Oh that Sweet Smell . . .

I got to spend a little time today holding a 2 week old baby.

It was lovely.

I mostly spent my time inhaling that intoxicating aroma of New Baby.

It's hard to believe that something so tiny grows into this after about 12 years.

I never knew it was possible to love someone more and more with every passing year.

~b~

Photo Assignment

There is a house in Saskatoon that is hidden behind a brick wall.

Last week while I was driving past I noticed that the graffiti had been changed to scenes from Where The Wild Things are.  

Here are some of the scenes it depicts:

~b~

Fire Burning

Know that song by Sean Kingston called Fire Burning?

I just popped a bit of leftover blackened chicken into my mouth and my tastebuds started screaming the lyrics: fire burning fire burning

Careful, the blackened chicken's a bit spicy, or so my tastebuds tell me.  

This has been a public service announcement.

~b~

Blackened Chicken on Delicious Pizza Dough

My recipe debut on Tasty Kitchen is going well - I already have two reviews and two ratings of 5 oven mitts out of 5!

Last week I made Fettucini Alfredo and added blackened chicken on top.  The blackened chicken turned out great so I thought I'd make a pizza out of it.

First I made the pizza dough.  You can find my recipe on Tasty Kitchen.

Then I made the Blackened Chicken.

Here's the recipe:

1 Tbsp Paprika

2 Tbsp Sugar

1 1/2 tsp Salt

1 Tbsp Thyme

1 Tbsp Cayenne Pepper

1 Tbsp Black Peper

1 Tbsp Garlic Powder

3/4 cup mayonnaise

1 Tbsp Water

1 Tbsp Cider Vinegar

2 chicken breast, halved

Combine the paprika, sugar, thyme, cayenne pepper, black pepper and garlic powder and rub into chicken breast.  In a small bowl combine the mayonnaise, water and vinegar.  Place the chicken under the broiler for 2 minutes on each side.  Continue broiling and baste the chicken merrily as you go (about 4 - 6 minutes).  Slice the chicken diagonally and its ready for serving. 

I also made some bacon by cutting 6 pieces of bacon into 1/2 inch strips and frying them up, I drained off the fat to appease my conscience.

When the pizza dough was ready to go I smeared onion bbq sauce all over that dough.  

I then added diced tomatoes, red and green pepper slices, minced garlic and sliced sweet onion. And then it was time for the blackened chicken and the bacon.  I topped the whole thing with feta cheese.

 

Doesn't that look good?

After a little cooking in the oven I was left with this:

And it was fantastic.

~b~

Anonymity

Since I'm back in my city I've realized that how freeing anonymity is.

For me this translates into my photography.  While on vacation I think its natural to play the tourist and snap happily away.  My son started to call me a shutterbug.  But for some reason, here in the city I have more reservations about taking pictures.  

But I love taking pictures and I want to get better so I've given myself an assignment.  And it involves this children's story, which I have always loved to read:

So if all goes well I'm getting up near to crack of dawn and will have something to share with you later this week.  On the other hand, I may:  A) sleep in,  B) get hit by a car, or C) chicken out, and then I will have nothing to share with you later this week. 

 Let's hope its not "B".

Tasty Kitchen

The great Queen of the Blog-o-sphere, The Pioneer Woman has just started a new website called Tasty Kitchen.  Tonight I submitted my first recipe called Delicious Pizza Dough.  I got the recipe from a coworker and its probably the only recipe that I will use yeast.

Why?

Because yeast is so picky and Diva-esque.  

You have to mix it up a bit and then leave it alone to relax for at least 15 minutes.  Then you have to give it a massage until it feels just right.  And then you cover it up and let it relax in a quiet place.  And if your lucky and do it just right, it will rise and allow you to bake it.  

Anyway, if your are interested in cooking, blogging, kneading, or good recipes check out the website: Tasty Kitchen. You can also rate my recipe.  5 mitts out of 5 please!

I hope to make this recipe this weekend and I will definitely post a photo when I do.

Things I know about Maui and All Things Related

Today I'd thought I'd impart some of my useless knowledge with you.  Here goes:

Maui is an island.  The second largest in Hawaii, in fact.  Betcha didn't know that.  I didn't until I started writing this post, so I'm letting you know now.

The state fish of Hawaii is the:  humuhumunukunukuapua'a  Say that 5 times fast!  

humuhumunukunukuapua'a

humuhumunukunukuapua'a

humuhumunukunukuapua'a

oh, I quit.

Maui is a leading whale-watching center to watch the likes of our friends the humpback whale.

Maui is the birthplace of Sugar in the Raw (cane sugar) which seals the addiction to my daily dose of caffeine with a fine sweet kiss.

Maui is a cat.

Well, just a kitten still.  A small, cute, playful kitten.

~b~