http://www.kix106online.com

4 complete strangers have told me Rachel Ray and I could be sisters. I think it’s the scratchy voice and chubby cheeks.

Anyhoooo..

Here’s a great RR recipe with a  healthy twist on Mac and Cheese. Don’t worry if you don’t like squash. You’ll like this. You have my word

“ Yum-o!”

Butternut Bowties (Mac and Cheese)
Ingredients

1 box of bowtie pasta

1 butternut squash

4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons flour

2 cups milk

A pinch of nutmeg

A pinch of cinnamon

5 -6 sage leaves

1 cup grated cheddar cheese

1 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano

A handful toasted almonds

Preparation

Pre-heat oven to 400°F.

Place squash halves on a baking sheet and drizzle them with 1 tablespoon EVOO, salt and pepper. Place them cut side down and transfer to the oven. Roast until tender, about an hour. Remove from oven and cool.

Once cool enough to handle, scoop the flesh out of the squash and transfer it to a food processor. Process until smooth.

Place a pot of water over high heat for the pasta. Once at a boil, add some salt and the pasta, and cook to al dente according to package directions. Drain the cooked pasta and return it to the pot it was cooked in.

While the pasta water is heating up, place a small skillet over medium-high heat with the butter. Once melted, add the flour and cook about a minute. Whisk in the milk and cook until the liquids come up to a bubble and the sauce thickens, 2-3 minutes. Add the squash puree, nutmeg, cinnamon and sage, and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Add the sauce to the pot with the reserved cooked pasta and toss to coat. Turn everything out into a baking dish and sprinkle the top with both cheeses. Transfer to the oven and bake until the cheese is brown and bubbly, 10-15 minutes.

Garnish casserole with the toasted almonds and serve.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8PqI12R8YNU

A fun little ….err….very looong game called “Have You Ever?”

The things I HAVE done are in caps.

Here we go………..

Have you ever???

1. STARTED YOUR OWN BLOG
2. SLEPT UNDER THE STARS
3. Played in a band (DOES ROCK BAND COUNT?)
4. Visited Hawaii (NOT YET!)
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. BATHED IN A LAKE
7. Been to the Taj Mahal
8. Walked on a glacier in Alaska (MMM…..NO THANKS. I CAN FALL ON THE ICE RIGHT IN MY OWN DAMN DRIVEWAY)
9. HELD A SNAKE (HATED EVERY SECOND OF IT)
10. SPOKE IN FRONT OF A BIG CROWD (UH….YEAH…OFTEN)
11. BUNGEE JUMPED
12. HAD A WHIRLWIND LOVE AFFAIR THAT BROKE YOUR HEART.
13. Found an arrowhead or fossil
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch (I CAN’T EVEN DRAW A CIRCLE SO THE CHANCES OF EVER COMPLETING THIS ONE ARE SLIM TO NONE.)
15. RESCUED AN ANIMAL
16. Ate sweet breads, glands or tripe (AIN’T GONNA HAPPEN)
17. Seen Mount Rushmore in person
18. Grown your own vegetables (DOES TRYING COUNT?)
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. HAD A PILLOW FIGHT
22. Hiked to base camp on Mt. Everest
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill (AHEM, IT IS CALLED A “MENTAL HEALTH” DAY)
24. BUILT A SNOW FORT
25. Watched an animal being born (DOES MY BROTHER COUNT?)
26. GONE SKINNY DIPPING (I GREW UP 5 MINUTES FROM THE BEACH….IT WAS THE THING TO DO)
27. Learned a foreign language (I KNOW ENOUGH FRENCH TO GET A BEER, HOTEL ROOM OR TO THE BATHROOM)
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse (I THOUGHT YOU WEREN’T SUPPOSED TO LOOK DIRECTLY AT THE ECLIPSE??) 
30. STAYED UP FOR MORE THAN 24 HOURS (AND PROMPTLY TURNED CRAZY)
31. TRAINED A DOG TO DO COOL TRICKS ( CLEARLY, I’VE TAUGHT TALULLAH TO RUN MY LIFE.)
32. Been on a cruise (AND PAY FOR EVERY DRINK?? I’D BE BROKE…. I’M AN ALL INCLUSIVE KINDA GIRL)
33. SEEN NIAGARA FALLS (LIVED THERE FOR 7 YEARS SO APPROX. 49,879 TIMES)
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors (NOT YET…BUT WHEN I DO GET TO SCOTLAND, I’D LIKE TO BUY A CASTLE AND STAY. PREFERABLY SOMETHING WITH AN OCEAN VIEW.)
35. Seen an Amish community (UMM…..HOW ABOUT MENNONITE?)
36. Can drive a stick shift car (AND I DON’T INTEND TO LEARN, EITHER)
37. WON OVER $1000 DOLLARS? (CASINO RAMA 1996!)
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing (IF I DID, YOU’D HAVE TO ADD “PEED YOUR PANTS FROM UP HIGH?” TO THIS LIST)
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. SUNG KARAOKE (SADLY, YES, SO MANY TIMES, IN SO MANY PLACES.)
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Been serenaded (OH….THAT’S A GOOD ONE. I COULD GO FOR SOME SERENADING)
44. Visited Africa
45. WALKED ON A BEACH AT MIDNIGHT (YEAH…..”WALKING”….THAT’S WHAT WE WERE DOING….)
46. BROKE A BONE (SOME OF MY OWN AND SOME BELONGING TO OTHERS…. FRANKIE CANDELORO….IF YOU’RE READING THIS….I’M STILL SO SORRY ABOUT THAT PUSH OF THE TOP OF THE SLIDE IN 4TH GRADE)
47. Started your own business
48. QUIT A JOB BECAUSE YOU WERE UNHAPPY
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the Eiffel Tower
51. GONE SCUBA DIVING OR SNORKELLING
52. KISSED PASSIONATELY IN THE RAIN
53. PLAYED IN THE MUD
54. GONE TO THE DRIVE IN
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. JOINED A PRAYER GROUP (DON’T ACT SO SURPRISED –AND NO, THE ROOF DID NOT CAVE IN.)
58. Taken a martial arts class (hi-yaa!)
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. SOLD GIRL GUIDE COOKIES (OH….SO MANY..AND I STILL EAT THEM BY THE BOX)
62. GONE WHALE WATCHING
63. RECEIVED FLOWERS FOR NO REASON
64. DONATED BLOOD (THEN PROMPTLY FAINTED)
65. Gone sky diving (AIN’T GONNA HAPPEN)
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check (I PLEAD THE 5TH)
68. FLOWN IN A HELICOPTER
69. SAVED A CHILDHOOD TOY (24 BARBIES, 1 LIGHTBRIGHT AND AN EASYBAKE OVEN)
70. VISITED YOUR COUNTRY’S CAPITAL
71. EATEN CAVIER (MMMMMMMMMMM)
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades (I WATCH A LOT OF CSI MIAMI…..CLOSE ENOUGH….)
75. BEEN FIRED FROM A JOB
76. Seen the changing of the guards in London
77. BROKEN SOMETHING REALLY EXPENSIVE (DO RANDOM MEN’S HEARTS COUNT? HA! I KID……)
78. BEEN ON A MOTORCYCLE
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book (HEY…THAT COULD STILL HAPPEN…)
81. Visited the Vatican
82. GOT A TATOO (THREE AND COUNTING)
83. Been to a coffee shop in Amsterdam
84. Seen the aurora borealis in person
85. Read the entire Bible (LIKE IN ONE SITTING? FROM FRONT TO BACK? OKAY….I’LL GET ON THAT)
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating (YUCK, NO, NEVER.)
88. Had chicken pox (TWICE…DON’T LISTEN WHEN THEY SAY THAT CAN’T HAPPEN. TOTALLY NOT TRUE.)
89. Saved someone’s life (DOES MY OWN COUNT?)
90. Sat on a jury (I GOT CALLED FOR  JURY DUTY AND REJECTED!! I FELT LIKE A FAILURE.)
91. MET SOMEONE FAMOUS (IT’S MY JOB…SOMEBODY HAD TO DO IT)
92. JOINED A BOOK CLUB (BOOK CLUB, WINE CLUB, SAME DIFF.)
93. LOST A LOVED ONE
94. Toured the UN
95. Hiked to Machu Picchu (I DON’T EVEN KNOW WHAT THAT IS. GOING TO GOOGLE IT NOW)
96. Swam in the Indian Ocean
97. CONVERSED WITH SOMEONE WHO DIDN’T SPEAK YOUR LANGUAGE
98. Dirty Danced (IN MY MIND WITH PATRICK SWAYZE, IN THAT LITTLE CABIN FROM THE MOVIE, DAILY)
99. BEEN STUNG BY A BEE (AND A FEW JELLYFISH)
100. ACTED IN A PLAY.

 I thought that was never gonna end….okay….your turn!!

My husband wants this every day. Seriously. He’d eat it. He’s been known to polish of a whole chili cheese dip solo. It ain’t pretty, but it’s sooooooooooo good! The best part….it takes about 5 minutes to assemble.

Here ya go:

 Layered Chili Cheese Superbowl (or everyday!) Dip

1 package of cream cheese softened (I use the light stuff so you can eat more!)

1 can of your favourite chili (or homemade if it’s handy!) We like Stagg.

Dash of hot sauce

1 cup grated old cheddar

Press softened cream cheese into glass pie plate. Pour Chili on top. Add as many dashes of hot sasuce as your tounge can handle, top with grated cheese. Bake @ 350 for 15-20 minutes or until cheese is melted. Serve with tortilla chips and wait for the compliments on your “hard work!”

Go Cardinals! (I always cheer for the underdog.)

what happened to Micheal Vick’s dogs. This is a wonderful article. It starts out sad…but has a very happy ending.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/magazine/12/22/vick.dogs/index.html

Here’s the photo gallery of the pups with their new loving owners:

 http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/multimedia/photo_gallery/0812/nfl.michael.vicks.dogs/content.1.html

My dad used to say, “there are no bad kids…only bad parents.” I think the same goes for dogs.

which means copious amounts of football. Thus far I have avoided the football by making cookies, doing laundry and surfing the net watching marriage proposals on YouTube  (’cause that’s what all the cool girls do on Sunday nights) where I stumbled across this:

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5JraEYwvW-s&feature=related

The horror! I feel SO bad for this dude I wish I had a sister to hook him up with. Then again, maybe he’s a jerkface and that’s why the girl said no. Oh my stars…. I STILL feel bad for the jerkface.

Here’s one that turned out better:

http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=bZIfl90vPcA&feature=related

Love the use of the puppers!

please watch this video of an unlikely pair of best friends and their amazing story…..

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=4696315n

If you aren’t crying tears of “wow” we simply can’t be friends anymore.  I kid. But I ask you, lovely readers; why is it that animals seem to have life’s major lessons quietly and naturally perfected while we humans spend most of our lives trying to master and maintain them? Things like recognizing our differences and celebrating them. Not just co-exisiting, but caring enough to learn about another. Being loyal. Really, truly loyal. Loving someone more than you love yourself. Going the extra mile. 

 With all the violence, hurt, anger, greed and selfishness in our world right now it speaks to my soul and teaches my heart to be better when I watch this elephant and dog not only existing peacefully together, but loving and relying on each other for comfort, peace and friendship.

Why can’t we do that? Take a lesson from these creatures and do better. Be kinder. Love more. Love everybody.

It’s called “The Fail Blog” and is a collection of pictures, advertisments and video clips of erroneous behaviour. Sometimes it’s intentional, sometimes it’s a stupid mistake, sometimes it makes you wonder what the heck people are thinking. Or not thinking. The fun part is you can send in your own examples of “failing.” We’ve all had a moment or two in our lives when we think, “I REALLY hope no one saw me do that.” Well, they very well may have.

 http://failblog.org/