Awesome Apple Pie!

Ok guys this is my current favorite song,the beat is just so driving,it will make you wanna swing your hips and sway your head....basically be a rockstarrrr! 
Fool For You is an incredible duet between Ceelo & Melanie Fiona,I'm not a big fan of either of them individually but together they are a force!!

So like I said last week I was making apple pie this year and it turned out well! I made 2 of them actually one for me and one for the seniors home I worked at thursday,they turned out sooo well! I still have leftovers from mine and I'll be enjoying it tonight.Anywhoslebeees,here's what you'll need:

Yeah your gonna need more than 1 apple,I made 2 pies and used 7 golden delish apples,so approx 3,4 apples a pie!

 Then I cored the apples,then peeled them. Next time I have to get a peeler,I was a little tired when I got done.

Hmmm now here comes the goodness & mercy! All the apples have been peeled & cored and you've dumped them into a big bowl.

 Now in another bowl get together:
2 tblspns lemon juice
1 tspn lemon zest
1/2 c. granulated sugar
3/4 c.brwn sugar
1 tspn cinnamon
1 tspn all spice
1 tblspn nutmeg




Mix this together really well and pour into the apples,now mix that really well,make sure that every apple slice is coated very well.Taste of few of the apple slices.....ya know for good measure!

Put a few dollops of butter onto the apples before you lay the crust on top.

Sprinkle 2 pinches of sugar on top of each pie before they go in the oven,on 400 for about 25 mins.










And thennnn...

Don't the look scrumptious? I feel like my lattice is really getting better,I can't wait to make another one!

2 Parties 1 weekend Pt.2

Well this has always been one of my favorite Jackson 5 songs.I've always thought it was a little different from most other Jackson 5 tunes it has more if a dance groove to it....or do I just constantly want to dance.I told yall I was born with boogie fever. I wanna be Where You are  is simply a classic.

Well how was your thanksgiving? Mine was relaxing,I volunteered at a seniors home,came back baked my cornish hen & mac n'cheese and it was goood.I'll do a blog later about all that! I met the sweetest lady at the seniors home who showed me where Al Capone was almost arrested and then showed me the tunnel to his home!She was sooo sweet,and they are some serious bingo players,whew! Now back to second party I attended this weekend.It was my grand aunts 90th and it was packed with alot of relatives I haven't seen in 12 years.

My aunt to the left me in the middle and my aunts daughter

Me& my aunt Linda (who used to babysit us) and my sister!

My sister,aunt Jackie & I

The lovely cake..yea these pics are from my phone so not the best quality.

 

2 Parties 1 weekend

We shall continue in Brian McKnight fashion...This.is.it. Loooovvveee this song.Twas originally done my Aaron Neville but Brian really brought it to life for me. Crazy Love   is an amazing interpretation the kind of relationship we'd all like to be in,ahhh what it must be like....I wouldnt know but its a great song to listen to!

So this weekend I went to 2 birthday parties celebrating some very special folks.Today I'm going to cover the first one,my godson.He will be a year old on thanksgiving.He is such a doll,he's walking waddling,saying a few words and he's got about 5 teeth!

How awesome is this cake?not only did it look good I was told it was delish!

 

 

 

 

 

Now even though the icing stained my finger and tongue it was soooo worth it.

Everything was set up so nicely,a snack table there was food,games for the children..

This is the candy table,I'm told the children ransacked,I dont think there was any candy left.

This is the boy of the hour! Isnt his hat sooo cute,he really enjoys people and he got kick out of his party. He couldn't really focus during the magician but he was a good boy and never cried.


Stay tuned for my grand aunts 90th recap later this week!

A healthy Thanxgiving?

Well we're still on Brian McKnight week.The way love goes was the first song that really introduced me to him as an artist. Its an amazing ballad about well...the way love does or does not go.

Today I have quick post as I am off to Michigan for my godson & great aunts bday party!What I have for you are some interesting and tasty ways to make ur holiday dishes a taaaaad healthier,enjoy!!

1)Candies sweet potatoes -I've read the recipe and it appears to be healthy but its covered in marshmallows so..yea...

2)Roasted garlic mashed potatoes I looove garlic mashed potatoes,I'd swap out the butter for an herbed butter!

3)Turkey and gravy this seems pretty labour intensive,but I know it would be so amazingly moist & tasty.I'm gonna stick with my cornish hen this year.

4)Pumpkin Coconut tart Ok I will NOT eat coconut unless its on a dessert.This looks right up my alley,aannndd a whole wheat crust,yesss! I'd swap out the rum for rum extract,I dont drink rum very often so that would be a waste for me.

Stuffed Shell Casserole

Hey yall,I was recently watching one of those soul story's on VH1 soul and it happened to be Brian McKnights story. It then occurred to me as much as like Mr.McKnight I've never posted any of his music here.Soooo this week is Brian McKnight week,I'll be posting his music for a week,or however long I feel like it!
This song is from his Xmas album Bethlehem,here is  Home for the Holidays 

Recently I was reading a post on foodbuzz where someone had made a stuffed shells casserole;that reminded me how much I love stuffed shells,I hadn't made them in a while and never as a casserole.So here goes...Here's what you'll need:

2 cloves garlic (minced)
3 grn onions (chopped)
1 chicken breast (chopped small)
Salt
Pepper
Basil
Olive oil
Pasta Sauce
1/2 c parmesan,romano & asiago cheeses
5 or 6 sm slices  w.cheddar cheese
2 cups spinach (after its cooked down)
13 jumbo shells

Did ya get all that??

1.Spinach is sauteed w/grn onions,basil & salt,meanwhile pasta is boiling.
2.After the spinach has been cooked,take it out,drain and cook the chicken and garlic in the same pan,season w/salt & peppa.
3.Now you can get ready to assemble! You basically want to spoon out the spinach and chicken and put and equal amount in the shells.

It shall look like this

Then you put on the the white cheddar(pre-heat that oven to 400)

Then on goes the sauce,and the rest of the cheese.You can use any sauce you'd like I used some homemade I had left over.Now you bake this on 400 for about 12mins and BAM!

I ate mine w/a dinner roll slathered in garlic butter because hi I'm a carboholic! Next time I think I'll stuff them with chorizo!

Sweet Potato Biscuits

I don't know how many of you are familiar with the rapper Heavy D,but I grew up jammin to Heavy D & the boys. Unfortunately he died this week at the age of 44,I still don't quite know how he passed...but in tribute I will be playing my two favorite Heavy D songs.You know he was one of the few rappers who really uplifted women and that's always good to hear.
Now That we found Love and Black Coffee

So I still had a sweet potato in my fridge from when I made sweet potato scones last week..er whenever. I wanted to do something different something breakfastish.I decided to make sweet potato biscuits,I used a Paula Deen recipe with alterations as usual.Here is the recipe add to this,2 tspns of cinnamon and I used heavy whipping cream instead of milk because its what I had,bam!

Heres what you'll need:

The recipe will tell you to put the potato in the oven which is fine,but I did not.I boiled it then mashed it.

 This is what it looked like after I cut in the butter,is it supposed to look this way or should I have kept going?

Then I formed it into this,rolled it out and used a heart cookie cutter,to cut out the shapes.

 Going in the oven!

Its feeding time!

 I just brushed the tops w/butter after they came out.Aren't they cute.Now let me tell the 2 issues I have with this recipe(you already knew it was coming!) Ok the recipe says they are supposed to be fluffy...ummm do these look fluffy at all to you??No they are not.Also I hate to say this,but they're bland,they just are. The sweet potato gives a nice flavor but it needs a lil more somethin.I did put an extra tblspn of sugar in and the cinnamon,maybe some pumpkin spice? I"ll be experimenting with them again.

Dose Market

Nancy Wilson is a premier jazz singer,she doesn't do alot of scatting or hollering but girly can saaang.Together her and Cannonball Adderley made same hott duets.One of my personal fave's is Never will I marry, her phrasing is so on point and the accompaniment from Cannonball is just the best.Check it out!

Yesterday I got a chance to explore Dose Market.It takes place at River East Center and its the most eclectic market I've been to.They have everything from handmade sausages to purses and specialty teas.It's really rather nice,you do have to buy tickets though;$8 online and $10 at the door.Personally I think the price is a bit much because when you get there your definitely gonna be spending money,but oh well. Who am I but a woman with opinions.


Here are my findings:

The market is from 10am-4pm I got there around 105ish and it was this crowded!

Handmade Italian jewelry

It all looked sooo amazing but I couldn't buy everything!

Raw anything is not my thang,looks interesting,tho

Umm not sure what this is but looks fun!

I bought a maple & chestnut donut,it was so so goood!

Sweet potato & Chocolate Chip Scones

So I've got 2 songs today...well just 1 song but two different renditions of it.Love Me in a Special way was originally done by the DeBarge's in the 80's and it will forever go down as a classic.11 yrs ago Tamia did it over on her album and she really sang this I mean she claimed this song as her own. I really don't know which one I like better,what about you?


Ok I did my intro to this post via vlog you can watch it here .


So lets get down to business:


1c flour
2 tspns baking powder
3/4 c sugar (granulated)
1 c mashed sweet potato
3 tblspns melted & cooled butter
1 tspn nutmeg
1 c choc chips


1)Cut potato in half and put it in the oven on 400 for about 40 mins,then sift flour,b.powder,salt,nutmeg & sugar.
2)After potato comes out of the oven let cool for about 20 mins then mash the potato and add in the butter,mash well.
3)Add dry ingriedients to mix and fold in choc chips

4) Spray a baking sheet with butter and pre-heat the oven to 400.Form the dough in your desired shape,and place upon baking sheet.

5)Bake on 400 for about 15-18mins.Ok heres where I messed up.I left them in for about 22 mins cause I thought the tops were a tad under done...my bad the bottoms were slightly burnt,damn! In spite of that they were actually quite yummers!!












Here's the finished product,they werent to hard to make.The dough did not come together like I thought it would at all. I really had to form it with my hands,but I like making them and eating them! Would I make them again? yes!