Food Network Friday: Homemade Ice Cream

This week was all about homemade ice cream. We watched Ms. Paula Deen make homemade butter pecan on her show, and I begged the girls to try it. They thought it looked "ok" but "really wanted to make orange sherbet" (Belle Slaughter's all-time favorite). I had a recipe in the back of my mind for homemade orange sherbet and finally found it on the web. But since we already had the ice cream maker all set up, I went ahead and tried the butter pecan, too. It. Was. Divine. I know I must sound like I'm tooting my own horn, but all I did was follow Paula's recipe. Ya'll (as she says), I've honestly never had better.

So here are our TWO recipes for the week. The first is almost too simple to even post, but here goes. (Don't get a paper and pen because you won't need it.)

Pour 2 liters of orange soda into a large mixing bowl.

Add one can Eagle Brand (or the cheap knock off stuff like we did) and mix.

Pour into your ice cream maker and let it do it's thing.

And here it is. Homemade orange sherbet. The recipe suggested adding a can of crushed pineapples to the mix, but I knew my kids would never go for that. This recipe is SO easy and PERFECT for little ones to do all by themselves. (Except for the ice cream machine, of course.)

If you want to be a bit more industrious, go here for Paula Deen's homemade butter pecan. So so so so so good. It honestly blows anything you can buy at the store right out of the water. Whole milk, sugar, vanilla, vanilla pudding mix, evaporated milk... oh my. So yummy.

BusinessWeek and The Sighting

BusinessWeek just came out with its 2009 list of The Best Places to Raise Your Kids. For Arkansas, Springdale was ranked first. (Yea, us!) Listed among the reasons for what makes us so special is Arvest Ballpark, parks, and nearby hunting and fishing.

(This is the picture they used of Springdale. By the way, does anyone know where I can find these snow covered mountains?)

And while all those things are wonderful, what BusinessWeek neglected to add to this list of perks is how a family (like mine) can be driving down the street in their neighborhood (like today) and, without even paying an entrance fee, can unknowingly drive upon a small wildlife reserve right there in a neighboring yard.

If you have a squeamish tummy, STOP READING NOW.

What we saw was not one, not two, not three, but FOUR of the nastiest creatures known to man. (Okay, maybe they're tied with 'possums, but still, chillbump nasty.)

Brace yourselves...




Chillbumps. Chillbumps. Can't. Even. Think. About. It.

But oh, yeah. I took some pictures because I KNEW Matt wouldn't believe me. I carefully approached the satanic beings (I just cannot believe were created by the almighty hand of God), took a few pictures with my iPhone, then literally ran back screaming to my Jeep. As soon as I slammed the door Estella yelled, "Lock the doors!" Smart girl.

I have just never seen anything like this. It was all I could do not to knock on my neighbor's door and with my hand gripping my chest ask, "Do you have ANY IDEA what is going on in your yard, Man!?" I think they were babies. They were scurrying around with their long little nasty faces looking for who knows what, and every so often they would peek up with their beady little armadillo eyes. OH MY GOSH. Chillbumps.

So, BusinessWeek missed out on this little perk. I'll never spend money at the zoo again.

Family Pictures and Surprise Beach Vacay

Two VERY fun events in the Slaughter House...

The first...

We had our family pictures taken yesterday. I was VERY nervous about this monumental undertaking. For one, I despise how I look in pictures. If there existed a contest for the MOST NON-PHOTOGENIC PERSON ON THE PLANET, I would win. Hands down. And if you are one of those people who like to LIE to someone's face and tell me that this could not possibly be true, please refer to any HHS yearbook between the years of 1986-1993. Preferably 1993. Once you recover, you will argue no more. And for two, I have three kids--all of whom I wanted in a picture. Pretty much impossible, right? That being said, Melissa McCrotty is a miracle worker. I have known Melissa since forever. Her dad was my basketball coach back in the day. I LOVE that man. And her family is just precious precious precious. She undertook the task that is the Slaughter family yesterday at her home in Russellville, and from what I've seen so far, the results are just awesome. Click here for a sneak peek at our shoot on her blog. I'll post the rest soon I hope.

And secondly...

Matt surprised me today by booking us for 5 nights on the beach! Words cannot express how excited I am. My girls were so disappointed that we weren't going this year, and now, they are on cloud nine. (What is could nine, exactly? Hmmm? May have to look that up.) Anyway... here is a funny, outtake beach picture from last year. Ahhh the adventures of trying to get a family beach shot. I think this year, thanks to Melissa, we may forego that endeavor altogether!

#27

(UPDATE: It has been brought to my attention that I possibly may have miscalculated on the exact number of this birthday--an innocent oversight.)

I love birthdays. Always have. And this one was so much fun. I started out the day with Starbucks (of course, my fav) and a dozen pink roses from Matt and my babies. Then, at small group at church, Matt had a 'special chair' (slightly embarrassing) just for me, and he had made me a cake (slightly hideous, but so sweet). This afternoon, we went to Matt's mom and dad's for a shrimp boil. It was delicious. I love shrimp and probably ate two pounds all by myself. Afterwards, Matt's sister, Sarah, made one of my favorite desserts. I don't even know what's it's called... Lemon Delciousness, maybe. (Not really, but it so could be.) If you're interested in the recipe, you'll have to ask her!

My "princess chair" as Matt called it.

Photo by Belle... Me and my beautiful roses.

My cake by Matt. He's taking orders if anyone is interested.

Yes, this was as good as it looks. Thanks to everyone who helped make this happen.

My birthday dessert by Sarah. Thanks, Sarah! I just ate the last of it!

All in all it was a great 27th birthday. I am so blessed.

Food Network Friday: Paula Deen Brownies

This week, after much Food Network watching, the girls chose Paula Deen's recipe called Maggie's Decadent Brownies as their project. And let me just say, they made an awesome decision. These things were SINfully good--so good, actually, that I made Matt come home from work to try them. He was a little hesitant at first, but afterwards was most appreciative. I don't know why I was so surprised at how good they turned out--the recipe calls for TWO POUNDS of butter. Yes, I'm serious. It's Paula Deen.

No kidding... if you have an event coming up and need to bring a sweet, make these. I'm sure they'll be a hit. Just a warning, though, they are INCREDIBLY rich. And once you eat one, you WILL feel the need to bow your head, close your eyes, and pray, "Father, forgive me, for I have sinned." Click here for the recipe.

Sneaking a lick of batter.

Happy helper.

This little guy just walked around and begged for marshmellows. He was cute, but not in the least bit helpful.

Daddy enjoying his girls' creation.

And here they are... SO GOOD.

On a different note, the kids and I had a great week with only a few small bumps in the road. I think this will be a great summer.

Eight Years

On June 2, 2001, I married my best friend. (Cliche, but so very true.)

Eight years and this....

...plus this...

...and this (oh my) later...

...we are still crazy in love, committed, and loving this ride.

I found this waiting on me this morning (along with a Starbucks that is long gone). My husband knows me so well. He said he was the only person in Target when the doors opened and felt like a dork buying girl stuff. It just has to be true love.

In all honesty, (get ready for anniversary mush) I feel like all the years of my life that I spent feeling alone and unworthy were wiped clean the day I met Matt Slaughter. Not since that day have I felt unprotected or unworthy or unloved. If ever a real-life hero existed, Matt is that to me. (I told you to get ready.) So, Happy Anniversary, Matt. You really do have mad skills.

Food Network Project

The girls are addicted to the Food Network. Weird. I know. But fun, too. (I mean, it's much better than Dora.)

So, Friday, they were watching Michael Chiarello...


...make different ice cream treats for his ice cream pool party, and they begged me to help them make two of the recipes he made. The first, was a cantaloupe granita, and the second was a speed scratch neapolitan. The cantaloupe granita turned out perfect, but since no one in the house likes cantaloupe, it flopped. Badly. (I tried to tell them....) The neapolitan, though, was a huge hit.

I thought I'd share. It was so much fun to do with the girls, especially since it was their idea and they were so into it.






I am determined to make this summer a memorable one and try to do several fun projects a week. My plan is to try to do a Friday 'Week in Review' post throughout the summer. We'll see how I do... I've only made it through Monday, and I'm already exhausted.