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Another reason I heart Alton Brown
He’s nerdy and geeky and dorky and cheesy and punny (is that a word?) and sometimes a food and preparation utensil snob (can you say, NO UNITASKERS) but I’ve loved watching his Food network show Good Eats for years now. Because he’s also intelligent, knowledgeable, creative, unafraid to do his own thing and funny. When I want to learn about the mechanics of cooking and baking I turn to Alton. But even this guy sometimes “cheats” in the food area and I’m so glad he did when it came to peanut butter fudge.
I haven’t yet made an old fashioned fudge and had it turn out right. I will get it someday because I’m tenacious like that, but until that day comes I found the most divine substitute. I present to you the easiest peanut butter fudge recipe ever!
And may I add, the most delicious. Even in it’s pre-fudge state. I was spooning the bowl contents into my mouth and sighing while my eyes rolled back in my head, it was that good.
One more reason to avoid the Dentist
I think I have a fairly decent pain threshold.
I played roller hockey with my brother and his friends as a teen and proudly displayed the bruises and welts I received.
I played High School Basketball and got knocked about plenty as one of the shortest players on the court.
I birthed a 9 pound 15 ounce baby with a failed epidural and lived to tell the tale.
It’s not so much pain that I fear. It’s the absence of pain. The absence of feeling. Just like the kind you get when the dentist gives you a shot. I am afraid of being numb.
No I don’t care about the shot itself, that never hurts. But once I’ve been injected with the lidocaine, my muscles tense, my heart rate increases and I stay in a very anxious state until it has completely worn off.
I’ve gotten better over the years. I don’t write down my plans in case of death at the dentist office anymore, though I do still tell my husband to tell the kids how much I love them, just in case.
I try to calm myself mentally beforehand. And though I mostly believe that everything will be ok once I go, my body doesn’t believe me. Let’s just say it’s a darn good thing that dentist wears a mask.
I began with the usual warnings I give all dentists who are working on me for the first time:
* When I’m nervous I have to pee a lot, so you better let me go, no matter where you are in the procedure.
* You may have to give me a possible 7 shots before I’ll get numb enough (happened during wisdom tooth removal)
* The lidocaine may or may not wear off early. Sometimes it lasts way too long and sometimes it gives out after 30 minutes.
* If I bite your hand, remember, it’s nothing personal
So he began.
He shot me with lidocaine and after 5 minutes he tested my gum tissue. Good and numb. Wow, that’s a surprise.
*drill drill*
*Summer jolting*
“Yeah, felt that. Cold and painful”
“OW!!”
“Yeah, right there.”
*injecting more lidocaine*
*drill drill*
“ACK!!!”
At this point the dentist tested my gums again. I couldn’t feel anything which he told me indicated that I should be completely numb. But upon further drilling, yes I was indeed in pain. And that was just the beginning. He had two additional cavities to fill.
I told him to just get it done. I didn’t want anymore stupid shots (which were numbing only the very back teeth) and I just wanted the drilling to be over. So he drilled and I winced and three hours later it was over.
As he removed the rubber dam from my mouth I flexed my jaw and made a stunning realization. With all that junk in my mouth stretching my face muscles, I hadn’t noticed that the left side of my tongue and the whole bottom part of my face was numb. Why is this stunning you ask?
Because he was working on my top teeth. He gave me shots in the roof of my mouth, yet my bottom lip down to my chin was numb?!? When I told him this he chuckled and told me my nerves must be crossed. I’m sure he didn’t believe me. He said he had one patient once who insisted with every shot to her lower mouth, her upper mouth was getting more and more numb, but he figured it was just her mind playing tricks on her.
Well I am here to say that even if it was my mind playing tricks on me, it was still something I could actually feel. I was numb where I shouldn’t be numb and my one tooth was NOT numb. Even if that was some trick of my warped mind, it was tangible.
I am a dental anomaly.
*P.S. I give you leave to laugh at my expense. I am a rather sorry case aren’t I?
Time again
Be sure to do your monthly Breast Self-Exam.
Raising a Girl Part I
In which Summer discovers she has a parasite
Waa-waaaaaaaaa-waa-waa-waa-waa-waa-waa-waaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!!!!!
(Mommy, I’m awake from my nap, come get me)
Waa-waaaaaaaaa-waa-waa-waa-waa-waa-waa-waaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!!!!!
(Who cares about the sopping diaper! Pick me back up!)
Waa-waaaaaaaaa-waa-waa-waa-waa-waa-waa-waaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!!!!!
(You’re putting me down to spoon feed me and my gurgling tummy?!?!?!?!?)
Waa-waaaaaaaaa-waa-waa-waa-waa-waa-waa-waaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!!!!!
(You turned your back on me for 2 seconds!!!!!!!!!!!!!)
Waa-waaaaaaaaa-waa-waa-waa-waa-waa-waa-waaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!!!!!
(You walked into the kitchen to get a washcloth?!?!?!?!?!?)
Waa-waaaaaaaaa-waa-waa-waa-waa-waa-waa-waaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!!!!!
(You picked me up without having your boob at the ready so I can wash these bananas down?!?!?)
*suck suck suck*
Waa-waaaaaaaaa-waa-waa-waa-waa-waa-waa-waaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!!!!!
(You put me down AGAIN!?!!?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)
Waa-waaaaaaaaa- *splutter*waa-waa *cough* *gag* *breath* -waa-waaaaaaaaa-waa-waa-waa-waa-waa-waa-waaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!!!!!
(I’M DYING!!!!)
So tell me, is this just a girl thing? Cause my boys never did this.
Still here-ish
So I figured I should post something in between all the recipes I’m throwing at you.
Truth is, I haven’t felt much like it though. The OCD has been especially ugly lately. With that comes panic attacks and depression. In all, life just feels down for me at the moment. Of course I’m trying to see the positive in all situations and in myself. But I feel ugly inside and out and it’s at these times that I’m especially grateful for my children. When they look at me with complete trust and love, it gives me hope that there really is something in me worth loving. That I’m not the bad person I feel like I am due to this hellish illness.
Maple Pecan Fudge
INGREDIENTS
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
2/3 cup evaporated milk
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups mini marshmallows
1 16 oz. package White morsels
1 1/2 teaspoons maple extract
1/2 to 3/4 cup chopped pecans, toasted
* Make sure you have all ingredients by the stove top, ready to pour, before starting.
Line either a 13×9 inch, 11×7 inch or 8×8 inch pan with foil and butter the foil. The larger the pan the thinner the fudge.
In a non stick saucepan combine the butter, evaporated milk, sugar and salt.
Bring to a full boil over medium heat and boil stirring constantly for 5 minutes.
Turn off the heat and vigorously stir in the marshmallows and white morsels until melted and smooth
Now add the maple extract and stir till combined.
Pour mixture into the foil lined pan and spread evenly.
Sprinkle with the toasted pecans. Let cool completely, then grab foil securely by the edges and pull out of the pan. Peel the foil away from the sides of the fudge before cutting.
For more holiday recipes and ideas go here or over to Scribbit.
Magic Cookie Bars
Also known as 7 Layer Bars, these treats are ooey gooey delicious. Even though I can’t eat chocolate I still make them for my family every year. They’re a great treat to have the kids help make too.
INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 individual package graham crackers, crushed
1 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
16 ounces chocolate chips
16 ounces butterscotch chips
16 ounces white morsels
1 cup finely chopped walnuts
1 cup flaked coconut
Preheat your oven to 325 degrees
Place the butter into a 13×9 inch pan and put it into the preheated oven till melted.
Sprinkle the graham cracker crumbs evenly over the melted butter
Drizzle the sweetened condensed milk evenly over the graham cracker crumbs
Evenly distribute the Butterscotch chips,
then the White Morsels,
then the Chocolate chips,
then the walnuts
and finally the coconut.
Bake in your preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until the coconut is golden. Let cool completely before cutting.
