.a sandwich not for sissies.

I love sandwiches.
I don't like wimpy ones.
I like 'em thick, and tasty!

And I like them with chips and an ice cold pop. YUM YUM!

This is what I call the combo club. It has just about everything on it but the kitchen sink. Want to know what I put? Come with me my friend.... ;)

Whole wheat bread - mayo - sliced red onion - avocado
(you can put mustard on this, but I can't stand the stuff so I leave it off.)

Sliced tomato - lettuce

2 slices American cheese - 2 slices Swiss cheese - 3 slices smoked turkey - 3 slices ham

The piece de resistance -- BACON!!!

Put the two sides together and you get a match made in heaven.

.midnight snack.

Jim is back to work today after having two weeks emergency leave. He has duty no less (he has to stand 24+ hour watch) so it's just been us girls today. I got Paige to bed and decided to watch a movie. Sense and Sensibility. Probably a poor choice seeing Marianne almost dies. I could use a good cry though....

I was craving something to snack on but didn't want popcorn, so I rummaged around and found all the ingredients to make uber yummy nachos. Lots of cheese, tomato, guacamole, and sour cream. I love this combo!!

I make my guacamole with only a little lime juice and some seasoned salt. Nice and fresh!

Oh... and I can't forget my little cohort who sat in her carseat on the counter while I made my snackie snack. ;)

I'm back!

Well. I'm back in Georgia after spending a week and half in Seattle. I can't say it was a nice visit. It was very very hard, and so emotionally draining.

We flew into Seattle Thursday evening and were thrust immediately into getting Wendy's funeral planned. I took the bull by the horns and helped get it done. There was a lot to do. Obituaries to write and get in the papers, thank you cards to be written and sent (which I tried to get done as soon as things happened so noone got forgotten), purchasing burial clothes, putting together the program for the service, cleaning out her apartment, calling creditors and whomever closing accounts, and doing what I do best... making sure my family stayed fed. That was probably my favorite part - the feeding. We were able to sit down together as a family and just visit and comfort one another. I worried most about my parents, because I can not imagine what it must be like to lose a child who had so much potential. My heart breaks for them.

I mourn the life Wendy could have had.

This picture breaks my heart. This is my brother, Alan and his girlfriend the night of our family viewing. I know it seems morbid to photograph a funeral and someone's death, but I know these pictures will mean a lot to my family. I think we have all re-evaluated our lives and we have each mentioned things we want to do this year, personally, to improve ourselves.

So now that I'm back, I will be updating my blog more often. I have some great recipes to share with you. :) If you've emailed me about the cookie club, give me a week to get to you. Thank you!

.sorrow like no other.

This is my sister, Wendy. The photo was taken a couple years ago when she and her boyfriend at the time went on a cruise. It's hard to see her so alive and vibrant in this photo knowing she's gone now. She passed from this life this evening around 6:00 p.m. EST.

Her current boyfriend went to go see her and when he got to her place, she wasn't responsive so he drove her to the emergency room. She was admitted with pneumonia...very, very severe pneumonia.

She went into cardiac arrest but they were able to resuscitate her. She was experiencing multiple organ failure and her body was in shock. They had her hooked up to all kinds of machines.

This afternoon I got a call from my sister, Marcia that she wasn't getting better. They were concerned about brain damage she might have gotten when she crashed the day before. The infection was getting worse. There was swelling on the brain. The prognosis was not good.

Then I got the call. It's a call you never EVER want to get. My baby sister was gone. Returned to our Father in Heaven.

I have the family packed and ready to go first thing in the morning for Seattle. In fact, we're leaving at 3:30am so that's technically the middle of the night. I spoke with Marcia again tonight after she texted to see if I was doing alright. She said when I get home I will feel much better. How can I feel better when there is so much sorrow in my heart?

Pray that my family can get through this time. This is the first death in our immediate family. She was too young to die. She was only 25. Hug your loved ones. Life is too precious.

.the cookie club.

Two years ago, someone suggested to me that I should start a cookie club. I thought it was a pretty good idea! I had about 12 dozen cookies going out a month and it was insane! In fact, one month I had TWENTY DOZEN go out.

Then of course I opened my bakery and subsequently got pregnant (something I never thought would ever happen again) and the cookie club floundered a little. The ladies who were signed up were fabulously patient. I am thankful for that!

I've recently been thinking whether or not I should keep this going. I've decided yes.. I will keep it going. I've had some people interested in joining and I hate turning anyone away. I am only offering 3 or 6 month subscriptions. For 3 months, it's $30.00 (not including shipping), and $60.00 for six months (not including shipping). I can't take on any year long subs right now because we're supposed to be moving in October and I don't want myself commited to something of this magnitude. I will probably have more sign ups once we're settled in our new place.

If you're interested in joining, please send me an email at the.upper.crust@tds.net . I will need to know your zip code to factor shipping charges. Once that's been decided, you'll need to have PayPal to lock in your place. I will only be able to take about 10 new people so act fast!


Let me know if you have any questions! Thanks! :D

.hola amigos.

Yesterday we had company over for dinner and had a delicious fajita dinner with all the fixings. Rice and beans, sweet corn cake, flan... mmm. It was so good!


Since I adore dessert, I thought I'd start off this entry with the flan! This recipe came out of a magazine (remember my food magazine addiction?) I bought years ago. Don't know what flan is? It's a custard with a burnt sugar top. It's rich and yummy... a lot like creme brulee, spanish style. There are two things you can bake this in. A bundt pan, or ramekins. I like using ramekins when we have company because they make the perfect single serving size. I really suggest you get yourself some ramekins if you don't have any.




FLAN:

Use a paper towel and dip it in some oil. Lightly rub the inside of your ramekins or bundt pan.

Put 2/3 sugar in a saucepan and put on the stove over medium heat. Stir constantly until you get a nice amber brown syrup. The sugar goes through a couple stages before getting to the syrup. When it first begins to melt, it forms what I like to call crack. HA! Seriously.. it looks like rock cocaine or something. So if you get this and think you've messed up, no worries, my friend! You are doing things just right.

Spoon a little of the sauce into each ramekin, or bundt pan. Set aside. (Soak your saucepan immediately with hot water otherwise you will have permanent sugar on your pan.)


In a large mixing bowl, put: 4 large eggs, 1 14oz can sweetened condensed milk, 1 3/4 cups milk, 2 tsp vanilla, and a dash of nutmeg. Whisk everything together until the egg is mixed in well. Ladle into your prepared dishes over the burnt sugar. Put the ramekins (or bundt pan) in a baking dish and fill the baking dish up 1" with water. Don't let water get into the ramekins. Loosely cover the entire thing with foil. Put into a preheated 350* oven and bake for an hour. When they're done, remove the ramekins from the water. Let cool a little and then put in the fridge (cover with saran first) to chill completely.


To serve: Run a butter knife along the inside of the ramekin to loosen it from the sides. Put a plate on top and then flip it over. Shake gently to release the flan from the dish.

I top this with some fresh whipped whip cream and a marashino cherry. Absolutely delicious! I know you'll enjoy this and while it's super easy and quick to make, it is a SHOW STOPPER dessert! Don't you agree?

Printable version: http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dg2vfjqm_5fxwv28db

Now onto the fajitas. This is a mock recipe of Chili's fajitas. YUM! YUM! I use flank steak and chicken because we like a combo. You can use shrimp too if you want. You'll want to marinate your steak and chicken overnight. Here's the recipe:

1/4 c. fresh lime juice
1/3 c. water
2 Tbsp oil
2 clove garlic, minced
3 tsp vinegar
2 tsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp liquid smoke
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp chili powder
dash cayenne pepper
dash black pepper
dash onion powder

The following day, (when you're actually going to cook these) prep your veggies -- onion, green bell pepper, red bell pepper. I was in such a hurry to get things done, I didn't get very good pictures. I apologize! But hey.. here's a picture of them in a baggie right before I put them into the cast iron skillet to sautee.

I prepped my things early in the day so I wouldn't be stressed out before my company got here. This is a huge time saver. Trust me.

Grill up your steak and chicken on the bbq until nice and done. Remember: Sear the meat on high on both sides, then lower the heat and the lid and let cook all the way through. The centers will be firm and non-spongy. Don't cut into the meat to check for doneness. That will cause the juices to leak out and you'll be left with a dry piece of shoe leather.

About 10 minutes before they're finished, put your veggies on to sautee in a hot skillet (I use cast iron). Slice the steak and chicken on the diagonal and then mix together with your cooked veggies.

For presentation, I like using these plastic faux terra cotta dishes. Secret. These came from Lowe's. In the garden section. They sell those fake terra cotta pots and they have the bottoms. Clean it really well and you've got a great dish to use that looks real and only cost a fraction the cost of something say at... bed, bath and beyond!














Serve with warmed tortillas, shredded lettuce, cheese, and pico de gallo. Oh and don't forget the sour cream and fresh guacamole (I make my guac with nothing but a little fresh lime juice and seasoning salt).









PICO DE GALLO:
2 roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
1 small onion, diced
1 jalapeno, seeded and pithed (that's the ribbing on the inside), diced
Cilantro, chopped
1/2 a lime, squeezed
dash salt, pepper, and sugar

Mix all of this together. I make this early in the day too so the flavors have a chance to marry.




Okay.. on to the very last dish in our little fiesta night! Sweet corn cake. You don't want to skip this. It's like very very moist corn bread.





The ingredients you'll need are: Cornmeal, masa harina (which is a mexican corn flour used to make tortillas.), cream, butter, and frozen corn.

Preheat your oven to 375*.
In a blender, cream 1 stick butter until there aren't any lumps. Add 1/3 c. masa harina and 1/4 c. water. Mix. Add 1/4 c. cornmeal, 1/3 c. sugar, 2 Tbsp cream, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp baking powder. Mix well.

Thaw 1 1/2 c. frozen corn. Use a food processor and pulse the corn a little. I personally don't have a food processor anymore. So I used my handy dandy Pampered Chef food chopper to break down the corn. Mix in the frozen corn by hand.



Spoon the entire batter into a baking dish and smooth out. Put your baking dish into an even larger one. We're going to steam this much like we did the flan. Fill the baking dish 1/2 way up with water and then cover the entire thing with foil. Put in the oven and bake for an hour.

.sausage and zucchini tortellini casserole.

When I was 19, I lived with my older sister, Ronda. This was a dish she used to make and I absolutely love it. It is pretty easy to make yet is quite a show-stopper dish that will easily impress your friends. They don't need to know how easy it is, right? It'll be our little secret.

My husband is not a very big veggie eater. I have learned to camoflauge veggies in dishes that he will eat so I know he is getting his nutrients. He actually loves the zucchini in this so if you have skeptics in your home, let them try it first before casting judgement!

Shopping List:

• Mild italian sausage
• Onion
• Zucchini
• Tortellini (fresh from the deli)(2)
• Alfredo sauce (2)
• Garlic
• Parmesan cheese
• Bacon
• Caesar croutons
• Caesar dressing
• Romaine

First, break apart the sausage into a skillet and fry. When it's halfway done, add one diced onion, 2 cloves minced garlic, and zucchini cut in half and sliced.

This is how you want to slice the zucchini!

You don't want to overcook the zucchini, because this dish will go in the oven for a little while and you don't want it to turn to mush. So cook only until the sausage is no longer pink.








This is the type of tortellini I buy. These packs hardly had any pasta in them and I am MAD! I will have to remember to pick up family sized packs next time I'm in at Costco.

Boil your tortellini in salt water as directed on the package. When it's done, drain thoroughly. Dump into a 9x13 casserole dish. Dump your sausage/zucchini/onion mix on top of the pasta and stir gently to mix.

When I'm in a hurry and don't have time to make my own alfredo sauce, I pick up the fresh stuff that is usually right next to the pasta (above). BUT, the commissary was out of it, so I substituted using this Classico Four Cheese alfredo. We'll see if it's any good. Honestly, any alfredo sauce will work well, but I like to use the expensive good stuff because it has the best flavor. That's my opinion though. You go with whatever you want!

Pour the alfredo sauce on top of the pasta and meat and zucchini. Mix up a little. Grate some fresh parmesan cheese on top.








At this stage, this dish can be covered and put in the fridge until later. Bake in a 350* oven until it's nice and bubbly. Serve with caesar salads and french bread. (See recipe below for caesar salads)















This is very easy to put together.

Chop one head of romaine.
Fry up some bacon, drain the fat and cool.
Grate some fresh parmesan cheese.
Toss in caesar croutons.
Use your favorite caesar dressing. My absolute favorite is
Great Caesar salad dressing by Johnny Foods. It's impossible to find out east but I usually pick up a bottle or two when I'm in Seattle visiting my family. I've even been known to order big bottles of the stuff online. Yes.. I love this dressing *that* much!

Mix everything together. Put some fresh ground black pepper on top, mix again and serve!