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Friday, March 18, 2011

Hamantashen.

Well...they tasted yummeh, but they didn't look like they were supposed. Hamantashen are SUPPOSED to look like this:


But mine looked like this:


They came unfolded in the oven. Even before I put them in, I had to keep re-pinching the corners. Gonna have to figure out how to make them stick. Like I said, tho, they were tasty!


Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 12 minutes
Ready in: 27 minutes

Ingredients:
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • ¾ cup vegetable oil
  • 2-1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • ½ cup orange juice
  • 5-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 Tbsp baking powder
  • 1 cup fruit preserves, any flavor

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease cookie sheets.
  2. In a large bowl, beat the eggs and sugar until lightly fluffy. Stir in the oil, vanilla, and orange juice. Combine the flour and baking powder; stir in to the batter and form a stiff dough. (If dough is not stiff enough to roll out, stir in more flour.) On a lightly flour surface, roll out dough to 1/4” thickness. Cut into circles using a cookie cutter or the rim of a drinking glass. Place cookies two inches apart onto the prepared cookie sheets. Spoon about 2 tsp of preserves into the center of each one. Pinch the edges to form three corners.
  3. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes in the preheated oven, or until lightly browned. Allow cookies to cool for one minute on the cookie sheet before removing to wire racks to cool completely.

Kreplach.

I didn't think this was very good boiled. I might try to make some more for Fiance by frying it instead.


Preparation time: 1 hour
Cook time: 15 minutes
Ready in: 1 hour, 15 minutes

Ingredients:
  • 4 Tbsp vegetable oil
  • 2 lbs lean ground beef
  • 2 onions, chopped
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 pinch ground cinnamon
  • 4 cups all-purpose flour
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 2 eggs
  • 1-1/2 cup warm water

  1. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat and add beef, onions, salt and pepper to taste, and cinnamon; cook until beef is no longer pink. Remove from heat and let cool.
  2. In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, salt, eggs, and water; mix until dough is smooth. Add flour until dough is no longer sticky. Roll the dough into a ball and cut into ten pieces.
  3. On a floured surface, roll out each piece of dough; cut out five circles, about three inches in diameter. Place about 1 tsp of filling in the middle of each circle; fold the dough over and seal the edges with a small amount of water.
  4. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil; drop in kreplach a few at a time. Cook for four minutes or until kreplach float to the top. Remove with a slotted spoon; serve.

Challah bread: Update.

Success!


Challah bread.

I have a group presentation tonight on Judaism for my Religion in the United States class. As a fun way to experience Judaism, I came up with the idea to celebrate Purim, which starts tomorrow at sundown. I volunteered to cook. Currently I am waiting for the dough to rise for my challah bread. Here's a recipe. I'll let you know how it turns out.

(Found online.)

Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 40 minutes
Ready in: 3 hours, 40 minutes

Ingredients:
  • 2-1/2 cups warm water
  • 1 Tbsp active dry yeast
  • ½ cup honey
  • 4 Tbsp vegetable oil
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 Tbsp salt
  • 8 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

  1. In a large bowl, sprinkle yeast over barely warm water. Beat in honey, 2 eggs, and salt, and vegetable oil. Add the flour one cup at a time, beating after each addition, graduating to kneading with hands as dough thickens. Knead until smooth and elastic and no longer sticky, adding flour as needed. Cover with a damp clean cloth and let rise for an hour and half or until dough has doubled in bulk.
  2. Punch down the risen dough and turn out onto floured board. Divide in half and knead each half for five minutes or so, adding flour as needed to keep from getting sticky. Divide each half into thirds and roll into long snakes about 1.5” in diameter. Pinch the ends of the three snakes together firmly and braid from middle. Either leave as braid or form into a round braided loaf by bringing ends together; curve braid into a circle, pinching ends together. Grease two baking trays and place finished braid or round on each. Cover with towel and let rise about one hour.
  3. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
  4. Beat the remaining egg and brush a generous amount over each braid.
  5. Bake for about 40 minutes. Bread should have a nice hollow sound when thumped on the bottom. Cool on a rack for at least one hour before slicing.

Thursday, March 17, 2011

The Pampered Chef: March 2011 Host Special

Host a March show and choose any new product at 60% off!


Twenty-seven new products to choose from:
Manual Food Processor
Stoneware Cookie Sheet
Microplane (r) Adjustable Coarse Grater
Dots Small Beverage Glasses (set of 4)
Mega Lifter
Outdoor Caddy
Veggie Wedger
The Pampered Chef (r) Make it Fresh, Make it Healthy
Mango Wedger
Microplace (r) Zester
Teriyaki Sauce with Honey
Sweet & Sour Sauce
Scoop 'N Drain
Coconut Lime Sauce
Mini Mix 'N Scraper (r)
Microfiber Towel (cranberry)
Measuring Spoon Set
The Pampered Chef (r) Dinner in Your Deep Covered Baker Recipe Collection
Tie-It
Bar Tongs
Twixit! Clip Combo Pack (cranberry, white)
Mini Scoop & Measure
Quikut Paring Knives (set of three; cranberry, white)
Outdoor Mini Spoon &Tongs Set
Chili Lime Rub
i-Slice (r) (cranberry)
Grill Pan & Press Scraper

As a host, you enjoy:
  • FREE products of your choice
  • Half-price and discounted products
  • 10% discount for a year
  • FREE shipping on your order
Call or e-mail me today to book a show! (Or leave a comment on the blog.)

Multi-Vendor Quarter Auction to raise money for Cordell Jackson.

Please join us for a fun-filled evening and help raise money for Cordell Jackson.


Cordell is the 3-1/2 year-old son of a sister Pampered Chef consultant who had problems with seizures and kidney failure, and has had many stays at Children's Hospital. Please help us raise money for the Jackson family to help pay their mounting hospital bills. All quarters and raffle monies will be donated to the family.

When: March 29, 2011, Tuesday
Time: Doors open at 5:45 PM, auction begins at 7:00 PM
Where: KC Hall Fairview Heights
5420 Old Collinsville Road
Fairview Heights, IL
What to bring: Quarters galore!


We'll have raffle prizes, 50/50 drawings, and other games, as well as more than 12 different vendors to shop from, including Pampered Chef, Miche Bags, Lia Sophia, Homemade Gourmet, Celebrating Home, Scentsy, Tastefully Simple, Tupperware, and many more.

Purchase a bid card at the door for $2 and play with quarters; or donate $25 for a Golden Bid Card to bid on anything all night!

You can earn more bid cards by booking an in-home party with any vendor to be held within 60 days of the event, or purchase $40 or more in product at the event. (Paddles not to exceed 4 per person.)

Get a group of 8 - 10 guests to come fill a table and this can be a show for you; you can get full host benefits! It's an easy way to host a party for me without having clean your house or buy any food.

Remember, no bid is more than a $1, and the more money we bring in, the more we can help Cordell and his family! Call or e-mail me today to reserve seats! (Or leave a comment on the blog post.)

Thursday, February 24, 2011

Broken silence...and changes.

My last day of regular, full time employment was the 18th. Two reasons: one that is ultra-personal and no one's damn business; the other is school. I put off going to school full time when I left active duty to take the contractor job, because I was terrified of the thought of living on nothing else but $1K a month and six months of unemployment. Not I don't even have unemployment to rely on. But that's okay. I can't put it off any longer. I'm still two classes away from my associate's, and it's about damn time I got started on my bachelor's. I'm 25 years old; I'm not getting any younger.

I've got a gig baby-sitting for the Redhead three days a week with some chores thrown in a few times a month. I've filling out applications for part-time retail jobs. I'm doing what I can to drum up some Pampered Chef business. (So, if you're in the local area, I would love you forever if you booked a party for me. You don't have to spend a dime; make everyone else buy stuff and reap the benefits! Srsly.) Fiance will do what he can to help me with my bills, but for the time being, we're gonna have to be super-frugal, and I'm gonna be one broke student.

I've been cleaning more lately. Mostly in the kitchen. I've been obsessive about keeping it clean. And my bathroom, which used to always look like Hurricane Katrina had been through there, now looks nice and organized. I like being in there now.

I haven't been on Facebook for weeks. I've gotten a couple of concerned messages as a result (I get private messages via text). My blog still feeds to FB, so if you're reading this, you should know that I'll be deleting it soon. My profile, not my blog. It'll be a damn shame; for the majority of the people on my friend list, that's my only way of keeping in touch with them. So if you wanna keep in touch outside of that, shoot me your e-mail address via private message on FB. I'll still have this blog, and my Twitter, so feel free to follow either one. Or both. Or neither. Your call. And if you're military, I'm still in the GAL, look me up.

(And if you're interested in a Pampered Chef party...which would be awesome...we have a brand new spring/summer catalog and twenty-seven new products. E-mail me.)

I haven't forgotten you, Monica!! I'll e-mail you soon!!

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

For the love of caek.

BRO: bring me some caek

ME: come get it yourself.

‎‎BRO‎‎: you should come down, actually.

‎‎ME‎‎: no.
i'm busy.

‎‎BRO‎‎: well

‎‎ME‎‎: if i leave my desk, chaos will ensue

‎‎BRO‎‎: when you get a minute
get me some caek plzkthx

‎‎ME‎‎: you can't be brought your cake and eat it too
you must earn it.

‎‎BRO‎‎: when you come down, you will see why i earned it.

‎‎ME‎‎: i refuse to be seen getting a second slice of cake.

‎‎BRO‎: ugh. tell them it's for your lazy bro

‎‎ME‎‎: that's exactly what they would expect me to say if i was trying to make an excuse for why i was having a second slice of cake before 0930.

‎‎BRO‎‎: the caek wouldn't be out at 9am unless it wanted to be eaten

‎‎ME‎‎: STOP BEING SO GODDAMN LAZY AND COME GET IT.

‎‎BRO‎‎: help me.
you're my only hope.
...for caek.

‎‎ME‎‎: i will give you my plate and fork.
that is all i can do.
you must do this on your own.
it is your task.
your quest.

‎‎BRO‎‎: well now, which is seriously worse:
someone who works in the vicinity of the caek getting a second piece
or someone who works downstairs, explicitly seeking the caek, then walking through the halls with the caek
head hung in shame, tears falling into the buttercream frosting

‎‎ME‎‎: you could eat it at my desk.

‎‎BRO‎‎: your area is moderately crowded

‎‎ME‎‎: not today.
leach, do you hear that?
it is the cake.
it is calling to you.
beckoning.
begging to be eaten.
to be savored.

‎‎BRO‎‎: i'm going to walk up there and talk to you like none of this ever happened.
then you will tell me there is caek.
and we will get it.
‎that is what will happen.*

*That is what happened.

Friday, January 21, 2011

A very bad morning.

This morning, alone with no witness other than the cats (and they're not talking), I threw a tantrum so epic it would leave a three-year-old in awe.

I got out of bed late. I'm just getting over a cold, but had a growing suspicious that I woke up this morning with a UTI. (As of 1029L, I have discarded this suspicion.) This left me feeling very cranky. Then I went to get dressed, and could not bear the thought of wearing a layer of thermals under my uncomfortably snug ABU pants. Even tucking in my shirt this morning was uncomfortable. I could have buttoned all four buttons with no problem, but buttoning just one was unbearable. I didn't want to be wearing anything that would be tight around my crouch, because of my UTI suspicions.

I had to pee AGAIN, and unbottoned my pants and nearly ripped them off in frustration. I was on the verge of tears out of nowhere, and suddenly all I could think was that I would once again fail my PT test this weekend, that I had no energy or motivation or desire to do anything ever again, that I hate my uniform and being in the reserves and just being me in general, that I was fat and ugly, and that it was no wonder I miscarried, because I'm such a big unhealthy mess of a girl.

As I forced my pants back on, I left my shirt untucked and began to cry and scream and rage. A logical part of my brain thought for a moment that it might be a good idea to swing by mental health today to talk to someone. But I quickly dismissed this idea. I cannot bear to discuss the miscarriage, or my feelings concerning it. I'm amazed that I'm even bringing it up here. I'm sure one of my two readers will tell me that yes, I should go talk to someone, but it's not happening. I would advise another person in my shoes of the same thing; but I've never been very good at taking my own advice.

I felt the tears stream down my cheeks, and it was then I snapped out of it. I thought, I'm about to go out into single-digit temperatures to clean off my car; I can't have tears on my face, they'll freeze! (I never said my thought processes make sense.) I calmed down, cleaned off my car, and headed to work.

There was no trace of tears as I rolled thru the gate and struggled to roll down a frozen window. There was no sign of distress as I swung by my regular day job for a cup of a joe and quick chat with Canuck and Ears. And by the time I walked into the wing staff area, you'd never have known that I'd thrown an award-wining tantrum to put Russell Crowe to shame.

But then, I've always worn the best masks.

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Skillet Garlic Chicken.

A Campbell's (r) recipe.

1/4 tsp ground sage
1/4 tsp dried thyme leaves, crushed
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (1 lb)
Vegetable cooking spray
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 can Campbell's (r) Healthy Request Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup
1/2 cup of water

Stir the sage and thyme in a small bowl. Season the chicken with sage mixture. (I actually used my fabulous The Pampered Chef (r) Rosemary Herb Seasoning Mix. Love it!)

Spray 12" nonstick skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium heat for 1 minute. Add chicken and cook 15 minutes or until well-browned on both sides and cooked through.

Add garlic to skillet and cook and stir until lightly browned. Stir in soup and water until mixture is hot and bubbling. Serve sauce over chicken.

I am serving this with asparagus. I am astonished at how much longer asparagus stays fresh OUTSIDE of the vegetable drawer. See if I use it again...
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Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Pocket clarification.

Me: *struggles* Damn phone...won't go in pocket...

Bro: [...] Wait. I thought women's pants didn't have pockets.

Me: Well, that depends on whether they buy them with or without pockets.

Bro: There's an option?

Me: Yeah. If you buy them with pockets, they'll have pockets. If you buy them without pockets, they won't have pockets.

Bro: That...makes sense.
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Sunday, January 9, 2011

A joke.

A man goes to church every Sunday to pray before the statue of a saint. He begs the saint, "Please please please, let me win the lottery." Finally the exasperated statue comes to life and tells the begging man, "Please please please...buy a ticket!"

Hm.
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Saturday, January 8, 2011

Friday, January 7, 2011

O, what a morning I've had, and it's not even 8 AM.

An acquaintance volunteered to drive me to the airport this morning. I wanted to leave at 0400; my flight was at 0600. 0400 came and went with no call or text from the individual. I waited as long as I could, threw my luggage in my car, and hauled ass to the airport.

I was running short on time, so I was forced to park in the closest (and priciest) longterm parking lot. I made it to check-in with ten minutes to spare. It was seven minutes, though, before I realized I was at the wrong airline. So I dashed over fo the right one...

...and was told that because my company had failed to ticket my reservation over two weeks ago, the reservation had been cancelled.

I have been to Puerto Rico twice in the past ten years. When I was requested, by name, for this work trip, I was ecstatic. I booked my flight to leave two days early so that I could spend the weekend with family.

Naturally, I am disappointed to the point of tears. It's not been an easy week for me. I was really looking forward to this trip, hoping a little time under the sun eating delicious Puerto Rican food and seeing my grandmother and cousins would lift my spirits a little.

Whatever.
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Monday, January 3, 2011

My escape from reality, and the...benefits?

Me: I don't want to work.

Brother: You just want to bang on the drum all day?

Me: Nah. Ask me how I spent my weekend.

Brother: I know how you spent your weekend.

Me: O?

Brother: I thought you just hung out at the house for New Year's Eve and then hung out some more.

Me: I laid in bed reading all weekend. That's all I want to do. Just lay around reading. I never wanna stop reading. I want to read until the world crashes down on me. Then read some more.

Brother: You could be a book critic. Leave this life of [security discipline] behind you and just absorb books until your brain can't fit in your head anymore. Then your brain would live in a glass jar, for all the world to see.

Me: Hm. And what would the world gain from viewing my brain?

Brother: They could touch the glass and hear you yelling at them telepathically to leave you alone because you are reading.

Me: *laughs* Or perhaps a custodian might be appointed, one to watch over my brain until one worthy enough of the knowledge held therein could be found. And once they are found, they would consume my brain, and absorb all the knowledge I had collected through my lifetime. As was done once, in more primitive times.

Brother: About books.

Me: Yes. I suppose I should start reading the classics, in preparation. I'd hate for some youth to go through all the troublenof choking down my brain, only to gain nothing more than cheesy romance novels and Harry Potter.

Brother: Or worse. Fanfic.
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