Blogville New Years Eve Party - The Catering Has Arrived

It's New Years Eve Party Foodables Time. Abby T. Lab here with the Blogville Official Catering Truck. 

It's going to be COLD tonight, so I'll get the food inside so you can eat where it's warm.

We have LOTS Of special foods. Help yourself, there's more in the truck and don't forget to stop by Ruby's Margarita Truck - ALWAYS a great time.

Frankfurter Pizza Bones.

Yeah - I'm into Fitness.  "Fitness this whole pizza in my mouth!"

Meow Mix and Kibbles and Bits - ready to go into the serving bowls.

Chips and dip and cheesy cracker mix.

Milk Bones and Puppy Chow Dip

Dogs in a Blanket

Build your own Sammiches.

Carob dipped peanut butter dog bones.

I can't wait til we open the champagne.

Appetizer Mice.

Pizza Bone treats.  The recipe is on Mom's Facebook page and let us know if you want it.

Mice Crispy Treats

Fruit plate

Cheese Mice

Pupcakes

And don't forget to toast in the new year with your special friend or your pals with Toilet Water Champagne!

I'm here with my Frankie Furter so once everyone is fed I'll see you on the dance floor!

Woof!  Abby Lab

Saturday Smiles - Saving Money on Vet Expenses

Friday Foodables - Lasagna Buns

The "Porkinator" - Sausage Lasagna in a bun (easily cuts in half or doubles)

Lasagna ingredients (minus pasta) in a bun. This was a HUGE hit with my husband, though people will sort of look at it initially and go. . .

What???

But after they taste it. . .

I think you will all enjoy this and come back Sunday for the Blogville New Years Eve Paw-ty.  Abby's been cooking up some great foodables for the catering truck~!

Gather up:
1/3 of a jar of store-bought pasta sauce (roughly 1 and 1/4 cups)
1/2 of a roll of Jimmy Deans SPICY breakfast sausage (sage flavor would also work)
1 heaping teaspoon chopped garlic (fill that puppy up)
4-5 slices (ahem) of chopped bacon

Mmmm. Bacon. (but you can substitute veggie "meat" easily in this recipe).

Cook meat and drain fat:

Stir into sauce and add:
1/2 tsp oregano
3 dashes of Jane's Krazy Mixed Up Salt (or your favorite mixed salt, I like Jane's as it's low sodium due to the addition of lots of herbs)

Simmer just until it's bubbling.

While the sauce heats up, in a bowl mix:
1 cup grated mozzarella
1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
1/4 cup Parmesan

Set aside about 1/2 cup of that mixture

To remaining shredded cheese add:
1 cup of ricotta cheese
1 teaspoon of egg (white and yolk mixed up and measured out, save rest for breakfast)
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
a pinch of cayenne
Mix well.

Get 4-6 bratwurst rolls or other larger sized sturdy sandwich rolls and scoop out the middle third (save that for meatloaf later), leaving enough at the bottom so that it holds together, like a sub-shaped bread bowl.

Place a big spoonful of meat sauce inside, top with a couple spoonful's of the cheese mixture, leaving a little open space for the sauce to bubble up through. Place in a cooking pan or tray that you've lightly sprayed with non-stick spray.

Cook in preheated 350 F. oven, covered lightly with foil for 20 minutes.

Remove foil, sprinkle with cheese you set aside and bake another 4-6 minutes until cheese on top melts.

The 4 Stages of "Mom's 2 Minutes Late with Dinner".

Elvis Lip Curl

Stare in Direction of Empty Bowl

Overall Pissed Off Look

You had ONE job!

Wordless Wednesday - JAWS!

My Christmas Pressies - By Abby T. Lab

Abby Lab here.  Mom got to tell you about her and Dad's Christmas Pressies yesterday, today's my turn.  First - there was a box addressed to me Abby T. Lab from my sweetie Frankie Furter.   That was followed up by the box you see above from Sarge and the Crabby Girls.

Look at all the neat things they got me plus some things for Mom and Dad like I Love My Black Lab  magnets for their cars and an insulated travel bag (for more treats).  There was also a little porcupine-like toy but Mom couldn't find it for the photo (Mom - it got snooted under the sofa where the colony of dust bunnies live -  you have to go fetch it).

I love my stuffies and look at this sweet little sign.

I also got a bag of the really good Blue Buffalo stick treats from Mom, a long light blue stuffie from Dad, and a Santa Hedgehog from one of Mom's friends.

Tastes like Chicken

Thank you to the Frankie Furter and Sarge households for letting us know how much you care.  Have a wonderful and Happy New Year and we'll see you at the Blogville New Year's Eve Paw-ty.

Have a Very Nerdy Christmas

We are both admitted geeks/nerds.  I'm primary a scientist by way of education and my husband is an engineer.  So this Christmas - it seems we both tuned to our inner geek to select Christmas presents for one another.  There were a couple practical items - a vest for him, and a kitchen appliance I had asked for but most everything else was simply fun.

I knew my husband was making a couple of items, as I heard lots of activity from the basement shop and was told I couldn't go down there.

 He made me a tactical stocking!   With a Tactical Trunk Monkey patch and a bottle opener shaped like an ammunition round 

If you don't know what Trunk Monkey is - Google it.  It was a series of hilarious advertisements on TV for an auto dealer back from where I grew up that went viral.

 And dog shaped tool keychain.  Cool!

 In it was some bath goodies, candy and a little book for my briefcase.

 For the wandering Scotch lover, an antique travel kt

Also on the antique list. a Vintage Chicago Made Big Beam lamp from the 50's with a new paracord strap for hands-free "Abby to the yard at night" use.

 Uh, oh, Air Holes, this usually isn't good.

 Is Otto a mouse?

He is, but one my husband programmed to auto-click every couple of minutes so my computer doesn't go to sleep if I'm on a long conference call!

Laser firearm training device. This explains the clicking sound.  I'm a Secret Squirrel but more the type that would say "Stop or I'll throw an Electron Microscope!" but I do maintain range proficiency.  He made the backdrop from scratch as the little laser trainer firearm only came with a little can to blast which meant you had to pick it up after every single round. He also added this thing to the back you can turn on and off that will make "plinking" sounds (as if your round hit a steel backdrop) IF you hit the red circle with your laser beam. This is a real firearms trainer, not a toy, and the trigger pull was very accurate.

 A new hat for my husband.  

 And Dr. Who Dalek glasses

Antique Train cake molds.

And a Darth Vader Mr. Potato Head.  Every adult should have one.

 A game of exploding kittens.  A card game for people that are into explosions. . . .and kittens.

His T-shirt didn't arrive on time . (Tracking shows it's stuck in a time warp at the shipper's Chicag distribution center).  But I got a new one!

 Tractors!

 And for days I'm REALLY bored at work.

 A more challenging way to play dominoes.  If you hear a little explosion, it's not a kitten, it's my brain.

You know on the original Star Trek, Ensign Ricky, the guy in the red shirt, never made it back from the landing party alive.  The red shirts were famous for being phasered or struck down by an alien.

I got my own star Trek red landing party shirt, complete with burn marks and scratches.   

 Some accessories for my husband's hat and vest collection.

And everyone needs beer and pretzel socks.

 A croissant neck pillow, for those long business class flights to Paris.

 I couldn't resist Repair Bear!  A sign for the shop.

 An antique steam engine print.  This is going to Hobby Lobby to get framed for the wall.

 Large bath towel, with both light side and dark side.

 Dr. Who Dalek handkerchief.

Engineer Excuse Dice.  Add Training  Project Late.  Fire Fighting. Estimates ignored. Bad Communication.  Feature Creep. Poor Requirements. Cost Overruns. Missing Features.  Too Many Bugs. Project Late. Work Halted. Behind Schedule.  Change Priorities.  Extra Resources.  More Funds. Go Agile. More Synergy.  Just roll and select your excuse!

Here's hoping you had a wonderful Christmas!