Life 2.1

For those of you living under a rock, Sunday was the Super Bowl and I decided it was a fine time to break in my new television. Best Buy was having a sale and I had Christmas money and gift cards burning a hole in my pocket so I’m the proud owner of a 60-inch man tv. Yep, 60 inches of high-def glory. It’s spectacular, not gonna lie.

My brother and my parentals hadn’t met G²‘s mom yet so we all converged on my house to watch the game. There was a pool (Mom won 3 of 4 quarters, including the final she isn’t invited back next year) and lots of food. I may have overcooked. Possibly. Just a little bit.

Come to find out, I ♥ crock pots. I used two on SBS: one for chili and one for chicken nachos (recipes to follow below) and I also enjoy football food that’s odd, outta me.

Our menu consisted of the following:

• Slow-Cooker Chili
• Chicken Nachos (made in the crock pot and looking like they might turn into fine leftover enchiladas)
• Spinach & Artichoke dip
• Loaded Potato Skins
• Peanut Butter & Chocolate Crunch Bars
• Assorted meats and cheese
• Fried chicken (*disclaimer: I didn’t make this on Sunday morning. Rather, I had made a ridiculous amount of thighs and drumsticks for dinner on Friday night and they really needed to go to a good home so I busted the chicken out too.)

It was a solid line up of eats, if I do say so myself.

The game was fun and truly, all I asked was that the game wasn’t a blowout so I appreciate the Packers and the Steelers making it interesting. I have tons of leftovers (as does my brother, who took a lot home) especially since it was near 80 degrees on Sunday so hearty chili wasn’t exactly a hit, although I tasted it and was pleased with the recipe, but I think next time I will add more beans.

Here’s the recipe round up for my SBS Party:

Slow-Cooker Chili
Ingredients:

• 2 lbs. ground chuck
• 1 cup of chopped yellow onion
• 1 green pepper, chopped
• 2-3 ribs of celery, finely chopped
• 1 large (28-ounce) can of crushed tomatoes
• 1 8-ounce can of tomato sauce
• 3 cans of kidney beans, drained
• 2 tsp. of black pepper
• 4 tsp. chili powder
• 2 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp. garlic salt

Preparation:
In a large skillet, brown the ground chuck and drain the fat. Combine all the ingredients in a crock pot on LOW and let the magic happen. In approximately 7 hours, you will have deliciousness. This recipe has some kick on the back end, so I recommend mixing in the shredded cheese and sour cream when serving. The sour cream will cool the kick without sacrificing the flavor.

Southwestern Chicken Nachos (we used this more as a dip but heap this on top of chips and it could be delish!)
Ingredients

• 1 small bag of frozen corn
• 3 large, frozen boneless/skinless chicken breasts
• 1 16-ounce jar of medium salsa (for those of you who aren’t into spice, trust me when I say medium salsa. Mild just isn’t enough flavor.)
• 1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 8-ounce package of cream cheese
• tortilla chips
• Additional toppings, such as: cilantro, shredded cheeses, sour cream, sliced olives, etc.

Preparation:
Empty the bag of frozen corn onto the bottom of the crock pot. Place the frozen chicken on top of the corn, then cover the chicken with the salsa and black beans. Cook on HIGH for one hour, then reduce the setting to LOW for 4 more hours. Shred the chicken with forks, then mix in the cream cheese until creamy. Now’s the time when you can pile up a platter of tortilla chips then top them with the nachos and additional toppings, but we just ate it as dip with the chips and it worked well. It’s currently being enjoyed on its own in a bowl, in a very cereal-like method of consumption.

Spinach-Artichoke Dip
Ingredients

• 1 14-ounce can of artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
• 1 10-ounce package of frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
• 1 8-ounce container of fat free plain yogurt or, if you’re me, 2 single-serve (6-ounce) yogurts that are on sale 10-for-$5 and just eat the other four ounces
• 1 1/2 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/4 cup of chopped green onion
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tbsp of cayenne pepper, plus a sprinkle for the top
• tortilla chips or crackers for serving
• sour cream and salsa (optional, but since we had them on the table anyway…)

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350. Combine all ingredients, saving 1/2 cup of cheese for use later, in a mixing bowl. Pour mixture into a 9-inch pie plate or quiche casserole dish. Sprinkle the top with a little cayenne and top that with the remaining mozzarella. Bake for 20-25 minutes and serve with tortilla chips or crackers.

Loaded Potato Skins
The only thing I hate about potato skins is that good potato I had to basically get rid of to get at the skins. As a big fan of carbs in general, this seems like such a waste! Sigh.
Ingredients:

• Small Russet potatoes
• Bacon
• Shredded Extra Sharp Cheese
• Sour Cream

Preparation:
Preheat the over to 400. Wash the potatoes and with a very sharp knife, cut them in half, long ways (or, hot-dog way, if you prefer). Scoop out the potato (I didn’t do this very precisely, again, because it seemed like such a waste of perfectly good potato insides!) and place on a foil-lined baking sheet, skin-side down until soft (in my oven it was about 30-40 minutes). While the potatoes are baking, begin frying the bacon. Be sure to fry extra bacon in case one of your guests likes to “sample” bacon every chance he gets. When the bacon is done, transfer it to a paper towel-lined plate and save the bacon grease. Crumble the bacon to bits. When the potatoes are done, I fried the skins in the bacon drippings to add a little more bacon flavor. Remove from the frying pan and return to the baking sheet. Top with bacon bits and cheese and bake again for another 15-20 minutes, or until the cheese melts. Serve with sour cream.

Peanut Butter & Chocolate Crunch Bars
Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cups of peanut butter
• 3/4 cup of butter,melted
• 2 cups of powdered sugar
• 1 package from a box of graham crackers, crumbled in a ziploc bag to smithereens (I opted for honey grahams, but I suppose cinnamon could be used)
• 2 packages of semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preparation:
Beat HALF of the peanut butter and butter until creamy. Gradually add in 1 cup of the powdered sugar. With a wooden spoon, mix in the graham cracker crumbs, 1 package of chocolate chips, followed by the remaining powdered sugar. Spread evenly into a greased 13×9 pan. Melt the remaining peanut butter and other bag of chocolate chips in a saucepan on LOW until melted together and creamy. Spread over the top of the mixture in the pan and refrigerate for at least one hour (unless it’s a freakishly warm, 80-degree day, then keep them chilled for as long as possible so as not to melt in your house in February).

So that was my big Super Bowl Sunday cook-a-thon. I really like cooking. I like it even more when there are people around for whom to cook.

No Comments | In: Delicious-flavored foods, Sports, because, have you met me? | tags: food, football, recipe, Super Bowl Sunday. | #

My dad used to tape newspaper articles to our refrigerator when my brothers and I were growing up. Articles would appear in the mornings, if he read the paper prior to our getting up for school, or in the evenings, if it was something that crossed his desk while at he was at work. The content of the articles varied from sports tips to social commentary that served as food for thought to those that were meant to entertain. Sometimes there was highlighted text, of which we knew to take special note.

If I had someone who saw my fridge besides myself, I would totally post this article on it. Since I don’t, I’m posting here.

No Comments | In: Life in the boot-shaped state, Sports, because, have you met me? | tags: football, New Orleans Saints, newspaper article, Superbowl. | #

When my brother Joe graduated high school in 2003, my graduation present to him was a ginormous scrapbook of all his sports accomplishments in high school. In truth, I had actually given him the first chunk of the album for Christmas in 2001, because there was enough material, and gave him the balance at graduation. I took alllll his football articles and alllll his baseball articles, combined them with photos (being nice to the yearbook lady in high school totally paid off, she gave me a whole CD of photos since I was in college myself during his junior and senior years) and the finished product was actually TWO ginormous scrapbooks.

Well, for those of you playing at home, I have two brothers. And Ted also received his first installment of his album for Christmas in 2005, with junior and senior years still owed to him upon his high school graduation in 2007. That came and went, and I still had a very large bag of newspaper articles that would have intimidated even the most seasoned scrapbooker. But…I finished it. Finally. Nevermind the fact that the kid is headed into his junior year of college. That’s neither here nor there.

But, since he is getting his present later today upon my arrival back on the west coast (assuming that ever happens :/ ), and because I’m confident he never checks my blog, I’m posting the images. Because that sucker is thick and I’m, adding it to the Scraptastic Gallery so it won’t take days to load on one page. Here’s the latest additions:

Ted’s Senior Year (2006-2007)

Ted’s Junior Year (2005-2006)

Oh yea. And Go Indians too.

No Comments | In: Scraptastic Stuff, Sports, because, have you met me? | tags: baseball, football, scrapbooking, sports. | #

I love football season. I mean, I love baseball season but the two are different. There is something about the smell of football (shoulder pads, mixed with sweat, mixed with grass) that I love. I especially love it under the lights. I love baseball just as much, but in a different way. (I’m not sure why I needed to justify that but I felt the need.)

At any rate, tonight is Monday Night Football. And not just any Monday Night Football. This is the Saints taking on Atlanta. The UNDEFEATED SAINTS against the Falcons. It’s huge in this town. New Orleans is a football city. I mean, after the huge win over Miami last week, I actually got a text message on Sunday at 9pm that said something like, “Saints land at 10pm. See you at the airport.” Like that is totally normal to go to the airport. I didn’t go (obvi, I like sleep) but word on the street was that cars were lined up for miles outside the private airport.

This was the scene (taken from nola.com) at the airport. And the best part? The Saints players stopped to sign autographs. For a long time. Nice.

New Orleans has no pro baseball team so I can’t compare how they would be for a World Series event but I have to say, today….today, ladies and gentlemen, I was impressed.

It was Monday. No one likes Monday. Except the Monday where you get to wear Saints/black & gold clothing to work in place of a suit and tie. I went to work today (not in Saints gear because I literally didn’t get the memo) and I’m pretty sure everyone that I came in contact with today didn’t want to/was not working. (Not me though, I work all the time. Double on Saturdays. Triple on Sundays. All the time, in case you’re reading this Mike.) Why? Because they were all.getting.ready.for.The.Game.

Please note that The Game is capitalized. Because it is that important.

To illustrate my point, I took these pics from my car (when I was working) today at approximately 1:30pm near the Superdome.

Yes that is a Saints blowup man

The tailgating started early. As in 7 hours early.

And these pics don’t even do it justice but I was getting ready to merge onto a major interstate and value my life so it’s the best I could do.

As I walked between accounts today, I was amazed at the buzz of activity. Oddly, the first thought that popped into my head was hmm, this sure is going to stimulate the local economy. This is also how I know I’m an adult. I think of adult things like the economy.

Everyone was in Saints jerseys, women donned black and gold boas and fleur-de-lis. It was really impressive. That’s really the only word I can use to describe such passion. And believe me, it is passion.

I know him. Seriously.

For my CA readers who haven’t experienced quite such a thing, don’t be alarmed. He is actually a very nice person.

But I just thought I would attempt to capture such a day/emotion/passion because, really, there is nothing like it. So I guess there really is just one thing left to say.

Who Dat???

No Comments | In: Sports, because, have you met me? | tags: Atlanta Falcons, football, Monday Night Football, New Orleans Saints, NFL, Superdome, Who dat. | #

Talk about a whirlwind weekend! There was definitely not a moment spared while I was in town. Since we already recapped Thursday, let’s do a quick run down (we all know I’m much too long-winded for a quick recap) of the remaining weekend days.

Friday: I woke up early to meet Amanda (the bride-to-be) and Aleah to get our toes and nails done for the wedding. I should first share an Amanda-Colleen story. When we were sophomores in high school, we both invited boys to the Turnabout Dance. It was the high school version of a winter formal in a sadie hawkins format. Amanda had asked her boyfriend at the time (now hubby!) and I asked Bobby. Bobby was pretty much my other brother but he made for a good date so it worked out.

The dance was just after Valentine’s Day and I found this adorable (although very early late 90s/early 2000s) red ankle-length dress with spaghetti straps and a black lace overlay. I was feeling quite lovely in said dress. We had all planned to meet at my house before the dance and my mom was cooking dinner for us at Molly’s Country Kitchen since we couldn’t even drive yet (!!)

You can imagine my surprise when Amanda, who had shopped separately for her dress, showed up in the exact.same.one. Only in blue. We had a good laugh about it and I was declared the shopping winner since my dress was cheaper because it was red and it was post-Valentine’s Day.

Ok. Back to Friday. So I haven’t seen Amanda in months. Like, over a year. That is a very long time for us to go without a Target trip people. But as I sat chatting with her mom at the Pro Nails, waiting for her and Aleah, imagine my shock and immediately laughter when she came in wearing the exact same shirt I had on. And this wasn’t just any shirt. It’s not like it was a white t-shirt and jeans uniform or something. See the below:

Twinsies

What are the odds? Only this time, it was Amanda who was declared the shopping winner since she bought hers at a thrift store for a steal of a deal while I only found mine on clearance. Ha!

At any rate, we had a good morning of pampering, thus the pic of some of the content ladies:

Left to right: Aleah Amanda Me and Kristina

Following my mani-pedi, I met up with my girls (and guy–way to hang in there JHart) from the winery and had lunch at one of my favorite places ever: Taqueria Rosita! It was everything I had hoped for and more in a burrito form. sigh.

JHart in the back, Vicki, Melissa, Morgan, Me, KK, Andi and Megan

Then I quickly ran to a hair appointment and got ready for Amanda and Ben’s rehearsal dinner, followed by (wait for it…) Friday night football at Memorial!!! Yay!!!!

Oh man do I miss it. I even miss the confetti that is thrown without care after every touchdown Napa scores (almost )

The culprits of the confetti are the daughters of the head coach (and yes, that white stuff in my hair is definitely confetti. Peyton and Kennedie had to make up for lost time):

Peyton Me and Kennedie

I was also excited to get to see Charles play, who is also like an extended brother, since his mom Cindy is pretty much a big sister/aunt to me. Much like his older brother (who is John, the reason I proudly don my Oregon fleece), Charles is all over the football field doing everything and doin’ it well. Did I mention it was throwback jersey night since Napa High was honoring the 1959 team that went undefeated? Check out these sweet jerseys:

Me and Charles

Friday was a FULL day but I’m glad I packed it all in…

Saturday’s recap will follow shortly but I have to board a plan back to New Orleans because quite frankly, an hour in Houston is all I can take at this hour of the morning. No offense to Houston, I just REALLY REALLY want to be in my own place since I had the pleasure of seeing the sun rise this lovely Monday morning.

1 Comment | In: Social Adventures | tags: football, mani-pedi, Napa football, Taqueria Rosita, twins. | #