Happy Zombie

I can’t even make it on time to my own blog to celebrate the 4th of July. I had big plans to show my 4th of July Friendship Sampler quilt that I always use for watching fireworks under… but I think I’ll save that for October, (thus getting me on time for next July 4th). We had a great 4th… spent it with friends who are family to us. Ate, ate, ate and ate… and mixed in some Wii bowling to help burn it off (so we could make room for more food). And true to Astoria tradition… our day was chilly and overcast with occasional sprinkles.

My contribution for our food fest was dessert. I couldn’t remember my banana pudding recipe, so I made 2 desserts - one as a back-up. As it turns out, and after scouring the internet of it’s 710,000 recipes for banana pudding… I remembered mine. And wrote it down. I call mine Banana Lasagna, because Bananas With A Crap Load Of Layered Delicious Fattening Stuff is just too long for a recipe card. The key secret is whipping cream… not pretend whipped cream like Cool Whip. And funny story about my pudding shot. I had my camera on a lilliputian tripod in front of my dish… and before I knew it - my camera was submerged in the pudding. And yes. I did lick my camera. Who wants to lick the mixer beaters camera?!

I blame Jon & Kate + Eight for the next dessert. Never mind that we’ve gone through our stash of tivo’d episodes, and have succumbed to watching reruns because we are THAT addicted to this show, but we’re taunted with great food as well! In one episode, Jon and Kate discuss the sticky buns she made for Christmas morning. Well that bee flew up my butt and stung me hard! Obsessed, I had to find a recipe. Combing through mountains of sticky bun, monkey bread and cinnamon roll recipes… and because I am extremely lazy (especially when it comes to cooking and baking)… I came up with Munkie Bunnies. An all in one eazy no-cheezie make ya fat and happy recipe. Of course I had to make this LIKE THREE TIMES.

Really fun to watch the progress of the munkie bunnies getting all jacked up - so in the name of science… you have to make this. Seriously. Just please don’t blame me if you get fat.

Click on the recipe cards and print at 100% - and you will have 4×6” recipe cards.

Linky Love:  Nilla Wafers, Rhodes Bread Dough,  Cook and Serve Butterscotch Pudding and Instant Banana Cream Pudding.

I made bagels. Real bagels! Bagels that taste like I remembered from Bagel King in Walnut Creek a lifetime ago. I base every bagel I ever try to the Bagel King bagels, and so far nothing compares (Noah’s comes close). I live where krumkake and lutefisk are as common as bagels in NYC - so finding a good bagel in my area that comes even remotely close to my Bagel King comparison is non existent. Until now - and it’s right out of my own oven.

When I saw this post over at My Paper Crane, I just KNEW I had to try it. And check out that carrot cake she’s got too. Way too advanced for my limited cooking and baking skills… but it’s sure darn pretty to look at!

Not being one to follow directions, I used regular flour instead of bread flour (didn’t even know there was such a thing). You’re also supposed to kneed the dough for 15 minutes. Yeah. I gave it 5. But no matter… it all worked out for me!

Newest member of the staff - Henrietta. Isn’t she cute! She’s an egg cooker thingamabob. Way cool and she makes perfect soft, medium and hard boiled eggs. I really miss my chickens, so Henrietta is doing the egg thing for me now. Henrietta inspects the just rolled bagels. She’s got that I danno… they don’t look like bagels to me look.

Time to tuck in the bagels for a nap. I let them sleep for almost an hour, and then gave them a boiling quick bath right before they went in the oven.

Someone wanted to help… and make a flat bagel.

Golden and happy. Happy bagels. Happy me.

Omega 3 bliss. I was too eager to eat this that I skipped the tomatoes and the poor-man’s-caviar (capers).

If I can make these bagels… ANYONE can!  Ga head… lick your monitor. No one’s looking. Guten appétit!