The Kitchen Whisperer

Another week has passed and pretty soon it’s going to be time for kids to head back to school.  Scary huh?  Do you remember when you were little how those first 2 summer months off from school seemed to last forever.  The days seemed endless.  It was like you were out of school for eons.  You’d find yourself up at the crack of dawn and out of the house getting into lord knows what kind of mischief only to hear your Mom calling for your to come home for lunch or dinner. For me I didn’t have many friends that lived in my teeny neighborhood. There weren’t many kids my age, just a few but they were still older than me.  I often would go out and venture on my own.

Growing up in the middle of no where, there wasn’t a whole lot to do so I had to have a pretty active imagination.  I’d hit up the creek and look for arrow heads, snakes or salamanders.  I’d go sit on the old train tracks and bust rocks in half looking for fossils or taking the magnifying glass and burning ants. There were days I’d get up wee early and pack my own lunch – bologna sandwich, a drink, chips and cookies.  Mom always had cookies in the cookie jar. This way I could stay out all day… or until it got dark… or worse, until my father yelled for me to “get my butt home NOW.” Yeah when Dad called for us you sure as hell better book it home and fast.

Childhood summer memories… What’s our favorite one?

I’m just going to give you a minute to stare at the picture while repeating “Bacon Cream Sauce… bacon cream sauce… bacon cream sauce”. Yes you can do it out loud or in your head.

Yeah, I went there…

Yes, BACON FLIPPIN’ CREAM SAUCE!

I think one of my favorite things about summer is fresh watermelon. Living in Pittsburgh we only get a few precious months where you can buy watermelon that is grown locally.  And furthermore there is a fairly small window when that watermelon is at its flavor peak!  That being the case we tend to gorge ourselves on fresh watermelon during that time frame.  When you select a watermelon, what’s your best method for picking the perfect one?  Do you sniff it?  Knock on it?  Press one end in?  For me I go with what I was taught and for me that’s never failed me.

♥ First, it should feel heavy regardless if it’s big or small.
♥ It should have a creamy yellow splotch where they rest on the ground.. The creamier the yellow the more ripe the fruit is. The more ripe, the sweeter it is!  This is called the “Field Spot”.  Why?  It’s where it laid in the field while the sun ripened it.
♥ Lastly it should make a deep hollow sound when you “thump” it. Your knuckles should bounce off the melon, and the surface should be pretty hard/firm. A dull thud indicates an under ripe melon.  You will get a dull thud if the flesh is soft.

So you got all of that next time you go get a watermelon?

How do you eat your watermelon – salt or no salt?

I’ve been on this kick with Rice Crispy treats thanks to Mr. Fantabulous having a bug up his butt and wanting a tray of them every 3 days.  Yes that’s what it takes for him to eat an entire 9×13″ pan himself. Some of you are probably asking “3 days???  Is he sick? I’m surprised it lasts a night!” LOL  Actually I’m glad it takes him 3 days – I wish it would take him more though. They are sooooooooooo unhealthy due to the high sugar in the marshmallows that even though the rice crispy cereal is healthy those marshmallows are brutal.

But the man loves them and whatever I can do to put a smile on that gorgeous face of his I do.  So the other day when I’m buying more cereal to make him a new batch I spied those new peanut butter cup Oreo cookies in the store.  Now everyone knows I’m a huge fan of the cookie part of Oreos but not so much the “Stuff” filling.  Whereas Mr. Fantabulous is all about the “Stuff” filling and not too much about the cookie. Therefore when I do buy them he licks the “Stuff” off and gives me the wet, soggy cookie.  Gross, perhaps, but I know where his mouth has been and lemme tell you what folks, that is true love when you’re willing to eat a soggy cookie like that. LOL  Plus seriously those dark cocoa cookies ROCK!

How do you eat your Oreos?  Do you prefer the cookie or the ‘Stuff’ or the whole shebang?

Look and see how I used these cookies in this recipe. It’s AMAZING!