Saturday, February 28, 2009

Scrumptious Scones

I had finally began to quit the left-over from the cold coughing, while the weather was nice and warm, just to be surrounded by a thick blanket of snow. Though I am not complaining, it is so beautiful! And something we don't see so deep that often.

I had purchased a bag of pumpkin scone mix at an extremely great price at World Market, during their going out of business sale. (Sniff-sniff, I LOVE that place)And thought that hot coffee and a scone sounded really good to awaken to tomorrow. I prefer everything from scratch, but still recovering, I didn't mind a mix so much.



I absolutely adore crystallized ginger and add it to almost anything dessert wise, or those in which ginger is a great complement. And yes I confess, I hate to just make a dull mix. I always have to add my own touches. So I diced up about 3 TBS. and threw it in along with some fresh nutmeg.
Though it's not the neatest looking picture, below is the dough pre-cutting.

Post-cutting and pre-baking.


Finished product, on the upper portion, you can actually see the chunks of the diced ginger. I just sprinkled a little confectioners sugar for tonight, and had to sample one just to make sure it didn't taste shit. And it didn't. I might glaze them later, but have not decided yet. I like the texture and I love the kick to the taste buds from the ginger, but I will know if I like them if it blends well with the coffee. =)








Wednesday, February 25, 2009

I'm Still Here

I have been suffering from the cold that never ends! Every time I thought I was over it, I would wake up sicker. I guess that's what happens when the weather goes from really cold to really warm overnight!

Sunday, February 15, 2009

Nice Surprise



Since Joey and I eloped so close to Valentine's day, we don't generally buy in to all of the hype. I mean, do people actually know the real story behind the holiday? It has basically become a commercial extravaganza. I mean depending on which history story you rest your opinions upon, it's not all romantic. I am of the opinion that it is rather lame if you need one day of the year to show people how much you care for them.



Since we have been married for eleven years now, I figured I would surprise Joey with a nice Valentine's dinner to change things up. He asked me to wait, because he wanted to cook for me. I was a little put off, since I had picked up the ingredients already, but agreed so as not to be rude.


Boy, did he ever surprise me!! He sleeps during the day since he has an overnight shift. I woke up, fixed some coffee and looked up to find a box of candy and a card. I may be a nonconformist, but I am a sucker for cards!!! I pick the card up to discover a jewelry box hidden beneath the card.




Now he knows that I dislike typical jewelry and pendants, so he got me a black diamond heart pendant!! I have never been a big gem person, but black diamonds are gorgeous. And then he prepared me some great grilled portabellas and a baked potato. I'm cooking his valentine's dinner later this week, and not complaining about not preparing it on Valentine's day!!

Friday, February 6, 2009

All Dressed Up




I actually meant to post this last month, but didn't have the chance to upload the photo until now.

It was time for the yearly vet visit, which of course fell on the day when it was thirty-two degrees outside. So I had to bundle her up. They were laughing so much at how cute she looked in this outfit that it took us forever to get through the paperwork. I didn't mind, at least she stayed warm!!

Thursday, February 5, 2009

Notable Changes

I am sorry to suddenly change my format, it is just that I find myself enjoying blogging extremely, just not always about food. I find myself interested in so many other topics that I have such strong opinions on, that I no longer wanted to limit myself to just blogging about food.

I enjoy recipes and cooking, but I also love dogs, books, music, exercise, movies, etc. So stop by, you never know what you might find!!

Wednesday, February 4, 2009

Why Is It So Difficult?

To order vegan/vegetarian food out? My mother-in-law came through her surgery(Thank God.), and is recovering at home. I honestly wish I could say she is in good spirits, but she isn't. Way, way, way too much drama. So much in fact, it would make a five or six hundred page novel =)

Needless to say, cafeteria food and lots of Subway veggie sandwiches have filled my life the past week or so. This is what I cannot figure out, when kids order special menu items it's brushed off. When omni's order meals and make special requests(no butter, no salt, etc.) it's not a big deal, but when you are a vegan/vegetarian, it's like you just stepped out of a UFO. I cannot count how many times someone has had to ask a manager, "what comes on a veggie?" and my favorite, "We don't have a veggie sub." To which I politely point to the menu board above their heads. Nine out of ten times I get "the" look.

I did find one extremely nice cafeteria worker, who was kind enough to call her superiors to find out which veggies were cooked with meat as flavorings. Which, of course, were all but the squash and tomatoes and mac & cheese.

Is it really so hard to wash the knife that's been cutting lunch meat(UGH) all day off for a veggie lover?