Lemon and Chocolate Cannoli

My 1st Daring Kitchen Baker's Challenge!  I decided to do both my challenges for the month for my In-Laws the day after Thanksgiving! Both were very successful, but I can't post the Cook Challenge until mid December!  As for the cannoli, it was fun! They were tasty! Yes, even a little too sweet for me! I Baked them instead of frying them! I am not big on frying anything! It hurts, Literally! I found that I love for other people to buy the groceries and that I enjoy cooking at my own pace and don't like to be rushed! So I took 2 and half days of slow prep before assembling them. Here is my not so tenative schedule!

• Wed- Bought groceries and drained cheese.
• Thur- Made dough, let sit over night.
• Fri- Made filling and assembled.

Sorry to post this a little late with Thanksgiving and traveling I haven't had a second to put it up! Well here they are!

Dough was extremely stiff! I had to fight with it!

Raw cannoli!

Close up!

My flavors! But I only used the lemon and the chocolate bars!

My filling before flavoring!

My finished product! By the time I got the the lemons I was in a hurry trying to get somewhere! They weren't and pretty!

YUMMY Chocolate!

White Chocolate dipped Lemon Cannoli!

The November 2009 Daring Bakers Challenge was chosen and hosted by Lisa Michele ofParsley, Sage, Desserts and Line Drives. She chose the Italian Pastry, Cannolo (Cannoli is plural), using the cookbooks Lidia’s Italian-American Kitchen by Lidia Matticchio Bastianich and The Sopranos Family Cookbook by Allen Rucker; recipes by Michelle Scicolone, as ingredient/direction guides. She added her own modifications/changes, so the recipe is not 100% verbatim from either book.

I would do anything for my man!

Here a little insight to what I will do for Zac to spend time with him. For starters he talked me into driving 6 long hours and sitting in a deer blind when I was 6 months preggo!  I have broken down and add deer heads and John Wayne paintings to my house decor even though when we got married I vowed that I would never have the deer heads in my living room! They belong in an office or a "Man Cave"! But I allowed him to hang it since we don't have either two of the rooms.

And now he has talked me into volunteering a hunting seminar, because they will give us $200 dollars in raffle tickets to work the door! I called my friend on short notice and asked her to watch Zane. She did! So we went and sat there for 5 hours! And out of 20 guns, 1 bow, and about 20 other prizes. We walked away with out a thing. Zip! Zero! Nada! We got a free meal and a hat but didn't win anything! I thought we wasted a night without Zane for this! But I have been thinking about it! If I have to volunteer to work some hunting thing just to spend some quality time with my honey! Sign me up! Any excuse to do something for him I am there!

Notice all these thing have to do with hunting of some kind! Do the have AA meetings for his condition!

My 1st Daring Kitchen Challenge!

Yay! I have successfully completed my first Daring Kitchen Challenge! I was so excited when I found out what I was getting to make! I had never made it! I have learned to love sushi! But thought it was to difficult for me to make. Boy, was I wrong! Fun, Easy and Delicious!  I printed off my recipe, and though now what... where in the world in this town do I find all the ingredients!  My lovely friend Tara mentioned that there is an Asian Food Market.  Off I went! I walked in and immediately I was aproached by this elderly Korean lady (I assumed she is the owner since its family owned.) She says "You need help? You lost?" HAHA! Yes and Yes, I guess I was! I said "I need everything you need to make sushi." with a big "Oh Ok, I get you everything you need, follow me."  So I walk around the store with this little old lady as she is tossing random stuff in my basket.  All of which I had know idea what the packages said!  I just took her word for it after all she probably knew what she was talking about!  I bought everthing but the meat there!  I checked out and was on my way.  I purchased baby back ribs, smoked salmon, and steak strips. Because the lady had said "No good sushi in this town, but at HEB Baby back ribs good and cheap!" Again, I assumed she knew what she was talking about. Not to mention my picky eater nor my friends don't eat raw fish. I wasn't about to eat it all myself! I invited a girl whom I met in the grocery line who had a son who appeared to be the same age as mine. I had been meaning to hang out with her and this seemed to be the perfect oppurtunity.

 PART 1 : SUSHI RICE

I had never made rice before either!And so it begins with washing, rinsing, washing, rinsing, washing, rinsing, and soaking of the rice. Then you can put it in a pot on the stove and cook it for 30 or so minutes! I put sake in mine!

FYI: Don't take the lid of until you think it is completely finished cooking, apparently it lets all the stem out! I didn't do this but if i hadn't of read the instructions everso carefully I would of taken it of to stir it a few times.

While the rice cooks, heat rice vinegar, sugar, and salt until sugar and salt dissolve then set aside until rice is done.  Pour over warm rice!

This is the way your rice should look!

I used bell peppers and carrots! Just because they were in the fridge! And Avacado!

My very first time to cook ribs! In the oven I might add! And they were fall of the bone good!

My big fan of my cooking! He is such a good eater! He loves him some ribs!

PART 2 : Dragon Rolls (also called Caterpillar Rolls)

OMG! It looks like it is suppose to! Whoop!

PART 3 : Spiral Sushi Roll

These are my spiral sushi! LOL! So I didn't quiet get the spiral concept of spiral at first. I was trying to make the meat spiral. I didn't realize it was the kelp that was suppose to appear spiraled! Got to love the Blonde Moment!

Rib, Carrot, and Bell Pepper Spirals with Spicy Mayo Sauce!

Terriyaki Steak, bell pepper and, cream cheese!

My better spirals!

PART 4 : Nigiri Sushi

Not impressed with these!

The November 2009 Daring Cooks' Challenge has been chosen by Audax of Audax Artifex and Rose of Bite Me Kitchen. They chose Sushi, specifically Dragon Rolls, Nigiri and Spiral Rolls

How Zac swept me off my feet!

For those of you who don't know how Zac and I met, it goes a little something like this... (At least the way I remember it, Zac might say otherwise!)

The time & place was March 13, 2006 at a local bar on North Gate called the Groove!  I was having a girl's night! We are dancing having a blast, then I realize there is something missing.  I look towards the bar to scoop out the guys to see, which would be fun to bring over and let these crazy girls dance around him!  As my eyes follow the bar I can hear myself thinking, "To short, to cowboy, to frat boy, to drunk, to much hair, oh wait go back go back.... no not that one... the one that is about 6'5, nothing but solid muscle and not to mention I am just starring at his back side as he talks to the bartender. In slow motion I go in for the kill! (I have always that girl that approaches the guy. Maybe cause as a kid I was told not too... But thats another story!) 

Meanwhile, I approach this guy with a little flirty grin and with much confidence I might add. I say,"Would you like to come dance with me and my girls." Thinking he would be outside his mind to say no to about 7 hot chicks!  He rudely replies "NoThanks I am not interested...." So I turned my confident little self around and walked away with out a responds. In my head I repeat over and over..."Not interested, Not interested. Is he crazy!" He got me all worked up and I didn't even act like the rejection had phased me one bit!  So we kepp dancing and grooving! Then I feel a tap on my shoulder about 45 minutes to an hour in drunk time! "I am sorry I was a major jerk... Can I buy you and your friends a drink?" "Ummm... you better be buying them all night long after that episode!" Opps that was in my head again. I think I just said "sure" or something.  Anyways, no dancing happened we ended up sitting and chatting the evening away. During that conversation we discovered that our hometowns were very close and growing up we had been at the same places and the same times but never met! As I was leaving he got my number and asked me to come to his party at his house the next evening.

The next night rolls around and as his party is starting he calls me and gives me directions. I take the directions but never showed up!  I was paying him back for being a jerk the previous night!  The next weekend was springbreak and I was on a fun filled journey to Mexico.  We corresponded through e-mail. And the day I came home he came over and asked me to go on a date the next night!  I was excited so I got all dolled up like I was going to a 5 star resturant or something... He picks me up wearing cargo shorts and a t-shirt, was I suppose to be impressed?  We get in the beat up old  blue truck that has a duck sticker on the back! Oh know I am on a date with a red neck! And then to top it off he takes me to McAllister's a sandwich shop! From that point on we were always together.  The next weekend I went home to meet the family!  He later tells me that the reason he took me some where cheap is to see if i would stick around!

Today, We have been together for almost 4 years! Married with a kid! Who knew that day in the bar that I would find the jerkiest guy and he would end up being the love of my life!

Our secound date at the Groove!

Third date! We both looked so good!

You must learn to walk before you can run!

Zane is officially walking! After many attempts of running and face planting, jumping and hoping someone will catch him, and not to forget lots and lots of dancing! Today he walked about 6 ft from the middle of the room to his "Da Da" without holding on to anything nor falling down. I am so proud of him! It does however make me a little sad. He is growing up so fast! Before I know it I will be crying as I drop him off for his first day of school. And then I have to deal with his first phone call from some girl, then prom and graduation, then sending him off to college. Then he will get married and make me a grandma, YIKES!  Not ready for all that business yet! And where did the time go!  I am so blessed to be able to stay home and watch him grow! Thanks to my workhorse of a husband!

Pumkin made the Newspaper!

Our second costume was a dragon!  We dressed up and went to the Fall Fest at Baptist Church down the street from where we live. While we were there the Photographer was following us arond and then finally asked me to take pictures of Zane! The next morning he was the front page of the section! He is growing so quickly! Click here to see him!  http://www.theeagle.com/local/Pumpkin-caper

Egg in the Hole!

My Husband is amazing and one of a kind! I had never heard of these things called "Egg in the Hole" until, I started dating him almost 4 years ago! Man time has flown by! This is one of the few things that Zac loves to eat! So until the other day I had never made them for him.  My friend Tara was on her way over for french toast, but Zac was sooooo hungry so I decided to give them a try! I am always up for a challenge, right! And my new cookbook I got earlier in the week had the recipe in there so I knew it was a sign that I needed to learn to make them for Zac. They were so easy and he loved them! They looked pretty but I didnt get a single bite before they were all gone! Now I know an easy breakfast to make for Zane when he decides he doesnt want to eat eggs! Fun and Delicious!

All you do is cut a circle with cookie cutter or cup in a piece of bread of your choice! Put it in a butter medium-high heated pan place bread in pan and crack egg in the hole! Salt and Pepper! Flip after couples of minutes, THE END! Zac the smothers it in syrup!

The Incredible Edible Egg!

Our Little Owl!

My wonderful sister, Randi, found a masked owl costume in a Martha Stewart.  So since I have been on a trip to be the next Martha Stewart, I saught out to make the costume!  It turned out ubber cute, but was short lived since he ripped the wings of as quickly as I could put them on!  Because he wasn't wearing his masculine wings, he was called a girl for the first time in his life! 3 times within 30 minutes... What is up with that he is obviously all boy! But it was kind of freaky how much he looked like my baby pictures at this age! Guess I will claim him as my own!

Zac and I took him to his first "Trunk or Treat" at our church, since he is a little small for trick or treating!    Although while we were at the church he knew that when we arrived at each trunk to go straight for the candy!

He looks like my baby pictures here!