Lawyerboysbakergirl

My younger sister, Micky, is one-of-a-kind, and I mean that as the highest compliment compliments can get. She is the light in my life and helps me to stay calm and remember that, “It’s All Good!” That is her go to saying. She says it all the time and also thinks that she, our mom, and I should have a bakery with that very title. She would of course be the brains behind “It’s All Good.” She is excellent at being in charge and running any ship. We are all just afraid that if we worked together, the ship may stay afloat, but the three of us might drown each other!

She is the most like our dad and looks like his sister, Tena. She and our dad both love being outdoors, hunting, and spending time with animals. They like watching movies in a recliner. Red meat and potatoes are among their favorite foods. Of course, Micky likes dessert, too. Wedding cake is one of her favorites. She really should become a ‘Wedding Cake Crasher!’ She loves frosting! Another favorite of hers is egg kisses. Our Grandma Evelyn, my dad’s mom, made them. Our mom would make them some… a special treat for Micky. Dad and Micky also like to complain about the strangest things! It is comical!

Like most sisters, there have been times we have gotten along great and talk all the time, and then there were times that we did not get along so well! Since college though, we have been extremely close and it is the easiest relationship I have in my life. We just get along.

Micky has been to some far and away places and some not so far and away places, that are incredible! Lucky for her family, we have had the opportunity to visit her and do amazing things that would normally cost triple or more than what we had to pay. Lawyerboy and I have taken advantage of a few of those opportunities. The first place we went was Mammoth, California. She was working at the ski resort as a manager in one of the restaurants.

We went for Easter in March of 2008. We were still living in Minot and my brother, Andrew, came with us. The three of us drove to Bismarck, and flew to Las Vegas. We rented a car in Vegas and drove four hours to Mammoth. *Side Note: We are all lucky to be alive. Micky had told us that the drive through the mountains before getting to California wasn’t bad. It was treacherous! We should have known. Micky always thinks things are less scary or less dangerous than the rest of the population by about 88%. Also, I have never heard my brother laugh so hard at Lawyerboy and I. Lawyerboy was driving and I am a nervous passenger. (I know that isn’t helpful to the driver, but it is in my DNA.) We were on a single-lane, gravel road that went up and down and twisted in and out and around mountains. We came up behind a semi hauling a long, high stack of bales. All of a sudden, Lawyerboy veers to the left to do Lord knows what! I yell, “What are you doing?” He pulls back behind the semi and says, “Brenda! The guy is waving his hand out of the window for me to pass him.” I replied, “I don’t care. We need to talk about these things before you do them.” My brother was crying laughing. It took me awhile to find it funny. I mean really. This is our safety!!

We did make it there in one piece and were greeted by a very smiley Micky. She is known for her smile and her giggling in our family. She had just purchased a big, red Toyota truck and looked good standing beside it!

She lived in a studio apartment. Andrew slept on the chair or contorted himself somehow on the small, open floor space. Lawyerboy slept on a deflated air mattress in the kitchen. Micky and I slept in her bed. We were basically only at her place to sleep and shower. The small sleeping quarters was worth it for the rest of the time we got to spend outdoors. We spent two and a half days skiing. Mammoth Mountain is beautiful! There are so many slopes and we explored a lot of them. Micky knew the layout well and took us on some neat runs. Also, I may have been knocked over by a chair lift… lovely.

We experienced an evening meal in the restaurant she managed. It was very fancy. Cooking isn’t Micky’s thing, but she knows a lot about it from managing restaurants. She has worked with some excellent chefs and knows a lot of fancy cooking vocabulary. I love to listen to her tell me what she has seen cooked and gotten to taste. Lawyerboy loves to taste her suggested wine pairings.

On our last day full day, we skied for half a day. Then we drove down the mountain an hour and experienced 70 degree weather! The boys golfed and Micky and I dropped her truck off to get the oil changed. We got a Starbucks and walked to a park. We had a great visit and looked through pictures on her camera. Pictures are one of our families favorite things! Our dad gave all his kids a love for cameras, photographs, videos, and movies. We love to take pictures and be in pictures! As we were scrolling through, Micky stopped at one of the photos and said, “When did I decide to get so fat?” I was drinking and busted out laughing. It was hilarious. I thought I was going to choke. *Another Side Note: She is not fat.

The next morning, we packed up all our things. Andrew rode with Micky. Lawyerboy and I got in the rental car. We drove two hours to Death Valley. We did some sightseeing and had lunch. After a little more exploring, it was time for Micky to head back so she could work. I hate saying goodbye. We thanked her. We hugged her. Andrew got in with us. Micky got in her big, red Toyota truck, backed it up, and made a left out of the lot. She turned around and waved and gave her big smile. We turned right for Las Vegas.

The adventures we have with Micky are endless. They not only occur on trips, but at our places or our parents’. She makes my life, “All Good.”

Egg Kisses

Preheat Oven to 300 degrees – Prep Time: 10 minutes – Bake Time: 30 minutes – Makes 6 to 10

4 egg whites

1 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Crack the eggs one at a time and separate the egg whites from the yolk. Some people like to use an egg separator or the back and forth between shells method. I prefer the shell method. Beat the four egg whites until they are light white, fluffy, and dry. (This takes awhile.) Add sugar and vanilla and stir until well mixed. Layer a pan with waxed paper. Drop mixture on paper and bake for 30 minutes at 300 degrees.  I make my egg kisses big and get six. My grandma made them smaller and you should be able to get 10 from this recipe.

My grandma’s also looked like the shape of a chocolate kiss. They are crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside like hers, but I cannot get mine to look how hers did. I’ve tried beating the egg whites not as long and beating them for longer. They always turn out the same for me. It is a work in progress. Experiment as you wish. I always add fruit to the top, so it brightens them up. Micky also loves lots of cool whip with them. They are light and the perfect amount of sweet!

All you need are eggs, sugar, and vanilla.

Seperate four egg whites and begin to beat.

Continue beating.

A little longer.

It is starting to look fluffy and dry.

Light white, fluffy, and dry.

Add a cup of sugar and 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract.

Stir in until well mixed.

Drop the egg kisses onto a baking sheet with wax paper.

Six large egg kisses ready to bake at 300 degrees.

30 minutes later.

Let them cool. I slowly pull the wax paper away from the kiss. It gives it a cracked look, which I think adds character.

Growing up on a farm, my siblings and I spent a lot of time outside. In fact, we were EXPECTED to be outside, ALL summer. We got to come in for dinner (what we called noon meal), 30 minutes for lunch (a snack), and supper (obviously our evening meal!). 🙂 If we weren’t helping mom or dad on the farm or in the garden, we had all the space a child could ask for, to play and let our imaginations run wild.

I am the second oldest. I have an older sister, another sister who is 11 months younger than me, and my brother is 11 months younger than her. So yes! My brother and I are 22 months apart and there is a sister between us!

When I was younger, I could be a girlie-girl, or a tomboy. My brother, Andrew, and I were very close. We were always each others playmates, especially outside. We played baseball, basketball, built forts, had bike races, played on our swing sets, played in the sandbox, and my favorite, play farm with his toys in the dirt under our deck. It was the most fun for hours and hours. We planted all types of crops while we pretended we were seeding, going to town for anhydrous, and of course, combining.  We’d even have fights about our farming or which of us got what tractor, and one of us would wind up quitting! It was never long before the quitter came crawling back, because it was so much fun. Plus, if you stayed away too long, you could be replaced. Our sister between us, Micky, liked playing with us too and if she wasn’t already with us, she was often somewhere nearby and you would be replaced by her. When I was the quitter, I would always slowly make my way back over towards the deck and inch my way closer to the toys and eventually start playing again. God forbid I ever apologized! I am pretty sure that never happened! That is a hard thing for me to say because I thought I was always right! (Still do sometimes!)

In our teens, my brother and I had the best talks while we ate our bedtime snack. We were roommates for a time in college and we both have teaching degrees in elementary education.

Even though we are adults now, he will always be my little brother. We had to pick a special person to write about for one of our senior papers in high school. I chose him.

He is the most creative person I know. He also does special things that make you smile. When we were roommates, I woke up on my birthday to find a little care bear and homemade birthday card. On another birthday, he went and got from my parents’ house a big poster I had saved that my first grade teacher had made me. The poster said, ‘Happy 7th Birthday Brenda!’ He cut out a ‘2’ and put it in front of the ‘7’ on my ’27th’ birthday. He also gave me the best hug and squeezed me super tight before I moved to the Twin Cities to meet up with Lawyerboy.

He still does those things for his fiance Tiffany and her three kids. He has a way of makeing them feel special. Tiffany loves chocolate. Andrew would call our mom for her cake recipes so he could maker her a birthday cake or some of his other favorites, like our Mom’s Brownies. If he couldn’t get a hold of mom, he’d call me. Last Christmas, I made a cookbook with his favorite recipes. He seemed impressed and appreciative. I got a text from Tiffany a couple of days after Christmas that said, “Just wanted you to know that your brother is still talking about his cookbook and how good of an idea it was!” That is just one reason why I love my brother.

Mom’s Hershey Brownies:

Preheat Oven to 350 degrees – Prep Time: 20 minutes – Bake Time: 30 minutes – Makes 20 to 25

1/2 cup margarine

1 cup sugar

4 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 can (16 oz.) Hershey’s chocolate syrup

1 cup flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

Cream the margarine and sugar together. Add eggs, two at a time, beating well each time. Add the vanilla and Hershey’s syrup and beat until you have a nice chocolate blend. Add the dry ingredients and mix together. Grease a 9×13 jelly roll pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

*Begin making frosting as soon as the brownies come out of the oven.

Chocolate Sugar Frosting:

6 tablespoons margarine

6 tablespoons milk

1 1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Put margarine, milk and sugar in a saucepan. (Get the 1/2 cup of chocolate chips ready.) Place the saucepan over medium heat. Using a wooden spoon, stir continuously. When the mixture begins to boil, boil it for exactly 30 seconds. Remove from heat and add the chocolate chips. Continue beating the mixture until you get a spreading consistency. This takes around 2 minutes. (You can tell if it is too runny and needs more beating. It will set almost as soon you pour them on the brownies.) Frost as soon as you have the right consistency and while the brownies are still warm. They are sugary and yummy!

Put one stick of margarine in a bowl.

Add the cup of sugar.

Blend and then add 2 eggs.

Add the other two eggs for a total of four.

Add the teaspoon of vanilla.

Add the can of Hershey’s syrup. (16 ounces)

Blend.

Chocolatey!

Add the flour, baking powder, and salt.

Grease a 9×13 jelly roll pan. I use butter.

Pour the batter into the pan.

After 30 minutes of baking!

Time to Frost!

Margarine, milk, sugar, and chocolate chips ready to go!

Stirring.

Boil for EXACTLY 30 seconds!

Add the chocolate chips.

Well beaten.

Beat until it thickens .

Spread on warm brownies.

Mom’s Brownies.

Laywerboy and I met in January of 2000. We have been a part of each others daily lives since. The constant people in my life besides Lawyerboy are my parents and siblings. I’d like to give you a snippet of them, along with a recipe that my mom makes that reminds me of them. I will start with my dad.

Last week was his birthday. In most cases, I am more like my mom than my dad. My dad is a private person, so I do get that from him, along with a few other qualities. He has also taught me many skills and most importantly, how to be safe.

My dad is so meticulous and careful when he does things. He wants to ensure that no one gets hurt and everything around him has a place and needs to be set, ‘so so.’ He is the safest and most careful person I know. His voice is always in the back of my head reminding me to not let the gas tank get less than a quarter full, to check the tires, to turn off the power on any electrical tool when you want to check something on it, to turn off the lights when you aren’t in a room, to make sure doors are shut tightly, and on and on.

I have overheard him tell others some things about me when I don’t think he knew I could hear him and I remember feeling happy that I impressed him. Now he would probably say “Ah” and that he doesn’t remember saying that because he doesn’t want to hurt my siblings feelings. (They too have wonderful qualities he is proud of!) The two things I remember clearly when I was younger were: 1.) I was in the living room and he was in our entry way on the phone and I heard him telling his friend that I was his hardest worker. 2.) I was hiding in our yard a little ways away from my dad when he was talking to one of his brothers about hunting. He said the I have the steadiest aim when holding my rifle. That of course has been proven and disproven many times!!

My dad has also taught me many things such as how to ride horses, to love animals (Even though people don’t think I love animals! I just don’t like animals in the house or near food!), how to drive, how to clean windows on machinery (No streaks allowed!), to be generous, helpful, honest, to pay my bills on time, to be a good tipper, how to shoot a bow and arrow and a rifle, and how to not only hunt, but do it.

Hunting deer is my favorite activity to do with my dad. Some of my best childhood and adult memories are with my brother Andrew, sister Micky, and our dad out hunting. We hear the same stories each year and it never gets old! My dad also uses the same expressions which makes us giggle. He sometimes laughs at what he says, but usually he is looking at us and trying to figure out why what he said is so funny to us! It is heartwarming.

To this day, I have yet to buy a gun, box of bullets, or binoculars. My dad supplies it all! Just this last year was the first year I bought myself new Sorel boots for hunting. My dad has always offered to buy them. This is something I am sure any dad does, but his generosity is continuous and it makes me feel special.

I’ll share some of our hunting stories to come. For now, I will share a birthday cake recipe in honor of my dad. For there is another thing he has taught me that I still do to this day! Whether we were in the field, out hunting, or at home, “You gotta have dessert!” And we always did, and still do! My father has taught me well.

Devil’s Food Cake

Preheat Oven to 360 degrees – Prep Time: 20 minutes – Bake Time: 30 minutes – Makes a whole cake

3 eggs

2 cups sugar

2 squares bittersweet chocolate, melted

1 cup sour cream

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 cups flour

2/3 cup cold water

Beat the eggs and sugar together. Melt the chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl for 99 seconds. Add the melted chocolate to the mixture and mix. Next, add the sour cream and vanilla and beat together. Add the baking soda and flour. Start the mixer slowly and continue to increase the speed to mix in well. Last, add the cold water and mix thoroughly. Pour the batter into a lightly greased 9×13 cake pan or  2 well-greased 9″  round cake pans. Bake for 30 minutes at 360 degrees. For either type of cake pan, it takes exactly 30 minutes. Test with a toothpick to be sure because all ovens are different!

If using 2 round cake pans, let the cakes cool in the pans before attempting to take them out. I let them cool for 45 minutes to an hour or until I can handle the pans without pot holders. Lay out a dish towel and place wax paper on top. You may also use cooling racks. Let them to continue to cool while you make the frosting.

You can frost this cake with any frosting you like. I made Coconut Pecan Frosting. It reminds me of my dad.

Coconut Pecan Frosting

1 egg

2/3 cup sweetened condensed milk

2/3 cup white sugar

1/3 cup butter

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup pecans, chopped

1 1/4 cup coconut

Beat the egg in a saucepan. Add the sweetened condensed milk, sugar, butter, and salt. Heat over medium heat until it bubbles. Stir continuously. (My mom uses a wooden spoon. Therefore, I do and I believe it works best.) It takes 12 minutes. When it bubbles, remove from heat and mix in the pecans. Then add the coconut and mix well. Let it cool for 20 to 30 minutes. Then begin to frost your cake.

This frosting can be tricky. Don’t let it cool too long or it isn’t a good spreading consistency. If you’re frosting a layered cake and do it while it is still too warm, the frosting will drip down the sides and not stick. If that happens, take your off-set spatula or table knife and start at the bottom and work the frosting back up the sides.

I am not a big pecan fan, but this frosting needs it to balance out all the sweet! You may omit it if you wish and add more coconut. Enjoy.

We’ve all been asked, “If there is only one food you could have for the rest of your life, what would you pick?” Basically, what is your favorite food? This is a tough question for me. I love almost all food, especially sweets. Luckily, none of us will probably have to actually eat only one thing, so it may make the question a little easier to answer. My reply when I am asked that question is bread. I love bread. I love bagels, biscuits, boule, bread sticks, brioche, ciabatta, croissants, doughnuts, farl, focaccia, french, honey wheat,  pita, quick breads, sourdough, and good old white to name a few! My friend picked me up from the airport recently and she asked if we could stop at Jimmy John’s to order subs. I said that was fine, but I just want a day-old loaf for fifty cents.

“All you want is bread?” she asked.

“Yes. I love plain ‘ol bread!” I replied.

A couple of years ago, my Lawyerboy husband and I had our friends from junior college over for supper. They were very generous with their words and complimenting me on the meal. She asked what my favorite thing to bake is. Once again, that is another hard question. I answered by telling her I love to bake anything, but quick breads and cookies are my favorite. She had never heard the term quick bread and wanted to know what that meant. I gave her examples like banana bread and pumpkin bread. She of course knew those types of breads, just had never heard them called ‘quick breads’ until now.

I think I love quick breads so much, because they’re bread, my favorite food, and they are sweet. My favorite adjective to describe food.

Here is a recipe for a new quick bread that I just found, tweaked, and tried.  Since this blogging is all so new to me, I thought my first recipe and pictures could be brand new, too! As Lawyerboy took his first bite in the kitchen, his reaction was, “This is so good. It is like eating cake for breakfast.” Lawyerboy  is so easy to love… usually! 🙂

Chocolate Chai Bread

Preheat oven to 350 degrees – Prep time: 25 minutes – Bake time: 40 minutes – Makes: 14 to 16 slices

2 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 cup brown sugar, packed

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extra

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

4 tablespoons chai tea latte mix (I use Tazo)

1/3 cup sour cream

In a small microwavable size bowl, melt the chocolate and water. Melt it for 88 seconds and give it a stir. If it needs more time, melt it in 22 second intervals so it doesn’t burn. Set aside and let cool slightly.

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add one egg and beat well by hand. Then add the other egg and beat well. Add the vanilla and melted chocolate to the batter.

Add the flour, baking soda and salt. Stir until mixed. Then add the chai tea mix and sour cream. Blend until smooth.

Grease a 9 inch x 5 inch bread pan. I use good ‘ol butter! Pour the batter in. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 to 45 minutes. Check with a toothpick after 40 minutes to see if it comes out clean. If not, give it a few more minutes. Cool for 10 minutes in the bread pan! Allow to almost cool on a wire rack or the way my mom taught me and still does today… lay out a clean white dish towel and place wax paper or parchment paper on top. This prevents marks on the bottom, but either way works!

Frosting

1 1/4 cups confectioner’s sugar

1 tablespoon butter, softened

2 tablespoons chai tea latte mix (Tazo)

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 to 4 teaspoons milk

In a small bowl, mix the frosting ingredients together in order they are listed. Start with 3 teaspoons of milk. If it is not to your desired consistency, had another teaspoon of milk.

After the Chocolate Chai Bread has almost cooled, use a teaspoon and scoop it on top of the bread. Slowly use the pack of the spoon to spread it over the bread. Allow it to drip over onto the sides. Then, enjoy a slice or two!

Pictures and Tips:

Each square is an ounce.

Chop finely.

Melt water and chocolate together in the microwave.

Cream butter and sugar together.

It will look like this.

Add the eggs and vanilla.

Add the chocolate to that mixture.

Add the dry ingredients.

This!

Add the chai tea and sour cream.

When it is well blended, put it into a buttered bread pan.

Right out of the oven! Let it cool in the bread pan for 10 minutes before trasferring to a wire rack.

Hello frosting!

Gently pour chai frosting over the top of the bread.

Chocolate Chai Bread!