If you can't stand the heat...

Over the past year, I have become more into cooking & recipes. I know this, at times, annoys my step mom Andrea because she is my first go to if I have questions regarding ingredients, prep or cooking. I typically call her from one of the million aisles at Meijer; "Where do I find the heavy whipping cream?" "What is processed cheese food?" or "Can you go to All Recipes and tell me what it says for....". The truth is my blackberry clearly has Internet capabilities, but Andrea is an awesome cook and I value her opinions, tips and ideas.

So yesterday was a typically grocery shopping experience. I was frantically searching for vinegar (I really thought it was in the baking aisle) and couldn't find it anywhere. (In these situations I am usually just over looking the product in a frustrated haze). As I was reaching for my BB to call Andrea, I was stopped in my tracks with uncontrollable laughter.........

When I was 22 years old, I had just graduated from Western Michigan and moved home to start my job at The Parade Company. My parents were not yet retired and would leave each weekend for their now home in Rose City. It was a few weeks before our VIP Rooftop Party featuring the Target Fireworks and I had been working 6 days a week in preparation. I woke up one Saturday morning, probably slightly hungover, and starving before heading into work... I found some Eggo's in the freezer (at this time in my life I was still living off my parents grocery shopping, which I am forever grateful for) and tossed them into the toaster... as I gathered everything for my waffles... I began searching the refrigerator for butter.... WHAT?! How could this be, we were out of butter?!! After moving every item, I finally found a clear tub with a stick of butter in it... HOORAY!!! My waffles came out perfect... just slightly bronzed (or burnt as others complain) and I saturated each square with butter & syrup!! YUM!!

Sunday night my parents returned home... I was watching TV while they were unpacking and stocking the refrigerator. I announced to them, that I hoped they bought butter as we were just about out and I had to use a stick (we typically only use tub butter) for my Eggo's... 

Andrea looked puzzled... "You used what for your Eggo's?"

"I used this" as I was now standing in the kitchen holding up my stick of butter in the clear plastic tub!!

"Tell me you didn't CarolAnn, you didn't really use this on your Eggo's did you?" Andrea asked with a shocked look on her face.

"I did, there's not much left because I put some in every square...." I trailed off as her eyes got bigger than I had ever seen.

"CarolAnn... this is NOT butter... this is CRISCO!! You used a stick of Crisco on your Eggo's!!!" She gasped. 

"WHAT?!!!!! The horror!!!"

I honestly didn't know that Crisco came in a stick form, I had only ever seen it in a large can!!! 

Looking back, I probably should be embarrassed that a fresh college graduated didn't know the difference between a stick of Crisco & a stick of butter. One is white the other is yellow. One is wrapped in shiny foil, the other in clear paper. Not too mention I am sure if I would of looked closer, it has a label!! 

So as I was searching for the vinegar to use for a new recipe... this is what caught my eye... and left me with the giggles :)

I hope it's not annoyance Andrea feels when she receives one of my pestering phone calls from Meijer "Where is the vinegar in this joint?!!", instead I hope she is a little bit prouder. I have come a long way from the days of Crisco-ing up my Eggo's :) I may not be a top chef yet, but I am learning and making great stories along the way. 

xoxox