Best Chicken Salad Ever!

I know what some of you are thinking...a recipe post?? Seems a bit out of place, no?? And you are probably right. When I started this blog I never really decided to focus on just one thing. It's not a cooking blog, its not a mommy blog, and its not a hobby blog. Quite frankly I'm a little all over the place. But that's me. I like to dabble in all sorts of things and that comes out in my blogging style which I guess you could call---kitchy??!
But I digress-

I am a huge chicken salad lover. I remember in high school my friend Chrissy and I were obsessed with chicken salad for the whole summer. We found this place called Love's that had the best chicken salad...it had grapes and pineapple in it! Love's has since went out of business, but I haven't been able to find anything comparable to their chicken salad since. Until today! I stumbled on this recipe while I was browsing thru All Recipes and decided to make it for our trip to the zoo tomorrow. It is so good I had to force myself to stop eating it!

Best Chicken Salad Ever

Ingredients:

2 boneless chicken breast halves, cooked
1/4 cup creamy salad dressing
4 tablespoons cole slaw dressing
1 stalk celery, chopped
1/4 onion, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
 
In a food processor, combine the chicken, creamy salad dressing, cole slaw dressing, celery, onion, and salt and pepper. Mix until well chopped.


I marinated the chicken breasts in Italian dressing and baked them for 30 minutes. It gave it a really good flavor. For the dressings I used Miracle Whip and Marzetti Cole Slaw dressing. If you like a less sweet chicken salad use mayo instead. I didn't use onion because I was afraid it would overpower the taste so instead I used a couple of dashes of Onion Powder and a dash or 2 of Garlic Powder. I also threw in some Dill and added a tablespoon of sweet relish to the mixture.
The texture is a little different than most chicken salads, but in a good way. Just don't go too crazy with the food processor or you'll end up with a baby food like consistency. Just give it a few pulses and you'll be fine! After it was all chopped up I threw in some chopped red graped and a little s&p and mixed it up.

Some other good additions I will try:
Chopped apples
Walnuts or Almonds
Craisins
Chopped Pineapple

I made a few sandwiches with it and put the rest in a container to eat with some crackers. This would be great for a party or as tea sandwiches!!

My Favorites Friday: Blog Edition

Although I don't have as much time as I'd like to read blogs daily, there are a few that I am constantly eager to check out. When I see they have new posts, I get a little giddy with excitement. Here are 4 blogs that I highly recommend. Some are well known bloggers, some are newbies like myself. But all are wonderful and each offer a little something different. I hope you'll check them out-click on the highlighted title to be taken right to their sites!( BTW-They are in no particular order.)

Heir to Blair: I guess you would classify Heir to Blair as a mommy blog, though I really hate that label. Mommy blogs, quite frankly are a little obnoxious. At least 99% of them are.  I don't really care about EVERY detail of your baby's life and what they did every second of the day- but I digress. Heir to Blair is not like that. She is a wonderful balance of mother, working woman,and sarcasm. Even when she does post on her handsome little boy, Harrison, she does so in a way that doesn't make you want to roll your eyes up into the back of your head. She is brutally honest and has shared some of the most honest moments of her life via blog including the PPD she is currently going thru. In all honesty, Blair was the first blog I ever read and the one got me interested in starting my own.  Her McFatty Monday's were my first real connection to the blogging world. I have mad Blog-love for her and hope someday my blog is as cool as hers. Did I really just say that??

Last Splash: Also a new mother, Cannonball is a blogger who doesn't post everyday or even every few days sometimes. But when she does it is well worth whatever the wait. The way she writes about her life is sometimes serious and sometimes sarcastic, but all her posts are honest and relatable. I appreciate her blog because it's simple. No ad's and incessant daily giveaways. No posts screaming "READ MY BLOG PUH-LEASE!". Just great writing. Sometimes I have to remind myself that  that is what truly makes a great blogger!

 The Only-Slightly-Cranky Waitress: As a fellow waitress myself I can honestly tell you I have never related to a blog more that this one. I want to call purplegirl on the phone and commiserate with her for hours on the crappiness that comes with waiting on the general public. I am in envy of her blog because I could write for hours on my restaurant experiences if I wasn't so tired at the end of the day. If you do or ever have worked in a restaurant I highly recommend putting this in your blog roll.

Enjoying the Small Things:  Kelle Hampton's photographs are amazing. Sometimes when I read her blog I want to jump in one of her pictures and live her life. Not because I am unhappy with mine, but because hers looks so amazing. She is beautiful, her family is beautiful, and everything around her looks beautiful. And even though the pictures are the real draw here, her writing is the perfect accompaniment to it. Her post on the birth of her second daughter Nella Cordelia is one of the most beautiful things I have ever read. I dare you to read it without crying.

A post about boobs

I guess you could call this post a review...kinda.

2 months ago the Hubs and I were doing some shopping for our trip to Mexico. I needed a new bra so we made a quick stop into Victoria's Secret. In the front of the store was a display for all the new Miraculous Bra's . If you've seen the commercial-"Hello Bombshell"- you know that it promises to instantly add 2 cup  sizes. Since I was pretty happy with my C+'s,  I didn't feel the need to take a looksy so I walked on by. But as I was browsing the store I stumbled on a grey bra in a unique print that I liked. When I picked it up, I realized that it was a Miraculous bra and I dropped it almost immediately.
Because it's insanely padded and I haven't worn a padded bra since-well never.
The Hubs convinced me to try it on as a joke, and truthfully I wondered what it would look like. In my mind I pictured myself looking absurdly ridiculous, but a small part of me wondered what I would look like if I "kicked it up a notch". I had always been pretty happy with the situation in my chestal region, but I must say that the Miraculous Bra is actually a pretty decent bra.

Here's my honest review-

The padding in this bra freaked me out, but once I put it on I forgot it was even there. It's very comfortable and the fit of it pushes your boobs out in a way that looks natural with the padding. It's by far, one of the most comfortable bra's I've ever worn. But there are other pluses too. Like the fact that bigger boobs make your waist seem smaller! After trying it on and putting my shirt back on to see how it looked I was surprised at how much thinner and curvier I was. The fact of the matter is that it made my boobs look bigger, but not  in such a way that would cause all my friends to think I had some work done. And it made me feel more confident, so it was an easy sell.

All in all ladies...if you are feeling a little daring I highly recommend this bra, but keep this in mind first:

*In my opinion this bra is not for thin and petite women. You run the risk of looking too dis-proportionate and un-natural. If that's the look your going for...rock on. But otherwise I would stay away.

*Also, I would not recommend this bra for girls still on the dating scene. Wearing this bra is false advertising and is bound to lead to some disappointments in the bedroom when the guy you are seeing/doing/dating finally gets to 2nd base and realizes somethings, er, missing.

*Unless you are looking for a lake to form in your bra, I do not recommend wearing this bra on extremely hot days. Just trust me on this one.

* Be prepared to go through porn star boobie withdrawal when you take this bra off. The other day I put on my regular everyday bra and felt a little...deflated. :-(

Some days you always remember....

I'm a little late on posting this but this week has been so crazy busy I am just now catching my breath, so help a girl out and pretend like you read this yesterday.

Good or bad there are days in your past that are forever burned in your memory. You can remember every detail of the day, even the mundane tasks that took place over it's course.
June 12th is one of those days.
It started out like any other. I had mono and was home laying on the couch watching TV. I was sick, but I was also bored, so a friend dropped by for a chat before she headed to work. After she left I picked up the remote and began channel surfing again. 10 minutes later, the phone rang. She asked me if I had seen anything on the news about a girl getting attacked on our college campus. I told her I hadn't but I'd keep an eye out and that was that. In all honesty I wasn't very concerned. Only a few of my friends were still down at school and I was still living in that "we are invincible" bubble most college kids lived in.
A bubble that was just about to burst.
Not more than 5 minutes later the phone rang again and try as I might I couldn't tell you the exact words that were said, but I heard them nonetheless.

There was someone raped at our school.
It was our friend Shannon.

And she was dead.

I felt like I'd been smacked in the face. I was numb, sad, and worried all at once. My mind was in a million different places. What happened? Where did it happen? We're my other friends ok? Do they know who did it? How am I going to tell my other friends? Somehow at this point I was sitting on the floor, though I am not quite sure how I got there.

The hours and days that followed were a blur of tears and confusion. Truth is I thought I'd be able to write about that time here, but I think that is a page of my life I'd really care not to re-hash. Shannon was a fairly new friend of mine, but her death hit me hard. It shook me to my very core. I suddenly felt so vulnerable. Rocked out of the comfortable little life I had known. I was angry that my "bubble" had been shattered. I was sad that my friendship with such a beautiful girl had been cut so short. And I was scared because I had never felt so close to the evils in this world.

I will always cherish my friendship with Shannon, no matter it's length. Some people are only meant to stay in your life for a short while. Their impact on you is nonetheless great. I've realized however that I learned more from Shannon's death than her life. It sounds weird saying that, but death can be a life lesson too. I was less innocent- but in a good way. I was more aware of what was going on around me.On how to be safer. And I appreciate my friends and family more because if death teaches you anything, it's that life is short. And that bad things do happen sometimes. I learned it was important is to not dwell on the bad, but focus on the good.
Good things like a woman named Erin Weed, who started a fabulous foundation called Girls Fight Back. Erin tours the country and writes books teaching women everywhere self-defense. I am truly in awe of this amazing lady because she managed to take the tragedy that was Shannon's death and turned it in to this powerful legacy that will forever live on in Shannon's name.

It helps take a little of the sting out June 12th...

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner!

Sorry for the delay in the giveaway winner!
My brother has been in the hospital for the last week so between that, work, and baby- I haven't time for much else. (Trust me-my house looks like a war zone!) He is out of the hospital now but they had to remove a lymph node because there was a mass on it. The results of the biopsy come in tomorrow, so hopefully it is just an infection and not lymphoma or one of those other scary diseases. Keep your fingers crossed!

Samsgirl22 is the winner of the Stella & Dot giveaway. Please email me at anngee410@hotmail.com within the 48 hours to claim your prize!

My first blog hop!

As much as I'd like to, I don't always find enough time to fit in my blogging. And the thing I usually miss most is reading and connecting with other bloggers. So since I have today off, I thought I would catch up on some blogs while Jack is playing in his jumparoo and I stumbled on MannLand5's "Getting to Know You" post. I am a new reader of MannLand's blog, but so far so good. And I love a chance to meet some fellow bloggers!
So here's the deal. I answer the questions and then link my post up to their list.

1. If a person has a booger in their nose. and you can see it, do you tell them?

Yes. My usual line- "There's a bat in the cave"

2. What are you passionate about?

My husband, son, family and friends come first and foremost.

I am also passionate about entertaining, home decorating projects, fashion, and writing/blogging

3. How long have you been blogging?

6 months.

Before that I kept the old fashion kind of journal...since I was 13.

I have 4 volumes of my life stored in our crawl space.

4. What is your favorite "summer" drink?

I drink water 24/7.

 But Sangria or a Summer Shanty are my go to summer drinks.

5. What is your favorite type of music?

Everything.

My i-pod is all over the place.

When I put it on random you could go from Cypress Hill, to Tori Amos, to Lady GaGa, to Glee songs.

6. Something I do before I go to bed is......?

Take my birth control pill.

I'm not quite ready for any more babies just yet!

7. My Summer vacation plans are...?

Nothing formal planned.

I hope to get out and go to some great BBQ's, take Jackson out to the zoo and other places, spend some days at the pool, and find time to relax with my boys!

8. My favorite must have, can't live without, beauty product is?

Burt's Bee's Pomegranate Lip Balm.

And mascara.

What am I?

I guess I've been writing a lot of "fluff" lately. And I'm not saying that's a bad thing. Life itself is heavy and complex and sometimes you turn to a hobby as an escape from all that. Sometimes it's easier to write about tv shows and your addiction to your child's baby food.
But in between the "fluffy" parts of life there are the real ones. Good or bad, these are the moments that shape and define your life. These are the moments that make you stop and take stock of your life and the people in it. These are the times that you ask the big questions. Like who am I? What am I?

I think I am on the edge of such moment...

I've always been caught somewhere between optimism and pessimism. Positivity & Negativity.
Partially, I blame on the way I was raised. I grew up in a household where my mother and my grandmother (who lived with us) were the epitome of pessimism. Their glass wasn't half empty-it was empty. They worried about anything and everything under the sun, and every case was a worst case scenario. As I got older, I hated this and vowed that I would try to see the more optimistic side of life. I swore I would never live my life with such worry over the "what if's" & that I would never let fear or what might happen dictate what I let happen.
And for the most part I do consider myself an optimistic, positive person. I try my best not to worry over things I can't control and I find comfort in the idea that "everything happens for a reason".
But I am only human.
And sometimes, even though I try my best not to, worry and doubt creep their way into my life.

So you are probably asking yourself...why such the heavy writing tonight?
Someone very close to me is having some serious health issues right now. We are in that stage where no one really has an answer yet. Where doctors are vaguely telling you things like, "It could be something, or it could be nothing." So the optimist in me is saying that everything will be fine, while the pessimist in me is preparing for the worst.
Hopefully the optimist will prevail and I can go back to my "fluffy" life. Until then please keep me and my family in your prayers.

A weekly wrap-up

Some thoughts...

*I am addicted to baby food. These...are da'bomb. I have tried to find a suitable adult replacement & so far Pirates Booty is the closest I have found. It's not as good, but at least I don't feel guilty for taking my 7 month olds food.

*My mom watched Jackson Friday night-overnight, so Kev and I got a much needed date night. Even if I had to watch the Hawks lose, it was nice to actually watch the game for once- instead of waiting on a bunch of ignorant people who sit at your table all day and don't tip.

*Speaking of tipping...I am becoming more and more serious about fighting to get a new curriculum in our schools. I think that it should be mandatory for all high school students to work as a tipped hourly employee. It should be a work/school class combo. Also taught in this class-cell phone etiquette and basic manners. Who do I take this to? The school board??

This is the last week to enter my Stella & Dot jewelry giveaway! Check it out here.

The power of a mommy-hour

Mom's out there know what I am talking about...
the magical superpower that you get when you become a mom.
The mommy power hour.

For my non-mommy friends it's like this:
Baby goes down for a nap & suddenly you morph into superwoman, conquering all the things on your to-do list in one small hour.
Yesterday in my power hour I wrote a blog post, folded/threw in a load of laundry, made and ate lunch, cleaned the kitchen and bathroom, and put away the clean clothes just in time to get the little guy when he woke up.
Now I just need to work in some time for a quick work-out...

What do you use your mommy power hour's for?