Southern Blondie: December 2011

A Clark Christmas!

Leave a Comment
Every Christmas night, everyone from my dads side (or everyone that can make it) comes over to my parents house. We eat, and sit around and catch up. Here are some highlights from this Christmas:


My sweet, baby cousin Scott tries to act like he doesn't like me.


But he does... 




Well I did it!


All of the lady cousins. Aren't they pretty?


My cousin Shannon.

Apparently this wasn't our good sides. 


This was. 



My parents and Lucy. 


The Clark Clan. 

Hope everyone had a Merry Christmas!
SHARE:
0 comments

All I Want for Christmas ... is Pie!

Leave a Comment

Thanksgiving Day I challenged myself to have a goal accomplished by Christmas Day. That goal was to be able to make homemade pie. A chocolate pie. So, once school was over for the semester and I had had a couple of days off to mentally prepare myself to make pie, I did. I made pie. 

I made a chocolate pie and a cherry pie. When one makes TWO homemade pies, the best idea is to take them to work to share with everyone else. (Otherwise my pants wouldn't have fit and they're getting a little right as it is...)

So this week ... that practice started. 
I tried the never-fail pie crust recipe on the back of W-R All Purpose Flour. 


Made the crust. 



 Made the pie.



Baked the pie.



Made a mess. 


Tried to make a chocolate pie and a cherry pie.



Brought both pies to work to share. 


Let someone else cut the pie.



Everyone ate the pie. 

How'd the pies turn out? Good. So good, that I"m going to make them again Christmas Day (I've worked on my crust some more) and I"ll share the recipes at that time. 

Happy Pie!
SHARE:
0 comments

Fa La La - Tis the Season!

Leave a Comment
Between final papers and being crazy busy at work, I've had a hard time getting into the holiday spirit. I knew it would show up at some point, but I just wasn't sure when. This weekend, I found it! Or it found me. Christmas shopping and Christmas lights seemed to have done the trick. 


On Sunday night a small group of friends headed to Garven Gardens in Hot Springs, AR, to see all the lights.  



Melody and I hanging out in the lights.


We got a little creative.




Diane and Melody
(Good to see you again, Diane)




You could even ring the train bell!



I got a little lazy and sat down.




Melody and Julie in front of the gingerbread house.




All the ladies!




Another group shot!



A little camera effect...


Even though I found my holiday cheer a little late, I'm so happy it's finally came. This week will be wrapping presents, making pies (stayed tuned for that mess) and heading home. 

SHARE:
0 comments

My Irrational Fear of Coconut

Leave a Comment
Coconut. I feel like it's one of those things in life that you either love or hate. I remember the first time I remember not liking coconut. It was at a birthday party for a friend when we were around seven to 10 (Your guess is as good as mine right now.) As we are at the birthday party and playing games we are all having a good time. For one reason or another I had to leave early that day for a prior engagement. (Such the socialite I was between seven to 10, huh?) Anyways, as I'm leaving the party, my friends mother hands my mother a piece of cake. 

But this isn't any normal cake. This cake has white stuff on it. This cake looks like snow. Why was there snow on a cake? Had I had coconut before? No idea. But this is definitely my first memory of it. So, I looked at the cake on the paper plate with the saran wrap over it and just shake my head. We go do whatever else we had planned to do that day and take the cake home with us.

The plate sits on the bar with the coconut cake still just sitting there. I look at it. Try to figure out why someone would ruin a perfectly good piece of cake with all that stuff. That wasn't frosting. It wasn't sprinkles. It was weird. 

I look at the cake. I look away. I realize that IT IS CAKE. What was I doing? I get out a fork and think, it can't be that bad can it?

When you think, "It can't be that bad," you might as well set up yourself for disaster. It was that bad. The taste, the texture, the smell. Nope. Not happening. Luckily my dad likes coconut. *ewwwww*

So since I was between seven to 10 I have stayed far, far away from coconut ... until last week. Last week I was given a Santa sugar cookie with coconut. I figured it had been plenty of time since my last coconut indecent that I was mature enough to give it a try. So I did. I ate it all but the coconut part. Then I tried it. 

It wasn't as bad as I remember. It's still not something that I'm going to jump for joy, but maybe I won't cringe when I see it either. 

So maybe my irrational fear of coconut is now just a 'eh' feeling. Will I cook with it? No. Will I order it? Probably not. Will I continue on my path of destruction for its existence? Nah. I'll find something better to do now.
 



SHARE:
0 comments

Reunion of Friends from the Class of 2004

Leave a Comment
The First Christmas Party
In 1999 a tradition was started. A tradition of fun, laughter, food and memories. A tradition where girls who have known each other, some since birth, most since daycare, all since grade school, all got together for a Christmas party. We were in 8th grade at the time and were at the stage where we were all discovering who we were.

If anyone remembers junior high, you probably remember how awkward it was. Between boys and boobs, everything in life starts to change. As a a group, we were always friends. Of course there was plenty of junior high drama, too. That's all part of growing up. (Amen for being done with it!)

Even though I don't get to talk to a lot of my high school friends as much as I'd like, thinking about them makes me happy. They helped me become who I am. When I look back, I only remember good things. We've seen each other at our worst, but still accepted each other. It wasn't always easy growing up in a small town, but it was the only way I'd ever want to grow up. Maybe it's because when I look back now, I consider these girls home. I know them. They know me. Sure, we've all changed and grown up and moved here or there, but when we get together, it feels like you're going home.





To the left you have Maggie, Heather and I, while to the right you have Heather, Maggie and I. 
I guess I like the right side of pictures? Anyways, these two girls have seen it all. We all three started hanging out back in the pre-school days. 

Heather and I grew up going to church together. We've seen things, heard things, done things, that only we can look at each other and understand. It's a funny thing to be able to look at someone and not even have to say a word. One word and we both just give the look. laugh, and hope that no one else knows what's going on. 

Heather: freeze out. (She knows what it means.)

Maggie and I were inseparable growing up. At one point, we actually had one name from one of our teachers, "Maegie.' From high school dance, to college roommates, she's seen it all. Even though the after college life may have separated us, she's still the friend that knows more about you than you do. 


Marion and I, Prom 2003. 

I was lucky enough to run into Marion a couple of weekends ago during the Thanksgiving holiday. Talk about having some memories. When I think of Marion I think of: drinking coke out of a bag, being on the same Oddyessy of the Mind team, penguins, blue ink pens, the movie Scream, and hide and seek. Those are just some of the random memories that I remember. Certainly not all. 

Marion and I went to Costa Rica one summer for a couple of weeks and I'm still surprised she's talking to me after that trip. That's the thing about good people, they look past your flaws, let things go, and give you a second chance. 

(Side note: I was a little bratty on the Costa Rica trip. By a little I mean, Marion should have pushed me in front of a bus. I own that. Marion - if you ever read this, I apologize for the terrible way I acted and thank you for always being a good person to me. It's actually made me a better person throughout the years. For that, I truly thank you.)


Sara and I, Prom 2003.

This is another prom picture. Apparently something REALLY exciting was going on. Sara and I have been friends since as long as I can remember. We've had ups and downs, and honest moments, and moments where we've probably wanted to kill each other. That's small town friendships for you. You love them, want to kill them, but you're always there for them. 

When I think of Sara I think of: Rainbows, Billy Ray Cyrus, the song, "Sk8ter Boy," marsh mellows, Under the Sea, cheese pizza, seersucker, space camp, the game MASH, high school dance team, and too many other things. 

Sara has always been the friend to be straight-up and honest with me. That's something you need in at least one friend. If you're acting up, need a 'stop doing that' talk, or just someone to tell you to get on the right track, it's a really good quality to have in a friend. Sara is that type of friend that you can talk to everyday or once a year and things seem to go right back to where they were. That's a quality that you must have in a friend. 

(Marion and Sara weren't able to make it last Saturday. Next year ladies!)


This was the last day of high school our senior year. We all got together to meet in the parking lot and go eat breakfast to celebrate our freedom. Little did we know what life would have in store for us. 


This was the group after our first semester at college. Look at those bright and shiny faces.

So nieve.


Here we are during our second year of college.

Still nieve. 


This was us this past weekend. 

Now we're grown-ups. That's still weird to me. When I see everyone I feel like we're still 17 and we have English homework due tomorrow. It's fun seeing where life takes people. 

I'm so glad I was able to see everyone last weekend. It's a true blessing to meet up with all your old friends and still feel like you can call them friends. 

I hope I'm always this lucky. 
SHARE:
0 comments

Black Bean Soup

Leave a Comment
My friend Sara and I discuss food more than we discuss anything else. (And we talk to each other ALL THE TIME.) As we've been discussing food, she's mentioned Black Bean Soup at Panera a lot. So, one day, I went and ordered some black bean soup at Panera. It was fantastic. Anytime I have something great somewhere I think, "Well I can make this!" Why do I do that?

Luckily for me, this was easy enough. So I did my usual search online, didn't find any recipe that I liked, so I kind of just did what I wanted again. (I tend to keep doing that with everything in life. Whoops.)

So here is my version of black bean soup.




The Cast of Characters for Black Bean Soup.

Everything but the onion can easily be bought a head of time.
(My jalapeno is one that had been canned. True story.)



Put a little oil in the bottom of a pan. Cut up your onion and sweat that baby out.



After you've made it sweat a little bit toss in the jalapeno.



And some garlic.



After the onions and all have made their magic, add one can of the beans.



Now, you can either do this in a blender or use an immersion blender.




Then it looks like that.



Add another can of beans and broth and do it again!



Add some cumin.



Getcha some salt in there.

And of course some pepper.



Mix it all up and add one more can of beans and the can of diced tomatoes.

You won't use the immersion (or blender) again.

Let it all cook up. 



Then it's done! It's easy.
It's a little too easy.


Black Bean Soup
Ingredients:
1 spray(s) cooking spray
1 medium uncooked onion(s), finely chopped
1 tablespoon of diced garlic
3 cans (15 oz cans) of  black beans, undrained
1 tsp of ground cumin
One can of fat-free chicken broth, or vegetable broth
One can of Del Monte Green Pepper and Onion Diced tomatoes

Directions:
Coat bottom of a large stockpot with cooking spray. Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until onions are soft but not brown, about 5 minutes.

Place one can of beans in the pot and use an immersion blender to mix. If you don't have an immersion blender, then add the can of beans plus the onion mixture into a blender, blend, then add the mixture back to the pot. 

Add the  second can of beans and broth to the pot and use immersion blender. If you use a regular blender, add second can of beans and broth into the blender and puree until smooth; add to pot.

Stir third can of beans (do not puree first), green pepper and onion tomatoes to the pot. Bring to a boil, lower heat to medium and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes.
SHARE:
0 comments
Next PostNewer Posts Previous PostOlder Posts Home
BLOG TEMPLATE CREATED BY pipdig