Saturday, August 22, 2009
What are we going to do with all of this $$$ we saved today!?!
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Will my baby ever see her daddy again?
Monday, August 17, 2009
Oh, Happy Day!
I got my new InStyle in the mail today!!! I love, love, love this magazine. It is the mail highlight of my month! I get A LOT of magazines and this is my fav-or-ite. Hands down. Yay! And the 15th Anniversary issue. Wow! I can't believe its been that long. I remember when I was just a wee babe (15 years old!) and I first saw InStyle at the local Eckerd's drug store by my house. I was already obsessed with magazines, and I became hooked with the first issue!
Hubs is on call tonight, so my plans for the evening have just been amended. I was going to go to spinning, eat dinner with LoveBug, put her to bed, and then work until bedtime (my briefcase is overflowing with papers that seem to be chanting my name). Well, forget working from home tonight...I will now be deliriously happy with my Bible. InStyle. Briefcase you can just stuff it. I will not have you beckon me tonight. I will stuff you in my trunk and hope you suffocate. I will be busy tonight ;-)
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Delicious and Very Tart Lemon Bars
Hubs' very favorite dessert is lemon bars. In fact, when we got married, when I didn't know how to cook virtually anything, he asked that I learn to make lemon bars. While he loves lemon bars, his numero uno requirement is that they be pucker-your lips tart. I found this recipe, tweeked it a little, and what resulted is what Hubs says are the best lemon bars he has ever had. Score! I don't really know what it is, but there is something very pleasing about being able to make Hubs food that he loves. Call me June Cleaver, whatevs, I just like it.
For the crust:
3/4 cup unsalted butter, frozen, plus more for dish
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup confectioners' suger
3/4 teaspoon coarse salt
For the filling:
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
3/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (the juice from about 4 lemons)
splash of pure lemon extract
1/4 cup whole milk
confectioners' sugar, for dusting
1. Preheat oven to 350. Butter a 9x13 glass baking dish, and line with parchment
2. Make crust: Combine flour, confectioners' sugar, and salt in food processor and pulse until well mixed. Add butter (cubed) to mixture and pulse until well combined and the mixture looks crumbly.
3. Transfer mixutre to prepared dish; press evenly onto bottom with your hands. Freeze crust 15 minutes. Bake until slightly golden, 16 - 18 minutes. Leave oven on.
4. Meanwhile, make filling: Whisk together eggs, granulated sugar, flour, and salt in a bowl until smooth. Stir in lemon juice, splash of lemon extract and milk. Pour over crust.
5. Reduce oven temperature to 325, and bake until filling is set and edges are slightly golden brown, about 18 minutes. Let cool slightly on a wire rack. Lift out; let cool completely on a wire rack before cutting into 2-inch squares. Dust with confectioners' sugar. Lemon squares can be refrigerated in airtight containers up to 2 days (or frozen for up to one week).
Monday, August 10, 2009
Mommy Must Haves!
Pssssst Instant Dry Shampoo. Why is THIS dry shampoo my fav? Simple: its super cheap! You can get this at almost any drug store for around $5. Spray on your roots, let it dry for a second, then brush it out. Icky shine is gone! Sure, its not perfect. This stuff is super white, so it probably only works for blondes (otherwise it might make you look like you are going grey). But we are on a budget, and this works for me!