Superbowl Sunday

My parents were in town for the Superbowl this year.  We had planned on stopping by a friend's house but decided that we wanted to just hang out.  I didn't change out of my pajamas all day and it was glorious.

Since we decided to stay home, I got to cook.  I was inspired by the Pioneer Woman and decided to make my first ever brisket.  I also made a hashbrown casserole and two different dips.  All the of the recipes besides the brisket were on Pinterest and I think that all the found turned out perfectly.

Here are the recipes that go along with our Superbowl menu.  Oh, and even though I am on Weight Watchers, there is nothing skinny about any of these recipes.  Consider yourself warned.

Artichoke Bread

I pinned this recipe a long time ago and I have been dying to try it.  It is essentially artichoke dip served in a hollowed-out loaf of bread.  It was really good but I think next time I may make it the traditional way.  It was a little bit messy.

Ingredients

• 1 (14 ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
• 2 green onions, sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup mozzarella, shredded
• 1/4 cup parmigiano reggiano (parmesan), grated
• 1 loaf Italian bread, sliced in half lengthwise

Directions

Mix the artichoke hearts, green onions, garlic, cream cheese, mayonnaise, sour cream, mozzarella and parmigiano reggiano reserving some of the cheese.

Hollow 1/2 an inch out of the center of both halves of the bread.

Spread the mixture into the hole in the bread slices and top with the reserved cheese.

Bake in a preheated 350 degree F oven covered in foil for 20 minutes.

Remove the foil and continue to bake until the cheese is melted and golden brown.

Recipe from Closet Cooking

Charleston Cheese Dip

This recipe is from Trisha Yearwood's cookbook and was also on her show a few weeks ago.  I didn't have high expectations for it but that was a mistake.  It was good.  Real good.  So good that we ate half of it before I remembered to take a picture.

Ingredients

1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 (8oz) package cream cheese, softened
1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 cup grated Monterey jack cheese
2 green onions, finely chopped
Dash of cayenne pepper
8 Ritz crackers, crushed
8 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a medium bowl, mix the mayonnaise, cream cheese, cheddar cheese, Monterey jack cheese, green onions and cayenne pepper.

Transfer the mixture to a shallow baking dish.Top mixture with cracker crumbs and bake for 15 minutes, or until heated through.

Remove the pan from the oven and top with the bacon. Serve immediately with corn chips, bagel chips or crackers.

Recipe from Mommy's Kitchen

Tangy Tomato Brisket

This is the recipe that got my wheels turing and inspired the whole menu.  I had never made a brisket before but let me tell you, it was so easy.  All I had to do was dump a few ingredients in a pan and six hours later dinner was done.  Plus it makes a ton of food.

Ingredients

5 to 8 pound brisket, trimmed of all fat

1 (24 oz) bottle of ketchup

1 package of dry onion soup mix

A few dashes of hot sauce

Directions

Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F.

Place the brisket in an oven-safe pan. Combine the ketchup and soup mix in a bowl, and then stir it around to mix. Pour in 1 cup water and stir to combine. (You can add more water if needed!)

Pour the sauce all over the brisket, and then flip the brisket over to coat the other side. Now just cover the pan with foil and roast in the oven for 6 to 7 hours.

Remove the pan from the oven and test the brisket to make sure it's fork-tender. The brisket should fall apart if you look at it! Slice the brisket into thin strips, then return the beef to the sauce and keep it warm until you're ready to serve.

Recipe from The Food Network

Hashbrown Casserole (or Crack Potatoes)

I had made these potatoes before but when I was trying to think of what side dish would go well with brisket they were the first thing that came to mind.  They are definitely not healthy.  My mom and I started calculating the Weight Watchers points and got to 102 points before we decided it was best not to know.  Aren't some of the best things in life the worst for you?

Ingredients

2 (16oz) containers sour cream

2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded

2 (3oz) bags real bacon bits

2 packages Ranch Dip mix

1 large (28 - 30oz) bag frozen hash brown potatoes, shredded 

Directions

Combine the first four ingredients and then mix in the hash browns.

Spread into a 9x13 pan and cook at 400 degrees F for 45 to 60 minutes.

Recipe from Plain Chicken

That was our Superbowl.  Like I said, it was nice to just hang out.  Beyonce was amazing and my crazy hormones had me nearly in tears when the rest of Destiny's Child came out.

And now time for a token picture of Beckett.

The (second) best day of my life

As promised, here is an entire post dedicated to the historic meeting that occurred when we went to the Cowboys game. I got to meet (drum roll) Miles Austin! After spending the whole game letting everyone know how much I love him, we actually met. It was kismet. So here is how it happened:

I overheard some of the other people in the box talking about going down to the field after the game. Naturally I had to get my hands on some of these passes. I knew that it was a long shot that players would be down there after losing, but I had a feeling. My dad talked to one of the people in the box that worked for Bombardier and she said that after the first group went, they would give me their pass and then I could go down to the field.

I patiently waited until it was my turn and then went down to the field level with a couple of other guys. We were with a group of about five other people and I just followed them. We went through some double doors and stopped at the end of a hallway in front of another elevator. Let me just say, that growing up I loved the Houston Astros and I mean loved. From time to time my friends and I would wait for players to come before the game. Those experiences have given me an innate sense of when I am in the exact right spot, but maybe shouldn't be there.

My first clue that I was in the right spot was when I say a guy with a suitcase heading towards the elevators. How many people bring suitcases to football games? Answer: However many players are on the Cowboys roster. I have no idea who it was, but I knew he was a player. Then I saw Rob Ryan, or Jeff Bridges. This is when I started to get excited. I did see Tony Romo in the maintenance elevator, but I don't care about him, so it was whatever.

I started to talk to the other people who were down there with me and I realized that they were a family. We talked about my love for Miles because I like to share things like that with strangers. A security guard came by and told us if we weren't waiting for someone, we had to leave. This is when that family became my heroes. The father said that they were Orlando Scandrick's family and I just nodded like I was with them and it worked. The security guard left us alone and I knew I was going to make things happen.

My parents started calling me around this time telling me they wanted to leave. I begged for them to give me 10 more minutes. Then it happened. The elevator doors opened and there he was. I think my jaw dropped. I really don't remember exactly what happened, but I think I started yelling asking if I could take a picture with him. Smooth. He laughed because he was obviously won over by my charm. He said of course I could take a picture with him and I threw my camera at a girl that was waiting down there with us. He smelled like rainbows and unicorns and was so nice. There were sparks, just saying.

I still can't believe that after ALL my talking about Miles, that I actually got to meet him. Daniel and my parents didn't believe me. Thank the Lord for photo evidence. I love Miles and now I can talk about him like we're friends because we kind of are.

The Big D (and I do mean Dallas)

My dad's job definitely has some perks. Growing up we got to travel a lot and got lots of tickets to different concerts. This year, one of his vendors offered to give him four tickets to the Cowboys game versus the Jets. So naturally he invited Daniel, who love the Cowboys, and me, who loves Miles Austin. We hadn't been to Dallas for almost two years, so we were very excited to get to go visit and see some friends.

We flew in Saturday night and went out to eat with my parents in Grapevine. We ate at Esparza's, which is always delish and their margaritas are even better.


The Browns


My dad being ridiculous


My mom agreeing that he's ridiculous


The fish tacos which were good minus the random BBQ sauce


Pretty lights in downtown Grapevine

Wreck 'em Tech!

I had plans for our September date night to be in Amarillo, but I had to make some changes when Daniel signed up for a continuing education class in Lubbock. While it wasn't most creative idea, I decided we would go to dinner on Friday night and to the Tech game on Saturday.



I let Daniel choose the restaurant and he decided on Triple J Chophouse, but it was Parents Weekend and there was a two hour wait so we ended up at Melt. I had wanted to go to La Diosa, a wine and tapas bar, after our dinner but we had spent so much time waiting, we decided to call it a night. Date night was definitely not off to the smoothest of starts.

The next day Daniel went to class and I ate Josie's and shopped, naturally. After Daniel's class we headed to the Jones and got ready to cheer for the Red Raiders! I have been a member for the alumni association since I graduated, but I have never gone to the Frazier Alumni Pavilion. Uh, we have been missing out. It's the closest place to the stadium where you can buy booze and they have all the other games on TVs. It's also super handy during half time if you don't want to walk back to a tailgate.

The game didn't get off to the best start, but Tech came back in the end. We were so glad that we stayed and didn't leave early. There were a couple times where it was just too hard to watch, but we stayed and got to hear the Matador Song. Being back at Tech makes me remember how much fun I had and makes me a little sad. I definitely experience college and love going back.

Here are some pictures from our weekend!

Josie's - home of the best burritos ever

The Indiana entrance to campus

Getting ready for kick-off

The Masker Rider and Midnight Matador

Fight Raiders Fight!

Guns up!

Tech wins 35-34