Since I've been slacking...

Okay - so much for the new year's goal of posting a new recipe once a week.... in theory it sounded so easy. So today's post will have two reipces! Hip Hip Hooray. I know you are all just estatic since you have been watching for new recipes ever since the first one - the stuffed shells were amazing - right?? Here they are - Buffalo wings - just in time for the Super Bowl, and peanut butter pancakes (we had them this morning :)

Buffalo Wings
INGREDIENTS
1 quart vegetable oil
24 chicken wings, tips removed and wings cut in half at joint
4 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar
5 tablespoons hot pepper sauce (I used Frank's hot sauce)
salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS
Heat the oil In a large skillet or deep fryer to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Deep fry chicken wings in oil until done, about 10 minutes. Remove chicken from skillet or deep fryer and drain on paper towels.
Melt the butter in a large skillet. Stir in the, vinegar and hot pepper sauce. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add cooked chicken to sauce and stir over low heat to coat. The longer the wings simmer in the sauce, the hotter they will be. Serve warm.
(for those of you opposed to frying, I used regular frozen chicken tenders (the kind that are already breaded) and baked them as usual and then used those in the sauce. They turned out pretty good - they smell a lot more spicy than they really are. We also served them with blue cheese and ranch dressing.)

Okay, now for the Peanut butter pancakes - these are really good
Peanut Butter Pancakes
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
2 eggs
3/4 cup peanut butter
2 cups milk
1/3 cup peanuts (chopped) -- or you could just use chunky pb to start out with
DIRECTIONS
Combine all dry ingredients until mixed well. Whisk the eggs and peanut butter together in bowl. Gradually add the milk to the flour mix and then the peanut butter mixture. Stil in peanuts. The batter will be thin but will thicken after standing a few minutes. Pour 1/4 cup mixture onto a heated greased griddle (about 350). Cook until the pancakes are golden. Makes 16 pancakes.
I halved this recipe for Derek and I and we still have a few left over for tomorrow - yea!

SO in other news... I started my new job on Monday. So far it has been pretty tough, it is a very steep learning curve and I feel like I already fell off the curve.... probably not too good. Today though, Derek and I brought me a new chair and a little shelf for my computer monitor so the enviroment will be a little bit more comfortable. I think with time I will catch on (hopefully). It is good experience for me though so that is a benefit.
This past week, we opened our home to a couple that is moving to CA for the military. They are friends of ours names Sal and Melissa and they have a baby named Ethan. It was pretty nice to get to spend some extra time with them and their baby but it was nice to get our home back to ourselves after they left. The second weekend in February, we have offered to be hosts for a group of kids for this thing that our church does called Paradise weekend. It is a weekend where kids kind of have a lock in. They will spend Friday night at a house (there will be about 7-10 kids in a group, plus a leader - our house will be one of the houses where they will stay) and then Saturday, they will eat breakfast at our house and then head to the church where they will have lots of bible studies, activities, and other cool kid stuff to do. The ages are from 6-12 so it should be fun. I think that Derek really has a big heart for kids as this was his idea. He is also going to be coaching a youth softball team again. Needless to say, we are going to be busy. Also, in April, Hotel Poppell with be opening again as Joslyn and Rob will be staying with us for about a week with their dog, Oakley. We are excited to see them again. If anyone else needs a place - we are reletively a good deal down here in Florida. You really can't beat free :)
On Monday, we went to Laura's (derek's boss) house and she gave us some options for our big trip that we are taking. We discussed it a bit and decided that if she is going to make us go on a trip a cruise wouldn't be so bad.... It looks like we will be going to the Cayman Islands, Nassau Bahamas, and Cozumel. We are very excited for this as we have yet to take a big trip, just the two of us since our honeymoon.
Other news: I cut my hair yet again. It is kind of an a-line, a little like how I had it in high school. I just got sick of it being so plain and bodyless. Now it can fluff!!! Very exciting news :) My friend Melissa (the one that stayed with us) liked it so much, that she went to my hairdresser and got the exact same cut. Now if that is not a compliment, I don't know what is... (in the picture, she is the one on the far left with the haircut like mine :) I also picked out new glasses today. This will be my first new pair since I think about my soph. or jr. year of high school. My insurance is up at the end of the month through SunTrust, so we are milking it for all it's worth and all we had to pay for the glasses was the copay. Not a bad deal I'd say.
On Monday, I am starting a new Bible study that I am very excited about - I bought the book today. It is called Believing God by Beth Moore. It talks about how good people are at believing in God, but not so much at Believing God. It should be good so maybe I'll give you some tidbits that I may learn.
School it still going well. I received a surprise scholarship on Wednesday in the mail which was surprising (hehe) but quite nice. Other than that, not much else is going on. We had a productive weekend - ran some errands, weatherproofed our patio furniture, Derek fixed the sink, fun stuff like that. But it's nice being able to slow down and be productive for yourself. I hope everyone else is doing well!
Julia - I sure miss you and am thinking about you alot in your senior year - my little sister is getting so old!!
Jo- sucks about your car... hopefully the dent is not so bad. Think of it this way -at least it's a car where you'd notice a dent. Some cars, you are so busy focusing on the bumper falling off and the smoke coming out from under the hood, that you tend to overlook the little dent... :)
Louis and Shannon -you have been in our prayers this weekend - God has great things in store for your family!!!
Mom and Dad - we miss you very much too - I hope you had a wonderful time in Sun Valley. Dad, I hope you have a good time playing with that really cool guitar player that you were talking about. By the way - have you seen the Garrison Keillor movie - A Prairie Home Companion?? We started watching it this weekend and I thought of you.
Love you all very much!
Sharon Rose