Project 365 - The Random Approach - Day 29(b)

Butterfly Kisses

The Chef

Sami made some goodies for her 6th class' 'cake raffle' fundraiser - this all happened yesterday. We were out of the petit four wrappers and had to make some custom ones - enter the EK Success scallop paper punch and parchment paper (cooking stuff)... and several hours of tender loving care!

These little babies are itty bitty cupcakes.. Not sure what to call them. The pros in the crowd will have to help here...

So, after the hussle and bussle in the kitchen, off to school we went. We sat there from 3pm 'til 5pm selling raffle tickets at the Basketball Games..

Then rushed home to meet the boys and headed to LG for the showing of Food Inc.

More on that later..

UBO: OTAY! Who's 'Ready' to Pea Their Pants????

So! You guys are GREAT at the guessing game! Gotta love ya! I mean, so many super duper close ones - you make me feel like I have, well, a smidgen of baking talent!

And, two of you DID get it!!!!! Keeneye! And Anne! I am so impressed!!!


Are you ready for my ever so embarrassing display of horrid cake making skills (again)????

THIS is what I was trying to make! (Be sure to read the directions - you need a mental picture of WHAT THE HECK I was trying to do!).... followed by what I did, of course....

I'll give you few minutes... Let it really sink in...

.
.
.


Ready?


Let's not forget that THIS is how it turned out!!

OMG... What a trial that was...

Do you watch 24 by any chance? It's one of my faves...

So, for you fans.

The following events occurred between the hours of 3:45 pm and 5:30 pm, Thursday, February 26th. (aka one of the longest 'almost 2 hours' of my life)....

1. It was a long day already... got up at 4 am, as mentioned previously to do the chili, make kid lunches, get ready for work, do outside chores, and split at 7:15 am ... followed by an 'eventful' spat at work... and back home at 3:45 pm...
   
2. After assessing the 'tools' situation, I realized I did not have any food dye in the house! When the heck did I decide to throw out my 20 year old supply????? CRUD!! (the store is 17 miles away, 1 way... can't go down that road!)... So, I took some blue fancy decorating crystals and added water, and added some of that to my white icing... oopsy... a little runny...
   
3. I do have those fancy Pampered Chef glass cooking measuring cups the recipe hinted at... I used a 6 cup one.. no time to mess with the 2 cup and 4 cup.. That was way too many extra building blocks. Then, like a complete Dorkasaurus, I burned my hand because I forgot the thing was HOT sitting on that cooling rack! Hello! There was a handle begging to be held! Note: This is why mixing containers should not be used as cooking containers... It's a mind game.. Same thing happens to Mr. Sexton when he puts salad dressing into an Olive Oil jar - way too much comes out! Expecting different results...
   
4. After I baked the cake I had to speed things up a bit. I mean, the cake was hot, even after I gave it a 10 minute or so ice bath (container within a container) ... When I removed the cake from the bowl, a good chunk of one side remained behind, stuck to the bowl.. oops... a crater!
5. Assembling the ice-cream cone and waffle bowl was just a big fat joke... HELLO! How do you get such perfect sides on those babies????
6. So, I started the decor process anyway ... The icing was slipping down, creating a pool around the thing...I was facing a deadline..after all. One of my precious hours had already passed! No time to just let it all chill!
7. Sami came to my rescue.. She decided we just needed to decorate the crud out of it.. fill the crater and add all the sprinkles ... we really wanted to make the sweet little star and moon cookies and glue them on with icing... sorry, no time! Maybe when we have three days to kill and do it right! And speaking of props, Sami would NOT let me use the wand I made her 2 years ago.. a super cute thing with a star on top - a perfect 'wand' prop that would have been awesome next to the hat cake - she said it was a Princess thingy... not for Wizards... RATS...
   

So, there you have it... My Wizard Hat!

You see, Jake LOVES anything do do with Wizards..He is addicted!

So Keeneye's Harry Potter guess was very very very 'spot on' as well as Anne's RIGHT ON THE NAIL guess!!!

Love all you guys for giving me some cake love....

SWAK

Not for the Sight Impared....

Which Would You Pick?

Today is another cold day... It's 5:00 pm and 55 degrees.... and when it's cold I tend to channel my inner Domestic Goddess... Cook a fun lunch (beef fajitas), do some laundry, get dinner into the crock pot (lamb shanks) and make a dessert for after dinner...along with mowing the lawn for 2 hours, and all those other pesky interruptions...

BUT I did not quite get to the dessert. Somehow I got sidetracked and forgot... See those two boxes sitting on my counter? Well, I tend to buy boxed mixes for the school events, and quick desserts, when I don't have time for the real thing..even though today would have been a great 'from scratch day' I wasn't up for it. Well, I had grabbed the two boxes above and put them on the counter to 'get some help' from any willing family members to pick which one they wanted...

My husband picked. But, not in the way I had hoped... You see, my darling husband has an eyesight problem. He did see the boxes and the pictures, but he neglected to read the fine print (as in Supreme Mix - it's there, under the title)... So, low and behold he ripped open the raspberry bars, hoping for a tasty snack, then somehow ripped open one of the interior sacks (the crust one) still without seeing what was inside (rather tricky I might ad) and shoved his hand inside - to find loose stuff...

This is what I heard coming from the kitchen...

WHAT THE HELL?????

So, naturally I go running in...

And this is what the kids heard coming from the kitchen...

WHAT ARE YOU DOING? THOSE ARE MIXES!!!!

Then the kids come running in, and Sami could be heard saying...

WHAT'S GOING ON???

And me, responding, back in my normal happy mommy (slightly snarky and sarcastic) voice...

Daddy is just helping me pick what to make for dessert!

Well, we did have a good laugh. And Dick did need some snacks for his early morning trip tomorrow (hauling animals to the processor), and we will have a tasty dessert tonight, with real whipped cream (not holding back there)...

And the bars are cooking while I write!

Have a great day.

We all deserve a good laugh at our lives every now and then...

Like My Tomatoes???

They Are Getting Ripe!

Remember these babies from 2 weeks ago? Almost ready!!! Nothing like a garden tomato (in late October!) with balsamic vinegar and mozzarella cheese! Yummers!

Slow Cooker Week!

Apples before the picking - the leaves are now all yellow and falling

Well, the apples are all picked, the leaves are almost gone from my favorite poplar tree, rain and snow are in the forecast, and I am thinking about the upcoming winter.. It was 30 degrees this morning!
So... I'm on a mission...
I've been making 'slow' meals since Sunday... There is actually a 'slow foods' movement (google slow food) which I think originated in Italy. They even have a 'journal' publication. Anyway, the 'movement' is about taking time from your super crazy task oriented life on the fly, and actually sitting down at the dining room table with your family, eating a meal that was actually cooked, by you, with real foods... The benefit: wholesome and nutritious foods and the benefit of bringing your family or friends together for real conversations and consequently, 'quality time' together.. therefore, quality food and quality time.

My 'slow meals' have consisted of slow cooking our dinners each day since Sunday, with the hope of having a super tasty main dish all ready by the time dinner time rolls around... My usual tendency is to wait until 5pm, sometimes 6pm and then try to whip dinner together.. it's not fun trying to cook when you are already tired from your day.. by that time it is a chore and not something enjoyed...

Here's the outcome so far with my personal slow movement:
1.. Sunday was a chuck arm roast, slow cooked on the stovetop. FLOP! The burner I used has a mind of it's own, which I forgot about. We had a tough time chewing that meal! Very slow!
2. Monday was Lamb Shanks slow cooked in my almost 1 year old very fancy 'Breville' crock pot... Yumm! This dinner was a hit! I lucked out on this one.. Yet, the 'fancy pants' crock pot is driving me crazy... It is boiling food even in the 'warm' setting.. it doesn't seem to have a temperature control.
3. Tuesday was Beef Stew. Again slow cooked on the fancy crock pot... Not good... Too 'spicy hot'. Our lips were burning... I used a can of Yellow El Pato... instead of the Green...
4. Today is Hamburger Soup... again, slow cooking in the fancy crock of *#$@.

We will see how the Hamburger Soup goes... It's a little experiment I am conducting with my family members as my victims (drives my husband crazy!). The recipe is actually a 1 hour stove top one, which we tried before and it was a hit... But I am 'slow cooking' and want to stick to my week long goal!

Happy Cooking to you!
Anyone have a good source for a digital temperature control crock pot?