It's funny, I went from being incredibly lonely, to having a full social calendar with friends that are more genuine than I could begin to describe. It's amazing to finally meet people who are so much like me; quirky, fun, even a bit depressed at moments that are acceptable, maybe even a little wierd. We all kind of bond on a level that I've never experienced before, and I have never enjoyed being a mommy more. Thank you ladies!!

I have no big foodie entries to post, because my entire family just got over the most AGONIZING stomach flu. I'm keeping it really simple this week, and cooking mostly with already-made-by-someone-else-and-frozen-meals. Eh, I'd bet ya even RR takes a break from the gourmet 30-minute meal cooking itinerary.

Anyway, I will leave you with a few more pictures I've taken of the munchkin over the last few weeks. Enjoy!

This is a standard dish that I make often, and love very much. Sometimes the ingredients change, depending on my mood, but it always contains some sort of spanish-sounding rice (yellow or garlic herb) and Goya's "Mojo Criollo" marinade. When I cook the rice, I substitute this very thin liquid spice for some of the water, and the dish comes out slightly spicy, slightly citrusy, and always yummy. The rest is just a mixture of veggies I have on hand, and usually chicken. I love beans in my rice, and I use the Goya brand "small red beans." These are smaller than your average kidney bean, and the shell is much thinner. If you want the full recipe, let me know and I'll provide it. To be honest, everything is eyeballed, so I don't really have a "recipe" to begin with. Ha! The joy of cooking without a safety net... :)

These are some random shots I took while making homemade organic caffeine-free iced tea. (say THAT ten times fast!) I have an aunt that buys me big variety packs of tea every year for Christmas, which is lovely. However, I am the only tea drinker in my house, and even if I were to drink a cup of tea everyday I would STILL have leftovers by next Christmas.

So I decided to make iced tea yesterday. I mixed a few different flavors, which was ballsy I know. *grin* It turned out pretty decent, although I have secured the idea that I really dislike chamomile tea. It tastes like...dried mushed up flowers. And that's just gross...

Every recipe I found called for orange peel, which I really despise in food, so I searched, and searched, and SEARCHED. Finally, I found a recipe for cranberry orange muffins (which are one of my favorites), and I set to work. I juiced all the oranges, and I dug out a bag of dried cranberries, and I giggled as I clicked the beater into place on my new Kitchenaid mixer. (the crimson one , of course)

The recipe called for whole wheat flour, which I think is where things started to go South. I'm new to whole wheat flour, and the kind I have is very grainy in texture. To be honest, I'm not really thrilled about baking at all, because the measurements have to be so precise. I'm the kind of girl that half measures everything, and stops when the color and/or taste look good. With baking, everything tastes like semi-sweet floury ass before it's baked, so I'm screwed where taste is concerned.

I decided to add more cranberries, because the mixture looked bland, so as you'll notice in the photos, there are a ton of little cranberry jewels falling out of the muffins. The muffins didn't rise the way I thought they would, but I'm not sure if it was the muffin, or the new silicone bakeware I used for the first time. Whatever the reason, I was not impressed. I also made a few little loaves of muffin bread, while more appealing to the eye, they are a little bland and grainy in taste-just like the muffins.

I decided not to post the recipe, as I'm afraid someone will look at the pictures and try to duplicate my attempt. I assure you it would be a waste of good citrus. You may be wondering, if the muffins were this bad of an experience, why write about them? The truth is, I hate baking. And I'm also not so great about using up leftovers before they spoil. I am really proud of myself for stepping out of my stove-top comfort zone, and trying something different. Because of that, I believe it deserves a post and some grainy-ass photos to go with it. If you've suffered this entire post, I'm sorry. I will attempt to make it up to you in the coming months with cooking tips and yummy recipes, adapted from the slew of cookbooks I have acquired over the last two years. I hope everyone had a lovely New Year's, and thanks for tuning in. :)