“An abstainer is a weak person who yields to the temptation of denying himself a pleasure.”
Ambrose Bierce (American Writer, Journalist and Editor, 1842-1914)
TIME: 1:27 PM
PLACE: Kitchen
SUBJECT: Italian cookies
7 pounds of Italian cookies were purchased from Rosciglione’s Bakery this morning. 5 of those pounds are individual gifts for friends of ours. The remaining 2 pounds are for us. Right now they are sitting on the kitchen counter, calling out and tempting me to consume them. I know I could eat the whole damn box all by myself before Tuesday. Stupid cookies. Their deliciousness just overrides what little self-control I possess.
“…my cherry pie
Put a smile on your face ten miles wide
Looks so good bring a tear to your eye
Sweet cherry pie…”
Warrant. "Cherry Pie." Cherry Pie. By Jani Lane. Columbia Records, 1990
TIME: 10:29 PM
PLACE: Kitchen
SUBJECT: Domo charms on cherry pie that HH made
Yeah…umm…I got nothing today.
“If God dropped acid, would he see people?”
Steven Wright (American comedian, actor and writer. b1955)
TIME: 4:35 PM
PLACE: Kitchen
SUBJECT: Krack
We were invited to my cousin’s for dinner this evening. I was told I didn’t need to bring anything, but I don’t like going empty-handed. So I decided to bring this – it’s called “Krack” because it’s so addicting. If you would like to try it, here is the recipe to make your own Krack:
1 large bag of corn puffs
1/2 cup of butter (1 stick)
1/3 cup of dark corn syrup
1 cup of dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon of salt.
Melt butter, sugar, salt and corn syrup in a sauce pan over medium heat. Bring to a boil. Boil for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
Place corn puffs in large bowl. Pour mixture over corn puffs and stir to coat.
Spread coated puffs on a cookie sheet in a single layer. Bake at 275 degrees for 25 minutes. Stir and bake an additional 25 minutes.
Let cool and eat.
“I found my thrill
On Blueberry Hill
On Blueberry Hill
When I found you”
Lyrics by Rooney, John L. "Blueberry Hill." 1940. Perf. Fats Domino. 1956.
TIME: 6:08 PM
PLACE: Kitchen
SUBJECT: Dessert
Today was one of those days where even though I did many things around the house, I really don’t have much to show for it. One thing I do have to show for my efforts is this dessert: Blueberry Ice Cream Pie. This pie has an almond-brown sugar crust followed by vanilla ice cream with a layer of blueberry sauce and is topped with whipped cream and fresh berries. I made it as a birthday pie for Dad who joined us for dinner. It was pretty tasty.
“Dost thou think because thou art virtuous there shall be no more cakes and ale?”
William Shakespeare (1564–1616). The Oxford Shakespeare. 1914. Twelfth-Night; or, What You Will. Act II. Scene III.
TIME: 4:24 PM
PLACE: Kitchen
SUBJECT: Breton butter cake
I was in a Suzy Homemaker mood this afternoon and decided to make a butter cake recipe from an old May 2002 Martha Stewart Living. The recipe called for simple ingredients: butter, sugar, vanilla, eggs, flour and salt. It was very dense and almost like a shortcake. Martha topped hers with a spiked strawberry compote – but I just went with some fresh sliced strawberries sprinkled with brown sugar. The kids were going to be eating it and frankly, I like to consume my alcohol directly from some sort of drinking apparatus.
“A gourmet who thinks of calories is like a tart who looks at her watch.”
James Andrew Beard (American chef and food writer, 1903–1985)
TIME: 3:44 PM
PLACE: Kitchen
SUBJECT: Birthday Fruit Tart
Two years ago(!) I posted this photo of a fruit tart I made for HH’s birthday. 728 days later, I’m posting another photo of said tart – no, it’s not the *same* tart you sillies, I think that dessert would be a little moldy by now. I concocted this one today, along with a chicken pot pie for supper. We invited my dad over to eat with us and to sing (very badly, I might add) “Happy Birthday” to the HandsomeHusband who turns the big, double-nickel tomorrow.
~*~*~*~
I should get extra “what-a-good-wife” bonus points for making this because I had to go to the grocery store this morning for the ingredients. It was ugggg-ly. That place was a madhouse…an obnoxious blend of Sunday grocery shoppers and people in a mad frenzy to stock up on bread, milk and eggs to hold them over during the expected winter storm (freezing rain, snow, and sleet, temps in the single digits-woo hoo.)
“Hungry men don't ask, they take.”
Kenneth Kolb, and Nathan Juran. Sinbad (Kerwin Mathews), The 7th Voyage of Sinbad, explaining to the wizard why the men killed the baby roc (1958).
TIME: 10:11 AM
PLACE: Kitchen
SUBJECT: Cake
I baked a cake last night – DramaQueen was the only one awake when I made it and she and I each had one piece before we went to bed (from the frosted side, I only frost one side of the cake because MonkeyBoy and HandsomeHusband like un-iced cake). I put the cover on the cake pan and we went to sleep. Fast forward to this morning…I slept in until 8:30, took my shower, got dressed and headed to the kitchen. This is the sight that greeted me - Holy guacamole!…it looks like a horde of angry locusts descended upon it…what did the poor cake do to my family to deserve such decimation and destruction? I did manage to have one more piece before it was devoured completely.
“The only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it.”
Oscar Wilde (Irish Poet, Novelist, Dramatist and Critic, 1854-1900) *The Picture of Dorian Gray*, 1891
TIME: 3:30 PM
PLACE: Pantry
SUBJECT: Peppermint Oreo cookies
These are one of the 50% off Holiday foods that I purchased at Target on Sunday. Really, who can resist a package of Oreos for only $1.49? Not me. I thought the peppermint would be in the filling…but no, it’s even better – it’s in the cookie – mmmmm, minty chocolate goodness. I need to eat them all so they don’t tempt me anymore – and then maybe I just might make another trip out to Target to purchase more.
“Caught in a web
Removed from the world
Hanging on by a thread…”
Dream Theater. "Caught In A Web." Awake. By James LaBrie and John Petrucci. East West Records, North Hollywood, Los Angeles, 1994
TIME: 7:47 AM
PLACE: Front porch
SUBJECT: Wasp in web
I don’t like wasps (who does?) so I wasn’t too upset when I noticed this one caught in the rather large spider web located in one of the corners of our front porch. MB found two more webs and two very large spiders in the back yard while taking the dog out this morning, but when I went out there to investigate, the spiders had hidden themselves away. After supper, MB and I went back outside and saw one of the spiders sitting on its web. I took photos but I the pics I snapped did not capture him very well. I’ll try again to take the arachnid’s picture ‘cause I’ve got to show you how big & creepy he is. *shudders*
“One must ask children and birds how cherries and strawberries taste.”
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (German Playwright, Poet, Novelist and Dramatist. 1749-1832)
TIME: 6:07 PM
PLACE: Kitchen table
SUBJECT: Strawberry shortcake
My favorite thing about spring? Fresh strawberries. StellaDella’s favorite thing about strawberries? Whipped cream - Or more specifically - Cool Whip non-dairy topping. In fact, you can just forget about the strawberries. Just some sponge cake and a ginormous heaping of Cool Whip will do her just fine.
“Life is better than death, I believe, if only because it is less boring, and because it has fresh peaches in it.”
Alice Malsenior Walker (American author, feminist, most famous for the critically acclaimed novel The Color Purple b1944)
TIME: 8:16 PM
PLACE: Kitchen counter
SUBJECT: Peach crisp with ice cream
The kids and HandsomeHusband went to the 1:15pm baseball game – St Louis Cardinals vs.. the Houston Astros. It was Build-a-Bear day at the old ballpark. They each received a Cardinals stuffed puppy, then when the game was over, they stood in line for about an hour and a half, so they could go down onto the field and “Run the Bases”. HH took them out to eat after and they did not make it home until a little before 8PM. Sweet “FREEDOM!” (said in my best Mel Gibson, Braveheart impersonation). I didn’t know what to do with myself. I ended up going to the bookstore for a little while – then came home and just enjoyed the peace and quiet. I did make the peach crisp with the peaches we picked last Tuesday. It was quite delicious served warm from the oven and with some vanilla ice cream.
"I never worry about diets. The only carrots that interest me are the number of carats in a diamond.”
Mae West (American Actress and sex symbol, 1892-1980)
TIME: 8:42 PM
PLACE: Kitchen Counter
SUBJECT: Carrot-Ginger Cupcake
I really was SuzyHomemaker today. I ran several errands in the morning with the kiddos - Post Office, the newspaper to place the yard sale ad, City Hall to purchase a yard sale permit (our city requires one), the Library, Farm Fresh convenience store for our milk in glass bottles, the Farmer's Market for broccoli, carrots and nectarines, and the butcher for chicken breasts for dinner tonight. Are you tired yet? This afternoon, I went downtown by the library to meet a buyer for a Craigslist sale. Then it was back home to make dinner. We had Korean Grilled Chicken & Sesame Noodles with Vegetables. For dessert I made Carrot-Ginger Cupcakes - the recipe courtesy of Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook. The cream cheese icing is straight from my trusty Betty Crocker cookbook. DramaQueen made a face when I was mixing it up, but she tried the batter and changed her mind quickly. I'm sure there are no calories in these cupcakes, the recipe only called for 1-1/2 cups of vegetable oil...do you think that the oil counteracted the health benefits of the 2-1/2 cups of shredded carrots that were in there?
Nah, I don't think so either.
“Life is uncertain; eat dessert first.”
Unknown
TIME: 7:48 PM
PLACE: Maggie Moo's
SUBJECT: Ice Cream and StellaDella
Summer is almost here, I can feel it! StellaDella's last day of preschool was today. They had a "Water Fun" day with water tables and squirt bottles and got to wear their swimming suits to class. After going to this preschool with one child or another since the fall of 2000, (although we did have a 2-year break from May 2004 to Sept 2006) it will be strange not being there in September. They had a wonderful program and great teachers. On the bright side, all 3 of our kiddos will be at one school this fall!
Tonight, DramaQueen is spending the night at her BFF's house; HandsomeHusband and MonkeyBoy went to see the new "Star Trek" film and SD and I went to the bookstore and then to Maggie Moo's. After her bowl of vanilla and cotton candy ice cream with marshmallows and sprinkles, she told me she was still hungry and could she get some white noodles (Fettuccini Alfredo) from Fazoli's? Dinner after dessert? Why not!
"Doubtless God could have made a better berry, but doubtless God never did."
William Allen Butler, (American lawyer and writer of poetical satires, 1825-1902)
TIME: 4:48 PM
PLACE: Kitchen counter
SUBJECT: Hulled strawberries
I braved the "Mart of Wal" (WalMart) today, while StellaDella was at a birthday party at the nearby YMCA. DramaQueen was with me while MonkeyBoy and HandsomeHusband were at MB's baseball practice. I needed to pick up some items (toilet paper, paper towels, Kleenex - it was a paper extravaganza!) and something to make for dinner. I found my main course ingredients and then saw that they had 1-pound containers of strawberries for just $2.00 - Score! So we had beef & vegetable fajitas with strawberry shortcakes for dessert.
Each year when strawberries are in season, I am reminded of a conversation at my family's supper table about 27 years ago. My sister who was about 6 announced that strawberries were not fruit, because they have their seeds on the outside. This caused quite the stir in our family unit at the time. But, as it turns out, my little sister was partially correct. To quote from http://articles.gourt.com/en/strawberry - "The strawberry is an accessory fruit; that is, the fleshy part is derived not from the ovaries (which are the "seeds", actually achenes) but from the peg at the bottom of the hypanthium that held the ovaries. So from a technical standpoint, the seeds are the actual fruits of the plant, and the flesh of the strawberry is a vegetable. It is greenish-white as it develops and in most species turns red when ripe." The things you can find out on the web are amazing.
