Thursday, December 30, 2010

New Years Day Food Tradition Southern Style

In the south we have a tradition for New Years day. No I'm not talking about recovering from a hangover but a food tradition. We like to eat greens and black eyed peas. The greens are supposed to bring you wealth in the New Year and the peas are to bring you luck, (who doesn't need money and luck?) Well rather it works or not I don't want to take a chance so I do both. This year I am enjoying a twist on the old tradition and trying out these 2 recipes.  The Grits and Greens are my friend Debbie Wright's recipe. How can you go wrong with this combo? The black eyed peas are courtesy of Ms. Paula Deen. There is no butter in Paula's recipe this time but there is bacon! I hope you enjoy both of these fantastic recipes! Whats your New Years day tradition?

Grits and Greens

INGREDIENTS:
1 med onion chopped
6 or7 pieces of bacon cooked and crumbled
2 c grits..not instand
1 large bag of frozen greens..your choice, i like collards or spinach
2 sticks butter
1 c grated parmesan cheese
2 c monterey jack cheese(reserve a little for topping)
salt and pepper to taste
8 c chicken broth--divided
2 c half and half or heavy cream

DIRECTIONS:

1)Preheat oven to 350
2)In a skillet cook your bacon..when done drain almost all the grease reserve some and saulte onion until the are carmelized.set aside bacon and crumble for topping.
3)In a large pot combine 1/2 and 1/2 and 6 cups of chicken broth. Bring to a boil, stir in grits, bring back to a boil, cover and reduce heat to simmer. Stir often to keep from burning. Cook aprox 25-30 min. You want normal grits consistency. I use a wisk to get the lumps out.
4)while grits are cooking ... cook greens in remaining 2 cups of broth. Cook approx 10 min, or until tender. Drain and squeeze out all liquid.
5)Add butter, cheeses, onion and salt and pepper to grits. when butter is melted stir in greens.
6)Place mixture in a greased 13x9 dish. Top with crumbled bacon and a little reserved cheese.
7)Bake in oven until golden brown ..approx 15 min


Spicy Black-Eyed Peas

INGREDIENTS:
  • 4 slices bacon
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 1 (16-ounce) package dried black-eyed peas, washed
  • 1 (12-ounce) can diced tomatoes and green chiles
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 3 cups water
 DIRECTIONS:

In a large saucepan, cook the bacon until crisp. Remove the bacon, crumble, and set aside to use as a topping for the peas. Saute the onion in the bacon drippings until tender. Add the peas, diced tomatoes and green chiles, salt, chili powder, pepper and water. Cover and cook over medium heat for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until the peas are tender. Add additional water, if necessary. Serve garnished with crumbled bacon.

Light n Krispy Belgian Waffles

Growing up we would always have breakfast for dinner on Sunday nights. I continue that tradition with my family. I came up with this yummy little waffle recipe that my kids love! There are so many kinds of mix-ins you can add to it! This makes 6-7 Belgian waffles.

Ingredients:
2 egg yolks
2 c milk
2 c all purpose flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 c oil
1 tsp vanilla
2 Tbsp cream of coconut
2 egg whites, stiffly beaten

Directions:
1)Preheat waffle maker.
2)Put all ingredients except egg whites in large mixer bowl. Beat on low until moistened. Increase to medium, mix until smooth.
3)By hand, gently fold in beaten egg whites.
4)Spray the waffle maker with cooking spray.Pour 3/4 cup batter over grids. Close waffle maker, bake until steam no longer escapes, about 3-5 minutes or until your light goes off on your iron. Repeat. Serve hot with your favorite topping.
*Optional mix-ins: Blueberry Waffles: Fold 2 c. fresh blueberries into batter. Pour 3/4 cup batter over grids. Bake until golden.,Chocolate Chip Waffles: Fold 1 cup chocolate chips into batter. Bake as directed. I also like to use blueberry or strawberry syrup! YUMMO!

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Cranberry Orange Cheese ball with Carmalized Pecans

A long time ago I ate a cranberry cheese ball that I had made from a mix that I bought. I loved it! Well I have no way of getting that mix anymore, so I came up with my own recipe. It is sweet and tart. This isn't your average cheese ball! You will love to serve this at your next holiday gathering!

Ingredients:
1 c dried cranberries, chopped
1/4 c frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
16 oz cream cheese, softened to room temp
1/4 c confectioners' sugar
CARAMALIZED PECANS
3/4 c pecans, coarsely  chopped
1 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp sugar



Directions:
1)Chop cranberries in a food processor or blender.
2)Add the cream cheese, OJ and sugar. Blend in the processor till all is creamed together.
3)Place onto a sheet of wax paper and shape in a ball the best you can. Let it sit overnight to stiffen up a bit. You can shape it better the next day when it is a little harder.
4)Directions for candied pecans: Melt butter in a pan on med heat add the pecans and sugar and mix well stirring frequently. About 3-5 minutes. Do not let the pecans burn!
5)Lay out a sheet of wax paper and place pecans on the sheet spreading them out. Let them cool.
6)When you are ready to eat the cheese ball take it out of the fridge and shape better. Grab a handful of pecans and place them all over the cheese call till covered. Place cheese ball on a plate and serve!








                                  

Monday, December 13, 2010

Dirty Santa Girl's night.

The last 4 years I have hosted a dirty Santa girl's night at my house. It is always lots of fun and the one girl's night that I look forward to every year. This year was bitter sweet for me because this is the last year that I will be hosting the party. I hope when I move I can host one at my new place too. Anyway, everyone always brings yummy treats to eat and we sit around and mingle for a bit. Then when we can no longer take it anymore we let the game began. We have to agree to stay friends when it is all over. Some of the woman can get a little vicious. LOL.  Here are some of the fun pics from that night.

The Loot
Anne Marie opens the most coveted gift of one night of fun with Jaime wearing that!
Stacy trying to figure out what she wants

Sissy admiring her men's body spray collection

Becky's friend modeling her new jacket, which is great for caroling in the 1800's

Becky getting a sneak peak of her night with Jaime

Don't ask?!?

Me modeling my new thong. LOL

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Candy Christmas Wreaths

I know that this is the 3rd sweet recipe in a row that I have posted but I couldn't help myself but post this one today. My kids and I made a batch and had a lot of fun. Besides it's Christmas time we are supposed to gorge ourselves with sweets right? I am the youngest of 5 kids. So growing up this is what we would give our teachers at Christmas time. This is an inexpensive yummy treat and present. My kids love to make their own and eat them. I could not find the cinnamon red hots this year so I substituted them with red m&ms.

Indgredients:
1 10.5 oz bag of mini marshmallows
1 c butter (2 sticks)
2 tsp vanilla extract
7 c corn flakes
4 tsp green food coloring ( or till you get the shade you want)
small red cinnamon candies or red m&ms

Directions:
1)In a large pot melt the butter, then add the marshmallows, melt those.
2)Stir the butter and marshmallows together. Add the vanilla and food coloring till you get the shade of green you want.
3)Pour in the cornflakes and mix well till it is covered pretty good.
4)Grease your hands with butter. drop onto waxed paper and shape. If the kids are working with you make sure you let it cool just a little bit before they work with it. Just don't wait too long or it will harden. This batch makes two 9 in wreaths or several small ones.
Jadas sweet wreath! You can tell she really likes the berries!

Lovin' his wreath

Delish!

Monday, December 6, 2010

Peppermint Marshmallow Popcorn



Doesn't this stuff look GOOOOOOD?!? I tasted this oooeey goooey goodness for the first time courtesy of my best friend Brooke. I told her that I HAD to have the recipe. This stuff is seriously addicting! It's like Christmas in your mouth! It makes a big batch! Anytime I have family in town I make it so I don't eat the whole batch myself. It is the perfect Christmas treat! You can eat it all year long substitute the candy cane for  heath bits, Recesses pieces, m&m's etc.. Watch out now! I bet you can't eat just one bite!

Ingredients: 
1/2 c butter
1/2 c margarine
1/2 c corn syrup, light
1 tsp vanilla
1 16 oz bag of mini marshmallows ( if you can't find a 16 oz bag just use 1 1/2 bags of the 10.5 oz)
2 gallons of air popped popcorn (or 3 bags of microwave popcorn,use very light butter)
30   miniature candy canes, crushed
1 1/3 c sugar

Directions:

melt butter and margarine in a pot. add the sugar, corn syrup, and vanilla. Boil for 5 minutes of med heat.
layer the pop corn, candy canes and marshmallows in a large bowl or pot.
Pour the sauce over and mix well with a large spoon. It can bet hard to stir this sticky goodness but it is worth it! You can add more popcorn till it is the consistency you want.
When you are done mixing pour it onto wax paper and spread it out to cool. You can store it in gallon zip lock bags.











    

Saturday, December 4, 2010

Death By Oreo Cupcakes

I have this new friend that I have made named Debbie Wright. She is a good ole southern girl like me. She is from Louisiana and even though she is an LSU fan I still call her my friend.  I met her through www.Justapinch.com. We were able to meet in person at the last contest ceremony in Nashville were my cumin pork chops were the main course and her death by Oreo Cupcakes  were the dessert. I have to tell ya these bad boys  were sooooo good. If you are an Oreo fan then these are for you! There is an Oreo cookie at the bottom of the cupcake liners and cookies in the cake and icing! Not only do they look cute they taste amazing too. You will feel like you have died and gone to Heaven! So here is her Death by Oreo recipe. Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS:
1 pkg oreos, regular size
1 pkg mini oreos, for decoration
1 pkg chocolate cake mix/ mix according to directions on box
8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
8 Tbsp butter, room temperature
3 3/4 c powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
cupcake liners

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350
Mix cake according to directions
Line cupcake tins with liner, place an regular size oreo cookie in the bottom of each one
Take 1/2 of remaining cookies and chop coarsely and add to cake mix. Fill the cupcake tins
Bake for 15 min..according to box. While cupcakes are baking make the frosting
Cream togather butter and cream cheese..add vanilla
add powdered slowly until blended well
chop remaing regular sized oreos very fine. Add to frosting
After cupcakes are cool put frosting on and decorate with a few mini oreos on top

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Filipino Chicken Adobo

My sister-in-law is Filipino and made this dish one night for dinner for me. I fell in love! The meat just falls off the bone when you eat it! I have tweaked this recipe a bit to my liking and now you can enjoy it too!

3-4 lb chicken wings and drummets thawed
1 1/2 c vinegar
1 1/2 c soy sauce
1/2 c water
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
6 Tbsp brown sugar
8 clove garlic, chopped
1/4 tsp ground ginger
5 bay leaves

Directions:
In a large pot combine all the ingredients. Bring to a boil and lower the heat to a simmer (med low) for about 45 min.
Take the lid off the pot and let simmer for about 15 minutes longer. Serve over rice (Calrose is my favorite!)

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

2 Great recipes for the holidays!

I know I'm from the south and I should eat "dressing" but this is what I ate growing up. My mom calls this Yankee stuffing. This is one of my grandmother's recipes. She got it from a 1950's cookbook. This was the one thing I got to help my mom with for Thanksgiving dinner when I was little. I would sit at the table and tear up the bread pieces watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade. I usually double this recipe for a large crowd.

Fluffy Stuffing

1 c onion. chopped
1 c butter or margarine ( i like to use margarine because it doesn't burn as easily as butter)
6 c soft bread, cubed or just torn
6 c rice krispies
1 1/2 tsp poultry seasoning
1/2 c chicken broth ( you can use canned broth or homemade broth from the turkey giblets)
salt and pepper to taste














1) tear up or cube the bread. You can use white, whole wheat or a mix. Pour the 6 cups into a large bowl add the 6 cups of Rice Krispies. Toss together.
2) cook onion in butter or margarine until golden and onions are clear. Add poultry seasoning to this a stir.
3) Pour over rice Krispies and bread cubes. . Mix well.
4) Place the mixture in a baking dish. Drizzle the broth over the mixture.
5) Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes ( cover if desired soft and uncover for crunchy)
TIP: GIBLET BROTH: Boil the neck, liver, and other things stuffed in the turkey when bought. Simmer for about 1 hour. Use 1/2 cup of broth for the stuffing. Discard the rest. 
This is my mom's recipe. I have been eating this awesome pie for years. It is easy to make and best served cold. I like to make it the night before and put it in the fridge to chill. I once had a boyfriend that loved this pie so much that he called it Buttermilk dream pie! LOL This recipe makes 2 pies but of course you can half it and make 1. Enjoy!
Mama's Buttermilk Pie



1 Cup butter, melted


6 eggs, beaten
2 Tbsp Cornstarch
2 Cups sugar

1 tsp. Salt
1 Cup Buttermilk
1 tsp Vanilla





























2 (9in) deep dish unbaked pie shells




Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
1)Add butter to eggs
2)Add combined dry ingredients, buttermilk and vanilla.
3)Pour into pie shells evenly.
4)bake for 50mintues to 1 hour.
TIP: If you have a pie shield place it on top of crust about 35min into cooking. If you don't you can cover the crust with foil to keep it from burning.























































Thursday, November 18, 2010

You're Not Alone


I remember listening to this song when I was young. I loved it so much. It has helped me get through a lot of difficult times. I went looking for it today because I just needed to listen to it.


Monday, November 15, 2010

Heavenly Hot Chocolate Mix!


I love me some hot chocolate on a cold winter's day. I got this recipe from a friend a while back. It is divine! It makes a big batch of dry hot chocolate but it is so worth it. You can store it for yourself or give it out as gifts in a cute Christmas container. I love it because you can change up what flavoring of coffee mate you want to use. French Vanilla and hazel nut are my favorite. I like to also crush up peppermint sticks and mix it in the dry mix. The longer it is in there the stronger the flavor is. Every time I give this to someone they call me for the recipe. Enjoy!

Ingedients:


25.6 oz Box of dry powdered milk
2lb box of  regular nestle hot chocolate mix or Swissmiss is fine too if they don't have nestle
8 oz jar of any flavor of coffee mate powder
1 1/2 cup powdered sugar


Directions:


Mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl. Keep in a sealed conatiner.
To make hot chocolate: use 1/3 cup of mix to 1 cup of hot water.








Friday, November 12, 2010

Grandma's Cranberry Salad

I grew up with my grandmother and mom making this every year for the holidays. This is not your standard cranberry out of the can mush.You make it the night before and let it chill overnight. This is one less dish you have to make the next day. I have carried on the tradition and serve this for my family and friends. It is super yummy!

INGREDIENTS:


1 sm package of cherry jello
1 c hot water
1 c sugar
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 c drained crushed pineapple (juice reserved)
1 c pineapple juice (use the reserved juice and add water to make 1 cup)
1 c ground cranberries
1 orange (ground)
1/2 c pecans, chopped

DIRECTIONS:

1)boil the cup of water. Dissolve the jello in the hot water in an 8in square pan mix well. Add the sugar, lemon juice and pineapple juice. Stir to dissolve well.
2)Add the remaining ingredients and mix. Chill overnight. 
*Grandma's Tips:Chop up the pecans first before getting blender wet. Or you could just buy pre chopped pecans and save a step. Use the blender to chop up cranberries, then orange, seeded partially peeled. The chopped peel gives it that special zing!

Thursday, November 11, 2010

Veteran's Day Tribute.


I have grown up with many Veteran's in my life:both my grandfathers, grandfather-in-law, uncles, father-in-law and friends. My father John Stevens is a retired Lt. Colonel in the US Air Force. I have always been proud of that fact. He joined during Vietnam. He wanted to go out there and make a difference in the world. While so many were drafted, and dodged being drafted, he voluntarily joined. He knew the sacrifice he was making but he did it anyway. He believes in freedom and democracy and wanted others to have the same. Unfortunately for him he was never sent over there. He wanted to go so bad. He thought that he was going to get another chance during the first Gulf war but again he was not sent over. He retired from the Air Force in 2001 days before the Sept. 11th attacks on the US. When the US was attacked that horrible day he called up the Air Force and told them that he wanted back in if they needed him. They told him that if they did they would let him know. It reminds me of a great player on a football team wanting to go in the game but the coach  never giving him that chance. Even though my dad never went off to war he is still a veteran. He served  his country during war time, knowing that any day could be the day he said goodbye to his family. I am very thankful for the men and women that sacrifice so much for the things that many of us take for granted everyday. I  think that some people truly don't understand that. I get so angry when people want this country to go in a socialist direction. Socialism is just a watered down version of communism. Since the birth of this GREAT country that is what we have fought against and I feel like all those deaths have been in vain if we don't do something about it. Our founding fathers didn't want that for this country. They wanted this country to be GREAT and show the rest of the world what they  can  be also. If you look around the world at all the countries that are socialist or communist you will see that it isn't quite working out for them. They are in war with themselves or the whole country is bankrupt and dying and the citizens have no freedoms. I just wish people would study history and look at the past and see that it's just not going to work. Sorry I got all political on you. I guess I just needed to let that out. Ok I feel better now. I love you dad and I'm very honored to be your daughter. I am thankful for all the brave men and women that serve this country. No one has made them do it. They sign their life over when they sign on that dotted line, knowing that any day could be their last. I can not think of anyone but Christ himself that has done such a selfless act.  Here is a little poem that is for all veterans. THANK YOU!




The Noble and the Brave:
A Veteran's Day Tribute
When America had an urgent need,
These brave ones raised a hand;
No hesitation held them back;
They were proud to take a stand.
They left their friends and family;
They gave up normal life;
To serve their country and their God,
They plowed into the strife.
They fought for freedom and for peace
On strange and foreign shores;
Some lost new friends; some lost their lives
In long and brutal wars.
Other veterans answered a call
To support the ones who fought;
Their country had requirements for
The essential skills they brought.
We salute every one of them,
The noble and the brave,
The ones still with us here today,
And those who rest in a grave.
So here’s to our country’s heroes;
They’re a cut above the rest;
Let’s give the honor that is due
To our country’s very best.
By Joanna Fuchs

Sunday, November 7, 2010

5 Minute Cake in a Cup!

I was inspired by the snow yesterday to post the super easy and delish recipe. It reminds me of cooking in an easy bake oven. It's the perfect dessert for a single serving!

INGREDIENTS:

4 Tbsp Flour
4 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp Cocoa
1 Egg
3 Tbsp Milk
3 Tbsp Oil
3 Tbsp Chocolate Chips
1 Tbsp Caramel Bits ( you can substitute these with toffee bits, Andes mints etc...)
1/8 tsp vanilla extract
pinch of salt
1 coffee mug (microwave safe)  sprayed with cooking spray

DIRECTIONS:
  Spray the mug with cooking spray. In a separate bowl mix together the dry ingredients. Add egg and mix. Pour in milk and oil and mix. Add Chocolate chips, caramel bits, and Vanilla and mix. Pour mixed ingredients into the mug. Microwave 3 minutes at 1000 watts. (Ok if it rises over the top.) Let cool. Tip out onto plate or eat it straight from the mug. Dig in!

Friday, November 5, 2010

Just a Pinch Lunch

I returned late last night from Nashville where the Justapinch.com lunch was held. It was so awesome to go to.  Jaime and I arrived early so that she could interview Janet and the rest of the kitchen crew. It was so cool to finally meet Janet in person. Janet is the head cook of the site that test all the recipes. Her daughter in law helps test them also. I was able to ask questions that I had been curious about, judging, how they pick blue ribbon recipes and such. I felt very special because they were serving my Blue ribbon winning Cumin Pork Chops there for the entree. They even gave me a JAP chef's hat!  They had front row seats reserved for Jaime and I to sit in.  It was like a family reunion. I was finally able to meet some other friends that I had made on the site. I knew my friend Debbie was coming but I had no clue that my friend Dan was coming. It was funny because he walked up to me and said aren't you Leah? I said yes. He said it's me Dan. It was hard at first to recognize him at first because in his profile pic on the site he had sun glasses on. I said is this "hambone" Dan? He said yes! (hambone is is nic name on there). I was able to chat with Debbie and Dan when it was done and take a pic. It was fun to chat about other members on the site that we are friends with especially about this old lady that it always hitting on Dan. Her name is Jewel and she is from Coleman AL. She is so cute and funny and always brags about being Miss Sr. Alabama. We were talking about how fun it would be to have a big lunch with all our friends that we have made on the site.
    I was sad to leave my new friends and my old friend Jaime but happy to come home and see my cute little one's faces this morning. I know that they had a blast hanging out with their Aunt Susannah. I am very grateful that she came up to help me so I could attend the lunch. I hope that there will be more JAP lunches that I can attend in the future!
Me with Janet, Marie (the salad contest winner) and Jan the MC and the cake contest winner.

Marie preparing her salad and Jan talking about how great JAP is.
My new friends Dan, Debbie and I.

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

No Fear Chinese Chicken

Some people are scared to cook Chinese food at home because they are afraid that it will be hard. No fear people, this is an easy Chinese chicken recipe! It taste great too! Serve it over some Calrose or Jasmin rice and you will feel like you are eating take out!

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed
1/2 Tbsp cornstarch
1 Tbsp soy sauce
3 Tbsp peanut oil
1 green bell pepper, sliced
4 mushrooms, sliced
1/2 lb snow peas, cut in half
1/2 c cashews
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
SAUCE INGREDIENTS
6 Tbsp soy sauce
3 Tbsp white wine
1/2 Tbsp cider vinegar
3 Tbsp brown sugar
1 Tbsp cornstarch
1 Tbsp oil

Directions
In a large bowl combine chicken with cornstarch and soy sauce, stir well and let sit at least 5 minutes.
Clean, cut and prepare all ingredients ahead of time, including sauce mixture.
In a large frying pan or wok over medium-high heat, heat oil, add chicken and quickly stir-fry until done, 2-3 minutes.
Remove chicken from pan and set aside on a plate.
Add sliced green pepper and mushrooms to pan and stir-fry 2 minutes.
Add pea pods and nuts, stir fry 2 more minutes and add ginger and cayenne.
Return chicken to pan with vegetables, add sauce and stir.
Cover skillet and cook 5 minutes over medium heat. Serve over rice!

Monday, November 1, 2010

Munchichi turns ONE!

Today is my sweet baby boy's (aka munchichi) first birthday! I can not believe how big he has gotten. He is truly a blessing. His smile lights up a room and melts my heart. We celebrated yesterday because Josh was having to leave to go back to Montgomery. He had a blast eating his birthday cake and opening his presents. He will probably hate me in the future because I made him such a lame cake for his first birthday but I just did not have time this year with everything that was going on this weekend. I promise he will get a great cake next year! Anyway here are some pics from his day yesterday. I also threw in a Halloween pic of the whole Scooby Doo gang!
Singing happy birthday!

Blowing out the candles
The lame cake
It might have been lame looking but it sure did taste good!
This picture doesn't even do it justice. He had cake everywhere! Even in his diaper!
gettin' some loot
Happy Halloween from the whole gang!

Sunday, October 31, 2010

Not in the Mood!

Ok guys get your mind out of the gutter! LOL I'm not talking about THAT! I haven't been in the mood much to cook. My husband has left to start his new job and I'm stuck here with 3 kids trying to sell this house! I feel like my kids don't appreciate when I take the time to cook a good meal, so I guess I'm in a cooking slump. My daughter does tell me that I'm a good "cooker" though. :)  Ok so I want to know what y'all would like me to cook? Name something that YOU would want to eat and then I will cook it and post the recipe with a picture of course! I need some motivation here guys. Help a sista out.

Thursday, October 28, 2010

Sweet Thangs Give away time!


Hi everyone! I have a baking business that I own  and I occasionally do giveaways. This time the giveaway is for a pound of rocky road fudge! You have to be a fan of Sweet Thangs Confectionaries on facebook  to enter. I've made it easy for you in the blogging world. All you have to do is click on the sweet thangs link to the right and sign in and then your a fan!
So here is the rules for the next give away for a pound of the rocky road fudge: you must write on the Sweet Thangs wall not a comment on this post to be counted. Any Sweet Thangs fan can enter. Enter as many times as you want! If you win and don't live here I will mail you the fudge. The random number generator will pick a winner Sunday Nov. 7th! You have to post on the wall what your favorite candy bar is! So hurry become a fan and enter today!!

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Nashville Bound!

So I talk about this site sometimes on here. This is where I go and post recipes and get some too. Well the other day I got a message from the "kitchen Crew" inviting me to come to Nashville because they are showcasing  my Cumin Pork Chops there for a lunch-in they are having. The lunch-in is for the winner of the salad contest that they recently had. I did not win the salad contest but they all love my Cumin Pork chops, which won a blue ribbon and was a feature on their site too! So my wonderful sister-in-law Susannah is going to come up and stay with the kids next week for a night so I can go to the lunch! I am very excited and I am also excited because I get to spend the night at Jaime and Chris Stanford's house and Jaime is going to come with me too! YAY! I can't wait! This will be a much needed break from the crazy kiddos.

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Pumpkin Spice Truffles

The are so festive and cute! Impress your friends with these super easy truffles. My kids really enjoyed eating the ones that didn't turn out so great and dipping the pretzels in the left over chocolate.  Happy Fall Y'all!

1 box French Vanilla cake mix (or yellow or plain vanilla)
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp allspice
1/8 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
3/4 cup water
1/3 cup vegetable oil
4 large eggs
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1 can cream cheese frosting
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
chocolate candy melts or almond bark

Beat everything together (ending with the eggs) according to the package instructions and bake in a 13 X 9" pan. Make sure the cake is completely baked (no gooey middle) before removing from the oven. Let cool completely on a wire rack.

Crumble the cake apart in a bowl and add most of the can of cream cheese. Using your fingers, mix together until the cake holds together when formed into a ball. Add more frosting of necessary. Roll into balls of about a 2 bite size. Or you can use a cookie scoop for a more uniform size. Then roll them to make them more rounded. This should make about 65. Place on cookie sheets lined with wax paper and refrigerate several hours or overnight.

When ready to dip, melt the candy melts (I used two bags of melts total) a 1/2 bag at a time following the directions on the package. If you are using the white almond bark, when it is all melted you can mix in the food coloring to make it orange. Stick the pretzel in the middle of the dough and then roll it in the chocolate from side to side till it is covered. Place on another sheet of wax paper. Refrigerate till ready to eat.



* TIP:  If the chocolate seems too thick you can add about 1/2 TBL of oil to thin it out, mix it in well.


Combine all ingredients (except icing & candy coating)  in a bowl, adding the eggs last!

Thursday, October 14, 2010

I've turned into THAT old lady...

Yes that old lady! Maybe not physically yet but mentally. So as most of you may know I live out in the country. When I say country I mean you can go outside and hear cows mooing at night and a donkey hehawing too. I love it out here! I even have a beautiful view out my living room window. Now I have lived in this house for over 4 years and have never had a problem with noisy teenagers but lately I could seriously pull a Gran Terino on a particular one. He better watch out because I do own a gun and I know how to use it too! LOL So he lives at the very end of our neighborhood in a trailer behind his grandpa's house. I'm thinking he is maybe 19? He works with his grandpa at that auto repair place at the beginning of our neighborhood. I guess he has been saving up his repair shop pay checks and bought himself a really loud sub woofer. He has a friend that lives in my neighborhood and he thinks it is really cool to boom his base and drive around the neighborhood to pick his friend up. Now this happens several times a day and night. He wakes my kids up and I am so fed up with it. Last night I decided to call the police. Now I had to call twice because the first time they just didn't send anyone out here. I guess this wasn't a priority to them. I bet it would be if it was their kids not sleeping. So at 10pm last night they finally made their merry way here and told me that there is no noise ordinance out here and they really couldn't do anything about it. Of course by the time they got here he had stopped playing the music. At night you can hear him playing it at his house all the way to my house. It is THAT loud. The lady cop said that she actually knew the kid and said that his girl friend is pregnant and so he won't be doing it too much longer. Yeah right!
       Now let me back up a little bit. A couple of weeks ago when it first started I went down to where he parks his truck and was going to confront him in person to ask him kindly to turn down his music. By the time I got down there he was no where to be found. So I wrote him a nice note just asking him to have the courtesy to turn down his music while driving in the neighborhood. I have kids and yada yada yada. Well I thought that worked because I didn't hear it after that for a bit. I was thinking wow that worked I'm glad that he cares about other folks children. He had been driving around without a tag and as soon as he got one I guess he thought well they can't touch me now and now he plays it even louder. So now you can see why I called the cops out last night. And they were no help at all. So apparently people in town get to have peace and quiet but those in the country do not. I don't get that concept at all. The lady cop told me to talk to the grandpa because the kid listens to him. I told the cop why doesn't he tell him to turn it down. She said that he doesn't hear very well so I guess he doesn't hear it? Wow he must be deaf. That also explains why he couldn't hear my breaks squeaking when I brought him my car to fix. So today I am going to drive down there and have a chat with the old man. I hope it works. One of my main concerns it that when I'm selling my house that a potential buyer might hear that crap and not want to live here. Well wish this old lady luck! 
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