Reading List

I know, I'm a total slacker when it comes to blogging these days. I promise, I am still feeding my family, I'm just not in a bloggy place these days, I guess.

So...I thought I'd provide alternate reading material and link y'all to a bunch of the blogs that I read on a regular basis. Check them out...they are awesome.

http://autism-daddy.blogspot.com/
One of the best blogs out there following the life of a family touched by Autism--and written from the Dad's perspective, which is totally refreshing!

http://www.creatingreallyawesomefreethings.com/
Awesome craft blog with tons of ideas, and almost everything they make is super cheap and feature things you probably have laying around the house or can acquire for almost nothing.

http://non-neurotypical.blogspot.com/
This is an amazing blog written by a young lady who was diagnosed on the spectrum herself. What an amazing point of view she brings to the blogosphere!

http://www.starkravingmadmommy.com/
Not your typical "mommy blog"….ok, so maybe it is, but the author manages to stay wickedly entertaining and keep me interested, so that totally gets my vote. :)

http://www.rantsfrommommyland.com/
Seriously? With a name like "Rants From Mommyland," is there any question why I love this blog? The authors here go to great lengths to "keep it real" and find the humor in daily life with their kids. And they have a self-deprecating tone and know how to laugh at themselves when they pull a total mommy-fail moment…which makes me feel more normal. ;) haha!

http://farfromflawlesslife.blogspot.com/
What can I say about this blog? I've followed her from almost the beginning, and just really love her blog. She jumped into blogging as she went through a divorce and more or less blogged her feelings throughout the process. I admire her strength and courage and her blog always brings a smile to my face as she shines through the trials she faces as her new life emerges from the ashes of her marriage.

http://pleasegivepeasachance.blogspot.com/
I've linked to this blog here and there all over my blog. I love her. Seriously. I met her on an online forum for military wives way back when I first married my husband 10-11 years ago (WOW!!!) and we've been online friends ever since. I love her blog and she is an awesome cook! I find myself making her recipes a couple times a month, and revisiting them over and over again. She makes wonderful spice blends all sorts of other yummy stuff. Oh and did I mention she has giveaways regularly? Yeah, she does. Go check it out. :)

http://happylittlebento.blogspot.com/
I have never packed a "successful" bento…my kids are super fussy eaters, and I normally just pack leftovers for my hubby when I pack his lunch and grab a salad for myself if I'm out of the house at lunchtime….but oh how much I love to swoon over cutesy bento lunches! :)

http://laboranddeliverance.blogspot.com/
Written by a male obstetrician who tends to take a natural attitude toward the birth process. He's snarky, he's funny, he's realistic and he offers a great perspective--one that is not often heard/seen--on the all things birth-related.

http://www.myspecialks.com/
I've followed this blog forever, so a list of blogs I read would not be complete without it. Military family with 5 kids and all the excitement that goes with it. haha! Just a charming blog. :)

http://www.the7msnranch.com/
Executive turned New Mexico rancher….single woman doing what she wants to do and taking care of things herself. I love her. Most of her blog is about her animals, but she has quirky and down to earth insights and I just love her strength and confidence even when taking on new tasks. :)

http://thebitchywaiter.blogspot.com/
Yeah….I read his blog. He's kind of my guilty pleasure, actually. I laugh, I get irritated at stupid people with him, and I just overall love his attitude, honestly. His Facebook page rocks, too. :)

http://thepeanutblogs.blogspot.com/
"Peanuts" being an old nickname for the volunteer crowd in the help forums at Craigslist--aka "The peanut gallery." This blog features the weirdest, coolest, dumbest, and most interesting posts that they come across on craigslist (warning, sometimes they are offensive).

http://theblessingofverity.com/
I just have no words for this blog, honestly. It's written by a mom who, after adopting a very tiny malnourished and neglected child from a country in Eastern Europe (Bulgaria, I think), has made it her mission to help as many of the children from the same orphanage/institution that her daughter came from. Her family is currently in the process of adopting a son from the same orphanage.

http://www.theredneckmommy.com/
Yeah, I just love Tanis the Redneck Mommy. What can I say? She's quirky and unique and not afraid to be herself. She's been through a lot in her life and she continues to inspire and entertain her audience. :)

http://pintester.com/
(warning: language) I love this….She takes ideas from Pinterest and does them in her own uniquely "real" way and shows us all how they come out….usually hilariously awful.

http://pinstrosity.blogspot.com/
Same thing…not quite as entertaining IMO, though. :)

http://www.patiodaddiobbq.com/
Written by a competitive BBQ'er (BBQ'er? Yeah, I made up that word…y'all know what I mean). Awesome recipes, awesome advice. Just all around awesome.

http://www.bakerella.com/
Bakerella, creator of cake balls and cake pops…need I say more? <3<3<3<3

Cheesecake Bark

Ya know the best thing about barks? They take like no time, and almost no ingredients, but everyone always goes nuts for them, so they make awesome gifts. This one is stupid simple because I made it with leftover cookie ingredients (haha), but like all barks, you can dress it up however you want, really.

This one is super simple as I just did a white layer, but you could TOTALLY do a chocolate layer if that floats your boat, too.

What you need:

1 bag white chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped toasted nuts (whatever you have...I had some walnuts and almonds, so I used those)
1/2 cup broken graham crackers (not crumbs, but little broken pieces...Golden Grahams would be good, too...)
2-3 TBSP Cheesecake flavored dry instant pudding mix
1-2 TBSP oil

That's it, really. You can add whatever filling you want, but try to limit it to about a cup per bag of chocolate chips--and that will be a *LOT* of stuff, so if you like less stuff and more candy, then use maybe half a cup total.

Toast the nuts, melt the chocolate, yadda yadda. Mix the chocolate with a bit of oil to make it smooth, and then mix in the pudding mix. You're best bet is to mix in the "stuff" in the bowl and then spread the whole thing out on a parchment-lined cookie sheet as thin as you can get it (use a second piece of parchment on top and smoosh it around with your hands). Let cool until hard--about 10-20 minutes in the freezer if you're in a hurry.

Variation: Want a second layer? I would melt a bag of milk or dark chocolate chips and mix the nuts in with that and then spread it out, and then put the graham crackers in the white layer with the pudding mix and immediately spread that out on top of the dark chocolate layer.

Drunken Carrots

With Apple Juice

So, here's the thing: I really really REALLY hate cooked carrots. Like, I pick them out of canned soup, hate them. There is only one way I have ever truly liked them--and that is smothered in butter and nutmeg and cinnamon like my grandmother used to make them....and I've never been able to duplicate them. So yeah, I don't like cooked carrots....But these are absolutely DIVINE. Like, I made 2 full pounds of them for 2 people and there are no leftovers for tomorrow's lunch. LOL!


So...what you need:

2 pounds of baby carrots
1/2 cup (thawed) frozen orange juice concentrate
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/8 cup rum--whatever, really, I used Bicardi Gold because I'm not a rum drinker and it was super cheap. LOL!

That's it, really. You could totally garnish with some fresh rosemary at the end, but really, no need.

Roast your carrots in a single layer on a baking tray at 400-425* for about 20 minutes, turning half way through. While your carrots are in the oven, mix together the orange juice, sugar and rum in a big bowl. Pull the carrots out and toss them with the other ingredients in the bowl to coat, and then put them back on the tray and back into the oven, tossing around to coat again every 5 minutes until the sauce is gooey and not runny.

And just to show you how good these carrots were....I saved some in the bowl to plate and snap a photo of after we ate....and my husband ate them....straight out of the bowl. *sigh*

Don't believe me?

You'll just have to trust me that they are awesome, and they look as amazing as they taste. Make them.



*****Variation******

Tonight I made these carrots again, but substituted apple juice concentrate, and added a quarter teaspoon of cinnamon. Again, pure bliss. I added a photo of the finished carrots from tonight's dinner. :)

My Absolute Least Favorite Thing to Do in the Kitchen....

....next to dishes, anyway....

#firstworldproblems

I *LOATHE* sorting and packaging meat to freeze!!! Hate it hate it hate it!!!! I hate it enough that I snapped this pic and called for volunteers on Facebook today....and then proceeded to tear apart my refrigerator's freezer and scrub it all down first. Wouldn't ya know the pile was still there waiting for me when I finished? *sigh*


What is your least favorite kitchen chore?

So, I haven't been blogging...

....but I have a good excuse! Well, ok, not really. It's summertime, and our meals aren't all that complicated or spectacularly worthy of sharing these days. A lot of salads, grilled meat, fruit, etc. And when I do actually make something more substantial, I forget to take photos, or my process is a lot like this:

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Hmmm....I'm hungry....but I need to go shopping. Ugh. Ummmm...Ohhh!! Let's make some of Mom's drop biscuits! Yes, that's it!

*scoops some flour into a bowl.

*pours some sugar on top

*adds a good spoonful of baking powder

*adds a heavy pinch of salt

*scoops in some Country Crock (yes, I use this crap. Sue me.)

*mix*mix*mix*mix*mix*mix*

At this point, I remember I have blueberries in the freezer from before our vacation because I found them on a killer sale three days before we left and never used them...(lol)...and in a fit of brilliance, decide to add blueberries and some vanilla.

*pour a good splash of the vanilla extract into the coffee mug of milk waiting to go into the batter and add it to the batter.

*mix*mix*mix*mix*mix*mix*

Hrm....a little on the thin side, crap.

*adds more flour

Still thin. ugh.

*adds more flour

Ugh now it's too thick. Hrm. OHHHHH Yes, I have lemons in the fridge for my water and iced tea. Yes. I will sacrifice one to the baking gods.

*zests a lemon and adds it to the batter

*cuts lemon in half and squeezes the juice into the batter.

Awesome!

*stirs in blueberries

I suppose these are no longer drop biscuits...they're really more like scones at this point. Oh well. We'll just call them Lemon Blueberry Scones and all will be ok. Except...there's no way I'm taking the effort to roll them out and cut them into pretty triangles. In the spirit of the drop-biscuits they were originally supposed to be...I shall just scoop and drop them into the pan.

-----------------------------

So yes...this is how my cooking processes have been lately. Not exactly blog-worthy, and even if I wanted to blog it, I couldn't, really, because I didn't measure anything OR take photos, or even use a recipe I could share. LMAO!

I do so very hope that everyone has been having a great summer, though!!! :) I will resume cooking again after school starts up in a few weeks, I'm sure. :)

Beer Battered Fish

In a word, YUM!


Very very simple--you can use any kind of fish you like. I had some swai the night I did this, but you can use tilapia, catfish, cod, trout, red snapper...anything you like.

I didn't take any photos until the end because it was an afterthought since this is really that simple.

Start by filling a heavy-bottomed pot with about 2 inches of frying oil--vegetable oil is fine, peanut oil works well, too. Heat this to about 375-400. While your oil is heating up, put a little more than a cup of flour on a plate, and a little more than a cup of flour into a vessel that'll hold liquid. Season it with salt, pepper, and Old Bay. To one, add a whole 12 ounce beer and whisk it together. Prepare your fish--pat it dry, slice it into pieces that'll suit your purpose--making fish and chips? Slice it into strips. Making sandwiches? Sandwich sized portions. :)

When your oil is hot, take the fish, dredge lightly in the flour, then dunk it into the beer batter, and then back into the flour for a good coating before slipping it into the oil. (Do not overcrowd your pan--it will lead to greasy fish! Blech.) Cook for a few minutes on each side until it is perfectly golden brown, pull it out and drain it on a tea towel or paper towels or newspaper or a paper bag or or or, well, whatever. Serve. :)

This was my husband's sandwich....I may or may not have eaten mine while I was cooking....

Yet Another Tip

I slack, I know.


I have a few quick recipes to put up, but in the meantime, here's another tip....

I've always shredded cheese on top of a paper towel or directly onto my counter top or into a bowl or onto a plate, etc. But then I discovered pan lining paper....and this stuff is awesome. It doesn't tear under my box grater like foil or plastic wrap....and you can wrap up and store the leftovers right in the sheet you shredded the cheese onto, and there's literally *NO* mess to clean up. :) I cannot express enough love for pan lining paper. :)