As promised July 6, 2009

Last week I was feeling extra domestic. It sucks when this happens because I need to squeeze it into one or two days. Last week I was lucky enough to get two days, but the reality is, I would love to play this game every day. The other blog will (eventually) feature the crafty project I did, but here I’ll share my culinary project.

I started by saving the heels from every loaf of bread we’ve eaten since, oh… March?  The Hippy won’t eat wheat bread (and I feel the need to be healthier) so we always have two loaves of bread in the fridge at once.  That made for a lot of heels.  I pulled them out Monday morning and began toasting, two by two.  Probably would have been faster in the oven…

That is, incidentally, how I like my toast toasted.

I toasted up that entire stack, broke them into pieces, and threw them in my blender.  It was touch and go for awhile–I really wish I had a food processor, but in a kitchen the size of mine, the blender was more practical–but I ended up with lovely, lovely bread crumbs.

Lotsa crumbs!

Because they were still a little moist, I turned my oven to 150ºF and spread the crumbs out on a cookie sheet to bake.  After a half hour or so I had dry, clump-free crumbs.  I took out a cup of crumbs, added a half a teaspoon each of garlic salt, onion powder, basil and oregano.  But what to do with those crumbs?

Shake, Bake...

Uh… duh!  Oven “Fried” Chicken!  I more or less followed that recipe, but since I thought I was short on time, I cranked the oven to 425ºF and cooked about 15 mins on each side.  The chicken came out PERFECT.  I don’t even *like* chicken all that much, but I could probably eat this every day.  I also read the comments and followed the advice of the person who put the flour and crumbs into a bag instead of dishes.  No dishwasher=strong desire not to dirty a ton of dishes.  Also prevented “THE CLUB!” (Hand crusted in layers upon layers of flour+egg+crumbs)

NOMNOMNOMNOM

I apologize for the bad photography on that one… The Hippy had just gotten home, was outside watering the flowers, and I didn’t want him to see me taking pictures of food.  So it had to be fast and secretive and done while the chicken was still in the oven.

To add to the meal, I made crock pot polenta and glazed carrots.  It was such a decadent meal.  The carrots and the parmesan on the polenta were almost a little too rich, but oh my god was everything good!

I’m a late bloomer….. June 24, 2009

*har*

Our dirt finally arrived.  We spent a good four hours hauling dirt from our parking pad to the two gardens in our yard.  Our renter helped for about half the time, which was awesome and much appreciated, even though it made The Hippy feel guilty.  I told him to quit worrying because she wanted to help.

Because our dirt came way later than I ever thought it would, I decided to run to the nursery this afternoon to get myself some pre-grown veggies.  Lucky me, they were half off!  I’m still nervous about whether they will be successful, but I tried to pick things that had a shorter maturity time.

Front row: sweet basil, oregano, parsley.  Back row: Rhubarb, chocolate mint

Front row: Melon (I think it’s watermelon), cucumber x2, tomato.  Back row: Melon (honeydew… maybe.  They could be switched), squash (spaghetti and acorn, don’t remember the order), tomato

Planting went fast, but it was incredibly annoying.  Why?

BARK BARK BARK BARK STFU BARK BARK BARK

As it turns out, I really don’t like dogs all that much.  And I especially don’t like dogs that don’t like me.  I’m not sure if glaring at them made things worse, but hoses were a good temporary fix…  Until they started barking again.

I’ve had flowers going in my yard for a month or so now.  Just haven’t gotten around to mentioning them….

Moss roses, aster, and snap dragons.  If you’re wondering why they aren’t in the dirt, well, that’s reserved for my beloved moonflowers.  Provided they actually grow.  I’ll be sad if they don’t.  Right now there’s stuff growing, but for the most part, I can’t tell if they’re weeds or moon flowers.

Not a terribly impressive photo, but this is my pride and joy right now.  I bought this black-eyed susan vine because it was stunning.  STUNNING.  Don’t believe me? See what they look like here.  Only mine is yellow and orange.  We went away the weekend after memorial day and it was HOT all weekend (here… not up north where we were).  Didn’t think to bring my plant inside, and the renter was gone so no one watered.  It was a brown withered mess when we got home.  But careful watch, grooming, and watering has bounced my baby back.  It now has one flower, another on the way, and tons of new growth.

See all that shit in the background of that picture?  We’re on the hunt for shrubs and other plants to cover up our view of the neighbors’ yards (both sides).  We want to go outside in peace and to enjoy the view.  I got one shrub today, but I want The Hippy to help pick everything else out.  Anyone have a favorite shrub?  Lilacs are very, very low on my list because we have a huge lilac bush along the alley.

On Living With a Boy.. June 9, 2009

The Hippy hates it when I throw away the chip pieces from chip bags.  Or at least that’s what he said; he could very well have been kidding, as he often is.  But seriously… this takes the cake:

Found, chip-clipped, on the counter

Hmm, maybe that’s not clear enough…

How's that?

I mean… I ate what was left in the bag… But why not just use the rest or throw them away.  It’s not like milk which would spill out of the glass if you put in those last two sips.  No… he was making nachos.  Plenty of room on the plate for that!

Quickie May 25, 2009

Spent yesterday out in the yard putting in flowers.  When my plants look like more than just slightly brighter splotches on the dark soil, I’ll grab a picture or two, but in the meantime I want to share my first major gardening success EVAH.

Wee tomato!

It is, perhaps, hard to see him in the picture… I had to grab the picture fast before the sprinkler came back to get me.  Behind him is the future home of my raised bed garden.  I think this week we’re going to work on getting dirt into the gardens.  We’ve been remiss, to say the least.

Parties should be fun… April 20, 2009

Right?

I had to attend two surprise parties this week.  I’m not really a party person, but I don’t hate them.  At least not when I know a few of the people there enough to hold a conversation with them.  But they can be kind of stressful when they’re placed on top of a full week of stuff and you have to cook something for them.  Now that everything is behind me, I can recognize that nothing was bad as I made it out to be.  I will admit that a small part of my stress might have come from the giant Pepsi I consumed.

I digress.  People don’t come here to read me complain about how stressed I am.  People come to see pictures of the yummy things they won’t get to eat.  How do marble cupcakes with mousse frosting sound?

Seriously kids, I love baking from scratch, but box mixes are your friend.  They’re cheap, they’re easy, and most importantly, they make delicious cakes.  They also make fabulous cookies.  Yup.

Maybe someday I will learn the art of cake decoration, but who cares, really?  They taste FAB.  The only way this frosting could be easier is if it were the jello I made for the second party.  Because I’m so generous–and because it’s not my original recipe–I will share this tasty little secret with my favorite readers.  If you’ve heard of this before, pretend to be surprised, because this was truly earth shattering for me…

1 pint whipping cream

1 box instant pudding

a little milk to thin

Whip these three up until they form a fluffy whipped cream.  The pudding thickens this quickly, so add the milk as you feel is necessary so it isn’t too dense.  Don’t whip for too long, or you’ll end up with butter.  Honestly, I someday want to whip it so far I get butter, because I think it would be great on bagels, but it would not be great for putting on cakes.

I didn’t think to take pictures of the jello I made because I was constantly on the move on Sunday, but I figure I should share that recipe as well.

1 cup applesauce

1 box green jello

1 cup lemon-lime soda

Heat the applesauce until just before it boils.  Or, if you’re like me, after it’s already boiled.  Stir in jello and soda and allow to chill.  That’s it.  The texture is so unreal.  There’s a very, very slight tingle from the soda.  The applesauce makes it a denser set, but it’s still the jiggly fun you’d expect from jello.  There’s just more mouth-appeal.  It looks a little weird–like, well, cloudy jello–but it tastes great.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to eat the remaining whipped cream.  Don’t judge.

Blogging from the past… April 10, 2009

This post is being written on Thursday, but published on Friday.  I shouldn’t even bother to give away this secret, but I fail to see how it matters.  I just don’t want 1) Two posts in one day and 2) to forget to post it.  I merely mention this so people don’t get concerned that I’m blogging while I should be working.

I few months ago i started a kitchen window garden.  I would really like to replace a window with a greenhouse window.  I think I would get more even sunlight, and just a better environment for my plants.  Still, without that, I have come up with this:

We got your tomatoes, your parsley (which went from 2″ tall to 5″ tall virtually overnight) and your oregano.  The tomato and parsley plants are totally schooling everything else…

And your basil and bonsai kit.  The bonsai kit belongs to The Hippy.  We got it at World Market’s closeout.  I also have an ivy plant that deserves more sunlight than I am able to give it.

Our renter wants a garden, so we’re building her one and one on our side to make the yard symmetrical.  The Hippy toyed with the idea of building one giant garden, but then he decided it would be unfair to the renter.  We’re kind of lazy, and we’re afraid she would end up taking care of our part of the garden.  I’m not sure what will go in the garden, but I know my mom had saved a bunch of seeds for me from last year.  We’ll see.  A green thumb I have not.

Cooking with Rocketdog April 9, 2009

These pictures aren’t actually from cooking with Rocketdog, but it’s a recipe we “made up” based on the Baked Potato Pizza at Pizza Luce in Minneapolis.  I mused that it would be funny to write a cookbook or a cooking blog using the way we speak while we’re cooking.  So, I bring you…

Mashed Potato Flatbread Pizza

by Rocketdog and Danger Kitty

Make potatoes.  We’ve used… Hungry Jack flakes, Market Pantry frozen potatoe cube things, and real potatoes.  The photos I’m including are made with real potatoes with ricotta mixed in (of which, I am sure, Rocketdog would not approve).

Put flatbread (we’ve used garlic and plain, garlic is infinitely better) on baking sheet.

Potatoes, potatoes, potatoes…

Meat, meat, meat (we’ve used bacon and bbq chicken.  Both are delicious)…

Broccoli, broccoli, broccoli…

Cheese, cheese, cheese (we’ve used mozzerella, cheddar, colby jack, but mostly mixtures of any of the above.  A sharp cheese is definitely a bonus to this pizza)…

Bake, bake, bake… Broil.  To be honest, I don’t know what temp the oven was at.  I think I had mine on 375° F  Just bake it til it’s melty, and broil it til it’s brown.  That’s how we roll.

Here’s a finished slice:

To be honest, now that I’ve typed it all out, the way Rocketdog and I talk to each other isn’t at all funny.  Nonetheless, I wanted to share this little treat with the world.  Two slices should really be enough for the average person.  It’s a weighty pizza.  Should you require more, salads are always a good option.  Don’t forget dessert.

For want of a post… April 7, 2009

The HandmadeMN team is breaking in their Ning group (sorry, no link, it’s Members Only ) by listing 25 interesting things about themselves.  I made my list this morning after hours and hours of deliberation (sprinkled with Bingo Luau, which is the new Poppit and Sweet Tooth).  I thought I would share it, even though very little of it is interesting.

1.I taught myself virtually every craft I know.
2.I am terrified of glitter.
3.I hated reading from middle school until college.  Now I usually have two books going at once, and I’m completely addicted to used book sales.
4.I have a serious sweet tooth and can’t go a day without something sinful.
5.I don’t believe in greeting cards, but feel like a jerk if I don’t give one.
6.I make an amazing cheese sauce, but I adore Kraft Dinner.

Actually Target Brand Sports Shapes with one elbow and one shell mixed in

7.I blame 9/11 for my D in college calculus—I skipped class to give blood, and rarely went back after that.  Truth is, I would have done poorly anyway.
8.I don’t know my own home phone number, but I still remember my mom’s work number from over 10 years and four jobs ago.
9.The only resolution I’ve ever kept was to donate my hair.  That will be my resolution for 2010 as well (and every two years after).
10.I was anti-Apple until I worked for a publisher.  Now I have two iPods and a MacBook.
11.I had a number 11, but I forgot it.
12.I wish I would have been alive in the 50’s, 60’s, and 70’s.
13.I love working on cars, even though I don’t know anything about them.

WIP: Tuco at World of Wheels

14.I don’t consider myself to be an artist or even all that creative.  I just enjoy working with my hands.
15.I have a degree in creative writing but no stories in my head.
16.I like making the things people usually buy: laundry detergent, clothes, pizza crust… Next on my list are bagels and marshmallows.
17.I don’t care how many people tell me she’s a bitch; I would love to meet Martha Stewart.
18.I once tried roasting a Peep (chick, not bunny).  While hilarious, I wouldn’t recommend it for consumption.
19.I’m on a bowling team; my average is 107.
20.My dad and I dream of going on Wheel of Fortune together.
21.I am almost always cold—I get worried when I feel warm.

Best. win. EVER.

22.I always bet on the long shots and my birthday horse (seventh horse in the 9th race) at the track; I have a tendency to make a nice chunk of money and bewilder other track goers.
23.My truck is named Brody after Billy Zane’s character in the video game SSX Tricky.
24.I got my business name from my first license plate.
25.My sister and I dressed up for the first showing of the last Pirates of the Caribbean movie—I spent months making the costumes and didn’t care that we were pretty much the only ones dressed up.

I will probably not be forgiven for this...

“When worlds collide,” said George Pal to his bride… April 4, 2009

I love me a good crepe.  Frankly, I love me a mediocre crepe too.  I can’t get enough crepes.

I love me a good cat.  Frankly, I love me a mediocre cat too.  I can’t get enough cats.

Behold:

I miss my Sluggy.

Florida Recap… March 24, 2009

We’re back, safe and sound. The trip was way too short with more travel than seeing and doing, but it was still really nice to get away, and I had a great time with The Hippy and his family. We spent the first night in Fort Lauderdale, of which I have no pictures. It was late, and neither of us had had more than an hour or two of sleep in the last 24 hours. We did eat at a really great pizza joint in Weston, so if you’re ever out that way, definitely stop at Pizza Heaven.

Day two was an unfortunately long drive to the Keys.  Long, but worth it.  We made a pit stop in Key Largo, and from that point on in the trip, I sang Beach Boys songs in my head.  There, we saw the African Queen.

Nope, never saw the movie.

Then… drive drive drive.

Old bridges are missing chunks

To Sugarloaf Key.

Sugarloaf Key KOA=nearly heaven. Nearly.

Heaven except that it was a titch too cold and windy for lil ol’ me and there was karaoke at the pub where we spent St. Patrick’s Day evening.  I also discovered that if I haven’t had a good amount of sleep in 48 hours, and I’m cold, making fun of me repeatedly about my hoodie will, in fact, make me cry and make you feel like an ass.

Next day, relaxing, picture taking, and Key West.  Okay, we went to Key West on St. Patrick’s Day too, but that was a bust.  Let’s forget about that.

But(t)... Why?

For some reason, among all his really great pictures, The Hippy decided to take a picture of my butt.  At least it’s not nearly as huge as I thought.  (I have just been informed that it doesn’t look big because of the lens used.  He was promptly punched.)

Wandered ’round Key West for hours, seeing all the cool stuff on Duval, before heading to Mallory Square (I think?) for their sunset festival thingy.  Lots of street performers, but we only watched one: an awesome comedian with a magic act.  No pictures of him, sadly.  But he was funny AND really good at magic.  Suffice it to say.

dark, but tons of people

Last day was the Everglades where there are scary monsters.

Agligator

Honestly, I loved the air boat ride, but aligators scare the crap out of me.  The big one kept circling the boat.  He kept looking right at us.  Not cool.  I would still do it again.  I would, and will, do the whole trip again.