Fully Loaded Cornbread Muffins

These are quite common, but delicious nonetheless, so here we go!!

First step, brown your beef and season it.  Just for shits-n-giggles I used a fajita seasoning instead of a taco seasoning.  Be sure to not get distracted, or you will end up with a few overly-brown pieces like the one that's flipped over and waving at the world above.  Once it is done, take it off the heat and let it cool.

I couldn't make up my mind what cornbread to use, so I used one white and one yellow and mixed them, which turned out to be a good idea.

Next, you'll need one cup of corn (I used frozen), about 2/3 cup of shredded cheese of your choice, half a poblano pepper and half an onion.  Dice up the onion and the pepper, removing the membrane.

Add all the ingredients except the cheese to your meat mixture.  You can caramelize the onions and peppers before cooking the meat if you prefer, but if you don't, it leaves a bit of fresh flavor and crunch to the final product and I like that.

Next, mix up your corn bread mixes according to the directions.

Close-up shot of this little guy because I think he is SO CUTE.  Its a Mini Bakey silicone spatula.  I got a set of two of them off amazon for about 2 bucks and it is some of the best money we've spent as they are always in constant use and they are small enough to scrap peanut butter jars and such clean.  Functional AND cute?  Yes, please!

Anyway, add the skillet mixture and cheese to the corn bread batter, mix it all up, then plunk it in muffin pans.  I used cupcake liners so they wouldn't be a pain to get out.

Bake according to the directions on the corn bread packages.

And NOM THEM ALL!  This made about 2 dozen.  They are freezer friendly and reheat amazingly well - the Wookie took them to work.  He also claims they are great cold, too, but I preferred mine heated or at room temperature.

Enjoy!

<3 WW

Random Photo Post - Zoo Edition

I know I said all further "random" posts will be plunked in the Wookie/Romulan Craft Crossover, but since this wing of the blog will be on temporary hiatus, I decided to put these here just for shits-n-giggles for those of you who prefer to only follow the recipes so ya don't feel unloved, left out, or bored!

A few weeks back, we went to the zoo.  Again.  We're such massive dorks that we usually go several times a year and are considering just buying season passes next year because we enjoy it so much that if we get passes it would be a nice thing to have for those "oh shit, we're bored but broke" days.

Mostly we go on Mondays because it is usually completely dead, so you can take your time at each exhibit watching the animals, but on this particular time (and the first time I ever remembered to bring my camera and batteries, of course), there was some sort of field trip going on so there were absolute swarms of kiddos running around, therefore there aren't too many pictures and the ones I have aren't that great, but I promise to get many more and much better ones if I can next time we go!

This is a water feature thing that I always just love every time we visit.  It reminds me of that movie Congo.

Komodo dragon!  He wasn't very cooperative, so part of the words etched on the glass had to be in the shot.  He should really work on that whole "consideration" thing a bit more.

Like this little guy!  He knows what's going on.  As soon as I got my camera out, he hopped up on the little tower thing and started posing like it was his only chance to get on the cover of Vogue and he was NOT going to fuck it up.  These little guys make my full-on Elmira from Tiny Toons "ZOMG NEED TO CUDDLE IT NAO" nerve go ape shit.

Flamingos!  They weren't as pink as some I've seen, just a pastel pink instead of the vivid pink you see on some, but I've heard that is all related to their diet.  Zoo, feed the flamingos the things that make them turn pink please!  kthx

Giraffe...He wanted that tree with a zeal I usually reserve for cheesecake.  We stood there for about 5 minutes while he just kept straining and straining and sticking his tongue out to reach the leaves.

Another one that knows how to pose, and quite majestically.

I thought this little guy was cute.

I don't remember what these are, but I liked the color on the blue one.

Albino skunk!!!  I'd never seen one of these and don't remember him being there before, though he could have been in one of their little hiding places in the exhibit.  He's so cute, though, and had the prettiest pink eyes.

A blurry shot of bats.  The nocturnal room was particularly packed with kids and they were all squeaking and the echo in there is horrendous and after a few seconds it sounds like the shrieks are in your head, so I snapped a few quick shots and got out asap, but hopefully I will get better pics next time as the bats are my favorite.  I also love the reptile room, but due to the crowd, we skipped that all together.

Glad I had my camera this day as this is the closest this one's ever been to the fence.  He was sleeping so peacefully and I just wanted to curl up and cuddle him...bad idea, I know, but he just looks so lovable.

Mr. Bear.  He always looks forlorn.  This is the happiest I've ever seen him.

A cougar.  I've always thought these are so beautiful.  Growing up, we had some family friends who raised them and I got to feed the babies once and good GOD they are cute.  Funny story:  The zoo has, for several years now, been having a problem with buzzards.  They seem to have just moved in, presumably for all the free grub.  They cover every exhibit, except there wasn't a single one in this one.  Only a pile of feathers.  I can hear how that went now:

Mr. Buzzard: "Imma eat your food, kthx."
Mr. Cougar:  "Gettin' real tired of your shit, man."
Mr. Buzzard:  "Trolololol."
Mr. Cougar:  *nom*

Gator.  I'm pretty well obsessed with them.  I think they are gorgeous, I've always wanted to hold a baby one.  Also, they make beautiful bags and shoes, and taste scrumptious.

That's all for this round of zoo pictures, but as I said, I will be sure to get more next time we go!

So, how about you?  Are you a huge, over-grown dork that still loves the zoo?

I hope everyone has a great week!  :)

<3
WW

News Time!

Sadly, the cooking blog will be on a break for several weeks, so if you like the crafts and beauty reviews, be sure to follow those as they will be being updated as usual.  There's about to be a jaw surgery in the household and doing a lot of cooking would be just cruel, and though I'm a bitch, I'm not THAT much of a bitch.  However, I will be making lots and lots of malts, I'm sure, and I use my dad's recipe, which is splendid, so I'll try to post it.

The good news is, after that stint's over, I plan to begin to delve into my great-grandmother's recipes I have laying around here as well as a collection of recipes that belong to an old family friend who is an amazing cook, so there will be a lull in recipes, but after that it should be back to the at-least-once-a-week schedule!

<3

WW

Undiscovered Country

So I figured it was time to shake things up a bit.  I know there are a lot of people who read ONLY for recipes, crafts, or reviews, so here's how things will be from now on:

How to Feed a Wookie will be cooking and recipes only.

Wookie Wifey's Romulan Vanity will be all about makeup, skin care products, beauty reviews, hair, jewelry, etc.

The Wookie/Romulan Craft Crossover will be crafts, photo posts, DIYs, organizing, and just whatever other random shit I decide to go on about that day.  All nerd types welcome.

I'll provide links to the other blogs on each blog on the top right-hand side for easy navigation, but in the meantime there may be a bit of a lag in posting and things may mysteriously move around on here and the new blogs for a few days.

Also, you may note, the conspicuous Star Trek theme to the new "wings", if you will, of the little budding blog manor here.  As is mentioned in my 'about me' thing, although the Wookie is a Star Wars fan, I am actually a Trekkie, yet somehow we live reasonably harmoniously despite our obvious nerd differences.  This blog is about picky-man-friendly food and therefore earned his name in the title, but even though I am a Wookie's wife, I've always leaned more towards Romulan, myself.  They tend to be emotional and passionate and that is probably a big reason why I've always identified with them!

Since I am very lazy, I will just add a link directory for all the past posts on the new blogs and post new things where they belong from here on out.  I was going to draw new chibis for the two new sites, but I'll just end up using the ones I have.  I didn't draw them and there's a reason for that.  Mine didn't come out so well....  Don't forget to follow the ones you want to stay caught up on and fix any bookmarks and I hope you all enjoy the new stuff!

<3
(the Romulan) Wookie Wifey

Review - Estee Lauder Brushes

*This was a gift from a friend, but opinions are 100% honest and my own.

Yet another review from the Big Box o' Awesome, this Estee Lauder brush set.

They are clear with a black pattern and gold colored accents.  I'm not sure what they are made of, but as clear as they are and as durable as they seem, I'd guess maybe acrylic.

The brow brush is...well...a brow brush.  I needed one and this works great, but I don't judge brushes based on those as I've yet to see anyone be able to fuck one up.  :)  None of these had numbers or anything on them, so it is anyone's guess as to how to find them!  >.<

These are the other two brushes and they are wonderful.  That smaller one has become a go-to for me.  It makes detailed eye shadow application so much better.  My MAC set came with some nice eye shadow brushes, but they were all closer to the larger brush's size, so that tiny beauty was a welcomed addition to my collection.

All in all, I'd say these brushes are good quality.  They are soft and hold their shape, and I've cleaned them several times since I've had them and have had no shedding and they apply like a dream, even with cheaper shadows.  I'm enjoying them and I hope they hold up for years to come, so if you see a set I'd recommend snapping them up.

<3
WW

Birthmarks

This is just a quick, random post of something I read about this morning that I found humorous.

I read that your birthmarks are where you were killed in past lives.

I only have one.

It is a small, light, almost triangular-shaped spot on my right knee, so I guess in a past life I was an adventurer until I took an arrow to the knee!  -.-

<3
WookieWifey

Tuna Boats

This is a fun, light, crisp, easy recipe that is just perfect for summer.  The success of this depends on how fresh and nice your cucumbers are, though.  While this was good, the cucumbers I'd bought were a tad on the bitter/tart side, so I'd imagine with a sweeter one this would be ten times better.  I got the idea for this recipe off of Pinterest, but as so often happens, it didn't link back to a source.

This starts out with the tuna recipe I use faithfully - my grandmother's recipe.  I've had a lot of tuna made by a lot of different people, but nowhere else have I ever seen anyone put apples into it and that is a shame because it is just stellar.

Starting off, you'll need 3 cans of tuna in water or oil, your choice.  Drain it well and put it in a large mixing bowl or container.  I knew there'd be leftovers so I mixed it straight into a Tupperware bowl with a lid to save on dishes.

You'll also need 1/2 of an apple - red is best, but green works in a pinch - and half an onion of any color.  The cucumbers are for the little boats.  I made 4 boats and had plenty of tuna left over and could have made about 4-6 more.  My eyes were bigger than my stomach, I couldn't even finish one boat, but the Wookie came to the rescue and ate all the rest!

Other stuff you'll need includes mayonnaise (not Miracle Whip), spicy or brown mustard, salt, pepper, dill pickles or dill relish, and garlic powder, the last two of which seem to have been camera shy on this day.  -.-

Hard boil 3 eggs or one egg per can of tuna and let them cool completely.

Finely dice up the 1/2 onion and 1/2 apple and add them to the tuna along with 1tbsp of the mustard, 1 tsp garlic, salt and pepper to taste, and 2 tbsp of dill relish or finely chopped pickle.  The mayonnaise is up to you.  Some people like their tuna drier than others.  I add mayonnaise until it is to the consistency I like it at, then squeeze in a little more since I'll be adding the eggs in later.

Peel your cucumbers and remove the seeds so they are hollow.  I like to use a melon baller, it gets all the seeds out with one fell swoop.

Next, once they are completely cool, dice the eggs up and fold them into the tuna mixture.  I like to do this after everything else is all stirred up so that some of the chunks of boiled yolks stay intact.  If you mix them in as you mix everything else, they tend to break up and just sort of become one with everything.

Once your eggs are in, pop the whole thing into the fridge, covered, until it is nice and cold, then spoon the mixture into the cucumbers and sprinkle with some parsley.

That's all there is to it!

A close-up shot of the goodness.

Do you have a special tuna salad recipe that's been handed down?

<3
WW