28 February 2014

Friday Question: Your Last Bake

What's the last thing you baked?  Was it sweet or savory? And would you bake it again?  The last thing I baked was yesterday's four plaited loaf - and the first thing I'll bake today is a toffee crunch cookie.

How 'bout you?

26 February 2014

Badass ... Not so Much

Remember how I was gonna get all badass on that stack of coupons yesterday? Get 'em clipped and put away? Well, that never happened.  Instead, I wrote a new waffle stick recipe, along with making these rolls.

62.5% strong white and 37.5% spring wheat.  My goal was to add some brown, but retain the softness of the white. 

Happy to say, it worked.

I'd show you a picture of the sticks, but Tim ate them all.  Well, not all, but he did eat MOST of them.  Meanwhile, it's a new day and I need to get my coupons clipped. 

Right after I work on my Pepperoni & Cheese Bites.



25 February 2014

CLUSTERMUCK

I don't like unorganized coupons.  It's annoying, and it's not my style.  Yet, I've let them go in trade for food writing and house stuff.  But that's no way to save money.

Today's goal: Get this clustermuck of a mess, back in order.

But first, dig my Easy Bake Oven experiment from last night.  Chocolate cookies with brown flour and lots and lots of yum. 

Best new fan oven, ever.

24 February 2014

27-Day Smack Down

Time for another challenge, as I'm fresh out and in the mood to jump into something new.  This time, it's all about facing my fears about exercise.  Some already know, I have a few spinal/neck issues, blah, blah blah.  Older readers may remember (or not), how much I loved to jog.  And while jogging currently remains off limits, walking isn't. 

I've been scared to get back to it.   So for the last two weeks I've been walking five, ten and even fifteen minutes at a time.  Slowly rebuilding my confidence, rather than being afraid I'll hurt myself again. 

But enough farting around.  It's time for a throw down. Or is it a smack down?  Either way, I challenged Tim to join me in a walking goal.  He picked 27 days in a row, and today we start.

I will not be afraid of that treadmill. 

23 February 2014

Save vs. Angry Wife

Today, Tim used my recipe for vanilla waffle sticks.  He snuck in extra vanilla but couldn't remember how much extra, he added.  He said he did it with love and there's no measurement for love.

So Tim made his save roll on that one, and the waffles were pretty frickin' good.  

Meanwhile, Tim's going around the house saying ...


22 February 2014

Would You Let Your Husband Cut Your Hair?

Never made it home last night in time to make burgers and rolls.  But I did get to test my Easy Bake Oven, on leftover frozen take-out crappy pizza.  Let me tell ya, that little fan oven did a mighty good job.

I found myself with elbows on counter, hands on my cheeks, watching the pizza.  Just like I did when I was a kid, only then it was a little tin of cake batter, and a light bulb.

After that, I gave my husband my good sewing scissors and he lopped off a bunch of my hair.  Was down to my butt, now just past my shoulders.  I love playing with a new do.

Only I woke up not looking so cute because half-way through the night I had to remove my curlers.  Which meant I woke to half-curly, half not-so-much.  With a cowlick as a bonus.

This is not the look I wanted.  So up it went.  But that's okay, because Tim did a great job, and I can look cute tomorrow.

That's all from me.  Happy Saturday and boogie boogie.

21 February 2014

BEHIND ON EVERYTHING

I'm behind on everything today.  Including housework and food shopping.  Tonight we're having bacon cheeseburgers, on home baked rolls.  Or maybe I'll make waffles.  Dunno yet. 

Anyway, this makes 54 days in a row (started before 2014).  Only instead of feeling like a daily goal to hit 44, somehow I've formed a habit.  I noticed the change around day 35.

And that wraps post 54.  Gotta get dressed and go see my honey bunny.  He left his headphones an iPod home, and I've gotta snag some sales before we go into our weekend.

Barnes & Noble here we come.  With gift cards and everything.  Love that cafe.  Tim writes and I stick my big fat nose in as many bakes books as I can find.

PS: What's for supper at your house????

20 February 2014

DINGER BE-G0NE

Today's experiments didn't work but, I took notes on how to approach my chocolate cookie puzzle, next go around. 

Tonight's supper ... shrimp in garlic butter sauce with parsley and brown pasta with dinner rolls, and whipped butter.

And dig this, thanks to Hubby for suggesting we ditch the dinger, I now have space for all my new Valentine's Day toys, and he took the dinger to work to heat up his lunches.

Everyone wins.

Meanwhile, all this space organizing has left my couponing in the dust.  Gotta get back on track.  So tonight whilst Poopyhead games online with the goobers, I'm gonna watch baking shows and clip coupons.

Cheers and boogie boogie.

Today's Cookie Puzzle

Today, I want to see what happens when I put my chocolate cookie dough in the waffle stick maker.  For the first batch I'll use my cookie dough as is and for the second batch, I'll increase the liquid.

This is what I love.  Writing and figuring it all out.  Like a big cookie puzzle, just waiting to be solved.

And I love it.

18 February 2014

Take a Look at My Goodies

Change of plans.  Gonna skip painting the bedroom this week.  Instead, I'm rebuilding my work space with all these Valentine's Day gifts that Tim got me.

So far I've read part of the book, made waffles and pasta.  And even though I broke out in a rash when Tim spent the extra eight bucks for big stock pot with the pasta strainer, I used it tonight and I absolutely love it.

Love it!

So before I start to rebuild my kitchen and find space for these goodies, I'm going to toss together a big pot of veggie stock.  And the best part, I'm using the pasta strainer for easy stock making fun.

Brilliant.

Plus, check out the little pot with the steamer basket.  How cute is that?  Along with a counter top fan oven and toaster.  So fun.  And lastly, heart-shaped and smoochie face dough cutters.  Does my husband know me or what?

Meanwhile, on Friday I was so pooped from getting his office in shape that I didn't have the energy to make a simple dough.  So Tim made supper.  Veggie sticks, organic tater tots and turkey dogs.  He said the hot dogs were gourmet because he sliced them and then shredded my good Gruyère cheese, on top.

I love that man.


17 February 2014

Today We Play - Tomorrow I Paint

It's Monday and for us, that means one more day off, then back to work.  My goal this week is to get the bedroom prepped and painted.  But that starts tomorrow.  Today, we're still enjoying our Valentine's Day weekend.

Today we play.  Tomorrow I paint.

PS: Since writing this post, I've had a change of plans.  See next post for details, and have an oogie boogie day. 

Cheers.
 

14 February 2014

I Hit My 4-Day Goal

I finished the office in four days.  It's done.  Not just done, it's fantastic.  My goal was for my husband to wake up on Valentine's Day, to his new writing space.

Mission complete.

Meanwhile, Tim's off for a four day weekend and I am one Happy Whisk.  Did you see what I did to his blog yet?

Click Tim's Girly Valentine Blog.  I know, I'm terrible.  But I can cook, so that helps to smooth things over.

Cheers and smoochie smoochie.

13 February 2014

Tim's Girly Valentine Blog

Day four and I feel darn good.  Even though I stayed up WAY too late last night decorating Tim's blog, I'm still focused and ready to put this project behind me.

Today's goal: Get anything that should not be in this office, out.  I'll deal with the parts in the living room tomorrow.  Today, I stay on task and hit my goal.

Meanwhile, check out Tim's Girly Valentine Blog.  The banner was the last piece of the puzzle.  I wish you could have heard him reading his own banner out loud this morning, because it was so flippin' funny.   I almost peed in my pants. 

Good stuff.

12 February 2014

Turtles & Inchworms

Okay doke.  It's officially the half-way mark of me getting this office done.  And somewhere in all this, I still have to girly up my husband's blog for Valentine's day.   Meanwhile anyone that guessed Julia Child yesterday, wins two turtles and seven dead inchworms. 

 Enjoy your day and boogie boogie.


10 February 2014

Craphole Monday: 4-Day Goal

Here we are Monday morning and I am again, very pleased with what I accomplished last week.  Now I'm ready to take on a new goal.

The goal, get the office back in order.  This room has become way too many things.  Storage, stockpile, computer desks, fabric area, office supply shelf, and overall craphole.

Originally, I wanted it done by the Winter Solstice.  I failed.  Now I want it done by Valentine's Day.  So what makes me think I can take on this space in just four days?  Because last week we cleared off the kitchen bar (covered in appliances), and turned it into a writing area for my mains and bakes.

I love it.

The amount of work I was able to produce last week exceeded my set goals.  Now, I want to give Tim the same kind of functional space.  So here I am.  Monday morning, and seriously ready to burn this fucker down.

Cue the music ...


07 February 2014

Friday Question


I would LOVE to participate in THE GREAT BRITISH BAKEOFF.  It's the best bake show in the history of ever.  Each week the bakers get three challenges.  Two, they know about ahead of time and one - the technical challenge - they don't.  Instead, bakers are given half-instructions, and judged on their technical abilities. 

Each time I watch, I learn something new.  I also love that the BBC series is all about the bake, rather than being prize-money driven.

How about you?  If you could magically transport yourself to ANY show, what would it be?

05 February 2014

How to Get My Husband ...?

Because you know it's coming.  Valentine's Day.  Which aside from maybe one year, we never celebrated.  Honestly, I thought it was a silly holiday.  So did Tim.  But this year, he's got a four day weekend, starting on 14th.  I'm excited. 

We're even doing gifts.  Game stuff for him.  Baking things for me.  Not a shocker but oh so fun.  And I dunno.  Life's short and like Tim said, this past Christmas, we only get so few of these holidays.  So why not enjoy them?  

Now ... I must think of what I shall do to his blog this year.  Whatever it is, it's gonna be girly.  Ah ... life is good.

For me.  Not so much for Gamer Guy with the soon to be girly blog.  And the best part, he won't know how to remove it. 

Bring on the silly.

04 February 2014

My Pretty Little Stockpile

It's not as big as the couponers on TV but I don't care about that.  What I do care about is that ALL of those items were FREE using coupons, sales, promotions and skill.  Along with the patience to wait for the right sale, and not least of all, an open-minded husband willing to try new items.

Which brings us to today.  Two years of couponing.

See our wall?  Prior to two years ago, those goodies caused me stress.  I hated spending money on them.  Hated it.  But now thanks to coupons, I shop for the wall, and the wall takes care of us.  All in exchange for a little time, a willingness to try new things, and mad coupon clipping skills.

That's right, I got game.  Wait ... Did I say that right?  I dunno, doesn't matter.  Anyway, here's the most recent picture of my stockpile.  I just love it.  She's so pretty.

03 February 2014

Move Over Suzy Homemaker

Last week I kicked butt.  Now that's it's Monday again, I get another crack at a brand new week.  I love that.

One of my goals, is to have foods ready for the weekend.  Because even though I cook everything from scratch, I still struggle on the weekends that we're out and about.

But since I don't believe that convenience foods are worth the money, I have to think ahead.  So this week, one of my goals is to bang out a freezer prep day.  A mass production of pizzas, sub rolls, calzones and/or strombolis.  I'm ready to kick butt and make my weekends easier. 

Move over Suzy Homemaker.  There's a new Whisk in town.

02 February 2014

Sunday Bake

Everyone is napping and I'm trying to decide which bake to do.  Something heart-shaped for sure.  Maybe an almond chocolate thing, or do I want to go with a little herb and cheese????

Hmmm ... so many fun bakes.

Meanwhile, for breakfast we had bacon, eggs, potato rounds, and pancakes with local PA maple syrup.  It was killer. 

And that wraps up post 35 in a row.  Not the most exciting post but I had to get something down as I'm fixin' to hit 44 in a row.  Though hitting 104, probably won't happen.

PS: I hear Tim and Bug snoring from the other room.  Time to sneak past them both and get a Sunday Bake in the oven.

Cheers and boogie boogie.