RANDOMNESS #1 - As promised, here are a few more pics from The Chick's dorm.
The living room was talked about and contributed to by all of the roommates.
I would very much like them to come to my living room to talk and contribute.
The door's open.
Any ol' time.
The only thing Roxie is missing from her actual room would be pictures, pictures, pictures.
I imagine those will be taken care of in the next week or so.
Her favorite part of her new dorm is her bed.
You can't tell by looking, but when you crawl under the covers after a very long day of being a college sophomore, the bed kinda hugs you.
After a very long day of being the mother of a college sophomore...
And the mother of a young man planning on becoming a police officer...
And the mother of a daddy-to-be...
I wouldn't mind having a bed that kinda hugs me.
Just sayin'.
RANDOMNESS #2 - Aunt Roxie and I took Judith to a little local splash pad earlier this Summer, and even though Baby Chick wasn't afraid of a swimming pool, streams of water coming at her from all over the place was not her thang...
At the time.
Fast forward to this week!
She was still a little tentative when we first arrived...
But when her little hand let go of my finger, she overcame everything!
Not shown is a picture of her tip-toeing through the BIG splashy thing...
And smiling afterward!
There is no pic because I was on the other side of the BIG splashy thing encouraging her to walk through...
And there was an equally BIG splashy thing directly behind me...
And I got soaked, but my camera stayed nice and dry on a nearby picnic table.
Feel free to imagine me bursting with pride, and Little Chick smiling her biggest, prettiest grin!
Pinterest Stuff
LOL
I don't understand why people say hurtful things like, "Want to go for a run," or "Try this kale."
I'd be a terrible superhero. I'd see the signal calling in the sky from home and be like, "I literally just sat down."
I was going to work out, but then I realized, this nap isn't going to take itself.
When I do something hilarious, which let's face it is all the time, I think to myself, why do I not have my own television show.
Strawberry Cheesecake Pound Cake
You will need the following:
For the cake:
1 1/2 cups (plus 3 tablespoons) flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup fresh strawberries, diced
2/3 cup white chocolate chips
1/2 cup unsalted butter (room temperature)
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup mascarpone cheese
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons browned butter
For cream cheese frosting:
1/4 cup softened butter
4 ounces cream cheese
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar (or more to make it thick enough to spread on top of the cake)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For garnish:
4 to 5 strawberries, diced
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 cup white chocolate chips
To make the cake:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour 8.5" x 4.5" x 3" loaf pan, then line it with parchment paper and set aside.
2. Combine cake flour with baking powder and salt. Sift it three times and set aside.
3. In a small sauce pan, brown 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat to get nice amber color. Remove the foam and set aside to cool.
4. Whisk eggs and vanilla. Set aside.
5. Cream the butter on medium speed. Slowly add sugar and continue mixing until smooth.
6. Add heavy cream and mascarpone, and beat on medium speed to combine. Then turn the mixer on low speed and gradually add dry ingredients alternating with eggs.
7. Add one tablespoon flour in chocolate chips and toss them to cover evenly.
8. Toss diced strawberries with a handful of flour to cover them completely.
9. Using a spatula, stir white chocolate chips in the batter. Next, gently stir in strawberries and pour the batter into prepared pan. Smooth the top and gently tap it onto working surface to remove the air bubbles.
10. With a butter knife, draw a line down the center of the cake and pour browned butter into the line.
11. Bake until the top of the cake is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean (about 60 to 70 minutes). Cool the cake in the pan for 15 minutes, then remove from the pan on the rack and cool completely.
To make the frosting:
1. Cream together softened butter and cream cheese until smooth.
2. Slowly add in powdered sugar and mix on low speed.
3. Mix in vanilla extract. Spread on top of the cooled cake and place the cake in the fridge to set the frosting.
To make the garnish:
1. In a small sauce pan over low heat, melt 1/2 cup white chocolate chips with 1 tablespoon vegetable oil stirring until smooth.
2. Scatter diced strawberries onto the frosting and drizzle with melted chocolate using a spoon. Store the cake in the fridge.
I made this cake yesterday, and while the recipe looks work-intensive, it honestly is not.
However, it does take a good bit of time...
And bowls.
You will need a LOT of bowls.
The end result is a pretty, moist, not-too-sweet cake.
We liked it!
Can you tell I took an on-line how-to tutorial about photographing food?
Can you?
Heavy sigh.
Me either.
Spicy Sweet Bacon Wrapped Chicken
You will need the following:
1 pound chicken tenderloins
Bacon slices, partially cooked but not crisp
Salt and pepper, to taste
Garlic powder, to taste
Chili powder, to taste
Brown sugar
1. Season the chicken with the spices, then wrap a bacon slice around each piece.
2. Roll in brown sugar and place into an oven proof dish. (Make sure you have 2 to 3 teaspoons of olive oil in the dish, too.)
3. Bake at 400 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through, and bacon is nice and brown and crispy.
This was a pretty easy dish...
And it tasted good, too.
Okay, Guys. That's about it for today. Have a great weekend, and I will talk to you soon.
Sincerely,
The Enchanting Belinda
P.S. This little guy is growing so fast. He's almost three weeks old, and along with doing very well, he's also super photogenic!
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