Alice in Zombieland 

Ok, so I am really into Halloween and it always shows up sooner than I think it is going to.  I’d really like to get a jump on my costume this year so that I’m not scrambling to throw something together last minute.  This year, my roomies and I are going for a Zombified Alice Through the Looking Glass theme. Maggie (best frenemy/roomie/seester from another meester) and her boyfriend Joey are going to be zombie Tweedle Dee and Dum (appropriate), my Boy John is going to be zombie Mad Hatter and my other roomie Aaron is going to be the Walrus.  I was thinking about being either the Cheshire Cat or the White Rabbit but I am sorta suck on the zombification part of the equation.  I was thinking that since they are both animals I could make them roadkill, buuut  I’d like to create a death for my character’s costume that goes along with the story. Hmmm...

                                                         

       I would absolutely appreciate any suggestions or ideas, I am momentarily stuck.  I am thinking if I make a Cheshire Cat costume I’d get a purple body suit and paint pink stripes on it, then fabricate a big bushy tail with various bendy wire and fabric.  I have no idea what I would do for the White Rabbit, maybe I should go ask Grace Slick lol. 

Is it Fall yet??

Fall happens to be my most favorite time of year when it comes to cooking, baking and eating. The chill in the air, the smells from my Grandma’s kitchen used to intoxicate me. Those warm, homey kitchen smells come from my house now!  I have learned a lot about preparing food from my Gram, she at one time worked 40 plus hours a week as a budget analyst for Weber Aircraft and would come home, start the laundry and cook a full course meal for the family.  She was wonder woman I swear! These days I don’t get to do much cooking because of my crazy work/school schedule and I miss it!  I will however be MAKING time to cook/bake once the temperatures drop and I can run the oven without cooking my roomies!

I have been thinking a lot about Thanksgiving lately, seeing as I have so much to be thankful for these days.  I thought this would be a good time to share some of my favorite Thanksgiving recipes and turkey tips!

The Best Stuffing Ever!!!!

Ingredients

• 1 pound mushrooms, rinsed, ends trimmed, and sliced
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 onions (3/4 lb. total), chopped
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• About 2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1 loaf (1 lb.) sourdough bread, cut into 1/2-in. cubes
• 2 jars (6 oz. each) marinated artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
• 1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
• 1 1/2 teaspoons poultry seasoning
• 1 1/2 tablespoons minced fresh rosemary leaves or 3/4 tsp. crumbled dried rosemary
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 large egg

Preparation

• 1. In a 12-in. frying pan over high heat, cook mushrooms, butter, onions, celery, and garlic, stirring often, until vegetables are lightly browned, about 15 minutes. Pour into a large bowl. Add a bit of broth to pan and stir to scrape up browned bits. Add to bowl.
• 2. Pour 2 cups broth into bowl and add bread, artichoke hearts, parmesan, poultry seasoning, and rosemary; mix well. Add salt and pepper to taste. Make a well in stuffing. Add egg and beat with a fork to blend; mix egg with stuffing.
• 3. Preheat oven to 325° to 350° (use temperature turkey requires; see Note below). Spoon stuffing into a shallow 3-qt. (9- by 13-in.) casserole. For moist stuffing, cover with foil; for crusty stuffing, do not cover. Bake until hot (at least 150° in center) or lightly browned, about 50 minutes.
• Make ahead: Up to 1 day ahead, make stuffing, put in casserole, cover, and chill. Allow about 1 hour to bake.
• Note: For turkeys 10-13 lbs., oven/bbq temperature should be 350°; for turkeys 14 lbs. and over, oven/bbq temperature should be 325°.

My Gram’s Persimmon Cookie Recipe

I’ve never shared this, enjoy! I do every year.

Ingredients

·         1 cup Pulp (persimmon)

·         1 egg beaten

·         1 cup sugar

·         1 tsp. Baking soda

·         1 cup nuts (gram uses walnuts, I use pecans)

·         1 cup raisins (or not, if you don’t dig  em)

·         1 cup choc. Chips

·         ½ cup spry (lol Crisco)

·         2 cups flour

·         ½ tsp. Cloves

·         ½ tsp. Cinnamon

·         ½ tsp. Nutmeg

Prep:

Cream (blend with pastry cutter) sugar and spry, add soda in beaten egg. Mix in pulp. Add sifted flour with spices-little at a time.  Mix in nuts, raisins and choc chips. Drop on cookie sheet.

Bake:

350 15-17 minutes

Seasonal, persimmons are available oct-dec         

I will definitely be sharing more recipes as the fall season approaches and I’ll share any new recipes I try that work out well ;) 

Now, for the turkey tips…

Use a turkey bag, it will be the moistest turkey ever!

Use lots and lots of butter, hey its thanksgiving, live a little! Garlic, onion, poultry seasonings (fresh), salt, pepper

Let me Introduce Myself

Let me tell you a little bit about myself, I am  28 years old  and a native of Los Angeles, the San Fernando Valley specifically.  I work for an internet marketing company and I love it!  I am also in school to become a certified addiction counselor. 

I only recently decided that I'd like to start a blog. I generally have a lot to say and I obviously want people to know about it. I am very opinionated, but am also very open to the opinions of others.  I love to debate (not argue) and am interested in feedback. I am new at this so who knows how often I'll be posting initially, I'd just like to get the hang of it!

I mainly talk about food, eating, cooking, baking, buying.  I will be sharing recipes and cooking tips along with reviews from really great restaurants.  I'll share pictures of my eating/cooking adventures as well.  There will be the occasional rant about how rude people are out in public, how much I love my dog, how great my boyfriend is and what episode of True Blood I just watched. 

Overall, I hope to share some ideas, thoughts, and my point of view.