Lemon Blueberry Scones

I've never had as many scones as I have had in the past couple of months days. Scones are like Muffin's crazy cousin that no one really pays attention to. But, I paid attention Scones... and I want to marry you. Some say you aren't sweet enough, but I say you are perfect for breakfast. Any sweeter and I might as well take shots of Splenda. Some say you are hard (core), but I say, the person who made you didn't do it right. I know you are a big fluffy bear of goodness. ::hugs::

Thanks to this ridiculously easy recipe, I am able to switch the fruits and create some magical recipes of my own. I tell you, these scones are easier and FASTER than any boxed cake. Move over Betty, Joanna's come to town.... BOOYA!

Project Wifey Wife Week #17-

Lemon Blueberry Scones

Ingredients:

1 cup of fresh blueberries

1/2 Tbs of freshly grated lemon peel

1/2 Tbs of lemon juice

3 Tbs of Vanilla Sugar

2 cups all purpose flour

2 tsp of baking powder

1/4 tsp of salt

6 Tbs of butter; cubed and slightly softened

2/3 cups of buttermilk

• Are you a scone fan?
• Scones vs. Muffins, who would win?

Daddy's Day Recap

Top Five Reasons why I love my Daddy!
1. He is my hero. He is a retired Warrant Officer WHOOP WHOOP! His hard work and sacrifice through the years allowed us to travel the world, live comfortably while saving for our future, and it allowed my brother and I  to attend college for FREE! He taught me to be a hard worker with amazing work ethic.

2. He is NICE. One of the things my brother and I love about my dad is that he can get along with ANYONE. If you leave him on a bench at the mall, he will have made friends with anyone around him. My brother and I have the confidence to small talk to anyone because of this.

3. He can fix anything! I have high expectations for my Hubby. Growing up, my dad was able to fix anything from my broken toy to the family car. He is MAGIC!

4. He plays golf better than Tiger Woods! And that's a FACT!

5. He is strong! About 3 years ago, my dad had to undergo surgery.  That night after his surgery, he wanted out of that hospital. The doctors couldn't believe how strong he was because he literally forced himself out of bed to walk around. By the next day, he was walking and proved to all of us that his mind is stronger than his body. Thankfully, he is all better now. 
I love you Daddy!

This weekend was food filled fun. I guess that's not so different from my other weekends, but we did celebrate my daddy, so that's different. The Kuya and I planned a fabulous Lunch for our Favorite Dad!

Katwina made my dad's favorite salad dressing from Olive Garden, my Kuya made his favorite dessert which is Banana Bread, and I made this.

Came out DELISH! My dad is a hard person to please when it comes to food. I think he really liked this meal!

 I think Sebby even liked it.

If you're wondering where my Hubby is, he was out fishing with his dad. They went on an overnight fishing trip out at sea. I was worried that he would be caught in a storm or something, but he was A-OKay! I never knew this, but my Hubby is the best fisherman. He caught 15 FISH! HOLY NEMO!

He's so sweet, he brought home the fish-bacon and knew that I would make something amazing.

Anyone have any great fish recipes?

The only thing that I HATE about him being a great fisherman, is that I had to scale these bad boys. These fish are EVIL!!! I pierced myself 5 times with their scaly and sharp weaponry! My mom was gifted some fish, too and had to work these monsters. I feel your pain Mama!!

Anywho- back to my dad. For dinner, he did his two favorite outdoor activities. He grilled up some yummy ribs and fish...

And played Golf with his two favorite boys.

Hubby and I watched...

While Kuya took Funny Breaks with Katwina and Sebby.



Yes, my Kuya is an odd one.

Inside, we had some special visitors. My Auntie Irene and Uncle Mike! I Love them. They are so much fun!

Then, it was CHOW TIME!

I would've taken more pictures, but I was too busy eating. Don't bother me when I'm eating...I'll bite your head off.

• How was your Father's Day?
• Tell me one thing you ate this weekend?

Arm Painting is the New Black

One thing I love about going to kid birthday parties is that they have dope things to do....like face painting, or in this case, body painting. I'm not ashamed to partake in such activties. I also jump in jumpers if you're wondering. The key is to make all the other adults  older people do it with you. That way you don't look crazy all by yourself.

The very funny and talented Lacy from LacyInk.com (Check her out, yo!)was there and when she busted out her portfolio... I surveyed my body to count how many places I wanted her to paint. (Keep your mind out of the gutter... this is a kid's birthday for crying out loud!) Because there was a line of kids who wanted their faces painted... I only chose two.

Right Forearm...Mr. Octopus!


 "Hey little kid, your mom is going to get mad if you get paint on your face... you better not do this."


Left forearm...Drizzle of Sunshine! Get it?

I convinced Hubby to get one...


He chose a Roboto with a 'stache playing bball. Don't ask me why.

I forced Katwina to get one...

Whoo Whoo is cool now?

And I didn't have to ask my Kuya because he's weird like me and wanted one just as bad...we are related afterall.

Yo Gabba Gabba

I made a cake of that guy once. No, no, not of my brother... of Muno...the red sea cucumber.

And the GRAND FINALE...



Handlebars and Soul Patch

 Sebby and Clark were almost as cute as Senor Taco... ALMOST!

I'd like a real tattoo one day...maybe when I'm 60. That way I'll ink myself when my skin is ALREADY saggy. See...solved that problem!

• Holla if you like kiddie activites still!
• Do you have any Tats?

Carnitas and Cilantro Pineapple Pizza

You guys....brace yourself. I hit the mother load of pizzas. I tested this ridiculously scrumptious pie out and...whoooo NELLY FURTADO! Hubby and I were blown away by how DELICIOUS it was.

It was so delicious, we were shaking our heads and saying "Oh My GOD, this is good."  after each bite.

It was so delicious that when I ate the last piece for lunch today, I cried sobbed.

It was so delicious that I thanked God for blessing my life with all that I need...which is IN this pizza.

It was so delicious that I want to think of more reasons to blog but I can't right now because I'm at a loss for words.

Project Wifey Wife Week #17-The Savory
Carnitas and Cilantro Pineapple Pizza
Adapted from Costco Cookbook

Ingredients:
2 small onions; cut into thin strips
1 tsp olive oil
8 ounces shredded cooked pork carnitas
3 Tbs of softened butter
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1- 20 ounce can of pineapple chunks
1 1/2 cups crumbled Queso Frecsa
chopped cilantro
salt to taste

Are you ready for this, my friends?

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2. I pre-made pizza dough using a basic recipe. Then I PUNCHED IT! Wah-Pow!

What could be "funner" than this?

Poke it and spread it out onto a greased pan...a cookie sheet will do just fine.

3. Saute onions in a large skillet over medium-high heat until tender. Add the shredded carnitas and let them dance together until the meat is cooked through and the onions are nice and caramelized.

4. In the meantime, combine butter, cayenne pepper, chili powder and cumin in a small bowl. Brush butter  mixture over the pizza crust.

 5. Top the pizza crust with the carnitas mixture, pineapple chunks, and CHEEESE!

6. Bake for 20 minutes or until crust is golden brown and cheese is melty and yummy. Sprinkle the chopped cilantro after you pull it out of the oven.



UGH! This picture brings back such great memories from yesterday. My tummy heart is broken. The only remedy would be to make this again. But no... I can't do it...I need to have some self control. I cannot have pizza twice in one week...because who the hell am I? A college frat boy?

Instead, I will cherish the moments I shared with this pie, my hubby, salsa and Tostitos chips with a hint of lime, and my peach iced tea. Ahh to be young again. Next week will be a new week...pizza quota will be reached.

That's Amore....

• What are your favorite pizza toppings?

To Be (a Chef) or Not To Be (a Chef)

If you follow me on Twitter, then you've already heard about my dilemma... this fork in the road that my game of Life car (with the cute little pegs) has come to. I am torn, confused, and on my knees asking The Lord to show me what he wants for my life.

This is the look of both confusion and fear.

The Back story: As you already know, I am a teacher. A primary teacher at heart. (I love K-3rd grades) I taught first grade for about 5 years and it was in my last two of those years where the Education Roller Coaster took me on an emotional ride, complete with birds hitting me in the face, Fabio Style. California made its decision....There was no more room for Education in the budget. I say, who the hell needs schools anyway?

This ridiculous move by the Governator  forced me to move up into high school. I really enjoyed the lighter work load and my "grading papers free nights" but the horrible behavior of the stinky teenager boys took a toll on me and made me LOATHE teaching all together.

This year will be my THIRD time being laid off. I'm exhausted and sick of being slapped around like some hood rat. The chances of my getting my job back is pretty good....but do I want it back?

The NOW Story: With the uncertainty of the situation at hand, I decided I needed a safety net. I wanted a Happy Safety Net. I didn't want to apply for some hum-drum type of job, I wanted something that I would LOVE. So, I applied to Le Cordon Bleu in Los Angeles.

And I got ACCEPTED.



I start in August...but is THIS what I really want? If you know me in real life, you know that my passion for food is alive and thriving. But something is roping me back to teaching.... I can't get away from it.

If I stay a teacher.... job security is next to nil (for now). If I become a chef, who knows if I'll have job security at all.  I am struggling to find where I'm supposed to be.

The Future Story: ...?

• Have you ever had to make a career decision like this?
• How do you cope with worry and stress?

Thursday Faves: Vegas Eats!

I'm finally back from my Vegas Hiatus! I was there on business and yes... I did do work... on the DANCE FLOOOOR! In all honesty, I did sit through 3 days of teacher conferences. That's all I have to say about that.

The GREAT thing about being sent to conferences, is the fact that we are given a ridiculous amount of money for food. I also got my very own room with 2 beds. Why did I need 2 beds? Beats me...but I used all of the pillows and most of the dirty bed bugs.

Anywho~ back to the food. Since we were given a whoppin' $54 for our lunch and dinner, I thought I'd hit up a few fancy schmancy places that I couldn't bring myself to spend on usually. First up, Il Fornaio.

This restaurant has a very special place in my heart because they catered our wedding! They're food is just remarkable! I enjoyed my Cannelloni con Pollo with my running buddy T , who ordered the Pennoni alla Vodka with bits of bacon...she won, and my other co-worker/friend Blanca who ordered the Grigliata de Pesca y Polenta.

Everything was cooked to PERFECTION!

After dinner, we headed over to Coyote Ugly.

I wont go into details, but there might have been some light dancing on the bar. We had a fun time watching crazy people in the bar. And the buy 1 get 1 free drink deal wasn't too shabby either.

We then headed up to the fancy VOODOO Lounge on our hotel rooftop. AMAZING view and so much dancing... my feets were a' hurtin!

We woke up at the butt crack of dawn the next day and sat in our conference ALL DAY LONG. ::le sigh::

Meh...But we took our breaks down at the pool...not too shabby...not too shabby at all.



Dreaming of Conference Free Nights in Vegas

 

Ok back to the food and fun. For lunch the next day, I was so excited to finally try Bobby Flay's Mesa Grill.

Was it worth all the Hype? YES! The food was so simple yet flavorful. Bravo Bobby. Bravo. But I still think you're a little bit of a douche.

I ordered the Grilled Swordfish Bacon Avocado Club



T had the Shrimp Tacos...OLE!



Blanca had the Shrimp Tamale. Delicioso!

For dinner the next two nights, we did the Rio Buffet and the Seafood Buffet. Forgive me for not taking pictures, I was too busy stacking my plate sky high with mediocre stir fry and hard to peel crab legs. All you can eat. Yippee.


..via..

I don't do well with Buffets for two reasons. ONE: I can't eat $40 worth of food. TWO: I TRY to eat $40 worth of food and end up with a food baby in my belly and a morning full of regret.

We also went out dancing some more...**Note to self. Burn my stupid high heels**

Our last fancy meal was an unexpected surprise. We found ourselves wandering about the Caesar's Palace

and lo and behold.... Wolfgang Puck's Spago.

ANOTHER amazing place. Simple yet flavorful meals and bread baskets too fancy for words. I really enjoyed our light fare here.

T and I had the Thai Chicken Salad and shared Calamari

BEST Calamari I've ever had. The Garlic Aioli dipping sauce was so good. I want to have food babies with it. 

Overall I had a really great time. The food, the fun, the dancing...all amazing. Oh and the conference ...yeah..

• Have you ever been to Vegas?
• Are you a buffet person?
• Have you ever been to a restaurant of a famous Chef?