You may remember from a previous blog (“Sports Superstitions – do they work?”) that I am not a die-hard sports fan. Therefore, this Sunday, for me, is more about the cute commercials and the good food that are traditional parts of “Super Bowl Sunday”… (Super Bowl is this Sunday, right?)

A friend of mine, who I suspect feels the same way I do about the game, posted this Kraft recipe and it had all the necessary ingredients; cream cheese (guilty pleasure), hot sauce (as much as you want), and it’s easy. Just my speed. There are a few other ingredients like chicken and cheese which only add to my anticipation of enjoying this real soon, like on Sunday.

So here it is, enjoy, and GO Denver and Seattle! (aren’t you impressed I know who’s playing?!)

http://myphil.ly/19YT91X (go to this link for reviews and tips)

PHILADELPHIA Buffalo Chicken Dip

What You Need
1 pkg. (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
1 pkg. (6 oz.) OSCAR MAYER Deli Fresh Oven Roasted Chicken Breast
½ cup FRANK’S® RedHot® Original Cayenne Pepper Sauce
¼ cup KRAFT Natural Blue Cheese Crumbles
2 green onions, sliced

Make It
SPREAD cream cheese onto bottom of microwaveable 9-inch pie plate.
COMBINE chicken and pepper sauce; spoon over cream cheese. Top with blue cheese and onions.
MICROWAVE on HIGH 2 min. or until heated through.
(a few reviewers suggested baking instead of microwaving, I think I would agree)

TOTAL TIME: Prep/Total Time: 25 min.
MAKES: 8 servings
Ingredients
•
2 cups all-purpose flour
•
1/2 teaspoon salt
•
1/4 teaspoon pepper
•
2 eggs
•
1 cup milk
•
3 cups thin dill pickle slices, drained
•
Oil for deep-fat frying
•
Ranch salad dressing, optional

Directions
1. In a shallow bowl, combine the flour, salt and pepper. In another bowl, beat eggs and milk. Blot pickles with paper towels to remove moisture. Coat pickles with flour mixture, then dip in egg mixture; coat again with flour mixture.
2. In an electric skillet or deep-fat fryer, heat oil to 375°. Fry pickles, about 10 at a time, for 3 minutes or until golden brown, turning once. Drain on paper towels. Serve warm with ranch dressing if desired. Yield: 8 servings.

Originally published as Fried Dill Pickle Coins in Taste of Home August/September 2004,

Happy Birthday to anyone (including myself!) who has a birthday in the cold, snowy, blustery month of January!  I have had many a birthday party cancelled due to unexpected snow storms where guests didn’t feel like driving, or going out at all, in the snow!!

One of the warmest things the month of January has to offer is its beautiful birthstone, Garnet. The gemstone Garnet comes in a variety of colors from the deepest red to a bold green. In between those colors are shades of beautiful oranges and yellows. Probably the most commonly recognized shade is the rich, deep, dark red to which the gemstone Garnet derived its name. Garnet derives from the word granatum, which means seed, and is referring to the Garnet’s resemblance to the pomegranate seed.

<strong>Keep in mind the beautiful Garnet for friends with January birthdays…as the gemstone also represents eternal friendship and trust!

Typically by January we’re all sick of cold temperatures and ready for Spring to be upon us. We’re still 57 days away from the next season so we wanted to share some ways to beat the Winter blues!

1. <strong>Exercise</strong> – Hitting the gym or walking around the mall in the winter can help relieve the stresses of cold weather. Exercising also helps your body release endorphins which are a great way to boost your mood.

2. <strong>Eat Healthy Foods</strong>- Fruits and veggies are great for our physical health but did you know they are also great for our mental health too? Eating a diet full of both helps with mood swings!

3. <strong>Relax</strong> – Having a busy schedule can be tough enough but when it’s cold outdoors it is even harder to get things done. Make some time for yourself in the winter by taking a warm bath, reading a book or just relaxing on the couch with a cup of coffee.

4. <strong>Get Together</strong> – It seems in the Summer we all are busy with plans every weekend. In Winter everyone goes into hibernation! Crack your winter habits by making weekend plans with friends and sticking to them.

5. <strong>Get Some Light</strong> – Try and take some time to get outdoors each say when the sun is shining. Too cold? There are light bulbs you can buy for your home that mimic sunlight. Just a little bit a day will help improve your mood and remind you warmer weather is on its way!

Ingredients
•
2 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened
•
1/2 cup ranch salad dressing
•
1/2 cup sour cream
•
5 tablespoons crumbled blue cheese
•
2 cups shredded cooked chicken
•
1/2 cup buffalo wing sauce
•
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese, divided
•
1 green onion, sliced
•
Tortilla chips
Nutritional Facts
1/4 cup (calculated without chips) equals 167 calories, 14 g fat (8 g saturated fat), 47 mg cholesterol, 348 mg sodium, 2 g carbohydrate, trace fiber, 8 g protein.
Directions
1. In a small bowl, combine the cream cheese, dressing, sour cream and blue cheese. Transfer to a 3-qt. slow cooker. Layer with chicken, wing sauce and 1 cup cheese. Cover and cook on low for 2-3 hours or until heated through.
2. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and onion. Serve with tortilla chips. Yield: 6 cups.

Watch the video below to learn how to make your own DIY gold alphabet magnets using just 2 materials!
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VenTq95NQ_Q&w=420&h=315]

Colors can effect our mood and energy. Before deciding the colors of your throw pillows and rugs, take a look below at the impact colors will have on you!

1. <strong>Orange</strong> – this expands your thinking. It is also a bright color that makes us feel younger. Having orange accents in your kids play area will help unleash their self confidence.

2. <strong>Blue</strong> – this color clears your mind and helps you make decisions. If you want to have a clutter-free room, decorate it in blue! You will be more apt to keep the room clean by deciding to throw away junk more often.

3. <strong>Green</strong> – this color will inspire you to grow and show your true talents. It’s a great idea to have green accents in your home office. This is the place where you work and unleash your inner-talents.

4. <strong>Red</strong> – this color helps you be bold, assertive and fearless. If some of us are afraid of cooking or trying new things, it might be a good idea to add red to the kitchen and dining room!

5. <strong>Yellow </strong>- this color is a cheerful color that helps open our minds for conversation. Try having yellow accents in your living room/sitting area to brighten the mood for you and your guests.

Brrrr—it’s cold outside!

The following guidelines will help you protect your companion animals when the mercury dips.

1. Keep your cat inside. Outdoors, felines can freeze, become lost or be stolen, injured or killed. Cats who are allowed to stray are exposed to infectious diseases,
including rabies, from other cats, dogs and wildlife.

2. During the winter, outdoor cats sometimes sleep under the hoods of cars. When the motor is started, the cat can be injured or killed by the fan belt. If there are
outdoor cats in your area, bang loudly on the car hood before starting the engine to give the cat a chance to escape.

3. Never let your dog off the leash on snow or ice, especially during a snowstorm, dogs can lose their scent and easily become lost. More dogs are lost during the
winter than during any other season, so make sure yours always wears ID tags.

4. Thoroughly wipe off your dog’s legs and stomach when he comes in out of the sleet, snow or ice. He can ingest salt, antifreeze or other potentially dangerous
chemicals while licking his paws, and his paw pads may also bleed from snow or encrusted ice.

5. Never shave your dog down to the skin in winter, as a longer coat will provide more warmth. When you bathe your dog in the colder months, be sure to completely
dry him before taking him out for a walk. Own a short-haired breed? Consider getting him a coat or sweater with a high collar or turtleneck with coverage from the
base of the tail to the belly. For many dogs, this is regulation winter wear.

6. Never leave your dog or cat alone in a car during cold weather. A car can act as a refrigerator in the winter, holding in the cold and causing the animal to freeze to
death.

7. If your dog is sensitive to the cold due to age, illness or breed type, take him outdoors only to relieve himself.

8. Does your dog spend a lot of time engaged in outdoor activities? Increase his supply of food, particularly protein, to keep him, and his fur, in tip-top shape.

9. Like coolant, antifreeze is a lethal poison for dogs and cats. Be sure to thoroughly clean up any spills from your vehicle, and consider using products that contain
propylene glycol rather than ethylene glycol. Visit the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center more information.

10. Make sure your companion animal has a warm place to sleep, off the floor and away from all drafts. A cozy dog or cat bed with a warm blanket or pillow is perfect.

Lastly, Dr. Hall with Northside Animal Hospital said to watch out for some common symptoms animals display when they catch a cold. “Just like humans, our pets
can get sick from this weather too,” Dr. Hall said. “They might stop eating, they might be lethargic, they might be coughing constantly, or have a nasal discharge.
Make sure your pets are doing well this winter.”

The Unnecessary Struggles in the Pursuit of the Perfect Boot!

As most of you may know by now, I’m still pretty new to the New England area, and thus, I am in need of a pair of good winter boots. In the south, Ugg boots are about as warm and rugged as one would need. But up here in the harsh Maine winters, something of A LOT more substance is needed, as I’ve discovered.

I decided many months ago, long before I need a pair of boots, that I was going to get the end-all be all of boots, the L.L. Bean ‘Bean Boot’. Seems like everyone has them and they wear them for everything from shoveling the front walk to perusing the mall. Scrolling through the website I found the pair, the women’s 10-inch, shearling-lined bean boot in black/black. I was so excited to find a pair in all black as that is the color I wear every day. In case you are wondering, the following link will show you which ones I’m referring to.

http://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/43281?feat=513860-GN3&page=women-s-bean-boots-by-l-l-bean-reg-10-quot-shearling-lined

So I decided as soon as I can purchase them I will, and being as we’re so close to the flagship store in Freeport, I thought, why not go there first to try them on? Unfortunately, the soonest I could go up there was the day after Christmas (since I spent all my funds on family and friends gifts, and my mother sent me an L.L. Bean gift card.) and you can guess what I encountered when I arrived. Yup, sold out! Not just in the black/black, but in every boot in my size. Damn my average size foot! I was shocked, and beyond irritated that this multi-billion dollar company ran out of their signature item! What is going on here? In their defense, the sales rep I was so fortunate to speak to (he was very rude, but that’s another story) said that this was their biggest year yet! Exciting for you, but terrible for me! I decided to try on the men’s boot just to see how they felt, and while they fit in the size, they were very wide in the leg, so that just wouldn’t work.
I decided to take this as a learning experience and make a mental note to check the L. L. Bean website every other day until the boots are in stock. For now, I really need some quality boots if I want to keep my toes this winter. The only thing I could think to do was check Google. I was able to narrow my search down to black/black women’s winter boots and was able to find these:

http://www.sorel.com/womens-winter-fancy-tall-boot-NL2021.html

They’re absolutely perfect, right? They are very similar to the Bean Boot, which is what I wanted in the first place. I tried on the short version at Cabela’s (shhh, don’t tell Bean!) and they are even more comfortable than the bean boot. I know, I know, it’s blasphemy! But ya know I’m really excited to have found what I like, and it’s in stock. Sorel looks like they have tons of great products, and excellent reviews. And who knows, this could be the start of a new boot trend. Maybe not, but I like them!

Kids in the northeast grow up eating fluffernutter sandwiches. Unfortunately their primary ingredient, Fluff, isn’t available throughout the country. It wasn’t until college that I gained an appreciation for the wonderful peanut butter and Fluff sandwich when a dorm mate from New York received Fluff in a care package from her mother. We were lucky that she was so generous and shared.

Peanut butter and marshmallow are meant to be together, so I came up with this treat:</em>

<strong>FLUFFERNUTTER BALLS</strong>

1 1 lb. bag Nutter Butter cookies, crushed
1 cup extra crunchy peanut butter
1 ½ cups Fluff or marshmallow crème
1 pound bag milk chocolate chips (Use Nestle or Ghirardelli, not the store brand. You’ll be glad you did.)

Combine crushed cookies and peanut butter until the peanut butter is fully incorporated and the mixture looks like crumbs.

Fold Fluff or marshmallow crème into the peanut butter and cookie mixture until it holds together. It should have a marbled appearance.

Roll into one inch balls.

Melt chocolate chips in a double boiler, or in the microwave. (30 seconds at a time until they start to melt, then stir every 15 seconds.)

Dip balls in chocolate, put on waxed paper, and refrigerate until set.

<em>Makes 6 dozen balls.</em>