What to do with all of the leftover holiday baking stuff?

If your like me then perhaps you had visions of grandeur when it came to baking this past holiday season. There was bag upon bag of chocolate chips bought..and there were white chocolate ones..toffee ones..chocolate mint ones..there were mixes and nuts and more confectioners sugar than any one person should have in the cabinet at one time..and there was the rum..lest we forget about the rum purchased to make extraordinary golden rum cakes... With the desicion to work through the holidays I was lucky to have produced a mere 2 batches of cookies and a loaf of bananna bread.. I did make and awesome
Pumpkin Cake with a citrus frosting  (twice) that could very well instigate proposals and solve the whole world peace debate..yes it was that good,in the words of my 4 year old you should try it..you'll like it! But back to the biz of all these leftovers sitting in my cabinet that are bound to fall into the dark corners and be forgotten till next year only to be salvaged and wasted. This holiday season I was on a real Ghiradelli kick. I bought the chips ( every kind) & the brownie mixes. I happened to notice the lonely box of brownie mix sitting on the counter and decided to make a batch for some brownie sundaes of course. Afterall we didn't have enough sweet treats bought or given to us over my measly 3 batches of cookies...It was around this time I discovered a little 7 layer bar recipe on the back that caught my eye and yes here I give you boys and girls my best recommendation for using up some of those lonely baking items.
The 7 Layer Brownie... I am no stranger to 7 layer bars and usually make mine with a layer of fine cornflake crumbs and melted butter on the bottom..and while those are good it was time I tricked up my 7 layer bars anyways as I have been in limbo making the same ones the same way for years..This was super easy and made for some pretty amazing sundaes..I think they are best right out of the oven so if you have a big crowd to please these would work wonderfully. Make some right away & your hubby and kiddos will be pleased if topped with a little coffee ice cream and dark chocolate syrup like I did.

Ghiradelli 7 Layer Bars

1 stick melted butter
1 box Ghiradelli Brownie Mix ( I am sure any old one will do)
1 cup shredded sweetened coconut
1 bag semi sweet or milk chocolate chips
1 bag white chocolate or butterscotch chips
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
1 can sweetened condensed milk

Layer ingredients in order in your favorite brownie pan and drizzle with condensed milk.. bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until bubbly on the side..slice a good size bar and top with your favorite ice cream..why not we still have a good 6 mos till it's bathing suit season and all..now this is living!

Spicing it up on a Friday night....

Some of the greatest meals that I have created have come from lack of ingredients..let me explain..I see a recipe that I want to try..set out to prepare it then realize I am lacking a certain key ingredient..I substitute something ..go my own way..and it spirals out of control until the dish I am making and the ingredients involved bear no resemblance to the dish I set out to make.. sometimes I get lucky and tonight was one of those nights..I have been wanting to make this Butter Chicken for some time..I chopped the onion ..added lots of minced garlic and a pat of butter to the iron skillet...this is about as far as I got until it became time for marinading then I got lost in the spice cabinets adding a little of this a little of that and what I ended up with was this...and it sure did make the house smell good...


Curry Chicken

3 boneless skinless chicken breasts (beat down)
1/2 white onion coarsely chopped
5 cloves of minced garlic
Cream
Butter
Yellow Curry Powder..I like spice islands.
Marinade:
lime juice
fresh herbs..I use rosemary thyme parsley and basil chopped fine
freshly cracked garlic pepper
red pepper
paprika
 

Saute onion and garlic until brown in cast iron skillet..idk why chicken always tastes better cooked in a cast iron skillet but I am sure any old pan you got will do..add cracked garlic pepper and saute until golden. Marinade chicken ideally hours before ( tonight it was ten minutes prior to cooking..I got boys to feed)..add all spices and lime juice to chicken after beating down while in a lg Ziploc..poor guys...add to pan and cook, turning 4 times until golden brown..while cooking add plenty of yellow curry powder and get the rice going...if I had more time tonight a nice basmati would have been nice but Minute Rice with a little butter and salt was just fine..when chicken breasts are in the final stage of cooking add cream to the pan..lift breasts up one by one..pour a little here a little there..now slap the lid on it turn to low and leave it be. 20 minutes later after fluffing your rice and cutting some fresh fruit and a nice french baguette to sop up all of this lovely sauce take the lid off and take it in...smells wonderful doesn't it? Transfer chicken to cutting board and slice thinly with a sharp knife serve over hot rice with a good spoon full of sauce over the top and love every minute of it! I do have to add that my boys would have preferred the dish be a little less spicy so ease up on the red pepper instead of going wild like me:)

5 Things on Friday

~~5 things I did this week~~


1. Made spaghetti & meatballs for my family

2. Went to Flagstaff to "play" in the snow

3. Gave lots of hugs and kisses

4. Tried to cheer my Mom up

5. Sent my condolences



~~5 things I want to do before Monday~~

1. Cook a ham

2. Put together a puzzle with Jake

3. Play a game with Nicholas

4. Watch a movie

5. Make out



~~5 things I am Truly grateful for today~~

1. That I have a home to return to every day

2. Finding the words of god

3. That I am employed doing something I love and have a passion for

4. My children who are beautiful inside and out

5. The love of a good man



~~My 5 Favorite things this week~~

1. Watching & talking with Garrett & Logan over dinner, such great young men

2. The energy I have had...wonderful

3. Starbucks Vanilla Infused Coffee...YUM

4.To be able to live in such a beautiful town

5. My friends and family who continue to support me and encourage me

Horoscope for today:) Ohhhh Yes

Snow laden mountains surrounding Fountain Hills New Years 2011

Scorpio Jan 6 2011 If you haven't done so yet, Scorpio, let go of any regrets you carried into 2011. There is no place for them here. This is to be a dynamic year with a lot of positive change, much of it centered around your own personal evolution. If you drag old wounds or mistakes into what should be a positive and progressive time of transformation, you will only slow down this marvelous process of reinventing yourself. Not that there is anything wrong with the old you... there is NOT. But you now have the chance to add greater dimension to what is already a work of art: YOU!

With Clarity

these days have been chilly and lovely and beautiful...Happy Beautiful New Year ...Thursday brings:

looking at my fine young sons and Logans friend and just wanting to soak up every molment of 2 teenage boys in their fifteenth year full of hopes,dreams and aspirations and becoming themselves. I sure am proud to witness such a gentle soul from birth to now.. I always have called Logan a gentle lion..he reminds me of the lion from The Wizard of Oz but smarter... when I look at him all I can think is damn I have done something right.... Nicholas is the most wonderful artisit...a natural..he wants to start selling his work..for a quarter per illustration..I will be framing his pictures in the coming months and creating a beautiful wall of fame...Jake is my special baby and will be fine no matter what because he has our love and compassion and attention and he is such a happy little guy... I look around and feel so blessed in every way.. and positive about the future.. clear and moving forward... I have to say I am in a pretty good place...thats it and thats all for now...time for the snow shots:)

Smashing Pumpkins - Eye

Unrequited Love.....

If there is one thing I have a lot of experience in it would be the love department..I have loved in all sorts of ways and all of them differently..If I had to define the word love I would say that it is ever evolving..ever changing and different for everyone depending on the person and whom the object of their affection is.. that is the closest I can relate without classification..I have been loved obsessively....& have loved as such..I have been the subject of unrequited love and been the one left standing..I have fallen hard and pretended too..I have said it and meant it after one night and continuously for years..I'd like to think I fall in love daily and sometimes wonder  if I have the ability to only love one person and one person only romantically for the rest of my life..I do not believe that I do and therefore through all of my experiences and the true great loves of my life I have enjoyed every one of them in some way shape or form..they have taught me to follow my heart, the meaning of passion, what it feels like to regret, to loose, to hurt someone...to feel alive...as I forge ahead with purpose I walk a fine line when it comes to matters of the heart.. maybe I haven't met my soul mate yet if there is even such of a thing or maybe I have and was it me that messed it up? No worrying about things like that it is Tuesday and time for reflection..
lacy dresses...dressing like a lady...chills...shane le vein...passing of a lovely and great grandmother who meant ...cutting ties..nivea...chocolate...spag & meatballs...a great man...great kids...we are all under one roof and the heart is at rest...evaluating the different types of love..making small talk..playing the lotto..reconnecting..evaluating..NY times...calming sleep hopefully after my coffee..