Milo and the Peach.

Y'all.  I have so many shows to watch.  The DVR is about to explode.  At the same time I also have photos to edit, business blogs to post, recipes to try out, a house to clean and oh yeah, two Misters to play with.  And I am also trying to get a few lose ends tied up, scratch a those last stragglers off my many lists. Like order a mouse pad.  Random, but still needs to be done.

We did manage to find the time to feed our children today.  Just kidding. We feed them everyday.  Mister Milo is getting some fancy new teeth and is enjoying some big boy food with them.  Today we tried out some peaches.

Before I start, the regular comment on my bebe's are how they are always nakey.  I am always baffled by this.  My reaction is usually a long blink and a slight cock to my head while I think "Well, yes. Yes they are.  DO YOU EVEN HAVE KIDS?"  And they usually do.  So my next thought is. "Well, Sht, how do you keep them dry?"  Ya see, my kids are drool buckets.   I wasn't lying about Milo's fancy new choppers.  He busted out all four top ones in one day and that, my friends, produces a lot of drool.  And drool, just incase yours don't, comes out of the mouth, down the chin and soaks a top straight through.  Leaving my child wet and I would think, cold.  So we just don't wear clothes.  Simple.  Onward.

Hello Little Milo.

Have a peach!

Hm.

yeahhhh

This isn't really working for me.

What the heck, anyways?

yup, no.

Pass.  Thank you!

Strawberry Pie {a recipe}

I am in the middle of a very lengthy Mad Men marathon and on the last episode I watched the stunning Draper was typing a letter.  They zoomed in on the typewriter and held it for a bit and I could actually SMELL the typewriter.  The image of the typewriter trigger a smell memory of the one I had growing up. I loved the way the ribbon smelled!  How interesting that probably most reading this have no idea how a typewriter smells.

An extinct smell.  The Typewriter.

I should have declared a drinking game for that little segment.  Typewriter being the trigger word.



I have a very very VERY fabulous recipe to share with, but it come with a very very VERY strong warning.

WARNING

If you read yesterday's post and your trouble area is food?  STOP READING.  Thank you.

STRAWBERRY PIE

As you know, we took the Misters strawberry picking this past weekend.  If you didn't know, you do now and you can read all about it here.  Besides the family bonding time and the fun for the bebes, the purpose of this trip was to score some fresh strawberries for the fantastic pie recipe.

Fantastic might be an understatement.  Oh my strawberry loving word, this was the best pie I have ever made.  It did come with some flaws though.  Ok, just one flaw but it is a big one.  The Crust.  The crust is homemade and while turning out very scrumptious, was a horror to make.  I won't go into details but it resulted in my physically piecing the dough in the pie plate and smushing it all about until I got what slightly resembled a pie shell. This is not the pie crust recipe I will be using in the future and therefore will not be sharing that part of the information.  When I find a crust recipe that will be my staple, I will pass it along. Until then, go buy a pie crust.  FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, GO BUY A CRUST.

Now because of my pie crust frustration that some would consider a full blown meltdown, I was too annoyed and frankly didn't care at that point to take step-by-step pictures of the pie making process.  So there are just a few and then some yummy finished product ones.  And by yummy, I mean amazeballs.

Crust 
no comment. 

Filling
2 pints strawberries, sliced
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup all purpose flour
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Crumb Topping
2 1/2 Tablespoons brown sugar
2 Tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
pinch ground nutmeg
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup plus 2 1/2 Tablespoons all purpose flour

Filling:

In  mixer with the paddle attachment, mix together the sugar and flour on low speed. Add in the eggs, sour cream and vanilla extract and mix on medium speed until combined.
Place the sliced strawberries in the crust.

Pour the filling evenly over the strawberries. 

Set the pie aside while you make the crumb topping.

Crumb Topping:

Mix together the brown sugar, sugar, ground cinnamon and ground nutmeg.
Pour the melted unsalted butter into the bowl and mix everything together.
Add in the flour and mix until the ingredients form a crumble topping.
Crumble the crumb topping evenly over the pie.

Egg Wash:

Mix together 1 large egg and a Tablespoon of water. Brush the egg wash over the edge of the crust with a brush or your fingers. I have been known to use both methods.  It's whatevs.

Bake at 350 for 1 hour and 10-15 minutes.

Once the pie is done baking, place it on a cooling rack to cool completely and set. This will take a while. Cutting into the pie warm makes it a bit runny so just sit back and drool while you wait for it to cool.  

When set slice and stuff yo face.

A Real Life Post.

Happy Tuesday Evening!  Although, when you read this it will be Wednesday morning.. so Happy Hump Day.  

I am writing from bed this evening, but before I started, I was distracted a bit.

Side Bar 

You see, I walk into my room and blindly hit the power button on the TV and went about getting things organized.  Still not having looked at the television I am hearing this breathing coming from it. Breathy-breathing that makes me think I have caught a "moment" on Game of Thrones or that someone was about to power lift a weight that will win gold at the Olympics.  I turn to look and it was bowling.  IT WAS BOWLING PEOPLE! Now I am not one to criticize someones sport, but you guys, does one really have to huff and puff that much to release a ball?  Clearly, I am in awe.  And don't bowl.

Resolution, schmezolution.  amirite?

But anyway.  I am watching Biggest Loser.  You know the show, yeah we all do. The one where the contestants all start out at around 300 (plus or minus a few) and work out like effin maniacs and get down to pretty hot shape.  It's a good time. That is until they get down to my weight and then the party stops rockin.  Not because they are reaching their goals, but because I am not. At this point in the show I either

a. stop watching or

2. get depressed

However tonight it got me thinking.  Here we are almost five months into the New Year.  Five months since a lot of us, including myself, resolved to make major changes in our life.  

So how's that going for ya?

RIGHT. ME TOO.

Let me explain, I myself had visions of, at this point, rocking some super trendy skinny jeans, perhaps orange in color, or looking hot bikini skiing like one does on The Bachelor.  

Well, hot in a bikini at least.  And while I have done good with the baby weight loss, I am no where near looking like those bioches that keep getting pinned on Pinterest in boards called "THIS IS ME IN MY DREAMS"

I start to think about this, about my lack of progress and when I really get honest with myself, bleh, it comes down to me being lazy.  I eat the way I know works for me.  While it can get stricter and cleaner, I am not training so I am not going there.  I have a happy middle working right now.  The problem is my lack of physical movement, ie.. workouts.  read: LAZY 

This goes farther than weight goals though.  I am sometimes awoken (?) during the night for a slew of reasons... the baby cries, a fire truck goes by, the hubbs snoring, the dogs licking (the. most. ANNOYING. SOUND.) and no joke, last night a bird singing.  You know the old school car alarms that blast of rounds of about five different sounds, beepbeepbeep, booopbooopboop, eeeyoooeeeyoooeeeyooo, eeeechheeeeechheeeech.  Well this bird was doing the bird version of that.  AT 3:15 IN THE MORNING.  I know, I digressed again.

So right, I am a super light sleeper.  And this is the time I think.  And when all my regrets of the day hit me hardest.  Why didn't I do my workout, why didn't I put on my moisturizer, why didn't I finish my work... The other night as I lay there I came to a conclusion:

I will no longer give myself any regrets.

Easier said than done.

But at least it gives me a fresh goal.  Sometimes we all need to yell, "Wait!  I effed up and declare a do over!!" And that is what I did.

Everyone needs a support system

I am not one to ask for help.  I am also not one that responds well to nagging.  It may sound a bit like this:

HUBBS: Are you supposed to be eating that?

ME: It's a brownie, so I'm gonna go with no on this one.

Not real effective.  Unless maybe it was Gosling nagging me.  That might work. 

So maybe I don't ask because I don't want to be nagged after.  Or maybe I feel it is easier to just do it myself. But clearly, it is not.  Whodathunkit. Well all can use the support of the loved ones around us.  

Some advice, if you are failing at your goals because of time issues, ASK FOR HELP.  If you are failing because you don't know what you are doing, ASK FOR HELP.  

If you are failing because you are lazy? GET OFF YOUR ASS.  

That last one was for me.  Well, they all were for me, but that last one with the rude tone, that was definitely for me. 

And anyone else that needs a kick in the pants.

Because what it basically boils down to, is I KNOW what I am supposed to be doing.  To be fit, I know I need to work out.  To be a successful business owner, I know I need to get the job done right and on time.  To not look like I am 75, put on moisturizer and drink my water.  I KNOW THIS.  It is time for me to put on my big girl panties and do what I am supposed to do.  

***

So tell me, are you doing your best?  Are you needing to improve?  Take your re-do!  

------

image sources: melgotserved.com and google

Strawberry Fields.

In my head, there is not much better than fresh strawberries.  Bright red, sweet, juicy.  Plump little hearts of berry heaven.

I've been sitting on a strawberry pie recipe for a few weeks now.  Weeks of imagining this amazing looking pie made with fresh picked strawberries.  Because a pie that is as good looking as this one?  Needs fresh picked strawberries. More specifically, fresh picked strawberries picked by my little Misters.

I had a rare Saturday off this weekend and it is strawberry season here.  (I know, obvious as to what comes next).  THE PERFECT STRAWBERRY PICKING COMBINATION.  So while I tease you with a pie recipe for a few more days, here is our Saturday in the Strawberry Fields.  The sun on our backs, tiny fingers stained pink and a roaming chicken or two.

Oreo Marshmallows {a recipe}

Honest to goodness, I eat clean.  I really do.  But lets be real for a quick sec.  Clean eating doesn't make for fun posts.  Put plain chicken on grill.  Grill.  The End.  See?  Boring. Therefore, I bake and make other goodness to blog about! My fabulous in-laws (how many people can say that?) were here over Easter and my father-in-law, well lets just say he likes his nighttime snack.  Because of this we now have a plethora of snacks in this house and among them is a new bag container thing of Oreos.  Ahh, my beloved Oreos.  I make a point of NOT buying these amazing cookies for one very simple reason reason:

I have no self control when it comes to Oreos.  I. LOVE. ME. SOME. OREOS.

So in my mind the logical thing to do to get rid of them is to make something out of them.  It was about halfway through the process of recreating these Oreos that I realized I was taking a simple cookie and like quadmillioning the sugar and fat, well maybe not the fat, but the sugar fo sho, content of them and would have probably been better off just eating the darn cookies as they were...  But I digress.

OREO MARSHMALLOWS

13 Oreos, ground into coarse crumbs
7 Oreos, ground into fine crumbs
3 packets unflavored gelatin
1 cup water, divided
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup light corn sugar
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 Tablespoon vanilla extract


We start with a few of these.  YUM.

As the ingredient list previewed, in a food processor crush 13 cookies into chunky crumbs and 7 cookies  into fine crumbs.  I do not have a food processor so I did the coarse crumbs by hand and started to do the fine crumbs by hand.  Many minutes later I grew a brain and threw them in the blender.  PULSE PULSE.. crumbs.  FANTASTIC.

Lightly spray a nonmetal baking pan with cooking spray.  Mine was 8x11 or something. Take half the fine crumbs and sprinkle bottom of pan with them.  Set aside.

Now take out your stand mixer and with the whisk attachment combine 3 packs of gelatin and 1/2 cup water.  Ps. the gelatin stinks.  Just a warning.

Mix until blended.  Turn mixer off and go to next step.  This will become goopy, but that is ok.

In a sauce pan combine sugar, corn syrup, salt and water.  Heat until granulated sugar dissolves.  Now stick in your candy thermometer and boil on high until it reaches 240 (soft ball stage).

A side note on candy therms.  I did not own one so I picked up this piece of crap at WallyWorld for like 2 bucks. It sort of sucked.  The clip didn't clip to my pan and it was hard to read because it got steamy.  However, while I was getting steam burn holding the darn thing in my boiling sugar and trying desperately to figure out where 240 was, I noticed the handy SOFT BALL STAGE note on it and said, "well that's fantastic!"

Back to the marshmallows.  Take your 240 boiling sugar and with your mixer containing your now goopy gelatin on low, pour in your super hot sugar.  CAREFULLY. PLEASE.  Once all poured in turn your mixer on medium and mix for 15 minutes. Once again, its pewey.  But that goes away. I recommend cleaning the pot that contained your sugar during this 15 minutes.  I am not responsible for any ruined pots because you decided to watch tv at this point and didn't clean your pot.  A TIP: use hot water to clean.

Oh.. side note numba 2.  It is probably a good idea to switch your whisk attachment to the paddle attachment before mixing the sugar and gelatin, because THIS? was a bitty to work with.

After 15 minutes turn the mixer off and go "oooooooh" at the shiny pretty fluffy marshmallow you have made. Then add the vanilla.  Mix till blended.

Add the coarse oreo crumbs.  Mix till blended.

Spoon the marshmallow mixture onto your crumbs in the pan and spread out.  Top with remaining fine crumbs.  Sit on counter UNCOVERED overnight.  Yes, UNCOVERED.

The next day (or about 10 hours later) cut into squares and eat.

Steak Pizza {a recipe}

I tend to experiment with new recipes at two separate times 1. on the weekend when we stop eating clean and cram in our foodie cravings and 2. when company comes.  Risky, number two is.  These two times are my absolute favorite times to be in the kitchen.  Me, my music, a glass of wine and my family home and all around me.  All other times... I can't be far enough from it.

This was last nights dinner and it turned out pretty good.  While it is pretty early for some to be looking a close up pictures of meat, I am getting it up here so you can get to the store and make it tonight!  or at least tomorrow for the game.  It is definitely game food.

first the crust.  HOMEMADE CRUST PEOPLE!!!  Wait... where are you going?  Don't run away!  It is easy, I promise.

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon  Active Dry Yeast
• 3/4 cups Warm Water
• 2 cups All-purpose Flour
• 3/4 teaspoons Kosher Salt
• 3 Tablespoons Olive Oil

Preparation Instructions

Sprinkle yeast over 3/4 cups warm (not lukewarm) water. Let stand for a few minutes.

In a mixer, combine flour and salt. With the mixer running on low speed (with paddle attachment), drizzle in olive oil until combined with flour. Next, pour in yeast/water mixture and mix until just combined, and the dough comes together in a sticky mass.

Coat a separate mixing bowl with a light drizzle of olive oil, and form the dough into a ball. Toss to coat dough in olive oil, then cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and set it aside for 1 to 2 hours, or store in the fridge until you need it.

Note: it’s best to make the dough at least 24 hours in advance. Or so they say.  I made mine after a shoot and had it sit for about 3 hours on the counter.  Turned out perfect.

Now for the toppings!!  This is man pizza my friends.  So if you are a man, have a man or want a man, make this.

Ingredients

• 1 whole Recipe Pizza Crust
• 1 whole Skirt Steak Or Flank Steak
• Salt And Pepper, to taste
• 2 whole Red Onions, Sliced Thin
• 3 Tablespoons Butter
• 4 Tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
• 2 cups Marinara Sauce
• 12 ounces, weight Fresh Mozzarella Cheese, Sliced Thin
• Shaved Parmesan Cheese
• 1/2 cup Good Steak Sauce (more If Desired)

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Arrange rack in the bottom half of the oven.

Saute red onions in butter and 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar over medium-low heat until dark and caramelized, about 10-12 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

Combine marinara sauce with 2 tablespoons balsamic and Worcestershire sauce. Set aside.

Grill steak over high heat until medium rare. Remove from grill and set aside.

Roll out pizza dough until very thin. Top with marinara mixture and spread to coat dough. Lay caramelized red onions all over the sauce, then top onions with slices of mozzarella cheese. Bake pizza for 12-15 minutes, or until crust is golden and cheese is bubbly (but watch to make sure it doesn't burn.)

While pizza is baking, slice steak into very thin slices.

Remove pizza from the oven, then drape slices of steak all over the surface. Drizzle the top of the pizza with steak sauce (use squirt bottle if you have one) and top the whole thing with Parmesan shavings.

Cut into squares and serve immediately

NOTES:

This makes ALOT of sauce.  I did not put it all on my pizza, so don't just dump your bowl of sauce on your dough.  Spoon it on until you get your desired sauciness.

The bottom rack of the oven always makes me nervous.  I am convinced everything will burn down there.  I almost moved it up, but kept it there and the crust turned out just right.

I am no chef and a horrible slicer, so my steak pieces were on the thick side.  Hubbs said next time chop them up.  Yessir!

Please GRILL the steak.  It turns out sooo good.  And DO NOT overcook your steak.  It just won't be the same.