Thanksgiving side dish

Here's a recipe for a family favorite Thanksgiving side dish!

Corn Casserole
Ingredients:
1 can whole kernel corn
1 can mexicorn
1package cream cheese
1 package shredded cheese

Open and drain both cans of corn. In a medium sauce pan, cook corn and cream cheese until melted and combined. Turn oven on 350 degrees. Add corn and cream cheese mixture to casserole dish. Top with shredded cheese. Bake until bubbly.

You can also add jalapeños to flavor.

Game day!

Southern women love 3 things.. God, Sweet Tea and the SEC. Today is college game day, a holiday in the south that occurs every Saturday in the fall. You dress up in your team colors and cook a magnificent spread of appetizers. There are a few staples to make any game day spread a winner! ( even if your team loses)
* cream cheese with pepper jelly- it's exactly what it says. Take a block of cream cheese add a few tablespoons of hot pepper jelly on top. Serve with crackers.
*kielbasa sausage-  grilled or pan seared with some Zee's* sausage dipping sauce.
*chips and dip- any variety

Geaux Tigers!

Best ever potatoes!

There's a wonderful little hidden gem of a restaurant in Alexandria, LA called The Cottage. They're open for lunch and you have to try their stuffed cheese burgers. They are also known for their Cottage  Potatoes. They recently ran the recipe in a local paper and I thought I would share!

Cottage Potatoes:
1 bag Russet Potatoes
Melted Butter
Season All

Wash potatoes. Place standing up in a pan of water. Cover with foil and bake at 350• until done. Cut potatoes into 1" squares, leaving skin on. Transfer to large bowl. Pour melted butter over them and sprinkle with season all and stir. Serve warm.

Crock pot fajitas

These are super easy! You just need a few ingredients. Add rice and black beans for a delicious meal and some chips and salsa as a starter!

You need 2 lbs of your choice steak or chicken. Boneless chicken or those skirt steak works fine
1 sliced onion
1 each sliced & deveined green and red bell pepper
1 packet fajita seasoning
1 cup water

Combine ingredients. Be sure to mix fajita seasoning in well. Cook on low 3-4 hours.
Dress with your favorite toppings!

New school year!

The new school year starts tomorrow for us. My son starts 2nd grade at a local magnet school and Emma with be in the toddler class at the preschool I work at. We're all prepared. New backpacks and lunchboxes. Back to school check ups and haircuts. It will be a busy time for us. Ethan has 4 large projects this year. We also play sports; soccer and running. ( he wanted to add swim team.. Maybe next year..) Emma has dance. I have a big class project for our fall fundraiser. So needless to say, we stay pretty busy. Oh and add in Junior League! So the next few meals will be quick fixes and crock pot meals! Happy New School Year!

Taco Joes

These are a favorite of my sons. In fact, he wants me to make them for his school lunch. They are super easy for those work/school nights. All you need is


1 lb ground meat
1 can Campbell's tomato soup
1 cup salsa
Shredded cheese
Tortillas/ tortilla chips

Brown ground meat on skillet. Drain. Add tomato soup and salsa. Mix well. Add desired amount of cheese. Can be eaten in tortillas or as a dip. You can also add refried beans. Easy and delicious!

To tutu or not to tutu?

Little Miss Emma is taking dance this year. Her leotard and t shirt colors are teal and black. I couldn't find a tutu that matched so I decided to make one.. How difficult can it be, right?  First I went to Hobby Lobby and bought some tulle. I recommend the thinner rolls; it's easier to work with. Also, do NOT get the glittery stuff unless you want to be covered in glitter by the time your done. You can use ribbon, elastic ( like the stuff used for emi jays) or those crochet baby headbands. Measure your ribbon or elastic around your child waist and about 6 inches for ribbon to tie a bow. You can tie the elastic to fit before you start tutuing. If using ribbon, tie a knot on one end about 3 inches from the end. Cut your tulle into strips twice as long as desired tutu length. You will be folding the strips in half. Fold in half.  Take the pinched end and wrap it under and then down. Take the open ends and pull them throu the loop until tight. Repeat with desired color pattern. If using ribbon, tie another knot 3 inches from the other end.

For additional help see:

http://justwemoms.blogspot.com/2009/06/easy-no-sew-tutu-tutorial.html

Steak marinade

My favorite steak marinade is Italian dressing. Simple and easy! Grilled over hot coals.
Then add some of Pioneer Woman's peppercorn cream sauce and yum!

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ree-drummond/fillet-with-peppercorn-sauce-recipe/index.html

Summer Salad

Fruit salad is always a big hit at our house. I like to try lots of fruits and bright colors. Tonight's dish calls for..

2 mangos peeled and diced
1 1/2 cups pineapple chunks
3 kiwis peeled and diced
1 banana peeled and sliced
1 cup diced watermelon 


Mix together in large bowl and serve. Hope you enjoy!

Cherry pineapple dump cake

This is a quick and easy dessert! Just a few ingredients!

2 cans cherry pie filling
2 can crushed pineapple
1 box white cake mix
1 stick of butter

In a large baking pan add cherry and pineapple. Mix together. Sprinkle cake mix to cover the top of fruit. Slice butter into thin squares. Place butter over cake mix, covering as much cake mix as possible. Put in oven on broil until cake mix makes a hard crust. Serve warm.

Monster cookies

I think everyone has a version of these, but here's mine!

3 eggs
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon corn syrup
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 cup butter
1 1/2 cups peanut butter
4 1/2 cups rolled oats
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2  cup peanut butter chips
1/2 cup chopped nuts ( walnuts/pecans)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

In a very large bowl, beat the eggs

Add the remaining ingredients in order, mixing well

Use an ice cream scoop to put on ungreased cookie sheet, bake 12-15 minutes

Makes 6-7 dozen

In the mood for meatballs!

Last night was Italian night at our house. The adults had meatball sandwiches and the kids had them on pasta.
I made tons, so feel free to alter the recipe! Although you can freeze them!

2 lbs ground beef ( I use 1 lb of the low fat and 1 lb with a higher fat %)
3 eggs
1 cup Italian bread crumbs
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1/2 onion diced
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Mix ingredients by hand in a large bowl.  Heat olive oil in a large skillet.  Measure out meatballs; about 1 tablespoon. Heat for 2 minutes until brown on outside. Add your favorite pasta sauce ( I used 2 jars, but I want leftovers to freeze) Cover and simmer about 20 min. Serve over bread with provolone cheese or over your choice of pasta! Enjoy!

Summer Turkey Sandwiches

On a hot summer day a hot meal just is not what you're in the mood for. Last night I made delicious turkey sandwiches! They hit the spot for my hubby, who worked all day in the hot summer sun. Here's what you need:

2 loaves soft French bread
1/2 pound thin sliced Boar's Head Salsarito Turkey
Sliced pepper jack cheese
Sliced tomato
Chipotle Ranch dressing

You may toast the bread before assembling the sandwiches.
Serve with chips and salsa and lemonade!


Hope you enjoy!!

Let's have a Fiesta!

I love Fiestaware. Mine's Cobalt Blue. You can mix and match it create a wonderful table scape! For summer you can add some red and cute bandana napkins or blue gingham table cloth for an adorable summer look. Add sunflowers in a vase.. or Fiestaware pitcher!

Easy As Peanut Butter Pie...

This recipe requires no baking. You do have to chill it. It comes from the Alexandria, Louisiana Junior League cookbook. It is delicious! Hope you enjoy!


1/3 cup butter or margarine
1 cup chocolate chips
2 1/2 cups toasted rice cereal
8 ounces cream cheese softened
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk (another pantry staple!)
3/4 cup peanut butter
3 table spoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
1 cup whipping cream, whipped
2 teaspoons chocolate syrup

Heat the butter and chocolate chips in a medium saucepan until melted, stirring occasionally.
Remove from the heat. Stir in the rice cereal. Press over the bottom and up the side of a greased 9-inch pie plate. Chill for 30 minutes.

Beat the cream cheese in a mixer bowl until fluffy. Beat in the condensed milk, peanut butter, lemon juice and vanilla extract until smooth. Fold in the whipped cream. Pour into prepared pie crust.

Drizzle with chocolate syrup. Chill for 4 hours.

Serve on the porch with some sweet tea and enjoy!

6-8 servings.

Terra Cotta Fire Pit?

Ok on my essentials list I had graham crackers, marshmallows, and Hershey's chocolate bars. The reason being is everyone's favorite campfire treat..s'mores! You may have seen several fire pit ideas on Pinterest, the one I'm focusing on today is using terra cotta pots. All you need is a medium sized pot aluminum foil and charcoal. Line the pot with the aluminum foil, add about 4-5 pieces of charcoal and light. I would put this on a fire proof surface ( concrete, dirt). Get your s'mores supplies ready and enjoy!

Essentials part 1

I'm southern as fried chicken. And I am fascinated by this whole "prepping" movement. But I will not be living off of rice and jerky.

Here are some items on my pantry list.

Peanut oil
Vegetable oil
Olive oil
Cajun seasoning
Salt
Pepper
Garlic powder
Paprika
Flour
Sugar
Quaker oats
Boxed white cake mix
Seafood boil
Zatarans gumbo base
Rice
Dried red beans
Tabasco
Canned cherries (pie mix)
Canned pineapple chunks
Evaporated milk
Canned pumpkin
Yellow cake mix
Vanilla wafers
Graham crackers
Marshmallows
Hershey's chocolate bars
Peanut butter


These are just a few! Recipes to follow!
Thanks y'all!