Pinterest: Lemon Blueberry Layer Cake

Here's the pin I used

Her cake

My cake

Let me tell you somethin'.  A little secret between friends.  Before this day, August 17th, 2014, I had never baked a cake from scratch.  Ever.

Let me tell you somethin' else.  This was the easiest thing I've ever made.  Obviously, my lighting left a lot to be desired, as did the height.  I didn't want a sky scraper of a cake.  I'd done that before.  It makes cutting, serving and eating impossible and I'm just not a fan.  Kapeche? Ka-peesh?  Whatever.  You get me.

From start to finish, I had zero issues with this.  Oh, except that my hand mixer broke like, RIGHT as I finished making the icing, but frankly that wasn't her fault.
I highly recommend this, it was a huge hit with everyone (except boyfriend, he isn't a lemon guy).

Perfect Pancakes!

Happy Caturday!

This morning I made pancakes, and oh man.  So.  Good.
So let's get started!

We'll need the following..

• 1 or 2 bananas
• 5-6 strawberries
• 2 cups of bisquick mix
• 3/4 cups sugar (1/2 cup for whipped cream, 1/4 cup for fruit)
• 1 cup whipping cream
• 1 tablespoon of butter
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/3 cups of milk
• 1/2 tablespoon cinnamon

Go ahead and stick the bowl and whisk for whipped cream in the freezer.  I highly recommend this step, and a bowl with high walls.  It helps the cream whip more quickly. 

Go ahead and chop up your fruit.  Sprinkle a tiny bit of sugar on the strawberries.

Melt a tablespoon of butter in a skillet, then toss in about 1/4 cup of sugar.

Once the butter and sugar have a chance to start melting down, add in about 1/2 a tablespoon of cinnamon.  Keep stirring and cooking until the bananas are nice and coated, and the sauce is a little thick. Put in a bowl and set aside.  


Now let's get out that bowl and whisk.

Add a cup of heavy whipping cream to your bowl and start whisking!  Now, you can always buy whipped topping instead of making it.  But it's totally not the same.  Plus, the arm workout you get from whipping this stuff up MUST burn off all the calories of eating it.  Duh.  (if only, right?)

A stand mixer works too, but frankly by the time I get mine all set up and whatever, I could have whipped it up.  Don't get discouraged if your arm starts feeling like it's dying, switch arms.  Or change positions.  Seriously, I am all over the kitchen when I handwhip this stuff, balancing the bowl on my leg, leaning on the counter, it gets crazy.

Once it starts getting a little thicker, add in around a half cup of sugar and keep whipping.  Whip until it gets nice and fluffy and delicious looking. Now taste to make sure it wasn't somehow poisoned.  

Scoop the whipped cream into another container.  Go ahead, lick the whisk.  I won't tell.  We are in a judgement free zone right now.

Set aside in the fridge.

Now, I take a moment to wash the skillet I used for the bananas and the bowl I used for whipped cream, because I will reuse them in a second.  No need to dirty up two bowls and two pans for breakfast.  

Get your bowl back and mix in the bisquick, milk and two eggs.  Do your best to really go through and get out those lumps.  I'm telling you this out of love, because I never do it and end up poking at clumps of bisquick mix while its in the pan.  

That's how I set up my station for pancakes.  It's a serious operation, obviously.

Pancake mix on the left, pan set to medium low heat, big spatula, plate for pancakes, butter, and cooking spray.  In between almost every pancake I re-spray the pan and after every pancake I butter it immediately. 

I use a 1/2 cup measuring cup to pour my batter.  That doesn't mean I pour a half cup for each pancake, I just like using it because it's a heart.  Remember, no judgement. 

As I pour the batter, I shake the pan back and forth to distribute the batter evenly, and probably use only a little more than a 1/4 cup of batter for each one.  

The ultimate key to pancakes: Don't let your pan get too hot. You want the pancake batter to stop spreading out on it's own.  It'll get a bit of a shine around the edges, and a definite edge will form.  Then the bubbles.  Once you start seeing bubbles pop up in your pancake, and not just the thinner edge, go ahead and flip it.

Mmmm pancakes.

Tip:

If you flip it a little too early, it'll do something like this:

Not to worry.  Let that splatter cook a little bit, then take your spatula and work it around the edge of the pancake.

You can just push it aside, and no one will be the wiser that you flipped premature. ;)

Welcome to my pancake stacking station.

Whipped cream, caramelized cinnamon bananas, strawberries, syrup, and, well, pancakes.

Mmmm. I like to work in layers.  Pancake, whipped cream, fruit, repeat.

I don't use syrup on my pancakes when I make them like this, but boyfriend is alllll for it.

He told me these pancakes are so good I should open an Ihop!  Not to shabby for a Tuesday ;)

Good luck and happy eating!

xoxo

Hey there, Sugar! (And other pantry/fridge necessities)

Good morning!  
I learned today that I do not like breakfast quinoa.  

I made it with cinnamon, then added on some cinnamon sugar baked apples.  The flavor just isn't strong enough to hold up to that bizarre texture.

Anyways, breakfast aside, let's go over the things I try and keep on hand at all times.

Sugar, of course, is a staple item in my apartment.  I can't make whipped cream or sweet tea without sugar, now can I?  And yes, it's kept in my freezer.  When boyfriend and I first moved in together, he kept putting the sugar in the freezer.  It drove me nuts.  I thought he was crazy, and the bag seemed like it was getting weaker from the dampness. He told me it was to keep away bugs, but if it bothered me so much I could put it wherever I wanted. 
So I did.
And you know what?
I. Found. A bug.
EW!
So that bag of sugar went in the trash, and from then on all sugar stays in the freezer.
Also, next to the sugar in that picture are grapes.  Have you ever had frozen grapes?  Life changing.

I also keep boneless, skinless chicken breasts on hand.  I buy them in the packs of four, then wash and trim them before putting them into bags.  Usually I put 2 per bag, because that's the most I'll ever use in a single meal.  It's also good to keep a frozen pizza for those nights that I just don't want to cook.  We love Aldi's frozen pizzas.  Sooo good,and sooo cheap.

I also ALWAYS keep Aldi's texas toast on hand. Boyfriend loves the stuff, and with as much pasta as we eat, it's always good to keep a box (or two) in the freezer.

Since our pantry is overrun with a washer and dryer in addition to the litter box, I keep my pantry items on a shelf in the kitchen.  Flour, pasta sauce, coffee, walnuts, chocolate chips, pasta, bisquick and rice are mandatory.  

In the fridge (which I didn't take a picture of because it's a hot mess), we have a few more staples:

• Butter (Real butter, not the stuck in a tub)
• Fruit; apples, lemons, bananas, grapes
• Vegetables; Kale, spinach, carrots, potatoes, green beans
• Lunch meat
• Sliced cheese
• Shredded cheeses; Parmesan and cheddar (the amount of Parmesan cheese I go through borders on insane)
• Milk
• Sweet tea
• heavy cream

Spices/seasoning I keep on hand:

• Cinnamon
•  Lemon-Pepper
• Paprika
• Garlic Powder
• Basil
• Italian seasoning

The point of having all these items is so that under any circumstance, you'll be able to make a meal.  It might seem crazy to have specific shredded cheese on my necessity list, but not when my meal plans always consist of at least one pasta dish that requires it!  My homemade alfredo sauce, and my lemon-basil pasta both require 1-2 cups of Parmesan cheese.  Boyfriend likes cheesy mashed potatoes, so if I'm going to make mashed potatoes one night for an easy side, I have what I need!  

As you get into the swing of things, you'll learn what you need in order to be successful.  When we first moved in, there were so many moments when we were like, "Ohh...yeah, put that on the list.."  

If it's something you can separate and freeze, buy in bulk.  It's cheaper.  If it's something you've never used before, by only what you need for a specific recipe until you have it figured out how much you'll really use it.  This especially goes for perishables, like cream and milk.  

It's all trial and error at first, but sooner or later it'll become second nature :)

xoxo

Meet my babies!

The orange fluffball at the bottom of the hamper is Anikan.  Yes, like Anikan Skywalker.
And the handsome grey guy there is Binx, which is short for Jar Jar Binx.  Anikan is three weeks younger than Binx, and they're both less than a year old.  Don't make me do math.

They also have a brother, Wookie, who's a Yorkie, but he lives with grandma and grandpa (my parents).  Wookie will be two in June.  

Their other brother, Winston, was around WAYYY before the Starwars thing.  He's technically boyfriends dog.  He also lives with his grandparents (boyfriends parents).  I'm not really sure how old he is.  ...Four?  I think four.

So those are my babies.  I am a very obsessive pet mother.  I celebrate birthdays, they get holiday presents, etc.  Spoiled. Rotten.  Every single one of them.

Xoxo

Slaying the Dragon; My battle with laundry

Every woman (man, child, cat, etc.) has a dragon to slay when it comes to chores.  
Cleaning the kitchen?  No big deal.
Getting dinner ready?  Piece of cake.
Taking out the trash? Ain't no thang.

But laundry.  
Oh my God, laundry, laundry oh my God.
I just can't.
I don't even understand where it all comes from.  
There are only TWO people.  Where is this mountain of laundry coming from?

That being said, I've done about 27 loads of laundry since January 3rd.  Why do I know that?
Because I make my own laundry soap and am trying to see if it's actually worth the time and effort.  We'll go into that another day.

For probably a week now, there has been a mountain of laundry on our love seat.
It is so much easier to just toss a blanket over it and let the cats snooze.  

I do have a system when it comes to sorting/folding laundry.
Towels first, because they're huge and bulky and make up most of the mountain.
Then I separate.  Things that get hangers in one pile, socks/under things in another pile, then fold the rest as I go.

Finally this morning I put up the majority of the mountain.  It's probably a molehill now.  
Sigh.

What dragons do you have a hard time slaying?

Healthy Snacking: Oven baked Kale Chips

If you were to ask any adult from my childhood, they would all laugh and tell you the same thing.  
I hate vegetables.
After graduating High School and realizing that I was a wee bit on the chunky side, I decided to try and change my attitude.
Try.
I still hate most vegetables.  Lettuce?  Fo'getta'bout it.  Celery?  Yeah no.  Cauliflower?  According to my boyfriend, it's like lettuce and broccoli had a baby.  That sounds like an abomination that needs to be stopped.
Somewhere along the line, I learned I can tolerate spinach as long as it's raw, and I can handle kale in smoothies.  Since moving out, I have relinquished ownership of my blender to my family, so smoothies are out.  I needed to find a new, healthy alternative to my snacking.

Kale chips!

So first thing's first.  You're gonna need Kale.

I got this from the produce section, it cost me about $1.50 or something like that.  It actually came with more, but that was like two batches of chips ago.  
As you can see, kale is leafy with a big stem.  The leaves are thin and bitter, the stalk is hard and very tough to chew.  
Preheat your oven to 275 degrees Fahrenheit 

Get out your cutting board and a sharp knife.

Clearly a vegetable knife.

Just slice each side along the stalk.  Pretty easy stuff, minimal knife skills required.
You can just toss the stalk in the trash, or if you're environmental and whatnot, a compost pile.  

Here's where you want some consistency.  Pick what size you want your chips to be, and try and get each one roughly the same size.  If you have some tiny ones and some huge ones, they'll crisp at different rates.  I just tear mine up by hand and toss 'em into a bowl. 

Said bowl.

  











Now's the fun part.  Seasoning!  I usually stick with three: Salt, Pepper, and Garlic Powder.

Before you just start dumping seasoning on top of your kale, add a bit of olive oil.  You want JUST ENOUGH to lightly coat each leaf without drowning them.  If they're too wet, they won't crisp right.  
Then the seasoning.  Kale is pretty bitter, but if you salt it enough, it takes away most of the bite.  Then I pepper it, maybe about a teaspoon of pepper. MAYBE.  I never measure, so don't just dump a teaspoon of pepper in there please.  And then I sprinkle on some of the magic that is garlic powder.  Just enough to coat each leaf. 
Give it a toss with your fingers, gently enough not to smash and bruise the leaves, but enough to really mix it all up.

Now, because I'm lazy, I grab some foil and put it on a baking sheet.  Dump your kale on top, making sure to really spread it out.  It will shrink up in the oven, but there's no reason to layer them up.  

See?  Nice and spread out.  Now toss those puppies into the oven for 20 minutes.  
If you'd like, towards the end of that time, toss some cheese on top!  I usually do Parmesan if I'm going to at all.

20 minutes later...

See how much they've shrunk?  And they're delicate and crispy and amazing!
I had no idea how delicate they are.  They basically crumble in your mouth.  It's really weird.  Boyfriend is not a fan.  I popped one in his mouth and before he had even chewed he just goes "No." I might have laughed a little.  Okay a lot.

See all the delicious garlic, salt and pepper?  Amazing.
Either eat them hot or toss 'em in a container.  I baked these this morning before work, threw them in a Tupperware container and took them with me for a snack!

Good luck and happy healthy snacking!

Meet me!

Hey ya'll!  

My name's Lissy; I'm a student, a receptionist, and a live-in girlfriend.
The phrase sounds kind of weird.  It makes me think of a live-in maid, or a live-in nanny.  I think that it needs to be specified though, it's one thing to be a girlfriend.  It's a-whole-nother (it sounds so good in my head, but it is wrong in print) world to live together.  

I'm a step away from being a crazy cat lady.  We have two baby cats (otherwise known as kittens), Anikan and (Jar Jar)Binx.  I love them.  I tell them goodbye when I leave and they are the first thing I look for when I come home.  

I also have a serious inner-fat kid.  Serious.  It's a problem.  Or not.  Depends on the day.  

This blog is more or less a life hack on living on your own (or with someone).  Recipes, DIY's, tips, stories, and inner peace.  Mixed with chocolate cake.  

Mm.