Life with the Three Crazy Dogs

Thanksgiving day started off smooth.  Btw, SD , BF and Ally were over at SD’s mom’s home for Thanksgiving.  So it was just DB and I for Thanksgiving.  Maybe next year’s?

There was not much to get ready for our meal.  (I cooked the greenbean casserole and baked the pumpkin pie the night before.)  DB cleaned the bird and I rubbed it with salt and ground sage.  And this is what he did to the turkey… coz he said the plastic thing that tied the bird’s leg together cannot be in the oven for so many hours.  Yeah, he cut off the bishop nose too!  This is one ugly looking bird…disgusting, if you know what i mean!

The ugly bird sitting in the roaster ready for the oven

The rest of the day, I putzed around on the lappie and took the boys out for their walks, long ones, too (they were pests in the house – too much cooped up energy, I think).  The day turned out to be a beautiful day – sunny skies but a tad bit windy but it was alright.

When I got home, the bird was still not done yet since DB said he wanted to cook it slow and we are not in a hurry.  When it was 4ish I was starving and I started the mash taters and canned sweet potatoes.  He cranked up the temp of the oven to get the bird going.

This is the final product of the bird.  A little anemic but I was starving, I didn’t care to have the bird a little more brown.

And here is my Thanksgiving meal: mashed potatoes and gravy, green bean casserole, sweet potatoes and dark turkey meat.  DB had white meat instead.  Hahahahah….a little segregation in this household? :D

We both had second helpings albeit already full guts.  Good chow, I tell ‘ya.  Nothing beats home made Thanksgiving meal.  Anyways, I ended up having a stomach ached from the mashed taters.  Why you might ask?  Because I added milk in the taters.  If the milk was cooked, I’m fine with it, no probs.  However, after a trip to the bathroom, I was ready for dessert.

We didn’t get our dessert in till a couple of hours later though.  It was the first time I baked pumpkin pie.

The recipe calls for one 9″ pie shell (btw, didn’t make the shells, they were store bought.  They come in 2 in a packet) but the filling were too much for one so I had to use the other shell.

Here is a piece of pumpkin pie with a few dallops of cool whip to go with it for you….

Of course, we didn’t forget the boys.  Here they are anxiously waiting for their Thanksgiving meal.

Here’s their meal – their usual food with the cooked up turkey spare parts minus the gizzard and neck. :)

I didn’t get pictures of them mawing down the turkey meat I gave them. Hand fed, mind you, coz they are spoiled rotten.

I got this recipe from SD.  It is very easy and sure is interesting.  She gave me the starter on Nov 9th and after 10 days of “brewing” the “starter”, I baked it today.  Below is a picture of the 3 separate starters from the starter  SD gave me, of course, after adding more flour, sugar and milk (see below recipe).  It does smells “heaven” when you open the bag up on day 2 to stir it and as the days are up to stir and add more flour, milk and sugar, the entire starter sure smells like beer!

The final product, burnt.  I’m disappointed.  DB and I blamed the oven.  The stupid oven made me so mad.  Actually, the entire evening making this bread was a disaster.

First, I took the starter packet out coz today is Day 10, all ready to get it into the oven, and it was about to explode.  Seriously, if I didn’t open up the  Ziploc bag it will bust the bag, probably.  All the brewing of the sugar, flour and milk concoction turned into some science experiment, I thought!

Anyways, I added what the recipe asked for Day 10.  I separated the 3 cups and put a cup each into three separate bags.   Took the milk out and it was expired.  I went to the gas station to get a jug of milk.  Came home, all happy and started adding the milk in, took a look at the recipe, darn it, no eggs!!!!  Yeah we do, but just two eggs in the tray.  DB said he will go to the gas station but before he left, we look at the recipe again.  It calls for a box of 5.1 oz box of instant vanilla pudding.  He went and I continued to get ready the rest of what the recipe calls for.   Everything is done and waiting for the eggs.  I waited for DB and waited.  It sure seems like 30 minutes before he got home.  When he got home, I went to greet him and i saw him holding a jug of milk and a bag from Cubs.  He went to Cub Foods to get the instant vanilla pudding coz the gas station does not have the vanilla pudding crap.  But then, I want eggs, not another jug of milk!!!!  So he went out again to get eggs and I finally got my eggs when he got home and mixed every thing up, put them in the oven and after an hour , the two loaves of Amish Friendship bread were burnt.

It taste good.  I cut down a bit of the sugar and it’s still good.  The next one I’m going to try is the one with bananas.   If you are interested, try it.  It’s good even though it’s burnt.

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Amish Friendship Bread

The Original Recipe

Important Note: Don’t use metal spoons or equipment. Do not refrigerate. Use only glazed ceramic or plastic bowls or containers.

Required Main Ingredient

day 1:

Do nothing with the starter.

days 2-5:

Stir with a wooden spoon, or squeeze bag several times.

day 6:

Add 1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar, and 1 cup milk. Stir with a wooden spoon, or squeeze bag several times to mix well.

days 7-9:

Stir with a wooden spoon, or squeeze bag several times.

Day 10:

Add 1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar and 1 cup milk. Stir. Take out 3 cups and place 1 cup each into three separate plastic containers. Give one cup and a copy of this recipe to three friends. To the balance (a little over one cup) of the batter, add the following ingredients and mix well.

1 cup oil
1/2 cup milk
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla

In a separate bowl combine the following dry ingredients and mix well:

2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1-1/2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 – (5.1 oz) box instant vanilla pudding
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup nuts

Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients. Mix and pour into two well greased and sugared bread pans. Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour.

Cherii Martin’s Banana Amish Friendship Bread

Omit cinnamon and vanilla pudding in the basic recipe and add two bananas (mashed)

Cherii Martin’s Chocolate Amish Friendship Bread

Omit cinnamon and vanilla pudding from the basic recipe and add 1 – (5.1 oz) box of instant chocolate pudding, 3 tsp. cocoa and 3/4 cup chocolate chips. Bake for 1-1/2 to 1-3/4 hours.

Cherii Martin’s Apple Cinnamon Friendship Bread

add one cup of raisins and one small diced apple.

http://www.armchair.com/recipe/bake002.html

DB went for a football game with BF, his bro and dad (BF’s bro and dad).  They were celebrating BF’s dad’s bachelor’s party.  They left around 10 am I guess to the Mall of America to catch the LRT which takes them directly to the Metrodome in downtown Minneapolis.  I have not taken the train and what I heard it’s very worth it taking it to the Metrodome as it stops directly in front of the it.

Of course, I have to send a text message to DB to remind him to take pictures so I can blog about it!  Pathetic or not??   The game is between Minnesota Vikings and Indianapolis Colts.  It was the opening season of Vikings football.  The picture below was some drummers before the game i think.

This one was during the 3rd quarter, I think, can’t remember, reviewing a play.  The Vikings team are in purple and they are on the sidelines in the foreground.  The Colts on the opposite sides of the sidelines.  Pictures are not the best. 

I didn’t really watch the entire game.  I was flipping between the Travel channel (Wild China) and the game and good thing I didn’t watch the game coz Vikings lost to the Colts.  Vikings, they are really sucking.  Click below to listen to the bit.  The coach, Childress needs to get a new quarterback.  A lot of fans think so, too.

With DB out with the guys, I kept myself busy in the house, in the kitchen actually baking some cookies.  Remember I made some cookies last week?  I made the same ones, cranberries walnut oatmeal cookies from my sis’ cooking blog.  They were much better this time around.  They look better too.

Don’t you think so?  I think so coz this time around they do not fall apart.  They are chewy which I like.  The last batch I made them a little bit crispier.  But I still prefer the chewy ones.  Next week I will have to try her chocolate chip cookies.  Looks darn good.  Do check out her blog.  Hey sis, free advertising for you!! :)

The whole weekend was kinda crappy.  It rained pretty much the whole day and night on Saturday and Sunday it rain around 2:30ish through the night.  Wanted to go check out the full moon since it was moon cake festival, a sure full moon that night.  Nah-dah.  All clouds and rain.  Kinda disappointed.  Finished up the rest of the mooncakes my sis sent me, those mini ones, mooncake chess or something like that.  All these calorie loaded yummies, good thing I bought a few sizes up on my new pants!

I cooked prawn mee on Sunday, a day we were puppy sitting and the day SD had her babyshower.  It was a busy day, but I so want to try out the prawn noodle paste I got from MyTasteofAsia.  Didn’t take any pictures for this meal.  We were already late for dinner and starving.  I was very surprised DB liked  it so much.  I don’t know if he will eat it again if I cook this prawn mee.  It sure seems like it was no problemo to him coz he finished the whole bowl.  It was an extra big bowl, too.  Hahaha, actually I made him a bigger bowl, added more noodles for him.  The end result, nothing left in his bowl. I even cracked up the Crispy Prawn Chili, added some to my bowl.  Mhmm, it was so good.  Cat, you are so  right, it was good and I wanted another bowl.  Of course, DB didn’t add the extra teaspoon of spicy crispy prawn chili.  He was perspiring from his head just from the soup itself.  Gert and Nicole, yes, you guys are so right.  This crispy prawn chili is to die for.  

Today I asked him what we should have for dinner.  He asked if I don’t mind making the sour mustard (haam choy).  Did that surprised me.  I bought the sour mustard on Saturday and the left over “char siew” he grilled a week ago, he said all ingredients settled, just needed the cook.  He loves this “haam choy” dish.  One thing about this dish is it is very appetising.  Both of us had two plates of rice and finished up the ‘haam choy” dish.  According to him, it’s damn good.  I have to thanks to my dad for cooking this dish when we were in Ipoh at my parents’ home. 

So, I can say DB is getting better with my kind of Malaysian food.  He is open to different taste.  He will tell me if he doesn’t like it.  So, what’s next this weekend?  Curry mee, I think with tofu pok.  :)  Or the nasi lemak (coconut rice) sounds good so I can try the sambal bilis (anchovis)….

I was reading Cat’s and Gertrude’s blogs and see how much they like the products they bought from MyTasteofAsia.  I, too, ordered some items and within a week, they arrived this afternoon.

Delimas Prawn Noodle paste; Rasaku Nasi Lemak Mix; Delimas Curry Laksa Paste; ChanHong Sambal Ikan Bilis; Delimas Crispy Prawn Chili; and Cheong Kim Chuan Sambal Rojak sauce

 I told DB he will be having some kind of noodles this weekend.  Most probably prawn noodles!  I can’t wait to try out all of them.  DB looked at the ikan bilis and asked what it is.  Well, it’s anchovies, dear.  One thing he does not like is anchovies.  I must find a way to make the ikan billis not stinky so that he will eat them! :D