Birthday cake.

Here is the cake I made for my daughter and my birthday. I ended up throwing it away to keep from eating it and since my husband went out and bought a cake there was no need in having two in the house. I think he bought the cake because he does not like carrot cake. My daughter said it was really good, she came in the house to eat some for breakfast and she was upset it was in the trash can. It has four layers to it and a cream cheese frosting.

Jambalaya

This is the dish I was going to make for Sunday but ended up sick. Thinking about that I don't know if I posted the picture of the cake I made. It's so funny I don't know if the rest of you are this way or not, but when I am sick and I cook my food does not turn out the same way. It could just be my taste buds. My family decided to go in the pool 15 minutes before this was ready so I have no idea if it taste the same or not. This is another one of the recipes listed in my cookbook.
Well since everyone is in the pool I guess I will enjoy the house all to myself for as long as I can.

Cupcake suckers

I was making dinner and thinking did I tell everyone where I got this recipe from. Well I want you all to go check it out at Bakerella blog, I make them look like a mess she makes the so cute and has so many great ideas. Here is her blog..http://bakerella.blogspot.com/

OK,

I know I am sick but I can't stop cooking, I am starting to think it might be another type of illness. LOL I find when I am stressed I cook a lot. Good thing I am broke otherwise it could get real ugly. LOL

So anyhow, after making the smiling face suckers that I did not do very good on, they tasted really good even the adults love them. Or so they say. But I wanted to make them so I would not have to draw on them because when it comes to drawing it is not my cup of tea.

I had some cake mix left from the $1.00 box sale they were having and also some frosting when it was on sale. While I was out birthday shopping I picked up some chocolate and pink candy melts and just added raspberry flavoring to the pink to give a flavor. I have some ideas for Halloween and Christmas also.... well here are the pictures.

Monte Cristo

My family loves Monte Cristo's so I figure I would make them. I have been really sick with not too much going on in the taste bud area but I think they were good. The family liked them, Danny even asked for another one. Jacob who hates cheese even ate it with the cheese, Danny just ate around the cheese. We also found out that strawberries dipped in raspberry jam taste pretty good also.
Monte Cristo's are a little bit messy to make but really easy. I bet these would do good if I cooked them a little and froze them then finished frying when needed.
So give these a try they are really easy and not much work at all.

6 slice cooked turkey
6 slice Swiss cheese
6 slice cooked ham
6 slice American cheese
6 slice wheat bread

batter
1-1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1-1/3 cup water
1 large egg beaten
oil for deep frying

powdered sugar
red raspberry jelly

To assemble sandwiches: bread, turkey, Swiss cheese, bread, ham, American cheese, bread; cut in half diagonally. whisk flour, baking powder, and salt together to blend well. add water to the egg and add to the flour mixture mixing well. dip each sandwich half into the batter and deep-fry (oil must cover the sandwich) in oil pre-heated to 360 degrees until golden brown. remove from oil to paper towels. sprinkle with the powdered sugar. serve with warm or room temperature jelly.

Cookbook

Have you tried any recipes from the cookbook? If so what did you think about them?

Saturday.

It is 6:10 PM and the weather is 63 degrees, did I tell you it is August and it should be hot in August. Oh wait, it has been cold all summer. Remind me why we bought a pool for our back yard. Now in Indiana I understand why we have a pool. We also have great storms in Indiana, we don't have real weather here in Santa Cruz, California. But it is a beautiful place, and if it was hot all the time I would complain about the heat. LOL

Well, I was going to take the boys to the beach today but it was too cold. Danny wanted to go swimming in the pool but he is getting over a cold so I did not think it would be a good idea to get in the cold water in this cold weather.

Well then I thought maybe we would go out to dinner tonight since I have the gift certificate to the Shadow Brook. But then I thought I would just grill some steaks on the stove and make bake potatoes, I have a few zucchini from my garden I cooked up to go with it. I just added salt, pepper and Chipotle chili to my steaks before I grilled them. Oh my goodness don't breath in to deep when you are cooking with Chipotle, I never heard so much coughing going on and that was from the ones in the dining room. =) The steaks were great, nice and tender also.

I was having fun taking pictures with all this steam coming off the pan. I think I cook so much more so I can take pictures for my blog. I just wish I would remember to take pictures of more of the items I cook. =) Can you smell those steaks? Yummy!

Picnic Sunday

Well at church tomorrow we are having Picnic Sunday. Then Monday off to the state fair, I won't tell him it is suppose to be 107 degrees because he won't go. We don't get many days over the high 60's love 70's here during the summer.

Anyway back to Picnic Sunday. I always like to make something for the kids when we have a Pot-Luck at church. I was going to make cupcakes, then I remember the cake suckers fro

m Bake or Break, you need to check it out, she makes so many cute things. So last night I was baking my cake and turning it into crumbs, my husband and kids had thought I lost my mind when I mixed the frosting in it. My husband is at work today so he has not seen what I did with that mess. My kids have and I am having a hard time making them leave them alone.

I cannot believe how much those edible markers cost, I could not get mine to write very well on the candy melts. Maybe it is because I added a flavor extract to it. They taste good but I am a perfectionist and want it to look as good as hers also. =) I guess I would rather it taste good and look funny then look good and taste horrible.

These are so easy and I did make mine bigger. I will let you know how the go over tomorrow.

Not Chicken again!!

Well today I went to the freezer and I seen chicken and vanilla beans, I figured my family would not be too excited to eat vanilla beans for dinner so I took out the chicken breast. But what was I going to make again with chicken that was different. If I had pork or beef I could make pulled beef or pork sandwiches. Well the old rusty wheels started turning and I figure I would make pulled chicken sandwiches. They were sooooo good. I put my frozen chicken breast in a large pan and added a little water and some salt and put the lid on it. I went off doing other stuff and came back a while later and took the chicken out to cool so I could debone it. I took the chicken I pulled off the bone and threw it in the pot, after I poured the water out and then added my BBQ sauce. No I did not make homemade sauce this time, I went the simple way this time. I put back on the lid and cooked it on low for awhile, then I toasted the rolls and it was dinner time. The family loved it. I think we like it better then the beef or pork.

Garden Harvest.

The boys are at the club and my husband and I took a walk this morning on West Cliff alone the ocean, came home and hung some laundry and I picked a few thinsg from my garden. I love fresh peas so I figure I would make a salad for dinner tonight and throw them in.

A lot of people will pick zucchini from their garden and do a nice vegetable dish, I pick it and think right off, zucchini bread, so you know what is coming, pictures of zucchini bread.

Here are a few pictures of my small harvest.

Towels I am working on.

So I am going to try to have the whole set done for Christmas for one of my daughters. I also have Raggedy Ann and Andy ones I am going to try and work on.

We are trying to keep Christmas low key and low cost. We always buy so much and the kids only play with a few things or have no idea what we got the. We have talked about drawing names this year also. We will see.

Caramel Corn

Here is my one left over bag of caramel corn. This was the last batch and I did not make enough of the coating for as much popcorn as I made. I made a lot and it is all gone.

I have been trying to get back on WW and be good but for some strange reason I cannot seem to. With the holidays coming it will be even worse. But I will not start looking for low fat recipes to make. I do not use all that color lard in my cooking, it has got to be real butter or I will not make it at all. That might be a good idea, stop buying butter. :o)

Soon school will start again and I will do better.Well until I start teaching myself cake decorating. I am so doomed. LOL OK, I will just have to get out there and walk an extra 30 minutes. Better yet, just need to get out there and start walking again. LOL

I have been thinking about the holidays a lot these past few weeks, I guess with having a grandchild now along with my younger kids it gets me thinking more about the holidays.

We are going to try and keep it simple this year, my kids will tell you I say that every year. I think it will be fun just to do homemade gifts. I will end up doing homemade and store bought, I am always that way. I am working on a cross-stich for one of my daughters, also some towels with days of the week and I am sewing on them. I will try to remember to take some pictures and post them.

Well my it is almost midnight so I think I will get ready for bed, my hubby must have had to work a little later tonight.

David's 17th Birthday!

Today August 11, 2008 our oldest son turned 17 he wanted to have a game night for his birthday.
David wanted Gyros for dinner, Geggie from the Taste from Home name exchange, sent me some spices from the Spice house for the sauce for the Gyros, it was really good.
We had a lot of fun and food. My oldest daughter Brandi from IL called to wish David a happy birthday and everyone thought they would pass the phone along to all the guys before it got to David. A new victim for the guys to all pester. We don't fall for it here but Brandi does not know two of them very well. For the party boxes I made caramel corn and since it was a game night I got chocolate dice and chocolate money for the popcorn boxes also.
Well it is almost midnight so I think I am heading to bed, it has been a long day for me.

Sunday Dinner

The weather is so cold here this summer I thought I would get a head start on Fall and decorate with some of my Autumn decor. I love the fall, the smells, the colors..just everything.
My family alone is large, then we throw in Brandon every Sunday (he is like another son of ours) and my daughter Kristine's boy friend Ryan. This week we had John and Molly over and Brother Bob. I cannot believe we fit all those people in my small dinning room.
I made rice pudding for dessert. A pot roast, mashed potatoes, carrots, green beans, Kristine brought a salad and Kimberly brought dinner rolls and apple cider to drink.
It was a nice dinner and we really enjoyed having company. if I could afford to have people over all the time I think I would. Sunday is the day the house is open. The college kids will be back soon and we will have them over.
The rice pudding recipe is so easy and it is really creamy. My husband hates white rice but he really enjoyed it until I told him it was rice pudding. Men are so funny. I will list the recipe below for the pudding.









Rice Pudding

1 cup rice
6 cups milk
1 cup sugar
2 T flour
2 eggs, beaten
1 tea vanilla
1 tea cinnamon
1/2 tea. nutmeg
Raisins

Pin a heavy bottom pan add rice and four cups milk. Cook for 20 minutes stirring often. In a bowl add the other two cups milk, sugar flour, eggs and vanilla. Cook for another 25 minutes until thicken. Stir in cinnamon and nutmeg and raisins if desired. Cool or eat at room temp.