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As Young as You Feel Day, International Good-Off Day, Bell Peppers & Broccoli Month Look how cute I was as a baby! You're definitely as young as you feel, people! NEVER act your age - It makes you gray prematurely.
Happy getting your 3-5 servings today!
XO
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 National Chocolate Caramel Day, Poultry Day
. . . plus . . .
a) Heaven. b) The reason I'm a fat bum lately. c) My next recipe to try. d) All of the above. Obviously, all of the above. I mean seriously. How can I resist this? Here are the recipes. I hope you get a good jog in before/after consuming all 24+ brownies!
 March 16: Lips Appreciation Day, St. Urho's Day, Everything You Do is Right Day In preparation for St. Patty's Day tomorrow (WHAT ARE YOU DOING, BTW?) and also in celebration of Lips Appreciation Day, I would like to share a few recipes/DIYs to appreciate your pucker-ers before you say "Kiss me, I'm {fill-in-the-blank}!" The picture above shows the ingredients necessary for Joy the Baker's Coffee and Lavender Body Scrub that, while is not REALLY meant to be used on your lips, will make your body smooth as butter in case you rub up against anyone in the crowded line for more green beer. Plus, everything you do it right today, so do what makes you happy! Next, we have Brooke from Cheeky Kitchen's Homemade Lip Gloss recipe! Very delicious way to say thanks to your kisser. Keep in mind "You can sniff it, but it's not for eating!" Thanks, Brooke!!
Martha Stewart also has a ton of helpful hints and how-to's to make your next batch of lip gloss. Tools and Materials 1 tablespoon beeswax pellets 2 tablespoons carrier oil such as grapeseed oil, olive oil, sunflower oil, or vitamin E oil A few drops essential oil(s) such as geranium, grapefruit, lemon, tangerine, peppermint, rosemary, or star anise Lipstick shavings in desired color Special equipment: heatproof glass jar, plastic pipettes, cosmetic-style plastic tubes, slide tins, or metal pots Directions 1. Put beeswax and carrier oil in jar, and close lid. Heat the jar in a pot of water over medium-low heat until wax has melted. Remove jar from pot carefully. 2. Stir mixture with a metal spoon. Using a pipette, add essential oil, 1 drop at a time, until strength of scent is to your liking. Stir in lipstick shavings, 1 at a time, until desired shade is achieved and color is even throughout. 3. Using another pipette, transfer lip balm to containers. Let set for 1 hour.
March 8: International Working Women's Day, Nametag Day, World Kidney Day
March 9: Barbie Day, Get Over It Day, Middle Name Pride Day, Panic Day Thanks to the Fashion Doll Guide for the Barbie history! It's so cool to see how Barbie has evolved with our culture! P.S. Check out Anya Adores for some Barbie Art!
March 10: Genealogy Day, International Day of Awesomeness, International Fanny Pack Day, Mario Day, Salvation Army Day Here is a smattering of things that I think are awesome.
March 11: Check Your Batteries Day March 12: Girl Scouts' Birthday, Napping Day 
Something Swanky has blown my mind with the smorgasbord of Girl Scout inspired recipes from Thin Mints to Samoas to Tagalongs. . . Oh, holy, yumminess! March 13: Earmuffs Day, Ken Day, Jewel Day March 14: Pi Day, Potato Chip Day, Learn About Butterflies Day 
Happy celebrating!
XO  Of course my blog ate my last post. Why wouldn't it? Well, just in case there is anyone out there actually reading this, I'll try again. Peace out, February. I am not sad at all that it is March tomorrow. February is pretty much the lamest month in the history of months. Although, I must admit, it's pretty cool that it gets a random extra day every four years. No other month has that. But even with all the fun holidays and Leap Year Day, I still haven't been able to shake my lingering hatred of February. This stems from living in Michigan my whole life. You know what Michigan looks like in February? Poop. Yep, a big grey turd. Colorado, on the other hand, is beautiful. . . usually. This year it is trying to be like Michigan. And I am NOT down with this. Anywho, on with the holidays!  February 19: National Chocolate Mint Day I've never been much of a chocolate-mint fan, but in honor of today, I have two words for you: Thin. Mints. I mean, seriously, Girl Scouts. . . How cruel can you be? There is nothing THIN about Thin Mints except for the fact that they are tiny enough that you tend to justify eating 73 in one sitting. To re-celebrate National Chocolate Mint Day, check out Ashton at Something Swanky's plethora of Thin Mint recipes! Thin Mint Cookie Dough Truffles, Thin Mint Diet Coke Cake, Thin Mint Pudding Mousse and Thin Mint Magic Cookie Bars. February 20: Cherry Pie Day, Love Your Pet Day, Northern Hemisphere Hoodie Hoo Day
 And, of course, Odie-mutt!!
February 21: Card Reading Day, Paczki Day, Fat Tuesday What are you giving up for Lent? I know it is a very Jeso-Centric time, but most people end up giving up some kind of food to help them lose weight. I was going to give up swearing, but that hasn't happened yet. Every time I drop the F-Bomb, I think "Didn't you say you wanted to stop doing that?" I'm trying, people! Anyway, instead of focusing on THAT, let's focus on the best day of the whole year: Paczki Day!! It breaks my heart that Coloradoans haven't yet experienced the joys of Paczki Day, but I intend to help them see the light. Thanks to Royal Bakery in Arvada, CO (The ONLY bakery in ALL of Colorado that has Paczki) I shared the love. Yum! Yum! Yum!  February 22: George Washington's Birthday, Be Humble Day, Ash Wednesday, Walk the Dog Day, National Margarita Day I'm pretty pissed that I missed Margarita Day. Looks like I'll have to celebrate it every day for an entire week instead to make up for it!! Odie went on his first official walk post-back-problems. We went up to Eastlake Reservoir #3 for a 1.4mile walk and he did great! There's a bronzed fox statue that freaked him out towards the end, but otherwise awesome! I'm so glad he's getting back to his normal self. Just wondering what this summer is going to look like. Since we took him hiking so many trails with us last summer, I'm wondering if the old man'll be able to handle it this year. Keeping my fingers crossed! Then again, this is pretty much what he felt about hiking last year! Ahahahaha!  I'm running out of steam, people. Here's a few days that didn't get me going too much. February 23: International Dog Biscuit Appreciation Day, Tennis Day, Curling is Cool Day, National Chili Day February 24: National Tortilla Chip Day February 25: International Sword Swallowers Day, Open that Bottle Night February 26: Carnival Day, National Pistachio Day, Tell a Fairy Tale Day, For Pete's Sake Day February 27: Polar Bear Day Kind of boring, right? I made dog treats for my friends for Dog Biscuit Appreciation Day. Did you know that wheat isn't really good for dogs? Me neither, but next recipe I make will be gluten-free, guaranteed! National Tortilla Chip Day is pretty much every day in our house. We LOVE chips and guacamole! Delish!
Oh, PS: For Floral Design Day, go to this site for the meanings of flowers. It is inspiring me to think about a tattoo idea. . . Phew, I made it!
Happy relaxing! XO  National Batter Day, Battery Day, Pluto Day Is anyone else out there kind of sad that Pluto isn't a planet anymore (I know this is old news)? The acronym I used to memorize the order of the planets has been irrelevant for years now :( This reminds me of Neil deGrasse Tyson. Justin and I went to CU Coulder to see speak and it was a blast!! He is one hilarious astrophysicist! He paints a pretty grim picture of the US, but I'm assuming it's all true. We're not as awesome as we think, people. Anyway, enough about that! For National Batter & Battery Day I celebrated Thanksgiving in February! Turkey, stuffing and the whole nine yards = AWESOME! Here are a few recipes that I made!! I started off the morning trying to make Bakerella's Baked Banana French Toast. Upon reading the directions (aka, halfway through the directions) I realized it would take something like 30 minutes and I was just TOO hungry. I still threw one in the oven while I made/enjoyed regular french toast. Shock of the century, mine turned out horrendously ugly, pretty cool idea anyway!  I was officially in charge of the mashed potatoes, but since I love holiday so much, and especially cooking holidays, I went a little overboard. Brown Butter Mashed Potatoes thanks to How Sweet it is. Only I made them with redskin potatoes and added a little garlic powder to the end. And used skim instead of whole milk.  I made my very own Guacamole as well as Beer Chicken Cheese Dip. I use How Sweet it is' Crockpot Cheddar Beer Chicken recipe and add whatever cheese I have in the fridge. This time it was mozzarella, pepper jack, plus cream cheese. Served with tortilla chips!! Next, I made some of Denise Gerth's Corn Casserole, big hit! Ingredients: 1 can creamed corn 1 cup regular corn, partially drained 1 Jiffy corn muffin mix 1 stick butter/margarine, melted Directions: Combine all ingredients and bake in 8x8 casserole dish at 350 for 30-35 minutes or until browned and firm in center. Last, but not least, Justin contributed with box-mix brownies! Very gooey and perfect! Happy Thanksgiving!
XO 
Another week has come and gone without a single post from me. Hopefully, you enjoy the collection of fabulous crafts, recipes, pictures and quotes and it will help you forget your sadness. Happy Friday! February 12: Abraham Lincoln's Birthday, Man Day, Oglethorpe Day, Safety Pup Day "Be sure you put your feet in the right place, then stand firm." Abraham Lincoln February 13: Plum Pudding Day, Get a Different Name Day, Clean out Your Computer Day, Madly in Love with Me Day My team at Little Britches got their valentines early! I got this idea from Tatertots & Jello and everyone loved them! Super easy, super fun, super sweet, super awesome! 
For Madly in Love with Me Day, I actually did it! Remember last week's post with a link to Katy at Sweet Verbana?? I did it! The one on the left is Katy's and the one on the right is mine!! Couldn't find a comfy white t-shirt, so I went with a lime green from Michaels. I used teal dye and while it didn't turn out perfectly, I really think there is potential here. And now I see the world in "what can I put on a shirt?"
February 14: National Organ Donor Day, Valentine's Day, Ferris Wheel Day, Singles Awareness Day Here's an excellent way to honor National Organ Donor Day. Go to this site and register as an organ donor in your state. You're helping people (in the unfortunate event that you end up not needing your own organs) AND you get a nice heart on your driver's license! I made chocolate covered strawberries for my dear boyfriend this Valentine's Day. RealSimple had an incredibly easy recipe and it took me almost no time at all. But don't tell Justin. They turned out perfectly and he thinks they were very hard to make. The ease of this recipe is indirectly proportionate to my love of Justin. AKA VERY easy because I love him TONS! Did I explain that alright? 
February 15: National Gum Drop Day February 16: Do a Grouch a Favor Day, Innovation Day February 17: Random Acts of Kindness Day, My Way Day Odie is now officially healthier than he ever was! He's a toothbrusher! Yippee! As a dental hygienist, I was a bit mortified when the vet said he had gingivitis. No more! He super-adorably munches on dental treats, lets me scale tartar off his teeth and LOVES his new puppy toothpaste!! Ahh!! Oh my gosh, have you heard of Wunderlist yet?! It's an awesome organizing ap for us OCD folks. Slap it on your phone or computer and you've got to-do lists, grocery lists, or whatever kind of lists you can think of at your fingertips. It's awesome! 
Happy celebrating!
XO  National Corn Chip Day, Curmudgeons' Day, National Puzzle Day Of course, I couldn't pass up the deliciousness of corn chips, corn tortillas or corn in general in a few recipes. First, Salsa Verde Chicken Chilaquiles with corn tortillas. Second, Buffalo Chicken Dip with tortilla chips. Last, a neighbor from the upper peninsula of Michagan used to make this incredible corn casserole. Special Thanks to What's Cookin', Chicago!, Brown Eyed Baker and Denise Gerth from Rumely, MI. Yum! Salsa Verde Chicken Chilaquiles -- What's Cookin', Chicago?
Directions: Preheat oven to 350º F. In a large skillet, heat oil to 350º F. Fry a handful of tortilla strips at a time until golden brown and crisp. Transfer the tortilla strips to a paper towel lined plate to drain excess oil. Continue with the remaining tortilla strips and fry in batches. Alternatively, if you have a deep fryer, you can fry batches of tortilla strips and drain on paper towels. Set tortilla strips aside. If using a skillet, carefully pour out the all the oil but reserve 1 tablespoon for sautéing. Return the skillet over a medium high heat with the reserved tablespoon of oil. When hot, add the onion and sauté until softened. Add the chicken and spices, stirring to combine. Add the stock and allow the liquid to reduce by half. Once reduced, transfer the mixture to a large bowl. Add the salsa and 1 1/2 cups cheese, stirring to combine. Next, add the fried tortilla strips and toss until fully incorporated and the tortilla strips have slightly softened. Transfer the mixture to a lightly greased 9x13 baking dish. Sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup of cheese over the top and bake uncovered in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes or until top has lightly browned and cheese and melted. Serve with crema/sour cream, chopped cilantro, and remaining salsa if desired.  Buffalo Chicken Dip -- Brown Eyed Baker Michelle at Brown Eyed Baker has a "genius" girlfriend that came up with the idea to have a dip party with the girls. Count. Me. In! How fun!! Anyway, here's the recipe! Ingredients: 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, boiled and shredded 12 oz. bottle of hot sauce (I think I'm going to use Buffalo Wild Wings' Spicy Garlic Buffalo Sauce - Justin's a major fan!) Two 8 oz. packages of cream cheese 16 oz. bottle of Ranch dressing 2 cups (8 oz.) shredded Monterey Jack or cheddar cheese (or both!) Directions: 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 2. Combine the chicken with the bottle of hot sauce and spread in a 9×13-inch baking dish (or any 3-quart baking dish). 3. In a saucepan, combine the cream cheese and the ranch dressing over low heat until the cream cheese is completely melted and smooth. Pour the mixture evenly over the chicken. Then sprinkle the cheese on top. 4. Bake uncovered for 30 to 40 minutes or until bubbly. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving. Serve with celery sticks (and/or other vegetables), tortilla chips or crackers (OR FRITOS!)
Happy scooping!
XO  Chocolate Cake Day, Holocaust Memorial Day, Fun at Work Day Nothing like starting Chocolate Cake Day with a good, hard workout. P. S. It's snowing! Today's Friday (you know this), so no fun at work for me! Instead, I'll be experimenting with chocolate cake recipes. I'm going to make cupcakes using a box mix as well as a "from scratch" recipe and see if I can tell the difference. This might blow my mind and I'm a little nervous. But first, a few thoughtful quotes to help us take pause in remembrance of the Holocaust. “We are alive. We are human, with good and bad in us. That's all we know for sure. We can't create a new species or a new world. That's been done. Now we have to live within those boundaries . What are our choices? We can despair and curse, and change nothing. We can choose evil like our enemies have done and create a world based on hate. Or we can try to make things better.” ― Carol Matas, Daniel's Story “Part of her revolted against the insanity of the rules. Part of her was grateful. In a world of chaos, any guidelines helped. And she knew that each day she remained alive, she remained alive. One plus one plus one. The Devil's arithmetic...” ― Jane Yolen “Thou shalt not be a victim, thou shalt not be a perpetrator,
but, above all, thou shalt not be a bystander.” ― Yehuda Bauer 
Beer Can Appreciation Day, Compliment Day, Belly Laugh Day, Self-Love Month 
In honor of Compliment Day and Self-Love Month, my team at Little Britches is getting some major love from me today! I made them Strawberry Cake Mix Sandwich cookies (recipe below!) and wrote each of them a "Happy Compliment Day" card! I guess it's time to tell you that I (am addicted to) love greeting cards. Any holiday, event, moment or just-because and you're pretty much guaranteed a card from you-know-who. 
Strawberry Cake Mix Sandwich Cookies -- Make and Takes WARNING: SOOO d@mn sweet!! Ingredients: 1 box strawberry cake mix 2 eggs 1/3 cup vegetable oil Directions: Preheat oven to 375. Mix ingredients together. Using flour as needed, roll out dough and cut out heart shapes with cookie cutters. Bake for 7-9 minutes on ungreased cookie sheet. Let cookies cool completely before frosting "wrong" sides and making sandwiches. ENJOY! I'm also using my crock pot for the first time in my whole life to make this recipe. Wish me luck -- it smells delicious so far!! I'm thinking I'll realize what I've been missing by letting my crock pot gather dust in our laundry room. If you have any yummy recipes for the slow cooker, throw them my way!!
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AuthorHi! I'm Abby! I hope you take a second to celebrate the little things today. Thanks for stopping by! XO ArchivesSeptember 2012 CategoriesAll |
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