*Christmas & New Years*

I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas & a fun time ringing in the New Year!  I spent Christmas at the lake with my family.  And rung in the New Year at the lake with my parents, Aunts & Uncles, and a few of my parents good friends.  I enjoyed being able to relax with family & had a heck of a good time toasting to 2014!!  I thought I would share a few moments I captured throughout the holiday's. 

 

 

 

 

 

The last photo pictures the delish Argus Cider.  My good friends Argus Wesley Mickel & Mary Mickel started their Cidery in Austin, TX.  If you haven't tried it, I highly recommend it!  If you make it to Austin, they have a really nice set up with a tasting room & you can purchase it in TX, many locations in their home state of Arkansas, and in South Carolina.  You can check their website out here.

 

Here's to a prosperous New Year!!!

 

 

*Spiced Pork Chops w/Sweet & Sour Glaze*

Occasionally, I like to make a "man's meal" for Jay O.  This is about as close as I get!  It was really tasty.  I will say, if you don't have a ventahood, you might want to have someone handy to open the doors & fan out the smoke ;)  However, it was worth the trouble!

 

I halved this recipe for Jay O. & me and used less honey than it called for.  I served the pork with sweet potatoes & my roasted broccoli recipe you can find here.

 

Original recipe found here.

 

Ingredients:

Pork:

• 1/4 cup olive oil, plus extra as needed
• 4 (8-ounce) boneless pork chops, about 1 1/2 inches thick
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Glaze:

• 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 cup honey
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 scallions, pale green and white parts only, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary leaves
• 1/2 stick (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes, at room temperature
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

 

Directions:

Pork: In a large, heavy skillet, heat the olive oil over high heat. Season the pork chops with salt and pepper, to taste, and sprinkle with the red pepper flakes. Add the pork to the pan and cook until cooked through. for about 5 to 6 minutes on each side, or Remove the pork from the pan, cover loosely with foil, and set aside.

Glaze: In a small saucepan, bring the vinegar, honey, garlic, scallions, and rosemary to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until the honey has dissolved. Simmer for 9 minutes, or until slightly reduced. Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the butter until smooth. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Arrange the pork chops on a platter and drizzle with the glaze.

*Redneck Caviar, y'all!*

I made this recipe for my Grandmother Gin-gin's 80th surprise birthday party.  It was such a fun celebration and great to be with my family!!!  I think I only got teary eyed, like, 10 times ... Love my Gin-gin!

This recipe would be great just as a salad, or served with tortilla chips.

Original South Georgia Caviar recipe found here.

Ingredients:

2 (15-ounce) cans black eyed peas, drained

1 (15-ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained

1 (10-ounce) can diced tomatoes and green chiles (recommended: Ro-Tel)

2 cups chopped red bell pepper

1/2 cup chopped fresh jalapeno peppers

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 (8-ounce) bottle Italian Dressing

1 (4-ounce) jar chopped pimentos, drained

Season to taste with sea salt & fresh ground pepper

 

I doubled this recipe & didn't use the entire 16 oz. bottle of Italian Dressing

 

 

Directions:

In a large bowl, combine all of the ingredients and stir gently to combine. Refrigerate mixture overnight. Serve with corn chips.

 

The Mitchell clan!!! Missed the Bradley girls!

*Cajun Cheesedip*

I think an appropriate name for this dip would be "Cajun Heart attack dip."  Definitely not healthy, but definitely yum.  I made this for supper club last night.  Our friend William made an amazing family red beans  & rice recipe & I made this for an app.  I will say, I made this up as I went, but I will get as close as I can!

Ingredients:
1 large block Velveeta Queso Blanco
1 can Cream of Mushroom soup
1/2 cup salsa
1 yellow onion, diced
1 lb. spicy sausage
1 bag crawfish (find this in the freezer section)
Creole Seasoning, Fresh Ground Pepper, Paprika, & Cumin to Taste

Directions:
Cook sausage & onion in a large pot over medium-high heat.  Once cooked through, add in Velveeta, Cream of Mushroom Soup, Salsa & stir to combine.  Add in Crawfish & season to taste. 

You can either make this the night before, pour into a casserole dish & bake it at 300 until heated through the next day. Or, if you make this the night of, you can simply pour the dip into a casserole dish & serve.  Sprinkle Paprika on top before serving.

Serve with toasty baguette slices or tortilla chips.

ENJOY!

*Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup*

I read a few different recipes for chicken noodle soup on pinterest today, and this is what I came up with :-)  It makes quite a bit, so you can definitely plan for it to be leftover for your next days lunch or dinner.  And, best of all, this recipe is very easy to prepare!  I hope you enjoy!

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp Butter
2 cups chopped carrots (I used 4 whole carrots, shaved & sliced)
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup onion (I quartered mine)
8 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 cups skim milk
2 cans cream of chicken soup
16 oz. package egg noodles
1 rotisserie chicken (skin removed & shredded - or you can boil your own)
salt & pepper to taste

Directions: 
Prepare egg noodles according to package directions.
While your water is coming to a boil for the noodles, this will allow time to cut your veggies.
Melt butter in large soup pan on medium high.  Sauté  vegetables until soft, about 8 minutes.  Add chicken broth & bring to a boil for 10 minutes so that the vegetables are fully cooked.
Bring heat back down to medium.  Add in milk, cream of chicken soup and stir until smooth.
Gently add in cooked shredded chicken and egg noodles. 
Lastly, season with salt & pepper & bring to a simmer until ready to serve.

*Tortellini Soup in the Slow Cooker*

My Mom told me that my Aunt Kim made this when she was in Fayetteville & that it was a must try.  She was right!  I thought it was delish.  And, it is easy peasy, quick to make, budget friendly, & plenty for left overs, too.  All of those are BIG +++ in my book.

Ingredients:
24 oz jar prepared spaghetti sauce + 1/2 lb browned lean ground beef + 1/2 lb browned spicy Italian sausage (If you would like to do turkey & spicy turkey sausage that would be good, too!)
1/2 bag (4.5 oz) fresh spinach leaves

4 Cups chicken broth

8 oz cream cheese (the original recipe calls for regular b/c says fat free clumps up in the crock pot ... you could try 1/3 less fat if you'd like!)

8 oz sliced fresh mushrooms

16 oz cheese tortellini (frozen or unfrozen is fine)
parmesan cheese

 

Directions:

Combine spaghetti sauce, meat, spinach, cream cheese, chicken broth, and mushrooms in a slow-cooker. Cook on low for 6 hours, on high for 2-3.

20 minutes before serving, turn heat to high if it isn't already an stir in tortellini. Cover and cook for 15 minutes or until tender and hot.

 

Serve topped with parmesan cheese.

 



*Fall Salad*

I made this salad for supper club & LOVED it.  The salad dressing was hands down my favorite vinaigrette I have made for this time of the year.  I highly recommend it!

Sorry I forgot to take a picture :-(

 

Dressing Ingredients:

1 small shallot, finely diced

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 teaspoons maple syrup

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

 

Combine all ingredients in a hand blender/blender/food processor until smooth.

 

In the salad I did romaine lettuce, fresh shaved parmesan, 2 red pears (peeled & sliced), & candied pecans.

 

I served the salad with the butternut squash & spinach lasagna rolls & French bread. 

 

For appetizer I did my bacon wrapped chicken bites appetizer(I recommend marinating these overnight).  I felt like I needed to do some sort of meat so the guys wouldn't be bothered by the meatless entrée :-)  And, I did an apple crumb for dessert w/vanilla bean ice cream. 

 

Original salad dressing recipe is found here.  The original recipe has different types of lettuce, but I went with romaine since that is always a good bet with a large group of people.

 

 

*Fall Spirit*

We have done some decorating around the house to get in the Fall spirit and I thought I might as well share a few pictures :-)  We had supper club at our house 2 weeks ago, so that helped us get motivated!  The flowers were for the tables the night of supper club.

 

And  last but not least, the cute owl vase my Mom got me.  Kappa's are owls too, ya know ;-)

*Spaghetti Squash with Cheese & Fresh Spinach*

As I am sure some of you have noticed, I absolutely love Gina's Skinny Taste blog.  It is one of my favorites because everything I have tried is great, and also low cal.  I made this for Jay O. & me last week & it was delish.  It was great the next day for lunch, too.  I would not say it tastes like mac n' cheese ... just kind of like I will never say cauliflower tastes like mashed potatoes ... but it is great to have this when you're craving some cheesy goodness! And, it's a great dish for meatless Monday's :-)

Original Recipe found here.

Ingredients:
5 1/2 cups cooked spaghetti squash (I used one LARGE spaghetti squash)
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup minced onion
1/4 cup flour (use 2 tbsp corn starch for gf)
2 cups skim milk
1 cup fat free chicken broth (vegetable broth for vegetarian)
8 oz 2% reduced fat mild cheddar
salt and pepper, to taste
4 cups (about 4 oz) baby spinach
1/8 cup grated parmesan

 

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375ºF.

Poke holes in squash with a fork.  Bake the squash whole on a baking sheet until tender (knife should be able to pierce through the squash easily when done) about 1 hour - 1 hour 15 min.  Let squash cool about 15 minutes.  Cut spaghetti squash in half.  Remove seeds.  Then separate the strands of squash with a fork & place strands in a medium bowl (discard shells).   Maintain the oven temperature. 

Heat butter and oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onions and cook about 2 minutes. Stir in flour. Reduce heat to low and cook, stirring continually 3 - 4 minutes.

Add milk and chicken broth and continue whisking, raising heat to medium-high until it comes to a boil and becomes smooth and thick, about 2 minutes stirring; season with salt and pepper.

Once it becomes thick, remove from heat, add cheddar cheese and mix well until cheese is melted. Adjust salt and pepper to taste, add cooked spaghetti squash and baby spinach, pour into a baking dish and sprinkle parmesan cheese on top. Bake until bubbly and golden 25 to 30 minutes.

 

*Butternut Squash & Spinach Lasagna Rolls*

Yes, I am actually posting a recipe ... it's a surprise, right?! Since starting my new job in June (which I LOVE) I have been really focused & haven't been very creative with my cooking.  This week I decided to change it up a bit, & this recipe was fantastic.  It is perfect for Fall with the butternut squash parmesan sauce you make with garlic & shallots.  Jay O. is not a big veggie eater & loved this.  I highly recommend you try it this weekend if possible!!!

I will warn you, it is a tad time consuming.  I would make sure to have about 1  - 1.5 hour's on your hands to prepare the dish for baking.

The original recipe is from Gina's Skinny Taste Recipe's. 

The only thing I came across with the recipe was that putting 1/3 cup of the cheese/spinach mixture into each noodle did not quite make 9 rolls.  So, I would recommend adding additional cheese to your mixture, putting a little less in each roll, or just making 8 :-)



For the Butternut Parmesan Sauce:
1 lb butternut squash, peeled and diced
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/4 cup shallots, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp fresh grated parmesan cheese
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

For the Lasagna:
9  lasagna noodles, cooked
10 oz package frozen chopped spinach, heated and squeezed well
15 oz fat free  or part skim ricotta cheese
1/2 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese
1 large egg
salt and fresh pepper
~3 ounces part skim shredded Italian Blend Cheese
1 tablespoon parsley, minced

Directions:
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Half butternut squash, remove seeds & excess fiber.  Then peel the outside of the butternut squash & cut squash into large cubes.  Add butternut squash to boiling water & cook until soft . Remove squash with a slotted spoon, reserve about 1 cup of the water and set aside, then blend until smooth with a food processor or immersion blender, adding 1/4 cup  of the reserved liquid to thin out.

Meanwhile, in a large deep non-stick skillet, add the oil, sauté the shallots and garlic over medium-low heat until soft and golden, about 4 to 5 minutes. Add pureed butternut squash, season with salt and fresh cracked pepper.  Add a snitch more of the reserved water to your desired consistency. Stir in ~2 1/2 Tbsp of the parmesan cheese and set aside.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Ladle about 1/2 cup butternut sauce on the bottom of a 9 x 12 baking dish.

Combine spinach, ricotta, Parmesan, egg, salt and pepper in a medium bowl.

Place a piece of wax paper on the counter and lay out lasagna noodles. Make sure noodles are dry. Take 1/3 cup of ricotta mixture and spread evenly over noodle. Roll carefully and place seam side down onto the baking dish. Repeat with remaining noodles.

Ladle most of remaining sauce over the noodles in the baking dish and top each one with 1 tbsp Italian cheese blend. Put foil over baking dish and bake for 40 minutes, or until cheese is melted & bubbly.

To serve, ladle additional sauce onto plates & place lasagna roll on top (optional). 

As everyone says, "Happy Fall, Y'all!!!"