A Little Bit of Love

Love is everywhere today. Boxes of chocolates are flying off the shelves, love poems are being written and smooches are being had all over the world. Now, I love Valentines Day, but I hate romance movies. They are so over the top ridiculous, the dialogue pains me to no end and the stories are week and insulting... with that being said....here are my favorite movies for lovers.

My first choice for a great couple's movie is Grease. How can you not call this a wonderful Valentines movie? It's classic, plus you and your sweetie can sing all the songs together while acting out the scenes...oh yeah, a little role play to spice up the romance. Seriously,  trust me on this one. If you pop this dvd into the player, your scoring points will go through the ceiling. You two can decide who's gonna be Sandy and who's gonna be Danny-I'm staying out of that one. 

Okay, fine, so singing and role playing isn't your sort of thing. You want something a little more classic but will still give you a chuckle. How about Bringing Up Baby? This film has two of my favorites-Cary Grant and Katherine Hepburn in it. You've got a little bit of science, some romance and a terrier! How can you go wrong with a terrier in a movie-you can't, you just can't.

My last love movie has one of my favorite romance guys in it. Almost all of my favorite movies about love have this guy in it. Say Anything, Better Off Dead, Gross Pointe Blank...I'm talking about John Cusack. This time he stars in the quirky  comedy romance High Fidelity. The music alone will make you so very happy and in the mood.


Alright my little loves, time to for me to get my groove on...awww yeah....that's what I'm talking about...Happy V-day. XOXOX

Scrappy Love Sunday

Ladies.....he's single. I know, hard to believe.

Salivating Saturday

Saturday dinners are usually either super fancy or totally laid back. Tonight's dinner was totally laid back and very easy. Chicken Milanese is easy to whip up on a night when you just want to order take out.

Chicken Milanese
4 skinless chicken breasts
4 large eggs, beaten
bread crumbs
1 teaspoon coarse salt, plus more for serving
1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese. 
A pinch of cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more for serving
4 tablespoons unsalted butter (1/2 stick)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 lemons, cut into 6 wedges



Place the chicken breast in a freezer bag and tenderize both sides. Place chicken in egg wash.

Put the breadcrumbs on a large plate and mix in the salt and pepper. One by one remove the chicken breasts from the eggs and lightly coat both sides in the breadcrumbs. Place the pieces on a rack while you continue with the remaining chicken breasts.

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, melt 4 tablespoons of the butter and 2 tablespoon of the olive oil until bubbling but not browning. You will have to cook the chicken in two batches. Lay half of the chicken breasts in the pan, without crowding, and cook until golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes.


Serve the chicken with a wedge of lemon and a sprinkling of salt and pepper.

OMP loves this chicken dish with a salad and a side of pasta. You can add more spices to make the chicken hotter or leave out some to serve mild. The butter and the oil need to be used together to achieve the perfect crust on the chicken. Enjoy! 

Feel Good Friday

 
FRIDAY! FRIDAY! FRIDAY! We made it! I am feeling so good. My work day is almost over and I am ready to kick back and relax with my sweetie and the pups. I LOOOOOVVVVVEEEE Fridays!


I would like to thank OMP for putting me in an Adam Ant mood today....

This is just about the cutest valentine EVER! Xperimentl is so talented! Not only in the embroidery field (BTW, her work always blows me away) but with gingerbread, sewing and toys.

D.I.Y. Louisville is a great blog offering up so many awesome valentine ideas.  I'm in love with the dessert table and the free valentines. Get those little kids away from that table! It's all mine!

Speaking of OMP, oh honey! If you are reading this, I like this necklace and just about everything else in this shop. Just saying, for future reference. Zafirena offers wonderful vintage pieces mixed with contemporary style.

 

 This is so not okay but I couldn't resist.

Well, there ya go. A little bit of love to start your weekend off just right. I really am sorry about the last picture (okay, not really). I am off to start my smooching early! Oh OMP, where are you?

Let Me Call You Sweetheart

I was scouring my patterns to see if I could find any cute little valentines for you. Well...I didn't exactly find valentiney patterns but I did find a couple patterns that is just dying to be modified. I love the fact that they look surprised, like we just caught them in the act.

Tie One On Tuesday

 Oh yeah....feeling the love in the air....Don't be shy baby...come on over to the couch and snuggle up with me. I've got a few good cocktails to make sure you are warm and fuzzy on the inside....Oh Good Lord, who am I kidding, I'm about a sexy as Phyllis Diller. HA! HA! HA! Anyhoo...here are a few cocktails for you and your sugar booger.


Remember that song Afternoon Delight? You don't? Well, look it up and then let it get stuck in your head for a few hours or days... while you're waiting, mix up this lovely concoction for your own sky rockets in flight.

Love in the Afternoon

2 ounces fresh orange juice
1/2 ounce rose water
2 fresh mint leaves
4 ounces dry (slightly sweet) champagne
Add the orange juice and rose water to a champagne flute. Twist the mint leaves with your fingers and drop them in the glass. Fill the glass with champagne.

This next cocktail is a throwback to the 1960s and was a big hit during that time period. Now you can enjoy it just like you do your Hey Love album you bought at midnight while watching public access TV. How's that for an obscure reference?

Soul Kiss Cocktail

2 ounces Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey
1/4 ounce Dry Vermouth
1/4 ounce Dubonnet Rouge
1/2 ounce Orange Juice
Combine liquids in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake to blend and chill. Strain into a cocktail glass and live large like Don Cornelious.

Remember that Axis of Evil everyone talked about a few years ago. Well, they were wrong! There is an Axis Kiss cocktail that is anything but evil but it will definitely make you do evil things-maybe that's what they were talking about.

Axis Kiss Cocktail

dash of amaretto almond liqueur
dash of creme de cassis
chilled Champagne
Pour the amaretto and creme de cassis into a champagne flute.
Top with Champagne.
Make the drink sweeter with larger dashes of amaretto and creme de cassis.

Okay my wonderful valentines. I think I have made enough bizarre references to late night TV and 1970's one hit wonders. Now I'm off to comb my archives for even more obscure references and even better cocktails. H's and K's too all of you!

Scrappy Dog Sunday!

Are you ready for some PUPPY BOWL 2011? Awwww yeah! While the rest of the United States is watching football, the Pedersen household will be watching Animal Planet's Puppy Bowl for the 7th year in a row.

For those of you unfamiliar with the Puppy Bowl, it is hours upon hours of cute puppies playing. That's it. There is a kitten half time show and this year, they've added chickens into the mix.  There are several puppies and they just play and play and play. It drives Lola, Jujube and Pete crazy! They try to attack the TV, they jump around and have a good time. While they are attacking the TV, I get to scream over the cute puppies. It's a win-win situation.

So, get your snacks ready, plant yourself on the couch and prepare for hours upon hours of cute puppiness. It will brighten your day and make your scrappy dogs happy.