THANKFUL 2014

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!!

This year I have so much to be thankful for and I mean to soak up every second of my blessings and remember to give thanks not just today but every single day. The Lord has been good to me and my family and I am so grateful. My thankfulness does not come from the materialistic items I am surrounded with , or big houses, or nice cars.  For me, it comes from a year of struggle. This past year was challenging for me as I learned to adjust to the many new aspects of life and the trials that come with it. During my time in the valley I have become so much stronger and learned to completely lean on God. Where there was once worry, now there is prayer..my anxieties have been lifted and I am replaced with a true peace that is only given from Him. I will be weak at times in this life but now have the knowledge and ability to trust God and lean on him in times of need. My biggest blessings are coming because God has answered our prayers :) I am SO thankful!!!

Holiday Breakfast Casserole

Good Morning!!!

I am a little late on posting this for Thanksgiving but you could totally make this casserole for Christmas morning or even New years.. or really any time you have a bunch of people gathered together for breakfast :) I started making this casserole 4 years ago and ever since my family has requested it for every single holiday!! Enjoy!

Shopping List:

10-12 eggs

four stalks of green onions chopped

1/2 pound sliced mushrooms

one 16 oz container of cottage cheese

two cans of diced green chillies

1 lb shredded monterrey jack cheese

1 cup of flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 tsp of salt

1/3 cup of melted butter 

one roll of pork sausage 

Procedure:

Begin by browning your pork sausage in a pan over medium

once browned remove and set aside in a separate bowl.

To the pork drippings add a few slices of butter and your chopped green onions and mushrooms

cook until soft.

Add your eggs in a large bowl and whisk well.

Add the green chillies, cottage cheese, and cooked pork sausage mix in well.

Last add the cooked mushrooms, green onions and finally the bag of cheese. Mix until all the ingredients are combined. Place aluminum foil over the bowl and refrigerate overnight.

Next Morning

In a small bowl sift together the one cup flour, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, and melted butter.. mix and then pour into the egg mixture. 

pour entire mixture into a casserole dish and bake at 350 for 45-50 minutes. 

Happy Holidays!

Hot Chocolate & Peppermint Cupcakes

Hot Chocolate Peppermint Cupcakes

** Courtesy of Shay Shull from Mix and Match mama

Holy Christmas these are good. 

Yes I know it is not Thanksgiving yet but I have promptly begun to bake my holiday recipes just so I can get a head start. I am all about that head start this year AKA ( all Christmas shopping is done and wrapped!) Usually each christmas I start my Cookie Baking the weekend after Thanksgiving and then pile all my yummy cookies into Christmas tins for various friends, neighbors, and co-workers. This is one of my favorite parts of the season! I tend to start baking "new" recipes and trying them out on my teacher friends- they always tell the truth! I think these are going to be a big hit though :)

Ingredients

one box chocolate cake mix

one package or two small packages of hot chocolate mix

1/2 cup veggie oil

1 cup water

4 eggs

8 oz pkg cream cheese ( softened)

crushed peppermints

3 cups powdered sugar

peppermint extract

red food coloring

Procedure

preheat oven to 350

mix together the cake mix, oil, water, eggs and hot chocolate and beat with electric mixer.

Then pour into a greased cupcake pan and bake for 18 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

While cupcakes are baking; mix together the three cups P.S, cream cheese, peppermint extract ) a drop or two) and the red food coloring ( a drop or three) mix until creamy. Refrigerate until cupcakes are ready. Allow cupcakes to cool five minutes once timer goes off and then frost the cooled cupcakes!! Garnish with the crushed peppermints. 

See so easy!!!! These would be a very cute teacher gift, neighbor gift, or just to eat on  your own!!

Thanksgiving Menu Ideas

Thanksgiving Menu

I have been preparing for our yummy Thanksgiving feast for over three weeks. Usually mama, my nana, and me do all of the Thanksgiving sides, pies, and apps while my dad smokes the Turkey. We compile a list of ideas and then share with each other. I am usually in charge of the sweet potatoes, one dessert, and the breakfast. Here are a few yummy ideas that are great to bring to a Thanksgiving Diner!!!!

Whipped Brown Butter Bourbon Bacon Sweet Potatos

..Whew! That is a mouthful!!! Promise its very good:)

Ingredients:

4 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks
4 slices thick-cut bacon, chopped
15 to 20 sage leaves
1/2 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/3 cup milk
4 tablespoons brown butter
2 tablespoons bourbon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

directions:

Add the potato chunks to a large pot and cover with cold water. Bring the potatoes to a boil and cook until they are fork tender, about 20 to 30 minutes. While the potatoes are boiling, heat a large skillet over medium-low heat and add the chopped bacon. You have 2 options here: you can cook the bacon until it is totally crispy or you can cook it about 3/4 of the way, so the fat has rendered, and then pop the dish in the oven and let the bacon finish crisping up there. Either way, you want all of the fat to be cooked out.

Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and place it on a paper towel to drain. Remove about 1 tablespoon of bacon fat from the skillet and set it aside in a bowl. To the same skillet, add the butter and heat it over medium heat. Add the sage leaves and cook until they are crispy, about 1 to 2 minutes per side. Remove them with a slotted spoon and place on a paper towel to drain.

At this point, the potatoes are most likely finished, so drain the thoroughly and add them back to the pot. Mash them with a fork or potato masher, then use a whisk or electric hand mixer to whip them. Once whipped, add in the reserved bacon fat, the milk, the bourbon and the brown butter. Whip the potatoes again until everything is combined. Taste the potatoes and add the salt and pepper, seasoning more or less if desired.

If serving the potatoes immediately, spread them in a dish and top them with the crispy bacon. Crumble the sage on top. If you're waiting a bit to serve them, heat the oven to 325 degrees F and top the potatoes with the bacon. Bake them for 25 to 30 minutes, then remove them from the oven and crumble the sage over top.

** I make this recipe every year at Thanksgiving it is a HUGE hit.

Gorilla Bread

This recipe is such a crowd pleaser. The ooey gooey sticky bread melts in your mouth and tastes excellent with a cup of hot coffee! An easy and quick simple breakfast that will feed lots of hungry people!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup sugar

1 T cinnamon

1 c butter

2 c brown sugar

2 (12 oz tubes) refrigerated biscuits

8 oz pkg. cream cheese cut into 20 cubes

1 1/2 cup walnuts, coarsley chopped and divided

Mix sugar and cinnamon; set aside. Melt butter and brown sugar in a saucepan over low heat, stirring well; set aside. Flatten biscuits; sprinkle each with 1/2 teaspoon sugar mixture. Place cheese cube in the center of each biscuit, wrapping and sealing dough around cheese. Set aside. Spray a 12 cup bundt pan with non stick veggie spray and sprinkle 1/2 cup nuts in the bottom of pan. Arrange half the biscuits in the pan. Sprinkle with half the sugar mixture; pour half the butter mixture over top and sprinkle with 1/2 cup nuts. Repeat layers with remaining biscuits, sugar mixture, butter mixture and nuts. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Let cool 5. Place on a plate on top and invert.

Spicy Sweet Pumpkin Pie Dip

2 8 oz pkg cream cheese softened

4 c powdered sugar

15 oz can pumpkin

2 t cinnamon

1 t ground ginger

gingersnaps

Mix together cream cheese and powdered sugar in a large bowl until well blended. Add remaining ingredients except cookies; mix well. Cover and refrigerate. Serve with gingersnaps. 

**Taken from my Autumn Harvest Gooseberry Patch Cook Book

These are just a few of my favorite dishes, I could list so many but that would take years to read :) I will be posting many more Fall and upcoming Holiday dishes, sides, and treats!!!!

Chicken Soup

Mhmmm...ANOTHER soup recipe. Another Easy soup recipe that is. It is 38 degrees here...all I want is SOUP!  So basically this is just your basic chicken soup recipe except I jazz it up with a few extra veggies. 

and spices :)

Shopping List:

three chicken breasts or one whole rotisserie chicken

three stalks of celery chopped

three carrots chopped

two sweet potatoes peeled and chunked

one cup of corn

one small yellow onion chopped

one carton of low sodium chicken broth

one cup water

cuman,chili,salt,pepper

cilantro

avocado
** Crockpot 

monterrey jack cheese (shredded)

Procedure:

Before you go to work add your three chicken breasts in a crock pot with half a container of chicken broth. Turn on low and let sit for 6 hours.

When six hours is done ( this is usually when I come back from work)
shred the chicken with a fork then,
Add the first seven ingredients and stir.
add generous amounts of salt, pepper, cumin, and a little bit of chili pepper.
chop up some cilantro and stir that around in there as well.
let sit for 3 hours.
garnish with avocado and sprinkle some monterrey jack cheese on top! yummy!

The easiest gumbo you will ever make

 It is FIFTY degrees in San Antonio people!! I thought it would never happen...just last week we had roaring temperatures of 85 degrees and now our cool front has come to stay:) I am a happy girl. However when it is cold outside I do not like to be foraging around the kitchen after a long day of chasing after kids. Crock pot, soups, and stews are always what I want to eat for dinner and it just so happens that many times they cook themselves!! This gumbo is seriously the easiest recipe I have ever made. Thanks to my best friend Elein we had the worlds easiest and best gumbo last night and I am going to share it with you:)

Shopping List:

one jar of this: ( this is my favorite brand of gumbo roux, there are many others but this one is quick and has lots of the yummy seafood flavoring and veggies already packed inside)

one can of chicken broth

one rotisserie chicken shredded

one lb of shrimp deveined and tails off

two cups of brown rice cooked

THATS IT. I know.. so easy

Procedure:

Start by dumping the roux in a big pot over medium

add the chicken broth and let simmer until hot.

In the meantime cook up your rice!

dump the shredded chicken in the pot

Once your rice is fully cooked then you can add the shrimp (remember shrimp only takes about 3-5 minutes to cook so it needs to be the last ingredient!)

add your shrimp (** note I like to cut my shrimpys into thirds so they are more like chunks instead of a whole shrimp but its up to you)

add whatever seasonings you think it might need ( i add a little salt and pepper and hot sauce)

Once the shrimp are cooked, serve over rice and enjoy!!! Garnish with crackers, crusty bread, hot and lots of FRANKS hot sauce :) Mmmmmmm yummy!!!!

Apple Pie Dumplings

With Thanksgiving right around the corner and tons of holiday get togethers I have been baking... ALOT. I was introduced to this recipe by a neighbor who brought them over one night when I was serving dinner.  I cannot begin to describe to you how simple this recipe is yet it is bursting with flavor. These are like mini apple pies ..so moist and SOOO good. I am making these for Thanksgiving 100 %!!!!! 

Shopping List:

one apple of choice cut into eighths 

one can of crescent rolls

one small can of mountain dew

cinnamon

3/4 cup of sugar

one stick of butter

vanilla 

Procedure:

start by cutting your apple and rolling them into the crescent dough and place them in a baking dish

melt one stick of butter in a sauce pan and add one teaspoon of vanilla and the sugar

pour the melted mixture over your apple dumplings

along the sides of the baking pan pour 3/4 cup of mountain dew 

top with cinnamon

and bake for 40-45 minutes at 350.

Y'all I have to just say again.. this recipe was TO DIE FOR. I may of may not have chowed almost the entire batch :/ 

Girls your husbands with love it. 

Make it.

Your welcome :)

November Bucket List

1. Read another novel 

( I read two last month..I need to read more!)

2. Start Christmas shopping and wrapping presents

3. Go on more evening walks after dinner

4. Create a new dish with something I would possibly never try ( I am thinking lamb)

5. Bake for my teacher workroom once a week

6. Try and workout 3 times a week

7. Take family Christmas pictures

8. Order christmas cards and compile addresses

9. sit by the fire pit at the ranch with my husband and enjoy the cold.

10. stop buying so many clothes.

THAT SHOULD DO IT :)

Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

So I know cabbage smells awful when it is cooking...I know many of you are probably disgusted at the thought of cooking cabbage and having your house smell like a gross cabbage patch! However...I lit a pumpkin spice candle and it was all good. These are so good!!! I made them for Brandon..then he took leftovers to his work and shared with his friends and I had TWO wives call me and ask for my recipe. Ya'll know somethin' is yummy when the boys ask their wives to call up gf.  

Shopping list:

one large head of cabbage

ground meat (turkey or beef)

one onion

one cup bread crumbs

cayenne,slt/pep,garlic powder, 

one egg

one jar of tomato basil sauce

Procedure:

Cut the core ( Yeah I know you are wondering " What the hell is core a cabbage?"-Just google it and watch a video that is what I did) from the head of cabbage and wash well. Fill a large saucepan or pot (I use a 4 quart saucepot) with about 2 inches of water. Bring the water to a boil over medium heat. Add ½ teaspoon salt and the head of cabbage, core side down. Cover and cook for approximately 10 minutes or until the outer cabbage leaves are tender and flexible but not mushy. 

Carefully remove the head of cabbage from the pot. Run under cold water until it can comfortably be handled. Gently separate the leaves. If you get to the point where the leaves are still crisp return the remaining portion to the boiling water to cook a little longer. Repeat until you have enough cooked leaves for the number of cabbage rolls you want to make (12 -16 large leaves). Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the ground beef, bread crumbs, onion, egg, garlic powder, black pepper and salt. Mix thoroughly. (I reach in and use clean hands to squish the mixture together.)


Prepare a baking dish by spraying it with nonstick cooking spray. (I use a 7 x 11 inch rectangular baking dish but this does not usually hold all of the rolls. Any baking dish can be used but cooking time may vary depending on how the rolls are arranged.) Cover the bottom of the dish with half of the tomato soup or tomato sauce mixture. Set the rest of the soup or sauce aside for the topping.

Place cabbage leaves on a cutting board one by one and, with a sharp knife, trim much of the thickness from the central ridge of the cabbage leaf starting at the core end and cutting toward the outer edge. This will flatten the ridge making it flush with the leaf and easier to roll. 

Place ¼ cup of the meat mixture near the lower core edge of the cabbage leaf. Fold the lower edge up over the meat mixture. Then fold in each side of the leaf toward the middle. Roll the leaf tucking in the sides as you go. Squeeze the rolled cabbage leaf in your fist to shape the bundle and place it seam side down in a rectangular baking dish. Repeat until all of the meat mixture has been used.
Cover the cabbage rolls with the remaining tomato soup or sauce. Scatter thyme leaves over all. Cover the pan with a lid or aluminum foil.

Bake at 350 degrees, covered, for 30 minutes. Uncover. Bake another 15 minutes or until ground beef is done through.

Serve and enjoy!