They're Baaaaaaaack!

I have loved Mother's Circus Animal Cookies since I was a kid. They were a major snack for me - an event, even, right up there with Strawberry Frosted Pop Tarts and Cap'n Crunch Cereal. Then, last year, the Mother's Cookie Company became a victim of the recession and went out of business. It was a dark day for me. It could not have been worse. No more frosted Circus Animal Cookies. Yes there were other brands, but they suck. Nothing could replace the real thing from Mother's Cookie Company.

And so for months I dragged myself through my existence, wondering if life would ever be the same again, when, suddenly, a couple of days ago, I found them! There, on the shelf of Stater Brothers, were Mother's brand frosted Circus Animal Cookies! Yes! Kellogg's has purchased the Mother's Cookie Company and has started up production again!

They are back on the shelves, and life is great! Suddenly, even the threat of the upcoming school year, looming over us as it always does at this time of year, seems to be a minor thing now that I have my Circus Animal Cookies.






















Here I am, enjoying the treat I feared I would never see again for the rest of my life.

Now of course, many people would wonder if this is a healthy and nutritious alternative to, say, fresh fruit? Duh, not even close.


I think it's cute that somebody figured that six cookies are considered to be one serving. Nobody. Ever. Eats. Only. Six.

So, my life is better, and birds are again singing in the trees.














LIFE


IS


GOOD!

This One Is A Keeper!

One more recipe and I will change my blog themes for awhile. This is one of those recipes that has been around forever - chances are, you already have it. However, it is so damn good that I plan to make it once or twice a month from now on. The leftovers are as good as the day you make it, and it is something that doesn't have to be measured precisely. Also, check out my thoughts below for ways to change it. If you haven't taken my advice and put your name on the mailing list to get the Penzey's catalog, you should: www.penzeys.com.

Cheesy Tomato Bake

3/4 sour cream
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 cup mozzarella cheese
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
(I use a blend that you can get at the grocery store...if you have a Trader Joes nearby, get their "quattro formaggio" and use about 1 cup and a half, skipping the cheddar)
salt and pepper to taste
2/3 cup milk
2 cups biscuit baking mix
2-3 tomatoes, chopped
1 zucchini or yellow squash, shredded
3 tsps. or Penzey's Pasta Sprinkle, or some oregano, basil, and parsley

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish. In a medium bowl, mix milk and baking mix until roughly blended. Pat into the bottom of the baking dish (wet your hands to make it easier to pat dough across bottom of dish). In a large mixing bowl, stir together sour cream, mayonnaise, cheeses, salt and pepper. First, sprinkle tomatoes and squash evenly over baking mix layer. Then, spoon the sour cream/cheese mixture over the top and gently spread out to cover surface. Sprinkle Italian herbs over top. Bake at 400 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Let cool about 10 minutes before serving.

You could add sauteed onions, sliced turkey, chopped water chestnuts, small broccoli flowers, cubed pepperoni and a drizzle of pizza sauce, or whatever else you have on hand. Experiment with the ingredients your family likes. As long as you make the milk and biscuit mix base, I think you could put anything in the middle before topping with the sour cream mixture. Watching calories? Use light sour cream and mayo and reduce your cheese. Finally, I think this could be easily cut in half to make a 9x9-inch dish (although you really should make the bigger size and live on the left overs), or doubled to make enough for a potluck.

Let me know how this works for you. We love it!! The first 5 people who email me their thoughts before August 10, 2009 will receive a complimentary container of Penzey's Pasta Sprinkle (subject to availability and access to your mailing address...allow time for shipping, please).

If You Love Food, Do This!

If you don't love food, then the last three blogs have been very boring for you. If you do love food, you need to do this: go to www.penzeys.com and ask to be put on their catalog mailing list. Not only will you have access to some of the best herbs and spices on the planet, you will get a catalog each month that is filled with recipes. Here is a recipe I found that my friend, Heidi, should like...she makes the most beautiful and delicious breads.

Whole Wheat Apple Bread

Makes 1 loaf - each slice is 90 calories

1 cup vegetable oil (not olive oil)
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract
3 cups whole wheat flour (or 1 and 1/2 cups each whole wheat and white flour)
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
2 cups chopped, peeled baking apples (McIntosh or Granny Smith)
1 cup chopped nuts (pecans or walnuts), optional

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour an 8x4-inch loaf pan (or spray well with non-stick cooking spray). In a large bowl, combine the oil, sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Sift in the flour(s), salt, baking soda, and cinnamon. Stir just until dry ingredients are incorporated into the wet ingredients. Fold in apples and nuts. Spoon dough into loaf pan and bake at 350 degrees for about 1 and 1/2 hours, or until toothpick inserted into middle of loaf comes out clean (start checking at about 1 hour and 15 minutes). Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto wire rack and cool completely. Serve with butter, apple butter, or plain!

New Recipe - You Gotta Make This!

Two recipes in two days...trying to make up for the weeks when I forgot to post one. This is another pasta-type recipe, but totally different from my mom's macaroni salad. This one has an Asian flair. Run, don't walk, to your nearest high-end market and get the ingredients. I suppose you could use linguine noodles if you can't find the soba noodles, but I believe soba has more nutrition and they seem to have more body. You won't regret it...this is easy and delicious!

Cold Soba Salad

8 to 12 oz soba noodles (a buckwheat noodle packaged like spaghetti)
2 T. soy sauce
2 T. rice vinegar
2 T. sesame oil
2 T. sesame seeds
dash fresh ground pepper

You can cook a lot of noodles or fewer...just adjust the other ingredients. The package I bought (at Clarks, for those of you in my neighborhood) had three 3-oz packets inside and I used them all. Break noodles in half and cook in about 8 cups of rapidly boiling, salted water for 5 minutes. Drain and rinse in cold water. When drained, mix with remaining ingredients, tossing well. Store in airtight container in refrigerator, tossing again before serving. These are so cool and flavorful...I could eat them as the entree! Post a comment if you have a question or want to share your opinion. As always, enjoy!

Summer Survival

It is hot. It is damn hot. If you are like me, you don't want to turn on the oven or slave in the kitchen. So, here is a remedy for the heat: my mother's recipe for Macaroni Salad. Sounds simple, and it is, but it is my absolute favorite. Give it a try, and let me know what you think!

Mom's Macaroni Salad

1 large bag pasta (we like shells)
1 jar sweet pickles
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 larger can sliced olives, drained
about 2/3 cup mayonnaise
about 1/3 cup ranch dressing
1 T. mustard
salt and pepper to taste
dried Italian herbs - I like the "pasta sprinkles" from www.penzeys.com

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and rinse in cool water and allow to sit. Cut up as many sweet pickles as you want - we use a lot and cut them into chunks. In a large bowl, place drained pasta and diced pickles. Add shredded cheddar (my mom cuts a cheddar brick into small cubed pieces) and drained olives. Stir together. Add mayo, ranch dressing, mustard, salt and pepper, and herbs (a sprinkling of oregano, parsley and basil - if you don't have it, skip it). Stir together and decide if you think it needs more mayonnaise or mustard - it should be wet and held together, but not soupy. Put into airtight container and keep in the refrigerator. Enjoy!

I Made This!

During the summer I spend much less time thinking about school, and much more time thinking about my hobbies and crafts. I end up trying to do something creative every day. Some days I succeed, some days I don't. Today I did. I decided I wanted to to a bit with cross-hatch shading and color shading, so I decided to draw some trees. Sheila liked it so much she insisted I post it. So, here is my shading exercise for the day...

For Better, For Worse...In Sickness and In Health

Walt bought a plant...a fake plant. It is from Japan. You are supposed to talk to it and nurture it and it responds. The video you are about to see is my fifth attempt to film him talking to this damn plant (the first four video attempts ended in my laughing hysterically). I guess this is what happens when someone stays home every day, and possibly spends too much time outside in the heat. Just remember...those marital vows we took twenty years ago apply to mental health, too, I suppose, and I'm sure Walt could blog all the crazy things I do in my own home (even though nothing I do is as wacky as this video).