So, its Super Bowl Sunday.  It’s the biggest game of the year (apparently.) and I’m actually pretty jazzed up about it.  Not because I like anything that’s consistently classified as “Super” (I do.) or because I care about sports (I don’t!) or even because of the outrageously amazing ads (ok, I’m still excited about that)… I’m just REALLY into the Harbaugh Brother Rivalry! 

John: "ARE YOU WEARING MY SHIRT?" Jim: "I LOOK BETTER IN IT!"

I mean, WHAT are their parents going to do? 

Whelp, I guess that answers that! 

I was on the phone with my sister last night discussing this matter and, more importantly, which dishes we will be bringing to our respective Super Bowl parties when it occurred to me…we just may have a little Super Bowl Sibling Rivalry of our own!

May I present to you… the FIRST EVER

(former) Kraselsky vs. (former) Kraselsky SUPERBOWL PARTY SNACK-OFF!

GameFaces: It. Is. ON.

We will each bring one savory and one sweet item. Feel free to let us know which items you prefer… or just enjoy the recipes below for Buffalo Chicken Dip, Oreo Truffles, Baked Brie, and S’mores Brownies!

I came to play with the crowd-pleasing Buffalo Chicken Dip!

It's not the prettiest dip. But it is delish. And you make it with this bad boy

It’s SUPER easy.  (Pun intended.) and people go CRAZY for it.  This is how you do it:

Ingredients: I run to the grocery and get the following: 1 rotisserie chicken (Costco also has a cheap/good one.), 2 8oz packages of cream cheese (I usually do a full fat and a low fat…like that’s gonna help.), 1 small bottle of ranch dressing, 1 bottle of Frank’s Original Hot Sauce, and a 16oz package of grated Sharp cheddar cheese. I like to serve this dip with Chicken in a Biskit crackers and celery sticks.

Old school. Delicious.

Directions: First, I get Greg to dismantle the rotisserie chicken while I’m in another room.  Ick.  Then I throw the chicken pieces into my blender with 3/4 of the bottle of Franks and blend.  Then I transfer the mixture to a pot on the stove and heat it with the 2 packages of cream cheese, 1 cup of ranch dressing, and 3/4 cup of the grated cheese until creamy.  Then I pour it into a Pyrex and cover the top with more grated cheese.  When I’m ready to serve, I heat it for 20-30 minutes at 350 degrees until it’s bubbly on top.

Prepare to have zero conversation while this dip gets wolfed down the moment you set it on the table.

For my sweet dish…I’ll be making my super easy Oreo Truffles.  Somehow the post I wrote several years ago is nowhere to be found, but here’s another good how-to (although I use Wilton’s candy coating instead of semi sweet chips.)  In any event, they’re really easy. 

For an extra special gameday version (or the “extra point” if you will…) I ran to Michael’s and picked up some disposable candy decorating bags, rolled the filling into ovals instead of balls, and made them look like little footballs! 

teeny, tiny, delicious footballs.

So, I feel pretty solid about my “roster…” but my sister is a well-known amazing cook and fierce competitor!

Katie will be competing with her standard party favorite: Baked Brie.  (obviously her party sounds pretty high brow.)  

She always uses this recipe and said that she uses crescent rolls and switches up the jams.  She says the honey and sugar are optional.

For dessert, she’ll be serving her always delicious S’mores Brownies.

Here’s how you do it:

Ingredients:  You need 10 whole graham crackers (20 crossway halves), 1 package Betty Crocker brownie mix (and its ingredients), 2.5 cups mini marshmallows, and 1c semi-sweet chocolate chunks

Instructions:  Preheat oven to 350.  Line baking pan with foil extending beyond sides of pan and grease foil.  Make brownie mix as directed on back of box.  Try not to eat it all. Place 15 of graham cracker halves in bottom of pan (overlap slightly), set aside other 5 halves (break into large pieces). Spread brownie mix over graham crackers

Bake 28-32 min (toothpick comes out fudgey crumbs. DON’T OVERBAKE… and don’t turn your oven off just yet.)

Sprinkle marshmallows and chocolate chunks on top, then throw that sucker in for another 3-5 min or until marshmallows begin to puff.  Then press graham pieces into marshmallows and allow it to cool in pan.  Lift out of pan onto cutting board using foil and cut brownies…voila!

So, there you have it! 4 extremely easy gameday recipes you totally have time to make before kickoff!  Now, go forth, enjoy your commercials and…

May the best Harbaugh win!

xx, L

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It’s that time again!  A time full of promise of new clothes, an extremely fancy dinner, an exotic vacation – the list is endless, y’all…  It’s a truly wonderful time of year!  It’s time to file your 2012 taxes.

Is there anything more exciting than getting a massive tax return and immediately redirecting it to something incredibly frivolous that you’ve had your eye on?  You earned it after all…  Well, you might as well get on it!

You may remember from last year that I said “adios, amigos” to the cattle call at HR Block and started using Josh Halpern at Siegel & Siegel, P.C., to handle my taxes.  He did such an excellent job; I’m running back to him again this year to get my taxes in early and off my lengthy To Do list.  Now all I have to do is wait for that glorious return… 

Here’s a little recap about Siegel & Siegel + Josh, the man with the plan:

Siegel & Siegel, P.C. is a small, family-owned firm that was started in the 1950′s by Abe Siegel.  All three of Abe’s sons became CPAs and all worked there (and still do).  Josh Halpern, my new CPA (um, do I sound fancy pants or what?!), is the newest addition to the group.  He started working there in 2007, and has been a CPA since 2009.  Josh is a Georgia Bulldog (which I don’t hold against him), an animal lover (which means he’s a great person/ they have puppy-Fridays every so often at work), and he’s just an all-around really awesome guy.

Siegel & Siegel provides accounting and tax services for individuals and small businesses. This includes compilations (another way of saying financial statements), as well as tax services.  Many of their business clients are service-oriented (doctors, lawyers, dentists, real estate folks), but they can also work on any small “closely-held” businesses.  Josh had no problem at all helping a little guy (girl) like me with my super-simple tax return, either.

Clients like Siegel & Siegel because of the personal attention they receive from the firm.   They don’t have young staff for partners to hand over their clients to ”to be worked-up” and then passed back for a quick check-over and a signature.  They do the work themselves, and they each know their clients issues/ business versus having to find the staff person who worked on that client (larger firms are like this) to inquire about what is going on.  They do not bill solely based on time, so they are happy to take calls and respond to e-mails.  (Even I know that this is very old school – and I appreciate it.)  Siegel & Siegel considers itself to be a “vintage firm.”  The kind where you receive the personal attention you deserve.

Siegel & Siegel’s office is located in Sandy Springs near Roswell Road and Hammond, close to Breadwinner Cafe.  Give Josh a call.   He’s a great guy (I absolutely vouch for him), and he will very thoughtfully walk you through your taxes.  I sincerely appreciated the care with which he explained everything to me, and the speed at which he prepared my return.  If you’re looking for some tax help this year, I highly recommend Siegel & Siegel.

P.S. Tell Josh that the Q+DD sent you!  We don’t get a kickback or anything (I can’t even imagine what it would be if we did…), but it would be nice to know that we were able to help out a really great, small business that we believe in!

xx, L

Siegel & Siegel, P.C. – Josh Halpern
140 Hammond Drive
Atlanta, Georgia 30328
404.252.6667 ext. 106
joshua@siegelcpa.com www.siegelcpa.com

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Hello, everyone!  It’s me!  It’s me!  I’ve returned from my two month hiatus!

THANK YOU for allowing me that precious time for a little blog cleanse.  After over three years of almost constant blogging, I’ll be the first to admit that you can get burnt out when you overdose on things that you love so much (gelato, pizza, yoga, Real Housewives of any city, blogging), so I truly appreciate your patience with me.  The good news is that I’m officially back now and ready to fill you in on lots of exciting things going on in Atlanta!  Starting tomorrow, I’m back to the grind.  Today, I wanted to update you on what I’ve been up to over the past two months.

Kevin and I tied the knot in Atlanta!  It was an unforgettable weekend for us.

(Muscles brought to you by the amazing pilates reformer guru, Meredith Bass!)

We took an awesome trip to Arizona!  Here we are in Sedona…

At the South Rim of the Grand Canyon…

And relaxing at the Ritz-Carlton Resort at Dove Mountain.

We spent Thanksgiving in Jacksonville where we came in second place in a highly competitive family holiday cookie competition with these bad boys.  Brown Butter Bacon Chocolate Chip Cookies.  (We were robbed, I tell ya!)

We traveled to beautiful Montego Bay, Jamaica for Rosh’s wedding.

Then to Delray, Florida for our friend Jesse’s wedding.

And we celebrated the New Year in sunny Jacksonville Beach!

In between all of our traveling, we found time to eat.  A lot.

Drink.  A lot.

Relax.  A lot.

Experiment in the kitchen.  (Here’s the no-brainer peppermint bark recipe we used.)

Feed ducks.

Ride horses.

Drive boats.

Get together with good buddies.

Play with nail polish.

Hug some babies.

Get some dental work done.  (Sidenote: I really wanted this to be our holiday card, but I was vetoed.)

Watch an entire two seasons of Homeland.  Totally obsessed – more on that later…

And meet Charles Barkley!

Needless to say, it’s been a very busy past two months.  I’m rejuvenated now, and it feels so great to be back! 

Here’s to the Q+DD!  Here’s to 2013!  It’s totally gonna be a great one!

xx, L

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So, it’s the 2nd night of Chanukkah and I had my VERY FIRST Chanukkah dinner!

Feeling pretty impressed with myself…mostly since usually it’s the 4th or 5th night of Chanukkah when I finally realize the holiday is even underway.

Not this year, my friends. I am officially a Cohen and I figure, no time like the present to start having traditions! We had SUCH a lovely night and it so easy to put together – so I thought I’d post a little how-to so that you could do it, too! Jewish or not, this was an awesome dinner and I would re-create it anytime.

Here are the top 5 things that made it a success:

1. Brisket. I felt like we had to have brisket to make it a “real” Jewish holiday. So, at 10am I woke Greg up and told him he had to go get me a 6lb slab of brisket and some veggies so I could construct the Barefoot Contessa’s brisket recipe. You can view it HERE. I followed the instructions to a T – and it was not only so incredibly easy – but DELICIOUS. I recommend it to any new housewife who wants to impress her husband.

2. All-Clad Roasting Pan. You guys, we got EIGHT of these from our registry. EIGHT. Every time one would come through the door, I’d act excited… but inside I was scared that someone might ask me to use it one day. Today was that day and I ended up being SO grateful for this magnificent piece of kitchenware. It is not only functional, but pretty enough to use as a serving piece. 

To all 8 lovely people who bestowed one of these upon us: thank you. Thank you thank you. (and I’m sorry that might have cursed your names previously.)

3. MacKenzie-Childs Chargers. My mom gave us a set of these as a shower gift to my absolute delight – my mom is the ultimate hostess and her Mac-C chargers play a huge role in many of her elaborate tablescapes. I had planned on using them as chargers, but tonight I used them as dinner plates, as my mom often does, they add the perfect amount of whimsy to the dinner table. The best part? They go right in the dishwasher. Perfection.

with the monogrammed napkins from our wedding!

4. Easy side dishes. Ina’s never done me wrong, so I also made her SUPER easy recipe for roasted Brussels sprouts (check it out HERE) and frozen latkes that I found at Kroger. (I didn’t feel guilty for one second that I didn’t make homemade latkes with potatoes I grated myself… I am THRILLED that my knuckles weren’t shredded along with those potatoes and that my house does NOT smell like burnt oil. And I still had enough time left over today to clear out my DVR and go shopping. Huzzah!)

5. Marshall’s. Greg went to 3 grocery stores who all informed him that their Chanukkah candles “weren’t in yet.” (hello – it’s night #2!) But Marshall’s to the rescue. They had super cool tie-dye looking Chanukkah candles that didn’t drip ONCE! Win.

We’re also grateful for good friends. Even though we don’t live in the same state as our families, we are SO grateful for friends that feel like family. It was so fun to make memories and start new traditions with our friend-family here in the ATL. Extra bonus: They’ll drink plenty of wine with you and nobody’s judging.

Here’s to 8 Crazy Nights!

xx, L

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By now, you’ve probably made up your mind on your candidate of choice for 2012.  No?

May we suggest….us?   For your consideration:

As you go out to cast your ballots, the ladies of the Q+DD implore you to think about the IMPORTANT issues this election day.

As a reminder, please find the Q+DD Official Political Platform below.

We are…

FOR: Happy hour, excessive use of exclamation points for emphasis, feminism and chivalry, anything from the 1980′s, Mexican food, enormous sunglasses, mussels and muscles, beer-related competitive gaming, Peace on Earth, bubble baths, 3-day weekends, puppies, costume parties, costumes and parties independently, hair products, brunch cocktails, Texas, anything neon, renewable energy, being awesome, human rights, strategic accessorizing, reducing the escalating price of movie tickets, fedoras, mandatory workday nap time, silly moustaches, hot vampires, and your mom.

AGAINST: Alarm clocks, being put on hold, giraffe purses, camping, humidity, most things OTP, cats, children carrying guns, denim on denim, serious moustaches, Atlantans referring to queso as “cheese dip,” man-sandals, and of course, any sandals worn with socks.

UNDECIDED: Texting, parking vehicles on Cheshire Bridge, eating club sandwiches when you have NOT been invited to the club (note: we are generally FOR club sandwiches and frilly toothpicks), “free” yoga classes, pirates v. ninjas, belly dancing, and where to go for dinner most nights…

The Q+DD supports both the democratic AND republican parties.  Well, we just support parties of all kinds.  Goooooooo democracy!

In all seriousness, those little orange stickers are ALWAYS in style and it’s our right and privilege as Americans to vote for our leaders!

If you’re unsure, there are tons of resources out there to help you decide. The League of Women Voters has some great tools to help you make some decisions.  Check their site out HERE.

Excited to see what happens! I know I’m not the only one…

A is for ANXIOUS!

xx, L

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