Putting the "Fun" In "Fundraiser"

This Sunday is the Second Annual Jessica and Kelli Uhl fundraiser, to raise money for their scholarship funds. I have silent auction donations ranging from Cardinal tickets, autographed Rams footballs, to handmade Christmas stockings and an adorable doggie-themed basket. I can always use more items, so if you have anything you'd like to donate, bring it on.

I'm so excited about the Pineapple Paradise prom theme. I found a Cinderella-style ball gown that I might be more jazzed about than my wedding dress. We found a vintage tux for Craig that you will have to see to believe.

I have several prom dresses donated already, and the Collinsville Food Bank was thrilled when I told them I was collecting food for them.

Tickets are available at the door on Sunday. Please take a few hours out of your Sunday to come by, get some fried chicken, drop off a few canned goods and contribute to the memorial scholarships for my daughters.

We are also having a blood drive on Tuesday from 3pm to 7pm at SIUE. This is our first blood drive, and I hope to have a great turnout. Jessica volunteered for The Red Cross, and I thought it was a great way to raise awareness about the scholarship funds and also contribute to the community and possibly save a life.

Need more info for the fundraiser or blood drive? Visit the official website of Jessica and Kelli here.

Whip It Up Week 2 - Guilty Pleasures

This week's Whip It Up theme is Guilty Pleasures. Man, is that a wide open category or what?

My weakness lately is anything deep fried. I'm trying to be calorie-conscious so I fit into my wedding dress, but sometimes you've just got to splurge a little.

When I went to my brother's house in Tennessee last weekend, we popped into a local tavern for some shuffleboard and a few beers. When I saw that they served served deep-fried pickles, I immediately placed an order. Man, these are my favorites. Kosher dill spears, breaded and deep fried - is there anything better? Well, I suppose if you're not a pickle fan, probably.

I decided to try to re-create these little slices of heaven in my own kitchen. Here is the recipe I used (scaled down to serve 2 people):

1/2 c Italian bread crumbs

1 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1 egg, beaten
5 kosher dill spears

Oil for deep frying

Preheat oil in a deep fryer to 350 degrees.

Drain pickle spears and pat dry with paper towels.

Mix bread crumbs and spices in a shallow dish. In a separate dish, beat the egg.

Dip pickles in egg, then in breading.

Fry pickles for 2-3 minutes or until the breading is lightly browned. Drain on paper towels until slightly cooled.

Now, the review:

Was it easy? I think so. I had all the ingredients in my pantry. Ordinarily I wouldn't have dragged out my deep fryer for only 5 pickles, but I was also frying tater tots for dinner, so it was worth the effort.

Did it taste good? It didn't taste like the ones in the tavern. I need to adjust the seasoning. These were kind of bland. I might use cornmeal instead of bread crumbs, and use more cayenne. I didn't have garlic powder so I used dried minced garlic. I think the garlic powder would have given a better flavor. Or maybe I need a shuffleboard table, a jukebox and a few beers.

Would I make again? I will keep experimenting with the spices, or next time I visit my brother, I'll stop in and ask Tommy, the proprietor, for his recipe.

If you find yourself on Highway 641 South, just over the Kentucky/Tennesse border, looking for fried pickles, stop in to the 641 Club in Puryear, Tennessee. and tell Tommy that Travis's sister sent you. You won't regret it.

Keeping It Clean

I try not to use bad words on this blog. Mostly because Maddy reads it, but also because I've read that using swear words indicates a limited vocabulary.

I think I have a pretty good vocabulary; however, in some situations, there is nothing like a good stream of expletives - a full-blown blue streak that would make a sailor blush.

Lately, I feel like my life has gone from the occasional "Damn It!" to an hourly use of the F-word. Honestly, it's one *&^% thing after another. Just when I think one fire is out, another one pops up in its place. Most of them are minor inconveniences, just enough to peeve me off, but they're coming faster and harder. Suffice it to say that recent events occuring between last Thursday and today have left a thick haze of obsecenties lingering over my head.

In my past personal experience, when it rains, it pours. I've learned not to ask "What next?" because all I have to do is wait a few minutes, and the answer will show itself, and usually require time, skill, or money that I don't possess.

Will it get better? Probably.

In the meantime, I'm going to need a thesauraus, because I'm about at the end of my list of approved adjectives.

Whip It Up Week 1

I was having a bad day earlier this week. I needed chocolate. A quick search of my pantry revealed chocolate chips and butterscotch chips. But how to combine them in a new and exciting recipe that would satisfy my cravings and my Whip It Up requirements?

I went to my favorite recipe site, All Recipes, and used the ingredient search tool. This tool is awesome if you have a taste for something particular, or are trying to use the random ingredients you've scrounged from your cabinets.

I picked this Butterscotch Cookie Bar.

1 cup butterscotch chips
1/4 cup butter
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup raisins (optional)

DIRECTIONS
Place butterscotch chips and butter into a glass bowl. Heat in the microwave for about 1-2 minutes, stirring at 30 second intervals until smooth. Set aside to cool until firm, about 10 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x13 inch pan.

In a large bowl, beat the butterscotch chip mixture with eggs and vanilla until well blended. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt; stir into the batter until evenly mixed. Mix in the brown sugar, chocolate chips, walnuts, and raisins. Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan.

Bake for 25 minutes in the preheated oven, just until the bars begin to pull away from the sides of the pan. Cut into squares while warm.

Now, the review:

Was it easy? Yes, very easy. With the exception of melting the chips, this could almost be a one-bowl batter recipe. I did bake them in a pan lined with greased parchment paper, as I wasn't sure if they'd come out of the pan easily, but they will. I also baked them for 28 minutes, let them sit about 15 minutes, then used my pizza cutter to cut into squares. I did omit the walnuts and raisins, but I might try adding pecans next time.

Did it taste good? Well, let's just say that I made them on Tuesday and today is Thursday, and there is one left. Craig took one bite and said "oh my good god make these again." He has also suggested that I take a batch to all my job interviews.

Will I make them again? Definitely. If it was up to Craig, I'd make them every week. However, I do have a wedding dress to fit into.

All in all, I highly recommend this recipe next time you're looking for something sweet.

Observations On A June Summer Night

Does your house have a front storm door? Mine doesn't, and it's so foreign to me not to have one. I really thought it was standard equipment on homes.

As a kid, I remember my mom spraying Windex on our front storm door at least once or twice a week, especially in the summer. As soon as I finished my Rice Krispies, I was in and out of that door dozens of times, sometimes alone, often trailed by most, if not all, of the kids in my neighborhood. The handprints weren't just mine, and I probably left my mark on many other doors within a bike ride of my house.

Speaking of bike rides, my friends and I would roll up our beach towels with a dollar tucked tightly in the middle, and convoy up to the local pool. That dollar would buy me an afternoon's swim, a Suicide (a shot of every fountain soda flavor in one cup) and a Zero bar, and I'd still have fifteen cents left over to put in my dad's change jar. Occasionally I'll run across a Zero bar in the candy aisle, and immediately I smell chlorine and Coppertone and hear Paul Simon's "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover."

After we came home and dried off, we rushed through dinner so we could all meet under the street light to play TV tag or hide and seek. Our parents would sit on the porch and watch, or all congregate at one house or another while we ran amok. We could always tell whose back yard they were sitting in, by looking for the cloud of cigarette smoke and listening for the clink of ice in highball glasses.

Finally, when it was good and dark, we'd get our jelly jars with holes poked in the lids, or if you were really cool (like me) you had an official bug catcher jar, and catch so many lightening bugs you could use it like a lantern. Of course, we also took the glowing parts off the bugs and smeared them on our faces like indians, or wrote our names on our arms. PETA forgive me, I knew not what I did.

And now I watch my daughter ride her bike up and down the street with her friends, bang in and out of the garage door, and take her cool bug catcher jar and stalk lightening bugs. I do have to drive her to the local pool, but I hope that when she's older, sitting on her back porch watching the fireflies light up the yard, she fondly remembers her childhood summers.

Hey Good Lookin', Whatcha Got Cookin'?

Last year I participated in the Whip It Up challenge. Maddy and I had a great time finding and preparing new recipes. The best part is always the eating! For the most part we were successful and didn't ever make anything that required us to order pizza.

This year's challenge begins June 28, and I'm already looking for new and exciting recipes. I want to try new grill recipes, other than the basic steak and chicken. Maddy is looking for desserts.

I love that Maddy is into learning about cooking, and also isn't afraid to try new foods. It's a fun and educational way to do that quality time parenting thing, you know?

Stay tuned for our experiments. Maybe we'll cook something you'll want to try, too.

Mark Your Calendars

The Second Annual Jessica and Kelli Uhl Fundraiser will be held July 19, 2009, from 6-11pm, at the KC Hall in Collinsville, Illinois.

Our theme this year is Pineapple Paradise. I'm encouraging everyone to dress in prom attire - especially vintage! Also, if you have gently used prom or bridesmaid dresses, please bring them for donation to Big Brothers/Big Sisters for their Diva for a Day event. Young girls are given a dress, a hair and makeup session, professional photograph shoot, and then can keep the dress for their prom. Jessica and Kelli loved playing dress-up, so this event is something they would be proud to be associated with.

We are also collecting non-perishable food items for the Collinsville Area Food Pantry.

Of course there will be dinner and dancing, as well as a silent auction and various raffles. If you have any items for donation for the silent auction or raffles, please let me know.

Prior to the fundraiser, we are hosting a blood drive in honor of Jessica and Kelli at SIUE on July 14, 2009, from 2pm to 7pm in the Conference Center, 2nd Floor. If you can donate, the Red Cross would certainly appreciate it. Supplies are dangerously low right now.

Tickets can be purchased ahead of time by contacting me, or can be purchased at the door the night of the event.

Thank you for your support in memory of Jessica and Kelli.