Pictures coming!

Strawberry Shortcake, Red Velvet Cake and two Mini Cakes in two days....pictures to come!
Christmas is sneaking up on us all!
Gifts for mama? Ideas?

Easy Peasy...

Lemon Squeezy... That's what this chicken salad should be called. There is no picture because, let's be honest, chicken salad rarely looks all that appetizing regardless of how tasty it actually is.
The pictures I have posted are examples of why I did not post a picture of the chicken salad. Frankly, I would not want to consume any of the above salads. I'm not being snooty. I don't even like to look at my own.

The salad takes "60 seconds" to assemble according to Dad. For me or for you, it might take a little longer, but that is neither here nor there.

So. What do you need?
1 can of chicken (yes i know. canned meat hardly ever sounds appetizing but just trust me. O ye of little faith.)
Some mayonnaise
Some celery.
Some sweet pickle relish and juice.
Salt and Pepper to taste.

How to assemble?
Chop your celery. A couple stalks should be find to start with. I loathe celery when I can distinctly taste it so I'm slow with the celery additions. Open your can of chicken. (You are still doubting me. I feel it.) Drain it well. No one likes chicken water in their chicken salad. Dump your chicken into a mixing bowl. Scoop some mayo into your bowl as well. Stir together. Then scoop some relish in there too. I apologize for not having exact measurements but you really don't need them. It's simple. If you want more mayo. Add it. If you like more pickle. Add it. If for some reason you think you want more celery you can add that too if you must. Salt and pepper to taste and voila! You have made chicken salad. Now toast some bread, a croissant, Frito's scoops work very nicely, plain on fork...however you wish to eat it!

Now, I haven't added any additional ingredients but I don't feel that grapes, apples, or nuts would hurt any feelings if they were to be added in. In fact, I think it would add a very nice touch. Perhaps dress it up a little? A little food jewelry... maybe?

So there you go! It's easy and once you get the hang of it, it literally takes under 2 minutes.
And for those of you who don't cook... this is for you!

Big News in Our House!

Well, my parents have been without a sofa since August of 2008. They had all good intentions when they gave it to my brother to take to his college house. It was a good sofa. Oversized pillows. Comfy. Fairly good, neutral color. Good sofa. They had been wanting a new set of den furniture, so what better way to speed up the process than to give the furniture to the son! Perfect! .....annnd 16 months later, we still have no sofa. We have had an air mattress, a sleeping bag, a rocking chair, and almost a hammock (the Mama had been flexible but put her foot down at that suggestion). They have looked at every sofa and loveseat in our city. Every one. They looked online. In magazines. Nothing. Then one day, they found one that just might do. It was not the perfect sofa but it would be okay if they just had to have a sofa. So in September they picked out this sofa/chair combination. In October they looked at it again and decided that was not what they wanted. The search continued until November. Another possible option. The problem: it was not an in-store sofa and had to be shipped from elsewhere in the country. It arrived. Finally. This morning the parents bought the sofa. "It's not perfect but I guess it will be okay."

Dad: "I hope ya'll like the sofa. It sure wasn't a cheap one."
Me: "Anything beats a leaky, squeaky air mattress. Except the hammock. I think ya'll should have gone with the hammock."
Dad: "Me too but for some reason your mother didn't like that idea at all."
Weird.
So. In the morning when I decide to roll my lazy, not-in-school self out of bed there will be a sofa in the den! and I can go sit on it and watch King of Queens because you may not know this but I really don't watch TV all that much. King of Queens and Everybody loves Raymond are the only shows I really ever catch. But it doesn't matter. We have a sofa now. I'm going to watch so much TV I'm going to become attached to the sofa. :/ okay. dramatic. yes.

Moving on. To-Do list for Thursday:

• Sit on the new sofa.
  
• Take picture of said sofa.
  
• Eat breakfast.
  
• Run.
  
• Make gingerbread cookies for the Mama's decorating.
  
• Dentist Appointment. (eww.)
• Cake baking with Grandmama Sconyers (!)
• Be more grateful tomorrow than I was today for my many many blessings.

Food Gawking...

Overnight Cinnamon Rolls

Dough:
4 large egg yolks, room temp
1 large whole egg, room temp
1/4 cup sugar
6 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
3/4 cup buttermilk, room temp*
20 oz all-purpose flour (approximately 4 cups), plus additional for dusting
1 pkg (2 1/4 tsp) instant dry yeast
1 1/4 tsp kosher salt
Vegetable oil or cooking spray

* I substituted 1 1/2 tsp white vinegar + heavy whipping cream. Stir to combine and add to bowl of stand mixer.

Filling:
1 1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 1/4 Tbsp ground cinnamon
pinch salt
2 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted

Icing:
2-3 Tbsp milk
1 cup powdered sugar

For the dough: in the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, whisk the egg yolks, whole egg, sugar, butter, and buttermilk. Add approximately 2 cups of the flour along with the yeast and salt; whisk until moistened and combined. Remove the whisk attachment and replace with a dough hook. Add all but 3/4 cup of the remaining flour and knead on low speed for 5 minutes. Check the consistency of the dough, add more flour if necessary; the dough should feel soft and moist but not sticky. Knead on low speed 5 minutes more or until the dough clears the sides of the bowl. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface; knead by hand about 30 seconds. Lightly oil a large bowl. Transfer the dough to the bowl, lightly oil the top of the dough, cover and let double in volume, 2 to 2 1/2 hours.

For the filling: Combine the brown sugar, cinnamon and salt in a medium bowl. Mix until well incorporated. Set aside until ready to use.

To assemble: Butter a 9 by 13-inch glass baking dish. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Gently shape the dough into a rectangle with the long side nearest you. Roll into an 18 by 12-inch rectangle. Brush the dough with the 3/4-ounce of melted butter, leaving 1/2-inch border along the top edge. Sprinkle the filling mixture over the dough, leaving a 3/4-inch border along the top edge; gently press the filling into the dough. Beginning with the long edge nearest you, roll the dough into a tight cylinder. Firmly pinch the seam to seal and roll the cylinder seam side down. Very gently squeeze the cylinder to create even thickness. Using a serrated knife, slice the cylinder into 1 1/2-inch rolls; yielding 12 rolls. Arrange rolls cut side down in the baking dish; cover tightly with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator overnight or up to 16 hours.

Remove the rolls from the refrigerator and place in an oven that is turned off. Fill a shallow pan 2/3-full of boiling water and set on the rack below the rolls. Close the oven door and let the rolls rise until they look slightly puffy; approximately 30 minutes. Remove the rolls and the shallow pan of water from the oven.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

When the oven is ready, place the rolls on the middle rack and bake until golden brown, or until the internal temperature reaches 190 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer, approximately 25-30 minutes.

While the rolls are cooling slightly, make the icing by whisking the milk and powdered sugar until smooth. Spread over the rolls and serve immediately.

Yields: 12 rolls
Source: FoodNetwork

Chicken Fried Steak with Cream Gravy
For the steak:
Vegetable oil
1 cup heavy cream
2 tsp vinegar
1/2 tsp Tobasco
4 cube steaks
1 1/2 cup flour
Fresh-ground black pepper
2 tsp Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning

For the gravy:
1 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp pan drippings
2 Tbsp flour
1 1/2 cups whole milk
Salt
Fresh-ground black pepper

Make the chicken fried steak: Heat ~1-inch vegetable oil in a cast iron pan/dutch oven to 350.

Place steaks in a shallow dish. Stir cream, vinegar, and Tobasco in a small bowl until just combined (it can thicken rather quickly - and it’s okay if it does). Pour over steaks. Move steaks around a bit with your tongs to ensure that you coat the bottom.

In a separate shallow dish, combine flour, a generous amount of fresh-ground black pepper, and Tony Cachere’s and mix well.

When the oil is ready, transfer one steak at a time from the “wet pan” to the “dry pan.” Dredge in flour, ensuring complete coverage, shake off any excess flour, and place on a plate. Repeat for as many steaks as you can fit in your frying pan.

Transfer steaks to the hot oil. Fry until golden brown, approximately 5 minutes. Flip and fry until breading is golden brown. Remove from the pan and place on a rack sitting over a baking dish (I put paper towels under the rack for easier clean up). Serve topped with a generous ladle of cream gravy.

Make the gravy: Add butter and pan drippings to a 2qt sauce pan over medium heat. When melted and bubbly, add flour, salt, and a generous amount of fresh-ground pepper. Stir until the roux turns light brown. Stream in milk, whisking continuously. Cook to a boil and remove from heat.

Yields 4 servings

Cream Cheese Cranberry Cake
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
8 oz cream cheese, room temp
2 1/2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 lemon, juiced and zested
1/4 tsp almond extract
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 cups cake flour
1 tsp salt
2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries, tossed with 1 Tbsp flour
Whipped cream, optional

Preheat oven to 350. Spray a bundt pan with baking spray, coating well.

Beat butter and cream cheese until combined. Add sugar and turn mixer to med-high and cream for 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time until combined. Add lemon juice and zest, almond extract, and vanilla and mix thoroughly. Turn mixer to low and add salt. Add the cake flour in two batches. Fold in the cranberries.

Spread batter evenly in the prepared pan. Bake 60-70 minutes, until the cake has browned and a skewer inserted in the center comes out with only moist crumbs attached. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes and then turn out onto a rack and cool completely. Cover tightly overnight (I put it in on a cake plate and cover with a glass dome) and enjoy the next day. (You can certainly eat it the same day but it gets better with an overnight resting period.)

Yields: 1 bundt cake, 8-12 servings depending on slice size

3 recipes I MUST try ASAP.

Thank you FoodieBride. I just gained 10 pounds.

Well, for whatever reason my post from last night decided to post today when I logged back in.
I'm headed home for the break today..HOORAY! Yesterday when I finished exams I decided to go brave the monsoon and spend 3 hours browsing through World Market, Hobby Lobby, and Home Depot. 3 hours. 3 stores. Here is the result:

A painted tote bag

Banana Pudding for Codi & Jim.
A little arrangement for The Mama.
All of these things =A Happy Laura!
(yes, that is a Nilla Wafer, skillfully covered with pudding..)
Note to self: repaint fingernails.

Dad asked what I want for Christmas. I don't know... A new stomach that doesn't hurt all the time. At one point in time, I went through a phase of limiting bread consumption. That seemed to help. As of today, I'm trying that again. We'll see how well that goes.
I miss my friends already.
I am thankful I do not have 18 kids or 18 brothers and sisters.
I wish I had brought my sewing machine home.
That is all.

Well, the Father and Brother had a successful duckhunt this weekend at the hunting camp. Their only complaint after sitting in the gusty winds, sleety rain, in a duck blind in the middle of wet bushes, and wading through icy water for 4 days... "If only we had Admiral." (Admiral was our former Hunting King Labrador Retriever. He died May 2006 at the ripe old age of 15. )

Now, in more recent news, I finally finished final exams. KK BFF has not finished. I am cooking tonight. Oven fried chicken, friend okra, rice and gravy, and Funfetti cookies for dessert!

FINALS ARE DONE! CHRISTMAS BREAK IS HERE!!!

Bonjour!

Helloooo FACELIFT!
I have been obsessively cleaning and organizing and throwing away...decluttering. I decided to declutter Hoola as well. You're welcome Hoola.
Love,
The Management.

I should be studying. I really should be...
but instead I am thinking of gifts. I'm trying to go handmade this year for friend gifts. I would go tor that for the family too except that father and brother are outdoorsmen and besides a pair of knitted socks, I have nothing to offer them .
A few things I have thought of, I googled.

I am on a mission tomorrow when I finish finals:
1. Home Depot for small pots and little succulents. (I think they are precious and adorable and hard to kill. ) I also need small decorative rocks. I should be able to find these there too. If not, Target should have them.
2. Outside for some moss-covered rocks and dirt.
3. Grocery store for mason jars.
4. My fabric scrap stash for strips of old fabric.
Now....Pictures!

I wish I could claim the two images, I cannot. Inspirethebride. thank you.

Precious. I know.

Really, I just have this thing for little plants in little pots. Especially when the little pots aren't typical pots at all.

Hello Procrastination.

http://www.shelterrific.com/

http://manolohome.com/

two fun little sites I've been browsing through today.

“Nothing takes God by surprise. He knows the future and can therefore guide us through its trackless ways.”
— W. T. Purkiser

love.

LM

Graduate Education

Is it really necessary? I am becoming physically ill with filling out applications and forms and signatures and having everything in order for five thousand different things. Shouldn't there be a universal application for this type deal. I wish. I'll invent a system for that, make millions, and not have to worry about actually completing the application process.

I have crafts to post BUT I don't want to take the time to upload the pictures right now. I promise I will soon! I'm a slacker blogger. I make you feel better about your blog. You're welcome.

Hello Blog. So nice to see you.

Hello Finals. I'm afraid I do not share the same sentiment. 

Obviously finals are fast approaching. The bad news is finals are approaching. The good news is, once I have dominated them it is officially time to celebrate Christmas. I can't fully enjoy the season with all this hanging over my head. 

Now in other news, I have successfully created a craft and successfully made a terrible terrible recipe for rolls. Both of which I will post about....   now. 

The craft. If I had a camera to post a picture of it in its almost completed state I would gladly show you. This will have to wait for a rainy day. 

The rolls. The biscuits. The baked goop. 

Over Thanksgiving break, I found a recipe in a certain Lady's cookbook from Georgia. I will not mention the name of the Lady to protect her identity. It was a recipe for Mayonnaise drop biscuits. I was fascinated because the recipe was SO simple. Mayo, Milk, Flour, Sugar. 

I wrote it down and was busting to try it out! I got back to school and realized I didn't have the recipe. No big deal. I go to the old standby allrecipes.com. I find what I'm looking for. The recipe has recieved something like 2,000 reviews and 4 and a half stars. I was so excited thinking "This is it. This is wonderful! A simple, quick bread to serve with dinner!" I immediately whip up a batch since the recipe calls for things I always have on hand. I pop those babies in the oven and in 12 minutes..VOILA! I pull them out and ..

1. They didn't rise. - Okay so that could be my fault. I could have stirred them to long, manipulated them too much.. I can live with that because they should still taste okay.

2. They were glued to the bottom of the pan.- Again, that could be my fault. Perhaps I misread the recipe and should have greased the bottom of the pan. Checked and no. Ungreased. 

3. Once I finally pried the cement babies off of the ungreased pan I realized the centers were completely undercooked. The rest of the biscuit was crispy. Too hot of an oven? Perhaps, but I was just following the recipe. 

4. Took a bite of one of these little blobs in hopes that at least, if nothing else, it would taste alright. - A big blob of crispy gooey floury mayonnaise that really has no taste. Not to mention, it burned my tongue. (okay, maybe I burned my tongue but I'm going to blame it on these flourmayo moments.)

Being the eternal optimist and strong-willed baker/person that I am, I figure..Okay. Bad recipe. I know it got thousands of rave reviews but maybe I just didn't have any luck the first time. I'll try it again with the Lady's Recipe. So i obtain that. I am measuring out my flour and my mayo and milk again.. this time I add some garlic salt to give it some flavor! I'm humming as I'm mixing and singing as I put this batch in the oven. and 14 minutes later I dance on over to the oven to pull them out... 

1. They were a tad bit for full of life than the last batch, but that's the optimist in me. Let's be honest, they were flat. They were dull. 

2. I took them out thinking, okay. Looks can be deceiving...They aren't. 

3. They also were glued to the cookie sheet. 

4. They had slightly better flavor than the last batch but they were still not good. At all. Unless of course you like, garlicy floury mayonnaise flat biscuits. 

5. I'm not giving up. I add butter. Butter makes it better. Always. ....  Or so I thought. 

What this all boils down to is this... I will not attempt mayonnaise biscuits. Ever. Again. The happy pictures of ladies in aprons with a basket of these puffy, piping hot babies is false. 

image from gotnomilk.wordpress.com

I do not believe in these biscuits/rolls. 

I can't even post a picture of my little failures, but I assure you, they look NOTHING like the picture.