{{Happy Anniversary}}

Happy 2nd (10th?) Anniversary to my wonderful hubs!  (Yesterday) We've actually been together for 10 years, but only married for 2. 
He woke me up yesterday morning not only to tell me happy anniversary but also to remind me it's the 2 year anniversary of when I burned my hand on the damn unity candle!  Our anniversary will always be associated with that awful memory.  Thanks for reminding me Cal!

So let's look at some happy pictures to take my mind off that little incident.

The Dress:

CAKE!

The bottom layer was Red Velvet, the middle layers were Orange, and the top layers were Strawberry!

  Yum!

Decorations and Flowers

The Happy Couple

Photos by Davis Photography
Jackson, Missouri

Chicken Enchilada Dip

So, I have a bajillion jalapenos from my Papa's garden and I'm trying to find some more recipes for them!

I've already made the Jalapeno Cheese Grits for Easter.  And I always use them in fresh salsa and pico, but I'm waiting on fresh tomatoes before I make those. I also made a good Jerk Chicken marinade last week with a couple of them, but forgot to blog it.  So I guess I'll have to make it again!  Oh they're also good stuffed with cheese, wrapped in bacon and grilled.  But a few of them burned my mouth!

So if anyone has some ideas to use up jalapenos, send them my way please!

When I was thinking about what I could make with them tonight, this Chicken Enchilada Dip was the first thing that came to my mind.  I think I took it from someone's blog, but I don't remember whose.  So whoever you are, send me an email and I can credit you!

The jalapenos are not too hot in this, they won't burn your mouth.  Promise.  It's all covered in CHEESE to cool it down.  SO GOOD!

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

8 oz. cream cheese
1/2 cup Tabasco spicy mayo (or add a few drops of Tabasco to regular mayo)
16 oz. shredded cheddar cheese
1 can diced green chiles
2-3 jalapenos, finely diced (remove ribs and seeds)
Half a bundle of green onions, chopped (you can sub a red onion too)
1 tsp. of Cajun seasoning
1 tsp. Garlic powder
1 lg. can of all white meat chicken

Mix all ingredients together and spread in a serving dish. I put mine in the oven on 375 for about 30 minutes, just long enough for the cheese to get melty and bubbly! Serve with tortilla chips.

Basement, Part 1

The footings were set this past Monday!

Then the walls were poured on Tuesday and the concrete will have to dry for a few days. 
Next step is to rough in the plumbing.

Weeee!  The beginnings of a basement!

Greek Pasta Salad

On Sundays, I like to make something to have for lunch for the upcoming week.  It's usually some kind of salad or soup.  This Greek Pasta Salad is light and refreshing...perfect for the nice warm weather we've been having!

Adapted from Robin Miller

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

1 box of Ditalini or other small pasta

2 cups of cooked Chicken, diced

1 Green Pepper, diced

½ Red Onion, diced

1 Tomato, seeded and diced

1 package of crumbled Feta

Dressing:

1 tablespoon Dijon Mustard

½ cup Chicken Broth

1 tablespoon Olive Oil

1 tablespoon Red Wine Vinegar

2 cloves of Garlic

1 teaspoon dried Oregano

1 teaspoon dried Thyme

1. Cook pasta to al dente, according to package directions. 
2. Whisk all the dressing ingredients together, season with salt and pepper.  Pour into large bowl with the diced chicken, green pepper, onion, and tomato.  
3. Add pasta after it has cooled slightly, and stir in Feta.

Strawberry-Kiwi Tossed Salad

I made this salad for Easter Brunch... oh man!  It was De-lish!  This is a keeper.  It was gone so fast I didn't have time to take a picture!

Source:  Taste of Home

Ingredients:
2 bags of salad greens (I used a spinach mix and a spring mix)
1 cup of Strawberries, sliced
1 Kiwi, sliced
½ Red Onion, sliced
1 package of Feta cheese
Toasted Walnuts or Pecans

Dressing:
½ cup Mayonnaise
2 tablespoons Sugar
2-3 tablespoons Raspberry Jam
1-2 tablespoons Raspberry Balsamic Vinegar
1 tablespoon Milk (you can use a little more to get a thinner consistency)
2½ tablespoons Poppyseeds

1. Whisk the dressing ingredients together in a small bowl.
2. Toss all salad ingredients together in a large salad bowl and mix in dressing.   (You may not need all of the dressing.)

And the Construction Begins!

House #3 has officially started construction today!  We got a basement hole!

This house will be 1½ stories with approx. 2400 sq. feet,  3 bedrooms, 2½ baths, and a full basement.  It's kind of a Craftsman-inspired style.  The exterior is going to be a combination of Hardie Board and stone.  It's really cute!  

We're in the middle of making roof/flooring/cabinet/countertop decisions right now.   Funny...when we moved into the last house, I was so ready to be done with those decisions...but now I'm really excited to get to make them all over again!  It really is a lot of fun!

I can't wait to get this one done!  We hope to have it completed around October-November-ish. 

{{Wishlist: Snakeskin Pumps}}

 

Jimmy Choo $495

 

Kate Spade $325

I’ve been coveting a pair of snakeskin pumps after I saw Mrs. O wear a pair of Jimmy Choo kitten heels a few times.  The FLOTUS does have some fabulous taste in shoes! 

Has anyone found the perfect snakeskin pumps yet?  What’s on your wishlist right now?