The Porch...

What should have taken one weekend took four.... 

Rebuilding our front porch... 

It was hopelessly rotted and could not wait another winter...

  Either we do it ourselves for about seven hundred dollars 

or pay to have it done for $6500.00. 

  The last time we paid someone to work on our house, 

it drained our life savings 

and the lawsuit is still pending....

Well, that was a no brainer, 

except that the project was not easy....

Not one little bit...  

First of all, it didn't help that it poured buckets the first weekend 

and Tom came down with a top five case of the flu 

that lasted two full weeks... 

He gutted it out, literally, hammering and sawing 

while feeling like ten bucks...  

He's lookin' quite manly, though, if I do say so myself...

There are many truths to be learned when embarking upon 

a good old fashioned do-it-yourself project...

.  

Here are a few we learned:

1. Get a professional to tell you what to do...preferably an architect...Thanks Dad!

2. Measure about 10 times before you cut.  It totally stinks when the board is 1/4 too short!

3. Have another sane person work with you to catch your mistakes, especially at the end of the day.  "Dude, we need to to remove 3 inches off this board so let's take 1 1/2 inches from each end."  "Um, Garth, how about we just take three inches off of one end?"  "Dude!  Yer a genius!"

4. Have the right tools.  Norm from "This Old House" gets whole homes built in 30 minutes on his show.  You don't think he does that with a handsaw and chisel, do ya?

5. Lock the kids in the house.  Nothing wrecks a project faster than distractions.  "Jack, NO...you can't use the circular saw and please pick up the spilled box of finishing nails you spilled in the grass!"  I smell tetanus shots for the whole block....

6. Have plenty of beer for the end of the day.  Enough said...

7.  Measure...Oh, did I already say that?

So, it took four weekends and it may not be contractor perfect, 

but we did a darn good job anyway...  

Now I have to paint it....blech.  

That will have to wait a weekend or two...

Today, Tom finished the porch

and didn't need my assistance, 

so I decided it had been about six weeks 

since I last took treats to the school teaching staff... 

I have been conjuring up some tasty ideas

for a few weeks and set about executing my plan...    

First were pumpkin cupcakes with chocolate frosting 

and chocolate leaf garnishes... 

Here is the recipe for the pumpkin cupcakes...  

The frosting was out of a can and I made the leaves... 

It is so easy....  

Melt either chocolate or candy melts from the craft store.  

Add a little shortening to loosen it up a bit...  

Wash and dry lemon leaves...  

You can get them in the florist department of the grocery store...  

"Paint"  the melted chocolate onto the backside of each leaf...

Place them on waxed paper 

and put them in the refrigerator for about ten minutes...  

When they are cold and hardened, peel off the leaf and, Voila!  

You have a pretty chocolate leaf!

Next, I made caramel/chocolate candied apples 

with pistachio and sprinkle garnishes... 

Inspired by this photo below in Country Living Magazine, 

Kate and I made our creations...  

Man, were they tasty!

Last on the treat list were cake pops...  

My mom bought me this nifty cake pop maker a couple of months ago 

and I have been itching to give her a go... 

What a fun gadget!  

You make a cake mix, fill the holes with 1 T of batter 

and then cook 'em up for 4  minutes... 

Once cool, melt some candy melts and dip the candy sticks 

in the melted candy up to about 1/4 inch... 

Plunge the stick into the cooled cake pop 

and then chill in the fridge for about 15 minutes...  

Melt more candy with some shortening to liquify it more... 

Dip the cooled cake pops into the melted candy...  

Twirl it in the bowl to get rid of the excess 

and then garnish as you wish... 

Stick pops in styrofoam to cool and harden...

Given the fact that I am heading to Paris in two days,

it was not particularly the brightest idea 

to take on a day of baking... 

Now I am dog tired 

and have not packed nor done laundry... 

But the porch is built, 

Tom is quite satisfied with his achievement 

and tomorrow some teachers will find fall sweets 

waiting for them in the lounge...  

So if I forget my deodorant or socks, so what...  

Now how do you say, "S'il vous plait....

which way to Walgreens?"

High Contrast...

Life is weird...  

As they say, "One day you're the Windshield, 

the next, you're the Bug!"  

You know that unrestricted joy you sometimes feel... 

driving on a gorgeous day, windows down, music blasting 

and all is right with the world.. 

The next, your youngest is barfing at 2 am, 

the sink is leaking again 

and your son got an F in Geometry....  

2009 was a steady stream of that for us, 

mostly the bug part...  

That's when I found gratitude in the little moments, 

such as "Today, I have a house that

won't fall into the neighbor's 

and no one's sick", 

instead of dwelling on the fact that the toilet WAS leaking 

and our parked car was sideswiped for the third time...  

There are plenty of happy moments to balance it out...

So, this last week has been Indian Summer perfection... 

Kids playing outside after school, 

leaves are falling and rustling in the street 

and my meatloaf was awesome last night... 

Windshield moment....  

Then the Bug moment, 

when I went to Target 

to get caramel balls, undies 

and a kid's birthday present, 

all under $20...

"Sorry, Ma'am, your card has been declined."  

WHAT?!  

I have been soooo good the last couple of weeks/ 3+years...  

Aldi, coupons, throwing away all catalogs, Ramen noodles..

I couldn't understand it...  

We have been watching the balance like hawks and all of a sudden it's empty?  

Well, it's funny how things work... 

At HEAT Armor, in the very beginning, 

we had to use our personal debit card as a back up for vendors...

It seems UPS had our card in the PayPal/incoming department 

of the HEAT account and nearly $1,000.00 slipped out that way...  

No wonder I kept feeling  like I couldn't figure 

where the money went when I KNEW I wasn't buying anything...  

Whew...I am off the hook this time!  

When the reimbursement comes, 

I am stashing the cash away for Christmas....  

So..... coming up, there will be another windshield moment....  

Tom is taking me to Paris for a trade show for a few days....  

How, do you ask, 

can a couple of flat broke folks like us 

get to see the City of Light?  

The reward of his frequent business trips =  miles 

and I'll eat cheap and window shop and take lots of pics... 

I can't wait....  

Haven't ever been there....

Have been studying French phrases like, 

"Ou sont les toilettes?" 

and "Avez-vous un menu en Anglais?"  

It will be a wonderful time to explore 

and maybe even spend some time with Tom 

when he is not trade-showing... 

I'll feel the unrestricted joy of not doing laundry, 

 of not picking up wrappers from the floor 

nor cleaning lumps of toothpaste from the bathroom sink.... 

I'll enjoy taking a shower without stepping on a plastic Dora....  

Peeing alone...  

Eating lunch without stopping every 18 seconds 

to refill a glass, 

stop a fight 

or pick up ravioli from the floor 

(we need a dog for that)... 

But, of course,

to comfort those of you who would NEVER 

even think of leaving your children for more than one day, 

much less enjoy it, 

YES, I will miss my dear, sweet children... 

I will worry that they are being taken good care of, 

that they will be bathed nightly, 

read to 

and tucked in....

Perhaps the fates will punish me 

for my time away 

and the Bug will smack me in the face upon my return... 

Or maybe not...

A treat for you....  I found this cute tutorial today.  I plan to make these...check 'em out for yourself!

Jack Herlihy's Day Off...

You would have thought I'd put two and two together 

when I scheduled an appointment for Jack 

at the Chicago Board of Education...  

Back in the not-killed-off-by-pinot-grigio recesses of my brain, 

it registered that it was a public holiday, 

but since the receptionist accepted date for our appointment, 

I thought we were in...  

Jack needs a work permit 

to try his hand at the modeling gig and, 

get this...the Board of Ed, 

closes at 3pm weekdays... 

School lets out at 2:45pm, 

so I will have to take him out of class to go down there...  

If that wasn't one of the most backward ass situations, 

I don't know what is...  

Thus, I tried to get him there on a no school day... 

It was not to be... 

We drove into the Loop, 

parked the car in one of those lovely $28.00 parking garages, 

hoofed it to the State of Illinois building, 

only to walk up to locked doors and darkened halls... 

 Luckily, I only had to deal with Jack at the moment...

Kate was frolicking at Smarty Party, 

a fabulous kid happy place for little ones to have fun...  

Today they were making Apple Crisp and crafting it up...  

So, with the morning stretched out in front of us, 

in the heart of the big city, 

I had to decide what to do... 

Oh, and I'm broke, as usual... 

It was only 9:00 

and stores don't open until ten on State Street...  

On Block 37, new retail has sprung up; 

Puma, Anthropologie, Zara...

All stores I'd love to spend some leisure time in...  

Jack, is not the patient shopper, as you can imagine...  

Luckily, one of the new businesses was the 

Magnolia Bakery, 

fresh from New York City...  

It's mostly a cupcakery, 

happy in its bead board, marble countertopped homeyness...  

Jack ordered a soy hot chocolate 

and a chocolate raspberry cupcake...  

Whoa, that's a lot of chocolate!  

But he was content...

We hung out there until ten 

and then ventured into Marshall Fields, 

oops, Macy's.  

Sorry, but I am still sad about the demise of Field's....  

For the last three years or so, 

I have avoided most stores, 

but particularly department stores...  

It is just too depressing

to see the abundance of beautiful things 

that I can't possibly buy...  

I'd rather be ignorant to their loveliness...  

Today was not different, except, 

I did actually enjoy looking at the festive costume jewelry... 

It reminded me of the old days, 

working for Liz Claiborne and St. John, 

working the jewelry cases 

and bulking up the items for holiday...  

They are clearly boosting inventories 

and the cases sparkled...  

We ventured into the Inc. department to look around...  

I do love their private label line...

good quality, trendy, but not too trendy 

and the price is right...  

OOO...How about this fun furry jacket?  

I have a rocker friend in London 

who would look great in this number....  

Jack's patience was wearing thin, 

so I took him to the sixth floor

to cast his eyes upon the famous ornament department... 

It is a wonderland of dozens of trees 

encrusted with every kind of ornament imaginable...  

Oh, the sparkle!  

Oh the fragility!  

Yikes...Jack is definitely a bull in a china shop, 

so I had to keep a close eye...  

Ornaments were 30% off for Columbus Day 

so I was able to let him buy one and one for Kate...  

There was even a Hello Kitty tree....  

It was dazzling...  

Is it that time already?!  

I haven't even gotten my brain around Halloween yet...  

Is it time to make Christmas lists, 

plan the holidays and think about recipes?  

I guess it is....  

If any of you have any beloved, 

super tasty cookie recipes, 

I'd love for you to share them....  

Only 12 weeks until Christmas.....

Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy...

Band or Choir...  

Once you hit fourth grade at our school, 

you gotta pick one or the other...  

You have to appreciate a school that encourages the arts, 

however, the challenge lies in kids 

with no natural musical talent...  

The Benson/Herlihy DNA took a pass on the music gene, 

heading straight for enginerding, visual arts 

and technological geekery....  

I was cool with that, 

until Jack proudly brought home his trumpet today... 

I pulled up Wynton Marsalis, 

The Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy 

and even some little kid playing the trumpet 

on some TV talent show on You Tube...

Hoping to inspire Jack to trumpeting brilliance...  

At the onset, he is excited to practice....

We will see how long that lasts...  

Oh, the dulcet tones of a beginner...  

He sounded like a dying whale or elk or some large herbivore... 

Kate started crying... 

If she were a dog, she would have howled...  

I have to keep reminding myself, 

at least he didn't choose the drums 

or, God forbid, the tuba...  

He may stink, 

but he is fun to watch and it cracks me up...  

Hopefully Kate will choose choir...

and stand in the back... 

Music, it just ain't our thang....

"How can a nation be great if its bread tastes like Kleenex?" Julia Child

Since my son needs to eat dairy free, 

we have been living the soy 

and rather tasteless life for the past 3+ years...  

The bread we eat for sandwiches is 10% ingredients I cannot pronounce 

and 90% air....blech...  

So I have been rebelling a bit of late 

(Tom, don't yell at me....) 

and have been slipping a little dairy in a recipe or two...  

The October issue of Country Living Magazine has these "Angel Biscuits" 

that are pure heaven... 

There are two, count 'em, 2 sticks of butter 

AND buttermilk in this recipe...  

I could not substitute soy;

it would have been sacrilege to do so...  

Well, they are gifts from the angels, I tell ya...  

Have made them thrice already

and have been passing them out 

to the neighborhood in warm, cloth napkin bundled baskets...  

A great way to foster neighborly relationships!    

Autumn brings out the cook in many of us...  

Facebook is alive with Friends 

making a wide variety of comfort foods

that look mouthwatering...

Friends, you can cook!

This morning I baked a basic No Knead Bread, 

perfected by Jim Lahey of the Sullivan Bakery...  

Now that I have figured yeast out, I am on a tear...  

This one is super easy....no kneading, really!  

This Tuscan style bread will be part of din din tonight... 

Last week, I decided to try some of Ree Drummond's recipes...

Now, she must be a disciple of the Our Lady of Paula Deen 

where the main doctrine proclaims 

the divinity of lard, butter and cream.....

LOTS of it!  

My husband, whose gastrointestinal system recoils from fats, 

like Dracula to garlic, 

almost had to leave the room 

while I watched the latest installment of the Pioneer Woman Cooks 

on the Food Network...  

Yeah, Ree likes her butter, to be sure, 

but she has a ton of recipes that are not as heart unhealthy... 

So, last week I made her Pot Roast...  

It was the.best.ever.  

Not kidding....  

Not dry and stringy, but moist and flavorful... 

Pair it with mashed potatoes 

and a green veggie of your liking and, 

Whoa Nellie....that's a darn good dinner!  

Encouraged, I made Sherried Tomato Soup with breadsticks...  

I should have made a salad, too, 

but life was a little too hectic that day... 

Talk about tomato soup extraordinaire....it was outrageously good...  

Had it for lunch today, too... 

Super awesome tasting two days later....  

Last night was the best Ree recipe yet....

Chicken with Olives...  

If you don't like olives, 

like the rest of my family, 

you can omit them with no detriment to the dish...  

However, being the selfish gal that I am, 

I dumped the whole 3/4 cup of olives in the dish 

and let the olive haters pick them out...  

The dinner was most delicious, 

served over pasta, with green beans, 

french bread and applesauce... 

Crazy good...  

So the new week has begun 

and we are off to the races of tutoring, 

soccer, Mad Science group, CCD, etc. etc.  

I will be making the usual 

"Breakfast for Dinner" on Tuesday nights, 

easy spaghetti and meatballs tonight 

and other quickie meals this week...  

However, Ree is still on my mind, 

so I will try to make her Milky Way cake 

(which has 11 Milky Way bars in it!!)

and the Coffee Cake, Literally  for desserts... 

The key is to let the kids enjoy them 

and for me to just have a taste...  

Oh, that's hard when you have a cold glass of milk standing by!  

Must have control or else the fat jeans might just fit again....  

Recipes below... Try 'em...they are sooo good...

Angel Biscuits

Ingredients:

1 pkg active dry yeast

5 C all purpose flour, plus 1/2 C more for surface

1/4 C sugar

2 T baking powder

1 1/2 tsp salt

2 sticks butter

2 C buttermilk

In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in 1/4 C warm water (100F - 110 F) and set aside.  In a large bowl sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.  Using a pastry blender, cut butter into flour mixture.  Add buttermilk and reserved yeast mixture and mix well to form a light, fairly wet dough.  Sprinkle 1/4 C flour on work surface.  Divide dough in half and roll out 1 piece into a 1/2 inch thick 9x18 inch rectangle.  Fold dough lengthwise in thirds to create a triple layered 3 x 18 inch rectangle.  Cut into 6 three inch squares.  Repeat with remaining flour and dough for a total of 12 biscuits.  Place biscuits, just touching, on a nonstick baking sheet; cover loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight to rise.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Remove biscuits from refrigerator and let sit 10 minutes.  Bake until golden brown, 15-20 minutes

Baking the Perfect Loaf of Bread at Home

Formula and Process created by Jim Lahey, owner of Sullivan St Bakery

Formula: 

3 cups (430g) flour
1½ cups (345g or 12oz) water
¼ teaspoon (1g) yeast
1¼ teaspoon (8g) salt
olive oil (for coating)
extra flour, wheat bran, or cornmeal (for dusting)

Equipment: 

Two medium mixing bowls
6 to 8 quart pot with lid (Pyrex glass, Le Creuset cast iron, or ceramic)
Wooden Spoon or spatula (optional)
Plastic wrap
Two or three cotton dish towels (not terrycloth)

Process: 

Mix all of the dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Add water and incorporate by hand or with a wooden spoon or spatula for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Lightly coat the inside of a second medium bowl with olive oil and place the dough in the bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rest 12 hours at room temperature (approx. 65-72°F).

Remove the dough from the bowl and fold once or twice. Let the dough rest 15 minutes in the bowl or on the work surface. Next, shape the dough into ball. Generously coat a cotton towel with flour, wheat bran, or cornmeal; place the dough seam side down on the towel and dust with flour. Cover the dough with a cotton towel and let rise 1-2 hours at room temperature, until more than doubled in size.

Preheat oven to 450-500°F. Place the pot in the oven at least 30 minutes prior to baking to preheat. Once the dough has more than doubled in volume, remove the pot from the oven and place the dough in the pot seam side up. Cover with the lid and bake 30 minutes Then remove the lid and bake 15-30 minutes uncovered, until the loaf is nicely browned.

Recipe: Cathy’s Sherried Tomato Soup

Prep Time: 10 Minutes  |  Cook Time: 20 Minutes  |  Difficulty: Easy  |  Servings: 6

Ingredients

• 6 Tablespoons Melted Butter
• 1 whole Medium Onion, Diced
• 1 bottle (46 Oz.) Tomato Juice
• 2 cans (14 Oz. Cans) Diced Tomatoes
• 1 Tablespoon (up To 3 Tablespoons) Chicken Base
• 3 Tablespoons (up To 6 Tablespoons) Sugar
• 1 pinch Salt
• Black Pepper To Taste
• 1 cup Cooking Sherry
• 1-1/2 cup Heavy Cream
• Chopped Fresh Parsley
• Chopped Fresh Basil

Preparation Instructions

Sauté diced onions in butter until translucent. Then add canned tomatoes, tomato juice, chicken base, sugar, pinch of salt, black pepper and stir. Bring to a near boil, then turn off heat. Add in sherry and cream and stir. Add in parsley and basil to taste.

Adjust other seasonings and serve with yummy, crusty bread on a cold blustery, dreary, depressing, rainy, snowy day. Then close your eyes.

And give thanks for soups like this.

Recipe: Pot Roast

Prep Time: 20 Minutes  |  Cook Time: 4 Hours  |  Difficulty: Easy  |  Servings: 10

 

Ingredients

• 1 whole (4 To 5 Pounds) Chuck Roast
• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 2 whole Onions
• 6 whole Carrots (Up To 8 Carrots)
• Salt To Taste
• Pepper To Taste
• 1 cup Red Wine (optional, You Can Use Beef Broth Instead)
• 2 cups To 3 Cups Beef Stock
• 3 sprigs Fresh Thyme, or more to taste
• 3 sprigs Fresh Rosemary, or more to taste

Preparation Instructions

First and foremost, choose a nicely marbled piece of meat. This will enhance the flavor of your pot roast like nothing else. Generously salt and pepper your chuck roast.
Heat a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Then add 2 to 3 tablespoons of olive oil (or you can do a butter/olive oil split).
Cut two onions in half and cut 6 to 8 carrots into 2-inch slices (you can peel them, but you don’t have to). When the oil in the pot is very hot (but not smoking), add in the halved onions, browning them on one side and then the other. Remove the onions to a plate.
Throw the carrots into the same very hot pan and toss them around a bit until slightly browned, about a minute or so.
If needed, add a bit more olive oil to the very hot pan. Place the meat in the pan and sear it for about a minute on all sides until it is nice and brown all over. Remove the roast to a plate.
With the burner still on high, use either red wine or beef broth (about 1 cup) to deglaze the pan, scraping the bottom with a whisk to get all of that wonderful flavor up.
When the bottom of the pan is sufficiently deglazed, place the roast back into the pan and add enough beef stock to cover the meat halfway (about 2 to 3 cups). Add in the onion and the carrots, as well as 3 or 4 sprigs of fresh rosemary and about 3 sprigs of fresh thyme.
Put the lid on, then roast in a 275F oven for 3 hours (for a 3-pound roast). For a 4 to 5-pound roast, plan on 4 hours.

Recipe: Chicken with Olives

Prep Time: 15 Minutes  |  Cook Time: 1 Hour30 Minutes  |  Difficulty: Easy  |  Servings: 6

Ingredients

• 4 Tablespoons Butter
• 4 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 6 pieces Chicken (I Used Thighs And Legs) With Skin
• 1 whole Medium Onion, Diced
• 5 cloves Garlic, Minced
• 2 whole Green Bell Peppers, Seeded And Chopped Into Large Pieces
• 1 whole 28 Ounce Can Whole Tomatoes, Completely Drained And Juice Squeezed Out, Chopped
• 1 cup White Wine (or Low Sodium Chicken Broth)
• Salt
• Freshly Ground Black Pepper
• 1/4 cup Heavy Cream
• 1 cup Whole Green Olives
• 12 ounces, weight Linguine, Cooked Al Dente And Drained

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
In a large ovenproof skillet, melt butter and olive oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken and brown on both sides. Remove chicken to a clean plate.
Reduce heat to medium. Add onions, garlic, and green bell pepper to the pan. Stir and cook for a couple of minutes. Add tomatoes and cook for a minute or two. Season with salt and pepper. Pour in wine and stir. Add chicken pieces back to pan, cover with lid, and place into the oven for 45 minutes.
Remove pan from oven and remove lid. Add whole green olives and heavy cream (drizzle evenly over the top.) Put on lid and shake the pan to "stir" in the cream. Return to the oven for 15 to 20 minutes to thicken the sauce. Remove from oven and keep lid on until ready to serve.
Place pasta into a large serving bowl or onto a large serving platter. Arrange chicken pieces on top of the pasta, then pour all of the sauce over the top. Can sprinkle with minced fresh parsley and Parmesan, if desired.

Recipe: Coffee Cake (Literally!)

Prep Time: 15 Minutes  |  Cook Time: 20 Minutes  |  Difficulty: Intermediate  |  Servings: 12

Print Recipe 3"x5" Cards 4"x6" Cards Full Page

Ingredients

• FOR THE CAKE:
• 2 cups Flour
• 2 cups Sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon Salt
• 2 sticks Butter
• 3 Tablespoons Instant Coffee Crystals
• 1/2 cup Buttermilk
• 2 whole Eggs
• 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
• 2 teaspoons Vanilla
• _____
• FOR THE ICING:
• 1-1/2 stick Butter
• 1 pound Powdered Sugar
• 2 Tablespoons Instant Coffee Crystals
• 1/4 teaspoon Salt
• 4 Tablespoons Heavy Cream

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour two round baking pans.
In a large bowl, mix sugar, flour, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Set aside.
Melt 2 sticks of butter in a pot over medium-low heat. While that's melting, add 3 tablespoons instant coffee to 1 cup boiling water. Set aside.
Once butter has melted, add coffee mixture to the butter in the pot. Let it come to a boil for about ten seconds, then turn off the heat. Set aside for just a minute.
In a separate bowl, add buttermilk, eggs, baking soda, and vanilla. Mix until well combined.
Pour the butter/coffee mixture into the flour mixture. Stir the mixture together gently. The purpose here isn’t to mix it together perfectly, but to cool down the heat before adding the egg mixture.
Add in the egg mixture and stir gently until well combined. Then pour into pans. Bake for 20 to 22 minutes or until set.
Allow to cool completely.
Combine all icing ingredients, then ice the cake. Chill for an hour before serving.

Milky Way Cake

  Ingredients

• 11 whole Milky Way Bars (regular Size), Divided Use
• 3 sticks Margarine, Divided Use
• 2-½ cups All-purpose Flour
• ½ teaspoons Salt
• ½ teaspoons Baking Soda
• ½ cups Buttermilk
• 3 teaspoons Vanilla Extract, Divided
• 2 cups Sugar
• 4 whole Eggs
• 2 cups Powdered Sugar
• 1 dash Salt
• ½ cups Milk (more If Needed)
• 1 cup Finely Chopped Pecans

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
In a double boiler or in a saucepan over very low heat, melt 8 Milky Way bars together with 1 stick margarine, stirring to combine. Once melted, remove from heat and set aside.
Sift flour and salt together and set aside.
Mix baking soda with buttermilk, then add 2 teaspoons vanilla and set aside.
Cream 1 stick of margarine with the 2 cups of granulated sugar. Add eggs one at a time. Add flour mixture and buttermilk alternately to the creamed mixture, mixing after each addition. Add melted candy bar mixture and mix to combine.
Pour into a greased jelly roll pan or 9 x 13 baking pan and bake for 1 hour or until cake is done in the center. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
To make the icing, melt the remaining 3 Milky Way bars with remaining 1 stick margarine (in a double boiler or in a saucepan over very low heat). Add powdered sugar, dash of salt, milk, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and chopped pecans and stir over low heat. Add more milk if needed.
Pour over the cooled cake and allow to set. Cake will be very sticky! Don’t expect neat, perfect slices.
Serve with ice cream or whipped cream, then go run five miles!

Danka Schoen....

 

You gotta hand it to the Ricketts family....

They are more fun than the Tribune Corporation... 

Tonight they let Groupon offer cheap tickets 

to watch the 25th anniversary of 

Ferris Bueller's Day Off at Wrigley Field...  

We bundled up the kids, packed a few snacks 

and headed over to the bleachers 

to watch the movie on three screens...  

The Groupon folks amped it up a little bit, 

by first having the crowd sing a round 

of Wayne Newton's famous "Danka Schoen", 

and it doing so broke some Guinness World record... 

Then they had three actors sit in the exact same seats 

as Matthew Broderick and company sat in 

during the Cubs game scene...   

Don't you just love Ferris?  

I guess his tech-y geekiness appealed to me...  

See?!

I mean, how weird is it that I married a man 

with phenomenal geek abilities 

and who has been told countless times 

he looked like Ferris Bueller...  

A coincidence? 

I think not....  

Now if only he could score a Ferrari like that....  

And then there is Charlie Sheen...

Bad boy even in 1986...

Little did even he know what craziness 

would ensue in his life back then...

And what about Jennifer Grey?  

Back when she had a completely different face...

And was not yet a "Dancing with the Stars" winner...

Anyway, what a fun night in our backyard....  

Like Ferris said, 

"Life moves pretty fast. 

If you don't stop and look around once in a while, 

you could miss it.."