Sometimes choosing sides can be hard. 
Other times – it can be REALLY easy…
Left side: pesto as sauce, artichokes, spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, and feta.
Right side: marinara, and cheese, lots of cheese!
For lunch yesterday – I decided to whip up a quick pizza using TJ’s Whole Wheat Pizza Dough. I’ll go ahead and let you guess which side belongs to who! 
All finished – and my mind still wasn’t changing: 
I’m not even lying – it tasted EVEN better than it looked (and I think it LOOKS absolutely amazing!!!!) YUM! 
If you are wondering why I skipped breakfast, it’s because I just had random handfuls of chips all morning! 
So healthy, right? Hey – at least I’m consistent!
In the afternoon, I took these monsters on a nice long walk to burn off some energy,
and then started doing “chores”.
I decided “chores” would be a lot more fun with wine! 
(of course, I was RIGHT!)
On my list of chores was cooking 3 different recipes, so I started with the easiest:
The old Weight Watchers cake trick – but I just switched in Lemon Poppy Seed Bread mix instead of a box of cake mix:
Worked like a charm!
Next up was some more White Chicken Chili. Which I need to preface with this…
Typically, when I make something, Mike will at least try it. More often than not, he doesn’t really like it, but eats it if I put it in front of him. 
So when he tells me that he really liked a dish and that I should make it again – I know I did something right!
Sure enough – after I made the White Chicken Chili last week, he told me he loved it, and that if I promised to make it EXACTLY THE SAME WAY as I did that first time, that he would devour it every time. Little did he know my trick!
The trick to turn this:
into the most amazing chicken Mike’s had? 
TADA!
Rather than spraying the pan with PAM or using olive oil, I just cooked each side for about 5 minutes in about an inch of Sauv Blanc:
Once it’s done cooking, I let it sit for at least 10 minutes so that the juices can ‘redistributed’, and then I shred the chicken and make the chili according to the package!
Now that you’ve got my secret – try it out yourself! 
Last, but not least – I whipped up some potato salad that my Mom had made a few years ago and I remember loving:
(It’s SUPER messy to mix, sorry that picture looks so gross!)
I had REALLY high hopes for it – I remember it tasting ABSOLUTELY phenomenal…
…but it just tasted “so-so”.
I’m not going to post the recipe yet, because I really want to perfect it first! Once I get it right, I’ll share with you – I promise!
Phew – I really did a lot of food related things yesterday, huh? Last, but not least – I need your help! I want to try and read more (I used to LOVE IT!), but I’m really struggling with finding books I like that are interesting! Can you guys give me some good book recommendations????
Things to keep in mind: I hate lovey/dovey crap , I love mystery, suspense, and all things Jen Lancaster! Please advise!
31 Comments so far
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Have you read anything by Wally Lamb? He’s my fav!
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By Cara on 02.22.10 5:19 pm | Permalink
dude read twilight.
i have a few books at home that i will try to remember to bring you this week. if i forget, just remind me
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By kristin on 02.22.10 5:29 pm | Permalink
Have you read THE ROAD by Cormac Mcarthy?? It is amazing!!!!!!!! Pretty dark, post-apocolyptic but very well written and breaks literature barriers with a lack of punctuation. You’ll see what i mean.
The glass castle and water for elephants are also good and a little less dark. Check any of those out and I promise you’ll like
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By Beth on 02.22.10 5:46 pm | Permalink
Do you ever read Jodi Picoult? They aren’t very intellectually stimulating (although they try to be), but they keep you guessing and are hard to put down.
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By Andrea of Care to Eat on 02.22.10 5:49 pm | Permalink
All the things i have read as of lately… have been written in BC x-D Can’t help much
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By Evan Thomas on 02.22.10 5:58 pm | Permalink
I’m a horrible decision maker but I agree that pizza would be an easy one
Your half looks SO good!
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By Heather @ Side of Sneakers on 02.22.10 6:00 pm | Permalink
wow your side of the pizza looks seriously professional!!!! great toppings and great layering. you might have a new career calling i think
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By katecooks on 02.22.10 6:03 pm | Permalink
Check out my Lawgirl site – http://theworldaccordingtolawgirl.wordpress.com and search by Lawgirl Book Review. I have over 50 reviews on there.
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By Fattie Fatterton on 02.22.10 6:10 pm | Permalink
I would definitely pick your side of the pizza! Fabulous combo! I’m no help with books, the latest book I’ve been reading is called “Physics” and it’s not that interesting.
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By K on 02.22.10 6:21 pm | Permalink
Have you read the Women’s Murder Club series by James Patterson? All of them are quick, easy, fun reads
P.S. I made white chicken chili last night too! Great minds think alike.
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By Carly on 02.22.10 6:29 pm | Permalink
im so obsessed with homemade pizzas its not even funny!
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By Ashley on 02.22.10 6:38 pm | Permalink
JODI PICOULT! ughhh love her. Some of them are misses though. But Nineteen Minutes, and Handle with Care…amazing! I think my mom has them both too!
PS glad you had fun dress shopping/@ shower, boo I had to miss it
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By kate on 02.22.10 6:53 pm | Permalink
LOVED the book The Help by Kathryn Stockett. Also, more mystery/suspenseful is The Girl with the Dragon Tatoo by Stieg Larson (spelling?) If you love Jen Lancaster, have you read any of Chelsea Handler’s books? They’re really funny!
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By Amanda on 02.22.10 7:04 pm | Permalink
Elizabeth George “Lynley mysteries,” set in the UK. Her writing is phenomenal and if you like the first one (A Great Deliverance), there are a ton to follow with the same great characters.
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By Stacie on 02.22.10 7:10 pm | Permalink
If you like Jen Lancaster, I think you would love Jennifer Crusie (start with Bet Me, it’s my favorite), and the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich. Both are hilarious!
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By Jenny on 02.22.10 7:10 pm | Permalink
I love to read Jodi Picoults books and I would totally recommend the book Handle with Care!!
I hope you give it a chance!!
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By Lindsay on 02.22.10 7:20 pm | Permalink
OMG, I LOVE Jen Lancaster! Do you read her blog?
And what is the old Weight Watchers cake secret?!?! Do inform!!! Please!
Love your monsters. Makes me want another one of my own.
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By Tyly Shab on 02.22.10 9:01 pm | Permalink
TJ’s whole wheat pizza dough is the best! Too bad I don’t have a TJ’s within 600 miles at least! :/
I don’t know about suspense books, or who Jan Lancaster is, but I would recommend Edward Abbey’s Desert Solitaire or Collapse by Jared Diamond…
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By Claire on 02.22.10 9:07 pm | Permalink
the pizza looks great!
Okay, books.
These always have a bit of a love story in them, but they’re MOSTLY mystery/thriller.
- Anything by Mary Higgins Clark – I’ve read all of her books.
- Anything by James Patterson, especially the Women’s Murder Club series…LOVED them.
- Funny/mystery series: Coffeehouse Mysteries by Cleo Coyle (my latest obsession)
- Blood Memory by Greg Iles
and many, many more..
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By brandi on 02.22.10 9:33 pm | Permalink
Girl With The Dragon Tattoo is a great mystery and is part of a 3 book series!
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By Deirdre on 02.22.10 10:09 pm | Permalink
I totally forgot that cake trick but I love it…I see a box of mix in my near future!
Two recommendations: 1. Under the Table by Katherine Darling, 2. Wasted by Marya Hornbaucher. Both are memoirs. The first is about culinary school. The second is about her eating disorder, it is super dark but is so excellently written that it is my #1 favorite book.
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By emily on 02.22.10 10:56 pm | Permalink
That chili looks delish! (And am I the only one that doesn’t know about the Weight Watchers cake trick? It sounds interesting!)
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By Katharine on 02.22.10 11:16 pm | Permalink
Greg Iles is a great suspense writer. If you like light/funny mysteries, try Joanne Flukee or, even better, Janet Evanovich. Steve Berry is pretty good, too. Like some of the other commenters, I think James Patterson is a good, light read, and Water for Elephants was quite enjoyable.
I’ve also discovered new authors by going to Amazon and checking out what others who bought my favorite books have looked at.
And what’s the WW cake mix trick???
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By marie on 02.22.10 11:56 pm | Permalink
i love it when I have time to bake up a bunch of stuff for the week.
D also will try my food, but may only eat it that one night.
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By RunToTheFinish on 02.23.10 6:34 am | Permalink
I’m reading Goat Song right now by Brad Kessler. It’s an amazing book about nature and raising goats.
Jeff is the same way as Mike. He’ll try anything but it doesn’t mean he’s going to like it!
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By Rebecca on 02.23.10 7:20 am | Permalink
I second The Help by Karen Stockett, anything by Jodi Piccoult, and also Nicholas Sparks (The Notebook, The Last Song).
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By Darlene on 02.23.10 9:30 am | Permalink
I’m reading, well actually listening to Firefly Lane by Kristen Hamilton right now and it’s really good. But sounds like you would love anything by James Patterson!!
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By Niki@ Niki's Neverending Adventure on 02.23.10 10:34 am | Permalink
Jason does the same thing. When he says something is actually good, I know it must be very good.
Have you read The Help by Kathryn Stockett? I’d recommend that.
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By Lee on 02.23.10 1:08 pm | Permalink
Weight Watchers trick is this: all you need is a can of diet soda (light soda for light cake, dark soda for chocolate cake) – and you combine the cake mix, and the 12oz can of soda – THATS IT! No other ingredients, no eggs, NOTHING! And then bake it according to the package! You’ll have the most moist, delicious, low calories cake/cupcakes ever!
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By allijag on 02.23.10 4:55 pm | Permalink
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