Sunday, March 4, 2012
The family
If you read my blog you will be somewhat familiar with my crazy big family! I love them but we are a big, out spoken family with never a full moment! My cousin Mary for married in November so we took some family photos. Already we have new members Mary recently had baby Mia and Constance has a little girl on the way in August.
Cupcakes
As I mentioned earlier I love making cupcakes!! Besides Sophie and Katherine I find other recipes in magazine, online and most of all Pinterest. I make all kinds of other dressers from cookies, pies and regular cakes however cupcakes are my favorite. I use family and friends as guinea pigs. I only try to a couple because as much as I love them I don't want to look like one. I make them for school quite a bit for all occasions. I will show you a couple of different ones. Emily's banana cream pie birthday cupcakes, Eli's chocolate with vanilla and sprinkles, nutella self-frosting cupcakes, Susan's strawberry birthday cupcakes, finally Sam's chocolate with vanilla cream and ganache birthday cupcakes 
Hot Pink Wellies
Almost a year ago spring was getting closer and I was tired of wet feet so I decided to purchase some rain boots....you know me,pink was the only option! I found this adorable pair of hot pink ones from Walmart of all places. Within a few days I was out doing afternoon bus duty in my neon boots when a couple of middle school girls yelled "I love your boots, they look just like DC Cupcakes!" I had no idea what they were talking about so naturally I googled it...only to find my new mentors Sophie and Katherine!!!
I started watching the show because I was interested in baking cupcakes because after all I loved eating them. Now I was in love with Ivey Cake in Franklin,TN but after watching one episode Georgetown Cupcake became my new obsession. I will admit their antics and humor as well as Mommy make the show but the tall hot pink Wellies made me love them more. I really never imagined I could bake their recipes though.
I kept watching as summer rolled on until finally trying a recipe. They were strawberry champagne cupcakes....they flopped. It probably didn't help that the power went off in the middle of baking but I quickly learned buttercream was a science.
I didn't give up on baking but I knew I needed some new pans, easier recipes and trial and error. I started making some pretty good cupcakes, so once Sophie and Katherine's new book, The Cupcake Diaries came out I gave their recipes another try.
I read the book in an hour and quickly marked things to remember from technique to recipes. Their buttercream base is so easy and you just add a few extra ingredients to create any flavor you wish. For the sake of copyrights (and my laziness concerning typing extra) I will say either google the recipes or better yet buy the book. Every person who bakes cupcakes must have this book!
I used their coconut cupcake recipe as the base cake for this bday cake for my dad....the other layers of coconut were my creation.
For bunco in January I tried to conquer the strawberry champagne cupcakes , , champagne buttercream, strawberries and ganache layered dessert...success this time even with the ice storm coming down!
For Flori's bday I went with the lighter version of their chocolate cake with toffee chip buttercream
I look forward to trying more recipes and hopefully I will make it to Georgetown cupcake soon!! Until then at least we have our pink Wellies
I started watching the show because I was interested in baking cupcakes because after all I loved eating them. Now I was in love with Ivey Cake in Franklin,TN but after watching one episode Georgetown Cupcake became my new obsession. I will admit their antics and humor as well as Mommy make the show but the tall hot pink Wellies made me love them more. I really never imagined I could bake their recipes though.
I kept watching as summer rolled on until finally trying a recipe. They were strawberry champagne cupcakes....they flopped. It probably didn't help that the power went off in the middle of baking but I quickly learned buttercream was a science.
I didn't give up on baking but I knew I needed some new pans, easier recipes and trial and error. I started making some pretty good cupcakes, so once Sophie and Katherine's new book, The Cupcake Diaries came out I gave their recipes another try.
I read the book in an hour and quickly marked things to remember from technique to recipes. Their buttercream base is so easy and you just add a few extra ingredients to create any flavor you wish. For the sake of copyrights (and my laziness concerning typing extra) I will say either google the recipes or better yet buy the book. Every person who bakes cupcakes must have this book!
I used their coconut cupcake recipe as the base cake for this bday cake for my dad....the other layers of coconut were my creation.
For bunco in January I tried to conquer the strawberry champagne cupcakes , , champagne buttercream, strawberries and ganache layered dessert...success this time even with the ice storm coming down!
For Flori's bday I went with the lighter version of their chocolate cake with toffee chip buttercream
I look forward to trying more recipes and hopefully I will make it to Georgetown cupcake soon!! Until then at least we have our pink Wellies
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Pinterest changed my Life
Laugh all you want but many of you can say this. I have always enjoyed baking and some cooking. The cupcake craze plus my love of them had already gotten me to experimenting but Pinterest got me to work. This summer I started looking up recipes then the site went viral. Now I cook almost three emails a week from pins plus whatever baking I do along the way. I love all my other helpful boards but I am going to be in the kitchen before doing a DIY project. It may sound strange but I photograph some of my food because I keep them with the hand written recipe...found a cookbook project, pinned it and now making my own. I take more photos of dessert than real food but I am working omit. One I will share comes from my
Meatless Monday collection. It's quinoa stuffed red peppers.
Quinoa Stuffed Bell Peppers
adapted from Vegetarian Times
Ingredients:
2 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 ribs celery, finely chopped
1 8-oz. pkg. mushrooms, stems removed and saved for another use and caps sliced very thin
1/2 of a poblano pepper, diced
1 tablespoon ground cumin
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 – 15 oz. cans diced tomatoes, drained, liquid reserved
1 – 15 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
3/4 cup quinoa
1 1/2 cups grated carrot
1 1/2 cups grated Pepper Jack cheese, divided
4 large red bell peppers, halved lengthwise, ribs removed
Directions:
Heat oil in saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, celery, and poblano pepper and cook 5 minutes, or until soft. Add cumin and garlic, and sauté 1 minute. Stir in mushrooms and drained tomatoes. Cook 5 minutes, or until most of liquid has evaporated.
Stir in quinoa, carrots, and 1 3/4 cups water. Cover, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 20 minutes, or until quinoa is tender. ( i just cook quinoa and carrots with veggies in a large deep skillet) Combine quinoa and carrots with black beans, 1 cup of cheese, and the onion mixture from the first step, . Season with salt and pepper, if desired.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Pour liquid from tomatoes in bottom of baking dish.
Fill each bell pepper half with heaping 3/4-cup quinoa mixture, and place in baking dish. Cover with foil, and bake 40 minutes. Uncover, and sprinkle each pepper with 1 tablespoon of remaining cheese. Bake 15 minutes more, or until tops of stuffed peppers are browned. Let stand 5 minutes. Transfer stuffed peppers to serving plates, and drizzle each with pan juices before serving.
Meatless Monday collection. It's quinoa stuffed red peppers.
Quinoa Stuffed Bell Peppers
adapted from Vegetarian Times
Ingredients:
2 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 ribs celery, finely chopped
1 8-oz. pkg. mushrooms, stems removed and saved for another use and caps sliced very thin
1/2 of a poblano pepper, diced
1 tablespoon ground cumin
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 – 15 oz. cans diced tomatoes, drained, liquid reserved
1 – 15 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
3/4 cup quinoa
1 1/2 cups grated carrot
1 1/2 cups grated Pepper Jack cheese, divided
4 large red bell peppers, halved lengthwise, ribs removed
Directions:
Heat oil in saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, celery, and poblano pepper and cook 5 minutes, or until soft. Add cumin and garlic, and sauté 1 minute. Stir in mushrooms and drained tomatoes. Cook 5 minutes, or until most of liquid has evaporated.
Stir in quinoa, carrots, and 1 3/4 cups water. Cover, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 20 minutes, or until quinoa is tender. ( i just cook quinoa and carrots with veggies in a large deep skillet) Combine quinoa and carrots with black beans, 1 cup of cheese, and the onion mixture from the first step, . Season with salt and pepper, if desired.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Pour liquid from tomatoes in bottom of baking dish.
Fill each bell pepper half with heaping 3/4-cup quinoa mixture, and place in baking dish. Cover with foil, and bake 40 minutes. Uncover, and sprinkle each pepper with 1 tablespoon of remaining cheese. Bake 15 minutes more, or until tops of stuffed peppers are browned. Let stand 5 minutes. Transfer stuffed peppers to serving plates, and drizzle each with pan juices before serving.
Life Happened
Too much has happened this year to even consider recapping. In 2011 I turned the big 3-0 so the reality of getting older has set in and the reality of feeling old is a hard pill to swallow...I choke on it multiple times a day.
I am still a health but exercising freak but knees have almost put my running shoes on the shelf. The big turn around this past year was I got my parents on board and the two of them lost around a total of 100lbs. My mom turned 50 so she lost 50. Hopefully we all gained a few years of life!
I am still doing the same job and I love it more now than ever. The start of this school year was difficult but that just helps me see the progress. I have lots of new children and I love them dearly. For new readers I will explain that I don't talk about my job for confidentiality reasons but it is a big part of my life because of my coworkers and especially my children.
As I mentioned I am loving the iPad. My apps keep me buys from words with friends to my biggest life changer Pinterest. I learn something new every day and get lots of great ideas. More to come in future posts.
I tried to spend this past year being present in my life. 2010 was spent filling voids left behind so I made the effort to spend more time just being present and no blogging and really not much picture taking. One day I may forget it all but for now I am just keeping those memories within.
I am still a health but exercising freak but knees have almost put my running shoes on the shelf. The big turn around this past year was I got my parents on board and the two of them lost around a total of 100lbs. My mom turned 50 so she lost 50. Hopefully we all gained a few years of life!
I am still doing the same job and I love it more now than ever. The start of this school year was difficult but that just helps me see the progress. I have lots of new children and I love them dearly. For new readers I will explain that I don't talk about my job for confidentiality reasons but it is a big part of my life because of my coworkers and especially my children.
As I mentioned I am loving the iPad. My apps keep me buys from words with friends to my biggest life changer Pinterest. I learn something new every day and get lots of great ideas. More to come in future posts.
I tried to spend this past year being present in my life. 2010 was spent filling voids left behind so I made the effort to spend more time just being present and no blogging and really not much picture taking. One day I may forget it all but for now I am just keeping those memories within.
Hiatus
Can't believe it has been a little over a year since my last post. I could make excuses but really I have been pursuing some new interests. Well and my laptop bit the dust so my iPad has too many time wasting apps. I was introduced to the blogger app some time back but forgot that I downloaded it until a friend mentioned it in her blog post...thanks Lindsey! hopefully I will make more of an effort to catch my few readers up and maybe attract some new followers...come back for catch up posts
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Nice Weekend!!
It is so refreshing to have a nice weekend with sunshine and taking it easy. Friday is my day off from working out so its nice to chat with a friend, watch some TV and take a nap. Nothing like a Friday night watching the Food Network...if I can't eat then at least I can watch others do it.
I know I am turning into an old lady but you know I don't care I like my slow quiet life. No Saturday morning is complete without my trip to wal-Mart to buy my stuff for teh next week. Shopping that time of day is like meditation whereas any other time it is like a war zone. I have doen the 3 day diet, the cabbage soup diet and now I am back to my old college standby...slim fast. Only a few more weeks until Biggest Loser is over and I have to keep up my A game!!!!
The mornign was made even better with my new favorite nessecity...McDonald's fruit and maple oatmeal YUM!!!! Of course I got in some cleaning up and Wii Active done before going out for a nice run. Finally the weather was nice enough to run and sweat!!1 I was fine until I almsot got side swiped by a car...thank goodness their neighbor was an old friend from Hamilton. Gotta watch out for those young crazy drivers!!!
I had planned an evening of movies and popcorn, but got a surprise order of leftover sushi (thank goodness Dustin wasn't hungry). My choices to watch were PS I Love You, Dan in Real Life and my absolute favorite...You've Got Mail...but the TV selection changed my thoughts. Instead I watched some choclate confections on the Cooking channel, Because I said So and Nights in Rodanthe. Nothing like a good cry before you head off to bed. My favorite line is when Diane Lane is talking to her daughter about love. The quote goes "One kind of love gives you the courage to be better than you are, not less than you are. One that makes you feel that anything is possible. You can have that...hold out for it" Strangely enough charlotte once said to me she wished for me love because it is the best thing there is...but hold out for the real love. It may seem crazy but for me I plan to do that and if it doesnt happen then the life I have had has at least been one I have enjoyed. For those who have it cherish it on this commericially love crazed holiday!!
sunday is always an enjoyable day when you get to worship and enjoy fellowship with other Christians. thankfully I got to come home early since my dad cooked...meatloaf and turnip green with corn bread...not exactly on my diet but worth the cheat!!! Got in another run despite the wind but I should have used the 30 minute swim rule because I was feeling a little sick by the end. After an hour nap and watching Raising Helen I felt better. Strangely enough PS I Love you came on TV....I was thrilled. Only if I would have fit the other two movies in my romantic comedy weekend would have been complete, but instead I had to watch one of my Little House movies...yeah I know I am really turning into an old quirky lady!!
The fitting end to my weekend was chatting online with my "Sewell" cousins about our sweet Granny Ruthie. We have so many wonderful memories of her, btu we never really get to see one another. I can't tell you the last time we were all together...possibly her funeral. I do hope for a reunion soon. The strange is as I talk abotu actign like an old lady I sometimes think of her. If I turn out to be just a portion of her then I know I have lived a good life and that is all that counts!!!
I know I am turning into an old lady but you know I don't care I like my slow quiet life. No Saturday morning is complete without my trip to wal-Mart to buy my stuff for teh next week. Shopping that time of day is like meditation whereas any other time it is like a war zone. I have doen the 3 day diet, the cabbage soup diet and now I am back to my old college standby...slim fast. Only a few more weeks until Biggest Loser is over and I have to keep up my A game!!!!
The mornign was made even better with my new favorite nessecity...McDonald's fruit and maple oatmeal YUM!!!! Of course I got in some cleaning up and Wii Active done before going out for a nice run. Finally the weather was nice enough to run and sweat!!1 I was fine until I almsot got side swiped by a car...thank goodness their neighbor was an old friend from Hamilton. Gotta watch out for those young crazy drivers!!!
I had planned an evening of movies and popcorn, but got a surprise order of leftover sushi (thank goodness Dustin wasn't hungry). My choices to watch were PS I Love You, Dan in Real Life and my absolute favorite...You've Got Mail...but the TV selection changed my thoughts. Instead I watched some choclate confections on the Cooking channel, Because I said So and Nights in Rodanthe. Nothing like a good cry before you head off to bed. My favorite line is when Diane Lane is talking to her daughter about love. The quote goes "One kind of love gives you the courage to be better than you are, not less than you are. One that makes you feel that anything is possible. You can have that...hold out for it" Strangely enough charlotte once said to me she wished for me love because it is the best thing there is...but hold out for the real love. It may seem crazy but for me I plan to do that and if it doesnt happen then the life I have had has at least been one I have enjoyed. For those who have it cherish it on this commericially love crazed holiday!!
sunday is always an enjoyable day when you get to worship and enjoy fellowship with other Christians. thankfully I got to come home early since my dad cooked...meatloaf and turnip green with corn bread...not exactly on my diet but worth the cheat!!! Got in another run despite the wind but I should have used the 30 minute swim rule because I was feeling a little sick by the end. After an hour nap and watching Raising Helen I felt better. Strangely enough PS I Love you came on TV....I was thrilled. Only if I would have fit the other two movies in my romantic comedy weekend would have been complete, but instead I had to watch one of my Little House movies...yeah I know I am really turning into an old quirky lady!!
The fitting end to my weekend was chatting online with my "Sewell" cousins about our sweet Granny Ruthie. We have so many wonderful memories of her, btu we never really get to see one another. I can't tell you the last time we were all together...possibly her funeral. I do hope for a reunion soon. The strange is as I talk abotu actign like an old lady I sometimes think of her. If I turn out to be just a portion of her then I know I have lived a good life and that is all that counts!!!
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