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sir, let me check your. . .

okay, i know this is a family blog but i just have to talk about this past wednesday’s south park episode. the hubby is a mister know-every-episode kind of guy, i watch because they are usually funny. neither of us had actually seen an episode in awhile so last night we caught up on the dvr. we were dying laughing over the tsa (toilet safety administration) because it was like they modeled them after every philly airport employee. today we just kept interjecting into any conversation, “shhhiitttt”. get to the 4:08 mark and you’ll know what i am talking about. i know i am child. it was a good laugh and exactly what we needed.

to know how dorky we are, we all have a character that best represents us with our friends trav and suz. hubby is “jimmaayyy” and we always die laughing because jim got his braces at twenty-two, while on a trip to magic mountain suz blurted out, “don’t your teeth have to be somewhat straight for an invisiline?!” then “jimmaayyy’s” character was born on south park. trav is the “they took aarrrr jobs” guy. suz is shelly. and me? hmmm.. welcome to raisins. i know we’re weird.

here are a few of the funnier clips from the episode.

are you or your hubby south park fans? simpsons? family guy? mine def is. i mean his 30th was a simpsons theme.

dc chicken salad {corner bakery copycat recipe}

one of my favorite places to go for lunch used to be corner bakery. but now the idea of taking two kids in tow for lunch seems more like a chore. plus, i am trying to improve on eating out for lunch so often. my go-to corner combo was always the dc chicken salad and a cup of broccoli cheddar soup. my fav chicken salad will always be my mom’s recipe but on occasion i love to make my version of corner bakery’s dc chicken salad or ina garten’s contessa chicken salad. do you have a go-to recipe? if so, i would love to know how you make yours!

dc chicken salad

here’s what you need:

1 rotisserie chicken – chopped

1/3 small red onion, finely chopped

2 celery ribs, chopped

1/2 granny smith apple, chopped

1/4 cup currants

1/4 cup toasted sliced almonds

1/4 miracle whip

1 TB sour cream

here’s how:

in a bowl combine onion, celery, apple, currants and almonds

next add in miracle whip, sour cream and chicken. mix until well combined. place in the refrigerator or use immediately.

i made open-faced sandwiches on slightly toasted squaw bread with lettuce and tomato.

and enjoy!

it’s a rainy saturday afternoon here in san diego, i have irish soda bread in the oven, look for that recipe on tuesday when i link-up with tuesdays with dorie. i have two dozen cupcakes to make for an order and then it’s time to relax and enjoy the fam on this st. patty’s day. i hope you all have a great st. pat’s and i’ll see ya on monday!

my baking cupboard & a few of my favorite things

i often get questions about baking and the tools i use. i have a plethora of gadgets and for whatever reason i never seem to have enough room and we have a good amount of kitchen storage. i thought i would dedicate a post to show you what i mainly use for my cupcake orders.

cupcake liners

like my pp have stated i have an addiction to pretty papers. i have one half of a cabinet that house these. i always look on etsy because i find that my vendor is way cheaper than my local cake shop, weird, i know. plus, when you order online they tend to send you little extras like fun sprinkles. tip: look after a holiday has passed at craft stores for discounted cupcake liners. i always do this for the major holidays because they usually roll out the same design the following year.

this goes three rows deep. sick addiction.

sprinkles

just like the liners always look after a holiday on the clearance rack. i just scored some really cute white and pink hearts for a $1. these work great for cake pops too. i usually pick-up sprinkles based on the order but like you can see below i have a pretty good stock. the drawer next to this one has more sprinkles/candies: sixlets, hearts, etc. that make for great cupcake adornments.

Pastry Tips

when i first started baking cupcakes i was given the entire wilton decorating caddy. this is a great gift for any starting baker. i used to get so frustrated using the small 1M tip to frost cupcakes, it would take me forever and my hand would throb. i moved on and purchased the ateco set from williams sonoma. most cake shops sell the tips individually. my go-to tips are the french star, round and closed star.

fondant

if i use fondant to cover a cake which is rare i only use fondarific. it is flavored so for all of you nay sayers about crappy tasting fondant you have never tasted fondarific. you could just eat an entire tub. you can also roll out a thin layer of this and place it in between cake layers for an added punch of flavor. my faves are the buttercream and chocolate. when i use fondant for cupcake i just use plain ‘ole fondant from wilton. it tastes like crap but nobody eats the cupcake toppers anyhow, if you do…don’t!

coloring pens

if you own a set of wilton coloring markers throw them in the trash. sometimes it is so easy to just use your 40% off coupon but they are watery and when placed on chocolate, think cake balls, it balls up and does not flow. the americolor set is the only set you will ever need. at $19.99 it is well worth the investment, you can thank me later.

cricut machine

now, i had this lovely machine tucked away in my garage for over a year and never used it. i am so mad at myself for never taking it out. it’s amazeballs. i also use regular cookie cutters for designs but this machine is seriously a great invention. on the plus side, you can use it just like the other cricut machines for paper crafts with the switch of the blade housing.

cupcake tin

i am fortunate enough to have a pretty good sized oven. when i first started getting cupcake orders i was using my 12 cupcake tin, taking me forever. when i got my first order of 100+ i went to restaurant depot with my old kitchen manager and purchased two 24-cavity cupcake tins. its a time saver and it keeps things moving fast.

gel paste

again, if you own any wilton gel pastes throw them away. the colors do not represent the colors on the lid and they taste funky. go to your local cake supply store and purchase americolor gel pastes. they offer every color of the rainbow and will make coloring frosting a lifesaver. for $1.99 each you cannot go wrong, again, trust me.

cake pedestals

invest in a few good cake plates. it will turn your dessert tables into a masterpiece. if you can’t dig out the funds for a gorg rosanna cake pedestal head to homegoods you can score really nice cake plates for around $9 each. this is another one of my addictions. it’s my mom and grandma’s fault. i am rounding out at just about twenty cake stands.

rectangular / square plates were purchased at crate & barrel. this is amira from shades of gray‘s dessert table i did.

that’s all i can think of for right now. i hope someone got something from this post! 🙂

thursday 13 and bbq chicken pizza {link-up & recipe}

i’m linking up with aunie sauce‘s thursday 13.

13 things i wish or pray for lately on a daily basis:

1. for my house to clean itself. sadly, all my praying hasn’t made this happen yet.

2. for the time change to stop making everyone act all wacky. two days of the kids waking up at 8:04 on the dot then this morning 7:14.

3. that nap time doesn’t have to be a battle. i love days where she agrees to lay down but most days it takes me coercing her to lay down. yesterday i gave up and said it’s quiet time, she watched a movie in her room and then a tornado whipped through there.

4. to have my bed to myself (and the hubby of course). this has been an on-going battle. lord help me.

5. that 30 days speed on by and that we get great news regarding our new potential house.

6. for my cupcake biz to stay steady on the weekends, it’s keeping me occupied while i am not working.

7. for san diego weather to make up it’s mind. 90 degrees one day, 61 the next.

8. that my old jeans would just miraculously fit. bought a pair two weeks ago, the next day they decided to fall off, now resulting in zero pairs of jeans that fit.

9. that tory burch “miller” sandals would show up on my doorstep, hubby if you’re reading this, tan with gold, okay, thanks.

10. that wearing a bra wouldn’t be so much damn work. bought a new bra last weekend and i am annoyed. thought it was just VS bras but apparently my body just approves of sports bras now. fml.

11. looking onto my bar that i just de-cluttered yesterday is now cluttered again, how does this happen? i need a clutter fairy to help me in this small house with toddler/baby toys and my hobbies.

12. i hope that the rain isn’t too bad this weekend so we can start our garage project and organize stuff for our garage sale that we’ve (i) been discussing for two years.

13. dinner would just make itself, and my body could go run without me having to get up. gosh. i sound lazy today.

and because i am feeling overzealous here’s an easy weeknight bbq chicken pizza recipe.

barbeque chicken pizza

tastes like cpk, it’s quicker and your wallet will be happier! it cost us less than $5

here’s what you need:

pizza crust – (i originally had a refrigerator crust from traders but it sat too long in there so i resorted to a quick boboli whole wheat crust)

bbq sauce – use as much as you like, i used about 1/3 cup

mexican shredded cheese

thinly sliced red onion

one rotisserie chicken breast, cubed

2 TB cilantro, minced.

here’s how:

preheat your oven to 450 degrees. spread the bbq sauce evenly onto the crust. next place the chicken, onion and cheese onto the sauce. place directly onto the oven rack and bake for 10-12 minutes. top with cilantro and enjoy! i served this alongside our fav mixed salad. a quick and easy weeknight meal.

housewives recap – do they offer a brain lift!? {rhoc}

i apologize that i am just now getting to my computer. it’s been a busy day and i am finally watching rhoc since i fell asleep last night. weigh-in to come tomorrow since i ran out the door this morning without weighing.

heather: brain lift!? f-ing classic. an IQ test, an even better idea. loving you even more.

gretchen: really!? you’re just going to keep fueling the fire by telling slade what vicki’s text says. i know they need drama but it would be nice if they would get off of this for at least one episode and not show slade either.

tamra: so happy she clearly called out the fact that she thinks alexis has a big ‘ole nose. this whole gretchen new friend situation is buggin’ me.

vicki: is clearly on the verge of having a nervous breakdown. glad to see don with brianna, he looks great! and i agree with tamra, vicki is a hypocrite for the brooks child support issue, same thing as dead beat slade.

alexis: holy missing your brain. it’s very clear you are getting a nose job for obvious reasons and gettin’ your panties all in a wad over what they were talking about clearly indicates that you are self-conscious about going under the knife…again! she needs help. like seriously. hmm. white dress looks like a forever 21 look. not knocking f21 because i love it, but “designer” give me a break woman. just stick to smiling and pretending you have talent (and a brain) maybe the tin-man could offer you some advice.