Rediscovering My Cookbooks

Can I just tell how happy I am that it is the final day of January? This month seems to have dragged along on purpose, just to spite me. At least today was a sunny day but most of the week was cold and gray. Don't get me wrong, it's still freezing outside. When you have to bundle up just to get the mail and then actually getting the mail requires strategic acrobatic moves, and to make the challenge more interesting you happen to have impaired gait it isn't at all fun. Yes, I am looking forward to Springtime, yes it is months away, but at least January is nearly done.

Before I let the first month of the year come to a close, I wanted to write about one of my goals for this year. I had decided to become less reliant on using the internet for everyday things like cooking. I love social media, but not everything in my life requires a Google search. I have an amazing collection of cookbooks. I have some classics, some new gems, baking cookbooks, and ethnic cuisine cookbooks. I have practically everything I need to help me create fantastic dishes. I even have two binders filled with recipes that I've printed out over the years- some of them I printed out in 1998. So, I decided to start using my cookbook library again.

Once I started searching for specific recipes for making dinner or baking cakes, I began noticing some fantastic recipes for other things that I never once considered making, mostly because I had no idea that I had the recipe on hand. It is actually a lot of fun skimming through my books and finding endless possibilities.

This afternoon, I found myself getting sucked into re-watching season one of Pretty Little Liars on Netflix and I decided to bake some soda bread. I used a recipe from my "Irish Food & Cooking" cookbook. After looking through that book, I found a bunch of recipes that I had completely forgotten about. I know that a lot of those dishes my husband would love. I think I will be experimenting with those recipes over the next month. If and when I make something from that book, I will let you know. Until next time~Toodahloo!

Criss Cross Applesauce

When I first toured my home, I fell in love with the yard. One of my favorite parts of the yard is the apple tree, right in front of the house. Growing up, apples were a big part of my life. Initially, I was allergic to apples. I always felt a little left out when I watched my siblings bite into a fresh, crisp apple, while I snacked on a harmless banana. Eventually, I out-grew my allergy and was able to enjoy them, too! My father grew apple trees as a hobby and the kitchen in my childhood home has an apple themed decor. There are numerous orchards in the sounds towns and throughout the state. No fall is complete without a trip to an orchard for an afternoon of apple picking.

I was excited to tell my Dad about the apple tree in front of my new house. He was very pleased to see the tree and the variety of apple, a Northern Spy. Apparently, it's a nice sturdy apple, late to ripen and it has a long life in proper storage. Late, one warm October morning, my father came to pick the apples off of the tree for me. I helped him and we divided the pickings between us. We both decided to make apple sauce. He used a very different technique than I, but mine comes from how I was taught years before. One day, when I was in the third grade, my teacher brought in homemade applesauce. Up until then, I thought it was something that you could only get in the store. She told us how she did it, and I went home, that day, and made my own apple sauce.

Not the prettiest apples, but perfect for cooking!

I gathered an armful of apples from my stash and peeled them. Then, I cut out any bad parts. I used a handy tool that cores and slices the apples, all at once!

After all of the apples were peeled, cored and sliced I placed them in a saucepan and added enough water to cover the apples. Basically, I cooked them like I do potatoes, when I want to make mashed potatoes. However, it takes far less time to boil apples than it does to boil potatoes. When the apples were fork tender, I removed them from heat. It only took about 5 minutes.

Peeled, cored, sliced and ready to boil.

After draining the water from the apples, I added cinnamon (a few shakes) and a pinch of nutmeg. Then, I added a tablespoon of honey and I added a tablespoon of butter, after which, I whipped the apples with a hand mixer. It's best to use a hand masher, first, before you use the mixer. You could also use a food processor to really blend the sauce. The apples can be blended as long as you prefer, depending on how smooth you like your sauce. The end result was smooth, thick, applesauce with a few random chunks of apple. So tasty! The recipe that was taught to me when I was 8 years old, still holds as a great lesson. It was a wonderful way to learn a tradition and to enjoy the fruits of my labor. I really need to make some more. 

Until next time~ Toodahloo!

Kitchen (Mis)Adventures

This is what my kitchen island looks like on a regular basis. This is my reality- a slightly controlled mess. Last Friday, I had decided to delight in the anniversary of my sorority's founding by baking a big batch of pink cupcakes; a tradition that I began long ago. Everything was in place, I had my eggs, my strawberry cake mix, freshly brewed coffee and a marathon of Chasing Life on Netflix. First, I made a batch of gluten free chocolate cupcakes, then I baked the strawberry cupcakes. Before I began adding water, eggs and oil to my mix, I double checked the "best by" date. The mix was "Best" by November 2015. Unsure of the safety of the mix, I did one inquiry after another, reading a ridiculous amount of literature on Google. After inspecting, sniffing and eye balling, I surmised that the mix was "safe" and I began the baking process. The sun was shining, the house was clean and it smelled amazing, it was a unicorn eating jellybeans kind of afternoon. That all changed after I frosted the cupcakes....

I don't know if it was the frosting (chocolate fudge from a can), the cupcake, or the combination of the two, but something was just off about the cupcakes. I ate one and it "seemed" okay, but something told me to try another. After smelling a cupcake, breaking it open and smelling more, something seemed sour. I just felt uneasy about these cupcakes, One part of me, the part that loves cupcakes, told myself not to worry, that the mix was properly stored and couldn't possibly be off. However, another part of me, the part that knows I'll wake up at 3 am in a panic, told me to toss the batch. I decided to feed the bin. I didn't like the idea of the kids getting sick off of cupcakes. The gluten free cupcakes were fine, Sadly, I had to go without my pink cupcakes on Founders' Day, this year. As Celine Dion says (err, sings) "my heart will go on......"

To make up for my kitchen mishap, I was determined to be a culinary crusader for the rest of the week. A few days ago, I baked a delicious batch of soft molasses cookies, using my very own recipe! They are a hit. Last night, I made Toll House Pie....swoon!

Monday, I needed fried food in a way that almost seemed obscene. I searched Pinterest for the perfect onion ring recipe. After pinning a few copycat recipes, I'd decided that those recipes were more complicated than they had any business being. Instead, I relied on my trusty Betty Crocker; she never fails me. Sure enough, I found a simple recipe that lent itself to be improved upon with the addition of spices and cornmeal.

The end result was nothing short of amazing. I enjoyed these with fried chicken nuggets. Again, it was that kind of day. Now, I have big plans to make some deep fried pickle chips, with onion rings. I know that it sounds terrible. However, this is something that I delight in once in a blue moon. Normally, I eat more healthy meals and I exercise, the key is moderation. When you use moderation, you can indulge in a few naughty meals.

So, that has been my week in the kitchen. We've been enjoying warmer weather, the days are getting longer and Maine Maple Sunday is just around the corner! Soon, we'll celebrate St. Patrick's Day, then Easter and then....Spring will be here! I am really..really looking forward to Spring. I'll keep you updated on any new kitchen adventures and any other adventures that come my way. Hopefully, no more pastries will be sacrificed. Until next time~ Tooddahloo!

Remembering To Rely On Trusted Cookbooks

I like to cook and I love to bake. Baking is where I find my happy, relaxing place in the kitchen. When I was a little girl, I learned to bake chocolate chip cookies, using my mother's Betty Crocker cookbook. When the internet became a cultural thing, I was in college; I remember my first online recipe came within a viral e-mail that one of my high school friends had sent. It was the notorious fake cookie recipe from a mall bakery. After that, I thought that it would be tremendously useful to find recipes on the internet. I've had good luck with recipes from brand sites, sites of famous cooks and allrecipes.com. What is great about allrecipes is that people with rate the recipe and write in the comments what worked and what didn't work in the recipe. Often, when people share how they improved upon the recipe, I'll use their addition(s) to make a better treat/meal. This method has never really failed me, as far as I can remember.
Then, there's Pinterest, my favorite site. However, it's also the worst site when it comes to recipes. There are so many recipes that look amazing and people claim them to be amazing, but it's such a guessing game. I've found some good recipes and some horrid recipes. Today, for instance, I was in the mood to make some cinnamon rolls, because it was rainy today. I thought that it would be great to warm up the kitchen and make the house smell like baked goods. I went to online and found what was supposed to be an amazing recipe. The recipe (initially) claimed to take 20 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to bake, with a total of 40 minutes. I thought that it would be wonderful to throw together some pastry just in time for the Mister to come home for his lunch break and enjoy some freshly baked cinnamon rolls. Once I got 3/4 of the way through the recipe, with dough half-way mixed, the directions said to let the dough rise for an HOUR! Then further down, the recipe requires the rolls to rise for an additional 30 minutes. It would have been great if this little note was included at the top of the page, where it claimed to be a 40 minute project. I was thoroughly annoyed, to say the least.
The rolls, two hours later, came out great and were very much appreciated when the gentleman came home for the day; it was a welcome treat after being out in the rain. However, the experience has left me a bit jaded.
 Lately, I've decided to stop the game and just rely on my cookbooks. I have a wonderful cookbook collection and those recipes have never failed me. I even have a spiral bound version of the same Betty Crocker cookbook like my Mum has. I rely on that book, still, to bake excellent treats. I've gotten into the habit of grabbing a small stack of books from my cookbook library and finding good recipes to meal plan for the week. The most surprising thing is, I'm now discovering recipes from cookbooks that I overlooked for years. One year, I received the "Desperate Housewives Cookbook" for Christmas. It was a gift, because I was so addicted to the show. I never took the book too seriously. After a recent meal planning session, I discovered that the cookbook is actually pretty great! It has a nice variety of recipes and they are all very easy to throw together. So, for now on, I'm going to take a more old fashioned approach to cooking and baking, and hopefully I'll have more success and less frustration.
Until next time~ Toodahloo!

The Decorations Are Up

This week has been one of those weeks where the weather was a bit off. The past couple of days have been quite damp. When damp mixes with cold, it makes it the perfect weather for staying inside and getting the crafts started, Earlier in the week, I decorated the front porch and took advantage of the warmer, rain free day while I still had it. The rest of the week was better suited for indoor work. I decorated the hall, the living room and the dining room. I even made a wreath today.
Next weekend (not this coming weekend) we'll be getting the Christmas tree. We decided that we wanted to have a Doctor Who inspired tree. So, next week, I will be focusing on making tree decorations, including a Weeping Angel Christmas tree topper. I will share my efforts as I work along; it should be quite fun!

Today was a very productive day. Since I knew that I was going to be busy with tasks, I planned ahead and let the Crock Pot cook for me and I let the bread machine do my baking. "I" made mozzarella stuffed meatballs in marinara sauce and "I" baked homemade garlic bread. I also took the time to make some Rice Krispy Treats. Right now, the house smells amazing! With the smell of food, paired with a Gingerbread Cookie Yankee Candle and soon, the smell of freshly brewed coffee, this house is very snug, indeed.

I have two pooches hanging out with me in the kitchen as I write, and they're patiently waiting for the arrival of the rest of the household. They look like they could use a bit of a cuddle too. At that note, I will sign off for now, I will check back in on Monday. Until Next Time~ Toodahloo!

Spicy Comfort Food

As promised in my previous, I shall share with you a tasty dinner recipe. This is one of those dishes that can be easily thrown together, at last minute, and it's quite adjustable. I did not come up with this idea. I came upon this dish one evening when I was out with my family. We all were in great need for comfort food as we'd spent the entire day at a wake and were taking a break for sustenance before enduring the evening visiting hours. My solution was a "make your own" burger, which I loaded with tomatoes, avocado, pickles and jalapenos, partnered with a pile of fries. My sister selected Buffalo Chicken pasta bake. At the time, her selection didn't seem very appealing to me. However, the more I thought about it, weeks later, the more brilliant it became. So, a month ago, I searched for viable recipes on Pinterest and I stumbled upon one that I really like. So, here is my version of the recipe.

Ingredients:
1-2 cooked chicken breasts (shredded) or 1 can of chunked chicken breast meat
1 pound pasta
1 cup finely shredded sharp cheddar cheese (plus extra for sprinkling on top, optional)
1/8 c. - 1/4 c. Tabasco
1/2 c.- 3/4 c. Ranch Dressing ( You could also use Blue Cheese dressing, too.)

So, from looking at my list of ingredients it's clear that this can be made according to personal taste. I happen to really like hot sauce, but not everyone in the household is used to that. This could also be the case if you have children in the home who can't handle the heat. I recommend supplying a bottle of hot sauce at the dinner table for those who wish to have more of a kick to their meal. With this recipe, you can adjust the hot sauce to ranch dressing ratio. When I first tasted this, before placing it in the oven, I found that it was too spicy, so I added more cheese and dressing to cool down the Tabasco. Also, I used canned chicken, because that is what I had on hand, but if you have left over cooked chicken breast, that would also work.

First, I put the pasta on to boil and while I had that going I mixed the Tabasco with dressing in a small bowl. I set that aside.

Once, my pasta was cooked and drained, I placed the pasta, cheese and chicken in a large bowl, along with the sauce and mixed it all together.

Next, I place the pasta in a greased casserole dish, topped the pasta with extra cheese and baked in a preheated oven, set at 350 deg. F. and baked for 17 minutes.

You can see where I added the extra ranch dressing at the last minute. This tasted great and was super easy to throw together and it was very filling. If you're looking for a comforting dish that has a bit of a kick and is something apart from your normal comfort food, give this a try.

Next time, I'll tell you all about trying to get my office together and the harsh less I learned from procrastinating- it's a doosie! Until next time~ Toodahloo!

A Moment of Bliss

The view outside of my kitchen window. I love this view!

So, yes, it's been a while. I wanted to post yesterday, but I ran out of time. I do that a lot. However, I did sit down with my idea notebook the other day, and I did some brainstorming. Sometimes, I  find myself relying on the old tricks to writing that were taught to me by my English teacher back in the seventh grade. At the time, it was tedious and vexing. Now, I find that not only is it tremendously helpful, but that those lessons deeply embedded themselves in the parts of my brain that I take for granted.
Lately, I have been spending a good deal of my time preparing for the winter. As you might remember from my posts last year, the storm season started early and lasted a long time. The first huge snow storm happened the night before Thanksgiving and the final storm happened in the Spring. In between those months, we endured a few blizzards. So, it should be no surprise that I am in preparation mode.
I spent the first part of the afternoon preparing the meal for tonight- General Tso's Chicken in the Crockpot. There is something deeply comforting about a Crockpot. When I use one, I know that dinner will be ready on time and it will be good. Yes, I still have to make a dessert, that will happen after I take my time to post. Right now, I am enjoying the mellow quiet of the house before everyone comes home in the evening. I should say that I am not required to make a dessert, but I really, really need something chocolatey. Therefore, I shall make a chocolate pudding cake. It's easy to throw together and is insanely tasty. I was going to write a post about the lovely and easy dinner that I made last night. Instead, I find myself enjoying the moment of writing again. I will share that recipe on my next post.
It is gloomy and grey outside, but in here it is cheerful. There's the smell of a pumpkin spice candle and a Crockpot meal cooking on the counter. I'm listening to Gilmore Girls in the background. I've been watching a marathon, via Netflix, all day. there is something about the show that just relaxes me. Even though I've seen these episodes countless times, I still fall back on them for entertainment. The bliss that I am experiencing comes from the fact that tonight's meal is finally going, it will be ready when everyone is ready to settle down to eat and I won't find myself rushing to get it all together at the last minute. I have to make rice and broccoli. but that is easy to accomplish. I am also finding delight in finally admitting to myself that it is okay to not be Martha Stewart, or even Betty Crocker. I am only one person. A person who does not have a team of interns racing around to make my life function seamlessly. All the pretty pictures on Pinterest and the perfection displayed in magazines were mostly accomplished after many, many failed attempts, perfect lighting and Photoshop. Sometimes, the soup might need more salt, or the burritos might need a little less hot sauce. Everyone's taste is different, We do our best, and that is all you can do. That is all people desire, not perfection. Life doesn't need to look like it does in those carefully crafted magazine photos. Your friends and family are just happy that you care so much to try to make things nice for them.
Through this recent discovery, I actually enjoy myself in the kitchen far more. Now that I no longer pressure myself to make everything pretty, and just make things nice, life is so much simpler. That affirmation has brought forth total bliss.
Next time, I'll share the tasty recipe for the meal that I threw together last night. It was super easy to make and very tasty! Until next time~ Toodahloo!

Wacka Wacka Guacamole

Today is Cinco de Mayo, such a fun day! The sun is shining and after a long winter and a long cold spring, it is finally warm. This is a time for a nice festive meal! With my family, we never have authentic Mexican food for this day. I do, on occasion, make authentic Mexican food. However, some times we like things that are a bit less involving. I decided that what I could not go without is my guacamole. My sisters love it, my nephews even dig it. So, here is how I make it.....

Slice 3 avocados in half and remove the pits. I carefully slice a cross hatch cut in the fruit, avoiding the skin. This makes it really easy to scoop the fruit out and it is already cubed for the mix.

I add 2 tablespoons of lemon juice ( lime would work, too), 1 teaspoon of minced garlic, a tablespoon of dried cilantro and several shakes of cumin (to taste).

I use a pastry blender to mash the avocado and to blend all of the ingredients together. Using the pastry blender allows you to see the exact texture that you desire. I like my guacamole to be slightly chunky, almost like the texture of large curd cottage cheese.

This is how it looks when it is ready. This has such a nice, fresh flavor to it. Sometimes, I add a bit of salsa to the guacamole (1/4 cup), but I left it as is, this time. If you have any left over, be certain to squirt a bit of lemon juice on top and leave it, don't mix it. This will help prevent oxidation and keep your guacamole nice and Shreky green.

In other news, the weather has been so splendid lately, I couldn't help but do some yard work. It is so nice to finally be outside, with the fresh air and warm sunshine! Yesterday, I did some work on my herb garden. I also planted a basil plant and a cilantro plant in a pot. This will make some tasty sauces, sandwiches and salads all summer.

I love the smell of fresh herbs. When the rosemary, sage and mint grow and the wind catches them, the scent in the back yard is heavenly. I wish we still had our rose bushes, but we do still have the lilacs. I have that to look forward to. I hope to add more wildflowers to the flower garden this year, too. I want the bees to love my back yard. They do like the flowers that grow on the herbs. I hope my herbs help the bees to make some tasty honey. The goal for this summer: more flowers, wind chimes and nature journaling. I'll let you know how that works out as I go along. I hope that you re-create this guacamole and have a delicious time! Until next time~ Toodahloo!

Seeing Green

Yesterday, we celebrated St. Patrick's Day. Even though we are not of Irish ancestry, we love to celebrate the holiday. Traditionally, I bake green velvet cake. However, this year, I decided to try something different. I did miss having green baked goods. I decided to begin the celebrating early, and made fluffy green pancakes. They look like something the Hulk would create, but they are delicious. I always use the recipe from the trusty Betty Crocker Cookbook. It was a fun way to start the day and it put a smile on my face.

In the afternoon, I made Irish soda bread, whilst watching the show Moone Boy on hulu.com. Growing up, my mother never made soda bread. The first time I ever had soda bread was when I was in college. I was at a cast party hosted my the director who also happened to be my adviser. She cooked a delicious dinner for the cast that included scrumptious soup and soda bread. I was hooked from that point. Every time I bake soda bread, I think of that night, it was a great time.

I use Craisins in my soda bread rather than currants or raisins. I also soak my Craisins in Red Rose tea for at least 30 minutes before draining them and adding them to the dough. I found the recipe way back in 2002 on epicurious.com. However, the internet is full of thousands of recipes for soda bread, I'm sure you can find one easily.

I ran out of time to make a dessert, so I waited until today. I wanted to make a dessert using only ingredients that I had already on hand. This morning, I decided to have fun and make up my own recipe. I call my creation- "Last Minute Key Lime Pie."

Last Minute Key Lime Pie

Ingredients:
1 (2.75 oz.) pkg. lime gelatin mix
1 (3 oz.) pkg. vanilla pudding mix
1 1/2 c. water
1 can sweetened condensed milk
4 oz. cream cheese (softened)
2 tbsp. lime juice
1/2 c. whipped topping
graham crack crust

Directions:
1) Prepare a graham cracker crust for a 10 in. deep dish pan according to directions on the back of the graham cracker box.
2) While the crust is in the oven, blend the gelatin mix and the pudding mix in a medium saucepan. On medium heat, add 1/2 cup of water and mix until the mixture is fully combined, then add the remaining water.
3) Remove crust from oven, and set aside to cool.
4) Continue to stir the gelatin and pudding mixture and bring to a full boil. Once it comes to a boil, let it cook for one minute and continue to stir, then remove from heat.
5) In a large mixing bowl, add the sweetened condensed milk and beat with an electric hand beater for 2 minutes. Add the lime juice and beat another minute.
6) Add the cream cheese to the milk mixture and beat on low speed until smooth. Then, switch the beater to high speed and beat for three minutes.
7) Slowly add the lime gelatin/pudding mixture to the milk mixture a little bit at a time. You don't want to pour it all in at once, because it will still be quite warm and it will make your mixture freak out on you. Beat on the lowest setting, with each addition until blended.
8) Once the all of the gelatin mixture is added, gently fold in the whipped topping and fold until smooth.
9) Pour mixture into graham cracker crust and chill until set.

Now, I know that technically this isn't Key Lime pie, as it doesn't use key lime. It is a sort of mock key lime pie. This took, roughly 30 minutes to through together. If you need to make a dessert quickly, this is great. This is also great to make if you are feeling a bit lazy and don't want to jump through a lot of hoops to get a tasty dessert. Sometimes, you just want a great dessert and you don't feel like you need to impress anyone. To be honest, I'm a bit impressed with myself. I don't often create my own recipes. I think my sister will dig this, because her little boy absolutely LOVES Key Lime Pie and this takes little effort and is practically fool proof. The trickiest part for me was folding in the whipped topping. Full disclosure: I didn't use vanilla pudding, I actually used vanilla tapioca pudding. This happened because I saw what looked like a box of vanilla pudding and I didn't see the word "Tapioca" that was in small lettering. I was initially a bit vexed, but I quickly got over it, and it turned out perfectly fine. These things happen and you just have to roll with it.

So, there you have it. A wonderful emerald green day was had. Tonight I will eat the delicious pie for dessert after I eat hash that will be made with the left overs from last night's boil dinner. I intend to be more creative this week and I can't wait to share it all with you. Until next time~ Toodahloo!

My Mom's Chop Suey

Ahhhhh, Chop Suey and biscuits, just the thing when you're cold and need a bit of comfort. I grew up having this throughout my childhood, never knowing that it was going to become the comfort food of all comfort food in my adult years. As far as I was concerned when I was growing up, this was the only Chop Suey. Imagine my surprise (and slight disappointment) when my 13 year-old self ordered Chop Suey from Chinese take-out and got something completely different! In my defense, it seemed totally logical to find this on the menu, when the menu also offered hamburger plates and chicken nugget platters. When I was in my twenties, I had to spend nearly two weeks at Tuft's NEMC. The food served there was actually quite good, but not home food. On occasion, my Dad would go to Au Bon Pain and treat me to a latte or grab me a mini pizza from Pizza Hut; those treats brought a wonderful break from the hospital cuisine. When it was time for me to return home, my aunts gathered together to rally me home and to help my parents settle back into normal life. One of my aunts offered to make me a dinner, anything that I wanted and she'd have it ready when we got back. I could have anything that I wanted; so, I asked her to make me Chop Suey. To me, nothing could be better than homemade Chop Suey after weeks of eating away from home. When I finally was able to eat the meal she prepared for me, it tasted gourmet.... it was exquisite!

Chop Suey has all the perfect ingredients to soothe most of my nerves- pasta, tomatoes and beef. It is simple, easy to make, cheap to make, and you can make a huge batch of it to feed many or if you want something to last for days. Chop Suey is also one of those magical dishes that tastes even better the next day.

Here is the recipe if you feel like trying it out.-

Ingredients:
1 pound ground beef
2 large cans of stewed tomatoes (don't drain)
1 small can of tomato paste
1 lb of macaroni pasta

Directions:
In a large pan, brown the beef. Add the tomatoes and bring to a boil. Add the tomato paste and then fill the tomato paste can with water and dump it into the beef and tomato mixture. Fill the tomato paste can with water one more time and add to the mixture. Stir the mixture to blend together and bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer.

While the beef mixture simmers, boil water in a large pot and cook your macaroni until tender. Drain the pasta and then add the pasta to the tomato and beef mixture. Stir everything together, making certain to cover the pasta with the sauce. Turn off the heat and it's ready to eat. You can season this any way you like. I just add salt and pepper to taste.

For the biscuits, we use the recipe on the back of the can of Bake-Well Cream and they always come out perfectly.

This dish makes me very happy. It is just the thing on a dreary winter day! When I'm not busy eating comfort food, I've been reading, having a Netflix binge ( watching the show Wolfblood to lighten my mood after watching The Returned), and working on some crafts. I will reveal more about this in future posts. Until next time~ Toodahloo!

A Productive Snow Day

The weather forecast advised that another winter storm was heading my way. This was going to be a mild, run of the mill kind of snow storm; nothing to be freaked out about.... nothing compared to Tuesday's blizzard. I decided that I was going to have an easy-going, yet productive day. It is very challenging for me to be productive if I am worried or anxious. When we had the blizzard, I was worried about losing power, that made it difficult to focus on tasks. So, I was determined to have a great snow day today. It began with an amazing breakfast. Back in October, I made homemade pumpkin butter. I divided the batch into five Rubbermaid containers and I kept them in the freezer. Yesterday, I took one container out to have on hand. When I wanted breakfast this morning, I decided to make oatmeal with cranberries and pumpkin butter. It was fantastic! I didn't need to add any sweetener, because the cranberries and pumpkin butter are already sweet. Plus, the pumpkin butter has wonderful spices, reminiscent of pumpkin pie. The combination of flavors just did it for me, it was a great way to start my day.

I recently discovered that some of my necklaces were terribly tarnished. Although I don't wear them often, I still like to keep them nice. So, I submerged my necklaces in warm water and added two denture tablets. I keep denture cleaning tablets for cleaning hard to clean objects. A big box of tablets are super cheap and they last a really long time. I set the cup aside and went about my day. An hour or so later, I checked in on the necklaces and added an extra tablet. Ten minutes later, I cleaned up the charms (picture 3), still not satisfied, I used Colgate Optic White to scrub the rest of the tarnish of and to polish the charms. The end result was super shiny silver necklaces!

I noticed that my skin was FREAKING OUT on me. At night I do baby my skin as much (if not more than) I do during the day. I drink water and I do what I can to keep my skin healthy. At some point in the winter, the dry furnace air finally starts to win the fight. My skin was a hot mess of dry patches, which made my skin try to compensate by producing more sebum. Ugh, long story short, dry skin= blocked pores, excessive sebum+ blocked pores= break outs. So, I have a awesome combination of dry patches and spots. I mean, really? So, I pulled out my secret weapon- Burt's Bees Diaper Ointment. I don't have kids, but I love this diaper ointment. I love multipurpose products. This stuff is fantastic for skin therapy. It is 100 % natural. It has soothing oils, like lavender and rosemary, plus it has zinc oxide. It is great to use as a base for stage makeup, as it prevents breakouts, and it makes it tremendously easy to remove heavy make-up. Also, it is great to use if you need white clown base. It is also fantastic for breakouts, I massaged a pea sized amount onto my face and blended. Since I wasn't leaving the house today, I didn't mind looking pale. Were I to go out with it on, I could have applied mineral make-up on top and I would look fine. It has made my face feel tremendously soft and I know that when I wake up tomorrow, My face will be so much better!

This afternoon, I decided to finally reorganize my desk drawers. I have been meaning to do it for a while, but dreaded the task. In an effort to make the project more fun, I decided to first make myself a treat. While I had coffee brewing, I went onto Pinterest to find mug cake recipes. I've dabbled with one once before, and it was a disaster. I found a better recipe this time, and I made a delicious molten chocolate mug cake. In the center was a mound of peanut butter and a mound of Reese's Chocolate Spread. This was SO tasty! The cake with coffee and Hart Of Dixie re-runs on Netflix helped me though and I managed to get my job done.

With many projects completed today, I think that I feel refreshed and relaxed. I think this weekend will be fabulous! If you want to make a delicious treat, I highly recommend searching for chocolate molten mug cakes on Pinterest and find one with a tasty peanut butter center. This cake was awesome. Tonight, I'll be able to watch a whole new episode of H.O.D. and enjoy some pizza; oh, I do love Friday! Until next time~ Toodahloo!

Peppermint Mocha

I took three days off from blogging to catch up on a lot of work and to take a bit of a break to rest. I had so much wrapping and cleaning to do. I had to do so much shopping and I wanted to spend time with friends, that blogging needed to take a rest.  I've noticed that a lot of people are getting 24 hour bugs or terrible colds and I wanted to be certain to give myself some rest when my body told me that I needed it. If I ignore the need, I get sick. Today was no different. I shopped, cleaned and wrapped some more and tomorrow will be more of the same. I just want to be able to relax on Christmas Eve; which means a lot of hard work and preparation now.

I did take a little bit of time to make some nice treats in order to stay in the spirit of the season. This evening, as I write this,  I'm relaxing with a Christmas episode of Doctor Who and sipping on delightful peppermint mocha. Before I sat down to post, I made myself the tasty drink and it was ridiculously easy to do!

Here is how it's done:

1. Scald one cup of milk and pour into a large mug.

2. To the milk, add one teaspoon of cocoa powder and whisk until foamy.

3. Pour hot, strong coffee into the milky mixture and whisk, again.

4. Place a peppermint stick into the hot drink. The stick will melt, depositing sugary peppermint goodness throughout the mocha!

5. Top off with a generous mound of whipped cream; it's been a long week and you deserve it!

This drink pairs nicely with a chocolate cupcake; especially when the cake has festive sprinkles!

This drink tastes amazing, I love the combination of flavors. I almost feel a bit pampered and a bit naughty drinking it, but not too much. Tomorrow will involve more crazy shopping and cleaning. However, I will also be crafting and baking and I"ll share all of that with you!
Until then~ Toodahloo!

Alphabet Soup

This evening is cold and damp; which is the perfect weather for soup. I decided to make a quick and easy Alphabet Soup, because I love alphabet pasta. From start to finish, it took me nearly an hour to make; but to be honest I was working at a slow pace. I made this soup in layers, but if you wanted, you could throw a few things in at the same time and combine some of the steps.

Here is the recipe:
3 tbsp. olive oil
3 celery stalks
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 tbsp. dried parsley
1/2 tbsp. dried oregano
1/2 tbsp. marjoram
1 tsp. basil pesto
2 (14.5 oz.) cans of Italian style diced tomatoes
1 (32. oz.) box of chicken stock
12 frozen meatballs (I used turkey meatballs)
1/4 + 2 tbsp. dried alphabet pasta
2 cups of frozen vegetables (I used a California mix)
12 oz. water

Heat a large pot on medium heat. To the pot, add the olive oil. Once the oil is hot, add the chopped celery, minced garlic and dried herbs. Cook the celery until tender. Be certain to keep moving the mixture so that the garlic and herbs don't scorch ( you wouldn't want bitter garlic in your soup).

Next, add the two cans of diced tomatoes and the water. Bring the base to a simmer.

Then, you add the meatballs and bring to a boil. After that, you add the chicken stock, bring that to a boil and add the pasta. Cook the pasta for 6 minutes.

Finally, you add your frozen vegetables. I put in about 3/4 of the bag. I should have roughly chopped the vegetables prior to adding them to the soup. The soup was quite chunky. Since there were no small children eating the soup, I figured the adults could handle large bits of vegetable. I kept the soup at a boil for a few more minutes; just long enough to cook the vegetables. At the very end, just before serving, I added the basil pesto.

There you go, a tasty Alphabet Soup. This is a festive soup, because of the colors of the vegetables- the greens, reds and whites. I can't wait to have this for lunch tomorrow, as this recipe made a lot of soup. It would be great to have with crusty bread on the side. I served this with biscuits and it was fantastic! This was very easy to throw together and you can use many substitutions for this recipe and the soup would still be great.

Now, I still have a lot of wrapping to do. I know that I should watch a jolly holiday movie, but I've been craving a Walking Dead marathon. Ever since the show went on a mini- hiatus, I've been going through withdrawal. So, tonight, I'll make myself some festive hot cocoa and have a wrapping party, whilst watching old episodes of the show on Netflix. Until next time~ Toodahloo!

Candy Of The Week: Peanut Brittle

Peanut Brittle is one of those classic homemade candies that is very popular around the holidays. It can be found at many stores, but the store bought brittle is never the same. This is one of my parents favorite holiday treats. Since it is so easy to make, why buy it? This is how you make it; you'll need the following: a medium saucepan. butter spray, a cookie sheet, a candy thermometer, silicon mat (optional, but will change your game), 1 cup of sugar, 1 cup of corn syrup, 1/4 cup of water, 2 tbsp butter/margarine, 1 1/2 cups dry roasted peanuts and 1 tsp baking soda.

In the sauce pan above, I combined the sugar, corn syrup, butter and water. I kept stirring the ingredients, helping the sugar to dissolve and blend with the rest of the ingredients.

When the sugars came to a boil, I added the candy thermometer to monitor the temperature. When the temperature reaches 280 degrees F, you add the peanuts and let it boil to 300 degrees F. I made the mistake of misreading the thermometer; so I actually added the peanuts when the syrup mixture reached 230 degrees F. Although this was not how it was supposed to happen, I didn't panic. I treat my kitchen much like I do a Chemistry Lab; when the unexpected happens, I NEVER panic. Since the syrup had a long way to go before it reached the proper temperature, I kept on stirring the mixture so that the peanuts did not scorch.

Once the mixture reached 300 degrees F, I removed the pan from the heat. 

Next, I added the baking soda and stirred quickly. The more you stir, the more the mixture will foam.

Once the mixture is nice and foamy, I transfered the mix onto a greased cookie sheet. You need to be extra cautious with this step, as the candy is very hot! To make my job a lot easier, I lined the cookie sheet with a silicon mat and I greased that. This will make the next step so much easier!

After I allowed the candy to cool, I broke it apart into smaller pieces. This is where the silicon mat comes in handy, because the candy hardens and can be released from the pan in one giant sheet. This made it so much easier to break apart; not to mention, clean up was ridiculously easy! After I broke the pieces to the desired size, I stored them in plastic jars. 

This makes a nice hostess gift or a small gift for a friend, especially if you dress up the jar that you're using to store the candy. It is Good Luck with your candy making! Until next time~ Toodahloo!