Savoring

I've decided to do a little theme post periodically.

Maybe it will become a weekly post - maybe not.

Right now it's about being in the moment.

Documenting.

Savoring.

This weekend I am savoring a date night with Rocky and some delicious-will-be-put-into-the-rotation Crock Pot Chicken Enchilada Soup. 

Both were fantabulous.

I encourage you to make the soup. Rocky is already spoken for ;-)

I'd love to hear what you are savoring at this moment. Leave a comment (and with a link to your post if you blog).



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Don't forget Turn the page ... Tuesday is this week! I've got some great reads for the month of October to share. Think spooky and suspenseful but minus the gore. Boo Yeah!

Say Cheese

And mmm - mmm - good.

Charleston Cheese

1/2 C mayo
8 oz sour cream softened
1 C grated sharp Cheddar cheese
2 green onions, chopped
6 round, buttery crackers, crushed
8 slices bacon, fried and crumbled

In a bowl, mix mayo, cream cheese, Cheddar cheese, and onions. Put mixture into a greased quiche dish. Top with crushed crackers. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and top with crumbled bacon. Serve with crackers.

Great snack for Super Bowl party - or anytime party!

 

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Don't forget Turn the page ... Tuesday is February 5th. Blink and it will be here!

 

Sticky Fingers

Oh my.

 

 

 

I am trying to clean up this ol' blog of mine and found over 40 drafts that never made it to this side of my virtual world.

Time to delete and/or post.

 

With more snow on the way I need some s'more fun to remind me of warmer days!

Spoon Me

It finally feels like winter around here. More fires in the fireplace and stews on the stove top.

While unloading the dishwasher the other day I realized that there was only one knife and every single spoon we own. Large and small.

It's finally cold enough to keep the forks in the drawer.

Soups on.

Here are two of my favorites that you can put in the crock pot or let simmer on your stove in your brand new red dutch oven that you got for Christmas ;-)


Gumbo

 

Public Service Announcement:

 

You better make sure you have a healthy supply of these clean and at the ready.

 

Back to previosly schedule programing:

 

I have found these great chicken sausages that are seasoned (and nitrate free) and filled with a bit of cheese. Oh boy. They are so good and perfect for many different recipes - this being one of them: White Bean and Sausage Soup.

 

 

Stream of consciousness:

 



I don't know if I'm more in love with the ease of how quickly these come together or the simplicity of a one utensil meal ...

 

 

Soups On

Only a day late for Jodi's Soup Bowl.

This is one of my favorite soups because it is healthy and filling AND great for leftovers/freezing.

Bean Hominy Soup

3 (16 oz) cans Great Northern beans
1 (11oz) can whole-kernel yellow corn, drained
1 (16 oz) can hominy 2 cups water
1 (14 oz) can no-salt-added stewed tomatoes
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon dried cilantro
1 (10 oz) can diced tomatoes with green chiles
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 cup shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese
1 (11 oz) can bean with bacon soup

Combine the undrained bean, undrained hominy, stewed tomatoes and tomatoes with green chiles in a Dutch oven. Add the soup, corn and water mix well.

Stir in the bay leaves, cilantro, and cumin.

Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Simmer, covered, for 30 minutes.
Remove and discard the bay leaves. Ladle the soup into warm soup bowls.
Sprinkle each serving with some of the cheddar cheese.
Serves 12
Pop on over here for some great warm you up soup recipes. Thanks for hosting Jodi!

Soups on!

Bags and Bowls

The before I let them pig out on whatever they wanted from their goody bags picture

come to think of it ... they had similar expressions as they were lying on the floor exhausted from their adventure.

I kinda looked like our pumpkin when the festivities were all done.

Good bye crazy October.

Hello November.

Cold weather and warm soup.

Will you join me in sharing your favorite soup recipe?

Pop on over to Jody's on November 7th to link to your bowl of goodness. More info here.

Saucy

After making over 100 meatballs I need to make some sauce.

My new go to cooking in bulk cookbook does have several red sauce recipes and one that was with the meatballs but Rocky likes his a little saucier ... as in with a bit of heat.

I got to cookin' again and filled 8 1/2 mason jars full off the glorious red stuff.


You can see by the tops of my lids these jars have been recycled many a time - I love that.

60 ounces or so of garlic and onion laced red nectar is stored in our freezer awaiting it's mate ... the mozzarella stuffed meatballs!

If you wish to get a little saucy yourself here's the recipe. (I have made these meatballs too and they are delish. You can't go wrong either way.)

I'd love to know what you've got cookin' in this heat ...

Bulking Up

What do you get when you have 6 lbs of ground beef, four cans of refried beans, a ton of taco seasoning, 40 flour tortillas and 40 strips of aluminum foil?

A fiesta?

Almost!

You get 40 beef and bean burritos individually wrapped.

Just freeze and reheat when ready to eat.

No thawing necessary - yippee!!!

This is just one of many recipes that I've made from my new favorite cookbook: Fix Freeze Feast. I have been doing some serious chopping, simmering and mixing this summer. Every recipe I have made has been delish. I now have a freezer full of burritos, meatballs (like 100 people!), Mexican casseroles, garlic pork loins, balsamic basil pork chops (their recipe here), and Thai thighs (that sounds funny), and chicken cashews ...

Now I don't know about y'all but that's my kind of bulking up ;-)

Choppin' Broccoli

There's nothing like having a "go to" recipe when you have to bring something to a pot luck. I fortunately have discovered one that is not only always a hit but is oh so easy.

Broccoli Slaw

1 package broccoli slaw

1 bunch green onions, chopped

6 onces slivered almonds, toasted and cooled

1 pacakge chicken flavored ramen noodles, broken up, but not pulverized

For the dresssing:

3 TBS tarragon vinegar

1/2 C vegetable oil

seasoning packed from ramen noodles

3 TBS sugar

1 TSP salt

1/2 TSP pepper

I suggest putting the noodles in a plastic bag and use a rolling pin to break them up. Mix the dressing and then toss over the slaw.

This should keep at least a week in the fridge.

Did  I mention that whenever I make this Rocky breaks out into song despite the fact that there is no need for me to chop broccoli ...

Do You Know The Muffin Man

I was feeling a bit guilty over the lack of mama made goods so I decided to give life to some froze squash from the fall and a recipe that was successful in the past.

I made a double batch and froze what we didn't eat after a few days. I'm surprised that we haven't already gotten into them ... now that I think about it, I must have felt really guilty because after I made the apple waffles, I made these and then pancakes from my mix.

Yeah.

I felt guilty.

It was time to get to know the muffin carbohydrates man.

Do you know the muffin man?

Life Under The Big Top

It's a bit like a circus around here.

More because spring fever has hit and we are itching to be outside and stay up late and sleep in and ...

you get the picture.

I've either been behind the wheel of the mamamobile, sitting on a blanket watching baseball, had my nose in a book, finding new and inspiring blogs (I promise I will share), cuddling, vacuuming Lego's, supervising violin practice, folding laundry ...

did you notice I didn't mention cooking.

Uh huh.

Our standard fare for meals has gone from 7/8 to 1 (on a scale from 1-10).

It was time to make something healthy and mama made.

Send in the clowns.

I owed my boys some pancakes/waffles.

I didn't have any of my mix on hand (thus the repeated unfulfilled requests) and I wanted to use our gifted waffle maker from Christmas. I also had some apples I wanted to use up ... and limited flour. I headed straight to a favorite cookbook of mine, Simply In Season and apple waffles just happened to be a recipe they had.

Lucky me.

One point for mom.

I'm trying to shut down the three ring circus at meal time.

Healthy and wholesome is the act I want to be the ring leader of.

What is happening under your tent?

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Turn the page ... Tuesday is coming up! I can't wait to see what you've read (from your 'to be read shelf'! too).

Running For The Border

So you savvy bloggers out there I'm sure have guessed that not much sewing or crocheting is happening over here right now judging by the lack of postings. No foolin' you all ;-)

We do however have to eat despite how busy we are (albeit quite often sometimes it's chicken nuggets and whatever else is in the fridge). 

I find when I am short on time I tend to run for the border and declare

Mexican night.

Back story: one of my college roomies and I would head to the local Mexican restaurant that just happened to cause us to cross over a bridge that had us leaving the town and enter the county and in our 19 year old minds had us "running for the border" for some cheap and delicious grub. I can't refer to Mexican food with out suggesting we run for the border. Old habits die hard.

So when time is tight and I'm clearing out the pantry this Mexican casserole is a given. You can chuck in here whatever really. I don't even measure the onion and garlic because really, the more the better. Next time I think I'll add some corn for kicks and top with green onions. Rocky loves it with black olives, sour cream and hot sauce that will light you on fire just by looking at the bottle. I prefer mine with some Cholula and tomatoes. Henry wants it all (minus the heat). And John ... well, he has chicken nuggets. sigh.

When you are short on time where do you run?

The Big Cheese

I treated myself the boys to Chick-fil-a the other day. If you are not familiar with the restaurant (I don't know if they have them overseas) their mantra is

 Photo from Chick-fil-a site. T-shirt for sale here.

This visit the boys received Cranium travel card games in their kids meals. Both boys were (surprisingly) very excited by their acquisition. They could not wait for Rocky to get home so they could 'challenge him'. Henry, John, and I had a few practice rounds in preparation for the real game.

I drew a card that went something like this:

Name three of the five most popular cheeses in America.

Henry - very seriously says "Blue cheese, Gorgonzola, and ... and ... hmmm. I can't think of another".

Remember when I said we eat a lot of cheese around here. Now you know which ones are favorites in our house.

For inquiring minds: American, Provolone, Cheddar, Swiss, and Mozzarella. And yes, we eat those too. We are an equal opportunity cheese family.

Stewed

Every year Rocky orders a gallon of raw oysters. They come in right before Christmas. He gets so stoked. All  his hot sauces come out and are on the ready for when the bounty arrives. I, on the other hand, just.can't.go.there. I love a fair amount of sushi and sashimi but the oysters just gross me out. More for Rocky makes a happy Rocky.

We decided this year to make oyster stew in lieu of our traditional smoked ribs on New Years Day. Resolution you smell??? No, more like a true lifestyle change. Rocky is on the verge of having to take cholesteral meds and he not happy about it. Sadly for him it's genetic but he is going to do his darnest to try to lower his stats by making better food choices (we are heavy on the cheese and red meat) and adding more cardio (he does exercize regularly but he's going to work on that heart rate a bit more).

So ... back to the oysters. We've made several versions of oyster stew over the years (most including heavy cream and/or condensed milk) but none really stood out as a winnner. That all changed when I found this recipe.

Oh my.

It was good.

Very good.

We ended up modifying the recipe a bit due to the oysters being left on the counter for about 6 hours (that darn eggnog again) after some late night snacking ... good thing we keep our house like an icebox - ahem.

Here are our 'tweeks':

- we boiled the oysters in their 'liquor' and about 3/4 C of red wine - when they started to curl we drained them
- I didn't really measure the potato/onion/garlic - we like alot so I'd say it was about a large potato and a half, 2 medium onions and 4 large heads of garlic-ish
- 4 C of chicken broth
- a big handfull of parlsey
- at least 1 C of the crushed crackers (I used whole wheat - which were still junk - 1st ingredient 'enriched flour' - what a crock - how can they say they are 'whole wheat' - arg)
- I only had 1 C of corn and the 8oz of the clam juice - if I had more I would have added it but it was fine without the extra

Rocky thinks this is the best oyster stew he has ever had.

Ever.

He's a hard one to please when it comes to them there oysters.

I ate mine sans oysters. It was delicious. I'd say we have a new New Years Day meal ... and seein' as we are alive and kicking, I'd say those oysters did not get the best of us ~wink wink~. We'll just make sure that we clean up after ourselves Rocky the next time - we don't want to push our luck!

Speaking of stews ... don't forget Turn the page ... Tuesday on the 4th - what books have you been stewing over?

Fabulous Fall Foods Friday - Smokin'

As the temperature drops (OK, it's been in the 70's here still but maybe it's dropping in your neck of the woods) it's time to bring out the smoker.

Rocky loves to fire her up and we get to enjoy the scent of what is to come all day long.

Some of our smoking traditions:

~ Turkey on Thanksgiving
~ Ribs on New Years Day seasoned with Ozark
~ Salmon ... whenever we feel like it

Don't forget to check out Paula's Place (sounds like a great restaurant doesn't it?) to see what else is cookin'. Thanks so much Paula for hosting such fabulous Fridays this month!

So tell me - what-cha smokin' in your pipe ... I mean backyard?

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Dont' forget TTPT this Tuesday!

Fabulous Fall Foods Friday - Sticks And Cloves

Cinnamon sticks and whole cloves is what's brewing today.

Hmmmm .... can you smell that?

Apples.

Cranberries.

Cinnamon.

Cloves.

Are you drooling yet?

Get ready to warm yourself from the cool autumn day. Make a fire and sip on this delicious toddy and you will be cozy from top to bottom.

Hot Spiced Punch

~ 2 quarts apple juice  ~ 48 ounces cranberry juice  ~ 1 1/2 tsp whole cloves  ~ 1/2 C brown sugar  ~ 4 cinnamon sticks

Combine apple and cranberry juices in a percolator; place cloves, brown sugar and cinnamon sticks in the basket. Simmer for 45 minutes. Yields: 15 servings

Now before you get too comfy head on over to Paula's for more FFF's ... and have your grocery list ready - you are going to want to go shopping!

The Great Mambo Debate

It all began with these

Every time I ate one (which was often) I couldn't get a particular song out of my head.

Off to google the catchy phrase ...

Then Rocky had to interupt and give me his 2 cents declare that I should not sing about an enchilada but should be singing about a papa who loved mambo.

And to think this all started with chocolate.

Tell me ... do you Mambo Italiano or with Papa and a Mama?

Fabulous Fall Foods Friday - The Spice Of Life

It's that time of the week again ... let's spice things up a bit shall we?

One of my favorite things to bake each fall is this pumpkin spice cake

It just seems wrong to make it any other time of the year.

This is so easy peasy - you'll find you eat it up as fast as you can bake it!

Pumpkin Spice Cake

1 (2 layer) package yellow cake mix ~ 1 tsp nutmeg ~ 1 tsp ground cloves ~ 1 tsp allspice ~ 1 tsp cinnamon ~ 1 tsp salt ~ 1/4 C mashed cooked pumpkin ~ 1 (4oz) package French vanilla pudding and pie filling mix ~ 1/2 C vegetable oil ~ 1/2 C water ~ 3 eggs ~ confectioners' sugar to taste

Sift the cake mix, nutmeg, cloves, allspice, cinnamon, and salt together into a large mixer bowl.

Add the pumpkin, pudding and pie filling mix, oil, water, and eggs. Beat for 2 minutes or until smooth.

Spoon the batter into a greased bundt pan.

Back at 375 degrees for 45 to 50 minutes or until the cake tests done.

Cool the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes.

Insert the cake onto a serving plate. Top with a sprinkle of confectioners' sugar.

After 24 hours - repeat all steps (because you will have eaten it all - big fat smile).

Head on over to Paula's for some more Fabulous Fall Foods and prepare to drool!

Fabulous Fall Foods Friday - My Pepper Runneth Over

OK. I know sweet peppers are more a summer fare but here in Virginia we are still squeaking out some fresh veggies. Or maybe I should say farmers are still squeaking out some fresh veggies ... we barely managed to keep our basil alive this summer (insert whining noises here).

My crock pot got dusted off (which means it's fall to me) and some peppers got stuffed.

These turned out to be delicious. The recipe came from one of my favorite crock pot cook books. I used turkey instead of ground beef and it was not greasy at all. Rocky likes to spice up his food with some donkey sauce (take a peek at the name and the picture ... I don't know what we will do when Henry decides to read the label!) and I added my new fav sauce Cholula.

My peppers must have been on the smaller side because I had about a 1/2 pound of the turkey mixture left over. Since the meat had been frozen and I couldn't refreeze I decided to saute it and then freeze it for sloppy joes.

Don't forget to visit Paula for more Fabulous Fall Foods! I bet you will find her peppers list runneth over too!

Fabulous Fall Foods Friday - Apple Dapple

Paula is hosting a mouthwatering-get in your kitchen-get cookin' Fabulous Fall Foods Friday. It was just what I need to motivate me to chop some apples and bake!

The cake John and I made really should be called Lots of Sugar and A Bit 'O Flour cake instead of Apple Dapple. It's delicious but soooo bad for you!

We had several exciting moments while making our cake.

John got to sift the flour ...

I got to use my apple corer ...

and my chopper ...

and John got to lick the sugary goodness from his fingers ...

The worst part for your waiste line and hips is when you pour heated milk and sugar over the warm cake best part is the topping.

OK - maybe not the best part - this ...

is the best part - eating it!

So with out further ado ~

Apple Dapple

2 C Sugar ~ 1 1/2 C vegetable oil ~ 3 eggs ~ 3 C flour ~ 1 tsp salt ~ 1 tsp baking soda ~ 2 tsp cinnamon ~ 3 C chopped apples ~ 1 C chopped nuts ~ 2 C coconut ~ 1/2 C butter ~ 1 C packed brown sugar ~ 1/4 C milk

Combine the sugar, oil and eggs in a large bowl and beat until the mixture is light and fluffy.

Sift the flour, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon together. Add to the sugar mixture and beat until well blended.

Fold in the apples (I did not peel mine), nuts and coconut. Pour into a greased and floured 9x13 in cake

pan.

Bake at 350 for 45 minutes or until cake tests done.

Combine the butter, brown sugar, and mil in a saucepan. heat until the mixture is smooth and well blended, stirring constantly. Bring to a boil and boil for 2 minutes.

Pour the hot mixture over the hot cake. Cool in the pan on a wire rack.

Have a glass of cold milk ready for when you burn your tongue trying to eat your Apple Dapple before it cools.

I did not add the nuts or coconut because John is so darn picky. I've had it loaded and it is goooood. Our version ain't so bad either ;-) I also cut the recipe in half. There is only so much sugar and kids bouncing off the walls I can take!

Don't forget to visit Paula for more Fabulous Fall Foods ... better get a snack first - it's gonna make you hungry!

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Turn the page ... Tuesday is coming up on the 5th. I can't wait to see what you all have been reading! Don't be shy ... if you've never participated here's your chance ~ read a good book (or maybe a not so great book) ... tell us about it! See you then.