all day in the kitchen!!

*Please ignore grammer and sentence structure mistakes... I tend to write the way I think*

Some women clean, some go for a ride, some (like me) cook!  ...When they are angry!
Last night, the husband and I got into a fight (dont ask cause not going there) ended up with him sleeping on the couch. Needless to say, I have not been in a good mood today... When I get upset, I cook. A LOT!!! With a 2 year old running around, I didnt cook as much as I normally would but still made a crap ton of food. Even better, my daughter helped :) 2 years old and loves to help mommy cook in the kitchen!!
First thing was start the cake to get it in the oven. Just a basic yellow cake (from scratch) but nothing fancy. While that was in the oven, made huge batch of pancakes that I can Freeze and grab what I need in the mornings. In between that, started the bread. Pull cake from oven let cool on a rack, continue bread. Set the bread aside so it could rise, finished pancakes, started on cream cheese mints (which I realized I havent had since my daughters baby shower). Took a short break to put my lil one down for a nap and catch up on dishes.
*breathe*
Finish the mints and put in the fridge, crap almost forgot to make icing.
Yes I prefer to make my icing from scratch. I plan on a tutorial for this in the future.
Get icing made, colors combined and all tools set up.
But first have to put bread in oven. And grab a quick bite to eat...
Decorate cake, unload dishwasher and put in almost a full load pull bread from oven. Its 2!! Had to be at the lawyer's at 3 so needed to wake up daughter and she. was. pissed!! She cried til 5 minutes before we made it to lawyer. Got that taken care of, had to get home to start dinner.
About 5 started by first making a salad then started on the chicken parmigiana which consists of breaded chicken in plain bread crumbs with shredded parm. and italian blend of spices. In the oven (much better than fried) spaghetti, marinara, and some mozzarella to top it all off.
*breath* I think that about covers everything... Oh.. pictures?? *smiles* thought you would never ask!!

Delicious English Muffin loaf bread.

I'm not posting a pic of the pancakes... I mean come on... its just pancakes...

cream cheese mints *drool*

rather tropical I think...

Close up on mints. Adam has declared these are his favorite things EVER!!! :)

Top of cake. As it says, its just because I wanted to... and I needed to practice. It's been awhile since I made a cake.

Side details. Maybe a bit overboard, but oh well. By the way... I hate wilton's "leaf tip" it sucks!! Need to find just a "v" tip.

Simple salad of shredded carrot and Romain lettuce. ...yes its a pic of a salad... yes I'm just that board..

Chicken with moz. And let me just say... Holy crap are chicken breasts ever huge!! I wish I lived closer to Springfield so I could buy organic...

When you put it all together.................. here you go...

I know my chicken parm isnt the normal way, but I like it.
And I'm going to let you all assume *waves hand across screen* I clean as I go.
......what?? you dont believe me?? damn gotta work on that Jedi stuff...
You really dont want to know how big of a mess I can make in a single kitchen. It was damn scary here! 3 loads of dishes, a bottle and a half of cleaner, and a full roll of papertowels... just imagine the craziest mess and I probably did worse... lol!! I hate cleaning as I go. I would rather just get everything done THEN clean!!

cleaning out the cupboards (and fridge)

Today was a *long* day! To begin, my daughter wasn't acting her normal self. She didn't eat much breakfast which should have been the first warning flag... Dropping her off at daycare and she wasn't excited, wasn't reluctant, she just went like it was no big deal (she NEVER does this). In the mornings, the daycare has little wading pools before it gets too hot. They called me around 11 saying she wasnt acting herself and had a fever.
So the majority of my day was trying to take care of a sick child. Then had to meet with my lawyer at 5 and back home around 6 to start on dinner.
I forgot to set out the chicken to dethaw... what is a  mom to do??
Raid the cabinets!! and fridge... Half a box of penne noodles with 2 different types of leftover sauce... 5 cheese alfredo and some cheesy spaghetti sauce (I believe Bertolli brand), left over corn, left over mashed potatoes and country gravy, and some frozen rolls.
Did I forget anything??

I'm so happy that my daughter no longer sits in a high chair. It makes family dinner a bit easier. We have had sit down dinners with her in a "big people's" chair for about a week now and she is loving it!! As you can see, no luck in transitioning to a "big girl" cup but we are working on it.

All it all, it turned out to be a wonderful dinner. Completely random!! And even though my poor girl didnt eat too much (still not feeling good) it was a nice dinner.

what am I??

This shall be a rather short post but i felt i needed to post it anyway...
I've been thinking a lot about what it means to be a republican or a democrat. What exactly does each side stand for?

This all come about while watching an episode of south park. (rather odd way to start thinking about real life things). But anyway... I know I am liberal. But does that automatically mean I'm democrat?? I do tend to vote democrat but its purely based on the issues.

I know politics is one of those "no-no" topics your not really supposed to talk about with other people because it can become overly heated and possibly offensive but I want to open this up to conversation. I'm not necessarily looking for person opinions (although if you wish to share I will not judge) but instead, I'm hoping someone can help clear the air on what exactly each party is.

Cooking adventures with pics!!

Tonight's delicious homemade meal was meatloaf, mashed potatoes and peas and carrots followed by semi-homemade mini pie!!

I never really had meatloaf very much growing up. My loving husband is a big fan of meatloaf!! Trying to be the good wife I decided I was going to make it for him. Apparently there is a never ending list of ways to make meatloaf... This is what has worked for us
Here is my extremely easy (and rather basic) way to make it.
First begin with 2 pounds of extra lean ground meat.

My daughter loves to help me cook! She even got involved in mooshing meat!! Yes, you have to use your hands!! Really dig into the meat and moosh mooosh moosh it up!

Next thing is to add 2 eggs and 3/4 cup of milk. I prefer to whip the eggs and milk together before adding them. I think it incorporates better.

Time to really get those hands dirty!! completely work in the egg mixture.
Now add in 2/3 cups bread crumbs (plain or Italian) and your spices of choice. I personally used some italian seasoning, a little bit of black pepper and a dash of salt.

Work in the bread mix. Time to put it in the pan!!

Bake in the oven at 350 degree for an hour (or until meat thermometer reads 160). Slice and serve with sides of choice!!

Now time for my favorite part of this!! MINI PIE!!
For the record, I have never made this before! This came about because I still had some unused pie filling sitting in the fridge and I didnt want to through it out. Had some extra pie crust so thought "why not??!!"
To begin, make sure to spray your tart pan so it doesnt stick. Then roll out your pie crust and use a cup to "cut" circles.

Then use you wooden tart tool... thingy (i dont really know what to call it, its something i picked up at a pampered chef party) and push the crust into the pan.

 Do whatever kind of pie crust decorating you want, being as they are small, I just wanted to be done with them so I didnt get too fancy...
Then Fill with whatever pie filling you want. I used cherry and blueberry

Bake in a 325 oven for about 20 minutes... well, I honestly dont know how long to cook them... I checked ever 5  minutes or so until they were done and i lost track of time. As long as they dont jiggle and the crust looks golden you will be fine.

add a little bit of whipped cream...

and enjoy :)

But i highly recommend waiting for them to cool off before chowing down. That pie filling is really hot!!

veggies... might as well

Today has been a rather weird day for me. I re-read my entry from yesterday about my addiction to sweets and I also read a post from my daughter's aunt about eating veggies. This all got me thinking about my diet as a whole.
It's true I cant really control my sweet intake and I guess just snacking in general but I do believe I am making better decisions in other areas.

Breakfast...
I never eat sugary cereal for breakfast anymore. The occasional lunch maybe, but as a start to the day, absolutely not! During the week, I enjoy English Muffin with either a small amount of butter or a poached egg. It's small, but enough to hold me til lunch. The weekends are fun for me because my daughter loves to help me cook. The usual line up is buckwheat pancakes with sugar free syrup (takes getting used to) with eggs and occasionally bacon. Rarely will I have more than 1 piece of bacon. After just 1 buckwheat pancake, it can be hard to eat much else!!
Lunch....
Unfortunately, lunch is a bit hard during the work week. Wednesday the shop always closes and we all go to lunch together. We have a handfull of places we go but Donnies Diner is the best!! They have an extremely simple salad that is perfect for me! Its just Romain lettuce, little bit of fresh Parmesan and baked Chicken. Half the time I cant even finish the chicken! Its the days we dont go there that i fall. Between all-you-can-eat pizza, chinese, and only-thing-we-have-is-burger joints, its kinda hard on the other days.
It's easier when I'm home because I usually have leftovers from whatever I cooked the night before.
Dinner.....
Thankfully, I have been planning out meals and that really helps with choosing much healthier options. I honestly can't remember the last time we had pizza... Its really been forever... I've been having so much fun exploring new recipes that we never get bored and we dont repeat recipes very often in a month. We try very hard to portion control and there is always... ALWAYS at least one real vegetable side.
My daughter truly loves her vegetables. Ever since she started on solid foods, she has refused to touch the main part of her meal until she ate all her vegetables. I can only hope this continues for a long time! But in watching her always eat her veggies, it made me realize I should be doing the same. So, I can proudly say, I too eat ALL my vegetables. It's a step in a better direction.
I still cant stomache onions and i don't think i ever will. I can tell when an onion is present from the moment i take a bite and my gag reflex starts acting up.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that even though I grew up hating vegetables, I've really changed my mind on them. I'm open to exploring different recipes and trying new things. There are still some that I will be somewhat stand offish to but I think I can guarantee I wont turn away veggies if someone offers them to me.

Love Affair

Yes... I am in the midst of a love affair... there I said it...

Oh... I guess I should mention Im having an affair with food!!
Confused?? Good...
It's no secret I enjoy food. If I didn't, I wouldnt still be holding on to all my pregnancy weight from 2 YEARS AGO!!.... anyway...
 There is nothing wrong with having a relationship with food. You kinda need it to survive... But there are days that its goes beyond the need of sustenance.

I realized its a problem when I'm sneaking food so that no one knows I'm having it. It's not always a daily struggle but lately I know I have gotten worse. For the record, I refuse to buy little debbie snack foods. I havent bought them in over a year because I know I have almost no self control when it comes to food. So I abide by "out of sight out of mind" if its not in the house, i wont eat it!! The problem comes when someone else buys them... I mean i seriously have NO control.... it was having them in the house that i realized i do have a food problem... It goes beyond just snacking... I literally hide all evidence of ever having it. For starters, I will only eat them if my daughter is awake (and i do share) or sister is around (easy scapegoat). I split it with my daughter but if its my sister, she gets one and i wait til she is out the kitchen to get mine. I only eat where no one can see (sadly admitting to eating in the bathroom) and I usually hide the wrapper in a papertowel so no one will see it in the trash.
Thats just the snack cakes...
When i make chocolate chip cookies, I always make sure there is extra chocolate so I can make sure I can have a hand full... or 3.... 
I do admit that I'm a lot better with having my meals planned out! It really helps me focus and knowing that I;m trying to keep my husband on portion controls, it helps me not eat so much. But as soon as I finish, half the time I only think about desserts!
I even dream in chocolate!! No seriously!! Last night's dream was everything was made of chocolate. even me! It was weird...

I daydream about the next type of dessert I plan on making, from the brownies with powdered sugar art to the amazing cakes i have inside my head!

I do feel insanely guilty every time i partake in my forbidden endeavors, but i still have no self control. So maybe there is hope...

"It's not pink! it's lightish red"

Really enjoyed tonight's baking experience!! Decided to make red, white, and blue cupcakes and make a tutorial to go with it!
But first... extra points to the person who can name where the title came from!!

Let us begin the tutorial...
Start by making up a batch of white cake. White cake IS a must since we will be coloring it. If you try any other cake, the colors just dont work.  (at least for what i am doing right now...)
Once the cake is mixed, divide it evenly into 3 different bowls.

Then add your color. All I had on hand is the cheap mccormicks liquid drop stuff, but it still works... probably added a bit too much but i wanted the color to be dark

grab some spoons and start stirring!!

hooray... now comes the kinda annoying part... getting it into the cups. Begin with your color of choice. I did blue.

Then add your second color. Mine was white. Leave a little bit of the bottom color exposed. This way, when they bake, the middle color will be a nice little surprise!!

oh... ya and whatever you do... do not get the little cheap crappy cupcake flutes. seriously! spend a little more for the nicer ones that dont make you fight to keep them where they belong!!
Finally, add the last color. I forgot to take a pic of red alone so here is what it looks like when you are completely finished filling.

Pop them in the oven til toothpick (or in my case, a knife) comes out clean. Remove them from the trey and allow to cool on a rack.

 Anyone taking a quick glance would not know that there is more than one color in these :) but guess what....

SURPRISE!!!!! red white and blue!!

After they have plenty of time to cool, time to decorate!! I chose rather simple since the cupcakes are the main focus. Just some regular vanilla icing and some sugar crystals.

I actually ran out of red by the time i was at the end... soooo here is the saddest cupcake from the night...

The tiny "special" cupcake that also got a little overdone... still yummy :p


Even though I chose red, white, and blue as my colors for this tutorial, the options are seriously endless!! you can do as many colors and you think of! I'm wanting to do a neon green, lightish blue, and white cupcakes for my daughter.

Hope someone finds this extremely helpful. Enjoy baking
Til anon