Mommy Has to Work

Super Bowl – Buffalo Chicken Dip

January 28, 2015 By Anne

Photo Credit: Samantha Okazaki / TODAY

I was watching The Today Show this morning while on the treadmill. I love that show. They were showing from delicious recipes for the big game this Sunday. Super Bowl is always close to my birthday and it missed it by one day. I know my mom and husband will be watching. Me, I’m not so sure. However, I love all the food associated with the Super Bowl. I may just have to make this for my birthday!

Slow-cooker Buffalo chicken dip from The Today Show.

Makes 6 cups

Ingredients

2 (8-ounce) packages reduced-fat cream cheese
3/4 cup (6 ounces) cayenne pepper sauce (Crystal or Frank’s Red Hot)
1/2 cup ranch dressing or blue cheese dressing
1 1/4 – 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, cooked and chopped (3 to 4 chicken breast halves or about 3 cups chopped); vegetarian substitution: cooked cauliflower florets
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese or mozzarella
Tortilla chips, crackers, or vegetables, for serving
Combine cream cheese, pepper sauce, and ranch or blue cheese dressing and cheddar or mozzarella cheese in slow cooker. Cook over low heat, until cheeses are melted, stirring frequently.
Stir in chicken or cauliflower until combined; continue to cook until heated through, then keep warm in slow cooker.

Serve warm with tortilla chips, crackers or vegetables.

What do you have planned for the Super Bowl?

Anne

I'm a mother of 2 who likes to get involved in too much! Besides writing here I started a non-profit, I'm on the PTO board, very active in my community and volunteer in the school. I enjoy music, reading, cooking, traveling and spending time with my family. We just adopted our 3rd cat and love them all!

Puss in Boots is on Netflix

January 28, 2015 By Anne

Animal movies are so much fun. It’s amazing how they can train a cat or dog so well. We just adopted a puppy, Ginger and she is only 3 months old so we are far from trained. And with three cats and two children we are a house full of animals!!

Netflix is celebrating pets this month with their new series, Puss in Boots.

Puss in Boots is one of my favorite animal hero. He’s played in many movies and now has his own series on Netflix. The series started in January 16th and there are six adventures so far. My daughter and watched the first episode and can I say I am looking forward to watching the rest? I am. Maybe it’s the voice, haha.

There are lots of animal movies that would be prefect for anyone on your family. Here are some for the big kids.

1. The Adventures of Puss in Boots
2. Annie
3. Step Dogs
4. Jumanji
5. Hachi: A Dog’s Tale
6. Air Bud
7. Monkey Trouble

Get crafty and make this craft or use it to inspire you and your kids to make your own. For this craft go to:
http://www.klscrafts.com/puss-in-boots-kitty-cat-bank-netflix/

For all this cold weather why not make some delicious hot chocolate with marshmeows. See recipe here to learn how to make your own.

I am a member of the Netflix Steam Team and am loving watching all my favorite shows on Netflix!

Anne

Dunkin’ Donuts & National Croissant Day on January 30 (Giveaway)

January 26, 2015 By Anne

I received a gift card to Dunkin' Donuts to try their new menu.

I’m not sure how I missed National Coffee Break Day on January 20, I’m sure I had a cup and a break though. 😉

Chocolate Croissant

But next up is National Croissant Day on January 30 and Dunkin’ Donuts has debuted the Chocolate Croissant! The new flaky, chocolaty and warm Chocolate Croissant is amazing! I had the pleasure of visiting my local DD on Friday with a friend for a special treat. While there I also sampled the Tomato Mozzarella Supreme Bagel. We had it toasted with cream cheese. May I just say – yumm!

Tomato Mozzarella Supreme Bagel

The bagel has melted mozzarella cheese, tomatoes and an herb topping and tasted wonderful. We also got a cup of the Dunkin’ Donuts’ Dark Roast Coffee, but had to replace with a latte. I guess I like my coffee a bit too sweet.

Dunkin’ Donuts Hazelnut Latte

Make sure to check out Dunkin’ Donuts other food options like the Turkey Sausage Flatbread, featuring turkey sausage, egg and reduced fat cheddar cheese, now served on an oven-toasted multigrain flatbread. The Turkey Sausage Flatbread is also available as a Wake-up Wrap, served on a flour tortilla.

Are you a regular Dunkin’ Donuts Fan? Have you downloaded the mobile app? I did and got a FREE coffee just for downloading! Sign up here http://www.dunkindonuts.com/content/dunkindonuts/en/mlanding.html

I have a $10 DD Gift Code for one of you DD fans! (see details below)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Anne

Raspberry Linzer Heart Cookies

January 22, 2015 By Anne

These are perfect Valentine’s Day cookies. We made them last year and I just bought all of the ingredients to make them again!

Ingredients

16 tablespoons (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

2/3 cup plus 3 Tbsp. confectioners’ sugar

1 large egg yolk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

2/3 cup raspberry jam

Preparation

Preheat oven to 325°F; line 2 baking sheets with parchment. Beat butter and 2/3 cup sugar until fluffy. Beat in egg yolk and vanilla, then flour and salt. Shape dough into 2 disks; wrap 1 in plastic and refrigerate.

On a floured surface, roll out remaining disk to about a 1/8-inch thickness. Cut out cookies with a 2 1/2-inch heart-shaped cutter. Use a smaller heart cutter to cut a window out of half of cookies. With a spatula, carefully transfer cookies to prepared baking sheets. Repeat with remaining dough. Gather scraps and roll out again to make more cookies.

Bake cookies in batches until edges of cookies are just golden, 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes, then transfer cookies onto wire racks to let cool completely.

Spread 3/4 tsp. jam over flat side of each cookie that doesn’t have a window. Top with remaining cookies, flat side down, so that jam shows through windows. Carefully sift 3 Tbsp. confectioners’ sugar over cookies.

Anne

National Hug Day, January 21, 2015

January 21, 2015 By Anne

Today is National Hug Day!

National Hugging Day,™ also known as National Hug Day, is an annual holiday created by Rev. Kevin Zaborney in Michigan, USA. It occurs on January 21 and is officially recognized by the United States Copyright Office. It was first celebrated in 1986 and has since spread to multiple countries. The purpose of the holiday is to encourage people to openly express themselves through hugging. Offer a hug to anyone and everyone you want but remember it is wise to ask first. Whether you hug a family member or a stranger, the mental and physical health benefits are the same. For more information, visit www.nationalhuggingday.com. It’s hug day everyday in our house.

Benefits of hugging:

1) Hugs make us feel “happy”! When we hug another person, our bodies release oxytocin, a hormone associated with “happiness,” according to scientific studies.

2) Hugs alleviate stress! Just as a good hug increases our oxytocin levels, it decreases our cortisol or “stress” levels.

3) Babies need hugs as much as water and food! According to researchers at Harvard University, hugs help promote normal levels of cortisol necessary for child development.

4) Hugs make us better students! Students who receive a supportive touch from a teacher are twice as likely to volunteer in class.

5) Hugs improve our game! Scientists at University of California, Berkley discovered that the more affectionate members of a team are with each other, the more likely they are to win.

6) A hug a day keeps the doctor away! A hug stimulates the thymus gland, which in turn regulates the production of white blood cells that keep us healthy and disease-free.

7) A hug stops the bug! Researchers at Carnegie Mellon proved that individuals who were sick and received hugs had less severe symptoms and were able to get better quicker.

8) A hugging heart is a healthy heart! Research from University of North Carolina showed that a good hug helps ease blood flow and lower cortisol levels, which in turn help lower our heart rates.

9) A hugging couple is a happy couple! Couples that experience their partners’ love through physical affection share higher oxytocin levels.

10) Hugs let someone know you care without having to say a word! According to Dacher Keltner, professor of psychology at University of California, Berkeley, we can identify love from simple human touch – imagine how much love a big hug can communicate!