Buffalo Chicken Salad

while at work today i was browsing the typical blogs and came upon this recipe on the pw website and i literally could not stop thinking about it all day.  i feel ridiculous admitting that, but it's truth.  so at 439 i headed to walmart for some ingredients.  i decided i couldnt live without it.  

i had some chicken breasts in the freezer from a previous shopping trip. 

 i put them in scalding water as soon as i got home. 

then i got impatient.  so as soon as i could separate them, i added 

one whole breast to a pan with a small amount of olive oil

then i was getting really impatient.  so i covered the chicken to quicken up this whole process.

 if you look really closely at this picture you can see the stack of smoke rising from the pan.

 i thought it was gonna blow.

but it didnt.  phew.

but even the lid wasn't cutting it.  so, i intervened with the knife.  this finally did the trick!  

the chicken browned in no time then!  surface area is key.

once the chicken is no longer pink anywhere, reduce the heat to low 

and add some buffalo sauce-enough to evenly coat each chicken sliver.  

cover and let it simmer for a couple of minutes. 

in the meantime, prepare the salad toppings.

now those of you who know me know that i detest ranch.

but when you have ranch dressing and bleu cheese crumbles, the

ranch instantly tastes like blue cheese dressing.

go figure!

and of course you'll need some lettuce to put all of those goods on!

i recommend romaine or iceburg for that extra crunch.

then you wanna layer the lettuce with chicken, plenty of ranch, and 

tonsssssss of blue cheese crumbles.  

this salad was awesome!  everything i has been waiting for alll day!

it was super spicy though so extra ranch on the side would not be a bad thing!

you know, if you like that stuff.  

i cleansed the palate with a couple scoops of oikos vanilla greek yogurt, 

some homemade granola, and a little honey.  perfection!

i tell you what though, after all that i was so full i thought i'd explode.

so, i watched wheel of fortune (priorities) and then went for a little stroll.

im feeling much better  :)

can you spot the cutest wallybird in the bunch?

that's right. maire was in "hansel and gretel" this wekeend and she 

was none other than a pesky wallybird!

granola

hi there!

this is my first recipe post in a while so get excited!!  and TRUST me, it is an impeccable one  ;)

i was eating a parfait for dinner last night with greek yogurt, some store bought granola, flax seed, and honey, when i suddenly had a great epiphany.  "hey, you should make your own granola for a change."  and so then i did.

you should forreal try it though.  you will need a few simple ingredients:  4 c oats, 1/4-1/2 c pecans, 1/4 c slivered almonds, 1/4 cup dried fruit of your choice, spoonful of flaxseed, a dash of salt, 1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/3 c veg or canola oil, 1/4 c honey, and 1/2 c brown sugar

first measure out 4 c oats and pour into large mixing bowl

next add 1/4 c pecans

decide 1/4 c pecans just is not enough, and add another 1/4 c

add 1/4 c almonds.  and maybe a sprinkle or two more.....

holy crap.  okay has anyone discovered these dried blueberries before?  

i decided to purchase them instead of cranberries at the store yesterday.  

seriously one of my better life decisions.  soo yummy!!!

so add a quarter cup of those (or your favorite dried fruit)

add a dash of salt, a spoonful of flaxseed, and give it a good stir

in a pan on medium high heat, pour 1/3 c oil

1/4 c honey

and add the 1/2 c light brown sugar

let the mixture boil, stirring a few times to prevent burning.

pour this mixture over the granola mixture and stir until all of the granola is coated.

spray a pan with non stick cooking spray.

then dump the granola mixture in and spread evenly.

bake at 325 for 25-30 minutes stirring occasionally.

remove the pan from the oven and allow the granola to cool completely.

it will harden once cool.  

break/crumble the granola (i found it was much easier to use my fingers than a spatula)

into bite size pieces/chunks and store in a ziploc bag/other air tight container.

i can't even begin to describe how delicious this is.  the brown sugar/cinnamon

combo is incredible.  best part is:  this is such a healthy alternative to store bought granola

with extra oils and other additives.  

seriously so good.

im sorry my lame photography skills don't showcase this very well.

because it's the bom.  dot com.

you wanna know what else is the bom. dot com?

my bf.

check him out.

omg.omg.omg.omg.omg.

k im done.

you ready.

don't look at me.  

just him.

pretty much the best night ever.  of my entire 22 years and 2 months and 1 day.
now go bake some granola or something.

life...it's happening

hey there guys, gals, and anyone else who just might read this.  it has been a while, huh?  seems to be a recurring theme lately--sorry!  lots has happened since my "july" post.  i have moved to northwest georgia and begun my first job.  things are going great other than living alone.  still don't think it's made for me.  but i shouldn't complain.  i have made many friends here in chickamauga, ga and am so blessed with thoughtful, helpful, and kind-hearted co workers.  i have also been lucky enough to have alot of fun weekend trips back home and to auburn since ive been here.  and you may or may not remember a certain little race i mentioned here on this very blog back in, oh may i believe it was--hang tight and ill update ya on that.  but first:      

this is a view i got to enjoy for my first three weeks in ga when i had to travel for training.  breathtaking.

people here in chickamauga are very serious about their traffic signs.  very serious.

people here in chickamauga also seem to have the need for a backyard safari.  thankfully my great friend, kathryn, helped me return these little guys back to their natural habitat......

you sir belong in the dump!

kat invited me to the first auburn game of the season.  it was in the georgia dome.  wde.  

the group was kat, kats bf matt, matts cousin graham, and me.

me and katttt

i celebrated my 22nd birthday at home with the best family i know of  :)

ashton and sweet harrison

the birthday girls!  (haha it's the best shot I had?)

harrison is thinking realllllly hard.......

about where to stick his little finger in the cake!!  

my new bose.  thanks mom!

these next few pics are of my new office!  the sweet ladies i work with had these posters to help cover the walls until i could find some decor of my own.  blessed am i.

where the official business takes place.

where my vip clients chillax.

i finally was reunited with my girlies for a weekend in auburn.  love you people.

annnnnd omg, look what was waiting on me when i got home.  best mail everrrrrr

and just because he deserves another pic, and just because i get to see him in 24 days.  i will allow you the pleasure of viewing this beauty.  but watch out, hes taken.  ahem.

and now, the moment you have all been waiting for.  i fly to san francisco on friday!!!!!!  omg i am so excited/nervous/overwhelmed/dont know what to do.  i am going to stay with the coolest swedish kid i know, ullli.  she just so happens to be studying in san fran this semester!  we will hang on friday night and all day saturday, i will run a marathon sunday morning (ahhhhhhh), and then we will hang sunday afternoon and monday morning.  i will fly home monday afternoon and return to the grind on tuesday.  i know it will be an exhausting trip, but i am going to make the best of it.  i mean ulli, san francisco, and a kiss from a fireman all in one weekend?  it can't be that bad.

'til next time, 

over and out.    

July

hello there!  I last updated you about this summer's happenings and made it through June.  If you are interested enough in my life, you may continue on reading.  

July began with a bang!  The city had a gathering with parade that morning.  The children decorate their bikes, wagons, etc. and ride around the block.  Ashton helped Maire decorate hers this year.

Maire and friend Claire celebratin'

We had a wonderful Fourth and celebrated my cousin, Jackson's, 5th birthday that day! 

The kids!  Birthday boy is there in the center!

I can not believe he is 5!  I feel sooooo old    

 Later that night we headed downtown to watch the city fireworks show.  It was one of the better shows in quite some time!  We watched from Confederate Park and had a perfect view of the fireworks lighting up City Hall!

I made a divine dessert for the occasion as well!  I will feature it next time (you may recognize it from the cover of July's Southern Living).  Be sure to look out for it.  Omg.

That very next Saturday, one of my very best friends since high school got MARRIED!  I still can't believe it, but the day was beautiful and perfect and I was so happy to be a part of her big day!

Look at that bride!

Checking out the guests.  I do believe Brit's words here were, "oh, thats gotta be a county 24 tag.  Yep, good ol' Crenshaw county folks".

Guess who caught the bouquet?!  Look out for my wedding post.......

Bridesmaids.  Doing our squats the best way we know how

The whole shebang.  How fun!!

The weekend after the wedding, I road-tripped to Charleston with my friends from Auburn.  We went to visit our friend Margaret who just began PT school at MUSC.  We decided she needed us to pay a visit  :)  We had a great time!  We took a carriage ride downtown and learned some cool history, we ate some delish food, made it to the beach, saw some night life, and even found some good geocaches.  Fun times with great people!!

I sorta failed at taking pictures-who woulda ever guessed?!  But here's one from Allison.  This was at Folly Beach which appeared to be quite the hangout!

Doug had a birthday the following Thursday so we helped him celebrate with signs, cards, gifts, and cheesecake! And, for those of you that know Doug, you know that he couldn't have been more thrilled to share his big day with the last night of Vacation Bible School!

Someone couldn't wait to cut the cake!  Half of it was gone when I came home to light the candles!!  

Finest picture I ever did see....

To end the month, we had a celebration/good-bye dinner for our friend Delia.  Delia is from Romania but goes to school in Montgomery at AUM.  She played tennis there and we were lucky enough to have her drive down on the weekends and teach us lessons.  She has been coming since I was a junior (so for about 7 years now).  She is moving to North Carolina for grad school.  We will surely miss her!

Well, that's about a wrap for July!  I have already had an eventful August so I'll catch you up to speed soon. Hope to do some foodie posts soon.  Over and out.