Weekly Favorites

This week was Back to School for the girls.  

They both had a great week, but exhausting at the same time.   

Here are this week's favorites:

1. Garden Veggie Straws CHEDDAR CHEESE

We always have these veggie straw chips in our pantry.  The entire family likes them.  This week at the store, I grabbed another bag.  When I got home,  I realized I accidentally grabbed the Cheddar Cheese flavored straws.

(actually, I didn't even know a flavored version of the veggie straws existed)

This accidental purchase turned out to be a pleasant surprise!  The slight cheese flavor is delicious, the whole family agrees.  I'll be buying this flavored bag again!

2. Candy Corn Pumpkins

If we are close friends, then this shouldn't surprise you at all.  There are many reasons I look forward to the Fall season, but the biggest reason is that candy corns hit the shelves in the stores!

Can I get an AMEN!

I grabbed my first bag of the season this week!

So it shouldn't surprise you when you visit me that you will see little jars or bowls in random areas of the house filled with candy corns or pumpkins.

3. Kate's First Football Game as a MAJESTIC

Kate is on the high school dance/drill team.  She is one of 41 dancers.  This week was our season opener and Kate's first time to dance on the field at half time.  They did a great job!  So fun to watch Kate and her team dance and have fun!  We know she is making great memories to hold onto forever!

4. For the Love......by Jen Hatmaker

I've been seeing raving reviews on this book.  It finally came in the mail this week.

The reviews were spot on!  This is one of the best books I've ever read.  I really think it should be required reading for all women, especially those in their 20's-40's.

Quote inside book flap..

"This is the book for every woman who has ever said, "I'm doing a terrible job at everything"  It is an unsparing critique of what this world does to us and a glorious celebration of what life can be with grace."

Have a great week!

Black Forest Dump Cake

I've had my eye on this recipe for awhile.  I used to make dump cakes at the lake house all the time.  They are so easy to make, and hardly involve any prep time.

This week I finally made this Black Forest Dump Cake. 

(photo and recipe courtesy of Lets Dish)

Ingredients

1. 2 (20 oz.) cans cherry pie filling
2. 1 (18.5 oz.) box Devil's Food cake mix
3. 3/4 cup butter, melted
4. 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, optional
5. Vanilla ice cream, for serving

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350° degrees. Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking pan.
2. Dump the cherry pie filling into prepared pan and spread evenly. Sprinkle the unprepared cake mix evenly over the cherry pie filling.
3. Drizzle the melted butter over the cake mix and sprinkle with chocolate chips, if using.
4. Bake for 1 hour (Don't worry if there are a few dry patches in your cake. It won't matter when you scoop it up and top it with ice cream). Spoon warm cake into serving dishes or bowls and top with vanilla ice cream.

This was rich, but delicious.  

Make sure you serve this with vanilla ice cream to help cut the richness in every bite! 

 (my picture isn't near as pretty as the one above)

Cheddar Beer Burgers

This recipe makes 4 burger patties.

1 pound ground beef
1 bottle of beer, I used Samuel Adams
1 onion, chopped
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
Cheddar Cheese, 1 slice per burger
Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)
Salt and Pepper (S&P)
Burger Buns


Preheat your outdoor grill to medium-high or preheat your indoor grill pan.

Combine your ground beef, 1/3 cup of beer, and a liberal pinch of salt and pepper and mix together.  Separate meat mixture into four sections and shape each section into a burger patty.

Grill your burger patties about 6 minutes on each side or until done to your likeness.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet over medium-high heat, saute your chopped onion in a drizzle of EVOO.  Once the onions start to caramelize (about 5 minutes or so), stir in your Dijon mustard and a good splash of beer (like another 1/3 cup or so).  Reduce heat to low and let your onions saute until your burgers are done (just a few minutes).

Top each burger with a slice of cheese about a minute before you pull them off the grill.  Then after you place your burger patty on each bun, top with your yummy onions.

These were amazing!  The onions were fantastic!

 

Pasta Alfredo Chicken Casserole

Tonight we had Italian food for dinner.  We had no activities after school, so it was family night and that included sitting at the table for a home cooked meal...
(side note - I'm thrilled that we worked our schedules this year for Tuesdays and Thursdays to be free, meaning official family nights!)
I'm so glad I found this recipe and tried it.  Pasta with alfredo sauce ..... with a jar of pesto tossed in.
Superb!!!

(photo and recipe courtesy of RecipeCritic)

INGREDIENTS
1 package (16 ounces) penne pasta
2 cups cubed chicken, cooked
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded Italian cheese blend, divided
3 cups fresh baby spinach
1 can (15 ounces) crushed tomatoes
1 jar (8.1 ounces) prepared pesto
Alfredo Sauce:
½ cup butter
1 pint heavy whipping cream (2 cups)
4 ounces cream cheese
½ teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon italian seasoning
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
1 cup grated parmesan cheese

Topping:
¼ cup seasoned bread crumbs
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon olive oil

INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray a 9x13 inch pan with cooking spray and set aside. Cook the pasta in a large pot according to package directions. In a large bowl combine cooked chicken, 1 cup cheese, spinach, and tomatoes.
To make the alfredo sauce: In a medium saucepan add butter, heavy whipping cream, and cream cheese. Cook over medium heat and whisk until melted. Add the jar of pesto. Add the minced garlic, garlic powder, italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Continue to whisk until smooth. Add the grated parmesan cheese. Bring to a simmer and continue to cook for about 3-5 minutes or until it starts to thicken.
Drain the pasta and add alfredo sauce to the large bowl and toss with ingredients to coat. Pour into the prepared 9x13 inch pan. Add remaining cheese to the top of the casserole. In a small bowl, combine the bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese and oil. Sprinkle over casserole.
Cover with foil and bake for 30-40 minutes or until cooked throughout and bubbling on the sides.
* If you are freezing, Cover and freeze one casserole for up to 3 months. Take out the night before to thaw before baking.

This pasta is fantastic!  

I served it with garlic bread and caesar salad 

Weekly Favorites

 I'm changing my post series "6 on Sunday" to "Weekly Favorites"

Obviously, some weeks I'm not going to have 6 favorites from the week. 

Some weeks I may have one.  Others I may have 4, like this week.

So now it's called "Weekly Favorites",  and I will keep this post scheduled for Sundays.

1. DiGiorno Pizza THIN (it's new in the stores)

I rarely make frozen pizza, but I always have one on hand in the freezer for those unexpected afternoons or evenings when I can't get any food prepared but I can start an oven.... Ha!

This week we had one of those afternoons where all I could get done food wise was turn the oven on.

I had this pizza in the freezer, and surprisingly it did NOT disappoint.  In fact, I went back to the store after eating this and bought two more.   Sooo good!

Make sure you buy this exact one....It says NEW on the box and it's the THIN version.

 2. WW Dark Chocolate Raspberry Ice Cream Bars

My girls eat the frozen chocolate covered bananas from Trader Joe's like nobody's business.

When I was at Kroger this week, I spotted these.  I bought these for two reasons:

1. Ashlan loves dark chocolate over any other kind of chocolate

2. Raspberry covered in chocolate would be a fun change for the girls in regards to the bananas covered in chocolate that they eat almost daily.

And now I'm addicted to these!  Super delicious, people! 

3. My Back Patio

This is my sanctuary.  Actually, this is our entire family's sanctuary.  It's not nearly completed as far as furniture, decor, etc.....  But we already love it so much.  This week we had a cold front come through Dallas, and I spent almost every minute outside on this patio.

When we built this house, we had planned to have a large outdoor living space.  I wanted to watch tv out there, read out there, eat meals out there, sit and chat with friends out there, etc...  We have a kitchen out there, a tv, a fireplace, sitting areas, eating tables, bistro tables.....with much more to add.  We added 5 motorized screens to close the patio off completely.  These screens keep the bugs, dirt, mosquito's, wasp's, etc. out of the area.

At some point when this area is complete, I will write a post simply on this area of our home.

It's quickly becoming the outdoor sanctuary we dreamed of having....

This area may be a favorite spot in the entire house.

(Ignore the backyard in the distance.  We have been postponing the backyard landscaping due to the extreme heat....But next week we have decided to begin conquering it.  Pray for no more temperatures above 100 degrees!)

4. Southern Biscuits and Gravy Flavored Chips

Go try these!  You'll be surprised how good they are!

Finally, you nailed a good flavor, Lays!

Have a great week!

Back to School Cookies

What did we do the weekend before school begins?  

We baked Back to School cookies!

We made these in less than 2 hours so they aren't fine tuned by any means.  I mean, come on, look at those irregular circle school bus wheels, or look how sloppy those flag stripes look...

But it's the idea and fun that counts, right!  

Always a fun day in the kitchen when it involves theme cookies.

6 on Sunday

 We had such a fun, busy week!  We had family from Kentucky visit, so really the last thing on my mind was "favorites from the week".  No matter how wonderful anything was/is, nothing can compete with my most favorite from the week...and that was Chris, Laura, and Avery's visit!

With that being said, I can still share a couple things with you..

1. The Egg

We use the Egg a lot!  This week alone we used it twice.  Once for smoking a brisket and sausages.  The second time for smoking two pork belly's and sausages.

The Egg is a favorite.....all the time.

 2. Pet Deodorizer - World Market

I came across this Fido & Co. Pet Deodorizer spray earlier this week in World Market.

I'd never seen it, heard about it, or read about it, but I decided to give it a try anyways.

People, I LOVE it!

Our laundry room doubles as a pet kennel.  Bismark and Bogart sleep in the laundry room every night, so it definitely smells of dog (when it should be smelling of fresh clean clothes)

But this spray smells so good and lingers for quite awhile.

I spray the laundry room with it daily.

3. Time with Family

Chris, Laura and precious Avery flew in from Kentucky to spend time with us this week.  We had such a great time relaxing together, eating together, laughing together, swimming together, etc...

The most fun was being entertained by Miss Avery.  People, she is a DOLL!

 Avery with her great grandparents 

(Brent's parents)

 Avery and Captain (aka Cappy)

 4 Generations

 Avery loves to bake

 And we also got to be with her as she got her very first haircut!

 

We had the best week with family! 

And sweet Avery being a part of our family is the cherry on top!

We love the Kentucky Morgan's!

Pesto Pasta with Chicken

Pesto Pasta with Chicken

I love having different summer salads in the refrigerator all summer to snack on during the days.  I chose this recipe for this week's salad.  I love pesto, so I knew it would be a hit.

Photo and recipe compliments of SpicedBlog.com

• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (I chose the quick route and used a rotisserie chicken)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 16 oz farfalle pasta
• 1 cup basil pesto (homemade or storebought)
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1/4 cup fresh basil, cut into thin strips (i.e. chiffonade)
• Parmesan cheese (optional)

 (skip instructions 1 and 2 if you plan to cut up a rotisserie chicken like I did)

1. Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper.
2. Grill the chicken over medium-high heat for 5-7 minutes per side, or until completely cooked. Transfer chicken to a cutting board and slice into strips.
3. Meanwhile, boil the pasta until al dente according to the package instructions. (Note: I usually cook the pasta for 1-2 minutes less than the package suggests so that the pasta still has some texture.)
4. Rinse and drain pasta and set aside. (Tip: When using pasta for a salad, toss it in a large bowl with a couple Tbsp of milk once it's cooked. The milk helps prevent the pasta from sticking together.)
5. Using a large bowl, mix together the pesto, pasta and chicken. Stir until well combined and place in the refrigerator until chilled.
6. Stir in the cherry tomatoes and fresh basil immediately before serving.
7. Finish with freshly grated Parmesan cheese (optional).

Yum!!

6 on Sunday

I miss my "6 on Sunday" so I'm starting that weekly post back again today.

If you aren't familiar with 6 on Sunday, you can go to the right side of this blog where all my categories are posted and click on Favorites.  Basically, every Sunday I post my 6 favorites from the week.  I've missed doing this, so I'm returning to it.  My favorites from the week always vary between recipes, clothing, blog sites, quotes, books, random items, etc....

So what were my favorites from this week?

1. Dining Room Rug

Call me crazy, but when I find a rug for a room, it feels like I've won the lottery.

The dining room in our last house never had a rug.  Seriously, we lived there for over 7 years and in that time, I could never find one I liked.

But last week, Brent and I were shopping and we came upon this large rug that seemed to match the colors of our artwork in the dining room and the colors also complimented the gold accents in the fabric of the dining chairs.  We brought it home and it worked! 

Seven years in our last house, no dining room rug.

Seven weeks in this house, and I've got a dining room rug.

SCORE!

2. Personalized Whiskey Barrel

I bought this for my husband last Christmas.  It's a whiskey barrel to age a whiskey of your choice.  He kept it stored away in a box with plans to set it up once we moved into the new house.  So here we are, and it's set up now.  He loves it!  Plus, it looks awesome sitting on the bar counter.

He went to the liquor store and bought a bottle of whiskey (not sure what brand but you can use any brand you want)  He cured the barrel, per the instructions (which took about a week).  Then he poured his whiskey in the barrel and let it sit for two weeks, which they recommend.  He finally taste tested the whiskey to see if it aged any more to tell a difference.  It was definitely more smooth and it only gets better week by week.

If you are looking for a neat Christmas gift, look into these.

http://www.deepsouthbarrels.com/

 3. Ground Swell

 I saw a recommendation for this book awhile back and had it on my list to read.  The author is Katie Lee (one of Billy Joel's ex-wives)  It's a book about a young girl falling in love with an older, famous man.  The book is not based on her and Billy Joel's relationship, but I am betting their relationship gave her some insight and ideas for this book....  wink wink

Will the book go down as being a favorite of mine? No.

But was the book a good read? Yes.

Brent sat down to watch Harry Potter with both girls, and I read this entire book in the next room while they watched the movie.  Quick, easy, good read.

4. Master Bedding

I bought new master bedding this week.  For years I've had a darker tone bedding (the ones they sell at Hemispheres - dark, fancy, and heavy fabrics)   I finally decided I wanted something light, fresh, and new.  I searched Pottery Barn, Restoration Hardware, Bed Bath and Beyond, Wayfair, FrontGate...you name it, I looked.  For weeks on end, I looked.  This week I walked into Dillards (not looking for bedding) and stumbled upon a light, fresh, cream/linen color bedding.  It immediately caught my eye.  I asked the sales lady if I could take it home to see what it looked like and she agreed.  I went back the next day and bought everything else to go with it 

(throw pillows, coverlets, shams)  Success.

An unexpected purchase this week, yet one of my favorites of the week.

*Precious Bogart, not included*

 He does approve of the bedding choice, though.

5. Spinach and Kale Greek Yogurt Dip

I do NOT like Kale.  At all.

But when a friend of mine offered me this from Trader Joe's, I reluctantly tried it (to be polite).

I was hooked.  I think I ate half the container (using tortilla chips)

Does that mean I like kale now? No.

Am I happy I reluctantly tried this dip with kale? Indeed!

It will be a staple in my fridge now.

*Job well done, Trader Joe's*

6.  Chesapeake Bay Candle
Ashlan asked to buy this candle this week while we were shopping in Home Goods.  It was a good buy at $5.99 and smelled divine.  The scent is Coconut Water.  When we got home and started to burn it, it smelled even better!  I went back later in the week to see if they had more of this specific scent, but they didn't.  Keep an eye out for me.  This candle is a favorite and I've already burned it more than halfway because I have it lit ALL. THE. TIME.

Majestic Cookies

Kate is on the Majestic Dance Team for her high school.  I have really enjoyed baking for the team.  I seem to get excited about baking when I have a theme I can use...In this case, it's dancers.

40 dance team members means baking and decorating 40 dancers

Then this week, the team needed a sugary treat to reward them for completing their first week of camp.  I opted to do Majestic crown cookies...

Love baking for my dancing girls!