2.28.2011

Buffalo Chicken Dip and a Weekend Recap

I thought I'd start my weekend recap off with a crazy good and easy recipe for buffalo chicken dip.  Here are the ingredients I use (though I'm sure you can alter to your tasting):
1 8-oz pkg neufchatel cheese (could use cream cheese), softened
1/3-1/2 bottle of creamy blue cheese dressing
Oscar Meyer buffalo-style chicken strips (see picture)
Trader Joe's jalapeno pepper hot sauce (1/2 bottle)
Shredded PepperJack
Shredded Mozzerella
Some of the ingredients
Preheat oven to 350.  Use a 8 or 9 quart casserole dish.  Start by spreading the cream cheese evenly across the bottom of the pan.  Next, you layer on the blue cheese dressing.  Another option is to use ranch dressing and actual blue cheese crumbles (more expensive!) or just ranch dressing if you don't like blue cheese.  
Spreading cream cheese across bottom
The next layer is the chicken, so to prepare the chicken, you need to chop it up (I use a food chopper) and then mix with about a half of a bottle of the hot sauce.  

Chopping the chicken
I'm sure you could use whichever hot sauce you wanted at this point, and use as much or as little as you would like.  Once it is mixed, you layer the chicken on.  Then top with the shredded cheeses, again, as much or as little as you'd like.
Yeah, I added more cheese after this pic! =)
Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.  Easy right?  Serve with pita chips, crackers, celery...whatever you see fit.

What I serve it with, wheat things and celery

YUM!
Mat and Ashley showed up just in time to enjoy the buffalo dip and we devoured the dip and all of the veggies (so I felt less guilty!).  We had another night full of trying new shots...my new favorite: Baby Guinness.  Not only does it taste good, but it is cute as all get out! Check it out:
3/4 shot glass of Kahlua
Top off with layer of Bailey's (use a spoon!)

I'm sure you can imagine where shots like this lead, but we had a great time playing the 90's game, watching funny YouTube clips, and dancing the night away (Ashley and me that is).  Can I just say again that I LOVE having a house!  Here are a couple of pictures (I took a bagillion) from the night:






Not sure what to think of that shot

This was an accident...hehehehe
Looking up the funny videos =)
The rest of the weekend really was great too!  On Saturday morning, my Little and I went to the humane society to put in some volunteer hours. We left wanting to adopt every cat and this one cute beagle!  We can't wait to go volunteer again.  Then we went to see Gnomeo & Juliet, it was OK...not my favorite, but she really liked it so that's good!  Saturday was when Mat and Ashley came over and then on Sunday, I tried a new Church.  There is a Catholic Church within two blocks of our house, so I walked to Church Sunday morning and I really like it!  I'm glad I finally found a Church that I really like!  And then I hung out with my brother Sunday afternoon, we had a great time watching a movie and playing the Wii.  It was a good weekend, and I'm already looking forward to this coming weekend! =)

2.25.2011

Pardon the Mess

Due to the high demand of this particular post, please enjoy a tour of my house in pictures! (For those of you that don't know, Ryan and I are renting a house, we did not buy this place)  Also, we are STILL trying to find the right spot for everything, still reorganizing, and still going through some extra stuff we don't need...so pardon the mess.  Enjoy! =)
Front of our house, cute right?
Side yard
Back yard/garage (and yes, we have  picnic table!)
Side entrance, the one we use
Entry way/mud room
Kitchen
Nook (it's a mess right now!)
Looking into dining room from kitchen
Stairs to basement (not that exciting)
Basement=storage
Basement also is laundry room
Dining room
Between dining room and living room
Part of living room
More living room
TV/stairs in living room
Game nook!
Looking up into hallway upstairs
Hall
Hall
Looking into TINY bedroom...the cat room
As you can see, the cat room
One of my closets (yes...I said one of!!)
Pardon the destruction!  Bedroom.
Bedroom (still working on the extra stuff)
My other closet =)
Linen closet in the hallway
TINY bathroom
Bathroom
Aww yeah, we have a window in our shower!
Love the ceiling in the bathroom!
Office (Again, dumping ground for crap right now)
Ryan's closet
Wear the sewing machine and keyboard will go
Peter with crazy eyes...a good addition don't you think?
Cali
Peter looking cute! =)
Newest wall addition (in living room)