Say Cheese! Spring, Spring?

We had a day or two of spring-like weather, summer on Easter and then it snowed. It's been cold and rainy ever since. Maybe if I put on the Infinity Gauntlet and snapped my fingers it will take me back to last Friday.

~Snap~

Mid-Week Rat Hang

I haven't seen my rat boy buddies for a while and yesterday was supposed to be one of the last nice days of the week. We were thankful for the chill hang and the nice weather.

I think I woke him up from a nap

I keep hearing the word, "snow."

Oliver had a lot to tell me

And there are phrases like, "When the spring weather will start feeling like winter again."

Have you forgotten someone?

If it melts right away did it really ever happen.

It's me, Handsome Bob.

Did I mention it was 82˚ on Easter?

Bob, Oliver and I are linking up with Brian's and It's A Small Town Life's Thankful Thursday.

Taking A Minute On Upper State Say Cheese! Link Up

I found myself on upper State Street yesterday and took a minute.
"If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it."

I wasn't thinking about my diet too much because, ummm... leave me alone

I tried to be healthy and get a veggie Wedger but ironically it had too much cheese

I looked up, and there was the old YWCA where I learned there was no point in climbing a rope

And to my left, well let's go in, shall we?

It's Ken, owner of the most excellent Clary's Popcorn, Say Cheese! Ken

Clary's is the best. Counterclockwise: Caramel Corn Cashew Trail Mix, Strawberry Banana, Caramel Apple, Root Beer Float (my ab fav), Hot Cheese and Caramel (another fav) and Cherry Vanilla Caramel Corn

"As God as my witness, I'll never be hungry again." 

I was able to resist the heavenly smells and leave the sweet package with my Godmother (who was playing around with my pocket camera and took this photo). A belly full of beef pasty may have had something to do with resisting all the delicious sugar

Clary's put a lovely looking Oreo Cake to shame

Cheesy Popcorn from Eating Well

Ingredients:
4 cups hot air-popped popcorn
1/2 cup freshly grated parm
Cayenne pepper or paprika, to taste

*Pop your corn, toss with parmesan cheese and spices.

74 calories a cup

If you don't have an air popper, here are some tips from the Cleveland Clinic keeping in mind that Ohio ranked 12th in a Newsweek article about the fattest states in America (WI ranks 21—woot). Newsweek got the list from WalletHub.

🍿Avoid microwave popcorn
🍿Manage portion size, using a small, decorative container can make it even more fun (yipee)
🍿*Use extra virgin olive oil, walnut or avocado oils. The next healthiest is canola oil
🍿Don't heat flax seed or wheat germ oil and use palm and coconut oil sparingly (of course, coconut is the tastiest oil in which to pop corn, it's what the pros use. No, not those kinds of pros, but maybe)
🍿Do not use corn, sunflower or soybean oils
🍿Use butter sparingly if at all (😢)
🍿Don't get popcorn with any added ingredients, keep it to basic popcorn
🍿Experiment with healthier toppings
🍿Pair it with protein, so instead of Milk Duds have some popcorn with a tablespoon of peanut butter or 2 ounces of cheese if you haven't used cheese in the recipe already

Have I spoiled popcorn for you yet? Why not sprinkle on some parm and link up because it's time to

Say Cheese!

Ah Zabenya Game Baby

My cousin and I caught a half-price mid-week Brewer's game yesterday (6-3 Cardinals) and one of the highlights of the game was the Ay Zabenya baby raise from The Lion King.

My last visit to Miller Park was a playoff game which the Dodgers lost (although they continued on to another miserable World Series) and I don't remember any flying babies

Ahhh Zabenya!

Young Paul here is my cousin's husband's cousin (got that?) and is doing quite well in the majors

Linking up with Dragonstar's The Weekend in Black and White and Brian's Thankful Thursday.
Taken with my little pocket Lumix.

Say Cheese! Bird (Photo and Recipe Link Up)

Cheese bird?

Anyone home?

Talk to the tail

Yes?

Cheesy what now?

Cheesy Bird Recipe (no offense)

From Genius Kitchen

Ingredients:

3 chicken breasts cut in cubes

2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon butter

1 medium onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

5  mushrooms, mixed, brushed and thickly sliced

2 tomatoes, peeled and cut in cubes

1 red bell pepper (cubanelle preferred), cut in cubes

Salt

Pepper

1 teaspoon oregano

Garnish:
1/4 cup mozzarella cheese (or Kasar Cheese)
1/2 teaspoon red pepper (Turkish, powder or to taste)

Directions:

Saute onion with butter and olive oil in a medium saucepan

Add garlic

Add chicken when you can smell the garlic

Cook the chicken until the color changes

Add mushrooms, tomatoes, cubanelle pepper (or red bell), salt and pepper.

Simmer for about 15 minutes, covered

Preheat oven to 400 (200 C) 

Turn the heat off and sprinkle with oregano

Transfer to an oven proof dish and sprinkle shredded cheese and red pepper on top

Bake until cheese melts, serve with Turkish Pilaf (or rice or pasta)

🧀I'm going to use less butter and cheese which I believe is a crime or at least a misdemeanor in WI

Disclaimer: No birds were harmed, sauteed or baked in the posting of this recipe

Hey Kids, do you know what time it is? That's right, it's time to

SAY CHEESE!

April Tenth

Of course there's no such thing as global warming because this is completely normal (stay tuned for pictures of major flooding).

MONDAY

OUTSIDE MY WINDOW NOW

The Say Cheese! Dog Photo and Recipe Link Up

Considering there's still snow on the South Shore I'm guessing these two are chili cheese dogs.

Obie and Rexie enjoying the first 70˚ day since October (remember how nice it was until The Vortex dropped)

I shake my ears out the same way in the pool

Enjoy it boys, it's going to snow on Wednesday

Chili Cheese Dogs
from myrecipes

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp Vegetable Oil

1 Small Onion

1 Clove Garlic

2 tsp Chili Powder

1 8 oz Can Tomato Sauce

1 15 oz Can Red Kidney Beans (Pinto Beans work too)

8 Uncured Turkey or Chicken Hot Dogs (or a veggie dog perhaps?)

Whole Wheat Hot Dog Buns

1/2 Cup Shredded Low Fat Cheddar

Directions:
Warm oil in a medium skillet over medium heat, add onion and cook stirring until softened, about three minutes.
Stir in garlic and chili powder and sauté for 30 seconds.
Stir in tomato sauce and beans and bring to a simmer.
Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until sauce thickens, about 10 minutes.
Season with a pinch of salt (or not, check the Sodium content on the dogs and buns).
Make your favorite healthier dogs with lower fat hot dog buns (some listed on the previous link) and top with chili and low-fat cheese.

This Daily Meal link talks about some healthier (and unhealthy) store-bought hot dogs.

Cool Shoes

Osiris, god of the underworld, was torn into 14 pieces by the worst brother ever and scattered across Egypt. All 14 bits of Osiris were recovered by the goddess Isis although only 13 were buried.

That last phallic bit was brought to life somehow, perhaps gently wrapped in MaxStretch briefs and lovingly placed behind the wheel of a brilliant yellow multi-coat Tesla Roadster. But anyway, cool shoes.


Some of this was taken from the online Encyclopedia Britannica

The Say Low Fat Cheese! Photo And Recipe Link Up

I haven't included guidelines for the Say Cheese! Photo and Recipe Link Up for a while and my only request is to have at least one photo. I love candid shots of humans and critters (or a cheesy pose) and recipes with cheese.

You've gotta watch those Dempsey kids, especially in a bar on St. Paddy's (I'm pretty sure that's a Manhattan)

Bonus points for the cook with a healthy, low cal recipe, because after being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes two and a half weeks ago, I'm looking at food and cheese in a whole new light. (I look at cheese from both sides now, from up and down, and still, somehow, it's cheese illusions I recall, I really don't know cheeeeesssse aaa at all.)

"R" is for real sure this Tex Tubb's bartender is possessed by the devil. Farewell, delicious, calorie-packed tacos

I've been using my tough camera lately so apologies for the poor quality photos.

A group "Say Cheese!" on wheels. Taken last summer just before the floods