So Much To Say, So Little Time.....

This is going to be super short :( I miss blogging so much, but I have a hard time sitting still to blast my opinion to the blogosphere when I have orders to fill and customers to take care of! It's a fabulous trade-off, no doubt...but I do miss blogging :(

I'm trying to find a way to combine the website and my blog. I don't really know how to do it and keep the very personal aspect of my blog without giving allowing complete unfiltered access to my personal life - especially all the stuff I write about Paige, for God's sake!!! I know that there is a way to combine the two...so any suggestions are GREATLY appreciated.

I was especially excited to COOK this weekend. I made dinner Saturday and Sunday night and breakfast this morning. I think Paige went into shock! Speaking of Paige....

I picked her up from school week before last when she got out at 3pm instead of from aftercare. When I got to her, Mrs. Buford (her teacher) brought her to the vehicle. As Paige was getting in, Mrs. Buford commented on how nice it was that I left work early to pick up Paige from school since I work late all the time now and don't pick her up anymore. I was curious since I do pick her up most of the time and I asked Paige how Mrs. Buford knew that I was always working late. She says:

"Because I told her. I also told her that you are too busy working now and never fix dinner for me anymore."

I'm waiting for CPS to just come take her away......

Courtney, Paige and I had our girls day out Saturday. We went to India Palace and then to get pedicures. I thought for sure Paige would eat the Tandoori Chicken and the Honey Buns on Crack. They have a real name, but I can't remember what it is and honestly, that is a spot on description of the delicious balls of heaven. That sounded really nasty and I kind of meant it to....LOL!!! So she wouldn't eat any of it and they fixed her a grilled cheese using Naan bread that was delicious! I just can't believe that Paige won't try anything new and different. Anything! She is the pickiest eater I've ever known. EVER!!! She totally missed out, too. The Tikki Masala had a nice kick Saturday and was delicious. They also served these little lentil and vegetable dumplings in an almond sauce that was to die for. And they also had these potato cakes that had jalapenos in them. They rocked. Courtney and I love their food. If you have never tried Indian food and want to cautiously venture into their cuisine, India Palace in Dallas is the perfect place to start. If you love Indian food and haven't been there - go!! Now! They also serve Mimosas on Saturday....Hell Yeah!!

Last night I made French Onion Soup and it was easy and quick. It had great flavor and even tasted like I had been simmering it for hours. I love recipes that you can adapt to your situation. I love homemade from scratch food - but I don't always have the time to start from nothing and build a complete meal. Shortcuts are increasingly becoming my BFF! I also made chicken and dumplings tonight using the dumpling recipe from the last time and they came out perfect again. Since I had time, I cooked a whole chicken rather than using a rotisserie chicken and it was so good. I still love using the rotisserie chicken, but it was nice to do it this way while I had the time. So how about some French Onion Soup, my friends??

Cadillac Cowgirl French Onion Soup

4 lbs Sweet Onions, sliced
64 oz Beef Broth
1/2 Cup Red Wine, such as a Cabernet or Merlot...try to use a dry wine
3 Cloves Garlic, minced
1/2 Stick Butter
3 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
1 teaspoon Telicherry Pepper, available at Mild Bill's
1/2 tsp Ground Thyme (I couldn't find fresh and had this on hand, so I went with it!)
1 Loaf French Bread, cut into thick slices
Provolone or Swiss Cheese

In a large dutch oven or soup pot, melt the heat the olive oil and melt the butter over medium heat. Add the sliced onions and allow them to caramelize and turn translucent - this will take about 15 minutes and you don't want them to burn. Once they start to brown, turn the heat down if necessary and add the garlic. Cook for about 5 more minutes and turn the heat to high. Pour in the red wine and allow it to deglaze the bottom of the pan. Allow the wine to cook in and coat the onions; turn the heat to medium high and add the beef broth, salt, pepper and thyme. Stir to combine and bring it to a low boil. Cover and reduce heat to medium low. Continue cooking for 20 minutes or until the onions are completely cooked and the flavors combined; adjust seasonings if necessary.

While the soup is simmering, preheat the oven to 375. On a large sheet pan, lay your thick slices of french bread and drizzle them with some olive oil. Cover each slice of bread with a slice of cheese and bake for 10 minutes. Turn the oven to broil on high and broil the bread and cheese until the cheese starts to bubble and turn brown; remove from oven. Ladle the soup in a bowl and top with the cheese covered bread. Serve and enjoy!!

I cut six thick slices of bread and that was perfect for the three of us that had it - there were two slices per person if we wanted seconds and it worked out great. Make sure you have extra slices of cheese since there is absolutely nothing wrong with adding an extra slice to the soup before putting the cheesy bread on top :)

Like popcorn? Then you need Mild Bill's Jalapeno Salt to sprinkle over it's buttery deliciousness for an extra kick. I'm telling you....it's the bomb!!!

Good night all.....I miss spreading my own special brand of kindness and joy and sharing stories about my child who thinks that if she is clean when she puts on a clean pair of underwear that they stay clean for days on end.....

Keep it real :-)

The Cadillac Cowgirl