Rave reviews!

Last night I received rave reviews for the dinner that I served.  Normally I receive a sign of appreciation and a comments like, "It was good!" and "Thanks, babe!" but not the standing ovation that Josh gave me last night.  I'm not going to lie...it felt pretty good!
What did I cook?

Well, let me ask you this...do you like Chick-fil-A?  Do you like those delicious nuggets? 

Well, I LOVE those golden chicken bites and found a recipe yesterday on Pinterest for them. I highly recommend the nugget recipe and the baked oven fries that I sliced up to accompany them. 

Do you think your family would enjoy these? 

My Name Is Snickerdoodle Sweet Chicky Nuggets

With a side of these?

Annie's Eats Baked Oven Fries



I bet they will.

Now don't be intimidated by the frying part of the recipe.  I'm a frying virgin and was able to do it.  Trust me, if I can do it...you can do it! 

Oh, and I also bet you are a Tuesday night hero and that you make these again.  Bon appetit!

XOXO

In trouble...

I love animals especially dogs. Like love...
Josh and I don't have children so our dogs...and cows...and turkeys really are like children to us. We would have an absolute zoo if we didn't have real jobs, a monthly budget, and a homeowner's association. 

Dogs have such a special place in my heart because they really are so genuine and so loving.  Dogs give until they can't give anymore.  They love you on your best day and on your worst. 

How can you not love this face?

I bring all of this up because of how much trouble I get in for rescuing animals, especially dogs. When I see a stray or lost dog wandering down a long road, an actual physical pain in my chest occurs.  My heart starts hurting.  I have to pull over.  I always think of Cedric and Rose, my two pugs, and what would happen if they were lost and lonely and searching for home.  It scares me to death. 

Pinterest Pug



Now, I'll be honest, most of my dog 'rescues' have had funny endings.  Most of the wandering four-legged souls have actually been right where they were 'supposed' to be...or at least a few feet away.  You see I've 'rescued' most of the dogs from their own front yards.  It's rather funny actually.  There have been more dogs than I care to admit that have been out in their own yards (obviously yards without fences), snooping around, without an owner in sight (where are you people!?!) that find their way into my car...normally with a little coaxing.  Sometimes they have then ended up at my vet, getting checked out, and then returned back to their homes once I meet the owners while placing "Found" signs in the area.  Or there have been times when the dog has a collar and I call the number while standing right there a few feet away from the yard...only to have the owner open the door and come out and wave.  This didn't happen just once.  Let's leave it at that. 

So, where does the real trouble come from?  Josh.  Josh has had enough of me calling him crying because I have just seen a lost dog and couldn't pull over due to the whole danger issue...either the dog looked very dangerous or I was in a dangerous location.  He's gotten tired of me calling and proclaiming that, "I have a chihuahua in my lap.  What do I do?"  He's told me more than once that if I bring another four-legged friend home, we already have 4 of our own, he will leave me.  And I'm pretty sure he's very serious.  Saturday we saw a little dog running up a street, looking happy and free, that put me into a crying fit.  We were pulling a very large trailer and could not stop.  We were in a residential neighborhood so Josh tried to reassure me that the dog was just out on a run...getting his fitness on.  I cried for the entire trip home.  Josh quietly patted my arm and shook his head.  I knew he was thinking...crazy, emotional, dog woman!

I know I'm a mess, a total mess.  Do you have a weakness like this?  Am I in this alone?  Am I just nuts?

XOXO (especially to my four legged friends)!

P.S. I may have learned my lesson on rescuing.  Tuesday night I spent over 3 hours trying to get a 'lost' neighbors dog back into her own yard.  A precious little Pomeranian was out loose in the street and was almost accidentally hit by a fellow neighbor.  I went out to save her and spent the next 3 hours trying to contact her owners, figure out what to do with her, get her back in her fence, and keep her in her fence!  Three hours...yep, lesson learned!  Probably. 

Mono Monday...

Hello, loves!

Happy Monday!  Happy President's Day! 

I hope you are off today and out doing something fun and exciting.  I'm home waiting for the propane guy.  This is how I celebrate by stocking up on natural gas.  Yeah!

Enjoy these amazing monograms.  You know my obsession so I had to share! 

Have a blessed day!

XOXO

All of these can be found here.

Love!

Happy Valentine's Day, loves!

I hope you have something romantic planned.  It doesn't have to be big, just something that reminds the one you love that you love them. 

A few simple ideas for you (just in case you are a last minute procrastinator like me)...

A romantic picnic...in your living room. 

Grab a blanket, a bottle of wine, your hubby's favorite treat, and some romantic music.  Ta-da!



Bake a cake...it doesn't have to be fancy, but this one is really cute!

Click here for instructions on how to make the heart on the inside.

If you make this, please send me pics!

Order in...and make takeout a little more romantic! 

A knife and a little trimming of the pepperoni could make pizza an expression of your love. 

Easy, cheesy!

Pug love, enough said. 

If you need to borrow one of these cuties, call me. 

Josh will happily hand one of them over to you. 

Just let 'em know how you feel...a letter or note really does go a long way.

I'm reminding Josh that I do love him more than Pinterest (he does need the reminder, don't judge). 

I'm hoping he reminds me that he loves me more than turkeys and jeeps.  Ha!

If none of these expressions fit your style, that leaves just one thing...

Nothing says love like a little make out session. 

A guaranteed Valentine's Day hit!

Now go...refrain from changing into the pajama pants and extra large t-shirt you normally jump into bed with, keep your night mouth guard on the nightstand, and turn off the rerun of Finding Bigfoot (all are notes to self...again, don't judge). 

Tonight's the night for love.  Happy Valentine's Day!

XOXO!!

Friday Fabulousness

Hello, loves!  TGIF!

I'm so thankful that it's Friday and Josh and I have very little planned for the weekend ahead.  I'm looking forward to a lazy Saturday morning in my robe and slippers.  I hope you have something equally relaxing planned.

Here's a little Friday house porn for you...some "Friday Fabulousness' we will call it!

Have a great weekend!

XOXO

All photos can be linked back here.

Yummy things to make...that I've actually made!

So, I'm pretty much obsessed with Pinterest.

If you haven't checked it out yet, click here.  If you need an 'invite' in order to setup an account, just comment below with your email address and I'll invite you.

But, I warn you...it's terribly addicting.  Think crack.  It's scary...more addicting than Facebook!

One of the boards that I am constantly 'pinning' to is my "Yummy Things to Make" board.  There are so many delicious recipes that I keep adding.  They look so incredible...basically food porn.  Lately, with the excess of at-home, sick time, I have had the chance to try out some of the easier recipes that have been calling to me. 

Here's a handful of Pinterest recipes that are making the rounds that I had to try out...

Alexandra's Buttermilk Blueberry Breakfast Cake

This awesome cake from originates from Alexandra Cooks blog.  Awesome blog...and fab recipe.  This was fluffy, moist and delicious.  It was also devoured so quickly that I didn't even get a pic of it.  My husband loved it!  I actually substituted raspberries because I didn't have blueberries.  I will be making this again...soon...using blueberries next time around.

Martha's Bacon, Egg, and Toast Cups

Of course these cute guys come from Martha Stewart.  I made these with turkey bacon and used whole eggs for a few of the muffin cups and an egg white mixture (4 egg whites and one whole egg with the yolk scrambled with a dash of fat free milk) in the other cups.  

My attempt...

The darker, crazy looking ones, have the egg white/yolk scrambled mixture...

not as pretty, but so tasty too!

My review:  Delish!  These are perfect to make ahead and throw in a Ziploc for busy weekday mornings when we are in a rush.  I didn't have a perfect circle cookie cutter to cut the wheat bread for the base so I used the top of a measuring cup as a template and trimmed the bread with a knife.  These were so easy and you could add in anything that you want to include...onions, mushrooms, cheese, turkey sausage, etc.  

A definite 'make again'! 

The Tasty Kitchen's Greatest Queso That Ever Lived

My take:  Yum!  I've always wanted to know how people got their queso so creamy.  I finally know because of this recipe!  Two words...cream cheese and cream of mushroom soup.  This was a great recipe and so easy to make.  It was a big hit while we watched the Super Bowl.

Lemon Pull-Aparts from Creations by Kara

I love lemon anything!  So these called to me and called to me.  I also love Rhodes Rolls, which are used in this recipe.  If you've never tried Rhodes, you must.  Put them on your grocery list now. 

Ok, my rendition...don't judge.

Mine aren't as pretty...my pull-aparts are a little more browned on top, and I suck at making powdered sugar icing.  I can never get the icing to not end up too 'soupy' or tasting too much like powdered sugar.  These were good but weren't exceptional.  They were incredibly easy to make, but they just didn't blow us away.  Maybe they would be better if I could get the icing right, but I just didn't love them and wouldn't 'waste' my calories on them. 

My Own Road's Strawberry Skewers 

These gorgeous skewers were SO easy to make.  I bought an angel food cake from my grocery store, cut up fresh strawberries, layered the two on wooden skewers that are often used for grilling, and drizzled chocolate sauce on top right before serving.  Done!  It looks like Jen originally used something like Hershey's Chocolate Shell sauce, but I couldn't add that much fat to these simple little guys.  I wanted to keep them as lean as possible for cake, strawberries, and chocolate, so I used basic Hershey's Syrup. 

My skewers...

I will be making these again!  These are perfect for a party or easy dessert to throw together at the last minute. So good and not too bad for you either.  You could add any type of fruit to these.  Adding blueberries would make these perfect for the 4th of July!

Alright, time to get back in the kitchen! 

What have you made from Pinterest that you have really liked?  What would you make again?

XOXO