Flowery cupcakes

This weekend we were in Portland for my niece's first birthday.  My sister baked some cupcakes and bought some candy for us to, hopefully, get us inspired on how to decorate the cupcakes.  I tried working with some of the candy she bought but neither one of us were really happy with how it was turning out.  I had researched a little online and found that it's possible to roll out gumdrops and cut shapes into them.  I thought that was a clever idea but when we were at the store at 10:15pm the night before the party to readdress the cupcake decorations, Starbursts sounded better and the colors were brighter.  I figured rolling those out would have the same effect.  So, we bought them.

After I rolled out the Starbursts and cut them into flowers, I poked a hole through them with a toothpick and Carrie rolled the scraps into balls and we used those as the center of the flower.  Then, we stuck the toothpick through the green Sour Patch Straws that Carrie had purchased earlier that day and voila!  Cupcakes with flower sticking out of them.

Anna definitely approved..

Here's lookin' up your old address

I'm writing on borrowed time.  David's asleep and it's 11:45.  Amelia slept 12 hours straight last night after going down without a peep.  She peeped tonight on and off for about 30 minutes tonight, falling asleep for about 15 of those 30 minutes, but she's been out for a good 3 hours now.

I decided to go ahead and post this because I'm going to be insanely busy tomorrow filling Millie's Bows orders and packing for Amelia and me to take the train down to Oregon on Thursday morning.  And when I'm in Oregon, I don't check the computer.  At least not more than once or twice.

I was reading some of my older posts before the baby was born and I used to actually be a mildly entertaining blogger.  Not that Amelia isn't an entertaining subject matter, but really only to me and her dad and her grandparents, probably.  Plus I think a small chunk of mental capacity made its great escape at some point between getting pregnant and birthing my child.  It happens.  I may just be getting less interesting as I grow older - I won't rule out that possibility.

SO.  I was going to make homemade pan pizzas tonight for dinner.  I've made it before, back when I was still interesting.  Dough is so super simple to make but for some reason I always feel like it's going to be a headache, and having to wait for it to rise...I just didn't have make the time.  I had already thawed the mozzarella and pepperoni by transfering each Food Savered item from the freezer to the fridge a couple of days ago and since I only have one more night to cook before I leave David to his bachelor ways, I decided to at least attempt something pizza-ish.  By the way, David will be more than cared for while I'm gone in the meal department.  I made a double batch of Poppyseed Chicken and am planning to freeze a couple of chicken pot pies.  Can you tell we've run out of red meat in our house? 

Anyway, on to the recipe.  It's pizza on a flour tortilla crust.  Now, before you judge, just listen.  I've made flour tortilla pizza before.  It was soggy and slightly unappetizing.  This pizza, however, was crispy and absolutely tasty.  Could have been how much cheese I piled on it, but one of these pizzas fed David and me and we were full at the end of the meal.  I only served strawberries on the side instead of making a salad or something 'cuz I'm ghetto like that.

Try this recipe - you won't be disappointed!  My additions are italicized.

Quick Tortilla Pizza

Makes 2 pizzas; serves 4 (I obviously halved the recipe - I only had 3 flour tortillas on hand)

INGREDIENTS

Six (10 inch) flour tortillas, preferably whole wheat

(Um, didn't use whole wheat tortillas)

8 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese (divided use) 
(Who actually measures cheese when making pizza?)

2/3 cup pizza sauce (divided use) 
(Didn't measure this, either...we're "light on the sauce" people)

Pepperoni, olives, vegetables, or any other toppings you like 
(I used pepperoni, black olives, and chopped up fresh spinach...I put spinach on and in everything I can get away with)

I added some garlic salt, pepper, and cilantro (why?  I don't know, I really don't.  It was green) to taste.

DIRECTIONS
Heat oven to 375 degrees. Spray the bottom of the first tortilla with non-stick cooking spray to help it crisp. Lay sprayed side down on cookie sheet.

Sprinkle a small amount of cheese on top of tortilla, just enough to help tortillas stick when cooking. Top with another tortilla, sprinkle with cheese, top with third tortilla. Top last tortilla with about 1/3 cup pizza sauce and toppings of your liking.

Repeat the directions for the second pizza, using remaining ingredients. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes (mine was done at 17 minutes - nice and crispy) or until golden brown. Cut with pizza wheel (I won't tell if you want to use a knife) into wedges.

Per serving (based on 4): 274 calories, 19 grams protein, 10 grams fat, 6 grams saturated fat, 36 grams carbohydrate, 4 grams fiber, 33 milligrams cholesterol, 748 milligrams sodium. Analysis by registered dietitian Mary Mullen.

"Didn't measure" is the story of my life. 

Tonight I went to Google maps and looked at the "street view" of my hometown and the little house where I lived for the first 9 years of my life.  I have really, really great memories of that place.  It's a very small town, but I love that it's small.  I also love that it seems to have stayed largely unchanged.  I'd love to go back someday but I'm not sure how realistic that is since I'm halfway across the country now.  Anyway, it was fun to get to roam around town via the Google street view.  Speaking of which, I looked up my address now on Google and it's eerie that our garage door is open and so is the gate to the backyard.  David was obviously working in the yard when they came by with the truck.  Strange!  You can actually see my brother-in-law working in his front yard and their dog sitting in the yard staring at the Google truck when you look up their address.

I decided to show you the street view via Google Maps of our house.  I don't know - to me it's kind of crazy!  Obviously this is prior to David cleaning out the garage!

Have a wonderful weekend!  My shop is closed for the long weekend but I'll be back to doing orders on Monday.

Bakerella would be so disappointed

I've been wanting to try making cake balls for a while.  David asked if I would mind making them for him to take to work on Wednesday (staff meeting).  I agreed. 

Do you remember in grade school when you were handed a sheet of paper that told you to write this, color that, etc, then at the bottom of the paper it said "Do nothing on this page".  The point being that you should read instructions in their entirety before acting.  I was one of the kids that slammed my head into the desk when I finally got finished following all of the instructions on the page only to realize I shouldn't have done any of it.

I got started on the cake balls too late because I hadn't read the instructions which said that they needed to be refrigerated or frozen for several hours. 

I made the cake and let it cool.  I crumbled the cake, added the frosting (of which I only had regular vanilla, not cream cheese frosting as the recipe called for), then formed the balls.  I made them a lot larger than the recipe indicated because I didn't want to be forever rolling cake balls and it was already 8:30pm.  I was later really thankful for this decision because just the couple of dozen I rolled took so much time (and chocolate) to dip.

I stuck the cake balls in the freezer but finally pulled them out after about 2 hours.  I couldn't wait any longer.  I was getting really tired and I knew I wouldn't want to wake up at 5am to get the balls dipped and out the door with David by 6:30.  Well, they weren't frozen enough.

They looked awful.  I tried to cover up their awfulness with some chocolate drizzle but nothing could save them.  David took them to work anyway.  Someone asked if they were store-bought...maybe he saw them from 30 feet away.

Lesson learned : I'm not a dipper.  I am not a fan of dipping.  Things I try to dip always turn out badly.  Maybe I should just practice more.

I'll leave you with a few cute pictures of my baby.  She cut her first tooth last Friday...her bottom right one.  The last few nights she's slept in 7 hour stretches which gives me renewed hope.  She's babbling a lot more, too.

The first one is Amelia with David's mom.  She was sweet enough to offer to come over and play with Millie so I could get some bows made.  She must have worn Amelia out because Millie slept for 2 1/2 hours after Grandma left!

I took these two tonight.  She doesn't really look like herself in the first one, but I love the big open-mouthed smile.

Happy Thursday!

Tomorrow night/Friday morning I will share with you David's and my love story.  It's a good one.  At least to me it is!

Tired of hearing about sleeping? There's a recipe, too.

Don't forget...
I've decided to change the name of my blog to Bungalow Bee for privacy reasons. 

The new url is http://bungalowbee.blogspot.com.  I will make the change on Wednesday, so if links on your page are pointing to the old blog, please change it after Wednesday.  Sorry this is such a hassle.  If you know a less crazy way to do this, PLEASE let me know.  It says that 34 people are still following me so I assume that it will correct itself on your blog if you didn't enter it manually.
__________________________________________________________________________

The good news is that the swaddle is history.  The bad news is that Amelia is still waking up every 2 1/2 - 3 hours. 

Friday night was rough.  The baby woke us up every 2 hours (!!!) wanting to eat.  David and I were both really frustrated and extremely exhausted, but more importantly how could this baby be functioning on so little sleep?  For the last week or so Amelia has become much more mobile.  She can very easily and fluidly roll from tummy to back and from back to tummy, although she isn't rolling around the room yet.  So, now she always winds up on her tummy or on her side for naps and seems to be sleeping longer.  If she can find a comfortable position during naptime and it's not on her back, then it probably doesn't make sense to swaddle her and stick her on her back anymore.  So, Saturday night we put her to bed swaddleless.  I'll spare you all the details, but she was awake again soon after and I called my mom and sister, Carrie, asking for advice. 

They suggested filling Amelia up then just laying her in her crib and letting her fall asleep on her own.  I don't want any hate comments about "crying it out".  As a matter of fact, if you take issue with "crying it out" (otherwise known as the Ferber Method), you might want to read this article. 

Anyway, so we stuffed her full of rice cereal which she ate happily, made sure she had a clean diaper, put Baby Orajel on her bottom gums where she's getting a couple of teeth, and suctioned her stuffy nose.  Then we put her to bed.  And she cried.  So after 5 minutes I went in, patted her bottom, gave her back the paci, and left.  Ten minutes later it was David's turn.  He apparently hadn't read the method.  He stayed in there and rubbed her back until she fell asleep.  I really didn't care, I just appreciated that she was finally asleep at 11:30!  She didn't wake up until 5:30 at which point I fed her and put her back in bed.  Unfortunately she woke up again at 7 and I made the decision to keep her home from church because of how stuffy she has been and because it started to seem more like a cold coming on rather than teething issues.  She was back in bed by 7:30 and she slept until 11am.

So, Saturday night wasn't too bad at all.  But then there was Sunday night.

The child would not go to sleep.  We tried to let her cry.  After 30 minutes the whining/fussing turned into a full blown wail.  We decided she must be hungry so she got fed again.  Oops - she stopped crying right when we picked her up and didn't end up eating too much.  Amelia - 1,  Mom & Dad - 0

She's fed, she's changed, her nose is suctioned and she has Baby Rub on her chest since the crying made her nose even more stuffy.  We laid her back down...more crying.  An hour goes by and we're still going in and checking on her and rubbing her back for a second and leaving.  Only it isn't really working.  She turns on her back when we walk in and cries harder when she realizes we aren't going to pick her up.  We finally decide to give in and David brings her to me so I can try rocking her.  She isn't interested and instead arches her back to look at her dad and "talk" to him.  I laid her next to me on our bed thinking maybe eventually she'd calm down and start to look even a little sleepy.  She smiles, coos, laughs, grabs my face, and rolls around.  Amelia - 2, Mom & Dad - 0

It's now 11:30pm and David has to get up at 5am for work.  This is ridiculous.  I put her back in her crib and leave the room, but the crying started before I even put her down.  She's overtired...way overtired.  Huh, that sounds familiar...I'm overtired, too.  Can I scream and throw a fit, please?  After 10 minutes I picked her up and rocked her to sleep.  Amelia - 3, Mom & Dad - 0

She was up every 3 hours.  I realize I'm a sucker and I know the kid will continue to sleep in 2-3 hour incriments until I put the proverbial parental pants on and let her learn how to sleep on her own.  She does great at naptimes...she only really fusses for 5-10 minutes before rolling around into a comfortable position and falling asleep.  On the days that she fusses and whines for 20 minutes, I don't even go in there and eventually she falls asleep.  She'll even sleep an hour or more at naptime now, whereas before it was 30 minutes every single time.

So, we're learning.  I really want to let her learn how to fall asleep on her own and, in turn, have her sleep for longer stretches of time.  I'm not worried about me as much as I'm worried about her not getting the sleep she needs at her young age.

Moving on. 

I  need to wrap gifts.  I need to bake.  I need to finish the babies' Christmas gifts (which, I'm really excited about).  I know I'm a pansy, but I still don't like getting out with the baby by myself.  It's not that I can't...I do and have.  I just don't like it.  When I can pull her out of her car seat and have her sit up in a cart all by herself then I will be a lot more comfortable with it.  Right now I lug her seat in with me (she doesn't like to be worn, although admittedly I haven't tried it too much because my back is terrible) and oftentimes carts don't allow the car seat to fit easily or at all.  Or I get the car seat on the cart and I can't see where I'm going.  Anyway, my point is that I don't enjoy getting out with the baby by myself.  I need to get over it.

Before I forget, here's a recipe I made today that is really, really good.  It's Tyler Florence's Banana Nut Muffins.  Wow, they're good.  I added chocolate chips and used walnuts instead of pecans.  I made a few muffins for a week's worth of breakfasts then I made 4 tins of mini-muffins for David to take to work tomorrow.  I think you'll like these muffins...I've never eaten a better banana nut muffin...made by myself.  I'm sure there are better ones out there.  I baked mine for 17 minutes and that was plenty.  Anyway, here's the recipe in case you don't feel like going to the website:

BANANA NUT MUFFINS

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 overripe bananas
1 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2 eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup pecans, chopped

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and lightly butter 2 muffin tins.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside. Mash 2 of the bananas with a fork in a small bowl so they still have a bit of texture. With an electric mixer fitted with a wire whisk, whip the remaining bananas and sugar together like you mean it, for a good 3 minutes. Add the melted butter, eggs, and vanilla and beat well, scraping down the sides of the bowl once or twice. Mix in the dry ingredients just until incorporated. Fold in the nuts and the mashed bananas with a rubber spatula. Spoon the batter into the muffin tins to fill them about halfway. Give them a rap on the counter to get any air bubbles out.

Bake until a toothpick stuck in the muffins comes out clean, 18 to 20 minutes. Let cool for a few minutes before turning the muffins out. Serve warm or at room temperature.

I need to go make dinner.  My baby's still sleeping...it's been almost 2 hours...nice! 

Cookbooks, cookbooks, and a contest (!?)

My dilemma.

I have a lot of cookbooks (not an exhorbant amount, but more than I can use).  I have a lot of cookbooks that I've never opened.  Cookbooks that are beautiful and have wonderful, complicated recipes that I will never make because I am generally not one to go and buy unusual or "fancy" food.  The reason?  It's hard for me to imagine buying ingredients for one recipe.  I already have items in my pantry that have been sitting there for a while, so why would I spend money on a leetle jar of some fancy paste when it will probably never be used again and live its life on my refrigerator shelf until it starts growing things.  Since I'm not earning a paycheck anymore my main job as head chef of the Baldwin household is to use what we have in the fridge, freezer and pantry while making as few shopping trips as possible.  This means making garlic bread out of frozen hot dog buns and David making his yummy stir fry out of 25 half-full bags of frozen veggies.  Mental note:  We do not need anymore frozen broccoli.

See the blue binder in the picture above (and to the right)?  That binder houses mostly recipes I printed from AllRecipes.com.  See the cookbooks to the right of the picture?  The ones that say "AllRecipes.com"?  It's easier to type ingredients into the search on the website and find recipes that way than to thumb through cookbooks, although I really do love cookbooks.  I love the idea of them.

We eat mainly chicken, ground beef, and pasta.  We also eat a lot of tomato-based foods such as spaghetti and tortilla soup.  I'm stuck in a rut when it comes to what I buy.  I will freely admit that.  If there was such a service as a "pantry chef" or a show where someone came to your house and listed everything you had in your pantry and fridge then gave you recipes to use it all then I would be the first in line.  Really, though, this post isn't about what we eat.  I do wish I was braver when it came to ingredients.  I'm not afraid to try new recipes - as a matter of fact I pretty much will make several variations of the same dish, never repeating the same recipe twice.  Of course, this is rather inconvenient when I make something that knocks David's socks off.  As I was saying, I'm not afraid to try new recipes, they just have to include ingredients already in my pantry or they have to include ingredients that can be left out or substituted if not in my pantry.  See?

Anyway, I used to house all of my cookbooks in a little hutch in my dining room.  This worked out okay until every recipe I printed off the internet wound up sandwiched between whatever space I happened to find room.  It was looking pretty ghetto.  So, now they live in a bookshelf in a guest bedroom of our home.  It's not even a cute bookshelf. 

I'm a dessert girl.  I love making dessert.  I have a little collection of cookbooks devoted entirely to desserts.  Cookbooks for cookies, brownies (not pictured because it's currently sitting in my cookbook holder on my kitchen counter), and cupcakes. 

If I had a better kitchen with more counter space (that's another post entirely), I would make it my goal to be able to produce cookies that look like this:

Isn't it adorable?  Imagine having the talent to do that!  I considered acquiring this as my new hobby but then I saw the tools required to even attempt to attain this skill:

Considering my sweet husband has been so supportive of all my hobbies such as painting, knitting, and sewing, I figured I shouldn't push my luck.  I really have yet to find my niche, but that's probably because I expect to be really great at something right when I start and that's obviously never the case.

Back to cookbooks.  I have a cookbook with beautiful photos of recipes I'll never make. 

I also have a cookbook dedicated to showing one how to host the most spactacular parties!  It has directions and pictures on how to do everything from setting the table to creating beautiful garnishes to making a beautiful ice bowl!  It also explains (with pictures, no less!) how to host any kind of themed party you want to throw.  Someday I'll be a wonderful hostess, but I probably should get a table that seats more than 6.

I guess my whole point in this is to say that, while I absolutely l-o-v-e cookbooks, I don't know how I'm ever going to use them all.  But my goal is to try to at least thumb through them and see if any have recipes that call for chicken, beef, or tomatoes.  Ha. 

If anyone has a tried-and-true recipe please let me know.  I am also looking for healthy recipes...I have lofty goals of weight loss.  Someday I want to run a half-marathon (those of you who know me stop laughing!) but the thing is - I hate running.  Anyway, that's another post for another time.

If I were to give away one of my cookbooks, would you be interested?  Here's why I'm asking:  I'm considering doing it for a contest.  I will list the ingredients of my fridge, pantry, and freezer and whoever comes up with the best recipe (I have to try it and like it!) wins a cookbook.  I'm also asking because I know there are those of you out there who read my blog but you don't comment.  Other than family, of course.  I know family who read it and don't respond but that's to be expected. 

So, answer me that.  If you're reading me on Facebook, come on over to my blog.  You don't even have to log in to comment (but please tell me who you are).

And, just because I can, here's a photo from bathtime tonight:

Happy Weekend!

The sleeping post

Are there other things I could be doing right now? Simply, yes. However, my kid has been fighting sleep more than normal lately and last night and today was no picnic so I'm going to use this time that she's actually fast asleep to post.

Lately I've been feeling like it might be time to lose the swaddle and the swing for naps & nighttime. I've only just recently realized how overambitious of a goal that is. A couple of weeks ago I laid Amelia down for a nap and after about 10 minutes of whining she fell asleep. Granted, she was only out for about 35 minutes but it was a start. Over the course of that week she kept doing okay on her own to fall asleep at naptime. I should also add that, for about a month, she was giving us 6 1/2 -9 hour stretches of sleep at night. It was wonderful.

She has regressed.

I laid her down for a nap today and for, no kidding, 30 minutes she whined and fussed and was just generally a big grump about the whole thing. I went in a couple of times to put her paci back in and when I did she would close her eyes and snuggle with her blankie but then would get mad that her eyes were closed and pop them back open and start whining again. I left, but then after another 10 minutes I finally went in and fed her thinking she might be getting hungry. Okay, fed & changed so everything should be good, right? Nuh-uh. More fussing and whining except this time she threw in some temper tantrum. Yeah, the girl already knows how to throw herself a mean temper tantrum. I decided that if I was going to get rid of the swing during naptime then maybe I should swaddle her since that's how she's used to sleeping in her crib (that's how we roll at nighttime). Swaddled. I rocked her and she got mad again so I laid her in her crib and left. 15 minutes went by and her fussing is turning into full-blown cries. SO...I went in, picked her swaddled little self up and put her in her swing. Within 5 minutes she was out. I waited another 10 minutes before scooping her up and transfering her to the crib. She barely moved the entire time.

So, that's been my day. I've managed to get some laundry circulating but other than that I'm feeling rather unproductive. I'm allowed those days, right? They have been happening a little too frequently lately.

So, here's the recipe I was talking about. I'm sure someone has thought of this before so I won't claim that it's completely original. It's simple enough. It doesn't even have a title.

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked & cubed
1 small zucchini, diced

1/2 can black olives, drained & sliced
1 cup fresh spinach (you can use frozen, I won't tell)

1 can diced tomatoes

1 T chicken seasoning (I used Montreal)

1 T dried sweet basil

1/2 T fresh ground pepper

Parmesan cheese to taste

Basically just throw it all in a skillet, heat it up, and serve it over angel hair pasta. I promise never to write a cookbook.

My baby is awake. I think she slept for 40 minutes. She's on her playgym staring at her feet and yawning. I don't think it's her teeth, but maybe it is. I just know that when I would walk into her room when she was whining and pick her up she'd stop crying.

Okay, we played, I cut her fingernails, and put her back in her swing since her eyes were red and she was looking dazed. She's sleeping and this time I'm not moving her!

That's the thing about parenting infants. People would tell me before she was born that infants just "eat, sleep & poop". That may be true to an extent, but you also have to figure out why they're crying, why they won't eat, why they won't sleep or why they're sleeping so much and why they haven't pooped/pooped so much/why their poop looks the way it does. Are they sick? Teething? Tired? Hungry? Gassy? Colicky? Overstimulated? Too hot? Too cold? Uncomfortable? Of course, you probably know what I'm going to say next. It really is all worth it. I get to snuggle her, kiss her, play with her, and watch her smile and laugh. And drool. Last night I got done feeding her and had her over my shoulder to burp her. She lifted her head and, while putting her chubby little hands on my face, planted her nose into my cheek then tried to eat my nose. She burped in my face and spit up just enough so that I could smell that distinct digested milk scent. It was the sweetest moment so far!

Okay, I probably should get some stuff done while she's still sleeping. David (that's my husband's name. No more "D") will be home soon.

Did I eat lunch today?

Much is happening!

I have some great, albeit old, news!

My sister, Lindsay, gave birth to Kate Mae on Tuesday, May 19 at 6:12pm. If you know my sister, you know she's tall and thin and from looking at her you wouldn't imagine that an 8 lb, 10 oz, 21" long baby could fit inside her cute frame. Kate's a big baby. She's also perfect and gorgeous! D and I are driving down to Oregon tonight to attempt to avoid some of the Memorial Day weekend traffic. I have to work for a few hours tomorrow morning but he has the day off.

I'll quit talking and show some pictures. This first one melts me. Doesn't my mom look like she's about to explode with stars and rainbows? I don't think there was a happier granny in the world when this photo was taken. Mom, make room for one more! Think she'll be able to fit Amelia in there? I've got an inkling that she'll manage!

And here is sweet Kate. First just her cute little face then one with her proud Mom and Dad.


Here's Anna when she was brand new. I think Kate & Anna look similar, although Kate definitely has some of her daddy's coloring.


Onto to less fun things. Since I wasn't able to be with my family when Kate was being born, I decided to keep myself busy and make some pear coffee cake. D & I bought a big bag of pears at Costco but they were too ripe to begin with so they ripened up very quickly when we got them home and soon became unappealing to me. So I peeled and diced them and decided to try a new recipe.

I used 2 bread pans rather than a fluted tube pan just because I wanted D to take a loaf to work and I wanted to take a loaf to work for our respective coworkers. I just watched them but I think they baked for about an hour - maybe more.

Pear Coffee Cake

INGREDIENTS
2 cups sugar (I cut back the sugar by 1/2 cup and it was delicious. 2 cups would have been way too sweet for me)
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
3 eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups flaked coconut
1 cup chopped dates (I didn't have dates so I left these out)
3 cups chopped peeled pears
1 cup pecans, chopped (I used walnuts)

DIRECTIONS
In a mixing bowl, cream together sugar and oil. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Sift together flour, cinnamon, salt and baking soda; add to creamed mixture. Add vanilla. Bay hand, stir in coconut, dates, pears and pecans (batter will be thick). Spoon into a greased and floured fluted tube pan. Bake at 325 degrees F for 1-1/2 to 2 hours or until cake tests done. Cool on rack until cake comes away from sides of pan; remove from pan to a wire rack to cool completely.

That's my coffee cake in the picture. It was yummy. D had a coworker eat at least 3 slices then eat the crumbs off the plate and ask when I was going to make more. Then he asked D if he bought the apples (D told him 3 times that they were pears), would I make him some more? Ha.

I have a sweet friend in Texas who sent this for Amelia. Who doesn't love smocking? Really. I'm in love with this little dress - I can't wait to see it on our baby girl!



Have a wonderful holiday weekend!

Baby Anna

So I had every intention of posting last night. I really did. But, I got to working on cleaning out the closet in the nursery and then doing laundry. I think I sat down to eat dinner and that was it. Speaking of dinner, real quick I want to give you this recipe. First, I should say many reviewers chose to double the sauce but I didn't and I thought it turned out fine. There was something missing in it and I think I just didn't add enough salt. Otherwise, it was very tasty! The leftovers were fantastic! I sprinkled freshly grated Tillamook cheddar cheese on top of my husband's slice and laid a slice of Swiss American on top of my slice.

Chicken Pot Pie

INGREDIENTS (Nutrition)
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cubed
1 cup sliced carrots
1 cup frozen green peas
1/2 cup sliced celery (I omitted these because I didn't have them)
1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup chopped onion (I used dried minced onion)
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon celery seed
1 3/4 cups chicken broth (I used 1 3/4 water with 2 chicken bouillon cubes)
2/3 cup milk
I added garlic powder

2 (9 inch) unbaked pie crusts

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C.)
In a saucepan, combine chicken, carrots, peas, and celery. Add water to cover and boil for 15 minutes. Remove from heat, drain and set aside. (I boiled my frozen chicken breasts and just threw the carrots & frozen peas in with the chicken for about 10 minutes at the end. Then I pulled out the chicken, shredded it, and stuck it back in with the veggies)
In the saucepan over medium heat, cook onions in butter until soft and translucent. Stir in flour, salt, pepper, and celery seed. Slowly stir in chicken broth and milk. Simmer over medium-low heat until thick. Remove from heat and set aside.
Place the chicken mixture in bottom pie crust. Pour hot liquid mixture over. Cover with top crust, seal edges, and cut away excess dough. Make several small slits in the top to allow steam to escape.
Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until pastry is golden brown and filling is bubbly. Cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Ok, now I can move on to more important things. My sister was induced at 5am this morning! She's currently laboring away. Sadly, we found out about the induction late-afternoon yesterday and there was no way we could leave on that short of notice...we both had things at work that needed to be done. So, we'll go down on Thursday evening and get plenty of snuggle time in with Anna over the weekend. I can't wait to meet her!

Happy Administrative Professionals Day! Tell your Admin that she rocks.

Have a great Wednesday!

Boston Cream Pie, readdressed & Sandwich Cookies

I realized yesterday after I posted that it's no longer March and I am no longer held to the promise I made to post every day (except weekends). However, I think I'll keep up the promise because it's fun for me. Writing is a good release - I always feel better after posting no matter how trivial the content. Thanks for being an audience to my random musings!

I learned a lesson last weekend. That lesson was from my own unorganized mistake in recording a recipe. You may recall the boston cream pie post about the cake I made for my mother-in-law on her birthday. My brother-in-law, Jake, enjoyed the cake so much (no matter the appearance) that he requested it for his birthday last weekend. I was excited to make the cake again and be able to present it to the family fully intact this time, the way in which it was meant to be presented. I rarely make a dessert recipe more than once (chocolate chip cookes excluded) so I was excited to improve upon the first attempt.

Here's where the lesson comes in. If powdered sugar is involved in a frosting recipe of any kind, Sift it first. Without exception, please sift it first. I'm saying this more to myself than to any of you because I'm sure you know better. When I was making the ganache for the cake, I thought "I don't need to sift the powdered sugar because the ganache starts out warm and the sugar will surely dissolve as I mix". WRONG! I poured the ganache over the beautifully baked and filled cake only to discover that there were ugly, unappetizing white chunks of powdered sugar all throughout the chocolatey topping. I probably could have just left it alone, but I didn't. I managed to move the cake to a different plate (all the while spilling not-quite-cool, melty chocolate sauce all over the kitchen counter) and scrape off the top layer of ganache. The sides were still quite ugly but they'd have to do. I made another batch of ganache (this one thicker than the first which coated the cake better, anyway) and poured it on the cake.

This time, I refrigerated the entire cake for a couple of hours prior to transport. It didn't budge an inch. Perfect! It was good cold, too, even if it didn't look very pretty. The ganache recipe is my favorite of any ganache I've ever made. It tastes exactly like the frosting on a good chocolate donut, and if you know me, you know I'm no stranger to the chocolate donut. So, it still didn't get the masterful presentation that I'd hoped for, but it didn't disappoint in taste.

Easy Boston Cream Pie

INGREDIENTS
Cake & Filling
1 18.25 oz Butter Recipe Yellow cake mix (I used Betty Crocker)
1 5.1 oz JELLO Vanilla Pudding mix

Ganache
3 (1 ounce) squares semisweet chocolate
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup light cream (I used milk)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar, SIFTED

DIRECTIONS
Prepare cake mix according to package instructions in two 9" rounds. Cool completely.
Prepare JELLO vanilla pudding mix according to package instructions and chill for at least a couple of hours.
Do not prepare this next step until you are ready to assemble the cake...the ganache needs to go on the cake immediately after prepared. In a heavy saucepan over low heat, stir the chocolate pieces and 2 tablespoons butter until they are completely melted. Remove from the heat and, stirring constantly, add the 1/4 cup light cream in a thin steady stream. When mixture is smooth, stir in the confectioners' sugar and beat vigorously. Stir in the 1/2 teaspoon vanilla.

TO ASSEMBLE
Turn one 9" round cake upsidedown on serving plate. Spread the chilled filling on the flat surface of that bottom layer and place the second cake on top. Pour the chocolate frosting evenly over the top allowing it to spill down the sides.
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Now for another recipe. I made these cookies for the Homeowners Association Meeting that was held at our home on Tuesday night. D tried them and, I kid you not, he laughed because they were so good. D doesn't laugh at the goodness of recipes, especially baked goods. He is generally satisfied to get the Golden Grahams S'more recipe made for him on his birthday - he's a no-fuss dessert kind of guy. He prefers his meat and potatoes.

The HOA board members sang the praises of these cookies, too, even the "I'm not a sweets kind of guy" guy. Believe me when I tell you that I'm not tooting my own horn - it's not my recipe. I'm just going to quit jabbering now and give you the recipe.

First I have to say that I used 2 yellow cake mixes instead of chocolate ones because my chocolate cake mixes were all the way downstairs in our garage pantry and I didn't feel like making the walk. You can pretty much use any cake mix you want for this recipe. I also did not roll the mix into balls - I simply used my cookie dough scoop making sure to level out the top of each scoop and they came out great. The batter, when you mix it, will be very tough. Make sure to mix it well and even use your hands if you need to.

If you like a lot of filling, double the filling recipe. I have dreams of doubling the filling in each sandwich cookie and rolling them in mini M&Ms or chocolate chips. Mmm....

Chocolate (or whatever) Sandwich Cookies II

1 (18.25 ounce) package dark chocolate cake mix
1 (18.25 ounce) package low calorie chocolate cake mix
4 eggs
2/3 cup vegetable oil

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
2 cups confectioners' sugar


Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Lightly grease cookie sheets.
In a medium bowl, stir together the dark and light chocolate cake mix. Add the eggs and oil, mix until well blended. Roll dough into 2 inch balls, and place them onto the prepared cookie sheet. Flatten the balls slightly with the back of a spoon.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes (mine took almost a full 12 and I have a convection oven) in the preheated oven, until firm. Let cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before removing to cool on wire racks.
To make the filling, beat the cream cheese and confectioner' sugar together until smooth. Spread between two cooled cookies
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Tomorrow we go pick up the nursery furniture. I'm really excited even though we don't have a place to put it at the moment.

I'm very tired so I'll say goodnight.

Recipe Success: Chicken Tetrazzini

D gave this meal a very enthusiastic thumbs up so I figured I'd share it with you guys. I adapted it from a recipe online so I don't take credit for it. (This is also known as chicken spaghetti...I'd feel silly calling it chicken tetrazzini without mentioning its real name)

Easy Chicken Tetrazzini

1 pound spaghetti

3 cubes chicken bouillon
5 chicken breasts, cooked and cubed
3 cups frozen broccoli (or peas, or whatever frozen veggie you want)

2 (10.75 ounce) cans condensed cream of mushroom soup
2 1/4 cups water
1/4 cup butter
2 cubes chicken bouillon
1 t garlic powder

1 t onion powder

1/2 cup butter
1 sleeve Ritz crackers
Cheddar cheese, shredded (to taste)

Prepare spaghetti by boiling in water with 3 bouillon cubes and frozen broccoli. Drain, add chicken and set aside.
In medium saucepan heat together soup, water, butter, garlic powder, onion powder and bouillon. Bring to a boil and then pour over the pasta and chicken. Mix together then pour into 13x9 pan. Press down mixture a bit.
In a separate bowl, melt 1/2 cup butter. Crush 1 sleeve of Ritz crackers and mix in with the butter. Spread across the top of the dish.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Add cheese to taste.

The original recipe is here.
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This made a TON of food and D was a huge fan so I'll be making it again. I actually used linguine noodles instead of spaghetti noodles. My sister made this dish tonight, too, but I haven't talk to her to ask how it turned out. She was going to use angel hair pasta and not add veggies. I think she was also going to use cream of chicken instead of cream of mushroom.

By the way, I passed my GD test and also did fine on my iron levels which was amazing considering I've been anemic or borderline anemic all of my life.

I called Babies R Us and ordered the furniture. Yay! They had 41 cribs left at their warehouse...now they're down to 40. I learned that handy trick of subtraction in 1st grade.

Also, as an aside, David talked with a coworker yesterday about a class she took through the hospital where she delivered (same hospital I'll deliver at). It was a class for new moms and their babies (when the babies are 4-6 weeks old) and this coworker said she loved it. She said it was just nice to get out of the house and meet with other moms who were going through the same thing as you. After the class series ended, the moms still got together and this woman is still friends with some of the moms and it's been years since her daughter was born. This turned out to be the same class that my carpool's wife took after their baby was born, too. My carpool partner is always telling me about a picnic they went to and the weekly Mommy group that his wife is a part of...and their son was born 2 years ago.

Anyway, I signed up for the class. One of the classes was already completely booked so I assume it's a pretty popular class. I'm excited.

Well, I think D is getting ready for bed without me so I better go.

Weekend Happenings

I know I've been away too long.

I spent all day Saturday on my feet in the kitchen preparing food for our holiday party that evening. D has hosted this holiday party for the last 7 years so it's become a tradition. Although, as the years pass we invite fewer and fewer people. Only about 9 of us there this year, but I still wanted it to be special. I made homemade York Peppermint patties, fudge, and sugar cookies with chocolate frosting.

I messed up the peppermint patties pretty badly. Instead of 6 cups of confectioners sugar, I added 6 cups of regular sugar. Grainy, grainy mess. Into the garbage it went and my amazing husband was kind enough to run to the store and grab me another sweetened condensed milk so I could start over. He also went to 2 different stores for marshmallow creme because apparently Safeway was completely cleaned out of marshmallow creme. Seriously. The fudge was very tasty, though. It was firm yet creamy.

I didn't take a picture of the food. None of it. Didn't take any pictures at the party, didn't take any pictures of the Christmas decorations that I finally got around to putting up on Thursday night. I'll tell you why. It's because my heels hurt. My back hurt. And, some funky nerve in my lower back has been killing me for a couple of weeks and that hurt, too. When I could sit down and do absolutely nothing, I did. Even taking pictures was too much of a comittment for me by the end of the afternoon on Saturday.

During our party it began to snow. By the end of our party we probably had about an inch on the ground, and then after everyone left we kept accumulating. D got out his tape measure and measured 1 3/4" of snow. The trip to church on Sunday morning was interesting. We live on a hill and there's no way to get off the hill other than driving down the hill (makes sense, right?). The roads were icy but D managed to manuver like a pro and we arrived safely at worship. Evening service was cancelled and it's probably best - the temperature didn't reach above freezing the entire day so the icy roads just got icier and by Sunday night our cul de sac was a solid sheet of ice. Fortunately for us a sand truck came and sanded our cul de sac and road to our neighborhood.

This morning on my way to work, my car temperature gauge said 18°. Seriously - 18°. In Seattle. Right now the sun is shining and there are only a spattering of clouds in the sky. We are forecasted for more snow on Wednesday.

Tomorrow night, D and I are going to see Seven Brides for Seven Brothers at the 5th Avenue Theater in Seattle. I'm SO excited. I grew up loving the musical and it thrills me to be able to see it live on stage. D, of course, is not as thrilled...but he loves me and because he loves me he is going with me!

Whitney at Glamorous Life of a Housewife has a giveaway today - go check it out.

And now... Recipes

Homemade York Peppermint Patties

1 (14−ounce) can Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk
1 tablespoon peppermint extract
Green or red food coloring, optional
6 cups confectioners' sugar
Additional confectioners' sugar
1 − 16 oz. bag semi−sweet chocolate chips

In large mixer bowl, combine Eagle Brand, extract and food coloring if desired. Add 6 cups sugar; beat on low speed until smooth and well blended. Turn mixture onto surface sprinkled with confectioners sugar. Knead lightly to form smooth ball.

Tear off enough of the mixture to make 1" balls and knead in hand until the consistency of bubble gum. Roll into 1" balls and place 2 inches apart on wax paper−lined baking sheets. Flatten each ball into a 1 ½−inch patty immediately after placing each one on the wax paper. Let dry 1 hour or longer; turn over and let dry at least 1 hour.

Melt the chocolate chips in a microwave set on high for 2 minutes. Stir halfway through the heating time. Melt thoroughly, but do not overheat. Melting the chocolate chips can also be done using a double−boiler over low heat. With fork, dip each patty into warm chocolate (draw fork lightly across rim of pan to remove excess coating). Invert onto wax paper−lined baking sheets; let stand until firm. Store covered at room temperature or in refrigerator.

Note from Jamie: I dipped a few, but it was a MESS. I ended up just using a butter knife to coat the top of the mint with chocolate and I left the bottom untouched.

Carolynn's Sugar Cookies
(Carolynn is my mom!)

1 c butter or margarine
1 c sugar
1 egg
3 T heavy cream or whole milk
1 t vanilla
3 c flour
1 1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t salt

Cream butter & sugar in a large bowl. Beat in egg, cream, and vanilla. Stir in flour, baking powder and salt. Chill dough while oven is preheating. Preheat oven to 400 F. Roll out dough 1/3 at a time. Cut with cookie cutter. Bake 5-10 minutes.

Fudge

1 (7 ounce) jar marshmallow creme
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2/3 cup evaporated milk
1/4 cup butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups milk chocolate chips
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped nuts
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Line an 8x8 inch pan with aluminum foil. Set aside.
In a large saucepan over medium heat, combine marshmallow cream, sugar, evaporated milk, butter and salt. Bring to a full boil, and cook for 5 minutes, stirring constantly.
Remove from heat and pour in semisweet chocolate chips and milk chocolate chips. Stir until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth. Stir in nuts and vanilla. Pour into prepared pan. Chill in refrigerator for 2 hours, or until firm.

I love the holidays. I can't wait for a week from now when D & I head down to Oregon for my family's week-long holiday tradition extravaganza. Always something happening around the holidays with my family. I think every day and night that we're down there is filled with something to do - never a dull moment!

I'll try to update again if we get snow on Wednesday. This is one of those weeks that I'll be taking my laptop home from work every night just in case it's too dangerous to get out on the roads the next day.

Happy Monday!

NOT Vintage Thingies Thursday

I made up a recipe.

It was actually eatable. Not only was it eatable, it was good. I usually don't like recipes with someone's name in them, but for my very first completely made up recipe, I'm going to put my name on it. I admit I got the general idea from a few different recipes, but what makes it mine is that I had no clue how it would turn out when I was making it because of all the stuff I threw in there. If there's a recipe out there like this one, don't tell me. Or, do tell me so I don't get sued.

Chicken Chimechangas a la Jamie

8-10 10" flour tortillas
2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (Depends on how saucy you like your chimechangas. I used 3)
1 can Cream of Mushroom soup (I used the Campbell's Health Request kind)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 T butter
1 T dried minced onion (I'm sure fresh onion would taste even better. D & I are not onion people so I don't have fresh onion in my house)
1 T chopped jalapeno (I use the jarred kind)
1 T salsa (I used my homemade salsa which is more pureed than, say, Pace, so just eyeball it)
2 T taco sauce (I bet enchilada sauce would be really yummy as a substitute)
1/4 c shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 t salt
1/4 t pepper
2 T butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350°
Boil & shred chicken. Set aside.
In medium saucepan, melt 1 T butter over medium heat. Add garlic and onion and saute until soft. Add soup and stir well to combine. Add jalapeno, salsa, and taco sauce. Stir to combine and let simmer for 5 minutes. Add the cheese and stir until melted. Add the cooked chicken.
Fill each tortilla with about 1/4 cup of the mixture and roll pretty tightly. Place on ungreased cookie sheet and brush melted butter on top of each tortilla.
Bake at 350° for 30 minutes.

I scorched the roof of my mouth biting into one of these last night, so be careful. They may not look/feel hot, but they are pretty much an oven on the inside. They're so good - very flaky, buttery on the outside. The chicken on the inside was super tender and the sauce was so flavorful (kind of spicy!).

So, D wanted me to share with you all what he got me for our anniversary. He said he didn't want you all to think he was a chump and didn't buy me a card! He gave me the sweetest card - I almost cried. I love when our anniversary or Valentine's Day comes around and I can see what eloquent words he thinks of to describe how he feels about me. It really melts my heart.

Along with the card, he got me my favorite candy in the entire world... See's Bordeaux chocolates. If you don't live in the Northwest you probably have never had See's chocolates. You are missing out. If I ever make any money from this blogging thing (which is unlikely to happen), I will give away some of this chocolate. It's that good. Bordeaux, specifically, are like little pieces of chocolate heaven. The inside is a rich blend of brown sugar and buttercream, and the outside is either milk or dark chocolate, depending on your taste. I'm a dark chocolate girl all the way. The best part, in my opinion, are the chocolate sprinkles on top.


We had a really great time at The Melting Pot. SO much food! It never looks like a lot of food, but D always has to practically roll me out of there when we're finished eating. We had 7pm reservations. Since it was a Tuesday night and we assumed they wouldn't be crowded, we arrived at 6:50. The hostess told us it would be just a few minutes. A couple that walked in after us were seated a little after 7pm. I won't go in to the questions of why a couple who had reservations for 7pm but walked in after D & me were seated before we were seated. But anyway, we finally got a table around 7:10. Turns out they were short-staffed so our waitress was not only our server but she was also the busser. We chose one of the "Big Night Out" meals for two. It comes with a salad, your choice of cheese fondues (all fondues come with "the trimmings), your choice of broth or oil for your main course (we chose broth - the oil is way too heavy!), and then your choice of dessert fondue.

The salads are good - I wouldn't say they're anything special.

For the cheese fondue, you get to choose from a list of about 8 different kinds of cheese fondues. We chose spinach artichoke fondue with Fontina and Butterkase cheeses. It was very, very good. They bring out bread, raw veggies, and green apples to dip in the cheese. D & I weren't big on the apples - they were way too tart and tasted funny with spinach artichoke cheese on them.

Our main course platter had filet mignon, Memphis BBQ pork tenderloin, Key West shrimp, honey dijon chicken, spinach artichoke ravioli, and some fresh veggies and potatoes. It came with salmon, too, but we subbed more filet mignon since D isn't a fan of seafood. I have to tell you the story of D and his favorite dipping sauce. The first time we went to THe Melting Pot and he tried the cocktail sauce, he quite literally fell in love with the slow burn of the horseradish in the sauce. I'm pretty sure the only dipping sauce he uses is the cocktail sauce and maybe some of the cream cheese and chives. He puts the cocktail sauce on everything. Last time we went to the Melting Pot, the cocktail sauce had lost its burn - apparently one can get used to the burn and have it not really effect them anymore. Kinda like a drug addict. This time, the waitress offered to bring D some horseradish on the side so D could add more to the cocktail sauce. Throughout the meal, D got more and more used to the burn. Finally, for one of his last bites, he loaded up the cocktail sauce with more horseradish and literally piled it on to his piece of pork. The following pictures were of this bite...

I love that it looks like the steam is coming from David's head.

For dessert, we ordered "Cookies and Cream Marshmallow Dream" fondue. It's dark chocolate topped with marshmallow cream, flambeed, stirred together, and topped with crushed Oreo cookies. And to dip in the fondue, we had strawberries, bananas, cheesecake, marshmallows, pound cake, Rice Krispie Treats and brownies. But you probably want to see a picture...


I'll leave you with pictures of our trip to the pumpkin patch. Just because it's my blog and I can.
First, this is our pumpkin that we picked out at the patch. I LOVE this pumpkin - it was love at first sight. I laid eyes on it and I said "That's the one!" I feel like we were meant to be together. The second picture is the stuff we picked up at the pumpkin patch this year. The popcorn is kettle corn.

Here's D getting us some roasted corn on the cob. I'm salivating now just thinking about it. They even had Cayenne Pepper to sprinkle on your corn...D was happy about that.

The next picture is D picking up my pumpkin of choice. Oh, he's showing his dirty underbelly. Excuse me. I know it looks like D has on a Michael Jackson-era coat, but that's what D calls his "getting dirty jacket". It's in the trunk of his car at all times (along with blankets and a homemade emergency kit - isn't that cute?) in case he has to get dirty and it happens to be cold outside. The pumpkin patch is usually notoriously muddy, but this year it was great!


That's all I've got.

I wish I could work on headers/banners at work but I can't. All of my fonts and image uploads are on D's computer at home. Sidenote: Don't download Microsoft Vista. It rots your computer. Okay, it doesn't rot your computer, but it makes it slower than molasses which is highly frustrating!

D & I were invited to a couple of Halloween parties this year. At one of them we have to actually dress up. Any ideas?

Have a happy October 16th!