Chicken Piccata

This was really easy and really yummy! You do have to watch the butter to make sure it doesn't get too brown, but otherwise the recipe is pretty straight forward. I served this over angel hair pasta with a salad for the adults and lima beans for the kids. The kids shied away from the capers, but other than that, it was a hit!





Ingredients:
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, butterflied then cut in half
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
All-purpose flour
6 T unsalted butter
5 T extra-virgin olive oil
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup chicken stock
1/4 cup capers
1/3 cup fresh parsley, chopped

Method:
Complete recipe found on foodnetwork.com, HERE.

Happy Cooking!

Lamb Tagine with Squash and Chickpeas

This was a time consuming dish, but well worth the effort for a special meal. The kids tried it but opted for turkey sandwiches :). I served the lamb two ways: over stone ground grits and over Israeli couscous. You could also serve it over rice, quinoa, regular couscous, or polenta. I used a crockpot liner rather than parchment paper to keep the lamb from drying out, and it worked perfectly. Also, coriander = cilantro for this recipe. I used lamb shanks rather than the cut that the recipe calls for (because that's what my grocery store had), and I left the lamb on the bone until we were ready to eat. The meat literally fell off of the bone. Save this for a cold, rainy weekend day when you can enjoy the smell of the lamb cooking and enjoy a warm hearty meal for dinner.

Ingredients:
4 oz coriander leaves, plus 2 T roughly chopped
6 cloves garlic, peeled
2 in piece of ginger, peeled
1 small red onion, peeled and roughly chopped
1/2 t ground cumin
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
3 T extra virgin olive oil
Coarse sea salt
2 1/4 lbs boneless lamb top round cut into 2 in pieces
Pinch of saffron
18 oz chicken stock
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 1/2 lb butternut squashed but into 2 in pieces
1 small preserved lemon, finely chopped

Method:
Complete recipe found in Gwyneth Paltrow's It's All Good cookbook. Recipe is also found on hellomagazine.com, HERE.

Happy Cooking!

Roasted Chicken with Harissa, Preserved Lemons & Green Olives

This method is my favorite to use when roasting a chicken. It gets the skin super crispy and the meat juicy and delicious. You can use any sort of rub on the chicken that you like...herbs & olives oil or butter or just plain salt & pepper. If you like something with a kick, try the harissa. It's similar to a chili paste, and it's really yummy. I love adding the honey to mine at the end to give it just a hint of sweetness. If you don't like olives or lemons, you could leave that part off, but I would suggest at least trying it because it's an absolutely delicious combination with the heat of the harissa. Don't let roasting a chicken scare you...you can do it, I promise!!! I served this with mashed potatoes & lima beans as I was feeding it to my children, but you could serve it with quinoa or couscous, and it would be really delicious.

This recipe is inspired by Gwyneth Paltrow's Two-Pan Chicken in her cookbook It's All Good and method inspired by Anne Burrell's found HERE.)

Ingredients:
1 whole chicken
1/4 cup harissa paste (ordered off of Amazon)
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup chopped olives
1/4 cup preserved lemons in olive oil (ordered off of Amazon)
salt
pepper
honey (optional)

Method:
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Combine harissa paste & olive oil  and a large pinch of salt & pepper in a small bowl. Rub harissa mixture under the skin of the chicken and then all over. Place chicken in a roasting pan and roast for 15 minutes. Lower the heat to 375 degrees and continue cooking for 15 more minutes. Flip the chicken over and roast for 15 more minutes. Flip the chicken one last time and roast for 15 minutes. (Total cook time is 1 hour, and your chicken will end up the way that you started cooking it.) Chicken is done when the internal temperature is between 160 and 170 degrees. Check this by placing a kitchen thermometer between the leg and the thigh without touching the bone.

While chicken is roasting, combine the olives, preserved lemons, olive oil, and a pinch of salt & pepper in a small bowl.

Let chicken rest for 10 minutes before carving. Serve chicken with olive mixture and honey (optional if you want a sweet taste to cut the harissa).

Happy Cooking!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Pots

This dessert was super easy and a little fancier than your run of the mill chocolate chip cookies. I made the mistake of adding all of my ingredients to the hot melted butter, and my chocolate chips totally melted. I should've known better, but I didn't have time for a re-do. They were still really yummy, but I'm sure they would have been better had I taken the time to let the butter cool a bit before adding the other ingredients. Also, maybe my ramekins were bigger than the ones that she used, but it took about 3 times the baking time for mine to be done enough for my family. (PS 180 degrees Celsius is about equivalent to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.) Don't get me wrong, I LOVE ooey gooey cookies, but they were too gooey even for me; so if you try this, you may want to allow for a little more time in case you want the cookie pots a little more done. Serve with your favorite ice cream on top. YUM!

 Recipe from butterbaking.com

Ingredients:
1/2 cup unsalted butter
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 cups plain flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Method:
Complete recipe found on Butter Baking's blog, HERE.

Happy Cooking!

Lobster Club Salad

I totally cheated and bought frozen, pre-cooked lobster tails. The brand I used was Pier 33, and they were REALLY good. I used duck bacon as the recipe suggests, and it was delicious. I had never tried duck bacon before, but it tastes very similar to pork bacon but doesn't get quite as crispy. I found all of the ingredients for this salad at the regular grocery store which I couldn't believe! This is definitely more of a summer salad, but it was special and worthy of a fancy occasion, so I decided to try it for our New Year's Eve's first course. It was perfect!

Adaptation of Gwyneth Paltrow's recipe:

Ingredients:
8 slices duck bacon
2 hearts romaine lettuce
1 avocado, pitted and sliced
2 cups cooked lobster meat, chopped
1 cup small grape tomatoes, halved
Vinaigrette:
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp maple syrup
2 T white wine vinegar
1/4 cup plus 2T extra-virgin olive oil
2 T finely chopped chives
Salt & pepper

Method:
Recipe found on babble.com, HERE.

Happy Cooking!

Butternut Squash Tortellini with Brown Butter Sauce

Oh my word.  I am not kidding when I tell you that this may be the most delicious thing that I've ever made.  It took some effort stuffing each individual wonton wrapper, but we have tons left over in the freezer for a meal that will come together in 4 minutes in the future.  What a wonderful entertaining meal for the fall/holidays.  The cranberries and walnut brown butter makes it extra special, but these ravioli/tortellini are decadently delicious all on their own.

Ingredients:

Squash Tortellini:
1 butternut squash, cubed (about 3 cups)
2 T extra-virgin olives oil, plus 2 T
1 1/2 tsp herbs de Provence
1/2 tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
2 large shallots, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 cup whole milk ricotta cheese
4 small amaretti cookies, crushed
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1 package small wonton wrappers

Brown Butter Sauce:
3/4 cup butter
2 T torn fresh sage leaves
1/2 cup toasted walnuts, chopped
1/2 cup dried cranberries or chopped dried cherries or a mixture of both
1/4 tsp kosher salt plus more to taste
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Method:
Complete recipe from Giada de Laurentiis found on foodnetwork.com, HERE.

Happy New Year, and Happy Cooking!

Cinnamon Rolls

I have made The Pioneer Woman's Cinnamon Rolls & her Blueberry Lemon Rolls. Both are SO good! My boys told me that "we should have these for breakfast EVERY day!."The great thing about this recipe is that the dough is cut in half at the end, and you can save the other half for any kind of rolls...breakfast or dinner rolls! My only tip is to make sure that you flour the surface that you are rolling the dough on REALLY well so that the dough doesn't stick when you are rolling up the rolls. This may or may not have happened to me, and I may or may not have turned my rolls into a breakfast casserole. Don't worry, if that happens, the rolls will still taste delicious! These are SO much better than store bought rolls, and they really aren't that difficult...they just take some prep time. Also, this recipe makes about three pans of cinnamon rolls, so make a batch and share some with a neighbor. It's the holidays...try them!

Ingredients:

Cinnamon Rolls:
1 quart whole milk
1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup sugar
2 pkgs active dry yeast (0.25 oz packets)
8 cups plus 1 extra reserved all purpose flour
1 heaping tsp baking powder
1 scant tsp baking soda
1 heaping T salt
Melted butter
2 cups sugar
Cinnamon to sprinkle

Maple Frosting:
1 bag powdered sugar
2 tsp maple flavoring
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup melted butter
1/4 cup brewed coffee
1/8 tsp salt

Method:
Complete recipe from The Pioneer Woman found HERE.

Happy Cooking!

Christmas Cracker Candy

NOTES: Many of you have asked for my recipe for Christmas Cracker Candy. Some people call it Saltine Cracker Candy or Toffee Bark or Holiday Bark or Reindeer Bark. Whatever you call it, you'll call it deliciously addictive. This recipe is slightly different from mine, but it will work just the same. You may need to adjust the number of saltine crackers depending on what brand you're using. You want your entire pan to be covered, but you don't want the crackers to overlap. Here are some pictures that might be of some help.(recipe from tasteofhome.com)


Ingredients:
Aluminum foil
Cooking spray
40ish saltine crackers (use the real saltines not store brand)
2 sticks butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups toffee bits (Bits O' Brackle)

Method:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Line jelly roll pan (which is 15"x10")with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray.Line foil with one layer of saltine crackers, which should be 40...if you are using a different size cooking sheet, just make sure there is one layer and the crackers go almost to the edges...you may need to break some in half.

Meanwhile, melt butter over medium high heat in medium sauce pan. Add brown sugar and bring to a boil. Stir often, and boil for 3-5 minutes or until the mixture becomes foamy and slightly pulls away from the sides.

Pour butter & sugar mixture over saltine crackers and spread evenly. Pop the pan of crackers in the oven and bake for 5 minutes.

Remove from oven, pour chocolate chips over top and as they start to melt, spread evenly with spatula.

Sprinkle toffee bits evenly over top and press in with your hands.

Refrigerate for several hours until hardened.

Break candy apart and store in airtight container.

Happy Cooking!

PS...here are some pictures that may help.

Reflections on Thanksgiving...Just In Time For Christmas

photo cred to David Byars

Ahhhh, the holidays! What joyous and crazy times. The last post I wrote was pre-Thanksgiving, and we have been going non-stop since then. I just finished all of my holiday baking to take home to Augusta for Christmas...Sweet Potato & Rosemary Soup for lunches, The Pioneer Woman's Cinnamon Rolls, Kappa Muffins & Pumpkin Bread for breakfasts, and Twice Baked Potatoes for Christmas Eve...I had such a blast this morning in the kitchen! I am in pretty good shape this holiday season, which is honestly a first. I have two more gifts to purchase, some wrapping to do, some goodies to deliver, but all in all, I am feeling pretty calm. Let's return, however, to the last time I was feeling at peace about a holiday: Thanksgiving!

photo cred to Erin Bonsall

Our Thanksgiving was delightful. My brother and I got up early and did the Turkey Strut in the rain with some friends. It was cold and wet the whole time, but it was SO much fun. We contemplated not running, but we were both really happy we made the decision to brave the elements. We came home to everyone getting showered and ready for Thanksgiving dinner rather than scurrying around cooking, making last minute trips to the store, going on a hunt for more peanut oil...the usual hecticness my family experiences on Thanksgiving morn.

We all left the house for dinner a little after eleven and showed up to a beautiful table right next to a roaring fire out on the patio. The Thanksgiving dinner spread was incredible. They had all the traditional Thanksgiving fare such as turkey, cornbread dressing, oyster dressing, cranberry sauce, green bean casserole, rolls, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, and tons of desserts. They also had pork tenderloin, halibut, beef tenderloin, a variety of salads, and a seafood station with steamed shrimp and crab claws. Oh, and they had an entire kids buffet with chicken nuggets, carrots, fruit, and macaroni and cheese. Don't think that some of the adults weren't trying to steal the macaroni...I may have been one of them!

We all got our plates...eh hem...we all got our first course plates and ordered a couple of bottles of wine. We continued with our second and third courses during which all plates were swiftly cleared, our wine was refreshed, and our children actually ATE their Thanksgiving meals. An hour and a half later...yep, you read that correctly...we have never lasted more than forty-five minutes in a restauarant with our crew...an hour and a half later, we all waddled to the cars and headed home for nap time. I mean, let's be honest, getting dressed up and eating dinner is truly exhausting ;)!

Earlier that morning, I had put some Chicken & Black Bean Soup in the crockpot, so everyone was able to eat at their leisure that evening between happy hour, football, and playing with the children. We played a hilarious game of pictionary that night and all went to bed with our bellies and our hearts full.

The next day, the bliss continued as everyone ate their breakfast by the fire and enjoyed the coffee bar that was set up in the living room, Hampton Inn style. We actually ENJOYED a morning of Black Friday shopping. Y'all, the traffic wasn't even bad!!! We went and played some paddle tennis and soaked in the beautiful sunshine. We got our tree and decorated the house. The only things missing were my sister and her family; otherwise, the weekend was perfect...until it wasn't.

Christmas Elves hard at work

After we had finished decking our halls, Meme (my mama) went to grab the baby when she woke up from her nap. I heard a very calm but loud, "Amy, I need you." Well, the you know what had literally hit the fan. The baby had been a little cranky and not eating well, but we thought that maybe her stomach was just upset...oh if that had only been the case...the stomach bug was upon us, and it was just a matter of time until it came for its next victim.

DISCLAIMER: Take this timeframe with a grain of salt. It has taken me this long to be able to write and relive everything, and I honestly can't remember exactly when and how everything hit.




I will spare you the details, but let's just say that the next couple of days were less than blissful. I got hit at a less than opportune time when there was really nowhere but woods to answer nature's call, my husband was hit later that night, and we were basically tapping in and out the entire next day. Thankfully my brother was still here and had been spared the bug (or he brought it with him...details, details). Duncle David literally took over all parenting duties and saved us. I scurried my parents out of here faster than my mom could finish her cup of coffee. My grandmother didn't even get to say goodbye because we made them high tail it out of here and back to Augusta...where they were hit a day later.

We thought that we were in the clear by Monday morning. The boys remained symptom free, and it had been 36 hours since our last incident. We had made it through, and my brother and I had a morning o' fun planned for his last full day in town. Welp, that was not in the cards. We had gotten my oldest off to school, and we were all upstairs getting the two littles dressed. All of a sudden, we hear a CRASH! We knew immediately what it was...the Christmas tree. My brother and husband had spent the day before perfecting the lights on the tree, and I mustered enough energy to help the boys decorate it...and it all came down in a flash.

photo cred to David Byars

our first house in Nashville was spared

the damage

So, my brother and I got the kids to school and came home to ressurect the tree. We literally spent TWO HOURS taking ornaments and lights off, cleaning up glass, making sure the tree was PERFECTLY straight and secure, re-lighting the tree, and placing the unbroken ornaments in their special spots. I posted a picture of the wreckage, and so many people were so kind with their "oh nos!" and "I am sitting here crying for yous!"...honestly, I was so happy to be over the stomach flu that it didn't even occur to me to cry...any other day and I probably would've been a heap on the floor...silver linings?

After we patted ourselves on the back, we decided that we'd go hit some tennis balls to get some energy and frustration out before we picked up the kids. It was awesome...my bro was on fire! We got everyone home and settled and were just waiting on my oldest to arrive on the bus, when suddenly my phone rang. It was his school. My poor little guy had gotten on the bus and thrown up :( He made it through the entire day without anything happening and got onto the bus and just couldn't help himself. I raced to school to pick him up feeling like the worst mama in the world for sending him to school and for exposing his classmates to the gift that keeps on giving. It was awful. He was so upset. That's when I just wanted to cry. We got home and to add insult to injury, he realized that he was going to miss his first basketball practice that night. He was beside himself...those of you who know my child know that I am not exaggerating not even a little bit when I say that he was devastated.

I missed a big Christmas party that I was supposed to host the next morning, but it allowed me to take my brother to the airport and to spend the morning snuggling with my first born who never lets me do that. I spent my last morning with my brother disinfecting the entire house rather than spending time doing something fun together...but oh did we laugh! We got to start making Christmas plans and ordering gifts and got to relax a little bit after a few days of crazy. In the end, it was all good. My motto for our family is, "It's nothing major, but it's always something." That proved to be true this Thanksgiving for sure!

tree take 2

Now, I am on to Christmas planning. I am thankful that everyone in my house is well for the moment and that my brother, sister, brother-in-law, and niece will be arriving at my house in a few days and that we will all convene at our parents house in Augusta as we have every single year of our lives.

It's a crazy time of year, but I think it is so important to keep myself from "being crazy" because I never know what's around the corner...it could be an awesome opportunity I don't want to miss out on, it may be coffee with a friend who I haven't seen in too long, it may be a spur of the moment night out with friends to celebrate the holidays, it may be the flu, it may be the stomach bug, it may be strep throat, it may be our heat going out, it may be flights being delayed or worse being cancelled, it may be unexpected news, it may be the gift of time to sit and write. I want to have a calm heart and leave enough margin that none of these things gets missed or sends me over the edge. I'm working on it...stay tuned for the next installment.

In the meatime, have a VERY Merry Christmas, and enjoy some of our holiday favorites linked below:

Cranberry Brie Tartlets
Shepherd's Loaf
Squash Casserole
Taddy's Macaroni & Cheese
Kappa Muffins
Filet Mignon
Nana's Lasagne (or close to it)
Kentucky Derby Pie

Happy Cooking!

Spiced Pumpkin Bread

So many recipes for pumpkin bread, so little time. I have tried many different recipes for pumpkin bread myself, and I keep coming back to this one. It is so moist and yummy. I have some fresh cranberries that I am thinking of throwing in the next batch...has anyone tried that? Make some of this for your holiday breakfasts or as neighbor/teacher gifts. It will be a special treat for any recipient.

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour plus more for greasing the pan
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground nutmeg
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened, plus more for greasing the pan
2 large eggs
1 15-ounce can 100% pure pumpkin

Method:
Complete recipe from Once Upon a Chef found HERE.

Happy Cooking!

Twice Baked Potatoes

No one can beat my mama's mashed potatoes, but these come pretty close. You can adjust the cheeses/butter/salt/pepper to your taste. Add bacon, chives, broccoli, spinach, whatever you're in the mood for! You can make the potatoes and then put them in the fridge before the second baking. If you do that, you may need to adjust your second bake time so that the potatoes are heated through.

Ingredients:
6 large russet baking potatoes
1 8oz bar reduced fat cream cheese (softened)
1 stick unsalted butter (softened)
4oz mascarpone cheese (room temp)
milk as needed
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
shredded cheddar cheese

Method:
Prick all potatoes with a fork (this is to prevent them from exploding all over your oven). Bake potatoes at 350 degrees for about an hour and a half until potatoes are very soft. Cut potatoes in half and scoop out flesh with a large spoon. Add potatoes (not skin), cream cheese, butter, and mascarpone cheese to a large mixing bowl. Beat with an electric mixer for about a minute. Add milk by the tablespoon until you reach desired consistency. I like mine a little stiff, so I usually don't use much milk. Add salt & pepper and mix until combined. Scoop potato mixture back into potato skins and place in a 9x13 baking dish...you may need two depending on the size of your potatoes. Top each potato with about a tablespoon (or more!) of shredded cheese. Put potatoes back into the oven and bake for 15 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Happy Cooking!