Papa Murphy's

OMG - I found something new and exciting. Papa Murphy's! It seems I am the last to discover this place. For those of you like me who haven't yet tried this genius concept, Papa Murphy's lets you design your own pizza and makes it fresh with raw dough, fresh vegetables, cheese and meat. Then they put it on an oven safe pan, wrap it up with instructions and send it home to be baked fresh before eating. It was so fresh and delicious and didn't have any chemical or preservative taste. The dough baked up perfectly crisp on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside. You would think that the cost of this gourmet delight would have been high but in fact it was much less than the local chain producing common, uninspiring, tired pies. Just look at the image below and tell me it doesn't look like a work of art. Thank you Papa Murphy for a great pie.

More Cakes

I did a couple of cakes over the last couple of months. Some were good and some.....not so much.

Yesterday we celebrated Riley's 9th Birthday. She had a bowling party and was very specific about how she wanted the cake. So here it is....A bowling ball and pin. The ball is half strawberry cake and half chocolate cake and the pin is vanilla cake. All covered in butter cream icing. Luckily the bowling ball didn't roll off on the way to the bowling alley.


One was a Sweet 16 cake.


Another was a first Birthday for a friend's Grandson. This cake makes me laugh every time I look at it. The cake was made to match the invitations which were trimmed in red bandanna with blue interior and brown text and trim. We got so tickled after this cake was finished because the brown letters of his named looked just like they were made of pieces of poop. But hey, one year old kids love poop right? (btw - I hate writing on cakes)

no carb Chinese

So I am still working the "no carb" menu. I have come up with a way to get my Chinese fix without the guilt. This is so simple. I seriously should host a 15 minute working Mother's meal show!!

Simply brown lean ground pork in sesame oil. Season with salt and pepper. Add frozen spinach, edemame beans, snap peas, yellow or red bell pepper and onions. Add soy sauce and heat until all veggies are heated but still brightly colored.

For the rest of the family, I serve this over udon noodles with an egg roll on the side. For me, it is a quick and satisfying way to tame my Chinese craving.

Tomatoe Basil Soup

1 large can crushed plain stewed tomatoes
1 large can crushed stewed tomatoes (italian seasoned)
1 cup chicken broth
2 cloves chopped garlic
salt
pepper
1 c. heavy cream
1/2 stick butter

Mix together tomatoes, chicken broth, salt, pepper and garlic. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Blend with wand mixer right in the pot or blend in a blender then return to the pot. Simmer over low heat until you have to serve it. The longer the better, but I make it quick after work during the week and it tastes great in less than 20min. Before serving, stir in the butter and cream until melted and well combined. Serve warm with garlic cheese bread or sprinkled with croutons and fresh basil. However you prefer, this is a great beginning to the winter season.