My first tagging

I was tagged by one of my favorite bloggers, the delightful Annie at Well, that would be telling.

Seven Interesting (well, I think) Facts About Me

1. I won't walk around my house without my pink fuzzy slippers (I have two pairs).

2. I am re-reading all 30+ books by L.M. Montgomery, the author of Anne of Green Gables, and am going to read her journals next.

3. I have mad detective skills.

4. I don't like being the center of attention, but my secret wish is to be on the Amazing Race. Actually, I'd prefer Survivor, but I hate being cold and hungry, so Amazing Race would be a more appropriate choice.

5. I eat the same exact snack every weekday-- green pepper & hummus at 10:30 AM.

6. I wear a retainer at night.

7. I am searching for purple accent pillows for my green couch and won't stop until I find just the right ones.

I tag:

Amanda at Click. The Good News
Meghan at Joy Through Cooking
Sarah at The Good Wife
Suzanne at Ramblings of a Rambunctious Toddler
Not Laura Ingalls at Little Apartment in the Suburbs
Meshaliu at Knitting & Kitties
GrumpyMomma at GrumpyMomma's Blog

Mom's Turkey Zucchini Soup

If I were a character in the movie Waitress (which was actually awful, but I liked the way she named her pies according to her life situation), I'd call this Single Livin' Soup. Now that it's just me in the house, I've been making big pots of soup on Monday nights. That way, I have enough leftover to bring for lunch for the next three days. It gets a little tedious, but the convenience factor makes up for it, and who doesn't love warm, hearty soup in cold weather?



Mom's Turkey Zucchini Soup

Ingredients

-1 lb ground turkey
-1/2 bag frozen corn
-1 small can diced green chili peppers
-1 can black beans (optional, and I did not add them this time so they're not in the photo)
-1 can chicken stock
-2 yellow squashes (because they're usually small), chopped
-1 large zucchini, chopped
-1 tablespoon cumin
-1 tablespoon salt
-1 tablespoon pepper
-1 tablespoon oregano
-1 tablespoon cornstarch

Directions

-Brown the ground turkey and drain any juices. Add spices and green chili peppers. Add beans and cook for 10 minutes.
-Add chicken stock, corn, squash and zucchini and cook for about 30 minutes or until squash is soft and cooked through.

Source: My mom

Mascarpone Cupcakes

For some reason, nothing makes me happier than making cupcakes. If I could just bake cupcakes all day, life would be complete.

These cupcakes are tops. The mascarpone cheese made them incredibly moist (shudder... I hate that word) and spongy. I tried to make the strawberry glaze, but it came out tasting a little strange -- I blame the strawberries and not my culinary efforts. I was short on time so busted over to Kroger for some store-bought icing but I'm sure these would be even better with something homemade.

Mascarpone Cupcakes



Ingredients

- 8 ounces mascarpone cheese (1 cup), softened
- 2 egg whites
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1 box white cake mix
- 1 cup water

For the Aforementioned Failed Strawberry Glaze
- 1/3 cup frozen strawberries, thawed and drained
- 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Directions

- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line your cupcake tins with paper liners.

- In a large bowl combine the mascarpone cheese, egg whites and vegetable oil. Using a hand mixer, beat the ingredients until combined and creamy.
- Add the cake mix and water and mix until smooth, about 3 minutes. Fill the cups to just below the rim and bake until puffed and golden, about 18 to 20 minutes.
- Remove from the oven, let cool slightly in the tin then transfer the cupcakes to a wire rack.
- Meanwhile, puree the strawberries in a blender or small food processor. Place the powdered sugar in a medium bowl. Pour in the strawberry puree and whisk until smooth. Top the cooled cupcakes with the strawberry glaze. Run to the grocery store for backup icing in case the glaze doesn't work out.

Source
Giada De Laurentis

Niche products get jump on the Holidays

Awhile back I ordered some nail caps for my cat so that she wouldn't scratch up the new couch. In place of declawing, you can glue a plastic cap on each nail to protect your furniture (and skin and eyes, I suppose). This is more humane, but also too much work if you're as lazy as I, so I offered Cricket a cardboard scratch pad instead and that seems to keep her off the upholstery. I still get "Mewsletters" from the makers of Soft Paws (TM) whenever they come out with exciting advances in plastic caps -- usually, new colors.

'Tis the season for Holiday marketing, because this was in my inbox this afternoon:



I was really disappointed that there were no Chanukah or Kwanzaa caps.

Sun-Dried Tomato Goat Cheese Cups

These are super tasty, insanely easy to make, and look fancy -- the perfect party food. I could eat like 12 myself, but slap some goat cheese on anything and I'm in.



Ingredients

-30 pre-made mini phyllo cups (I can find packs of 15 in the frozen section at Kroger)
-8 oz goat cheese, preferably w/ herbs
-5 oz diced sun-dried tomatoes

Directions

-Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
-Thoroughly mix goat cheese and tomatoes, then fill each pre-made phyllo cup to the top with the mixture.
- Bake 10 - 15 minutes.

Guns, Guts and Gorgeous

I saw this bumper sticker at a wedding last weekend and just had to take a photo (people must've thought I was either insanely pro-Palin or very anti).



Now, no matter what your political leanings, are those really good reasons to vote for someone?

Margarita Cupcakes

I made these for a bachelorette party last weekend and they were the best ever. I ended up putting too much food coloring in the icing so they're a liiiiiiiiittle St Patrick's Day-ish, but otherwise they were very festive and abosolutely delicious.



Ingredients:

Cupcakes
- 9 oz. margarita mix
- 3 oz. tequila
- ¾ oz. grand marnier or other orange liqueur (I was able to find a tiny bottle of grand marnier so as not to buy a large amount, but you could probably omit this ingredient and it wouldn't make a huge difference)
- 1 box white cake mix
- 3 egg whites
- 2 tbsp. vegetable oil
- 1 tbsp. lime zest

Lime Butter Cream Frosting
- 4 cups confectioners’ sugar
- 1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1/8 tsp. salt
- 3 tbsp. lime juice (I used more like 6 tbsp. to make it extra limey. Okay, maybe it was 8.)
- green food coloring

Yield: 24 Cupcakes

Directions

Cupcakes
- Mix together the margarita mix, tequila and Grand Marnier in a large glass or spouted bowl. Reserve 1 ¼ cups of this for the cupcake batter and drink the rest as a treat while you are baking (I did not do this but by all means, bottoms up!)
- Add the margarita mixture (1 ¼ cups), cake mix, egg whites, vegetable oil, and lime zest. Mix on low for about 30 seconds and then increase to medium speed for 2 minutes (the batter will still be a bit lumpy).
- Spoon the batter into a prepared cupcake tin and fill cups 2/3 to ¾ full. Bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove the pan from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes. Place the cupcakes on a cooling rack and allow to cool completely. Once the cupcakes have cooled, make the frosting.

Frosting
- Add all ingredients and mix on low until combined. Turn the speed to medium-high until the icing is light and fluffy. Use water to thin the frosting if necessary. (I didn't need to do this b/c I upped the lime juice amount)
- Add the icing to a pastry bag or use a spatula/knife to frost the cupcakes (I just used a knife).

To Decorate
- Sprinkle with clear sugar cake sprinkles for the "the salt." Be sure to do this immediately after frosting each individual cupcake to ensure the sprinkles stay on.
- Zest a little lime peel for "the garnish. "
(As you can see from the photo, I neglected to fancy up my cupcakes with sprinkles and lime zest, but I thought I'd include this step in case anyone else is so inclined. I'm sure they'd look way more fun that way).

Source: Little Ms. Foodie

Kitten Therapy

The pet store where I buy dog & cat food sometimes has cats up for adoption. I always look at them to torture myself (we're at full animal capacity) on the way out. They usually have adult cats, but this time they had these two little ones:



Is there anything cuter? I'm sure they'll get snatched up quickly since they're young and adorable, but I was this close to taking them home, despite my better judgment.

The only two choices for women: witch & sexy kitten

I've never been a big fan of Halloween--I don't particularly enjoy drawing attention to myself by dressing up, and too much sugar makes me cranky. But if I suppress the crusty old lady in me I can see the appeal, and I'd probably get way into it if I had a little one to trot out.

I love Target's website, but one of their categories for Female Halloween costumes is eyeroll-inducing.



Sassy is defined as impudent or jaunty, but in this case "sassy" seems to indicate short skirts, massive amounts of cleavage, a hip tilt and a come-hither facial expression. Is this sexualization of Halloween costumes allowing women to be creative with their wardrobes one day a year, or is the lack of non-sassy costume options pigeonholing us into purchasing these? I dunno, but seeing as how Halloween is in late October, if I dress up I'll be sticking to something a little bit warmer.

An aside: I can never hear the word "sassy" without thinking of the classic Phil Hartman SNL skit. I feel like I'm in a sassy sandwich!

Franchise schmanchise

Well played, Dunkin' Donuts. Well played.

Dear Ms. [mylast],

We would like to thank you for taking the time to contact us about your experience at the Dunkin' Donuts shop located at [address].We work hard to maintain the highest standards in guest satisfaction, however, it appears we have let you down and for that we apologize. As you may know, the majority of our shops are individually owned and operated businesses. As an independent owner, the franchisee is responsible for all the day-to-day operational aspects of their business. We have forwarded your comments to the owner of this location as well as our Dunkin' Donuts field executive to make them aware of your experience. At Dunkin' Donuts we value our customers and are committed to making your visits to our stores a pleasant experience. We hope to have the opportunity to serve you again soon.

Julie
________

I wonder what the chances are that the owner of that particular location will give a damn. I'm guessing slim to none. Well, I was looking forward to trying their delicious-looking flatbread sandwiches but I suppose I'll just have to shove some Starbies muffins in my face instead. Suck it, douchenozzles [thanks, MW ;-)].

Inept flirting or subtle harassment? You decide.

My letter to the folks at the Dunkin' Donuts corporate office:

No cream, sugar or harassment with my coffee, thanks. As I was leaving your Clifon store today, one of your adult male employees said "you should stop back in so I can get a piece of your donut". Since I was neither selling nor offering donuts and it was in fact the other way around, I'm pretty sure he was referring to my posterior or a comparable body part. Formidable though it is, that's neither here nor there and the attention was EXTREMELY unappreciated. I enjoy Dunkin' Donuts coffee, but will never visit that location again. Considering there's a Starbucks on every corner here in the midwest it won't be that difficult. Also, Ew. It was not only offensive to me as a customer but I'm guessing that this male has made similar comments to your young female employees (one of whom was standing right there) in the past and I won't be supporting a company that allows that kind of behavior.

I look forward to your response.

To the sevens of people who read my blog, please join me in abstaining from visting Dunkin' Donuts. Or at the very least please don't go to the Clifton location. Unless you enjoy hilarious but offensive comments about various body parts.

Tomato Basil Quiche

My mom always used to serve breakfast-type items for supper -- Belgian waffles, Swedish pancakes (Oo, how ethnic) -- when we were growing up, so I could eat breakfast for dinner every night of the week if I had my druthers.



Modified from Liz's Cooking Blog

Ingredients:

2 medium or 1 large tomato, sliced 1/4 inch thick
2 cups shredded sharp white Cheddar
1-2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 unbaked 9-inch pie shell
1 small onion, thinly sliced
5 leaves of fresh basil, torn if large
3 eggs
1 1/3 cups milk (I used skim to keep it on the lighter side)
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 425F.

In a small bowl, toss the cheese with the garlic. Sprinkle 1 1/2 cups of the cheese mixture evenly on the bottom of the pie shell. Arrange the onion on top of the cheese. Arrange the tomato in a single layer on top of the onion. Distribute the basil on top of the tomato and in the crevices between the rounds. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup of cheese mixture on top.

In a medium bowl, beat the eggs thoroughly. Add the milk and pepper and beat well. Slowly pour the egg mixture into the pie shell.

Bake for 20 minutes. Lower the oven temperature to 350F and bake for 30 minutes longer, or until the quiche is browned to your liking.

Let the quiche cool on a wire rack for a few minutes before serving.

Chocolate Zucchini Muffins

Zucchini bread is delicious enough, but adding chocolate to it? Yum. I upped the chip content in these to make them even more dessert-like.


As usual, my photo doesn't really do these justice

Chocolate Zucchini Muffins

Time: 30 min. prep; 30 minutes (50-60 min. for bread)
Yields: 24 muffins (or 2 loaves of bread)

Ingredients
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup olive or vegetable oil (I used vegetable oil)
- 1 3/4 cups sugar
- 2 cups grated zucchini
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 3 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional: I omitted these)
- 1 cup dried cranberries, raisins or chocolate chips or a combination thereof (I used chocolate only--seems like otherwise there'd be too much going on, and since I'm a supertaster I enjoy simpler fare)

Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Line 24 muffin cups with paper liners. Or, grease and flour two 8×4 inch loaf pans (grease liberally).
- In a large bowl, beat the eggs with a whisk. Mix in oil and sugar, then zucchini and vanilla.Combine flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, baking powder and salt, as well as nuts, chocolate chips and/or dried fruit, if using. Stir this into the egg mixture. Divide the batter into prepared pans.
- Bake muffins for approximately 20 to 25 minutes. Loaves take a little longer -- about 60 minutes, plus or minus ten, or until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean.

Source: Little Ms Foodie / Smitten Kitchen

SMRT

I discovered some newspapers stashed in the back of my car last night. When my brother and I went on our road trip a few weeks back, we attempted the Friday New York Times crossword puzzle. This is how far we got:


To his credit, he was concentrating on driving. As for me, I have no plausible excuse.

In order to make ourselves feel better, we picked up the Ashland Times-Gazette.



Phew.

Choc Chip Cookie Casserole

I took this casserole/these bars to a labor day fireworks party this weekend, and it/they was/were great for nibbling in between Rock Band songs.

Recipe via Sherri's blog.

Ingredients:

2 1/2 c. Flour
1 t. soda
3/4 t. salt
1 c. oil
1 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 t. vanilla
1 c. mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions:

Combine dry ingredients. Set aside.

In bowl mix together oil and sugars. Add eggs one at a time. Add vanilla. Gradually add dry ingredients. Mix in 3/4 c. of chocolate chips.

Spread into 9x13 pan. Sprinkle remaining 1/4 c. chips on top.

Bake at 350 for 15-25 minutes or until light golden brown.