Is the kitchen closed again---you loafin?? DREAM ON! Cake and Steak.

Have you ever tried to type with a 6 month old suckin on ya?? It can be done and I'm here to prove it!

The kitchen is not closed. In fact it is birthday cake time which presents challenges and lots of fun. Give this one a try--way to cool and looks exactly like the title implies.

Hornets Nest Cake
1 yellow cake mix
2 cups whole milk
1 cup chopped pecans
1 bag of butterscotch chips
1 small box vanilla instant pudding

Make pudding per package directions-2 cups milk/wire wisk/you get it. Fold in cake mix. Mix will still have small lumps. Spread into greased 9X13 pan. Sprinkle cake with butterscotch chips then pecans--order important here. Bake for 35-40 minutes at 350 degrees. DON'T OVERBAKE. This was way to cool. It looked exactly like a hornets nest. My daughter loves bugs and being outside so I thought this might be fun. Oh and it tasted delicious. Delicious I say-we all thought so--and did you notice how easy? No mixer involved. I am not a huge butterscotch fan so I did not use a whole bag of chips, nor did I use an entire cup of pecans bc I'm tight. I used about 3/4 bag of chips and 1/2 cup nuts and had GREAT results. The pecans end up looking like hornets.

Bring Me Some More Steak
2 lbs. thick sirloin
large storage bag
black pepper
Italian dressing-I used Robust Italian
garlic powder

Put large steak or singles in storage back. Pour in desired amount of dressing for marinade-You don't have to use a ton--just so meat is well covered. Add an obsurd amount of black pepper---I said obsurd. I did not use fresh ground here. Add 2-3 tsp. garlic powder. Squish it all around REAL well. Make sure meat is covered. It would probably work best to make mixture and then add steak--so much for afterthoughts. Let meat marinate for 6-12 hours. Remove from fridge about 1 hour before you plan to cook it. This is important. Place about 1 T. olive oil in non stick skillet. Bring to medium--high--high heat. Add steak. Sear 1 minute on each side. Reduce heat to medium and cook for 3-4 minutes per side depending on how you like your steak cooked. This was delicious. We loved it. So tender and full of flavor. I like sirloin b/c it is so lean. Oh and that obsurd amount of pepper---don't be afraid. The meat is far from spicy or hot--its not at all---just delicious.