Muffin Tops

Remember the "Muffin Top" Seinfeld episode ?

I found these are Market Street. They are highly recommended by Hungry Girl. She uses them in her recipe book "200 Recipes under 200 Calories".

Project Herb Garden

Sage, Chives, and Lavender are hanging in there. The sage actually looks better than this picture portrays. It's not all yellow..

Basil, Italian Parsley and Thyme... hmmm... and now "fungi"..what do you do with that?

The Buzzyseed pot - Basil and Thyme are doing great. Cilantro is dead... you can see the dead leaves on the right hand side of this picture.

Poor poor Cilantro... I was going to re-pot it for better drainage, but I think it's too late.

Overall, I think my project is going pretty well considering that I started it in the summer, and we have had consistently 99 degree days for like 3 weeks now.

I feel bad for the Cilantro, but I have heard it is a very hard herb to grow so I will re-visit Cilantro in the Fall or next Spring.

Flip Pics

http://iloveflipbooks.com/category.php?category_id=46


This looks like fun!!! Can't wait to try them.

Chocolate Cookie Cake Pie

I got this recipe from cakespy blog

I believe I used all Pillsbury products for my version of Chocolate Cookie Cake Pie.

Ingredients:
1 Pillsbury Pie Crust
1 Package of Pillsbury Walnut Chocolate Chip Pull apart Cookie Dough
1 Pillsbury Chocolate Cake Mix
1 container Pillsbury Chocolate Fudge Frosting
2 teaspoons of cinnamon

This was the easiest dessert I've ever made.

Put the pie crust in the pie pan. Put a layer of cookie dough to cover the bottom. (I had some cookie dough left over so I put it in the freezer.)
Prepare cake per the directions on the box ( I used 1 teaspoon cinnamon in the cake mix). Pour over the cookie pie crust. (I had enough mixture leftover to make 24 mini muffins.)
I baked it at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes. Let cool, then frost. I put 1 teaspoon of cinnamon in the frosting before spreading it on the cake.

It is really good -and a little bit goes a long way. The flaky pie crust really helps cut the sweetness of the cookie dough.

Herbal Experiment - Week 1

The basil, thyme, and cilantro have teeny tiny leaves. Am I growing "micro" herbs ?
This is sage, lavender and chives. So far so good.

This is the basil, thyme, and italian parsley. The italian parsley is barely holding on.

Here is my cilantro. Still alive, but we do have one dead limb.

I bought some liquid plant food... I read this is supposed to be good for them in the summer... Stay tuned for week 2

The "Herbal" Experiment

I think I've mentioned in the past, that I do not have a "green thumb". I am hoping that this is something that can be "learned" and isn't just an innate ability that some have and some don't. I've tried to grow herbs before, but admittedly, didn't investigate how to actually do it. I just bought a pot, some potting soil, and had absolutely no clue. So, this time I "googled". I learned that "drainage" and "location, location, location" are key to the success of growing herbs.

I bought these at Dallas Farmers Market.

One stand was selling them 3 for $5.00. I bought cilantro, thyme, basil, chives, italian parsley, and sage. I bought lavender at another stand for $2.00.

Here's where it gets a little interesting. I had forgotten that a friend had given me this "Buzzy
Seeds Herb Ceramic Pot" kit . It comes with 6 packets of seeds - cilantro, marjoram, curly parsley, chives, sweet basil, and thyme. So, I will be conducting a test to see what survives.. the potted plants or can I really grow herbs from seeds?

Because I do not have alot of faith that I will actually be able to pull this off, I bought the cheapest plastic plant containers at Walmart I could find. This is a 10 inch pot with built in drainage. I bought two for $6.00 each. I had visions of gorgeous herbs in a big galvanized bucket that I could just "clip" herbs for the fabulous dishes I'm cooking like I'm Barefoot Contessa. I have to keep these alive, then I can invest money in my glamorous schemes.. and even, dare I dream, my own herb garden in the back yard. But I'm getting way way ahead of myself. Focus...

Again, a little overwhelmed at Walmart. Almost left the store with something that was only filler and not potting mix. Shew.. that would have been frustrating. Then, it was a decision between this and Miracle Grow. The Potting Mix won because it was a dollar cheaper, and I could plant both pots with one bag. Again, until I learn how to be a gardener, I'm keeping my investment low. Even the gloves were only .97 cents.

So, not the "vision" I've always had in my head, but they are planted. I know the Buzzy Seeds pot looks funny with the plastic labels sticking out, but how else am I going to remember what seeds I planted?


The official experiment has begun. Will I be able to keep the herbs from Farmers Market alive? Will I be able to actually GROW herbs from seeds? Well, stay tuned.. I will keep you posted.

Dallas Farmers Market

Veggie Stand

These are spices from Kurry King. I didn't really need any spices. When they had me smell the cinnamon, boy, was I ever hooked. It was the BEST cinnamon I have ever smelled. I ended up buying curry, cinnamon, ginger, whole nutmeg (so I can grate it just like they do on Food Network), and basmati rice. I had to rush home and put the curry in the freezer. It's so strong, I was afraid my house would always smell like an Indian restaurant. A little curry goes a LONG LONG way.

http://www.dallaspicemarket.com/

Lemon Basil Linguine - Yum!

I love Pink...

... but not sure about "pink" hair. If you look closely in this picture, you'll see the back of a girl's head with pink pigtails. That is REAL pink hair on a real person.

This car was at Farmers Market and because it's PINK, I had to take a picture...
Now if we could just find the pink scooter girl... (remember her? )

Tex Mex Deviled Eggs

http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=519874

This is a great recipe. Be prepared to make alot - they go fast.

Relaxing

I've been reading about the calming factors of having a lavender plant in your home. I was at Whole Foods in Lakewood after work yesterday, and they have a lovely plant selection. I wanted to buy one of everything, but chose this one. I still haven't decided "where" in the house it will go, but I love the way is smells.

Cool Website

http://www.thepartydress.net/