What I Wore Today: 70's Bedsheet

Hand-me-downs are my favorite. they're either really ugly and too big with all the potential in the world, or they're just fab in the first place. On some rare occasions though, the hand-me-downs are mad fly in the first place, but just keep getting better.

This dress was originally a super groovy sheet handed down to my momma from her best hippie homie Miss Lisa (never minus the Miss). My Momma didn't see it like that though, she saw it as this dress and only that.

Pretty much ever piece of clothing or textile has potential. Some people can just see it like my mom. Others have to stare at for a while before bedtime like me. Look for that potential, make it a quest! No T- shirt has to be just a T- shirt, and bedsheets don't always belong on a bed.

Leftover pancake fab

I think you all should know the wonders of leftovers.

If you think stale, cold, or unwanted when you think of leftovers, think again!

I love leftovers for the simple reason that it's and opportunity to teach and old dog new tricks. The pancakes are already there, but the pizazz of leftovers lies in a foil covered can of black beans and some frozen spinach.


Want some?

microwave 1 half of a leftover buttermilk pancake (make them fresh if that floats your boat) topped with 1/3 cup frozen spinach for 1 minute. Then top that with 1/2 cup drained canned black beans and microwave an additional 45 seconds. season with salt and pepper to taste. Top with a fried egg over medium, parmesan cheese, and a dash of oregano. dig in!

Love Letters from One Cook to Another

Yesterday was a great day. Wanna know why? Sure you do!

I scored an original 1950 copy of Betty Crocker's Picture Cookbook.
Early Wednesday morning after my momma and I worked our butts off (no joke) on the terrible treadmills, we stopped by the local farmer' s market and secondhand bookstore (SHOUT OUT TO COAAAASS!) Coas: My Book Store.
First stop in the shop? Coffee. Then? Cookbooks of course! Before I could even look around I saw it. That red book was shining like a beacon of culinary excellence...no joke. I snatched that bad boy up with a gasp and visions of myself in the 1950's baking strawberry shortcake. I can dream can't I?

Just to add to the coolness of my score, I found these goodies tucked insideAll of these are handwritten recipes. The one on the far left is a recipe for banana nut cake, dated 1933. Banana Depression cake! Something sweet on the cheap. I can dig it.

My momma said my finding these recipes and clippings was like love letters from one cook to another. Someone got a lot of joy and frosting out of these recipes, even when times were super hard. Now it's my turn to make something bomb, despite the crappy status of the economy and whatnot.

I'm ready to take that challenge, are you?
If so, please enjoy this recipe for Coca Cola Cake, found in my new favorite book.

Coca Cola Cake (as written on the back of an office memo)

Bake in 9x13 pan at 350 degrees for approx. 50 minutes or until done

1.Mix well in large bowl
2 cups unsifted flour
2 cups sugar
3Tablespoons cocoa
1/2 teaspoon salt

2.Beat together
2 eggs
1teaspoon soda
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla

3. Heat to boiling
2 sticks margarine
1 cup coca cola

Pour #3 over #1 Mix- Add #2-
Mix well, add 1 1/2 cups baby marshmallows

Batter is thin
_________________________________

Frosting:

Heat 1/2 cup margarine & 1/3 cup cake mix, 3 Tablespoons cocoa with 1 lb. box powdered sugar. Add the hot margarine & cake- Mix well. Add 1 cup chopped nuts and pour over HOT cake.

Curious Cardamom

Cardamom: The Vanilla of India...

How majestic sounding is that right? I've never cooked with cardamom before, in fact I'd never even heard of it 'til last year when found a super groovy Chai Snickerdoodle recipe. I'm not sure if this fancy-schmancy spice is like the best kept secret of India or if I'm just a tard, but I am totally sure that cardamom tastes like the bomb diggity shiznitz! I kid you not fools.

Before I really committed to cardamom, I thought it would be smart to fondle it a bit and see if it slaps me in the face.

The fondling started with my favorite cake recipe. Just plain old, minimal, cheap ingredients that make a bomb white cake that can be adjusted and changed easy-lemon-squeezy. I added 1 Tablespoon Cardamom and a 1/4 cup plain non-fat yogurt for moisture, and made up a glaze for added goodness and decoration.

So, if you're just as oblivious to the wonders of cardamom as I am,try this cake.

Cardamom Cake with Raisin Cardamom Glaze

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 Tablespoon ground cardamom
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 cup milk
1/3 cup shortening
1/4 cup plain yogurt
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Grease and lightly flour a 9x9x2 inch baking pan (I used a nine inch round cake pan). In a small mixer bowl combine all ingredients. Beat with electric mixer until combined. Then beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. Turn into pan. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until toothpick inserted near the middle comes out clean. Let cool completely before inverting and glazing cake.

Glaze:
1 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
1/2 Tablespoon cardamom
1/3 cup milk
1/4 cup raisins

Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Let simmer on low heat until reduced and thickened, about 3 minutes.
Pour through a fine mesh strainer over cake and spread far enough for glaze to drip over edges. Dump raisins from strainer onto center of cake.

What I Wore Today: Momma's got the bomb shoes

So, everything I'm wearing today is either borrowed, a gift, or gotten at ultra low Wal*Mart prices ( Save money, Live better ;]) The fab Candie's wool booties? Hand-me-down to my momma from my Aunt Max, and snuck out of momma's closet by me. I love heredity sometimes...biology has taught me why my momma and I share a shoe size. Anyways, the shorts are from Old Navy, Spring '08, and the turtleneck is Wal*Mart clearance. I pretty much paid a grand total of seven dollars for this outfit.

I'll probably say it ten million times on this blog, but the less money you have, the more creative you'll have to be. I've learned to like things that way, in both food and in fashion.
So get your elbows dirty and dig in a few thrift store dumpsters fools!

What I Ate Today: Shrimp n' Grits foo!

I'd give a recipe but my mom usually just wings it. She's a genius.
p.s. the grits are cheese grits, making them 5x better than you could already clearly see. yeeeuh!

What I Wore Today

I decided not to bathe today. What, I'm on spring break okay? But that has nothing to do with my outfit, so here you go.
Frye boots(secondhand) dress secondhand, tights I got for Christmas, and a jacket my pops gave for Christmas in like, 6th grade. The first picture was jst because I'm having a good hair day.

I've always hated blogs. Like, no joke. Whenever I think of blogs, I think of a pasty kid with his own laptop, venting publicly about how much life sucks. Yeah, considering i'm writing one, I've got a pretty bleak outlook on blogs. That is, with the exception of food blogs and fashion blogs. Those two genres are the only blogs I really pay attention to. But where's the blog hybrid? Like a labradoodle, jacobee, food/fashion blog? You feel me?

Well let me tell ya, it's right here. Diaries of a Rationista is the bomb diggity fusion of artsy-fartsy fashion and food on a sixteen year old's budget.

So like, let's do this!