Single greatest Pinterest tip to date!

How many of you love the Buffalo Chicken Wing Dip??? Of those people, who just hates making it due to the annoyance of cooking/shredding the chicken? If your hand is still raised, keep reading... If you've never had it (shame!) the recipe is below!

This dip is a staple with our group of friends and made by at least 1 person for each football game or party. Now, I know you can make this with pre-cooked/shredded chicken but lets face it, it isn't nearly as good! So any time I decide to make it I usually cook and shred the chicken the day before, stick it in the fridge and when I'm ready for it, I can just throw it all together.

Some of you may be thinking "Is shredding chicken REALLY that bad??" and the answer is, "YES!". And I usually avoid any recipes that involve this process until now!

I saw this post on Pinterest a few weeks back and finally tried it out the other night and low and behold it worked!! (I think my husband questioned who he had married after my crazy excitement over this nifty little trick!)

So, all you do is cook your chicken breasts (I just boil them), throw those puppies into your Stand Mixer with the paddle attachment (while they are still hot), turn that bad boy on to about 3-4 speed and in less than 10 seconds you have completely, perfectly shredded chicken! I mean, COME ON - how cool is that?? So bring on the chicken tacos, chicken salad and any other shredded chicken recipes, I'm in it to win it now!

Buffalo Chicken Wing Dip

- 1 Package of 3 large chicken breasts - boiled and shredded  (I boil about 30 min with salt and pepper and onion if you want)
- 1 large bottle of Franks hot sauce (you can use the wing sauce or the regular hot sauce)
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- 8oz cream cheese (softened)
- 1 jar of blue cheese dressing (the one in the produce section - Marie's is the brand)

Spread cream cheese on bottom of 9 by 12 dish.  Mix chicken, cheese, hot sauce and put on top of cream cheese.  Top with blue cheese.  Heat in oven at 350 for about 30 minutes. Serve with tortilla scoops.

It's GAMEDAY!!

Ahhhhh yes, that time of year has come yet again. College football season has finally arrived and it feels so good! Moving from my hometown of course wasn't easy but today, my friends, made that move oh so sweet! Finally, I am out of that other team's territory the Upstate and back in Gamecock Country! Driving to work this morning I passed so many cars flying their flags, the radio was playing the fight song and everyone at work is in their garnet and black! I felt like I was in Dillon, TX the day of a Panther football game (if you haven't seen FNL, you really should!) It certainly feels good to be a Gamecock!

Tonight, we are heading over to a friend's house to watch the game and kick off the season with some bbq and tailgate apps (more to come on that)! Hope everyone is tuning in and cheering on the Gamecocks to their first victory of the season!!

GOOOOOO COCKS!! FIGHT! WIN! KICK A$$!!!

First home game of last season... Love you Willy B!



I am aware we are sitting down while everyone else is standing. I assure you we cheer at games!



Must plan DDD reunion game!

And of course no football season is complete without the 6-shooter belt buckle.

Tasty Tuesday: Easy Pad Thai

I am so excited about my very first Tasty Tuesday post! Ever since Brett and I started dating we have really found a love of cooking together and trying out new recipes or pulling out some old family favorites. So, I am excited about having a place to collect all of these and share them with you!

Last week Brett and I made a delicious and SO simple Chicken Pad Thai for dinner. I posted a picture of it on Instagram and got more likes on that picture than ever before so I thought I would share the love and post the recipe. I almost wanted to hold the recipe close and let you all think I'm some culinary genius but, I've decided to be nice and share this wonderful secret!

Enjoy!!

You can find the original recipe HERE!

Easy Pad Thai
Serves 4 (I have to admit though, Brett and I almost consumed the entire pan between the two of us... don't judge)

8 ounces dried, wide and flat rice noodles (found these in the ethnic section of Publix)2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice (about 1 lime), plus wedges for serving
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 squirt (about 1/8 teaspoon) Sriracha (I'm not a spicy food lover so we skipped this and Brett just added some regular hot sauce to his plate.)
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
3 scallions (green onions), white and green parts, separated and thinly sliced (I ended up only using the white part of 3 but used the green part of probably the whole bushel - about 6).1 garlic clove, minced
2 large eggs, light beaten
1/2 cup fresh cilantro
1/4 cup chopped roasted, salted peanuts

1. Soak noodles according to package instructions. Drain. (My brand just said to soak in hot tap water for about 10 minutes. They will still feel a bit hard but will cook the rest of the way in the skillet.)
2. In a small bowl, whisk together brown sugar, lime juice, soy sauce, and Sriracha (if used).
3. Go ahead and chop up your scallions, garlic, cilantro, peanuts and have them ready.
4. In a large nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat.
5. Add scallion whites and garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant (about 30 seconds). Add eggs and cook, scraping skillet with spatula until eggs are almost set (about 30 seconds). Transfer eggs to a plate.
6. Add noodles, scallion greens, and sauce to skillet. Cook, tossing constantly, until noodles are soft and fully coated with the sauce (about 1 minute). Add egg mixture and toss to coat, breaking eggs up gently. (this is when we added the cooked chicken)
7. Serve noodles with lime wedges, topped with cilantro and peanuts.

Side Notes:
- The original recipe does not call for chicken but we decided to pick up a package of chicken tenderloins and cut them up and cook them in a skillet with some lime juice and soy sauce. Once they were done cooking we added them to the skillet when we added the eggs back in before serving it. To me, it was a very simple and necessary addition.
- We also steamed some edemame as our side dish (my fav!)
- Without the chicken this is only 315 calories per serving so not only is it easy, it is a great low-cal dinner! (if you can only eat 1 serving that is!)

Tailgate Party Friday!

Tonight is my family's 9th Annual Tailgate Party which means summer's coming to a close and fall and football are on their way!

For the last 9 years, my parents along with our best friends the Hensons have thrown this tailgate party for all of our friends to kick off football season. It is always a huge hit and something everyone looks forward to all summer long!

Here's how it works:
- Wear your favorite college team's colors (since we are in the south and college reigns supreme!)
- Bring your favorite tailgate dish to share (dip, dessert, meat, etc.)
- We provide the beer and DJ/Karaoke!
*This year we are throwing in a photobooth as well!

So, to prepare for tonight's festivities I thought it would be fun to walk down memory lane at the last 7 tailgate parties (I couldn't attend the first one because of sorority rush.... and partially bc we thought we were too cool to go to a party thrown by our parents - see, I do admit it!).

And of course... GOOOOOO COCKS!!


Year 2 - 2005



Seniors in college and were finally convinced to join the party.


Year 3 - 2006

The guys showing Brooke their love through the mic.

Ohhh the "Game Time" banner... mom was so proud of that thing.

Year 4 - 2007

Can you tell we are in the upstate with all the orange??

Look what made its way back to the party!

The "Bunko" gals hitting up the karaoke

Year 5 - 2008

Think this year the young kids took over the party.

Year 6 - 2009

Me and all my Auburn ladies!

Mom and Dad!

Henson/Will ladies - besties since birth!

Year 7 - 2010

Brett's first tailgate party experience...

... didn't take him long before he took over the mic.

Year 8 - 2011

High School best friends with our dads!

We always hand out tailgate gifts to the next bride and groom. Last year was our turn!

My brother came in from Denver!

Long story short - the high school girls dads have a long-standing tradition of "passing the torch" to the next father-of-the-bride. Through the years, each dad makes his own addition and this is what dad was given.

 

So excited for this year's party! Come on 5:00....

Southern Pig Pickin'

This weekend we celebrated my father-in-law's 70th birthday! As I've mentioned before, Brett grew up in a small town and his dad  is a good-ole country man through and through. And what do you get a good-ole country man for his birthday?? Why a pig of course!

Brett's family cooks a few pigs throughout the year for family gatherings and when we asked Mr. Damon what he wanted for the big 7-0 all he wanted was to cook a pig and have everyone over to enjoy it together. It is a long, exhausting process (for the guys) but it turned out fantastic - as always!

Step One: Order pig from butcher and get it on the grill. Slice it up a little and salt it real good.

(picture not for the vegan or animal lover...sorry)

Step Two: Cook Pig - This requires about 10 hours (typically overnight) which means very little sleep and a lot of beer.

This picture was from when my brother convinced Brett to bring the grill to Greenville and cook one at my parent's house. I think the entire neighborhood smelled of bbq (which was pretty glorious.)

Step Three: De-bone Pig
Step Four: Chop up Pig
*I'm never awake to see steps three and four so let's go ahead and skip ahead shall we...

Step Five: Sauce Pig - Brett has taken over his dad's job of making the sauce. There is no real recipe here; just a lot of pouring and testing. He uses an apple cider vinegar base with brown sugar, ground red pepper, honey, bourbon, salt and apple juice. (I may be looking at a divorce if that is incorrect) This happens about 3-4 times before it's ready for eating.

Step Six: Eat Pig - Throw in some mac and cheese, rice and gravy, green beans and banana pudding and you are all set for a perfect Southern Pig-Pickin'!

So glad we were able to get the family together for such a special occasion and I look forward to many more birthdays and pigs with the Owens family!

Now, who's hungry?? I know Brinkley is!

He never goes too far from the grill.

A few pictures of the party:

These are a few of my favorite things.

While you won't find "raindrops on roses" or "schnitzel with noodles" in my list of favorite things, Sound of Music however has always been one of my all-time favorite movies* and I thought a good second post would be a list of some of my favorite things which no doubt some future posts will revolve around.

In no particular order:

1. A large cup of coffee in bed on a Saturday morning
2. TV (probably just as much a weakness of mine)
3. Being on a boat in the summer
4. Christmas with my family
5. Chapstick (preferably burts bees)
6. Traveling
7. Gamecock Football
8. Tailgating for Gamecock Football
9. A good meal with a glass of red wine (also what I like to call "therapy")
10. A Sunday afternoon nap
11. Gchat (seriously, what would we do without it?)
12. Brett's steaks... and cobbler
13. Shopping online
14. Lists - live by them
15. Rainbows (not the shoes but I do like those as well)
16. A good book
17. Snuggling with my dog (see #10)
18. Trying new recipes
19. Celebrity Gossip (don't judge)
20. The way your teeth feel after leaving the dentist
21. Chick-fil-A
22. My Ugg slippers
23. Sweets (particularly my mom's cheesecake, my grandma's chewies, my Aunt Debbie's chocolate delight and my Aunt Nene's sandies)
24. Edisto Island
25. Eating breakfast for dinner

So, I hope you like some of these things as well because like I said, I'm sure subsequent posts will revolve around these items.



*Seriously though, I went to Europe after college with some friends and one of our stops was Salzburg where the movie was filmed. While we didn't have time for the full Sound of Music tour, we did make a few stops at some famous locations from the movie... and sang all the songs for the next 3 weeks straight. (We weren't annoying at all.)



I'm going to say you aren't a true fan unless you recognize this fountain.



Hello Blog-World... what am I doing here?

So I’ve done it. I’ve started a blog. I’ve had my Google Reader setup for years with all my favorite bloggers (and even a few blogs of people who may or may not know I read them) and just love opening it up every morning, reading through all the latest craft projects, recipes and life updates but have never had any desire with starting one of my own… until now.

I’m not sure why I’ve finally decided to take the plunge but upon going through some old items at my parent’s house I came across boxes (and boxes) of old stuff and spent hours combing through these items, reminiscing and laughing at all the old times. I guess that is what I want to get out of this blog; a place to come back to years from now and be able to look back at the old times (without the large boxes of junk to sort through).

I’m honestly not expecting anybody but a few select friends (and my mom) to read this but, in the off chance there are others, here’s a little intro about me…

I’m a newlywed living in a new city, with a new job, a new house, some new friends. Throw in a new car and that is a lot of “news” for a 6-month span!

-          Newlywed: Brett and I were married on February 18^th, 2012 in my hometown of Greenville, SC after a little over 2 years of dating. We met on a half-way blind date* setup by a mutual friend. Brett is from a small town near Florence but has been in Columbia since Law School (waaaaayyyy back when… kidding) and works as an attorney in town.

Snapshots from our wedding album

*I say “half-way blind date” because Brett and I met briefly at said friend’s wedding a few years back…. Evidence noted by this picture which I found on my camera from her wedding years after it was taken… fate, right?

 

-          New City: Since our dating was of the long-distance variety, once we made this thing official, I had to pack up and move from my hometown of Greenville to Columbia, SC. I had gone to college in Columbia so I wasn’t completely foreign to the city but let’s just say I experienced a different side of Columbia when I was here 6 years ago. J I miss Greenville on a regular basis but am having so much fun learning my way around here and seeing all it has to offer! (and eating at Zas whenever I get the chance).

-          New Job: With a new city, comes a new job. I had worked at an advertising agency in Greenville since I graduated college so leaving the only “real” job I had ever known was not exactly the easiest thing to do but, the 4 month “vacation” I was going to get between jobs made the blow a little easier to bear. After my stint as a stay-at-home-wife, I am now working at a large insurance company in town working in their Marketing Department. It is no advertising agency environment but I’m so happy about the move and hope to have a long future here.

-          New House: Not only did I leave my job in Greenville, I left my very first house as well. We decided not to sell but instead rent it out and become landlords (I’m sure there will be more on that later). But, leaving my girlie, single-gal townhouse to Brett’s bachelor, 3bdrm/1bath house that included a few Robert E. Lee inspired pictures on the walls and 1 particularly ugly green, velvet couch was well, interesting…. Note, all items have since been replaced 1 room at a time with new, “married couple” appropriate items (however, the flower pictures in the kitchen I hung just HAD to go according to Brett). *I’m only half-kidding here… I actually adore our house in Forest Acres and couldn’t think a better place to spend our first years of marriage… if only it had 2 bathrooms… no, but really.



Our little bungalow (before some much needed yard TLC)



-          Not so new Dog: He may be approaching middle-age in dog years and can’t be described as “new” but I couldn’t have an intro about myself without introducing the one and only Brinkley, our first child and a large part of our little family. He is 100% spoiled rotten by everyone around him but in my mind, you shouldn’t ever own a dog unless you’re willing to spoil them!



Our little fur-baby, Brinkley

So that’s me in a nutshell! Bear with me as I try to navigate my way through my first blog and please send any pointers my way! I’m not making any promises about what is going to be posted on here (or how often it will happen) but I will promise multiple spelling and grammar errors… I’ve always been more of a math/science person myself. J