Superbowl bound and looking for recipes that are profound.

Sweet! Another trip to the Superbowl for the Steelers! DH is super stoked, of course, and we're anticipating a party in the mix. Time to break out the black and gold, chips, guac, and get ready for some FOOTBALL! If you have a recipe you love, share it. Thanks!

My first try at Hot pizza dip was a success for Bunco last month so I'll make that again:
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened (I use low fat)
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup pizza sauce
2 tablespoons chopped green bell pepper
2 ounces pepperoni sausage, chopped (I use turkey pepperoni)
2 tablespoons sliced black olives
small jar chopped mushrooms
Directions
1.In a small bowl, mix together the cream cheese, oregano, parsley, and basil.
2.Spread mixture in the bottom of a 9 inch pie plate, or a shallow microwave-safe dish. Sprinkle 1/2 cup of the mozzarella cheese and 1/2 cup of the Parmesan cheese on top of the cream cheese mixture. Spread the pizza sauce over all. Sprinkle with remaining cheese, then top with green pepper, pepperoni and olive slices. Cover, and microwave for 5 minutes. Throw it in a crock pot on low and serve it up with sliced french baguette or garlic breadsticks.


If anyone has one, I would love a good salsa recipe that's not loaded with cilantro. I usually make this particular salsa(recipe modified from my Pampered Chef cookbook) and it's a big hit with Tostito's Scoops:
Southern-Style Salsa
Ingredients:
1-2 ears fresh corn (I use 1-12 oz. pkg frozen corn, thawed)
1 small green bell pepper
1 small red bell pepper
1 fresh jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped (or 1 T. chopped from jar)
1 green onion with top
1 tbsp (15 mL) snipped fresh cilantro (I don't use cilantro)
1 garlic clove, pressed
1 can (15 oz or 398 mL) Southern-style pre-seasoned black-eyed peas, drained and rinsed
1 can (15 oz) Black beans, rinsed
1/3 cup (75 mL) Italian salad dressing (I use fat free)
1/4 tsp (2 mL) hot pepper sauce (Frank's Red Hot)
1 can (15 oz) can mild Ro-tel (optional)---sometimes I throw it in for a kick
Large corn chips or tortilla chips (optional)

Directions:
1. Cut off tip of ears of corn, creating a flat base. Hold corn by husk end and stand upright on cutting board. Remove kernels from corn using Kernel Cutter to equal 1 cup (250 mL) corn kernels. Chop bell peppers and jalapeño pepper. Slice green onion.

2. Combine all ingredients in medium bowl with lid; mix gently and cover. Refrigerate at least 1-2 hours to allow flavors to blend, but overnight is preferred. Serve with corn chips.

Well, there's just a couple things we'll have. It will be a killer game, even if Green Bay wins.

Throwing the gift wrap around for 30 days 1-23-11

My Christmas tree is still up, there are a few decorations here and there, but I have survived my 5 and 3 year old's bdays within 30 days (includes Christmas right in the middle) so hoo-rah for me! Planning all 3 wonderful events always brings me incredible joy and fulfillment. Especially if there's giggles and screaming involved. Both boys have a massive amount of craft supplies, Hot Wheels, and Toy Story stuff . They got Steelers stuff , Hockey stuff , games from Hasbro , clothing, bedding , full sized beds and furniture , Iron Man golashes OMG-SUPER cute! , Batman stuff http://www.walmart.com/ip/Fisher-Price-Imaginext-DC-Super-Friends-Batmobile/11260186?sourceid=1500000000000003260420&ci_src=14110944&ci_sku=11260186 , MORE dinosaurs http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2333512 , room decor , and so much more random stuff. Overwhelming to say the least, really. Last year, I thought we went crazy trying to stock up gradually to avoid last minute impulse buying. Not so fast...we're talking about ME here. Yes, I did purchase several things throughout the year. I also bought many things on impulse. I found 2 bags of Christmas presents that I hid in 2 different closets last week and am laughing(again) as I type this. What can I say? I love my boys and I LOVE a good sale! The fun of it all has been getting the boy's rooms set up with their new beds, posters, pillows, and rugs. I love to change things and re-decorate as much as I possibly can. We get it all set up together and sit on the rugs playing games, building sky-scrapers, and seeking fresh meat for Little's Tyrannosaurus rex and 9.9 ton Spinosaurus. That's actually the MOST fun of it all. :) I have been trying to de-clutter this place for real since January 2nd. Better Homes and Gardens http://www.bhg.com/?ordersrc=google5bhg_home&cobrandId=ww5&s_kwcid=TC|5599|better%20homes%20and%20gardens||S||3062635168 has become my new "Has it come yet?" magazine, just above fashion and parenting mags. There. I said it. January's issue is filled with super cool ideas for organizing and de-cluttering. I felt anxiety just reading it...wanting to go straight to my closet and throw those hideous jeans and sweaters God knows needs to get to the consignment shop. My project this week is getting items for just that and promising myself to stick to that task only. God help me! Have you ever felt like it never gets done? I have finally figured out that the reason I never complete anything is because I never stick to just one thing at a time. You know the drill...after folding and putting away clothes in your child's room, you see books and cars all over the floor. You put the books back in the bookshelf and realize they aren't arranged by size anymore, and the cars are mixed up with the dinosaurs. Also, the sheets probably need changed (it's Monday) and the room could use a good vaccuuming. Oh, you don't know that drill? Consider yourself blessed! I find it funny writing about it, but truthfully I do need a real list to stick to and a promise to myself to get those few things done without getting side-tracked other than tending to the peeps. This next week is sure to be a challenge, but I am happy to tackle it! The consignment cash will go into the fitness fund. I'll blog about that later on. Happy New Year! xoxo