After Dinner Snack

Being that I am home a lot by myself, it causes me not to want to cook or bake all the time. I do love to cook for others, to feed their hungry bellies. When it's only me, it looses its luster. Don't get me wrong, I love to cook by myself when I know someone is coming over to eat it! Today I decided that it didn't matter if no one else was going to be home for hours, I was going to cook and bake.

I tried out a new recipe for chicken. I had some chicken thighs and looked online to see what I could do with them instead of just a little seasoning and bake them. I stumbled upon a recipe that would use the rest of my bread crumbs up, so why not?

I used this recipe but tweaked the ingredients by adding crushed red pepper, salt & pepper and some garlic powder.

 

Review: The topping stayed too mushy for my liking. It did have some good flavor though. Next time, I'll just stick to what I know, eggs & flour- scratch the butter. You win some, you lose some. I would say definitely try this coating because it's good, just don't completely follow the recipe.

What did knock my socks off, like it always does are my favorite roasted potatoes! Now when I give you the recipe, I don't really measure anything when I cook. I get it from my personal chef DG. So, basically the amounts are just to your liking.

Ingredients

Potatoes (any kind that you like)    

salt & pepper

olive oil

paprika

cayenne pepper

dried parsley

parmesan cheeese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cut up potatoes (small into quarters, big into 6 or 8 pieces). Place on baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil and add all seasonings and parmesan cheese to your liking. Mix well and then place in oven for 1 hour. You can turn potatoes after 30 minutes. If you like them crispy you may want to cook them a little longer and turn them another time.

These potatoes are great. I mean you could do anything with a potato if you like them and it wouldn't be bad. Minus the whole eating them raw. I use to know someone who did that, not right.

After dinner, I felt like being nice to my DG and baking something so I searched my cabinets and found a box of brownie mix. I could have made him brownies from scratch. If in the mood to get really down and dirty, try these Cookie Dough Brownies by Mels Kitchen Cafe. They are AMAZING! Very rich but totally worth it! Instead I opted for the easier option, still made with much love. Chocolate Fudge Brownies with caramel drizzled on top.

Is it bad that even before I've mixed all the ingredients, I'm picturing myself eating the batter?

Or that as I melted the caramels, I drooled?

DG seemed to enjoy the finished product. Eaten in about three bites.

Things you can't live without

There are certain things in life that you just can't live without. You can't make substitutions. These are things that are THAT important to you, that no matter what financial situation you are in, you WILL have them.

Such as.....

Febreeze. Makes everything smell better. 

Cholula. I would bathe in this stuff, it is that good.

Bare Essentuals Make up. It makes you feel beautiful even on your worst day.

Macbook. I will never own another PC, sorry Dell- you lost a long time ago.

Samsung Fascinate. My favorite phone by far.

Notebooks. I probably own 10 notebooks at this point, and every time I see a new one with a pretty cover, I buy it. It's ridiculous.

Woman's World. My mother got me hooked when I was young. Every week, it's the first stop I make in the grocery store as if they would sell out by the time I get to the register.

Dunkin Donuts French Vanilla Iced Coffee. I started early this year, and bought my first iced coffee two weeks ago. I'm willing spring to come early.

Sausage. Any kind, any time. No I'm not being a pervert. It makes all foods better.

Ipod. Music makes you want to move. Moving is good. I'm on my second because this beast ate my first.

Yankee Candles. Brings me back to my childhood. Nothing beats having a yummy candle burning in your house.

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus. It's just friggin' good.

Crystal Light Pink Lemonade. It's a treat, and maybe better than soda? I'll keep telling myself that.

I'm sure there are other things that I can't live without that might be more important. Like air, but I don't have to go to a store to purchase that, yet. With the way this economy is going, we might get taxed to breathe sooner than later.

What are your favorite items that you can't live without?

My Bridesmaids

It was very easy for me to pick my bridesmaids.  While I have many friends that I absolutely adore, I mean why would you have friends you didn't? There were four people who stood out amongst the rest.

My Maid of Honor: My sister, Nicole

While our sisterhood has not always been a perfect match, as we got older we definitely became best friends. Despite what she may think, I have always looked up to my sister, even when we were young and having our sissy fits! She is such a beautiful person, inside and out, and I am blessed to have a sister I love so very much. I couldn't ask for a better person to be my maid of honor. She truly values life and beauty and she deserves all the happiness this life has to offer her, and much much more.

Bridesmaid:  Best friend, Kayte

I met Kayte in middle school when our town mixed with well, hers. She left to a different state, but even though she has not lived near me in over 10 years, she is one of my bestest friends. We don't need to talk all the time, or see each other all the time to know that we will always be there for each other. She is an individual that always shows so much strength whenever life hands her, well crap. She is the kind of friend that will always tell you what she thinks, honesty is one of her best qualities. She doesn't give herself enough credit, she is a beautiful person, wonderful mother and an all around fabulous person.

Bridesmaid: Best friend, Sage

I also met Sage in middle school. It's funny how our friendship started because honestly, I wasn't the nicest person to her. Most likely due to my own insecurities but eventually we became friends. She has always been there for me through the years. The kind of person to drop everything to be there if you needed her. She has always been such a thoughtful person, and I'm grateful to have her in my life.  She has helped me many times in the past year, to plan for this wedding.... and I'm happy she is apart of this wonderful process.

Bridesmaid: Best friend, Lauren

I met Lauren when I started to work at Starbucks my freshman year in college. She actually didn't want the manager to hire me because she thought that I was a B*TCH! Haha....  well, years later, we have been through our ups and downs in life, but she is one of my dearest friends. We lived together in a fabulous apartment for a year, and while it didn't last long and (didn't end all that well) I miss those mornings we had our coffee sessions, and fabulous dinners of grilled chicken tenders, olives, pickles and pretzels. She will always hold a special place in my heart and I am very honored to have her in my wedding.

These ladies are all very special to me, and I look forward to the next few months that are filled with their beautiful faces. They will all look stunning in the beautiful dress I have chosen, I can't wait to have them standing next to me as I marry the love of my life. It brings tears to my eyes as I write this. It'll be a good day.

Wedding Crunch

Less than 4 months and I will be walking down that infamous aisle to marry the man that stole my heart 7 years ago!

When we got engaged in January 2010, the day June 10th, 2011 was 16 months away. It felt like FOREVER!

Now we are approaching it very fast and I have LOTS to do. I've crossed the big stuff off the to do list a while ago, but now we still have a lot to focus on! As the time gets closer and closer, I find myself becoming more scatter brained, and the only thing to help are to do lists. So here is my current to do list.

- Send save the dates (2 months behind!)
- Find centerpieces
- Figure out favors
- Find shoes
- Have all rings appraised so we can insure them
- Apply for passport
- Finalize flowers
- Figure out hair style and make appointments
- Have engagement photos taken
- Have separate photographer take picture for newspaper (one of my patients gifts to us!)

Blah, blah, blah. There are a few more things but I'm boring myself with the list, so I will stop. This is such an exciting time, but all this work for 5-6 hours??? I think wedding celebrations should last for a week. I know that we still have the showers, jack & jill, and the B&B parties but maybe I just want more love & happiness!!

Well, time to get cracking on some "stuff" before the night is completely over and I've wasted my day. I'll leave with a few photos of these cuties.....

How could you not fall in love with these babies? Wish they stayed that small, minus the constant chewing and peeing on everything!

Body Image Vs. Health

All of us have body image issues, whether we are overweight, underweight or in "our perfect weight range." None of us will ever look in the mirror and think that we are the best, because we are our WORST critics. If it's not our butt that looks too big, it's that our hair is too frizzy. You just can't win. But, you can learn to accept yourself the way you are, and make changes physically and psychologically that can make you feel like a BETTER you!

I am reminded every day that I go to work, how blessed I am to be alive and healthy. I may carry some extra pounds that I need to get rid of, but I have my health. If I want to keep it that way, I know I need to lose weight, and I am striving to do that.

At work, I see people in their sickest moments. Most days I am slapped with a reality check, such as the other day.  I was going in to check on my patient, when I saw his wife kissing him, her dying husband, knowing that those were his last few moments. This very emotional experience lingered in my mind for a  few days, as I thought about that person often and couldn't help but picture myself as if I was in their situation. While these experiences make it easier for me to see that I am so grateful for everything in life, some days my body image issues come creeping back in, as if they were the worst thing that could happen. I know that it is not what really matters in life and that's why I need to take a step back to really look at the bigger picture.

Because for me, this is what matters.....

and this.....

and all my family and friends.

This is my year to change how I feel towards myself. To make ME the best ME for my future. To change my negative thoughts into positive ones and to embrace both the good and bad. I will always have body image issues, everyone does. But I can control how much I let it get in the way of a fabulous life, and that's what I'm going to do. LIVE.

Buffalo Chicken Dip....YUM

Ah, yes the day of good eats & lots of yelling at the television: Super Bowl! I am not one for football. Not to say that I don't enjoy watching hot men tackle each other with tight pants on, wait was I suppose to say that?!? Despite the fact that I don't have a favorite sports team, I did partake in some super bowl festivities. While I got there late (as always when the man isn't around, why is that?), I was able to enjoy some family bonding and good laughs. Have I mentioned that my mother is a nut? I should write a blog and just quote her. THAT would be a funny blog too good to resist!!

For my dish, I made my all time favorite dip. So easy. So delicious. Ok, maybe it comes in second to DG's spinach and artichoke dip but that isn't the title of this blog, is it? There are different variations of this dip, so you can make it anyway you like.....I like it this way.

Ingredients: Chicken, 1 cup ranch dressing, 1 cup Franks hot sauce, 2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, 8 oz cream cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Meanwhile, boil a pot of water, add chicken and cook until cooked through and easy to shred. I eyeball the amount I use, but it's usually between 12-16 ounces.

Cut cold cream cheese (cold is better, cuts easier) into 8 cubes and arrange on the bottom of baking dish.

Add hot sauce, ranch dressing and cheese on top of cream cheese.

Place in oven uncovered for 10 minutes, take out and stir. Place back in oven for another 10 minutes.

When chicken is cooked, shred and add to rest of mixture. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for an additional 20-30 minutes.

Serve with whatever you fancy. Tortilla chips, bread, crackers, celery, peppers, chocolate. Maybe not, although chocolate goes with anything these days.

This dip is fantastic. It's creamy, spicy, salty and slathered on anything, tastes oh so good. It's up there with chocolate cake. If you haven't yet, try it.

Carbs, Carbs, Carbs

I have always been a lover of all things carb related. Give me a piece of bread, and I'll have two more thanks. Crackers, pretzels, pasta, sweets, it's a downfall.

But then I started to notice how those foods make me feel. Bloated, uncomfortable, tired, irritable and in 30 minutes after eating them, I could see the scale go up. No I am not one to get on the scale after every thing I eat. I did a little experiment and I "gained" 3 lbs after eating 2 pieces of toast! I know that I didn't truly gain that but it did trigger my interest.

So I try to stay away from breads, pastas, crackers and sweets. Being that my blog title is Lovin' Chocolate Cake, you can see that some days it's not the easiest thing to do, and I do fail. But I figure it's how I embrace that fail, learn from it, move on, and keep a positive attitude. I have to remind myself before giving in to temptation, that I don't like feeling swollen, unhappy with stomach pain at the end of the night, because I most certainly do NOT! 

This doesn't always make foods completely interesting to me though. I am an Italian girl and I LOVE LOVE LOVE pasta dishes & pizza. So I have to learn how to substitute. Spaghetti squash is my new best friend, we are spending a lot of time together during these cold months.  You can only eat so many proteins and veggies without going crazy sometimes. You have to change things up, to keep your palate interested so that you stick with the plan. It's an every day challenge.

If you haven't noticed, I'm a little obsessed with the funny cartoons. Oh well.