Chocolate Chip Blondies

This is the other recipe from a cookbook that I am donating.  It doesn't make sense to me to keep this cookbook for just two recipes.  I think the majority of the time I want to make something, I look up recipes online.  I think it's fun to peruse them online because I can add or subtract what ingredients I want to use when I make my final product.  It makes cooking and baking an adventure for me.  Oh and everyone else, since they never know what their taste buds are in for when they bite into one of my creations.

This recipe is straight from the cookbook.  If you are looking for a vegan version of the Chocolate Chip Blondies, click here.  The vegan version of the recipe uses chick peas and agave syrup.  A great way to sneak in a protein into your sweets.  And, they can be considered healthy, too.

Anyway, here's the recipe that I promised:

Chocolate Chip Blondies

ingredients:
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup butter, melted
2 eggs, beaten
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup chocolate chips

directions:
In large bowl, combine brown sugar, butter eggs and vanilla until blended.

In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt.  Add to brown sugar mixture.  Stir in chocolate chips.

Spread into greased 13x9x2 baking dish.

Bake at 350 for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Cool on a wire rack.

 * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

I usually use half the amount of brown sugar and it still tastes sweet.

Sorry for posting two recipes in a row.  Look at the bright side!  I get to donate this cookbook now!  You saved my kids from having to do it.  

Enjoy!

Fettuccine Alfredo

I will be having several posts like this, just so I can list my recipe on my blog.  I have been slowly going through stuff and trying to get rid of what I don't want to keep forever.  I don't want to lose this recipe and I don't want to keep a cookbook for just one or two recipes, so, I thought I would add it here so I can find it in a hurry.  Also, what I don't want my kids to inherit.  A nightmare.

I make it sound like my whole house is full of stuff.  It isn't.  And, I'm just trying to keep it that way.  I like to say that it's a work in progress.

I have this cookbook that I only look at for a couple of recipes.  I have embellished this recipe for Fettuccine Alfredo.  I add garlic, broccoli and sometimes chicken.  We don't use milk like the recipe calls for.  Instead, I substitute plain almond milk and it all turns out delicious.

Here's the recipe:

Fettuccine Alfredo

ingredients:

12oz fettuccine
1 cup chopped fresh broccoli
3 TBSP butter
1 TBSP flour
2/3 cup milk
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
3-5 cloves garlic, minced

directions:
Cook fettuccine according to directions.  Once cooked, drain and set aside.

In saucepan cook broccoli in small amount of water until crispy tender.  Drain and set aside.

In saucepan, melt butter.  Stir in flour until smooth.  Gradually add milk, whisking until blended.  Add garlic.  Bring to a boil, and stir until thickened.  Remove from heat and add parmesan, and broccoli.  Pour mixture over fettuccine and serve.


* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

I usually triple this recipe and it disappears in less than 12 hours.

Feel free to add more garlic (I usually do)

Feel free to cook the broccoli with the pasta.  I drop it in after I have put the pasta in the pot.  Saves time and also it's one less pot to clean.

Again, plain, unsweetened almond milk works as a substitute for milk.

For the meat eaters, I add some cooked chicken.

Enjoy!

My Weird Dog

I was out walking yesterday (without the dog) and saw a sign on a neighbor's fence.  The sign read, "Beware of Security Dog."

At one point in time, we thought about putting up a "Beware of Dog" sign on our fence.  Pippen tends to go a "little" crazy (that's an understatement) when other dogs walk by our house.  For some reason we decided against it.  I mean, I'm sure they could figure that out by watching him run back and forth, barking and trying to bite dogs through the fence.

If we were to put up a sign today, what would it say?

"Beware of our My weird dog"

"Beware of our  my  psycho  crazy dog"

"Beware of Houdini, the escape artist"

Yea.  I think we will just let people figure it out on their own.

Driving Around Town in My Car and Drinking Tea

I don't know how many of you have heard of the show, "Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee."  Jerry Seinfeld is the host of the show.  He drives a cool, antique car and picks up his guest, usually another comedian, and they go for coffee.  Thus the name of the show, "Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee."  You can find the show on Netflix.  You could also search for it on YouTube.

I've watched quite a few episodes.  Some of the episodes are rather amusing and some are just OK.

One day, while driving around town running some errands, Bella said, "Welcome to Mom and Bella, driving around town and drinking tea."

Apparently, we have a camera crew in the back seat.  They even follow us when we get out of the car.  Sometimes we have to wait for them (they can be quite slow).  And, then there are the times we have to stop and show the camera what we are talking about.  You will have to see the trailer.  I'm sure the show will be out on Netflix really soon.

I have to admit, it makes running errands a lot more enjoyable.  It also beats having to run errands with a crabby teenager!

80's Music

Every decade has a distinct musical sound.

You have the introduction to rock in the '50's.

Rock and mystical along with the British invasions in the 60's.

Disco and rock in the 70's.

Pop, rap, dance, new wave, punk, heavy metal and, of course, rock in the 80's.

Alternative rock and grunge in the 90's.

I enjoy listening to all types of music but am most familiar with music from the 80's.  Probably because I was in high school during this time.  I even created an 80's music playlist on Spotify.  An odd combination of rock, rap, pop, dance, new wave and punk all rolled up into one nice bundle.  I listen to this list once in awhile...usually on one of my long walks.

Bella came home from dance class the other day singing a song.  As I listened, I realized that she was singing an 80's song.

Never gonna give you up
Never gonna let you down
Never gonna run around and desert you

I immediately shouted, "Rick Astley, "Never gonna give you up!"  Where did you hear that song?"

Apparently at dance classes they do little dance routines and they have been using 80's music.  Of course, she has an advantage because she has heard most of the songs.  RT and I play a variety of music around the kids so they have been exposed to all sorts of musical styles.

I played my 80's playlist for Bella.  She liked my selection of songs and even sang along with a few of them.

It makes me happy to hear my kids listening to music from different decades.  It makes me happy to know that I did my job and opened their minds.

Never gonna make you cry
Never gonna say good bye
Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you

Vegan Diaries - Chocolate Pudding

One of the nurses recommended that I bring some pudding for my Mom.  I thought about buying pudding that is already made for convenience sake, but, then thought about all the weird  unhealthy ingredients that I might find on the label.   I even thought about buying the box mix of pudding.   I mean, it isn't that hard to follow the directions, right?  Just add water and put in the refrigerator.  I think I could handle that.  But, what is in that pudding powder?  I didn't really want to find out.

I started searching online to find an easy chocolate pudding recipe.  I then decided to add in the word "vegan."  I didn't think a vegan chocolate pudding recipe existed!  There were several entries but I found this recipe for Vegan Chocolate Pudding on Hell Yeah It's Vegan and thought I would try it.  Gotta love the name of that blog!  They have some other cool recipes over there, so, check them out!

The recipe is REALLY easy to pull together and doesn't require any special grocery shopping trips for weird, obscure ingredients.  You probably have everything on hand!

And the outcome?

Well, RT, who isn't a big pudding fan, said it was delicious.  < That's my big plug for this recipe.  That alone should get you to try it.

Here's the recipe:

Vegan Chocolate Pudding

ingredients:
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
2 cups unsweetened vanilla almond milk *
1 tsp vanilla extract

directions:

In saucepan, sift together cocoa, cornstarch and sugar.
Whisk in the almond milk.  Make sure there are no lumps.
Bring mixture to a boil, whisking occasionally to make sure nothing sticks to the bottom of the pan.
Boil for two minutes until mixture thickens (keep whisking).
Add vanilla.
Pour into small bowls and chill until set.


*you can use regular unsweetened almond milk
*you can lower sugar.  I tried with 1/3 cup of sugar and it disappeared.  No one missed it.



If you make the pudding, let me know what you think!

Enjoy!

My Weird Dog - Skunked

I guess I underestimated the number of posts that I would be able to write about My Weird Dog.  He seems to keep me busy with ideas of what to write about here.  He might even need his own blog.  I might have to add a tab at the top so everyone can read about his adventures.

We have been putting Pippen on the side of our house, also known as, the side yard.  It is not his favorite place to be in the world.  Check previous posts and you will find Houdini  Pippen breaking out of jail  the side yard.  At night, to make sure he does his business before bed, I usually let him out front.  I have to be out there with him.  I don't want him running to the path if a dog is being walked by our house.

The other night, I went out front with him.  It was about 10:30pm, Bella was baby-sitting the neighbor (her first babysitting gig) and I thought we would wait out front for her.  When I opened the door, Pippen leaped out onto the front stoop and stood there staring at some trees.  I told him, "No."  I never know what wild animal might be out there.  I figure a fox or a raccoon.  Instead of listening to me, he took off toward the trees and was trying to catch something.  I called him back because I thought it was a little black cat.  As he was walking back, the "cat" tried to attack Pippen.  Of course, Pippen can't let it slide, so he goes after the "cat."  At this point, I'm afraid it's a raccoon and he's going to get hurt.  I call him back.  Again, he doesn't listen.  Instead, he flinches then runs to the front lawn and rolls around in the grass.  Of course I thought he got scratched by the "cat" and probably deserved it.  Then, the smell hit me.   The "cat" was not a cat after all.  The "cat" was a skunk.

Somehow I made it twenty years of having a dog and not having to deal with it getting skunked.

Twenty years......

until Pippen came along.

I found a great skunk solution online that works great on the dog.  My problem now is that the smell seems to be lingering in our house.  I opened windows and doors and had fans going.  Of course when it's 90F outside, it's a little difficult to get a nice breeze to go through the house.  Of all the times to get skunked, you would think he would have picked a time where we could have the windows open.

I've had the diffuser going.  When I think the smell is gone, I go outside for some fresh air.  When I return, I realize the smell is still lingering.  I also feel like the smell has attached to me or my clothes.  I seem to smell it when I'm out of the house.  Thank you, Pippen, for the gift that keeps on giving.

If you have any suggestions on how to get rid of the skunk smell from the house, besides burning it down, let me know.

RT vs. The Landscapers

We tend to our own lawn care (and, it probably shows).  We cut our own lawn.  Pull weeds.  Do our own planting.  Our lawn looks pretty good.  It may not be as pristine as any of the neighbors lawns, but, it's decent.  Oh, and our weed pulling?  It's all done by hand....by me.

Our neighbor has a landscaping company come on a weekly basis.  This neighbor's landscaping company does bush trimming, weed whacking, weeding, mulch and lawn mowing.  I use the word company because there are four or five guys walking around trimming, mowing and even blowing the trimmings off the path.

The landscapers have taken it upon themselves to cut the grass by our evergreens and along our fence.  They even do a little trimming around the fence.  I'm not sure why they do this, there is a trail between our houses which clearly marks property lines.  I actually was fine with it.  I figure less work for us to do when we have to cut our grass.

Apparently, RT is not too happy with the landscapers' work.  During the great rains that we experienced, the lawn mowers have left some huge tire tracks on our lawn and have dug up some of the grass by the evergreens.  RT has put down grass seed only to find more tire tracks after the landscapers visit.  RT even put up a sign in the area so they wouldn't mow in front of the trees.  The landscapers moved the sign and mowed the grass.

We have three more months of adding more grass seed, placing signs on the lawn in front of the trees, adding a huge landscaping rock in front of the evergreens and listening to RT complain  talk about the landscapers killing his lawn.

Potato Soup

I decided to whip up a pot of Potato Soup for RT.  It's been awhile since I've made potato soup.  I know it's one of his favorites and thought I would surprise him.

This recipe isn't vegan, but, it turned out delicious and thought I would share it here.  Well, I was told that it was delicious by RT.  My food critic.  The soup disappeared, so, I'm going to believe him on this one.

Here's the recipe:


Potato Soup

ingredients:
2 1/2 TBSP of butter
1 cup diced onion
 2 1/2 cups peeled/diced potatoes
3 cups vegetable broth
1 cup thickened cream *
1 3/4 cup grated cheddar cheese
1/4 tsp dried dill
salt/pepper to taste
pinch of ground cayenne

directions:
In large saucepan, melt butter.  Cook onion until soft.  Stir in potatoes and broth.  Bring to a boil and reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes (or until potatoes are soft)

Puree mixture.  Return to pot.  Stir in cream, cheese, dill, pepper, and cayenne.  Bring to a low boil, stirring until thickened.



*I used plain almond milk and all turned out well.  You can probably use plain milk if you don't have almond milk.


Enjoy!

Hey, Girl!

Another pet peeve.

I received a text from a friend the other day and it started out with, "Hey, Girl!"  This "friend" isn't a close friend.  More like an acquaintance.  Someone I haven't texted or called in, oh, maybe 8-10 years?  The text was inviting me to an event.  I think she was just scrolling through her contacts on her phone and sending messages to everyone.

I understand she wants a huge turn out for her event, but, starting off the text with "Hey, Girl!"  does not make it very personal.  It makes me think she forgot my name, even though it's in her contacts on her phone.

If you really want to make a person feel special and you are copying a text and sending it to hundreds of people, take the extra few minutes and personalize the text.  Drop the person's name in the text so they feel special.  So they feel like you are thinking of them and that you really want them to attend your event.

OK.  I'll get off my soap box now.

What little things drive you crazy?

My Weird Dog

Bella decided that she will feed Pippen from now on.  Unfortunately, she likes to sleep in every morning and Pippen likes to eat an early breakfast.

The first day she decided to feed him, I had to go to work.  Pippen looked a little nervous because he wasn't fed before I left for work.  I'm not sure why he felt this way.  He usually eats a bite or two then walks away.

When I got home, Bella told me that Pippen didn't eat until 11:00AM.  I immediately thought it was because she slept in and forgot about her duties.  I even felt sorry for the dog.  I was then informed that Pippen refused to eat.  He wanted to go out on the deck.  Bella put the food out on the deck so he could eat outside.  Pippen wouldn't touch it, so, Bella put the dish right in front of him (he was laying down).  Pippen then gobbled up his food.

So, now he wants to go out to eat and be served his meal.

Napkin Hoarder

I know we have visited this topic, RT's napkin hoarding, many times, but, I had to write about it again.

Alex has a summer internship at RT's work, so they get to spend some quality (driving) time together.  On day two of their togetherness, Alex told me about Dad and his napkins.  Yea, I already knew, but, it's fun when the kids discover something and then recount their experience.

Alex and RT went out for lunch.  After lunch, RT grabbed some napkins (even though the center console in his car is full).   Alex then said that RT put these napkins in his desk drawer at work.  The desk drawer is big and deep.  And full of napkins.  Alex looked a little worried.

I told him that I knew about the desk drawer.  RT sent me a picture of the drawer overflowing with napkins.  I then told him that now that he knows about his inheritance  the napkin situation, he can try to get to it before his brother and sister.

If you want to read more about RT's Napkin hoarding, search napkins on the blog.  Thanks to RT, there are quite a few posts for your reading pleasure.