Happy Easter

No matter what other blessings are bestowed upon me I know that none can top Angie in the next room.  Alright dear reader here is the thing; Ang took over a hotel in Hattiesburg, Mississippi last weekend and drove there from Florida with her 2 dogs and 2 cats in a U-Haul and towing her car.  Now it seems my Oklahoma bff contacted my lifetime bff lol, and said "hey Sam's b-day is coming up, since you are so close, why not come up".  To which Ang responded, "Oh I am coming up next weekend"!  So all week Alecia has been saying things like, "Are you sure you want to do this HUGE dinner, and invite ALL sorts of people"?  Trying to get me to cancel or whatever because she knew I would want to spend time with Ang, but I didn't catch the clues so I am still putting on the dinner, just with Angie at my table also.  So there I am relaxing yesterday morning and I call Ang to chat and catch up, and I say, "You know you are invited to Easter dinner tomorrow if you leave now you could be here for dinner".  Unbeknownst to me she was a hour or so away!  So when I heard the unexpected knock at the door I never guessed in a million years it would be Ang, and her two Chihuahua's and well, I just cried all over her!  You never REALLY get how bad you need to see someone until they are standing in front of you.  In that moment all I could think of was, "I am blessed beyond measure with love and support and friendship, and I should NEVER take one second of my amazing life for granted".  As I prepare to go into my kitchen and cook a Thanksgiving size meal I wish you dear reader all the blessings God has in store for you and yours and may your holiday be as happy and full of love and laughter and friends and family as mine will be.

OMG

Alecia and Angie conspired and Angie my best friend just drove from Mississippi and knocked on my door! Just to see me!

Garlic Braid Bread

• Cutting board/pizza slicer
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees
• Pop Open the can of refrigerated Pillsbury Crusty French Loaf dough.
• Slice lengthwise in half then into halves until you have 4 strips
• Bread dough with the beginning briad (or plait)
• 
  

  Braid the dough starting from the right side, cross over 2 strips to the left, then under the 4th strip, start from right side again, cross to the left over 2 strips, then under the 4th strip, repeat until you reach the end (do not stretch dough, handle lightly)
• Bread braid ready to bake, topped with garlic, and Parmesan.
• Choose a cookie sheet, baking pan, or a piece of foil to bake the bread on. Spray with non-stick cooking spray first. Place in 350F degree oven for about 10-14 minutes until golden brown.
• Remove from oven when golden brown, serve in cloth or paper napkin lined bread basket, alternatively just warp it up in a clean cloth napkin or clean lint free dish towel and serve to your guests. Bread will easily tear apart and your family and guests will eagerly devour it.
•  Feel free to top with whatever suits your fancy, and serve hot nacho cheese or softened cream cheese, or pizza sauce or melted butter as a dipping sauce.

Easter Menu

Lil Smokies wrapped in Crescent rolls
Lil Smokies in Jack Daniels Sauce
Garlic Braid Bread
French Loaf
Green Beans and bacon and onion
Potato Soup with crisp bacon and caramelized onion
Mashed Potatoes
Roasted Potatoes
Homemade mac and cheese
Cornbread
Steamed vegetables
Black and green olives/sweet and dill mini pickles/cheese and cracker plate
Green Bean Casserole
Brisket

Two layered butter cake with milk chocolate double layered icing and chocolate covered coffee beans for dessert
plate of Twinkies/Rice Krispy treats/Otis Spunkmeyer Chocolate Chocolate Chip muffins/Milk chocolate pudding cups for those who don't like cake.

Cooking Class

So I've learned that Hobby Lobby and Platt and Michael's offer cooking classes and Wilton Cake decorating classes for a minimal fee plus some class supplies, but still! I heard one of the wedding cake classes is an intense 4 hour class! I am SO excited, guess what I want for my birthday!

Car batteries oy vei!

Alright so I found out the hard way this morning that car batteries are NOT meant to last more than two or three years at MOST!! Now as you may know I leave early for work because I think if something happens on the way to work, I need time to deal with it so it doesn't cause unnecessary drama, and I am not late to work. So today I get in my car and plug in my iPhone and turn on my iPod app and head to QT to get fuel and I leave my car sort of turned on, enough to listen to my music as I pump gas, well as I am waiting my music goes dead, and I think maybe I was getting a call or something but when I get in my car to leave it won't start!! Ugh! So I had to get a jump, so long story short I now need to go get a car battery and I am getting the BEST money can buy because this past winter I had to get a jump early one morning and it was freezing, so yeah note to self, batteries die.

I want one!