Tackle this to-do list

Tim told me yesterday that he was bored and that he needed something to do. He has been threatening to clean out my “junk” room – also known as my craft room. But if he is SO desperate to do something, I can give him a list.

·         Research wedding photographers and videographers.

·         Research wedding invitation and prices.

·         Look at the wedding budget I sent and figure out where to cut or if I’m missing anything that is essential.

·         Research tuxes for the wedding.

·         Look into wedding honeymoon ideas.

·         Research mini vacation options that are budget friendly. This includes dog friendly traveling (or dog sitting opportunities), accommodations, restaurants (you know I’m going to want at least one night out) and activities.

·         We have one very blank hallway. Look at photo options and frames for this wall.

·         Find new décor for the front door.

·         Research craft room storage options.

·         Read.

·         Rearrange Tupperware storage.

·         Go buy storage equipment and sort out the utility room.

·         Find somewhere to take the rugs to give them a good beating.

·         Look up dinner options – and go grocery shopping!

·         Reassess spending over the last 3-6 months and figure out a way to start saving more.

·         Start watching “Big Love” on HBOgo.com so you will stop asking me about what happens.

·         Find some more TV to watch.

·         Figure out what to do with the medicine at the top of the fridge. Should we just have them the way they are, or should we buy some kind of storage unit for them?

·         Clean out the closet where we store toilet paper. That doesn’t mean throw things out – that means arrange and rearrange. Unpackaged the toilet paper and stack them so they’re easy to get out. Refold the towels so they fit. Put all the left over “junk” or scraps into one or two boxes.

·         Go exercise.

·         Do syllabi for fall classes.

Can you figure all of these things out this week?

Thin Mint Chocolate Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Icing

One of my surprises for the boy this weekend was cupcakes - thin mint chocolate cupcakes. Here's the recipe. Try it. So easy.

• Buy thin mint Girl Scout cookies. If you don’t know any girl scouts selling cookies, use your smart phone cuz there’s an app for that. I used the Cookie locater app - for Androids or for IPhone users. It’s pretty cool – and was accurate. I found some Saturday evening at 5 p.m.! (And I kind of felt like a stalker afterwards.)



• Crush one sleeve into your favorite batter of chocolate cake mix – or just chocolate box cake (which is what I did).



• Bake for 15-17 minutes at 350 degrees.



• Top with cream cheese icing – out of a can or make your own.

Want to try your own? Mix room temperature cream cheese (8 oz) and unsalted butter (6 tbsp). Add 1 tsp of vanilla extract. Then slowly add 1 cup of powder sugar (or less if you want it to be less sweet; I usually only add 3/4 cup).

Sprinkle cupcakes with more crushed cookies ~about 2-3.

Seriously. Delish.

A super lazy weekend

The boy and I had a very good, very lazy weekend – and I was reminded again why I like to stay busy. This was probably one of the laziest weekends I’ve had in a long time and I could not be more disgusted with myself. At least, if I have a lot going on, I am active and more motivated.

I got up at 8 a.m. on Saturday but didn’t actually start the day until 1. I sat around, ate breakfast and caught up on TV during that time. And then Sunday, I didn’t get out of bed until 11 a.m., the latest I’ve slept in since I started working.

I decided to try to overcompensate for my laziness. I started planning for Christmas gifts and our Holiday décor. I was even ambitious enough to try a new recipe that I thought would be very difficult.

I made this delicious ratatouille recipe from Smitten Kitchen. Look how beautiful it is:
And I bought our first piece of Christmas decoration, mistletoe:And I expect many kisses this holiday season!

Chocolate Butter Cream Icing

I am so excited to share that I made a new icing - and I can mark this one off my things-to-do before the end of the year list! I made chocolate butter cream icing, using a recipe from Baked Bree (a new favorite website for fun recipes). The texture was perfect for spreading and it actually tasted pretty good. And it’s so easy that I feel comfortable enough to make adjustments to the recipe so it lighter, less sweet and more. So fun!
And I also came to the realization that I can make amazing icing using my KitchenAid mixer. Last time I used it to make icing, it came out grainy and it did not spread well. The worst part is that I was making my standard cream cheese icing, which is super easy to make. A few ago, I bought the KitchenAid flex edge beater and so far, it has proved to be completely worth the $40 I spent on it (this was not a smart purchase; I realized I could buy this at Target for $30 afterwards – arg). At least I know I’ll be using it a lot!

Here’s the recipe for chocolate butter cream.

2 sticks of room temperature butter
2 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/2 cup cocoa
1 teaspoon vanilla
2-3 tablespoons heavy cream

Cream together the butter and sugar. Gradually add the cocoa powder. Add just enough cream to get the consistency for spreading (I used 2 tbs). Add the vanilla.
Try it, and let me know what you think!

Broiled Chicken with Onion & Apples

I felt ambitious today, so I thought I’d try a new recipe for dinner. Thanks to an old issue of House Beautiful, I got a sneak peek at Rocco DiSpirito’s cookbook, “Rocco Gets Real.” It features everyday, easy and delicious recipes supposedly anyone can make. If the recipe I tried is any indication of how the rest of the book is, it might be worth me getting!

Here’s the recipe with some of my own tried and true commentary (in italics):

BROILED CHICKEN LEGS WITH ONIONS, APPLES & CHUNKY LEMON-PEPPER SAUCE

• 2½ pounds chicken legs
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 2 large Vidalia onions, peeled
• 2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and quartered
• 2 tablespoons Bertolli extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 10-ounce jar Tabasco Spicy Red Pepper Jelly
• 3 lemons
• Fresh coarsely ground black pepper

Preheat broiler on low. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil. Season chicken generously with salt and pepper. Place chicken in center of pan. (I used two chicken leg quarters.)

Cut each onion into 12 thin wedges. Scatter onions and apples around chicken. (I actually ended up using only 1 onion and 1 Granny Smith apple.)

Drizzle everything with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Broil 10 minutes. Turn chicken over and stir apples and onions to expose uncooked surfaces. Turn broiler on high. Broil until chicken is charred and cooked through, about another 10 minutes. (I checked the chicken at 10 minutes and it was still unfinished, so I broiled it another 10 minutes to get that pretty crisp look.)

Meanwhile, heat pepper jelly in a small saucepan until melted. (I could not find pepper jelly to save my life – and I checked three stores! I ended up buying a chili pepper hoagie mix. I guess it worked OK. The boy liked it!) Peel the lemons and remove the pith. Dice the lemons, reserving the juice. Remove jelly from heat; add diced lemon and juice. Stir to combine and season to taste with salt and pepper.

To serve, spoon sauce on top of chicken, onions, and apples and top with fresh coarse-ground pepper.

I served this alongside stove-top, stir-fried green beans. I’ll definitely be trying this recipe again. It was so light and even on my diet – I could eat it!

Just see how much I can accomplish when I put my mind to it! LOL