New Builder?

Conrad and I spent the weekend looking at new builders ... and we ran into one we had heard about a year or so ago. We didn't think we could afford him, so short of just looking at one of his spec homes when one popped up, we didn't consider him an option. However, I called him on Friday and he had us meet him this weekend at the house pictured above.

IT.WAS.GORGEOUS.

We found out we CAN afford him. All we have to do is cut down a little on the square footage. He builds all his houses the same- he does not scrimp on finishes or on lumber, etc. He is not a guy that says well you can do granite here and royal granite here and then up in this bathroom, do the cultured marble. No- he just said look, here are the finishes I use - I am a sq foot builder.

I really appreciated that honestly. He also showed us at least three areas of dead space in our current floor plan. We are going BACK to the drawing board because if I have anything to say about it, this man is builder our house!

His cabinets are absolutely to die for. For that alone, I would have him build my house !!!!

Kah

Tastefully Simple

Many years ago- like eleven years ago- my friend started selling Tastefully Simple and I loved it. Life happened, she stopped selling it and I bought it once in awhile when I would be invited to a party or something ... but no major reordering.

My friend is back in the business (email me if you want her info) - and I had a party I think it was earlier this year ... maybe late last year and we had a good time. They do have a normal catalog they keep always and then they have seasonal items. So it changes twice a year. I never can WAIT when the new catalog comes out! I also gave out a ton last Christmas ... oh ok, so my party was late last year!

I had a lot of it on hand - and I got a hankering on Wednesday for some artichoke dip. I also love the beer bread. I make it with Blue Moon- you can use any beer - but I think the Blue Moon makes it really sweet.

The thing about TS, is that it never requires more than two ingredients for you to add. If you wish to spruce it up, or use in a recipe, then that's different ... but the only two items for the beer bread are beer and butter ... and of course the mix. So anyway - I made the bread and got it in the oven. Then I made the artichoke dip - on the sides of the box are all the variations you can use and one of them was to use actual artichokes and I did have some. So I made the dip and chose to go to "oven baked" route. I also then popped some frozen cheese raviolis in some boiling water and use up some sauce I had hanging around. The result was a DELISH dinner. (Hello Mikasa French Countryside plate! ... if you want to buy me a present, I could use their soup bowls -8 of them- and also maybe their serving platters- thanks!)

It was really quick too! The bread baked for an hour while I puttered around the house. 20 mintues before it was ready I put the dip in the oven and I started the boiling water ... and nuked the sauce. So .. I mean SERIOUSLY it was no time.

I really do recommend these products. I love most of it. The almond pound cake will make you cry. As will the corn and black bean salsa ... I totally dig all the jarred sauces and condiments like the teriaki sauce and the bourbon glaze ... good stuff! Conrad digs on the bread and he has pushed me out of the way every night as we re-heat our artichoke dip ... he LOVES LOVES LOVES the almond poundcake and gets near panic when we get down to one box. I never liked key lime anything- but the key lime cheese ball with the graham cracker twisties - is like my favorite thing in the world. If Conrad eats it, I glare at him the entire time. Those are MINE!

Tastefully Simple can turn you into a REALLY selffish person! Anyway - should you wish to find out more, please let me know so my friend can get in touch with you. They also have a website ...

http://www.tastefullysimple.com/default.aspx

Kah

My Precious Baby

Skirt?

It is SO HOT HERE. So hot that I was actually driven out of the house, to Steinmart, to get some skirts. I got two - one is just your standard black - but this one was super cute and different. I never wear skirts. I am a capri girl - but I don't know, I feel like I need the wind to blow up my skirts to cool me down or something. We shall see how this experiment goes.

In the meantime, it's a cute skirt - and I'm excited to wear it. It does have yellow in it - and guess what color my last pair of shoes are ????

Kah

Happy 4th

We haven't even heard ONE firecracker. People are taking the burn ban seriously and YAY for that! Blanca is scared of them and every year she cries.

Normally I would do what my mom taught me - put a pork butt in an oven bag, salt, pepper and garlic salt. For four hours, then shred, the back in the oven with BBQ sauce for an hour - in a casserole dish.

But it's too hot. So this one went into the crockpot on low for 3 hours, then high for 2 hours. Then I pulled it out, shredded it and then put it in the oven with BBQ sauce for an hour.

SUPER yum on hawaiin rolls. Happy 4th!

Kah

Chocolate Banana Cake

It's a long weekend and I'm feeling all domestic ... so I thought I would load up on pantry staples and spend the weekend with my little family here- making treats, reading books and watching movies. I REALLY need to slow down on my cookbook collecting. HELLO - I still want them for gifts but I have to stop buying them or at least paying full price for them. I have helped feed my addiction and also my bank account by renting them from the library instead. This weekend I got Tyler's Ultimate (Tyler Florence from Charleston, SC!!!!) ... and um, I'm disappointed. It's SUPER fancy. There really isn't anything I would make just for me and 'Rad - or even if we had people visiting. It's like a fancy french restuarant cooking ... So it turns out try before you buy at the library is a GREAT idea- cause I do not like this book ... BUT they did have a recipe for chocolate banana bread which is nothing I have ever heard of OR ever even thought about.

I buy bananas every week for the baby. She likes them and also I can grab one when I am heading out the door for work. But if you get a bunch of 7 or so - they go ripe and I won't eat them that way. We had 3 ripe ones yesterday and all the other ingredients, so I went for it.

This cake batter was SO messy. It calls for cocoa powder and melted chocolate. I had chocolate all over the kitchen, counters, sink ... it was everywhere.

See? On the counter- on everything!

The bad thing about silicone pans- they tend to break your stuff. They are very unstable, so when you pull them out of the oven, CRACK. But I like mine- they're pink. Here's my little powdered sugar secret. I got some tea set gift basket eons ago and I kept the little steeper thing. Never made any tea, but if you open it and stick it in a bag of powdered sugar and then do a little "shake, shake, shake" over your stuff, it's the PERFECT duster. I never did have to invest in a salt shaker to use for this purpose. We just don't powder sugar THAT much stuff!

Delicious!

This morning I got up, sliced some strawberries, got out the whipped cream, heated up my cake and poured a cup of coffee.

It was SO good this morning. I sort of wish the cake was a little more fluffy - it's very dense, but it's filling and it was GOOD. Chocolate and bananas are a strange combo - and I like it!

RECIPE:

Preheat over to 350

In a bowl:
2 cups of flour
3/4 cup of sugar
1 tsp of kosher salt
1/4 cup of cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp of baking powder
STIR

In your mixer (or another bowl):
Cream 1 stick of softened butter
Add in 2 eggs
1 tsp of vanilla extract
4 oz. of melted bitter sweet chocolate (I used semi-sweet, it was what I had)
3 ripe bananas- all chopped up

Then you need to slowly add your dry to your wet and make the batter. Pour into pan and bake 50 minutes. Mine actually took a full hour.

Tyler says he makes this once a week and eats on it all week, with his morning coffee. I could totally see that because it's a hearty cake. It was a MESSY process so I'm not going to make it weekly, but it's worth it to make. Also, I maybe would have added nuts- like a banana nut cake.

You should try it!

Tomorrow's post? Pulled pork!

Kah

Skate Bootie

WHAT. IS. THIS?

This is the "Skate Bootie" by Jeffrey Campbell and it can be yours for $199.95

Words fail me. THIS is why I am not a fashion maven. People are going crazy for these things on the fashion blogs. $200 for these? Do you know how many pairs of shoes and/or flip flops I could buy for that? Do you have any idea what they would do to me if I waltzed into work wearing those. I would look like Dorothy Hamil on steriods. Actually I don't know how you would waltz or walk in them. I would have to be wheeled in wearing my fancy skate shoes. Do people in New York City REALLY run out and catch cabs in such ridiculousness? I am completely cattywompus at the thought. Can your shoes GET termites?

Wow, this really did a lot for my self esteem this morning. Sometimes I look at my shoe collection in the morning and I think WHY don't I wear more heels? Why don't I have any puce colored shoes? Why don't I have more black sandals? Why can't I wear flip flops to work? ... and then I get sad. But then when I saw this - I felt better. I think I'm doing fine. Maybe bright yellow sandals and monkey shoes are really as far into "outlandish" as I really need to go.

At least I know I'm not crazy... liking these would be a good barometer ... and Conrad can rest in the fact our fashion budget is safe.... and that his wife doesn't look like Lady Ga Ga.

Kah

P.S. I can't stop staring at them ... and that revealed to me, if you look close, these have a PEEP toe. REALLY? Skate booties don't have toes. OMG. This is the most fascinating thing I have witnessed since Lady Ga Ga's "meat shoes". I am freaking out.  LOL