Friday

As, you might know, I was done with this week on Tuesday.  Well today, it is Friday. Tomorrow is Saturday and Sunday comes afterword.  Rebecca Black Anyone??   If you have not seen this you tube smash, please do not deny yourself 3 minutes and 48 seconds of bad clothes and worse lyrics.  If it weren't for this catchy tune, I don't know how I would have ever mastered the days of the week.   The link is right there.  You want to click it. Go, now!
Ok, you are back!   You have returned to me and you are surely feeling enlightened about days of the week, bowls of cereyo, and the difficult teenage decision of where to sit in a car. And you are better for it.

But really today is FRIED DAY.  I am completely worn out.  Today was the teacher soup luncheon and the morning began with pulling together a Caesar salad for 60.  Back that up, Friday really began yesterday about 3 PM when I made a crock pot full of delicious tomato basil soup for the luncheon. Then ballet.  Then I cut approximately 65 11 inch squares out of denim for the auction project.  It is going to be fantastic, but geeeeze, my wrist hurts.   Then I washed and dried all 18 heads of lettuce for the salad.  
Then I passed out in bed, ONLY I didn't pass out because I tossed and turned because my husband was gone and because I came up with a business idea for a friend and I couldn't shut my mind off.  When I finally did drift off,  the "make the salad" alarm went off.
We drove to school today because I was toting a bowl the size of a baby pool full of salad, a crock pot, various garnishes for the soup and salad, and a bag full of 45 pounds of jeans and fabric.  The receptionist is beyond looking at me in a puzzled way when I come in like this.  She just says hello, gives me my volunteer badge and sends me on my way.  The crossing guard still has not quite gotten used to me.  We walk every day except days when there is lightning or days when I have a Beverly Hillbilly load to transport.  He suggested that I get myself a shopping cart to push back and forth because I am always hauling something.  He may be on to something.  
As a reward for enduring this somewhat lame, fried brain, poor content post, I shall reward you with the tomato basil soup recipe.  It came from allrecipes.com The lady who posted it also took it to a teacher luncheon.

Tomato Basil Soup

1 14.5 ounce can chicken broth (you can use veggie if you want to keep it vegetarian)
2 28 ounce cans of crushed tomatoes
1 package fresh basil from the produce section or about 18-20 leaves
1 teaspoon sugar
1 cup heavy cream
1 stick of butter
In a large stock pot, boil chicken broth and tomatoes.   While you wait for the boil, chop your basil.  Reduce heat to low.  Add basil and sugar.  Stir.  Add cream and stir.  Add butter and stir.  Stir, stir, stir.
When the butter is melted, you can eat.  I will blend mine next time because my kids want it silky smooth, but it is an extra step, so feel free to skip it.
I served it with Parmesan cheese and basil croutons for garnish.

And when you are at the grocery store, kindly pick me up a shopping cart.  I will be asleep on my couch until Monday-- I wish.

 

Jalapeno Fudge

Because I took my Sunday nap and then spent the afternoon helping my little girl sew a Betsy Ross flag for a book report, my Super Bowl menu is super lacking.  So is my enthusiasm for this game, so I guess that fits.
I decided to be somewhat American though, so I whipped up some Jalapeno Fudge.  My mom made something similar when I was a kid.  We called it Jalapeno Cheese squares, but fudge sounds more decadent and these babies are rich.
Let's dive in.
Today, I had 2 assistant chefs!   So nice to have helpers in the kitchen.  They scatter like cockroaches in the light when I ask them to help clean up the mess though.  They are my children, no doubt.

So, here are the ingredients---
1 pound Monterrey Jack cheese
1 pound cheddar
1/2 cup chopped jalapenos
1 can chopped green chiles
2 eggs
1 cup flour
12 oz. evaporated milk
Food processor or cheese grater
9 x 13 pan

See the Dr. Pepper?  That is crucial.
That is for you.  Grab one and have a drink before you get started.  You won't be sorry.
Ok, now,   jalapenos.  I used some hot jalapenos and some Buc-ees Candied Jalapenos.  They are sweet, but not so spicy.



So, some of you are probably wondering, what is Buc-ees?  Well,
it is a convenience store with Buc-ee the Beaver as its logo and mascot.  It is on I-45 in Madisonville, Texas. There are others, but this is the only one I have traveled by.   There are billboards counting down the miles to it all the way down 45.   It is not quite like the billboard campaign announcing South of the Border on I-95, but they took their cues from that.  Buc-ees has all kinds of canned goodies, the most extensive soda and icee fountains I have ever seen.  And get this, clean bathrooms with no waiting.  There are about 50 seats in the ladies room.  They have real doors on them and they have hand sanitizer inside each and every stall.  They have an employee who works exclusively in the restroom to keep it up to their standards of cleanliness.  My uncle once said, "Buc-ees, it is a convenience store. I don't get it."  He is no longer in the stage of life of taking young children to public restrooms.  He doesn't get it.  And there I do again.  I have sunk to a new low with this aside...toilet talk in the middle of a recipe.  Sorry about that.

This is a close up of the jalapenos from Buc-ees.  They are a little bit darker in color than the regular jalapenos.

Chop, chop, chop.  

Next, get out your cheese and drop it in the food processor.  It will take you approximately 18 seconds to grate 2 pounds of cheese.  It is a beautiful thing.   

While you grate away, have your fearless assistants mix 2 eggs, 1 cup flour and 12 ounces of evaporated milk. This too will take about 18 seconds.  Mix your cheese, chiles, and jalapenos in the 9 x 13.  I didn't grease mine. Why you ask??  2 pounds of cheese have plenty of lubrication on their own.  I don't think these are going to stick to anything, except arteries.  

Now, dump the liquid over the top of all that cheese.  

Bake at 350 for 40 minutes.  

While they bake, if you are lucky, your daughter will decide to make chicken quesadillas for the whole family and you won't have to make dinner.  

When it is done, it looks like this. 

These are very rich.  Where I could eat the whole pan of Butterscotch Bars, I can only eat one or two of these.  My husband gave them a thumbs down.  He said it is nothing but cheese casserole and he is very anti-casserole.  Oh well, in life and Super Bowl, sometimes you win, sometimes you lose.  I am sure I have some cheese loving friends who will help me out with this. 

Butterscotch Bars

I love butterscotch.  It reminds me of my grandmother who always had a sprite or a ginger ale and a hard butterscotch candy.  I wasn't as in love with butterscotch as a kid, but now I can't get enough .
When I saw this recipe, on, wait for it, Pinterest, I had to have it.  I am going to attempt to slap some HTML code in below and take you right to the pin.  Ok, here goes nothing....

Source: yummyluv.blogspot.com via Katy on Pinterest

Holy Cow!  It worked!
This recipe came from another blog Yummyluv and is called Back in the Doghouse Butterscotch Bars.

So, today after he whined on the floor about having nothing to do, I took my little man into in the kitchen and made some of these.  Below is my attempt to be Pioneer Woman and document my cooking process.

First I gathered my ingredients.  I planned on making a double batch of these in a 9x13 pan.  When I went to my drawer of chips, I discovered one bag of butterscotch chips---empty.  Suspiciously, I asked my son, have you and your sister been sneaking butterscotch chips?  With a very big smile, he answered back, in the spirit of true brotherly love, "IT WAS HER IDEA!"   But what do you do when the Butterscotch Bandit looks like this???

I hug him every chance I get, that is what I do.

So, back to the recipe.  Here are my ingredients........

This is my new flour box.  It holds 10 pounds of flour.  It is made by Snapware.  The lid, as the brand implies, snaps right on.  The handle makes it easy to carry the flour back and forth to the pantry.  It came as part of a set of 3 at Costco.  Good deal!  

Now, here we go with the recipe.  I promise.  No more interruptions.  

2 large eggs
1/2 cup oil
1 1/4 cups firmly packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups butterscotch chips, divided

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a 9x9 pan with cooking spray.  I used a 9x7 because somehow I don't have a 9x9 anymore.   We did this.
Then we mixed the eggs, oil, vanilla and sugar.  After that, we added the dry ingredients.  And after that, we added 1 cup of the butterscotch chips.  The Butterscotch Bandit is a great helper.  He, like his sister, thinks he has to climb onto the counter to accomplish a task.  Whatever works little man.

Next, we put it in the pan and put it in the oven for 35 minutes.  Tick-tock-tick-tock.  Just enough time to play a game of Qwirkle.

When you take them out, put on the remaining half cup of chips. Or, you can be like me and dump the rest of the bag on top or else, the little people will eat them right out of the bag.  

Sweet mercy!  I just had one.  Gooey, Butterscotchy, Goodness.   The Bandit agrees, it is a keeper!

I am still a rookie at this blog business, so I have to figure out a way to put in a fancy printable recipe.  I am not there yet.
Here is the whole recipe......and one more big thanks to yummy luv!


Butterscotch Bars
Ingredients

2 large eggs
1/2 cup oil
1 1/4 cups firmly packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups butterscotch chips, divided

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x9 pan.  
Combine eggs, oil, sugar and vanilla in medium bowl. Stir until smooth. Add flour, baking powder and salt. Stir. Fold in 1 cup butterscotch chips.
Put batter in pan and bake for 35-40 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining butterscotch chips; let cool before cutting.

Cinnamon Roll Waffles

I was on Pinterest the other day and saw this great idea.  Pinterest; great idea; shocking isn't it?  While genius, the idea wasn't too brain busting, so I filed it away upstairs.  This morning, I put it to work for breakfast.  

First, get out your waffle maker and plug it in.   

Next, you open a can of Pillsbury Cinnamon Rolls.  

Wheew, that was pretty difficult.    If necessary, take a moment to wipe the sweat from your brow.  

Now, you stick one cinnamon roll in the hot waffle maker.  I turned mine a little lower than I do for waffles.  If your waffle maker is larger, go for multiples!  

Close that lid and about 60 seconds later, you have a cooked cinnamon roll waffle.  Let your kids add the frosting and it looks like this.....

The waffles get a little crisp on the outside, but still have the soft cinnamon roll feel on the inside.  It did make my waffle iron a little messy, it was not difficult to clean.  

This is a little more sweet than our usual school day breakfast, but we added some cantaloupe and sausage and everyone loved it.  

If you will excuse me now, I need to spend some time pondering some of life's big questions.  First and foremost, what else can I make into an adorable little waffle?