Time to hibernate

It's about that time of year, weather getting colder the hot chocolate cravings start up, that's not really the case where I am, but for other people it is. Every once in a while it gets down in the 60s here, if that counts. It's time to pick up a Starbucks drink, if only because it has a cute winter scene on it, it's like an accessory + caffeine.

That also means it gets dark really quckly. So, whenever I get home from work, the sun is basically down. That means all I want to do is sit on the couch and veg. Game over. I still have Halloween candy hanging around that I continuously munch on (gummy body parts, in case you were wondering) all I want to do is make really thick, buttery, starchy food and I don't want to work out. That basically means it's time to hibernate for the winter. It's getting cold anyway, so a layer of fat would do me good <--- said no one ever (except maybe Eskimos.)

So, every other day I attempt to drag my sorry self to the gym at my apartment complex, because running in the dark is terrifying. When I first started running in Florida I was jumping at every rustle of branches and leaf noises because I thought alligators were going to jump out and snap me up. "Jump" really isn't the correct word. I know that alligators can't jump, per se. But I did think they were going to run up to me and bite my leg off, or that I'd end up wrestling around on the ground with one Crocodile  Hunter style.

 

I had to, I love/miss Steve Irwin.

And that was during the day. At night there are creatures and fiends and rapists and muggers and ghosts or Blaire Witches or something. I run with pepper spray during the day, at night I'd need to run with a cross bow. 

Sometimes when I'm feeling especially lazy and I don't want to make the (maybe) 4 minute walk to the workout room, I just do those squat, lunge, jumping jack, wall sit things that you find on Pinterest. The problem is then I'm scared the people downstairs will come knock on my door and complain about the noise from me jumping. You just can't win during the winter. 

Might as well just accept our fate, right? We can always start working out in the spring to lose weight for swim suit season....which is all the time down here. Whatever. 

Here's a really delish recipe that would be groovy for a football related gathering or just because you like buffalo chicken flavored stuff. Bonus: It's slightly spicy depending on what kind of sauce you use (yay! because it's cold out probably), and you can bulk up for the frigid temperatures because it has a ton of ranch, potatoes and cheese in it. You know that sounds good and you want to make it now. Don't pretend. 

The recipe comes from the blog Holy Cannoli Recipes.

Buffalo Chicken and Potato Casserole

• 1 1/2 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch strips

• 1/3 c. Franks hot sauce

• 5c. red potatoes, grated w/ box grater 

• 1 c. light ranch dressing/ blue cheese

• 1/2 c. cheddar cheese, shredded

• 1 (10 oz) can condensed cream of chicken soup

• 1/2 c. panko

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Spray 13x9-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
2. Grate potatoes and lay out and pat with a paper towel to try to get some of the moisture out.
3. In medium bowl, stir together chicken strips and buffalo sauce. Spoon into baking dish in a single layer.
4. In the same bowl, stir together potatoes, dressing, cheese and soup. Spread over chicken. Sprinkle panko evenly over the top.
5. Cover with foil. Bake 30 minutes; uncover and bake 20 to 25 minutes longer or until potatoes are tender and juice of chicken is no longer pink when centers of thickest pieces are cut.

Election Day

I decided with a coworker today that if cookies were given away after you vote more people would be inclined to go. Granted, people seem to be pretty pumped about the stickers as well, but hello, cookies are always appreciated. You get a bunch of food after you donate blood, that’s so you don’t pass out, but it’s pretty awesome anyway.

I made Michelle Obama’s cookie recipe from Family Circle that was competing against Ann Romney’s cookie recipe to bring into work today. Michelle's recipe sounded AMAZING. And guess what, it was amazing. It may possibly be my favorite cookie recipe ever. There are mints in it. So, say hello to the cookies I’m probably going to be making for Christmas-type events.

I did embellish on the recipe a bit. I drizzled left over white chocolate on top and put red, white and blue sprinkles on there just so everyone would be aware they were freedom cookies. I was a little worried people would miss out on the joy that is the democratic process if they weren’t blatantly American.

My friend told me, “They are cookies. How much more patriotic can you get than butter-infused carb disks?” Touché.

If you are totally going to explode when the results are announced or if you are currently in the process of booking a ticket to Canada, I guarantee these will calm you down in a way Valium never could. 

I set this little display up. Let me tell you, it put everyone in the office in a better mood about the election.

Mama Kaye's White and Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

1 stick Crisco butter-flavored solid vegetable shortening <--I didn't use butter flavored, I just used regular 

3/4 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 eggs

1 cup each white chocolate chips, milk chocolate chips and mint chocolate chips (or Andes mint pieces)

2 cups chopped walnuts <-- I didn't use these

Directions

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees F. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt. In a large bowl with an electric mixer, cream butter, vegetable shortening, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract.

2. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. On low speed, beat in flour mixture. By hand, stir in white and milk chocolate chips, mint chips and walnuts.

3. Drop rounded tablespoons of dough onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 375 degrees F for 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Notice how I’m not talking about whom I’m voting for. Do you know why? It’s because no one cares who I’m voting for. They only care because they want me to be voting for the same person. I’d rather not know who you voted for, in case you were wondering. 

Enjoy the cookies though, it's going to be a long night. Also, if your candidate doesn't win, don't berate the entire U.S. because you think they obviously voted wrong. I'm just telling you, you won't make any friends, and people will probably just plot to destroy you. Fair warning, one might be me. 

Post-Halloween

I made pumpkin pie cupcakes earlier in the week. They turned out delicious, thank you for asking. Also, in other news, the end of my Halloween night was a real bummer. It's a long story, and you don't care really, so I'll skip ahead. When I got home I ended up eating one of those cupcakes I mentioned. I put the whipped cream on top, sprinkled some pumpkin pie spice on it and just stood in my kitchen thinking about, you know, life. Dwelling on some regrets and poor decision making, the usual. If you've ever seen Bridesmaids, it's essentially what Kristen Wiig does below.

Except she had to bake hers and the frosting is elaborate. Mine was just whipped cream.

I kind of always feel like I’m like this / when I really want to be like this |. Does that make any sense? It’s like I need to be propped up all the time, like when the Scarecrow keeps falling over and Dorothy has to pick him back up when they're skipping around. Have you ever noticed that he loses stuffing randomly and never seems to mind? I think that’s pretty messed up. I mean the straw is like his entrails or blood or something. Moving on.

I don't think that eating that cupcake was necessarily a cathartic experience, maybe a little, but it definitely didn't hurt. It's the little things in life I suppose. For anyone else that is kind of in a downward spiral right now, maybe these will make you feel better.

The recipe comes from the blog Baking Bites.

Pumpkin Pie Cupcakes

2/3 cup all purpose flour

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1 tsp cinnamon

1 15-oz can pumpkin puree

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

2 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

3/4 cup half and half (or evaporated milk)

Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper or silicone liners.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and pumpkin pie spice

In a large bowl, whisk together pumpkin puree, sugar, brown sugar, eggs, vanilla and half and half until well combined. Add in dry ingredients and whisk until no streaks of flour remain and batter is smooth.

Fill each muffin cup with approximately 1/3 cup of batter.

Bake for 20 minutes. Cool cupcakes in pan. They will sink as they cool.

Chill cupcakes before serving. Top with whipped cream and pumpkin pie spice.

Makes 12