Apple Kuchen

This yummy desert is perfect for autumn or winter. It is an apple pie with a custard base. It is best serve chilled due to the filling. This was our Thanksgiving desert and it hit the spot. 

Apple Kuchen

1/2 cup cold butter

2 cups all purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup heavy whipping cream

1 cup sugar

6 apples halves sliced thin

2 egg yolks

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Cut butter, flour, salt, baking powder, and two tablespoon of sugar to a coarse crumb. Press firmly into 12 inch tart pan.

Arrange apples over unbaked crust. Sprinkle with mixture of cinnamon and remaining sugar. 

Bake at 400F for 10 minutes.

Mix egg yolks and heavy whipping cream together. Then pour over apples and bake 30 minutes longer at 350F. Serve at room temperature or chilled.

Homemade Microwave Popcorn

I recently bought some popcorn kernels from the boy scouts. Those little men sure do know their popcorn. When I was ordering from a scout mom at work, I decided to just get the kernels because there are endless flavor options. I decided to start from the basics. 

Homemade Microwave Popcorn

Small paper bag (the ice cream or sack lunch size)

1/2 cup of fresh popcorn kernels

Place kernels in paper bag and secure top by folding a few times. Place bag inside microwave vertically. Cook for 2-3 minutes or until popping slows. Once removed sprinkle with salt to taste. 

I dip my popcorn in peanut butter to make it extra yummy and fattening. Give it a try!

Orange Cloves

I think a big part of decorating for the holidays is making your home smell delicious. I know it isn't even Thanksgiving yet but these can be made ahead of time to decorate for both holidays. This DIY is pretty easy and a fun activity to do to get in the holiday spirit. I remember making these oranges when I was little. We would all sit around the kitchen table with Christmas music on and goodies to eat to pass the time. The only down side is your thumb might get a little sore from pushing in the cloves. It's worth the pain! They smell just like the holidays.

Orange Cloves

Large oranges

Whole cloves

All you need to do is push the cloves into the orange rind to make a homemade potpourri. Why does that word look weird? 

Today is Tell Me About It Tuesday so what are some of your traditions for the holiday? 

The rules:
1.Please follow your 3 hosts Helene, Emily and Kathleen plus our wonderful cohost this week Mariel
2. Copy the button and link back to us
3. Please Check out at least 2 other link ups! Have fun!!

If YOU would like to co-host next week leave a comment and let us know
and we will put you on our list!!

Tell me about it!!!

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Staying Up with the Owls

Via

I think I've already told you how much I love my sleep. In fact I think I've told you that I act like a grandma when it comes to calling it a night at 12AM sharp on the weekends.... if I'm feeling adventurous. Well this week I'm turning my schedule upside down. This Tuesday I'm working the grave yard shift. GASP! Why did I volunteer for this? Yes.. I volunteered. I think I was blinded by the idea of bookoo bucks. I need to keep reminding myself of that. 

So the shift starts at 7PM and lasts till 7AM. Technically I'm only on call so the night could either drag on endlessly or it could consist of me sleeping the entire night if the pager does not go off. I'm guessing I'm going to be so anxious though that a deep sleep is out of the question. To pump myself up, I've been thinking of all the junk food I can consume in the wee hours of the night. Everyone knows that food eaten after a certain hour does not go straight to your hips. Duh. Secondly I have been telling myself that the naps the following day are going to by VERY high quality. To me, naps can be a highlight of the day. I know I looked forward to my 2PM nap time during undergrad. It was glorious! Are you a night owl or grave yard shift worker? Any pointers for this sleep lover?

Easy Ice Cream Sandies

I've made these easy sandwiches once before and completely forgot about them until a couple days ago. I do not know what I was thinking! 

My favorite part of this recipe is the cool whip. I could possibly eat an entire tub of the stuff. I love it even more when it is still frozen. I imagine if you can control yourself and not eat the entire tub of cool whip but just the sandwich, that the calories are pretty low. I dipped a couple of the sandwiches in chocolate to give it an extra pow!

Easy Ice Cream Sandies

Honey or Chocolate Graham Crackers

Cool Whip

Chocolate Bark

Spread semi thawed cool whip between two graham crackers. Dip or use knife to cover sandwich with melted chocolate bar. Put sandwiches in ziploc bag and lay flat in freezer until frozen. Eat!

Thanksgiving..Wait..What?

November is flying by. Did anyone else not realize that Thanksgiving is right around the corner? Maybe I was still holding on to the gorgeous weather we've had and did not want to accept that fact that winter is coming. I only remember a handful of Turkey Days where the weather was perfect and we were able to sit outside and see how much food we could ingest in one day. Normally it is a bit frosty and cold. So I blame mother nature for my lack of awareness to the upcoming holiday. 

This year I will be spending the day at my moms. We have already started discussing what will be on the menu which has reminded me to start stretching my stomach out so I can use it to its fullest capacity.  Bring on the elastic! Stay tuned for some yummy recipes!

The rules:
1.Please follow your 3 hosts Helene, Emily and Kathleen plus our wonderful cohost this week Rachel
2. Copy the button and link back to us
3. Please Check out at least 2 other link ups! Have fun!!

If YOU would like to co-host next week leave a comment and let us know
and we will put you on our list!!

Tell me about it!!!

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Twice Baked Potato

I love my starches. Probably a little to much. Twice baked potatoes always seem like an extra special form of potatoes because they need an extra amount of love to make. That love tastes heavenly.

I did not put strict guidelines on the amount of ingredients. The important part is to taste as you go to make the perfect combination of flavors.

Large potatoes

Sour cream

Salt and Pepper to taste

Garlic powder

Green onions

Crispy bacon

Shredded cheese

Olive oil

Preheat oven to 350. Wash potatoes and pat dry. To make skin crispy and delicious, rub olive oil over entire potato and sprinkle with salt.

Place potatoes directly on oven rack and cook for 45-60 mins. Potato should be easy to pierce with a knife. Remove from heat once cooked.

Let cool or your fingers will never forgive you. Once cool enough, cut hole in top of each potato that is big enough to scoop all the insides out and place in bowl. Place empty skins on baking sheet.

Mix sour cream, salt, pepper, garlic powder, green onions, cheese and bacon together with potatoes until you get the desired taste. At this point, you should basically have loaded mashed potatoes. 

Replace loaded potatoes into the skins and sprinkle top with shredded cheese. Return filled potatoes to the oven to heat up. Cheese should be nice and melted. 

Enjoy!

R & R Friday

It has been a crazy work week that is not even finished. Today I'm taking a R&R day. Hope you have a great weekend!

Crazy Town

I like it when public figures go cray cray or get pissed. It makes me feel as though they are humans too. When Britney spent the whole of 2007 acting ridiculous, I couldn't get enough of it. Bring on the stabbing umbrellas and stank eyes!

 She hasn't been the only entertainment in the mental break down section. Teresa Giudice anyone? Prue.Gold.

Pretty such ole' D Trump had a minor melt down last night on twitter. Maybe his rage was an out of body experience and he had no control over his rant. He might have shown the first signs of a pre Britney circa 2007 melt down. What makes it even better and exciting to watch was Brian Williams reaction. Meow. Let's get a fighting cage out and let them at it! The whole situation made me giggle because, yes... that just happened. 

Chili Blanco

Before I tell you about this yummy soup I want you to head over to Wifessionals for Kaityln's kickass giveaway! That lovely lady hit 500 followers this week and she is celebrating in a HUGE way. Do yourself a favor and enter to win all the goodies. Then you can celebrate with this great winter soup. 

Let's talk about chili. I love chili. Red chili, white chili, every chili. There is something about this light but hearty soup that makes you feel warm and satisfied. This recipe makes about 5-6 servings. I've cut the ingredients in half in the past to make the perfect amount for me. For this particular pot of chili, I used the left over chicken that I made here. It gave the chili an extra umph (is that a word?) with the crispy skin.

Chili Blanco

1 1b great northern beans

6 cups chicken broth

1 cup chopped onion

2 cloves garlic, minced

2-4oz. cans diced green chilies

1 tablespoon dried oregano, crushed

1 tablespoon group cumin

1/2 teaspoon cayenne

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

4 cups chopped chicken

1/2 cup shredded cheese

1/2 cup sliced green pepper

Combine beans, broth, onion, garlic, chilies, oregano, cumin, cayenne, salt, & pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat. cover and simmer for one hour.

Stir in chicken and simmer, covered, for 1/2 to one hour more. Before serving stir in cheese until just melted. Serve with sliced chilies or addition cheese. I added a dollop of sour cream. 

Daylight Savings

Via

Today with the link up I'm going to tell you about how I have a love/hate relationship with daylight savings. Once a year this day comes around and I start getting pumped to get an extra hour of sleep. If anyone really knows me, they are aware that i'm having an affair with sleep. I am almost to excited to go to bed at night. It's a wonder that I can actually fall asleep. I'm not afraid to admit that I try to get in bed by 9:30 on weeknights and start getting anxious after midnight on the weekends when i'm not wrapped in my comfy covers. It's to the point were I will look at my watch and annoy the friends I am out with on the weekends. As if I turn into freaking Cinderella on Saturdays.... You should have seen me the week that I got a new pillow top mattress. Holy Moly. With that piece of embarrassing information, it is not a surprise that getting an extra hour of sleep on that glorious night becomes the highlight of the week. 

What's the downside you ask? Well the stupid sun sets so early now that I become even more anxious for bed. I look out the window at six o'clock and wonder...."when would be an acceptable time for me to slink into bed?" When it gets dark so early, my body temperature drops some degrees and I strangely feel as though it's negative 20 degrees outside without even touching a toe out the door. I belong in summer weather, were I can stay up later without feeling as though i'm missing prime sleep hours and the AC is blasting so I can snuggle. That crazy sun definitely screws with me. 

Do you have the same experience? Tell me about it... Do people look at you strangely for wanting to sleep rather than ParrTayy? Tell me about it....

Now it's your turn!


The rules:
1.Please follow your 3 hosts Helene, Emily and Kathleen plus our wonderful cohost this week Sarah
2. Copy the button and link back to us
3. Please Check out at least 2 other link ups! Have fun!!

If YOU would like to co-host next week leave a comment and let us know
and we will put you on our list!!

Tell me about it!!!

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Weekend Recap

This weekend I visited my brother and SIL. These trips are always my favorite getaways because they are a perfect combination of relaxing and site seeing. This trip we went to Boston for a day. We ate in the Italian district and visited some touristy things. I figured the best way to sum up the weekend was to show the pictures. Later in the week I will have a post on the homemade pizza my brother made the first night I was there but today is a catch up day for me with the blog and everything else. Wish me luck! 

Paul Revere showing off

On the edge of the Italian district. Why is it Irish? I have no idea.

No idea what building this is. 

tree of booze

Yummy lunch with clam chowder

wine heaven

Weekend Trip

I'm headed to Rhode Island today to visit my brother and SIL. I'm preparing myself for wonderful food and lots of cocktails. I hope your weekend is just as fun! Follow along in my mini vacation by twitter and instagram. 

Brown Bag Chicken

This is a strange but amazing technique for cooking a whole chicken. My brother first introduced me to this recipe and I have been sold ever since. You just have to get over your initial fear of burning your house down and then you will be too. The secret weapon you ask? A regular brown paper bag from your grocery store. This bag cooks the chicken so it is moist on the inside but has golden and crispy skin. Yuummmmy! If you don't believe me.... look at this!

See how can you resist that? I'm salivating just looking at it. Here's how it's done.

Brown Bag Chicken

One 3-3/12 pound chicken

Salt and Pepper to taste

1 onion cut in half

Garlic cloves to taste

1 tablespoon of paprika.

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Move around the shelves so there will be enough room to place the chicken in the bag so it is not touching any sides. This is important! Also make sure your broiler is not on.

2. Rinse and pat dry the chicken. Sprinkle with the amount of salt and pepper that you prefer. Place the onion and garlic cloves inside the chicken cavity. Rub paprika on outside of chicken.

3. Lay the paper bag on its side and place chicken inside. Tie the top of the bag with cooking string. Place bagged chicken on cooking sheet with rims and put in oven.

4. Cook for 1 1/2 hours. After removing chicken from oven, carefully open bag to release steam. Here you can check to see if the chicken is done. The best option is to not open bag unless you know it is done. You can adjust cooking time for bigger birds.

5. Let rest 10 minutes before cutting.

6. Eat!

The raw bird going to die....

All bundled up in the bag.

Cooked to perfection!

The second most amazing thing about this recipe, besides the bag, is the ability to make it your own. If you prefer different seasonings, then go for it! This would definitely impress dinner guests and it is so simple.

Dinner is done!

The Girl Behind The Blog

Oh man! This is my first blog. Watch Out World! Are you tired of link ups yet? I know I'm not. Today i'm hanging out with Erin over at Living in Yellow. To share with you the 3 things I can't live without on a daily basis. Prepare yourself for an awkward video! Some how I cut off my introduction so just ignore that please. 

What are your 3 favorite things? I wish I could have snuck in my favorite beverage. Gin. Maybe next vlog...... I don't want to scary anyone away just yet :) If you're new to Betwixt & Between, please stay awhile! Stalk away!

                                                             

An Ode to the Single Ladies

All the single ladies! All the single ladies! (Are you now singing along?)  

This post is dedicated to all the single gals who are bloggers. Are there any out there except me? Crickets...... I found this website the other day and could not stop laughing. All you hot ladies should check it out. Yes, even if you're married because it's a good giggle time mostly because it pokes fun at single and married gals alike.

I often get questions like "So who are you dating now?"..or.."Can I set you up with someone?" I mostly take these conversations in stride and dish about it later to my single friends. 

You can often hear this..."Oh yeah, tell me about it!" over a bottle of wine and junk food. 

Do you have "tell me about it" moments? Sometimes you just need to talk it out! Blogging is a perfect platform to do just that, especially if you take part in this link up. I'd love to hear what's going on in your world that is annoying, amazing, or even average.  All you single ladies already have my attention!

Join the discussion!

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The rules:
1.Please follow your 3 hosts Helene, Emily and Kathleen 
2. Copy the button and link back to us
3. Please Check out at least 2 other link ups! Have fun!!

If YOU would like to co-host next week leave a comment and let us know
and we will put you on our list!!

Tell me about it!!!

Key Lime Pie

I know that it is technically fall but I still try to eat summery dishes to brighten a drab day. Today is one of those days. Its cold and cloudy out and I needed a pick me up. Key lime pie was one of my childhood favorites because of its tartness. This pie is not for the faint of heart. It can make your lips puckers. 

An authentic key lime pie stands out compared to "fake" key lime pies by two characteristics. The first being the actual use of key limes. These are different from most limes found in the grocery store because they are grown in the Florida Keys and are much smaller and sweeter. For this recipe, I used key lime juice that was found during a trip to the south. This juice has come in handy over the years for an extra kick in recipes.  You can substitute the key lime juice for regular lime juice but it might not be as sweet and tart so add a little extra. 

The second characteristic of an authentic key lime pie is the color. Most restaurants or recipes call for adding green food coloring to give the pie and nice lime color. A true blue (not really) key lime pie has a creamy custard looking appearance.

Key Lime Pie

Filling:

8 Egg Yolks

2 Cans of Sweetened Condensed Milk

1 Cup of Key Lime Juice

Crust:

3 heaping handfuls of ginger snaps or 1 packet of graham crackers

2 1/2 tablespoons melted butter

1-2 tablespoon sugar

1. Preheat oven to 375. 

2. Put ginger snaps or graham crackers in a ziploc back and smash the crap out of it until there are just crumbs. 

3.In a bowl mix melted butter and sugar with crumbs. 

4. Next put crumbs in pie dish and push tightly on crumbs to form the crust. Make sure there are not holes. 

5. Put pie plate on baking sheet and cook for 10 minutes. Lower oven to 350 when crust is done.

6. Beat egg yolks until smooth and add condensed milk. Mix.

7. Slowly add key lime juice.

8. After everything is mixed, pour filling mixture into baked crust and return to over for 15 mins or until  center does not jiggle when moved. 

9. Let pie rest/cool down then place in fridge for 2 hours.

10. Eat!

This pie would be even better with whipped cream. I was fresh out and to lazy to go to the store so I ate it as is.