...the end...

And now...ELC’s last seven LOVES!

Y’all know by now how lazy I must be—judging by all the TV I watch!

I currently use this excuse: I had my left hip replaced six weeks ago. Nuff said.

I’ll divide this post up into two categories.

First...shows I watch with Little Leighton and Belle and actually enjoy!

Then... shows I crave but that are probably mostly enjoyed by those of us over the age of...hmmm...I’ll go with 16.

Kids’ Shows that ROCK (and let me add they might be watched primarily by girls...but we make Pa-Pa watch them too and he doesn’t seem to mind...):

(1) Butterbean’s Cafe—Nick Jr. CUTE little show. Butterbean, her little sister, Cricket, Poppy, Dazzle and Jasper teach us all about kindness, fairness and how much we could use magic wands and fairy beans! Oh, and they can fly! Miss Marmalady, Spork and Spatch, provide Butterbean and Friends with dilemmas and challenges that provide lots of laughter and opportunities to talk to our kids and grandkids about making good choices every day.

(2) Fancy Nancy—Disney and Disney Jr. We ADORE all the Fancy Nancy books! This cartoon is beyond PRECIOUS. I mean, this Grammy cannot wait for a new episode every week. Even though I could watch every show many, many times and never get tired of them.

(3) Peppa Pig—Nick Jr. Of course the Leightons, whose ancestors hail from Jolly Old England, would TREASURE Peppa, her family and her friends. It amazes me how many kids, including Little Leighton and Belle, end up speaking with British accents after watching this show only a few times. Much less hundreds of times. Cheerio!

Now for us older Peeps!

(4) Guy’s Grocery Games—Food Network. Y’all, I am, as TLC would say, obsessed. Which is fascinating since of the three of us—me, TLC, and My Sweet Hubby (aka MSH)—I am not a Cook. Like they both are. Not. At. All. MSH will not even watch this show with me. Even when we literally have nothing else recorded we’d both be willing to watch. I cannot explain this sketchy attitude. I watch it alone. Honestly? It’s fine with me. I don’t want to share this show with anyone but All of Y’all.

(5) Indebted—NBC. Y’all will recall I NEED my 30-minute comedies on NBC, ABC and CBS. I live to laugh! This is Fran Drescher’s new show and it is AWESOME. To me. She and her husband have gone broke and have had to move in with their son and his family. I must admit this: the second show I just watched did not make me laugh as much as the first. STILL...it’s Fran! I think she is hilarious. The cast is full of amazing actors you’ll recognize. Give it shot! Thursdays. I have faith next week’s will be just as charming as the first week’s. Did I mention it’s The Nanny?!?!?

(6) Kids Baking Championship—Food Network. First, it’s cupcakes and cakes! Do I need to say much more than this? These kids’ baking skills are incredible. They amaze me with every show I watch. I couldn’t do a tenth as well as they each do in these competitions. (I get especially excited when one or more of the kids is from Texas! Woo Hoo!)

(7) The Biggest Loser—USA. Tuesdays. So TLC and Her Hubby got me hooked on The Biggest Loser many years ago. Then they abandoned me and quit watching it. THEN NBC abandoned it and my heart was broken. Since I rarely have to watch commercials, I don’t see many ads for new shows. Or any shows! I happened to see that this inspiring show was on USA now! Has it been there for more than this season? Can’t tell ya. And I missed the first episode. I’ve found it just in time to cry every Tuesday night, though. (Because I don’t watch enough shows already that make me sob ugly tears every week. Grey’s. This Is Us. A Million Little Things. New Amsterdam. SHEESH.)

February Loves? Over and Out. Hope Y’all have found at least one of our Loves to try.

Here comes March! Wwhhhaaaattttt?

Hugs and Smooches...
ELC

...completely random...

Happy Friday Eve! Can y’all believe February in almost over? To wrap up my last few loves, I thought I’d share a completely random list.

Here we go!

1. Diet Coke. No shame in admitting this. I went several years without one. But I’m back with a vengeance.

2. Ordering groceries online for pickup. Walmart is my favorite!

3. Anthropologie’s Capri Blue Volcano candles. To say I’m obsessed would be an understatement. I’d run out of toilet paper before I ever ran out of these. (You can actually buy these candles at several retailers—even Amazon. I just prefer Anthro.)

4. Tom’s “Silly Strawberry” Mouthwash (for Kids). Little Leighton loves this stuff! I’m a big believer in a mouthwash. I’ve got her hooked now, too. (It’s, obviously, gluten-free and fabulous!) I get this at Target.

5. Grey’s Anatomy. I’ve been a loyal fan from the get-go. Some seasons/characters have been better than others. However, I still look forward to this every Thursday night!

6. Jo Malone’s “Lime Basil and Mandarin” perfume. ELC and My Sweet Dad gifted me a lovely gift card to Nordstrom for my birthday. I used it to purchase this. It’s delightful. I tend to wear this in the spring/summer and “Wood Sage and Sea Salt” in the fall/winter. This brand of perfume/cologne is, hands down, the BEST.

7. I think we’ve mentioned this before, but it’s TOTALLY worth mentioning again: the Krusteaz Gluten-Free Cinnamon Swirl Cake Mix is, hands down, probably my most favorite gluten-free find. Y’all. It’s incredible. I substitute butter for the oil. I swirl all the cinnamon into the cake at once (I don’t want to mess with layering.) Then I top it with Betty Crocker’s (canned and GF) Cream Cheese Frosting. I could easily devour the whole cake. It’s EVERYTHING.

I have loved sharing my “loves” with y’all! Happy (almost) weekend!

LASAGNA!

I love lasagna. ELC is an excellent lasagna-maker. However, her lasagna takes hours. Boiling noodles. Making the sauce. Simmering said sauce. Ain’t nobody got time for that.

I randomly came across a super easy recipe I’ve since adapted. We all love it! I thought I would share it with y’all tonight. It’s originally from The Kitchn.

TLC’s EASY Gluten-Free and Yummy-Full Lasagna

Ingredients:

1 Medium Yellow Onion
1 T. EVOO
1# Lean Ground Beef (I prefer grass-fed!)
Salt and Pepper, to taste
1/4-1/2 C. Red Wine (I like a Pinot Noir.)
1-24 ounce jar of Rao’s Marinara (Brand specific, please!)
4 C. Whole Milk, Low-Moisture Mozzarella
(I prefer the pre-shredded Great Value brand from The Walmarts.)
15 GF No-Boil Lasagna Noodles (Barilla is great!)
15 ounces Ricotta Cheese (Again, Great Value brand works like a charm.)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Sauté the onion in the EVOO. Add in the beef. Season with S&P. Once browned, deglaze the pan with the wine, and let it simmer for 10ish minutes. Let it then cool for 5ish minutes.

Spray a baking dish with EVOO or Avocado Oil (my personal fave). Spoon a thin layer of the jarred sauce on the bottom of the dish. Mix the rest of the jar into the beef/onion/wine mixture.

Layer 5 noodles on top of the sauce. Top with a 1/3rd of the ricotta (dollop and smooth), followed by a 1/3rd of the meat mixture and finally a 1/3rd of the mozzarella. Repeat two more times, though do NOT finish with the mozzarella. Reserve the last bit to top at the end of baking.

Cover the dish with foil. Bake for one hour.

Remove foil. Sprinkle with the remaining mozzarella. Bake another 10ish minutes.

Let it cool (This is CRUCIAL and prevents a “runny” lasagna!) and rest for at least 15 minutes on your stove. I promise—it will still be warm.

TA-DA!

Minimal ingredients. Minimal prep. MAXIMUM FLAVOR.

You won’t be disappointed. Give this a whirl!

Happy cooking!

SPICY

So, my next love (the days of February are quickly coming to a close, I’ve got to get to crackin’) is completely random but something I’ve been using daily:

I love this stuff! AND, it’s CERTIFIED GLUTEN-FREE!

I’ve put it on everything from: taco salad, eggs, baked sweet potatoes, tuna salad. It’s truly not too spicy. It’s the tangy-ness I love! My Husband uses it to make our sweet and spicy wing sauce. YUM.

I grabbed this at Kroger. I’ll be buying more!

Happy Sunday, y’all!