Happy Fourth of July

My contribution to a pot luck 4th of July Celebration. Yummy

Hey Y'all....Paula Deen

My friend Gwenn & I went to Atlanta to the Metro Food & Entertaining Show. Paula was there. We had great seats (4th or 5th row I suppose?). Her sons are adorable and hilarious. They made 3 recipes...each with mayo. She made 3 recipes as well (well she spoke and her husband make the food). She made the orange brownies I had made for guests just the night prior...I thought that was quite a coincidence! I'm brilliant!! (ha ha)

Paula is just as funny and cute and as sweet as I thought. She was quick on her feet when she let the audience ask her questions and she was simply hilarious. One lady in the middle of the auditorium wanted one of her brownies and asked Paula to throw it. Paula did but it didn't go nearly as far as that lady wanted. Then the lady yelled "harder Paula!!" and Paula died laughing and moved on. Someone else made her a CD with a stick of butter on the cover. She truly impressed the crowd when Smithfield workers (her sponsor and a company that has union issues now) came up to her and yelled "Miss Paula" and Paula said "yes" and one of the girls said "how do you feel about how Smithfield treats its workers?!" Paula was definitely shaken for a moment and had to think for a minute. Then she said "Y'ALL...I'm not your chef, I'm your cook. I'm YOUR cook. I'm not your doctor. I'm your cook...not your politician". Everyone yelled and cheered for her, about 7 cops came out and the Smithfield girls walked off and she went on being funny and adorable. It was a GREAT two hours.

Prior to seeing Paula & her sons we shopped at the expo and learned about clingvinyl (brilliant) and went to the "Wine, Beer & Spirits Tasting" (you have to pay to get entry and it was well worth it). We didn't want beer or spirits but quickly found the wine area. There was a very nice man there serving tiny sample sizes and we said "we like wine, we're with you". That sold him, he loved us. Forget the sample sizes, he was filling us up every time. We had a wonderful wonderful wonderful time! I love Paula.....and Gwenn. ;)

-Kim

Easter Dinner As Prepared By A Multi-Tasking Ditz

So....I'm a mother of 2 excitable children & the cook & a girl who likes to look pretty & a
hostess & a church volunteer & an assistant to the Easter Bunny.

On Easter morning I was taking pictures of Easter Basket Awe, trying to look pretty for Easter Mass, trying to make sure my family and my guests had their coffee and pastries while they were getting ready for church, working on getting my Easter Lesson by the front door so I would be prepared for my lesson during Children's Liturgy (children's church), ensuring my children looked adorable for church and then making sure Easter Dinner was prepped since twin and family had a 7 hour drive and we needed to eat shortly after arriving home from church. I had to leave to get to church early since our daughter was singing in the children's choir. In my haste my husband tried to help (he's a good cook as well) and he threw the ham in a pan with all the stuff I tossed at him prior to leaving.....pineapple, cloves, brown sugar and a glaze. I told him to put it in the oven on 200 as I left.

About 3 hours later we came home. We're smart people. Smart multi-tasking people who were more worried about getting to Mass then the ham apparently (which is a good way to prioritize life I believe). I opened the door to the oven immediately and laughed for about 2 minutes as my family all drifted into the kitchen laughing as well. The ham that was the centerpiece of our dinner was black...we dumped sugar on our ham and left for hours?!?! What were we thinking!!! Hilarious. I had to change out of my dress because I knew life could get messy. I laughed, changed and then pulled my hideous ham out of the oven. I asked mom to take her best "June Cleaver" shot of me and my ham. Screw perfection. ;) I'm fabulous under pressure. While I was thinking about all my great sides and discussing the fact that a meatless dinner may be a possibility, I simply picked the layer of sugar off the ham, cut away the dark parts, put the good pieces (about 80% of it was good) in a pan and then dumped some fresh pineapple and brown sugar on it. Viola, pre-sliced ham for ease at the buffet. Happy Easter!!
-Kim

Spring Baking!

HAPPY EASTER!! Here's my bunny cake made with the William Sonoma bunny pan,

a lot of chocolate and even more patience!!

-Kim