You Scream. I Scream. We all scream for ice cream

My dad loved ice cream. You could always count on finding at least three different quarts tucked away in my parents' freezer. Vanilla was his everyday favorite, but if there was butter pecan, you knew he was a happy man.

I love ice cream too, but I rarely keep it in the house because...well...I'll eat it. Every last bite. During the summer, Blueberry and I had a tradition of stopping at Dairy Queen for Mini Butterfinger Blizzards. It was the perfect treat on a warm day. Then, on our last visit, two mini Blizzards rang up to over $14. Yeah...I just can't justify that anymore.

Between the price of ice cream and my ongoing quest to cut back on sugar, I knew it was time to find another option. I experimented with several low-carb ice creams back in 2019, and honestly, they were all disappointing. They froze rock hard, took forever to soften, and even then the texture and flavor just weren't worth the calories or the carbs.

One of my favorite low-carb blogs, All Day I Dream About Food, recently shared a Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream recipe. Chocolate and peanut butter has always been my favorite flavor combination whenever I visit Baskin-Robbins, so I immediately added this one to my must-make list.

There was just one problem.

Many of her ice cream recipes are made with the Ninja Creami. I've had one sitting on my Amazon wish list for nearly two years, but I could never bring myself to spend over $200 on an appliance I wasn't sure I'd use enough. Even during Prime Day, the discounts never seemed good enough.

Then last week I happened to check the price again. It was 43% off, and I had a $25 gift card waiting to be used. That brought the total down to just over $104. Suddenly, it became a whole lot easier to click "Buy Now."

The machine arrived a few days later, and yesterday I finally had all the ingredients to make my first batch of ice cream. Making homemade ice cream with the Creami does require a little patience—you mix everything together, pour it into the container, and let it freeze for a full 24 hours before spinning it.

Today was finally the big day.

After reading through the instructions, I crossed my fingers, hit the button, and watched the magic happen.

I'm officially in love.

Not just with the Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream, but with the Ninja Creami itself. I couldn't believe how incredibly smooth and creamy the finished ice cream turned out. It honestly tasted like real ice cream—not a low-carb substitute. And the recipe? Absolutely delicious.

Of course, one successful batch wasn't enough. I've already collected about 20 Creami recipes, and I can't wait to start working my way through them. I have a feeling this little machine is going to be getting a lot of use around here.

Hello Hello Fresh

I've got myself in a small financial situation that I am not happy with. I did a lot of work keeping my credit card in check and paying it off every month. It felt good. I felt like an adult. 

Recently, though, my credit card is at a limit I am unhappy with. See, Sherrie and I had to pay for our cruise and our flights and our excursions withing a couple of weeks of each other. That added an amount to the card that didn't allow me to pay it off by the end of the month. 

Now, my credit card balance is small in comparison to the average US citizens credit card balance. The average household carries around $7-$8 thousand in debt. I'm not near there, could easily get there, but my plan is to not get there.

Naturally, I start to look at my budget and find areas I can pull in the financial belt a little. The first thing that YELLED at me was my monthly grocery bill. 

See, I like cooking. And I like cooking new recipes all the time. I tend to have a goal every year of how many new recipes I can try. It's great fun and I've made some really great meals. I've made as many equally gross meals too, but that's not what's important here. The point is, cooking new recipes every night of the week costs $$. And as a single person, it's harder because when you need one ingredient, maybe a tablespoon of it, you have to buy the whole jar/can/package. AND, since I don't particularly like leftovers, it feels like a lot of $$ going to waste. 

I started thinking about where I could cut there and came to a couple conclusions: 

1. There's no need to cook a BRAND new recipe each night. I could cook some old recipes and possibly some favorite recipes. 

2. I need to use what I have. I inventoried the freezer and pantry and will focus on recipes that use up those items. 

3. Consider a service, like Hello Fresh.

I did Home Chef back in 2017 and I loved it! Mostly. It was still new and I think they were still figuring out quality. I had some terrible tasting beef a couple of times, which limited me to just getting chicken/pork/fish. And frankly, I got bored with their options. There wasn't a ton compared to now. 

So I figured I would give Hello Fresh a try. 

Here's the thing, my grocery bill was anywhere from $200-$250 per week. That's insane for a single person who doesn't like leftovers. So my goal was to drop my grocery bill to be no more than $150 per week. To do that, I felt I had to get creative. 

I was surfing the Interwebs and an offer for Hello Fresh came up. I took a gander and for three meals, for 2 people per week it's around $70. So I figured, why not give that try and supplement the other three meals by using what's in my pantry/freezer and seeing if I can get my grocery bill less than $150. 

I was not as successful as I thought I'd be today, but I can say my total bill (including hello fresh) was less than $200. That's progress to me. 

Tomorrow starts the first Hello Fresh meal. I'm excited to do this. It makes so much sense as a single person to have this type of set up. The ingredients you need are already measured out for you so I'm not buying an entire jar for just one tsp for a recipe.

The recipes will all be shared over on my cooking blog, but I may check in here to let you know how it's going. 

All Day Cooking...it's my fave!

Today is Sunday, the second Sunday of the month at that. If you pay attention, or have been lucky enough to earn an invite to, today is Sunday dinner! 

Sunday dinners started in 2010! I cannot believe what started as a way for me to see my friends more often has turned into a monthly event that includes traveling Sunday Dinners. It started with just a handful of friends, then grew from there. I kept adding people to the list. 

Sunday dinner started with me cooking, and only me. I wouldn't let anyone bring anything. Each dinner was a well planned meal in which everything "went" together. I loved doing this. I loved spending the day cooking and preparing something delicious that I knew everyone would enjoy. 

The first Sunday dinner menu was Spaghetti Bolognese, olive cheese bread, Caesar salad, and dipped brownie bites. It takes a day to cook and it's worth every minute. The kitchen was an absolute disaster after, but it was worth every bit of it. 

I'll admit that at the time I figured I'd do a handful of these and then get bored with it and move on. Turned out everyone loved it. Each person I invited commented how nice it was and felt very old fashion. And could we keep doing this? Who am I to disappoint my friends? 

As the years progressed, I was convinced to let others bring something. I'd cook the main "meat" and then everyone signed up for an appetizer, salad, side, and dessert. Most brought wine along with whatever they brought. 

This got to be more fun and allowed everyone to contribute to the meal. Some were feeling guilty that I was taking the brunt of the cost - which I didn't mind. Most bring something they've not made before. Some get into ruts and bring the same thing every time. What I learned is, it's ok. Whatever. I learned to chill out about it. 

This year for Sunday dinners, I decided to mix it up some. At the December Sunday dinner I had everyone put themes into a bowl and then we selected 10 out of it (10 because we'd not have one in May, and we already knew the Low Country Boil was planned for July). The group got creative. They could put in as many or as few that they want. 

The result was a list of pretty darn good themes. We started the year with a fondue party. Learned that if you're doing fondue, that you should use oil and you should have extras to eat cuz it takes so long to cook the meat. The cheese and chocolate was the highlight by far. 

Indian was a fun one. Most of the group hadn't every cooked Indian food. I made Butter Chicken which is my favorite thing ever in Indian food. 

The favorite appetizer/dessert/cocktail/wine was an interesting one. Since it was all appetizers, we were "done" with Sunday dinner by about 6:30. Full of food and happy as ever. 

Tonight is French. We'll see what everyone brings. For me? I couldn't decide what to make so I'm making Coq au Vin and Beef Bourguignon! This house smells amazing! What's interesting about these two recipes, they both have a lot of the same ingredients: bacon, wine, chicken stock, mushrooms, onions, thyme. Biggest difference is coq au vin has one more aromatic - celery. I've got the beef cooking away in the slow cooker and coq au vin in the Dutch oven in the oven on a low heat. We're going to have more food than you can imagine, but that's what being a Wraspir is all about. 

When covid hit we had to put a stop to the dinner. Or did we? No, we did not! We did zoom dinners and it was great to continue to stay connected to these people. It was odd at first, but by mid 2020 we were in the grove and spoke frequently about how we couldn't wait to get back together again. 

The other thing that has come out of these Sunday dinners are the group photos. I can't remember why I started doing it (I mean, it was probably because of scrapbooking) it just started. We'd all gather around and SNAP a photo. Then one night I had everyone do a goofy face. Now we hardly ever take a "normal" shot. Only the goofy will do. 

But beyond the food and the photo what I love the most are the people. The attendees vary a little month over month. I average about 10 people each dinner (it used to be 12 before I moved) and all those people I love. I consider them all family. I know, without a doubt, that any of them would be at my side with a hug, a meal, a smile or money. They're just amazing people and I'm so glad to call them all family. I'm not sure they realize their family. And I didn't really ask them if they wanted to be in my family, but I also don't care. Too bad! You're in! 

What's for dinner?

No you didn't accidentally click on the cooking blog. This story isn't going to be about food. Actually, that's not completely true. It is about food, but not about FOOD. Got that? 

Two years ago, a friend of mine on FB was looking for something to look forward to during the pandemic. She started asking daily, what's for dinner? 

Not too surprisingly we all responded with our dinner plans. She's in Chicago as are most her friends, so by the time I post, I'm usually one of the last ones. 

There's a couple of things I love about this. And lucky you are going to get a list. 

1. The number of people who respond with what they're having for dinner. Some with photos. Some with links to recipes. Some with a simple, "cereal". 
2. The variety of food people eat. Some days there aren't any duplicates of food being eaten. Most days there's at least one pizza and one leftovers. The "leftovers" happen more towards the end of the week.
3. Some post a photo of their perfectly set table. 
4. Many will share a recipe if you ask. 
5. I've gained a friend or two just by conversations in the thread about what we're having for dinner.
6. SEVERAL times I haven't a clue what people are talking about. Especially if they say something like "Gino's for dinner. OMG so good." Who's Gino? What's Gino? And how to do I enjoy Gino's?
7. The fact that two years and we're still responding. I actually look forward to her post to share what I had for dinner. I share regardless of whether I'm making something new (I usually share the link to the recipe) or whether I ordered out. Or whether I ate a handful of nuts and a piece of bread for dinner. 
8. There's no judgement! None. No one ever says, "You ate that?"
9. She plans to do this for as long as people post. There are some days where there are just a few (like 20) and some days where there are like 40+.
10. It's an odd club to be a part of, but I love it and wish I would have thought of it. 

I've been really thinking about why this makes me so happy, but it does. Maybe it's because early in the pandemic things were scary and this was something easy to not have to worry about. Or because I love food and love to see what people do with it. 

My most favorite post "a can of spaghettios out of the can". 

So yesterday was the two year anniversary. That's a lot of posting if you think about it. She's only missed one or two and even then "miss" means she posted like around 10 her time, not around dinner. Still we all posted our dinners. 

I'm glad she came up with something so simple. And something I look forward to every night. I'll keep posting for as long as she does. I've gained some great recipes to try and some fun food chatter. 

Hot Stove Virtual Cooking Class

I've been blathering on and on today about this cooking class and I figured I might as well go into more details here. I mean, that is what this blog is for right? 

Our company postponed our holiday party and today we finally had it. A poll was put out about what type of virtual thing we should do and the cooking class won. So our amazing office manager arranged it and today we all cooked. 

The cooking class was through a company called Hot Stove. And the class was with Chef Tom Douglas. He's a local chef who owns a metric crap ton of restaurants in Seattle. He's been on the news lately for cooking and feeding those suffering from the pandemic. In person he seemed mostly like all chef's seem...an egomaniac. 

Still it's Tom Douglas and I was determined to learn from him. But I am getting ahead of myself. 

The box of ingredients showed up yesterday with a menu and recipes. Unpacking the box was interesting. It reminded me of when I used to order those meals from Hello Fresh. Everything pre-portioned and pre-measured for you. It's part of what I really didn't like about Hello Fresh. In this case, it totally makes sense though. 

One of the containers that contained smaller containers for ingredients to make the dipping sauce. Two of those little containers had sprung a leak. So the soy sauce and rice vinegar were a goner. Thankfully I had those ingredients on hand. 

I really wasn't sure how a virtual cooking class would work out. I liked that I was in my kitchen using my tools. I had everything all arranged and ready to go for the class. 

It really looked like it was a whole production going on on their side. He had a camera man and a side helper chef. It was like watching a cooking show only I was doing the cooking. 

The best part about this was he cooks a lot like Julia Child...with wine. I had some wine poured too and I had to pace myself or I'm pretty sure the dumplings wouldn't have turned out. 

Anyhow, we made this cucumber salad first. It's called Smacked Cucumber Salad. You literally crush the cucumber instead of cutting it. Two things happened to me:

1. I couldn't smash it. My OCD side came out and said, "Ah no. We'll be cutting it like a civilized person". 
2. All I could think about was Gallagher

Now I love cucumbers. They, however, do not love me. I burp just thinking about them. This recipe was made with English cucumbers. Many people believe they are less burpy. For me they have the same level of burpy too them. But they're so darn good ... I suffer. 

After the salad, we moved on to the fun part. The dumplings. I've made wontons before but never pot

stickers. I was looking forward to learning how to fold them.

The interesting thing about how this class went is that sometimes he went slower than snot over things. Other times he sped right past them as if it were like we had all done whatever a thousand times. Folding the dumplings, I felt, was one of those speed right pass moments. He showed it twice, but the camera angle wasn't great so I didn't get a good idea how to do it. Thus I created my own fold. 

It looks like a little crown. The pork filling we put inside these babies came already prepared (the recipe for the Pork Dumplings is here). I made about 10 by the time we started cooking. 

The cooking is where it all comes together. Tom's method is to put some oil in the pan to begin with (he didn't really say how much) and letting them pan fry for a bit, then you add some water. Again, he didn't really say how much to begin with. 

Now having cooked some I think the problem I had with the first batch is the heat was up too high. Have I mentioned I really miss my gas stove? I burned the first batch. The second turned out way better. The "burnt" ones were just extra crunchy. Both were delicious. But what made them so good was the dipping sauce. Oh man I could have drank that sauce. 

The kit came with enough ingredients to make 66 pot stickers. There was a mushroom / tofu mix too for the dumplings. I haven't made those yet. I made the rest of the pork ones and froze them. I'll pull those bad boys out for an appetizer on Saturday when the Niece, her GF and the fam come over for dinner. 

On a side note, I jokingly said to the Niece a couple of weeks ago that I get her and the GF every Saturday night before they leave. I was joking (mostly) and this will be the third Saturday night they'll be here for dinner. I'm so glad they took me seriously. I'm gonna miss her. Maybe I can mail her dumplings.

Recipes Galore

In Jan 2020 I had a rather aggressive goal to try 100 new recipes this year. I knew in my heart there was no way I was ever going to hit that number. It was my attempt to motivate myself to cook more and eat out less. 

Then COVID happened. In an odd way, I have COVID to thank for me not only hitting my goal but exceeding it by quite a long shot. Yesterday I posted my 132nd recipe of the year. I might hit 150 new recipes by the end of the year. 

I started wondering about how many recipes per year had I done on average. Over on the cooking blog I could find that answer. 

I suspect there are recipes I've tried that are NOT on this blog. I wasn't overly diligent about adding them back in the early years. In fact, in 2020 I added a couple of recipes that I love that were not on the blog. 

I have a similar goal for next year to cook more. I think I'm going to leave it at 100. Who knows what next year will bring? 

I was asked the other day why I was so interested in cooking. There's not really an easy answer for this. I was raised in a house where dinner was always home made. Dad was the one who started looking through cookbooks to find new recipes (this was back before the Internet bombarded us with recipes and the like on a regular basis.) Mom eventually got into it as well. So we designated Wednesday night as "New Recipe Night". When I was about 12, the parental units also designated Thursday night as MY night to cook. I could try something new or something old. It didn't matter. The rule was to have my grocery list to them by Saturday for the weekly shopping day.

Over the years I dabbled in cooking. I knew how, but never really wanted to become a "great" cook. Then when I dated this guy in the early 2000's who also like to cook I got a bit addicted to it. My project manager self realized cooking was just one big project. 

In 2005 I lost a bet and had to start this blog. Not too soon after I decided I also wanted a cooking blog. But, as I mentioned, I wasn't really great at being diligent with posting recipes. It was harder then because not many were on the net. It was "real" typing in the recipe. (Such 1st world problems).

Later I'll do a post about my favorite recipes for this year. There aren't as many as you'd think. 

Mom's Gray Box

I think most my friends know I love to cook. I get that love from my parents. Both mom and dad loved to cook. Both of them also loved to collect recipes - which I too do a lot of! 

When mom passed I brought home her gray recipe box of old recipes. They are handwritten, typed, magazine clippings, etc. Some of them are so amusing that I feel like I have to make them just because. 

Many years ago I came up with a goofy system that would get me cooking a lot of those recipes. I took my spreadsheet of recipes (yes I have a spreadsheet) and printed the recipe names, the cookbook and the page on a piece of paper. I cut them into strips and put them into a jar. 

Weekly I'd pull 4-5 recipes out of the jar. The jar (ok it was a HUGE brandy glass) didn't include anything like appetizers or desserts/cookies. Only items that would be for dinner. 

It got me to try a lot of new recipes, but the maintenance of it was a pain. Every time I added recipes to the spreadsheet, I had to find a way to add them to the jar. Finally, I gave up. I never gave up the spreadsheet though. 

Enter the app Paprika. ALL my recipes are in Paprika. Since most of them are from the Internet these days adding them to Paprika isn't that difficult. I still have the spreadsheet, and now the spreadsheet has the Gray Box recipes and all my recipes are in one place. Gone are the days of cookbooks. 

In order to select recipes, because I like having them random, I turned to friends and asked them to select a number between 1 and whatever the line item is in Excel (somewhere above 1000). That got to be complicated...so I finally realized that there MUST be an app for a random number generator. And sure enough there is. 

So the day before I go shopping, I randomly select 5-7 recipes and then determine which ones I will likely make that week. If it lands on a number of a recipe I've made before, I choose another number. If it lands on a dessert or cookies I make it that week. 

It's fun. It means I try a lot of new recipes. Each recipe I try goes on my cooking blog for others to enjoy. 

It might sound complicated and confusing, but it really does get me to try a bunch of new recipes. My goal this year is 100 new recipes. I figured two new recipes a week on average. I've made 33 so far - and the year is half way over - which means I'd better get on my game and fast. I need to make 11 new recipes a month to hit my goal. 

This week's recipes are all new and I hope all delicious. 

Suddenly we're at day 80!

As I sit and type this I cannot believe we've been sheltering in place for 80 days. I've not been in my office or seen my work peeps for 80 days. 

I am not alone when I say that it feels like we're in the movie Ground Hog's day! Every day seems like the last. Nothing differentiates the days. 

What's happened in the last 20 days...well...here's a list:

1. I finished some great books. The Elephant Whisperer, Where the Crawdads Sing, and The Last Boleyn. All great reads and certainly long books that is helping add to my goal of a certain number of pages. 

2. I've been cooking like crazy. Since I'm home, I figured I might as well focus on new recipes. I want to try 75 new recipes this year. I'm well on my way and think I can make it. I've had some good ones. You can find them on my cooking blog if you're interested.  

3. I've been watching a ton of TV. Too much TV really. It's on almost all day as noise in the background as I work. For some reason working in silence distracts me so I just have the TV going. I've recently been watching the 3 part mini-series on the History Channel on Grant. Pretty interesting to me. Funny how the older I get the more interested in history I become. 

4. Seeing people has been hard. I met Blueberry last Saturday for Pizza in a Parking Lot. We sat in our respective cars and ate pizza and chatted. This weekend I'm meeting some colleagues at work for a tailgate lunch...again in the parking lot. I miss people. I miss entertaining. I miss hugs. 

5. Traveling has, of course, stopped. The Niece and I, though, managed a quick trip to Eastern Washington to clean up the headstones in prep for Memorial Day. As always it was a fun, but fast, trip. Harder to do when bathrooms aren't nearly as available as they are when restaurants are open. But we survived. 

In a couple of days, I bet I could copy and paste this blog ... the same will be happening. Over and Over again. 

Happy 8th of July

Since I missed wishing everyone a happy 4th, I figured a happy 8th is just as patriotic. My blog. My rules.

Work has gotten a bit lighter. I was officially promoted to Director level. The title is still being decided. I'm pushing for Director of the PMO (PMO = Project Management Office). It's a better title should I ever be in search of another job. The other option is Director of Professional Service. Which could, in and of itself, help me too. Who knows? I'm just glad it finally happened.

My team has decreased from 9 to 2 (3 counting me). There's a chance I'll manage the development team, but again, we'll see. The job description is still a bit loosey goosey for me. But the raise and the promotion are done and - in a sense - in the bank. Now the fun part begins.

I didn't do anything on the 4th - I planned it that way. I just wanted a day to myself. I did a little work, but otherwise spent the day up in the scrapbook room. I'm still trying to gather all these photos for this retreat at the end of the month. Almost there. The photos I have left are all photos of me. Blech.

I did try to BBQ burgers on the 4th. The grill wouldn't light. Neither by the lighter itself or by putting a lighter under it. I had propane so that wasn't the issue. I think the poor components had finally rusted out all the way and there was nothing to turn on.

And so I made a plan. Called Got Junk to have them pick up the old on Saturday the 14th. And then today I went and bought myself a new grill. I really wish mine could be under cover a bit more to help keep the wet off it, but alas, I don't really have much to cover. I'm going to try to rearrange it so it's MOSTLY under the eaves...if I can. The grill will be assembled and delivered on Saturday too. Home Depot tried to change me $50 to shorten the delivery time window to 2 hours. I either sit here all day for nothing, or pay $50 for a 2 hour window? I think I'll sit her all day. They're already charging me for delivery WITH Stairs. Every little thing costs these days.

I got a smaller grill this time. The last two I've bought were big grills with Sunday dinners in mind. I then realized that if in a year I use the grill less than 3 times for Sunday dinner, then the bulk of the time it's just me. Why pay for a bigger grill? It's big enough to fit two big flank steaks or two big tritip roasts on it.

In other big news, my real dad Don passed away. He and I weren't close at all. I'm sure he had regrets about it. I didn't, until he died. Then I started wondering if my pride had caused me to not have him in my life. I re-examined why I kicked him out originally, and while those points are still very valid to me, was it enough to not have a relationship. I'll never know now. And I certainly won't fret over it, but it did cause me to do some internal thinking about it. Despite our lack of relationship, he still is responsible for at least 1/3 of who I am (Mom gets a third and Dad -AL-gets a third). I frequently think about how different my life would have been had mom not asked for a divorce. I shudder to think about that actually. I've had and still have a pretty good life. Ups and downs for sure, but I had pretty awesome parents.

So I'll mourn his passing. And I'll respect the man he was. No idea if I'll be going to his memorial. Waiting to hear when and what it'll be.

That's about all. You're officially caught up in my "life".

S.O.S

Let me first say, I am not a baker. Never have been. And most likely never will be. Maybe.

Sure, I can bake cookies, cakes, cupcakes, etc. Those are easy. But when it comes to cooking any type of bread product - biscuits, bread etc - I have a huge blocking something, I don't know what.

The DadUnit used to make these amazing biscuits.  I used to love being home at Christmas time because it was almost guaranteed that we'd do biscuits and gravy for Christmas morning breakfast. I'd often be in the kitchen with the DadUnit, but really not paying much attention.

The DadUnits biscuit recipe is one that he adopted during his time in Iran.  A group of women put together this cookbook and in it - on page 103 - is the famous biscuit recipe.

I'm not even really sure what other recipes my live in this cookbook, because the only one I ever cared about was that one, well-used recipe on page 103.

When the DadUnit died, mom asked me what, if any, of the DadUnit's cookbooks did I want. I knew immediately I had to have the book from Iran. I was going to take on the ownership of THE recipe for the biscuits.  The DadUnit's legacy of the world's best biscuits can live on in me.

Oh so I thought.

I've made these biscuits a couple of time. The first was in the April before the DadUnit passed away. Bigbro, Seattle SIL and I were all down in Tucson to celebrate the DadUnit's birthday. For Easter dinner I decided to make these biscuits.

What I made, instead, were small, over-cooked hockey pucks.

Undeterred I made them one more time. I had a hankering one morning for biscuits and I made a batch. They were underwhelming to say the least. They were flat, flour-y tasting and so not the DadUnit's biscuits.

Today I decided I wanted S.O.S for dinner. S.O.S was a dinner the MomUnit and Father #1 used to make. I don't have very many memories of having it with the DadUnit, but I'm sure we did. My memories are of my early life with Father #1.

What's S.O.S? It's a military meal, from what I understand. It's essentially hamburger gravy and you would put it over toast. I prefer biscuits.

Enter tonight's dinner. Instead of buying biscuits, I decide to make the DadUnit's biscuits. Surely I can make these like he did. Maybe.

Suffice it to say, they were no where near the DadUnit's biscuits. They were a biscuit fail, in my opinion.

Not only did they not rise - which is probably because I flattened the dough too much before cutting it - but they have that flour-y taste to them. They kinda tasted like flour and a little bit of salt.

I am not giving up. There's another recipe just below the biscuit recipe that could be the one the DadUnit used. I have to admit I have never really been sure which of the two recipe's he used. I assumed it was this one because it's where the most "mess" is on the page. Maybe the next time I'll try the other.

It didn't however, stop me from eating them. I just didn't eat as many.

February Sunday Dinner...and a few other things

This month Sunday Dinner was hosted by the Braspirs.  You may know Mrs. Braspir by her other code name of Queen PopUp.  After much deliberation - and a vote between the kittens and me - I've determined that Queen PopUp will henceforth be known as Mrs. Braspir.  They are, after all, family - sorta. In fact, I ran into someone who knew Mrs. Braspir's daughter-in-law and without skipping a beat I told the person she was my niece. So you, see, I've said it, therefore it is.

Moving on ...

Sunday dinner was out in BFE...also known as Carnation.  And those of you not from around here, yes it's THE Carnation where Carnation Dairy once (and still may) exist. It has absolutely nothing to do with the flower though. I don't think.

Anyhow, back to BFE. It's a beautiful drive out there and such a lovely place to visit. I'm not country folk and so wouldn't really like to live out there - unless the price was right.  Still, the Braspir's have a beautiful home that always makes me feel so welcomed. 

We ate 7 layer dip (and by "we" I think I mean me and Mrs. Landlord - cuz I swear I ate almost the whole platter of it), fudge, brie/crackers...and wine. That was just the starters. Oh the wine.

So remember, maybe you don't, but recently I purchased 10 bottles of wine within 2 days because all my favorite wines went on sale, and well, you can't NOT purchase your favorite wines when they go on sale, right? 4 of the bottle's were, actually, not a "favorite" wine in as much as wine's I thought would be my favorite if I had a chance to try them. So they went on sale at Cost Plus and I purchased them. ONE of those bottles, we drank last night. After two sips I debated hiding the bottle and not letting anyone else have any. Mr. Braspir poured himself a glass and I almost whimpered when I realized it was almost the end of the bottle.  I did take a photo of the bottle, and will be driving my butt to Cost Plus sometime this week and purchasing another bottle, or 2, or 3.

After I gorged myself on appetizer, we were served Baked Ziti, salad, and garlic bread that may or may not have gotten slightly burnt. No fire alarms went off, but those of us not in the kitchen helping smelled burnt toast and heard a suspicious scraping sound going on in the other room. It still tasted spectacular and it didn't stop me from having two pieces.

Dessert was a layered cake that was white cake layered with raspberry jam and topped with frosting. OMG...so good. I may have to request that again.

By the end of the evening I was stuffed, as usual, and I didn't have to do dishes. It was, for me, a win win.

The Pantry Goat thought it'd be a great idea to reverse the photo from below. I cropped out my fat butt...

In other none Sunday dinner related news, the job search continues. I had another interview today and three "outstanding" interviews - meaning the recruiters have my resume in front of people who want to bring me in for an interview, but we just need to nail down availability. Ugh.

iPod speakers for sale...cheap

I'm a dork. I'm a complete dork. I think of myself as a techy sorta girl. A girl who can, by process of elimination, figure things out. A button pusher if you will (just ask Sherrie about every time I get into her car with her). But I have finally found something that baffles me. It's like a puzzle that I just can't make the pieces fit and its driving me mad.

I bought portable speakers for my iPod through Overstock.com (if you've never purchased from overstock.com, you really gotta. They have great deals, but it can be addicting). The speakers finally came on Friday. I opened them and was so excited to pose my iPod on them and click on. Mike and Sherrie were coming to dinner to test this week's newest recipe...[OMG was it good - Country Captain Chicken] and I thought it a great way to have music in the same room we'd be in. As I opened them, Mike standing by amused I'm sure, our first realization was it would take batteries. Great. No batteries.

So Sunday, in my post drinking haze, I swung into to the local Bartels on the way home from HotWire to purchase batteries. AAA batteries in hand, I head home. I put the batteries in correctly, then flip the switch. A light comes on to indicate that yes, in fact, they were on. But as I'm flipping the switch it dawns on me, "How exactly is the music supposed to transmit through the speakers?" The iPod isn't connected to the speakers in any way. Its not magic, I know that. So I sat and staired at the speakers - literally stared. Trying my darndest (if that's a word?) to focus and figure this out. Nothing. I got nothing.

Even today I can't, for the life of me, figure this out. I know there should be some type of AC adaptor for it now (thanks to additional research that I should have done BEFORE I bought them). But even still, HOW DOES THE MUSIC TRANSFER? I'm at a loss. I may have to admit defeat and send them back. If you know, please spare me the torture and leave a comment. Or worse case, know anyone who wants to buy a pair of speakers?

Recipe of the Week: Tinga Poblana de Pollo y Papas

So, most of you know I have a slight obsession with recipes and cooking. I love to cook. And many of you benefit from that love of cooking. I have over 600 recipes currently on file on my computer. About half are for the entre or side dishes or salads. So I got creative and put all these recipe names in a big brandy sniffer. Each week I take one out and that's the Recipe of the Week.

Generally speaking, I love each one of them. But once in awhile one will come along that I either love or absolutely hate. If I hate it, it goes in the trash. No need to save it since I won't likely make it again.

This week's recipe I loved and thought I'd share it with you all. It makes enough for about 6 servings. In typical Jenn fashion, I sorta followed the recipe. So I'll give you the recipe as it is supposed to be and I'll add in my changes.

**This recipe can have a bite to it, depending on the amount of peppers you put in.**

2 lbs chicken thighs (I don't like dark meat so I used chicken breasts and it worked just fine)
6 cups water
1 Large White onion, quartered
2 Tsp Salt
2 cloves garlic, not minced
1 can (14 oz) Whole Tomatoes in juice
4 Tsp chopped canned chipotle chilies in adobo (I used two whole chipotle's and it was perfect for me.
1 tsp Oregano (I'm not a fan of oregano so I skipped this ingredient)
1 Link (1.5 oz) Chorizo sausage, finely chopped
1 T Vegetable Oil
1 lb Boiling potato (I used Yukon Golds because I think they boil up the best for soups and stews)
2 oz crumbled queso fresco, ricotta salata or farmer cheese ( I personally didn't add this)

Bring chicken, water, 1/2 of onion and 1 Tsp salt to a boil, covered, in a 4 or 5 quart pot over moderately high heat. Boil 10 minutes, then remove from heat and let stand, until chicken is just cooked through, about 10 minutes. (I have to admit, I didn't do this. I boiled it until I felt the chicken was done.)

Transfer chicken to a plate, reserving broth with 2 quarters onion. When cold enough to handle, coarsely shred chicken, discarding skin and bones. (Again, I chose to not do this. I diced my chicken in the beginning into bite size pieces. And I used boneless, skinless chicken breasts.)

While chicken is cooking, heat a dry well seasoned cast iron skillet over med high heat. (I didn't have a cast iron skillet so I used my regular skillet). Brown garlic and remaining 2 onion quarters. Transfer onion and garlic to blender. Add tomatoes with juice, chilies, and oregano, then puree until smooth.

Cook Chorizo in heavy skillet over med high heat (I used the same skillet I cooked the onions and garlic in). Carefully add puree and cook about 10 minutes. Peal potatoes and cut into 3/4 inch pieces (bite size pieces), then add to reserved broth with remaining tsp salt. Simmer covered until potatoes are almost tender. Add potatoes and onions to chorizo mixture along with 2 cups broth. Stir in chicken and simmer 15 minutes. Serve sprinkled with cheese (again, didn't do the cheese part.)

I did have a couple corn tortillas on hand though to help sop up the yummy juices.

Enjoy!

Updates to my life.

I love peanut butter. In case you didn't know that about me.

Aside from that, life in the JennW household has been anything but boring. I've been on 5 interviews this month already. My ration of interview to hire is very low. In fact, non existent. = ) But I'm sure that some job is out there just waiting for me.

Friday I interviewed for a position at Microsoft that would be a fun job. It would certainly challenge me in so many ways. I went back and forth this weekend as to whether I would take the job if it was offered. It doesn't have as much project management in it as I would prefer. But the team and the job itself would be a good time.

The interview this morning was for a company called ScreenLife. They manufacture the DVD games called SceneIt! http://www.screenlifegames.com/sceneit.aspx The job is my PERFECT job. Its exactly what I'm looking for to advance my career. The job has been opened for several months as the team is looking for "just the right person". I sincerely hope I'm just the right person.

Hawaii is coming. Just 11 days away and I'll be on my way to the Big Island. Stopping every so briefly in Phoenix AZ to change planes...yah wish me luck, I have a 45 minute turn time in Phoenix. If I make it my luggage won't. The exciting thing about the Hawaii trip this year is the volcano is erupting more than normal. They just had a 44 arce piece of land fall off into the ocean displaying more lava than normal.

This weekend was a pretty boring on. I spent most Saturday morning re-organizing my recipes. If you really know me you'll know I have over 600 recipes I've collected that aren't in cookbooks. Tired of not understanding my organizational method that currently existed, I decided to just alphabetize them. In fact, just to give you a glimpse into my freakish life, I have a bowl of small pieces of paper that have a recipe on it. Each week I pull a recipe from the bowl and that's what I try that week. So far its yielded some GREAT recipes...and has definitely yielded duds that I'll never fix again. This week was Rachel Ray's Spanish Rice and Beef. Good, but I like my dad's better.