Happy Love Day

We don't celebrate Valentine's day in our house, but I know a lot of you do so . . .

Happy Valentine's Day!  From my wiener to yours!

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas . . .

To you and yours, from me and mine . . . basking in the light of our tree. 

Favorite Things Thursday: I Can't Resist

She's been laying low for awhile, but not today.

Is she, or is she not, the world's cutest dog?!  Seriously.  Happy Thursday, peeps.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Happy birthday to my precious little Arnie!  She turns three today, and (because of the impending move) we'll be celebrating at the end of the month and in early July, when one of her favorite people comes to visit!  Don't you just want to kiss that cute wienie face, peeps?! 

Stepping Back to Step Forward

Peeps!  I know I've been beyond MIA lately, and for that I apologize.  But sometimes we have to take a step back to take a step forward, ya know?

Regular posting returns tomorrow!  Arnie and I thank you for being such patient and loyal readers!

And Today I Bring You . . .

Arnie.

Up close and adorable.  Because her fans miss her.

Savory Breakfast Muffins

Let me reveal a little something about myself to you right now:  I am always . . . ALWAYS . . . on the search for delicious breakfast (or breakfast-adjacent) recipes.  When my current boss forwarded me this recipe for savory breakfast muffins, which she herself hadn't even tried, I knew I had to give them a whirl.

This is a serious muffin, in preparation, execution, and flavor.  I used a hot breakfast sausage but otherwise followed the directions to a T.  24 savory, delicious muffins later, I was sold.  And they freeze and are easily re-heated, thereby making them the perfect weekday breakfast (and would be even more perfect with some scrambled eggs).

Don't be fooled by this picture . . . my photography skills aren't getting any better.  The muffins ar just extremely photogenic.  And speaking of photogenic!

THAT is also a cute muffin.  My little love muffin.  Or snuggle muffin.  Or Arnie muffin (depending on my mood).

Remember, peeps, whe I was ranting and raving about how Mr. Brian Atwood should take time out of his busy schedule to make a pair of shoes that would be appropriate for my wedding?  Well, Mr. Jimmy Choo (or Ms. Tamara Mellon, or someone at the company) heard my cries and, lo and behold, I found these:

Jimmy Choo via Bergdorf Goodman

It is literally taking every ounce of my being, at this very moment, not to order these for my wedding.  Every.  Single.  Ounce.

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!



Nothing's the Same (but Everything's Awesome)

Holy sh*t moly, peeps, do I have news.  News which will both affect the blog greatly, and which doesn't affect it at all.  Let's start with the news that does affect the blog:

I GOT A NEW JOB!  AS A LIBRARIAN! 

via

This is great news for me, obviously, but not so good for the blog because I'll be working nights, thereby DRASTICALLY reducing my cooking time.  (Lucky for all of you, football season has started (thank you, Notre Dame, for almost ruining the Saturday in which my next bit of exciting news occurred) and snacks will be in order, all of which will be on the blog).

Now for the second bit of news, that doesn't affect the blog:  the BF is no longer the BF.

via

But don't despair like our little monkey friend, peeps!  The BF is no longer the BF because now he's just the F!  We're gettin' hitched!

via

It's not happening for awhile, but calling the BF the BF going forward would seem strange.  So he'll be the F from here on out.  Also excited about the recent goings-on:

That's her excited face.  I swear.

So bear with me as the blog goes through an adjustment period, peeps.  Rest assured that even if I disappear for awhile, I won't be gone forever.  And maybe I'll even share wedding food details with you along the way.

Another Quick Birthday Post

So we celebrated Arnie's second birthday on Sunday (is it weird that I keep talking about my dog's birthday?  No?  Good.) and I snapped a few pics of the celebration.

I turned this many people fingers, peeps!

And I got a peanut butter doggie cupcake!

And I ate my peanut butter doggie cupcake!  

Happy birthday to me, peeps!

xoxo - Arnie 

Thank you for indulging Arnie's desire to share her birthday with the blogging world, she really appreciates it!

It's a Birthday!

Today, peeps, join me in celebrating the 2nd birthday of my absolute favorite (non) person!

I can't believe how much she's grown in the last 2 years!!!

Cheers and happy birthday to my little Arnie!  We will be spending the day at the dog park and shopping at Downtown Dogs, because even a wienie deserves some snappy new duds and a cake on her birthday!

We're Baaaaaaaack!

Hey Peeps!  It's May 1 and that can only mean one thing two things:

1)  Spring has gone WAAAAAAAAAAAY too fast (and for those of you who didn't get a spring, i.e. my family in North Dakota who had to deal with a blizzard yesterday, I apologize, since your winter seems to be going on into eternity)

and

2)  It's time to get back to regular posting!

Arnie has suggested some great changes to the blog, so we'll be incorporating a few of those, going forward.  Onward, peeps!

100th Post!

Oh my goodness, peeps, I can't believe I've already reached my 100th post on this lil' blog! 

In the spirit of productivity, I promise to get back to regular posts tomorrow.  In the meantime, please admire this photo of the perpetually adorable Arnie (and feel free to leave her some comments, to let her know you appreciate her cuteness) and I'll be back with new recipes tomorrow!

A Little Overwhelmed . . .

Peeps, I'm sure you've noticed that I've been totally MIA lately, and for that I apologize.  I have a big paper due next week, and have been trying to get all of my ducks in a row with business things, travel things, and company coming to visit the BF and I things.

I promise things will pick back up again, soon.  But for now, I leave you with this:

Arnie is DARN cute.  And she always makes me feel better.

Cheesy Crockpot Chicken

I'm not going to lie, all I've wanted to do since I got home from the arctic is snuggle with my little buddy . . .

That little mug is irresistible, especially when I've been away for 6 days!  Since I've been spending so much time snuggling (and doing homework, and even *gasp* working) my cooking hasn't been of its usual caliber. 

It has, however, been delicious.  This cheesy crockpot chicken is one of the BF's favorite things, and it couldn't be easier.  I just combine one can of cheddar cheese soup, one can of cream of chicken soup, and whatever seasonings I have handy (this time I went with the 'ole garlic pepper standby, but I've used a mixture of thyme, rosemary, and garlic in the past that is also fabulous, as is Italian seasoning) and four chicken breasts in the crockpot.  Since I always start with frozen chicken breasts, I put the crockpot on low for 8-10 hours, and by the time I'm ready for supper the chicken is basically falling apart it's so tender.

The BF and I love this over biscuits.  And if I have it in the freezer, I'll throw frozen corn in the crockpot, too, to add some vegetables to my meal!  YUM!

Speaking of yum:

Burberry via Zappos.

I don't wear a lot of brown.  But if these lovelies found their way into my closet, I would make an exception FOR SURE.

Quick Roasted Asparagus

My grandpa, who tells me constantly that I need to "eat more cow parts," sent me a box of filets from Omaha Steaks for Christmas.  Eager to give them a taste (even though we knew they would be delicious), the BF and I grilled a couple up for supper on New Years day.

As a side dish, I made some quick and easy roasted asparagus and red onions.

Toss the asparagus and red onions with olive oil, sea salt, black pepper and red pepper flakes, then roast them on the top rack of the oven, at 350 degrees, for about 25 minutes.

Hard to tell a difference before and after, I realize, but the asparagus comes out crispy and flavorful, and the roasting brings out the sweetness of the red onions, which is a really nice contrast to the red pepper flakes.

Arnie spent the majority of her holiday weekend spying on the neighbors from atop her futon in the guest bedroom.  Despite her 2011 resolution to be lazier, she couldn't manage to leave them alone.

The weather here in Florida has finally improved to normal, and so my feet are back to craving sandals like these:

Elizabeth and James via Nordstrom.

I'm sure my feet will be back to craving boots next week, when the BF and I trek back to the arctic for a week.  But for now, sunshine and open toes it is!

Happy New Year!!!

Happy 2011, peeps!  This is going to be a big year for me and I've made many resolutions.  First and foremost, be more aware of my surroundings so I can reap the benefit of Ashley's cooking, when she's careless enough to drop things on the floor.  Also, lounge around more, as I am far too active.

I hope you all have a happy and prosperous new year!  


xoxo - Arnie

Twas the Night Before Christmas . . .

. . . and the BF wanted turkey, so that's what I made.  A version of this foolproof turkey breast, to be exact.

I prepared the brine (minus the sage, because I didn't have any) first thing in the morning, and threw my 6 and 1/2 pound turkey breast in for a day-long soak.

After spending the day getting nice and brine-y, I rinsed and dried the turkey breast, then rubbed it down with olive oil, and a mixture of garlic and onion powders, salt, pepper, and oregano.  I baked my turkey for an hour and a half, covered, and half an hour, uncovered, at 325 degrees.

It came out golden and delicious and, when combined with mashed potatoes and gravy (for the BF), cheesy vegetables (prepared by the BF . . . he was required to assist somehow), rolls, and stuffing, we had ourselves quite the feast!

Even Arnie got in on the turkey action.

She's very well-behaved when there's turkey on the line.

I've had blue shoes on my mind for quite some time, now . . .

Sergio Rossi via Shopbop.

With warmer temperatures on the way (I hope) these seem all the more appropriate.  They're fun, different, and I would never get sick of looking down at my feet!

Merry Christmas!

It's me again, peeps!  Merry Christmas from sunny Florida.  We're busy unwrapping presents and cooking a HUGE dinner today (of which I will get none, I'm sure) but we'll be back with lots of Christmas dinner recipes.

xoxo - Arnie