Not The Bible Bible… the baking Bible.
It has arrived.
Really, the only question that remains: What do I make first??
You know what they say: Always a bride, never a bridesmaid.
Oh, wait.
OK, well, that’s definitely not what they usually say, but it’s what is true for me. I was a bride, but have never been a bridesmaid.
Until now.
On Friday night, my brother’s fiancee had a few girls over for a nice dinner as her way of asking everyone to be in the wedding. We enjoyed good food and wine, and Marie gave all of us cards, and a book.
They are not getting married until October 2010, so I guess I get to enjoy my bridesmaid status for quite some time, eh? It’ll be interesting to experience a wedding from the “other side” of the bridal party.
Other than that news, not too much else going on lately. Just keeping busy and enjoying ourselves. We have a couple of little weekend and day trips planned over these next few weeks, so that’ll add a little excitement to our lives. Looking forward to getting away a little bit. We haven’t been anywhere since the honeymoon (haven’t taken any days off of work, either!). So stay tuned for all of that…
Yesterday was my first Bills game of the season. Last week, I wasn’t able to watch them play, so this was really the “season opener” for me. And Tess, too.
We got all decked out in our Bills gear.
We were both really tired, and for a while there, the game got boring. So we relaxed.
After losing their lead, the Bills ended up coming back in the 4th quarter for a win. Woohoo!
2-0 heading into a game against the Raiders next Sunday. We like it. The Bills haven’t been 3-0 since 1992, so let’s hope they don’t do anything to screw it up.
How I love you so.
In case you missed it, Tina Fey returned to Saturday Night Live last night to play Sarah Palin. I never watch SNL anymore, but since Obama was scheduled to appear (I didn’t realize he had cancelled due to Hurricane Ike), and there were rumors swirling that Tina Fey would be back for Palin, I knew we had to tune in.
I was not disappointed.
Tina Fey as Sarah Palin: They resemble each other as it is, so it was pretty uncanny to see her with clothes, makeup and hair like Palin. And the accent and mannerisms–she did them so well! And of course, a practically 9-months-pregnant Amy Poehler as Hillary Clinton… always gotta love that as well.
(Ugh. I had a YouTube video embedded here, but no sooner did I have it up that it was taken down at YouTube. Damn you, NBC, and your copyright claims. But you can watch the video here at NBC.com: Sarah Palin & Hillary Clinton Opening)
I’d like to think that this stuff is funny, regardless of your political beliefs. I mean, even if you love Sarah Palin–“I can see Russia from my house”–that’s still funny, right? I hope so. I’d hate to think people take this stuff too seriously.
I’m looking forward to more SNL. Well, political skits anyway. I’ll likely be DVRing so I can fast-forward through all the crap to get to the good stuff. I hope Tina Fey comes back a few more times as Palin. It was too good to not do again!
I was a freshman in college during the 2000 election, but I recorded (on VHS!) SNL every Saturday night just so I could see the political skits. Will Ferrell as George Bush and Darrell Hammond as Al Gore. Those were the days.
Remember when SNL was actually funny? I barely even know any of the actors that are on there now. It’s a bummer.
Tomorrow night, we’re bringing pizza over to our new-parent friends, Theresa and Greg. We’re going to have dinner with them, and also meet the baby (10 days old!). I decided that I should bake something to bring for dessert as well.
A few weeks ago, I saw this recipe over at BakingBlonde. I knew that I had to put this in my queue of recipes to try… I just needed an occasion. And here it is!
I also saw that Katie over at Good Things Catered made them recently as well. I ended up using Katie’s suggestion of adding peanuts to the recipe, so I followed Katie’s recipe more closely than the original at BakingBlonde.
Since I followed the same recipe and used the same size pan, I’m not really sure why mine turned out so differently from both BakingBlonde’s and Katie’s. But regardless… Michael and I sampled one after they cooled, and they are delicious! So sweet and peanut-buttery and just good.
Peanut Butter Blondies
Ingredients:
– 4 tbsp. unsalted butter, almost melted
– 2 tbsp. oil
– 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
– 1 cup packed brown sugar
– 1 egg
– 2 tbsp. milk
– 2 tsp. vanilla extract
– 1/4 tsp. salt
– 1 cup flour
– 1/2 tsp. baking powder
– 1/2 cup chocolate chips (I used semi-sweet)
– 1/3 cup honey roasted peanuts (I chopped them up before adding to the batter)
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 8×8″ pan with foil and lightly spray with cooking spray.
2. In a microwave safe bowl, heat butter for 20-30 seconds until almost/all melted. Allow to cool for five minutes.
3. Combine butter, oil, and peanut butter. Mix until creamy and smooth.
4. Add brown sugar to the mixture and continue to mix until smooth.
5. Add the egg and mix to combine thoroughly.
6. Add milk and vanilla, and again mix to combine.
7. Add the flour, baking soda, and salt and mix until just combined (the batter will be thick).
8. Gently fold in chocolate chips and chopped peanuts.
9. Place mixture into prepared pan. Spread mixture evenly and level the top.
10. Bake 20-30 minutes, until set in the middle. Cool completely before cutting.
About
I'm Heather. I'm 33 and have been married to Michael for seven years. Together, we have two beautiful little girls we love more than anything, and a miniature dachshund who drives us crazy. I'm a full-time working mom who has very little time for my own "stuff" these days, like home improvement, cooking/baking, cake decorating, and photography. Despite the team not making the playoffs since 1999, I'm STILL a Buffalo Bills fan, which I think speaks to my loyalty AND sense of humor. I can't wait to pick up the pace with travel again some day... you know, when we're done being ruled by tiny fists. Welcome to my blog.
