Thankful Thursdays #43: the bad stuff

Posted on September 22, 2011 by Veronica

“Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 1 Thesselonians 5:16-18

Last year I made a resolution to find something to be thankful for every day until next Thanksgiving. I have been documenting my daily thanksgivings weekly for 43 weeks, and have realized that most all of them are based on something good that happens each day. This is logical and there is certainly nothing wrong with that, in fact I’d say there’s a whole lot right in it, but I’ve been considering the Bible verse about giving thanks in everything. That means being thankful not only for the good things but for everything. Even the bad.

Easier said than done, but as my preacher says, happiness and joy are a choice. When we are faced with adversity, challenges, trials and tribulations, we can choose the way we react and can either be miserable or rejoice and be thankful in the midst of it. So this week I decided I was going to apply this scripture in the opposite way that I have been, finding something “bad” to be thankful for every day. Something that is a burden, a trial, a problem. And find a reason to be thankful for it. Here goes…

Thursday: that I’m a diabetic. Ten years ago this month, I was laying in a bed in intensive care, newly diagnosed and learning how to give myself insulin shots and care for myself. There are so many things that I’m thankful for concerning this disease! For the modern medicine that not only saved my life, but has allowed me to live a fairly normal existence. For the teeny tiny needles that have shrunk even smaller just in the last ten years, making insulin injections virtually painless. For the blood sugar meter that helps me keep my blood sugar in a normal range and will thus prolong my life. For health insurance that brings the significant cost of diabetic supplies to a manageable level. That I’m more concerned with my health because of my diabetes, and that I have to see a doctor quarterly because of it, keeping me more on top of my over-all health than I might be otherwise.

Friday: for my parents. Truth be told, they are quite a trial for me, and I often react badly to it and and become angry, upset, and frustrated. But I thank God for them because they bore me, they raised me, and they love me. They made sacrifices for me, provided for me, and I wouldn’t be who I am today without them. And I hope it doesn’t sound conceited to say I’m kinda happy with the person I am, though I do have to give God the glory for that. I would be much more of a mess without His intervention. :) Anyway, I really need to keep this thankfulness for my parents in mind each time I see them, along with the fruits of the spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control). :)

Saturday: for our tiny house. I may have to get very creative when it comes to storage, but these walls and roof protect us from the elements and keep us safe, and that is all we need.

Sunday: For disagreements with bretheren, because through them I study the Bible deeper, grow in knowledge, and my faith is renewed and strengthened. Those disagreements can also lead to stronger friendships!

Monday: for my physical flaws. I may not like them, but they keep me humble. Honestly, I could be very vain if I didn’t have so many (extra “cushion,” mustache & chin hairs (HATE!), acne, spider veins, under-eye circles, just to name a few!). I don’t want to be so humbled that I can’t look people in the eye because I’m fearing their judgment of my appearance, and thankfully I’ve moved past that, but I also don’t want to think too highly of my appearance when there are more important things to concern myself with. My flaws help me stay balanced! lol

Tuesday: My job. Actually, I never think of my job as a negative thing, but I was talking to a co-worker who was grumbling about the injustice we suffer, how it’s not an enjoyable job, and although I could see his point, I can honestly say I have succeeded in rejoicing and giving thanks when it comes to my job. I choose to focus on the positive, which in my opinion greatly outweighs the negative, and so I feel happy to work there, even if there are things happening weekly that I do not agree with. Hey, I have a job, and it’s an easy one that pays well, has good benefits, and I get to listen to books & music while I do it. How can I complain?

Wednesday: That I really had to struggle to come up with a list of seven bad things in my life!! Thank God for my simple, wonderful life!!

What is bad in your life that you can be thankful for?

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Healthy Slow Cooker Meat Sauce

Posted on September 21, 2011 by Veronica

Dennis and I have been eating out a lot now that I work through the dinner hour. I finally got fed up with the unhealthy food and the weight gain we’re both experiencing, and decided to cook up enough real homemade food on my days off to last us for the week. This meat sauce was the first thing I threw together, and Dennis was in heaven!

https://i0.wp.com/a4.l3-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/106/e4b697be95db4cacb0b570413a915d69/l.jpg

This is an old picture from 2009 but I had to include it. Dennis eats everything with chopsticks-he's obsessed!

I’m not completely back on the healthy bandwagon, but this meal is a good start. The sauce is hearty, flavorful & robust, and very low in fat. I chose to sweeten the sauce mainly with carrots, and you may find this balances the acidity of the tomatoes enough for your taste, but I decided to add some agave nectar to mine to sweeten it a little more. You could also try upping the carrots to 2 cups.

Serve this over whole wheat pasta along with a salad and you’ve got a nutritious, delicious meal!

Healthy Slow Cooker Meat Sauce

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1 pound bison, venison, or lean ground beef
2 links mild Italian turkey sausage, casings removed
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 (14.5 ounce) cans fire-roasted diced tomatoes
1 ½ cups finely shredded carrots (about 4 medium carrots)
2 (8 ounce) cans tomato paste
2 tablespoons agave nectar or sugar
1 tablespoon oregano
1 tablespoon basil
1 tablespoon garlic salt
3 bay leaves
1 teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
¼ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
Salt to taste

In a large skillet, cook the meat and onions until the meat is brown and the onions are tender. Add the minced garlic and cook another minute. Do not drain unless you used meat with a higher fat content. If you used the suggested meat, you will have a little broth in the pan with only a tiny amount of fat, which I like to leave for flavor.

Meanwhile, add the undrained tomatoes and carrots to a 4-quart (or larger) slow-cooker and puree using an immersion blender (if you don’t have an immersion blender, do this with your regular blender). Stir in the tomato paste, agave nectar, oregano, basil, garlic salt, bay leaves, garlic powder, red pepper flakes, and pepper. Stir in the meat mixture and cover.

Cook on high for 5-6 hours, or low for 10-12 hours, stirring caramelized sides back into the sauce. When complete, stir well, fishing out the bay leaves, and add salt to taste. Serve on top of your favorite pasta.

Recipe source: inspired by The Cooking Photographer

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Posted in Italian, Lighter Fare, Meats, Pasta, Slow-Cooker/Crockpot and tagged bison, crokpot, diet-friendly, healthy, low-fat, meat sauce, recipe, slow cooker, sweeted with carrots, venson. Bookmark the permalink.

Romaine Salad with Chicken, Cheddar, Apples, Spiced Pecans and Cranberry Vinaigrette

Posted on September 20, 2011 by Veronica

This is another recipe I made earlier in the spring and waited to post until the transition from summer to fall because, while salads are typical summer fare, this one incorporates fall flavors like cranberries, apples, and spiced pecans.

If you want to know how this salad tastes, just read the title. And imagine all those things together on a plate. There is a lot going on here and you get such a wonderful symphony of flavors and textures with each bite–salty from the nuts & cheese, sweet & tart from the apples & vinaigrette, crisp lettuce & onions, savory & tender chicken, crunchy spiced pecans. It’s a glorious thing!

Romaine Salad with Chicken, Cheddar, Apples, Spiced Pecans and Cranberry Vinaigrette

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1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 3-4 medium)
Salt and black pepper
1 tablespoon vegetable or canola oil
1/2 cup water
1 large head romaine lettuce, torn into bite-size pieces (about 8-10 cups)
8 ounces sharp or extra-sharp cheddar cheese, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 Granny Smith apple, cored and chopped or sliced thin
1/2 red onion, sliced thin
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1 cup spiced pecans, store-bought or following the simple recipe below

Dried Cranberry Vinaigrette (recipe below)

Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and season both sides with the salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until the oil is shimmering and hot. Add the chicken and cook until it is nicely browned on one side, about 3 minutes. Flip the chicken over, add the water, and cover the skillet. Cook the chicken, letting it poach, until it is cooked through, about 5-7 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and let it cool slightly before carving.

Toss the lettuce, cheese, apple, pecans, onion and dried cranberries together. Divide the salad among the serving plates. Slice the chicken on a diagonal and arrange over the salad. Serve with the vinaigrette.

Quick Spiced Pecans:
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
2 cups pecan halves
1 tablespoon sugar

Melt the butter in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Stir in the spices and then the pecans. Toast the nuts, stirring often, until the color deepens slightly and they are lightly toasted, about 5-7 minutes. Transfer the nuts to a bowl and toss with the sugar. Let them cool completely before tossing with the salad.

Dried Cranberry Vinaigrette:
*Makes about 1 1/2 cups dressing

1/4 cup cranberry juice or water
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup red wine or raspberry vinegar
1 shallot, peeled and quartered
1 small garlic clove, peeled
2 teaspoons fresh thyme (or 1/2 teaspoon dried)
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Combine the cranberry juice (or water) and cranberries in a small microwave-safe bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and microwave on high for one minute until hot. Process the hot cranberry mixture, vinegar, shallot, garlic, thyme, mustard, salt and pepper in a blender until the shallot and garlic are finely chopped. With the blender running, add the oil and continue to blend until the dressing is smooth and well-combined. Thin the dressing, if needed, with additional cranberry juice. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Recipe source: Mel’s Kitchen Cafe

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Posted in Lighter Fare, Meats, Salads. Bookmark the permalink.

Quacking Up With The Millers

Posted on September 19, 2011 by Veronica

Despite all the teasers I’ve been giving you in the recipe department lately (deodorant, red velvet cake, butterscotch swirl cake, etc., etc.), I am not ready to post any of them because I have no photos. The photos of my deodorant-making process were accidentally deleted (along with butterscotch syrup pics that I needed for the butterscotch cake-oy!), and I have to make the cakes I promised recipes for a second time because me being me, I can not possibly post a recipe using only photos of the cake in a box, and the only picture of the inside being a stale piece behind glass in low-lighting on a paper plate. I may not use a fancy-schmancy camera, but I do have some standards. I’m sorry to those of you who could care less about the quality or lack of photos, but please be patient while I re-make everything and take more photos. Thank you!

While I do have other recipes with photos I can share, I thought I’d change things up and share a video I shot in the poultry exhibit at the Kansas State Fair last Monday instead. They have such interesting birds in there, and I’m only showing you a smidgen of them. Usually we skip the poultry exhibit because birds aren’t as cute to look at as other animals, but we had so much fun in there (maybe a little too much–we are easily amused, as you will see) , it is now my new favorite exhibit. I hope you enjoy!

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Garlic Chicken & Bacon Spaghetti Squash Alfredo

Posted on September 16, 2011 by Veronica

I made this recipe in the spring and thought it would be nice to share in the fall when it was starting to get chilly. Not so chilly that you are ready to dig into the really heavy foods, but are just starting to think about it. That day has come a lot sooner than I expected! Does it seem like an early fall is coming on in your neck of the woods as well?

If so, here’s a fantastic meal that seems pretty hearty and is totally comforting while still managing to be quite healthy and diet-friendly. Debbi, the creator of this recipe, calculated it as only about 200 calories per serving (1/8th of the recipe) so even if you ate half of the whole casserole (which would be quite a feat!), you’d probably still be eating less calories than a restaurant alfredo dish would have, and it’s so much healthier!

I thought this dish was absolutely positively scrumptious and although it takes some time to prepare because you have to pre-roast the spaghetti squash, it’s very simple. I eat a lot of spaghetti squash, but this is only one of two dishes I’ve ever eaten it in with such gusto. I don’t even like alfredo sauce, especially jarred, and I L-O-V-E-D this meal. I really felt like I was indulging because meals this delicious usually have a ton of fat and calories. Not true in this case–it really is like having your cake and eating it too!

Garlic Chicken and Bacon Spaghetti Squash Alfredo

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1 large spaghetti squash, about 2 1/2 lbs.
1 (15 oz.) jar Classico Garlic Alfredo Sauce
8 oz. mozzarella cheese, shredded
9 oz. chicken, cooked & chopped
6 slices turkey bacon
1 onion, sliced
Salt and pepper

Split spaghetti squash in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with cooking oil. Place the squash face-down on the sheet and roast in oven at 375 for about 45 min – 1 hour or until tender when poked with a fork on the underside. Let cool until you can handle the squash without burning your hands, and scrape the squash out with a fork into a 9 x 13 pan sprayed with cooking spray. Leave the oven on.

While the squash is cooling enough to handle, cook bacon until crispy and remove to a plate to cool. Grill onions in the small amount of bacon grease in pan, using additional oil or cooking spray if needed. If you want your onions to get crispy dark edges, let them sit for a minute or two before stirring each time. Season with salt and pepper and set aside. Crumble the cooled bacon.

Spread alfredo sauce over the spaghetti squash in the pan, sprinkle on half the cheese, top with chopped chicken, bacon and sauteed onions, then top with remaining cheese. Bake, uncovered, for about 25 minutes until heated through and cheese is melted.

Recipe source: Debbi Does Dinner Healthy

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Posted in Italian, Lighter Fare, Main Dishes, My Favorites and tagged alfredo, bacon, chicken, diet, diet-friendly, grilled onions, hearty, indulgent, recipe, spaghetti squash, Weight Watchers. Bookmark the permalink.

Thursday Thanksgivings #42: his singing lessons

Posted on September 15, 2011 by Veronica

I made a thanksgiving resolution to find something to be thankful for every day until next Thanksgiving. Here’s what I am thankful for this week!

Thursday: Well, we got the report and the lump on my Dad’s arm was, in fact, cancer (basal cell carcinoma), but it’s been completely removed so it’s OK. There’s only a 10% chance of it returning, which isn’t too bad. We’ll take it!

Friday: For a meal with my hubby! He came over during my lunch, which is a late dinner time for him (7:15 PM), and we totally didn’t care that we were eating in a parking lot in his car because at least we were together! <3

Saturday: My work schedule this week is the same as one of my buddies! It’s ever-changing and the last few weeks I’ve been breaking and lunching solo because we all start at different times. So nice to see Erika again!

Sunday: For my husband’s singing lessons. I’ve almost forgotten the time when I used to have to jab him in the ribs every three seconds while we sang at church because he would not only sing off-key, but do it LOUDLY. Like EXTREMELY LOUDLY. LIKE TYPING IN CAPS LOCK LOUD. Now he’s one of our song leaders, and today he was able to lead us in a song (I Am His Child) that, the first time he tried it, was a complete disaster. Shout out to Jennifer Johnson, his fab teacher! God has worked a miracle through you. :)

Monday: That all the effort I put into my baking for the fair this year paid off! I got 11 ribbons, 5 of them blue, which is the best I’ve done so far (this is my third year).

Tuesday: My first error-free edit since I started my probation! We are secretly checked every so often to see if we are keying the mail pieces correctly–sneaking in 25 pieces of old mail into the current. We have to keep our error rate under 2% and with this latest one, two of my old errors dropped off and it dropped down to 1.35% (it was 1.55% before that), which helps me breathe a little easier.

Wednesday: Getting off early enough to join Dennis and Jessie on the nightly walk! I’m starting at 12:15 all this week so I’m home by 9 PM, Jessie’s usual walk time. It is SO nice to be able to have a few hours with Dennis before he goes to sleep. Yay! :)

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Miracle Pan Release

Posted on September 14, 2011 by Veronica

I bake a lot of cakes. It’s kind of my thing. I even have a T-shirt that says, “Real Girls Eat Cake.” Because I want people to know that the reason I eat so much cake is that I’m real, and not because I have a problem. Although I may not be fooling anyone but myself with that shirt.

Anyway, because of all the cake-baking happening in my kitchen, I usually also have a can of Baker’s Joy or a bottle of Wilton’s Cake Release in my pantry because they make such an easy one-step job of greasing and flouring my cake pans, which nearly every cake requires. With a push of a spray nozzle or a swirl of a pastry brush, my pans are covered in seconds and there is never a pile of flour laying around my trashcan.

However, I can be kind of a tightwad, so when my friend, Suzie, sent me the link for a miraculous recipe to make my own “Cake Release”-type product, I was overjoyed. And let me tell you, it works SO much better than Baker’s Joy. And just as good as Wilton’s product at a fraction of the price. I’ve never had a cake slide out so easily, except when using Wilton’s Cake Release! It is very shelf-stable and easy to make, so I encourage you to whip up a batch to keep on hand for your own baking projects.

Miracle Pan Release

Printable recipe
Printable recipe with picture

1/2 cup vegetable shortening
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup all-purpose flour

Whisk thoroughly until everything is incorporated and smooth. Store in airtight container at room temperature. To use, dip a pastry brush or impeccably clean fingers into the mixture and spread a thin layer over the bottom and sides of pan(s) for any recipe that calls for “greasing and flouring” your pans.

*Note: you can make any size batch you’d like, just make sure all amounts of each ingredient are equal to each other.

Recipe source: Apron of Grace

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Posted in Cake & Frosting, How-To & DIY, My Favorites, Tips & Tricks and tagged Baker's Joy, DIY, do-it-yourself, homemade, miracle pan release, recipe, Wilton Cake Release. Bookmark the permalink.

Kansas State Fair 2011: the results are in!

Posted on September 13, 2011 by Veronica

I know that winning baking contests is not a huge deal in the large scheme of things, nor something I even want to care about very much for fear I would put too much importance on it, but I have to tell you I was quite excited to find out how I did when we got to the fair on Monday. I showed up bright and early to enter a few special contests that day and as soon as I had my salsa, muffins, and bread checked it, I made a beeline for the displays to see how my entries fared.

Blue ribbons:

I was so pleased to win first for the Butterscotch Swirl Cake because I got the recipe from my foodie mama and she’s won many blues for it over the years. I’m so glad I could do her proud!

This is the second year in a row I won the blue for these Almond Fudge Cookies (also my foodie mama’s recipe) in the gluten-free class. They are one of my favorite cookies, and I love that they’re gluten-free because that class wins more money than the regular chocolate cookies! hehehe

I already have the recipe for this loaded southern apple cake on my blog (and although I really need to update that old post with credit, I’ll give it here that it’s Paula Deen’s recipe), I just baked it a little differently to suit the fair’s rules for cake (must be frosted): 2 9″ pans (a parchment circle in the bottom helps the removal) for 40 minutes, pour the glaze over each pan, then turn out after 15 minutes and put right side up on cooling racks. Cream cheese isn’t allowed in anything at our fair except in special contests that are judged the same day, so I made an imitation cream cheese vanilla bean frosting, but your favorite cream cheese frosting would work well here.

I was thrilled that my red velvet won because it was the class I was most optimistic about. It was the ONLY cake category that my baking nemisis didn’t place in last year (she’s a super baker that wins everything!), so I thought it was my best shot at first this year. Well, she didn’t enter the red velvet class but I still won first! And I DID beat her in the apple cake so that makes me happy. Bwahahahaha! (By the way, this cake not only won the blue ribbon for red velvet, but won 2nd best out of ALL the cakes submitted!!)

Did I get your attention with the giant cookie? :) These have been my favorite cookies since the day I started making them so I don’t know why it took me so long to finally enter them into the fair. Since everyone has their own standards and preferences for the “best” chocolate chip cookie, I was super stoked that the judges agree with me on this one! Thanks, Laura, for the BEST recipe!

Red ribbons (second place):

My nemesis did beat me in the pineapple upside down cake class, but I can’t complain with second place. :)

I decided to use the carrot cake recipe I have on my own blog this year, and got second place! I’m wondering what I’m going to have to do to get first (got third last year). I’m pretty sure a magic wand with a unicorn tail hair in the middle will have to come into play. At least my nemesis isn’t the one who beat me on this one. That makes it easier to take. :)

Oh, do these look familiar? Yup, I dressed up the almond fudge cookies with some cherry almond buttercream filling and entered them into the special chocolate cookies class. So I got two ribbons out of one batch of cookies! Just goes to show that sometimes laziness pays off.

I have a recipe for Mocha Toffee Brownies on my blog that uses a brownie mix, but of course mixes aren’t allowed in baking contests! So I made the brownies from scratch and nixed the mocha flavoring (thus making them Toffee Brownies) and got second place for these puppies. I will have to share the brownie recipe because it’s the best one I’ve found so far (which means it’s the closest to a mix, which is my personal standard for good brownies).

White ribbon (third place):

Cinnamon Swirl Banana Bread (based off this recipe). My nemesis, who doesn’t even know I exist, by the way, beat me on this one, and also won BEST quick bread with it, and won BEST IN SHOW with her banana bread two years ago, so I’ve now made it my mission to beat her on banana bread, if it’s the last thing I do! *insane laughter*

My sister, Danielle, shared a recipe for her fresh salsa with me several years ago and I never made it, so I broke it out when I decided to enter the special fresh salsa contest that was going on the day we came to the fair. I’m no good at following recipes, but I didn’t change a whole lot-mostly taking out the jalapeño and putting in a poblano pepper. She uses a little orange juice (along with lime and lemon) in her salsa, which is inspired. Thanks for helping me win another ribbon, Dani!

Didn’t place:

Caramel Pound Cake (I previously pictured it underneath some ice cream and caramel sauce in this post). Part of the judging is appearance and I’m sure they counted me off for the center being flat on this one. (I thought the taste was really good, though, and verrry buttery-moist.) I think I used too much caramel sauce in the recipe so maybe with some tweaking, it will be fair-worthy next year.

Cranberry Pumpkin Spice Bread (with orange juice and toasted walnuts in the batter). My middle sister was outraged that this didn’t place, just based on its appearance against the winners. She thought it was the best-looking pumpkin bread submitted, and everyone at my husband’s workplace raved about the second loaf I sent to work with him, so at least I’m a winner in their eyes.

I won third for my Dark Chocolate Chunkies a couple years ago, and on the judging papers they said to try adding less milk chocolate and raisins because they were a bit too sweet. Instead, I added more peanuts because adding less mix-ins would make them too un-chunky (totally a word), but I didn’t think they were as good as the original. Apparently the judges didn’t either.

I used the same recipe for this double chocolate banana bread as for the Double Chocolate Banana Muffins, but replaced the agave nectar with honey to enter this into the honey quick breads class. (I also added two eggs, upped the oil to 1/4 cup, and the chocolate chips to 1 cup.) It made a beautiful loaf, but I think it needed more sweetener so I might try that next year.

Honey Banana Peanut Butter Muffins. (I added two eggs to the recipe, which isn’t necessary, but does seem to improve the texture.) I’m embarrassed about this one because I think I know why they didn’t place…I used rancid nuts! I didn’t realize until too late that I was out of the peanut ice cream topping nuts I usually use so I used the only ones I had, which were leftover from Christmas! Aw, man!

Dennis and I agree with the judges: my Smoky, Sweet & Hot salsa is not ribbon worthy. I entered it, thinking that we didn’t like it because of personal preference for a non-sweet flavor in salsa, but apparently we’re not the only ones. Lesson learned: submit stuff you love and don’t hope that others will like it because they have different tastes than you!

The Kansas Soy Commission was sponsoring a “heart healthy yeast bread” contest which, by their terms, meant a soy-filled product. I included both soy milk and soy flour and learned another lesson: read the rules very closely! I was told by a volunteer that the judges loved the bread but had to disqualify it because I put it on a foil-covered board (what they ask for with other breads) instead of the required paper plate. Oops!

They were also sponsoring a “heart healthy fruit muffin” contest and I wonder if my carrot cake protein muffins (I used a whole pound of tofu in these suckers, along with soy flour, soy milk, and soy cream cheese, which is why they are “protein muffins”) were disqualified because, again, I was oblivious and made a veggie muffin instead of fruit (I thought it was just a muffin contest). I won’t know until I go back to pick up my papers when the fair is over, but I was surprised these didn’t place because they were super moist with great flavor & texture, and the Tofutti soy cream cheese filling really kicked them up another notch. I will have to share the recipe for these for the vegans–they are the bomb!

Out of all three years I have been entering the fair, this is the year I feel best about. Although not necessary, it’s nice to be able to have your talent judged “officially” worthy, and I’m excited to enter next year.

Which recipe(s) would you like me to share first??? :)

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Posted in Announcements & Awards. Bookmark the permalink.

Thankful Thursdays #41

Posted on September 8, 2011 by Veronica

I made a thanksgiving resolution to find something to be thankful for every day until next Thanksgiving. Here’s what I am thankful for this week!

Thursday: I passed my thirty day evaluation! I didn’t even know we would be getting them every month, I just knew there would be a final evaluation at the end of our ninety day probationary period, so I was super nervous to get one this early since I already messed up and was hoping I’d have more time to prove myself. Well, although my supervisor had to mark reliability as “unsatisfactory” since I was five minutes late once (due to getting my ever-changing schedule wrong), I’m doing great with my speed, my efficiency, and my error rate, so she told me to get my reliability up on the same level and there wouldn’t be a problem. WHAT A RELIEF! As long as I don’t mess up again, I should be able to keep my job. Phew!

Friday: Disney! We finally watched Tangled and I was reminded of my life-long love for animated Disney films. I think the horse, Maximus, needs his own movie. :)

Saturday: My itty bitty sweetie. AKA Jessie. We’re spending $150 a month on meds just to keep her from licking all her fur off (she has an allergy to grass or something that comes and goes with each summer), but she’s SO worth it. Life would not be the same without her.

Sunday: After wearing my homemade deodorant for a week, I put it to the ultimate test today (teaching Sunday School, which is about the only thing that gives me the stinky sweats-I think it’s nerves), and now I know that it not only works, but surpasses store-bought deodorant! You gotta love an all-natural, inexpensive product that works better than a commercial, potentially dangerous, product . Success!

Monday: For paid holidays! YES! This is the first holiday in my life that I’ve been paid without having to work. I’ll take it!

Tuesday: That my days off (Mon-Tues-Wed) just happened to be perfect for preparing for this year’s fair. I had to finish most everything today since the entries were due Wednesday, and I spent the day baking up a storm. I entered 30 contests and got about 14 done, and that’s good enough for me.

Wednesday: That my fair baking is now officially behind me for the year (dropped the goods off today) and I can now move on with my life! lol I know this is crazy, but my butt and thighs are totally sore from all this baking. I know, right? I guess there’s more bending and squatting involved when you run out of counter space and start putting cooling racks on the floor and removing cookies from a many cookie sheets onto them. :) I’m super excited to see how I fared in the fair (hehe), but won’t know until I go on Monday. I’m trying to convince myself that I’ll get NO ribbons so that I’m not let down if that is the case. I’d really like the prize money, though! :)

Butterscotch Swirl Cake, my entry in the "bundt cake" class.

I snagged this recipe from my foodie Mama, Marina, who has helped me win two ribbons for cookies with her recipes so far. She has won 6 ribbons for it so far, most blue, including a second place at this year’s fair in CA. I’m really hoping to do her proud and bring home a blue for it!

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Laboring At Home

Posted on September 5, 2011 by Veronica

Happy Labor Day! I’m celebrating by laboring at home instead of at work today. I usually take the holidays off from blogging, but I wanted to sneak in a quick one to let you know I’ll be MIA most of this week, save Thursday (because I’m committed to Thankful Thursdays, come what may!). As I type this, it is 3 AM on Labor Day and I’m just about to hit the sack (gotta love the convenience of prescheduled blogging, which allows me to schedule this to post at 8 AM, despite the deep REM cycle I’ll be devoted to at the time), but once I awake at the crack of noon, I’ll be spending my day baking up a storm in preparation for this year’s fair. This is my third year entering baked goods at the Kansas state fair and I decided to focus on my specialty this year: cakes! I won’t know how I fared until next week, but I’ll be sure to let you guys know when I do.

In the meantime, check out a few of the recipes I’ve won with in the past:

Cinnamon Roll Sugar Cookies (1st place)

Chocolate Sparkle Cookies (1st place)

Carrot Cake Cookies (2nd place)

Loaded Oatmeal Cookies with Brown Butter Frosting (2nd place)

Dark Chocolate Chunkies (3rd place)

Condensed Milk Pound Cake (3rd place)

Fresh Apple Bundt Cake (3rd place)

Recipes from other sites that I’ve won for:

Carrot Cake (2nd place) (I added raisins and walnuts)

Bread Machine Hamburger Buns (2nd place)

Recipes I still need to post that I’ve won for: