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Blogger’s Lament

If anyone has come here at all in the past several months, I owe you an apology. I have no excuse! Please come back…I promise to be better. It's just that sometimes it's unfulfilling. And, did I ever mention I'm crazy? I go through phases. I'll blame hormones, but that isn't it. I just kind of decide to dedicate myself to one thing one day and another the next. Well, you know, I like writing and don't do enough of it (unless you count work which doesn't count as far as I'm concerned). So, I'm sorry. I will try to have special adventures and write about them just for you. Love, Christine

Hot Tamale

The more things change, the more they stay the same. My paper journals are full of entries that start "I know I said I'd write here more often…" Well, enter technology to give me more things that I don't address.  Do you ever find that you ignore the things you actually care about for loads of things you have to do?

Well, I didn't intend to wax philosophically; I intended to talk about food. I recently discovered this dish, which is kind of one of those things you'd expect to see on the back of a Pillsbury box, but it's comforting and filling and fun. It's Tamale Pie.

The first time I made Tamale Pie was in the oven, from a recipe I found in the wonderful cookbook, The Best Casserole Cookbook Ever. But, then I bought a Crock Pot, and was possessed with finding a way to make everything in it. As it turns out, this recipe showed me how (results in the photo above–yummy looking, yes?).

A made a few minor changes in my interpretation of the recipe. I skipped the garlic powder because I wasn't sure how garlicky the Frontera Green Chile enchilada sauce would be. I didn't miss it. I also threw in some fresh corn, used Mexican shredded cheese instead of plain cheddar, and used black beans instead of kidney beans.  I also shortened the cooking time to 2 hours on high instead of 5.5 on low. Cooking in the Crock Pot doesn't make this recipe particularly easier, since you still have to brown the beef, but it's great in the summertime when you would like to keep the kitchen as cool as possible.

I have also made this with canned diced tomatoes in the meat mixture. I've also made it without enchilada sauce, putting in taco seasonings instead. Or, how about some diced bell peppers? Or diced chiles either in the meat or in the cornbread?  Or turkey instead of beef? Do whatever you want! The point is a savory meat filling with a nice cornbread crust! You dig?

The cornbread mix I used was corn muffins from Jiffy. It was a bit sweet and cakey, understandably, so I would probably find the one I used last time (which, conveniently, I can't actually remember the name of or where I bought it…). Whatever. It was still delicious, and I didn't have to heat up my house and make my a/c work any harder than it had to on this 95 degree day.

Do Not Adjust Your Screen

I have done a little redecorating.  I have been wanting a blog design that is a little more expressive, so I updated my design to one of the new templates that allows for a banner image.  I have been debating whether or not to stick with Typepad. I have a blog with the same name at Blogger, too, just in case (it's blank). Let me know what you think!

Frozen Delights!

I had a moment a few weeks ago where I decided I was no longer going to buy one of the staples of my kitchen: No Sugar Added Fudgsicles. It just grossed me out thinking that I was eating what essentially amounted to a frozen chemical stick. So, I decided to fulfill my sweet cool cravings, I was going to buy popsicle molds and make my own. So I did.

I settled on the "Groovy" molds from Tovolo that I bought at Hill's Kitchen. (If you want to buy these, call Leah at Hill's Kitchen and she'll hook you up…Amazon's good but no cheaper…so why not "buy local." :))

So, I've become a bit obsessed. (These were taken w/ my iphone, so sorry for the quality…)

Honeydew pops…basically just honeydew, some honey, and a little yogurt:

 

I believe these were my personal favorites…Blueberry Limoncello. I would give you the recipe, but I didn't have one. Basically, blueberries, limoncello, freeze!

 

I also made delightful Fudge Pops from a Taste of Home recipe that are now on my "do not make" list. Why? Not because they were gross. Quite the opposite–they were delish, but way too caloric and delicious to make regularly! You can find that recipe here.

I do highly advocate making frozen treats…they are generally healthier than what you'd get in the store and you can come up with some cleverly delicious recipes on the fly. I'm excited to try additional ones! And, apparently, they're the new trend–popping up in bars in cities, including mine! Witness this feature from the Washington Post. I'd like to point out that that article came out AFTER I started making my pops. What can I say? I'm a trendsetter! 🙂 Here is the accompanying video about fancy popsicles from the Dairy Godmother in Alexandria (one of my favorite places down there!).

http://specials.washingtonpost.com/mv/embed/?title=Ice%20pop%20sophisticate&stillURL=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonpost.com%2Fwp-dyn%2Fcontent%2Fphoto%2F2010%2F08%2F03%2FPH2010080304861.jpg&flvURL=%2Fmedia%2F2010%2F07312010-1v&width=480&height=270&autoStart=false&clickThru=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonpost.com%2Fwp-dyn%2Fcontent%2Fvideo%2F2010%2F08%2F03%2FVI2010080304829.html

Western PA Vintage Finds

I went home to Western PA last weekend. I had a series of "had to dos" there, such as having my annual eye appointment with my wonderful eye doc, getting measured for a bridesmaid dress, and getting my oil change (just more convenient there). I of course got to see one of my favorite family members, Sammy. The dog.

I also got to go to my favorite Salvation Army. Despite telling myself I wasn't going to be selling anything on Etsy or Ebay anytime soon, I couldn't help but snap up all the wonderful finds. All the below for under $20:

• Two Kremerware canisters (sugar and tea)
• A "Mascot" vintage cooler
• A set of two spaghetti looking glasses
• A set of four yellow Pyrex-type bowls
• Two metal Mid-Century trays
• A little menagerie of Wade Whimsies (two elephants, two turtles, a bunny, and a lioness).

Yes! I do love a good vintage shopping trip!!!

 

Happy Memorial Day! Projects…

I hung around here for Memorial Day, and when I say hung around, I mean it. I didn't do a whole lot, despite Leslie's list of activities for me to do (Rolling Thunder, Memorial Day Concert, Parade). I stil have most of today to redeem myself, I suppose! I did, however, get a few things done around the house, including finishing my dresser finally. I also spray painted two Ikea lamps and managed to offload some old stain and paint on a Freecycler. This is good because it saved me a trip to the Hazmat collection site next weekend.

I took about 100 photos of the dresser, but none of them turned out great. As you may recall, I was deciding between spraypainting the feet gold and staining. Well, the stain won out by default because I couldn't actually remove the feet as I thought I could. I also was able to sort of finish the part of the inside of the drawers that showed. At least now it doesn't stand out.

As for the lamps, there's a reason no one ever said that IMpatience is a virtue. I had leftover gold spray paint and thought I'd tackle my old Ikea $15 lamps. But, as you can imagine, having a portion of a can left, covering both lamps was iffy. So, yeah, it didn't. Plus, I sprayed it somewhat unevenly and tried to fix it by…touching it. Um, not a great idea. Anyway, it's not discernable to normal people, but I know it's there! Here's a view.

You can kind of see the silver peeking through (in a place I didn't even notice until the flash exposed it to me). Anyway, moral of the story is to have all the materials you need for a project and take the proper amount of time for it! One of these days I'll actually follow this!

The (almost) finished dresser

Here it is! Handles have to be painted so I only put some handles on. I’m not sure if it will stay where it is though I have to admit that it does fit perfectly under the window!

I’ll get into the flaws–there was the sanding before poly issue (not sure if I mentioned), I also missed stripping & staining in the strip of wood between the drawers so it kinda stands out. I also have yet to do anything to the legs.

More later!!

Catch Up–What else have you been doing, Christine?

Glad you asked. I had my second annual Twelfth Night Tea party–a post-holiday holiday party–the weekend after New Years. It was so great to see people I haven't seen in awhile. It was open house style. I chose healthier recipes such as turkey burger sliders, low-fat cakes, low-fat spinach artichoke dip, and crudite. Someone remind me next year that making many appetizers is NOT easier than making a full-blown meal. Still, it was fun. My favorite part was the punch I made–"Steamy Passion" a passion-fruit based hot toddy. Yum!

 

I've also been rooting the Steelers on to a Superbowl victory! Mom was here last Sunday for the playoff game where the "boys" as she calls them trampled the Ravens.

 

Mom stayed for a whole week, so we had time for some other outings. I played hookie (well, not really because I TOLD them where I was going) from work on Friday afternoon, and we went to Georgetown. Hit up Georgetown Cupcake (the best ones I have had though Mom thinks perhaps they buy mix from King Arthur…doubt it).

Top Row–Coconut and Roasted Marshallow. Bottom Row–Lava Fudge and Carrot.

 

These were the flavors we still had left to share with Erin after she met us for dinner at Matchbox. We enjoyed a lemon one and red velvet at the Georgetown waterfront park.

I was shocked to find that Dean and Deluca did not carry Dutch process cocoa. Apparently, this stuff's hard to find these days. I did end up buying it this past weekend, at the German deli section of Cafe Mozart. Mom and I had some hearty German fare there after a tour of the Capitol on Saturday.

Oh, back to the Capitol tour. The new visitors center is open, and it's gorgeous. I was most amazed at how simple it was to get in. Not from a security sense but from a ticket standpoint. I will save the views of the Capitol for professional photographers. I was most impressed with the wonderful restroom facilities.

Digital cameras are dangerous things.

Catch Up–What else have you been doing, Christine?

Glad you asked. I had my second annual Twelfth Night Tea party–a post-holiday holiday party–the weekend after New Years. It was so great to see people I haven't seen in awhile. It was open house style. I chose healthier recipes such as turkey burger sliders, low-fat cakes, low-fat spinach artichoke dip, and crudite. Someone remind me next year that making many appetizers is NOT easier than making a full-blown meal. Still, it was fun. My favorite part was the punch I made–"Steamy Passion" a passion-fruit based hot toddy. Yum!

 

I've also been rooting the Steelers on to a Superbowl victory! Mom was here last Sunday for the playoff game where the "boys" as she calls them trampled the Ravens.

 

Mom stayed for a whole week, so we had time for some other outings. I played hookie (well, not really because I TOLD them where I was going) from work on Friday afternoon, and we went to Georgetown. Hit up Georgetown Cupcake (the best ones I have had though Mom thinks perhaps they buy mix from King Arthur…doubt it).

Top Row–Coconut and Roasted Marshallow. Bottom Row–Lava Fudge and Carrot.

 

These were the flavors we still had left to share with Erin after she met us for dinner at Matchbox. We enjoyed a lemon one and red velvet at the Georgetown waterfront park.

I was shocked to find that Dean and Deluca did not carry Dutch process cocoa. Apparently, this stuff's hard to find these days. I did end up buying it this past weekend, at the German deli section of Cafe Mozart. Mom and I had some hearty German fare there after a tour of the Capitol on Saturday.

Oh, back to the Capitol tour. The new visitors center is open, and it's gorgeous. I was most amazed at how simple it was to get in. Not from a security sense but from a ticket standpoint. I will save the views of the Capitol for professional photographers. I was most impressed with the wonderful restroom facilities.

Digital cameras are dangerous things.