So much for a guided tour...

Its been a fun few weeks at home so far! Last Wednesday I had a mini-party at my house and a bunch of people came over to hang out, eat pizza and play guitar hero!
Of course, whenever my friends and I hang out, we just HAVE to go on a midnight adventure somewhere. How nifty that my house is conveniently located 20 minutes from downtown Niagara Falls! We drove over there and couldn't find parking at all on Goat Island (the island nestled between American Falls and Horseshoe Falls) due to the icey conditions, and lord knows that parking is a scarcity in the city area.

I have a riddle for you. Where am I if I am 20 minutes from home, not in Canada, not in Mexico, and not on USA territory, but still in North America?

Answer: In an Indian Casino!

So someone recommended that we park in the Senaca Niagara Casino, as its right there near the falls and free! Of course, being the adventurous kids that we are, we wondered what it was like in the casino, so we walked right in! Then we realized that you have to be 21 to enter the floor. Sung-man, interested in seeing more, went back in and asked if we could have a tour, since we were all under 21, and the "bouncer" said yes! So Janelle, Casey, Kailey, Sung, and I patiently waited to the side as he called for a guide for us. An official looking lady finally called us over and lead us into the belly of the casino. As we were walking quickly and only around the outer edges, we gave each other questioning looks, as we expected some sort of mini guided tour, but all we got was a face paced escort to the other side! How disappointing. She dropped us off on the other side of the casino, opposite of the falls and our car! And you can just walk outside and go around the building, its so cold and huge... so after exploring all possible routes back and discovering no such way, we had to ask for another escort! It ended up being the same lady too. I'm sure we looked like crazy fools- hurriedly walking from one end to the other. Oh well.
  
  At this time its about 1:30am, and it was ridiculous to see the people who were in the casino. There were tons and tons of raggedy elderly folks who were just glued to the gaming machines, pulling the lever with a sad but hopeful look in their eyes. Two days before Christmas, and I'm asking myself, shouldn't these people be home with their families? Sleeping or wrapping gifts, or baking cookies or something? I just wanted to run up and hug them and talk to them! Downtown Casinos don't do any good for an area. Sure they offer some entertainment and tons of places to eat and shop but in the long run all they bring to a community is gambling addictions, poverty, high suicide rates, and a strain on the infrastructure. That's a fact (check it out here here and here).

Anyways, this isn't a post about Casinos and gambling. After getting escorted through the casino, we walked over to the Falls viewing area and just admired its beauty. (hard to see the pic because its taken in the middle of the night!) Sung said "I would love to live around here and be able to hear the loud noises from nature all the time." haha. Its true.

I love Niagara Falls. Maybe is it overrated to some people, and surely those who live around here hardly give it a second glance, but I think its pretty cool. I recommend seeing it once in your life (go on the Maid of the Mist!).

Thats all for now folks!

Obsession Confession: Guacamole

This is the most amazing food that has entered my mouth in many a months.

Guacamole. who knew that it tastes amazing, and is EASY to make!

Ok, here's what to grab:
Ingredients:

3 soft avacados-skinned and mashed into chunky consistancy

(how to cut and peel avacado)

1 lime-juiced
garlic clove-diced

half of an onion- diced

1 large tomato-diced

hint of salt.

Now. Mush it all together. No special order. Just go for it.

And now eat.

Works great with tortilla chips, pita crisps, tacos, burrito's, wheat thins.

The only thing bad about guac- no matter how much you make, it ends up gone in five minutes or less by those ravenous guac lovers and there is never left overs. 

Last Minute Game Food

REAL BUFFALO CHICKEN WING DIP

4 chicken breasts (or any kind of boneless chicken meat)
1 bottle blue cheese sauce
3 oz package cream cheese
1 small bottle Frank's hot sauce shredded cheddar cheese


Cook chicken until cooked. PreHeat oven to 425°F. In an oven safe dish, spread 1.5 packages of cream cheese along the bottom.
In a separate bowl, Add blue cheese sauce and Frank's hot sauce (depending on how hot you'd like it), and the other half of the cream cheese. Mix it up.
Shred Chicken and add to cheesy hot mixture.
Spread chicken mixture over the top and sprinkle with cheddar cheese.

Cook for 20 minutes or until cheeses becomes bubbly.

Serve with Tortilla chips, celery, or crackers.
MAD GOOD SON.

Obsession Confession: Hummus

Ok for realz. I cant get enough hummus. All kinds. All day long I could bask in the glow of the earthy gloppy glory that man kind calls hummus. Seriously, you dont understand. And whats even better. ITS MAD CHEAP TO MAKE! Ok no joke kids. I would say you could make a huge pot of it for under 5 bucks all together.

Now, here is the "recipe" that me and my friends use, even though we dont measure anything and just kinda go with the flow and taste things out.

• 4 garlic cloves, minced and then mashed (or galric powder)
  
• 2-3 cans of garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained
  
• 2 tablespoons of tahini
  
• 1 squeezed lemon
  
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• sprinkle of paprika

Just step one: Dump everything together in a food processor or chopper thingy and go crazy.

You can pretty much add any sort of spice or taste to it and it will be glorious. I like the red pepper kinds, and garlic kinds. Also plain is pretty fricken good. The most expensive thing about this treat is the tahini, but once you buy a jar it can be used for ten more batches. You should make this right now.

Eat it with: pita chips, carrots, any vegetable, tortilla chips, bread, eggs, pasta, soup, crackers, tomato basil wheat thins, life.

I swear to the good lord, if you spend $4.99 for a little tub of processed weird ingredient hummus, I cant be your friend anymore.

Jelly Meatballs A la ENG1030

GRAPE JELLY MEATBALLS

1 lb. ground beef
2 c. white bread crumbs
1 pkg. dry onion soup
1 egg
1 tsp. dried parsley flakes

Mix all ingredients. Shape into balls and arrange in baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes. Don't overbake.

MAGIE SAUCE:

1 jar Heinz Chili Sauce
1 med. jar grape jelly

Mix magie sauce in crock pot. Put meatballs in sauce. Heat for about 1 hour before serving. (If meatballs were made and refrigerated the night before, give yourself at least 2 hours of crockpot time before serving.)