I do like cheese...

Remember this post?

I got another bizarre job opportunity thanks to CareerBuilder.com today.

All other jobs could be semi-understandable based on certain terms in my resume.

But Cheese & Charcuterie Expert? haha.

Window Shopping: Forever21

I have the worst case of Fall-shopping-itis. But, the husband and I have some pretty strict financial goals we are trying to meet before some big events in our lives. Soooo, I'm going window shopping! First up, Forever21.

Love this coat - especially the one big button at the neck.

Even though this is a J Crew knock off, I love the color and the shape. Its pretty classic, and assuming I can convince the quality to hold up, I could wear it through next year as well.

I LOVE ruffles - anything dainty and feminine. I would find an excuse to wear this at least once every week :)

I love that I can dress casual for work, because pieces like this are perfect for work and weekends. Skinny jeans and riding boots all the way.

Love this sweater dress - would prefer it in color, but I like the shape for winter. I'd love it with brown leggings or tights and leather riding boots.

My damn dogs ate my last pair of brown and gold aviators. Since I go through so many pairs, I need to go cheap - these are perfect.

I prefer big stud earrings over danglies - would love to add these to my collection.

So affordable, but the husband has me on lockdown...I need to think up ways to snag the credit card ;)

Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas and Refried Beans

Tonight's Weight Watcher's recipe came recommended by Christina again. Tyler really liked it - I didn't. I hated the taste of the processed Velveeta cheese, and even though I added diced chiles and jalepenos to the enchilada mix, I thought these tasted really boring.

Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas
POINTS: 6

1 spray(s) cooking spray
8 oz Kraft Velveeta Light Reduced-Fat Pasteurized Processed Cheese Product
1/2 cup(s) fat-free sour cream
1/4 cup(s) fat-free evaporated milk
1/4 cup(s) scallion(s), green part only, minced
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (I used 2 tsps - we like spicy)
3 cup(s) cooked chicken breast, chopped (I used two regular sized breasts, no clue what that came out to)
6 medium whole wheat tortilla(s), 7-inches each
1/4 cup(s) low-fat shredded cheddar cheese, sharp variety
6 medium olive(s), green, pitted, sliced (skipped this, yuck)
1/4 cup(s) salsa (skipped this as well)

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Coat a 9-inch glass baking dish with cooking spray.

In a microwave-safe bowl, combine cheese product and sour cream; cover and microwave on high power until cheese melts, about 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. Remove half of melted cheese to a small bowl and stir in evaporated milk; set aside. Add scallions, red pepper flakes and chicken to remaining cheese mixture; stir to coat.

Spoon about 2/3 cup of chicken mixture down center of each tortilla; fold in sides of tortilla to cover filling and place tortillas in a single layer in prepared dish; spoon remaining cheese sauce over top and then sprinkle with shredded cheddar cheese and olives.

Bake until cheese topping is bubbly, about 20 to 25 minutes. Serve with salsa. Yields 1 enchilada per serving.

As a side dish, I made Christina's doctored up Refried Beans. These were a little too watery for me. I wonder if I left them sitting longer, they'd firm up a bit. But I was starving.

I don't know why that picture is sideways, and I'm too tired to fix it =p

Pan-Seared Chicken with Garlic Sauce

Tried two new Weight Watchers recipes last night - Pan-Seared Chicken with Garlic Sauce and Spicy Sugar Snap Peas (seen here).

I LOVED this chicken. I found it really moist, loved the spices, and especially the garlic..yummmm.

Pan-Seared Chicken with Garlic Sauce

POINTS: 3 Servings: 4 Preparation Time: 7 min Cooking Time: 17 min Level of Difficulty: Moderate Ingredients: 1 tsp paprika 1 tsp dried thyme 1/2 tsp dried rosemary 1/2 tsp table salt 1/4 tsp black pepper 1 pound(s) uncooked boneless, skinless chicken breast, four 4-oz pieces 1 tsp olive oil 12 medium garlic clove(s), halved 1 cup(s) fat-free chicken broth, reduced-sodium, divided Preheat oven to 450°. Combine first 5 ingredients in a small bowl. Sprinkle both sides of chicken with herb mixture. Heat oil in a large ovenproof nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken, and cook 2 minutes on each side. Add garlic and 3/4 cup broth. Place pan in oven. Bake at 450° for 10 minutes or until chicken is done (Took me 14 minutes) and garlic cloves are soft. Remove pan from oven. Transfer chicken to a platter; keep warm. Add remaining 1/4 cup broth to pan. Mash garlic with a fork. Cook garlic mixture over medium heat 2 minutes or until thoroughly heated; stir. Serve garlic sauce over chicken. Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 chicken breast and 2 tablespoons garlic sauce).

Spicy Sugar Snap Peas

Tried two new Weight Watchers recipes last night - Pan-Seared Chicken with Garlic Sauce (seen here) and Spicy Sugar Snap Peas. The Peas were good, but I wish they'd had more spice to them - and I almost tripled the amount of crushed red pepper!

Spicy Sugar Snap Peas
POINTS: 1

1 tsp olive oil
4 cup(s) sugar snap peas, trimmed
1 large garlic clove(s), minced
1/8 tsp crushed red pepper flakes, or more to taste
1/4 cup(s) canned chicken broth
1/4 tsp table salt
1/8 tsp black pepper

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Stir in sugar snap peas and garlic; increase heat to medium-high and stir in red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring frequently, until peas are crisp-tender, about 3 minutes.

Add broth, salt and pepper to skillet. Cook over high heat, stirring frequently, until broth is reduced to a glaze that just coats peas, and peas are cooked to preferred degree of tenderness, about 3 to 5 minutes. Yields about 1 cup per serving.

Pumpkin Spice Cake

We all know of my love affair with pumpkin (seen here) and I came across this recipe while on another site, and realized I had all of the ingredients in my pantry! That NEVER happens!

We had plans today to go watch the Redskins game at Joel and Jessy's house, so I threw everything in a bag, and made it there. Yummmm.

1 (18.25-ounce) package spice cake mix

1 cup canned pumpkin

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 (4-ounce) package instant vanilla pudding mix

3 large eggs

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup pecans, chopped (I didn't have Pecans, so I used Walnuts)

1. Preheat oven to 350*F (175*C). Grease and flour a 12-cup Bundt pan (I don't have a Bundt pan, so I used a 10 cup springform pan, and it worked beautifully); set aside.
2. Combine all ingredients, except pecans, and beat with electric mixer at medium speed for 5 minutes. Stir in pecans. Pour batter in prepared pan and bake for 45 to 55 minutes or until cake tests done when wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 15 minutes before removing cake from pan. Loosen center and sides. Invert on wire rack to cool.
3. Serve with sweetened whipped cream.

Makes 12 to 15 servings.

I'd love to play with this recipe more, and add a little more spice, and try some sort of a glaze on top of the cake instead of whipped cream.

Mexican-Style Brown Rice Casserole

Another Weight Watchers Recipe. This one was really good, but Tyler and I are such carnivores, we had to make some chicken to have on the side with it.

Mexican-Style Brown Rice Casserole
POINTS: 6

1 spray(s) cooking spray
4 cup(s) cooked brown rice
1 1/4 cup(s) salsa
1 tsp ground cumin
15 oz canned refried beans
10 oz frozen corn kernels, thawed
4 oz canned green chili peppers, mild, diced
1 Tbsp chili powder
10 oz chopped frozen spinach, or collard greens, thawed and set to drain in a strainer over a bowl
3/4 cup(s) low-fat shredded cheddar cheese, divided
2 Tbsp cilantro, fresh, chopped (optional; for garnish)

Preheat oven to 375ºF. Coat a 2-quart rectangular, round or oval baking dish with cooking spray

In a large bowl, combine rice, salsa and cumin. Spoon 2 cups of rice mixture into prepared baking dish and spread out to evenly cover bottom of dish.

In another large bowl, combine refried beans, corn, chili peppers and chili power. Using a rubber spatula, scrape bean mixture on top of rice layer and smooth out top.

Squeeze out any excess water from spinach or collard greens and then spread on top of bean layer; sprinkle with 6 tablespoons of cheese. Top with remaining rice mixture and smooth out top; sprinkle with remaining cheese.

Place casserole on a large rimmed baking sheet to catch any spillage. Bake until heated through and cheese is browned and bubbling, about 30 minutes. Sprinkle with cilantro (if desired), cut into 6 pieces and serve.

For the chicken, I cooked it up in a skillet and topped it with some of the leftover salsa and fat free Cheddar cheese.

We had Malia and Mr P over for dinner tonight, and they loved this as well. I think I'll try it wrapped in a whole wheat tortilla with the leftovers tomorrow!

Baked Beef Ziti

Our first Weight Watchers dinner, and we loved it. Tyler wishes there was more meat, but that would have added more points, so I was happy with how it tasted. And it was really easy to make!

I got this recipe from Ctina over at C+C Marriage Factory. Yum! We also served it with her recipe for Garlic Bread.

Ingredients:
12 oz uncooked ziti
1/2 lb raw lean ground beef (use 1/3 lb for 5 point servings)
2 tsp olive oil
2 medium garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp dried oregano*
1 tsp dried thyme*
1 tsp dried rosemary*
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
28 oz canned crushed tomatoes
1 cup part-skim mozzarella cheese, shredded

*I am liberal with the spices and usually add a bit more than a tsp of each

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350.
Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain, and set aside.

Meanwhile, heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic and saute 2 minutes. Add beef and cook until browned, breaking up meat wit h a spoon as it cooks, about 3 to 5 minutes. Drain off any fat and set pan back over medium heat.

Add oregano, thyme, rosemary, salt and pepper; stir to coat beef. Cook until herbs become fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add tomatoes and bring mixture to a boil; reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.

Spoon a small amount of beef-tomato mixture into bottom of a 4-quart casserole dish (just enough to cover surface); top with half of cooked ziti. Next, layer with half of remaining beef-tomato sauce and half of mozzarella cheese. Layer with remaining ziti and then top with remaining beef-tomato sauce; sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese.

Bake until cheese is golden and bubbly, about 30 minutes. Slice into 8 pieces and serve. Yields 1 piece per serving.

Servings: 8
Points: 6

First RCIA Class

Last night I had my first RCIA class. Consequently, I'm going to stop doing "Tackle It Tuesday", and instead give a follow up on my thoughts of each class.

I thought it started at 7pm, and made sure to be there at 6:45. Turns out, it started at 7:30, so I was the first one there. It seemed like it was going to be a small turnout, which I was looking forward to. I enjoy small, intimate discussions, and feel more comfortable with less people in a group. However, at 7:25pm, everyone came pouring in - there must have been 100 people there in there room - maybe even more!

We opened with a prayer, and I immediately felt that familiar shiver - its something I've always gotten in church growing up. Certain prayers and hymns are able to get to me every time, and I have a physical reaction. I instantly felt like going to this class was absolutely the right decision. I've missed church. I miss the fellowship and the prayer. I've missed Sunday services and youth group and volunteer activities. And everyone at church seemed so kind.

I was surprised to see the Father - he was very young. I just expected someone much older. He was very kind though.

This class was just spent learning about our materials - "Catechism of the Catholic Church" and "Catholicism for Dummies". We also received a binder with a schedule and course outline. We also listened to several recent RCIA "graduates" give their testimony.

After the first three, I was a little turned off by their words. Everyone kept saying how amazed they were to learn that Catholicism was the first religion. They had no idea that Catholicism followed the bible and know it to be error-free. They would quote a bible passage and say how shocked they were to learn its true meaning.

And then I realized how badly I needed to be there, because I instantly started judging - all I could think was, "Did this person live under a rock? Have they never taken a history class?" I thought even people that weren't raised Christian understood the Catholic church's role in establishing Christianity. It was baffling to me that an adult, let alone three adults in one room, had never grasped these concepts.

Being raised Episcopalian, I believe that I must be baptized, take my first communion and be confirmed in order to be a member of the Church. I believe that Jesus Christ is the son of God, and I believe in the Holy Trinity. I believe in transubstantiation (probably the most important concept) and I have memorized the Lord's Prayer, the Nicene Creed, and many other prayers.

But, I was not raised to follow the word of the Pope, or to believe that he is infallible, and so this will be the biggest point for me to learn more about. I also do not know very much about saints or angels, and I do look forward to learning more about that part.

We ended the class going around the room - yes, all 100+ of us - stating our background, and why we were there. I was again surprised at how many people were over 60. Many had been married for 30+ years, and finally agreed to join their spouse at church. How wonderful! It really warmed my heart to see them wanting to worship together.

I went home, and asked Tyler to please come with me to future classes. He thinks he paid his due by 16 years of CCD, First Communion and Confirmation, and says he will join me occasionally on Sundays. If he won't come to classes, I think joining me on Sundays is the least he can do, and I'll make it clear that I expect him there every week ;)

Shoe Challenge: I'm drowning

Having my camera in the shop for forever really messed this up, because I tried to keep track of what I wore and when to "recreate", but its becoming such a hassle both back posting, and trying to post actively, so I'm calling it a loss - I still plan to photograph outfits I'm loving, but refuse to allow myself to stress out over shoes :)


Soo...the challenge wasn't a success, but it DID prompt me to start blogging more often!


xoxo.

Shoe Challenge: Silver

Day 35 of the Shoe Challenge, where Tyler has challenged me to wear a new pair of shoes everyday, or else walk the plank get rid of them. Read more about it here.

You've seen this dress before here - I love Target dresses.  They always fit perfectly.  Thats also where I got these pretty silver bow belt.

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I wore these shoes before here - sort of.  I liked them so much at the time, that I bought two pairs!  I also have them in a plain black leather.  

Cooler weather means pretty tights to bring my summer sheaths into Fall.

It was a bit chilly, so grabbed a pashmina to wear today.

But ended up with a silver trench coat instead.  Just in case!

The finishing touch was silver jewelry to match the belt and coat.

Dress:  Merona.  Heels:  Mossimo.  Belt:  Target.  Pashmina:  New York City.  Coat:  Forever21.  Silver ball earrings and bracelet:  Tiffany&Co.

Shoe Challenge: Pass on black

Day 34 of the Shoe Challenge, where Tyler has challenged me to wear a new pair of shoes everyday, or else walk the plank get rid of them. Read more about it here.

My camera is in the shop, so I'm back-posting, but just doing a bunch of passes on shoes that need to go to goodwill or the trash :)

Much like yesterday, these were my senior prom shoes.  Same deal - awful chunky heel, awful square toe.

And, you deserve another picture :)  A million years ago, when Tyler had dangly hoop earrings and a twisted labret piercing.

Shoes:  No effing clue.

Shoe Challenge: Pass on White

Day 33 of the Shoe Challenge, where Tyler has challenged me to wear a new pair of shoes everyday, or else walk the plank get rid of them. Read more about it here.

My camera is in the shop, so I'm back-posting, but just doing a bunch of passes on shoes that need to go to goodwill or the trash :)

I wore these shoes to Tyler's senior prom.  I remember how much I loved them at the time.  But HELLO 2001?!  Chunky heel?  Check!  Square toe?  Check!  Totally unflattering ankle straps that cut off your leg?  Check!

Wanna see what we looked like back then?

Can you believe Tyler's military haircut?  How about how I'm wearing NO eye makeup?!  I remember that night really well.  I had never felt prettier in my entire life...we had the most wonderful time at prom!

Shoes:  Fiona, I think from Payless.

Shoe Challenge: Pass on wedges

Day 32 of the Shoe Challenge, where Tyler has challenged me to wear a new pair of shoes everyday, or else walk the plank get rid of them. Read more about it here.

My camera is in the shop, so I'm back-posting, but just doing a bunch of passes on shoes that need to go to goodwill or the trash :)

I bought these to wear to my bridal shower - I knew it was outdoors, and wanted white heels that were wide enough to hold me up in grass.  These were the best I could find, so I bought them, but they were horrid, and I finally wore something else.  I have no idea why I didn't try to return them.

Shoes:  Rocket Dog

Shoe Challenge: Pass on Red

Day 31 of the Shoe Challenge, where Tyler has challenged me to wear a new pair of shoes everyday, or else walk the plank get rid of them. Read more about it here.

My camera is in the shop, so I'm back-posting, but just doing a bunch of passes on shoes that need to go to goodwill or the trash :)

I haven't worn these in 3 or 4 years.  They're horribly uncomfortable, too small, and the leather is peeling off on the pointy toe.

Shoes:  BCBG

Shoe Challenge: Black and White and RED all over

Day 30 of the Shoe Challenge, where Tyler has challenged me to wear a new pair of shoes everyday, or else walk the plank get rid of them. Read more about it here.

Exhausted this morning...easiest to wear basic black. Spiced it up with a sexy red sole and a leopard print scarf.

I always need a skinny belt over my long cardigans to better define my waist.

Do I even need to say that these are my favorite shoes? Ugh, adore.

Black skinny jeans: Mossimo. Cardigan: Forever21. Black camisole: Express. Scarf: Express. Heels: Louboutin.

Shoe Challenge: Gray and Ruffles

Day 29 of the Shoe Challenge, where Tyler has challenged me to wear a new pair of shoes everyday, or else walk the plank get rid of them. Read more about it here.

I feel so powerful and confident in a suit. Do you?

Professional, important, needed...I love when the occasion calls for a suit.

I love jazzing them up - in this case, the high neck silk ruffled blouse. This is one of my favorite blouses, and I love it with the blazer.

Boring gray sling backs today. Gray suits are always so difficult to match shoes with.

Suit: Macys. Blouse: J.Crew. Heels: Jessica Simpson.

Shoe Challenge: Raspberry

Day 28 of the Shoe Challenge, where Tyler has challenged me to wear a new pair of shoes everyday, or else walk the plank get rid of them. Read more about it here.

I love the color of this Banana Republic shirt dress. It works great for end of summer now, I plan to add boots for fall, and can't wait to see it with black tights and black pumps in winter.

Our foster, Missy, hates me taking pictures without her in them. As soon as I set the timer and walk back, she immediately follows me!

Plain black pumps today. These are one of my favorite pairs.

Dress: Banana Republic. Shoes: Mossimo.