Boo-Ya! 2011...

We were a little late getting our Boo on this October. But it's done. And it was fun. Mostly for the Big Ballerina. Cake decorating is really her thing. Me not so much.

She has so much patience for this. Me? One cake pop falls over and I'm ready to throw the whole project in the trash. But BB could do it all day. Who cares if she knows the difference between a Pueblo, a Sioux or an Iroquois? I don't think Cake Boss uses that info on a daily basis.

The Little Ballerina, on the other hand, is more like me. She gets excited by the idea of the project. Starts off strong.

Starts eating more of the ingredients than using them. Watches for a while.

And then moves on to more interesting activities.

Finally, after three rounds of Eddie Veder's Ukulele Songs, the eyeballs...

and the ear wax was finally done.

We were worried it would be too gross to eat. So we asked LB to test one out for us. She took one bite.

And before we could finish asking her how it was. Poof!

I just hope the recipients are as fearless as she is.

What about you? Do you Boo? Want to start? Check out more ideas here.

What Am I Going to be When I Grow Up?

17. Cake Decorator

Hammie Sammies on Sweet Potato Biscuits

I normally wouldn't post two recipes in a row, but I'm so excited about this one. 


BSD works odd hours so we often "do lunch" instead of date nights. No worries about babysitters that way. And the same food costs almost half the price.

A few weeks ago we went to a little cafe that cooks by the "Buy Local, Eat Fresh" motto. I had to try the sweet potato biscuits when I saw it on the special's board. C'mon "sweet potato biscuits?" The name alone is adorable! And the little hammie sammie (along with a tiny green salad and ramekin of lentil soup) they served me did not disappoint. I haven't stopped thinking about those biscuits since.

BSD hasn't been free for lunch lately so I decided to try making them myself. And I hit pay dirt! I just whipped up a dozen, and with the help of the butcher, I figured out the proper ham to use. 

I've already eaten one biscuit plus two hammie sammies. I think I'm going to explode. But it was so worth it.  They were warm out of the oven and oh, so moist. The "country ham" smells a bit funky, but tastes a lot like prosciutto to this Yankee with European roots. I slathered them up with some peach jam and jammed them into my mouth.

Try them! Trust me. You don't have to be a sweet potato lover to like them. You don't even have to make hammie sammies out of them. 

Eat them plain,

With a little butter,

Or a little jam. 

Eat them for breakfast, 

or lunch or dinner.

Just eat them, eat them, 

Sam I am!

Sweet Potato Biscuits

makes 12

 

1 cup mashed baked sweet potato (1 large) (I just nuked it in the microwave about 8 min.)
2/3 cup whole milk
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted (I only had salted tonight. Worked fine.)
1 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
Parchment paper

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.*
• In a medium bowl, mix the sweet potato, milk and butter.
• Sift together the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt.
• Gently mix the dry ingredients into the sweet potato mixture to form a soft dough.
• Drop the dough by tablespoonfuls onto the prepared baking sheet.
• Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until a deep golden orange tinged with brown.
• Serve warm or let cool on a wire rack.

* The picture above shows the dough on a greased baking sheet. I have since discovered that they cook better without greasing the pan. Just line the baking sheet with parchment paper.

NOTE: The ham is called "Country Ham." I bought it sliced THIN at the deli counter. The label read "Red Eye," but I think the brand was Smithfield. That may be a local Virginia brand, though. If you're making them for a BIG party, you can buy a whole ham. It comes in a cloth bag here and is not refrigerated. This is a cured, smoked? ham. Salty taste, but luckily, not overbearing. It really is a lot like prosciutto.

Do You Boo?

We started this tradition in our neighborhood a good five or six years ago. One of my friends told me about it, and I knew we lived in the perfect neighborhood for this to take off. And it has.

If you don't know what "Boo'ing" is, simply put it's like a chain letter version of "Ding Dong Ditch." Only you leave a little Halloween treat for the family on the doorstep before you run off into the night giggling like fools. In turn, the recipient must "Boo" three other neighbors within 48 hours to keep the Boo going until Halloween.

The Ballerinas LOVE the "ding dong ditch" part. We take off on our bikes under the cover of darkness, riding super slowly so our carefully packed baskets don't topple over. The Big Ballerina is the one who usually walks the basket up to the doorstep while the rest of us hide behind a tree to watch. The nervous anticipation of getting caught is half the fun. Choosing what and who to Boo, and then keeping it a secret all month is the other half.  

Getting Boo'ed in return is also a big part of it. You hope that you'll get something good. After a few years of getting less than a stellar stash (and one year nothing at all :(), we finally hit the mother lode last year. We were Boo'ed by our neighbor who is an artist. She knew I'd been drooling over her Halloween driftwood sculptures so when we found THIS on our doorstep, I was doing the Monster Mash. The ballerinas, on the other hand, were a wee bit disappointed that we didn't get a basketful of sugar.

The treat you leave can be whatever you like. We usually try to bake a Halloween goodie (although last year I was lazy and just baked chocolate chip cookies) and add some other fun Halloween decorations. Since we'll be bombarded with candy on the 31st, I try not to add much candy at all. Last year, I started adding a little adult beverage to the basket. A little Firefly vodka and some lemonade.

 This year, I found some fun Magic Hat "Hex" beers that fit the theme perfectly.

We made some pretzel pops. Hard to tell from the photo, but the brown one is a Witch's Finger.  

Threw in a little black crow, a mini pumpkin and some gummy pirate's teeth, and...

We're ready for nightfall. 

Hopefully, we won't get caught. And LB won't blab our secret at the bus stop on Monday morning. If you're interested in starting this in your neighborhood, leave a comment and drop me an email at kimgrowsup@yahoo.com. I'll email you the Boo letter and instructions to get you going.

We Are Drinking a Beer at Noon on Tuesday

I woke up this morning channeling my inner Martha. I was pumped and ready to rock. My day started off with a little sewing, a little baking and a new chili recipe. I probably would have painted my bedroom, refinished a dresser and organized all the junk drawers in the house, but the chili recipe called for half a cup of...

which is about 1/3 of a bottle. I couldn't let the other 2/3 of that bottle go to waste. Now could I?  

Of course not. 

Now it only takes me about 1/3 of a bottle to catch a buzz. I had 2/3. 

I felt goooood. BSD would have totally gotten some had he been home.

I can see why some moms make a habit of this. Sure would make doing the laundry a lot more fun. 

But I didn't do any laundry today. And I didn't paint my bedroom. Or refinish that dresser. Or organize any junk drawers. 

I did do a little sewing though. 

And I did bake some chocolate chip muffins.

And I did make a damn good pot of chili.

So maybe drinking a beer at noon on Tuesday Wednesday isn't such a bad idea after all?

Three

Three things about the bitch on your third birthday

1. You live to play with your friends...

Sally

Remy

Ace 

and Oscar.

2.  You run away from home weekly. Unfortunately, the neighbors keep bringing you back.

3.  Your howl is over-the-top. It sounds like you're dying in pain. By now, though, everyone's got your number, and we know you're just crying wolf.

Happy Third Birthday, Ruby! 

 Were you really surprised? 

 Or were you just acting knowing that cake was in your future?

It was nice to be at a 3 year old party where there was no crying or whining.

 

And where everyone shared nicely.

Heck, there were even presents. You lucky dawg!

For all of the dog lovers out there. Don't go calling PETA on us. The cake was meant for dogs. There was no chocolate or sugar in it. The little "chocolate chip" decorations were liver treats.

---

Peanut Butter Carrot Cake

Naturally sweet, colorful and flavorful, this cake is simple and easy to make.

• 1 cup flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 cup peanut butter
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup shredded carrots
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1 egg

Mix flour and baking soda. Add remaining ingredients. Pour into greased 8" round cake pan and bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until done. Let cool. Puree cottage cheese in blender for icing.

Six

Six things about the Little Ballerina on your sixth birthday....

1. Your bumpers are still the most important thing in your world.
2. You are a total free spirit who loves to tool around the hood on your bicycle.
3. You change into your pj's the minute you get home from school. You'd wear them 24/7 if it was socially acceptable.
4. Music is becoming an important part of your being. You sneak my iPod and escape into your own world. You play Daddy's iPod on the docking station and sing along as you do your arts and projects in your "studio." You play your CD's and dance to the music in your room.
5. You love apples, strawberries, cantaloupe, cheese tacos, sushi, grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup. But you would eat race car wheels for every meal if given the choice.
6. You can play with your Barbies and other dolls for hours, but you also love playing with Meredith and Everett, Will, Baby Mia, Baby Nate, Lindsey, and of course, Miss Jan and Miss Debbie.

Happy Birthday, Little Ballerina. It's hard to believe you're already six years old. Where did my little girl go? There's a big kid staring back at me in these photos. I don't recognize her.

 

For your birthday treat, you wanted cupcakes instead of a cake. So, together we made cupcakes.  

 

For your birthday dinner, you chose...

(who says we're not klassy?)

Pancakes for dinner. 

And cupcakes for dessert.

(our sugar highs quickly crashed into carbohydrate comas)

Happy Birthday, Little Ballerina!  

I love you, 

Mommy

And one to grow on...

Slide Show Sunday

Ok, so the new look is in process. Not in love with the new template, but it'll do for now. I am still hoping to create a banner on my own, but if not, I have the PhotoShop Master (PSM) waiting in the wings to bail me out. Thank you, Kathy! You're the best.

I've posted that one of my resolutions is to take part in Project365 where you take a picture every day. I've kept this up, and while most of the pictures are nothing more than snapshots, I hope that I'll see some nice improvement by year's end.

I'm thinking that Sundays will be designated, "Slide Show Sunday," and I'll go ahead and post my favorite pictures of the week. The plan is that by the end of the year I'll be able to turn these slide shows into a calendar for the grandparents without the hours of whining, crying and swearing it usually takes me. Because, as you can probably guess from my lack of organizational skills, they are lucky if they get a calendar by the end of January, if at all.

The Big Ballerina, what else, studying for a geography test...

The Little Ballerina taunting BB while she studies...

Job training for my new Mall Santa career

The Big Ballerina getting ready for a day of ice skating

(she had a full snow suit on hours before she needed to leave)

 Playing Barbies

(I love this one because she didn't know I was taking this picture. I took it through a little crack in the door.)

Cajun Pretzels

I have to admit I was inspired to start blogging after seeing Julie and Julia, but I'm not a food blogger, and I'll never pretend to be one. This post is mostly a recipe for me to remember how to make this zesty snack food that my friend, Lori gave out as part of her Christmas gift this year.

We "javelled"(as the Little Ballerina says) the gift bag of Cajun Pretzels in a matter of minutes. They're that tasty, have a nice kick, and are thoroughly addictive. They make a great gift all packaged and pretty, but I plan to make them for our next Poker Night. I think our guests will appreciate munching on these rather than the worms I served them last time. And, the heat will go great with a frosty Corona with lime...or two or four.

Cajun Pretzels

1/2 teaspoon dill weed

1 cup vegetable oil

1 Tablespoon ground red pepper*

1 Tablespoon Heinz 57 sauce

1 package Hidden Valley Ranch dressing mix

2 lbs pretzels**

*I used only about 1 1/2 teaspoons of cayenne pepper and they were plenty spicy for our wimpy tastes.

** Any kind will work, but we really like the thicker pretzel sticks. Not the logs, though. 

  * The Heinz 57 Sauce is not pictured. I borrowed the tablespoon from Lori.

1. Whisk all of the ingredients except the pretzels in a bowl.

2. Pour mixture into large Ziploc bag. Add 1 lb. of pretzels and shake to coat.

3. Spread pretzels out onto a baking sheet no more than 2-3 deep. Do not dump the bag onto the tray because you need the extra liquid to remain in the bag to coat the next batch.

4. Repeat steps 2-3 using the remaining liquid in the Ziploc bag.

5. Bake at 250 degrees for about 1 hour. Stir after 30 minutes.

6. Let cool. Dump into a bowl and enjoy. Or store in an airtight container.