Whoot! New video from the Sandra Lee Test kitchen thread at TWoP.

If you are from Louisiana, this is a warning that Sandy is picking on your state again.

People tend to argue over just what is and is not a real/authentic food item XYZ. Since I am not from Louisiana, I don't have a dog in this fight but, experience has taught me that if Sandy makes it, her version is never a contender for the real/authentic title.

Sandy recently made a King Cake on the French Creole episode of her comedy show. I can't find decent video of her monstrosity but, Kelly from Evilshenanigans.com, is a brave soul and recently attempted to make Sandy's version of a King Cake. It should be noted that Kelly's braiding skills are far superior to what Sandy did on her show.

Edited to add: For those who are not familiar with King Cakes, here is a link that explains them.

Hairball's big adventure

While I was out on Friday, I took some pictures.



It was a beautiful day on Friday. It started out in the 30's but FalWinSpri is just about over as the high was in the 70's today. (We don't have distinct seasons where I live, so FalWinSpri is what I call the 4-5 months of the year when the daytime highs are generally less than 80 degrees.) I know some of my readers up north are sick and tired of winter. Look at the sky in this picture and think how pretty it will be in your location when Spring comes.



Here I'm pumping some gas. It was incredibly thrilling, let me tell you! What? Oh, it was $1.65 a gallon.


I went out to the wholesale club today and look what I found! Click to enlarge to get a better view.


It's individual portions of hummus with a portion of pretzel crisps. Okay, so maybe you don't want to make your own hummus, but do you really need pretzel crisps packaged with it? Dumb, dumb, dumb!


Remember that fabulous recipe for casserole of tongue I posted a few days ago? Well here's some tongue so everybody can make some this weekend. Whoot!



Okay, well how about some cake? Here's a strawberry King Cake.


Uh, should the strawberry portion of the program be oozing out like that? I think it's more of a cake wreck myself.

This next one I call Sybil.


If you enlarge it so you can see the label, it says "Cinnamon Coffee Cake King Cake" Um, I guess it's only got two personalities so we should call it Sybil light. It's also looks like part of it is gone there on the left. Could somebody take a sandwich over to the bakery folks so they don't have to eat the baked goods? Thank you!


I saw some Easter decorations while I was out reminding me that Easter will be here pretty soon. Shrikes everywhere know that means we can look forward to Sandy's Bunny Cake showing up on our televisions!!



Sorry, I can't find a picture of hers but, you shouldn't have to wait too long till it shows back up again. Whoot!

Here's some cast iron pans anxiously awaiting owners who will not make Sandy recipes in them.



My grandmother had that pan that looks like little ears of corn. I always wanted the cornbread from that pan instead of the big pan.

Can anybody identify what these two items are? (No, they are not implants so quit snickering!) My cashier had no idea and had to ask me what they were, so I thought I'd see if anybody else had trouble.


Okay here's a big hint. ;)



Lastly, I made a pilgrimage to the Kitchen Aid Standmixers that were on display.



A moment of silence please to honor those mixers kept in bondage by Sandra Lee and who therefore will never be allowed to reach their full potential.



Have a good weekend everyone!!

Hairball gets handy. She's got a drill, run for your lives!!

I haven't spent as much time in the kitchen as usual. Been busy doing other things like this.



The poster is a running joke in the Hairball household. It's currently on the closet door in the craft area/study/kitty room.

We have cable right now but, none of our televisions are new enough to have digital tuners. Not a big deal unless you get in a situation where a big storm hits and knocks off the cable. I've lived through storms before where we lost power for a while and having our little five inch TV and our power source has been really helpful. Trust me, if you've ever had two adults and three cats taking shelter in a small bathroom, you want to know ASAP that it's safe to come out again. So we bought a digital converter for the little TV and I hooked it up last weekend. We have three channels here in Hairballville that are broadcasting in digital and we couldn't pick up a single one.



So I went over to YouTube for help. I watched several videos about making an antenna until I understood what was involved and chose two. First, I made a small one similar to this one.


Mine wasn't an exact copy though as I didn't have any washers and I could only round up three wire hangers so I had to supplement with copper wire. I picked up one digital channel very clearly and briefly picked up another one but, the signal was too weak so the picture was stationary and pixelated. I set my antenna up in several locations and set the converter up to scan again but, I never could get that second channel back again.


Next I tried one like this.


Once again, mine is not exact as I don't have a signal booster. I can pick up one local station and I learned that the second station I briefly picked up with the other antenna, is only broadcasting at 50% strength but plans to ramp up to 100% by the end of the month unless there are weather delays. Here's my ugly antenna.




I told you it was ugly but, I had everything already so it was really frugal and it will only be used during bad weather when the cable goes down. Obviously, I've been on Martha Stewart's hit list for many years. I think I finally knew it was over between us when she tried to convince me that even though I lived in a small apartment, I really needed to have a special pan just for omelets. Yeah whatever lady, I like Alton Brown better than you anyway because science is sexy!! LOL

I'm going to wait and see how things are after the available stations are broadcasting at full strength before thinking about spending any money upgrading my Franken-attenna.

I also got to use the drill in a culinary manner. Here's a clue.



Soon, all will be revealed....

What?!?

Elbows need love too! Where's the special elbow wipes?

Sorry the picture is not the best, I was trying not to attract attention with my camera. Some stores get huffy if you shoot pictures of their products and then roll around on the floor laughing like a hyena.

We need to talk about those email forwards again...(Gagtastic emails Part I)

Look, I understand that you are busy and it's really convenient to just hit forward and send a whole bunch of "funny" emails over to me but, this is not working for me. The jokes you send me, well frankly most of them are not that funny. Since I've had an Internet connection at home since Clinton was in office, I've also probably already read them. Look, there are just not five or more emails worth forwarding every single day of the week. If you really think something is that hilarious, then save them up till the end of the month and forward me the top four.

I know you want to save me from my own ignorance by forwarding every dire warning on every topic under the sun because you care about me. Snopes and the many other places to check on these stories is your friend. Taking a moment to write " I didn't have time to look this up but, it sure sounds true to me!" just makes you look foolish when it turns out to be a hoax.

I enjoy political and religious discussions but, since we have some major disagreements on those issues, I choose not to send you things that don't agree with your chosen stance. I can be friends with people who have opposing views to my own as long as they respect that I am a person, not a project in need of renovation, and will allow us both the necessary room to be who we are. In other words, sending me emails that insult me for my political or religious beliefs is a quick way to end our friendship. I don't do it to you so I'm asking you to return the favor.

You know those emails with the flashy graphics with made up occasions to celebrate the fact that we are both women? Well, frankly they annoy the Hell out of me. Especially since there's usually some dire warning about returning it to you in the next five nanoseconds or else I'm not your friend. If I am really your friend, then don't send me things to test our friendship.

Here's what I would I like from you. Cut and paste the following statement and save it somewhere where you can find it.

Dear __________,

I am very busy right now but, I just wanted you to know that I was thinking of you today and hope you are doing well.

Your friend,
________

I would much rather get one of those everyday and the occasional email about something that is important to you like your pets, your family, your craft projects, your work, etc..than five forwarded emails everyday with nothing from you.

Any questions??

I will not eat Campbelled eggs and Spam!

I found a booklet today called Recipes: Southern Kitchens Cooking School. On the back it says it is "co-sponsored by Progressive Farmer." On the inside cover it lists the companies whose products are named in the booklet. I can't find a publishing date on it but, there are two cards inside for magazine subscriptions. You can get twelve issues of Progressive Farmer for $6.00 and any additional subscriptions you get for friends or family will only cost you $5.00 for twelve issues. If Southern Living is more to your liking, then the deal is $7.00 and $6.00 for the same terms.

I flipped through it and found two recipes that Sandy will probably have on her show one day. Please note that the "Campbelled Eggs" are marked as especially suited for holiday and other festive occasions. Um, yeah okay. It made me think of this recipe.

Edited to add: One of the products advertised in the above booklet is the Pokey Pot from the Wear-Ever Aluminum Company. From reading the recipes it must be some kind of slow cooker. The name is stupid and if you are 12, it very quickly evolves into a risque joke. *snicker*

These on the other hand, look like they would be quite tasty! This was on a folded up piece of paper and it said "5 lbs plain" at the top so I'm guessing it came with a bag of flour.

Whatever will I do with tongue and trotters??

Rosie, I can't find any recipes that call for ears. Here's the ones for tongue and trotters. Once again, these are from the Household Searchlight Recipe Book and this is the eighth edition which came out in 1936.

It's all in your head...

I finally found and opened the box with the rest of my cookbooks today. Whoot! (We have lots of books still in boxes because we got rid of some of our particleboard bookcases and haven't yet found suitable replacements in our price range.) Anyhoo, I found a recipe I just have to share with you. This cookbook originally belonged to my great-aunt and after she passed away, my late grandmother received it. The cookbook is called The Household Searchlight Recipe Book and this is the eighth edition which came out in 1936.



There's also one for headcheese. For those not aware of what headcheese is all about, the ingredients are "1 Hog's head, 1 Hog's tongue, Sage and Chili Powder, Salt and Pepper."

Happy (early) Valentine's Day!

I would like to wish all of my readers an early Happy Valentine's Day!

I'm of the belief that Valentine's Day is not just a day for romantic love. Please be sure and let all of your friends and family know that your life is better because they are a part of it. Sometimes tomorrow is too late so don't put it off!

If anybody sends me some of Sandy's Creme de Menthe Brownies, I will retaliate in kind! ;)

If you are thinking that they don't seem too bad, then you definitely need to see Rosie Hawthorne's six part series.

• Part 1
• Part 2
• Part 3
• Part 4
• Part 5
• Part 6

I'd also like to wish my friend M. a very Happy Birthday!!

Whoot! *shimmy shimmy* Whoot!

Edited to add: The above picture is one of the many handmade items I found in a box that belonged to my late grandmother.

Chocolate Cobbler

I found this recipe in an old magazine a couple of years ago and of course I can't remember which magazine it was so that I can give credit where credit is due. Edited to add: I found the source.

Anyhoo, some variant of this recipe has been around for many years. I've heard that it must from the 1930's since the recipe uses no eggs or butter. I've also heard it must have been developed in the WWII era for the same reasons.

You may be more familiar with the name 'pudding cake' or 'hot fudge cake'. It's the kind where as it bakes, it turns into a cake layer and a hot fudge layer. You'll notice that the recipe only has three tablespoons of oil in it so it is a low fat recipe depending on what you decide to put on top of it before serving. I've been craving this recipe for a couple of weeks but, I think you really need ice cream with this recipe and so I kept putting it off till later. Then on Friday, I went grocery shopping and they had pints of ice cream on sale.

I was a little bummed out at the selection, until I heard an "Excuse me" behind me, and the lady that had picked out her ice cream before me had returned. She says " I don't know if you are interested but, they have more flavors in the case up front." I thanked her and made my way up the front of the store where a plethora of flavors awaited me. So I got some vanilla, chocolate, rocky road, and cookies and cream. Yes, I do have PMS now hush or I won't let you have any cake!


Chocolate Cobbler
1 cup self-rising flour
(substitute: Place 1 1/2 tsps baking powder and 1/2 tsp salt in a measuring cup. Add enough all purpose flour to measure 1 cup and proceed with recipe.)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons baking cocoa,
1/4 cup baking cocoa,
1/2 cup milk
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 3/4 cups hot water
vanilla ice cream (optional)

In a bowl, combine the flour, sugar and 2 Tbsp cocoa. Stir in milk and oil until smooth.



Pour into a greased 8 inch square baking pan. Combine the brown sugar and remaining 1/4 cup cocoa;


sprinkle over batter.



Pour hot water over top. DO NOT STIR!


Bake at 350F for 40-45 minutes or until the top of the cake springs back when lightly touched. Yep, it's kinda ugly looking!




Serve warm with ice cream if desired. Serves 6-8.










If you live alone, let it cool, cover it up, and store your leftover cake in the refrigerator. If you live with other people and have cake left over, you might consider whether or not you wish to continue your relationship with people who are not bright enough to scarf down hot cake and melting ice cream like they haven't eaten in days. I'm just saying...

Anyway, when you want some more, scoop out desired amount of cake and sauce into microwave safe bowl and heat until warm before serving.