Happy Birthday to me

That there in the picture was my 21 year old self. Happy goofy carefree, guys, those were the days. Today at 6 pm I turn 22. The highlight of my day was going bra shopping at Walmart and going with my mom to her therapy appointment. Well really the highlight of my day was watching the man fix my computer, but a birthday should have many highlights right?

Monday I promised my chocolate cake with peanut butter icing recipe. It really is a staple at any of our birthday celebrations. I suggest you make this recipe pronto. I am told I will not be getting my cake till tomorrow. There are times when I just feel the love.

Moist Chocolate Cake
2 cups of Flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
3/4 cups of cocoa
2 cups of sugar
1 and 3/4 cups of oil
1 cup of hot coffee
1 cup of milk
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla

Pour all of the dry ingredients into a bowl or mixer. Mix. Add oil, coffee, and milk. Mix till smooth. Make sure there isn't a pocket of dry ingredients at the bottom of the bowl. Add the vanilla and eggs one at a time. Mix well. Pour into a greased 13x9 inch pan. Bake at 325 for 40-45 minutes. Test with a toothpick.

Peanut Butter Icing
Ok I don't really use a recipe for this, but here's the basics. 1/4 cup of peanut butter. 1/4 cup of butter. Blend. Add a couple tablespoons of milk and some confectionery sugar. Here's the part I never keep track of. You add the confectionery sugar till it's the consistency of icing. If it gets too hard add some more milk. If it starts to taste a little too sweet, add some more peanut butter. Simple, a breeze, and normally a great idea to liven up a chocolate cake.

"It all leads back to bras in life." Some things never change in life. Like I said earlier I went bra shopping with my mom and sister. I came home with two bras, tried them on, and now I am back to square one. Mara and mom ended up with two more bras and all of the other stuff they found. This would be the reason that, when someone is foolish enough to ask me to marry them, I will be taking numbers on people who want to come dress shopping with me. If I take theses two, they'll end up with dresses and I won't.

22 seems rather old to me. I remember when I was little and was going to be married with 2 kids by the time I was 22. Now I just wish I could go back to being 16 and making my brother, sister, mom, and dad chocolate cake with peanut butter icing. Ok enough whining. It's time for me to go and examine my old bras before my mom and sister convince me that we need another shopping trip tomorrow. I'm really thinking the ones I have could last till I can shop alone again. You need to go make some cake or cupcakes. Someone should enjoy some cake on my birthday!

Happy Eating!!!

Emily

Out with a bang

In honor of my last few days as a careless 21 year old, my computer screen went completely black. It was still performing its normal functions; it just decided it needed a little bit of privacy, so I was not allowed to be involved. Considering that my entire life was somewhere encoded inside the newly self-conscious machine, I called Dell. Well actually I called India, because as you might already know Dell ships all of its calls out to India. I have met some very nice Indian people in my 21 years of life; however I have never spoken to a nice Indian when trying to deal with a problem with Dell. The last time I called Dell I had an Indian man tell me to go get a soda while he took extra long to process my order. I emailed the highest executive's email I could find and made sure that they understood that Puna or Unjab or whatever his name was should be fired. Mean? Irrational? A little over-dramatic? Oh yes I was all of those things and more. I am just not very fond of the Indian snarkyness I am normally greeted with when I call about a computer emergency.

Patricia-but-you-can-call-me-Pat did nothing to change my views. She told me to watch my computer for two days after installing something and then letting her know if there was still a problem. Oh yes because I had time for that. I NEED MY COMPUTER TO BREATHE PROPERLY LADY; I LIVE IN AMERICA, NOT INDIA!!! Poor poor Patricia-but-you-can-call-me-Pat. Luckily enough she caught on about the fifth time she silenced me when my computer was thinking and I yelled HELLO HELLO ARE YOU THERE? I really had nothing new to tell her, but I think she got the message that I was an annoying American and should be given what I want. Mission Accomplished! Now I am waiting for an American to come and pretty much replace my whole computer. Well it might not be an American, but if Patricia-but-you-can-call-me-Pat shows up I might allow my computer's self-conscious tendencies to persist for a while longer.

As if the computer was not enough, this morning I found out that I should have sent in my drivers license renewal out 3 weeks ago so I could get my picture taken before I left. Now I get to go into the place and cry to them and beg them to let me take my picture, because I can't get on the plane without my drivers license renewed. AND I tried to get a prescription refilled at Walmart, but the woman thought that a prescription that was from June 2009 and had 3 more refills expired after a year and a year, according to her, was January 1st 2010. What is wrong with this picture? Maybe I should call up Patricia-but-you-can-call-me-Pat. I bet she'd have a thrilling commentary on the situation.

So now I am computerless, one day late taking my prescription, and in the last few days of my careless 21s I wasted 2 hours talking to India. There is however one bright note. I received a package today from a very good friend. I am hoping that she hasn't forgotten my love/need of chocolate and has included a giant bar of Hersheys chocolate bar as she has done with all of my gifts since I met her during my Oregon excursion. Of course she might have just sent me a package with a letter in it that says "WHERE ARE YOU?" I would probably deserve that gift more since I have been horrible and have disappeared from most of my friends since I have been home. Please help it be a chocolate bar!

In all honesty 21 was not a careless year at all. I have a feeling 22 won't be either. The solution: stock up on chocolate like it's Y2K and the green bean aisle has already been emptied. Tomorrow I'll post the chocolate cake with peanut butter icing recipe. It may not be your birthday Wednesday, but I am sure you could use a little treat. Make cupcakes and freeze some, so you can pretend its your birthday all through the winter months.

Happy Eating!!!

Emily

Warning: Hope you've already eaten dinner

I was sitting in the airport for a long while yesterday. Delta there are times when I wonder how you function on a daily basis. One more shout out to Southwest and then I'm done whining.

Anyway all of this airport lingering made for an abundance of HLN viewing in the terminal. Somewhere between the story about the 5 story icicle in Philly and oh-my-goodness it's cold in South Dakota story, they ran this PSA ad. The soda industry is not happy about the ad. Holy nose-cicles batman! I personally wanted to throw up watching it. There is something about fatty substances that aren't crispy and pork like that kind of makes me want to vomit.

The message of this ad is very important. I am in a constant battle against soda. It's not that I am not a big fan of Coca Cola, because I am. I am just against the daily consumption of such products. I was never raised with soda in the house. We had soda when we had pizza or family over, and whatever was left over normally didn't get used up. A glass of soda equaled a sweet. I could have 3 cookies instead of that glass of soda.

Water, juice, TEA, there are so many other liquids worth consuming. I won't judge if you're a coffee lover. There is just nothing redemptive about soda. You might as well be drinking glasses of fat.

As a treat I think soda is a very wonderful thing. Think of it as dessert. Most people don't have it every day, and in small portions it is rather tasty. Speaking of desserts, my birthday is coming up. I'm thinking chocolate cake with peanut butter icing.

Happy Eating!!!

Emily

So this is what food poisoning looks like

Fried chicken and grits may sound like good ideas. They may seem super tasty. Well I can't say grits ever seemed super tasty to me, but I was looking forward to some good Southern food. Bob you can come looking for my mom; we're leaving for tomorrow and yes we're in the South.

Anyway on this trip I came to the very real understanding that I don't like some of this Southern food that I was so excited about. The fried green tomatoes kind of tasted like fried green pickles. The gravy on the mashed potatoes I ate yesterday tasted like creamy salt. I am all buttered out and I didn't even get to Paula Dean's restaurant.

I may have just eaten at the worst places in the South. It is possible that these fried green tomatoes you are looking at are just an awful example of true Southern food. I really don't know. I do know that I was raised on food that was normally not fried in oil and, while my mother was a big salt fan, did not taste like salt water. My theory is that I was just not raised to like Southern food. I was raised to appreciate good food and maybe the places I ate over vacation just weren't A+ restaurants. It is possible. All I know is that I was not a fan.

No one was a fan of the tomatoes my sister took a lovely picture of. Uncle Bud felt sick first, then me and then everyone else admitted to feeling a little nauseous. Food poisoning? I really don't like making harsh statements without reasoning, and no one was violently ill, just bad tummy aches.

Tomorrow we leave the frigid South and head back to the frigid Pennsylvania. I am not really sure what I will like better, but I can say that I will be happy to be eating normal food again. I think salads for a good week might bring my body back to life.

Happy Eating!!!

Emily

Bacon and Shrimp...I must be on vacation

The one thing I look forward to on vacation is eating some good food. I mean I try to eat good food on a regular basis, but on vacation I try extra hard to eat good food. Today we went out to lunch and dinner. Breakfast was continental at the place we are staying.

I know a lot of people who are not fans of the bagel and cereal and fruit continental breakfast, but when it's free can you really be upset about it. My problem with these breakfasts is that I always pick a bagel and I always wait for 5 years by the toaster. Yeah I know it sounds like a personal problem to me too. Maybe I'll go for cereal tomorrow. When do I ever get the chance to eat cocoa crispies. Did I mention I try not to eat very healthy on vacation?

I was fairly hungry by the time lunch came around and cold. Yes you can narrow our vacation location to the East coast, because the entire East Coast is blanketed in frigid temperatures. Oh Global warming, how lovely you look right about now. Hungry and cold meant I wanted something comforting and fatty for lunch. We ate at a fish place, but I was not into fish, so I went for the BLT. This place appeared to do a BLT right. I mean look at all of that bacon. It sure was tasty, and it was the good crispy bacon that really isn't chewy. Chewy bacon is hard to eat in a sandwich. I normally eat half the bacon in one bite, because it all falls out of the sandwich.

After such a hit at lunch, I was a little worried about dinner. One can only pick the perfect meal choice so many times before they pick a dud. We went to The Bonefish Grill, and were told by the expert (Uncle Bud) that the Bang Bang Shrimp tacos were amazing. Taking his advice seemed like the most reasonable option. Aside from being bothered by the annoyingly calm way the waitstaff talked, the food was amazing. The tacos were a little spicy, but the flavor was wonderful. They were breaded from what I could tell and then tossed in the "Bang Bang" sauce. It was sweet and spicy with tropical flavors. It definitely had the creaminess of coconut milk, and there was a tang like pineapple.

The tacos were accompanied by homemade potato chips. It was great, because when the tacos became too spicy, you could just eat the chips. I am a little bothered that they taught their waitstaff to talk in calming soothing voices and that they wore white chef coats. Sometimes you can look beyond some of these things in order to eat some bangin tacos. Oh yeah you knew it was coming.

Happy Eating!!!

Emily

This is why I fly Southwest

Flying can be a lovely experience. It can also be a horrid experience. When I fly Southwest Airlines, which is probably 6 or so times a year, I have lovely experiences. I get on, I fall asleep, sometimes I wake up for the free peanuts, and then I walk off singing their praises.

Today my family and I were traveling for vacation. I would tell you where we were going, but my mom's a psychologist and I'd rather not have any What About Bob moments. Speaking of What About Bob, that has to be one of my favorite movies of all time, and I really hope you go out right now and find it somewhere. Just buy it. It really is a classic.

Anyway we were flying Delta Airlines and I was gearing up for a long day. I packed snacks, because I am not one to go without food. I pack food when I go to certain friends. You know those people who don't ever offer you food and never eat snacks. They appear to never eat at all. Freaks of nature! I don't go to the great extent of not being friends with these non-eating people, but I come prepared.

I assumed my purse full of goodies would hold us through the long day. Little did I know Delta Airlines sucked at life. I don't normally give this kind of review for something that tries so hard to bring me to a fun destination, but seriously Delta should have a -5 star rating.

First we have to walk out onto the tar mat because the plane is the smallest one they could find. I think some kids got larger toy planes for Christmas. We were of course in the last aisle of the plane. The temperature back there was probably 102 degrees. I don't know why.

This was just our first flight. The snowy scene we arrived at after the 102 degree ride made me thankful for all things frosty. I kind of wanted to bask in the coldness. It was ridiculous.

We had a little bit of a layover before our next flight, so we went to find something to eat. Many of the snacks had already been consumed. Quiznos was a surprisingly pleasant option at the airport. I honestly have never tried Quiznos. I have of course seen their "mmm mmm mmm mmm toasty" commercials. Mara and I split a large Italian, which I did not let them toast. Anyone who likes Italian hoagies toasted needs to get their head examined. Those meats just taste so much better cold.

The little bit of the layover came and went and we weren't boarding the plane. Supposedly there was a crew member who we were waiting on. Don't they have to show up on time for the plane to take off??? Yeah I know I thought they did too. Turns out that they don't. We were delayed an hour, because the flight attendant was called in and had to drive 2 and a 1/2 hours to get to the airport. I may be going out on a limb here, but shouldn't a large company like Delta Airlines have a better system to get their employees on time for flights. No, because Delta Airlines sucks!

Southwest Airlines has flight attendants that sing to you while getting you to your destination on time or early. My family started calling me a Southwest commercial after about the 15th time of me saying that on Southwest Airlines would have never had this problem. When we finally got on the airplane, we were all of the way in the back of an equally tiny plane. Within about 15 minutes our seat area was 102 degrees again. The flight attendant, who had been late, was pleasant, which was a plus; but definitely did not get Delta out of the doghouse with me.

We did make it safely to our destination. We found some dinner, and now I'm relaxing with my dad and sister watching Mythbusters. It's not 102 degrees and I am not crammed in a tiny plane. Life is good. Matt called me to find out about the trip. I told him about the flight situation, and he says "That's why you fly Southwest." If there was any question, this is why I'm in love with this man.

Happy Eating!!!

Emily

Snacks-a-plenty

45% of Americans make new years resolutions according to the Today Show this morning. That's a lot of people sitting around today staring at those 5 lbs of fudge rolling over their pants. I'm really not one for resolutions. I mean if you want something to change in the New Year then change it. Going around with a list of things to do differently sort of defeats the purpose of a new year. The old is behind. Those 5 lbs were gained. If you want rid of them, get rid of them; but don't go around talking about how you're going to stop eating this and start doing that. Such plans hardly get carried out.

Last night my family and I rang in the New Year with our neighbors. We have had this tradition since I can remember. Normally we play games or just sit around and talk. There is always plenty of food involved and it's all around an amazingly good time. Anyway I said that to bring up this epiphany that our neighbor had, Pennsylvania is the snack capitol of the world. Now I can not say if this is true, but I did like the sound of it.

When my mom's uncle was living in Florida and California, his mom (my Nana) would send him pretzels, because he couldn't get PA pretzels when he was living across the country. Since then Herrs, Utz, and other PA distributors have branched out. Unfortunately the really good pretzels and chips are still only found in PA.

Everyone does kettle-cooked potato chips now, but I remember as a little girl thinking that some people had potato chips that tasted a lot better than the ones my mom bought. Kettle cooked wasn't quite as popular then and my replace-ground-beef-with-ground-turkey mother was not into buying the greasier Utz kettle cooked chips. Boy were they tasty though. They are still the best kettle cooked chips I have ever tasted.

How did my home state and its surrounding area come to be the go-to spot for snack food? That's kind of like asking how New England came to be filled with textile mills. We just knew what was up in PA. Pretzels and potato chips kind of make the world go round.

For all of you who are still staring at those 5 pound rolling over your pants, I am sure snack food is the first thing you will cut out of your diet. I am warning you, that would be a grave error on your part. Sometimes you just have to have some Utz kettle cooked potato chips. Moderation. Eat a hand full, think wow that was tasty, and then move on. My problem (well I have don't often have those 5 pounds of rolls, but that's another story) is that I want some chips and then I eat some pretzels and some ice cream and I keep eating until I realize that really all I wanted was a few chips.

I really hope not a one of you are making a New Years Resolution. Too many people spend their lives making plans and deciding what they are going to do and how they can make their lives better and they never get around to actually doing anything. It is time to actually do something. Finding some potato chips from PA would be a reasonable start.

Happy Eating!!!

Emily