Always Be Batman....until Capt. America arrives!

Trevor has finally grown out of his favorite PJs- honestly a year ago but he just gave them up tonight with some creative negotiating and crafting!  Got rid of old PJs and spruced up a $3 plain shirt from Target at the same time.  

Supplies: Heavy Duty quilting bond and scissors!  I will probably statin stitch over it so it will last longer tomorrow.

Easy iron on Heat Bond patch for the hole in his jeans.  I cut the character out of the fabric and bonded it to another piece of left over fat quarter and ironed it on.  I know...it's huge, but it's per specific orders from Trevor of exactly what he wanted.  He's not as nice as Tim Gunn!

Fajita- Sausage & Pepper Sandwiches

I forgot to take a picture, because I was SOOO hungry.  But, I am going to make it again so I will update when I do.  Everything can be purchased at Sams' Club:

1 Pkg Chicken Sausage- Fajita Style
1 Pkg Chiabatta bread loaf- sliced in 1/2 length wise and cut into 6 inch rolls.  Flatten the bread open and toast lightly- set aside.
1/2 Pkg of mixed petite sweet peppers- de-seeded and sliced
1 Cup Chicken Stock
1 Cup Grape Tomatoes- sliced in 1/2
2 cloves of garlic- through the garlic press
1 tsp. garlic powder
1/4- 1/2 tsp. of red pepper flakes
salt/pepper
1/4 Cup Shaved Parmesan Cheese
1 tsp. Olive Oil

Grill sausage on a grill pan while cooking the rest on low/medium heat.  Sauté the peppers in a large skillet that is HOT with olive oil, tossing every few minutes.  Once they are browned and semi soft place them in a bowl.   Add 1 tsp. of butter to sauté the garlic, add chicken stock and keep to a boil, add tomatoes and seasoning.  Let those simmer off most of the moisture until the tomatoes are getting to a paste consistency.

Spread tomato paste on the toasted bread.  Slice sausage and place in the middle, load up the peppers, cover with cheese and broil on low until bubbly. 

Kris Kringles

I have been asked for this recipe many times. The secret is in how you mix it and a Kitchenaid is a must.

Kris Kringles- Loretta Ambuske

1.5 cup powdered sugar

1.5 cup unsalted butter- (in tbsp. sized pats)

2 tsp. vanilla

1/8 of almond extract (I like a bit less than the 1/4 tsp. called for)

2 egg

4 cups flour

Use a Kitchenaid mixer- Combine sugar and flour in bowl, "cut" the butter in 1/2 cup of pats at a time like you would a pie crust until crumbly, add eggs then extracts and mix until the dough forms a ball. Pat into rounds and chill before rolling.  Roll out into 1/4-1/2 inch thickness.  Bake at 375 (on silpat if you have it) for 9 minutes- 1 -2 minutes more if the shapes are large.  This dough does not get "brown" you know it's done when the dough looses it's sheen on the top.  Cook for 9 minutes and let sit on the silpat on top of the oven for 2 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack so they don't break. Let completely cool before icing (preferably overnight) because it is a fragile dough.  You don't cream the butter and sugar on this recipe so that the cookies stay flat and don't get bubbles in them.

I drink wine while I bake...so pre-measuring all batches is a good idea!  I have been known to leave the ground meat out of goulash before and not notice until I am 1/2 way through eating it.

1- Four and Sugar

2- butter

I haven't timed how long to let the butter sit out (I should do that) but a good rule of thumb and description is that it is soft to the squeeze, not the touch.  It's still uniformly whiter than yellow in color.  It sticks to the paper but not enough to need a knife to scrape it off as you dump into the bowl.  It's not the temperature that would be perfect for spreading on toast, it's one step cooler and firmer than that.  

3- mix on medium to reverse cream

4- check the "lumps" of butter.  You want lumps the size on my ring finger and not as big as what is at the base of my pinky finger.

5- Mix on Med/High each egg, 1 at a time.  I love how eggs keep all their own stuff together, even when put in a bowl with other eggs!

6- 1/4 way there- keep mixing

7- 1/2 way there! The mixture will all of the sudden pull away from the sides of the bowl and form a ball on the whip.

8- YOU MADE IT!!!  Once the mixture starts spreading back out and sticking more to the bowl than the whip, you are done!

9- PERFECT!

The dough will plop out with just your hands, no spatula needed.  Place it in the middle of a piece of Saran Wrap and form it into a disc that is flat and round for rolling out.  Chill over night.    You will need to take the rounds out about 20 minutes before you want to roll out the dough unless you are married to Thor and he or she likes rolling out dough.  Once the dough is rolled and shapes are cut out I always bake on silpat for perfectly done cookies.  Remember- this dough doesn't get brown and you want the cookies to bake evenly....silpat is great for that!

Bake at 375 degrees for about 9 minutes.

Busy Bee

I am going to stop saying that I am busy.  Period.  Bee's are busy.  But, bees are also productive.  Why? Bees are singularly focused.  Period.  They work on one thing and work every moment of the day for survival.  I am so fortunate to not have to "work" much for survival.  The job that pays me money is the least important "job" I have.  I AM going to try to be more singularly focused at work so that I can be more productive so that I can leave that "job" at work so that I can focus on being the best mother, partner, friend and the human being that is a positive force in the world.  "Stop Saying How Busy You Are!"

"We need to work smart, not (just) hard.
Just because you clocked 15 hours at your office, with likely dry eyeballs and a complete lack of focus, doesn't mean you've accomplished things in a smart way. Many people have written or spoken about this. Typically, you have 90-120 minutes before you devolve into Internet fodder or social media. If you're putting in 15 straight hours at your desk, without breaks, how good is your output? How much time are you wasting?"