The Longest Day of Cooking of My Life Thus Far. Part One.

or, yet another detour on the long road to domestication. Or, isn't it true: pride cometh before the fall. I'm not even sure where to begin this post. I had illusions of grandeur apparently when I set out. I was going to share pictures of my perfectly executed, gorgeous prepared meal to take to my friend who recently had a baby. But alas, I have no photos.  And I didn't have a salad and I didn't wrap the gift either. Back Story:  You see, I missed my friends baby shower. Because I was super selfish all summer studying for that test and I have felt like a jerk, especially after she and her pregnant self and her husband found the time to attend my graduation party. And out of my shame, I didn't rsvp or email or call when I missed the shower.  Her baby was due on my man's birthday and I figured he would make his appearance right around his due date. But he came early. And spent some time in the NICU and I didn't even know about it. Umm, because I am not on facebook. Oh, and because I missed the shower. So my friend emailed me the day after my test was over to let me know her beautiful son had come into the world. I promptly called her and told her I would really like to bring them dinner and spend some time with her. And she graciously accepted! So I planned a meal on Tuesday. I decided on a less seasoned version of chicken spaghetti for a number of reasons:  1. I have experience making it.2. It's simple.3. It reheats / freezes and reheats well even for a person who does not like leftovers.4. Chicken is neutral and one of the things they eat.5. Pasta is comfort food. They have had a lot of stress.6. It's Handsome's favorite. I think it is rather delicious, too. And I found a tasty recipe for desert as well. Something I hadn't ever tried before, but thought it looked simple enough. So I scoured our cabinets and drawers, compared to the recipes, and wrote a list. I wanted to shop Tuesday evening, but I was tired. So it didn't happen.  But I woke up early and set out to the grocery store. I intentionally went to one of the stores a little farther from our house, because I just knew that there was a better chance that they would have all of the ingredients I needed and thus, would simplify the day even farther.  (Part Dos coming next week).  

Good Choices.

Waking up before the world starts.

 

Tennis Shoes, a long sleeved tissue tea, and a pair of shorts.

An early morning walk near a quiet wilderness area by my house. 

A stop at the little cafe by school to fill up at their "oatmeal" buffet bar and a soy latte.

Blueberries, granola, fresh non-instant oats, and slivers of almonds.

A fresh perspective and a bit of concentration.

A productive and encouraging day for studies.

Isn't it amazing how just starting with one good choice in the morning can lead to more good choices throughout the day...

I'm here. And I'm still writing,

Stuffed. In A Really Good Way.

Some of these 

 

Stuffed with a little of this

And arranged like so

Makes for a happy, delicious weeknight meal. 

Mmmm. 

Go ahead. You know you want some!   I'm here. And I'm still writing, 

The Recipes.

So maybe you remember the post when I talked about the family brunch we planned to host on the morning of my graduation? Well... it was a great time! Everything didn't work out quite as planned, and after some hectic twists and turns, I didn't quite pull it off the way I envisioned: table scaped, plenty of photos, delicious foods, and fabulous company, but I think it was a success for our first little party as husband and wife.  We had orange juice, water and coffee. We had mimosa's with cut strawberries, orange juice and champagne (with thanks to my mom and husband for the suggestion). 
We had freshly cut pears and strawberries.
We had a great made-from-scratch-with-whatever-I-had-in-the-refrigerator egg casserole.
And we had these as planned... 

 

Above we have them fresh out of the oven, pre-glaze. 

And below we have them freshly glazed, and sideways (whoops!). 

 I definitely recommend that you try these!
And if you get hungry for an egg casserole then I recommend this one (even though I don't have a picture of any quality to accompany it)... ******************  Katie and Mom's Fabulous Mexican-ish Breakfast Casserole
Sautee and cool the following:  One chopped bell pepper.Two chopped jalapenos.And one small golden onion. Approximately one can of diced Annaheim chiles.
Whisk 9 eggs with about 1/2 cup of milk or half and half in a bowl and sprinkled with salt and pepper. Once the onions, etc. have cooled, combine with eggs mixture,   2 1/2 cups of shredded Monterrey Jack cheese and one or two shredded uncooked Idaho Russet potatoes.
I let it sit like this overnight, and baked it in a greased 9x13 for around thirty minutes at 400 degrees the morning of the brunch.
We cut it and served it with extra fresh Monterrey Jack and Salsa.  ******************
So other than not buying the cheeses, not table scaping, and not getting pictures of anything, but the PW Cinnamon Rolls on an old school disposable film camera nonetheless, I was satisfied with everything and how it turned out.
Good food, good company, and another fun graduation celebration memory!
I'm here and I'm still writing,

What's For Brunch? Menu and Preparation.

As the second day in a series of posts about my graduation celebrations, I present my plans for the brunch that I plan to offer to our out-of-town guests prior to the ceremony. 

Our guests are not staying in our home, which I am most thankful for, but never the less, I feel like I should make some sort of offering to them as I love food and I would hope they would do the same for me. Actually, because mostly I am just speaking of my Mom and my Milly, I am absolutely certain they would too.
I'm not thinking of anything fancy schmancy, but just want some tasty goods around. And I've really been wanting to make one of these recipes, but need an opportunity to give some away, because there are so many, so this sounds perfect.
The Brunch Menu.
Coffee Water Orange Juice  Simple Sliced Fruits(strawberries, pears, and apples) Sliced Cheeses(american, swiss, and maybe some brillat savarin, because I hear it pairs well with pears) Breakfast Casserole I haven't found a recipe just yet, but I'm think sausage, egg, cheese, red bell pepper, and some sort of spice. I have been scouring recipes all over the web, and they all sound greasy instead of light and tasty. I'm going to keep looking, but I'm open to suggestions! Actually, maybe I'll open one of my cookbooks! I'll certainly keep you updated on this and I might even start looking at quiche. And last, and most certainly not least:  The PW's Cinnamon Rolls. They look amazing. And it never hurts to impress the in-laws with your mad baking skills. Of course, I don't have mad baking skills, but I'm really wanting to try these and Handsome said I'm not allowed to make them for just us. Or for any of my single friends. So with families coming, and not just mine, I figure we'll keep a couple of pans, and I'll give a couple to some of my favorite ladies to share with their own 'rents. 
Assuming the dough rises and they turn out ok.
And in preparation for this lovely affair I'm dreaming about in my head, I'm progressively cleaning the house. Today: mopping and vacuuming is on the horizon.
And while I'm working on floors, I might find time for a little pedi too. A day about feet!
Hope you are enjoying yours!

Oh No No No. Do Yourself a Favor and Do NOT Read This Post.

Today, during my weekly Tuesday a routine Target run, a very bad thing happened to me. You won't even believe it when you read this, because its something I had been intentionally avoiding for some time now. And I had been avoiding it quite successfully!
It happened right after I finished glancing through the new workout dvd's, hoping to find some version of a nice Pillates dvd to incorporate into my get-re-fit routine, I happened upon them.
I had heard things about them. Generally good, but that once you take the step you can't really turn back. Because you sort of get addicted. You may know of the type of situation I'm talking about... the kind of thing that starts out innocently and soon enough takes over your ability to exercise self-control and you know that you can't admit it to anyone, especially not your husband because he will be so disappointed in you, but man, without some serious intervention its going to happen anyway... because you just went ahead put them in your basket. 
And then you pushed them down to the bottom so in the event that you run into any of your friends from school who know you are trying to be healthy and happy,  they won't see them and question you or urge you to take them out of your basket.
And you gather up your other items and hurry yourself out of your favorite retail store, just so you can get to the privacy of your car.
And you rip into the plastic and pour a few into your hand.
And then its over. 
Because they really are just. that. good.
Not to mention that they were 50% of because Easter already happened.
And then as you chug the rest of the water you have in the car and the watered down tea from lunch, to try and prevent some of the damage you have done to your blood sugar, you pray OUT LOUD that you are thankful to the Lord that it was Easter, but you are so thankful that the rest of the Easter candy is gone, so it will be almost one whole more year before you are faced with such a temptation again. 
And you ask that next year you will rest on His ability to help you flee from it since you didn't quite make it this year. (And guys, I'm really not kidding...)

Because these

are just oh too good to resist.
And you also pray a word of thanks that there were only small tubes instead of large bags left and that you were able to resist for six weeks and you thank the Lord that you live in a country where you are able to enjoy such delicate chocolate creations.  And then you get home. Put on the clothes. And know that Jillian is not going to be any easier on you today just because you had a rough time earlier at the store. Oh, and when I say "you" in this post, I mean me. Dang it. 
 I'm here. And I'm still writing. (And you can't say I didn't warn you). 

Our First Easter Menu. Also Known As Serious Meal-Planning and A Major Step Towards Domestication.

So tomorrow, Easter Sunday 2010, Handsome and I will be in our city alone with each other.  We haven't had a holiday together and sans house guests or away from Hometown since our anniversary which isn't an all-out holiday anyway, and its one of those days where you shouldn't be in your Hometown to visit family and you shouldn't have house guests, so it doesn't count. So basically, in at least the last six months worth of days that are more like national or worldwide holidays, we haven't had one together.

And I'm thoroughly looking forward to it. 

We plan on going to an earlier-than-normal church service, after which he will take me out for my favorite omelette (Oh, whats that you say? You didn't know we were going out for breakfast? Well, sweet'ums, we totally are).  And then we will lounge, and he will go for a run, and I will prepare our fancy schmancy holiday dinner which I imagine we will partake in around 3 or 4 p.m. 

And its going to be completely fabulous for a few reasons. 1. Because I think Easter is an important holiday, and 2. because I have the opportunity to make a fancy dinner for us, since we won't be in Hometown eating with the families, and because 3. somewhere between the wedding and now I have decided I like cooking. 

So in anticipation of the day and the meal (you know how I anticipate a good meal), I have been browsing all of the best cooking websites I know. Cooking Light, Southern Living, The Pioneer Woman Cooks. And watching hours and hours of The Food Network to see what Giada and Cat Cora and Paula Dean have on their Easter Menus. 

And instead of doing the simple thing and just making of the "Easy Easter Brunch" menus that they have already created, complete with ready-to-print shopping lists and scheduled timelines, I been thinking about Handsome, and thinking about me, and thinking about what is realistic for us and what kinds of foods we would enjoy. 

So for the first time I personalized a holiday menu. (Talk about serious meal planning, people! Can I get a little applause for that?). Just kidding, but I have created something that I think is totally do-able for me. And probably for you too! In the event that you happen upon this post at some point today and have opportunity to run to the grocery store for some last minute supplies.




Our First Easter Dinner Menu
Roasted Asparagus. This is the easiest recipe I have ever looked at. Asparagus. Olive oil. S&P. Into a fairly hot oven for 10 minutes and voila. People think you are brilliant or skilled or something. 
Grilled Steak: You see, this is brilliant to include, because Handsome loves to grill. And he's rather good at it. So this makes for one less item that I need to prepare.  I'm really simplifying this way and I know Handsome will think it tastes good because he grilled it. And it will. Because he grilled it. Not to mention that  he can finally use the Williams Sonoma steak grilling rub I bought him  us for Christmas.  And I don't know how to grill so I can't give you any tips here, but maybe someday Handsome will write a how-to post about grilling and you can read it or maybe you are married to Bobby Flay  and he will have thought-out and will prepare an absolutely excellent Easter menu for you. 
Roasted Potatoes with Herbed Vinaigrette. Because. This sounds wonderful. And one roasted item is clearly not enough for a decadent meal. 
Buttery Rolls (because even if we have potatoes, Handsome can't go a whole fancy meal without a bread item as well and I really don't want him grabbing the plastic bag loaf and bringing over regular sliced bread to my fancy holiday meal for two). Oh, and I'll probably cheat and buy something ready to go at the store, because I am not prepared to spend the day making dough, especially without a bread machine.
Carrot Cake for Dessert. Because it sounds good. And because one PW recipe in a fancy schmancy meal is just not enough. Even if this is the most complicated thing on the menu. Not to mention that I probably owe Handsome a non-chocolate dish. And its spring and its Easter and honestly, who doesn't absolutely LOVE cream cheese frosting. Mmm mmm. 

Happy Eating. Happy Planning. Happy Easter. 
I'm here. And I'm still writing, 

Smooth and Nourishing and Good for the Soul

So the Mr. and I are on a bit of a health kick lately.  We've upped our veggie intake. Decreased our carbohydrates. And increased our fruits. We have both also been exercising more. I love spring because I start feeling like I should eat lighter, get moving, and the combination of those always makes my clothes fit better. 
Its quite fabulous really. 
And this year.... we have this wonderful new machine in our home. It chops, dices, liquifys, and best of all: it SMOOTHS!
Its called a smoothie maker!! (OR some people might call it a blender).
I mentioned the other day that we bought bananas and frozen fruit the other night at the grocery store.
And we have so much frozen fruit in our freezer now that you won't find anything else in there. Just kidding, but we have frozen: mixed berries, strawberries, blueberries, peaches, and pineapple. We also have fresh peaches, fresh bananas, fresh strawberries and fresh apples. 
Some combination of these with some sort of liquid has revolutionized my fruit intake. Because I typically have in the past had the best of intentions about eating more fruit... but what happens is that I buy it, bring it home, eat it when it isn't ripe, get grossed out, wait a few days for it to ripen, forget about it, and then find it mushy or squishy or moldy a week or two later when I'm scavenging for a healthy snack and end up having to throw it out (which sort of drives Handsome bonkers: you know something about wasting money on food that gets thrown out and starving malnourished children in other parts of the world).
And then I repeat the same process or you know, sacrifice my body's nutritional needs for the sake of getting along with my man.
But this: 

photo credit: Oster's website.

.... has completely changed our LIVES!

Its pretty wild how many machines have been revolutionizing my world lately! 

I have been making smoothies like a machine. Well, actually, that machine has been making the smoothies like a machine, but I've been combining cold berries and soy milk and pomegranate juice and peanut butter and yogurt and chocolate soy milk and have been sucking in the nutrients.  Oh, and I haven't so much been putting all of those together at the same time, but some combinations of different ingredients. 

These are a few of my favorite recipes so far:

Berry Berry Delicious Smoothie:

1/2 c. soy milk

1/2 c. pomegranate juice

1/2 c.ish of frozen blueberries. 

1 handfull-ish of frozen strawberries.

1 whole banana. 

De-thaw in the fridge overnight. Smooth away in the morning. (Oh and put the liquid in the bottom first. Then the chunkier stuff in second).

CBPB Smoothie (that would be the Chocolate Banana Peanut Butter Smoothie)

1 c. of Chocolate Soy Milk

1 whole banana

1/4 c.ish of creamy PB

A few spoon-fulls of yogurt (or vanilla yogurt) or whatever you want. 

Smooth. And put it back in the fridge so it gets really cold. And plan on eating a light lunch, because this little smoothie is some kind of filling.

These aren't really my own recipes. But they aren't really anyone elses either. They are sort of me trying different things and seeing what I like after reading others smoothie recipes. And of course, compromising based on what we have. Unless of course its Saturday night and we need to get bananas on the way to the Red Box. 

Enjoy!

A Post From No Ideas. But With Two Great Pictures. (In My Opinion).

So I suppose its time for another post, but to be completely forthcoming, I'm out of ideas. And guess what? I'm tired too. So those things have been limiting my blogging brain power, but yet, I'm laying on the bed, laptop propped up on my legs, typing a nice little note to you about nothing other than my lack of posting.


I'm brilliant, right? And totally going to get a lovely blogging award for my intermittent more frequent than I would like to admit "random thought" posts. Oh, wait, I'm not going to get an award for it? Really? Come. On. That is why I post! For the awards. And the acclaim. And...


Ok. Enough. I don't post for the awards. I post because I like to write what I'm thinking or doing or you know, planning to cook.


But here I already told you I'm not thinking well, and yet I'm posting about doing nothing, because as much as I would like to enjoy a super delicious dinner tonight, I haven't MEAL PLANNED in a few weeks (fail!) and therefore, we don't have a ton of super delicious ingredients ready to go.


Even though chicken spaghetti really does sound good again. In that cozy-its-still-sort-of-winter-out, but spring-is-trying-to-force-its-way-through and chicken is kind of light couple with the spaghetti which is oh so comforting.


But I digress, because this wasn't going to be a post about food. Or anything really for that matter, in which case there really isn't a need for a digression.


In which case, I should probably just get my shoes on and make a little trip to the grocery store to meal plan my way into dinner for tonight and for tomorrow, too.


Which would be good since we have evening-ish obligations for a while tomorrow night. And would probably be good for me to do tonight too so I'm not buying any more M&M speckled Easter eggs at my absolute favorite store when I go there later with Handsome to acquire a curling iron.

These are seriously delicious. Get some and your self will be thankful. 

Which I need for our evening-ish obligations tomorrow. And why I need to relax and rest and eat good dinner tonight, so I'll be pleasant tomorrow and maybe even have more ideas about what to post.


Hows that for forcing the post full-circle?
I'm here. And I'm still (regretfully for you perhaps?) writing,











Oh and because I'm feeling generous  guilty, I'm probably going to make PW's Chicken Spaghetti. I posted about wanting to make it a while ago, and I did, and it did NOT disappoint. Here is even one picture I took in the process:

This is the step where you mix the spaghetti with the pimentos and bell pepper and cheese and cream of mushroom sauce right before you throw it into a casserole for baking. Mmm. 

My Top 10: Chocolate. Decadence. Deliciousness. And Absolute Must-Try's.

In honor of Valentines Day, I'm doing a tribute to my first non-familial love. It has been a little while since I have posted a My Top 10, so it was definitely time. And this might have been the absolute easiest one I have written so far. Handsome and I were at dinner one night and I told him I had been thinking about writing this post and he was able to guess 6 of the 6 I had decided would make the list. And together we filled out the other 4 pretty quickly. I am blessed to have a man who pays attention to me and my likes, even the dark chocolately kind.
So without further ado... My top 10 Chocolate Treats of all time.

10. My mom's homemade chocolate glaze for homemade donuts. It has been a while, like absolutely far too long, since we have made homemade chocolate donuts, but nothing beats 'em. Not Dunkin' or Daylight or Krispy Kreme, or even Hometown's favorite super famous local donut shoppe. I'm not sure what her secret is or if its really a secret at all, but the lady has mad skills in this department. Love you Mama!

9. Tim Tam's: These delectable chocolate wafer cookies will practically melt in your mouth. I have only recently made their acquaintence and I'm so thankful I did. Definitely a perfect little grocery store treat. Arnott's makes 'em. And so does Pepperidge Farm.


8. Dark Chocolate Covered Yogurt Pretzels from Whole Foods. Umm hello? Salty and sweet really is the perfect combination. And Whole Foods has mastered it with this super simple desert. Too bad they charge a pretty penny for them. These are more like a once-in-a-great while kind of treat which is good since we would have to make the long trek to Whole Foods more frequently if they weren't.

7. Plain Old Chocolate Chip Cookies. Right? Like... duh. Who doesn't love chocolate chip cookies? And I have my favorites, but I'll eat Chips Ahoy or I'll eat homemade. I don't like the super soft, store-bought ones, but if I make them, I definitely like 'em warm out of the oven (or cold from the cookie jar).

6. Yoplait Whips: Chocolate Mouse. For those days when I feel like chocolate but don't want to feel too guilty about it, this is a go-to. It is also just about the only yogurt I'll eat, so anytime I'm on an antibiotic and am supposed to take the pill with yogurt, I stock up on these!

5. Chocolate Covered Strawberries. Yes. Yes. I'm a fan of 'em too. This, like the last, is one of those treats I don't feel entirely guilty about eating because there is fruit in it! But... if I don't limit myself, I can definitely be known to have eaten too many at once. And they can cost a pretty penny too, so I almost prefer to make them at home.

Thats a bit of our groom's cake by the way! It is like a little sneak peak into my wedding!

4. Chocolate Milk. What a Classic! Honestly, this will satisfy my craving so quickly. And it has such a comforting quality to it. Mmmm.

3. Chocolate Covered Graham Crackers (Homemade or Starbucks). Starbucks introduced me to the wonderfulness of the chocolate covered graham. I know not everyone is a big of this combination of flavors, but I think they are fabulous. And once they started to become their own line item in our budget, Handsome suggested we make them at home. And honestly, they are different but just. as. tasty. And so super simple.

2. Chocolate Lasagna. So you might not know about this one. And you might send hate-comments to me after I tell you about it. Why? because it doesn't EXIST anymore. It was the best dessert EVER from the Olive Garden. But they stopped making it. They ripped my heart out when they pulled it from their menu. It was layers of dark chocolate cake in between some sort of vanilla white frosting with chunks of chocolate on top and drizzle of chocolate sauce all over. It was divine. And it was best taken from the resturant, placed into a refridgerator and savored for breakfast. Yes. I eat chocolate cake for breakfast sometimes. And yes. You should send you hate comments to Olive Garden until the bring it back. And then your waist can send hate comments to me. But I won't care because I'll be in paradise with my fork by that point.

Yes, I made the picture extra large because I like to look at it. And yes, I'm salivating while I type. And yes, my heart is totally broken in two.

1. Chocolate Cheesecake. Since my favorite has been removed, a new favorite has had to take its place. And really its quite worthy. I posted a while ago about a delicious chocolate cheesecake my mom and I made when I was visiting Hometown. It is probably the best chocolate cheesecake I have ever tasted and I actually drove home and tore up my hate-letters to Olive Garden after I tried it. And after I ate a little bit at a time for a week solid after making it. So without further ado... I present to you: Hershey's Truffle Brownie Cheesecake (a.k.a. The Best Thing You Will Ever Eat).

INGREDIENTS: 

• BROWNIE LAYER(recipe follows)
• 3 packages (8 oz. each) cream cheese, softened
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) HERSHEY'S SPECIAL DARK Chocolate Chips, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon shortening

DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat oven to 350° F. Grease 9-inch springform pan.

2. Prepare BROWNIE LAYER. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until brownie begins to pull away from side of pan. Meanwhile make cheesecake batter.

3. Beat cream cheese and sugar in large bowl until smooth. Gradually beat in eggs, heavy cream, vanilla and salt, beating until well blended.

4. Set aside 2 tablespoons chocolate chips. Place remaining chips in large microwave-safe bowl. Microwave at MEDIUM (50%) 1-1/2 minutes; stir. If necessary, microwave at MEDIUM an additional 15 seconds at a time, stirring after each heating, until chocolate is melted when stirred. Gradually blend melted chocolate into cheesecake batter.

5. Immediately after removing brownie from oven, spoon cheesecake mixture over brownie. Return to oven; continue baking 45 to 50 minutes or until center is almost set. Remove from oven to wire rack. With knife, loosen cake from side of pan. Cool to room temperature. Remove side of pan.

6. Place remaining 2 tablespoons chocolate chips and shortening in small microwave-safe bowl. Microwave at MEDIUM 30 seconds; stir. If necessary, microwave at MEDIUM an additional 10 seconds at a time, stirring after each heating, until chocolate is melted and smooth when stirred. Drizzle over top of cheesecake. Cover; refrigerate several hours until cold. Garnish as desired. Cover and refrigerate leftover cheesecake. 10 to 12 servings.

BROWNIE LAYER: Stir together 6 tablespoons melted butter or margarine, 1-1/4 cups sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Add 2 eggs; stirring until blended. Stir in 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, 1/3 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt; blend well. Spread in prepared pan.

XOXO. I'm still here, and aren't you glad I am writing?

Snack. Attack.

Well hello there! This is Katie, your blogging friend that has been posting infrequently since school started back. Remember me? Ahh, surely it has not been that long. Either way, it really is lovely to see you again.

While you all have been busy reading other peoples blogs or going to school too, I have been reading and writing and reading some more. Oh, and going to class too. And organizing my pretty new notebooks and folders of course.

It has been a good time really. But with all of that busy-ness, I have been getting oh so hungry!

And you know me, the queen of cooking... {ahem, the (maybe someday) aspiring queen of cooking, more like foodie} has had to develop some creative ways to satisfy the hunger when I don't have hours and hours to cook (and when I haven't made another quasi-meal plan or gone to the grocery store for the supplies). And that creative way has been to keep some good man-friendly and Katie-satisfying snacks around the house. (When I say, man-friendly, I mean that the Mr. has made a trip to the grocery store and purchased snacks he likes). These are some of my favorites: (p.s. no one paid me to say this, or anything else for that matter).

Triscuits! We both really like the cracked pepper and olive oil ones.

Carrots! I like 'em plain...

and the Mr. likes his with some Ranch dressing. Here is my favorite, not-made-from-scratch Ranch: Litehouse Homestyle Ranch. It tastes almost as good as if your momma had made it!

And my favorite variety of the Sunchips right now happens to be... oh, any kind really. But I always like Original and the Mr. really likes Peppercorn Ranch.

And to finish it off, I must say that I'm a big fan of the Tillamook. And we both especially swoon over the Colby Jack. Can't find it sliced, but Handsome is pretty good with a knife, so we manage (and it costs less not pre-sliced anyhow!).

Now, of course, we only eat these in moderation. And no one has been making any meals of it.

So... what are your favorite snacks?

The Long Road to Domestication. Take II.

Just a little over 24 hours left to enter our giveaway!

Well, seeing as I did not embarrass myself enough by blogging about this incident, I decided it was high time that I share another. I do not cook that often, but I bake more often than I cook. Which mean I still only bake sometimes. But I like to bake. And I really like to eat what I bake. You get the idea.

So in my baking days, I have made brownies, cookies, and cakes... all usually without fail.

And I decided in the past few weeks, that I really couldn't go on living without tasting baking a very delicious Red Velvet Cake. So the other night we picked up a cake mix box (because I definitely wasn't going to bake one from scratch until I knew for sure that I like the flavor "Red Velvet"). And yesterday I figured, I wasn't doing much other than wrapping presents and chillin' (literally), so mixing up the cake and flipping on the oven to warm the old home little apartment sounded like a splendid idea.

So I whipped up the batter, which was beautiful in case you were wondering, I non-stick sprayed and floured my pan, just as instructed. I measured my ingredients correctly (I think). Essentially I followed the dang directions this time!

And things were looking pretty good...

Until I flipped both parts. And each split and had to be somewhat pieced back together with icing...

Which made for a very messy end product (minus one slice)...

Bummer huh? Oh well. At least I wasn't taking it to my husbands Christmas party last night. And even better than that is the fact that it still tastes pretty good.

I'm here. And I'm writing and baking, but not so well.

A. Good. Kind. (of). Friday.

Today is going to be so fun. I'm totally enjoying the fact that I don't have any more classroom obligations for the semester and though I had to be at school for a meeting earlier, it was kind of fun.
Mr. RH and I are going to finally see Disney's A Christmas Carol at a matinee this afternoon. I can't remember the last time he and I went to the movies, maybe Fireproof?, because theater's are so expensive, and I think they are kinda dirty, and I just LOVE to watch a good movie with a blanket on the couch in my pj's. But! I'm really excited about this one. I think the last 3D anything I saw was at Epcot when I was 14 (that's the trip right Dad? when the dog sneezed on you during Honey, I Shrunk the Audience?). And maybe we will even get popcorn or some sugar to go along with it.
Okay, so we are going to the theatre and I have an afternoon appointment late in the day, but the rest of the day is just relaxing and reading blogs and oh, maybe cleaning house.
Hmm. That could be good.
And then I think I might either make PW's Lasagne or some kind of creamy delish warm meal for dinner tonight, or maybe tomorrow. And I feel like baking a bit too.
It's going to be a lovely day. Even if it is still a little brisk outside!
Happy Friday!

My Ideal Birthday Cake!

When I was growing up, we had a "31 Flavors" in my town. It was always a special treat if my brother and I would go with my mom or dad or both to get ice cream. Especially if we got one of the clowns or on really special days, an ice cream cake! I loved loved loved when it was my birthday and we would order an ice cream cake because I loved them so much. I was never much for regular birthday cakes. You see, I only really like chocolate if it is cold, or at least a little chilly. Hints the Katie Beth idea of perfection that is the ice cream cake!

Anyhow, back to my story about growing up. I think by the time I was twelve probably, 31 Flavors had closed, but there was a TCBY close to our house and that sufficed for a bit.
That is, until TCBY also closed.
Apparently people in my sweet small town don't have enough of an ice cream obsession or maybe Dairy Queen and MickeyD's satisfy their cravings. Shall I say lack of taste? (Not to diss on DQ &McD really).
So naturally by the time I was in college, I had forgotten how much I loved ice cream, frozen yogurt, and particularly ice cream cakes because I don't think I ever really got much ice cream!
Now I was not completely deprived because we had Coldstone every now and then (when we saved up our dough!!) or occassionally Marble Slab if I were out of town visiting friends, but these occasions were so few and far between that I was spared the freshmen fifteen and all other ice-cream induced weight gain during college.
Now, sometime after beginning graduate school, I learned that at Baskin Robbins will make you a milkshake of chocolate ice cream mixed with Oreo cookies 'n' cream ice cream that is probably how I will end up gaining the newlywed nineteen if my wallet doesn't have anything to say about it. But that is a little beyond the scope of my story.
What I have been trying to say is that my birthday is coming(!) and I cannot remember the last time I had a dang good slice of ice cream cake. And that is what I want so much this year! I am not sure if it makes me a twelve-year-old at heart, but I can hardly wait to order a Baskin Robbins cake and to slice it open on my birthday! (And to eat those little pieces of icing that they scallop the bottom with, for a few mid-day snacks in the days following.) Mr. Ruggedly Handsome and Lovely Mother, you do not have to order on my behalf even though you have probably been devising plans to do so. I will be more than happy to march myself into that store and choose the most perfect birthday cake for a 26th birthday! But if you would like to do so, here are some ideas: Maybe something colorful and festive like so:

or maybe one of the pretty chocolatey-ones that are a little more elegant like this:

or this:

With some of this deliciousness:

Oreo Cookie Ice Cream!

and

Devils Food Chocolate Cake!
to make up the substance!! Oh it is going to be a fantastical birthday. I was thinking it would be my second sweet 16, but realized that should probably be the 32nd birthday instead of the 26th! So I'll think of another nice name and get ready to party like its 1996: just me and my cake. (oh, and my man, and my parents, and maybe some friends too.)
Do you have any birthday name suggestions for a 26th celebration? I wish I could invite you over for some cake.
I'm here. And I'm still writing,