Buffalo Chicken Dip Recipe

Happy Hallo-Week! (I know, that’s not a thing, but I go to the rhythm of my own drum.) I’m very excited for this Halloween, even though participating in these festivities is also making me neglect a certain Exercise Physiology exam that I have coming up… nobody ever argued that I made good decisions… But before I get to a Halloween post, I still have some catching up to do! This means, waaay back in mid-September, I did a little bit of cookin’.

On the night that I got back from my Newport trip, my staff member (and pretty good friend) Kevin and I made some buff-chick dip for our Star Wars movie marathon, even though we only got through Episode IV. We will watch them all someday! The buff-chick was both the best and worst decision of my life. It was the best because it was beautiful and oh so yummy in my tummy, but also the worst because I am 99% sure that I am slightly lactose-intolerant; which means that eating half of a container of buffalo chicken dip in one sitting pretty much killed my stomach the rest of the night. And my frequent bathroom trips the next morning were not exactly pleasant…

The original recipe that we modeled our dip after was taken off of the website, but essentially this is what we used:

1 block softened cream cheese
½ cup sour cream
1 can canned chicken
¼ cup Frank’s red hot
A whoooole lotta cheddar cheese!

This is Kevin. We're sometimes friends.

We preheated the oven to about 375F, (once again, sorry for no specifics! Dang Internets!), and mixed the sour cream, cream cheese, and canned chicken in a bowl. This part was so fun! Kevin thought my little baby muscles couldn’t mix properly (our cream cheese wasn’t as softened as it should have been), but boy did I show him. We added in about ¼-½ cups of cheddar cheese into the mix, along with the FRH, as my dad calls it.

After mixing that up further and folding it gently into our oven-safe container, we placed more cheese and FRH on top and put it into the oven for somewhere around 20 minutes! (I could totally be fibbing, so just check to see if it’s done around 20!).

Then came the random dance party in the NCRH kitchen during those 20 minutes of waiting. Okay, so Kevin watched a football game, but I danced around while doing dishes! A woman has to find ways to entertain herself, you know! I had a grand old time with Jesse McCartney in that kitchen, and then I made Kevin take the hot dish out of the oven.

#Masterpiece

The end result was AMAZING. I am a chef. (Kevin is okay, he just likes to mix things). I am an artist in the kitchen. We haven’t cooked anything since, and I should probably stay away from the loads of lactose next time, but if there is a next time, I would love to make this again… and maybe share with more than one other person. Happy tummies for all!

Catch ya later!

Abby

Newport 2015

Hello again, my lovelies!

As mentioned in my last post, about a month ago I went on my annual trip to Newport, Rhode Island and took plenty of pictures with this post in mind! And while my life has become ridiculously chaotic as of late, and this will be posted about a month later than anticipated, better late than never, as they always say!

My trip was cut short this year, and was simply an overnight with my grandparents, my sister & her boyfriend, and my mother & her boyfriend. I went down with Nina, my sister, and Frank, her boyfriend, and we arrived a bit earlier than my grandparents did, so we shopped around near our resort, going up and down Thames Street and America's Cup.

After a brief drive from Milton, Massachusetts to Newport, Rhode Island, the first thing that was on my tired mind was thoroughly typical and oddly out of season: Pumpkin Spice Lattes. This Starbucks, (for some odd reason), is my favorite of all Starbucks, and I always feel like a celebrity upon arrival. And as for my sudden craving for a PSL, that can be explained easily by my being a creature of habit. My first PSL of the year is always during my annual Newport trip!

Look at all of the beauty in one picture; the brick streets, the blurry Starbucks logo, and the Alex & Ani bracelets, ironically likely purchased at the Alex & Ani store in Newport. I got Frank hooked on the PSL almost immediately, and I frequently receive snapchats of him drinking them, blaming me for his new found White Girl status. (F*** that stereotype, by the way. I can drink whatever I want without being demeaned, thank you very much).

For lunch, we continued on our pattern of "basic" New Englanders by getting Panera! This was also the cheapest and easiest place for us to eat, as I know they have gluten free options that I like. Forgetting that their summer items would likely not be out anymore, I anticipated having my favorite strawberry poppy seed salad, but had to last minute check their online gluten free menu. I ended up getting the Mediterranean Chicken & Quinoa Salad, which I liked much more than planned; especially considering it had kale in it!

I also made sure to make an emergency stop at Cupcake Charlie's, since they only have gluten free cupcakes on Fridays! When my grandpa hugged me, he knocked the box right out of my hands, hence their peculiar appearance. They tasted really yummy though! In hindsight, however, I would only purchase one at a time; the second sat in my fridge and I never ate it, which is still one of my biggest regrets of September.

Me and my grandmother, Gigi

It was lovely to see my grandparents that weekend, especially being able to spend some quality time with just them before my mother and her boyfriend arrived. That night we played a lot of Jenga, which is something that is good for my grandmother to practice her motor skills with. To make a long story short, Gigi had a stroke during open heart surgery, which left her in a coma for several months. When she woke up, her speech and motor skills were severely deteriorated. Playing little games like Jenga is something fun that we can do with her while still practicing fine motor skills.

                               

We almost always stay in the Wyndham, although sometimes it is difficult to find a room that is both large enough for all of us to stay, and handicap accessible for Gigi, who is in a wheelchair. This year, we stayed in a "wheelchair accessible" room, though we all argued that it was hardly so. It was nice in other terms, although it was not what we were looking for.

For dinner we went to the Barking Crab, which surprisingly, I have never been to before, but will surely return to. I had my first gluten-free lobster roll and loved EVERY MINUTE OF IT. It was absolutely delicious. The bun was more like that of a sandwich, rather than a roll, but I had zero complaints. Their sweet potato fries were also fried separately, so I was able to enjoy another one of my favorite meal accessories. My tummy had not been that happy in a very long time.

The next day, I refused to take no for an answer when it came to going to my favorite fudge shop. I swear by Newport's fudge, that it is the best fudge I have ever, and will ever have. I found out during this trip that you can sample at this place, conveniently named Newport Fudgery! I will not buy fudge from anywhere else.

I love the atmosphere that this place provides, (which is pretty much the same vibe I get from the entire area!). The workers are always so friendly, and I discovered that the mint chocolate chip fudge is not as disgusting as it sounds; in fact, one may say that it is actually delicious. I stuck with more familiar flavors to bring home with me, however, though in the future I will definitely bring home some mint chocolate chip fudge.

LOOK AT HOW BEAUTIFUL. Oh, my goodness it is simply amazing. Although parts of this trip were annoying in unmentionable ways, overall, I love the way I feel when I walk the streets of Newport on my own. I don't even feel the need to window shop with others; it's like the streets have claimed me as one of their own. I am at home within the streets of Newport.

If you have never had the opportunity to find your own peace in Newport, I highly recommend it. I wish the comfort that I find there upon anyone who may be looking. Although ridiculously expensive, Newport is an experience that I believe all should have.

Abby

An Ode to Junior Year

Long time no see, Blogger. I hope everything has been well in the blogosphere, (totally not a word, but I'm owning it). If this were an actual conversation and not a rhetorical statement to a blank sheet of paper on my laptop, I would answer back that everything with me has been a wild and messy concoction of things.

My life since my last post has been good, it has been painful, it has been wonderful, and it has been numb. It has been filled with countless smiles, numerous tears, a pleasant amount of laughs, and a lot of frustration. I have made many beautiful memories, quite a few mistakes, and gained some new friends in this past month. My heart has hurt, but also been filled with incomparable love and joy.

I suppose I will start the chronicle of junior year with my trip to Newport, RI, which is something I planned to dedicate its own post to... and may still follow through upon. The weekend of the 12th of September I went on my annual family trip to Newport for one night, and remembered why to me, Newport is such a happy place. I had my first annual PSL, fudge from my favorite fudge shop, and watched the sun set upon Bowen's Wharf. I loved every minute of that trip, and continued to have a great weekend once I came back to Curry.

Me, loving life before making questionable life choices

That same weekend, however, I also broke up with my boyfriend of two years. Even now, I am not sure of how it came about into conversation, but I finally found honesty within myself and told him that I had not felt happy with him in quite some time. I had pushed aside how I had been feeling for his feelings for a long time, and that was not fair to either of us; I know this now.

I found this quote shortly after the breakup, and took time to reflect upon how I was feeling. I loved him very much. The two years that we shared were filled with so very many wonderful memories and I have no regrets in our relationship; other than that I was not honest about how I felt until it was too late. As much as it hurt me to hurt him, however, I also have no regrets about breaking up. Our relationship had run its course and the two of us were on two different life paths entirely. Our relationship was no longer one of honesty and love; it was us simply pretending that things hadn't changed.

I am now finding who I am on my own. I have not known Curry without being involved with him in some way. I knew that this meant I was bound to make many mistakes on my journey, although I hadn't imagined life to work out in the ways that it did. I found myself involved with a guy much earlier than I thought, although I continued to justify the situation by telling myself neither of us was ready for a relationship, but what we had was comfortable, and that made it all okay.

I continued with my ways of not being honest, though, and we never talked things out until he slept with his ex. Pretty freshly out of a relationship, and I had felt like my heart had been ripped out again. This person was my friend, and though we didn't define anything else, what kind of friend does something that would hurt the other without even imagining how it would impact them? When we talked it out, we discovered that we both had feelings for each other, but nothing would come of it, but he continued to mess with my head. I don't know if these things happened intentionally, and I would like to think that they didn't, and that he just has things to figure out in his own life, but I can't keep justifying my pain for someone else's mistakes.

Marina & The Diamonds Motivation!

I've been trying to practice more self-love lately. I'm tired of taking other people's shit. I'm sick of being walked all over. I'm a catch! I am an amazing person with a beautiful heart with a bright future ahead of me. This is what I frequently tell myself on days that I feel particularly bad about the pain I've caused my heart. I've decided to try and embody a more empowered self-image, very Marina & The Diamonds-esque. Every day I tell myself that I'm a bad ass bitch from hell and that I'm going to run the world one day. I may not believe myself every day, but this is the way I want to remember who I was my Junior year. Not as some girl who frequently lent out her heart to only have it returned in pieces, but as the girl who others were privileged to have in their lives. Because when all else fails, I am my biggest supporter.

I have been able to lean on my friends during these hard times, though, and for that I am forever grateful to them. To Courtney and Leyah, to Caroline and Tom, to the Ratch Batch, to Ethan and Kevin, and to my RA Staff; to all of the friends that have been around when I have needed them most, there are no words to express my gratitude. I have not always returned this favor in these past few months, and for that I am also very sorry. I will likely make many more mistakes within our friendships, and I hope that you will always find it within you to be able to forgive me. I love all of you and know that wherever life may take me, you are all the friends that would metaphorically take a bullet for me. I aspire to be the type of friend that you are all to me.

Forever grateful for these memories

Junior year has been interesting in other aspects, as well. Although this is the first time I am taking only 5 classes, (and no labs), academics have proven very challenging so far. My Exercise Physiology course is absolutely kicking my butt, but I am still loving every second of it. Biology has never been my strong point, but I especially love the class during my own workouts; it has actually proven to fuel my attempts at running when I think of VO2 max and reaching a steady state! #nerdlife....

My other health classes have been quite time consuming as of late, but I still love my major wholeheartedly. I may not know where I want to be in my future, but I am so passionate about health. Good health is the key to everything, and I love witnessing how it all interconnects in life. My Walking Dead Philosophy course is super time consuming, as well, but it is the most interesting take on a required philosophy course that I could find, and I love that a lot of my homework involves consuming myself in the show. Although I have to pay attention to the episodes, it feels like two birds with one stone; doing homework while also taking 45 minutes to myself to relax.

Probably the most accurate tweet I've ever seen about the show.

Being an RA of 30 freshmen girls has also been quite the task. I enjoy it much more than I did working with upperclassmen last year, and definitely feel as though I'm getting the true RA experience out of this year. I feel as though I've built up a pretty good relationship with most of the girls on my floor, as well as scattered residents throughout the three buildings that make up my area. They come to me when something exciting has happened, or if they need advice, and although it takes up much of my time, I still love it. These girls are great, regardless of how demanding my job may be. I think they are still learning that there is a vast difference between freshman and junior year, and that I am frequently busy and unfortunately will not be there for them at all hours of the day. I sometimes feel that they resent me for my schedule, but I try to make up for it with the little things.

One of my October bulletin boards!

By now, the fridge is pretty full, and I think the appeal has worn off, but they love the interaction between us. I have lost and gained a few girls within the two months, whether they have left school or simply moved out, and many plan to transfer after the year. I wish that I could change this, but I realize that it isn't a reflection of my job here; I am doing my hardest and they still appreciate having me on their floor.

I have unfortunately put HIPS on the back-burner lately, and that is one of my regrets for junior year. HIPS is my baby and the window that has opened so many incredible opportunities to me. Yet with all of the things I have going on in my life, I have been struggling to find the time to fully put my all into the club. I'm working on it, though.

I'm working on finding more time for myself, too. I have spent far too much time this year attempting a social life, rather than taking care of myself, and justifying this by saying I was simply improving my social health. I am struggling with the concept of balance, but I know that I am getting there, and that it's okay to make mistakes; it just takes a lot of convincing.

I am a strong girl. I have a great head on my shoulders, and I have independence for days. Junior year may have had a rough start, but I am going to mold it into one of the best things to happen to me. I don't need a man in my life, even if it is what I'm used to. I have it within myself to rule the world, I just have to practice a bit more self-love while I figure out how to do so.

I want to do more yoga and get more sleep. I want to read and write more. I want to go to the gym and appreciate my body more. I want to laugh more, and not beat myself up when I cry anymore. There is nothing wrong with me. I want to love more, without forgetting to love myself in the process. Junior year, I accept you, for all that you may bring to me. I accept the sadness that will inevitably hit my life, and I accept the happiness that will accompany the many things I do. I accept that I will not get everything perfect this year, and that I will frequently make mistakes. I accept all that may come with an open heart, and I will never stop trying.

Abby