Death....ok not really....just kinda

That sums up how I feel today.  Last night was way too late, and involved just a bottle teeny tiny bit more wine than it probably should have.  Eh, oh well, it was also totally worth it.  I've talked on here about my friends before, and how freaking blessed I feel to have such awesome people in my life.  Last night was a prime example of why I love my friends.  Usually during the week 3 girlfriends and I get together for dinner and wine.  It's just a low key, relaxed evening (that has been known to last until the early morning hours on occasion...) where we can all catch up, talk about whats going on in our lives and just be girls.  Well last night we decided to extend the invite to our better other halves as well.  One of the things we usually at least touch on during our "wine nights" is that its baffles us that our husbands/boyfriends just don't seem to feel the need to go hang out with their  buddies the way we feel the need to have weekly time with each other.  Every week all of us say to the guys some version of "hey why don't you call the guys and go out for a beer/watch a game/play pool ANYTHING except sit at home while I go out tonight"  99% of the time we all get the same response....."nah". 
So you can imagine our (the girls) surprise when it was the guys who weren't ready to go home last night!  Apparently when we force invite them to do things and don't give them an option to say no they do enjoy getting out of the house! 
All in all the evening was a success, and I got a chance to try out a new recipe that I think will be making its way into our rotation.  Cheesy Chicken Bundles  http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/cheesy-chicken-bundles/Detail.aspx

Snow day.....just not for me.

So we went to bed on Sunday night with the forecast of snow.  LOTS of snow.  But lets be honest, the weatherman predicts snow on a pretty regular basis throughout the winter and its really never as bad as they think it will be.  Except for yesterday.  Apparently the snow plowers also thought the weatherman had over promised on the amount of snow the KC area was supposed to get, because they sure were not out overnight clearing things off (at least not in our area).  Spence took off to work at his usual time, and didn't get there until an hour after he was supposed to open the store, oops?  (generally a 20 min drive tops)

I woke up to all my teacher friends posting about how excited they were about their snow day, and I will admit felt some jealousy.  I took some pretty pictures of the snow, I'll get them posted in the next few days....hopefully.

Today, its not snowing anymore, but my friends who had snow days yesterday still have snow days today.  The roads are actually worse today than yesterday because its a whole 7 degrees outside! brrrrrrr......I need some hot chocolate!

Menu Plan Monday!

Monday: Mac N Cheese with salad
1 (8 ounce) package elbow macaroni
1 (8 ounce) package shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
1 (12 ounce) container small curd cottage cheese
1 (8 ounce) container sour cream
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
garlic, salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil, add pasta, and cook until done; drain.
In 8x8 inch baking dish, stir together macaroni, shredded Cheddar cheese, cottage cheese, sour cream, Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper.
Bake 30 to 35 minutes
 
Tuesday: Meatball sandwiches
1lb ground meat
1 cup Italian bread crumbs
1 egg
1 jar pasta sauce
Mozzarella cheese slices

Combine meat,  bread crumbs and egg, shape into balls.
combine meatballs and sauce in saucepan, cook until meatballs are done all the way through.
Serve meatballs on hot dog buns, or hoagie buns with melted cheese slices on top.
(I'm using the the leftover hot dog buns from last weeks chili dogs)

Wednesday: Pasta carbonara and Cesar salad
3 cups uncooked tube pasta
6 bacon strips,
diced 2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/4 cups milk (I use 1% and its fine)
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, cubed (reduced fat)
1/2 cup butter or margarine, cubed
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook bacon until done (we don't like our bacon crisp, so I don't cook it super crisp). Remove to paper towels. In the drippings, saute garlic until tender. Add the milk, cream cheese and butter; stir until smooth. Stir in the Parmesan cheese and bacon; heat through. Drain pasta; toss with sauce.

Thursday: Grilled cheese and tomato soup
I use Velveeta in our cheese and just the normal condensed tomato soup with 1% milk
 
Friday: Baked Buffalo Wings
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
20 chicken wings
1/2 cup melted butter
1/2 cup hot pepper sauce (I'm getting some from Buffalo Wild Wings)

Line the bottom of a broiler pan with foil, spray the top lightly with Pam.
Place the flour, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, and salt into a resealable plastic bag, and shake to mix. Add the chicken wings, seal, and toss until well coated with the flour mixture.
Place the wings onto the prepared baking sheet, and place into the refrigerator. Refrigerate at least 1 hour
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
Whisk together the melted butter and hot sauce in a small bowl. Dip the wings into the butter mixture, and place back on the baking sheet. Bake in the preheated oven until the chicken is no longer pink in the center, and crispy on the outside, about 45 minutes. Turn the wings over halfway during cooking so they cook evenly.

Saturday: Leftovers

Sunday: Chicken Parmesan and garlic bread with salad
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
7 ounces Italian seasoned bread crumbs
3 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
12 ounces pasta sauce
6 slices Monterrey Jack cheese  (or mozzarella cheese if you prefer)


Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
In a shallow dish or bowl, mix together the grated Parmesan cheese and bread crumbs. Dip chicken breasts into bread crumb mixture to coat.
In a large skillet, heat oil over medium high heat. Add coated chicken and saute for about 8 to 10 minutes each side, or until chicken is cooked through and juices run clear.
Pour tomato sauce into a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking dish. Add chicken, then place a slice or two of Monterrey Jack cheese over each breast, and bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes or until cheese is completely melted.  serve over pasta

Nostalgia

I saw a post on Facebook today from my Alma mater that Interterm started up on the 4th.  For those of you who may not know what interterm is (and unless you went to good 'ol BU you probably don't) its when the students come back for the month of January to take one class until the semester starts (I've also heard this called J-Term).  Its required 3 of the 4 years to graduate at Baker.  Now those of you I'm explaining this to are probably like "ugh that sounds awful! What about winter break?!?" But just wait, it gets better.  The classes aren't your typical math/science/English courses, oh no sirree.  They are designed to be fun, low key classes. 

One year I took a class that taught me how to play chess, another year I volunteered with Habitat for Humanity, and my freshmen year I took a class where we read the (very thin) book "Who Moved My Cheese" and talked about what we wanted to be when we were real live grown ups. 
Students also have the option to take travel interterms, surfing is a popular one, as are some trips to Europe.  You can also do an internship or something else that is productive if you feel so inclined.  And I guess I should mention there are some that actually counted toward like history or English requirements, I just never took those!  I remember one that a history prof did that the students built a plow using only tools that would have been available in the pre middle ages, one that taught how to sew your own clothes, Irish dancing etc.

Some of my favorite times at Baker happened during Interterm.  Partially because the classes were easy and fun, (and short), and partially because it was so great to be back from home after a good solid week or so of seeing family and get to just chill for a little while before the spring semester starts back in full force.  Its a month of hanging out with your friends, parties, relaxation and everything that college "should" be according the any TV show you've ever seen.

Laziness and all it entails

There are several things in my very pampered, addicted to modern technology life that I claim I cannot live without.  My iPhone, the DVR, my nook, the electric wine opener (even with as much as I've been cooking I still maintain that wine opener is the most used appliance in my kitchen), waterless cookware etc.  I have to say though, that I think our netflix subscription may be attaining that same status.  Spence and I have breezed our way though some Mad Men episodes, watched almost 4 complete seasons of "Psych", Hana and I have re-discovered the trash TV that was "Buffy" and I'm betting I can find several other TV shows I used to love and had forgotten about.  It has a ton of old movies I like, and some newer ones that have snaked their way to the top of the queue.  With all these addicting things on the TV you may wonder how I get anything done around the house.....its quite simple.  I don't.  I sit like a bump on a log while the laundry piles up, floors get dusty etc.  Which brings me to one of my goals for the year of 2011. 

Get into cleaning pattern I can maintain.

I know myself and Spence well enough to realize we will probably never be the "make your bed every morning" couple.  But I would really like us to be the "put the laundry away before it gets worn again" couple.  I feel like I do a good job at maintaining the cleanliness of the main parts of the house (kitchen, guest bathroom, dining and living room etc), our bedroom however is a totallly different story. Our laundry takes over the room in a major way.  As a result of this I never feel super motivated to clean the rest of it up, cause really, it doesn't make a huge impact when 4 loads of clean laundry are at the foot of the bed.  So my first goal is to get in the habit of putting each load of laundry away as we get it from the dryer.  Ugh.  It doesn't even sound fun.  I think part of this goal is going to HAVE to be getting our closet revamped too.  I have a vision of additional shelves, more hanging space and a much neater place to keep all our clothes. Excuse me while I go price out closet organizer systems......more to come!

Menu Plan:

I know its Wednesday and it makes more sense to do this on Monday....but oh well.

*I do not really cook with measurements once I've made something more than about twice, if you read this and want to make something but have questions on the recipe I can give more precise amounts*

Monday: Chili dogs and salad / Frito Chili pie and salad  *we have a LOT of leftover Chili from the new years party, this seemed like a good way to use it up!
Tuesday: Corn dog casserole * 1 box jiffy corn bread mix, 3-4 hot dogs, some cheese.  Prep the corn bread mix per the box instructions, mix in sliced up hot dogs, add a handful of cheese.  Place into 8x8 pan (sprayed lightly with non stick spray) top with cheese and bake for about 25 min.* serve with ketchup and mustard, tastes like a corn dog, I'm not even kidding.
Wednesday: enchiladas with sour cream sauce *brown 1 lb hamburger w taco seasoning,  for sauce: combine 1 can fat free cream of chicken soup with equal parts reduced fat sour cream.  Place meat, 4 cheese Mexican blend, green chilli's (or salsa) and sauce mixed above in tortilla.  Roll and place in 8x8 pan.  Repeat till pan is full, top with the rest of the cheese and sauce.  Bake at 350 till bubbly*
Thursday: Beef Stew *cut up stew meat, place in baggy with flour, season salt, garlic salt and paprika shake to coat.  Place meat and flour mixture, carrots, potato, celery and other desired veggies in crock pot with a can of beef broth, fat free cream of mushroom soup, some red wine, minced garlic, cumin, parsley and other desired spices and water (or more beef broth) if addl liquid is needed in crock pot, cook on low 6-8 hours*
Friday: Garlic Cheddar Chicken and salad  *defrost and pound chicken breasts thin, dredge in mixture of melted butter and garlic and then coat with Italian breadcrumbs, Italian seasoning, cheddar and Parmesan cheeses.  Place in 8x8 pan, add any remaining breadcrumbs to the top of the chicken, bake 350 degrees till done (about 25-30 min)*
Saturday: Minskys pizza *heaven*
Sunday: Baked Buffalo wings

Setting goals:

OK I will admit to being pretty awful at following through on long term goals I set for myself.  I'm really just lazy, and that's all there is to it.   BUT I'm going to go ahead and set some things out there that I would like to accomplish this year.

~Get a part time job
~Paint/re-tile the hall bathroom
~Re-tile the entryway (this may be a 2012 project but we'll see)
~Read 40 books
~Get myself into a house cleaning routine
~Run a half marathon

I'll revisit these goals in later posts to talk about why I'm choosing them.  For now I'm good with just having them out in the universe.