here's the story...

Hey Peeps! Welcome to the newest addition to Biddy's World: Love & A Pink Mixer. So, I'm sure y'all are wondering why I feel the need to write yet another blog, and here's why: because i'm unemployed and bored.

so, here's the plan:

have you ever been watching Food Network or reading a magazine and thought "oh, that recipe sounds kinda good!" but you never actually tried the recipe? Or, have you looked in your fridge and pantry and thought "what can i do with ramen noodles and ketchup?" because that's all you've got? I know I do it all. the. time. So, here's where you come in. I want y'all to send me those "hmm that sounds kinda good" recipes, and i'm going to make them, documenting step by step. Not only am I going to make them, I'm going to suggest side dishes, main courses, cocktails, wine, etc. to go with the dish. Also? I'm going to grade the recipe by assigning a number of (wait for it...) pink mixers. Send me your list of random ingredients and I will do my very best to come up with a great dish.


now, with something like this, there has to be some ground rules:

1. desserts, side dishes, main courses, anything will be accepted, but it has to be a real recipe. no booger pies, thanks.


2. please please PLEASE, for the love of Martha, give credit where credit is due. let me know who wrote the recipe and where you got it (food network website, magazine, etc). I'd prefer Rachael Ray's people calling me because they want me to come cook alongside her, not because i posted one of her recipes without giving her credit!


3. keep in mind that I'm unemployed so let's keep the ingredients fairly inexpensive. I'm not saying dollar store, but I'm probably not going to be busting out the filet mignon.


4. no duck. sorry. i just don't do duck. or tofu. tofu scares me.

so, there you have it! i think this will be fun, but only if you guys help! send your recipes to pinkmixerblog(at)gmail(dot)com. now! please?

mmmm cupcakes

Chocolate Cupcakes with Coffee Cream Filling
From Cooking with Paula Deen, May/June 2007

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup strong brewed coffee, cooled
3 large eggs
1 (8-ounce) container sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Coffee Cream Filling
Coffee Buttercream Frosting
Garnish: chocolate covered coffee beans

Instructions
Preheat oven to 350°. Line 30 cups of 3 muffin pans with paper liners; set aside.
In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add oil, coffee, and eggs; beat at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth. Stir in sour cream and vanilla.
Spoon batter evenly into prepared muffin cups, filling each two-thirds full. Bake for 16 to 18 minutes, or until a tester inserted in center comes out clean. Let cool in pans on wire racks for 5 minutes. Remove from pans, and cool completely on wire racks.
Spoon Coffee Cream Filling into a squeeze bottle with a long narrow tip. Insert tip into top of cupcake, and squeeze about 1 tablespoon of filling into center of each cupcake. Spread Coffee Buttercream Frosting evenly over cupcakes. Garnish with chocolate covered coffee beans, if desired.
Makes 2 1/2 dozen

Coffee Cream Filling

1 (8-ounce) container frozen chocolate flavored whipped topping, thawed
1 (3-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup coffee-flavored liqueur (if you're not using the buttercream frosting, increase this to about 1/2 cup)

Instructions
In a small bowl, combine whipped topping and cream cheese. Beat at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth. Beat in liqueur. Cover and chill.
Makes 1 1/4 cups

Coffee Buttercream Frosting

1/2 cup butter, softened
3 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/4 cup coffee-flavored liqueur

Instructions
In a medium bowl, beat butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add confectioners’ sugar, beating until smooth. Beat in liqueur.
Makes 2 1/2 cups

ornaments

last year, i didn't have a christmas tree. this year, i have three. so, as most of you know, when you get your first christmas tree, you have to buy ornaments. lots of fucking ornaments. ornaments are expensive! well, at least the ones i actually like are expensive. i bought a bunch of clear "make your own" ornaments last year when they were 75% off because i figured it would be cheaper to make my own than to buy. i forgot one little thing: i don't do cheap crafts. it's next to impossible for me for some reason. anyway, this one really hasn't been that expensive. the most expensive part was the greatest glitter ever. but it's big bottles and they will last a very long time...

anyway, the last two nights i have been making, well, improving, ornaments while watching t.v. and i'm quite impressed with the results. here's a little biddy tutorial:

Supplies

• a large stack of el cheapo, small paper plates
• plain christmas ornaments (get the cheapest ones you can find)
• rubbing alcohol
• water
• the greatest glitter ever in colors of your choice (fine, not coarse)
• cheap (like, don't pay more than $1 per tube), coarse glitter in colors of your choice
• acrylic paint in colors similar to the coarse glitter
• elmer's glue (not the washable) or Mod Podge
• lots of paper towels
• several one inch sponge brushes
• small gladware bowl with lid
  

ok, so now that that's outta the way, let's get to the fun. oh, by the way, be sure to cover your workspace or else you'll end up with carpet that looks like this:

and be sure you don't have allergies going on, because when working with glitter, if you sneeze, you'll end up with carpet that looks like this:

ok, now we're really ready to begin.

1. in the gladware bowl, mix either elmer's glue or mod podge with a little bit of water. you won't need to use a lot of the glue and you just want enough water to make it easy to spread

2. select an ornament to improve. if you are going to use the coarse gliter, i reccommend the matte ornaments. for the fine glitter you can use the matte, shiny, or clear ones

3. rub the ornament down with alcohol

errr...alcohol

4. once it air dries (should only take about 30ish seconds), hold the ornament by the top, dip the tip of your sponge brush in the glue mixture or acrylic paint (depending on the glitter you're using) and apply a smooth thinish coat onto the ornament. if you want smooth ornaments, use the martha glitter. if you want textured, crunchy ornaments, use the cheap stuff.

5. this is the fun part. over one of the little paper plates, open your glitter and pour it allllll over the ornament. seriously, go crazy (just keep it over the plate). coat the ornament with lots and lots of glitter. make sure there is no glue showing. lightly tap or shake the ornament over the plate and the excess will come off.

annnnnd voila!

6. hold onto the ornament for a minute or so, just to let the glitter settle. then place it on a clean paper plate to dry. i let mine dry overnight, then gently put them back in their original box to store until you're ready to hang them on the tree.

7. after making a few ornaments, carefully make a taco out of the paper plate covered in glitter. i say carefully, because as you fold it in half, the middle of the plate is going to want to pop and throw glitter everywhere. seriously, my snot still has glitter in it. take the top off your glitter bottle, set the bottle on a paper plate (see why you need a bunch of them?) and pour the glitter back into the bottle. put the top back on tightly (just think about a loose salt shaker top...ick) now you're ready to start some more ornaments!

if you get tired of snorting glitter, you can take a break and make a blingin' horseshoe:

it's just a wooden horseshoe (25 cents) painted with about 8 drops of metallic acrylic paint (i mixed amethyst and pearl for the lighter purple color). then i took some clear tacky glue and applied some rhinestones. this will go great in Kiley's (tyler & hailey's unborn daughter) room!

now, go forth and craft. i've got some serious cleaning to do...

maybe?

so maybe i'll just use this for now...

maybe not...