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"Here's the story, of a Bia named Dana.... that's the way she became the Bia Bunch!"
Oh no!!! My blog has been hijacked!!! Apparently someone is having a birthday and her friends hog tied me and forced me into using my blog to send her birthday wishes!!!! This is a group of kick ass people that I knew going against would not be in my best interest, so I succumbed!!
Bia, you know I had absolutely nothing to do with this, as you are aware of the “skinny” on how I feel about ya!!!! But I value my life enough not to mess with these people, so here ya go……
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Kristy Jackson
Happy Birthday to my fabulously gorgeous friend Dana!!!! When you’re lucky enough to meet somebody so phenomenal in your life it makes it easier to smile through the tough times. They also often lead you to meet other wonderful people! I’m very blessed to have her as a friend and am thankful for that every day ♥
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Diane Cindrich
Happy Birthday Dana… I am so lucky and glad to have someone as special as you in my life. We have so many great memories together. Our trip to Bonita Beach is way up there though. I will always be here for you and hope that things eventually get easier for you. I love you girlie.
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Erin Kelly Jones
Happy Birthday to one of the most beautiful people I know, my Dana!! Girl, you are a one of a kind amazing person and I really don’t know how I went on so long without you! One Birthday Swipe coming your way! Love You!!!
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Amber Weber
tell dana- i hope she has a very wonderful birthday and everytime i go to the zoo and see pink flamingos i always think of her! Happy Birthday!
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Jordan O'Malley
Dana,
Happy Birthday!! You are one of the funniest and sweetest people I know. I hope you have an amazing birthday, you absolutely deserve it!
Love you!
- Jordie
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Ray Conley
Happy Birthday Dana,
You are a very strong good person who should have all her heart wants and needs. All I can think of is sitting out front of Station Square with her smoking and making fun of all the assholes going the wrong way. And all the fun we had at station square over all the years boy do I miss those days.
Ray
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Alicia Andrews Sattler
Dana, We have a lot of great memories together. Seems like we have known each other forever. I guess it has been since the 5th grade. I hope you have a very happy birthday and many more to come. Love ya, Alicia
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- Carri Finkbeiner-Rapp
Dear Dana,
Have a Happy Birthday! I can’t wait to hang out with you next week. We don’t get together often enough, and you are such a wonderful person to hang out with. It’s not easy finding a friend who is smart, beautiful, sensitive, strong willed yet unappreciated…. like me! I love you, filth!!!
Carri
GO ARIES BITCHES!!!
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Kristin Durst
Dana was introduced to me from my other friend Dana. My Dana noted what a wonderful person she is and what a great hair stylist she is. I emailed your Dana and she took the time to reply in such a detailed and friendly manner. She was wonderful to talk to in the few times she has cut, styled or done something to my hair. She sent me such a cute message and it was so genuine when my boyfriend and I broke up a few months ago. She has a big heart and is a wonderful person. I hope she has a wonderful birthday!
Kristin D.
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Dear Dana, you are one of the greatest people Ive ever met, I wish you the best on you Birthday and everyday and if you were here I would give you a big hug and sing HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU Love ya Carol
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Megan Carney-Tardio
My fondest memory is that I first met her at Carlow college practically the first day!! We have been friends since that!! One thing that I can say is that I truly value our friendship and she is like a sister to me throughout the years and that I will always be there for her!!
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John Sleeping Bear
“OH, BUT I DON’T!!”
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In case anyone is interested in the Cake, well it was a Key Lime coconut cake with a key lime buttercream. The recipe for the cake can be found here and the buttercream was my kiwi buttercream with key lime juice subbed for the kiwi.
Once again, I am straddling the fence on being tardy, but not because this one wasn’t done in time, just I hadn’t edited photos and I thought I had one more day!!! Same song, same dance, different day.
Since it was the photos that slowed me down, I am going to make this a pictorial post. Of course, I will give you an idea of what I think about this month’s challenge…….. Fantastic!!!! In this house we are not much for fruit desserts, unless it is an apple or cherry pie, so I was skeptical.
Tian ROCKS!!!!
The 2010 March Daring Baker’s challenge was hosted by Jennifer of Chocolate Shavings. She chose Orange Tian as the challenge for this month, a dessert based on a recipe from Alain Ducasse’s Cooking School in Paris.
Jennifer chose a fantastic recipe with which to challenge us. We were to make everything by the book with the only exception being, we were able to play with the citrus we chose. I opted for Ruby Red grapefruit and I kicked the caramel up a bit with the addition of Rosemary. The recipe can be found here, as well as on Jennifer’s site.
Now for the pretty but late pictures!!!!!
I began with the marmalade…
First Blanch of the grapefruit.
Dicing the blanched fruit.
Adding the sugar..... for some reason I particularly like this picture.
Next the fresh squeezed juice.
Marmalade in the works.
Processing the filled jars....
Next came the Pate Sablee, which I only have pictures of fresh out of the oven…someone didn’t make sure there was a charge in his camera battery…. No Names, PLEASE!!
Baked in the cutters to reduce spreading.....
Pate Sablee bases cooling......
Skinless segments, I alway enjoy cutting citrus this way....
Gathering components for assembly, but must do the caramel first....
The sugar and rosemary beginning to become caramel.....
Caramel all done.......
adding half the caramel to the segments.....
One tian down. And a glimpse at the layering process....
Finished, unmolded, now smile for the camera!!!!!
Chalk one up for the Bear!!! As you may well know, I spend a bit of time in the kitchen and very few things scare me in there. I am always game to give new things a try and I usually succeed. There is one ingredient in the kitchen which has caused me much grief….I have attempted its use numerous times and my success rate is minimal. In fact my failure rate is so high that I have dubbed myself…..SleepingBear-Killer of Yeast. Not tonight kiddies!!!
Ray and I were off today and we used it to do a few things around the house, as the day progressed thoughts of dinner came to mind. Truthfully, I had no plan so it was one of those look in the fridge and see what needs to be used soon kind of days. The freezer revealed a couple of chicken breasts and the deli drawer contained 3 thick cut slices of applewood smoked bacon and a smallish chunk of cheddar….”yea, what am I going to do with that?”. Finish up the last of the household chores and think.
The wheels began to turn and bechamel came to mind. Pasta came to mind. We are getting there!! After just a little more thought, I came up with a “white lasagne”. Dice the bacon, fry it up, slice the breast into thin crosscuts, fry them in the bacon drippings. Use a couple Tbs. of the bacon drippings as a starter for the roux for the bechamel. A quick batch of fresh pasta sheets, layer it all with a bit of cheddar and dinner will be served.
As of late Ray has been on a bread baking kick, which he is actually getting pretty good at (unlike moi!) and we have a little less than half a loaf of his bread leftover from the other day. Homemade bread, unfortunately can get dry rather quickly and this half loaf is currently in the “only good for toast” stage. I wasn’t getting cleaned up and dressed to run to the store for something to sop up the excess bechamel but I also wanted that exact thing. What the hell, give the yeast thing another try! hahahaha
A quick search for a simple and quick breadstick recipe and I was on my way. The milk and onions were sweating on the stove awaiting to become the sauce. The chicken was browning wonderfully in the bacon drippings. The pasta sheets were drying just slightly awaiting to be layered. And the kitchenaid was kneading the dough for the breadsticks. Everything was happening at once, not a moment to breathe….one task to the next and then again on to the next. The breadstick dough is a single rise for approximately 50 mins, so I got the lasagne together, set it aside and then formed the sticks. Into the oven the lasagne went and onto the counter went the sticks… but will they raise or have I once again killed millons of yeast spores in one fell swoop???
50 minutes later this is what I saw…
Living Yeast at it's best!!!
The lasagne came out of the oven and in went the sticks. 15 minutes of rest for the lasagne and bake time for the sticks and dinner was served!!!
Fresh out of the oven "John didn't kill the yeast" breadsticks.
Dinner is served.
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