Catastrophe & Cupcakes

Okay, I have to admit, I am not a big cake fan.  I never really cared for birthday cakes (although the decorating magicians always seemed to amaze me!), but for some unknown reason, I LOVE cupcakes!  Cookies are always better (for me), but I really love cupcakes.  And then, I discovered the sublime world of gourmet cupcakes. "WHAT?" you ask?  Yes, you read it right, gourmet cupcakes.  Now, I realize that this is probably more of a common phrase these days, with the spread of franchised gourmet cupcake businesses all around the USA, but this has been quite a recent revelation to me, so I'm very excited!  Lucky for me, (or if I were on a diet, it may be very unlucky) there is an enchanting shop here in Norman that specializes in gourmet cupcakes - Gigi's Cupcakes.

I do not currently have a picture of the outside of the building because once I pull up to it and smell the freshly baked cupcakes, I can't really think about anything else.  If you have been there, you know.  Now, I can't compare this gourmet cupcake shop to any others because I haven't had the good fortune to try any others, but at this point, I really don't feel the need to in order to be excited about this place!  Check out their summer menu and you can see what I mean:

If you can't see all the deliciously descriptive words, you can go here to see the menu in better detail.  Do you see all of that delectable goodness??  And this is just the Spring/Summer menu.  There is also an upcoming Fall/Winter menu that I cannot wait to sample! Keep up to date with their Facebook page and/or website.

Now here's a funny story: Once upon a time I thought it would be just dandy to get a few cupcakes and bring them to work...on my motorcycle. Well, I have saddle bags, its not like I was just gonna put them on my lap or something, geesh!  I was so very careful.  Making sure the little individual boxes were packed snugly inside the saddlebag as not to move, taking turns with careful finesse, and no sudden breaking.  I did it all, and here were the results once I got them to their destination...

...awww, so pretty. Let's open them!

Oops...Uh, lets try another one...

Oh no...two more to go...

Oh, hey this one is almost perfect!  Let's just use a fork to scoop the toppings on a little better...

Ah ha!  There was one out of four that actually made it intact!  I consider this a win.  Even though the motorcycle trip left these little beauties a bit disheveled, they were delicious nonetheless!  However, this is what the Chocolate Salted Caramel actually looks like when you DON'T take it for a motorcycle ride:

Isn't that pretty?  Hmmm, too bad I didn't pick one up on the way to work this morning, my mouth is watering looking at these pictures.  

Okay, what did we learn today?  

1. That gourmet cupcakes are the best invention ever!
2. That even though these cupcakes are decorated beautifully, they don't have to be in order to taste good.
3. Cupcakes prefer to ride home with you in the car, not on the motorcycle.

Don't forget to check out the "EVENTS" tab at the top to see where my next signing will be!

~Thanks for stopping by!~

Signing At The OU/FAMU Game

Wow!  What a weekend!  And what a game that was against FAMU, 69-13!  Woo hoo! Go Sooners!  I want to send out a very special 'Thank You' to Stephen and the entire crew from the OU Bookstore, for setting up the cookbook signing and taking care of me with beverages and cookies.  You are awesome!

Stephen showing off my book to a  Sooner fan

 I also want to thank those of you who purchased a copy of the University of Oklahoma Cookbook, and also to those who stopped over to chat and try a sample.  I had a fun afternoon and some wonderful conversations!  I had set out some samples of the Spiced Footballs (almonds with fall spice flavors) recipe for the fans passing by, and they went over really well.  It also helped that the sunlight creeping across the almonds seemed to warm them, and the buttery spices started to waft into the path of passerbys. (Mmmm!)

Next time on OMG, Have You Tasted This? I will be talking about how awesome cupcakes are.  Remember, I said nothing about how good for you they may or may not be.  I do not judge such things, nor do I feel guilty about stuffing my mouth with them.  I'm merely sharing my opinion about the awesomeness of cupcakes.  Did I mention how awesome cupcakes are?

Fun, Food, & Football!

Sorry I've been away from here for a few weeks, it has been really busy on this end.  I've spent the last few weeks preparing a new book proposal and sending it off to my publisher.  I've also been setting up signing events for my new book that came out this weekend!!

Here are the first signing event dates that I will be attending this month:

September 8th - OU Bookstore (Gate 3 of OU Stadium) just before 1st home game, from 3:30-5pm.

September 15th - Full Circle Books, from 12-2:30pm.

I am also in the midst of setting up two different publication parties on the University of Oklahoma campus the last week of September, and the first week of October, if you can't make the first two events.  The publication parties will feature a sampling of some of the recipes from the book (and free food is always a fantastic reason to show up!).  I will have copies of the book to buy ($14.99) and I will sign them there as well.  Solidified dates and times of these 2 events will be updated on my FaceBook page soon!

Now that we got all that business out of the way, how 'bout those Sooners yesterday?  The game started off neck and neck, then after half-time, OU pulled ahead scoring 3 points in the third, and nailing the game down with 2 more touchdowns in the 4th against UTEP.  The Miners lost to #4 University of Oklahoma, 24-7.  Way to start off the season, guys!

Labor Day weekend was THE weekend for kicking off the college football season, from coast-to-coast!  There were seventeen games just on Saturday alone, and the season is just getting started!  So if you will be hosting any game day tailgating parties, watch parties, or other seasonal events that require tasty treats, entrees, dips, or beverages, then pick up your copy of the Official University of Oklahoma Cookbook and have fun this football season!

The Hideaway

Do you like local eateries?  How about pizzerias?  Well, if you live in Oklahoma and want to try something other than the boring ol' pepperoni and cheese variety, check out Hideaway Pizza.

The Hideaway got its start in 1957 in Stillwater, Oklahoma.  If you are interested in the full history and philosophy of this restaurant, click on the link here, it's a fun an interesting read.  This place is awesome  not only for the fresh ingredients they use, but also for the different specialty pizza combinations that they have on the menu.  They have a pizza contest each year, encouraging employees and customers to make up new creations.  The winners get put on the menu, some for a limited time, and a few have made it onto the permanent Specialty Pizzas page.

First of all, I always start with a 50/50, which is half a plate of fried mushrooms, and half a plate of cheese sticks.  

Now, I used to come here every Sunday afternoon in the summers and get the Maui Magic pizza pie (red sauce, mozzarella, Canadian bacon, pineapple, and mandarin oranges) and a chilled goblet of Blue Moon and ate it on the patio.  

But then they stopped carrying Blue Moon, and other beers just didn't go with the Maui Magic as well, so I started getting it to go, so I could drink Blue Moon at home. However, when I dined in here recently, Blue Moon was back on the menu, and I was a happy girl!

My lunch companion and I decided to try one of the new Specialty Pizza's as well as have the usual Maui Magic, so we ordered a half and half pie, the other half being the new "Apollo" (Pesto sauce, fresh spinach, parmesan cheese, sundried tomatoes, artichoke hearts, mozzarella and kalamata olives).

After pizza, there was just enough room left over for dessert.  The dessert list was full of hard choices, but ultimately, I had to have the Frozen Lemonade Pie.

I already took a bite or two out of it before I remembered to take a picture.  It was much prettier when it was set on the table.  Sooooo goooood!!

The food is great and the interior screams FUN!  However, if you want to get your food as take-out, Hideaway has an amazingly easy online ordering system!  Just go to http://www.hideawaypizza.com/ and click the bright green button on the left.  You have to sign up one time with an email address and password, then after that, you are good to go.  You can even re-order whatever you got last time without going through and making your selections again.  You just sign in, type in your zip code, and begin your order.  You can pay for it online or pay on receipt at the store.  You can include any special instructions and set the time you want to pick it up.  They don't have delivery, but it's worth your time to go get it.

Have a wedding, reunion, or other grand shin-dig?  Hideaway does catering.  So what are you waiting for?  Give them a try if you haven't before, and go back for more if you have!

Ozzie's Diner

Anyone interested in an Americana "greasy spoon?"  I always am.  Is it nutritious and good for me?  I am pretty positive the answer is no.  Will I most likely need a recovery nap from the experience just to let my body and belly recoup?  Most definitely.  Will that stop me from having a new and exciting food experience?  Absolutely not!  The best kind of greasy spoons are the hidden ones.  The kind that aren't off the interstate, or next to the high-traffic stores like Wal-Mart and the like.  No, the best ones are the ones that some of the locals don't even realize are there.  The ones where the regulars go, that have waitresses who can't help but call you "hon" even if they've just met you.  Want to go to a place like that?  Well, then get yourself to the airport in Norman, OK - room 104.

On the first floor of the little airport is a diner called Ozzie's.  I had heard rumors in the air that Ozzie's was the place to go for Sunday brunch.  I also heard it was at the airport, but I didn't quite know where, exactly.  So one day, I got up and decided to find it.  I thought it would be a fun experience, and I was right.

After hitting a couple of winding roads away from the main road, we found it!  We walked in and the diner was right there.  Outside of the diner in the hallway, there was a white-board disclosing the menu we had to look forward to, as well as some basic rules about not sharing.

After wondering inside the establishment, a waitress asked if we could be helped and I explained that this was my first time here.  She was very good about letting us know how it worked.  She pulled out an awesome menu that had an American 1950's feel about it.

We ordered coffee and water to drink while we waited for our breakfast.  What was cool, is that the coffee came in thick ceramic mugs and the water arrived in mason jars - classic.

What did we order?  Well, the all-you-can-eat breakfast of course!  Here's how it works:  You can choose any combination as many times as you want from pancakes, grits, toast, biscuits & gravy, eggs (cooked however you like), home fries, hash browns, bacon, and sausage for just $5.79 per person.  

It is all cooked to order instead of sitting on a buffet where everyone else can pick at it as it gets cold/dried out.  After you are finished with your first plate, you can order your next with the same thing, or a whole new combo.  I also tried the biscuits & gravy (which I forgot to get a pic of), and it was surprisingly good!  The scrambled egg had a sort of gross texture to it, like it had grits in it or something, I couldn't quite peg it.  However, the fried egg was very good.  I like my fried egg with well done whites, and a slightly dippy middle, which I rarely get done right at any restaurant no matter how fancy.  But Ozzie's got it perfect!

The decor was riddled with aviation (as it is in an airport and very fitting), and objects from an era long past, but not forgotten.

We also had a great view!

So, if you want a breakfast that will be served until 3pm (which is when I like to eat breakfast), that taste a lot like Mom used to make on the weekends, with a reminiscent decor, an endearing waitress, a thrifty all-you-can-eat menu, and an exciting view, then give Ozzie's Diner at the Max Westheimer Airport a try.

Mad Ninja Baking

Today, I'm gonna share a recipe, bad pictures, and an account of this week in my kitchen.  It all started with bananas.  Note: when you buy organic bananas, you have about half the time to eat them before they go bad, as you do non-organic bananas.  So unless you are a monkey, or happen to have monkeys living in your household, do not buy organic bananas in bulk, just FYI.

Okay, so some of the bunch were eaten, but there were still 5 bananas left before they got too soft for my liking.  I didn't want to just make smoothies for the next several days out of them, so I thought about the next most popular thing to do with soft bananas -- banana bread!  I'd never actually made it, so I thought, why not give it a go?  I dug out a recipe for it that Mom gave me years ago and put it to use.

Banana Nut Bread


2 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

*Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Mix all of the above in a medium bowl and set to the side.

1 stick of softened butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
3 over-ripened bananas
1/2 cup of walnuts (apparently optional, because I didn't use them and they turned out just dandy)


 *Mix these ingredients together in a large bowl.  Add above "dry" mixture.  Pour into a lightly greased bread loaf pan/dish and bake for 25-30 minutes.  Check center with toothpick and bake until no batter comes out on it.


Now, I decided that I didn't want to use nuts, because of nut allergies for people who might be eating them.  And, I wanted muffins instead of bread so I just double layered some cupcake papers in my muffin pan, poured in the batter until they were about 80% full, and baked for about 35 minutes.  Viola! 


Did I remember to take a picture before they were gone?  Nope.  *Sigh*  I'll get this documenting thing right one of these days.  However, I DID get a picture of the French Silk pie that I made that day!

Ta-da!  Go me!  Did I get a picture of the pie after it was cut open?  NO!!  Crap.  Still learning.  Okay, so now you're probably wondering what French Silk pie has to do with bananas.  Nothing.  Well, something, but it's only by association, not that there's actually any bananas in this pie.  See, I have yet to make a pie crust from scratch ( but it's on my list of things to try), so when you buy pre-made pie crusts, they come in packs of 2.  I still had two bananas left over to do something with after the muffins, so I decided to try a salted carmel banana cream pie, (which was a total disaster, but I'll get to that).  Anyway, so I had this whole other pie crust that I didn't know what to do with.  

So I thought about what kind of pies I like that I haven't had for a while, and French Silk was at the top of my list!  If you've never had it, you are missing out, big time!  It's chocolatey, creamy, and best of all, it is the richest, most delectable pie I've ever had.  Each time I make it, I nearly cry when it's gone.  I first made it in 7th or 8th grade home-ec class as part of a group project.  I had never made a recipe that involved before, but it was totally worth the effort!  We found it in one of the cookbooks that was at the school.  I would love to give credit where it is due for this one, but I just don't remember, it was a bazillion years ago.  It's kind of a long/detailed recipe so I don't want to add it to this post, but if you would like it feel free to message me on FaceBook, and I'll send it to you.

Okay, so the Salted Carmel Banana Cream pie sounded sooooo good when I found the recipe on a blog that I enjoy reading, called Sing For Your Supper..., however, I couldn't get the pie to set up.  I wound up burning the carmel the first time, so I remade it.  The second round I had run out of butter, so I just made it with what I had.  I made a basic carmel sauce with just sugar and cream and salt.  It actually turned out really good.  On to the rest of the pie!  

I followed the instructions and layered it like the recipe said to, but it just turned in to a globby, mess...but OMG did it taste good!  I combed over the recipe again to see where I went wrong.  No, it wasn't because I made the carmel without butter, it wasn't because I put the carmel drizzle on top of the pie (because I knew the whipped cream would dissolve under the weight of it.  You are supposed to drizzle on just before serving).  No, the reason my attempt failed was because I used cook and serve pudding instead of instant.  So, if this recipe sounds like something you want to try, (and you totally should because it's awesome!) don't forget to use instant pudding, because if you don't, you will need a bowl and spoon to be able to eat it (not that that was so bad, but still).

I seriously need to invest in some new dishes.

And as if making 2 gourmet pies and banana muffins from scratch in one afternoon wasn't enough, I decided I needed to make some brownies.  You know, to have something to go underneath the left-over carmel sauce, and ice cream.  

Oh, and then for dinner, I thought it would be fun to try a new Asian-style chicken recipe.  (*Facepalm*)  What am I doing?  What possessed me to do all this on the same day?  I was like a mad cooking ninja!  Of course, I didn't cook for the rest of the week, so I guess marathon baking/cooking/desserting, comes with a price.  So I threw a few different ideas together and got this:

Oops, that one is a little blurry.  Here's a different plate of the same food.

It tasted pretty good, but not as flavorful as I was hoping for.  However, I made some notes about how to improve it and I'll try again.  

Anyway, that's what I did one day last week.  And then I took a nap.  The end.

FANCY & FLOP: Ohio Food Excursion, Pt. 2

I believe that there are 3 types of dining experiences: Good, Bad, and Okay.  Now, there are varying degrees of these 3 types, of course, but we all know the sort-of overall feeling we have about our experiences, even if we don't have time to logically sort out what we liked or didn't like about them.  Generally for me, there are a few Good, and a few Bad, and a whole lot of grey area I'm neither impressed or disappointed by.  Some greys (or Okays) are better than others.  Generally, I don't have any desire to go on and on about Okays, it's not until the Okay slips more into Good or Bad, that I will start thinking about how my experience was/is.  So, I WILL write about Okays, but only if it is on the edge of Good or Bad.

Which brings me to the second part of my Ohio Food Excursion segment: "Fancy & Flop."  I'm a firm believer in getting the crummy out of the way, to make room for the good stuff.  On that note, I'm going to talk about my experience at a restaurant in Tipp City, Ohio called Harrison's.

One of the biggest problems that I have with this restaurant isn't really the food, or service, it's the environment -- it's just plain confusing.  Is it an elegant business casual dinner place, or a sports bar?

The servers were dressed in very nice attire, the menu is what you would expect from a more upscale restaurant, and there is a sign posted at the front of the house that says "Proper Attire is Required."  However, when I went (dressed in business casual ware) it was Wing Night Tuesday and the place was packed with people wearing cut-off jeans, ball caps, and flip-flops, and that is not an exaggeration.  Another time I went, a few years ago on a Friday night, the clientele was less casual, but there was a live band playing, which made it very difficult to have any sort of conversation with table-mates.  Anyhow, we're talking about the most recent excursion on Wing Tuesday.  I thought it best to start off with a drink.

That's my strawberry daiquiri, doesn't it look good?  Yeah, that's what I thought, then I took a few sips of it and was very disappointed.  It's like they didn't even try.  Like they opened up the jug o' strawberry mix, put some Reddi-Whip on top, then remembered they forgot the rum and splashed a little in it as a gesture.  I wasn't looking to be knocked off my feet, but some rum flavor would have been nice.  Other people at my table (my awesome family) didn't seem to have any issues with their beer or wine, just me with my "fancy" mixed drink.  

Most everyone in my party started off with the salads that came with their dinner, but my mom got the soup du jour, Tortilla Soup and it was soooo good!  I however, tried their applesauce option which was also quite good.  It is chunked apples topped with cinnamon-- simple, not too filling, and tasty.  My step-dad ordered some impromptu wings because we kept watching them fly by our table (Ha!  I said "fly" and "wings" totally didn't mean to be punny, it just happened).  I didn't get a pic of them though because they were gone before I could open my camera...yes, they were amazingly good!  But, I didn't come here for wings and beer, I came for a good steak.  Here's what we all ordered:

                       My New York Strip w/Onion Strings                                                NY Strip with Cheese Grits

                     Corn Dusted Walleye w/ Herb Butter                                                            City Mac & Cheese

          "Blackout" Gourmet Burger (Blue cheese on pretzle bun)                                Cheese Burger and Fries

 The steak was not as good as I was hoping it would be.  It had little to no seasoning on it, and no real flavor to speak of.  It's like they rely solely on the french fried shoestring onions on top for any kind of seasoning.  However, I did taste the City Mac & Cheese and it was really good!  I never had Cheese Grits before, and I was skeptical, but they were actually kind of addicting, and grandma let me know I had stolen enough from her plate by stabbing me with her fork.  No, that didn't really happen...this time.  Anyway, the thing Harrison's had that was cooked and seasoned perfectly was the made-to-order house potato chips.  Perfect!

Like I said in the beginning, I don't normally comment about Okay dining experiences, so what am I saying here?  I'm saying that even though the food wasn't terrible or awesome, the theme confusion and lack of identity of the restaurant really got my attention, for Good and Bad.  If you are looking for an upscale dining venue, a sports bar, gastropub, place to hang with your buddies, or a romantic rendezvous (although I totally don't recommend this last one AT ALL!), you may want to seek those places out elsewhere, where you KNOW that's what you are looking for and are going to get.  However, if you can't make up your mind or want a little bit of all of the above, this is definitely your stop.  All-in-all, for me it was too all over the place - at sixes and sevens. 

Now for the good stuff!  Also in Tipp City (and diagonally located across the street from Harrison's) is a fantastic place called Coldwater Cafe.  This place held such a great experience for me that we waited 40 minutes, with a lunch reservation, and I'm still giving this a glowing review!  Owned and run by a mother/son team Betty Peachey and Nick Hoover, this is the place to go if you want a full-blown example of my perfect dining Trifecta: Food, Service, and Atmosphere.  Nick is also the executive chef and you can absolutely tell that he loves what he creates, just by how good is tastes and the presentation  of the food when it gets to your table.

Even the bathroom was fancy!  I mean, how many places can you find a tower of toilet paper next to the toilet.  Pretty, and convenient!  I'm totally doing this in my bathroom from now on.  Accept I don't have that kind of room, to I may just slap a roll on the back of the tank and call it good.  What do you think?

Okay, that's the first bathroom review I've ever done...well, that I've ever written and sent out into the interwebs - you're welcome.  Now, down to business.  The business of drinks!

I had the Coldwater Cosmopolitan, and my aunt had the Pineapple Upside Down Martini (in the background).  Both were perfect!  One is all you really need, I'm just sayin'.  Again, while my party got salads for the most part, I decided to try a cup of the Duchess Potato Soup.  My other aunt (the one who took us all here) got the soup du jour, which was a mushroom/beef stock soup, but I can't remember the name of it.  As much as I liked the potato soup, I couldn't get enough of the mushroom soup, it was amazing! (Wish I would have gotten a pic, sorry).  And now, for the entrées.  

Gourmet Grilled Cheese & freshly cooked Kettle Chips

                  Marinated Grilled Chicken Salad               Grilled Portabella on Swirled Rye

                                Grilled Salmon Salad                          Chicken Pecan Salad Sandwich

Crappy pictures?  Yeah, I know.  Guess who took them?  Yup, it was me.  I know that my pics don't do these dishes justice, but the lighting was dim and the flash was working when it felt like it.  I seriously need a profesional photographer to follow me around while I eat.  Don't worry, I'm writing that down on a Post-It.  I can't say enough about the food here.  There was not a single complaint, even in the slightest, about any of these plates, not one!  And believe me, that's a record for my family.

Nick is so awesome, he even makes grilled cheese sandwiches feel like proper fancy food.  But for me, he outdoes himself on the dessert menu.  The waitress even brought us an actual dessert menu.  We couldn't decide what to get as individuals, so we just decided to order almost every dessert on the menu and try them all out, (I know, best idea ever!).  Hmm, somehow my sister's strawberry sorbet didn't get snapped, I just realized that.

                                          Creme Brulee                                      Frozen Peanut Butter Pie

                                Hot Fudge Pecan Ball                        English Tea Cake w/ Warm Butter Sauce

I had a cup of coffee with my desserts, and even that was good quality coffee.  I was so satisfied when I left there --- Trifecta Maximus!  And that was just lunch, I can't imagine what they can do for dinner.  There are some truths that I've discovered through my cooking and dining experiences, here are just a couple:

1)  The smaller the menu, the more quality and attention will go into the food.

2) "Cooking is like music; when properly conducted, a symphony results."

This quote was painted on the wall at Coldwater Cafe.  It is a string of words that I take as truth, and after my experience at this restaurant, I can tell you that the staff, chef, and owners feel the same way.