Foodie Non-Friday: Lemon Blueberry Bread

So I truly don’t know what’s up with all the cooking (ok, mostly baking) I’ve  been doing lately but aren’t you lovely folks fortunate to reap the benefits of it?

Well, actually my family is b/c they get to eat whatever is tasty (it’s not ALL been tasty…lest I lead you on about my cooking overall).

But you get kitchen-tested, Always Random Family-approved recipes.

And this lovely little number is no exception.

And you can totally trust us because we have eaten about 2 loaves of it in the past 24 hours.

Don’t judge.

So I am certain you all are asking: “What prompted this foray into blueberry bread…because I thought you had an aversion to whole blueberries in baked goods?”

And yes, you are correct I do have an aversion to whole blueberries in baked goods. (And don’t worry…I realize that most of you, perhaps all of you, have no idea what I am talking about, so I shall explain):

When I was a child, my mother made fresh blueberry muffins, utilizing fresh blueberries. Well, apparently I could not wait to eat one and bit into a piping hot blueberry, whose lovely juice burned, dare I say SCALDED, my tongue.

Totally my fault…I blame my mother not at all.

Now…I know, I know, you are all surely thinking, “Get over it, Dude!” but I could not completely get past it.

For years, I would only eat those crappy blueberries muffins which had used dried blueberry powder (or whatever they use)…chopped up bits of blueberry? I don’t even know, but it was how I got by.

Until yesterday…when I realized that all those pints of blueberries I bought last summer and diligently washed and froze on cookie sheets (you know…so they wouldn’t all stick together in one big pile of mush upon defrost) and then lovingly collected and placed in baggies…all those blueberries were sitting in the freezer…mocking me.

I had thought I would make some lovely cobbler or something like that…but then I remembered that I don’t care much for cobbler. Or pie…another viable option.

Disgusting, but viable.

So…I Googled “easy blueberry recipes” and much to my chagrin, the top response was for blueberry bread.

Argh…

But I decided to forge ahead. Conquer my fears. Look at all this growth, right?

I looked at several recipes, but decided on this one…it had the addition of sour cream or yogurt (which I got to use my crockpot yogurt, so that was kind of fun).

Also, you may be wondering how we have eaten almost 2 loaves…because this recipe only makes one loaf. Clearly, I doubled it…I could just tell that I would love it and trust my instincts (and also, I seriously have a lot of blueberries to use too).

NOTE: I did not, however, double it when I listed it below, so you’ll have to do that higher math if you want two loaves.

Please feel free to contact me for assistance with this; I don’t mean to brag, but I am a trained professional.

So…without further delay, I give you Lemon Blueberry Bread:

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ cup oil (vegetable or canola)
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup plain yogurt (or sour cream, or homemade yogurt!)
• Juice of 1 lemon (about 3 tablespoons if you have the bottle…I don’t judge that)
• NOTE: I also added a tablespoon of lemon extract, but did NOT use the glaze…I wanted more lemony flavor without the additional sugar…clearly I’m watching my caloric intake…
• 1 cup blueberries
• Lemon Glaze (¾ cup powdered sugar and 1-2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice)

INSTRUCTIONS

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x5 loaf pan with cooking spray and set aside.
• In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
• In a separate bowl, mix together the oil, vanilla, eggs, sugar, yogurt, lemon zest, and lemon juice.
• Combine the wet and dry ingredients, just until smooth. Do not overmix or your bread will come out tough.
• Fold the blueberries into the batter.
• Pour batter into prepared loaf pan and bake for 50-60 minutes. The bread will be finished when a wooden toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. NOTE: If bread begins to brown too much on the top, tent with aluminum foil. I used some foil for the last 15 minutes of baking.
• Once bread is finished, remove from oven and allow to cool for about 15 minutes in the pan. Run a butter knife around the inside edge of the pan to loosen the bread and then remove it from the pan; transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
• Once bread has cooled, whisk together the powdered sugar and lemon juice. Start with one tablespoon of lemon juice and whisk well. If your mixture is too thick, slowly add up to one more tablespoon of lemon juice. You want the glaze to be thin enough to drizzle, but thick enough to set up on the bread.
• Using a spoon, drizzle the glaze on top of the bread. The glaze should harden up a little more after about 15-20 minutes.

Will store in an airtight container on the counter for up to five days (supposedly, but who would really know...by my estimation it is more like 24 hours on the counter...), or freeze well for up to two months.

Foodie Non-Friday: Hill of Beans

You guys...we eat a lot of beans in our house. Beans and quinoa.

Often together. It’s yummy…you should try it.

The quinoa is expensive (but it wasn't when we first started eating it...now I'm addicted and am willing to pay whatever the store is charging. I think that was their plan all along.).

But the beans are cheap.

I have always bought canned beans because according to the label on the shelf, the canned beans were cheaper per ounce than the dried ones.

Duh...I'll take the cheaper ones please.

But I kept hearing people talk about dried beans being cheaper. And one day the 2 pound bags of dried black beans (my favorite kind of beans…because I’m certain you were wondering) were on sale at Aldi for $1.99. So I decided to give it a whirl.

And to be fair, the unit price was still more, but I thought, "Other people can't all be wrong about dried beans, right?"

So...they have been sitting in my pantry for weeks. Mostly because...get ready for my confession here...I have never in my life prepared dried beans.

Never.

Let me pause right here and say this: I do not RECALL ever having made dried beans before. If you have known me to ever undertake such a task, please do not call me out in my comments below…I honestly do not remember. And frankly, no one should be surprised by this because really is this a memory-making activity? Probably not, unless it is eventful.

Spoiler alert: I will probably recall this experience.

And we’re back: I had heard tell that there was soaking involved. And it was just more overwhelming than I could handle.

And I had heard of "crockpot refried beans"...but again, that was intimidating for some reason.

Homemade bagels? No problem. Beans in a crockpot? Paralyzed with fear.

So, like any normal person, I avoided it.

Yes...I was avoiding beans.

Don't judge.

But then this week, I found a recipe which contained "refried beans". Now, I am not a HUGE fan of refried beans, mostly b/c of the fat content. And the "canned fat free" ones are kind of gross. As in they look and smell like canned dog food...which, I am pleased to report, I have never once found the desire to eat (neither the dog food nor the beans).

But I thought, "OK, here's my opportunity to face these dried beans once and for all. I shall Google and thusly attempt the "crockpot refried beans" (which, as it turns out, are not really fried or refried at all...who knew?).

So Google it I did and found a plethora of recipes. Argh…something else to deal with!

I waded through a few and they basically said the same thing…so I chose one and dove right in.

The conundrum (not really…that implies major issues and this was not…I just wanted to use that word) was this: my recipe called for 2 cups of beans. I was doubling my casserole recipe, so I needed 4 cups (you’re welcome, you math-impaired folks).

But the recipes I found only used two cups of beans. So clearly I had to double mine, right, which meant I needed to use the whole 2-pound bag of beans?

(If you’ve made dried beans before, you know where this is heading…please don’t spoil it for the newbies.)

So…the recipe I ended up using said to put 2 cups of beans in the crockpot (as well as other ingredients), and 6 cups of water. Which I thought seemed like quite a bit, but as I read through the recipe, blah blah blah, it mentioned something about “draining the excess water” (which I could only imagine would be a lot…) so I wasn’t worried.

NOTE: you DO NOT soak the beans ahead of time!

Though I did only put in 10 cups of water in with my 4 cups of beans instead of 12 cups (lest I truly be doubling it…), because, well, 10 would be MORE than ample, right?

But I am getting ahead of myself a bit, so instead of backing up, I shall fast forward (mostly because it has taken me 3 days to get this little, drivel bit of writing done and I need to pull the rip cord on it) and tell you this: they turned out just lovely with the right amount of liquid (no need to drain any off, but the beans were not too dry either).

However…they made a lot. The word “gargantuan” comes to mind. As you probably have discerned by this point, they soaked up all that water, leaving me with 10 cups of “refried” beans, instead of the 4 I actually needed.

So yeah…we’ve been eating some beans this week. A lot of beans…anyone want to come over for some beans?

Now, because I’ve really sold it here (they were good…just overly-bountiful), here is the recipe in the original ratios for you.

You.are.welcome.

Ingredients

• 1 onion, peeled and halved
• 2 cups beans (I used black, but the original called for pinto)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced,
• ½ fresh jalapeno or other hot pepper, seeded and chopped
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• 6 cups water

Instructions

• Combine all the ingredients in the crockpot.
• Cook on high for 8 hours (so either overnight for those who love some refried beans first thing in the morning, or during the day)
• Remove the bigger onion chunks and drain any excess liquid (as mentioned, I had no excess liquid…you can save some of the liquid to add back in if needed after mashing)
• Using a potato masher, mash the beans and tah-dah! Enjoy!

Foodie Non-Friday: Homemade Bagels...Because Clearly I Have That Kind of Time

So yeah...I haven't been around much lately. It's not for lack of wanting. It's mostly for lack of material.

That which I would like to write I cannot (by law and such...) so I haven't written.

Except my clever, some may call them pithy (I know you beloved readers would never...haters, they're gonna hate), posts on FB (You can "like" Mrs. Always Random on FB...did you know that? Tell your friends!)

Frankly it's the best my brain can do for the moment.

I'm ok with that because I know that other good stuff is going on in the lives of our family and the time I previously devoted to you, my lovely readers, is now devoted to The Little Man.

Someday, he will probably leave us and I'll be back to blogging more. (I'm sure you are all screaming, "WHEN? How soon can he leave? We MISS your beautiful and eloquent writing, Mrs. Always Random!" and to you I reply, "Patience, dear children...all in due time...")

I must confess that in addition to taking care of The Little Man, I have also been filling some of my time with extra attention to my kitchen.

And trying to cook a little bit healthier.

And fresher.

Christmas was kind of killer, I'll be honest...I'm trying to get back on the wagon.

I made yogurt for the first time in a few weeks...I have missed it.

My digestive system has also missed it...(Too much info too soon? Come come, we are among friends...)

And I've also introduced kale into our diets...much to my family's chagrin. I blame my friend MM, who apparently puts it in "everything".

("Kale is a super-food and it's special power is tasting bad..." ~ Jim Gaffigan...I know I have shared this before it bears repeating...)

So not to be outdone by MM, I, too, have, also begun using it.

Just to be clear, I have not put it in "everything"...mostly salad at this point.

And it's on the menu in the black bean and kale soup for later this week...I'll keep you posted. ("And I wanted to throw the bowl at her...")

But I didn't come here today to talk about kale.

I came to talk about homemade bagels...because who doesn't love that? Well, I suppose if you have committed to not eating carbs, or are gluten-free...but you don't have to be such a downer...you can still read and enjoy. Promise.

So yeah, I made bagels from scratch this afternoon. Because I have that kind of time...to sit around and wait for dough to rise.

And boiling water.

And boiling bagels (for one minute...no more, no less, apparently).

And baking bagels.

All just so they can be eaten.

OK, so I don't actually have that kind of time...but I blame my friend JP for posting the link I am about to post below. He posted it on his wife's FB page.

I didn't stop to ask if it was a joke, although knowing his wife, it probably was not. And she probably has made them. More than once. And they were amazing.

Because she's amazing...and I'm not just saying that because we're friends.

But I am not her. And I don't typically "make bread" unless it is a) a quick bread (which is really just cake that we eat for breakfast...no one is fooled here), or b) in the bread machine (which only requires me to put a list of ingredients in a specific order into a machine and hit a couple buttons. And in 4 hours voila...delicious bread).

In fact, I had to text the aforementioned MM (who is quite a domestic goddess...she cooks, she sews...I would kind of hate her if I didn't love her) to ask about using my Kitchenaid mixer for the dough. The picture in the link below (you'll see...I know, I'm such a tease) shows the paddle when it mentions "kneeding"...but I thought the bread hook (which, let's be clear, I had NEVER used prior to today...look at me being so brave). So she told me she uses the bread hook and then kneeds by hand.

Well, I'll go ahead and tell you that I used the paddle to mix and the bread hook to kneed and my hands never touched the dough until it was time to roll it into the greased bowl for rising. (which, I must add, was NOT a step she included, but in looking at the pictures, it appears that she did it...in case you didn't know, when the dough is mixed and kneeded, you scrape it into a ball and put it in a well-oiled bowl...and then you turn it over so the top of the dough is also oiled and won't dry out when it's rising.)

Also (and she didn't mention this so I thought I would) you should cover the bowl as the dough is rising.

AND...it will take about an hour or more for the dough to rise...important tip to know for all you fellow non-bread bakers out there.

Just so my mom doesn't feel that all my childhood was in vain, I did have a niggling memory from childhood of making bread with her (or maybe I watched...I don't recall that part exactly, but she probably had me help)...but I remember a big bowl that was green on the outside and white on the inside and that's what she used to let the dough rise, and I remember it being covered with a towel. So looky-there mom! Aren't you so proud?

So now after all this build-up, I shall give you the link I used. Sure, I could have just written out the steps for you myself...but I do not have the kind of time that would necessitate...so here you go:

My homemade bagel reference!

Ta-dah!

Well, please let me continue with my story...because we you may have recalled, I was only at the "letting the dough rise" portion of the event.

And yes, it was an event.

A couple other things I would like to mention before you jump on the bagel-making bandwagon:

* Don't forget about the oiled bowl for rising...and cover it too.
The "rising" part of the dough will take at least an hour...so don't rush it!
* Have some flour accessible to coat your hands when shaping the dough.
* Give plenty of time to get your water up to boiling...and use a larger pot otherwise it will feel as though this part takes forever.
* You can add all sorts of goodies to the bagel dough but I made plain for my maiden voyage.
* Your bagels will NOT be pretty...but they will be delish.

Thanks for stopping by!

My finished product...yes, some of them look a little bit scary.
And yes, all that work for 11 bagels.
But the PBA and Mr. AR all said they were "very good" so I think it's totally worth it...

Foodie Friday: Pistachio Bread

So because I have so much extra time to bake lately, I thought I would include a Foodie Friday post for you lovely people.

When we were on vacation, back in October (was that REALLY almost 2 months ago?!?), at The Indigo Inn (you surely recall my trip down memory lane about Larry, right?), we had fabulous breakfasts.

Fabulous, I tell you.

My mouth is watering as I type. Don’t judge.

But…one thing none of us had previously encountered was a quick bread that was bright green.

I am talking GREEN.

But it was ah-mazing. I can’t even tell you what was so wonderful about it but it was divine.

Insert watering mouth again.

When I got home, I Googled it and found it…it was pistachio bread. And please don’t ask me HOW I Googled it b/c just now (for purely journalistic reasons…I like to be full-service, you know) I wanted to be able to report to my adoring fans exactly WHAT I Googled…but now I can’t find it.

Trust me…that was it.

So there were actually MANY recipes for it (which were actually, basically variations on a theme), but I went with the one on the Betty Crocker website.  Odd, right? Nope…they are all based on a cake mix.

So while this technically may be a cake, we are calling it a “bread”…which means we are free to eat it for breakfast or a snack with no major caloric ramifications.

Don’t quote me on that last part, as I may be mistaken…it’s what I am personally claiming, but you do what you feel is best.

Two things to note: I have not made this in loaf pans as the recipe instructs…I actually used a bunt pan (which the spelling on that looks incorrect…I want to put a “d” in there: “bundt” pan. But I get a red squiggly line under it, so clearly I am mistaken…

But I still maintain that it is NOT a cake.

Also note that it is NOT bright green. Far from it, in fact…I am making the presumption that a generous amount of food coloring was added to the bread at The Indigo Inn. I don’t judge their use of artificial color…but I chose not to employ it in my cake…I mean BREAD!

I have included directions for both loaf pans (it makes two loaves if using the loaf pans) and bunt pans.

So now…without further delay:

Ingredients

• 1 yellow cake mix (I used the butter yellow but yellow would be lovely too!)
• 1 box instant pistachio pudding (I used a small box b/c that's all I could find...and I had to go to 3 grocery stores to find it...)
• 1/4 cup oil
• 1/2 pint sour cream (which is also 1 cup...I don't know why Betty Crocker listed it that way...just to be confusing, I guess, or making it simple for the math-impared)
• 4 eggs
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup crushed walnuts or pecans (I omitted these b/c not everyone at my house would like it with nuts, but I think it would be lovely)
• 1 tsp. cinnamon

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Grease the pans (or pan singular if you're making a bunt...seems obvious but I like to point it out nonetheless)
• Blend cake mix, pudding mix, oil, sour cream, eggs and water with a mixer until blended (I recommend on low speed).
• In another bowl mix brown sugar, nuts and cinnamon
• Start with a layer of the bread mixture, then sprinkle on the nut mixture, another layer of bread mixture, and at the end sprinkle the top with the nut mixture and marble it all with a knife through the batter.
• NOTE: This does not have to be exact as far as the layers as long as you distribute it in both loaves and then marble.
• Bake for one hour for loaves or 50 minutes for the bunt pan; or when toothpick comes clean.

I do not add a glaze or anything to it, but a nice one made of just powdered sugar and water might be nice. And maybe sprinkle some crushed pistachios on top as well? Try it and get back to me on it, ok?

We Are So Progressive

So I am certain you have all been eagerly anticipating my post for today...because, as I KNOW you all remember...today is my birthday.

Now don't get yourself all in a tizzy if you forgot.

I will happily accept gifts for days past the actual day.

But note: I prefer cash. Mostly 10's and 20's...K?

Well, if you DID remember that it was my birthday, then you've been waiting to see if the PBA and I made our "Annual Progressive Lunch" pilgrimmage.

I am happy to report that we did.

And Mr. Always Random joined us.

And Little Man did too (no visitations on Friday)...I can only imagine how fun it was for a baby on an NG tube who eats nothing by mouth to be schlepped from restaurant to restaurant, and watch people enjoy a variety of tasty foods.

But Little Man is not your everyday, run-of-the-mill baby. He is a go-with-the-flow kind of kiddo, and was just happy as a lark.

The whole time.

Amazing.

So, because it is getting late (yes, it is only about 8 but I am always ready for bed by this time so it FEELS late...that and the blasted Daylight Savings Time...but I shall save that soapbox for another day), I shall not tarry and will cut to the chase.

I will begin by saying that we took bottles of water...because we don't typically pay for squat on Birthday Progressive Lunch Day. (We did pay $1 this time, but I shall get to that shortly. Try not to be too terribly disappointed in me.)

And there were no drinks offered on the freebie list we had going.

Except for Dunkin' Donuts...and I wasn't feeling like washing down all my sweet and savory treats with some coffee...free though it was.

I'll save that little treat for another day.

Like when the PBA are at art lessons and I don't have to share with nobody.

Don't judge. I did my sharing today, pretty please and thank you (BTW that's all for you, DK).

We began our rounds with Steak N Shake...it was a free double cheeseburger and an order of fries. We each got a fourth of the sandwich, which amounts to amout 2-3 bites each.

And a few fries.

But it was all quite lovely.  And free.

And yes, we ate in the car. While the PBA and I don't mind going into restaurants and just getting the freebie, Mr. AR was a little more reticent about it...so we indulged him.

Next stop: Firehouse Subs and a free 8-inch sub of your (ok, MY) choice. I selected the beef brisket and cheddar.

We each enjoyed approximately 2 inches of sub (2-3 bites...more if you took small bites and savored, which I did not) and it was fabulous.

NOTE: I did give them a donation in the box on the counter, lest you think I totally stiffed the fireman. I did not.

Yes, we also ate this in the car...and it was a little messy but we were in Mr. AR's car so it was ok.

Third stop: Jack in the Box. We had not done this one before, so it was an addition to the rotation. And just so I am completely forthright with you: I did pay $1 at this one.

My coupon was for "2 free tacos with purchase." So I did pony-up the cash and bought two other tacos (lest you be unaware, tacos are 2 for $1 at the Jack in the Box; I don't judge your ignorance on that, b/c I didn't know until today either). So we each had our own taco. And though they didn't taste like I thought a taco would/should, we all thought they were pretty tasty.

Well to be hoenst, 3 of the 4 of us liked them...the 11yo was not a fan. Still, 75% favorable rating is pretty good, I think. I'd be happy if I had that rating at my house.

I apologize for not being total full-service on this b/c I did not capture pictures of the tacos themselves. Too messy. And (again) we were eating in the car.

I drew the line at the next stop and insisted that we go inside. There was no way we were going to share bowls of pasta from Noodles and Company in the car...even if it was Mr. AR's car.

And Little Man needed to get out of his seat. Not that he was complaining, mind you...because he's go-with-the-flow (remember?).

This worked out well because Mr. AR doesn't sign up for all the birthday freebies like I do, but he did get the Noodles and Company one. And he decided to share with us today.

So short story boring, we had two bowls to share.

Which is good b/c the PBA are getting bigger and it takes way more food to fill them up.  We had the Pad Thai Noodles with Shrimp, and the Wisconsin Mac & Cheese with Meatballs.

Yum-o.

I promise you that the bowls were the same size...it is simply due to my stellar photography skills that I made one seem about 1/3 smaller. That takes real talent.

And finally, we went to McAllister's Deli. I had a birthday coupon for $5 off any purchase.

And because we'd been so loaded on savory foods, it was definitely time to bring in something sweet. And it just so happened that their ginormous cookies were (are) $1.25 each. And being the math genius I am, I quickly realized that 4 cookies would be $5.

So I walked out of there with a cookie for everyone...except Little Man. But he was asleep by then so he didn't even care...or know...what he was missing.

Again...we ate them in the car: one was sugar and the other three were toffee crunch. Perfectly under-baked in the middles. Love.

So that's all for our lunch today...but I will keep celebrating for the rest of the month: I still have a Smokey Bones Free Dessert, Applebee's Free Dessert, BOGO at Qdoba, a Free Drink at Dunkin' Donuts, a Free Drink at Starbucks, and two Free Sundaes at Culver's.

And because I lack all creativity at this point...that's it, this is the end. I'm out. And also because I'm off to eat my Salted Caramel Chocolate Cupcake from The Flying Cupcake, which was, most assuredly, NOT free.

Easy Hospitality and Then Some

OK you guys…it’s been a while. My brain has been packed full of things other than you.

And for that I am deeply sorry.

Ok, maybe just a little sorry. I don’t feel like writing much b/c I am exhausted. If you follow me on Facebook, you are privy to tiny little quips of what I hope is kind of, sort of, funny.

Frankly that’s about all I have been able to muster for most of the past 11 weeks.

But who’s counting, right?

Well, I am certain you all are, as I know I have been missed.

OK, maybe just my mom has been counting. And possibly my grandma (if she’s remembered to check).

Other than that, I have my doubts.

And that is ok by me…because much as I want to read my friend’s blogs (as well as the blogs of people I simply stalk but pretend like we are friends)…I do not have time. 

Or I do not MAKE time. I'll own that.

Seriously people…I am spent by the end of the day.

Which means I know I cannot be upset if people do not read my blog. Now or ever again.

Now, don’t get me wrong…I love love love The Little Man and I am thankful for the opportunity to care for him, but there are so so so many things about this system which are broken so badly that dealing with them is kind of weighing a little bit heavy.

It’s tiring to deal with all that. If I only had to add The Little Man into my schedule? 

Piece.of.cake. Truly.

Even the NG tube is not a big deal at all at this point.

But…all the crap we have to deal with. Yeah. You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.

But I can’t tell you anyway…privacy and all that business.

I didn’t intend to even say all that…it’s sort of just spilling out.  I suppose that’s what happens when you are accustomed to blogging several times a week and then suddenly go cold-turkey for a while.

True, I have posted a handful of things, but still. Mostly it’s radio silence.

I don’t think I’m using that term correctly but it’s what popped into my head so there you go: out it came.

You may be, by now, wondering why I titled this post “Easy Hospitality”.

Or you may not have even noticed or taken the time to look b/c quite frankly it doesn’t usually seem to matter.

Well, I am here to tell you people today that it DOES matter.

It matters a great deal.

Ok, not really.

But it is kind of, sort of pertinent to the post…so it does have that going for it.

(There's a first time for everything, right?)

You may have noticed a few days ago my post on Instagram or my FB page a photo of two cookbooks I received from my 96-year old Grandma. She just moved to an assisted living apartment which is about 5 minutes from my house (after living in the same apartment for over 15 years, and prior to that, the same house for probably at least 50…that’s my fuzzy math, btw so don’t hold me to any of those numbers. Except the 5 minutes from my house…that part is totally true.)

Anyway…in cleaning out her kitchen cabinets, my aunt came across some cookbooks (as well as other various and sundry items…hey, Christmas is coming up and you never know what you might be able to give people; note: if you may be receiving a gift from me for Christmas, you will be getting a real treat from me this year, I assure you!) and asked if I wanted them.

Well, we are into the third month of “7” and we are supposed to be giving away items.

But instead, I happily took in two boxes of Grandma’s things. And regrettably I was remiss in my blogging skills and neglected to take a picture of the treasures within.

Please forgive.

So you’ll have to just trust me and put on your imagination caps to picture the items in your mind.

Ready?

I got a couple nice skillets.

Some cream-colored, woven placemats.

And my FAVORITE item (after the cookbooks, of course) were some shower caps.

Now…I must explain…they were NOT actually shower caps. But they certainly looked like them.

And I guarantee if I had used them as shower caps, they would have functioned perfectly well.

Now, knowing that these items were from the kitchen, what do you suppose these “mystery” items actually were?

Well, I didn’t have a clue and my mother had to set me straight.

They were covers to put over dishes.

I suppose the fact that they had images of lemons all over them SHOULD have been my clue. 

But nope.

I didn’t get it at all.

Too subtle.

And now that I have outed myself for my lack of knowledge that a shower cap can also double as a food dish cover (keep that in mind, people, should you ever visit a hotel that has “complimentary” shower curtains in its little goodie basket in the bathroom. You can always bring it home and use it to cover your food. You.are.welcome.)…I shall now move on and tell you all about that thing which prompted this whole post: the cookbooks.

Now…because I am sold out on “7” (ok not to make fun…I love love love the concept…I am having trouble with the implementation) I opted not to KEEP all the cookbooks. So I shall only be sharing with you today the ones which I kept.

And are all, of course, from the 1950s.

And let me preface this (and that’s funny b/c I have droned on for pages and pages by this point, but I digress) by saying: I don’t like these cookbooks for their recipes. 

In fact, some of them sound down-right disgusting as you will see for yourselves.

They have other redeeming qualities which I hope you will enjoy as well.

First up: Betty Crocker’s Bisquick Party Book. From 1957.

My favorite part is the fact that from 1957 to now, Bisquick hasn’t come up with too many new ideas. I have a whole BIG cookbook that is only Bisquick recipes, and I am 100% certain that every recipe from this 1957 throwaway booklet which Grandma certainly picked up at the grocery (it has a perforated page at the back where a coupon, presumably, was torn off at some point) is in my book from a few years ago.

If it ain't broke, dont fix it, right?

Next up: Spry 20^th Anniversary Cookbook. From 1955.

I had to do a tiny bit of investigative reporting (I am a paid professional) to figure out what exactly “Spry” is/was.

OK, not much investigating, actually...it was discussed on the inside cover of the book. But hey, I had to OPEN the cover so that took some (albeit marginal) effort.

Don't judge.

Spry was vegetable shorting, lest you be unaware.

Maybe they still make it, but I’ve never heard of it.

And if I’ve never heard of it then, well, I can’t imagine there’s much to it then…

But I digress.

My favorite part of this cookbook falls under the description of the item. Now I have to say, first of all, I understand what they are trying to convey…it’s just an interesting word choice.

And perhaps the very reason this product is no longer being made…

“It’s bland in odor and flavor”

Well, if that doesn’t sell your food product, what would? Who wouldn’t want their food to be bland in odor and flavor.

I know, I know…it is vegetable shortening but still. I think they probably could have selected some better word options.

And last, but not least (definitely not least...in fact, it is totally the best, I am excited for those of you who made it this far in my ramblings to enjoy this): Easy Hospitality. From 1951.

Oh my darling friends. You are about to get a real treat. I needed a laugh and this cookbook did not fail me.

This cookbook was published by the Coca-Cola Company and contained recipes, as well as entire menus, in which to include such recipes.

Of course every last menu included Coca-Cola or a Coca-Cola item, but that kind of goes without saying (even though I’m saying it…).

What I hope you will find as amusing as I did are the menu titles…these are suggestions for when such menus should be put into play.

You are going to get a bit of a picture overload, because frankly I am tired (it’s getting late…for me, anyway; don't judge) and you really needed to see these in context.

And honestly, there were so many to choose from that I didn’t even try to contain myself.

So here they are in no particular order…except the very last one: it’s my favorite.

This could apply to virtually any day this week...

Now...there are two more. They have battled in my mind for days (not really) on which should take top billing. And I have made my decision.

In second place:

Because, quickly frankly, liver paste? I thought you wanted that permanent to look GOOD! And you're serving liver paste to the people helping you?

And now, the drumroll please! Taking First Place in the competition in my mind:

Because this happens to me ALL the time...all my time working on those dresses really sucks up my day.

Hope I'll be back before another 11 weeks fly by, but no guarantees! Thanks for sticking with me!

Happy Birthday, James Whitcomb Riley…I Made You Some Cookies

I am finding more and more, I must be turning to baking as my relaxation therapy.

Not that I don’t love writing for all you lovely people…I do. Truly and truly I do.

But…since I have not been feeling creative as of late, I find that when I have spare time, I bake.

Now, I have always enjoyed baking. But the number of loaves of quick bread I have in my freezer is almost embarrassing.

Almost.

But I did find some time to make some cookies this week-end as well.

Not even from a mix.

Shocked, right?

Especially since these are not even drop cookies…these are roll into balls and then roll in cinnamon-sugar cookies.

Labor.intensive.

But tasty.

What cookie did I make? Why Snickerdoodles, of course!

Now, you are probably asking, “Now, why, on God’s green earth, would you choose to make Snickerdoodles?”

Well, for those of you who are astute, you may have noticed the title.

James Whitcomb Riley…The Hoosier Poet… is my all-time favorite poet.

Not that I have many…I do also like Silverstein and Poe (very different from one another as well as Riley…once again illustrating my randomness).

And tomorrow is Riley’s birthday. And Snickerdoodles are (ok, were) his favorite cookie so we shall eat it on his birthday to celebrate him.

And I am always looking for an excuse to make some cookies…sometimes even ones sans le chocolat.

I bet you don’t even know the favorite cookie of your favorite poet, do you? I’m not trying to shame you or anything, but I am a little embarrassed for you about that.

As an aside, he shares a birthday with my favorite (and only…just to be clear) mom. So here’s a birthday shout-out to my mom…for whom I did not make her favorite cookies, but I will gladly share the ones I made for my favorite poet.

I know I have mentioned him before, but just in case you are unfamiliar (or if your child has not yet reach fourth grade in the state of Indiana and has yet gotten to experience Indiana History); it was in my own Indiana History curriculum (just a couple years ago) that I heard about him for the first time.

And I fell.in.love.

So just in case you

1. do not live in Indiana
2. you live in Indiana but moved here only after you or your kiddos were in fourth grade
3. you or your kiddos haven’t gotten to fourth grade yet
4. some other option applies which covers the options I have inadvertently neglected

I am providing you with a link to a pre-made unit on James Whitcomb Riley. I didn’t put it together or anything, but only because someone else already had.

Ok, that might not be true. But I WOULD have done it, just for my adoring fans.

And just in case you DO take the time to read this, you may notice that it does include the exact recipe I include below, because it is the very recipe handed out by the docents at the James Whitcomb Riley home, located in Lockerbie Square in downtown Indianapolis.

Which I have visited.

More than once.

I’m certain you are shocked.

Now (in the spirit of my smooth transitions), I have a fun fact about my love of him and his poetry…and I am certain I have told this previously but it totally bears repeating.

(You’ll get that pun in a minute. Trust me…it is funny.)

In my eighth grade English class, during our poetry unit, we had to select our favorite poem to memorize and to recite in front of the class.

Now this may come as a surprise to some of you, but the teacher said “favorite” poem.

Favorite.

Not just any ole’ poem.

Favorite.

Because I am a stickler for the rules, I chose my favorite; while most students in the class (I won’t say “all” b/c I know some of them well and they are rule-followers like yours truly) were choosing the shortest, 4-line rhyming couplets they could find, I chose a 140-some line poem (which was really more like prose b/c it didn’t have any rhyme, or meter, or anything to it…you know, all those things which might have given aide to the memory work).

It is called “The Bear Story” (see why “it bears repeating” is funny…don’t worry, I’ll wait while you laugh).

Here is a link to it, because I know for certain you will want to read it. Even if you’ve read it before, it’s worth a re-read.

Please just don’t ask me to recite it now, because though I know chunks, I can’t remember the whole thing.

I should work on that…in my spare time, of course.

Now, because I am running short on time, I shall no longer tarry.

Snickerdoodles

Ingredients

• 1 cup soft shortening or margarine
• 1-1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2-3/4 cups sifted flour
• 2 teaspoons cream of tarter
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt

 Instructions

• Cream shortening or margarine, slowly add sugar, then eggs. Mix together dry ingredients and add to creamed mixture. Chill the dough. When ready to bake, shape into balls the size of small walnuts and roll in a mixture of 2 tablespoons granulated sugar and 2 teaspoons cinnamon. Place 2 inches apart on an ungreased baking sheet.
• Bake at 400 degrees until lightly browned, but still soft (about 8-10 minutes). These cookies puff up at first, then flatten out with crinkled tops. Yields about 5 dozen 2-inch cookies.

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