Whoa have I been busy lately! and not with anything of general interest either.
This is going to be a really boring post, but I'd like to share with you 10(ish) things I've learned or reaffirmed since we last spoke:
1. Buying a new car is a difficult and frustrating task. This is what has been taking a lot of my time, but finally it's done and J and I are happy with our purchase.
2. Father-in-laws can be very helpful. Shout out to J's step dad who really helped us understand the whole car buying process!
3. Fathers are also very helpful. Shout out to my dad for good advice and support!
4. My husband is a darling. (Already knew that one.)
5. My mom booked a photographer for family pics over Christmas break. She wants our outfits to coordinate. Ideas?
6. I am not going to kill myself to finish my thesis graduate on time. I'm going to relax and do a great job on it whenever I get done, I get done. This is a big deal for me because:
7. I am a control freak. Which means I have trouble coping when things don't go as I had planned. Usually I consider myself pretty adaptable. But when my performance or time allowance is the variable, I have very high standards and struggle when I can't meet them. So I'm working on not being too disappointed in myself.
8. See number 4.
9. I have a pretty full day ahead of me so I think I'll get to it. I hope you all have a fantastic Tuesday!
10. See number 9.
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
Friday, November 16, 2012
A Very Bradbury Thanksgiving
For the past several years, my mom's family has celebrated Thanksgiving at my parent's farm.
I know this sentence may bring a picture to your mind of a few people gathering quietly in the small farm cottage around a table with a traditional banquet of Turkey, dressing and cranberry sauce.
That's not exactly what it's like.
Let's amp up that "few people" to at least 30. You see, my mom has 6 siblings and they all have kids, and a lot of their kids have kids. Then you add my grandma Bradbury, my dad's parents, and my great uncle Gene. ...Oh also add in whoever my single cousins (those who are brave enough to bring someone new) might be dating, and maybe a friend or two.
Overwhelmed yet? It gets better.
Along with sound of a football game, my mom and her sisters and sisters-in-law love to talk, and this no meager chatter. They're solving the world's problems, redesigning their houses, talking over their kids, and that's all before breakfast.
If you don't hear one aunt talking to another, there's trouble afoot and you better watch out! Or just eat...because the food is good enough that even Aunt Sissy takes a break to just enjoy for minute.
...Just teasing, Aunt Sissy!
There's always an entire room and a half in the farm house designated for food. The kitchen/dining room obviously hosts the meal itself which includes:
In the adjoining backroom/office you'll find:
To illustrate my point, I'll insert one of my more recent Thanksgiving memories. My cousin Aaron brought some foreign-exchange-student friends from school. The three or four young men walked into the kitchen before everyone started eating, their astonishment was apparent, and they immediately started taking photos of the table full to the brim with food. I never really thought of it as all that novel until then. ...They hadn't even seen the desserts!
With a quantity of food capable of feeding ansmall army, you may justifiably question how all the people fit in my parents' 3-bedroom, 2-bath farm house...especially after they are full of Turkey and pie.
Amazingly, everyone manages to fit in 2 rooms most years. A pair of long tables set up end to end in the front room can accommodate most of us. Then a table in the back room is enough for those of us who prefer a smaller, quieter atmosphere. Usually any cousins with guests unaccustomed to large family affairs try to snag a spot back there. Also, the dessert is back there, so it's a pretty sweet place to be. ;)
Once everyone has eaten his fill--and then another plate full--plus dessert, some of the food gets put away. What won't spoil stays out for people to graze on. If there's a time after lunch and before everyone leaves or goes to sleep for the night that at least one person is not eating, I've never seen it.
I've confessed to my readers before that my inner child is obese, so you must understand that this day is simply a dream come true for me.
As if it could get any better, my family is one of those families who play games. Some of my favorite childhood memories involve playing Scatagories with my Aunts and cousins or Chinese Checkers with Grandma--she's a master at that game.
Even more than actually playing all these games, I love watching my family interact. They all love to play games, tease each other and laugh. There's a lot of that, laughter.
I didn't always appreciate my family's sense of humor the way I do now, and I think it takes a while to get used to for some.
But what I've come to understand, although I think I've always felt it, is that teasing, joking and playing pranks is how they express their love. It's not a mushy group. There are few "I love you's" floating around. That is, except for grandma who genuinely concludes each and every visit and phone conversation with "remember I love y'all!" even if she thinks you're doing the wrong thing. (We disagree about the necessity putting onions in potato salad, but we don't let it come between us. ;) )
It's not a typical kind of close-knit family. I see most of these people once or twice a year at most. But whatever happens in my life I know I have those 30+ people behind me all the way. I've seen them spring into action more than once to support the ones they love.
Just a couple of examples: I saw it when we lost my grandpa, and the months following when my grandma needed help setting up a new independent life. I saw it when my aunt had (and beat!!) cancer. She's one of the toughest ladies I know.
At so many other times, I have seen this immense love spring into action. Phone calls, prayers, trips across the state to help out, and whatever else can be offered is done wholeheartedly. When tragedy strikes someone in this family, they are never really alone.
That is all brought together, to me at least, on Thanksgiving. It's a time to restore the ones who are struggling with a compassionate ear or a corny joke (or dose of reality when it's needed). To air out, then set aside what's bothering us and be filled...literally and emotionally.
I guess what I'm trying to say is I'm thankful this Thanksgiving, for my very Bradbury family and I can't wait to see them next week!
I know this sentence may bring a picture to your mind of a few people gathering quietly in the small farm cottage around a table with a traditional banquet of Turkey, dressing and cranberry sauce.
That's not exactly what it's like.
Let's amp up that "few people" to at least 30. You see, my mom has 6 siblings and they all have kids, and a lot of their kids have kids. Then you add my grandma Bradbury, my dad's parents, and my great uncle Gene. ...Oh also add in whoever my single cousins (those who are brave enough to bring someone new) might be dating, and maybe a friend or two.
Overwhelmed yet? It gets better.
Along with sound of a football game, my mom and her sisters and sisters-in-law love to talk, and this no meager chatter. They're solving the world's problems, redesigning their houses, talking over their kids, and that's all before breakfast.
If you don't hear one aunt talking to another, there's trouble afoot and you better watch out! Or just eat...because the food is good enough that even Aunt Sissy takes a break to just enjoy for minute.
...Just teasing, Aunt Sissy!
There's always an entire room and a half in the farm house designated for food. The kitchen/dining room obviously hosts the meal itself which includes:
- 1 HUGE turkey
- 1 GIANT roaster pan of dressing, Grandma's recipe.
- 1,000 rolls--the truth is I have no idea how many rolls, because the container seems to spontaneously refill itself throughout the day
- 1-2 vegetable and/or fruit trays
- Several cans of cranberry sauce and sometimes Aunt Jill's Cranberry Salad, which is awesome!
- 1 huge bowl of potato salad--the same recipe I posted earlier this month but at least doubled.
- 1 jar of pickles--because as a 3 year old I cried because I didn't get a pickle, so grandma makes sure they're always on the table. I'm never going to live that down.
- Various side dishes--this changes from year to year. Usually there are some kind of green beans, maybe jalapenos stuffed with cream cheese and bacon, corn casserole, mac-n-cheese for the kids, etc.
In the adjoining backroom/office you'll find:
- 1 dozen pies--this may be a little exaggerated, but not by much.
- Other desserts--this is where people like to experiment. We all have a passion for sweets. I theorize this stems from Grandpa Bradbury's life motto "Life is short: eat dessert first."
To illustrate my point, I'll insert one of my more recent Thanksgiving memories. My cousin Aaron brought some foreign-exchange-student friends from school. The three or four young men walked into the kitchen before everyone started eating, their astonishment was apparent, and they immediately started taking photos of the table full to the brim with food. I never really thought of it as all that novel until then. ...They hadn't even seen the desserts!
With a quantity of food capable of feeding an
Amazingly, everyone manages to fit in 2 rooms most years. A pair of long tables set up end to end in the front room can accommodate most of us. Then a table in the back room is enough for those of us who prefer a smaller, quieter atmosphere. Usually any cousins with guests unaccustomed to large family affairs try to snag a spot back there. Also, the dessert is back there, so it's a pretty sweet place to be. ;)
Once everyone has eaten his fill--and then another plate full--plus dessert, some of the food gets put away. What won't spoil stays out for people to graze on. If there's a time after lunch and before everyone leaves or goes to sleep for the night that at least one person is not eating, I've never seen it.
I've confessed to my readers before that my inner child is obese, so you must understand that this day is simply a dream come true for me.
As if it could get any better, my family is one of those families who play games. Some of my favorite childhood memories involve playing Scatagories with my Aunts and cousins or Chinese Checkers with Grandma--she's a master at that game.
Even more than actually playing all these games, I love watching my family interact. They all love to play games, tease each other and laugh. There's a lot of that, laughter.
I didn't always appreciate my family's sense of humor the way I do now, and I think it takes a while to get used to for some.
But what I've come to understand, although I think I've always felt it, is that teasing, joking and playing pranks is how they express their love. It's not a mushy group. There are few "I love you's" floating around. That is, except for grandma who genuinely concludes each and every visit and phone conversation with "remember I love y'all!" even if she thinks you're doing the wrong thing. (We disagree about the necessity putting onions in potato salad, but we don't let it come between us. ;) )
It's not a typical kind of close-knit family. I see most of these people once or twice a year at most. But whatever happens in my life I know I have those 30+ people behind me all the way. I've seen them spring into action more than once to support the ones they love.
Just a couple of examples: I saw it when we lost my grandpa, and the months following when my grandma needed help setting up a new independent life. I saw it when my aunt had (and beat!!) cancer. She's one of the toughest ladies I know.
At so many other times, I have seen this immense love spring into action. Phone calls, prayers, trips across the state to help out, and whatever else can be offered is done wholeheartedly. When tragedy strikes someone in this family, they are never really alone.
That is all brought together, to me at least, on Thanksgiving. It's a time to restore the ones who are struggling with a compassionate ear or a corny joke (or dose of reality when it's needed). To air out, then set aside what's bothering us and be filled...literally and emotionally.
I guess what I'm trying to say is I'm thankful this Thanksgiving, for my very Bradbury family and I can't wait to see them next week!
Monday, November 5, 2012
Lunch!
Today I decided to go all out for lunch. So I'll share with you what I did.
On the menu, barbecue country ribs, Grandma's potato salad and "fiesta" corn.
First, I boiled 5 peeled and chopped potatoes. I put a little salt in the water, about a tablespoon.
Then I put about a teaspoon of baking soda in a small saucepan of water and turned it on high. Then I set three (decorated) eggs in there.
While those boiled, I got out 3 large country ribs from my freezer. The package held 7 so I split it before I put them in the freezer. I usually use the smaller country ribs and I think I like them better. But the larger ones were the only ones in stock. I thawed the ribs in water.
When the eggs had boiled steadily for 10 minutes I drained them, cracked them and refilled the pan with cold water.
I let those soak up the cold water and let go of their shells, while I got out the rest of the ingredients for my potato salad. Just like grandma, I don't measure anything when I make potato salad so all of these measurements are approximate.
5 potatos, boiled and mashed
1 T butter
3 hardboiled eggs, chopped
3/4 c pickles chopped
1/4 c mustard
1/3 c sandwich spread
Salt and pepper to taste
Optional ingredients: onions, pimentos
I usually just drain the potatoes, poor them in a bowl, add the butter and let it melt.
Then I add all the other ingredients and use a hand mixer on low until it's fairly smooth. If you boil the potatoes until they're soft, it shouldn't take much time with a hand mixer.
J and I like our potato salad cold, so after I get it together, I throw it in the fridge until everything else is ready.
By the time I've got that done, my pork chops are just about thawed. I put them in a little casserole dish and cover them in barbecue sauce. I put foil on the top and cook them in the oven on 350 for about 45 minutes. Preferably, you would cook them on 275 or so for 2 or 3 hours.
When about 30 minutes had passed I started on my fiesta corn. I put a T of butter in a sauce panto melt, while I chopped half a jalapeno and half a bell pepper. I sauteed those in the butter and chopped 1/4 onion--maybe a little less than a quarter. I let those saute all together for less than a minute, then I added a drained can of corn. I mixed it in thoroughly and once it was warm all the way through I put it on low until I was sure the meat was done.
Sho'nuf it was!
I like to make my husband work for a good meal, so I asked him to clean and set the table while I got all the food out.
And that was lunch...and that will also be dinner, because it was a lot of food!
On the menu, barbecue country ribs, Grandma's potato salad and "fiesta" corn.
First, I boiled 5 peeled and chopped potatoes. I put a little salt in the water, about a tablespoon.
 |
| "Oh no!" |
While those boiled, I got out 3 large country ribs from my freezer. The package held 7 so I split it before I put them in the freezer. I usually use the smaller country ribs and I think I like them better. But the larger ones were the only ones in stock. I thawed the ribs in water.
When the eggs had boiled steadily for 10 minutes I drained them, cracked them and refilled the pan with cold water.
I let those soak up the cold water and let go of their shells, while I got out the rest of the ingredients for my potato salad. Just like grandma, I don't measure anything when I make potato salad so all of these measurements are approximate.
5 potatos, boiled and mashed
1 T butter
3 hardboiled eggs, chopped
3/4 c pickles chopped
1/4 c mustard
1/3 c sandwich spread
Salt and pepper to taste
Optional ingredients: onions, pimentos
I usually just drain the potatoes, poor them in a bowl, add the butter and let it melt.
Then I add all the other ingredients and use a hand mixer on low until it's fairly smooth. If you boil the potatoes until they're soft, it shouldn't take much time with a hand mixer.
J and I like our potato salad cold, so after I get it together, I throw it in the fridge until everything else is ready.
By the time I've got that done, my pork chops are just about thawed. I put them in a little casserole dish and cover them in barbecue sauce. I put foil on the top and cook them in the oven on 350 for about 45 minutes. Preferably, you would cook them on 275 or so for 2 or 3 hours.
 |
| Mmmmmm! |
Sho'nuf it was!
I like to make my husband work for a good meal, so I asked him to clean and set the table while I got all the food out.
And that was lunch...and that will also be dinner, because it was a lot of food!
Sunday, November 4, 2012
Can't Take the Country Out of the Girl
Lately, I've been missing the farm where I grew up. I haven't lived there officially in four years, but it was my home for 10. The farm I lived on before that was the same farm I came home from the hospital to and stayed until I was 8. So for the first 18 or so years of my life, I could look out my window and see wide open spaces for miles.
When I was a kid, it used to bother me that I couldn't walk to a friends' house like my city friends did, or that I could only use my rollerblades on our little concrete slab, since the road wasn't paved. The time I most resented living in the country is after the snow thawed. All my friends would tell me about how they spent the snow days together playing. I just had to play with my lame older brother and our dog.
Looking back, even the things I resented about my rural upbringing were pretty awesome things for a kid like me. I got to really enjoy spending time with my friends because it was a special treat to be together. If I got mad at one of them, we had to learn to work it out because there was no leaving wherever we were.
I may not have to gotten to rollerblade as much as I wanted, but I got pretty good at riding my bike in the sand, and I also cherished walking on the dirt road, in the turn row or out in the pasture. It became important to me to go out by myself and explore nature.
Even snow days were awesome. Mom usually cooked something warm and delicious, bundled us up and sometimes went out to play with us. My brother wasn't as lame looking back as I thought. We had a great time together most days. Although, we fought all the time and I never would have admitted to myself as a kid, he really was the best friend I had growing up.
With all these warm fuzzy memories, you would think it was my childhood I was missing, and you may well be right. But what I've been missing lately is not limited to the simplicity of my childhood or even the amazing family who raised me, it's the land as well.
It's not that I want to live on that red clay again. The wonderful life my parents, their parents and several previous generations live or lived is not mine or my husband's ambition. We are seeking a different path that suits our talents the same way farming fits my parents. I'm happy with this path. It's the one we chose for our life, and I'm passionate about it.
I just like to, from time to time, get back to that place where I can take a walk and not be seen by numerous neighbors, surrounded by their houses, cars, and other technology. I want to feel alone with nature, not just anonymous in a sea of people. The open land is where, on this earth, I can best reconnect with myself. When I'm out in a pasture or a cotton field, I can think clearly and understand how I'm connected to the universe.
Right now, school is nearing a close, and the final push of effort will determine my success or failure. My wonderful husband and I are navigating our roles in each other's lives and the professional world. And, I find that in this time of exciting transition and stress, I look for the comfort of sitting in the shade of a mesquite grove, red clay on my shoes, and a warm southern wind blowing through the prairie grass and cactus leaves.
This is not to say that I'm unhappy, or will not be perfectly content in my current state for the rest of my life, if need be. I am, truly, incredibly blessed.
But, like any person, city or country raised, there are things in our pasts that help define who we are for better or worse. Sometimes reconnecting with those parts of our pasts helps us to move forward.
Fortunate for me, (Lord willing) Thanksgiving is coming, bringing it with it an opportunity to set my feet back on the red soil that sticks to my heart long after it's gone from the souls of my shoes. I'll be thanking God then as now for the beautiful earth he's given us, and the land the Smiths have called home.
When I was a kid, it used to bother me that I couldn't walk to a friends' house like my city friends did, or that I could only use my rollerblades on our little concrete slab, since the road wasn't paved. The time I most resented living in the country is after the snow thawed. All my friends would tell me about how they spent the snow days together playing. I just had to play with my lame older brother and our dog.
Looking back, even the things I resented about my rural upbringing were pretty awesome things for a kid like me. I got to really enjoy spending time with my friends because it was a special treat to be together. If I got mad at one of them, we had to learn to work it out because there was no leaving wherever we were.
I may not have to gotten to rollerblade as much as I wanted, but I got pretty good at riding my bike in the sand, and I also cherished walking on the dirt road, in the turn row or out in the pasture. It became important to me to go out by myself and explore nature.
Even snow days were awesome. Mom usually cooked something warm and delicious, bundled us up and sometimes went out to play with us. My brother wasn't as lame looking back as I thought. We had a great time together most days. Although, we fought all the time and I never would have admitted to myself as a kid, he really was the best friend I had growing up.
With all these warm fuzzy memories, you would think it was my childhood I was missing, and you may well be right. But what I've been missing lately is not limited to the simplicity of my childhood or even the amazing family who raised me, it's the land as well.
It's not that I want to live on that red clay again. The wonderful life my parents, their parents and several previous generations live or lived is not mine or my husband's ambition. We are seeking a different path that suits our talents the same way farming fits my parents. I'm happy with this path. It's the one we chose for our life, and I'm passionate about it.
I just like to, from time to time, get back to that place where I can take a walk and not be seen by numerous neighbors, surrounded by their houses, cars, and other technology. I want to feel alone with nature, not just anonymous in a sea of people. The open land is where, on this earth, I can best reconnect with myself. When I'm out in a pasture or a cotton field, I can think clearly and understand how I'm connected to the universe.
Right now, school is nearing a close, and the final push of effort will determine my success or failure. My wonderful husband and I are navigating our roles in each other's lives and the professional world. And, I find that in this time of exciting transition and stress, I look for the comfort of sitting in the shade of a mesquite grove, red clay on my shoes, and a warm southern wind blowing through the prairie grass and cactus leaves.
This is not to say that I'm unhappy, or will not be perfectly content in my current state for the rest of my life, if need be. I am, truly, incredibly blessed.
But, like any person, city or country raised, there are things in our pasts that help define who we are for better or worse. Sometimes reconnecting with those parts of our pasts helps us to move forward.
Fortunate for me, (Lord willing) Thanksgiving is coming, bringing it with it an opportunity to set my feet back on the red soil that sticks to my heart long after it's gone from the souls of my shoes. I'll be thanking God then as now for the beautiful earth he's given us, and the land the Smiths have called home.
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Nerd Poetry: Pride and Prejudice, a Poem
Tonight J and I were writing music and, lately, we've been reading Pride and Prejudice. I got one serious song out and then this:
(It's 1am and I've been reading about architecture in Southern California all evening, so don't judge me. Don't you dare judge me!)
No, I daresay not.
You can't laugh at Mr. Darcy,
even if he act a sot.
Jane Austin says you shan't,
and so you never shall.
But Mr. Collins puts on airs
and says sorry while he bows.
Though you dearly love to laugh,
(a family trait I'd say)
you can't forget your manners
or let talking rule the day.
Talking is not dancing.
And dancing is the best
to encourage great affection
and not make yourself a pest.
Though Mrs. Bennet's nerves may scold you
and Mr. Wickham use you sore,
you'll end up with Mr. Darcy.
Let us hope he does not snore!
Goodnight!
Saturday, October 27, 2012
Poor Girl's Spicy Chili
Tonight I'm making my very own chili recipe, and thought I would share.
It is derived from recipes of Facebook friends and other websites. I adapted all of their different recipes to fit ingredients I keep on hand pretty much at all times.
This is what I came up with.
First I take a jalapeno and roast it. This is a technique I picked up in high school from a friend who worked at a Tex-Mex restaurant in my hometown. I just use the same pot I'm going to make my chili in put it on high with nothing in it but the pepper. Then I turn the pepper until it blisters on every side. This helps it release its flavor and makes your chili spicier.
Then I brown the pound of beef I was thawing while my pepper roasted. (If you're feeding a big family or want a lot of leftovers, double everything.)
While the beef is browning, I season it with salt, pepper and chili powder. I wait on the chili powder until it's almost done browning. I do this because it's how my mom taught me to season ground beef. I have no idea why, but she's the best cook I know so I just do what she says.
Next, I add a can of ranch style beans, and the forefathers of Texas chili turn in their graves. I love Texas, but I prefer beans in my chili. I am also unarmed and a cat person. Please don't shoot me! I also find that the sauce on the beans adds a nice flavor and texture to my chili.
Then I add a can of diced tomatoes with green chilies. In my house, we call that Rotel, but since I buy the off brand I feel the need to describe it.
This is the part where things get weird.
I next add about 1/4 cup of ketchup because I don't stock tomato sauce in my kitchen. I probably should, but I just don't. That measurement is approximated because I just added 2 or 3 long squirts out of the bottle until it looks right to me. I cook the scientific way, y'all!
Then I add some Worcestershire(I love Chrome's spell check feature!) sauce, about a dozen good drops.
Then I open up my seasoning cabinet and things get crazy. Okay, not that crazy...
I add a generous sprinkling of onion powder. (Real onions chopped up in there could be nice too! But my hubs doesn't like the texture.)
Next, I add about a half teaspoon of minced garlic. That actually came out of the fridge, but I think of it as a seasoning. Garlic salt or powder would work here too.
Finally, add some crushed red pepper til it's spicy enough for you. (If it's already too spicy for you, go back to the North, Yankee! Just kidding! You can add tomato sauce to tone it down.)
I let all that simmer for just as long as I can stand it, because the longer it simmers the yummier (and spicier) it is. Today, I'm leaving it on for an hour and a half, but it's technically ready to eat as soon as it starts to simmer steadily.
There you have it, folks, Poor Girl's Spicy Chili. Enjoy!
It is derived from recipes of Facebook friends and other websites. I adapted all of their different recipes to fit ingredients I keep on hand pretty much at all times.
This is what I came up with.
First I take a jalapeno and roast it. This is a technique I picked up in high school from a friend who worked at a Tex-Mex restaurant in my hometown. I just use the same pot I'm going to make my chili in put it on high with nothing in it but the pepper. Then I turn the pepper until it blisters on every side. This helps it release its flavor and makes your chili spicier.
Then I brown the pound of beef I was thawing while my pepper roasted. (If you're feeding a big family or want a lot of leftovers, double everything.)
 |
| The tower of spiciness!!! ...and ketchup. |
Next, I add a can of ranch style beans, and the forefathers of Texas chili turn in their graves. I love Texas, but I prefer beans in my chili. I am also unarmed and a cat person. Please don't shoot me! I also find that the sauce on the beans adds a nice flavor and texture to my chili.
Then I add a can of diced tomatoes with green chilies. In my house, we call that Rotel, but since I buy the off brand I feel the need to describe it.
This is the part where things get weird.
I next add about 1/4 cup of ketchup because I don't stock tomato sauce in my kitchen. I probably should, but I just don't. That measurement is approximated because I just added 2 or 3 long squirts out of the bottle until it looks right to me. I cook the scientific way, y'all!
Then I add some Worcestershire(I love Chrome's spell check feature!) sauce, about a dozen good drops.
Then I open up my seasoning cabinet and things get crazy. Okay, not that crazy...
 |
| How am I not eating this right now? |
Next, I add about a half teaspoon of minced garlic. That actually came out of the fridge, but I think of it as a seasoning. Garlic salt or powder would work here too.
Finally, add some crushed red pepper til it's spicy enough for you. (If it's already too spicy for you, go back to the North, Yankee! Just kidding! You can add tomato sauce to tone it down.)
I let all that simmer for just as long as I can stand it, because the longer it simmers the yummier (and spicier) it is. Today, I'm leaving it on for an hour and a half, but it's technically ready to eat as soon as it starts to simmer steadily.
There you have it, folks, Poor Girl's Spicy Chili. Enjoy!
Monday, October 15, 2012
Incidentally-Vegan Brownie Experiment
Tonight I got the sudden urge to bake. It hit me like a ton of bricks and I know exactly why--we have no milk or eggs in our house.
I also have no car temporarily which means no quick trips to the grocery store for me. Growing up a country girl, I have learned to adapt.
Someday I'll tell my grandkids about how when I was their age there was no such thing as a quick trip to the grocery store in my best old-redneck-lady voice.
"Well you see here dearie! First we had to go find a tractor that wasn't plowing something up. Then we had to go on and hitch it up to a covered wagon using our best old mare. It was 200 miles to the nearest general store, so that'd take about a day. It was always snowing too back then."
I think I've gotten off track.
Anyway, so I went back the basics like any good country girl would do. I started Googling for no milk, no egg recipes.
That didn't work.
They all called for vinegar. I don't stock vinegar for some reason. Maybe I should start.
Then I searched for vegan recipes realizing that I was going to omit animal products. (I'm giving myself way too much credit here.)
I stumbled upon a Pinterest board full of vegan dessert recipes. Yay for Pinterest!
But they all called for vinegar too. :/
Except for one, a brownie recipe from this blog.
It calls for a lot of a few simple ingredients I keep on hand. Luckily I had plenty of all of it.
I did get a little concerned when I read 1 cup of vegetable oil. Say what?! That's a lot of oil!
Oh well, Paula Deen's still kickin', and I've got a skinny husband. So why not?
Then I caught myself wondering if I should spray the pan before I put the batter in it.
Then I thought, 'Does this really need more grease?'
Ummm, no.
Finally (because I'm so daring and darling of course ;) ) I decided to experiment further and wrote J's name in caramel syrup on the batter before I threw it in the oven. This may be a culinary mistake...I'll blame it on love.
So around 30 minutes in the oven they were done!!!
When your inner child is a little too much like honey boo boo, waiting for brownies to cool seems ridiculous. So I would normally dig right in. But tonight I decided to practice restraint and wait for J to get home. So I'm going to leave you in suspense until tomorrow about how they taste.
I also have no car temporarily which means no quick trips to the grocery store for me. Growing up a country girl, I have learned to adapt.
Someday I'll tell my grandkids about how when I was their age there was no such thing as a quick trip to the grocery store in my best old-redneck-lady voice.
"Well you see here dearie! First we had to go find a tractor that wasn't plowing something up. Then we had to go on and hitch it up to a covered wagon using our best old mare. It was 200 miles to the nearest general store, so that'd take about a day. It was always snowing too back then."
I think I've gotten off track.
Anyway, so I went back the basics like any good country girl would do. I started Googling for no milk, no egg recipes.
That didn't work.
They all called for vinegar. I don't stock vinegar for some reason. Maybe I should start.
Then I searched for vegan recipes realizing that I was going to omit animal products. (I'm giving myself way too much credit here.)
I stumbled upon a Pinterest board full of vegan dessert recipes. Yay for Pinterest!
But they all called for vinegar too. :/
Except for one, a brownie recipe from this blog.
It calls for a lot of a few simple ingredients I keep on hand. Luckily I had plenty of all of it.
I did get a little concerned when I read 1 cup of vegetable oil. Say what?! That's a lot of oil!
Oh well, Paula Deen's still kickin', and I've got a skinny husband. So why not?
Then I caught myself wondering if I should spray the pan before I put the batter in it.
Then I thought, 'Does this really need more grease?'
Ummm, no.
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| Sadly, I have really bad handwriting in syrup. |
Finally (because I'm so daring and darling of course ;) ) I decided to experiment further and wrote J's name in caramel syrup on the batter before I threw it in the oven. This may be a culinary mistake...I'll blame it on love.
So around 30 minutes in the oven they were done!!!
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| Here's how they look right out of the oven. Someday, they'll invent a way to upload smells so you can understand how strong I am for waiting. ;) |
Update!
They taste really good, but they are very crumbly. The syrup didn't add a lot to the flavor, but I think if I had added more of it would have made more difference and been very nice. Overall I'd say it's a win. :)
Sunday, October 14, 2012
8 obsessions I don't get
Today, I'm doing a quick, cynical, preachy rant about obsessions I don't understand. If one of these is your obsession, please feel free to explain it to me.
1. Vampires.
...especially abusive ones that sparkle, but also all these spin off TV shows.
2. Unicorns.
I like unicorns as much as the next girl, but why are they suddenly everywhere? Why is the world unicorn crazy? It's like living a Lisa Frank world. (Bonus points for 90's kids who know who Lisa Frank is.)
3. YOLO
Everyone since the dawn of time has known that they only live once. (Unless you believe in reincarnation, in which case this whole discussion must seem a little irrelevant.) Why do we need a cool new way to text that fact to each other? And why are we using as justification to shorten our already brief lives with stupid activities?
4. "Real" Housewives
First, in what ways are these women real? Second, why do we care so much about them? Third, why are there so many neighborhoods with shows about them? I'm holding out for real housewives of Loraine, TX.
5. Child pop stars/boybands
I was going to just say Taylor Swift and Justin Beiber, but then I remembered that there are now hoards of 10-year-old looking children who sing about things I didn't know about when I was 10. If you want to defend these kiddos, "I'ma let you finish," but personally I'd rather listen to grown ups.
6. Skanky men
This one really irritates me. Since when did women become creepers? Why are we watching stripper movies? Why are we fantasizing about fictional men in smutty books? We're drooling over musicians who change ball caps more often than lyrical phrases and actors with more muscles than facial expressions. There are real men out there, ladies. Nice, sweet, sexy men exist in real life. They have brains, ambitions, and passions just like we do. We've fought so long for men to recognize that we're people not just bodies. Why are we treating them as just bodies?
7. Trolling
I going to admit that I once trolled a person's status, and I didn't feel happy about it afterward. It was perfectly clear that I was kidding, and it wasn't about anything with any greater meaning. I still got a negative feeling from it. So what I'm getting at is, what is the draw? What is the benefit?
8. Pointless rants
This one I do get. It feels nice to rant a little. At the same time, I have no idea who is going to read this, or how it will do any good for anyone. But here it is, people. My very own pointless rant.
1. Vampires.
...especially abusive ones that sparkle, but also all these spin off TV shows.
2. Unicorns.
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| Planking is another obsession I don't get. But it's cute when babies do it. :) |
3. YOLO
Everyone since the dawn of time has known that they only live once. (Unless you believe in reincarnation, in which case this whole discussion must seem a little irrelevant.) Why do we need a cool new way to text that fact to each other? And why are we using as justification to shorten our already brief lives with stupid activities?
4. "Real" Housewives
First, in what ways are these women real? Second, why do we care so much about them? Third, why are there so many neighborhoods with shows about them? I'm holding out for real housewives of Loraine, TX.
5. Child pop stars/boybands
I was going to just say Taylor Swift and Justin Beiber, but then I remembered that there are now hoards of 10-year-old looking children who sing about things I didn't know about when I was 10. If you want to defend these kiddos, "I'ma let you finish," but personally I'd rather listen to grown ups.
6. Skanky men
This one really irritates me. Since when did women become creepers? Why are we watching stripper movies? Why are we fantasizing about fictional men in smutty books? We're drooling over musicians who change ball caps more often than lyrical phrases and actors with more muscles than facial expressions. There are real men out there, ladies. Nice, sweet, sexy men exist in real life. They have brains, ambitions, and passions just like we do. We've fought so long for men to recognize that we're people not just bodies. Why are we treating them as just bodies?
7. Trolling
I going to admit that I once trolled a person's status, and I didn't feel happy about it afterward. It was perfectly clear that I was kidding, and it wasn't about anything with any greater meaning. I still got a negative feeling from it. So what I'm getting at is, what is the draw? What is the benefit?
8. Pointless rants
This one I do get. It feels nice to rant a little. At the same time, I have no idea who is going to read this, or how it will do any good for anyone. But here it is, people. My very own pointless rant.
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
Dressing like a 20-something is weird
Today I went shopping with J at Kohls.
I love that store, but today was a weird experience
I walked through the Juniors department. I am in the habit of doing this, but I rarely find anything there. This is probably because I'm not a teenager anymore.
Then I meandered to the grown-up lady department, remembering that I'm a married college graduate. But I didn't find anything there either.
I found some things my mom would like. Don't misunderstand me, my mom is a great dresser and a classy lady, but she's my mom. I'm not ready to dress like my mom.
What do twenty-somethings wear?
I have friends my age who wear clothes, but we don't really talk about it anymore. Mostly because they're either engaged or pregnant, so we talk about that. (Or they're shopping for maternity clothes.)
Where do regular (read poor), non-pregnant, twenty-somethings shop in real life?
I've found an online store or two that I like, but I'm a hands-on shopper. I like to feel fabric, try on clothes, and carry stuff around.
Meanwhile, my wardrobe is a weird mix of university tee-shirts and dresses, bought for special occasions, that are way too formal to wear in real life, and a little in between that is quickly wearing out.
I have lots of coats and scarves, but what do I wear under them?
My shoe and jewelry collection is pretty descent, but a nice, married girl can't go out in shoes, accessories and a coat.
Alas, today with our birthday gift cards, (thanks, Memom!) J and I decided to buy sheets.
We needed sheets, and they're nice sheets. But the experience overall was a little frustrating.
I realize, of course, that I shouldn't be too concerned about clothes. As long as I can appropriately cover myself, I'm better off than many.
But shopping used to be fun.
Anyone have any advice to help me reclaim the joy of clothes shopping? Or a sympathetic whimper?
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| Most recent purchase: a not-so-grown-up t-shirt 2 months ago. Note all the culls I tried on on my right. |
I love that store, but today was a weird experience
I walked through the Juniors department. I am in the habit of doing this, but I rarely find anything there. This is probably because I'm not a teenager anymore.
Then I meandered to the grown-up lady department, remembering that I'm a married college graduate. But I didn't find anything there either.
I found some things my mom would like. Don't misunderstand me, my mom is a great dresser and a classy lady, but she's my mom. I'm not ready to dress like my mom.
What do twenty-somethings wear?
I have friends my age who wear clothes, but we don't really talk about it anymore. Mostly because they're either engaged or pregnant, so we talk about that. (Or they're shopping for maternity clothes.)
Where do regular (read poor), non-pregnant, twenty-somethings shop in real life?
I've found an online store or two that I like, but I'm a hands-on shopper. I like to feel fabric, try on clothes, and carry stuff around.
Meanwhile, my wardrobe is a weird mix of university tee-shirts and dresses, bought for special occasions, that are way too formal to wear in real life, and a little in between that is quickly wearing out.
I have lots of coats and scarves, but what do I wear under them?
My shoe and jewelry collection is pretty descent, but a nice, married girl can't go out in shoes, accessories and a coat.
Alas, today with our birthday gift cards, (thanks, Memom!) J and I decided to buy sheets.
We needed sheets, and they're nice sheets. But the experience overall was a little frustrating.
I realize, of course, that I shouldn't be too concerned about clothes. As long as I can appropriately cover myself, I'm better off than many.
But shopping used to be fun.
Anyone have any advice to help me reclaim the joy of clothes shopping? Or a sympathetic whimper?
Sunday, October 7, 2012
Love notes for the modern couple
A little over a week ago I was at home alone, daydreaming about J.
I do that a lot.
Is that weird? Probably, but I enjoy it, so don't tell me if it is.
I decided I wanted to do something sweet for him rather keeping all my positive thoughts to myself.
So I started another blog. It's free. It's easy. So, if you wanted, you could do this too. Just go to blogger.com, and follow the steps. (Or some other free blog site. There are several out there.)
I wrote what I was thinking, as eloquently as I could think to write it and sent him the link at work.
I now update that blog every few days or so. It's fun to have a running log of love letters. I don't put either of our whole names in them because I think it's more romantic that way. And he's the only real person, as far as I can tell, that views it. Not that it matters since I don't put anything specific, just flowery love stuff. ;)
Recently, I've been thinking of fun ways to tell him I've updated it. Tonight, I put a note on his dinner that just has the URL and hearts. (That way he doesn't have to ask if he forgot the address.)
If I were to do something like this again, I think I might introduce it that way. Just a note with the URL and nothing else. It's what I imagine would happen if Humphrey Bogart made romantic movies in 2012.
There are really endless possibilities on how you could use something like this.
For example, it could be a fun date invite. If you were to write a lot of love notes over a period of time, then put an invitation in the last one. Maybe just a time and address...ooh romantic.
You could also do a series of photos with signs instead of writing out text.
You could use it to track a long distance relationship. Each of you could log in as authors and post pictures, notes and vlogs to each other. Then years later you would have it to remember how your relationship survived that distance.
I especially think it could be great for newlyweds to record all those newly committed feelings, and how your love grows over the first months and years. Then later, you can return to it and remember why you fell in love in the first place.
You could even use it to propose, but I'm a little old fashioned when it comes to that.
Anyway, that's my fairly unoriginal 21st century update of the old school love letter. Let me know if you try it for yourself. :)
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| This image isn't mine, but I like it. :) I got it here. |
I do that a lot.
Is that weird? Probably, but I enjoy it, so don't tell me if it is.
I decided I wanted to do something sweet for him rather keeping all my positive thoughts to myself.
So I started another blog. It's free. It's easy. So, if you wanted, you could do this too. Just go to blogger.com, and follow the steps. (Or some other free blog site. There are several out there.)
I wrote what I was thinking, as eloquently as I could think to write it and sent him the link at work.
I now update that blog every few days or so. It's fun to have a running log of love letters. I don't put either of our whole names in them because I think it's more romantic that way. And he's the only real person, as far as I can tell, that views it. Not that it matters since I don't put anything specific, just flowery love stuff. ;)
Recently, I've been thinking of fun ways to tell him I've updated it. Tonight, I put a note on his dinner that just has the URL and hearts. (That way he doesn't have to ask if he forgot the address.)
If I were to do something like this again, I think I might introduce it that way. Just a note with the URL and nothing else. It's what I imagine would happen if Humphrey Bogart made romantic movies in 2012.
There are really endless possibilities on how you could use something like this.
For example, it could be a fun date invite. If you were to write a lot of love notes over a period of time, then put an invitation in the last one. Maybe just a time and address...ooh romantic.
You could also do a series of photos with signs instead of writing out text.
You could use it to track a long distance relationship. Each of you could log in as authors and post pictures, notes and vlogs to each other. Then years later you would have it to remember how your relationship survived that distance.
I especially think it could be great for newlyweds to record all those newly committed feelings, and how your love grows over the first months and years. Then later, you can return to it and remember why you fell in love in the first place.
You could even use it to propose, but I'm a little old fashioned when it comes to that.
Anyway, that's my fairly unoriginal 21st century update of the old school love letter. Let me know if you try it for yourself. :)
Saturday, October 6, 2012
Stress!
My life is stressful right now. Perhaps the most stressful it's been in a long time...maybe ever.
But even though it's really complicated and I have no idea what I'm doing, I can't help but think I've got it pretty good.
For example...
When I was super sick all last week, my husband bought me lotion tissues. I love lotion tissues. They're the best. He also cooked, cleaned and kissed my forehead regularly. I am one lucky woman.
When I was going to school Thursday, despite my illness, I was able to park J's truck on campus legally. Just a phone call is all it took, no additional payment, no getting bumped to a lot farther away. It was so easy.
When we are trying to figure out how to buy a new car without having very much money, we have dads who are super helpful. Mine is great with figuring out financing and budgeting, and Scott's has tons of experience and contacts in the auto industry.
When it was super cold in our house this morning, I had fuzzy socks and hot chocolate on hand. Win!
When I wasn't sure how to balance all my school projects yesterday, my adviser had great practical advice for me.
When I feel like my life is stinky, I have a God that loves me and reminds me to count my blessings.
But even though it's really complicated and I have no idea what I'm doing, I can't help but think I've got it pretty good.
For example...
When I was super sick all last week, my husband bought me lotion tissues. I love lotion tissues. They're the best. He also cooked, cleaned and kissed my forehead regularly. I am one lucky woman.
When I was going to school Thursday, despite my illness, I was able to park J's truck on campus legally. Just a phone call is all it took, no additional payment, no getting bumped to a lot farther away. It was so easy.
When we are trying to figure out how to buy a new car without having very much money, we have dads who are super helpful. Mine is great with figuring out financing and budgeting, and Scott's has tons of experience and contacts in the auto industry.
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| ...and I have a lazy cat. |
When I wasn't sure how to balance all my school projects yesterday, my adviser had great practical advice for me.
Saturday, September 29, 2012
Medical Technology
Today, I used an awesome piece of medical technology.
First, I'll tell you about how I was introduced to this powerful healer.
When I was little, I'm guessing 5 or 6 years old although I have no idea really, I got a shot.
Shocking I know. I'm sure I was the only little girl to get shots.
Anyway, the nurse at the clinic gave me a little mermaid band aid after it was all said and done. She told me it would make it stop hurting.
It did.
I remember the shots only vaguely, but I remember the band aid very well. It was teal, with Ariel in the middle. The moment she stuck it to my arm, I was no longer upset about the shots. I thought it was so cool.
But there was a problem.
It was on my arm, and I couldn't see it unless I bent my arm a certain way. This bending of course lessened the effectiveness of the adhesive in the band aid. Try as I might to get it to stay on as long as I could, it came off at last.
I knew my mom would make me throw it away because there was really no need for it in the first place. But I thought it was the coolest single thing medical technology had to offer. Still, to the best of my knowledge, I threw it away without a fuss.
Today, I still love cartoon character band aids. I used one just today, iron man, on my impossibly knobby knee.
The moral of the story is, cartoon band aids have healing powers that regular band aids do not. Also, they still need more durable adhesive.
First, I'll tell you about how I was introduced to this powerful healer.
When I was little, I'm guessing 5 or 6 years old although I have no idea really, I got a shot.
Shocking I know. I'm sure I was the only little girl to get shots.
Anyway, the nurse at the clinic gave me a little mermaid band aid after it was all said and done. She told me it would make it stop hurting.
It did.
I remember the shots only vaguely, but I remember the band aid very well. It was teal, with Ariel in the middle. The moment she stuck it to my arm, I was no longer upset about the shots. I thought it was so cool.
But there was a problem.
It was on my arm, and I couldn't see it unless I bent my arm a certain way. This bending of course lessened the effectiveness of the adhesive in the band aid. Try as I might to get it to stay on as long as I could, it came off at last.
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| It's upside down so I can see it right side up. Just FYI. |
I knew my mom would make me throw it away because there was really no need for it in the first place. But I thought it was the coolest single thing medical technology had to offer. Still, to the best of my knowledge, I threw it away without a fuss.
Today, I still love cartoon character band aids. I used one just today, iron man, on my impossibly knobby knee.
The moral of the story is, cartoon band aids have healing powers that regular band aids do not. Also, they still need more durable adhesive.
Sunday, September 16, 2012
What My Marriage Looks Like
I ran across a sketch on Pinterest today that I wanted to share. Not only do I find it cute and heartwarming, I feel like it represents my relationship with J. You have my permission to gag. :)
Okay, I'm done reminiscing. Have a great week!
Ahh, it's so nice when two nerds fall in love.
Here's a really old, not-so-great picture of us to show you just how representative this sketch is.
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Saturday, September 15, 2012
The Strawberry Shortcake(s) Experiment
I know I'm several days later than I said I would be with this post. But hopefully you weren't waiting on pins and needles or anything.
I'm finally going to tell you how J's birthday cake came out.
He requested strawberry shortcake. I've never made strawberry shortcake, so I went to Pinterest to see what I could dig up as far as recipes were concerned. I found this recipe, which isn't a traditional shortcake recipe, but it sounded good and relatively simple.
I had to make a few major adaptations to the recipe.
First, I decided to make cupcakes instead of one large cake. This is mostly because I only have big, rectangular cake pans. But it's also because my grandma recently gave me a set of silicon baking cups. I was dying to try them, and J's birthday was a great excuse.
So I made the cake batter according to the recipe. ...I thought. As it turns out I'm not a whiz at figuring out metric to English conversion and I don't have a scale. I'm relatively sure I put in too much sugar.
No harm done, the cake is a little sticky, but other than that, no problem.
I've never beaten eggs as long as I had to beat this batter. (That may be because of the sugar.) I'm so glad I used my stand mixer, because I thought briefly about doing it by hand. I don't know how long I beat them but it felt like at least 10 minutes.
Finally the batter was mixed and ready to go.
I wanted to make 23 cupcakes and place a candle on each one and I had 24 cups, perfect! However, I wanted to make each cake in 2 layers, and I didn't know if I would be able to split them nicely after they baked.
So I put about half the batter into 23 cups and baked them.
The bad part of all this was that I had to let the batter just sit there while I baked them, they cooled and I emptied and washed the cups.
So the moral of the story is that the first set of cakes is much, much fluffier than the second.
While the second set was baking, I made the filling. I can never find Mascarpone cheese in a grocery store, so I subbed in cream cheese. I also left out the alcohol.
By the time the filling was made, it was down to the wire of J's arrival. So I pulled the other batch out of the oven and started assembling the first batch.
I placed one layer of cake upside down on the platter, then a dollop of filling, a couple of strawberry slices, and then they other cake. I put some filling on top and a decoratively placed a couple more slices of strawberry.
I made 11 cakes out of the first batch, stuck two candles in each and one candle in the odd cake out. (Why I didn't make 24 cups the first time around I have no idea.)
As you can see, it was a mess. The cake stuck to everything, and I was so rushed that I didn't even think about setting up a nice, clutter-free picture.
I'm finally going to tell you how J's birthday cake came out.
He requested strawberry shortcake. I've never made strawberry shortcake, so I went to Pinterest to see what I could dig up as far as recipes were concerned. I found this recipe, which isn't a traditional shortcake recipe, but it sounded good and relatively simple.
I had to make a few major adaptations to the recipe.
First, I decided to make cupcakes instead of one large cake. This is mostly because I only have big, rectangular cake pans. But it's also because my grandma recently gave me a set of silicon baking cups. I was dying to try them, and J's birthday was a great excuse.
So I made the cake batter according to the recipe. ...I thought. As it turns out I'm not a whiz at figuring out metric to English conversion and I don't have a scale. I'm relatively sure I put in too much sugar.
No harm done, the cake is a little sticky, but other than that, no problem.
I've never beaten eggs as long as I had to beat this batter. (That may be because of the sugar.) I'm so glad I used my stand mixer, because I thought briefly about doing it by hand. I don't know how long I beat them but it felt like at least 10 minutes.
Finally the batter was mixed and ready to go.
So I put about half the batter into 23 cups and baked them.
The bad part of all this was that I had to let the batter just sit there while I baked them, they cooled and I emptied and washed the cups.
 |
| You can see how the sticky cake stuck to the sides. |
While the second set was baking, I made the filling. I can never find Mascarpone cheese in a grocery store, so I subbed in cream cheese. I also left out the alcohol.
By the time the filling was made, it was down to the wire of J's arrival. So I pulled the other batch out of the oven and started assembling the first batch.
I placed one layer of cake upside down on the platter, then a dollop of filling, a couple of strawberry slices, and then they other cake. I put some filling on top and a decoratively placed a couple more slices of strawberry.
I made 11 cakes out of the first batch, stuck two candles in each and one candle in the odd cake out. (Why I didn't make 24 cups the first time around I have no idea.)
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| Happy birthday, J! |
But they tasted great! We've been enjoying them ever since.
Maybe next year, I'll finally manage the perfect birthday cake.
Monday, September 10, 2012
An Experimental Birthday Dinner (Part 2: Sigh)
Whoa!
I just spent the past three hours running around like a crazy chicken.
"It's all over now but the crying," as my mom would say. She loves old redneck sayings. But I'm not going to cry. Well maybe about using that saying, but not about dinner. Am I getting off track?
Okay. So I executed the plan, but I underestimated how long it would take me to do a few things.
One such thing was the potato salad. I forget about the straining, peeling, mashing, chopping and mixing all takes a while. But I got it done by 5:20 and had it chilling in the fridge (we like to eat it cold). I intended to have it done by 5 or so, but time just got away from me.
Some of that time that got away was put into the cake, or cakes should I say. But that's its own saga for tomorrow.
The other thing I did wrong on my timing was overestimate how long it would take to cook the main course. This turned out okay. The steak pieces had plenty of time to rest, yet were not cold. But they weren't as tender as they might have been if I had let them be a little more rare.
The flavor was really good, though. I was also happy to discover that the potato salad was a great compliment to the meal. The tangy mustard and pickle in the potatoes complimented the sour, spicy marinade on the beef and veggies. Win!
The most important critic, and birthday boy set his seal of approval on the meal. So I feel like it was well-worth my effort. :)
I just spent the past three hours running around like a crazy chicken.
"It's all over now but the crying," as my mom would say. She loves old redneck sayings. But I'm not going to cry. Well maybe about using that saying, but not about dinner. Am I getting off track?
Okay. So I executed the plan, but I underestimated how long it would take me to do a few things.
One such thing was the potato salad. I forget about the straining, peeling, mashing, chopping and mixing all takes a while. But I got it done by 5:20 and had it chilling in the fridge (we like to eat it cold). I intended to have it done by 5 or so, but time just got away from me.
Some of that time that got away was put into the cake, or cakes should I say. But that's its own saga for tomorrow.
The other thing I did wrong on my timing was overestimate how long it would take to cook the main course. This turned out okay. The steak pieces had plenty of time to rest, yet were not cold. But they weren't as tender as they might have been if I had let them be a little more rare.
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| The veggies right after marinating. |
 |
| Note my oh-so-original use of lime. ;) |
The most important critic, and birthday boy set his seal of approval on the meal. So I feel like it was well-worth my effort. :)
An Experimental Birthday Dinner (Part 1: the Diabolical Plan)
I can't believe I spelled diabolical right on the first try.
...but I digress...
Today is J's real, live, actual birthday!
I look forward to this day all year for several reasons:
1. I get to start teasing him about being older than me. This is the first of 20 days where he and I are officially not the same age.
2. It means my birthday is coming! I know I'm selfish; I'm working on it.
3. I get to set aside everything in life and focus on his favorite thing, food. I will cook for hours today. First dinner had to be planned and prepped and in a second I will take on dessert. Just because I want to prolong sitting here under the fan, I'll give you a brief history of J's birthday meals.
Last year, I did ribs and potato salad. I also attempted a chocolate volcano cake, but that was a failure.
When he turned 21 we had a fajita party. I made everything down to the tortillas (...well most of the tortillas). It was great.
When he turned 20 I still thought he was a little odd, so we didn't hang out that day.
This year I'm making a spicy-lime beef stir fry. I'm totally inventing everything and here's what I have so far...
I thawed a pound of stew meat it's now marinading in a mesquite lime marinade that I bought pre-made. I'm also marinating a chopped jalapeno, three yellow squash, half a chopped bell pepper and some chopped onion.
I'll also be making a derivation of a strawberry shortcake recipe I found on Pinterest, I'll share that later (probably tomorrow).
Anyway, I plan on marinating the meat and veggies for about 3 hours, then I'm going to saute it all in a skillet.
In a little while, I'll throw together some potato salad (per J's request). I'm not sure how that's all going to go together, but I'm excited to see.
I also have a few fresh limes hanging around the house. I'm not sure how to incorporate them yet, but we'll see what brilliant plan I concoct! (MUAHAHAHAHAA!) ...okay calming down now.
...but I digress...
Today is J's real, live, actual birthday!
I look forward to this day all year for several reasons:
1. I get to start teasing him about being older than me. This is the first of 20 days where he and I are officially not the same age.
2. It means my birthday is coming! I know I'm selfish; I'm working on it.
3. I get to set aside everything in life and focus on his favorite thing, food. I will cook for hours today. First dinner had to be planned and prepped and in a second I will take on dessert. Just because I want to prolong sitting here under the fan, I'll give you a brief history of J's birthday meals.
Last year, I did ribs and potato salad. I also attempted a chocolate volcano cake, but that was a failure.
When he turned 21 we had a fajita party. I made everything down to the tortillas (...well most of the tortillas). It was great.
When he turned 20 I still thought he was a little odd, so we didn't hang out that day.
This year I'm making a spicy-lime beef stir fry. I'm totally inventing everything and here's what I have so far...
I thawed a pound of stew meat it's now marinading in a mesquite lime marinade that I bought pre-made. I'm also marinating a chopped jalapeno, three yellow squash, half a chopped bell pepper and some chopped onion.
I'll also be making a derivation of a strawberry shortcake recipe I found on Pinterest, I'll share that later (probably tomorrow).
Anyway, I plan on marinating the meat and veggies for about 3 hours, then I'm going to saute it all in a skillet.
In a little while, I'll throw together some potato salad (per J's request). I'm not sure how that's all going to go together, but I'm excited to see.
I also have a few fresh limes hanging around the house. I'm not sure how to incorporate them yet, but we'll see what brilliant plan I concoct! (MUAHAHAHAHAA!) ...okay calming down now.
Sunday, September 9, 2012
A Golden Delicious Birthday.
Tomorrow is J's birthday, so yesterday we went to the local Apple Butter Festival to celebrate.
Having never visited an orchard or attended any kind of harvest festival, we had no idea what to expect.
It was a beautiful day. The weather was cool and a little overcast. This was a welcome break from the scorching summer days leading up to it.
We headed out around 10 and drove for about 30 minutes to the orchard. I love driving with J. We get to talk about all kinds of things we don't often think of at other times. Things we see, childhood stories, music we like lately, our hopes and dreams for the future.
On this trip, he told me he was inexplicably excited about being 23. I'm not as excited about turning 23 in a few weeks, but his excitement challenges me to find something to look forward to. That's what I love most about J, he challenges me to have a better attitude.
When we arrived at the orchard we payed to get in and received an apple stamp on our right hands. I felt like a kid, looking at my stamp. I love when people keep their theme in mind when they plan details.
We walked past a few craft booths, observed a bounce house, and greeted a couple of people we knew.
As I watched kids bounce around in an inflatable castle, I was more than a little jealous of them.
Remembering we were here to celebrate another year into J's 20s, I looked away and headed into the neatly aligned rows of apple trees with his hand in mine.
A lot of apples had fallen on the ground. I wondered if the cold front from the night before contributed to their demise. But the apples still clinging to the trees were beautiful, and I say that never having liked to eat raw apples.
Despite my lifelong avoidance of eating apples I found myself sharing one particularly delicious-looking one with J as we walked.
Perhaps it's the feeling of kindred with the character, Snow White (a clear result of the fact that I've never been able to tan) that caused me to hate apples so much. I suppose I was channeling her when I was tempted to eat this particular apple right off the tree.
It was so delicious that I didn't even mind the fact that it was an apple, or that I hadn't washed it with running water. (Don't judge, everyone was doing it.)
We had a great time eating our way through the trees, but the orchard is only so big and all the trees are the same. So we decided to head back to the festivities.
Having never visited an orchard or attended any kind of harvest festival, we had no idea what to expect.
It was a beautiful day. The weather was cool and a little overcast. This was a welcome break from the scorching summer days leading up to it.
We headed out around 10 and drove for about 30 minutes to the orchard. I love driving with J. We get to talk about all kinds of things we don't often think of at other times. Things we see, childhood stories, music we like lately, our hopes and dreams for the future.
On this trip, he told me he was inexplicably excited about being 23. I'm not as excited about turning 23 in a few weeks, but his excitement challenges me to find something to look forward to. That's what I love most about J, he challenges me to have a better attitude.
When we arrived at the orchard we payed to get in and received an apple stamp on our right hands. I felt like a kid, looking at my stamp. I love when people keep their theme in mind when they plan details.
We walked past a few craft booths, observed a bounce house, and greeted a couple of people we knew.
As I watched kids bounce around in an inflatable castle, I was more than a little jealous of them.
Remembering we were here to celebrate another year into J's 20s, I looked away and headed into the neatly aligned rows of apple trees with his hand in mine.
A lot of apples had fallen on the ground. I wondered if the cold front from the night before contributed to their demise. But the apples still clinging to the trees were beautiful, and I say that never having liked to eat raw apples.
Despite my lifelong avoidance of eating apples I found myself sharing one particularly delicious-looking one with J as we walked.
Perhaps it's the feeling of kindred with the character, Snow White (a clear result of the fact that I've never been able to tan) that caused me to hate apples so much. I suppose I was channeling her when I was tempted to eat this particular apple right off the tree.
 |
| This one has a wormhole on the other side. I forgot to take a picture of the other one before we ate it. :P |
 |
| J eating another one! (Oh yeah I had another one too.) |
When we walked back to the main area a men's singing group was singing old-timey love songs a capella. It was so fun to watch them. Most of them were older, carrying canes and had grey or no hair. But they sounded strong and sang with great animation. One particular man would point at the crowd and sway. I could just picture him at 23 singing to some girl he liked.
Then we ate.
We ate dessert first, because when apple turnovers and ice cream are offered these Dykowski's don't hesitate.
Then we had some barbecue, because this is Texas. I feel no need to explain that any further.
All in all it was a great morning. If we are still living in this area next September, we will certainly go back.
...And I will get a giant butterfly painted on my face like the little girl J pointed out as we were leaving. ;)
Friday, August 24, 2012
A Dark Knight Date
Blogs are such fun! I love reading other women's blogs about how they raise their kids, keep their homes and marriages happy and keep their sanity (or maybe not so much). Yesterday I ran across a this website on Pinterest. It's all about how to continue dating your husband after your life gets crazy!
These "dating divas" are really into themed movie nights. I love this idea. It makes a regular old movie date so much more memorable when you put a little thought and effort into it.
So I skimmed through a few of their themes, ruling out movies we don't own, so it wouldn't cost anything.
Finally, I settled on "The Dark Knight."
This post is where I got my inspiration for our special movie experience. As you can see, I made quite a few changes to their plan to fit our personalities, time and budget.
Here's what you would need to replicate what I did:
A Facebook account and your spouse's "friendship"
(e-mail or another social networking site could also work)
black construction paper
Scissors
White paint, marker or crayon
flashlight
tape
inflatable mattress (cushions or lots of blankets and pillows are fine)
blankets and pillows (bonus points if you have black blankets and pillow cases)
Popcorn
Pickles
(or other snacks)
drinks
Something cute to wear-preferably black
First, I made a Facebook event only he and I could see. It told him the time I thought he'd be home (so he could correct me, if I was mistaken). I added a picture of the movie poster from Google and several trailers from Youtube for him to watch. In the event description, I put a quote from the movie--"It's simple we kill the batman!" This way he know some of what to expect, but he's also curious about what I'm planning. Periodically, through his shift I would add vague updates about what I was doing to spark his curiosity. (You made need to adapt this plan for text messages if your husband doesn't have a computer job, or even plan ahead and make him a paper invite to sneak into his lunch.)
Next, I started decorating. I cut out a bat silhouette from construction paper and painted the words "why so serious?" in white. This was for the front door. Then I cut 2 more, taped one to the porch light so it would be reminiscent of the bat signal and one to the microwave so he would see it when I made the popcorn.
I also made a bat signal of my own out of a flashlight.
The bat signal has a special function for this movie date. When you turn it on, your spouse has to rush over and kiss you. It sounds really silly, but if you both get into it, it's great fun.
I taped the negative cutout from the bat signal to the plastic cover of our lamp. The lamp was too bright, but the room was too dark without it. So I took a black pillowcase and shaded it. This created a really cool ambiance. Especially when combined with the "bat signal" shining on the ceiling.
Then I inflated a camping mattress on the floor, covered it in blankets and pillows and set up the DVD.
When I knew J was almost home, I mixed up some chocolate milk (the drink he requested before he left work) and put his slippers by the door. I wanted him to feel like Bruce Wayne coming into his mansion, not a simple feat when you live in a little duplex.
When he told me I was way cuter than Alfred, I knew it was a success. ;)
These "dating divas" are really into themed movie nights. I love this idea. It makes a regular old movie date so much more memorable when you put a little thought and effort into it.
So I skimmed through a few of their themes, ruling out movies we don't own, so it wouldn't cost anything.
Finally, I settled on "The Dark Knight."
This post is where I got my inspiration for our special movie experience. As you can see, I made quite a few changes to their plan to fit our personalities, time and budget.
Here's what you would need to replicate what I did:
A Facebook account and your spouse's "friendship"
(e-mail or another social networking site could also work)
black construction paper
Scissors
White paint, marker or crayon
flashlight
tape
inflatable mattress (cushions or lots of blankets and pillows are fine)
blankets and pillows (bonus points if you have black blankets and pillow cases)
Popcorn
Pickles
(or other snacks)
drinks
Something cute to wear-preferably black
First, I made a Facebook event only he and I could see. It told him the time I thought he'd be home (so he could correct me, if I was mistaken). I added a picture of the movie poster from Google and several trailers from Youtube for him to watch. In the event description, I put a quote from the movie--"It's simple we kill the batman!" This way he know some of what to expect, but he's also curious about what I'm planning. Periodically, through his shift I would add vague updates about what I was doing to spark his curiosity. (You made need to adapt this plan for text messages if your husband doesn't have a computer job, or even plan ahead and make him a paper invite to sneak into his lunch.)
Next, I started decorating. I cut out a bat silhouette from construction paper and painted the words "why so serious?" in white. This was for the front door. Then I cut 2 more, taped one to the porch light so it would be reminiscent of the bat signal and one to the microwave so he would see it when I made the popcorn.
 |
| I used black construction paper, scissors and pieces of the flashlight. |
 |
| I used the plastic lens cover as a template for a circle that would fit in the light. I cut that shape out. |
 |
| Then I folded the circle in half and cut out the bat shape. I stacked that on top of the plastic lens cover. |
 |
| Then I screwed the case on. |
 |
| Perfect! |
I taped the negative cutout from the bat signal to the plastic cover of our lamp. The lamp was too bright, but the room was too dark without it. So I took a black pillowcase and shaded it. This created a really cool ambiance. Especially when combined with the "bat signal" shining on the ceiling.
 |
| Ignore the "vintage" furniture. ;) |
When I knew J was almost home, I mixed up some chocolate milk (the drink he requested before he left work) and put his slippers by the door. I wanted him to feel like Bruce Wayne coming into his mansion, not a simple feat when you live in a little duplex.
When he told me I was way cuter than Alfred, I knew it was a success. ;)
I'm not endorsing this movie or the sequel. Just fun dates with your spouse. ;)
Friday, June 29, 2012
How I Survive Not Being a Morning Person.
This month I am taking an 8am class, and I don't like it.
So one afternoon, I fired up Mr. Coffee and made a whole pot! I poured some into our 2 ice cube trays, let that freeze a couple of hours in our little freezer, then I put the cubes in a bowl in the freezer and filled the trays again. I repeated this process until I used most of the coffee. Then, when my bowl was full of cubes and I was tired of refilling the trays, I just poured the rest out. It took a while, but if you have a bigger freezer and more trays you could do it all at once.
I am not what you would call a "morning person." I never took an 8am class in my undergrad, because I hate getting up in the morning. I was the girl in high school who always wore her hair in a ponytail, or cut it short so she wouldn't have to fix it in the morning; I only wore makeup if I had a crush on a boy (that's a whole different discussion that we can discuss later), and I would only shower at night. I did all of this so I could sleep until the very last minute, throw on a t-shirt and jeans and go to school.
Never in my life do I remember being a morning person (other than Christmas when I was a kid). This was highly inconvenient at times since I grew up on a farm. Despite my parents best efforts (which once or twice included using ice water), I am, to this day, not a morning person.
You may well wonder why I am taking an 8am class this semester. I wonder too. But at the time of enrollment it seemed like a good idea, so here I am.
This issue is compounded by the fact that J. often works late into the night. I like to wait up for him so we can have time together. But this sometimes limits my sleeping time to 3-5 hours/night. I realize a lot of people sleep 5 hours or less and function well.
I do not.
I get grumpy, sometimes down right mean when I haven't slept enough. I find it hard to control my facial expressions, which have a tendency to express sarcasm.
Do you see how this can be a problem?
So my solution to this problem has come out of desperation.
Coffee!
I know what you're thinking: "DUH!" But let's be honest. When it's already 90 degrees at 7:30 in the morning (Yay Texas!!!) do you really want a hot cup of coffee to start your day off? (My great aunt Shirley would say, 'Yes, and keep a full cup in your hand until you fall asleep at night.') Most normal people would not.
I am not going to pretend like I'm normal, but I would agree with the majority here.
A lot of people get around this by drinking iced coffee, they would purchase some designer frap each morning. But I can't afford this. $5/day on coffee five days a week is about $100/month--that's a huge chunk of change for a pair of newly-weds living on a meager income.
So, you may say make ice coffee at home. That would be cheap! And I agree. I thought about this for a long time. But do you remember how much I hate getting up? What would induce me to get up early enough to make coffee, cool it so it doesn't melt the ice and get watery, ice it and add in the things that make it palatable? (I don't like black coffee, yuck!)
Nothing is worth getting up that early and working that hard first thing in the morning.
Also, we have an old school 12 cup coffee maker, no cute little espresso machine that makes a cup at a time. For some reason, I never can get the right ratio of coffee grounds and water to make good coffee for one.
So I had to figure out a way around this.
I was perusing Pinterest in a sleepy haze a couple of weeks ago when I ran across one of those funny e-cards. It said something about freezing leftover wine in ice cube trays. The joke was that the person didn't know what leftover wine was. While I'm not the type of girl to guzzle a bottle of Merlot in one sitting, this e-card gave me inspiration.
I could freeze coffee in ice cube trays and make frozen coffee drinks quickly.
 |
| They even look cool! |
Now in the mornings when I need a little pick me up, I take a blender cup and put the cubes in it like if I were going to pour some iced tea. Then I pour milk over them. (Calcium anyone?) I add a little sugar, and sometimes I add in a little vanilla extract. (I'm thinking about trying chocolate syrup on Monday.) Then I just blend it until the coffee cubes are broken down.
It tastes great and only takes about a minute--start to finish.
It's also cost effective. None of the ingredients are expensive at all unless you want to buy expensive coffee. Even that is exponentially less than buying a drink from a coffee shop each morning. It also takes less time than you would spend waiting in line at one of those places.
Other perks include, we never throw out expired milk anymore; I'm getting more calcium, which almost all women need; and I'm a happier person in class every morning.
I don't drink coffee every day, because I don't want to become dependent. But on those morning where I feel like any little thing may set me off, it certainly helps to have something sweet and energizing to start the morning.
I hope this helps some kindred spirit out there who also hates the morning. If you have other suggestions for me, please comment. I'm all ears! (...unless it's 8am.)
Friday, June 22, 2012
Doing a Little Dreaming
Today, I want to talk about some of my future goals. I'm doing this to prevent ranting about some things I see around me that I most definitely do not want to emulate. I find that focusing on the positive of who and how I want to be keeps me from being as negative as I sometimes am inclined to be. (Friends and family should feel free to remind me of this at any point in which I am sucked into a rant.)
With that said, here we go...
I would like to spend my life teaching in a number of ways. Not all of them are listed here. These are just the three most immediate ambitions I'm contemplating.
First and most immediately, I would like to teach in a middle or high school. Currently I work at a University assisting with undergraduate courses (mostly Freshmen), and in general I'm surprised at the massive gaps in their education up to entering the University. I feel like I would be better able to help them at a younger age and in smaller courses. By keeping standards high and personal attention higher, I hope I can make a difference in the skills students have when they step into the university they choose to attend.
Please don't misinterpret this as an attack on teachers in these schools. I personally had some excellent teachers throughout my education. But I know that teachers get tired. The amount of work to be done often seems insurmountable, and the system seems to undercut many of their best efforts. For more discussion on these types of things you can read this blog. (I don't write Chalk, but I often agree with its content.)
Because of these factors, students often slip through the system unable to read, write or think clearly for themselves. I really want to zero in on those kids who aren't getting the attention they so desperately need.
Honestly, I'm not entirely sure how to accomplish great results for these kids, but I think one on one attention is a place start. They have a lot of catching up to do, and they need to know that there will be a lot of hard work to do it. But I firmly believe that students are capable of attaining much, much more academically than they generally leave high school doing. So I want to jump in with both feet, and really work hard, for basically no pay, after I attain a master's degree in history to inspire, improve, and give confidence to every kid I can possibly herd into a classroom.
I feel like the amount of energy I want to pour into this may not be sustainable for a full 40 or 50-year career. At the point when I realize I am burnt out, I want to stop teaching and pursue something else. If nothing else, out of fairness to the students who deserve all the energy a person can put into their education.
If you have any direction for me in this aspiration, I would greatly appreciate it! (I know I have some excellent teachers and former teachers who may be reading, I am really hoping you'll comment or contact me with your advice.)
There's a second way I hope to spend my life educating, that is with my own children. (No, this won't be happening for a long time, Lord willing.) I know I could catch some flack for saying this so early in my life, but I really want to homeschool my future kids for as long as it's beneficial. (Right now I'm thinking maybe K-8th grade, but nothing is written in stone.)
I get so excited thinking about creative, personal ways to engage them in education. I want my kids to love learning and, I hope that by keeping them home I can really cultivate that desire to learn. I want to make sure that they get unlimited instructional time in areas where they struggle. (For example, if we don't adopt our children, genetics don't bode well for their math skills.) I hope this gives them their best chance at academic success. This is not the only reason I want to homeschool, but it's the one most relevant to this post.
A third way I hope to teach is through public history. I still hold on to the ambition of working in museums and publishing publicly accessible monographs on historical events. I grow so weary of the abuse and misuse of history in political debates, knowing that the public may be just unaware enough to believe what these men and women are falsely proclaiming. I hope that through public history I can promote a more educated public who is less susceptible to the falsehoods they are constantly bombarded with.
Beyond educating voters, I know that people often appreciate the deeper sense of belonging and identity history affords them. It preserves the legacies of people, the reality of their lives and their humanity. Museums especially give people a greater sense of the reality of history. When you can see the actual objects people touched, created and took for granted you can relate to those people and that time more concretely. I feel like it's sometimes a life-changing experience when a person can make that connection. I really want to be a part of cultivating and guiding that experience.
There are other reasons for this aspiration too, but this blog is plenty long as is, so I'll cut it off here. Meanwhile, I'll keep plugging away at these graduate courses and dreaming. Please let me know if you have any knowledge that could help me with any of these endeavors. I'm eager to learn how I can be better, how I can get closer to achieving my goals.
With that said, here we go...
I would like to spend my life teaching in a number of ways. Not all of them are listed here. These are just the three most immediate ambitions I'm contemplating.
 |
| I wonder what Cat dreams about? |
Please don't misinterpret this as an attack on teachers in these schools. I personally had some excellent teachers throughout my education. But I know that teachers get tired. The amount of work to be done often seems insurmountable, and the system seems to undercut many of their best efforts. For more discussion on these types of things you can read this blog. (I don't write Chalk, but I often agree with its content.)
Because of these factors, students often slip through the system unable to read, write or think clearly for themselves. I really want to zero in on those kids who aren't getting the attention they so desperately need.
Honestly, I'm not entirely sure how to accomplish great results for these kids, but I think one on one attention is a place start. They have a lot of catching up to do, and they need to know that there will be a lot of hard work to do it. But I firmly believe that students are capable of attaining much, much more academically than they generally leave high school doing. So I want to jump in with both feet, and really work hard, for basically no pay, after I attain a master's degree in history to inspire, improve, and give confidence to every kid I can possibly herd into a classroom.
I feel like the amount of energy I want to pour into this may not be sustainable for a full 40 or 50-year career. At the point when I realize I am burnt out, I want to stop teaching and pursue something else. If nothing else, out of fairness to the students who deserve all the energy a person can put into their education.
If you have any direction for me in this aspiration, I would greatly appreciate it! (I know I have some excellent teachers and former teachers who may be reading, I am really hoping you'll comment or contact me with your advice.)
There's a second way I hope to spend my life educating, that is with my own children. (No, this won't be happening for a long time, Lord willing.) I know I could catch some flack for saying this so early in my life, but I really want to homeschool my future kids for as long as it's beneficial. (Right now I'm thinking maybe K-8th grade, but nothing is written in stone.)
I get so excited thinking about creative, personal ways to engage them in education. I want my kids to love learning and, I hope that by keeping them home I can really cultivate that desire to learn. I want to make sure that they get unlimited instructional time in areas where they struggle. (For example, if we don't adopt our children, genetics don't bode well for their math skills.) I hope this gives them their best chance at academic success. This is not the only reason I want to homeschool, but it's the one most relevant to this post.
A third way I hope to teach is through public history. I still hold on to the ambition of working in museums and publishing publicly accessible monographs on historical events. I grow so weary of the abuse and misuse of history in political debates, knowing that the public may be just unaware enough to believe what these men and women are falsely proclaiming. I hope that through public history I can promote a more educated public who is less susceptible to the falsehoods they are constantly bombarded with.
Beyond educating voters, I know that people often appreciate the deeper sense of belonging and identity history affords them. It preserves the legacies of people, the reality of their lives and their humanity. Museums especially give people a greater sense of the reality of history. When you can see the actual objects people touched, created and took for granted you can relate to those people and that time more concretely. I feel like it's sometimes a life-changing experience when a person can make that connection. I really want to be a part of cultivating and guiding that experience.
There are other reasons for this aspiration too, but this blog is plenty long as is, so I'll cut it off here. Meanwhile, I'll keep plugging away at these graduate courses and dreaming. Please let me know if you have any knowledge that could help me with any of these endeavors. I'm eager to learn how I can be better, how I can get closer to achieving my goals.
Monday, June 4, 2012
Boston Cream Pie Cupcakes recipe in review
Today I attempted a new recipe. I generally like inventing my own recipes, but this one incorporated one of J's favorite desserts into a cupcake. Whats not to love?
Here's the recipe I used:
Boston Cream Pie Cupcakes Recipe:
(Recipe from Heck Fridays)
24 cake-mix yellow cupcakes, cooled and unwrapped (I used a butter golden mix)
1 (3.4 oz) box French Vanilla instant pudding
1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup sour cream
Make cupcakes according to directions on box.
Mix together pudding, cream, powdered sugar, milk, and sour cream. Beat on medium speed until stuff peaks form. Cut each cupcake in half and add a dollop of filling. Put top back on cupcake and frost with ganache.
Ganache:
1 cup heavy whipping cream
12 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips
Heat cream in sauce pan until it comes to a boil. Remove from heat, pour over chocolate in a mixing bowl. Stir to mix together. Let cool slightly.
Keep in refrigerator until ready to serve.
So I followed these directions, and let me tell you, these cupcakes are a delicious and delightful mess!
Here are a couple of mistakes I think I made along the way that may make yours come out better.
First, I shorted the butter a little in the cupcakes. I was about a tablespoon short and didn't have any more, so I just went with it. I think this is what made the cupcakes a little flimsy and harder to deal with. Also they were a little flat on top.
Second, I took the word "stiff" a little too literally. My filling didn't really form "dollops" in the traditional sense. They were more like spikey blobs from a bad science fiction movie. Doing it again, I might whip a little less.
Third, I made too much frosting. I would say you really only need about half of what the recipe calls for. But, I LOVE chocolate, so I went ahead and used it all. The result is some drippy, messy cupcakes.
While forks will be a must for these messy treasures, there are a few points of this recipe that I think are delightful.
This filling is delicious! I had a little leftover after I finished putting the cupcakes together. I will confess that I ate it. (Shhhh don't tell on me!) Delicious is not the right word; I think I may dream about it tonight.
In fact, it was so delightful that it has inspired me to attempt a new recipe later after these are gone.
I recently pinned a recipe for "Hocus Pocus Buns" that are supposed to yield hollow cinnamon-sugar pastries. I want to fill them with the Boston Cream filling (maybe dip them in chocolate) and freeze them like eclairs. Do you think this will work?
Here's the recipe I used:
Boston Cream Pie Cupcakes Recipe:
(Recipe from Heck Fridays)
24 cake-mix yellow cupcakes, cooled and unwrapped (I used a butter golden mix)
1 (3.4 oz) box French Vanilla instant pudding
1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup sour cream
Make cupcakes according to directions on box.
Mix together pudding, cream, powdered sugar, milk, and sour cream. Beat on medium speed until stuff peaks form. Cut each cupcake in half and add a dollop of filling. Put top back on cupcake and frost with ganache.
Ganache:
1 cup heavy whipping cream
12 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips
Heat cream in sauce pan until it comes to a boil. Remove from heat, pour over chocolate in a mixing bowl. Stir to mix together. Let cool slightly.
Keep in refrigerator until ready to serve.
So I followed these directions, and let me tell you, these cupcakes are a delicious and delightful mess!
 |
| One of the less messy ones... |
Here are a couple of mistakes I think I made along the way that may make yours come out better.
First, I shorted the butter a little in the cupcakes. I was about a tablespoon short and didn't have any more, so I just went with it. I think this is what made the cupcakes a little flimsy and harder to deal with. Also they were a little flat on top.
Second, I took the word "stiff" a little too literally. My filling didn't really form "dollops" in the traditional sense. They were more like spikey blobs from a bad science fiction movie. Doing it again, I might whip a little less.
Third, I made too much frosting. I would say you really only need about half of what the recipe calls for. But, I LOVE chocolate, so I went ahead and used it all. The result is some drippy, messy cupcakes.
While forks will be a must for these messy treasures, there are a few points of this recipe that I think are delightful.
This filling is delicious! I had a little leftover after I finished putting the cupcakes together. I will confess that I ate it. (Shhhh don't tell on me!) Delicious is not the right word; I think I may dream about it tonight.
In fact, it was so delightful that it has inspired me to attempt a new recipe later after these are gone.
I recently pinned a recipe for "Hocus Pocus Buns" that are supposed to yield hollow cinnamon-sugar pastries. I want to fill them with the Boston Cream filling (maybe dip them in chocolate) and freeze them like eclairs. Do you think this will work?
Friday, May 25, 2012
Infant Kilt
Some good friends of mine are going to have a baby in September, and I wanted to give them something personal for the baby. So I decided to make a kilt for their baby. I didn't have a pattern or any real direction so it was all very trial error. Here I'll share with you how I did it and what I learned.
I'm honestly not a great seamstress. It's something I dabble in, but I'm not enough of a perfectionist to be really good at it. With that said, you real seamstresses out there, may be appalled by my primitive techniques.
The first thing I had to do was choose a fabric. I found a great plaid with lots of primary colors at Joann. It also happened to be very similar to the plaid the grandma-to-be suggested when we first started talking about me doing this.
The fabric was just a simple cotton. I bought half a yard and roll of 3/4" elastic. I had white thread at home that I thought would look nice, so I didn't bother with any other stuff.
If I were to do this again I would have also purchased 1/2"-3/4" Velcro as well.
I came home at a bit of a loss for how to get started.
I knew I didn't want to hem the bottom after I put in pleats. So, counter-intuitively, I started with hem. I folded the fabric twice, ironed it flat and hemmed the whole length. (I'm sure there's some great technical term for folding twice, but I've never been much for technical terms.)
It took me a while to determine how long the kilt should be, but I settled on cutting it about 9 inches from the hem. I did this based on a baby skirt pattern I found online. I don't know how this length will work on the actual baby, but I have a feeling it may be too long.
Then I started making pleats because I knew I wanted all the seams on the top of the kilt to be on top of the pleats.
I got my iron out for this part too obviously.
It took me a while to figure out the easiest way to make this many pleats, but I discovered that I needed to stack them on top of one another rather than fold them under each other. I made the pleats an inch apart and folded about 1/4" under. I ironed and pinned each of them on the waist and hem. I left about 6" on the end for the front panel.
At this point I went ahead sewed across the waist to secure the pleats, took out my pins. I realize now that I probably should have left the bottom pins in so the pleats would stay sharp.
Then I set that part aside. I decided I wanted to make a separate waistband with elastic rather than adding elastic to the pleated part of the kilt.
So, I made a waistband and attached it to the base of the kilt. I did this by cutting a strip that was 2" wide. (I would do 2 1/2" if I did this again. Then I sewed the edges right side together so it was inside out. I turned it right side out with a pen (a nifty trick I learned in 4-H as a kid), and put the elastic in.
I've never really learned how to work with elastic, so this part didn't come out quite how I envisioned it. If you are ignorant like me, you might seek out some help or internet tutorials on this.
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| Front |
I attached the waistband to the top of the kilt with a very small seam allowance. I didn't hem the top first or anything so there's a raw edge there. If I were to redo this part I might try a french seam there (thus the added width mentioned above), or just hem the top edge first.
I did not attach the flat front panel to the waistband. I did a very small hem on the top of it and left it out.
At this point, my sewing machine stopped working, so I hand basted the corner of the front flap to the bottom of the waistband.
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| Back |
If I were to do this again, I would have done this last part very differently.
I would have used elastic in the entire top of the project and not closed it around the waist. Instead, for closure I would have installed Velcro on the front panel and front of the waist. This would make the kilt more adjustable and comfortable to fit the baby.
That's how I would recommend someone wanting to try this do it.
With all the trial and error, the finished product is pretty cute if I do say so myself.
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