This Girl is on Fire

Every time I hear this song, I can't help but crank it up and sing it on the top of my lungs.  Maybe because the character Santana on Glee sang it as she embraced her choice to move to NY, or maybe because from time to time, I feel like I'm just grabbing the bull by its horns and going full speed.  Alicia Keys described the song, "to be "on fire" is to allow yourself the freedom to take full control of who you re and how you want to live your life. To live your passion and shing your lifht unabashedly!! It's that moment you choose to claim your power and be extraordinary!," and I couldn't relate to this more.  There are so many aspects of my life that I look back on and realize exactly how they made me the strong, bold, passionate, competitive person that I am today.  I have finally embraced fully who I am but still always want to make sure that others can embrace that too - that I always deliver where I set out to deliver. 

I was "on fire"this week.  My husband and I sat at dinner and he calmly stated that he had a request, several actually - that since Friday was to be his last day of work, his co-workers requested my breakfast pizza and well...a smorgishborg of some of my specialties.  This was Wednesday....at 8pm...after I had already been to the store.  The request continued "...we also have three options for the Bears game tomorrow night...".  This is where pure anxiety starts to set in for me.  I start my day at 6am, am in the office by 7am, work until I have to go home for the dog around 4pm, head to the gym at 4:30pm and get in an hour workout before I cook dinner and finally conclude my day around 8:30pm.  How in the world am I going to do all of that, plus prepare a smorgishborg for Steve's co-workers, not to mention get all of the groceries need for it? On fire - "claim your power and be extraordinary".  

I don't want this to come out the wrong way and sound like I'm bragging, because I'm not - I just want people to see how much one can accomplish when they put their minds to it and set out to be the best they can be. I skipped the gym, something that is always difficult for me to justify and replaced it instead with a nice, hour long walk for the dog.  Killed two birds with one stone, wore out the pup, got in my exercise. I managed to make the office's favorite cake, breakfast pizza and a "funfetti dip"...plus a dip to bring to our friends' for the Bears game.  I'm really excited to share the recipes because they're great for a group, relatively easy to make and rightfully delicious! The breakfast pizza recipe can be found HERE - in essence of time and the lack of, I didn't get any pictures so these, unfortunately are Google's finest :). 

Better than Sex Cake

Ingredients 

1 box chocolate fudge cake + ingredients to make cake

1 Can Sweetened Condensed Milk

1 Tub Cool Whip

1 Jar Hershey's Hot Fudge

1 Package - Heath Toffee and Chocolate Bits 

Prepare and bake cake to instructions on the box.  Remove and allow to cool for several minutes.  Poke holes using the small end of a spoon wooden spoon or a shish-kabob skewer. Pour sweetened condensed milk all over top and allow to cool completely.  Pour hot fudge over, spread to cover entire cake.  Place in refrigerator for up to one hour to allow everything to set.  Remove and add cool whip as frosting.  Sprinkle generously with heath bites. 

Funfetti Dip

Ingredients 

1 cup of lite cool whip 

2 cups of non-fat  greek vanilla yogurt

1 box funfetti cake mix  

Sprinkles

Animal Crackers or Vanilla Wafers

Combine cool whip, yogurt and funfetti cake mix in medium bowl.  Refrigerate minimum 2 hours, or up to overnight.  Add sprinkles on top and serve with animal crackers or vanilla wafers.

Skinny Fiesta Ranch Dip

Ingredients 

1- 8 oz brick of naefactel or lite cream cheese, softened

1 - 8 oz brick of greek cream cheese, softened

1 Packet Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing Mix

1 Can sweet corn

1 Red Bell Pepper, diced

2 Fresh Jalapenos, seeded and diced

1/4 tsp Cumin

1/4 tsp Chili Powder

1 small can diced olives 

Combine lite cream cheese and greek cream cheese with ranch packet. Add in corn, bell pepper, jalapenos and olives. Season with cumin and chili powder.  Serve with tortilla chips or crackers.