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Bahhhhh

Hello world! I think that saying I have neglected this blog would be a HUGE understatement. I have left you in the dark, cold world all alone and I am terribly sorry! Life has been flying by and I have been crazy busy the past few months. Ever since my return from Coachella life has been on fast forward. I have actually spent most of my time working on perfecting my sweet dance moves, I am thinking about auditioning for the next round of So You Think You Can Dance.....I wanted to keep it a secret for as long as could but I decided to share with you the product of all my hard work......behold......




Now, I am busy working on ideas for my next few posts, and some updates on what else I've been doing......see you soon, and yes, there are delicious recipes to come!!!! Cyber Hi-5

oh the good life is out there somewhere......

I have been on a serious Smiths kick lately. I have been listening to them at home, in the car, in the office, in my head when I can't listen to them out loud. I even did a little karaoke number with friends to a Smith's song a few weeks ago. I think that Morrissey is amazing, and I hope to be able to see him live one day. I know that I will never ever see The Smiths and that's ok, because I totally understand where Morrissey is coming from.

On being offered a reported $5 mil to play at Coachella - "No, because money doesn't come into it." He further explained, "It was a fantastic journey. And then it ended. I didn't feel we should have ended. I wanted to continue. [Marr] wanted to end it. And that was that."

"I feel as if I've worked very hard since the demise of The Smiths and the others haven't, so why hand them attention that they haven't earned? We are not friends, we don't see each other. Why on earth would we be on a stage together?"

Here is one of my favorite songs, from their first album, which was released in the glorious year of my birth. The people that work around my office are probably SO sick of this song by now, I spent 13 hours in my office today, with The Smiths on heavy rotation........it kept me from going Office Space-where's my stapler, and burning the whole place down..............nighty-night kitties

Spring has arrived

Good morning everyone. It feels like someone pushed the fast foward button on life! haha Where have the past few weeks gone? I think that the loss of an hour has really thrown a wrench in my spokes, so to speak. I am just now getting back on track, getting organized and starting a few of the projects I have been meaning to start for weeks now. Last night I made a fresh lemon curd cheese cake, I didn't post the instructions for this one because it took me almost 2 hours to make and frankly, it was exhausting. It's one of those recipes that you make like, once a year because it is SO good but a terrible pain to make. Another recipe will be coming soon, I promise!

Another thing that is coming, COACHELLA!!!! I am so excited I could pee my pants. 3 days of bands I love, people I love, sunshine and dancing. This also means festival fashion!! Short shorts, hippie shirts, bikinis, big sunglasses and floppy hats. I cannot wait. There are only 19 days left. I made a playlist for you all of a few of the bands I am excited to see. Enjoy.......

Mock-yeah-ing-yeah-bird-yeah-yeah-yeah

New post coming today.....stay tuned kiddos.....

Well, this post was meant to be published on the overly commercialized holiday of "love" and material objects, but my busy schedule and lack of time management got the best of me and pushed this post back about a month. My deepest apologies, I had wanted to bring you something warm, ooey-gooey, original and from the heart because we all know the fastest way to someones heart is with fresh baked goods. May I present to you all.......drum roll please.....Heart shaped mini fruit pies. They are delicious, easy to make and you are able to customize them, based on personal taste and seasonal available fruits. The pies in this demonstration use frozen fruit from whole foods because it's February in Vegas, there is NO good fruit right now. I also used boxed crust instead of home made because A)I had neither the time nor patience to go at a mass quantity of home made crust. Crust is a bitch to master and I had to make 20 mini pies, which is about 3 batches of crust. Not happening B) Pilsbury makes a damn good crust, and most people don't know the difference anyway.
Happy belated V-day. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

Makes approx 8 mini pies

1 box Pilsbury Crust (or one batch home made crust, enough for bottom crust and shell)
3 Cups Strawberries or fruit of your choice
1/4 cup sugar ( I use half granulated, half brown sugar)
1 tbl Vanilla extract
1 tbl fresh orange juice
1 tbl butter
2 tsp all purpose flour
Egg wash or water for finishing
1 egg yolk
3 tbl water
Coarse sanding sugar
Medium sized heart shape cookie cutter- or any shape you like- simple shapes work best.


Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a small dish combine the flour with the sugars and whisk to combine.
In a medium pan heat the fruit, OJ, sugar mix, butter and vanilla. Heat until fruit begins to break down.

Once fruit begins to bubble, reduce heat to low and simmer. Mash the fruit together and continue to cook on low until the moisture cooks away and the fruit starts getting thick.

Remove the pan from the heat. Strain the juice into bowls, you can freeze this and save for later use- in cupcakes, frosting, cocktails....you get the idea. Put the strained fruit in a bowl and set aside to cool.

While the filling is cooling, roll out one crust. Use cookie cutter to cut out bottom crust. Lay them out on a cookie sheet about 1 inch apart. Spoon filling into the middle of each crust. Be careful not to use too much filling, and don't put it too close to the edge, or your pies won't seal properly, and all the filling will bake out onto the cookie sheet.

Next, prepare the egg wash, roll out the second crust and cut out the crust tops. Use the egg wash or water and lightly brush around the edge of the bottom crust. Gently lay top crust down, and push down around the entire edge of the pie, sealing completely. Use a pastry brush, or your fingers :) and lightly coat the top of the pie with egg wash/water, and generously sprinkle with sanding sugar. Repeat until all pies are sealed.

Bake for approx 30 minutes, or until tops of pies are golden brown. Remove and let cool. Pies will store for up to 4 days in a sealed container.

Hey kiddos, I have been sick this entire week, not just sick but deathly ill. I am suprised I still have two lungs in my chest, I swear I hacked one up on Tuesday. I caught whatever death bug was going around. The same one that took down Starry Eyed Charlie.....I don't really remember much of the past week, thanks to DayQuil and Cough Sizzurp so I wasn't really in a blogging state of mind. There is a recipe coming your way this weekend WOOHOO so stay tuned for that. I wanted to leave you with a little something in the mean time....this makes me laugh every time I watch it.....a prime example of why you NEVER put a cat on a leash.........enjoy

The rain falls hard on a hum drum town.......

I hope everyone is well on this rainy Thursday. I love the rain.....I love the smells, the sound, the clouds, the possibility of thunder and lightning, but I HATE being cold. One thing I love to do on cold rainy days is to cook a giant pot of soup or stew. It's something that will occupy my afternoon and warm me up in the process! Today I bring you....drum roll please.......Curried black lentils with potatoes and tomatoes. I love Indian food, especially being a vegetarian, because there are so many great options that are pretty healthy, and a lot of the dishes are one pot meals that aren't very difficult to master. Plus, the recipes are flexible so you can add whatever types of veggies you are in the mood for. Let's get started,


Ingredients:

3 medium potatoes- chopped in 1 inch cubes
1 cup-chopped yellow onion- (about 1 small-med onion)
1 cup-cherry tomatoes- you can use whole chopped tomatoes, but i like the cherry tomatoes because they keep their juice during the cooking process and break down once they get hot enough. Plus it saves time...WIN
1 cup- garbanzo beans
1 1/2 cups-lentils- Any color or type will work, I like Trader Joe's Black Beluga Lentils, they have a great flavor and texture, I like their size too, they are smaller than other lentils, plus they are pre-cooked so again, it's a time saver. **Make sure to cook your lentils prior to the recipe if you are using fresh dry lentils. Just add them to boiling water or veg stock and simmer until tender.
2 cups -vegetable stock
1/4 cup -unsweetened coconut milk
1 tbl. -tomato paste
1 tbl. -all purpose flour
1/4 tsp. -ground clove
2 tsp. -red curry powder
1 1/2 tbl. -yellow curry
2 tsp. -cumin
2 tsp. -ground ginger
3 large cloves garlic- chopped or put through garlic press
3 tbl. -olive or vegetable oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Prep all your ingredients. Put all the spices together in a small dish and set aside. Chop the potatoes and put them in a bowl of cold salted water, so that they don't turn brown, and to remove some of the starch. Chop onions, and be sure to rinse tomatoes and garbanzo beans.

Get a large pot or saucepan. Heat oil then add onions and garlic. Saute on low for 10-15 minutes, or until onion become transparent. Make sure not to burn the garlic or it will turn bitter.
Next, add dry spice mixture to onion and garlic. Mix well and let it simmer for 3 minutes.

Add tomato paste, and flour. Whisk until combined then add tomatoes, vegetable stock and potatoes. Let simmer for 15 minutes. Add lentils, garbanzo beans, and coconut milk. Stir well and simmer on low heat for 20-30 minutes, or until potatoes are tender and sauce has thickened.

Once done, the sauce will be thick, potatoes will be tender and you can add salt and pepper to taste, you can also add cayenne pepper for a little more spice. The curry can be served with or without steamed rice and naan...mmmmm and you can top with a little bit of plain yogurt for a delicious finishing touch.







Here is a little rainy day playlist I listened to while cooking.

I had a dream.....

I was shown this video a few months ago, and I have to say it is one of the best videos I have ever seen. It makes my soul want to do an air side-kick! It starts out a little slow, but trust me, it gets goood. I feel like this dude sometimes, dancin allllll alone. ...........He.kicks.ass.

Is there life on Mars?

My name is Kelly and I would like to start by telling you a little bit about me and ab0ut this blog. I am a Las Vegas native and I love to bake more than anyone you've ever met....yes, even more than your grandma. I am.....


A mom
The big sister of one funny ass mofo
A vegetarian
A giggler
Always ALWAYS cold
Forgetful
A hypochondriac
A lover
A Pisces
A ginormous sap. Seriously, I cry at everything.
and one old hippie soul



I have 7 pets, 3 of which are fish so they don't really count. I love animals and would probably have a house similar to Ace Ventura's if it weren't for my boyfriend reminding me that I really can't adopt every cute little creature I see.....I am pretty sure that the owners of Pet Kingdom USA are totally creeped out by the fact that my best friend and I go in there to look at the animals on a regular basis .

I hope to someday be the proud owner of a bakery/coffee shop/lil vegetarian cafe, so until that time comes, I am the proud owner of this blog. I will be updating with pictures, videos, songs, and any other randomness that is making me feel inspired, happy, and all around ooey gooey inside. I will also be updating with detailed recipes that are easy peasy and taste aahhhmmazing. I will show you how to make dips, pastas, baked goods and everything in between. We'll laugh, we'll cry, we'll fight-make up and then cuddle afterward. I can promise you all, whatever the future holds for this little corner of cyberspace, I will bring you things more amazing that kittens shooting sprinkle laser beams from their eyes.......... and that's pretty damn amazing.