Q is for Quick Cheeseburger Pie

This recipe was made on July 30th 2020 and it was pretty good actually. 

I have never made a pie like this before but can see how this would be a great addition to monthly food rotation. 

The pie crust was not that hard to make and while it is baking in the oven the next steps for browning the beef can be completed. Once the pie crust is completed and the beef cooked it is pretty much mixing everything together and baking a little longer. I also would be curious if this could be made like a night before? 

This is what the pie looked like before cooking.

 

The things that I would change with this recipe maybe add some more veggies to it. Maybe not during baking but maybe add the option to put tomatoes or shredded lettuce on top like you would a burger. Or possibly some bacon crumbles at the adding cheese step. 

When I have some kind of mix like this I always want to fill it with as many items as possible. That could also be something like finely dicing up squash or zucchini, which would also be cooked while the beef is browning. 

I did love the dill pickles and the juice that was added. It gave it a nice zip. 

A slice of Quick Cheeseburger Pie

I think I might just have to add this to this week's dinner list. 

 

P is for Pocket Pizza

I made this pizza back on July 28, 2020, and it was really easy to make and pretty tasty. I did have some issues with it. 

Full disclosure I do make homemade pizza. I've been using the same recipe for the dough since my dad found it and declared it the one we'd use. That recipe calls for yeast this one did not which was pretty cool.

I had no issue with making the dough. The parts where I struggled wherewith the direction for sausage. What kind of sausage? Crumbly, sliced, or something else? I don't normally put the sausage on my pizza at home so quickly over thought it and became confused.

I also bought my pizza, sauce, which normally I make my own. This was a mistake only because I think it made the over all pocket pizza pretty salty. That is hard for me to say since I have no issues with salt. 

I also struggled a little with the assembly since it was layered. Which made sense after. reading the directions like 6 times. However, a simple sentence of you will be layering the ingredients would have helped a lot.

Overall, this was a yummy treat. I would attempt it again. I would make my own sauce and understand the layering process better. 

It does make a massive pocket pizza as you can see by it covering the entire cookie sheet, so would be good to share with a few people. 

O is for Oatmeal Pancakes

I can say I was really excited about this bake. I am a huge fan of breakfast for dinner so making this for dinner on July 28, 2020, was a treat. 

I have never made oatmeal pancakes before. I have made all kinds but my favorite kind of pancakes are light, fluffy, and have a crunchy butter ring on the outside. 

These oatmeal pancakes are not like my favorite kind but still very good. They are hearty, filling, and tastes really good. When I cooked these they took longer to cook than normal, about 5-7 minutes instead of 3-4 minutes. I also played with trying them with both molasses and my normal pancake syrup. I thought the molasses would be best because they were so wholesome, but nope, I preferred the regular syrup. 

Like most recipes in this book the directions on this one were very easy and clear which is always nice. I think pancakes are one of the first items I learned to cook so always appreciate the idea that it might be some little kid's first item as well. 

I just wanted to take note that we drank this local cider while eating our pancakes. Why not have some apple "juice" for dinner? Fun fact, ciders are closer to wines than beers. This cinder can be found in Natural Bridge and I highly recommend it!

N is for Nutty Marshmallow Bars

Like the M is for Mud Pie, this was part of my and my mom's missing pages of the cookbook.  Using the index for the name of the recipe and doing a google search I was able to find this recipe to use for N is for Nutty Marshmallow Bars.

I made this on 7.27.2020 and this one is very sticky. I noticed this fact only because Husband hates sticky things. He wears gloves to eat doughnuts he dislikes it so much. Since he notices I now notice. 

I also felt like the way I made this, which had some flaws made it very crumbly. Instead of chopping the peanuts like instructed I used my magic bullet and it made more like peanut butter. Flaw one. I also put it in a larger pan which made nice size bars. However, if I would have used a slightly smaller pan it would have been more squished and compact and probably less fragile, flaw two.

The overall taste was very good even though I was not in the mood to cook that day. Husband said it reminded him of the haystacks his mom makes around Christmas time each year. His father, brother, and he all fight for the haystacks. I have a hard time putting down her peanut butter balls. 

The steps were easy to follow even though I did not do the best at it. I would probably try this one again.

M is for Mud Pie

M for Mud Pie was an adventure to be sure. I completed this recipe on July 26, 2020.

Before could even get started on this pie recipe I had to find it. As you can see from the picture there is a picture but no recipe. My mom has the same cookbook and she also is missing these pages. I knew from the table of context that it was called M is for Mud Pie and so with the power of google looked for some different options. I ended up choosing this one since it was from Betty Crocker, specifically mentions Gold Medal flour, and is pretty simple. With all of these factors checked I went with it. 

The overall steps were easy to follow. The different elements added together to have nice flavors and a variety of textures. I can defiantly see making this again. It would be a great item to make the day before and just grab it and go before heading to the event. 

I did make a mistake when it came to measuring out the flour. I should have used 1/3 of a cup of flour but used 1/4. I blame this on trying to start it at 9pm at night. I couldn't figure out the math to make it right. Or rather, I was too lazy to figure it out so went with it.

Overall it was nice, easy, and I would defiantly try it again. 

L is for Lemon Squares

I made this dish back on  7.23.2020. I'll be honest in that it was just okay. I might try it again, but honestly feel like I would try a different recipe if I wanted to do lemon bars again.

I did enjoy that the recipe had a two-step process. The first being make and cook the crust and the second to make and cook the filling. 

I know the Jelly Roll, had two steps but you weren't cooking the filling just rolling it in the cake. I think it would be a nice change or a possible challenge for a new kiddo learning to bake. 

K is for Kart-Wheels

These Kart-Wheels were made on July 23rd and they came out alright.

This recipe calls for about 1 cup of pie filling or jam. I wanted to use cherry pie filling because cherry pies are one of my favorite types. However, when you go to the store to buy pre-made pie filling, they do not come in one cup cans. They come in 21oz. This means I immediately decided to double this recipe to make sure I could use all of the pie filling. 

The irony of this decision is that I was more focused on the filling and ran out of flour halfway through so had to run to the store to pick more up. 

Making the dough was clear and easy. Filling the actual Kart-Wheels was confusing. 

The book said, "Divide the dough into 6 equal parts." In my case 12 equal parts. "Shape each part into a ball. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet; flatten slightly. Make an indentation, 1 3/4 inches in diameter and about 3/4 inch deep, in center of each flattened ball."

This being a kid's book, I think shapes or other descriptors would have helped. Like flatten into a ball, and make a dent the size of a half-dollar or the back of a tablespoon would have been helpful. Something other than measurements. I have a lot of things in my kitchen but not a ruler or a tape measure.  

Since I had a double batch I decided to try it two ways. The first was to try and figure out how to make this weird little dent into my flatten ball. If you look at the first image then itis the Kart-Wheels on the right. This method, I felt, made the filling sit on top of the dough.

The second method I chose to take the little balls and make them into little cups. More like a tart type shape without a tart cup. This made the Kart-Wheels more like little mini pies The Kart-Wheels on the left in the first image. 

After cooking, cooling, and eating, I preferred the mini pies. I enjoyed the Kart-Wheel dough recipe overall since it was nice and tasty. I just liked knowing the cherries would stay in the baked good and not roll-off. 

J is for Jelly Roll

This recipe was made on July 22nd. I was very excited to make it. I enjoy watching some cooking shows. I would say my top favorites are Nailed It! and The Great British Baking Show. These are from both ends. The first end being people that are probably a danger to themselves and loved ones and the top of the top in baking skills that don't own their own shop. 

Well in The Great British Baking Show they always seem to have some kind of rolled, sponge in their competition. Sponge is the British term for cake. 

I have, to my memory, cooked a cooled cake before so I was super excited. To try this recipe. I know that I have done rolled items before, like failed attempts at cinnamon rolls, or the Elephant Ears, but again not with a cake. 

 

I followed the directions step by step, put it in a normal baking sheet since I don't have a proper jelly roll pan. 

Once it was fully cooked, I think I overcooked it, I put it on my towels covered in powdered sugar, and immediately rolled it up and let it sit for about 30 minutes. 

Once the 30 minutes ended I unrolled the cake, filled it with some homemade raspberry jam from Husband's aunt, and then re-rolled the cake. 

It looked pretty good and it tasted okay. The powdered sugar made a huge mess like it always seems to do. The presentation was nice and I would try it again.

 

I is for Ice Cream Sandwich

I made this recipe on 7.21.2020 and I have to tell you that this was probably one of my favorite items I made for the first time out of this book. 

The whole process is kind of long because first, you have to make and cool the cookies. Then add the ice cream and let it sit for a while, and then melt and add the chocolate and then again, let the cookies set again. I would say the whole process took about 2 and a half hours but with lots of breaks. 

All these steps are totally worth it. The cookies honestly taste like something found in a store except better because I know that I made them. 

The peanut butter recipe itself was a solid tasty recipe. The cookies were firm but still a little crumbly which I enjoy in a peanut butter cookie.

For the ice cream, I used cookie and cream because it is one of Husband's favorite kinds. I also think that was a good choice. Honestly, any kind of ice cream could go well with this cookie. Vanilla, chocolate, coffee, chocolate chip, cookie dough, anything that pairs with peanut butter. 

Dipping half the cookie in chocolate, I really think that was the kicker to the whole thing. The last step that just pushed it over the edge to amazing. These did not last long in our house. 

To store them I wrapped them individually in plastic wrap. I think putting them in a zip lock bag or container for longer storage would have been a good idea but, again they did not last. 

The peanut butter cookie recipe did say it would make 30 cookies aka, 15 sandwiches, but I only had 24 cookies. I think it was my cookie scoop I used. 

Husband enjoyed these but Broha did the most damage to this batch eating about half of them. 

H is for Honey Cookies

Making these cookies was interesting. They, like most recipes in this book were pretty easy to follow. Using my tablespoon cookie ice scream scoop I was able to make the cookies pretty much the same size. 

I think the difficult part was in baking them. I put them in for the recommended time and they were kind of gooey in the middle. It wasn't bad but wasn't sure if that was a texture thing or a underbaked and I'm about to give myself stomach issues thing.

The second batch I cooked longer and they were not gooey in the middle and remained soft and slightly chewy like the first batch. 

Over all the cookies were fun to make since they were a little different but I don't think I would make them again. Or if I did, maybe make them smaller and cook longer. 

G is for Giant Gingerbread Kids

 Alright, so let me start off by saying that I apologize for nothing.

I started this project in July of 2020 so making gingerbread cookies is a little off season, however, they were super good. These cookies are a softer gingerbread and so great for people but I wouldn’t try to make a house out of this dough.

As mentioned in the Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe I’m about a 2 possible 3 dozen drop cookie type of person. When it comes to cutting out cookies…. I get way less enthusiastic. It can just take forever!

Rolling, cutting, squishing, rolling, cutting, rolling can just get old really fast. However, I assume it has been years since the last time I made cookies like this it was alright. I think I got about 2 dozen cookies, I used EVERY cookie cutter I had. That was pretty fun and funny.

I sent this picture of a friend and while she was looking at it leaned over to her spouse and was like do you think that is a penis? He was like no, she was like, Shannon made them, and he immediately changed his mind and was like oh then for sure it is. I love how I’ve broken my friend's expectations or have I given them these types of expectations? Either way, it makes me laugh.

The cookbook says this would make 8 giant gingerbread kids but all my cutters were normal size so it feels like as a batch it was the perfect size to not be annoying.

F is for Fudge Brownies

 I think the irony of this was that F ended on Friday which made me laugh a lot. Plus, who doesn’t want to eat brownies on a Friday?

I really liked this recipe and would make it again. I found it very interesting because you actually mixed everything in a pot. I’ve never done that before. Most of the time if I am melting chocolate I am using a double boiler system or short bursts in the microwave. The last time I made brownies, not from a box I needed cocoa powder and this one did not have any.

They came out really good though! I really enjoyed them and would make them again.

I think the funniest part of this day was Broha. He LOVES brownies but as this bad habit of eating things right out of the oven so before he went to his space I told him about it and he was super excited.

As I was making the brownies Broha goes out to get some dinner. Husband takes this time to go put this weird creepy river baby doll we wrapped in plastic wrap in Broha’s bed while he’s out. This creepy doll baby was literally pulled out of the mud of the James River on a floating trip we did a few weeks ago. It is super creepy.

Well about an hour later when the brownies are cooked, cooled, and husband and I are getting ready for bed, we hear this spriting up the stairs. We start laughing because we’re like he found it!

Nope, Broha just remembered about the brownies and was super excited. He did not find the doll while we were awake that night but did tell us in the morning he was thoroughly freaked out. Win on both counts!

E is for Elephant Ears

I was really excited to make this recipe because anytime you are making something with a cinnamon sugar swirl has a high probability of being amazing.

The directions were easy, you make a dough, roll it out, spread melted butter on it, roll it up, cut it into fourth and cook it. I did not have a pastry brush so I used a paper towel. I think it worked well in a pinch.  

I’ve thought about getting a rubber pastry brush before but in my daily life the need for its use is so infrequent I would rather just use a paper towel.

They were so good! I honestly don’t think Broha was able to try one because Husband and I ate them all. I would hate to make a lot of batches of these but I think this could be a made beforehand and put in the fridge and then pulled out to bake when you wanted them.  

D is for Delicious Drumsticks

I think the thing that amused me the most about this recipe is that all week long I kept saying Wednesday is D for Delicious Drumsticks. On Wednesday we are having Delicious Drumsticks.

I was pleasantly surprised. When I do make fried chicken I take the chicken put it in an egg wash, roll it in Italian Breadcrumbs fry it in a pan with oil and butter and then put it on a baking sheet to finish cooking it off. It is so good!

This is the first time I’ve used a straight flour recipe and honestly, it was pretty good. I think dipping the chicken legs in butter helps a lot but overall I was really pleasantly surprised.

When eating chicken I normally take the skin off or just don’t eat it but this skin was good enough to eat. Husband and the Broha also approved. I think I’ll stick to my normal go-to fried chicken but this one did not disappoint.

C is for Chocolate Chip Cookies

Generally speaking, I normally say that my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe is Tollhouse's, however, these cookies were really good. They are just a good classic chocolate chip cookie recipe. It is easy to follow, the raw dough is delicious the smell is intoxicating. I loved that when I pulled these cookies out of the oven and let them chill for a little bit that you could pull them apart and see the melty chocolate chips. 

This recipe made about two dozen cookies which I am fine with. Honestly, I have about 2-3 cookie rotations in me before I'm done. I also think that if someone did want to make like four dozen cookies this would be very simple to double everything. 

I can say though I don't want to make more than 3 dozen cookies at a time I am also not a fan of just one dozen cookies either. 24-36 is my sweet spot.

I asked Husband if he wanted to take these cookies to work, he said no.

I asked him again, he again said no.

He was going to a poker game and I was like do you want to take these cookies to that game. He was like what is with these cookies? Is there something about these cookies I should know?

I said besides the extra ingredients of rat poison? 

After he gave me a look he was like seriously what is with these cookies. I told him that I don't have the opportunity to bring the cookies to work because I work from home so I am in my office. I don't need 24 cookies staring at me because I WILL eat them. I need to make them but then have them immediately removed from the house.

He understood after that and took the cookies to the poker game. 

Most of the other baking I've been doing has been doing to work with the Broha and his co-workers are enjoying this adventure.

B is for Banana Bread

I LOVE this recipe. I keep this book because of this recipe. I had lost it in my bookshelf for about a year or two. Honestly, I apparently didn't look really hard, and all the other banana bread recipes I tried in the meantime were not good. 

This recipe is easy, fast, I can use a potato masher, and the bread is never dry. 

I used to eat bananas all the time but don't anymore so I have to go and buy banana's especially to make this bread. Really ripe or brown banana's work best which is awesome because that means they are normally on sale. 

You can use fresh or frozen banana's and I just put all the ingredients in the bowl, mash/mix it with a potato masher, put it in a very well greased bread pan and call it a day. It is a really good way to get kids introduced into baking because again potato masher equals fun! 

I have friends that get so excited when I make this bread. I like having requested items also known as default foods it makes me feel good. Plus I can be lazy! If you have the time, and you like bananas for real try this recipe! 

A is for Apple Crisps

To start off this cookbook adventure I started at the beginning which is A for Apple Crisp. 

It apparently had been a really long time since I peeled apples because with a knife I was garbage so gave up and used a potato peeler. Much faster and it had better results.

Overall I think this recipe is okay. I didn't have the little cups they suggest putting the apples in so that might have changed the flavor. I do enjoy apple crisps but normally enjoy oats in the crumble topping. 

This was easy to make and would be great with a scoop of ice cream. I would make it again but probably double the recipe to get a more even layer of both toppings and apples if I don't get the cup things. 

Alpha-Bakery Children's Cook Book Adventure

I have decided to cook every recipe in this book. I will complete it in about 4 weeks. I will do 6 recipes, in order, per week. That gives me Sunday to pick up the next week's menu items. 

I've had this book for years and I do love the B is for Banana Bread recipe, it is my favorite of all time. I don't remember if I've ever tried making all the items in the book so that will be changing this month.

Part of me wants to do this because cooking is fun. Cooking is like making crafts you can eat. The other part of me wants to complete something in this COVID world. Then another part of me just wants to do something fun for myself. 

I am trying to get more fun in my life along with doing things that I enjoy not just things I "should" do.

I hope you'll join me over the next few weeks in reading about my adventures in cooking!

Please note that Gold Medal did not ask me to do this nor do they probably care about my opinions. This was done just for me. 

Also, at the time of publishing these reviews, I have already completed or mostly completed all the items in this book. I am posting these a little bit after the fact but made notes along the way. 

Welcome to this Alpha-Bakery Adventure!

Don't Poke Me and Other Random Thoughts

I haven't posted in a while. I failed. I will try harder.

Since everything is crazy right now due to the COVID-19 I am keeping this post light.

First, this picture makes me laugh. I wanted to take a picture of the cat, which is hard because he is black and mostly just looks like a blob in pictures.

I poked him while he was eating and he gave me this, I will kill you human look. I love it because you can see his angry hateful eyes. Also the shock and annoyance. Maybe it is things like that is why he later wakes me up at 4:30am?

On another note, though things are INSANE right now. I think my current obsession besides ignorance is going to stores. The few that are open. Mostly Krogers.

I love walking up and down the isles and seeing what is out right now. Along with what can and cannot be bought in multiples.

I honestly went to the store just to take a quick lap. Well, that and put the dog in the car for a car trip because I didn't want to walk him. Wow, such an honest pet mom.

Some of the things that made me go, wait what? Kitty litter. Alright. Why all the canned beans. Like cans of soup would be on the shelves but all the beans are gone. Besides chili what are people making? I would say all the sparkling water, Kroger brand. Butter, one day all the butter was gone.

Have you seen anything else weird that is gone? If so leave a comment below! I'm going to try and limit my Kroger visits to every other day but... we'll see what happens. Being stuck in the house is just weird.

Stay safe an wash your hands! Also, don't lick people.

I get a skin exam

Photo by Chris Slupski on Unsplash

One of the biggest organs we have is our skin. It covers us from head to toe. If you start googling skin you'll start off with some fun facts and probably very soon go into a dark scary place.

But, hey, that's the internet in general.

I wanted to write this post because I have never done a full-body skin scan thing before. I only ever went to the doctor to solve some weird rash or have warts removed.

This was a little different.

This was someone checking out ALL of your skin.

A few years ago I had flat warts on my face, yes my face. I had to have them removed by a dermatologist. I made this exam because I was worried they were coming back. My primary doctor is fine at freezing planters warts, I've had those too, but will not, and rightly so, remove items off of my face. If I was worried I knew I needed a dermatologist anyway so I figured why not just go straight to the doctor I need.

I called to make an appointment and after rambling about all of my concerns the lady on the phone said the best option is a full-body skin scan.

Fast forward a few months because appointments at the dermatologist's office book up fast. I show up, fill out some paperwork, and then get escorted to a room. The nurse and I chat for a few minutes and then she says here's a robe/sheet please put it on flaps untied in the back. All the way nude, like no undies or anything. The only other appointment where I go all the way to my birthday suit is my yearly women's exam.

I am not really surprised I just assumed undies would be okay. They were not for this office. I say that only because a co-worker who also gets yearly skin exams says she gets to keep her undies. Different doctors I guess.

The doctor then came in, she explained how this is going to go, confirmed I'm not wearing any makeup, and then has me sit on this "chair", It looks like a dentist chair but it slowly raises up and then lays out flat into a table.

So there I am, in a weird sheet/robe, laying flat under a harsh light. Isn't this how weird science fiction horror movies start?

I lay flat on my back as this harsh light is pointed at me and she starts at the top of my head in my hair and works her way to my toes then I flip over and the same thing happens. Flaps are opened and closed as needed and then in just a few minutes I'm done.

That's it.

The doctor lowers me down so the table is now a chair again. The good news is that there is nothing she sees of concerns. I ask her about a few specific spots on my face, these are all just cosmetic things that can be zapped with a laser if I want, However, they are not warts and they show no concerns. I then proceed to ask other questions I wrote down, such as:

Is one type of soap better than another? - Nope

I have dandruff and to keep it at bay I rotate shampoos is that right? - Yup, you've found the best option

Is there a better brand of lotion than another one? - Nope, it is whatever works best for you. They all do about the same so whatever works for you stick with it.

I asked a handful more but it was pretty much to find what works for you and stick with it. There is no perfect anything because there are so many different types of skin. Oh, and eczema will get worse as I age and cause some of my other skin reactions to get worse as well.

Fun!

After I stopped asking a million questions the doctor left, I put my clothes back on, went to the front desk and made my appointment for next year.

Wham bam thank you ma'am.

I wrote this post today because I had no idea what to expect. I could have asked my co-worker, or looked online, or even asked the lady on the phone but I forgot. I just wanted to give everyone a heads up of what they too might experince if they get a full skin scan. I do think everyone should too, as part of their yearly preventative maintenance doctor visits.

Has anyone else gotten a full skin exam? If so, was your experience similar? Please leave a comment below and let me know.

Fort Nights Are The Best

Husband and I are not huge in celebrating Valentine's Day. I shall now list my reasons and feelings for this statement.

• It feels forced and so commercialized. It is just another holiday to go spend money on stuff not needed and food items that will ruin my New Years' resolution to lose weight/eat healthier. 
• I am really bad at being romantic, my brain is honestly not wired to be all sappy and sweet. When Husband and I were still dating when I said the perfect line I would pat myself on the back for a WEEK. That much praise for saying one sentence or line correctly is kind of sad.
• Holidays though advertised for weeks still seem to just pop out of nowhere and it stresses me out a bit. I am all for avoiding things that stress me out
• I've worked in the restaurant world for too many years. This holiday can be NUTS with long waits, hungry people, specials, stressed out everyone trying to achieve that, "perfect" moment. No thank you. Next to Mother's Day, I run from going out to restaurants on Valentine's Day.
• Out of the five love languages which are, Quality Time, Physical Touch, Words of Affirmation, Acts of Service, and Gift Giving, Gift giving is always number 5 for me. Number one and two are usually tied for Quality Time and Acts of Service. 

This is why we actually planned last Friday night not because it was Valentine's Day but because we were both off of work. 

What did we do? You can tell by the title, we built a fort. 

We've built forts in the past. It's a fun date night and we try to do it about once a year if not more. Plus it brings out the kids in anyone to say, I built a fort last night!

We normally built the traditional fort with sheets, chairs, and a ton of blankets and pillows on the floor. This time we went for something a little different. 

I looked at Husband and was like fort's don't always involve tents sometime's it just areas guarded by people. He agreed and set to work arming all of my teddy bears, making sure they covered all of the doors and windows to the living room in our house while I changed, cooked our frozen pizza dinner and put the movie on.

A few minutes later we were snuggled up to watch the new Aladdin. Side note, it was really cute! The bears protected us and kept us safe while we enjoyed the show. 

It was a good night!

What are your favorite silly date night activities? Leave me a comment below!