I am joining Sweets for Saturday this week with my treats from Fat Tuesday! This year for, I decided to make some pink Rice Krispie treats dipped in white chocolate. After Christmas, I picked up bags of pink and green marshamallows on sale. It took me some time to separate out all of the pink ones, but I think it was worth it.
Rice Krispie Angels
1/4 cup butter
5 cups marshmallows
6 cups Rice Krispie cereal
3 blocks white chocolate bark
1. Place marshamallows and butter in a large bowl. Microwave at 30 second intervals (stirring each time) until melted.
2. Add Rice Krispies to bowl. Stir until completely coated.
3. Spread cereal mixture into a greased 9x11 pan. Cover and refridgerate for at least 1 hour.
4. Remove pan from fridge. Use a cookie cutter to cut out angel shapes.
5. Place bark in a shallow dish and microwave and 30 second intervals until completely melted (stir each time, being careful not to overcook).
6. Dip or spread one side of each angel with white chocolate bark.
7. Yields 10, 3 point servings
I hope you have had a lovelyPink Saturday. If you are in the part of the world moving our clocks forward, I hope you get plenty of sleep. I am generally disgruntled about the hour of sleep I lose in spring, but I heard a radio DJ pontificating on her happiness at this event - it means warmer weather and spring break are on the way. I am trying to share her positive outlook. We will see how I do in the the morning!
My Pink Saturday plug goes out to Mary at One Perfect Bite! She has never posted anything that failed to make me hungry.
Last weekend, a need arose for me to use some of my sourdough starter or risk my kitchen being overrun by yeasty liquid. I found this recipe through Allrecipes.com. It is full of nuts and fruit and cinnamon and pudding - four things which I believe make a very good cake. I was not disappointed with the dense, dark cake that emerged from my oven. In order to keep myself from eating it all, I sent some to school with Simon and took some to work. Everyone who tasted it gave it high praise - even the toddlers.
Amish Cinnamon Bread
1 cup Amish friendship starter
1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup white sugar
8 egg whites
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp baking powder
1 (3 oz) pkt instant vanilla pudding
2 cups flour
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup peeled, cored, apples chopped
1 cup raisins
1. Mix starter with oil, sugar, eggs, and vanilla.
2. Combine dry ingredients in a separate bowl. Add the flour mixture to the starter and mix by hand. Add the pecans, raisins, and apples. Mix well.
3. Pour into a bunt pan or two bread pans (greased if not stone wear).
4. Bake for 1 hr at 325.
5. Yields 32, 5 point servings
You can see that my cake ripped a bit when coming out of the pan. I am still working on getting my stone wear bunt pan completely seasoned. It is important to cook lots of greasy food in your stone wear, or to oil it frequently.
Simon has been hearing a lot about dating since Stone and I became involved. Tonight, he felt that he needed to go on a date with Aunt Angela. He wore his church shoes, put on cologne, and sang a song called, "We're Going on a Date" (the lyrics, like many popular songs, are simply a repetition of the title). He took me to The Bangkok and didn't seem to mind that a couple of friends joined us at the table.
I thought the soup was quite nice, and even chewed up some salad on the non-crowned side of my mouth. Simon wanted nothing to do with either dish.
He did enjoy the tempura shrimp and vegetables. He even ate a shrimp tail before I realized what was in his mouth. (Dear sister Alanna, I am joking, of course. I would never allow him to eat a shrimp tail. How silly. PS As an unrelated aside, I volunteer to change all of his diapers for the next couple of days).
Next, I wish everyone a happyPink Saturday. I've already found a post I love for this Pink Saturday - check out this adorable Barney cake! My pink item for this week comes from a scrapbook I created when I was eight. My family took a drive through Southern Africa (South Africa to Botswana to Zimbabwe to Zambia to Malawi). It turns out that my parents were on a business trip, but I thought we were having a vacation and thoroughly enjoyed myself. This is a brochure from one of my favorite stops, the Stellenbosch Museum.
I got a lovely little doll at this stop. She is now resting happily in my attic. If ever I have a larger house, she will come downstairs and find a cozy bed upon which to recline.
Finally, it is music Friday. I do love music, and I love sharing it with you. This week my Zen DJ has chosen for you, "So Long, Frank Lloyd Wright" by Simon and Garfunkel. I have fond childhood memories of my mother singing Simon and Garfunkel to me to the accompaniment of an eight track tape. I also love Frank Lloyd Wright dearly. My mother has a friend who lives in a FLW house. If she ever gives me permission, I shall show you dozens of pictures of her amazing home.
I have certainly had a crazy week! My computer crashed last night, just to make things interesting. I have managed to repair it for the moment but anticipate further problems since I am not a techie and don't know what I am doing.
First, here is a terribly delicious, very easy recipe for you! I have eaten a ridiculous number of egg whites since healthifying my diet. They are my new favorite protein.
Piperade from 1000 Vegetarian Recipes
1 tsp olive oil
1 cup onions, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup green bell pepper, sliced
2 1/2 cups tomatoes, chopped
1 1/2 tsp basil
salt and pepper to taste
2 eggs
8 egg whites
1. Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add onions and garlic; saute until onions are transparent.
2. Stir in the peppers and continue to saute until peppers are soft.
3. Stir in tomato, basil, and pepper. Cook, uncovered, 15 minutes.
4. Beat eggs and egg whites with salt.
5. Add eggs to skillet. Cook, stirring gently, until eggs are set.
6. Yields 4, 3 point servings
Here they are, accompanied by some roasted Brussels sprouts:
Second, Happy Pink Saturday! This week my pink picture is of the lamp on my bedside table. My mom bought this piece at a garage sale when I was in high school. I was completely enamored of roses at the time and wanted my whole room to be covered with them. I no longer have the rose comforter, curtains, or rug, but I still love this little lamp. The delicate crocheted doily you can see beneath it was purchased from a lovely lady in an art market in Zimbabwe.
I am so excited to do my resolution round up tomorrow! I have a lot to tell you. But, I have a husband who is about to finish his homework, so for now I will leave you with my Friday song. Up until now, I have let my Zen DJ pick the song. But, this week I felt like it had to be Amy Grant and it had to be romantic. So, here are Amy Grant and Keb' Mo' with, "Come Be with Me".
Time for the final piece of Valentine's Day dinner - the meatballs. I love to make huge batches of homemade meatballs and keep a bag in the freezer. I can pull out a few at a time for sandwiches, sweet and sour, Swedish, Italian - whatever my heart desires. This is my go-to meatball recipe. I don't always use pork, but ground pork was the cheapest meat for sale in the grocery store this past week.
Pork Meatballs
2 lb ground pork
1 cup steel cut oats
1/2 cup fat free milk
1/2 cup onion, finely chopped
2 egg whites
1 tsp salt
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp pepper
1. In a large bowl, mixed all ingredients until well combined (I use my hands). Shape mixture into 50 meatballs (about 1 1/2 inches each).
2. Place meatballs on in an ungreased cast iron skillet or baking dish.
3. Bake at 400F for 20-25 minutes
4. Yields 50, 1 point meatballs
Second on my list tonight, I wish you a very happyPink Saturday. Here is my pink pictures for the week; embroidery detail from a quilt my grandmother made many moons before I was born. Because the quilt includes several pieces of fabric taken from dresses my mother wore in high school, my grandmother gave the quilt to me a few years ago. I cherish it. (For good measure I decided to show you another piece of the quilt - a sunbonnet girl made from some of my mother's high school clothes.)
For the Pink Saturday challenge, I have chosen one of my favorite posts from last week. Check out this decadent recipe for pumpkin soup!
Finally, I always leave you with a Friday Song, randomly selected by the DJ on my Zen. I do have very eclectic tastes so we are going from British folk alternative to Christian hip hop to this week's offering - country. Raul Malo, lead singer of The Mavericks and talented solo artist, has one of the sexiest voices in the world. Here is "I Should Know" by The Mavericks.
