New Year

Well Christmas has come and gone. All the anticipation and hard work and then it’s over in no time at all. We consumed two huge meals within about 5 hours. I was ready to never eat again. Yet, I got up the morning after Christmas and made French toast. Christmas was good though. My chocolate pie got rave reviews. We ate it for breakfast Christmas morning.

So Christmas is over and 2008 is almost gone. I’m not sure I’m ready for 2009. The past year was really great. I’ve been happier this year than I think I’ve ever been. It seems like my life is finally starting to fall into place and I really like it. Hopefully that means 2009 will be equally fantastic. I’ll be ringing it in drinking champagne with my fantastic boyfriend.

I always have aspirations for great New Year’s Eve plans and it never turns out to be as amazing as I hope it will be. I’m not too into the going out scene, I’ve tried hosting parties but they never turn out as I hoped (people are usually lame and bail) so this year I’m refusing to be disappointed. I’m going to be happy with my nice hotel and champagne. Maybe I’ll buy party hats.

Every year I feel like I should reflect on the past year. So how ‘bout looking at where I was this time last year.
-I was a child care worker but I thankfully did not have to work on New Year’s.
-We went to a New Year’s party at my friends house. But we were the lame ones that bailed early. We rang in the new year sitting on my couch watching the peach (instead of the ball) drop with Miranda Lambert.
-I poured champagne down my shirt (in a non-seductive way) no less than three times. I am wearing that shirt today
-I was thrilled to be celebrating a new year with someone I really liked.
-My haircut was less cute than it is now.
-I was neither skinnier nor fatter than I am now (at least I’m consistent)
-I wasn’t nearly the cook that I am today. I’d barely branched out past cheesy chicken.
-I didn’t realize my whale shirt was a bad choice for a first date.
-We “watched” the Mizzou beat Arkansas in the Cotton Bowl!
It’s been a good year. I loved 2008. It was definitely good to me. No huge milestones that I can recall but just that in general joy and happiness that we all strive for. I really like my job, my boyfriend is amazing, my apartment doesn’t suck and things are looking good as I look towards the future.

Happy 2009!

Christmas

It’s only two days until Christmas. I have to finish up baking tonight and then I will be done. I’ve already done divinity and green Christmas tree sugar cookies dipped in white almond bark. Both I am very proud of both. My sister and I killed the mixer making the divinity. And my sugar cookies almost brought me to tears. I’ve moved since last Christmas and the new oven threw me off. I burned the first two trays of cookies. I recovered though and went on happily.

Tonight I’m going to go home and make chocolate pie and pizza. I made my crusts last night but I have to go home and make the pudding for the pie. That will take a while but it will be worth it. And it was specially requested. Turns out my pie and divinity are the caliber of generations past. I feel pretty good about that.

I finished making my last Christmas presents last night. I made two pairs of earrings for my mom. I was happy with how they turned out. And I had to create a box for one of my sister’s presents, thanks to two Diet Coke boxes and a lot of masking tape and a ton of creativity and ingenuity.

So I think I’m ready for Christmas. There will be lots of traveling. This is the first year I will not wake up Christmas morning at my house or my parents’ house. So that should be interesting. I think I might miss the traditional Christmas morning cranberry bread. It might just be my favorite part of Christmas.

Anyway, I hope everyone has a safe and happy holiday season. A Christmas full of love and joy and peace (crossing my fingers for peace) and lots of deliciousness. I hope that everyone is safe and warm. That everyone has food to eat and people they love to celebrate with.

peppermint bark

It’s official, it’s winter. There was ice, there was snow, I sat on my couch and ate Taco Bell. I don’t like winter, not one bit. I think it’s the worst season. Of course it has its redeeming qualities – Christmas, wearing sweaters and fuzzy boots, cuddling up on the couch with someone you love, and drinking hot beverages. Other than that, I could do without winter.

Winter does cause me to want to bake and be even more domestic. I told the boy last night to think about what he wants to eat when he comes over and I’ll fix extra for him to take home. I always love cooking for him. He’ll always try new things and likes pretty much whatever I fix him. It’s fantastic.

So I’ve been tossing around the idea of starting a shop on etsy.com, I’m quite crafty and it would be fantastic to make some extra money doing something I really like. So we’ll see. Probably after Christmas. I still have 2 presents to entirely make, I need to finish a baby blanket, and figure out what else to get the boy for Christmas.

banana cake

My next big baking adventure is going to be a banana cake. We (the boy and I) went to a wedding over the Thanksgiving weekend. His table (no, we were not seated together, as he was in the wedding party) had a banana cake. Each table had its own individual cake which I thought was rather clever, my table had spice cake. Anyway, now it has been requested than I make a banana cake in an attempt to duplicate the deliciousness he enjoyed at the wedding.

I’ve never made a banana cake. I don’t really like bananas. But because he asked, I will make it. When I think about baking it though, I keep singing the Jack Johnson song Banana Pancakes, I hate that song. But I will banish the annoying song from my head and make my best attempt at a banana cake, probably while singing along to the Nitty Gritty Dirt band or something else similar. Maybe Alabama Christmas.

So I’ve started thinking about why I’ve become so willing to cook. When I was in college I was happy to eat a bowl of cereal for every meal of the day. I rarely cooked and when I did it was always the same thing – pasta with chicken or butterscotch brownies. I haven’t made that pasta with chicken in years. I still make the butterscotch brownies occasionally for my dad, usually as payment for changing my oil.

I think the cooking change occurred when I had someone who actually wanted to eat my cooking. Someone who had actual opinions on what we should have for dinner and liked whatever I cooked. If something is requested, I try to figure out how to make it. And I love it. I love scouring websites and cookbooks for what I think will be just the right thing. I ask about a million questions, trying to find out what the desired outcome is. I always want it to be perfect. Even if it looks ugly, it always gets eaten and is appreciated.

Now I have a couple of banana cake recipes. I doubt I will do all the trials like I did with my chocolate pie. I think I’ll just pick the one I think sounds best and hope it turns out well. I need to work on my frosting skills though. I make good icing but when it comes to actually getting it on the cake…. That works less well. I’ve been reading tips though. I’m working on getting better.

It’s almost time to start holiday baking. I’m really excited! I’m still thinking about what I’m going to make. I think I’ll probably have to go to my parents house because my kitchen currently is not very large and does not have all the things I’m used to having. This year I’m thinking peanut butter fudge, chocolate covered marshmallows, chocolate covered orange slices, sugar cookies (maybe) and possibly something else. My work Christmas party is Friday and I need to figure out what I’m taking. I just don’t know.

Thanksgiving

The other night I watched The History of Thanksgiving on the Food Network. I couldn’t tell you much about it other than the fact that the early celebrators enjoyed foods much different than our own. It is still a feast though and a time to be thankful for what we have. Even if the economy is in the crapper and we may not have as much as in years past, there is still plenty to be thankful for. We live in a country where we are free; for most of us there is always food on the table and a warm bed to sleep in; we are loved and taken care of. I think it’s been a pretty good year.

As I began my baking last night (beer bread with pumpkin beer), I started thinking about what I am thankful for this year.
-I am thankful for a family that loves and supports me. That helps me move. That always is happy to see me. That taught me the value of giving and generosity.
-I am thankful to have a job that I truly like and feel appreciated. And a job that gives me holidays off to spend with those I love.
-I am thankful for lower gas prices. I think most of us are.
-I am thankful for new boots that are perfect. Brown cowboy boots and black knee high boots.
-I am thankful for an amazing boyfriend. And thankful that his family likes me.
-I am thankful for my grandparents. They so kindly chose to be my grandparents and love me no matter what.
-I am thankful for gorgeous holiday weather this year. I have on a short sleeved shirt today!
-I am thankful to have not been affected by the less than great economy.
-I am thankful for love and happiness and friends that bring these.

Enjoy your holiday, wherever you may be, and with whomever you’re celebrating. And when you maybe get a little frustrated with all the family togetherness, step away and find something to be thankful for. Or just grab a piece of pie or glass of wine and smile through it. Happy Thanksgiving.

mississippi mud cake

One of the girls I work with is leaving to start a new job. Traditionally we have some sort of little send off. Another one of my fellow secretaries and I decided to take charge since we were worried no one else would. Today we sneakily found out that her favorite dessert is Mississippi Mud Cake so I of course promptly found a recipe and am pretty excited about trying it out. It sounds delicious.

I made the second chocolate pie last night. It was kind of weird. The chocolate chips gave it a strange grainy texture. It tasted good though. The previously mentioned co-worker said she would bring me her recipe, that it was amazing. So we’ll see. After all this effort on the pie, I was telling my boyfriend about my cooking adventures last night. He said he would have been happy with chocolate pudding in a pie crust topped with whipped topping. Ug. I wouldn’t have felt good about that. And it wouldn’t have been nearly as fun, I’ve enjoyed looking for just the right recipe.

He and I talked last night and now I definitely feel like he deserves the chocolate pie. I got over being mad that he wasn’t coming to see me. I didn’t even bring it up last night. It’s just not worth fighting over. I was pretty proud of myself. And I’m really excited about this wedding we’re going to next week. It should be a lot of fun. And my dress is amazing.

chocolate pie and love

The part about baking…

Holiday season has finally arrived. Or it has in my house at least. I celebrated my first Thanksgiving over the weekend. My parents just celebrate when it’s convenient for all of us. I made pies. My sisters are still under the impression that I can’t or don’t cook. The funny thing is that I’m definitely a better cook than at least two of the three. I love new recipes and I love cooking for other people.

I’m celebrating Thanksgiving with my boyfriend’s family on the actual day. He requested that I make chocolate pie. I asked him about a million questions to make sure I got the pie exactly right. First I pulled out my trusty Betty Crocker cookbook. When I had no luck there the second choice is always google. I found about a million chocolate pie recipes.

I tried the first of my pie recipes on my family for our Thanksgiving. I didn’t want to take a bad pie to someone else’s house. It had homemade pudding, as all of my recipes did. This particular recipe had cocoa, cornstarch, sugar, and milk. I always forget that I hate the texture cornstarch gives things. Those foods always seem slightly gelatinous and gross, kind of like old Chinese food. So the pie tasted delicious other than the texture, I’m pretty sure I’m the only one that was bothered by it.

I’m going to try a second chocolate pie this week. It’s pretty much just chocolate chips and evaporated milk. I have more faith in it. So here’s hoping for more chocolate pie success. I’m going to top it with whipped cream and chocolate curls. I had my sister make extra pie crust for me the other day. That is one thing I haven’t mastered yet, I cannot make a good pie crust.

I’m ready for more holiday cooking. I also can’t wait to put up the tree and be festive for Christmas. Traditionally I put up the tree the weekend after Thanksgiving. We’re going to a wedding that weekend though so it will have to wait. I’m trying a new color scheme with my tree this year. I’m a little nervous. For the past five years or so I’ve had a gold and burgundy tree. I keep seeing all these cute bright colorful trees and wanting to do that. Last year after Christmas I bought pink, turquoise and silver ornaments and trimmings for my tree. I think it’ll be good, I’m just not sure about the change. And I don’t have a tree skirt that will match yet.

The part about relationships….

Relationships are funny. I’m usually a reasonably well adjusted person, fairly level headed. But, add my boyfriend to any equation and I automatically over think it. For some reason every word spoken must be analyzed, every tone, every background noise, pretty much anything that can succeed in making me crazy. Once every few weeks I succeed in making myself absolutely crazy over something.

Let me preface this by sharing the information that this is a long distance relationship. We live about two and a half hours apart. I haven’t seen him for two weeks. We also have different days off so it takes some finagling to get our schedules to work. Anyway, I assumed he was coming to visit me this week. But he went on a hunting trip last week and hasn’t really gotten lots of rest lately so he’s not coming to see me. That means I won’t see him until Thanksgiving. Yeah, I’ll get to see him that day and then we’ll be together the whole weekend. Three weeks is a long time not to see my boyfriend though. I know I’m being a baby about it. And I told him it was fine. It is and I totally understand it’s just hard not to be a little disappointed. And I know it will be better eventually.

butterscotch brownies

I just had to pull on the first pair of socks for the fall, my toes were cold. I wish I were drinking a mug of hot cider. Ooh, or some mulled wine. I discovered that last winter, my boyfriends parents bought us some. It was absolutely delicious.

I really love fall. I love pulling out sweaters and boots to wear. And scarves. Scarves are the best. A lot of the scarves I have I've crocheted. Colors to match just about every outfit. Some with fringe, some a little more serious. But all definitely cozy. And fall means the beginning of the baking season. I think holiday baking is my favorite. All the candies, cookies, breads. I don't even necessarily want to eat them but just fix them for other people.

Yesterday I made one of my favorites, butterscotch brownies. They're usually especially for my dad. Their his favorite. My mom had a recipe for them in the late 60s when they lived in California. Somehow when they moved the recipe disappeared. In high school I went on a quest to find a recipe to replace his old favorite. And I found it. Now whenever I require car maintenance or am just feeling especially nice I make the butterscotch brownies. They're also the choice dessert among most of my friends. Whenever we plan dinners that's always their request from me.

Right now I'm woring on the greatest baby blanket ever. My boyfriends sister is expecting a little boy in December. Her husband is rather outdoorsy (as is my boyfriend) so I'm making them a camo baby blanket. Well, actually it's striped. Green, brown and camo. Surprisingly it's really cute. I keep telling the bf that I'm going to make one for him as well so I can cuddle up under it at his house. He doesn't seem too thrilled.

Fall is also a good craft time. In the summer it's always way too hot to crochet. I'm lookig forward to lots of crocheting on these cooler nights. Well and curling up on the couch with a blanket, a mug of something warm to drink, and a new episode of The Office.

Play-Do Cookies

Before I started school my mom used to babysit while she stayed at home with my sister and me. One of the kids she baby sat was the son of one of her high school friends. There were usually fun things for us to do during the day. Aside from having extra kids to play with, we would make cookies or play dough or paint with water colors.

This particular afternoon we had been allowed to make cookies. Sugar cookies. Somehow we talked her into letting us color the cookies. Blue. Bright Cookie Monster blue. I remember them being delicious. Well, when the dad came to pick up the previously mentioned son he thought my mom was letting us eat blue play dough. We were sitting at the table rolling out cookies and eating the leftovers from the shapes.

In hindsight it probably did really look like blue play dough and my mom probably looked a little crazy. But really, who hasn't eaten some play dough as a child? Especially the homemade kind. It was always so soft and looked like it should taste good.

I've since (for the most part) grown out of making crayon colored food. However, my mom turned 60 this year and we had a tea party inspired theme. I baked 60 pink cupcakes. No, not strawberry, just pink. With pink icing. They were thing of beauty. I piped swirl designs and flowers, in pink of course, on to the top. So I guess I learned some food coloring is good, some.... well makes food look like play dough.

Where it all began

I'm the youngest of four sisters. That meant I was last in line to learn to cook. Read, I never really cooked much until I went off to college and had to. For family dinners I am usually expected to bring some sort of Jell-O salad. Watergate salad is my favorite. The first person I ever cooked much for was what we shall call "an unadventurous eater" I made the same pasta most nights.

Now as I've hit my mid 20s, I'm striving to be more like the 20 something that my mother was. When she was in high school she was Betty Crocker Homemaker of Tomorrow. This meant she received her very own Betty Crocker cookbook. A cookbook that was used in our family almost non-stop. Don't know how to make something? Check with Betty. It was almost like she was the aunt with all the delicious recipes.

A former co-worker gave me a used version of the very same cookbook. It's hardback and from the early 60s, probably slightly older than the one I grew up using. But every time I set out to make something, I pull out Betty. A smile comes across my face as I flip through the pages looking for the right recipe. Tonight that recipe is coffee cake, my sister requested it.

My baking may not be done for a large family or a fancy luncheon. It is however made in the same dishes that my mother and grandmother have used. I love my dusty rose Tupperware canisters. I have secret aspirations of becoming a Tupperware lady. I love my brown Pyrex mixing bowls. A wooden spoon, well I'm not sure that I know how to cook without one.

I pull Betty out of the cabinet more frequently these days. I have people in my life who are willing to try something new. I've learned that just because my sisters never expected that I would cook doesn't mean I can't. I actually like to cook. Baking is still my favorite. In my own personal recipe file (a blue argyle binder) there are far more desserts than anything else. Around holidays I love making candy and goodies for everyone I know.

So welcome to my "culinary blog" Pictures of whatever deliciousness I've whipped up. Stories of my successes and probably some failures too. Last weekend I happened to make some super ugly (but delicious) lasagna with my mom's best friend's recipe. I also pulled out Betty to make some oatmeal raisin cookies.