Happy Leap Year and a Leaptini Recipe!!

Happy Leap Year!!!  You should look at all these fantastic pictures by Philippe Halsman (click here to see more) while listening to the Pointer Sisters singing Jump.  I plan to quote last Thursday’s episode of 30 Rock all day.  I really don’t care who I annoy!  Have a great day and make yourself a Leaptini!!

Leaptini 

Ingredients

2 ounces of Vodka

½ ounces agave nectar

½ ounce lime juice

Fresh basil


Preparation

Combine and muddle all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice.  Shake to blend and chill.  Strain into a martini glass.

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Angelina Jolie's Leg and the Costa Concordia – “True” History Tuesday

The “True” History Tuesday executive research team has uncovered evidence suggesting that Angelina Jolie’s right leg was involved in the tumping over of the Costa Concordia cruise ship.  Obviously, the entire capsizing was a complete accident, but evidence suggests that the slight hip movement and jetting out of said leg in a dramatic stance caused a hacky-sack-like kick to the ship’s hull.  The accident occurred during fittings of the Versace dress that Jolie ultimately wore to the 84^th Annual Academy Awards.  Evidence also suggests that the kick would have had nothing to do with the capsizing and had more of a heavy-winds-type of effect on the ship, if it weren’t for the moronic actions of the ship’s captain, Francesco Schettino.  The moronic actions include traveling too fast in shallow waters, being too close to the rocky shoreline and being distracted on the bridge by a 25-year-old Moldovan dancer.

Stout Stuffed Tomatoes and Glitter Bottles

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I love beer.  I love tomatoes.  I love glitter.  I love glitter more when it isn’t scattered everywhere and securely encased in liquid.  Check it out.

Stout Stuffed Tomatoes

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Ingredients

12 medium-size fresh, ripe tomatoes

Salt and pepper

12 oz whole corn, drained

1 small chopped onion

8 ounces grated sharp cheddar cheese

3 cups soft bread crumbs

2 cups stout (I used Guinness)

Preparation

Cut the tops off the tomatoes and scoop out the pulp.  Sprinkle inside with salt and pepper.  Chop up the pulp and drain.  Add corn, onion, cheese and bread crumbs to the pulp and mix well.  Spoon mixture into tomato shells.  Place tomatoes in a greased shallow baking pan.  Spoon stout over the tops of the tomatoes.  Bake at 350 degrees from 20 to 25 minutes or until tops are lightly browned.

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Glitter Bottles

What You Need:

Chopped up straws, sequins, glitter, etc.

Bottle or small jar

Water

Glycerine

What To Do:

Add sequins, straws, glitter, etc to bottle or jar.  Fill the bottle or jar nearly to the top with water.  Add a couple of drops of glycerine.  Put lid on and secure with tap or hot glue.  Shake up and enjoy.

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Wicked Tiger Beat

How many of you remember Tiger Beat?  I used to save up my allowance to buy a copy and then run to my friend’s house so we could flip through it and scream.  In hindsight, it was a bit of a farce because I really just wanted to look at pictures of Wonder Woman, Kristy McNichol and Princess Leia.  All the same though Tiger Beat fever was catching and there is still a part of me that wishes that I was the one Shaun Cassidy was calling in that picture.

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Today we are going to see Wicked.  This will be my 5^th time to see the show and most likely not my last.   I love it.  So I’m pretty sure that you should watch this clip from the 2004 Tony Awards.

Doritos Taco Bake

Hello crap and yum!  There is something so very wrong, yet so very right about this recipe.  Give it a try.  I think you’ll agree it is worth the calories and extra walking after the fact. 

Doritos Taco Bake

Ingredients

1 can refrigerated crescent rolls

1 pound ground beef (can be make with ground turkey or chicken)

1 package taco seasoning

1 8oz can Rotel

8 oz sour cream

1 ½ cups shredded cheddar cheese

¾ bag Doritos, crushed

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a large skillet, brown ground beef.  Drain off fat.  Stir in taco seasoning and rotel, simmer 5 minutes.

Press crescent rolls on the bottom of a 9 x 13 pan lightly sprayed with cooking spray.  Press seams to seal.  Top crescent rolls with meat mixture.  Spread sour cream over meat.  Top with cheese and crushed Doritos.  Bake for 30 minutes.


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Freaky Friday Favorites

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Buffalo Chicken Bites

My days are all messed up.  Turns out yesterday was not Thursday, but Wednesday.  Go figure?!  So…to make up for no WTF and WOW Recipe Wednesday, I’ll have a WTF and WOW Recipe Thursday!  Enjoy!

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Buffalo Chicken Bites

Ingredients

3 cups shredded cooked chicken

¼ to ½ cup hot sauce (to taste)

3 ½ ounces cream cheese, softened

1 ¾ cups shredded cheddar cheese

¼ cup chopped green onions

1 cup all-purpose flour

4 eggs, lightly beaten

3-4 cups Corn Flakes cereal – crushed

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.  In a large bowl, combine chicken, cream cheese and hot sauce, cheddar cheese and green onions.  Roll a heaping tablespoon of mixture into a 1 ½ inch ball and place onto a plate or separate baking sheet.  Repeat with the remaining mixture.  Place flour in a shallow dish.  In a second dish, place eggs.  In a third shallow dish, place cornflakes.  Dip each chicken ball first into the flour, then the egg and ending with the Corn Flakes.  Place on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 20 to 25 minutes.  
Serve warm with ranch or blue cheese dressing.


Recipe Source

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Cracker Barrel with the Parents

I met my parents for breakfast at the Cracker Barrel.  Am I the only one who thinks that crackers would actually get soggy if stored in a barrel?  Anyway, my mom is like a ferret searching for shinny things when she is in the Cracker Barrel gift shop.  The uglier and more colorful always include her touching the object and saying, “how cute!”  She was really drawn to this frog bird house. The hole for the birds to come in was in the frog’s stomach.  The frog was a sparkly green color never found in nature.  The frog was also wearing a Hawaiian shirt and flip flops.  Oddly enough…no pants.  She did end up getting me an early birthday present.  I got a wind chime with a frog on it.  The frog is stained glass and not tacky.  She couldn’t understand why I didn’t want the bird house.  My dad also bought me breakfast!  Wind chimes and pancakes = living large!  My mom and I stole some of the maple syrup that is in those cute little bottles.  Is that bad?

Fat Tuesday!!

Happy Fat Tuesday!!  In honor of the day,  I ate a fatty meal at Whataburger.  I also found this picture of a King Cake package.  I was shocked because I thought they put real babies in the cake.  Disappointed.

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I also found this picture and am posting it...just because I can.

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In case you are wondering about the “true” history of Mardi Gras...click here for last year’s blog entry about that very topic.

Launching a Bottle Rocket

How kids learn about biology today…

How we learned about biology in the seventies…

Want to do something fun?  Try launching a bottle rocket like we did yesterday.  Here is an actual video.   The cool kid doing the launching is Jake.  Clearly you’ll want to move the bicycle pump as far away from the rocket as the cord will allow and maybe throw on a pair of goggles…since you’ll notice Jake nearly lost his face. Oops.  He, however, did not lose his face, but we did lose the rocket.  After the video, you’ll find a few links on how you, too, can launch a bottle rocket.

Making Your Own - Click Here

Buying the Rocket We Used - Click Here

Being an Aunt and Hot Fudge Oreo Cupcakes

I’m, by choice, not a parent.  It isn’t for lack of trying, but for some reason lesbians can’t make babies.   Even if my mom wants us to adopt an “oriental” baby, we are very happy with being child-free.  I do, however, take being an aunt very seriously.  I adore each and every one of my nieces and nephews.  They have enriched my life from the moment they were born and continue to awe me and Tiffany.  We are so proud of them. They are smart, funny engaging people and, I may be biased, but I know the world is a better place because they are in it.  I love you, Molly, Christopher, Steven, Caroline, Austin and Mallory.  I know you know that, but I figured I would make it official by telling the internets.

Something else I love…cupcakes.  Look at these cupcakes.  LOOK AT THEM.

Hot Fudge Oreo Cupcakes or Pie

Ingredients

1 (15 oz) package oreo cookies with the cream attached

¼ cup melted butter

½ gallon vanilla ice cream

1 medium container frozen whipped topping

Toasted nuts

Hot fudge sauce (recipe below)

Preparations

Crush Oreos and combine with melted butter.  Reserve at least 1 cup of crumbs for later, and press remaining crumbs firmly into a 9”x13” pan.  Let ice cream become soft enough to spread onto crumbs, or slice ice cream in 1” layers and place on top of crumbs and press seams together.  Top ice cream with a few more crumbs.  Drizzle with hot fudge sauce and sprinkle toasted nuts on top.  Spread whipped topping over all, and drizzle again with hot fudge sauce.  Cover and return to freezer.  You can use the above directions to make cupcakes, or make 2 pie plates.

Yummy Hot Fudge Sauce

Ingredients

1 can of Eagle Brand Condensed Milk

1 stick of butter

1 tsp Vanilla

1 cup of milk or semi chocolate chips

Preparation

Mix all ingredients together in saucepan over low heat, until melted and well blended.  Store remaining hot fudge in a jar with lid or well sealed container.  You can keep this in your fridge for many days.  Simply warm when ready to use.

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Apple and Mushroom Chicken Casserole and The King of Cool

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I’m just going to put this out there…I really wish I could have partied with Dean Martin.  He just seems like a seriously fun guy and not in the fungi sense.  I’m mean…look at him!  Look. At. Him.

I made this the other night.  It was pretty darn good.  Give it a try!

Apple and Mushroom Chicken Casserole

Ingredients

2 apples, cored and diced

8 chicken drumsticks

1 onion, diced

salt and pepper

1 ¼ ounces dry mushroom and onion soup

1 tsp dried thyme

2 tsp dry mustard

1 ½ cups water

1 cup plain yogurt

8 to 10 button mushrooms

Preparation

Place chicken, onion and apple in a casserole dish with the mushroom soup mix, thyme, mustard and water.  Cover with a tight fitting lid.  Bake at 350 degrees for about an hour or until chicken is tender. 

Stir in yogurt.  Clean, cut and stir in mushrooms.  Season with salt and pepper and bake for another 15 minutes.

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Freaky Friday Favorites

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 This photo is called:  Pay Attention to Me

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