Posts Tagged food

I love Packages in the Mail

Aren’t packages in the mail like *totally* exciting!!

Even if you know what they are, they’re still super exciting to receive.

Even my 4 year old spied the package and asked me all wide-eyed, “Is that for ME mommy?” to which I responded by throwing back my head, cackling like an old hag, hugging it closer to my chest and said, “NO, it’s MINE, ALL MINE.”

Then I did a Jim Carrey (as Ace Ventura) type run to the bedroom with it so I could open it without the kids getting their hands on it.

Want to see what I got?

amazonpackage

So you can see where it was ordered from, and made it’s way all the way here to sunny SA (not so sunny yesterday I might add).

Trust the Yanks to have a super easy way to open a package. My bread knife that I’d taken with me for the purpose of hacking open the box was rendered totally useless…sometimes I’m so third world, I annoy myself.

easy tab

The 4 year old, was all like, “Mommy! Mommy! Mommy! What is it Mommy? Let me help you Mommy!!?? Is it from Farmer Crimsus?!?” (Note to self, do not be tempted to dispel the Father Christmas myth just yet, no matter how much the continuing talk about Christmas is annoying you right now).

packagebeingopenedMy mother, who had brought over the mail (we share a PO Box), walked into the room at this point, and said, “Honestly! Why are you taking photos of opening a box?”

So I said, “For my blog.” (She is vaguely aware of the fact that I have a website, but let’s just say she takes the word ‘technophobe’ to the extreme, she nearly had a full blown panic attack when I banned her from using Internet Explorer and installed Firefox instead. Of course the next time she opened the browser she didn’t even realise it wasn’t the same…)

So she gives a sort of dismissive snort, as if *anyone* would be interested in reading about my little parcel in the mail.  Feel free to assure me that you’re on the edge of your seats right about now okay?

I won’t keep you in suspense for ever… buwhahahahaha.

Sorry, the childishness, it’s a disease. 

I can see the head!

i can see the headYes, I’m drawing parallels between childbirth and opening Ree Drummonds cook book from it’s packaging.

But in all the good ways!

Because soon the inconvenience of ripping it from the box will be forgotten and soon I will be gazing into it’s many colourful pages and just enjoying it.

bookcover of the pioneer woman cooks

Aaaah, there is she is!

Now I just have to hide the book until I’m ready to unleash it’s culinary magnificence, because other wise the husband is going to expect some kind of fancy dinner tonight.

First I need to hit up the shops for some supplies, and butter.

Yes definitely more butter.

As a seasoned PW cooks recipe reader, I know that I am going to need that.

Thanks to her I already have about 6 different kinds of vinegar in my store cupboard. Basic necessities like bread and milk are like hens teeth around here, but Rice Vinegar, I have you covered!

Maybe I’ll just take a quick peek…

marlboro man

Ree wasn’t kidding when she said that this was more than a cook book. I can actually sit down with this and see a whole lot more stuff about her life and on their ranch.

Stuff that we don’t see on her website.

This is a cook book that I will put on the nightstand and read when I get into bed tonight, and enjoy the photographs, drool over the dishes and if I’m feeling at all inspired (which I know I will be) I’ll be planning some menus for the coming week.

Now I just need to find some cattle to wrangle, to work off all that butter.

Hey, if you want a copy, they’re still priced really well, and these photos are proof that they can make it through the SA Postal service unharmed! Go and get your copy of The Pioneer Woman Cooks here.

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Happy Me

I just had a small “Twilight Zone” moment.

I was standing in the kitchen preparing a marinade for the beef we’re having tonight for dinner, when I picked up my blackberry to read an email that just pinged in.

It was one of those ’so-and-so’ is now following you on twitter emails. The weird thing about it – or at least the ‘Twilight Zone’ moment came about because I realized that the person who was now following me (Jaden from Steamy Kitchen) was none other than the author of the book Steamy Kitchen - whose recipe I was using for the marinade. A recipe that I actually picked up via the Pioneer Woman, when she made it and published it on her blog (with Steamy Kitchen’s permission of course). For the foodies among you, I’m talking about the Beef with Broccoli. It’s insanely awesome. Jaden also has a cook book out, take a look here if you’re interested.

It just *really* struck my how much blogging, and bloggers have become a part of my life, and this has been an amazingly good thing.

I think my husband would agree that the entry of The Pioneer Woman’s recipes into his world has only been a good thing too. He’s practically swinging from the light fixture with happiness about the extension of my repetoire. His waistline does tend to argue this point, and whenever he requests that blasted fried chicken recipe, I try not to be too quick to point out that unless he’s about to go and saddle a horse and spend 8 hours either riding the range, castrating calves or being engaged in other waist reducing pursuits, then I probably shouldn’t make the chicken dish. Yet Again.

I hear a joyful clucking arise from the nearby poultry farm (or was that just my stomach?).

Anyhoo, apologies for my longer than normal absence. I’ve been engrossed (first in Eclipse ) and now currently in Breaking Dawn , and I swear if anyone puts spoilers in the comments box, I am just telling you now…I know where you blog

Reading the book, and dealing with the amount of work that I have (forgetting for just a moment the two little male darlings of my life who currently require much fetching and taking, and tending and feeding) at the moment must be something akin to Bella’s bloodlust. Seriously. I mean hello – that freaking book calls to me while I’m busy getting on with things like work, eating, bathing, and yes I consider taking it to the loo just to get some alone time.

TV is a *thing of the past* I tell you. The ONLY TV that I am currently watching is Greys Anatomy on a Monday night at 19h30. That is IT.

Things are going so well right now work wise, I have a steady stream of work that is keeping me happily occupied (I’m definitely doing the right thing for me, I mean how many people get *excited* to sit down at the computer and work???) the only down side of course being that working keeps me from reading the rest of the book. But I’m being a good girl and getting it all done to the best of my ability. In a way I am glad that I am dragging it out just a little for myself.  I usually don’t read books, so much as devour them, and since I read really quickly (Eclipse took me a little under 24 hrs – WITH all of lifes interruptions) I really am trying to enjoy every last detail of this story.

Anyway since I promised to take some photos (I didn’t take nearly as many as I should have) of the last few days food exploits I’ll leave you with a photo of Bakerella’s Fast Food Cupcakes, mine aren’t nearly as elegant perfect as hers, but dayam they are delicious!  I should also point out that putting cupcakes in this format, completely threw my boys for a loop. They are both refusing to touch them…leaving all the more to the hubby and me. (This is a bad thing, but it’s also a good thing :)

cupcakes

I forgot to add – that bakerella used buttercream icing as her ‘cheese’ but I have used fondant. For those of you who are confused – this is a vanilla cupcake, with a brownie as the ‘patty’ with buttercream lettuce and tomato, and yellow fondant icing as the cheese. It’s very, very naughty.

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She’s Just a Devil Woman

So go the words of Cliff Richards song!

Has Ness gone off the deep end? No.

Did Ness succumb to certain cravings and make Bakerellas’, ridiculously delicious chocolate and nut coated peanut butter cookies today?

Should Ness rather have been studying up on weight loss supplement reviews? Yes.

Has Ness sworn off ever visiting dear sweet (evil!) Bakerellas’ website again? No. Why? Because she is so evil that her tempting delicious recipes keep *calling* to me. Plus this one only required like 5 ingredients, total. *MY* kind of recipe!

Eeeeat me! Cute and perfect cake balls. Chocolate mint truffle oreo thingys. Thank goodness we don’t get chocolate mint truffle oreos here, because, well just because. I have enough temptation to deal with.

*Smacks head*…and I’ve just remembered that the Pioneer Woman’s cook book (and HER evil butter laden recipes) arrive in the next two weeks some.

I’m sorry backside, but you’re done for.

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Yum.

Totally did something yesterday that I have not done in years.

Well, okay, months.

The smell of popcorn in my home. I-love-it! I get that fluttery excited feeling, like I’m going to the movies.

Speaking of which, I really can’t wait to see Avatar again. Seriously.

Anyway back to the popcorn…

Bet you’re wanting some right about now hey? It’s just so snacky and more-ish.  I’ve heard that the benefits of a high fiber diet really are really great alongside some anti aging vitamins as a way to combat the dreaded wrinkles.

Then again, all the sleep deprivation probably reverses those benefits, but if they cancel one another out, then great!

Kind of like the logic behind the diet coke and a chocolate theory.

So it probably doesn’t help that yesterday I succumbed to a naughty habit that I picked up when working in the US…

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If You Need Chocolate…

I made some rocky road the day before yesterday.

I saw what I had made. And it was good. I  liked it so much, I posted it to Tasty Kitchen, the recipe/social network that the Pioneer Woman developed.  I just saw this morning that it was approved, so that link will take you right to the recipe.

It ranks right up there with PMS Pie. So if you need a chocolate fix, and want something that is flop proof, then head on over and check it out. Please rate it too, if you make it, and like it. It involves dark chocolate, biscuits (cookies), mini marshmallows and a whole lotta YUMMINESS!!

I managed to only eat about 3/4 of it (that is shared with Skippy – who is home with bronchitis this week). Before FORCING myself to leave the remaining quarter for the hubby.

He came home, and asked to try a piece with a cup of tea (sometimes he’s such a dork it scares me), but within seconds he inhaled the remaining quarter, and I was left with a raging chocolate craving (yes even after eating 3/4s of it), and nothing to fill it. Naturally, I now need to think about weight loss supplements because I’m supposed to be having some check up for our life insurance policy which happens every three years.  Hmm, anybody know a way to shed say 20kg in er 48 hrs?

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