Monday, December 17, 2012

Back-up Plans

*So we had guests over for dinner last night. 5:00 sharp.

And unfortunately they had to run at 5:45, so it was critical we be ready on time. And yes, you can probably see where this is going.

At 4:55 we pulled the (whole) chicken out of the crockpot. I whipped up the gravy while Darling Husband cut the thing.

The door-bell rang. Our guests came in. We smiled and ushered them to the table when my husband uttered those dreaded words.

"Uh-oh."

Yep. Bad news.

Chicken NOT cooked.

My face turned red, but I smiled graciously at our guests and apologized (which they waved away very graciously as well).

"But no worries!" I said. "We'll just move on to our back-up plan. Which is . . . ummm . . . . which is . . ."

Uh yeah, I had nothing.

And then I remembered the frozen homemade soup. Not enough for everyone, but enough for them since they couldn't wait.

"Soup! Our backup is soup!"

Of course everything was fine. We still had the rolls which went perfectly with the soup, and they didn't utter a single protest as we sat there and watched them eat (in truth, we had pleasant conversation about Christmas traditions -- and I didn't have to worry about talking with my mouth full!).

So the point of all this? This is the second time a meal has gone wrong on me, and both times soup came to the rescue. So the point?

Always keep a container of frozen soup in your freezer, and everything will end well. :)

And maybe keep a notebook handy to record the fodder for a scene in a future book. Who knows, It just might save you one day!

P.S. I will be taking a blogging break over the Christmas holiday and will see you all back here in January. Merry Christmas! Happy Holidays!

*Yeah, the picture has nothing to do with this post, but I liked it and wanted to use it. Isn't it pretty? :)

Monday, December 10, 2012

Quinn's Cookie Exchange

Today I'm participating in Quinn's Cookie Exchange. Quinn is the MC of Angela Felsted's recently released YA novel, CHASTE.

I am sharing my famous Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe. And yeah, you may have a recipe for chocolate chip cookies, but this one is better. (IMHO) ;)


Best Chocolate Chip Cookies Ever

2 ¼ C. flour
1 t.       baking soda
½ t.      salt
1 C.     butter softened (not melted)
¾ C.    packed brown sugar
½ C.    granulated white sugar
2 t.       vanilla extract
1          egg
1          (12 oz) package semi-sweet chocolate chips (I usually use a lot less).

Heat oven to 375 degrees F.

Combine flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl; set aside.  Cream butter, brown and white sugar in a large mixer bowl until light and fluffy.  Add vanilla and egg; beat well.  Gradually add in flour mixture; mix well.  Stir in chocolate chips by hand.  Drop by rounded tablespoons, 2 inches apart onto ungreased baking sheets.

Bake at 375 degrees F for 9 to 12 minutes or until golden brown (We like them just before they turn brown so they're super chewy). Drop the pan of cookies onto the floor (face-up obviously) to make the cookies dense and chewy.  It sometime takes a couple of tries to get them to drop all the way.  Be sure it's on a carpeted surface and if you use a baking stone, be sure to remove the wire holder before you drop it. Move cookies to wire rack to cool.

Yield: approximately 3 dozen cookies.  

~~~
Okay, I'm sure you just skimmed the recipe, but I am making a note here that is VERY important. The trick to making these the best cookies ever is DROPPING THEM. Yep. Drop the whole pan on the ground (from about a foot up). If you fail to do this, the cookies will be Meh. So don't skip it!

And in case you haven't read the blurb for CHASTE yet, here you go:


When he steps into his physics class on the first day of senior year, Quinn Walker is too exhausted from staying up all night with his three-month-old nephew to deal with moral dilemmas. As a devout Mormon who has vowed to wait until marriage for sex, the last thing he needs is a very hot and very sexy Katarina Jackson as his physics partner. Regrettably, he has no choice.

Kat feels invisible in her mansion of a home six months after losing her older brother in a fatal car crash and will do anything to get her parents’ attention. Since her pastor father has no love for Quinn’s “fake” religion and her ex-boyfriend refuses to leave her alone, she makes an impulsive bet with her friends to seduce her holier-than-thou lab partner by Christmas.
 
 
Congratulations, Angela!

Monday, December 3, 2012

A Day in the Life: Weekend Vacation

This past weekend, I took my family on a mini-vacation. Okay. I thought it would be a vacation, but that's not exactly how it turned out. Here's a summary of what took place:

8:00 AM

Pack, pack, pack.

Remember email I forgot to send.

Write email . . . Oh, look at the pretty Twitter . . .

11:00 AM

Drag myself away from the computer.


ME: "Shoes on everyone! Go to the bathroom! Move! Move! Move!"

CHILD: "But I don't have to go to the bathroom! I WON'T GO TO THE BATHROOM!"

ME: "Just do it! . . ." Blah, blah, blah, channeling my parents, etc.

Buckle all kids in the car.

ME: "Wait! I forgot the camera, let me just run in and grab it." Oh, dishes in the sink . . . can't leave dirty dishes . . .

12:00 PM

Drive off.

12:10 PM

CHILD: How long have we been driving now?

12:11 PM

CHILD: How long have we been driving now?

12:11:30 PM

CHILD: How long have we been driving now?

ME: ASK THAT QUESTION ONE MORE TIME AND I'LL TURN OFF THE MOVIE!!!

1:00 PM

CHILD: "I have to go to the bathroom, and I can't wait!"

Grumble, grumble, lecture.

1:05 PM

Stop at gas station. Make sure EVERYONE goes to the bathroom.

1:30 PM

3rd CHILD: "I have to go poopy!"

Sigh.

4:30 PM

Pull in to Hotel parking lot.

HUSBAND: "This is where we're staying?

4:45 PM

CHILDREN: "I'm bored! Can we turn on the TV?"

"No!"

Game of tag begins over bed, through bathroom, under my feet.

 Uncontrolled laughter.

High-pitched screeching.

4:50 PM

Turn on the television.

9:30 PM

Climb into bed.

10:00 PM

THUMP!

Climb out of bed, put 2nd child back in bed.

Get back in bed.

10:15 PM

THUMP! THUMP!

Climb out of bed, put 2 children back in bed.

10:30 PM

THUMP!

2nd child gets back in bed on his own. On the wrong side.

Lays back . . . THUMP . . .

2nd CHILD: "Owww!"

Climb out of bed, put child back in bed.

11:00 PM

3rd child climbs into our bed.

11:30 PM

Wake up to an elbow in the head.

12:00 AM

 Wake up to find child sleeping on husband's head.

3:31 AM

Stare at clock and wonder why I can't sleep!

3:32 AM

Feel springs poking me and remember why.

3:33 AM

Decide there is no way we are staying the second night.

6:30 AM

CHILD: "WAKE UP! IT'S MORNING TIME!"

Breakfast.

Park

Lunch.

2:00 PM

Decide to try local amusement park before getting an early start home.

Purchase tickets online. Non-refundable.

Pull onto road for the 2 minute drive and discover that everyone else in the whole town made the same decision.

"I'm bored!"

"I'm bored!"

"This is no fun!" 

4:30 PM

Arrive at amusement park.

Fight through crowds.

Ride rides.

7:00 PM

Christmas parade

8:00 PM 

Get in line for bus back to parking lot

9:00 PM

Arrive in parking lot.

Drive home

10:30 PM

Stop for gas. Potty break.

11:00 PM

Pull over to side of road for potty break.

11:30 PM

"Help! Dad, help! My stomach hurts!"

Pass back a plastic bag.

12:30 AM

Arrive home, send kids up to bed.

12:31 AM

Go inside.

ME: "What is that awful smell?"

12:32 AM

Head upstairs. Discover trail of puke up stairs toward my room.

1:00 AM

Finish cleaning puke. Vow to buy a carpet cleaner.

Vow to reconsider next vacation.

Tuck children into bed.

2nd CHILD: "Mom, this was the best day ever."

Vow to reconsider reconsidering next vacation.

So how was your weekend?