Sunday on the Q

Last Sunday, my favorite girls and I met up for brunch at the DFAC (dining facility) on post. It was the first cool and sunny day we've had this year and I couldn't pass it up. So I invited them over for a BBQ. We all went to the commissary after brunch and decided on our menu. I knew I was going to be trying out smitten kitchen's hacked caprese salad because I had bought three rounds of fresh mozzerella the day before in anticipation of making it.



Cecilia bought a magazine (I forget now which one) that had pictures of 12 different ways to enjoy hotdogs this summer. One was with onion rings on top. I decided to try it. Because you know, trying one new recipe when entertaining company isn't enough. I like to live on the edge.

Plus the commissary had something like 1/2 a pound of pre-sliced onions for 60 cents. They looked at me from the shelf and asked me to please batter and fry them. I don't take the words of talking onions lightly, I obliged.



It was amazing. Please do this if you are going to have a hotdog again ever in your life.



To finish, Cecilia made brownie cupcakes.



With cream cheese frosting on top.



Cecilia loves brownies with cream cheese frosting.

Having the girls around makes things so much more fun and makes me feel a lot safer when my man is gone.

When you live alone...

You can eat what you want.



And last night I wanted eggplant.



Fried eggplant.



With a side of green, seedless grapes, spinach and artichoke dip with celery to dip.

Pasta con pepperoni

I'm not usually a pepper girl. Black pepper? Yes, please! Some heat I can handle, but the taste of peppers themselves? I'll pass. That was until last Sunday when I went to Giovanna's house and she made a peppery cream sauce. It was outstanding.

Even though I watched as Giovanna prepared the simple dish, I was a little worried I wouldn't be able to create it myself. Since I was preparing it for some friends, I thought something would go wrong. It's just like me to make a dish I've never made to bring to a potluck or serve at a party. Preparing something you KNOW is going to taste good is boring, especially for me since my guinea pig is currently MIA.

The girls loved it.

Pasta con pepperoni

1 small onion

1 red pepper

1 yellow pepper

2 Tablespoons olive oil

1 pint light cream

2 Tablespoons chopped parsley

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 pound pasta

parmesean cheese (added at table to taste)

Chop onion and peppers. Coat pan with olive oil and add chopped onions and peppers. Let simmer until soft, about 20 minutes. Meanwhile set a pot of water to boil then cook pasta to taste (11 minutes for al dente). Add the salt and pepper and cream while the pasta is cooking and let reduce into a sauce. Once the pasta is finished strain it and add to the sauce. Serve with parmesean cheese and watch the people at the table light up.

Christmas cookie/movie extravaganza!

On Saturday I got together with some friends to make Christmas cookies and watch Christmas movies.

The recipe said it made 3 dozen. But I'm pretty sure we only got 18ish cookies out of it. And no, we didn't eat gobs of cookie dough either. It just didn't make a lot, which is weird because usually sugar cookie recipes make a ton of cookies.

The icing was also a taaaaaaad runny. Wasn't it Martin Luther King who said, "it's the flavor that counts, not the beauty." Or something like that.

I made Buddy the Elf from the movie Elf (which we watched) in cookie form. He was delicious.

We also made Christmas hearts.

What?

It is SO a thing.

This is Cecilia (in grey) and Missy (in green). They were two of my three cookie cohorts. No one was too keen on getting their picture taken since we were all in our sweats. It didn't stop me.

Movies watched:

Elf

The Muppets Christmas Carol

Love Actually

The Grinch

Charlie Brown's Christmas

Extravaganza? Complete success!

Pumpkin Scones

I've been really jonesing for pumpkin. Luckily this time of year a lot of other people are too. I snagged this pumpkin scone recipe from Ari of Baking and Books. I didn't make the glaze that she did with her's. I don't have an excuse why. I just didn't feel like it. Even without the sugary, goodness I'm sure the glaze has these scones were delicious. Excellent pumpkin flavor without going over the top.

I made these Sunday and was still munching on them this morning. I love when I can prolong the pleasure. These are perfect with coffee in the morning. They aren't too sweet which is good because I drink my coffee sweet.

Like Mr. Wolf on Pulp Fiction.

"How do you take your coffee Mr. Wolf?"

"Lotsa cream lotsa sugar."

Except I use Splenda. With fiber. We Americans need to eat more fiber.