Not Your Average Hausfrau

I am turning into a for real Hausfrau.

There are worse things for sure.  It seems though that it is becoming what is going to happen over the next year or so.  It doesn't mean that I won't be listening to some punk while whist dusting.  That's how I roll.  Though really, I will be a student as well.  Time to go back to school.  Actually, I am basically a Hausfrau right now, just for myself.  And I never even bought myself a ring.  Cheap ass.

I am pretty lucky.  My boyfriend is super supportive.  He is happy to help me through college; he is supportive about creating a business to sell homemade remedies and teas; he's pretty much an awesome partner really.

I think I am also really happy to have someone that I can cook with.  It's so much fun.  I have never had that before.  And he's a gadget person, so buying random shit is not an issue, but in fact, encouraged.

I also have been looking at recipes.  Not a big deal, you may say.  It's not really.  Except that I do not use recipes.  Everything I cook, I make up along the way.  I do not bake usually.  If I do, it's cookies in a tube or boxed cake.  Too many rules to follow!

But cooking...I am like a little mad scientist.  "I wonder what will happen if..." and I just go for it.  I have seldom been off.  The only real times I have is when I tried cooking for my PB (psuedo boyfriend / peanut butter / best girlfriend ).  PB is German as hell and loves her some bland food.  I try to replicate dishes for her when we do dinners and they always taste like crap.  So she thinks I am an awful cook.  It's funny really.

The man and I are often on cooking sites.  I am especially, really.  I think it's because I know he is game.  It makes cooking less of a chore.

Though I am happy with him, I have been a snare "blargh" in general so haven't been posting. Malaise! I need to remember that it's something I like to do.  I apologize for being negligent.  But I'll leave you with a recipe.

You can thank Smarty, as she saw me post something about it on Facebook.  My sister made this at Easter since I told her I could not eat chocolate.  How precious is that?  I told her fruit would be fine, since she was already making fruit salad.  But no - she had to make this crack.  We brought some home and I am totally making it for Mac's birthday.

Enjoy!

Coconut Creme Cheesecake Bars

What You Need

84 NILLA Wafers, divided

6 Tbsp.  butter, melted

1 pkg. (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened

2 Tbsp.  sugar

1 tub (8 oz.) COOL WHIP Whipped Topping, thawed, divided

2 pkg.  (3.4 oz. each) JELL-O Vanilla Flavor Instant Pudding

2-1/2 cups cold milk

1-1/2 cups  BAKER'S ANGEL FLAKE Coconut, toasted, divided

Make It

RESERVE 24 wafers. Crush remaining wafers; mix with butter. Press onto bottom of 13x9-inch pan. Refrigerate while preparing filling.
BEAT cream cheese and sugar with mixer until well blended. Whisk in 1 cup COOL WHIP. Carefully spread over crust. Stand reserved wafers around edges.
BEAT pudding mixes and milk with whisk in medium bowl 2 min. Stir in 1 cup COOL WHIP and 3/4 cup coconut; spread over cream cheese layer. Top with remaining COOL WHIP and coconut. Refrigerate 5 hours.

How to Toast Coconut

Toasting coconut is easy. Just spread BAKER'S ANGEL FLAKE Coconut evenly in shallow baking pan. Bake at 350°F for 7 to 10 min. or until lightly browned, stirring frequently. Or, spread in microwaveable pie plate. Microwave on HIGH 3 min. or until lightly browned, stirring every minute. Watch carefully as coconut can easily burn!

WARNING!  This stuff is highly addictive.

Spice of Life

Here's how I know I am on the mend:

My cat wants to be near me.  That little puss in boots did not want to be around me at all for the last several days.  You know you look brutal when your own pet doesn't want you.  He was snuggling with me last night and this morning.

Did I mention that the little booger was hiding in my closet and ate the fringe off of my wrap?  Yeah, I've been finding black yarn hairballs all over and oddly shaped poop in his box all week.  It's been a real pleasure.  That turd.  he is cute as hell though.

The antibiotics are kicking in and I am even breathing sometimes.  Hooray!  At least my face doesn't hurt anymore.  Seriously, is that all necessary?  It's bad enough you're sick, but you have to be in pain as well?

I kind of get it though.  It's a bit like what we are doing to the planet.  The virus is just trying to survive, it isn't really conscious that it is harming me.

Yeah, that's a single cell fucking virus with no rational thought though.  Humans should know better.

Oh my Zeus!  It's like the damn Matrix.  Hmmm...they were on to something.

I am limitedly environmentally friendly.  I do recycle, but that's only because there is a bin where my dumpster is.  That equals easy.  I also reuse things as best I can.

I am a container whore.  I love containers.  LOVE them.  I prefer to transfer boxed or bagged dry items into canisters in the cupboard.  I have a Tuperware set that I love. It helps me stay organized and I like the way it looks.

Anyway,  I have discovered a fabulous little container for spices:  Crystal Light containers.  I drink alot of Crystal Light.  One of my favorites is Pomegranate Cherry.  One of my girlfriends and I were discussing how we could not find it anywhere anymore and were debating on whether or not it was discontinued.  My sweetheart of a man, hearing this, calls me the next week from Target and calls me to confirm the flavor.  He seriously bought 14 of them.  I cannot even deal with him sometimes.  What a fucking lamb.  But he's a total manly man as well.  He's so perfect for me.

Segway again!  Sorry.  My point was that I buy some spices in bulk.  Interpret that as sometimes I buy them in bulk, other times my mom purchases industrial sized containers and gives me baggies of yummy spices like cumin and Spanish paprika.  In general though, it is way less expensive to buy them in bulk packages.  I think I paid like $1.59 for a bag of oregano that has lasted me a year.  And I put oregano in everything.  It's stronger than the McCormick type stuff.  Not that anything is wrong with those, the bagged stuff just seems more fresh somehow. The Crystal Light containers are perfect and fit in my spice bin, because of course I have a little basket for spices in the cupboard.  Some other things I have used them for: jelly beans, popcorn kernels, hard candy, rice. They are super slim and hold a nice amount.

Yeah, don't think for a minute that I did not go buck with ideas to organize my man's pantry full of spices.  Did I mention that he loves to cook?  Yeah, he has more stuff than I do.  We are always in the kitchen.  It's such a good thing for us to do together.  It makes even cleaning up (which I loathe) pleasant.  I love that it's something he enjoys doing.

I think I could actually grow resentful of someone who did not do that with me.  Honestly.  It would eventually really get to me to be in the kitchen alone all the time cooking and cleaning.  I don't know how my mom does it.  My dad is helpful in the sense that he really does take care of the house and he is usually doing things to make it comfortable for them or repairing things.  Stuff like that.  But he does not necessarily even hang out with my mom when she is doing dishes.  I love that if one of us is doing them, the other is there also, even if it's just chatting.  Such a little thing it seems, but so important.

Be good to each other.

Smooches!