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Ok, so I tried to seek revenge on my band-practicing neighbors by singing Glee at the top of my lungs for 30 minutes. They retaliated… with a synthesizer keyboard that they're now playing at the top it ITS volume. Touche, neighbor boys. Touche.

Neighbors: 2 | Cari: 0

The 31st Year: In which Suzie Q and DS allow me to crash their wedding anniversary dinner again…

This weekend, Mr. G and I traveled to Flag City USA (aka, Findlay, OH) to crash join my parents for their 31st wedding anniversary dinner. Sadly, I have been doing this for four years now. I can only get away with doing this because A) I am DS' favorite child (DS stands for Daddy Steiner, by the way. He asks that we call him this), and B) Because I am unbearably adorable and fun to be around.

They go to this super fancy place called Mancy's in Toledo (the cream of the crop here people) and I get to order steak AND dessert. But this isn't about me – it's about them, and their endless love for one another. Actually, it really is. I know a lot of people don't get to find what they have found, and for that I am truly thankful. Here, let's look at a picture of the happy couple at this year's dinner:

Note: Suzie Q and I decided we were going to have her wear every. single. bracelet DS has ever bought her. We had to stop eventually because Suzie Q's arm was becoming extremely heavy, and she looked like a hippie. Regardless – there were some major stones on that arm. Way to go Suzie Q.

The only rule of the weekend is that DS is NOT to call Suzie Q "Sweet Thing" in front of me. And Suzie Q is NOT to call DS "Wild Thing" in front of me, or Mr. G, because we'd like to at some point remember a world of innocence and happiness. However, they almost always break these rules, which is just absolutely unacceptable no matter how much their nicknames for each other make one another happy. I digress…

Anyway – at these dinners we drink a lot of wine. And sometimes Suzie Q, DS and Mr. G end the dinner with Grand Mariner (I don't go NEAR that stuff). So, in the morning, we typically need some aspirin and a good breakfast. 

Well, God Bless you Suzie Q – you knew just the treat to serve. Friends, let me share with you the most sweetest treat to indulge in the morning after a bottle of wine shared among… yourself (Suzie Q used the Pillsbury.com recipe, and I adapted it a bit). 

Here is what you'll need:

• A cup of coffee and an aspirin (This is for you to enjoy immediately upon waking up)
• 1/2 package of low-fat cream cheese, softened 
• 2 tbsp granulated sugar (like… normal sugar)
• 1 tsp almond extract
• 1/4 cup sliced almonds
• 1/4 cup of fruit filling of your choice (Suzie Q used cherry pie filling. I am going to try raspberry preserves)
• 1 can (8 oz) Pillsbury refrigerated crescent dough (the kind without the seams!)
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 2 tsp skim milk

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375. Find a non-stick cookie pan (or grease one). In a small bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar on medium speed until fluffy. Add almond extract and stir. Add fruit filling and stir. Set aside. Unroll the dough onto your cookie sheet, and spread so it fits the pan. Spoon your cream cheese mixture evenly down the center of your dough (about 1/3 of the rectangle. Like you're making a taco). On each side of the dough, make cuts 1 inch apart to the edge of the filling. Fold opposite strips of dough over the filling and cross in the center to make it look like a braid. Seal the ends. 

Bake about 20 minutes until golden brown (watch it the last few minutes!). Remove from the oven, and let it cool (you can use a cooling rack, but we didn't. Our heads hurt). 

In the meantime, mix powdered sugar and milk until smooth (like the frosting you get with Toaster Strudels) and drizzle it over the cake. Sprinkle the sliced almonds on top. Slice a piece, put it on your plate and thank god it's time to sit back down. Phew! 

Weeknight Dinner: Buffalo Chicken Pizza (Oh yeah. I went there)

Ok people. Mr. G is out of town this week on a business trip MEANING that I literally have been itching all week to talk someone's ear off. It also means that I get to watch Say Yes to the Dress marathons without seeing one of these faces…

(Classic Mr. G Face)

Regardless, I was quickly reminded just what it was like to cook for one. So, I went to work and of course, came up with this recipe that saved my dinner tonight (I was going to just give up and hit the drive thru… yikes…). Feast your eyes, friends, on this just spicy enough to wake you up Buffalo Chicken Pizza. And I didn't even have to unbutton the top button on my jeans. Why? Because I made it LOW FAT*. You are welcome.

*Ok, as low fat as a buffalo chicken pizza can be… Stay with me here. 

Now, let's get cooking.

What You Need:

• 1/2 bag of whole wheat pizza dough, room temp is best! (I buy this fresh from the supermarket) – if you can't find this, just use the Pillsbury stuff. 
• One-half of a boneless chicken breast
• 1/3 cup Frank's Buffalo Hot Sauce (or just regular is cool too!), plus 1 tbsp
• 1 1/2 tbsp low fat bleu cheese dressing
• 1/2 tbsp Lite Ranch Dressing
• 1/4 cup low fat colby jack cheese, shredded
• 1/4 cup low fat mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 4 tbsp cup gorganzola cheese
• 1/4 cup red onion, diced
• 1 tsp celery salt
• 2 green onions, sliced

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 400. Poke holes in your chicken breast and place in a Ziploc bag. Then, pour in 1/3 cup of the buffalo sauce. Let that soak for 30 minutes. In the meantime, call your mom and tell her about your day and your awesome new Gel manicure that you got after work (Hello, Tiki Sunrise nails!). 

Ok, now that the chicken is all soaked and ready to go… Heat a pan on the stove over medium heat. Cook the chicken until barely done, about 5 minutes on each side. Let the chicken cool, then dice. Once it's diced, put it in a new Ziploc bag and pour in an extra tablespoon of buffalo sauce, toss and set aside.

Take the pizza dough and sprinkle it with flour to make it easy to work with. Work out the dough from a ball into a round, pizza-looking shaped piece. It should be rather thin – probably as thin as an envelope with a letter inside of it. Make sure you don't make any bubbles in the dough. Mr. G gets really grump-tastic when I make bubbles, so I was extra careful this time since he wasn't here to fix the bubble when the dough pops up in the oven. Once its thin and looking like a pizza, place it onto your pizza pan. Spread the bleu cheese dressing and ranch dressing on the pizza dough like you would normally with pizza sauce. Then, spread the cheese evenly over the dressing layer. Then, sprinkle the onions and celery salt around the pizza, and add the chicken. It should look like this (unless you put your toppings on the pizza in the shape of a smiley face. You can imagine how Mr. G feels about that). 

Bake on the bottom rack in the oven about 17-20 minutes, until the dough looks slightly brown around the edges. Take out of the oven, and let the pizza stand about 6 minutes. Then, add the green onions over the top. Cut and oh my goodness, ENJOY!!! You're going to love this. 

In other news… here are the other things I've been doing to keep busy while I'm a lonely apartment dweller this week:

1. Signed up with a personal trainer at Fitness Edge Cleveland. This is going to be great. I should start in a few weeks (since I'll be in LA next week for work) and will be doing 2-on-1 training with a buddy. I'm assuming that in a few weeks, you won't even be able to tell the difference between me and Gisele. I'll keep you updated.
2. I figured out how to make a panini without a panini maker. This was awesome. All you need is a cast-iron skillet with grill bumps (I don't know the proper term for that) and another pan of slightly smaller size. I put sun-dried tomatoes, low-fat mozzarella, basil, oregano, EVOO and diced, white onions on ciabatta bread. Placed it on the cast iron skillet and smooshed it with a pan on top. Cooked one side for 6 minutes, and the other for about the same, on medium heat. And voila! A panini. I was so "hangry" (my friend Robin's definition for that feeling when you're so hungry you get angry) I forgot to take a picture. So just use your imagination but have your imagination see a delicious sandwich.
3. I adopted a Tamagachi pet via my iPhone on an app called Bonzii. Do you guys remember Tamagachi's? Or GiGa Pets? It's like that but on your iPhone… His name is Bonjengles and he is really needy. So needy in fact he has died three times from starvation even though I kept feeding the thing steaks. I'll keep you updated… This is probably not going to stick.
4. I caught up on Jerseylicious and immediately needed an aspirin.
5. Nearly caught my neighbors' piano on fire. Listen. Don't get me wrong – I love musicians just as much as the next unrealistic girl. However, my neighbors had a piano that sat against our shared wall. It was really loud. And it was played too often. And the renditions of Ben Folds left much to the imagination. I expressed my hatred for the piano to my neighbors one evening (or should I say one early, early morning) upon my arrival home with said friend Robin after a too-successful girls night. Granted, they did ask me if I wanted a tour of their apartment, to which I said yes (duh). Now, instead of getting rid of the piano, they have started a band. Fully equipped with a bass guitar. And the bass guitar and the piano don't play the same songs. And somehow I thought the lead singer was just someone arguing loudly with their girlfriend but it turned out he (or she?) was trying to make music. You can imagine how happy I am about this… Especially because I told Mr. G about it and he laughed… and said it was funny… Mr. G. Thought something was funny. Ack.
6. I discovered I don't think I know what endive is supposed to taste like, but I'm pretty sure it's not supposed to have mushy black "goock" all over it. Mr. G told me I could probably eat it. And that if I ate more dirt (and apparently fungus growing on lettuce?) that I wouldn't catch the death of a flu when it goes around my office… 

I hope you are all finding a ray of sunshine in this rainy week! Stay tuned for a breakfast dessert recipe from Suzie Q (and her lesson learned from middle school students for the week).   

Sick Day Alert: Comforting Noodle Soup

It just so happens that I caught the stomach bug that is flying around my office like wildfire. As such, I've been home sick for the past two days trying to find something that will settle my stomach. Yeah, you've been there before. You feel like crap, you walk into the kitchen, and see you have nothing but Ginger Ale and a block of colby jack cheese, and you panic.

My momma (whom we fondly call Suzie Q) always told me that, when I'm sick, to make sure I drink lots of liquids (… right?) and she always fed me yummy, homemade chicken soup. Well, I didn't have any chicken (unless you count the chicken from my enchiladas last night…) so I improvised. You can too! 

Note that this is a quick 15-minute recipe for just ONE bowl of soup. 

Here's what you'll need:

• 1 1/2 cups low-fat chicken broth (give or take)
• 1 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 heaping spoonful (about 1 1/4 tbsp) flour 
• Cut up carrots – about 1/4 cup
• 1/4 cup white onion, chopped
• 1/2 tsp celery seed
• 1/2 tsp rosemary
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1/4 tsp dill 
• 1/4 cup green onions 
• 1/2 cup whole grain rotini (I used Barilla Whole Grain Rotini)

Cari's Note: You can also add in celery, but we didn't have any, so it was left out today. If you have a can of shredded, cooked chicken – you can add that in too! Literally, just pop whatever you find in your fridge and it'll be fine. (Ok, not really. Like don't put in beets. Or nacho cheese… Don't put in olives. That would be gross as well… well, you get it.) 

Directions:

Melt the butter in a medium sauce pan (like one you'd heat up soup with). Then, throw in the onions and cook on medium-low about 4 minutes until they are translucent. Then, add flour and stir constantly for about 2 minutes. Slowly whisk in the chicken broth until smooth. Continue whisking, and add in carrots and all the spices. Bring it to a low, calm boil (medium heat), and add in the noodles. Cook about 12 minutes, stirring with your whisk frequently. Once the noodles are cooked, you're all done! Grab a coffee cub and pour in the soup. Add the green onions on top, grab your Ginger Ale and a spoon and hit the couch. You're ready for some stomach bug soother.

Some friendly notes:

Let me just say, eating soup out of a coffee cup when you're sick is the best. Some people have fancy bowls that come with thumb holes, but I have this Austin mug that does just fine, thank you.

I adapted this recipe from Suzie Q's homemade chicken noodle soup, which I will share with you the next time I make it! It's the best (mom's always is, duh!). But in the meantime, this should calm you into a nice nap and hopefully ease your tummy a bit.

Mr. G's note: He would like everyone to know that we are NOT Longhorn fans. We root for the Bobcats. Don't get it twisted. It's just a nice mug, perfect for sicktime eating on the couch. 

Weeknight Dinner: Dreamy White Knight Enchiladas

I am always looking for new recipes to try for dinner. For this fantastic Monday night, I thought it was time to spice things up. I adapted this recipe from SkinnyTaste.com (Chicken and White Bean Enchiladas). These are so tasty you're going to want to eat all seven (I could only eat one and a half, though, so my skinny jeans thanked me for not going overboard. You're welcome, skinny jeans.). 

Sidenote: When Mr. G and I first started dating he told me he didn't like beans (OR Velveeta, or seafood, or mushrooms, or onions … the list went on and on). His mother let me in on a little secret that he actually does like some of those things but just likes to be difficult. So she said just to slip in the ingredients in secret, and he'd never know the difference. Two years later, I've discovered the only item on the list he doesn't like are mushrooms… So, voila! These perfectly dreamy chicken enchiladas were going to be right up our alley.

 

What You'll Need:
For the Chicken:

• 1 lb of boneless chicken tenders (uncooked)
• 1 package of taco seasoning (any brand is fine!)
• 1 jar of salsa 

For the Filling:

• The chicken that you cook (above), shredded (it should fall apart in the crock pot any way)
• 1 tsp of olive oil
• 1/4 cup white onion, chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, chopped or minced
• 1 can of chopped green chiles 
• 15.5 oz can Great Northern White Beans (aka, Cannellini beans)
• 1/3 can of water (about 1/3 cup)
• 1 chicken bullion
• 1 tsp cumin

For the Dreamy Enchilada Sauce:

• 1 tsp unsalted, light butter
• 1/2 cup chopped white onion
• 2 tbsp flour
• 1 cup fat free chicken broth (we love Swanson's Natural Goodness the best)
• 2 4.5 oz cans chopped green chile
• 2 fresh jalapenos, chopped 
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup light sour cream
• 1 cup reduced fat Mexican cheese (not going to lie, if you're feeling cheesy, use the whole bag)
• 7-8 tortillas, soft taco size (burrito-friendly)
• Handful of chopped cilantro
• Handful of chopped scallions (green onions) 

To start, before you leave for work in the morning, put about a pound of chicken in the crock pot. (I used chicken tenders because they are easy to shred!). Then, add in a small jar of salsa and a package of taco seasoning. Cook that baby on low for the next six hours, and let it cool (I have the Food Network Crock Pot that times your cooking, but if you don't have a timer, that's ok. If it cooks a bit longer than six hours, it shouldn't be a problem).

Then, when you get home from work, you'll enter an apartment/house/whereever you dwell full of spicy, tomatoey goodness, and you'll be ready to eat. You've got about an hour to go, so maybe snack on some tortilla chips and salsa (that's what Mr. G did) to hold you over.

Now, let's make some enchildas:
First, preheat your oven to 375. Find a medium pan that has a lid with it. Heat the olive oil on low.  Add onions and garlic, and let them sweat for about 2-3 minutes until they become slightly translucent. Add green chiles, beans (drain them first!), water, bullion and cumin. Mix well and cover. Simmer on medium-low for about 15 minutes. Take the shredded chicken out of the sauce from the crock pot, and fill up 1-cup's worth of chicken. Remove the cover from your pan, and add the chicken. Cook this until it thickens and the liquid boils down (minding not to burn it. I cooked this on low for about 10 minutes). 

In the meantime, in a large nonstick pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onion, stirring occasionally until the onion looks slightly translucent. This usually takes about 5 minutes. Add the flour and stir constantly for about 1 minute. Then, slowly whisk in chicken broth until the sauce becomes smooth. Cook over medium-low heat until the sauce boils and thickens (about 5-6 minutes). Add green chiles, jalapenos and salt. Cook for about 2-3 minutes to soften the peppers, and then remove from the heat. Stir in sour cream. 

Spread 1/3 cup of enchilada sauce on the bottom of your 9X13" baking dish. Fill the first tortilla with about two scoops (1/3 cup) of the chicken and bean filling. Then, roll the tortilla and place it seam side down onto your baking dish. Repeat until all your tortillas are in the pan (we made 7 enchiladas). Then, pour the white sauce over your enchiladas. Top with cheese. Bake in the oven, covered with aluminum foil, about 23-25 minutes. Remove from the oven, and let it set in the pan for about 5-6 minutes. Then, sprinkle the cilantro and the green onions on the top. Serve, and of course… ENJOY the creamy, cheesy goodness that has been bestowed upon you. White Knight Enchiladas to the rescue, friends! 

Some friendly notes to consider:

If you haven't already, you should definitely invest in the Reynold's Nonstick Aluminum Foil Wrap. It is the best. Seriously. One side is non-stick, so it won't catch the cheese on the top of your enchiladas. Yes. Please.

Also, if you plan to eat these while watching Biggest Loser, just remind yourself that two enchiladas, according to SkinnyTaste, is only about 10 points! Phew! Won't have to get on the treadmill while watching TV tonight!