THROWBACK THURSDAY

A REPEAT...
"he ain't heavy, he's my brother..."
FLASHBACK october 9, 1967
i am a happy toddler. i live with my mama and daddy in a nice house. we have a dog. life is good.
FLASH FORWARD october 10, 1967
the nightmare begins. mama and daddy bring HIM home. a little brother. "aren't you excited to be a big sister?" ummmmmm. no. no i'm not.
FLASH FORWARD 1970 something
i can't get rid of him. queenie and i are at the park? he is there. queenie and i are at the pool? he is there. queenie spends the night? he is there. he. never. goes. away. he tries to kill me...on multiple occasions. thank you whoever invented locks on doors. and there are times he needs my protection. yeah, exorcist demon, you will not possess my little brother because i'm letting him sleep in my room. 

             

FLASH FORWARD 1980 something
he's in high school now. and is kind of gigantic. no one realizes he's just a freshman. my friends become his friends. he's at all the same parties. the same homecomings. the same proms. he makes getting a date tough, however.  it's hard to get a date when every guy at school has seen you first thing in the morning. with your hair standing on end and no make~up. but, all in all, he's not so bad. 

       

 

FLASH FORWARD today

he's kind of a d~bag.  but he's my d~bag. he's given me a sister. he's given my 2 beautiful nieces. he's my dearest friend AND the bane of my existence.

today is national sibling day. celebrate your brothers and/or sisters...they are the ones that taught you "fairness and cooperation and kindness and caring" (pamela dugdale).

a gallery of siblings:

                         

not so MANIC MONDAY

"mamas in the kitchen with the mac n' cheese..."

FLASHBACK january 24, 2014
another mandatory friday night means we need to come  up with another dish for dinner. that means i get to try another pinterest recipe!! i find the perfect side dish involving 4 of my favorite things: beer, bacon, cheese, and pasta!!

TODAY
it's a comfort food kind of day. and my mandatory friday night side would actually make a delicious main course for a simple monday dinner. you should give this pinterest success a try!!

BEER BACON MAC AND CHEESE

ingredients:

12 oz thick cut bacon
2 tbs unsalted butter
1/4 c all-purpose flour
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp ground chile de arbol (or cayenne to taste)
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 c beer (i used great lakes christmas ale)
1/2 c chicken broth
2 c milk
1 tsp worcestshire sauce
1 8oz bag of shredded mild cheddar cheese
16 oz dry elbow pasta

boil pasta until al dente. drain and set aside. 
cut bacon into bite size pieces. fry, over medium heat, until crispy. set aside and reserve 2 tbs of the drippings, discarding the rest. 
melt butter in skillet with reserved bacon drippings. whisk in flour. allow to cook a minute or two to cook off flour taste. add spices and beer. bring to a bubble for about 3 minutes. add milk. when it comes to a bubble, add worcestshire, bacon, and cheese. whisk to combine.
add pasta. stir to combine. allow to cook over low heat for about 5 minutes.
pour into casserole dish. sprinkle with chives (optional). serves 4-6.

  

                         

enjoy!!!

bonus: kathy brought another successful pinterest recipe to mandatory friday night. click here to try CAKE BATTER CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES. they were delicious!!!

SCRUMPTIOUS SATURDAY

"one potato...two potato...three potato...four..."

FLASHBACK november 5

mandatory friday night is coming...the "let's make a plan" email is going around. time? 6(ish). place? linksies. food? yes. we are grilling out...we don't even care that it's 30 degrees outside. it's byom (bring your own meat), byob (beverage), and a side to share. b has already said she's bringing deviled eggs. well boo...i've been dying for an excuse to make these again. so, yet again, i hit up pinterest, looking for the perfect side.

FLASH FORWARD mandatory friday

i decide on "crack potatoes", because...easy. and you can't go wrong with potatoes, cheese, and bacon.

CRACK POTATOES

ingredients:

2~ 16 oz containers of sour cream
2c cheddar cheese, shredded
2~ 3 oz bags real bacon bits
2 packages ranch dip mix
1 large bag (30 oz) frozen hash browns (shredded)

preheat oven to 400〫.  mix sour cream, cheese, bacon, and ranch dip mix in large bowl. stir in potatoes. spread evenly in 9X13 baking dish. bake for 60 minutes.
easy.

                     

PINTEREST SUCCESS!!

A WEEK IN THE LIFE: INSTAGRAM EDITION

"kodachrome...they give us those nice, bright colors..."

this week has been about cider...and baseball...healthy eating (or not)....handbags and best friends...

^magners...for the irish in everybody^

^i love the city^

^the great debate...homestyle or curly fries?^

^healthy and sweet snacks^

^retro diet...my fave^

^thank you, michael kors, for knowing just what i like^

^baseball games and favorite ushers^

^my view^

^besties and baseball^

HAPPY INSTAGRAMMING!!!

SUNDAY LESSONS

"karma karma karma karma karma chameleon...."

FLASHBACK a few weeks back
i get a phone call. "did you hear what blah blah blah did?" what?! no! "yeah. blah blah blah did yadda yadda yadda! and then this and that happened". omg. (you can insert any horrible gossip you like, it won't change the outcome of my story, or hurt my feelings).
FLASH FORWARD september 14, 2013
it's my typical morning. all's quiet, except for the bk taking an occasional deep breath, in his sleep. the only light is the glare from my computer. i scroll through a little facebook. a little twitter. and a lot of pinterest. and, then, i see it. blah blah blah, who had done the horrible~awful yadda yadda yadda is spending quite a bit of time talking about karma. what? dude!? you know karma's coming after you, right?! it annoys me, so i change my facebook status:

lots of people agree with me. the bk and i talk about it for a minute and i go on with my life. the next 20 minutes goes like this: i stub my toe, on the way to the kitchen *karma*. i start cooking bacon and i burn the first few pieces *karma*. i pour grits into the boiling water and, before i blink, they are blowing the lid off the pot *karma*. i make the perfect sunny~side up egg, and it sticks to the spatula when i am transferring it to the plate *karma*. i am grumbling. what is going on? "weren't you the one who said that when you wish bad karma on people it gets you, too?" ugh.

FLASH FORWARD today
i just wanted to remind everyone NOT to wish bad karma on people. always be kind. karma will get them when she's ready, but you don't want her coming after you in the meantime.

have a great day peeps!

SCRUMPTIOUS SATURDAY

"this is the shoe and these are our people..."
FLASHBACK september 4, 2013
the bk is busy, busy, busy making plans for tailgating at the shoe. *for those who don't know, but everyone should know, the shoe is the home of the osu buckeyes* all he is responsible for is the sound system. nope. not good enough for bk. out comes pinterest and tons of tailgating recipes.

FLASH FORWARD today
off the bk went, with two delicious dishes in tow! try them for your next tailgate adventure or football party!!

CANDIED BACON

ingredients:
¼ c brown sugar
2 tbs rice vinegar
2 tbs maple syrup
black pepper to taste
1 lb thick cut bacon

preheat oven to 350〫. place a cooling rack over a baking sheet. place bacon on cooling rack and bake for 10 minutes. turn slices and bake for 5 additional minutes. 

mix brown sugar, rice vinegar, maple syrup, and black pepper in small bowl.

remove bacon and brush both sides with brown sugar mixture. return to oven and bake another 5 minutes. repeat basting until bacon is crispy and brown, approximately 35 minutes.

and BOOM!!

TAILGATE SANDWICHES

ingredients:
20 small hawaiian sweet rolls
1 lb black forrest ham (or meat of your choice)
20 slices of provolone cheese (or your choice)
8 oz container of softened cream cheese
½ cup (1 stick) melted butter
1 tbs yellow mustard
1 tbs worchestshire sauce
2 tbs minced onions
¼ c grated parmesan cheese
2 tbs poppy seeds (optional)

preheat oven to 350〫. lightly coat 9X13 pan with cooking spray. layer pan with bottom halves of rolls.  top with the ham. top ham with cheese. spread top halves of rolls with cream cheese and place on top of cheese, lining up with bottom halves.
in a medium bowl, mix butter, mustard, worchestshire sauce, minced onions, and parmesan cheese until well combined. pour evenly over sandwiches. sprinkle with poppy seeds.
cover with aluminum foil and bake for 25 minutes. cut at seams and serve warm.

*note: we made up sandwiches the night before and heated the next morning. easy peasy.*

turns out they were a hit. pinterest successes!!
HAPPY PINNING!!

A WEEK IN THE LIFE: INSTAGRAM EDITION

"snapshot image froze without a sound..."

i've learned a few things in the past week, like: never leave your dishes for the next morning; dogs will protect you from zombie cats; and starbucks refreshers are delicious, low~cal, refreshing (duh doy, it's in the name) treats...

^my morning...every morning^

^early morning disaster^

^first pumpkin ale of the season AND cool label^

^her icing melted but it was still delicious^

^the boys of fall^

^my new favorite thing^

^hydration is important^

^almost the end of summer vegetables^

^stay away from her, she's a zombie^

^shadow dancing^

HAPPY INSTAGRAMMING!!

A WEEK IN THE LIFE: INSTAGRAM EDITION

"shake it, shake, shake it, shake it like a polaroid picture..."











the past week has been all about good food, baseball, romantic walks, friendship, and pineapples.

^when pizza is healthy^

^riverboats on the ohio^

^a cardinal and her bk^

^ducks on a pond^

^haunted riverboats...it's a thing^

^big brother is watching you^

^beer and cookies are a good thing^

^everything is better in a pineapple glass^

^it was a hot and sunny day at the reds' game^

^yellow watermelon...a delicious and healthy treat^

happy instagramming!!