Snovember This is so not cool

Since the weekend they've been predicting a Nor'easter to come through NY.. like we needed that after Superstorm Sandy... but since nobody can control the weather in it came.  Yesterday morning it was 29° when I left my house and by the time I got to work it had started to rain, by 11, it was snowing  -_-  The snow started to get progressively heaver as the day went on and when the ladies came back from lunch I decided it was time for me to get out of here since I'm still taking public transportation until I can find an open  gas station in my area and fill up my Jeep.

We lost power for a bit last night but luckily it came back up after an hour or so but school was cancelled for today by a phone call from the principal around 10.

This morning I got dressed and put my boots on to get ready to walk to the bus stop once again and there was a good 6" of snow on the ground.

This is NOT a winter wonderland.. at all.

It was a very heavy, slushy snow and the poor trees can barely handle it.. there were more lines down as I was walking along.  We definitely need a break from this crazy weather.

Dumplings!!

I made a pot of chicken soup the other night to use up the rest of the chicken I had bought before it spoiled and it'd been sitting in the fridge until last night when I was so cold after walking home from the bus stop because there's no gas around my area at all and my Jeep's been sitting parked by my house for 2 days now and I'm taking the train to work.. it's just what I've gotta do for now.

.......But anyway... the chicken soup..

I went and heated up the soup last night, picked out the bones and thought to myself this soup need Dumplings... so I headed to the recipe box...

Dumplings:

1 Cup All Purpose flour
2 tsp. Baking powder
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbs butter
1/2 C Milk


1. Stir together Flour, Baking Powder, Sugar & Salt in a medium size bowl.  Cut in butter until mealy and stir in milk until you've got a soft dough

2. Drop by spoonfuls into boiling soup/stew/broth cover and simmer for 15 minutes.  Do not take off the lid while it's cooking!


Soft fluffy dumplings :)

HI!

Jeez it's a little dusty around here.. sorry about that.

This has been a bit of a chaotic week with Sandy barreling through NY, leaving a good part of my area without power for days.  I was down for 2 1/2 days and finally got Cable and internet back on Thursday night but at my office we're still without phone and internet service.  

There are lots of huge trees down all over the place and horrific flooding in many areas.

I'm here.. I'm safe and all's good over here for the most part.  Once trucks can get out and fill our stations with fuel and our grocery stores with food things will be sort of normal around here.  I'm guessing by the middle of next week things should be better, grocery shopping yesterday was weird to say the least.  I've never seen grocery store shelves empty before O_o

I'll be around more soon.. Thanksgiving is coming up (yikes, already!) and it's going to be Christmas cookie time before ya know it.

If you were affected by Sandy at all, stay safe, be strong and anyone who wasn't affected by Sandy if you've got the means to help in any way it's greatly appreciated. whether it's a monetary donation, food, or clothing lots of people lost everything in this superstorm that barreled through.

To donate blood to the Red Cross, you can schedule a donation time or for more information, visit redcrossblood.org or call (800) 733-2767.

To make a financial donation to the Red Cross by visiting redcross.org, calling (800) 733-2767, or texting the word redcross to 90999 to make a $10 donation. 

To donate to the Salvation Army, go to disaster.salvationarmyusa.org/give. 
To help Staten Island, donors can go to tunneltotowers.org to learn more about the fund and where to send donations.

The creamiest Mac&Cheese I've ever had

I've seen this recipe kicking around Pinterest for a while and I've been wanting to try it, but whenever I get myself ready to make Mac & cheese I either forget to look for it or it doesn't even cross my mind.  But... I've had Mac&Cheese on my mind for days and last night I made up my shopping list with cheese right up at the top.  I've been actively browsing pinterest all week looking for new recipes and ways to cut my grocery budget a bit and I've come across this recipe and variations of it at least a dozen times each day.

It's super simple, like slap yourself in the forehead and wonder why you'd never thought of this.

I found the basic recipe a little boring.. but, I didn't eat all day and I was starving when I got home so I didn't even bother putting the Mac&Cheese in the oven to bread and bake like I usually do.  (I had a choice between putting gas in the old Jeep or using the money to buy myself lunch this week.. guess which one won?)

The next time I make this I'm going to make a few tweaks, but here is the basic recipe.  This does not make enough for a big family meal, but can easily be doubled or tripled.  It was enough for the kid and I for dinner though :)

Super Creamy Mac&Cheese

2 1/2 cups milk
2 cups small or medium pasta shells
1 cup shredded cheese
1/4 tsp Dijon mustard or 1/4 tsp nutmeg (I actually used both, I always do)
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (I omitted this because I'm allergic)

The original directions called for cooking the pasta in the milk until simmering and then boiling it for an additional 25 minutes.  That is WAY too much cooking time for pasta in my book.

I brought the pasta and milk to a slight boil and then covered it and cooked the pasta according to package directions (about 10 minutes)  After the time was up I left it covered for about an additional 5 minutes then I stirred in the cheese, waited for it to cool a bit and then dug in.

*I'll make this again soon with revisions because like this, it's slightly boring and not as cheesy as I'd like.

I don't have all the answers... BHG bakeware inquiries

A reader had sent me an email on Saturday night regarding a post I made in March, 2011 about the Better Homes and Gardens Non-Stick Bakeware 5-Piece Set. This was bakeware that was sold exclusively by walmart and, in my honest opinion some of the best non stick bakeware that I've ever used (and continue to use today, it's still in perfect condition, I use it for everything).

I couldn't find any information from the Better homes and Gardens site, if you click on the bakeware or appliances tab you are automatically redirected back to the cookware (which by the looks of it is something else that's been discontinued because it's clearance priced and no longer available). I took it upon myself to contact BHG and see if I could get some answers. I tweeted them and also left a post on their Facebook page

Me: Have you discontinued the cookware/bakeware/appliances? I honestly was shocked by their answer and lack of details:
BHG Live Better Hi Ashley – Yes, the BHG cookware, bakeware and small appliances have been discontinued. Thanks so much for being a fan!

I followed up by asking why it was discontinued and never received a response.

I use my bakeware all the time, I use my grind and brew coffee maker every day and my stand mixer is used every time I bake something and for the marshmallows I love to make (and hate to eat).  I'm honestly shocked since they are all very good products.