Yummy or Yucky!

The New Birthday Cake

2009-06-15T16:04:00.002-04:00

My husband's sister just turned 36. She usually bakes the birthday cakes for that family, but it's kind of ridiculous to bake your own. I offered my assistance since they were talking about going to the grocery store to buy one anyway. Unbelievably, they hesitated! They know darn well I can cook! I just don't get it. I refuse to beg and they cave. But there are conditions...a little chocolate is ok, no coconut, no fruit. So I flip through some of the cookbooks and land on a Milk Chocolate Pound Cake. Very tasty and the best part...the base is a boxed mix!

1-18.25 oz. Classic Yellow Cake Mix
1-3.4 oz Instant Vanilla Pudding
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup vegetable oil
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4- 1.55 oz. milk chocolate candy bars- chopped
2 Tablespoons of powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a bundt pan with Baker's Joy. In a mixing bowl, combine first six ingredients and beat on low speed for one minute. Stop mixer and scrape sides down. Beat on medium speed for two more minutes. Fold in chocolate chunks then evenly spread in bundt pan. Cook for 55-60 minutes. Cool on wire rack in pan for 20 minutes. Remove from pan and cool another 20 minutes on rack. Put on cake plate and sift with powdered sugar. Serve.

**Note: Do not put powdered sugar on cake until ready to serve because it "disappears" into the cake after a couple of hours.

Delay

2009-06-12T14:47:00.003-04:00

The chat last night had two good things come out of it- everyone else is just as confused by assignment three as I am (this makes me feel a little better) and assignment two has been delayed for three days. Woo-hoo! I have more time to work on an assignment I haven't even started yet.

Since we had to go back to Lowe's today for more wood to finish the fence (to keep the kiddies from the road) I somehow managed to get the vehicle to turn in to Wal-Mart long enough to get some avocados for guacamole. It was a risk of the passenger's wrath I was willing to take. The recipe for the guac is below. I'll dream about it until it's made tonight- Yum! Oh, well, back to Medicaid billing hell (which I'm not even supposed to be doing- who's surprised?).

Guacamole

2 avocados, peeled and mashed
1/2 jalapeno, seeded and finely chopped
1/4-1/2 tsp. finely chopped onion
1/4-1/2 tsp. granulated sugar

Mix the ingredients together and serve with tortilla or corn chips. To me, add some salsa and sour cream and you have a meal!

Just waiting

2009-06-11T20:24:00.002-04:00

So, I sit here, waiting for another chat for school to begin. I have to tell ya'll that I'm really frustrated with this class. Weekly chats with people who just talk all over top of you. Very aggravating!

I applied for a job with the school system today- keep your fingers crossed for me because it's actually in the library of the high school- exactly what I want!

Finally!

2009-06-10T09:17:00.003-04:00

Things have abated enough around here that I can breathe! The economy has so many people in a tailspin that it's just nuts! I've had so many referrals for Home Health Assistance, Nursing Home Assistance, and Welfare Fraud Referrals that I was beginning to think I would never again see the light! Add to that the two 11-week courses I'm taking to speed up the process of a thing called graduating, and a portfolio review that was sprung on me- yeah, I'm beat!

But I wanted to share with you my latest kitchen discovery. This is what happens when I'm short on time and resources. It was 7:30 in the evening and we were starving. I had taken out some boneless skinless chicken breasts and that's as far as I had gotten. I started rummaging in the spice cabinet. Preheating the oven to 375, I placed the chicken breast in a shallow baking dish (that has a lid) and proceeded to lightly salt it. Then, I poured some fresh honey on top, sprinkled with rosemary and chipotle chili pepper powder. I covered the dish and baked for 30 minutes. Then, I cubed the chicken, placed it on flour tortillas with cheese, salsa, taco sauce, lettuce, and tomato- rolled it up- and enjoyed every bite. Wow what a combination and flavor explosion that so worked. Hubby called it Honky Mexican (it sure made hime sweat)- I called it delicious. Enjoy!

For the long haul

2009-05-22T15:27:00.002-04:00

Or could be better said as "I'll be off next week."

Since it's a holiday weekend and I already had monday off, I'm taking the rest of the week to help clean out the parents house. Along the way, I fully intend to visit a couple of cookouts, make some homemade strawberry ice cream, and slow roast a chicken on the grill with some Jamaican Jerk Seasoning and a beer. Great flavor, trust me on that.

Yesterday, one of our co-workers provided the stuff for a cook-out for lunch. Steak, baked potato, salad, and two different desserts. One was the low fat, low calorie gunk that some of them go nuts over. The other was a chocolate eclair dessert. None was left. This sounded like an appropriate dessert to leave you with. When I come back- I'll be overloaded with school, crying because Carolina bombed the best of seven, and wishing for another holiday. Maybe I'll just make this dessert to cheer me up! :)

Chocolate Eclair Dessert
1 Box of honeymaid graham crackers
1 lrg pkg of vanilla instant pudding
1 8 oz container of Cool Whip
1 container milk chocolate icing

Single layer of graham crackers in the bottom of a 9x11 dish. Prepare pudding according to package directions. Mix with Cool Whip and spread on top of crackers in dish. Place another single layer of graham crackers. Cover with chocolate icing. Refrigerate 2 hours. Yum!

Bored meeting

2009-05-19T10:46:00.005-04:00

Regional Library Board Meetings are the bomb. I'll let you in on a little secret why: I get fed for free. Last night, the regional board met in my county, so Terese was our caterer. God knows that woman can cook. We started off with a great mixed greens salad (with Raspberry Vinagarette). Moved onto to a chicken breast with a honey mustard glaze, rice pilaf, and mixed veggies. Dessert was a turtle brownie with chocolate sauce. Followed by a cup of coffee (of course). I keep telling her that she needs to open a resturaunt, but she refuses to listen. Yes, she does great work at the local library, but I feel her food talents are being wasted behind the desk.

The only problem with eating all that wonderful food (well, not all, but as much as I could hold) is the fact that the actual meeting is held after we eat. Good thing it was over the budget and last years audit, or my head would've been laying on the blue damask tablecloth...

Found a keeper!

2009-05-18T16:36:00.002-04:00

Saturday night, the hubs and I took our 15 year old nephew out to dinner and the movies. Anticipating not having to cook supper, I ate peanuts and grapes for lunch. By four o'clock (which is when we hit the beach) I was starving.

You'd think I'd learn eventually, but alas, the iron club has not struck my head yet. Since I was driving and we had pretty much decided where we were going, the Mariner pulled into the parking lot of Mulligan's.

Man was that an awesome choice!

I ordered the Taco Burger, which came with fries. The burger was seasoned with Taco flavor and had a mix of shredded cheeses and salsa. It also came with the lettuce, tomato, and red onions. I ate most of it, but it was huge! So I passed the remaining third to hubs. I barely touched the fries, but what I did eat of them was very salty! I washed this all down with a pint of Yeungling and a glass of water.

Our waitress was awesome and checked on us frequently. She got a very good tip. The staff were excellent. I highly recommend Mulligan's and give them a five out of five!

By the way, we saw Star Trek.

What gives?!

2009-05-14T11:23:00.003-04:00

There's no other way to express what's going on with me this week...I'm in a food funk. Yes, you heard me right- a Food Funk! Nothing has worked out as I planned this week. Absolutely nothing!

Monday I had a meeting after work, so I took frozen pizza home for dinner... expressed to the hubs to save a piece for me to have when I got back home. Not my favorite food, but you gotta eat, right? Came home late to none. Went to bed hungry because I didn't feel like cooking anything else.

Tuesday night I was in the garden until late and forgot to take anything out of the freezer- so I cooked scrambled cheese eggs and served it with bacon, grits, and strawberries. The kids were ecstatic! They love breakfast for supper. I, on the other hand, drank a gallon of water because everything was too salty for me.

Last night was supposed to be pork chops on the grill. Unfortunately, they had gone bad. Again, everything in the freezer except a half a package of pork sausage. Decided to fry that and serve it with the lima beans and buttered potatoes I was cooking anyway. Overcooked the sausage, burnt the potatoes, and undercooked the beans. Man, that meal sucked!

I hate to even see what tonight has in store for me, because- guess what? I have another meeting! Guess I better eat a good lunch....

Gardening...

2009-05-13T08:59:00.002-04:00

...it's kind of related to food, right? With prices going up on fresh produce, hubby and I (mostly I) decided to join the parental units in gardening this year. My father has gardened for as long as I can remember, but pop never really invited me into the garden to help him that much. I was relegated to shelling peas, snapping beans, and canning everything!

Anyway, purchased seeds back in early March and sowed them at the end of that month after we had put down the fertilizer and tilled it in. Watered and weeded but something crazy happened....nothing. The only thing that struggled up was a few tufts of lettuce. Okay, that made me mad, because I've grown lettuce in pots before. So in the past month I have gone out and purchased plants. Tomatoes, Onions, Bell Peppers, Jalapenos, Squash, Cucumbers, and Broccoli (I have no more room). And my prize plant- Rosemary! Gnats are a pain but we're keeping it clear.

Along the way, dad told me some tricks...things I wish he had told me before because, guess what?! His seeds are coming up...the same packages that I had! But I digress. The important thing is, we're going to have fresh vegetables that previously would have most likely been out of out price range for any extended time. Hubby's already telling me what he would like: chicken fajitas, stuffed peppers, homemade salsa...you get the idea. But I already have an idea of what will be happening with a lot of this stuff...I'll be back to my former duties as a canner!

Two postings in one day- Woah!

2009-05-05T09:25:00.002-04:00

On Saturday night, hubby and I went out to a late dinner (after the movie). Since it was nine o'clock and most of the eating establishments on the northern NC beaches close at ten, we were a little limited. Combine that with the fact that I was starving, since the last thing I had eaten was a salad at twelve. The only thing consumed since then was water and beer.

We decided to stop at Outback. Chain resturaunt not native to the OBX. Same menu you could find anywhere else in the U.S. At the moment, I didn't care. Settled on the Alice Springs Chicken with Aussie Fries. It still took them 35 minutes to get our food to us- which was warm, not hot- and the waitress only stopped by three times throughout the meal. It was not the best chicken I've ever had- not even close. But I ate it all anyway. If I'm paying $14.50 for something, I'm going to eat it. So I would give this visit a 2.5 out of 5. I've been there before and the food and service have been better. Hope it gets better before the summer season kicks in. Tourists aren't as nice as I am.

The Best Baked Beans

2009-05-05T08:57:00.002-04:00

Back when I was in my food network phase (yeah, no tv now, so what ya gonna do?) I found this awesome recipe on an episode of Paula Deen. I can't take credit for the recipe, but I tell ya- my fam is no fan of baked beans- but these things go away! Tyr it, but warning- it makes a lot!

Recipe courtesy Sue Mittelman and Gloria Zucker

4 (16-ounce) cans baked beans
1 (20-ounce) can crushed pineapple, drained
1 cup molasses
1 cup BBQ sauce
2 tablespoon yellow or brown mustard
5 slices cooked bacon, crumbled
1 (6-ounce) can french-fried onions, crushed
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In large bowl, mix together beans, pineapple, molasses, BBQ sauce, mustard, bacon, and a third of the onions. Add some salt and pepper, to taste. Pour beans in 9 by 13-inch casserole dish and sprinkle remaining crushed onions and bacon on top. Cook in oven for 1 hour or until beans brown and bubble. Serve warm.

Bacon Tomato Casserole

2009-04-28T11:43:00.002-04:00

Found a yummy...which could stand some additions. Future preparation will include variations, such as mushrooms or pepperoni.

8oz egg noodles, cooked by package directions
1 pound bacon, diced
1/3 c. onion diced
1/3 c. green bell pepper, diced
1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1-28 oz can stewed or crushed tomatoes
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Cooked bacon in frying pan until crisp- remove to paper towel to drain excess grease. Cook onions and peppers in 2 tablespoons reserved bacon grease for five minutes. Add marjoram, thyme, salt, and pepper. Add tomatoes and bring to a boil. Simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Add egg noodles and half of cooked bacon. Mix well. Pour into a 2 qt baking dish. Top with rest of bacon and cheese. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 10-15 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Carbohydrate Heaven

2009-04-23T10:23:00.002-04:00

Last night I was running behind. Still finishing up school crud (hey, I've only got reflections and posting left to go!), kids are being really antsy, hubby is in one of his moods... and it was the night to try something new in the kitchen. For once, I wanted to say "Spare me now! Where is the frozen pizza." However, I cooked the dish that looked really nasty...but tasted surprisingly yummy! Here ya go!

Golden Chicken n' Taters

1 can condensed cream of chicken soup
1 can condensed cream of celery soup
1/2 c. water
1/4-1/2 tsp. of salt (I used onion salt)
1- 32 oz bag of frozen tater tots
1- 16 oz. bag frozen mixed vegetables
2 c. cubed cooked chicken
1 c. shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Combine soup, water, and salt in a bowl- mix well. Place one third of mixture in the bottom of a 9"x13" greased baking dish. Layer half of tater tots next. Half the mixed vegetable. Half the chicken. 1/3 soup mixture. Tots. Veggies. Chicken. Soup. Top with cheese. Bake covered for 1 hour. Remove cover and bake another 15 minutes. Serve.

I look funny lugging around two laptops, a backpack of books, a purse, and a lunch bag. Can anyone say pack-mule?! :)

Let's talk beer...

2009-04-20T17:05:00.002-04:00

How do you react when Bud Light shows up in your fridge? As some of you know, I'm a Miller Girl myself. I'll drink a Bud but there's something off about it. So how was I supposed to react when hubby picks up a 12 pack of Bud and leaves most of it in the ice box? First off, I'm not going to shun it. It's still halfway descent, just not my thing. I'm puzzled but I also know something else...Bud's not his choice either. So how am I supposed to handle this? Drink it and be merry about it? Use it to boil more shrimp? Use it for slug bait? I think I'll drink a couple tonight while I think it over.

Found a stinker

2009-04-13T16:45:00.002-04:00

Okay, the Garlic Tomato Chicken was really nasty. It was nasty because it had NO FLAVOR! How can you get no flavor when there are three cloves of garlic mixed with tomatoes, potatoes, onions, other assorted spices with chicken? I have no clue! We won't be fixing this again ladies and gents. Nah! I've got to have some spunk to my food. You know, pour on the salsa, liberate the Hot Sauce, and get happy with the peppers!

Tonight is chicken noodle and rice soup with chicken salad clubs. Hubs and I will love it- the kids will beg for PB&J.

Otherwise, I have some major projects due between now and next week for school, and I sprained my foot in the meantime. The doc tells me to stay off of it and baby myself. I don't know how I stopped myself from laughing in her face! Who is she kidding? I walk an average of five miles a day just doing the normal stuff. This is so gonna suck. I'm ready for my two week vacation from school.

Getting smart

2009-04-06T14:09:00.003-04:00

So last week, hubby and I sat down and made a menu for the month. Say wha? Yep- the month. We have seven new recipes we're trying in the course of the month- like tomato garlic chicken and ham & rice bake. Most of it is pretty simple so that should free up some time for me to finish my final projects for this semester and hopefully sew up some shorts and jumpers for the kids. Anyway- I'm going grocery shopping this afternoon and would much rather take a beatin'. I hate shopping of any kind- it's such a pain.

On a personal note, I did a really stupid thing yesterday. I walked ten miles just for kicks. When all was said and done, I couldn't lift my leg and I now have this terrific sunburn going on. But it was worth enjoying the last day of good weather for almost a week and sharing it with my family.

Back to food: Tonight will be one-dish chicken with vegetables. I can see the wrinkle in my kids noses now..."Mom, it's all together!" :)

A look at past food...

2009-03-25T15:07:00.002-04:00

I finally returned home Sunday evening- exhausted beyond measure but feeling so...light. Anyway, I didn't feel like cooking, so hubby took pity on me and we had an awesome pizza! I think he should cook more often, because he has an inquisitive nature when it comes to combining food. He needs to have more confidence in his culinary skills, because they are great!

I played hookey from work Monday, so that night was a baked ham. Man I was in heaven! I added collards and rice to the meal to round it out, but I could have happily ignored both. All I needed was biscuits!

Last night was boiled shrimp, butter potatoes, and green beans. The shrimp are cooked in hot sauce, Cajun seasoning, Old Bay, Red and Black Pepper, and a bottle of beer. When the shrimp turn pink, they're done! TO me, they still weren't spicy enough, but when you measure with your eyes, you can only expect so much!

Tonight will be my version of fried rice using leftover ham and whatever else I can find to throw in there. It's different everytime!

Last supper

2009-03-19T14:58:00.002-04:00

So, considering I won't be home the rest of the week, I decided to cook a really good meal last night so hubby and the kids would weep with frustration while I was gone. I fried chicken strips, made homemade mashed potatoes, green peas, gravy, and biscuits. The biscuits were really tasty with some local honey.

Unbeknownst to me, I was supposed to cook birthday lunch today at work- which I did. Guess what the request was? Fried chicken, mashed potatoes, gravy, green beans, and yeast rolls. I guess we know that I make a fine southern cook... glad someone else did the cake!

Dinner let down

2009-03-17T09:52:00.003-04:00

Last night was kind of blah in the whole scheme of meals. Boneless pork chops with lemon pepper, onion rice (onion soup mix when your cooking your white rice), and lima beans. But hey, it filled the hole called a stomach and made it stop growling anyway. Plus I finished off my bottle of wine.

However, tonight we have been invited out to a friend's house for dinner for St. Patty's day. They promise to have a real Irish meal with cabbage, potatoes and corned beef (plus Guinness, Irish Whiskey, and coffee with Bailey's). Such a shame, but I can't eat beef. Is it bad when you pick up Chinese to take to someone's house on St. Patty's day?

Thanksgiving?

2009-03-16T14:06:00.003-04:00

No, not really- but we did enjoy a semblance of Thanksgiving last night...a smoked bird! Paired it with my homemade mashed potatoes, dressing, and green beans. Forgot the yams until we were getting ready to sit down. Crap! Also drank a nice red (yeah, I know, supposed to be white- but I was out!) put out by Duplin called Black River Red, which is a mellow, sweet blend of Muscadine grapes, dotted with ripe Catawba grapes. Very tasty and it's hard to stop with one glass...but I did. Check them out at Duplin Winery My personal favorite is the Scuppernong Blush- now that doesn't stay in the house long!

Other than that, it seems I spent my weekend on the sofa taking catnaps when I should've been doing homework or knitting. Being sick can really knock you for a loop and it takes a while to care about getting up and doing anything again. At least I got to rest in relative peace.

An oldie but goodie...

2009-03-13T09:44:00.005-04:00

Since I have generally been feeling really yucky this past week, and I had practice, I decided on something simple for dinner last night. It's a an old stand-by that I combined from several different recipes then tweaked to my liking. Keep in mind that it needs to sit in the fridge over night, or the bottom floats to the top when baking. Pair with a fruit such as apples or strawberries to round it out. Can be topped with anything from hot sauce to pancake syrup. Enjoy!

Breakfast Casserole
1 tube of refrigerated crescent rolls
1 lb. of Maple sausage
1 cup of four cheese blend
1 cup of milk
6 eggs
1/2-1 tsp. of onion salt

Roll the crescent rolls out in one piece in the bottom of a 9"x13" pan. I use a glass Pyrex dish. Cook sausage in a frying pan over medium heat until almost done. Drain if any grease. Set aside. Crack eggs in a dish and mix with the milk. For the recipe last night, I used 3 chicken eggs and 3 duck eggs- it makes the dish a little richer. Evenly pour the sausage in the baking dish over the crescent roll sheet. Add cheese. Pour egg and milk mixture over cheese and sausage. Sprinkle onion salt over top. Cover dish and set in refrigerator overnight. The next day, pre-heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. If you are using a glass dish, make sure it sits out for 30 minutes prior to placing in the oven to ensure that the heat will not cause the dish to shatter. Bake for 30 minutes. Eggs should be firm before removing.

To change the flavor of the recipe to your liking, change the type of sausage or cheese used. I've used this recipe with hot sausage and sharp cheddar before- it was still great!

So if you know the next night is going to be hectic, or you're having friends over for breakfast- this is a great recipe to use!

Where have I been?

2009-03-11T15:51:00.005-04:00

Well, it appears this hair-brained idea didn't stick too long. Hubby wasn't very interested in the tag team effort and I haven't eaten out that much at new places. School has kind of sapped me of all energy and what's left is usually taken by work and kids. But I should be up and running with this again real soon. A croaking economy is forcing me to be really creative in the kitchen- I must say most of the efforts are palatable. In addition to this blog, I'll be creating a mock blog for one of my classes that bills me as the media coordinator for a Public High School. All comments and creative criticism will be welcome- just don't go overboard and piss me off, K? Here's the link: Trouble High It's in infancy so be patient!

Kill Devil Grill

2008-05-27T15:49:00.004-04:00

Welcome to the Kill Devil Grill and the outerbanks of NC!

Established in the summer of 2002, this diner is one of only 6 diners in the national registry for historic buildings. What appeal to draw us in. Well, that and a $25.00 gift certificate!

Honestly, I can't say much about the exterior because when I visited the establishment on the evening of May 3, 2008- it was dark outside. The inside was dimly lit with the diner style booths. There is also table top jukeboxes- non-functional, of course. And watch where you step- there are places you could trip over!

To start off with, I asked what they had on tap- Budweiser products! Now I'm a Miller gal and was a little disappointed at this, but I accepted the Bud Lite and choked it down with my water through out the meal.

I ordered the fried shrimp with fries and coleslaw. Usually, this serves me quite well, but not on this night. They were rubbery- telling me they were overcooked. And the batter used to fry these guys did not complement the flavor of the seafood at all. The fries were your typical run-of-the-mill frozen type that were a little on the limp side. The best thing on the plate was the coleslaw- not too much mayo and just the right amount of kick!

For dessert, I ordered the strawberry shortcake which was as pleasing to the eye as it was the palate. Desert made up for the crappy shrimp. The price for the two of us (hubby and I), minus the gift certificate, was 33 bucks and some change, with tip (our waiter was ok- nothing spectacular).

My advice- if you eat here, don't get the shrimp!

Hubby's take is a little different, I'm sure!

New creation!

2008-04-22T14:09:00.000-04:00

This is the new blog I have polled some of you about. We will discuss resturaunts, recipes, and all things culinary! Please feel free to add your own flavor, and bear with me while I set this up and introduce the world of blogging to my tag team partner, HUBBY!