"Big Guy" Please stay out of the kitchen!!!

Ouch!!  I really do want the kitchen to be a place to gather and make lasting memories but every time the Big Guy enters DISASTER STRIKES!!! Yikes! I know this is making a memory but it's just not the kind of memory I had in mind.  The golden rule in our home is "share and play fair"  I just can't!!!  The simple task of boiling pasta turns into an explosion of mess, that causes me this overwhelming anxiety. My poor stove! Thank goodness for stove top cleaner!  As I watch from a distance, I am trying my best to let go and let the Big Guy do his thing.  He has many great talents but cooking is just not one of them. It's like me trying to learn all about the computer...I stink at it!  I know it and do not pretend other wise. Knowing he has a wife that loves to cook and create tasty meals... why on earth does he just not ask for help?  In the end, I have to jump in and save the day or save my kitchen....would it not just be easier to ask? I really am not a control freak, well maybe just a little when it comes to my favorite place in the house. I just want the kitchen to still be standing at the end of the day! Trying my best to let go!  For the love of my kitchen and my sanity PLEASE HELP!!!!!

Freshness to scrumptious June 14, 2011

Here it is an hour and half before we would be rushing out the door to make it to church on time.  It is at this very moment that I get a wild hair to make something out of  the remaining fresh blackberries that are chilling in the refrigerator.  Why now? I just do not have an answer!  My brain begins to go into overload, as I start grabbing all the different ingredients out of the pantry.  As the yellow cake mix stared me down, I decided why not turn this plain cake mix into scrumptious white chocolate blackberry cupcakes.  I get busy dumping the cake mix, buttermilk, sour cream, blackberry syrup, oil and 3 eggs into a bowl.  I whip out the mixer and start blending all the ingredients together.  Of course, I could not stop myself from dipping my finger into the bowl.  Very happy with all the blended flavors!
  I gently stir in a cup of mini white chocolate chips and fold in big juicy blackberries.  I could not resist popping a few into my mouth. No time to waste,  I rush to quickly fill up each individual spot in the pan and toss them gently into the warm oven.  I know my time is limited, so I get busy putting together a delicious blackberry cream cheese frosting.   The house began to fill up with a mouth watering aroma.  I could not help myself when I licked not just one beater but two!  The burst of flavor that hit my tiny taste buds was fantastic. It left me wanting to grab a big spoon and just dig into the bowl of frosting.  Saved by the timer... I quickly pulled out the soft cupcakes. Heading out the door to church, I grabbed one for the road.  With every bite I could not wait for the next and before I knew it I was licking my fingers clean. Wow!  After enjoying a fantastic message on Genesis, I rushed home to finish the cupcakes with a heaping spoonful of frosting.  Time to eat!  Whether you have all day or just a short time, get into the kitchen and just starting mixing a way and you never know the flavors you may discover....sometimes a masterpiece or even a disaster but the bottom line is if you never try then you never know!!  Just go for it! Smile! Beck

Hungry for Mom's best eggrolls! June 12, 2011

    One of the greatest memories I have as a young girl is growing up back in the 80's while we were living abroad in England.  My mom would make homemade egg rolls...Yummy!  My mouth is watering right now as I type away!  Of course, the memory revolved around food. Playing outside in the field in front of our house... that's when kids played outside from the rising of the sun until the moon and stars came out. All the while my mom was busy slaving away preparing these finger lickin good egg rolls. I was busy as a bee having fun playing. Oh! how I wish you could taste them, I promise you would be hooked from the very  first bite and begging for just one more!  Now these were not just any ordinary egg rolls they were extraordinary...it was her very own creation. My mom was fearless in the kitchen, always trying new things and experimenting, that is how these amazing egg rolls came to be! Thank goodness for me and my mouth watering taste buds. As I played outside the aroma of these tasty egg rolls would begin to drift my way. I knew at this very moment my mom would be waiting for me to come crashing in the front door begging for the first one.  She would grab a paper towel and wrap one up for me, keeping it from burning my hand because it just came right out of the hot  frying pan.  I could not wait to dive into that first bite, I had no patients to wait for it to cool down, that is why it would always leave my tongue a little burnt.  It did not deter me from coming in for more!  Still to this day I crave them. How I wish I could turn back the clock of time to that place that is so vivid in my mind...to  be a child again without a care in the world. The memories we have can take us to so many different places and times in our lives...they can be happy, sad and joyous.  I am thankful for them all because they have made me who I am today!  Take time to sit and be still and think about that one memory that is so bright in your mind that brings you such happiness!  I do believe memories are a precious gift from God that we should keep locked deep within our hearts....allow them out at that moment when you need them the most!
Smile and dance like a rock star! Beck

LIVERMUSH....To be or not to be is the ?? June 11, 2011

Afternoon Peeps,
    Raise your hand if you have ever tried livermush.  I can now say after 5 years of living in North Carolina I finally jumped out of the box and went for it.  Oh! yes, I was scared!!!  The first bite took me off guard as it hit my taste buds and sent my gag reflex on high alert! I had to stop for a second, and get a hold of myself... I didn't stop chewing.  I swallowed it with one big gulp... Still not sure if I was in shock over the taste, but for some crazy reason I go in for a second bite. My mind was in conflict with my taste buds.....was I enjoying the flavor of this crispy fried livermush? I am assuming my face was telling it's own story, saying please stop while you are ahead ...of course at that moment, I was told I was not eating it the right way. Did not know there was a right way or a wrong way to eat livermush..gee! What do I know coming from the North...Gotta love my Southern buddy for setting me straight ... I was told to put some grits (Yuck) on it and top it with some scrambled eggs...not so sure what I was getting myself into, so I just went for it and I have to say it did not make it taste any better. I am so not a grits girl, why I thought it would be so much better is beyond me!  A thought popped into my head...why not make your own creation...it was at that moment that I grabbed a buttery piece of toast, plopped that not so tasty livermush on top, then soaked it in a bath of silky sausage gravy...I dig in for a bite of this southern cuisine, and I have to say, I love the way the gravy drowned out the flavor of the livermush...not so bad! The risk we take to discover new flavors....You have to at least try it!  Just go for it and try something new. You will be surprised at what you may find actually very tasty. Pick up that fork or spoon and dive in!!! Thanks to Jeffro, my livermush buddy.
     Smile!!! Dance like a Rock Star! Beck

Hey good lookin whatcha got cookin?? June10, 2011

  Hello friends! Life throws you lemons sometimes....this is when I say make LEMONHEAD cupcakes.  Get out the mixer and get busy!    You start with the simplest of ingredients, sugar, lemon pudding, buttermilk, etc... throw it all into a bowl and mix away. Of course while all this is going on you just can't keep your fingers from diving into the delicious batter that now has you drooling at the mouth.  You take a great big taste and at that moment you're not sure if you want to lick the bowl clean or actually finish the process. Dump the batter into each individual spot in the cupcake pan...toss it in the oven, and watch the rising of the LEMONHEAD cupcakes......as each minute passes, it reminds me of the bright yellow sun rising each morning.  Now we all know we cannot have cupcakes with out the frosting, grab a stick of soften butter, creamy cream cheese that is calling out your name, white fluffy powdered sugar, the juice of one luscious lemon... don't forget the zest, and a big sticky gooey scoop of marshmallow fluff. Now get to mixing!!!   Top each cupcake with a mound of frosting, then garnish with a LEMONHEAD....Don't hold back, take a big bite and enjoy. Lick your fingers clean, and shove down the final bite.  Remember, life can, and will always throw us lemons.... but it's all about what we decide to do with them that really counts.  Let me know if you want the recipe.
Smile!!! Dance like a Rock Star! Beck