the2beths

Courtney Stodden Kicked Out Of The Pumpkin Patch! | PerezHilton.com.

This couple.

I am shocked and appalled by everything that has to do with them.

I also can’t resist reading every single story about them.

I just can’t comprehend this girl.

What are your thoughts, Beth FS?

-Beth WA

Beth FS here.  First, I had to click the link to find out who Courtney Stodden is.  Of course, I recognized her right away.  But I think it’s a good sign that she’s not recognizable by name only.  In my head I call her “that way-too-young-to-be-dressing-like-that-girl-who-really-seems-like-she’s-taking-at-least-one-mind-altering-substance-on-a-regular-basis-who’s-married-to-that-creepy-much-older-…-actor?” They creep me out. I think all will be revealed eventually, and we’ll be like “Oh! THAT’S what that was all about.” But at this point, I have no idea what “THAT” is.

I am sure most people on this earth are familiar with a recipe for Buffalo Chicken Dip.  I remember the first time I had it.  It was seven years ago this spring.  I was having a party for the kids in my class at the end of the year, and one of the mom’s brought it in for the party.  I know it was seven years ago, because that student is now a senior in high school, and I teach the fifth grade.

As the party was going on, I could not stop visiting this dip.  It changed my life.  The mom wrote down the recipe for me, and I then proceeded to make it for every social gathering I attended.  I made it so much, that the next generation of people I was making it for, called it “my dip.”  (Please note: I always gave credit to the room mom.)  Through the years, I use the same ingredients to make it, but now I make it in the crock pot.  It is SOOO easy.  So, I am going to share it with you now.  Two things happen when I make this at a party..

1.  It gets devoured, and there is none left.  And that makes me happy because I love when I make something for a party and it is a hit.  or

2. There is leftover dip, and I get to eat it the next day.

Here is the recipe:

3 blocks of cream cheese

1 bottle of Frank’s BUFFALO sauce

3 hefty squirts of Ranch Dressing

Chicken, shredded – I’ve used canned, I’ve used 3 breasts boiled then shredded, and for this last batch, I used a rotisserie chicken and just shredded it myself with my hands and a fork.

1 bag of colby-monterey jack cheese

Throw this all in the crock pot for 2 hours or so.  And serve with tortilla chips.  I also serve it with a loaf of that bread that says “Just Bake It” that they sell in the Kroger and Meijer bakery section.  It’s a long thin loaf.

I had a Halloween Party last night that was a bit smaller than I had imagined, so I had made too much of this dip.  I wanted to figure out how to eat it because I didn’t want to waste all of the ingredients, especially the chicken.  I also had a Pillsbury Pizza Crust that I needed to cook today.  So, a lightbulb went off.  I spread the dip on the Pizza Crust, I topped with a bit more of the Colby-Jack shredded cheese, some parmesan cheese, some mozarella and a blue cheese crumbles.

It was RICH.  It was UNHEALTHY.  BUT, it was DELICIOUS.  My husband and I decided it would be a good thing to have at a party.  It was a bit heavy to eat for a meal, but having one or two bite sized pieces would definitely be great.

Here are some picture—they aren’t that great, because frankly, the dip isn’t that pretty.  But, trust me, it is delicious.

Well, I hope everybody had a great weekend!  Tomorrow is Monday…here’s to a good week!!  Cheers.

-Beth WA

Good morning! Beth WA here, enjoying this crisp, beautiful fall Ohio day.  Just got back from a brisk walk, and enjoying a bowl of steel cut oats with pumpkin! Yum.  I am having a Halloween Party tonight, and I am extremely unprepared, as well as unmotivated to change that.  So, hopefully, after this blog entry, I’ll get moving.

Anyway, on to the topic I wanted to write about.  Shoes.

As a person who has been overweight for most of my life, when I go shopping with friends I usually gravitate toward shoes and purses.  Simply because, they always fit.  And even shoes aren’t that fun, because I wear a size 10//11, and until recently the selection was rather limited.  And, then for a long time, I had the problem where I would buy these shoes that I wanted to wear.  They would fit in the store.  I could walk a few steps in them, no problem.  But, when it comes to actually wearing them for an evening….NO WAY would I choose them.  So, they just sit in my closet gathering dust.

Granted, these aren’t even in style any more, because I did break this habit about 4 years ago.  Okay, maybe one of those pairs I bought last year, but the rest are purchased at least 4 years ago, if not more.

So, about 3-4 years ago, I had an intervention with myself about shoes.  This happened when day after day as I was getting ready to go to work, where I stand all day, I couldn’t figure out shoes to wear.  I knew I had to start buying sensible shoes, but I still wanted them to be semi-stylish.  So, I entered the world of Merrills and Keens.

The problem with these shoes is, while they give the desired comfort level, I feel frumpy in them, and they are expensive.  I mean, I tried to choose the cutest of the selection, but, still, I don’t exactly feel hip or stylish in them.

So, last year I mentored a brand new teacher.  It was her first year out of college. She was young, hip, and fun.  Her and I clicked immediately, and became fast friends.  I noticed that she was always wearing “TOM’S” shoes, and she would always sing their praises.  So, finally I took the plunge and bought myself a gray pair.

And I haven’t turned back.

I LOVED them.  I had found my “sole” mate.  (Sorry, had to do it.) They were a perfect alternative to flip-flops with capris, because frankly, I was over flip flops.  I mean, I still have a million pair, and wear them often, but I wanted something that was a little more…shoe.  I should probably be “capris,” too, but I don’t think that will ever happen.

They are SUPER comfortable, and not only do I feel hip and stylish when I wear them, I also feel politically correct because when you buy a pair of TOM’S, they donate a pair of shoes to somebody who needs them.  So, that also extinguishes the guilt I feel for the fact that they are pricey.

I love to wear them with jeans, with pants, with capris, with skirts…and there are SO many different kinds.  Here is my collection:

Maybe someday I will lose all this weight I need to lose, get in excellent shape, and be able to wear heels comfortably.  But, until then, I am loving my TOM’S.

I try not to play favorites, but between you and me, these are my favs:

What are your favorite “go to” shoes?

DIY Wooden Picture Video : theBERRY.

This is something that looks totally cool, and she makes it look so easy.

But, I have the inkling that if I tried it, it would never come out that way.

And, I’d probably get a splinter.

But, I might give it a go.

Has anybody else ever tried this?

-Beth WA

I am a huge fan of Morningstar Veggie Burgers, and not just their plain veggie burgers, also their black bean burgers, and their mushroom burgers.  Mr. WA and I love to have the mushroom burgers on an everything sandwich thin with a wedge of Laughing Cow swiss cheese spread, and mushrooms and onions grilled with worceshire sauce and lemon juice.  YUM.

I have been a fan of these burgers for a long time.  My mom and I used to eat the black bean ones a lot when I lived at home.  And I’ve been making them a lot recently, but I had forgotten the combination my mom and I used to make with them, until this week.  We put blue cheese dressing on a the black bean burger with some alfalfa sprouts and thinly sliced onion.

It’s so delicious.  I highly recommend it.

Do you have any unlikely food combinations that turn out to taste good, unexpectedly?

I wanted to add a recipe that my mom has been making for several years now that is a major crowd pleaser.  I know that there are a million recipes for chili, but this is a good one to add to your repertoire.  It’s got the sweet and spicy flavor that I love.  Beth FS, you probably won’t like it because of the copious amounts of cumin.

I usually make 1/2 of this recipe, but this time I made the whole thing because I was having a crowd over for my my mom’s birthday. My mom usually comes in at the last minute and adds the things to make it just perfect.  I’ve used beef and/or turkey, and I also make it in my giant crockpot instead of a pan on the stove.

Well, I brown the beef on the stove, but I let it all simmer in a crockpot.

Black Bean Chili

5 lbs ground beef

4  – 29 oz cans of tomato sauce

1 large onion

2 large red peppers

1/4 cup chopped and seeded jalapeno (I usually use the canned version because I am afraid to cut jalapenos)

1/2 cup chopped garlic

1/8 cup cumin (to taste)

3/4 cup chili powder

7   15-oz cans black beans (drained)

3-6 tablespoons of sugar (to taste)

Brown beef, onion, red peppers, garlic and jalapeno.

Drain.

Add remaining ingredients.

Bring to boil, then simmer.  No lid.

Enjoy!!

-Beth WA

Ugh.

I need to work out more, but I just don’t feel like it.

I walk in the mornings for about 2.75 miles, but it just isn’t cutting it.  I have over 100 lbs to lose, and I know I need to step it up.

I need to do these:

or these

and I need to count these:

Weight Watchers Points Plus

I am just so tired when I get home from school.  ( I know, I need to call whine-one-one.)

The tapes I have had and really been dying to try are the Turbo Fire tapes.  And I noticed that Elastamom Excerpts mentioned that she does these tapes.  I felt like it was my secret message to get off the couch and start doing them.

I also need to start packing my lunch the night before.  I am fresh out of lunch ideas and lunch packing motivation.  And also, I don’t like Lean Cuisines and other frozen dinners.  The ones that I actually like the taste only fill me up for about two classes afterward.

Where do you find motivation to get started with exercise?  Especially after work!

What do you pack for easy, healthy lunches?

-Beth WA.

So, I have been reading on quite a few blogs, especially on http://mealsandmiles.com/ about the combination of sweet potatoes, goat cheese, and black beans.  So, the other day I made myself a quesadilla with this combination and it was DELICIOUS.  I added a little cumin(sorry, Beth FS), cayenne pepper, and salt and pepper to the sweet potato.

So, this morning, when I was doing one of my favorite weekend morning activities; drinking coffee, reading magazines, cutting coupons and recipes, and watching my DVR, I was delighted to come across a recipe in my SELF magazine.  It was a Roasted Sweet Potato and Black Bean Salad.  I never thought to add it to a salad.   And I love warm ingredients on a bed of greens, because I love my lettuce/greens a little bit wilted. (Weird, I know.)

So, I cut up a sweet potato in cubes and baked it at 375 for 15-20 minutes, coated in cooking spray and sea salt.  In the mean time, I filled a bowl with lettuce, yellow pepper, tomatoes, goat cheese, and black beans.  I was trying to decide what dressing I would put on this.

Now, I know salad dressings are frowned upon by the healthy masses, but they are one thing I just LOVE LOVE LOVE.  I don’t need a lot, but I do need it.  As I was deciding what I wanted to put on here, I remembered a salad dressing that Beth FS had made for this delicious BBQ chicken salad she makes.  The dressing is a mix of one part barbecue sauce to one part ranch dressing.  It is the best taste ever, and a little goes a long way.  An added bonus was that I had just found that they sell Bob Evans Wildfire BBQ sauce in the grocery store, so I had purchased some this week.  So, I whipped up 1 tbsp of each, and I didn’t even use half of that.  I put that on the salad before I added the sweet potatoes.

The end result was so delicious, I ate it before I could take a picture of it.  And it was so satisfying.  I highly recommend this to anybody who likes this combination of flavors.

What are your favorite flavor combinations?

-Beth WA