Friday Favorites- Easter Cupcakes, Tea and A New Dress For Me

I'm linking up here today to show you some of my favorite things this week!

Thanks for stopping by and let me know what you're loving too! 

My favorite thing I made this week was these Easter Cupcakes for Lizzy's class Easter Party....

Jelly Bird Eggs and a handle made from Spree Rope candy. Lizzy watched a YouTube video and wanted to make them and they turned out just great!

My favorite beverage of the week has been this....

Bigelow Benefits Radiate Beauty

I have been loving this tea all week! I bought it a month or 2 ago as I usually get on a "tea kick", drink a few cups then go months without it but I'm on my second box of this and could still drink it all day long, hot or cold. The neat thing is....

It's pretty! It tastes great and its this pretty shade of magenta.
I'm not sure that its actually going to make me radiant, but I think its great!
(I also like this one at night for sleep.)

And I got the comfiest dress this week and have worn it already and love it!

I blogged all about this shopping trip and started a fun new Thursday series called What's In Store you can read the full post here.

Thanks so much for all of your kind words and support from this post!
I am already looking forward to next Thursday's edition!

Those are my quick favorites on this Good Friday.

I hope all of you have a wonderful Easter weekend celebrating the glory of God
and our risen savior, Jesus Christ!

Comfort Food Stuffed Peppers- Whole30

You guys. 

Growing up stuffed peppers were always a favorite. I always asked my mom to make them for my birthday, I make extra filling every time I make them because I love it and can eat it by the bowlful.

But the way my mom makes them and therefore the way I've always made them they have rice and corn and oh yes, Velveeta. Since completing my 1st Whole30 and cleaning up what I eat for months and months those ingredients are off my list. 

I've seen lots of recipes out there for Whole30 compliant stuffed peppers, and read through them but none seemed like they would even compare to my childhood favorite. So, I decided to just go for it and use the skills I've gained using different veggies in new ways and come up with my own. 

Its a winner! These have a great, rich texture. You might swear you're eating rice when you taste this filling. This recipe makes enough filling for 8 generous peppers-- but I just stuff 4 peppers and keep half of the filling (freeze it for next time, eat it for lunch with a salad, use it another night with some zoodles or a baked potato--I've done it all!)

Ingredients

2 pounds ground venison (or lean beef, or bison or whatever your red meat of choice is--mix it up if you want)

1/2 tsp garlic powder

4 red bell peppers tops, seeds and membranes removed (or 8 if you want to use all of the filling now!)

1 orange bell pepper, diced

1 medium squash, grated

1 medium zucchini, grated

1/2 onion, grated

1/2 head of cauliflower, grated

1 can organic tomato sauce ( I used Muir Glen from Publix)

1/2 cup organic Chicken Stock (I use the Kirkland's brand from Costco)

2 Tablespoons Coconut oil

1 Tablespoon Olive oil

Salt

Pepper

Method

Preaheat oven to 350, drizzle olive oil over prepped peppers and place them upside in a glass baking dish. Bake for 10-12 minutes.

Meanwhile melt coconut oil in a large saucepan or pasta pot over medium high heat to brown your meat, season with garlic powder and place a small skillet over medium heat.Add cauliflower and chicken stock to the skillet, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally. Brown meat then drain and set aside. In the same pot saute diced bell pepper, squash, zucchini and onion. 

Now is a good time to add salt and pepper to the veggies and the cauliflower simmering in the skillet.Remove the peppers from the oven and turn them over to let them get ready for the filling. 

Once the veggies are soft, return the browned meat to the pot and stir in tomato sauce. After combining, fold in your cooked cauliflower rice. Your filling is done!

Fill the peppers and pop them back into the 350 degree oven for 15-18 minutes. 

You can freeze the other half of the filling or use it for more meals this week! 

A classic.

Comfort food.

Whole30 Compliant AND delicious. 

7 veggies, protein and healthy fat in one delicious entree. 

Happy, happy, happy!

Make These This Weekend-Sausage Cheese Biscuits

A savory, rich southern breakfast favorite in handy pass-me-one-of-those form? 

Perfection!

I found this recipe in the my new The Southern Living Community Cookbook. I have dog-eared so much in this book and can't wait to cook my way through it! 

These are just perfect for breakfasts, brunches, tailgates or potlucks. I hope you'll enjoy sharing these this weekend!

I made these for dinner on our snow day with eggs and fruit. The whole thing took 25 minutes.

1 pound breakfast sausage, cooked and drained. (I use Tennessee Pride.)

1 and 1/2 cups grated mild cheddar cheese

3 cups Bisquick

1 can Cheese Soup

3/4 cup of milk

Preheat oven to 375 and spray a muffin pan. Brown sausage until crumbly and cooked through. Drain sausage and let cool. In a large bowl combine cheese and Bisquick. In another small bowl mix together cheese soup and milk.  Stir sausage into dry ingredients then make a well and add wet ingredients. Scoop into muffin pan and bake for 20 minutes.

Yield: 12 amazing, filling yummy biscuit-muffins.

I hope you love these as much as we did! 

Bacon-Wrapped BBQ Chicken with Apples

I was talking to my mom as I left the grocery store the other day...

Me: So, I think I'm gonna wrap some chicken breasts in bacon, 

put barbecue sauce on them and roast them in the oven. 

I'm gonna put apples on top somehow.

Mom: I'd put he apples on the side.

Are you just making this up off the top of your head?

Me: Why, yes I am.

Y'all. It is so good! 

Tender and sweet with a little bit of BBQ spice. 

Winner, winner (another great) chicken dinner!

Here's what I did.

Heat oven to 350

Place 4 skinless boneless chicken breasts on a baking sheet and season (I shake some Tony Chachere's on both sides). Wrap each piece of chicken with bacon securing the ends underneath the chicken.

I used about 1 and 1/2 slices if bacon per piece of chicken. 

Sprinkle brown sugar over the top and bake for 45 minutes. 

Top with barbecue sauce and continue baking for 15 minutes. 

Meanwhile, peel and chop 2-3 medium apples, discarding cores. 

Melt 2-3 tablespoons of butter over medium-high heat, add apples, 1 tsp (or so) of cinnamon, 

2 tablespoons of brown sugar and reduce heat. 

Cook about 10 minutes stirring occasionally until apples soften to your preferred tenderness. 

Some folks like them firmer, others prefer them cooked to an almost liquid state. 

Y'all this is so great-can be made for a crowd for Sunday dinner or a weeknight supper. 

It was such a hit at our house and just enough spicy and sweet for everyone in the family. 

Ingredients list:

4 skinless boneless chicken breasts

6 (or so) slices if bacon

1 Tbsp Tony Chachere's

4 Tbsp Brown Sugar, divided

1/3 cup barbecue sauce (more or less)

2-3 Tbsp butter

2-3 medium apples

1 tsp cinnamon

Enjoy! 

Sugar Pies

My #1 kitchen assistant and very favorite 4 year old helped create these little sweeties and therefore got naming rights. 

Friends, countrymen-I give you Sugar Pies.

These will be our new go-to dessert at our house because they are so quick and easy and the delight inside is probably only limited by your imagination.

I made these mini-apple hand pies because I really was craving some fried pies but wanted to simplify things and lighten things up just a bit-or a lot! 

This recipe makes eight Sugar Pies, if you want, cut it in half and make four. Save the other pie crust for another day (like tomorrow). 

Here's what you need:

Two Pillsbury refrigerated pie crusts, thawed according to package directions (one package)

Two medium apples, peeled and diced

1/2 cup sugar (substitute for Splenda another alternative if you want)

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp honey

1 tablespoon flour

Preheat oven to 425.

Unroll each pie crust onto wax paper. Using a pizza cutter or sharp knife cut each crust into quarters (cut into two semi-circles, then cut each in half)

Combine apples, sugar, cinnamon, honey and flour in a small mixing bowl.

Spoon a small mound of apple mixture into each pastry piece. Fold pastry over, seal edges with a fork.

Place each sugar pie onto a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper or sprayed with nonstick spray. Brush the top of each pie with water, sprinkle with sugar and prick the tops with a fork.

Bake 15-17 minutes watching to make sure the cornered brown but don't burn. Cool. Enjoy. 

Easy as pie!! Wait, I think this is actually EASIER than pie!!

Share if you want. Or keep them all for yourselves! 

Makes 8. 

Menu Monday #15

Lasagna-I'm doing one for tonight and one for the freezer-here's how-

1 pound of Italian sausage, browned
1 jar spaghetti sauce
Oven ready lasagna noodles
32 oz part-skim ricotta
1 and 1/2 cups freshly grated mozzarella, divided
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1 egg
1 Tablespoon dried parsley

Brown Sausage in a large skillet, add sauce and let simmer. Preheat oven to 350.
Combine all other ingredients except 1/2 cup mozzarella in a mixing bowl.

Here are the pans I use.

They are available on amazon here. Free Shipping with Amazon Prime.

I highly recommend getting 3 or 4 if you want to start freezing meals. These have been the one thing (okay 4 things) that have enabled me to do this. Before, I never felt like I had the right "equipment" these are literally all you need.

Line one with two sheets of foil with plenty of overhang....

Now, assemble your lasagna by spooning a bit of sauce into the bottom of each pan and spread it around.

Then layer noodles, sauce, cheese mixture. Noodles sauce, cheese mixture.

 Noodles sauce cheese mixture. Top with reserved mozzarella.
Pop one in the oven and cover the other with foil.

Place in the freezer in the Pyrex. Tomorrow remove the foil wrapped frozen lasagna from the pan, slide into a labeled, gallon size freezer bag. You just spent about two extra minutes making a whole dinner for another night down the road!

Pork Chops and Roasted Cabbage- I'm bringing these back this week. I know y'all liked them too based on the texts and comments I got from some of you! I'm so happy y'all liked them and shared them with the Pinterest world!! Here they are again this week for us to enjoy! Welcome Pinterest Pork Chop People!!

Pork Chops and Oven Roasted Cabbage- if you've all but given up on pork chops, I urge you to try cooking them this way. Over the past 7 years I have prepared many mediocre pork chops...until I discovered this magical method. Its super simple too--

You'll need:

3-4 boneless center cut pork chops

1 head of cabbage

1 medium onion (I use Spanish, but whatever)

olive oil

salt and pepper

Creole Seasoning (I use Tony Chachere)

Preheat to 350, line a baking sheet with aluminum foil with plenty of overhang. Sprinkle Creole Seasoning over both sides of pork chops, set aside. Chop Cabbage into 6-8 chunks or wedges, discard outer leaves and core. Coarsely chop onion. Place cabbage, onion and pork on aluminum foil in center of pan, tucking pork in among cabbage chunks. drizzle all with olive oil, add salt, pepper and more creole seasoning over the top. Place a second sheet of aluminum foil loosely over top and seal edges all the way around. You will have a foil packet that should allow for some airspace. 

Pop in the oven for 1 hour, let rest for 5 minutes before opening foil then serve. I make macaroni and cheese with this and its just perfect. 

So easy and yummy, you'll find yourself loving pork chops from now on. 

Simple Meatloaf- this is the quickest, easiest meal in my arsenal. With the hectic Christmas schedule, I need quick and easy one night this week.

1 pound ground beef, or a mix package of 1/3 pound pork, 2/3 ground beef, one egg, envelope of Lipton Onion Soup mix, pepper. Mix it up, spread it in a casserole and bake at 350 for an hour. 15 minutes before its done open a small can of tomato sauce, stir in a few shakes of Worcestershire and garlic salt and coat top of meatloaf. Ta-dah! And leftovers for lunch!!!

Frontier Casserole (courtesy of Kate at 2 Kids, a Minivan and  a Mortgage) Kate first shared this recipe and I've made it several times. Its also an easy-peasy crowd pleaser. With Chicken, Sausage and Yellow Rice as the main ingredients this is great for a pot-luck, tailgate or anytime year-round. I'm so glad she shared this!

3 chicken breasts cooked and chopped

1 pound browned breakfast sausage

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 small can of mushrooms (optional)

1 package yellow (saffron) rice prepared per package directions

Combine all ingredients in a bowl, place in a greased 9x13 baking dish, bake at 350 for 30 minutes. 

Spaghetti and Meatballs- I make my meatballs by combining equal parts ground beef and pork, salt, pepper, Italian seasoning and just about 1/2 cup of Japanese breadcrumbs for 2 pounds of meat. I brown mine in a skillet with a little olive oil and add sauce when they are cooked through.

If its easier for you to open a bag of frozen, that is okay with me. They are also delish. :)

That rounds out or 5 days of dinner this week.

I'll be in the kitchen aplenty this week making some Christmas cookies and making the most of the holiday season!

Sweet Somethings

Here are a few treats we've been sharing on these cold winter nights.

Hot Mint Chocolates

Its a basic Hot Chocolate recipe with a dash of peppermint extract-and crushed peppermint, chocolate chips and marshmallows on top.
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate (1/2 Baker's chocolate bar)chopped
4 cups milk
1/3 cup sugar
Peppermint extract-just two little drops, about 1/4 teaspoon gives you the taste

Place chocolate, 1/3 cup milk and sugar in a saucepan over medium heat stir until sugar and chocolate melt. Add remaining milk and heat through, stirring frequently do not boil. Add mint at the end. Garnish with crushed peppermint, marshmallows and mini chocolate chips.

The perfect warm-up with the tiniest hint of mint.

And if you've never made hot chocolate without using a packet of powder, please try it once this winter. It is delightful and easy.

Homemade Chocolate Chip Cookies
This recipe is from a great church cookbook. Andrew Price Memorial UMC in Nashville. It is noted that Wayne Campbell submitted this recipe. Thank you, Mr. Campbell!

From one of my favorite church cookbooks. I make these rather small and they the absolute perfect texture. It really doesn't take much time to make cookies from scratch and these beat the pants off of any mix or refrigerated dough you'll find.

1 cup Crisco
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 cups all-purpose flor
1 tsp baking soda
1-12 ounce bag semi-sweet chocolate chips

Cream together Crisco and shortening, sugars  and vanilla beating on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add eggs and beat well after each addition. In a separate bowl combine flour and baking soda. Add dry to creamy mixture. Stir in chocolate chips by hand. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes. Makes about 6 1/2 dozen.

The first time I made these I only had half a bag of butterscotch and half a bag of mini chocolate chips. They were also yummy. This is a fantastic recipe- and a great one for working with what you have on hand most of the time.

Turkey remix 2013

Turkey is probably the preferred poultry in our house.

And since we're entering the glorious time of holiday feasting we're also looking to make the most of our leftovers.

Here are two new couldn't-be-easier ways to rework your turkey bird.

Balsamic Pasta with Turkey and Roasted Vegetables
1-2 cups leftover cooked turkey
1 pound box of pasta (i had tri-color rotini on hand)
1 bottle of balsamic vinaigrette salad dressing
1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes
1-2 cups fresh spinach
1/2 cup crumbled feta, plus more for garnish

Cook up a box of your family's favorite pasta-or whatever you have on hand-penne, rotini, rigatoni, ziti.

While your pasta's boiling chop or dice 1 and 1/2 to 2 cups of turkey and coat with about 1/3 bottle of balsamic vinaigrette dressing. Set aside.

Chop tomatoes in half, if they are really juicy, squeeze some of the juice and seeds out onto a paper towel. Grab two handfuls of fresh spinach and roughly chop.

Once pasta has been cooked and drained combine pasta, turkey, tomatoes, spinach, 1/2 cup feta cheese and another 1/3 bottle of the dressing and toss. Place in a large covered casserole and bake covered at 350 for about 20-25 minutes. You want this to be warm, but not baked and dry.

Serve up and top with a bit more crumbled feta.

You could marinade your turkey overnight for this dish, it certainly couldn't hurt.

Turkey Tacos
A turkey and a taco kit walk into a bar.....have yourself a margarita and guess what happens.

My advice is this--warm your leftover turkey in a skillet with 1/2 cup chicken stock, then add taco seasoning and instead of using the water that the box calls for, replace it with chicken stock. You simply can't go wrong.


If you want more turkey ideas here are some other dishes we've done at our house

BBQ Turkey Stack on Pumpkin Cornbread

Turkey Vegetable Pie

Calzones just sub your turkey for the chicken

Cavatappi with Turkey and Peas

Happy Thanksgiving!
Watch a parade or some football!
Have a laugh and/or an adult beverage!
Enjoy the weekend shopping or hunting or trimming your tree!

Peanut Butterscotch Krispie Treats

This is the first thing I can remember cooking as a child.

It was the only way I knew of to make Rice Krispie treats until I was an adult. I've since tried the marshmallow way, but to me these are the real thing.

1 cup creamy peanut butter (give or take)
1/2 bag butterscotch chips
3-4 cups rice cereals n a large bowl, combine peanut butter and chips. Microwave at 60%power in 30 second intervals, stirring after each interval until chips are melted and smooth. (It took three intervals.) Stir in cereal and pour mixture into 8x8 buttered dish. Chill for one hour.

Enjoy and share!

Menu Monday- Halloween, Chili 5 ways, Pumpkin Bread and More

Lots and lots to talk about with this Menu Monday! Stick around for some tips and tricks for your trick-or-treat week!

Chicken Tamale Pie-I am loving how easily this recipe came together and it was delicious. I used this recipe.

Dixie Stampede Soup- So many folks have mentioned this on facebook that I decided to go ahead and give this a whirl. I've had it on my "to try" list for about a year now and thought now that its soup season, let's give it whirl. Jay ate 2 bowls..one before church and another after. Um, if my 3 year old will eat vegetable soup, then this one is staying in the rotation, friends! There are lots of versions out there, I adapted a few and did this:

6 Tablespoons salted butter

1 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp garlic salt

2 tsp corn syrup

6 tablespoons all purpose flour

few grinds of pepper

pinch of salt

1 cup of chicken broth

3 cups of water

1 can sliced potatoes finely chopped

1 can sliced carrots finely chopped

4 cups half-and-half

In a large pot, melt butter add onion powder, garlic salt, corn syrup. Add flour, pepper, salt, chicken broth, water and vegetables simmer for a few minutes, add half-and-half and simmer on low, do not boil. 

Calzones with Chicken, Marinara, Mushrooms-I made extra chicken on Tamale Pie night and used the extra to make these awesome calzones. (Disclaimer: I made the kids a cheese pizza tonight.)

1 pizza dough (in the bakery at Publix, there is a tiny fridge with dough--did you know that?)

1# cooked chicken

1 package fresh mushrooms

1 jar marinara

freshly grated mozzarella

olive oil

salt, pepper, garlic salt italian seasoning, to taste

flour for surfaces

Heat 1 Tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet, add chopped, cooked chicken. Once heated add entier package fresh mushrooms, saute 2-3 minutes, add salt pepper and season ings to taste. Reduce heat to low, let mushrooms continue to cook down. 

Remove dough from package, cut into thirds. Using floured hands and a floured surface, Stretch each third into  large oval shapes, spoon half of the chicken mushroom mixture onto one side of two ovals. Top with generous handful of mozzarella, fold plain side of dough over pressing seam together all the way around with a fork. Place on baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil and spread over entire top with hands. Season with italian seasoning. 

I used the final third oval to make a cheese pizza for the kids with the marinara and mozzarella. 

Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes or until golden brown. Serve with warm red sauce. 

Chili-for us, Chili is a Halloween must-have. If you've been following our Menu Monday plans, you may have some Chili in the freezer to make tonight extra easy. I also want to share with you how we do leftover chili at our house...

(if you follow me on instagram you've seen some of these before)

Chili 5 ways

1. Top Baked potatoes, add cheese and sour cream.

2. Cornbread Cups- I found these awesome cornbread biscuits in the dairy section and knew I had to try them out. I greased a muffin tin, pressed the biscuits into the cups, making a well. Filled the well with some thawed leftover chili and topped with cheese (all we had was sliced) and baked at 350 for about 15-17 minutes. Total homerun!

3. Burritos-using a slotted spoon, fill tortillas and roll, bake in a casserole dish at 350 for 15 minutes, top with queso OR just heat individually in the microwave and serve with chips and salsa

4. Quesadillas- in a nonstick skillet or on a griddle warm tortilla, layer on cheese, chili, peppers, salsa--whatever you like, more cheese, top with another tortilla, flip and brown second side.

5. Nachos-line a baking sheet with foil, spread tortilla chips, top with chili, cheeses, peppers, salsa, pop in 375 degree oven, top with sour cream, lettuce, tomato, guacamole.

There you have it! 5 easy ways to re-mix this fall menu staple!

Beef and Mushrooms (aka Pot Roast) click here for the recipe and the story behind that name!

also this week it's Pumpkin Bread from Miss Daisy.

1 cup water

1 cup oil

1 can pumpkin pie filling or plain pumpkin

3 cups sugar

3 eggs

1 cup black walnuts, chopped

1 and 1/2 cups dates, chopped

3 and 1/2 cups self rising flour

1 tsp each nutmeg, ginger, salt

1/2 tsp cloves

1/2 tsp baking powder

2 tsp cinnamon

2 tsp baking soda

Mix together first 7 ingredients, sift together remaining ingredients. Mix well with pumkin mixture. Pour into two large greased loaf pans (I used 1 large and 4 small) Bake for 1 and 1/2 hours at 325 (30 minutes for the small loaves).

It is awesome!

So awesome in fact that just after I snapped this picture and put the "pumpkin cake" waayyy back on the counter, I turned around to this.

The boy and the very eager dog in the wings.

Jay took some in his lunch box he liked it so much!

This recipe is from my all-time favorite cook book Recipes from Miss Daisy's - 25th Anniversary Edition
 you can find it here. This is the 25th anniversary edition and it is UNDER $10. It is the best $10 you'll ever spend.

Its a busy week in the kitchen, and this menu is awesome and easy. I know you'll find somethings here to add to your family's favorites.

Thanks for visiting and Happy Halloween!!

I'll be back Monday for another awesome week of family dinners! Have a wonderful week!

Menu Monday #7-food for the week and for the freezer

There's a chill in the air and my menu looks like fall this week!

Pork Chops and Oven Roasted Cabbage- if you've all but given up on pork chops, I urge you to try cooking them this way. Over the past 7 years I have prepared many mediocre pork chops...until I discovered this magical method. Its super simple too--

You'll need:

3-4 boneless center cut pork chops

1 head of cabbage

1 medium onion (I use Spanish, but whatever)

olive oil

salt and pepper

Creole Seasoning (I use Tony Chachere)

Preheat to 350, line a baking sheet with aluminum foil with plenty of overhang. Sprinkle Creole Seasoning over both sides of pork chops, set aside. Chop Cabbage into 6-8 chunks or wedges, discard outer leaves and core. Coarsly chop onion. Place cabbage, onion and pork on aluminum foil in center of pan, tucking pork in among cabbage chunks. drizzle all with olive oil, add salt, pepper and more creole saesoning over the top. Place a second sheet of aluminum foil loosely over top and seal edges all the way around. You will have a foil packet that should allow for some airspace. 

Pop in the oven for 1 hour, let rest for 5 minutes before opening foil then serve. I make macaroni and cheese with this and its just perfect. 

So easy and yummy, you'll find yourself loving pork chops from now on. 

Corn Chowder-freeze half of this to eat again later.I used this recipe from the Pioneer Woman. I added plenty of salt and pepper and a few shakes of Tony's. I did not do the bread bowls, but made cheese biscuits. I also used frozen corn, although I want to remember to make this next summer for freezing when it's peak corn season. It was great and even better on day 2.

Tortellini with Pumpkin Alfredo Sauce--remember how I told you I was trying to embrace fall in this post? I've not yet tried this, so here goes nothing!

Beef and Cheddar Casserole--I'm using this recipe, but making it in two 8x8 pyrex dishes. Making one to serve and one to freeze.

Chili-Here's how I make my chili. For us its enough to eat for dinner, have leftovers for lunches and freeze two more portions that will be dinners in upcoming weeks.

In a a large pot-brown meat with a dash of olive oil and garlic salt then add onion and leave it for a few minutes. 

1 pound ground beef (venison, turkey, chicken-whatever)

1 medium onion, chopped

olive oil

garlic salt

Then add:

1 28 oz. can whole tomatoes

2 cans chili beans

2 cans kidney beans

2 cans black beans (I always get reduced sodium)

**i have been known to add an extra can of beans here or there if I have them, but this is the usual. This part is all up to you**

1 bag Carroll Shelby Chili Seasoning. I only  use the big packet, not the extra cayenne, masa or salt.

Stir. Cover. Cook at least 30 minutes, up to 2 hours on LOW. Bust up the tomatoes with your stirring spoon if they don't burst on their own.

I usually make mine by lunchtime to serve that day. The longer it sits, the better it gets. (up to a point, of course. Don't give yourself food poison or anything...)

Okay, so we've cooked 5 meals, and have a total of 9 dinners plus some lunches to show for it. That's a win in my book!

That's what I'm cooking this week, plus some fall treats.

Oh, and I did just receive this little baby (actually 2). Be prepared for some homemade doughnut magic soon!


What's for dinner at your house?

I think I can....

So, if you follow me on instagram you're aware of my new hobby.

Canning has become a creative outlet for me.

I have fallen hard for mason jars. The Ball Blue Book is a page turner for me these days.

I spent last Friday night driving to 4 grocery stores in search of a watermelon with a thick enough rind to use for watermelon rind pickles. (Who knew we have all but eliminated watermelon rind?)

So far I've made
4 pints of Fig Preserves (Our very own figs from our very own tree in our very own yard!)
11 pints of Apple Butter (with apples from the Oswalt's farm)
9 half-pints of Muscadine Jelly (with Miuscadines from Dede and Papa's)
5 pints of Watermelon Rind Pickles

I just LOVE it. and last weekend when I was a Target I noticed this....

...so, I must not be the only one who has rediscovered canning and preserving and am trying it out.


Everything about it reminds me of my grandparents. I can remember sitting on Grandmommy and Grandaddy's patio helping to shuck and silk corn to put up and breaking bags and bags and bags of beans with my mom, aunts and cousins.

I remember Gaga sharing preserves and jellies on his famous Gaga bread that folks would like up for. I can remember sharing biscuits and jelly with Nanny and Gaga on their deck the morning of my wedding because I just stopped by before going to the church.

Inside those jars are sweet memories.

I understand now why they didn't seem to mind all of the work that went into making jars of jellies, pints of corn, loaves of bread. The satisfaction that comes with taking one thing and creating something that you can keep or share is wonderful. I can only imagine that it's simlar for artists or crafters, this medium is just a delicious one and the studio starts in the field and ends in the kitchen.

and let me say this- I am NOT what you would ever describe as a perfectionist. I am have ZERO OCD-tendencies. I sometimes wish I did, but oh well.

But I can do this and you can, too! I thought it would be too hard or tedious or impossible to do with toddlers, but I was wrong.

I'm learning as I go and careful to follow instructions, but I love it.

Here's to sweet memories and many, many delicious biscuits for breakfast.

Weekend Breakfast: Chocolate Monkey Bread

A few Saturdays ago, I baked up a treat for breakfast and I am so glad I did!

We had several "drop in" visitors that day and it was so great to have some of the leftovers from this sweet treat to snack on all day long.

I also made it Labor Day weekend and it was another all day hit.

I came up with my Monkey Bread on the fly. I guess I should explain my methodology here. I read recipes all the time, but very rarely actually follow a recipe while cooking. I'll come across something that sounds good, read the recipe then store it on a mental shelf.

Then I usually pick up some needed ingredients along the way, and throw together my version. It's always based off of an actual recipe, but not terribly scientific. It works for me 99% of the time. I will refer directly to a recipe if it's a technique I've never tried before and of course when baking, because that's like science.

All of that to say, I read a few Chocolate Monkey Bread recipes. If you're looking for one, this looks like a good one and Shay's recipes seem to be easy to follow.

I read this one, among others....but what I actually did was

Preheated to 350 and sprayed my bundt pan.
Opened 3 cans of fridge biscuits, cut each biscuit into quarters. (I used Grands Flaky Layers Original) (why there are so many types of canned biscuits just boggles my mind)
Metled 2 sticks of better
Dipped each is biscuit piece in butter
Then dredged it in one large box of chocolate pudding powder (not prepared)
Randomly stacked the pieces and added a few layers of milk chocolate chips
Poured the remaining melted butter over that bad boy and baked for 28-30 minutes.

Y'all it was awesome for breakfast. Again at 10, 12, and 2...and for a midnight snack, too.

I would definitely take this to a tailgate, or any sort of all day function.

Saturdays may officially become Monkey Bread Monings at our house!

STRAWBERRY POUND CAKE

I was recently asked what gift I gave to the kids Sunday School teachers when I shared this teacher gift tag.

Behold--STRAWBERRY POUND CAKE!!

I'm not sure how I forgot to share this, because it is SO awesome. Thankfully, the folks at Duncan Hines remembered when they printed it on the side of the box, which is where I stumbled across this little gem.

If you need to give happiness or comfort to someone in the form of CAKE. This is it.

(I also said the same about this Mocha Cake a few months ago, both are stellar.)

(A girl can never have too many easy, knock-your-socks-off cakes in her arsenal, right?)

Okay, the recipe....1 pkg Duncan Hines Signature Strawberry Supreme Cake Mix
1 (3.4 oz) vanilla instant pudding
4 large eggs
1 cup water
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 cup mini chocolate chips

Preheat to 350, grease and flour 10 inch bundt pan.***

Combine cake mix, pudding, eggs, water and oil. Beat at low speed until moistened, switch to medium speed for 2 minutes. Stir in chips, pour into prepped pan.

Bake 55-60 minutes or until a toothipick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 25 minutes then transfer to wire cooling rack. Cool completely.


***I made this in small loaf pans for gift for our Sunday School teachers. I baked them for about 30 minutes, just keeping an eye on them. They make perfect gifts when baked this size!***

(I attached the printable teacher gift tags I posted in this post.)

For the frosting- I used ready made cream cheese frosting, heated for 20 seconds per label instructions and drizzled over the tops of my small cakes and the larger bundt when I've made that size. The original recipe calls for ready made butter cream, which I am sure is also tasty.

Enjoy!

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Winner, winner (not chicken) dinner

Yesterday, I told you about our nuggetless month. I thought I'd share some new favorites we've found.

1. Mini Tomatoes-orange, yellow and red. I first mentioned them here.

2. Fried Okra!

Photo Source

Remember, this has been a month of introducing new things and eating more veggies, not necessarily "clean" eating.

Jay really, truly likes okra now and has even ordered it instead of fries at a restaurant. Of course there's ketchup involved and that's okay with me.

Grab a bag of frozen, or make your own when okra's in season, get out your iron skillet and it takes half the time of making French fries in the oven!

3. Meatballs {2 ways}

I don't know about you but ever since this episode of Duck Dynasty, I've questioned myself when making spaghetti and meatballs.

I made turkey meatballs (added plenty of seasoning), browned in a skillet and added a jar of sauce then simmered for maybe an hour. I also used vegetable spaghetti noodles. Jay has asked for "bisghetti" and meatballs over and over.  Joseph also asked me what kind of sausage I used, so I would say I seasoned it well and we didn't need pizza.

I also made "porcupine" meatballs, again using ground turkey. I used a Lipton onion soup mix and one bag of (uncooked) brown minute rice to make my meatballs. I browned them in a skillet, added a can of cream of mushroom and some chicken broth and covered the skillet to simmer for about 40 minutes.

I served them with a big salad and some Mac-n-cheese, (made with veggie noodles). Lizzy and Jay both ate them easily and I will definitely be keeping this in our rotation.

Sorry no food photos. I can't figure out when food bloggers take awesome photos of "what's for dinner" whilst actually cooking, serving and eating dinner. Perhaps I'll get that figured out soon. 

That time I forgot to buy chicken...

Almost a month ago, a perfect storm came about...

I'd been feeling like I wasn't doing enough to keep healthy veggies on the menu for the kids...

Jay's 3 year checkup and encouragement from our doctor to get and keep Jay eating new fruits and veggies....

I totally flaked and forgot to buy chicken nuggets at the store.

So, I thought this might be a good time to force us to eat different things instead of going back to the freezer to ol' faithful night after night.

I'm happy to share that we survived a month without chicken nuggets for dinner.

Not to say the kids haven't had their fair share as in a few trips to CFA and a couple of dinners out with grandparents, but we have only had them out and in moderation which is a win in my book.

We've tried lots and lots of new foods, not had a single fit or meltdown and no one has had to go on a hunger strike. I'm proud of this little accidental experiment.

And, in full-disclosure I bought some nuggets today and will probably serve them to the kids for dinner tomorrow.

Here's what I've learned--

1. If you don't ask, you won't receive. On the first night of my attempt to "get Jay to eat more veggies" I just cooked some steam-in-the-bag-with-cheese frozen veggies, put 1/2  cup in a small bowl for him and 1/4 for Lizzy. I just asked Jay to eat them and explained that we'd be trying new things like Dr. Malone said. He proceeded to eat his veggies right along with the rest of his meal and was proud in the end. Don't ask why this was surprising to me, it just was.

2. Asking a toddler to try something new is not the same as asking him to pretend he likes it. I had to remind myself that my request to the kids each day was "try it". They did it!! They did not, however, always have a good reaction. Its important to realize they are toddlers, not 5th graders and they do not have to clean their plates or use polite compliments. Nor do they know how. If something was gross to them they let me know.

3. This is not about me. Its my job to offer the new experience and encourage them to try new things, it is not my job to force feed them things they do not like in the interest of saying "My kids eat all of their veggies." or "My kids eat anything I put in front of them." A rejection or acceptance of food is just that. It is not a reflection of my parenting, cooking or care for my kids. It just isn't.

4. Getting them involved helps. This is true with Jay at 3, not so much with Lizzy at 16 months. We've taken more trips to the grocery store and Whole Foods with Jay on foot rather than in the cart. While it is more expensive to go this route, it has proven to get him interested in the produce department, paying more attention to what he sees people eating (in real life and on TV), and tasting things.

5. Samples are your friend. I'm sure this is not always true, but it has helped me to buy things I ordinarily wouldn't have and would keep me from buying things the kids won't like if we try then at the store first. Again, probably not the best tip if you're trying to manage your grocery budget to the penny, but for this it worked. We discovered cherry tomatoes, cherries and guacamole that we liked by doing this. I never would have bought the tomatoes or the cherries. It also provides good conversation points to go back to later.

6. Hide the veggies. Some things we've tried outright and others have been hidden. Chocolate Chip (Zucchini) Muffins are a good example. We've also tried Sweet Potato Biscuits. Both are yummy.

7. There's a place for everything. Yes, I am going back to keeping some nuggets on hand. Why? Because my kids do really like them. They will try new things, eat some fruits and vegetables and sometimes eat chicken nuggets and applesauce. I want them to try new things and find new favorites, I also want them to enjoy mealtimes and treats from time to time. That's what we do as adults, so I see no need to set a false set of expectations for my kids. We're just a real family, not a commercial for "clean" eating.

This month has forced me to cook creatively and rely of some tried and true family favorite recipes. I'll try to share some more this week to help me remember what worked and what didn't  keep handy here on the blog.

We've tried new meats, veggies, fruits, breakfasts, lunches, snacks and dinner. It became more of an all around "shake up the menu" than an attempt to try every veggie under the sun. Maybe you've been here before and can share some tips with me or maybe you're on this journey yourself and we can all learn from each other. 

Baking, sharing, giving, receiving

As most every other typical two year old in the history of the world, Jay's  been a tad precocious lately and challenging many of the things I thought I knew about this parenting thing.

Never one to back down from a challenge, Daddio and I have changed our approach in many ways, changed our thinking and our actions in hopes of maintaining some clear boundaries while keeping Jay from full-blown meltdowns every five minutes and talking ugly "between the buoys" as they say.

One of the areas we're struggling with is sharing. With the start of preschool and new baby sister, most of the ways we've addressed sharing is "Don't take things away", "give her that back", etc.

So, after months of struggle in this area (some weeks more than others, like everything, it happens in phases) I've started trying to teach sharing, rather than correcting mistakes. And, since I am most comfortable in the kitchen, we'll start here.

Jay gets a big wooden spoon and a bowl of bananas to mash. I measure and together we mix a batch of banana bread.

We prepare four small pans and bake them up and I wrap them--for sharing.

 

Our first batch we shared with a family that is friends with our family who lost someone this week. Jay overheard me on the phone saying "that's so sad" ( this was the morning of our first banana bread day, we'd just taken it out of the oven) he asked "who's sad?" So I got off of the phone and told him who was sad, but not why, and he said "we take her some and make her happy?!?" By the way he was smiling, I knew something was clicking.

As we were baking today's batch, I asked Jay who we should share his bread with. He was stacking the little pans and as he laid them out he named teachers at his school. Great! So, batch #2 will be delivered tomorrow.

The goal is that he can actively learn sharing and giving and happiness, rather than simply be corrected a for taking a toy for the gazillionth time.I hope we can continue this project and similar ways of actively learning to share rather than "no, No, NO" and "don't, stop, quit".

So, if you know us and we randomly show up on your doorstep bearing baked goods, I hope you enjoy them and know that I'm grateful for your gratitude as we experiment with life lessons...and recipes.

And if you're looking for a GOOD go-to banana bread recipe- look no further. This one is great and not too complicated to manage with a 2 year old in the kitchen-which is saying a LOT. We added chocolate chips today so, its a great Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Recipe too! Here is the link to lots of banana bread variations that look awesome, too!

Oh and today, we also baked a big loaf to keep at our house. Lessons learned for a happy marriage.

Mocha-Cake-Love

My sweet cousin, Kathy shared this cake with us a few weeks ago when Grandmommy passed away and shared the recipe with me this week when a friend of Dede's lost her father.

This is my new go-to recipe when I need a dessert to take to a friend, family or pot-luck. It is amazing.

Kathy and I cook the exact same way...only measuring when necessary and shooting from the hip. What can I say?? When it comes to the kitchen we were both raised right.

This is how Kathy and I made this awesome cake.

Cake:
1 box Chocolate Cake mix ( i used Betty Crocker Chocolate Fudge) according to package directions.
3 Tablespoons Instant Coffee, dissolved in a bit of water

Follow cake instructions, I cut about 5 minutes off of my baking time to make sure my cake was nice and most and to prevent any burning of the edges.

Frosting: 
2/3 Cup softened butter
2 1/2 to 3 cups Confectioners sugar
3T Cocoa ( i used Hershey's)
Strong Brewed Coffee and Cream (I did 1/2 cup of HOT water with 3T of instant coffee and added enough vanilla creamer to make the coffee a khaki color)

Mix  butter and sugar (add sugar in thirds) on medium, then switch to high after butter and sugar are incorporated  Add Coffee Tablespoon at time and mix well. (Mixture will be sandy before adding the liquid, ti's okay) If your frosting is too grainy  add more (coffee) liquid. If it's too bland add another 1/2 -1 teaspoon of cocoa. If it's too runny add more confectioners sugar and make it your own. 

Try this next time you are taking food to a new parent, new neighbor, the bereaved  a pot-luck, or anytime you and coffee lovers gather in the name of glucose.

:)

My Husband Hates Pot Roast

Oh, the hubs and his preferences! Just teasing-in general he's a traditional guy--a meat and potatoes man. Just don't put the meat and potatoes in the crock pot and simmer for a few hours-then he's a "I'll just stop and get something on the way home" kinda man.

I personally like pot roast and have had to adapt a bit throughout our married life to try to replace this universally well-liked go-to dinner from our menu. This week I had two success stories that were inexpensive, easy and well received. I thought I would share them here if anyone else is looking for new family dinner recipes.

Pork Loin
(this should have a better name, but I kinda made it up so name it yourself and call it your own!)
1.5 lb Pork Loin
Dijon Mustard
Lipton Onion Soup mix
Salt (few dashes), Pepper (1 tablespoon?)
Other spices on hand ( i used dried ginger and allspice) probably a tablespoon of each.
Most of a 10 oz. jar of CHUNKY Applesauce
EVOO

I patted the pork dry, then coated with Dijon mustard, mixed the spices together and sprinkled over all sides of the pork. Browned the loin on all sides in a heated skillet with evoo, then set aside. I added the onion soup mix and 1/2 water to the hot skillet to "de-glaze"and recapture the lost spices and mustard and renderings from the pork. Placed the pork in the Crock Pot on low for 4 hours, poured the contents of the skillet and most of the jar of applesauce on top.

Jay had the rest of the applesauce for lunch. :)

It was really good, I served with shredded cabbage and John's Slaw Dressing and mac-n-cheese.

Tomato Beef Bake (you could call this roast)
2 lb. Oven Roast
Lipton Onion Soup Mix
Salt (dash) Pepper (several grinds)
Sprinkle of flour
Jar of Sliced Mushrooms, drained
can of Hunt's Diced Tomatoes w Onion and Garlic

Coated the Roast with dry soup mix, pepper, salt then dusted lightly with flour. Add mushrooms and tomatoes, cover and bake (could Crock Pot this and it would be awesome, but I didn't have 4 hours to spare) 350 degrees-90 minutes. Serve over rice. I served with green beans.

One day, when I don't have a 16-month-old on my hip and a baby in my tummy, I might try to photograph some things while cooking. Right now, it's impossible. That's life.