Thursday, September 30, 2010

Make This!!

Two Ingredient Pumpkin Cake with Apple Cider Glaze

So easy & surprisingly tasty! I was definitely skeptical when I found this recipe on Noble Pig. But everything I have ever made from Cathy's website has been delicious. I did change a few things. One - as I am on a budget, Martinelli's Apple Cider was out of the question. I used Tree Top. I saved several dollars by doing so. I also used barely 3 T of juice. I didn't want my cake drowning in sauce. I also increased the pumpkin pie spice to 1 1/4 tsp as I like a stronger spice flavor.

For the Cake:
1 Yellow Cake Mix
1 15 ounce can of pumpkin puree

For the Glaze:
1-1/2 cups powdered sugar
3 Tablespoons apple cider
3/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

Empty the contents of the boxed cake mix and pumpkin puree into a large bowl. Using a hand-mixer or stand mixer beat until well incorporated. The batter will be very thick, but will come together nicely.

Pour batter into a greased 9x13 Pyrex.

Bake at 350 degrees for 28 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Do not overbake.

Let cool for 5-10 minutes in the pan, then flip onto a platter.

Make the glaze while you're waiting.

Combine powdered sugar, apple cider and pumpkin pie spice. Glaze should be thick but pourable. Add more sugar or cider if needed. Pour over the cake while still warm. Reserve some to pour over each slice when served.

Serve warm or room temperature.

Friday, September 24, 2010

Make This!!

Deviled quail eggs!
I found the eggs at Uwajimaya. $1.89 for ten eggs.

Finished product. Super tiny (see the penny for reference), cute & tasty.

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Beautiful!

My favorite flowers have always been lime hydrangeas & tulips. I now have to add dahlias to that list. Last week my friend Leslie has the most beautiful bouquet of dahlias I've ever seen. She said that she only paid $5 for the bouquet. I could not believe it. Any store would have charged $50 or more for the same.

Arnita, Annette & I decided to check out Linda's Dahlias for ourselves.

Remy smelling the flowers!

This is only part of the bouquet. I gave some away to a lovely coworker.

How can anyone deny the existence of God with beauty & perfection such as this?
It's stunning!
Go! You won't be disappointed!
Linda's Dahlias
2.5 miles up Washougal River Road (on the right).
Open Daily
$5 for 13 stems

Sunday, September 19, 2010

Dinner Out!

While everyone else in town was at the Camas HS football game Friday night, Omid & I joined his parents for dinner at the new Oliver's restaurant (located in the Camas Hotel). I am so glad we decided to stay in town vs heading into Portland. Everything we ordered was excellent! Say Cheese!

Fari & Mansour

This was hilarious. We were waiting for our appetizers to arrive when each of us received this teeny-tiny deviled quail egg. We all burst out laughing. Apparently, this is a "palate cleanser." I think the next time I have to bring an hor d'oerve to a potluck, I should definitely bring these. Such a cute twist to deviled eggs. :)

Cheese & olive plate.

3 types of bruschetta. Steak & mushroom, pesto/mozzarella/tomato, & crab/arugula. The crab/arugula was the favorie of both Omid and I.

This is a GREAT merlot. I had read an article about the winemakers (both former Cougs!!) in the alumni magazine & thought we should give it a try. I am so glad we did. It's my new favorite!

My dinner. So good!

For dessert, a blue cheese cheesecake with pear-apple compote.

Wow. So good. Slightly sweet & salty. I plan to try and find a recipe to make this at home. This was even better than my steak.

Omid had mini pots du creme. Not my favorite as I am not a fan of chocolate, but Omid pronounced them "delicious."


Go to Oliver's for brunch, lunch or dinner! You won't be disappointed!!

Saturday, September 18, 2010

Cute Cougs!

My new stick family! Go Cougs!
Aren't these adorable?!
We found them at the new Crimson & Gray store in Pullman (the Bookie's rival). This store had a bigger selection & better prices too.

Thursday, September 16, 2010

Go Matty, Go!

Matty is on the Camas XC team this year. The team is off to a great start! Statewide, the girls are ranked 7th & the boys 12th. The goal is for the boys to reach 7th as well. Tuesday was the first home meet. Camas dominated! Run Matty, Run!

Almost to the finish line!

One exhausted boy.

Matty shaved an incredible 6 minutes off his last time at this same course. It was enough for the coach to bump Matty up to the harder race this weekend.

Here are the final team scores— Skyview 21, Heritage 34; Camas 15, Hudson’s Bay 50.
In XC, the lowest score wins. Good job Papermakers!!

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Live on Studio 6!

I had my cooking segment on KOIN Studio 6 this afternoon. Unfortunately, the show was cut short due to a news conference. The usually one hour show was condensed into 20 minutes. I had to bring all my own ingredients. I packed everything in baggies & Tupperware.
Lobby of KOIN Studios

Jeff Gianola & Kelley Day - KOIN News Anchors

Two out of the three KOIN Studio 6 hosts.
The girl on the far left is the current Miss Oregon.

My 7 minutes were bumped down to 5. I had to make most of my cobbler before the segment.

Shooting the teaser before the show. It took 6 takes.

Loads of butter. I want this much butter in my fridge!

GOING LIVE!
Why am I laughing?
Because I got to give a shout out to the WSU Cougs!
Go Cougs!

After the show, Nas & I walked very quietly past the live KOIN news desk. Can you see Jeff & Kelley in there?

If you want a laugh, click on the link below to watch my 5 minutes of fame. Listen carefully, because I was talking a mile a minute! I did have an embarrassing moment: The host asked me what ingredients were in the white chocolate crunch. My mind went completely blank and I couldn't remember! It was a fun experience and I would do it again. Look for Remy in the future. I did give them a story idea about him and they are 'considering' it. Who knows!

Click here & when the page loads, click the video on the right to see me on tv!

Weekend at WAZZU!

Last Friday, Omid, the kids and I headed East to visit Pullman for the weekend. I had been piggly-wiggly for weeks just thinking about the visit. Windmills! It was neat to see these along I-84.
Just outside of Colfax. Getting close to Pullman!

Funny story about this photo:
Our friends the Kellogg's went with us to Pullman. They left two hours before we did. I bet Ward $5 we would catch up to them on the road & Omid bet Ward another $5 that we would beat them to Pullman. Here's proof that we passed them (in all our horn-honking glory) and stopped to take photos at the "Welcome to Pullman" sign. When I snapped this photo, Lin & the girls were waving, Ward stared straight ahead and raced down the hill.
Ward Kellogg: You owe me $10!!!

Future Cougar!
I have a photo of the kids as toddlers by this Cougar too.
My how they've grown!

Swilly's!
Omid and I had our first date here and came here to celebrate the night we were married.

Omid wanted this BBQ! Just think of the number of ribs he could grill at one time!


We signed our family up for the Future Cougar weekend. We had to be on campus at 9:30. The day included information meetings, tours, and a bbq. We got to tour the newest residence hall at WSU. The first new dorm since 1971.

This note was on one of the doors of the residence hall we toured.

Go Cougs!

WSU has brought back the cannon! Every time WSU makes a touchdown at a home game, the National Guard shoots off the cannon.

Lecture for the Future Cougars

After our Future Cougar day, we met up with the Kellogg's at the game.

Touchdown Cougs!

Look at that score! This was an extremely long 2:13! Thankfully, the Cougs got the miracle they needed and won the game!!!!


Big Fans!

Our two future Cougs!

After the game, we walked over to where the Kellogg's were staying. Lots of RV's and lots of tailgate parties. We walked around and talked with lots of other Cougars. That is the one thing I love about Cougs! We all have that Cougar Connection. We can be complete strangers, but instant friends at the same time. One big Cougar family!

We love our Cougs!

Thursday, September 9, 2010

Love This!


I stole this from my friend Sarah's blog. Thinking I may have to find this in a t-shirt!

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Make This!!

Happy Rosh Hoshanah to my Jewish friends! We aren't Jewish but did think it would be fun to make these for dinner tonight. I am so glad we did - they were excellent (& so easy to make).

Easy as 1-2-3!





This is Nas' second helping. I forgot to snap a photo earlier. They turned out great and I will definitely make them again.

NOTE: Don't be intimidated by all the steps. This recipe is VERY EASY and I had to stop in the middle to drive the XC carpool. It took about an hour and a half from beginning to end (& my kitchen smelled divine).

Kreplach (Yiddish Dumplings)

Makes 2 to 3 dozen dumplings

Ingredients
Dough:
•3 cups all-purpose flour
•2 teaspoons salt
•1 teaspoon baking powder
•1/3 cup vegetable oil
•1 cup warm water
Filling:
•2 tablespoons vegetable oil or rendered chicken fat
•1 small yellow onion, peeled and diced
•1 small red potato, peeled and cut into chunks
•8 ounces cooked chicken (white and dark meat), or other leftover meats if you have them
•1/2 teaspoon salt
•1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
•Up to 1/4 cup chicken broth (if needed)
Instructions
To make dough: Add the flour, salt and baking powder to the bowl of a food processor or mixer, and blend until well-mixed. With the mixer or processor going, drizzle in the oil and water, and mix until smooth. Check the consistency -- it should be very soft and smooth, but not too tacky. Add more water or flour if needed to achieve this consistency. Place the dough in a covered container so it doesn't dry out, and allow it to relax at room temperature for at least 1 hour.

To make filling: Heat the oil (or chicken fat) in a heavy pan over a medium heat. Add the onion and cook until well-caramelized (aka just this side of burnt). This will take about 30 minutes. Turn the heat down if they're cooking too quickly.

While the onions are cooking, toss the potato chunks into a small pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil, and simmer until tender. Drain and set aside.

Place the caramelized onion, boiled potato and chicken in a food processor or meat grinder with a large-holed attachment. Process until everything is broken down into a rough purée. Mash the ground chicken and potatoes and onions together with your hands or a wooden spoon, seasoning to taste with the salt and pepper. Add broth if needed for moistness -- you want a consistency like a moist, spreadable pâté. Too much moisture will cause the filling to sog through the dough, so don't overdo it.

To assemble and cook kreplach, roll relaxed dough 1/8 inch thick on a floured countertop. With a 2-inch round biscuit cutter (or drinking glass), cut out as many circles as you can. Pull up the remaining dough scraps, and again knead into a ball (it's best to do this step now, so that the dough has a chance to relax before being rolled again). With a tiny ice cream scoop, or two spoons, place a scant tablespoon of filling onto each dough circle.

To form, fold the dough around the filling to make a half-circle (you can stretch it a bit as needed to ease the dough over the filling), and press the edges firmly to seal. Take the two corners and bring them together, pressing them between your thumb and forefinger to seal them, creating a tortellini shape.

Place shaped dumpling on a well-floured baking sheet. Roll out remaining dough scraps, and repeat the process.

When the kreplach are all shaped, bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Throw in a dozen or so kreplach. They will sink to the bottom but then float to the top fairly quickly. Once they've all floated to the top, simmer for an additional minute. Remove with a slotted spoon, toss with a bit of vegetable oil, and spread on a baking sheet or plate. Repeat until all kreplach are cooked. If you'd like to freeze them for future use, place them in the freezer until par-frozen, then toss in a container or freezer bag for storage. If you'd like to eat them right away, simply add to hot soup and serve.