Tonight my husband was given a gift to do an online cooking class with Guy Fieri. During the class, there were other celebrity chef speakers and sport’s commentators talking about their all time favorite Super Bowl dishes. This Buffalo Chicken Dip came up as the winner, unanimously. I started writing down the recipe ferociously. Since I just was given this tonight, I have not had a chance to make it but my son and I are going to try over the weekend. If you do too, will you write in and let me know!!! Bon Appetit!
4 cups shredded cooked chicken
2 bricks cream cheese
1 cup ranch dressing
2 packages shredded cheddar or Mexican blend cheese
3/4 cup hot sauce (less if you do not like too hot and more if you do!!!)
Combine the chicken, cream cheese, dressing, shredded cheese (set aside about 1/4 of the bag), and hot sauce in the crockpot
Let cook on high for 1-2 hours or until all of the cream cheese melts. Right before serving sprinkle the remaining cheese on top and put the lid back on just long enough so the cheese topping melts.
They recommend serving this dip with a bunch of vegetables of your choice and tortilla chips!
adapted from Thehouseandhomestead.com
A friend gave me these Detox Bath Salts and I was amazed at how nice and relaxing they were. I was so surprised by how easy they are to make. My girls and I have been making them for a while now. I have tried a few different scents and I think I like Lavender the best but there are so many essential oil scents to choose from.
- ½ cup Epsom salts
- ½ cup sea salt
- ½ cup baking soda
- 10-15 drops of essential oils scent of your choice. I really like this SET.
Mix the Epsom salts, sea salt, and baking soda together in a bowl. Add your essential oils. I add about 15 drops of essential oil to this recipe (per 1/2 cup of salt).
Scoop it into pretty jars. I purchased THESE. I really like that they come with scoops.
And now it’s time to take a nice long bath. Enjoy!
Every New Year, I decide to really do a good closet cleanout. I take the time to go through all the clothes that do not fit well or have not worn in a while. It’s so much easier for me to do it over a few weeks than all at once. I also keep a bag in my closet for donations. When I try something on and it’s just not right, in the bag it goes. When I have a pretty good accumulation, I contact Pick Up Please. It is so convenient. You go online and pick your date and then leave your donations outside on the morning of the pickup. I also send many things to the Real Real. I find it to be such a great resource for selling things with designer labels in good condition. I am so impressed with how fast things sell on the Real Real. Once I started getting rid of and organizing things in my closet, I start dreaming of what my perfect closet would look like. Here are some of my favorite closet/clothing storage ideas:
Jennifer Eisenstadt
Krystine Edwards
Lauren Conrad
This week’s book club choice is a Reece Witherspoon pick and an instant New York Times bestseller. And I know how much you all love thrillers so The Guest List by Lucy Foley is my pick.
On an island off the coast of Ireland, guests gather to celebrate two people joining their lives together as one. The groom: handsome and charming, a rising television star. The bride: smart and ambitious, a magazine publisher. It’s a wedding for a magazine, or for a celebrity: the designer dress, the remote location, the luxe party favors, the boutique whiskey. The cell phone service may be spotty and the waves may be rough, but every detail has been expertly planned and will be expertly executed.
But perfection is for plans, and people are all too human. As the champagne is popped and the festivities begin, resentments and petty jealousies begin to mingle with the reminiscences and well wishes. The groomsmen begin the drinking game from their school days. The bridesmaid not-so-accidentally ruins her dress. The bride’s oldest (male) friend gives an uncomfortably caring toast.
And then someone turns up dead. Who didn’t wish the happy couple well? And perhaps more important, why? – Amazon.com
For more information or to purchase this book, click HERE.
A friend recommended this week’s book to me. It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover and I was at first hesitant to post about it. The storyline is tough and can be difficult to read but really grabs your heart and you will come away spellbound and loving it and also the characters, even the ones who are the most flawed.
Combining a captivating romance with a cast of all-too-human characters, Colleen Hoover’s It Ends With Us is an unforgettable tale of love that comes at the ultimate price.
Lily hasn’t always had it easy, but that’s never stopped her from working hard for the life she wants. She’s come a long way from the small town in Maine where she grew up—she graduated from college, moved to Boston, and started her own business. So when she feels a spark with a gorgeous neurosurgeon named Ryle Kincaid, everything in Lily’s life suddenly seems almost too good to be true.
Ryle is assertive, stubborn, maybe even a little arrogant. He’s also sensitive, brilliant, and has a total soft spot for Lily. And the way he looks in scrubs certainly doesn’t hurt. Lily can’t get him out of her head. But Ryle’s complete aversion to relationships is disturbing. Even as Lily finds herself becoming the exception to his “no dating” rule, she can’t help but wonder what made him that way in the first place.
As questions about her new relationship overwhelm her, so do thoughts of Atlas Corrigan—her first love and a link to the past she left behind. He was her kindred spirit, her protector. When Atlas suddenly reappears, everything Lily has built with Ryle is threatened. – Amazon.com
For more information or to purchase this book, click HERE.
I am still in the soup making mode here. I have been dying for a really good pea soup recipe. The other day I found Ina’s recipe and was so intrigued since people said that it is the best version yet! If pea soup is not your thing, I am including my Chicken and Dumplings recipe…it is a staple in our house and a favorite for everyone who makes it. Back to the pea soup, it is so easy to make. It’s quick and comes out so thick and hearty. The secret is letting it simmer nice and slow. Bon Appetit!!!
1 cup chopped yellow onions
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/8 cup good olive oil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1-1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 cups medium-diced carrots (3 to 4 carrots)
1 cup medium-diced red boiling potatoes, unpeeled (3 small)
1 pound dried split green peas
8 cups chicken stock or water
In a 4-quart stockpot on medium heat, saute the onions and garlic with the olive oil, oregano, salt, and pepper until the onions are translucent, 10 to 15 minutes. Add the carrots, potatoes, 1/2 pound of split peas, and chicken stock. Bring to a boil, then simmer uncovered for 40 minutes. Skim off the foam while cooking. Add the remaining split peas and continue to simmer for another 40 minutes, or until all the peas are soft. Stir frequently to keep the solids from burning on the bottom. Taste for salt and pepper. Serve hot.