The leading authority on basketball cupcakes and Basil-Lime martinis…
All in all, not a raging success, but not awful, either. I only added 3/4 tsp. of my Chai Spice Seasoning Blend and it needed MORE, plus the very strong flavor of the ganache overwhelmed the delicate spiciness of the cookies. Back to the drawing board. Something potentially very special coming tomorrow.
All in all, not a raging success, but not awful, either. I only added 3/4 tsp. of my Chai Spice Seasoning Blend and it needed MORE, plus the very strong flavor of the ganache overwhelmed the delicate spiciness of the cookies. Back to the drawing board. Something potentially very special coming tomorrow.
The regional spelling bee was tonight for Girl (next level up after winning the bee at her school). She ended up placing 3rd (out of about 35 kids from 3 counties). The competition was pretty stiff, but we are VERY proud of her performance. She was confident and composed, but the word “croustade” just got … Continue reading “Spelling Bee and Super Tuesday”
The regional spelling bee was tonight for Girl (next level up after winning the bee at her school). She ended up placing 3rd (out of about 35 kids from 3 counties). The competition was pretty stiff, but we are VERY proud of her performance. She was confident and composed, but the word “croustade” just got the better of her (yes, ironic, I know, given my recent fondness for French pastry – suffice to say you will not see me making any “croustades” any time soon). She can spell tchotchke and waterzooi and azimuth and witloof and cynosure and hemerocallis all day long, though. 🙂 In the final rounds, any word in the dictionary is fair game and there’s just not really any (practical) way to study for that. The young lady that ended up winning was absolutely deserving. She was obviously quite prepared.
The bee itself was very interesting: a varied selection of Americana. Pretty much any culture that you can imagine was represented, from a super-cute little boy in Chuck Taylors and a shirt with electric guitars on it to a young girl in a Muslim hijab and everything in between (Girl was in Chuck Taylors, a hoodie and a cool Threadless tee). The children were amazingly supportive of one another. There was one girl that was giving a “thumbs up” to her competitors when they got their words right and was consoling children as they were eliminated. Very inspiring. She was very sweet; I regret not finding out her name or getting her contact info. She seems like the kind of girl that would make a great friend/playmate for Girl. The fact that this event was happening on “Super Tuesday” wasn’t lost on me. I hope that this positive atmosphere of encouragement and peaceful co-existence will be something that the adults in charge of our country can also accomplish. Whatever your leanings, (Conservative or Liberal, Republican or Democrat), you’ve got to be proud of the fact that we have a man of color and a female as viable candidates…just to know that we are open-minded enough to support things that would have been impossible just a few generations ago…it gives me hope.
Steff’s Homemade “Cran-crazy” Granola I came across this granola recipe on Canadian Steff’s blog. (WARNING about Steff’s blog: In addition to a few good recipes, it also has some adult themes. If you are easily offended, DO NOT poke around on the blog past the granola recipe.) Her recipe was adapted from this one on … Continue reading “Homemade Granola – two yummy versions”
Steff’s Homemade “Cran-crazy” Granola
I came across this granola recipe on Canadian Steff’s blog. (WARNING about Steff’s blog: In addition to a few good recipes, it also has some adult themes. If you are easily offended, DO NOT poke around on the blog past the granola recipe.) Her recipe was adapted from this one on allrecipes.com.
I’ve adapted the recipe a little bit, too:
I took Steff’s suggestion to up the flax seeds to 3/4 cup.
I used sliced almonds instead of chopped (I think they’re prettier).
I used pecans instead of walnuts (personal preference).
I added 2 scoops of milled flaxseed, in addition to the whole flax seeds.
I used a Cinnamon Spice Blend, instead of just plain cinnamon. The recipe can be found here.
It’s QUITE yummy. This granola can be eaten on its own as a cereal, or sprinkled over the top of other cereals (or ice cream, yogurt, etc.). I had never used safflower oil before, but I will definitely keep it on hand from now on. It’s amazingly light and I think would adapt to lots of different uses.
My friend Kathleen’s Almond-Coconut Granola
(originally from our mutual hairdresser, Monique)
Equal parts of:
Sliced almonds
Coconut “chips” (large shreds of unsweetened coconut)
Old-fashioned oats
Granola ingredients, before being coated with maple syrup and baked.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Stir in enough maple syrup to just BARELY moisten the ingredients. Spread into a large, flat baking pan.
Bake for about 20 minutes, watching very carefully and turning and stirring about every 5 minutes, until the granola is evenly golden-toasted.
For the batch that I made yesterday, I used 3 cups each of almonds, oats and coconut, with about 3/4 cup maple syrup, plus I added 3 Tbsp wheat germ and 3 scoops of milled flax seed.
Because this granola is pretty sweet, is a better “garnish” granola than it is a “eat a whole bowlful” granola. I like to mix it with Cheerios (2 parts Cheerios to 1 part granola).
We didn’t watch the Super Bowl today. Not a second of it. We went for a bike ride 5 minutes before kick-off (the neighborhood was DEAD – no traffic at ALL – it was eerie) and then went home to watch an episode of Star Trek: Enterprise that we had on our DVR. Yes, we … Continue reading “Expecting our Texan citizenship to be revoked any moment now…”
We didn’t watch the Super Bowl today. Not a second of it. We went for a bike ride 5 minutes before kick-off (the neighborhood was DEAD – no traffic at ALL – it was eerie) and then went home to watch an episode of Star Trek: Enterprise that we had on our DVR. Yes, we are officially the geekiest family in America.
This is a HORRIBLE photo (Hubby excitedly took it with his phone this morning), but…..it is a photo of a cat, successfully and without assistance, properly using the toilet!!! Note the correct (“All 4 feet on the seat” stance). We are now using something called “Citykitty” and it’s what turned the corner for us. I … Continue reading ““All Four Feet” Jack”
This is a HORRIBLE photo (Hubby excitedly took it with his phone this morning), but…..it is a photo of a cat, successfully and without assistance, properly using the toilet!!!
Note the correct (“All 4 feet on the seat” stance). We are now using something called “Citykitty” and it’s what turned the corner for us. I will try to take some video of him later, for anyone that is interested (I’m surprised by how many of you are, actually!)
This was, of course, immediately followed with “Good boy, Jack, good potty, good kitty” and 2 Feline Greenies treats (his favorite).
Jack is, at this point, essentially trained. Ace, his brother, is following VERY closely behind in the process. The girl (Queenie), however, is still stubborn and will complain pretty vocally about having to use this piece of unfamiliar equipment for her, um, “ablutions.” If we are not around, she will still pace around the bathroom, looking for somewhere, anywhere else to go and we have to keep reassuring her that, indeed, there IS no other acceptable option before she will actually consent to use the toilet. The “Citykitty” set-up, at the “almost at the end” stage where we are, still requires a small sprinkling of cat litter. When we open up the (gigantic, plastic, Costco-sized bucket) litter container, she always stands up on her hind legs, peeking in, thinking that she’d much rather go IN the litter bucket (she has actually done this before – now we have to put the bathroom trash can on TOP of the bucket to keep her out – brat.).
Boy doesn’t care for tomato sauce, so when I was making stuffed shells for dinner tonight, I thought I’d try to come up with an alternate sauce for him. Hubby, Girl and I loved the tomato sauce version and Boy really loved the Parmesan-Pesto version. The two sauces might even be really good if you … Continue reading “Stuffed Pasta Shells with two sauces (both vegetarian)”
Boy doesn’t care for tomato sauce, so when I was making stuffed shells for dinner tonight, I thought I’d try to come up with an alternate sauce for him. Hubby, Girl and I loved the tomato sauce version and Boy really loved the Parmesan-Pesto version. The two sauces might even be really good if you combined them, or baked a batch of shells that are drizzled with a little of each sauce, in the same pan.
Stuffed Pasta Shells with Two Sauces
For shells:
1 12-oz package jumbo pasta shells
1 15-oz tub ricotta cheese
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese
8 oz frozen spinach, cooked according to package directions
1/2 tsp. Baby Bam seasoning
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese, divided
1 and 1/2 cups of your favorite spaghetti sauce
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Cook pasta shells in salted water according to package directions. Drain and discard any broken or torn shells.
Squeeze all excess water out of the spinach and place it in a medium-sized mixing bowl. Add the Baby Bam, mozzarella, eggs, ricotta and 1/4 cup of the parmesan cheese. Stir until well combined. Stuff each of the shells with 2 – 3 Tbsp. of the ricotta mixture and place all of them, except 8, in a large baking dish. Place the remaining 8 shells in a smaller baking dish and set aside.
Top the large dish of shells with the pasta sauce and sprinkle with half of the remaining parmesan cheese. Bake for about 30 minutes or until sauce is bubbly and cheese is lightly browned. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and serve.
For Pesto-Parmesan Cream sauce:
4 Tbsp. butter
4 Tbsp. flour
1 and 1/2 cup liquid, either chicken stock or milk
(or a combination of both – I used 1 cup milk and 1/2 cup chicken stock)
1/4 tsp. Baby Bam seasoning
2 to 3 Tbsp. prepared pesto sauce
5 Tbsp. Parmesan cheese, divided
Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. When butter is melted, whisk in the flour until well blended. Cook, whisking continuously, for 1 to 2 minutes or until very thick. Slowly pour in 1 cup of the liquid, continuously whisking, until well combined. Turn heat down to low and whisk in Baby Bam, pesto and 4 Tbsp. of the cheese. Continue to simmer until sauce reaches the desired consistency (somewhere between yogurt and melted ice cream), adding the remaining 1/2 cup liquid, if necessary. You want the sauce to be thick, but still pourable, because it will thicken a little as it bakes. Pour about 1/3 to 1/2 of the sauce over the reserved 8 stuffed shells and sprinkle with the remaining 1 Tbsp. of cheese.
Bake for 15 – 20 minutes or until sauce is bubbly and cheese is lightly browned. Reserve remaining sauce for another use (pour over cooked pasta and add some grilled chicken?).
One of the women in my book club made these chicken lettuce wraps for our last meeting and they were absolutely scrumptious. One bite and I knew that I needed to make them for Hubby, Boy and Girl. They are a bit of a pain to make, for what they are. You need lots of … Continue reading “Chicken Lettuce Wraps”
One of the women in my book club made these chicken lettuce wraps for our last meeting and they were absolutely scrumptious. One bite and I knew that I needed to make them for Hubby, Boy and Girl. They are a bit of a pain to make, for what they are. You need lots of serving dishes for this (even without the dumplings and eggrolls). You have to make 2 different from-scratch dressings. You need to use your blender, your grill and either the stove-top or a rice cooker. There’s a hefty amount of chopping, including ginger, which is a headache for me. They were totally yummy, though, and I would make these again.
Modifications and simplification recommendations:
I forgot to toss the cooked chicken in the additional Lime Vinaigrette (and we didn’t miss it). If you wanted to simplify the recipe, you could marinate the chicken in a bit of bottled Teriyaki sauce instead of preparing the lime vinaigrette.
I sliced the chicken, instead of shredding it. That was probably a mistake – it’s probably worth the trouble to shred (or chop) it, to make the bites of meat in the wrap smaller. I also forgot to wash the rice, but I think it’s worth the extra step to do that – my friend’s rice was much better and less “clumpy” when she made hers.
The green onion/scallions, though they are yummy, could probably be eliminated. I love cilantro, so I would NEVER omit that. The cucumber could also go, if you’re not a big fan.
The mango (I actually used 2 mangoes, instead of just 1 and we ate it ALL) is crucial – don’t omit that!
The soy-ginger dressing is very good, so I think that’s worth the trouble (bump the amount of sesame oil up to at least 1 tsp).
I cooked some dumplings and eggrolls (frozen) to go with these.
When preparing frozen dumplings, I boil them and then fry them (until they’re golden on one side) in a mixture of canola and peanut oil, with just a tiny bit of toasted sesame oil added in. For eggroll/dumpling dipping sauce, use the sweet & sour sauce that comes in the package, but also use this recipe (from Cooking Light) to make a spicy-salty sauce (we like sweet & sour on eggrolls, but the soy sauce-based sauce on the dumplings
Spicy-Sweet Dipping Sauce:
1 tsp. sriracha
1 Tbsp. rice vinegar
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
2 Tbsp. duck sauce
1 Tbsp. minced green onion/scallion
Hubby LOVES this sauce and would probably eat a dead dog if it were doused in this sauce.
If I had thought of it, I would have made some edamame, too, but just didn’t get around to it. I couldn’t find Bibb lettuce right now, either. It really would have been better, but iceberg was OK in a pinch.
The lettuce wraps were a big hit with Hubby, Boy and Boy’s friend, A (and me, too!). Girl was away at a birthday party, but will have some of the leftovers tomorrow.
The Hannah Montana concert last night was AWESOME! Girl, Friend C and Cousin A had a great time. I knew that I was only along for the ride (or, rather, to provide the ride), but I actually enjoyed it, myself. I was familiar with some of Hannah/Miley’s songs, because I’ve watched the show a few … Continue reading “Hannah Montana (Banana Fee-Fi-Fo-Fanna) Concert”
The Hannah Montana concert last night was AWESOME! Girl, Friend C and Cousin A had a great time. I knew that I was only along for the ride (or, rather, to provide the ride), but I actually enjoyed it, myself. I was familiar with some of Hannah/Miley’s songs, because I’ve watched the show a few times with Girl and we frequently listen to the Disney music channel on the XM radio in the mornings on the way to school (Hannah/Miley gets LOTS of rotation there – natch). I was less familiar with Aly and AJ’s music, but was totally bowled over. Those girls ROCK! They were slamming on their guitars and really belting out the lyrics. Obviously, a lot of concerts are beefed up by background “lip synch” tracks, but if Aly and AJ were using one, it was much less obvious than during the Hannah/Miley part of the show. She was wonderful, too, though. I have to admit that I was watching for the “body double in the wig” portion of the show (not that I hold it against her – it’s a show, after all – they have to use whatever tricks they can find), but I didn’t see it. There was another part of the show where Aly (the curly-haired one) and AJ (the straight-haired one) came out to sing another song – maybe that was added in and wasn’t part of the original show – maybe that was to give Miley time for her costume change.
The concert was a TOTAL estrogen fest. You’ve never SEEN so many little girls all in one place. There was LOTS of screaming. LOTS. Thankfully, the concert arena had re-purposed some of the men’s room (covered the “MEN” signs up to change them to “WOMEN”), so the lines weren’t unbearable. This was confusing to a couple of dads that happened to be there, though, and I did hear a couple of tiny girls ask what the weird-looking sinks were in the bathroom (as the moms hurried them past, saying, “NO! That’s NOT where you wash your hands!”).
Anyway, here are some photos:
(I’m not the greatest photographer, under the best of circumstances, but add in lots of noise, flashing lights, a dark arena and LOTS of screaming and well….I did the best I could.)
In case you’re not familiar with the whole Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus/Aly & AJ genre:
Miley Cyrus is Billy Ray Cyrus’ 15-year old daughter. She has a wildly popular TV show on the Disney Channel. If you haven’t heard of it, you either have been living under a rock or have no females in your life under the age of 14. She is currently on a concert tour, singing songs as both Miley Cyrus and as Hannah Montana, the character that she plays on the show. Aly & AJ are older, but still Disney-affiliated, I believe. No show, but a couple of albums under their belt. They were the warm-up band for Miley/Hannah for the last few stops of the tours, but last night”s concert was their last show with her. The concerts have sparked all kinds of controversy because they’ve been sold out in every city, commanding prices online and through scalpers above $1000 per ticket (I didn’t – and wouldn’t – pay that, by the way). People resorted to all sorts of desperate measures to get their hands on tickets. I am fortunate to have a connection with the concert venue and was able to procure tix with minimal effort, but also have lots of friends here in Austin that were able to secure them through the legit online box office – I think that they must have found a way to weed out the mass online ticket brokers and make the tix more available to fans at a reasonable price.
Girl just won the spelling bee at her school! The last two contestants were Girl and her good friend, C. They went head-to-head for about 8 rounds, and smiling and cheering each other on. Here’s the kicker: the word that got best friend eliminated? Crescendo. The word that Girl had to spell, after that, to … Continue reading “Hundreds of dollars worth of piano lessons every month? Totally worth it.”
Girl just won the spelling bee at her school! The last two contestants were Girl and her good friend, C. They went head-to-head for about 8 rounds, and smiling and cheering each other on. Here’s the kicker: the word that got best friend eliminated? Crescendo. The word that Girl had to spell, after that, to win? Staccato.
Girl is over the moon and will go on to compete at a district-wide bee in a couple of weeks.
FYI – Good friend C. is super-smart, very sweet and an amazing speller. She stayed in the bee last year much longer (3rd place!) than Girl did, so this was truly anybody’s game and either girl would have been thrilled to have the other one win. I am taking both girls (and Girl’s cousin, A) to the Hannah Montana concert tonight to celebrate. YAY!
Celebratory Lunch:
Grilled Herb-Roasted Turkey and Pepper-Jack Cheese with a baby salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette
Chicken Paprikash, adapted from this Cooking Light recipe 1 Tbsp. canola oil 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 2 medium sized breasts), cut into bite-sized pieces 1/2 tsp. Baby Bam seasoning 1 cup chopped white onion 1 cup chopped red or green bell pepper 2 pressed garlic cloves 1 Tbsp. paprika (add a little … Continue reading “Chicken Paprikash and Sauteed Spinach”
Chicken Paprikash, adapted from this Cooking Light recipe
1 Tbsp. canola oil
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 2 medium sized breasts), cut into bite-sized pieces
1/2 tsp. Baby Bam seasoning
1 cup chopped white onion
1 cup chopped red or green bell pepper
2 pressed garlic cloves
1 Tbsp. paprika
(add a little sprinkle of pimenton, too, for extra smoky flavor)
1 Tbsp. tomato paste
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 tsp. caraway seeds
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
a sprinkle (1/4 tsp?) freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup half-and-half
2 scoops sprouted ground flaxseed (available at Costco)
1/2 pound pasta or egg noodles, cooked and drained
Heat the oil in a large skillet or saucepan over medium-high heat. Sprinkle the Baby Bam over the chicken pieces and toss/stir to coat. Add chicken to the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned on all sides, about 5 minutes. Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside. Add the garlic, onion and bell pepper to the pan and cook, stirring frequently, until softened (about 3 minutes). Add the paprika, chicken stock, tomatoes, and tomato paste to the pan and cook for 5 minutes or so, turning down the heat, if necessary, to prevent bubbling over. If you would like for the sauce to be smoother and less “chunky”, use an immersion blender at this point (right in the pan) to puree the sauce. Add the caraway seeds and half-and-half to the sauce and season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir in the ground flax. Stir to blend completely. Return the chicken to the pan and continue to simmer (5 to 10 more minutes) until the sauce is nice and thick, the chicken is cooked through and the flax is completed mixed in. Serve over the cooked pasta, with sauteed spinach on the side.
Sauteed Spinach
1 lb. fresh baby spinach leaves
2 Tbsp. olive or canola oil
Baby Bam seasoning to taste (1 to 2 tsp.)
Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a VERY large saucepan. Add the spinach, a little bit at a time (it will shrink CONSIDERABLY as it cooks). After all of the spinach is added and has started to wilt a little, sprinkle the Baby Bam over it, stirring (I like to use tongs) to incorporate. When all of the spinach is at least partially wilted (you don’t have to cook it to death), remove it from the heat and serve.