Buffalo chicken pizza

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As always, a Target trip specifically for dog food meant I left $57 later with a bag full of goodies. The one spur-of-the-moment item I was most excited about was Buffalo style pizza sauce!

Buffalo style pizza sauce you say? Why I’d never heard of it either so I was beside myself when I saw it sitting on the shelf and on sale to boot! I had a tube of Pillsbury Pizza Dough sitting in the fridge for some time now and no set meal that I had in mind. I grilled up some chicken this weekend and immediately put everything together in my head-I had the dough, sauce, chicken and prayed that I had some cheese on hand. This is where randomness took a turn for greatness!

Buffalo Chicken Pizza

Ingredients

1 tube Pillsbury pizza dough

1 cup grilled chicken, cut into pieces or shredded, whatever your heart desires!

1/2 cup Buffalo sauce pizza sauce

1/2 cup shredded monterrey jack cheese

3 sliced white american cheese

2 sprigs green onion, chopped

2 tbsp Frank’s Red Hot

2 tbsp ranch dressing

This meal was so simple and ready in no time, there’s no reason NOT to make it! As with any time I’m making pizza at home, I lay out the pizza dough on a cookie sheet (or pizza stone) and bake in the oven for about 10 minutes. You definitely don’t want to top raw pizza dough with all the pizza toppings because in the end all you will get is a soggy pizza and no one wants that. Once that was done cooking, I loaded the cooked pizza dough with sauce, chicken and cheese (in that order) and baked at 400 degrees for 12 minutes.

A little goes along way with the buffalo pizza sauce. The sauce isn’t as terrible for you as I thought it was going to be but still it’s a sodium bomb so it may be best to indulge in sparingly.

I went into the living room to catch the news and 10 minutes later, I could smell buffalo wings. Oh, sneaky deceiving pizza! I’m not trying to toot my own horn but how beautiful is this pizza? I let it cool down for five minutes (not that I was watching the clock or anything) then sprinkled the Frank’s Red Hot, ranch dressing and green onions on top for some flare!

It was serious perfection. I had some self restraint and limited myself to a couple of pieces and in the end this made five servings—perfect to nosh on throughout the week by yourself or share with others!

I’ve made buffalo chicken enchiladas, buffalo chicken eggrolls, buffalo chicken quesadillas, buffalo chicken burgers. Now, what will my next buffalo chicken creation be? I’m always open to suggestions Smile

What I learned from Vegas

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*If it weren’t for calories and having a 40 hour a week job, I could drink Miami Vices by a pool every day.

It’s just a mixture of pina colada and strawberry daquiri but the name Miami Vice makes it sound retro and cool. If only there was a picture of Crocket and Tubbs etched in the drink…..

*Kids these days have too many tattoos

*It’s a horrible idea to let my mom know I was going to Vegas with my boyfriend. She kept telling me to promise we weren’t getting married and was getting all neurotic and paranoid about it since my sister got married in Vegas (and no, no wedding for us, it was just for vacation!)

*All you can eat sushi at Yama Sushi for only $21 is a fabulous idea……until you have to cram yourself into a bathing suit an hour later.

*Going to Vegas with boys is really weird…..but in a good way. There was no drama whatsoever, no running late due to someone’s hair not looking right or feeling fat and just an all around good time. I definitely suggest it if you ever have an opportunity to do so.

*That being said, boys will be boys. I went with my boyfriend and two of his single friends and while they were awesome to hang around, I heard too much about what chicks they wanted to do, marry and everything in between.

*Banana and nutella crepes are what are made of

Le Village Buffet at Paris has a crepe bar with a full selection of sweet and savory crepes so a little something for everyone. Unfortunately the savory crepes weren’t as stellar as I hoped for but the sweet crepes made up for them! What’s even better is that we got a Groupon for two people at the buffet including all you can drink mimosas, beer and wine!

*Aesthetics are everything. It was my first time staying at the MGM Grand and the décor and vibe of the place was absolutely amazing. Since it’s a green monstrosity that houses a ton of restaurants not to mention home to concerts and boxing matches,  I just figured the place would be tacky on the inside but it was anything but. From the window to the walls (channeling some Little Jon action…..yeah…..ok!), I was totally digging the modern feel of the MGM Grand.

*And to continue with my Little Jon throwback, what ever became over the East Side Boyz? Hopefully sweat is no longer dripping down their balls and they are now in a professional, stable field like insurance.

*Seeing Denver friends is awesome like when I casually ran into Kelly!

Ok, maybe the whole thing was planned since she was in town for business while I was there for pleasure but seeing her even if just for 30 minutes was awesome. As I mentioned before, I was a trip with guys and it was nice to get some estrogen time in! We met at PJ Clarke’s where the dudes wanted to go for $1 oysters. I heart any kind of seafood and it’s been way too long since I indulged in oysters so I joined the fun with them.

(photo credit)

*I finally got to see my first Las Vegas show, Cirque de Soleil LOVE, and it was well worth the money! After going to Vegas a good number of times when I was in my 20’s and living in Phoenix, I never went to any shows which is a huge regret. Vegas has something for everyone whether it be concerts, musicals, performance art, impersonators and the list goes on. I was too concerned about gambling, going to the pool and having drinks in my younger days then with entertainment so going to see a show was never big on my list. This time around we went to see LOVE and it was also my first Cirque de Soleil show as well. Holy lord—it was amazing! Not only was the choreography of the acrobats amazing but it was a fun time with music from the Beatles along with footage of them from concerts and interviews. People were singing and dancing along in their seats and it just rocked!

*As much as it is to do Vegas on the cheap, sometimes it’s nice to shell out money on a nice dinner. We went to ENVY Steakhouse and it was a perfect meal from start to finish. I tried to concentrate on the menu and service instead of the prices on the menu but I couldn’t help by grimace when I saw the prices for the menu items…..and this was just the appetizers!

The only frugal thing we did during the meal was split a bottle of wine which turned out to be quite fabulous and things just got better from there.

King crab and mango vinaigrette amuse bouche

Caprese salad

Truffle fries the size of my head (if not bigger!) between four people we couldn’t finish the whole thing and as much as I love truffle oil, the flavor stayed with me the whole night and when you’re downing martini’s, that is not a good thing.

Dijon crusted lamb chops

So yeah, from beginning to end, ENVY was an excellent choice and my belly was more than happy when we left!

And last but not least…….

*The house always wins. ‘Nuff said.

Lovely day

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Hello friends. I am still in love with this past Sunday, it was such a lovely day and the ultimate way to end the weekend and almost say goodbye to the month of April. This month has sucked and I’m ready for it to be dust in the wind and move onto happier things in May!

I broke out my bike which suffered a flat tire last week thanks to some an abundance of goat head thorns somewhere I rod.  It was 77 degrees and sunny in Denver which really is absolute perfection seeing we have no humidity here. I rode over to Wash Park which is like the Central Park of Denver and to no surprise, it was packed. It was amazing and uplifting to see all walks of people (and dogs) out and about, enjoying the day instead of festering inside in artificial light.

I didn’t have a real plan except to work on my tan and fit a nice bike ride in so when I got to the park I just started riding around with tons of other people. I can say after riding my bike around Wash Park that I will never, ever go walking there—there’s bikes everywhere and it was difficult just to get over a few feet to get off the path. I got about eight miles in for the day which was awesome is definitely a change from when I used to ride my bike in Florida—having a functioning bike with working gears makes all the difference! After finally getting over (with a few douche comments made at people who wouldn’t let me over), I found a spot with less geese poop than other spots and bunkered down. FYI-for those who don’t know, the geese population in Denver is out of control. They take over the parking lot at work, plunk down in the middle of the road to sleep and even attacked one dude! They are effin crazy and I am deathly afraid of them since they can both walk and fly, I just don’t trust that. But I digress…..so I found a less-goose-poop-ridden spot to call my home for the next hour and enjoyed fresh air and one of my new favorite parks.

I got a chance to catch up on much needed magazine reading and relax. I got a good amount of sun and decided it was time to ride around some more, get back home to see the Linx and enjoy an al fresco lunch.

Linx and I had quality time outside on our patio, taking in as much sun as we could. I painted my nails an appropriate spring color, New Money, from Loreal (I had to buy it for the name alone). It was just pleasant and nice to have time to spare.

Soon enough it was time to head north and see Colorado’s newest resident–Lauren and her husband, Greg! They actually just rolled into town on Sunday afternoon after a three day trip cross-country from Maryland and I couldn’t wait to see them! And it’s about time, they have been in love with Colorado for some time (they even got engaged here) and have been talking about making the move and made it happen! Since I’m one who quit my job to follow my dreams, passion and move somewhere kick ass, I have mad respect for that. Speaking of which, it’s been TWO YEARS years since I quit my job in Charlotte-how crazy is that?

It was awesome to see Lauren and Greg, hear about their cross-country shenanigans and catch up. It’s so surreal that they are just a drive away now and that just makes me want to do a happy dance because she is awesome. Also awesome to try new-to-me beers like Nugget Nectar from Hershey, PA—surely Chelsea Handler drinks this?

But the real highlight of the visit was finally meeting the apples of Lauren and Greg’s eyes, Mr. Lance and Jackson (Lance is the lighter one, Light Lance, all about alliteration yo!) I only know them from Lauren’s blog and Instagram feed and have been counting the days until I got to meet two cuties. They have so much personality it’s ridiculous and I can’t wait til their parental units go out of town so I can dogsit!

Afterwards was dinner at Big Mac’s and Little Lu’s Seafood Market and Grill. I wish I would have known about this place before because then we could have gone somewhere else and had a more stellar experience. Big Mac’s is located in a strip mall so it’s location is a big hidden and random. It’s a total casual environment and when we walked in one of the servers told us to take a seat wherever and seeing that the place was packed for a Sunday night, thought we made a smart move. As soon as I started to peruse the menu I knew that we chose wrong thanks to the pricing on the menu. I know that I’m in Colorado and it takes a little more moolah to get fish shipped here but their prices were completely asinine—I’m talking $27 for a paella entrée and $16 for fish tacos ridiculous. I’m a bit spoiled when it comes to fresh seafood since I grew up in Florida but prices like that are such a rip off. The sad thing is we went to a sushi spot before this and we ended up walking out (yes, you read that right, I passed on sushi!) so we didn’t want to be those people again. So we grinned and beared it and attempted to enjoy a nice meal, unfortunately attempting is different from actually doing. Our waitress sucked and her presence was non existent. We started off with crab cakes and woo hoo—they were out of this world!

I’m not a huge crab cake fan since they tend to be too mushy for me, quite sad seeing I like both crab and cakes but together not so much but Big Mac’s got it right—it was fried to perfection atop a tangy mango/pineapple chutney with a side of spicy remoulade sauce. There were three big servings but I still wanted more and was sad to see it end. My boo had the lobster bisque and it was weak, it lacked any kind of flavor and if I didn’t know better would have thought it was a creamy tomato soup with a hint of lobster.

Our food came out and we had high hopes based on how it looked. As I said, I was all about the fried food for dinner and had the fish bites and chips which again, were fried to perfection and enough to satisfy my fatty cravings. The chips were homemade and served with a spicy tartar sauce, the entire thing was delightful. Unfortunately once again my boo got the short end of the stick and his meal sucked. When he ordered the Spiced Caribbean Shrimp Linguine, our server warned that it was spicy and to that he said, bring it on! But once he took a bite, he quickly realized our waitress was a dirty little liar and just like the lobster bisque, it was quite bland. We finally flagged down our server (because she didn’t bother to follow up with us to see how the grub was or for refills) and he ordered the teriyaki tuna wrap instead and that was a winner. It was just a disappointment of a meal and experience.

But some boba tea and a relaxing evening afterwards kept my Sunday great and back on the right track. I despise Sunday’s so for me to actually have a good one is somewhat a new idea to me. It was such a lovely day that this song jumped into my mind.

I used to looooove this song back in the day (The Bodyguard is still an awesome soundtrack!) I think I may have to download it on iTunes soon and jam out like how I used to back in the 8th grade……I love dating myself.

Have a lovely one Smile

Is this thing on?

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Hello there.

I’m not dead.

I didn’t stop blogging.

I’ve been insanely busy yet at the same time bored. Let me explain—last month was quarter end at work and while that’s usually a crazy time for me-it was even crazier with three people out of the office. I worked a ton of overtime, almost left the office crying many nights doubting myself and my abilities and basically stressed to the max. But once quarter end cooled off, it’s been back to utter boredom at the office. I’m talking so bored that I’m tempted to bring in toothpicks to hold my eyes open and forming a bad habit of having 2+ cups of coffee and 2+ cups green tea a day. On the flipside, I have a second job as of last week and it’s something big and exciting y’all (whoa, I guess I’m channeling Britney Spears right now). I’m a Brand Ambassador for DRY Soda here in the Denver area! I’ve been working at events in the area and doing demos, telling people about the all natural drink with only four ingredients and less sweet than other sodas out there. Plus they have tantalizing flavors such as Rhubarb, Vanilla Bean, Lavender, Juniper Berry and more!

I first came across DRY last year at the Blend Retreat when they graciously provided a bottle of the good stuff for all. They’re a fabulous company and it’s something fun to do on the weekend plus it lets my personality shine…..as opposed to sitting in a cubicle all day while my soul slowly dies. So for all you Denver-ites, I’ll be posting pics on Instagram and Twitter when I’m doing tastings in the area, feel free to come out and try a tasting of DRY Soda!

With that, here’s some things that I’ve been enjoying and loving lately:

*The Mindy Project

How have I not watched this show from the beginning? It’s amazing—so witty, funny and addictive! I randomly DVR’ed it one night after New Girl one night and can’t get enough of it. I heard through the grapevine that Netflix has it so I may have to cough up the $8 a month for that reason alone.

*Salads

Alright, even though we are having insane weather as of late (one day it will be sunny and mild out then the next it’s snowing 6 to 12 inches), salads are still my go for at least one meal a deal.  I’ve been having my traditional salad with tomatoes, cucumber and peppers with various proteins like Jenny-O Turkey Ham (I was totally skeptical of this but it is a fantastic substitute for real ham!)

And mixing it up with hot toppings when it’s cold out such as grilled mushrooms, peppers and zucchini with grilled chicken.

*I’m officially a Denver resident now that I own a bike

Sigh, I totally want this shirt from the I Heart Denver Store. I took advantage of REI’s member sale this past year and bought a bike with an extra 20% off! However, I worked the system and instead of buying it in the store went onto Ebates (hint, if you click on my link you get a $10 gift card to Target, Kohl’s and other stores just for signing up!) I ordered it through Ebatesand got $9 cash back for doing so! My bike was ready about a week later and I went to REI to pick it up and now I’m a proud owner of a hybrid.

Thanks to our weird weather I’ve only had a chance to take it out for a ride once but it was a nice, leisurely ride. It felt amazing to be on a new bike that it functions as it should be and also was invigorating to see my neighborhood from a different perspective. I can’t wait for it to get nicer out so I can ride it on the regular and I just may start to take it to the light rail then to work (how badass would I be??!).

*Food trucks

I love food trucks so much but I don’t get to experience them as much as I would like. Even though I work in a huge business park there are none there and I think that needs to change stat because mama needs some creative, innovative food from a truck! I got my fix recently at Hey PB&J, a peanut butter and jelly food truck conveniently parked outside the flagship REI store and it was absolutely delightful.

As you can see they have both savory and sweet with a few options featuring the hot gift from the gods—bacon! That being said I got the Figgy Piggy with almond butter, fig jam, applewood bacon, rosemary honey ans *gasp* goat cheese. It’s a personal rule of mine that if I see an item with goat cheese on a menu, I have to order it. Figgy Piggy did not disappoint but it was so rich and savory that one half was enough to satisfy my needs, wants, hunger and everything in between. Next time I’m going to go the sweet route and get the Cookies and Cream. A Cookies and Cream sandwich??? I never!

*Target RedCard

Ok, I love it and hate it. I love it because instead of being a credit card with a ridiculous interest rate, The Target RedCard to your checking account so you can’t spend money you don’t have (unless I decide not to pay rent one of these months). Plus you get 5% off of purchases in store and online with free shipping so there’s no reason not to get it. Unfortunately I’ve been doing a little retail therapy online which has lead me to some awesome clothes and accessories for pretty cheap.

I haven’t bought anything new since 2012 so I was stoked to have some new clothes in my closet. Along with items I really don’t need but they were too cute to pass up such as Muppets bowls and drink jugs ($.88 and $2.99 respectively thank you very much).

*Vacation

Hopes of vacation that is. This past year I traveled to Chicago, Dallas and back home to Florida but nowhere really for a vacation. In a couple of weeks I’m going to Vegas! I haven’t been to Vegas since I lived in Phoenix which seems like another life ago. My boo and some of his friends found a great deal from Southwest Air Vacations for airfare plus four days/three nights at the MGM Grand for only $340! I can’t wait to have some time off work, re-discover Vegas and have a real vacation!

*Cooking mojo

Thanks to having a Sprouts so close to me, my cooking mojo finally came back and I’ am no longer bored with mundane meals! Recently I went to Sprouts and saw they not only have sliced gyro meat but also fresh tsatziki sauce.

Once I saw that I was inspired to make a big fat Greek meal—lamb gyro with tsatziki, spinach, tomatoes and feta with a side lemon roasted asparagus. I almost went for seconds but luckily I didn’t make seconds so that was a win just like the meal. I can’t wait to make this again!

Plus a whole slew of cooking like breakfast burritos, Greek pasta salad, jambalaya and more.

And last but not least-the love of my life—Lincoln—whether sleeping or awake, this pup has my heart. He brings a smile to my face every day and is my little cuddle bug, dogs truly are man’s best friend.

So much more has been going on but these are the highlights. I miss blogging and the comfort that it brings to me along with reading blogs but I just haven’t had the time. I know a lot of people blog on the daily and that’s their life and while that used to be the case for me, not so much anymore. I prefer to go out live, enjoy the moment then follow up with the blog when I have a moment. I guess this is what change is all about huh?

This must be, pop (giveaway!)

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This post is brought to you by one of my new, favorite snacks-popchips! I don’t tend to snack that much while at home (unfortunately I’m a grazer) but when I’m at work, a snack stash is essential. I keep it natural 90% of the time with various fruits, veggies and nuts and as much as I love apples, oranges, carrots and snap peas, sometimes it’s nice to have something different with a little bit of crunch and that’s where popchips comes in. Their single serve bags are perfect for people like me who can’t resist chips and tend not to stop once the bag is open. The single serve bags have 100 calories,0 trans fats but best of all—flavor flavor flavor!

In case you don’t know about popchips, feel free to read some cool things about them from their website–

*popchips are an all-natural chip , never fried (unhealthy). never baked (undelicious). popchips start with wholesome potatoes, we add a little heat and pressure, and pop! it’s a chip. the only thing added is a flavorful blend of seasonsings for a snack so crispy and delicious, you won’t even notice it’s (we hesitate to say) healthier. thanks to the magic of popping, popchips have all the flavor and less than half the fat of friend
chips. what’ left out are all of the trans fat, cholesterol, fake colors and flavors that give snacking a bad name.

*popchips come in eleven taste-bud popping flavors, including original, bbq, sour cream & onion, sea salt &vinegar, cheddar, salt & pepper, sweet potato, jalapeno, chili lime, thai sweet chili and parmesan garlic.

They have the standard chip flavors like barbeque, sour cream and onion but also snazzy ones like sweet potato, parmesan and garlic, jalapeno and thai sweet chili potato! That being said, I was stoked to see a box waiting for me when I came home from work this past week. Coming home to a package full of different popchip flavors was awesome and let me try some new-to-me flavors (as opposed to just hearing about them!)

The only downside to popchips? Every time I see or eat Popchips, I get N’Sync in my head!

But it’s all good since I’m a fan of boy bands and healthy snacks so we will just call that a win. Along with enough popchips to last me for the next two months, they were also as courteous to send me some tips from celebrity trainer Jillian Michaels (ever heard of her? Smile) to help all of us stick to our diet and get rid of unwanted pounds because as we all know, beach season is right around the corner (scary but true!!)

*make a resolution…and keep it.
Resolutions shouldn’t be something you wait for so this new year, resolve to do it and resolve to start now!

* it’s all about balance.
Eating three balanced meals (every four hours) with a snack between lunch and dinner is key.  Reach for a healthier snack like carrot sticks and hummus, fresh fruit, or curb salty cravings with tasty snacks such as popchips or almonds and dried cranberries.

*just because it’s not fried, doesn’t mean it’s not delicious!
If you are in the mood to nosh, replace fried potato chips with a healthier alternative that still will satisfy that salty crave.   popchips are a great and my favorite snack option! they taste delicious and have less than half the fat of fried chips and only 100 calories in the single serve bag.

*grab a buddy. I
t’s a fact that you will achieve greater success when you have the support of those closest to you.  So get your friends together to support each other in being healthier in 2013.

*create healthier alternatives to your favorite fried foods.
Opt for cooking methods that use little or no fat such as steaming, grilling, baking, popping, broiling or roasting.  You can still make these items taste great with the right seasoning!  Have a weakness for fried chicken?  Instead take skinless chicken breast cutlets, cover them in egg whites and a crushed up cereal like cornflakes, and bake.  Same great taste and more than half the calories and fat.

popchips didn’t just want to share the love with me, they also wanted to hook up one lucky person to win not only a month’s supply of popchips but also with an autographed copy of Jillian Michaels “Slim for Life”

There are four, easy ways to win so check it out–

1) MANDATORY Entry: Follow @popchipsCO on Twitter and leave a comment on here

2) Tweet about the giveaway “I want to win a months supply of @popchipsCO” from @SnackSnarkBark! http://wp.me/p1K1ws-1vn #jillianpops #popchips and leave a comment on here.

3) Like Popchips on Facebook and leave a comment on here.

4) Leave a comment saying which flavor you want to try.

See? Easy! Giveaway ends midnight MST Monday April 1 (no joke!) and will be picked at random and announced. US Residents only—good luck!!

A weird week

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Sup peeps?

Can we talk about how Easter is almost here and Peeps are all I can eat? I made a healthy decision to give up chocolate for Lent because lately I’ve been out of control with my chocolate consumption. I come home, have a few pieces, take Lincoln out for a walk, come back and have a few more pieces and repeat. I can get down with a piece of chocolate every now and then but every day is not something that I need to make a routine. So I threw out my chocolate stash at work, had my roommate hide the chocolate in the house (because if it’s in the cupboard, I will find it) and told my co-workers the news, all in the name of accountability. I’ve been doing better than I thought I would since I tend to stray around week two of Lent. The first few days I was like this……

….but after I got over that hump, grumpy no more!

Although I’ve been doing good without chocolate, come March 31, game will be on and I’m talking about this bad boy. When did Target start putting out white chocolate M&M’s and how do I buy a case? I really hope they are as delicious as I’ve made them in my mind to be!

As always, the spring forward nonsense messed me up big time last week. I don’t like coming home when it’s still light out (because I’m weird like that)  and even though it’s light out when I got home, I was exhausted for the first part of the week. No matter how much coffee or tea I drank, nothing did the trick. I would come home, take the Linx out then snuggle up with my little lovebug for an hour then be ready to carry on with my evening. I couldn’t not snuggle with him, just look at his cute little mug!

In turn, the hour change drove me to do some crazy things like go to Panda Express. I haven’t been to a Panda Express since 2005 (I only remember because I was still living in Phoenix) and didn’t remember it being too stellar. If you haven’t had the joy of experiencing the Panda, it’s basically craptastic, faux Chinese food  loaded with a ridiculous amount of sodium so there’s really no reason my body should want it. But after waking up from a nap the other night, I craved crappy food. Not bad for you crappy food (which the Panda totally is) but bad for you plus crappy tasting food, it was really weird. Much to my surprise, the location I visited was really clean and the employees were nice and it cost me less than $6 for a meal that was horrible yet good. I’m still trying to wrap my brain around how it can be both but I’m not going to fight it anymore, just accept it and move on I say.

Since that was Sodium Fest 2013, I only felt that a sugar fix was in order following that. That’s when I had my last Shamrock Shake of the season. I’m really proud for only limiting myself to two this year because I tend to go a little crazy since they are so delicious (and like Panda, extremely bad for you—thank god I saw this article on Huffington Post this week after the Shamrock Shakes have gone away for the year).

But the hour change hasn’t affected me in the kitchen. I cooked up a storm this past week starting with chicken and artichoke pesto stuffed shells (yeah, it’s a bit of a mouthful to say!)

Chicken and Artichoke Pesto Stuffed Shells

9 jumbo shells, cooked

1 chicken breast, cooked and diced

1/2 cup shredded mozzarella

1/2 cup spaghetti sauce

1/4 cup pesto

1/4 cup goat cheese

1/4 cup marinated artichoke hearts

Mix goat cheese, artichokes, chicken in a bowl.

Stuff the shells with the mixture

Lay out in a baking dish

Top with pesto, spaghetti sauce and cheese

Bake at 375 for 30 minutes, let it cool off for a few minutes then feast on a hearty meal! I didn’t think nine shells would go a long way but having two shells+ a side for dinner or lunch was definitely enough and even left me some to put in the freezer for a rainy day meal. Thanks to the pesto, I didn’t even have to use any additional spices!

Some other positive cooking adventures came out from the hour change, like a push to make sushi again. I haven’t made sushi since Christmas Eve which is absolutely ridiculous since I have a sushi making kit and all. I went to Sprouts last week and picked up salmon and ahi tuna and tried it early last week with salmon, cucumber and cream cheese.

In case you’re wondering, fat free cream cheese is absolutely disgusting in sushi. It ruined the whole roll but I had a little sitting in the fridge so I thought it would be a Philadelphia-esque roll. Bad idea, full fat is where it’s at and what I will use in the future. I still haven’t mastered the art of preparing rice on the outside rolls so that’s just another thing I need to work on it.

Friday night’s sushi turned out a lot better than the salmon sushi. I spiced it up by adding a few drops of chile sauce to the roll for a little spicy tuna action going on.

I ran out of fish and had to get creative as to what to do with the next roll. I had some cooked chicken from a few nights before sitting in the fridge so I chopped up a few pieces along with jalapenos and avocado and made a south of the border roll topped with Cholula.

Now to just find a book on sushi making techniques. I vow to master this one day!

Sunday thoughts & happenings

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*Pretty sure forking out the money on a Keurig was one of the best decisions I’ve made this year. How I went almost three months with no coffee maker escapes me but now I have an array of coffee to try out including Dunkin Donuts from the DD mothership in Boston (thank you Lynne for grabbing me this while in Boston!)

In hindsight, I am 100% confident it was the right decision, especially after waking up at 5:45am this morning. As always, daylight savings can go suck it (still proclaiming this on Tuesday night)

*Target is once again on my sh**list for offering such low prices and cute and essential items. From coffee to miscellaneous items at the One Spot, I just can’t say no to their low prices!!

*But I made up for it by finding a killer deal on Craigslist –$10 for a set of 10 lb dumbbells! Why don’t I go on there more often??

*How is it that I heard two George Michael songs on the radio within an hour time span? No George Michael, you can not be my father figure. My father figure does not jerk off in public restrooms in the park thank you very much.

*Speaking of George Michael, what’s the haps with the Arrested Development comeback?

*What will ever happen to Michael Cera? The awkwardness that he is can only take him so far in Hollywood yes?

*As much I attest to loving the snow and all things winter, I wish it would just stay dry so I could still go on my daily walks. It’s hard to do when I’m out and about, slipping all over the place just trying to get my cardio on. But in the meantime, I will admire the beautiful sights of snow.

*Cruel Intentions came on the other day and instead of stopping in my tracks like I do every time it’s on, I DVR’ed it instead. I caught a few minutes of it while doing stuff around the house and now know why I dislike Justin Timberlake so much—it’s all because of Cruel Intentions and the asshat Sebastian!

Honestly, I just don’t get the appeal of Justin Timberlake and why everyone goes crazy for the guy.

*Sunday night I went to my first ever NHL game-San Jose Sharks vs. Colorado Avalanche. Can we talk about how fun it was? I’m kicking myself in the butt for never going to a game before because it was one of the best sporting events I’ve been to in a loooooong time. There was so much energy and it was just straight up electrifying (plus hockey guys are frickin hot, sans the lack of teeth of course).

*I hate spending money on food and drink at sporting events but the loaded tater tots were totally worth the $7 and it kept me full for the rest of the night. Score!

*And while at the game, some dudes sitting a couple of rows behind were talking but they were have two completely different conversations. Guy A was trying to talk about salt and pepper, you know, the stuff you put on the food and Guy B mistook his comments for Salt N Peppa. Trying to hear them communicate about seemingly polar opposites made me giggle and wishing that I better hearing. Whatta Man will always remain one of the best songs of the 90’s ever (and proud to say that I can still recite the entire song by heart).

Another snow day

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Everyone was freaking out on Thursday and Friday due to a winter storm watch upgraded to a winter storm warming. I made sure to get all the groceries I needed (ok and a bottle of red wine) to get me through the day and was relieved to have a Saturday where I would be doing nothing as opposed to running around, completing every errand out there. They called for 8 to 12 inches and when we get snow like that, it’s my excuse to stay in and do nothing (even though I have an SUV that can get through it without a problem). I don’t like to use that excuse all the time but it’s a weekend day with no commitments so I will take it!

I didn’t even set an alarm for Saturday morning because really, what was the point? As the morning came to be, I forgot about one alarm clock of mine—the Linx.

Screw Folgers, the best part of waking up is Linx on your stomach. My bladder begs to differ but I adore my little lovebug so he sitting on me until I muster up enough energy to get up doesn’t bother me too much. After some coercing puppy kisses, I invited the day and started getting things done. From sitting down and having a nice, quiet breakfast (an idea I hold near and dear to my heart because in the last place I lived it was never quiet) to finally putting away my laundry and organizing my closet, all the stuff I needed to got done.

What can I say? He likes to be near me…..and I have a mild addiction to Adidas products. After the stuff that needed to be done was complete, it was time to have a little fun…..as much fun as you can when you’re stuck inside with snow coming down. I caught up with old friends like my kettlebell and the gang.

I’m in between gyms right now thanks to finally getting out of my ghetto fabulous Bally’s membership so the kettlebell has been making a frequent appearance in my life. I love it and love how I feel the day after but a 20 lb kettlebell sometimes limits me because with such a higher weight I like to keep it at lower reps.

Soon enough it was time for lunch and when it looks like this outside, some warm, comfort food was in order. While I dig classic comfort food, I prefer mine with a twist so I whipped up a batch of Creamy Tomato Basil soup and Pesto Grilled Cheese and Ham sandwich.

I cheated and used Campbell’s Tomato soup because really, who wants to bother with real or diced tomatoes? Not this girl.

Creamy Tomato Basil Soup

4 cans Campbell’s Tomato Soup

2 cups chicken broth

1 cup half and half

2 tbsp chopped basil

salt and pepper to taste

Pour the chicken broth in a pot and bring to a boil, pour the  tomato sauce in and reduce to a medium heat. Let cook for 15 minutes then add half and half and cook for another 10 minutes then mix in basil and reduce to a simmer. After a few minutes you’re all set and ready to serve! When the soup was nearing the finish line, I put together my Pesto Grilled Cheese and Ham sandwich. I spread pesto sauce over the bread then layered with two slices of ham and colby jack cheese then grilled on the stovetop until it was golden brown. The sandwich + soup was the ultimate comfort meal with a twist and I was in a complete basil wonderland!

And that was the end of my Saturday productivity. After that was some much needed snuggle time with the Linx, catching up on my DVR list and then finally turning on the news to see what the situation with the snow was. I soon learned that it wasn’t nearly as bad as they thought it was going to be and the roads were just fine. I was a bit relieved because as much as I like relaxing, I hate spending Saturday mornings/afternoons at home. That is when I get stuff done and tend to be out all day then stay home at night since I’m a “Once I’m in for the night, I’m in” kind of girl. But the snow through me for a loop and forced me out of routine which worked out wonderfully since I had a $40 Groupon that was expiring and we all know how I am about saving money. It was for Hodson’s Bar and Grill , a restaurant/lounge downtown which one reason I had been procrastinating on using it. I rarely go downtown since I don’t work there and hate paying for parking so really, there’s no reason for me to go. But in an effort to save even more money, I asked my boo to call them up to see if they validate parking and they do for up to 3 hours so we could go, get discounted food and drink and get free parking. Now that will motivate me to get off my butt and get moving!

Hodson’s is located in a business building so I’m sure that’s most of their customer base and being a Saturday night, it wasn’t too busy. They were about three tables seated and a group of guys at the bar and the hostess told us we could go wherever we wanted. It was a swanky yet casual feel and there were tv’s strategically placed throughout the space so there was a good view wherever you sat.

 

Swanky place, a varied menu with items ranging from burgers to elegant salads to sushi, this place had it all. I was a bit worried it would suck since Hodson’s didn’t have the best reviews on Yelp but we had $40 to spend so I went in hoping we would have a good experience at best. Hodson’s completely went above and beyond my expectations—starting with our server, she was on top of her game but overbearing and was great with refills (I completely judge a place on their iced tea and it was perfect). Since the menu items were on the pricier side, we split two appetizers to start out with. Little did we know that the two appetizers we ordered, the Asian Nachos and Dungeness Crab Dip, were the two biggest appetizers on their menu.

Seriously, take a look for yourself! Starting out with the Asian Nachos which were out of this world—crispy wonton chips with chilled chicken, avocado, mango, sweet soy sauce and wasabi cream sauce. We put a dent in the plate between the two but we couldn’t finish it thanks to us switching back and forth from the nachos to the crab dip.

Served in a hot skillet, the crab dip was divine. It was served along side warm flat bread and was the perfect contrast to the tangy and sweet Asian nachos. We finished this one and were scraping the skillet to get every last bite we could! To ensure we hit the $40 mark, we put in an order for a pizza to split which wasn’t the smartest move on our part because we were near full by the time it came out. Our server earned even more brownie points for her timing with everything because I hate when you’re sitting there trying to enjoy an appetizer and your entrée comes out. We were just done with our appetizers and while we were nearing done, she told us she just put the pizza order in. The pizza, the Denver Meats, came out and it was gorgeous with an array of cured meats like pepperoni, sausage, salami—it was heavenly. Unfortunately we could only finish one slice each which meant leftovers for later this week!

The entire experience at Hodson’s from start to finish was perfect and as much as I believe in writing a letter due to bad service, I also believe in giving props where they are due. I wrote the restaurant to let them know what a fabulous experience we had and hope that they keep up the great work. I’m still confused how they have unfavorable reviews on Yelp, I cannot wait to come here again!

And then I ended the night with a new-to-me wine. I rarely pick Malbec but I was in the mood for something new and spicy and this wine fit the bill. I’m so in love with South American wines as of late, I don’t think I will ever go back to American wines.

 

A night at Carino’s

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To be honest, I’ve never heard of Johnny Carino’s before a few weeks ago so I didn’t know what to expect when Yelp invited me to a private tasting of their new, revived menu they’re rolling out . I’m Italian and quite picky when it comes to Italian food, even more so when it’s a chain. I won’t name names but some of them on right on cue, others are so far from what Italian food should taste like, I’m surprised people actually go there. That being said, after tasting appetizers, entrees and dessert at Carino’s, I think they are on the perfect road to success bringing a little bit of traditional Italian dishes along with new dishes with a twist to the table.

There was hooch galore, like a different wine pairing for each course meal we had along with their signature drink, Amalfi Stawberry Lemonade, made with Bacardi rum. I love strawberry lemonade and love rum so I made it a point to limit myself to one since I could see myself slurping down six and calling for a cab at the end of the night.

A few minutes into my drink, which was just about gone, we were presented with a schedule of the evening along with the first of a many dishes, a simple, lovely bruschetta. The executive chef of the entire chain was there that evening to tell us about each dish and while I thought we would be trying little bites of their dishes I was wrong, it was a full dish. Thank god I wore my fat pants and only had salad for lunch!

The next appetizer was my absolute favorite–Italian Nachos! As I could eat nachos every day I was in seventh heaven and I love their version because it was really like nothing I’ve ever seen before. Instead of tortilla chips, it’s pasta chips (they can do that??!!) topped with alfredo sauce, peppercini’s, jalapenos, chicken, ground Italian sausage, olives and mozzarella cheese. It was one of the best appetizers I’ve EVER had but the bummer was that there was so much food that you would be a few bites into a dish and they would bring out another one, props to them for thinking ahead and giving us boxes.

As I soon as I knew it, it was time for the second course of the night featuring classic Italian dishes such as 16 layer lasagna and eggplant parmesan along side with new ones such as smoked chicken and jalapeno ravioli and bacon mac and cheese.

The smoked chicken and jalapeno ravioli and bacon mac and cheese. were my favorites of the night and what I will probably order when I go back there. I love the modern taken on ravioli and instead of serving it in a ho hum alfredo sauce or marinara, it was served with a creamy jalapeno sauce that was packed with flavor. And Bacon Mac and Cheese? Need I say more??

My bag was about to overflow by this point and I didn’t want to be that girl asking for a second bag so I can have leftovers for the rest of the week.  It was time for the  third course of the night and this is when I made an executive decision to limit it to two-three bites of each dish and take the rest to go. This probably should have been something I did in the beginning but my stomach and I were just too excited for all the free, tasty food. The third course dishes ranged from a simple yet herbalicious wood roasted chicken alongside squash and zucchini to one of my other favorites of the night–Italian-style Baby Back Ribs. Why I never!! I would have never thought to tone down the sauce and add Italian herbs to ribs but Carino’s did it and it worked! The sauce was smooth with a hint of balsamic that didn’t overtake the succulence of the meat. And Thursday night is rib night so if you want to try it, be sure to go then.

Tuscan ribeye topped with scallops and shrimp was another favorite of mine since it had a smooth sublime flavor and would be another thing that I would order when I go back to Carino’s. I loved their Shrimp Florentine as well even though it reminded me more of a Shrimp Scampi with a generous portion of spinach.

Thank God they served little desserts like tiramisu, turtle cheesecake and chocolate cake because I was about to hit my wall at that point. But it would have been rude to pass on dessert, right?In the end I felt like Audrey in National Lampoons European Vacation when she dreams she is eating everything in the world and the buttons on her shirt start popping off (I really hope they are other children of the 80′s out there who get that reference). I had my looser jeans on and I sure am happy I wore those because I was pleasantly full but just couldn’t pass on a bite size dessert like their turtle cheesecake.

This evening not only introduced me to the new dishes of Johnny Carino’s but also gave me leftovers for the rest of the week and more importantly, gave me a lesson in humility to show me that not all chain places suck. While I usually don’t pick chain establishments to dine out at on the regular, I won’t stick my nose up at certain ones in the future.

Stuff it real good

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You all know I don’t dedicate an entire post to one meal unless is c’est magnifique. Thanks to Costco, my Friday meal was such and since I’m nice I just wanted to spread the love on how it went down. I went to Costco last weekend after a day of being snowed in and picked up some goodies that I love but never think to buy in bulk like pesto and goat cheese.

Don’t hate on Costco pesto—it’s 110% legit and waaaaay cheaper than buying all the ingredients to make that amount of pesto. Plus if I can get two huge logs of goat cheese, I’m going to cash in on it since it’s usually $4 for half the size of just one! I really didn’t have a specific idea as to what I was going to make since except for adding it into meals throughout the week. But I also bought chicken breasts and almonds and when I put my mind to work, a star was born–Almond Crusted Pesto Chicken!

Ingredients

2 chicken breasts, thawed

1/4 cup ground almonds

4 oz goat cheese

3 tbsp flour

1 egg, beat

4 oz pesto

mozzarella cheese (optional)

You can use almond meal or grind your own almond meal like I did (yet another purchase from Costco, there are so many uses for 3 lbs of almonds!) Keep an eye on the almonds while grinding them—grind them too much and it will turn into almond butter!

Cut the chicken horizontally to create a pocket. Be sure not to cut all the way through because then it will be more like a chicken sandwich but if you do, no worries, just toothpick it together! Once a pocket is formed, take your goat cheese and stuff into the the pocket. I don’t have a specific amount for how much should be in each chicken piece since the pieces and size of the pockets varied but enough that it’s really in there yet will be ok to secure with toothpicks.

Set up three bowls-one for flour, eggwash and ground almond. Take the chicken and dip in each bowl in the order above, then lay on greased baking pan and cook at 375 degrees for 30 minutes.

I’ve never made stuffed chicken in the oven before, the stovetop is my preferred method but it’s always good to mix it up and try new things (other ideas for stuffed chicken are mexican stuffed chicken, Greek stuffed chicken and spinach and mushroom stuffed chicken, the possibilities are just about endless!) While the chicken is cooking, open a bottle of wine and wait 30 minutes while the chicken. Ok, so this step isn’t necessary but it was Friday night after month end and I needed some wine to properly reflect on the week and unwind.

I set the timer for 15 minutes and turned the chicken pieces over so all sides could get in on the crispy action. Nothing worse then a soggy bottom so this ensures that no soggy bottoms will creep into your meal. Another 15 minutes down and the chicken turned out beautiful. I added the pesto sauce to the chicken with a sprinkle of mozzarella and nuked for 45 seconds to get a nice, gooey melt. If you’re more patient than me you could add those to the chicken then put back into the oven. Unfortunately patience is not a virtue of mine plus once I saw the chicken with the goat cheese oozing out, I was ready to dig in so a quick fix was in order.

Enjoy the rest of the night with said wine, puppy snuggling and a good read

Mind you by boyfriend was sitting 10 feet away from me so really I shouldn’t have been reading but I had to finish the book I’ve been reading because I was dying to find out the ending. I’m sure anyone else who’s read Gone Girl can attest to that as well, it was the first page turner I’ve read in quite some time. If you’re one of the ones who hadn’t hurt of the book, go out and get it or get on the waiting list at the library! Lena told me about back in November and that’s when I placed a hold on it at the library and just got it last weekend. That many people wanting to read it can’t be wrong about a book!