WHAT IN THE HECK?

Granted, I have been out of school probably longer than I can remember, but that doesn't mean that some things shouldn't remain the same.  My mini-rant today - how come kids don't seem to have any homework these days?  I have a zillion nephews and nieces. Some by marriage and some I'm actually related to by blood.  For the past two weeks, I've interacted with 3 of them  more than usual when they get out of school.  Every day I ask the same two things, "how was your day?" and "do you have any homework?"  Every day I get identical responses.  School was fine and no one has any homework.  I'm scratching my head and wondering if I've lost touch, friendly blogosphere.  Do kids no longer have to do assignments that used to be due the very next day?  Are children studying for tests these days?  Are they reading any books? What are they carrying in those book-bags? What in the heck is going on?

If you'e been reading my blog, you already know that I have a serious girl crush on the very Marvelous Martha Stewart because she can literally do EVERYTHING! (lol)  Anywho, her latest cookbook is called Martha Stewart's Appetizers, and it is totally awesome.  Perfect for small or large parties, anyone can find something that's pretty simple to make, and is super tasty.  In many instances she gives the basic recipe, then several other things you can do with the same ingredients.  Before you get excited, this particular recipe isn't in her new book, but it has been listed in her magazine. Her book actually gives 5 new recipes for canapes for you to try.  But here it is.

Crab Salad Canapes

INGREDIENTS

• 1 orange bell pepper
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 teaspoons whole-grain mustard
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1/2 baguette or ficelle,(fancy word for thin-lol) cut into 1/4-inch-thick pieces
• 1/4 pound jumbo lump crab-meat, picked clean
• 1/2 celery stalk, strings removed, cut into 1/8-inch-thick slices
• 1/2 small carrot, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch-long matchsticks
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon white-wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon fresh marjoram leaves, for garnish

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat a grill to hot, or turn on the broiler. Cook bell pepper until it is completely charred, turning so all sides cook evenly, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer warm pepper to a small bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and set aside until cool.
2. Using your hands, rub off charred skin. Slice pepper in half, and remove seeds and stem. Cut pepper into diamond shapes that are slightly larger than a piece of baguette.
3. Using a wooden spoon, mix together butter and two mustards in a small bowl until well combined. Spread a generous dollop of mustard butter on each slice of bread.
4. Place remaining ingredients except marjoram in a medium bowl, and toss to combine. Place a pepper diamond on each piece of bread, and top with a mound of crab salad. Garnish each canape with several marjoram leaves, and serve.

HAVE YOU EVER WANTED TO SHUT DOWN YOUR BLOG?

Have you ever visited one of your favorite blogs, and found it to be missing in action?  Some of the posts may be outdated by months, or even years with no mention of what may have happened.  Sadly, another really good blog that was active on a daily basis and super funny, has decided to close down his blog.   His decision was a personal choice, however, it didn't help when someone from another blog blasted him AND stole some of his content simultaneously.  YIKES!  He promises to be back after some "me" time, and I am looking forward to the next stage in his life.  So this is a Huge Hug to my buddy Rob!

I've been dreadfully behind with postings and commenting, but I've never really had the urge to stop doing this blogging thing.  It's fun to come up with new topics, and getting other viewpoints makes it even more interesting.

But I bet some of us have run into a few occasions where we come up empty or feel a little bit of burnout.  I'm sure we may have come in contact with some negativity that we could definitely live without.  But are these things enough to make you pull your hair out and simply throw in the towel?

On to our recipe:

CHOCO-SCOTCH CLUSTER
The name of this treat may fool you into thinking there's a little but of liquor as part of the ingredients, but really, it's short for butterscotch.  This was made way back in the 1940's in the Kellogg kitchen and is super easy.

INGREDIENTS
1 6 -ounce pkg semi-sweet chocolate morsels
1 6 ounce package butterscotch morsels
2 tbsp peanut butter
1 cup Kellogg's Rice Krispies Cereal


DIRECTIONS
Melt chocolate morsels, butterscotch morsels, and peanut butter together into a heavy saucepan on very low heat, stirring constantly until well blended.  Remove from heat and add the Rice Krispies, stirring until well combined.

Drop by using a measuring tablespoon onto waxed paper or a pan that's been sprayed with oil or buttered. Let stand in a cool place until firm. Another alternative is to pour mixture into buttered or oiled square pan , cutting into squares when firm.

WHERE DO ALL THE PUMPKINS GO AFTER HALLOWEEN AND THANKSGIVING?

This is the time of year that most of us see pumpkins all over the place, sometimes in the hundreds.  I told myself that there is absolutely no way anyone can eat all of those dang pumpkins in pies, cakes or decorations.  I even saw a recipe for pumpkin oatmeal pancakes the other day. So what in the world happens to them once the holidays are over?  Well, it looks like some of them are used as feed for pigs, a few may be used as fertilizer, and some people actually throw them into the woods for other animals to chomp on as treats.  Weren't you just dying to know the answer to that question? (lol)

If you don't know someone who had breast cancer, it may be a little difficult to relate to the struggle, but according to the American Cancer Society, there is an expectation of 292,130 new cases in 2015 that has been reported.  Deaths from the disease has dropped 34% since 1990, and 3.1 million survivors are thankfully still alive today. 

The average of age when a woman is diagnosed with this disease is 61, but that does not mean younger women, or even men are immune.  Don't ignore getting a mammogram, and if possible, try to get one in 3-D.  There are many programs that offer assistance on a fee sliding scale for those with no funds or insurance.

October is when many focus on this disease, but it's around the other 11 months of the year as well.  Offer your support to someone in need, if you can.  Our smiles, our cooked meals, our blankets, our funds or our hugs can make all the difference to someone who has cancer.

THIS IS IT THURSDAY & CHOCOLATE PRETZEL TREATS

Let's put it out there, readers.  Hanging out with a kid who spits up on my freshly laundered outfit, having to change a dirty diaper that stinks to high heaven, and trying to figure out baby words is not my idea of a riveting day.  No reading can get done and designated kid programs take the place of my cooking shows. Despite my misgivings, I agreed to watch my one month old niece and 5 year old nephew for about 45 minutes the other day.  It was 44 minutes too long.

In that tortuous time, the baby spit up on me not once, not twice, but three times in three different places and had the audacity to smile about it.  The 5 year old was like a jumping bean all over the house surely causing me to lose about 3-4 pounds.  When he was still for about 2 minutes he chanted a song I had a hard time understanding, initially.  As he kept repeating it, I finally realized what he was singing, and this is a direct quote.  "Kill that b****h, Kill that b****h, Kill that b****h,".  Uh..I'm sure you get the picture.  Can I tell you that I wish what he was saying had remained like gibberish?  In the middle of being vomited on by the baby, I ran over and told him that I knew he wasn't saying what I thought he was, and he grinned. Where in the world had he heard something like that? No one gave me the memo to wear earplugs around young kids.  I then sternly told him he had better not EVER say anything like that again.  He seemed so surprised that I said anything, that he stopped smiling and I never heard that horrible phrase again. Dirty dress and all, I couldn't wait to tell their grandfather/grandmother, mother/father, uncles, aunts and anyone else who would listen, what had transpired before I ran out of there before anything worse happened.

As I drove to the bookstore in Cary, I was reminded once again of why no one should EVER ask me  to babysit, even if I'm bribed with books.  Even better, I was reminded of why I always say NO! This is it for real this time, blogosphere. (lol)

On to our recipe from allrecipes.com:

Chocolate Pretzel Treats

Ingredients

• 1 (15 ounce) package small pretzel twists
• 1 (8 ounce) package milk chocolate candy kisses (such as Hershey's Kisses®), unwrapped

• 1 (1.69 ounce) package candy-coated milk chocolate pieces (such as M&M's®)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 175 degrees F ( 80 degrees C).
2. Arrange pretzels on a baking sheet. Place a candy kiss on the center of each pretzel.
3. Warm pretzels in the preheated oven until candy kiss is shiny and slightly softened, 2 minutes.
4. Place a candy-coated chocolate piece atop the candy kiss on each pretzel; press down. Chill in the refrigerator for 10 minutes.

• Tip
• Aluminum foil can be used to keep food moist, cook it evenly, and make clean-up easier.

SUPER BANANA CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES AND SOME STUFF

Before we get started, let's give a super shout out to my girl Kim, of http://caffeinatedbookreviewer.com/, who lovingly does her weekly meme every Sunday about news, reviews, books and other great info.  

Now on to the recipe:
This has to be one of the most moist and chewy cookies you'll ever eat.  Why?  Because this recipe uses super ripe bananas AND butter to get the job done right! You're gonna love these!


BANANA CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup mashed ripe banana
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips

If you care about all that nutritional stuff:

1 cookie equals 66 calories, 3 g fat (2 g saturated fat), 10 mg cholesterol, 51 mg sodium, 9 g carbohydrate, trace fiber, 1 g protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 1/2 starch, 1/2 fat.

Directions

1. In a small bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, banana and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. Stir in chocolate chips.
2. Drop by tablespoonfuls 2 in. apart onto baking sheets coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 9-11 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Remove to wire racks to cool. Should make about 3 dozen.Taste of Home Magazine

FOOD NEWS I'LL BET YOU DIDN'T KNOW

If you're a music fan, you've probably heard of Chris Brown.  If you didn't know that, he used to be Rihanna's boyfriend until the domestic violence incident we won't mention right now.  But did you know he owns 14 Burger Kings?

Jimmy Buffet owns several Krispy Kreme shops.

Kanye West owns 9 Fatburgers.

Peyton Manning owns 21 Papa John's shops.

Robert de Niro owns Locanda Verde in New York and Nobu (everywhere!)

Bon Jovi owns Soul Kitchen and his restaurant is the most unusual and amazing. There are no prices on the menu!  Ten dollars cover the cost of your 3 course meal, but if you pay more, it goes toward someone's else's tab.  Left your wallet at home?  Volunteer in some fashion and your meal is paid.  He believes that " all are welcome".

LOL!

Because of something a kid said to me a little while ago about old people using Facebook, and a few comments via this blog, I decided to restart my Twitter account which had been pretty much dormant since 2011! (lol)  Anna from  http://www.herdingcats-burningsoup.com/said it's totally different and boy is that the truth.  The discussions are nothing like on Facebook. What I've noticed is that a lot of near-naked ladies have been following me, lately. Uh...what's up with that, I ask you? (lol)  I think it's because even though this blog is listed, my e-mail says "toygoddess".  However, kudos to you ladies for daring to be you and posting sexy pics of yourselves. I'm just not ready to go past my cat pic stage at this time. (lol) Yes, I'm going there friends, for those who may have other thoughts.*heh*.  That name has no hidden meaning, and is solely based on my love and collection of action figures, Hot Wheels, Barbie's and Happy Meal Toys.   On the other end of the spectrum, I signed up for Skype and EVERY person who wants to connect with me is male. Hottie hubby laughed about it, because he knows me pretty well.  No go, fellas.    

How's your day going?

National Cheeseburger Day

This has to be the best day ever!  Let's celebrate the goodness of the cheeseburger all day long!

Get your groove on by grilling a few at home, eat out with friends, or enjoy your burger in solitary yumminess.

If you're  fan of McDonald's be sure to take advantage of this special deal for today only where burgers are just $ .69.  But don't stop there!  There are lots of specials going on all over the country! Check the web for more offers.

Gotta go!