Introducing...

So, I'm pretty lucky, apparently.  For my sister is also my friend.  After years of putting her head in the toilet (the story she tells everyone when she talks about her family, though I'll have everyone know it only happened once, and my brother and I didn't actually let her hair touch the water, so, so what?!?), I have a kindred spirit in my little sister.  Shelby Lynn Harrell -- six years my junior -- is  ...

breathtakingly beautiful

fun to hang out with (even when we don't know where we're going)

 crazy excitable

smart (honor student, what what!)

kind to the elderly her elders

remarkably talented at acting and singing

 

 filled with childish childlike wonder

grumpy before coffee

{er... make that butterbeer}

and -- over the last couple years -- she's been developing a lot of interests that have interested me for a while too.  {Isn't it kind of crazy and strange when your younger siblings start to resemble adults?  Weirder still, when they resemble adults at an earlier age than you did?}  Take, for instance, her interest in literature.  She's more of an English Regency Period geek (like myself), but she doesn't say no to good American literature, the likes of Louisa May Alcott's Little Women.  In fact, last year she snagged the leading role at Perquimans High School's musical production of this great work.  Funny thing is, she and Jo March really have a lot in common.  About each, one could say:

She's a lover.

She's a fighter.

She's a swinger.

She's a dreamer.

She's a nonconformist.

She's a creator.

Which brings me to my next point...
Shelby's been developing her creativity in the culinary arts, lately, which has produced some tasty results. 
For instance, pound cake.

My sister made this one:

I wouldn't be able to make this cake now, and she's practically a master at it.  Thankfully for me, Shelby has gone and made herself a blog of her very own, in which she has devoted her whole life long (or at least a few hours a week of it) to teaching me how to make the aforementioned cake.  OK, the blog will probably serve other purposes to other people.  To each his own.  And I suppose you want in on the action, don't you...  Well, all right, fine, I'll share her!  

 May I introduce to you, the blogging world, my lovely sister, Shelby!  Her brand new blog is ready and just waiting for eager readers to bask in troves of culinary treasures, as well as get to know her dear heart and fun-loving soul.  Just please promise to come back to me eventually!

In Vino Veritas

I don't really know enough about wine to make recommendations on a regular basis, but today I'm making one anyway.  We found this lovely, Hamilton-Steven's Pinot Noir, at Trader Joe's for a satisfyingly surprising $8.99.  Flavorful and sweet, it gave more room to bittersweet chocolate and cherries than to alcohol, which is in its favor in my book.  If your conscience allows you to enjoy it, drink up!  If not, consider this...

           The LORD of hosts will prepare a lavish banquet for all peoples on this mountain;     

               A banquet of aged wine, choice pieces with marrow,

               And refined, aged wine.

          And on this mountain He will swallow up the covering which is over all peoples,

               Even the veil which is stretched over all nations.

          He will swallow up death for all time,

               And the Lord GOD will wipe tears away from all faces,

               And He will remove the reproach of His people from all the earth;

               For the LORD has spoken.

          And it will be said in that day,

              "Behold, this is our God for whom we have waited that He might save us

               This is the LORD for whom we have waited;

               Let us rejoice and be glad in His salvation." {Isaiah 25:6-9}

At the celebration of the Lord's salvation, according to His word, we'll be lavished with a banquet -- a banquet! -- of aged wine.  All I can say is, if a Californian 2009 can taste this good, I can't wait to relish the wonder of what God -- Eternal Being that He is -- considers refined, aged wine.  

One Chili Night

"Snowmageddon" doesn't scare Flower Fairy!

In case you haven't heard, it's been snowing in Chicago.  Now, that's not particularly surprising, considering this city's precarious situation right next to a very large lake in the mid-northern part of the States.  But this snowstorm is kind of surprising, expected to bring in up to 20 inches of the white stuff, flying violently along on 60 mph winds.  Oh, and did I mention the "Thundersnow"?!?*

One good thing about chilly nights is that they also make great chili nights.  Yes, that was an unforgivable pun, but seventy times seven, right?  ;)  Tonight, we've been taking in the scrumptious smells and mouth-watering flavors of a very basic chili recipe, but with a few healthy changes.  First, meet Betty:

 Good ol' faithful Betty Crocker lends a hand.  Well, most of the recipe, actually.  Here's her version:

Only, instead of a pound of ground beef, I make this chili with a half pound of ground turkey and some veggies.  Namely, one zucchini and one green pepper.  Here's all you need to make...

Chilly Night Chili

Oops.  Forgot a crucial ingredient, as always.  Beans!

Once you've assembled the necessary ingredients, just cook your turkey (or beef),
onion and garlic for 10 minutes over medium heat.  Then add everything else but the beans.
At this point, your saucepan should look like this colorful combination:

Mix until edible brilliance.

Once mixed, bring the chili to a boil, lower your heat, cover and simmer for an hour.
Then, turn back to your cutting board and admire the beauteous remains of your pepper.
Aren't peppers gorgeous?!?

Remember to ignore the begging cat.
(Don't worry; she's well aware it's not her dinner time yet!)

After an hour of simmering and begging, add your rinsed beans.

Stir in, bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer for 10 minutes, uncovered.
While the chili is finishing up, you can gather your final supplies:

No chili is complete without plenty of oyster crackers and cheeeeeeeeeese!

I like to grate some cheese into the bottom of the bowl (a tasty trick I picked up from my mother-in-law).

 Fill your bowl, sprinkle some more cheese on top, and stare mindlessly at your creation.

Um, and... oh yeah!  Eat and be satisfied!!!

And try to stay warm, especially you folks "enjoying" this lovely winter storm.
Remember, Chicago kids, you only get a snow day about once a decade, so relish this fleeting opportunity!

 *****

*Yes, Thundersnow is a real thing, folks.  I just heard it with my own two ears. 
Never in my nerd-like meteorology-lovin' life have I ever experienced anything quite like this.


*****

Author's Note: This post was actually written up and ready to be posted last night just moments before we lost our power for 18 hours, thanks to aforementioned "Snowmageddon."  Thankfully we made it through the storm, and I'm happy to say we were able to save the leftover chili on our snow-laden balcony.  Yes, my friend, this recipe serves 4.  :)

A Picture A Day If I Got One, And I Did.

With the new year still somewhat fresh, resolutions are still squirming sneakily into my life, tantalizing me with their promises of A Better Me.  One such resolution which several of you bloggers out there are apparently taking on is the incredible task of posting "A Picture A Day."  It's a superb idea, giving the bold resolver the chance not only to hone her photography skills and make regular posts, but also capture unique moments that will never quite happen the same way again.  Well, all I gotta say to that blogger is, more power to ya!  As that is a resolution I'd be sure to break, my version of the story is, "A Picture A Day If I Got One."  Thankfully, today I did.  And this is it:

These were pert near the most beautiful and delicious cookies I've ever baked.  Their creation was made possible by Jenna, who lovingly bestowed upon me, thy humble servant, a gift beyond the thanks I could return: a new KitchenAid mixer!  It was a gift she received when she won a weekend with the Pioneer Woman(!!!), and as she already had one, she graciously paid it forward to this undeserving but eager baker.  These cookies were the first product of that beautiful machine, and they shall henceforth be forever etched in my memory as gloriously tasty.

Jenna, I promise with all that is within me to prove myself worthy of this thrilling gift!!!

Cinnamon Nut Bundt Cakery

I've always had this nagging desire to post wonderful, colorful, photoful recipes on my blog.  Recipes like my friend Jenna, a.k.a. Hot Stuff In the Kitchen, posts.  Problem is, I'm not really much of a culinary artist, nor a persistent enough photojournalist.  I lack stamina.  But.  This one time, in the holiday spirit (eggnog), I resolved to measure, mix, and make a delicious cake with my trusty camera in hand to make it once for all known to the world that I, Carrie, can make something you might just want to eat... and the tools to make it yourself!  With the Christmas spirit still among us, cinnamon may appear a tad too often on the dessert menu, but with the Christmas spirit among us, seriously, who cares?!  This Cinnamon Nut Bundt Cake is one of my favorite cakes to bake and to eat this season (which, as far as I'm concerned, ends no earlier than January 6), and -- can you believe it?? -- it's super, super easy.  (This is very easy to believe if you know me.)  So, let's get down to business, shall we?  First, let's make sure we have everything we need in the fridge / cupboard.

Ingredients

Duncan Hines Yellow Butter Cake Mix 

     (I used Betty Crocker this time around, but I think Duncan Hines is a little better)

3/4 cup Oil

1/2 cup Sugar

1 cup Sour Cream

4 Eggs

5 T. Brown Sugar

1 T. Cinnamon

1/2 to 1 cup Pecans (Pronounced PEE-cans.  This is very important.)

A handful o' Butter

Please don't forget the cinnamon, as I did for this photo.  It's kinda important.

In a large bowl, mix the cake mix, the oil, the sugar and the sour cream.  

Add sound effects to make it a little more interesting.

Shhhhhh.

Gloop.

Mix thoroughly.

Wink at your man.  Especially if he's kind enough to take some pictures of you cooking.  

(And especially if he's planning to send them to his mother to prove you're good in the kitchen.)

Mix in the eggs, one at a time.

Stir vigorously between each egg to make sure it's mixed well.  

Be sure to grimace; it makes the "vigorously" part a little easier.

In a separate bowl, measure out the brown sugar.  Doing it in lumps helps me keep track.

Sprinkle the cinnamon in.

Mix.  I like to do this by hand to work out all the knots.  And to get my hands dirty.  

(For those eating my cake, I mean dirty in the cleanest sense.)

If your "chopped pecans" look like this, they need a bit more chopping.

This hand-held chopper is very... handy.  And choppy.

Admire your freshly chopped pecans.  Again, PEE-cans.  Very important.

Ignore begging cat.

Time to get your hands "dirty" again!
I suppose you can grease the cake pan however you like, but this is my favorite way to do it.

Be sure to cover every square millimeter of the pan with butter,
so as to prevent any chunks of cake from sticking to the pan.

I don't know why I'm smirking in this photo...
I guess I'm kinda proud of my ability to cover every bit of pan in butter. 

Now sprinkle the buttered up pan with sugar.  Again, every square millimeter, people!

Next, pour 1/3 of your batter into the bundt pan...

...followed by 1/2 of your cinnamon/brown sugar mixture...

...followed by 1/2 of your chopped pecans...

...followed by 1/3 more of the batter...

Then the rest of the cinnamon, the rest of the pecans, and the last of the batter.

Once it looks something like this ( ^ ), bake it for about an hour at 325°, till it looks something like this...

 

Let it cool a while in the pan, and thank the Lord that your camera somehow mysteriously 

reset its white balance, since that's something you haven't taken the time to figure out yet.  

{Yes, Virginia, I'm not that tan.  Heaven sakes, it's winter; gimme a break!}

When it's good and ready to come out, have no fear if it leaves a few pieces behind.  

Just lovingly return them to their rightful places.
(So much for every square millimeter!)

Finally, set your cake before your beautifully decorated Christmas tree (please tell me you haven't taken it down already!), and admire the beauty of your delicious work of art.

...yummmm...

Just don't let your admiration and picture-taking keep you from eating it.

Hope you thoroughly enjoy!!!

Here's the recipe in its condensed form: