Belly Up to the Bar With Bendy and Her Friendies!!! Button Pics & New Thread Started!

[oybolshoi]

In case anyone could use a laugh ...

Here is Jason in Wii form

Look ... he caught a fishie for dinner!

Here is little Bendy in Wii form ... had to take two pictures because even my alter-ego can't take a good picture!

And here is the gift Jay's mom and dad gave him for Christmas:

The only way to improve upon it would have been to add Plankton.

 

[Tatania]

We got a really good price from Dreams that included airfare and nabbed us a Cat 8 cabin (no balcony this time but at least we'll have a window) plus an onboard credit. The transatlantic cruise is actually cheaper than last year's Panama Canal cruise which we dearly would have loved to take.

I'll check out Dreams today. The cruise I'm wanting to do is the one starting in London and going to St. Petersburg because it would be a great way to see The Hermitage without having to take a specific trip to Russia. I'm terribly prone to motion sickness and I've heard crossing the Atlantic can be a bit rough.

Ps. Jay's gift has me laughing so hard! I guess his parents still think of him as their little baby "cause that looks like a wind-up toy to me.

 

[whogirl'smom]

kabuki, I know you didn't mean to type 12 cups of Grand Marnier! That just cracked me up! Looks good and very rich.

Brenda, love the amaretto cake and especially that pan. I have never made a glaze except with powdered sugar, so I'm wondering where I would find baker's sugar. You wouldn't believe how Kroger's has lessened their selection the past few months. You know what's sad? I don't even have cake pans except for 9x13, and I love to bake. I think I need to clean out the kitchen cupboards this New Years and get some grown up kitchen accessories!


What IS Jason's present, anyway? At least you didn't get a Toblerone from your ILs.

 

[kabuki]

kabuki, I know you didn't mean to type 12 cups of Grand Marnier! That just cracked me up! Looks good and very rich.

Brenda, love the amaretto cake and especially that pan. I have never made a glaze except with powdered sugar, so I'm wondering where I would find baker's sugar. You wouldn't believe how Kroger's has lessened their selection the past few months. You know what's sad? I don't even have cake pans except for 9x13, and I love to bake. I think I need to clean out the kitchen cupboards this New Years and get some grown up kitchen accessories!

I did mean to say 12 but drink 11 of them as your making the trifle!

ooooops sorry I will change that!

 

[oybolshoi]

I'll check out Dreams today. The cruise I'm wanting to do is the one starting in London and going to St. Petersburg because it would be a great way to see The Hermitage without having to take a specific trip to Russia. I'm terribly prone to motion sickness and I've heard crossing the Atlantic can be a bit rough.

Ps. Jay's gift has me laughing so hard! I guess his parents still think of him as their little baby "cause that looks like a wind-up toy to me.

Oh we would have loved to have taken one of the baltic cruises but they're too rich for our blood. And it's a shame because Jay and I met while taking Russian in college and it would be nice to use the language for real before I forget the little that I managed to retain.

We're all definitely rolling the dice by crossing the Atlantic in the middle of prime hurricane season but usually the captain does a good job of avoiding as much rough stuff as he can. Have you looked into something like bonine for your motion sickness? I've heard people say it works wonders, but I can't speak about it myself ... that's one thing I don't seem to have issues with.

kabuki, I know you didn't mean to type 12 cups of Grand Marnier! That just cracked me up! Looks good and very rich.

Brenda, love the amaretto cake and especially that pan. I have never made a glaze except with powdered sugar, so I'm wondering where I would find baker's sugar. You wouldn't believe how Kroger's has lessened their selection the past few months. You know what's sad? I don't even have cake pans except for 9x13, and I love to bake. I think I need to clean out the kitchen cupboards this New Years and get some grown up kitchen accessories!

Our grocery store sells baker's sugar in the same aisle as flour, sugar, spice, etc. C&H makes baker's sugar so if your Krogers carries that brand I'd think they would offer it.

If not let me know ... I'll put a stinktown care package together for you.

PS. The toy is a crabby-pattie mobile. It doesn't wind up, which I thought when I first saw it. It's just got four very study wheels and rolls like the wind once you give it a good push. Our cat likes chasing it and chewing on the little flag attached to the rear of the "car."

 

[kabuki]

Brenda.. Jay looks like he's 1/2 Jay 1/2 lady bug!

That could be the 11 cups of booze from the trifle talking..

 

[oybolshoi]

Brenda.. Jay looks like he's 1/2 Jay 1/2 lady bug!

That could be the 11 cups of booze from the trifle talking..

When I tell him he's going to feel like he needs to go back and buff up his Wii Mi.

 

[travelmel]

Ha! I love the Mii's!

I think everybody should post a pic of themselves and their Mii!!!!!

 

[oybolshoi]

Ha! I love the Mii's!

I think everybody should post a pic of themselves and their Mii!!!!!

That would be awesome indeed!!

 

[winkers]

Ha! I love the Mii's!

I think everybody should post a pic of themselves and their Mii!!!!!

my son made my Mii..........I look like a red headed weeble!

 

[ibouncetoo]

I make Cherries in the Snow all the time.

Oh, please post this one too!

I've been known to also make mixed salads in the trifle bowl, decorating the 'sides' with tomato, cucumber, red pepper slices.

 

[oybolshoi]

my son made my Mii..........I look like a red headed weeble!

weebles wobble but they don't fall down ... that's why they can drink so much and no one suspects that they're tipsy.

 

[kabuki]

Ha! I love the Mii's!

I think everybody should post a pic of themselves and their Mii!!!!!

We don't have a Wii
But I love Freddie the Flute and your Twilight stuff!

 

[Tink rules]

We got a really good price from Dreams that included airfare and nabbed us a Cat 8 cabin (no balcony this time but at least we'll have a window) plus an onboard credit. The transatlantic cruise is actually cheaper than last year's Panama Canal cruise which we dearly would have loved to take.

Ohhhh yeah... So she sent the little green furry butt instead!!!

Recipe taken from Williams Sonoma catalogue many many moons ago. It's not a quick or easy cake to make, but so worth the effort. And although the recipe doesn't call for Baker's Sugar instead of regular granulated sugar, I'm here to tell you that Baker's Sugar will make all the difference, especially in the glaze. Trust me ... Bendy won't steer you wrong!

Cake Ingredients:

3 1/4 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
18 tablespoons butter (yep, that's 2 and 1/4 sticks)
8 ounces cream cheese
3 cups sugar
6 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 tablespoons amaretto


Directions (of which there are many):

Have all ingredients at room temperature. Position baking rack in lower third of oven and preheat to 325 degrees F. Grease & flour a bundt cake pan.

Sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

Using an electric mixer beat the butter and cream cheese until creamy and smooth. Add sugar, 1 cup at a time, and beat until light and fluffy - be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl as you go.

Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.

Beat in vanilla and amaretto.

Fold in the flour mixture, in three additions, blending each addition until just smooth.

The mixture will be very thick at this point. The recipe actually suggests spooning the batter into the prepared pan, but I found that it worked a lot better to have Jay hold the bowl while I used a spatula to coax it into the pan. Make sure that the sides of the pan have more batter than the center because of the manner in which the cake will rise as it bakes.

Bake until the cake is golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean ... about 90 minutes. Cool upright in pan for about 10 minutes and then turn out onto a rack where the cake can cool completely.

Glaze Ingredients & Directions:

1/4 cup amaretto
3/4 cup sugar

In a small bowl whisk amaretto and sugar until blended. Set cake & rack over a sheet of wax paper and spoon glaze over the cake.

YUM!!!!

And now ... pardon my pride but for something I whipped up at the last minute this baby turned out perfectly!

Look at my pictures! Oh, and I'm a sucker for cool baking pans so that's why my cake has a cathedral look to it.

Fresh out of the oven:

Glazed and Confused:

A single slice for yours truly ...

And an interior shot after the first-round decimation was complete:

Yours sounds better than my recipe... close but I think I like the extra add ins... (and your pan...)

I'll check out Dreams today. The cruise I'm wanting to do is the one starting in London and going to St. Petersburg because it would be a great way to see The Hermitage without having to take a specific trip to Russia. I'm terribly prone to motion sickness and I've heard crossing the Atlantic can be a bit rough.

Ps. Jay's gift has me laughing so hard! I guess his parents still think of him as their little baby "cause that looks like a wind-up toy to me.

I'm thinking of the Baltic... not sure which week yet... maybe the first one... will have to check. (take a second mortgage... )

Oh we would have loved to have taken one of the baltic cruises but they're too rich for our blood. And it's a shame because Jay and I met while taking Russian in college and it would be nice to use the language for real before I forget the little that I managed to retain.

We're all definitely rolling the dice by crossing the Atlantic in the middle of prime hurricane season but usually the captain does a good job of avoiding as much rough stuff as he can. Have you looked into something like bonine for your motion sickness? I've heard people say it works wonders, but I can't speak about it myself ... that's one thing I don't seem to have issues with.

BONINE baby... start taking it the day before you get on the ship...

So... now we know how you two met...

weebles wobble but they don't fall down ... that's why they can drink so much and no one suspects that they're tipsy.

 

[MA pigletfan]

this thread is great!
Brenda your Mii and Jason's Mii cracked me up! Was that the "city folk" game or something??? i didn't recognize it..
SIDE FOODIE NOTE: that amaretto cake made me want to bite my computer screen..PROBABLY not a wise thing to do..but i came thisclose.....i love that baking pan design! I have a pretty rosette bundt pan and i just got a honey hive one with little bees on it..so fun!

 

[nts4wdw]

This thread is not good for my diet! It just keeps me hungry! Look away, Lynn, look away! (it's alot of fun, though)

 

[oybolshoi]

detour ....

Next week is Armageddon Week on the History Channel! I love that crap ... The only thing better is a marathon of cheesie disaster movies designed to scare the crap out of you but which usually leaves Jay and me doubled up in laughter.

You gotta hand it to the History Channel ... ring in the new year with 7 straight days of imminent doom and gloom!

 

[Tink rules]

But you just missed the Disney marathon of cheesy movies from the 70's that was on the last couple of sundays on TCM... Now how many times can you watch That Darned Cat...

 

[oybolshoi]

But you just missed the Disney marathon of cheesy movies from the 70's that was on the last couple of sundays on TCM... Now how many times can you watch That Darned Cat...

**dons flame retardent suit**

I don't like most of those movies.

I do, however, love the cheesie disaster movies from the 1970s.

When Jay and I were still dating I ended up staying at his parents house until 5AM one Sunday morning because TNT was running a bunch of them back to back to back ...

Poseidon Adventure
The Towering Inferno
Volcano
Hurricane
Avalanche

Oh man ... were those good times or what?

 

[whogirl'smom]

Oh, please post this one too!

Here ya go! This one is actually a Weight Watcher's recipe.


Cherries in the Snow

1 angelfood cake, cut into one inch cubes
1 8 oz. bar of fat free or reduced fat cream cheese, room temp.
1 cup of powdered sugar, sifted
12 oz. thawed fat free Cool Whip
1 can cherry pie filling (I've used the sugar free and it's okay, but they have a little whang to them)
2 tbsp. almond flavoring


Beat cream cheese on medium till smooth and add powdered sugar a little at a time, till combined. Fold in Cool Whip gently till mixed with cream cheese mixture.

Stir the 2 tbsp. almond flavoring into the cherry pie filling (I just do this while it's still in the can.)

Layer half the angel food cake cubes in a trifle bowl, spoon half the cream cheese mixture on top. Spread half the can of cherry pie filling on top of this. Repeat with remaining ingredients for one more layer.

This stuff is addictive! And has 2 WW points per half cup, for anyone counting.