If it's good enough for the Grouch I guess it won't kill my son.

My son is working on his Citizen in the Community merit badge. He has to do 8 hrs of service. He's been helping at a local university ag. center/garden. He and his friend had to dump this trash can of junk into the dumpster. His friend accidentally dropped the trash can in the dumpster.

So my son says, "It's times like these I forget about personal hygene." and climbs into the nasty dumpster for the huge trash can.

Um, ew!
But what do you say to your son when he's telling you this and he's abviously proud of himself?

I said the only thing I could,
 "Wow! :S
Good job.
I hope you washed your hands.
Go wash your hands.
NO!
Go take a shower!"

Clean Your Iron

So I haven't been following my own advice. (Click here) 

And I didn't use a press cloth while applying interfacing a few times. The results were a bit disasterous.

We're talking interfacing stuck to my iron, burned on glue that wasn't going to come off for anything.

In walk the teachings of my mother.

A long time ago she showed me how to get burned-on food cleaned off of pans and dishes using baking soda.

So I think to myself, "Self, maybe baking soda will get this burned on crud off your iron."

So I tried it!

And,

IT worked!!!

See how shiny my iron is?

I should have taken a before pic.

This is what I did.

• 
  
  In a 9x13 cake pan I folded a dish towel and wet it thoroughly with water.
• 
  
  Then I sprinkled Baking Soda on the wet towel, liberally.
• 
  
  I heated up my iron and then unplugged it.
• 
  
  Then I layed it face down on the wet towel covered in baking soda. (the heat made the B.Soda bubble and fizz a little but no worries.)
• 
  
  Let sit for 10 min.
• 
  
  Wiped off iron....was a bit amazed at how easily the burned crud wiped off.....and then I rinsed and dried the face of my iron.

Can you see how shiny my iron is?

and

You can see a bit of the left over baking soda on the dish towel.

Just another reason why Baking Soda is my favorite cleaner (did you notice my box of B.Soda is industrial size? I use it a lot!).  Vinegar runs a close second.

Happy cleaning!

'Star Wars (John Williams Is The Man)' medley - Corey Vidal and Moosebut...

Oh Whipped Cream -- Thou Art Dangerous!

I love me some cream.
I love it in all of it's forms. Whipped, sour, with chocolate, in cakes, on top of fruit, mixed in hot chocolate. The list could go on and on.
I don't love that it can make parts of my body look.....well.....cheese-ish......cottage cheese-ish to be specific. But I love cream nonetheless.

MDH went Costco shopping for me.
Look what he picked up!
A 3 pack!

Dangerous I'm telling you. Dangerous but tasty.

So I haven't shared any recipes lately (ever?).
For my son's birthday he requested chocolate cake with chocolate ganache frosting, berry sauce topping and whipped cream.
Oh so decadent! and a great choice for a birthday cake.
I learned about ganache while living in Reno. A lady made a cake for a cub-scout event (of all places) using chocolate ganache frosting. After my first taste I knew my life would never be the same.
Alton Brown (food network) has some great tips for making chocolate ganache glaze and frosting.
So, I thought I'd share.
Click here for the web site.

Ganache Frosting Recipe

courtesy Alton Brown, 2004

Prep Time: 12 min

Inactive Prep Time: 2 hr 0 min

Cook Time: 4 min

Level:Easy Serves:approximately 3 1/2 cups

Ingredients

16 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped fine

16 ounces (2 cups) heavy cream

Directions

Place the chopped chocolate into the bowl of a food processor.Heat the heavy cream in a quart-sized, microwavable container and microwave for 3 to 4 minutes on high, or until it just begins to simmer; be careful not to allow cream to boil over. Pour the cream over the chocolate and let stand for 2 minutes. Process by pulsing several times until chocolate mixture is smooth. Use as is for glazing. If you wish to make a lighter frosting, allow it to come to room temperature, approximately 2 hours. Once at room temperature, place in the bowl of a stand mixer and whisk on high for 2 to 3 minutes.

A couple of changes I made.
I don't have a food processor and I don't buy expensive chocolate in the big blocks, so, I just use chocolate chips and whisk the heated cream and chips by hand. Really no need for a food processor and it turns out tasty every time. I've even been known to add a little vanilla, also very tasty.
Enjoy!