Compilation of Yum

I don’t have a specific recipe to share with you today unless you want to know how to make the ginger tea I lived on Sunday and yesterday. Although I made a few favorites to give the lovely ladies I spent Mother’s Day with I haven’t made anything new or exciting to share.

I have been working on my Here’s how to page where I’ve linked all the recipes that I’ve posted here on the blog.  If you don’t feel like clicking over, here’s the list.

- Accidentally Low Fat Banana Bread
- Acorn Squash
- Apple Cider Caramel Cookies
- Au Gratin Potatoes and Ham
- Berry Terrific Frozen Yogurt
- Chocolate Cupcakes
- Craisin Pistachio Magic Bars
- FABULOUS! Cake
- Garlic Green Beans
- Gotta make them Garlic Knots
- Gluten Free Carrot Cake Cupcakes
- Ham and Egg Cups
- Homemade Whipped Cream
- Kettle Corn
- Key Lime Yogurt
- Mehmere’s Brownies
- Muffin or Breakfast Bread (basic)
- Oreo Treats
- Sausage Pesto Pizza
- Smores Treats
- Stuffed Peppers
- Toaster Oven Pizza
- Waffles with Peanut Butter and Fruit
- Zucchini Chips

Ok so not all of them are recipes, but I’ll keep updating.

The view from there

A few weeks back, Frank and I took the rusty porch swing apart and set up a table in chairs in its place. We knew it wouldn’t be long before the ivy came in and made the setting lovely to use.

Today it felt unbearably hot in the apartment so I went outside for a.few minutes to cool off. Feeling as lousy as I did, it wasn’t a long sit, but it sure was easy on the eyes.

I’ll trade the stomach bug for a head cold

After a lovely visit and lunch with Momma, MommaMaggie and my Fairy G-d mother I came home and laid down achy. At some point, I woke up all barfy. While I haven’t thrown up (sheer willpower!) I spent most of the late afternoon like this

So due to feeling barfy, my usual Sunday post is postponed.

Happy Mother’s Day ladies! Hope I didn’t give you germs.

Frank said…#32

This is part of the Frank said feature. You can see more here.

We were at the dollar store today and Frank was marvelinghorrified by the culinary offerings

I think this video says it all. If you can’t see what the box is, it’s Larry the Cable Guy Triple Cheese Cheeseburger Dinner.

Friday Five – Things I’d like to learn

Yesterday’s Three Word Thursday post from Robbie was such fun! If you didn’t see it, check it out. Also, if you’re doing the BlogLovin thing for when Google Reader goes away, you can add me here. I’m currently looking at other options too and will keep you updated.

I was writing a post about Five things I can teach you, but it sounded rather self important to so I clicked save for another day. Instead, I’d like to tell you about what I’d like to learn to do:

1. Make Baklava and Creme Brulee (Because well, duh.)
2. Play the Guitar (I want to know 4 chords before my brother’s bday in August.)
3. Draw more competently (Working on it! My doodles are coming along.)
4. Stick to a diet/work out regimen to lose (now) 30 lbs and keep it off. (Seriously, it’s mind over matter on this one. I need a little more discipline.)
5. More about you! So tell me something you’d like to learn below.

Three Words Thursday – Unicorn, Tom Selleck, Coffee

A couple of weeks ago, I put out a call for people who wanted to participate in my the Three Word Game. The idea is this, I give them three words, they give me a short story. Simple, right? I had a few people reply right away and I’m excited to share their stories with you!

Please welcome Robbie! I threw some fun words at her and am not disappointed with what she gave back. Fun fact: Robbie introduced Frank and I via her old blog.

When I was young, I used to believe in unicorns.   I would tell my mother that someday I would own a Unicorn who was the color of the rainbow. My mother then replied – stay away from acid, my dear.  Otherwise you may get that colored unicorn you want so badly.

Then, she starred wistfully into space, and shared her dream.  Her dream date the “stache” Tom Selleck.  She dreamed how he would come sweep her off her feet in his brown sexy helicopter and take her to places unknown.  They would pick their own coffee beans and sip coffee all day by the beautiful sea! She would pick crumbs from the small animal he had living under his lip and groom him as the mother monkey does to her young. She dreamed of a kiss from the ‘stache that would tickle her lip and make her giggle. She wouldn’t even mind picking the hair out of her mouth. I could almost hear the Hawaii 5-0 theme in my head while I listened to my mom’s fantasy of picking coffee beans with Tom Selleck and having her lip tickled by his mustache.

As I grew older I realized that I will never have my rainbow unicorn, nor would my mother ever have her helicopter, coffee bean, dream date with Tom Selleck, but the image of my mother riding off into the sunset with Tom Selleck on a rainbow unicorn, is a memory I will cherish forever. My mom and “The Stache” riding off into happiness on a rainbow unicorn, with Tom’s hair blowing in the wind and my mother picking his mustache hair from her tongue, who would have ever thought.

Haha the mental image of Robbie’s mom and Tom on the Unicorn! Too much. Thank you Robbie for playing along!

If you want three words, just let me know and I’ll give you some!

Gluten Free Carrot Cake Cupcakes

If you’re doing the BlogLovin thing I’ll still be here, but Google Reader is going kaput July 1 so people (including myself) are looking into other options.

Now on to the real show!
Daddy-O had a birthday last week and I do birthdays preferably as big as I can get away with. I knew that he wouldn’t want a big to do, but I also know he wouldn’t mind cupcakes. As it turns out Daddy-O’s favorite cake is carrot cake.

Papadukes’s lady friend keeps to a gluten free diet so I had to find a way to make them so that she could eat them too. Oh Gooooooogllllle!

I found this recipe which was good to provide a start to my Gluten Free Carrot Cake Cupcake adventure. I read some reviews and had some other helpful hints from previous GF adventures that I already know and as I can’t leave well enough alone – I made some changes.

Here’s what you need:

GF Carrot Cake

• 1 box (15 oz) Betty Crocker® Gluten Free yellow cake mix
• 2/3 cup water
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 1/2 TSP ground cinnamon
• 1/2 TSP pumpkin pie spice
• 1 1/2 TBSP gluten-free vanilla
• 3 eggs
• 2 cup finely shredded carrots (about half  a small bag of baby carrots)

Cream Cheese Frosting

• 5 oz (half of 8-oz package) cream cheese, softened
• 3 TBSP butter
• 1 TBSP gluten-free vanilla
• 2 to 3 cups powdered sugar (I used closer to 3 for the consistency I wanted)
• 1 TBSP milk

Here’s What You Do:
GF Carrot Cake

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Line 18 cupcake/muffin tins (normal sized)
2. In large bowl, beat cake mix, water, melted butter, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice,  vanilla and eggs on low speed 30 seconds. Beat on medium speed 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Mix in carrots on low speed.
3. Spoon in cupcake/muffin tins. Fill about 2/3 of the way.
4. Bake 18-25 minutes. I start checking in on them at about 15 minutes.
5. They’re done when your tester comes out clean.

Cream Cheese Frosting

1. In large bowl, beat cream cheese, butter, vanilla and milk with electric mixer on low speed until smooth.
2. Gradually beat in powdered sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, until smooth and spreadable. If frosting is too thick, mix in more milk, half a TSP at a time.
3. Spread or pipe over cooled cupcakes. Let Frank lick the spatula. He’ll be thrilled.

How easy peasy is that? And I have it on good authority (outside of my own tastebuds of course) that they were awesome.

I don’t know if you have reason to need to make GF Carrot Cake Cupcakes, but if you do this was a crowd pleaser.

***Betty Crocker® did not sponsor this post. Just happens to be what I used. The GF mixes are available at most grocery stores now.***