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.