Rain, Rain Go Away

We had a very wet, but productive weekend. It rained all day today...can't complain though...we desperately need it. Yesterday involved taking Belle for a long walk. She had fun and enjoyed getting pets by numerous kids in the park. After that, we did our taxes....ugghhh....what a project. But, since all our receipts, vehicle registrations, and other tax documents were all together, it was a really simple process. I think we were done in under 2 hours. Plus, we're getting a pretty large return. Yippeee!

Since today was so rainy, I decided to make it baking day. Our oven was going non-stop. I put a whole chicken and some sweet potatoes in the crockpot to roast. I love roasting a chicken in the crockpot...it makes the whole house smell delicious! Then, I baked Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip cookies and Carrot Spice Muffins to take to work with us this week. Yum....I've already posted about the Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies, so I won't bore you with that. But, I love the Carrot Spice Muffins. I was getting tired of Bananna and Blueberry....boring....so I wanted to try something different. These didn't disappoint. They are tender, sweet, and just a little spicy thanks to the cinnamon and ginger. Brian and I both liked them and urge you to try them for yourselves!

Carrot Spice Muffins

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tbsp. baking powder

1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. ground ginger

1/4 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 cup sugar

1/3 cup packed light brown sugar

2/3 cup canola oil

2 large eggs

1 tsp. vanilla extract

3/4 cup milk (I used 2%)

1 cup shredded carrot

1/2 cup shredded sweetened coconut

1/2 cup raisins (I omitted)

1/3 cup pecans or walnuts, toasted and chopped

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a muffin pan with paper liners.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, baking soda and salt. Stir together to combine, and set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the sugar, brown sugar and canola oil. Mix until smooth. Add in the eggs and vanilla extract and beat until incorporated. Add in the dry ingredients in two additions, alternately with the milk, mixing each addition just until incorporated. Mix in the shredded carrot. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold in the coconut, raisins, and nuts (if using). Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups.

Bake for about 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan 5 minutes, then remove the muffins to a wire rack to cool completely.

Source: Annie's Eats

http://annieseats.wordpress.com/2009/02/15/carrot-spice-muffins/

Valentine's Day Mardi Gras Celebration

Brian and I are not into Valentine's Day. Never had been....never will be. So, we invited our friend's Brett and Marlo to come over for a Mardi Gras celebration. The boys loved playing with the beads.

For dinner, I made Jambablaya, Marlo made Hushpuppies, and I made a King Cake for dessert.

King Cake

We washed it down with Ibita beer and root beer for the boys. Yum! We were all fat and happy after dinner. The boys played with the Wii and Belle did really good with them.

Chace is getting big!

Cpucakes, Cupcakes!

So, if you couldn't tell from the blog, I've been in baking mode for the last couple of months. One of my goals on my 101 things list is to find a signature cupcake that it totally Delicious that I make over and over again. So far, I've tried 2 different kinds.

1st Up: Chocolate Cream Filled Cupcakes.....

Just seeing these beauties has my thinking of summer in my youth! I knew I needed to make these. They are chocolate cake with white creme filling, a chocolate ganache topping, and topped off with piped white swirls. These got "thumbs up" from Brian and my co-workers. Everyone expressed that they really do taste like the Hostess version, but "better". They were fun to make, but did have a lot of steps...not hard steps.just steps. I will be making them again....signature cupcake? Too early to tell....

Next up, for Valentine's Day is the Red Velvet Cupcake. (forgive the picture...they really are red)

Everyone gets excited about Red Velvet Cake. When I brought them into my co-workers, several mentions of Steel Magnolia's came up! I've tried several versions of Red Velvet Cake in the past. I tried yet another recipe for these cupcakes. The conclusion...they were good....but I'm still searching for the perfect recipe.

So, the quest for the perfect cupcake continues. Next up on my list is "Irish Car Bomb" Cupcakes for St. Patrick's Day. I also found a recipe for Cherry Limeade Cupcakes....they are adorable and I can't wait to make them in the Spring....Cherry Limeade is my very favorite drink to get from Sonic. I was very excited to discover that a Sonic is in Tracy....Yes....my commute home is now more bearable!

Our Typical Friday Nights...exciting!

Last night, it was cold and rainy. So, we decided to light a fire, make pizza at home, and open a bottle of wine. Belle was in her cuddle bug mode. I was tired...so, as usual, I fell asleep on the sofa. Brian captured it on film. I know....I told you it was exciting....ha!

Survey Says

A survey- Now it's your turn!
1. What time did you get up this morning? 5am
2. Diamonds or pearls: Diamonds
3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema? Gran Torino
4. What is your favorite TV show? none...at the moment...just not into any right now.
5. What do you usually have for breakfast? Cereal, an English Muffin or Oatmeal with a cup of tea
6. What is your middle name? Parker
7. What food do you dislike? not too much....I'll try anything...gross stuff like liver, I guess
8. What is your favorite CD at moment? I love music of all kinds--I don't have CDs...just my Ipod
9. What kind of car do you drive? Ford Edge
10. Favorite sandwich? Turkey, swiss and avocado on wheat.....YUM
11. What characteristic do you despise? Selfishness and Greed
12. Favorite item of clothing? a black baby doll t-shirt with square neck....love it
13. Favorite brand of clothing? No favorite really...lately, it's Target
14. Where do you want to retire? Somewhere warm with husband and family (kids,grandkids) close by
15. What was your most recent memorable birthday? 35....we went kayaking
16. Favorite sport to watch? baseball--live and football--on TV
17. Furthest place you are sending this? I'm not sure!
18. Person you expect to send it back first?I have no idea.....post this on your blog and let me know!! =)
19. When is your birthday? July 18th
20. Are you a morning person or a night person? Morning
21. What is your shoe size? 8
22. Pets? Belle--our crazy dog
23. Any new and exciting news you’d like to share with us? Ugh, I really wish. Not yet....
24. What did you want to be when you were little? A mom and a teacher ha!
25. How are you today? Good. I'm procrastinating at work right now.
26. What is your favorite candy? I like plan m&m's and dark chocolate
27. What is a day on the calendar you are looking forward to? nothing...really....sad, huh?
28. What are you listening to right now? hmmm of the HVAC system in my office
29. What was the last thing you ate? A bowl of soup
30. Do you wish on stars? Yes!
31. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? I'd be Orange
32. How is the weather right now? cloudy and trying to rain.
33. The first person you spoke to on the phone today? hmmm....someone at work
34. Favorite soft drink? don't drink it anymore
35. Favorite restaurant? anything Mexican
36. Real hair color? Red--going blonde/gray though
37. What was your favorite toy as a child? My pony "Mr.Red"
38. Summer or winter? neither...I like the Fall and Spring best.
39. Hugs or kisses BOTH!!
40. Chocolate or Vanilla? Most always Chocolate
41. Coffee or tea? Coffee....but only decaf now =(
42. Do you want your friends to answer these? obviously!
43. When was the last time you cried? Yesterday
44. What is under your bed? sweater boxes.
45 What did you do last night? eat leftovers, drank wine and made Red Velvet Cupcakes
46. What are you afraid of? Infertility, Cancer, something bad happening to my family
47. Salty or sweet? Both.....salty with sweet is the best- like choc. covered pretzels! YUMM
48. How many years at your current job? It will be 10 years in November with Crate; 2 years in March for this position.
49 Favorite day of the week? Thursday...the weekend is almost here!
50. How many towns have you lived in? gosh....that's hard...I think 9