I Ran Away...to My Kitchen!

There are times when I have edited so much in such a short number of days that I have to just walk away or my eyes start to cross and I get a bad headache. Today, for example. So I ran away...to my kitchen.

My brother was visiting this morning, spending some time playing with Ewan as he (my brother, not Ewan) prepares to become a father (I can't believe I just typed that sentence). Anyway, and as I was opening a few bags of Legos for E, I said to Cale, "I can't believe we're still opening some of Ewan's Christmas gifts. It's AUGUST!"  So what do I do this afternoon? I pull out my Bundt pan, take off the wrapper and dump the pine needles out of it. *sigh*

At any rate, I made some Funfetti cupcakes and the best stinking chocolate cake I've ever made...and maybe tasted. Neither of these was done from scratch but that's not what I'm about, really. I'm not creative enough to start anything from scratch or make up my own recipe.  But what I CAN do is expand on someone else's recipe and that's what happened with this chocolate cake.  It was just a Pillsbury Devil's Food Cake mix but I have this thing about always having chocolate chips in the house. I love Sam's Club for this reason because I get those giant bags of Nestle's like twice a year and I'm set. So I tossed a couple handfuls of chocolate chips in the mix and I'll tell you what, I don't know if it was the pan or the chocolate chips but it was seriously the most *cringe as I HATE this word* moist *shudder* cake I've ever eaten.

I haven't tried the cupcakes yet because I had to leave the main floor of our home to stop myself from eating another slice of cake.

I didn't take any "real" photos but let's see if I can't get my trusty Instagram photo on here:

Tonight is date night so no more kitchen time for me today. I'm planning on that ham & scalloped potato dinner for tomorrow, though. Until then!

So...how's it going?

Okay okay. Sometimes I am busy. This summer I've taught at a music conservatory, music camp, character building camp and vacation Bible school. We've been camping a few times and James was in Vegas for nearly a week.  I've gone on a couple of cleaning & organizing sprees which lead to one garage sale and a subsequent trip to the thrift store. To say it's been crazy would be a bit of an understatement. However, it is SO NICE to be back with little on the calendar for the next few weeks.

To kick off our return to "normal", I spent some time in the kitchen today.  I made some puppy chow, used my new Pampered Chef brownie pan to make chocolate chip cookie brownie bars and for dinner I made chipotle lime salmon, brussels sprouts, angel hair pasta in creamy Italian herb sauce and cheesy garlic biscuits.

Let me tell you about Lawry's marinades. You all know I'm probably their biggest seasoning salt fan but today was the first time I tried one of their marinades. Listen closely (okay, read closely, whatever) IT IS VERY VERY SPICY!!!! At least this particular chipotle lime one is. Seriously, you guys. My nose is still running and my lips are burning. That said, it was really good! I'd use it again but maybe a little more gingerly.

At any rate, here are some photos and it's good to be back. This week I'm leaning toward ham & scalloped potatoes, maybe a pressure cooker chicken and some chicken soup with the leftovers and...well, stay tuned and I'll try to keep you updated.