Buffalo Chicken Lasagna

I love to cook, and The Fiance loves the food I make (we're so well-matched). I love collecting and trying new things, especially now that I have a nice, new kitchen to play in. I have lots of hits and some misses, but I think figuring out which is which is the fun part. And by the way, I freaking love my new kitchen. By no means the first thing I've made, but first posted (and well-deserving of such an honored place.)

This was by far the best recipe I have ever pulled off of the Weight Watchers message board. That's right, it's DIET FOOD. The Fiance loves buffalo-flavored-anything, so it seemed like a no-brainer. And I was right, he loved it. I loved it. He even took some for lunch today, and he never takes lunch in to work. The way to his heart is through the buffalo sauce bottle.

And check out my fancy pants new stove in the background. Very nice, right?

Buffalo Chicken Lasagna

1 lb chicken, cubes
3 cups Hunts 4 cheese marinara sauce
1 bottle mild buffalo sauce
1 cup ricotta cheese
2 eggs
1 T minced garlic
12 whole wheat lasagna noodles
9 slices 2% pepperjack cheese
Light ranch dressing

Preheat oven to 350. Cook the chicken in a large nonstick skillet until almost done. Add sauces and combine thoroughly. In a small bowl, combine eggs, ricotta, and garlic. Working in layers, add half a cup of sauce mixture in the bottom of a greased 9x13 pan, followed by a layer of noodles, cheese, and more sauce. Repeat until noodles, sauce, and cheese are used. Bake covered for 70 minutes. Remove from oven, add pepperjack cheese to top. Bake uncovered for 15 additional minutes. Drizzle with ranch dressing. Let stand 10-15 minutes before serving.

  Two very enthusiastic thumbs up. Seriously, if he hadn't already, I am pretty sure this would have prompted The Fiance to swoon and propose on the spot. It's that good.

Living in Sin

We bought a house! We're Homeowners and I officially have a place to Play House and be a Wifie!

We took advantage of the buyer's market out there and bought a house last month. We closed just a few weeks ago and have been doing some updates and remodel work since then. My Daddy-o is a builder and I trust his work more than anyone else I could hire. And I love what he's done and now it's finally time to move in!

It's about 17 years old, 4 bedroom, 3 1/2 bath. There's a garage and a huge yard for the dog. It's in a great school district and exactly in the middle in terms of commute for The Fiance and I. We've done a lot of painting and cleaning and crown molding hanging, but it's turning out just beautifully and I couldn't be more excited to call it Home. Definitely more house than we need, at least for now. I would so rather have house to grow into than the alternative! My mother is already wanting to know when we'll be having weebies to fill those extra bedrooms. Calm down Mama. First things first.

We moved in this weekend and the place is a 100% mess. Some of the work isn't done in the extra bedrooms, so we're kind of living out of boxes for the moment. The kitchen is set up and we've been to the grocery store at least. I even got to cook dinner last night, which was a lot of fun with actual counter space and swanky new appliances to work on.

I'm very happy about the deal we got and the house we're in, but it is slightly bittersweet for me. I really wanted to wait to live together until we were married. Logically nor financially, it wasn't going to work out and it makes more sense to go this route. I was a little sad to turn in my keys for my old apartment - it's the last little bit of Single Meagan that I have. I am thrilled to be marrying The Fiance, but I was hoping not to be shacking up quite yet. Living together is a big step! One I am ready for, but thoughtful of.

In a lot of ways, we're already married. I am hoping now that we will find ways to come together as a couple, but still keep some things separate, so that being married is still novel and new. I feel a little hypocritical now, considering I spent a lot of time in the last year and a half talking about how I didn't want to move in together. Yes we are engaged and yes, that was the deal I made with the Fiance a long time ago (I get a ring, he gets a roommate). At the very least, I will make sure he keeps his promise to carry me over the threshold when I'm his Mrs.

But in the meantime, I freaking love our house. It's so surreal and I can't believe it's ours!