Words I Like But Never Use

This post brought to you by Words With Friends...


My husband officially has me hooked on the iPhone's app version of Scrabble, (Words With Friends) and I've been battling him unsuccessfully for a few weeks now. This is quite the disappointment; I'm an English teacher after all. He's an engineer, so why is he kicking my butt every game?!?! I will credit the games I've conceded (have to throw in some soccer term. when I can) to my impatient playing style and his ability to see the big picture. Yet I hope each rematch is the equalizer, and I can walk around shame-free again after defeating my linguistic nemesis.

Going toe to toe (or tongue to tongue-- now that sounds racy!) with C. Cowboy has got me thinking about words and paying special attention to broadcasts and texts for words that draw me in but that I never seem to use. Maybe it's the way they sound; maybe it's the way they make me feel. Something about them makes me simply enjoy their existence. Their presence on any type of Scrabble board is highly doubtful, but here they are:

Germaine
Bludgeon
Unmitigated
Intricate
Burgeoning
Indubitable

And I don't want to speak too soon, but I am  ahead in our current match.

Fathers Be Good to Your Daughters

And mine certainly has been. When my Cardinal of Song gave me life, he didn't just stop there, but he helped to put light into that life. He didn't just help me learn how to walk, he taught me how to dance. He didn't simply help me learn words, but he taught me how much more they're worth in song. I strive to achieve because I watch him dream. I seek smiles because I admire his.  I consider myself a tempered female version of his zesty personality, and if you're lucky, I'll play my best Cardinal of Song card. Thanks Dad for all that you are, all that you've taught, and all you have given to me.

Cheers to 7 Years!

On the eve of the birth of our first child--ok, maybe I shouldn't say "eve." The 3, maybe 4, of you reading this blog may think I know something about when this little one is going to arrive. It's not a literal eve I speak of, so perhaps I should use brink, or cusp, or verge. Regardless, our lives are about to open into an entirely new realm with many new adventures. On Sunday (Father's Day and our 7 Year Anniversary),  I was blessed to reflect on the two men in my life who shape me daily and love me for just being me. Here's my first tribute to one of those, just a handful of the magical moments we've shared and a prayer for many more to come!

Why Nest When You Can Banana Split Cake?!?!

Some pregnant women find themselves nesting right before they are about to pop. Seriously, I'm supposed to have this urge to do things like clean under the refrigerator? Luckily, my hormones don't work that way.  Instead, I am delving into the sweet world of baking, and even better, with a no need to turn on that oven in Texas heat recipe.

In my head, if we could lure some Food Network Chefs down to Case de Cajun Cowgirl, they'd surely argue amongst themselves for who gets to present this gem on The Best Thing I Ever Ate.  It's simply a perfect dessert for a backyard BBQ, Father's Day, baby shower, block party, basically anything! Cowboy's Godmother (in LA we call these ladies our Nannies) makes this every Easter and 4th of July, and we might sneak another round if she knows he'll be in town. It's sweet, refreshing, and just yummy! However, if you are dieting, this is not the recipe for you. I have yet tried to "healthify" this sweet treat; why mess with a good thing? It's on the agenda, though, and after taking a look at the ingredients, you'll know why in the depths of my eating conscience it needs at least an attempt. Perhaps I'll test it out on our neighbors this July 4 and have my own personal "throwdown" to see if they notice the difference. That post will come later.

Promise me this: you'll try it in all its delicious, sugary glory before altering. You won't regret it.

Bananas, pineapples, and pecans....see, it's nutritious!

Nanny Tootsie's Banana Split Cake (You can make in a 9x13 pan or two 8x8 or 9x9 pans)

Ingredients (and what you might try substituting if you are lame like that)
1 bag/box Graham Cracker Crumbs
Melted Butter (approximately 1 stick if you use the entire box of Graham Cracker Crumbs)
1 box softened cream cheese (can substitute marscapone)
2 sticks softened butter (no typo there--2 sticks)
1 box powdered sugar (again, no typo--the whole box)
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Bananas (2-3 should work)
Crushed pineapples (drained)
Cool Whip (use lite or fat free)
Chopped pecans (can sub. walnuts)
Maraschino Cherries (halved)
(Optional chocolate sauce to drizzle on top)

**My cooking guess is that instead of blending the cream cheese, butter, and powdered sugar together, you can use some sort of low-fat jello pudding concoction, perhaps even blended with lite cool whip. You'd be crazy not to try it in its original state though...straight jacket crazy.

 Place crumbs in pan(s) and melt 1 stick of butter in microwave.  Next combine to moisten crumbs and press down with a fork (and perhaps clean hands afterward) to create a solid crust. I like to place in freezer while prepping next layer to create a firm foundation.

While crust sets in freezer, combine softened (yes, read recipe ahead and prepare for this) cream cheese, butter, and powdered sugar with a food processor or hand mixer until creamy.

Spread on top of graham crust, making sure not to break crust or ruffle crumbs.

Place in freezer while slicing bananas and draining pineapples. Place sliced bananas across custard layer and drizzle pineapples on top. I tend to use fewer pineapples as they aren't our favorite. Fresh berries would also be a delicious addition.

Finally, carefully spread cool whip on top of fruit and drizzle pecans and cherries as top layer.

I like to put in freezer for 30 minutes to an hour to firmly set everything and then transfer to icebox. Enjoy! (powdered sugar, butter, and all!)

Side note--not only was I in the mood for some culinary fun, but our great friends Kenny and Daphne were coming over for dinner, and we were queued up for some post birthday treats to celebrate Kenny's latest.   Turns out, Kenny doesn't like bananas. :)

He was a great sport though and picked around the bananas, but next time, I'll stick to something chocolaty. Happy Birthday Kenny!

More WC Quotables

 Here we go! U.S game 2 vs. Slovenia. We didn't watch it in real time and have avoided social media all day to avoid finding out the results. Here are a few of the comments that made me chuckle during today's match:

(to be followed by the video of the ridiculous game-changing call that cost the US its 3 pts.)

Every road is a cul-de-sac for the United States right now...

They've been punched in the face again (referring to the US being down early)

Looked a bit cynical to me  (Slovenia foul)

A plot has been hatched (US free kick)

An absolutely ridiculous decision---one of the stupidest decisions I've ever seen  (Findley's yellow card)

Oh my goodness me! 

Huh-huh! Dear oh dear! This is absolutely fascinating now.

US defense must deny the Slovenians the space. They've had the freedom of Ellis Park in the first half. 

This one is really on the knife (to be clarified by those of you at home are surely on the edge of your seats).

Hey Good Lookin', What You Got Cookin'? Why Granola and Sloppy Joes!

Teacher summer in Houston: it's hot (really hot) outside, you've knocked out a couple of library books already, you avoid Target if at all possible to avoid spending money unnecessarily, and it's only 1:00. You've got hours to kill before your husband who works in "the real world" comes home, and you've already taken your daily nap. So while looking at the nifty indoor/outdoor thermometer hanging in your bathroom, you ask yourself, "Self, what is it that you are going to do with the rest of the afternoon?" "Well, Self, it's pushing 100 degrees outside, why not cook? You can heat up the oven and see how close you can get the indoor temp to the outdoor!" 

But seriously, summertime is great for kitchen explorations. Here's what been going on in CC's kitchen.

My first adventure--The Kitchn's Peanut Butter and Honey Granola 

I've been dying to try a granola recipe for a while, and I'm loving all things peanut butter these days. 

First meet your cast of characters:

3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats

2 cups shelled roasted peanuts

1 cup hulled raw pumpkin seeds

1 cup wheat germ

1 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 cup honey

1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar

1 cup natural peanut butter, smooth or chunky

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

2/3 cup vegetable or olive oil

3/4 cup chopped dried dates   

                                 

I decided for this recipe to use some nuts that I already had resting in the pantry, which turned out just fine. The almonds and honey roasted pecans were a pleasant addition. I might have improved my granola version by roasting these peanuts first. 

For a real treat, be sure to use local honey. My mom gave us all a big jar for Christmas, and I've been loving it!

Now that everyone's arrived for the party, let's get started on this super easy breakfast treat. After preheating the oven (which you can wait a few minutes on for this recipe), first combine all of the dry ingredients (minus the dates).

 Next (and this is my favorite part), in a small saucepan combine honey and brown sugar. I actually used the splenda version of brown sugar as again, it was sitting patiently in the pantry and I didn't have to buy more for this culinary adventure. Bring to a simmer while stirring constantly. Then take off heat and stir in peanut butter and vanilla until fully combined and smooth.

Pour over mixture of dry ingredients and stir until fully coated. Mixture will be chunky. 

Pour onto cookie sheet covered with parchment paper (clean-up for this part was a breeze!), and place into your (now) preheated 325 degree oven. 

The Kitchn suggested baking for about 40 minutes, stirring twice while baking. My batch did begin darkening (and some parts burning) at about 35, so just watch it. 

When finished, stir the granola in a large bowl and add dates, which brings me to our next set of pictures. Ingredients called for dried dates--Check!

Take them out and....

they look like little bugs!!

So I chopped them up. Much better! 

 No food porn pics of my little batch of granola in a fancy bowl accessorized by a dollop of yogurt and drizzle of honey, but it's quite tasty. I'm still on a quest to find my favorite homemade recipe. As noted on the original post, "This is definitely a granola that needs milk or yogurt to balance out the richness." I agree. I'm a dry cereal snacker, so I'll continue looking, but munch on handfuls of this one while on the search. Perhaps next time I'll even try my hand when it's cooler out.

Adventure #2--Homemade Sloppy Joes

What typically happens when I have some yearning for childhood favorites (Manwich, box macaroni and cheese (notice use of macaroni not "mac" ), hot dogs, heck, even Mcdonald's chicken nuggets) is that the end product never meets the fantasy I'd built in my brain. However, you throw the word "homemade" in front of one of these, and there's hope, which is just what Pioneer Woman successfully did. 

No need to post play-by-play photos of the process; find it here. Not that we are a big Manwich family. I think we've tried it twice when said childhood memories clouded my better judgment. These tasty sandwiches, though, scored big and will be a new fam. fav. What's also great is that the recipe makes a big batch--plenty for leftovers, freezing, or even re-use in a different dish. 

Again, do check out the full recipe/post here and give it a shot. I did add plenty of Worcestershire sauce, Tobasco, and the tomato paste, which were suggestion options. My finished skillet of happiness:

Fresh Kaiser rolls buttered and waiting to be toasted:

And our yummy dinner sandwich (served with a side of chips of course!)

So it doesn't matter how hot it is outside. Cook it up! Eat it up! Blog it up! Let us know what culinary explorations you've been on lately.

World Cup Quotables

What? You mean you can hear something over the vuvuzela din? You do have to listen carefully, yes, but our lovely British announcer has provided some great web gems:

*When (insert name here) runs into trouble, he finds another cul-de-sac to go down.

*Bradley enjoys that little shimmy...

*It hasn't been the best of times for world cup goalkeepers.

*The coach of North Korea getting some words from president of country via invisible phone link telling him what to do now that they are down one-nill.

* (So and so) apologizing to the referee for his transgression

*It was very "spikey" between Portugal and ----- earlier.

More to come....

Sports Bites

I wouldn't trade my husband for anything. Yes, he's loving, kind, loyal, forgiving, funny, talented, intelligent, Christian, and ultimately generous, but sometimes, what I appreciate most about him is his passion for sports that has gradually seeped its way into my life. I've always played sports and enjoyed sports, but this man takes it to new levels, and therefore I find myself caring about which pick the Houston Rockets get in the NBA lottery and why the SEC might attempt to entice Texas A&M into its elite conference. However, even better are the little unintentional nuggets of entertainment provided by the world of sports. Here's what I'm chewing on this week:


1. Big Baby Davis (LSU alum) not only has the power to dominate the inside but has any uncanny ability to celebrate not only with high fives, fist pumps, and chest bumps, but how about with a little (or a whole slew) of drool?!  Perhaps he's working up to creating his own line of bibs? (Stay tuned to end of clip for beast celebration)



2. I have legitimate interest in Tom Izzo leaving Michigan State for the Cavs. I've become attached to the Sparties through the years thanks to our great "dash of salt" Michigan friends and a husband-induced interest in March Madness.  I'm not a fan of legendary college coaches leaving for the NFL.  Coach K should never leave Duke, Saban should have never tried that whole Miami disaster, and the coach who is the winningest in school history should not leave his home.

3. I was too busy to post at the time but who doesn't love the NFL Draft? This year's draft impressed me particularly in the sincere gratitude of drafted quarterbacks, but also as a way to test out potential names for our child as well as to pick up some new vocabulary. For one, I learned that as a scout, you are looking for linemen with some "potatoes in the sack." This phrase can be sheer motivation at the gym. ladies; you know you don't want to be that girl on the beach with said potatoes in your sack! And those baby names? Baby books have nothing on hearing names read out by the NFL commissioner. Ndamukong? Dez? Tim? Luke? Maukice?

4. Who doesn't need to know the reputation Phillies fans are earning for themselves? First teenagers running on the field earning themselves a nice tasing, and now this:







5. Finally, when about 20 Houston Texans walk into the bar where we are happy-houring, I may not know names, but I know enough to elbow Cajun Cowboy over and over again, going, "Those are football players. Those are Texans. I know it." to which he replies, "Holy #$@, that's Mario Williams" and the proceeds to tell me who the others are.

6. And if that wasn't enough, grown men wiping snot in another man's hair? Stay classy Kobe.



THANKS COWBOY!

Today's Installment of Baking Lessons Learned

1. Always keep paper boxes and cute plastic bags on hand. Homemade baked goods require lots of love and energy, and they deserve a cute presentation. Today I had to make do with ziplocs and a wrapping-paper bag. A semi-fail.
2.There's a reason that Food Network chefs/cooks are on television giving their hints and go-to moves. Listen to them, and if you do feel the need to alter their tactics, be sure you have a confident reason for your plans. You'll see my attempt below.
3. For many recipes there is no need to preheat your oven right at the beginning. by the time you figure the darn thing out, your nicely placed home in southern Texas has been conveniently heated by your oven for an extra 20 minutes or so.
4. To avoid said problem with oven, read the recipe (ingredients and process) ahead of time. You will find out that perhaps you not only need your butter at room temperature, but also your milk and buttermilk. I don't know where you get your milk from, but mine comes cold.
5. (Fine print--this lesson might not apply for all recipes.) While a recipe might call for a state of the art stand mixer with a "paddle" to combine ingredients, many times you can simply get away with your hand-held (yes, but still electric) good ole' my-husband-owned-this-kitchen-mixer-before-we-were-married variety. It worked for this one.

6. When baking, make full preparations for blogging and therefore food photographing before you begin.  View the nugget of visual pleasure below, and you will see that my photos, well, they will just look silly.

After feasting your eyes from the given food porn, (Come on, do you see that cinnamon-sugar dust bouncing off the tops of those muffins?), time to answer what prompted such lessons.  Ladies and gentlemen, make sure you are sitting down for this one. Well, why wouldn't you be? Who reads blogs standing up? Allow me to welcome you to the marriage of doughnuts and muffins! When I first saw CHOW's Doughnut Muffins, I knew they were worth giving a shot to add to my breakfast repertoire.

Here's how I threw these gems down.

Donut Muffins (Yes, that's how we spell them in LA) (Adapted from CHOW Doughnut Muffins)

INGREDIENTS 
For the coating:

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

**Cajun Cowgirl's Note: Although I was short about 15 muffins, I had tons of this heavenly powder left over. After tasting, I also realized I could have been more liberal with my coating as well.

For the muffins:

• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick), melted
• 3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for coating the tin
• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon fine salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg (This stuff is like Christmas morning to the old olfactory system!)
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 cup whole milk, at room temperature
• 2 tablespoons buttermilk, at room temperature
• 10 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 1/4 sticks), at room temperature
• 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature

INSTRUCTIONS

For the coating:

1. Combine sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl; set aside.

For the muffins:

1. Heat the oven to 375°F and arrange a rack in the middle. Lightly brush a 24-well mini muffin tin with some of the melted butter, then coat with flour, tapping out any excess; set aside. This was a fun mess to make. CHOW suggests reserving  remaining melted butter for applying the cinnamon-sugar coating. By the time I was ready for that step, my butter has solidified and I had to remelt, so I might not melt the entire stick next time.

2. In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, and baking soda. In a small bowl, whisk together milk and buttermilk. Set both aside. Sorry, no pictures of my milk and buttermilk combo, but that's not hard to imagine right?

3. The directions next read, "In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat butter and sugar on medium-high speed until light in color and fluffy, about 3 minutes." Stand mixer, schmand mixer. See below. I'd have to argue that my lightness of color and fluff-factor are right on point.

Next, beat in eggs one at a time until combined. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.

 

4. With the mixer set on low speed, beat in a quarter of the  dry ingredients. Then beat in a third of the reserved milk mixture. Continue to alternate until all of the remaining ingredients are incorporated, finishing with the dry ingredients. Avoid over-mixing. 

5. Fill the prepared muffin tin wells just to the rim with batter. Bake until muffins are lightly golden and firm to the touch, about 15 to 20 minutes. Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Remove muffins from the tin and transfer to a wire rack set over a baking sheet. Repeat buttering and flouring of the muffin tin and bake the remaining batter. 

Aren't these cute? Reminds of the mushrooms in Super Mario Brothers!

6. For the final step, coat the muffins by brushing each generously with melted butter and sprinkling generously with cinnamon-sugar. Serve warm or at room temperature. (Did I not notice the word "generously" in there twice? I think mine could have used a bit more cinnamon-sugar love.)

**Note: Here's the picture displaying Lesson #2. 
After watching Giada make Coffee-Glazed Italian Doughnuts for a bridal lunch she was hosting ( I want her to be my friend so bad!), I picked up on her tip of using the wire rack for coating sweet treats so that the excess just drips/falls off the sides. However, what I failed to notice was her baking pan underneath the wire rack. This made for quite a messy counter, and with a cinnamon-sugar concoction being dusted everywhere, quite a messy floor as well.  I thought I was avoiding washing another dish, but instead found myself faced with a disaster of a counter-top and a grainy floor.

While CHOW ventures to claim that the fried bites of heaven that we like to call doughnuts would fall far short in a head-to-head against these muffins, I must add that while these are tasty muffins I'd serve to any guest, they are no doughnuts.  Hardly a comparison, BUT they are tasty, and you should give them a shot!

CHOW's suggested Variation: Jelly Doughnut Muffins
If jelly doughnuts are more your style, allow the muffins to cool and use a small pastry tip to make a hole in the bottom of each. Fill the pastry bag with your favorite jam, jelly, or citrus curd and squeeze some into the muffins.

Cowgirl's suggested Variation: Glaze It Up!
While I'm not sure how I'd make this happen (perhaps take a hint from Giada's Zeppole), these cute treats could use some sort of glaze. You could even vary it up for various seasons. I'm feeling something lemony for spring and perhaps maple-y in the fall.  At the very least, go wild with some vanilla.

And We're Back

After an involuntary hiatus due to the perfect storm of research papers, a bout of pink eye, and the ever-unfortunate food poisoning, Meerkat Monday has returned! ....

Yes, I wrote that about a month ago. We now see why I failed in my original attempts at  Project 365. Since then I've just been, well, preoccupied. But let's catch up with a quick run-through of what the mkats have been up to.

Spending two days home with pink eye was pretty miserable, but there was certainly a silver lining to this cloud. My favorite talk radio show (sorry Smarties--not that NPR business) 1560 The Game (Double Rods), introduced to me by none other than Cajun Cowboy, has produced their own version of the NFL draft--The Seinfeldian Anything Mock Draft--an afternoon of hilarity and tom-foolery that  has shown tremendous growth from its "organic" roots three years ago. Your draft board? Drafter's choice--you can pick ANYTHING!

Check out the first show (I apologize for the offensive the chauvinistic male viewpoint; the show has since improved in content by providing far fewer overtly sexual references and more clever witticisms interjected by a slew of 1560 characters and a growing number of media members and even professional athletes looking to take part in the action.

 So I decided that I'd take advantage of the pink eye situation, grab an icee, and spend the afternoon working on the nursery rug and cracking up with the boys at 1560. Interested? Want to join the secret society? Scroll down to try out the 1st pick and 18th and 19th pick. Listening to the show certainly provides more context, but maybe this will tempt you. 

And I finished that rug! Sorry about the picture quality, but Al seems to love it; hopefully Baby will too!

With the beta fish dead and gone, Al has found other ways to entertain himself, including trying out all of the precious baby gifts we've received from family and friends.

Mommy bought cute Astros onesies. Yes, it's a horrible season, Uncle Drayton has managed to throw together a non-working unit AGAIN, and no, we don't know the gender, but these will work perfect for creating our own little Astros homer.

My mom, creative as she is, made an adorable bouquet for the baby shower in Baton Rouge. Rolled up baby socks and towels as flowers? How clever! Al thought so too!

Originally, Al wasn't too certain about how to approach this item. A lounge chair to sit by the pool with Mom? An Xbox chair to play with Cajun Cowboy? No silly Al--it's to bathe baby in! Guess we'll figure this one out in a few weeks.

We've gotten loads of packages after the baby shower (so glad our LA relatives and friends directly shipped gifts to Houston instead of us lugging them back from LA), and the mkats have loved coming home to see what's on the front porch.  This one contained our diaper bag, an important item to a girl who loves purses. Now I don't purchase many, and they aren't the fancy schmancy ones, but when I do want to buy one, I want the ideal bag and will browse often on this search until I find something that feels right. A diaper bag is simply the purse new moms have for a while, so I wanted it to be a good one, and this bag from JJ Cole is the one I decided on. It can be a shoulder bag or normal two handle bag and even has clips to strap to a stroller. JJ Cole FTW!

On top of everything, we've been doing our share of prepping for Baby Cowboy/girl. Put down the Nicholas Sparks, walk away from those research papers hanging over your head, and head for the riveting world of understanding how best to soothe your baby, get him/her to sleep at night, and figure out what in the world is going on with this whole we're-having-a-child process!

While I've done most of the reading, Cajun Cowboy has busied himself with more manly tasks such a building a crib as well as installing fans in the nursery and guest bedroom. He insisted on taking a picture without an mkat so our kids wouldn't think we are "totally weird." 

But it hasn't been all work. In between items on the to-do list, we celebrated (long-distance and alcohol free for me of course) our sister's 30th birthday. Momma and Poppa Mkat even joined in the festivities.

We also enjoyed dinner at Houston's Rainbow Lodge. Unfortunately, it wasn't a lovely date night, but instead a night shared with engineers from around the city and talk of projects and steel structures did abound. Company was lovely though and the food fantastic. Heading this way? Head over to Rainbow Lodge for some duck and andoille gumbo.

Finally, what does one do with rotten bananas? While you could throw them away and consider your 19 cents a pound fruity treat a goner, instead make banana muffins. There will hopefully be more baking, cooking, and food porn in the next few weeks before Baby arrives, but here's a start. I apologize that there is no pictures of completed project.