uesday's Menu

Alright, time for this week's menu idea #2. 

As I've mentioned before, I enjoy Chinese food, but it's rare that I actually eat it because it makes me feel kinda gross afterwards. I always end up way too full. Chinese take-out is no bueno for my tummy.

That's why I especially love this recipe because it has all the great taste of take-out, but is much healthier and lighter. (Kind of the same principle as the Beef and Broccoli that I posted about here). And if you love Chinese food like me, you know the classic go-to menu item is sweet and sour chicken. The trick with this recipe for Sweet and Sour Chicken is that it's baked...smart! And I promise you will never know the difference. It may be a touch less crispy, but the flavor and texture is right on point. This was one of my favorite things I've made so far. It does require a little prep work, so it may be better for a weekend meal, but it's definitely worth the effort.

For the side item, I made this Stir-Fry Broccoli which was dang awesome. I've already made the broccoli again with another meal. It will easily become a go-to side dish. If you want to go the more traditional route, you can also try this Fried Rice recipe as a side--minus the chicken. I actually made the chicken fried rice for dinner one night and it was delish as well, although I forgot to take pictures. If you need some Asian flair in your menu, these are three items that won't disappoint!

eed Menu Ideas? Look No Further!

Well, well. No excuses this time for my absence. Time to get back on track.

Since I haven't posted in a while, I figured I could post one new recipe each night this week in the hopes of helping you plan out your menus soon. I know I certainly get stuck in that place of, "What the heck am I going to cook this week?" or "I'm tired of the same ol' stuff". Maybe these will spark your interest (and your tastebuds!) and help in the dreaded task of figuring out your weekly menu.

Meal #1: Chicken Taco Chili
If you're craving one last hearty meal while the weather is still chilly, you'll love this..ahem..chili! It's lighter than a beef chili which makes it good past the winter months and has a unique flavor with the addition of the taco seasoning. Even the cilantro on top gives it a little something different. This one got very high marks...hopefully your family agrees!

y Favorite Time of Year!

Man, the past couple months have flown by! I love, love, love this time of year. As soon as Fall hits, I know a lot of good stuff is on its way. I also love the yummy food and flavors that come along...pumpkin, cinnamon, peppermint, and of course good home cookin'! Here are a few fun recipes I've found on Pinterest that have contributed to all the great festivities in the last couples months. I hope you find these helpful for all of your parties and get-togethers coming up soon! 

Homecoming Week
One of the great things about working on a college campus is getting to partake in all the fun Homecoming activities. There is so much going on during that week and you can't help but enjoy it! Our office decided to do a homecoming potluck for lunch and we all brought in tailgating foods. I brought this yummy Beer Dip and these oh-so-delicious Brownie Cookies. Both turned out awesome...my favorite was the cookies. They are soooo yummy! Mine didn't come out quite as thick as they look on the website, but who cares how they look when they taste so good! The beer dip was good too and Michael was happy to finish off the leftovers that came back home. He was a big fan :) I definitely agree that it works best with pretzels.

                                 

Here is our awesome Conference Planning & Operations team at the parade! 

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is definitely one of my favorite days of the whole year. I love the traditions that come along with it: waking up and watching the parade, being in the kitchen with my mom, and spending the day with family. We always eat too much and inevitably a few fall asleep while watching the football game, while others are outside with all the kids playing in the yard. It is truly a day to be thankful for all we have been blessed with. Of course the food always steals the show. When you grow up in a Southern family, there are enough casseroles, desserts, and "fixins" to feed a small army! I knew it was a little risky trying two new recipes for the big day, but I thought I would make something new since I usually tend to bring the same things over and over. This year I tried a recipe for Cream Cheese Corn, as well as a Pumpkin Coffee Cake. The corn was tasty...the kids especially liked it...but it could've used a little more flavor. I ended up adding a little garlic since I thought it was a tad bland and that helped a lot. It was a good compliment to the other food and I did get good remarks on it. The big winner, though, was the coffee cake. If you get a chance to make this over the holidays, please do! It was seriously delish. There wasn't a crumb left at the end of the day! It has a brown sugar glaze on the top that seeps into the cake and makes it so soft. This would also be great in the mornings with a good cup of coffee. I'd vote this one one of my favorites so far...will definitely make it again soon!













Here are a few more pictures of some great times over the Thanksgiving break. I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday!

Michael tries his first piece of pecan pie...you're Southern now! 

Clemson game! 

Enjoying Disney on Ice with sweet Ellie bug!

rockpot Wonders

I am officially in love with my crockpot. I have been for some time, but I figured that I should make a formal announcement. I do wonder if this makes my cooking efforts a little less impressive, but ultimately who cares. Everything I've made in the crockpot comes out delicious. It still amazes me every time how perfectly it cooks food. Plus, it's so convenient to add the ingredients in the morning and come home after work to a wonderful meal. If you're not using yours very often, or...gasp!...don't own one, I strongly recommend showing it some love and letting it work it's magic for you.

Just in case you need further encouragement, I HAVE to share this genius, amazing, life-changing product I stumbled upon in the grocery store a couple weeks ago. Reynolds makes crockpot liners! Check them out here:  http://www.reynoldskitchens.com/product.asp?prod_id=3200. You put the liner in, add your food, and let it cook. Afterwards, you just throw the liner away and voila! There's nothing to clean! Whoever came up with that idea deserves a big high five.

Ok, enough commercial breaks...onto the good stuff. My first Pinterest recipe is a simple Crockpot Ravioli. It doesn't get any easier than this. Only 3 ingredients are between you and a yummy Italian dish. This is a great meal for busy days or Winter nights when you are craving something warm and hearty. Even cooking-challenged boyfriends/husbands can be put in charge of this one (not that I speak from experience). You can also play with different types of ravioli. We tried spinach this time, but I'd also like to try this with a beef ravioli. And bonus, this heats up really well for leftovers.

My next crockpot adventure turned out to be one of my overall favorites so far. I do love Chinese food, but we rarely go to Chinese restaurants. I usually feel icky after eating it because it's so heavy. This recipe is a great compromise: Chinese Beef and Broccoli. It's the great flavor of the classic Chinese dish, but much less filling. There's something very satisfying about creating a dish at home that is generally known as a take-out dish. I like the thought that it's going to be healthier and cheaper than it's counterpart. I have to say, this was really delicious. Michael and I both went pretty crazy for it. I used brown rice instead of white, but I'm sure either would be fine. We just happened to have brown in the pantry. Definitely consider adding this to your rotation if you're looking for a meal that's full of flavor. 

New Favorite

I've been sitting here trying to think of a good excuse for why I haven't blogged in 3 months. I haven't cooked in 3 months? Not true. I was on vacation for 3 months? Don't I wish. My computer died? Sadly yes, but that was only a few days ago. I think the simple answer is that I kept putting it on the back burner (a little cooking humor there) and never took the time to keep up with it. But here we are at the beginning of Fall and I am starting back up with documenting my adventures in the kitchen in hopes of giving you some new ideas, too.

Without further ado, are the best meals of the last few months, including one that jumped to the top of our favorites list. Just click on the titles to get the recipes.

5. Jalepeno Popper Chicken

I made this one because I knew this was right up Michael's alley. I've never tried to make chicken "stuffed" with anything before, and it's a little bit of a challenge. The act itself isn't hard, but it's a little tricky getting it to stay inside. The recipe suggested holding it together with toothpicks, which turned out to be helpful. Mine didn't hold together quite like it was supposed to, but the flavor was still good. The one thing I would definitely change for next time is the size of the chicken I used. The pieces were too big and the chicken-to-stuffing ratio was off. I recommend using small to medium chicken breasts. Michael was a bigger fan of this than I was, but it was still a tasty meal. 

4. Baked Spaghetti

I love spaghetti and I love a good casserole. Combining those is a brilliant idea. Enter the baked spaghetti casserole and you have a yummy dish on your hands. Spaghetti has always been one of my go-to, don't have anything else to make meals. This is just a good way to shake it up a little and put a twist on an old fave. I had a funny "duh" moment while making this one when I realized I'd left out the browned meat after mixing everything else together in the casserole dish. I had to just dump it on top--thus the different look mine has compared to the recipe page. If you like spaghetti, you'll enjoy this one.

3. Crockpot Cube Steak

This has been my ultimate Pinterest meal so far in that every part of the meal came from Pinterest recipes. The main course was the cube steak, which had cooked all day in the crockpot. You can imagine how tender this was by dinner time. It was hard to even get on the plate because it was falling apart...in a good way of course. It was really delicious. I also made Balsamic Honey Oven Roasted Carrots, which were awesome. If you like carrots, you'll love these that have a little extra flavor. However, as much as we liked the first two, the star of the show ended up being this Macaroni & Cheese. Holy moly, was it delicious. The only homemade mac and cheese I've ever attempted is my aunt's recipe that has always been my favorite. This one is baked in the oven as opposed to hers which is done in the crockpot. This version was ooey, gooey and a little crispy on top thanks to the panko crumbs. Seriously delish! If you like mac and cheese, this one is a must! One note: I didn't use all of these cheese it called for as it looked plenty cheesy to me only using about 2/3 the amount. You can alter it based on how much cheese you like.

2. Chicken Fajitas

Mmmm, Mexican food. One of my favorites. This recipe could easily become a regular: it's easy, super yummy, and makes for good leftovers. One of my favorite things about crockpot meals is how I come through the door after work and the whole house smells good from what's cooking. Just throw the chicken and veggies on some tortillas and you're all set. Grab a margarita and you have the perfect weekend meal!

1. Parmesan Honey Pork Roast

OK, people. If I can stress one thing to you, it's this: if you like pork, you HAVE to make this recipe. As soon as we tasted this, it shot to the top of our favorites list. This is seriously delicious stuff. Once again, the crockpot works its magic on this one, and my oh my, did we love it. I even got the comment, "This is restaurant quality!" The blend of spices on the meat smells so good, and after this has cooked for hours, the meat just soaks up all of the wonderful flavors. I actually didn't even make the gravy that the recipe calls for...I really don't think it needed it. I cooked two roasts and sliced the first and then shredded the second. We saved the shredded for leftovers and if it's possible, it was even better the next day. My friend that was visiting for the weekend had a bite and immediately asked for the recipe. If you are looking for a good meal this week, I promise this won't disappoint!!