Favorite Thing: Apple Peeler

This was my life-saver on Wednesday:
It was $19.99 at Bed, Bath and Beyond and it worked wonders. I hate peeling anything, so making anything that requires it I find irritating, so I usually avoid making it.

This. was. wonderful. I was done peeling, coring and slicing in ten minutes. I am in love.

Mini-Thanksgiving

Last night we had a mini-Thanksgiving with Rach and John at our place. I used our china for the FIRST TIME! I was so excited!

Rach made the turkey, gravy, hanky pankies, and brought over Pumpkin Pie Martinis. I made crescent-wrapped brie served with crackers, green beans with red peppers and almonds, and horseradish mashed potatoes. I was also in charge of dessert, but I was all baked out, so picked up a Friendly's peppermint ice cream log. Delish! Rach and I both had gone out shopping that morning and were exhausted. The husbands finished almost half a bottle of vanilla vodka with the martinis, two bottles of wine and a few beers. They were wasted and we were sleeping on the couches, watching television.

I forgot to take pictures of our completed table, but here is at least a shot of my green beans!

Giving Thanks

So, let's play a little catch up...

Wednesday was spent at the grocery store and baking, cleaning and organizing. I went through the Christmas gifts I already purchased to see how I was doing. I finally went through and cleaned our bedroom, which always gets neglected. It becomes the catch-all place for things that have no spot to go in our apartment. I often just shove stuff in our closet when we are having guests over, which I am trying to not do any more. That night C and I went to a friend's house to visit with everyone before heading home. I did not put my apple/cranberry pie into the oven until 1:30 AM because...well...that is when we got home and it was ready to go in.

Thanksgiving morning was spent on the couch, watching the Macy's parade and napping. We went to my parent's house for dinner and played a rousing game of Cranium. My team won (with hubby and sister-in-law Heidi) and totally kicked the butts of my brother and cousins. Went to my in-laws for dessert and I brought an Andes mint cream pie that I bought from Market Day. Normally I would have baked, but my mother-in-law's favorite candy is Andes mints. Went back to my parents' and picked up my 14 year-old cousin who was spending the night to go shopping with me on Friday.

2:30 AM rolled around quickly. We picked up my mom and headed to Kohl's. I did not have to get much, but Maranda and I love to go shopping just for the hell of it. We love watching the crazies fight for the best deals and with one another and she is a sport about being left with the cart and babysitting our things. She has come to terms with it and laughs it off. We hit Kohl's then Old Navy, where I ditched my mom so I could do shopping for her, then went to Starbucks until Target opened. Got a few things at Target and finished up my mother-in-law's gift with the pie plates she wanted, then met my brother at the mall, where I finished up Jamie, my oldest stepdaughter. We got a lot done and it was not too insane. Hubby met us for breakfast and by that time, I was so tired I wanted to cry. Came home and napped the afternoon away.

I have much to be thankful for this year. I am a newlywed and find myself more in love with my husband with each passing day. I have two amazing daughters who have taught me so much about myself and what it means to be a strong woman and mother. I love then with my whole heart, even if they are not mine by blood. My family is healthy and happy. What more could a girl ask for?

What to do with a day off?

Clean and bake of course!

We are going to Mom and Dad's tomorrow for Thanksgiving, and to my in-laws later for dessert (then back to Mom and Dad's to get my cousin for Black Friday shopping!). Mom usually does most of the dinner herself and since she is not that big of a baker, my aunt and I usually bring dessert. My aunt is bringing the pumpkin pie and Oreo cheesecake (two of my favorites). This year I am making an autumn apple pie (courtesy of Katie at Good Things Catered) and a Giada DeLaurentiis recipe for a Chocolate Amaretti Cake.

I was all prepared to sleep in until noon, but got up with the hubby left for work this morning. I began to tackle the disaster that was trying to pass as a bedroom and our mess of a closet. There is not much I can do with the closet, as all of our Christmas gifts are in there, but the rest of it looks pretty decent now. At least the cedar chest is no longer in the middle of the floor! Finally got in the shower and now have to get ready and head to the grocery store, then home to assemble the pie crust to chill and get the chocolate amaretti cake into the oven.

Later we are heading to Sara and Aaron's for a small pre-Thanksgiving gathering since we have friends in from out of town, then home to crash!

I love vampires

It began with this:

I have read all of the Vampire Chronicles by Anne Rice. I adored them. I waited every year for Christmas and would get the newest release. When she closed the tale of our beloved "Brat Prince" vampire Lestat with Blackwood Farm in 2004, I was devastated. There would be no more tales of Lestat. It left an emptiness inside of me. This hole became even greater when the suckiest movie ever made was released, called Queen of the Damned. I literally waited for years for this stupid movie to come out and it was a travesty. If Anne Rice was not appalled by what they did to her amazing novel, something is wrong with her.

I found this same type of love with the Harry Potter books. When that series ended, I was once again saddened (not to mention I cried for basically the entire book) and felt empty.

Along came Twilight by Stephanie Meyers.

My students had been seen toting around her books for a few years and I had to give in to the temptation. It was a story about vampires combined with the same teen angst I see daily as a high school teacher. Little did I know I would eat the books up and fall in love.
Tonight I went to see the movie. It was decent; definitely not my favorite. Kind of like the Harry Potter movies, it will hopefully get better as they go along. I adored Robert Pattinson. His longing for Bella and inner turmoil was delicious. Kristen Stewart was decent as klutzy Bella, but I think the character could have been played better by a different young actress. Overall, I enjoyed the movie, and was glad we waited until today to go, as the theatre was basically empty. The last thing I wanted to deal with was screaming teenagers (like we did during Baz Luhrman's Romeo + Juliet, when Leonardo DiCaprio walked onto the screen for the first time.). It is obvious they have plans to make the rest of the books into movies, and I hope the next two are better (I HATED the fourth book with a passion, so it has nowhere to go but up). I could definitely go see it again though...any chance to stare at yummy Edward once again.

Wilton Course I, Lesson 4

Tonight was our final Wilton, Course I class. We had to bring in another cake, frosted. I changed things up a bit by using almond extract and 8 inch pans. It came out the flattest of any cake I have made. I also was REALLY happy with my icing consistency and thought the colors were cool.

After practicing sweet peas, leaves, and roses in class, I left with a final product!

Front and top of the cake:

A view of the back; I thought it would look kinda cool if I draped some of the leaves. And you can see how my one rose got damaged in the transfer to the actual cake:

A close-up of my roses; my frosting was a SMIDGE too soft and I placed them too far apart, hence the overwhelming amount of leaves. Hey, at least I got to practice, right?

Needed: New dishes

We currently have these dishes, from Kohl's.
We have some patterned ones, along with solids in the red, purple, yellow, and green. It is my attempt at a Tuscan-style kitchen without really having much to work with (since we live in an apartment). Unfortunately, these dishes chip and break very easily. It could just be us, because we have a 12 year-old who unloads and loads the dishwasher, or it could be our stupid dishwasher. So, I have decided to go with these from Bed, Bath, and Beyond:
While reading Katie's blog, I realized what a great idea it was to use white dinnerware and buy the cute accent plates without purchasing an entire set of dishes for every occasion. I had been pondering buying a set of Christmas dishes, but instead, I am going to replace our old dishes with the white ones and just purchase the accent plates for Christmas, since I am having Christmas brunch at our place.

Incidentally, I know that Corelle is virtually indestructible, but I do not like how thin they are.

New Favorite Thing

Need I say more? The Dymo Digital Labelmaker Plus...it is amazing. I am in love. And labeling everything I can get my hands on. Hubby was laughing at me, but I do not think he truly appreciates the beauty of my label maker. He just doesn't get it.

Weekly Menu 11/23-11/29

Sunday: Unsure...either we will be lucky enough to mooch dinner off of my parents or I am going to make homemade soup

Monday: Spaghetti (last Wilton class tonight!)

Tuesday: Taco Junk

Wednesday: Sloppy joes and fries (back to WW today!)

Thursday: THANKSGIVING FEASTING! Be prepared to roll me home!

Friday: Hopefully leftovers from Mom and Dad's (not to mention Black Friday shopping with Maranda and Mom!)

Saturday: Turkey cutlets with cranberry-pear chutney served with cous cous on the side

Good-bye Scary Number

I began this blog as a way to document the trials and tribulations of my attempts at weight loss and once again, Weight Watchers.  I have not been to a meeting since October 6 or so, and my weight was still in the scary number.

Today, that number was gone.

Perhaps this was the boost I needed.  Perhaps it was what was needed to trigger me.  But now...I am no longer in the scary first digit.  And I want to keep it that way.

Suggestions needed

I need my third cake for Wilton Course I on Monday, so I have to bake and prep Sunday.  Here is what I bought:

How can I spruce it up so it is not a regular, old yellow cake?  Pudding?  Fruit?  What can I put in the middle?  Help!

Hmmm...

Initially my blog started out as a blog to keep track of my weight and progress with Weight Watchers.  Clearly, I have not been on the WW wagon and have not been going to meetings so my blog has been meaningless, random posts about my life.  And no one REALLY cares about what goes on in my on a daily basis.  So here are some things that I am going to try:

Menu Planning: I am going to start posting my weekly menus  after I go to the grocery store or organize our dinners for the week.   I have a tendency to make the same meals week after week, so this is going to give me an opportunity to look back at my menus.

• Mondays: I normally cook something quick because of Wilton classes.  This will be ending for December until the very end of the month.
• Tuesdays: Crock Pot Tuesday
• Wednesday: Hubby cooks day/Leftover day
• Thursday: Usually the day I choose to make the most time-consuming meal
• Fridays and Saturdays are normally up in the air.  We eat out sometimes if we have the girls or I cook or we order in.
• Sundays: Another day I usually cook.  Or mooch off my mom.

Organizing: After reading Katie's blog I have realized that my life is a disorganized mess.  And I am lazy.  I come home from work, lay on the couch, and nap.  I love entertaining and having people over, but it such a frantic mess prepping for it.  As much as I wish we did not live in a tiny apartment and that I had a place to put things (like a basement or convenient garage), we do not.  My dream is to have a formal dining room with a hutch to have my china displayed.  So I have become an organizing maniac.  And honestly, am making a huge mess with it (whoops).  But by the end, not only will my apartment be organized and decluttered, but we will be ready to pack and move out when the time comes!

Weight Watchers:  Yeah...I am still fat.  But I am sick of it.  So I am going to join a gym and get back to meetings to stop being fat.  Buying my bridesmaid's dress for Jenny's wedding really pushed me over the edge.

That is all for now.  Kind of a random, pointless post, but at least I am attempting to give myself direction!

Holiday fever

I love the holidays.  And it is blustery and snowy outside.  I have a delicious dinner of salsa chicken in the crockpot and I am spending the evening organizing and using my new label maker (more on that later).

In honor of my holiday cheer (even though it is early), I uploaded a new layout.  I love the holidays.

Witlon Course I, Lesson 3

Tonight was my third class for Wilton, Course I. We had to come with another cake frosted. I am getting better at making the frosting and figuring out the correct consistency. It is also becoming LESS of a chore to make and mix the different frostings. I decided to go with a standard box devil's food cake mix tonight. I frosted the bottom yellow and the top white, which was a total pain because I kept getting yellow mixed in with the white. The end result was surprisingly smooth, so I was pretty proud. I used a ton of leftover frosting from the previous week, so I only had to make yellow and white. I can use the leftover white to practice with.

Unfortunately, we had to make the creepy clown cake. Anyone who knows me knows that I loathe clowns and that they scare the beejesus out of me. But, I dealt with it and I think it turned out pretty great (even though the clowns are REALLY weird!). THe shell border was tricky for me, for some reason, but I finally got the hang of it. I did a shell border on the bottom and a larger star border around the top.

It gets to go to school tomorrow for the English Department once again!

I am old

28. For some reason, I had a hard time with my birthday this year. I woke up on Friday, 11/14, my actual birthday, and took a shower and began my daily routine. My darling husband bought me a diamond journey necklace and set it up so I would see it when I reached for the remote to change the channel on the TV. He put it to the Spanish channel to make sure I would need to use it. It was so sweet and made me tear up a little.

That night, after Chuck picked up Alexys and we went to my parents' house. Mom made me a cake and the party moved downstairs to my dad's newly refinished basement and bar. I got some giftcards to Kohls and 2 place settings for my china set! If only I had a place to put it all! It was a great birthday and really nice to spend it with everyone.

Wilton Course I, Lesson 2

Monday was my second class of Wilton Course I. Here is a picture of all of my supplies:


I am sure I spent way more money than I was supposed to, but I know I will use the tips and supplies for a very long time to come. I bought some extra colors and will probably buy more. I enjoy having options. That night's class was all about using the different tips and we started working on creating the Wilton Rose. I was finally getting the hang of opening up the petals by the end of the class. Our final product was a cake with buttercream frosting and a rainbow. I was bringing it to school the next, so being totally lame, I wrote I Love Books on it for the English Department. I made a basic white cake and tinted the frosting blue. Rach and I split the colors of the rainbow, and we still had a ton left over. Here is a shot of what it was supposed to look like and what mine looked like. I was pretty proud of the end result and everyone at school on Tuesday said it was delish! Next week we move on to the stupid clown cake...I hate clowns. With a passion.

I am really enjoying taking the class and am already looking forward to Course II at the end of December. It gives me a little time to myself and to hang out with Rach. Until that time, I signed up for a gingerbread house class on one Saturday, and I am hoping to take the girls. I think we would have a great time together.

Dinner for Two

Last Friday, Chuck and I had a lovely evening at home. We did not have the kids so I wanted to try out some new recipes. I had my first attempt at homemade foccacia bread, italian sausage and pepper pasta from Weight Watchers, and a fantastic fall pie from Good Things Catered. We watched Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull,which sucked, and just enjoyed a much-needed relaxing night at home. The pasta was AMAZING and made a HUGE ammount. We ate leftovers all weekend!

Italian Sausage and Pepper Pasta (courtesy of Weight Watchers)

• 1/2 pound(s) raw turkey sausage, Italian-style, casings removed
• 2 tsp olive oil, extra-virgin
• 2 medium yellow pepper(s), cut into 2-inch long thin strips
• 1 medium onion(s), thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup(s) red wine
• 1 1/2 tbsp minced garlic
• 28 oz canned crushed tomatoes, fire-roasted recommended
• 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes, or less to taste
• 1/4 tsp table salt
• 8 oz uncooked whole-wheat pasta, fusilli
• 1/3 cup(s) basil, fresh, chopped

Instructions

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil.
  
  
• Meanwhile, to make sauce, in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, cook sausage, stirring and breaking up meat with back of a wooden spoon, until cooked through, about 3 to 5 minutes; remove to a plate.
  
  
• Heat oil in same skillet. Add yellow peppers and onion; cook, stirring frequently, until vegetables are lightly colored and crisp-tender, about 5 minutes.
  
  
• Add wine and garlic; cook until most of liquid evaporates, about 1 minute. Add tomatoes, crushed red pepper, salt and browned sausage; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer until vegetables are tender and sauce is heated through, about 10 minutes.
  
  
• While sauce simmers, add pasta to boiling water and cook according to package instructions. Drain pasta; return to pot. Add sauce and basil; toss to mix and coat. Yields about 1 1/3 cups per serving.

My foccacia bread was a random recipe off the internet...I want to try a different one. This was really good, but not what I was looking for.


I plan on making this pie for Thanksgiving and wanted to give it a whirl.

Autumn Apple Pie

Ingredients:
1 recipe basic pie dough
9 medium apples, peeled, cored and sliced 1/8 inch thick
1/4 c. golden raisins (I did not add these because I did not have any)
1/4 c. dried sweetened cranberries
1/2 c. dark brown sugar
1/4 c. granulated sugar
4 tsp cornstarch
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
pinch salt
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 egg, beaten
raw sugar for sprinkling

Directions:
-Roll out 1/2 of basic dough recipe into disk about 1/4 inch thick and 2 inches wider than the pie dish.
-Gently fold in half, then in quarters, place into pie dish and unfold evenly pressing into all edges of dish.
-Place dish into fridge.
-Roll out other half of pie dough to the same thickness.
-Using a small cookie cutter, cut the dough spacing each cutout about 1/2 inch apart.
-Place top and cutouts in refrigerator.
-Meanwhile, in a large pot, place apples, raisins, cranberries, sugars, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and cornstarch over medium low heat.
-Stir, cover and cook until apples begin to soften, about 10-15 minutes. (I overcooked mine, so they were mushy)
-Remove top of pan, stir and continue cooking uncovered until begins to thicken, about 2-3 minutes.
-Remove from heat, stir in lemon juice, and let cool completely.
-Place baking sheet in oven and preheat oven to 400 degrees.
-Remove pie dough from fridge and pour in pie filling, leveling top of filling.
-Top filling with cutout dough piece and trim ends.
-Brush bottom of cutout pieces with beaten egg, and place on edge of pie.
-Brush top of pie dough with beaten egg.
-Place tin foil loosely around edge of pie (or use pie protector) and place in oven on preheated baking sheet.
-Cook until pie dough is cooked through and middle is bubbling, about 60 minutes.
-Remove from oven and let cool completely before serving.
(Mine is DEFINITELY not as pretty as Katie's!)

Wilton Course I, Lesson 1

Tonight Rach and I went to our Wilton Course I class. I was super excited to go, even though I was pretty sure we would just be talking...which is exactly what we did. Our instructor seems pretty cool and is laid back. There are only four of us in the class, which I think is ok as well.

For next week's class I have to make a cake and then frost it with the Wilton Buttercream frosting that is in our lesson booklet. We will be doing the rainbow cake. I will be sure to post pictures before and after decorating.

Joann's had their class lists out for December and the beginning of January. Wilton II does not start until the very end of December on Mondays again, so after Wilton I ends, I will have some free time...so I signed up for the Wilton Gingerbread course on December 6. I want to go to the class and then make one with the girls before Christmas.

Halloween

Thursday night, Jamie and I carved pumpkins while watching "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!" Always puts me in a holiday mood! And yes, I do the same pumpkin face every year.



It was the first time we had both girls for Halloween, so I was really excited. Halloween is my favorite holiday, so it was awesome to be able to take them Trick or Treating. We went to my parents' neighborhood and took them around for the full two hours. My parents and my in-laws were there and we had pizza and salad and ate my leftover cookies, as well as the Apple Spice Cookie Bars I made from Good Things Catered (and forgot to take pictures of). The kids were passed out early and I spent some time rummaging through all the stuff I still have in my parents basemen (Dad wants me to clean all my crap out so they can finish their basement). All in all, it was a great and relaxing night and we had a blast with the kids!

Sugar Cookie, Attempt 1

Sugar cookies have been the bane of my baking existence. No matter what recipe I try, I always have a difficult time. While reading Heather's blog, she went through the recipe she uses for sugar cookies from Katie at Good Things Catered. Heather's cookies were definitely an inspiration and it was ironic because I had just bought the same cookie cutter shapes that she used. Decorating gave me a chance to use some of the supplies I bought for my Wilton class, which begins tomorrow!

Thanks, Heather, for the great decorating ideas! Unfortunately, my cookies were not as cute as yours!

Fabulous Sugar Cookies
(Recipe from Ashlee)

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks - 24 tbsp.) butter
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup powdered sugar
4 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. almond extract
1 tbsp. lemon zest
5 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
Powdered sugar, for rolling

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. Cream butter and sugars in a mixer for 5 minutes.
3. Add eggs one at a time, mixing thoroughly.
4. Add vanilla, almond, and lemon zest.
5. Sift in flour, baking powder, and salt a little at a time. Do not over mix, this process should take about one minute.
6. Chill dough for up to a week in the fridge, or roll out and cut right away. (I chilled my dough overnight. It was really sticky and would have been REALLY hard to roll out)
7. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and bake cookies for 7-8 minutes. Wait until cookies are cooled before icing.

Here are the cookies as I cut them out. I used a TON of powedered sugar to roll and cut out on the counter.

My ghosts and pumpkins, after baking. I did realize that they thickness was inconsistent, so I will definitely be more aware of that the next time I bake them.
Next I attempted royal icing for the first time. What a disaster and a mess. I did not have ANY idea what I was doing, so this was definitely a new experience. With the pumpkins, I outlined, but then did not thin the icing, because I had no idea what flooding was. Then, after some online research, I figured it out.

So I was able to give flooding a shot with the ghosts. It worked out pretty well, although this time my icing was too thin while flooding. I also needed to use a thicker tip while piping the outline.
The finished pumpkins! All in all, it was an interesting experience and I learned some things about icing. I am REALLY excited to start Wilton Course I with Rachel tomorrow! Since Project Runway is over, we have hardly seen each other! Now we have a new date night!