Hey there Internet.
This past week I have struggled.
It has been just an absolutely awful week.
But I am thankful.
I am thankful…
♥ That GOD is in control
♥ For family and friends who listen and care
♥ Tears that cleanse the soul
Month: October 2010
October 29
Hey there Internet.
It is FFwD day.
Today’s recipe is Marie-Hélèn’s Apple Cake.
But I didn’t make it.
Seriously! I still have apple pie from Tuesday.
And the apples…there are so many apples…I’m going nuts with the apples.
October 28
October 27
This is what happens when you spend a weekend away. You come home and crash.
October 26
Hey there Internet.
Today is Tuesday, and I made a pie.
The girl helped me with the filling.
I had her use brown sugar instead of white.
I cut out little apples for the top crust.
But the crust was so fragile that it pulled apart, and the fluted edges just kind of melted off the pie plate.
I sure hope it tastes better than it looks.
I’ll find out tonight when we try it.
If you’d like to make an All-American All-Delicious Apple Pie, go check out Emily’s blog. She has the recipe.
October 25
It is Friday Monday Internet and I am nosy.
- What was the last thing you baked?
- What was the last thing you tried on?
- What was the last thing you purchased on credit?
- What was the last thing you put a postage stamp on?
- What was the last thing you took a photo of?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1. The last thing I baked was a frozen pizza
2. The last thing I tried on was a hoodie…it was way to big.
3. The last thing I purchased on credit was the way-to-big hoodie
4. A bill was the last thing I put a stamp on
5. The last photo I took was ~~looking in my camera~~a picture of one of the girls friends scooping out ice cream.
How about you?
October 24
Today I am thankful for…
♥ The self cleaning feature on my oven.
♥ That Superman is willing to put lotion on my back
♥ For the Chips
October 22
Bonjour Internet. Il est le vendredi. (Hi Internet. It is Friday)
It is also FFwD, and Pothole had all the stuff to make today’s recipe.
Yay me!
Hachis Parmentier.
It is pronounced HA she – PAR men TEE ay.
Roughly translated Shepherds Pie.
Basically you chop a pot roast up, boil it with some veggies and herbs.
Strain the broth, chop the meat.
Fry some sausage.
Make some mashed potatoes.
Mix the meats with some other good stuff.
Top with mashed potatoes.
Sprinkle with Gruyere (French Swiss) cheese…which I didn’t have, doggoneit…then some Parmesan cheese.
Bake.
Oh…Internet. This is soooooooooooo good.
No veggies, just meat and potatoes.
Total comfort food.
I’ll be making this again. It is just so quick to make, and if you don’t have a roast to boil, you can just fry some burger with your sausage and use it instead.
If you’d like the recipe, go check out our FFwD blog
October 21
Do you remember August 2008?
Neither do I.
Fortunately I do have photographs, and that helps the failing memory.
If you don’t remember the summer of 2008, the house across the street got a face lift.
Since then nothing has happened.
The neighborhood thought that the house would remain empty, but this past week the owner began to work on it again.
Maybe now the lawn will get mowed regularly next summer.
October 20
Last week one of the girls friends came over.
They thought that they’d do some home work together.
Please don’t let this picture fool you.
1. Even though Chemistry books are open and pencil is in hand, talking about Chloe, school and other things does not constitute as Chemistry.
2. No one smiles when they have to do home work.
October 19
The Mother likes to share the story of when I was very little I didn’t like Thanksgiving.
She says that I would say “I don’t like Thanksgiving, there is just. to. much. food!”
Oh…little CC…you were just so naive.
And obviously, I have done a complete 180.
One Thanksgiving food that I just never cared for was pumpkin pie.
To me pumpkin pie is bland.
Vanilla
Nothing like a pecan pie, peanut butter pie, or mom’s apple pie.
Then there is the whole texture issue…
I almost didn’t make today’s Caramel Pumpkin Pie that Janelle of Mortensen Family Memoirs chose for use to make for today’s TWD.
But my friend C loves PP, so I halved the recipe and am giving it to her.
I hope she likes it.
October 18
It is Monday Internet.
Another week to do something great.
Superman’s air quote vacation air quote has officially ended.
Over this weekend, he cleaned the carpets, and I rearranged a few pieces of furniture.
Unfortunately, one of my antique’s wheels has put rust stains on my creamish carpet.
Anyone have any idea how to get it out???
Now on to my nosy question.
Do you still have your senior yearbook?
Do you know where it is?
Do you like your senior picture?
I didn’t get a senior year book. I do have my 7th and 8th grade year book, and it is on my book shelf where from time to time, Superman pulls it out just to get a laugh.
October 17
Hi there Internet!
How ya doin’ today?
Today I am thankful.
I’m thankful for…
♥ Freshly cleaned carpets
♥ Delightfully fresh and crisp Autumn air and the colors of the leaves
♥ Time spent with my parents
♥ God’s provision
What are you thankful for?
OH….and this is for my Aunt Sandy.
October 15
Hello there Internet.
It is Friday, which means it is time for FFwD.
Today’s recipe is Spicy Vietnamese Chicken Noodle Soup
Now I live in Pothole, Ohio.
Population 10,000.
Which means I don’t have many grocery stores to choose from, and the ones that I do have to choose from have your basic essentials, with some “exotic” choices thrown in…like Ghiradelli chocolate or basmatti rice.
Star Anise~~gag a maggot! I can not stand licorice
Dried red chillies~~not on your life
Coconut milk~~check
Chinese egg noodles~~couldn’t find it to save my life. Substituting rice
Asian Fish sauce~~not even on the radar. Substituting soy sauce
Chicken~~yep
So my recipe would be more like “nowhere near Spicy kinda sorta Oriental Chicken Rice Soup”….if I had actually made it.
I had every intention to do so. I purchased all the things I could from the local Stuffmart and was ready.
Then a couple of the girl’s friends showed up after school and commandeered the kitchen.
For 3 hours.
By the time the kids left, it was 6:30 and I wasn’t about to cook anything!
We ate leftovers instead.
October14
Superman has spent the last 3 weeks at home on air quote vacation air quote.
He has spent a good portion of his air quote vacation air quote sleeping in, but I have had a nice long ‘honey do’ list for him.
Yesterday found him putting plastic on the side of our sun porch so that when the winter weather comes, the plastic will keep it out.
Today will find him steam cleaning our carpets.
Anyone have anything they need done?
I can just add it to the list.
October 13
My cat Grace has begun to take on a proprietorial air.
For the last couple of months, she meets me on my bed after I get out of the shower and demands that I pet her.
Before I can even get dressed.
If I don’t, she will paw at me till I do.
When I lay on my bed to read a book, she will lay on my hands, wallow on the top of the pages, and generally make a nuisance of herself till I pet her., talk to her, or in some way acknowledge her presence.
When I laid out the quilt on the floor, to pin the bottom to the top, she sat on it so I couldn’t move it.
We ended up having to lock the poor girl up so that I could finish.
When I tied off the quilt, she thought that I had the string out just for her.
At least she keeps my feet warm.
October 12
I will never forget the first street fair that I ever went to.
The parents purchased me a caramel apple, because I think I begged.
I am not above begging for caramel.
I ate the caramel and the peeling off the apple, and then it was all….healthy apple on a stick, and who wants to eat that after they just had this fabulous layer of caramel?
Certainly not me.
Ever since that delightful fall day, I have been totally enthralled with all things caramel.
The only thing that can make caramel better is if it is covered in chocolate.
When I saw today’s TWD recipe Fold-Over Pear Torte, I knew I wasn’t going to use pears but apples.
Pears are rather gritty and I have texture issues.
We were supposed to add dried apricots and raisins to the pears.
I really don’t do dried fruit.
So I substituted caramel bits, because nothing goes better with apples than caramel.
Dorie tells us to put the spring form pan on a parchment-ed cookie sheet, but I was all…’she has suggest this before and I have never needed it before, and I just don’t want to waste a sheet of parchment’.
Dorie, I am sorry I doubted you.
I don’t know how, but my custard oozed.
Out the bottom.
It must have been allergic to apple.
If you’d like the recipe to this delightfully fall torte, go check out Cakelaw’s blog Laws of the Kitchen.
This is what’s for dessert tonight, so I haven’t cut into it yet…
Okay…half an hour later I just couldn’t resist.
It is out of this world fabulous.
The caramelly custard…warmed ever so slightly…mmmmmmmm
October 11
Happy Monday, Internet.
I hope that y’all had a great weekend.
I sure did.
I am nosy today…well…I’m nosy every day….
I want to know what you had for breakfast yesterday.
I had a bowl of cereal before rushing out the door for church.
October 10
Today I am thankful for…
♥ A freshly mowed lawn
♥ Ham and beans around a campfire
♥ A clean, non-smelly dog
♥ Being woken up by a sweet girl holding a mug of hot chocolate
October 8
It is Friday, Internet, and it is time for FFwD.
French Fridays with Dorie.
Today’s recipe is Gerard’s Mustard Tart.
I am a huge fan of tarts.
Gerard might be great too, but mustard?
Blech!
Oh…I’ll eat a small squirt on my burger.
A very small squirt.
I’ll put small squirts in my egg, potato, tuna, pasta and ham salads, but beyond that…
Fugetaboutit!
So! No Mustard tart.
Sorry Dorie.
Chocolatechic 