Review #2 for Mickey's Gourmet Cookbook

The Shogun Dinner, from Mickey's Gourmet Cookbook. The recipe sounds like we are going for a shoot out at dawn. Japanese cowboy style. I have the cowboy hat; I should have worn it while making this dinner. A wok, the main cooking paraphernalia. Sizzling hot with a little butter in the bottom, bubbling and ready to bronze whatever gets tossed in. Basically, a shogun dinner is a meal made up of several parts. In this case, it is an appetizer with a sauce and a stir fry dinner with a sauce. The best way to tackle this dinner would be to make the sauces up ahead of time and refrigerate and have all the ingredients prepped before starting. The appetizer and dinner cooks really fast and so there is plenty of time to sit and enjoy the shrimp and sauce before moving on to making the dinner. I actually had a lot of fun making this. The drawback to this dinner is that the sauces were to strong in flavor for me and I do not see myself making them again. Also, the amount of sauce that is called for to be made was unreasonably large compared to the amount of food that gets dipped into the sauces. I had over 2 cups left over. Because I didn't like the strength of the sauce, it was not saved after using with dinner. I would make the stir fry again but create my own seasonings because the combination of meat and veggies was delicious!

The appetizer for the Shogun Dinner is sauteed Shrimp and a Ginger Sauce to dip the shrimp into.

I made sure to have all my ingredients ready to go so and after the wok was heated, the cooking only took about 4 to 5 minutes.
Just saute the shrimp in butter, soy sauce, lemon juice, and seasonings. Easy.

Ginger Sauce

Ingredients:

1 1/2 T. ginger root, fresh, coarsely cut

2 T. onion, coarsely cut

2 T. water

1 1/4-inch slice lemon

1 c. Japanese soy sauce

1/2 c. rice wine vinegar

1/4 c. vegetable oil

4 sprigs parsley

Directions:

Soak fresh ginger root in water for a few minutes to easily remove skin. Put all ingredients in a blender or food processor with a steel blade and blend until smooth. Store in the refrigerator up to a week.

Shrimp Appetizer

Ingredients:

1 pound of medium shrimp, raw and peeled

2 T. butter

salt and pepper to taste

Dash of soy sauce, I used about 1 T.

1/2 t. lemon juice. . .I used 1 t. which to me was perfect for the amount of shrimp used

Ginger sauce

Directions:

Clean, rinse, and dry shrimp. Heat butter in a wok or skillet and quickly saute shrimp until fully cooked. Season with salt, pepper, soy sauce, and lemon juice.

Serve with ginger sauce as an appetizer.

The Shogun Dinner could have any combo of veggies put with the meat and it would be wonderful!

Main Dish

Ingredients:

4 T. butter

1 c. onions, sliced

1 c. zucchini, sliced

1 c. mushroom buttons

1/4 c. sesame seeds, roasted

1 pound chicken breast meat, boneless, cut in 1/2-inch cubes

1 pound strip sirloin steak, cut in 1/2-inch cubes (I left my strips longer and thin)

Salt and Pepper to taste

Dash soy sauce, I used 1 T.

Mustard Sauce (Recipe Below)

Directions:

In a large wok or skillet, melt butter and quickly saute vegetables until tender. Season with salt, pepper, and soy sauce. Add roasted sesame seeds and remove vegetables from wok. Set aside and keep warm.

Add cubed chicken to wok and quickly saute until tender. Season with same ingredients as vegetables. Remove and repeat with sirloin steak. When steak is cooked as desired, remove to a serving plate with vegetables and chicken arranged across plate.

Serve with mustard sauce.

Mustard Sauce

Ingredients:

2 1/2 T. sesame seeds

1 T. onion, coarsely cut

1/2 c. soy sauce

1 T. dry mustard

1 ounce vegetable oil

2/3 c. water

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Spread sesame seeds on a flat baking dish and bake until lightly toasted (about 10 minutes). Combine with remaining ingredients in a blender and blend until well mixed.

Behind the Scenes with Jason Earles from Hannah Montana

I think one of the biggest secrets of our time is that everybody watches Disney. Everybody. If you deny this, you're lying to yourself. You watch Disney. You're a Hannah Montana fan. That's why you'll love this behind the scenes feature with Jason Earles in the Elevator.

Leave comments here!

Behind the Scenes with Jason Earles from Hannah Montana

I think one of the biggest secrets of our time is that everybody watches Disney. Everybody. If you deny this, you're lying to yourself. You watch Disney. You're a Hannah Montana fan. That's why you'll love this behind the scenes feature with Jason Earles in the Elevator.

Leave comments here!

Praline Butter Cookies

These are delicious butter cookies. Easy, if you can find the Praline liqueur at the liquor store or the Praline extract at the grocery store! I had leftover egg yolks to use and I didn't know what to do with them - then I remembered these cookies because they take 2 egg yolks instead of whole eggs. Perfect! Then, I realized that I spoke to soon. I used up the last of my Praline Liqueur a while back. I buzzed to the local liquor store to pick up another bottle and the man behind the cash register counter went Praline what? Never heard of it. I love living in Port Orchard, the city on the water inlet, but there are drawbacks. So, on my way home from Seattle, after work, I stopped at the main liquor store. This liquor store carries everything! VERY overwhelming! Found what I was looking for and toodled home to bake my cookies. These cookies are suppose to be on the thin side and the pecan halves really makes the cookie stand out. BTW, praline extract, use only 2 t. - NO Tablespoons of extract. Only liqueur gets 2 Tablespoons. Otherwise, the cookie dough will not taste right. . .really =).
Praline Butter Cookies
1 c. butter (liking it already =D)
1 c. white sugar
2 egg yolks
1/2 t. vanilla extract
2 T. Praline liqueur or 2 teaspoons of praline extract (omit vanilla extract if using Praline extract)(chocolate liqueur works great to. . .)
2 c. all-purpose flour
1 t. baking powder
1/4 t. salt
1 c. pecan halves
Directions:
Cream butter; gradually add sugar, beating well at medium speed of an electric mixer. Add egg yolks, one at a time, beating after each addition. Stir in vanilla and praline liqueur or praline extract or chocolate liqueur.
Combine flour, baking powder, and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture, mixing well. Shape dough into 1 inch balls; place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
Press a pecan half into center of each cookie. Bake at 300 degrees F. for 20 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool on wire racks.

Chicken Cutlets Italienne

I took my daughter shopping after work because she has been extremely good lately and even though I worked a long day, I think a Mom just has to go that extra mile to show how much effort is appreciated by a child, in this case, my daughter. She is 16 and hardly ever asks for anything. She always worries about me being tired from work and school. I, of course, feel terrible that she feels she needs to worry so I wanted her to have a little fun on a weeknight and find something new that made her look forward to going to school tomorrow. It was really nice, except for the fact that I also found a few things like the perfect picture that is a country scene, black and white, of old farm fences behind aged and elegant maple trees in the middle of fall. One of those pictures where you do not even realize that you have stopped and are just mesmerized. So, we both came home feeling elated. She came home with another purse to add to her collection and a few other little things that were just little feel good items. The whole trip was so worth it.
Now, it is that ever wonderful feeling of knowing that it is now late and I still have dinner to make. Calling in for pizza sounds so good right now but no, I am going to be stronger willed. I already took chicken breasts out of the freezer this morning and I selected a quickie dinner to make. I bet I could have dinner done before pizza could be ordered and picked-up and that is exactly what happened. I got hubby to make rice in the rice cooker and I set to work on a simple but nutritious dinner. Chicken Cutlets Italienne. First, I needed to flatten 3/4 pounds of chicken breasts, which I did between 2 sheets of wax paper and a meat mallet, and then slice these breasts into 2. Easy and great for any leftover aggression =). Next was to simply chop up zucchini, Roma tomatoes, onion, and gather herbs, grated fresh lemon peel and juice along with putting together the flour to dip the cutlets into. Took me about 10 minutes total.

With all the ingredients pre-assembled, putting the dish together was a breeze.

I browned the cutlets in 2 Tablespoons of butter and 2 Tablespoons of Olive Oil. They just needed to cook until the cutlets were golden brown on both sides. This only took a couple minutes and that was for 2 batches. After the cutlets were golden brown, I set them in the oven to keep warm and put the sauce together.

The sauce thickens on the leftover flour in the skillet from the cutlets frying up. This took me about 3 minutes to get to the boiling point. The sauce boils for 1 minute and then it is done. The rice cooker was finished cooking the rice at the same time so all went well. . .relief =).

Chicken Cutlets Italienne (serves 4)

Ingredients:

3/4 pounds boneless chicken breast, flattened to 1/4" thickness

2 medium size zucchini

2 medium size plum tomatoes

1 medium onion

1/2 medium lemon

1/4 cup flour

1/2 t. salt

1 t. oregano

1 1/2 t. chicken flavor instant bouillon

1/2 cup water

3 T. Olive Oil, divided

3 T. butter, divided

1/2 t. dried basil leaves

Cooked Rice, enough for 4 servings

Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:

Slice each chicken cutlet crosswise in half. Cut zucchini into bite size chunks. Dice tomatoes and onion. From 1/2 lemon, grate peel and squeeze 2 teaspoons juice.

On waxed paper, mix flour, salt and oregano, use to coat chicken. In non-stick 12" skillet over medium heat in 2 Tablespoons of butter and 2 Tablespoons of Olive Oil, cook cutlets, half at a time, until browned on both sides.

Remove cutlets to warm plate as they brown, keep warm. In drippings add 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil and 1 Tablespoon butter, over medium heat. Cook onion until golden, add zucchini and cook, stirring occasionally. Cook until golden and tender crisp. Stir in tomatoes, lemon juice, lemon peel, chicken bouillon and 1/2 cup water. Over high heat, heat to boil. Boil 1 minute. Stir in basil. Salt and Pepper to taste.

Plate rice and place chicken cutlet on top and sauce over all.

Mickey's Gourmet Cookbook Review - Breakfast =)

This is the Poly Breakfast Pizza Souffle served at the Papeete Bay Verandah, which is at the Disney Polynesian Resort. The size of this is HUGE! The serving amount in the Disney Gourmet cookbook says that it serves 6 and I say that you could easy serve 8 to 10 with large portions. The casserole dish is about 4 inches deep and holds 3-quarts. There was just the three of us eating this, so you guessed it, I have pizza souffle leftovers coming out of my ears =).

First, I absolutely LOVED the idea of making my own tomato sauce, which is part of putting this souffle together. If this recipe is done in steps where, while you are simmering the tomato sauce, you can also be soaking the bread for the layers in milk. The whole recipe took about 45 minutes to assemble and an 1 and 15 minutes to bake.

This tomato sauce is very flavorful but I went grocery shopping at the last minute and the only tomatoes available were not overly ripe. I was thinking I should buy more then 6 (which is what the recipe calls for) but I didn't and kicked myself later. The tomato sauce recipe is suppose to give 2 1/2 cups and mine only yielded about 1 3/4 cups. This was a very noticeable error. The sauce is needed to cover the bread for each of the layers and I had to be skimpy, as shown below. I can not believe how much flavor difference there was in making my own homemade sauce along with the aroma. Delicious!

As you can see, I am being skimpy with the sauce. I am definitely going to make this again, only next time increase the tomatoes, even if they are really ripe. Freshly chopped oregano is liberally sprinkled over the sauce. Before I forget, I did not use the full 20 thin slices of bread. I was only able to fit in 17 slices and the bread was really fragile from soaking in the milk. Next time, I will use a firmer bread, maybe a french loaf, thinly sliced.

I always am going to Costco for fresh Mozzarella cheese and my Feta cheese, okay, Chev re (goat) cheese, smoke Gouda, aged cheddar; I have a thing for cheese =). This take 1 1/2 pounds of Mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced and BOY is this CHEESY when you first try to slice and serve. I had more fun trying to twirl the cheese strings from the dish to a plate without draping the cheese strings off the side of the table and have it dangling over Rocky's (Golden Retriever) nose. Long process (pun intended). Next time, I will cut the cheese down to maybe 1 pound.
I sprinkled the Parmesan cheese on top of the last layer instead of mixing with the eggs because I felt the souffle would get a more even layer of cheese this way. This is the whole souffle waiting for the beaten eggs to be slowly drizzled over the top. I would like to mention that the casserole dish is full and I had to have help lifting the sides of the bread to let the eggs soak into all layers of bread. This part does take patience since the bread has already been soaking in milk.
Wahlaa! The egg mixture is floating overall and ready to go into the oven. The pizza souffle tastes great but I think it would be even better if pepperoni or some kind of meat/veggie combo were added to give it that extra flavor. If you love oodles of mozzarella cheese, this is the breakfast souffle for you! I am going to make this again, only experiment more by adding other ingredients that I would love in a pizza. Overall, a great recipe that can be made to fit each person's taste. . .unless your allergic to cheese =).

Poly Breakfast Pizza Souffle from Mickey's Gourmet Cookbook

Ingredients:

20 thin slices bread

2 1/2 cups milk

1 1/2 pounds mozzarella cheese, sliced

2 1/2 cups tomato sauce (recipe follows)

1 T. oregano, fresh, finely chopped

6 eggs

4 to 5 T. Parmesan cheese, grated

3 T. butter, cut in small pieces

Directions:

Soak bread slices in milk for 15 minutes, then drain off any excess liquid. Line bottom of a buttered 2 1/2- to 3-quart casserole dish with bread slices. Top slices with a layer of tomato sauce, sprinkle with a bit of oregano and add a layer of cheese. Continue making layers, finishing by covering last layer of bread with just tomato sauce and oregano. Casserole should be nearly full.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Beat eggs with Parmesan cheese and pour over casserole. Pierce through layers in three or four places with a fork until mixture is completely absorbed by bread. Dot top of casserole with butter and bake for about 1 hour, or until top is browned and puffed.

Tomato Sauce Recipe:

Ingredients:

6 medium tomatoes, ripe, chopped (about 3 cups)

3/4 cup onion, chopped

1 T. olive oil

1 clove garlic

1 T. parsley, chopped

1 t. dried basil

1 t. marjoram

1 t. thyme

1 T. sugar

Salt

Pepper

Directions:

In a large saute pan, saute onions in olive oil until tender but not brown. Add all other ingredients and simmer for 30 minutes, or until tomatoes have been reduced to pulp. Press mixture through a sieve with a wooden spoon and reduce sauce further if necessary. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Bloopers - Elevator - Intern Shawn Pyfrom Is Not a Puppy

Who doesn't love some good bloopers?

Shawn Pyfrom from Desperate Housewives can't keep a straight face. Thanks for these, Woody!



Leave comments here!!!!!!!!!!!

Bloopers - Elevator - Intern Shawn Pyfrom Is Not a Puppy

Who doesn't love some good bloopers?

Shawn Pyfrom from Desperate Housewives can't keep a straight face. Thanks for these, Woody!



Leave comments here!!!!!!!!!!!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Explosion

I am filing recipes that I have had printed out again. A depressing job because I have several thousand recipes printed over the last 4 years from different places, or they have been given to me by friends and family. I make myself file them into different categories so that I don't end up carrying around 50 recipes at a time thinking that I am going to make all of them in a week's time. You may think I am kidding but I only have recipes printed out that I have already drooled over and they are not just desserts. I like to have a well rounded supply of recipes. The problem with filing is that I am always afraid that once I slip that sheet of paper - with the next best meal I have ever made - into a folder, I may not get around to pulling it back out because of all the other recipes. Then there are the 600 cookbooks. Then the cooking magazines that I have sticky notes attached to pages of must-try recipes (about 500). It just never ends right? I don't think they have a help group for recipe addiction or cooking/baking addiction do they? My hubby would be sending me, I just know it. Any ways, I had this recipe for chocolate peanut butter explosion and I just couldn't file it so I went upstairs and made it right then. How could you go wrong with over a pound of peanut butter and 2 BOXES (8 ounces each) of cream cheese along with hot fudge for topping? Need I say more? Okay, the cake is a cheater but I can live with this one because it is simply delicious! The problem?? This recipe makes a LARGE trifle dish of dessert. Enough to share with everyone and still have plenty for you! =D

1 Devils Food Cake Mix
2 (8 oz) pkgs cream cheese, softened
2 cans sweetened condensed milk
2 pkgs whipped topping mix (Dream Whip)
1 (18 oz) jar peanut butter
2 Tablespoons vanilla
1/2 cup milk
Cool Whip
Hot Fudge Topping

quartered peanut butter cups

Directions:

Make/bake cake as directed in two 9" round pans. While baking, mix cream cheese, condensed milk, whipped topping mix, peanut butter, vanilla and milk. Cool cake and crumble.
Assemble in trifle bowl:
crumbled cake layer
peanut butter layer
Cool Whip layer
repeat until all ingredients are used
Top with Hot Fudge Topping
*If you'd like, sprinkle with peanut butter chips or crushed peanut
butter cups.

Behind the Scenes with Melora Hardin!

You've watched her all week here at Runaway Box, and loved her. At least we did. In fact, we loved her so much we named this week "Melora Hardin Week". Still waiting for a "Paul Gulyas Week", but then again I don't play Jan on "The Office".... I play Paul on "Elevator". And my performance is SPOT ON.

Anyway, here's some footage from behind the scenes of the episode "The Office Song". Enjoy!

Leave comments for Heaven Points, and subscribe to youtube.com/elevatorshow to see all Melora's episodes!

Behind the Scenes with Melora Hardin!

You've watched her all week here at Runaway Box, and loved her. At least we did. In fact, we loved her so much we named this week "Melora Hardin Week". Still waiting for a "Paul Gulyas Week", but then again I don't play Jan on "The Office".... I play Paul on "Elevator". And my performance is SPOT ON.

Anyway, here's some footage from behind the scenes of the episode "The Office Song". Enjoy!

Leave comments for Heaven Points, and subscribe to youtube.com/elevatorshow to see all Melora's episodes!

Behind the Scenes of "Marty's Love Song"

If you recall, Marty recently asked viewers to help him write a love song for his Valentine, Renee. And millions of Marty fans the world over answered, sending suggestions for what Marty could say to woo the sweet Renee. Here are some behind the scenes shots from that head-over-heels romantic music video...

Renee is played by Genevieve Jones, or Intern Jane from "Elevator". Here she takes a GINORMOUS bite of a sandwich. This shot actually looks like a panel from a Dilbert comic strip come to life.

Recognize the purple bear? Woody went on to use it in a vlog of his. You can often spot various props being used in multiple videos on Runaway Box. See if you can pick out more (and no, those are NOT the same roses used by Spanish Mike)

This is Brian Mendoza behind the camera. He lights and shoots a lot of our stuff. And he's damn good at it.

And this pic looks like it was taken out of a Sears catalog, of which I just realized Marty would blend right into. I think he'd be in the Duvet covers section.

Brian shoots but the directing is usually a joint effort between Andrew and Brian. Here, Andrew oversees the shot.

This is one of our kitchens here at Runaway Box. They look nice but nobody actually eats in them since we're all addicted to the internet and need a computer in front of us at all times. That's why it's so clean.

Genevieve had to pretend Marty's face was on the heart-shaped card and singing to her in this shot. In reality, a green screen effect was used... No, Andrew can not magically project his face on things, believe it or not.

Andrew records the audio of the song first, then plays it while they are filming so he can lip-sync to it perfectly. Later, in editing, he matches the shots to the music.

There you have it... Leave comments! Maybe Marty will put it in a new song... No promises though. Thanks to Matt for the pics!

OH! And by the way, I definitely just attempted to "Rick Roll" Runaway Box fans in my previous blog. I apologize for anybody I "Rick Rolled".

Behind the Scenes of "Marty's Love Song"

If you recall, Marty recently asked viewers to help him write a love song for his Valentine, Renee. And millions of Marty fans the world over answered, sending suggestions for what Marty could say to woo the sweet Renee. Here are some behind the scenes shots from that head-over-heels romantic music video...

Renee is played by Genevieve Jones, or Intern Jane from "Elevator". Here she takes a GINORMOUS bite of a sandwich. This shot actually looks like a panel from a Dilbert comic strip come to life.

Recognize the purple bear? Woody went on to use it in a vlog of his. You can often spot various props being used in multiple videos on Runaway Box. See if you can pick out more (and no, those are NOT the same roses used by Spanish Mike)

This is Brian Mendoza behind the camera. He lights and shoots a lot of our stuff. And he's damn good at it.

And this pic looks like it was taken out of a Sears catalog, of which I just realized Marty would blend right into. I think he'd be in the Duvet covers section.

Brian shoots but the directing is usually a joint effort between Andrew and Brian. Here, Andrew oversees the shot.

This is one of our kitchens here at Runaway Box. They look nice but nobody actually eats in them since we're all addicted to the internet and need a computer in front of us at all times. That's why it's so clean.

Genevieve had to pretend Marty's face was on the heart-shaped card and singing to her in this shot. In reality, a green screen effect was used... No, Andrew can not magically project his face on things, believe it or not.

Andrew records the audio of the song first, then plays it while they are filming so he can lip-sync to it perfectly. Later, in editing, he matches the shots to the music.

There you have it... Leave comments! Maybe Marty will put it in a new song... No promises though. Thanks to Matt for the pics!

OH! And by the way, I definitely just attempted to "Rick Roll" Runaway Box fans in my previous blog. I apologize for anybody I "Rick Rolled".

Banana Rum Cake with Rum Soaked Cherries

A little background is needed for this cake. I am working on the addition for the Harborview Hospital in Seattle, WA. The addition that is being built on is 3 times the size of the existing hospital. This construction project is huge so I get to meet a lot of interesting people on the job. One such person just tickles me every time I go to work. He is what we call an elevator operator. The building that I am working in, as a commercial electrician, is 9 floors high with a basement floor that is seperated by 3 feet of cement so that if there is ever an earthquake, any critical operations being done will not be interrupted by any acts of nature. The construction workers get 2 working elevators to use to get to the different floors, unless you are like me and usually just climb all 9 floors to get to where I am working (grin, uhmm, that would be the 9th floor), but for some reason, insurance and liability for a construction site states that we cannot push our own elevator button and get to the floor of choice. A construction worker elevator operator has to be hired to do this very job. Yep, he sits in the elevator and pushes the buttons that takes us to the different floors. . .all day long, which right now can be 10 to 12 hours in a little elevator that has plywood for walls (we're construction workers, we are not allowed to have something that can get knicked or scratched while hauling materials from floor-to-floor). We actually have 2 different elevator operators but this particular older operator, Roy, just so happens to have a wife that LOVES to bake and Roy enjoys being the middle man to relay recipes back-and-forth between us. I have this slight habit of baking goodies and taking enough to share with a few people, which included Roy, and this is how the whole thing got started. As soon as I get to work and see Roy in the morning, we are talking food, recipes, and ingredients all the way up to the 9th floor and there are usually about 30 of us squished into this elevator at 6 in the morning. It is very comical to see the faces of everyone else looking bewildered while Roy and I are deep in conversation about whatever the latest baking endeavor was or will soon be and what new recipe is being swapped. This time it was my Rum cake. I have been experimenting with flavors. Roy's wife, Dee, soaks cherries in rum for 1/2 of a day and also drizzles 1 Tablespoon of Rum every morning and every night for 2 days on top of the regular glaze that gets soaked into the cake. I decided to try this cake with a banana pudding mix and I have to tell you, it is absolutely delicious! Also, the rum soaked cherries is a really pretty touch, potent, but pretty. When I say potent, I actually mean that instead of soaking the cherries in 1/2 cup of Rum for the 1/2 day, I thought. . .why not soak them for 24 hours. Bad idea! Way to strong. The cherries looked really pretty but they tasted like straight rum and nothing else. No cherry flavor what so ever! Lesson learned. The cake is very moist and gets better over time, like 2 days =).1 c. chopped, toasted pecans or walnuts, whichever you prefer
1 18 1/2-ounce yellow cake mix
1 1 3/4-ounce (4-serving) instant banana pudding mix
4 eggs
1/2 c. cold milk
1/2 c. vegetable oil
1/2 c. Bacardi dark rum. . .I believe I used Appleyard (sp?) Jamaican Rum this last time
Glaze:
1/2 c. butter (1 cube)
1/4 c. water
1 c. sugar
1/2 c. dark rum

10 or more cherries soaked in Rum for about 4 hours

Directions:

Cake:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease and flour 12-cup Bundt pan. Sprinkle nuts on bottom of pan. Combine all cake ingredients. Beat for 2 minutes on high with electric mixer. Pour into prepared pan. Bake for 1 hour. Cool in pan. Invert on serving plate. Prick top with fork. Drizzle glaze over the top of the cake. Use pastry brush or spoon to put extra dripping back on cake.
Glaze: Melt butter in saucepan. Stir in water and sugar. Boil 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in rum.
**Note: The rum will cause steam. Be careful not to burn yourself.

Also, drizzle a Tablespoon of Rum every morning and night for 2 days and make sure to cover the cake with foil so as to keep all moisture in. I know, it is hard to wait that long before tasting this but it is so worth the effort if you can do it.

Happy Belated Valentine's Day!

It's the day after Valentine's Day. And I bet you think all the sweet romancing is over....

Well, IT'S NOT!

If you want to keep living the love of Valentine's Day, (or even if you never started, like me), just click here! You'll thank me later.

And keep checking the blog for more updates on behind the scenes action here at Runaway Box!

Happy Belated Valentine's Day!

It's the day after Valentine's Day. And I bet you think all the sweet romancing is over....

Well, IT'S NOT!

If you want to keep living the love of Valentine's Day, (or even if you never started, like me), just click here! You'll thank me later.

And keep checking the blog for more updates on behind the scenes action here at Runaway Box!

Woody Live Chat - Wednesday 8PM EST and Live Chat Info in General

Here's the quick and dirty blog entry.

WOODY TONDORF LIVE CHAT! WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 13TH, 8PM EST, JUST GO TO RUNAWAYBOX.COM AND CLICK THE LINK!

ANDREW ZILCH LIVE CHAT! WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 20TH, 8PM EST, JUST GO TO RUNAWAYBOX.COM AND CLICK THE LINK!

MIKE POLK LIVE CHAT! WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 27TH, 8PM EST, JUST GO TO RUNAWAYBOX.COM AND CLICK THE LINK!

Here's the rest of it.

Did you see an emerging pattern above? Look closely.

From now on, at least three weeks out of the month, on Wednesdays, at 8PM EST, there will be somebody to chat with you live. It will probably be Woody, Andrew, or Mike, but if not.... who knows? Harold? Terry? Me? Spider Spud? Basically, if we have to pull a homeless man off the street, there will be somebody there. So come chat with Boxcar Jim, I'm sure he's got plenty to say.

But seriously, tune in Wednesday night and chat with Woody! It'll be a great time, I promise. If it's not you can... give me purple nurples until I bleed. That's what I'm willing to put on the line. I'm not even scared.

Woody Live Chat - Wednesday 8PM EST and Live Chat Info in General

Here's the quick and dirty blog entry.

WOODY TONDORF LIVE CHAT! WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 13TH, 8PM EST, JUST GO TO RUNAWAYBOX.COM AND CLICK THE LINK!

ANDREW ZILCH LIVE CHAT! WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 20TH, 8PM EST, JUST GO TO RUNAWAYBOX.COM AND CLICK THE LINK!

MIKE POLK LIVE CHAT! WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 27TH, 8PM EST, JUST GO TO RUNAWAYBOX.COM AND CLICK THE LINK!

Here's the rest of it.

Did you see an emerging pattern above? Look closely.

From now on, at least three weeks out of the month, on Wednesdays, at 8PM EST, there will be somebody to chat with you live. It will probably be Woody, Andrew, or Mike, but if not.... who knows? Harold? Terry? Me? Spider Spud? Basically, if we have to pull a homeless man off the street, there will be somebody there. So come chat with Boxcar Jim, I'm sure he's got plenty to say.

But seriously, tune in Wednesday night and chat with Woody! It'll be a great time, I promise. If it's not you can... give me purple nurples until I bleed. That's what I'm willing to put on the line. I'm not even scared.

Snicker Filled Peanut Butter Cookies

I am slightly bummed out because I sooo wanted to enter my special doughnut recipe for the doughnut theme that Tartlette and Peabody's Blogging Event is all about this month! I have to work long hours right now and commute with 3 hours left for home life each night. It won't last forever but there just is no time for longer cooking sessions - so, I made cookies. Not just any cookies but my hubby's favorite, Snicker Filled Peanut Butter Cookies. These cookies are a snap to make and the little hidden snickers in the middle are perfect!

I just love chopped peanuts anyways and I bet a person could experiment and try different little candys in the middle. Even those addictive Lindt Chocolates =D.

Snicker Filled Peanut Butter Cookies

1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 egg
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
20 fun-sized Snicker candy bars **

Directions:

Mix all together except candy bars. Shape dough around each candy piece
Place 4 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees F for 9 - 10 minutes
Cool for 10 minutes.
** Note: I cut the fun sized Snicker bars into thirds....or you could use the bite-size Snickers.

Behind the Scenes: Runaway Joke of the Day

Here are some photos taken during the shooting of a bunch of Runaway Jokes of the Day.

Here's how a typical shoot goes. We fill our fishbowl with dozens of awful jokes. Just really, awful, bad jokes. The worse the better. The more you feel like an ass when you've told the punchline, the more successful the joke is in our eyes. We'll gather some completely random props beforehand to kind of throw at people (not literally, although, sometimes, literally) to use at the end of the awful bad not funny joke. And we hope this somehow makes it funny.

Then we invite random people to come, tell a joke, and eat some cookies.

We set up the camera to shoot down the same long hallway every day. I stand in that office with the fishbowl waiting to pop out and hand the person a joke.

Normally we don't pick the joke before it is shot, but this was an exception because she was French. Also, FACT: I was actually not ill when this picture was taken, I just typically do not look healthy.

Scott Chan takes his Joke of the Days very seriously.

Woody raises his arms in triumph after telling a horrible joke.

And Brian and I carry him away from the camera.

Some typical props for a Joke of the Day shoot. My favorite is the horse thing. Do little kids actually use those anymore? I think they are solely produced as jokes.

Danila waits off camera to toss a baby at somebody telling a Dead Baby joke. Look at the deep concentration on her face. The Joke of the Day is not all fun and games; it's precision and timing of throwing silly objects at people.

When we can't find actual people to tell our stupid jokes, we'll just get an inanimate object to do it. More cookies for us.

The Baby and The Sword; pretty much our Runaway Joke of the Day emblem. Our motto: Live by the Baby, Die by the Sword. Or is it the other way around? Either way, it makes no sense.

There you have it! Leave comments and don't forget to check out our Runaway Joke of the Day, every day on runawaybox.com!

Behind the Scenes: Runaway Joke of the Day

Here are some photos taken during the shooting of a bunch of Runaway Jokes of the Day.

Here's how a typical shoot goes. We fill our fishbowl with dozens of awful jokes. Just really, awful, bad jokes. The worse the better. The more you feel like an ass when you've told the punchline, the more successful the joke is in our eyes. We'll gather some completely random props beforehand to kind of throw at people (not literally, although, sometimes, literally) to use at the end of the awful bad not funny joke. And we hope this somehow makes it funny.

Then we invite random people to come, tell a joke, and eat some cookies.

We set up the camera to shoot down the same long hallway every day. I stand in that office with the fishbowl waiting to pop out and hand the person a joke.

Normally we don't pick the joke before it is shot, but this was an exception because she was French. Also, FACT: I was actually not ill when this picture was taken, I just typically do not look healthy.

Scott Chan takes his Joke of the Days very seriously.

Woody raises his arms in triumph after telling a horrible joke.

And Brian and I carry him away from the camera.

Some typical props for a Joke of the Day shoot. My favorite is the horse thing. Do little kids actually use those anymore? I think they are solely produced as jokes.

Danila waits off camera to toss a baby at somebody telling a Dead Baby joke. Look at the deep concentration on her face. The Joke of the Day is not all fun and games; it's precision and timing of throwing silly objects at people.

When we can't find actual people to tell our stupid jokes, we'll just get an inanimate object to do it. More cookies for us.

The Baby and The Sword; pretty much our Runaway Joke of the Day emblem. Our motto: Live by the Baby, Die by the Sword. Or is it the other way around? Either way, it makes no sense.

There you have it! Leave comments and don't forget to check out our Runaway Joke of the Day, every day on runawaybox.com!