Fiery Football Feast!

Being a wife of an avid football fan (go Cowboys!), we like having what we call football food, good food easy to eat while watching the game. Our favorite appetizer is  Jalapeno poppers. The poppers recipe is an easy one to make and isn't deep fried its baked which makes it a bit healthier.

Ingredients:

4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature      

1/2 cup grated sharp cheddar

6 large jalapenos, halved and seeded      

Coarse salt and ground pepper

      

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a small bowl, mix together cream cheese and cheddar. Season with salt and pepper. With a small spoon, fill each jalapeno half with about 1 tablespoon cheese mixture. Place peppers on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake until cheese is browned and bubbling, about 10 minutes, rotating sheet halfway through.

They come out delicious every time I make them and are always a huge hit with everyone and go fast so make plenty!



Our favorite football Sunday dinner is Chili and you cant have chili without cornbread, bacon cornbread that is! My husband and I have searched and made many recipes, we like having chunks of meat in our chili not ground beef and have tried to find recipes with lots of flavors and not too basic. After searching the recipes we have created our own, what I think is one of the best, Chili recipe.

 

Fry up the bacon

Make the spice paste

season the chuck roast

 

brown the roast

sauté the onions

 

add garlic and peppers

add paste tomatoes water lime juice and sugar

add Louisiana hot sauce like franks

 

 

 

Monday's Chili

 

 Ingredients:
2 Tbsp. red chili powder
1 tsp. chipotle chili powder
1 tbsp. ground cumin
2 tsp. ground oregano
1 tsp. thyme
1/2 tsp. ground coriander seeds
3-4 tbsp. of water
4 strips of bacon
2 tbsp. of butter
2 1/2 lb. chuck roast
salt, pepper and paprika
1 medium white onion, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 jalapeno peppers, stems removed seeded and ribs removed, minced
2 chipotles in adobo, roughly chopped, plus a tbsp. of adobo sauce
1 14 oz. can of whole tomatoes, drained
1 28 oz. can of crushed tomatoes
2 1/2 cups water
1 tbsp. lime juice
1 tsp. sugar
1 28 oz. can of red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
3 tbsp. of hot sauce, like Franks
1 tsp. cornstarch, dissolved in a couple tbsp. water
 cheddar cheese, grated for a garnish

Directions:
In a small bowl mix the chili powder, chipotle chili powder, cumin, oregano, thyme, and ground coriander seeds. Mix in water to form a paste, set aside. In a Dutch oven or large pot fry up the bacon on medium heat, until crisp. Remove from pan and set aside to cool on a paper towel when cool crumble. Reserve bacon fat for later. Sprinkle the chuck roast with salt, pepper and paprika. Increase the heat to the pot and add the butter. When butter has melted brown the chuck roast on all sides 5-10 min, it does not have to cook through. When done browning remove from pan and set aside to cool, when cool cut into bite size chunks. Add a tbsp. of reserved bacon fat to the pot, add chopped onions and sauté till soft, about 5 min. Add garlic and jalapenos, cook until fragrant, about 1 min. Add roughly chopped chipotles and the tbsp. of adobo sauce, cook another minute. Add the spice paste and cook for another 2-3 mins. Add beef, bacon, both cans of tomatoes, water, lime juice and sugar. Cook on medium heat until it simmers, then reduce to low. Cover and cook for 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally. Uncover and cook for another 30 min, maintain a simmer. Mix corn starch into water, then add to chili to thicken it. Gently add the kidney beans and the hot sauce, cook for another 15 min, then serve. Adding cheese is optional its great either way!

Makes about 12 servings.



We have tried several different ways of making chili this is our final product, we feel its the best. Its hearty and not too spicy, the perfect chili (if I do say so myself)! We also like to make regular and sweet potato fries they both taste fantastic with chili on top.

And what is chili with out some yummy bacon cornbread in a cast iron skillet.

Ingredients:

4 strips of bacon

1 1/4 cups coarsely ground cornmeal

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon kosher salt

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/3 cup whole milk

1 cup buttermilk

2 eggs, lightly beaten

8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F and place a 9-inch cast iron skillet inside to heat while you make the batter. Fry up the bacon until crispy, set aside to cool the crumble. In a large bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Whisk in the milk, buttermilk, and eggs. Whisk in almost all of the melted butter, reserving about 1 tablespoon for the skillet later on. Whisk in crumbled bacon. Carefully remove the hot skillet from the oven. Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees F. Coat the bottom and sides of the hot skillet with the remaining butter. Pour the batter into the skillet and place it in the center of the oven. Bake until the center is firm and a cake tester or toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. I like my corn bread on the sweeter side so I sprinkled the top with some sugar and a tbsp. of melted butter and cooked another 5 minutes. Allow to cool for 10 to 15 minutes and serve

I hope you get to try these recipes and enjoy them. Let me know how they turn out, or if you have any questions.

Oktoberfest!

Its October, time to celebrate hoodies, football and hearty foods! To kick off October I made a great Oktoberfest Lager Stew, for my family and brother-in-law. My husband and his brother both aren't fans of cabbage however, they did enjoy this stew. Its hearty and delicious and goes great with a crusty bread and for those of you who enjoy it a cold beer. My kids weren't fans of it but the recipe made enough for 4 so it was the perfect amount for the adults to enjoy.

 

 

 

 

(the finished product sorry it was too good to wait to take a pic)

Oktoberfest Lager Stew with Sausage, Potatoes, Caramelized Onions and Golden Cabbage(Serves about 4)

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 (14 ounce) package beef smoked sausage, cut into bite-size slices
1 ½ onion, sliced into thin semi-circles
½ head small cabbage, halved again, cored and thinly sliced
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon ground caraway seeds
• Pinch salt
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1cup German-style lager beer (Oktoberfest variety)
2 russet potatoes, peeled and cubed to bite-size pieces
2 ½ cups hot chicken stock
1 ½ tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon flat-leaf parsley, chopped

           

Directions:

Place a medium-large pot over medium-high heat, and add the olive oil; once the oil is hot, add in the sliced beef smoked sausage, and allow the slices to caramelize and brown in the oil, for about 4-5 minutes; once the sausage is browned, add in the sliced onions, stir, and allow the onions to caramelize with the sausage for another few minutes, until golden-brown and softened; once onions are caramelized, add in the sliced cabbage, stir to combine, and allow the cabbage to soften and take on the flavors of the sausage and onions for  few minutes; once the cabbage is softened and golden, add in the black pepper, ground caraway seeds and the pinch of salt, and stir to combine; next, stir in the garlic, and once it becomes aromatic, add in the cup of lager, and stir the mixture to combine; allow the beer to slightly reduce for about 3 minutes or so; next, add in the cubed potatoes and the hot chicken stock, stir, and allow the mixture to come to the boil; once it comes to the boil, place a lid on (slightly askew to allow just a little steam to escape), and reduce the heat to low to gently simmer the stew for about 40 minutes; after the 40 minutes, turn the heat off, and finish the stew by stirring in the apple cider vinegar and the chopped parsley (add more salt if necessary, too).Serve in large bowls with some hearty, rye bread or rustic rolls with butter or cream cheese.

 

Very easy to make, and great eats for watching some football!

 

 

 

An Apple a Day...

A favorite activity for my family to do during the fall months is apple picking! It's a great way to spend some time outdoors, my kids love that they can pick something that they can eat as well as pull a cute wagon to carry all the apples in.

(my cute family apple picking)

 

We don't usually go so early in the season but that particular Saturday was suppose to be a nice cool day, perfect for apple picking. We tried to go apple picking at the farm we like to visit however, they were not ready for anyone to pick apples yet. Luckily up the street from them there was a farm all ready for us called Strawberry Hill Farm. The owner let my kids feed their chickens and let us know where all the apples were and which were ready for picking, we had a nice time.

Since we picked so many apples I searched Pinterest to see if I could find any good sounding apple recipes, I came across two. The first one was Crock Pot Apple Butter, I wasn't feeling well but still wanted to make something with the apples and I figured something using a crock pot would make things easier! The recipe is simple and the finished product is great.

Ingredients:

12  apples
3/4 cup water
1/2 tsp all spice
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup light brown sugar

Directions:

Core, peel and cut apples into small chunks. (They break down faster the smaller you cut the chunks.) Mix in all the spices, sugar and water. Cook on low in your crock pot, I checked on mine and stirred it a few times throughout the day. Once it's broken down and pretty mushy I broke out my immersion blender and blended it till it was smooth. Place into jars for storage and let cool.

The apple butter was tasty, I could eat it on its own. I did put it on a bagel with cream cheese as well as warm biscuits. My family loves it as well, my daughter wanted to eat it on its own too!

The second recipe I found was Caramel Apple Crisps for Two. My husband and I wanted a nice quick treat after dinner and this was perfect. It was super easy to make and man was it good!

Ingredients: 2 medium apples, peeled and sliced
2 tablespoon all-purpose flour
4 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoon butter
4 tablespoons quick-cooking oats
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 to 2 heaping tablespoons Caramel Topping
Cream or Ice Cream (optional)

Directions:

Place apple slices in two small, greased ramekins.  Spoon Butterscotch Caramel topping over the apples.  In a bowl, combine flour and brown sugar; cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add oats and cinnamon.  Sprinkle over apple slices and caramel.

Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 35-40 minutes or until tender. Serve with cream or ice cream if desired.

I definitely recommend this for a nice treat, it was easy to make, didn't take a lot of dishes, took no time to cook and was delicious. I do want to try this again with vanilla ice cream, I'm sure it will taste fantastic.

Baby Bubble Quilt

I'm very new at sewing, I've done a few projects but I chose easier ones since I just started using and getting to know my sewing machine. I have never quilted but have wanted to because quilts can be so pretty and also can be great gifts.

My brother-in-law just recently had a sweet baby girl and I wanted to make something special for her so I decided to try a quilt, not just any quilt, a bubble quilt. With a bubble quilt not only could they possibly use it as a blanket but they could also use it as a soft cushioned place the baby could lay, play or sit.

I found a pattern from a woman named Skylar's website, http://www.awaitingada.com/2012/06/bubble-quilt.html. The directions are easy to follow and she had some video tutorials to help along the way so I figured it would be easy! It wasn't as easy as I thought it was going to be, after you sew a smaller square to a larger one then stuff it and do six of them then you sew the bubbles together. When sewing the bubbles together it can get a little tricky, the bubbles are fluffy and when sewing two together you have to mash them together to get them to sew together properly. After you sew the six squares together and have your row you sew the rows together, they too can be difficult again because of how fluffy the bubbles are.

The fabric I chose and its layout.

 

Some of the rows after being sewn together.

I had to get the quilt done in a week and miraculously I did!  However, I did cut a corner and bought a ruffle instead of making my own. The ruffle was also smaller then the one the pattern called for, mine was two inches, which I think was better because the ruffle seemed to big on the pattern's picture. I bought a soft minky fabric for the back and sewed the ruffle and the minky to the bubbles, wrong side out leaving an opening then inside it out, which was also a workout, and hand sewn the rest.

Here is my final product:

Here's a link where I got my fabric from, they are currently out of stock of this fabric but it is really nice: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0096T5GVO/ref=oh_details_o03_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I was pleased with how it turned out, and if I do ever plan on making something like this again I will give my self more than a week. I ended up breaking 3 needles because I hit pins accidentally so I had to make a run to the store to buy new ones, also like I said I am very new to sewing and had other complications that were frustrating and exhausting. I would recommend giving yourself some time to make it even if you are experienced rushing through a project isn't always the best idea, luckily it turned out ok for me. I think that my next quilt will be a regular one to see if I can do them, hopefully it will be a little easier.

Anyone that is good at sewing and using their machines any tips or trick would be greatly appreciated! Or if you have an easy quilting pattern you would recommend I would love to hear about it.

Crockpot cooking

I'm not a huge fan of crock pot cooking mainly because I haven't found many recipes I like, using the crock pot. I do not like to use cream of anything soup, my husband hates them and I'd rather use fresh ingredients, and a lot of the crock pot recipes use these soups. I still attempt recipes because I like the idea of not having to fuss too much over dinner.

I just recently tried Crock Pot Balsamic Chicken, it didn't use any soups and sounded tasty! It did come out really good, I accidentally over cooked mine due to a last minute errand I had to run, but it still tasted pretty good. It reminded us slightly of barbecue, it has a lot of great flavor and wasn't bland, like most of crockpot recipes I find.

Ingredients

 1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon dried basil

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

2 teaspoons dried minced onion

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs...I use breasts

Sprinkle of fresh chopped parsley

 

Directions

 Combine the first five dry spices in a small bowl and spread over chicken on both sides. Set aside. Pour olive oil and garlic on the bottom of the crock pot. Place chicken on top. Pour balsamic vinegar over the chicken. Cover and cook on high for 4 hours. Sprinkle with fresh parsley on top to serve
http://providenceltddesign.com/home/sunday-supperbalsamic-chicken-in-the-crock-pot

My chicken was frozen, but it still cooked as long as recommended. I also didn't have minced onion I had onion powder which still worked. I do want to attempt this recipe again and try it when its not over cooked(oops).

I have been in search of a new side to my meals, I'm bored with rice and potatoes in one form or another. One of my sides with the chicken was Amish noodles. They were ok, my kids liked them, I  was disappointed with how they came out, I feel they were a little dry, in fact I had to add more chicken broth because some of my noodles did not cook through.

Ingredients
2 tablespoons butter

1 chicken bouillon cube

2 (14 ounce) cans chicken broth

12 ounces egg noodles

 

Directions

In a large pan, brown the butter.

Add broth and bouillon cube, bring to a boil. Add noodles, bring to a second boil, cover and turn off heat. (leave pot on the same burner). Let stand 30 minutes, stirring 2 or 3 times

http://www.food.com/recipe/amish-noodles-223730

 

I followed the directions completely but like I said my noodles didn't cook so I had to add another cup of broth. I found them bland and dry, the picture on the site makes them look yummy fluffy and moist(the reason I tried them) but it didn't turn out that way. I don't think I'll be attempting them again.

 

If anyone has tried these recipes I would love to hear how they came out for you, or if you had to change anything as well that maybe helped with the flavor let me know, I'd love some feed back!

Deodorize your mattress

I have come to find out that some of the best cleaning products out there are most likely something you already have at home, vinegar and baking soda! The vinegar deodorizes and sanitizes, the baking soda also deodorizes but is an abrasive that really gets things clean.

My son is a bed wetter unfortunately, we do use the overnight diapers but occasionally run out. When he does wet the bed it stinks and can stink up his bed room as well. Another great pin I have come across is how to get the stink out, http://www.howtocleanthings.com/bedandbath/how-to-clean-mattress.htm. What you do is put white vinegar into a spray bottle and spray the mattress until wet then sprinkle the baking soda over it and let it fizz. Allow the baking soda and vinegar sit till it all dries, it will strongly smell of vinegar but don't worry it fades quickly. After its all dried get your vacuum and vacuum the mattress, it's that simple!

It has worked for me every time I've done it, like I said my son is a bed wetter so I use this method often. It is great too because there is no harsh chemicals that can affect my son.

Ready for the Fall

So I have been so over summer and am excited for the fall weather to come. I love the fall the hearty food, the beautiful trees, apple and pumpkin picking, and sweaters! I really can't wait for the hearty food, so recently we had some unseasonably cooler weather here and I figured I would take advantage of it and make something hearty, to hold me over till fall.

I decided to make a Steak and Mushroom Pot Pie, a recipe I found on Pinterest.

Makes 4-6 pot pies
1.5kg (3.31 pounds) stewing beef (I used chuck steak cut into chunks, bone removed)
1 large onion, diced
3 carrots, diced
2 celery sticks, diced
250g (8.82 ounces) mushrooms, sliced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tsp. smoked paprika
1 tsp. each dried thyme, dried rosemary and dried oregano (I like the earthiness of the dried herbs)
2 bay leaves
500ml (16.91 fluid ounces) (2 cups) strong beef stock (alternatively add a heaped tbsp. Bovril to 500ml (16.91 fluid ounces) water)
1 tbsp. cornstarch mixed with 50ml (1.69 fluid ounces) milk
salt & pepper to taste
1 roll ready-made puff pastry, rolled out slightly
1 egg, beaten

• For the filling, brown the beef in a large pot. Remove and set aside.
• In the same pot, fry the onion, carrots and celery sticks until soft and fragrant (about 10 minutes).
• Add the mushrooms and garlic and fry for 5 minutes before adding the paprika and herbs.
• Pour in the stock and add the browned beef back into the pot. Stir to combine everything and reduce the heat. Cover the pot and allow the stew to simmer gently for 1 1/2 – 2 hours.
• When the meat is really tender (when you press a piece with a spoon it should break apart), turn the heat up and pour in the cornstarch mixture. Allow the sauce to simmer rapidly and thicken for about 10 minutes.
• Pre-heat the oven to 350.
• Divide the beef and mushroom filling between 4-6 oven-proof dishes (depending on size).
• Cut the pastry into squares big enough to cover the dishes, it doesn’t have to be perfect. Brush the rim of the dishes with some of the beaten egg then place the pastry on top and pinch the pastry onto the rim.
• Cut 2 slits into each pie to allow the steam to escape and brush with the rest of the beaten egg.
• Place in the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes until the pastry is cooked through and golden brown.
• Remove and serve with vegetables of your choice.

Here's the link to the actual recipe: http://simply-delicious.co.za/2011/08/01/steak-mushroom-pot-pies/.

It came out pretty good, one thing I did that it didn't say in the directions was salted and peppered the beef before browning. When it was done cooking on the stove I did a taste test and it needed more salt and pepper so I added that before putting into the individual dishes. Also for my crust I used crescent dough, they now make it in sheets, they were a great topping for the pot pies the crescents have a slight sweetness to it that made it even better. My children enjoyed this meal as well especially getting their own little dish to eat out of.  This definitely was hearty and satisfied my craving, I will be making it again come fall.