Meal Post #4

This past week's meal plan was a success! The coleslaw from BBQ taco night was sooooo good. It would taste delicious on top of salad greens too, for a 2nd night meal.

This week's meal plan needs to be very simple again because it's preschool Spring Break AND Baby Drew's is turning 1 on Saturday and we are preparing for his party - busy week!!!

Here are my meals for the week:

• Italian Sausage, Pineapple Kabobs on the Grill with Brown Rice & Side Salad
• Crockpot Italian Chicken with Roasted Vegetables
• BBQ Pork topped Baked Potatoes with Side Salad
• New PALEO Coconut Lime Chicken (link) with Cauliflower Rice
• Birthday Boy dinner menu: macaroni and cheese (new recipe! No Boil Mac N Cheese) hamburgers, shrimp cocktail, potato salad (THE BEST! link) & fruit salad. Still debating on what type of cake to make!

Have a great week!!!

Meal Planning: Post #3

Plain and simple: my menu posts last week had too many steps for busy people like us! I did end up making everything I had planned and the WINNER recipe for the week was the grilled chicken with avocado salsa, MAN was that good!

This week though, I'm all about good taste and simplicity! I actually already placed my Walmart pickup grocery order too. Did you know that they have same day pickup now? It's still free; definitely impressive.

It's supposed to be REALLY cold here this weekend, including a chance of snow later on Saturday, so on Sunday we are definitely having comfort food of chili!

Here's my menu of options for the week:

• Sunday: Red bean and turkey chili (packed with cuisinarted vegetables because they're easy to disguise). My go to recipe is always the red-checked cookbook from Better Homes & Gardens.

For the rest of the week:

• BBQ Tacos - I bought precooked pulled pork from Aldi last week, I'll serve that in corn tortillas with this homemade cole slaw link (that you can make ahead!). I haven't tried this person's recipe before, it sounds good, hoping it tastes good too ;)
• CROCK POT: pork tenderloin cooked low and slow (add about 1/2 c of chicken broth to it to make sure it doesn't overcook/dryout). This will be served with green beans & baked potatoes.
• Pasta night - trying out quinoa/brown rice noodles with a Trader Joe's pasta sauce and their turkey meatballs. Will also roast a medley of vegetables to top the sauce: zucchini, yellow squash and sliced carrots tossed with olive oil, salt & pepper, roasted about 30 minutes at 375 degrees.
• IRISH Meal for St. Patrick's Day on Friday! We are going to tryout this CROCK POT recipe Slow-Cooker Corned Beef & Cabbageand I'm going to attempt to make Irish soda bread too link. I tried it once and it did not turn out right; I'm willing to try again! Serving all of this with a pint of Guinness too! I might attempt Guinness Chocolate cupcakes but the jury is out :)

Happy eating!

Meal Planning: Post 2

If I can ever get in a rhythm of being prepared enough to share my weekly meal plan in advance, I'd like to share it on Friday or Saturday so it can help my friends with their weekly meal plan.

As such, I had a work trip last week and this weekend has been busy SO I'm just now posting it today. Consider this my suggestions for your meal planning for NEXT week :) now, excuse me as I go preheat my oven for our Aldi pizza we are having for dinner tonight LOL, with a side of salad, of course!

NEW RECIPE IDEA: I have been trying to limit as much dairy and gluten in our meals as possible, because it is so readily available to eat at breakfast and snacktimes. As such, I tried out a completely dairy free pasta sauce last week and it was SO good! Cory didn't even add parmesan cheese to the top of it :) that's a sign that it's flavorful. Recipe to follow below but the picture is right here, yum!

On our meal plan docket for this week (doesn't mean they will happen but at least I have a plan ;) :

1. Pasta Bake with Ground Turkey & Pork Sausage + Salad
2. Cilantro Lime Chicken with Avocado Salsa + Crockpot Beans + Brown Rice
3. NEW! Baked Potatoes with Wild Mushroom Ragu + Pancetta Crisped Brussel Sprouts
4. Crock Pot! Beef Stew with Potatoes, Carrots and Onions + Salad 

Here are the links to all of the recipes and my special notes beside them :) 

1. Pasta Bake: see recipe below, as I made this one up. It's easy. NOTE: double up on this recipe & freeze the 2nd batch for a quick/easy weeknight dinner. 
2. Cilantro Lime Chicken (link); NOTE: recommends grilling chicken. You could also bake in the oven at 300 degrees for approximately 1 hour (check about 40 minutes into bake). 
3. NEW! Baked Potatoes with Wild Mushroom Ragu (link); NOTE: you can prepare the mushroom ragu in advance & heat when ready to serve; NOTE 2: you can cook your baked potatoes in a slow cooker all day! NOTE 3: if you don't go the slow-cooker route, the night before, you can prepare the baked potatoes in either foil to prepare for the oven OR a real quick route is cooking them in the oven until they're soft & finish in the 350 degree oven for about 20 more minutes to get them as close as possible, to oven-baked 
1. Garlic Prosciutto Brussel Sprouts (link) NOTE: I drizzled some balsamic vinegar on this, close to the end of cooking; NOTE 2: you may substitute any cured meat or bacon for prosciutto; NOTE 3: you may substitute olive oil for butter
4. Crock Pot! Beef Stew: NOTE: a slightly tedious stew prep & you need red wine but it is a special version of Beef Stew! NOTE 2: Prep this the night before, put into crock pot the morning you want to eat it on low. NOTE 3: this recipe truly does develop more flavor, if it's made 1 day in advance then reheated the next day. (link). 

Pasta Bake 

*this is a recipe you can make ahead of time, refrigerate & heat when you are ready to eat it

**this is a recipe I like to load up with vegetables because they become disguised in the sauce

For the bake:

STEP 1 Boil: 1 box of rigatoni or other pasta of your choice - tubular is best

STEP 2 Brown: 1 # of your choice of ground meat (italian sausage with casings removed, ground turkey/pork/chicken/beef)

STEP 3: Saute your diced (or in my case, food processor diced) vegetables:

1 T olive oil

1 T minced garlic

1/2 onion

*heat olive oil in a large skillet, add garlic and onion and cook til fragrant. Then, add remaining vegetables below (all which need to be diced in very small pieces or put through a food processor):

1 c carrots

1 yellow squash

1 zucchini

STEP 4: MIX your sauce with the following + already browned meat & sauteed vegetables:

28oz can of diced tomatoes

1 T Italian seasoning

1 t salt (or more if you prefer) 

1 t freshly ground pepper

STEP 5: MIX your sauce from step 4, your boiled noodles together and put into a casserole dish

STEP 6: bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes or until bubbling

OPTIONAL Steps - if youre not limiting cheese in your household:
1) you can mix 8oz of softened cream cheese with the mixture above for extra creaminess

2) you can top this dish with about 1 - 2 c of shredded mozzarella and about 1/4 c of parmesan cheese

Dairy-Free Yellow Squash Pasta Sauce:

*I baked Trader Joe's turkey meatballs and topped this pasta with the sauce

**always save about 1/4 of the water your pasta boiled in, to toss with the sauce (the starches help the sauce to stick to the pasta)

***this sauce may be made ahead and reheated on the night you want to serve it

****here's the link to the original recipe if you want to use cream instead of pumpkin puree & more chicken broth (link)

3 smallish-medium size yellow squash, diced 

1 c pumpkin (or butternut) squash puree

8oz of your choice of pasta (we tried out a brown rice rigatoni)

1 small onion, diced

1 T minced garlic

1/2 t dried oregano

pinch of nutmeg (less than 1/8 t)

salt, to taste

fresh ground pepper, to taste

3 T white wine

1/2 - 3/4 c chicken stock 

STEP 1: prepare your vegetables. Put 1 T olive oil in a large pan or skillet, when warm, add onion & garlic. Saute until fragrant

STEP 2: add your diced yellow squash to the onion/garlic mixture. Saute until tender. Add the wine. 

STEP 3: once vegetables are tender, puree in a blender to get as smooth as possible. If it's too thick, add a splash of chicken stock. Transfer back to the pan. 

*this is a good point to start boiling your water & cook your pasta

STEP 4: Add your pumpkin puree & chicken stock to the pan. Maintain heat. Continue to stir and let the sauce thicken. This is the part where I used my immersion blender to really get the sauce as smooth and creamy as possible (I was trying to imitate a creamy pasta sauce). Once you've done this, taste your sauce and ensure the right salt/pepper taste is present! Add the nutmeg at this step & stir into the sauce. 

STEP 5: drain your pasta, reserve 1/4 c of the water it was boiled in. Once drained, add the pasta back to the pot, add the water and then toss with as much of the sauce as you want! 

ENJOY! 

Meal Planning: Post 1

I love to cook...I however, do NOT like meal planning. However, meals must happen! :) Here are a few tips I employ each week (when I'm on top of things)...I have plenty of off weeks!

Last night we had a delicious dinner, that didn't look pretty (like most weeknight meals!). It was salmon cakes, baked sweet potatoes with a drizzle of olive oil and freshly squeezed orange juice, steamed broccoli. I experimented with the salmon cake recipe to see if I could omit the bread crumbs and I substituted crushed almonds/cashews. It gave extra flavor to the salmon cakes. See this post here, for the recipe (link here).

What my 7-day meal planning looks like:
2 Days of a Break for Me:

• 1 Takeout Meal
• 1 Meal Out

5 Days of Cooking:

• 2 Crockpot Meals
• 1 - 2 Casseroles + salad
• 1 "Fresh" meal

How I Prepare for the Week of Meals:

1. Online Grocery Shop/Order Process - either via Walmart Grocery Pick-Up or Kroger Clicklist (I usually place my order on Saturday for Sunday pick-up or place it Sunday for Saturday pick-up). This saves me so much time in driving, parking, getting the kids out, making it through the store...STRESS, STRESS, STRESS! You get the picture ;)
2. Prep as much as I can before the week starts, such as:
1. Wash all fresh fruit & vegetables and let it dry. It's so nice to know everything I'm putting into the refrigerator is clean and ready to go!
2. I chop/store as many of the same ingredients as I can - if I know I'll be using yellow squash in several dishes, I'll slice it, put it in the food processor, etc and store until using it that week
3. For any grains, you can go ahead and make a large batch of it and add it to dishes/reheat the night you're serving them
3. Try not to stress over a complicated meal on a weeknight - keep it simple. Let a fresh, green salad be your key side dish every night. If you vary the toppings and dressings, it will seem new each night.
4. Rotation of Favorites - I typically don't repeat the EXACT same meal more than 1x per month. I have a rotation of favorites that I do a variation on but don't do a precise repeat. I'll share more recipes through more of my meal planning posts.
5. STUFF each recipe as full with veggies as you can! My favorite go-to secret veggie is yellow squash. Due to its color and texture once cooked, it's incredibly easy to disguise in almost any dish.
6. Let your slow cooker take care of the meat! I absolutely hate cooking meat during the weeknights, it takes too long and it's too easy to ruin (if you get distracted, etc.). You can put almost any cut of meat into the crockpot and its perfectly ready by suppertime!

Rotation of Favorites, Ideas*:

• Pasta - boiled noodles, any sauce (red, white, pesto, olive oil), topped with meat or roasted veggies
• Vegetable noodles with your choice of sauce, meat and vegetables
• Chicken casseroles - chicken poppyseed, chicken spectacular, chicken soup casserole, chicken cordon bleu
• Casseroles - taco casserole, chile rellenos, rigatoni pasta bake
• Baked salmon - I like to get the large cut at Costco and it acutally can be used for 2 meals! The first, you bake or grill the whole fish fresh (portioned of course) and then save at least 1/3 to use for the next recipe, the best salmon cakes you'll ever make! 3 easy ways to prep & bake in oven: cover salmon with pesto & bake, cover salmon with apple butter & bake, cover salmon with lemon juice, salt & pepper then slice lemon slices and place on top for baking.
• Salmon cakes - of course, you can use salmon from the packets, if you are in a hurry or didn't buy fresh salmon that week.
• Lasagna - traditional, chicken or veggie
• Slow-Cooker Meat made with any variety of sauces: BBQ, rotel, balsamic blend, Italian Dressing, kahlua; over any variety of meat: pork tenderloin, turkey tenderloin, chicken breasts
• Slow-Cooker Meals: beef stew, chili (white bean with chicken or red beans with beef)
• Single Sheet Pan Meals: chicken, green beans & potatoes, paella
• One-Pot Meals: featuring pasta of your choice, vegetables of your choice, meat of your choice (optional) basil, olive oil, chicken broth, salt & pepper.

*These are the ones I can think of right now, while I have a quiet moment to type this out :) I'm sure I will remember more later, when I look through my recipe books!

Side Dish Options:

• Roasted vegetables: thinly sliced zucchini, yellow squash tossed with olive oil, salt & pepper
• Baked Sweet Potatoes
• Baked Potatoes
• Sauteed vegetables: sliced zucchini and yellow squash with diced onions
• Green beans, boiled in chicken broth
• Steamed broccoli

More to come!!! But now, it's bedtime! :)

Salmon Cakes

I've been working on omitting unnecessary gluten and processed foods from our diet. I can tell I feel better from doing this. I'm not a purist by any means but I can tell I feel better from reducing the amounts I consume. Additionally, I am realizing how much I rely on cheese for snacks and in recipes. It's become an interesting challenge to find substitutes that taste just as delicious.

Last night, I substituted chopped almonds/cashews for breadcrumbs in my salmon cakes recipe and it was delicious!

Here is the recipe:

2 packets of pink salmon, wild caught
2 T BBQ sauce
1 T Worcestershire
1 whole egg
1 egg white
1/2 cup of finely chopped almonds/cashews (or really any nut blend you prefer)
1/2 small bell pepper or 2 snack peppers, diced in small pieces
1/2 c carrots
1/2 zucchini or yellow squash
1/2 small onion
1 T diced garlic
*I found this really cool mixed super foods pouch at Trader Joe's the other week. I added about 2 T of that this time too.

Mix salmon, bbq sauce, Worcestershire, 1 egg and 1 egg white in a medium size mixing bowl. Set aside, it's time to prepare the vegetables.

Process your onion in a food processor, then heat 1T of olive oil in a skillet. Add garlic and onion to the pan and stir until fragrant and slightly glossy.

Process your remaining vegetables in the food processor and add to the garlic/onion mixture. Cook until slightly softened.

Once the vegetables are ready, add to your salmon mixture. Ideally, you will be able to chill this mixture at least 1 hour until fully chilled. This will make it a lot easier to form your salmon patties.

Get out one 12-cup muffin pan. Spray with cooking spray. This next step is optional but I feel it gives the salmon patties a better texture and bake. Get a salad plate and pour about 1 c of cornmeal onto it. Form your salmon cake, roll in the cornmeal/pat cornmeal onto it and then place into a greased muffin cup.

Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 20 - 25 minutes until you see a slight browning on top. Serve with more BBQ sauce or ketchup.

You can also cook these on the stove in a skillet, in vegetable or olive oil but again, it makes them a little heavier of a dish.

Cupcake Bouquets: Don't Just Don't

The other day, my friend asked if I could make one dozen cupcakes for an event she was hosting. They were going to use them for a cupcake bouquet. I looked at the design and thought, sure! I can do that. Then I got the idea, that I should make a couple myself, for an event I was attending that same evening.

Here's the original design inspiration and I actually read the blog post for the "how to" to make sure I got it right (which I don't normally do). It looked innocent enough (link here):

What I found though was that this project was quite involved...sooooo...even though they turned out quite nicely. I've decided to share my 13 reasons for why you should NEVER make a cupcake bouquet LOL: 

1. Don't. Just don't do it!
2. Making & icing cupcakes from scratch is enough. Period. The cupcakes don't need a display or anything cutesy. 
3. You'll go to Michael's and spend $30 on supplies you don't want to buy but at this point you're committed to make the silly thing!
4. Once I arrived home, I laid out all of the suppliers and think, huh, this thing may be more involved to make than I thought. 
5. Prep cups, tissue, glue gun and placement. 
6. Glue everything: the foam to the pot, the cups to the foam and prepare the toothpicks...oh.so.many. toothpicks. 
7. Think: am I really doing this? 
8. Start the assembly of the cupcake bouquet. 
9. Stuff tissue paper. 
10. Stuff more tissue paper. 
11. Stuff even more tissue paper. 
12. As I open the refrigerator door, one mini cupcake falls off and I say: Oh Heck! and just eat it!
13. Remember: Sprinkles are God's gift to bakers (they cover any icing errors!)
14. Warning: this bouquet is as dangerous as a porcupine due to the excessive amounts of toothpicks. You will get pricked. 
15. As the project was coming to a close, I thought: huh, I haven't cursed at all during this proecess and it was the perfect excuse to! Right at that time, Cory walked in and said: these are the best damn cupcakes I've ever tasted! and, he said I could quote him on that ;)
16. Finally, transporting the silly things was STRESSFUL and I drove granny-speed for several spots of our trip, just hoping it would stay assembled!!!

Fortunately, they both stayed together and we did not have any further cupcake casualties! Everyone thought they were real flower bouquets and not make of cupcakes. The best part was that they were enjoyed for their taste!

Easy & Delish: One Dish!

You can cook all of this meal in one dish!...that doesn't include the containers for prep though :) I got everything ready ahead of time this afternoon when I had about 15 minutes. When it came time to cook, it was super easy to assemble the meal!

One Skillet, Greek Lemon Chicken with Mixed Grains 

For the chicken...get 1# of chicken breasts 

Mix your marinade of:

4 garlic cloves, minced 

The juice of 1-2 lemons +4 Tablespoons (I used 6 T of pre-squeezed lemon juice today!) 

1 T oregano

1/2 t table salt 

--> marinate your chicken for about 2 hours at least or overnight 

For the rice mixture:

1 small onion, chopped

1T oregano

2.5 c chicken broth

Grain of your choice, I did a mixture of pearled couscous, bulgur wheat and quinoa 

1/4 t salt 

Preheat oven to 350

Step 1

Heat 1.5 T olive oil in a large, oven proof skillet. Brown chicken on both sides. Once browned, set aside.

Wipe pan down with a paper towel to remove the blackened bits.  

Step 2

Add ~1T of olive oil to the pan, over medium/high heat. Add onions and stir until translucent.

Step 3

Add rice mixture (all remaining ingredients) to the pan and stir. Bring to boiling. Remove from heat, place browned chicken on top of the rice then cover the dish with the lid. 

Step 4

Put into oven. Bake approximately 30 minutes covered then another 10 minutes or so uncovered, until the liquid has evaporated and the grains are tender. 

Enjoy! 

DELISH Weeknight Dinner

I know, I know, I must be CRAZY to have friends over for dinner on a weeknight with 2 kiddos under 2.5 year old BUT I still do! I love having weeknight dinner parties, despite how crazy they might become (like tonight, W was all over the place with his toddler-ness). It's great to spend time with friends who are just glad to get together and enjoy good food. Which brings me back to the point of this post - DELICIOUS FOOD!

My neighbor shared this pork crock pot recipe and boy was it amazing; it's one of my most favorite pork crock pot recipes to date: Balsamic Pork. I served it with Hawaiian rolls, the au jus from the crock pot and golden yams (just like sweet potatoes, maybe better! but golden like Yukon gold potatoes, plays a trick on your eyes) and a garden salad. We finished our meal with  Triple Berry Pretzel Pie finished (no baking!) with freshly whipped cream - yum!

Happy cooking!

Balsamic Pork
2# boneless pork shoulder (sirloin roast)
kosher salt, to taste
1/2 t garlic powder
1/2 t red pepper flakes
1/3 c chicken broth
1/3 c balsamic vinegar
1 T Worcestershire sauce
1 T honey

- combine salt, garlic powder, red pepper flakes & then rub/season the pork with them
- place pork in the crock pot
- combine broth, vinegar & worcestershire sauce then pour over the pork
- drizzle honey over the pork
- set crock pot on low & cook for 6 - 8 hours (or on high for 4 hours)
- pork should be fork-tender and easily shredded with two forks
- serve with juice from the crock pot

Golden Yam!

Baking Golden Yams - use the same method as you do for sweet potatoes:
- wrap in foil
- bake at 425 for approximately 1 hour until tender
- serve with butter and brown sugar

No Bake Triple Berry Pretzel Pie
Crust:
2 c pretzel crumbs
1/8 c sugar
1 stick of butter
Filling:
1 c water
1/2 c sugar
2 T cornstarch
1/2 package of strawberry jello
2 c sliced strawberries
1 c blueberries
1 c blackberries

For the crust: crush pretzels into smallish-sized crumbs. Mix with sugar and melted butter. Press into a 9-inch pie plate and refrigerate for 2 hours to set.

For the filling: mix water, 1/2 c sugar and cornstarch in a medium saucepan. Bring to boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Boil 1 minute then remove from heat. Stir in gelatin until dissolved. Refrigerate the mixture for about 10 minutes, stirring every 2-3 minutes so that the mixture thickens but isn't set.

Once the mixture has cooled, fold in the fruit. Pour the mixture into the crust and chill for at least 2 hours.

Whip your cream and serve each slice with a dollop on top! Yum!!!

Summer Veggie Goodness

A few nights ago, I made a dinner that just didn't quite deliver on the flavor I had anticipated. Feeling slightly defeated, I was inspired to try something new that would utilize the amazing produce we had gotten at the farmers market the previous weekend. I now give you...drumroll please...

Summer Zucchini, Corn & Red Pepper Salad!

This is an amazing side dish (we ate grilled sockeye salmon with it) or you could even make it your main dish.

The original recipe inspiration came from foodiecrush.com via Pinterest (original link: here). She recommends serving the squash and corn raw...I don't like to eat my vegetables that way :) so I lightly sauteed them to soften them up and give them a little more flavor.

Here is my version of the recipe.

2 squash (either 1 zucchini & 1 yellow squash OR I used a light green and a yellow zucchini squash, yum!), ends cut off
2 cobs of corn (shucked and with the corn kernels sliced off of the cob)
2 T olive oil (separated)
1 package of mixed greens or arugula
1/4 c very thinly sliced red bell pepper
1 oz of goat cheese (I bought this then forgot to use it...I can't wait to try this again WITH the goat cheese...if I remember :)

For the dressing:
1 T chopped fresh basil (do not use dried, it will not give you the flavor you want)
1/2 C olive oil
3 T fresh lemon juice
1 t dijon mustard
1 t minced garlic
- chop some additional fresh basil to use as a topping at the end (if you love fresh basil like I do, you'll want this for extra flavor!)

Steps:

1. get a vegetable peeler and peel your zucchini squash into thin ribbons strips
2. shuck your corn & cut the kernels off of the cob
3. heat 1 T of oil in a medium sized skillet, add a little freshly ground salt and pepper to the oil. once the oil is warm, add the zucchini ribbons and toss with the oil until they become slightly transulcent in color. Remove from heat, place in a bowl. I use salad tongs to gently turn/toss the ribbons. 
4. heat the additional 1 T of oil in the same skillet, add a little freshly ground salt and pepper to the oil. Add the corn and sautee about 5 minutes. Remove from heat, place in a separate bowl from the zucchini.
5. slice your red bell pepper, set aside
6. Make your Dressing (this makes too much dressing for these 2 servings, it is great to save and use later on a salad!)

Dressing - mix all ingredients together!

Making your salad:

- put your mixed greens on a plate

- then top with the zucchini ribbons

- next spoon corn on top of the ribbons

- place the red pepper slices on top of the corn

- finish by drizzle about 1 T of dressing on top of your salad

- then crumble goat cheese on your salad

- top with a few more pieces of chopped basil

Then VOILA! Enjoy your fresh summer salad masterpiece!!!

Potato Salad Perfection

I've never met a potato I don't like (potato chip, French fries and baked potatoes included)! I have however, met plenty of potato salads I don't like! They can be too mayonnais-y, too mustard-y, too yellow, you get the picture!

This potato salad recipe from Smitten Kitchen is fabulous! I've made it twice now and it will be my go-to recipe from here on out!

The recipe for Rosanne Cash's potato salad can be found here: link to original recipe.

Here are my recommendations to make this recipe a home run:

1) I definitely recommend making the potato salad a few hours before you need to serve it, so the dressing has time to season the potatoes properly! 

2) I'm always a fan of using fresh herbs but you can use dried dill in this recipe. Reduce the amount to about 1.5 tsp (or the amount you deem appropriate!) 

3) definitely use cornichons, it makes the flavor pop just a little bit more than classic dill pickles! What are cornichons? They're very baby size pickles that pack a much greater tart/vinegar flavor punch. You can get them in the pickle aisle - I've used brands from Fresh Market and Trader Joe's. 

4) I don't normally like raw celery but it is so delicious in this recipe; definitely do not skip it! 

Grilling Inspiration - Tomatillos, Chipotle Peppers in Adobo and Grilled Corn

Two recipes for your grilling pleasure this summer!

First: Bobby Flay's Smoked Chile Butter-Brushed Shrimp with Tomatillo Salsa: his recipe packs such a flavorful bunch, it's addictive!!!

Second: the EASIEST way to make corn!

Bobby Flay's Smoked Chile Butter-Brushed Shrimp with Tomatillo Salsa - here is the link to the recipe.

• We had grilled corn with the shrimp and it was plenty filling. I would say the plate looks empty though - perhaps add a light summer salad or some grilled zucchini and squash to your plate too!
• I had no idea what tomatillos were before we got Bobby Flay's Boy Meet Grill cookbook about 8 years ago. They are phenomenal to use. If you are not sure what they look like, here is a photo - the outside is covered in a husk of sorts, you peel this off, then wash them. They are very sticky when you wash them, I like to wash them in a little bit of water and soap. I'm also posting a pic of the inside - they are so interesting! The last pic is the gorgeous tomatillo salsa. 

• I also had no idea what Chipotle Peppers in Adobo sauce were until Bobby Flay (he's introduced me to an all new world!) - they are dried peppers put into this amazingly flavorful and smoky sauce. Don't be deceived though, these peppers still pack a HUGE punch, so you don't want to over do it in a recipe. You can find the can of them in the Mexican food aisle. Look at the beautiful color of this butter:
  
  
• Funny story about this recipe (I'm slighly infamous for not fully reading recipes, I glance :) I didn't read that you only needed a couple of peppers, instead, I put the whole jar in the recipe! While it was still deliciously addictive, our mouths were on FIRE! 

Folks...corn season is upon us! The weather has warmed up and it's grilling time! There is nothing I enjoy more with a meal than corn on the cob (it's still a vegetable y'all, despite the fact that it's a starchy one). You know what I do NOT enjoy though, is shucking corn (southern verb for removing the husks and the silk!).

The EASIEST solution and best TASTING version of cooking corn is here:

Step 1: Buy fresh ears of corn (unshucked)

Step 2: Bring your corn home

Step 3: Heat up your grill or your oven

Step 4: Place ears of corn direclty on the grill (top shelf is recommended) or on a bakign sheet pan and put into the oven. Bake for about 20 - 30 minutes.

Step 5: Remove corn from heat, let sit for a moment. Cut the end of the corn off, then pull husks off of corn (and voila! like magic, the silks come off with the husks!), eat and enjoy!

Chicken Lasagna

So y'all remember my post last week regarding 2 week night prep shortcuts for chicken! This is a recipe you can utilize that delicious chicken in.

I LOVE this recipe. It is delicious and filling and not too heavy for a lasagna. I also think it creates a nice substitution to the traditional lasagna, but keeps the ease of heating for a weeknight dinner.

One of my favorite ways to make a savory recipe have more "good for you" nutrition is by adding diced yellow squash! I have added it to the recipe below :)

White Chicken & Cheese Lasagna

9 whole wheat lasagna noodles (not oven-ready)
1/2 c butter
1 whole onion, chopped
1 clove of garlic, minced
1/2 c All-purpose flour
1 medium size yellow squash, diced
1 t salt
2 c chicken broth
1 1/2 c milk
4 c shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
1 c grated parmesan cheese, divided PLUS 1/4 c for topping
1 t dried basil
1 t dried oregano
1/2 t ground pepper
2 c ricotta cheese
2 c cooked, cubed chicken
1 pkg (10oz) frozen chopped spinach, thawed & drained
1 T chopped fresh parsley

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook lasagna, drain & rinse with cold water & layout on waxed paper.

Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Cook the onion, diced squash & garlic in the butter until tender, stirring frequently. Stir in flour & salt; simmer until bubbly.

Mix in the broth & the milk and boil; stirring constantly for 1 minute. Stir in 2 cups of mozzarella cheese and 1/2 c Parmesan. Season with basil, oregano and ground black pepper. Remove from heat & set aside.

Mix the ricotta, 1 c of mozzarella and chicken together.

Spread 1/3 of the sauce mixture on the bottom of the 9x13 inch baking dish. Layer as follows:
- 1/3 of noodles
- all of the ricotta, mozzarella & chicken
- spinach
- 1/3 of noodles
- 1/4 of sauce mixture
- the rest of the ricotta, mozzarella & chicken mixture
- 1 cup of mozzarella
- 1/2 c parmesan cheese
- 1/3 of noodles
- spread remaining sauce evenly over the noodles
- top with additional 1/4 c Parmesan cheese

Bake for 35 - 40 minutes in the preheated oven. Let stand 5 minutes before cutting & serving.

Chicken AGAIN?...Oh yeah!!!

How many of you are SICK of eating chicken for dinner? I am totally raising my hand right now. The thing is it's an inevitable you're going to use this meat in the next 7 days - why? Primarily because it's affordable, readily available and a healthy choice relatively speaking to other meat options. What is is not usually, is convenient. I want to share 2 chicken cheats with you that will make meal prep a BREEZE! One is an easy item to purchase and the other is an easy item to prep in your own home. I'm also including one of my favorite recipes utilizing either prep method of chicken.

First up: Already Prepped Rotisserie Chicken from Costco. 
It comes with over 2.5# of chicken. Can I repeat this beautiful phrase: already prepped rotisserie chicken! This means, you don't have to open the gross plastic clamshell or bag to get your greasy chicken out, remove the skin, remove the chicken and still have an appetite to eat it. Instead, you buy the package at Costco. Once you're home, you open it, remove the amount of chicken you would like to use for whatever purpose and VOILA, you're done handling chicken.

Simplicity is a beautiful thing!

The package isn't much to behold, in fact, it looks quite gross and I would have never found it myself in the store, except that my uncle recommended it to me. Do note though that after you have opened the package, you have 6 days to use it before it spoils. If you're worried you can't use that much that quickly, freeze what you don't use before the 6 days pass.

Second Up: Prepping a large package of chicken for the week by precooking it. 

I had never tried this method until last fall and it is SO easy! The only true work you have to do is take it out of the package (which is always a little gross, chicken juice...ICK!). All you have to do are these easy steps:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees
2. Line a jelly roll sheet pan (that's the cookie sheet with the edges on it) with foil
3. Spray the foil with cooking spray - I use the olive oil kind, then sprinkle with fresh ground sea salt and pepper
4. Place chicken breasts on the foil
5. Spray the chicken with cooking spray (or brush with olive oil) and then sprinkle with your choice of herbs - I do an everything seasoning (Trader Joe's!) and then sea salt and pepper
6. Cover the chicken loosely with foil & bake for 1 hour

I guarantee this cooking method is the best and easiest way to cook chicken and for it to be moist and ready for almost any recipe!

I used my oven baked chicken in Chicken Poppyseed Casserole last night - so easy - here is the recipe:

Chicken Poppyseed Casserole

1.5 - 2 Lb of cooked and diced chicken (or more if you prefer!)

8oz sour cream

8oz Plain Greek Yogurt (I use this instead of only sour cream, lightens teh recipe and gives you a higher protein content)

2 cans of Cream of Chicken soup (I swear using Campbell's makes it have more flavor!)

2 cups of precooked rice (I cheat and use Uncle Ben's 90 second rice pouches, such a time saver)

Topping below (the best part!!! :)

Mix all of the above together and place in a 9x13 pan. We can't eat this whole casserole in one sitting, so I split it into 2 casseroles. One for this week and then freeze one for later. This casserole reheats beautifully.

Ritz Cracker Topping

1 T poppyseeds

60 Ritz crackers (2 sleeves)

1 stick of butter (melted)

Place crackers in a large ziplock bag, then crush them into small pieces. Add poppyseeds and butter to thoroughly mix together. Top casserole with the cracker topping. Freezing tip: I place the cracker topping in a sandwich bag and freeze with the casserole, this way when it's thawing, the crackers don't get soggy. You can freshly top them like normal, when you're ready to heat the casserole. 

Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 25 minutes covered and 5 more minutes uncovered. Your casserole should be bubbling with deliciousness when it's ready to take out of the oven. 

Mascaras - A WOW Look for your Eyes

I would never tell my friends to come to me for makeup advice. I'm not the person that explores with makeup or frequents Sephora or Ulta with confidence. In fact, those places intimidate me quite a bit!

I recently asked a college friend for mascara recommendations because she always posts fabulous fashion and beauty advice. I was looking for a mascara that could help hold my eye-lash curl for the day and give my eyes a little more "pop" without having to apply eyeliner everyday. She gave me 3 fantastic recommendations. I was so blown away by one of them though, that I had to share it!

Here are the 3 I tried*:

1. Benefit: They're Real! Lengthening Mascara, $24
2. Too Faced: Better Than Sex Mascara, $23
3. Cover Girl: The Super Sizer Mascara, $7.49

The WINNER: I liked the Cover Girl mascara best, which was shocking to me! It's only 1/3 of the price of the other two but it delivers results for the whole day! It holds my eyelash shape/curl and gives my lashes better definition than the other two. The brush seems very underwhelming and almost too small but the size actually gives you very good control to do a broad application and detailed application. I put a photo below that is a close-up of my eyes...let me tell you, that is TRICKY to do and not look totally scary :) I applied my mascara at 9am and you can still see my lashes at 2pm in the afternoon - woot woot!!! Usually, my lashes have melted back into the curve of the edge of my eye lid by this point...I digress.

One other thing I learned during these tests - you need to rotate your mascara every 3 months! Who knew?! I only replace my mascara when it's clearly drying out :) Replacing a $20+ mascara every 3 months really adds up, which makes me so pleased with my new budget find!

What's your favorite mascara and why?

*Prices listed are from ulta.com

Focaccia - A Crowd Pleaser

They always say, you shouldn't try a new recipe for a party...and yet, I always do! This weekend, we hosted a Super Bowl Party. Cory & I wanted to make fresh pizzas (one of our favorites & family specialties) but sometimes they can be quite a hassle with a crowd. As I was brainstorming on an alternate food to make, I thought, ah! Focaccia with some yummy toppings. Last time I tried to make focaccia, it did not turn out well (it was tough and didn't have the nice airiness that focaccia should have) which made me a little hesitant to make it again. Then I found this excellent recipe on Allrecipes.com (original recipe). The reviews were great and the amount of time it took was even better (sometimes doughs can take SOOO long!).

Quick summary: this foccacia came out incredibly nicely! If you are hesitant to make doughs, don't be with this one, your efforts will be rewarded! It is also a great recipe for a crowd.

Focaccia Bread
Makes 1 large, jelly roll pan size loaf

1 T honey
2 C warm water
1 T active dry yeast
1 T kosher salt
1 T olive oil
1/2 C diced onions
5 C all-purpose flour
3 T olive oil
2 T freshly chopped rosemary
1/4 C freshly grated Parmesan
1 T sea salt

Step 1: Dissolve honey in warm water in a large bowl. Then sprinkle the yeast on top. Let stand for 5 minutes until the yeast softens & foam begins to form.

Step 2: Stir in 1 T kosher salt, 1 T olive oil, diced onions & the 5 cups of flour. Mix until the dough begins to form.

Step 3:  Cover the bowl of dough with a damp cloth. Let rise in a warm place for 20 minutes. Becca's tip for a warm place: boil your kettle with water, place the bowl of dough & the tea kettle in the oven. Open the kettles stopper to release the steam into the oven...voila! You have a warm place.

Step 4: Once the dough has risen (or if you have a double oven) preheat the oven to 415 degrees.

Step 5: Line your jelly roll pan with parchment paper. Spray the parchment & sides of the jelly roll pan with cooking spray. Place dough on the parchment and spread out, making sure to make indentions with your fingers as you gently spread the dough. The dough is very easy to work with.

Step 6: Drizzle the foccacia dough with 3 T of olive oil and spread evenly with your fingers or a pastry brush (lightly brush though). Then sprinkle with the rosemary and parmesan cheese. This is the part where you can add your own toppings. I also sprinkled freshly ground sea salt on top. This time as additional toppings, I used:
- sliced cherry tomatoes (I sliced them, then placed the slices on a paper towel to drain some of the liquid from them)
- asiago cheese
- thin slices of pepperoni
- other topping options: olives, red onions, feta cheese, other fresh herbs

--> I made the dough several hours ahead of time. I wanted the bread to be warm when our guests arrived, so I wrapped the dough with saran wrap and put it in the refrigerator. About 30 minutes before I wanted it to go into the oven, I took it out of the refrigerator to let it come back to room temperature. I would dare to say the pre-baked dough would be OK to refrigerate overnight. Let me know if you try this!

Step 7: Bake the in preheated oven for 20 - 25 minutes, until bread is golden! Cut into large squares (about 3x3 or 4x4" squares) and enjoy!

Scratch Your Baking Itch: Homemade Oreos

Y'all, my sister is a fantastic little baker. She inspires me to bake, as much as Joy the Baker or Smitten Kitchen, seriously! But, I can't talk her into blogging ;) soooo, last night, when we were texting about her many Christmas parties and desserts she was making for them, she mentioned she had made homemade Oreos for her Sunday night party. Well, that caught my attention because we are a cookie loving family and I figured, I had taken a nap (almost in my 3rd trimester people! I need them!) and I had the energy to whip up something new. I decided to take on this tempting sandwich cookie.

1st batter attempt: you know, I left out a critical ingredient called SUGAR! Ha ha. I had tried the batter and though, ick, this tastes like dirt (& looked like it too). I then realized that at teh point when I was supposed to blend all of the dry ingredients tgoether, I had omitted teh sugar. Oh well, forget salvaging the batter. I started over again.

2nd attempt: voila! Just right.

I learned a few of tricks while making this, that might help you too:

1. This dough is very easy to roll out, that is what I recommend. This way, you can get clean edges to your cookies but you still get the lovely cracks and bubbles in your cookies
2. The filling won't look/taste/feel like the thicker, Oreo type cream until it has been sitting a day - but honestly, it tastes so amazing fresh the first day, you may not have any left 
3. You can flavor the filling any way you like! I did 1/2 original and in 1/2 I added small candy cane pieces to it for a seasonal touch. Both were delicious. 
4. Because I don't like to keep track of details, I didn't count many cookies I made/baked to ensure they came out even. In my estimation, if there wasn't a match, we could just eat the chocolate cookie! To ensure you do save enough for teh sandwiches (so they aren't eaten while you're making them), put 1/2 of your cookies topside down and the rest inside down as pairs,so you know how many cookies you will be filling. This way, you can space out your filling correctly too. 
5. I agree with the reco from the original recipe. to use an icing piping bag to fill the cookies. It makes it so easy and fast. 
6. You may never want an original Oreo again.

Here is the recipe from Smitten Kitchen!

Homemade Oreo Cookies 

Makes 25 - 30 cookies 

For the chocolate wafers: 

1 1/4 c all-purpose flour

1/2 c cocoa powder

1 t baking soda

1/4 t baking powder

1/4 t salt

1 c sugar

1/2 c plus 2 T of butter, room temperature

For the filling: 

1/4 c butter, room temperature

1/4 c shortening

2 c powdered sugar

2 t vanilla 

For the cookies:

1. Preheat oven to 375. Set 2 oven racks in the middle of the oven. You can bake 2 trays of cookies at teh same time. 
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, on low speed, thoroughly mix all dry ingredients the flour, cocoa, baking soda & powder, salt & sugar (see my note above :)).  
3. While on low speed, add teh butter & the egg. Continue to mix until the dough comes together. (Side note from me: my mixture stayed crumbly but when I patted it together between my hands, it stuck, if yours does this you know it is ready to pack into a ball and quickly roll out)
4. I rolled my dough out onto a floured/silicone surface at this point about 1/4" thick & used a small biscuit cutter to cut out my cookies. You can also use the original method of balling the cookie dough into about 1" diameter balls, put it on the cookie sheet and smush down with your hands. 
5. These cookies do not spread out much, so you can put them fairly close together (maybe 1/4" - 1/2" apart). 
6. Bake about 9 minutes. If you are baking 2 trays at a time, make sure to rotate the trays for even baking. 

For the filling (mmmm):

1. Place butter & shortening in a mixing bowl & at low speed, gradually beat in the sugar & vanilla. Turn the mixer on high and beat 2 - 3 minutes until the cream is light & fluffy
2. Next, after your cookies have completely cooled (if they aren't cool, your icing will melt and run off of the cookie), fill with the filling. 

Eat and Enjoy!

For an extra special treat, you could always drizzle them with white chocolate or fully enrobe in melted semi-sweet or dark chocolate. The original filled cookie though, is more than enough to satisfy any sweet tooth. 

Fabulous Reads: 4 Fall Favorites

Y'all, just experience my first book club last night and whoa, I have been missing out! Great friends, conversation & refreshments, I'm hooked! It inspired me to share my top 4 reads for fall.

Top 5:

1. Upstairs at the White House 
2. Same Kind of Different as Me
3. The Enchanted April
4. The Boys in the Boat 

Upstairs at the White House by J. B. West

Summary of book: J. B. West worked in the White House for 28 years and witnessed the inner workings of the President, their first ladies and their families. This book is a fascinating glimpse into the historical happenings of the presidencies and into the first families personal lives. It is tasteful and inspiring. 

Rating: 5

Book feel: Nice evening wind-down
My additional comments: This is a wonderful book. Not only did it give insight to several presidents but I also walked away with some inspired but practical ideas for my own life.

Same Kind of Different as Me by Ron Hall & Denver Moore

Summary of book: Denver Moore was working as a sharecropper (what is described in the book as a modern-day slave) in Louisiana in the mid 1900's. Ron Hall was a major money making art-dealer in Dallas. How did their lives intersect? Ron and his wife Debbie started volunteering at a homeless shelter, where they met Denver. Your life will be blessed mightily by reading this redemptive story. 

Rating: 5

Book feel: Intense but rewarding & Can't put it down, lost sleep to read it
My additional comments: 

The Enchanted April by Elizabeth von Arnim 

Summary of book: This is a classic novel written in 1922 by an Australian-born British novelist. The writing can be slow at times but her style grows on you and then charms you completely, as does this book. Set first in England then moving to Portofino, Italy, the book tells of 4 women who come together to vacation in Italy, despite the fact that they are complete strangers. 

Rating: 3

Book feel: Nice evening wind-down
My additional comments: If you're already ready for winter to end, this book will remind you of the warmth of spring and summer that is to come!

The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown

Summary of book: This book features Joe Rantz, an Olympic rower with humble beginnings. It is an incredible story of the 1936 Olympic rowing team, where the team came from and educates the reader on the sport of rowing. If you like stories like Seabiscuit, you will love this story.

Rating: 4

Book feel: Nice evening wind-down
My additional comments: Nice evening wind-down

Here are the details on my rating information :)

Rating scale:

1 - I stopped reading it before I finished it 

2 - I would not recommend it & wish I hadn't spent my time reading it either 

3 - It was a good read but I wouldn't read it again 

4 - I'm confident recommending it as a good read to anyone

5 - I'm still thinking about it months later & would read it again & potential buy it 

Book feel

Beach read (easy & delightful, not much focus needed) 

Can't put it down, lost sleep to read it
Nice evening wind-down

Intense but rewarding 

Informational but boring

Spinach, Chicken & White Cheese Lasagna

Wow, wow and wow! This dish is both easy and delicious and might have just stolen the title of my favorite lasagna, even above a homemade red sauce lasagna (& that's a big deal because that's one of my favorites to make and eat).

The best thing about this recipe is it makes a 9x13. If you're a smaller family like us, you only need one 8x8 and with this recipe, you get 2! One for now and one to freeze for later (or share with someone else!)!

Seriously y'all, this is soooo good. You can also sneak in some extra veggies very easily. 

Spinach, White Cheese and Chicken Lasagna

9 whole wheat lasagna noodles (not oven ready)

1/2 c butter

1 whole onion

2 yellow squash, chopped 

1 garlic clove, minced

1/2 c all-purpose flour

1 t salt

2 c chicken broth

1 1/2 c milk

4 c shredded mozzarella cheese, divided in half 

1 c grated Parmesan cheese, divided in 1/2

1 t dried basil

1 t dried oregano

1/2 t ground pepper

2 c ricotta cheese

2 eggs 

2 c cooked, cubed chicken (I buy the oven rotisserie chicken that's already off of the bone from Costco. Seriously delicious & tender meat. 

1 package chopped frozen spinach, thawed & drained 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

Bring a pot of water to boil. Once boiling, add noodles and cook for about 10 minutes. 

Meanwhile, in a large pot, melt butter and then cook the onion and squash for about 8 minutes, then add garlic and continue to cook until veggies are tender.

Add flour & salt to the veggie mixture & stir well.  

Add milk & chicken broth to the veggie/ flour mixture. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly & boil for 1 minute. Next, stir in 2 c mozzarella cheese & 1/2 c Parmesan & melt. Then add herbs. Remove from heat & set aside.

Mix chicken, ricotta and 2 eggs together. 

Now, for the layers! These instructions are for the 9x13 pan: 

Prepare pan(s) & spread 1/3 of milk/cheese/onion mixture on the bottom of pan. 

Next, lay noodles on top.

Then, spread all of the chicken/ricotta/egg mixture on top of the noodles. 

Spread 1/3 more of milk/cheese/onion mixture on top.

Repeat noodles then milk/cheese/onion mixture. Top with remaining 2 cups of mozzarella cheese. 

Bake in oven, uncovered, for 35-40 minutes until cheese is melted, slightly browned and the lasagna is bubbling. Let sit for about 5 minutes. 

Apple Cider Sweet Potato Chicken Chili

Y'all, I was inspired by a recipe I found online to make a chili with Apple Cider! Of course, I started to add my own twists to the recipe and thought I would share it here!

Apple Cider Sweet Potato Chili

3 chicken breasts (optional)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 onion, chopped
1/2 bell pepper, chopped (any color will work)
4 celery stalks, chopped
1 can Great Northern Beans, drained & rinsed
1 can Light Red Kidney Beans, drained & rinsed
1 sweet potato, peeled & chopped into small pieces
2 1/2 cups apple cider
3 cups chicken broth
1 t chili powder
1 t kosher salt
1/2 t black pepper, ground
1/2 t paprika
1/4t cayenne

1. Heat olive oil in large pot over medium heat. Add onions, garlic and peppers, cook until onions are translucent. After cooked, put mixture in a bowl. 
2. In same large pot, fill with water and bring to a boil. 
3. Chop chicken into small, bite size pieces and add to boiling water. Cook for about 7 - 10 minutes, until chicken is cooked through. 
4. While the chicken is cooking, drain & rinse beans and add to the bowl with the onion mixture. Also add chopped celery and sweet potato to this mixture. 
5. Once chicken is cooked, drain. 
6. Add onion mixture, cubed chicken pieces, chicken broth, apple cider and remaining ingredients (herbs) to the large pot. Bring to a boil.
7. Once pot is boiling, turn down on simmer and let thicken (about 30 minutes to 1 hour). 
8. 1/2 way through cooking, smash 1/3 of the beans onto the side of the pot, this will help to naturally thicken the chili. 

My Fall Food Favorites

It's Fall Y'all <-- haha, I think it is sooo funny to say that.

Anyway, with the changing of the seasons, there are always new seasonal foods to try out! Here are a few of my new favorites! I am including the recipes of a few, here! Try them out and let me know what you think!

1. Oktoberfest stew - tastes like all of the best German foods, in one dish *recipe below
2. Homemade sparkling apple cider - so deliciously delightful *recipe below
3. Pumpkin cake with cinnamon cream cheese icing - double yum
4. Apple Cider Cupcakes with Maple Buttercream Icing
5. Salty Addictive Nuts - y'all you cannot stop eating these!!! And let me just note, these are not just for the fall but I just happened to try them this fall :) *recipe below
6. Pumpkin snickerdoodles - like a pumpkiny version of a chewy spice cookie
7. Chicken Pot Pie - comforting flavors without the heaviness; this one is light and full of flavor

Oktoberfest Stew

1 T olive oil

1 package of smoked sausage, sliced into bite size pieces (we used Oscar Mayer uncured turkey sausage)

1 large onion, cut in 1/2 and sliced thin

1/2 of a cabbage, cored and sliced thin

1/2 t fresh ground pepper

1/4 t caraway seeds

2 garlic cloves

1 c Oktoberfest lager

2 russet potatoes, peeled and cubed to bite size pieces

2 1/2 c hot chicken broth

1 1/2 T apple cider vinegar (use 2 T if you like more vinegar like me)

• Heat olive oil over medium-high heat in a large pot; once the oil is hot, add in the sliced smoked sausage, and allow the slices to caramelize and brown in the oil, for about 4-5 minutes.
• Add in the sliced onions, stir, and allow the onions to caramelize with the sausage for another few minutes, until the onions are golden-brown and softened.
• Add in the sliced cabbage, stir to combine, and allow the cabbage to soften and take on the flavors of the sausage and onions for a few minutes.
• Add in the black pepper, ground caraway seeds and the pinch of salt, and stir to combine; next, stir in the garlic.
• When the garlic becomes aromatic, add in the cup of lager, and stir the mixture to combine; allow the beer to slightly reduce for about 3 minutes or so.
• Add in the cubed potatoes and the hot chicken stock, stir, and allow the mixture to come to the boil.
• Place a lid, slightly askew to allow just a little steam to escape, and reduce the heat to low to gently simmer the stew for about 40 minutes.
• Turn the heat off, and finish the stew by stirring in the apple cider vinegar.

Homemade Sparkling Cider Recipe

1 Liter of sparkling water per

1 can frozen apple juice/apple cider from concentrate

• Apple slices for pretty-ness (optional)
• Mix together and serve chilled or over ice in fun cups. 

Salty Addictive Nuts!

4 cups pecan halves

1/4 cup butter, melted

1 Tbsp kosher salt

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (double of you like spicy!)

• Preheat oven to 325.
• Toss together melted butter & pecans. Spread in thin layer on jelly roll pan. Toast about 25 min, or until fragrant and toasted, stirring halfway through (I really watch them in the last few minutes, as they go from toasted to burnt very quickly.)
• Remove from oven, sprinkle with salt and cayenne, tossing to coat. Cool completely. Will keep for up to 1 week.