Chicken and Broccoli Gratin

Very rarely do I look at a recipe that uses frozen ingredients, like this one, and think to myself I have GOT to try that!  Due to my hectic work schedule, however, this recipe slid through, and I am sure glad it did.

This is a list of all of the wonderful things that are in this recipe:

• mushrooms and onions
• chicken
• broccoli WITH CHEESE
• crescent rolls
• ricotta

Need I go on? 

That was rhetorical and this is my blog, so of COURSE I'm going to go on.  These were a snap to whip up and, unlike my lasagna disaster, were totally delicious.

Yes, peeps, that IS a flaky crescent roll baked atop a cheesy concoction.  And I have absolutely zero complaints about this recipe.  Except that it only serves two, and I could've eaten twenty portions.

In all of my blathering on about food and cold weather and Arnie lately, I forgot to mention that I am officially DONE with school.  For the first time in my life, I am graduating with no plans to return to school.  I am both terrified and relieved, because I love school and am worried I will be bored.  Before worrying about boredom, however, I need graduation shoes!

B Brian Atwood via Saks

Too much to wear with my mortarboard?

Recovering

I feel like every year at this time, I write a post about how I'm "recovering" from the holidays.  And I'm sure that you're all groaning because, I mean, who needs to recover from the holidays?

I DO.

The F and I are very fortunate to have friends and family all over the country, which means LOTS of traveling and LOTS of airports which are exhausting.

So today I am snuggling with Arnie (who had to go to a kennel instead of with us . . . devastating) and relaxing, and I'll be back to regular posts soon!

Happy Turkey Day!

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I bring you this quote from one of the F's favorite comedians, Mitch Hedberg:

"If you go to the grocery store and stand in front of the lunch meat section for too long, you start to get pissed off at turkeys. You see turkey ham, turkey pastrami, turkey bologna -- somebody needs to tell the turkeys, 'Man, just be yourself.' "

Also in the spirit of Thanksgiving, I give you a photo of Arnie pigging out, while wearing her coziest hoodie:

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!  I am thankful for each and every one of my readers.  What you lack in numbers you make up for in enthusiasm!  Or something!  Now go forth and eat too much!



Pepperoni-laced Lasagna

The F is on a constant quest for more pepperoni.  Not a meal goes by that I don't hear "you know what would be great with/on/in/alongside this?  Pepperoni."  I find it strange, yet endearing (which is one of the many reasons he's lucky to have me.  Obviously.).

In an effort to please, I used this recipe for a new spin on lasagna.  I should have been wary, having never sauted pepperoni before (the stench and leftover grease were APPALLING.  If there is such a thing as a lasagna-steam facial, I got one), but I set off to make this monstrosity nonetheless.

I am not going to mince words in this post, because it is VERY rare when I talk about how much I don't like something I've whipped up in the kitchen:  this lasagna was NO GOOD.  Perhaps more sauce would've made it better.  Or no pepperoni.  Or more pepperoni.  I have no idea. 

But as it was, neither the F nor I particularly cared for this recipe.  Maybe you wanna throw some pepperoni into your standard lasagna recipe, and that may be delicious.  But I wouldn't count on Guy's recipe, not at all.  (I should note, however, that apparently there's an ingredient error and the recipe should only call for one pound of lasagna noodles, not two.  That may have made all of the difference and I wish I had read the comments in advance!)

In the spirit of the upcoming holiday (and my upcoming trip to the arctic a/k/a Minnesota) and also of things that aren't what they seem, like the lasagna, I present to you these:

via

Not the typical shoe featured on this blog, amiright?  I ordered these because they are (1) faux-fur lined, (2) still heeled, and therefore sassy, and (3) weather resistant, because I know not what kind of inclement weather I will encounter in the tundra.  Also, comfortable!  Quite the combination.

Quickie Friday: Creamed Spinach

Earlier this week, I took the F out for an early birthday dinner (his birthday was Wednesday . . . happy birthday, F!) and we enjoyed a DELICIOUS meal.  Normally when eating at a steak house, I add creamed spinach to my meal (I skipped it this time) but this recipe makes creamed spinach so easy, that I could justify not having it at a restaurant!

I didn't get a picture of the final product, but you certainly get the idea!  So quick, so easy, and SO delicious.  I definitely recommend it any time you're craving your greens with some added richness!

I can't explain it, but I love these:

via

Ridiculous?  Sure.  But they'd make me giggle every time I looked down at my feet, and the power of a good giggle can't be underestimated, peeps!

Uber-Spicy Slowcooker Chili

The F and I are not ones to shy away from spicy food (the spicier the better, we always say!) and this recipe, found here, did not disappoint on the spicy front.

The recipe calls for 10 jalapenos, but I opted to use seven because, here in Florida, our jalapenos are bigger and hotter than most.  (I am DEFINITELY glad that I made that call.)

The recipe made enough chili to feed a LOT of people, but since it was just the F and I, we portioned it out and saved the leftovers for lunches and suppers.  Be warned, though, it only got hotter as it sat in the fridge (and the crockpot)!

I topped the chili with oyster crackers and a four-cheese blend (which helped tame the heat) and it was awesome.  The recipe would be easy to tone down for those who don't like their food to singe the tongue, but I would definitely make it again just as it is!

Ever since I tried these on, I can't get them out of my head.  But I am determined NOT to buy my fab wedding shoes until closer to the big day.

Miu Miu via Bergdorf Goodman

But with shoes like this available, I'm going to have a hard time resisting for so long!

Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches

I would apologize for my absence, peeps, but the truth is that I'm not sorry (new readers, I apologize for starting you off on such a snarky note . . . and welcome!) because I have been working 7 days a week, up to 11 hours a day, and I am EXHAUSTED.  On the bright side, I found a wedding dress, which means that the number of healthy recipes on this blog is likely to increase.

But this isn't one of them.

This recipe (which I found here) for spicy chicken sandwiches in the crock pot is so easy, requires 4 ingredients and can be done in 4 hours (8 if you're like me and throw your chicken in the crock pot frozen). 

Enter a toasted bun and pepperjack cheese, and you have yourself one helluva (super easy) sandwich.  They may not look like much, but they taste wonderful.

This, peeps, is one helluva shoe:

Fendi via Neiman Marcus

I had the distinct pleasure of trying on these FABULOUS shoes on Saturday, and they are nothing short of spectacular.  If my wedding were in the near(er) future, these would be in my closet for my big day.  But they say patience is a virtue, so I'm not making the big day shoe purchase quite yet!