Starting all over again

A return from the dead (or at least from the absent)

2012-04-04T11:55:00.003-04:00

So I haven't written in forever and, the longer it went, the harder it was to come up with something that justified a post. But I finally came up with something!

I believe I've mentioned before that I am completely obsessed with Peeps, despite not liking to actually eat them (unless they're baked). This year has been no different. As soon as the brightly colored marshmallows showed up in stores, I started making my normal S'meeps and occasionally just sticking them in the oven for a quick fix.

But that wasn't enough. After talking every year about how I could make my own version of Peeps, this was the year I finally did it!

First off (and this is the part that always hung me up in the past), I had to find the perfect cookie cutter. And I did find them here. In fact, they have several different sizes and I got the x-small and the large. The size choices weren't the best because the x-small was REALLY small and the large was pretty darn big. But they worked.

Then I just had to make the marshmallows. This is my favorite recipe. The only change I made was to add vanilla bean paste so that the marshmallows had those awesome vanilla specks that I love. Oops... I made one other change too. Instead of following the instructions and covering the bottom of the pan with powdered sugar, I just coated the pan (hardcore) in non-stick spray. Then you just pour the mixture in and let it sit out overnight.

Once they've had time to sit up completely, just use the cookie cutter to cut out your peeps. The cutter will get sticky stuff on it (spraying it with the non-stick stuff didn't seem to help at all), so wash and dry it frequently. As soon as you cut one out, drop it into a bag of whatever color of sanding sugar and make sure it's covered completely.

If you choose to put the little eyes on (like Peeps), I prefer to pipe melted chocolate on them. Some say they use food coloring and a toothpick, but I just found the chocolate easiest.

And then you have your own homemade Peeps! The mini cookie cutter actually turned out nice too, since I stuck a stick in those peeps and dipped them in chocolate, making them the perfect little treat.

I started doing these at the bakery about a week and a half before Easter, which was just enough time for me to get bored with the perfect, cute, vanilla bean marshmallows. So I decided to try Strawberry Peeps (and I'm hoping to try chocolate soon). To do the strawberry, I still used the same basic recipe as above(from Smitten Kitchen), but here are the changes I made:

3 1/2 envelopes (2 tablespoons plus 2 1/2 teaspoons) unflavored gelatin
1 cup strained strawberry puree, divided
2 cups granulated sugar (cane sugar worked just fine)
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 reconstituted egg whites (reconstituted w a 50/50 mix of water and strawberry juice)
1 tablespoon vanilla

Oil bottom and sides of a 13- by 9- by 2-inch rectangular metal baking pan and dust bottom and sides with some confectioners’ sugar.

In bowl of a standing electric mixer or in a large bowl sprinkle gelatin over 1/2 cup cold strawberry puree, and let stand to soften.

In a 3-quart heavy saucepan cook granulated sugar, corn syrup, second 1/2 cup of strawberry puree, and salt over low heat, stirring with a wooden spoon, until sugar is dissolved. Increase heat to moderate and boil mixture, without stirring, until a candy or digital thermometer registers 240°F, about 12 minutes. Remove pan from heat and pour sugar mixture over gelatin mixture, stirring until gelatin is dissolved.

With standing or a hand-held electric mixer beat mixture on high speed until white, thick, and nearly tripled in volume, about six minutes if using standing mixer or about 10 minutes if using hand-held mixer. (Some reviewers felt this took even longer with a hand mixer, but still eventually whipped up nicely.)

In separate medium bowl with cleaned beaters beat egg whites (or reconstituted powdered whites) until they just hold stiff peaks. Beat whites and vanilla (or your choice of flavoring) into sugar mixture until just combined. Pour mixture into baking pan and don’t fret if you don’t get it all out (learning from my mess of a first round). Chill marshmallow, uncovered, until firm, at least three hours, and up to one day.

The result is a lovely, pale pink marshmallow with a strong strawberry/vanilla flavor (which is achieved with NO artificial flavors or colors - at least none until the colored sugar covers them! LOL)

I really have loved doing them. And they have quite a few fans at the bakery too! One day I'll manage to get the nerve to try piping some Peeps Chicks, but that's a whole nother blog entry!

Things I love about the new place

2011-10-24T13:43:00.002-04:00

So I haven't written in an eternity and part of the reason is because we've been moving for what seems like an eternity! But we're now 90% moved in and starting to settle. It was a tough process but I couldn't be happier that we chose to do this.

So, here is my list of things I love about the new house!

1. The room! Our old place was pretty cramped. It was on the small side when we moved in and, as we added a husband and several pets since then, it was SUPER small by the time we left. But now there are enough bedrooms for the kids to each have their own and, as a result, the amount of morning and bedtime arguments are greatly reduced. It also means we have a sudden return of closet space, cabinet space, and general floor space.

2. The yard. The old place was much more apartment like so there was little yard, except out front where all we could do was hook the doggers up on a lead to give them some exploring time. Now we have a fenced back yard (especially since Not-So-Ex fixed the fence so that it actually can contain the doggers after a first day of them getting out of both their kennel and the fence repeatedly leaving me in a state of insanity rarely seen) and on beautiful days like today I can leave the back doors open and let the dogs go in and out as they wish while I carry out my normal work. This option has made Lucy much less of a black sheep, which is always good. Even Jaker loves the freedom.

3. The sunroom. We have a front room that is mostly windows and which makes it possible to bring my dwarf trees and other sensitive plants inside and keep them going through the winter. Or at least it will in theory. I do have two dogs with the run of the place. They best not eat my dwarf pomegranate tree again.

4. The kitchen and bathroom. While neither room is perfect (hopefully yet), they are VAST improvements over the last place. The kitchen has an oven that will actually hold two cookie sheets side by side (the last oven wouldn't). As if that wasn't enough, the oven even has a correct temp (old one was 50 degrees off) AND a timer! As for the bathroom, it has storage space in form of a closet AND a cabinet (old place had NADA) and some actual floor space. Probably the best part is that I can fall and not hit my head on the toilet. I know that sounds crazy, but I am tremendously clumsy and my fall at the old place scared the crap out of me!

5. The basement. Our old house had a VERY leaky basement. And I really mean it when I say VERY. One time it was up to my calves because even the drain backed up. The new house will probably have some water issues, I don't expect it to be perfectly watertight, but so far, so good. It's also a bit less perfect of a horror movie scene, which makes me quite happy. We've got our washer and dryer all set up now, so I'm sure we'll be spending plenty of time down there and I'll be happy to not expect a stabbing every time I go to change the loads over. LOL

Ok... that'll do for now I guess. While there's plenty to love, I also have to say I really hate boxes and will be thrilled when they are all gone! I'd better get back to doing my dishes now!

Why today is awesome!

2011-09-23T09:29:00.002-04:00

So I'm sick. I have some sort of cold/allergy/crud thing and it knocked me on my butt-butt. Yesterday was one of the worst days I've had in a while because I managed - all in one day - to lock myself out of the house (while my phone was, of course, in the house), accidentally let Lucy the Asthmatic Demon Dog loose on the world for about 5 minutes, and get called into work very briefly while feeling like a sniffly zombie.

But, while yesterday was horrific, I am determined that today will be superb. And why would I expect that? Because we just got the call that my beautiful little car is finished and we can pick it up from the body shop!

My poor little baby - after the attack

Now for those of you that are out of the loop, my car that we bought not even 6 months ago was brutally attacked. She was sitting, parked, on the road by our house - minding her own business - when a big ole ambulance smashed into her. As a result, she has spent most of September in the car hospital being put back together. And, while she's been hospitalized, I've been forced to drive a rental car that, while being much like my girl on the surface, I am convinced is a male car. The rental has been fine, and is much better than having to share a car with Not-So-Ex, but it's just not my girl.

So the goal for today is to keep myself hopped up on cold meds so that I can function, rather than returning to my sniffly zombie status, pick up my baby, get myself to work for a bit, get my kiddos after school, and then have a relaxing evening. Tomorrow is one of my early mornings at work so I definitely have to get myself feeling better by the end of today! Wish me luck!

Pittsburgh wrap-up

2011-08-01T11:12:00.002-04:00

So it's been almost a week since we headed to Pittsburgh for the U2 concert and I realized that I hadn't written a thing about it. To sum up the experience in as few words as possible, it was quite the tragicomedy.

We arrived in Pittsburgh to find out that we had no hotel room. And, since we had planned on showering and cleaning up before the show, that was quite a blow. We had also planned on parking at the hotel, so that became another issue. The hotel (a Hyatt Place) was incredibly condescending and cruel, which only ensured that we will never stay at a Hyatt again. I spent a few minutes in full on break down mode, but eventually shook it and decided we could make the best of it.

So we found a parking place close to the stadium and set out to find food and a bathroom where I could change clothes. We found a packed restaurant, where they were so busy that they couldn't even promise we would get a seat before the concert started (which was about 4 hours away at that point). So, while we couldn't get food, we could get into the bathroom.

We then decided to go back to the stadium and wonder around a bit, find a place in the shade, and chill for a bit. So we got huge containers of lemonade and a bench and watched the crowd for a while. Then we eventually returned to the car to soak up some ac and charge our phones and ipods before the show.

Once we went in to the show, we got some stadium food and actually found a nice, breezy place to sit and eat. Then we found our seats and got ready for a great show.

And it was one heck of a show.

The kids loved it and Hunt realized that he really did like concerts. We sat and sang, with me leaning over to Hunt so he could hear me sing the words and would know what the songs were. Unfortunately, Rena started feeling sick to her stomach during the encores and we had to leave a couple songs before the show actually ended.

After we got out of there, I was determined to just drive on home but, of course, that just wasn't possible. We made it about an hour out of town and I decided to stop and at least see about getting a room. The hotel I tried had a lovely, very southern woman at the desk and she set us up in their very last room.

The next morning, we all woke up feeling better. We lazed around in the room and all gradually took our showers and got ready. Our mood was so much better that we decided to head back into Pittsburgh where we had a nice lunch at a little diner, got our favorite popcorn, and then went to buy massive quantities of the best BBQ ever (Pittsburgh BBQ Co.). We headed home then and got back just in time to have a BBQ dinner with Not-So-Ex.

So, while things definitely didn't go as planned, we pulled through in the end.

The countdown begins...

2011-07-18T21:17:00.003-04:00

In one week and one day, this is where I'll be:

I love U2. I love old U2 most, but I will love them till the day after I die. I love Bono. I loved early "I'm too cool to care that I'm awesome" Bono best, but I still love "I'm a super rockstar" Bono. Even when he humps the camera (which, as I explained to Not-So-Ex a very long time ago, is acceptable behavior only because he's Bono).

I mean, seriously, I even love the mullet.

I've seen them once before. I was seriously, scarily pregnant with my son. And standing and singing for two hours did not agree with my extremely pregnant status and I almost ended up in the ER. But, luckily, I made it home and had a nice, if emergency, c-section a matter of weeks later.

One of my favorite new songs during the Elevation tour.

That time, it was just after the release of their incredible All That You Can't Leave Behind album (the Elevation Tour). It was a return to their old lyricism and was kinda between the chaos of the ZooTV tour and their early, simple concerts. I was thrilled to be seeing them at just that point in time.

This time will be a little different. This time it will be me and my two kiddos. It's their first real concert and I'm so incredibly happy that I get to be the one to take them AND that its to see a band that means so much to me. It's also in the city that should probably be our second home, Pittsburgh. So, in addition to the incredible concert and a great hotel within really easy walking distance, I know where to get a great dinner and breakfast, where to find killer cupcakes, and where we will be stopping just before we leave town for BBQ. And we may even check out a new museum, if we so choose.

Where would you haunt?

2011-07-08T14:42:00.002-04:00

So I haven't written in forever! I'm so sorry! To be honest, life has fallen into a lovely, simple rhythm. Not too much to talk about. LOL

But anyway, my beautiful geek girl and I had a much needed TV marathon the other day. It's always been one of our favorite things to do but we hadn't had anything new to watch for a while. But then one day we discovered that we both love Ghost Hunters. That's right, two of the biggest wimps in the world love watching people sit in dark haunted rooms. How bizarro!

But, since our marathons are generally provided via Netflix (and Ghost Hunters isn't available instantly on Netflix), we had to look for a similar show that we could watch. And so we found Paranormal State. Now don't get me wrong, I know this show is suspicious at best and, some would say, fake. But they're still creepy fun.

According to the show, there are two kinds of spirits. Of course there's the mean demonic kind, but there are also harmless spirits that haven't crossed over because they're holding on to something on earth. Sis and I just couldn't help but discuss where we would haunt if we were stuck. In the end, while there are all kinds of exotic locales, I chose here.

I never thought I would be so attached to this place. It's an old, not particularly well maintained apartment with a minuscule kitchen and an even smaller bathroom. And there have been some tough times here as well. But, overall, the years that we've been here have been some of the best in my life.

Part of the reason is that I think I'm the best mom that I've ever been here. I have a job, but not one that I feel the need to live at, so I'm there for my kiddos in every way. Similarly, I think my marriage may be at the best place it's ever been. We still have our moments (God knows marriage is never easy), but I know I'm with the person that was created to be my other half. And then, of course, there are the doggers that finish out the family equation. I can't imagine ever wanting to be anywhere else (although another bedroom would be nice).

So, if any future residents of my apartment hear bumps in the night, it's probably just my ghost trying to find the butter for another batch of frosting. No fears.

Well anyway, speaking of frosting, I better head back to the kitchen and finish up Hunt's birthday cake! We're having a belated b-day party tonight since we were gone camping on his real birthday. Should be a blast!

So... Much... Quiet...

2011-05-23T14:04:00.002-04:00

So today is a super rare occurrence. I am all alone (other than the two doggers anyway) and I am clueless on what to do. I've already done some straightening up, taken the dogs out for a bit, gone into work for a minute, and watched last night's Treme. I anticipate lots of DVR clearing, some Netflix viewing, and plenty of sleep in my near future.

At least tomorrow is my long day at work so I won't have as much alone time. The bakery continues to be awesomely busy, which makes me happy. I also have a lot of freedom, which makes me even happier. Like over the weekend, for example, I text my boss and say we should do a special cupcake since the world was gonna end that day. Did she hesitate? No. Her response, "It needs to be black and have red frosting." And it did. It was a blast!

The Doomsday Cupcake!

Anyway, I guess that's all for now. The rest of my time will be spent obsessing about how I can make sure we can afford another family vacay during the summer...

Things I wouldn't know if not for my kids (part 1)

2011-05-18T12:50:00.002-04:00

So there are a zillion posts I could write about all the squishy, gooey type stuff I've learned from my kiddos. But this is a more practical post. And probably more interesting (I hope).

This week, my daughter had a huge project due that involved research and all kinds of stuff. She was given complete freedom on picking the subject of the project, which always means there's gonna be an interesting result. Her choice, being an awesome 14 yr old geek girl, was pokemon, which has been an obsession of hers for years, often to the chagrin of parents and grandparents. I told her that, if her teacher was cool with it, then so was I.

To make this part of a long story short, her teacher, Grammy, and I helped her kinda hone her topic until she was researching the guy who originally created Pokemon. What she found out about this man has truly helped me understand her so much better.

To give just a tinge of backstory, my daughter is currently a brilliant, incredibly funny (often in that straight man style, much like her momma) teen. She hasn't always been that way. There were times when she was cruel and angry or sometimes even worse. But I'm not going to focus on those times. She has several diagnoses, but it wasn't until her doctor added the term Asperger's, that we were able to find real solutions.

And, as it turns out, the man who created Pokemon, also has Asperger's. His name is Satoshi Tajiri. As a kid, he lived on the outskirts of Tokyo, which was then more of a rural area. As he aged, the city of Tokyo began to sprawl and his rural childhood stomping grounds gave way to concrete. When he was little, he loved collecting bugs and, through Pokemon, he wanted to give kids worldwide the ability to catch and collect bugs the way he had as a kid.

It's funny cause the idea is so simple and so pure, but just that little fact completely changed the way I felt about the game. As I read more about him, I found it difficult to suppress the urge to find and hug him, although, since he's an Aspy, he would probably really hate that (and God knows I'm no hugger either).

Anyway, before he became the Pokemon master, he was a teenager in Japan who became obsessed with video games. In his mind, there was very little else that mattered. His parents thought he was a delinquent. He only graduated from high school by going back and doing makeup classes. His dad even tried to get him a steady job, which he refused. Is this not every parent's nightmare?

But, instead of taking his parent's route, he started his own, hand written and stapled, video game magazine. This led to meeting more people involved in that world and, eventually, to him beginning to design his own games. He worked on various games and built up such a good rep that Nintendo was interested in the original Pokemon games even though they didn't really get the idea.

I'm gonna glaze over the rest because, clearly, Pokemon was and continues to be huge. But, for me, the main message was just to relax. Let my child's future come as it will. Maybe it won't look the way I expect it to... Maybe it won't be simple, or clear, or conventional... But it will be hers. And it will be good.

What's this? Another day off?

2011-05-09T10:33:00.002-04:00

So I had a busy, awesome weekend. And I now have a day off all by myself! Not-So-Ex went back to work today, after about a month or so of being laid off, and the kiddos are at school so I'm alone! How weird!

I'm excited to have a slower week at work. No major holidays or anything so I should have plenty of time to try some new flavors. Maybe even try some new items. But we'll see.

I do have a new recipe to share. For Mom's Day at work, I made Flower Pot Cupcakes. They're a cookies n cream cupcake with vanilla or chocolate buttercream covered in crushed Oreos with a mini sugar cookie (which was baked on a small skewer) stuck in the top.

To start with, I found this recipe, which I used for the cupcakes. It's a nice, light recipe. I didn't put Oreos in the bottom because we only had crushed cookies, so I just mixed extra chunks in. I used my basic buttercreams for frosting, which I piped on using a large round tip, then turned them over and dipped them in more crushed Oreos. Make sure all the frosting is covered and don't even consider frosting the cupcakes until they are completely cool cause you don't want the frosting to fall off when you're dipping them. Then you just gotta stick the cookie in the top and they're adorable!

More "How to Succeed" Love

2011-04-27T21:02:00.002-04:00

So I've been swamped at work and I haven't written in forever! And I probably won't write much till I get this wedding all handled in a few days. But, until then, I found this awesome preview thingy of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, which we saw and loved in NYC. So hope everyone enjoys!

Just a few shots

2011-04-19T12:08:00.004-04:00

I'm so exhausted this morning that I can't even seem to make sentences so I'm just gonna post a few pics.

Hunt on the subway!

Museum of the American Indian (near our hotel)

Lady Liberty, who we visited on Day 1

Hunt in Central Park

The girlie in the park

A beautiful day in the park

Spent some time educating the kiddos

Some of our options

The first show we saw (highly recommended)

Our second show

My favorite!

Fortune cookies and Deadliest Whites

2011-04-12T22:24:00.002-04:00

So I just have to start this off by posting this pic of the fortune my dear hubs got in his lunchtime fortune cookie...

This will go down in history as the best fortune cookie ever. I was so completely jealous (and pretty sure it was meant for me).

Anyway, I came home to see Not-So-Ex watching a marathon of Deadliest Catch. I never thought I'd be too into the show. I'm not too outdoorsy and water makes me really nervous so I couldn't imagine anything about the show that would pull me in.

I was sooooooooo wrong.

Not surprisingly, it was the human part of the formula that grabbed me. What really got me was the fact that I found it completely correlating with the White movie. Watching Phil, the Captain and father figure on the show, as he had a stroke and, eventually, passed away was like watching Bertie Mae all over again. Also, just like Phil, it was Bertie Mae who kept saying let them film.

I've always said that there is just something extra heartbreaking about big, physically strong men being brought to tears. And that was definitely true with these men. But, honestly, seeing Mamie fall into grief was just as painful. Here's this strong, fierce woman trying to come to terms with the one thing she can't even hope to intimidate or whip, death. I spent a lot of time sitting in a hospital room with Mamie and the worst thing was when things would get calm and quiet and I'd look over and see a tear trickle down her cheek. It wasn't about cameras, especially since I was often there just to check in on her and didn't have a cameraman with me, it was just real, honest pain.

As I kept watching Deadliest Catch (still watching it actually), I really felt for the crew as well. Not too many people know what it is to truly be in the middle of a verite documentary; to be pulled into another world. It became tough to separate life from the film. I became very close to Bertie Mae and probably spent more time in the hospital with her than I have most of my real family members, but I only knew her for a matter of months. Every film teacher will tell you that you have to maintain a distance from your subjects, but I didn't really.

When Bertie Mae died, I wasn't sure how to grieve. As I watched the show and how it dealt with Phil's passing, I really felt for the film crew. There were at least two film crew members who even lived on the ship, so it was a level of internment that even surpassed mine. I know there's a high rate of turnover on their film crews and I can definitely understand why.

The other thing that really got me, of course, was when Phil's son, Jake, admitted his addiction to his father and decided to seek treatment. There was even a scene where he was calling the rehab center trying to get in, just like Kirk. It killed me that his dad never got to see him clean, again, just like Kirk and Bertie Mae. I anxiously waited for the new episode hoping Jake would get and stay clean (which he has done so far) and I still hope for the same with Kirk.

Probably the saddest statement of all though is that watching the show made me wish they needed a new producer (and that I could do it). I still feel the pull of that kind of chaos and excitement. Of course then I remember I have a husband and two kids and I'm vaguely afraid of water...

Anyway, there's my treatise on Deadliest Catch... The fam and I will be heading to NYC in a couple days and I'm working quite a bit before then, plus trying to get everyone packed and the house ready, so I probably won't be writing much till we're back. So, see you all later!

Weird times

2011-04-11T10:41:00.002-04:00

So basically I've had a pretty bad few days. I'm not gonna go into it, but it's not been a fun time.

On the plus side, I have my new hair color. And I like it, even though it's fading fast. So here's my standard post blow-dry, bathroom mug shot.

Still stressed, but with some hope!

2011-04-08T08:05:00.002-04:00

So we got an interesting email yesterday. There's a house for rent that would be perfect for us. I had emailed the person earlier in the week and, when I didn't hear back in a few days, I figured it was gone. But we'll go look at it this weekend. It's a pretty homely house (LOL) but has enough bedrooms that our kids would each have their own (they currently share a room) and it has some awesome outdoor space. Plus it's in the area we want to stay in. Apparently there's been a lot of interest in it though, so we may not be able to get it. But we'll see. At least we have options.

Speaking of options, we changed some stuff for our NYC trip. I had been thinking about it and, with it being Not-So-Ex's first trip to NYC, us staying in Times Square when the first thing we have scheduled on Friday is a Statue of Liberty cruise didn't make much sense. It meant he would have to be comfortable on the subway immediately and I think we'll have to gradually ease into that. So we cancelled the one room and got a room at a gorgeous hotel right by Battery Park where the cruise will leave from. I've already done some looking around in the neighborhood and found some great bakery options, so I'm quite psyched! Now if I can just get Not-So-Ex as excited.

The doggers also went to the place they'll be boarding the other day and it went swimmingly! They also do daycare and grooming so we'll pick up two pretty, clean doggers when we get back. Plus they'll probably be worn out too! It's really a great place. No cages, no feeling all closed in, almost like being home but with extra space!

Well I guess that's it. I have a whole slew of sugar cookie orders to finish today plus like six cake orders so I'm gonna be swamped! But I guarantee the time will fly by!

Stressful times

2011-04-06T08:05:00.002-04:00

So, to make a long story short, our landlord has come down on us about our dogs. And this leaves us with a very tough choice. We need to either find a new home for Lucy and learn to really limit Jake's outside time or we need to find somewhere else to live.

We've been halfheartedly looking for somewhere for Lucy for a while now. She should really be an outside dog and we just don't have the room for that. But, even though she's our problem child, it makes me incredibly sad to think of giving her up.

On the other hand, the thought of moving into another rental makes me wanna scream/cry hysterically. We had promised ourselves that the next move would be into our own home, not just another temporary stop.

The whole situation is just so incredibly stressful. I gotta say that it makes me even more excited for our NYC trip next week. We'll all need to be away, even if it's just for a little bit.

The rare moment of silence...

2011-04-04T10:21:00.002-04:00

So since Not-So-Ex got laid off a little over a week ago, it's pretty rare to be alone. And we always seem to come up with something to do, even if its just lounging on the couch and watching Netflix. But, right now, I have a few minutes and figured I should probably write something.

There's not much going on. I've been baking a lot more at home, but there haven't been any new, groundbreaking recipes.

I work some days, and things have been good there too. I have my first wedding at the end of the month so I'm both excited and nervous over that. Luckily, the wedding is after I get back from NYC so I should be nice and chilled.

One thing I am looking forward to (other than NYC, which I'm already having weird dreams about) is a slight hair color change. I'm gonna try and go less crazy than normal and make it a little more subtle but we'll see. LOL

Well I'm gonna go check on the seeds I started the other day (my new obsession) so have a good day folks!

I am a golden god on my day off

2011-03-25T09:21:00.003-04:00

So I have a blissful day of nothing planned. But it took a lot of hard work! It seems like every Thursday at work we get tons of last minute orders and stuff and I end up going in on my day off. But I was determined to be home today. So, yesterday, I knocked out 2 doz cupcakes topped with Elmo sugar cookies, 2 german chocolate tortes (one for an order and one for Bluegrass Kitchen), one peanut butter torte, and one vanilla bean torte. Plus some cupcakes for the case. It took about 8 hours, but I got it all done.

And that meant that I could get up, take Hunt to school, and then do as little or as much as I like. And, so far, it's been very little. I heard Tiny Dancer in the car and I had to come home and get out Almost Famous immediately. I've been wanting to watch it again for ages but it always comes to mind at the wrong time. But today worked out perfectly.

I probably won't be this lazy all day though. I really need to get my seeds started for our little urban garden. My blueberry bushes should be in soon and I want to be able to get everything started around the same time.

The gardening should be made a little easier by the fact that Not-So-Ex is finally laid off for a bit. Today is his first day home so I'm gonna be nice and not start whining about things that need done. LOL

Tomorrow is the last of my daughter's birthday plans. We're having a Psych party for her filled with foods that feature pineapple! It should be a nice, calm, fun time. After we had such a good time with her new BFF, this will wrap up an excellent birthday. Or at least I thought it was pretty great.

Anyway, here's some Almost Famous...

And, since I can't mention music in movies without thinking of this, here's some 500 Days of Summer too...

Fourteen

2011-03-22T20:06:00.002-04:00

Today my baby girl turns 14. I can hardly believe it.

I took her cupcakes at school today and she went around at lunch time and gave all her classmates cupcakes. And they were all so sweet and so was she.

Tomorrow, I'm taking her and her best friend (my daughter has a best friend!!!) to dinner and the movies after school. I think I'm as excited as they are.

It all feels so wonderful and normal and, considering some of our bad days, so unexpected. I truly couldn't ask for anything more.

Everyone should be over Jordan Catalano

2011-03-21T12:07:00.002-04:00

So I spent my weekend either watching My So-Called Life on Netflix or looking for the remote so I could watch it or going to Wal-Mart to buy a new remote so I could watch it. Yeah, it was that kind of weekend.

By the end, when dear, awesome Angela ended up riding off into the distance with Jordan, I wanted to choke him out. LOL. But seriously, how many Jordan's did I date? How many guys did I credit with intelligence and introspection when they were really just not too bright? How many guys did I date that would have slept with my best friend and then tried to get me back (sadly, sometimes successfully)? Yep, folks, I've dated many good leaners in my life.

The thing that got me this time was how often I found myself identifying with the mom. The scene where Angela talks about never being pretty and the mom is completely dumbstruck... yeah, I've been that mom. The days of identifying with Angela are over, now I'm firmly in the mom category. Especially since my daughter turns 14 tomorrow. Four-effing-teen.

Anyway, I love the show. And I melted just a bit more when an Afghan Whigs' song played on one of the last few episodes. It was perfection.

But, just a warning Jordan Catalano, I've seen your future and it ain't pretty. Being the guy on the mountain that makes snow may be the best career path possible. Just sayin.

Important stuff!

2011-03-18T11:48:00.002-04:00

So I tend to post recipes that include tons of sugar, but today I'm posting two very important recipes that need very little sugar!

I'm a big fan of pizza but I've gotten spoiled lately by places like Lola's and Pies and Pints. Last week we finally found the key to great pizzas, a great crust and white sauce.

First off, the crust recipe. Now, when I made this, I did it a bit differently than the instructions. I let it rise, like you normally would with bread, then punched it down, put it in the pans, and let it rise a bit while I made the sauce.

INGREDIENTS:

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon white sugar

1 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45

degrees C)

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Combine flour, salt, sugar, and yeast in a large bowl. Mix in oil and warm water. Spread out on a large pizza pan. Top as desired.
2.	Bake at 375 degrees C (190 degrees C) for 20 to 25 minutes.

Next is the white sauce. I had always assumed white pizzas used alfredo sauce. But I tried it and it wasn't quite right. Then I googled white pizza and found this weird recipe on Serious Eats that sounded awful. But we tried it (cause I mean it's Serious Eats, they know what they're talking about) and it was perfect. So here it is.

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small yellow onion, diced
2 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon minced fresh thyme or marjoram
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
In a heavy saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté for 5 or 6 minutes, or until translucent. Add the garlic and stir for 1 minute longer. Add the cream, lower the heat to medium-low, and cook for about 3 minutes, or until the cream thickens and reduces slightly.

Remove from the heat, stir in the thyme, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Let cool

completely before using.

Little changes

2011-03-14T14:47:00.003-04:00

So it seems like forever since I blogged. And, if it helps, I constantly berate myself for not doing it. But, I also have this whole life I've gotta take care of. LOL

The biggest change that has happened is that I am no longer a car-less punk. It had been getting more and more difficult to share Not-So-Ex's car. He was constantly having to sacrifice so that I would have the car to get the kids and I where we needed to be. So he laid down the law and said I needed a vehicle.

We talked quite a bit about it and decided that what we needed was a new vehicle (a first for me since I've always bought used) that was very basic, had a good reputation, was just big enough for our whole family, and was good on gas.

We narrowed it down online to a few makes and models with Ford Fiesta and Toyota Yaris being our primary interests. We looked at the Fords first and, while they were nice, they were a bit more than I wanted to spend and they weren't dealing much since they're brand new.

Then we checked out the Yaris and, while they were super cute, they were tiny and, although that appeals to me, I do have a husband that's almost 6'6 so that becomes an issue. Plus, there was a little sticker on the window that said the car was 100% made in Japan. I didn't think it would bother me, even though my hubs is a big union, made-in-America guy and so is my Dad, but seeing it printed out like that got to me. And I just couldn't do it.

When we were looking at the Yaris, we looked across the lot and saw what looked like a larger version. Both Not-So-Ex and I liked the look of it, so we checked it out. Turns out, it's called a Matrix and, while it was a little bit more than the Yaris, they were more than happy to deal on it.

After we looked at them that first time, we were both pretty smitten. I came home, did some research and saw that the gas mileage was great, they were 75% made in North America, and they had a pretty good safety record. So that night, Hubs, Hunt, & I checked out a few more and I fell for a bright red one. And we drove it home that night!

Oh the things I do...

2011-03-03T20:17:00.004-05:00

So my love of hair dye, bleach, and my recent Manic Panic addiction is well known. But I do believe it got a little out of hand this week.

Last weekend, I put some more blue streaks in my hair, but I wasn't crazy about them. I didn't leave the dye in as long as I should have so the streaks were uneven; some were really dark blue, some were lighter, and some bordered on aqua. Being the rocket scientist that I am, I thought that, since I like lighter hair in the Spring and Summer, I could bleach my hair and lighten it overall and get rid of the blue at the same time.

I was wrong.

I ended up with mostly white hair and light blue areas (I don't think they can even be called streaks anymore). I was understandably freaked out. I've spent the better part of my lifetime as a blonde, but I'm not sure it's ever been THIS blonde.

Me right after the dye job (I'll post better pics later)

While I was definitely freaked, I haven't felt the need to really fix it yet. More than anything, I wanna let my hair rest a bit before I try something else. This week, hot oil, deep conditioners, and toners have been my BFFs.

In other news, the kiddos will be home soon. I can't wait! I've missed my little heatherns. I spent last night babying Lucy the Asthmatic Demon Dog. It appears that, in addition to parvo and asthma, she also has seizures. So far this evening, she seems ok so I'm hoping to get some rest.

Last weekend, Not-So-Ex got a new tattoo. Or at least most of one.

Not-So-Ex's not-so-finished tatt

He was under the needle for three hours straight and, when it still wasn't done, they had to stop with the plan being to let it heal a bit and then finish it in a couple weeks. While his looks great, the best part is that, once his is finished, it's my turn! Right now I'm torn between getting two more on my back or getting a quarter sleeve. Either plan will feature a cupcake though.

Ooh! One other bit of silliness. As everyone knows, I'm sure, entertainment news everywhere has been all Charlie Sheen all the time. And here is my favorite bit. Enjoy folks!

A little this and a little that...

2011-02-24T17:12:00.002-05:00

So I haven't written for a while. On one hand, it seems like there's nothing really going on. On the other hand, it seems like I'm too busy to blog. And, yes, I know that doesn't make sense. So here is what's going on.

1. Will he or won't he...

Not-So-Ex has been working at Bayer for a while on the MIC Unit. It's dangerous. It's been insane hours. But it's also been insane pay. But there have been tons of lawsuits, which I completely support, and it's been will he or won't he have a job for quite a while. There have been rumored layoffs, rumored job shut downs, and just about anything else you can think of. Well yesterday he got the word that there would be a big layoff and he would be going. And we were thrilled. We have savings, we have a pretty large tax return, we're good for a while. I started my list of things I wanted him to do around the house and he started his list of things he wanted to do (and number 1 was SLEEP). Then he went to work today and they changed their mind and he's staying. While I appreciate that he has someone at his company (he actually works for a contractor) looking out for him, I still hope his last day at Bayer will be coming very soon.

2. Vacay #1

I just took my kids and my parents to the airport. They're gonna fly to Florida and then board a cruise to the Bahamas. And they're totally psyched. And, while I'm excited for them to have such a good time, I'm sooooooo gonna miss them! On the plus side, I have my parents' car while they're gone so no more getting up super early unless I have to. Plus, on the days when I don't work, I don't even have to leave the house unless I want to! And Not-So-Ex can drive to work every day on his own! Can't beat that. The parents' car also has seat warmers so, no matter where I'm going, my butt will feel amazing!

3. Vacay #2

We've booked our room for New York and our plane tickets have been bought. I was a little worried that the trip would be tough if Not-So-Ex was still laid off but, since he's still working, there's no reason for concern at all. I'm starting to talk to the kids about where all they wanna go and what they want to see. And Not-So-Ex is in charge of picking out all the awesome places where we'll eat. My main thing is to choose which bakeries we'll hit for cupcakes! Clearly I have the most important job. I'm looking forward to meeting up with a blogger friend while I'm there, plus my cousin is an opera singer in the city so I'm excited to see her in her natural habitat (LOL) too. Anyway, clearly I'm quite excited.

4. All things sugary

The bakery is going great! I've had so much support from friends that I can't even begin to go into it. My cupcakes also seem to be creating some fans too. It's also really cool because, when I have a cupcake that everyone loves, I can then turn it into a cake to be sold by the slice at our sister restaurant, Bluegrass Kitchen. Like, right now, I made a cupcake that turned out incredible. It was a Raspberry Truffle Cupcake, a dark chocolate cupcake with soft raspberry truffle filling and a raspberry chocolate frosting. They flew out of the case so I asked Chef about making it for Bluegrass. I had the first Raspberry Truffle Torte at Bluegrass on Tues and they LOVED it!

Well I guess that gets everyone all caught up! Have a great weekend!

I know I'm boring...

2011-02-17T14:59:00.002-05:00

A day as beautiful as today makes it hard to stay inside and write a blog. But I know that, since it's supposed to be almost as pretty tomorrow, I'll wanna spend my day off getting ready for Spring and such.

I don't really have too much going on. We've booked our hotel room for the NYC trip. We got a suite right in Times Square. We got our plane tickets Tuesday. We'll actually be flying direct! How cool is that? I mean, it's pretty rare to fly direct to anywhere from WV.

In addition to the NYC trip, my kids are going on a cruise later this month. Lucky little schmucks.

Well I better get off here and get some cleaning up done before I have to go get the kiddo!

One of the best things about Valentines...

2011-02-14T12:14:00.002-05:00

So I'm not a huge Valentine's Day person. I did get Not-So-Ex (and the kiddos) some candy and we're going out for a nice dinner at Bluegrass Kitchen tonight, which is always a good time. But probably the BEST thing about Valentine's is that it is the birthday of Jake the Wonder Mutt, our oldest dogger.

Now Jake was a pound puppy, so we don't know his exact birth date but, based on his age and when we got him, Feb 14th is pretty darn close.

This was Jake as a puppy in the pound:

And this is the monstrous snuggler he has turned into.

We've been blessed to have Jake in our home and I can't even begin to think of life without him. So today he will get a little extra loving and maybe, if he's lucky, some scraps from Bluegrass!