I had a flop.

Today is TSCT and I nervous. 

Melati authors Tequila Stakes Croquet, she and her husband host a tournament each year and we've been invited as part of the blogger group.  I think there will be four of us (The PMA, African Kelli, Feasting in Phoenix and myself).  So this should be a moment for me to put money where my mouth is.  I've been blogging about all this food I'm cooking, I'd dare say that I bragged about some of it.  AND I HAD A FLOP!

I tuck away recipes that I want to try and I've been saving this ginger carrot cake gem.  To keep all the details short, I was having a really great baking day.  You know, cleaning the dishes as I go, got the oven preheated just in time, had the right type of cupcake liners.  But I had a voice in the back of my head going, "Keesh you really need to look over that recipe again."  I did.  "Oh, toast the pecans first."  I did. 

The batter is mixing, sometimes I steal a taste off the beater, but I wasn't so inclined.  But it didn't look like enough batter for 24 cupcakes.  So while I'm putting it into the cake pan, a little gets on my finger and it doesn't taste right, but I just think that maybe my taste buds aren't registering everything.

25 minutes later, they look like little, I don't know, crumbly palvarones.  I take a bite and they taste just as bland as the batter did.  I rush over to the cookbook and the first line, how could I miss the first line "2 c. sugar."

So, I've got about 30 minutes to hop in the shower and figure out what to wear, gawd, I hope it isn't going to be one of those days!

We never talk about our dirty dishes

I am now officially useless on Thursday nights.  I have at least four TV shows that I must watch.  So my routine so far this evening has been, to do my evening tasks (laundry, dishes, sort mail) all in between the commercials.  That means that I'm running, running, running and sit. Running, running, running and sit.

In the middle of all this I still had one yucky, sticky dish waiting for me in the kitchen.  They had butternut squash on sale at Sprouts and I made a squash macaroni from Martha Stewart. I hate dishes anyway and this one made one arse of a baked on mess.

My MooMoo (that's Texan for Grandmother) read in a Southern Living once, that if you have a really baked-on dish, that if you put a dryer sheet with a little water in it for 15 minutes, whatever is baked on will come right out.

Her little trick worked for me again.  By the time, My Name is Earl was half way through, I was able to get that dish cleaned and put away in less time than a commercial break.  Efficiency people, that's what I'm shooting for.

Oh, and before I get suggestions on the invention of the TiVo, I have one.  But Hubby is out of town and I have issues with home electronics.  I'll explain my Roomba issues later.

I'll call it a Indian Summer

There's a fun little franchise that's started in Fayetteville, Arkansas called Bath Junkie.  What's really ironic is that such a foo-fee-doo-fee place came from the town where I learned how to do a hog call.  Yes, people, you didn't read wrong, a h-o-g (hawg) call.  But I digress.  Bath Junkie is a place where you can mix your favorite smells and they'll put them in different body washes, lotions or oils. 

I got a mehndi tattoo over the summer and I was obsessed with the smell, that lemonony, eucalyptus smell was intoxicating. With that in mind, I set out to mix it up and to come up with a smell that was reminiscent of that henna.

All good things have a name, and the name came to me almost immediately "Indian Summer." The final mix was Lemongrass, Green Tea and Sandalwood and it is yummy.  I lather this stuff on so thick that I've made my eyes water.

Enjoy Bert and Ernie's first appearance on Sesame Street.

 

A glamorous fever...with peanut butter

I'm officially a year older and I'm feeling it.  I had a great weekend in Texas, but I think I maybe went at it a little too hard.  I knew I was getting close to "that age," but I didn't know it would hit me the next day.  I have a fever and I feel achy (this is where you go "aww").

At work today, feeling achy and feverish (aww), I tried really hard to look pretty.  I wore a fun outfit, actually shaved my legs (TMI?) and put on some perfume.  But, I think that when you're chasing Tylenol with DayQuil, it sorta takes the novelty out of dressing up.  I was fixing to go home sick, when my crew came in and asked if I wanted to go to lunch at Crackers & Co.  I LOVE Crackers and I thought that if I got the spicy chicken tortilla soup, that the spicy would knock out whatever it was that was messing with me (this is where you clap for me if you believe).

The soup was good, it was actually really good, but it didn't quite hit the spot.  Then the extra gooey warm chocolate cake with sprinkles came out.  And because I'm not a normal sick person who loses their appetite and loses the standard five pounds, I had to have some.  But that did me in, I left and came home shortly after that.  I had 100 temperature ("aww," that's right you're catching on).

I had promised Super Wife that I would be her model at her MAC interview if she couldn't get anyone else...I got the call this afternoon.  So, 100 degree temperature, a year older and achy ("aww), I had to try to find something that looked halfway presentable and get to the mall by 5:00 PM ("clap").

I took another dose of Tylenol ("aww"), hopped in the car and headed over.  Can I tell you, that even feeling bad, she did such a great job.  I think I looked very pretty ("clap").  About half way through, I think I broke my fever (hey little girls, being pretty does make everything better).

Afterwards, we were recapping how awesome she did on the application portion of her interview and we remembered that PB Loco was in the mall and be bee-lined over. She had a PB Pina Colada and I had a PB, Nutella and Banana Sandwich ("clap").  It was there that I realized that I didn't have my wallet.  I left it at work, next to my DayQuil, Tylenol cocktail ("aww"). 

Now I'm at home, I have a bit of a headache, no fever and have my wallet ("clap").  Good night.

 

Restaurants mentioned:

Crackers & Co

535 Iron Drive
Gilbert, AZ 85210

PB Loco

Scottsdale Fashion Square
7014 East Camelback Road #2276
Scottsdale, Arizona 85251