Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!!!

The Chocolate Temptation is KILLING ME!

Between gifts from friend and family I will be gaining 50 lbs in the next week.

My new loves are peanut butter balls. I didn't make them, but, I'm sure this is a similar recipe.

http://www.food.com/recipe/peanut-butter-balls-21812

or this one (it's easier since it doesn't require special chocolate.)

http://www.pauladeen.com/recipes/recipe_view/buckeyes

And then there is chocolate covered pretzels with toffee:

And M&M's with pretzels:

And candy cane cookies. These aren't chocolate I know, but, they are definitely a favorite. Thankfully we only got 1 and I had to share it with C#2.

And peanut butter blossoms:

And the list goes on and on and on...  I am trying to foist this stuff onto C#1 and C#2, but, they have their favorites, too.

I NEED TO STOP EATING!!!

Till next time...

Poached or Soft Boiled Eggs

Every morning I wake up and have breakfast. Two fried eggs and a cup (or five) of coffee. Every day.

I ask C#1 and C#2 if they want breakfast. I get a resounding, "YES!" But, then they ask what I'm making. Fried eggs. Then I get a chorus of, "Ohhh... Never mind."  I guess they are bored with that.

I recently made poached eggs and I kinda liked eggs cooked that way. I have always, sort of liked soft boiled eggs. Not with too runny whites, because that makes me gack! However, if I cook them just short of  hard boiled they are delicious with butter, salt and pepper.  What I hate about soft boiled eggs is the shell. I always have many a crunchy bite and that makes me gack, too.

So today, I decided to try poached eggs. I added salt and a splash of vinegar to the water before the eggs. It seems like I read somewhere you're supposed to do that?!?! I don't know. But, I'll try anything.  I put two eggs in a small bowl and slowly poured them into boiling water.  I didn't do that lovely swirl thing that I've read about. I just plunked them in and let it roll.

The eggs whites are all swirly, but, they aren't too crazy.  I let them cook for 3-5 minutes. No clue exactly, since I got distracted and stopped watching the clock, per usual.

I then used a slotted spoon and removed them from the water.

Put a slab of butter on the eggs with salt/pepper.

I can happily say that they tasted great! Especially without that annoying soft boiled crunch. 

I have now found a new way (for me) to make my normal morning ritual of eggs.  I know I am a complete dunce to just be figuring out that these taste great. But, better late than never.

Till next time...

Just a Quick Whine Blog. Maybe I Should Get Some Wine...

My darling C#1 was about to leave this morning and he could not find the mouthpiece for his instrument. Needless to say, I was very upset (putting it mildly.) Not only have we had this "discussion" before, he had to leave in two minutes. GRRRRrrrrr!  Why or WHY?!? Isn't there a rule where you're supposed to get your sh*t together the night before?!? Aren't I supposed to see said piece put in the bag ALWAYS?!?! URGGHH!!  I guess that really isn't working...

Anyway, his lovely Highness escaped the hide and seek party and got to go to school. I spent the next 1 1/2 hours looking for it and not finding it anywhere. WHERE.DID.IT.GO?!?!?!  I know he played it before going to bed, so it must be in his room, right?!?! I hoped to find it before having to pick him up for an orthodontist appointment, but, alas that didn't happen. Then I figured, well then he has to tell his teacher he lost it. That might do him some good.

So this lovely child gets home in the evening and I inform him you MUST find this TODAY!  I did not want to have to buy him one, because he lost this one mysteriously. Those little buggers are like $60!!

We spent ALL afternoon looking for this. Pulling everything out of drawers, off the bed, out of the closet, looking in kitchen cupboards. No luck.

Then after dinner, I tell him look through everything AGAIN!!! He bellyached and moaned and I said, "DO IT!!!!" I sat down and started looking through his shorts drawer and guess what?!?!?! YUP! I found it. It was in that bastard drawer the whole time. I must be honest with you and tell you I "looked" through it once. Pretty much I moved the shorts around and it didn't pop up. And I know for a fact C#1 looked through it at least once, too.  And this drawer wasn't anything huge. It is one of those plastic clothing drawers you buy at Walmart, when you have too many clothes. I was very relieved and delighted and excited and relieved (yeah, I know I already said that, but, really, f-i-n-a-l-l-y...)

He then informed he had math homework and an English essay to re-write. And it was already 8:30. GET TO IT! Then he tried to get out of the essay by saying, "Oh, I don't have the book - I have to have direct quotes." Well mister, I have this lovely thing called an i-Pad and I can get you that special book and you can then do your re-write and then you can actually have it done for tomorrow! And the book download was free, so major win!!  But, oh what a stressful day.  I love having to harass the children to study/do homework/ do anything with school. *sarcasm - in case you didn't catch that.*

Now I can go to bed. Till next time...

Eyeglasses, a Headache & Eggs Benedict

C#2 has mentioned in the past that when she is told to sit near the back of the classroom she cannot see the board very well.  Then she made a statement about reading her band music. Apparently her teacher wants them to hold their trumpets straight out with their music in front of that (make sense?!) I had no idea! She has never told me this!!! So alas, off the the eye doctor we go...

I was slightly afeared of the price of this adventure. I opted for the Vision Center at Walmart.  Firstly she need an eye exam. Oh dear. How much is that going to cost?!?!  The eye doc determined she has 20/40 in both eyes and one of them is slightly farsighted (an astigmatism) -- whatever that means.  She said she needed a mild prescription -- it wasn't 100% necessary, but, apparently it kinda was. The doc said this might alleviate any headaches she might be having and may indeed help her reading.  Little did I know C#2 was having mild headaches now and again. I am such a horrible parent...

Anyway, that exam cost a mere $45 (which I didn't think was too bad.) And then onto the frames, lens, etc...  I did purchase the $20 insurance in case she dented, scratched, broke, mishandled, sat on, chewed her glasses and they broke. They would replace them for free. Heck YA! I don't trust this child and am certain we will have to use this sometime in the near future. All in all it "only" cost about $200.00.  That didn't seem too horrible. But, I in no way have any idea how much, since I have never purchased eye glasses before.

An then I had this horrible sinus headache thing. I took sudafed. Didn't work. I took Tylenol Sinus. Didn't work, but, it did help me fall asleep. I took DayQuil (a different form of the Tylenol type stuff -- I'm trying to ruin my liver.) Didn't work. I then took ibuprofen. Sort of worked. I took a little nap and moved very slowly. And then it occurred to me that I might be having caffeine withdrawal, too.  I then decided to exacerbate the problem and have some Excedrin Migraine. It has a lovely caffeine kick and it definitely seemed to further improve my head condition. So now all is good in the world. Andddd I have a cup of coffee to go with it.

This past weekend, the darling hubby said he wanted breakfast. So, I asked him, "What exactly do you want?!?!" In my slightly annoyed tone.  And he was trying to be all funny and demanding and said, "Eggs Benedict."  Eggs Benedict is kind of a pain to make, since if you don't have all of the requirements, you then have to make them (aka hollandaise sauce.)  but, I informed his dearestness that I could indeed make that, but, I would have to use bacon instead of the normal ham.  I am happy to say that he was surprised at my answer. And so I made eggs benedict for breakfast!

I immediately looked in my Rise & Dine America cookbook by Marcy Claman. This is a collection of bed and breakfast recipes. And viola! There was a recipe for "Eggs Benedict Caledonia" on page 328 with a mention of using bacon!!

http://www.rv.net/forum/index.cfm/fuseaction/thread/tid/15314508.cfm

Then I consulted Better Homes and Gardens: Encyclopedia of Cooking Volume 7 on how to properly poach an egg. Poaching eggs are very tricky. I have only done this a handful of times. This particular book said to swirl the water, but, that just made a ridiculous mess of the egg whites.  I then concluded that it is just easier to pour the eggs into the boiling water without swirling and let them be.  Poaching is really quick and thankfully I have a toaster oven to keep the English muffins and bacon warm.  It was all a success. DH was happy and the "frightened" children decided that they would try it next time...  I am not sure what they were thinking.  Like I would make something gross. Especially after their father requested it. I guess it will be more work for me in the future, since I will have to make it for everyone.

That's it for today. Till next time...

Cookies Galore 2012: Part 2 and Piles of Sh*t!

Me and my bestie did not finish our cookie adventure last week.  We then made a plan to finish up the next.  That day there were gingerbread cookies, chocolate caramel mini bars (we didn't do the mini part) and lemon drops on the agenda.  I have 2 of 3 recipes on hand.

Caramel Chocolate Mini Bars (I blogged about this recipe, so here's that blog again, with recipe attached.)
http://beckysbiscuits.blogspot.com/2012/11/caramel-chocolate-mini-bars-yes-please.html

Lemon Drops:
http://www.pamperedchef.com/our_products/recipesearch/recipedetail.jsp?recipeId=91531

Part 2 cookies 

(Pardon the fuzzy picture I had to use my cellphone. I forgot my camera.)

We started by making the gingerbread cookie dough, since it needed to be refrigerated. 

Once that was done we started the caramel chocolate bars. Here's where the sh*t HIT the fan! The stupid chocolate chips would not melt right. After shortening was added and it was stirred and stirred and stirred, it seemed to be cooperating. 

My bestie had a very nifty trick with a plastic bag and a frosting head.  Howeverrrrrrrr, it kept getting plugged and the plastic bag was not faring so well, from all the pressure. And this is what happened --->

It looks like it crapped on the caramel bars.

And then there was a big pile of SH!T!! 

Chocolate pile of sh*t, that is. But, doesn't it look like a good pile?! We were laughing our heads off and when I slopped it up, it had a very uncanny resemblance to a pile of kid poo.  But, I could lick my fingers after. Bwhahahahhwhhahhhahahahhhaaah!!!

After the chocolate mess was cleaned up, we went onto the lemon drops.  We actually had  the necessary yellow sugar! My bestie had some in her "store." What are the chances of that?!?!  I was just going to settle for granulated sugar, but, alas, we didn't have to...  

And then the gingerbread.  BTW --- Gingerbread cookies are a pain in the arse!

We did two sheets of cut-outs and then got lazy and proceeded to roll them up and then smash them with a fork, like a peanut butter cookie. That was much, muchhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh easier.  And quicker, too!

Anddddd before leaving I took the top picture and then posed the lone horse with a pile of poo ---->

Do ya see it?!? HAHAHAHHAHAHAAAHH!!  I am easily amused.

So there you have it. Cookie Day #2.  Till next time...

Allergic To Bananas?!

The other morning, C#2 didn't get out of bed until the last second. She grabbed a banana for breakfast and then started complaining about stomach cramps. Hmmmmm... I knew she wasn't faking.  I told her to hit the loo lickety split to see if that remedied the situation. But, alas, it did not.  *sigh*

I informed C#2 she could indeed stay home, butttttt, it would be straight to bed and no television -- since her illness didn't seem to be that bad.  But, it was bad enough that I didn't want her to be stuck on a bus with screaming kids dealing with a "belly" (I know I wouldn't have appreciated that.)

She went back to bed and crawled out a couple hours later anddddddd  she was just fine. I put her to work, since the no television rule was definitely in effect. She cleaned out a couple clothes drawers and tidied up a bit. Then hung out in bed.

And then... The next morning comes around. Her Highness, gets up and grabs the last banana. I had a thought pass quickly through my brain, "Maybe it's the banana?!?!?"  Then it quickly went away -- the thought.  Five minutes later she's complaining about her belly, again.  For REAL?!?! I tell her I think it was actually the bananas. Here have some saltines, a glass of milk. We need to mix it up a bit, to hopefully stave off another bout of the belly!  

Thankfully it appeared to work. And she was all fine and dandy and went to school. She survived the day sans belly problems.

During that day I decided to google bananas and stomachaches.  My thinking was always that bananas helped a belly issue. I mean, isn't that what you eat when you get over the flu or the stomach bug?!?!  Wellllll, apparently some people can have a sensitivity to bananas or be downright allergic. Who knew?!?!  C#2 has eaten so many bananas in her day, I would have never even thought it would be problem.  So, now we have to be more cautious with that.  Nice.....

Anyway, that's it for today. Till next time...

Cookies Galore 2012

It's that time of year, again. Time to break out the stretchy pants in a very serious way! My bestie and I decided to have a "cookie-athon", again.  So here is this year's contribution to society.

Tollhouse Chocolate Chip Cookies:

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/original-nestle-toll-house-chocolate-chip-cookies/

Oatmeal Scotchies:

http://www.verybestbaking.com/recipes/18478/oatmeal-scotchies/detail.aspx

Snowballs:

http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/walnut_snowball_cookies/

Peanut Butter Blossoms:

https://www.hersheys.com/recipes/recipe-details.aspx?id=5191

Hershey Kisses Macaroon Cookies:

https://www.hersheys.com/recipes/recipe-details.aspx?id=8064&name=KISSES-Macaroon-Cookies

All of them are a favorite of someone's. Now the challenge is to not eat too many. This afternoon I mistakenly went to a local fudge shop and C#2 convinced me to buy fudge. Because, you know, it's not like I didn't just make a sh*tload of cookies with my friend the day before or anything. Soooo for lunch today I had a hunk of fudge with about 4-5 cookies.  I probably should have put bigger sized pants on my Christmas list or a request for some more stretchy pants. 

I will just share them, like I had originally planned and GET.THEM.AWAY.FROM.ME!!!

But, not too many -- because I love them soooooooooooo much.

Till next time...

Chocolate Mug Brownie is the best dessert EVER!

I guess I have been slacking in the dessert department and had to figure out something to fix in a pinch (besides pudding parfaits.)  And yes, we still have 10+ half gallons of ice cream in the freezer.

I remembered a recent blog post by my SIL for these lovely brownies.  I hadn't clicked on the link previously and didn't realize that the recipe came from my most favorite cook of all time Mr. Food!  

This was the easiest, quickest, best tasting dessert made in a matter of minutes that I have EVER had. NO LIE!!

The brownie right after it left the microwave.

And then you add a scoop of vanilla ice cream!!!

Just imagine ooey gooey brownie that cooks in 60-70 seconds. It's like lava cake and cookie/brownie dough mixed together! Everyone should try it!!!  Here's the link:

http://www.mrfood.com/Brownie-Recipes/Chocolate-Mug-Brownie/ct/1#

A huge thank you to my SIL! 

Till next time....

French Toast Waffles!

A little while back I was feeling generous - aka okay with standing over the griddle iron while everyone eats yummy delicious breakfast. But, C#2 was excited to have "french toast waffles" --- so I agreed.

I found a lovely cookbook called French Toast: Sweet & Savory Dishes for Every Meal by Donna Kelly a while back and it had the brilliant idea of making waffle french toast!

It's basically, make your regular french toast per usual, but then slap it on your waffle iron and VIOLA!! French toast waffles!!!  I like it because it adds some extra nooks and crannies for the maple syrup and butter to hide.  I only had one "complaint" from the hubby. He likes the "mooshiness" of french toast, so I guess he isn't a fan. He's right. Cooking them in the waffle maker makes them more ---- hard, less moosh. But, to each his own. It is definitely a mixed up way to eat french toast or would that be waffles?!? Hmmmm...

I should tell you all that my dear C#2 did indeed get her homework finished in time. This week's challenge will be C#1's science project --- that.I.have.been.babysitting.from.the.get.go.  I can't wait till it's done and done well and I'm off the hook!!!

Till next time...