As promised I am posting some recipes I made recently...
A long lost family recipe.... Buttermilk Sugar Cookies
My Grandma made these when I was growing up and I always wanted the recipe. I don't why I just didn't ask for it!! The recipe is actually from my Great Grandma, but I only remember my Grandma making them. I actually found it in my Mom's recipe box this summer. She was moving out of her house and sent me her over flowing recipe box. It was awesome to rummage through it and organize it. It brought back a lot of memories. When I came across the cookies recipe I almost cried!!! The strangest thing though was that it was written in my handwriting when I was younger! Had I stole the recipe as a child for my Mom?? Who knows? Divorced parents tend to want their kids to do interesting things... When I made the newly discovered recipe, a wave of nostalgia came over me and my eyes filled with tears as the freshly baked cookies filled the air. Memories of Grandma house came rushing back, like sneaking cookies before dinner, watching Grandma in the kitchen wiping her hand on her apron, and secretly touching rising bread dough because it was so smooth. Please enjoy these cookies as much as I do. They are so moist that you'll want a large glass of ice cold milk.
Buttermilk Sugar Cookies
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Mix together: 1 cup White Sugar
1 cup Brown Sugar
1 cup softened Butter or Shortening*
*I prefer butter because I can taste the shortening favor too much
Add: 2 Eggs
1 cup Buttermilk
1 1/2 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
2 teaspoons Nutmeg-this is the star of this recipe so do not omit!!
Add: 2 teaspoon Baking Soda
2 cups Flour
Use more flour to make a soft dough, about another cup and a half. This is a very wet dough and can get annoying, but do not over flour!! Roll out dough on a heavily floured surface to 1/4 inch thick and cut with a basic floured biscuit cutter. You will probably need a floured metal spatula to get them off the counter. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet and sprinkle tops with sugar. Bake 15-20 minutes makes about 3-4 dozen
I new favorite at my house is Chewy Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies. These are not your average boring oatmeal cookies, these rock! I got the recipe from the newspaper when they print holiday cookie recipes. You can jazz them up with chunks of white chocolate too!!
Chewy Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies
Preheat Oven 350 degrees
Mix together in a separate bowl: 1 1/2 cups Flour
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
3 cups Oatmeal
Mix together in another large bowl: 2 sticks unsalted softened Butter
1 cup Brown Sugar
1/2 cup White Sugar
Blend until fluffy and add one at a time: 2 large Eggs
Add: 2 Tablespoons Honey
2 teaspoons Vanilla
Beat until well blended and add flour mixture in two batches. Blend well
Stir in: 1 1/2 cup Crasins
1 cup Walnuts (optional-I never add these, Man has tree nut allergy)
Drop by heaping tablespoon on to greased or parchment lined cookie sheets and bake 12-14 minutes
Makes about 4 dozen
Last weekend I made Lemon Cheesecake Bars, mainly for Relative. He likes lemon and cheesecake, so this seemed like a good choice. The kid is not a big icing fan, so few cakes are baked. The bars were okay. I was not crazy about the crust, too chewy. The cheesecake section wasn't very thick and it should have been the star of the bar!
Lemon Cheesecake Bars
Preheat oven to 350 or 325 if using dark or nonstick pan
In a large bowl mix: 1 box Lemon Cake Mix
1/3 cup softened Butter
1 Egg
Mix until crumbly and press into the bottom of a 9x13 ungreased pan
In a medium bowl Beat 8oz. softened Cream Cheese until smooth.
Add: 1 cup Powdered Sugar
Beat then stir in: 2 teaspoon Lemon Peel
3 Tablespoon Lemon Juice
Reserve 1/2 cup of the cream cheese mixture and refrigerate.
To the remaining cream cheese mixture add: 2 Eggs
Blend until creamy and spread over the cake mixture. Bake 23-28 minutes or until set. Cool completely, about 1 hour. Spread reserved cream cheese mixture over the top and refrigerate 3 hours or until firm. Store covered in the refrigerator.
I made a few really good recipes for dinner the past week. They were quick, easy, and yummy! Chile Verde was really delicious. I served it with sour cream and shredded cheese as toppings. I also baked some leftover tortillas brushed with olive oil for dipping. You can adjust the heat to your liking. Plus, I love one pot meals!
Chile Verde
In a large sauce/soup pan over medium heat cook: 1 lb. Ground Turkey (beef is fine too)
1 Red Pepper chopped
1 Red Onion chopped
Cook 8-10 mins. crumbling the meat with a wooden spoon until browned.
Add: 6 Cloves chopped Garlic
1 Tablespoon Chili Powder
2 teaspoon Ground Cumin
1/2 teaspoon Cayenne (or to taste)
Cook until fragrant about 20 seconds.
Stir in: 2 jars Green Salsa (original recipe called for 1 jar, but it needs 2)
1/4 cup Water
Bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low and cover and cook until vegetables are done. Stir occasionally 10-15 minutes. Stir in one can of beans (pinto, black, or kidney) and cook until heated through, about 5 minutes. Next time I am going to add 2 cans of black beans because I like them.
My favorite dinner last week was Pasta with Vodka Sauce and Mushrooms. IT WAS SOOOO GOOD!!!
Vodka Sauce
In a large saute pan heat 2 Tbl. Olive Oil and add: 1 Red Onion finely chopped
4 Cloves Garlic finely chopped
1 8oz. package of slice Baby Portabello
Mushrooms
Gently cook over medium-low heat for 5 minutes
Add: 1 pinch of Red Pepper Flakes
Cook 1 minute and Add: 2 28 oz. cans Crushed Tomatoes
Bring to a boil and add: 1 cup Vodka
Simmer uncovered for about 8 minutes.
Add: 3/4 cup Heavy Cream
Heat for another minute or so and then season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve over your favorite pasta and garnish with chopped parsley and grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese. SO GOOD!!! The leftover sauce freezes well, if fact we are having it tonight!
On Monday night I made these incredible mashed potatoes from a favorite magazine. They were so good they should be against the law! We had them with slow cooked short ribs and mixed vegetables. I was off Monday from work so slow cooked shorts ribs were an option.
Garlic Onion Mashed
Roast 1 whole garlic bulb (remove papery outer skin and chop off top) brushed with olive oil and wrapped in foil at 425 degrees for 3o mins. If you burn the garlic like I did, just use unroasted chopped garlic.
Meanwhile in a large skillet over low heat, heat 1 TB. olive oil and cook: 1 Red Onion Chopped
Cook 10-15 minutes until golden, set aside
In a large sauce pan boil 6 medium potatoes peeled and quartered until done.
Drain and place in a large bowl.
Add: Roasted Garlic
1/4 cup softened Butter
1/4 cup Sour Cream (I used low fat, if that matters much with this recipe!)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan Cheese
Cooked Onion
Mash until well blended and season with S&P to taste. Delicious!!
I hope you try these recipes and let me know what you like!! I have no new recipes planned for this weekend. Man and I are going on a weekend getaway!!! Details to come later...
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Monday, September 28, 2009
Weekend Rain
We had a few inches of rain this weekend and it brought out all kinda of creatures. The newest activity is worms on my lanai. With a big rain fall the worms are coming through the tiny holes in the screens. I cleaned up about 100 worms yesterday. They dry up in the sun and stick to the floor. It is so gross!! I sprayed down the lanai and scraped them all off. It will be clean until the next rain, which will be any minute. sigh...
While getting the hose set up I had a little visitor at my feet. A baby black snake. It was only 5 inches long and harmless. I picked him up with a stick and tossed him in the yard. They are cute when they are tiny.
While walking the dogs this weekend we encounter dead frogs on the road who met a horrible death by car. The rain brings out the frogs and drivers can't see them at night, so in the morning there is always a fresh batch of squishy grossness on the roads.
Thursday, September 24, 2009
In The Kitchen
Besides baking bread, I have been cooking and baking all kinds of good stuff (and one not so good recipe). I recently baked Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies yummy!!!! They are very popular at my house and at Man's work. Buttermilk sugar cookies were baked last weekend. This is a very old family recipe that I may or may not post :) . Chili Verde was for dinner on Monday and it was delicious!! Tuesday I tried a recipe for Thai Chicken and Coconut Soup with Noodle and Man loved it and I hated it. It was so bland that I ended up having cereal. Relative said it was okay, but then proceeded to have a bowl of cereal an hour after dinner. This weekend I have Cheesecake Lemon Bars, Pasta with Vodka Sauce, and Spicy Slow Cooker Black Bean Soup on the to do list. I'll serve the soup with hot homemade bread! I'll post my recipes soon and I'll let you know how this weekends kitchen project turn out. I love food....
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Flu, Swine Flu, and Monkey Pox
Man has the flu. The plain old fashion kind that did not get named after an animal. The Doc said so and so did the swine flu test she conducted. I asked Man how the test went and he said if you don't mind having a q-tip touch your brain it was fine. Ouch!
Man gets very grumpy when he is sick, almost like a baby. Well, I think he acts like a baby when he is sick. When I am sick, life must go on as normal. I'll ask him if he needs anything or is feeling better. I have to ask for everything! Men??? A couple of years ago I ended up in the emergency room. I won't go into details, but lets just say "it was coming uncontrollably out of both ends". Once I was home, I was lying in bed with stomach cramps hoping to just die. I had to ask Man to go get me jello, ginger ale, and all the usual stomach aids. His reply was I'll go get it after Law & Order is over!!!! Hello! I'm dying here!! I just expelled half my body weight in the last 8 hours!
He hasn't lived that one down yet... What is wrong with men?? I think I'll just chalk it up to a sever case of Man Monkey Pox.
Man gets very grumpy when he is sick, almost like a baby. Well, I think he acts like a baby when he is sick. When I am sick, life must go on as normal. I'll ask him if he needs anything or is feeling better. I have to ask for everything! Men??? A couple of years ago I ended up in the emergency room. I won't go into details, but lets just say "it was coming uncontrollably out of both ends". Once I was home, I was lying in bed with stomach cramps hoping to just die. I had to ask Man to go get me jello, ginger ale, and all the usual stomach aids. His reply was I'll go get it after Law & Order is over!!!! Hello! I'm dying here!! I just expelled half my body weight in the last 8 hours!
He hasn't lived that one down yet... What is wrong with men?? I think I'll just chalk it up to a sever case of Man Monkey Pox.
Monday, September 21, 2009
Spider
Click to enlarge this picture and you will see the big black and yellow beast that Cooper came nose to nose to in the back yard. Cooper was NOT bit, thank goodness.Workout
Why is it that I faithfully go to the gym, but then come home and pig out?? I went to a toning class and then a spin class. I worked hard!! I came home starving and proceeded to eat raisin bran with a cut up banana, 2 pieces of wheat toast, and 2 sugar cookies. Now I feel like I'm going to barf...
Sunday, September 20, 2009
More PIctures
Will I be as big as you someday?
Oh Yeah!!!
The devil in disguise!
Me, Cooper, and Sammy
Relative & Man tailgating before Bucs/Cowboys game. More Pictures
Sammy at 3 months old, what a cutie!!!
Cooper and Sammy, two handsome bears!
Aren't we handsome?
Hey, I think there is a squirrel up there???!!!!!
Looking for squirrels & eggs (golf balls) in the back yard.
Cast of Characters
Thought you may want to meet the cast of characters:Me & Man
He has shaved of the facial hair recently. This is us in Vail Colorado last March. It was an awesome trip.
Cody
Sammy
&
Cooper
Friday, September 18, 2009
Annoying Neighbors
I am sure everyone has neighbors they wish would move! We have them all around us!! We live in a rural area by choice. We wanted peace and quiet please!!
On one side of us we have the a**hole, on the other side we have the "kids", and across the street we have the "dog lady". A**hole is the most unfriendly person you will ever meet. He likes no noise what so ever. If you bother him, he lets everyone know it. The people who live on the other side of him own lots of birds. Those birds can squawk a lot. It doesn't bother me at all, I chalk it up to nature noises. Those birds drive a**hole nuts. He has parked his truck on his property line facing their house and blown his horn for hours (until I called the police). He has shot fireworks towards their property. He has stood outside the yelled and cursed for hours. If I play outside with my dogs and they bark a lot he will come outside and stare at us. Of course I ignore him and urge my boys to play more! If he really creeps me out, then I will get Man to come outside and stare back-Man usually wins-he's bigger. The police have been to his house more than I can remember because of his outbursts. He did have his house on the market, but no luck! Please move away!!
The "kids" are a family with 2 kids who rent the house on one side of us. They are the type of family that will yell at each other outside using the F word. Very classy... They allow the kids to ride a 4 wheeler in their front yard and on the street. They let their dog run loose. I hate them. Please move away...
The "dog lady" across the street runs an animal rescue out of her house. She allows the dogs to run free-in her yard and on the street. To me is it no different then well fed strays on our street. They have a fence and a gate, but the gaps in it are large enough for animals to just jump right through. They also have horses that have roamed the street because they forgot to latch their stable gate and close the gate to their driveway. Our property is completely fenced with a motorized gate thank goodness! I respect her for wanting to help animals, but it is not safe. We have dealt with this for the last 3 years. Recently, there was a pack of her rescue dogs that would run over to our fence anytime our dogs were outside. It was a bark fest even at 530 in the morning. It was crazy!! We tried talking to her, but she didn't care. Then we got angry with her and she stopped even trying to get the dogs back on her property. The final straw was when I was trying to walk my dogs and I couldn't even open our gate because of all the dogs. I yelled and yelled for her to get her damn dogs and what did she do?? She sent her young daughter over to get them. After our walk, I called the police. I was over it!!! The cop spoke to me and then went to her house. He told her that she had to restrain the dogs because it is the law. She told him that since she was a rescue and she took dogs to help Domestic Animal Services, that she could do what she wanted. The cop told her that he advised us to issue a complain to DAS. She could have cared less!! She thinks she should get special treatment since she helps DAS. The cop warned her to secure the animals and be a respectful neighbor. I called DAS the next morning and issued a complaint. I told them I hoped there was not "special exceptions" for people that help them place animals. They assured me there wasn't and they would send someone over to speak to her. Since that phone call I have not seen one loose dog!! It has been great! I am worried about the dogs she keeps. I don't think they get exercised. I feel like since I complained the dogs are locked up, but dogs running the streets is not safe! If they would just fix their fence, then the dogs can roam their yard all they want!! Did I do a bad thing by complaining????
Other than our neighbors, I love where we live. We have 2.5 fenced acres, plenty of doggy room! For the most part it is quiet and peaceful. A**hole has calmed down recently and I only hear the "kids" on the 4 wheeler when I am outside. I hate to have bad vibes with everyone around us, but they just need to learn manners and respect for others, right??
On one side of us we have the a**hole, on the other side we have the "kids", and across the street we have the "dog lady". A**hole is the most unfriendly person you will ever meet. He likes no noise what so ever. If you bother him, he lets everyone know it. The people who live on the other side of him own lots of birds. Those birds can squawk a lot. It doesn't bother me at all, I chalk it up to nature noises. Those birds drive a**hole nuts. He has parked his truck on his property line facing their house and blown his horn for hours (until I called the police). He has shot fireworks towards their property. He has stood outside the yelled and cursed for hours. If I play outside with my dogs and they bark a lot he will come outside and stare at us. Of course I ignore him and urge my boys to play more! If he really creeps me out, then I will get Man to come outside and stare back-Man usually wins-he's bigger. The police have been to his house more than I can remember because of his outbursts. He did have his house on the market, but no luck! Please move away!!
The "kids" are a family with 2 kids who rent the house on one side of us. They are the type of family that will yell at each other outside using the F word. Very classy... They allow the kids to ride a 4 wheeler in their front yard and on the street. They let their dog run loose. I hate them. Please move away...
The "dog lady" across the street runs an animal rescue out of her house. She allows the dogs to run free-in her yard and on the street. To me is it no different then well fed strays on our street. They have a fence and a gate, but the gaps in it are large enough for animals to just jump right through. They also have horses that have roamed the street because they forgot to latch their stable gate and close the gate to their driveway. Our property is completely fenced with a motorized gate thank goodness! I respect her for wanting to help animals, but it is not safe. We have dealt with this for the last 3 years. Recently, there was a pack of her rescue dogs that would run over to our fence anytime our dogs were outside. It was a bark fest even at 530 in the morning. It was crazy!! We tried talking to her, but she didn't care. Then we got angry with her and she stopped even trying to get the dogs back on her property. The final straw was when I was trying to walk my dogs and I couldn't even open our gate because of all the dogs. I yelled and yelled for her to get her damn dogs and what did she do?? She sent her young daughter over to get them. After our walk, I called the police. I was over it!!! The cop spoke to me and then went to her house. He told her that she had to restrain the dogs because it is the law. She told him that since she was a rescue and she took dogs to help Domestic Animal Services, that she could do what she wanted. The cop told her that he advised us to issue a complain to DAS. She could have cared less!! She thinks she should get special treatment since she helps DAS. The cop warned her to secure the animals and be a respectful neighbor. I called DAS the next morning and issued a complaint. I told them I hoped there was not "special exceptions" for people that help them place animals. They assured me there wasn't and they would send someone over to speak to her. Since that phone call I have not seen one loose dog!! It has been great! I am worried about the dogs she keeps. I don't think they get exercised. I feel like since I complained the dogs are locked up, but dogs running the streets is not safe! If they would just fix their fence, then the dogs can roam their yard all they want!! Did I do a bad thing by complaining????
Other than our neighbors, I love where we live. We have 2.5 fenced acres, plenty of doggy room! For the most part it is quiet and peaceful. A**hole has calmed down recently and I only hear the "kids" on the 4 wheeler when I am outside. I hate to have bad vibes with everyone around us, but they just need to learn manners and respect for others, right??
Monday, September 14, 2009
Sun Kissed & Suffering
Too much sun!!! We went to the Tampa/ Dallas game on Sunday and I got fried!! There was no way around it, the sunscreen was sweating off of me. I would apply it, sweat profusely and get sunburned. The game was okay. I would have preferred watching it in the comfort of my air conditioned living room. It was too difficult to follow live! This was my first pro football game, so I experience it and probably won't go again. Too hot, too crowded, and too expensive. Relative has never been to a game either so it was a new experience for him as well. We aren't even Tampa or Cowboy fans, but the tickets were available so we went. It was an all day trip and we had to arrange for someone to check in on the boys at lunch and dinner. I hate leaving them for that long, I worry about the person remembering to check on them. We finally got home at 730pm, after leaving at 830am. All was fine with the boys, but them were full of energy. Normally it would have been a 2 1/2 hour drive, but there was a huge accident on I-75, causing us to detour about an hour longer.
Other than the football game, the weekend has been good. I spent Saturday after baking "thank yous" for our dogs checkers. Cookies for one and homemade bread for the other. Man's birthday is Tuesday, so I took him to dinner Saturday night. I was wonderful!!! I actually ordered a Filet. I rarely ate red meat, but it was delicious!!! Dessert was heavenly-chocolate torte for me and creme brulee for Man. It was a great evening.
I finished reading Julia Child's My Life in France, it was great. She is an excellent story teller. I didn't realize she had such a great sense on humor! Today I tried to watch Baking with Julia on PBS. I didn't get 5 minutes through the show-so boring. I will stick to her books. She was too dry on TV. I am trying to learn to post picutres. Any ideas how to do it???? Help!
Thursday, September 10, 2009
My Boys
I guess I should take some time to brag about my boys. I live with 5 of them!! My Man and I have been married for 9 years. We were high school sweethearts, but dated/lived together for a long time before making it legal. We were 1 year shy of common law marriage in PA. Man is funny, very smart, willing to try new things, embraces new hobbies to the extreme (e.i knot tying books!!), loves sports, is a hard worker, and loves me! He is a slacker of the "honey do this", but will surprise me out of the blue and get a bunch of tasks done when I least expect it. He has big plans and dreams about living in Colorado some day and I fully support that! Man loves his Harley and riding with his Dad. Man likes getting tattoos, but his are tasteful and normally covered by clothing. His hair grows like a weed, getting 3 times the haircuts a year than me! He wears his wedding band on a gold chain for fear of damaging it at work. He cherishes the bond of marriage.
Relative is young and is married to his video games, enjoys reading, going to Best Buy, and watching movies. Relative needs to move out soon :).
Cody is a Shetland Sheep dog. His coat is reddish and he resembles a fox. He is 15 yrs. old and very grumpy. He was the runt of the litter, so he only got to be 20 lbs. As a younger dog he was very active and very spoiled, but in the last 3 years he has really slowed down. His vision and hearing is poor and he sleeps about 23 hours a day. He only will go outside to take care of business and then wants back in. I try to look at him and remember him as a young active Cody bear. Cody always gets attention because he is so little and cute.
Cooper is a 3 year old chocolate lab. He is 104 lbs. and on a raw food diet. He loves it!! At his dinner time, he dances around and wags his tail like crazy. Cooper is very loving and follows me around constantly (lays in front in the shower when I in there). He has big brown eyes that make you melt. He just has such a soft loving face. He loves a good butt rub and a long walk. He goes to work with Man everyday and loves it. When he wants something he will wave at you until you pay attention. He has bed privileges at night with Man and I and has learned not to hog the bed too much. Cooper's full name is Cooper Grizzle Vail
Sammy is a 10 month old chocolate lab. He looks much different the Cooper. Cooper is more a milk chocolate color and Sammy is our special dark. Sammy is tall and lean 63 lbs.-all legs. He nicknames include the Samenator, Samilious, Sam-a-lama-ding-dong, Son of Sam, Son of Satan, and Devil Dog. That should give you a clue about our Sammy... Sammy plays hard, sleeps hard, and loves hard. He loves to play outside and dig an occasionally hole! He destroys his toys and can devour a raw hide in no time. He loves food and will wait until the other dogs are finished eating to ambush their bowls for leftovers. If you are sitting on the couch he will jump on you and kiss you all over your face. He loves belly rubs, especially between his back legs. He loves to play with Cooper and can get to rough. He talks back to us when he is scolded, he sounds like Chewbaca from Star Wars. He loves to go for walks with Cooper and I.
Sammy full name is Samual Zackary Hunter. Zackary is after our beloved Boarder Collier that we lost just before Christmas last year. He was 13 yrs. old and smart as a whip, but his body just deteriorated. He has very bad arthritis in his hips and could barely walk. We love and miss Zack EVERYDAY.
Those are my boys and I love all of them!
Relative is young and is married to his video games, enjoys reading, going to Best Buy, and watching movies. Relative needs to move out soon :).
Cody is a Shetland Sheep dog. His coat is reddish and he resembles a fox. He is 15 yrs. old and very grumpy. He was the runt of the litter, so he only got to be 20 lbs. As a younger dog he was very active and very spoiled, but in the last 3 years he has really slowed down. His vision and hearing is poor and he sleeps about 23 hours a day. He only will go outside to take care of business and then wants back in. I try to look at him and remember him as a young active Cody bear. Cody always gets attention because he is so little and cute.
Cooper is a 3 year old chocolate lab. He is 104 lbs. and on a raw food diet. He loves it!! At his dinner time, he dances around and wags his tail like crazy. Cooper is very loving and follows me around constantly (lays in front in the shower when I in there). He has big brown eyes that make you melt. He just has such a soft loving face. He loves a good butt rub and a long walk. He goes to work with Man everyday and loves it. When he wants something he will wave at you until you pay attention. He has bed privileges at night with Man and I and has learned not to hog the bed too much. Cooper's full name is Cooper Grizzle Vail
Sammy is a 10 month old chocolate lab. He looks much different the Cooper. Cooper is more a milk chocolate color and Sammy is our special dark. Sammy is tall and lean 63 lbs.-all legs. He nicknames include the Samenator, Samilious, Sam-a-lama-ding-dong, Son of Sam, Son of Satan, and Devil Dog. That should give you a clue about our Sammy... Sammy plays hard, sleeps hard, and loves hard. He loves to play outside and dig an occasionally hole! He destroys his toys and can devour a raw hide in no time. He loves food and will wait until the other dogs are finished eating to ambush their bowls for leftovers. If you are sitting on the couch he will jump on you and kiss you all over your face. He loves belly rubs, especially between his back legs. He loves to play with Cooper and can get to rough. He talks back to us when he is scolded, he sounds like Chewbaca from Star Wars. He loves to go for walks with Cooper and I.
Sammy full name is Samual Zackary Hunter. Zackary is after our beloved Boarder Collier that we lost just before Christmas last year. He was 13 yrs. old and smart as a whip, but his body just deteriorated. He has very bad arthritis in his hips and could barely walk. We love and miss Zack EVERYDAY.
Those are my boys and I love all of them!
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Holiday Weekend
It was nice having a 3 day weekend, but they go so fast. Friday night Man wanted to go for drinks and appetizers. I should have known better... $133 dollars later! We are trying to pay off some bills and this didn't help! It was nice to go out alone and enjoy each other. Sometimes I just need to relax and stop worrying about money so much. We had AMAZING white sangria and seafood paella. I was a little buzzed when we got home, so I down a bottle water and some aspirins to prevent a hang over (I'm such a light weight). It worked!!
Off to the gym Saturday morning after walking Cooper and Sammy. Cody doesn't go on walks anymore, more on that later. After getting home from the gym, I was feeling domestic and made bread dough, a lemon cake, and chocolate pudding. This couldn't happen though until Man finished installing our new kitchen light fixture, which I do not love like I thought I would!!! We just had our kitchen remodeled over the summer and the new light is a finishing touch. The previous light was not centered in the ceiling, but it wasn't noticeable because of it ugly plain white rectangular style. The new light is stainless and sleek with 8 adjustable lights on it. The options are to not look up and sigh at my off centered beautiful light or pay an electrician to run wiring and drill a new hole in the ceiling. This will, of course, leave Man with a hole in the ceiling to repair. Although it will make me crazy, I have opted to try to ignore the unevenness lurking on my kitchen ceiling. Also, Man say "too bad deal with it" basically. On to my baking... This a challenge for me with dogs because Sammy and Cooper always want to be in the kitchen with me. There have been too many times where I have almost tripped over them with a hot dish. We have enforced a no dogs in the kitchen rule. They are pretty good with it, but not on Saturday! I was constantly yelling OUT! I hate to yell because they are so cute. Looking up at me with Cooper's big brown eyes and Sammy big yellow eyes, they are just hoping for something to fall on the floor. They just love me and want to be near me, but I was baking!! Serious business in my kitchen. The lemon cake is super easy and really good, especially if you are not a big icing fan. Are there really people out there like that?? Foreign to me...
Lemon Cake:
Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes (glass pan-check it after 35 minutes and keep an eye on it or the bottom and sides will get too brown)
1 small box lemon Jello
1 box Lemon Supreme Cake mix
4 eggs
3/4 C. Veg. Oil
1 tsp. Vanilla
Glaze:
2 cups Powdered Sugar
1/4 cup Lemon Juice
Mix Jello with 1 cup HOT water and stir until dissolved. Let cool until it just begins to set.
Mix jello and cake mix together, add eggs one at a time. Add oil and vanilla and mix until smooth. Pour into a greased 9x13 pan and bake
When there is about 5 min. of baking time prepare the glaze by blending the powdered sugar and lemon juice together until smooth. As soon as the cake is out of the oven, poke holes over the top and pour the glaze over. Cool and enjoy!
My cake baked a little longer that it should, but it was still good. Between Man and Relative, it only lasted 3 days!!
The bread was fantastic!! It had a sight sour dough taste, soft center, and crisp crust. This was my first time with this recipe and I will be making it again. It is a refrigerated dough-super easy.
Awesome Bread:
3 cups Luke warm water-100 degrees
1 1/2 Tbsp. yeast or 1 1/2 packets
1 1/2 Tbsp. coarse kosher or sea salt (I just used regular table salt and it was fine)
6 1/2 cups unsifted, unbleached, all purpose white flour
Pour water over yeast and salt in a large bowl, don't worry if it isn't all dissolved. Mix in the flour gradually with a wooden spoon or your wet hand. Press it together-do not knead!! The dough will be loose and wet. Hey-get your mind out of the gutter! When mixing it, is important to keep you hand wet. Place dough in a 4-5 quart resealable container with lid, but don't seal the lid. Allow to rise about 2 hours, depended on the temperature, it may take up to 5 hours. After rising you can portion off your dough and bake it or refrigerate it. Refrigerated dough is easier to work with. When you are ready to bake cut out a 1 pound portion of the dough. This recipe makes 4 1 lb. loaves, but they are small. My first loaf was too small, so I double the size and made a normal size loaf. When cutting the dough use a serrated floured knife and sprinkle flour on the actual dough. Generously sprinkle a pizza peel with corn meal. Shape your dough as you wish. I did one loaf shape and one round mound shape. Place shape dough on the pizza peel and let rest for 40 minutes. Preheat your oven to 450 degrees while dough rests. Place a baking stone on the middle rack and place a empty broiler tray on the rack under the stone. After resting the dough, dust the top with flour and make slashes with your serrated knife in a tick-tack-toe pattern. Don't go more than a 1/4 inch deep. Now slide your dough on to the stone in the oven and add 1 cup hot water to our empty broiler tray and close the oven door fast to avoid steam escaping. Bake for 30 minutes or until the crust is browned and firm to the touch. You will be tempered to cut right into the hot crunchy crust, but wait until cooled for best flavor and texture. It is awesome toasted with butter and jam!!! Yum!! Now the dough will keep in the refrigerator for a few weeks, just make sure it is loosely covered. I only seal 3 of the 4 corners of the container. You can have fresh bread whenever you want!! I love this recipe!! I made great bruschetta on Labor Day.
My chocolate pudding was courtesy of Jello. It was yummy and piled with cool whip!
Saturday ended with a simple dinner of grilled chicken, roasted vegetables and Mac n'Cheese. Sammy and Cooper enjoyed their evening walk before we all piled in the bed to read.
Sunday was the gym in the morning and reading in the afternoon. We had dinner at my in-laws of homemade pizza. My FIL is a great cook, but his pizza was a little bland. I think just some S&P would have done the trick. They live right on the beach, so we had a wonderful after dinner walk on the beach. The weather was near perfect and the wine was wonderful.
Monday, Labor day, started at the gym again! Since it was a holiday, the gym opened later at 8am. The body toning class was then scheduled for 815am rather than 8am as it normally is. I got there promptly at 815 and the class had already started!! I jumped in not knowing the instructor started at 8am! He ended at 845 and I asked why he stopped early. He was like what do you mean? This is the normal time. I said it was posted that the class started a 815 today, so we only had a 30 minute workout. He said really? I didn't know it was to start at 815, that's why so many people were late!! Hello!! Check your schedule dork!!! I was a little upset because if I'm going to crawl out of bed for the gym, I want the full class! After the lame 30 minutes of toning I did spinning. I think I made up for toning in spinning class, what a workout! When I got home Man was on a Harley ride with his Dad and Relative was still sleeping. The house to myself and my doggies for once!! Sammy, Cooper and I went for a short walk because it was hot!! Then I cleaned the house and did laundry. We cooked out-steak, chicken (for me), BBQ shrimp, broccoli, rice, bruschetta on homemade bread, and lemon cake doe desert. It was a feast. I ended the day with a walk with Cooper and Sammy and gave Cody a bath! Labor day was quite laborious.
Off to the gym Saturday morning after walking Cooper and Sammy. Cody doesn't go on walks anymore, more on that later. After getting home from the gym, I was feeling domestic and made bread dough, a lemon cake, and chocolate pudding. This couldn't happen though until Man finished installing our new kitchen light fixture, which I do not love like I thought I would!!! We just had our kitchen remodeled over the summer and the new light is a finishing touch. The previous light was not centered in the ceiling, but it wasn't noticeable because of it ugly plain white rectangular style. The new light is stainless and sleek with 8 adjustable lights on it. The options are to not look up and sigh at my off centered beautiful light or pay an electrician to run wiring and drill a new hole in the ceiling. This will, of course, leave Man with a hole in the ceiling to repair. Although it will make me crazy, I have opted to try to ignore the unevenness lurking on my kitchen ceiling. Also, Man say "too bad deal with it" basically. On to my baking... This a challenge for me with dogs because Sammy and Cooper always want to be in the kitchen with me. There have been too many times where I have almost tripped over them with a hot dish. We have enforced a no dogs in the kitchen rule. They are pretty good with it, but not on Saturday! I was constantly yelling OUT! I hate to yell because they are so cute. Looking up at me with Cooper's big brown eyes and Sammy big yellow eyes, they are just hoping for something to fall on the floor. They just love me and want to be near me, but I was baking!! Serious business in my kitchen. The lemon cake is super easy and really good, especially if you are not a big icing fan. Are there really people out there like that?? Foreign to me...
Lemon Cake:
Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes (glass pan-check it after 35 minutes and keep an eye on it or the bottom and sides will get too brown)
1 small box lemon Jello
1 box Lemon Supreme Cake mix
4 eggs
3/4 C. Veg. Oil
1 tsp. Vanilla
Glaze:
2 cups Powdered Sugar
1/4 cup Lemon Juice
Mix Jello with 1 cup HOT water and stir until dissolved. Let cool until it just begins to set.
Mix jello and cake mix together, add eggs one at a time. Add oil and vanilla and mix until smooth. Pour into a greased 9x13 pan and bake
When there is about 5 min. of baking time prepare the glaze by blending the powdered sugar and lemon juice together until smooth. As soon as the cake is out of the oven, poke holes over the top and pour the glaze over. Cool and enjoy!
My cake baked a little longer that it should, but it was still good. Between Man and Relative, it only lasted 3 days!!
The bread was fantastic!! It had a sight sour dough taste, soft center, and crisp crust. This was my first time with this recipe and I will be making it again. It is a refrigerated dough-super easy.
Awesome Bread:
3 cups Luke warm water-100 degrees
1 1/2 Tbsp. yeast or 1 1/2 packets
1 1/2 Tbsp. coarse kosher or sea salt (I just used regular table salt and it was fine)
6 1/2 cups unsifted, unbleached, all purpose white flour
Pour water over yeast and salt in a large bowl, don't worry if it isn't all dissolved. Mix in the flour gradually with a wooden spoon or your wet hand. Press it together-do not knead!! The dough will be loose and wet. Hey-get your mind out of the gutter! When mixing it, is important to keep you hand wet. Place dough in a 4-5 quart resealable container with lid, but don't seal the lid. Allow to rise about 2 hours, depended on the temperature, it may take up to 5 hours. After rising you can portion off your dough and bake it or refrigerate it. Refrigerated dough is easier to work with. When you are ready to bake cut out a 1 pound portion of the dough. This recipe makes 4 1 lb. loaves, but they are small. My first loaf was too small, so I double the size and made a normal size loaf. When cutting the dough use a serrated floured knife and sprinkle flour on the actual dough. Generously sprinkle a pizza peel with corn meal. Shape your dough as you wish. I did one loaf shape and one round mound shape. Place shape dough on the pizza peel and let rest for 40 minutes. Preheat your oven to 450 degrees while dough rests. Place a baking stone on the middle rack and place a empty broiler tray on the rack under the stone. After resting the dough, dust the top with flour and make slashes with your serrated knife in a tick-tack-toe pattern. Don't go more than a 1/4 inch deep. Now slide your dough on to the stone in the oven and add 1 cup hot water to our empty broiler tray and close the oven door fast to avoid steam escaping. Bake for 30 minutes or until the crust is browned and firm to the touch. You will be tempered to cut right into the hot crunchy crust, but wait until cooled for best flavor and texture. It is awesome toasted with butter and jam!!! Yum!! Now the dough will keep in the refrigerator for a few weeks, just make sure it is loosely covered. I only seal 3 of the 4 corners of the container. You can have fresh bread whenever you want!! I love this recipe!! I made great bruschetta on Labor Day.
My chocolate pudding was courtesy of Jello. It was yummy and piled with cool whip!
Saturday ended with a simple dinner of grilled chicken, roasted vegetables and Mac n'Cheese. Sammy and Cooper enjoyed their evening walk before we all piled in the bed to read.
Sunday was the gym in the morning and reading in the afternoon. We had dinner at my in-laws of homemade pizza. My FIL is a great cook, but his pizza was a little bland. I think just some S&P would have done the trick. They live right on the beach, so we had a wonderful after dinner walk on the beach. The weather was near perfect and the wine was wonderful.
Monday, Labor day, started at the gym again! Since it was a holiday, the gym opened later at 8am. The body toning class was then scheduled for 815am rather than 8am as it normally is. I got there promptly at 815 and the class had already started!! I jumped in not knowing the instructor started at 8am! He ended at 845 and I asked why he stopped early. He was like what do you mean? This is the normal time. I said it was posted that the class started a 815 today, so we only had a 30 minute workout. He said really? I didn't know it was to start at 815, that's why so many people were late!! Hello!! Check your schedule dork!!! I was a little upset because if I'm going to crawl out of bed for the gym, I want the full class! After the lame 30 minutes of toning I did spinning. I think I made up for toning in spinning class, what a workout! When I got home Man was on a Harley ride with his Dad and Relative was still sleeping. The house to myself and my doggies for once!! Sammy, Cooper and I went for a short walk because it was hot!! Then I cleaned the house and did laundry. We cooked out-steak, chicken (for me), BBQ shrimp, broccoli, rice, bruschetta on homemade bread, and lemon cake doe desert. It was a feast. I ended the day with a walk with Cooper and Sammy and gave Cody a bath! Labor day was quite laborious.
Friday, September 4, 2009
I know it's been awhile... I have been contemplating having a blog. What would I write about? Would anyone care? Would someone recognize me? This is something I wanted just for me. To be able to express myself freely without fear of hurting someone I love. (not that I intend to, but people can be sensitive). So I guess I will just get started...
About me...
I'm a married late 30's woman without children, but 3 dogs and a live-in relative. I have lived in South West Florida for 6 years. Some may think BEACH!! BEACH!! BEACH!!, but I long for the mountains. I haven't been to the beach in almost a year! We moved here for my man's job from PA. All our family, except for Man's Dad and Step Mom-they live close by, are in PA. The live-in Relative is a recent college grad who asked to live with us and search for a job in sunny FL. Well, 9 months later and Relative is still with us. My 12 Paws are Cody, Cooper, and Sammy. Ages 15, 3, and 10 months. They run the house, our lives revolve around them! I work full time and consider myself a "gym rat". I work out a lot to counter act my love for food!! Food tends to win though as far as the scale is concerned. I love to cook/bake, read, keep my house clean (don't roll your eyes), try new restaurants, watch my fav reality shows, and walk my doggies.
More to come....
About me...
I'm a married late 30's woman without children, but 3 dogs and a live-in relative. I have lived in South West Florida for 6 years. Some may think BEACH!! BEACH!! BEACH!!, but I long for the mountains. I haven't been to the beach in almost a year! We moved here for my man's job from PA. All our family, except for Man's Dad and Step Mom-they live close by, are in PA. The live-in Relative is a recent college grad who asked to live with us and search for a job in sunny FL. Well, 9 months later and Relative is still with us. My 12 Paws are Cody, Cooper, and Sammy. Ages 15, 3, and 10 months. They run the house, our lives revolve around them! I work full time and consider myself a "gym rat". I work out a lot to counter act my love for food!! Food tends to win though as far as the scale is concerned. I love to cook/bake, read, keep my house clean (don't roll your eyes), try new restaurants, watch my fav reality shows, and walk my doggies.
More to come....
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