Clutzy Cooking

Happy Belated Birthday Sarah!: Inception Pops (Pie-Cake-Ice-Cream Pops)

2012-02-13T23:16:00.000-08:00

OKAY! These are Inception Pie-Cake-Ice-Cream-Pops! That is, pumpkin pie, within german chocolate cake, within cookie dough ice cream. They are a dream, within a dream, within a dream.

Get it?

They were not supposed to be what I posted on today. At all. That was supposed to be cupcakes. For Sarah's birthday. Not an homage to Inception. Clearly, this is not what happened. Let's start from the beginning.

So, for those of you who live in DC, you listen to the KANE show.

If you don't, I judge you. It's on 99.5 FM in the mornings and makes my work drive cheerful. It's on iheartradio too if you guys who don't live in the area want to listen with the cool kids.

Anyway. So for those of you who listened today, you know that besides the usual news and general shenanigans the KANE show team discusses, it was a bit of a celebration. Or at least, it was mentioned with many positive comments and cheers every few moments.

It was Sarah's birthday.

Now, I may not KNOW Sara but, I had really wanted to make her some cupcakes for her birthday. That had been the goal of today on top of some other plans and agendas. I guess it may not make sense to some people, making cupcakes in honor of a stranger... but these guys are so much more than that. I suppose no public figures are really strangers but, Sammy, Sarah, and Kane really do make my morning drives better. I am more awake listening to their fun and energy. Or at least, happier to be awake so I can be entertained by them, with them, for that window of time.

A lot of KANE fans can surely relate. I listen on my drive, park my car, time it for a commercial, and practically run to my cube to plug my headphones into iheartradio before they come back from commercial, and am in my cube until 10 when they are off air.

Or maybe that's just me.

I highly doubt it though. The show is instant entertainment and cheer in the mornings. You just want to grab a cup of coffee with them and continue to be charmed.

Well, anyway. So I clearly am a BIG fan. And as I had said, I had wanted to make cupcakes in honor of Sarah's big 3O. She had talked recently about Pinterest and how she is threatened by what some people whip up and I wanted to make something easy in honor of her that she could make whenever. From one kitchen clutz to another. I love Pinterest, I really REALLY do, but I knew what she meant. A lot of these people just HAVE to have a background in cooking. Or I am lacking a gene somewhere. So the goal was also something simple but, pin worthy. And that had been the plan this morning.

But, then again, a lot of things had been the plan this morning.

Pretty much, in rambling summary, my day was supposed to go like this:

-Drop off car/pick up rental car for time of repair (got rear-ended by a drunk driver last weekend, wooooo) at 7AM

-Get to work at 8:30AM. Have a productive/enjoyable day

-Come home. Prep for Valentine party you are hosting tomorrow.

-Run errands. Buy ingredients for cupcakes.

-Bake cupcakes for Sarah. Blog about them.

-Have chill evening. Get some sleep.

Here is what DID happen.

-Drop off car. Have issues submitting as drunk driver is paying, but you are the owner. Pick up rental car, have issues as service place caused multiple file errors. Leave Fairfax at 8:30 AM even though you got there from Arlington at 7AM as planned. Consider briefly this may be a nightmare when you hit the first part of traffic knowing far more is to come...

-Listen to the KANE show and try not to panic about rental car making ominous clicking sounds for the entire hour and some change drive to DC's Chinatown.

-Get to work two hours late. Things are a mess. Battle through the day.

-Come home. Begin to prep for party, realize dinner is a good idea instead.

-Rush out for errands before things close. Bring idiot 8lb dog with as he is sad and in a cone and likes to ride in the car.

-Get stunned when 8lb dog vomits all over you.

-Clean up dog/self/car and take him out of car to ensure well being (yours). When bringing him back into car, dog panics and tries to escape, almost falling from your arms. In straightening/catching dog, your skull slams into car door. Blinding pain and dizziness ensue.

-Somehow manage through errands with demon dog and blurring pain. Get home in twice the alloted amount of time.

-Decide to make cupcakes out of determination more than anything. You really want to give Sarah an easy recipe and show her even less savvy kitchen divas can use Pinterest recipes and her birthday won't be tomorrow, it's today. Man up and make the stupid cupcakes if they are really that easy. Put them in oven and feel momentary triumph.

-Your cupcakes turn out gooey in the center, caved in, and burnt on the edges. Pinterest Divas 1, Clutzy Cooks 0. Shower and maybe cry.

-Spend rest of night not chill but, panicked. Taking a lot of advil, trying to salvage party prep, and not kill dog.

-Don't go to bed. Apparently getting sleep is a horrible concept. Write a blog post and then MAYBE, pass out.

What was the point again? Oh yeah, Inception pops.

I had really wanted to post cupcakes for Sarah's birthday but... while her birthday may have/hopefully was been a great, totally stellar day for HER, it 100% fell apart for team me. I just couldn't win today. I thought about not posting at all but, then I remembered these strange Inception cake pop things I had made and was planning to post on this weekend.

Fact. Once upon a time, I had tried to make an Inception Cake. Basic theory, a german chocolate cake, filled with a pumpkin pie, stuffed with a cookie. Shockingly, that didn't bake well. Or work at all. Even after I iced it and pretended it was OK, it really really wasn't. So I had this gooey cake, pie, and cookies and not much clue what to do. Throwing them out seemed wasteful but, really, what do you do with that much flawed sugar?

I don't know what made me do this but, I saw the rolls of dixie cups tucked back into my cupboard, bought approximately 3 gallons of ice cream, a thing of popsicle sticks, and went to town.

To assemble cake pie pops: Mash cake/pie/cookies/whatever else you have that is a mushable dessert into the lower half of a dixie cup.

Spoon ice cream on top. Mash down and cement into dessert cracks until smooth.

Shove in a popsicle stick. Freeze.

Enjoy just the right amount of sugar whenever you deem necessary. It's the perfect little size for a rich dessert treat and the frozen goodness keeps for ages.

So, Sarah/whomever really reads this. I know it's not cupcakes. I wanted today to be a cupcakes day, I really really did. But, it wasn't. Today was a fiasco day. I have a lot of those but, today was the worst in a long long time. But, what do we do with fiasco days? Apparently we take them and make them something else. Like we make ridiculously over the top desserts more manageable by stabbing them with sticks and adding ice cream.

Don't let Pinterest intimidate you. People like me are on there too and we are just as off the wall/messy. We will all just pretend to be awesome and make it work.

Pinterest Princesses, you've been warned. We're taking the intimidation out of the site- one recipe at a time. And with awesome treats like Inception Pops- you just don't stand a chance.

Girl Scout Brownies

2012-02-02T11:59:00.000-08:00

Once upon a time, I had a box of brownie mix, 3 boxes of girl scout cookies, and a dream. Below, you'll see the results of that dream.

Meet my Tag-along brownie cups. Baked in a cupcake pan, I simply poured some brownie batter (boxed, as I was pressed for time/lame), put a tag-along in, and then topped it with more batter.

Then, being truly sinful, I swirled it with peanut butter.

Yes, it is indeed as delicious as you'd imagine.

Here we have the Samoa version. Same idea, just this time I topped the combined cups with not peanut butter swirls but rather, coconut and caramel.

I know, I'm pure evil sometimes. But you know it's so so tempting...

This is a deconstructed Samoa brownie cup. Because I couldn't help myself.

And then, finally, there were my favorites. The Thin Mint brownie cups.

I didn't top these with anything but powdered sugar, and I did that after they were done baking.

But oh my gosh, so good. The minty crunch held within cakey brownie. You need to make these now.

Make any of these now. I promise you, you'll thank me. As the girl scout cookie orders start rolling in, you're going to want to keep this in mind :)

In A Rut- Help Me, Guys?

2012-02-01T07:15:00.000-08:00

Hey, it is TOTALLY February!

When the heck did THAT happen?

So, fact. I haven't posted since my Mom's birthday.

(Love you, Mom. Sorry again the recipe isn't up yet...)

Which, as I forgot to put up the accurate recipe of blueberry pizza, even that needs to be updated. Not a great showing for Team Meaghan.

I have been focusing a lot this past month on myself and me time which, has been very helpful. New Years resolutions include getting myself more involved with the city of DC, getting my body more in line with the streamlined diva I feel I am inside my slightly more curved (don't be shocked, this is a cooking blog!) diva shell, and connecting with all my loved ones so I stay balanced on all sides...

But perhaps most importantly: my resolution is to NOT lose my creative edge. Which, hey, I have been.

As many of you have been following my blog, you may have noticed a shift in it's tone. Far more frazzled for one. Far less.... well, CREATIVE for two. I haven't drawn up a comic for this in months. I haven't made something geeky, off the wall, and off book in even longer.

I actually have a back log of recipes. An entire month and a half worth of posts chilling in "draft" state that I just haven't hit "publish" on. I had posts for December's end, I had posts for January, that I had pictures edited for, recipes dictated, witty snippets jotted down for...

And yet they didn't happen. I kept asking myself "why don't you just hit the publish button this week? it's right there, you have no excuse..." but STILL nothing was happening. Outside of Pinterest. I'd effectively side track my brain or just trail off and let the thought die where it stood. My enthusiasm was dead and I couldn't figure out why, what the heck was wrong. The answer came to me yesterday as I realized another week had come and gone and I was the post-less wonder.

My blog bores me right now. I am in a rut of recipes that are delicious but, all of us have seen before. You and I both have. Promise. The drive to post something that you all have seen/could make yourselves, that I make all the time, or that I made but didn't particularly faint for isn't too alluring.

And shouldn't this page be alluring?

So here we go. New Year, new plan.

(I know, you guys thought you were done hearing people's blog resolutions as it is February 1st, not January 1st, but I can't seem to stay on point- ever).

We are going to post all the mediocre recipes that never got deemed worthy of "Publish" in Dec/Jan (some of which I GUESS are great but, I am stare at listlessly due to lack of enthusiasm) that are collecting dust in my "blogger drafts" in the next 10 days. They still exist, I SHOULDN'T leave them to die. I guess. For my part, I will finish editing them to a decent post level and then post them and not say things like "BORING Lemon Curd Recipe" "LAME French Toast". For your part, you will pretend to read and enjoy them.

Or actually read them, whichever.

Then, the new plan part begins. I want to get back to the parts of my blog I adore. And I want you guys to help me brainstorm and, should the idea strike me, I will make it happen/credit you for the seed of inspiration. Or if it's a specific recipe of yours and I replicate it, I will link you/credit you. Post your suggestions here, post them on my facebook page, e-mail me, whatever! What kind of thing am I looking for? Well, I want to feel energized about this page again, so looking into what my blog's favorite parts for me thus far include, we have:

1) Geeky culinary homages. Anytime I can incorporate pop culture, comic books, or literary references and food together, I am a happy girl.

2) Unusual flavor combinations. Anything striking, like basil raspberry, or marshmallow pretzel, or chocolate crusted pork belly- that somehow tastes spectacular and just as stunning as the strangeness of the idea.

3) Unique cooking techniques. Anything that is outside of the usual chop, stir, dice. Tips, Old abandoned techniques, even into the world of gadgets- anything with a spin I deem interesting!

4) Craft suggestions. Remember how I have a craft section that has been updated ONCE!? I love crafts but, get all self conscious that people make things all the time like mine/they aren't creative enough to post. Send me some with spark and I will replicate, credit, and boast about how cool you are! Or challenge me to make something crafty that you've never seen, that I've never seen, and we can wow the web!

5) DC suggestions. There was that mention up there that I am trying to get to know DC.... well, I am trying to get to know DC. I have signed up for random classes and events, I stroll throughout the downtown on my lunch breaks, I am trying to eat somewhere new every time I eat out. Got a DC must? Send it to me. I am thinking of adding a section to my blog called "DC Bucket List" where I document the musts in town and my experience there.

6) ANYTHING YOU GUYS LIKE! I want this to be a place YOU enjoy reading just as much as I enjoy writing it. So, tell me what you want! I'll try and aim for your goals, my goals, and deliver the caliber of blog entries this page deserves. Because, just looking around the page, it doesn't deserve "dull". And the fact that I've been feeling like it's a bit "blah" just means it's face lift time.

So, let's lift our own up and smile. 2012 it is, let's hear it for never a dull moment :)

Blueberry Pizza: Happy Birthday, Mom!

2011-12-17T09:19:00.000-08:00

This is like.... fruit tart made better. Or at least, made to optimize blueberry love. It's a sugar cookie-like crust with a thick cream filling, topped with blueberry pie filling.

It usually looks awesome. And tastes awesome. I did it wrong tho, ha. It's supposed to have the blueberry pie filling on top, looking lovely and glistening on top. Mine got smeared. So then, I decided to make the best of it and smeared it all.

Ha, which makes it look like a blueberry hurricane.

This whole round of making this had been a disaster. My crust, as you can see, is overcooked. It's crumbling apart too much, when I cut it the sides were becoming too jagged, and the outside was too browned.

My filling was too lumpy so I overwhipped it. *Sigh* I was three for three with mucking up this recipe and so stressed I wanted to pull my hair out because there was no WAY people would like this for my work pot luck. So, I did what any good cook would do.

I called my mom.

My mom is the best cook I know. This is probably due to the fact that, unlike me, she isn't a clumsy human being. She is efficient and follows the recipe precisely and really KNOWS food. If something is burning, she knows how to curb it or save it. Oversalted? Underspiced? Raw in the middle, burnt on the edges?

Katie knows how to fix them all. She's a kitchen super hero. Or wizard.

Both.

So when I called her in utter devastation over my sub-par baked good, I just knew she'd have a solution. I told her of my failures and she paused for a moment and then said "I know you think it stinks but, they'll probably love it". I told her that was crazy, NO ONE would love it, and she told me that I was getting too good at cooking.

Shocked me too.

"You are good at this, you can tell what's too burnt, too whipped, and doesn't look exactly right. As long as it tastes OK, and of course it does, you can bet people will like it. In fact, you'll probably get a reputation for being the girl who makes good desserts for the work potlucks."

I pretty much told her, thanks for trying to make me feel better, but no way. We then chatted some more and I succumbed to feeling better instead of pouting, (I don't know about you guys but, my mom has that affect on me), and packed up my failed treat for work the next day.

Fast forward to the pot luck. Guess what?

People LOVED it. It got cleaned out. Every single bite! I was amazed. And people were asking me for the recipe, asking for the link to my blog, asking what I was going to bring to the Christmas potluck.

I texted my mom right then and there telling her she was right. Her response?

"Of course!"

Haha, to all you mom's out there, you are amazing! Your kids are amazed by you and your mom super powers, I promise. Mine had a birthday yesterday (when I originally wanted to post) but we are celebrating today now that I got into town so, HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!

You are, along with our whole family, my biggest blessing.

Roast Chicken: My Most Request Recipe, My Easiest Recipe, and My Favorite DC Dinners

2011-12-09T11:31:00.000-08:00

Roast chicken is probably the easiest thing in the world to make.

Seriously. It's so simple, it almost embarrasses me that people are so impressed with my roast chicken. It's not impressive. It's chicken.

The best chicken you'll ever eat, and I am being 100% honest there. But still, just chicken.

I came across this article online that was talking about how America is taught we are too stupid to cook. Which, hey, true. We are taught that. Even I- clutz in the kitchen- can cook. And it's just because I try. I never thought I could growing up because I was pretty much told I couldn't by marketing of food companies wanting to promote mixes, meals made fast, faster, fastest, and microwavable dinners.

Don't get me wrong, I love love love a good short cut/cake mix/simple fix. But some of these things are discounting the real simplicity of recipes. Like roast chicken. Recipe below.

This is taken as an excerpt from the very interesting article found here:

"The World’s Most Difficult Roasted Chicken Recipe

Turn your oven on high (450 if you have ventilation, 425 if not). Coat a 3- or 4-pound chicken with coarse kosher salt so that you have an appealing crust of salt (a tablespoon or so). Put the chicken in a pan, stick a lemon or some onion or any fruit or vegetable you have on hand into the cavity. Put the chickn in the oven. Go away for an hour. Watch some TV, play with the kids, read, have a cocktail, have sex. When an hour has passed, take the chicken out of the oven and put it on the stove top or on a trivet for 15 more minutes. Finito.

(But be careful, you might find this so boring that you’ll start thinking about making stock next. Don’t. Too hard. Takes too long. You’ll have to clean the pot. I’m telling you now. Don’t risk it. Consider yourself warned. Don’t blame me if you wind up with something delicious on your hands.)"

Ha, and that's all there really is to it! I always use a lemon because I am a sucker for lemon chicken. I also always ALWAYS poke holes all over the surface of said lemon/fruit/garlic. That way, the juices steam out and seep into the bird. Yum. If the chicken is big enough, I do combinations like that, lemon and garlic, lemon and lime, lemon and apple, lemon and onion, etc. Usually though, I'll just do one lemon or two if I am working with a big bird.

Just envisioned working with Big Bird. Totally not what I meant.

I coat my chickens with just the salt I have (not necessarily sea salt) and then I go a step further and always smother the SOB in spices. SMOTHER. I love seasoned chicken and spices add kick, flavor, and a crust. Yum. My favorite combinations: Rosemary Infused Salt/Lemon Herb and Oregano; Lemon Infused Salt/Cajun Seasonings; Salt/ Lemon Herb & Cajun Seasonings; Salt/ Lemon Herb, Packet of Italian Dressing Mix; Rosemary Infused Salt/ Oregano, Basil, Thyme, and Rosemary.

I also always squeeze the roasted lemon so the juices pour all over my chicken once it's done resting for 15 minutes. Guh, it's life changing.

Make this chicken. It's spectacular, simple, and pretty healthful. Your family and friends will be amazed and you alone will know how easy it was :)

Garbage Omelet Casserole

2011-12-03T10:54:00.001-08:00

My family has a lake house on this little lake in a little town in Wisconsin that has a little local diner that is packed with GIANT flavors.

One particular favorite of my family is their Garbage Omelet.

Let me break this down for you. It's an omelet filled with what veggies and breakfast meats are in the kitchen, stuffed with cheddar cheese, and then (and this is the beautiful part) topped with chili.

Topped.

With.

Chili.

Oh. Yeah.

For Thanksgiving parade time/brunch, I decided to try and recreate this legendary omelet in a casserole form for my family. I searched the web for a recipe that was veggie and meat heavy that I could adapt with the flavors I wanted and could amp up by topping with chili. Below you will find my adapted recipe. I've gotta say, this is now a family favorite and I think it'll be showing up in DC for my roommates pretty soon too. It makes two 9X13 pans worth so, you could make one and save one. That lends itself to a lot of flavor joy.

I mean look at that.

Just. Yeah. Yum doesn't begin to describe the savory flavors packed here.

Make it and enjoy :)

Ingredients:

-1 lb breakfast sausage, browned and drained

-1/2 lb diced ham, cooked

-2 packages pre-cooked bacon, chopped

-2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese

-12 slices of bread, crustless and torn into cubes

-2 cups chopped veggies (I used spinach, red peppers, onions, and mushrooms)

-12 eggs

-4 cups milk

-3 tsp Mrs. Dash seasoning/spices to taste

-1 to 2 cans microwavable chili (heated to desired warmth at time of serving)

In a large mixing bowl, combine meats, cheese, bread, and veggies. In a separate bowl, beat together eggs, milk, and seasoning. Pour the egg mixture over the veggie/meat/bread mixture to combine. Pour into TWO 9 X 13 inch pans, or one extra large casserole dish, and let set for at least an hour or cover and refrigerate overnight. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes, serve with some chili spooned on top.

Thanksgiving Post 3: Pumpkin Cake

2011-12-02T21:15:00.001-08:00

This was my favorite Thanksgiving recipe of all this year.

Pumpkin Dump Cake.

I don't know if I would even call it a cake. It was like... pudding pumpkin pie bars. Yet cakey. And with a crumble. It's dessert of joy. It's the crack of pumpkin.

Look at this.

What is it about pumpkin that can make me swoon?

And this? This was seriously the best pumpkin thing I have ever tasted.

I have seen variations of this but, I honestly think this one is the best. Check it out:

http://bugaboominimrme.blogspot.com/2011/10/best-pumpkin-dessert-ever-bar-none-none.html

I used a can of pumpkin and then added a teaspoon of cinnamon instead of pumpkin pie filling.

But I am weird like that.

We liked it anyway. I mean, clearly. We aren't dessert people. I should say:
We didn't like this one either, ha.

Happy Thanksgiving, a week late :)

Thanksgiving Post 2: Two Ingredient Pumpkin Cake with a Nutella-Chocolate-Swirl

2011-12-02T20:57:00.001-08:00

The other recipe I made this Thanksgiving was for my brother for his birthday.

I WAS going to make him the traditional yellow cake with chocolate icing that he always is so keen on.

But my mom called dibs and made it herself! Upsetting, ha. I already had a cake mix and some of the ingredients and wasn't sure where to go from there.

And then I remembered a pin of mine.

A cake made with just two ingredients.

Could it be possible?

When I had both in my pantry and was flush out of ideas?

Oh yeah. It's possible.

Check it out: http://pinterest.com/pin/307299764/

I adapted it slightly. I swirled nutella and fudge into the top instead of dealing with icing the cake. I also added a bit of cinnamon to the cake batter for flavor and a bit of gingerale into the batter to make it fluff up.

Worked like a charm.

We didn't like it at all, ha

Best try and make a better version yourselves and let me know what to do next.

Thanksgiving Post 1: Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes

2011-12-02T20:47:00.001-08:00

So, Thanksgiving! I made 3 recipes I found online. This is the first:

Twice baked sweet potatoes. They are crunchy, sweet, and phenomenal.

I really, really can't recommend them enough. My family had the following comments:

"This is the first time I've liked sweet potatoes!" -My lovely sister

"We should do this as a casserole for Christmas! So yummy!" -My super mom

"I gotta be honest... a little too sweet for me" -My honest brother, ha

If you agree with him, perhaps you could take the sugar out of the inside, or reduce it, and keep it just as a crumble on top.

I enjoyed the sweetness but I only ate half of one, the others had whole potatoes.

Maybe the awesome was just too overwhelming, ha.

Make these! Now. Recipe can be found here:

http://www.laurenslatest.com/twice-baked-sweet-potatoes-with-walnut-streusel/

Halloween's Finale Recipes: Heart Attack Hotdogs and Devilish Cupcakes

2011-12-01T08:59:00.001-08:00

Halloween is, funnily enough, a holiday my family friggin' loves.

We eat it up. Seriously. The costumes, the kids strolling through our neighborhood, the candy... the entire silliness and scariness of this spooky holiday charms my family completely.

And as if the candy wasn't enough, there is a Luby tradition to make Halloween Hotdogs that is done each and every year.

And they are so scary good, so ghoulishly packed with cholesterol, you may need to try these bad boys as a part of your own Halloween tradition. Or you know, your next Monday night.

What we have here, ladies and gentleman, is a Heart Attack Hotdog. Mouth is watering just thinking about it...

What that means is, this is an all beef hotdog, sliced open and stuffed with american cheese, wrapped in bacon, and baked into delicious submission.

Yep. Yeppppppppp. Phenomenal.

Exact recipe directions:

Preheat oven to 350, line a 9 by 13 pan with foil. Slice open each hot dog to the middle (not all the way through the dog, part way.) Stuff with american singles to liking (I usually use half a piece of cheese per hotdog but, I know other family members use a whole slice for optimum cheese gooiness). Wrap in a piece of UNCOOKED bacon. Place in lined pan, bake 45 minutes or until bacon is cooked (red/crackling).

Allow to cool slightly so you aren't biting into hot grease. Place on toasted bun and top with confiments. I always do mustard, ketchup, relish if I have all 3. Tomatoes, onions, and pickles couldn't hurt.

Yum. Nothing could really. These guys are so rich, such a shock to the system, that once a year is more than enough to make them. I do think they are well worth a try though.

And now, devilish cupakes!

I adore how they look like little murder victims :)

Lots of you were wondering how I made the knives. I wish I could say I did but, I didn't. I bought them in a package at AC Moore. They were sugary and delicious and I am SURE we could replicate them with fondant ourselves. Pretty simple design!

We COULD make them... but we could also buy them. Which is easier/cheaper, ha. And just as cute.

I used this recipe with chocolate cake/chocolate pudding for the cupcakes and they were a smash! Poor little murder victim cupcakes were also eaten, brutally, on Halloween night.

I know we have 11 months but, cannot wait for next years Halloween already!

Luckily, I have far more cheerful holidays to keep me occupied this month :)

Sorry #168: Or, My Blog's New Mantra, "Everything that Can Go Wrong, Will Go Wrong"

2011-12-01T06:43:00.001-08:00

Hello. I know on October 31st, I tempted you guys, my lovely, patient, and far too kind readers, with a photo and blurb about some devils food cupcakes that look devilish and stabbed. These guys:

I was all "This is part 1! Part 2, with the recipes and more pics, will be up tomorrow when I have more time!"

And then, once again, life took a meandering course. Part 2 never happened.

I had been so proud of myself. I wasn't letting you guys down at all before that point! I had written consecutive posts. I had successfully launched a giveaway (even though it took me awhile to get the daggum prize in the mail. Ever get that book, Mercedes? You are super awesome, again, for your patience there).

I think I dared the forces of the universe with my overall joy at being the kind of blogger you guys deserved. I was all "I am good at this! And working the routine like it's no big thing!" And life was like "Routine?! BAM!"

Ulcers (MISERY! no cooking, no eating, just blech), 2 trips with 2 missed flights, bronchitis, multiple doctors, 2 dogs running rampid through the house, 1 having seizers, 1 attempting to lick himself to death/the point of bleeding, 5 roommates at war, 5 roommates making up, 100 Halloween decorations being torn down, 1 thanksgiving holiday with the family, 150 Christmas Decorations (including one charming tree) being put up, 2 birthdays, 4 football games, 1 novel writing month, and then my supposed routine later...

And this blog once again got rocked with nothingness.

I apologize for breaking routine a lot on this blog since I moved to DC. It seems like my life out here is full of excuses, energy, and exhaustion. This time, my apology will not be empty. I intend to make up for my failings in full. What that means is: I should have posted 4 entries and have not. By Friday, I have 5 planned.

I know, empty so long and now just jumping back in, full force. 4 make up entries, 1 for this week. We'll be back on track and updated if it kills me :)

Which, it won't, I actually have my life in order again so, and let's hope this doesn't dare fate or any other forces, we should click back into a nice rotation once more...

Knock on wood.

So, without further ado, expect Halloween Part 2 and then some lovely Thanksgiving recipes in the near soon. No, this is not an empty promise, which I know you have heard before. This is really true.

Hey, also. You may notice that I added two buttons to my side panel. One looks like this:

http://www.20sb.net/

20 something bloggers has also been neglected by me as of late but, that doesn't make it any less awesome. I frankly lost here by not having enough time to bond with the group of people who run these pages and who rock the chat room. If you are in your 20s (or close enough, kind of fluttering at the borders) you should check it out. These people are great, their blogs inspiring, hysterical, and engaging.

Pretty much, go to them. Please. I have been trying to make the time myself (obviously failing) and that is one of my biggest regrets of the past month. They are awesome over there.

Alright, on to my other web addiction. And I do mean addiction:

http://pinterest.com/

I am not sure if I have HAD time this past month or MADE time for Pinterest. Pinterest is a web page that, if you don't know/use, you need to start now. Most of you have food blogs yourselves, blogs I follow, and I pin recipes up from you on a pretty consistent basis. When I have spare time at lunch/breaks, I am pinning. On the metro on my phone, I will take a few minutes to pin.

It's routine now. Like checking my e-mail. But worse because this is way fun.

Anyway. If you follow me on Pinterest, I will find and follow you. If you don't have an account, you can scroll through my recipe boards anyway and likely find some recipes

For those of you who think I am talking like a crazy person (pins? boards?), the basic premise of Pinterest is that you create an account to manage your own online cork "boards". You then "pin" to these boards whatever you like. I have boards for food, fashion, crafts, holidays, etc. When I come across great recipes online, I pin them to my food board. You can also "explore" Pinterest's main page, see what people are pinning, and if you like something someone else pinned, repin it for yourself.

It really is simple once you start, promise. Sorry if that all still causes small explosions of the mind.

Alrighty, enough of this. We are going to figure out together a good pattern to continue down for the future. In the meantime, this week you get 5 posts. Look for them please and try and trust me again slowly to be a blog worth following :)

Love you all very very much <3

Halloween Treats-Teaser

2011-11-04T16:29:00.000-07:00

Boo!

I know, you all were pretty scared. And not just because this is so late.

I know it's Friday and it's new recipe time. However, I just got back from work and I have a date to go to so, you just get this teaser.

Murdered Devils Food Cupcakes.

Recipe to follow tomorrow, along with my family's infamous Halloween Heart-attack Hotdogs!

Looking forward to seeing you then :)

Halloween Partay: Mac & Meat and Pepperoni Rolls

2011-10-28T08:16:00.000-07:00

Not the prettiest picture, sure but, one of the most delicious spreads out there.

Gosh, I love cheese. And meat. And carbs.

Look at those pepperoni rolls! And mac and meat! Which is just like hamburger helper from what I understand of hamburger helper. But this one uses the blue box and your own ingenuity.

Mac and Meat!

Pepperoni Rolls!

A truly perfect pairing.

So, I am having a huge halloween party at my house today. Huge. Hugest party I have ever had. So, there is a lot to do and stress over and pick at.

Luckily I have comfort food like this to munch on and chill with.

Also, I will try and post pics of the party/food and drinks sometime next week. Maybe as my Friday post.

We'll see how together and adult I can be ;)

My Aunt Tootsie is a dietician and one of the best "throw things together" cooks I know.

You know what I mean. One of those people who just tosses things together and they are just randomly deliciously perfect.

These are two of her classics that she would make for us kids when there were seven of us and just 2 moms.

I've been thinking lately of updating the Mac & Meat Recipe even further by adding some cooked veggies. Some more color and taste. It's just sooooo good and comforting as is that I am tentative to mess with it t all. Let me know what you think.

Mac & Meat

-1 box family size kraft mac and cheese

-1 can cream of mushroom soup

-1 lb ground beef

Prepare the mac and cheese and brown the meat. Once both are cooked, throw all ingredients together and enjoy.

Pepperoni Rolls

-4 packages biscuts

-1 package pepperoni

Take a piece of pepperoni, fold a biscut in half around folded pepperoni piece. Lay out on cookie sheet, bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes.

Irish Scones: My Family's Recipe

2011-10-21T13:10:00.000-07:00

Oh my gosh. One of the top requested recipes of all time in my family are these spectacular Irish Scones. This is a reprise of a previous post which included this recipe. I don't care though, I just remade them and needed them to show up on my blog again with their treat-studded glory.

They are half gone before they've even cooled off in our house. It's insane.

But trust me when I say the insanity is warranted.

These are a handed down and well made Irish family staple. You need this recipe. From all the things I've posted to date, THIS is the thing you need to print off or write out or whatever. This recipe is one every family needs to have, every person should have.

Raisins are the classic choice but, chocolate chips make them decadent. For the breakfast scone, I would always go with raisin. But if you are a chocolate fan in any way, you need to make 1/2 the batch with chips instead.

I could NOT decide in this case which to make. So, I made these with chocolate covered raisins and cranberries.

They made my toes curl.

Yes. They are THAT good.

You must must make them. Must. Here is the much "mmmm'd" over recipe. Make and enjoy :)

Irish Scones

-4 cups flour

-2 teaspoons baking powder

-1 teaspoon baking soda

-1/2 teaspoon salt

-1 cup sugar

-1 stick butter

-1 pint sour cream

-2 eggs

-2 cups raisins (Or chocolate chips)

Combine all dry ingredients, cut in the butter, add raisins, beat eggs in sour cream and then blend all.

Drop on a greased sheet, letting the rough peaks stay in shape. Bake at 375 for 15 minutes or until golden.

The Best/Easiest/Best Cupcakes Ever. EVER.

2011-10-15T15:15:00.000-07:00

Happy my birthday to you!

Last Wednesday that is. The 12th. But still! Imma keep on celebrating.

I present, the BEST friggin' cupcakes I have ever, EVER had. And trust me when I say, I have had a LOT of fridgin' cupcakes.

Like, a lot.

It's pretty much a large part of my charm/curves.

And yet despite my cupcake history, I can tell you: these are the best. When this recipe is made into cake, this is the best cake. It is delicious, spongy, not too dry, not too crumbly: it essentially just rocks.

I found it on a blog I love to follow: Cupcakes and Sprinkles. It was a recipe for "The Best Chocolate Cake" and as soon as I read it, I knew I wanted to make it. However, at the time, the reason I was even LOOKING for cake recipes was for my little brother's birthday.

And he has very specific tastes.

"Yellow cake with chocolate icing" he insisted for the hundredth time.

"What about chocolate cake? With vanilla icing?" I pleaded.

"I mean I guess..." he eventually said. "I just like yellow cake with chocolate icing more..."

Ha, great. As if I could do what I wanted to do NOW. When he was being all nice and adorable. So, I decided I could still make this recipe. Just with some yellow cake adaptations.

Which meant, instead of the called for chocolate cake mix and chocolate pudding, I was going to bust out a yellow cake and butterscotch pudding.

Oh yeah? Didn't I mention? This uses cake mix.

For all of you who I just lost by saying the words "mix"- I am going to have to BEG you to try this recipe. It is really really worth sacrificing to semi-homemade-ness. Please give it a try, just because it has so much delicious to it that you will never, ever, regret it.

Please and thank you :)

The Best Cake EVER

Recipe Source: kevinandamanda.com & cupcakeswithsprinkles.blogspot.com

1 box Cake Mix
1 pkg Jell-O Instant Pudding
1 cup Sour Cream
1 cup Vegetable Oil
4 Eggs, beaten
1/2 cup Milk
1 teaspoon Vanilla
(If chocolate cake, add 2 cups Mini Semisweet Chocolate Chips)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. In a very large bowl , mix together everything except chocolate chips if attempting chocolate cake. Batter will be thick. Stir in the chocolate chips. Pour batter into cake pan(s) of choice.

3. For cooking time, use the cooking times on the back of the cake box as a guide and usually add 10 mins to whatever it says. Then do the toothpick check, and if it’s not done, check on it every 5 mins after that.

*I made a yellow cake with yellow cake mix and butterscotch pudding. The recipe originally called for devils food and chocolate pudding. I really want to make a cherry cake with french vanilla pudding or a carrot with butterscotch. So many options! Let me know what you guys try but, whatever you do: MAKE THIS CAKE!

Happy My Birthday To You! And the Winner is...

2011-10-12T21:45:00.000-07:00

Today, I turned 24! I played laser tag with my friends and ate ice cream like a real grown up and truly felt all the blessings I have in life present around me.

It was glorious. More on that tomorrow morning. After sleep. And caffeine.

Laser tag really takes it out of you.

The important thing right now is the winner of our giveaway. Ladies and gentleman, our winner is: Mercedes J Kamencik!

Mercedes submitted via my facebook page and said along with her submission: "I am just really starting to begin my food journey to healthier eating and a book like this would be fantastic to help me along the way!

To all of you who submitted via facebook and e-mail with interest in the book, I encourage you to look into it yourselves! While scoring a free copy is always fun, buying a copy for yourself might well be worth it! I promise, this book has a ton to offer a family with food allergies and dietary needs.

Thank you, all of you, who submitted for a chance to win! I really loved doing a giveaway so, I think we'll have to do this again soon :)

New recipe Friday! Get excited. <3 Meg

The Science Of Cooking Giveaway! HURRY!

2011-10-12T05:38:00.000-07:00

Hello again! This is just a reminder that I am giving away a REALLY cool book about the science of cooking and you have until 12 PM (EST) to enter before I pick the winner and post later this evening. To recap for those of you just joining in on the fun:

For some reasonJoy Bauer (for those of you who don't know, that's the nutritionist from The Today Show!) and her people think I am a responsible/interesting blogger because they offered me a chance to promote her new cookbook on my page! Specifically Joy's book Food Cures which I could give a copy away to my readers after a review.

My readers being you guys.

So get excited! I am pretty much excited FOR you! This book is INSANELY cool- it has all kinds of recipes to create a flexible diet to any stomach/health issues (lactose, gluten free, etc) as well as an index of foods to help with certain nutrional balances, stomach/health symptoms, and descriptions of the overall science behind food working within your body.

A serious hat's off to Joy and her team for doing all this research and creating such a great book. They did a top notch job here. To whoever wins this, it's a great treasure in the kitchen, illuminating so much about cooking and nutrition that I had never realized. I may be a novice but, I really do think that even an expert hand in the kitchen would find this book worthwhile. I really want my own now that I have been sneaking peeks into the reader copy!

To enter for a chance to win the giveaway, you have to "like" my page on Facebook if you haven't already (click here or on the icon in the sidebar) and leave a comment on the page about either your interest in the science of food or your personal need for more nutritional balance! Or (which seems to be the preference) you can write me at clutzyscribbler@yahoo.com with your information! Make sure to leave your full name (if it's not on your facebook account/email) and submit by 12 PM EST TODAY!!! In slightly less than 4 hours the giveaway closes!!! I will then reveal the winner tonight in my birthday post! Then we can iron out the minor details like where you'd like me to ship you Joy's book.

Best of luck to all of my readers! AGAIN, if you don't have FB or you have questions regarding the contest, write me an e-mail at clutzyscribbler@yahoo.com and I can enter you that way or answer whatever I've neglected to explain.

3 and a half hours left! Here goes!

My First Ever Cookbook Giveaway! & Walkin' Tacos (The Epic End of Summer o' Stress 2011 and Beginning of a New Era: Fall)

2011-10-07T10:03:00.000-07:00

It's fall here in DC and suddenly I find myself looking around in confusion wondering where summer went. I have stopped travelling long enough to have all luggage and bags unpacked. I have finally tackled the laundry and unpacked all the moving boxes. The next wedding I have to plan into my life isn't until New Years Eve. I look back at what transpired this summer and in my head all I see is a chaotic blur of equal parts fun/fab friends/sunshine/adventures/many lovely Weddings that all choked me up.... and stress/moving boxes/airplanes/hospitals/floods/hectic-ness.

I am both sad it's wrapped up and amazed I survived. Torn between savoring every photo and moment and trying to block it out. In the bad sides, the only thing missing was the plague of locusts. On the good, the only thing missing was more time to savor each blessing that came my way. Of which there were/are many. Or more time at the beach with my family.

Definitely that last one but, even if I had spent my whole summer with my family at the beach, I am sure I would still be grumbling that it wasn't enough time. I am a very lucky, very blissed out, gal when it comes to the blessings and people in my life. Especially my family. I only spent one week going around Chicago/Wheaton/Wisconsin this summer with my family and it was definitely not enough time.

The point of all that rant I suppose was these 3 things.

1) I am sorry I vanished at points throughout the summer and then again for end of August/Apparently ALL of September. We'll just pretend September didn't happen. It seems like it was on fast forward anyway, I'm sure you all understand.

2) I love you all for being so patient with me and understanding of the few inches away I was from cracking under stress and grasping at the summer fun moments while I could. I know you all never ask anything of me as a writer/foodie/blogger but, the few posts I promise you need to be provided. The lack of consistency is my fault and I apologize. I know I come off as foodie/flake but! I am trying.

3) While at our lakehouse though, my mom organized one of the coolest meals I have ever seen. Pioneer Woman did a post on these recently too, (although hers were more involved and called "pie" which I don't get). They are a great, summer, meal that I look forward to for my next (hopefully calmer) sunshine season.

Walking Tacos.

What's that you say? Just an ordinary Fritos bag. But why is there a fork sticking out of it?

A Doritos bag? That's still not food, Meaghan! You've been gone from blogging too long and don't know what you're posting about!

Okay, I'll stop writing in the 3rd person/being weird. What appears to be an ordinary bag of chips is no such thing when you peek inside! Ta-da!

The insides reveal something akin with a taco salad but wrapped up inside individual chip bags! Basic idea: make all the fixin's for tacos but neglect to get tortillas or hard shells. Simply set up a taco bar for you/your friends/your fam and let people dump taco ingredients into bags of gently crushed chips.

Holy yum.

These pics are from the Walkin' Taco bar my mom set up at the lakehouse from 4th of July weekend. Yes, that's how long it has taken me to upload the pictures and write a post. I've already felt guilty enough, ok! Give me a break.

The lovely thing about Walkin' Tacos is that you can make the meal disposable for easy clean up without feeling like a giant waster for using paper plates and napkins. It's just using the chip bags as dishes! Our lake is usually filled with 30-40 of our friends and family (mostly family, yes we are Irish Catholic) so meals like this one keep my mom sane. We chopped up some watermelon, cooked about 4 lbs of taco meat, and set up the taco bar for everyone's enjoyment.

Trust me/look at how good that looks. No one was complaining. I tried Doritos and Fritos (2 bags, but this is a safe place, no judgement) and both of them were amazzzzzing. Want to give it a try with chicken instead of beef and Ranch Doritos sometime soon too. Yummmmmmmm.

Alright, that's enough of that now. I am sure you will all be anxious to make Walkin' Tacos so I can stop talking about their amazing factors and we can talk about my giveaway! That's the good part, after all!

Despite my own guilt/reservations about my skills as a blogger, for some reason Joy Bauer (for those of you who don't know, that's the nutritionist from The Today Show!) and her people think I am doing something right because they offered me a chance to promote her new cookbook on my page! I was so excited, I probably spent the most spastic response back they've received to date and so the cycle of confusing e-mails began! Ha, eventually though it was accomplished that they would send me Joy's book Food Cures and I could give a copy away to my readers after a review.

My readers being you guys.

A serious hat's off to Joy and her team for doing all this research and creating such a great book. To whoever wins this, it's a great treasure in the kitchen. I really want my own now that I have been sneaking peeks into the reader copy!

To enter for a chance to win the giveaway, you have to "like" my page on Facebook if you haven't already (click here or on the icon in the sidebar) and leave a comment on the page about either your interest in the science of food or your personal need for more nutritional balance! Make sure to leave your full name (if it's not on your facebook account) by 12 PM EST on Wednesday, October 12th and later that night for my birthday post (yes, 10/12 is my bday! To quote Hannibal, I love it when a plan comes together), I will reveal the winner! I'll then ask you to e-mail me and we can work out the minor details like where you'd like me to ship you Joy's book.

Best of luck to all of my readers! If you don't have FB or you have questions regarding the contest, write me an e-mail at clutzyscribbler@yahoo.com and I can enter you that way or answer whatever I've neglected to explain. I am sure I am forgetting something, this is why I shouldn't be allowed to drink Diet Coke. Hyperactive blog posts are always my most scattered/least informative.

I look forward to hearing from all of you guys and can't wait to reveal the winner! Good luck to all of you and SO EXCITED to be back in the blogging game!

Thank you again to you readers who continued to support me, write me, and believe in me through my absence as well as a big thanks to Joy Bauer and her team for believing my blog to be a good spring board for their amazing cookbook and supporting me throughout this process.

Giveaway #1! Here we go :)

Stupid New Blogger! Oh, & Nutella "Ravioli"

2011-09-02T11:58:00.000-07:00

Okay! So, screw new blogger! I updated it before I went out of town LAST week and it didn't post and that post (with pics!) is gone. And now this weeks is gone too.

So screw it. I am going away (again, guh) and will just be pulling this from the archive for now. Google/blogger/computer savvy people can expect to hear from me in the meantime. Hopefully I can post again soon!

Please enjoy these little treats! And know I sympathsize with you if you too are having a rough (to say the least) adjustment with the new look/functions of blogger....

Blogger is both my beloved web tool and my mortal enemy. Grrrr.... anyway! We're moving on to delicious delicious Nutella raviolis!

If you've ever been to Italy, you know that they have absolutely the best pastries around every corner. I studied in Florence for a semester so, perhaps I have a biase but, if I could live on one food for the rest of my days, I really think it would be anything the small chain "Forno" in Florence cranked out.

Just so...beyond delicious.

In coming back to the states, you become blatantly aware of the fact that bakeries here and bakeries there are very different. Here we have donuts and cakes, there they have pastries and tarts. Sure, there is some overlap. And Italian American bakeries have tiramisu and cannoli. But, I have searched bakeries since being home and have yet to find anyone who has Sfoglia or any of the Nutella treats that were common in italian bakeries and cafe's.

If you're one of those people who roam the earth unaware of the deliciousness of Nutella... please, take my advice, and go buy a jar today. Just smear it on an Eggo Waffle and be amazed at the pure joy of the taste.

In italy, Nutella, or rather, hazelnut chocolate spread, is extremely common. They make it themselves or buy it in jars like we do, but unlike us, it's incorporated deeply in their dessert cuisines.

Sfolgia is a simple square that you could buy for 1 euro that is essentially a layer of flakey, buttery, pastry, then Nutella, topped by more pastry, that you bake so the Nutella becomes more substantial itself and, combined with the pastry, is pure bliss. When i came back home and started cooking up things, I became kind of crazy about trying to recreate this treat.

Lots of batches, attempts, and goings. And this version, these little beauties, are by far the best result to be had yet.

Made with basically pie crust and nutella alone, they're great pop-able treats. Served with a drizzle of chocolate and some icecream, I am pretty sure these could be considered a sin.

But really, how fun and cute are they?!

I'm obsessed. And they quench my thirst for italian pastry. Make and Enjoy :)

Nutella Ravioli:

-Pie crust

-Nutella

-1 egg

-powdered sugar (confectioners sugar) for dusting

Lay out your pie crust. Using a glass with a diameter of about two inches or a cookie cutter of similar size, cut yourself some small circles which you lay out on non stick cookie sheets. Dallop a teaspoon of nutella in the center of each disc. Fold over (into half moon shapes) and using a fork, press sides shut. Brush with egg, bake about 10-12 minutes at 350 or until golden brown. Let them cool completely, dust with powder sugar, and serve!

Pretty much a smash :)

*UPDATE* Featured Here! Go Check it Out :)

DC Earthquake- I'm All Shook Up

2011-08-24T19:18:00.000-07:00

This one time, there was a magnitude 5.9 earthquake in DC.

While I was at work.

Oh yeah, that was yesterday.

People are joking about how it was really not a big deal but, as I was in the city when everything started to shake, glass started to crack, bricks topple into the street and onto cars... it seemed like an attack had happened somewhere in the heart of the capital. Which caused me to have a heart attack before I realized, of all things, that it was an earthquake on the east coast.

Really? Really?!

After calming down and realizing it was just a natural disaster not a national disaster, I waited out the vibrating and then was evacuated from my building with the rest of my coworkers.

Came home to where my dog was soundly sleeping as though the house hadn't shaken, roommates all home and a flutter with earthquake talk.

Needless to say, it was a big deal. At least conversationally, ha. So, where were you when the earthquake struck? I was in my office having a panic attack. But otherwise! Good times?

Also, the following conversation really happened to me this morning. My co-worker can back me up if you don't believe me.

B.L.T. Dip: Worth Killing For

2011-08-19T17:56:00.000-07:00

So. This is pretty much the best dip ever.

Seriously.

My roommate, Em, is in love with this dip. Spread on rye toast, wheat thins, triscuts, and bagels.... it's addicting. I even made it into chicken salad by using tablespoons of this dip instead of mayo. And look how pretty it looks.

See! Look how pretty!

And it tasted EVEN BETTER!

Seriously.

So, pretty much you must make this dip. Because it is delicious. Pure pure delicious.

Go now, my loves. It WILL change your life.

B.L.T. Dip

-1 cup mayo

-1 cup sour cream

-1 cup (cooked) bacon, diced

-2 ripe tomatoes, diced

Combine all ingredients, chill for an hour. Serve with crackers.

Pizza Throw Down

2011-08-12T12:28:00.000-07:00

So, my friend and I had a cook off: who could make the best pizza. Our friends judged us- not something you usually want. However, in this case it was all in good fun.

And fun it was! Julio is an exceptional cook- while I blunder around the kitchen and the results are messy but, usually successful, he is strictly talented and competent in the kitchen. Therefore, our cooking styles in an improvised competition were well suited for the entertainment of our friends and competition.

Messy vs. competent. Both results delicious, just with various amounts of dishes left over, as well as diverse flavors.

I of course had to make some of my Chicago deep dish.

Julio made a greek pizza- with lamb sausage and feta.

I mean... holy yum!

We each also made a second pizza. I made my favorite, an Italian inspired pizza that always goes over well, he made a Duck pizza with fig jam.

There's that greek pizza again...

My deep dish pan was new and too big for my crust amount. Plus, I balanced it poorly. The middle of my pizza was therefore a soggy soggy mess. A devastating blow in a competition. Luckily, my other pizza performed well!

Julio thought his Duck and fig pizza was too sweet. He was happy with his greek pizza though (and I thought both were amazing for the record)

All pizzas were in! The judges went into my room to calculate their decision and it was:

Julio! By 1 point.

To be honest, just LOOKING at the pics, I think you guys can agree, he totally deserved the win. If you had been there to try one of each, I KNOW you'd agree. My first pizza was Chicago Pizza goo, ha. Not enough to keep me in the game. The fact that I lost by only 1 point was pretty much amazing in itself, I'm pretty sure it's just because the judges both happen to be my best friends.

Hey, I'll take a biase though ;)

We have already had a second throw down in the new house this past weekend! I am sure you'll be getting recipes and pictures for this newest round. And stories to boot.

In the meantime, you have GOT to try some of Julio's pizzas. They are TRULY amazing- I can't say enough how awesome all these flavors are. Give them a try for yourselves and post back any positive results! And if you guys start to have your own throw downs, I'd love to see those pics and recipes too!

Love you all and Happy Cooking!!

Julio's Winning Pizzas:

Crust

Garlic Thyme Duck Confit

Fresh Thyme

Goat Brie

Fig jam (which in Julio's opinion/the opinion of some tasters was way too sweet, suggested you cut it with tomato juice. However, I just want to say I thought it was amazing)

Crust

Ricotta

Feta

Lots of olive oil

slices of lamb sausage

kalamata olives

Fresh thyme

Oregano (not fresh)

Last shot of our old kitchen! Will have to take some pics of the new kitchen at the house...

City Life vs. Wheaton Life

2011-08-10T06:34:00.000-07:00

I can’t believe it but, it’s almost been a year since I moved to Washington DC. I’ve really just got to say, this city is amazing.

I had never been here before moving. Which was quite the experience, by the by, moving to a city I had never SEEN at the drop of a hat. However, my life shifted, entirely. I got this totally wrong for me but totally amazing job offer, seemed to FEEL called to take it even if it was what I never wanted, and so it was all I could do to shift with the new turns of my life. Even if, as I can assure you they didn’t, the paths I was being pulled toward didn’t make sense to me.

And I am now so glad God presented such a path. That my family supported it and worked it out for me, that everything has been so spectacular for me here, so RIGHT for me here, since I moved.

I digress. Sorry. I am just pretty much ecstatic with how my life bloomed into something I couldn’t imagine. Life’s funny like that, huh?

Prior to living here in DC, I lived in a smaller suburb of Chicago. Accent on the suburb. Wheaton is my home, despite the other cities I’ve lived in, residences I’ve taken up, and places I’ve worked- Wheaton is where my roots end. Florence, Dublin, DC- they all have pieces of my heart, have been a home to me in some way. However, Chicago is the place that comes to mind when I think “Home”.

Going from my life in the suburbs to living in a big city is always an adjustment- the comparisons often being jarring/hilarious.

For example. Guys here as opposed to guy’s in Florence. Once upon a time in Italy, I was dancing with my roommates at a club and we ended up being surrounded by sketchy European guys. Sketchy, non-english speaking, unshowered, pierced European guys. Sadly, not uncommon when it’s a group of girls at a club. However, I noticed one particular sketchy Euro-dude was definitely starting to invade my personal space so, I attempted to maneuver away. However, he was faster, and before I knew it, I was licked.

LICKED! Also, I realize that is the second time I have drawn a comic involving licking. My apologies, but, true story. Licking was involved. Also- I just love my lil comic me's "going out" look. Wish I could have pumps like that in real life...

Needless to say- this would NEVER happen in Wheaton! First of all, because there are no clubs in Wheaton. But second of all, rather than attempt to lick a girls face as a means to entice a dance from said maiden, the guys in Wheaton are from the Midwest. They would maybe open with a smile, a kind offer along the lines of buying them a drink. Or by saying hi shyly to them. Or even just planning to talk to her, telling a friend he thought she was cute, and never doing anything.

American boys are easier like that. And guys from small towns can be all shy and nice like that.

No one licks strangers faces in an attempt to get POSITIVE attention. At least, that I have ever heard of. Just extremely unsanitary. Also, FYI to all men who might find this shocking, it is NOT appealing to be randomly licked.

Food for thought.

Comparing the specific cities themselves also yields funny results. In Wheaton, leaving your door unlocked is just irresponsible. In DC, you had better have renters insurance to replace your computer and television.

In Wheaton, you pretty much know everyone when you walk down the street or go to the store. Or go to the ONLY bar in town. Not always the best, lemmie tell ya.

Inevitably, when you go “out” in Wheaton, you run into your entire high school class. It probably relates to that “one bar in town” thing. And when you get stuck in those awkward conversations, you’re almost okay with everything in Wheaton closing at 11 PM, including the traffic lights, just so you can get the hedge out of there.

Huge points for the cities. Anonymity and places staying open/roads working past 10PM on weekdays, 11PM on weekends.

However, cities also have the scary and danger factor. Especially as a female, safety is always something considered and, frankly, there’s simply no way that DC or any of the other big cities I lived in can be as safe as Wheaton. I mean, even the allies in Wheaton are completely non threatening.

Alleys in cities:

Alleys in Wheaton:

I am not making that up, by the way. Someone turned an alley in our town into a candy store. The Popcorn Shop has been unapologetically serving candy and popcorn to the cheerful people of Wheaton for decades from 111 ¼ West Front Street.

Google it if you don’t believe me. It is the most awesome alley in the world.

Cities also have the whole unsanitary thing going for them in general. In Wheaton, you could walk barefoot around your block and even in the downtown itself without stepping on anything sharp, toxic, or unclean. Your feet wouldn’t get grimy, just dirty from dirt itself. And even the dirt in Wheaton seems to be cleaned off the sidewalks pretty regularly so, you’d probably be okay.

In Dublin, that was so not the case. In Dublin, I wanted to wear four pairs of socks and some galoshes before walking to work each morning.

Still, as of right now, I’d rather be in the city. Or rather, in this specific city. DC gives me adventures, a new circle of spectacular friends, and the option to go out and be an active young adult after 9PM. I feel like I am living in this electric, colorful, historical hub. It’s the perfect time to be here, especially as I know me and, someday, I’ll want to slow down my pace. (Well, as much as possible. I tend to keep chaos at a maximum around me, can’t not be busy at all times).

Wheaton has my family. That’s what always brings me back. Wheaton has that and it’s charm and the quaint feel of home but, I find myself being a city girl at the moment. Maybe in a few years I can have the best of both worlds and move to the city of Chicago.

We’ll see how long I can keep up. So far, the lifestyle and pace are both leaving me feeling exceptionally excited about my tomorrows, even when I constantly have to reboot the energy levels. You just never know what spectacular thing the next day may bring :)

Speaking of which: my friend and I had a cooking throw down. Battle Pizza.

You can expect those pics and the accompanying recipes this upcoming Friday.

Frosting for the Cause: Pineapple Dump Cake

2011-08-05T05:28:00.000-07:00

I don't know if you know about Frosting for the Cause but, it's amazing. It's a truly amazing group of food bloggers- organized by one REALLY amazing food blogger- Paula. I did this post, the following post for her site and wanted to share it here on my page as well. I waited a month before doing so in order to not steal the thunder of Frosting for the Cause by sharing the recipe here. I hope you guys enjoy it and will go join Frosting yourselves. Love to you all:

I had several options to choose from while writing this post as to an inspirational person in my life who suffered through cancer as I have had several loved ones go through the very particular horrors of the disease. While most were surviving, not all were so lucky. As I sat down to begin outlining this post, I found myself struggling to pick the story of just one, a single person I love, a single person who fought what always seems like the losing battle, just one person who won, or who lost, who inspired me.

As I am sure many of you know, choosing one story can be difficult. Especially if you are so deeply entrenched in the lives of so many amazing survivors or loved so many who are no longer with us. This was my exact pondering as I scribbled in a notebook a little over a month ago trying to come up with the story I wanted to tell. Oh yeah, and a recipe to go along with it.

You guys all make it look so easy ;)

However, I was seriously struggling. I had a lot of stories to tell but, none stuck out in that moment. Couldn’t I just tell them all? Write a novel for each one? That’s what my Grandpa Moylan, Aunt Karen, Aunt Peggy, Kendal, Kara, and John deserved. So, I sat. Scribbling in a notebook on the DC metro. (Read, drawing comics aimlessly and worrying about what to write). On my way to some dinner thing my coworker helped put together. A benefit, you know the type. An auction and fancy cocktails followed by some speakers with a dinner.

At the time, this meant I had worn a dress to work and that I had to wear my work heels for approximately 4 more hours than I normally like to. Little did I know that what it would come to be the inspiration for my post that I had been searching for.

The benefit was a sponsored Camp Kesem event. I had never heard of it either, no worries. George Washington students organized the “Camp Kesem GW’s 2011 Share the Magic Benefit Dinner” and raised $11,000 in just that one evening auction and meal as they told one of the most inspiring stories I had ever heard.

Just to be clear, these are students, guys. I was a student not to long ago. While in undergrad, I worked two jobs, worked toward my two hard earned degrees, did a LOT of goofing off, volunteered with Habitat for Humanity, did Relay for Life committees each year, and probably spent 1/3 of my life on Facebook. Things I never, ever, even kind of did? Threw benefits. Organized expensive events. Wrote to speakers for their time. Got donations. Organized, marketed, publicized, and budgeted entire summer camps.

If you ever want to feel like a slacker, talk to these students at GW and so many other campuses who are a part of the Camp Kesem Summer Program.These GW Students worked so hard on this event and SO MANY OTHERS to raise money to have a summer camp for the children of cancer patients.

Did I mention? It’s for free. A week long summer camp, entirely free to the families and child. $0. For as many kids they can get to sign up. I mean, that’s insane. That’s a LOT of fundraising. Not to mention work. And yet, this students work like dogs throughout the entire school year to provide a week of summer paradise to children they don’t even know but who are dealing with cancer in their family.

Cue inspiration flowing freely through my notebook.

I found myself moved to tears as a young camper who’s camp nickname was “Pasta” described what it meant to her to have that week every summer with kids who were all going through the same things. Kids who understood. What it meant to have some time to be a kid and goof off at a camp, away from the hospitals and worry for her parent, but also a place where she could talk about those exact fears and have a group who understood and could laugh with her, pray with her, for her, and above all be there for her.

As the program described one parent saying “[My son] felt as though he had his own little club… a sense of belonging to a group who made him stronger. Thank you!!”

Camp Kesem, I found out throughout the course of the night, was started in 2001 by four college students at Standford University, hosting 37 campers that summer. It has since expanded and evolved into several campuses throughout the states, hosting over 1200 campers at 23 camps this summer. Not only the GW branch that I had come to know, but across the country, benefits and fundraisers such as this were being had by students truly driven to the cause.

What made me decide to write about this camp rather than about my own friends and family? Well, for one thing, choosing just one loved one was (as described) daunting. However, the real reason was, I had honestly never given a thought to these kids. For my loved ones children, I had made them casseroles and cookies. Given them hugs. Words of comfort. But at the end of the day, I didn’t think of THEIR struggle, I thought of their parent/siblings struggle. I never once considered how this affected their childhood, not really. And Camp Kesem had.

So, while I could have easily told you a story of someone I loved surviving, I realized instead that perhaps some of you guys had also never considered those who support the surviving and the fighting. And those stories need telling too.

Congresswomen Deggie Wasserman Schultz and Eleanor Holmes Norton both spoke and praised this campus for doing just that. As a cancer survivor AND mother herself, the congresswoman was quick to point out how Camp Kesem had done exactly what she had been craving to do herself: gave her child a week of fun, away from the worries of home.

In honor of summer camp, in honor of these survivors, and in honor of the students who break their backs every year to make this week of pure, summer joy happen for these amazing kids! I present Summer Pineapple Dump Cake.

This cake is summer on a plate. Making it brought hope and sunshine into my thoughts. Hopefully you guys will have similar reactions J

For more information on Camp Kesem, click here.

Tropical Summer Cake

-1 Yellow cake mix

-4 eggs,

-1 ¼ cup oil

-1 small can mandarin oranges (with juice)

Blend well in a large mixing bowl. I used my hand mixer. Pour into an ungreased 9 by 13. Bake at 350 for 25-30. (I made mine in shortcake pans, greasing the sides to make sure they would show the shape. If you do this/make cupcakes/use other funky pans, adjust your timing accordingly. Hint for Clutzy Cooks like me: Less time = better.)

Cool entirely (I'd recommend you put it in the fridge for an hour), and then spoon on topping. ALL of it. It’s the best part.

Topping: 8 oz cool whip, 1 small box vanilla instant pudding, 1 15oz can of crushed pineapple (with the juice)

Once you've added the topping, serve as you like! It keeps for a good chunk of time in the fridge so, feel free to savor. Or inhale, as is my inclination. Enjoy :)

Oh, and P.S. For those of you interested, the topping on the cakes are Dried Pineapple Flowers. I found the tutorial online and it was pretty easy! Even for a Clutz human like me! Thanks to Annie Eats for the easy guide! Click here if you are interested in making the flowers yourself!

Harry Potter's Magical Menu

2011-07-29T05:25:00.000-07:00

It is both amazing and heart breaking to see such a spectacular series come to an end... Harry Potter may not be your thing but, the book series that swept the world is without a doubt one of the most enchanting ways kids have been brought back to reading.

And if I love two things, they're magic and reading.

It was established a LONG time ago that my roommate, Em, and I would throw a Harry Potter party in celebration of the final movie coming out. As fate would have it, things timed out so that it also ended up being a celebration of the final party in our apartment. We moved just 5 days after throwing our Potter Party, from our first big girl apartment in the city to a house 10 minutes away with even more of our friends.

Which will be/so far has been COMPLETELY stellar! But as the movie series coming to the same end the books did was bittersweet, so was our move. Luckily, these Harry Potter treats got us through the hard times. Plus, Alcoholic Butterbeer and Spiked Pumpkin Juice. Hope you enjoy these recipes and the Potter theme as much as we did!

First item on the wizard check list! House Themed Iced Sugar Cookies. I used the same recipe as I did here and simply used canned icing. I dyed it blue and had some super amazing ladies help me with the plain iced ones while I worked on the seal. It's a combination of chocolate and icing that I drew/molded until it represented all 4 houses cheerfully.

A very dear friend (and now, housemate!) went as a very impressive Luna and made herself a Quibbler to carry around the party! Even more impressive was the inside which she had changed several articles to match. Which should answer your question: yes, my friends are just as geeky as I am.

In line with the Hogwarts Express Trolley treats, we had to make all the candy we could think of. The most important of which was Chocolate Frogs. I got the chocolate frog molds on Amazon (I would post a link but, I can't seem to find the right ones anymore) and used my family's fudge recipe. I simply made up a batch and poured it into the molds that had already been greased and dusted with green disco dust and sprinkles. The frogs came out shiny (which looked like frog slime!), green, and delicious. Just what you'd expect :)

With more of the Trolley in mind plus some Diagon Alley and Weasley treats! We have:

-Licorice Wands: Twizzlers dipped in chocolate and rolled in silver sprinkles

-Droobles Best Blowing Gum: Hubba Bubba, unwrapped

-Acid Pops: Dum Dums dipped in honey and rolled in unsweetened pink lemonade mix

-Ton Tongue Toffees: Werthers Originals, unwrapped

-Jelly Slugs: Sour Gummy Worms

-Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans: Various Jelly Beans

We made our own decorations and bought this all inclusive Harry Potter Party Pack. Paper chains in the house colors, balloons to match. Once our guests showed up in their costumes, it was a real fantasy fiesta! Em was Tonks, I was Rita Skeeter.

For the other Trolly Treats, I made Cauldron Cakes. I found these mini cauldrons on this site and stuffed them with two mini cupcakes each and topped them with icing. So cute!

The chocolate iced cupcakes are devils food topped with rainbow sprinkles. The other cupcakes are vanilla cookies and creme cupcakes topped with vanilla icing and crushed Oreos.

It wasn't all a sugar rush! Well, kind of, ha. I made these Pumpkin Pasties which helped break up the sweet routine with savory. I used an adapted/combined version of the Butternut Squash Lasgana filling with pumpkin instead (shared below), pressed between pie crust dough cut to look like pumpkins. They were washed with an egg wash and sprinkled with brown sugar and nutmeg. I had about 4 roommates working on these for me. Super champs.

Pumpkin Pasties:
-2 pounds butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch pieces- I found some already cleaned up and diced which made this step AMAZINGLY easy
-2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
-Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
-1 pound whole-milk ricotta cheese
-1/2 cup heavy cream
-2 large egg yolks
-1/2 pound fresh mozzarella cheese, coarsely grated (2 cups)
-Freshly grated nutmeg
-2 tablespoons unsalted butter
-1/3 cup loosely packed fresh sage leaves, coarsely chopped
-1 1/4 cups homemade or store-bought low-sodium chicken stock

-Pie Crust, cut into pumpkin shapes or hand size circles.

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Toss squash, oil, and 1 teaspoon salt on a baking sheet. Season with pepper. Bake until light gold and tender, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool.
Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees. Combine ricotta, cream, yolks, mozzarella, and a pinch of nutmeg in a medium bowl. Season with salt.
Melt butter in a small saute pan over medium-high heat. As soon as it starts to sizzle, add sage, and cook until light gold and slightly crisp at edges, 3 to 4 minutes.
Place squash in a medium bowl, and mash with the back of a wooden spoon. Gently stir in sage-butter mixture and stock. Season with salt and pepper. Combine gently with ricotta mixture.
Spoon filling into pie crust dough, top with another layer of dough, seal with a fork, and top with the scraps of dough as a stem. Brush with egg and sprinkle with a mixture of brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Or parmesan and salt/pepper if you want to go strictly savory. Bake at 350 til golden, serve immediately.
I used the rest of the filling (after filling about 100 with my friends) in a pasta bake later. It was delicious. You'll have extra filling, get creative or actually go make the intended lasagna. Pumpkin Pasties are more fun though- FYI.

For most everyone but me, the food highlight of the party was the Hogwarts Cake and Forbidden Forest Cake. I seriously wish I had had more time to work on each of them. The party had come up on us too quickly and I was literally icing the castle within moments of people arriving. I had guys cutting windows and hastily gluing them onto the sides for me! Needless to say, the crooked manner, the smears, the drips- all things I wish I had been able to avoid by being more organized. Still- people seem to think it turned out pretty cool. And since it was my first time working with fondant (yes, that's a good idea! When I've never before touched fondant, I should make a giant CASTLE cake! Not something easy and simple/flat/round), I suppose I am pretty happy with the results. Thanks to Food Network for having 50 shows on cakes/cupcakes which made it easy to know how to mess it up ;)

The castle cake was 6 layers: 3 devils food, 3 dark chocolate brownie. It was layered with fudge and then covered with vanilla icing. The towers were made out of ice cream cones, covered in black icing, and rice treats- all of which were covered in fondant. The sloping grounds and lake were icing and rice treats too, with some dyed coconut sprinkled on as vegetation. The green coconut also topped the grounds of the forbidden forest cake- which was a lemon cake with blueberries and coconut icing. Green iced ice cream cones and a Lego set completed the rest of the scene.

I swear there was more than sugar at the party too though! I made a Dark Mark Veggie Pizza!

Can you kind of see the mark? It's outlined in olives? The snake is peppers all woven?

See? Snake? Snack snake?

This pizza is probably one of my all time favorite recipes. It got demolished at the party- a sure sign that people loved it. The recipe is simple:

Dark Mark Veggie Pizza:

-2 rolls refrigerated crescent rolls dough

-2 8oz cream cheese, softened

-1 cup mayo

-1/2 pkg. (Dry) Italian Dressing Mix

-1 tbls Dill Weed

Open up dough and press onto cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 10 mins, let cool about 20 mins. Mix remaining ingredients. Spread on crust. For toppings, use any sliced/diced veggies you'd like. For the Dark Mark, I used broccoli, peppers, olives, mushrooms, and cauliflower. For this recipe I also LOVE tomatoes, green onions, and cucumber. Once you top with your veggies, sprinkle with about 1/2 cup each mozzarella and cheddar cheese. Cut into squares and serve. So good, promise.

But that's not all!

The most sampled pieces of the party were the drinks.

Isn't that always the way?

To make Spiked Pumpkin Juice, I strained canned pumpkin pie filling through cheese cloth. Sweetened pumpkin water juice was all that remained in the pitcher.

Ha, yum?

Well. When mixed with Gin and Ginger-ale, it was phenomenal.

This drink was only about 1 cup pumpkin juice to 1 bottle gin and 1 bottle ginger-ale. It was SO good though. The little bit of pumpkin flavor goes a long way. It just tastes crisp and fresh with the ginger-ale and gin. Please try it. Please. Even if cheesecloth is involved. Look how pretty it turned out:

I mean, so pretty.

Love fall sprinkles too...

And then there was the main event, the reason I am convinced 90% of the people came to the party: Alcoholic Butterbeer.

We made Butterbeer for the masses in a giant cooler. It was several bottles of cream soda, butterscotch schnapps, a 24 pack of Natural Light beer (any cheap beer would do), and some rum. To make it creamy and delicious, we added about 2 gallons of vanilla ice cream. It was then stirred vigorously with ice and got to be like that frozen consistency of a melty rootbeer float.

But butterscotch flavored.

And warming because of the alcohol.

It was REALLY good. Very sweet, (too sweet for me, I loved the Spiked Pumpkin juice though), and went fast. Which was concerning at first since it's rather alcohol filled, ha. But people were alright. Friends are both geeky and responsible apparently. Even though we made almost 4 gallons of Butterbeer, we only had 2 pitchers left when all was said and done. We used it as incentive the next nights for people to move boxes. Worked like a charm. Get it, charm?

Oh, come on. I pretty much didn't make ANY Harry Potter puns.

In conclusion! A toast to the end of an era! Both HP and my first apartment were true game changers for me, and both better than I could have ever imagined.

Cheers :)

My Favorite Unnoticed Recipes

2011-07-27T13:09:00.000-07:00

Two posts in one day, what madness is this?! How fun! How strange! Why?!

It's actually stemming from some foodie insecurity. We'll see what you guys think. Also, before I get all ranty: please note recipe updates are on Friday now as that just makes more sense for my new work schedule. This Friday I have for you Harry Potter's Feast! Get excited.

I had a follower comment they were leaving today, meaning no longer following, in response to my recent post- I am guessing due to the fact that it wasn't food related/I haven't posted anything in a long time due to my life getting restructured/out of hand. It was one of my comics, one that I had really rather enjoyed writing. The fact that they had let me know why they left makes me wonder if more of you guys are struggling.

"Okay, bye, bye, klutzy cooking. Can't follow this anymore."

Don't get mean, or defensive, for me, (unless you want to point out that it's Clutzy Cooking, which is a fair point). It is understandable of them to leave! Fair even. I can be a confusing person, I understand. I am just hoping I am not a confusing blog. I wanted to know if anyone else was to the point of leaving due to post whip lash. I try and keep things organized by tabs and also by tags. I also aim to write a dern good food blog and don't want you guys to back off because I have some other topics mixed in.

So, this post is a question: should I attempt to break my blogs up again? Or can you guys tolerate them together? It is just SO much easier for me to keep them together... I am not asking if you like it, you don't have to like the comics or love the layout but, can you handle it? Is it okay? Sometimes enjoyable to have non food topics pop up?

I only post comics twice a month. And crafts maybe once a month.

Let me know. I love you guys and don't want to lose ya.
And now! Some food. I feel insecure that my blog is getting too far off the "foodie" track but also, these recipes have been demanding more attention for some time. Please check them out- they are some of my absolute favorites but have been passed over many a time in the past:

Blackbeery Yogurt Cupcakes

K-Bars

My Mom's Lemon Squares

"Legit" Carbonara

Cheesey Bagel Toasties

Sweet Brie Bites

Simple Homemade Applesauce

Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Brownies

Online Dating

2011-07-27T07:18:00.000-07:00

Hi! Remember me? This is lil cartoon me- remember?

She sometimes appears when I blog about things outside of cooking. Back when I use to blog at all. Sorry I disappeared on you guys. This is one of those times when things stink to crazy degrees for having time for a blog- so, sorry I have been neglecting them with such fervor lately. My life has exploded. Much like my system was exploded with germs before. I was sick over the holiday weekend and then I got back and had this… well, I’m moving this week and just had a huge themed going away/Harry Potter party (pics and recipes to follow SOON!) and then I also have Mack living with me now (the dog, my dog) and as I said already I was sick/am sick/feel like I may always be sick.

Which is why it was the perfect time to go to Seattle for 4 days. It was one of my best friends weddings and totally worth it (PS, no one ever told me how kickin' Seattle is!), but it wasn't helpful to rush to unpack and pack up to go across the country. Washington to Washington is no joke, guys.

Anyway. My life exploding is not the point.

Although, that explosion looks cool. The point is, I love this blog even if I don’t always do it justice. So! Back to the purpose of this comic: Online Dating. I have this friend who told me to try online dating. And I said ‘sounds fun!’ and then she said, but ‘I mean seriously, Meaghan’.

And then I had to inform her that I don’t take many things (anythings) very seriously. That I am the kind of grown up who still is afraid of dry cleaning and doesn’t always know what her bank balance is up to. And then she reminded me we were talking about online dating and then I reminded her I had changed the subject on purpose and then she told me it was time for me to Date seriously. Again with the seriously. And also, Date. With a capital D-Date, not the lowercase d-date like I have been doing to this point. And then a debate erupted from this.

For one thing, while the difference between Dating and more casually dating is clear to me, I am confused why I need to start Dating right now. I have always been under the impression that when I met the right guy to convince me to open myself up to Dating again- which would be trusting someone with my heart/the risk of being turned into pulverized emotional goo- I would be more than happy to be Dating them. Happy to trust and take chances. In the meantime, I am confused why I can’t just be dating and then meet many people and see where things go with out putting things like potential emotional wreckage on the line. I don’t think I need to be Dating for the sake of Dating. I think I can keep dating and then shift to Dating if someone cool comes along and makes me want to try.

My friend said, fine, which made me think I had won. But then added I had to start meeting the right people so I could be dating more which would lead to Dating and the best way is apparently online dating. Anyone confused yet? Pretty much, she turned my argument back on me but, I am still not sure where that leaves us. Mainly because this caused me to be super skeptical and that’s where I still am.

I can’t imagine online dating to be the best place to meet people. Or meet people in a serious manner. Especially since my on-line persona is

So, you can see I am not going to make a great impression. Do people seriously on-line date? Is it a really serious thing? With emphasis on the serious?

I was under the impression it was just a way to “meet”. Plus, it always sounds like it may just be booty calls with strangers 80% of the time. No? These are the questions. I have plenty more. I just want to know what the real deal is here. I have since started asking around and a frack TON of my friends out here have online dating accounts. Is this a city thing? I know Washington, DC is a super busy city full of work-a-holics (OR people who just work all the time to afford to live here) so maybe people just don’t have time to meet people the non-web ways anymore?

How do people meet people normally? Are people looking for love, or hook ups? Both? Neither? I almost see online dating as some kind of messy game of roulette that you are pretty much gambling to lose.

Plus, and this may actually my biggest problem with it, what the heck are you supposed to put on your profile? I mean... everyone puts boring/nice things. How are you supposed to meet someone who really clicks with you when everyone seems the same?

I mean… who DOESN’T like those things?

That doesn’t happen. Ever. Everyone likes sunsets, and even if they don’t love them, they don’t actively dislike them. And even if they did, people wouldn’t put it on their online dating profile. Might as well say “I like to kick puppies” if you put “I hate sunsets at the beach” on your page. It might be more beneficial to put some negative things about yourself on your page though. Then people would know what to avoid. Like, okay, for me here. If I had a profile, I should put some of the following things so people know if that makes them crazy they should avoid me.

That would be helpful for guys to figure out if they should meet me. Putting things like “I like movies”… what’s the point? Who doesn’t like movies? Who doesn’t like hanging with friends? If you clarified “I like horror movies”- that’s something. Also, I wouldn’t be your ideal match as horror movies cause all kinds of nervous neurosis for me.

You can’t even really put on there what you’d appreciate in a person. My friend told me I was off the hook when I asked if I could put “needs to be tall enough to reach the tall cupboards, strong enough to open the stupid sexist jars, and brave enough to kill silverfish and check all ominous sounds the 1^st floor of my house emits”.

I guess I get why that’s not okay to put online. I mean, if a guy put “shorter than me, good at cooking, nurturing personality” I may fit the bill but it would tick me off that he listed it off like that.

I suppose I get the whole "I am a person, not a check list" thing.

Alright, in rambling conclusion, I think I am missing the key piece of online dating. The ending theory will be that it’s a great way to meet people but, not to jump from stranger to committed relationship before you could write a real online profile for them. The idea of meeting more of the “right” guys is an intriguing one. I am a strong Christian and I’d like to meet more guys centered in God, I don’t think I could ever be really serious about someone who wasn’t. So, perhaps I’ll try a Christian dating site… sounds like a good plan. Or at least way to meet some Christians in the area. I’m still kinda a DC newbie. SO, I’ll try it. Maybe. It’s possible I have also psyched myself out now, ha.

If any of you guys DO have the skinny on online dating, I’d like to know! Places to avoid, things you recommend, or just to avoid the entire practice entirely. Myabe it’s okay. Maybe it’ll be okay. Then perhaps I’ll give it a try. Especially Christian dating sites, let me know, I’m considering it. Either way, I don’t feel like this is too serious an issue. Certainly not as critical as my friend made it seem. God’ll get me the right man eventually. Maybe he’s already around, maybe I still have to meet him. But one way or another, I am not worried, when I’m ready to Date, it’ll work. I want to be serious about someone, I do. But, I don't feel the pressure to rush into finding him yet. Maybe I'll meet him through a friend, at a bar, or through the interwebs...

In the meantime, I refuse to put “I like watching sunsets” on my page. If I ever have a page.

Even if it’s true.

And then she passed out...

2011-06-27T18:17:00.000-07:00

Today I woke up with a tiny headache. I took some advil (AKA sugar coated joy), ate a granola bar, hopped on the metro and got to work. While at work the tiny headache evolved to blinding pain, the blinding pain evolved to dizziness, and then the nausea hit.

I found myself cuddling with a recycling bin in my cube. I made it through the day by pure luck. I have no idea what happened, it was like an avalanche of germs.

My body seriously never saw it coming. This was me.

Also, if you Google "sick" that may be the first image to come up. I thought about drawing a sick, dying, green cartoon me but... that requires a lot more energy than I could possibly muster.

I came home and promptly pitched myself back into bed. And slept. And slept. I woke up and realized that I never finished:
1) my recipe post for the week
2) my illustrations for my comic
3) taking off my shoes and coat

So, I'm updating this here to let you know that, should I not survive this random illness, you all are super great. And I've always appreciated the fact that you didn't spaz at me for not always sticking to my word about when I'd post. And the way all of you supported me through the many MANY times blogger failed me. In conclusion, you guys are awesome.

I am now going to go medicate and sleep again. A new comic and shiny new recipe will be posted upon my survival.

Goodnight.

Cake Batter Pancakes

2011-06-21T07:29:00.000-07:00

Seriously. You think I'd learn.

Blogger = Evil. Do not plan to schedule posts. Check and make sure all posts are up and running. Don't count on things to just work as they should. And yet. This was supposed to be up last night at 12:01. And it clearly was/is not. I miss the days when my blog was all organized, all the posts lining up on Mondays at midnight. Or at least on Mondays. Maybe I'll try posting Sunday's at 12:01 again, that way it's actually updated on Mondays and all.... Anyway, I'll figure that out. I bet you just want to know what that delicious picture is portraying. Let's talk pancakes.

So. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle pancakes got me in a griddle place.
And then I was grocery shopping. And I found these.

I mean, seriously! We make cupcake CEREAL now!? So proud, America. So very very proud. It was clearly a sign. Cupcakes for brinner (which is, for those who don't know, breakfast + dinner). Which brings us back to this recipe.

Just so fun. On every level. Even the batter is fun. Look at all these sprinkles! How awesome is that??

Prettiest batter ever. Probably. I made two kinds of topping for these cake-flavored pancake gems. One was chocolate ganache with almond extract. The other was vanilla ganache with raspberry extract.

Both were AMAZING. Gosh, these pancakes were like a dessert. But a dessert that's allowed all the time! They were really rich though, probably shouldn't eat more than 3 or you may get sick. (Like I definitely did. Carrots and water for the rest of the day to kick the sugar out of my system.)

Cake Batter Pancakes

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

2/3 cup yellow cake mix

1 tablespoon sugar

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

pinch of salt

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1-2 cups milk

assorted sprinkles- LOTS!!!

Combine flour, cake mix, baking powder, sugar and salt in a bowl and mix. Add 1 cup of milk, egg and vanilla extract and stir until smooth and proper pancake density. This will vary greatly on the brand of cake mix you use. Start with 1 cup of milk and add more if needed. You don't want runny pancakes that spill everywhere and are too thin, nor do you want thick, paste like ones. Find a balance for pancake nirvana.

Heat your skillet or griddle. I used an electric griddle at 350 degrees but, I'm a pancake professional (that's such a lie, I burnt myself 5 times. Be careful if you decide to use a hot skillet like idiot me). Fold desired amount of sprinkles into batter. Pour batter in 1/4 cup measurements onto skillet and let cook until bubbles form on top, about 2-3 minutes. Flip and cook for 1 minute more.

Serve with frosting or glaze or what have you. Syrup'd or plain or iced- these babies are divine.

Make and enjoy :)

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Pancakes

2011-06-14T08:07:00.000-07:00

Ha, so. Blogger Officially hates me. This was *supposed* to upload automatically last night. When I went to check this morning how the blog looked, turns out this lil post here was still chilling in "scheduled". Despite it being extremely overdue. Ah, well. Fixing glitch #112 now! Back to our regularly scheduled program:

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles! In pancake form!

It'll be all you can do to keep Shredder away from these adorable geek creations. The shelled gang is all here! We have:

Raphael

Leonardo

Donatello

Michelangelo

I didn't make their sensei, Splinter, but, if any of you guys are up to the challenge, please send me the link! I'd love to check out a well executed trend of anthromorphic pancakes :)

These came from an idea that came from an idea that came from spending too much time amazed by the site Jim's Pancakes. If you haven't seen his website before, you should check it out. The man is a griddle master, making pancake masterpieces for his daughter and family.

There are several tricks to this, none too complicated. Use food dye to differentiate the colors of the batter and put them into squeeze bottle to create precise lines. A griddle turned to low will be your best friend in this situation as you'll want to add things in both an artistic and consistent manner before the cooking really starts up.

I had some fun and made tie-dye chocolate chip pancake leftovers when I was done with the turtles...

Yummmmmmmmmmm!

Overall, this experience was an EXTREMELY fun one! AND it was easy to the most clutzy degree! Thanks to Jim's Pancakes for the inspiration and tricks of the griddle trade! I see even more eccentric pancakes in my future...

Funfetti Cake Balls

2011-06-09T06:11:00.000-07:00

Ha, you know what food is fun to eat and NOT Clutzy Cooking Friendly?

Why yes! Yes indeed, it is cake balls! Good guess!

Okay, I'll stop being me/ridiculous now. These are delicious- make them NOW. They are chocolate covered cake. Yep. Chocolate. Covered. Cake.

I found this recipe through stumbleupon on Bakerella's food blog. I am not much a fan of Red Velvet cake though so I decided to make Funfetti cake balls.

This recipe SOUNDS so easy and, while it is... for normal humans...if you are a true clutz like I am, you may run into some difficulties when it comes to melting chocolate without burning it and then dipping the cake without scorching your finger tips off.

Or covering your counters with melted chocolate bark. Which is difficult to clean, P.S.

Also, keep the size small and bite size. I made mine too big at first and they began to crumble apart and make things more messy for me. So, smaller is better in this case! Also, since I was struggling with just making BALLS, I decided it was a good idea to try and get fancy.

Because, that's clearly a good train of thought.

Ha, despite the burns and muttered curses, these were fun too!

For those of you who don't understand what you're seeing (i.e. you non geek folk) those are Nintendo remotes and a NASA Space Shuttle. Woot for chocolate molds from amazon.com! Oh, AND!!! The Shuttle flames are sprinkles! I can't tell you how happy that made me when throwing this all together.

Hehehe...

Anyway, this simple recipe is delicious but, can be messy. My methods clearly got me into more trouble then they were worth but, I am willing to try making this recipe again with chocolate cake and white chocolate shells at next opportunity. Or maybe yellow cake with a chocolate shell. Or carrot with a white chocolate shell!!!

Don't those just sound yummy? Absolutely all of them. Sign me up for the variety pack.

Ha, so! Mix it up, make them up, and let me know how they go!

Cake Balls

-1 cake mix

-1 can frosting

-1 package chocolate/almond bark for coating

Bake cake according to directions on box, in a 13 by 9 pan. Once cooled, crumble cake into large bowl, add can of frosting, and mix up til dough like. Round into balls. Place on cookie sheet and put into freezer til solid, (try an hour, I never did this and mine therefore fell apart!). Melt chocolate bark and dip balls into chocolate. Set aside on wax paper til cool. Add sprinkles if desired. Peel and serve :)

Saving Money

2011-06-01T16:56:00.000-07:00

Yep. This is slightly late. BUT! Only by 2 days.

That's probably improving. Even if this is a short comic. Just the one image.

However! As you can read, I am trying to get a house! It's a hot mess right now, lots of leases and budgeting (which, I clearly was not cut out for). I am flying home this weekend and we have a new roommate annnnd- in conclusion.

One again my life is a whirlwind and as I try and hold on, I dropped a few comics...

I will make it up to you as soon as possible! Promise. I even posted a second recipe on Friday. More recipes and comics to come, kids! Hang in there.

And wish me luck as I try and navigate houses...

Tommy Bahama's Pina Colada Cake: Evidence that Tommy does Everything with Flair

2011-05-27T01:00:00.000-07:00

In Palm Springs, CA, there is a Tommy Bahama's store and cafe. If you are ever there, you should probably get the coconut shrimp and perhaps the goat cheese with mango salsa. Actually, everything on the menu is good, get whatever you want.

But for dessert, you have to get THIS cake. Pina Colada cake.

Look at the back of that. All layered in coconut. And the pineapple. My gosh.

It is a personal favorite of mine. I am constantly trying to recreate the flavor combination- case and point these cupcakes and this citrus dump cake. My parents actually went to California without me once and brought it back to Chicago for my birthday. An entire, four layer cake. They had to carry it on and, apparently, this cake weighs a ton.

You wouldn't think it from the light fluffy cake and mousse.

Also, that's my friend Adam creeping over the cake. He lives in California... I am pretty jealous. Especially since he could always drive and get this cake.

If he wanted to drive 5 hours or so. Which. For tihs cake... I might.

Each forkful is like a floating piece of summer. It's like eating a tropical cloud.

If that sounds appealing.

The pics seen above are taken in Tommy's from my latest trip there. With my family and Adam, we had a big lunch at Tommy's, finished off with this cake. It was an amazing amazing trip. It may have been winter but, I promise you, in Palm Springs it is still 80 degrees. Tropical cake is more then applicable.

Clearly, no one else liked it.

I doubt the REAL recipe in the Tommy cafe' uses cake mix. I don't know why that's what the Tommy's website uses but, since I would likely have made a mix cake anyway to save myself the time and a dime, (all about the rhyme!), I am not complaining. However, I think when I make this, I will be making my own white chocolate mousse. Mousse is completely underrated and is exceptionally fun to make. While I always make a mess, it is always a really fun mess.

I'll let you know how this all turns out.

Make it yourself and enjoy :)

Pina Colada Cake Recipe (Straight from the Tommy's Website)

1 box Pillsbury Deluxe White Cake Mix

1 box Swiss Chalet White Chocolate Mousse

1 Quart Heavy Cream

½ Cup Tommy Bahama Golden Sun^TMRum

8 oz Crushed Pineapple-drained

½ Cup Toasted Coconut

Bake cake as directed in 2 - 9" x 12" rounds. Cool. Slice off rounded top level with baking pan and cut each cake into 2 layers (4 cake layers in total). Make Mousse according to the directions. After the mousse mixture is complete, slowly add heavy cream. Increase speed until mousse and heavy cream are incorporated. Continue whipping until stiff. Assembly: Generously brush each layer of the cake with Tommy Bahama Golden Sun^TM Rum. Spread the mousse mix evenly ¼" thick on the first layer. Sprinkle with some of the pineapple. Top with next cake layer and again, spread with mousse then pineapple. Continue with each layer. The layers of the cake and mousse should be the same height. Coat the sides and top with the mousse mix. Sprinkle toasted coconut over the finished cake.

Fruit Pizza

2011-05-23T08:20:00.000-07:00

I love this recipe. I had posted this before as "Berry Happy You're a Citizen!" fruit pizza, which I had made with red and blue berries (as shown above) to celebrate a dear friend of mine becoming a dual American/Canadian citizen. At that party, people had thought I had BOUGHT the tart, it looked that good.

Well, I mean, really. It does look pretty daggum good!!! This one here is a rainbow pattern, I don't know which I like more! The baby tartlets were adorable but, the big pizza is always a hit. I made it in a tart pan so the edges were lovely for the citizenship party but, it still is an attention getter with all that fresh fruit and lovely cream...

I mean, wow. Can't you see why? I vote you make this today. With all the fresh spring berries, it'd be perfect.

Or soon. Just make it VERY soon :)

Enjoy!

Fresh Fruit Pizza

-1 package sugar cookie dough

Grease pizza pan (or, as I used, fluted tart pan), press dough to edges and smooth. Bake at 350 for 7 minutes.

Mix:

-1 8oz cream cheese

-1 8oz cool whip

Once cookie crust is cool...pour and spread onto crust.

Decorate with fruit, coat in glaze.

Glaze:

-1/4 cup water

-1/2 cup sugar

-2 teaspoons lemon juice

-1 teaspoon cornstarch

-1/2 cup orange juice

-Dash of salt

Use a spoon to pour over tart and then a detail brush to smear and coat all the fruit.