Finally Back In Time For The Fair!

Oh, hi.

Remember me? The one who fell off the face of the earth about a month ago?

Sadly I don't have a wonderfully happy excuse for my absence (like others...), but after a long month of lots of work, homeschooling, and the 30 Day Shred (Jillian Michaels is trying to kill me!!), with occasional breaks for the amazing State Fair of Texas, I'm back!

I absolutely love the fair! From giant Ferris wheels, pig races, and car shows, to fried everything, livestock, and butter sculptures, I love everything about it. Even if temperatures are still nearing 90º, the fair always signals the beginning of fall to me.

Big Tex does kind of scare me a little though...

Landon has been asking about the fair since the day it ended last year, so he was extremely excited to go. After tasting all the delicious fried food and sitting in literally almost every car in both automobile buildings, I took him for his first ride on the Texas Star. It's currently the largest Ferris wheel in North America, so I was praying the height didn't scare him too much. I shouldn't have worried though. He loved it. Totally worth the $12 for two revolutions!

Looking down from about halfway up.

We plan on going again this week to see everything we missed the first time. Also, for anyone in the Dallas area, there's a celebrity chef demo in the Creative Arts building Thursday at 11 AM that you don't want to miss! I'll be helping my chef out with it. Hopefully I won't have to speak - public speaking is not my forte, to say the least. Plus those little microphones they have to wear remind me of a cross between a blender salesperson and Britney Spears.

Has anyone out there braved the fried beer? I can't quite stomach the thought of it, but my curiosity is killing me! Maybe this week...

Have a great Sunday everyone!

The Best (And Quickest!) Cinnamon Rolls

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I can't stand it when I have a cinnamon roll craving that I can't satisfy. Normally the craving will strike on a beautiful, lazy morning, but I know that by the time I go through the whole process of mixing, kneading, proofing, rising, and baking, the cinnamon rolls won't be done until after lunch.

Thankfully, Pinterest came to my rescue. I've attempted numerous yeast-free cinnamon rolls in the past, only to be disappointed. Normally they taste like biscuits with cinnamon. Granted, that's not a bad thing, but the texture of the dough was always so off that it never felt like cinnamon rolls. This recipe intrigued me though due to the use of ricotta in the dough, so I decided to give it a go.

And I'm so happy that I did! The dough was not only so quick and easy to put together, but rolling it out was a breeze. The house smelled amazing while they cooked, and we were able to enjoy delicious cinnamon rolls long before lunch time rolled around!

Fastest Cinnamon Rolls

Makes about 8 rolls

Adapted slightly from Don't Forget Delicious

– For the Dough —
3/4 cup part skim ricotta cheese (or cottage cheese)
1/3 cup low fat buttermilk
1/4 cup sugar
2 oz. unsalted butter (1/2 of a stick)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
9 oz. all purpose flour (about 2 cups)
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking soda

– For the Filling —
3/4 oz. unsalted butter (1-1/2 Tablespoons)
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
2-1/2  teaspoons cinnamon

– For the Glaze —
1 cup powdered sugar, or to taste
1 tablespoons skim milk, or more as needed
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 400°F. Grease the sides and bottom of a 8 or 9″ baking pan with cooking spray.
2. Combine the ricotta cheese, buttermilk, sugar, melted butter, and vanilla in food processor and process until smooth, about 10 seconds. Add the flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda and pulse in short bursts just until the dough clumps together (don’t overprocess). The dough will be soft and moist.
3. Dump the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead it with floured hands 4 or 5 times until smooth (it really only takes 4-5 times). With a rolling pin, roll the dough into a 12×15-inch rectangle.
4. Brush the dough with the melted butter, leaving a 1/2-inch border without butter around the edges. In a medium bowl, combine brown sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle the mixture over the buttered area of the dough and press gently into the surface.
5. Starting at a long edge, roll up the dough jelly-roll style. Pinch the seam to seal, and leave the ends open.
6. With a sharp knife, cut the roll into equal pieces (I got 8). Set the pieces, cut side up, in the prepared pan; they should fill the pan and touch slightly, but don’t worry if there are small gaps. 
7. Bake until golden brown and firm to the touch, 20 to 28 minutes. Set the pan on a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes. Run a spatula around the inside edge of the pan to loosen the rolls, and transfer them to a serving plate.
8. In a small bowl, beat the powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla to make a smooth glaze. Add more milk as needed to achieve desired consistency. Spread or drizzle onto warm rolls. Let stand 10 minutes and serve.

Seriously, everyone should try these. They're the perfect dish for a last minute breakfast or brunch. Delicious, quick, and easy - what more could you ask for?

Happy baking!

Pallet Love

I'm slightly obsessed with pallets.

But what's not to love? They're not only awesome looking, they're free! So when I passed by a dumpster and saw a pallet hanging over the edge, I couldn't help myself. Ignoring the weird stares passers-by were giving me, I managed to get it out and cart it home. I tried climbing up the side of the dumpster to rescue a second pallet, but couldn't reach it. The dumpster's gone now and I'm still a little sad about the pallet left behind.

I've been pinning a few ideas for projects using pallets and am so excited to actually have a pallet to use now!

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I'm in love with this hanging shelf, but my pallet is configured differently, so this one's out. For now...

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This bookshelf is amazing, but also out. I'm going to need to find bigger pallets and gain the ability to use power tools before I can pull that one off.

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And we have a winner.

I've finally decided to turn my pallet into a headboard. My poor bed is currently nothing more than a mattress set on a metal bed frame, so this is the perfect solution. The colors of my room are similar to this picture and I love the natural look of the pallet with them. I'm so excited!

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This is definitely a DIY project I can actually accomplish. Now it's simply a matter of waiting for the temperature in the garage to go below 110º so I can start sanding!

So keep your eyes on the dumpsters. You never know what inspiration you might find!

Life Lessons

I've learned a lot of valuable life lessons over the past couple of weeks.

Well, maybe they're not really valuable. And sure, most aren't lessons about life. In reality, it's just a list of random things that have somehow managed to stick in my mind these past couple of weeks, while everything of any importance went flying away.

1. While mincing jalepeños, wear super thick safety goggles. The occasional squirt of jalepeño juice in the eye really burns. (I need some safety goggles by the way)
2. A cleaver is probably not the best way to remove meat from lobster claws. Effective, yes. Messy and potentially dangerous, also a yes! (I had 10 fingers at last count, no worries!)
3. Shrimp should not have heads. (I don't like my food looking at me as I try to eat it.)
4. I'll spare the gory details, but let me just say I can never eat soft-shell crabs. (Ever.)
5. When someone asks you to prep for steak sauce before you leave for the day, say no. It involves peeling and slicing 100 pounds of onions, among other things. (The onions didn't make me want to cry, but the painful blister on my knife finger did!)
6. If while filling up your car, the pump spills gasoline on your hand, leaving you smelling like a gas station, a little garlic and anchovies will get rid of the smell right away! (Of course, then you smell like garlic and anchovies...)
7. People will stare at you when you raid a dumpster for the super cool pallets inside. Just ignore them. (Pallets - Woohoo!)

I've been neglecting blogging - both posting and reading/commenting. Thankfully I'm getting into the swing of work and homeschool, so I'll be back more regularly. Keep an eye out for an upcoming review of some beautiful and "precious" jewelry soon! (That was a really lame hint!)

I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday weekend!

Overwhelmed

The face Landon makes when I tell him to look serious. It really has 

nothing to do with this post, but it makes me laugh, so here ya go!

I've been missing in action lately. Between preparing for homeschooling to start up again and getting ready to start working again, things have been busy.

I'm excited to start teaching Landon this year! I've been having fun on Pinterest, looking at all the wonderful ideas for classrooms and activities. Of course, Pinterest does have the ability to make me yearn for things I have absolutely no need for. Like do I really need to make a milk crate into a cute little seat/storage area for my one child who already has an area to work at? No. But do I still have a strong desire to make 10 of them and arrange them around a little table? Definitely!

He has five weeks left of Kindergarten before we move onto first grade. I started homeschooling while he was still four. Unfortunately, that seemed to be too early for him. It's a challenge to get a four-year-old boy to sit still for structured school time, and it backfired a little, leaving us with a very long summer vacation. But now he's really eager to start and has been asking for a few weeks now when school begins. Hopefully this attempt will go more smoothly than the last one.

I'm starting work again soon. I take part-time to a whole new level. I started working again over a year ago for one day a week. The chef at the steakhouse I worked at before having Landon is a wonderful, understanding person to work for. He welcomed me back, knowing I would only work that one day, just to give me time back in the kitchen. I loved being back, but Landon hated it. After a few months, I ended up quitting. Landon's been a lot better now about being separated from me, so I'm giving work another shot. I'll be working Thursdays and Fridays during the day.

I happen to be starting during Restaurant Week. Every time I say those words, I start hearing the theme from "Jaws." It's basically a three-course, $35 meal that benefits The North Texas Food Bank. It's for a good cause, but that doesn't change the fact that it's insanely busy and crazy. But better to jump in, right?

As for the title of my post, I'm starting to feel overwhelmed. I'm not sure how I'm going to balance homeschool, work, and everything else that needs to be done, without sacrificing my performance in any of those areas. I have a feeling I'll be having school with Landon on Saturdays just to make everything fit in. The thing I worry about most is messing up. I don't want to be a bad teacher who's not prepared because I'm tired from work. I don't want to be at work, making mistakes because my mind is on lesson plans for the next day of school. So for now, I'm just praying that everything will end up working out and not being as crazy as I fear it's going to be!

Wish me luck next week. I have a feeling I'm going to need it.

LGRAB Summer Games 2011 - Test Ride a Different Bike

It's time for my last entry of the LGRAB Summer Games! Actually, it's only my last official entry. I still plan on trying other events on the list, they just won't be included in my entries. I can't wait to start using my bike for trips to stores - I'm just waiting until the thermometer no longer reaches 110º!

Event #4: Test Ride a Different Type of Bike

I should start by saying I have no clue what kind of bike I own. I can narrow it down based on what I know it's not though. It's not a cruiser, road bike, or mountain bike. So what does that leave? Comfort maybe? Or hybrid? I really don't know. 

All I know is that Miss Dorothy showed up top of a hill. And no, I didn't take her and run. After seeing the obviously abandoned bike for about a week, we finally took it home. I tried in vain to locate the owner for about two months, working with police stations, local bike stores, craigslist, and every lost/stolen bike list I could find online. So for now, I've adopted her. And she's great. She feels safe, comfortable, and is really easy to ride. But I have to admit, I suffer from bike envy. I have a whole board on Pinterest dedicated to bikes I would love to own someday. Sadly, none of those bikes can fit into my budget. Actually, a bike from Walmart can't even fit into my budget for now!

And yet, when the time came for me to actually ride a different kind of bike, I ended up choosing a tandem. I don't know if it was the fear of losing control and crashing one of the store's beautiful cruisers or the fear of falling in love with a bike that I can't have that held me back, but the tandem seemed like a safer choice for this new rider!

It was definitely a different experience. It's slightly unnerving to give complete control to the rider in front, even if he knows what he's doing! I didn't enjoy the feeling of not being able to control the pedals. I had to speed up, slow down, and coast when he did, all while hoping my feet flying didn't off the pedals.

It was a lot less comfortable than Miss Dorothy. She has shocks and springs under the seat, and is so comfortable, even over bigger bumps. On the tandem, every tiny bump in the road felt like I was riding over a giant rock.

I felt like being on the back of a tandem took away the most enjoyable parts of riding for me. I couldn't feel the wind rushing past me nearly as much and I couldn't see! I could glance to the sides, but had no idea what was in front of me. And leaning around to peek certainly wasn't a safe option! I really missed the breeze and the view.

Overall, I didn't really enjoy it and don't think I'll be riding again anytime soon. At least in the back. Maybe when I become a more experienced cyclist, I might try riding in the front, but for now I'll stick to Miss Dorothy. 

This was by no means, my last test ride though! Someday I hope to take a spin on all the beautiful bikes at the bike store. And maybe someday, I'll even own one! (Like this red beauty!!)

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Melting

If you've ever worked in a professional kitchen, or have a professional oven at home, you know what it's like to open the oven. The minute you pull open the doors, you're immediately hit in the face with an intense blast of extremely hot air. Your eyes burn, your face starts to glisten with sweat, and it's suddenly more difficult to breathe.

That's how it felt when I opened my front door to go check the mail this afternoon. 110º. Can someone please tell me when Dallas decided to steal Phoenix's climate? They can have it back now.

Does anyone know how to do a rain dance?