It was still fun and the food was good.

So we didn't win. And no, losing wasn't fun, but we had a good group of friends over and that was a lot of fun. Plus I rather enjoy the build up to the game as well as the food preparation and setting it all out. (I have to admit that I always put my favorite snacks closest to my seat.)

One funny thing, the morning of the game, I suddenly realized that I was running on east coast time. I had told everyone that the game started at 6:30. And it did start at 6:30 EST, but that's not our time. I felt like such an idiot, but it all worked out in the end. The food was ready in time and most of our friends made it in time.



I had great success with the two baked dips. My favorite remains the Tex Mex Pimento Cheese, but the Sausage, Bean and Spinach dip seemed to win everyone else over. (Just for the record, I did put less mayonnaise in the pimento cheese and I added green chile. The green chile added a really nice subtle spice to it.)

The Sausage, Bean and Spinach dip is another recipe from the Southern Living magazine that my mother-in-law sent home with us.

1 sweet onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 (1-lb.) package hot ground pork sausage
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp. chopped fresh thyme
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 (8-oz.) package cream cheese, softened
1 (6-oz.) package fresh baby spinach, coarsely chopped
1/4 tsp. salt
1 (15-oz.) can pinto bean, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 375°. Cook diced onion, red bell pepper and sausage in a large skillet over medium-high heat, stirring often, until meat crumbles and is not longer pink. Drain. Stir in garlic and thyme; cook 1 minute. Stir in wine; cook 2 minutes or until liquid has almost completely evaporated.

Add cream cheese, and cook, stirring constantly until cream cheese is melted. Stir in spinach and salt, stirring constantly until spinach is wilted. Gently stir in beans. Pour mixture into a 2-qt. baking dish, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Bake for 10 to 20 minutes or until golden brown.

I used pork chorizo sausage which was really tasty. I'll definitely be pulling this recipe out again next season.

I think all the Superbowl preparations, the stress of the game and the disappointment of losing really wore me out as I have been really tired the past few days even though I have been sleeping well (for me). I am also dealing with some sort of injury to my Achilles which is a bit of a bummer. I believe that I hurt it last Thursday when I walked downtown in my hiking boots. No idea why really, but it was after that walk that I first noticed the soreness. I didn't make much of it and took my usual morning run the next three days in a row. It wasn't until yesterday that I realized I should probably do something about it. So I have been icing it a few times a day and I am taking a few days off of running.

The not running really bothers me especially since I can't even take walks as a substitute. I am really trying to stay put and give my Achilles time to heal. But considering it is going to be 0° over night, it's probably a good week to be taking a break! So I've just been knitting a lot and watching movies.

I am looking forward to tomorrow because my lovely friend Clare is coming over for lunch. We are going to have BLTs and wine. And chocolate pie for dessert.

It's freezing here and I made maple-bacon popcorn today.

We've had arctic temperatures in Santa Fe for the past two days and it's not much fun. I think if we had gotten the big snowstorm with the cold, we all would be complaining less about the brutal cold. The lack of moisture here this winter is worrisome. Apparently it did snow about 2 feet up in the mountains which is good, but still, we really need to get some good snowstorms soon otherwise we'll be looking at a drought this spring and summer.

It was -2 degrees when I got up this morning. I contemplated trying to be bad ass and going out for my morning run, but I decided it probably wasn't a great idea. After my morning tea and internet, I was feeling a bit restless and somehow got bacon on the brain so I decided a walk to the supermarket was in order. I've been craving a bagel with cream cheese too. So we bundled up and walked over to Whole Foods.

It didn't feel nearly as cold as I had expected. And since I didn't get to run, it felt good to be out and about, stretching my legs. The trip back home felt colder for some reason. My left nostril froze and we both had seriously rosy cheeks from the cold.

I fried up the bacon and had a bagel with cream cheese and tomato and a slice of bacon for breakfast. Then later, for lunch, I decided to try this recipe that my friend Sheryl sent to me awhile back.

Maple-Bacon Kettle Popcorn (from the Browneyedbaker)

4 slices bacon, cooked and grease reserved
1 tablespoon maple syrup
½ cup corn kernels for popping
¼ cup cooking oil (use the reserved bacon grease and add extra vegetable/canola/olive oil to make ¼ cup)
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1½ teaspoon salt

1. Fry the bacon in a skillet until brown and crisp. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate to drain and cool. Once cool, chop into small pieces and toss with the maple syrup.

2. Measure out the reserved bacon grease into a measuring cup. If you don’t have a ¼ cup, add vegetable, canola or olive oil to make ¼ cup total.

3. Put the cooking grease/oil in a large pan and add the corn kernels. Sprinkle with the sugar and 1 teaspoon of the salt. Heat the stove to medium heat, cover the pan with a tight-fitting lid and wait until you hear the first couple of kernels pop.

4. Once the popping begins, use two pot holders to hold lid on the pot and shake the pot, then return to the burner. Continue to do this often throughout the popping process, every minute or two. This will help ensure that the sugar doesn’t burn.

5. Once the popping is done, remove the lid and salt the popcorn with the remaining ½ teaspoon of salt. Use a large spoon to stir the popcorn. Pour in the bacon and maple syrup mixture. Toss together and serve.

The first taste was shockingly sweet, but I got over it and found the combination of flavors to be rather addictive. Will didn't like it because I don't think he likes popcorn with sweetness so I had the whole bowl to myself. I probably could have easily scarfed down the whole thing, but I managed to find some self-control and put it away. (Although I probably still ate more than I should have!)

If you are a popcorn addict (like me) who loves bacon (like me), this recipe is definitely worth making. I might cut back on the sugar a tad and use less grease for the popping if I make it again. And I'd probably cut the recipe in half if making it just for myself.

Will made chocolate chip cookies yesterday and I have to admit, with this cold weather, I kind of wanted to eat cookies and bacon popcorn all day. With hot chocolate.

But I didn't.

I knit and watched some NFL Network and more of Pushing Daisies, my latest choice for daytime television.

The cats are actually having a harder time with this weather than we are. Well, really it's just Rocky. Simon is pretty content to nap all day in front of the heater. Rocky is totally pissed that it's bitterly cold outside. He went out twice today for about 5 minutes each time. Not very fulfilling in his book, I am sure. So he's stir crazy and to try to ease his winter blues, we've been playing with him a lot. Which is good, actually, because running around the house and throwing his favorite toys for him provides a work out for us as well.

Be warm. xo

P.S. Please don't yell at me for letting Rocky outside when it is so cold. He goes in the backyard so he can't get out and roam. And I check on him every few minutes. I would never just put him out and forget about him.

This and that and football and pimento cheese.

I just realized that it's going to take me forever to finish the vacation posts because I haven't posted all of the pictures to go along with the posts! Oh well, one of these days it'll all get done. Or maybe I'll just finish up the writing part and worry about pictures later.

Yesterday was Steeler madness around here. I woke up at 6:00am and was already full of anticipation for the afternoon game. When I am that pumped up at a game, all of my focus turns to the snacks that need to be prepared. We went to the grocery store early so I could get a few more things. Then I vacuumed and mopped all the while wondering why I actually bother to vacuum the living room when we're going to have folks over and food is going to end up on the floor. Then I realized that I was completely exhausted because once again I hadn't slept well for a few days. (I got in three good nights early in the week and then the restless nights returned.)

So at 10:30 in the morning, I went back to bed for a nap. This is something that I rarely do. I am not a good napper because I usually end up laying thinking about all the other things that I should be doing. But I needed it yesterday and I actually did fall asleep for a bit. Felt much better when I got up an hour later.

Turned on the NFL Network Game Day show and headed to the kitchen to start the snack preparations. Everything I put out is relativity simple, but every once in awhile I make something different.

Will's mom sent us home with a Southern Living magazine that has some good sounding hot dip recipes in it so I decided to make the Tex Mex Pimento Cheese Dip.

I'd never even had pimento cheese until a few years ago. I think they had a sample out at Whole Foods and I tried it and discovered that it's pretty addictive stuff. So I bought it a few times and sometimes it was really good and sometimes it wasn't.

While we were in Georgia, Will's sister made it just about everyday and I had a hard time resisting her mix of it although I was rather appalled by the amount of mayonnaise that goes into it. A lot of mayonnaise. A LOT.

Anyway, it became the chosen dip for the playoff game and I have to admit, I was excited about it all week.

So. The recipe.

1/4 cup green onions, chopped
12oz jar of roasted red peppers, drained and chopped*
1 jalapeno, chopped
1-1/2 cups of mayonnaise
8oz of extra sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
8oz of pepper jack cheese, shredded
Cilantro for garnish (which I skipped of course)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix the first 4 ingredients together then mix in the cheese. Spoon into a 2qt baking dish and bake for 20-25 minutes or until dip is bubbling and browned on top.

Again, the amount of mayonnaise freaked me out a bit so I didn't add it all at first, but after I added the cheese, it seemed dry to me so I put a bit more in.

When it first came out of the oven, it tasted way too much like mayo to me, but as it cooled, the other flavors kicked in and it was super tasty. The kind of thing that you know you should stop eating, but you can't resist one more bite.

I think if I make it again, I'd cut down a bit on the mayo and I think I'd throw some green chile in there as well. And maybe some garlic.

We served it with crostini, Fritos and tortilla chips. But really it goes well with anything. We had burgers later in the evening and threw some on the buns instead of using mayo. Delicious. (Of course if you hate mayonnaise, it's probably not for you.)

I could even say that the pimento cheese dip got me through the incredibly stressful game we had against the Ravens. Good lord, I thought my head was going to explode. Seriously. And then we won and I could breathe again.

We are watching the Jets/Pats game now and it's really nice to see Tom Brady getting sacked. Really nice.

More soon my lovelies. Have a fantastic week! (I'm already planning the menu for next week's game!)

*Note: I just reread the recipe and saw that I misread it when I made it. It actually calls for 1/2 jar of roasted red peppers not a whole jar. The fact that I used more didn't seem to have an adverse result though.