Dreamcatchers Meme

I found a funny meme last night that I want to share for your Semi-Wordless Wednesday. Something to chase those nightmares away.

I now return you to your regularly scheduled Hump Day.

My Friday Confessions 10-25

OK, peeps. The Friday confessional is open. Let's get to it.

I do not wear lipstick. Like, ever. I don't even own a tube of lipstick. I remember telling someone that a few years ago and they just looked at me with this confused look on their face, like they were trying to understand a foreign language or something. 

And while we're on the subject of things I don't wear, I also don't wear high heels. I don't even own a pair of heels. No seriously. 

That last time I wore a pair of heels was on June 23, 1984. The day I got married. And those were very low heels. Heels are just not comfortable. And since I seldom have the need to wear a dress, I don't really have the need for heels either. And besides, I can wear flats with a dress. I'm just cool like that.

I have never tried Nutella. I should try it. I mean, it's got chocolate. It's got hazelnut. It definitely sounds like something I could eat too much of like. Which is probably a good reason to never try it. I hear that stuff can be addicting.

And lastly, I finally got Ian Somerhalder, aka Damon Salvatore, to show up at my house. He's right behind me in my office as I type this.

OK, yeah, he's a poster. But I'll take what I can get.

That's the sum of my wild confessions for this week. I hope it wasn't too much for you. ;)

Twice Around the Block

Just a quick post for your Semi-Wordless Wednesday--before it's too late and it's actually Thursday! Very few words necessary, to be sure. It's self-explanatory.

See? My new workouts are a piece of cake. I'll be losing weight in no time.

Mexican Shells and Chicken Casserole

OK, peeps. It's time for another Tinalicious Tasty Tuesday. This week's recipe is a casserole with a hint of Mexican flavor and flare. After all, a little spice in your life is good, right? Admit it. You're excited.

So here's what you need to make this oh-so-fabulous dish:

• 3/4 LB of Small Shells pasta
• 2 Cups of Cooked Chicken, chopped
• 2 Cans Cream of Chicken Soup
• 1 Can (10oz) Rotel Diced Tomatoes w/Green Chiles (I used Mild)
• 1-1/2 Cups of Sour Cream
• 2 Cups Shredded Mexican Cheese
• 1-2 TBSP Chili-O Seasoning (to taste)
• Salt & Pepper, to taste

And here's how create this tasty bit of Mexican-flavored heaven:

1.  Preheat the oven to 350°.
2. Cook the pasta, per the package's directions.
3. In a large bowl, mix all the other ingredients (you can reserve 1/2 Cup of the cheese to sprinkle on top of the casserole, if you like--it's up to you). Add the cooked pasta. Mix well.
4. Put in a 9x13" baking dish. Cover with foil and bake for 40-45 minutes.

When it's finished, you'll have a bowl full of this deliciousness:

And really, the only thing that could make this better is if you had this guy sharing the meal with you after you've made it.

But naturally, I shared mine with the Hubs. I may or may not have called him Damon during dinner.

To Sweat, or Not to Sweat

Yes, it's true. I hate to sweat. But being that I'm quite the cow these days, I figured it was high time to get off my cow-sized butt and try to do something about it. I really don't eat that much, as much as the appearance of my cow-sized butt would make you think otherwise, so my diet isn't the real problem.Though I do have a sweet tooth, I am pretty good about not letting it control me.

Really, it's pretty much about the exercise, or lack thereof. Fact is, I despise exercise. And I can't even begin to tell you how much I loathe to sweat. And exercise = sweating. Sweating is gross. And exercising is not even remotely fun. So how else can I feel about either one?

But hey, you know what they say..."suck it up, sunshine and just do it." 

OK, maybe they don't say that exactly, but you get the idea. I need to watch what I eat, and gasp exercise. Even if I hate it. Even if it makes me sweat. Even if I hate the skinny biatches who can eat whatever they want and never workout and still be a size 9, while I have to workout for a month just to lose one freaking pound. I have to do it.

So that's what I'm doing. I'm in week two, which is nothing really to brag about, I guess. But hey, it's something. And it's one small step closer to decreasing my cow-sized butt. I don't expect miracles though. I'll never be a size 9.

And that's OK. I'll be happy to lose some extra pounds, get healthy-ish, and have a little bit of an easier time getting my cow-sized butt up off the floor after playing with my granddaughter. Gotta keep the expectations realistic, don'tcha know.

Hopefully, in a year from now, I'll be able to look back at this post and smile at how far I've come.

Stay tuned. I'm just gonna take it One Calorie At a Time.

My Daily Workouts Meme

Since I'm trying to eat right and do daily workouts in my attempt to lose One Calorie At a Time, I thought I'd create a little meme to share with you today. And it will work for your Semi-Wordless Wednesday too. :)

Semi-Wordless 80's Wednesday

The 80's.

What can I say about the 80's? Well, you know what they say: a picture is worth a thousand words. So...

It wasn't a perfect decade by any means. 

But it had E.T.

And Back to the Future.

And Pac Man.

And California Raisins commercials
And Princess Diana's wedding.

And "Who Shot J.R.?" T-Shirts.

And legwarmers.

And an MTV that actually played music videos.

And Michael Jackson.

The 80's rocked.

The Best Broccoli Cheese Soup Ever

I've been searching for a really good--scratch that--really GREAT Broccoli and Cheese Soup for years. Years, I tell you. It's been exhausting. And a little maddening.

I mean, really. How hard should it be to find a Broccoli Cheese Soup that is so delicious that it makes you never want to eat any other Broccoli Cheese Soup ever again?

Well, at long last, my search is finally over. That's right. I found it. And to think, the Hubs said that Pinterest is a waste of five hours a night time. Hmph. I showed him.

Anyhoots, I thought I'd share the recipe with you, in case any of you have been on the same seemingly life-long search for Broccoli Cheese Soup satisfaction. I found it on Pinterest, but the source is Jenn at the Peas and Crayons blog. So click the link below if you'd like to visit the original recipe source. Note: I omitted the shredded carrots and cayenne pepper that Jen's recipe called for.

BROCCOLI CHEESE SOUP RECIPE

Ingredients

• 2 Cups of Chopped Broccoli
• 2 Cups Chicken Stock (or Vegetable)
• 1/2 Cup Sharp Cheddar Cheese, shredded, plus extra for topping
• 1 Cup or Regular Gouda Cheese, shredded
• 1 Cup of Diced White Onion
• 2 Cloves Minced Garlic
• 1 Cup Heavy Cream
• 3 TBSP  All Purpose Flour
• 3 TBSP Butter
• 1 Bay Leaf
• 1/4 TSP Garlic Powder
• 1/8 TSP Allspice
• 1/8 TSP Ground Nutmeg
• 1/8 TSP Dried Basil
• Salt & Pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Add your Chick Stock, Broccoli, Onion, Garlic and Bay Leaf to a medium pot. Simmer, covered, over medium heat for about 15 minutes, or until the broccoli is tender.
2. Once the broth is done, start your roux in a large pot. Add the Butter over medium heat and whisk until it's melted; then slowly add the flour as you whisk until well mixed. Then turn off the heat.
3. Add the broth (leaving out veggies for now) to the roux and stir to mix. Then add the veggies, and slowly pour in the Heavy Cream. Pull out the Bay Leaf.
4. Return the pot to low heat and add your herbs and spices. Once the soup is heated back up, add in your cheeses and stir until it's all melted.
5. Serve and enjoy!

A couple of notes: I doubled this recipe since Jenn said her version only made 2 large bowls worth. I wanted a nice big pot of soup, so I just doubled it all. But with the Sharp Cheddar Cheese, I also used extra--I used a full 2 Cups of it in the soup. What can I say? I'm a cheese fiend. I served mine with some fresh hard rolls from the bakery in the local grocery store.

Sadly, I have no photo of my soup a la perfection! I was so hungry when I got done that I started eating and forgot to take a photo. But hey, we all know what Broccoli Cheese Soup is supposed to look like, right? And you can always pop over to Jenn's blog and see her fabulous pics. :)  And rest assured that after you eat it, you too will be saying...

 

WTF Kitty

Just a quick picture post today for your WTF Wednesday. It just fits.

I feel exactly like that sometimes. 

Exactly.

Baked Parmesan Chicken

Well, what do you know? It's Tuesday. And since it's been far too long since I've done a Tasty Tuesday post, I think it's time to change that. I've got a great recipe to share that I just made for dinner this evening. It was truly tasty! So let's have a peek at the cast of characters, shall we?

Ingredients

• 6-8 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Thighs (you can use breasts, but we're thigh people)
• 1 Stick of Melted Butter (I never said this would be a healthy recipe, after all)
• 2 TSP Minced Garlic
• 1 Cup Italian Bread Crumbs
• 2/3 Cup Parmesan Cheese (I used Kraft grated, but you could grate your own)
• 1 TSP Dried Basil
• Kosher Salt, to taste (optional)

Directions

1. After you melt your stick of Butter, add the Minced Garlic to it in a bowl and set it aside. This gives the garlic a chance to flavor the butter.
2. Gather all your other ingredients and rinse your Chicken.
3. In another bowl, combine the Bread Crumbs, Parmesan Cheese, and Basil. Mix well.
4. Dredge the chicken in the butter/garlic combo, then into the Bread Crumbs/Cheese mixture, and place in a 9x13" pan. Once all my chicken was in the pan I poured my leftover butter into the bottom of the pan too.
5. Sprinkle the chicken with Kosher Salt. I love Kosher Salt, but feel free to use whatever salt you like, or leave it out. 
6. Bake in a 350° oven for 40-45 minutes. Time will vary according to your oven. Mine was probably done at 40 minutes, but I gave it an extra 5 minutes to brown the crumbs a bit more.

When it's finished, your Baked Parmesan Chicken should look a bit like this:

And once you've finished eating it, you should feel like this:

I know I did. :) Oh, and as I recall, at the last minute I decided to sprinkle on just a wee bit of granulated garlic on top of my chicken before I stuck it in the oven. I know, I already used minced garlic, but I just had this feeling that it needed...more. Yes, we're garlic people too.

On a side note, I'm curious as to why I got 7 thighs in my package of chicken. Not 8. Not 6. But 7. It's weird, no?  Just something to ponder while you're copying this recipe down. Enjoy!