Every once in a while, it needs to happen

Okay, so this blog has been the source of many rants on things and it's been a while since I wanted to just rant. So here it is.

The title of this blog is Cooking for One: it doesn't suck! #realtalk, it does sometimes. Yes I love when I live alone and I can freely run around my living area unconstrained by the touch and feel of cotton. I also love picking what ever movie I want. Being able to drink straight from the milk carton and just having dinner for breakfast with no judgement. Sometimes this can get a little lonely and I feel the need to date. This usually comes after I watch a sappy romantic movie.

I come from a ridiculously abusive past. I think that I have only told one person about really how bad my ex was and she keeps congratulating me for not being institutionalized and being a functioning human being. Because of this, dating is kind of an issue. I trust very few people. My philosophy when it comes to friends is that it is quality not quantity.

I believe that my subconscious blocks me from flirting so I don't date, and don't get hurt.

So the other day I went to get some food and on my way out of the joint I get hit on. What?!? That hasn't happened for a while. So this guy, we will call him John, asked for my number and I'm like hey. This man was a chocolate man. I like my chocolate men. Because of this I was a little excited about getting to know someone new.

Wednesday night, he gets my number. Immediately starts texting me. I'm like, a'right. The texting goes on for quite a bit and the next morning a lot more. So much that I know he moves very fast.

So tonight he starts texting again and as he is texting me I get the impression that our view of sexual relations are severely different. Oh hey sexting. I am a very honest person, so I tell him that I plan on waiting to have sex until I am married. I asked him if this was a challenge for him.  Yup it is.

This is where I rant.

Everyone has beliefs. Everyone has this right. I am not going to shove my beliefs down your throat, but I will stick up for them when it comes to me.

John decided that he really needed to try and convince me that what I believe in is wrong and that I believe what I believe because I haven't been with the right guy. I was also not being polite by telling him this. Also that it is unfair that I am giving him an ultimatum without giving him a chance. This goes on for awhile before I just cut him off and told him that no one has a right to make me feel bad about this.

Is it so much to ask for someone who would love, honor, and respect me? Seriously! I haven't even gone out with you, do not disrespect me like this. What the heck has happened to the decency of men? I can only speak for myself, but is it wrong to want to be wooed? baaaaah! Wrong to be swept off my feet? Apparently I have too high of expectations for today's dating scene.

Being single has got to be better than being belittled and disrespected. Bastards.

Suck it.

PS i will get back into cooking in just a bit when I get my own place. soon.

Real Good Things

It's like I just stepped of the blogging bandwagon for a while, so sorry. Somewhere in this blogging world I am still working on the Thanksgiving post. Yeah, that was about 3 months ago.

In my life I have had a lot of things happen, just like anyone else. Some times a lot more difficult than others. What I have discovered it that I am blessed. I have so much to be grateful for and I love my life. I have also discovered that every decision that I have made in my life has brought me to this point and I would not change it. Every decision. I only have one life to live, so that is exactly what I am going to do with it. These are the best of times. Now to step from my soap box.

I had this amazing idea. At school we are doing this huge 3 month long FUNraising event. So, every other week we have a bake sale. This really gives me the opportunity to exploit my obsession with baking.

I am a loyal watcher of Cupcake Wars. Love it. It is fascinating how many different amazing flavors of cupcakes everyone comes up with, yet every time there is still one person that bakes a Red Velvet. Let's be original shall we. Anyway, I was thinking about what I should make for the bake sale when ideas started to flow and I came across something amazing.

Here it is.

Maple Bacon Cupcakes

Recipe stolen and tweaked from THIS


INGREDIENTS:


2 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1 stick or 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup light-brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/4 cups maple syrup
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup bacon, cooked and crumbled

DIRECTIONS:

• Preheat your oven 350 degrees F.
• Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and ginger together. Set aside.
• Then beat the butter and sugar on medium speed in a large bowl until they are fluffy. (Your butter must be soft!)
• Add in eggs, syrup and vanilla. Mix until blended.
• Then mix in the flour mixture alternating with the buttermilk. Do about one-third of the flour and then one-third of the buttermilk, and so on.
• Add in, by hand, the bacon.
• Fill muffin or cupcake tins, either lined or buttered, according to your preference.
• Cook for approximately 20 minutes or until your tester comes out clean. I use a steak knife.

Maple-Butter Frosting Recipe

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup of softened, unsalted butter
3 ounces of cream cheese, also softened
2/3 cup of dark-brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup of maple syrup
3/4 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1 cup of confectioners' (icing) sugar

DIRECTIONS:

• Beat the softened butter, cream cheese, brown sugar and salt in a medium-sized bowl until fluffy. Once again, it is critical that your ingredients be softened.
• While you keep beating, add both the maple syrup and the vanilla.
• Slowly add the confectioners' sugar and gradually increase the speed to high. Continue beating until the icing is fluffy.
• Chill the maple-butter frosting for one hour before using.
• Ice the cupcakes as you do any cupcake.

Once you have completed the cupcakes to this point you are going to garnish the cupcake with a chocolate dipped piece of bacon. You are welcome. To make my chocolate dipped bacon I simply cooked the bacon and allowed it to cool. After it was cool I then heated some chocolate chips in the microwave. Be very careful while doing this, only heat the chocolate for 30 seconds on medium heat, then stir and do it all over again until it is melted. I then dipped the bacon and placed it on a Silpat and stuck them in the freezer for about 10 min. 

Eat the cupcake, it's real good.

Suck it. 

Why do they make vampires so sexy?

Holy Crap! You know when life just wakes up and slaps you in the face and you have been so busy that you have neglected important things? I got a loving reminder today that I haven't posted anything in a while. Well my friends, it is time.

Have I built your excitement too much?  Too bad.

I have been kind of working like crazy over the last month and I am down to 40 hours a week for the next few weeks. This was kind of an overload for my brain. I didn't know what to do with myself. So, what do you do at times like this? You find an extremely addicting show and you get wrapped up in it. My new addiction is Vampire Diaries.

Why do they make vampires so sexy?

This just makes me think that it's totally okay to get involved with a guy that is constantly controlled by hunger, has anger issues, can make you do anything, and is a murderer. All of the sudden Gentiles don't sound so bad. Does this stop me from being completely wrapped up in all things vampire? No. Does this mean that I am watching Breaking Dawn Part One at 7p Thursday night before anyone else can? Of course it does.

Oh well, lead on sexy vamps. Lead on.

I just had a brilliant idea. So, I work for Paul Mitchell. Love them. We have just recently launched a new men's line of Take Home called Mitch. I think that every Mitch man needs to be a vampire. Just look at these guys!

While watching the hot vampires I have been able to try out a lot of different recipes and such. Here are a couple.

Banana Bread on Crack

1 Kroger (or whatever quick bread mix you choose) Banana Bread Mix
4 oz. Cream Cheese (room temperature)
3 T. Sugar
1 Mashed Banana

Prepare the banana bread mix as directed. Mix the cream cheese, sugar, and banana together.

Coat a bread pan with shortening and flour. Pour half of the banana bread mix into the pan. With a spoon, scoop the cream cheese mixture on top of the mixture.

Pour the rest of the mixture over and bake as directed. Allow to cool and enjoy that amazing bread.

Crescent Rolls with all sorts of fun

Dinner:

Pack of crescent rolls
Chicken
Bell Pepper
Cheese

I just rolled up all of that and baked it to the roll directions. To stop them from getting soggy, make sure you cook them enough, you can also lower the temperature on the oven a little and bake it for longer.

Dessert:

Pack of crescent rolls
Cream cheese (softened)
Orange Marmalade

Spread the cream cheese on the rolls, then the marmalade. Roll it up and cook it to the roll directions. Enjoy.

Suck it.

Really?

Wow, it has been a long time. So sorry, but it has been a very busy month. Normally this would be my creative outlet, but I recently started working at a salon in the evenings and I have been able to work through my creativity that direction. It has also given me some fun stories.

I few weeks ago I was welcomed home one night from work by a letter from the city. Apparently one of my neighbors called the city and complained about my weeds. Really? You have nothing better to do than to care that much about my landscaping. Some people just deserve to be punched in face.

I was discussing this situation with some friends and told them about a "weeding party" that I was having that night. I would feed them chocolate cake in return for some manual labor. We were discussing how stupid my neighbor was when one of my friends turned to me and told me with great pride that he had never done Weed. First thing that came to me was, "that's great, neither have I." As the conversation went on and I was still trying to convince people to come over and have some chocolate cake he turned to me again and inquired why I wasn't serving brownies at this party. I said because I made chocolate cake the other night and that is what I had.

It struck me then that English is not his first, or even second language. I tried to explain that we were picking weeds that night and thought that I had cleared it all up. A couple of nights later we were out on a walk and we walked past the idiot neighbor's house who called the city on me. I mentioned the house and my friend asked how my neighbor saw the Weed anyway. I told him that they were all over the yard and that anyone could see them. It then occurred to me that he still thought I was talking about Weed and not weeds.

Two things made me very happy about this. One, that someone actually thinks I am a pothead. Two, that he would still hang about with me even though he thinks I am a pothead.

Good times. Hugs not drugs.

I have cooked a lot of amazing things lately, so I will just add them one by one. Later, I'm tired.

Suck it.