Scoop

The local newspaper is the Bellevue Herald-Leader.  It comes out once a week and has a resident cat.

Scoop

Bellevue is that kind of town.

(I love it!)

Not Madness, Just Mad

When I could tear myself away from the NCAA Tournament (I picked Gonzaga to win it all.  Oops.),

I watched my boyfriend play in a pool tournament Friday night,

we went ice skating Saturday afternoon,

then we he made Scotcheroos for dessert Sunday night.

I'd never even had a Scotcheroo until about a month ago.  They're so good!

Scotcheroos

Ingredients

1 cup light corn syrup

1 cup sugar

1 cup peanut butter

1 6 oz package semi-sweet chocolate chips

6 cups Rice Krispies

1 cup butterscotch chips

Directions

Place corn syrup and sugar into 3-quart saucepan. 

Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until sugar dissolves and mixture begins to boil. 

Remove from heat. 

Stir in peanut butter. Mix well. 

Add Rice Krispies and stir until well coated.

Press mixture into 13 x 9 x 2-inch pan coated with cooking spray. 

Set aside.

Melt chocolate and butterscotch chips together in a microwave safe bowl, stirring every 30 seconds.

Spread evenly over cereal mixture. 

Let stand until firm. 

Cut into 2 x 1-inch bars when cool.

Helpful hint: Before measuring the corn syrup, coat your measuring cup with cooking spray--the syrup will pour easily out of the cup.

Madness

I watched a lot of basketball this weekend - some good, some not (ouch).

Other than that...

I did some shopping on Saturday.  

My boyfriend has to wear a shirt & tie to work, but he can get really dirty, and doesn't like to spend a lot of money on work clothes.  So...

Saturday

I found five shirts (JCrew, Ralph Lauren...) for a grand total of about $15.

(He said he'd wear all of them!  Perfect!)

Then, of course...

Sunday

For dinner, I made a really easy chicken dish (put chicken in a shallow baking dish, cover with cream of chicken soup, slices of swiss cheese, and dried bread crumbs then bake), and this...

Smoke Stack Cheesy Corn Bake 

(courtesy Fiorella's Jack Stack Barbecue in Kansas City)

Ingredients

2 tablespoons butter

4 teaspoons flour

1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

3/4 cup milk

1 1/2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

1 3 oz package cream cheese, diced

3 10 oz packages frozen kernel corn, thawed

3 oz diced ham

Directions

In a large pot, melt butter

Stir in flour and garlic powder

Add milk and heat until thick & bubbly, stirring occasionally

Stir in cheeses until melted

Stir in corn and ham

Bake in a 2qt casserole for 45 minutes at 350

It Ain't Easy Being Green

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

It's been a whole year since Winavie from Lemons & Chambray and I held our first Goodwill Hunting challenge.

This year, I found a cute little jacket from the Gap at a Goodwill in Madison, Wisconsin.

It was, I think, half off of $3.99.

The best part?

It has a fleece lining, which is perfect because it's 30 degrees today.

Hopefully, Winavie found a good deal too!

Next month: April Showers!

Get Smart

My weekend was consumed by...

and...

I was inspired to (finally!) get an iPhone after seeing a recent presentation by Mark Hirsch, a photojournalist based in Dubuque, Iowa. 

After purchasing his first iPhone a year ago, a friend commented on the quality of the camera.  Being a professional photographer, he (of course) scoffed. 

But he was curious, so one day he took a photo of an old burr oak tree located in a field in nearby Platteville, WI.  

He posted the picture on Facebook. 

Then he posted another one. 

Then a friend challenged him to take a picture of that tree every day for a year (using only his iPhone!), which eventually lead to That Tree.

I have no interest (AT ALL!) in taking a picture of anything every day for a year.  But, Bellevue is a beautiful town that I'd love everyone to see!

Charleston 2013 (Part 1?)

As mentioned in my previous post, I recently took yet another trip to Charleston.

I first wrote about Charleston in March 2011, then again in July 2011, then again this time last year.  (Hopefully it won't be another full year until I get back there!)

Like last year, this time I went to visit my good friend Gypsy Girl (who doesn't update her blog EVER).

Gypsy Girl (aka Traci) and her husband woke up one morning and decided they just couldn't spend another winter in the Midwest (understandable).  Since Traci's family lives in Delaware, and Dave's family lives in Florida, they chose to focus their search in the southeast.

I suggested (strongly!) that they HAD to check out Charleston.  They did, and after spending three months on Folly Beach, they decided to stay.

(YAY!)

The back yard

a neighbor

Home Team BBQ

East Battery

Folly Gras!

steamed seafood bucket at The Crab Shack

on the Folly Beach boardwalk

Angry Bird

Ravenel Bridge 

The Yorktown