The egg carton drives me nuts!!!

Okay, we all know that C is close to perfect (insert slight sarcasm ;)  ), but he has this interesting habit with the carton of eggs in the fridge.  I've always thought it was normal to use an egg and then throw the shell in the garbage, well, C does not throw the empty shells in the garbage, he puts them back in the carton! Urgh!  Does he want to count the empty shells to ensure that we used the full dozen??  I just can't understand the reason behind this habit...

Anyone else have this issue at home???

Go Team USA! (And look cute winning all those medals!).

The Team USA uniforms have just been released for the upcoming Sochi Olympics and they make a statement in more ways than one!  Not only are they an eye catching array of red, white, and blue, but they are also made by people in the good ol' USA.  I love that the sweaters were inspired by the patchwork quilt that definitely indicates pride in our American heritage.  

These uniforms will make our athletes shining stars of the opening ceremony.  I think women's hockey player Julie Chu said it best, "When everyone's wearing it together, it makes a bold statement."  Go get the gold Team USA!

Fiance Lane

Even Carson likes Downton Abbey!

As the weekend comes to an end, there's nothing I like better than curling up on the sofa and watching the drama that goes on at Downton Abbey on PBS.  The first time it came on when C was with me, he moaned and groaned and said he was not going to spend his Sunday evening watching a bunch of British people from back in the day discuss the problems they have as servants in a gigantic manor.... 

Little did he know he would soon be addicted!!!
I came back from a trip and started watching the fabulous show on DVR... I was caught up in the drama and all of a sudden C is right next to me on the sofa... "He's a bad guy!" C exclaims as a new character comes on the screen... Hmmm, how did he know that???  And he's actually staying on the sofa???  And he doesn't have his laptop propped up in front of his face???  

Ladies and gentlemen, I think we have a new Downton Abbey devotee... And his name begins with a C!

I love these little surprises!  Now if I could only get him to watch The Bachelor... I know that won't ever happen!

My hope is to one day visit this beautiful place!

Fiance Lane 

The best cat house ever . . .

C and I may have the most spoiled kitty ever, Miss Fiona.... She has so many toys, from mice with feather tails, to glitter balls, to birdies that sing when they are batted around, some she likes, some she could care less about... C loves to play with Miss Fi and all her toys, but he just gave her the best gift ever and it didn't cost him a dime! 
C noticed that Fiona likes to be in small, enclosed spaces, and love to be snuggly with all of her birds and mice.  So, the thinker that he is, C took a leftover box from the holidays and made Fi a little kitty house.  He strategically cut openings in the box so she can keep a lookout in all directions and also reach through to attack a glitter ball that may be passing by.  He also put a little towel in the bottom so she can be comfy cozy.  Miss Fiona absolutely loves it!  She spends hours in there, whether it be snoozing or playing.  Who would have thought a cardboard box could keep this kitty entertained for hours???  What a good cat daddy C is! :)

So which route do you take?

Back roads or highway?  With an accident that killed a young women in the recent snow storm, on one of the routes I take, I think this is a reasonable question.  

I will totally admit that I am a horrible driver and C worries about me any time I am on the roads . . . He forbids me to take the highway to work when roads are bad, instead I have to take the back, less busy, country highway... I wonder what truly is safer, the multi-lane busy highway that is well-traveled or the less-crowded back highway with large amounts of snow cover and blustery winds and only two lanes with lots of fast, big semis . . . What do you think???

Fiance Lane 
 
WBAY

Grown up taco in a bag....

When I was little, one of my favorite treats was "taco in a bag" ( aka, cut off the top of a snack size bag of fritos, dump all of your favorite taco ingredients on top and eat it straight out of the bag with a fork), now I found a new version which sounds just as yummy and a little more gown up.  It looks super simple and it would be perfect for the snowy days we have ahead of us . . . Give it a try and let me know how it turns out!

 

Even the pics look so good!!

 

Fiance Lane

 

Oven Baked Frito Chili Pie

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Servings: 6-8

Ingredients:

1 lb. Italian Sausage, casing removed
1 lb. ground turkey
2 cups jack cheese, grated
2 cups cheddar cheese, grated
1 white onion, diced
1 bell pepper, diced
2 chipotle peppers, diced
1 jalapeno, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
6 ounces hot tomato sauce
4 ounces roasted hatch chiles  
15 ounces pinto beans, drained, rinsed
3 1/2 cups beef broth, low sodium
3 tablespoon of chili powder
2 tablespoon creole seasoning 
1 tablespoon garlic powder 
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon ground oregano
1 tablespoon black pepper
extra virgin olive oil.
Frito Corn Chips, large bag
green onions to garnish 
sour cream, diced avocado

Directions: 

Mix seasoning blend and set aside. Chop vegetables and set aside. 

Add about 2 tablespoons of olive oil to a pot and heat over medium heat. Add all vegetables except garlic and cook for about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook 1 minute more. Season vegetables with 1 tablespoon of seasoning blend and mix well.

Add sausage, brown for about 10 minutes, add 2 tablespoons of seasoning blend to sausage, mix well. 

Add hot tomato sauce, roasted Hatch chilies, broth, and remaining seasoning, mix well.

Cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally for about 20 minutes. Chili will thicken upon standing.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a greased casserole dish, add half the bag of hand crushed corn chips, place on the bottom. Top with half the cheese, and all the chili.

Place more crushed corn chips on top of chili and add remaining cheese. 

Bake at 350 degrees for about 20-30 minutes.

Remove from oven, top with green onions and serve with sour cream and avocado if desired.

The annoying things men do!

The annoying things men do...

I recently went into the bathroom and found this.... As I felt my blood pressure rise a bit, I wondered how this could possibly happen... Was the bit left on the roll defective and could no longer be used?  Did the spring mechanism in the roll get stuck and stop functioning?  Or was someone just a bit lazy???  Has anyone else encountered this mysterious situation???

When will this stop?  Ever?!

Fiance Lane

Yummy pizza dippers . . .

Yummy pizza dippers . . . 

As promised, here is the amazing pizza dippers that C loves and we have every Christmas Eve....  Since dairy is a no-no for C, I replace the cream cheese with Tofutti (tofu based) cream cheese to make it dairy free (you can find this in the organic sections of grocery stores and it's also at Woodman's).  You can alter the "toppings" to be meat-free or extra black olives, it's fun to mix-it-up.  Another bonus is that you can make it the night before and pop it in the oven about a half hour before enjoying.  

 

So easy and so yummy!!!

 

Fiance Lane

 

Ingredients

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter, divided
1/2 cup chopped fresh mushrooms
1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup Italian sausage
1/2 cup chopped Canadian bacon
1/2 cup chopped pepperoni
2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
1/2 cup cooked and crumbled bacon (about 10 slices)
Pizza Crust Dippers, recipe follows

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In a small saucepan, melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Add the mushrooms, peppers, and onions. Cook until the vegetables are tender, 5 to 6 minutes.

In a skillet, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Add the sausage, breaking up with a wooden spoon, Canadian bacon, and pepperoni. Cook until the sausage is done and no longer pink. Add the cream cheese and stir to melt and combine. Stir in the Italian seasoning and bacon.

Spoon the mixture into a 1-quart baking dish. Bake until the dip is browned and bubbly, 30 to 35 minutes. Serve the dip with the Pizza Crust Dippers.
Pizza Crust Dippers:

Nonstick cooking spray
2 (12.8-ounce) cans refrigerated pizza crust dough
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon grated Romano

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Spray 2 baking sheets with nonstick cooking spray.

On a clean, flat surface, unroll the dough. Brush the dough evenly with olive oil and sprinkle evenly with cheese. Using a pizza cutter, cut the dough into 2 by 3-inch rectangles. Place on the prepared baking sheets. Bake until lightly browned, 10 to 12 minutes.

Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/cheesy-pizza-dip-with-pizza-crust-dippers-recipe/index.html?oc=linkback