My next 3 classes need to recognize that Thanksgiving is too close to continue with lecture. Organic chemistry vs. kitchen chemistry? Yeah, that’s a tough one.

ALL THE FOODS!!!

Sorry for the hiatus, I’ve been lazy busy.

So, a couple times a year, we throw a big get-together (Halloween, someone’s birthday, end of summer, really any excuse to cook a ton and put up pretty lights). For drinks, I ditch the Solo cup and opt for its classy, eco-friendly, and pinterest-ey cousin, the Mason Jar.

Yeah, drinking out of jars is cool now, doesn’t that rock?

Before realizing what a total waste of time it was, I used to make new drink labels for each party:

Labeling drinks ensures that a) people don’t mix up their drinks and b) at the end of the night, you know that it was Matt who left his drink in your mailbox (wtf, Matt?)

To save on time and paper, I decided to make reusable chalkboard labels, using:

• Mini clothespins* — $1.99 for 25
• Chalkstock  — $1.99 for 10 sheets, which makes 20 labels
• Some twine (okay fine, it’s hemp leftover from my hippie stage, but it works the same!) cut into about 16” lengths. Measure around the rim and give a little extra.
• Scissors
• Mason Jars
• Chalk

1. Cut chalkstock in half. Snip corner into cute tag shape, or some other design if you’re more skilled than me (not a high bar).
2. Tie twine around lip of jar and using pin, attach label.
3. Have guests chalk their names/initials.

*Mini clothespins? How frackin’ cute are those?

And on to the other purpose of this post. Simone over at JungleFrog Cooking is running another photography challenge: drinks or food in a glass. This drink is just a bit of hibiscus tea, made primarily because of its gorgeous color.

I did exactly what Simone said not to do. She highly recommended shooting backlit to better illuminate the liquid. But when your only light source is a window and your “studio” is a table in a tiny, tiny kitchen, you kind of have to take whatever light you can get.

This contest runs through November if you’re thinking about entering. Plus, she’s always got something neat brewing over there.

Who’s HP, you ask? I think you know. He comes to all my parties. It’s ballin’

Wow, I’m sad…

“I want you smothered, want you covered, like my Waffle House hash browns.”

The Waffle House All-Star is a beautiful, 3-billion-calorie breakfast composed of the classic Waho waffle, hashbrowns or grits, buttered toast, eggs your way, and bacon or sausage (omitted here because…ew meat). I present my modified version:

Copy-Cat Waffles (served with real maple syrup and real butter)
Hashbrowns
Cheese Grits
Eggs, sunny-side up
Fresh-squeezed OJ
Coffee

Waffle House sets a pretty high waffle bar, and while these waffles don’t quite clear it, they’re the closest I’ve tasted.

Waffle House Waffle—adapted from food.com

• 1 1/2 cups flour (I use KA Gluten-Free)
• 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 egg
• 2 tsp stevia
• 2-3 tbs malt
• 4 tbs butter (try making your own)
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup butter milk (try making your own)

1. Mix dry ingredients.
2. Cream butter with stevia and malt powde. Add egg. Add rest of dairy. Combine with dry mix.
3. Waffle iron it up.
4. Serve with copious amount of butter and syrup*

Grits

• 2 cups water
• 1/2 cup grits
• Generous handful of cheese (cheddar works well, but almost any soft cheese you have on hand besides something funky like bleu, brie should be good), chopped/shredded
• salt and pepper to taste

1. Boil water with a pinch of salt. Stir in grits. Continue to simmer for about 15 minutes or until grits are desired texture. Add more water if need be.
2. Turn off heat and add in cheese, stirring to melt. Season to taste. Eat.

*and with Hash Browns, Eggs with TONS of pepper, Fresh OJ, Coffee and a Juke Box that is 30% waffle house original singles, 50% Rihanna, and 20% bad amazing 90s hits.

The government is developing a new biological weapon in my gym shoes.

Pretty sure it’s the next Resident Evil monster breeding in those sweaty folds.

Dear *Vegetarians,

Stop being pushy and condescending to meat eaters. It puts people off and makes us all look like assholes.

I’m looking at you too, Atheists.

*(certain, not all)

I swear I don’t consume as much sugar as this blog seems to indicate. It just happens to be that when I do, it turns into a post….or diabetes.

Salted caramel cheesecake with a chocolate praline crust and topped with MOAR CARAMEL!

Had to throw in my pretty, thrift-store silver spoons. 

MOAR SUGAR!!! Diet starts…tomorrow. Cheesecake today.

Mini Turtle Cheesecakes:
Makes roughly 1 dozen 

Caramel
(You’ll have some left over in case you want to pour on top of cheesecakes, or you know, eat from a spoon)

It’ll taste better than it looks…

I’ve recently become addicted to the stuff, so figured it was time to get over my fear of fermenting (you know, that weirdo hippie thing?) and brew my own. It’s got a few more days to go. 

Have leftover wonton wrappers and craving something sweet. Chocolate or apple filling?

was ah-frickin’-mazing.

Photo from Show Me Your Heart.

I’ll never forget:

• Seeing Marcus come on stage to perform with Dawes. I’m not proud of the hysterical fangirl squeel/scream I made when he first appeared. I didn’t know I could make that sound. I was mentally prepared to see them when they were officially announced, but was caught off guard by seeing him early with Dawes.
• Being such a sobbing, cathartic mess after half the songs that I couldn’t even clap or cheer.
• How much our campsite ROCKED. We lucked out, big time.
• The physical exhaustion, hunger, and sunburn that was all worth it.
• Timshel. No one thought they’d play it. I just about died when they did.

Quick recap:

• To the girl on extasy whose flailing arms continuously blocked my mumfview and who mistakenly thought “Timshel” was good rave music, fuck you.
• To the 4 tallest people at the concert who squeezed in front of us right when M&S took the stage, fuck you.
• To the sun that refused to set, fuck you.

• To Ben Lovett, for DJing “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” theme song at the after party, less than 10 feet from me, rock on.
• To the woman who I’m 99% sure was Lovett’s girlfriend, whom I happened to be standing behind: When you walked off, he kept looking over to see if you were back yet and would meet my awkward fangirl gaze instead, so thanks for enabling a stalk WIN.
• To my boyfriend who said we should switch phones so I’d have a smartphone with which to take pics at the concert or afterparty, you were right. Bummer I didn’t listen.
• To the taco vendor lady who let me buy plain tomatoes from her under the table, thanks, you rock.
• To the vendor(s) who let me steal meltey ice water from the tubs to refill my bottle, thanks.
• To the meltey ice water germs, thanks for being cool and not killing me.
• To all the people who lent sunscreen, thanks.
• To the shuttle bus driver that drove us all the way back to our campsite when we forgot our after-party passes, you rock.
• To the solar system, for providing a meteor shower Saturday night—as if it could get any more epic, thanks.
• And finally, to plaid, for being the official sponsor of the Gentlemen of the Road Tour, thanks. Without your support, 60% of the audience and performers might actually have to wear solids.