Kappa Muffins aka Sausage, Egg & Cheese Muffins

photo cred to David Byars

Kappa Muffins aka Sausage, Egg, and Cheese Muffins(adapted from my MIL's Kappa Muffin recipe)
1 roll of 10 biscuits (found in refrigerated section near the cookies)
4 eggs
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 package Jimmy Dean fully cooked turkey sausage crumbles  
(found with bacon)

Spray 2 muffin tins with cooking spray.  Break each biscuit in half length-wise and place in bottom of 20 muffin cups.  Mix together eggs, cheese, and sausage and pour about an ice cream scoop full of the egg mixture over each biscuit half.  They should be about 3/4 full.  Bake at 375 degrees for 12 minutes

SERVE WITH:  Fruit salad...sliced strawberries, blueberries, and grapes.  Can also combine this with Greek yogurt and a touch of honey.

NOTES:  My mother-in-law introduced me to these delicious breakfast muffins.  This is a lot easier than preparing biscuits, bacon, eggs, etc. separately, and our whole family LOVES them.  This are super fast to make, but if you want to make ahead of time, they are great reheated too.  They can be refrigerated or frozen and heated in the microwave for 20-30 seconds.

Lemon, Ginger, Cucumber, Mint Water

I have found this recipe several places and called different things: Flat Belly Water, Flat Tummy Water, Sassy Water...the ingredients are all the same. After this weekend's feeding frenzy, I figure it's time to hydrate and detox :)

Extra Special Water:
6-8 cups of filtered water
1 tsp grated ginger
1 whole cucumber, sliced thin
1 lemon, sliced thin
1/2 cup fresh mint leaves

Mix all ingredients in a medium pitcher. Let sit overnight and drink all of it the next day.

Happy Cooking!

Avocado Corn Salsa

Image from Dinners, Dishes and Desserts

Avocado Corn Salsa (recipe from Liz Todd)

1 can whole corn kernels (you can also roast some ears of corn or use frozen corn as well)

1 chopped red pepper

1-2 diced avocado

2 cloves garlic minced

Dressing:

1/3 cup EVOO

1/4 cup lemon juice

3 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

1 tsp oregano

1/2 tsp. salt

Tortilla chips for serving

Whisk all dressing ingredients together in a medium bowl. In a separate bowl, mix together corn, red pepper, avocado & garlic. Pour half of dressing over corn/avocado mixture and keep adding dressing until desired taste/consistency is achieved.

NOTES: This is always a hit whenever I serve it at a party or take it to a cookout/tailgate, whatever. It's a great alternative to regular salsa. The only warning I will give is that this needs to be eaten the same day you make it. The avocados turn quickly, so the day after it looks like brown mush...no thank you! 

Happy Cooking!

School's Out for Summer

Pork Cubanos

I made three of these sandwiches for the five of us, and it was just enough food. These were SO yummy and a great alternative to your everyday sandwich. The kids all ate them up. We always seem to have pork tenderloin leftover, and I usually don't know quite what to do with it. These sandwiches are the ticket! Try them :)

Pork Cubanos: (recipe adapted from Food and Wine found HERE.)

Sub rolls
butter, softened
sliced ham
swiss cheese
yellow mustard
sliced pickles
leftover pork tenderloin (recipe I used found HERE.)

Cut sub rolls in half and brush butter on cut sides of bread. Place bread, buttered side down in a large skillet heated over medium heat. Toast bread until lightly browned. Spread mustard on cut sides of bread. Layer ham, cheese, pickles, and pork onto sandwich. Add sandwiches back to skillet and brown on each side for a minute or two pressing it down with a spatula until the cheese is melted. You could also use a grill pan or a panini press for this, but, since I don't have either of those, a skillet worked just fine.

Happy Cooking!

Red Skinned Potato Salad

Potato Salad is one of those dishes that you can make all your own. You can add all sorts of fresh herbs to this: parsley, dill, etc, whatever flavors you like. You can also substitute Greek yogurt for the mayonnaise...it will make the potato salad slightly tangier. Hormel makes really good "Real" bacon bits that you could use in lieu of the bacon to save a step as well. Perfect side for a cookout, or just a week night meal.

Red Skinned Potato Salad:
2 lbs red skinned potatoes (skin on)
pinch salt
1 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1/2 package prepared Ranch dressing mix
juice of 1 small lemon
2-3 slices of bacon, cooked according to package directions until crispy.

Fill a large pot with water, and add a pinch of salt. Bring water to a boil. Add potatoes, and boil for 15-20 minutes until fork tender. Drain and cut potatoes into 1 inch pieces. Meanwhile, in a small box, mix together the mayonnaise, green onions, Ranch dressing mix, and lemon juice. Place potatoes and Ranch dressing mixture in separate bowls in the refrigerator and chill for about 2 hours. Once chilled, combine the potatoes and Ranch mixture in a medium bowl and then top with crumbled bacon and stir right before serving.

Happy Cooking!

Marinated Mojo Pork Tenderloin

I LOVE marinated meat, especially during grilling season. This has a tang to it from the citrus and the lime that is just awesome. You could add more heat by adding some more red pepper or by adding a chopped jalapeno to the marinade. You can really make this fit your flavor!! Last night, we served this over a salad with Parmesan cheese, sliced strawberries, grape tomatoes,
pine nuts, and a bottled balsamic vinaigrette. Since this makes 2 tenderloins, I have one left over, and I will be making some Cuban sandwiches later this week.

Marinated Mojo Pork Tenderloin: (Recipe adapted slightly from Food & Wine found HERE.)
2-3 lbs Pork Tenderloin (I get the ones that come two to a pack)
salt & pepper

Heavily salt & pepper the tenderloins then add them to a large plastic ziploc bag.

For the Marinade:
3/4 cup olive oil
1 cup chopped cilantro
1/4 cup chopped mint
2T orange zest
3/4 cup orange juice (fresh squeezed)
1T lime zest
1/2 cup lime juice (fresh squeezed)
4 tsp minced garlic (from the jar)
1T dried oregano
2tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp ground red pepper

Whisk together all marinade ingredients and pour over pork tenderloin. Allow meat to marinate in the refrigerator for 8 hours to overnight.

Heat the grill to 400 degrees. Sear meat on all sides for about 5 minutes per side. If this is done to your liking, take off the grill and allow to rest for 10 minutes before slicing. If you would like a little more doneness (this will depend on the thickness of your tenderloins), reduce the heat to 300 degrees and allow to roast until desire doneness is reached.

Happy Cooking!

Kofte Pitas (aka Turkish Meatballs in Pita)

Kofte Pitas (aka Turkish Meatballs in Pita): Recipe from Cooking Light
Recipe found HERE.

NOTES: I have been on a red meat kick lately. We are usually a chicken 4+ nights a week family, but someone brought us some ground beef fresh from their farm, so I have been trying to find some new recipes to try. These pitas are SO yummy. My family of 5 ate all 8 of the mini patties. The baby ate 2 by herself...I am not kidding! I added some Feta cheese, so that sort of defeats the "cooking light-ness" of it all, but it was delicious. I deconstructed the pitas for the kids, and they LOVED them. Would definitely recommend as an alternative to plain burgers for an easy week night meal.

Happy Cooking!

Silky Tortilla Soup

Silky Tortilla Soup: Recipe from Food & Wine
Recipe found HERE

NOTES: Okay, y'all...I do not say this lightly. This is the BEST soup I have ever eaten. The spiciness from the chipotles in adobo and the saltiness from the queso fresco along with the freshness from the cilantro make this soup out of this world. The last time I made this I had already fed the boys dinner before sports and made this for just me and my husband...the boys came home and devoured it along with us. It really is that good. Makes a bunch and leftovers for lunch are always a favorite of mine.

Happy Cooking!
















NOTES: This soup was the BEST tortilla soup I have ever had. It uses simple ingredients and is easy to put together.

• Rather than a rotisserie chicken, I used some leftover shredded chicken that I made in the crockpot and froze last week. 
• I used 5 chiles rather than the 4 it calls for to give it an even richer color and a little more kick. This made it pretty spicy, so if you're not into that, you may want to stick with 4 chiles. 
  
• I also used canned tomatoes and cut them in half. 
• I used my handy immersion blender rather than pouring it in batches in the food processor.
  
• You can certainly use tortilla chips if you don't want to go to the trouble of frying the corn tortillas, but if you have time, make the extra effort ;)
  
• I am not a huge fan of cilantro, but I decided that it was worth a try on this (plus it would make the picture prettier ha!). I am so glad that I did. It was awesome with the homemade tortilla strips!
•  I didn't feed this to my kids this time as it was my first time making it, but I think I'll cut down on the heat and try it for them sometime soon.

Happy Cooking!

Toffee Dip

Photo by Suzy D

Toffee Dip aka "Crack" Dip

8 oz cream cheese, softened to room temperature

1 bag toffee bits (found with the chocolate chips)

1/2 c brown sugar

1/4 c white sugar

1 tsp vanilla

Sliced Granny Smith apples for serving

*lemon juice

Mix all ingredients together with an electric mixer, adding toffee bits at the end. 

NOTES: This is always a big hit at parties. It is what some of my friends affectionately call "crack dip." It is hard to stop eating it once you start. *Make sure that you squeeze some lemon juice over the apple slices so that they don't turn brown...it also gives them a really delicious tang to go with the sweet dip.

Happy Cooking!

Reese's Cup Toll House Cookies

Photo from Baking & Boys

Reese's Cup Toll House Cookies: 
Break and bake Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookies
Miniature Reese's Cups

Spray two mini muffin tins with cooking spray, or line them with mini muffin liners.  Add one unbaked cookie to each muffin cup.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 12 minutes.  Let cool for 5 minutes.  Unwrap Reese's cups and add one cup to each muffin tin.  Press down slightly so that top of Reese's cup is even with top of muffin tin.

George's Birthday Dinner

Nana's Lasagna with Homemade Meatballs, Strawberry Salad, and Red Velvet Cake:

My husband is 1/4 Italian, and I am lucky enough to have inherited his grandmother's recipe for her famous lasagna. The recipe was not originally written down. One of my husband's aunts (his dad's, brother's wife) learned how to make it at his grandmother's side and wrote down the method. There is still no set "recipe," and I am sure that mine will never taste as delicious as Nana's did, but it is something that I try to make for my husband on special occasions. This past weekend, we celebrated his 35th birthday, so we had his grandmother's lasagna, meatballs, a salad, and a red velvet cake in keeping with tradition.

As I don't want to be the "outlaw" to spill family secrets, I will share this recipe from Food and Wine with you that looks similar to hers...some of the spices are slightly different and she used pork ribs as her meat base with meatballs served on the side...it's the closest I could find:

Grandma's Lasagna



I had leftover sauce so I made these meatballs and cooked them in the crockpot on low for 8 hours in the sauce. I served them on the side just like his grandmother used to do:

Homemade Meatballs:
1 1/2 lbs ground beef
1 3/4 cup Italian breadcrumbs
2 eggs
3 oz Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup milk
2 T parsley flakes
salt & pepper to taste (I used about 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper)
3/4 tsp garlic powder.

Mix all ingredients together with hands in large bowl until thoroughly combined. Form into balls (makes about 12). Brown meatballs in batches and then simmer in sauce.

Red Velvet Cake:
The red velvet cake that I decided to make this year was out of a box (gasp!). I really didn't have the energy this past week to get it together to make a red velvet cake from scratch along with the lasagna and the meatballs. And you know what?!?! My husband declared that it was the most moist and delicious red velvet cake I'd ever made him. At first this made me so sad as I have tried many variations over our nine years of marriage, and then I decided that attitude was ridiculous because this means that I will be using boxed cake from now until forevermore.

I did make the cream cheese frosting from scratch...this ended up being my dessert for the evening. Here's the recipe I used from Food Network:

Cream Cheese Frosting


Happy Cooking!

Blueberry Lemon Sweet Rolls

Blueberry Lemon Sweet Rolls: (recipe from The Pioneer Woman)
Recipe found HERE

NOTES: These sweet rolls were absolutely scrumptious. I made them for my husband's birthday breakfast this morning. I had no idea when I started these last night that they would make so many sweet rolls. The dough recipe makes two batches which make 24 sweet rolls each. When I started rolling the sweet rolls this morning and realizing just how many of these I'd have on my hand, I texted two friends who sent their husbands over to pick up some sweet rolls and the glaze. These take some time to make, but they're not difficult. You do have to give yourself enough time to let the dough rise and refrigerate it, so I would recommend making the dough the day/night before you want to eat them and then get up early to complete the recipe. You still have to give yourself 20 minutes for the rolls to rise again and 20 minutes for cook time, so just keep that it mind if you have hungry little ones (or big ones) waiting. Also, the cook time was a little longer in my oven, so keep an eye on them. YUM!

Happy Cooking!

The "Perfect Mom"

Last weekend was my second weekend in three weeks that I was flying solo. My husband was on a well-deserved golf trip with two of his best buddies from residency, so I was home with my three kiddos for another weekend with mom. If you'll recall, the last time he left town was a little crazy with Easter thrown in the mix. I definitely had a case of Going Through the Motions. This time, however, things went much more smoothly. Reflecting back on the weekend/week, I tried to figure out what was different. The short answer is: I took care of myself FIRST and was then able to better take care of my family.

Here's the long answer with what my "mom guilt" was telling me that the "perfect mom" would do vs what actually occurred:

Friday night:
What the "perfect mom" would do: 
Take all three kids to the elementary school May Fest celebration because it's my first child's first year in kindergarten, and his first May Fest.
What the outcome would've likely been:
I would've been stressed to the max trying to wrangle three kids in the midst of hundreds of people...no one would've actually eaten dinner, someone would've ended up crying (very likely me), and we would've gone to bed way too late and grumpy.
What actually happened:
The hubs left on Friday afternoon, so Friday evening, the younger two kids and I went to a dear friend's home and had a late afternoon playdate/dinner. She had prepared a delicious salad and a fabulous tomato pie (it spurred me on to make my own Tomato Pie this past week). The kids enjoyed some chicken nuggets, mac n cheese, and fruit. We relaxed while our four kids enjoyed the gorgeous weather, the swingset, and each others' company. We left there with our hearts and bellies full and picked up my oldest son who had been having a playdate (and an absolutely blast) with his best friend who now goes to a different school. We were all tired when we got home, and the kids were all in the bed by 7:30pm. That left me and Dateline to have a little date night ourselves.

Saturday morning: 
What the "perfect mom" would do:
Spend the morning with my kids in the kitchen making a big breakfast. Breakfast would be followed by a run on the greenway with the baby in the jogging stroller and both of the boys on their bikes. This would get some energy out so that we could have a lovely special lunch on a restaurant patio somewhere and then head home for some outside play and quiet time.
What the outcome would've likely been:
No one would've actually helped in the kitchen (well, maybe the four year old), I would stress myself out to get the meal made while they were starving and upset not to just have their typical frozen waffle with peanut butter, the kitchen sink would be full of dirty dishes, the floor would need a thorough mopping...all before 9am. I would've rushed to get everyone dressed and ready for our bike ride. I would've worn myself out loading up the jogging stroller plus two bikes in the magic mini before even hitting the pavement. Someone would have to peepee halfway through the adventure, someone would get tired and want me to carry their bike, and someone would end up crying (possibly me, again). We would've skipped our special lunch because we would've all been too sweaty to step foot in a restaurant, and we all would've gotten home a hot, tired mess.
What actually happened:
We scarfed down aforementioned frozen waffles with peanut butter so that we could make it to the Y in time to meet some friends. I went to body combat with my friend while the kids had a ball playing in the Y playrooms/nursery with their friends. After getting my butt thoroughly kicked, we took my oldest son's best friend home with us while his mom went to grab some lunch for us from the newly opened Zoe's Kitchen. The kids enjoyed a picnic outside of homemade pimento cheese, marinated cucumbers, hummus and carrots, and fruit that were all in the fridge waiting to be eaten. The baby went down for a nap and the rest of us continued to play into mid-afternoon.

Saturday night: 
What the "perfect mom" would do: (even she's not crazy)
Keep dinner simple and order a pizza. Allow the kids to watch a movie before heading off to bathtime and an early bedtime.
What would have likely happened:
I would've waited too long to order the pizza and the kids would be going nuts saying how starving they were. Because we cleaned out the fridge at lunchtime, there would be no option as a backup dinner so we'd wait it out. We'd start watching a movie and someone would get scared halfway through while the others wanted to keep watching resulting in a fight. We'd cut the movie off early and send everyone off to the bath upset either because they weren't watching a movie or because they were still scared and worried about nightmares. My patience would be gone because I had already been with them by myself for too long, and we'd all have a crash landing at bedtime with someone crying (probably me)...at least one would wake up with nightmares in the night.
What actually happened:
I had enough foresight to get a babysitter. I gave the kids an early bath and pulled out some frozen chicken nuggets and edamame for a 5:30pm dinner. The sitter played with all three kids in the backyard until the sun went down while I enjoyed dinner and dessert with my best friend. We were home by 8:45pm (further confirmation that 35 is definitely NOT the new 25), and the kids were down for the count. My best friend stayed for another glass of wine and headed home an hour later. I enjoyed another date night with Dateline.

Sunday morning:
What the "perfect mom" would do: Get up before the kids and make a special Sunday morning breakfast. Head to Sunday School at 9:45am (myself included) and then to the formal worship service at 11:00am because it's important for my oldest to sit in church with me and head to his own Children's Worship (I whole-heartedly believe this). Get home around 12:30 for a quick lunch and put the baby down for a nap.
What would've likely happened: The kitchen would've again been a mess, and I would've raced to clean it up so that my husband wouldn't walk into a disaster if he got home before we did. While cleaning the kitchen, I would've been yelling upstairs for my boys to get ready and then walk up to see that no one had changed out of their pjs 20 minutes later because they were too busy playing dinosaurs. At that point, I would've lost my religion before we even made it to church.
What actually happened: We again ate our staple breakfast of frozen waffles with peanut butter. The boys dressed themselves in golf shirts, khakis, and athletic socks & shoes. We left the house 20 minutes later than we normally would have, made it to their Sunday school late, and I headed to the Jazz Service at 10:10am and was 10 minutes early. I had time to catch up with some friends in the lobby before the service started, I relaxed and worshiped without my kids, and we were home playing in the backyard by 11:15am. We had a picnic for lunch and spent the early afternoon enjoying the beautiful weather. I had time to get some Korean Beef Tacos prepped for a family dinner that night. My husband got home around 3pm, and all was right in the world...until the next morning when he woke up with the stomach bug...I'll save that story for next week's post.

Now, what is the moral of all of this? The clear answer is that I'm not perfect! ;) And thank goodness I'm not trying to be. I would've been a hot mess by the time the weekend was halfway over if that were my goal. Rather than being "perfect," I decided to be what felt a little "selfish" and took care of myself first. The fact of the matter is, it wasn't selfish at all. It was self preservation. It was giving myself little breaks so that I was able to better take care of my family. The kids had no idea what "the perfect mom" (who exists only in mom guilt land) would've done with them. They didn't know that I was "supposed" to take them to May Fest. They didn't know I was "supposed" to make them a gourmet breakfast each morning. They didn't know I was "supposed" to spend every waking moment with them, not taking a break for myself, breathing in all the cuteness that they had to give. They just knew that their mama was there taking care of them, with enough energy to give them extra playtime and extra snuggles. I have been on the other end of the spectrum, totally wiped out, emotionally exhausted, and ready to throw in the towel, and I can tell you, that's when the mom guilt really steps in.

It's not that any of those "perfect mom" scenarios are bad or even unrealistic for some, but I know myself well enough to know that when my husband is out of town for four days, I am not going to be at the top of my game. I just tweaked those "perfect mom" expectations to fit into what I thought that I could handle for the weekend. I am trying hard to do a better job of setting realistic expectations of myself and of my children, of setting myself up for success, and of not worrying so much about what I'm "supposed" to do to be the "perfect mom."

I received Mother's Day cards from my kids today, and, there is no mention of the word "perfect" on them. It is nice to see, though, that through their eyes, I cook with them, I play basketball with them, I make play dough with them, I tie their shoes, I love them, and when I get dressed up, it usually means I'm heading out to dinner ;) My kids will never look back and use the word "perfection" to describe their mama, but I hope they'll look back and see a mama who LOVED them despite her imperfections, and a mama who loved HERSELF enough to take care of herself FIRST, so that she could love them better.

To all of you mamas out there, Happy Mother's Day and Happy Cooking!

Tortellini Soup in the Crock Pot

NOTES:  This is probably my favorite tortellini soup that I have found to date.  It is creamy and delicious, packed with spinach, and only has FIVE ingredients.  This is super easy, and my entire family absolutely loved it for dinner, then for lunch, then for lunch again!  I will say that the cream cheese did not melt as quickly as I thought it would, so I would probably break it in smaller pieces and perhaps stir it a few times during cooking so that it blends together more easily.

Berry Salad with Balsamic Dressing

This is pretty much my go-to salad whether it's for a main course topped with Grilled Chicken (see THIS post) or as a side salad. The dressing is super delicious...I always opt for homemade dressing rather than bottled if I have the time to make it as I know exactly what goes into it. 

Berry Salad with Balsamic Dressing:

For the salad:
1 head romaine, chopped
1/2 cup sliced strawberries or blueberries
1/2 cup chopped pecans
2 oz fresh goat cheese (I buy the log, not the crumbles, cheaper & tastier)

Homemade Balsamic Dressing:recipe from CovCom Cooks!
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp dry mustard
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp lemon juice
1/4 c balsamic vinegar
1 c vegetable oil

Arrange lettuce on platter and top with strawberries, pecans, and goat cheese.  Mix all dressing ingredients together in an air tight container and shake vigorously.  DO NOT over mix, however, as it will turn into syrup.

Happy Cooking!

Guacamole

Photo found on pinterest

Guacamole:
2 ripe avocados
1 Roma tomato, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
juice of half of a lemon
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Cut avocados in half and remove pit.  Scoop out flesh and mash in a medium bowl with a fork.  Mix in remaining ingredients.  Add salt & pepper to taste.

NOTES: The beauty of guacamole is that you can really make it fit your tastes. The basics are ripe avocados, salt, pepper, and lemon juice. I love adding garlic and tomato to mine to keep it simple. Some other great additions are fresh cilantro, red onion, & minced jalapeno. Make it your own!

Happy Cooking!!

Brie and Cranberry Tartlets

These have become a party staple. They are beautiful for Christmas or for a baby shower or even a girls night in. They are very simple but are bursting with flavor. Every bite is delicious. Try them for your next party or just as an appetizer this weekend.

Brie and Cranberry Tartlets:
Recipe from Justapinch.com found HERE.

Happy Cooking!

Perfectly Boiled Shrimp

Recipe & picture from Food.com

Perfectly Boiled Shrimp:
Recipe from Food.com found HERE.

NOTES: These are always a fun addition to a party or as a main dish. This method is fool proof and makes delicious shrimp every time. Serve with Ken's Cocktail Sauce and a side of french fries and cole slaw, and you've pretty much mastered one of our favorite beach traditions!

Happy Cooking!

Bacon Wrapped Dates

 

Photo by GaylaJ

Bacon Wrapped Dates: recipe from Food.com found HERE.

NOTES: These were a HUGE hit at my little girl's first birthday party. Anything wrapped in bacon is a winner in my book. A friend of mine made these for us to take along as an appetizer at a tap house that doesn't serve food. The people next to us asked where the smell of bacon was coming from and then joined us to enjoy some bacon wrapped dates themselves!

Happy Cooking!

Artichoke Dip

Image is of Sandra Lee's Artichoke Dip

Artichoke Dip: (recipe from my dear friend, Alyssa and her mama!)
2 cans quartered artichokes, chopped
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1 clove minced garlic
1 pint cherry tomatoes (halved lengthwise)

Mix together artichokes, mayonnaise, cheese, and garlic.  Place in 9x13 glass dish and top with cherry tomatoes.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes until bubbly.

SERVE WITH: Toasteds crackers and chopped veggies (carrots, celery, peppers, whatever you like!)

We made 1.5 recipes of this, and every bite of it was eaten at the party...which is generally what happens with this dish!!

Shepherd's Loaf

This is a dip that our neighbor, Carolyn Massey, made for us every Christmas Eve growing up.  We would head over to their house for appetizers before church, and this dip in the bread bowl was our favorite thing.  My sister loves it so much, that we made and served it at her baby shower, hence the silver platter...we also made it for Super Bowl Sunday, and it was a huge hit! Enjoy!

Recipe from Carolyn Massey:

Large round bread loaf 
4 - 8 oz packages cream cheese

2 -2 ½ oz jars dried  beef

6 green onions with tops, finely chopped

3 TB mayo

2 TB lemon juice

14 dashes black pepper

18 dashes garlic salt

 Take a slice off top of large round bread loaf.   Hollow out  bread loaf – toast bread to eat with dip.  Pack mixture into bread loaf – replace lid.  Wrap in aluminum foil & bake 325 for 1 1/2 hours.

Happy Cooking!

Captain Rodney's Cheese Bake

Captain Rodney's Cheese Bake (introduced to me by my friend, Shelley Holden)

Recipe found HERE.

NOTES:  I don't know what to say but WOW!!!  My friend, Shelley, introduced me to this dip at her house over the summer.  To say that I couldn't get enough would be an understatement.  I went and ordered some of this delicious glaze off of Amazon, and I gave it away as gifts over Christmas...I also served this dip at a baby shower we threw.  It was a huge hit!

Meme's Mexican Dip

photo from gamedayr.com

Meme's Mexican Dip (recipe from my mama) 
1 can Rotel tomatoes
1 can Hormel chili (with or without beans)
8oz cream cheese
1 lb. Velveeta cheese
Serve with tortilla chips for dipping

Place Rotel and chili in food processor and pulse until fine.  Cube Velveeta and cream cheese.  Place all ingredients in Dutch oven and cook over medium heat until all cheese is melted and mixture is piping hot.  Serve in a chafing dish to keep hot.  Serve with tortilla chips.

NOTES:  I have the greatest memories of this dip from growing up.  It is so yummy...I mean, let's face it, anything with melted Velveeta and cream cheese is bound to be good!  I specifically remember her always making this for her supper club Super Bowl party each year.  YUM!

Buffalo Chicken Dip

photo by Sunil.verma84

Buffalo chicken dip: (recipe from my friend, Anne Gooden)
3 cups cooked, shredded chicken
3/4 cups hot sauce (I use Texas Pete's Wing Sauce)
1 cup blue cheese dressing
8oz cream cheese
1 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese.
Celery, Tortilla Chips, and Carrots for dipping 

Mix cooked chicken and hot sauce in sauce pan over medium heat.  Let simmer stirring occassionally for 15 minutes.  Stir in blue cheese dressing and cream cheese.  Stir until cream cheese is melted and well blended.  Stir in celery.  Transfer mixtures to casserole dish and sprinkle the grated cheddar over top.  Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

NOTES:  If there is a perfect Super Bowl dip, this is it!  It combines all the goodness of buffalo wings and decreases the mess substantially.  This is always a staple at our house on Super Bowl Sunday.   

A VERY similar recipe from food.com that I have tried is Crockpot Buffalo Chicken Dip. YUM! Recipe found HERE.

Happy Cooking!

7 Layer Bean Dip

There are tons of 7 layer dips out there, but this is the one that my mom always made, and it is my absolute favorite.  Sure to be a hit at any Super Bowl party!!

7 Layer Bean Dip:(recipe from food.com)
Recipe found HERE.

My Birthday Week and Paying It Forward

Wow, y'all! This has been such a fun birthday week. Dinner with my mom and my bestie, dinner with my husband, lunch with some girlfriends, dinner with my boys, drinks with a friend, and more to come! Birthday week? Why, yes, I'm so glad you asked about the birthday week. The birthday week originated when I was in college. My birthday was always during exams, so it seemed that everyone's schedules were always conflicting so I would have several celebrations with different friends throughout the week...including my cute husband who I have been dating since I was 18. Then I would head home for summer break and celebrate with my family and my friends from home. This tradition has continued now for over 15 years...ugh...but is still so much fun. If you celebrate a birthday week, yay for you!!! If you don't, you need to start immediately. No, seriously. It's an amazing tradition that brings great joy and friendship blessings every year.

It's too confusing to try to plan one night for all of your friends, family, children, spouse, everyone to get together unless you commit to having a huge birthday party every year. That requires a lot of planning, a location, invitations, clean up, etc. That is just too much pressure every single year ;) So, when my friends offer to take me to dinner, to lunch, out for a glass of wine, when my family offers to babysit so that I can go out with my husband, when my husband offers to take me and the kids out to a "special" dinner, I say YES! to all. This was not always the case. I used to be modest and say, "oh, no, you really don't need to do that for me." You know what? That's true, people don't need to do that for me. I have found, though, that when I ask someone if I can do something for them and their response is, "no, you really don't need to do anything for me," it's sort of a bummer! I really get excited about doing things for other people. It's a blessing to me much more than it's a blessing to them. That's the long way to tell you why I now say YES! to all offers to celebrate my birthday. It is, in fact, only one week, I mean day, of the year, right?

While we're on the subject, I wish that we would all be less stubborn about saying YES! We are all guilty of trying to "do it all" and wearing ourselves out in the process. There have been many circumstances throughout the years when my friends have offered their time, their help, their resources when I have said, "oh, no, you really don't need to do that for me." Then I find myself in the midst of a mental breakdown because I have put too much on my plate, I am overwhelmed, and I am alone kicking myself for not simply saying, "yes, thank you, that would be great" to those amazing friends who wouldn't offer to help if they didn't want to in the first place. Why do we make it so hard on ourselves?

I did not come to this realization that I could use a helping hand overnight. When I first had kids, I was particularly bad about accepting help from my friends. Maybe I thought that I was failing as a mom if people helped me because I was supposed to be able to handle these kids myself. Maybe it was because I felt like I couldn't offer the same help in return at that point in time. Maybe it was my pride getting the best of me. Maybe I was just too exhausted to even think about letting someone help me because I was stuck in my own head space with a newborn and another child who could barely walk or talk and a husband who worked insane hours. Maybe it's because the only people I thought it was appropriate to ask for help were members of my family who lived at least 6 hours away at the time...much further a couple of years later.

A wise friend in Nashville showed me that it was okay to ask for help and that she wanted NOTHING in return. No, seriously, nothing. She showed up when I needed her without asking. She watched my children. She made my children's birthday parties amazing. She showed up with wine. She showed up with meals that she cooked in her crock pot in her 2nd grade classroom. She embroidered Easter baskets. She met me for walks. She drove me to the airport. She helped me move. She just SHOWED UP. I learned that sometimes you don't need to ask someone if you can help them, you just need to simply show up. Whether it's a phone call, a visit, a meal, a bottle of wine, a night out...just show up. The other thing I learned from my friendship with her is that I can never repay some of the things that she did for me. We moved when our boys were 10 months and 2 years old. I wasn't living in Nashville when my friend had her second child or when her children started preschool or when she redid her house or when she moved or when she...the list goes on and on. I felt guilty about this for a while after I moved to Scottsdale, but then I realized that I what I COULD do was pay it forward. What a concept, huh? I know, it's not rocket science, but it took me a little longer than most to recognize that this was the path to take in repaying my friend for her above-and-beyond friendship.

So, that's what I have tried to do since leaving Nashville nearly four years ago. I'm trying to be more graceful in giving and receiving help. I have swallowed my pride and opened my heart and my life for all to see. I have exchanged days of feeling alone, like I was the only one going through what I was going through, to days filled with telling my stories, listening to my friends, commiserating with fellow mamas of small children, rejoicing in the small accomplishments of the day (like only having to mop once during the day or avoiding a big pink tardy slip in the mornings). It's so much easier to just admit that I can't do it all and that I'm not perfect (don't be shocked!). Being honest with myself and with my friends has really made the days so much easier. As the saying goes, the days are long but the years are short...it's up to us to help make those long days a little easier for ourselves and for each other.

So, the next time I (and when I say "I," I mean I, but I also mean any friend) offer to take your kiddos, to bring you dinner, to drop by the grocery store, to take you out for a glass of wine, to drive you to the airport, to pick up your kids from school, please say YES!. And if you need anything, ASK! I promise I'll say no if I can't help you...but I will do anything I can. Nothing brings me greater joy that making someone's day a little easier. We can all use that, right?

That's the whole reason I started this blog...to make other people's days just a little easier. So thank you for using the recipes and reading the stories that go along with them so that in this small way you are blessing me by saying YES! to me :)

Happy Cooking!