Awww, I know the feeling!

.

The Grinch Martini

It's the Grinch Martini, Christmas Bitches!!!

So good, so good, so good!

2 oz Midori

2 oz Pinnacle Gummy (tastes like Swedish Fish!)

candy cane and red sugar for garnish

Pour the ingredients into a cocktail shaker with ice.

Shake well.

Strain into a chilled cocktail glass decorated with red sugar. 

Garnish w candy cane. Chill the hell out and enjoy Christmas!
***note - I've been hearing that people can't find Pinnacle Gummy Vodka - you can always use Pinnacle Cake or Whipped vodka as a sub - I think it would taste just as fabulous!

Kindle Fire Review - This Is Happiness!

Bourbon and Bacon Chex Mix - The Ultimate Party Pleaser!

Bacon and Bourbon Chex Mix

1 bag (15 oz) Chex Mix® traditional snack mix

1 cup pecan halves

½ lb bacon (6 to 8 slices), crisply cooked and crumbled

½ cup packed brown sugar

½ cup butter

¼ cup light corn syrup

2 tablespoons bourbon

1 tsp. Chinese Five Spice

Heat oven to 300°F. Line two 15x10x1-inch pans with foil. Spray foil with cooking spray. In large bowl, mix snack mix, pecans and bacon. Set aside.

In 2-quart saucepan, heat brown sugar, butter and corn syrup over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until bubbly around edges. Cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally; remove from heat. Cool 2 minutes. Carefully stir in bourbon and Chinese 5 Spice. Pour over snack mixture; toss until evenly coated.

Spread snack mixture on pans. Bake 15 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes, to caramelize mixture. Cool completely, about 1 hour. Break into pieces. Store covered in refrigerator.

Christmas Chex Mix - White Chocolate and Peppermint Crunch

Super Easy - and you can always add red/green M&M's too...

6 cups Rice Chex® cereal

1 bag (12 oz) white vanilla baking chips (2 cups)

1/3 cup coarsely crushed peppermint candy canes (14 miniature, unwrapped)

Line cookie sheet with foil or waxed paper. Place cereal in large bowl.

In microwavable bowl, microwave white vanilla baking chips uncovered on High about 1 minute 30 seconds, stirring every 30 seconds, until chips can be stirred smooth. Stir in half the crushed peppermint candy.

Pour over cereal; toss to evenly coat. Spread mixture in single layer on cookie sheet. Immediately sprinkle with remaining candy. Let stand until set, about 20 minutes. Gently break up coated cereal. Store in airtight container.

Makes 20 servings (1/2 cup each)

Cream Cheese Filled Snickerdoodles!

Oh yeah. I couldn't wait to make these little treasures.
Guess what? They turned out to be BASTARDS!
I won't post the recipe because, well, it didn't work for me at all.
A) The dough was so sticky, it was impossible to flatten and then roll into a ball as called for in the recipe. Perhaps by chilling the dough first and/or adding more flour might work.
B) Though they came out looking ok and tasted awesome, by the next morning, the cream cheese had dissolved into the cookie. Perhaps refrigeration would stop this from happening.

Bottom Line: They are a great quirky idea but for now, I'm totally happy just staring at the photo!

Further Proof That Anything Is Possible: Chocolate Chip Cookies Stuffed With Oreos

Hose For Happiness Campaign - Which Political Party Do I Represent...

The Melt Down - Grilled Cheese Fabudelish

So, I take my friend Darin out for his birthday and sparing NO EXPENSE I took him to the Melt Down because I was eager to try it. I mean, am I a gre

at friend or what?

Let's start with the good news.

I had

the Signature Sliders - a smaller (but totally filling) version of their most

popular sandwiches: The Baja (LOVED IT), BLT (eh. Fine, but didn't really SING with bacon), and the Cheesy Caprese. The Caprese has balsamic vinegar on it, and I am a freakishly in love with BV, so I really enjoyed that. The dipping sauces were okay - fun but didn't make or break the sandwiches. I also had a cup of bacon corn chowder. YES! It was fabulous! Smokey bacon and sweet corn flavor. I was seriously full HOWEVER, I HAD TO TRY the signature grilled ice cream sandwich. I thought I'd just have a bite since I ate ALL my lunch and didn't want to overdo it, but, um, yeah, I ate the whole fking thing. It was fabulous!

Darin had the ham and cheddar melt, which he said was really good, except that it has rosemary butter and the rosemary was just a bit overpowering.

Oh, the sodas are awesome! They are natural (if there is such a thing) and come from New Hope Premium Fountain. I had the watermelon creme, which was not only delish, but it was pink. Way cool. I also tried the Skinny Root Beer and it, too, was great.

Oh, the girl who waited on us, besides being super cute, she was super sweet.

Now, the thing that kept this from 5 stars.

I just didn't dig the interior vibe. The yellow walls and red furniture made me feel like I was in a junior high cafeteria that had just a massive mustard/ketchup food fight. And it's quite small.

Since Grilled Cheese is a comfort food, Darin made the observation the place should feel cozy, and it lacked warmth.

But, I can't say enough about the creativity and fun aspect of the food - not to mention it was really delish!

Jacks Dog Farm - Tops The Happy List

We "stopped" by Jack's Dog Farm not planning to purchase a puppy, however, when we laid our eyes on 3 little chocolate labs, I was smitten.

And you can see from my photo of Jack Henry, he is totally adorable!

The kennels that the dogs were kept in were very clean, all had fresh paper and fresh water. There were German Shepherds (adorable!!) and many other breeds (they are known for their Jack Russell terriers I later found out).

Jeremy came out to help us almost immediately. He was very kind and helpful and didn't pressure us in anyway. (Like we needed any extra help - we knew we were doomed as soon as we held the first puppy!).

I did notice a bit of a cough and Jeremy sent us home with meds just in case. Jack Henry came with papers and had already received the vaccinations that were due.

Once we got home, I became concerned about the cough. We'd just lost our dog Diablo unexpectedly, and I had "new mom" syndrome and panicked because of the recent loss of Diablo so I took him to our vet, Ark Animal, which happens to be the same vet Jeremy uses. They put Jack on a round of antibiotics and when I called Jeremy to let him know, he paid for the whole vet bill and was very very professional and kind. We later heard from many friends that new puppies and or rescues they'd gotten from either other breeders or shelters often had the same thing. I met other people who'd bought their dogs there and 2 had dogs that were fabulously healthy, awesome dogs, and one person said her puppy had been sick but that they also took care of the vet bills and now her Boxer is happy healthy and wonderful.

When I talked to Jeremy after Jack went to the vet, he gave me the name and number of a person who had bought a puppy from the same litter a few days before, in case I wanted reassurance. I think, it's not unreasonable to expect that a new puppy from any breeder might not be in tip top health - crap happens! What SHOULD be expected is for the business to work with the customer to remedy the situation - which Jeremy at Jacks Dog Farm absolutely did. Keep in mind too, if you call someone to complain and start off the conversation with a bad attitude, it doesn't help the situation. You should expect to be treated the same way you are treating the other person.

After I got home, I did some research on Jacks Dog Farm and read some horribly written reviews - I know animal people are passionate and sometimes over the top - and I think that Jacks might have been targeted by these crazy over the top people - and from the way they can barely piece a sentence together, I find it hard to believe they can afford to pay for a pure bred dog.

If you are thinking about going to Jack's Dog Farm, please, just stop by and see for yourself!

Also, Jack Henry's temperament is AWESOME! Every time we take him out (to kids soccer games/field hockey/the park) - everyone compliments how laid back and easy going he is!

We're so happy with him and I give Jack's Dog Farm 5 Stars for such a wonderful dog and 5 Stars for the way they handled our situation.