Using keys to gouge expletives onto another's vehicle is a sign of trust and friendship.

So remember that time I cleaned out some of my hoard and gave stuff away? Well there was one thing I saved until now, so some of you shall be getting something in the mail quite soon... With that in mind, if you would like to join my address book, you can send me your info (anonymously, if you like), and thus be included whenever I send out random things like Christmas cards or other little goodies. If you join in the next couple of days, you'll get something over the next week or so! ;)


Here's a fun recipe that I saw one day watching some cooking show on PBS:
Lemon Cupcakes with Lemon Glaze Icing


You will need:
- Muffin pans
- 1 stick of butter, softened
- 1/2 cup plain low-fat yogurt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 or 3 lemons
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 1/2 cups flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- about 1 1/2 cups confectioners sugar


To make:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour the muffin pan(s)--depending on how big you want the cupcakes, you can use a tin for 6 giant ones, or (what I prefer) a tin for 12 smaller ones, plus I usually end up with enough to fill another tin of 6 cupcakes. I also use cupcake cups instead of greasing the pan because it's easier than risking all the cupcakes getting stuck to the pan, but you don't have to use them. 


- In a large mixing bowl, combine the sugar and butter. Add the eggs one at a time, blending the first one in before adding the second one. 


- In a smaller bowl, mix together the yogurt, vanilla, and the zest and juice of one lemon. 

- In another smaller bowl, combine the flour with the baking powder and salt.

- Add a little bit of the flour mixture to the butter and sugar and mix it in well. Then add a little of the yogurt/lemon mixture and mix it well, and then keep alternating adding a little at a time until everything is combined. 

- Using a small spoon, put the batter into the muffin tins and bake in the oven for about 20 minutes (a little longer if you make larger cupcakes), or until a toothpick stuck in the middle of one of the cupcakes comes out clean. Let the cupcakes cool in the tins for about 10-15 minutes, and then let them cool completely on a baking rack. If you used paper cupcake cups, take those off all the cupcakes. When they're completely cooled down, move on to the icing...


- In a small bowl, stir the confectioners sugar with the juice from 2 or 3 lemons. You want the icing to be pretty runny, so use as much lemon juice as you need to make sure it's properly drippy. 

- Then drizzle the icing over the cupcakes. Delish!

I stole that photo from PBS because my camera ate my photo of the final product...

If you make smaller cupcakes like I do, it usually yields about 18 of them, which makes each cupcake with the lemon glaze about 160 - 170 calories. 


♥

Someone call the ambulance; there's gonna be an accident......

My mother used to work with this guy named Vinnie. I have only vague memories of him, as I was only four years old at the time. She worked with Vinnie at a printing company in Carlstadt, and I remember him having dark eyes and dark hair, and wearing nice suits, but I don't remember if he was handsome or not, or how I even gauged handsome at the age of four.

On weekends, Mum often had lots of friends over on Friday or Saturday nights, or she would meet those same friends for dinner and some drinks at Il Villagio (it wasn't that fancy back then...). Some of my earliest memories are of Il Villagio--in particular memories of falling asleep in the booth after my dinner of noodles with butter (which wasn't even on the menu, but they made it anyway because it was among the only 4 things I would eat in general {plain pasta, potatoes in any form, chicken nuggets, and chocolate}). I have vivid memories of laying down in the booth while Mum and her friends ate and drank, and of being showered with salt (Mum uses a TON of salt).

I was in love with Vinnie. I was actually convinced that we were getting married, and I told him so one weekend when Mum had him and a bunch of other friends over for barbequed steak and drinks. The adults present, of course, just laughed because they probably thought it was cute--how adorable, this kind of odd and sullen-faced little girl wants to marry handsome (let's just say he was) 30-something Vinnie from accounts payable.

I did not find this funny in the slightest. I fully intended to marry Vinnie. But Mum sent me off to bed and made me say goodnight to him, and I recall feeling kind of pissed off that no one had taken me seriously.

That was the second time I tried to run away.

Vinnie had a silver sports car. I knew which one it was because he had shown it to Mum and me when he arrived that evening. So I packed some essentials into my Care Bears backpack after Mum had sent me up to bed, and then crept downstairs, out the front door, and found Vinnie's car in the driveway. Lucky for me, he had left his silver sports car unlocked.

I presume I fell asleep in the backseat, because my memory goes blank there. The next thing I recall is coming home (with Vinnie) to my mother and not understanding why she was mad at me when she was the one who ruined my wedding.

'Tis interesting what a child's mind remembers. 

Recipe time!

I came up with this all by myself--a tasty and slightly healthier version of French fries. I have successfully served this to children without telling them that it contains Strange Vegetables, and they all liked it. 'Tis also very easy to make.

You will need:

- Parsnips

- Olive oil

- Salt and Pepper

- Rosemary, sage, thyme, and oregano

To prepare:

- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. I usually do these in the toaster oven, but you can do them in the regular oven as well. I line the baking pan with foil, because it makes for easier cleaning, and grease it with just a tiny bit of the olive oil rubbed on the foil.

- Cut up the parsnips into French fry shapes. I make them just about the size of Wendy's French fries, but you can really make them whatever size you want--just make sure you adjust the cooking time.

- Dump all the cut up parsnips in a mixing bowl. Add enough olive oil to coat them evenly, but not too much oil or they end up too greasy (last time I made this, I used about 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil for 6 smallish-medium parsnips). Then sprinkle on some rosemary, thyme, and sage to your taste. And add a pinch of oregano (I'm not crazy about lots of oregano, so I only use a tiny pinch, but you can really use as much as you want). Mix it up together so the parsnips are evenly coated with the herbs. Add some salt and pepper as well.

- I prep the baking pan by throwing in a tiny bit of whipped butter (after coating the foil very lightly with the oil), and then sticking the pan in the oven for a couple minutes just until the butter melts, but you don't have to use the butter. I just think it adds a bit of a nicer flavour to the parsnips.

- Then dump the parsnips into the pan, and try to spread them out evenly. Cook about 30 minutes (less if your French fries are smaller, longer if they're larger).

Delicious!

♥