Eat It And Weep: Buffalo Faux-Chicken Sandwich

I am not a vegetarian, but I do try and make non-meat choices when I can.  I have taken to bringing Morning Star Veggie Burgers for my work day lunch.  You would think that bringing relatively the same thing every day would get boring.  But that's because you have never tried any of my amazing veggie burger sandwich combos!  Lucky for you I am in a sharing mood and am going to give you the "recipe" for my "Buffalo Faux-Chicken Sandwich".  It is a pretty healthy lunch, with 305 total calories for the sandwich. Actually Ralph invented this one, so I do have to give credit where credit is due.  

We will proceed in fun, picture-book form...

STEP 1: Toast a "Whole Wheat Bagel Thin" (whole grains are good for you!)



STEP 2: Spread a "Laughing Cow Light Blue Cheese Wedge" on one side of the bagel. 





STEP 3: Heat a "Morning Star Original Chicken Pattie"
(stove top or microwave works fine)
and place it on the bagel half with the cheese. 



STEP 4: Add some "Frank's Red Hot Wing Sauce" to
both the chicken pattie and the remaining empty bagel half.
NOTE 1: This is a highly important step, it must be this specific brand...it is the best!!
NOTE 2: It is "Hot", so use it sparingly if you don't like a lot of heat ! 



STEP 5:  Assemble the bagel sandwich! 
I like to top mine off with lettuce greens, but Ralph likes his plain.
Finally, eat and say "YUM!" 


So the bottom line Question: Is this Buffalo Faux-Chicken Sandwich insanely delicious? 

Answer: FO SHO!!*

* Urban Dictionary Definition of "Fo Sho"

Hippity, Hoppity, Easter's On It's Way!

Easter is one of my very favorite holidays.  To me, it is about rebirth and new life.  Both in it's religious meaning and the transformation of nature in the Spring.  It is very uplifting and positive to see all of the plants and trees that died back in the winter suddenly come back to life.  Everything is turning green and the smell of Spring is in the air.  It's a smell of freshness and new life.  Of good things to come.  Of warmer breezes and cool rain showers.  It's hard to put into words, but there is always that one day when I walk outside and I smell the air and know it is Spring and Easter is on it's way.




My living room coffee table Easter decor.  Those eggs are what Ralph & I refer to as "Bun Fodder". 
Remy loves to knock them out of the bowl and chase them through the house with a giant raccoon-like tail. 
I think Easter is one of his favorite holidays too! 



New Hosta Bed: Part 1

Ralph and I spent this past Sunday playing in the dirt.  Remember when you were a kid making mud pies and coming home covered in dirt from head to toe?  Ahh, those were the good old days.  Gardening, for me, brings back those old feelings of being a kid, which is partly why I enjoy it so much.  It is just the best feeling to have your hands in the dirt and be accomplishing something with your own hard work.  Everything smells so fresh and it's very instantaneously gratifying.  It's the miracle of life in your hands.  I can't imagine anything more amazing or wonderful than a tiny little seed growing into a beautiful flower with nothing more than sunlight, water, and some healthy dirt. 

But the best part is that it is something that my husband and I enjoy doing together and that alone makes it worth doing.  So on Sunday, we created a new garden bed on the empty side of our house.  I needed a place to transplant my "Hosta" plants since they were getting too much sun in their present spot in my front flower beds.  This is the shady side of the house so I am hoping they'll do better here.  We dug out a section of ground for the bed, pulled out many many annoying rocks, and added some bags of topsoil and soil amendments (cow manure & peat) and then transplanted the hostas.  Trust me, it was a lot more fun than it sounds!

So here are photos of the newly completed Hosta Garden!  I will post more photos as they grow to show how the bed will (hopefully) fill in throughout the summer.

 

Spring Has Sprung!

Here in Northeastern Pennsylvania, we've been blessed with the most beautiful March I can ever remember.  It's been nonstop 60-70 (and up!) degree days since the beginning of the month.  Lots of sun and a couple of nice relaxing rain showers.  My birthday was this past week on the 21st, and considering that last year at this time we were in the midst of a major snowstorm, I was really given the best gift of amazing weather!

With this beautiful, if unseasonable, weather...my spring bulbs have been growing like weeds and are now blooming as if it is May!  This past fall was my first time ever planting bulbs, and with the help of my faithful hubby, we planted just about 100 bulbs!  A mix of Crocus (they've already bloomed and are gone), Grape Hyacinths, Daffodils, Hyacinths, Tulips, and Aliums (not up yet but sure to be spectacular).  I did a lot of research (nerd alert!) and ordered some great mixes from mail-order nursery catalogs (thank you Burpee & White Flower Farm) so I'm not even sure precisely which specific species I have, just that they are absolutely amazing and I am now even more obsessed with spring flowering bulbs (look out fall 2012)!

These photos don't even do the garden justice...



Purple Hyacinth (Hyacinthus) 



I believe this is a "Narcissus 'Sound'"

A group of "Narcissus 'Janis Babson'" Daffodils (i think) and a Pink "Tulipa 'Darwin Hybrid'"



 "Narcissus 'Camelot' Daffodils



"Narcissus 'Bright Sun'" Daffodil

"Narcissus 'Flyer'" Fancy Daffodil - INCREDIBLE!

"Narcissus 'Sir Winston Churchill'" Double Daffodil - FRAGRANT!

Close Up Purple Hyacinth - SMELLS AMAZING!

Group of "Hyacinthus" in Purple & Lavender

More Hyacinths - My all-time favorite Spring bulbs because of their incredible scent and gorgeous color!

Daffodil, Hyacinths, and a group of "Muscari" Grape Hyacinths in the back.

Tulip, 2 species of Daffodils, & Grape Hyacinths next to a Boxwood.

Fancy Daffodils, Hyacinths, & Grape Hyacinths.

The Right Side Garden - this photo doesn't do it justice.  Ralph built the raised bed!

If only this blog had Scent-O-Vision!!  Smells like Easter and Spring!

The Left Side Flower Bed - note who's watching from his favorite spot in the window!

I love this color combination!

A lone petite red tulip!

Meet "The Bun"...

Anyone who knows me knows that I am OBSESSED with my cat, Remy.  He is more than just a cat or a pet, he is my family.  I call him my fur-son, and that is what he is...my adopted child who happens to have fur.  I consider him one of my best friends and he makes every day better just by being.  We adopted him from the Humane Society when he was just 8 weeks old and he's been with us every day since.  We celebrated his 2nd birthday this past September 10th. 


Me holding The Bun on his adoption day.


 To Ralph and I, Remy is most commonly referred to as, "The Bun".  The name came about because Remy's favorite way to sit when he was a kitten was in what we called, "the bunny pose".  He would sit on his belly with all four paws tucked up underneath him so that he looked like a little bunny.  The name just stuck and, over time, got shortened to "The Bun".  It's along the same lines as "The Beave", from Leave It To Beaver or "The Fonz" from Happy Days.  And considering that The Bun is always up to something, the name suits him well. 


The Bunny Pose





Baby Bun sleeping...awwww!!!

  



Baby Bun with his toys...he's soo little!

  



Ralph holding Remy on his adoption day.

  



He's a male, what can we say?

  



Stanley Says: Irish Geese Have Big Blarney Stones!

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY!