October Loves

I am so glad summer is finito. I hate hate HATE summer. Perhaps if I lived in L.A., not La., where temps year-round were not sweltering and too muggy to breathe, my opinion would change. However, I live in the temperate region I refer to as Satan's Taint. It's as unpleasant as that sounds.

Gladly, October has arrived, cooled things down enough to be bearable, so I am in a better mood, and thinking about the things I am loving now. First up, a new favorite blog. Beauty in Budget is written by Teresa, who regularly scours drugstores, Target, Ulta, Sally's and the internet, for the best deals in beauty. Her philosophy, that being thrifty does not equal being stuck with low-quality products, is a smart one. Her reviews are honest, especially helpful if you are a dry-skinned gal (but don't let that deter you! I'm oily and find her reviews insightful for my issues too), and her writing style reads like a chat from your very knowledgeable friend. She also shares her monthly gets from Birchbox, offers giveaways, and reviews any higher end products she receives (as either gifts or with great discounts.) If you love makeup, want to know where your dollars would be best spent, follow her blog. http://beautyinbudgetblog.wordpress.com/ 

Keeping in the budget theme, we move from the vanity to the kitchen. Our eating habits of late have left much to be desired. Frozen pizzas, drive thru, repeat...I'm sick of the same ol same ol. So I made a list one night, based on things we already have around the house, and built a menu from there. The two main aspects of this are 1) will this meal provide leftovers, and 2) are the ingredients able to be used more than once. I call that stretching. And it has changed how I cook. In the past, leftovers either went to waste, or don't exist (on chicken pot pie or enchilada nights, especially.) Now, I am planning leftovers. It's not quite once a month cooking, which I think my kitchen is currently too messy/disorganized/small to make work, but it's in that vein. I keep in mind the number of servings, what goes with the main, and will I be ok eating this more than twice a month? Because a nice pot of red beans and rice is great, but it's not my favorite, so the thought of eating it frequently does not set my heart aflutter. Which might be a shame, I do make really good red beans. It is on my list of to be mades, so sometime before this month is over, we will have some and freeze the rest. My goal is to stay out of WalMart as much as possible, not spend a ton on food, and stretch things as far as I can. I have a list of meals to make, how many servings they will provide, and I have tried to assign them to a day, so I can see how far they will go. It hasn't exactly worked out that way, because so far, two meals went to the freezer, and two more were eaten later in the night, or for lunch the next day. However, I feel I am on the right track, since starting this we have only spent about 200 on groceries, and I know I have enough to finish this month, and stretch into November. Fingers crossed that we make it to November 7th. Probably a lofty goal, but with careful planning, I see no reason why not :) I have a few other culinary favorites right now, but I am saving those for a possible future giveaway, so subscribe and stay tuned!

The other loves of my autumn are pretty much required for this time of year. Halloween, pumpkins, candy, nicer weather...the usual. I loved Halloween as a kid. I was always very shy, but putting on a costume seemed to help some of that float away, at least for the night. I love the holidays, despite their inherent insanity, so this time of the year is like the best of both- fun days are coming, but things haven't gotten nutso stressful just yet. And fun sized chocolate everything is everywhere. Love that! ;)

Sugar Cookies....Sort of

Madalyn came to visit today, which was a perfect reason to make cookies. She's been waiting to make them since Christmas, about two years ago, and is all about being in charge of frosting. Or sprinkles, she isn't picky. She is also dying to decorate a gingerbread house, which, should stars, space-time continuums and schedules align, we should hopefully do this December.

As Katie (my sister) and I have had plans to make tons of Christmas cookies practically since birth, we tend to go a little overboard buying supplies every holiday season. "Red and green sprinkles? Yes, please!" "Multi-colored sanding sugars? Don't mind if I do!" "Edible glitter?!?! Where can we find this greatest invention of the last 1200 years?" This extends to cookie mixes. We have quite a few. So many, one might think we are rolling in dough (*snicker*) every weekend, cookies up to at least our ankles. Truth is, they are pretty much just taking up prime cabinet real estate. Enter Mady.

Now, our grand cookie plans would have been much, much grander if A) there had been any clean, unoccupied counter space in the kitchen at the time and B) my parents ever kept real butter in the fridge. I have to work with what I've got, because I'm pretty sure it's in the Bible, if you promise to make cookies with a 4 year old, and then don't, you're going to hell. I'm not an expert, but if it's also a meme, it must be true. Right? Armed with our pack of sugar cookie mix, we headed to the fridge to make our fortunes cookies. I have seen many times on Pinterest, in magazines, and just online in general, you can substitute healthy things for fats/eggs in baking. I have used applesauce in brownies previously, to pretty decent results (unless your name is Brian and you have a sugar problem), so I decided today was the day I use Greek yogurt to replace butter. And now that I think about it, I think yogurt might be one of the suggestions to replace eggs, not butter, and these cookies call for butter, not eggs, so possible oops on my part. But what is baking without throwing a little caution to the wind, and throwing a little yogurt into your cookie dough? I'm not entirely sure. Ignore the rhetorical lady on the laptop.

Yogurt Sugar Cookies
1 package Betty Crocker Sugar cookie mix (the smaller package, possibly also labeled "snack size")
1/4 cup Greek yogurt (I used honey Greek, Greek Gods brand)
2 TBSP water

Preheat oven to 375F.
Mix all ingredients until well incorporated. Lightly grease a cookie sheet (or use tinfoil without it) and drop by rough tablespoon sized blobbys (trust me, they will be blobbys! This is not a firm, roll-out-and-cut kind of dough!) Add sprinkles, if desired. Bake 8-10 minutes. Et voila, sugar cookies. Sort of. Yield varies.

One day, I will have a nicer camera. But I love how festive the sprinkles are and how they pair nicely with the plate. Kind of reminds me of the circus. But way nicer, no animals were harmed during the making of these cookies. Except Ralph. His tail got in the way of my foot. Sorry, Ralphie!

Note the biscuit-like texture. The too-brown bottom. The unpolished sausage fingers. 

Verdict? If you are looking for a pretty cookie, move along, bub. If you are looking for the next taste sensation, take a hike. If you want a cookie that is also kind of like a biscuit, in that it is light and fluffy, and not super sweet, welcome home! You are among friends. I would also say they have a somewhat toothsome bite. These cookies remind me a little of those frosted sugar cookies you can get at any Wal Mart- they are light, soft, slightly dense somehow, but not as crumbly (not that those WMSCs are crumbly, just slightly more so than these.) They do get way browner on the bottoms than the tops, which led my mom to claim they were under baked. I think she's ready for Shady Pines, she claims everything is either undercooked, under baked, still mooing, not enough mayo...it's never right. But she also never cooks, so I'm curious where her frame of reference hails from. I would make these again if I had no butter but did have yogurt. If you have ever dreamed that you, too, could have a cookie that was also like a biscuit (and you aren't confusing American and British versions of the word) then try these! A pretty decent little cookie for when you kind of feel like having a cookie. Sort of.

Pretty Nifty Books #1, Toad Cottages and Shooting Stars

I love this book. Which might be amusing to some, as it is marketed to grandmas, and I am merely an aunt. The official title may actually even be "Grandma's Bag of Tricks: Toad Cottages..." Now, I DO have somewhat granny taste in some things, such as clothing, hobbies, clip art and such, so books are no different.

Image from Amazon. Obviously. 

The author, Sharon Lovejoy, is a grandmother, has written quite a few books about gardening (my favorite being "Roots, Shoots, Buckets and Boots," which is for kids, but I tend to like kiddish things!) but you need not be a child, a grandmother, or even an accomplished gardener to enjoy her books. My nieces are currently 4 years and almost 2 months, and I know I will get a lot of use out of this book, at least from the eldest, Madalyn, who loves being outside. Kaitlyn has a while to make up her mind regarding the great outdoors :)

With chapters ranging from setting up your house for kids, learning about nature, cooking, gardening and things to do on rainy days, there is no shortage of "things to do" within this book. Best of all, you need not have tons of money to do them. You needn't also be a grandparent or live in the country- I think some things could be adapted, for instance, if you have no room to garden, but do have access to a farmer's market, voila, instant garden. Nature walks can happen in city parks. Your imagination is the only limit.

The book is currently on Amazon going for $10.97, but I found my copy at B-A-M for a whopping $3.97, on one of those clearance tables. And don't forget to check your local library! I also wholeheartedly recommend "Roots, Shoots, Buckets and Boots," and will say I look forward to building a Sunflower house, solely because of that book.

A Really Dirty Post

I believe this was the year I found my "plant to always grow." Sorry I lack a clever, catchy name for said plant, maybe at some point one will enter my head.

Sorry for the upside-down pic. And my ugly floor. 

So, what is this brave little plant that won't quit? Moss Rose. AKA Portaluca and Purslane. I hear it is both edible and considered a weed. Which kind of saddens me. Why? Why is it considered a nuisance of a plant?

Not long after planting. Note the dried out soil and the dying Petunia, desperately trying to escape this dried-out hell.  I am a fan of this particular color variation. Very saturated in pictures!

Apparently, these guys are not just drought-tolerant, they prefer to be in drier soil. Its planter buddy, the Petunia, not as much. This has worked out great this summer, as I have gone away, forgotten to water, and just when all seems lost, we get a nice storm, and a day later....

KA-BLOOM!

And after that....

It's like it rained Miracle Gro. Please excuse my filthy carport. The maid is off. For life.

So far this year, I have managed to kill a Celosia, Begonia, Petunias, a lovely pink Gerber daisy, and have managed to not plant two bags of Gladiolus bubs. My rose from earlier this summer is still very much alive, the two Orchids I got seem maybe ok (one flowered and looks like it now wants to die; the other one is still bright, green, and flowerless.) My rose from last year is still blooming, which is great except I am not a fan of the color. Sickly pink striped with white. Meh. And my Azalea from last year has grown quite nicely. So, to my original point, if you currently suck at gardening, but love flowers, and would like to not suck so much at gardening, start with something easy. Like Moss Rose. And Zinnias. Just don't give up because you think your thumb is less than green :)

Double Chocolate Muffin Loaf

I have been promising Brian muffins for days now. It all started the night/morning I looked up strawberry muffin recipes online. Well, ok, it all really started the night/morning I ate an entire pan of Martha White Wildberry muffins all by my lonesome. Though they may not be his favorite flavor, Brian was marginally upset by this event, so I promised him new muffins. Better muffins. Chocolate chip muffins. I am not a fan of straight-up chocolate chip anything (save cookies), especially muffins. So, I decided they should be double chocolate. It was also a cheap ploy to get a canister of cocoa powder, which I promised to put into a pot of chili at some point. Don't laugh, it's good.

So, this recipe is from the Tasty Kitchen Blog, but I added a teaspoon of vanilla, a dash of salt, changed the chips from bittersweet to milk, and they aren't actually going to be muffins. My muffin pan is rusted, and rusty muffins are no bueno. So, a muffin loaf it is, which is actually our preferred way to eat them (no wrappers to compete for muffin with, you get a substantial chunk without the "I just ate an entire pan of muffins!" guilt.) Muffin loaf just might change your life, if you let it.

Taste Verdict- I like it. It's not too sweet, it's dense, pretty moist, and for breakfast, you won't feel like you're eating a big chunk of cake. And it could be gussied up for dessert, too, with the addition of ice cream or whipped cream or whatever topping tickles your tastebuds. I would also suggest adding nuts. I like nuts in my baked goods.


Double Chocolate Muffin Loaf

2 whole Eggs
¼ cups Canola Oil
1-¼ cup Milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup Granulated Sugar
½ cups Cocoa Powder
dash salt (about 1/4 teaspoon)
2-¼ cups All-purpose Flour 
1 cup Milk Chocolate Chips

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

In a large bowl whisk together the eggs, oil, milk, vanilla, and sugar. Add the cocoa powder, followed by the flour, salt, and baking powder. Fold in the chocolate chips and pour the batter into a greased loaf pan. Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Note- I baked mine a hair over 50 minutes, and part of it was still gooey in the middle. Perhaps my oven was not hot enough or retaining enough heat; I used a toaster oven. I will try again using our regular, gas, heats-up-the-whole-dang-kitchen oven next time! 

*Something I learned recently, did you know you should heat your pan slightly after you spray it with non-stick spray? I did this last week when I baked a bundt cake. I'd never actually read the back of the can, but it's right there, silently instructing us to do so. It worked fine, no better or worse than not heating it. I do have a theory it helps cut down on that post-baked pan stickiness (hate that!) but only time and further baking/experimentation will prove me right or wrong.*

So Much For That

That job I posted about last.....not happening. Part of me is irritated as shit by this, another part very much "when one door closes, another opens," and yet another part is bothered by the lack of jobs in my line of experience, and the fact that I should have gone to school, oh, twelve years ago.

So for now, I am scouring the local job sites, hoping to find something above minimum wage, maybe with various benefits. Close to the house would be lovely. What I want to do with my life is still unclear, which is why I did not go skipping off to higher learning in August of 1999. I have ideas but lack direction. Maybe this was easier for women sixty years ago, but I don't necessarily want to go that route. I'd like to retire with some money to my name, but the way I'm going, it'll only happen if I win the lottery. So back to the drawing board, annoyed, kind of sad and confused, and really tired of being broke. I have a real problem with wanting to progress right fucking now, because most of my life has been stalled since I got out of high school. Engaged for four years, no degrees, no nice place to live, no kids...I am utterly frustrated and hoping I figure out a way to change it. Soon.

Summer So Far

Unemployment, relationship woes, non-working vehicle- so this is my summer. Let me clarify: April, I quit my job because my ovaries are bitchfaces. May, I broke up with the fiance and then convinced him we should reconsider the break. We are back together. My car overheated and stopped working on my way home from Lafayette, and hopefully will be repaired soon. I waited almost 2 months for my dad to come take a look. Mechanic dad is, in my imagination, as good as doctor dad or dentist dad or carpenter dad. If he were "mechanic-I'll never make spaghetti again in my life-here's some money for all the years you never got an allowance, aka 'all of your childhood'-I quit watching Fox News because fear mongering and lies are not cool-I have a magic box that makes appear before you any food you could ever want" dad, well, I might have to move back home. But I hate spaghetti. And Fox News. But I love my dad, and can usually count on him to maybe not agree with my food/social oddities, but understand them, because he's pretty much the same. Hell, I had to get it somewhere. I will say this- he is very odd where cheese is concerned. I am the same way with my fruits and veggies, so perhaps I should not go "ok, weirdo," next time he's all "how can you eat THAT <points to slice of Swiss cheese I'm shoving into my face gap> straight from the fridge? At least melt it first!" Ok, weirdo.

Perhaps the second biggest thing of the season for me is Pinterest. I have become a pinning fool. I'm also considering starting a Dirty and Girly Pin page, but then I would get even less done, and I have to sleep at some point. Someone mentioned if they were paid to pin, they'd be rich. I'm approaching that faux income bracket quickly myself. I think I'm over 600. If one received five dollars per pin, that'd be 3,000 dollars. I'm willing to sign up for this. Other things I am considering are a mobile beauty service (I watch too much Jerseylicious. And I would need to go to beauty school. But it's a goal!) and possibly start working towards a degree in Pre K-3 education. It is hard to get a teaching job in this area, however. And I doubt "opening a homeschool" counts or is even a good idea. But since I was about 4, I claimed I would teach kindergarten during the school year, cut hair during the summer. I keep going back to those two, possibly because Vet school is 8 years total. And I would like to finish before I'm 40.

The biggest of all.....my newest niece! Kaitlyn Elizabeth, born July 8. She was not due to meet us until August 4, but she decided earlier was better. Hopefully she keeps that in her little bag of virtues; my mother is late to everything but work and dessert. This has somewhat trickled down to my sister and me. The day we show up to Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner before everyone has eaten is record-shattering. Kaitlyn, our little early bird, is also the first July baby in a while for the family. She is sweet, calm, smiley, intrigued by whatever may be going on around her, and completely photogenic. I don't say this as any sort of bitchy remark, but babies are not generally a pretty lot. Unless you find raisins and aliens pretty. There are plenty of cute babies, and I can think of one gorgeous baby (to whom I am also related, my little Brookey, sweet west-coast cousin) but Kaitlyn, she is so pretty.

And don't tell me I'm biased, this kid is clearly ready to take the world by storm. After her nap.

I am allegedly starting a new job soon, so I plan to blow most of my income on getting out of debt. And nail polish. And on the Nyx website. And books. And magazines. And probably cheese. Now I intend to look forward to fall, and hoping that it's going to be a cool one. A frigid one.
Praying for a September blizzard,
-C