D is For Dora and Her DNA (From Paula Deen's Restaurant)

I love Paula Deen, I truly do and I have gotten used to her licking her fingers after tasting her food. Today, I watched an episode of 'Paula's Best Dishes' called 'From the Ladies with Love'. The food looked especially tasty and my waistline expanded just watching them dig into baked spaghetti and cheese biscuits. I just could not stomach looking at Paula and her chef Dora licking their fingers and snacking while preparing the food. I am used to Paula, but must everyone do this? What really killed me was Dora putting the trifle together. I could see the pudding residue from when ***Dora had licked her fingers as she continued to manipulate the trifle and Paula had already licked her fingers before placing mint on top of finished dish. I wonder if DNA sharing is part of eating at The Lady and Sons.
***correction - Those were Paula's fingers 04-06-11

Menu:
* The Lady and Sons Cheese Biscuits
* Dora's Baked Spaghetti
* Chocolate Trifle

Links to the recipes can be found here: http://bit.ly/g2GQ2c

What is C for? Coffee and Caffeine, of Course!

I will tell you a really embarrassing story. I was recently visiting my mother and had not drank my 2 morning cups of coffee and chicory. Anyone that has ever had coffee like French Market or Cafe Du Monde (my MIL is from New Orleans) knows how different it is from your regular cup of joe. The color is rich and the flavor is mellower. The smell....... Gee, I am craving it right now, just talking about it.



Now, going without my coffee would have been fine had I been close to home, but I was out for hours. On the way back in the late afternoon, I was carrying bags and dealing with the worse headache. Friggin' caffeine withdrawal. I stopped into Paper or Plastik for $3 cup of whatever blend they had, just to get home without collapsing.

I love coffee, but I hate that I cannot function well without it. I am my own worse enemy.

B is For: Beef...Sometimes

I have been on a quest to make beef less of an issue, by adding some vegetarian options to our meals. I was not a big beef eater when until I would visit my doctor. He always commented on my being anemic. Instead of prescribing iron pills or dark, leafy greens, he told me I needed eat more beef.  Overnight, I traded my chicken breasts for steak.

Then came burgers. I dream of different ways to dress a burger. I look up the online menus of food trucks that roam the streets of Los Angeles, just to see what they are slapping on a bun. One episode of "Food Wars" had me at hello. Grill 'Em All battled it out with Baby's Badass Burgers.

Yep, I love beef, but in my mind, I'm all vegetarian.

A is for Anxiety: The Blogging From A to Z April Challenge

So, I joined the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge and my first post will be about 'Anxiety".
I am absolutely panicked that I will be unable to keep up with the challenge. My wish is to blog about food and food stuff all day, but I get sidetracked by the minutia that is my life. I get the kiddies ready and I actually start planning meals in my mind that day. Sometimes I will make two different meals. My kids love pot pies in a white creamy sauce. My husband hates white creamy foods, so there is always some weird adjustment. (He had a mayonnaise incident that has scarred him for life).
I start looking for one recipe and two hours later, I am still searching. This is because everything sounds so delicious. Eventually, I will have rewritten that recipe because I know what will work better with my family. Anyways, I am off in search of a banana pudding recipe that I can tinker with.

Here's to getting rid of all that anxiety about being a proper blogger.
Wish me luck.

Advice from Smitten Kitchen: Why did my cookies spread? | tips

I am taking a cue from Deb at Smitten Kitchen before attempting her recipe for chocolate wafers. I am making ice cream sandwiches and wanted to use something besides the homemade chocolate chip cookies my husband seems to crave every 2 minutes.

Here are her tips: why did my cookies spread? | tips