Happy Year of the Dragon

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Lighter Red Clam Sauce

Great flavor with less calories. Yum! Recipe from SparkPeople.

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Burnt Tongue

Happy New Year! It’s a leap year. One more day to keep a resolution.

Off topic: I just spilled my entire cup of coffee on the kitchen floor. That’s annoying, but I refilled it with what was left in the pot…and burnt my tongue because I forgot the coffee maker, well, keeps the coffee HOT! Yup, I spat it out on the just-wiped floor.

Happy 2012! I promise to write a post each day.

Homemade Pizza

“This looks like Chuck E. Cheese’s pizza.”

That’s a compliment, right? I can go national now. :)

Recipe:
whole wheat pita
pasta sauce
shredded Mexican cheese
a few pieces of pepperoni

Bake at 450 deg for about 8 minutes. Enjoy! Kids do.

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When in Chinatown, Look For These

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Really Fudgy Brownies From Scratch

No matter how many times I have baked these according to Fine Cooking’s Ultimate Fudgy Brownie recipe, I managed to change it this time. One change was purposeful because I was running low on granulated sugar. I needed 2-3/4 cups , but only used 2-cups and substituted 3/4-cups sugar with 1/2-cup agave syrup. I also lowered the usual temperature by 25 degrees, as recommended by the syrup bottle. I baked it for 32-minutes.

The difference? The top did not crust, but it is fudgy. I also added 1/2-tsp cayenne pepper to add some spice to it. Really good.

Then I realized I only used 1-1/2 bars of unsalted butter. Hmmm, not a bad thing. In fact, these brownies were easier to cut. A hit in my book.
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Cool Sneaks

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The sneaks I got…

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The sneaks my daughter got. Clearly she’s cooler.

Brain Disconnect

It’s funny how my brain works, or doesn’t work. I can remember random things and important things, but not simple things sometimes. Out of sight, out of mind rings true here. I had put the cupcake carrier on the island, but my husband decided to move it to the corner by the microwave. I heard him tell me and I saw it myself. Of course, I forgot them and drove back midway for them. It’s also interesting when I actually thought of it vs. getting to the party and then realizing it.

It wasn’t meant to be

We went to an open house today at the local fire station. They were giving out balloons – regular sized red balloon or gigantic red fire engine balloon. When asked which he wanted, he said the red one. At his height, I’m sure he saw both as red, so to make sure, I asked him if he wanted the little red one. The volunteer got really offended. “mom, it’s not so little. It’s like asking if he wants the small plain red one or the beautiful big one.” Well, wouldn’t I want him to have the one that I knew would last for months vs. one that will just sink by morning? So, we got the big one. It was a windy day…

Yup, when I went to put something in the trunk, it got caught in the wind and released itself from the holder and string. Wheeee.

It just wasn’t meant to be.

Thank you, Mr. Jobs

A year after I got my first iPhone, I realized it was my BFF. It made mommy hood so much easier and better! I remember how I resisted getting to know the iPad and when iPad 2 became available, it was a no-brainer of a gift for me from the kids for Mother’s Day. These are such amazing gadgets. The iPod is another great invention. We have a couple of those, but not the teensy weensy ones that would surely get lost in my pocketbook. I’m always telling my husband, this man is just brilliant! In addition to being a brave genius, he seemed to have been a great leader-one who realizes and accepts when he can’t fulfill the duties anymore. He has been an inspiration to many. For me, I am sure I can go on and on singing praises about the products as I am typing this post on my Macbook that is as old as my son, but I’d rather take some time to get more inspired by a man who had a vision and shared it with the world, then drastically changed the way we live; who enabled us to be even more creative; and who showed us that life is too short and out of our control. “And we’ve all chosen to do this with our lives. So it better be damn good. It better be worth it.” -Steve Jobs

Yes, being a stay-at-home-mom is worth every moment to me.

RIP, Mr. Jobs, and thank you.