Garlic Knots: The Stupidly Easy Way

Very Simple Gah-lick Knots with Classic Spaghetti and Meatballs

So there are two ways (ok, probably there are more out in the world) of making garlic knots, the hard way or the easy way.

I chose this one because it was by far the weirdest choice... The Godfather was a little too expected...

Oh Noes Mosquitoes! A DIY Bug Trap Review

Ohhhh Texas summers. As if the skin-charring heat weren't enough to put you off then the damn mosquitoes would be.

And its not just Texas (I looked this up) most of the U.S. is a veritable plague pit of mosquito-ness

Map of Mosquito infestation in the U.S. (www.mosquitomap.org) Be afraid. Be very afraid.

In fact the local newspaper from where I spent my early childhood was named The Mosquito

I was featured in their Summer 1985 issue pouring water on some kid's head...pretty sure that means I'm famous

Who doesn't hate mosquitoes? They suck. Literally. And because I read too much on the internet I'm totally afraid that me or the kids or the hubster will be bit by an evil mosquito one of these days with dire consequences...

Like maybe this:

I made this picture small because The Fly is pretty much completely terrifying. Believe it or not this was one of the least disturbing images I could find. I should also note here that I decided I needed to wikipedia The Fly last night..oh God why?!!! Thanks for the nightmares Jeff.

But then there is the reality of this:

And you know they've got some spare Bubonic Plague in there...and maybe leprosy

And if that didn't get your attention - check this poster from WWII

Rosie the Riveter be damned! Go fill those holes people!

Well, this weekend the Hubs and I decided to get rid of the gross lava rock on our front path and plant some nice flowers, but this meant fighting off the mosquitoes. And somehow convincing them not to eat the baby. 

I was going full throttle. I put citronella candles on the porch near Jamie (where he was watched like a hawk lest you worry) and I thought I'd make one of those DIY mosquito traps you see all over facebook and the internet. It looks like this:

Side note: maybe the best part is that this exact same recipe is found on both The Survivalist Blog and a blog on going green which are of notably different ..erm..slants.

After all the fighting..we've been making our mosquito traps the same way this whole time! <3

Anyhow, I thought it would not only be effective but a fun project for me and Cal to do. It was pretty easy to make and because I bake all the time, I had yeast on hand. YAY!

In fairness - it was really easy to make...

I even got the funnel of doom in there!

Now maybe I had high expectations - you know after seeing the mosquito carnage pictured in the directions, but I was kind of expecting something like this...

Wreck-It Ralph is a pretty darn good movie by the by

It was nothing like that. Nothing at all. Those mosquitoes could have given a rat's ass about the sugar/yeast bait. All they wanted was the baby...

Baby...the other other white meat

Luckily about that time I found some OFF! and sprayed us down, I moved Little Mister and Little Miss inside and we wrapped up the planting asap.  In the interest of fairness I thought I'd leave the trap outside in the backyard where the mosquitoes are awful.  Well, I went to check this morning - I've killed two gnats. 

Yay. 

Meanwhile I have about 5 mosquito bites. So, I'm going to call that trap a big fat fail. Anyone have any ideas? Suggestions? Success with this?

Otherwise I'm labeling this one:

I'm not affliated with MythBusters at all. But I wish I were..because they rock.

Easy and Delcious Marinara Red Sauce

Good Old Fashioned Spaghetti and Meatballs

EASY AND DELICIOUS MARINARA SAUCE

I've loved Italian cooking forever but would always use jarred tomato sauces because I felt like making my own was too hard. I was intimidated. But the more I'd read about canned/processed foods the more I felt motivated to try to make as much as I could from scratch. I was really surprised by how easy it is to make good red sauce. Red sauce that tastes a heck of a lot better than the jarred stuff.

A couple notes:

1. Good sauce takes a long time. I let mine cook on the stove for a 1 1/2 - 2 hours.
2. When I did the test run recipe last night I did not have fresh herbs - they are better. If you have fresh herbs, use them.
3. One day I want to make red sauce without any cans from tomatoes I've grown myself. Emphasis here on 'one day' as that is probably wildly optimistic.
4. Unlike baking there is a lot of wiggle room here! Make it suit to taste! If you want more of a flavor - add more! Less? Decrease it! Add stuff in! Go wild.

How Not to Make Caramel

How Not to Make Caramel: A Cautionary Tale

To be fair:

1. This is not my kitchen

2. I did not actually take a picture of the fire, because, you know, I was sort of more concerned with not burning down the house...

Ok, so.  I've been cooking/baking/playing mad kitchen scientist since I was about seven. And while my early endeavors weren't fantastic and while I wouldn't call myself a pro, I'm pretty good in the kitchen.

I rate myself somewhere in here:

On second thought, am I really better than Swedish Chef? I might be reaching...

Making Martha: EPIC Chocolate Caramel Cake

Epic sized picture for EPIC cake

So - let me say this, this is not a cake for the weak of heart (seriously - the amount of sugar and cholesterol alone - WOAH). Let's start by its stats:

Weighing in at:

1 POUND of chocolate
7 (count em SEVEN) cups of sugar
4 sticks of butter
a good 6 hours of work
and costing about $30 to make

...this is not a cake to make lightly. Really for about the same price you could get a pretty darn good chocolate cake from a bakery. Why, praytell, would you make such a thing then?

1. Bragging rights. There are serious bragging rights involved here
2. To tell someone you really REALLY REALLY love them
3. Your archnemesis is a diabetic with a titchy heart

or

4. Because its friggin delicious.

Cappucino Cheesecake Brownies

So I am not a big chocolate fan (blasphemy I know) but I like brownies and I especially like cream cheese brownies. But then I thought as much as I like brownies I LOVE coffee so I thought - Cappuccino Brownies - obviously! I looked up some recipes and they did not seem any too promising. So I decided to doctor up my Cream Cheese Brownie recipe.

I should note - for me when it comes to flavor I'm of the 'Go Big or Go Home' camp. I don't believe in half measures. For me there is no such thing as 'too much garlic'. Ergo this has a strong coffee taste. Feel free to dial it down if you are looking for a mild flavor.

An Only Slightly Late Start or What's a Year Anyhow?

So, I started this blog over a year ago - long story short I got pregnant and was pretty much sick the entire time. Well - little man is 3 months old and I plan to make up for it with a delicious recipe for Cappuccino Brownies.

You're welcome. <3

Why I was late

Totally worth it.