Cave canem, te necet lingendo (Latin)

Latin: Cave canem, te necet lingendo

Translation: Beware of the dog, he may lick you to death

And that pretty much sums up our memorial day weekend. A dog fest full of slobber, kisses and good laughs.

My hubby and I had the pleasure of dog sitting Vincent and Mrs. Potato this weekend. Two lovable, slobbering pups that kept us entertained as well as the June Bug (a.k.a. Juno).

Here's a few snapshots from the weekend...Hope they make you smile.

Playtime...three whole days.

Where'd they go?...

It's hot....break time.

Run Vincent run....

This might be my favorite....he looks so fierce trying to get the camera!

Mrs. Potato chillin'....so cute

Strike a pose!

Juno...as happy as can be

Sweet face + big tongue = slobbery kisses...

That lating quote was right!

Beware of dog; he/she might lick you to death.

I'm okay with that though....that's why we have showers.

Wine & Love

Wine & Love....

Ok...so I will admit, this is the first time I've done a linkup. I found this when reading Claire's blog "bicoastally" on Thursday night, but unfortunately blogger was down. So I'm a little late, but I really liked the topic. If you feel inclined to play along too, then linkup with Nora & let us know what has you reaching for a glass of vino & what your lovin'!

Wine.

- Serbian: ja zelim casu vina (ya jeleem chashoo veena); English translation: I want a glass of wine. If you ask me, sometimes that's the best reason of all. By the way, drinking a glass of wine (or two) and trying to learn and remember Serbian may not be a good combination, but at least I care less how silly I sound trying.

- It was a long day; and people forget they have brains. Do I really need to elaborate more?!

- When bad things happen to good people who have good hearts; regardless of what the doctor says. I'm praying for you Aunt Brenda.

Love.

- My hubby, our dog and house and this beautiful weather we've been having in the south. It's May and we can still sit outside and not be eaten alive but mosquitos!

- Our tomato plants. They smell so good and 1 of 6 plants has baby tomatoes! Can't wait to eat them!!!

- Shabby Apple Dresses. Just too cute.

The Dish: Turkey Pasta Bake

So I forgot to take a photo of tonight's glorious dinner, so I'll try to make it brief and hopefully leave your mouth watering and with the key ingredients to whip-up this yummy concoction in your own kitchen (where the smells will do more justice than a photo anyway).

Turkey Pasta Bake (sort of low-fat version)

Bechamel Sauce

3 Cups 1% milk (warmed - in a microwave safe bowl, works just fine)

4 Tblsp Butter (I thought about using the smart balance, maybe next time, but no promises of the consistency if you do go this route)

1/4 cup + 1/8 cup of all purpose flour

You can make this one day ahead...it definitely makes the next day so much easier.

Melt the butter and whisk in the flour until smooth. About 2 minutes. Slowly pour in the warm milk, while constantly whisking to ensure no lumps form. Stir/whisk the cream mixture for 15 minutes on medium to low heat. Don't let the milk boil or burn. Remove from heat. Stir in 1/2 tsp of salt, a pinch of white pepper (black works too) and a pinch of nutmeg (don't be afraid; it gives it that extra something that will make everyone else go OMG).

Let it cool. Refrigerate or use right away.

Turkey Bake Pasta

Bechamel Sauce

Pesto

1 1/2 pounds ground turkey

1 large onion chopped/diced in small pieces

3-4 garlic cloves chopped/minced

4 oz. mushrooms (pre-sliced)

salt

pepper

olive oil

16 0z. box of favorite pasta (I used penne)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Boil a large pot of water and cook pasta according to directions. Drain.

Heat a large pan with 2 - 3 tblsp of olive oil on medium-high. Sautee the onions for about 3-4 minutes, add the garlic and sautee for 1-2 minutes. Add the turkey, season with salt and pepper and cook through (no pink left). Add the mushrooms and cook for about 2 more minutes. Mushrooms should still be firm. Reduce heat to medium-low. Stir in the bechamel sauce and add 2-3 tablespoons of pesto (home made or store bought). Heat through. Season with more salt and pepper if desired. Remove from heat.

Stir in the cooked pasta with the creamy-pesto-turkey mixture and spread into a 13 x 9 inch dish. Cover with mozzarella and parmesan cheese for a cheesy crust.

Cook uncovered for 20 minutes or until cheese has a nice golden color.

Serve with a salad.

happy cooking & yummy eating

Just another day...or was it? Royal Wedding and All.

Today, was another day. The sun rose, the sun set.
But it wasn't just any day. Today, marked a significant historical event.
The Royal Wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton, now Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

By the way, this sparked several questions?
First: What is William's surname; he's always referred to as Prince William. I guess if you're royalty this is not common.
Second: Why is it Kate and not Cate? I guess it's all preference and doesn't really matter anyway.
Third: What is royal really? Kate seems to possess every ounce of elegance, grace, kindness and poise that one might need.

Okay, back to my original train of thought....this was a historical day; but not just because two people got married, or the story and intrigue that surrounds this lovely young couple, but the fact that their have been predictions that up to 2 to 3 billion people will have tuned in, watched or somehow or the other been exposed to this event.

THAT'S POTENTIALLY JUST UNDER HALF OF THE WORLD'S POPULATION!!!!!

To me, that is the most amazing part of this day. I know there were other things going on in the world. Probably a lot, that actually impact more individuals as a whole, but I think it says something about the condition of the human nature, our souls and our desires.

You see, in the digital age of media that we live in, it's not surprising that it's possible to reach that many individuals, but that that many individuals want to see or have the desire (whether you watched all five plus hours of coverage or sneaked a peak on you tube, or the BBC), to take time out of their busy lives to see something grand...and I'm not just talking about the pomp and circumstance, but two young people in love and a modern-day fairy tale playing out before our eyes, in which we have been granted access to participate.

In all honesty, it gives me hope and courage that in a world where on most days we are flooded by anything and everything that is centered around the not-so-pleasant side to this life from the atrocities of human nature - hate, crime and war; to the devastating effects of human kind - global warming, possible oil spills in the arctic (have we not learned anything yet); and even to the natural disasters that we have no control over - earthquakes, tsunamis, tornadoes...that, a vast majority of us want and strive for all that is promising - love, peace, happiness - in whatever form that comes in.

I believe that might be one reason why most of us tuned in today. Or so, I would like to believe, because really, if we aren't all seeking that, then what is there?

The other reason, is the 5-year old girl in me, who watched and read the stories of Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Rapunzel and many more, that believes in fairy-tales, that has my own fairy tale now (though it doesn't include tiara's or pink dresses), and is still mesmerized by a modern-day fairy tale involving a prince. How can you not indulge. And how can you not fall in love with the idea.

So, for those of you who might have had some cynicism towards today's mass hysteria, which it was; I respect and understand the jaded views we might have, but it shows that there is still power in this world that unites us beyond measure.



Ok...off the soap box now.

So the story goes....The Baker Hotel

A monolithic monument that seems to mark another time, the Baker Hotel rises up from the ground and can be seen for miles as you're driving into a town once known for it's healing waters; now with eerily quiet echos in the wind. As an adult, I'm still in awe, as I visit Mineral Wells and see the Baker Hotel.

The grandeur of the Baker Hotel in this small town makes me nostalgic...for my childhood, my grandmother, the town and its people.

The Baker Hotel opened in 1929 just weeks after the stock market crash, but enjoyed immense success all through out the 1930's as thousands flocked to this top spa destination. Housed with 450 guestrooms, 2 ballrooms, and other attractions such as a beauty parlor and bowling alley; in it's heyday, the Baker attracted celebrities like Clark Cable, Judy Garland, and Lyndon B. Johnson. It took 3 years to build and cost a whopping $1.2 million to construct. Another interesting tidbit...it was the first skyscraper to be built outside of a major metropolitan area.

Over time the business declined...who can say exactly how it began. World War II ended, surrounding businesses came and went. There's a natural ebb and flow to all things in this life...and so the story goes for the Baker Hotel.

Today, the Baker Hotel is just another stark reminder of how fickle life can be, yet how permanent man's stamp on it, is.

For an interesting look at the Baker, watch the preview "Ballad of the Baker"

For the latest updates on The Baker Hotel, follow on Facebook

Strawberry Poundcake Cupcakes

Ok...so I know it's been a while since my last post. But sometimes, life gets busy, and there's work to do, and June bug's to play with.

I finally made the strawberry poundcake cupcakes...see below for more info; I went to Mexico and came back full of Chilaquiles (super addictive) and Cerveza, and even planted flowers in our front yard; but not without out a million other things to do. Hence, the lack of blog entries lately.

Strawberry Poundcake Cupcakes

If you like strawberry ice cream, I highly recommend. They may not be the prettiest cupcakes, but they are sure to be delicious. So as I mentioned in a previous blog entry, I cheated, and bought box pound cake mix. I mean come on, a girl's gotta have a life and can't always make everything from scratch. It's the semi-homemade concept. Thanks Sandra Lee.

What you'll need:

1 box of Duncan Hines Poundcake mix....produces with generous scoops in the muffin tin approximately 17 cupcakes. Add 1 tsp of Almond Extract to spruce up the box mix. If you don't tell, no one will ever know. Bake for approximately 20 minutes. There were no directions on the box for this, but thanks to cupcakeproject.com; I figured this one out. You can also use the clean toothpick test.

For the icing...I merged two ideas from cupcakeproject.com, My 10 favorite frostings "Strawberry Whipped Cream" + Pioneer Women's Devil Dogs, "That's The Best Icing I've ever had" = My Best Ever Strawberry Like Ice Cream Icing!

So how do you make?

• 5 Tablespoons Flour
• 1 cup Milk
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla
• 1 cup Butter
• 1 cup Granulated Sugar
• 10 - 16 Fresh Strawberries (mashed/pulverized via some form of stress relief, or a food processor works too)

Directions

From Pioneer Woman, see link above: "In a small saucepan, whisk flour into milk and heat, stirring constantly, until it thickens. You want it to be very thick, thicker than cake mix, more like a brownie mix is. Remove from heat and let it cool to room temperature. (If I’m in a hurry, I place the saucepan over ice in the sink for about 10 minutes or so until the mixture cools.) It must be completely cool before you use it in the next step. Stir in vanilla.

While the mixture is cooling, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. You don’t want any sugar graininess left...."

[Then my introduction of fruit inspired by cupcakeproject.com]

Beat in mashed/pulverized strawberries. Use more or less depending on consistency. If strawberries are super juicy, strain some of the juice.

Ok....back to Pioneer Woman's recipe....

"Then add the completely cooled milk/flour/vanilla mixture and beat the living daylights out of it. If it looks separated, you haven’t beaten it enough! Beat it until it all combines and resembles whipped cream."

Before you eat all the icing....frost your cupcakes and enjoy!

The Dish: Carrot Cake

So for some reason I'm obsessed with cupcakes, and have been itching to make pound cake cupcakes with strawberry frosting. I cheated and bought pound cake mix. However, I planned to make the frosting from scratch, but I ate most of the strawberries this week before I got around to making the cupcakes. So, I guess I'll try this one out later.

I think my obsession with cupcakes may be due to their perfect little state of being. I mean come on...they're so pretty and cute, how can you not want to eat them. It's like having a personal cake; personal sized pizza's were a hit! Why not pint-sized, personal cakes! This also helps with portion control, as long as you divy out the remaining cupcakes to friends, family, neighbors and co-workers.

Anyway, my next cupcake was going to be carrot cake cupcakes. Carrot cake happens to by my husband's favorite. But, this I had no intentions of cheating. I bought carrots and shredded them (finely, I might add, both in skill and texture!). This also, gave me a chance to try out my fancy hands-free mixer from Christmas. Also a rule from the hubby; I must make good carrot cake with this fancy kitchen appliance in order to justify taking up space. Regardless of the results, I have to say though, the mixer is awesome! Easy. Easy. Easy. And so easy to clean! I'm in love.

In the end, I decided to forego the cupcake attempt and just make the cake and test the recipe first. I can attempt the cupcakes later when I'm sure the recipe is approved.


Meanwhile, as I waited for the cake to cool (hence the rambling above and the photos below), I tested out my new app - Retro Camera.

Here's the result:

I also got bored...played with photo booth on my mac...nice glow effect. Kind of ethereal.

And finally, the cake was cool enough to frost.
So what do you think is for breakfast?

You got it. And I'm not ashamed to admit that I will eat this for breakfast with a nice cup of coffee!

Carrot Cake Recipe from joyofbaking.com

It's Mo approved. But the cupcakes will have to wait. This is a lot of cake!