Lamb Stew!

Living Alone Lesson 1: How to de-clog the sink.

The sister is out and about enjoying pineapple, coconuts, and volcanoes. She is celebrating her birthday, her recent addition of PhD after her name, and many years with her hubby. In the meantime, I am throwing raging parties every night. The house will be clean before she gets back.

It's been nice to make a mess when I cook and not have to worry about it. Or leave my clothes all over the house. In fact, I think I have been doing it these past few days just because I can! I will admit, I did pick up and play housewife today. The counter-tops are shining and I can see the carpet in my room!

Garbage disposals are great. Don't have to worry about scraping out the crumbs or peels from the sink. Just push the little button. However, today we had a little spit up. Usually when this happens, I just stand there and look cute while Jeanie plugs the mess away. Doesn't seem too complicated and, to be honest, I have plenty of toilet plunging experiences from the good ol college days (o how I miss the roomies!) With no Jeanie to do the work for me, I was left to use my own skills...

Lamb Stew
1/2 medium onion
3 stalks celery
3 carrots
2 potatoes
6 stalks of parsley, stems removed, tops chopped
about 3/4 lb lamb meat
1 bottle dark beer
1 can Hunts tomato sauce (you can use fresh or diced tomatoes as well)
rosemary
thyme
pepper
olive oil

Peel, rinse and chop all the veggies and add to crock pot. Remove the stems from the parsley, chop the tops and add to the pot. Carefully trim the lamb meat, cut into chunks and add in. Pour in the beer and tomato sauce. Add a splash of olive oils and seasonings to taste. You can always add more later! Set the crock pot on high for 4 hours and enjoy!

my stew with some fresh French Baguette!

We all know how capable I am...so after plunging for 20 minutes, I called papa bear for some guidance. I learned how to create more pressure by using the stopper for one side of the sink and plunging on the other. I heard WOOOOOSH and magically the water drained! Thank God for cell phones, the engineers in my life, and my amazing ability to follow directions.

I am not sure if it was the potato peels or carrots, but needless to say, next time I might just throw the peels in the garbage. (My personal plumber highly recommended that) I know I should probably be eco-friendly and compost, but I don't want raccoons. I do not think I am ready to deal with them. At least not yet.

I know some people that are always happy, optimistic and smiling. Definitely have some close pals that are not so cheery all the time. I'd like to think I am somewhere in between the two extremes. Most of the time.

It's still a work in progress, but I am slowly learning that you cannot change others' attitudes or behaviors. No matter how much you love spending time with someone, they will start to get on your nerves. Some smart woman once told me, "Relationships are about compromise." Not just between couples, but among friends, family members and complete strangers.

This past week was action packed. Jeanie's defense, birthday, St. Patty's Day, parents visiting, sister's in-laws, and the month I have been waiting for! I had plenty to do and prepare for to keep semi-busy, but also found my mind constantly racing. I tried my best to please everyone and do the in-between thing. But I feel like maybe I would have been better off if I was just myself and didn't try so hard.

I was super excited to make an awesome cake for my sister's defense celebration/St. Patty's Day/birthday partay. Not going to lie, I started thinking about it a few months ago. She is not a fan of baked goods/sweets, but when I saw her two favorite ingredients combined in one cake, I figured it had to work...

Chocolate Avocado Cake

from Joy the Baker

3 cups flour

6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons baking soda

2 cups sugar

1/4 cup canola oil

1/2 cup soft avocado (1 medium avocado)

2 cups water

2 Tablespoons white vinegar

2 teaspoons vanilla

preheat oven to 350. sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and soda. 

mash the ripe avocado in a separate bowl. stir in oil, water, vinegar and vanilla. add in the sugar. 

mix wet ingredients with dry until incorporated. add batter to two greased, round cake pans.
bake for 30-40 minutes until cooked all the way through. let the cake completely cool on wire racks.

Avocado Frosting

2 ripe avocados (brown parts removed)

2 teaspoons lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

3 cups powdered sugar  

using super ripe avocados, whisk together with lemon juice and vanilla until it becomes smooth. slowly add in powdered sugar.

*the color of the frosting will lighten as you add more sugar. my frosting was Shrek-green because I did not want a super sweet cake*

I had to remind Jeanie how old she is!

The cake was super moist and tasty! Vegans know how to bake too I guess! I think if I make it again, I would try to enhance the avocado flavor, or use a white cake since chocolate isn't my thing. But it was a fun experiment and definitely a unique cake!

Now that things have settled a bit, it is more clear that you can really only impact yourself. I am the only one that can control my mood, how crabby pants I want to be or the way I treat others. The people around me may enhance my mood or make me want to run away, but at the end of the day, it is my life and my choice.

Carrot Cake

Online shopping is so easy and convenient. You can compare lots of prices and products without traveling to millions of stores. No waiting in line or dealing with crazy crowds. Once you make up your mind, you just click and it's shipped right to your doorstep! Or so I thought...

Lately I have been having some issues. I ordered my mom and sis the same Vday gift (I know I am cool). Mom gets hers in three days. Perfect! Jeanie's never comes. At all. Long story short, company says something stupid about it being a seasonal item and not having anymore so they can't replace it. So no Vday gift for the sis. Fail!

Ordered some weight lifting gloves a few months ago. A week after I ordered them, I get an email with some stupid response about how the company cannot fill my order. Two months later, I decide to re-order from a different company. They came in late last week. Semi-fail!

Now I am getting smarter after all these fails. SO I order my friend Michelle's birthday gift two weeks before she is leaving for her hot getaway to Vegas. For sure in two weeks it will be here, right? I track it every day online. Feb 16 it is in Raleigh. Feb 17 USPS says it is delivered in Durham. Feb 19 it is in Indianapolis. hmmmmmmm? I politely tell the company that I have been tracking this thing and I need it here. They respond and say yea they guarantee delivery by the 24th so if it is not there by then to let them know. Sure enough, just like I predicted, no package on Feb 24. Enraged, I email them, not so politely this time, and say that not only should they have done something about it last week when I emailed, but now I won't have the gift for my friend's birthday party.

I guess the birthday cake I built her was better than nothing...

Carrot Cake
fresh squeezed orange juice from 2 medium oranges (about 1 cup)
1/2 cup oil
4 eggs
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 cup sugar
2 cups grated carrots (about 4 medium sized carrots)
1 cup chopped walnuts

preheat oven to 350. beat together juice, oil, and eggs. mix dry ingredients together. add in the wet ingredients. fold in carrots and nuts. pour into cake pan and bake for 30 minutes.

Frosting
8 oz Neufchâtel cheese, room temp
1 tablespoon milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup powdered sugar

while the cake is cooling, whip ingredients with hand or stand mixer. make sure the cheese is warm before starting. i recommend taking it out of the fridge about 30 minutes before starting to make the cake. when the cake is completely cooled, frost the cake! I added some grated carrots on top!

happy birthday Michelle!!

It's usually the little things in life that make a big difference. Packages that don't arrive on time make me incredibly angry. A simple "thank you" makes me feel warm and fuzzy. People that use the wrong door and walk on the wrong side of the sidewalk drive me nuts! Little notes and cards mean the world to me. Seeing someone smile from ear to ear while cutting into her birthday cake is priceless! 

A smart ass man once told me, "seems like things never go quite as you plan." It ended up being a fantastic birthday party, even without the gift I ordered and I knew we would celebrate after the trip! Tonight we had din din plans tonight to catch up, celebrate birthmonths/days and hear about the hot Vegas trip. That did not go quite as planned either. But the girly, heart to heart chat was way better! Gift was exchanged. Dessert was still consumed. And necessary chatting was completed! :)

Peanut Butter Banana Pancakes!

Happy Birthmonth to my dearest sis and awesome pal Michelle!! WOOT WOOT. So happy that it is finally March. Big things coming up this spring: lots of celebrating, decision making, and fun times ahead!!


I knew it was going to be an awesome day when I found out it's National Pancake Day today!! Sorry IHOP. Not a fan. The fake butter, maple syrup triple stack doesn't cut it for me. So all day I dreamed of eating pancakes for dinner. And celebrating with my bestest roommate ever!


The only thing better than breakfast for din din, is pancakes for din din. Peanut butter pancakes to say the least. 


Peanut Butter Banana Pancakes
adapted from Baking Serendipity (the pancake queen)


1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 1/4 cups milk
1 egg
1/4 cup peanut butter
1 ripe banana
10 mini Reese peanut butter cups, quartered


melt the peanut butter in the microwave for 30 seconds. stir in mashed banana, egg and milk. 
combine flour, cinnamon and baking powder together in separate bowl. add to wet ingredients. 
fold in the peanut butter cups. 
spoon batter onto a hot griddle, or oiled pan. cook until the pancakes start to bubble (5 min). flip and cook until golden brown. 

I thought I would be a bit healthier and add chopped banana on top. I know. Me eating banana....It's ok as long as there is PB with it. And I plug my nose!

These pancakes rock. Happy March!!

Cappuccino Biscotti

When you can't run, bake. Sounds pretty legit to me.

It's a co-workers bday tomorrow and I wanted to make him something tasty. He's not a big sweets fan. SO... my usual make a big bday cake, take it to work to let people ooo and ahhh over it plan kinda went out the window. Then I was thinking maybe cookies. Or muffins. Or a loaf of bread?

Finally, it hit me! He LOVES coffee. And what goes better with coffee than Biscotti? I'm not going to lie, I've never made the fancy treat before. It's 9:30 at night and the only secret family recipe I have is almond biscotti. So there I had it.

As I was running out the door (ok, hurrying not running) because I only had two eggs in the fridge, I suddenly remembered: nuts = a NO-GO. He's allergic. That pretty much wipes out 99.9999999999999% of the things I make. I found this new gem of a recipe that combines coffee and biscotti. Sounds like it could be a winner winner!

Cappuccino Biscotti
from Joy of Baking

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated white sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1/4 cup espresso or strong coffee
1 tablespoon milk
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extra
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

*original recipe calls for 3/4 cup hazelnuts, but I obviously did not add them*

preheat oven to 350. whisk together the COOLED coffee, egg, milk and vanilla in small bowl.
mix flour, sugar, soda, powder, cinnamon and cloves. add the wet ingredients until incorporated. add chocolate chips.
with flour on your hands, divide the batter into two. using extra flour, roll the half into a log (about 10 inches long by 2 inches wide). bake for 25-30 minutes at 350.

let the logs cool for about 10 minutes on a wire rack. cut the logs into pieces and place back into the oven at 300 for another 15 minutes until golden brown.

They are a bit sweet for my liking and I would def add some nuts for an extra crunch if I make them again! I hope the birthday boy enjoys them!!

Brownies!

Happy Feb 16th! SURVIVOR PREMIERE NIGHT!!!

I am not completely against celebrating Vday. Buying over-priced flowers that will die the next day and dealing with the 8913789 other lovebirds that flock to restaurants for a fixed menu does seem a bit outrageous to me though. I am not really a fan of chocolate either. I'll take shoes.

This Valentine's Day I did share a special bonding moment cleaning the house from floor to ceiling. It needed a major face lift and many toxic chemicals were involved in the process. Bleach works magic! I did get to enjoy awesome salmon cakes, edamame, a salad and some rosemary pasta. And even managed to catch a few precious minutes of the drama-filled Bachelor...quite a glorious day I will admit!

With that being said, I am still waiting on a company to mail the Vday gift that I ordered (back in Jan). So I have decided that I will just "celebrate" whenever I feel like it. I needed a little help to get through this hump day and to make the bestest show ever a little more exciting! What better way than to bake. Bake brownies that is!

Brownies

from a box

1 box o greatest

2 eggs

1/2 cup oil

1/4 cup water

walnuts

caramel bits!

I know. I cheated and used a box. But Dukie was playing ball. And Jeff Probst was airing. I was rushed...

I did get a bit creative and used some extra fixings and a cute pan! Brownie points? Dukie dominated. Survivor was great. Milk + gooey brownie = awesome hump day on my clean, germ-free couch!! Looking forward to a warm weekend!!

Chili and Corn Bread!

Comfort food. Does it really comfort you?

Some dishes, and even drinks, make me think of certain people. It usually brings back lots of good, fun memories of times together.

I have been craving chili all week. It could be cause it's Super Bowl weekend. Or it could be because I needed a minor trek down memory lane...

I miss hanging out with one of my good pals and the long chats we had together. We would stroll to the dining center for bunch after a wild night out. I would eat cereal by the bowl full. He would dominate the chili. And corn bread. I think it helped us recall the night's happenings...

I remember multiple tailgates when warm chili in my belly made me so much happier! My favorite memory probably has to be the VT Duke football game last fall. My cousin, sister and I had a super fun time "taste tasting" the chili at 3 am the morning of the game! Hey, we did discovered a new love for chili with corn chips! And only needed two hours of sleep...

Chili
1 1/2 onions (or one really large one) chopped
1 pepper, chopped
1 lb lean ground beef
2 cans dark kidney beans, rinsed
2 cans light kidney beans, rinsed
2 cans diced tomatoes (can use one can of fire roasted)
1 can tomato sauce
1 jalapeño, diced
chili powder
pepper
Frank's hot sauce
cheddar cheese
corn chips

sauté the onions and peppers on medium heat with some olive oil. add in the ground beef and let it brown. you might need to drain the excess liquid that comes off as it cooks. lightly season the meat while it is cooking. 

drain and wash the beans in a colander. add them to the crock pot and combine the meat on top of the beans.

pour the diced tomatoes and sauce on top of the beans and meat. add the jalapeño, spices and hot sauce. gently mix it together.

let it simmer on low heat for 5-6 hours. mixing every few hours.

beef n bean chili!!

Corn Bread with Chiles
from mama!

1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup flour
3/4 cup corn meal
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 cup shredder cheddar cheese
1 egg
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup oil
1 can corn, drained
1 can green Chiles, drained

preheat oven to 400. mix together dry ingredients and cheese in bowl.
beat together egg, milk and oil in separate bowl.
add wet ingredients to dry. do not over-mix. add in the corn and green Chiles.
put in muffin tins, or bread loaf pan.
bake for 20 minutes until golden brown on top!

I heart football. Lots. And am pumped for the big showdown this weekend. Rodgers was on my fantasy team so part of me feels like I need to cheer him on. Having some roots in PA, cheering for the Steelers seems appropriate. Honestly, I don't really care who wins. I just want to be entertained. Whether it's MillionDollar HairBoy picking everything off or Concussion Man airing out 1298371982 yard passes to Jennings, I'll take it.

The commercials never fail. And the Black Eyed Peas always make me wanna dance! I am looking forward to a good time with more friends, good eats and sports! Chili goes great at any get together, inside or out.