Saturday, November 17, 2012

Have I mentioned I love a cassarole?

Good lord, our eating has been so good in the past 12 hours. I am sure I gained a pound or two, but the dinner I made last night and the breakfast I made (last night and) this morning were amazing! Neither required a lot of effort either. I like to cook a good dinner on the Friday nights that my step-son comes to stay with us. As well I like to make a really nice breakfast for him and his daddy. My preference is to strike a balance between delicious and low maintenance. Especially when it comes to making dinner after working all day.

Last night I made BBQ Chicken Cornbread Bake . When I looked at the picture I was skeptical. Things didn't seem all that appetizing but the ingredient list made me take pause.



Tuesday, November 06, 2012

Please feel free to hold my opinions against me. :)

On November 4th of 2008 I wrote this:

I may be unpopular in my choice for president, but the one I voted for did not win. I'm not sad or mad about it. I am a little worried about our future. Maybe I shouldn't be. Obviously a lot of people have high faith in Obama and his hopes for our country.

On a more positive note, I am very happy for him. I hope that he will take our country in a new direction for the better. I have prayed about this and I never once prayed that McCain would win. I prayed that the best person for the job would win. In this case I hope that Obama is that person.

I will be praying that he will be blessed as well as his family. I'm going to support him as a president. To be completely honest, I wouldn't have been completely thrilled with McCain/Palin. I would love a pleasant surprise as to how the next four years will turn out.

Tonight I am listening to  the election coverage and actually hoping that Obama will win. To say that in this platform, so publicly, is not an  easy choice for me, being that  the people I love the most are hoping for the opposite outcome. I really hope politics will not polarize me from the people I love and respect. Over the past four years I have come to strongly regret my straight party vote from the last election. That was the first, and may or may not be the last time, I will choose Republican.

I have read (via social media) and heard so much of why people think I would vote for Obama. (when I use I, I assume they are thinking of me figuratively, not personally.) I must not work, because there are so many insinuations that people who support Obama don't. I must receive "hand-outs" or want them. I must not believe in God. I most likely support abortion.

Oddly, I am employed full-time. I have never received help from the government, other than a Pell Grant for college tuition.  I don't expect or want anything without working for it. I do believe in God. I also believe that God is benevolent and would be proud of us as a nation if we stopped worrying about our own personal bottom line and instead thought about the bottom line of EVERYONE as a unit OF ONE. I support Planned Parenthood because I believe that they prevent more abortions than they perform. Personally, abortion would not be a choice I could make for myself, (Thanks to Planned Parenthood I was never in that situation.) but as much as I believe that choice is not right for me, at least I can make that choice for myself. I would never judge someone for making a different decision about their own body. I would judge a man for trying to make it for me though.As well as believing in God I believe in equal rights for ALL. Black, white, Mexican, Asian, Indian,  woman, man straight, gay, atheist, christian, mentally ill, poor, rich. I don't care how you are defined. If you aren't hurting anyone I think you should have the same rights as me. I think Jesus would have felt the same way about things.

Before I read my post from 2008,  I said a prayer, exactly as I had four years ago. I prayed that God would bring us to the president that would be best for this country. Do you know how hard it is to not pray for who you think is the best man for the job to win? As hard as it was to take my self out of the prayer, I did. I want what is best. If what is best does not coincide with what I want, I will swallow it, just like I did four years ago. I do thank God though, right now as I type. What I thought would be so horrible has not been. My doubts and fears have subsided. I have had many low points when I have thought about the state of our nation since then, during President Obama's term. Honestly I would say he did much better than I thought he would. I think he should have and could have done better. I wish all of our elected officials could come together for the collective good. If he wins again I sincerely hope that our government will do a better of job of working together instead of fighting one another.

All I can think is this: Bush got his second chance.


Sunday, November 04, 2012

Slutty Brownies...

This is one of those recipes that everyone should have in their pocket. I heard Jessica Simpson talk about something similar on a late night talk show. Basically everything is the same except she used Oreos instead of peanut butter cups. You could do that if you want. So often when I run across a particular pin on Pinterest I feel dumb for never having thought of that... whatever that may be. In this case, enter the Slutty Brownie.





Unfortunately this pin is the kind of pin I am not very fond of. There is no meat. The jump simply takes you to an image. I like a little back story to my pin, maybe an introduction to a blog I might peruse. You aren't gonna get that on this one. It's fine though. Slutty Brownies don't have time for that!

The beauty of the Slutty Brownie is that they are so easy! Hee Hee! Total count on ingredients is five! You will need: refrigerated  chocolate chip cookie dough, Reese's Peanut Butter Cups and a box of brownie mix. That is three, I know, but to make the brownies you need eggs and oil as well. I made the full size version as described in the description of the pin, but afterward I thought a mini version would be better for portion control and because these are so rich that a little goes a long way.

For my mini version I use the Toll House Mini Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough , Mini Reese's Peanut Butter Cups and usually a brownie mix with walnuts. That doesn't mean you have to do the same though. I think you could go crazy with all sorts of different variations of this recipe. (And if you choose that route, please comment me your modifications and results!)

I like to prep my pan with Baker's Joy even though it is a non-stick pan. (That is why there are white flecks on my pan in the picture below.) 

I also tend to over fill my muffin cups, (that just sounds slutty.) resulting in the outcome below:

Overflowing Slutty Brownies. What more would you expect? Slutty Brownies don't take up a lot of your time, they don't require a long term commitment and everyone who has tried one never complains! They only dirty up one mixing bowl, a whisk and a measuring cup. Low maintenance!

These are great when you get a short notice house guest or party where you need to supply a dessert. If you choose to take these to a church function you might spend more time thinking of an alternate name than you will making them!