An all-time favorite recipe and WAR DAMN EAGLE!

That up above is big Jake Ricks trying to take an interception to the house! He didn't make it, but he did get to around the 20 yard line (and carried Noel Devine, who weighs about 100 pounds less, for about six yards on his way there). It definitely wasn't a pretty game, but it showed some heart and confidence that we can come back even when an opponent comes out and punches us in the mouth. Props to West Virginia -- they are gonna beat some people this year, and I expect them to be right in the thick of the Big East race. 

Here's some links to what the bloggers/sportswriters have said about the game:

The Gold Mine: videos, Chris Todd praise, story about the defense (especially the LBs) coming up big, plus other stuff

The Auburn Beat: just a wrap-up of the game, plus a report card

HABOTN (Hottest Auburn Blog On The Net): Four stories about the game at the very top, including a notebook of facts about the game and commentary

War Eagle Extra: Top entry is about us not being ranked (IDIOTS) but getting closer; second entry has three links to stories and columns, as well as game notes

For me, the game balls go to Chris Todd, Darvin Adams and every defensive player who got a turnover. (Although we have got to frickin' tackle some people!) Also to the entire crowd (including my Dad, Mike and Jessa) who stayed through the pouring rain. WDE!

Now on game day, Patrick and I got to eat the yummy leftovers of our Poppyseed Chicken Casserole. Patrick made this recipe for me not long after we started dating, and it has become one of my favorite comfort foods. My family also loves it -- we make it almost every time we go home for the weekend!

Poppyseed Chicken Casserole

Ingredients:

3 or 4 large frozen chicken breasts (might need to use more if you have smaller ones)

A big bottle of lemon juice

One roll of Ritz crackers

One stick of butter or margarine

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 can cream of celery soup

16 oz sour cream

Poppyseeds

Directions:

1. In large pot, pour in enough water to cover chicken by an inch or two. Bring water and chicken to boil and immediately pour in half bottle of lemon juice. (If you get a regular-size bottle, use whole bottle.) Wait to make sure chicken is boiling evenly (I usually watch it for about 10 minutes or so), then allow to boil for an hour. 

2. Preheat oven to 350. Take chicken out of pot and shred with two forks. 

3. In large greased oven dish, mix chicken with sour cream and the three cans of soup. Mix well and smooth so mixture is level. 

4. Crush Ritz crackers and spread evenly over chicken mixture. Melt butter in microwave and pour over crackers. Sprinkle poppyseeds over crackers. 

5. Bake 30-35 minutes until crackers are browned and mixture is bubbling. 

Best enjoyed with an Auburn win! :)

Glasses!

How do y'all like my new funky fresh glasses? :)

THREE new recipes today! Oh joy!

Sorry I haven't blogged since last week -- we've been all over the place lately! I took an extra day off after Labor Day so that I could have a four-day weekend, and it was a much-needed mini-vacation! Patrick and I even made an impromptu trip to Athens to see some of my family up there, including my too-adorable baby cousin Sophie.

She's not even 18 months and she's already almost three feet tall! Before she was born, Trey was the youngest of the cousins ... and he's 16 now. It's been a while since there's been a new kid to spoil, so she's pretty much the apple of everybody's eye. And she has the toys to prove it. It's been an awesome weekend. And, of course, Auburn won, which makes it even MORE awesome. We'll be at AU this weekend to hopefully see win #2.

OK, now to recipes. 

Last week, I made three different things for two meals, and they were all pretty easy to make. Two (baked rice and steak enchiladas) are ridiculously easy to make, while one (the steak stir-fry) takes a little more work. But they're all worth it. 

First meal: Steak Enchiladas. These take maybe 15 minutes, if that long, to put together and then 25 minutes to bake. 

Ingredients: 

1 10-oz can enchilada sauce

2 6-oz packages refrigerated fully-cooked steak strips (I used Tyson's)

4 8-inch flour tortillas

One bag shredded Mexican cheese blend (could also use Colby-Monterey Jack)

One package of your favorite cheese dip (I use Gordo's)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350. Spread half of enchilada sauce in 9x13 baking dish. 

2. Place 3 oz steak down center of each tortilla. (Note: This will make four enchiladas.) Top with two tablespoons cheese dip (I heated it up first so I could drizzle it over the steak.) Roll up tortillas and place seam side down in baking dish.

3. Pour remaining enchilada sauce over tortillas, sprinkle with cheese. Bake 20-25 minutes. 

You could easily serve this with some salsa and chips for a quick but yummy meal. :)

Second meal: Steak stir-fry with baked rice. The baked rice is some of the best (and easiest) stuff I make -- I use it with almost any meal that requires rice as a bed or a side dish. You can have the baked rice in the oven while you're working on the stir-fry.

Baked rice ingredients:

1 stick butter or margarine

1 cup rice

1 can Campbell's beef consomme soup

1/2 cup water

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350. Melt butter or margarine. Add all ingredients in baking dish; stir. Cover with aluminum foil. Bake 1 hour. 

Steak stir-fry ingredients:

1 boneless beef top sirloin steak (about 1 pound)

1/2 cup teriyaki marinade, divided into 2

3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided into 3

1 medium onion, sliced

2 cups frozen green beans, rinsed and drained

Directions:

1. Cut beef length-wise in half, then crosswise into small strips. Combine beef and half the marinade in medium bowl and set aside. 

2. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in large skillet or wok over medium-high heat until hot. Add onion and stir-fry 4 minutes. Remove into another medium bowl. 

3. Heat 1 tablespoon oil and stir-fry beans 4 minutes. Drain off any excess water and add beans to onions. 

4. Heat remaining tablespoon oil and add half of the beef. Stir-fry for 2 minutes until almost completely cooked, then put into bowl with beans and onions. Repeat process with other half of beef. Return beef, onion and bean mixture to skillet and pour in the rest of the marinade. Cook for a couple minutes until heated through. Serve on top of the baked rice. 

Hope you guys enjoy those! I'll have another recipe or two for you in a few days, I'm sure. 

Two kinds of pizza

Ok, I'm not saying my homemade pizzas look quite as good as the one you guys are looking at right now, but mine do taste pretty awesome and are probably a little bit easier. 

The two types of pizza I considered making tonight are: Spicy Buffalo Marinara and Chicken Garlic Alfredo. (Fancy names I basically just made up.)

I ended up making the Spicy Buffalo Mariana, and it only took three people (and two episodes of Project Runway) to demolish that thing. 

If y'all are interested, here are the recipes:

Spicy Buffalo Marinara Pizza

Ingredients:

*Pre-made pizza crust (I just pick up the Mama Mary's kind at Wal-Mart ... two come in a pack, so you can make both these yummy pizzas)

*Some kind of pizza sauce or spaghetti sauce (use your favorite kind)

*Buffalo wing sauce (I use Moore's)

*A bag of mozzarella cheese

*Some parmesan cheese

*Whatever toppings you want (I use pepperoni, sliced Roma tomatoes and chicken)

*Dried basil or pizza seasoning (if desired)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 450.

2. Put pizza crust on your pizza pan. Pour some pizza sauce into a bowl, then add the buffalo sauce little by little, tasting along the way until it's to your preferred spiciness. Stir, then pour sauce mixture onto pizza crust and smooth out.

3. Hit that crust with a nice handful of mozzarella cheese, then some parmesan on top of that. Put on your toppings, then throw on another handful of mozzarella and parmesan. 

4. Bake for 10-12 minutes until cheese is nicely browned. Immediately shake on some basil or pizza seasoning and let sit for a couple minutes. Enjoy!

Chicken Garlic Alfredo Pizza

Ingredients:

*Pre-made pizza crust (use the one left over from your Spicy Buffalo pizza)

*Jar of garlic alfredo sauce

*A bag of mozzarella cheese

*Some parmesan cheese

*Whatever toppings you want (I use pepperoni, sliced Roma tomatoes and chicken)

*Dried basil or pizza seasoning (if desired)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 450.

2. Put pizza crust on your pizza pan. Ladle out a good amount of alfredo sauce and smooth out.

3. Hit that crust with a nice handful of mozzarella cheese, then some parmesan on top of that. Put on your toppings, then throw on another handful of mozzarella and parmesan. 

4. Bake for 10-12 minutes until cheese is nicely browned. Immediately shake on some basil or pizza seasoning and let sit for a couple minutes. 

That was easy, right? Too bad I don't have a Staples button. 

New blog focus -- food!

Ok, guys, you're going to be so excited. I think I've actually found a focus for my blog. I was telling Jessa the other night that I haven't been able to find anything to consistently blog about, and that's why I've done such a terrible job keeping up with it. Well, now I think I've figured it out! Cooking! It might seem weird, but it's something I do all the time. I consistently try new recipes while making our tried-and-true favorites (like Paula Deen's mac and cheese). Just about every week, I try to find a new recipe, and I usually plan my shopping list according to what recipes I want to make. I guess it's kind of my creative outlet. Anyhow, y'all can benefit from the extra pounds! :)

Tonight, I made both: a new recipe and a tried-and-true favorite. The new recipe is onion-baked pork chops -- amazing. The favorite is Paula Deen's mac-n-cheese -- heavenly. My jeans feel a little bit tighter after cooking (and eating!) that stuff, but man, was it good.

*Disclaimer: none of these photos are mine, but I tried to find photos that looked like what the food ends up looking like. 

First recipe: Onion-baked pork chops. This seriously might be my new favorite pork chop recipe. Soooooo good. And very, very simple! I bet this breading would be good with chicken as well.

Ingredients:

*1 envelope Lipton onion soup mix

*1/3 cup plain dry bread crumbs (I used Panko bread crumbs -- very good)

*4 pork chops 

*1 egg, well beaten

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400. Spray baking dish with Pam. In small bowl, combine soup mix and bread crumbs. Dip chops in egg, then in bread crumb mixture until evenly coated. 

2. Arrange chops in baking dish. 

3. Bake uncovered for 20 minutes or until done, turning once halfway through.

Second recipe: Paula Deen's Mac and Cheese! This is pretty much the perfect mac and cheese. 

Ingredients: 

*2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni (an 8-oz box will do fine)

*2 1/2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese (about a bag and a half)

*3 eggs, beaten

*1/2 cup sour cream (half an 8-oz container)

*1 10.75-oz can condensed Cheddar cheese soup

*4 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces (1/2 stick)

*1/2 teaspoon salt

*1 cup whole milk (I'm sure you could use fat-free or whatever you have)

*1/2 teaspoon dry mustard

*1/2 teaspoon pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350. Spray 13x9 inch baking dish with Pam.

2. Boil macaroni until tender. Drain. Return macaroni to saucepan and add 2 cups of cheese. Stir until cheese melts. Add sour cream, soup, butter, salt, milk, mustard, pepper and eggs, and stir well. (I add the eggs last so that the macaroni will have cooled and the eggs won't start cooking from the heat.)

3. Pour the macaroni mixture into the baking dish. Smooth the top and sprinkle remaining cheese on top. Bake for 40 minutes until browned and bubbly.

New update -- aren't you excited?

Yes, I decided to blog again, mostly because I was afraid my fellow Core Groupies would get mad at me if I didn't. 

To give y'all an update on my cousin Lisa, she's doing OK. Not great, but OK. She still misses Noah terribly, but I think Ethan's been really wonderful for her during this time. And of course, her sweet husband, David. Here's a link to her blog if any of you want to see: http://houseofcollinsworth.blogspot.com/. 

In other news, a very good co-worker/friend of mine might be leaving soon -- and I'm pretty bummed out by that. We've gotten to be good friends in the time she's been there, and I'd hate to see her go. If she does decide to leave, though, it'll be for a great opportunity, so I guess I can't be mad at her. Just kind of sad. 

I guess it's kind of like a mass exodus from my life, actually -- one co-worker left about a month ago, another announced that he's gotten another job and will be leaving soon, and then the third one is the girl I just told y'all about. Plus Meg, my maid of honor, will be here for about another two weeks and then she's going back to Auburn for fall classes ... :( I'm going to miss her terribly! Her being here has been one of the best things about this summer. 

Patrick is about to start a week of vacation -- today was his last day of work and then tomorrow he's got to do something small for a co-worker, but then he's officially off! He'll be playing a lot of NCAA Football 2010 and the Sims 3 and probably watching a lot of "X-Files." I hope he really enjoys it -- I know work's been stressful for him. 

Oh, and my little brother is hopefully taking his driver's license test by the end of this week! He went to Gatlinburg with my parents and drove a lot of the way, so I bet he's ready to ace that test by now!

OK, I know, I suck.

OK, I know I totally suck. Sorry it's been, like, two months since I updated last. But maybe I'll have a lot to say, right? :)

First of all, I now have a Twitter account. If any of you have Twitter and want to follow me or just want to check it out, my handle is amyjones17. It's mostly just a micro-blog that I update a few times a day. I don't know, Tweeting is a lot easier than blogging ... especially since I can do it from my cell phone and can only write, maybe, two or three sentences. PERFECT!

We are so excited about Momma Goldberg's Deli opening soon!! Patrick and I plan on going out there whenever we can, especially to support Hal and Maghan! We're looking forward to quite a few Core Group gatherings!!

As I'm sure you all know, Patrick and I thoroughly enjoyed Jessa's surprise 30th birthday party/funeral. :) It was so great to meet all the other Core Groupies and more people from the church. The more Patrick and I get involved with Homewood Church of Christ, the more comfortable we feel there. We are so excited to have found what we believe will be a great church home for us and a group where we feel like family. 

This next weekend will be great, because my little (BIG) bro is staying with us for a night! He's coming Saturday for plenty of July 4 fun. We'll eat good and play video games, stay up late, etc. It should be great fun. And I am SO EXCITED for it to be a three-day weekend ... you just don't even know. 

On to more important things, such as Harry Potter ... two weeks until the movie!! Patrick and I are already planning to see it at least four times. Once right when it comes out, probably once again with friends, once in IMAX to see it in 3-D and once with my little bro at the closed-captioned theater in Trussville. It's going to be AWESOME. We've seen a couple of movies so far this summer -- "Star Trek," "Transformers 2" -- but I expect "Harry Potter" to be the best of the bunch. Although I have to say, "Star Trek" did blow my mind. It was a fantastic flick and one I really, really recommend to anybody. And I am NOT a Star Trek fan. All of my girlfriends that have seen the movie absolutely loved it. 

Meanwhile, I would recommend only seeing "Transformers 2" if you really, really liked the first one. The second one was a lot of fun, but there were definitely some jokes that were not really intended for girls. For example, the audience is treated to a big, swinging set of bronze cojones on one of the Decepticons (bad robots) ... and then the joke is "Hey, I'm under the robot scrotum!" -- Exactly. Hilarious.

Other than that, we've just been moving along. I've been learning a few new songs; of note are "Take It On the Run" by REO Speedwagon and "Foreplay/Long Time" by Boston. Playing some Rock Band, watching "Boston Legal" and "The X-Files." You know how it is. 

OK, so update: officially over. I will try to update more often, especially, as things happen. But I do love you all, and I hope I find you again in good health and happy times!!