Pumpkin Cake November 23, 2011

This is a delicious cake that’s also fairly easy to make.  The texture is almost like a banana bread in consistency, and doesn’t leave you with that heavy feeling (like I get after eating most desserts), but definitely satisfies your sweet tooth.  It’s also easy to decorate, the part that is usually my downfall when it comes to baking.  I’ve never been able to do the messy-chic decorating when it comes to cakes (they just looked messy), but this one went perfectly!

The original recipe I modified this from called this cake a “torte,” and well, they were just wrong.  When the recipe starts off with “add one box mix of cake,” you have a cake, not a torte.  (steps off soapbox)

Ingredients

• 1 package (15ish ounces) yellow cake mix (I prefer Betty Crocker, look for the label that says pudding in the mix)
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 can (15 ounces) solid-pack pumpkin, divided
• 1/2 cup milk
• 4 eggs
• 1/3 cup canola oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice, divided
• 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
• 1 carton (16 ounces) frozen whipped topping, thawed
• 1/4 cup (approximately) caramel ice cream topping
• 1/3 cup (approximately) chopped pecans

Directions

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, combine the cake mix, regular sugar, 1 cup of pumpkin, 1 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice, milk, eggs, and oil.  Beat on low speed for 30 seconds, then beat at medium speed for 2 minutes.  Pour into two greased and floured 8 or 9 inch cake pans.  I prefer to use Baker’s Joy- way easier and less messy.

Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.  If your oven cooks unevenly, like mine, switch the pans location on the rack half way through cooking.

Let cool for roughly 10 minutes in the pan, then remove them from the pans and place them on wire racks to cool completely.

While the cakes are cooling, in a large bowl, beat the cream cheese until it’s light and fluffy (if your cream cheese is already softened, it should take about a minute).  Add the confectioner’s sugar, remaining pumpkin, and pumpkin pie spice; beat until smooth.  Fold (do not beat) in the whipped topping.

If you have a steady hand, grab your largest serrated knife and cut each cake horizontally into two layers, so you now have 4 layers of cake.  If your cakes are too rounded, saw off most of the top of one cake (so you have a more level layer).  The second one can be left alone as it will go on the top of the cake.

Frost each layer with a generous portion of the topping; you won’t run out!  Top the final layer with the topping, then sprinkle a few handfuls of chopped pecans on top until your cake looks how you’d like.  Then drizzle the caramel sauce over the pecans.  Store in the fridge.

Sausage Gravy October 10, 2011

True story: I got an hour long back-rub/head scratch after I served this meal to Arron.

I have no idea why I’ve never tried this before. It was WAY too easy to make. This recipe (I modified it from a Bob Evan’s Sausage recipe) was the perfect amount to serve over 4 biscuits (2 per person). It doubles very easily.

Ingredients

1/2 lb sausage (mild or spicy)

1/4 cup flour

2 cups milk

1/4 teaspoon salt (more if you prefer)

1/8 teaspoon black pepper (more if you prefer)

Directions

Brown and crumble sausage on medium heat. DO NOT DRAIN THE GREASE. Once all the pink is gone, add your flour and stir until flour is dissolved. Then add milk, salt, and pepper and bring to a low boil, stirring frequently until it reaches the thickness you desire.
Meal Planning: I used Pillsbury Grands frozen biscuits. Tackling my own biscuits is something I eventually want to try, but I’ll save that for another time.
I put the biscuits in the oven first (they’ll take about 22 minutes). Then I cooked the turkey bacon (makes this meal a little healthier). The turkey bacon can be left alone for a bit (doesn’t fry up quite like pork bacon, and doesn’t produce much grease at all, but we can get it super crispy) while you’re browning your sausage. I’d say start browning your sausage when the biscuits have about 15 minutes left in the oven. Once the turkey bacon has cooked to your liking, remove it from the pan and blot excess grease. I use the same pan to cook the eggs in. Don’t start cooking the eggs until your biscuits have about 4 minutes left or you’ll have cold eggs, and those are gross!
Once everything has cooked, cut two biscuits in half and spoon the gravy over the halves. Enjoy!

Rice August 4, 2011

Yes…Rice.  Growing up, we used the boil in bag variety, so I’ve never had any experience in cooking rice…from scratch.    My cheapness got the best of me and I decided I wasn’t spending several dollars on a couple of 2-serving bags anymore.  Darn it!  I was going to learn how to cook rice!  After a few bad batches of rice, and some (*ahem*, unsolicited) advice from the hubby, I can tell you how to cook rice!

Tips

Remember 1 and 2.  That’s 1 part rice to 2 parts water.  Making 2 cups of rice?  Use 4 cups of water.

Salt your water.  Like pasta, rice is going to absorb what it’s cooking in.  We’re generous salters in our house, but use what you’re comfortable with.

Rice vinegar.  To be honest, I’m not totally sure this makes a difference, but I used it in the first successful pot of rice I made, and I haven’t strayed since.  I use about 1/2 teaspoon for 2 cups of uncooked rice.  A little goes a long way.

Leave it alone!  Rice doesn’t like to be bothered.  Once your water has come to a boil, you can stir in your rice, but only for a few seconds!  After that, stick a lid on it, turn the heat down to low, and don’t peak for at least 20 minutes.  Rice usually takes about 25 minutes to cook.  Stirring your rice while it’s cooking will leave you with gritty rice that doesn’t taste fully cooked.  Unlike pasta, it does NOT want to be stirred!

When it’s done, fluff with a fork.  We throw a little butter in with our rice as soon as it’s finished cooking.  I haven’t found any dish that can’t be improved with a little butter.

Crock Pot Tex Mex Chicken August 4, 2011

Easiest Crock-Pot Meal EVER

Ingredients
2-3 chicken breasts, uncooked (frozen, even!)
1 can black beans
1 can yellow or shoepeg corn, drained
1 jar salsa
2-3 cups cooked rice (white or brown)

Directions

Place chicken breasts in the crock pot.  Pour the salsa, drained corn, and black beans (sauce and all) over the chicken.  That’s it.  Put the lid on your Crock Pot and cook on Low for 6-8 hours.  Plan on starting the rice about 25 minutes before you want to eat.  When you’re ready to eat, just spoon the chicken concoction over the rice.  The chicken is fall-apart tender; you won’t even need a knife!

Goes wonderfully with Jiffy corn bread.

Don’t let the photo turn you off. The first recipe I tried had you put the rice in the Crock Pot as well, but the texture was just off. This is a delightfully simple meal…and the prep couldn’t be any easier!

Update: 12/3/2010 December 3, 2010

Yikes!  It’s been a while since I’ve written!

Life has been boringly hectic, yet routine.  Work, class for me, practice/softball for Arron, trying to avoid getting into the fast food trap, and all the things you’d expect from a newlywed couple working 40+ hours a week, one who’s back in school, and trying to still have a social life.

I told you before the wedding that we were looking for a new four legged addition to our family, and on October 30th, we got one!  Arron found him through All American Dachshund Rescue; he happened to be fostered locally, so we were able to meet him the same day we found him online (thanks, Sharon!).  At first I was hesitant to have a male dog (I know, how sexist of me), but once I met him, I was in love.  He’s approximately two years old, so he has the perfect amount of puppy-like energy, but still settles down easily and seems to have adjusted to life with us quite well.  So, without further ado, meet Bruno!

Ain’t he handsome?  Our first day home with him, he even managed to get Arron dirty when he decided to run through a mud puddle.  Both boys had to get a bath as soon as they came in.

We’re working on putting some more weight on him, but I can already tell a huge difference since he’s come home with us.  His coat is much fuller, and he seems to be getting more and more comfortable with us every day.  The only thing we’re still working on is potty training.  He’s good most of the time, but he still has the occasional accident.  We clean up the area, then spray a vinegar and water solution to discourage him going there again.  He can’t help but go back to that area and get a nice nose full of that smell.  His reaction is too funny (please excuse my obnoxious laugh…I promise I don’t normally laugh like that).

Enough on Bruno for now…I’m sure I’ll post about him again soon, but for now I’ve got to work on some recipes!

Chicken & Kielbasa Gumbo September 1, 2010

Arron insists that this is more jambalaya than gumbo, but since the recipe I modified called it gumbo, gumbo it shall be.  I love this dish because it has a lot of flavor and just the right amount of kick.  I love how the chicken is everywhere and the kielbasa adds such a yummy smoky and spicy flavor.  Arron didn’t care for the okra (it was “too slimy”), so feel free to leave that out if you hate okra simply for being okra (how dare you?!).

Ingredients:

7 ounces low fat kielbasa

14 1/2 ounce can of stewed tomatoes (do not drain)

1 pound frozen stir fry mix (red, yellow, and green peppers, and onions)

1 pound frozen sliced okra, thawed (optional…feel free to substitute other veggies)

3 cooked chicken breasts, shredded

2 1/2 cups uncooked rice

5 cups chicken broth

dash (or more) of creole seasoning (Tony Chachere’s)

2 teaspoons tabasco sauce

Prep:

Boil chicken in a medium sized pot.  Shred in a food processor (if you have one…I love mine!), or cut into small pieces.  Do not pour out water until you’re finished cooking unless you have plenty of extra chicken broth.

Half and dice the kielbasa and saute on medium heat.  You want it to start getting blackened.

In a large pot, add tomatoes (including juice), chicken broth 1 teaspoon tabasco sauce, a little salt and pepper, and a dash of cajun seasoning, and bring to a boil.  Add rice and cook according to the type of rice you have (I had plain rice, but 5 minute rice works nicely, too).  Plain rice will take about 25 minutes.  Stir every few minutes.

When rice is done cooking, add chicken, keilbasa, frozen stir fry mix,  okra, and remaining 1 tsp tabasco sauce.  Continue to cook covered on medium-low heat for appx 5-7 minutes, or until everything is heated through.  If you notice that your dish is looking a little too dry for your taste, feel free to add a little more chicken broth (or chicken water…we were out of chicken broth at that point, so I had to improvise!).  Add additional seasoning/salt/pepper/tabasco sauce at your discretion.

You know you love the plastic…

Taco Casserole August 4, 2010

I made this a few weeks ago and we ate until we were ready to pop.  And then we ate some more.  This is definitely not a healthy meal, but some days, you just don’t care.

Ingredients
1 lb. ground beef (ground turkey would work, too)
1 packet taco seasoning powder
1 15oz can whole kernel corn (I prefer white shoepeg)
1 15oz can black beans
appx 2 cups cooked brown rice (I use the family size boil-in-bag variety)
16 oz shredded Mexican cheese blend
appx 1/4 cup taco sauce, any flavor
Tortilla/corn chips (any variety)

Directions

Preheat oven to 300 degrees

Brown ground beef in a skillet, drain, then add taco seasoning powder, following cooking instructions on packet. Continue to simmer until most of the liquid has cooked out of the pan.  You can cook the rice and beef at the same time.

In a large bowl, combine beef, corn, black beans, rice, taco sauce, and roughly half of the shredded Mexican cheese blend. Spoon mixture into 9 x 9 pan, filling it halfway. Top with cheese. Spoon remaining mixture on top of cheese layer, and top with remaining cheese.

Spread tortilla chips on a cookie sheet, avoiding overlap. Bake casserole and chips until cheese is bubbly, roughly 20-25 minutes. Feeds at least six (or four hungry, greedy adults).

I apologize for the cell-phone quality picture…I’ll be using a camera shortly!

The Foodie August 4, 2010

I’ve posted a few pictures on facebook of meals I’ve attempted and have had several requests for recipes.  I decided a great place to showcase my (fairly) simple meals would be this blog.  I know, I know, another food blog *yawn* but I promise I’ll do my best to keep things interesting, light, and most importantly, EASY.

Besides, this blog should really reflect my personality and what I’m passionate about, and there’s not much that I’m more passionate about than food.

I practically grew up beside the stove; I have wonderful aunts that taught me the importance of being able to do more than simply prepare different recipes-they taught me how to cook.  My mother used to joke that I’d never go hungry as I could make something out of anything in the pantry.  When the mood strikes, I really do enjoy playing in the kitchen, and I love it when an experiment goes well (I’m not afraid to call for pizza when one does not).  I’ll post those successful experiments, and hopefully encourage those that are afraid of the kitchen to get in there and try something new!

I’m not a super fancy person, and most of my meals reflect that.  I love southern cooking (real comfort food), and I have a husband who is picky with vegetables, so you’ll see me trying to expand his culinary horizons without getting too crazy.  I don’t want him to be afraid of me going into the kitchen.

All that being said, I promise not to post anything I haven’t tried first.  I tend to take a lot of inspiration from recipes and use them as a jumping off point, so I will also do my best to measure while I cook (this will be hard, I’m very much a cook by sight person…adding ingredients until it “looks right.”), so I can give you an accurate recipe.  I also promise to use what I consider “normal” foods (all ingredients can be found in your local Publix/other grocer) at a reasonable cost (we’re newlyweds here!).  Lastly, as a working wife who takes evening classes twice a week, I aim for convenience!  Other than that, the sky’s the limit, and I hope you enjoy!

6/11/2010 – An Update June 11, 2010

So it’s been absolutely forever since I’ve updated this here little blog.  I’m just over two weeks away from the wedding (how did it get here so fast?!), and I can’t wait!  It’s been a crazy, stressful, joyful, emotional journey, and I can’t imagine doing it with anyone else.  I’m so glad I have you to “do life” with, Roni.

[I want to pause for a moment and thank my bridesmaids for making me feel so special (and helping to keep me sane!).  To my maid of honor, Paige, and matron of honor, Jess, I'm so glad to be so close to both my sisters, and to have you both standing up with me on my wedding day.  To Ashley, I'm so glad we've managed to stay such good friends even through a cross-country move, and I'm honored at everything you're willing to do to be here for the wedding.  To Sarah, you and your family have done so much to make this such a memorable time (and thank you for agreeing to be in three weddings in three months!).  To Jenn, thank you for being a sounding board just about every day after work...I promise, it'll stop after the wedding.  Okay that's a lie, it'll just be about different stuff. To Sam, thank you for taking time out to be there on my day, even after your move back to Jax.]

Arron moved into our apartment in April, and I can’t wait to join him after the wedding…and put my touches on the place! Ha!  We love the place (2 large bedrooms, 2 roomy baths, large, spacious kitchen (with gas appliances!), and a ginormous master closet), and hope to call it home until we’re ready to buy a house…which is a long way off.

Which brings me to the next order of business…starting in the Fall, I’m going back to school.  No, not for my Master’s or to continue study in the Finance field.  I’m taking pre-reqs for the Nursing program!  I know, I know, what on earth does Nursing have to do with Finance?  More than you think, but after looking at jobs in the finance field, I realized that was absolutely not what I wanted to do with my life.  I feel like my talents are much better used caring for people than looking over their portfolios, approving (or denying) loans, or selling life insurance.  I only wish I’d had this revelation while my school was still being paid for!  Arron and I will be okay financially (I hope!), but if things go according to plan, once I get accepted into the program (I’ll be back in school full-time in January 2012), I won’t be able to work…something I haven’t not done in 8 years.  Gulp!  So that’s kind of scary for me, but I know we’ll get through it, and, who knows?  Maybe you’ll see me doing clinicals at the hospital in a few years.  Hopefully I won’t see anyone that reads this blog after that, as the plan for now is for me to go into Oncology or Hospice Care.

I plan on being a more active blogger (honest!) once the wedding is behind us, and I look forward to updating you on our new addition that will come shortly after the wedding!

Relax…I’m talking about the four-legged kind.

Finding “The One” September 21, 2009

It’s something most girls spend their entire lives thinking about… Will The One know how to hug me just right?  Will The One make me feel beautiful and special?  Will our love be timeless, or will I look back in 10 years and wonder What was I thinking?

These were the questions I was faced with when I went with my mom to try on wedding dresses this weekend.  What?  Did you think I was talking about a guy?

After visiting three bridal salons (including Belles and Beaus, and The New Image, both of Thomasville), I think I’ve finally found The One.  Well, the other “The One,” but I’ve had Arron for a while now.  It was a very…unique experience.  The first store we went to on our way to Thomasville, Belles and Beaus, had a beautiful store with a boutique atmosphere and gave me the royal treatment.  Although I didn’t find my dress there, I recommend them highly.

My next stop was at a shop I won’t name.  When we walked into the shop, we were shepherded to the back where the wedding dresses were…all 8 of them.  After being shuffled to a HOT dressing room (I’m cold natured and I was sweating!), the sales lady brought in three dresses.  No mention of what kind of dress I was going for, just “Here are the three dresses you get to try on!”  Needless to say, we were out of there quickly, and hoping to be more successful at the next shop after lunch.

After grabbing a delicious fried grouper sandwich at Jonah’s Fish & Grits, we ventured into The New Image bridal salon.  We were given a warm greeting and a quick tour of the store (which was huge!), and we were handed a basket with at least 25 colored clothespins to clip onto any dresses that I wanted to try on.  I was like a kid in a candy store!  My mom was my partner in crime, clipping clothespins on dresses ranging from a demure vintage lace style, to a dress suitable for an antebellum plantation wedding, to Barbie’s dream dress; I tried it all.  After all, how often do you get to try on wedding dresses?

After making our selections, I headed back to the dressing room where dresses were already waiting for me…along with my own personal shopping assistant to help me in and out of the dresses.  As she removes the dress from the garment bag, I’m standing there waiting in just my bra and underwear, like it’s perfectly normal to stand around half-naked in front of a perfect stranger.  So glad I shaved my legs that morning.  Oh, and you’d better not be self-conscious about your body, because you’re back there with two to three other brides to be!

When I walked out each time to stand on the platform in front of the giant mirrors, the other women in the shop (brides and their mothers) all asked, “How do you pick one?  They all look so beautiful.”  As I walked out in a dress that was a deviation from most of the others I’d tried on, nearly every woman in the room drew a breath and said that I looked gorgeous.  That’s how you know you’ve found the right dress.

Of course, being me, you knew there had to be something that went wrong (or at least embarrassed the stew out of me) that day, and you’d be right.  After our lunch, I made sure to pop in a piece of gum, as I didn’t want to inflict my fish and herbed veggie breath on a poor, unsuspecting salesperson.  (Note to self: invest in some Listerine breath strips…they go away on their own)   I was wearing the Barbie bridal dream dress, which consisted of roughly 60 pounds of tulle, organza, silk, lace, sequins and pearls.  My mom was adjusting the front of the dress while the sales girl was adjusting the train and attempting to put the veil in, and I was putting my hair up in a claw clip.  I stuck the teeth of the clip in my mouth, twisted up my hair, then grabbed the clip again to secure my hair.  Once my hair was clipped, I realized my gum was no longer in my mouth.  Uh-oh.  I just lost a wad of gum in 300 yards of fabric.  Before panic can truly set in, the sales girl says, “Hmm, what’s that on the floor?” and before I can stop her, she picks up my runaway gum!  She didn’t even flinch…just walked over to the trash can and threw it away.  Bless you Jada.  You rock.  I apologized profusely, but no amount of regret can make up for that.

By the end of the day, I figure I tried on about 30 dresses, and I was tired!  Who knew playing dress up could be so exhausting!  I’ll add pictures (hopefully tonight) of the dresses that did not make the cut.  You’ll just have to wait until the wedding to see the one I chose!

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The Barbie Dream Wedding Dress