Below are the 20 most recent journal entries recorded in cocoatoast's InsaneJournal:

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Thursday, January 1st, 2009
6:05 pm	JANUARY 1, 2009 46 clear 5:53 p.m. Resolution : Do Not Eat Out Low 20's this morning. 1,133.60 in bank. Rent raised to $665 as of today. Been running the heat way, way too much. Jack & Bun Bun ok. Plants doing well. As I try to write and do the word search puzzle I realize I cannot think of words. Slept well on the sofa under the heavy gold bedspread. Today ate: Cup of Superior Cuppaccino from the lb. can Denise Newsome brought me. Ham from the ham bone Anne brought me. Nuked 3 potatoes and fried one with minced onion. Fried 3 eggs. Nestea Red Tea Pom & Passion Fruit Vitawater Pink Water Big pieces of ham from the bone. The place is a mess. Kitchen, bathroom are just heaped with clutter. Living room is heaped, too. Both bedrooms are the same messes. Felicia Simon called twice to check on me. Marcia Chamber's resolution is Get A Boyfriend. I am huge and feel extra fat. Denise Hornsby has boil on her butt. My tv box coupons are coming. I want to order Nutsonline coffees, Grape seed extract from Roex. I want to buy a lot more Nestea Red Tea. The security guard at Soveriegn Building is 5 years out of high school and said, "Now that I'm an adult and can control my life..." What I want this year: Make more money Eat with portion control Walk better New skirt New shoes New slip Learn to make bread Fix sewing machine and make skirts Learn Ebay Go to bed early, like 8 p.m. Current Mood: okay (Comment on this)
Monday, September 29th, 2008
1:13 pm	Snickerdoodle Pan Cookies Snickerdoodle Pan Cookies Land-O-Lake's 5th Annual Holiday Cookies, 1998 Topping 1 Tbsp sugar 1 tsp cinnamon Bars 3/4 cup sugar 3/4 cup butter, softened 1 egg 1 tsp vanilla 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1/2 tsp cream of tartar 1/2 tsp cinnamon 1/4 tsp salt 1/4 tsp baking soda 1. Heat oven to 375F. In a small bowl combine all topping ingredients. 2. In a large mixer bowl, combine sugar, butter, egg, and vanilla. Beat at medium speed until creamy. Reduce speed to low; add remaining bar ingredients. Beat until well mixed. 3. Spread batter evenly into 15x10x2-inch jelly roll pan. Sprinkle with topping mixture. Bake 11-13 minutes or until light golden brown and bars begin to pull away from sides of pan. Current Mood: crappy Current Music: Rush (Comment on this)
Saturday, July 19th, 2008
3:30 pm	Rhubarb Crumble Pie Rhubarb Crumble Pie About 1kg /2 lb of rhubarb stalks, enough to make about 4-5 cups of cut up rhubarb 1 cup of white sugar 1/2 cup of raw or light brown sugar 125g / 4 oz. butter 3/4 cup of white flour Preheat the oven to 200°C / 400°F. Wash and cut up the rhubarb stalks into approximately 2cm / 1 inch pieces. Be careful to cut off any leaf parts - they are poisonous. Melt the butter, and add the flour and sugar. Mix to make a rather crumbly mixture. Put the rhubarb in a pie dish. Cover with the crumble mixture. Bake for 35-40 minutes, until the crumble is browned and crispy. This is best at room temperature, or chilled a bit. Current Mood: annoyed Current Music: Costos on the Radio/construction/traffic/beeping (Comment on this)
Saturday, July 12th, 2008
10:58 am	Beer Batter Fish & Tartar Sauce TARTAR SAUCE: Ingredients: 1/2 cup mayonnaise 1 tablespoon capers (chopped) 1 tablespoon dill pickle or cornichons (chopped) 2 tablespoons dill (chopped) 1/2 lemon (juice) Directions: 1. Mix everything together. BATTER: Ingredients: 1 bottle beer 2 cups flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 large egg (lightly beaten) 1 pound cod fillets (or halibut, or haddock, etc., cut into serving sized pieces) salt and pepper to taste 1/2 cup flour oil for frying Directions: 1. Mix the beer, flour, baking powder, salt and egg into a batter in a bowl. 2. Season the fish with salt and pepper. 3. Dredge the fish in the flour and shake off any excess. 4. Dip the fish into the batter. 5. Fry the fish in preheated 375F oil until cooked, about 4-5 minutes. Current Mood: dirty Current Music: Rick Edleman/helicopter/traffic/upstairs/construction (Comment on this)
Tuesday, July 8th, 2008
2:04 pm	Chocolate Chip Oreo Cookies 1 stick softened butter 6 Tablespoons sugar 6 Tablespoons brown sugar 1 egg ½ teaspoon vanilla 1 ¼ Cup flour ½ teaspoon baking soda ½ teaspoon salt 8 broken pieces Oreo Cookies 1 Cup chocolate chips 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cream butter, and sugars until well combined. Add egg and vanilla until mixed well. 2. Place flour, baking soda and salt into a large bowl, stir to combine. Slowly add dry ingredients to wet ingredients then stir in oreos and chocolate chips until just combined. 3. With a medium cookie scoop, scoop onto a parchment or silpat lined baking sheet. Bake for 7-9 minutes or until cooked, but still soft. Let cool on baking sheet for 3 minutes before transferring to cooling rack. Current Mood: aggravated Current Music: Rush/plane/traffic/construction (Comment on this)
Saturday, July 5th, 2008
10:28 pm	Angel Lush Cake Angel Lush Cake INGREDIENTS: 1 store-bought angel food cake (you can also make your own if you wish) 1/2 of a large can of crushed pineapple 1 container of Cool Whip Large box of JELLO instant vanilla pudding mix Strawberries THE HOW-TO: In a medium mixing bowl, combine half a can of the crushed pineapple, along with its juice, with the box of vanilla pudding nux Fold in the cool whip 'til well-combined Slice the angel food cake into three layers, placing the bottom layer cut-side up on a serving plate Spread filling mixture over layer, place second layer cut-side up on top, spread on more filling, top with last layer (cut-side down) Spread filling over the top and decorate with sliced strawberries. Current Mood: full Current Music: Dr. Dean Adell/jet/traffic (Comment on this)
Tuesday, June 17th, 2008
2:12 pm	Lemon Cake Lemon Cake (Wanda's) 1 (18.25oz) Betty Crocker lemon cake mix 1 (14oz) can condensed sweetened milk 1 (3.4oz) box instant lemon pudding mix 1 (8oz) container Cool Whip, thawed Heat oven 350º lightly grease and flour bottom of 13x9-inch baking dish Mix cake mix according to package directions. Pour into prepared pan and bake 25 to 30 minutes or until tests done. Allow cake to cool about 5 minutes. Poke holes with wooden chop-stick or spoon handle; pour sweetened condensed milk over top of warm cake. Allow to completely cool and then mix pudding according to package directions and pour over top of cake. Top with Cool Whip. Keep refrigerated. Current Mood: hungry Current Music: Rush/fan/traffic (Comment on this)
Sunday, June 15th, 2008
10:30 am	Tater Tot Casserole Tater Tot Casserole 1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef 1/2 onion, chopped 4 cups frozen mixed vegetables 1 (19 ounce) can cream of chicken soup 1 (32 ounce) package frozen Tater Tots DIRECTIONS: 1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Spray 9x13 glass baking dish with cooking spray. 2. Spread hamburger into bottom of pan, covering entire bottom, gently tamping beef down. Sprinkle with diced onions. Layer frozen veggies as next layer. Cover with the soup, straight from the can, carefully spreading with spatula to cover entirely. 3. Layer tater tots on top, covering entire top with tots. Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees) for 1 hour, or until hamburger is done. Check after 30 minutes; if tots are getting too brown, turn down to 350 degrees F (190 degrees C). Current Mood: blah Current Music: fan/blinds/radio news (Comment on this)
Saturday, June 14th, 2008
1:47 pm	Starbuck's Coffee Cake Starbuck's Coffee Cake (half recipe) 1 Box Yellow Cake Mix (plus ingredients on back of box) 2 Sticks cold salted butter 2 1/4 Cups flour 1 1/2 Tablespoons cinnamon 1 ¾ Cups sugar 1 1/2 Tablespoons vanilla Powdered sugar (for dusting) PREHEAT oven to 350. PREPARE cake mixe in large bowl according to directions on box. Spray 9X13 pan with non-stick spray. Pour batter into pan. Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes or until center is just barely set. WHILE cakes are baking, prepare crumb topping. In large bowl of electric mixer combine, butter, flour, cinnamon, sugar and vanilla until all crumbly. IMMEDIATELY after cake is removed from oven, break crumb topping into marble size pieces with fingers, sprinkling over top. Put back in oven and bake an additional 10-15 minutes (topping will begin to look a little less wet/raw). Let cool fully then dust with powdered sugar, using a sieve. CUT into squares and serve. ****Beth doubles the recipe and uses a 8 or 9 inch baking dish in addition to the 9x13 inch dish, feel free to double it to make more if desired. I only had one cake mix, so decided to half it.**** 2 9X13 inch baking dishes would also work fine. Distressed because **"lame", "left field" in one week** Current Mood: distressed Current Music: squawking in courtyard/traffic/birds/jet/construction? (Comment on this)
Thursday, June 5th, 2008
2:28 pm	Rhubarb Soda Rhubarb Soda 1½ cups roughly chopped rhubarb 1 cup sugar 1½ cups water ~ Sparkling water ~ Ice Steps: Place rhubarb, sugar, and 1½ cups of water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, then turn down to a simmer. Cook for about 15 minutes, until the syrup is bright pink. Turn off the heat and allow to cool. Strain syrup into a large jar. To make each soda, measure ¼ cup rhubarb syrup into a glass. Add enough sparkling water to fill the glass ⅔ full. Stir to mix, then add ice. Current Mood: calm Current Music: Rush/car/construction/upstairs (Comment on this)
Monday, May 26th, 2008
1:07 pm	Asparagus Quiche Asparagus Quiche (Closet Cooking) Ingredients: 1/2 pound mushrooms 1/2 pound asparagus (cut into 1-inch long pieces) 1 prebaked pie crust or tart shell 6 ounces Gruyère cheese, grated (1 1/2 cups) 4 eggs 1/2 cup heavy cream 1/2 cup milk pepper to taste Directions: 1. Roast the mushrooms in a preheated 350F oven until golden brown, about 15-20 minutes. 2. Steam the asparagus until just tender. 4. Sprinkle half of the cheese over the pie crust followed by the asparagus, the mushrooms and the remaining cheese. 5. Mix the eggs, cream, milk and pepper in a bowl and pour over everything. 6. Bake in a preheated 375F oven until golden brown and set in the center, about 30-35 minutes. Current Mood: blah Current Music: Braves (Comment on this)
Saturday, May 17th, 2008
2:19 pm	Dark Chocolate Orange Ice Cream Dark Chocolate Orange Ice Cream Adapted from The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz 2 1/4 cups heavy cream 6 tablespoons unsweetened Dutch process cocoa powder 1 cup whole milk 1 cup sugar 6 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract 1/2 teaspoon of orange extract Grated zest of 1 orange, preferably unsprayed Pinch of salt In a medium saucepan, whisk together the cream, cocoa powder, sugar and salt. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat and grate the orange directly over the cream mixture. Add chocolate and whisk until melted. Add in milk, orange and vanilla extract. Pour the mixture into a blender and blend for 30 seconds, until smooth. Chill the mixture in the refrigerator, then freeze in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Current Mood: uncomfortable Current Music: Is the smoke detector beginning to chirp? (Comment on this)
Monday, May 12th, 2008
6:14 pm	Sweet and Salty Butterscotch Candied Popcorn Sweet and Salty Butterscotch Candied Popcorn 1 3.3oz bag Kettle Corn popcorn, popped and all un-popped kernels removed 1 Cup dry roasted peanuts 1 Cup butterscotch chips 6 Tablespoons butter 3/4 Cup packed brown sugar 1/3 Cup corn syrup ¼ teaspoon salt 1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees F. Place popped popcorn and peanuts onto a large rimmed baking sheet that has been sprayed lightly with non stick cooking spray. 2. Place butterscotch chips, butter, brown sugar, corn syrup and salt into a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir constantly until mixture comes to a light boil. Remove from heat and pour evenly over popcorn and nuts. Gently stir to coat mixture over popcorn. Bake in oven for 30 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes. 3. Remove from oven and pour onto parchment paper to cool. Break into pieces and serve. Current Mood: anxious Current Music: blinds hitting window/traffic/train (Comment on this)
6:11 pm	Blue Cheese Mac & Cheese Blue Cheese Mac & Cheese 1 pound penne pasta 2 tbsp butter 1/4 cup flour 2 cups whole milk 1 cup whipping cream 3 cups cheddar cheese, grated 1 1/2 cups blue cheese, crumbled Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 13×9 baking pan. Cook pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water until tender, but still al dente. Drain and leave in strainer until the sauce is ready. Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add flour to make a roux and stir constantly to let the flour cook, but not burn. Gradually whisk in milk and cream. Simmer until mixture thickens, whisking constantly. Reduce heat to low and add grated cheddar cheese (reserving 1/2 cup for sprinkling on top before baking) and crumbled blue cheese. Whisk until cheese melts, about 2 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add cooked pasta to sauce, stir to coat. Transfer mixture to prepare baking pan and sprinkle with remaining cheddar cheese. Bake until golden brown on top (sauce will begin to be bubbling), about 25 minutes. Current Mood: anxious Current Music: traffic/chimes/horn (Comment on this)
Saturday, May 3rd, 2008
12:49 pm	Pineapple Buttermilk Pie Pineapple Buttermilk Meringue Pie Pie 1 9-in pie crust, prebaked 20-oz can crushed pineapple 1/2 cup pineapple juice (reserved from canned pineapple) 3/4 cup sugar 2 tbsp all purpose flour 1 tbsp cornstarch 1/4 tsp salt 1 cup buttermilk 3 large egg yolks, lightly beaten 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice Meringue 2 tbsp sugar 1 tbsp cornstarch 1/2 cup water 3 large egg whites, room temperature 1/4 tsp cream of tartar 1/3 cup sugar 1/2 tsp vanilla extract Preheat oven to 375F. Drain can of crushed pineapple and reserve 1/2 cup of pineapple juice (listed in ingredients above as a reminder not to discard the juice!). In a large saucepan, whisk together sugar, flour, cornstarch and salt. Stir in pineapple, reserved pineapple juice, buttermilk, egg yolks and lemon juice. Stir well, then turn on the stove to medium heat. Cook, stirring frequently, until mixture comes to a boil and thickens. It will have a lemon curd type of consistency with slow bubbles when it is done. Cover pan and cool to room temperature. While filling cools, prepare the meringue. In a small saucepan, whisk together sugar, cornstarch and water. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is thick and becomes clear. Cool to room temperature. In a medium bowl, beat egg whites and cream of tartar to soft peaks. Gradually beat in sugar, followed by the cooled cornstarch mixture (add in dollops with mixer on medium speed). Beat in vanilla extract. Pour cooled pie filling into baked pie shell. Top with meringue, spreading it to the edges of the pie crust to cover the filling completely. Smooth top with a spatula. Bake pie at 375F for 10-12 minutes, until meringue is lightly browned. Cool, then refrigerate before serving. Current Mood: blah Current Music: country music/plane/traffic (Comment on this)
12:40 pm	Steak in Foil Steak in Foil with Mushrooms Our Favorite Meats Favorites From Home Economic Teachers Copyright MCMLXVI 2 lb round steak, 1 inch. 1 c. sliced mushrooms Butter ½ pkg. dry onion soup mix 1/8 tsp. pepper 2 tbsp. water Center steak on heavy aluminum foil. Saute mushrooms in a small amount of butter; sprinkle over meat. Add remaining ingredients. Seal carefully. Bake at 450 degrees for 1 hour and 30 minutes or until tender. Current Mood: cold Current Music: country music/wall/traffic (Comment on this)
Thursday, May 1st, 2008
3:36 pm	Day 1 (700)7 eggs head of lettuce half an onion ground black pepper (240) 4 T of Ken's Lite dressing 5 cups green tea = 1,000 [[ Almost a whole box of Special K chocolate. At least that much is gone. ]] Notes: Peeing all day. Feel looser already. Paid rent. Lost Denise check was not there. Beautiful tropical windy day. Current Mood: cold Current Music: Ramsey/construction/blinds hitting window/chimes/traffic (Comment on this)
Saturday, March 1st, 2008
6:43 pm	Rhubarb Dumplings Rhubarb Dumplings One recipe of buttermilk biscuit dough or one can of storebought buttermilk biscuit dough 1 cup chopped rhubarb 1/2 cup sugar plus a little more for sprinkling here and there 1/2 cup water 1/4 cup butter, melted 1 t vanilla Cinnamon sprinkled to taste Ice cream Cut biscuit dough into 3-inch rounds. Sprinkle a little sugar over your chopped rhubarb, then place a tablespoon or so of it in the center of each round. Wrap biscuit dough around rhubarb, pinch to close, and place dumplings seam side down on a baking dish. In a bowl, combine sugar, water, butter, and vanilla. Pour sauce over dumplings, then sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. Bake for 35 - 40 minutes until biscuits are golden brown. Serve warm with ice cream. Update: These are excellent the next day, cold and eaten straight from the pan. The sugar syrup soaks into the bottoms of the dumplings and the rhubarb in the center provides a little bit of zing. Mmmm. Current Mood: guilty (Comment on this)
6:39 pm	Salmon Chowder Salmon Chowder Serves 6 1/2 pound of potatoes, any kind you have on hand 1/2 pound of thick-sliced bacon, sliced crosswise into 1/4-inch strips 2 c chopped scallions (2 bunches) 1 c fresh or frozen corn 3 cloves garlic, minced 1 teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped 1 bay leaf a large pinch of red pepper flakes 3 c milk 2/3 c heavy cream 1 1/2 pound fillet of wild salmon, skin discarded and cut into 1-inch pieces salt and pepper to taste 2 t fresh lemon juice Bring a pot of salted water to boil. Cut potatoes into 1/2-inch cubes then cook in boiling water until just tender, 8 - 10 minutes. Drain in a colander and set aside. Cook bacon in a heavy pot over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until crisp, about 8 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon onto a plate lined with paper towels. Pour off all by 2 tablespoons fat from the pot then add scallions, corn, garlic, thyme, bay leaf, and red pepper flakes over medium-low heat. Stir occasionally and cook until scallions are tender, about 5 minutes. Add milk and cream. Bring just to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and add potatoes, salmon, bacon, salt and pepper to taste. Cook until salmon is just cooked through and begins to break up as you stir gently occasionally, 5 - 8 minutes. Stir in lemon juice and season with salt and pepper to taste. Discard bay leaf before serving. Current Mood: guilty (Comment on this)
6:35 pm	Penne Bolognese Penne Bolognese Serves two 2 T olive oil 2 cloves garlic, minced One large rib of celery, finely chopped 1/2 c onion, finely chopped 1 pound ground beef 1/4 c red wine 2 T fennel seed 1 T garlic powder Salt and pepper to taste 18 oz. tomato sauce (sometimes I use a jar of marinara) 2/3 c heavy cream 12 oz. pasta Boil penne in a pot of salted water until cooked al dente. Cook garlic in olive oil until lightly browned then stir in celery and onion. Cook until vegetable soften then add ground beef and wine. Once all the wine has evaporated, add fennel seed, garlic powder, and salt and pepper. Saute for a few minutes. Add tomato sauce and cream. Simmer until the pasta is ready to stir in. Current Mood: crappy (Comment on this)