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My New Life - Stephanie Nielson

about Daylon, recipes the hard way, really long- but worth it?

So last Saturday was the bake sale for
little Daylon. We were celebrating our grandson's birthday, so we were not able to attend a fund raising event down in Corona. It just breaks my heart seeing this little guy and, having a tiny percentage of an understanding of what his mother must feel, I wanted to do something, so I made cuppi cakes!

This top one is "Hazel's My Girl!" I love me some hazelnuts and Nutella, so it was a natural progression that someday they would wind up in a cup cake. Devil's Food cake, Nutella Mallow (first you take the mallow...) filling, then topped off with hazelnut infused butter cream swirled with chocolate, roll the whole shebang in fresh toasted -then crushed- hazelnuts, and "paint" the top with chocolate. Yup if you love those flavour combos then Hazel's your girl too!

Next up to bat is "Triple Lemon Heaven". Start with Lemon cake infused with real fresh squeezed lemon juice, add fresh grated zest. Top the cup cake with a puddle of lemon curd cream cheese, then top with a huge swirl of lemon juice infused butter cream and sprinkle with more zest. Heaven indeed!

Lastly is "My Crush". A peanut butter cake that scented the house and managed to even waft out to the drive way (driving my neighbor crazy!). Fill with fresh peanut butter cream cheese and top with sweet butter cream. Don't stop there! You're going want to add a crunch to the top by rolling the top in crushed butterfinger bars! Forget the calories, you'll do anything for your crush!




Rachel from LaFujiMama informs me that the run/walk and the bake sale brought in more than they expected, however only about 1/3 of what they anticipate needing if the insurance pulls through and covers the cost by 80%. You can see, that is a mighty big "if". So please please, if you can, go help Daylon! I think together our "if" can be huge! Let's do it!

Rachel has asked me to put up the recipes for the above cup cakes. Hmmm. These (well pretty much anytime I cook/bake) are a add this, toss that kind of thing, so how 'bout an agenda-recipe and ya'al can figure it out, k?

So here we go, ready?

Click on the following links to go to my new recipe section! Or just click on the recipe you want and go directly there!

S'mee Recipe Page
Hazel's My Girl
Triple Lemon Heaven
My Crush

enjoy!

this kind of hurts my heart, please help

Please click this link: FujiMama
Then, if you can, please help.

Earth Day -sort of, and kind of late.

Thor had a business conference in D.C. last week, which meant I got to travel with him, and travel I did! The day we landed we went straight to the hotel and died! Such a long day! The following morning I got up and headed down to Durham to visit The Scholar!

It was an interesting drive to say the least (another post on that experience!). After 4 hours on the road I finally met up with her and we began to visit while she toured me around Duke, and of course, Durham (which is a fascinating place!).

As the day drew on we needed to stop a few places to pick up items we needed and I discovered that back east (at least D.C. and North Carolina) they charge 5 cents per bag they issue after your purchase. It was fun to watch The Scholar pile up her purchases in her arms and carry them out to the car. (Unexpected trip to the store mean she didn't have her bags with her at the time.) Granted they were few and a bag really wasn't that much of a help, but still, I loved it! (My inner hippy chick was so pleased to see that the hippy gene was trickling down the family tree.) Inside I kept thinking about the different bags I had at home, ready to pack away my groceries, I even have several to take with me for traveling...but with certain restrictions put on my suitcase this trip, I left all non essentials at home.

I made that trip from D.C. to Durham and back to D.C. twice! Then I also drove out to Rehoboth Beach (Delaware) so I could see the Atlantic Ocean for the first time. Let's just say, I drove a lot, and every where I drove, they wanted a nickle for a sack! Good for them. I think if CA. charged for a sack we'd all figure out a way to remember to bring all those linen bags we have at home. "Save a fish or kill a tree?" Just bring your own bag.

Well, I decided that I would make a huge, gynormo purse that I could use as both carry on luggage (if need be) and also haul a good grocery bundle or Target run without having to look as if I was using store branded or company logo totes.

I found a piece of Hawaiian print bark cloth (my weakness) for .99! I also found gorgeous green dotted material that grabbed my eyes about two years ago (I have been pining a long time) which was on clearance for $2.00 yd., and lastly some pleather on sale for $3.00. After my $4.50 (total) purchase I went to work without a pattern.

8"wx27"lx16"d with a 40" twisted strap so that I can carry it over my shoulder or over my body - hands free, which is nice if I need my hands for other things. I put in 12 grommets and made a pull string to open and close the top. A small leaf button helps slide the string closed and kept in place or slide open. A few more buttons on the bottom of the strings to keep them from slipping all the way through the top, and I was done.

The result is a huge tote, and I love it. I think it will work out well for me. Large enough to carry a large laptop and probably and additional watermelon! Plus, it's reversible!

View from the Sutter and Powell

For anyone who thinks there isn't much to see on one block in the city...524 photos later.

View from the window

View from the 30th floor

San Francisco

Just a few pics from the Frisco trip last week. Thor had a conference up there and I was able to go along.

First up: Coit Tower - The whole story (click on the link) fascinates me, so I try to grab a shot of it when I can.

The whole city is interesting for a girl who lives in the barren desert! This kind of concrete congestion is mind blowing!

The architecture around the city is gorgeous!

I spent the whole of one day just shooting the block where we were staying. Even into the night I kept photographing. I like the Walgreens shot...looks like the place is up in flames!

More shots over the next few days!

bay city rollin'

Thor and I are off to San Francisco (Francisco! That's fun to say! Francisco. Frannncisco. Franciscooo!) It's been a while since we've been and I'm looking forward to it.

Frisco is weird. It's like your schizophrenic cousin. Too many icons, so many variations, a new personality around every corner that it is difficult to pin down just one description. There are things I love love love about Frisco (the museums, being close to the water, the hip-ness, the hippy-ness, the real China Town, Coit Tower, recognizable film scenes, mass transit...). There are things I just don't get (the guy peeing on a tree in front of the hotel, the hills-Sweet Mary the hills!, it's usually cold, the expense...).

So camera in hand I am off. I hope to grab some lost shots and eat good salad and generally bum out. See ya!

Ribs

I never really liked ribs until a few years back, when after much coaxing from the boys and Thor I was persuaded to try. Before I made them myself, ribs were work! Lots. Of. Work.

The whole cooking process was a mess, then after you cooked them you have to fight to eat them. Even in a restaurant, they always were a struggle. I hated the fact that I had to tear the meat from the bone and then pick it out of my teeth like a barbarian. This was not my idea of relaxing family fare.

Then I ran into a terrific teacher who taught me his professional tricks. It got down to very little:
1. Buy the best ribs you can afford.
2. Trim off the membrane from the underside of the ribs (tough to do, but try to get as much as you can.)
3. Cook them low and slow.

Now beyond that folks decide whether they like dry or wet, hot or sweet, yada vs yada. Me? I use a dry rub, slightly spicy (read, barely this side of hot, but according to The Hygienist they are no where near hot). I place them on parchment, wrap them tightly and bake them 6 (yes SIX) hours at 250 without so much as a peek. They come out deep brown on the outside and fade to a sweet pink to light brown near the bone. I wait to bathe them in a sweet honey barbecue sauce until just before serving. I let it caramelize and then we act like the cave men we are and gobble them down.

The photos do not do them justice! However they do prove that those bones literally fall off clean. No pulling, no struggle, no meat in your teeth. Just perfectly tender juicy caveman fare! I pair them up with fresh cole slaw, slow cooked baked beans, and grilled fresh pineapple. Better grab the napkins!