A Hodgepodge Post

Some recent observations:

1.) My obsession with food continues to grow. I not only walk around most of the time physically hungry, but lately I find myself mentally hungry. I want to know more about how food works, where it comes from, how you cook it, how you grow it, how it interacts with our bodies, how it tastes. I don't know much about these things, which when you really think about it, is downright bizarre isn't it? I eat food everyday and yet I don't even know where it comes from or how it is made? Hence, my recent reads, which you can check out here, here or here.

This obsession strikes me as both a bit odd and yet a natural progression. I've always had a "healthy appetite" in the colloquial sense. (Translation: I happily stuff my face.) But "healthy" in the dietary or environmental sense? Psshaawww. This has been a more recent undertaking.
But I'm learning that
a.) it's more do-able than you think
b.) more fun
c.) food tastes better!

And that is really all I'm after: Deliciousness 3.5x's a day.

2.) Having a kitchen larger than your dorm room closet is much more conducive to cooking at home. So that's what I've been doing more of: cooking. And I need all the practice I can get. One day I plan to do a post on kitchen disasters because I have a higher than average percentage, trust me. All highly comical.

3.) The world of cooking shares several commonalities with the world of fashion. Snobbery is abundant, trends rampant and common sense hit or miss. There's whole lot of Ego in the kitchen and I'm not referring to the waffles.

4.) I made my first omelet ever this week! On a whim and in an effort to use up some of the goodies in our fridge, I threw together some of the fresh eggs from my dad's chickens (another post) with some onions, tomatoes, spinach, and of course, cheese. Shaloot said it was purty good. (His jaw dropped when he found me cooking up bacon. I believe his exact words were "Did hell freeze over or did I miss an American holiday that I knew nothing about?")

Of course, there's always room for improvement, but I am rather proud since I can't stand eggs. I hear you already, how do you not like eggs? I just......don't. Never have.

According to my birth mother, eggs were fed to me....once. And promptly ended up back on her shirt. A couple more cycles of that and she got the hint. I do not like eggs Sam I am. But girl pass me the ham!

5.) Cupcakes are DA BOMB! Especially White Chocolate Sour Cream Amaretto Cupcakes!



A co-worker of mine recently made these delicious little bad boys for a baby shower at work and I knew instantly that I had to have this recipe. So I geared up to labor (get it?!) and make cupcakes from scratch for my friend Elise's baby shower, only to get the recipe and find that it calls for pre-made cake mix!

Are ya friggin kiddin me? Cupcakes that taste that good and I don't have to sift flour, sugar and baking soda? Sign me and my carpal tunnel wrists up!

And I'm signing you up by giving you the recipe below. Enjoy and be sure let your ego soak in all those compliments you'll get when you make these!

White Chocolate Amaretto Sour Cream Cake:
1 box French Vanilla Cake Mix
1 box white chocolate instant pudding
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 teasp. salt
3 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup amaretto
1/2 cup oil
1 cup sour cream
1 teasp. pure vanilla extract
1 teasp. almond extract

Now here are the directions:
Take all those ingredients and Mix them in big-ass bowl. Then turn on your mixer while jamming out to some classic '80's tunes on your Pandora station (musical style optional).
Then pour the batter into your cupcake pans, filling about 3/4 of the way.
Bake at 350 for about 15 mins or so.

For the Frosting:
3 sticks of butter (oh you know its gonna be good!)
1/2 cup of Crisco (my arteries shudder, but it tastes so good!)
(1) 2 lb bag of powdered sugar
6-8 Tbsp Milk (or half-n-half....if you're completely abandoning your diet)
2 tsp. vanilla (or almond) extract.

Combine butter and Crisco with vanilla and mix well. Add half bag of powdered sugar and 3 tbsp of milk. Mix until thoroughly blended. Add remaining sugar and 3 tbsp of milk. Mix until thoroughly blended. Test for consistency. If it's really thick, add more milk (up to 8 tbsp.) This can be refrigerated until ready to ice cupcakes.

Happy Baking!

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Music Video Thursday

A more mature person might find this highly annoying.

But I'm not there yet.



A real post is on the way, I promise. Girl Scout's Honor! (or something). And it includes cupcakes, baby showers, furniture make overs and an Easter Recap. (You know that holiday that was like a month ago?)

So Stay Tuned!!

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A little preview of an upcoming blog post...

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(No) Word Wednesday

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P is for Pasta. P is for Perfection!

Sister Dearest Brittany visited us recently and ever so tactfully made the following observation:
"Yall sure do eat a lot of pasta."

Why yes. Yes, we do eat a lot of pasta. If any of you suffer from carb-o-phobia, forgive me while I snort and roll my eyes. Because we all know that a diet rich in saturated fat, grease and meats is sure to keep your ticker running tip top. Riiiigghhhttt. If there was ever a money making scheme, the Atkins diet most certainly takes the cake, quite literally. (Unless you count Scientology, but that's a whole other post!)

Anyhoo, here in the Wyche-Muthanna, Muthanna-Wyche, Wythanna (just giving it a little test run...) Household, we're big, big fans of da pasta.

And here's why:

1.) It's yummy, filling and relatively healthy. (We get the whole wheat kind. Thanks Biggest Loser!)

2.) It's cheap.

3.) Versatility! Pasta provides the perfect canvas. Dress up it up with veggies, or meat, or both. Make it the main course. Make it a hearty side dish. Throw it in a soup. Have it light and flavorful or creamy and indulgent. Stuff it, toss it, bake it, stir fry it. Pair it with a variety of sauces: pestos, cream based sauces, tomato based sauces. Or serve it naked underneath some other culinary masterpiece. Go Asian! Go Italian! Go Italian-American! Heck go Mexican! The pastabillities are endless!

4.) Pasta es El-cheapo.

5.) It comes in fun and different shapes. I have a particular fondness for Rotini and the super cute squiggles. Rotini seems rather girly doesn't it? Whereas Linguine comes off a little bit transgendered depending on how it's prepared. However, lasagna with meat sauce seems very masculine, no? How do foods and styles of cooking reflect gender? Hmmm, I smell a Master's thesis coming on!

6.) Did I mention it was cheap? Just wanted to make that point.

7.) It is easy-peasy to cook. Most versions have more or less, the same instructions: Boil water. Add Salt. Add pasta. Drain. DONE.

8.) It is cheap. Hello! We are in a down economy people!

9.) Pasta frequently hooks up with Cheese. And we all know that Cheese, Chocolate and Sex are what make life worth living. 'Nuff said.

10.) Finally, Pasta screams comfort food. It's warm, nourishing and can be as complicated or as easy as you feel like making it. And for those busy weeknights when you find your energy low, hunger high and time nonexistent, nothing makes you feel more rewarded, more accomplished than serving a home cooked, heaping bowl full o' pasta, made just the way you like it.


Stuffed Shells with Spinach & Ricotta Cheese


Pasta with Eggplant Courtesy of The Pioneer Woman


Itiza Spaghetti and Da Meatballs!

And so our love affair with pasta shall continue for many happy, yummy years to come.

Happy Pasta Eats to you & yours!

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For My Inner Dorkus

Today marks the 50th anniversary of William Strunk and E.B. White's Elements of Style, aka the writer's Bible. If you didn't use this book in college, well then I must scoff in literary snobbery and superiority.

And if you didn't have Dr. Mitchell beating the passive voice out of you (which this blog is littered in) then consider yourself blissfully unaware of your own ignorance. Because once you understand the concept, it will HAUNT YOUR WRITING FOREVER EVEN IN EMAILS AT WORK WHERE YOU'RE JUST ASKING FOR TIME OFF!!

Sorry, just had to get that out.

NPR had a super clever write up / commentary about this momentous anniversary. I highly recommend that you Check it out.

Now is the time fellow English snobs. We must get to work. There is much to do and a finite amount of red ink.

Grammarians and Dorks Unite!

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Happy Easter!

We're off to Staunton, VA this weekend to visit the family, including some super cute nephews.

Hope you have as much fun on your Easter weekend as these little fellas.

Enjoy and Happy Weekend!

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(No) Word Wednesday

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Let Me Introduce You To My Little Friend

The Apple Corer & Slicer:


I really wish I had thought of this first because it has revolutionized my world.

Plus, I would be a gazillionaire, which is not a bad gig I hear.

Let's examine the magic up close shall we?

Step 1: Place apple on stable surface/ cutting board/ your leg if you're driving (no judgment here.)

Sidenote: I don't have a picture of this step because a.) I'm lazy and b.) my photographer flew the coop tonight to view some un-American sport called "soccer" or something. As if that version of football could ever trump March Madness. I mean really where are his priorities? Sigh, the trials and tribulations for being in an "intercultural relationship.")

Anyhoo...

Step B: Next you want to place the world's best invention on top of said apple, as demonstrated below:

It's important to line up the circle around the core.

Just sayin...

Finally, for Step Tres: Using all your muscular might, press the apple slicer straight down to the cutting board!

And Voila! Your apple has been sliced and cored all at the same time!

It's a miracle, I tell ya.

Plus if you're OCD like me, you'll squeal in delight at how evenly matched the slices of your apples are.

Or maybe you'll clap your hands too because now your apple resembles synchronized swimmers and suddenly you're transported back to your childhood where you spent hours in the pool trying to emulate those capped beauties whose red lipstick and thick mascara oddly enough never smeared despite the wet environment.

Or maybe not and you'll just eat your apple like normal people. But I left normalcy a long time ago. It was rather dull.

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Word Wednesday

Here is the photo as usual:


But you'll notice I'm typing words. Why? Beth had a great idea for a April's fool post but then we decided against it incase fate/luck/God decided the joke was on us. What was it? Well it's sort of along the lines where Beth's ma chuckled to herself (and her family) when she found out Aunt Helen was preggers with Eric... who is just a few months older than Andrew... so you can see why we didn't go ahead with the "prank".

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