34th Bday

My birthday was a couple months ago (the big 34--what??) so I made my own BDaY cake using these two 8" square cake pans that I bought. I loved the square look of the cake! I made a whipped ganache frosting (which tasted great) but made the mistake of trying to pipe lettering with it on top of the cake. It looked terrible b/c it was extremely hard to pipe with! So I photoshopped it out (and did a crappy job of it b/c I am in a hurry--But I was too embarrassed to show it with the lettering. It was that pathetic.)

Hello, Lover.

Before we get started, I have to mention that I am a huge, drooling fan of any cooking related gadgets. From cookware, to knives (I could do an entire post on knives, man), to mixers, to cheese graters, to whisks, to pastry brushes, to cookie sheets...I LOVE THIS STUFF. I can spend hours and hours in the stores walking the kitchen aisles (to prove my point, my hubby has banned me from buying any more plates or cups--what?). But let me be more specific. I love the NICE stuff. The QUALITY stuff. (Wait--I do really, really love melamine plates, bowls, etc. I prefer those over glass. I think that might be my one exception). I ABHOR cheaply made cooking gadgets!!! UGH. My goal is to eventually rid myself of the few chincy things I still have lurking around, and replace them all with well-made items. So if it's ever my birthday or Christmas or just a day that you want to be a rockin' friend and send me a present--ya can't go wrong with buying me something super cool & related to cooking/baking. Ok, moving on.

Let me introduce you to my friend, the porcelain-cast dutch oven by Le Creuset. Said item is worth about $300. No joke. It's about a 5.5 quart capacity.
Now, let me introduce you to my lover, the porcelain-cast dutch oven by Lodge Cookware. This one retails for about $65. AND it's a 6 quart capacity. This is my new purchase. I am over the moon about this! Forever now I have wanted a super nice dutch oven like this!!! So when compared to it's top-of-the-line competitor, the only differences I noted were 1.) it doesn't have "le creuset" embossed into the lid, 2.) it's bigger by a half quart, and 3.) the Lodge cookware's knob can only take oven temps up to 400 degrees (which to me, is not a negative because I couldn't think of ONE thing that I would cook any hotter than that in my oven.) Check her out--ain't she a beaut?
Also had to show you her gorgeous insides--makes for easy cleanin'. And the cast iron is freaking awesome at heat distribution--so it's great for stews, braising meats, frying foods, etc. Anything you could do with your typical camping dutch oven, you can do with this (except put it over an open fire)! My favorite thing about it is that it can go from stove to oven! I hate dirtying up extra pots-n-pans, so this is a dream for me!
To celebrate the homecoming of my new lover, I decided to make a copycat recipe of Olive Garden's Zuppa Toscana soup in it. It's a creamy soup with italian sausage, potatoes, and a little spice. Roob's favorite. The soup came out great (I can't take the credit, though. I'll have to give it to my lovely Lodge dutch oven!!!) For those of you who might like to try the recipe, I'll post it below. Enjoy....
Makes: 10-12 servings
INGREDIENTS
• 1 lb ground Italian sausage
• 1½ tsp crushed red peppers
• 1 large diced white onion
• 4 Tbsp real bacon, crumbled up
• 2 tsp garlic puree (I used minced garlic)
• 10 cups water
• 5 cubes of chicken bouillon
• 1 cup heavy cream (I used half & half)
• 1 lb sliced Russet potatoes, or about 3 large potatoes
• ¼ of a bunch of kale
1. Sauté Italian sausage and crushed red pepper in a large pot. Drain excess fat, refrigerate while you prepare other ingredients.
2. In the same pan, sauté bacon, onions and garlic for approxiamtly 15 mins. or until the onions are soft.
3. Mix together the chicken bouillon and water, then add it to the onions, bacon and garlic. Cook until boiling.
4. Add potatoes and cook until soft, about half an hour.
5. Add heavy cream and cook until thoroughly heated.
6. Stir in the sausage.
7. Add kale just before serving.

Fun in the Sun

We finally had some sunny weather so mom and I took Jasey to the park! Woo hoo! He loves being outside. He really surprised me when he had "no fear" on this slide...The 2nd video is a clip from Louisiana of Jase & Jazzmyn (my niece) playing in my grandmother's bird bath. Eew, right? But yet, so cute!

Funny Moments

I left Jase alone with spaghetti & a fork--I came back and this is what I found. Take a closer look at his nose! (This is also a good picture of his front teeth. They still haven't come down. We think his other teeth might be in the way. Lovely.)
Nice.
Jase's favorite favorite thing to do. Play in the fridge and mess up all my shelves! Once I found a bottle of BBQ Sauce hanging out by my stereo in the living room a few days later. Had to toss that out! (I know y'all are so jealous of my rockin' yellowed linoleum floor. Heh.)
Jase's super dooper cool All Terrain Radio Flyer wagon. It has big, inflatable tires so you can pull it over just about anything. It even did great over a snowy road (we were desperate to try it out). Now that the snow's melted, he can push & pull it around the yard. We were just out playing this evening. It even has 2 more wooden sides you can put up in the front and back of the wagon, too. Right now we just have the back one on so he can climb in and out by himself. (the pic below is an old one). He looks so excited here, huh?

Editing Takes too Long

I've been wanting to crop and edit my pics before I post them--but so far according to that time line I will NEVER post anything! So, I am just posting more easter pics AS-IS. Here's one of Jase's Easter loot. Most of it is from my sister (thanks, Ash), but we did throw in a few things and the super cool magna-doodle! Jase's favorite of the day was the baseball shaped easter eggs. Adorable.
Having a taste of some yummy candy...
We did an Easter egg hunt for him at my mom's house. She found the cutest egg that "talks" and says "yoo hoo! i'm over here! come find me!" I LOVED it. When Jase first heard it and found it, he said "ooooh!" I think I have video of that someplace...
Playing with the eggs he found in the yard...
My mom was putting those hershey eggs underneath the plastic egg shell and Jase thought it was too cool to try to "find" them again.

Easter Video

This video captures lots of Jase's cuteness Easter morning. He was so excited about all of his treats! The funniest is how "slo-mo" he tries to taste the whopper egg. He does this with any new foods we give him. I love it!

Smoky Pork Enchilada Pizza

Leftover shredded smoky pork—about a pound (see recipe below)
½ can of corn, drained
can of black beans, drained
½ can of diced tomatoes, drained
½ can of green chilis, drained
taco seasoning to taste
pizza crust of choice, uncooked

½ can of red enchilada sauce, medium heat (10 oz size can)
½ block of light cream cheese (the 1/3rd less fat kind)
about a pound of shredded monterey jack cheese

Directions:
Heat pork, corn, beans, tomatoes and green chilis together in a pan. Let simmer for about 10 min+ until the flavors meld together. Add taco seasoning to taste. Meanwhile, simmer the enchilada sauce with the cream cheese in a small pot. Use whisk to smooth.

Press pizza dough into 13x18” cookie sheet. Spread the enchilada cream cheese sauce over your crust. Then top entire pizza with pork mixture. Top that with monterey jack cheese. Cook about 400-425 for 10-15 min until cheese is melted and crust is golden brown. After you take it out of the oven, you can top with fresh parsley (pretty) or maybe even cilantro if you have it on hand. I think that would be yummy. Enjoy!

Smoky Pulled Pork

Sorry I don't have a picture. This is a simple & yummy recipe I came up with the other day. It's awesome.

2.5 lb boneless pork shoulder ribs (or any meat you wish. a more fatty cut will produce greater flavor)
2 Tbsp minced garlic
1 1/4c water
2 tsp beef boullion (I use the creamy kind from Costco), just put enough for the water amount
2 Tbsp liquid smoke
medium yellow onion, roughly chopped

Put onions on the bottom of the crockpot. Place ribs on top of them. Add the rest of the ingredients. Cover and cook on low 8 or more hours. Drain. Shred. Serve. Use leftovers to make Smoky Pork Enchilada Pizza.

Mack Daddy Chicken Alfredo Pizza

I concocted a homemade pizza tonight that was SO GOOD, i MUST share!!!

Ingredients:
Jar of Classico Four Cheese Alfredo (you'll only use about half to 3/4 of the jar.) You could make your own sauce from scratch but I was in a hurry tonight.

Since I was pressed for time (plus i got these on sale), I used 2 cans of pillsbury classic pizza dough. This FILLED an entire cookie sheet's worth of a medium-thick crust (I have one of those stainless steel bigger cookie sheets).

I also used pre-cooked bacon (about 6 slices) and cut it into pieces. I actually threw it in with the chicken when I was cooking it.

Slice (or cube) a yellow bell pepper (mild flavor & pretty color). I used about 3/4 of the bell pepper.

Slice into thin strips (or cube) a purple onion (sweeter than yellow ones). I used about half the onion.

Handful of fresh spinach.

About a pound of mozzarella cheese. Some parmesan for sprinkling.

Cornmeal (optional, but i recommend it)

Saute about a pound of raw chicken cut into slices or chunks (however you like it) in olive oil till browned. I seasoned it with tony's (if you don't have this you could use Lawry's), garlic powder, and some italian seasoning. Set aside.

Directions:
Ok after you get the chicken/bacon mixture cooked, grease the bottom of your cookie sheet. Sprinkle the cookie sheet with cornmeal. I like to use a lot. It makes the bottom of your crust nice & crunchy. Then open the 2 cans of pizza dough. The dough is perforated, so I had to kind of piece it together and pinch the seams closed to make a nice, solid crust to cover my pan. Anyways, then put on the alfredo sauce straight from the jar. This is the part that I sort of "messed up" on. I was scared to overdo it, so I didn't put on enough sauce (I ended up microwaving some and dipping the pizza in it later!). I used about half the jar, but next time I'd use more. Just make sure it is nice & thick when you spread it on--not thin!! Ok after that, sprinkle on your chicken & bacon mixture, onions, and bell peppers. Then put a few spinach leaves all over the pizza. Top with the mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle parmesan on top of that. Bake at 425 for about 17 minutes until the crust is golden brown.

It is soooo pretty, colorful, and yummy! I love all the colors from the brown bacon, yellow bells, purple onion, green spinach, etc. Gorgeous. Looks better than a restaurant's pizza! Tastes better, too. I can't wait to make this with my homemade dough.

Suicide Watch

I can't remember where I heard this, but the other day someone referred to the toddler years as "Suicide Watch." I cracked up laughing because that is TOTALLY what it is!!! And I guess it is even worse in my case b/c he is a boy! Just today he was standing on the bench part of a picnic table we bought him (a kid's version, pictured above) and he started closing his eyes (he does this a lot lately for "fun"). I was sitting on the carpet close by watching him. Well as soon as he closed his eyes I was thinking that he was going to lose his balance. Sure enough, before I could get to him, he stepped backwards off the bench and his tooth and gums hit the edge of the bench! ARGH! Poor baby. Screaming and blood followed, and I was in a panic to see what damage he'd done. After a minute the bleeding stopped (thank goodness) and he calmed down. Looks like he split the connective tissue from the gums (in the middle of the front teeth) to the upper lip. Eew! I called the pediatric nurse, pediatrician and the dentist. Sounds like he is going to be ok and it should heal just fine. I don't know how I am going to survive this boy! He keeps giving me heart attacks! :)

New Orleans Trip

I had the chance to take Jase & myself to Louisiana at the end of March. The plane ride both to and from N.O. was RIDICULOUS. But that is another story in itself! Let's just say a 3.5 hour flight turned into about a 5 hour flight each time! And Jase is not a kid who will fall asleep in your arms (thank you, sleep training). Ok side note about sleep training--since 99% of the time I am home, I love that he goes right down for naps/bedtime. But when you are traveling? OMG kill me. He was fairly good for the first 3.5 hours or so, but then after that he was just done. Ok didn't I say this was a story for another day? Ok moving on...

Here's a cute pic of the 2 cousins hanging out at Aunt June's house. Jazzmyn is my sister's darling little girl. She's about 1.5 months older than Jasey.
Did I mention my camera really stinks at taking indoor pics with bad lighting? Can't you tell below?? Anyways, that's my cute sis on the left, and me on the right. We had just returned from dinner with the whole fam at Medina's in New Orleans. It was good, but we had a crazy bellowing man for a server. Hmm.
This is Grandma Jenith getting a sweet kiss from Jase. We were hanging out at Aunt June's again with Grammy, Uncle George, my dad, and Ashley, Dustin, and Jazz.
So this is the reason I made the trip down. My friend from high school, Maria, got married! Yay! I drove up to a gorgeous plantation home on a beautiful day and hung out with my ol' blast-from-the-past crew. Needless to say I cried about 20x while I was there. I really really miss my friends. High school was serioulsy the TIME of my LIFE. I miss it!!! Oh L to R is Lindi (Laci's lil' sis), Christy, Maria (the blushing bride), Laci, Me, and Babette.
My dad with his 2 grandkids! I don't think Jazzmyn was into this at the time :)
More pics to come!!!

AI super mini Recap

Ok I don't have lots of time, but all I gotta say is that my 2 overall favs of the night were MATT & ALLISON. I thought they were incredible, and really seemed like seasoned performers on that stage. Who's leaving tonight??? I'd pick either Anoop or Michael. They just don't do it for me.

Amiee's AI Recap 3/17/09 Show

1. Michael (Aint Goin Down) - props to him for singing such a fast song. he just doesn't really do it for me, ya know? however, I think he fits MUCH better in the country genre.
2. Allison (Blame it On Your Lyin' cheatin'...) - i thought she kind of oversang it a bit. she's much better with alternative rock songs. but she's a good singer. i just wish her personality OFF stage will improve.
3. Kris (To Make U Feel My Love) - ok i love this song. i also loved his version of it. very heartfelt and nice job on vocals. first time he really got my thumbs up. BUT did anyone else notice how tight his pants were in the crotch area? LOL I was DYING!
4. Lil' Rounds (Independence Day) - ok funny thing about this song. i wanted to sing a "big" song last summer at the town festival and i chose this. NOW I know what it's like to sing a song that's too big for your voice. i thought i sounded weak on it (but i sure sound good singing in the car!) anyways ok, back to Lil. i love her as a person. i think she is cute and spunky. i thought it was WAY funny hearing her sing a country song, though. i agreed with the judges--she wasn't herself, even though she sang it well. funny that simon kept calling her "little." ah, the british!
5. Adam (ring of fire) - ok yeah, it was a "strange" version of the song but even though I don't love adam, i thought the song fit him really well. he has some awesome high notes. seems effortless when he sings. technically amazing. but i just don't like him that much. i did think the song was kind of a cool arrangement. reminded me of Morrissey.
6. Scott (wild angels) - scott, scott, scott. something is just off for me with this kid. however, i did like how he slowed it down at first. my problem is that it sounded like a song you'd hear on Delilah's radio show (soft songs) or in an elevator--ya know? BUT he is amazing at arrangements on the piano.
7. Alexis (jolene) - first of all i have never liked this song. i did NOT like her performance at all--though the 2nd half of it was MUCH better than the first. i think she kind of blew it on this one.
8. Danny (Jesus take the Wheel) - random song choice but it was cool. i did think the first verse was dragging, but once he hit the chorus it was really good. and i have to say that I was laughing soooo hard when Simon made the comment about the jacket b/c when he first went on stage i had said out loud from my sofa-- "what the crap is that jacket about?" I am too good! Danny was funny about the parachuting comment, too.
9. Anoop (Always on my Mind) - surprisingly good. MUCH better than last week. and his hair was fixed and I swear they waxed in between his eyebrows, too! ha! i really liked it, especially the last 20 seconds of the song. but i just don't see this guy being successful and selling records.
10. Megan (I go out Walking after midnight) - was she really in the hospital?? hmmm. here's the thing with megan. she is NO WHERE near the vocalist that the others are. however, she is sooo different and quirky that it's kind of nice having her in the competition. for that reason, i hope she sticks around. i thought the song was OK. I wasn't jumping outta my seat or anything.
11. Matt (so small) - nice version. loved the piano. i can totally see this guy being very successful and on tv, etc. he comes across as "current." it was good. loved it.

Ok so who do I think should get kicked off??? Tough one. As far as performances go, I think Alexis was the LEAST memorable. BUT I think maybe Scott or Michael should go. But Scott works so hard on that piano, so maybe Michael. He's just OK in my book.. So yeah, I vote for Michael to get kicked off this week. Oh wait I don't like Adam. But he's too good of a singer, so I think he will be here for a few more weeks.

Who was the best? I think I'd have to give it to Matt tonight.

How funny was that when Randy Travis was freaking out over his nail polish and his version of Johnny Cash's song? Bwahahahhaha! That was classic.

Gardening for Idiots

Do they make a book for people who are completely clueless about growing their own food? I am determined to have at least TWO vegetables growing in my yard this year. I've heard these raised boxed gardens cut down on the weeding (woo hoo-right up my alley! except who will build these for me?). I just want to have a few things planted--nothing too big or overwhelming since I barely have time to brush my teeth these days...but I want something. Anyways, I have no idea where to begin! And what grows well in my area? When do I start (hopefully it's not too late already, but I do still have snow cover on the ground). The only thing I do know is that tomatoes don't do well here (heard it from my neighbor). Anyways, if you know of a good website or blog for beginners, I'd love a comment about it. Thanks!

Amiee's AI Recap - Michael Jackson Theme

Well well well. The first "REAL" show with the Top 13. I couldn't wait to watch it! I have to say that I am REALLY liking the new judge, Kara. I have a soft spot in my heart for Paula but dang--sometimes it is so frustrating listening to her speak bc it's like "get it out already!" I hear it's her last season on the show anyways, which is why they brought on Kara. Ok let's get to the meat & potatoes of the show!

1. Lil' Rounds - Sang "The Way U Make me Feel." I like this chick. Super cute personality. Seems like a nice person. Thought she did well on the song--but I didn't love the song choice. Kind of hard when you have to pick a Michael Jackson song!
2. Scott - Never ever heard of this song! "Keep the Faith?" I did like him MUCH better on the piano. His hair is driving me INSANE! They even had stylists this week--so what gives?
3. Danny - "PYT." Good vocals. He was dancin' like a crazy man. Really got into it! Ha! Actually reminded me of Taylor Hicks.
4. Michael - "You R Not Alone." Better vocals than I expected but his voice does NOT match his look to me at all! Bugs! I'd rather he go country. But whatever. He loves R&B so that ain't happenin'. Good part was that the song did NOT remind me of MJ's version.
5. Jasmine - Why does this girl bug the livin' daylights outta me??? WHY? Oh I thought her version of "I'll Be There" was soooo boring and blah blah blah.
6. Kris - Well his wife sure is cute! He is cute, too. Liked him with the guitar. Lots of sharp notes on the bridge. He sang "Do U Remember."
7. Allison - Wow this chick can SANNNG. I love her songs! I think she is like a little Kelly Clarkson all the way. She's confident, has great tone, and seems already like a signed artist. She sang "Give Into Me." I really liked it.
8. Anoop - Yay they kind of "fixed" his hair a bit! And the outfit was a HUGE improvement from the previous shows (thanks stylists). Hated his version of "Beat It." Agree with Paula. Should NOT have touched that song. Bad idea.
9. Jorge - aka eyebrow man. Sang "Never Can Say Goodbye" which I've never heard, either. Eegh. I just didn't like it at all. I can see him being popular in the LatinAmerican culture. Reminds me of Marc Anthony a lot.
10. Megan - Can this girl get any prettier? Seriously! I thought her vocals sounded good but the song choice of "Rockin' Robin" was just "coo-coo" if ya ask me. Like WHAT was she thinking picking that song?
11. Adam - *sigh* I just don't get the hype over this guy. Yeah, he can sing. But I thought the "Black or White" song was sooo "hairband" for me. Like he would rock it out if he were in a band like "whitesnake," AND if those bands were still popular today, ya know? Ha ha ha.
12. Matt - I was feelin' the JT/Robin Thicke vibe from him, too. I thought he overdid the riffs a bit, but overall I liked it. He made "human nature" seem like his own song and kind of current.
13. Alexis - I thought she did pretty well on "dirty diana." It was good. I do think she oversang it a tad...but overall it was pretty good. I hope she sticks around.

Ok so my top pick of the night is ALLISON. My 2 choices to get kicked off are JORGE & JASMINE. What do y'all think???

King Cake

So since I'm from the New Orleans area and all--we had to celebrate Mardi Gras with a little party at my mom's. My cool Uncle manages a restaurant in the French Quarter called Acme Oyster House and shipped us up some authentic frozen entrees (woo hoo). Mom invited a few friends, and I was in charge of making a king cake. It's a tradition that is a really long story that I don't know how to tell very well...but the "cake" is basically a cross between pastry & a donut, with sugary frosting and some sort of cinnamony filling. They get more fancy that that, but that is the basic idea. I searched online for a few ideas and whipped one up. Well I shouldn't say "whipped," because it took MUCH more time than that. I made mine with a roasted pecan, brown sugar & butter filling and cream cheese icing. I have to say it came out BEAUTIFULLY. And it tasted EVEN better. It was a hit! Here's a couple pics:
Mom even had a little plastic baby doll for me to insert into the cake. Tradition goes that whoever finds the baby in their piece of cake has to host the next party. The baby is representative of the baby Jesus, believe it or not. The entire Mardi Gras celebration really is based off of the Christ child and such..."funny" because the holiday is the OPPOSITE of churchy! it is an all out PARTY! I think the idea is to party it up before the Catholic lent. Ok I should really go online and read up on it, but I'm not in the mood.

Jase's All Terrain Wagon

We bought him a pair of sunglasses the other day (SUPER cheap at Children's Place)--anyways we wanted to see if he'd really wear them. Do you know he did not take them off AT ALL? He had them on for like 40 minutes. It was too cute! We are both so proud! We also got him this cool Radio Flyer All-Terrain wagon. It has wooden things you can put on all 4 sides of it--but for now we just put on the back one so he could climb in and out on his own. We finally had a "somewhat" warm day and had to try it out. Here's a quick clip of his cool ride.

New Favorite Commercial

I'm Too Old

Thanks for your comments. I can't audition for A.I. because I am way older than they allow. I would be terrified out of my MIND to hear what Simon would say to me anyways. Yikeski!

You Were Meant for Me

Roob was kind enough to play the guitar for me on this song. Smart idea on my part :)