2 Recipes for the Big Game

OK. I admit that I could really care less about the Super Bowl. I really do like to watch some sports (ie Carolina Basketball or college football), but I am really not into the NFL. But, I like the commercials. And, I like any reason to get together with friends and eat yummy appetizers and finger foods.

Here's a recipe that my friend Norma shared. It's a HUGE hit with our old youth group kids. I love it and I don't even like buffalo wings!

Buffalo Chicken Dip
1 (8oz) softened cream cheese
1/3 to 1/2 bottle of hot sauce (I use about 1/3 of Ken's buffalo sauce)
2 (12.5 oz) cans of chicken, drained
Ranch or Blue Cheese dressing
Cheddar Cheese

Spread cream cheese on the bottom of a pie pan. Mix together chicken and hot sauce and spread over cream cheese. Pour on just enough dressing to cover the top of the chicken mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes. Take out and stir together. Top with cheddar cheese and bake about 5 minutes, or until the cheese is melted. Serve with favorite cracker.



If you are looking for another great dip, try Mommy Cook's Baked Corn Dip. Mike and I are in love with this dip and have made it a bunch lately. It was a big hit at some of our Christmas parties.

Be afraid... Be very afraid.

I don't know whether to laugh or cry. I just heard that New Kids on the Block are back. Or NKOTB - or whatever they will be called because certainly they are neither new nor kids now. Which leads me to another question: Who is their target audience?? Women in the late 20's/early 30's? Or are they hoping to get the tweens to swoon like they did 20 years ago??

But I digress.

This news brings back some serious memories. I have a sordid history with the New Kids. In the eighth grade, my two best friends and I decided that they were the greatest thing since jelly shoes. We had buttons all over our acid washed jean jackets. We sang the songs on the bus back and forth to middle school. We each had our favorite that was our object of total infatuation. (Different ones so we didn't compete with our BFF).

So, we were more than thrilled when a classmate invited all 3 of us to join her at their concert. This classmate took her obsession with the band to a much higher level. She was an official member of the fan club. They were the subject of her every conversation. And, she her dad was a local DJ and had FREE tickets on the 5th row. It was our dream come true.

I should have known what I was in for when she had her dad try to find the band's limo before the concert. We circled for what seemed like forever to find them. No luck. She was actually teary-eyed. That's weird, I thought. But, I was anxious to get in the arena and see them perform.

They came out, and I was completely baffled by the level of shrieks. Off the charts decibels. And, I looked around me and girls were SOBBING everywhere. What in the world? I started to joke with my buddies about it when I saw our friend (the one that invited us) having a total cry-fest. Honestly, she was bawling and reaching out towards the stage yelling "Joe!" for at least the first 2 songs.

Unreal.

Following the concert, there was a mad rush towards the stage. The bodyguards and security could not hold the love-sick girls back. We were literally carried up by the crowd. (I did get to shake the hands of 3 of the guys). One of my friends got trampled to the floor and stepped on. Again, I was completely baffled. This was insane-asylum-material, as far as I was concerned.

Our friend's dad picked us up and she made him again circle around to find their limo and then their hotel. She cried the whole time. Oddly, her dad acted like this was normal.

Following that night, my BFFs and I decided that the New Kids were totally uncool and anyone that liked them were a freak. [Disclaimer: I was a total snobby, brat in middle school]We threw away all our buttons and pin-ups. And, I haven't looked back.

So, hearing the news today makes me laugh. Or cry. Or hide in fear. I'm not sure.

Menu Plan Monday - 1/28

It's been a while, but I want to get back on track with this. I've been stumped a little by trying to find low cal, healthier recipes. And, ones that my hubby will actually eat. No small feat, I assure you. Anyway, we are incorporating some healthier ones, but generally we are just trying to eat smaller portions and exercise.


Monday - eat out (have to use up gift cards & we don't have a table at the moment)

Tuesday - Wally Na Cou Cou (African dish my hubby fell in love with when he lived in Tanzania as a missionary - basically a chicken, tomato, onion, & rice stew. Close to the original Tanzanian recipe, except he mostly ate it with goat meat and I am not willing to go that route!)

Wednesday - Chicken Parmesan, angel hair pasta & salad

Thursday - Pizza night

Friday - Chicken w/ Honey-Balsamic Glaze, steamed veggies

Saturday - Breakfast for dinner

Sunday - leftovers

Check out OrgJunkie for more great menu plans.

Out with the OLD

I have shopped from Craigslist before. In fact, I think we told almost everyone we knew about the TV armoire we were able to get for a steal last year. But, I have never sold anything on it. I have many friends with great success in this area, so I decided to try it out.

I posted 3 things this morning, and I am getting constant feedback and scheduling appts for people to come and see them. In fact, one item sold within the first 2 hours and the people didn't even want to see it in person first. Amazing. Why bother with garage sales or listing in a paper??


And, my table is going. I inherited that old table from my parents and it is the one I ate at my whole life. It was generous offer for a poor graduate student - and it has been a good table for us. But, having the same table for 30 (or so) years, I have officially grown tired of it. REALLY tired of it. The chairs that scream 70's doesn't help. Plus, the fact that Mike and I painted it white several years ago and it has since naturally distressed to the point of nausea. Shabby Chic, as my craigslist post stated. And, I have many potential buyers for the set who are oh-so-anxious to come & relieve me of it. In fact, they are scheming to be the first to pay me and take it away. Thankfully.

Just in time for my new set to come in on Wednesday. I have saved up for a while and I am so excited I could squeal (except that I might wake up my occasional napper of a son, and who would want to ruin this great me-time?)

[Cue the angelic music and the parting of clouds to reveal divine light upon this...]





Of course it will probably not look quite as amazing in my space, but nevertheless.

Coffee and a cause

Mike recently posted on this fabulous coffee, and I couldn't resist doing the same. It's from Land of a Thousand Hills Coffee. I recently had the privilege of sampling MULTIPLE cups of this coffee and it is really good stuff. Really good.

The coffee comes from Rwanda, which is not typically associated with coffee. Rwanda is more known for its horrific genocide wars that killed almost 1 million not too many years ago. However, this company is helping to bring life and hope back to this country. Growing and harvesting this coffee is, in fact, helping reconciliation, as the Twa, Tutsi, and Hutu widows of genocide are working together. We recently heard about this (and sampled it) from the guys running this organization and it was fascinating.

The prices are comparable to any good coffee here in the States. Read more about their story and order this coffee here.

Limerick

http://rocksinmydryer.typepad.com/shannon/2008/01/time-for-anothe.html is holding a contest for best limerick. Too fun! I couldn't resist. Winner gets a video MP3 player.

Here's my attempt:

There was a red-headed boy named Jack.
Who whined for movies, milk and snack
But whines do not work
Said his mom with a smirk
He must try another plan of attack


Once started, I got carried away. Here are two more that I did not submit:

There was a red-head boy named Jackson
Who thought flipping over couches was much fun
‘til all the fun stopped
When on his head he did drop
It might be a while before back in action

and

A mom and her boy saw a movie
Pirates, princess, and Veggies – a doozy!
But like it they did not
For all the scary spots
We’ll stick to the tame ones on TV.

Yes, we saw the new Veggies movie today. I was not impressed. Not as good at Jonah, by far.

Head over to Shannon's site and join the fun. :)

Don't hate me because my shoes are beautiful

I had bought a pair of Toms shoes at a conference and later decided that I wanted another color instead. Anna and I both sent ours back to them and they were so gracious to send us new shoes right away.

They are these unique shoes that are also a great cause. For each pair purchased, one is given to a child in an impoverished country. They have tons of great colors and styles. The idea and design is by Blake Mycoskie, former Amazing Race contestant. The shoes themselves are so comfy - they conform to your foot.

Check out their site for the shoes available, stores that sell them, and more about their story. I am totally in love with my Toms!!

Post Weekend thoughts

• Thirty-something-year-olds don't recover well from late night slumber parties. But it sure was fun at the time.
• No matter how well Jackson does with potty training at home, I still have to put him in a pull up at church. He poops in his pants EVERY Sunday. Without fail. Sometimes twice.
• If I hear Jackson whine again to watch Cars, I might scream hysterically.
• Apparently, since turning 3, Jackson has achieved new levels of whining. He's convinced this will be an effective tool in coercing his parents to do things his way. Even though it hasn't worked out well for him so far. We also often hear him tell us to "Be Happy" when we tell him he can't have something. As if giving in will make us all happy.
• Against my better judgment, I watched Legally Blond 2 on TV the other night. Unfortunately, I lost massive brain cells by doing so.
• Jackson and his buddy Ryan have discovered how to reach new levels of hyper-activity when they get together. It's really incredible to watch.
• So glad dh is home!! I get my daily back rubs again and Jack gets wrestling matches with daddy. And, I can stop forming the bed pillows into a Mike-like shape next to me in bed so that I can sleep better.

Hey Jealousy

When we were first dating, Mike traveled bunches with his job. He learned early on that he had better call me while he's away. (Once, he went away for an entire week and didn't call. To his credit, this was before he had a cell phone and he did not have many opportunities to call. Still I was not a happy camper). Needless to say, he is great at calling home often now. :)

But, since the church staff is at one of my favorite places in the world (Boone), each time he calls and shares what they've been up to, I get so jealous! They are eating at my favorite restaurants, going to my favorite places, and they plan to hike some on the Blue Ridge Parkway. MAN, I miss that SO MUCH. Honestly, I bet I was out on the Parkway at least once a week while I was in school there. I hiked like crazy, camped, rock climbed, had quiet times sitting on a rock in the middle of a stream, etc. I'm getting a little homesick now just thinking of it!

He called again a few minutes ago. Before I answered, I was imagining which of my favorite things he was doing and how he was probably calling to tease me. Was he on top of Beacon Heights? Was he getting ice cream at Kilwins? Going skiing at Beech? Was he at the quaint shops in Blowing Rock? OK, so that's not likely. But still.

No. He was at my Alma mater (not his), buying me a 3-peat Football Championship t-shirt for me, and another for our son. Aaaww! He had to call to find out the right sizes. My jealousy is subsiding for the moment.

"Mom"

A few weeks ago, my son was downstairs and was yelling something that I couldn't make out from upstairs.

"What it is, buddy?" I hollared back.

Again, I heard a word that I couldn't quite make out. I came downstairs to see what he was into. Finally, I could make out the word...

"Mom!" He was trying to get my attention to help him open up a toy.

Mom! Mom? He's never called me that before. Certainly the word fits. I am the mom. But, to him I've always been "mommy". That's odd, I thought.

Then, in the last few days I have heard him call me "mom" several more times. He's called Mike, "dad" too, instead of the usual, "daddy".

I don't know why this is weirding me out so much. Clearly, I don't expect him to grow up to an adult and still call me "mommy". I guess I just didn't expect it this soon. [sigh] Such a big boy.

time with my guys

The Thinker.

"What are you looking at?"

Ok, so those guys were fun, but I was more excited about a date with my son & husband. My hubby will be traveling with the church staff this weekend, so we claimed him for the day. We spent the morning at the zoo and had a blast. It was not at all crowded, perfect weather, and the animals were cooperative. My son was mesmerized by the animals being up close & personal.

I hate it when hubby travels, but I've got a plate full of fun activities lined up for my lil guy and I! The church staff wives (and a few others who have husbands out of town) are going to have a girly sleepover. Complete with chick flick, pizza, and junk food. I'm so excited. Don't I sound 13?

Who's the bigger loser?

Mike and I are obsessed with The Biggest Loser. It is simply fantastic to watch those people CHANGE THEIR LIVES by learning how to be healthy. The other night was the season premiere and it had a new couples them. Which is fitting because Mike and I have challenged each other to see who can be the Biggest Loser in our home - at least for the next little while. Just until a few of these holiday/winter/extra pounds are shed. We have each set a goal.

So, we kicked off things on Tuesday. And, right off the bat, I am realizing some things about myself.

1. I have taken for granted that I have not needed to really work at staying relatively small in the past. I am beginning to see that this will not always be the case. I'll spare you the details. It ain't pretty.

2. I am realizing that I STINK AT the whole counting calories thing. The problem is, I DON'T GET IT. I mean, I understand how to count, but I just... well, I hate the concept of it. And, as if calories aren't enough, there's also the fat, sodium, etc to consider. I am reminded of all the women I know that can recite the calories of any given food on the spot. Sorry, beloved girlfriends, but I don't understand it. :) (Don't worry, I have plenty of other vices - but that's another post for another day.)

3. The thought of not being allowed to eat a certain food makes it all the more tempting to me. Even foods that I am not interested in on any other day. I generally don't eat very unhealthy foods. And, I don't usually crave sweets much. But, all week I keep thinking about my mother-in-law's infamous pecan pie.

All this to say, that I think I'd rather eat what I want (in moderation, of course) and work out daily than deal with all the counting mumbo-jumbo. But, for the sake of competition (ya'll that know my hubby know how stinkin' competitive he can be... and how he loves to use me in sermon illustrations), I've got to be up for the challenge.

And now for something completely different

What does it say about me that I want to constantly change my blog template???

Anyone know where this post's title comes from?