You Can't Really Go Wrong..

...with beer and chocolate. Seriously. This post will include little to no input or advice from me - other than to make this cake. I found another great blog - smitten kitchen - and it features a ton of delicious looking recipes.


The first one I tried is the chocolate stout cake, which I made for my dad this past weekend for Father's Day. Even my mom, who isn't a big Guinness drinker, really enjoyed it. It's easy and delicious. Give it a try!

Also, please forgive my pitiful cell phone pictures, as I was not initially planning to post this.

The leftover pizza experiment.

I love a good deal...and pizza. So when I am offered a second pizza with my delivery order for 25 cents, I can't turn it down. Unfortunately, I can't eat it all either. So the question becomes, what do I do with all this pizza? So I decided that freezing it must be the answer. But after reading some websites on the topic, I found that there is much dispute about the best way to do this. So I have decided to give several of the suggestions a try in an attempt to answer the question... what (if any) is the best way to freeze leftover pizza?

The actual freezing part seems to be agreed upon for the most part...wrap in plastic wrap, put in freezer bag, put in freezer. So that is today's task. Results to come in a week or so. Try to contain your excitement. Haha.

Father's Day is on the Way!

I just wanted to share a suggestion for a delicious, cheap, and easy Father's Day cookout. Beer can chicken. I have made it a few times in the past for family and friends and it has always been well received.

So here is the recipe - George Duran's Spice Rubbed Beer Can Chicken.

I am also going to try my hand at homemade baked beans as a side dish. Here's the recipe I am thinking of using - Slow Cooker Baked Beans. Let me know if you have any suggestions for recipes/techniques!

I haven't figured out what else I will make, but I am going to attempt to cook everything on the grill to avoid a hot June kitchen.

Happy Father's Day!

In case anyone cares...

Just so you know.. I haven't fallen off the face of the earth. I have, however, just finished grad school, accepted a new job, and am in search of a new home... so, slightly busier than usual. I will return. I have some stuff to post from the past few months and will have more to share in the future. Hang in there...I will be back!

Easter Goodies - Pecan Pie Bars

Here's the first of the goodies I made to fill my easter baskets. Pecan Pie Bars. They are sooo good and easy to make. If you like pecan pie, you will love them! Give them a try!

Origami Easter Baskets

In my search for an inexpensive and cute easter gift idea, I came across these super cute origami paper easter baskets on Expert Village.

The directions were presented in a series of videos (which were a bit confusing because they were not listed in any particular order, so I have provided ordered links here)

Origami Easter Basket Video Instructions:

Video 1
Video 2
Video 3
Video 4
Video 5

And here's what you get! I will be filling them with homemade goodies for my family and friends.. more to come on that!

Just a quick update...

More to come later. I just wanted to post a picture of the longies I am working on for my cousin's new daughter...made from my awesome Kool-Aid dyed wool!

Choosy Moms Need to Think Again...

Homemade peanut butter! Yum!

So it has been a while. Being a grad student takes a lot of time. Ha ha. But for the sake of my sanity, I have taken a break for some food and blogging. Why peanut butter, you ask?

1. This giant jar of mixed nuts in my freezer (and let's face it...who eats the peanuts with all those yummy cashews and pecans and almonds to distract you?)

2. My overwhelming desire to use my "new" thrift store blender (1.98!) and its awesome ability to blend things in mason jars.. see this tip at Simply Recipes for more info.

3. This spaghetti jar...

So the peanut butter adventure begins. Here's what you will need:

• 2 cups peanuts (in my case, painsakingly picked from the mixed nuts jar)
• 1 - 2 tablespoons peanut or vegetable oil
• salt (if desired)
• blender or food processor
• jar for storage (or blending if you have one of these cool old blenders)
• spatula or spoon to scrape down jar if needed

From there, it's pretty simple...

First - fill jar, food processor, or blender with two cups of peanuts (the spaghetti jar had the ounces marked on the side of the jar making this task even easier) and 1 tablespoon oil.

Next - Blend! Add up to one more tablespoon of oil if the mixture is too thick. Keep in mind, though, that it will make the final product slightly thinner.

When it looks like peanut butter, stop blending. Pretty simple. At this point, I tasted it and added a little extra salt...probably about a quarter teaspoon with my salted peanuts.

Finally - Enjoy!!

Be sure to keep the peanut butter in the refrigerator. Unlike the commercial stuff, there are no preservatives!!