class that was just what I was looking for. A lovely Mariners Compass combined with a Storm at Sea background. I was in love. I gathered my fabrics and with the help of a friend, (someone had to watch my small children so I could attend the three needed classes), proceeded to learn this new skill. The teacher was experienced and helpful. She explained thoroughly the process and I successfully created the Mariners Compass portion of the quilt. I was so pleased and excited! I had turned out an amazing example of paper-pieced-perfection!! I left the class with the knowledge I had been seeking.

Then, having three small children, I took approximately two more years to put the rest of the quilt together, minus the borders. Project after project came and went. After about 5 years I finally added the borders and marked the quilt for quilting and began to hand quilt. This was the stickler: I got a certain amount of the way and either got too busy, or too distracted by other projects to continue. The quilt lay in a bag for quite some time. Every time I came across it I would say to myself "I really need to finish that!" then I would look realistically at my available time and stick the quilt back into the bag. It wasn't until I finally decided that hand quilting was going to be an impossibility, that I took out the stitching I had already done, and gave it to a friend to machine quilt. It sat in her studio for over a year while we pondered what would be the best type of quilting to enhance the pattern. We finally collaborated and the quilt was quilted!! Yay!! You would think that this incredible milestone would have prompted me to get the thing bound immediately!! Think again. I even had the binding already made and still let another year pass by without lifting a finger. I guess that's just how I roll.

Part of me was just not all that attracted to the colors of the quilt anymore. There goes my emotional motivation. But last fall, I finally managed to slog through and reach way down to come up with the umpf to finish. I put in the last stitch in the binding and thought to myself "There. Good for you. Another project you can cross off your guilt list." Then, having an empty wall between Halloween and Christmas, stuck it up on my wall as a fall quilt. AND COULDN'T STOP STARING AT IT!! It looked so amazing on the wall! The colors became secondary to the pattern. It was mesmerizing. I loved it!

And now I have a new zeal for finishing all my old projects. Anything that is in an unfinished state has elevated from a UFO to a WIP. I will be periodically posting my finished results for you all to see. Here is a pic of the whole quilt. It's wall hanging size (and did I mention how great it looks on my wall?)

Mariners Compass/Storm at Sea

entirely paper pieced

machine quilted by Winnifred

10 years+ in progress

Finished: November 2009

There But For the Grace........

2010-01-07T14:43:00.012-07:00

I've been meaning to put up some pictures of Jackson.

Today, especially, I'm feeling so blessed to have him in our family.

He truly is an angel baby.

I read a link from Erin's blog today that made my heart just ache!

And then it made me want to hug him extra hard.

I love you, Jackson.

Oh my......it's pie!

2009-12-30T07:48:00.000-07:00

So, a few moons past, a good friend suggested I join a recipe card exchange. Having a self-diagnosed manic obsession for recipes, I eagerly complied! After all, I was given a full SIX WEEKS to choose, construct, and deliver a mere 20 6X6 scrapbook-style cards. Piece of cake, right? Well, in my typical Defeated Perfectionistic manner, I planned an over-the-top recipe card without actually planning an appropriate recipe. For about eight weeks. Yes, my friend gently reminded me several times to get the cards done and deliver them to her before she left for an extended vacation. And I didn't. I am a master procrastinator, in case you didn't know. I have a rep to live down to.....

In the end, my Friend A left on her trip, (to Israel, lucky girl...), and I eventually threw together a recipe that sounded festive, but in actuality I had never tried, (I swear I don't usually do that....), made a sub-par recipe card x20 that was nowhere near my mental vision, and Friend B, who is Friend A's bestest helper, had to come to my house and fetch my cards so as to include them in the bunch that was by now two weeks late!

I. Am. A. Class. A. Loser.

So, not long after, I received back a lovely stack of cards with some fabulous recipes on them and sadly admitted to myself that I did not deserve to ever be included in a recipe card exchange again.

I tucked my beautiful stack away in my cookbook closet, bringing it out periodically to peruse, mentally adding some of them into my "need to try" file, wondering if anyone had done the same with my submission: Festive Holiday Wraps, and if they were any good....

Time passed.

A lot of time.

Probably three years.

(Okay, I just reviewed my friends blog posts about her trip and discovered that it was just over a year ago that she went to Israel. Am I trapped in a time warp of some sort? Help me out Wendy--when was this card exchange? I swear it's been at least two years....)

Anyway......I digress. The whole point of this post was this:

I ran into Jacquie B. at Macey's a few weeks ago and we began to talk recipes. She brought up a particular pie she likes to make. She reminded me that it was her contribution to the card exchange. I said that it was on my mental "to try" list. She exhorted me to make it straight away! Said it was something about the paper bag that made all the difference. I said it was now at the top of my mental "to try" list because cooking a pie in a paper bag was intriguing to me. We parted company, I checked out my groceries, making sure to add a large paper bag to my pile of plastic-packaged produce (I'd rather trash a land-fill that cut down a tree...), and I went my merry way!

I included this mysterious pie in my list of Thanksgiving desserts this year. Along with a banana cream, and a lemon truffle pie that I am still tweaking before sharing.

This pie was the across the board favorite!! My kids went bonkers over it! Even Chef Jason said it was the best apple pie he'd ever had!

My conclusion? Though I am officially a cream-pie aficionado, I LOVED THIS PIE!!!! It was delicious, it was beautiful, it was fun to make---what more could you want in a pie? Oh yeah---It was also RIDICULOUSLY EASY!!!!

Check it out:

This is the pie after putting the fabulous butter-laden crumb topping on. So scrumptious!!

This is the pie after baking it in a 350 degree oven for 1 hour and 45 minutes. (slow & steamy....I can't WAIT!!)

This is me painstakingly peeling the paper bag from the pie while peeking in pleasure at the perfection in a pan!!

Oh. My. Heck. How fetchingly beautiful is THAT?!?? (fetching in the Gone With the Wind sense of the word). I cried when I unwrapped this baby. It was so gorgeous!!!!

I would have so dearly loved to have eaten a slice right then and there while it was steaming hot, but I have this thing about slicing food before its time so I put it aside until it was time for dessert.

And then it was devoured. And if it wasn't against my religion not to serve pie with this:

.....it would have been amazing even plain. But it is against my religion, so real whipped cream was the garnish of the day.

And it was perfect.

Perfect Apple Pie.

Perfect Apple Pie Topped With Crumb Crust (baked in a brown paper bag).

Thanks Jacquie.

Perfect Apple Pie Topped With Crumb Crust (baked in a brown paper bag)

Filling: 5 cups sliced (not too thin...) apples ( I used FUJI)

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

2 Tbsp. flour

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Mix sugar, flour, and spices and toss with peeled, sliced apples. Pour into unbaked pie shell.

Topping: 1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup sugar

1 cube butter

Mix until crumbly. Sprinkle on top of pie. Place pie in large brown paper grocery bag from Maceys (support your local business man) and seal. (I made sure it wasn't touching the pie and then I stapled it shut). Bake in a 350 degree oven for 1 hour and 45 minutes. DO NOT PEEK!!! Bag must be placed in center of the oven-above the heating element.

Serve with real whipped cream. Or not. Either way it's delicious!!!

This Little Piggy.....

2009-12-15T13:01:00.005-07:00

Awww........Is there anything cuter than little, tiny baby toes? We count them, we kiss them, we make up poems about them.....

They're just so sweet!! I have been guilty of all sorts of tootsie-tickling. I've been guilty of nibbling & yes, even sucking on the darn things! I can't help it!! They only stay this cute for so long!!

Oh, look! there's two of them!! Even better!! So soft and adorable, double the pleasure, double the fun!!

Wait a minute.......what is that I see? I am familiar with every darling dimple my honey-bun possesses--and that ain't one of them!!!

Can you see it?
Let's take a closer look......
What the?!!? HOLY COW! My precious had one of those mythical "hair got wrapped around the baby's finger/toe" hairs wrapped around his finger/toe!!!!!! Can you see it?!? A HAIR WRAPPED ITSELF AROUND MY BABY'S TOE AND TRIED TO CUT IT OFF!!!!!

I was giving Jackson a bath this morning and noticed through the soap bubbles a piece of lint on his toe. Then I noticed that the lint was tangled up in a piece of hair. So I pulled the lint and hair off and saw that a deep crease remained. I rather FREAKED!! I had just had a conversation about this very subject with a group of friends, about how we had all heard of this happening. One friend even described how someone she knew even had to have their baby's finger AMPUTATED because of a constricting hair that went unnoticed!! Sacre bleu!! After running around the kitchen for 6.7 seconds like a headless chicken, I reverted to take-charge mode. After all, discombobulated-ness gets you nowhere...

I called the pediatrician, got a very quick appointment from a concerned receptionist and rushed to pack the three boys and myself into the van.

To make a long story short, it appears as though I initially removed the entire hair myself. My aimless running around the kitchen and very valid, I thought, freaking out was not entirely warranted. Disaster was not imminent, Jackson's toe is saved, he apparently has another case of thrush, and I'm going to chop off all my hair.....

getting the hang of the vernacular

2009-12-08T09:00:00.004-07:00

Conversation between Nicholas and Sidney this morning:

Nick, after putting on his newly acquired red snow boots:

"Sidney, look! (indicating boots) "These are so gross!"

Sidney, looking at his boots and trying to decide in what way the boots are gross:

"Don't you mean 'sick'?"

Nick, thinking a little bit about his verbal blooper:

"Yeah! Sick! These boots are sick!"

Atta boy.....

All About the Food

2009-11-28T07:54:00.016-07:00

Thanksgiving means a lot of things. Family, gratitude, football, autumn, dog show, & food. I could go on about all the things I'm grateful for, but I suspect that my list would be almost identical to yours. I could brag about how I called all three NFL games, including the Denver/New York game, and how people in my house really should listen to my intuition when they make their Pigskin Pick 'em picks. Autumn kind of came early and left already. So let's get on to the FOOD!!!

I'm always so interested in what everyone else is having for their Holiday/Family get-togethers. Let's face it, food is fascinating. I wish I could have been to all my friends dinners and pick off their plates. Except for the marshmallow sweet potatoes. I won't touch those. Weird stuff, those....

Here is a sample of what we had at my house:

I'm pretty sure I could live by bread alone....at least for a few days. I love these rolls. They are so heavenly, they should be in the dessert category. Aren't they pretty?

This pie was sick. And I mean that in the 'teenage vernacular of the day' sense---(I know, parents just embarrass themselves when they try to imitate their teens.....)

We will address this pie in more detail at a later date.

This is a naked banana cream pie. Don't worry, we'll take care of that! Although it is somewhat of a shame to cover up home made vanilla custard....

This is an integral ingredient. Used in no less than four dishes.

Putting the cream on the pie....I love pie.

Mmmm......I almost didn't want to cut into this!

Tried a new stuffing this year. Cornbread in origin. It was good, but somehow I just can't get my mom's stuffing out of my brain.

Jason made the potatoes, gravy (actually made by Jedd), more stuffing (at my request, in case my new version was yuk), and cranberry sauce. These are the dishes that I live for. The sides.

This is Caramel-Apple-Sweet potato-with streusel topping. Not a bad way to get the sweet potato experience. It's pretty dang good.

Lemon Truffle Pie. Something of an experiment. When I get it just right, I'll share the recipe!

Jason also roasted the turkey breast. Just the breast because really, none of us love turkey all that much. There is no way I could incorporate an entire turkey into my meals for a week. But it's so pretty! And it does make awesome gravy, and that's important!

And okay, I couldn't resist adding my most recent reason to be thankful....I'm not sure how I was able to get anything at all cooked when this cutie tried so hard to distract me with his adorable-ness.

Hope you all had a Happy Thanksgiving! I'd like a copy of all the recipes you used, please....

Jackson Banning Merryweather: The Beginning

2009-10-28T17:00:00.000-07:00

Jackson--Name Information
Boy or Girl ?: boy
Origin of name: Scottish
Meaning: God has been gracious; has shown favor. Based on John or Jacques.

Banning--Name Information
Boy or Girl ?: boy
Origin of name: Gaelic
Meaning: Little blond one.
(tee-hee-hee!)

Merryweather--Alternate spelling of Merriweather
English: nickname for someone of a sunny disposition, from Middle English merry (see Merry) + wether ‘weather’ (Old English weder).

It was a dark and stormy night.....okay, it was dark. And I was having some killer contractions and wouldn't have noticed if it were stormy or not. About 10:30 we arrived at the hospital to discover that the killer contractions had been doing their job and I was good to go!

Together with my expert birthing coach, Jason, and his apprentice (and my personal photographer)--Sidney, we moved into a LDR room.

Yeah. Somewhere mid last week my great, big belly turned into an even greater, bigger belly. Never in all my big belly experiences have I ever had such a Great. Big. Belly. It was huge. I mean it. This proves it.

This would be the afore mentioned apprentice and photographer, (and don't forget--Sista #Uno)--Sidney.

Time marched on.

Contractions came and went. This was a big one. It actually peaked at 143. I hardly felt it. It was great.

This was when everything kicked into high gear. I was ready to go. Baby was ready to come. We were ready to meet!

This would be Dr. Merryweather. My personal baby-catching husband. Yes. He is now legit. After years of being the official cord-cutter, Claudia graduated him to the coveted position of baby-catcher. For real. She explained the procedure to him and let him do the job! Except for removing the cord that was wrapped twice around Jackson's neck, he was the official deliverer of his boy! It was pretty amazing! Love MTWC for that!

Props to Sid for the amazing, well edited shot of a seconds-old Jackson! That's Jason holding him!! Right after he 'caught' him!

Right up on mom's belly!

Amazing. Every. Single. Time. I could never get tired of this moment!

Sidney was able to keep the cord-cutting responsibility in the family. I totally love the PGHS stamp and the glitter-blue nail polish along side the surgical implements!

Checking all the vitals. Did I mention I LOVE AF Hospital? They have the best nurses over there!

Yeah Son!!!

Hey! It's my blog....I can post what ever I want!!

Already checking out the world around him!

How cute is this?

I love this. I loved that Sidney came.

So sweet!

Like I said: Nothing in the whole world like these precious moments!

Missed a spot! He was covered in vernix--again, love the blue polish!

I think he is pleased!

Jackson Banning and the hands that delivered him.

The End Part One

So Bad, Yet So Good........Like Spike!

2009-10-14T13:14:00.013-07:00

Can you think of something off the top of your head that is so enticingly delicious, so irresistible, so mind-boggingly yummy that you cannot resist it? Even though you know that logically it's really quite bad for you? I can. Spike. From Buffy the Vampire Slayer. One of my naughty weaknesses, and hands-down one of my favorite characters of all time, books, T.V, & movies included.

This bread is like Spike. If you indulged too often it would probably take you down. An instant after I took my first bite I knew two things:

#1 I was in Nirvana

#2 This bread could not be made more than 2 or three times a decade. Just kidding. 2 or 3 times a year would probably be acceptable: along with some cholesterol-blocking medication. It is also, however, totally worth it! Just like Spike. I mean it. I love him...er.....it.....

You start off by mincing your garlic and separating it into four piles.
Cut your loaf of french bread in half, and then in half again the other direction.
Melt 1/4 the butter in a large cast skillet. Add 1/4 the garlic and DON'T LET IT BURN!!! It gets yukky and bitter.
Using one of the bread sections, soak up all the butter and garlic evenly across the surface getting all the garlic bits that you can.
It should look like this. Now set bread aside.

Next, mix your mayo, salt, green onion & cheeses together in a bowl.
Spread 1/4 of cheese mixture onto bread. Repeat with other slices.
Place on a cookie sheet and bake at 425 degrees for 10-12 minutes, until hot and bubbly. Slice up and serve. This is a Pioneer Woman recipe. Someone else I can't get enough of. But she's o.k. I mean, you can indulge in PW as much as you want and never be sorry!

Garlic Cheese Bread--from Pioneer Woman

1 loaf french bread
1 cube butter (1/2 cup)
1 1/2 cups colby-jack cheese--shredded
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/2 cup mayo--don't you DARE use miracle whip or low-fat imposters!!!
4 green onions. white and light green parts minced
dash of salt
4 lg cloves of garlic--minced

Melt 2 Tbsp. butter in large skillet. Add 1/4 minced garlic--DON'T BURN!!! Soak up butter-garlic mixture in one of the slices of french bread. (Remember--cut in half through the short way, then again through the long way.) Mix mayo, salt, cheeses & green onions together. Spread 1/4 of mixture on each fourth of garlic-butter soaked bread. Bake in 425 degree oven until hot and bubbly--about 10-12 minutes.

A big pile of......

2009-09-28T08:05:00.003-07:00

This is approximately one weeks worth of laundry. Minus a couple of loads that were still in progress.

There are a few things I notice when I do laundry:

#1 There are WAYYYYYYY too many towels. Is there really anything wrong with hanging up your towel and using it a couple of times before you wash it?

#2 I see folded up clothes mixed in with the dirty. This means that certain of my family pulls out multiple sets of clothes when deciding what to wear, and later while cleaning their room, get lazy and just throw them in with the dirty. To me, once they get all mixed in with the dirty, They need to be cleaned. I don't feel that I can compromise on this....

#3 The ratio of underwear to socks is ridiculous!! Shouldn't there be two socks for each pair of underwear? Why are there more like six? ***Exception to this phenomenon: Cameron will change his underwear 3 times a day because he wants to give all his super heroes a turn.....and he eschews socks whenever possible***

#4 I find random clothes every week. Sometimes underwear I don't recognize. This disturbs me.....

#5 My 'system' drives Jason crazy. I'm not sure how he would manage laundry if it were his job, but my way clearly makes no sense to him at all. He used to do a few loads now and then, but it offended me and I yelled at him so he doesn't touch it now. I prefer it this way. You don't mess with my system, man! Now if you actually want to learn and not criticize......

I have a carefully chosen approach to separating laundry into four hampers to avoid the linty, dingy loads that come from mixing laundry. I don't do a load of something until I have enough for a full load. I fit laundry in when I can. Some things have to soak overnight and be double rinsed. Some loads are cold water only. Some loads are hang-dry. My clean clothes are separated from the dirty in a way that apparently only makes sense to me. (Namely distance...I finish drying a load and dump it in a big pile on the other side of the room....) This makes for a seemingly chaotic laundry situation, but in actuality I feel that laundry for eight (almost nine) people deserves some slack!

To be fair, Sidney decided long ago that my 'system' didn't fit into her schedule of when she wanted to wear certain things, so I only do about 10% of her laundry, mainly whatever she leaves on the floor of my bedroom....she does the rest. However; some of the younger kids produce 3X the laundry that they should so.......

It's not even that I really mind laundry, It actually is quite soothing to me to fold clothes. I get to make organized piles of things and get one big job done all at once! (And no, I wouldn't get the same satisfaction by doing your laundry, so don't ask...)

I actually use it as a time to reflect on the blessing of a large family. What if Conner weren't here for me to wash and fold his clothes? It's satisfying to me! I don't think I would get the same pleasure out of it if I were washing, folding, and putting loads away as I go. It would then become a never-ending cycle of something that was never done. What would I have to show for my efforts? A clean, organized laundry room? Technically, I don't even have a dedicated laundry room. Maybe if I did I would be inspired to change my 'system'.

Here is the result after two hours of folding, which I either choose to layer with a few good TV shows, or a good long phone conversation with Kellie. It might still look like chaos, but trust me, it's not. Everyones piles are separate. The older kids get to fold their own. The younger kids' clothes are ready to put away. All the hang-up clothes are separated into stacks. Underwear and socks in their own respective baskets. Notice the 27 towels.

How do you feel about laundry? What is your 'system'? Am I nuts that I would rather do laundry any day than decide what's for dinner? My family size is about to increase, do you have any great laundry organization tips for me?

My Favorite Quilt Shop

2009-09-17T11:36:00.002-07:00

Hey! My favorite quilt shop now has a blog! I love American Quilting for so many reasons! First being that they have the nicest ladies working there! They are always welcoming and helpful, and they love to see what it is you are working on!

They have a great fabric selection, with different types for every taste, And I love that they send out a 20% off coupon if you are on their mailing list!

I can't think of a time that I visited their store and didn't see a beautiful, new quilt or project that I wanted to make! The owner of the store, Amy, has a great pattern line of her own called Under the Garden Moon that hasn't yet turned out something not adorable!! She is mega-talented and the sole culprit for my fabric-buying habit! (not really--I just feel the urge to make every pattern she creates!)

And last, but not least, they are super close and convenient! Located at 426 west 800 north in Orem. So drop by for a visit if you've never been there, and if you have, stop by just for the fun of it, or visit the new Blog!

Well, whaddaya know?!?

2009-09-17T10:25:00.006-07:00

This is too exciting not to post! Fahrenheit350 had a sweet, sweet giveaway last week. Pam, from French Knots, kindly directed people over to Fahrenheit to enter, so I did, 'cause who doesn't love a great Pecan Log!

What I didn't clue in on, was that it was a double giveaway, and I didn't enter Pam's! DOH!!! Sorry Pam! Felt like a loser...especially after I checked out the goodies! I'll chalk that up to having 6 3/4 children and too few brain cells!

Anywhoo, just guess who WON!!

ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yessir! I won the big macdaddy prize of $100.00 in sweets from the Confectionery !!

How could this happen, you might ask? "That Tammy, she has a great life, but c'mon...she never won anything cooler than a lame book on how to make fabric bowls from the Shop Hop!!"

Well, let's just say that in the limited Blogging time available to me, I only visit the coolest sites belonging to the coolest people! And this is PROOF!!

So I'm suggestin' that you all check out Fahrenheit350, and French Knots, 'cause you just never know when you might become TRW*!!!!!!!

Thanks, Kitty!!

*The Real Winner

P.S. Thanks Ella!!

Raspberry White Chocolate Muffins

2009-09-16T15:56:00.005-07:00

I found this recipe today on a recipe blog called "Gimmie Some Oven"

I also happened to have everything on hand! So exciting! So I made them and ate about six......

Raspberry and White Chocolate Muffins 

Ingredients:
• 2 tsp. lemon juice
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 egg
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 2/3 cups sugar
• 2/3 cup white chocolate chips or chunks (or you increase this to 1 cup if you really like white chocolate!)
• 1 1/4 cups raspberries (you can use fresh or frozen, but if they’re frozen, don’t thaw them before mixing them in.

Method:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a muffin pan with paper cups or lightly grease.

Whisk lemon juice, milk, oil and egg in a medium bowl until well combined.
Mix together flour, baking soda, salt, sugar and white chocolate in a large bowl. Add the berries to the dry ingredients and stir gently to combine. Then gently stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Stop stirring once the ingredients are combined.
Pour the mixture into the baking cups, so that each is about 2/3 full. Bake for about 22-24 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and muffins are slightly browned on top. Let cool for a few minutes, and serve. Makes about 15 muffins.

9/11/09

2009-09-11T13:38:00.003-07:00

Wanting to recognize the day, but not sure how.....

I happened upon a post that did it for me. It was poignant, and meaningful, but not in a grandiose way. I really wasn't feeling very grandiose today....