Over Doing it????

So a few weeks ago I had decided to cook for the campus ministry's men's prayer group. We finally decided on a dessert thing last night at ten. So I pulled out my cookbooks and got the adventursome feeling of stretching my cooking knowledge. I had already made my first cheesecake a few weeks ago so I had to go with something different. So I decided on pecan pie and banana pudding would be my adventure. So I started the week with making a Nut-rageous Peanut Butter pie. It is simple and has to stay in the freezer so that was one dessert down. Then Tuesday night I began the prelimary stuff. Making one of my favorites....4 layer Chocolate Dessert. I have found that it is best if the crust cools completely so I went ahead and baked it. Then I made Tippi's Famous Brownies. I have no idea who Tippi is but people love it when I make her brownies. It has a frosting that goes with it so once again, best if the brownies cool. I also made an apple pie using McIntosh Apples. A first for me as I usually use Granny Smith. But it was more of a creamy apple pie so the sweeter apple seemed better.
So Wednesday morning I began with adventure #1 Banana Pudding. In our church cookbook is "Ethel's Old Fashion Banana Pudding" Now Ethel and her husband ran a great ice cream shop which many an older Auburnite would recongize if I said the "the Flush" So I thought, surely I can make her recipe. Well I couldn't. It was a diaster. I don't know if the book missed a step or what but it was not pretty. So I went to work frustrated.
Midday I called my mom and got her recipe for Banana Pudding. As usual, she came to the rescue. So after work I made my last trip to the store, then got a haircut, then heading home to make a mess of the kitchen.
I started immediately on the Banana Pudding. I now think that EVERYONE should use Cook and Serve Pudding at least once to appreciate just how instant, instant is. I thought my stirring arm was going to fall off. Then I realized that I my time table was getting cramped so I multi-tasked by stirring with one hand and cutting the bananas with the other. I could only cut at every up swing of the spoon but it got the job done. So then while the pudding was cooling, I began to work on the frosting for the brownies. Once that was done, I worked on the Merigine for the pudding. Once again, people should know how long it takes and they will appreciate the dessert a whole lot more. Then I made the 2 pecan pies. Which were easier than I thought, which also concerns me.

So last night I took, 1 peanut butter pie, 2 pecan pies, a 4 layer chocolate dessert, a pan of brownies, banana pudding, and I had a lemon pie my grandmother had made in the freezer so I took it as well.

15 guys showed up, compared to the 20 or 30 I had been told. So needless to say we have more desserts at our house than I ever want. When I returned home, my roommate asked me, "So, when are you going to stop going overboard?" Personally I am proud that I have the overboard gene, I have found I got it from both grandmothers. Leftovers were better than running out of food in their book and so it is with mine.

Everyone enjoyed my desserts. The pudding was not as good as my mom's and the pecan pie was a tad overdone. I hate the whole "wiggle" test idea. But all in all a great time.

Proud Father???

So this morning I was going to visit a dear friend in the hospital. She is one of my favorite people because she is always cheerful and fun. So I went into the gift shop and asked for the craziest balloon they had. They offered me this balloon........



Granted not as fun as my large giant butterfly balloon I got her one time but it would do in a crunch. So balloon in hand, I was walking down the hallway. A nurse walked by and said "Congratulations" Now I am hoping that she was just getting off the night shift because nothing about me or the balloon screamed "New Daddy" Oh well...here is to the baby I never knew I had nor where he is....