Friday, July 30, 2010

Happy Birthday to Meeee!

Well my day went off with quite a
BIG BANG!!

I've gotta rewind a little bit to show you an early Birthday Gift I was so nice enough to purchase myself. Brian and I were shopping in Norman just a few days before he left on his trip to California, when I spotted this mug below!! 

I had to have this mug!! So when our cousin Laura came out for a visit we ventured out to the Penn Square Mall and I bought it!


I also wanted this Tiara and Shot Glass but the Penn Square Spencer's store did not have it in stock and I didn't feel like back tracking over to the Sooner Mall to pick it up. So I settled for just my mug! I was a girl on a mission that day!

Anyways...

Laura and I had a blast while she was here for her visit! Details on her visit can be found in our Family Blog: "Tales from the South Shore Brood"


While in California Brian surprised me with a photo of Stan Laurel's Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame! He knows that Stan Laurel is one of my all-time favorite actors!!!


So Anyways....

It's my 33rd Birthday! I was so happy! I love celebrating my birthday! It's my most favorite holiday ever!!!
I like to call it:

"BEC DAY"
And just so you remember to mark it down on your calendars, "BEC DAY" is celebrated every year on July 30th!

BEC DAY is the day that I came into existence! I was born to the bestest parents in the whole wide world!


See, there they are! Aren't they the cutest couple? Their names are John and Angie! I love my parents! It's because of them that my holiday exists! <3


Here's a photo of my Mom & Pops stuffing my face with probably something sweet! Yum! I was a cutie!

So on my Special Day I started grilling early! I slow roasted seasoned Pork Riblets on the grill. Mmm! Mmm! They were tasty!!

I packed those babies in our foam cooler to stay warm and began cleaning the house.
However, there was one thing I neglected to do....

I forgot to turn down the burners on the grill!

About an hour later my grill was ablaze!!! Flames were bursting every which way and my poor grill was done for!

The nobs melted off my grill and the temperature reached past 800°F!

Close-up of my "Not-so Perfect Flame" grill. The burners have a 10 year warantee on them because they have a tendency to ash after a year's worth of use! Thus the reason for my grill going up into flames. So uncool!

Did I let that minor catastrophe let me down? Hells no! The food was saved and we have our gas smoker/grill on the backyard deck that we used to grill up the Brats!

Brian even surprised me by  inviting a bunch of our friends to join us for food, drinks and fun!

Here's my Birthday Mug!! Beside it is my bottle of Strawberry Daiquiri Bacardi that Sharon & Al gave me for my birthday! Isn't the bottle pretty? The drink was delicious too! I drank the whole thing, sparing not a single drop!

I LOVE "BEC DAY"!


Love, Hugs 'n Kisses to all,

Sunday, July 25, 2010


The kids and I set the Chocolate Frozen Yogurt
to mix in our ice-cream machine.
We anticipated a sinfully sweet treat.
What we got was far from it.
The concoction tasted a little tart!
We were very disappointed to say the least.

 Have you ever bitten into the stem of a banana peel?
I'm sure you're wondering,

"Gross, why would she do a crazy thing like that?"

I did it as a child one day.
I had a miner disagreement with my banana.
I was hungry and it did not want me to eat it!
So what's a 7 year old to do?
I did what mama always yelled at me not to do,
I used my teeth and bit it open!
Well anyway, the taste of a banana peel is tart and chalky. *Bleh*
Not a fun taste or texture!
 The reason why I bring up the topic of banana peel stems
is because this
Frozen Yogurt Recipe
had that exact taste.
The looks on my kids faces were horrifyingly hilarious! Although a brave attempt
by the person who concocted this recipe,
I must sadly pass this one away,
never to be concocted in our kitchen again.

Onward as we continue our search for the perfect Frozen Yogurt recipe...

Saturday, July 24, 2010

Tonight I'm attempting to prep a new recipe for Chocolate Frozen Yogurt. I found it at AllRecipes.Com. We shall see if the family approves. Unfortunately I prepped it a little late in the evening and the mixture is still cooling in the fridge.

While I wait, I will keep searching for the Freezer Bowl to my Cuisinart Soft Serve Ice-Cream Maker. I've misplaced it! If I don't find it by morning I'll just settle for using my other Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker.





Click above link to retrieve recipe!

Pantry/Grocery List: Granulated sugar, cornstarch, 1 (12 fluid ounce) can fat-free evaporated milk, semisweet chocolate chips, plain lowfat yogurt, vanilla extract



Please follow the hyper link above to All Recipes.Com for the recipe and then come back to let me know how your recipe turned out!!!!

Shabbat Shalom!

Thursday, July 15, 2010

It's late and we're all wide awake. Kids are in the living room playing Monopoly. Laura & and I are in the kitchen baking. We just spent the entire day shopping. While stopping into Williams-Sonoma I spotted a table full of bakeware marked down to unbelieveably low prices. I poked around and then spotted the one item I've been dying to own, a ceramic Monkey Bread vessel! How could I pass up the chance to purchase it for half it's original price? We didn't care that it was 9 o'clock at night. We were making Monkey Bread!!!

Monkey Bread




2 Tbs. Unsalted Butter, Softened


For the Dough:
¾ Cup (180ml) Warm Milk (About 110°F/43°C)
½ Cup (125ml) Warm Water (About 110°F/43°C)
2 Tbs. Unsalted Butter, Melted
¼ Cup (60g) Granulated Sugar
1 Egg, Lightly Beaten
1 Package Rapid-Rise Yeast
3 ¼ Cups (515g) All-Purpose Flour, Plus More for Dusting
2 tsp. Salt






For the Sugar Coating:
1 Cup (220g) Firmly Packed Light Brown Sugar
2 tsp. Ground Cinnamon
8 Tbs. (1 stick/125g) Unsalted Butter, Melted






For the Glaze:
4 Tbs. (1/2 stick/60g) Unsalted Butter
½ Cup (105g) Firmly Packed Light Brown Sugar
¼ Cup (85ml) Maple Syrup
1 tsp. Ground Cinnamon
1 Tbs. Water






Directions:


Have all the ingredients at room temperature. Butter the monkey bread baking mold with the softened butter. (Can substitute with Angel Food Cake or Bundt Cake Pan)




To make the dough, in a bowl, whisk together the milk, water, melted butter, granulated sugar, egg and yeast.




In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine the flour and salt and salt on low speed just until combined. Slowly add the milk mixture and beat until the dough comes together, 1 to 2 minutes. Increase the speed to medium and beat until, the dough is shiny and smooth, 5 to 6 minutes.




Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth, about 1 minute. Form the dough into a ball. Coat the inside of a large bowl with nonstick cooking spray, place the dough in the bowl and coat the surface of the dough with cooking spray. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let stand in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.




Meanwhile, prepare the sugar coating: In a bowl, stir together the brown sugar and cinnamon. Put the melted butter in another bowl. Set aside.




Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and shape into an 8-inch (20cm) square. Cut the dough into 6 equal strips, then cut each piece crosswise into 8 pieces to form a total of 48 pieces. Roll each piece into a ball, dip into the melted butter and roll in the brown sugar-cinnamon mixture, coating well. Stack the balls in the prepared pan. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for 30 to 45 minutes. Do not let the dough rise over the top of the pan.



Position a rack in the lower third of an oven. Place a piece of aluminum foil on the rack to catch any drips during baking. Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C).




Remove the plastic wrap from the pan, set the pan on the foil and bake, uncovered, for 20 minutes. Cover the pan loosely with aluminum foil and continue baking until the top is golden brown and the center edge of the bread, next to the tube, springs back when touched, 25 to 35 minutes more.




Meanwhile, make the glaze: In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the butter, brown sugar, maple syrup, cinnamon and water. Heat, whisking, until the ingredients are dissolved. Bring to a boil and boil for 1 minute. Remove the pan from the heat and cover to keep warm.




Transfer the bread pan to a wire rack and let cool for 5 minutes. Turn the bread out onto a plate and let cool for 10 minutes. Using a spoon, drizzle the warm glaze over the top and sides of the bread. Let the glaze set for about 10 minutes. Serve the bread warm.


Serves: 8






A SAVORY VARIATION:
For Savory monkey bread, omit the sugar coating and the glaze. After beating the milk mixture into the flour mixture, beat in 4 Tbs. minced fresh herbs, such as sage, thyme, parsley or basil. Later, dip the dough balls into 8 Tbs. (1 stick/125g) melted butter. As you place the balls in the pan, sprinkle a total of 1 ½ cups (185g) grated Parmigiano-Reggiano Cheese between the layers. Continue as directed above.




Source: Williams-Sonoma Kitchen (Recipe taken from packaging of Williams-Sonoma Monkey Bread Ceramic Baking Mold)

Thursday, July 8, 2010


Lazy Summer Days call for Lazy Summer Meals & Snacks!

I won't lie, all the credit for this tip should go to my son's birth-mother. 

We do a lot of our bulk shopping at the warehouse stores, (Sam's Club, Costco/Price Club, BJ's, etc) and we love Nacho Cheese Sauce! 

One day I pulled the Nacho Cheese Sauce from the refrigerator and complained about how I wished there was an easier way to serve and store it. My son suggested that I do what his birth-mother does, and that is to store the sauce in a crock-pot (the type with removable crock). 




When ready to use, place insert into crock pot base and set on "high" setting. 
Heat until warm! Just make sure it is stirred occasionally so that the sauce is heated thoroughly. 

Crock pot insert can be transferred from crock pot base to refrigerator for easy storage when not in use.

(Editors Extremely Important Side Note: When cheese sauce is heated to desired temperature, turn crock pot down to "Keep Warm" setting, otherwise the sauce will bubble up and begin to burn! I just made that mistake this evening..)
When not in use, cover cheese sauce with lid and store in refrigerator! 

I'm very particular with the type of Nacho Cheese Sauce I buy.  I look for quality. If you have access to Sysco Products then the best Nacho Cheese Sauce to buy is Casa Solana Nacho Cheese Sauce. Words can't describe the scrumptious taste of that sauce! Yum!!!

You can find these sauces (pictured below) at the warehouse stores or Walmart's family aisle. They are almost as good as the Sysco brand.



















Rico's: Rico's has several variations of cheese sauces. If you want quality make sure to purchase Rico's "Condensed Aged Cheese Sauce".

Baker's & Chefs: This is a brand sold at most Sam's Clubs. This cheese sauce is awesome! I haven't seen it sold in Oklahoma but I know that up east they sell it! When we travel up to Ohio for our Family Harvest Dinner I plan to bring back a couple cans of the Baker's & Chef's brand Nacho Cheese Sauce. I love it!

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