Ode to Paula Deen.....

This is what I did instead of writing a blog last weekend. Not exactly in that order but that's pretty much what I did.

So, because I really don't want to discuss this picture.....

 

And because Monica told me to via facebook, I'm gonna post my first ever, baked by me (and not a disaster), from scratch Pineapple upside down cake using this recipe. It's from PW's site Tasty Kitchen that I've never used before this cake. Plus I've never made a cake from scratch before, don't get me wrong I've baked tons and tons of cookies but never a cake, I've even made muffins (which are harder to make) from scratch but never a cake. Weird right?

Anyway, last week I bought a jar of cherries. I don't know why I did, other than because I remembered how good they were from when I was little. Then when I got home and opened the jar, they weren't as good as I remembered. So this kind of cake is the only thing that I knew those cherries could be used for. And well here it is.

 

 Sometimes I wish that I could be Paula Deen when I grow up, and spread the joy of butter everywhere. Because butter is good for you, and it's amazing. And when you melt butter with brown sugar you get this...

 

Mmmmm, caramel sauce.....

 

Cherries?

 

More cherries?

 

Oh yeah baby, that's how I like it!

 

Anyway, mix AP flour, almond flour (worth the splurge), baking powder, and salt then transfer it into a bowl and set it aside.

 

Mix eggs, sugar, and of course butter until it looks like this ^

 

Then yogurt, and vanilla and mix again.

 

Then add the flour mix.....

  

Then spread it in the super awesome spring-form pan you bought just for this cake as you think about your spatula.

 
 

And if I just happened for forget my spatula in the pan it would be ok, because it's heatproof up to 450 degrees, sweet right? 

Random thoughts.....

*I meant to post this last night but I forgot to press the post button, sorry!*

http://hippobrigade.com/

 I decided to put up links to blogs that I constantly read, for recipes or just laughs. This is Becky, she lives in CA and just pushed out her 2nd kid. She is abnormally funny and her posting times are irregular but when she does write I almost pee pants. These are two of my fav posts from her:

The Tampon Story

My dog has a stinky asshole

http://www.bakerella.com/

Ok, bakerella is a badass, a baking badass, a decorating baking badass. The nutter butter truffles I made this Christmas are from her site! And this is where I go when I want to get inspiration for baked goods, she posts every Monday. And here's two links of course:

Time for pie

Valentine CAKE

This is my woman, I saved her for last, this is The Pioneer Woman! I found her site over a year ago when I was looking for a good cinnamon roll recipe (boy was it good). I check her site everyday because she updates at least one section of it everyday! She now has a bestselling cookbook and just finished her book tour plus she's been on two episodes of the Bonnie Hunt Show. She also takes you into ranch life and talks about her transition from city girl to country gal. I'm just going to post the recipes I use the most often, but her blog is so much more than just recipes:

Chicken Scallopine

Oven-Roasted Asparagus

surf burgers, a recipe from home........

So my boyfriend Austin has been staying with me for the last week of our winter break, then we'll go back to the whole "see ya next month" routine. I've been eating like a broke college kid for a few months, but now he's here. Austin is the kind of college student who has an overpriced meal plan at his school, and that eats three meals a day (insane right?). So since Ramen and experimental meals don't cut it for him, we've been cookin up a storm! (I promise I'll never say that again).

I made chips first, because you always need chips with your burger. I just bought some HEB flour tortillas (I like flour chips way better than corn) and cut them up. One tortilla = Six chips

I heated the oil and cooked the chips on medium heat because I didn't want things to move too fast so the burgers and chips could finish at about the same time.

For the burgers we had ground chuck and mixed in an egg and some ranch seasoning (yes the powdered ranch you mix with sour cream), about half a packet of ranch powder per pound of meat. Then we busted out the can of re-fried beans (I get Old El Paso Traditional) and added about one tablespoon of butter (it gives the beans a nice smooth texture and adds flavor....mmmmm butter).

As you can tell, one of us prefers dark, near burnt to a crisp chips, and one of us prefers light, flavorful, slightly tender chips. You decide which one you like, no pressure.

To assemble, spread some beans on the bottom end of the bun and then put a layer of Fritos on top of that. I just put Fritos until I can't stick anymore to the beans, but then again I don't buy Fritos, I buy corn chips :b

Then toss the patty onto the "corn chip bun bean bed", add cheese, and top that sucker off with pace medium salsa! We forgot to add onions, but you can do that if you want.

If you live in Corpus you wont have to slave over a hot stove to make this, the Surf Club wont  forget the onions unless you tell them to, but they don't have flour tortilla chips.

its been awhile......

So here's some pictures

My sister Reagan, I don't remember why she was so interested in her finger at the time?

 And my brother Noah, who is inspecting the bottom of his shoe?

I guess they weren't happy being locked in a car with me while Mel was in Sears. But I thought I was being pretty cool and fun singing Christmas carols at the top of my lungs, there goes my "cool-big-sister/cousin" rating. Lame.

Will be posting a recipe later today, I think two postings in one day makes up for lost time? Right?