Thursday, June 24, 2010
The Itsy Bitsy Spider
I ended up going to Bloom & buying a jar of Prego sauce & making it the cheap, fast way. So disappointing.
And, also I am terrible at making the right portion for one person. I made enough spaghetti to feed like 7 people. But no one is here with me so I will be eating this all alone....well, really just tossing most of it in the trash after it goes bad in the fridge in a week!
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Oreo Cupcakes Recipe (Dedicated to Nicole haha)
Cupcakes Recipe:
Note: This makes 28 cupcakes. I cut the recipe in half (and I literally scopped half an egg out to do this) and made 12 big cupcakes. If you cut it, don't forget to cut the frosting recipe ingrediants in half!
If you make the cupcakes & frosting, the recipe calls for softened cream cheese & butter. Make sure to lay it both out about 30 minutes before, or until you can put your finger in it gently & it leaves a little dent. Microwaving either will probably makes the frosting/cupcakes tough.
1 and 1/2 cups butter, softened
1 and 1/2 cups sugar
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 and 1/2 cups whole milk
14 crushed oreos (To crush them, I put the Oreos in a sealed bag & lightly pounded them with a hammer)
Garnish: Mino Oreos (I used the mini Oreos from the 100 calorie packs)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 28 muffin cups with foil liners.
In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar at medium speed until creamy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla.
In a SEPERATE medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and slat. Gradually add to the sugar/butter mixture, alternately add milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. (Basically pour in flour mixture, beat, add in milk, beat, add in flour mixture, beat, add in milk, beat, and add in flour mixture).
Stir in crushed cookies. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups. Bake for 16-20 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool in pans for 10 minutes. Remove from pans, and cool completely on wire racks.
Spread or pipe Cream Cheese Frosting evenly over cupcakes. Garnish with mini Oreos, if desired.
Cream Cheese Frosting
This tastes just like the Oreo filling!
3/4 cup butter, softened
12 ounces of cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
9 cups confectioners' sugar
In a large bowl, beat butter and cream cheese at medium speed with a mixer until creamy. Beat in cream until combined. Gradually add confectioners' sugar, beating until smooth.
To put these together, I piped mine to make them look pretty. If you don't know how to do it, you just fill a little piping bag with icing & fit it with a medium-large tip. You then just take the cupcakes & basically start from the outside & make a spiral around the cupcake, layering it on top of the other icing. Then put a little Oreo on top!
What my first try making them looked like!
Last Day in Chicago!
We were determined to have real Chicago Deep Dish pizza, but the place that we heard was good was closed. We ended up (after beeing lost in a scary neighbordhood Jessica was actually restricted from being in), we headed to Max's Dawg House for some hot dogs.
THEY WERE THE BEST HOT DOGS EVER! End of story. I was starving, and I ordered a Bratwurst which I demolished as soon as I got it. Everyone agreed that the food was awesome, and if I ever go back up there I will definantly visit that place again.
Once we ate, we couldn't figure out what to do to kill time. We decided to walk around a little strip mall, and I got excited when I found Rainbows on sale for $30! I didn't buy a pair at first, but then I decided it was such a good deal and they had a color that I did not yet own...so I walked away with a white pair of Rainbows.
Then we decided to all go get our nails done (poor Matt & Andrew). Jessica could not get a manicure, but she got a pedicure. It was funny to see her in her uniform with her slacks rolled up painting her toes pink. She told us it would be okay because they didn't check their toes lol. They had actually been doing swim training, and their Drill Instructors realized that half of the girls had polka dots painted on thier toes. She also told us how they got to go to the Navy Exchange, and they snuck a pair of tweezers out (that they bought) in a pair of socks (tweezers are banned). After lights out, they all snuck around and plucked their eyebrows.
After we got our toes and nails done, we headed back to the pizza place for Deep Dish pizza. The place was filled with Sailors, and they all ended up being friends of Jessie. After what felt like forever, we finally got our pizzas...and Matt and I were not dissappointed this time. The pizzas were huge, and the cheese was on the crust, then the toppings, and then the suace on top of that. We had way too much food, and we ordered 2 pizzas and left with a whole one.
Then we said bye to Jessie until around the end of August, when she comes home for 2 weeks. But at least we can talk to her on a regular basis soon.
Then we began the long trip home again =[
Day 3-Matt & I Visit the Windy City
We could not figure out the schedule, and I ended up calling the train station info center for help (Matt claims he figured it out on his own though). Once we got on the train, I was amazed by the fact that there were 2 levels. Of course I made Matthew sit with me up top so we could see better. We passed all these cute train stations, and the people on the train were nice and explained to us where to go and how to get there.
Once we got off at the last stop in Chicago, I was amazed by the amount of stores in the stations. It felt like a little mall. Matt was nervous about going through the revolving doors, and I had to do it first so he wouldn't be scared (haha). Once we found our way out, we found a Starbucks and got drinks. We discovered that when you left a Starbucks, you could usually see another one as soon as you walked out the door.
We made our way to the Sears Tower, and when we asked for direction and tried plugging it into GPS, we found out it is now the Willis Tower because it was bought by someone else last December. People kept telling us we could see it to walk to it, but it was hard to find with all the other buildings blocking the view.
After we purchased our tickets, we made out way to the little musuem area. There were these TV screens built into the floor that you could stand on & press a button, and then the screen would zoom up 103 stories (the height of the tower) and then drop back down. It's supposed to be like the view from the tower. My stomach was dropping already.
On the elevator, I clutched Matthew for dear life because I was so scared. It went so fast, around 18 mph or 24 feet per second. It took around a minute to go up 103 stories.
Once we got to the top, we wandered around and looked at the views. We could see the Interstate we drove in on, and Matt was happy to be able to see Wrigley Field.
Both of us posing with the replicas of the tower, and the view from one side of the top.
Then Matt forced me on the solid glass ledge. Once you step out on it, you can see straight down 103 stories. When I looked down, I realized the toy cars I saw were real cars. I immidiately ran off the ledge and gripped the wall and Matthew for dear life. We wanted to take the professional picture up there, and it took me two tries to make it on the ledge for the picture. You can see the fear in my face, and I was SQUEEZING Matt for dear life lol. I was so happy to get off of it. Matt on the other hand, was brave and walked around on it like it was nothing.
Can you tell I am scared for my life?
After we left (thank goodness), we caught a bus to the Navy Pier. One of my friends told me to visit there and ride the Ferris Wheel. It was so much fun! We could see the whole city, but not from 103 stories up. However, Matthew scared me by rocking our little ferris wheel cart and talking about how it was only held up by those "little wires."
After that, we got sucked into a tourist trap. What we thought would be real Chicago Deep Dish pizza ended up resembling the Digiorno frozen deep dish pizza. The only highlight of eating there was that we could eat outdoors. These kids were feeding these ducks who were on the sidewalk, and the ducks snuck under the gate and came into where we were eating. Then a kid starting poking a duck with a play snake, and the duck bit him. I guess the lesson here is not to feed the ducks in Chicago.
I thought they were going to bite my feet lol.
After we went to a park for more pictures, we got back on the Metra to head back to our hotel. We played Monopoly the whole way, and Matt might have been beating me, but I am convinced he cheated somehow because no one beats me at Monopoly! I guess we will have a rematch.
We were supposed to get off the train at the North Chicago station. When we were at the Great Lakes stop, the one before our stop, Andrew texted me to ask if our train was pulling in. When I asked Matt what station we were at and read Andrew's text, Matt freaked out and got off the train, and I ran after him. However, I was being confusing.
We had to give my aunt directions to the place we were, and we were standing in a really sketchy area. When they were driving towards us, me & Matt attempted to walk somewhere easier to find. We definantly passed scarey people and a homeless man. I ran to our van whenever I finally saw it lol. After the long car trip, I never thought I would be so happy to get back in the van, but I was so excited to get in it that night lol.
Fact: If you are dumb enough to set your purse on the gross floor at the train station bathroom, it will get stolen.
Day 3-Jessica's Graduation!
Once we got inside, it took forever for them to start. Matt, Andrew, and I sat separately from our family & these Sailors wouldn't let us go up the back of the bleachers and under a little rope. Instead, we had to climb over 20 people. It was annoying.
To start the graduation, they had a parade of flags, and each Sailor in the parade carried a flag from one of the states represented at the graduation that day. Then all of the Divisions marched in and were presented.
Jessica was in Division 204, and I was waiting for her Division to be announced to get a picture of her Division marching in and look for her. However, they called Division 203 and then 205, and skipped 204. So I was not looking forward. By the time I realized that the woman called 205 twice instead of 204 at all, I had already missed her walking today. I'm pretty sure every parent/relative in our section were MAD because they never corrected in.
After that, they all fell into formation and the Navy Band and Chorus performed. They gave out awards, and Jessie's Division got something, but I don't remember the name of the award.
Throughout the ceremony, this woman was driving me & Matt crazy. Yes, I was taking a lot of pictures. But unlike her, I knew not to get out of my seat and wander around to take pictures. She was all over the place, hanging off the bleachers, walking on the parade deck, and she was in a dress that I know was from the Junior Department at Kohl's because I tried it on. It was too small and she was like over 40. Gross.
Also, I noticed that all of these like drill instructor type people were pulling people out of their platoons, taking their covers (hats) off, and grabbing their arms and leading them away into this room. I could not figure out what was going on. They took around 20-30 people. I thought they were in trouble, but my sister filled me in later that someone had come into the station that was new and brought in the flu with them. So half of the people there were sick with the flu, and people were actually passing out during the ceremony.
After they called At Liberty, we went and found Jessie and met her friends/commanders. She lost weight! We took her to Cracker Barrel for her first meal out of camp, and she said it felt weird to be off base. Then we all headed back to our hotel because she said that she wanted to lay in bed and do nothing.
Fact: Even though she was At Liberty, she was not allowed to take off her uniform when she was with us off base because she would be considered AWOL (Absent Without Leave). Crazy!
Jessica with one of her commanders.
In the Navy chair at Cracker Barrel.
Jessica's Cover (hat).
Jessica's Cover, Ribbon for serving in a time of war, and two green stripes for being an E2 in Aviation. (Aviation people have green stripes-she told me it's green as in ground, as in you don't want to crash and hit the ground).
Friday, June 4, 2010
Ya'll got Grits?
For breakfast we stopped at IHOP, and we were all arguing over whether or not they sold grits. My aunt decided to ask, and to our surprise they actually had grits.
There were about one million farms in Ohio/Indiana, and two million deer. We passed a tractor that was black with a three on the side…clearly it was a 3 for Dale! I never knew I would see Rednecks out of the south-but they were everywhere in Ohio and Indiana.
In Indiana or Ohio one, we passed these farms and windmills. I mean there were like hundreds of farms and five times as many windmills. And not the old farm windmills that you would think would be at a farm. They were just these huge, white windmills. It was all we saw for around 20 minutes.
Later on, we finally started to see Chicago. Matt would NOT let me out of the car to go to the bathroom and made me suffer for around thirty minutes before stopping at a gas station.
We pulled up at a toll booth and it literally cost $1.25 to ride for maybe two minutes down on a road with potholes. When we had to pay $3 again about two minutes later, my aunt started yelling in the backseat (but not in a mean way) "Where is my toll money going? Obviously ya'll aren't using it to fix the potholes!"
To our amazement, we saw a McDonalds in the middle of an interstate. Literally in the middle. There was drive thru, but you could also park. It was crazy.
Also, for the first time in my life I spent $30 at McDonalds. But at least it was for me and four other people.
(See the car driving & the interstate exit sign?)
285. Round Trip.
Today is the first day of our trip to Chicago to see my sister graduate from the Navy’s basic training at Great Lakes, Illinois. We are beginning to think the van we are driving is cursed.
So far, 2 GPS things have brokenm and the dash broke so that we could not get our graduation passes or registration out of the dash.
We have seen about a million deer, including one we passed who just stood in the middle of the other lane. We’re pretty sure a tractor trailer that passed us hit the deer because it stopped right past where the deer was standing.
The best part of the night was stopping at a McDonald’s in West Virginia. Some guy came in who was drunk and was telling the people he wanted French fries and he didn’t want them to smell like “stinky feet.” He also told the workers that they were going to have to run to get his food.
Matt would not stop driving, and he finally stopped, but we could not find anywhere to stay. We found somewhere that would let us rent a room that night, but the catch was we could not check in until 3 PM and it was currently about 3 AM. We drove a little further, and we all ended up getting to go to sleep in a hotel around 6:30.
I would just like to explain the title in this post. SOMEONE in our group refused to fly to Chicago. It would have cost $285 and taken 2 hours. Instead of flying, I am on the longest car ride of my life.