German Chocolate Pecan Pie.

Happy Thanksgiving!

I am really enjoying having some time off work to spend with my two favorite guys. The weather has been wonderful here in Arkansas so we've been trying to make the most of it. Yesterday, Slade and I had a fun day where we spent the whole day together doing all of our favorite things including a trip to the zoo and our favorite playground. I am so thankful for days like that.

Today, I wanted to share one of my favorite pie recipes. I came across this recipe about 5-6 years ago and I decided to give it a try at Thanksgiving instead of making a regular pecan pie. I was blown away by the reaction from my family and everyone that's ever tried it. In fact, my family has requested numerous times that I bring this pie to every family gathering.

Enjoy!

German Chocolate Pecan Pie
Slightly adapted from Everyday with Rachael Ray

1 prepared pie crust
2 eggs
5 tbsp. butter
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
2 1/2 cups (about 10 ounces) chopped pecans
3/4 cup sweetened flake coconut
3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Bake pie crust according to package directions. Preheat oven to 375. In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs. In a saucepan, whisk together butter, salt, brown sugar and corn syrup over medium heat until melted and smooth. Whisk the sugar mixture into the eggs. Stir in the nuts and coconut.Spread the chocolate chips in the pie crust. Pour in the filling and bake until set, about 25 minutes. Let the pie cool completely before slicing.

Crock Pot Chicken and Dressing

Happy Thanksgiving eve!

Every year as I plan my Thanksgiving menu, I find myself trying to figure out what I can make that isn't required to go in the oven. When I came across this recipe last year, I tested it out on my co-workers at our Thanksgiving potluck. It was a big hit and everyone requested that I bring it again this year.

 

As part of my plan to have a low stress Thanksgiving menu this year, I decided that I would also make it for my family. The recipe is very easy to make. The dressing comes out moist and delicious and it tastes very similar to the chicken and dressing my Grandma J always made. Doesn't get much better than that!

Enjoy!

Crock Pot Chicken and Dressing

4 eggs, beaten
1 stick butter, melted
1 tsp poultry seasoning
2 tsp sage
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 cans cream of chicken
1 small onion chopped
1 skillet cornbread (prepared in advance)
2 cans cooked chicken breast, drained and broken i
2 cans chicken broth

Crumble cornbread in a large bowl. Add all ingredients and stir until well combined. Add liner to crock pot, then pour in the dressing mixture. Cook on high for 45 minutes and the low for 4 hours.

Crock Pot Baked Sweet Potatoes.

Fall is finally here. The leaves are turning beautiful colors and the weather is cooler. Sweet potatoes are starting to make their appearance in the front of the produce section at the grocery store and are so incredibly inexpensive. My Grandma J loved sweet potatoes, especially this time of year, as she found it very difficult to pass up a good deal on anything, which is why I once ended up with 100 cans of soup that she practically got for free. Seriously.

So back to the sweet potatoes. She always baked her sweet potatoes and, I’m not sure what she did to them, but they were so delicious. Once I was in college and then law school, she would call me to let me know when she was making them so I could be sure to stop by for dinner. The funny thing about having a meal at her house was that she didn’t really consider what foods should go together. So for instance, you might have a baked sweet potato, spaghetti with a tomato meat sauce, chicken strips, pinto beans and corn bread for dinner. Just whatever sounded good to her that day or whatever was on sale.

This time of year, I always feel the need to have baked sweet potatoes and since the crock pot is my new best friend, I decided to give baked sweet potatoes a try in the crock pot. The result- success!

Crock Pot Baked Sweet Potatoes.

4-5 sweet potatoes (roughly the same size)

Wrap each potato in foil and place in crock pot. Cook on low for 8 hours. Serve with butter.

Crock Pot French Dip Sandwiches.

I have repeatedly confessed my love for the crock pot.  As my life has gotten busier, that love has only grown and, honestly, I can’t imagine life without it. A bit dramatic, I know, but it’s true. I think it’s so important to sit down as a family at the end of the day and share a meal together, especially since during the week, we spend so much of the day apart. The crock pot makes that easier to accomplish and allows me to be a mom, wife and attorney without sacrificing nutritious, home cooked meals for my family.  Win-win.

I’m always on the lookout for new recipes to try in the crock pot and I absolutely love this recipe for french dip sandwiches. I’ve made it at least five times since first trying it in August. The roast is perfectly flavored and so tender and moist. It’s great in sandwich form but it’s also delicious served over mashed potatoes. I believe this one has landed a spot in the permanent rotation.

When it comes to crock pot cooking, there is one thing that I feel very strongly about- the recipe must include very minimal prep work. What that really means is that I do not want to have to cook anything before I put it in the crock pot. For me, that’s just more dishes and things to do when the crock pot is supposed to make cooking easier. In the original recipe for the french dip sandwiches, the roast is seared before placing it in the crock pot. I chose to skip that for my convenience, but feel free to add that step back in if you so desire.

Enjoy!

Crock Pot French Dip Sandwiches.

Slightly modified from The Farm Girl

1 beef roast (3-4lbs) (I usually go for the ones with minimal marbling)

2  One ounce packages Lipton Onion Soup mix

4 cups water

2 tsp beef bouillon powder (or 2 cubes)

Sandwich rolls

Provolone or Swiss cheese

Place the roast in the crock pot. Sprinkle the onion soup mix and beef bouillon over the top, then pour water over the roast. Cook on low for 8-10 hours. Shred the roast with a fork and then let the shredded roast cook in the brothy goodness for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Assemble sandwiches and serve with the hot broth from the crock pot (in a small cup or bowl) for dipping.

Turkey Stroganoff.

I can’t believe it’s been so long since I posted my last blog. The past few months have been crazy busy and I just haven’t found the time to post anything. But don’t worry- I’ve still been making lots of good food (and even a few craft projects) to share with everyone!

This is an easy week night recipe that is a favorite in my house. I’ve made several different variations of this dish over the years but this has been the favorite by far.

Enjoy!

Turkey Stroganoff.

1 lb. ground turkey breast

2 lbs of sliced mushrooms (I used 1 lb. white mushrooms and 1 lb. baby bella mushrooms)

½ onion, chopped

2 cans roasted garlic cream of mushroom soup

1-2 c. chicken stock

2 tbsp. garlic infused olive oil

Salt and pepper

½ package whole wheat egg noodles

Prepare egg noodles according to directions on package. For the stroganoff, sauté the onions and ground turkey breast in 1 tbsp. olive oil over medium heat. Season with salt and pepper. Once the onions are cooked and the turkey is browned, remove the turkey and onions from the pan. Add remaining olive oil to pan and add the mushrooms. Stir frequently. Once the mushrooms begin to brown and look delicious, add the turkey and onion mixture back to the pan. Add in 1 cup of the chicken stock and stir, scrapping up any brown bits from the bottom on the pan. Then stir in the cream of mushroom soup. Add more chicken stock if needed to thin the mixture. Simmer for 5-10 minutes. Serve over egg noodles.

Slow Cooker Purple Hull Peas.

I’m a big fan of the farmer’s market. We try to go every Saturday morning as a family to get the fruits and vegetables we will eat for the next week. We are fortunate to have a really good farmer’s market where everything is grown or produced in Arkansas. There are usually different homemade treats to enjoy and someone is usually there playing guitar and singing, which Slade really enjoys. The farmer’s market is one of my favorite outings and I look forward to it every week.

Purple hull peas have just started to make their appearance for the season. Purple hull peas may look like black-eyed peas but they taste so much better. Like the blueberries, I am buying peas for us to eat each week, as well as peas to freeze for the winter.

I remember spending hours shelling purple hull peas as a child. My Grandma J. would get a 5 gallon bucket or two of them from somewhere and we would sit outside shelling them for hours. While that was quality time with my grandma and I have wonderful memories of it, I have no desire to spend hours shelling peas. So now that I’m an adult I prefer to buy my peas already shelled. Perhaps when Slade gets older, I will make him sit outside and shell peas with me. Until then, I’m happy to let others do the work.

Before.



After.



Usually, I serve these peas with corn bread and fried potatoes, which is the kind of meal you could find at my Grandma J.’s house any day of the week.

Enjoy!

Slow Cooker Purple Hull Peas

1 lb. fresh or frozen purple hull peas

4 c. low sodium chicken stock

2 c. water

4 slices bacon

Salt and pepper

Add all ingredients to the slow cooker. Cook on low for 8 hours.

Laundry schedule.

I think a lot moms would agree that there just aren’t enough hours in the day. I struggle to find the time and energy to do everything on my to-do list.

I read (somewhere that I can’t seem to recall) a list of tips for a well maintained house. One of those tips was to do a full load of laundry every day that way you don’t have to spend an entire day on the weekend tied to the washer and dryer.

This made sense to me. I don’t want to spend all day on Sunday doing laundry which is what usually ended up happening. So I started to think about how I could implement this in my house.

I really like schedules. They really suit my personality. I do my very best to keep Slade on a schedule (that was especially true when he was a baby). Schedules make it easy on everyone because everyone knows what to expect and what needs to be done.

So I decided to create a laundry schedule for my house. Because my husband‘s suits and the majority of my work clothes go to the dry cleaners, I am lucky enough that I don’t have the quantity of laundry that requires doing a load of laundry every day. Plus, one of the benefits of having a schedule is having days when I don’t do laundry.

On Sundays, I do all of Slade’s laundry which can usually be done in one load. I find it is really helpful to start the week with all of this laundry clean and put away. I prefer to do this laundry after his nap so that I can wash his favorite blanket and have it ready for bedtime. One thing that is essential for making this work is that he has enough clothes for an entire week so that I only need to do his laundry once a week. So I make sure that he has 8 pairs of pajamas (it’s always good to have a spare), 8 pairs of shorts, etc.

Also on Sundays, I alternate doing kitchen laundry and bath towels.

During the week, I wash all of the dark colored clothes on Tuesday, light colored clothes on Wednesday and reserve Thursday for any additional laundry that needs to be done, such as a load of red colored clothes or something needing to be washed on the gentle cycle. During the week, I tend to wash and dry at night but then fold and put away the laundry the next morning before Slade wakes up.

This means that I have Monday, Friday and Saturday as laundry free days! Woo hoo!

We’ve been operating with this current laundry schedule for about two months now and I have to say that it’s been a success.

Blueberry Bread.

Blueberries are abundant this time of year in Arkansas and I live with two blueberry loving guys so I have been buying them by the quart at the farmer’s market. We’re using blueberries in everything and I’m freezing a lot too so that we will have blueberries later in the year.

This blueberry bread recipe is a favorite of ours. It’s especially good for breakfast. I prefer to make it in 3 mini loaf pans so that we can eat one loaf when I make it and then freeze the others to be eaten at a later date.

I’m a huge fan of having things like this in the freezer. I just take it out of the freezer at night before I go to bed and then next morning we have a quick and delicious breakfast.

Enjoy!

Blueberry Bread

1 egg

1 cup milk

3 tbsp. canola oil

2 c. all purpose flour

1 c. sugar

1 ½ tsp. baking powder

 ½ tsp. salt

2 c. blueberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, whisk together egg, milk and oil. In a separate bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Add flour fixture to milk mixture and stir until combined. Fold in blueberries. Divide mixture evenly between 3 mini loaf pans that have been sprayed with nonstick spray. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

A dash of lime green.

I love for walls (and ceilings) to have color. When we moved into our house, most of the walls were a very light gray. I had a lot of the rooms painted before we actually moved in but I needed more time to decide what to do with the play room so we left those walls gray.

The play room is right off of the living room, with a door on each side of the fire place leading into the room. The breakfast area also opens up into the play room, although we have added a child gate to help keep the room a bit more contained. The location of this room in our house makes it an ideal place for a playroom because I can see and/or hear what he’s doing from several rooms in the house. But this also means that I had to be careful what color I chose for the room because it could be seen from the main parts of the house.

 I really wanted the room to be lime green. But my husband was opposed to the idea because he didn’t want to see lime green from the living room or kitchen. The compromise- one wall, the wall that is shared with living room that can only really be seen from the breakfast area, would lime green and we would leave the other three walls light gray. So when the painter came to paint the new patio doors, I also had him paint the wall lime green.

It looks amazing! When I took Slade into the newly painted room for the first time he pointed to the wall and said “green, Mommy, green!” I am so happy with it and I really would like to have the other three walls painted the same color. I doubt I will ever convince my husband though. So I’m thinking that I may eventually have the other three walls painted a much lighter shade of green that would correspond with the lime green accent wall. But even with just the one wall painted I am so happy with it.

I’m still working on the wall décor in this room. I found this sign and thought it would look great on the lime green walls. Plus, we love to sing this song, especially in the mornings.

I also hung a painting that Slade did for his school’s annual art auction fundraiser.

Lemon Poppy Seed Bread.

This recipe came from a friend who got it from her mother-in-law. I first made this for my co-workers a few years ago. It was an instant hit and has become the most frequently requested thing I make. Try it and you will understand.

Enjoy!

Lemon Poppy Seed Bread

1 package lemon cake mix

1 package (4 cup size) instant lemon pudding mix

1 cup canola oil

1 cup water

4 eggs

½ tsp almond extract

2 tbsp. poppy seeds

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine ingredients and mix on medium speed for 5 minutes.  Pour into 3 greased loaf pans. Bake for 35-40 minutes.

Glaze

½ c. powdered sugar

3 ½ tbsp. lemon juice

Combine the ingredients and whisk until no lumps remain. Pour on the lemon bread while hot.

New doors.

One of the things that I love most about our house is that Slade has a play room. Technically, it’s a sun room but it serves the purpose of a play room quite well. And since it is a sun room, the room has four large floor to ceiling windows. There are also french doors that lead out onto our back deck.

After a friend of mine’s house was broken into twice within a two week period, once by kicking in the front door, I decided that I wanted to change out the doors in the playroom. The french doors were very unsecure and I’m pretty sure that it wouldn’t take much effort at all to kick in those doors. On more than one occasion, strong winds actually rattled the door enough to set off the alarm, which scared me to death. And of course it always happened when my husband was not home, but at least it never happened in the middle of the night. So we started exploring door options. Let me just say that I am amazed by how many different options there are for doors. Luckily I had an idea of what I wanted, otherwise it would have been overwhelming.

We ultimately decided on patio doors with the blinds inside the door. So what’s the difference between french doors and patio doors? I did not know this before I started looking at doors, but apparently with french doors, both doors can be opened up, but with patio doors, only one door opens up. So the door that opens is much more secure because it latches into a stronger base.

We also took the opportunity to get doors with blinds inside the door. We had 2-inch wooden blinds on the old doors but Slade was constantly pulling on them trying to look outside. I went back and forth on the blinds decision though. I was worried that it would look strange to have a door with the blinds on the inside next to all of the windows with the 2-inch blinds. We decided to go ahead and get the doors with the blinds on the inside and I am so glad that we did. It looks great and I’m not constantly asking Slade to leave the blinds alone.

While better security was a high priority, we did choose doors that are mostly glass. We discussed this at great lengths and decided that since the doors are surrounded by 4 large windows, getting solid vs. glass doors wasn’t going to make a huge difference in the security of that room. Also, as part of the process to make our house more secure, we added an eight foot privacy fence around our backyard and keep the gate locked from the inside which makes it much more difficult to get access to our back deck. So I feel much better about the security of the house from the backside.

The new doors look great and I really couldn’t be any happier with the project.  

Slow Cooker Pot Roast.

Things have been hectic lately with work and Slade. Most days, I feel like I’m being pulled in a hundred different directions. I love being Slade’s mom and I love my job as an attorney but there are definitely times when I find it difficult to juggle the two roles.

When I’m tired and stressed out, I want comfort food. If my mom lived close by, I would go to her house for dinner (and probably a nap) but since she’s six hours away, I have to create the comfort food myself. And I usually turn to pot roast in my slow cooker.

In the morning, I put a roast in the slow cooker.

And this is what it looked like when I got home.

Doesn’t that look fantastic?

When I got home from work, I put some potatoes on to boil for mashed potatoes, sautéed some zucchini and put rolls in the oven. About 20 minutes later, the three of us sat down for a delicious and comforting meal together.

After a crazy busy week, there is something quite relaxing about sitting down for a meal with my two favorite guys.

Enjoy!

Slow Cooker Pot Roast

Beef chuck roast (5-6 lbs)

1 bag of frozen pearl onions

1-2 tbsp. Montreal steak seasoning (I usually go for the low sodium one)

4 cups unsalted beef stock

After lining the slow cooker with a slow cooker liner, add the roast to the slow cooker. Sprinkle on the seasoning and add in the pearl onions, then pour in the beef stock. Cook on low for 10-12 hours.

Pineapple Upside-Down Cake.

My Grandma J was a big influence in my life and she taught me a lot about cooking, especially southern cooking. I spent more hours than I can count in the kitchen with her. Then we would sit on her couch, eating whatever we had prepared, watching her “stories” on tv. I love it that I have so many wonderful memories of her and any time I find myself missing her I can go to the kitchen and make something for my family that she taught me how to make. I know she would love that.

My grandma had a sweet tooth. I’m pretty sure she ate a bowl of ice cream every single night or at least that is how I remember it. Even though my grandma loved sweets, she didn’t make too many desserts.

One of the first things that I remember learning to make with her was pineapple upside-down cake. That was her go-to dessert for any occasion. And I was constantly requesting it.

Grandma J’s food was delicious, although not always completely from scratch, which is another thing I loved about her. And I don’t think I will ever change the way I make pineapple upside-down cake.

This cake is a favorite of my husband so I make it for him a couple of times a year. We usually enjoy ours with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Enjoy!

Pineapple Upside-down Cake

1 yellow cake mix + ingredients needed for the mix

1 stick butter

1 cup brown sugar

1 can pineapple tidbits and the juice

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Open the can of pineapples and separate the pineapple from the juice. In a microwave safe bowl, melt the butter in the microwave. Once melted, add in brown sugar and stir until combined. Pour into a 9x13 cake pan. Top with the pineapple.

Now it’s time to mix up the cake. Follow the directions on the cake mix, except that you will substitute the pineapple juice for the water. If there isn’t enough, use water to make up the difference. Once the cake batter is ready, pour the batter into the cake pan and spread the cake batter out so that all of the brown sugar/pineapple mixture is covered. Bake 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Green Beans with Pine Nuts.

I love it that the Bachelorette is on! I’m a huge fan of Emily and am so excited to watch her season.

The Bachelor/Bachelorette always makes me think of my friend Amanda. We used to have Bachelor/Bachelorette watch parties, pre-sweet baby Slade, who is actually a toddler now, and her move to Dallas. We cooked dinner, drank wine and watched the shows. We always had a blast. But then she moved to Dallas and I had Slade, and now I watch the Bachelorette with my husband. I love it that he watches with me (for the sake of spending time together, of course, not because he enjoys the show) but it’s just not the same as my watch parties with Amanda.

So what does that have to do with green beans? At one of those watch parties, Amanda added pine nuts to her green beans which forever changed the way I made green beans. I immediately started adding pine nuts to my green beans and I’ve been doing it ever since.  

This recipe has evolved over the years to its current form. These green beans were my staple side dish before I discovered roasted broccoli.

On this particular night, we enjoyed grilled pork tenderloin and mashed potatoes with our green beans.

Enjoy!

Green Beans with Pine Nuts.

2 cups frozen green beans

1 tbsp. garlic infused olive oil

1 tsp. onion power

½ tsp. white pepper

2-3 tbsp. pine nuts

1-2 tbsp. low-sodium soy sauce

Heat a sauté pan over medium low heat. Add the green beans and let cook 3-5 minutes. Then add the olive oil, onion power, white pepper and pine nuts and sauté until the green beans are thoroughly cooked. Remove the pan from heat and stir in soy sauce.

Green Chili Burgers.

I love trying new burger recipes and this recipe did not disappoint. I have a feeling that I'll be making these on a regular basis since my husband requested that I make them again after his second bite on the night I tried this recipe. Needless to say, there weren't even any leftovers that night. And this has been added to my menu plan for next week.

Enjoy!

Green Chili Burgers

Slightly adapted from How Sweet It Is

1 pound ground chicken breast

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed

2 (4 ounce) cans of diced green chilis

2.5 ounces of monterey jack cheese, cut into four chunks + more for topping

1/2 tablespoon honey

juice of half a lime

hamburger buns

Preheat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. In a bowl, combine chicken, oil, salt, pepper, onion powder, cumin, garlic, and 1/2 a can of green chilis. Mix until just combined, and divide the mixture into fourths. Take one fourth of the mixture and place a chunk of cheese in the center and form the patty around the cheese so that the cheese is completely covered. Repeat for each remaining patty.

Place in skillet and cook on each side until golden and cooked through, about 2-3 minutes per side. Once you flip the burgers, add additional cheese on top to melt.

While the burgers are cooking, combine remaining green chilis in a bowl with honey, lime juice, and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. When ready to serve, spoon green chilis on top of the burgers and eat!

Shrimp Tacos.

We decided to put a spin on taco night at our house with shrimp tacos. I thought the Pioneer Woman's Shrimp Taco recipe sounded great but my husband turned his nose up at it because of the tomato sauce/enchilada sauce that went into the shrimp. So we used her slaw recipe, minus the cilantro, and I simply sautéed the shrimp in a skillet with a mix of spices. It was so delicious!

This was truly a quick and easy dinner. I made the slaw in about ten minutes while my son was napping and let it sit until dinner time. Then all I had to do at dinner time was cook the shrimp and assemble the taocs.

Enjoy!

Shrimp Tacos

Slaw:

From The Pioneer Woman

½ head cabbage, thinly sliced

½ head purple cabbage, thinly sliced

1 whole jalapeno, chopped

½ c. whole milk

½ mayo

1 tsp. white vinegar

1 tbsp. sugar

¼ tsp. salt

¼ tsp. cayenne pepper

Combine cabbage and jalapeno in a bowl. In a separate bowl mix remaining ingredients. Pour over the cabbage and toss to combine. Cover and refrigerate for a couple of hours before serving.

Shrimp:

 2 pounds shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 tbsp. garlic infused olive oil

½ tsp. cumin

1 tsp. salt

½ tsp. white pepper

¼ tsp. cayenne

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Put ingredients in a zip top bag and toss gently until the shrimp are evenly coated. Pour the shrimp mixture into the skillet. Cook until the shrimp are opaque.

For tacos:

Corn or flour tortillas

Lime wedges

Pico de gallo

Coq Au Vin.

As soon as I saw a recipe for coq au vin in the crock pot, I knew I had to try it. Especially since this is the kind of recipe where you just put everything in the crock pot and 8 hours later you have something wonderful. Right up my alley.

All the ingredients are in the crock pot and ready to go.

Doesn’t this look fantastic?

I served this with mashed potatoes but it would also be good with pasta.

I think this would be a great meal idea for dinner guests. Elegant yet easy.

Enjoy!

Coq au vin.

Adapted from Crock pot 365 blog

6 to 8 frozen chicken thighs

8 oz sliced baby portabella mushrooms

1 cup baby carrots

1 c. frozen pearl onions

3 cloves chopped or minced garlic

1/2 t black pepper

1/2 t kosher salt

1 bottle red wine (I used a pinot noir)

2 large fresh thyme sprigs

Put the frozen chicken into your crock pot and start layering in the rest of the ingredients. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours.