So one of my biggest hurdles when it comes to blogging is my timeliness.  Which I suppose you know, as I haven’t been around for a couple of months.  But other than my extreme procrastination, I’m simply late with things.  I made some beautiful, beautiful pies with the pie crust I made in advance for Thanksgiving, but who wants to read about a new apple pie when they’re still working on their leftovers?  With Christmas came some to-die-for coconut creme brulee, but who wants that the day after New Years’?  I unfortunately just don’t have the waistline allowance to make holiday-specific specialties more often than at their scheduled anniversaries.  (That and the fact that “Tuesday” has become a reason to eat my weight in whatever happens to cross my path.) 

So how lucky are you guys that Parker needed cupcakes for his classroom the Friday before Valentine’s Day?

Continue reading ‘eat your heart out’

So have you ever come across a recipe, thought “Oh, that looks tasty,” bookmarked it, and forgotten about it for a couple of eons or so?  And then one Saturday evening, you happen to have everything on hand, and think “Hey, cookies might be good?”  And then, before you know it, you’re smacking yourself for being such a slacker, because oh my effing goodness you don’t know how you lived without these cookies.

And oh my goodness my friends, these cookies.  Inside-Out Carrot Cake cookies, which are sort of a cross between a cookie-cake-whoopie pie sort of MAGIC that you simply can-not-resist.  (Kinda like those gross Oatmeal Creme Pies you ate as a kid and still probably wouldn’t turn down  today, but a batrillion times better.)  I made these for the first time Saturday night in preparation for game day, but because I don’t read good, I added more than three times the amount of sugar called for, and ended up with flat, caramelized sugar disks instead of soft cookie love.  But that little Baking Angel (you know, the Vodka Devil’s companion) popped up over my shoulder and urged me to try again in the morning. 

Continue reading ‘a complete and total surprise’

So I know you’re totally wondering where I’ve been right? Well the thing is, I don’t know if you heard, but first there was Thanksgiving, and then Christmas, and then the first hangover of 2010. Oh, and not to mention the biggest stress of my entire life. Well you know, except maybe that whole carrying a child thing. (Okay well maybe you don’t know, but that’s neither here nor there.) Wait, what was I talking about? Oh yes.

The wedding.

Continue reading ‘congrats, little bro’

So I don’t know about you guys, but I’ve been pretty much lollygagging my way through the month of November.  The weather’s been beautiful (hello, double digits!), and there isn’t (as much) new house crap to get done, and well, potty training takes pretty much takes all of the energy I can muster up these days.  (TMI, I know, I know, but hey, you asked.  Okay actually you didn’t, but I promise it’ll be worth it if you stick around.)

Then all of a sudden, you look at the calendar, and HOLY EFFING CACA there is way less than one week left until Thanksgiving.  And you are apparently hosting this year.  And despite all of your normal party planning ahead skillz, you ain’t got shit done yet.

No worries, my friend, I am here for you.  With pie!  Okay, maybe not pie, but pastry crust, which for some, instills panic in hearts that rivals Parker when someone in the room is chewing bubble gum.  (My son’s a wuss, okay?  Don’t judge.)  But don’ t fret.  The following is the only way I make pastry now, and I promise you it will work.

Continue reading ‘my-oh-my, it’s pie!’

I’m a really awesome girlfriend.  Due to my dear Italian boyfriend’s culinary preferences, the past year I’ve been choking down a lot of sausages (hehe) and peppers.  Not to mention making homemade cavatelli.  And peanut butter cookies, which I don’t really even like.  Let’s not even talk about all that ball handling.  (And really, why hasn’t Tom been doing his part and taking me out for sushi?)  But the thing is, I’m not really that crazy about sausages.  And while I may be pretty apathetic on the whole forced meats things, roasted red peppers?  Ugh.  As often as I’ve tried to trick myself into liking them, they’ve really just remained on the list of “Things Meleyna Does Not Want in her Mouth.” 

Continue reading ’sometimes, he’s right’