Not really…off to see the dreaded mammogram machine.  I really dislike this yearly task.  I am always sore for a week or more afterwards.  There has to be a better way.  I think if smashing “something” between two pieces glass attached to an EXTREMELY heavy machine until the tissue being examined was nearly paper thin,  was how they checked for testicular cancer, someone would come up with a better way!  What do I know, that maybe how they check.  But I think we would have heard some serious complaining if it were.  Oh well…here I go.  With four of my kiddos in tow!  It will be a great day.  Shopping, laughing, shopping, smashing–well most of it will be fun!

Have a great Friday!

Here’s a little peek!  I am so happy to be finished! There is still time to sign up! Drawing is next Wednesday!

This recipe is from Martha Stewart’s Baking Handbook which I HIGHLY recommend ~ EXCELLENT book!  We have used it so many times - well worth the money. I personally wish she would call them by their proper name: Macaron, not Macaroon.  But what do I know?

Rachel made these last night (another after work wind down baking session).  They are wonderful!  She substituted pecan flour for the almond (I am VERY allergic to almonds) and used the frosting recipe from the Surprise Cookie Recipe for the filling.

Here is the original recipe: French Almond Macaroons and she made the chocolate version: Follow instructions for the French Almond Macaroons, sifting 2 TBSP Dutch Processed Cocoa powder with the confectioner’s sugar.

I am going to repost the previous information about the GoGreen with NotQuiteJuneCleaver Bag Giveaway and add the date of the drawing which is July 30 - a week from today!  How do you enter?  Leave a message on THIS post. Telling me something GREEN and what you plan to do with the bag should you win it! Check back later today for a recipe!

ORIGINAL POST: Continue Reading »

This recipe makes 36 cupcakes and is the best we have made!  Also THANK YOU Jessica for taking pictures of the cupcakes I sent to you!  I couldnt believe we forgot to take some while they were here!

Cupcakes:

• 3-3/4 cups cake flour
• 1/4 cups cocoa
• 1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder or 1/2 teaspoon cream of tarter
• 3/8 teaspoon salt
• 1-1/2 cups buttermilk
• 3 teaspoons vinegar
• 1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1/2 ounce red food coloring paste
• 2-1/4 cups sugar
• 3/4 cups butter
• 3 eggs

Preheat oven to 350°F

Sift flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder (or cream of tarter), and salt into medium bowl.  Whisk buttermilk, vinegar, vanilla, and food coloring in small bowl to blend.    Beat sugar and butter in large bowl until fluffy, 3 minutes or so.  Then add eggs 1 at a time, beating until well blended after each.  Mix in dry ingredients in alternately with buttermilk mixture.
Spoon into lined cupcake pans.  Bake for 20 minutes or until they test done.  Frost with cream cheese icing when completely cooled.

A Wee Bit of Cooking gave an open invitation for all her happy readers to consider themselves tagged.  The challenge is to pick out your favorite 10 food photos from posts past. Some of them may not have been used before but maybe deserve to be seen!  Here are mine:

Now consider yourselves tagged!!!

I was perusing the world wide web this morning, cooling down from my morning workout.  No, you didnt not imagine that I said workout.  This is my 10th day of  my new “program”.   But that is not what this post is about.  I am not going to talk too too much about the “program” for fear of jinxing myself.  Yes, there is to such a thing as a jinx.  Don’t scoff. I am from a lovely Irish/Scotish family and let me tell you jinxes arent the only thing you have to watch out for.  But again, I am veering off track.  To the original thought for this post.  First who doesn’t love a little gossip?  Don’t lie.  You know you do.  Sometimes under the guise of “giving someone a heads up” or “I don’t think this is true but…”.  We all love a little scoop every now and then.  Well here is some gossip that is good for you! ECORAZZI I spent a little too much time looking around but give it a go!

One more little thing.  Look for Planet Green on your TV listings. I have found some very interesting programs on during the day. Yeah even the ones about oil drilling

This is a VERY rich ice cream…small portions people! I suggest you macerate your strawberries with the second portion of honey and Grand Marnier in a jar, shaking to coat and refrigerating until needed.

• 1 1/2 cups half and half
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3 egg yolks
• 2 1/2 TBSP honey
• 8 ounces Mascarpone Cheese

• 1 cup fresh strawberries sliced
• 2 TBSP honey
• 2 TBSP Grand Marnier (optional - not in my opinion but certainly optional)

Heat the half and half, cream and vanilla almost to boiling over medium heat.  Meanwhile blend egg yolks, sugar and first portion of honey till smooth.  Slowly whisk a bit of hot cream mixture into egg yolks to temper and slowly return egg mixture to pan, whisk constantly over medium-low heat until mixture begins to thicken (maybe 5 minutes).  Remove from heat and cool to warm.  Add and blend in mascarpone.  Refrigerate, covered until well chilled.  When well chilled process the cream mixture until it is beginning to thicken, add drained strawberries and continue processing until soft consistency.  Then freeze well.  It may seem a bit soft with the addition of the strawberries but this ice cream freezes hard so don’t fret over that.  Reserve the liquid from the strawberries, refrigerate.  I havent come up with what to do with it yet, but when I do I will let you know.  But it is too delish to pour out! Might be lovely poured over a piece of angel food cake…mmmm.

Now a little chit chat.  We had a BUSY Sunday.  Rachel and I were up and she had my daughter in law’s red velvet cupcakes made by 8 a.m.   By nine we had two kinds of ice cream chilling to be later churned. And while she was getting the cupcakes made I pitted two pounds of cherries.  The red velvet recipe she used was superb!

I will post it another time.  But it just proved once again that cooking is chemistry!  I will try to elaborate on all that when I get the recipe typed up.  Somehow we didnt get pictures of the lovely finished cupcakes.  She and Hannah were trying to get out the door to visit with Jessica and we just let it slip.  And I never thought of it until after Daughter in Law picked them up and the couple we had kept were eaten!  Oh well, next time.

While the girls were gone visiting, I made the ice cream.  We also had a caramel ice cream but neither of us liked how it tasted.  We dont know if we just didnt like the recipe or if maybe we burned the brown sugar just a tiny bit.  You know it only takes a tiny bit.  So we will keep searching for a better/easier caramel ice cream recipe.  Hey, mistakes happen every now and then.

Anyone else looking forward to Autumn?  I know I am.  Cooler temps and the end of hurricane season.  Looks like Dolly is going to churn herself into the Gulf later today.  Forecasters have her headed towards the lower Texas coast…but hey, they have been wrong before.

Makes me a bit uneasy.  I will be watching carefully.  We were so unprepared for the 2005 season.  No one wants a repeat of any of that.

Have a wonderful Monday and if anyone is along the Gulf coast, stay safe!

We have one of those LOVELY Cuisinart Ice Cream machines. I bought us one for Christmas last year.  And here are two recipes I concocted tonight.  I am trying to get some things made ahead for mine and Husband’s little vacation in August.  Homemade ice cream was one of the things he asked for.  I want to make as much a head as I can.  Now to keep the kids out of it till then!

Fresh Peach Buttermilk Ice Cream

• Two fresh ripe peaches peeled and diced tossed with the juice of one lemon
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 cup whipping cream
• 1 small can peach nectar
• 1 tsp vanilla

Combine all but the peaches and stir until sugar is disolved.  Add peaches and freeze as you usually do.  Makes about a quart.

Mint Chocolate Ice Cream

• 3 ounces of unsweetened chocolate melted in 1 cup half and half and cooled
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup whipping cream
• two egg yolks beaten
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups Andes Mints chopped or mint chocolate chips

Heat the milk over a low flame until hot, pour into bowl containing egg yolks and whisk until smooth.  Add sugar and stir till dissolved.  Mix all ingredients but mints until well blended. Add mints or chips and process as you usually do.

I have to recommend getting yourself one of these Cuisinart things!

Crate and Barrel and Cuisinart and Linen and Things all have them for $50 right now…money well spent I tell you!

And find yourself some of these nifty little freezer boxes made by Ball.

I LOVE mine.  The lids are very flexy (yes that is a word) and they are freezer to microwave safe.The quart size is  PERFECT for a batch of ice cream made in the Cuisinart maker.

Tomorrow I think I will try to make Cherry Vanilla (I have some fresh cherries) and Strawberry Mascapone.  We won’t need all of it for the trip but it will be nice to have it on hand.  And our local grocery store had half and half on 5 for $5 this week so I stocked up.  I will post those recipes if I get them done.  We also are making my daughter in law red velvet cupcakes for her birthday and individual chicken pot pies for supper…recipes will be forthcoming.  As well as a few photos!

Yeah, I thought so to.  But I can’t announce the date just yet.  I have this tote started..as in cut out…and I want to have it at least semi finished before I formally announce the dates and how you can win it.  But here is a little picture to whet your appetite.

I picked a lovely blue and natural toile from my endless stack of fabric remnants and a blue and cream floral for the lining.  Lovely huh?  If it is soooo lovely why dont I keep it for myself??? Well because I have between 12 and 973 totes.  I have 10 that I keep in the vehicle now for impromptu grocery shopping.  And more than impromptu,  I couldnt tell you how many times I have gone off and left them so now I unpack them and put them back for next trip.

This is a preview of what the tote will look like.  What I would kinda like to suggest is if you happen to win it and really dont “need” it, then maybe you could re-gift it to someone you would like to see do a little something greener like carry a tote instead of using another disposable grocery bag. Or maybe if you have someone in mind who needs it you might enter on their behalf…and please pass the info along once I get it posted.

I will say I am going to do my best to finish it this next week because Husband comes home the next Thursday and I won’t be doing much crafting for a few days.  So…stay tuned.  I might even get real industrious and throw in some reusable produce bags…how does that sound???