Bloggin' Ain't Easy...

Kudos to all you full time bloggers out there! It sure is hard to stay on top of the blogging ball and I hope to do a better job at it. Here's a little sneak at what we've been up to:

Before:
We like to refer to this as her Kenny Rogers (circa 1978-1985) look

Kenny Rogers

WARNING: DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME!! (Unless you have the patience of Job and a dog who doesn't mind being groomed on the kitchen floor...) This is my sweet "dawghter" Lucy! (That's Daddy, a.k.a MOTH, behind the clippers and Kenny Rogers below! He had nothing to do with said grooming incident.) She hates all things grooming (including getting clipped, washed, snipped, filed and brushed.) In fact, anytime we need her to cooperate or stop some annoying behavior, we ask her if she wants a bath.

Anyway, what you see in the picture above is about an hour long ordeal of what all involved parties would describe as torture. Lucy is a Maltese and she doesn't have "fur," she has super fine hair. As in, don't try to breathe without a respirator while you're cutting her hair because it is the equivalent of inhaling fiberglass insulation. (Not really, but it does make you itch when it gets all over your clothes and your face.) But, hey- when you've spent the kind of money on these clippers, you simply MUST get your money's worth out of them. See?

After

PLEASE NOTE: No animals were harmed during this grooming session. Adults? Maybe.

I've also been up to a little cooking!! I'm trying to go through my Pinterest repertoire and weed out the yuck. Here's my latest "Pin-Win":

Chicken Poppy Seed Dip

This recipe is originally from AddApinch.com and it is CRAZY SIMPLE! I have made it on two separate occasions and both times was a certified hit! If you're looking for a quick dip to throw together in a hurry, give this one a try. It's pretty amazing! Here's the skinny:

3-4 chicken breasts, cooked1- 8ounce package cream cheese

½ cup mayonnaise

2 teaspoons poppy seeds

¼ teaspoon garlic salt

¼ teaspoon sea salt

Mix all ingredients together until well-combined. Place into an airtight container and chill until ready to serve.

Serve with Wheat Thin crackers.

I will say that the longer it sits in the fridge, it gets a little better. If you can let it sit overnight, it will give the ingredients time to meld (not to be confused with mold.) I used chicken breasts that I cooked in the slow cooker, but you can also use a Rotisserie chicken if you are short on time. I would use canned chicken only as a last resort. (I've just never had great luck with canned chicken.) Let me know if you try it that way!

And speaking of "Pin-Wins," here's another gem I found on the web's version of crack:

Shred chicken in your stand mixer!

"Who'd a thunk it," as my mom says. (She's joking, of course. We DID attend public schools in these parts...) But seriously, who would have thought that a stand mixer could save so much time shredding chicken? Not I me! I have to say, it works like a charm and if I had a "Top 10 Pin-Win List," this would heck yeah be on it. Try it next time you need to shred or pull chicken. Just be sure to pull the bones out first if you use bone-in breasts. Obviously, right? Don't ask...