I got soul but I'm not a soldier.

Last night marked our inaugural Supper Club. Held at Sarah and Mike's, the chosen theme was "Soul Food." Shall we say... Yum?! As hosts, Sarah and Mike provided the main course, and everyone else was assigned a supporting dish. I landed dessert. Woo! And, just because I wanted to use my food processor, I made a small side dish as well.

I've been thinking about the banana pudding Brad and I had at Slows last month ever since, so I decided to tackle that. I went with the Joy of Cooking recipe, which, while not necessarily soul-ful, is at least old school (and by old school, I mean lots of sugar, butter, and whole milk!). The recipe makes 10 small servings and calls for 2/3 (omg... I've just had an epiphany. Keep reading for details!) cup sugar, 3 tbls. cornstarch, 1/8 tsp. salt, 3 cups whole milk, 3 (or 4!) large egg yolks, 2 (or 3!) tbls. of butter cut into pieces, 1-1/2 tsp. vanilla, 60 to 70 vanilla wafers (I used < 50), and 4 to 5 ripe, firm bananas sliced.

Mini milk!



Get the bananas and wafers ready first.

In a medium saucepan, mix the sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Slowly stir in the milk, then whisk in the eggs; lastly, drop the butter pieces in. Then, stirring constantly, heat the mixture until it comes to a simmer.

Reduce the heat to low and, stirring briskly, bring back up to a simmer and cook for two minutes. Remove from heat and mix in the vanilla. If not using right away, cover the pudding directly with plastic wrap. Since you listened to me and got your 'naners and 'nillas ready already, it's time to get assembling! The JofC recipe says to line the bottom and sides of a 2 quart dish with wafers to start, but I decided to go with a trifle dish instead, also deciding not to line the sides of the dish. I just did wafers, bananas, pudding, wafers, bananas, pudding...

Layer-y.

Then you just cover the pudding directly on top with plastic wrap and stick it in the fridge for at least four hours. Serve with whipped cream.

Next up... time to bring out the big guns!!!

She's so pretty.

I decided to also make some pimento cheese, and in the food processor you see a 4 oz. jar of pimentos, 1 cup mayo, NOT 1 garlic clove, 1 tbsp. lemon juice, 1 tsp. dry mustard, 1/2 tsp. Worcestershire, and 1/4 tsp. ground red pepper.

Bzzzzzzzzzzzzz!!!!!!

After that's all mixed, add 2 cups grated cheddar and 2 cups grated colby. Give it another QUICK bzzzzzzzz, just until it is the consistency of cottage cheese.

Voila!

All that was left to do was to eat! We packed up the goodies and headed over to join everyone for dinner. And what a feast it was!

Pulled pork, mac and cheese, greens, cornbread...

Can't forget Birgit's amazing sweet tea drink! My new favorite.
Even though everyone went home and immediately had to brush their teeth. :)



We killed it. Time for dessert.......

I'd whipped up some homemade whipped cream to serve the pudding with. I can't express enough what a difference homemade makes -- more than worth the extra 2 minutes of effort (and you save some $$).

Brads like dessert.

Remember that epiphany I had earlier? When writing out the recipe for this, I realized I made a little booboo when making the pudding... The pudding tasted good. Sweet, and not quite how I remembered the Slows pudding, but fine enough. Well, turns out my eyes somehow translated "2/3 cup sugar" as THREE CUPS! THREE CUPS OF SUGAR! It, of course, seemed like a lot when I was making it, but what do I know? It IS the JofC cookbook -- ha! I'm still laughing about this, and I'm very glad I didn't kill anyone. And while it definitely was too sweet, I don't think it ruined it, so good to know you can waaaay over-sugar pudding and still kind of get away with it.

So overall, Supper Club was a grand success, and thanks to Sarah and Mike for being fantastic first hosts. Can't wait to see what the next months bring!

You're the party that makes me feel my age.

Ten years ago, I met some pretty awesome girls. They were 20 and I was newly 22, which made me very worldly and experienced, of course.

This appears to be our first photo together. The girls help me celebrate my college graduation.

I did my best to corrupt their young minds, supplying them with jello-shots when they were just shy of turning 21 (*gasp!*).

I'm kidding, of course... We're all pretty well-behaved girls. Except when we're not.

Party time!

I've been lucky enough to have Meg and Liz in my life for all these years, and I want to wish them a HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY THIRTIETH BIRTHDAY!

Even more adorable at 30 than at 20.

Unfortunately, Meg and Liz live on the other side of the world... Well, ok, Indiana. But it's far enough that I don't get to see them very often. Which is why I was so excited to get to spend their 30th birthday with them this weekend. And, better yet, I got to help SURPRISE them for their 30th birthday (and there's nothing I love more than a surprise, no matter how big or small). You see, there is a third amazing E. sister, who I am also quite lucky to have in my life -- and even closer than the other side of the world. Right down the street, in fact. And she invited me to come help her surprise her sisters. So Friday night, me, Sarah, and her bf Mike headed down to West Lafayette. Let's just say, some squealing ensued when we all snuck in the back door and surprised the girls. It was a super fun moment.

Re-creating the surprise.

After surprising the girls, we promptly took over Meg and Juan's apartment for some slumber party action, hitting the hay to get ready for the big day -- Saturday, the actual 30th birthday. We got up early for some smooth jazz breakfast (Sarah and Liz had somer very interesting lemon ricotta pancakes, which Liz let me taste and I really wish I would have ordered for myself! Why do I not remember how much I love lemon flavored everything?), then hit the town for some pre-party errands. Dinner time came quick because, let's be honest, we're all in our 30s now and it's time to start hitting the early bird specials. The girls wanted Thai for their dinner, and luckily I managed to keep my yuck thoughts to myself (it's not my birthday!) so off to Thai we went. And guess what? It wasn't horrible! First there was this thing:

That would be a basil roll. I ordered it because of the basil, in my head assuming it would be like an egg roll. I was confused at first but very pleasantly surprised. No fried anything here, just light and airy, and basil-y. With a peanut dipping sauce. I don't much enjoy dipping sauces and was worried about Thai because I just don't really like most Asian-type flavors, but I am happy to report there was nary a soy sauce sighting on my plate all night. Not even in my main course, the vegetarian pad Thai.

More peanut sauce... YUM. AND peanuts. Double yum. Nothing offensive here, just light and easy flavors with noodles. Who couldn't like that? I am very happy to report I've spread my food culture wings and maybe, just maybe, I'll let someone talk me into Thai food again.

After dinner, it was back to Meg's for party time!! And cake, of course. (Which Aaron made from scratch -- two thumbs up!)

Make a wish, girls.

My partners in crime.

Love you, girls.

I meant to get a group photo, but, let's just say, everyone enjoys champagne. Who can remember to do such things? But shout outs to Juan and Aaron for hatching the scheme, Sarah and Mike for inviting me along, and Meg and Liz for being such gracious surprise hosts and such awesome friends. Let's all get Thai food again, shall we?

PS I almost forgot! Props also for the delicious Sunday breakfast -- homemade coffee cake a la Aaron and Liz and traditional Colombian arepas and cheesy dough balls a la Juan and Meg. Yum-o!

Babies in hats.

After Jess taught me to knit, my first few projects were mini hats for all the babies my friends were having this past spring and summer. And now that they're all a little bigger, and the weather's a little (a lot) colder, I'm getting to see my handiwork in action. It makes me feel all smooshy.

I got to take this one myself. We saw little Cutie Owen over the weekend and he modeled his hat for me (this is the FIRST thing I ever knitted). He has such a little personality!

Baby Ella Jane is my international baby model, peeking out from all her snugglies to sport her little pink hat. I haven't had the pleasure of meeting this cutie yet, but I'm counting down the months (three!) until I get to give her a big hug in person.

The green fairy.

Last night we made a spur-of-the-moment trip up to the Roadhouse with Lisa and Brad. It was Friday, so I decided to celebrate with a little adult beverage. And you can bet that when my eye spotted "Absinthe Frappe" on the drink menu, I was sure to try it. I wanted some guidance, though, and asked the server a little about it. Listed on the menu for the drink was "absinthe, benedictine, and ice." Well, absinthe on ice is still just absinthe. So I wanted to know about this benedictine business. I ask the server what it is. His response? "Some kind of liquor." Uh, yeah, you think? Ha! So he went to find out and returned with a little shot of what was basically a super sweet brandy. I was sold. And along came my bright green absinthe frappe.

I ended up being pleasantly surprised. They managed to keep the flavor of the absinthe but kill the fire burn a little. When curiosity got the best of her, Lisa took a sip, made a yuck face, and pretty accurately described it as "the most concentrated Good 'n Plenty I've ever tasted." It took a lot of the ice chips melting to be able to take more than just mini sips, but I did finish it (even if it did take me throughout the entire meal). Will I order it again? Probably not. But it was super fun for the moment.

...Meanwhile, I ordered the pimento mac and cheese that Sara and I shared a few months ago, and it was even better than I remembered. The plain jane Roadhouse mac is still pretty tasty, but I tire of it after a few bites. The pimento cheese has a smoother, milder cheese flavor and I just love it to death. I ate every last noodle. And am craving it again right now. In fact, now that I have my big ole food processor now, I might have to whip up some of my own pimento cheese soon. Yum.

Snow day.

We have two pooches that are total wusses. When the ground is wet, they tippy-toe around so their feet don't have to touch the ground. But yet, they love to play in the snow. Such complicated souls these two are. So to celebrate yesterday's snowfall, the three of us tromped out to play in the snow on the deck, taking with us Georgie's new squeaky bone from Grandma S.

Squeak squeak! I love things that squeak!

I love to smile, too!

I don't want to smile. Hmph. FINE! I will.

We like to peek.

Oh shut it, Heidi.

I so happy.

Snow beards!

And what's the best way to follow up a romp in the snow? Why, a hot bath, of course!

Stay warm, everyone!

Duh squared.

Remember a few months ago when I was complaining about how recipes sometimes don't really tell you HOW? Because no one ever taught me how to cook. Sometimes I just don't know HOW. What I know, I pretty much figured out through trial and error. And it doesn't always work out... Well, Santa Brad to the rescue!

What a fun and pretty book! Recipes, tidbits, know-how, and lots and lots of pics. Love it love it.

I might not be debearding any mussels anytime soon, but it's still good info. And I certainly need to know how to frost a cake. I think I make a pretty mean birthday cake, but I certainly make quite a mess of things, no matter how long I wait to frost it after it's cooled. Hmph!

And, it's already inspired two meals this week... Mmm!

Oven baked onion rings, you say? I've never even thought of making onion rings, but as soon as I saw this, I was all over it. (I was only making onion rings for one, so I had to fiddle with the recipe a little -- what follows made my seven onion rings, but I had a TON of goo left over, so you could probably get double out of the mixture.)

First up, the most potent onion I've ever met. (Seriously, I had to walk away.)

Then I mixed two eggs with 2 tablespoons of flour, a teaspoon or so of sugar, and a pinch of salt and pepper. I dipped all the onion rings then dumped them in a big bag.

Next I dumped about a cup of breadcrumbs into the bag and voila! Spread the rings out on a baking sheet, then coat lightly with Pam. And into the oven they go...

Bake at 450. The recipe says to bake for 5 minutes, rotate trays, bake another five minutes, flip rings, bake five minutes, rotate trays again, then bake a final five minutes. Because I was only baking 7 onion rings on one sheet, I basically just baked them for 10 minutes, flipped them, then baked them another 10 minutes.

I made Brad some oven fries and paired our sides with double Boca cheeseburgers for a healthy, vegetarian diner feast.

Yes, that is a Kraft single you see oozing out of my burger. I don't care. Yum.

I am super excited about this "duh! why didn't I think of that!" method of making onion rings (and perhaps many other "fried" veggies). I honestly didn't miss anything from your average fried onion ring, finding these perfectly crunchy and delicious. Now I just need to have an onion eater over for dinner so I can make more than seven at a time!

Broiled quesadillas? Of course. Duh!

I also never ever would have thought to broil quesadillas. Seriously, though, what a great idea! You can make several at once and you don't have to flip them, so all the goo doesn't fall out midway... I was all over it for dinner tonight.

Before:



After:



I filled tortillas with beans, cheese, fake chicken (which I love on its own but honestly wasn't the best addition here -- whatever it's seasoned with didn't quite match....), and tomatoes and mushrooms for me. Under low broil for three minutes and they're done. Then I plopped them on a comfy bed of lettuce.

Dang quesa-dillahhs.

Like I said, the fake chicken threw the taste of a little bit. But otherwise, I'm totally sold on this method. It really made the perfect little quesadillas, perfectly toasted and crunchy on each side -- without ANY flipping. And we got to eat hot food, together. Woohoo! Thank you, Santa Brad and Cooking Light cookbook.

Good riddance, 2009.

Happy new year, everyone! What will 2010 bring The Churches? We shall certainly see, but let's hope the new year brings us a little more luck than 2009 did. Here's hoping for no more sick for me (for a least a little while??), happiness and safety for my family and friends, and, you know, maybe a job and some moolah. That's not too much to ask for, is it?

To ring in 2010, Brad and I spent what we realized is our FIRST new year's just the two of us (and fitting, I suppose, seeing as this marks our first decade together and our 10th NYE). We went to Godaiko for dinner and stuffed ourselves silly on rolls and saketinis, thoroughly amused by the odd bunch of folks that shared the bar with us (i.e., the woman who picked her California roll apart, discarded the seaweed, and ate the crab and rice with a fork). Then it was home for game night -- initially a game of Risk was planned, but who knew you need three players? Out came Simpson's Monopoly, and I spanked Brad's bootie in the bootie spanking of the decade. When Brad officially ran out of money and properties to mortgage, I had hundreds of dollars, owned nearly all the properties, and had a board full of monorail stops and stations. Just call me Donald Trump.

We stayed up late watching House Hunters, then woke up early (ok, late) and headed over to the new Nick's House of Pancakes, which was paaaacked. Horrendous service aside, we had a delicious breakfast... once it finally came.

What to get, what to get...... Brad decided on the ham and cheese omelet and I went with the pecan banana pancakes (a Nick's favorite). I just barely resisted the banana foster's pancakes and/or French toast.

Paaaaaancakes!!!!!

Yum. The omelet was nice and fluffy and we agreed it was better than a Coney omelet (but obviously no Roadhouse omelet). The pancakes were super yummy, with just the right amount of nutty crunch and sweet (but not too sweet). On a less busy day, of course, I can't wait to go back and try some of the other breakfast dishes (hipster hash? ha ha!) and even some of the lunch dishes.

In Church kitchen news, my lovely food processor has made it out of the box and found a new home. Isn't she lovely?

In knitting news, I took a few days off after the Christmas knitting rush, but then my hands started to get antsy, so I threw together a ski cap for Larry. I love its retro 70s ski look. If I hadn't of made it on the big side, I might have secretly kept it for myself -- I think it's my favorite hat yet.

And finally, with a gift card from my mom, I hit the yarn store and splurged on some glorious alpaca yarn to make myself a fuzzy wuzzy scarf. *sigh*