Caramels and Snow...

Over the winter I made homemade caramels and wrapped them on the day it "snowed." I ate so many of the homeade caramels when I was cutting and wrapping them that I haven't craved caramels in months! And I love caramels! They were so soft and chewy, and tasted like a Werther's hard candy which reminded me of my grandma. YUM!


These little suckers stuck together like no one's business! The ones on the bottom were really stuck because the weight of the others on top flattened them!


A very, very light dusting of snow.

Herbs...

Last spring I planted some herbs in pots in our backyard. I'd planted herbs in the past, but keeping them on a patio made them harder to water for some reason. I loved having the watering hose so close!

I've also planted herbs this year in containers, but we are living in a condo and the patio doesn't get as much sun as our backyard. Some of my parsley and chives survived the harsh Texas winter and are going strong! I added some additional parsley and chive seeds to the pot to hopefully boost my "crop." I planted some sprouted mint, Italian oregano and Mexican oregano in pot back in November that a friend gave me. Those also survived through the winter outside and are thriving!

My small rosemary bush (in a large pot) is also doing well. I'm so thankful I had mint and rosemary in a pot because I had to leave my larger plantings at the house. I'm trying to grow dill again this year (for at least the 4th time). Hopefully it will work this time! In my first apartment I could always grow basil (and I wasn't a fan then), and my dill would always die! Plus, I didn't cut and use those as much as a I do now. I've learned that cutting them encourages them to grow!

New this year is catnip indoors for the kitty and some cilantro outside. I also planted basil from a nursery that was nicely sprouted and I cooked tonight with the leaves that were already on it! I really enjoy growing the herbs and cooking with them. It just makes our meals fresh and bright!

Here's a list of my herbs:
Parsley
Chives
Mexican oregano
Italian oregano
Basil
Mint
Cilantro
Dill
Catnip
Rosemary

These are a Few of my Favorite Things...

Just wanted to share a few of my current favorite things:

• Coconut Scrub
• Pomegranate and Mango Bodywash I started using this when we first got married, and just after our honeymoon. It reminds me of that special time!
• Caribbean Blue Dutch Oven Great Christmas gift from my parents and very versatile! Cheaper price at your local big box retailer.
• Adam's Best Vanilla Extract
• Churros from Costco
• allrecipes.com

Bit by the Baking Bug...

I don't know what got into me today, but I've baked/made five things in the last couple of hours!

Pecan Pralines (pure sugar, so sweet)
Coconut Lemon Loaf Cake (smells fabulous and has a lemon-y coconut glaze)
Banana Coconut Muffins (these smelled crazy awesome while baking)
Oatmeal and Toffee Cookies (I'll post this recipe later)
and
Praline Toast Spread

These are all recipes I've wanted to make for a little bit. I originally wanted to make the pralines as a second Fat Tuesday dish since they are typical of New Orleans, but I wasn't motivated. As you can see coconut is an ingredient in three of the recipes. I had part of a bag I needed to use up. Also, I didn't intend for praline to be a theme, but it turned out that way! I don't think the toast spread is truly a praline, but that's the recipe name!

Fat Tuesday...

Yesterday was Fat Tuesday and I wanted to make a King Cake. The only problem was I didn't want to make it from scratch, and the only semi-homemade recipe I could find was made of breadsticks and icing, no filling. Blech. But it was from the semi-homemade cook on the Food Network. I decided to strike out on my own.

I formed a can of crescent rolls into an oval with the wider ends towards the center. I wanted to fill the cake, but didn't want to make a cream cheese filling (my King Cake favorite). Hubs loves apples, so I used apple pie filling. I did borrow the icing idea from the Food Network recipe and divided it into thirds. I warmed each bowl in the microwave for 30 seconds and then colored it green, yellow and purple.

Fake King Cake

1 tube crescent roll dough

1 can apple pie filling

1 tub Duncan Hines Classic Vanilla Icing

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a baking sheet with non-stick spray or cover in parchment and spray. Open the crescent rolls and form an oval on the parchment with the wider edges to the center. Place a couple apple slices on each wide end, and fill in the gaps with filling as desired. Fold over the skinny end of the crescent roll and tuck it under the larger end. Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden. Let the ring cool. Divide icing into three separate bowls. Microwave each for 30 or less according to the power of your microwave. Color with yellow, purple and green food coloring. Drizzle the icing over the cake as desired.

I didn't insert a baby into the cake because I didn't want any of Hubs' coworkers to choke since they were the recipients of the cake.

I Cannot Stop Listening to...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8R8Qvm24dbU

I loved Gavin Rossdale when he was part of Bush, and this song is always stuck in my head. It gives me "Brain Itch."

Happy Groundhog Day...

Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow today! Six more weeks of winter! Seems like he's seen his shadow the last several years. Maybe we'll get snow in Dallas again!