Back to Soaping

After taking a rather extended break from creating new soaps, I decided it was time to get back to it. Besides, all this cooking like Paula Deen is NOT good for my figure. At least with soaping I get to "feel" like I'm baking - without the calories!

Here is my latest soap. It's made from goat's milk and scented with sweet pea. My husband took one look at it and called it "Celebration." I think it's fun!

With friendship,

Care'

The Care-Paula Experiment-Dish #9: Sweet Black Cherry Crisp

My husband LOVES cherry pie. I personally am not a fan as I find it too sweet. I also tend to like fresh fruit over canned, so when I saw this recipe (http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/sweet-black-cherry-crisp-recipe/index.html) I knew I had to give it a go.

Not only was this one of the easiest recipes I've ever made, it tasted wonderful. Hubby loved it and I did too because it wasn't too sweet. We highly recommend!

With friendship,

Care'

The Care-Paula Experiment-Dish #8: Brussels Sprouts

I don't like brussels sprouts. I've even tried them steamed, which usually does great things for veggies. To me, they taste like dirt.

My husband LOVES them. He goes on and on about how his mom use to make them for him growing up and how he devoured them.

What kind of weird kid eats brussels sprouts?

Well, after making this version (http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/melissas-brussels-sprouts-recipe/index.html) my kids are weird too.

I have always subscribed to the "bacon makes everything better" theory, and am a recent convert to the "butter makes everything better" concept - thanks to Paula. This recipe calls for bacon AND butter. After you drop those little sprouts in butter and bacon, they taste mighty fine.

Mighty, mighty fine.

I always have left over veggies when we make them. Not this time. I think I saw hubby's eyes roll in the back of his head one time . .

With friendship,

Care'

The Care-Paula Experiment-Dish #7: Lemon and Garlic Roast Chicken

I took a bit of a departure and decided to try out an Ina Garten recipe, something I NEVER would have tried before I started this journey. I will tell you that having never dealt with a full chicken before, there were times I wanted to call it quits and get hubby out of bed to deal with it. But, I managed to survive the experience.

The recipe is here: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/lemon-and-garlic-roast-chicken-recipe/index.html

The chicken turned out beautifully and was very moist. The only thing I didn't like was the gravy, so we just left it off. I did learn some important things on this one, such as the need to over-season before cooking. While it was very tasty, I could have been a little more heavy-handed with the salt and pepper.

Overall, it was a winner and will be on the menu again. And, I'm over my fear of cooking a full chicken now. Who knows, maybe I'll make the turkey at Thanksgiving this year!

With friendship,

Care'

The Care-Paula Experiment-Dish #6 - English Toffee

Is a simple, one word post of "YUM" sufficient?

No?

Okay, a bit more detail then. . .

SUPER-YUM!

Not only was this easy to make, it was well worth the wait for it to set up. That was the hardest part - waiting to break off a chunk and devour it. Okay, okay . . . I confess that I did get into it a bit early and left chocolate fingerprints on the counter, but it was so hard to resist.

You can find the recipe here:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/english-toffee-recipe/index.html

Paula has a few more receipes that call for toffee bits. I plan to use this recipe to make the bits instead of using store-bought.

Drool over my pictures . . .

With friendship,

Care'

The Care-Paula Experiment-Dish #5 - Icy Coffee Punch

It's a bit of a joke around my house about how I can't stay awake past 9:00. Even on the weekends when I want to stay up later than the kids, I usually fall asleep on the couch. Turn on sports and I'm sure to be sawing logs within 20 minutes. The problem? I like to watch hockey, and I never make it through a game.

So, when I saw this recipe (http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/icy-coffee-punch-recipe/index.html) while staring at a pot full of coffee that I was going to have to dump down the drain, the light bulb went off.

It was a snap to make and tasted delicious. I won't be spending $$$ at that unnamed place any longer, as it keeps beautifully in the fridge. I not only enjoyed it that night (and saw the ENTIRE game), I had some left over for my morning commute to work. You can serve it over ice or ice cream depending on your mood. I had it both ways and can recommend both. Enjoy!

With friendship,

Care'

The Care-Paula Experiment-Dish #4 - Cajun Fried Okra

In the spirit of full disclosure, I totally cheated on this one. I love fried okra. It's one of the few veggies I can get the 12YO to eat. But raw okra freaks me out. Some people freak on chicken gibblets; others on eggs. For me, the sliminess of raw okra is just nasty.

So, when I found Paula's recipe, (http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/cajun-fried-okra-recipe/index.html) I almost passed it by. I purchase the ready-to-fry stuff in the frozen section and it tastes great. Why mess with one of the few things I could make already?

Then it dawned on me. Maybe I could just season the stuff that was ready to fry? Then, I could punch up the flavor without all the hassle? Besides, the worst that could happen is that it turn out inedible and I have to toss it. (We're use to that around here).

I gave it a whirl and it turned out just fine. The kick of the cajun seasoning was great. Normally we plow through a package of frozen okra with a little bit left over. This time there was none left. I even saw the 12YO smile a bit.

With friendship,

Care'