Warning, the following maybe TMI for some of you out there. I’ll try to keep it as nicey-nice as possible.

So the past few days I’ve been having some light spotting and even though I know this is normal, I decided that I was just way too nervous to push it aside. Hoping she could see me right away, I called my doc first thing this morning. Luckily, she could. Just knowing I had an appointment made me feel better.

All went well and it seems the spotting is just the normal stuff every 1 in 4 women might experience
during pregnancy. That’s really good news but what’s even better? I got to hear the heartbeat!

You know how amazing that is!! One moment it’s all quiet then the next, thump thump thump. Some days none of this seems real but at that moment, for a few seconds, it was so very real and so very wonderful. I could listen to this tiny heartbeat for an eternity.

And if that wasn’t super cool enough, I got pictures!

There’s a bunch of stuff on that pic but the most important part is that little bubble looking thing. That’s the yolk sac. And attached to the edge of the yolk sac…

…That’s the baby. She’s about a quarter of an inch long. If you’re interested in more details, check out this page from The Baby Center.

So today was very exciting and all seems to be going well. Yay! Okay, little bean, keep going strong and healthy and I’ll see you in about 7 1/2 months.

Sigh, I really didn’t mean to stay away for a week. Can you believe it was a week ago I posted those yummy pralines? Needless to say, things have been hectic. Work’s been crazy. Life’s been crazy. But it’s all good! I’ve got many things planned to bring you in the future, some I really thought I would have had the time to post but didn’t. Now something new has come up. Something that is better than anything I had planned. Something better than a new recipe. Something better than a trip somewhere. I do have a new picture to go with it though…

Yes! That’s exactly what you think it is. The husband and I are having a baby! Now, it’s still really early and some people might say, too early to tell anyone, but you guys aren’t just anyone, you’re my family and my friends. And I’m so excited, I just couldn’t keep quiet. Of course the husband is hoping for a boy. He’s already dreaming of buying baseball gloves and soccer balls. I would love to have a little girl. We could go shopping like I do with my mom. I could cook with her in the kitchen like I do with my mom. Of course, the husband could buy baseball gloves and soccer balls for a girl and I could shop and cook with a boy. I’d be totally happy with that as well but mostly, I just hope for a healthy baby. You know at my age, that is something to be concerned with too.

Let me tell you, ever since that morning we saw those two blue lines appear, I’ve never been happier and all my thoughts have been for this little person growing inside me. I hope I’m doing the right things with what I eat, how I move, and even how I go to the bathroom. Isn’t that silly! We have our first doctor’s appointment in a couple of weeks and I know I’ll get a ton of information then. Until then, I scour the internet for any and every bit of knowledge I can. Isn’t it great we live in an age where that’s possible? I sure think so.

If your mouth isn’t watering from that picture, stop reading now and go seek help. Just look at that golden brown creamy and nutty goodness. This is what sweet dreams are made of. Yes, I’m talking about the humble praline. Sure you could find these at your local Mexican restaurant but once you try these, you’ll never want one of those mass produced candies again. Trust me. One bite, the crunch of the pecan, the melt in your mouth of the candy, the buttery caramel taste, it’s nearly heaven!

Simple ingredients that most of you should have in your kitchen right now. Brown sugar, butter, salt, half & half, and pecan halves. If you don’t have half & half you can use evaporated milk.

In a medium to large saucepan, add 2 cups of packed brown sugar…

…and 1/8 teaspoon of salt. I always use a larger pan than what I really need because I’m messy. I swear, if I have a pan that is just right and I have to stir, I will slosh some of it out. Maybe there’s a 12-step program out there for sloppy stirrers. Hmmmm, I should check into that.

Add 3/4 cup half & half…

…and 1 tablespoon of butter to the saucepan.

Stir constantly and cook over low heat until sugar is dissolved.

Next add 2 cups of pecan halves and stir.

See that thing attached to the side of my pan?

That’s a candy thermometer and you really should have one in your kitchen. It makes it much easier than using the cold water test.

Keep stirring and increase the heat to medium.

We’re wanting our candy to reach soft ball stage or 235° F on the candy thermometer but it’s not quite there yet. Keep stirring.

It’s getting really close now. Is your arm starting to cramp? Just think of all those muscles you’re building up.

Are you still stirring? You should be. And see on the thermometer, we’re almost there. Just a few more degrees to go.

Yay! We made it! You can stop stirring now. Whew!

Remove the pan from the heat and let sit for about 5 minutes. Stir quickly then drop by tablespoonfuls onto foil or wax paper.

Let cool then enjoy! This is a fairly quick and easy recipe so you have no excuse to not try it today. You could even put a few into a nice tin and give them out as gifts. Or if you’re like me, you’ll want to eat them all yourself. But I didn’t this time. I made these for a bake sale at work so I had to limit myself to just one. What? I had to taste them to make sure they were good enough, right? Right?!?
Perfect Pralines
Ingredients:
2 c. packed brown sugar
1 Tbs. butter
1/8 tsp. salt
3/4 c. half and half
2 c. pecan halves
Preparation:
Add brown sugar, butter, salt, and half & half to a medium saucepan. Stir together and cook over low heat until sugar is dissolved, stirring constantly. Add pecans and increase to medium heat. Stir constantly until mixture reaches soft-ball stage or 235 ° F. Remove from heat and let cool for 5 minutes. Stir quickly then drop by tablespoonfuls onto foil or wax paper. If candy starts to harden before you are finished, add a few drops of hot water or place back on heat for a few seconds until you are able to stir. Allow to cool.

Makes about 20 pralines.

Printable version

If you remember back a couple of weeks ago, I went to Kobe Japanese Steak House for my birthday. Warning, do not look at that post if you are hungry. I just skimmed through it and found myself drooling all over my keyboard. Maybe I can talk the husband into going there again before my next birthday. *crosses fingers*

Anyway, I had promised my recipe of Kobe’s zucchini and onions. Well, today is your lucky day!

Your cast of characters: zucchini, onion, butter, olive oil, sesame seeds, and coarse/sea salt.

I know what your all thinking, that isn’t butter in your picture. Yeah, I know. That’s all I had so I had to make do. You really can use any butter/margarine you like. I prefer this with butter because it adds so much flavor.

Today we’re going to use four zucchini but what you’ll want is about 1 zucchini per person. One thing to keep in mind, the more you use, the bigger the skillet you’ll need. I wouldn’t try more than five in an average large-sized skillet.

Now slice the zucchini into circles…

then stack several together.

Next, slice these stacks in half…

so they form half moon shapes. If you look back at those pictures from Kobe’s, they slice theirs into long sticks. I find my way to be quicker and will produce even results. When I’ve tried the other way, I usually end up with all kinds of crazy sizes. You are more than welcome to slice these anyway you like but they should all be about the same size so they cook evenly.

Now grab your onion…

You’ll want one small white onion or half of a medium one. One tip I learned back in my days of selling Pampered Chef, when buying white onions look for ones that are more flattened instead of true sphere. The flatter the onion, the sweeter it will be. Another thing, always use the part that came out of the ground first if you aren’t going to use it all at once. See, in my pic above, I had already used half this onion several days before in something else. What you see is the root end because I first used the “top”.

Slice the onion…

That looks to be about 1/2 inch slices to me. Then slice down in one direction…

…keeping the onion together as much as possible. Then turn 90 degrees and slice down again in the same way. When you have finished, you’ll be left with nice medium size chunks of onion.

Kinda break these apart some so you have thinner pieces.

Now place your butter into your skillet…

…then add the olive oil.

Extra virgin olive oil is what you want to use. Don’t think you are going healthy if you get the light version. It has nothing to do with calories but with the way it is made.

The reason for using both butter and olive oil is flavor. They both add glorious flavor to this dish. Another reason is the higher smoke point. That is when the butter/oil starts to burn and smoke. This can give your dishes a bad aftertaste and we don’t want that, do we! When you combine olive oil, that has a higher smoke point, to your butter, that has a low smoke point, this allows you to cook with the butter longer before it starts to break down and give off that awful taste. Anytime you are cooking with butter, like in this dish, add a bit of olive oil to it. You’ll be surprised how much better it will be.

Now let the butter melt and the oil get hot, then add the zucchini and onions to the skillet.

Stir to coat.

Then sprinkle with sea salt…

…and stir again.

Let this cook on high heat and stir occasionally. You’ll want some of the pieces to get a nice brown color, that’s where the flavor is, so don’t stir too much.

Now when some of the pieces start to brown…

…sprinkle with the sesame seeds…

…and stir. Let it cook a minute or two more so more pieces can get brown and to toast the sesame seeds just a bit. You don’t want the zucchini too mushy. Remember, mushy vegetables are bad!

See how the onions have that lovely caramelized edge on them? And some of the zucchini have a light brown coating? That’s what you are looking for. It should take you about 10 minutes to achieve this nirvana state.

That’s it! Be sure to serve right away as it will cool rather quickly and everyone knows that the second worse thing is cold veggies, well, except those that are suppose to be cold. Okay, just make sure you serve this hot and not mushy. You can do what ever you want with your other veggies.
Give this a try even if you don’t like onions. Remember, this is the dish that got me to like them and I had hated onions for more than 30 years at that point.

Kobe’s Zucchini and Onions

Ingredients:
4 zucchini
1 small or half a medium onion
2 Tbs. Butter
1 Tbs. Extra virgin olive oil
2 pinches coarse/sea salt
1 tsp. Sesame seeds

Preparation:
Slice zucchini into circles then across forming a half moon shape. Slice onion into medium size pieces.
Add 2 Tbs. butter and 1 Tbs. olive oil to large skillet. Heat until butter is melted. Add zucchini and onions. Stir to coat. Sprinkle with sea salt and stir again. Cook and stir occasionally until vegetables start to brown. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and stir.

Continue to cook for approximately one additional minute. Serve immediately.
Serves about 4.

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I’ve heard from some of you that you aren’t sure how to leave comments and what information is collected when you do. I thought I’d put together a little tutorial to help you out. ‘Cos you know, I totally love comments and really want to hear your thoughts. Sometimes at night I can’t sleep because I know there are comments and thoughts just waiting to be shared, and yet, you don’t.

It really is easy. You’ll be amazed how simple it is.

When you first come to the site, you’ll see this page…

You’ll want to click on the title of the post you want to comment on. In this case, we’ll leave a comment on the very first post on that page.

So you click on “Greatest Mom In The World”. That takes you to this page…

Then scroll down to the bottom of the post and you’ll see this…

Fill out the required fields. In the name space, type in the name you want displayed on the blog. Most places on the internets, I’m known as stacyrings so that’s what I usually type in when I comment on other blogs. Sometimes I’ll type whiskeychick.

Then type in your email address. Go ahead and put in your real address. I’m the only one who sees it and I will never share it with anyone. This is helpful to me in case you leave a question or need some type of reply from me. I can contact you directly without clogging up the comments and maybe it’s something you don’t want everyone to know the answer to or maybe they just don’t need to know.

Next is the website area. If you have a website, type the address here. What this does is put a link on your display name to your website. When I fill these out on other blogs, I put http://whiskeychick.com. That way if people want to know more about me, they click on my name and it takes them to this site. That is very helpful if you want to drive traffic to your site.

If you don’t have a website, then just leave this blank.

Next all you have to do is type in your comments…

Then hit the “submit comment” button.

See, easy peasy. Now that you know how easy it is, I hope all of you guys out there reading my blog will leave comments. Each day I don’t get a comment, I die a little on the inside. Not really, but I totally love getting your thoughts and feelings on my posts.

Today my mom celebrates her birthday. I’m not going to tell exactly what number it is except to say that it is more than 1 and less than 100. I think she looks great no matter what that number happens to be. See…

Isn’t she beautiful? She looks so calm and relaxed in that pic but she wasn’t always that way.

See how everyone is pretty much posing for the camera? See that young lady dashing off to the right? That’s my mom. I’m willing to bet she got in trouble for it too. Having a family picture back then, I’m guessing around 1950, wasn’t an everyday occurrence especially for poor farming families like they were.

Awww, that’s much better. That’s her on the left and my aunt Jo Anne on the right. Looks like they were heading off for school.

I bet this picture was taken before church. Such beautiful young ladies.

I love this pic. I’m guessing she was in her late teens or early 20s. I think she looks a bit like Carol Burnett too.

Wow, anyone care to guess what decade this picture was taken in? Look at that hair! Yep, that’s my mom on the far left with the big hair. That’s my cousin Julie right across from her. Looks like they are praying but I seriously doubt that. Not that they don’t pray but I don’t remember a singe instance when we prayed before a meal.

So colorful and cheery!

This is the way I will always remember her. I’m guessing that she was around 50 here.

So that’s my mom and I love her. Happy birthday mommy! I hope you have many many more.

With spring finally here and summer right around the corner, or closer if you live in Texas, I’ve got a couple of great picnic recipes for you guys this week. First up is a totally delicious, toe-curling, and lip-smacking pasta salad. The recipe is courtesy of my mom. She got it from someone named Carol Wallace. I don’t know who Carol Wallace is but I sure am glad she created this dish. Once you try it, you will be too.

We’ll start off with the necessities…

Shell or elbow macaroni, lemon juice, oil, Accent, seasoned salt, ripe olives, pimentos, onion, celery, bell pepper, and mayo. And please, I beg you, make sure your celery is much fresher than mine. That poor celery just looks pitiful.

Cook the macaroni according to the package directions but don’t overcook it. I swear, there is nothing worse than mushy pasta. Yuck!

After you drain the past, run it under cold water for a couple of minutes. This will stop the cooking process and keep you pasta from getting mushy. Remember, mushy pasta is bad, mkay.

Now grab your trusty measuring spoon and add 1 Tbs. Accent, 2 Tbs. seasoned salt, 3 Tbs. lemon juice…

and 4 Tbs. oil.

You can use any variety of oil you like but because of the amount, I usually use vegetable or canola oil. Olive oil would probably taste better so if you live on an olive ranch and press your own, go ahead and use it. Me, I’m just doing what is cheaper. Yes, olive ranches do exist. They’re right next door to the pickle farms.

Stir it all together, cover, and refrigerate overnight.

When you wake up the next morning your pasta will be ready for the next step. But wait!! We’re not ready yet. We’ve got to start chopping. Chop-chop, as the husband likes to say.

Take one can of ripe (black) olives. I never can remember which the ripe ones are, green or black. In my crazy mind green equals ripe. Lord knows why. Green bananas aren’t ripe yet so how in the world did I make this connection. Anyway…

give these a nice chop or if you’re lazy, buy a can of pre-chopped olives. You’ll need about 1/2 cup.

Chop about 1/2 cup onion…

1/2 cup bell pepper…

1 cup chopped celery (yes, that’s very pale celery)…

and 1/2 cup of pimentos.

Tip: you can chop all of these while you cook the pasta then store until the next day. I put them all in one large measuring cup as I finished chopping them, covered with plastic wrap and placed in the fridge.

You can chop these as fine or coarse as you wish. I think when they are chopped really fine it’s much better. Also, if you have some freaks in your family who don’t like onion or olives, if you chop them small enough they may not notice them.

Add all the chopped veggies to the pasta and mix well.

Next grab your big jar of mayo and add some to the pasta mixture in tablespoonfuls until it is the consistency of your liking. In this recipe, less is more. You already have oil and lemon juice in the pasta so you won’t need much. Just add a little at a time and you’ll be alright. Stir it all together. Doesn’t it look just lovely?

See the amount of mayo on those shells, that’s what you’re looking for. You don’t want it like that drowned stuff they sell at the grocery store deli. Yuck. Just enough to give it a light coating.

The bell pepper, pimentos, and olives give this salad great color. Remember, you want your food to look good enough to eat.

The best things about this dish, it is easily doubled or even tripled if you need to and it will keep in the fridge for up to one week. Trust me though, when you make this, it won’t last that long. At least it doesn’t in my house. I find myself sneaking into the kitchen at all hours to grab a bowl or two. So go make this pasta salad today or this weekend. I swear you’ll make Carol happy if you do.

Carol’s Macaroni Salad

1 10oz. pkg. shell macaroni or elbow if you prefer
1 Tbs. Accent
2 Tbs. Seasoned Salt
3 Tbs. Lemon Juice
4 Tbs. Oil (Canola, vegetable, or olive)
1 c. chopped celery
1/2 c. chopped bell pepper
1/2 c. chopped onion
1/2 c. chopped ripe olives
1/2 c. pimentos
Mayonnaise

Cook macaroni according to package directions. Do not overcook. When done, drain and rinse with cold water. Place in large bowl.

Add 1 tablespoon Accent, 2 tablespoons seasoned salt, 3 tablespoons lemon juice, and 4 tablespoons oil. Stir well, cover and refrigerate overnight.

The next day, add 1 cup chopped bell pepper, 1/2 cup chopped onion, 1/2 cup chopped ripe (black) olives, and 1/2 cup pimentos. Stir.

Add one tablespoonful of mayonnaise at a time until you reach the desired amount to your tastes.

Can easily be doubled or more if needed. Salad will keep in fridge for up to one week.

printable version

Since you guys want to know all about my camera, I’ll give you the 411.

It’s a Nikon D40.

It’s refurbished by Nikon and thus about $100 cheaper than brand spankin’ new. I can’t tell the difference. If you get it as a kit it comes with a 18-55mm lens which is okay for most everyday shooting.

Anything else you want to know, just leave me a comment and I’ll get back to you. One of these days I’ll have my email set up on here for those of you who don’t like to leave comments.

Yay! The new camera arrived today! So what did I take pictures of first? Why my furry little children of course.

I think that just might be my favorite picture of all time. That’s the ever lovable Snow.

That’s the lazy Kobe. He really isn’t that lazy but has some problem with his paws and joints right now and isn’t getting around too good.

Ah, the sweet Sasha. Always being goofy.

Anyway, those are the first few pics and I just had to share with all of you. Hope you enjoyed them.

I know I can count on you guys to keep this to yourselves, right? Everyone raise your hands and swear to never tell. Okay, now that you’ve given your solemn vow I will share my news with you. I turned 40 on Saturday. Please don’t tell anyone.

Actually it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. I did decide to go to Kobe Japanese Steak House with two good friends of mine, Kelley and John. Of course the husband was there too.

I love this place! My cousin Tammy introduced me to it years ago and I’ve been hooked ever since. One tip, go early otherwise you may have to wait 2 hours or more for a table and they don’t take reservations. I don’t mind waiting myself, the husband hates it. See, this is the way it works. You walk in and give your name and the number in your party to the hostess then you have a big bar area where to wait. There are several sofa areas and a U-shaped bar where you can relax and have a nice drink.

These are our drinks, Kobe Rum Punch and Tokyo Tea. Very tasty. And see those little cracker like things in the bowl? OMG, are they addictive! They are spicy rice crackers and I would love a weekly shipment of these. You can buy a bag of them there for $5 which doesn’t last long at my house. On this visit, I completely forgot to bring some home.

Fortunately for the husband, our wait was about 10 minutes. I like the wait. You get to eat handfuls of those crackers and have several colorful drinks. It also gives you time to talk with the people in your group. During the dinner, the food comes so fast you don’t get a chance to really converse. Afterwards they want you out so the next group can be seated. For me, 45 minutes is a good wait time. Maybe we just got there too early. Anyway, on to the food…

Oops, not food. Have I told you how much I love sake? No? Well I do. This is just generic hot sake. It’s okay and I feel a must when having japanese food. One day I’ll tell you about the best sake I’ve ever had. For now, this sake will have to do.

The first course is a clear soup with mushrooms and green onions followed by a small salad. Get the house ginger dressing, it is fabulous! I have a recipe for it which I will post one day in the future. Why I didn’t get pics of these, I’ll never know. Let’s blame the sake.

Next up is the rice…

and not just any rice, Kobe fried rice! I’ve tried to recreate this at home and it is never as good. I bet it’s the type of rice they use. One day I’ll get up the nerve to ask what kind it is. When I tell you this is the absolute best fried rice you’ll ever have, you better believe me. I could eat this everyday for the rest of my life. If for some crazy reason, like you filled up on spicy rice crackers, you don’t finish your fried rice, take it home with you. Even cold, straight out of the fridge for breakfast, it is mighty tasty.

Kobe’s is a Benihana type of place with a hibachi grill. That means all your food is cooked in front of you on a giant griddle type surface. When I hit the lottery or the husband wins the WSOP, I’ll have one of these in my house. I’d cook everything on it. Pancakes, steaks, shrimp, veggies, and especially that fried rice.

Every place I’ve been to like this does the same routine with the onions…

They make a little stacked tower of the sliced onions and set it on fire.

Then the “chef” scoots it along the grill while going “toot-toot” or blowing a train whistle and little puffs of smoke come out of the top of the onion tower. The kids really like this. I think they need to find a new shtick.

Next comes my favorite part, the shrimp!

Again, the “chef” does little tricks with the tails, flips them in the air and catches them in different ways. I still like this because no matter what, he will miss. This time he flipped one into the husband’s water.

Droooooooool! I love this shrimp. I would marry it if I could BUT it would have to come with that chili paste. See that red glob of mouthwatering goodness? That’s chili paste and Kobe’s is the only place I’ve been able to find it. I usually go through two giant spoonfuls. I have a deep love obsession with this stuff. Seriously, there is nothing better in this world. I eat it on everything but the shrimp and this paste were just made for each other. If you know where I can get it, please let me know. I’ll forever be in your debt.

All broccoli should be cooked like this.

Yum! Doesn’t that look great?!?

Now this I can make at home. We’ve had it twice in the past two weeks. Zucchini and onions. This is the one dish responsible for me liking onions. Look for my recipe on this soon. It is the best way to cook zucchini and I promise you’ll just love it.

Now, this is what Kobe’s is known for.

Mooooooo! When I tell ya that this beef will just melt in your mouth, you better believe me.

Oh man, my mouth is watering so bad. Someone hand me a towel.

Can’t you just smell it?

Okay, so we’ve had soup, salad, fried rice, shrimp, broccoli, zucchini, onions, steak, mushrooms and they top it all off with bean sprouts. See that’s them cooking on the picture before the last one. I could eat a ton of those. Are you full? No? Yay, on to dessert. What? You are full? Tsk, tsk. You should have planned better and not filled up on those spicy rice crackers or asked for a doggy bag for the steak. You don’t want to miss the dessert. My favorite ice cream in the whole wide world…

…Green Tea Ice Cream! Another thing I’ve yet to find in any store that is as tasty as what they serve in restaurants. This is a special scoop, just for my birthday. Aren’t I great?!?

Green Tea ice cream? You don’t like it? I bet you’ve never even tried it. It is really good. Almost has a chocolate taste. Try it next time and I’m sure you’ll love it.
Well guys, that’s was my birthday at Kobe Japanese Steak House. I go every year. Want to join me next year, just let me know. The more the merrier!

Oh, one more thing, this guy is waiting for you outside the ladies room.

What the hell is he suppose to be anyway and why is he there? Any good ideas? I’d love to hear them. Personally I think he’s watching over the people who don’t wash their hands after using the facilities.