THREE FOOD WORDS

Fresh New Digs...

2012-05-01T06:33:00.000-05:00

Beginning May 1, 2012 you can find me at www.SouthernGirlCitySwirl.com!

Random Friday Notes

2012-04-12T21:26:00.001-05:00

Good day good people. And heathens!

Work has me hemmed all the way up.
It has been stressful and anxiety ridden

I paid $12 at 2 different bakeries for five really bad cupcakes. The cakes tasted stale or they tasted like boxed cake; the lemon didn't taste remotely like lemon nor did the strawberry taste like strawberry. They were "turrible"

I was more mad about wasting the calories than wasting the money

In my world eating cupcakes is considered market research...LOLOL

My daughters rock

Oh I found out I have asthma. This inhaler has been lung opening awesomeness!

Gotta go back to the allergist for a 2 hour skin testing....

Almost 40 and my body wanna do what it wants to do? No ma'am no sir. I am the boss of this here!

Praise the Creator for good employment and health insurance!

B and I are going to see Ragtime at Miller Outdoor Theatre this weekend.

I love the many free entertaining options Houston offers.

Hope you all get up get out and do something fun this weekend!

Our Easter Menu

2012-04-06T08:48:00.000-05:00

What's on your Easter menu?

Ours will include:

Lamb (haven't decided how I am going to prepare it yet)

Scalloped potatoes

Roast cabbage slices (my sister's recipe)

Green beans with fried onions

Homemade honey rolls

Brown butter cornbread

My momma's banana pudding and a Strawberry Vanilla Cake (this cake looks soooooo good)

Have a wonderful weekend!

What To Do?

2012-04-02T09:34:00.001-05:00

Found this on the clearance rack at my favorite grocers. It looks so good! Jalapeno Bearnaise Sauce.

Homemade Seasoning Salt

2012-03-21T11:54:00.002-05:00

The salt reduction struggle is real at 18082. Both E and I have high blood pressure so any chance I get to lower or eliminate sodium in our diet I take it. A couple of years ago E had a scare that sent him to the hospital. Seven days and one surgery later, I knew I was going to make some drastic food changes to our diet.

I started with purchasing those salt free seasonings. At the time the selection was limited and they were running about $3.00 for a 2.4 ounce container. I cook nearly everyday there is no way I could afford that on an ongoing basis; plus we like curry spices, garam masala, BBQ seasonings, etc and I just couldn't find low or no sodium versions of the seasonings we liked.

So I started experimenting with my own. I started with a taco/chili seasoning, moved on to a tandoori mix and now a seasoning salt mix. Homemade mixes use better ingredients and waaaaaaaay less sodium than the store purchased brands. You can adjust the spices to your liking and you will definitely taste the difference.

Homemade Seasoning Salt
Adapted from http://www.thecomfortofcooking.com/search?q=seasoning+salt&x=0&y=0

What you need:

3/4 cups chili powder
1/2 cup each

ground black pepper
onion powder

1/4 cup each

garlic powder
paprika
salt
dried parsley
cayenne pepper
allspice
ground cumin
celery seed

1 heaping Tbs turmeric

What to do:

Mix all of the spices together in a medium bowl until well combined
Store in an airtight container

Oatmeal Cream Sandwiches

2012-03-13T08:04:00.000-05:00

Do ya'll know how much I love Pinterest? Seriously I could spend hours upon hours pinning stuff. I've decorated my entire house, filled my closet with shoes and clothes and hats and every accessory imaginable...all on my Boards! LOL

Two of my most favorite boards are 'Recipes to Try' and 'Pinterest Recipes I've Tried.' Recipes to Try is slowly getting out of control so I am on a mission to make what's already there before I add anymore.

I couldn't wait to make these delicious cream filled cookies!

The only thing I changed about this recipe was adding chopped pecans to the batter for the last batch. The cookie alone was soft and chewy and could totally stand on its own. These will most definitely be among the rotation at 18082!

Oatmeal Cream Sandwiches
http://www.burning-down-the-house.com/2011/09/01/oatmeal-cream-pies/

What you need:

For the cookies

¾ cup dark brown sugar
½ cup sugar
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp honey
1 ¾ cup all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1 ½ cups quick cooking oats

For the marshmallow frosting

2 egg whites
¼ tsp cream of tartar
½ cup sugar
½ tsp vanilla

What to do:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and cover baking sheets with parchment paper. Set the baking sheets aside.
In a medium bowl cream the butter, sugar, and brown sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, vanilla, and honey and beat until the ingredients are incorporated.
In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, cinnamon, and baking soda. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture, stirring just until incorporated. Stir in the oats until evenly distributed. Place the dough in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.
Remove the bowl from the fridge and place 1 Tbsp of dough onto the prepared baking sheets.
Bake the cookies 10-12 minutes or until the edges begin to brown. The cookies will be soft but will firm up a bit as they cool. Let cookies cool completely before spreading with marshmallow cream.

While the cookies are cooling, prepare the marshmallow cream.

In a double boiler (or using a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water) combine the egg whites, sugar, and cream of tartar.
Whisk the mixture frequently until it is very frothy.
Place the mixture into a clean bowl. Whisk on high speed until the egg mixture holds stiff peaks and is a light texture (several minutes).
Carefully fold the vanilla into the egg whites mixture.
Add the frosting to the underside of one cookie and assemble.

Last Night's Dinner

2012-03-07T14:50:00.001-06:00

Broiled Jerk Catfish, Sauteed Squash Mix w/parmesan

Have a lovely day!

Test Photo

2012-02-28T22:46:00.000-06:00

Fresh Lime Cupcakes

2012-02-27T08:01:00.003-06:00

I love citrus. Lemon is my all time favorite. However, I decided to change it up a bit and work it out with some limes ~~that didn't include margaritas~~!

This recipe was super easy as it used self-rising flour in addition to all purpose flour. Fresh lime juice and lime zest are all up and through these cupcakes! It is a mild flavor but you can definitely taste the flavor.

The original recipe calls for green food coloring but I omitted it. It also called for vanilla in the frosting but I used more fresh lime juice instead. I got about 18 cupcakes out of the mix...we kept six and gave the rest away!

Fresh Lime Cupcakes
http://www.sixsistersstuff.com/2011/05/key-lime-cupcakes.html

What you need:

1 cup all purpose flour
3/4cupself-rising flour
1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/4 cup sugar
2large eggs
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon finely grated lime zest
3/4 cup buttermilk

What you need for the frosting:

1 8-ounce package cream cheese, room temperature
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/2cup(1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 tablespoon finely grated lime zest
1-2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

What to do:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line standard muffin pan with 12 paper liners.
Whisk both flours in medium bowl.
Beat butter in large bowl until smooth. Add sugar; beat to blend.
Beat in eggs 1 at a time, then next 3 ingredients (batter may look curdled).
Beat in flour mixture in 3 additions alternately with buttermilk in 2 additions. Spoon 1/3 cup batter into each liner

Bake cupcakes until tester inserted into center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes.
Cool 10 minutes. Remove from pan; cool.

FROSTING

Beat all ingredients in medium bowl until smooth. Frost cupcakes. Enjoy.

Dry Rib Rub

2012-02-09T08:35:00.003-06:00

Rubs are easy. You just take some of your favorite spices, mix them together and slather it on your favorite cut of meat and slow cook it in the oven or grill it over coals!

Easy.

The measurements for my rubs are not exact because it is really adjustable according to the flavor I want to achieve. I use this rub for the ribs we had for Memorial Day but it can be used on steak or chicken also.

What You Need:

Start with tablespoon increments of these spices and adjust.

Black pepper
Brown sugar
Chili powder
Garlic powder
Ground cumin

Start with teaspoon increments of these spices and adjust

Cayenne pepper
Dry mustard
Ground allspice
Ground coriander
Paprika
Salt

What to do:

Combine all ingredients
Mix well
Store in an airtight container

Cook. Eat. Repeat.

Baked Shrimp Scampi

2012-02-08T08:07:00.001-06:00

I love The Barefoot Contessa. She is my friend in my head. Like she calls me up and invites me to her estate in the Hamptons...in my head. I have tried many of her recipes and I have not been disappointed. They typically use simple ingredients and are easy to prepare and pack huge flavor. You will see many of her recipes on this here site!
The original recipe is for two pounds of shrimp and uses way more butter than I care to. I adjusted this recipe for one pound of shrimp and decreased the butter to half a stick but I am sure I could have used a couple of tablespoons and been fine. So good!

Baked Shrimp Scampi
Adapted From Ina Garten’s “Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics”

What You Need:

1 pound shrimp, peeled and de-veined and butterflied
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon dry white wine
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/2 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 teaspoons minced garlic
1/4 cup minced shallots (I used onions)
3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves
1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary leaves (I used dried)
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 egg yolk
1/3 cup panko

What To Do:

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
Place the shrimp in a mixing bowl, and toss gently with olive oil, wine, salt and pepper. Set aside while you make the butter and garlic mixture.
In a small bowl, mash the softened butter with the garlic, shallots, parsley, rosemary, red pepper flakes, lemon zest, lemon juice, egg yolk, panko, until combined.
Arrange the shrimp in a single layer. Pour the remaining marinade over the shrimp. Spread the butter mixture evenly over the shrimp. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until hot and bubbly. If you like the top browned, place under a broiler for 1 minute.

Originally posted March 3, 2010

Tandoori Spice Mix

2012-02-06T08:03:00.001-06:00

I love a well seasoned turkey burger so when I ran out of my favorite tandoori mix (and it was raining out) I had to think of something else...fast? The troops were restless!

When I was researching 'tandoori spices' several variations of the spices came up. I made this mix based completely on smell and what I knew about the ingredients! LOL I thought it was going to be too spicy but it didn't cook spicy. Since it is a spice mix you can adjust the amounts to your tastes.

Tandoori Spice Mix

What You Need:

Start with 2 tablespoons each of:
Onion powder
Dried basil
Coriander
Cumin
Ginger

Then with 1 tablespoon each of:

Paprika

Cayenne pepper
Garlic powder
Salt

Finally 1-2 tsp each of:
Cinnamon
Clove

What to do:
Mix well.
Store in an airtight container.
Good on poultry or vegetables.

Cook. Eat. Repeat.

Originally posted July, 27, 2010

Jamaican Jerk Chicken

2012-02-02T08:35:00.006-06:00

First, I can’t remember for the life of me where I got this recipe. So my apologies if you read this and it is yours! Shoot me an email and I will post proper credits!

I have no experience cooking "island" dishes. The original picture of this looked so good I couldn’t wait to try it out. After trying, I am a fan! This is a great make ahead dish because it comes together so quickly. I especially loved it because of the low sodium. We have to watch our intake round these parts. It wasn’t bland and for us it had just the right amount of saltiness.

The rice that is next to those juicy pieces of meat, Turmeric Chorizo Rice, was a combination of two recipes that I made my own. So simple: two cups cooked white rice, sautéed onions, peppers, garlic and celery kicked up with turmeric and chorizo. I only used chorizo because I had made it (recipe testing) earlier in the day. I am sure you could use any smoked sausage you fancied.

Hope you enjoy!

What You Need:

1 medium onion chopped

3-4 garlic cloves

2 jalapenos, seeds removed (unless you want that fiyah!)

2 tbsp chopped fresh thyme (I used dried)

3 tbsp lime juice (I forgot this and left it out)

1/4 cup soy sauce (I used low sodium)

2 tbsp brown sugar

1 1/2 tsp ground allspice AND ground cinnamon

8 pieces bone in chicken legs and/or thighs (I used all legs)

What to do:

Remove skin and fat from chicken and make slits all over the meat

Put all of the remaining ingredients in a food processor (or blender) and blend until smooth

Place 1/4 cup of marinade aside for brushing

Place the chicken pieces in a zip lock bag and pour marinade over chicken

Make sure chicken is coated well

Refrigerate for 4-6 hours or overnight (I marinated overnight)

Grill the chicken over medium heat until done or bake at 400 degrees until dark golden brown and juices run clear. (I prepared mine in the oven on a sheet pan)

Be sure to brush the chicken with the reserved marinade throughout cooking.Also let the chicken rest for 5-10 minutes before eating.

Originally posted February 16, 2010

Vanilla Bean Scones

2012-02-01T08:48:00.002-06:00

Love. Period.

See I am not a CrackBux junkie but on the rare occassion I partake, I always cop one of their pastries. Their OK. So when I found this recipe over here I. Couldn't. Wait.

Eating this was like eating a warm, citrusy, sweet biscuit! The lemon was a WONDERFUL addition to this pastry.

I didn't use the glaze from her site (but I will the next time I make them). Since I ran out of powdered sugar I used a lemon simple sugar glaze (one part lemon juice to one part sugar, heated until dissolved). I'm going to whip up a batch for my cousin just so I can have an excuse to make them again...I can't have all that goodness all up in my house less I gain 50lbs!

The only change I made was I did not use vanilla bean paste. I used vanilla bean and I did not use the glaze. I also may have used a bit more lemon zest cause I love lemon in pastries!

Vanilla Bean Scones

Adapted heavily from http://amybites.com/?p=855

What you need:

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 cup sugar

5 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter, cubed

1 cup sour cream (regular)

1 egg yolk

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste or vanilla beans

1 teaspoon lemon zest

What to do:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

In a mixing bowl, combine dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, baking soda, and sugar) with cubed butter. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse meal (the dough will be kind of grainy).

In a separate bowl, whisk together wet ingredients: sour cream, yolk, vanilla beas, and zest.

Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients. Mix with a fork or whisk until dough comes together.

Place dough on parchment lined baking sheet, then form with floured hands into an approximately 9 by 12 inch rectangle.

Cut into 12 squares, then each in half diagonally until you have 24 wedges*.

Bake for 17 minutes or until golden-brown. Let cool on wire rack before using glaze of your choice.

*I actually got about 15-17 wedges.

Cook.Eat.Repeat.

Originally posted February 2, 2011

Finally: Christmas Recap

2012-01-31T09:21:00.000-06:00

In pictures!

I did some decorating

Looked cute

Gave homemade vanilla extract as gifts

Catered a couple of parties

Had a great time with my family

Browned Butter Cornbread

2012-01-30T08:18:00.001-06:00

I told ya'll browned butter stay winning over here! LOL

This is my most favorite cornbread recipe...now. I used to make it the way L Beezy does until I came across this one. While momma's is still the best...this is one I will pass down to my girls.

The batter will make a bit more than will fit in the pan so it is likely you will have some leftover. Also be careful not to over fill the skillet as the bread has a nice rise to it.

I won't even tell ya'll how B and I were eating this with agave nectar like it was dessert...I won't tell that. I also won't tell ya'll we had two ~~hunks~~ slices of it either! A piece.

Browned Butter Cornbread
Adapted from http://www.kneadysweetie.com/2011/10/browned-butter-and-sour-cream-cornbread.html?showComment=1327618366464#c8759078024875327168

What You Need:

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 teaspoons olive oil (or vegetable oil)

1 1/2 cups yellow cornmeal

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 cup sour cream

1/2 cup buttermilk

What To Do:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees
Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat, swirling often until lightly browned and nutty, about 4-5 minutes. Pour into a medium bowl, and set aside to cool.
Place the olive oil in an 8-inch cast-iron skillet; place in oven to heat.

In a large bowl, combine cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda.

Add eggs, sour cream and buttermilk to cooled butter, whisking well.
Pour into dry ingredients, and stir just to combine.
Pour batter into hot skillet. The batter should sizzle in the pan!
Bake until golden and a toothpickinserted in the center comes out almost clean, about 25-30 minutes.

The Friday Five – Busy Weekend Edition

2012-01-27T13:21:00.000-06:00

Five things I will be doing this weekend:

Working late Friday night to avoid coming in Saturday

Going to the country for a gir.l scou.t outing with B and her troop

Having some home improvement stuff done…mostly electrical, changing out light fixtures, updating the electrical box, etc)

Prepping posts for the next two weeks including some White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Peanut Butter cookies (yeah right 3 words!)

Begin taking pictures for the picture a day challenge…I mean I have a cool new camera so why not! I can’t wait to see what other participants post

What about you? What is on your agenda this weekend?

Easy Banana Cake

2012-01-24T08:45:00.002-06:00

These ratchet bananas made this really delicious cake. Brown bananas stay winning over here! You know what else stay winning over here? Brown butter! Brown butter is the winning-est! From pasta to frosting to ice cream...brown butter be on that thang!

For this super easy quick bread I used my own brown butter frosting recipe but the one listed is original to the recipe. Truth be told this cake is delicious without the frosting if you want to save on some calories!

Easy Banana Cake w/Brown Butter Frosting
Adapted from http://www.laurenslatest.com/banana-cake-with-walnuts-and-brown-butter-frosting/

What you need for the cake:

1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup oil
1/4 cup plain applesauce {unsweetened}
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 large bananas, mashed

What you need for the frosting:

1/4 cup butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon heavy cream
1/4 cup chopped walnuts or pecans {optional}

What to do:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Spray an 8×8 square dish with non stick cooking spray and set aside.
In a large bowl, combine all the dry ingredients, except the sugar. Stir to combine and set aside.
In a different bowl, whip sugar, oil and applesauce together.
Stir in eggs, vanilla and mashed banana.
Slowly incorporate the dry ingredients into the wet until just combined.
Pour into prepared dish and bake 25-30 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean when inserted. Cool completely.

To make the frosting

Place butter in a small saucepan over medium heat.
Just after the butter melts, start swirling the pan in small circles.
After about 45 seconds or so, the butter should start foaming and will turn an amber color and smell nutty.
Remove from heat immediately and pour into a different container. Cool to room temperature.
Once butter has cooled, whip together with vanilla, powdered sugar and cream until smooth and creamy.
Spread over cooled cake and top with chopped walnuts, if desired.
Store in an airtight container until ready to serve.

What To Do?

2012-01-16T08:55:00.001-06:00

This stuff smells amazing! I love love love caramelized onions. In fact, I keep a container in the fridge to toss into omelets, soups, vegetables or even in a cold salad! So it was a no brainer when I saw this on the clearance shelf at my favorite grocery store.

Caramelized Onion Jam...what!? Yes please. I am making burgers this week specifically so I can slather this all over that meat!

What new/interesting food items have YOU discovered lately?

The Friday Five - Five Under Five

2012-01-13T08:47:00.006-06:00

Check out some of the new new stuff I got this week on the low...like seriously this stuff was cheap!

Blood Oranges are in season! They are great in cocktails but these will be going in a tart...1.99/lb

I don't care for saltines but these folks in my house do; E likes to eat them with sardines and B will make little pizza crackers with them or eat them with peanut butter. Bi.g Lot.s 1.80 a box

E's juice struggle is real! He goes through more juice and water than any one person I have ever seen. So any time I find some on sale or at a really good price I am all over it. The bonus about these is they are 100% juice and there is no sugar...not even fake sugar in them...I cleaned Bi.g Lot.s out. These were $2 for a four pack.

While shopping at Whole Paycheck, this guy was handing out salsa samples. Normally I don't do community food but this looked really good and he poured me a fresh cup of this awesomeness! The guy on the bottle was the guy handing out the samples (super nice.) I wish I had time to bend is ear, he is the owner, producer, and manufacturer of his salsa product. He is local, Austin, and he was really proud of all of his salsa varieties. This one was really delicious! 3.49 for this jar.

These were the chips salsa guy was handing out with his salsas....they were so crisp and fresh and just delicious. They give my On the Bo.rder, my favorite brand, a good run for my money! 3.99 per bag

What awesome deals did you find this week!?

Easy Balsamic Vinaigrette

2012-01-11T07:49:00.010-06:00

I STAN for a great salad! A great salad with a simple vinaigrette is a winner all around. This simple dressing seriously only takes about five minutes to prep.

Easy Balsamic Vinaigrette
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/simple-balsamic-vinaigrette-recipe/index.html

What you need:

1/4 cup good balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

What to do:

Whisk all of the ingredients together except for the olive oil until the sugar and salt dissolves.
Slowly whisk in the olive oil; or place all the ingrediens in a screw top jar and shake to combine.
Adjust seasonings to taste.

Birthmas 2011 Wrap-Up

2011-12-22T12:20:00.003-06:00

So this may a be a bit lengthy but it is picture heavy! Birthmas 2011 was quite the success even though I didn't travel this year.

I gave myself my very first birthday party and had a blast! We even collected items that I donated to the Houston Area Women's Shelter! My people rock! I had a DJ and he totally rocked the spot. If you are in Houston, holla at me and I will forward his information. We JAMMED up in this piece.

E retains his title of the BEST Gift Giver Ever. He is always thoughtful with his gifts...ALWAYS! He got me a Touchscreen PC...I am currently typing this post from said fancy PC. I LOVE it so. I would have never purchased it for myself. I would have thought of a million other things do with the money and none would have been to spend it on me. That I-Pod Touch? He won that for me at his company holiday party! #Score

I purchased myself a few things also! I ~~wanted~~ needed a flat screen...um there is no picture of it yet because it is STILL sitting in the box and I received it at the end of NOVEMBER! LOL

I purchased a few pairs of shoes (but that only counts as one gift! LOL). These are my favorite pair. *B was like, "Ma I don't think you own any sensible shoes" LOL

I also got a new digital camera that takes really nice pictures...I am working my way up to that $1k camera I have been coveting...but ya'll also know I am ~~cheap~~ frugal.

I wrote notes to some of the people I love and care about

I purchased donuts for my department

We took B's teachers breakfast (she had to write them notes)

I paid for random meals

Gave one of my favorite tea drinkers a mug filled with some of my favorite bagged teas. As an aside, I STAN for Tea.vana...love that doggone place.

I bought a whole lot of Diet Co.ke...the women at my job HEART that stuff

I also made a candy jar for another co-worker....I try to keep the people I work with happy...those ladies will drop everything to do anything I ask. I appreciate them and wanted to remind them.

Birthmas 2011 was soooooo fantastic. I had fun with people I adore, new and old. It was a complete and total blast. I can't wait to see what Birthmas 2012 holds...it's gon be on and poppin for 12/12/12!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Day 4 - Dinner at 18082

2011-12-04T08:12:00.001-06:00

See those two lushes? I LOVE me some them. I had a wonderful time with them and their husbands on Sunday. BBQ at 18082 on a chilly Houston evening was perfect.

How was your weekend?

Day 3 - Dinner With Friends!

2011-12-03T07:25:00.015-06:00

I told ya'll I was going to be full of awesome all month! LOL I am going to try taking a fun picture every weekend!

What a way to kick off the first weekend of Birthmas 2011! My super, awesome friend Tazzee was in town with her super cool husband. We, along with Tiffany in Houston, Beautifully Complex and her beau, Rhapsody Diva and her super funny husband all went to dinner at one of my favorite restaurants.

Stop the presses E even hung out! I got the pic to prove it! LOL

The dinner was actually for all of use to hang out with Tazzee and her husband but E and Rhapsody Diva's husband decided to put me on blast and have the staff sing happy birthday to me. Had I not had liquid courage in my system, I would have been petrified!

We laughed, we got free food, the staff was super dope and my people rock and rock and rock!

Day 3 of Birthmas 2011 is in the books!

Day 2 - Cookie Exchange Randoms

2011-12-02T07:13:00.001-06:00

For some reason we did not take pictures! Probably because we had two bottles of wine, spiked egg nog and lots of cookies! LOL This was my first time participating in a cookie exchange with this group of women and I had a blast! I will be better prepared next year.

Stephanie even cooked....I mean that's BIG news all by itself! LMBO! She made a wonderful potato soup that I can't wait to replicate....especially since it is officially cold in Houston! Stephanie is the queen of soups as long as it can be made in the crock pot! LOLOL

One of the ladies made tea cake cookies....I DIE! They were soooooo good! When I was a child my mother used to make tea cakes. These cookies tasted JUST like those cakes! Child please. I made E and B split one so I could have the rest all to myself! #NotJoking

Oh and there were these peanut butter cup cheesecake bites...faints!

Day 2 of Birthmas 2011 was super fun. Thank you GNO Ladies for a lovely evening!