P.S.

 

I suck at blogging. haha

Lemon Cake with Blueberry filling

 

My orange marmalade cake is pretty much the best cake recipe ever.  As I’ve stated before.  But what is even more awesome, is that it’s versatile.  I’ve switched it up and done the exact same cake, substituting lemons for the oranges with amazing results.. And fresh blueberry filling is TO DIE FOR inside it.. Not to mention easy.  Blueberries, sugar, constarch, water.  That’s it.  Oh and a little lemon zest and juice just to brighten the flavor. 

The Bestfriend’s step-daughter is getting married in June and her bridal shower is this Sunday.. So I am about to make her cake with the aforementioned lemons and blueberries.  I’m excited!! I know this combo rocks out loud because I tried it out on my niece when she came for her cake tastings (making her wedding cake this October)… She was so leary of it because she thought lemon and blueberry sounded gross, but she was willing to try it and was super surprised at how much she loved it.  The Bestfriend adores anything lemon so she asked me to make it again for the bridal shower.  I hope the bride to be likes it as much as we do! :)

Really Need to Start Blogging Again.. again.. lol

 

This makes three times in the past week that I’ve told myself this, because this blog as saved me and helped me find an old recipe I was looking for.  The Husband wanted shrimp tonight for dinner, but Aribbiatta sauce just didn’t sound good tonight.  But some sweet and spicey did.  I thought of course of “Jason’s Ginger Shrimp”..  But it has been since the last time I blogged about it, over a year ago, that I’ve made it.. so I couldn’t quite remember the ingredients.  But I vaguely remembered posting to my blog about it, so after a quick “ginger shrimp” search.. It took me right to the Vacation Food post, with everything I needed right there. I have made a ton of things lately that I probably should have blogged about, so I can go find them at a later date when I’ve forgotten what those little things were that made something divine.  I told The Husband “I really should start blogging again I guess, so my recipes are written down somewhere..” and he says “Well yeah.” in that “duh” kind of voice.  Whatever. lol  So here’s my 44365th attempt at blogging.. so I always have a place to find my recipes. LOL

Tonight’s menu (obviously) is Mamma’s Ginger Shrimp. I can hardly wait!! 

Btw.. new house is still awesome.  Gotta repaint that livingroom, though.  It’s freakin peachy orange and I’ve tried to deny it for nearly a year and I’m just done. DONE I tell you! LOL Getting repainted as soon as we get some income tax money.  New furniture is on our horizon as well.  And some dining room chairs.  And a pasta roller.  I’m so excited. lol I can’t hardly wait to start posting homemade ravioli recipes… but for now I’m off to sautee some peppers onions and mushrooms and fry some shrimp. Yumminess. :)

It’s been a long time.. but it’s fall again…

 

Which means I’m getting the cooking and baking and PLANNING the cooking and the baking bug and as such.. the blogging bug to go with it.  Whew. That was quite the sentence, was it not?  Probably no readers left after being absent such a long time.. Ah well..

So the other reason for the food blogging is.. well lets be frank. It’s the state of my jeans.  My favorite jeans. And my little black dress.  Yeah.. No bueno.  The food free for all has GOT to stop.  But the yummy yummy food can’t stop. lol  So the solution?  Yummy looking recipes from the weight watchers website. 

So for the week:

Spanish Chicken and Rice Skillet.. Kind of arroz con pollo meets paella from the looks of it. Has red peppers and cherry tomatoes.  I’m excited. :P

Butternut Squash, Wild Mushroom Pasta Bake.. farfalle, chunks of roasted butternut squash, perfectly sauteed cremini mushrooms, perhaps some sweet italian turkey sausage braised and sliced, some low fat ricotta.. a little bechamel to bring it all together… Some parm on top.  Yeah. This is SO my bday dinner this week (which happens to be thursday hehe). I’m really excited about this one.. it’s WW approved, only 8 points.. I can’t believe my bday isn’t till Thursday and I have to wait that long! I am doing this *hoping* that it will ease up my cravings for “Cheesy Autumn Goodness”… You know the one.  Yeah.  Not so much on the WW approved.  So we make the farfalle thing and pretend.  Because we ARE wearing the hot little black dress out on Saturday night. 

Potato Soup w/ corn and bacon.. Cheesy creamy potato soup with corn and bacon. Do I really need to explain it any more than that?  I didn’t think so.

And finally.. Breaded Oven “fried” Pork Chops with brown rice and a light brown gravy (Jason is so gonna freak out.. this is his favorite food EVAR.. well next to my homemade spaghetti and meatballs).. And with that some green beans done with onions and garlic and a little sherry.

All in all I’m excited.. actually can’t wait to get to the grocery store tomorrow. I’m thinking the soup tomorrow night.. We’re having a cold front blow in tonight and it’s supposed to be fall like all day tomorrow.. so everyone will be excited for soupy comfort food and hot rolls. :) 

Baja Sauce

 

Little late but here it is. :)

Ingredients

• 2 Tbs olive oil
• 1/2 yellow onion, chopped
• 1 Tbs red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 Tbs yellow bell pepper, chopped
• 1 Tbs orange bell pepper, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 heavy pinch of salt
• 1 mango, diced
• 1 medium orange, juiced
• juice of 1/2 lime
• 1 tsp garlic pepper
• 2 Tbs honey
• 2 Tbs light brown sugar
• 1 habenero, sides cut off, seeds and membranes discarded (unless you like it HOT)
• 1 chipotle pepper, minced (more if you like it)
• 1 tsp adobo sauce (from the chipotles)
• salt and pepper to taste
• 4 to 5 jarred jalapeno slices, minced
• 1 Tbs chopped cilantro
• 1 tsp each, lime and orange zest
• 3/4 to 1 cup light sour cream

Directions

1. Heat olive oil over medium heat in skillet. Add onion and peppers but not garlic. Add salt and sautee over medium heat until tender, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and saute for 1 more minute. Add mangos, and the juice of one orange and half a lime along with honey and brown sugar. Add the sides of the habenero, and the chipotle and the adobo sauce. Simmer over low heat for 3 to 4 minutes. Remove peices of habenero. Add salt and pepper to taste. Place mango sautee in blender and add cilantro, chopped jarred jalapenos, and zest. Puree. Remove 1/2 cup sauce and serve as is. To the remaning puree, add sour cream and blend until smooth and combined.

Footnotes

• For more heat, mince half of the habenero sides and sautee with onions and peppers.

Bad Blogger

 

I have been a very bad blogger these days.  I blame facebook. When you can just type in little tidbits here and there on your facebook status, it hardly seems neccisary to write a big long post.  But I promise, I will try to get something in her soon.. if I even still have any blog followers left.. have you all given up on me yet?  I hope not. :) 

I have pictures to post.. of my garden.  It was a lovely weekend and we finally got most of the gardening I have been wanting to do, done.  My roses have been put in the ground! The only thing left really is Andy Boo’s Apple tree.  But I need to call the gas and water companies to come out here and mark where the lines are so we don’t run into any of those when planting the tree. :)  Andy is really excited about it… we have the spot all picked out and are really hoping that we won’t have any problems with gas or water lines.  OH and I think I am going to replace the tree they cut down in my backyard with a Cherry Willow tree.. JD, isn’t that what you have planted?  I’ve read that a regular weeping willow will destroy our foundation and any plumbing/sewage lines.. and that Cherry Willows are better options for the residential yard.  And they are pink in the spring! :) 

Tonight’s dinner promises to be scrumpy… I’m making Shrimp Tacos.. totally not doing any kind of work on the shrimp though.. I bought a box of premade popcorn shrimps that have already been cleaned breaded and probably fried.. I just gotta heat them up in the oven.  The Baja sauce, however, WILL be homemade, from scratch.  Perhaps that will be my post later tonight. :) 

For now I’m gonna go sit in my beautiful front yard and admire my rose bush that’s in the ground just in front of my cute bistro table, which sits under my huge Ash tree. :)

Happy Birthday Sweetheart

 

Samantha,

Happy Birthday sweetheart.  11 years ago today you touched the life and heart of one of my dearest friends. My heart aches for the fact that I do not get to know you. I miss you, yet never met you.  I wish you were here.. but more than that I wish WE could be THERE. I would imagine Jesus throws the most amazing birthday party.  With chocolate mint icecream cake and butterfinger hot chocolate.  Happy Birthday, beautiful girl!

I love you sweet little girl,

Aunt Marie