Garlic Cheese Biscuits

This is for my friend Doug who has dreams that Paula Deen will be his second wife.

1 1/4 cups biscuit mix
1/2 cup grated sharp Cheddar
1/2 cup water

Garlic Butter:
1/2 stick unsalted butter, melted
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon dried parsley flakes

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Combine the biscuit mix and cheese in a small bowl. Add the water and stir just until combined. The dough will be slightly moist. Drop the dough by tablespoonfuls onto the prepared baking sheet. Bake for about 10 minutes, until the biscuits are firm and beginning to brown.

While the biscuits are baking, make the garlic butter. In a small bowl, combine the butter, garlic powder, salt, and parsley flakes. Mix well. As soon as you bring the biscuits from the oven, brush them with the garlic butter using a pastry brush.

recipe courtesy of Foodtv.com and Paula Deen

American Idle!

So is it just me or is Paula Abdul heavily medicated? I have been addicted to watching American Idol since last year,when I was rooting for Bo Bice to win. But the blonde won and that is how America votes. And I'm not paying 50 cents to vote for anything. So this year my new underdog is Taylor Hicks. Love his gray hair and Joe Cocker style. He'll never win but maybe he'll have a chance at success. I think Kelli Pichler will win or if the public knows better the angsty Eddie Vedder rip-off Chris Daughtry will win.

Whatever happened to having a unique voice? Every Top 40 artist today sounds alike. All rap sounds the same. I used to really love Run DMC and LL Cool J but now if you throw in a few "hoes", "baby daddy"(BTW what the hell is a baby daddy?) and talk about killin' the man you have a hit.

Which is why I have no clue who is popular because in my house we listen to people you pay six bucks to go watch. I think the only popular artist I am listening to these days is James Blunt. Love him because he doesn't sound like anyone but himself. Don't even ask what Snark is listening to because you might scratch your head and say "huh?". But he is going to the IPO(International Pop Overthrow) in Chicago this week. I will make him post about his bands that cost a buck to watch.

Shrimp Fritters

My mother would make these on special occasions and I am posting exactly as how I remember. There are no exact amts, so just adjust accordingly. I serve these with tamarind chutney and cilantro chutney that you can find in any Indian market. The chutneys are also great on fish, chicken, egg rolls or just straight out of the bottle. You can use fish in place of the shrimp.

vegetable oil for frying

1 lb peeled shrimp chopped into bite-size pieces

2 serrano chilies with seeds chopped(or use jalapenos)

1/2 bunch cilantro chopped.

salt and pepper to taste

small handful flour to bind.

1 egg

1/2 onion chopped

mix all ingredients in a bowl. Heat oil in frying pan till shimmering and drop in a few tablespoons full of mixture. Fry till golden and drain on paper towels.

Need a vacation from Spring Break

The break is over now I can relax and go back to my routine!! We had friends visit so we Disneyed them to death. They are going home to take a vacation to get over this one. The girls went back to school(thank goodness!) and heaven help me this summer.

I had a great Easter. Any Easter I don't have to cook is a great one.

Tom Cruise had his baby. I read somewhere that he had Katie Holmes fitted for a pacifier. I wonder if I can get one of those to pop in Snark's mouth everytime he says something I don't like.

I read a t-shirt on a 13 yr kid. It said "Your picture on MySpace was better looking". I didn't find it too funny. Another said "Tell your girlfriend thanks." This was on a young un also. Need I say more...

Back to the whole Tom Cruise baby daddy saga. I also read that Brooke Shields gave birth down the hall from them on the same day I wonder if she flipped them the bird as she was passing the room.

I had a great potato salad on Easter. It had bacon and vinegar and something else. I need to seek out the recipe.

My kid told me something was "righteous". I feel old.

Happy Easter.

I was going to post my friend M.'s hashbrown casserole, but I 'm afraid she'll hunt me down and take it away if I posted it :> So here is a recipe from another woman who cooks as great as she looks. Nigella Lawson. She is my kind of gal. Hasn't done a light recipe yet!

Mozzarella en Carroza

6 slices white bread, crusts removed
1 ball mozzarella, cut into 1/4 inch slices
1/2 c. whole milk (in soup bowl)
3 TB. flour(on a plate)
1 egg
salt and pepper
olive oil for frying(don't use extra virgin)

Make sandwiches from cheese and bread leaving edge of bread unfilled with cheese, press together edgesof bread to form a seal. Beat egg with salt and pepper on plate. Heat oil over med heat. Dunk sandwiches in milk, then flour, then egg mix. Fry in hot oil tilll each side is crisp and golden. Drain on paper towel then try not to burn your tongue.

Say a little prayer

I just heard some heart-breaking news yesterday. My third grader's room mother called to tell me that one of the girl's in the class had been in a horrible accident. She is on life support with severe brain trauma and as of now her kidneys are starting to fail. Her family is in the Ronald McDonald house next to the hospital.

I had met this girl a few times. She is a cute little blonde, always showing me photos or just chatting with me. My daughter didn't think too much of her and always told me that she was mean. I never saw it.

I told my eldest what happened and she didn't say much. A few minutes later she came up and said.

"She was mean to me but this should not have happened to her. I'm feeling weird. Will I see her again?"

"Probably not. She won't be the same girl." I then had to break it to her that she may be attending a funeral. I hated to do that but I would rather prepare her for what may come.

I think that the extent of what happened hit my daughter because she started to cry and has been pretty weepy all day. But I have been also.

End of the week...

What the heck is going on in France??? They need to get back to making good food, clothing and protesting McDonalds.

Stress of the week. I am having the exterior of the house re-painted. It was attractive on the paint chip. I believe it's called poo-poo brown. At least that is the name my kids gave it.... Need I say more.

My eldest is hormonal. I feel for Snark because he has 3 human females and 2 animal females in the house. Too much estrogen going around.

They say the president is back on the bottle. If I had to run a country I would be too.

Katie Couric as the anchor for the CBS evening news??Hmmmm!

The car thief babysitter hasn't been made to apologize yet.

Loole kebabs

I have a new show to watch in addition to "Good Eats". It's "Ham on the Street". It is so out there I have to watch. I do like George Duran's recipes. Here is one that I found when trawling foodtv.com

Kebabs Recipe courtesy George Duran

Recipe Summary Difficulty: Easy Prep Time: 15 minutes Cook Time: 10 minutes Yield: 8 kebabs User Rating:

2 pounds ground beef 1 medium onion, finely chopped, about 1 cup 1/2 bunch fresh parsley, leaves finely chopped, about 1/4 cup 2 tablespoons tomato paste 1 teaspoon ground cumin 1 teaspoon paprika Kosher salt Freshly ground black pepper Vegetable cooking spray Pita bread, for servingSpecial Equipment: 8 sets of chopsticks, soaked in water for 30 minutes Preheat an outdoor grill. Put the beef, onion, parsley, tomato paste, cumin, and paprika in a large bowl and season generously with salt and pepper. Mix everything together with your hands until it is well combined. Take about 1/2 cup (4 ounces) of the meat mixture and form it into a 5 or 6-inch long hot dog shape on a chopstick. When you have them all made, spray them with the cooking spray and grill them, turning frequently, until cooked through, about 8 to 10 minutes. (Alternately, cook them in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until cooked through, about 8 to 10 minutes.) Serve on pita bread.

P.S.

The babysitter called and when Snark asked for her mother, she pretended to be her mom, thus digging her grave deeper. After being hung up on three times, Snark got in touch with the mother. The babysitter had just confessed and I think Mom was in a state of shock. I feel for the mother. Snark felt bad even having a talk with Mom, but when you do stupid things, they will come back and bite you. Hopefully, this girl was scared straight. I also hope the mother has enough sense to not let her babysit for a long time(maybe 30). At least my kids(and the dog) are safe and I am very proud of them for telling me.

"Amazing" Adventures in Babysitting

I've had great, good and bad babysitters. The great ones are few and far between, and the bad outweigh the good.

Last night, Snark and I went out with friends. I had a girl, that my friend really liked, babysit. I admit, I was impressed with her manners and sweet demeanor. That is what sold my friend also. She has two boys and she was impressed that this girl was firm and played with the kids when she came to sit for her.

I called during the night and she said the girls were doing great. That made us feel good and we enjoyed the rest of our night. I paid her and dropped her home. She thanked me and said she would love to sit for us anytime and that our kids were "amazing". Okay, the use of the word "amazing" should have tipped me that something was off. I came home and found a sweet note saying the girls were "amazing". On a side note I noticed our Jeep was parked in the middle of the garage, as opposed to one side, like it is always parked. I was tired and just stuck it in the corner of my brain.

Snark and I were sitting in bed talking to the youngest about her night. We always make a point of asking about the sitter and how they behaved. The oldest was asleep at this time. The conversation went something like this. Remember we are tired at this point.

"Did you like her?"

"Yeah, she was nice. She said you were rich, mom."

"Huh?"

"Yeah, she went and tried on some of your make-up." Snark pops one eye open.

"She went in our bathroom." I ask, and give her some slack because she is 14 and into that stuff. But, that is my personal stuff and I use my make-up drawer as a holdall for money, jewelry and receipts.

"Yeah and your closet." Still willing to let this go, at this point. Snark at this time is wide awake and sitting up.

"We took a walk."

"Where?"

"Around the neighborhood. I also have a secret and I'm not supposed to tell you."

Now I am wide-awake and staring at my child.

"Good or bad secret?"

"She drove us in your car around the neighborhood. With the dog. And she said that if we told, she would never baby-sit for us again."

"Is this an April Fools joke?" Snark is hoping for the best.

"No, she told us she was taking us for a ride, and she said she would let me drive." Now this is my 7 year-old talking about the illegal driving that the 14 yr old sitter is doing in my car.

I woke my my 9 year old, who confirmed all this. Snark checked the car and the seat had been pushed up, and like I noted before the car was parked awkwardly with dog hair all over the interior.

I'm still in shock. Snark has a message in for the sitter's mother, because he would like to give her an earful about her sweet daughter endangering our kids, illegal driving, brand new vehicle, delving into personal items, etc....

I wish it had been an April Fools joke, but unfortunately it isn't.