Happy Monday

Sean Connery--not bad for an old guy. 

Happy Monday

Some Ewan McGregor on a rainy Monday morning.   

Happy Monday

Over the weekend the main water line coming into our house broke, spewing who knows how much water into our basement and making it so that we had to have the water shut off.  Since we still have no water and cannot bathe, I decided to re-share these guys, because this is how I feel right now.

I hope your Monday is cleaner than ours!  

Happy Monday

A kilted Tom Hiddleston to help make your Monday better.

Happy Monday

No, it's not a kilt, but it's close enough.  Right?

Happy Monday

My, what a big, fuzzy sporran you have!

Happy Monday

Hay, you!  Have a happy Monday.

Happy Monday

Happy Monday

Technically it is still Monday where I am, so I'm not officially late yet.  :)

Happy Monday

Technically it is still Monday where I am, so I'm not officially late yet.  :)

Happy Monday

Since it has been so hot here the past few days, I thought some snow would be refreshing.  :)

Happy Monday

I can't sleep tonight, so I decided to find something nice to look at instead.  :)

Happy Monday

Happy Monday

I hope your weekend was enjoyable.  Let's make Monday good, too.

Happy Monday

Happy Monday

Sorry for the lack of kilted persons the past few Mondays.  In all honesty, I forgot.  I had a Summer semester university course that was keeping me exceptionally busy, and some other issues, and I completely forgot.  I will try to do better in the future.  Until then, enjoy this:

Happy Monday

A very important question for someone pondering wearing a kilt.  :)  

Happy Monday (a little late)

Hot Damn, indeed.  

Happy Monday

It's been a few Mondays since I posted, and I am sorry about that.  Life gets in the way of my best laid plans sometimes.  Let me try to make it up to you.

Happy Monday

The past few weeks have been very busy for me, and this past weekend was no exception.  I was going to write something different here, but I just looked out my window and realized that it is snowing after being 82 degrees just two days ago.  :)  Welcome to Spring!  Anyway, here is a kilt wearer enjoying a much warmer time than I am.  

Happy Monday

Happy Monday

Some beautiful scenery, too.  

Happy Monday

 I hope your weekend was better than mine.  It wasn't really bad, just spent trying to fight off an uncomfortable illness.

So, in an effort to make us all feel better, two liars.

If your kilt hits above the knee, you're a boy, at the knee, you're a man, below the knee, you're a damn liar.  :)

Happy Monday

It's really cold here this morning, so I thought some warmly dressed kilt wearers might be in order.  :)

Happy Monday

This was sent to me by a good friend a couple of weeks ago and I thought this was a good time to share it.  :)

Food Friday--Oven Roasted Cabbage

I admit it.  I like cabbage.  I like it sauteed with butter and garlic.  I like it roasted in the oven with olive oil and a sprinkle of salt.  I like it raw, shredded in salads.  Purple, green, I don't care.  I like it all.

My son tolerates cabbage, and will eat it if I make him, but he would rather not.  This cabbage though, he actually said was "...pretty good," which is high praise coming from him.

I am providing you with two similar cabbage recipes.  I made them both within a week of each other, and I couldn't decide which was better.  I hope you enjoy them both.

Oven Roasted Cabbage 2 ways

What you need
Version 1
1 head of green cabbage, cut into 1 inch thick rounds
Olive oil, for brushing onto the cabbage rounds
Salt for sprinkling onto cabbage rounds

OR
Version 2
1 head of green cabbage, cut into 1 inch thick rounds
Olive oil, for brushing onto the cabbage rounds
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 teaspoon soy sauce
Salt for sprinkling onto cabbage rounds

What you do
Version 1
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.
Spray a large baking sheet (or two) with non-stick spray.
Remove the outer leaves from your cabbage, and then chop it into 1 inch thick rounds.  Brush both sides of your cabbage rounds lightly with olive oil and sprinkle with salt.
Arrange on your baking sheets and pop them into the oven for 30 minutes.
Remove from the oven and flip the cabbage over, then put back into the oven for another 20 -30 minutes, depending on how done you want your cabbage.
Enjoy warm from the oven.

Version 2
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.
Spray a large baking sheet (or two) with non-stick spray.
Remove the outer leaves from your cabbage, and then chop it into 1 inch thick rounds.  Brush both sides of your cabbage rounds lightly with olive oil and sprinkle with salt.
Arrange on your baking sheets and pop them into the oven for 30 minutes.  While that is baking, combine about a tablespoon of olive oil, the soy sauce and maple syrup in  a small bowl.
Remove from the oven, brush the top side with the soy sauce-maple syrup combination, then flip the cabbage over and brush that side, too, then put the cabbage back in the oven for another 20 minutes.

Enjoy warm from the oven.

My son prefers Version 2, my husband prefers Version 1, and I don't really have a preference, I like it both ways.

An unassuming green cabbage.

No, I can't eyeball an inch very well.

Roasted and slightly sweet.  YUM!

Gratuitous kitty toes.

Food Friday--Nutella Cheesecake

Cheesecake is one of my favorite foods.  It didn't used to be that way.  When I was a child, I hated cheesecake and could not understand how anyone could eat that nasty stuff.  But, I used to adore blueberries and could eat myself sick on them and still want more.  As I got older, I lost my taste for blueberries and acquired a taste for cheesecake.  

Nutella is something that I had not heard of until about 8 years ago.  A good friend had brought some over to our apartment and shared her ritual of opening the jar and inhaling the goodness before grabbing a spoon and enjoying a taste.  I was intrigued by the smell of the Nutella, and when she gave me a spoonful, I was hooked.  

This past weekend I got a craving for cheesecake and I had a jar of Nutella just laying around, lonely and unused, so I decided to see if I could make a good Nutella cheesecake.  

It smelled so good while it was baking that it drew my teenager from his room multiple times happily sniffing around the oven and asking when it would be done.  After much anticipation, he was able to try some and declared it "good".

Nutella Cheesecake (16 servings)

What you need

Crust

1 1/2 cups chocolate graham cracker crumbs

2 tablespoons sugar

1/2 cup melted butter

Filling

3 8-ounce packages cream cheese, softened (I used the lower fat Neufchatel cheese because I like it)

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup flour

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 egg yolks

1 whole egg

1/2 cup milk

1 13-ounce jar Nutella 

What you do

Preheat your oven to 350°F. In a small mixing bowl, combine crust ingredients. Pat into the bottom of a 9" springform pan and bake for 10 minutes.   

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the cream cheese, sugar, flour, and vanilla until just combined.  Scrape down the sides of your mixing bowl, then add the egg yolks and egg, and beat on low until just combined.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl again and add in the milk and Nutella and mix completely.

Pour the filling into your springform pan. Reduce the oven temperature to 300°F.  Wrap the bottom and sides of your pan with aluminum foil and place it on a deep baking sheet and then place them both in the oven. Create a water bath by adding water to the baking sheet, just enough to fill it about halfway up. The foil around the springform pan keeps the water out of your cheesecake, and the water helps buffer the heat from the bottom of the oven, and provides moisture that will prevent your cheesecake from cracking.

Bake for 1 1/2 hours, or until center appears set when shaken lightly. Remove from the water bath and cool on a wire rack. Remove the outer ring from the cheesecake pan, cool completely, and store in the refrigerator.  (Or if you live where I do, store the cheesecake in the unheated garage.)  

Foiled and ready for baking.

Baked and cooled.

Creamy hazelnutty goodness.

Happy Monday

Last week, athletes.  This week a musician.  Unfortunately, I forget which band he is with.  :(

Food Friday--Cheese Danish

Okay, so my step mother posted this recipe on her Facebook wall seven or eight times and I could never figure out if it looked good or not.  A few days ago, she posted it again and my son saw the picture and declared "Ooh, that looks good!"

I am always on the lookout for things that he will actually eat as he seems to get more picky by the day, so I decided to give this recipe a shot.  It's easy and the actual active time on it is not too bad, but there is much waiting so this is not a recipe that you should attempt if you are in a hurry.

It's nice and warm, cheesy and sweet, and not too bad.  My husband and son both really liked it and had two servings each.  I have had bronchitis and a sinus infection and can't really taste anything, but it does have a nice texture, if that matters to you at all.

Cheese Danish

What you need

2 cans ready to use refrigerated crescent rolls
2 8-ounce packages cream cheese (I used the lower fat Neufchatel cheese because I like the taste of it)
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg
1 egg white (optional in my opinion)

Glaze:
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 Tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

What you do:
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. and spray a 13 X 9 inch baking dish with non-stick spray.  Open a package of the crescent rolls, unroll them in the baking dish and pinch the seams between the rolls together.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the cream cheese, sugar, vanilla, and egg together until smooth.  (If not using a stand mixer, you will want to soften your cream cheese a bit first.)  Spread the mixture over the crescent rolls evenly and then open the second package of crescent rolls and unroll them on top of the cheese mixture and brush the top with the egg white if using.

Bake for 35-45 minutes, until the top is golden brown.

Let cool for 20 minutes.  While the danish is cooling, make the glaze.  Combine the glaze ingredients in a small bowl and stir well, then drizzle over the top of the cooled danish, cut into squares and enjoy.

I don't know exactly what it tastes like, but my family really enjoyed it.  

Happy Monday

Some athletes (I believe they are rugby players) for your Monday.  

Happy Monday

I am so tired this morning that I actually forgot it was Monday.  Oops.  :)

"Take a picture," it might help you remember it's Monday.  

Happy Monday

Wet kilted people want to help you have a good Monday.  :)  

Food Friday--Mini Sweet Potato Pies

It's been a while since I posted a recipe for you.  We found out in mid-September that my father had been diagnosed with lung cancer and had only been given two weeks to live.  I took a break from my "normal" routine to spend as much time with him as I could.  He passed away on October 31, 2013.  My father was cremated and most of his ashes will be buried at sea by the US Navy.  I received my portion of his ashes on Christmas Eve.  

It is difficult to get back into your old routine when your life has changed so much, and it has taken me a while to get back to some semblance of normal.  I am still trying to figure out how to adjust to no longer having my dad around.

So, having now ruined this post for everyone, I present to you a recipe that my son loved, I thought was okay, and I have no idea what my husband thought as he just ate it and didn't really comment.

Mini Sweet Potato Pies.

What you need

1 pie crust to fit a 9 inch pie (I prefer to make my own, but a store bought refrigerated crust works, too)

1 40 oz can sweet potatoes, drained (or even better, an equivalent amount of fresh, cooked, mashed sweet potatoes)

3/4 cup evaporated milk (I use fat free, but regular works, too, and gives a richer taste)

2 egg whites

1/4 cup sugar

2 tablespoons maple syrup

3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg 

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 cup mini marshmallows (I think these are optional, my son thinks they are mandatory)

What you do (pictures after the recipe)

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F. and spray four, four inch ramekins with nonstick cooking spray.

If using a home made pie crust, make it like normal, and after rolling it out, divide it into four equal portions.  If using a store bought pie crust, unroll it and cut it into four equal portions.  Either way, form each of those sections into a ball, then roll back out until the crusts are large enough to fit up the sides of a 4 inch ramekin.

In a blender, food processor or a bowl with an immersion blender puree the sweet potatoes, evaporated milk, egg whites, sugar, maple syrup, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves (everything except the pie crust and marshmallows), until smooth and well combined. 

Divide the mixture evenly amongst your four ramekins (you may have some sweet potato mixture left over).  

Bake for 10 minutes, then reduce the heat to 300 degrees continue to bake for another 25 to 30 minutes.  Top with marshmallows if desired and bake  an additional 5 minutes, or until the marshmallows are light golden brown.

Remove from oven and let cool before cutting each pie into 4 servings.

Little dough balls

Rolled back out, big enough to fit inside a ramekin.

Patted into the ramekin

Filled with goodness.

They really are browned, you just can't tell.  

Happy Monday

Happy Monday.

Well, he IS a McDonald after all.  :)  

Happy Monday