I'm gonna make you a cupcake you can't refuse.

As all good things must come to an end, then I guess Valentine's weekend must as well.  Growing up I hated Valentine's Day.  Mainly because I was one of the only people walking around the halls of my high school with no roses, mylar balloon, oversized card, stuffed bear... you get the idea.  However, Jeffery has always managed to make it great no matter what we're doing.

This year we decided to "keep it small."  Jeffery was so proud of himself; instead of roses he went for a baby rose bush... get it?  "Keep it small." ha!  He also picked up a box of Whitman's Sampler, there is a bite missing from all of them, and since Food Lion had red velvet cake and icing on sale I grabbed that coming home from work one night.  Snow rolled in on Friday evening and Saturday morning Bennett had a winter wonderland to play in.  Jeffery's parents were in town for the day so we went to buy our couch, a gift from the Hunters, and then on to have hot wings for lunch for Jeffery's belated birthday lunch.  After hanging out at the house and watching the miserable UNC vs. NCSU basketball game they headed home and I headed back up to my room for more school work (blah).

We've finished off the weekend with Japanese Steak House for lunch, watching gangster movies (Goodfellas & The Godfather) all day (while I read applications) and our evening activity... CUPCAKES!  Jeffery of course jumped into help when he could break the eggs and use the blender and then came back to decorate.  He even let Bennett get in on the action!

Over all, it's been a great weekend and was exactly what Valentines is supposed to be about, spending time with the people you love... and the food you love!

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

Winds-day

Gopher: If I was you, I'd think about skedaddlin' out of here.
Winnie the Pooh: Why?
Gopher: 'Cause it's "Winds-day."
~Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day


After two days of rain, wind and ridiculously cold weather I decided I needed some down home comfort. I of course knew that talking mom into traveling to Raleigh to make me her homemade vegetable soup would not be an option, so I womaned up and made it myself!

Now lets get something straight, I'm not talking about opening a can of Campbell's finest. I made good ol', made from scratch, vegetable beef soup. This may sound simple to some, but this was the first time I've ever made something that didn't start out as a powder or from a can. Now, to tell the truth I didn't chop up tomatoes (those did come from a can), but the broth was homemade. So, for those who are interested...
1. Boil a soup bone (I cooked one and Bennett had one), some celery stalks, and two bullion cubes in about 6 cups of water. Cook until "goo" falls off the bone.
2. Strain liquid into a bowl or crock pot.
3. Add one can of tomato soup, 24 oz can of crushed tomatoes and all the veggies you want. In addition you can throw in left over steak, hamburger meat, etc.
4. Cook for several hours, add salt, pepper, spices to taste and enjoy

Like I said, I know this sounds simple, but there is something special about being able to make a meal from scratch like your mother or grandmother. To be able to create a meal by simply throwing some things together. Sure, there are some recipes that mom has shared over the years, but those are easy and no different than reading them from a cookbook. No, there is definitely a grown up feel that comes from making a meal just like your mom with no real recipe involved. So bring it on "Winds-days," bring on your wind and sub-zero temperatures. I'll be ready for you next time and looking forward to a nice hot bowl of mom's vegetable soup!