Dinner Last Night

  Well, the life of an accountant's wife has struck again! Since Pat is having to work later than "normal" hours right now as is our friend, Stephen, I have decided to start experimenting with dinners and make Erin (Stephen's wife) be my guinea pig. Last night, I made focaccia bread with salad and baked ziti. We ate a really late dinner because we went to Zumba, but I am hoping the calories we consumed were burned off before in our class. You should definitely try both of these recipes!! I found this blog, Annie's Eats, through a pin on Pinterest and I am so delighted to have found it! I cannot wait to try some more of her recipes! Yummy!!

Baked Ziti

Focaccia Bread

Printables:
Focaccia Bread
Baked Ziti

New Fall Soup

  I've had this recipe for a while, but haven't ever tried it after I printed it out. With yesterday being so dreary and a little cooler, I was craving a good, hot soup. I made a wedge salad of sorts with some blue cheese, tomatoes over lettuce with Ranch dressing for me and Blue Cheese dressing for Pat.

  I used Rachael Ray's recipe for the soup and it was delicious! Reading through the recipe again though, I just realized that I completely forgot to add the mozzarella cheese on top of the chips! I did add a dollop of sour cream on the top to provide a little calm from the heat. Tonight, I'll have to remember the cheese. Patrick really enjoyed this soup as well, so it's a keeper!

Rachael Ray's Chicken Tortilla Soup

Meat and Potatoes

  When Patrick broke his wrist, his sweet parents sent us this extremely large box of assorted meats and more from Omaha Steaks. I mean, I had to completely rearrange our freezer when the box came because there was so much food!! I haven't ever really had anything from Omaha steaks before and y'all, this stuff is good! So, Tim and Diana, thank you, thank you, thank you!! I was able to make this recipe I found on Foodgawker (cut in half) with the hot dogs (pretty good, probably better because the hot dogs were huge!) and then I decided to make a dinner of meat and potatoes with the ribeye steaks.

  I made a salad with homemade Caesar dressing that I'm obsessed with and the homemade yeast rolls that I made when Kate and Allison came over to my house for dinner. I baked the asparagus in the oven at 400 degrees after tossing them in EVOO and Tony Chachere's for about 15-20 minutes. Delicious! I love mine extra crispy and burnt, so you might want to take them out sooner than I did.

  I marinated the steaks in some soy sauce, worcestershire sauce, pepper, and lemon juice for several hours as soon as I got home from work then made Pat grill them once he got home from work. As much as I love to cook, I have yet to tackle the grill; I just leave that to Patrick for now and handle everything else. 

 I make these twice baked potatoes all the time and they are super simple and incredibly tasty! I received this cookbook from one of my mom's friends at one of my wedding showers and the recipes are great and easy to make! Pick a copy up immediately; you won't be disappointed!!

Printables:

Caesar Dressing

Homemade Rolls

Twice Baked Potatoes

Labor Day Musings

We were supposed to go to the beach this weekend, but Tropical Storm Lee had other plans. Pat and my family didn't really want to drive down there just to hang out in the rain. Instead, last night we let the beach come to us! I made Kathryn's shrimp creole, fried some okra, and made some crusty bread to dip into the skrimpies. Delicious!! After eating wings on Friday night and pizza on Saturday night while watching football ALL DAY LONG, I figured we needed to have a little home cooked something.

Frying that okra!

First time frying okra Mama's way!

This trick never gets old--Pat was entertaining himself while I cooked

I was so proud of our meal that I had to FaceTime my fam in Jackson to show them what they were missing! I know, I'm terrible! For dessert since Pat has such a sweet tooth, we tried to make chocolate mousse. It was a little too grainy and bitter for me, but it has a good base so I will try it again soon. I'm thinking that I will have to add a little sugar and something else to get the flavor where I want it. I am excited to try it again and welcome any tips or advice from y'all!

Mmm, fried okra

I have to include all of these recipes because they were just so good!! (And I need your help on the mousse!)

Shrimp creole

Printables:
Artisan bread (I found this recipe on this amazing blog. Go here, you won't regret it--http://www.alexandracooks.com/2008/06/22/artisan-bread-in-five-minutes-a-day-seriously/)
Shrimp Creole
Fried Okra
Chocolate Mousse

Easy artisan bread

It finally started raining a little last night and has continued today. Even though we desperately need the rain, blegh is how it makes me feel! However, I enjoy how all three of us are nestled on the couch as we catch up on our shows from last week. I've got tons of recipes I have been meaning to share, but I just haven't made the time. Perhaps I can blame Pinterest or foodgawker for this? Alas, I will try to do better!

To finish out this weekend, we finally made it out of the house today (in the rain!) and picked up some canvases from Michael's for an upcoming project that will hopefully turn out well and we ran over to Total Wine and found some great bottles we had been wanting to try. Then we ran over to my neighbor's house (hi, Laura!) for an inside cookout and chowed down on some great food. I took over one of the Comeback dressings I made yesterday (yes, I couldn't decide which one I wanted to make, so I made both) and everyone liked it! Can't wait to share!

For Your Viewing Pleasure

  Today has been a very busy day. I mowed the yard (harder than you think, I thought it would be a great idea to buy a bladed push mower) and raked up all the clippings. Then I decided that I would weed some of the beds and picked up some of the leaves on the driveway. Pat and I then grabbed some lunch at Subway (eat fresh!) and ran to T.J. Maxx to try to find a white jean skirt or white skinny jeans (didn't happen) and Bed, Bath, and Beyond for a shower gift. 

  After our little trips, we ran to the store to pick up a few items and then finally came back home. I searched on Pinterest (newest obsession) while Pat watched True Grit. I made some chocolate chip cookies for work tomorrow and also started to make a recipe I found on Pinterest for Olive Garden bread. Yum! I'll post the recipe tomorrow. Since I cut the grass so nicely, I just had to take the roo out to do a little agility. Check it out!!

Hot Sausage Frittata

  For brunch (a late one) this morning, I made this hot sausage frittata for Patrick. Poor thing, we ran to Kroger to pick up some eggs and OJ, then stopped by the farmer's market happening behind some restaurants in the 'Haven, and once we got home, he passed out! I guess the pain pills work best during the day? I had some red bell peppers leftover from the crab stuffed mushrooms last night and had picked up a green bell pepper yesterday as well that I wanted to throw together in this recipe. This recipe was so easy and made for a very hearty breakfast and the husband approved!

Hot Sausage Frittata


Ingredients:
Sausage (I used Jimmy Dean's hot sausage)
Red bell pepper, chopped
Green bell pepper, chopped
6 Eggs
Shredded sharp cheddar cheese
Salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Brown the sausage in a cast iron skillet and drain off grease. Add in chopped green and red bell peppers and cook for 2-3 minutes. Whisk together the eggs and add salt and pepper. Also, add in some cheddar cheese to egg mixture. Take skillet off the heat and pour egg mix over the meat and peppers. Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes until the eggs are fully cooked. With about 2 minutes left to go, I sprinkled a little more cheese over the top. Enjoy!

Crab Stuffed Mushrooms with Horseradish Dipping Sauce

  Yesterday, while waiting for Patrick to get out of surgery, I discovered Pinterest. How have I not found this little gem of a website before now? I have no idea, but I am now obsessed!! I have already discovered new recipes I have pinned so I can try them. I decided I would make crab stuffed mushrooms tonight for dinner. I have copied the recipes for the mushrooms and for the horseradish sauce below from  this blog: http://neo-homesteading.blogspot.com/2010/10/crab-stuffed-mushrooms-with-horseradish.html
  I was impressed with how easy these were to make (I've always been scared of cooking seafood at home) and how delicious they were! I almost might just create crabcakes from this recipe and leave them off the mushroom next time. Patrick cleaned his plate too, so I think it's a keeper! I'm not sure, but I'm hoping I can reheat them tomorrow in the oven and we can polish them off (a little wary of reheated seafood, but I've eaten crabcakes the day after before and haven't died yet) for dinner. I threw together a caesar salad to top it all off (using the caesar dressing recipe I've written about before) and I had a small glass of my favorite pinot while Pat ate his with a 7up. (My photos below)

Crab Stuffed Mushrooms:

6 medium sized portobello mushrooms about 2" in diameter
4-6 button mushrooms
extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper

8 ounces crab meat (I used claw)
2-3 tablespoons diced red bell pepper
2-3 tablespoons chopped chives
1 egg
1 teaspoon mustard
2 tablespoons mayo
1/2-1 teaspoon old bay seasoning
1/4 cup panko bread crumbs
1/2 teaspoon salt
*fresh cracked black pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a bowl combine crab meat, pepper, chives, egg, mustard, mayo, old bay (I use a good deal of old bay). Stir to mix and add panko, do not add too much you just want enough for the mixture to bind together. 

Remove stems from the mushrooms, using a spoon hollow out the centers and then toss mushrooms with salt, pepper, and olive oil. Using about 1-2 tablespoons of filling stuff crab filling into the mushrooms. Place on a sheet pan lined with aluminum foil and bake for 20-25 minutes or until the filling is golden. You don't want to over cook the mushrooms or they will be too moist and the filling will become soggy.

Horseradish Dipping Sauce:

1/2 cup Greek yogurt or sour cream

2-3 tablespoons mayo

1 tablespoon horseradish (or to taste, but I use A LOT)

1/2 teaspoon fresh cracked pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt 

1/2-1 teaspoon hot sauce 

Stir to combine. For a fuller fat version you can use more mayo or substitute the mayo in this recipe for horseradish cream. 

Try both of these recipes and I promise you won't be disappointed! Now I'm off to join Pat in dreamland (hopefully, we will both sleep better than last night's sleep for an hour, wake up for an hour, etc.)

Fourth of July

  Only a little late, I'm finally getting around to posting about our Fourth of July. This year, Patrick entered us in the lottery for the Peachtree Road Race in Atlanta. We were in the lottery with Kat, Dave, and Stephen and much to my dismay, we won the lottery and were going to have to run in the race. I ended up with posterior tib tendonitis in my left foot and the doctor advised me not to run in the race, but didn't tell me I couldn't run the race. I pretty much stopped training at all for it and decided to just walk it. I ended up walking half of it and ran the other 5k and finished in an hour and twenty-three minutes. I know that's terrible, but I passed a whole bunch of people who had started way before I did (Pat and I started in the very last group because they moved up our start time). I'm hoping that I can actually run a bit before the race next year and can shave my time down to an hour or so and hopefully run the whole race.

Before the Peacthree

me and Pat after the race

BFF who kicked butt!!

  After the race and work (for Erin), we invited everyone over for a Fourth of July early dinner. I made a ton of food (Pat always says too much food), but man, it was all pretty good! Erin and Stephen made a great fresh fruit salad and Kathryn brought over homemade salsa with chips. Be very jealous!! For our main course, I made Pioneer Woman's Pork Sandwiches with Cilantro-Jalepeno Slaw. I cheated a little by using some bagged cole slaw, but it still turned out really yummy. You should go out and buy the ingredients to make this immediately. I also made Kathryn's baked beans and then the peach pie from Southern Living's July issue.

Stephen and Erin

me and Pat

Family portrait

Dave and Kat

  The last two desserts I made were supposed to be Martha Stewart's cookies from the July issue (obviously, Pat and I will never be cookie decorators) and some fantastic chocolate chip cookies. I want to try to make Martha's cookies again sometime because I didn't cut them all the same thickness so some cooked faster than others and the frosting was way too thick. However, they were okay for a first try and for making them the night before the Peachtree at 11pm!! This is the second time I've made these chocolate chip cookies and they are amazing!! If you don't try anything from this post, you must try this recipe!! I omitted the salt on top of the cookies, but they are superb. Super chocolate chip cookies from Picky Palate blog: http://picky-palate.com/2011/04/07/brown-butter-and-fleur-de-sel-chocolate-chip-cookies/

Recipes from Last Sunday

  The soup I made last Sunday was from Hungry Girl's show called Hungry Chick Chunky Soup.

Hungry Chick Chunky Soup

2010 Hungry Girl. All Rights Reserved.

Prep Time:

20 min

Inactive Prep Time:

--

Cook Time:

3 hr 0 min

Level:

Easy

Serves:

10 servings

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds raw, boneless, skinless lean chicken breasts, halved
• 1/2 teaspoon salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 small onion, finely diced
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 2 cups dry coleslaw mix
• 1 (15-ounce) can white beans (such as cannellini), drained and rinsed
• 1 (14 1/2-ounce) can stewed tomatoes, not drained
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 2 (14 1/2-ounce) cans fat-free chicken broth (about 3 1/2 cups)
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme, plus more, for serving, optional
• 1 bay leaf
• Special equipment: Crock pot

Directions

Evenly season chicken with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon black pepper. Place the onion, carrots, coleslaw mix, white beans, stewed tomatoes, peas, chicken broth, 1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme, and bay leaf in the crock pot and stir. Cover and cook until chicken is fully cooked, on high for 3 to 4 hours or on low for 7 to 8 hours.

Remove and discard the bay leaf. Remove the chicken pieces and place them in a bowl. Shred each piece using 2 forks: one to hold the chicken in place and the other to scrape across the meat and shred it. Return the shredded chicken to the crock pot, and stir into the soup.

Season the soup with 1/4 teaspoon salt or to taste. Garnish with additional thyme, if using. Serve up and enjoy!

PER SERVING (about 1 cup): 150 calories, 1g fat, 570mg sodium, 15g carbs, 4.25g fiber, 5g sugars, 20.5g protein

   The soup was pretty good, overall, but I think the next time I make it, I will add in a few more spices. I am thinking about some chili powder or cayenne pepper. Any other ideas would be welcomed! It was a very easy recipe since you can just throw everything into the crock pot.

  I made a salad with a caesar dressing that Erin and Stephen make from Weight Watchers. This is an easy recipe and very good!! I also made a strawberry pie that Erin's mom makes. I'm not sure if it hit the mark or not, but I thought it was really good!

Caesar Dressing (serves 6):

1 small garlic clove, minced into a paste

1/4 tsp salt

3 tbsp chicken broth

2 tbsp parmesan cheese

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 tbsp reduced fat mayonnaise

1 tbsp chopped parsley (fresh, not dried)

1 tsp cider vinegar

1 tsp Dijon mustard

1 tsp Anchovie paste

Pepper, to taste

Mix all the ingredients together and chill until ready to serve over greens! I have made this dressing twice and the first time, I used dried parsley and the second time I used fresh and it most definitely makes a difference!! I will only use fresh parsley from here on out (or maybe cut the dried parsley in half or even thirds).

Erin's Mom's Strawberry Pie

11/2 cups chopped strawberries, plus more strawberries for the pie

11/8 cup water mixed with 11/2 tsp lemon juice

11/2 cup sugar

41/2 tbsp cornstarch

1 pie crust, baked according to directions (or make your own pie crust)

Simmer 11/2 cups berries in water and lemon juice for 5 minutes.

Combine sugar and cornstarch together, making sure there are no lumps.

Add this dry mixture to the simmered berries.

Stir constantly on medium heat until the berry mixture becomes thick (usually right when it begins to boil).

Pull off the heat and cool.

Cut more strawberries and dry on paper towels. Cut into baked pie crust and mound to desired height.

Once the mixture has cooled, pour over the cut berries and chill in the fridge at least 2 hours before cutting. Enjoy!

Slacking Off

 I have not been a good blogger, again! This seems to be quite the norm for me now. Life has just been too busy for me!! Two weekends ago, one of my cousins graduated from high school and made me feel really old! My parents came over from Mississippi and stayed with us for the weekend. Mom brought Tucker with them, so he and Wrigley had a great time together again. My cousin and her family came up from Florida and it was wonderful to see them for the first time in a few years. My aunt also came down from Chicago and my aunt hosted a delicious graduation lunch honoring my cousin and I got to see many of my extended family whom I've not seen in years. Unfortunately, Pat's soccer team was in their final tournament that weekend, so he wasn't able to partake in too much of the earlier day's festivities but he was able to help us cook dinner on Saturday night. He cooked some fantastic okra to go along with our hamburgers and vegetables. Mmm, so good!

Cousins from Florida

Me with my parents

They did it!

The Graduate!

Tucker and Wrigley

  I made some cookies for the graduate with lots of help from Mom and Dad. Dad helped decorate a few of the cookies while Mom did the rest of the decorating. Unfortunately, I didn't take a picture of them, but I'm going to paste the recipe for y'all here. My friend Jenny made these cookies with her Mom for her wedding favors and she was sweet enough to send the recipe over to me. 

I used the Simple Cookie Glaze from King Arthur Flour recipes and added a drop of almond extract to the glaze for a little flavor (thanks to your suggestion, Jenny!!):

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
• 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
• 1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon milk
• Food coloring (optional)

Directions

1. In a small bowl, whisk together the confectioners' sugar, corn syrup, and 1 1/2 tablespoons of the milk until smooth.

2. Add food coloring, if desired.

3. Spread one cookie with glaze, using a table knife or offset spatula. If it doesn't smooth out after 1 minute, dribble in additional milk, 1/2 teaspoon at a time, until the glaze reaches the right consistency. I think we ended up adding more confectioners' sugar to make it a little thicker, but you kind of have to just play with it until it gets to a good consistency. Below is the recipe for the cookies from the King Arthur Flour Cookie Companion cookbook. Once we got home late on Saturday night, the boys needed to run a little while as they had been cooped up for several hours. We threw the indoor Chuckit! for them and they absolutely loved it! We finally had to just put the toy away because the crazy nuts both would have kept going. Normally, Wrigley will get tired of fetching and will play keep away with the ball, but since Tucker was there, he tried to keep away from him if he got the ball, but he wouldn't stop fetching. In the pictures below, Tucker is wearing the black harness.   I would recommend the indoor Chuckit! especially for the too hot or too cold days, but I have to watch Wrigley since he likes to be the destructor and can easily rip the ball up since it is very soft. However, I would much rather have Patrick throwing this soft ball around the house than a regular tennis ball. I found it in my Petsmart early this spring, yet I haven't seen it there again. Has anybody else tried it? http://www.caninehardware.com/#/product/indoorfetch