Sweet Miss Sheri Ann's

The End of an Era

2011-08-18T06:55:00.000-07:00

Through much (internal) debate and deliberation, I have decided to end my journey as a blogger. As my (three) followers know, I haven't been consistent with my posting for the last several years. I'll take these long breaks, then post more, then break again.

The truth behind my end of blogging is that it is too much like my day job. I sit at a computer for 8+ hours a day writing, editing, working on design projects, emailing, etc. The last thing I want to do when I get home at night is look at a computer screen! I have much better things to do with my time!

So, after three different sites and about 7 years of blogging, I'm calling it quits. For now. I'm sure one day down the road I'll have tons of exciting things to write about, and more time and willpower to do it. But for now, this is so long! See ya later. Peace out. You can email, facebook, or tweet me for updates! Oh, and I'll be reading and commenting on your sites when I can!

See ya on the flip side!

Mobile Blogger

2011-06-09T09:17:00.001-07:00

Blogger has finally come up with a quick and easy way to convert your blog to a mobile site. This is awesome because just the other day I was frustrated with my blog for not being able to view it on my phone (while at the grocery store...without a grocery list...shopping for a specific recipe...) I had to call my sister to look it up for me!

The downfall to the mobile templates, so far I don't see a search feature. That means I can't search for my specific recipe when I'm at the grocery story looking for the ingredient list. So...I guess it really doesn't help me with my mobile dilemma. But...it does help mobile readers view my blog, so that's cool!

Blogger...add me a search feature and we'll be cool! : )

For all you bloggers out there - here's the link to how to convert your page.

The Big Announcement

2011-06-07T13:56:00.000-07:00

Let’s just go ahead and get the big announcement over and done with. No, I’m not getting married. I’m not sure why that’s everyone’s first guess. I mean, I’m definitely single. Very single. But I do have something very exciting happening to me exactly 2 weeks from today [Drum roll please….]

I’m going to Paula Deen’s house. Yes. The REAL Paula Deen’s REAL house! Why you ask? To interview her creative director/set designer who is a graduate of our fine university. I’m writing a feature article on him. And it so happens that he is allowing me to shadow him for a day to get an inside perspective of his job. I mean…I was cool enough with just meeting this guy because he has like the most awesome job ever…or so I’m assuming. But on top of meeting this really cool alum, he has invited me to shadow him at a photo shoot for Cooking with Paula Deen magazine at Paula’s new house. Wow!

This little project has been “in the works” for a couple of months now, but didn’t come to fruition until the last week or so. This is by far the absolute coolest job responsibility I have ever had, and is the perfect intermingling of my passion for cooking with my passion for writing. I have been so nervous about it too! Last night it’s all I could think about and I was pacing my house trying to play it all out in my head. I even bought a new dress from Ann Taylor Loft for the occasion. Maybe its silly, but I feel I need to look my best!!!

In preparation for the trip I’m boning up on my Paula Deen. I’ve been DVRing her shows on The Food Network, so I can get an idea of the kind of “sets” our alum creates. I have also ordered the book that she and our alum co-wrote called Savannah Style. I will be the foremost expert on all things Paula Deen by the time this article is published. (Don’t expect it to come out before December…seeing how our mag is NEVER printed on time.)

So, there ya have it folks! I’m going to spend the day at the home of one of Food Network’s BIGGEST stars! Be jealous. Very jealous! And no, I cannot fit you in my suitcase or get an autograph for you. I have to be a professional. After all, I’m there to see our alum, not Paula Deen. But still….I’m going to Paula’s house!!!

Blogging Contest

2011-06-06T11:37:00.000-07:00

For those that know me well, you know I read a lot of blogs. Google Reader is an amazing and convenient way for me to browse several sites for recipes, party planning tips, decorating ideas, etc. I love it!

Last week I stumbled upon a blog called Oh Happy Day while looking for photo booth prop ideas. Oh Happy Day had free printables, and I was sold when I saw the Princess Beatrice fascinator from Will and Kate's wedding. How hilarious! (Will post pics after I get them of our photo booth!!!) They also have this really cute postcard idea that I would totally do if I had a good enough reason. (As of now I don't....) Love the blog though!

Today on Oh Happy Day, they are giving away a trip to Paris. I didn't stutter. A TRIP TO PARIS! Wow! I'm super excited! And all you have to do is enter! Seriously! There are several different ways to enter. Visit the Oh Happy Day site here - http://ohhappyday.com/2011/06/goes-to-paris. Wow! It would be so amazing to take a trip to Paris! I never win these giveaways, but it never stops me from trying!

Go to the Oh Happy Day site and enter to win. And since you are reading my blog and that's where you find out about the giveaway, you can take me if you win! : )

What are your favorite blogs to read? I'll have to compile a list of mine and post later on.

A milkshake you'll need a glass of milk for....

2011-06-03T16:27:00.000-07:00

So, there are many things that go together that are more than just fate, but a created purpose. Things like...salt and pepper. Cheese and garlic. Milk and cookies. And the the ultimate pair...chocolate and peanut butter. Yes, God was really thinking of his people when he created chocolate and peanut butter and paired them together.

I had a hankerin tonight. A bad one. One that gave me an idea.

1. I love ice cream.
2. I love chocolate.
3. I LUUUUUUVVVV peanut butter.

How can I work these together? Ummmmm....a milkshake. It was evil. It was delicious. I'm pretty sure I need to run about 10 miles now, but it was worth it!!!!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Milkshake

Ingredients:
3-4 scoops vanilla bean ice cream
1.5 tbsp. chocolate syrup
2 tbsp. peanut butter

Directions:1. Scoop ice cream into a blender. Add chocolate and peanut butter. (Ignore the wine in the background. It does NOT go well with the other ingredients.)

2. Ignore anyone trying to beg for a taste. (How does she always know when I get the ice cream out of the fridge?)

3. Blend thoroughly.

4. Pour in glass and drink.

5. And then seriously think about running all those calories off. Doesn't matter if you used low-fat ingredients. You need to get your milkshake lovin butt off the couch and go work out! : )

For realz though...it was fantastic! Its thick. Its rich. But its ohhhhhhhh soooooooo gooooooood!

Memorial Weekend

2011-05-31T18:13:00.000-07:00

What do you do on a summer holiday weekend? Cookout. Okay, maybe you do that on any weekend, but especially so on a long one celebrating one of America's traditions. This weekend we honored all of the men and women who have fought so fiercely for our nation's freedom by cooking out, hanging with friends, and lounging around the house. It was fantastic. I appreciate all of their efforts with the privilege to do just that.

When you have a cookout what do you need besides burgers, hot dogs, ribs, or some other form of meat? Potato Salad. Yeah...its a must have. Its a definite must have when your mother makes the most wonderful potato salad in the world and she taught you all of her secrets! So with our burgers, with our brats, we had potato salad (and pie). Its one of those must-have American dishes that keep the folks coming back to the table for more! : )

Mom's Potato Salad
**This recipe is written for 4. Its easy to make it for 80, you just have to increase the quantities proportionately.

Ingredients:

5 to 6 Yukon Gold or red potatoes
2 boiled eggs, chopped
3 to 4 tbsp. sweet pickle relish
1/2 to 1 cup light mayonnaise
1/2 to 1 tbsp. yellow mustard
salt and pepper to taste
paprika for garnish

Directions:

1. Chop potatoes in quarter inch size pieces.

2. Boil potatoes and eggs for approximately 10 minutes, or until potatoes are soft, but not mashable.

3. Drain and rinse potatoes. Peel and dice eggs.

4. Pour potatoes and eggs in a large bowl. Add relish. Mix in mayonnaise and mustard until you reach your desired creamy texture.

5. Add salt and pepper to taste. (The important part is to taste as you go!)

6. Sprinkle a little paprika for color and a little kick!

Ahhhhh!!!

2011-05-27T16:28:00.001-07:00

Its been nearly a month. In the last month I have worked till nearly 7:00 about 4 days a week, hosted a baby shower for my sister-in-law with 40 folks, traveled to my parents house three times, prep my yard for summer, and so many other things. Sigh. But its now Memorial Day weekend, and most of my friends will be gone this weekend. So, I have NO PLANS until Sunday night. (With the exception of dinner out tonight and tennis tomorrow.) That means...I'm going to blog this weekend. My goal is to write several posts and space them out to post over the next few weeks. I hope. : ) I need to clean my house too...so we'll see how the blogging goes.

Anywayz...the thing cooking this weekend....probably fish and fresh veggies tomorrow, and then potato salad and some sort of pie for our cookout on Sunday. Allz I know is that its going to be delish!

I will get better about posting. Or at least I will try.

Happy cooking!

Tools of the Trade Tuesday: Pretty Pie Plate

2011-05-03T18:27:00.000-07:00

I haven't done a Tuesday tool tip in a while, so I thought I would post about my pie plate. I love my pie plate. Its perfect, and it bakes perfect pies. And quiches. And lots of other round things. I purchased this piece of bakeware for about $10 at the "Amish Walmart." Its not really a Walmart. Its just superstore that has all sorts of cheap treasures. And Amish people.

I will admit that the pie plate is probably the best thing that came out of Amish country. (No offense Julie...) Even though last summer's vacation was totally awesome...I have had enough farm tours for my lifetime! : ) However, the pie plate, that was a super awesome price, was worth the 19 hour drive to Pennsylvania. (Okay, maybe not...but its a pretty great pie plate.)

The plate, designed by Nordic Ware, is a sturdy aluminum design, with a spacious plastic cover. The company website says the aluminum allows the contents to bake evenly, and I can testify that is true. It is a very good baking dish, as with all of my Nordic Ware pieces. (I have the bundt pan too!)

If you are going to bake the perfect pie, I guess you need a recipe. Here's one I made this week:

Chocolate Chess Pie
From: Mrs. Rowe's Little Book of Southern Pies

Ingredients:
1/2 Pie Crust Recipe
1 1/2 cups white granulated sugar
3 1/2 tablespoons cocoa
Pinch of salt
1 (12 oz.) can evaporated milk
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted (1/2 stick)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9-inch pie plate with the rolled-out crust.

2. Mix sugar, cocoa and salt together, then blend in the milk, eggs, butter and vanilla. Pour the filling into the crust.

3. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes (or even 60....), until almost completely set. The filling should be wobbly in the center when the pan is jiggled. Cool to room temperature on a wire rack, and then chill in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours, or overnight, before slicing. Serve chilled.

We have purpose

2011-05-01T15:01:00.000-07:00

I'm a fan of Glee, and this week on the episode it dealt with a topic that hits home to many individuals -- self image. In the show, Rachel, one of the leads, breaks her nose and considers having surgery to resize her nose before it heals. Many of her friends try to discourage the cosmetic procedure, and try to convincer her that she is beautiful just the way she was made. Quinn, another one of the characters, is encouraging Rachel to have the surgery though, and tries to convince Rachel that she would look so much better with a new nose. Rachel and Quinn sang a duet that I found quite moving that is a mashup between Unpretty by TLC and I Feel Pretty from West Side Story. Here is the video...

Self worth is something that a lot of women struggle with. From the awkward years of adolescence, to being a single adult, to being a middle aged mother and wife - it is a doubt or fear or insecurity that attacks the heart of people from every age, sex, socioeconomic standing, religion, race, nationality, etc. We all have times when we wonder "Am I worth it? Does anyone love me? Do I matter?"

This is a topic that was also covered in church this morning. Our pastor spoke on Ephesians 2:10 that says,

For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.

The sermon centered around our worth in the Lord. In Psalm 139 it says that God created us and knew us before we came to be, and that we are fearfully and wonderfully made. In Ephesians the idea is that we are created in the image of God, for His glory, and though we would fulfill the purposes He has set forth for us. A purpose that, in Psalms, was known by God when we were formed in the womb.

We have worth. We all have worth. And we have a purpose in the Lord. God created us for a reason, and if we seek Him and trust Him, He will guide us to that purpose. We are loved. We are the beloved to God. Each of us. Each of you. You are the beloved of God and you have purpose and worth in Him.

When I was younger, I received a phone call from a very good friend who informed me she was having a cosmetic procedure done. I really thought she was joking. I mean...we were in our young 20's. She is gorgeous, and I mean the kind of gorgeous where you stop and stare if you pass her on the street. I was completely shocked when I found out the surgery was not a joke, but something she chose to do.

This is a friend I cared for dearly. And, like I said, she is gorgeous. I didn't think there was anything about her that needed to change. She's extremely smart, successful, kind, laid back, outgoing, and caring. Why did she think she needed to change something about her body? She is perfect, just as God made her.

Because I had known this woman for the large majority of my life, I thought it would be okay for me to express my feelings about this procedure. I discouraged her, and tried to convince her this was the wrong decision. I tried to tell her how beautiful she was, and that God made her as she is for a purpose. I also expressed my opinion on the desire for cosmetic surgery being a heart issue. Its a self worth issue. And its conforming to what the world wants to impose on you as a model for beauty, not the beauty that God created.

I thought our friendship could survive me speaking my heart, even though it was hard for my friend to hear. But it did not. Do I regret sharing my opinions with her? Yes and no. Yes because she was a dear, dear friend and I miss her terribly. And yes because I know that sometimes I can share my opinion too much. But no because I stand by my convictions. I prayed about it after our initial conversation, and truly felt the Lord was asking me to share with her. I felt she needed to know how special she was to God, and that she didn't have to define herself by what is seen in fashion magazine, but who God created her to be.

God has created us to look and be just who we are. There is a purpose. He has made us each to be unique, beautiful beings. No matter our skin color, our size, our height, our age, our background...God made us to be who we are. Its hard to accept that sometimes when we are bombarded by images of these so called perfect, skinny, tanned, well-groomed and well-dressed individuals on TV, the Internet and in magazines. However, we must look past all of that and see who we are in God. Amazing, beautiful, purposeful creations.

My heart breaks for the men and women of the world who do not know their self worth. I long for a time when we are judged not by the outward, but by our hearts. It may not be until we reach the pearly gates, but when it comes to the end, when our life on this earth expires, we will be judged by our inside and not outside. So, its important now to work on what counts.

If you feel like you want to change something about yourself, I suggest starting with your heart. We all need a little heart surgery every now and then. And know with every part of your being that you were created by God for God and with purpose. You are worth it. We all are.

Below: Full video of sermon from church

May 1: Does my life matter? from Pinelake Church on Vimeo.

It's not just another wedding

2011-04-29T12:52:00.001-07:00

After reading several posts on Twitter, Facebook and blogs this morning, I thought I would put my two cents worth in about the royal wedding. This morning at approximately 11:00 a.m. in London, His Royal Highness Prince William of Wales took Miss Catherine Middleton as his bride. A historic day for all of Great Britain, this marked the union of two future sovereigns.

I have heard a lot of backlash about the media coverage of this event, particularly in the wake of the devastating storms that ripped through the Deep South this week. Most of the negative commentary has come from men, with no surprise. And I believe most of it is coming with a lack of appreciation for the historic relevance of this event.

Britain’s royals are one of the most well-know monarchies in world history. Queen Elizabeth, the current head, has reigned since 1952. When she wed Prince Philip in 1949, her wedding was broadcast on BBC Radio, with highlights shown on TV. Her son, and direct heir to the throne, Prince Charles wed Princess Diana in one of the most talked about weddings in history. The 1981 television broadcast attracted more than 750 million viewers worldwide. Needless to say, the world has always been interested in royal weddings.

I do agree there has been a bit of overkill about Will and Kate’s wedding. I mean…there was a Lifetime movie. I admit I watched it. And it was super cheesy. And there have been endless news programs dedicated to introducing the world to the background of the event. It has most definitely been overemphasized.

However, being overplayed in the media does not neutralize the historical significance of this wedding. I mean, it’s still a pretty big deal. A prince married a commoner today, a commoner that will one day been queen of one of the most powerful countries in the world. I realize the British monarchy doesn’t have as much political power as it used to, but it is still a very significant figure in British life.

I am not afraid to admit that I am interested in the royal wedding. Apart from having a crush on Prince William since…as long as I can remember, I am a girl, and I enjoy all the pomp and circumstance that even the most common, simplistic wedding has to offer.

This Sunday, I am hosting a royal wedding brunch at my house with several of my girlfriends. Because we all have busy lives, I recorded the event on my DVR, and we will watch it on Sunday after early church. The brunch wasn’t my idea, but that of a friend, however I am very exciting about hosting, and seeing all of the extravagant details the wedding brought forth.

I have to confess that I did take a peek this morning for about 15 minutes. I couldn’t wait to see the dress. Kate looked radiant in her gown, and to me, much like Grace Kelly. She was the picture of elegance and grace, and I’m sure will be quite the inspiration to future brides. William looks dapper in his regal attire, the picture of Prince Charming in Cinderella. And the hats…I love all the British hats! I really should have been born in a culture that incorporates modern headwear into every day fashion!

Many have asked why the wedding is such a big deal. My explanation is simple. Girls love weddings. Its one of those things ingrained in us from birth. Because most women are wired to respond to relationships, romance and emotions, we love the fairytale sentiments weddings invoke. As sappy and silly as it appears to most men, it’s just a part of who we are as women.

In my humble opinion, those complaining most about the royal wedding extravaganza are those that are most vocal about it. I don’t see anyone else posting on Facebook or Twitter. Just the complainers. So in their futile attempts to combat the media exaggerations, they are in fact feeding it more. I find that kind of hilarious.

I wish Will and Kate the very best, and hope their marriage lasts as long as his grandmother, the Queen. My only negative comment will be to Princess Catherine – Girl, I wish it was me!

AFTERTHOUGHT - I really love how Princess Catherine was veiled going into the cathedral. People don't do that anymore. I love the symbolism. If I ever get married, I'm totally walking down the aisle veiled!

Chicken and Waffles!!!

2011-04-20T15:17:00.000-07:00

Last time we met I wrote on the topic of Supper Club, a gathering my friends and I host from time to time to share a meal and try out new things. At our last SC meeting, we had “soul food night,” featuring none other than chicken and waffles. This was a combination I have been dying to try for months, but never had an excuse until now. My friends were nervous. But here was the result….

Ummmm…..

It was amazing.

Beyond amazing.

Yes, chicken and waffles is amazing.
I can’t explain how the combination works. I just know it does. I made Belgium waffles on my fancy schmancy waffle maker that I received as a Christmas present from my sister and her family. And we topped it with a chicken breast from KFC (which I will get to) and chicken gravy. It really was delicious!

So, if I were ever to make this again, I would use chicken tenders. And I would fry them at home. Because I am Southern and I can fry chicken. However, in an effort to make things “easier” on a work night, the menfolk decided to buy the chicken. There was a little bit of….miscommunication, and I realize, in hindsight, I should have handled it myself. Not that the chicken wasn’t fantastic. It was! It’s just that it cost $40 for 9 people…just for chicken…and earned my neighbor the nickname “Big Money” at KFC. So, dinner didn’t end up being as economical as it could have been. Oh well!

It was still delicious!

Chicken and Waffles for Four

Chicken – Either fry or buy 8 chicken tenders. (2 per person)

Waffle Ingredients:
2 cups Bisquick Mix (Or other similar product)
1 1/3 cups milk (may need more)
1 egg
2 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil
*1 ½ teaspoon cinnamon
*1 teaspoon nutmeg
*1 tablespoon vanilla

*These are just a guess. I don’t really measure these. I just eyeball it and dump it in the bowl….

Directions: Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix well. You want your consistency to be thick, but to still drip off of your spatula when you hold it up. Then pour about 1/2-3/4 cup of batter on the waffle iron and cook according to your directions.

Yields approximately 4 large Belgium waffles.

Chicken Gravy
From Foodnetwork.com

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons flour
Salt & Pepper to taste
1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
Optional - 2 scallions, sliced, plus more for garnish

Directions: Melt the butter in a medium skillet and whisk in the seasoned flour until smooth. Whisk in the scallions, then slowly pour in the broth. Bring to a simmer, whisking until the gravy is smooth.

How to “dress” your meal:
Lay a waffle on a plate.
Place two chicken tenders on top.
Pour gravy over chicken and waffles.
Eat.
Smile.
Be happy.

**On a side note...we tried to think about appropriate sides for this meal before eating it. Its pretty savory, so you could go with creamed spinach or greens or something like that. We served fruit salad and coffee cake though, and it was a great combination! : )

What's your favorite restaurant?

2011-04-06T16:39:00.000-07:00

Lately several people have been asking where I like to eat in town. That is such a loaded question. Why? Because I'm not really sure where I like to eat in town. Honestly. I mean...I like Old Venice Pizza. And I like Umi's sushi and hibachi, and I like lunch at The Veranda, but I can't call any restaurant in town my absolute favorite.

It’s very perplexing for someone who loves culinary arts. I moved from a huge, thriving metroplex, to a small college town that has really decent local eateries and some of your basic chains, but nothing that really...sets my pants on fire.

In Fort Worth I loved Sushi Axiom, La Playa Maya, Baker Brothers Deli, Joe T's, H3, just to name a few. But here....here...I just kinda like places. There isn't one restaurant that has proved to me they have an absolute, must-have dish.

Instead...if you ask me where I want to go eat, I'll say at home. It doesn't have to be my home...but somewhere, anywhere, my friends and I gather to cook and share life.

About a year ago a coworker invited me over to his house for dinner with some of his friends. He knew I was still fairly new in town, and didn't know many people. He introduced me to a couple of girls, a couple of guys, and even my next door neighbor who I had not met at this point. Every month or so this group of young adults comes together to cook dinner at someone's home. They called it Supper Club. Everyone splits up the menu, and brings their potluck items to share with the group.

Tonight we are having Supper Club at that same coworker's house. A year has gone by, people have come and gone, but there is still a steady group of us who like to gather together to break bread and fellowship. You know...like they did in Acts! (We are so Biblical.) : ) We rotate houses, nights of the week, menu choices, etc. But one thing is always the same, we always have a great time.

Supper Club varies from home cooked Southern dishes, to cookouts, to experiments and so on. Tonight, we are combining Southern soul food with a little bit of adventure. We're making chicken and waffles. Yep...ever since I saw a Throwdown with Bobby Flay on the dish, I have wanted to try it out. I finally convinced some folks, and we are gonna go for it. Fried chicken. Belgium waffles. Buttery gravy.

I don't think the quality of the food at Supper Club matters as much as the company. Though, the food is always fantastic because my friends are awesome cooks! But the idea of gathering with your friends, sharing a meal, trading jokes, and living life together far outweighs any restaurant you can eat at in town. It’s much more meaningful, relaxed and fun.

So, I'll let you know how the chicken and waffles turn out. I'll be sure to take pics and post the recipe! Wish us luck!

Blogger is killing me because it keeps messing up my posts and I can't get this dip online

2011-04-04T19:32:00.000-07:00

I know that's a really long title...but I have been trying for 2 days to post this recipe, and blogger keeps reformating it to delete the breaks in my HTML code. Grrr....

Have you ever had black bean and corn salsa? If so, probably not at my house. Because I can't make it and not eat half of what I make. Seriously. Its that good. I originally found a recipe on a can of black beans, but was without when I needed to make it for Bible study last week. So...I did a little research and came up with the following. Its super easy and fast, and is a definite crowd pleaser!

Mega Black Bean and Corn Salsa

Ingredients:
2 cans of black beans
1 can of golden corn
1 can of white corn
1 can diced tomatoes with jalapeños (Or 2 large tomatoes diced & 1/3-1/2 can of diced jalapeños)
1/2 onion diced (red or white)
1/4 bunch cilantro, finely chopped
1 to 2 teaspoons ground cumin (to taste)
1 to 2 teaspoons salt (to taste)
1 teaspoon pepper (to taste)
juice of 2 limes (I always use fresh lime juice.)

Directions:
1. Drain and rinse black beans. Place in a large bowl.
2. Drain corn and add to beans.
3. Drain tomatoes and add to bowl.
4. Add onion and cilantro, and follow with lime juice.
5. Start adding seasoning and keep mixing (AND TASTING!!!) until you reach your preferred taste. May need to add more lime and cilantro too.
6. Serve with tortilla chips.

You can also cut up some avocado and add it in there, but only if you are going to eat it all that same day. Avocado doesn't keep well overnight. Also, this is easily cut in half! ENJOY!!!

PS – I made more today because my cilantro was going bad. I had chips and salsa for dinner. And some ice cream. It was a great end to a Monday.

Pie, oh my!

2011-03-28T13:30:00.000-07:00

I never made it around to blogging over the weekend. Or making cupcakes. Or working in the yard. Or cleaning my bathroom. Yeah…I know. I did a few house chores, though, and I did make a pie for Saturday nights “community dinner.” And I played tennis and went to church. So, its not like the weekend was a total waste.

I think most of my readers now are fairly “new” to the blog. Meaning that you have probably only been reading for 6 months-2 years. This blog has been around since 2008 though. It was started by request of my mother because she thought it would be a good way to find everything that I cook in one place. I’m pretty sure my mother never reads or consults my blog for recipes though. Or the cookbook that I made her. But I use them both when I’m at her house!

Well, one day, shortly after watching the movie “Waitress” I was walking along the Trinity River in Fort Worth and it dawned on me…I want to own my own bakery or restaurant one day. I don’t know much about cooking, but I know I love to do it! I don’t have any formal training, and have a LOT to learn, but…still…it would be awesome!

As time has gone by, and as I have experimented more, I realized a full-service bakery is out of the question. I don’t have any skills when it comes to making or decorating cakes. I can bake a cake, sometimes, but that’s about it. However….I’m really good at pies, cookies, and other random desserts. And I’m good at cooking meals. So, maybe it will be a restaurant with pie shop in the front one day.

Oh pies…I love pies. I love making pies, which is probably one reason why I loved “Waitress” so much. Since I had a bad week last week, and since I want to expand my pie-making-abilities, I purchased a new pie cookbook. Its about Southern pie making. And so far…I’m loving it.

This weekend I made a pie. It was chocolate, gooey and delicious. And it was extremely easy! And…my friend Julie, who claims to hate pies, ate 2 pieces. I’m thinking this one is a winner. Try it out!

Step 1: Pour your melted butter over the chocolate chips.

Step 2: Beat out your frustrations by "chopping" the pecans.

Step 3: Pour the rest of the ingredients in the bowl.

Step 4: Pour in the crust and bake. It's that easy!

Tar Heel Custard Pie with Bourbon Whipped Cream
From Mrs. Rowe’s little book of Southern Pies
And the Pioneer Woman

PW’s Pie Crust
(To be for realz…I used a store-bought crust, but here’s the recipe I would have used if I made my own.)

Ingredients:
1-½ cup Crisco (vegetable shortening)
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 whole egg
5 tablespoons cold water
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 teaspoon salt

Directions:
In a large bowl, with a pastry cutter, gradually work the Crisco into the flour for about 3 or 4 minutes until it resembles a coarse meal. In a small bowl, beat an egg with a fork and then pour it into the flour/shortening mixture. Add 5 tablespoons of cold water, 1 tablespoon of white vinegar and 1 teaspoon of salt. Stir together gently until all of the ingredients are incorporated.

Separate the dough into thirds. Form 3 evenly sized balls of dough and place each dough into a large Ziploc bag. Using a rolling pin, slightly flatten each ball of dough (about ½ inch thick) to make rolling easier later. Seal the bags and place them in the freezer until you need them. (If you will be using it immediately it’s still a good idea to put in the freezer for about 15 to 20 minutes to chill.)

When you are ready to use the dough to make a crust, remove from the freezer and allow to thaw for 15 minutes. On a floured surface roll the dough, starting at the center and working your way out. (Sprinkle some flour over top of the dough if it’s a bit too moist.) If the dough is sticking to the countertop use a metal spatula and carefully scrape it up and flip it over and continue rolling until it’s about ½ inch larger in diameter than your pie pan.

With a spatula, lift the dough carefully from the surface of the counter into the pie pan. Gently press the dough against the corner of the pan. Go around the pie pan pinching and tucking the dough to make a clean edge.

Chocolate Pie Filling

Ingredients:
½ Pie Crust Recipe
1 cup semisweet or dark chocolate chips
½ cup unsalted butter, melted
1 cup chopped pecans
½ cup all-purpose flour
½ cup white granulated sugar
½ cup light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of salt

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9-inch pie plate with the rolled-out crust.

Put the chocolate chips in a bowl, pour in the melted butter, and stir until the chocolate is mostly melted. (May need to pop in the microwave for about 10 seconds too.) Add the pecans, flour, sugars, eggs, vanilla and salt, and stir until thoroughly combined. Pour the filling in the crust.

Bake for 30-40 minutes, until the filling forms a smooth brown crust and begins to pull away from the pie crust. (Top will look like a brownie.) Custards continue to cook when taken out of the oven, so don’t overdo it. The filling will still be wet in the center, but will firm up as it cools.

Cool on a wire rack for about 1 hour before slicing. Serve at room temperature or slightly warm. Top with bourbon whipped cream (see below).

Bourbon Whipped Cream

Ingredients:
1 cup heavy cream
1-2 tablespoons white granulated sugar
1 tablespoon bourbon (or vanilla extract if you don’t want it boozy)

Directions:
Beat the heavy cream with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until frothy and beginning to thicken. Slowly add the sugar in a thin stream. Add the bourbon (or vanilla). Continue whipping until the cream is at the desired consistency.

Missing in Action

2011-03-25T08:02:00.001-07:00

I should probably update my blog this weekend. I've been slacking. Well, I've been working a lot, spring cleaning, playing tennis, and am committed to 2 bible studies per week. So I'm not being lazy...I'm just not blogging.

How 'bout this? How 'bout I make some cupcakes this weekend to test them for my SIL's baby shower and I blog about it? Sounds like a plan.

Here's the invite I designed. I plan on pairing it with green envelopes. Its A7 size.

Do you think it coordinates with the nursery? That was my goal.

St. Patty's Day

2011-03-16T14:25:00.001-07:00

For some reason, St. Patty's Day makes me want to drink either really strong, dark beer....or whiskey....or green beer. Why? Probably because there is so much advertising going on about beer that I'm being sucked in. LOL!

I'm playing tennis tomorrow...so I won't be going down to the local boozer to get wrecked. (That's Irish talk for going to the neighborhood pub to get really drunk.) Plus, I have to work on Friday...so its probably not a good idea to drink a lot. (Not that I do that anyway....because I'm a grown up. And its just not how I roll.) However....I can bake something!

Last year in honor of the holiday, I made the following treat that can either be eaten at breakfast, or even for dessert. I'm thinking if you took the bread and made a bread pudding out of it, it would probably be really delicious!

This comes from Rachael Ray. Try it out!

Cranberry Soda Bread with Lime Glaze

Ingredients:
1 1/3 cups plus 1 tablespoon milk

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

4 cups flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled and cut into cubes

1 cup dried cranberries

1 large egg

1 cup confectioners' sugar

Grated peel and juice of 1 lime

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 425°. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, whisk together 1 1/3 cups milk and the lemon juice; let sit at room temperature for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the flour, baking soda and salt. Rub in the butter until coarse crumbs form, about 3 minutes. Stir in the cranberries.

Beat the egg into the milk mixture; stir into the flour mixture until just combined. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead until it just comes together; form into an 8-inch round and place on the prepared baking sheet. Using a knife, score a 1/2-inch-deep "X" in the round. Bake until dark golden and crusty, 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool completely.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine the confectioners' sugar, lime peel, lime juice and the remaining 1 tablespoon milk. Drizzle the cooled soda bread with the lime glaze.

Peanut Butter + Chocolate = Happy Family & Friends

2011-03-13T17:46:00.000-07:00

A little over a month ago I had a thought. I mean...I have thoughts a lot...but this thought was about cake. Cake that involved peanut butter and chocolate. These two things. like Romeo and Juliet, were made for each other.

The cake was first attempted for our Super Bowl party. I used a recipe for the icing out of Food Network magazine. It was good, but not quite the balance of the two flavors that I wanted. So I thought about how to improve the recipe, and waiting until this weekend (my sis-in-law's b-day) to make it again.

I finally decided on chocolate cake with a mixture of peanut butter and chocolate icing. It wasn't until I tasted the two types of icing that I decided how I would divide it. In the end, the cake was fantastic! And I'm finally ready to share with the blogosphere!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake
Adapted from several sources

Cake Ingredients: (From my Hershey's cookbook. Or you can just use a box mix!)
2 cups sugar
1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup Cocoa
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 cup boiling water
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions: Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour three 8-inch round baking pans.

Mix sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl or mixer. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed for about 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin). Divide batter into prepared pans evenly.

Bake 25-30 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely.

Place bottom layer on a cake plate. Cover top with peanut butter icing (recipe follows). Place second layer on top and cover with peanut butter icing. Finally place third layer on top of second and spread a very think layer of peanut butter icing on top.

Cover entire cake with chocolate icing (recipe as follows). If desired, pipe extra peanut butter icing on cake.

Serve with vanilla ice cream!

Peanut Butter Icing

Ingredients:
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 cup creamy peanut butter (I used reduced fat.)
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature (Or salted butter and leave out kosher salt)
3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/3 cup heavy cream

Directions: Mix confectioners' sugar, peanut butter, butter, vanilla, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on medium-low speed until creamy, scraping down the bowl with a rubber spatula as you work. Add the cream and beat on high speed until the mixture is light and smooth. Adjust consistency to icing by adding more confectioners' sugar or more heavy cream.

Chocolate Icing (As seen before)

Ingredients:
2 3/4 cups confectioners' sugar
6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
6 tablespoons butter
5 tablespoons evaporated milk

Directions:
Sift the powdered sugar and cocoa in a medium bowl. With a stand or hand mixer, cream butter until smooth. Gradually add in the sugar mixture, alternating with a tablespoon of evaporated milk at a time. Once all ingredients are combined, beat until light and fluffy.

Take a spatula, and test the stiffness of the icing by seeing if a peak forms when you flop it over. (This is very technical.) If too thick, add a tiny bit of more milk. If not thick enough, add more powdered sugar. Most likely it will not be thick enough!

Don't quit your day job

2011-03-10T19:48:00.000-08:00

As a marketing and communication professional, I found the following video interesting. Business cards are an important way to brand your organization, while communicating important contact information. They also serve as a method to win free food when you drop it in a local "fish bowl" at a restaurant. I mean...they have lots of different uses. But all seriousness...business cards are often the impression you leave behind after meeting a new business contact.

What is your card like? Mine has three spot colors (gray, maroon and gold), and is on 130 lb. double thick cover. Its a sturdy card, and stands up really well when handing them out or carrying them in your purse.

If you are interested in design, branding, PR or advertising, the following video might be worth the watch. I thought it was!

Happy Mardi Gras!

2011-03-08T18:59:00.001-08:00

Oh Mardi Gras! You are such an interesting holiday! And really, you aren't even a holiday. I mean, you are even less of a holiday that Valentine's, but way more fun that Columbus Day, Presidents Day or Flag Day!

Mardi Gras and I reunited for the first time in several years this weekend. In need of a break, two of my friends and I skipped town Friday morning for a three day retreat. This girls only weekend involved three key factors: shopping, food, and good company. That's all we really needed for a little R&R. However, it so happened that our weekend get-a-way also coincided with Mardi Gras celebrations on the Mississippi Coast.

It was chilly and rainy, so the celebrations were limited, but Amy, Karis and I did make it to one parade. We caught our beads and revealed in a very family friendly crowd. (Not sure we could handle Mardi Gras New Orleans style.) We also ate King Cake (K found the baby), and had some seafood. It was a pretty great celebratory attempt, if you ask me.

Friday night we ate at Half Shell in Gulfport on my parents recommendation. We arrived around 7:00 p.m., and were informed of an hour and a half wait. We figured by the time we tried anywhere else we wouldn't be much better off, so decided to stick it out. They then gave us the option to leave a phone number so we could leave and come back for a table when they had one. We took them up on it, and headed to the grocery store for some items, then headed back to the condo to relax. We finally decided to head back to the restaurant around 8:30, and literally walked up to the hostess as she was calling my cell phone.

After being seated, we quickly ordered spinach and artichoke dip for an appetizer. It was 8:45, and we were STARVING. They served it with pita bread. One surprise in the dip that made it their own was the addition of red onion. You wouldn't think a little onion would make a big difference, but it sure did! It made a very notable difference, and I will be attempting to make it in the near future. (After I figure it out, I will share.)

Our appetizers were fantastic, and our food was good as well. I would definitely recommend Half Shell to anyone heading to the coast, and hope to eat there again when I return. The food was wonderful, the service and staff were really outstanding, and it was most definitely worth the wait!

Saturday night we cooked up a feast of redfish, steak, green beans, cabbage salad and grilled vegetables. It was divine! I will be sure to post the recipes later, so stay tuned.

All in all, our little Mardi Gras trip was a success. We had a lot of fun, but more importantly, had a much needed weekend away from ole S-town. The three days allowed us to have fun and forget work, stress, and everything that has been going on. And I look forward to many more fun times to come!

Laissez les bon temps rouler!

Red, red wiiiinnnee

2011-03-03T15:24:00.000-08:00

Ahhhh....its Thursday. Thursday is one of my favorite days. Why? Because its almost Friday, which means its almost the weekend. Also because Bones and Grey's Anatomy comes on Thursday night. Its such a glorious day!

My ritual on Thursday is to come home from work, cook a nice dinner, pour a glass of wine, and chill. As much as possible, I try to reserve this night for my sanity's sake. Every other night of the week can be spent out an about or working late, but come 7:30-8:00ish on Thursday, I need to be at home.

When it comes to wine, I'm pretty simple. I like it red. I like it bold. And I particularly like it if its from Chile.

I don't know what it is about Chilean wine, but from the first sip, I was sold. So the other night when I was in search of a new red, I ran across Root: 1 in the South American section. I was drawn to it because of the bottle. No label. Design is etched into the glass, and then decided to try when I found out its country of origin. I was pleasently surprised by its deliciousness. First I tried the cabernet sauvignon, and then the carmenere. Both are delicous and smooth.

Root: 1 is realatively inexpensive. Both bottles I bought ran between $12-$15. I assume its easy to find because we have it in my small town. Its a great bottle to take to a dinner party or give at a gift because its not too strong or too dry. It would work well for a spring cookout.

So...if you are comin to my house for dinner...You can pick this up at Corky's.

Morning Giggles

2011-03-03T06:19:00.001-08:00

I am in an especially good mood this morning...which rarely ever happens. I slept well last night and woke up without the assistance of my 4 alarms. (Yes, I have 4 alarms that go off each morning. I'm not a morning person.) I even made it to work at 8:00! *gasp*

If you need anything from me, work people (who probably don't read my blog)...then ask me for it TODAY!

Okay, got to work and saw this on facebook. This little chica is my new favorite person! She is so funny! So...watch the first, and then watch the second. Hopefully it will bring a smile to your face!

Birthdays and cupcakes

2011-03-01T17:36:00.001-08:00

On Saturday, my family celebrated my sweet nephew’s 4th birthday. I can’t believe how fast he is growing up!!! In celebration of his birth, we had a friend party on “The Compound” complete with a bounce house and slide. Yes, I did jump before AND after the party. It was pretty awesome!

The sweets for the party were a community effort. My sister made the cupcakes, my mom made the icing, I piped the icing, and Will put sprinkles on the cupcakes. We like to work together as a team! : ) They turned out to be quite delicious, so I thought I would share.

I was so stressed out last week, and going home to see my family just made everything better. I was only home for one night, but I got to do a little cooking at my mom’s, play outside on the farm in the beautiful sunshine, go to dinner with my brother and sister-in-law, and have lunch with both siblings and their families. It was such a wonderful two days!

I am pretty blessed to have such a great family. My grandparents were married for 62 years, and my parents have been married for nearly 37. I have a great sister and brother, who at times I don’t get along with…but hey, we are siblings after all! I have a brother-in-law who is the smartest person I know, and a sister-in-law who has become one of my best friends. I also have the cutest niece and nephew who I adore, and another one who is on the way. (We find out if it’s a boy or girl today!!!!) You folks should be jealous…because I think my family is pretty darn great!

Anyway…happy cooking! For yellow cupcakes with chocolate icing, this simple recipe is super yummy!

Yellow Cupcakes

Ingredients
1 box of yellow cake mix
4 eggs
1 cup low-fat buttermilk
Amount of oil on box

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 24 muffin cups with paper liners. Mix together cake mix, eggs, buttermilk and oil. Beat with an electric mixer until combined.

To fill your cupcake liners either:
1. Spoon batter into a zip-top bag. Snip a ¼ inch corner from the bag and fill paper liners 2/3 full.
2. Use an ice cream scoop. One scoop = one cupcake.

Bake about 15-20 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean. Place on wire rack to cool. Yields approximately 24 cupcakes.

Chocolate Icing

Ingredients
3 cups powdered sugar
6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
6 tablespoons butter
5 tablespoons evaporated milk

Directions
Sift the powdered sugar and cocoa in a medium bowl. With a stand or hand mixer, cream butter until smooth. Gradually add in the sugar mixture, alternating with a tablespoon of evaporated milk at a time. Once all ingredients are combined, beat until light and fluffy.

Take a spatula, and test the stiffness of the icing by seeing if a peak forms when you flop it over. (This is very technical.) If too thick, add a tiny bit of more milk. If not thick enough, add more powdered sugar. Most likely it will not be thick enough!

Spoon icing in a piping bag and pipe on top of cupcakes.

To Decorate
For these cupcakes, I used a 1M star tip. I started from the outside of the cupcake, and circled in squeezing the bag lightly, but continuous. It took two full recipes of the icing to ice all 24 cupcakes.

We also added sprinkles to the top of the cupcakes for decoration. We filled a toothpick dispenser with the sprinkles, and let Will shake them over the cupcakes.

I didn't know girls could grill...

2011-02-20T15:14:00.000-08:00

Last night some friends and I welcomed spring by having our first cookout of the season. We eat together all time, but this time we actually got out the old grill and ate outside! It was amazing! It really is too hot to eat outside in the summer, so we have to capitalize on the few mild months we have each year.

Prior to the arrival of my guests, I was far more concerned about creating a tablescape than preparing dinner. (Though, all I had to do was make burgers.) I was going for something that offered a bit of ambiance and elegance, yet was simple and cheap. Basically, I just took a bunch of candles and glass jars and made this.

It worked out pretty well, if I say so myself! And I was able to work "tablescape" into the conversation about 14 times throughout the evening.

After dinner, we gathered around the firepit. This was interesting. Apparently certain people didn't believe that firelogs could be burned alone, instead of being used as starters. I had to show them the package, but I am not sure they believed me.

THEN...a bunch of hubalub went on about cooking s'mores over firelogs, which apparently puts off some kind of chemical. So...I allowed my neighbor to cut down part of a very small, dead crape myrtle in my back yard. It gave him something to do, and provided a cleaner burning fire to roast our marshmallows.

As a side note, we used the bag of candy I bought for work since it had various kinds of chocolate in it. I used Mr. Goodbars for my s'mores, and it was AMAZING!!!!

Prior to all of the fire, and prior to all of the discussions on chemical fires, we ate. I can't just skip over that! Since it was warm, and since we wanted to do warm weather things, we thought grilling hamburgers would be a great idea. So, the emails went round, we divided up responsibilities, and got things ready for a party. I was charged with the task of making burgers. (Okay, it was my idea.) Not a hard task for me. I have made burgers plenty of times in the past.

HOWEVER...a certain male neighbor of mine showed up and asked who was in charge of grilling the burgers. He was a bit shocked when I said I was. He replied, "I didn't know you could grill?" And something along the lines of most girls don't know how to cook meat outside. I mean...who does he think I am? Ha ha! He has eaten at my house enough times that he should know I can probably make a hamburger.

I decided to make a big deal about it in order to give him a hard time for his sexist pig joke. (I said he was sexist. He said I said he was a sexist pig. Maybe you had to be there.) I also wanted him to "eat his words" after he tasted the deliciousness of my burger.

Want to prove the men in your life wrong? Then ladies...make this burger. It was great!

"I Didn't Know Girls Could Grill" Hamburgers

Ingredients:

3 lb. ground beef

1/2 onion, finely chopped

1/2 green bell pepper, finely chopped

2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

3-6 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

3 tablespoons Dale's Steak Seasoning

2 tablespoons Tony Chachere's creole seasoning

1-1/2 tablespoons Season All

Mild Cheddar Cheese cubes (optional)

Directions:

Preheat your grill at least 30 minutes prior to cooking.

Put beef in large bowl. Add onion, bell pepper, garlic, Worcestershire, Dale's, Tony's and season all. Mix ingredients with hands, combining all well.

Take a handful of meat, form it in a ball, and then flatten out.

To stuff with cheese: Take a palm size of meat and flatten out. Layer cheese on top of meat. Take another ball of meat and flatten on top of cheese, covering and enclosing all sides.

Put on grill and cook about 10-15 minutes on each side.

*If your meat is not holding together well, try adding an egg and bread crumbs to help it stick together. Fattier meats tend to hold together better, but the fatter the meat, the more the patty will shrink on the grill.

We interrupt the normal programming to bring a special statement.

2011-02-17T07:21:00.000-08:00

And a rather long statement. Sorry.

There are too many thoughts going through my head about this world to narrow it down to a brief, descriptive title. I am disappointed in our world today. Every day I see woeful images of the apparent sin in our society, but today…today…I am truly disheartened.

First off: Reduce. Reuse. Recycle.

Our campus started a wonderful program over a year ago to help reduce the amount of garbage we create. Blue recycling bins were placed in public areas, classrooms, offices, etc. accepting aluminum, cardboard, glass, paper, plastic, etc. With this particular program, you do not have to sort your different recycled products. A local company collects the bins and sorts them at their recycling facility. It’s genius, and it’s easy. All you have to do is take your recyclable goods and drop them 2-3 feet in a different bin. That’s it!

I was so disappointed to see the other day that not everyone in my office takes advantage of this free, easy recycling program. I noticed in one coworker’s office that they had tons of paper products in the trash and an empty blue bin. I did not impose my opinions of reducing our carbon footprint on that coworker, and walked away discouraged about this wonderful opportunity given to us.

On a different occasion a different coworker blatantly mocked my desire to recycle. After dinner one night at my home, I asked him to not toss his empty beer bottle in the trash, but to please place it on the shelf above the trash so I could recycle. He just laughed and purposely threw his bottle away. *gasp* I realize he was joking with me, and I went and dug the bottle out, but still! Don’t you think in my house you should play by my rules? (Not N.A.M.eing any N.A.M.es…but you know who you are!)

I realize that not everyone embraces my “hippy” values of trying to save the planet. But if everyone tried to do a little, it could make a huge impact on the amount of waste we have on our planet. I also don’t appreciate people mocking me or rolling their eyes at my effort to do my part. If one more person at Wal-Mart complains about my canvas grocery bags…I mean, really? I’m trying to save your corporation money by reducing the amount of plastic grocery bags you have to produce each year. (Even though my canvas bags barely make a hint of a dent in that production.) AND...more importantly…I’m trying to reduce the amount of plastic covering our streets, forests, oceans and earth.

If you can recycle, then do. If it’s unavailable in your area, then it’s unavailable. But probably not for long. More and more cities are adopting recycling initiatives to make it readily available for their citizens. Odds are your city will adopt a program very soon.

And Second: Save the Trees

Typically “save the trees” is a reference to recycling paper. That is why I paired these two topics together in one post. However, this “save the trees” plee involves a tragic, heartless act to a sister state/university.

Yesterday it was announced that 130+-year-old live oaks at Toomer’s Corner in Auburn, Ala., have been poisoned. When I read this on Twitter, my heart fell. Not because Toomer’s means anything to me, and not because I have any type of obsession with live oaks, but because someone deliberately injected lethal amounts of poison in the soil at this university and town landmark.

I have never been to Auburn, but if someone asked me what Toomer’s corner looks like after an Auburn win, I can describe it. Large, beautiful oak trees covered in hundreds of rolls of toilet paper. It’s an Auburn tradition. It’s part of their heritage. And as someone who loves their alma mater and an employee of a higher learning institution, my heart breaks at the impending loss of such a valued tradition.

Why would anyone want to kill something that means so much to so many Auburn students, alumni and fans? Why would you deliberately want to hurt thousands of people? Why? Because the world is full of sin. Because we are fallen, selfish, heartless and cruel. I have no other explanation.

This is truly why I am upset today. My heart breaks for the Auburn faithful as they wait for a miracle to save these gorgeous, old landmarks. These trees have lived longer than any person on this earth. They have seen more than any Auburn fan alive. And now they face a slow and imminent demise. And some ignorant, evil person, who, if they live in the South, probably describes themselves as a Christian, is gloating about ruining a time-honored tradition.

Thirdly: In summary

Friends, “Americans,” countryman, lend me your ears. 1. Reduce. Reuse. Recycle. 2. Helps save the trees. (By limiting your paper waste.) 3. Don’t be an idiot. Don’t be mean. Don’t let sin rule your hearts. That’s all.

THIS JUST IN – A 62-year-old man has been arrested in connection to the poisoning. 62? Are you kidding me? You know better than that! You idiot. If you are the one who did it, I hope your sentence is to plant 10,000 trees across the South. On your own. In the summer. With just a shovel. Jerk.

On Sugar Cookies and Lessons Learned

2011-02-14T14:01:00.000-08:00

I have loved to cook ever since I was a small child. I guess it's just part of that Southern heritage ingrained in my DNA. From a fairly young age I was allowed to cook certain things on my own. I was allowed to bake a cake (from a box), make cookies (from a tube), or things easy like that.

One day I had the idea to make some homemade, from scratch sugar cookies. I have no idea where my mom was at the time, but I don't remember her being home. So, I asked my dad's permission, and he was cool with it. I mean...I think he just wanted a cookie. The man doesn't turn down sweets very often!

So, I found a recipe and got to work. I was so proud of myself. I can't quite remember exactly how old I was at the time, but it was between the ages of 10-12. And I was making cookies all by myself from scratch! So proud! I even found these heart cookies and L-O-V-E cookies cutters. I knew my dad was going to love it!

As soon as the cookies were done and cooled I called my dad over to have one. I stood and waited for his praise for my delicious creation. I remember him taking a cookie, taking a bite, and then choking and coughing and running for a glass of water. I was shoc
ked. What happened to my cookies! I tasted one and quickly realized I messed up the proportions.

I think instead of adding 1 teaspoon of salt I must have added a tablespoon...or p
ossibly more. Instead of baking delicious sugar cookies I made disgusting salt coo
kies. Yeah...they tasted like salt. And baking soda. My dad wasn't super happy with me, and I'm pretty sure I was banned from making anything from scratch by myself for a long time.

I have since recovered from my salty....treats. And I have learned how to bake a cookie from scratch! And sometimes there just isn't anything better than a warm, homemade sugar cookie. If my dad were with me today, I'm sure he would be singing my praises instead of spitting out and gagging on my poor little cookies. Oh, the lessons I have learned through the years. But hey...Julia Child wasn't born a super awesome cook! You have to go through trials and tribulations in the kitchen, and along the way you lear
n from your (sometimes numerous) mistakes.

Sugar Cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup fine, white sugar
2 sticks unsalted butter
1 large egg
2 cups All-Purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 large cooking sheets with parchment paper. (Not really necessary, but that's typically how I do my cookie pans.) Cream together sugar and butter. Add egg salt, baking soda and vanilla. Mix well. Gradually add in flour while mixing.

Roll dough into 1-inch size balls. Pour a little bit of sugar in a small bowl, and roll cookie dough balls in sugar to coat all sides.

Press ball onto cookie sheet to flatten out a bit. For snickerdoodles, add about 1/2 tablespoon of cinnamon to 4 tablespoons of sugar to roll dough balls.

Bake cookies for approximately 11-15 minutes, depending on your oven. Mine were perfecto after 13 minutes! Let cool on pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Or just eat them as soon as they are cool enough to touch! If desired, top with vanilla or buttercream icing and sprinkles. Yields approximately 3 dozen cookies.

It snowed in the South

2011-02-12T14:49:00.000-08:00

It snowed in the South this week. It has snowed TWICE since Christmas. And technically it snowed on Christmas day at my house...but I wasn't here, so I'm not counting that.

Snow in the South is like having a tornado in the Pacific Northwest. It really doesn't happen that often. In fact, it has only snowed once in the two years I have back in Mississippi. Well, up until this year. We've had a bit of a weird winter. I mean...It has snowed twice in the last month! And this last time we got nearly 5 inches! That's weird to me!

But never fear. After Wednesday's night's winter event, we have warmed back up. I mean...I still have snow in the shadows of my yard, but we've been in the 50's today. And will be in the 60's tomorrow and for the remainder of the week. Heat. That's what I'm used to in the South. Still, it was quite nice to enjoy something out of the ordinary. And...it was quite nice to miss work on two separate, random days! I always like a free day off!

Below is my "Ode to Snow" movie containing pics of the two wintry events. Its set to the music of The Civil Wars. Enjoy!

The Golden Egg

2011-02-07T08:43:00.001-08:00

We can't get enough of the Egg Bowl trophy apparently. New video just rubbing in the engraving day! LOL! This is hilarious!

GO DAWGS!

Dilemmas, Dilemmas...and time for a poll

2011-02-03T12:23:00.000-08:00

I'm trying to decide what to take as an appetizer to our Super Bowl party on Sunday. Here's my two options:

1. Mississippi Sin - Which I haven't had in FOREVER!

2. Guacamole - Which I made last year for the Super Bowl.

Both are quite delicious. We are having chili as our main course and random snacks and desserts from everyone. What would you want? (And if you are going to be at Lee's Sunday night what DO you want?)

Vote now or forever hold your peace! (You can cast your vote in the comment section. Since I don't really have many readers...I guess I may not get any votes...ha!)

Also, I'm making Texas shaped cookies. Because I can. And because I'm paying homage to it being played in my former home. And...I'm making some kind of chocolate cake. Possibly with peanut butter filling. Wish you were invited to our party, huh??? : )

OMG...I think I luuuuuv commercials

2011-02-02T07:10:00.000-08:00

Super Bowl Sunday is rolling around this week. And though it is in my stadium of choice, my team of choice is not going to be there. In fact, I could care less about either team playing. Similar to two years ago. But whatevs....I'll pull for the Packers.

What I am looking forward to, though, is:

1. Hanging out with friends

2. Eating lots of yummy football food

3. Watching hilarious and thought provoking commercials during the game. Its all about the commercials anyway!

Right now Radio Shack has a very stupid commercial that makes me laugh. I don't know why. Probably the cat's Southern accent and the fact she's so silly. I think its hilarious though!

What I hope to see during the Super Bowl are more mayhem commercials by Allstate. They are very cleaver, and just...great! My two favorite are the GPS (recalculating) and the one where he is a teenage girl. I mean....that dude is just great!

I haven't had much time to read up about the Super Bowl ad hype this year. Sometimes I catch snippets from Ad Age, but I am admittedly behind on the gossip. However, I did see this bit on "Cooking with Snoop Dog and Pepsi" this morning. Ummmm...yes please! I hope to see this hilarity during the game. Do you think I could get Snoop to do a guest post on my blog? I mean...his 8-layer dip with chicken wings just looks....fantastic! Ha!

Happy Super Bowl week!

Another Noodle Bowl

2011-01-28T13:33:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I just get a hankerin for Asians foods. I miss having Pei Wei on speed dial and just around the corner from my house. I have since learned to compromise, and am beginning to expand my Asian culinary repertoire. Sunday night I threw together a yummy noodle bowl with vegetables I found laying around the house, and an orange ginger sauce I picked up at the market that afternoon. Turned out great!

Orange Ginger Chicken Noodle Bowl

Ingredients:

2 large chicken breasts, cut in chunks

3 cups cabbage, chopped

1 bell pepper, chopped in large chunks

1/2 onion, chopped in large chunks

1 small can water chestnuts

2 garlic cloves chopped

1/2 box (or more) whole wheat spaghetti

1/2 bottle La Choy Orange Ginger Sauce

2 tablespoons soy sauce

Canola Oil

Olive Oil

2 tablespoons butter or margarine

1/4 cup flour

1 teaspoon garlic powder

Directions:

1. Chop all vegetables. Saute bell pepper and garlic in butter and a splash of olive oil for approximately 5-10 minutes. Once softened, add onion and saute until translucent. Set aside.

2. While bell pepper is cooking, cover the bottom of a large skillet with canola oil and heat on medium high. Pour flour and garlic powder in a bowl or Ziploc bag. Add chopped chicken, and completely coat all sides with flour mixture. Place in oil to fry chicken nuggets.

3. When chicken is completely cooked, remove from heat and place chicken on paper towels to absorb any extra oil. Set aside.

4. Boil water and cook noodles according to directions. Drain and set aside.

5. Heat a splash of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add cabbage and a few splashes of soy sauce, and cook cabbage down, about 5-8 minutes. Add water chestnuts, and cook for about 2-3 more minutes. Add remaining vegetables, chicken and orange ginger sauce. Heat over medium hit, stirring well, for about 7-8 minutes (until everything is coated with sauce and warm).

6. Toss vegetables and chicken with noodles and serve. Yields approximately 4 servings.

Suggested Sides: egg rolls or pot stickers (both can be found in your freezer section at the grocery)

Happy 30th Mel!

2011-01-26T03:38:00.000-08:00

Today I have to wish one of my besties, Melissa, a VERY HAPPY 30th BIRTHDAY!!!! So glad she is joining the club today. And so glad she's been my friend since circa 1992. Here you can see us at Six Flags in high school. L-R - Christine, Deva, Melissa & Moi! I think this was in 1996...the four of us were inseperable then!

Conversations with a 4-year-old

2011-01-24T16:45:00.000-08:00

Saturday night I was sitting on the couch at my mother's house, and my nephew came into the living room and crawled in my lap. He had his children's picture Bible with him, and needed to show me something. He opened the Bible to the story about Jesus' crucifixion.

He wanted to know why the men were hanging on the cross and why the Roman soldier "poked them" with his sharp stick. He also asked what the men did to die. I explained that the two men on the sides were bad and that they died because they did bad things. But then I explained that Jesus never ever did a bad thing his whole life. I also explained the Jesus was God, and that he was very good. However, he had to die so we could go to heaven and be with him one day.

We had to discuss this for a few minutes before he fully understood. And then he asked why the Roman soldier was so bad. Being the caring auntie that I am, I tried to soften the story a little and say the soldier was guarding the men. But then Will corrected me and said he was bad and poked the men. My sister said he already knew the story, and he knew the soldier was bad. (Oops!) My nephew then said he wished he could crawl in the book and hit the bad soldier so he didn't poke Jesus or other men. My sweet nephew is such a caring little boy, and he wanted to protect Jesus.

Will is a very smart child, and I was impressed with how much he has retained from going to church and talking to his parents about Jesus. I am always impressed with his sensitive and caring heart. He is a precious little boy.

We went on and discussed other parts of the book, including the resurrection and ascention to heaven. Will does not want to fly in the air and go to heaven like Jesus. He also doesn't want to have holes in his hand. Even though is is young, he really seems to understand who God is and the stories of the Bible.

It was a very precious time sitting with my nephew and discussing our Lord. I pray for him and his sister all the time to grow up in the ways of the Lord, and to love and follow Him from a young age. My job as an aunt will be to pray for them, speak with them, and help their mom and dad and grandparents as we all train them up in the ways of the Lord.

It's cold...so eat some soup!

2011-01-23T18:03:00.000-08:00

Saturday afternoon my sister decided she wanted to cook. She wasn't exactly sure what, but knew she wanted a stew or soup. So, she grabbed some old magazines, one of my cookbooks, and the computer. She settled on three different recipes (all from Foodnetwork.com), and left it up to me to choose. I read over, and picked the one below. Turned out to be THE BEST stew I have ever had I think. She did a fantastic job, which...if you know my family...is impressive. My sister does well when she cooks, but she's definitely not know as the family chef! (HEART YOU!)

She also asked me not to help out because she was afraid I would take the cooking over, and she really wanted to make something. I was fine by this because last time I was home, I spent a good part of my time on my feet in the kitchen. I did have the idea to add cheddar biscuits to the meal, and was in charge of that while my sis made the main course. Here's what we had:

Sausage-and-Vegetable Stew
Adapted from Foodnetwork.com

Ingredients
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 large onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, smashed
1 tablespoon paprika, plus more for garnish
Kosher salt
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
6 ounces kielbasa, cut into small chunks (or another link sausage)
3 medium carrots, peeled and cut into large chunks
14 ounces small red-skinned or new potatoes (6 to 8), quartered
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
Freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup fresh parsley, roughly chopped
3/4 cup sour cream

Directions:
Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven or heavy pot over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic; cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and glistening, about 6 minutes. Add the paprika and 1 teaspoon salt; cook until the oil turns deep red, about 1 minute. Add the flour and cook until just toasted, 30 more seconds. Immediately whisk in 4 cups water. Add the kielbasa, carrots, parsnips, potatoes and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt.

Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce to a simmer; cover and cook until the vegetables are tender and the broth has thickened, about 20 minutes. Add the vinegar and season with pepper.

Combine about half of the parsley with the sour cream in a small bowl and season with salt and pepper. Ladle the stew into bowls; top with the remaining parsley, a dollop of herbed sour cream and a sprinkle of paprika.

Cheddar Biscuits
(Like from Red Lobster)

Ingredients:
2 ½ cups Bisquick baking mix
¾ cup cold whole milk
4 tablespoons cold butter (1/2 stick)
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
1 heaping cup grated cheddar cheese

Brush on Top:
2 tablespoons butter, melted
¼ teaspoon dried parsley flakes
½ teaspoon garlic powder
pinch salt

Directions:
1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
2. Combine Bisquick with cold butter in a medium bowl using a pastry cutter or a large fork. You don't want to mix too thoroughly. There should be small chunks of butter in there that are about the size of peas. Add cheddar cheese, milk, and ¼ teaspoon garlic. Mix by hand until combined, but don't over mix.
3. Drop approximately ¼-cup portions of the dough onto an ungreased cookie sheet using an ice cream scoop.
4. Bake for 15 to 17 minutes or until the tops of the biscuits begin to turn light brown.
5. When you take the biscuits out of the oven, melt 2 tablespoons butter is a small bowl in your microwave. Stir in ½ teaspoon garlic powder and the dried parsley flakes. Use a brush to spread this garlic butter over the tops of all the biscuits. Use up all of the butter. Makes one dozen biscuits.

CRAFT TIME: Apron rack

2011-01-17T19:01:00.000-08:00

Sometime last year I read in a magazine (Good Housekeeping or Better Homes and Gardens) about building your own apron rack out of wooden spoons. I thought this was a fantastic idea because I have more than your average number of aprons. I shared the idea with my sister (who was looking for a way to display some aprons that belonged to our great-grandmother), and she ended up gifting the craft project to me for my birthday.

Here's how it went...

My sister began the project by drilling holes in the wooden plaques she purchased. These wooden boards are cheap, and be purchase at craft stores such as Hobby Lobby or Michael's.

She then purchased wooden spoons and cut them off for the hooks.

I then stained the boards and a few of the spoons, and gave them a quick sanding job.

Next, it was time to assemble the pieces. I had to nail picture hangers on the back of the board so they would be anchored to the wall.

I then took wood glue, squeezed it in each hole, applied a little glue to the ends of the spoons, and place them in. I then wiped off any excess glue that came out of the hole.

I then took a flame and burned the end of a couple of the spoons in order to given them a worn, used look.

Then you have to let the glue dry for 24 hours....

Finally, I hung them on the wall in my dining area and placed my apron collection on them.

They add a very "country" feel to my kitchen/dining area. It is laid back, and lived in. The wood doesn't stand out from the brick walls as much as I had hoped, so maybe one day I'll paint them. But I think it turned out to be a pretty cute project, and really easy and cheap to do.

SNOW DAY!!!!

2011-01-11T07:13:00.000-08:00

So last weekend in my town it was warm and we had a tornado. I wasn't here for it because I was in sunny, beautiful Florida at our bowl game, but I did see the remnants of it when I got home. We returned from Florida on Sunday and found the temperature dropped from the day before. The week started out pretty chilly, but then warmed back up by mid-week. This weekend it snowed and we missed a day of work. By next week, its predicted that we will be back into the 50's, which is the average for us this time of year.

This absurdity is what we call normal weather in the South. It may be 60 one day and 25 the next. That is just how we roll! After 30 years of the wild and wacky, its just not news to me to have such...flexibility...in our weather.

Since we don't get snow very often, people get a little too excited when it happens. Typically, the entire city/area/state shuts down. My family lives 2 hours south of me, and they closed the doors to their schools and offices with barely any ice or snow. We did get around 2 inches (I think) at my house, and enjoyed a nice Monday off to watch TV and play. There is always a mad rush to the grocery store to buy bread and milk. I'm really not sure what that will do for you, but okay. You have to have bread, milk and batteries.

People also get really excited about playing in very little snow. Its because we never see it! I mean...I have to admit I made three snowmen yesterday and had a snowball fight with my friends! And the night it started falling, I got up about 4 different times before 1 a.m. to see how much accumulation we had. We don't get snow often, and its fun when we do!

In an effort to enjoy the little snow we had yesterday, my friend invited me to an outing with her family and their friends. We went to an open field in an undisclosed location in town and rode around in tubes and a truckbed pulled by 4-wheelers. It really was so much fun! I wasn't brave enough to ride in the tube, but I did ride on the truckbed-sleigh, and it was a blast! I have to admit I'm a little sore today because my body isn't used to being bumped and rolled around, but it sure was fun!

Below is a short video from our sledding adventure. It was great!

Hey, Sheri....WAKE UP!!!!

2011-01-06T06:57:00.000-08:00

I will start this blog off by saying I am not awake right now. Not at all. In fact, I am not quite sure when I have been this tired. Not in a while. But its Thursday, which means the weekend is only 15 working hours away. I think my busy Christmas caught up with me yesterday.

I used to never eat breakfast. I just didn't see the point. I wasn't too hungry in the morning, and why not just wait until lunch. That was until a friend pointed out the benefits of starting your day with a healthy meal. It jump starts your metabolism, helps you wake up, and provides nutrients (if you eat right) that you need in the day. So then I became a breakfast person.

I am not a morning person, by any means. Which means I really, really hate to wake up and get out of bed. In fact, I set three alarms to go off at three different times. Today I slept through the first two and must have snoozed the third in my sleep a few times. This is not out of the ordinary for me. I finally gained consciousness around 7:10 or so...way later than normal. This is really not out of the ordinary either.

Since I am so hard to wake up, and since I am usually not chipper for the first....few....hours, then I am always running late to work. I mean, let's be honest. I just am. That also means I need something quick that I can eat in the car or at my desk. In an effort to be healthy, I decided smoothies would be my option for the next few days. I can make it the night before, pop it in the fridge, and then grab it on my way out of the door. It ended up being quite a delicious breakfast, that I paired with a piece of fruit, and I believe I might have a winner for my morning start.

"Wake up Sheri" Smoothie

Ingredients:
1 fresh banana (Frozen tends to be too hard to blend.)
6-7 frozen strawberries
1-8 oz. cup of fat free Greek yogurt (I used vanilla)

Directions: Throw it all in a blender and press puree. Easy as that!

Like I said, I make these the night before since I'm always running late. I just put it in the fridge in a to-go cup, and grab it as I leave. I also will try to eat an apple or other piece of fruit about an hour or so after I drink the smoothie. Its a great, healthy way to start your day. I also bought a bag of frozen mango, strawberry and pineapple that I am going to mix with vanilla yogurt. Might even try a berry mix with blueberries, raspberries and strawberries. Yum-o!

Happy New Year!

2011-01-03T11:49:00.001-08:00

Its the third day of 2011, and I've probably got one of the biggest smiles on my face ever! You know why? Pay attention very closely to my pic! : ) My 2011 started off in sunny Florida watching my employer and alma mater completely pulverize one of the biggest names in football! We handed Michigan their worst bowl game loss in history, and it felt great being a part of it with family and friends!

My two week Christmas break was busy and fun. I was out of town for 11 of my 16 days off, so needless to say, I have fallen behind on a lot of things! Blogging will resume shortly, with a full recap of Christmas creations, celebrations and vacations. Until then....

May 2011 bring you and your family many blessings and the most wonderful year ever!

Have the merriest Christmas ever!

2010-12-25T07:45:00.000-08:00

From my home to yours, best wishes for a very happy holiday season!

Merry Xmas!!!!

2010-12-21T07:41:00.000-08:00

I don’t have a problem with Merry Xmas.

(pause)

I’ll say it again...

I do not have a problem with saying, writing, tweeting or posting Merry Xmas. It’s not offensive to me.

I do have a problem with individuals who get irate about other people using, saying, tweeting, writing or posting Merry Xmas. Typically their reason for being so severe is because they are “Christians” and they want to tell you not to take the Christ out of Christmas.

Well, to me, Xmas doesn’t take the Christ out of Christmas. In fact, to me, it puts the Biblical Greek back into Christmas. That’s right, folks. X in Xmas stands for “chi” (written as X) in Greek, which is the first letter of Χριστός (Khristós), the name for Christ.

(another pause…let this one sink in)

Χριστός, which means the anointed one, is the name used for Christ throughout the New Testament writings. The first two letters became a prevalent symbol for members of the early church. The usage of the chi-rho symbol dates back to the Roman emperor, Constantine, and was representative of the crucifixion.

When individuals refer to Xmas, it is just a shortening of Christ in the Greek form. Technically people should probably say Xpmas, but the X can stand in for Χριστός just as well as the full chi-rho symbol.

I think what bothers me most about the debate is not the use of Christmas verses Xmas. What bothers me is the fact that so many Christians get their panties in a wad and have to attack Xmas users by saying they don’t believe in Christ. You know, a lot of Xmas users probably don’t. But you know what else…a LOT of Xmas users know the true meaning of Christmas and may just need to shorten the word for a particular reason. Like fitting it in a 140-letter tweet!

Next time you feel a surge of anger when you see Xmas being used, think about why you are getting so mad. And think about your attitude and how it portrays Christ or Χριστός to those around you.

________________________________________

“With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be.” ~ James 3:9-10

Why is holiday baking reserved for the holidays?

2010-12-19T13:07:00.000-08:00

The other day I was planning out my treats for Christmas at my parents’, and the following thought occurred to me – “Why do we only prepare special candies, cookies and treats for holidays or special events?” I mean…I typically go home once a month. Why don’t I take treats home most anytime? And why do I reserve them for only Thanksgiving and Christmas?

The truth is that on occasion I do take special treats home to my family. But that is typically when it is leftover from another event. I rarely make a special treat for a trip home unless there is an occasion. Now, at Easter and birthdays, I always try to make a cake. But I do that at my mom’s house in order to involve my nephew in the baking (bowl licking) process.

Maybe in 2011 I will make an effort to make more treats for my family. It can be something as simple as cookies or brownies. It can even be as elaborate as a homemade pie. (Which is my new obsession right now.) I know my father would appreciate this. He likes desserts a lot. Maybe that’s where I get it!

Since I’m going to my parents’ house soon for the holidays, here’s a list of the treats I am taking:

Martha Washington Balls
Chex Mix
Chocolate Fudge
Royale Cookies
Pumpkin Cookies (The ones I am taking are actually from a mix, but I made these last year and they are super fantastic.)

I also had plans to make buckeye balls, but I think I’m going to stop with the above. I'm thinking we'll have enough. (Remember...I still have to make melted snowman cookies with the kids!)

Come 2011, all of us will be fat and happy I guess! Maybe that's why we only reserve these treats to once or twice a year....Hmmm....

Happy cooking and merry Christmas!

Last day of work for 2010

2010-12-17T14:00:00.001-08:00

Today is my very last day of work for the year. *sigh* It's been a long year. It has been an even longer semester! The lack of posts from August-November were a sure sign that things were hoping over at the HHC. We survived though, and we completed all of our 2010 projects with a few hours to spare! Go team SAS!

Even though I have only been at my current place of employment for two years, I have picked up on the annual "last day of work party." Last year we had a soup exchange for lunch, and this year a sweet/snack swap. Needless to say, in true Southern form, our last day of work is spent eating.

Today we has a variety of super yummy snacks to devour. I brought Martha Washington balls, fudge, pumpkin bread and chicken salad sandwiches. We had an assortment of chips and dips, candies, cookies, donuts, cakes, etc. One of my favorite dips came from a new division employee. Its super easy and a crowd pleaser, so I thought I would share.

As we look to Christmas, and close out another year, I hope each and every one of you are thankful for the blessings bestowed on you in 2010. It's been a great year, and I look forward to all of the new adventures of 2011!

And have yourself a merry little Christmas now.....

Cheddar Cheese Dip

Ingredients:
2 cups cheddar cheese
4 stalks green onions, chopped
1 cup pecans, chopped & toasted
mayo (Just enough to make the ingredients stick together - 2 tablespoons.)
1 jar red pepper jelly
1 box of crackers (Wheat Thins or Ritz)

Directions:
Mix first four ingredients together. Spread into serving dish or form into a ball. Best if you refrigerate overnight. Right before serving pour pepper jelly on top. Serve with crackers and ENJOY!

Holiday baking with the kids

2010-12-16T13:42:00.000-08:00

If you are a regular blog reader of mine, you’ll know that I love doing special projects with my nephew. I always like to involve him in activities. Something to keep his little boy hands busy. It also provides great bonding opportunities for us.

Now that the niece is getting older, it’s her turn to get involved. Hopefully. I have this baking project I want to do with them over Christmas, and I hope it’s not too much of a disaster with her. I mean…she’s just barely 19 months old. But we are going to attempt this cookie making activity with both of them this year. And yes, I will be sure to call in Mama and Nana for backup.

Last year we made reindeer out of gingerbread cookies, m & m’s and tiny pretzels. It turned out to be a pretty cute project, and Will loved helping. This year, though, my friend Sarah from high school (who has a cute little girl of her own) sent me the link for melted snowman cookies. Immediately I knew this would be our holiday baking project.

So…next week…pray for me. One night I will be making these cookies with two toddlers. I’m sure we will make a mess, and I’m sure we’ll have a blast doing it. And I’ll be sure to clean up the kitchen after so Nana doesn’t have to!

Melted Snowman Cookies

Ingredients:
1 batch of sugar cookie (either store-bought dough or the packets of mix)
1 pack of large marshmallows
Vanilla icing
Cake Decorating Gels (Colors for eyes, nose, mouth, etc.)
Mini M&M’s (Optional for buttons)
Pretzel sticks (Optional for arms)

Directions:
1. Bake cookies according to package and let cool.
2. Warm icing in microwave and spread across cooled cookies to make it look like is runny or melted.
3. Microwave marshmallows on a plate for about 15-30 seconds. (You don’t want them too, too melty.)
4. Let a grown-up place the hot marshmallows on top of the cookies for the head. Let cool to the touch.
5. Decorate snowmen with cake gels or optional food items.
6. Eat and enjoy!

I also want to make a chocolate frosty recipe I saw on Sandra Lee Semi Homemade. It looks like a Wendy’s Frosty! Sandra calls it a “moon and stars mocha,” and she makes it with her nieces and nephews. They named it that because she says she loves them to the moon and stars. That’s sweet! I love Will and Maggie that much (and more) too! Here’s the very simple recipe (that even grown-ups will love):

Moon and Stars Mocha
From Sandra Lee

Ingredients:
2 cups plain yogurt
1 cup vanilla soy milk
1/4 cup chocolate syrup
2 cups ice

Directions: Combine all ingredients in blender and blend on high for 1 minute or until smooth.

______________________________________

Will you be baking anything with kids during the holidays? If so, share links to your projects in the comments section!

For a blustery cold day...

2010-12-14T16:41:00.000-08:00

Since its been quite cold in Mississippi lately, I thought I'd share a chili recipe to warm you right up. As a side not, I did make her recipe as written with a bottle of beer, but I probably wouldn't do it again. It didn't taste bad. It really didn't taste at all...but the smell of the cooked beer just wasn't too appeasing to me.

Texas Turkey Chili

Ingredients:
extra-virgin olive oil
1 bell pepper, finely chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup tomato paste (About 1/2 to 3/4 can)
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon cumin
1 lb. pound ground turkey
1 - 1.5 cups frozen corn or 1 can of corn
Salt and pepper, to taste
One 14.5-ounce can fire-roasted crushed tomatoes
One 12-ounce bottle beer -OR- 12 oz. of chicken stock
One 15.5-ounce can kidney beans, drained and rinsed

Directions:
In a large Dutch oven or stock pot, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the bell pepper and onion, and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste, cumin and chili powder. Add the turkey, season with salt and cook, breaking it up and stirring to combine, 3 to 4 minutes.

Pour in the crushed tomatoes, corn and beer/chicken stock, bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 10-15 minutes. Add the kidney beans and cook until heated through, about 5-10 minutes more. Season with salt and pepper.

Top with cheese, sour cream, jalapenos, etc. Serve with Frito's or cornbread.

Because it's Christmas

2010-12-14T07:58:00.003-08:00

And because I can sit here and "Elf Myself" all day long....
Along with my niece, nephew, mom and dad...

Christmas Sweet Swap

2010-12-12T19:06:00.000-08:00

One of the best things about the holidays is the opportunity to spend countless hours in the kitchen. As you can probably guess by my blog, you probably know I like to cook. Given, huh? The holidays provide an opportunity for this cooking/baking lover to wear her little feet out and consume lots of calories in the kitchen.

The thing about living in the South is that I'm not the only one who likes to cook. Most women like to! Its just...part of who we are as women. I know we get a bad wrap about the whole barefoot and pregnant thing, but the truth is, even us career ladies who work all day still enjoy coming home, throwing on a apron, and creating something wonderful in the kitchen.

Since so many of my girlfriends enjoy baking, I decided to host a sweet swap this year. It wasn't a passive event where folks just brought their favorite treat, but a hands-on night of baking and cookie decorating. And in the end, everyone got to take home a variety of treats. We had apricot cookies drizzled with chocolate, sugar cookies with icing, chocolate-peanut butter-cheeze its, and butterballs.

The two treats we made that night were spiced apple cookies and my childhood favorites, chocolate oatmeal cookies. One was a no-bake that you boil on the stove, and the other was a traditional cookie. I set up two stations on each side of the kitchen, and two people took the recipe and made the treats. And while the apple cookies were baking, we decorated about 1,000 sugar cookies and laughed and talked and enjoyed each other's company.

That's the thing about Southern women. We love to bake. We love to laugh. And we love to spend time together in each other's home. The sweet swap was a great night, and I look forward to many more nights in the kitchen with these gals!

Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies
From Bell's Best II Cookbook

Ingredients:
1/2 cup milk
2 cups sugar
4 tablespoons cocoa
1 stick butter
1 tablespoon vanilla
3 cups quick oats

Directions:

1. Melt butter on medium heat in medium stock pot. Mix in milk, sugar and cocoa.
2. Bring to a slow, rolling boil for 5-7 minutes. Remove from heat and add vanilla and oatmeal. Stir well.
3. Immediately spoon mixture onto wax paper. Move quickly before mixture sets.
4. Let cookies cool completely until set.

Spiced Apple Cookies
From The Naptime Chef

Ingredients:
½ cup shortening
1 1/3 cup brown sugar
1 egg
¼ cup whole milk
2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground cloves
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon chopped walnuts
1 cup unpeeled apple, finely chopped

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Beat together shortening and brown sugar until full combined. Add egg and milk and mix ingredients well.
3. In a separate bowl combine flour, soda, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and salt. With the mixer on low, slowly add dry ingredients, scraping down the sides as necessary, until everything is fully combined.
4. Stir chopped apple and walnuts into the batter with a wooden spoon.
5. Drop cookies by rounded spoonfuls about 2-inches apart on a cookie sheet lined with Silpat or parchment paper. Press the tops of the cookie down with your top two fingers so they are slightly flattened.
6. Bake for 12-14 minutes or until cookies hold their shape and are slightly browned on the edges.

Thanksgiving Recap (It's About Time)

2010-12-08T08:15:00.000-08:00

So, returning to the office from Thanksgiving is not the easiest thing to do. Especially when your office/university is anticipating the announcement of a bowl game. And then gets a bowl bid. Allz I know is that working for a university alumni association and foundation who is going to a New Year's Day bowl game can be quite busy. But I'm super excited about spending New Year's in Jacksonville!

Thanksgiving was just as busy as work is right now. Thanksgiving Day I made a trip to south Mississippi to visit my dad's family. Then headed back up north/central to the family compound. Friday was grocery shopped, cooked, and I visited with my long-time friends to see their new baby. Saturday we hosted my mom's family at my parents' house, and an Egg Bowl party at my brother's new (and gorgeous) home. (I spent a lot of time bonding with J&L's dog that weekend.) Sunday was back north to my house for the outdoor Christmas decorating. And Monday back to the grind...Whew...it was a doozy!

Thanksgiving brought some new and old favorites to the table. Wednesday night I made the largest and most beautiful apple pie ever! It was amazing! And it tasted good too! Friday night I made a chocolate chip pecan pie, per the brother's request. I also made tamale dressing with cranberry salsa, three loaves of homemade bread and jalepeno popper dip on Saturday. (I told you it was busy!)

All in all, it was a very good Thanksgiving. I spent lots of time with my family, and enjoy way too much food. Can't wait for our Mexican Christmas to roll around!

Here are recipes from my Thanksgiving table:

For both pies, here's a link to The Pioneer Woman's Perfect Pie Crust. (I recommend using regular or butter flavored shortening. Tried both. Both taste great!)

Chocolate Chip Pecan Pie

Ingredients:
1/2 pie dough from above recipe, rolled out thin and laid in pie plate
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1-1/2 to 2 cups pecan halves
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup dark corn syrup (I only had light, and it was fine.)
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions: Heat oven to 375 degrees. Sprinkle chocolate chips over bottom of pie crust lined pan; top with pecan halves. In small bowl, combine brown sugar, corn syrup, eggs, and vanilla; beat well. Pour over pecans. Bake at 375 degrees for 25-35 minutes or until top is golden brown. Cool. Garnish with a dollop of whipped cream. Store in refrigerator.

Dulce de Leche Apple Pie
From closetcooking.blogspot.com

Ingredients:
6 cups of apples (cored, peeled and sliced)
1/2 cup dulce de leche
2 tablespoons apple cider
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
pinch of salt
2 pie crusts (One full recipe from Pioneer Woman's link above)
1 egg white mixed with 1 teaspoon of water

Directions:
1. Toss the apples in the dulce de leche, cider and vanilla,
2. Mix the sugars, cornstarch, spices and salt in a large bowl.
3. Mix the wet and dry ingredients.
4. Fit one of the pie crusts into a 9 inch pie plate and pour the apples in.
5. Fit the remaining pie crust on top and brush with the egg white mixture.
6. Cover with foil and bake in a preheated 400F oven for 40 minutes.
7. Reduce to 375F, remove the foil and bake until golden brown, about 30-40 minutes.
8. Let cool completely before serving. (Alton Brown suggests at least 4 hours so all the apple juices and sugars can meld together.)

Jalapeño Popper Dip

From annies-eats.com

Ingredients:
2 (8 oz.) packages fat free cream cheese, softened
1 cup light or fat free mayonnaise
1 (4 oz.) can chopped green chiles, drained
1 (4 oz.) can diced jalapeño peppers, drained
½ cup shredded Mexican style cheese
½ cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
1 cup Panko breadcrumbs
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
Cooking spray

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375˚ F. In a medium bowl, combine the cream cheese, mayonnaise, green chiles, jalapeños, and shredded cheeses. Mix thoroughly with a spoon or spatula until smooth and evenly combined. Spread the mixture into a baking dish (approximately 9 x 9-inches).

In a second bowl, combine the Panko and Parmesan and stir with a fork until combined. Sprinkle over the cream cheese mixture in the baking dish. Spray lightly with cooking spray. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the mixture is hot and the topping is golden. Serve warm with Fritos Scoops, baguette slices, vegetables, etc. as desired.

Mostly Classic Lasagna

2010-12-04T19:50:00.000-08:00

I have a confession to make. Those who read my blog that were with me tonight, its really not a big deal. And it all turned out in the end. But my confession is that I have never made homemade lasagna before today. That's right folks! Up until this point in my life, I have only ever eaten frozen. *gasp*

The thing about homemade lasagna is that it takes a long time. It's really tasty, but most of the time its just easy to make the frozen one. The other thing is that its usually not that low in the fat or calorie count. The recipe I cooked from today said the average serving of lasagna has 1,313 calories! THAT'S INSANE!!!! But there are ways to cut back on the bad stuff and make a delicious dish that is better for you.

The recipe I used was in Everyday with Rachael Ray. Below is my modified version. I added meat since we were eating with boys and boys tend to like meat. And by the way, Mrs. Ray said prep-time was only 45 minutes. Ummm....it took me a LOT longer than that! But the end result was fantastic!

Mostly Classic Lasagna

Ingredients:
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 lb. ground turkey (I used beef tonight.)
8 oz. sliced mushrooms
salt and pepper
2 large garlic cloves, chopped
One 28-oz. can crushed tomatoes (I used the kind with basil.)
Nine 8-inch whole wheat lasagna noodles
1 cup fat free cottage cheese
1 egg white
shredded Parmesan cheese
Part-skim mozzarella cheese
Red wine (optional)
1 tbsp. parsley flakes
1 tbsp. oregano
Italian seasoning

Directions:
1. Season ground meat with Italian seasoning (to taste) and brown in a large skillet. Drain (if need be) and set aside in a medium bowl. Clean skillet because you'll need it again!

2. Heat 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil in large skillet, and add half of the mushrooms. Salt and stir mushrooms and cook for about 2-3 minutes. Pour in about 2 tablespoons of red wine and cook until mushrooms are soft (about 5 minutes). Add cooked mushrooms to meat and repeat process with the other half of the mushrooms. (Why cook only half at a time? Because Julia Child says you should NOT CROWD THE MUSHROOMS!!!!)

3. Preheat oven to 400 degrees, and cook lasagna noodles to al dente. (About 8-10 minutes, but consult directions on package.)

4. Return skillet to heat and pour in 1 tbsp of olive oil and chopped garlic. Cook garlic on medium-low for about 1 minutes. Add tomatoes, parsley, and oregano, and cook for about 10 minutes, or until sauce thickens up. Add 3/4 cup of tomato sauce to meat and mushroom mixture and set aside.

5. In a food processor or blender, puree cottage cheese, egg white, and 1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese.

6. Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish and spread just enough tomato sauce to lightly cover the bottom of the dish. (About 1/2 to 3/4 cup.) Lay three lasagna noodles across bottom of pan. Then layer 1/2 each of meat and mushroom mixture, cottage cheese mixture, and a light layer of mozzarella cheese. Lay three more noodles down, and repeat meat/mushrooms, cottage cheese, and mozzarella. Lay the last three noodles down and top with remaining sauce.

7. Cover pan with aluminum foil and bake at 400 degrees for 40 minutes. Remove from oven, and top with mozzarella cheese. Bake for about 10-15 more minutes, or until cheese is melted. Remove from oven and let rest for about 10j-15 minutes to let lasagna set.

Side suggestions: Salad, garlic bread, green beans

Other suggestion: Don't let a man cut the lasagna to serve. The pieces will end up being about 4 normal serving sizes large! : )

Happy cooking!

Do you know its Christmastime, oh yeah!

2010-12-03T16:23:00.000-08:00

Christmas is one of my most favorite times of year. It magical and beautiful, and you get to decorate your house in bright lights and beautiful jewel tones! I love it! And yes, its also a time for family, friends and celebrating our Lord's birth. (Even though he was probably really born during springtime. But here's why we celebrate His birth in December.)

Another thing about Christmas that I love (besides baking fun goodies) is the music. I love Christmas music! I start listening to it the after Thanksgiving, and listen mostly to all Christmas tunes for the entire month of December.

There were also those songs that just meant a lot. In high school, we sang a song with the piano music being Canon in D, and the song and tune was The First Noel. My best friend Melissa and I reworked it for a piano and flute solo. She also played one year and I sang. I have so many great memories of with playing the flute or singing with my best friend accompanying me on the piano. I miss those days!

For several years in a row I would make Christmas mix CD's to give to my friends and family. There were pretty popular, and I really put a lot of thought and time into my song selection. Some of the songs were faves of mine, some were suggested by friends. But in the end, it was a great way to share my love of holiday music.

Do you have some Christmas tunes that mean a lot to you? Here are mine:

I do have a few favorite Christmas CD's: (in no particular order)
1. Mariah Carey - Merry Christmas
2. Sister Hazel - Santa's Playlist
3. Barenaked Ladies - Barenaked for the Holidays
4. Lee Ann Womack - The Season for Romance
5. Josh Groban - Noel
6. Bebo Norman - Christmas...From the Realms of Glory

I also have a few favorite Christmas songs:
1. The First Noel
2. Carol of the Bells
3. O Holy Night
4. Ave Maria
5. All I Want for Christmas is You
6. Man with the Bag
7. Baby, It's Cold Outside

And then I have the perfect Christmas mix:
1. The Amens – Brian Setzer Orchestra
2. Jesus Born on This Day – Mariah Carey
3. Frosty the Snowman – Fiona Apple
4. Jingle Bells – Brian Setzer Orchestra
5. 12 Days of Christmas – Punk Band???
6. Merry Christmas Baby – Bonnie Rait
7. Joseph’s Song?? – Mercy Me
8. Blue Christmas – Michael Buble? Brian Setzer?
9. I Pray on Christmas – Harry Connick Jr.
10. Jesus, O What a Wonderful Child – Mariah Carey
11. My Grown-up Christmas List – Michael Buble
12. Ave Maria – Rachel Lampa
13. The Merriest – June Christy
14. Let it Snow – Michael Buble
15. Count your Blessings – Diana Krall
16. Christmas, Baby Please Come Home – Mariah Carey
17. The First Noel – Jaci Valeasquez
18. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas – Coldplay
19. What are you Doing New Years Eve – Diana Krall
20. Auld Lang Syne – Barenaked Ladies

Sing a song of Christmas!

My favorite cookie in town

2010-12-01T19:17:00.000-08:00

Bulldog Deli is a local establishment very popular with the kids. And the locals. They have great chips and rotel, potato salad and sweet tea. But they also make these really fantastic cookies called royales. They are chewy, sweet, crunchy and delicious! And it was quite hard to find a recipe similar to it. But...I did find one fairly similar that I tailored to make it work.

Yummy Royale Cookies

Ingredients:
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup butter-flavored shortening
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup light brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup white chocolate chips
1 cup chopped macadamia nuts
1 cup shredded coconut

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sift together flour, salt and baking soda in a small bowl and set aside.

Using a hand mixer or stand mixer (which I proudly now own thanks to a hand-me-down from my parents), cream shortening and butter. While still mixing, slowly add white sugar until combined. Add brown sugar until combined. Keep mixing until batter is fluffy.

Add one egg at a time, mixing well after adding. Pour in vanilla. Gradually add the dry, flour mixture while still beating. Mix until all of the dry mixture is incorporated.

Fold in chocolate chips, nuts and coconut, incorporating ingredients well. Spoon dough onto cookie sheet and loosely form into a ball.

Bake cookies until lightly browned. Approximately 15-17 minutes. It may help to under cook the cookies a bit to make them softer and chewier. Cool on cookie sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooking rack.

Yields approximately 4 dozen cookies.

___________________________________________________

One thing I haven't figured out is how to keep your cookies soft. I did cut the flour in the original recipe by 1/4 cup, but after the cookies cooled, they still were crispy. (I prefer really soft cookies, but they still tasted AWESOME!) If anyone has a tip on how to keep your cookies soft, I'm all ears! I thought about adding another egg, or more shortening, but I'm just not sure.

What are your thoughts?

A notice about black bears.

2010-11-24T09:31:00.001-08:00

Dear Santa...

2010-11-23T12:17:00.001-08:00

Dear Santa,

If you want to drop a wad of cash to pay for my home insurance, car insurance and car tag renewal, then it would be greatly appreciated.

Sincerely,

About to be broke before the holidays....

Breakfast Burritos

2010-11-23T08:04:00.000-08:00

One thing my family loves is breakfast. On the weekends, its one meal we can eat together on the compound. My dad is king of breakfast, and makes the most fantastic pancakes you have ever eaten in your life. Seriously. They are world reknown. : )

Each time my family comes to visit, I like to prepare different things each time. I like to experiement. Sometimes its sweet, sometimes its hearty. So far though, I've had no complaints!

This weekend my brother and I tag teamed and came up with a super fantastic breakfast burrito. It was really easy, fast, and left everyone wanting more. Here's what we did.

Ingredients:
Eggs (1.5 per person)
Shredded Cheese
Chopped bell pepper and onion
Home fries/Hash browns (chopped or quartered, not shredded)
Tortillas (We like the large burrito size)
Salsa
jalepenos
Oil
Butter
Salt and pepper

Directions:
Cook home fries according to directions on package. (We cooked them in a little bit of oil in a skillet.) Chop bell pepper and onion, and saute in oil and butter. Add salt and pepper for taste. Beat eggs in a small bowl and scramble on medium heat. Melt cheese on tortilla.

Assemble burrito by adding eggs first, home fries and vegetables. Top with desired condiments like salsa, jalepenos or salt and pepper.

Roll, serve and eat.

Breaking News...

2010-11-22T13:49:00.000-08:00

This just in. I have an idea. Saturday is going to be an all day, black bear themed feast. Why?

Because That School Up North is now the Black Bears.

And because we are going to beat them in the Battle for the Golden Egg.

How many black bear themed items can we come up with? So far, here's the list:

Black bear dip (aka...cream cheese rotel or man dip)
Blackberr Cobbler
Black Bear Cookies
Blackberr Bait (Substitute blackberries for blueberries)
Black Bear Pie Using No Black Bears
Black Bear Cake
Da Black Bears Roast

I could go on for days....I will have to narrow down my choices for Saturday night because after an all day family feast, we won't be able to eat THAT much during the game. But a girl can dream can't she....ha ha ha!

Go State! Beat That School Up North!

Dear Santa...

2010-11-17T18:41:00.000-08:00

Dear Santa....

All I want for Christmas are some Fiestaware ramekins (2 each in peacock, shamrock, scarlet, sunflower and tangerine) and a mini blowtorch. Then I could be a shaker, a baker, and a cream brulee maker! : ) Seriously though, I think I can find many uses for ramekins and a torch, and I probably won't even burn my house down! (I said probably. I didn't promise anything.) I've always wanted to make creme brulee....

Sincerely,

SMSA

Thanksgiving 101: A tale of two dressings

2010-11-17T13:53:00.000-08:00

What’s the next step after making a turkey for Thanksgiving? Dressing! That’s right!

The first time I made homemade dressing was also the first time I baked a turkey. That day I hand chopped all of my ingredients. It took me like 47 hours because I’m not that quick with chopping. After that day, D bought me a mini-food processor. It has since changed my life, and I am forever grateful! : )

Most people like a traditional cornbread dressing for Thanksgiving. I’m a fan, and picky/somewhat of a control freak when it comes to making my dressing. Its actually a recipe my mother gave me several years ago, and in my opinion, it’s the best dang dressing you will ever eat in your life.

HOWEVER…when cooking for out Thanksgiving feasts, my father likes to make the dressing. And we do things differently. We use the same basic recipe, but he uses dry ingredients verses fresh. I prefer all of my herbs to be fresh in my dressing. You absolutely can taste the difference. And I’m not saying my dad’s dressing isn’t good. It’s very good. He is a very, very good cook. But…I will say I am partial to my own interpretation. Since that’s the case, I let him make the traditional cornbread dressing while I do a completely different version that is definitely far from traditional.

My dressing that I make for Thanksgiving every year now is a little bit of Texas and a little bit of Mexico. It is influenced by the 7 years I spent living out west. Not only did Texas play a huge role in forming who I am today, but it also had a great influence on my choice of foods. I like things a little bit hot and a little bit spicy, and therefore, my dressing is a bit of that.

Several years ago I learned how to make tamale dressing from a Dallas/Fort Worth news show. It is very similar to your traditional dressing, but uses crumbled tamales instead of cornbread. It is a bit of a risk, unless your crowd likes Tex-Mex. Which…mine does. So, I typically make it as an alternate to our traditional dressing. And top it with cranberry salsa…which is amazing.

Again, I stick to fresh ingredients. So, I use whole cranberries, jalapeños, fresh cilantro, etc. I think fresh vs. dry is the way to go. There is just so much more flavor there! And, the tamales add a little out of the box thinking to your typical southern Thanksgiving meal. It’s a nice change!

No matter what kind you choose, you have to have dressing with your turkey. We do both. If I picked one over the other, it would probably be the traditional cornbread dressing. But if you wanted to go Tex-Mex, then I would make a spicy turkey and season it with cilantro and lime juice! : ) I say use whatever herbs you use in your dressing to also flavor your turkey, or vice versa. Helps the two to compliment each other.

Here’s a link to my traditional cornbread dressing.

Here’s a link to my tamale dressing and cranberry salsa.

For the love of pumpkin...Part 3

2010-11-16T13:25:00.000-08:00

Everyone loves pumpkin pie! Actually, I know that's not true. But most people love it. And, in all actuality, I didn't love pumpkin pie until several years ago. I made one because of my friend Scott's obsession with it. So, in order to appease my friends, I made one. And I was hooked. And now I love it a little too much. And no Thanksgiving is complete without a traditional pumpkin pie...

Traditional Pumpkin Pie

Ingredients:
3/4 cup granulated sugar

2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice (or 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp ginger, 1/4 tsp cloves)
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1 can (15 oz.) Pumpkin Puree
1 can (12 fl. oz.) Fat Free Evaporated Milk
1 unbaked 9-inch deep-dish pie shell

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. In medium bowl, combine sugar, salt, and pumpkin pie spice. Beat eggs with a whisk in large mixing bowl. Stir in pumpkin and dry ingredients. Gradually stir in evaporated milk. Pour mixture into pie shell.*

Bake pie at 425° F for 15 minutes. Then, reduce temperature to 350° F and bake for an additional 40 to 50 minutes, or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack for 2 hours. Serve immediately or refrigerate. Top with whipped cream before serving.

*If you have extra mix after you pour into the shell, I typically put it in a ramekin to bake a mini pumpkin pie. No need for a crust. : )

Halloween snacks for the kiddos

2010-11-15T07:25:00.000-08:00

I know this post is a little late, but I still wanted to put it up. First off, I have to give a shout out to my Internet/blog stalker who I met Friday night! HEEEEEYYYY!!!! I can't believe people other than Jana and April read my blog! Its kinda cool!

Halloween weekend I had the pleasure of hosting my sister's family in my home. Which means I had the cute little kiddos running around everywhere! : ) We got all dressed up , and went to the town fall fest Friday night. Will went as Diego (from Go Diego Go) and I was his precocious and youthful sidekick, Baby Jaguar. Pretty cute, huh?

Saturday we went to the park and lounged around the house before our football game that night. Whenever I hang with Will, I always try to encourage him to cook with me. Sometimes he goes for it. Sometimes he doesn't. Depends on his toddler mood of the day. On this particular day, though, he was willing to help me with lunch. So we made a cute and creepy version of hot dogs. Its a super easy treat to make with kids!

Mummy Dogs
Ingredients:
1 package of hot dogs (I prefer Bryan all beef juicy jumbos)
1 package of crescent rolls
Mustard

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Roll hot dog inside of crescent roll, and leave an opening for the eyes. Form crescent roll around the bottom and top of the dog to make sure it is covered. Place on cookie sheet and bake for approximately 15 minutes, or until crescent rolls are golden and crispy. Remove from oven and dot on mustard for eyes and mouth.

Dear Santa...

2010-11-12T06:46:00.000-08:00

Here's another new series of posts to be intermingled with the Thanksgiving ones. I'm calling it...Dear Santa. Figure that one out!

Dear Santa,

I have a lot of spices. I have a drawer these could go in. I would like approximately 4 sets of these. : )

Sincerely,

SMSA

Thanksgiving 101: It's all about the turkey

2010-11-10T16:26:00.000-08:00

In my opinion, on of the greatest accomplishments one can do (as a cook) is to adequately prepare the Thanksgiving meal, from starters to dessert, all by yourself. I first attempted this my senior year of college. It was Thanksgiving Day. We had a football game that night. My family went to visit my dad's relatives, and I stayed at my house to prepare the meal. I did everything. Baked the turkey, made homemade cornbread dressing, made sides, baked an apple pie, everything. It took me ALL DAY LONG! But at the end of the day, it was quite delicious, and everyone enjoyed it.

So, over the course of the next few weeks, I'm going to blog about my Thanksgiving meal adventures. Many of the recipes are already on the blog from year's past, but I will post again. I hope you enjoy!

First off is the turkey, the most important part of the meal. Growing up my family typically did a fried turkey (prepared by my mother's brother), so I always thought it was intriguing to try baking one. In my lifetime, I have bakes around 4-5 turkeys. I know that doesn't seem like much, but I am still young, and baking a turkey is kind of a big deal!

Your first step in turkey baking is choosing the right bird. You need to plan for 1-2 lbs. of meat per adult, which will leave ample leftovers. I would do 1/2-1 lb. per child. We will use my family as an example for this. We have 7 adults and 2 children in my immediately family. So, I would buy a 16 lb. turkey.

Turkeys, when purchased from your local grocery, are typically frozen. The preferred way to thaw a turkey is in the refrigerator. You can submerge it in cold water, but the fridge is best. The turkey will need about 6 hours per pound to thaw, so a 16 lb. turkey will require about 3-4 days of thaw time in the fridge. Be sure to place it in a roasting pan or large plastic bowl before you place in your fridge. That way you avoid spreading any salmonella.

Now its time to prep the bird!

First, preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Remove the turkey from its plastic wrapper, and unhook/unwrap/undo the feet. (They are usually fastened together by plastic, metal, or string. BE SURE TO CLEAN OUT THE INSIDE OF THE TURKEY! You will have a giblets bag, head, neck, etc. inside. You don't want to bake that in there!!! Some people save these things, but they gross me out so they go in the trash at my house! Do what you will...

Give turkey a good rinse, and don't forget to wash your hands and antibacterialize your sink when you are done!!! (Protect from germs!!!) Then place the turkey in a large roasting pan.

Now comes the fun part! Seasoning the bird!!! I use the same herbs that are required for my cornbread dressing. So, finely chop up fresh rosemary, thyme and sage. (About 2-3 tablespoons of each) Run your hand between the skin and the meat, and then rub in between the two layers. Wash your hands really good again!!!!

Take a generous amount of olive oil , a pastry brush and brush over the skin of the bird. Generously! Then rub remaining herbs on outside of bird, along with kosher salt and crushed black pepper.

Now its time to stuff your turkey. I don't think its super sanitary to eat anything inside a turkey, so I usually just put chunks of onion, garlic, celery and bell pepper inside the cavity. Then I toss them when done baking.

The key to baking a juicy, non-dry turkey is liquid. Pour 1 can of chicken broth into bottom of roasting pan to provide moisture while cooking. You may need to add more if it evaporates out. You will need to baste the turkey once an hour by taking a large syringe or baster to draw liquid from the bottom of the pan and squirt all over and inside the turkey. If your liquid is evaporating, then pour in more chicken broth.

A lot of times people use those pop up turkey times to gauge when done. The best thing to do is get a meat thermometer. You need to bake the turkey until it reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Be sure to stick the thermometer in the thickest part of the thigh, and done push it through to the bone. That will affect the temp reading.

A turkey needs to bake about 1 hour per 2-3 lbs. A 16 lb. turkey will probably take about 5-6 hours. Again, it depends on the internal temp of the bird. Check it after about 4 hours in the oven, and see where you are on temp.

Once the turkey is finished, remove from oven and let it rest for about 20-30 minutes before carving. This is when I turn the project over to someone else. I mean...I'm just not fantastic with large knives. I do know you start with the breasts and work your way to the legs. Usually men are pretty good at this kind of thing...that's all I'm sayin....

Finally, you can take the juices from the bottom of the roasting pan to make some gravy. Do you know how to do that? Or do I need to explain it? I'll just let you figure that one out. Its like making any kind of gravy. : )

And there you have it folks....in 800 words or less....how to bake a turkey! Good luck! And no, you don't have to wait until Thanksgiving to try this one out!

Happy cooking!!!

I simply cannot wait!

2010-11-09T13:49:00.001-08:00

Until this....

On being a Bulldog and bleeding maroon...

2010-10-29T06:56:00.000-07:00

Most of my readers know that I'm a Bulldog, through and through. From the time I was a child, I was wearing maroon and white and cheering on Mississippi State. My parents took us to a few games as kids. I distinctly remember going to a home game against Tulane and getting in trouble for booing the other team. And a trip to the Liberty Bowl around 1991-1992. I don't think visiting the campus made as much of an impression on my sister because she doesn't remember going to games! He he!

In August 1998, I officially became a Bulldog. I started out as a young 18 year-old, and graduated with my bachelor's degree in May 2002. The four years I spent at State were some of the best of my life, and I was fortunate to spend it with my best friends in the world, who also attended college here.

One especially fantastic year was 1999. I was a sophomore, and that fall something remarkable happened - we had a really, really good football team! In fact, we went 8-0 before losing a game! We also went to the SEC Championships that year, which we unfortunately lost.

During that season, I had the incredible opportunity to work for ESPN during one of our televised games. I was a broadcasting major, and we got paid $50 to be assistants. My job assignment was to help run cable for a camera on the Bulldog sidelines. I had an all access press pass to the stadium, and was on the sideline for the entire game.

The particular game I worked was Kentucky. It was cold that night, and I distinctly remember wearing my favorite pair of jeans and a navy J Crew pea coat. (Which I still have....) It was an exciting night, and instead of expressing it with words, I will share this video of the end of the game.

As you can see, it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I was right there as this unfolded. On the sidelines. With our team! Not 10 minutes before that field goal was kicked, Scott Westerfield looked over at me and winked. I was chatting it up with Kelvin Love and Fred Smoot on the sidelines! It is definitely a night I will never forget!

We play Kentucky tomorrow night at home. Last year we beat them in a thrilling game in their territory, and are pretty evenly matched against them this year. This is going to be a big game for us, because after have several terrible seasons in a row, we are finally on our way back up. We are 6-2, bowl eligible, and still have to face Kentucky, Alabama, Arkansas and Ole Miss in our last four games. (Quick soap box - SEC is THE HARDEST conference in the nation. Had to get that off my chest.) Its a BIG GAME for us, and I'm really excited about spending that time with my family.

I have been a Bulldog all my life. From childhood, to my college years, and now as an adult and employee of this great university, I have always been a Bulldog. And no matter what, win or lose, I will remain a Bulldog because I believe in this university, I believe in its people, and I believe in its purpose to educate our state. Having a good football team is just icing on the cake!

Go Dawgs!

For the love of pumpkin...Part 2

2010-10-27T09:06:00.000-07:00

This could turn into a 14 part post if I'm not careful! : )

We had our bi-monthly staff birthday celebration at the beginning of October, and one of our secretaries made the most delicious pumpkin dip! It's cold, creamy, sweet and all around fantastic! This is a great tailgating treat during football season or appetizer for a family gathering! Definitely something you should add to your to-do list! : )

Pumpkin Dip

Ingredients
2 pkgs. Fat free cream cheese, softened
1 can pumpkin
2 cups sifted powdered sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger

Directions
Whip cream cheese and pumpkin in large bowl until smooth. Stir in sugar and spices, mixing well. Cover and refrigerate for 1 at least hour. Serve with sliced apples, graham crackers, vanilla wafers, gingersnaps, etc.

For the love of pumpkin...

2010-10-26T07:06:00.000-07:00

I love this time of year! Its one of my favorites! You know why?

Because we have football

Because I love the colors and smells of fall

Because it is guranteed that I will have lots of family gatherings

Because family gatherings ensure lots of baking needs

Because I get to change out the decorations of my house for various holidays

Because, because, because, because....

Because of the wonderful things [it] does....

(whoa...Wizard of Oz flashback there...)

But back to loving this time of year. One thing about this time of year is the abundance of pumpkin products available to the public. We have pumpkin coffee, pumpkin creamer, pumpkin cookies, pumpkin cake, pumpkin ice cream, pumpkin candles, pumpkin....everything. And as a lover of all things pumpkin, I especially enjoy this abundance.

So, last night, I ventured into the love of pumpkin with my baking, and ended up making pumpkin bran muffins. While watching the Cowboys lose. And about the time Romo broke his clavical, I put too much honey in my recipe. They turned out okay though! ; )

These are not sweet muffins by any means, but a somewhat healthier way to bake a muffin. If you don't like bran muffins, you will probably not like these. But I think they are quite tasty and a great way to start my day.

Because the recipe made nearly 2 dozen, I also froze two packages of them for later use. I debated on whether or not to freeze the baked

muffins or the batter, and ended up freezing the bread. If anyone can offer advice on freezing batter, please let me know!

The recipe came from www.verybestbaking.com, a great source for all of your baking needs! And since I called my mother, sister-in-law and solicited help via Twitter and Facebook...I have decided there needs to be a 24 hour help line for baking advice. Food Network, do you think you could take care of that? Because sometimes I have questions that my family cannot answer! Thanks!

Here's the recipe! Enjoy!

BestLife™ Pumpkin Spice Muffins
Ingredients
Nonstick cooking spray
2 cups wheat bran cereal
1/2 cup boiling water
1 cup pure pumpkin
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups skim milk
1/4 cup honey
1/3 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons canola oil
1 cup whole-wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking soda
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

Directions
Preheat oven to 350º F. Place rack in the center of the oven. Lightly coat a 12-cup muffin pan with cooking spray.

In a medium mixing bowl, combine bran cereal, water and pumpkin and let sit for at least 5 minutes.

In another bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, honey, sugar and oil. Combine egg mixture with bran mixture and stir till smooth.

Mix in flours, baking soda and spices. Stir just until dry ingredients are moistened.

Put a scant 1/2 cup of batter into each muffin tin. Sprinkle with walnuts and bake for about 20 minutes till tops are brown and a toothpick tests clean.

Cool in pan on wire rack for 10 minutes; remove to wire rack to cool completely.

Happy cooking!

Halloween Arts & Crafts

2010-10-18T18:01:00.000-07:00

I got this great idea to make cat pumpkins from Good Housekeeping this year. I mean...who doesn't want cat pumpkins in their front yard? So, I set out to make them. Here was my process:

1. Find two regular pumpkins, 2 small pumpkins, and 4 tiny pumpkins.

2. Get some black spray paint, felt, hot glue, acrylic paint, ribbon, and sharp sticks.

3. Cut the stems off of the pumpkins, or get your neighbor to do it for you. (Don't judge. He offered.)

4. Spray paint pumpkins in black. Might take a couple of coats. Let it dry in between coats! : )

5. Once the black paint is dry, take the small pumpkin and stick it on top of the big pumpkin. (Difficult steps, I know.)

6. Take some kind of sharp stick and poke it through the top pumpkin into the bottom. I used small garden stakes. I took a hammer and just banged them right on down. I also stabbed myself with the sharp end in the process.

7. Take the tiny pumpkins and stake them into the bottom to make feet.

8. Get a light colored acrylic paint and make cat eyes. I used yellow.

9. Cut four ears out of felt. I outlined them in silver glitter puff paint. It made them real pretty.

10. Glue ears on top of small pumpkin in the place where ears go. Be very, very careful though! Hot glue on skin DOES NOT FEEL GOOD!!!! Don't learn this lesson the hard way.

11. Take ribbon and wrap it around the cat's neck. Don't choke it! Make it loose enough to breathe....And hot glue the two ends together in the back. But don't burn your finger. Seriously. Take. My. Word. For. It.

12. Set your cat pumpkins up in the yard, on the porch, or in the house. People will love them.

Meet Fritz. People love him.

Meet Hans. People like him too.

Fritz and Hans live in the front yard, and I think they are mostly happy. They watch over the bones of the last trespasser. God rest his soul. They also make sure no one messes with my witches cauldron. I have spells to conduct after all.

*Disclaimer - No cats were actually hurt in the process of making these. However, some pumpkins were. In fact, I don't think Hans will make it munch longer. His head is already rotting. Dang.

To blog or not to blog...that is the question

2010-10-07T08:03:00.000-07:00

Well, I may or may not start blogging again. What I do know at this point is:

1. I needed a new design. One that is simple and sleek.

2. I didn't need 2 blogs anymore, so I imported the other one and deleted it.

3. If I do start blogging "regularly again," it will not be daily. I'm just too busy for that.

I have been blogging for about seven or eight years now, and am probably on my sixth blog or something by now. When it was more of a hobby and fun, I was not working as someone who wrote professionally. Being a writer takes the fun out of blogging. And reading. Because its hard to get out of work mode and into casual mode. But we will attempt and see how much I can do and when.

I really wanted to start blogging again because I have a hilarious new project that I"m working on for Halloween. And last night, whilst spray painting black pumpkins in my front yard, I had a little assistance from my two engineering neighbors who circled my project and offered advice on how to really make it work. Pictures will come soon enough, but probably not until next week!

Anyway, this is just a quick note to say I'm going to give a go at blogging again. But you will see new things on SMSA's. It will not be solely on food and cooking anymore. Probably because I haven't been cooking as much lately. I know...but life has been busy and out of sorts for the last several months. Just deal! ; )

So...this blog will be about food, cooking, crafts, life, family, God, etc. Same name. New design. Some new topics.

Maybe people will read it. Maybe not. But it will be there...most likely.

peace love and cake

The Art of Being Neighborly

2010-07-25T18:03:00.000-07:00

So, I live in a small town. So, I bake things for my neighbors. So, I'm really Southern. So what!

My sister made fun of me tonight because I baked a batch of brownies for my new neighbors. But, the thing is...I like to bake. AND...when you bake for your neighbors then eventually they might do things for you in return. Like move heavy things. Or kill snakes. At least...that's what I hope will happen in result of the brownies.

I had an idea the other night. I wanted some vanilla brownies. But with chocolate chips. And with cinnamon. But I couldn't find a recipe. So I googled a couple of things, and came up with this:

Vanilla Cinnamon Chocolate Chip Brownies

Ingredients:
2 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened (1 1/2 sticks)
1 1/4 cup white sugar
1 1/4 cup light brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla (I always use Mexican)
3 eggs
2 cups chocolate chips

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 10x15 inch pan. (If you don't have 10x15, use a 9x13, but you will need to bake longer.)

2. In a small bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

3. In a large bowl, beat butter, sugars, cinnamon, and vanilla until smooth. Gradually add 1 egg at a time, continuing mixing.

4. Slowly add flour mixture to batter and beat until well mixed. Fold in chocolate chips.

5. Spread the batter evenly in the pan and bake for 35-45 minutes.**

6. Cool in the pan on a wire rack. When cooled, cut into squares.

**Watch the brownies as you get near the end of baking. The top of mine started to get a little crunchy, but once it cooled, they cut fine.

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Ummm...these brownies were pretty darn good! Very rich, but good! And I might add a little more cinnamon next time to bring out that flavor. Or some nutmeg. Something to spice it up though.

I think the neighbors were impressed. You know, it never hurts to sweeten them up! I may need their muscles in the future!

Happy cooking!

On fudge and love and remembering

2010-07-13T07:01:00.000-07:00

I haven’t blogged in a while, on either site, if you (my three readers) haven’t noticed. I’m a writer by day, and though I love it in my pastime, it’s usually more…emotional and personal when it’s not for work. But yesterday I found the strength to post this, in an edited version, which was written at the end of May. Get out your box of Kleenex’s!
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Ever since I was a child, I have loved to cook. I honestly can’t remember how early I started cooking, or who first introduced me to cooking. It was probably my mother, who comes from a long line of great cooks. I’m sure I helped her back a cake or cookies or something, and somehow just took it on as one of my favorite things to do.

One of my earliest memories is baking around the holidays with my Mamaw (mother’s mom) and my Aunt Gloria (mom’s older sister). We would get together at my grandparent’s house and make all kinds of goodies like chocolate covered everything, buckeye balls, Martha Washington balls, divinity, etc. We would spend an entire day making candy and getting ready for whatever family holiday was to follow.

I have fond memories of the times spent in the kitchen with my aunt and Mamaw. They taught me a lot about baking, measuring, and the science of cooking. (Like how you should make candy on a crisp, cool day with no humidity. It sets better!) They also spent time investing in my life, showing me what it’s like to be family, to be a Christian woman, and to be good in the kitchen.

Every time we baked, we had our very own taste tester. My Papaw had a major sweet tooth, and would always sneak in and take a nibble of what we were up to. He was incorrigible when it came to the kitchen! We absolutely couldn’t keep him away from the candy, but that was okay because it needed to be tested anyway!

Papaw’s favorite homemade treat, or so I recall, was chocolate fudge. (His real favorite candy was chocolate covered cherries. The last thing I gave him was a box of those in the hospital.) Papaw was always a sucker for fudge. Anytime we made it, he came in and stole a piece, or two, or three... Sometimes he wouldn’t even let it set up properly before he stole a piece. I remember teasing him, and slapping his hand away, but always laughing because he was so silly and fun.

I have such good memories of those days with my grandparents. They really loved me and invested their lives in me, and I am so thankful for those times. I am thankful that I lived just a few miles away from them for most of my life, and that they were able to attend choir performances, plays, band recitals, soccer games, etc., etc. They took me camping, to ballgames, to the movies, to church, and were such an integral part of my childhood. I am thankful for their love and support of me over the last 30 years.

On June 6, my grandparents celebrated their 62 wedding anniversary. It’s remarkable to me to have been married so long. It was a blessing to witness how much they loved and cared for each other through the years. They continued to tease one another, flirt, hold hands, bat eyes, and act like two teenagers in love. They were sweet, and truly lived for the other. They showed me what it was like to love someone else unconditionally.

On June 6 my sweet, loving, adoring Papaw joined our savior in heaven. Mamaw was by his side holding his hand.

To say the last month has been hard is an understatement. I know grief is a process, and he is not the first person I have lost. But he is by far the most significant person in my life to go. I still get very sad at times when I think that I will never share a laugh, a hug, or a sweet moment with him. But at the same time I had 30 years of shared moments that will stay with me forever. I will always miss him, and I will always love him. I will always be thankful to our time spent together. And I look forward to one day seeing him again in heaven and worshiping our Lord for eternity.

My Papaw loved fudge. Plain, simple chocolate fudge. Every time I make it, I will think of him.

Love you, Paps!

Easy Chocolate Fudge
Adapted from the Eagle’s Brand Milk recipe

Ingredients
3 cups (18 oz.) semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 (14 oz.) can Fat Free Sweetened Condensed Milk
Dash salt
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Wax paper

Directions:
Line an 8 or 9 inch square pan with wax paper. Slowly melt chocolate chips with the
sweetened condensed milk and salt in heavy saucepan. Be careful not to heat too quickly because it can burn. Remove chocolate mixture from heat and add vanilla. Spread evenly in prepared pan.

Chill fudge for 2 hours until it sets and is firm. Then remove the fudge by lifting the wax paper out of the pan. Cut into small, bite-sized squares with a knife.

Give me some sugar, daddy!

2010-06-28T08:34:00.000-07:00

So, its kinda a running joke with some of my friends that I/we are "on the prowl" for a sugar daddy. Its a joke because:

1. Its kinda ridiculous to call myself "on the prowl" when I prefer staying home and hanging out with my friends, and not hitting up local bars and hot spots looking for men.

2. I live in a small town which has a limited number of decent, available men...MUCH LESS...rather wealthy, decent, available men.

Moving on....

So my sister emailed me, my mom, and my sister-in-law her dessert idea for our father's day cookout. Its called sugar daddy a'la mode. I asked her if it helps attract them, because I could use one. I mean...I am 30 and I am single! Its about time I settle down....right? *as I roll my eyes and sigh...*

Anywayz, it was funny. To me at least. Probably no one else. But I am known to laugh more at my own "jokes" than other people. At least it gave me a laugh! : )

The sister ended up making the gooey, scrumptious dessert, and it was a total hit with all the men in my family. Maybe I should find a boy and cook it for him and see if it works! Ha ha!

Sugar Daddy a la Mode
From E-mealz.com

Ingredients:
30 light caramels
1/3 cup evaporated milk
1 pkg. Betty Crocker
German Chocolate cake mix
1 cup chopped pecans
3/4 cup melted butter
1/3 cup milk
12 oz. bag chocolate chips

Directions: Melt caramels in evaporated milk. Set aside. Combine cake mix, milk and butter. Mix well. Add nuts. Pat 2/3 of dough into greased 9x13 pan. Bake 6 minutes at 350. Remove from oven. Cake will have risen but still be quite soft. Sprinkle chocolate chips over crust, then drizzle caramel mixture over melting chocolate. Drop remaining dough over top by spoonfuls. Return to oven and bake for 15 minutes or until set. Cool completely before cutting. Serve with vanilla ice cream.

(PS - That's my real "sugar daddy" up above! He's a pretty good one! I think I'll keep him.)

Buttermilk Ice Cream

2010-06-22T14:36:00.001-07:00

And they doubted me that it would taste good....

Last Saturday night I went home to visit the family and help my grandmother move. I ended up also cooking dinner for my parents, grandmother, sister, and kiddos. I made a thrown together version of the summery pasta that Jana and I cooked in Idaho last year. We used some of the vegetables my brother has been growing in his garden. (The compound really could be self-sustaining if it had to be. You can find fish and deer for meat (or cats, squirrels and raccoons if you are into that stuff), and eat corn, tomatoes, lettuce, peppers, pears, squash, zucchini, etc. That's how we roll!

Anyway, for dessert I wanted a special treat, and since my mom had some fresh (from the market) strawberries and (grown by a friend) blueberries, I decided to make some homemade ice cream to go with them. I flipped through my mom's ice cream cookbook, and stumbled upon a buttermilk recipe. I'm always looking for ways to use the buttermilk I buy when I make banana bread, and this is a great follow-up to that!

Buttermilk Ice Cream
(Adapted from A Passion for Ice Cream cookbook.)

Ingredients:
6 large egg yolks
3/4 cup sugar
1/8 tsp kosher salt
2 cups heavy whipping cream
2 cups buttermilk

Directions: Whisk together egg yolks, salt and 1/4 cup of sugar. Cook heavy whipping cream and remaining 1/2 cup of sugar on medium heat until almost simmering. Remove from heat, and slowly begin to temper eggs with cream mixture. As you add cream mixture into eggs, whisk and pour slowly in order to prevent "cooking" the eggs.

Return mixture to pan and cook on medium heat, stirring consistently with a wooden spoon or non-stick spatula. Use a candy thermometer to measure temperature, and continue cooking custard until it reaches 175 degrees and lightly coats the spoon. Strain custard into a medium sized bowl.

Fill a larger bowl with ice and water, and set medium bowl in the ice bath. Chill custard mixture in the ice bath for an hour or so. You can also put custard in fridge for four hours or overnight to chill.

When ready to put in ice cream mixture, stir in buttermilk. Then churn/freeze according to the manufacturer instructions of your ice cream machine. Serve immediately, or store in freeze. Top with fresh fruit or your favorite ice cream toppings.

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Side note: I totally rocked this ice cream! It was amazing! My family doubted the yumminess of buttermilk ice cream at first, but ended up LOVING it! Its a great treat for a summer holiday...such as...you know...4th of July!

A leave of absence

2010-06-18T09:04:00.000-07:00

I'm taking a leave of absence. Its because I know what I need to write my next blog post about, for this one or the other one, and its going to be a hard post to write. Lots has happened over the last month, and my heart just isn't in it. But I will return soon, when I can muster up the courage and strength to write my tribute.

As American as Apple Pie

2010-06-04T07:08:00.000-07:00

I DON'T HAVE TIME TO BLOG!

Correction: Usually at work I don't have time to blog...because I'M WORKING! And since I sit at a computer all day, the last thing I want to do is blog when I get home at night. Plus, I'm usually busy planting, weeding, mulching, baking, etc.

Last night I spent ALL NIGHT BAKING! It was kind of fantastic! I started out by making an apple pie for my new neighbors, then made dinner for me and my bro, followed by 2 loaves of banana bread. It was a long night. (But fun!)

My new neighbors moved in about a month ago, and I am just now getting around to meeting them. (Better than the 9 months it took for me to meet the other neighbors who ended up being introduced to me by a coworker.) They include a momma, a daddy, a three year old girl and a baby girl.

They moved into a house with a very neglected yard that was previously inhabited by a bunch a college kids. Since moving in, they have completely cut down all of the wild mess and are working to make the yard super beautiful. I can't tell you how happy this makes me! Before they moved in, I threatened to spray Round-Up on the yard in the middle of the night. It was that bad. Now its all gone, and its lovely!

I really like my new neighbors, so I made them an easy apple pie. I hope it tasted good, but here's the recipe:

Traditional Apple Pie

Ingredients:
3 Granny Smith Apples, peeled, cored and sliced
3/4 cup all purpose flour
3/4 white sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2-3/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
3-4 tbsp. butter, cut into small squares
1 frozen, 9-inch deep dish pie crust
1 flat (rolled) pre-made pie crust (You could just buy the flat kind and put one in a pie plate for the bottom and one on top)

Directions: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Once preheated, "prebake" bottom crust for about 5-10 minutes. Mix dry ingredients in bowl and set aside. Peel, core and slice apples and set in a bowl. If desired, sprinkle with lemon juice to keep them from turning brown. Mix dry ingredients with apples and pour into pie crust. Place butter squares on top.

For top crust: Roll out flat pie dough and slice (with pizza slicer or knife) into long strips. Lay strips on top of crust in a basket weave pattern. Pinch top crust to connect to bottom crust. Sprinkle cinnamon sugar on top, if desired, for a little added sweetness.

Bake at 375 degree for 30-45 minutes.

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Now, last night I did not use the basket weave pattern. I arranged the strips on top of each other to form a starburst pattern. I know, I should have taken a picture. I have also used a solid piece of dough on the top before, and cut little teardrop holes in it for a design. You can get really creative with your top crust.

I also use a pie crust shield to protect my edges from browning too quickly or burning. These cost just a few dollars, and are available at most home goods stores.

The recipe above was a first for me. I had never made this one before, and I hope it turned out okay. I looked really good! I guess my neighbors will tell me? Or not? Ha ha! However, I do have a "never fail" apple pie recipe that I typically make. It came from the Bell's Best Cookbook (I think in # 1, because I don't have that one, and I have it hand written in the front of # 2.)

In case you aren't from Mississippi, every true Southern cook I know has a set of Bell's Best Cookbooks. They are by the local AT&T Pioneers. I have #2 & #3. My mom has the first 3, and my grandmother has at least the first 2. My mom's books are so used that the pages are stained, falling out and the book is being held together by a rubberband. She's gotten her money's worth out of those! The Bell's Best cookbooks taught me how to cook when I was a kid!!! All of the first recipes I made came from one of them. Its like the Mississippi version of the Joy of Cooking! Trust me! Its a good investment!!!

You can view my Bell's Best Dutch Apple Pie recipe here.

If you want to buy a Bell's Best, go here. I think I need to get # 1 and # 4 to round out my collection...

What's your favorite cookbook?

(Side note...since we are on a cookbook kick, I met with a new vendor yesterday and his company prints a bunch of cookbooks. He asked if I liked to cook, and I said..."Uh...yes!!!" He's going to send me some samples! YEAH!!!! I can't wait!)

Quiche: It's what's for dinner...

2010-05-25T12:59:00.000-07:00

**Update on quiche - I used 1/2 chopped onion and 1/2 chopped bell pepper. It was good! There were TONS of veggies in it, and the egg spilled over the side a bit. But, I did make it all fit in a 9-inch crust!

I have a good friend named Gwen. We met in seminary. We grew up about 15 miles from each other, attended college 2 hours from each other, but never met until adulthood. Gwen and I have been through a lot of life changes together. Through thick and thin, she has been a good friend to me. Though we live over 500 miles apart, our friendship that began 8 years ago is still going strong.

A year or so after I met Gwen (who lived with Jana who I met at orientation), she introduced me to Jennifer and Mayeli. They all worked in the library together. We enjoyed eating lunch or dinner, and playing games. Throughout my time in Texas, I became close friends with these three girls. They are all amazing women, Christians, and friends. Oh, and they are all married. I'm the only one who is not.

Several weeks ago I went to Gwen's house, and the four of us were reunited for the first time since I moved. Gwen made a quiche and salad for dinner, and we laughed and talked and played our dirty word game, Linkity. Despite the fact that I was on the verge of coming down with a terrible chest cold…it was an amazing time!

In honor of my lovely hostess and dear friend, Gwen…I am posting my version of the spinach quiche she made. It was fantastic! I’m also passing a long a salad dressing recipe that she gave me. I was going to make this for my brother last week, but he’s not a fan of quiche…so…this is going to be my Dancing with the Stars finale dinner meal. Sounds like a winner, eh?

Miss you Jenn, Gwen, and…Mayeli!

Spinach Quiche

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1.5 cups sliced mushrooms
2 Roma tomatoes, chopped
1 (6 ounce) package crumbled feta cheese (Garlic & herb flavor if you can find it)
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1 unbaked deep dish pie crust (9 inch)
3 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup milk
salt and pepper to taste
Italian seasoning to taste

Directions: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a medium skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Saute garlic and onion in butter until lightly browned, about 7 minutes. Stir in spinach, mushrooms, tomatoes, feta and 1/2 cup Cheddar cheese. Season with salt, pepper and Italian seasoning. Pour mixture into pie crust.

In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs and milk. Season with salt and pepper. Pour into the pastry shell, allowing egg mixture to thoroughly combine with spinach mixture. Bake for 20 minutes and remove from oven. Sprinkle top with remaining Cheddar cheese,
and bake an additional 30 to 40 minutes, until set in center. Allow to stand 10 minutes before serving.

Spring Poppy Seed Salad

Salad Ingredients:
1 bag spring mix salad
1 can mandarin oranges or 1 cup sliced strawberries
1 cup crumbled feta cheese
red onion slices

Poppy Seed Dressing:
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. dry mustard
1 tsp. salt
1/3 cup cider vinegar
3/4 cup light olive oil
1 tsp. poppy seeds
1 tsp. sesame seeds

Directions: Prior to dinner, mix all salad dressing ingredients in a small bowl and refrigerate for 1-2 hours. For dinner, mix all salad ingredients in a bowl and toss with dressing, or serve dressing on the side.

Happy birthday to all my girls!

2010-05-20T07:02:00.000-07:00

May 20th is a very important and special day to me. Last year on May 20th, this chick entered my life:
I love her a lot. She's pretty cute!

This weekend we are celebrating her first year of life with cupcakes and kabobs. I also bought her a tutu.

May 20th is also special because 10 years ago I became a mommy! Not a REAL mommy...but a pet-owner mommy! Our family cat, PC, had a litter of kittens, and I kept two of them...Josephine and Juliet.
They are my little cuddle munchkins. My family loves their pets a lot, and these girls have hung with me through two houses, three apartments, two states, two diplomas, around 10 jobs (only 3 professional), and countless milestones over the last 10 years. I love them lots!

To all my girls, happy birthday! I'm glad they are all in my life!

All about the pineapple

2010-05-17T11:50:00.000-07:00

I haven't blogged in a while. I've been busy. And out of town. And sick. And then doing loads and loads of laundry. And sick of the computer. I'm sorry.

I did make a pie this weekend. I made my great-grandmother's pineapple pie for my neighbors. I gave it to one of them, with the disclaimer that I took a chance on the pineapple and coconut combo. I know they don't like nuts. I don't know how they feel about coconut. I'm still getting to know the neighbor boys.

The recipe makes two pies, so I had a piece of the other one last night. It was good....not the BEST pineapple pie I have ever made. (It needed more lime or lemon juice.) But it was still good.

So, since I haven't blogged. And since I'm lazy. I'm just reminding you about my grandmother's pineapple pie recipe...

Also, if you like pineapple, I saw the following recipe on Food Network several years ago. This is an amazing summer dessert! Especially if you love fresh pineapple. And rum.

Grilled pineapple with ice cream and rum sauce
(From Food Network.com)

Ingredients:
1 (3 to 4 pound) pineapple
Cooking spray
2 teaspoons butter
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup rum
1 pint light vanilla ice cream

Directions:
Cut the top and bottom off of the pineapple, peel and cut it crosswise into 8 rings, about 1/2-inch each. Use a spoon or apple corer to carve out the center core of each ring.

Spray a large grill pan with cooking spray and heat over a medium flame. Grill the pineapple, in 2 or 3 batches, for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, until it is nicely brown and grill marks have appeared. (You can also grill this on an outdoor grill sprayed with cooking spray before being heated.)

While the last batch of pineapple cooks, heat the butter, sugar and rum in a small saucepan over a low heat, stirring, until the sugar is dissolved and the sauce has thickened slightly, about 2 minutes. Remove the sauce from the heat.

Place a pineapple ring on each plate, scoop 1/4 cup of ice cream into the center of the ring, and drizzle about 2 teaspoons of sauce on top.

Five O'Clock Friday: Special Cinco de Mayo Wednesday Edition...oh, and some cookies

2010-05-05T11:37:00.000-07:00

Today is a special day for our neighbors to the south. Its Cinco de Mayo, or Battle of Puebla day. As the northern neighbors, we Americans feel like it is our duty to celebrate another nation's holiday, probably because it gives us an excuse to eat massive amounts of chips and salsa and drink margaritas.

None-the-less, it is a holiday that even we in Mississippi like to celebrate. I mean, I can understand celebrating in Texas. There are lots of Mexican immigrants that live there. But, in Mississippi, the only folks I know celebrating Cinco de Mayo have no Mexican heritage what-so-ever. But that doesn't matter. We still get to drink tequila!

In honor of Cinco de Mayo, I made sugar cookies with a lime glaze last night. Talk about yummy! (I also made Joy the Baker's oatmeal pecan chocolate chip cookies. Find the recipe here - http://www.joythebaker.com/blog/2010/04/oatmeal-pecan-chocolate-chip-cookies/.)

I also wanted to post a make-shift recipe for a drink that one of my coworkers introduced me to - the margaveza. They used to serve these at The Grill, but last time I asked, it was off the menu. Basically its just a half and half mix of margaritas on the rocks and Dos Equis beer. Its worth trying!

Happy Cinco de Mayo! Have a great May 5!

Margaveza

How to make the margarita:
According to Tyler Florence, the basic margarita is a 3:2:1 ratio of tequila, triple sec and lime juice, respectively. That seems a big strong, but here are some different ways to mix your pitcher of margaritas.

Method 1: Pour 3 cups of white tequila, 3/4 cup of triple sec, and fresh squeezed juice from about 14 limes in a pitcher. Stir well.

Method 2: Mix 1 cup of white tequila, 1 cup of triple sec, 1/2 cup each of fresh squeezed lime and lemon juice in a pitcher. Add zest of 1 lemon and 1 lime, and mix with 1/3 cup of simple syrup (see below). Stir well! You may need to strain it as you pour into each individual glass.

For the simple syrup: Mix 1/2 cup of sugar with 1/2 cup of water. Boil until sugar is dissolved. Chill before you add to margarita mix.

Method 3: (The 3:2:1 method) Pour 3 cups of tequila, 2 cups of triple sec, and 1 cup of fresh squeezed lime juice in a pitcher. Add simple syrup and mix well.

To make a margaveza:
Fill glass halfway with Dos Equis beer. Top off with the margarita mix. Stir and serve with a lime wedge for garnish.

Sugar Cookies with Lime Glaze:
Adapted from recipes by Paula Deen and Rachael Ray

Cookie Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
2 sticks of softened butter
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon pure almond extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 teaspoon of cinnamon

Directions: In a bowl, cream together the sugar and butter, then mix in the egg and vanilla and almond extracts. In another bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, cream of tarter and cinnamon. Mix the dry ingredients into the creamed mixture, then cover and refrigerate for 1-2 hours.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Spoon out a quarter to half dollar sized piece of dough, roll into a ball, and flatten to about 1/4 of an inch thick. Place on cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 9-12 minutes.

Remove from oven and let cool on cookie sheet for about 5 minutes. Transfer to wire racks and cool completely.

Lime Glaze Ingredients:
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 tablespoon (or so) milk
grated peel of 1 lime
juice of 1 lime (or so)

Directions: Whisk all ingredients together in a bowl until sugar is dissolved and glaze is smooth. I had to add a splash more of milk and lime juice to get the right consistency for drizzling.

Once cookies are cooled, drizzle glaze over top of cookies with a spoon or spatula. Let the glaze dry/set before serving.

Happy cooking!

Cream Cheese Cookies

2010-05-03T15:12:00.001-07:00

Cinco de Mayo is this week. Its a Mexican holiday, but celebrated quite fervently in my former Texas hometown. I love any excuse to have a party, especially when you get to drink margaritas.

I've been reading quite a few blogs that have featured Cinco de Mayo recipes lately. Many of them are lime-flavored cookies. I've been trying to decide exactly which cookie I would make in honor of the holiday. While doing that, I put out a request on Twitter and Facebook for feedback. In the midst of that, an old high school friend sent me the following recipe. Sounds delish! I had to post! Maybe I'll make these instead!

Cream Cheese Cookies

Ingredients:
1 cup butter, softened
1 (3 oz) cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
1 egg yolk
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp. vanilla

Directions: Cream butter and cream cheese. Slowly add sugar, beating until fluffy. Beat in egg yolk. Add flour and vanilla; mix well. Chill dough at least 1 hour. Shape dough into 1-inch balls; place on greased cookie sheets. Bake at 325 for 12-15 minutes. These cookies DO NOT brown. Cool completely before frosting.

Frosting Ingredients:
2 cups confectioner's sugar
2 tsp. milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 (3 1/2 oz) cream cheese, softened

Side note from Rachel: My mom has always made these at Christmas time and puts red and green candied cherry halves on top. I top with a peppermint or crushed peppermint, or use peppermint flavoring for Christmas. For spring and summer, I love to do lemon iced ones and add just a hint of yellow color to the icing (these may be my favorites). I keep meaning to make some using the strawberry cream cheese in the frosting and see how that turns out, but haven't gotten around to it yet. I think lime sounds yummy. Orange or banana might be good, too. Such a good cookie, and so versatile! And you can switch the vanilla in either the cookie or the icing to flavor whichever (or both)...lots of variations!

Thanks for the recipe, Rachel! Adding this to my to-do list!

Happy cooking!

Dad's French Toast

2010-05-01T07:13:00.000-07:00

This morning I woke up, came in the living room, and low and behold, breakfast was not being cooked! That's a shocker at my parents' house. I sat there for a while, and decided to get up and get something to eat. Then my dad interjected,"What do you want for breakfast? I'll cook." I said I would eat oatmeal or grits, but he volunteered french toast. How could I refuse! It was delicious! Here's the recipe:

Ingredients:
sliced bread of choice (if you have a baguette, that's good too)
3 eggs
3/4 cup of milk
2 tbsp all purpose flour
a splash of vanilla extract
cinnamon

Directions:
Preheat a large cast iron skillet (cornbread pan)that has been lighted brushed with oil or sprayed with pan. (You can use any large skillet, actually. My dad prefers cooking with cast iron whenever possible.) Beat eggs and put in a bowl or shallow dish. Add milk, flour and a splash of vanilla (probably about 1-2 tsp.) Dip bread in egg mixture, coating both sides well. Transfer to a cast iron skillet and cook for about 3-4 minutes on one side, until slightly browned. Flip bread and cook the other side until done. Place french toast on plate, and lightly sprinkle with cinnamon or cinnamon sugar. Serve with pancake syrup.

Yummy,yummy french toast! And yes, I am sitting at the table blogging this as my parents are finishing their meal. It was that good!

Happy cooking!

Five O'Clock Friday: Mint Juleps

2010-04-30T08:13:00.001-07:00

This weekend, a very famous Southern tradition will take place. It is the 136th running of the Kentucky Derby. (That's a horse race, my friends. Its for 3-year-old thoroughbreds.) Its kind of a big deal.

One tradition that is synonymous with the Derby concerns fashionable hats. This particular event gives ladies (and some men) the excuse to go all out and wear the biggest, most ridiculous looking hats you have ever seen! I love it! Its so British.

Ever since my appearance as Eulalie Mackecknie Shinn (the mayor's wife in The Music Man) in high school, I have been obsessed with hats. I love them, but don't have the occasion to wear them often. When I was in New Orleans recently, there was a display for a hat shop at the Ritz. I just stood and stared at them for a while. It reminded me of when Scarlet O'Hara and Rhett Butler went on their honeymoon. She had hats like that. (Okay, so maybe my hat fascination dates back to the junior high days when I was completely obsessed with Gone With the Wind.)

Anyway, if I ever go to the Kentucky Derby, then I'm totally spending a whopping load of money at the New Orleans hat shop, Fleur de Paris. I don't care how much it costs. I think it would be completely decadent to have an original hat from a proper shop.

Enough about hats....

That brings me to the actual point of today's post. Another famous Derby tradition concerns booze. More specifically, whiskey. Or bourbon. Or Kentucky whiskey, which is bourbon. I honestly don't know much about booze, so I really don't know the difference. But, whatever-you-call-it-booze is mixed with mint and sugar, and turns into mint julep. This is a very famous Kentucky tradition, or so I hear.

In honor of the Kentucky Derby, which takes place this weekend, let's drink mint juleps and wear hats. I bet it would be fun!

The Early Times Mint Julep Recipe
Taken from the Kentucky Derby website

Ingredients:
2 cups sugar
2 cups water
Sprigs of fresh mint
Crushed ice
Early Times Kentucky Whisky
Silver Julep Cups

Directions: Make a simple syrup by boiling sugar and water together for five minutes. Cool and place in a covered container with six or eight sprigs of fresh mint, then refrigerate overnight. Make one julep at a time by filling a julep cup with crushed ice, adding one tablespoon mint syrup and two ounces of Early Times Kentucky Whisky. Stir rapidly with a spoon to frost the outside of the cup. Garnish with a sprig of fresh mint.

The best times are enjoyed responsibly. Early Times Distillery Co., Kentucky Whisky. 40 percent Alc. By Volume. Louisville, KY 2006.

And since I was on the site, I'll post a bonus recipe because 1. I like vodka, and 2. this sounds good!

The Oaks Lily®

Ingredients:
1 oz. Vodka
1 oz. Sweet and Sour Mix
3 oz. Cranberry Juice
Splash of Triple Sec

Directions: When the ingredients are mixed, place the pinkish cocktail in an official Oaks Lily® glass (stem-less wine glass) with crushed ice, add a straw and garnish with an orange wedge and cherry.

SIDE NOTE: While updating my blog, I realized I haven't posted since last Friday. Its been such a busy week. Don't judge me for posting two boozy recipes in a row. I'll get some food on here soon. Maybe I'll post something special from the grandmother birthday party I'm attending on Saturday!

Happy cooking! Don't drink and drive, and drink responsibly!

Waiting out the storm....

2010-04-24T11:16:00.000-07:00

Did you know you can have a more serious tornado watch than just a regular ole tornado watch? Yes, its called a PDS watch. That means…holy crap you better look out and nail down your petunias watch…or, in technical terms, a “potentially dangerous situation” tornado watch. We’re under one of those right now, and I’m just sitting at home waiting for something bad to happen.

You know what’s weird? I used to be super scared of storms…but today I’m sitting here kinda wanting one to happen, but at the same time, as a homeowner, insurance carrier, not super rich person…not wanting one to happen. I like the excitement and drama of tragedy, but I really don’t like the effects of it. Am I totally weird or what?

When I was in college I went through a couple of…incidents…that made me scared of storms. The first was my junior year in college. I was at home painting my kitchen, and it was raining. All of a sudden, you couldn’t see outside because of all of the wind, rain and debris flying by. My roommate was on her way home from school, and called as the sirens went off. She couldn’t make it home, so I recommended she get out of the car and in the ditch. Then I frantically tried to scoop up the cats and get in the bathroom. It was really scary. I called my mom, and she told me just to call down and it would be okay. (She didn’t realize what was going on outside.)

After the fact they said it wasn’t a tornado, but straight line winds. They were in excess of 100 miles per hour. That’s like a big ole hurricane hitting land 5 hours north of the coast. It was crazy. The roommate finally made it home, with thanks to some city workers who found her and brought her and her car to the house, and we sat in the bathroom with no power for a while. We finally got out and drove around. It was bad.

I had no more fence in my backyard, and a few missing shingles, but that was, rather luckily, all the damage to my house. The way the storm passed over, my home was protected by the ones around me. However, the bank on the edge of my neighborhood lost a brick wall. Wal-Mart, a stone's throw away, lost a big part of the roof. Some of my neighbors had major damage. A HUGE old, oak tree was completely uprooted. It was scary stuff.

Not long after that…incident…I went to work for the second summer in a row at a church camp on the MS coast. We watched a major tropical storm hit Houston and flood the city, waiting for it to make its way east. It came. We had lots of tornados, and we spent the night sitting in the stairwell of our staff house waiting to see what was going to happen.

The next morning I woke up and went to work. I had about a 2-3 block walk from my house to the office. I probably could have taken a boat to work that way. The water in the parking lot was up to mid-calf. I can’t believe I walked through that in flip flops…

Several of us checked on the 700+ guests we had on campus. Everyone was okay, but we had no power and we were flooded in parts. As the public relations intern for the summer, I answered the phones. Concerned parents and friends called trying to decide if they should come get their kids. At this point, they were okay. We just were water logged.

I worked my first crisis communication situation as a 20 about three-fourths of her way through her college education. Talk about trial by fire! I was working with about 2 hours of sleep under an intense amount of stress. I remember snapping terribly at one of my friends that day, but I don’t think they knew the kind of calls I was fielding at the time. I learned a lot about that storm, Tropical Storm Allison, to be exact. I learned a lot about being a communicator and a lot about how to handle stress in very serious situations.

I think I’m actually better at keeping calm when something super important is on the line. I mean, I totally stress myself out at work sometimes. I tend to be…a little tightly wound…to quote my boss. I know this. I’m a perfectionist. However, when it comes to a crazy, scary situation, like bad weather, I can keep my calm. Hmmmm….

It took a while for me to get over my fear of storms after that. But not long after these incidents I moved to Texas. I lived through lots of storms in my near 7 years there. I’m okay with storms now, though I do admit I get a bit nervous. I just don’t freak out like I used to.

So, I’m sitting here, watching the news…realizing we are under a PDS tornado watch, and keeping my cool. I’m waiting for it to come, but not too expectantly. I don’t think anything bad will hit my area. I know I said I kinda wanted it to, but really…if I think about it…I don’t. I like my house intact. And I just redid my yard.

I do have to send thoughts and prayers to my fellow Mississippians who have been hit by tornados today. They are out there. There has been some major damage in some areas. I hope everyone is okay.

God, watch over us. Protect us. Guide us. Be with us.

2010-04-23T13:49:00.001-07:00

Notice the lack of photos on my blog? Its because I need a new camera. I'm just sayin....

Five O'Clock Friday: Sweet Tea Vodka

2010-04-23T13:46:00.000-07:00

So, the other day I was catching up on some Google reader action, and I came across a post on iced tea. I love tea. I'm Southern, though, so down here we drink tea instead of water. Tea with lots of sugar in it. Its really healthy, I promise.... *crickets...*

In the post, the blogger introduced me to something I have never heard of before - Sweet Tea Vodka. WHAT???? Someone made vodka taste like sweet tea? I love vodka (in moderation). I love sweet tea (but weak and only slightly sweetened). I can't believe some drunky drunk went off and combined the two! They must be Southern.

As soon as I read about this, I was sitting in my office in giddy shock...wondering if anyone in town carries this new mysterious wonderfulness. Then in walks my VP coming to congratulate me on a job well done. And what do I do?

Me: "Did you know they make sweet tea vodka?"
diarrhea of the mouth
VP: rather enthusiastically - "YES!! My friend in blahblahblah introduced it to me!"

Crap.

The first words that come out of my mouth to the boss at 8:30 in the morning were about booze. I bet his thinks I'm a lush. But, honestly, I think he knows me better than that. And...during our discussion on sweet tea vodka, he did say this was the best conversation he had all day. Whew!

So far I haven't been fired from my job for talking to the boss about booze early in the morning. He did go on to thank me for helping with an important project we were working on. So I think I'm okay! But still....talk about open mouth, insert foot! I still can't believe I blurted that out to my boss.

Moving on....

Today's Five O'Clock Friday is in ode to the new found sweet tea vodka...I must locate some. And when I do, I'm making this:

Mighty Mint Tea

Ingredients:
Fresh mint
ice
sweet tea vodka
lemon wedges
sugar

Directions:
1. Place a few (6-10) mint leaves in the bottom of a lowball/old fashioned glass. Sprinkle with sugar and muddle leaves. (Basically, muddling requires you to put mint in the bottom of a glass and crush it with the end of a wooden spoon. Or you can use a mortar and pestle.)
2. Drop in a few ice cubes and pour in vodka. If you don't want an entire glass of vodka, mix half and half with tonic water or club soda.
3. Stir and garnish with a lemon wedge. Serve and enjoy!

Remember kids...only drink in moderation, and DON'T drink and drive!

An Open Letter...to...a really, really mean person...

2010-04-22T12:48:00.000-07:00

Dear evil thief who keeps stealing my Diet Coke's at work,

I HATE YOU! No, seriously...I do. I know hate is a strong word. I was taught not to use it. But you keep freakin stealing my Diet Cokes. WHHHHHYYYYY????? Why do you have to do it on those days when I'm having a really bad day and am in need of a Diet Coke? Why do you steal at all? Why are you so dishonest and unethical?

I'm sorry if you can't afford the $0.75 machine in our kitchen. That's why I bring my own. So I don't have to spend so much. But then YOU keep stealing from me...so I end up not saving any money anyway!

I'm a nice enough person, and I don't steal from you. I even buy candy and put it on my desk for the entire building to come enjoy! Sometimes I even bake treats! So, why steal from me? Seriously???

I just want you to know, in this open letter to whoever you are, that I lick all of my Diet Coke cans PRIOR TO putting them in the kitchen. So...that means you are getting a bunch of my slobbery spit when you steal my drinks? Revenge? I think not. I call that justice! If you get sick...its your own damn fault for being a thieving liar! That's the price you pay for dishonesty! So take that, sucka!

I realize I'm being harsh. But that's because I'm a victim. And when something as precious as a Diet Coke is stolen...well...there's no more Miss Nice Girl!

Stop stealing from me. Its not very nice.

Thanks
sp

PS - To my readers. I'm frustrated. I like open letters. I think this will be a new regular on my blog.

The best turkey meatloaf EVER!!!!

2010-04-20T14:49:00.000-07:00

Last night I decided to use the leftover meat I had from Saturday's cookout to make a meatloaf. It was already seasoned, and all I needed to do was a few things to make it more loafy. Turned out to be the best turkey meatloaf I have ever made! And...I make a pretty darn good turkey meatloaf! Here's what happened:

Ingredients:
**All of my measurements are estimates. I eyeball the ingredients and feel it out as I go....

1 to 1.5 lb. ground turkey
2 tbsp. Chicken Marinade (Worcestershire)
1 tbsp (or palmful) parsley flakes or 2 tbsp. freshly chopped parsley
2 tbsp chopped cilantro
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1.5 teaspoon Cavendar's Greek Seasoning
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup bread crumbs
1 teaspoon ground oregano
1 tbsp horseradish
1/2 medium yellow onion, chopped & sauteed
1/2 bell pepper, chopped & sauteed & sauteed
1/4 cup mushrooms, chopped & sauteed
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 to 1 cups shredded mozzarella
4 oz. tomato sauce

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Chop and saute onions, bell pepper and mushrooms. Set aside. Mix meat, all seasonings, eggs, and bread crumbs. Add sauteed vegetables and mix well.

Transfer meat to loaf pan and form into a loaf. Spread tomato sauce over meat and bake in oven for 1 hour.

Remove meatloaf from oven and top with shredded mozzarella. Bake for an additional 15 minutes.

Side suggestions: Mashed sweet or regular potatoes, salad, baked or boiled vegetables.

Leftover suggestions: Slice two thin pieces of meatloaf and microwave for 1 minutes. Throw on a slice of mozzarella cheese. Toast two pieces of bread, and spread mayo on each side. Lay on meat and have a meatloaf sandwich. Yum-o!

Trust me when I say this meatloaf was fantstico! LOVED IT!!!!

Happy cooking!

Greek-Style Stuffed Turkey Burgers

2010-04-19T18:29:00.000-07:00

This weekend was spring homecoming at the ole alma mater. My brother and sister-in-law came to visit, and we tooled around town, grilled out, and hung at my house. The weather was beautiful, and it was a super fun Super Bulldog Weekend!

Saturday night I invited some friends over for a little homecoming cookout. I was inspired to create a new turkey burger after watching an episode of Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives on Food Network. They didn't use turkey, I don't think, but some of the same ingredients.

The family helped with the creation, and we ended up with massively large and delicious, and somewhat healthy, burgers.

Ingredients:
**All of my measurements are estimates. I eyeball the ingredients and feel it out as I go....
1.5 to 2 lb. ground turkey
2 to 4 tbsp. Chicken Marinade (Worcestershire)
3 to 4 tbsp (or palmful) parsley flakes or freshly chopped parsley
3 to 4 tbsp chopped cilantro
1/2-1 tbsp ground cumin
1/2-1 tbsp Cavendar's Greek Seasoning
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/2-1 tbsp ground oregano
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
1/2 cup mushrooms, chopped
1-2 cups shredded mozzarella
EVOO

Directions:
1. Heat grill on high heat.
2. Saute onions and bell pepper in olive oil for about 5-7 minutes. Add mushrooms and saute until all vegetables are soft. (About 3-5 more minutes)
3. Mix remaining ingredients together in a large bowl.
4. Take palm size of meat mixture and form into a thin patty.
5. Spoon sauteed vegetables on top of patty and sprinkle with mozzarella.
6. Take another palm size of meat and form another patty. Place on top of patty and vegetables, and crimp size to enclose vegetables and cheese.
7. Repeat 7 more times.
8. Grill burgers for about 10-15 minutes per side, or until juice squeezes out clear.
9. Serve on whole wheat bun with tomatoes, lettuce, and condiments.

Side suggestions: Potato salad, grilled squash and zucchini, chips, baked fries, etc.
Wine pairing: Biltmore Malbec or a Syrah

I do have to admit these burgers take a little more prep time than usual, but they were SOOOO worth it! Plus, I had a sous chef, aka my brother, aka grillmaster and master chopper. He cut all of the vegetables in record time and grilled the meat. Okay, he did most of the work. I just figured out the seasonings and put it all together. We were co-chefs. And Lauren helped too. We had three cooks in the kitchen, and actually prepared it quite fast....

I, rather unfortunately, had leftover raw turkey. I bought and mixed too much, and only made 8 burgers. (I wasn't sure how much meat I needed.) So, with the leftovers I made THE MOST AMAZING TURKEY MEATLOAF EVER tonight. I'll make you wait in suspense for that recipe!

After dinner was done, we spent the evening in the backyard taking and hanging out with friends. New friends and old friends, but all great company. It was a perfect spring night, and I can't wait to have many more like it to come!

Happy cooking!

An open letter to whoever makes up the AP Stylebook rules...

2010-04-16T14:27:00.000-07:00

Dear AP Style Decision Makers,

You have totally crimped my style today. I like correcting grammar. I like telling people, nicely albeit, when they are wrong. I like the fact that I am one of the few people on my block that knew that Web site was supposed to be spelled out like Web site and not Website or website. But then you went and changed the rules today at your silly little conference. Now all those folks out there they always misspelled Web site get to be correct because you changed the official spelling from Web site to website.

I realize this affects only a small portion of the world's population. But for those of us who make a living by following your rules, its just an annoyance. I really liked being right. I really liked telling people I was right and pointing out in my handy dandy Stylebook that I was right. But now they are right, and that's just wrong!

Thanks for listening to my complaints today. I know you changed the spelling because lots of other folks complained. They are just dumb. And wrong. And I"m right. Except now I'm wrong. But the thing is...I know the correct way to spell website now, so when all of my fellow colleagues and PR folks spell out Web site, I can start correcting them.

Thanks
a right writer

Arts & Crats To-Do List

2010-04-15T07:18:00.000-07:00

Now I know what to do with all of those old jars....will make a great centerpiece for my outdoor dining table...

Picture (and idea) borrowed from: http://gingerbreadsnowflakes.com/node/169

Guess what's for dinner...Saturday night...

2010-04-15T06:57:00.001-07:00

I've been working on something special for this weekend. Its spring homecoming on campus, and my brother and sister-in-law are coming to visit. (We're all alums.) Since we all love to cook, we have a full weekend planned of grilling and eating and laughing. Should be fun!

I've been planning Saturday night for a while now. Let's see if you can guess what I'm making. (If I already told you, don't be a cheater! Let the other's guess!) Here are my ingredients:

ground turkey
mozzerella
onions
mushrooms
bell pepper

Can you guess it? Its gonna be good! (At least I hope it will be!)

For the love of burritto...

2010-04-13T16:03:00.000-07:00

I used to live in Texas. If you didn't know this...you should. Its a very important piece of the "who I am" puzzle that makes up me. I moved there in 2002 to attend seminary, and left in December 2008. Up until mid-2008, I was sure I would never leave. Especially the Fort Worth area. I loved that place. It was full of activity, life, and lots of great places to eat.

Shortly after moving to Texas, some friends of mine introduced me to the Chipotle burrito. Its a life-changing experience. Trust me! Whether in a bowl or in a wrap, it is a jumbled mess of goodness containing your meat of choice, black beans, cilantro-lime rice, cheese, sauted veggies, and whatever else your heart (or tummy) desires. I typically chose chicken, but their pork was wonderfully flavored as well.

When I moved to Mississippi, I discovered that the closest Chipotle was quite a drive away...in Alabama. Just like shopping...I have to hop on Highway 82 and head east to find this non-low-fat, guilty pleasure. Since moving here, I have eaten at Chipotle twice...both times in Birmingham on my way through town. Its worth the detour for me...its also across from the Galleria.

Well, in my complaints about missing Chipotle on Facebook and twitter, several friends have sent me recipes to recreate the delicious dish at home. It doesn't quite compare, but its close. Close enough to appease my cravings. Now...if I could only find the La Playa Maya cowboy enchilada recipe, or if I could import a Sushi Axiom chef into my house, then I would be set and I probably wouldn't miss Texas anymore. (Okay, that's not true. I miss more about Texas than the food...)

Sheri's Cheap Chipotle Knock-Off

Ingredients:
Cilantro-lime Rice recipe
1 bell pepper, sliced
1 small yellow onion, sliced in strips
2-3 chicken breasts or 4-5 chicken tenders, cut in small pieces
1 tbsp butter
1 can black beans
1 cup frozen corn
shredded mozzarella cheese
sour cream
salsa...
Guacamole recipe
jalapenos...to spice things up!
Burrito size flour tortillas

Side note: Would you believe that last night I went to cooking and there was no salsa in my house? GASP!!! I don't think that has ever happened to me before. I mean...salsa is like sugar, or flour, or milk. I am never without it! But last night I was. I was a little disappointed in myself.

Directions:
Make rice and guacamole according to recipes linked above.

Cut chicken and vegetables. Saute chicken in skillet for about 5 minutes, and season with fajita or taco spices. Add sliced bell pepper and butter. Saute for about 3 minutes. Add onions and continue cooking for about 3 more minutes. Add frozen corn and cook until chicken, onions and peppers are done.

Heat black beans in microwave for about 3 minutes. Warm tortillas for about 1 minute in microwave.

Assembly: Throw it all in a tortilla or a bowl. Oh....typical method is tortilla or bowl, rice, black beans, chicken and vegetables, salsa, cheese, sour cream, guacamole, jalapenos.

If you prefer your Chipotle dish as a burrito bowl, try serving a warmed tortilla as a side!

This should yield about 4 burritos/bowls, unless you are feeding hungry boys. Then maybe 1 normal size, 1 hungry boy size, and maybe some measly leftovers! : )

2010-04-13T15:43:00.000-07:00

Today I'm mourning the loss of our sweet family cat, Ginger. We adopted her in 1991, which I was only 10 years old. We don't know exactly how old she was, but Ging was around 20-21 in human years. She lived a long and happy life with our family, and we are sad to see her go. She was beautiful, and sweet, and my family loved her very much. She was the best cat a little girl could ever ask for!

Rest in peace, my sweet Gigi! We love you!

(The picture is of Will and Ginger at Easter a year ago. He was very proud of his eggs he found and had to show them to her.)

Healthy Springtime Meal...except for the cake part...

2010-04-12T14:50:00.000-07:00

Last night a few of my girlfriends and I celebrated J's 29th birthday. It was quite a celebration of life...since we are getting older, much more beautiful, wiser, etc., with ever passing year. It was another perfect day in town, so we decided to dine outside in the back yard. Dinner was full of lots of laughter and conversation, and it was a great night.

Following our meal and dessert, we moved to the other side of the patio and decided to break in my fire pit. That was an adventure in itself. At first I wasn't going to use one of the 2 hour logs...who knew we had that much life to cover in our fireside chat? I first attempted to burn old bills and papers. Well, that didn't go over so well...so I got out the fire log, lit it up, and covered it with the only slightly burned papers, and sat back to enjoy the warmth.

It was a great time! I hope J enjoyed her birthday party as much as I did! I thought it was a blast. In honor of the event, I have posted the recipes for each menu item below. We will definitely have to repeat this night again soon! : )

Grilled salmon

Ingredients:
salmon (amount and size dependent on who you are cooking for)
Colorado Spice Salmon and Trout Rub (**Use your own desired seasonings. This is what I used. It contains BLACK PEPPER, SALT, BELL PEPPERS, GARLIC, ORANGE PEEL, THYME, BASIL, ONION AND SPICES 100% Kosher.)
1-3 twigs of fresh rosemary
EVOO
aluminum foil

Directions:
Create a foil pouch for fish. (Typically I lay two 1 foot to 1.5 foot pieces down and cover with an additional one at the end.) Lay salmon on foil and rub in spices. Lay rosemary on top of salmon, and lightly drizzle with olive oil. Cover fish with additional foil, and fold up sides to create a pouch. Cook on grill for about 10 minutes, flip pouch, and cook an additional 10 minutes. (Cooking time may vary on amount and thickness of the fish.)

Cilantro Lime Rice

Ingredients:
1 cup jasmine rice
2 cups water
3 tbsp butter
2 limes
2-3 tbsp cilantro, chopped
EVOO
Kosher salt, to taste

Directions:
Boil 2 cups of water. Add rice, 1 tbsp butter, a dash of olive oil (EVOO), and about 1/2 tbsp or so of Kosher salt. Bring to a boil, cover and let cook for approximately 20 minutes (or until rice is done).

Transfer rice to a bowl and add additional butter, to taste. Squeeze the juice of 2 limes over rice, and add chopped cilantro. Stir and serve!

Squash and zucchini

Ingredients:
2 yellow squash
2 zucchini
2 tbsp butter
salt, pepper and Cajun seasoning, to taste

Directions:
Slice squash and zucchini in rounds of about 1/8-1/4 an inch. Cover with water and bring to a boil. Add butter and seasonings. Reduce heat to medium and continue boiling for about 10 minutes, or until soft.

Spinach Strawberry Salad

Ingredients:
4-6 oz. fresh baby spinach
6-10 strawberries, sliced
shaved Parmesan cheese
Poppy seed dressing

Directions:
Add spinach in bowl. Top with strawberries and cheese. You can add the dressing and toss...or...to keep the leaves fresh and crisp, let each individual dress their own salad.

**Also good with chopped walnuts and/or sunflower seeds.

Chocolate Chip Pound Cake

Another version can be found here.

Ingredients:
1 box yellow cake mix
¾ cup oil
¾ cup water
4 eggs
1 box instant chocolate pudding
8 oz. pkg. chocolate chips
1/2 tub chocolate icing
powdered sugar for dusting

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix together cake mix, oil, water, eggs and pudding. Once smooth, fold in chocolate chips. Pour into greased/floured bundt pan. Bake at 350 for 50-70 minutes, depending on how quickly your oven cooks. (Look for the cake to spring back when you gently touch it, and for it to begin pulling away from the sides of the pan.

Remove cake from oven and allow to cool for 15-20 minutes. Transfer cake to plate or cake stand and let cool for about an hour.

Spoon out about 1/2 of a tub/jar of chocolate icing into a microwavable cup or bowl. Heat for about 20-30 seconds. (Be careful not to burn it though!) Remove from microwave, stir chocolate, and drizzle with spoon or spatula over cake. If desired, put about 1 tbsp of powered sugar in a strainer, and lightly tap/dust top of cake.

HAPPY COOKING!

Turkey Cheesy Peppery Sausage Dawgs

2010-04-10T19:42:00.000-07:00

Today was one of those perfect spring days. It was warm, absolutely beautiful, and I spent the entire day outside enjoying God's creation. Sure...I spent it laboring in my yard with my "remodel" project. But...it was a perfect day.

On perfect days like this, I love to cook and eat outside. So, tonight, I decided to fire up the ole grill and cook some hot dogs. It was the....perfect...way to end a....perfect....spring day!

Ingredients:
Johnsonville Turkey Cheddar Hot dogs
1 bell pepper, sliced
1/2 medium onion, sliced
1/4 cup mushrooms, sliced
hot dog buns
salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:
Preheat grill. Cook hot dogs for about 10-15 minutes, rotating every few minutes. Saute bell pepper for about 2-3 minutes, add onion and saute about 3 more minutes. Add mushrooms (which are sliced and then slivered) and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook until soft.

I like to toast my hot dog buns on the grill or in the oven before eating them. Takes about 2-3 minutes on each side.

Dress hot dog bun with desired condiments. Add hot dog and then top with vegetable mix. Eat and enjoy!

Side Suggestions - If you want to go healthy, salad. Or...sauteed or grilled squash and zucchini. Or you can serve baked french fries, cole slaw, baked beans, chips, etc.

Drink - Skip the wine! Go for a light ale! Or sweet tea! : )

Five O'Clock Friday - Ulitimate Girly Cocktail

2010-04-09T14:39:00.000-07:00

Several years ago my former boss won a free wine tasting at a local store in Plano, TX. Since he was such a great boss...he invited the entire harem to join him. We were able to sample several new wines that I have never tried before, and that is when I began building my collection.

One of the most wonderful things we tasted that night was a Moscato di Asti. It is a sweet sparkling white wine with a low alcohol content. Its very similar to a Gewürztraminer, if you have ever tried that. (FYI - Fetzer is a good, cheap Gewürztraminer.) I can't remember the brand of moscato we tried, but I remember it was quite delicious. And during the tasting, the store owner suggested the following cocktail made with Moscato. Its very girly and works great for brunch in place of mimosas.

Try it! You'll fall in love!

Ingredients:
1 bottle chilled Moscato di Asti
1 bottle chilled pomegranate juice
thin orange slices

Directions:
Mix wine and juice together in a large pitcher. (Be careful of pouring the wine! Remember...its bubbly!) Pour into champagne flutes or white wine glasses. Garnish glass with thin orange slice. Serve to your favorite girlfriends and enjoy!

Homemade Hot Pepperoni Pizza

2010-04-09T07:05:00.000-07:00

Several years ago I quit buying fast food pizza and frozen pizza. There wasn't a rhyme or reason to my decision, but I discovered I could make a cheaper, healthier and more customizable edition at home. For a while, I used store bought, pre-made crusts. However, in the last year or so, I have ventured into the homemade crust realm.

My first few homemade crusts were a bomb. (Not THE bomb. A bomb. Epic fail.) I mean, they didn't taste bad...they just didn't flatten out correctly or have a good consistency. But...then I discovered the cook book "Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day." This completely changed my homemade pizza making abilities. Since adding this cookbook to my collection, I now keep fresh dough in my refrigerator almost all of the time. That means, whenever I want a homemade pizza, I just have to grab some dough, roll it out, and add toppings. Easy peasy!

Now, out of respect for the authors (who are very kind and always respond to my twitter messages), I am not going to post the recipe I used for my light whole wheat crust last night. Its in the chapter about peasant loafs, for those that check out the book. But...my friend Kim sent me a recipe for pizza dough a while back, and you can definitely use this for your crust.

However...I will say...the bread cookbook is worth it! Seriously! And apparently they just put out a new cookbook on pizzas and flatbreads. I may have to check that one out too! If you want to know the original recipe I used, I will be happy to email it to you. I just don't want to post it online.

Here's the pizza I made last night:

Ingredients:
Approximately 1 lb. homemade pizza dough
1 roma tomato, chopped (or tomato of choice)
1 small can tomato sauce
5-6 thinly sliced pieces of deli pepperoni (I bought this last week for muffulettas. They were sandwich size slices, but turned out well on the pizza)
jalapenos
shredded cheese of choice (mozzarella, Colby, Monterey jack, the pizza blend packet you buy at the store, etc.)
EVOO

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 550 degrees. (I actually set mine on 525 last night, but probably needed to go to 550.)
2. Flour pastry board or other flat surface. Roll out pizza dough to approximately 1/8 inch.
3. Transfer crust to greased pizza or cookie sheet. Spread a thin layer of EVOO (olive oil) on the crust and sprinkle with Italian seasoning.
4. Spread desired amount of tomato sauce on crust. Add a thin layer of chopped tomatoes, if desired. (I like the extra texture.)
5. Layer remaining ingredients - cheese, pepperoni, jalapenos, or whatever you choose.
6. Bake in over for approximately 12-15 minutes, or until edges of crust are firm.
7. Slice and serve! Makes approximately 8 slices.

Sides - When I make a pizza just for myself, I usually don't have a side. However, if you are making for someone else or your family, salad is always good to serve with pizza.

Wine suggestion - Had a glass of Guenoc Petit Syrah with my pizza last night. It was yum-o!

The Big Easy

2010-04-08T06:47:00.000-07:00

As my readers know, recently I traveled down to New Orleans with my family for a mini break. We were joined by several people who work in the same field as my dad, and representatives from a supply company they purchase material from. These sponsored trips are always well planned out, and full of lots of fun activities. Here’s a recap:

Friday afternoon we arrived in New Orleans, checked into the hotel, and went with the group the World War II museum. I was told by the tour guide that it was going to change my life forever. Maybe it would have if I hadn’t already visited the Holocaust museum in Washington D.C. Now THAT place will change your life. This museum was good, don’t get me wrong. But to me it had too much information/pictures/memorabilia crammed into too small of a space. All of the info on display ended up being a little overwhelming for me. And this is coming from someone who LOVES museums and history.

Now, one good part about the museum was the movie, Beyond All Boundaries, produced by Steven Spielberg and narrated by Tom Hanks. The museum has an amazing theater, super comfortable seats, and the movie was fantastic. It also has quite an array of special effects that I won’t tell you about. If you aren’t interested in the museum, go see the movie at least. It rocked! (Literally and figuratively!)

Friday evening was one of the highlights of the trip. We met for early cocktails in one of the hotel lobbies, and were outfitted in special “Mardi Gras gear.” Then after cocktails we were escorted by police and several dressed revelers down the streets of NOLA in a Second Line Parade. It was so much fun! We marched about 10 blocks through the Bourbon Street area led by a brass band, wearing masks and boas, and throwing beads to onlookers. The craziest thing was that people were lined on the streets, hundreds of people, taking our picture, clapping for us, and enjoying our show. It was a unique and unforgettable experience!

Following the parade we enjoyed drinks, hors d oeuvres (including sushi rolls, in which I ate A LOT of), and music from a jazz band. I enjoyed spending time with my brother, sister-in-law, some of their colleagues and neighbors, and some friends I have made on these trips. It was a great way to end the evening!

The next day we woke up early and took a bus tour of the areas of New Orleans still recovering from Hurricane Katrina. We saw some of the historic homes and unique architecture, as well as many neighborhoods that are still in the process of rebuilding. It’s hard to believe how much they have left to do. However, the tour guide says it typically takes about 20-25 years to rebuild from the amount of destruction they experienced. The city is looking good, but they still have a long way to go.

The above picture is of the 17th street canal wall. The beige part to the left is the original wall. The gray part is where the barge crashed and destroyed the wall. The neighborhood surrounding this canal expereienced a lot of damage during Katrina, but didn't get as much news coverage as the poorer areas (like the 9th Ward) of New Orleans. You can still see empty homes, some with marks still on there notifying authorites a victim was found in the home. It was moving to see this firsthand.

Following the bus tour we had another very unique experience…an airboat tour through the Louisiana swamps. I have to say the tour guide completely freaked me out on the way to the bayou. She kept describing these really aggressive alligators and snakes, and I was sure I would either lose a limb or die from a poisonous bite. However, once we got on the water, it was so awesome! And not scary at all!

Lucky for me, I didn’t see any snakes. And believe it or not, my father, who I suggested sit as far from me as possible, did not make any snake jokes. (For those that know us, you know he is always teasing me about my fear of snakes. But I think he’s just as scared as me.) We did see lots and lots of alligators though, including a 50-60 year old 9 footer that weighted anywhere from 400-500 lbs. He didn’t even blink at us though, so he was not intimidating.

The swamp tour allowed us to see part of the country that I had never seen before. I don’t know about you, but I had always imaged the swamp lands to be dirty, smelly, and overrun with dangerous creatures. But it wasn’t like that at all. It was quite beautiful and serene. Not what I expected!

Following the swamp tour I met up with my brother and sister-in-law for a stroll around the city. We walked to the French Quarter, snacked on a Central Grocery muffuletta, checked out the street art, and enjoyed the beautiful weather. The entire weekend was sunny, warm (but not hot), and perfect!

(Muffuletta from Central Grocery = Yum-O! Find the recipe at SMSA's!)

Sunday morning my parents had a special treat for us planned apart from the rest of the group. Apparently there’s a restaurant in Nola famous for its breakfast/brunch. My parents love this place, and always eat there when they visit. So Sunday morning we got up and had “Breakfast at Brennan’s.” Why had I not heard of this place before? I mean, you get to eat things like soup and cake for breakfast! Seriously!

Brennan’s is probably best known for the creation of bananas foster. Again, why have I not been here before? Typically guests order the three course breakfast meal, and you choose your courses from a list provided to you. My choices were turtle soup for an appetizer (tasted like gumbo), creamed spinach topped with fried trout and poached eggs for my main course, and bananas foster (they they cooked in front of us) for dessert. It was amazing! Truly, truly amazing!

I do have to admit there was one little bump in the road for my Brennan’s experience. About halfway through the bananas foster I dug my spoon in the ice cream and came back with a long brown hair. Don’t let it gross you out….It could have been my hair, except mine was curled that day and the hair was under the ice cream. I immediately lost my appetite and couldn’t finish the yummy dessert. So…the waiter (to please the guest) brought me the biggest piece of chocolate cake that was completely divine! It was AMAZING!

I don’t want the hair in my food to give you the wrong impression about this place. The food was really good, and my family had eaten there before…so this was just a fluke. Too bad it happened to me on my first experience at the restaurant. It didn’t totally ruin my perspective, but it definitely didn’t help.

The total Nola experience was a lot of fun. I haven’t always liked the city, but this trip brought a new appreciation for the culture and way of life. I think I just had to be a little older and a little more well traveled to appreciate it for what it is. It was fun, and I look forward to going back again soon!

Top 5 Movies

2010-04-06T07:35:00.000-07:00

I just love a good movie. Don't you? Whether its in the theater or at home curled up on the couch, movies are a great way to relax and escape from real life. I had an old church buddy tell me one time that my taste in movies was ignorant. Actually, his exact words were that I liked "stupid movies for stupid people." I didn't think that was very nice. He knows a lot about movies though. He runs a movie blog. I can forgive him for calling me stupid because I'm pretty sure I turned around and called him a snob.

My choice in movies may be limited to those "escape from reality" films. I don't watch all chick flicks though! I mean, I love a good romantic comedy, but I'm also way into sports movies and movies about spies/FBI/conspiracy theories/etc. And I like Star Wars. However, I will admit that the majority of the films in my collection do fall under the chick flick genre. What can I say? I'm a girl! We love the romance!

So last week the question was posed to me about my top 5 all-time favorite movies. That's a tough one. I avoided answering the question because 1. the boys dominated the conversation with their Braveheart, Last of the Mohicans, manly man choices; and 2. I was a bit embarrassed to admit that my choices were far less compelling and serious. But after one of the said gentlemen emailed me about going to see "The Last Song" this weekend, and telling me "it was awesome," then I can feel safe to admit my top 5 all-time favorite movies. So here they are...

*Disclaimer - My list fluctuates from year to year...and this could change at any given moment in time...*

Sheri's Top 5 All-Time Favorite Movies (in no particular order)

1. Pearl Harbor - Saw this in the theater with a boy. He cried more than I did, but I love the movie. Now I cry every single time I watch it because, to me, it is romantic and moving. And I don't care if you judge me. I LOVE this movie!

2. Sweet Home Alabama - Which is dangerously close to falling off the list? Maybe? I'm not sure. But I do love this movie. It came out shortly after I had moved to Texas, and a was so much like home that I saw it in the theater twice. My Texas friends couldn't understand it. Plus, apart from it reminding me of home, it has Hotty McHothot Josh Lucas and Patrick "McDreamy" Dempsy. And I've always had a girl crush on Reese Witherspoon. Okay, so maybe it won't drop off my list.

3. Spy Game - Four words for you. Brad. Pitt. Robert. Redford. Need I say more? Oh, and its action packed and suspenseful too.

4. Julie & Julia - Its a newer one, but it falls on my top 5 list because 1. I love to blog. (Duh) 2. I have a cooking blog (Double Duh) and 3. its about cooking and food. Seriously, this movie was made for me. I'm sure the book is good too. Maybe I'll borrow it from my mom one day. Meryl Strep in quickly becoming one of my favorite actresses. Have you seen "Its Complicated?" HILARIOUS! She is GREAT as Julia Child too!

5. Becoming Jane - Have you seen this one? If not, you should watch it. It is terribly tragic and heartbreaking. Jane falls in love. The love is returned, but then forbidden. They run away together, but she backs out. Then she never marries, becomes a fantastically famous writer, and her one true love names his first daughter after her. Talk about making a girl cry!

Also, other favorites include: Moulin Rouge, Armageddon, Fools Rush In, The Wedding Planner, Pride and Prejudice (both the BBC and Keira Knightly versions), The Last King of Scotland, Love Actually, The Holiday, Miss Potter....and the list goes on and on and on and on and on.

What are some of your faves?

A must read...

2010-04-01T11:38:00.001-07:00

On very rare occasions I run across a blog that I fall in love with. One that has come into my life as of late is "Joy the Baker." Her blog looks cool. She's cute. She's on twitter. And I like her posts/recipes.

Today, though, she wrote about something I have known to be true for a very long, long time. Her post, title "How To Impress A Boy with Baking" could be the story to much of my life. I won't tell you who I've made brownies for. I won't tell you who's mom I tried to win over with my hummingbird cake. I won't tell who I made the "marry me chicken" for in the past. (It didn't work, obviously. But he did like the chicken.) And I may or may not have ever made my special apple pie for a boy in the past and cut out dough shapes of his favorite athletic team to decorate the top.

One thing I will tell you, as Joy goes on to describe, is that the old saying that "the way to a man's heart is through is stomach," is totally, totally true. I mean, it doesn't even matter if you have romantic intentions or not. I can't tell you how many times I have cooked for my guy friends. Or my father. Or my brother. Or a boss. (Can you say Randal and the banana bread? Or the brownies I brougth to work this morning?) Preparing something homemade for a man just helps you win them over! Fact!

I applaud Joy the Baker for her post. It had me rolling! I really was great!

Do any of you have a no-fail-win-over-your-man-dish? If so, you probably need to share it with me since I'm still single. I mean, I'm a good cook. But apparently I am not baking for the right men. : )

Happy cooking!

Tools of the Trade Tuesday: Its a jungle out there...

2010-03-30T18:18:00.000-07:00

A few years ago I ran across the cutest animal cookware in an Anthropologie catalog. It was right about the time I was moving into a new apartment, so I decided to make my new kitchen animal themed. My sister bought me several Boston Warehouse utensils to help get me started, but my favorite finds were giraffe measuring spoons and the gaggle of geese measuring cups.

I have to admit that I have never actually used these kitchen tools, but they look super cute on my counter and I always get compliments on them. They are definitely more decorative tools instead of useful tools. But every girl needs some of these anyway!

Anthropologie actually has quite a bit of kitchenware. Their items are kitchen and vintage, and definitely fit in my kitchen. They also make cute aprons, too...in case you are looking!

Happy cooking! (And decorating!)

Mmmmmm.....muffuletta!!!

2010-03-25T07:45:00.000-07:00

This weekend my family and I are making a trip down south to "the big easy." For those not familiar with that term (or this part of the country), I'm referring to non-other than the ultimate party city, New Orleans. Let me put to rest your wild imagination though. We aren't going to New Orleans to party. I mean, come on! I'm going with my mom! However, there will be much reveling (not revealing), and much devouring (not debauchery) taking place!

This trip is kind of a big deal to me! I haven't been to New Orleans in nearly 10 years....which is so weird for me to say. Growing up we visited the city quite a bit. My dad lived in New Orleans in his young adulthood, and has always loved the city. In fact, one of my favorite memories was a spontaneous trip that we took when I was around 10-12. My parents just up and decided to take us to Nola for the weekend, and when we arrived late that Friday night, my dad took us on an adventure walking the city instead of making us go to sleep. It was fantastic!

However, New Orleans was never really an important or appealing city to me as a child. Yes, I enjoyed visiting. They have a great aquarium and zoo! But it was never one of those places that I truly loved to visit. Probably because the city is kinda dirty. Like Paris. (Paris doesn't really appeal to me either. At least, it didn't when I visited.) And most people go to New Orleans to make fools of themselves and lost all of their inhibitions. I like my inhibitions just as they are.

Needless to say, New Orleans is very unique. The city is rich with history that not only has affected the South of today, but also our entire country. And besides a culture of gypsy lined streets, voodoo, magic and superstition, New Orleans is also a city full of culinary wonderfulness! If you have never had a coffee and beignets at Cafe Du Mond, a shrimp poboy from Cafe Masperos or a muffuletta from Central Grocery, then you probably have never really lived. Seriously. New Orleans has fantastic food! Food I fully intend to explore and sample during my three mini-break.

In honor of my trip down south, I would wanted to post a recipe for muffulettas. I haven't always been a fan of this massive sandwich, probably because I'm not such a huge fan of salami and other such meats. But the one time I have made this sandwich, it was completely to die for!

I have to admit that my recipe is part what I have found online and part what I can remember from making this nearly 2 years ago. I was "taught" by...well...let's just say some random person's mom. And I didn't write it down. And I can't remember it exactly step-by-step. But, from reading several different recipes online, here's what I can put together.

**Special Note: Many of these ingredients aren't always found at a regular grocery. You may need to find a specialty store (like Central Market in Texas or Fresh Market in central MS). You can also find these at a local butcher or meat market.

Ingredients:
10-15-inch loaf of Italian bread (which I can totally new bake on my own with my new cookbook)
1 jar of Olive Salad (if you can't find it, make it)
4 oz. sliced mozzarella cheese
4 oz. sliced provolone cheese
4 oz. thinly sliced cappocolo or prosciuto
4 oz. thinly sliced Genoa salami
4 oz. thinly sliced mortadella (I prefer with olives.)
4 oz. thinly sliced pepperoni or a peppered salami
Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Slice loaf of bread in half, horizontally. Spread thin layer of olive oil on each side of the bread, then spread a generous layer or olive salad on each half.

Layer the mozzarella over the olive salad on the bottom half of the loaf, and then layer with meats (in no particular order). Next, cover the top half of the bread with the provolone, and place on top of the bottom half to make a sandwich.

Wrap the sandwich in foil and bake at 375 degrees until the sandwich is hot and the cheese has melted. It should take about 15-20 minutes.

Unwrap sandwich and slice in wedges, like a pie. This recipe will make 4 extremely large servings or 6-8 smaller sandwiches. Serve with chips and Abita beer. : )

________________________________________

If you can't make it down to New Orleans, have a taste of it in your own home! But I recommend going at least once in your life!

Happy Cooking!

Tools of the Trade Tuesday: Good knives make good quesadillas

2010-03-23T12:13:00.000-07:00

I will cut you!

Not really though. It was a joke.

Not so long ago, I came home from work one day to discover a package on my doorstep. I didn't order anything. I had no idea what it was. It was from cooking.com. Ooooohhh....something my mom must have ordered for me. Yippee! I love presents, especially when they are unexpected and super especially if they are for my kitchen. I ripped open the box and low and behold, it was a new set of knives.

Was this a joke? Or a hint?

Back story...I used to live with someone who once forbid me to cut things. Not for some domineering "you can't cut things" reason, but for my own safety. I haven't always been so good with the knives. Its a process and I'm still learning. But at one point in my culinary adolescence I was really, really bad with knives.

Not so much anymore. I'm actually getting faster with my chopping and cutting, especially when I use my new super awesome knives my mom gave me. The set she sent was a trio of Rachael Ray Furi knives. I had always wanted some of these knives, but don't think I ever told mom that. And I don't think my mom actually knew how crappy my knives were. I think she just ran across the item and thought I could use them.

Oh, could I!

These are incredibly awesome knives. Seriously. Incredible! The shape of the handle, rubber grip, and blade all work so well together. In fact, they have increased my cutting ability by 40% probably! Okay, so I'm just making that up, but they really do help me cut, chop, slice and dice better. I can even manage onions with these knives since I am able to cut them faster than with an ordinary, dull blade!

Maybe that's saying something about my knife collection though. I think they all need to be sharpened, with the exception of my new Rachael Ray knives. I don't know how to do that though.

I never thought investing in high-end cutlery was a big deal until I actually owned a nice set of knives. But if you do a lot of cooking, like myself, having a good quality knife set is important.

These knives are great. I recommend them to you. That's why they are on my blog. I will also share a recipe that I made last night with the help of these great knives.

Shrimp Quesadillas

Ingredients:
1 bell pepper, thinly sliced (with awesome Rachael Ray knives)
1/2 medium onion, sliced
1 cup (or so) of medium peeled shrimp (I buy frozen from the grocery. You just thaw and pull off the tails.)
1 tbsp butter or margarine
Extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp. each of Ground cumin & Chili powder(Or fajita or taco seasoning)
shredded Monterey Jack
flour tortilla shells (burrito size)

Directions: Thinly slice the bell pepper and onion in strips. Add to skillet and heat on medium high with olive oil. Cook until tender (about 4-5 minutes). Add shrimp and butter to skillet. Season with desired amount of cumin and chili powder (or taco/fajita seasoning if that's what you have). Cook for an additional 4-5 minutes, but be careful to not overcook/burn the vegetables.

Lay tortilla on plate and cover with desired amount of cheese. (I use a lot!) Add shrimp and vegetable mixture on top. Fold tortilla in half, and return to skillet. Cook on medium high for about 3 minutes. Flip tortilla to other side and cook for an additional 3 minutes or so. (Just until the cheese is melted.)

Top with guacamole, sour cream, pica de gallo, salsa, etc. Serve with rice and beans or chips and salsa. Makes about 2 servings.

Thank you Rachael Ray, and whoever really designed those knives, for helping me be a better cook!

Happy cooking!

Turkey-Tomato Panini

2010-03-22T10:28:00.000-07:00

I forget sometimes when I'm blogging that everything I put on here doesn't necessarily have to have a wow factor. I'm not saying all of my recipes do have that (or any of them for that matter), but sometimes I don't think to post simple and "uneventful" recipes.

Lunch is a very important part of our day. For me, it serves as a one hour of escape from the craziness of the office where I can take a breath and regain energy for the afternoon. Since purchasing my home, I decided that lunch at home is one way I can really save on my food expenditures. So most days I come home for lunch, fix a sandwich and chill out. I have the luxury of doing this since I live so close to my office.

Not only does it save on money though, lunch at home can help save on the waistline. By carefully choosing the types of food you eat, you can actually be living FAR more healthy than if you went out to eat every day. In fact, most of my at-home lunches are right around 350-400 calories. You can't find that at Subway!

A typical lunch for me involves three things - turkey, provolone and Roma tomatoes. This is one of my favorite sandwich combinations. Another important feature of lunchtime at my home is my panini machine. My brother bought this for me a few years ago for Christmas, and little did I know at the time how integral of a role it would play in my kitchen. However, I literally use this thing almost every day! (Thanks, Joey!)

Here's my turkey-tomato panini...or...aka everyday lunch!

Ingredients:

4-6 slices of turkey (or other meat of choice - If you look here, I used leftovers from a turkey breast I baked the day before)

1 slice provolone cheese

3-4 thin Roma tomato slices

mayo, mustard, etc.

OR...Spicy Mayo: 1 tablespoon light mayo mixed with 1-1.5 teaspoons hot sauce

2 slices of bread

Directions: Slap all the ingredients on the bread....place on the panini grill, and cook for 3-4 minutes. Flip sandwich and cook for another 3-4 minutes.

Side suggestions: I love chips, so I usually eat those. But I also like to enjoy a fruit cup or yogurt from time to time.