May 22, 2011

As many of you may know, on May 22, 2011 the deadliest single tornado in US history tore through the small, quiet town of Joplin, Mo killing over 120 people*.  

Now many of you might not be familiar with this jewel right off historic Route 66, but since I met my husband back in 2002, I have come to love this town.  While it's a town of 50,000, it is the central hub to many surrounding towns and communities.  It's one of those places where everyone knows everyone (whether you like it or not).  Where there's a deep sense of community.  Small businesses outnumber larger corporate establishments.  I swear some of the best pizza I have ever eaten in my life has been at a tiny little place off Rangeline Rd.  And for the last 3 years I have spent about one weekend a month visiting family and friends in Joplin.  

But now it's gone.  People are missing.  Businesses, schools, neighborhoods...all leveled and buried under a pile of debris.  My father in law even worked at the St. Johns hospital that was damaged.  

I can't be there to help and I wish I could.  But I have a toddler to raise.  My husband already left to do his part helping his home town recover from the devastation.  He calls me everyday with a new heartbreaking story.  Today he told me the tale of a young man he went to high school with that used his own body as a human shield to protect his wife and child from the storm.  He was just released from the hospital with a beaten body to find his home destroyed and in need of the charity of others.

So!  There is only one thing to do....

Host an auction.

Ali Bee's Bake Shop is pairing up with JP Creatibles to host an online auction to raise money for Joplin Disaster Relief**.  We want to make this big people!  Lets raise some money and help this tight knit community.  But first we need generous people like you to help lend a hand.  We are looking for anyone who wants to donate goods and services for auction.  I know I have a cookie/baking blog but you don't have to be a baker to be involved.  This is an open call for anyone who wants to help!  I will naturally be contributing my own items to the cause and I hope you will consider participating too.  If your not into crafting or donating items please come back and bid!  

For more updates and information please head over to Prayers, Love & Joplin!!

* Final death count is yet to be determined.

** Foundation to be determined

Tangled Up!!

Tangled up in Love.....

Or whatever.

Anyway, have you seen the movie Tangled?  Love it.  The frying pan thing??  Genius.

Ok now y'all I do not do characters....not often.  So that lady in the middle was the only one I made.  It was very tedious.

Anyways!!  Not much to write about at the moment.  Lots of stuff going on in my life right now....which I will write about later.  After it has all blown over.

Hope everyone is having a great week.

Vintage Barbie Baby Shower

I want to tell you that these cookies were a particular challenge.  I was asked to make Vintage Barbie cookies for a baby shower...if you look around on the internet you will see tons of images for a vintage Barbie....all in black and pink.   Very Paris.

Design Dazzle

And then I was told I could NOT do pink and black...*sigh*  Suddenly things got a bit trickier.  You would be surprised haw hard it is to design anything Barbie without the pink and black combo..I mean it wouldn't seem like it, but give it a shot....and then incorporate baby somewhere.

It would have been so much easier to do black and pink...

This is the inspiration I used instead

In the end, I am glad that I didn't have the option because I like what I ended up with SO much more than I would have liked the black and pink... :)

To top it off, I was away from home when I made these.  We went to visit my in-laws for Mother's Day and we ended up staying the rest of the week because two things happened.

One cool thing:  My husband had a job interview *yay!*

One bad thing:  My dog that I've has since college had a heart attack and died on the way to the hospital.  :(  So we had to wait for her ashes to come back from the crematory.

Basically I was away from all of my supplies so I had to hit up the local Michaels and make what I could find work.  Slim pickin's....

Despite the setbacks, I think they turned out pretty well tho!

So Thanks Caroline for challenging me (by banning the black and pink combo).  :)

Mandy 2002 - 2011
We'll miss you Adventure Dog

Teacher Cookies

I have a great deal of respect for teachers (well, good teachers anyway)

They shape our children and our future...and as a parent I can tell you that sometimes looking after one child can test your patience...I can't imagine 15 to 30 of them all at once...

I was asked to make these recently:

for a Pre-K graduation :)  So I tried to keep the colors simple.  They look a bit brighter in this photo than they do in real life....

And these:

for a music teacher.

Had fun with these...although it wasn't easy....I got stumped trying to find something different to do.

Anyways...summer break is coming up.  Thanks teachers for all the work you did this year.  :)

Kali's Baby Shower

I did these a while back but I thought I would just do a quick post on Kali's baby shower.

Kali is a friend of mine from Baylor.  She lived down the hall from me in the dorms...she was the goalie of the girls lacrosse team....she was a premed...not the girliest of girls...

Anyways, skip ahead....now she's Dr. Kali

Tell me how someone can do 12 hour hospital rotations at 8 months?  I mean really... I could barely stay awake at 8 months....anyway

Remember how I said she wasn't girly?  Well she still isn't.  Yet God doth have a sense of humor... :)

Yeah.....she had a girl.

Congrats Kali.  Love ya!

Happy Mother's Day

Kentucky Derby Day!!

So today is the 137th Run Of The Roses!  Yes indeed, the Kentucky Derby....

Oh please...you know I made cookies for this.

Just a few of the jockey silks worn today.  Brilliant Speed (the black, white, and red one) suffered a fate at the swift and sneaky hands of a two year old who didn't listen when her mother said "STOP!".  *sigh*  We think Sophie might know something that we don't.....place your bets accordingly....according to the cookie thief that is my toddler.

I won't be betting...yeah sure the horses are there but we women know what this day is really about.

Drinking

Wearing a fabulous hat

So who's your money on this year??

Cinco De Mayo!

Ok so Cinco de Mayo was yesterday...but I went to a movie last night and didn't have a chance to post anything till now.

(Went and saw Thor.  It was pretty good...not great...I find 3D movies distracting so it's probably worth another viewing....)

Anywho, I thought I would share a very quick and SUPER easy to throw together recipe.  (Sorry it's not a sweet one....although I'm working on some stuff in the realm of cookies..."realm"...dang Thor movie).  This is a dish that we make quite frequently around our house because it's just so dang easy and cheap...and delicious.

Shredded Pork (for tacos...or over rice....or a Cuban sandwich....or whatever...it's PORK)

And all you need is 3 things:
A center pork loin roast
Goya Mojo Crillo
Mexican beer

Preheat your oven to 425
Get your dutch oven out (love my Le Cruset) and put your pork in it.  Dump your bottle of Mojo and your bottle of beer over your pork.  Now here's the deal, you want that liquid to cover the pork because as it cooks it's going to evaporate and you kinda want that pork submerged so it will get nice and tender, soaking up those juices.  You will notice at this time (depending on the size of your pork loin) that this is not enough liquid.  So here's where this recipe is going to differ for some.  If your sensitive to salt, please take my advice and put water in the dutch oven till your liquid level rises to cover your pork.... the marinade is salty enough on it's own.  But if you like big bold (slightly salty) flavor do what I do and double it.  An extra bottle of Mojo and another bottle of beer.  To me this is the perfect combo.
Put it in your oven and cook it for 3 hours.  Yes you could probably cook it on a lower temperature for a longer period of time if that's how you wanna do it but I generally forget to make dinner till the last minute...getting up with the birds and cooking dinner all day long is a charming thought, but not my thing.

When it's done pull it out of the oven and shred it with 2 forks

Yummy

Serve it in a fresh tortilla with a little queso fresca and guacamole.

Other ways to serve it:
Over rice (with a touch of the juices) topped with Avocado and Tomato salsa
Cuban Snadwich - Put come pork, ham, cheese, pickle, mustard, in a hallowed out hoagie roll and press it on the stove or a panini press till hot and melty.
....whatever you like pork in...

It's good.  Easy.  Cheap.  Simple.  Fool proof.  Serves a lot of people.

And that is what we ate yesterday in honor of Cinco de Mayo.  :)

Proud Parent Here!

OMG y'all I just had to share this with ya...

I am so proud...

She climbed up into her booster all by herself, grabbed an icing bag and a cookie scrap (that I used to test my luster paint on) and starting "decorating".

**Y'all please do excuse the flour and such all over my table here.  Momma was working.  And working aint pretty sometimes...**

And she had fun.

*sniffle*  I am just beaming...

Ah yes, my young protege at long last you discover the art of...

DON'T PUT THAT IN YOUR MOUTH!!!

Ok, so we have a long way to go....I guess step one should be a lesson in food handling and sanitation..

(and no I didn't use that icing later....mixed myself a new one thank you)