Category Archives: Cooking

I’ll take Comfort and Joy, please!

Posted by Cari in Babies, Cooking, DIY, Life, Marriage, Thoughts and tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

 

Happy friggin’ Holidays!  Joyous Kwanzaa, Happy Hanukkah, Merry Christmas, etc. etc!  I’ll say them all to cover everyone I can think of. The made up war on Christmas has not dampened my Christmas spirit.  I have been super duper down in the dumps lately.  If you want to know why, read Trying Out the Roller Coaster to get the gist.  It’s intense, but it chronicles the ridiculous pattern that is my life on a daily basis.  Not much goes my way these days but this holiday season?  Oh, I’m taking back my holiday comfort and joy! Continue reading →

Year in Review

Posted by Cari in Concierge, Cooking, Crock Pottery, Disney, Life, Marriage, Thoughts and tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

2015. Holy shit. How did we all get here? Pardon me for sounding cliché but didn’t it feel like this year just flew by? It seems like yesterday I adopted this mantra to just Keep Calm and write a blog about my life. Continue reading →

Epic Weekend Fail

Posted by Cari in Cooking, Life, Macarons and tagged with , , , , ,

A quick update, folks!

I was determined to spend my weekend being productive, playing around with some new music and baking. Yes I’m having a cookie swap and I make tons of cookies for friends and family alike.  And they are tasty.  I can always make a delicious cookie. I am a great baker and chef alike.  BUT this weekend was a major setback by way of French Macarons.  4 batches, folks.  I quit.

 

1st Batch: Gorgeous and even had feet!  I tried to peel them off the sheet to no avail. Undercooked.

2nd Batch: No feet and sticky. Maybe not enough rest time?

3rd Batch: Awful.  Flat.  Undercooked. I added lemon juice and i think that killed them.

4th Batch: Tasty as regular cookies but didn’t have feet.  Definitely overwhipped my egg whites.

 

The good news is that I’m identifying the issues.  Bad news?  I’m losing confidence and want to quit this!  LOL!  I made a promise to myself I would master them. I gotta do it even though there are much bigger tragedies than French Macarons.  More good news is that I made Hubs peanut butter chip cookies and he has eaten almost all of them already.  I also made and froze thumbprints that were quite tasty.  All in due time. Finish what you start and focus in.  Keep on keeping on.

 

Crock Pottery: Part 2 (and 3!) →

Hello crock potters! Pot Crockers? Crock Pottery works best, I think! Thoughts?

So, in my first blog on Crock Pottering, I tackled my first big cook of freezer meals.  I used a lot of Six Sisters  recipes and they came out great.  They really do an awesome job putting together wholesome and also delicious meals.  We made their Cilantro Lime Chicken with Black Beans and Corn, Black Bean Taco Soup, Hearty Beef Stew, and then I combined recipes for Pulled Pork Carnitas and Teriyaki Chicken from several different sources.  That is right, we!  Hubs and I did this as a team effort.  He chops and I assemble. I also cook all the stuff that needs a little warming before it’s off to freezer land.  Great outcome, bonding time, and healthy meals to boot. Continue reading →