Love Being In My Southern Kitchen

French Dip Sandwiches

2012-01-28T14:49:00.000-08:00

There's nothing better than coming home from a late winter/ early spring lacrosse practice to a delicious hot meal in the crockpot. These French Dip Sandwiches appear many times on our menu during winter/spring sports season. Everytime chuck roasts are on sale, I pick up two. One to make these sandwiches immediately and one for the freezer so we can have these before chuck roasts go on sale again.

French Dip Sandwiches

1 3 - 4 pound chuck roast
1/2 package Lipton French Onion Soup Mix
1 T yellow mustard

Put chuck roast in slow cooker. Sprinkle with onion soup mix. Squirt mustard on top of roast. Cook on LOW for 8 hours. Shred meat and let cook for another hour. Top with provolone cheese and serve on your favorite sandwich rolls.

Cajun Spiced Nuts

2012-01-27T05:46:00.000-08:00

I posted about these delicious cajun spiced nuts on another blog and received some requests to post the recipe. I can't believe I haven't posted this yet! These nuts get rave reviews everytime I serve them. They are perfect by themselves as a snack, but pair them with some romaine lettuce, pepper jack cheese and a light vinaigrette and your guest will beg to take some home.

Cajun Spiced Nuts

1 pound pecan halves

1/4 c melted butter

1 T chili powder

1 t salt

1 t dried basil

1 t dried oregano

1 t thyme

1/2 t onion powder

1/4 t garlic powder

1/4 t ground cayenne pepper

Combine all ingredients in a slow cooker. Cover and cook on HIGH for 15 minutes. Turn to LOW and continue to cook, UNCOVERED, stirring occasionally for 2 hours. Transfer nuts to a baking sheet and cool completely.

These keep well for about a month, if they last that long.

*** I have had this recipe for years, but do not know where it orginated, so can't give credit.

Cheddar Cheese Ring with Pepper Jelly

2012-01-25T07:45:00.000-08:00

I love a good cheese appetizer, ya know everything is better with cheese. One of my favorites is a traditional Southern Cheese Ring. The traditional version marries a cheddar cheese and pecan mixture with Strawberry Preserves. It really is the most interesting flavor combination and quite refreshing during the summer time, especially with homemade preserves. By the way, this is a favorite of native Georgian, President Jimmy Carter.

For New Year's Eve, I really wanted to make a Cheese Ring for one of our appetizer selections, but I only had ONE jar of my homemade strawberry preserves left and June is a LONG way off. I really didn't want to share my VERY LAST jar, so I went looking for alternatives. I saw many references to using pepper jelly in place of strawberry preserves. Since I had an abundance of homemade pepper jelly in my pantry, I decided to give it a try. This simple substitution took a somewhat summery, sweet appetizer and morphed it into a spicy, cool weather treat that was a hit at our New Year's Eve party. I will certainly be making this one again and I might just add a touch of cayenne pepper to the cheese mixture to up the heat just a bit.

Pepper Jelly Cheese Ring

16 oz. cheddar cheese, shredded

3 oz. cream cheese, softened

3/4 c mayonaisse

4 green onions, chopped

1 c chopped pecans

1/2 t garlic powder

1 c pepper jelly

Club Crackers

Combine first 6 ingredients in a large bowl using you hands or a hand mixer. Mold mixture into a ring on serving platter. Cover and chill 2 - 3 hours. Before serving, fill center of ring with pepper jelly. Serve with Club crackers.

I've already made a note to make at least one extra batch of Pepper Jelly this summer to make sure I have enough to make this recipe a few times during the year.

Linking up to-

Eat at Home - Ingredient Spotlight

Life As Mom Ultimate Recipe Swap

Pinterest and a Pantry Challenge

2012-01-22T14:12:00.000-08:00

Week Three of the Pantry Challenge has me getting a bit creative as I am using up certain ingredients that have been lying around my kitchen for far too long. Last week I used my extensive Southern Living Cookbook collection for inspiration. This week, I turned to my Pinterest Boards to jump start my menu plan.

I matched up what I had in the freezer and pantry with some of the recipes I had pinned to my Recipes to Try board. The following made the cut and I will be reviewing them later on.

Buffalo Chicken and Potato Casserole (had everything but the cream of chicken soup and decided to make a white sauce instead)
Twice Baked Potato Casserole (had everything for this one)
White Chicken Enchiladas (had everything but the jack cheese - may just sub cheddar)
Almond Butter Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting (had everything for these as well)

There were many other recipes I could have made, but I decided I probably shouldn't experiment on my family too many times this week.

How's my pantry/freezer looking at Week 3? Well, the inside freezer was empty until last weekend when I cooked up a variety of items for the freezer from what I had on hand. Now, it is almost full of yummy, quick, nutritious breakfast items.

The small freezer in the garage is quickly emptying out. With the exception of a Key Lime Pie (leftover from a catering job) and a turkey breast, it is mostly cheese, tortillas, butter and creamer.

The upright freezer in the garage is beginning to look a bit bare, but there is still a lot of food in there!

I did do some shopping this week. Publix was having a great sale on many of the items we use all the time and many things we were out of or dangerously low on. Between Publix and Walmart, I spend $122.00. Add this to the $50.00 I already spend this month and we are still on a path to saving over $250.00 this month. For the rest of the month, I should only have to buy milk and fresh fruits and veggies, totaling about $25.00.

Linking Up to
Good Cheap Eats Pantry Challenge

Meal Plan Monday - January 23rd

2012-01-22T08:33:00.000-08:00

We are still chugging along with the Pantry Challenge. Well, I'm still chugging along, the rest of the family isn't even aware we are doing it. I have just been telling them I've been too busy to stop at the grocery store!

We did run into a few snags last week. I forgot I had a meeting at school on Tuesday and someone used all my eggs on Wednesday and didn't tell me, so we hit the drive thru twice. Both times was due to my lack of planning, so guess we know what I need to work on this week.

We did however use up a great deal of items from my pantry and freezer.

This week I'm using my Pinterest Boards as inspiration for my meal plan. It's time to try out some of those pins I've been collecting and see if they taste as good as they look. Check out my Pantry Challenge Post to see which recipes I'm trying this week.

Sunday - Brat Burgers, Twice Baked Potato Casserole, Lima Beans
Monday - Mozz. Stuffed Sausage Meatballs with Tomato Pesto Sauce, Parmesan Pasta, Salad
Tuesday - White Chicken Enchiladas, Mexican Chopped Salad with Roasted Red Pepper Dressing
Wednesday - Chicken Nachos,Texas Beans, Mexican Chopped Salad with Roasted Red Pepper Dressing
Thursday - Buffalo Chicken Casserole, Peas, Fruit
Friday - Leftovers
Saturday -

Breakfasts - Yogurt and Granola, Muffins, Fruit

Lunches - Italian White Bean Soup (didn't make last week), Dinner leftovers

Baking - Chocolate Chip Cookies, Almond Butter Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting

For more great menu ideas, visit I'm An Organized Junkie.

Chicken, Corn and Potato Chowder

2012-01-21T13:53:00.000-08:00

Participating in the Pantry Challenge this month has made me be a bit more creative in my recipe choices. I have turned to my Southern Living Cookbook collection several times this month for inspiration. Some recipes have been OK, while some have been home runs. This Chicken Corn and Pototo Chowder is an adaptation of Cheesy Chicken Corn Soup from July 1997. The original recipe called for cream of chicken soup and did not include potatoes. Here is my new and improved version. I have added this recipe to our family favorite cookbook.

Chicken, Corn and Potato Chowder

6 T butter

6 T flour

1 1/2 c milk

2 1/2 c chicken broth (divided)

1 16 oz pkg. frozen whole kernel corn

2 c chopped cooked chicken

3 c shredded, frozen hash browns

1 10 oz. can diced tomatoes and green chilis (I used Rotel)

1 8.5 oz. can cream style corn

1 8 oz. loaf Velveeta

1 minced garlic clove

1/4 t pepper

4 T chopped cooked bacon

In a large dutch oven, melt butter. Sprinkle flour over it and stir to incorporate. Cook over medium-low heat for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly. Slowly whisk in 1 1/2 c milk and 1 1/2 cup chicken broth. Simmer over low heat until thick.

Add 1 c chicken broth, stir until blended. Add all remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil over medium high heat. Reduce heat and simmer; uncovered, 30 minutes or until smooth, stirring often. Serve topped with chopped, cooked bacon.

Original recipe stated this froze and reheated very well, but we didn't have any leftover to try it out!

Linking to

Melt in Your Mouth Monday

Show Me What You Got

Your Cozy Home

Make It Yourself Monday

Tatertots and Jello

Freezer Cooking from the Pantry and Freezer

2012-01-16T06:08:00.000-08:00

Part of the reason for doing a Pantry Challenge is to use up what you have. Looking through my freezer and pantry over the past couple of weeks I realized I had somethings that needed to be used up pretty quickly and there were also some freezer staples I was either out of or extremely low on. Thus I began putting together a freezer cooking session based on what I had on hand.

I like to keep homemade muffins and breakfast bars in the freezer for quick breakfasts on the go, but the rush of the holidays had depleted my supply. I had fresh cranberries in the refrigerator as well as some over ripe bananas that needed to be used quickly. I also have an abundance of oatmeal hanging out in my pantry thanks to some really good sales. Those cranberries, bananas and oatmeal quickly became Pineapple Muffins, Cranberry Muffins, Banana Oat Muffins and Oatmeal Breakfast Bars. Leftover cranberries made their way into the freezer to make more muffins at a later date. The only item I had to purchase was a container of vanilla yogurt for the muffins.

Total - 48 muffins, 16 oatmeal bars

I always keep pre-cooked hamburger in the freezer for really quick weekday meals. My DH purchased (3) 5 pound portions of ground beef before the holidays and I didn't have time to do anything with it then, so I threw it in the freezer. I thawed 10 pounds worth and made 5 pounds into WW Sloppy Joes and the other 5 pounds I cooked up with onions and garlic for spaghetti and tacos. I purchased a red onion and fresh garlic for this.

Total - 3 meals Sloppy Joes, 4 meals cooked, seasoned ground beef

I had some buttermilk to use before the expiration date, so Boo Boo made her first batch of pancakes all by herself.

Total - 26 pancakes

Bubba gets himself up and off to school each day after I am already at work, so I like to keep quick breakfast items in the freezer for him. One of his favorites -- breakfast burritos. I had cheese, ham, sausage, tortillas and a few eggs already on hand. I just purchased another dozen eggs to make it worth the mess.

Total - 12 breakfast burritos

We love mac and cheese at our house and we used the last of it over the holidays, so I quicky whipped up a batch for the freezer from the pantry and refrigerator.

Total - 3 side dishes of Macaroni and Cheese

Christmas 2010 my DH brought home a HUGE, ENORMOUS bag of chocolate chips from the restaurant supply store. That bag has been sitting in my freezer for over a year because I was too busy to portion out the chips into smaller bags. I finally took the plunge and opened the bag, making a double batch of Chocolate Chip Cookies (freezing most of them to cook later) and portioned out rest of the chips into smaller bags for easier use.

Total - 8 dozen chocolate chip cookies

One of the things I HATE about cereral is the bits and pieces you have left when everyone tires of their "favorite" cereal. I took all those this and that cereals as well as crackers, pretzels and peanuts from the holidays and made Chex Mix for the kids to snack on over the next couple of weeks.

Total - 14 cups Chex Mix

This took just a few hours on Saturday afternoon, cost me less than $10.00 and give us quick items for breakfasts and snacks for a couple of months. It's a win, win, win in my book.

Linked to-
Good Cheap Eats Pantry Challenge
Tasty Tuesday
It's A Blog Party
Melt in Your Mouth Monday
Tidy Mom

Meal Plan Monday - January 16

2012-01-15T14:22:00.000-08:00

Continuing with the Pantry Challenge this week with great success. For the past two weeks I have kept my grocery shopping to a minimun and used what we had on hand to create wonderful meals. I was even able to put together a Freezer Cooking Session over the weekend using what I had in the freezer and pantry. We probably have enough food that I could continue the Pantry Challenge on into February. That would be great for my bank account!

Sunday - Chili and Hot Dogs, Chips, Brownies
Monday - Tomato Basil Pasta with Italian Sausage, Salad, Cookies

Tuesday - All-American Fritatta, Fried Apples

Wednesday - Crockpot Baked Potatoes, Salad

Thursday - Trader Joe's Chinese Buffet, Fruit

Friday - Leftovers

Saturday -

Lunches - Chicken Salad, Italian White Bean Soup

Breakfasts - Muffins, Vanilla Yogurt with Granola, Ham Biscuits

For more great menu ideas visit I'm An Organized Junkie.

Pennant Bunting

2012-01-14T10:02:00.000-08:00

I have been in the process of redecorating Boo Boo's room for several months. We have done it in stages, as money and time have allowed. This has actually been beneficial as we did not have everything planned out and going slowly has allowed us to pick and choose items we wanted to add to the decor and figure out what will work in her room.

Several months ago we painted it her walls a lovely shade of lime green and purchased a comforter set in lime, blue and purple. One of the decor items we decided upon was a pennant banner, similar to the one we made for the 4th of July. We selected several fabrics in her decor colors and got to work. Once again, I followed the wonderful tutorial I found at My Homebased Mom.

I cut all the pieces

Stitched them together

Sewed them to the bias tape

And hung them in her room. It added just the right pop of color and interest to her new decor.

Linking up to -

Sundae Scoop

Made By You Monday

It's A Blog Party

Make It Yourself Monday

Fireflies and Jelly Beans

Tatertots and Jello

I'm Lovin' It

Weekend Wanderer

Meal Plan Monday - Jan. 9

2012-01-08T07:25:00.000-08:00

I'm still participating in the Pantry Challenge and so far I have used a variety of items from my pantry. Not stopping at the grocery store for a forgotten item made the first week back to school after the holiday a bit easier. It also kept me from grabbing the phone and a take out menu when dinner time rolled around. Check out my post on Making A Pantry Challenge Work For Me to see how I do it.

Here's the plan for using what's in the freezer and pantry this week.

Some things I have in my refrigerator and pantry that need to be used -

fresh cranberries
sour cream
vanilla yogurt
cheddar cheese
tortillas
Beef tenderloin
couscous
chicken
dirty rice mix
lots of pasta
potatoes
carrots
onion

Sunday - Lunch leftovers
Monday - Beef Tenderloin, mashed potatoes, creamed corn
Tuesday - Dirty Rice with ground beef, salad
Wednesday - Meatball Subs, Chips, Fruit
Thursday - Buffalo Chicken Wraps, Chips, Fruit
Friday - Leftovers
Saturday -

Baking - Cranberry Muffins
Lunch - Chicken Salad

Linked to I'm an Organized Junkie

Counterfeit Kit - January 2012

2012-01-07T13:48:00.000-08:00

Fall was soooo busy around here and then the holidays happened and one of my favorite things went by the wayside-- counterfeiting scrapbook kits with the Counterfeit Kit Challenge. I was glad to find some time this weekend to pull together not one, but two of the Cocoa Daisy Kits selected for this month. There were 5 kits to choose from. Most were snow related, which I don't have much use for here in Atlanta, but one was Christmas inspired, so I pulled together two kits based on the Christmas colors and the shapes of the papers.

Peppermint Holiday

Kit includes -
3 shades of red cardstock
2 shades of green cardstock
white cardstock
black cardstock
11 patterned papers from a Christmas stack
2 ribbons
candy cane stamp
6 Christmas foam stickers
black, green and 2 red letter sticker sets
2 sets cardstock stickers
red and green brads

Kentucky Christmas

Kit includes -
1 red cardstock
1 white cardstock
1 blue cardstock
3 red, white, green and blue patterned pappers
green ribbon
winter letter stamp set
Calendar Cricut Cartridge
red and blue large brads
blue sequin stickers
grey tag

Visit the Counterfeit Kit Challenge Blog to see other interpretations of this month's kits.

How I Make a Pantry Challenge Work For Me

2012-01-07T07:16:00.000-08:00

The idea behind a pantry challenge is to use what you have on hand first. My 3 freezers, while not full, have plenty of variety to keep us happy for the month of January. For some, the idea of a pantry challenge is overwhelming Here is how I make it work of us.

Contents of my kitchen refrigerator

1/2 bag shredded hashbrowns
3 breaded tilapia filets
grilled chicken strips - 1 buffalo, 2 asian sesame
1 bag corn
1 frozen pizza
2 boxes chopped spinach
1/2 bag frozen peas
waffles and pancakes
cooked rice - 3 (1 cup) portions
bacon
bread crumbs
3 bags uncooked chicken breasts
pecans, chocolate chips, toffee bits

Here's what's might be on our weekly menu based on the above list -

Tilapia Sandwiches and Cheesy Hashbrowns
Italian Bean Soup
Corn, Bacon and Potato Chowder (add chopped cook bacon before serving)
Rice Bowls
Grilled Chicken Salad or Wraps
Spinach Rice Casserole (sub spinach for broccoli in my favorite broccoli casserole)
Parmesan Crusted Chicken Breasts
Chocolate Chip Cookies
Toffee Pecan Bars

I can make all of the above by simply purchasing milk, lettuce, onion and buns at the store. This would be enough for a week's worth of dinners with leftovers for lunch in addition to two desserts. I will round out each meal with either salad or frozen vegetables, fruit and with the soups I will make cornbread or beer bread.

How do you make the best use of what's in your freezer and pantry?

Linked to
Good Cheap Eats Pantry Challenge
Sundae Scoop
It's A Blog Party
Made By You Monday
Your Cozy Home
Beauty and Bedlam
Link It Up
Delighful Order
Somewhat Simple
Fireflies and Jelly Beans
Make Ahead Meals for Busy Moms

Meal Plan Monday - January 2

2012-01-02T12:24:00.001-08:00

The first meal plan of the year! When I look back on all the resolutions/goals I have set over the years, making meal planninga priority in 2010 was one of the most successful and has had the most positive impact on my family.

Sunday - Traditional Southern New Year's Day Meal -- Pork Loin, Black Eyed Peas, Collard Greens, Scallped Potatoes, Cornbread, Orange Slice Cake and Cream Cheese Pie
Monday - Pork Loin, Scalloped Potatoes, Lima Beans, Cupcakes
Tuesday - Kids eat at Nanny's house
Wednesday - Broccoli Cheese Soup, Grilled Cheese Sandwiches, Fruit
Thursday - Tilapia Filet Sandwiches, Cheesy Hashbrowns, Pineapple Waldorf Salad
Friday - Leftovers
Saturday - Corn, Bacon and Potato Chowder, Beer Bread

For more wonderful menu ideas, head over to I'm An Organized Junkie

Pantry Challenge 2012

2012-01-02T07:44:00.000-08:00

For the third year in a row I am participating in the Pantry Challenge hosted by Jessica at Good Cheap Eats.

A pantry challenge is NOT an abstinance from grocery shopping or eating beans and rice 3 meals a day for a week.

It IS using what you have on hand FIRST, before running to the grocery store.

It IS making the most of what you have.

It IS leanring to be creative in the kitchen.

My goals for the pantry challenge this year are -

1. Spend less.

2. Clean out my freezer and pantry.

3. Add some new recipes to our menu rotation and revisit some old ones.

Visit Good Cheap Eats to share your pantry goals and be inspired by others.

2012 Kitchen Goals

2012-01-02T06:23:00.000-08:00

It's that time, time for me to commit to 12 goals to accomplish in my kitchen this year. Instead of resolutions, I set goals, one/month to better my skills, organization, variety and healthiness in the kitchen. Take a look at my 2010 goals and my 2011 goals to see what I have accomplished.

Here we go....

Goal 1 - Pantry Challenge in January (3rd year in a row participating)
Goal 2 - Clean out utensil drawers
Goal 3 - Limit dining out/take out/deliver to 2-3 times/month
Goal 4 - More vegetables in our menu plan
Goal 5 - Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day (3rd year to try this one....)
Goal 6 - Better utiliziation of garden produce - less waste
Goal 7 - Dehydrate and freeze more
Goal 8 - Update Family Favorites and Freezer Cookbook
Goal 9 - Learn to make and freeze creamed corn
Goal 10 - Create a list of family favorite salads
Goal 11 - Eat at the table and not in front of the TV
Goal 12 - Let my kids cook more

I will select one or two goals per month to work on. They say it takes 30 days to develop a new habit, so by the end of the year, I should develop several new habits to make my time in the kitchen easier. Let's see how well I do this year!

Linking up to
Made By You Monday
It's A Blog Party
Sundae Scoop
Make It Yourself Monday
Beauty and Bedlam
Link It Up
Somewhat Simple
Delighful Order
Fireflies and Jelly Beans
Tatertots and Jello
Tidy Mom

Meal Plan Monday - December 26th

2011-12-28T19:37:00.000-08:00

Better late, than never! I thought about not posting my menu this week since I am so late, but I just couldn't resist posting the last MPM of 2011.

Monday - Shrimp and Grits, Caesar Salad, French Bread
Tuesday - Lasagna, French Bread, Fruit
Wednesday - Hamburgers, Mac and Cheese, Lima Beans, Fruit
Thursday - Fried Chicken Breasts, Mashed Potatoes and Gravy, Green Beans
Friday - Dinner with Friends
Saturday - New Year's Eve Party Appetizers - Chili Dip, Cocktail Meatballs, Baked Fondue with Bread, White Cupcakes with Buttercream Frosting
Sunday - Southern New Years Dinner - Pork Ribs, Ham, Scalloped Potatoes, Black Eyed Peas, Deviled Eggs, Collard Greens, Cornbread, Orange Slice Cake and Italian Cream Pie

Check out other meal plans at I'm An Organized Junkie.

2011 Kitchen Goals Recap

2011-12-28T05:18:00.000-08:00

For the past 2 years instead of New Year's Resolutions, I have created a list of 11 - 12 kitchen goals to accomplish throughout the year. For 2011 I set 11 goals and as we enter the last few days of the year, it is time for an accounting of my progress...

Goal 1 - Eat from the Pantry - SUCCESS!
During the month of January, we shopped from the store very little and really reduced our food costs as well as used up items nearing their expiration date or that had been in the freezer far too long.

Goal 2 - Select and prepare 2 recipes/month from my extensive Southern Living cookbook collection.
While I did not do this every month, I did try several new recipes from my collections and even added a few to our meal rotation. Our very favorite -- Peanut Butter Granola.

Goal 3 - Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day
I still haven't done this... maybe the third year will be the year of success?

Goal 4 - Less Processed Foods - SUCCESS!
This was a year long goal for me and I did very well. We know consistantly make our own salad dressings, granola, biscotti, all cookies, jellies and relishes, marinades and pizzas.

Goal 5 - Create a list of 8 - 10 pantry meals - SUCCESS!
This has been a great help. I have several meals I can just throw together from what is in the pantry, freezer and refrigerator in about 30 minutes. I will be sharing these as a series later in 2012.

Goal 6 - Better garden plan
This started out really well, then hit several snags. I did test my soil and augment it, I rotated my vegetables from last year and used a great fertilizer. I got most of my garden planted a bit late, and I was out of town for 24 of 20 days in June, making it difficult to water, maintain and harvest as needed. Then, ants infested my strawberry bed and I had to have it exterminated, killing all my strawberry plants and leaving that bed useless for the rest of the year. The start of school in August was hectic and much of my produce from August rotted on the vine. I have much better plans for 2012.

Goal 7 - Preserve more - including dehydrating - SUCCESS!
I canned a greater variety of jellies, jams and relishes this year than ever before, including roasted red pepeprs. I also put my dehydrator to good use, drying peaches and blueberries as well as my first attempt at sun-dried tomatoes. I even taught one of my friends how to can jams and jellies.

Goal 8 - Make homemade tortillas
I never got around to this one. I have been able to buy them so inexpensively and freeze that I haven't had the need to. Maybe next year?

Goal 9 - Make homemade hummus - SUCCESS!
I found a great recipe for Roasted Red Pepper Hummus on allrecipes and it has become a favorite. When my food processor broke in August, one of the recipes I missed most was my hummus. Now that I received a new food processor for Christmas, I plan on trying other varieties.

Goal 10 - Find a freezer pizza crust recipe and make up Pizza Kits
This one didn't work out for us. My TNT pizza crust recipe takes only minutes to create and my family has such different tastes in pizza toppings that pizza kits just don't work. I found that throwing together a pizza with leftovers from the week was more successful.

Goal 11 - Learn to bake and decorate sugar cookies - SUCCESS!
I just got this one in under the wire, baking them last week on Christmas Eve for Santa. I finally found the perfect recipe from sweet sugar belle and a great icing on allrecipes. These turned out perfectly and everyone loved them. I will be making them again very soon, probably before the end of the year.

6 Successes (1, 4, 5, 7, 9, 11)
1 tried and didn't like (10)
2 modified (2, 6)
2 didn't get around to (3, 8)
Overall - not too bad!

I will be posting my 2012 Kitchen Goals soon.

Linking up to
Delightful Order
Tatertots and Jello

Meal Plan Monday - December 19th

2011-12-19T08:02:00.000-08:00

I'm ready to eat at home for a few days. We had 4 different Christmas parties this weekend and while it was GREAT fun, I need some time at home. We have several quick family favorites on the menu this week in addition to eating at my mom's a few nights before the holiday celebrations. Happy Holidays everyone!

Sunday - Christmas Dinner Party with Friends
Monday - Chicken Cordon Bleu, Broccoli Casserole, Baked Pineapple
Tuesday - Tacos, Rice and Salad
Wednesday - leftovers
Thursday - at my mom's house
Friday - at my mom's house
Saturday - Beef Tenderloin, Mashed Potatoes, Caesar Salad
Sunday - Yummy Stuff at my Granny's House

For more great menus, visit I'm An Organized Junkie.

Holiday Baking Week - Truffles

2011-12-17T09:08:00.000-08:00

I really enjoy making candies for the holidays. We have some real favorites around here. This in the one part of holiday baking both kids like to help with. I can always count on them to rolls candies and help cover them in chocolate.

Oreo Balls

Kentucky Bourbon Balls

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Truffles

Linking up to

Sweet Tooth Friday

Life as Mom Ultimate Recipe Swap

Honey Mustard Bacon Chicken Sandwiches

2011-12-15T08:23:00.000-08:00

When you think of a Make Ahead Meal, casseroles are the first thing that usually comes to mind. While I love a good casserole smothered in cheese as good as the next southern gal, my DH does not. This sandwich is a Make Ahead Meal we both can agree on.

It is actually a double Make Ahead -

1. Marinate and freeze the chicken breasts,

2. Grill chicken and cook bacon a day or two before serving while you are cooking something else.

On the day you plan to serve these yummy sandwiches, all you have to do is heat, assemble and serve.

Honey Mustard Bacon Chicken Sandwiches

Honey Mustard Marinade -

1/3 c dijon mustard

1/4 c honey

1 t cayenne pepper

2 T red wine vinegar

1/4 c oil

6 - 8 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Put chicken breasts in a ziploc freezer bag. Mix first 5 ingredients. Add to chicken breasts. Freeze until needed. When ready to cook, thaw in refrigerator - chicken will marinate as it thaws. Grill and serve.

Honey Mustard Bacon Chicken Sandwiches

Toast split Focciaca Bread

Spread with Ranch Dressing, Mayo or Honey Mustard

Top bottom piece of bread with Honey Mustard Grilled Chicken Breast

Top with cheese of your choice (we like Monterrey Jack, Cheddar or Colby cheeses)

Top with cooked bacon

Add toppings of your choice - lettuce, tomato, pickles, banana pepper rings, etc.)

Top with foccacia bread.

Enjoy!

Linked to

Life As Mom's Ultimate Recipe Swap

Eat At Home Cooks Ingredient Spotlight - Bacon

Holiday Baking Week - Cinnamon Rolls

2011-12-13T15:49:00.000-08:00

My family loves cinnamon rolls and they especially like ooey, gooey, dripping with icing homemade ones. I am forever on a quest for the perfect cinnamon rolls. I finally found the perfect icing, but was still looking for THE roll recipe. I received the Pioneer Woman Cookbook last fall and decided to try her cinnamon roll recipe. I was thrilled to discover it makes a HUGE batch, perfect for freezing or gift giving. This recipe got a 2 thumbs up from everyone, even DH, the hands down cinnamon roll expert in our house. I made these this week to share with some very close friends and to take to my mom's house for Christmas morning.

Here is PW's original recipe-
PW's Cinnamon Rolls with Maple Icing

My DH is a purist and his cinnamon rolls can only be topped with vanilla icing. Below is the icing recipe I have created over the years to top our cinnamon rolls. It is the one my family prefers.

Cinnamon Roll Glaze
** make this recipe 4 or 5 times to cover all the rolls in PW's recipe above)
1 c powdered sugar
2 T butter, melted
2 T milk or cream
1 t vanilla extract

Mix all ingredients until combined. Add powdered sugar a bit at a time to achieve your desired consistency. Spread over warm rolls. Serve or package up and share with your friends. Be prepared to bask in their praise.

Pumpkin Granola

2011-12-13T14:57:00.000-08:00

I've been making my own granola for about a year now and I can't believe how delicious it is. I have several favorites, including Peanut Butter, and Vanilla . My holiday granola recipe is this Pumpkin Granola. Topped with dried cranberries and chopped dried apples it is a great addition to my granola recipe collection.

Pumpkin Granola

3 cups oats
1 c shredded coconut
1/2 c wheat germ
1 c rice krispies
1/2 c sunflower seeds
1/2 c pumpkin puree
1/2 c honey
1 t vanilla
1 t cinnamon
1/2 t nutmeg
1/4 t ground ginger
dash salt
dried cranberries
dried chopped apples

Stir together first 4 ingredients in a large bowl.

In a separate bowl, stir together the pumpkin puree, honey and seasonings. Add to dry ingredients and stir throughly, until well coated.

Spread on a large cookie sheet, bake at 250 degrees for an hour, stirring every 15 minutes.

Remove from oven, cool. Store in an airtight container. Top with cranberries and apples before serving.

Note- this is not my original recipe, however I don't remember where I found it. My apologies to the original creator.

Linked to
Ingredient Spotlight at Eat At Home

Holiday Baking Week - Reese'e Cup Cookies

2011-12-12T13:49:00.000-08:00

These are my son's absolute favorite cookie. When I make them, I know there won't be any left the next day. I have already made 3 batches of these cookies, and Christmas Break hasn't even started yet. I think I will make another trip to Walmart to stock up on Reese's Cups!

Now, you can make your own peanut butter cookies, but I just use the Betty Crocker Peanut Butter Cookie Mix in the pouch. I know, I know, I'm the "make your own queen" and my sister makes fun of me unmercilessly, but this one is just easy and I like these cookies from the mix! One pouch makes 24 cookies, exactly the number my mini-muffin pan holds. Perfect!

Reese's Cup Cookies

1 pouch Betty Crocker Peanut Butter Cookie Mix
ingredients to make the cookies (from back of pouch)
24 unwrapped Reese's Cup miniatures.

Prepare cookie mix according to package directions. Roll into 2" balls and place in mini-muffin pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 - 12 minutes or until set and LIGHTLY brown.

Remove from oven and push one Reese's Cup into the top of each cookie ball.

Allow to cool completely before eating or serving.

Just look at all the peanut butter and chocolate goodness. Truth be told, these are some of my favorite holiday cookies too!

Christmas Kitchen Gifts

2011-12-12T05:47:00.000-08:00

This week, I am linking up to Holly Bloggy Christmas 2011 hosted by Simply Sweet Home. Today's topic is Homemade Gifts and you can find many, many ideas by visiting Jen at Tatertots and Jello.

These are some of the gifts finding their way under the trees of our family, friends and neighbors this holiday season -

Spiced Bing Cherry Jam

Jalapeno Pepper Jelly

Homemade Vanilla

Orange Cranberry Biscotti

For more great homemade gift ideas, visit Tatertots and Jello.

Holiday Baking Week - Orange Cranberry Biscotti

2011-12-11T13:35:00.000-08:00

Welcome to Holiday Baking Week here on Love Being In My Southern Kitchen! Each day this week, I will be sharing one of the treats I am making for family and friends this holiday season. Hope you find a new favorite.

This was the first biscotti recipe I ever made and it is still my favorite. It is so easy to make and has such a delicious taste. I really like it with my morning coffee. I gave it as gifts last year to my neighbors and there have been several hints as it gets closer to Christmas this year. I found the recipe at allrecipes.com. I made a couple of changes. I used orange juice instead of orange liqueur as I like the taste better (and I have to save my Grand Marnier for my cosmos!) and I drizzled melted white chocolate over the cooled biscotti to add one more element of flavor.

Orange Cranberry Biscotti

1/2 c butter

3/4 c sugar

2 eggs

1 T orange zest

2 T orange juice

2 1/4 c flour

1 1/2 t baking powder

1/4 t salt

1 1/2 t cinnamon

1/4 c chopped dried cranberries

3/4 c toasted, chopped almonds

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. Beat in egg. Stir in orange zest and orange juice. Sift together flour, bkaing powder, salt and cinnamon, stir into the creamed mixture, then stir in almonds and cranberries.

On a lightly floured surface, divide the dough in half. Roll each half into a log about 1 1/2 inches wide by 10 inches long. Set the rolls lengthwise on a baking sheet at least 3 inches apart, and flatten slightly.

Bake for 20 - 25 minutes in the preheated oven, until firm to the touch and slightly brown on top.

Cool for 10 - 15 minutes, then slice each log crosswise, at a diagonal, into 1/2 inch wide slices. Lay them cut side down on the baking sheet and return to the oven for 10 minutes, then turn over and bake for 10 more minutes. Cool completely, then drizzle with melted white chocolate.

Cool on wire racks, store in an airtight container.

Linking to -

Tasty Tuesday

Make Ahead Meals for Busy Moms

Good Cheap Eats

Full Plate Thursday
Holly Bloggy Christmas

Meal Plan Monday - December 12

2011-12-11T06:33:00.000-08:00

This is our busiest week of the holiday season. It seems all of our holiday festivities fall during this week. Our menu is peppered with parties and special events. I am also doing all my Christmas baking this week. Check back often as I update with all the yummies I am preparing to share with family and friends this holiday season.

Sunday - Hamburgers, Baked Beans, Hashbrowns and Chocolate Chip Cookies
Monday - Santa Claus and dinner out
Tuesday - Leftovers from Monday
Wednesday - Meatball Subs
Thursday - Chicken Divan
Friday - Bunco (leftovers for kids)
Saturday - Neighborhood Party (kids staying with grandparents)
Sunday - Supper Club Party and Dinner with Friends

Lunches -
Monday - Hamburger and Baked Beans
Tuesday - Hopefully leftovers from dinner out the night before :-)
Wednesday - Chicken Fingers, Fruit
Thursday - Chicken Salad Sandwich
Friday - Chicken Salad Sandwich

Breakfasts -
Apricot Pecan Bread, Fruit, Vanilla Yogurt with Homemade Pumpkin Granola

For more great meal plan ideas and recipes visit I'm An Organized Junkie.

Homemade Vanilla Extract

2011-12-07T06:02:00.000-08:00

Vanilla, vanilla, oh how I love thee! One of my favorite scents and tastes is vanilla. I adore vanilla candles, Warm Vanilla Sugar is my go to BBW fragrance and I just can't resist adding extra vanilla to any and all recipes calling for the delicious extract. I am a vanilla snob and only pure vanilla will do, no imitation in my kitchen, but it is so gosh darn EXPENSIVE!

My solution? Make my own! I never realized how easy, economical and delicious homemade vanilla is.

You need 3 things -

1. A Mason Jar - I started with a pint jar -MISTAKE- the second time I made vanilla, I went with a quart size, much better idea.

2. Good Vodka - many will say cheap vodka is good enough, but seriously, your vanilla is only going to be as good as the ingredients you put into it. Splurge a bit and get the good stuff, you can make a great cosmo with what is left over (wink, wink).

3. Fresh Vanilla Beans - note the term "FRESH". Do not use those dried up things you buy in a bottle at the grocery store. They've been sitting there since Christmas of 2000 and have very little flavor yet. I order mine online through Amazon. I like the Madagascar Bourbon beans the best. You will need about 12 beans for a quart jar.

Clean and dry your jar well. Make sure your jar lid and ring are new for food safety's sake.
Take each bean and make a cut down the middle, but do not remove the seeds.
Put the beans in the jar, cover with vodka almost to the top.
Cover with jar lid and tightly screw on jar ring.
Put in a cool, dark place for about 3 months, shaking once a week or so.
And here's what you get...

Look at that delicious yummy flavor in a jar! A quick word of warning - homemade vanilla has a stronger flavor than imitation or even real vanilla you can purchase, so use according to your one vanilla tastes. You can share this if you like, or keep it all for yourself. It makes great gifts. There are several places online you can order cute, smallish bottles inexpensively. Label and tie it up with ribbon and you have a great gift.

Here are some recipes using homemade vanilla extract:

Vanilla Almond Cupcakes with Buttercream Frosting
Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Truffles
Pumpkin Crisp
Bourbon Cake
Warm Vanilla Fruit

Linked to
Made by You Monday
Tatertots and Jello
The Grant Life
I Heart Naptime
What I Made Wednesday
Link It Up Wednesday

Bean with Bacon Soup

2011-12-07T05:19:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite soups growing up was Campbell's Bean with Bacon. I begged my mom to buy it all the time. Now that I am concerned about sodium and MSG in my food for health reasons, I stopped buying my favorite soup, not quite so content to do with out. I originally found this recipe on Tiffany's blog, Eat At Home, one of my favorite food blogs. As soon as I saw it, I know I could modifiy the recipe just a bit and have my favorite soup once again. It's delicious! Below is my modified version. You can see the original here.

Bean with Bacon Soup

2 - 3 slices of bacon, diced and fried

1/2 onion, diced and cooked with bacon

2 cans Great Northern Beans (I used frozen beans I had cooked from my freezer)

1/2 can diced tomatoes

1 box chicken broth (I used 2 containers of homemade broth from my freezer)

1/2 t oregano

salt and pepper to taste

Cook bacon and onions, toss in a soup pot. Add all other ingredients and cook until everything is heated through. Serve. I put everthing in a crockpot and heat for 3 -4 hours on high. Works great.

Linking up to

Life as Mom's Ultimate Recipe Swap

Ribbon Scarf

2011-12-05T10:38:00.000-08:00

This is my favorite quick scarf pattern. It is called the Ribbon Scarf and I found the pattern here. I have made this pattern at least 3 different times, but each time I used a different type yarn and size needles. It turns out great each time. It is an easily memorable pattern, which makes it perfect for working on while watching TV.

This scarf was made using the size needle and yarn specified in the pattern.

Linked to -

It's A Blog Party

Fireflies and Jelly Beans

Link It Up Wednesday

What I Made Wednesday

Tatertots and Jello

Meal Plan Monday - December 5th

2011-12-05T03:28:00.000-08:00

Sunday - Homemade Pizzas - Pesto Portabella, Cajun Shrimp, Pepperoni and Cheese
Monday - Grilled Sausages, Scalloped Potatoes, Lima Beans, Fried Apples
Tuesday - Bacon, Ranch and Chicken Mac and Cheese, Salad
Wednesday - Leftovers
Thursday - Chicken Tenders, Twice Baked Potatoes, Green Beans or Salad
Friday - Leftovers
Saturday -

Lunch -
Monday - Taco Casserole
Tuesday - Leftover Pizza
Wednesday - Leftover Pizza or Taco Casserole
Thursday - Bacon, Ranch and Chicken Mac and Cheese
Friday - Bacon, Ranch and Chicken Mac and Cheese

Breakfast -
Pumpkin Granola with Vanilla Yogurt, Zucchini Blueberry Muffins

Holiday Baking -
Bourbon Balls, Pumpkin Truffles

For more great menu ideas, visit I'm An Organized Junkie.

Chicken Divan

2011-12-01T06:02:00.000-08:00

Chicken Divan is one of my kids' favorite meals. My husband does not care for it, so we usually have this on nights when my husband has to work. I also make this in the crockpot on busy sports nights. It is a great one dish meal, but in the summer, taking advantage of our fresh garden produce, I usually add some fresh side dish. In the winter, I serve it as is, with no complaints from the kids.

Chicken Divan

2 c cooked rice (long grain is best)
1 10 oz. pkg. frozen broccoli
3 boned, skinned chicken breasts, cooked and cut into bite size pieces
1 can cream of chicken soup (or make your own!)
1/2 c mayonnaise
1/2 t lemon juice
1/2 t curry powder
3/4 c shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 c soft bread crumbs

Layer rice and broccoli in a square baking dish (I use an 11x7 glass dish). Layer chicken over broccoli. Mix soup, mayo, lemon juice and curry powder and pour over all. Sprinkle with cheese. Top with bread crumbs. Bake at 350 degress for 25 - 30 minutes.

To make in crockpot - Mix broccoli, rice, chicken, soup, mayo, lemon juice and curry powder together. Place in crockpot. Top with cheese and bread crumbs. Cook on Low for 3 - 4 hours.

Serve with sliced tomatoes and cucumber salad (diced cucumbers tossed with ranch dressing). A great simple dessert - No Bake Oatmeal Cookies.

Linked to
Life As Mom's Ultimate Recipe Swap
Tasty Tuesday
Melt In Your Mouth Monday
Full Plate Thursday
Fireflies and Jellybeans

Apricot Pecan Bread

2011-11-30T17:50:00.000-08:00

Years ago, my cousin made a delicious apricot bread at Christmas. We all loved it and I have been searching for the recipe ever since. I finally found it and it is just as good as I remember. This moist, flavorful quick bread will become a family favorite. I ususally omit nuts from my quick bread recipes, but don't do it with this one. The pecans are the perfect taste and texture compliment to the apricots.

Apricot Pecan Bread

from Southern Living November 1997

2 1/2 cups dried apricots, chopped

1 c chopped pecans

3 c all-purpose flour, divided

1 c wheat flour

1/2 c butter, softened

2 c sugar

2 large eggs

4 t baking powder

1/2 t baking soda

1/2 t salt

1 1/2 c orange juice (I used Simply Orange - great orange flavor!)

Combine chopped apricot and warm water to cover in a large bowl; let stand 30 minutes. Drain apricot. *** Stir in pecans and 1/2 c all-purpose flour.

Beat butter at medium speed with an electric mixer 2 minutes; gradually add sugar, beating well. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition.

Combine remaining 3 1/2 c flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add to butter mixture alternately with orange juice, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Stir in apricot mixture.

Spoon batter into two pgreased and floured 8 x 4 inch loaf pans; let stand at room temperature 20 minutes.

Bake bread at 350 for 1 hour or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans on a wire rack 10 - 15 minutes; remove from pans, and cool completely on wire rack. Makes 2 loaves.

***NOTE - I used Trader Joe's Dried Apricots and they were very plump and moist. I did NOT soak them and they were delicious.

Linking up to

Eat At Home Cooks

Life As Mom Ultimate Recipe Swap

Sweet Tooth Friday

Meal Plan Monday - November 27

2011-11-27T09:09:00.000-08:00

It's the after the holidays cooking funk around here. I just can't get too motivated to cook, so this week includes some easy, quick cook recipes.

Sunday - Thanksgiving Leftovers - Turkey, Dressing, Mashed Potatoes and Gravy, Collard Greens, Mac and Cheese, Cranberry Relish, Deviled Eggs
Monday - Grilled Chicken Salads
Tuesday - Turkey Pot Pie (using the last of the leftover Thanksgiving turkey)
Wednesday - Grilled Chicken Wraps (using leftover grilled chicken from Monday), Chips and Fruit
Thursday- Beef and Black Bean Taco Bake with Salad (freeze half)
Friday- Leftover Buffet
Saturday - Homemade Pizzas, Chocolate Chip Cookies

Lunch
Monday - Thanksgiving Leftovers
Tuesday - Turkey Waldorf Salad (minus the celery root)
Wednesday - Turkey Waldorf Salad
Thursday - Turkey Pot Pie
Friday - Beef and Black Bean Taco Bake

Breakfasts - Muffins, Oatmeal, Granola with Yogurt

For more menu plans, visit I'm An Organized Junkie.

The BEST Cupcakes Ever

2011-11-01T07:53:00.000-07:00

By unanimous decision, these are the VERY BEST cupcakes EVER. I found the recipe for both the cupcakes and icing at Recipe Girl, via Pinterest. They taste just like wedding cake, but are perfect for any occasion. The icing tints very well and makes a great presentation.

The cupcake recipe calls for a cake mix with some great stuff added to it. When I went to make the cupcakes the first time, I realized my sour cream had expired. So, I dug through the refrigerator and substituted vanilla yogurt for the sour cream. Perfect! This makes an even moister cupcake with a more enhanced vanilla flavor. (A co-worker made the same recipe, using sour cream and we decided we like the vanilla yogurt better). I also substituted half the vanilla extract with almond extract, just my family's taste preference.

I also added almond extract to the icing as well. I have made these for Bunco, baby showers, just because and last night for our annual Halloween Hayride Party. They are always a favorite and I rarely have any left. The cake recipe makes 36 cupcakes and while the icing recipe says it will frost 12 cupcakes, I double the recipes and have plenty of icing for all 36 cupcakes with about 1/2 a cup left over.

Linking to
It's A Blog Party
Tasty Tuesday
Make Ahead Meals for Busy Moms
Good Cheap Eats
Link It Up Wednesday
Full Plate Thursday

Meal Plan Monday- October 31st

2011-11-01T06:12:00.000-07:00

This week wraps up our very busy fall sports season. While it's been a great ride, I'm glad we can get back to a normal weekly schedule. We will still have gymnastics and agility, but twice weekly practices will be over for a while. I won't be home at all on Sunday to prepare a
head for the week.
Sunday - Ham and Potato Soup
Monday - Halloween Hayride - BBQ Meatballs, 3 Dips with Assorted Crackers, Fruit, Halloween Cupcakes
Tuesday - Roast Pork and Black Beans on Rice with Salad
Wednesday- French Dip Sandwiches, Chips and Veggies with Dip
Thursday - Leftovers
Friday - Boo Boo and I head off for a girls weekend

For more great menu ideas, visit I'm An Organized Junkie.

Marinated Cheese and Olives

2011-10-30T07:04:00.000-07:00

Serve this appetizer at your holiday party and I guarantee there won't be any left. It is one of my most requested recipes. And as an added bonus, it is really quick and simple to pull together. Since this will keep for 2 weeks in the refrigerator, if I know I have several events coming up, I make a double or triple batch.

Marinated Cheese and Olives

3/4 c vegetabel oil
1/4 c white wine vinegar
1 t salt
1/2 - 1 t freshly ground pepper
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 - 8 oz. package Colby Jack cheese, cubed
1 - 8 oz. package Monterrey Jack or white cheddar cheese, cubed
1 - 7 oz. kalamata olives, drained
1/2 T dried Italian Seasoning
1/4 t crushed red pepper
3 cloves garlic, crushed
3 springs fresh rosemary

Combine first 5 ingredients in a jar. Cover tightly and shake vigorously.
Combine all ingredients except rosemary in a large bowl; stir gently. Add rosemary sprigs. Cover and chill at least 8 hours or up to 24 hours. Serve with assorted crackers.

Linked to
Sundae Scoop
Life As Mom
Ingredient Spotlight

Meal Plan Monday - October 24

2011-10-23T16:40:00.000-07:00

We had a couple of deviations from our menu last week. One night it was just Bubba and I after LAX practice, so we opted for a treat - Chick fil-A sandwiches and milk shakes YUM! We aslo go a surprise when Thursday DH came home from work early and cooked hamburgers and homemade mac and cheese for us. I'll drop the meal plan anytime when someone else wants to cook for me!

We have a really busy week this week, with our annual Cheer Bowl competition, a Lacrosee tournament and I have Governor's Honors County Interviews. We also have a Girl Scout event Sunday afternoon, so my Sunday afternoon cooking time will be limited. I will be depending on my freezer stash to keep us eating at home this week. I'll be cooking Banana-Apple Craisin Muffins, Spinach Ravioli Lasagna and Mom's Chicken Salad.

Sunday - Chili, Grilled Cheese Sandwiches, Spiced Apples and Pears, Brownies and Pumpkin Snickerdoodles
Monday - Spinach Ravioli Lasagna
Tuesday - Crockpot Baked Potatoes with Ham and Cheese, Spiced Apples and Pears
Wednesday - Beer Chili Buns, Veggies/Chips and Dip
Thursday - with Daddy or Nanny
Friday - Leftovers before Cheer Competition
Saturday - Football Playoff and Lacrosse Tourney - probably at the ball park

For more great meal plans and menu ideas, visit I'm An Organized Junkie.

Meal Plan Monday - October 17

2011-10-15T08:34:00.000-07:00

Our favorite recipe by far last week was Pizza Pasta Casserole. It got a huge thumbs up from all of us. We also LOVED Recipe Girl's Wedding Cake Cupcakes and Buttercream Frosting. YUM, YUM, YUM. Can't wait to make them for our Halloween Party.

I am continuing to refine the Week in a Day concept. I want to find a way to streamline the process. It takes up a HUGE portion of my Sunday free time and since that is the only day my DH is home, I don't want to spend it all in the kitchen. So, I'm going to focus this week on time management and see if I can't make it more faster. I'll keep you posted.

This week I'm going to make the following on Sunday - Chicken Pot Pie filling, sauce for Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs, grill Beer Bottle or BBQ chicken and make a batch of chocolate chip cookies. I also plan to assemble a couple of salad plates for lunch. If I have time, I also plan on making Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Cookies with a twist... using cream cheese filling to make them into sandwich cookies.

Sunday - Tilapia Parmesan, Couscous, Roasted Asparagus, Poached Pears
Monday - Chicken Pot Pie
Tuesday - Grilled Chicken Wraps (carried over from last week), Chips and Veggies with Dip
Wednesday - Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs with Tomato Pesto Sauce, Mashed Potaotes, Layered Salad
Thursday - Leftovers
Friday - Party Here - Shrimp Butter on Crostini, Meatball Sliders with Pesto
Saturday - Grill Hamburgers, Mac and Cheese, Veggies and Dip

For more great menu ideas, visit I'm An Organized Junkie.

Pizza Pasta Casserole

2011-10-11T18:33:00.000-07:00

This is a new family favorite, as it got thumbs up from all 4 of us. Oringally a Southern Living recipe, I changed it around a bit and it will be added to our menu rotation.

I couldn't get a picture before they devoured almost the entire dish.

Pizza Pasta Casserole

12 oz. spaghetti

1 pound mild pork sausage

2 oz. pepperoni

1 jar (26 oz) tomato basil pasta sauce ( I like Classico brand)

1 c pizza sauce (I had this in my freezer)

1/2 c grated Parmesan cheese

2 c shredded 6 cheese Italian cheese blend

Boil pasta according to package directions. Keep warm.

Brown sausage in a large skillet until no longer pink. Drain and set aside. Wipe pan clean. Add pepperoni and cook until slightly crisp (about 5 minutes). Drain on paper towel.

Toss spaghetti, sausage, pepperoni, tomato basil sauce and pizza sauce until combined. Pour into 13 x 9 baking dish. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and top with Italian cheese blend. Cover with foil and bake 30 minutes at 350 degrees. Remove foil and bake for 10 more minutes.

Serve with salad and garlic bread for a quick, family pleasing dinner.

This is a great make ahead dinner. I actually assembled the casserole Sunday afternoon and baked Monday night. I also think it would freeze very well.

Linked to Tasty Tuesday

Meal Plan Monday - October 10

2011-10-09T05:42:00.000-07:00

We followed our meal plan perfectly last week! Lots of family favorites on the menu and I had cooked much of what we ate ahead of time. It either came out of the freezer or I prepared it on Sunday to have during the week. I really loving the Week in a Day concept. That in addition to meal planning has kept us out of the drive thru for the past few weeks.

This Sunday I am cooking pancakes, Pizza Spaghetti Casserole, Southern Chicken and Corn Chowder, Grilled Honey Dijon Chicken, Apricot Pecan Chicken Salad (for lunches) and Wedding Cupcakes with Buttercream Frosting. It should only take me a couple of hours (except for the cupcakes) to pull all this together and be ready for the week. YEAH!

Sunday - Italian Pot Roast, Mashed Potatoes and Gravy, Roasted Carrots, Lima Beans
Monday - Pizza Spaghetti Casserole, Salad
Tuesday - Bacon-Jack Chicken Sandwiches (using Grilled Honey Dijon Chicken), Veggies and Dip
Wednesday - Southern Chicken and Corn Chowder, Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
Thursday - Honey Dijon Chicken Wraps (using leftover Honey Dijon Chicken from Tuesday), Chips and Veggies with Dip
Friday - Leftovers before the Homecoming Game
Saturday - Depends on what time our LAX game is over, maybe out with the team?

For more wonderful menu ideas, visit I'm An Organized Junkie.

Time Out Cowl

2011-10-05T14:39:00.000-07:00

My Time Out Cowl for Maybe Matilda's Crochet Along

Well, I did it, I learned how to crochet and completed my first project. I'm really glad I joined up with Maybe Matilda, her tutorials were wonderful! If you don't know how to crochet and are interested in learning, I highly recommend jumping over the Maybe Matilda and trying it out. I also think the pattern for the Time Out Cowl is a great first project. I completed it in just a few days and it is ready and waiting for the first cold snap. I did put a little twist in mine when I stitched the ends together. I just liked the way it lays better.

Linking to
Somewhat Simple
Delightful Order
Fireflies and Jelly Beans
Skip to My Lou
What I Made Wednesday
Well Made Wednesday

Pumpkin Apple Muffins

2011-10-02T14:13:00.000-07:00

In honor of the first fall like days in Atlanta, I pulled out the apples and pumpkin to make one of my favorite fall treats, Pumpkin Apple Muffins. Love these with a cup of pumpkin spice coffee while sitting on the back porch. Perfect.

Pumpkin Apple Muffins
from Southern Living Annual Recipe Collection 20th Anniversary Edition

1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 t baking soda
1/4 t baking powder
1/4 t salt
1 T pumpkin pie spice
1 c sugar
1 c canned pumpkin
1/2 c butter or margarine, melted
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled and finely chopped
3 T sugar
1 t pumpkin pie spice

Combine first 6 ingredients in a large bowl; make a well in center of mixture. Combine pumpkin, butter and eggs, and add to dy ingredients, stirring just until moistened. Fold in chopped apple and spoon into greased muffin pans, filling two-thirds full.

Combine 3 T sugar and 1 t pumpkin pie spice; sprinkle evenly over muffins. Bake at 350* for 20 minutes. Remove from pans immediately and cool on wire racks. Makes 2 dozen.

Linking up to
Eat at Home Ingredient Spotlight
Ultimate Recipe Swap at Life as Mom
Sweet Tooth Friday

Meal Plan Monday - October 3rd.

2011-10-02T06:47:00.000-07:00

Again this week, I am playing around with the Week in a Day concept to make getting dinner on the table easier. I am making Hashbrown Casserole, Broccoli Casserole, Pumpkin Apple Muffins and Broccoli Cheese Soup on Sunday to have ready during the week. I will also be making homemade ranch dressing as well as cutting up veggies and fruit to make serving those easier. Boo Boo has also requested that I make applesauce, so I might just throw some in the crockpot today. It's all about easy around here, but in order to make it work, I'd better get busy!

Sunday - Grilled Hamburgers, Hashbrown Casserole, Lima Beans
Monday - Chicken Cordon Bleu, Broccoli Casserole, Applesauce
Tuesday - Broccoli Cheese Soup, Ham Sandwiches, Applesauce
Wednesday - Meatball Subs, Veggies and Dip, Chips
Thursday - Leftovers
Friday - YOYO (You're on your own)
Saturday- not quite sure yet...

For more great menu plans visit I'm An Organized Junkie

Meal Plan Monday - September 25th

2011-09-26T09:42:00.000-07:00

Sunday - Brunch- Peach French Toast, Breakfast Casserole, Bacon, Scrambled Eggs and Strawberry Cupcakes
Monday - Chicken and Dumplings, Mashed Potatoes, Green Beans
Tuesday - Trader Joes' Chicken Tacos, Layered Salad with Avocado Ranch Salad Dressing
Wednesday - Crockpot Ravioli, Layered Salad with Ranch Dressing
Thursday - Leftovers
Friday - YOYO - You are On Your Own
Saturday - BBQ after Lacrosse Game

Meal Plan Monday - September 19

2011-09-20T14:11:00.000-07:00

We ate every single meal I had planned last week! That is an accomplishment, I usually deviate at least once, but last week was perfect. Modifying Rachel Ray's Week in a Day concept has really made things easier. Last week I made Mashed Potato Casserole on Sunday, we ate it on Tuesday and Thursday and I finished off the last for lunch on Friday. It was really nice to have a hot side dish ready to go on our busy nights. This week, I made Mac and Cheese on Sunday. We will have it on Monday and Wednesday this week. I plan on doing this more often.

Sunday - Fish Fry (grouper) Mac and Cheese, Cole Slaw, Hush Puppies, Yellow Cake with Chocolate Frosting
Monday - Grouper Sandwiches, Mac and Cheese, Cole Slaw, Fruit
Tuesday - Tortilla BBQ Chicken Pizza, Fruit
Wednesday - Sloppy Joes, Mac and Cheese, Veggies and Ranch Dip
Thursday - Leftovers
Friday - Out for Mexican
Saturday - Chicken and Dumplings, Mashed Potatoes, Green Beans and Cornbread

For more great menu ideas, visit I'm An Organized Junkie

Crochet Along

2011-09-11T06:39:00.000-07:00

Well, I did it, I went and joined Maybe Matilda's Crochet Along. Not sure why I did it, as the only thing I can do is crochet a chain. Hopefully I will come out of the experience unscathed and knowing how to crochet!

Seriously, what hooked me was the chosen project, a cool cowl. I've been looking for a knit cowl pattern and hadn't really found one I was thrilled with, so when I saw the Time Out Cowl and I loved it I decided to give crocheting another try.

So, I picked my yarn and ran by Walmart last night to pick up a N crochet hook, so I'm ready to go.

Wish me luck!

Meal Plan Monday - September 12

2011-09-11T06:06:00.000-07:00

I'm finally getting the hang of our fall schedule, except this week we throw Brownies into the mix! Wednesday is by far our busiest and latest night, so I have come up with 12 Crockpot "ready to eat when we walk in the door" meals to get us through the fall. I will be doing a special series on these starting next week, so be on the lookout for some super easy and quick menu plans for your busy nights.

I am also finding inspriration from Rachel Ray's Week in a Day concept. We are not huge fans for Rachel's recipes, but I love the concept of cooking for the week on one day. While I don't prepare the whole meal in one day, like she does, I am cooking up more items ahead for our busy days. For example, this week I am making the Mashed Potato Casserole for Tuesday on Sunday, so all I have to do when we get home is warm it in the microwave. I will also be making this frittata for Bubba to eat for breakfast this week. I will be planning more make aheads in the next week.

On to this week's menu...

Sunday - Chicken Caprese with Angel Hair Pasta, Salad
Monday - Picnic at the park for me and Boo-Boo, Pizza at home for DH and Bubba
Tuesday - Honey Mustard Kielbasa, Mashed Potato Casserole, Peas, Fruit
Wednesday - Chicken Quesadillas with Peach Salsa, Fruit
Thursday - Leftovers
Friday - Birthday Party
Saturday - Supper Club (I'm bringing a side dish)

Baking -
Blueberry Zucchini Muffins
Granola

For more great menu ideas, visit I'm An Organized Junkiie.

September Counterfeit Kit

2011-09-10T13:52:00.000-07:00

I took the month of August off from the Counterfeit Kit Challenge due to how hectic our lives get around here when school starts, but I'm back with a September Kit and I really love how mine turned out.

The concept of counterfeiting kits from kit clubs using your stash is brilliant, so hop on over to the Counterfeit Kit Challenge Blog and check it out. I'm getting more scrapping done than I have in years, 'cause all I do is grab a kit and some pictures and I can get 4 - 6 pages done at a time because the hard part is already done.

For September, we counterfeited the Sweet Peach Crop Shop September 2010 kit. You can find it here. There were two kits, Sweet and Juicy. I chose Juicy as I am so looking forward to fall after weeks of 100+ degrees temps and no rain in Atlanta and the color palette for Juicy was more fallish to me.

Here's my kit -- Hello Fall

Kit Contents -

Cardstock -

2 - light slate blue

2 - buttercream

2 - celery green

2 - green

2 - vanilla

2 - chocolate brown

2 - rust brown

Patterned Papers -

Die Cut With a View - brown houndstooth, orange trellis, green ledger grid, cream 1,2,3 papers

Making Memories - Butternut Soft Plaid, Solid Dark and Twine Plaid papers

Chloe's Closet Cider Days - Jonathan Dot, Granny Smith Green Red Delicious Floral and McIntosh Bouquet PPers

Crate Paper Cowgirl Collection - Spurs, Side Saddle, Red Boots,and Buckle Papers

Jenny Bowlin - Big Numbers

Daisy D's - Gazette

Junkitz - Dog Stripe

Scenic Route - Jade White Big Dots

Anna Griffin - Orange Harlequin

Unknown - Cream and Butternut Dot

Embellishments -

Crate Paper Letter Stickers - Cowgirl Collection

Thickers - Leg Warmers Letter Stickers

EK Success - Tag Types Letter Stickers

Creative Memories - Brown Letter Stickers

5 chipboard pieces

Cricut leaf cutouts

Cricut posted sign

Daisy Bucket Tags

Assorted Brads

5 different ribbons

3 self - created flowers

K and Co. Adhesive floral borders

MAMBI Pumpkin Patch Stickers

I hadn't planned on this kit being so big, but I just kept finding great papers to add to it. I'm looking forward to scrapping some great fall pictures with this one! To check all the great counterfeit kits this month, head over the the Counterfeit Kit Challenge September Linky.

Roasted Tomato/Vegetable Sauce

2011-09-08T07:40:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite blogs is An Oregon Cottage. It is full of wonderful, practical advice about living simpler, something I need to be reminded frequently. Jami's blog is my go-to for "make my own" versions of items I used to buy at the grocery store. For example, An Oregon Cottage is where I first learned I could cook and freeze my own dried beans and save money and decrease the amount of sodium in our diets. I also found Jami's recipe for Chocolate Sauce that has become our staple in our house. Sooooo good over homemade vanilla ice cream. One of my favorite Oregon Cottage recipe is Roasted Tomato Sauce. I used my homegrown tomatoes and zucchini and it is delicious. It freezes great and tastes like summer when I serve it over cheese ravioli in the dead of winter.

Roasted Tomato/Vegetable Sauce

Put in a large roasting pan (I use a restaurant size jelly roll pan)

3 T olive oil
6 pounds of tomatoes, cored and cut in halves (quarters if they are large)- cut side down
1/2 large onion chopped
any vegetable on hand: zucchini, peppers, carrots, celery (optional, but very good)
5 or 6 cloves garlic, sliced or chopped
4 T balsamic vinegar
3 t Italian seasoning
1 t each salt and pepper

1. Roast for 45 - 60 minutes (until vegetables are soft)

2. Remove skins with tongs, as desired (I remove the ones that come off easily - stubborn ones stay on)

3. Process briefly in a blender or food processor for a chunky sauce, or more for a smooth sauce

4. Use right away or pour into quart size containers, label and freeze.

Makes about 2 quarts

Linking to

Meal Plan Monday - Sept. 5

2011-09-05T17:00:00.000-07:00

Sunday - DH Birthday and Labor Day Party - BBQ Wings, Football Dip, Bacon Wrapped Jalapenos, Stuffed Banana Peppers, Hummus and Chips, Birthday Cake
Monday - Hamburgers and Chips
Tuesday - Grilled Chicken Salads
Wednesday - Crockpot Baked Potatoes (with ham and cheese), Veggies and Dip
Thursday - Leftovers
Friday - Pizza for kids, party for me :-)
Saturday - depends on the time for our ball games....

For more great menu plans, visit I'm An Organized Junkie.

Eliminating Empty Calorie Snacks

2011-08-27T07:10:00.000-07:00

My 7 (almost 8) year old daughter is always hungry, even though everytime I turn around she is eating something. I tracked her eating for 5 days, including school lunches, school snacks, after school time with Nanny and snacks at friends' houses when I am not around to help make the snack choices. I realized very quickly that she was eating and drinking ALOT of empty calories - meaning sugar.

She makes great food choices at meal times and eats a great variety of things, we are just working on her snack choices and I am letting her shop and plan for her snacks with me. She loves apples and peanut butter, carrots and ranch, string cheese and yogurt. But those can get old very quickly. I am looking for some baked goods I can make for her that she will enjoy as well. I already substitute half the flour in my cookie recipes with whole wheat flour, but I was thinking of some kind of bar or healthy mufin recipes.

So, my question to you is.... what healthy snacks do you give your kids?

Meal Plan Monday - August 22nd

2011-08-21T07:13:00.000-07:00

I think I finally have our new routine down so I can more efficiently meal plan. Last week got a bit crazy, but this week should go a little smoother, even with 3 Curriculum Nights to attend.

Sunday - Filet, Corn, Roasted Asparagus, Vanilla Ice Cream
Monday - Toasted Sandwiches, Chips and Salsa, Fruit
Tuesday - Elementary Curriculum Night - Leftovers
Wednesday - Crockpot Nachos and Fruit
Thursday - Middle School and High School Curriculum Nights, so Nanny is cooking
Friday - Might be going to the high school football game
Saturday - Honey Asian Sesame Chicken, Cilantro Lime Rice, Steamed Broccoli (I still haven't made this...)

For more great menu plans, visit I'm An Organized Junkie.

Peppers, Peppers and Peppers

2011-08-21T06:41:00.000-07:00

Over the weekend, this

Became this

7 pints of Jalapeno Pepper Jelly and 9 pints of Banana Pepper Mustard.

I changed the Banana Pepper Mustard a bit first by halving the recipe. I used 20 banana peppers, 2 green peppers and 4 jalapeno peppers. I seeded and deveined all the peppers (use gloves!). This mustard is a huge hit. Delicious on hot dogs, brats, hamburgers and as a dip for pretzels. I even used it in my baked beans instead of regular mustard. It gave the beans a very subtle kick that was delicious.

Linking up to: Tatertots and Jello

All-American Frittata

2011-08-20T17:04:00.000-07:00

What can be better than eggs, bacon and cheese? Nothing really, but putting them all together in a 75 year old iron skillet makes them fabulous! This is one of our favorite quick meals. It takes only minutes to pull together, 10 minutes in the oven and it makes use of those bits and pieces hiding in the refrigerator.

All-American Frittata

2 c frozen hash browns, thawed

1/2 T vegetable oil

8 eggs, beaten

3/4 c diced ham or cooked, chopped bacon or cooked, crumbled sausage - whatever you've got, or leave out the meat if you want

salt and pepper to taste

1/4 t garlic powder

1/4 t onion powder

1 cup add ins - scour your refrigerator for those bits of leftover vegetables- see idea list at bottom
1/2 c shredded cheese - your favorite or whatever you've got

In a seasoned iron skillet, heat oil. Add hash browns and cook until soft.
Beat eggs, adding salt, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder.
Top hash browns with bacon and add ins of your choice, pour eggs over .
Top with cheese.
Cook until bottom is set, then bake in a 350 degree oven for 10 minutes.

*** Add ins - spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, asparagus, broccoli, squash, zucchini, onions, green or red peppers, peas

Serve with salad and fruit for a great quick meal.

Linked to
Life as Mom Ultimate Recipe Swap

What's For Lunch

2011-08-20T11:18:00.000-07:00

Back to schoool means back to packing my lunch. One of my yearly kitchen goals was to pack my lunch at least 3 times a week. So far this year I have been successful and I really want to continue through this school year. So, here we go! This week's lunches in review.

Monday - Ham and Tomato Sandwich, Pretzels, Peach
Tuesday - Ham and Tomato Sandwich, Pretzels, Banana
Wednesday - Cheesy Chicken Vermicelli, Peach
Thursday - Cheesy Chicken Vermicelli, Peach
Friday - Teriyaki Meatballs, Mashed Potatoes, Peas

Meal Plan Monday (on Friday) - August 15th

2011-08-19T07:18:00.000-07:00

Still trying to get used to our school and sports schedule. We did manage to eat at home most nights this week, but I already can tell Wednesdays are going to be a challenge. I'm thinking this will be CrockPot night until November! No links this week since I am getting it up sooooo late.

Sunday - Grilled Burgers and Brats, Mac and Cheese, Baked Beans, Chelsea Salad, Ice Cream and Pound Cake
Monday - Leftovers
Tuesday - Cheesy Chicken Vermicelli
Wednesday - later practice than I had anticipated - Wendy's drive thru
Thursday - Teriyaki Meatballs, Mashed Potatoes, Peas, Sliced Pineapple
Friday - Leftovers for kids, BUNCO for me
Saturday - Honey Sesame Chicken, Cilantro Lime Rice, Steamed Broccoli

Meal Plan Monday - August 8th

2011-08-07T06:07:00.000-07:00

This is the Official Back to School Edition of Menu Plan Monday here at Love Being in My Southern Kitchen. I started school Friday and the kids start on Thursday, and we have Middle School and Elementary School Open House on different nights. Cheerleading and Lacrosse start this week as well, then Girl Scouts, Tennis, Gymnastics and Agility are not far behind. Time to get my behind in gear -- Let the games begin!

But first, our favorite new recipe from last week - Rosemary Ranch Chicken. We loved this, so tender and yummy. I highly recommend you try this recipe.

I'm sticking to family favorite this week to make things easier. Enjoy!

Sunday - Shrimp and Grits, Roasted Asparagus, French Bread
Monday - There is just too much going on this day, so it will probably be something quick between events
Tuesday - Enchilada Pie, Salad and Fruit
Wednesday - Cheesey Chicken Vermicelli, Steamed Broccoli and Fruit Salad
Thursday - Sloppy Joes, Tomato and Cucumber Salad, Chips and Fruit
Friday - Leftovers!
Saturday - Honey Asian Sesame Chicken Kabobs, Cilantro Lime Rice, Steamed Broccoli and Fruit

Lunches -
Monday - Chicken Salad Sandwiches, Sliced Tomatoes and Cucumbers, Fruit Salad and Zucchini Bread
Tuesday - Out with colleagues
Wednesday - Enchilada Pie, Salad
Thursday - Cheesy Chicken Vermicelli, Fruit or Salad
Friday - Cheese and Veggie Sandwich, Chips, Fruit

For more great meal plan ideas, visit I'm An Organized Junkie

Meal Plan Mondy - August 1st

2011-08-01T08:51:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it is August already. Where did my summer go? I start school on Friday, with the kids starting next Thursday. I still have so much I wanted to get done. My parents are coming to help paint a few rooms in my house and complete a couple of other projects. It's going to be a busy week. Hopefully my meal plan will keep us out of the drive thru.

For lunches while my parents are here working -
Pimento Cheese
Ham, Turkey and Salami for Sandwiches
Chicken Salad
Summer Tortellini Salad

Sunday - Ribeye on the Grill, Scalloped Potatoes, Lima Beans
Monday - Rosemary Ranch Chicken, Zucchini Cakes, Roasted Potatoes, Salad, Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream
Tuesday - Dinner at friends' house
Wednesday - BBQ
Thursday - Leftovers or Chef Salad (if we have lunch meat to finish up)
Friday - First teacher workday and our 16th Wedding Anniversary - we just might order pizza or chinese
Saturday - Grilled Chicken Salad or Make Your Own Pizza, Peach Quesadillas

For more great menu ideas, visit I'm An Organized Junkie

Meal Plan Monday - July 25th

2011-07-25T17:29:00.000-07:00

Sunday - Grilled Hamburgers and Hot Dogs, Mac and Cheese, Ramen Noodle Salad, Italian Cream Cheese Pie
Monday - Movie, Pizza and Chinese
Tuesday - Meatball Subs, Chips
Wednesday - Fish and Chips, Hush Puppies, Mac and Cheese, Roasted Potatoes (pick up)
Thursday - Tacos or Nachos
Friday -Lemon Chicken Piccata, Angel Hair Pasta, Salad, Fruit
Saturday - Chef Salads, Fruit

For more great meal plans visit I'm An Organized Junkie.

Porch Make Over Reveal

2011-07-18T07:00:00.000-07:00

I posted a couple of weeks ago that my porch was in need of a little make over. I am happy to show off my once again lovely back porch - where I sit right now with a cup of coffee and Rhett (my adorable French Bulldog) enjoying the peacefulness of this summer morning.

Here's the before -

Old, faded cushions, not many pillows, in serious need of pressure washing, not as inviting as I would like.

And the after -

Everything has been cleaned and washed. All new cushions and lots of pillows! I bought the base cushions at Wal-Mart on clearance, but made all the pillows (thanks to a Joann's 50% off sale on all decorator fabrics). The burlap pillows I stenciled and just stitched together, stuffing with polyfil. The other pillows are outdoor decorator fabrics and are actually pillow covers, so I can take them off and wash then as needed. I followed a great tutorial from A Pretty Cool Life.

So much brighter and more welcoming. i love the lanterns of the coffee table. Found them at IKEA for $4 each. They hold a small votive candle and look great when lit at night. I still need a new rug. I bought one, but decided there was too much white in the pattern and it would be dirty by the end of the first party. I'm thinking about painting a piece of vinyl linoleum....

The swing area may be my biggest improvement, considering there was a punching bag sitting here just a couple of days ago. I added several flowers, a lemon and key lime tree and a cute little tile table I picked up at Target on clearance.

I am thrilled with my little porch make over, especially the price. I did it all for under $300, including $90 for the two citrus trees.

Rhett Butler certainly approves!

Linked to - Made By You Monday
Show Me How
Tackle It Tuesday
What I Made Wednesday
Delightful Order
I Heart Naptime
Metamorphasis Monday
Wow Me Wednesday
Strut Your Stuff
Weekend Wrap Up

Meal Plan Monday - July 18th

2011-07-18T06:34:00.000-07:00

For the most part, we stuck to our meal plan eventhough I wasn't feeling well most of the week. I am carrying over one recipe this week and I have Bunco and DH and I have our bi-monthly Supper Club this weekend as well. Why do all the fun things happen the same week?

Sunday - Grilled Skirt Steak, Baked Potato Casserole, Green Beans, Cucumber Slices
Monday - Ravioli with Roasted Tomato Sauce, Salad, Garlic Bread (carried over from last week)
Tuesday - Chicken Bacon Sub, Salad, Peaches
Wednesday - Teriyaki Grilled Chicken Strips, Green Beans, Baked Potato Casserole
Thursday - Leftover Buffet
Friday - Bunco
Saturday - Supper Club

For more meal plans, visiti SnowWhite at Finding Joy in My Kitchen who is hosting this week for Laura.

July Counterfeit Challenge

2011-07-12T07:31:00.000-07:00

I am REALLY late to the party this month, but I couldn't resist putting a kit together based on one of this month's add-on kits over at Counterfeit Kit Challenge. I am a sucker for Americana and just LOVE the 4th of July. However, the real inspiration for my kit was Julie Ann's at Inspiration for Generation C 2.0. I had been toying around with the idea of not doing the main kit and focusing on the Liberty Shores add -on from PolkaDot Whimsey. Once I say Julie Ann's take on Liberty Shores, I was hooked.

Here's my version -

Kit Contents

Patterned Papers-

Doodlebug Boy a Boy Dotted Line

Coredinations Vintage Blue

MOD Primary Stripe

Doodlebug Ladybug Picnic

Li'l Davis White Monogram

Making Memories Watercolor Royal Blue Plaid

Making Memories Watercolor Red Dreamy Dots Dark

Doodlebug Stars and Stripes

Doodlebug Cheerfully Christmas Grid

various red, white and blue scraps from my stash

Cardstock -

2 - White

2 - Blad

2 - Royal Blue

2 - Bright Red

Embellishments-

3 Summertime Flash Cards from Meridy

Red and Blue Baker's Twine (I made my own! - tutorial here)

3 patriotic fabric swatches

red and white stitched ribbon

red, white and blue striped ribbon

blue with red polka dot ribbon

chipboard tag and 2 red chipboard stars

6 star buttons

3 mini slide clips

2 Cricut die cuts from the Calendar Cartridge

This is a small kit for me, but I know I will use it. In fact, I have already ordered my pictures!

For more great scrapbooking inspiration hop over to the July Linky at the Counterfeit Kit Challenge Blog

Meal Plan Monday - July 9th

2011-07-11T06:36:00.000-07:00

Sunday - Grilled Hamburgers, Baked Beans, Mashed Potatoes, Carrots, Cucumbers and Tomatoes from the garden, Watermelon Slices
Monday - Grilled Chicken Salad, Watermelon Slices
Tuesday - Tacos, Natalie's Texas Beans, Salad, Watermelon Slices
Wednesday -Out for dinner
Thursday - Baked Potato Bar
Friday - Leftover Buffet
Saturday - Ravioli with Roasted Tomato Sauce, Salad and Foccacia

For over 300 menu plans every Mondayh, visit I'm An Organized Junkie.

My Favorite Canning Resources

2011-07-09T05:16:00.000-07:00

I remember helping my grandmother can just about everything growing up. I always thought it was so hard and was afraid to try it. However as my grandmother has gotten older and doesn't can as much anymore I found myself missing her jellies and relishes. So, 3 years ago I took the plunge and bought a Ball Canning Kit at Walmart and made my first jelly. I found out that if you follow the directions and don't get creative, it is really very simple. Hard work, but simple.

I have found the following resources to be invaluable in learning how to can as well as for a wonderful variety of recipes and ideas.

The Ball Blue Book

In my opinion this is the canning bible. It has detailed, step by step instructions on how to can and freeze just about anything. If you read and follow their directions, you will not only can delicious food, but you will do it safely.

Some of my favorite recipes from this book are Strawberry Jam, Pepper Jelly, Quick Grape Jelly, Bing Cherry Jam, Sweet and Sour Pepper Relish

Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving

This book has 400 different canning recipes. It is a great resource for traditional recipes as well as more modern combinations. The how to portions are not as detailed as that of the Blue Book. The most useful part for me that I turn to over and over again if the Produce Purchase Guide. It is a very accurate guide for how much fruit or vegetables you need to get the correct yield for the recipe. I use this ALL the time.

Some of my favorite recipes from this book are Peach Jam and Cherries in Syrup.

Better Homes and Gardens Special Interest Publication - Canning
This magazine is on sale at retail stores until August 9th. Run out now and get it! It has some really interesting recipes, many great recipes for gift giving. It starts with "10 super-simple, no brainer" canning recipes, perfect for the beginner.

Some of my favorite recipes from this magazine are Tomato Basil Jam and Vidalia Onion and Maple Conserve

If you are interested in learning to can, you can't go wrong with these resources.

Summer Freezer Cooking

2011-07-07T13:33:00.000-07:00

It's that time again, time for me to fill my freezer with lots of things for us to eat when school (lacrosse, cheerleading, tennis, gymnastics) starts in August.   I will spend several days in the kitchen cooking all kinds of things to make sure we eat well and don't resort to the drive thru for dinner. You can see my planning process from last year here, as well as the recipes I made. Below is my plan for this year.

Disclaimer-- This is a very ambitious plan, composed of many, many recipes and ingredients, spread out over many days.

Beef Recipes
Beer Chili - DONE
Sloppy Joes - DONE
Taco Meat (just taco seasoning and ground beef) - DONE
Meatballs - DONE
Meatloaf - DONE
Lasagna
Beef Mix (ground beef seasoned with onions and garlic) - DONE
Skirt Steak (1 with Alton Brown's Marinade, 1 with Beer Marinade) - DONE

Poultry Recipes
Crockpot Taco Chicken (just taco seasoning and chicken breasts) - DONE
Crockpot Whole Chicken and Broth (for pot pie and soups) - DONE
Marinated Chicken Breasts
   Basic Marinated - DONE
   Dijon - DONE
   Bottle O'Beer - DONE
   Lemon Pepper - DONE
   Sweet and Sour Catalina Chicken Strips - DONE
   BBQ (using our Restaurant's BBQ sauce) - DONE
Parmesan Chicken Strips - DONE
Chicken Bacon Subs * - DONE
Mediterranean Roast Chicken *
Teriyaki Strips * - DONE

Pork
Kentucky Bourbon Pork Chops - DONE
Mozzarella Stuffed Sausage Meatballs (just the meatballs, will make the sauce fresh) - DONE

Side Dishes
Natalie's Beans - DONE
Mac and Cheese
Hashbrown Casserole
Mashed Potatoes
Baked Potato Casserole - DONE
Broccoli Casserole
Lima Beans - DONE

Meal Starters
Northern Beans (for soups) - DONE
Pizza Dough (scroll to bottom of post for crust recipe)
Easy Crockpot Red Sauce - DONE
Chopped Onions - DONE

Snacks
Chocolate Chip Cookies
Kentucky Sugar Cookies (second recipe in post)
Cowgirl Cookies *
Chocolate Almond Biscotti
Zucchini Whoopie Pies *
Chex Mix
Chocolate Sauce
Ranch Dressing Mix - DONE
Hummus

Breakfast
Breakfast Burritos
Oatmeal Breakfast Bars
Pancakes - DONE
Apple Granola
Muffins
   Blueberry Orange
   Pineapple *
   Zucchini

* New to us recipes
Here's what the next few days look like -
Day One - Inventory Freezer, select recipes, create master ingredient list, inventory pantry, create grocery lists. - DONE
Day Two - Shop - I NEVER shop and cook in the same day. I usually end up at 4 different stores (Costco, Restaurant Depot, Publix and Walmart) and that makes for a very tiring day. I usually prep the onions, garlic, etc, but I don't assemble anything. - DONE
Day Three - Beef Recipes - these are the most complicated, time consuming recipes, so I do them when I am still fresh and excited about this endeavor...
Day Four - Chicken and Pork Recipes
Day Five - Side Dishes and Breakfast
Day Six - Baking Day and any breakfast items that don't get done the day before - these are the things we can live without. If I really run out of steam, I can come back later and make these items.

*** I will use my crockpot daily - for example on Beef Day, I will make Natalie's Beans as they cook a long time and require no attention after I put them in the crockpot, I will do the northern beans another day, the Crockpot Red Sauce another, etc. This is an attempt to make the best use of my time on cooking days.

In between all of this I will also be doing my summer canning and freezing, but that is a topic for another post....

Fourth of July Decor

2011-07-05T06:42:00.000-07:00

Each year I add to our 4th of July porch decor. This year I made pennant banners and a flag painting. I have wanted to make pennant banners for a long time and after finding a GREAT tutorial at Your Homebased Mom, I made 6 in just one afternoon. Leigh Anne created VERY easy to follow directions and I love the results. I used more fabrics than Leigh Anne did, simply because I had 1/4 yds of a variety of 4th of July fabrics left from another project. You know, use what you've got and all that!

My second project was a flag painting using my kids hand and feet prints. They had a great time making this wonderful keepsake. I lifted this idea too, from Beth at Sewing for Sanity. I used a 22 x 28 artist canvas for 2 reasons -- first, I had a pretty large space to full and secondly, my son's feet are pretty big!

Here are my two artists, usually my son, at 12, is reluctant to participate in my crafting endeavors, but he even let my daughter paint his feet for the project.

And finally, a view of our completed porch for the festivities.

Linked to It's A Blog Party
Tatertots and Jello
Itsy Bitsy Paper
Home Stories A 2 Z
Skip to My Lou

Mozzarella Stuffed Sausage Balls or Boo Boo Cooks Her First Meal, Start to Finish!

2011-07-02T19:09:00.000-07:00

My daughter loves to watch Food Network. We were watching 30-Minute Meals yesterday and the recipes Rachael Ray was making looked delicious. Boo Boo asked to make the entire meal for dinner. We made Mozzarella Stuffed Sausage Balls with Tomato- Basil Sauce, Cacio e Pepe Potatoes and Roast Broccolini. We made 2 changes - subbing italian sausage and ground pork for the chicken sausage and asparagus for the broccolini and we actually completed the meal in 30 minutes.

Boo Boo did 80% of the work for the entire meal. She was so proud of herself, she called her Nanny to invite her to dinner and she even talked her brother in to cutting some hydrangeas from the garden to decorate the table. It was delicious and we are putting the entire menu into our Family Favorites file.

Tossing the asparagus with olive oil, salt and pepper.

Mashing potatoes with chicken broth, milk, Parmesan cheese and black pepper.

Adding pesto to the crushed tomatoes.

All ready to eat!

Back Porch Update Plans

2011-07-01T14:41:00.000-07:00

I think I've said it before, but it bears repeating again, I LOVE my back porch. It is my favorite "room" in my house. Five years ago we covered our 14 x 36 concrete slab porch and created a space we use from March until December.

As much as we love it, the porch is in need of a little update. Here's what's in store for the porch over the next couple of weeks -

New Porch Cushions (already got these on sale!)
Spray Paint and Decorate Baker's Rack I inherited from a moving neighbor

Paint concrete floor (not sure this will happen this summer, but hoping....)
Make and hang drop cloth curtains on one section (stealing this idea)
Make new pillows to match new cushions (using this fabric)
Stain and seal bar stools and porch swing
Remove punching bag and extra wood from another project

Clean out bar area
Re-do 2 flower beds surrounding east side of porch (one will be an herb garden/cutting flower area)

If I work really hard, I might have most of it done by the July 4th!

So Fun To Be Back!

2011-06-27T12:39:00.000-07:00

I have spent the last 27 days basically internetless. Travel for work and pleasure kept me away from all but the most necessary internet usage, mainly checking school email. Withdrawl set in early and I really missed my blogs and all the inspiration the internet has to offer. I spent the past 2 mornings sitting on my back porch, coffee and laptop in hand, catching up. Below are some of the wonderful recipes I discovered in just a few hours. Can't wait to see what I find over the next few days on my book and craft blogs.

Candied Jalapenos
Zucchini Jam
Pickle Pot
Beer Braised Chicken
Cuban Chicken Salad
Dill Pickle Relish
Whole Chicken in Cast Iron Dutch Oven
Lemon Bars
Bacon and Zucchini Quiche
Zucchini Flutes Piped with Basil Ricotta Mousse
No Bake Chewy Granola Bars (like Quaker)

Meal Plan Monday - Week of June 26

2011-06-27T10:04:00.000-07:00

It has been a LONG time since I put together a meal plan. The end of the school year always is crazy and then I have been out of town for a LONG time. Since May 31st I have been in Lexington, KY, Cincinnatti, OH, Washington, DC and North Myrtle Beach, SC. I have slept in my own bed only 5 nights in the past 27 days. I am SOOOOO glad to finally be home! My family is glad too as they can depend on a regular at home meal and not a quick run through the drive-thru or whatever Nanny is cooking. There's not much in the freezer, refrigerator or pantry, but let's see what I can come up with!

Sunday - Grilled Hamburgers, Baked Beans, Potato Salad, Garden Salad, Tomato -Cucumber Salad
Monday - Chef Salad with Bottle O'Beer Grilled Chicken
Tuesday - Grilled Sausages with leftover Baked Beans and Potato Salad
Wednesday - Chicken Divan, Cucumber Salad, Sliced Garden Tomatoes
Thursday - Ham and Cheese Bowtie Pasta with Peas
Friday -Chicken Taco Casserole with Cuban Salad (minus the chicken)
Saturday - Leftover Buffet

Baking - Zucchini Muffins or Whoopie Pies, Lemon Squares
Canning - Mock Apricot Preserves, Quick Grape Jelly, Strawberry Preserves, Strawberry-Jalapeno Jam, Miz Helen's Pickle Pot, Pesto (substituting sunflower seeds for the pine nuts)

Check out I'm An Organized Junkie for more menu plans and recipes.

Counterfeit Kit - June

2011-06-11T08:40:00.000-07:00

I am REALLY late putting together my June Counterfeit Kit. I have been out of town most of the month and will be going several more places before the month is out, so, I'm not sure I will even have time to scrap with my kit, but I had to put one together nonetheless.

This month's Counterfeit Kit is inspired by Burlap and Buttercup's kit. You can see the inspiration kit here. I liked the variety of the kit, but colors were a bit pale for my tastes. I didn't have any of the papers featured, but since many of the papers were from Basic Grey, I pulled my OLD Basic Grey papers from my stash and used that as my inspiration. Here is my take on the kit -

Paper Lines -
Basic Grey - Color Me Silly, Romani, Oh Baby! Girl, Gypsy
Fontwerks
Making Memories Water Color Collection
Bo Bunny
Paper Adventures
Scenic Route
DCWV
Bazzil Flower Cardstock
9 different colors cardstock - white, pale pink, magenta, red patterned, gold, slate blue, lime green, turquoise, terra cotta
9 different scraps from my scrap pile

Embellishments -
fontwerks journaling stamp
Image Tree flower corner stamp
Chipboard - 2 large flowers, one tag, 2 brackets, 3 tiny butterflies
Bazzil envelope
assorted butterflies made with my Cricut
K&Co dimensional stickers
Hambly Studio clear journaling stickers
Pink Martini floral rub ons
lime green mini pom pom garland
mulit colored floral trim
orange and white stripe ribbon
Perfect Pearls Mist - Interference red
assorted color brads

Letter Stickers -
Scenic Route Cardstock Letters - Red
Art Warehouse Graffiti Epoxy Letters - Multi
K&Co. Hopscotch Alphabet - Blue

Check out all the great kits at Counterfeit Kit Challenge.

Meal Plan Monday Week of May 23

2011-05-22T05:57:00.000-07:00

Last week's menu got changed around a bit due to a few plan changes and one family request, but we didn't end up eating out at all. You will see a few repeats from last week due to these changes. We did like the Beef Kabobs and will be having those again this summer. The marinade was very flavorful and made the beef very tender. This week is the last week of school for us, so things get a bit dicey toward the end of the week as I am the Senior Class Sponsor at our school and in charge of all graduation festivities. Our goal is still to eat at home as much as possible. I will be depending on some TNT recipes and my freezer and pantry to get us through this week.

Sunday - Spinach Ravioli Lasagna, Salad and Garlic Bread (carried over again!)
Monday - Lemon-Mushroom Herb Chicken, Rice and Asparagus
Tuesday - Meatball Subs, Chips and Fruit
Wednesday - Senior Class Concert - catered dinner
Thursday - Chicken Pot Pie and Fruit
Friday - Attending a Graduation Party
Saturday - The Official "Summer is Finally Here" Party at our house - every one brings something to share. I am making Benedictine Dip and ...

For more great menu ideas visit I'm An Organized Junkie.

Strawberry and Spinach Salad

2011-05-16T14:50:00.000-07:00

When you have a bowl of beautiful strawberries like this, what do you do?

Make a delicious salad of course!

Strawberry and Spinach Salad

Salad -

1/2 c sliced almonds

1/4 c sugar

1 head iceberg lettuce, chopped

1 bag fresh spinach

1 c sliced strawberries

1/4 c feta cheese

Place almonds and sugar in a small saucepan. Heat over medium heat. Stir contantly until sugar is melted and almonds are coated. Spread onto parchment paper to cool. Set aside.

Toss lettuce and spinach in a large salad bowl. Top with strawberries and feta cheese. Break up cooled almonds and top salad. Chill until ready to serve.

Toss salad with dressing when ready to serve.

Dressing -

1/2 c red wine vinegar
1/3 c sugar
1/2 t salt
1 t dry mustard
1 c vegetable oil

Place all ingredients in a small jar. Shake until mixed well. Toss with salad just before serving.

Linked to Beauty and Bedlam
It's A Blog Party
Ingredient Spotlight

Scrapbook Pages from April Counterfeit Kit

2011-05-15T07:07:00.000-07:00

I finally got some time to sit down and really scrapbook this week. It was really nice to have some uninterrupted creative time. If you are a scrapper and haven't discovered the Counterfeit Kit Blog, you really should check it out. The great ladies over there choose a current kit from a monthly scrapbook kit club to counterfeit using your own stash. And they don't stop there, throughout the month they post tutorials on how to make some of the featured embellishments and they post challenges to get you to use your kit. As someone with a huge scrapbook stash, this is just what I need. It has really rejuvenated my scrapbooking. So if you need some creative inspiration, stop by!

Here are some layouts I created with my April Counterfeit Kit.

This is Boo-Boo helping out in the garden last year. She loves to get her hands in the dirt and see things grow!

This is our Easter Egg Hunt this year. I used this sketch from Sketch Support.

Linked to Sundae Scoop
Made by You Monday
It's A Blog Party
Somewhat Simple
Delightful Order
Fireflies and Jelly Beans
Tatertots and Jello

Love Being In My Southern Kitchen

French Dip Sandwiches

Cajun Spiced Nuts

Cheddar Cheese Ring with Pepper Jelly

Pinterest and a Pantry Challenge

Meal Plan Monday - January 23rd

Chicken, Corn and Potato Chowder

Freezer Cooking from the Pantry and Freezer

Meal Plan Monday - January 16

Pennant Bunting

Meal Plan Monday - Jan. 9

Counterfeit Kit - January 2012

How I Make a Pantry Challenge Work For Me

Meal Plan Monday - January 2

Pantry Challenge 2012

2012 Kitchen Goals

Top 5 Posts of 2011

Meal Plan Monday - December 26th

2011 Kitchen Goals Recap

Meal Plan Monday - December 19th

Holiday Baking Week - Truffles

Honey Mustard Bacon Chicken Sandwiches

Holiday Baking Week - Cinnamon Rolls

Pumpkin Granola

Holiday Baking Week - Reese'e Cup Cookies

Christmas Kitchen Gifts

Holiday Baking Week - Orange Cranberry Biscotti

Meal Plan Monday - December 12

Homemade Vanilla Extract

Bean with Bacon Soup

Ribbon Scarf

Meal Plan Monday - December 5th

Chicken Divan

Apricot Pecan Bread

Meal Plan Monday - November 27

The BEST Cupcakes Ever

Meal Plan Monday- October 31st

Marinated Cheese and Olives

Meal Plan Monday - October 24

Meal Plan Monday - October 17

Pizza Pasta Casserole

Meal Plan Monday - October 10

Time Out Cowl

Pumpkin Apple Muffins

Meal Plan Monday - October 3rd.

Meal Plan Monday - September 25th

Meal Plan Monday - September 19

Crochet Along

Meal Plan Monday - September 12

September Counterfeit Kit

Roasted Tomato/Vegetable Sauce

Meal Plan Monday - Sept. 5

Eliminating Empty Calorie Snacks

Meal Plan Monday - August 22nd

Peppers, Peppers and Peppers

All-American Frittata

What's For Lunch

Meal Plan Monday (on Friday) - August 15th

Meal Plan Monday - August 8th

Meal Plan Mondy - August 1st

Meal Plan Monday - July 25th

Porch Make Over Reveal

Meal Plan Monday - July 18th

July Counterfeit Challenge

Meal Plan Monday - July 9th

My Favorite Canning Resources

Summer Freezer Cooking

Fourth of July Decor

Mozzarella Stuffed Sausage Balls or Boo Boo Cooks Her First Meal, Start to Finish!

Back Porch Update Plans

So Fun To Be Back!

Meal Plan Monday - Week of June 26

Counterfeit Kit - June

Meal Plan Monday Week of May 23

Strawberry and Spinach Salad

Scrapbook Pages from April Counterfeit Kit