Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Audra says Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone. Hope you have a wonderful and thank-FULL day. :)








Jimmy Fallon does impersonations

Friday, November 19, 2010

Bacon and Cheese Biscuits with gravy.

Yes, bacon and cheese biscuits with gravy. They are as awesome as they sound! I think it's my new favorite meal. But a warning, it is not for those on a diet. HAHA. No, no, no. But after tasting it you may just give up that diet anyways. :)

I couldn't fine a recipe that I liked for biscuits, because I don't have buttermilk and I don't like cutting them out, or kneeding them. So, pretty much I just wanted a lazy biscuit recipe. Couldn't find one though. Here is what I came up with.. I think.

Bacony cheesy goodness.


Biscuits
Bacon-I used 5 strips but I think it definitely could have used more than that.
2 1/4 cups Flour
2 Tablespoons of baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
Butter- If I had to guess I'd say I used a cup, maybe a little more of butter. It doesn't come in sticks here, though. I know that's a lot, I'm sure if you cut it back some it would still be fine.
1 1/2 cups cheese- I used cheddar.
1 cup milk

Now preheat oven to 390F or 200C. Then fry up that bacon until good and crispy, saving grease if you're making gravy. Crumble up the bacon.
In a large mixing bowl, use a pastry cutter, or fork, (or spoon or hands or really anything you fancy) to combine flour, baking powder, salt and butter, until crumbly. (It works better for me the butter is good and room temperature). Add bacon and cheese. And then the milk. Mine looked too wet at this point but I was out of flour so I went with it. Worked just fine. Now drop onto baking sheet and cook for 15 minutes and they'll get nice and browned. (One more extra note, I had limited flour and I didn't accurately measure anything. So just eyeball stuff. :) )

They went fast so I only got two pictures.




Now for the gravy. Gravy is an enemy of mine. But I love it so I continue to try. It turned out GREAT this time. Was a nice color and no lumps! I'll give the instructions on how I make it but if you're someone that likes to have measurements than this isn't for you.

Shot I got after everyone dug in.
Gravy
Heat up that grease from the bacon. Depending on the size of the group you're feeding that may be enough. I had to add some more butter and melt it in. Altogether probably 10 Tablespoons of grease for me.
1/4 cup of flour, to start with. Whisk it together until it's clump free and blended. Continue adding tablespoons of flour the same way until it's no longer runny. And is more pasty. Once you get that, slowly (while whisking) add 2 cups of milk. Just keep whisking until all smooth, then cook until it thickens up and add another cup of milk. Continue adding milk until yours is thin enough. Just whisk vigorously until smooth.

I know that's not really a "recipe". I'm sure one of these days I'll do real measurements. :)



Thursday, November 18, 2010

Ten favorite.. things about Audra

In going with my "ten favorite things" and the fact that it is Audra's FOUR MONTH birthday, I thought I'd say ten of my favorite things about this beautiful and wonderful little girl.

1. I love that she wakes me up with smiles every morning.

2. I love that every single part of her is ticklish.

3. I love that she knows who I am and gets excited when I reach to pick her up.

4. I love that she stills nurses and I get have that wonderful bond with her.

5. I love that she makes me laugh just by being so cute all the time.

6. I love that all she wants to do all day is play with me.

7. I love how snuggly she is when she wakes up from her naps.

8. I love that she growls all the time.

9. I love that ears stick out and she has "elf ears" (That's what Mill calls her)

10. I love that she is my daughter and I get watch her grow and develop and take care of her everyday.

Enchiladas!

Last night I made enchiladas with homemade enchilada sauce. *ohh ahh* Yes. You should be impressed. My mom loves enchiladas so that's why I made them, and they turned out mighty good. They were a hit with everyone, except the four and under crowd. But when do they ever eat what's for dinner?? (How do you get little ones to eat what you make?) Anyways, this was fairly easy. It was more of an enchilada casserole than real enchiladas but still good. Once again no picture. Sorry.

Enchiladas
2 cups diced or shredded chicken breast
½ teaspoon garlic powder
1 (15 oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (10 oz) can red enchilada sauce - (or make your own!!)
Tortillas-Original recipe called for corn, I used regular.
2 cups Mozzarella cheese
1 (8 oz) container sour cream

Preheat the oven to 375°. Heat a large skillet over medium heats sauté chicken with Garlic salt, and whatever else you like to use when you cook your chicken, until chicken is cooked through. Transfer to a medium bowl. Stir in the black beans (and green chili peppers if you and yours like them)

Spread half of the enchilada sauce over the bottom of an 11x7 inch baking dish. Place 4 tortillas over the sauce, overlapping if necessary. Spoon half of the chicken mixture over the tortillas, and sprinkle with half of the cheese and half of the sour cream. (or like I did, mix the cheese and sour cream together because it makes it easier to spread)

Spoon the remaining enchilada sauce over the cheese, and make another layer of tortillas. Layer the remaining chicken mixture over the tortillas.

Bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven.

Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top and dot with sour cream. Continue cooking, uncovered, for an additional 5 to 10 minutes, or until cheese melts. (I usually skip this step on recipes. I must say, it really makes a difference!)

And here is the enchilada sauce if you'd like to make your own. It was incredibly easy.
1 1/2 Tablespoons of Olive oil
1/2 tablespoon of flour
2 tablespoons of chili powder (ish)
1 cup of water (or chicken stock, I didn't have any though)
6-8 oz of tomato paste
2 teaspoons of garlic salt

Heat oil in a saucepan, add flour, smoothing and stirring with a wooden spoon. Cook for 1 minute.
Add chili powder and cook for another minute.
Add water, tomato paste,and garlic salt
Stir to combine. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and cook for 15 minutes. The sauce will thicken and smooth out. Tast it and add seasonings to your preference.

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Ten favorite..

New blog post idea. Listing ten of something that is my favorite. I got the idea from Kate when she listed her 11 most influential authors. I have always looked up to Kate and she has been a great example in my life, even if she doesn't know it. So, we'll see how long this ten thing lasts. It might be an Ellen DeGeneres type thing and be only once. Haha. This time I will list my ten favorite christian songs.


1. I Repent by Derek Webb


2. Lead Me by Sanctus Real


3. Slow Fade by Casting Crowns


4. Something Beautiful by Needtobreathe


5. Empty Me by Jeremy Camp


6. Fallin inside the black by Skillet


7. Never Alone by Barlow Girl


8. Storm (Aucustic) by Lifehouse 


9. Nobody loves me by Derek Webb

10. Amazing Grace by Chris Tomlin

Monday, November 15, 2010

Jubes

Our first couple of weeks in Singapore we would go to the grocery store for dinner stuff and the person that went would also pick out an after dinner snack. It had to be something we'd never tried before. Sweet or salty. Just whatever we saw that intrigued us. One of the first things I bought were "Jubes." They just looked interesting. They look like the pears inside a fruit cup. Surprisingly, there were people that liked them. I was not one of them. I can honestly say it's the strangest thing I've eaten. Not because of the taste though. There are different flavors, all were enjoyed by someone. We have tried Pandan, Grape, Strawberry, and Lichee. I'm sure you're wanting a better description of them. So, I asked each person individually what they thought. Here's what I got.
Mill-"Kinda wiggly and umm.. it sounds a little bit crunchy."

Kati-"Disgusting."

Kori-"Kind of pushy..., so when you sink your teeth into it it's not like a gummy bear. They push into it but you still can't cut it in half with your teeth."

Dad-"I don't know if I can describe it... *long pause* Fruit juice...... Meets styrofoam, meets snot."

Mom-"Little square piece of plastic filled with soft plastic and gross juice, tasting of dead skunk."

Asa- "Like chocolate."

I also think that they taste like juicy Styrofoam. I don't like them. Dad and Asa, especially Asa, chow them down.

Jubes 
 

Sunday, November 14, 2010

Cinnamon Roll Cake

I have to say, I am not the biggest fan of cinnamon rolls. I would trade pretty much any kind of dessert over it. Except for cake. Because I really don't like cake, or cupcakes, or anything else with the word "cake". But recently I just had a craving for them. I had been seeing SO many recipes online for them and they all looked so good. I decide I would just make some of my own. Then I came across this recipe for cinnamon roll cake and I thought it would be faster and easier to make, I was making it for all seven of us so easier is always what I choose.


Cake:
3 cups flour
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 ½ cups milk
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 cup (1 stick) real butter, melted

Topping:
1 cup (2 sticks) real butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon cinnamon
3/4 cup chopped pecans, (optional) (always measure the nuts first then chop them)

Glaze:
2 cups powdered sugar
5 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla

Preparation: Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
1. In an electric or stand mixer mix the flour, salt, sugar, baking powder, milk, eggs and vanilla. Once combined well, slowly stir in the 1/2 cup melted butter. Pour batter into a greased 9 x 13 inch baking pan.
2. In a large bowl, mix the 2 sticks of softened butter, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon and pecans until well combined. Drop evenly over cake batter by the tablespoonfuls and use a knife to marble/swirl through the cake.
3. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until toothpick comes out nearly clean from center. You want to make sure it's done. I like most things underdone but cake is not one of them.
4. Place powdered sugar, milk and vanilla in a large bowl. Whisk until smooth. Drizzle over warm cake. Serve warm or at room temperature.


A few things. One is that I don't have a stand mixer, or hand mixer, or anything except my hands here in Singapore. So that did add to the time and would have been even simpler had I had one. But it can be done! Also there is a LOT of butter in this. The topping calls for two sticks and I thought that sounded a bit much so I only used one but left all the rest the same and I think you would be fine if you wanted to cut that down even more. Once it was baking I kept checking it and it was bubbling and didn't look right. I pulled it out and all the butter had separated from the cake and was just on the top. I was pretty confused cause I had never bake anything that did that before but after letting it sit for a minute all the butter just soaked up into the cake and I served it hot. It was a big hit. Everyone loved it. I would definitely consider making this for a potluck or something in the future.

Saturday, November 13, 2010

Psalm 70:5

Psalm 70:5
 But as for me, I am poor and needy;
   come quickly to me, O God.
You are my help and my deliverer;
   LORD, do not delay.

Online Bible

Thursday, November 11, 2010

The "Mega Mac"

I haven't blogged in a while. I've had a lot going on and just haven't felt like it.
I feel better now. :)
We've been trying to do family stuff out here in Singapore. Mom, Kati, and I went on an "adventure". I've also done LOTS of cooking. So many recipes that I want to share. I'll get to it.
Right now, I just have to tell you about the "Mega-Mac". It is a burger you can get at the McDonalds here in Singapore. My dad ordered it, probably more because I dared him to and not because he actually wanted it.





This thing has FOUR meat patties and three buns. Not only did he finish the whole thing but also had fries and a coke.




A better view of the awesomeness. Haha.
Oh, one thing I forgot. They DELIVER here. Yes, you can call them up and place and order and then a guy on a moped brings it to your house. Like this guy:



He was a good sport and let Dad take his picture. 

Tagged.

I have so many blog posts that I want to do. I'm such a slacker though. My mom did a post in which she was tagged after other people had done the same post. I would put a link to that post but I can't get it to load. So, she tagged me and now I'm going to do it. Hopefully one of these days I'll catch up and blog for real.

4 Things in my Handbag:
My purse is huge. It is full of Waaaayyy too much stuff.
1. Diapers and wipes and a change or clothes for Audra. Usually a random shoe or sock as well.
2. Wallet. Full of receipts, Sing and American money, pictures of Rachel, and even a ticket from a concert I went to with Jo.
3. Gum. (Shhh. Gum is illegal here but I don't want to throw it out. I forgot and bought it for the plane to help with my ears. Oops.)
4. Lots of trash.

4 Things In/On my Desk:
I only sort of have a desk but here's what is on it.
1. Audras' toys. Her bear, and baby doll, and butterfly. She loves them all.
2. Box of Kleenex.
3. A book. When I don't desire God by John Piper.
4. And diapers.

4 Things in my Bedroom:
1. An elliptical machine.
2. A piano.
3. My laptop.
4. Aaand some clothes. Both baby and mine.

4 Things I Always Wanted To Do:
1. Get married.
2. Man, I made fun of my mom for not being able to come up with more and now I can't.. Um, I guess skydive.
3. Be on t.v. (Don't judge me)
4. Oh right, have a shopping spree.

4 Things I Enjoy Very Much At the Moment:
1. Playing with Audra.
2. Cooking.
3. Catching up with a lot of old friends.
4. Watching Neil Patrick Harris.

4 Songs I Can’t Get Outta My Head:
1. Unfortunately, DINOSAUR by Kesha.
2. Never told you by Colbie Calliet (sp?)
3. Nobody loves me by Derek Webb
4. And... Patty Cake.

4 Things You Don’t Know About Me:
1. I haven't shaved my legs in probably.. two months.
2. I just want to be a house wife..
3. I love watching movies with anyone.
4. I never wanted kids.

No one reads this so I have no one to tag. But if by some crazy chance someone reads it then YOU are tagged. Do it and leave me a comment and I PROMISE I will read it.