Sunday, January 29, 2023

Nigella's Gingerbread

 We had a deliciously nontraditional Christmas dinner this year  - we bbq'ed steaks and made fries and gravy and yorkies on the side (and veggies too, I promise).  

I was so looking forward to the steak and yorkies that I nearly forgot to plan a dessert.  I pulled out my lovely Nigella Christmas book and immediately decided on gingerbread for the big dessert.


 
Other than buying the wrong sort of molasses, it was an easy cake to make.  
The house smelled heavenly, and if you just slightly under-bake it as Nigella suggests, its lovely and soft and keeps for days.

Recipe: Sticky Gingerbread

Wednesday, January 18, 2023

grocery shop january 17

 

Chips x 2, milk, chili crisp, pasta, waffles, taco kit, pineapple, hash brown patties, guacamole, spring rolls, salami x 2, romaine, ground pork, chicken breast, bread, green onions, tomatoes, garlic, cookies, carrots, margarine, avocados

$93.10

Sunday, January 15, 2023

2022 book club review


 

 i read 42 books in 2022.

Memoirs by female authors - 4
Memoirs by male authors -1

Non-fiction by female authors - 0
Non-fiction by male authors - 1

Fiction by female authors - 27
Fiction by male authors - 4
 
Audio books -5
fiction audiobooks by female authors - 5
fiction audiobooks by male authors - 0

Here's how 2021 book club compares to the past few years - 
 
55 books in 2021 - 7 audiobooks

 
51 books in 2019 - 9 audiobooks

48 books in 2018

41 books in 2017

26 books in 2016
 

2022 was a bad year for me in a lot of ways including reading.  I wish I had read more and stared at my phone or the floor less, but it is what it is.  Part of that can be attributed to the fact that I have quite a few books that I am not particularly excited about reading - secondhand books because new books are pricey, and there isn't always great selection at the secondhand stores.

I have also switched my book rule from - you have to finish it if you start it to - if you don't like it, get rid of it and move on.  And I am much happier for that change.  I'd like to say that you might see a fair few self help books on the 2023 list as in perhaps I'll finally get around to reading some of the books I bought during my post-partum days, but realistically, the chances are low.



Monday, January 09, 2023

birthday cakes 2022

 Y'all, we had a big birthday to celebrate in 2022 - we've hit the teen years!  

The Boy turned 13 - THIRTEEN!!!!!!!!!!! - which seems impossible to me because while I might not be able to remember what I did yesterday, I remember all the painful details of the days and days it took for him to be born.  

His cake request was simple (and moody) - a chocolate cake with blue icing.

Knowing how horrific my decorating skills are, I covered it in sprinkles, artfully leaving 2 shapes in the middle that vaguely resembled a one and a three.

(Let's not speak of the little round turds edging the top of the cake.)


A month and a few days later it was The Girls turn.  She hemmed and hawed until she was running out of time and then decided she wanted a cake decorated like a sloth.  I said no.

No other cake would do though, so I ordered a sloth cake topper from the hellscape of the online company that starts with A and ends in mazon, even though they lost multiple orders of ours this Christmas, and hoped that at least that package would show up, since none of the other ones did.

Thankfully it did.

She requested a blueberry cake, also with blue icing, and it looked basic but cute.


 Everyone was happy and both cakes and frostings were too sweet, but these special days don't last long.  Time keeps on slippin', baby. 


Saturday, January 07, 2023

Sunday, January 01, 2023

19 years, 2000 posts

 19 years ago I said to myself, blogs look fun, I should have one too!

And i like to cook was born.


Happy 2,000th post.  Look at us.  Who would have thought?  Not me.