annie blog

Onion Rings
or heshial circles as they are known to our family, are a really easy to make, fun treat. You might give them consideration with the Super Bowl coming up. Or, you know, they’d be great with any grilled anything.

1-2 onions
1 cup flour
1 recipe pancake batter, made up (either use a boxed mix or you could make P-Annie Cakes batter with ingredients you probably have on hand)
several cups plain bread crumbs
1/4 cup sesame seeds, optional

Peel the onions and cut them into 1 inch wide rings. Put them in a bowl of cold water. Place the flour in a small bowl. Place the batter in another bowl. In a third bowl (fourth if you’re counting the water bowl) place the bread crumbs (mix in the sesame seeds here if you’re using them). Get out a big cookie sheet to put the rings on after you’ve battered them. To batter the rings, dip them first in the flour, then in the batter, and finally in the bread crumbs. Place them (not touching each other) on the cookie sheet and proceed until you have battered all of them. You can either put them in the fridge for up to 24 hours or you can fry them right away in canola or peanut oil. It only takes a couple of minutes. Fry them on each side until they are dark golden brown.

Happy Saturday!

The Best Chocolate Frosting Ever

is so very simple to make. Chocolate + Friday = Happy!

The great thing about this frosting is that it is ALDIvore, too.

Without further ado…

Sour Cream Chocolate Frosting

Bring 1/2 cup butter and 1/2 cup sour cream to room temperature.
Melt a whole bar of this

Choceur Dark Chocolate, 5.29 oz.

chocolate. Either use a double boiler or your microwave on half power for 1 minute increments, stirring in between. Let the chocolate cool until doesn’t feel warm anymore.

In the bowl of your stand mixer using the whip attachment (or using a hand mixer) whip the butter until it is smooth. Add the sour cream and mix them for a minute or so. Gradually, so that your kitchen isn’t covered in powdered sugar dust, add in 2-3 cups of confectioner’s sugar. Continue to mix on low for 30 seconds or so and then on high for a minute. Return the mixer speed to low and add the chocolate while the mixer is running. (This always looks so neat — the ribbons of melted chocolate gradually mixing in.) Stop and scrape down the sides of the bowl when it looks like it is thoroughly combined. Then mix it on high for a minute or so to incorporate air and fluff up.

Frost your cake, cookies, cup cakes, whatever.
It’ll be grand.

Y’all have a good Friday!

The Best Chocolate Frosting Ever

is so very simple to make. Chocolate + Friday = Happy!

The great thing about this frosting is that it is ALDIvore, too.

Without further ado…

Sour Cream Chocolate Frosting

Bring 1/2 cup butter and 1/2 cup sour cream to room temperature.
Melt a whole bar of this

Choceur Dark Chocolate, 5.29 oz.

chocolate. Either use a double boiler or your microwave on half power for 1 minute increments, stirring in between. Let the chocolate cool until doesn’t feel warm anymore.

In the bowl of your stand mixer using the whip attachment (or using a hand mixer) whip the butter until it is smooth. Add the sour cream and mix them for a minute or so. Gradually, so that your kitchen isn’t covered in powdered sugar dust, add in 2-3 cups of confectioner’s sugar. Continue to mix on low for 30 seconds or so and then on high for a minute. Return the mixer speed to low and add the chocolate while the mixer is running. (This always looks so neat — the ribbons of melted chocolate gradually mixing in.) Stop and scrape down the sides of the bowl when it looks like it is thoroughly combined. Then mix it on high for a minute or so to incorporate air and fluff up.

Frost your cake, cookies, cup cakes, whatever.
It’ll be grand.

Y’all have a good Friday!

The Best Chocolate Frosting Ever

is so very simple to make. Chocolate + Friday = Happy!

The great thing about this frosting is that it is ALDIvore, too.

Without further ado…

Sour Cream Chocolate Frosting

Bring 1/2 cup butter and 1/2 cup sour cream to room temperature.
Melt a whole bar of this

Choceur Dark Chocolate, 5.29 oz.

chocolate. Either use a double boiler or your microwave on half power for 1 minute increments, stirring in between. Let the chocolate cool until doesn’t feel warm anymore.

In the bowl of your stand mixer using the whip attachment (or using a hand mixer) whip the butter until it is smooth. Add the sour cream and mix them for a minute or so. Gradually, so that your kitchen isn’t covered in powdered sugar dust, add in 2-3 cups of confectioner’s sugar. Continue to mix on low for 30 seconds or so and then on high for a minute. Return the mixer speed to low and add the chocolate while the mixer is running. (This always looks so neat — the ribbons of melted chocolate gradually mixing in.) Stop and scrape down the sides of the bowl when it looks like it is thoroughly combined. Then mix it on high for a minute or so to incorporate air and fluff up.

Frost your cake, cookies, cup cakes, whatever.
It’ll be grand.

Y’all have a good Friday!

Something That I Read

today really stuck with me. It is a story of a long life that was very well lived. Maybe you’d like to read it too.

It is here at Femina.

Beautiful!

Something That I Read

today really stuck with me. It is a story of a long life that was very well lived. Maybe you’d like to read it too.

It is here at Femina.

Beautiful!

Something That I Read

today really stuck with me. It is a story of a long life that was very well lived. Maybe you’d like to read it too.

It is here at Femina.

Beautiful!

A Couple of Years Ago

I drove to a local restaurant. Being directionally challenged, I took the wrong street. It didn’t matter, and I knew where the street came out, so I just kept driving.

I live in a pretty town, and so I always like looking and driving, anyway, but I was surprised to drive right past the high school. “Ah, so there it is,” I thought to myself, “I guess that J will go there in 3 years.”

And then I basically freaked out and nearly ran off the road.

Sending my J out into the world requires something on my part……daring?, nerves?, faith?????

So, tonight I’m touring that place with him. I’m not freaked out YET, but, all in good time, you know.

It still seems crazy to me that my son is old enough for high school — even though his 11 1/2 shoe size and stature are starting to scream otherwise.

Okay, I think that the freak out is creeping up on me now.

EEk.

Happy Wednesday, y’all!

***Addendum: Turns out, we were tired, exponentially kind of, and skipped the tour. It would just be noise for J, anyway, and I know he’ll have to see it later in a quieter setting for it to make sense to him. I just heard him exclaim (to himself, in the mirror while in the bathroom brushing his teeth), “WHY on EARTH do I have to be in high school, ANYWAY?”

Looks like we have some ‘splaining to do.

A Couple of Years Ago

I drove to a local restaurant. Being directionally challenged, I took the wrong street. It didn’t matter, and I knew where the street came out, so I just kept driving.

I live in a pretty town, and so I always like looking and driving, anyway, but I was surprised to drive right past the high school. “Ah, so there it is,” I thought to myself, “I guess that J will go there in 3 years.”

And then I basically freaked out and nearly ran off the road.

Sending my J out into the world requires something on my part……daring?, nerves?, faith?????

So, tonight I’m touring that place with him. I’m not freaked out YET, but, all in good time, you know.

It still seems crazy to me that my son is old enough for high school — even though his 11 1/2 shoe size and stature are starting to scream otherwise.

Okay, I think that the freak out is creeping up on me now.

EEk.

Happy Wednesday, y’all!

***Addendum: Turns out, we were tired, exponentially kind of, and skipped the tour. It would just be noise for J, anyway, and I know he’ll have to see it later in a quieter setting for it to make sense to him. I just heard him exclaim (to himself, in the mirror while in the bathroom brushing his teeth), “WHY on EARTH do I have to be in high school, ANYWAY?”

Looks like we have some ‘splaining to do.

A Couple of Years Ago

I drove to a local restaurant. Being directionally challenged, I took the wrong street. It didn’t matter, and I knew where the street came out, so I just kept driving.

I live in a pretty town, and so I always like looking and driving, anyway, but I was surprised to drive right past the high school. “Ah, so there it is,” I thought to myself, “I guess that J will go there in 3 years.”

And then I basically freaked out and nearly ran off the road.

Sending my J out into the world requires something on my part……daring?, nerves?, faith?????

So, tonight I’m touring that place with him. I’m not freaked out YET, but, all in good time, you know.

It still seems crazy to me that my son is old enough for high school — even though his 11 1/2 shoe size and stature are starting to scream otherwise.

Okay, I think that the freak out is creeping up on me now.

EEk.

Happy Wednesday, y’all!

***Addendum: Turns out, we were tired, exponentially kind of, and skipped the tour. It would just be noise for J, anyway, and I know he’ll have to see it later in a quieter setting for it to make sense to him. I just heard him exclaim (to himself, in the mirror while in the bathroom brushing his teeth), “WHY on EARTH do I have to be in high school, ANYWAY?”

Looks like we have some ‘splaining to do.