MRI and Moon Pie Mug Cake

I had an MRI for a little hip issue I've been having.  The follow up appointment was something special.  There I sat with my husband and the Dr. and he pulls up the MRI on the BIG screen t.v. in the office.

And there, for all of us to enjoy, is my fat ass.

Now this MRI was for my hip, and so I was laying down on a table squishing my abundant bottom flat to begin with, then you put it up on a big screen t.v. and it was HUGE!  And, it was an MRI so the first 15 layers was just fat, with the little blood vessels running through it so it looked like I had a GIANT HAIRY ASS.  I was so proud.

We finally got to the hip and you could see the little tiny flank steak of a muscle surrounded by 15 inches of fat on my thighs!  And then the Dr. says..."Let's take a look at those little hips."  I wonder how he said that without laughing out loud!

I still don't know the results of the MRI because I was so focused on the damn fat part of the GIANT T.V. picture.

Well, I made it through that appointment and swore I would never see that Dr. again in my whole entire life, or until my hip hurt again, which ever comes first.  But, I did have to console myself after such a humiliating experience.  So I went home and made myself a  Moon Pie mug cake.

Did you ever eat moon pies?  I loved those things as a kid.  The marshmallow center surrounded by the sweet chocolate and crunch of a graham cracker....pure heaven.  I needed to be taken back to a simpler, less embarrassing time, so I made Moon Pie mug cakes, hid under the blanket I draped over the sofa and coffee table and ate both of them.  I tried not to think about how big my butt looks.

Moon Pie mug cake
adapted from Mug Cakes, Leslie Bilderback

1 large egg
3 1/2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
3 1/2 Tbsp. milk
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
2 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup self-rising flour
pinch of kosher salt
2 graham crackers, broken into small pieces
1/4 cup mini marshmallow, marshmallow fluff, or large marshmallows cut up into small pieces
2 Tbsp. chocolate chips

In a large mug, whisk together the egg and oil with a fork.  Stir in the milk, sugar, vanilla and cocoa.  Add the flour and salt.  Beat the batter until smooth.  Fold in the graham cracker bits, marshmallows and chocolate chips.  Divide the batter between two mugs.  Microwave separately for 1-1/2 to 2-1/2 minutes each until risen and firm.

1 year ago:   Baked Oatmeal
2 years ago:  End of the Garden
3 years ago:  Control Issues and Banana Crunch Muffins

  Sunrise 6:49 am  Sunset  8:47 pm  Temp H 62/ L 41°F

Tazlina Wedding

We spent the weekend with some friends for a wedding.  We drove to Tazlina and parked Bessie at our friend's fish camp where they had about 100 people come for their wedding.

The wedding was on a beautiful day, it went off without a hitch, at least when the maid of honor showed up a couple hours late (gotta love road construction!)  The bride and groom both said "I do" so it was a successful wedding.

Before the ceremony, the groom had to check the fish wheel.  

There were 6 salmon in the holding basket.  They all got cleaned and processed before the wedding.

The view down the river.  You can see other fish wheels working away.

1 year ago:     Chicken and Mushrooms and the Lawn Prank   

2 years ago:   Lemon Bars and Crying in the Grocery Store

3 years ago:   Cheese and Zucchini Tart

August 31, 2015     Sunrise 6:28 am  Sunset 9:13 pm     Temp. H 45/ L 30°F (yes, below freezing)

Talkeetna Zip Line

Suited up and ready for an adventure

We took Bessie out to Talkeetna for a zip line adventure.  We went on Denali Zip Lines and had a fabulous time!  Our across-the-street neighbors met us in Talkeetna for this adventure and it was so much fun.  We are ready to go again next year and take the Baby Boy and Chick.

We won't talk about the stop on main street at the Fairview Inn and the stagger walk back to the camper after a birthday drink (or two) with a friend we ran into, but main street is fun and full of history.

If you ever get to Talkeetna, this will be a very fun 3 hours.  Our two guides were wonderful.  They were the right combination of funny, informative, and safe.  It was an excellent experience from the beginning to the end.

In the tree tops

The last, long zip across the lake.

At the end of our 3 hour trip.  

1 year ago:    Nutella Pillows
2 years ago:  Braces, Afros, and Oatmeal Cream Cookie Sandwiches
3 years ago:  Moose Stuffed Zucchini

August 24, 2014  Sunrise 6:06 am  sunset 9:38 pm  Temp. H 61/ L 48°F

Fish On!

My baby brother flew up from Kansas and we went fishing in Homer.  Dave and I drove to Anchorage and picked him up at the airport (8 hour drive with construction).  We camped overnight outside of Anchorage and then drove to Homer the next day.  We fished on Saturday and again on Sunday, then drove back to Anchorage Sunday night and dropped my brother off at the airport about 11:30 pm for his 1:30 am flight.  We spent the night in Anchorage and drove home the next day.  It was a fast trip, but oh so worth it!

A quick stop on the way to Homer to enjoy the beauty.

We caught our limit in halibut both days.  We caught lots of pinks, I got a silver and another person in our party got a king and a silver. Dave even caught an octopus.  The weather was sunny and warm, the company was great, and we had a wonderful time.  I can't wait to do it again.

The first day we went out with Captain Norm and his son and first mate, Norm.  We were on the Sea Otter.  It was a great boat and we had a great time.

Our second day was with Captain John and his first mate Eli on the Donna Mae.  Again, another excellent crew and great day of fishing.

One downer of the weekend was my camera stopped working at the end of the first day.  I have to take it in and get it checked out, so not so many pictures from the second day.

I can't wait for next year when we go again.  This is one of my favorite (I hope to be annual) Alaskan Adventures.

My husband loving his picture being taken.

Jeff enjoying the sunshine.

Me, pulling in my salmon.  Norm ready with the net!

One of many fish we caught,

Cal bringing his fish in.

It's a beauty!

A couple of halibut and the happy fishermen.

1 year ago:    Brandy Alexander and New Cookbooks

2 years ago:  Rhubarb Sauce and the Easy Birthday Gift

3 years ago:  Grandma's Chocolate Zucchini Cake

August 18, 2015     Sunrise 5:47 am  Sunset 10:00 pm     Temp. H 57/ L 48°F

Camping with Bessie

Our view from the front door (in Bessie)

Summertime and the livin' is easy...or so the song goes.

Not so much at our house, until the weekend.

We bust our butts all week to get everything done; watering, cleaning, shopping, cooking, work...
then Friday afternoon rolls around and we are on the road out of town!

Here are some pictures and a short video of our favorite place to camp.  We love it here and can't wait to bust our butts all week so we can head out again.

Tucker and Hershey on the river.

Tucker's favorite place, laying in the water (and that is cold!)

Riley whining because he wants in my lap.

1 year ago:    Vegetable Hash with Eggs and better eating for my husband

2 years ago:   Blackberry Crumble and The Dish Illness

3 years ago:   White Chocolate Macadamia Nut cookies and Putting the Yard Away for Winter

July 30, 2015   Sunrise 4:43 am  Sunset 11:08 pm  Temp. H 72/ L 50°F

Patriotic Pie and a Kitchen Disaster

We had about 20 people over for a 4th of July dinner.  We didn't have the usual grilled meat type of dinner, no, the Blond Boy and the DIL were here so we had prime rib and crab.  The boy loves prime rib and the DIL loves crab.  I did make a patriotic pie.  It was a cheater pie from this pie, but I used canned pie filling, I was in a hurry.  I made the pie, snapped a picture to post on instagram, and popped it in the oven.  450°F and 45 minutes later, it was ready to pull out of the oven.

I did want to make sure the bottom crust was cooked completely, and since I baked this in a pyrex pan I lifted it over my head and checked out the bottom crust - perfect!  As I was lowering it to place it on the counter, the pie slipped from the pot holders and spilled, upside-down, onto the door of the oven.

I screamed, the glass hit, and my kids came running to see what the noise was all about.  The pie, of course, was ruined.  There was cherry and blueberry lava all over the oven door, inside the oven, the kitchen floor...the kids turned the oven off and started to clean up the mess.  We got a good handle of the mess and the Baby Boy says, "I thought there was blueberry in the pie, I've only cleaned up cherry."

This is after I used two spatulas to clean most of it off the door, I finally calmed down a little.

He opened the drawer under the oven, and there was a pile of blueberry and more cherry all over the pans in the bottom drawer.  More cleaning, one last scrub of the oven and the floor and we were done.

The drawer under the oven...full of blueberry and cherry goodness that we don't get to enjoy.

Now, the good news in this mishap is 1) the pyrex dish didn't break, 2) the glass on the oven door didn't break, and 3) the pie slipped forward, not backward, and I didn't end up wearing searing hot sugary pie filling and ending up in the burn unit at our local hospital!

The Baby Boy and the Chick went to the store and bought ice cream, toppings, and waffle cones and we had an ice cream bar for our dessert.  It was the silver lining to the whole event.

1 year ago:   The Curly Haired Boy's Wedding
2 years ago:  Adult Root Beer Floats
3 years ago:  Strawberry Eating Dogs and Strawberry Pie

July 8, 2015  Sunrise 3:30 am  Sunset 12:23 am  Temp H 73/ L 52°F

Surfing lessons

A couple months have gone by since Dave's mom passed on, so I can share this now.

My husband and I were over at his mom's.  It was a particularly difficult day for her and Dave and I were a little wrung out.  He was in the kitchen and I was in the bathroom with his mom helping her get cleaned up, yet again.  It was an indelicate situation and it went from bad to worse...

So after she was finished getting cleaned up, she had new clothes on and was sitting in her chair, I went into the kitchen and informed my husband that when all this was said and done, he was taking me on vacation so I could learn how to surf.
"Yes ma'am." was his whole answer.

I married a smart man.

He even emailed me information about surfing schools in Hawaii.  I think we will probably go next fall, in October or November.  I'm not sure we are stuck on Hawaii so I am looking around.  When it was my turn to spend the night with June, and she was tucked into bed for the night I surfed the web (see what I did there..."surf" the web, clever, huh), and check out places all over the world that has surfing schools.  It was a wonderful way to take a little stress off the day and dream of oceans and warmer weather.

Coconut Mojito on the Rocks


24-48 mint leaves
2 oz. fresh lime juice
8 oz. coconut rum
2 oz. simple syrup
4 oz. cream of coconut
ice
club soda

Fill 4 glasses with ice.

Place mint leaves, lime juice and simple syrup in pitcher.  Muddle with back of spoon until mint is broken down and infused juice and syrup with flavor.  Add coconut rum and cream of coconut.  Mix well.  Add ice and stir until very cold.

Strain the drink into chilled, ice-filled glasses and fill about 4/3 full.  Top with club soda.  Enjoy

The Blond Boy enjoying a coconut mojito over the 4th of July weekend.

The Blond Boy and his friend "Not-Craig" visiting from California.

July 6, 2015   Sunrise 3:24am  Sunset 12:28 am  Temp H 79/ L 54°F

Chocolate Cake Pops

So, I had all this extra cake from the  heart cakes I made for the wedding rehearsal dinner, and I had some Nutella Buttercream left over, so I just mixed the two, rolled them into balls, and dipped them in chocolate.  Everyone thought I was brilliant and went out of my way to make a special treat...I'll never tell them they are just eating left-overs!

Roll the cake paste (mmm, delicious, cake-paste) into balls.

Add sticks - or not

After dipping in chocolate, sprinkle with sprinkles while the chocolate is still soft.

I left some plain for those sickkos who don't like sprinkles.

An assortment of sprinkles to make everyone happy.

My taste-tester approved.

Chocolate Cake Pops

1 Chocolate cake, your favorite or from a box (I used the left-overs from two sheets of cut out hearts from this recipe)
1/2 batch of Nutella buttercream (here) or a can of frosting

Candy coating or chocolate for dipping (I use Ghirardelli's dipping chocolate)
Assorted Sprinkles
Sticks, if desired

Break up cake and place it and frosting in mixer and mix on low until completely incorporated and a soft paste forms.  Roll into desired size balls.  I like to use my medium scooper for this.  Add sticks, if desired.  Place in refrigerator for 2 hours or overnight.

Melt chocolate, I like to use a measuring glass in the microwave.  Dip cake balls in chocolate and let excess drip off.  Place in cookie sheet and sprinkle if desired.  Keep in refrigerator.

You can use any flavor cake, any flavor frosting and white or dark chocolate.  I've also made these with a surprise middle, like a raspberry or candy center.  Use your imagination!

1 year ago:   Chicken with Tomato/Onion Chutney and Blood Work
2 years ago:  Spicy Grilled Chicken Wings
3 years ago:  Homemade Root Beer and Root Beer Float Pie

July 3, 2015   Sunrise: 3:16 am  Sunset 12:35 am  Temp H 68/ L 48°F

Chocolate heart cakes

                                     

It is summer and weddings are in the air.  We have 4 to go to ourselves!  It is very fun to see couples that you have known for a long time take that next step and become husband and wife.  

This past weekend the son of good friends got married. Dave coached the boy young man in high school basketball, and this couple were at our house for their senior prom dinner. The blond boy was in the wedding so he  and the DIL came up.  We were invited to the rehearsal dinner and I was asked to bring dessert.  I made these little heart cakes, filled with Nutella buttercream and raspberry jelly, topped with more Nutella buttercream and a little pink heart (the bridesmaids dresses were this shade of pink).  They were easy, delicious and a big hit.  I'm all for wedding season if I can eat more of these.

Bake the chocolate cake in a 13x17 inch sheet pan, then use a small cookie cutter to cut out the hearts.

As I removed the hearts, I cut them in half horizontally with a serrated knife

The bottom half bordered with Nutella buttercream and filled with raspberry jam.

White chocolate, dyed pink, for the hearts.

Tops added and frosted and hearts added.

Chocolate Heart Cakes with Nutella Buttercream and Raspberry Jam

For Cake

• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

• ¾ cup sugar

• ½ cup cocoa powder

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 1 teaspoon baking powder

• ¼ teaspoon salt

• 1/3 cup warm water

• 1 teaspoon instant espresso powder

• 1 egg

• ½ cup milk

• ¼ cup vegetable oil

• ½ tablespoon pure vanilla extract

For the Buttercream

1 large jar or 2 small jars of Nutella (about 26 ounces)

3 sticks of butter or 1.5 cups  room temperature

Whip Nutella and butter together until light and fully mixed.  Scrap down bowl and mix on meduim-high for about 2 more minutes.

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C). Spray 13x17 inch pan with a baking spray, line with parchment, spray with baking spray.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
3. In a small cup, dissolve the instant espresso powder in water. Set aside.
4. In a large mixing bowl with paddle attachment, mix together egg, milk, vegetable oil and vanilla extract on medium speed until well combined. Add dry ingredients and mix on low speed just until everything is incorporated. Stir in mixed espresso. Pour the batter into the cake pan and bake for 15 minutes, or until the inserted toothpick comes out clean.
5. Cool the cake on wire rack  completely.
6. Cut our hearts or desired shape, carefully remove from pan.  Slice in half horizontally and place on a clean sheet pan.
7. Put buttercream in a piping bag with a star tip.
8. Place bottom half of heart on plate, pipe a rim around the edge, fill with raspberry jelly, place top of cake back on and press gently to secure.
9.  Pipe buttercream on top and decorate with candy heart or other decoration. (I do all the buttercream rims, then all the raspberry jelly, then all the tops - it goes faster than doing one full cake at a time.)
Refrigerate until buttercream firms.  Remove from refrigerator at least 15 minutes before serving.

1 year ago:     Patriotic Pie
2 years ago:  White Water Rafting at Denali Park
3 years ago:  Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies

July 1, 2015   Sunrise 3:11 am  Sunset 12:39 am  Temp H 63/ L 50°F