PrissyCook

trying something new

2007-08-28T18:35:00.001-07:00

I'm playing around with different blogging platforms and I'm learning a lot.

You can see my current posts at keeshas.info.

Don't update any bookmarks yet. This is just a staging area and once I get a final product I'll be updating to a new domain name too.

Chicken Fried Bacon! I win?

2007-08-26T09:16:00.001-07:00

I'm from Texas. I didn't realize how much people from Texas talk about Texas until I moved out of the state. People, I'm sorry.

Not sorry that I'm from Texas, but I need you to know that we're just raised that way. We talk about Lone Star this, Big that. We can't help it.

I blame my parents.

AND to add to lots of generalizations and stereotypes about Texas I present you with Chicken Fried Bacon. From a restaurant fifteen minutes from where I grew up.

Go Bananas! B-A-N-A-N-A-S with Banana Pancakes

2007-08-25T08:54:00.001-07:00

People watch rain in Phoenix. It's strange and when you move here, you see people watching the rain with an intensity. Nobody talks. They just watch.

I thought that was odd. I like a good storm and I have indeed watched te rain, but it's different here.

I've been here almost three years. I now watch the rain with that same odd intensity. It's such a treat. The feel of humidity in the air, the clouds. All weather elements we don't get to experience very often.

Thunderstorms rolled into the Phoenix area around 4:30AM. Yay!

My usual weekend wake up ritual includes going to the coffee house with computer in hand for a muffin and great cup of coffee. Today with the rain- I wanted to stay home.

That doesn't mean that I didn't still want my coffee and breakfast. I found this recipe from Mr.Breakfast.

Banana Pancakes

1 Cup All-Purpose Flour

1 3/4 tsp Baking Powder

3/4 tsp Salt

1 T Sugar

2 Large Ripe Bananas

3/4 Cup Soy Milk

2 Large Eggs

2 tsp Vegetable Oil

For topping:

1 T Unsalted Butter

2 Large Ripe Bananas -- Sliced

Nutmeg -- Freshly Grated

3/4 Cup Maple Syrup -- Warmed

In a large mixing bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Mix to blend. Set aside.
Puree bananas in a food processor, fitted with a metal blade to a smoth, liquid consistency. Transfer puree to a mixing bowl. Add milk, eggs and oil. whisk to blend well. Add dry ingredients - whisking to incorporate.
Preheat oven to 250 degrees fahrenheit. Heat a gridle. Add butter to bottom of pan. When butter is hot, ladel 2 T of batter onto griddle, cooking until the tops of the pancake bubble and the underside is brown. (2-3 minutes) Turn and cook other side until godlen brown - about 2 minutes more.
Transfer to a baking sheet. Continue until all the batter has been used.
TO PREPARE TOPPING:
Heat butter in a large skillet. When hot, add sliced bananas - saute, stirring constantly until bananas are warm, about 1 minute.
To serve - arrange 4 pancakes on each of 4 dinner plates - top with sauted bananas - grated nutmeg and warm maple syrup.

Brown Bag Tuesday

2007-08-21T12:19:00.000-07:00

Yay! I love brown bag lunches! I forgot my fancy lunch bag yesterday at work and this morning I pulled out a good old fashioned brown bag for lunch.

I couldn't resist putting my name on it all twirly fancy like I would in middle school.

Let's see, other news? Oh, I put a recycle box in my office. My neighbors are starting to toss in their plastic coke bottles and I take it home on Mondays to put in the recycling bin.

Hope you're having a good week.

Flower from Dad

2007-08-16T17:44:00.001-07:00

My dad learned how to text message and usually it drives me crazy, but today this text brought a big smile.

He sent me a flower! This is the best ever!

Troubleshooting with a teenager

2007-08-14T21:10:00.001-07:00

"SISSY!" That's what I heard when I answered the phone today.

"Sissy, Paige didn't know my computer was in hibernate mode and you can't hit the power button when it's in hibernate because it messes up and she didn't know that, so she did and now when I turn it on the screen is all messed up, I don't see anything on my desktop, all my homework is on there and I don't know what to do."

Now you and I both know that she was probably more freaked out that she may miss something on MySpace, more than she was freaked out that she maybe lost her homework (and people school doesn't start until next week).

"Liz, turn your computer off, and take the battery out, plug it back into the wall and let me know what happens."

"Oh Sissy, that worked! Ok thank you!"

Click.

She could barely breath when she called me. Her world was almost ending because her computer wasn't working. She was going to lose all her homework. This would all catapult into a downward spiral of not getting into college and it was all so horrible. OMGIDK! And, she gets off the phone without giving me the gratification of saying good-bye back.

But people, you can rest easy tonight. Lizzy's computer is back up and running.

And this is what she was doing with the rest of her day.

5 things...Tagged by www.TheAdventuresofSuperwife.com

2007-08-12T16:51:00.001-07:00

What were you doing 1 year ago?
One year ago, I started my blog.

Five snacks you enjoy:

Wow, I don't really snack too much.

Hostess Orange Cupcakes
Homemade Cupcakes
Cheese
Cheese Doritos
Cheese

Five songs that you know all the lyrics to:
I'm notorious for singing in the car and singing the wrong lyrics. So, I may think I know all the words, but they're ones I made up.

On the Road Again by Willie Nelson
Bidi Bidi Bum Bum by Selena
My Maria by Brooks and Dunn
Happy Birthday
Suavemente by Elvis Crespo

Five things you would do if you were a millionaire:

Summer home/ Winter home.
Do the family hook up thing.
Big family vacations yearly.
Travel. Exquisitely.
Feed people.

Five bad habits:

Clicking my jaw
Channel surfing
Starting projects and ...
Not working out
Eating cupcakes

Five things you like doing:
This is pretty vague...

Writing, reading and learning. That's why this blog thing is so neat. I can do so much here.
Window shopping. I love going to cooking stores and browsing the shelves for inspiration.
Baking. I love trying new techniques in the kitchen.
Traveling. Even with travel state-side, I want to absorb as much as possible.
Eating cupcakes. Hmmm, I detect a trend.

Five things you would never wear again:

Tiva sandals
Bass penny loafers
NKOTB t-shirt
Banana clip
Metallic skirt

Five favorite toys:

Casio key board
Pogoball
Twirling baton
Scooter
Cabbage Patch Kid

Yay! It's Thursday, let's try making Calimochos

2007-08-09T20:44:00.001-07:00

Change. Some of us are better at than others. If you were to ask me four years ago if I was adaptable to change, I'd say yes. Because it's good to welcome change, but in reality, I didn't like it very much.

Fast-forward four years later and I think I can honestly say that I'm better at rolling with change than I ever thought possible and I'm getting where I welcome it.

Not like it, I'm just more welcoming. I guess there's a whole faithful element to all of it too, but my brian hurts too much to contemplate that right now.

A friend recently made a huge change and moved to Minnesota for a total career change. While talking to her today, she said, "I'm having a mojito and watering the lawn." Is there a better way to water the lawn? Seriously!

Well, I don't have to water the lawn, but I do have to do laundry. So, I'm doing laundry and drinking a Calimocho. Ha!

Double decker cupcake toter to hold these explosive cupcakes

2007-08-08T20:53:00.001-07:00

OooooWeeee! Man oh man, did I make some tasty cupcakes. While trolling elite food blog Vanilla-Garlic, I stumbled across a recipe for Chocolate Chipolte Cinnamon Cupcakes (C4 for short).

C4, that's appropriate. They're spicy and sweet and delicious.

To tote these little babies, I got a chance to use a new cupcake tote I found at Fry's. You may think it's overkill since I already have one, but this one holds 24 cupcakes snugly in double decker fashion.

I love it.

If you check out the C4 recipe on Vanilla-Garlic you'll see several variations. I chose to top mine with dark chocolate frosting and then sprinkle them with cinnamon spiked powered sugar.

Giving sincere thanks...

2007-08-07T19:26:00.001-07:00

I think about this a lot. My job requires me to be an effective communicator and what I'm not so effective at is giving praise and thanking people for their efforts and talents.

I get really shy.

I don't receive compliments well and I know that I don't give them because I'm afraid I'll receive them. AND then I would be so freaking uncomfortable.

For example, I got busted this past week when a friend opened my glove box in my car. I had at least 10 thinking of you, get well soon cards, all composed and not mailed. I *think* about my family and friends all the time, but I don't always demonstrate it.

That needs to change. Really.

So (my favorite transition word), this week I'm going to actually write cards for my peeps and I'm going to actually mail them. To help me get started, I got a whole book of stamps.

I'm also equipped with my new crafting goods from Stamp Works I'm ready to go.

Drug Store Must Haves and Cool Finds

2007-08-06T22:15:00.001-07:00

Maybelline BLACK mascara and Neutrogena oil-free eye makeup remover are my drug store staples. It's on these restocking runs that I usually peruse for a bit before I leave.

Here's what's made the cut this summer:

Caress Exotic Oil Infusions body soap- It really does moisturize.
Suave Exhale Lime Verbena body soap- A good wake up smell.
Pony tail holders- I call them ponys and you can't have enough
Draino- Because I'm a girl and have long hair, it clogs the drain (I know I crossed the line between gross and TMI)
Goody combs- They've got wide bristles, they're cheap and I have one in every drawer in the bathroom
Maybelline black mascara
Neutrogena oil-free eye makeup remover
Aquafresh Extreme clean
Burts bees lip balm
Orbitz gum

Happy Birthday Karsen! Peach Blueberry Thyme Cupcakes!

2007-08-05T16:03:00.001-07:00

PRESSURE!

Rob and Shayna asked me to bring cupcakes to Karsen's first birthday party. I was so excited! Cupcakes and birthdays totally go together right? Plus, I think Rob and Shayna are extra fabulous, so I was feeling a little pressure to find a cupcake that was eclectic and tasty.

I found inspiration at Cupcake Bake Shop. This is an awesome site. One very thoughtful thing Cheryl does for us more novice bakers is that she photographs some of the more complicated steps of the baking process. The Peach Blueberry Thyme Cupcakes really caught my eye and I thought these were just funky enough for a party Rob and Shayna were hosting.

I was so engrossed in picking the right cupcake, that I totally spaced that these cupcakes were for a baby's first birthday.

PRESSURE!

I think this is my best cupcake picture to date...Happy Birthday Baby K-Lo!

What's for dinner in Phoenix in August...Eat Local!

2007-08-03T20:24:00.001-07:00

Locovores. Have you heard the term? It's a movement that started in San Francisco. A group of people are trying to bring awareness to eating locally grown food. By eating local you're supporting the local economy, not heavily relying on big trucks to get your grub and it's healthier.

But I live in the desert. When I check out the local food wheel for San Francisco my mouth waters. What am I supposed to do in Arizona? Eat sand and wash it down with a cactus? (ok, maybe I'm being a little dramatic.)

So, I should just go the local farmer's market, right? Not so quick. Just as important as looking for local organically grown food, is to select food that grows with the least amount of environmental impact for our area. For example, strawberries take a lot of water to grow, not the best idea in the desert.

I've got good news. Knowing more about what you eat, where it comes from and how to balance your grocery bag- just makes you smarter. I've compiled a list of what's in season in August in Phoenix. Use this as a guide to help you the next time you're at the store.

It's still at 3:00PM? Crunchy Salad

2007-07-30T20:09:00.001-07:00

"I'm bringing a salad Rob! It doesn't have dairy." Is that the usual response when someone invites you over for a birthday party? A normal person would say, "Awesome! Thanks for inviting me. Can I bring anything?"

Last time when I was home, I copied a bunch of recipes from my mom's cookbook and I've been waiting to make this Crunchy Salad.

So, when I called on Saturday to make sure we were still on. I got a message back:

That's great Kee, but the party is next Saturday.

CRUNCHY SALAD

1 bag cole slaw

1 cup sunflower seeds

2 packages Oriental Ramen noodles

1/2 cup toasted almonds

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup Wesson oil

1 cup white vinegar

Dump everything in a bowl, crunch one package of the Ramen, mix in two of the seasoning packets and chill for a bit.

The tastiest darn Blueberry Muffins

2007-07-23T19:48:00.001-07:00

Mmmm. Ummmm. These are so good. Like so good you'll want to look at them and say, "Thank you little muffin for being so darn tasty."

It's great to find local, in season food. When you shop this way you can cut down on the carbon emissions trucks produce to get food to you, support local farmers and the food just tastes better. I've got a link in my blogroll to the Arizona Farmer's Market Web site. Find the one in your neighborhood.

Here's the recipe for Blueberry Muffins.

INGREDIENTS

Makes 4 large muffins.

1 cup and 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 cup and 1 tablespoon white sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 cup vegetable oil
3/4 egg
1/2 cup milk
3/4 cup fresh blueberries
1/4 cup and 2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons butter, cubed
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease muffin cups or line with muffin liners.
Combine 1 1/2 cups flour, 3/4 cup sugar, salt and baking powder. Place vegetable oil into a 1 cup measuring cup; add the egg and enough milk to fill the cup. Mix this with flour mixture. Fold in blueberries. Fill muffin cups right to the top, and sprinkle with crumb topping mixture.
To Make Crumb Topping: Mix together 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/3 cup flour, 1/4 cup butter, and 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon. Mix with fork, and sprinkle over muffins before baking.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until done.

Tread lightly on Earth Day 5

2007-07-22T11:12:00.001-07:00

(this post is a little late, but this is how my Green Week ended)

I've learned so much this week and become aware of so many other things I can incorporate into my everyday life. This week has given way to so many great conversations.

At work, I have people asking me how we can incorporate recycling in our office. How great is that?! If people want to know how we can do it there, I hope that means they're looking to see how they can do it at home.

Personally, I've had friends share some things they're incorporating into their everyday lives. Molly is working in a more corporate environment and she's recycling her hangers. Another friend, put a recycling bin in the kitchen and a third is composting. How awesome is that?

Thank you to everyone who shared some tip or words of encouragement, this week has been really fulfilling for me.

Now, there was one piece of unfinished business. My office trash can. If you'll remember, I confessed that I was guilty of filling it up multiple times a day. My office mate on the other hand, hardly tossed anything out.

Here's where I was on Friday. One small plastic bag, a tissue, a string cheese wrapper and 2 pieces of chewed gum. How about that!

Tread Lightly on Earth Day 4

2007-07-20T10:13:00.000-07:00

Chicken.

That's what I am. I was at a wine party on Wednesday night when I noticed that the hostess was tossing all the wine bottles in the trash. I saw it happen, I thought, "Just ask her if you can take the bottles home."

I didn't. I chickened out. I feel bad.

Tread Lightly on Earth Day 3

2007-07-18T16:43:00.001-07:00

Geeks can be greenies too. Before AfricanKelli's challenge, I was very envious of my office mate's trash can. Now hear me out before you think I'm over the top strange.

I noticed that there was never anything in his trash can. I on the other hand had to have the crew clean mine out by mid day to make room for more crap.

As part of my challenge this week, I also wanted to see how little I could toss out this week. I'm doing really good so far.

There's a tie into geeks...just wait for it.

So, we (he and I) have been talking about different eco things we do. He mentioned that he had read about the energy used for white screens (ie, the white search engine screen on Google).

I'll let you be the judge on if you want to make the switch or not. Read up on it for yourself here.

Tread Lightly on Earth Day 2

2007-07-17T21:29:00.001-07:00

Which has less impact powder or liquid laundry detergent? I haven't given it much thought until this week. I've found a few different forums discussing the pros and cons of each.

I decided to go with the powdered on this trip because of the information point I found on the ClintonFoundation.org web site.

I also found a homemade laundry soap recipe, sounds interesting. I'll let you know if I'm able to try it.

Homemade Laundry Soap

3 pints water
1/3 bar Fels Naptha soap, grated
1/2 cup Borax
1/2 cup washing soda
1 quart hot water
cold water
Mix fels naptha soap in a saucepan with 3 pints of [w]ater. Heat on low until barely dissolved. Stir in borax and washing soda. Stir until thickened, then remove from heat. Add l quart hot water to 2 gallon bucket. Add soap mixture to bucket and mix well. Pour soap mixture into the bucket, mix well. Fill bucket with cold water and mix again. Let set for 24 hrs. If too thick or separated, stir before use. Use 1/2 cup per load of laundry.
I can make this in the US for about 75 cents a gallon. It works great. There are no sudsing fillers so your clothes won't get stiff and need fabric softeners. I use it as a pretreat on stains, too. It has saved me a lot of money. If you'd like to put this on the money saving tips forum I'd be flattered and it might be helpful to somebody on a tight budget.

Tread lightly on Earth Day 1

2007-07-16T06:37:00.001-07:00

That's the challenge AfricanKelli.com gave to her readers last week. I've been doing small things, but like a lot of us I could do better. I took those words to heart and this week, I'm going to see if I can break some habits. Check out the Flickr group to see what other ideas people had.

Blue sky and Blueberry Iced Tea

2007-07-15T16:04:00.001-07:00

Iced tea got a lot of discussion this past week on Andrea's Recipes. I can see how it is one of those things where everybody has their own secret or technique for brewing tea.

I found this Blueberry Iced Tea recipe in a Southern Living magazine. It was very refreshing. I used less blueberries and half the sugar and the result was a milder blueberry taste.

Have you heard the advertisements on Food Network for Ingrid Hoffmann's new show Simply Delicioso. I hope her show in English is a success.

I used the basic tamale casserole recipe and added and subtracted a few things to get what you see below. It's yummy.

Dance as if no one is watching

2007-07-15T15:43:00.001-07:00

Dance as if no one is watching. Yesterday on my flight home, some very interesting people sat around me and the thought of dancing as if no one is watching went through my mind.

The person to my left across the isle, a heavy metal kind of guy, black steal toe boots, HD t-shirt and listening to music loud enough where I could hear it. Let me tell you, he was playing every air instrument you could think of; Guitar, drums, keyboards. Sometimes all three at once.

The person sitting to my right was a quiet crossword puzzle guy. Button up short sleeved shirt, brown belt and khaki pants. Every so often, I spotted him conducting to an invisible orchestra.

The couple behind me were on their way to a cruise. They were having a discussion about what birds they were going to see in Alaska. If the lady knew the bird sound, she would start imitating bird sounds and he would either confirm or deny the accuracy of it.

Dance as if no one is watching. I was so moved by these people all engaged in something I hope they were passionate about.

Rain

2007-07-14T06:49:00.001-07:00

My mom is really proud of her tomato plant.

Summer Recharge

2007-07-13T12:00:00.001-07:00

Life can move too fast. So when it was time for the family summer beach vacation, my mind immediately went to all the things I needed to do at work and how would I fit in a vacation around my schedule.

I know I need to sit back and appreciate my family and my life. I hope you can take a second to do the same thing.

Garden gate in my parents back yard.

Orange Canna Lily

Texas Pink Crate Myrtle

Purple Wisteria

Making a French Connection

2007-07-11T08:12:00.001-07:00

14. What's more fun than being around a 16 year old? Mixing in a few 14 year olds. I have two cousins who are 14. They're freshmen.

My mom is a high school history teacher. She's been teaching the subject for the last 25 years. Let's just say she knows the whole Texas curriculium for each grade, what should be taught each year and what you should leave each grade knowing. This is important information for the dinner conversation my mom had with cousin Chris.

Scene: Cajun seafood restaurant in Galveston.

Chris- What are they saying in this song? I don't understand it?

Mom- It's in French.

Chris- Why in the world is there a French song on in a Cajun restaurant?

Mom- (looks wide-eyed at Chris)

Chris- What? I don't understand.

Mom- Who did we purchase Louisiana from?

Chris- Ummmmm.

Mom- You're a freshman, right? You had to have learned this.

Chris- I don't know, my teacher is Canadian.

Y'all where are we going to eat

2007-07-10T13:46:00.001-07:00

16. Do you remember that? I have a 16 year old sister. So, I'm getting regular installments of 16 year old logic.

Today's conversation started off like this-

Liz- Where are we going to eat tonight.

Mom- I don't know, what are you hungry for?

Liz- I've got this cute plaid top from A&F, the one with a bow. I'm going to wear that with my khaki shorts.

Mom- What does that have to do with what you're hungry for?

Liz- It doesn't, I just want to eat somewhere where I can wear that outfit.

Yelp.com Review of the Day

2007-07-08T19:36:00.001-07:00

I walked in the door from a fun weekend to my electric bill (not fun) and to find out that I got ROTD from Yelp.com! *blush*

Do you yelp? The mission of the site is:

Yelp is the fun and easy way to find, review and talk about what's great (and not so great) in your world. You already know that asking friends is the best way to find restaurants, dentists, hairstylists, and anything local. Yelp makes it fast and easy by collecting and organizing your friends' recommendations in one convenient place.

I've found lots of local independent bloggers from Phoenix on Yelp, it's been a great way to stay connected. I've looked up my old spots in Dallas, reviewed hole in the walls in Phoenix and planned for my trips to Vegas and Los Angeles using this site.

Keeping cool with ice brewed iced coffee

2007-07-05T22:39:00.001-07:00

When someone said to me that in the summer in Phoenix it can go days without going below 100, I finally got it. It's not the dry heat that can get you here, it's the fact that there is no relief from the heat. There are times that you can go out at midnight and it's still 100.

Since it is so hot, it makes the fact that I need coffee in the morning, pretty unfortunate. I read an article in the NY Times Online that caught my interest.

Do you know the difference between hot brewed coffee on ice and ice brewed iced coffee? I didn't. I had to try.

I found another use for those POM Juice jars, handy suckers aren't they.

These two jars were way over kill, plan on using almost 3x the coffee you would in traditional brewing. I could taste a subtle difference, but I'm not a coffee brewing expert either.

Cheers!

They're like confused cupcakes...Olive Oil Muffins

2007-07-01T21:16:00.001-07:00

Lazy bum. That's a good way to describe my Sunday activities. Up at 9AM, breakfast at Chase's Diner, back home and on the couch all afternoon. I mean all afternoon. I took small breaks from my napping to switch positions on the couch, but other than that- nothin. It's been awesome. I caught up on TiVo and Food Network shows.

This recipe really caught my eye. Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinegar are two main components of these muffins. I know crazy, that's usually how I start a salad dressing, so I was tempted to try it out.

You've got to try them. Amazingly good. All the flavors really come through, you can really taste all the flavors.

Olive Oil Muffins

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
4 large eggs
2 teaspoons orange zest
2 teaspoons lemon zest
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons whole milk
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2/3 cup sliced almonds, toasted
Powdered sugar, for sifting

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place paper liners in a 12-cup muffin tin.

Blend together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl to blend. Using an electric mixer beat the sugar, eggs, and zests in a large bowl until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in the vinegar and milk. Gradually beat in the oil. Add the flour mixture and stir just until blended. Crush the almonds with your hands as you add them to the batter and stir until mixed. Fill the muffin tin almost to the top of the paper liners. Bake until golden on top and a tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out with moist crumbs attached, about 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and cool for 10 minutes. Remove the muffins onto a platter and let cool for 5 more minutes. Sift powdered sugar over the muffins and serve.

Andrea's Recipes to the Rescue with Confetti Salad

2007-07-01T11:56:00.001-07:00

One of my most favorite blogs to troll is Andrea's Recipe Box. Her writing style, page navigation and descriptions are all very easy. Also, she has ~~two~~ three small boys, so how she finds time in the kitchen is a mystery to me!

I had two parties yesterday. I needed a dish that was quick and could withstand the heat. You can find the recipe here

The variations I used were almonds, mint and corn. I got a lot of great compliments.

I also took fixings to make the white wine spritzer I've posted before, a little white wine, seltzer and tonight I put blueberries in the mix. It was very refreshing and delicious.

Thank you Andrea!

How to find your car in Los Angeles

2007-06-25T22:12:00.001-07:00

This is very important if you ever lose your car in Los Angeles. Follow these rules exactly or it may not work.

Take your key fob in your right hand.
Press the unlock button.

What? Did I hear you say you're too far away for it to signal the car? Keep reading.

Open your mouth.
Place key fob under your chin.
Press the unlock button and walk around.

That was one topic of discussion from my weekend trip visiting Devin. He was very serious. That was only one experiment. The next was to see if our friend Carey picked up the phone when Devin called or when I called (she didn't know I went to LA). Ummm, Carey was busted, here's Devin talking to her from my phone. That's why I'm the BFF Devin!

Oh, we can't end any trip to LA with out a DOUBLE DOUBLE!

$1 Hot Dogs Update (dollarhotdogs.com)

2007-06-20T15:22:00.000-07:00

The empire is building over at dollarhotdogs.com. David has expanded his product placement and is promoting and creating a more diverse offering. Check out his CafePress store:

That MBA is really paying off Dave (I bet his parents are really proud)!

This conversation made me LOL

David S [3:16 PM]:
some one ordered condiments the other day
David S [3:16 PM]:
JUST condiments
Keesha [3:17 PM]:
ok, that's seriously funny
David S [3:17 PM]:
yeah i thought so too

Let's Play Cupcake

2007-06-18T22:05:00.001-07:00

The Odd Couple. That's my BFF Carey and me. Allow me to illustrate, when we went to Puerto Rico last summer, I had an allergic reaction to the *ocean*. Her remedy- I needed some yogurt, tea tree and echinacea. I on the other hand wanted Benedryl, a steroid and penicillin. Do you have a friendship like that? It's the best! She's the best!

It was Carey's birthday this past weekend. I couldn't go back to Texas to celebrate with her, so here's my virtual prezzie:

Happy Birthday Girl! Love you!

Another midnight run for Blue Bell

2007-06-17T09:44:00.000-07:00

Dear Grocery Store Manager-

The other evening I was on an emergency shopping run at your grocery store. You see my supply of Blue Bell ice cream (Cake, Strawberry and Homemade Vanilla) had run out.

Since I am delicate in both stature and sensibility, I only purchase the pint size portions. So, you can imagine the uncomfortable situation I was put in when the Century Sundae was only available in the half gallon portion.

What do you expect your shoppers to do when you don't inventory your store properly?

At one point, I almost walked over to the Ben&Jerry's or Haagen-Daz freezer. I must have been in shock or something? I hope you understand, I didn't want to bring home a whole half gallon of homemade vanilla, mixed with chocolate, caramel, whip cream and cherries.

I also didn't want to eat the ice cream straight out of the carton. But I had no choice because I can hardly lift this thousand pound tub!

Thank you (not so much),

Prissy.

To: You, From: Me; Homemade Cupcake Cards

2007-06-10T21:57:00.001-07:00

Yesterday I went to a stamping class. ~~I'm a loser.~~ Yes, that's right, a stamping class. ~~I have no life.~~ It's a lot of fun. ~~I didn't have any other invitations to do anything else fun.~~ I think I could make a lot of friends and have a place to hang out. ~~Like a Senior Center.~~

At least I won't gain weight from these cupcakes ;)

Is it too much to ask to put more than one grocery store bag in my car?

2007-06-08T06:35:00.001-07:00

Sara's dad has a 1956 Thunderbird and each of his girls in high school got to drive this classic when they were in school. It was georgous; jet black, white wall tires, red vynal interior with white trim. Man was it sleek.

She taught me how to drive in the parking lot one time. I decided that was my chance to smoky and bandit the car, forgetting that she was a yellow, green, brownish belt in something and she kicked my butt.

I didn't get the car.

Fast forward ten years, I'm getting married, and guess what my wedding present was? A bright red TBird! Whooo Hooo! It was like getting called down for the Price is Right, it was blinding, it was so freaking cool!

Logistically, there are some issues.

The airport- Ann asked me to take her airport. She packed more than a backpack. We literally had to sit on the trunk to get it to shut, move our seats so farward they wouldn't latch into place, take the top off and put the other bag where the canvis soft top is supposed to go.

The grocery- I don't know why I volunteered to pick up drinks for a marketing event today. I needed 1000 caprisuns and ice. I got 180 in there. Do you know how many trips to CostCo I made today? Oy!

It's here and we're back in action!

2007-06-05T21:22:00.001-07:00

I had a pretty little UPS note waiting for me today. I was bummed because I thought I missed their delivery and that I would have to wait one more day, but around the corner, I saw a little box tucked away and guess what was in it?

MY NEW CAMERA! WooT!

I have lots to do, learning a new camera. One little project I'm going to start on is taking photos of some of the cool business signs around Phoenix. This town has some tensile.

Here's my first photo:

Reese's cupcakes inspired by a Queen

2007-06-05T06:38:00.001-07:00

Hangar Cafe is good, but the median age of patrons is about 55 and they're mostly ex former military. Have you ever seen the red white and blue, eagle, Constitution polo's at Kohl's? Let's just say that there was a lot of those shirts represented.

I was there meeting DJ. He's cute. A little bit of a flirt. And slobbers a little when he kisses. (his parents, my BFF from high school and her husband were there too, but when there's a new baby, who pays attention to the parents?)

One thing about DJ's mom is that she's got quite the sweet tooth. While we all went for the savory dishes (biscuits, gravy, potatoes, eggs) she goes for the pancakes with lots of syrup.

Sara, here's what you would have enjoyed if you were able to stick around on Sunday.

I don't have a camera yet- I got a text message update from HSN and it should arrive on Thursday or Friday. It's very exciting! But, you can imagine the following.

Cupcake Queen inspired me again with these little gems. Plus I had new cupcake liners from Martha Stewart.

I baked a box chocolate cake, took a Reese's mini and put them in the raw batter and baked them as usual. When they cooled, I put creamy peanut butter on top and then topped that with milk chocolate frosting. These babies smelled like a little Reese's pieces bit of heaven.

See, BFF from high school, if you didn't have to go "play soccer" and be "athletic" you could have sat around with me and enjoyed one of these babies.

But it's your loss. Hmmmmmmmp. I'll just eat your share and show you.

Breakfast of Champions

2007-05-31T22:33:00.001-07:00

I have hit the high life my friends. I have oftentimes been envious of those of you who get to go those high powered, high stakes dinner meetings. Drinking martini's at Donovan's or having a sambucca at Drinkwater's.

Well, I have arrived, check out these digs:

Yes, that's a green paper plate with doritos and powered donuts.

HSN UPDATE:

My camera shipped today, so I should be able to stop taking crappy camera phone pictures and be back in business really soon.

Purchasing something from HSN

2007-05-28T07:20:00.001-07:00

Get me a cat and call it a day. I was sitting at home on Sunday DOING NOTHING. While channel surfing, I thought about HSN and QVC, I mean isn't that where all bored lonely souls go?

I got sucked in. I haven't had a camera for a few months now and I don't do good with electronic purchases. My friend Sean has a Kodak camera and he likes it, I looked at them once or twice at Target, but still haven't pulled the trigger.

Can you believe they had a limited quantity of Kodak cameras on sale for the next TWO MINUTES with 3789 already sold! OMG!

Oh my- I need to go! Esteban this next hour.

Checking out food reference sites

2007-05-27T12:28:00.001-07:00

Thinking about adding a reference setion to my sidebar on the blog. There are several reference sites I like to use when I need help cooking or need a little inspiration.

www.Switcheroo.com

Need to know the difference between grating and shreading a carrot, this is the site to reference.

www.Yelp.com

Reviews on this site are from real expereinces, not a lot of food wanna-be critic filler like you find on some other Web sites. The nice thing too is that with each search a map with near by restaurants and shops pops up.

www.tastespotting.com

Know that you're hungry for something or want just a little culinary inspiration? TasteSpotting.com surfs the Web for you. Each day new images are uploaded and yu click on the the one that catches your eye.

Behold the Mighty Margarita Cupcakes

2007-05-20T14:05:00.001-07:00

Holy cow it's hot. This is the beginning of my third summer in Phoenix and I'm getting the hang of 100+ degree temperatures. It only took me 2.5 years to master the springy solar shade thingy for my car. And let me tell you, I'm very excited about it.

I can't remember if I saw this recipe on Food Network or Real Simple Magazine, but either way, this was a really refreshing wine cooler, perfect for a cool down after spending the day at the pool.

Wine Coolers

Pinot Grigio, Seltzer, Limes

Mix half wine to seltzer, garnish with a lime. TA-DA!

Summertime to me is Jimmy Buffett and what better way to toast the parrot head than with an adaptation on the Margarita? Check these out. Truth be told, these were more lemon and lime than margarita, but they were really refreshing and light.

Margarita Cupcakes (adapted from RecipeZaar)

1 package lemon cake mix

1 (4 ounce) package instant lemon pudding mix

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup frozen limeade concentrate

1/4 cup water

4 large eggs, lightly beaten

1/2 cup Margarita mix

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, grease& flour a bundt pan.

Set aside.

Combine cake mix, pudding mix, vegetable oil, limeade, water, eggs, margarita mix in a large mixing bowl.

Beat for 5 minutes at medium speed with an electric mixer.

Pour batter in prepared bundt pan.

Bake for 45-55 minutes or until inserted toothpick in the center comes out clean.

Cool on a wire rack for 10-15 minutes.

Remove from pan and cool completely.

Margarita Icing

1 tub CoolWhip

2 T Lime Juice

Mix CoolWhip and Lime Juice together and frost cupcakes.

Hola, I'll take dos of those Pina Coladas (cupcakes)

2007-05-14T21:47:00.001-07:00

We would christen each summer with a theme when I lived in Dallas. My first summer there we were all about Madonna and martinis, the next summer Prince put out his Musicology album, so naturally it was Prince and Champaign.

It's nice having a theme, that way you don't have to put all your creative efforts into deciding what you're going to have for happy hour. Once you know it's going to be a martini, all your efforts can go into what type of martini you're going to have. It's all really quite efficient.

Thinking about themes, I thought it would be fun to put a theme to the next few batches of cupcakes- frozen drinks! This first batch was inspired by Michelle and Charla. Thanks Michelle for sending me the pictures.

I took a design idea from A Baker's Field Guide to Cupcakes and adapted a pina colada cake recipe and here's what turned out:

Making a beach scene:

Coconut, blue food coloring, graham crackers, zip lock bags and cocktail umbrellas.

Place 2 cups of shredded coconut in a zip lock bag with a few drops of blue food coloring. A little bit goes a long way. Shake until color is well blended.
Frost the cupcake as usual.
On one half of the cupcake drizzle the blue coconut.
On the other half drizzle the graham cracker crumbs.
Insert one beach umbrella.

What's your favorite summer frozen drink? Do you think it could be turned into a cupcake?

Let's monkey around: With a recipe that is!!!

2007-05-09T07:35:00.000-07:00

We go through phases at work, where we get fixated on certain irrelevant things. We went through a little penguin phase. That was when the development team at my office create these cute little icons for us to use and we all went crazy over them. How can you not love a penguin?

We're making progress and finally moving on past our penguin phase and you could say that it's now the Year of the Monkey. I was looking around for a "bread" recipe the other day, I want to try to send my mom in Texas breakfast for Mother's Day, and thought that would be my best bet.

While I was browsing the Food Network site, I came across a Monkey Bread recipe. Distracted, I forgot about Mom and got totally fixated on the "monkey" aspect of this recipe. I have had Monkey Bread at a brunch at the Zodiac Room at Neiman Marcus in downtown Dallas before and its delicious. I have the NM cookbook and the recipe is very complicated, therefore, I haven't tried to make it.

The Food Network recipe was really easy. It called for instant biscuits- now I can do that. While I was following the traditional bundt cake layout as the recipe suggested, I realized that I had quite a few biscuits left over and then I saw my cupcake pan still setting out- You know where I'm going with this, right?

MONKEY BREAD CUPCAKES!

Here's my adaptation on the Food Network Recipe:

Ingredients- Canned buttermilk biscuits, Sugar, Cinnamon, Butter, Brown Sugar, Pecans or Walnuts, Cooking Spray.

Process- In a large bowl, put about 1/2 cup of sugar and 2 teaspoons of cinnamon. Take one 8 count can of biscuits and cut into sixths. Roll the biscuit wedges in the cinnamon sugar mix and place about 5 wedges per greased cupcake slot. For a standard 12 cup pan, I made about 10 per log of biscuits. Melt 1 stick of butter with 1/2 cup of brown sugar. Toss in 1/2 cup of chopped nuts. Pour the mixture on top of the cupcakes. Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes.

I left the coffee machine on today

2007-05-08T07:30:00.000-07:00

"You'll be the stinky coffee person." That's what one of my friends told me when I mentioned that I wanted to start drinking coffee. How can you hear something like that and not have second thoughts about becoming a coffee drinker?

I didn't linger on the thought for too long. I am a coffee drinker- albeit, I'm holding steady at one cup a day. AND, I might say that I'm becoming quite the barista. My MooMoo even said that I was the best coffee maker in the family. If that's not a glowing endorsement I don't know what is. We talking about an accolade from a lady who drinks fully leaded coffee before naps and bedtime.

Here's what I've been doing lately:

I go to Sprouts and first and always take a sample from the coffee bar. You know a little teaser to get the coffee juices going.
I decide if I'm going for dark, medium or flavored blends.
I'll then take my little coffee bag and mix a few of the different beans together to make my own customized coffee flavors. A little tip: I always work in about 1/4 cup of espresso into the blend. Nothing like a little wake me up.

Give it a go and let me know how it works out. Just don't be like me and get half way to the office and forget if you turned the coffee maker off. I hope it has one of those fancy little automatic turn off buttons...

"I said RED toes! Am I being bossy? " Quotes and other things heard at Carey's wedding this weekend.

2007-05-01T07:06:00.000-07:00

I went to Texas this past weekend for Carey and Corey's wedding- they've only been planning this thing for almost two years and finally it was time to tie the knot. It was a great weekend.

"Carey, do you know what La Quinta means in Spanish? It means Denny's!" That's what I said as we pulled up to the hotel and she saw my nice smile turn into a sour pucker. Can you believe that she thought that a La Quinta was a good option for the first few nights we were in Dallas! OMG! Do you think we actually stayed there?

"Seriously, I can't feel my toes!" That's how dinner started on Thursday night. Shelley ( I love Shelley) always wears stilts (not high heels, that would be reasonable). She's the only person I know who would meet up for coffee or a quick grocery store run and be in heels that were 3" at least during the day and a minimum of 4" if we were going out. Shelley recently realized that she can no longer feel her toes, that's a problem, right?

"You're going to a strip club! It's my bachelorette party!" There's a lot more to this story, let's just say that it was traumatic and I don't want to talk about it.

I'll get more up later. There's the whole wedding and reception to talk about! Here's a picture of the happy couple the next morning, CONGRATULATIONS!

You'll scream for this ice cream filled post!

2007-04-17T19:50:00.000-07:00

Have you ever had Blue Bell ice cream? Let me tell you, it really is the best stuff on Earth (I don't care what Snapple claims!). So, last night, I don't know, around 10:30 PM, I decided that I needed some Blue Bell. The problem is that Wal-Mart is the only place I know of in Arizona that sells the stuff and every Wal-Mart in Arizona is in a baaaaaaad part of town.

So, last night at 10:30 PM, I truck my prissy little arse to Wal-Mart to pick up a pint. And let me tell you, I learned that there's nothing more intimidating than a female with ice cream on the brain; Nobody was messing with me!

Clockwise: Strawberry&Vanilla, Homemade Vanilla and Cake Batter.

Remember I said my MooMoo was in town visiting this last weekend? MooMoo taught me how to make coffee about 12 years ago. Remember I said I was a coffee drinker now. She taught me to make it, "A scoop a cup." My Uncle Steve jokes that when you put cream in MooMoo's coffee that the cream never makes it back to the top. That's good coffee huh?

One night while she was here, we made Coffee gelato. I use the gelato recipes from the cookbook, The Silver Spoon. I spiked the recipe with some chocolate chips (vegan chocolate chips Molly!).

Flying Grannys: Texas Chapter

2007-04-16T13:51:00.000-07:00

"They made me throw away my clam chowder at the airport!" My grandmother came to visit me this past week. She and her beau went to Napa the week earlier and she had stopped at Boudins on her way to the airport. She wanted to surprise me for dinner in Phoenix with clam chowder and sour dough bread from San Fransico.

The bread alone was worth it. We stopped at the grocery store on the way home and got lots of different cheeses, a few bottles of wine and our weekend was set.
Have I mentioned that my grandmother turned 80 this year? For her birthday, she wanted to go sky diving. Well the thought of MooMoo (that's what we call her, don't ask), the thought of MooMoo falling out of a plane was more than we could handle, so we got her a ride on an acrobatic airplane.

She did tell me at one point that she would go sky diving- GULP!

April Showers sometimes bring Lemon Meringue Cupcakes

2007-04-02T21:07:00.001-07:00

Dark skies and thunder oftentimes accompany springtime showers. In the desert, we don't have to worry about turbulent springtime weather, but sometimes we can find ourselves going through our own thunderstorms. I'm having one; BLAH!

Here's what I'm struggling with. I have a pink freakin blog. Hello...it's PINK. I moretimes than not, post about cupcakes...happy little cupcakes. So, what do you do when you think your pink blog looks like Pepto Bismol and you want to throw your happy little cupcakes at small children?

OK, truthfully, my aim is really bad, so I don't think any halfway nimble child has anything to worry about.

Now that we've established that I'm all BLAH, I managed to make cupcakes. And if life wasn't tough enough, I got a Rachel Ray magazine the other day. I know, you don't have to say it...

I took a Lemon Meringue Cupcake recipe featured in one of the articles and combined it with a technique I saw over on 52 Cupcakes. I think they turned out really nicely:

Technorati tags: Lemon Meringue Cupcakes, Raspberry Cupcakes, Rachel Ray

Creamy, dreamy cupcakes

2007-03-15T08:10:00.000-07:00

Here's an article from AZCentral: Thanks Krista for sending me the link!

Jaimee Rose
The Arizona Republic
Mar. 14, 2007 12:00 AM

We're at least 180 days from the Scottsdale opening of Sprinkles - the worshipped Los Angeles cupcakery - and already the Valley is crazed for cupcakes.

Local foodies are dishing about them on chowhound.com. They're being served at weddings, dinner parties and posh society events.

Places to get a cupcake fix are popping up all over: Cupcakes Corner Cafe opened in Phoenix in February, and Cupcakes is coming to Scottsdale in April. (An event heralded in 944 magazine, of all places. See, even the hipsters love frosting.)

Nationally, this frosting frenzy has been mounting for ages. New York went cupcake crazy about four years ago after Carrie and Miranda gobbled Magnolia Bakery's confections on Sex and the City. Sprinkles opened in Beverly Hills in 2005, and customers still wait in line for 30 minutes to buy a single red velvet cupcake heaped with cream cheese icing.

Oprah passed them out on her TV show. Tyra Banks confessed to being obsessed.

Now you can buy Sprinkles mixes at Williams-Sonoma, and the country has reached critical cupcake mass. There are a cupcake blog (cupcakestakethe cake.blogspot.com), a cutesy "cuppycake" song circulating on YouTube and even Starbucks offering two-packs to take home.

Come September, when Sprinkles opens at Scottsdale and Camelback roads, we'll have our turn to wait in line for cake.

Meanwhile, we're getting our sweet tooth on.

At La Grande Orange Grocery in Phoenix's Arcadia section, customers are biting into 2,000 Tammie Coe cupcakes a month. (Perhaps this is because there are 2 1/8 inches of gooey cream cheese icing piled on Tammie Coe's decadent coconut cupcakes - we measured.)

When the legendary Barefoot Contessa Coconut Cupcakes came out as a prepackaged, $10 mix last April, there was a run on them at AJ's Fine Foods and the shelves were emptied for weeks. The trend has prompted a cookbook spree: think 34 cookbooks with cupcake in the name, from Crazy About Cupcakes to Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World, on amazon.com.

At Frances - a Phoenix boutique that has nothing to do with baking - there are cupcakes on note cards, and knitted cupcakes handmade by a local artist are selling so wildly that there's a waiting list for new designs.

We've seen cupcakes on baby clothes and adult T's alike. Gwen Stefani is putting them on handbags. Juicy Couture is printing them on $128 hoodies and calling it "cupcake couture." Women's tank tops strewn with cute cupcakes are selling for $49 at Electric Ladyland in Scottsdale.

The cupcake, it seems, has become a simple symbol of joy.

Slade Grove watches when customers bite into one of his cupcakes at Wicked Bakery, in north Phoenix. He adores absorbing "the facial expressions of it - they just melt into pure ecstasy," he says.

Part of the cupcake's charm lies in some strange illusion of virtuous control: This is your allotted portion. This is what you're supposed to eat. It's all contained in this neat little wrapper. How fattening can it be?

(If you don't want to know the answer - and you probably do not - skip this bit: Cupcakes, with their heaps of icing, often have more calories than a slice of cake. Grove says they can range from 250 to 1,000 calories. Each.)

Cupcakes also carry the niceties of nostalgia: They are what moms used to bake and send to school for birthdays, before the era of prepackaged safety rules. You got to pass out your cupcakes to your classmates, who wished you a happy birthday, and everyone was nice to you all day.

"I love that they're playful," says Dena Patton, founder of Chat, Chew & Chocolate, a Valley events company. There's a cupcake named for her group at the new Cupcakes Corner Cafe, which has been mobbed with hungry eyes since opening Feb. 27 in Phoenix. Eating a cupcake, Patton says, "reminds me of childhood. I love the fun of it. It's messy. I love that I get to lick frosting off my fingers."

But still, she says, she can't quite believe such a melee over a $3 baked good.

"At Sprinkles, people's eyes are like biiiiing! They just get addicted," Patton says. "There's like this craze around it. There are franchises. In cupcakes. That's crazy to me."

Cupcaking with Worms

2007-02-26T20:02:00.001-07:00

It is important to realize that are many different species of worm, each suited to a different habitat. These worms are suited perfectly for a little cupcake garden. I copied these cupcakes from my newest cookbook, A Baker's Field Guide to Cupcakes. I'm really enjoying the layout of the book, it's easy to follow. For example, for each recipe, there's a write up that explains either the variations you can take with each one and then the recipe follows with a picture of the end product. It's a paint by numbers cupcake book which is perfect for me. I tend to not be too snazzy in that part of baking.

I'm getting better results with the 'basic' cake recipes in this book. The recipes I've used from Martha tend to explode out of the little cupcake holders and so far, I've had really good luck with these.

As always, I take the treats up to the office and share them with my team, but I wanted to participate in AfricanKelli's Calculated Acts of Kindness challenge, so today I took them into the break room and shared. Everyone who happened to be in the break room at 2:15PM today, got to attend a Cupcake Party! It was really fun. I got a chance to visit with some people I usually only get to say 'hello' in passing to in the hallway and meet some people I hardly knew. There was even one guy, who didn't say one thing to me, walked straight over to the cupcakes and grabbed one and walked away. Hope you enjoyed it random cupcake grabber! :P

...

This meal was brought to by the by the letters E, the number 9 and no fossil fuels.

2007-02-25T16:43:00.001-07:00

"Self." That's how I start all my personal internal conversations. "Self, you really should try to do something half way active. You've had desserts for most of your meals this week. Haven't we been talking about the approaching swim suit season. Do you really want that new 'curve' around your tummy slushing around for everyone to see?"

That's the conversation that precipitated my purchase of a bicycle. Now before you think I've gone and lost my mind and forgot about that unfortunate front break, flying over the handle bars incident I had when I was 16; I haven't. I wanted a bicycle that would let me get from point A to point B, involve a little movement and look stylish. Look at this pretty little thing: And it's all mine.

I was so excited this morning when I thought about all the things my bicycle and I could do. Yesterday we went to La Grande Orange and got a sparkling water, this morning we would go to Sprouts.

Grocery list in hand, I headed out and it was a lot of fun. I even rang my little bell at a few kids on the way. When I pulled up at the grocery store, I even had an audience. The cashier and the manager both came out to talk to me about my bike. We talked about biking things. It was all very fancy. She even loaded my front basket so nothing would fall out. I felt really good on my way home. I was actually out and moving, I had to be thoughtful about what I purchased, I didn't use any grocery bags and I didn't have to use my car to get there.

It was only a buck...why not buy it

2007-02-19T19:52:00.001-07:00

Buying and creating websites; it's a sick compulsion when you work at a .com. I can't explain it. You sit around during the day and someone will say a funny little line and "Poof" there's a website up in minutes. I will even admit, that I have been bitten by the bug, only a few times.

One day last week, Tischy walks up to me at work and he says, "Hey!" (he starts all his conversations that way), "Hey! Do you want to buy a hot dog for a buck?" Confused look overcomes my fantastic face. "Yeah, I started www.dollarhotdogs.com just now. It's going to be amazing. I'm going to sell hot dogs, made to order for a buck."

Back in my office a while later, I browse to the site and sure enough. He's selling hot dogs for a buck. It's kinda cleaver, I must admit, but will he really put his money where his mouth is. Will he really deliver a made to order hot dog via mail?

I placed my order. It was $1.00 + .80 for shipping and handling. I walked in this past week, to a special delivery. I actually received my dollar dog!

I wish you could see the postage stamp, it cost him $1.83 alone for the stamp. $2.00 for the box and we haven't even factored in the cost of the hot dog! Needless to say, I'm NOT going to eat it. I give it an A for effort, but I don't think he's making a million on this one.

From Phoenix with Love

2007-02-14T08:35:00.000-07:00

Thinking about the people I love and doing thoughtful things don't usually line up in my life. I buy cards for almost every significant event, compose a thoughtful message and never get the cards in the mail. I can't even think of a good excuse why I don't. I have stamps, my office is across the street from a post office, I just can't seem to make the two actions connect.

BUT, this year, HA! I actually executed on something semi thoughtful. I made stationary.

It was a little scary wondering through the craft store. I was embarrassed. I needed a glue gun. The minute I asked some glitter-bedazzler-sewing maven for a glue gun, they would know I was a novice. They might, even point and laugh at me.

So, trudging through the store, I finally found the cutest little glue gun you've ever seen. I fought through the stamp isle (more on crazy scrapbookers later) and found some pretty ribbon. 19 hours later, I had a finished product, ready for delivery.

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY Y'ALL!

Everyday recycling...More you can do

2007-02-05T20:32:00.001-07:00

I take out the trash less. That's one of the BIG benefits since I started recycling paper products and cans at home. The City of Phoenix dropped off my new blue recycling bin and I've been filling it with joy.

Who knew it, taking out the trash can be fun. Once you start recycling, you start to see all sorts of opportunities to reduce, reuse and recycle. I'm saving all my dry cleaner hangers and taking them back about once a month. We go through about 75 hangers a month (a clear indication I don't iron).

Krista at work, who's a very seasoned environmentalist, started a can counter web site. Over the past year, she's trained an entire wing of the office to drop cans off at her desk, and she take them home to recycle. Since, we work in technology, you can imagine the amount of a caffeine consumption over there. You can visit her at KristaRecyles.com.

This morning, I saw a story on the news where you can remove your name from direct marketing mailing lists. Looking at how much junk mail I toss in the recycle bin, I thought it would be worth a shot. It's only a buck and hey, if it works, then all the better. Check out the web site for the Direct Marketing Association. Tired of getting all those credit card offers, call 1-888-5OPT-OUT. I'll keep you posted.

Technorati tags: reduce junk mail, recycling at home

Vegan with a Vengeance Chocolate Cupcakes

2007-02-01T07:11:00.001-07:00

Curious. That's what I was when I saw a recipe for Vegan Cupcakes. I'm not a vegetarian or a vegan, and I was curious about what goes into a cupcake without milk, butter and oil.

My shopping spree took me to the most Hippy store I know, Sprouts. I love going to there, shopping while sipping on free coffee samples and listening to "At the car wash."

I'll tell you, this experiment made me more conscience about what I'm cooking with. My final verdict is that I'm glad I learned something new, but no lifestyle changes for me. I am going to try to make a soy latte with some of the new ingredients sitting my kitchen.

On a side note, I did have this vegan cupcake with a big glass of milk. I know, it defeats the purpose, but come on, can you really have a cupcake without milk?

Devil's Food Vegan Cupcakes

Adapted from "Vegan With a Vengeance," by Isa Chandra Moskowitz (Marlowe, 2005)

Time: 1 hour 45 minutes

FOR THE CUPCAKES:
Nonstick cooking spray
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder
3 tablespoons black cocoa powder (see note) or more Dutch-process cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup plain soy milk
1/4 cup canola oil
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

FOR THE FILLING:
1/3 cup nonhydrogenated margarine, such as Earthbalance
1/3 cup nonhydrogenated shortening
21/2 to 3 cups confectioners’ sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
For the chocolate icing:
1/3 cup plain soy milk
4 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup or confectioners’ sugar

FOR THE ROYAL ICING:
2 cups confectioners’ sugar
1 to 2 tablespoons plain soy milk.
1. For the cupcakes: Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 12-muffin pan with paper liners, and spray lightly with nonstick spray. In a mixing bowl, stir together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a mixer, combine the soy milk, oil, syrup, sugar, vinegar and vanilla. Mix at medium speed for 2 minutes. Add half the dry ingredients and mix to blend. Add remaining dry ingredients and mix for 1 minute.
2. Use a standard ice cream scoop to fill cupcake liners 3/4 full. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Turn out onto a cooling rack and allow to cool completely.
3. For the filling: In a mixer, beat margarine and shortening until combined. Add 21/2 cups confectioners’ sugar and beat until very fluffy, about 10 minutes. Taste for sweetness and add remaining 1/2 cup sugar if desired. Add vanilla and beat for 1 minute more.
4. For the chocolate icing: In a small skillet, bring soy milk to a simmer. Reduce heat to very low and stir in the chocolate and maple syrup, stirring until just melted. Turn off heat.
5. For the royal icing: Using an electric mixer or by hand, sift sugar into a bowl and add 1 tablespoon soy milk. Mix, adding up to 1 more tablespoon soy milk until consistency is like stiff toothpaste.
6. To assemble: Prepare two pastry bags, one fitted with a large plain tip, and one with a small writing tip. Fill large-tipped bag with filling, and the small-tipped bag with royal icing. (Instead of pastry bags, thick resealable plastic bags may be used. For filling, cut off one corner of bag so the opening measures a scant 1/2 inch across. For icing, opening should be just large enough to pipe a thin line.)
7. Using your pinkie, poke a hole in center of each cupcake top about an inch deep. Push tip of pastry bag with filling into each hole, firmly squeezing in filling and slowly drawing tip up and out. When all cakes have been filled, wipe off any excess that sticks out from holes; tops of cupcakes should be flat.
8. Place cupcakes on a baking sheet or tray that fits in refrigerator. Rewarm pan of chocolate icing over low heat if necessary, stirring constantly. Dip top of each cupcake into icing, swirling to coat completely. When all cupcakes are dipped, refrigerate 10 to 15 minutes to set. When set, use royal icing to make squiggles across center of each cupcake. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve, up to 1 day.
Yield: 12 cupcakes.

Broomsticks and Aprons and lots in between...Catching up on this week

2007-01-28T08:03:00.001-07:00

Dishes. That's why I haven't really been in the kitchen this week. I don't want to do dishes. Silly isn't it. I've been to the grocery store, clipped recipes, but still, we ate out every meal this last week. I wonder if it was the weather? Forecast for this week- Vegan Cupcakes I found in a NY Times article link from AfricanKelli.

Bridal Showers. Oh yeah, there was one of those in the mix too. I don't do "showers" really well. I don't like guessing how big is the mom-to-bes-belly or play Married Mad-Lips, but this one was short, to the point and fun. Ana had a great idea for place holders. She made aprons with our names on them and them tied to the backs of our chairs.

Farmer's Markets. I love getting up early on Saturday mornings and heading out to Farmer's Markets. The Farmer's Market group in the Phoenix area has really worked on putting up a friendly Web site. I usually go to the RoadRunner Market, you can count on at least a dozen vendors and a nice selection of fresh produce and pre-made items. This weekend I ventured out to the Mesa Market. There was only one produce vendor and maybe two arts and craft booths. It was nice enough, but after five minutes, I was finished browsing.

One good thing about the experience, was that I got to explore downtown Mesa. There's a lot of sculpture and boutique shops. This sculpture is called the Drunk Horse.

Art. Getting caught up in the art scene, it's not a bad place to be. I went to the Phoenix Art Museum. My friend Ann is finishing her Docent training there and she wanted to practice her tour. She did an amazing job and I learned a lot. I don't know how to really look at art. I'm one of those spend 10 seconds per painting, determine if I could have done it better and move on. So, any chance to have someone talk to you about a piece, is a treat. She needs to work on being nicer. She kept telling me, "Don't touch that!"

We ran over to Old Town and went to see the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art. There was a fun exhibit with lots of toy figures. If you go there, you MUST eat breakfast or lunch at The Orange Table.

Last night, Hubby and I went to see Body World 3 at the Arizona Science Center. We learned a lot. Here's a hint, we went at 7:45 PM, which was perfect. We ate an early dinner at Circa 1900, went to the exhibit and afterwards, went back to Circa for dessert. My dinner experience was similar to the review in Feasting in Phoenix. I had to capture a shot of the dancers in front of the Herberger Theater. Something tells me this wasn't part of the original vision, but if you can't have fun, what's the point.

You can't go wrong with Limoncello...cupcakes that is!

2007-01-18T19:32:00.001-07:00

Have you ever seen someone running around with their hair on fire? I'm not talking a little singed eyebrow, but fully engulfed! This new year has been throwing me a few curve balls and I'm doing my best to roll with the punches. I have had just a little bit of time in the kitchen.

I hosted a meeting at my house for about 12 ladies in a volunteer group I'm involved with. We talked about being aware of how teens are using MySpace. It was a great topic where we really explored some tips on how to make sure you're not making yourself too vulnerable. This was especially important to me since I have a teen sister.

Of course cupcakes were going to be on the menu. I found a recipe from the Food Network that looked interesting. I took the basic theme and tweaked it a bit (for example, they used a boxed chocolate cake recipe and I made mine from scratch). Here's what I ended up with?

Chocolate Orange Cupcakes with Limoncello Frosting

2 cups flour
1/2 cup cocoa
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1 cup orange juice
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup chocolate chunks
zest of one orange

PREPARATION:
Sift together the flour, cocoa, soda and salt. Cream together the sugar, mayonnaise, water and vanilla. Add dry ingredients to the creamed mixture; stir until well blended.

FROSTING:

2 cups powered sugar
4 tablespoons butter, softened
2 tablespoons limoncello
2 tablespoons orange juice
1 orange zested

Technorati tags: Limoncello, cupcakes, myspace safety, limoncello frosting

Hot taMolly!

2007-01-12T08:38:00.000-07:00

Going north to Alaska! That's what Molly's grayed out instant messenger says. It's sad and exciting all at the same time. If you're looking for her blog, it's down until she gets all settled in, but I'm looking forward to reading about all her new Super Wife adventures soon. Here's a glimpse of her going away party- can you say KARA-OKE!

Cool Slideshows

Chicken in a Bandana

2007-01-11T09:15:00.000-07:00

No lie. One day I was running around the office, spouting off orders as is my custom. I ran into Molly's office, I'm sure to jump her butt about something and the most random thing came flying out of my mouth; Yadda, yadda, "or did I see a chicken wearing a bandanna?" Seriously, did I just say that? Out loud. It's quotable. So, she wrote it on her board. This was months ago.

Today, I'm surfing. Just seeing what's out there and I go to cuteoverload.com. It's just a guilty pleasure. And look what I found posted. People do you see what I see! It's a chicken. With a scarf! OMG.

Ok, so now I feel guilty for posting this totally random article, it's got nothing to do with food, eating or baking....unless you think that chicken looks yummy?

If you kill the joe...Make some more

2007-01-09T07:49:00.000-07:00

I've become a coffee drinker. And I love it. For Christmas I got a new coffee grinder and so far this week, I've made my way through two different types of coffee from Sprouts: Moka Java and Peruvian Blend. I really like the Peruvian Blend. Don't ask my why: It just tastes really good.

On another note, I got a new phone. I'm not too much of a gadget girl. I had my last phone for two years and would still have the one before that, but everyone kept calling me Zack Morris because it was huge. This phone has a pretty good camera. I couldn't help but capture this picture this morning. Remember we got the dogs new beds and they were having a hard time figuring out that they're supposed to actually LAY on the bed. Bidi is getting closer, but she's not there yet.

It's just a little grease fire...no big deal

2007-01-08T20:30:00.001-07:00

Wouldn't you know it? Putting a paper towel on your gas stove top while frying bacon could cause a fire. It was just a little grease fire....no big deal.

Overwhelmed....First weekend back home from the Holidays

2007-01-07T11:39:00.001-07:00

Specific and measurable results. It's hard when you preach that every day at work and then you're faced with the task of coming up with a New Year's Resolution. *grumble*

Here's what I came up with: Limit my TV consumption. I don't know about you, but I seem to default to the TV being on all the time. It's my background noise. The problem is that when it's on, I find myself pausing all the time to watch a segment or just zoning out on nothing. I've got some rules, so I'm not going cold turkey.

Keesha's TV Watching Algorithm

Weekdays= (News and Weather till I leave for work + News and Jay Leno)+ (Mindful watching of Grey's Anatomy + Ugly Betty + No Reservations)
Weekends= (who needs it?)

Now I'm trying out all the XM satellite stations. Yesterday I listened to XM Hitlist and today I'm trying out XM 20 on 20. So far I've learned that Akon likes to "Smack that!" and I can "loosen up my buttons" and "shake my moneymaker." I need to find another channel.

I hope to get back in the kitchen this week and back to my blog. Ciao!

Texas Christmas Recollections Day Five

2006-12-28T19:56:00.001-07:00

Is it over yet? We've been every where man. College Station, Austin, San Antonio, Bastrop. Today we got to go see Hubby's Dad and R at their new Texas Ranch (ok, mini-ranch, but there are cows!). It was a really nice relaxing afternoon and it was awesome that we got to see them. We had a great lunch, but left before dinner was ready. She was making a French Market Soup and it smelled go good. I tried looking up a recipe, but none of them seemed to match hers. Maybe we can get her to share?

Today officially starts Texas New Years! and I'm happy to report that I found my special houseslipper socks, it might just be a great New Year!

Texas Christmas Recollections Day Three & Four

2006-12-27T21:21:00.001-07:00

JD's wife's daughter's husband. That's how people are described in Caldwell. It's not enough to say JD Smith, because there could possibly be 3 JD Smiths in a town of 3,000 people. For example, I'm Nada's oldest daughter's husband's daughter. Hubby is Reube's oldest daughter's oldest son. It's important that you go back at least three generations, lineage is very important to everyone knowing exactly who and what you're all about. It's kinda cute. I'm back from a road trip with the family. We went to San Antonio and we had a lot of time to talk about who all we've seen since we've been here, so all conversations about people have to include a genealogy.

San Antonio; It's my favorite city in Texas. Here's some highlights from our trip down.

Of course, the Alamo.

The Original Mexican Restaurant on the Riverwalk (daytime).

The Original Mexican Restaurant on the Riverwalk (nighttime).

My most favorite place in San Antonio is Mi Tierra's. Think Mexican Gone Wild then times 10, then add a few Hail Mary's and perpetual Christmas and you're starting to understand this place.

Here's my dad. He's an Aggie.

Lizzy approves of this meal.

Remember what I said about Christmas- Did you imagine this?

There are actually Mariachi's in the bar.

Texas Christmas Recollections Day Two

2006-12-25T10:13:00.001-07:00

James Brown died. Merry Christmas. Can you believe that's the line my dad blurted out during Christmas present time this morning? Then he preceded to walk around the living room, in his Christmas pajamas singing, "I feel good," hip wiggle, "I knew that I would now." Very inappropriate, right!

Excess should be the word of the day, so far it's been full of it and it does feel good (da da la da da). Here's some snapshots:

In other news, we think LoLo has a slight Orange Soda addiction. I'll let you figure out which one she is! LOL.

Sock update. I've ruled out my Aunt B as being the sock culprit.

Texas Christmas Recollections Day One

2006-12-24T10:05:00.001-07:00

Church bells. Lawn mowers. Shoes on wood floors. Waking up in Caldwell is always the same. The Lutheran Church is two down from my house and the church bells sound every hour. When it's Christmas time, there's usually a Silent Night chime and then the "DONG!" "DONG!" "DONG!" On our first morning back, there were 11 dongs before we got up. I guess that happens when you don't get in until 2 AM. Denver weather backed everything up.

Mr. Perry is our neighbor. He loves his riding lawn mower. So, most mornings you can hear him and since my bedroom window faces his house, I get it in full effect. I don't mind. I like the sound of lawn mowers. It sounds like progress. You know that when you're finished mowing that you can see what you've done. You don't have to run any reports to chart your progress, there's no specific measurable matrix you have to fit into. The yard is either mowed or it isn't. Simple huh?

My parents house, which was my grandparents home and the one my Mom grew up in is really old. I think it's almost old enough for Willard Scott to wish it a happy birthday and it comes with all the moaning groaning you'd expect from a house that old.

Dad wakes up early. Which can be good, when he's got a project. When he doesn't have a project, then it's bad news for everyone. This morning it was breakfast and inappropriate jokes. His first one started, "Hey" (that's how all his jokes begin), "Hey, have you heard of the new sexual position for married couples?"

Finally, I've got a bit of a situation cooking up here. You see, my parents keep the house freezing! I'm serious, I can see the thermostat from here and it says, 68! So, not that that's ridiculous, but I, knowing how cold they keep the house, brought socks specifically designed for cold weather and walking on wood floors. They're the kind with rubber traction on the bottom and they have little slots for each of your toes. You know the ones right. So, now I'm forced to wear borrowed flip flops and freeze my little tootsies off :(

To my delicious and fabulous blogroll posse, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

2006-12-13T20:31:00.001-07:00

African Kelli

Kelli, most times I get tired reading your blog. How do you have time to bike, run, swim, sew, craft, cook and be so thoughtful at the same time? When I think about what I liked about biking most, it was the spokes and the plastic things on the wheels that made noise when you rode. Then I thought about streamers, man, I loved the streamers on my bike. And being the crafty little vixen you are, I thought you'd like to make your own!

Cupcake Queen

I won't forget the day Hubby came in and said Aunt L has a blog, you should read it. I thought it was the coolest thing since, well, the coolest thing since the cupcake! I've had a ton of fun blogging and even more fun seeing all the cool stuff you're doing. For Christmas, you get this kick ass video!

Feasting in Phoenix

Seth, I know your roomie has moved out and I hope that you're adapting. I laughed out loud when I read about the 'ax whilding' night at your house. I thought you could use this. And if you DO wear this outside, please call me.

Super Wife

"Mirror, mirror on the wall, who's the prettiest blogger of them all?" "Why Molly of course." I know that since you have a tall, handsome, guitar playing, poetry speaking hottie, that you would like nothing more than for him to get out of medical school so you can be that amazing trophy wife you always wanted to be. Well baby girl, Merry Christmas!

Tequila Stakes Croquet

Melati, Thank you so much for inviting Hubby and I to your most amazing party. Fitting with your karaoke legacy, I'd like to get you for Christmas, a few props. I'm guessing you can figure out what to do with all of it :P

The PMA

It's really old by now, but the image of you running through that ghetto mall, with your two laptops (nerd alert!) trying to catch a bus really does make me laugh. I didn't know if you'd be lonely this holiday, you know now that you have the luxury of going to and from work in your own car, so for Christmas, I thought I'd get you a little visit from your old friend.

Hubby

I love you. Desde aqui hasta la luna.

I have a tamale lady, but I don't know her name or have her number.

2006-12-11T20:15:00.001-07:00

I take my tamales seriously. So much so that, at a work function the other night, we all had to submit a statement or a fact and the title of this post was actually submitted by a colleague. Poor thing, I badger him regularly, because he has a tamale lady and he has never brought any to work.

You know what, I don't need your tamale lady, there's a whole festival where all they have is tamales! I'll go there and you and your tamale lady can be happy by yourselves! And to show you, I'll eat a million of them! See,

And if you try to get in between me and my tamales, this guy's got my back.

Everyone is busy :(

2006-12-07T20:51:00.001-07:00

Everyone seems that they're busy with conference calls to India, writing on this, advocating that. Heck, Hubby's just up and left for India then decided he needed a suit from China, so now he's there.

Beijing

You know what people! I've been busy too. For example, on Sunday night I reached the end of the Internet and do you know who I met there? Huey Lewis and Gweneth Paltrow.

It's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas and I didn't bake a thing!

2006-12-03T18:03:00.001-07:00

Sweet snacks. That was my agenda for today. One thing I miss about my mom's house is that during the Holidays there are so many sweets around. She must have 1o cookie jars and each one has something different in it. Pralines, divinity, sugar cookies, peanut brittle and the list goes on.

I wanted to be in the kitchen today, but I didn't want to commit to the whole baking thing today, so I managed to pull together a few quick, minimal prep sweet snacks. Something to feel a bit like home.

Peppermint Bark

2 lbs White Chocolate
8 oz crushed Peppermint (candy canes)
1 t Peppermint Extract

Melt the white chocolate in a double boiler, add in the crushed peppermint and a dash of peppermint extract. Smooth the mixture out on a piece of parchment paper on a cookie sheet and put in the fridge for until its hard. Break into bite size pieces.

Deb's Sweet Trail Mix

2 c Peanut Capt'n Crunch
2 c Rice Krispie's
2 c Mini Marshmallows
2 c Salted Nuts (cashews)
1 c Pretzel Sticks

16 oz White Chocolate

Mix all of the dry ingredients together. Melt the white chocolate in a double boiler. On a parchment paper lined cookie sheet, spread out the cereal mix. Pour the melted white chocolate on the mix and stir all together. Put cookie sheet into the fridge until it is hard. Break into bite size pieces.

Melissa's No Bake Bars

Morsels (chocolate, peanut butter, butterscotch)
1 can condensed milk

Graham crackers
1 c butter

Not a lot of exact measurements for this recipe. Use a 9x12 baking dish and spread crushed graham crackers and butter mixture (like you're making a cheesecake crust). Pour one can of sweetened condensed milk over the graham cracker crust. Pack your choice of morsels on-top of the condensed milk. I used chocolate, peanut butter and toasted pecans.

Ah, and here's another Christmas tradition, the Christmas Tequila Shot, ahhhhh.

It's just like Betty Crocker, Really, It's Betty Crocker Banana Nut Bread

2006-11-29T20:44:00.001-07:00

I picked up some bananas last week and I've been waiting for them to get gooey, so they'd make extra delicious banana nut bread. Let me tell you, I've tried quite a few banana bread recipes in my day and this one I found on Betty Crocker's site is unbelievable. Check out my muffins:

As I sit here enjoying my little treat, I can't help but give you a little update on the family. Hubby decided to get the dogs beds. They're huge, because we have huge dogs. The sad part is that they're beds to date has been an old blanket, so they're not too savvy on this whole bed thing, but Bidi is starting to figure it out. We hope she'll make it, actually on the bed by this weekend.

Banana Bread

1 1/4 cups sugar
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups mashed very ripe bananas (3 to 4 medium)
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/2 cups Gold Medal® all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup chopped nuts, if desired

1. Move oven rack to low position so that tops of pans will be in center of oven. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease bottoms only of 2 loaf pans, 8 1/2x4 1/2x2 1/2 inches, or 1 loaf pan, 9x5x3 inches.
2. Mix sugar and butter in large bowl. Stir in eggs until well blended. Add bananas, buttermilk and vanilla. Beat until smooth. Stir in flour, baking soda and salt just until moistened. Stir in nuts. Pour into pans.
3. Bake 8-inch loaves about 1 hour, 9-inch loaf about 1 1/4 hours, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes. Loosen sides of loaves from pans; remove from pans and place top side up on wire rack. Cool completely, about 2 hours, before slicing. Wrap tightly and store at room temperature up to 4 days, or refrigerate up to 10 days.

Technorati tags: banana nut bread, banana bread

St. Louis via St. Paul via Phoenix all the way to you on the World Wide Web Salad

2006-11-27T20:51:00.001-07:00

"You have a salad spinner!" Have you seen these? You wash the lettuce, put it in a bowl with a lid, push the button and it spins the water out. It's amazing.

I was in Minnesota with a friend this summer when her Mom was showing off in the kitchen with her spinner. I don't know what she'll do next....maybe an automatic chopping device.

Out of that salad spinner came an amazing salad. I actually forgot which restaurant in St. Louis she said she adapted it from, I call it my St. Louis via St. Paul via Phoenix Salad.

St. Louis via St. Paul via Phoenix Salad

3 romain lettuce hearts
1/4 head of iceberg lettuce
10 oz. can of artichoke hearts drained (not pickled)
4 oz. jar of diced pimentos drained (not seasoned)
10 oz. can of hearts of palm drained
1/2 large red onion
1/2 cup parmesan cheese

1/3 cup Wishbone Italian, 1/2 cup Wishbone Ceasar Mixed

Wash it, chop it, mix it in and enjoy.

Oh, and one more little tip. If you mix the salad dressing in the hearts of palm jar, it makes it easy to store.

Technorati tags: salad spinner, salad, wishbone, lettuce

Arizona Farmer's Market

2006-11-26T15:52:00.001-07:00

Eat locally. It's a concept, a philosophy, a movement to be aware of the impact you can have by thinking about what food is available to you locally. You impact local economy. You impact the environment. I know I'm not equipped to make a full on switch to only locally grown food, but I get it and when I can, I try to give my patronage to locally owned businesses, including Agri-business.

Impact the environment. Did you know there's a type of potato that's been genetically engineered to help corporations like McDonalds produce more uniformed french fries? The problem with this science is that the potato, like corn feed chickens, is so full of artificial "hormones" that the original nutritional value is almost null (not like that didn't happen after they're fried in transfat). Here's the kicker. The water demands to grow these super potatoes is so great, that it's threatening the ground water supplies in the areas where there are massive crops. Isn't that amazing?

Busy lives. I feel pressed to cook during the week, and cooking during the week can be a chore. That's why I'm happy to find that the Arizona Farmer's Market group is getting organized and making larger efforts to advertise themselves.

They're new site is awesome and it's easy to find dates and locations where communities are hosting events. Check out their new site and find one in your neighborhood. Arizona Farmer's Markets.

Technorati tags: slow cook, eat locally, arizona, arizona farmers market

Awesome Portobello Brucetta...This should knock their socks off

2006-11-23T12:27:00.000-07:00

"I thought 10 lbs of potatoes would be enough," is how Thanksgiving started last year at RJ and Melissa's house. I had never seen 10 lbs of mashed potatoes anywhere except at the Golden Corral, but it was the first Thanksgiving she was hosting and my first one away from home, so neither of us knew better.

This year, we've learned some lessons and Mel decided to throw another bash. I've got some traditional Southern dishes I'm whipping up and more on that later, but the appetizer I'm contributing should knock their socks off. Its one I found in a Gourmet a few years back and I made it for a bookclub meeting when we were reading The Other Boleyn Girl. Here it goes:

Portobello Brucetta

1 1/2 cups balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
6 4-inch-diameter portobello mushrooms, stemmed, dark gills removed
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 red onions, sliced (about 6 cups)
2 large red bell peppers
3 tablespoons thinly sliced green onion
3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
1 garlic clove, minced
1 3 1/2-inch-diameter sourdough or French-bread baguette, cut into 24 slices
Additional olive oil

Preheat oven to 375°F. Mix vinegar, honey, brown sugar and thyme in medium bowl. Transfer 1/2 cup marinade to small bowl; set aside. Place mushrooms in 15x10-inch glass baking dish. Pour remaining marinade over mushrooms. Cover baking dish with foil and bake until mushrooms are tender, about 40 minutes. Transfer mushrooms to work surface; cool. Cut mushrooms into 1/2-inch-wide slices.
Heat 2 tablespoons oil in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add red onions and sauté until very tender and beginning to brown, about 25 minutes. Pour in reserved 1/2 cup marinade and cook until liquid is absorbed and onions are glazed, about 6 minutes. Set onions aside.

Char bell peppers over gas flame or in broiler until blackened on all sides. Enclose in paper bag and let stand 10 minutes. Peel, seed and chop peppers. Place peppers in medium bowl. Add green onion, basil, garlic and 1 tablespoon oil and toss to combine. (Mushrooms, onion mixture and bell pepper mixture can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover separately and refrigerate.)

Preheat oven to 375°F. Place bread slices on baking sheet. Brush bread with additional olive oil. Bake until lightly toasted, about 10 minutes. Layer portobello mushroom slices, arugula, onions and then bell pepper mixture atop bread slices. Bake until heated through, about 3 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

This is not an Orbitz commercial...this is for real

2006-11-19T10:09:00.000-07:00

We're in Austin this weekend for a wedding, it was fabulous. I want to introduce you to Savannah, she's three:

She was kind enough to let us stay in her room this weekend.

If you only have a second in Austin, here's where you should grab a bite

2006-11-19T09:51:00.000-07:00

We're in town for Sister-in-Law's wedding this weekend and it's always a whirlwind to see everyone, do everything and putting a wedding into the mix makes for a busy weekend. But it doesn't mean that I won't stop at one of these places.

If you have a quick visit to Austin planned, here are some of my guilty pleasures:

Taco Cabana- Think of a sit down Taco Bell with booze and homemade tortillas. It's quick, it's pink and it's really good. I always swing by for a breakfast burrito.
Bill Miller BBQ- Rancher plate. For $5 you get one meat, two sides and a large iced tea.
SaltLick- Brisket. This is good stuff opposed to Bill Miller which is cheap and tasty. The BBQ sauce here is vinergy, but has that wasabi appeal to it.
Kolaches- Get them anywhere, I have a few favorite spots, but Kolaches are the best in Central Texas.
Katz- Did you know Schlotzsky's is an Austin based company? So, imagine a deli like that before it became a chain. This place is awesome.

Guilty pleasures. Where would we be without them?

What? Everyone's doing it. Get off my back.

2006-11-12T22:26:00.000-07:00

I'm really surprised that AT didn't get whiplash tonight when we were watching Desperate Housewives. You see I had her over for dinner and to help me determine the best places to put my Christmas trees.* She gave me a hard time earlier when I said I was putting up some decorations. When the scene in Desperate Housewives cut to Bree putting her holiday cards together, it was too funny.

Here I was, in the kitchen with my coordinating apron cooking home made mac and cheese, pumpkin bread and preparing to bake apples.

More on that later, I want to give some quick fly-bys of some of the food that passed my way this weekend:

RoadRunner Park Farmer's Market- There's a very informational web site you Phoenix-Phoodies (oh, that's so funny, get it, PHoenix-PHoodie, omg) should bookmark, it's the Arizona Community of Farmer's Markets. With the cooler weather comes more variety from local farms. I got the best stone ground bread, a juicy tomato and some really sour green apples.
Matt's Big Breakfast- I read about MBB a few months ago and have been waiting to check it out. It was good to a good business on a corner that could really use some TLC. It was a little busy and the place only holds about 30 people, so just go when you have some time and aren't in a rush.
PB Loco- again. I'm obsessed, really, but it's just so good. I get the Nutella-Peanut Butter and Banana Sandwich. What about that doesn't sound good.

*Did you catch that? Tree(s). Here's the deal, I love to decorate for the Holidays and in the desert, there's no hedges. Which means there is no place to put Christmas lights. I have to do something with all those lights, right?

Oatmeal Cranberry Pecan Cookies

2006-11-09T21:20:00.000-07:00

To say that I've been a little busy would be an understatement. Not with any one thing either, I've just been busy. It's hard when you're popular. :P

I've even been sneaking blog reading in at work when I need a little break and I'm jealous of all the good baking that's been going on. The other day while on African Kelli, she mentioned that she was going to bake Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies and I knew that I had to find time to whip up a batch from this great recipe I found at Central Market in Dallas. I've tweaked the recipe a bit, but you could add raisins, dates or walnuts.

Oatmeal Cranberry Pecan Cookies

2 c all purpose flour
1 t baking powder
1 t ground cinnamon
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t salt

3/4 c unsalted butter
1/4 c vegetable shortening
1 c sugar
1 c dark brown sugar
1/4 c honey
2 large eggs
1 T vanilla extract
3 c old-fashioned oats
1 1/2 c cranberries
1 1/2 c pecans

Preheat oven to 350F. Use a Pam on the cookie sheet. Blend the first five ingredients in medium bowl.

Using an electric mixer, beat butter, vegetable shortening and both sugars in large bowl until fluffy. Beat in honey, eggs and vanilla. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in oats, cranberries and pecans. Drop batter by the table-spoonfuls onto the prepared sheet. Space them about 2 inches apart and flatten cookies slightly.

Bake cookies about 10-15 minutes. Cool completely. Makes about 4 dozen.

On another note, Hubby is on his way to France. Not that I care. I mean what's the big deal. I mean what's so great about France. I bet the weather is going to be crap.

Ok, so the weather is going to be perfect, but there will be something. I better get a good trip gift.

Baby Environmentalism

2006-11-01T22:13:00.000-07:00

Did your high school have Channel One News? Our's did and it was big deal, we could watch TV in class, it was so cool. I remember watching one newscast on the plastic rings that come on six packs of soda and how ducks and other wildlife were getting caught in the plastic rings. The reporter, it was John Norris I think before he became a MTV Veejay, told us to "always cut the rings before tossing them.

Here I am, umpteen years later and I'm still cutting the rings on my six packs. One day hubby saw me doing that and asked me what I was doing. I told him I was protecting the ducks and that I cared about the environment. He laughed.

Why did he laugh? I never watched him do anything that was halfway conscience when it came to the environment. I was really proud of my meticulous ring cutting. Think of all those ducks whose lives I was saving.

That's when I became really "aware" of the crap I was mindlessly just tossing away. I was embarrassed.

I'm not saying that I'm hugging any trees (come on, I'm from Texas, we have to adhere to some stereotypes) but I am making an effort. Here are some easy things I've started doing:

Separating my newspapers/catalogues/flyers
Taking a canvas bag to the grocery store
Not individually bagging my fruit and veggies if possible
Returning plastic grocery store bags when I forget the canvas one

I also printed out this handy sheet from the City of Phoenix web site, Recycle List. Do you do anything simple you'd like to share?

M Streets in the House

2006-10-31T22:38:00.000-07:00

It's so funny, the neighborhood we lived in Dallas was called the M Streets, but tucked into these streets was one that stood alone; Kenwood.

Why would city planners put a K street in the middle of the M Streets? Not being from Dallas, when hubby and I started looking for houses, we didn't realize that it was a big deal to live on an actual M street, not a K street in the middle of all these M's. People on the M Streets had freakin bumper stickers that looked like those Euro-stickers with the country code on them, but they simply had a M on it. So, feeling like the drama/band/goth/math club outsiders, we started calling ourselves the M-ish street crew. But like a lot of outsiders, we were never organized enough to get a bumper sticker.

I went back to Big D this weekend to meet up with the girls to start shopping for Carey's wedding dress. Do you want a peek?

Ha! Ha! Too bad. This is all you'll get.

But if you go to Dallas and you're staying in the Uptown/Highland Park/Ross Avenue area, here's the places I recommend:

Gloria's on Greenville Ave
Cafe Izmir on Greenville
Mi Conzuelas on Main
Bread Winners on Hall
Times Ten on Skillman
Aw Shucks on Greenville
Luby's on Mockingbird
Campisi's on Mockingbird
Central Market on Lovers
Cafe Brazil on Central Expressway

Here we are at Times Ten:

Monday Meals...They're fast and easy

2006-10-30T20:53:00.000-07:00

Come Monday, I'm always tired from the weekend and I'm actually excited to have at least one night a week where I know I can be at home. The other thing that I love doing on Monday nights is trying one of the Gourmet Everyday recipes from Gourmet. I've got a few staples that make the rotation quite often.

Spinach-Pesto Stuffed Salmon

I don't know when I came across this little gem, but it has a lot of flavor and it literally takes 15 minutes beginning to end. This is when I wish I was a food photographer.

To throw this recipe together I picked up a mild salmon filet from Alaska Family Salmon. I took 5 oz (1/2 a small package) of thawed spinach, mixed in about 1 T of pesto (tonight I used a tomato pesto) and mixed in a few pine nuts. Season with salt, pepper and a little garlic and toss in the oven. About 10 minutes later I serve it with green beans.

Aztec Roast Beef

This one is a crock pot recipe, but the prep time is almost nothing and the result at the end of the day is so good. What I like about this recipe is that the levels of flavors is really rich.

To prepare this round roast, I use onions, garlic, red potatoes, 1 c strong coffee, 1 cinnamon stick, 1 T orange zest, 3 c beef broth, salt, pepper and garlic to taste. Put in the crock pot on low for 8 hours for a 3 lb roast.

Let me know if any of these work out for you.

Care Card is Here

2006-10-30T07:50:00.000-07:00

Have you picked up your Care Card yet? It's a discount card that saves you 20% at select retailers like Anthropologie, Artifacts, Lucy, Pottery Barn, restaurants and more. The cards are part of a fundraising effort for Junior League of Phoenix and The Phoenix Board of Visitors. The card will only cost you $50 and you'll be amazed at how fast you'll save more than that.

Last night I ran by Fashion Square to start working on my fall uniform. Wait. Do you not know about my "uniforms." I suffer from a very serious condition it's called Ohmygodidontknowwhattowearitus and I have to be careful or an attack can hit at any moment. So, to cope with that I buy uniforms. That's 3-4 britches and 4-5 shirts that all go from run around casual and can convert into cute going to have a drink wear. So for each season, I get a new uniform and that way when I get an attack ohmygodidontknowwhattowear I go, "Hey Kee, just stick with the uniform. Back to the savings, I saved $60 at Lucy (which covered my Care Card purchase and there's more to go. I still have 2 pants and 3 shirts to look for.

If you want to get one, shoot me an email or you can contact the Junior League office www.jlp.org.

Happy Shopping

I'm going freakin camping, y'all.

2006-10-22T18:56:00.000-07:00

I don't know. I missed something. Is the name of my blog, "Prissy Camps?" Let me check. No. There it is, "Prissy Cook." Then why did I find myself sleeping in the back a Denali in the mountains having to find facilities outside.

I went camping this weekend for the first time in 20 years. I did it mainly to be a thorn in my friend's side. The conversation started something like this:

Vic- "Hey guys, we're going camping this weekend, do you want to go?"

Hubby- "Oh, man, I can't I won't get back from NJ until Monday."

Kee- "Oh, Oh, I want to go."

Vic- "No."

Kee- "Oh yeah, I'm going camping."

Vic- "No."

Kee- "Hubby, Tell Vic I'm going camping."

Hubby- "Shrug."

Kee- wide eyes

Vic- "No."

Let's see who won...

Crown King, AZ looking over the summit.

Mmmm. Breakfast Burritos.

Crown King Saloon.

Camping Croquet.

See that Melati, croquet while camping. I'm gearing up for next year...Watch out! To see more pictures of the camping trip, you can see them here, camping photos.

Holy Pumpkin Puree Batman

2006-10-18T21:59:00.000-07:00

It's not often, that you get a second to slow down and enjoy, the life you're busy living. "Wow, that's deep," is what I thought as the words just fell onto the page, "and useful only if you have time to slow down." That's how my weeks usually end up, I'm too busy to take any time to slow down. The problem is I don't know what I'm so busy doing?

Hubby is out of town, I'm sure coming up with some cool (I mean technologically sound) strategy to keep all those hackers ( I mean those network sabotaging bastards) out of his infrastructure. When he's gone, I rush to do all the things that I usually don't do when he's here.

Not only do I do the laundry. But I fold it and put it away as I go.
I use the restroom in the middle of the night without fear, that Hubby used it earlier and left the seat up.
I TiVo Oprah. (so WHAT, I like Oprah, get over it)

Switching gears for a second, a colleague suggested a restaurant in the 'hood this week, Cherry Blossom Noodle Cafe. As I drove home from work (another 11 hour day), I started my round of phone calls, when I thought, "Remember when you'd go to a restaurant, by yourself, and just be with your own thoughts?" Thinking back to that, I made a command decision, no more phone calls, no running by the house, I was going straight there and enjoy my freaking thoughts.

This little noodle house is cute, and the whole staff was very inviting. I couldn't help but notice the menagerie of desserts in the case as I was walked to my table. Let me just name a few- cinnamon bread, banana nut bread with blueberries, citrus cake, curry bread, homemade cheesecake and pumpkin everything! So, dinner was great, service was wonderful, yadda, yadda, yadda.

"Keesha, that's great but did you say, pumpkin everything?"

"Yes, I did."

I went straight for the gut, pumpkin puree. The waitress was an older lady and you could tell she had it all figured out. You know, one of those people, who are insightful and kind. When I asked for dessert, she said, "I'm going to pack it up for you, so you can eat it at home. Some place where you can be comfortable."

So, now I find myself, taking a second to just slow down.

I've got my dawg, my Oprah and a great pumpkin puree.

Check out Cherry Blossom Noodle Cafe.

More evidence that blogging causes weight gain...I'm washing this down with a diet Coke

2006-10-14T18:51:00.000-07:00

You'll recall that I proposed a theory earlier that blogging causes weight gain (see archives). I have more evidence of that and it hit me while I was eating a piece of toasted banana nut bread with butter and a diet Coke.

One of the down-sides to not having any family in town is that I am constantly trying to pawn my weekend baking adventures off on my colleagues. If you combine this with the fact that I work with Super Wife, who also bakes, it's a disaster.

In any given week, there can be cupcakes, zucchini biscuits, cookies and muffins all rotating between our office. And because we're sabotaging girls, we like to hang out while the other one eats our treats and exclaims how yummy everything is. That way be both know that the other one is consuming the same amount of calories as the other one.

So back to that banana nut bread with a diet Coke. Super Wife found a new recipe that called for sour cream, instead of milk or butter milk in more traditional breads I've made. Maybe we can get her to post the recipe, but that would require more than a monthly posting (burn, yo!)

Did you know I'm a fabulous croquet player?

2006-10-10T21:38:00.000-07:00

I know, you're thinking, "Keesh, you're good at everything" and that's usually the case. But if you can believe it, I've never played croquet.

I'm assuming that you've read about my unfortunate incident on Saturday morning (that's all I'm going to say about it) I'm enjoying a fluffier version now. I was really doubtful that I was going to have a good day.

Upon arrival at the tourney, I was warmly greeted by Melati and all my apprehension melted away. Before I knew it, my generally shy Hubby was like, "Make sure we're on the list to play."

Here's what I learned:

Anytime you can pull off a dinner for 50 people, appetizers, drinks and two outfits per host (Meltai, you looked beautiful both times) then you've really got it going on.
My husband is in love with a hairy being named Roman.
If you're going to play croquet, don't let the opposing team sabotage you with a midget mallet (umm, I mean midget in the most politically correct way possible).
You can really get into a philosophical discussion on what warrants a mallets length.
I'm really, in my own mind really good at croquet.

We had a great time and it was a bummer we had to leave early. Thanks Melati for a really great Saturday. It was awesome to meet everyone!!!

I had a flop.

2006-10-07T18:36:00.000-07:00

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

2006-10-05T20:32:00.000-07:00

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

2006-10-03T21:43:00.000-07:00

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

2006-10-02T21:09:00.000-07:00

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

Have you ever seen an 80 year old woman play the harmonica?

2006-09-28T19:35:00.000-07:00

In my family, we have a weekend where there are five birthdays in something like 8 days, it's crazy and a lot of fun. So, I'm back in Caldwell, visiting and catching up with everyone (FYI, Caldwell is about 70 miles from Austin and 35 miles from College Station)

Caldwell, Texas

This weekend is also "fair weekend" in Caldwell, which means that since it's also an election year for my dad, we're out hugging babies and pressing the flesh, it's really fun; Small town politics. So, let me give you a brief glimpse into my day:

8:00 AM- Walk over at my grandma's (MooMoo) house to have a little breakfast and visit.

9:30 AM- Take her Buick over to the court house to see my dad in court (can you believe I've never seen him in action)

11:00 AM- Call Pizza Hut to place an order for lunch with Mom and Liz, talk to Sidney (her sister and I were buddies in high school)

11:30 AM- Meet Mom and Liz at high school cafeteria and have pizza, run into old teachers who retell their favorite Keesha in school story

12:00 PM- Go to local Historical (hysterical) Society meeting with Dad to have mini sandwiches and iced tea

1:30 PM- Go to ford dealership to find Hubby's grandmother, she's at Patsy's, but they call Merriam to find her, who walks over to Pasty's because she isn't answering the phone, and it won't be a bother.

1:34 PM- Visit with Hubby's grandma (Nanny)

2:30 PM- Go back to MooMoo's to return the car and visit with her and Charley before he has to go to a board meeting for the Cemetery

3:30 PM- Mom and Liz are back from school and Liz (driver's permit in hand) drives us to Wal-Mart to get more Dr.Pepper and Diet Coke

5:30 PM- Eat dinner and talk about how my dad doesn't like asparagus

6:00 PM- Drive out to the fair for the free Gospel Music show sponsored by the SPJST

So, where in the world does the 80 year old lady with a harmonica come into the picture? One of the performers was this 80 year old lady who's been playing the harmonica since she was eight. Let me tell ya, it's kinda inspiring to see something like that. Bless her heart, I wish I have enough air to play a harmonica when I'm 80!

BTW, do y'al know that Hubby and I grew up together right? I know I always say that our family's are neighbors, here' s an idea, that's close in a town of 3500 people!

Hubby and Keesha

Bring me two pina coladas...or two cupcakes if you don't have that.

2006-09-24T20:01:00.000-07:00

I have to say it, "I'VE MADE THE BEST CUPCAKES IN THE WORLD!" Man, I don't know why these little gems are hitting me just right this weekend, but I think I've had five by myself. And people, I'm not saying that I'm the brightest bulb, I think there might be some correlation between my growing belly and this whole blogging thing. I've opened an investigation and I'll get back with you as soon as I get some hard hitting results. Check this out, here's a pair of britches I got at the beginning of the summer, right, nice, size 4, like hot mama.

Now, here's my normal size. Size 6, not too skinny, you can tell she works out, ka-chow-bam.

Here's why I've started my investigation, there's a new number appearing in my closet. Now, I understand that a size 8, you're not going to put me on Celebrity Fat Club, but that's quite a leap over a mere summer.

Okay, now, back to the best cupcakes in the world. Sandra and her husband are in visiting for the weekend and we had a great get together at Vic and Bec's house. Saturday morning, I was up early (6:30AM) watching the Food Network when Cupcake Challenge came on, so I decided to cuise their site to see what they had. I've been in a chocolate cupcake rut, so I was looking for something different. I found this one posted by Ina Garten (Barefood Contessa) and dicided to give it a go. They were a hit. They're so pretty, light and just what I was looking for. Even Hubby who doesn't like coconut, liked them. Today we were over at a football party and everyone kept asking if I had more cupcakes.

Y'all have a good week!

Grande Mocha-Latte Ya Ya Cupcakes (but in miniature)

2006-09-23T22:35:00.000-07:00

I'm loving the Couture Cupcakes article in this quarter's Donna Hay (volume 27), so when were were invited to Quarter Poker Night at the Cantoni's I wanted to take a little treat. This couple is so nice. JT moved to Phoenix in October of 2004 and I was in town in November looking for houses and they had us over for dinner after looking at houses all day. Their house is exactly how I thought Arizona houses should look, they live on South Mountain, have a huge adobe style house, the desert landscaping looked perfect and they hosted a great dinner. I've seen them a few times since then, so I was excited they were having a party. (Oh, here's a picture of our other dog, Bidi looking especially cute with her bone.)

On Thursday, Hubby had a happy hour to go to, so it was me and my season premiers; My Name is Earl, The Office and Grey's Anatomy. I love TiVo or I might have missed something. Thumbing through the Donna Hay, deciding which cupcake to make, I spotted what they called the Black Cupcake. I decided that's what we'd take over for poker. They're chocolate with a coffee icing,(hey Donna, it'd be catchier if you called them Mocha-Choca-Latte Ya Yas). The cake recipe is really simple:

Black Cupcakes from Donna Hay

125g butter, softened 3/4 cup sugar 2 eggs 1 1/4 cups plain flour 1t baking powder 2T cocoa powder 1/4 cup milk 100g dark chocolate, melted; coffee icing 1 cup sugar 1/4 cup water 1/4t cream of tartar 2T instant coffee 3 egg whites

Preheat oven to 320. Place the butter and sugar in bowl of an electric mixer and beat until light and creamy. Gradually add the eggs and beat well. Sift over the flour, baking powder and cocoa and beat until combined. Fold through the milk, stir in the chocolate and spoon the mixture into four 12-hole mini-muffin pans lined with paper. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until cooked when tested with a skewer. Cool on wire racks.

To make the icing, place the sugar, water and cream of tartar and coffee in a saucepan over high heat and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 3 minutes. Place the eggwhites in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat until soft peaks form. While the motor is still running gradually add the sugar mixture and beat until thick and glossy. Makes 48.

Hubby is usually a reluctant tester (he doesn't like sweets so much), but when he walked in and tasted one of them I got the best compliment. He said, "Now that's what a chocolate cupcake should taste like."

Do you like this container? I found it at Arizona Baking Cake Decorating (ABC) on Indian School and 28th Street. It's convertible into three different types of carriers; cake, standard cupcakes and mini-cupcakes. For $20 some-odd bucks, I think it's a great deal.

Have a fun weekend!

We Belong

2006-09-20T22:20:00.000-07:00

It's 10:00 PM and I'm already back home and watching the news from the Pat Benatar concert at the Celebrity Theater. It was really good and I had a good time. K.F. was my date. Hubby wanted to go with me, but he was at home watching his new Justin Timberlake video. OK, that's it. I'm off to download a new ring tone.

Honk if you hate the Redskins

2006-09-18T21:13:00.000-07:00

I remember going to the grocery store with my Mamaw when I was younger and a radio DJ said, "Honk if you hate the Redskins!" Next thing, I hear tons of cars honking, including my grandmother. It was so fun, visiting her in Dallas, watching football games on Sunday; Go Cowboys! I really don't consider myself a "sports" fan, but I do love the ceremony that goes along with it. Having friends over, snacking, willing your team to win from the couch, I love it. Over 20 years later, every time the Cowboys play the Redskins, I remember that car ride.

We haven't really stopped since our trip to San Francisco last weekend, so this weekend I'm purposely trying to take it slow. Friday we met Mel, RJ and crew at Postino's for a late birthday celebration and had a night cap at Chelsea Kitchen. Saturday, Hubby had golfing and I booked a manicure at the Wigwam. A Red Door Spa just opened there and I have a preferred membership, so I get nice discounts and stuff. It was a drive, over 35 miles. I got there about 4 hours before my appointment to layout by their pool, use the gym, get hydrated in the steam room. That night we met Vic and Bec out for dinner at the Rookery (sp?). The front dining room is under construction, but they're still serving full dinners downstairs. If you have a loved one addictied to their mobile, this is the place to go, no cell coverage in the basement. Today, I went to the Orange Table in Old Town for breakfast (more on that later, it's so good) and I've been cooking and nesting around the house the rest of the day. Oh to the right here is a picture of Bica, he looked just too cute here. She's very photogenic, like her mama.

The crew came over for the game and I cooked a Mexican Roast Beef from a recipe I found in this month's Better Homes & Garden (see I can be productive at the spa). In the beef broth just mix in equal portions of coffee grounds, cocoa, cumin, and chili powder. I added some potatoes and onions, turned on the crock and 6 hours later, we had a fantastic dinner.

While cruizing the Internet, I found some articles on Donna Hay or guess you're supposed to say Hay Hay Donna Hay Day when you make one of her recipes. I found her magazine later while at the grocery store, so I thought, why not? I picked up Volume 27 which was the Cupcake Couture issue- ooh-la-la! I decided to make her vanilla bean mini cupcakes with a divinity icing I've made before.

Hope y'all have a great week!

Your Mom!

2006-09-18T09:29:00.001-07:00

Okay, so we have a little issue with "your mom" jokes in my office. You can turn anything into a "your mom" scenario. It's really quite juvenile. The other day we're going to LuLu's Tacos in Gilbert for lunch and we notice this sign on the side of a dump truck. A little PhotoShop later, here's what got sent out:If you look closely, it's a picture that conveys that you should lay down under the dump truck. Our version, it could be "Your Mom!"

I left my heart in San Francisco

2006-09-17T09:00:00.000-07:00

From my last post, if you guessed San Francisco (in your head because nobody posted a comment), then you are correct.

Hubby was a good boy last weekend, he surprised me on Wednesday with tickets to San Francisco. I've never been. I was really excited and actually had trip jitters; Isn't that great!

I arrived in San Jose and Hubby picked me up (he was already there on business) and we hit California traffic right at 5:30 PM. Our trip to the city was fun, we saw headquarters for Google, eBay and Oracle (which is important if you're a computer geek).

As a first time tourist to San Francisco, I had a few must sees and a few if we make it, it would be nice. Can I just say, that I think we were able to see most of the biggies. As tourist, generally, we can site see quite quickly. We don't have to, sit, contemplate, photograph and discuss. We look, take a picture and move on.

Look at all the places we got in on Saturday (and the zig-zag around the city we made):

Leave hotel at Union Station (walk to)
Dim Sum for Brunch at Chinatown
Walk around Chinatown (taxi to)
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (taxi to)
Pier 39 (wipe bird poo off Hubby and taxi to)
Citizen Cake (taxi to)
Hotel for massage (walk to)
H&M (taxi to)
Little Italy for Brazilian Independence Day (taxi to)
Hotel

Did I mention that we TAXIED EVERYWHERE? We couldn't figure out how to jump on one of those freakin Trolleys and I didn't see one with Rice-a-Roni on the side. Very disappointing.

On Sunday, we had our rental car, so we were able to be a bit for efficient, we made it to:

Haight Ashbury for breakfast at The French Cafe
Lombard for the curvy street
The Golden Gate bridge
Ghiradelli and Del Monte Squares

So, I don't mean to make this a look at me pictorial of our trip, it's just that most pictures of Hubby ended up like this:

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In a Haze of Lavender

2006-09-16T08:01:00.000-07:00

I've been really busy with a new boss at work, my volunteer group getting back into action and my attempts to go to the gym have made me a very busy girl. So, I've got a full plate, right? So, I don't know what I was thinking when I thought about tackling this recipe at 8:30 PM on a Thursday night, while I should be packing for my romantic get-away with my husband and should be polishing a presentation I should be giving tomorrow morning in front of my new boss (exhale)!

Citizen Cake started as a cult-style bakery in San Francisco and I've followed their proprietor Elizabeth Faulkner for awhile. She's so creative and doesn't see boundaries when she's putting together flavors and ingredients. She seems to tackle tough culinary questions like, "Why can't you use curry when baking?"
So, with that kind of hard-rocker baking philosophy, I found a recipe for Devil's Food Cake with Chocolate-Orange Buttercream. Doesn't your mouth just start to water up when you read that? I decided to make cupcakes instead of the full cake, I thought it would be easier to pon them off on my co-horts that way.

The recipe upon first read through seemed manageable. Then I started baking and things went south really quick. I had just finished my sifting and mixing in parts of different stuff when I saw a line in the recipe that said, "take your luke warm melted chocolate and gently fold in." Where in the world was the step that said, "MELT YOUR FREAKING CHOCOLATE FIRST (exhale)!" So franticly, I get a double broiler started and melt 8 oz of chocolate, let it cool and fold it in. Yeah, umm, it was only supposed to be 4 oz. I decided to not worry, I thought, they'll just be fudgier than normal devil's food cake, right?

We'll, I was close to right, they were dense, but still had good flavor. The icing wasn't as dramatic, but because I was making cupcakes instead of the cake itself, I had more than double of what I needed. So, I'm thinking that yet another cake is in order....I don't want to be wasteful.
We've got a lot to catch up on...I can't wait to tell y'all about the trip my husband surprised me with this weekend. All you "Where in the world is Carmen San Diego fans, can you guess where we went?"

Last Days of Summer Fun

2006-09-04T20:34:00.000-07:00

Friday, Dirty Stu's Brithday.

Saturday, Mel and RJ hanging out.

Monday, Doggie playdate.

Monday, New girl Dottie.

Monday, Playing cards in the monsoon.