Category Archives: Food

Bow Tie Baby Shower Part One

Okay, I was going to attempt to put this all into one post, but, uh, there were a TON of pictures. Tarah was our photographer for the shower (THANKS, Tarah!) and she did not disappoint. 180 pictures for a 2 hour shower = not too shabby.

As you know (or maybe if you’re new you don’t know), Whitney is pregnant and will be having Baby Benjamin in exactly two weeks! Tarah and I hosted a shower for her, along with two of Whitney’s other friends (Amy and Lindsey), this past Sunday.

This baby has been a long time coming, so we knew we had to go all out. We’ve waited over 5 years for this kid! We are all just thankful that we get to hold another baby and we can only hope that he lives up to the antics of his big brother, Logan. (He really has no choice, considering our family. You’ll see what I mean in a while.)

Amy’s friend made this wreath for her to put on her front door. Whitney will also use this in the hospital when she has the baby! (Is this just a Texas thing – or do other non-Texans put wreaths on their hospital doors too? Kind of like homecoming mums!)

The invitations were ordered from EThree Design Studio on Etsy. I found some I loved, but they weren’t the colors I wanted and I wanted different wording on one part – she was great about switching up the colors and design a little bit! I was very pleased with the invitations and will definitely order from her again. I also purchased matching cupcake toppers from her (I used them on the envelopes and not on the cupcakes) and she sent a file of Thank You notes for Whitney to use as well.

I whipped up the cute “Welcome Baby” sign one night when I was bored, and I made Whitney help make the (really long) fabric garland while we watched TV one day. I’m not above making the guest of honor help out for her own party. The rest was a surprise, though, so we did good!

This whale was purchased at HomeGoods months ago. I did not love it – it was painted horribly and was just ugly! I bought it, painted it, added new cording to it, and printed out sweet little phrases and verses for it. A friend told Whitney about the Bible verse above when she had decided on the name Benjamin, and she really wanted it somewhere in the nursery, so I made sure to put that verse in.

You just can’t have a baby shower without a diaper cake, right? Whitney’s best friend Lindsey (one of the hostesses) made this for her and it was just adorable. I’ve never made one, so I’ll let the people with the diaper cake talent do it!

Tarah made the utensil canisters (out of formula cans!) and the cupcake tower to match the decor. Everything was so bright and cheery, it was exactly what we wanted!

I just had to include this picture. It’s just not a party with us unless there are scissors on the floor. Not childproofed just yet!

Whitney, taking it all in. We had a great turnout!

This is our Aunt and one of Whitney’s oldest friends.

Aunt Toni, Whitney, and our cousin Rebecca (SO TALL AND PRETTY).

And I’ll end with this. Y’all, this is our brother Ryan. He has no shame. He waltzed in at the tail end of the shower looking for food (as per usual) and he was quite the entertainer, as you can see. In all seriousness, he’s a pretty good uncle, and Logan just adores him. I’m sure Benjamin will too!

Next post: Bow ties!

Tex-Mex Chicken Salad

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And again, with the Tex-Mex food. We clearly have an addiction to it.

I found this recipe at Weight Watchers. I did change my version. I never use fat free/reduced fat anything. They seem appealing but they only add in more stuff (typically sugar or sodium) to make the stuff taste decent enough to eat. Just don’t do it, use the real stuff. The original also never mentions exactly how you should eat it. A typical chicken salad you eat on bread. This Tex-Mex chicken salad (which we’ve had twice) is best on a bed of lettuce or salad mix.

Kids loved it, husband loved it and my parents loved it. My brother was on the fence even though he had two helpings. I’ll say it’s a winner.

Tex-Mex Chicken Salad

Ingredients

1 1/4 pounds uncooked boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup sour cream
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp chili powder
1 small sweet red pepper, chopped
1 small green pepper, chopped
2 medium uncooked scallions, sliced
15 1/4 oz canned yellow corn, drained and rinsed
1 cup canned black beans, drained and rinsed
Salad Mix

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350ºF (I have boiled it as well)
Place chicken in a glass baking dish and bake until juices run clear, about 25 minutes. Cut into bite size pieces.
In a medium bowl, combine mayonnaise, sour cream, cumin and chili powder.
Stir in chicken, peppers, scallions and corn; mix well. Gently fold in beans; cover and chill at least two hours. Yields about 1 cup per serving over your choice of salad mix.
*Optional - add tomatoes and/or avocados

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Spiked pulled pork

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I bet you’re asking me why it’s called “Spiked pulled pork”? Last weekend, while I was at Pinterest Party I sent my husband a text asking him to put the roast in the slow cooker at noon so we could have it for dinner when I got home on Sunday. I sent him the very simple directions to follow. He okayed and did it.

Fast forward to Sunday night when I arrived home, after the Pin Party and going grocery shopping. We get everything all together for dinner and to the table. I’m pulling the pork apart, commenting on how tender it was. Literally falling apart as I touch it with the fork. He makes no comments, we sit down to eat, I take a bite. It might be the best pulled pork we’ve had in a while.

He happily announces “Oh I added a little to it. It didn’t look like it was going to cook well with just the BBQ sauce so I looked up and saw the vodka on the fridge.”

At least he didn’t make it spicy. And … he did cook.

Spiked pulled pork (crockpot/slow cooker)

Ingredients

Pork shoulder (also known as pork butt, I don't ask why.)
BBQ sauce (I use Austin's Own or Weber brand - neither have HFCS)
Vodka

Instructions

Cover bottom of the cooker dish with some BBQ sauce.
Place pork roast on top of BBQ sauce and pour BBQ sauce over the top of the roast
Add a 1/2 cup to cup of vodka (or in his words "Pour freely")
Cook on low for 6-8 hours, turning over a few times for perfect tenderness

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And I’m really not kidding when I say its probably the most tender, fall apart pork I’ve had.

April Pinterest Party Food

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We were fairly low-maintenance and low-energy for this last Pinterest Party (not that you would ever know that by looking at this picture!) so we didn’t want to mess with too much in the way of food. What we DID have was great, though!

Aunt Toni lived in Chile once upon a time because of my uncle’s job. While they lived there, they became close with other American families working for the same company, also living in Chile. Every year, they have a “Chile Reunion” and this year, Aunt Toni is hosting it, so she was trying out some new recipes on us.

She made Caprese Tarts. Holy crap. These were some of the best things I’ve ever tasted! I have been thinking about them ever since, and that’s just not healthy. We did decide that next time (yes, there WILL be a next time, hopefully sooner rather than later) we would make them as one big tart and slice it instead of making individual tarts.

The first night we were there, it was just the three of us (Heather, Whitney, and Aunt Toni – she is now “Aunt Toni” to everyone in the group – ha!) so we had Taco Salad. Always easy, always good.

The next morning, we had Peaches and Cream French Toast. *I* loved it, but everyone else wasn’t as in love with it as I was. I liked that it wasn’t sickeningly sweet, and I think all the other girls wanted it to be sweeter. I would definitely make it again!

Aunt Toni made some Phyllo Wrapped Asparagus as an “appetizer” for lunch – we failed to get a picture of them (probably because we inhaled them) but they were awesome! The sauce was okay, but in my opinion, unnecessary. The phyllo and asparagus gave plenty in the flavor department.

For lunch, I made an Italian Sub Bake. Now, I did make a few changes to the recipe – I used a 9×13 pan instead of a 9×9. I used the crescent roll “sheets” instead of just the rolls – one on top and one on bottom. It was good, easy, and filling – I would classify it as “dude food”. I would make it again, my husband would love it!

For dinner on Saturday night, we had an assortment of goodies. Everyone (well, everyone except me, because they kept me busy on the Silhouette) pitched in and made something! We had Garlic & Brown Sugar Chicken, quinoa (from Homegoods – it was excellent), roasted asparagus, Copycat Texas Roadhouse Butter on pumpernickel bread, and “Most Requested Salad”. Holy cats, that was a good meal. I could eat that salad every day – however, the dressing turned out to be somewhat of a FAIL so I would probably use a flavored vinaigrette instead.

In another attempt to use us as (very willing) guinea pigs, Aunt Toni made a Sour Cream Lemon Pie. Now, it TASTED great. Not too tart, not too sweet – just perfect. However, it did NOT set up correctly. It could very well be our fault, but it doesn’t matter – because we decided that it would be better served as a parfait in individual champagne or wine glasses. It was really great lemon pudding

Sunday morning, we had yet another French Toast – this time, Cinnamon French Toast Bake (with pecans AND without, for those fools that don’t love pecans). It was good, but I prefer the peaches & cream version.

We didn’t end up staying for lunch because everyone was tired and we were at a good stopping point. Apparently some people wanted to get home to see their husbands/fiances/kids/dogs? Whatever that is about.

Our next Pinterest Party is slated for sometime in August, and then we’ll do another one in November, and possibly an emergency Pinterest Party in early January, since our honorary housewife, Paige, is marrying MY COUSIN and she is all about the Pinterest wedding. We’re here to help, Paige, and welcome to the family (glad you didn’t run away screaming, that would have been really sad)!

If you have any crafts/recipes you think we HAVE to try out, give us a shout and let us know! We’re pretty open

Paula Deen’s Corn Casserole

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I promised you guys that I wouldn’t put nasty pictures of food on the blog – and these past three recipes TASTED great, but they didn’t LOOK great. This way you at least have a “picture” to pin for when you make this (and you should make it).

Yes, it is a Paula Deen recipe. No, it doesn’t use a pound of butter (just one stick!). While it is decidedly not a “healthy” recipe, it’s healthier than most of her recipes, so you can make yourself feel better about eating it. Hey, it worked for me.

Paula Deen’s Corn Casserole

Ingredients

1 (15 1/4-ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
1 (14 3/4-ounce) can cream-style corn
1 (8-ounce) package corn muffin mix (I used Jiffy!)
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
1 to 1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350.
Mix both cans of corn, muffin mix, sour cream, butter, and cheese in a medium bowl.
Grease a 9x9 pan or a 2-quart casserole, and spoon the mixture into it. Bake for 55 minutes or until golden brown!
You can make it in a 9x13, but it will not be as thick (obviously). Also, Paula's recipe that I linked tells you to put the cheese on the top of the casserole right before it is finished baking - I like mine mixed in.

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Easy Roasted Green Beans

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Well, I’m not even sure that this requires a recipe – but hey, here’s a recipe for it. I found this one on (you guessed it) Pinterest (via Skinnytaste), because I’ve been craving roasted green beans ever since we made the roasted chicken dish a couple of weeks ago! I am ~~embarrassed~~ proud to say that we had these green beans 4 nights in a row. Yep. They’re that good. And each night they tasted a little bit different – I’ll tell ya how!

Easy Roasted Green Beans

2-3 (especially if you like green beans, like, a l

Ingredients

12 oz. fresh green beans (or, basically, a couple of handfuls)
2 tsp. olive oil (I don't measure, I just drizzle)
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 tsp. garlic powder (again, I don't measure, I just sprinkle)
A little bit of shredded Parmesan cheese

Instructions

Preheat oven to 425. Move one of your oven racks to the lower third of the oven.
Cover a baking sheet with foil (easy clean up!). Wash and trim the green beans (if you don't know what it means to trim a green bean, just cut both of the ends off. I use kitchen scissors to do it). Dry them thoroughly.
Lay them in the foil covered pan, and drizzle the olive oil over them. Sprinkle salt, pepper, and garlic powder on them. Toss them around all nimbly bimbly to make sure they are coated fairly evenly.
Spread them out so they (for the most part) lay flat, not stacked on top of each other. Place pan in oven (on the lower rack) for 10 minutes. Take them out after 10 minutes and shake the pan a little to toss. Put them back in for 5 more minutes.
Sprinkle Parmesan cheese on them right after removing from oven.
* We used fresh garlic one night in place of garlic powder (good), we used red pepper flakes/salt/pepper one night (meh), and we just did plain salt and pepper one night (good).

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Honey Mustard Chicken

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You guys. I have had dinner at home for FOUR nights in a row. This is huge for my house! With both of us working in retail, it is so much easier to just pick up fast food (yuck, well, except for my beloved Taco Casa or Kevin’s beloved Whataburger) on the way home – but I know how horrible that stuff is for us, so I consciously made the effort this weekend and IT WORKED! (Thank God for Pinterest).

I’m going to do the recipes that we used in separate posts, for pinning reasons (and because I’m really sleepy). I like my recipes separated by type on Pinterest and in real life (see my boards for a stunning, if not OCD, example).

Kevin has been amazed that 1) I actually made something food related, and 2) that everything we have had tasted so good! Yes, it costs a little more in the beginning, but I’ve got enough mustard/rosemary, etc. to last through a couple more times. I’m going to go ahead and guess that my picky little nephew would even eat this chicken – so here you go! Enjoy!

This recipe is from Good Life Eats, and my changes are noted!

Honey Mustard Chicken via Good Life Eats

Ingredients

1/4 cup grainy, coarse mustard (you know, the kind with the beads in the mustard)
1/4 cup dijon mustard (Excuse me, do you have any Grey Poupon?)
1/2 cup honey (I am cheap, I bought what was on sale, not fancy honey)
3 tsp. extra virgin olive oil (aaaaaand I just realized I used Tbsp., NOT tsp. Oops.)
1/2 small onion, chopped (I bought fresh chopped onion in the produce section because I am lazy)
2 cloves garlic, minced (but I actually minced garlic with a knife, so I'm not THAT lazy)
2 1/2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breast tenderloins
Salt and pepper
4 sprigs of rosemary

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400.
In a small bowl, mix the mustards, honey, and 2 tsp. of the EVOO.
Use the remaining tsp. in a pan to saute the onion. Once the onion is soft and nearly transparent, add the garlic in and saute another couple of minutes (don't burn it!).
Put the onion/garlic in the bottom of a 9x13 dish.
Place the chicken over the onion/garlic mixture. Salt and pepper your chicken, however you like it done. Pour the honey mustard over the tops of the chicken, and arrange the rosemary sprigs around the chicken (don't pull it apart, leave it in "branches". No one wants to die choking on rosemary spikes).
Bake, covered, at 400 for 20 minutes. Remove the cover, baste/spoon the sauce over the chicken again, and put back in for an additional 20-30 minutes uncovered. We use a thermometer because I am a freak about chicken being "done", but you cook it as long as you think it needs to be cooked!

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I’ll have the next one up tomorrow night! (Hint: it’s a vegetable!)

Roasted Chicken and Vegetables

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Whitney invited us over for a family dinner tonight, and while I knew exactly what we would be making for dessert, we were stumped on the main course. Pinterest to the rescue! (Of course. What would we do without Pinterest? I don’t even want to think about it.)

We like to try new recipes as well as old standbys. Today, I wanted something new, so I took it upon myself to find something to make. Enter Real Simple Roasted Chicken and Vegetables. Now, I had my doubts about this recipe after reading the reviews on it – tip #1432485: ALWAYS, always, always read the reviews if they exist - but decided to chance it. The recipe that you will see below is how WE made it – basically the same, but a few adjustments according to the reviews. I think it turned out great and everyone loved it (even Logan!). Bonus: It’s pretty darn healthy!

Roasted Chicken and Vegetables

Ingredients

6 Tbsp. olive oil
1 lemon, juiced (microwave it for 30 seconds just before juicing - trust me)
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 lb. trimmed green beans
16 small red potatoes, quartered
5 chicken breasts, bone-in, skin on

Instructions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Coat the bottom of a large baking dish (we ended up using a 9x13 and an 8x8 for 2 of the chicken breasts) with 1 Tbsp. of the olive oil.
In a large bowl, combine the rest of the olive oil, juice of 1 lemon, garlic, salt, and pepper. Stir well. Pour the green beans into the bowl and shake to coat.
Once the green beans are coated, place them in the bottom of the pan, using tongs. (Do not pour them in, you are going to use the oil mixture for the potatoes and chicken too).
Put the potatoes in the bowl and coat. Place potatoes around the inside edge of the pan.
Put the chicken in the bowl and coat (we did 1-2 pieces at a time). Place the breasts on top of the vegetables, skin side up. (We were able to fit 3 breasts in the 9x13, and put the other 2 in an 8x8 by themselves). If there is any oil mixture left, pour it over the top of everything - we didn't have any left. Sprinkle with a little more salt and pepper and place in the oven.
Bake for 50 minutes. At 50 minutes, remove the chicken and keep warm. Bake the vegetables for 10 additional minutes.
Serves 5 (our way - 1 breast per person)

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Whitney and I don’t usually get too many “that was awesome!” comments when we have family dinners, but tonight was an exception. It was SO easy and SO not bad for you (especially if you don’t eat the skin, which I don’t. I can’t even deal with that.)! This one will definitely be added to the rotation and I’m sure it will be requested again soon.

Peach Cobbler

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I subscribed to Folk Magazine late last year – it’s a new magazine, and I just received my first issue a couple of weeks ago. I like most of it, some parts I’m still on the fence about, but I LOVE that the magazine showcases bloggers that I actually follow! Anyway, check it out if you want a different magazine to read. In that first issue, there is a recipe for peach cobbler. It caught my eye immediately – I love peaches and I love cobbler, and in all of my 35 years I have *never* made a successful cobbler.

It’s like I have a mental block against cobbler.

Not anymore! I’ve broken my bad cobbler streak! (I just ate a bowl of it for breakfast – still excellent).

Peach Cobbler

Ingredients

1 stick butter
1 cup self-rising flour
1 cup sugar
1 cup buttermilk
1 (30 oz.) can sliced peaches in heavy syrup (I used Lite peaches in their own juice and it turned out just fine)

Instructions

Melt a stick of butter in 9x13 pan while preheating oven to 425 degrees.
Mix flour, sugar, and buttermilk in a bowl. Stir to combine.
Once butter is melted and oven is preheated, pour batter in pan. Pour peaches and juice over batter. (Don't stir the peaches in!)
Bake for 30 minutes (I did 25) or until crust is golden brown and bubbly.
Serve with vanilla ice cream!

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We liked it so much that I am making it again tonight to take to Whitney’s house for dinner. This is an easy, quick recipe that I can throw together in no time.

PS – Did you know you can freeze buttermilk? You can! Three words: ice cube trays. Two more words: Ziploc bags. Now you don’t have to waste that buttermilk you bought for this recipe!

Whale, it’s Baby Shower Time!

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Well, not technically yet, but I’m starting to think about the baby shower I will give Whitney along with a few of her friends. I hope they don’t think I’m too bossy, but dang it, I know what I want!

…

And what I WANT is a whale shower! The whale thing started last summer on our trip to Georgia (isn’t that where everything on this blog started? Sheesh!) when we saw a sign on Tybee Island that said, “Whale… come see for yourself” and had a huge whale painted on it. For some reason, that was so funny to all of us, and it has just stuck. Whitney ended up buying a wooden whale figurine for her souvenir from Tybee Island, and “Whale, whale, whale” – get it? well, well, well – became a popular phrase for the rest of the trip and has been ever since.

So, obviously, the next course of action is to put it to use in baby Benjamin’s nursery! Whitney doesn’t want whale overkill in the nursery, but she didn’t say anything about whale overkill at her baby shower… (and did ya catch that she’s finally decided on a name?!)

I have a secret Pinterest board that Whitney is not allowed to see, and I know it is driving her insane, but she needs to have something to look forward to since we aren’t having it until pretty late in her pregnancy. We’re cutting it close, but the timing just didn’t work out the way I planned. Here’s a little teaser post for her! (You’re welcome, Whit. I aim to please.)

Whale Wishes advice cards – Etsy

Baby Boy Whale Shower – Little Miss Momma

Oh my God, make the cuteness stop! Whale Cookies – Miss Cuit

Chevron (shout out Tarah!) Whale Pillow – Etsy

Whaley Glad You Came Tags – Etsy

Whale Cake Garland – Sweet and Lovely Crafts

Whale, that should be enough to make her crazy for a while. I suppose I should fill the other hostesses in on the plan, huh? I think it will be so much fun and so cute AND big brother will love all the whale things too. Tell us about the best baby shower/wedding shower you’ve ever been to – we want to hear about them!

If you’re reading this, you’re obviously around kids/babies/people who have kids and babies, so you should know that there is a new consignment sale coming to Grapevine for kids clothes/toys/accessories! Check it out – Growing Growing Gone. It runs April 19-21, 2013! (You can also click on the banner on the right)

Taco Turkey Casserole {recipe}

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When Heather and I discuss recipe on blogs, we often mention our thoughts on the pictures of the food. People, if the food doesn’t look appetizing, don’t capture it on film, er … Camera Roll/Photo Stream. There are foods that look awesome in pictures. Burgers? Yep. Cupcakes or cakes? Yes sir. Casseroles? OH hell no. They are NEVER pretty. Ever. Just don’t worry about the picture of them.

With that established, there is no picture of this Taco Turkey Casserole but Megan at Honey We’re Home has a picture. It’s a pretty decent picture. I’ve taken her recipe and stepped it up a notch. It’s a simple recipe with 4 ingredients, but my version has 2 more to mix in.

Taco Turkey Casserole {recipe}

Ingredients

1lb Extra lean ground turkey (Jennie O is my choice)
1 can black beans
1 cup Brown rice (I used instant)
taco seasoning
3/4 cup all natural sour cream (Lilly's or Breakstone are good choices)
1 cup Colby Jack cheese

Instructions

Preheat oven 275.
Brown the ground turkey. Then I add the seasoning and black beans to the meat. Cook the rice the same time you're browning the turkey. Combine the cooked rice into the meat. Stir for a good and even mix, then add sour cream and cheese, save some cheese for the top. Pop in the oven for 15 minutes, just enough to melt the cheese nicely.

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We clearly like our Mexican food here in Texas. We’ve got a Walking Taco Casserole, Taco Soup, Taco Salad, and Beef Taco Penne Pasta Kickasserole. After reading that list, we clearly need to branch out on the food we eat.

PS. on the kid scale – One had seconds and would have had thirds if he hadn’t been drawn in by M&Ms, another cleaned his plate and I’m just thankful that Savannah eats a meal instead of drinking her way through life these days.

Quick Taco Seasoning {recipe}

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So as I’m putting together my menu for the week, I added a taco casserole on the menu. This meal has been on the menu the past 2 weeks but was NEVER made. “Awesome, I have all the ingredients!”, I thought to myself. Yeah, you should ALWAYS double check on that. I went to grab my taco seasoning that I always get from the “Ethnic” spice section. I look for the white lid, and find a pork rub and some cajun seasoning. Well, crap. Then I realized it’s not too hard to make a quick taco seasoning.

Quick Taco Seasoning {recipe}

Ingredients

1 tbsp chili powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp of red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp paprika
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp black pepper

Instructions

In a small bowl, mix together chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, red pepper flakes, oregano, paprika, cumin, salt and pepper. Store in an airtight container.

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This would be great to use in Taco Soup – Heather’s Way.

Fort Worth Food Park

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A week and half ago, Heather, Kevin and I went to Fort Worth’s awesome Food Park. This particular weekend they were having a dog food drive for Homeward Bound. I, personally, forgot the dog food, but Heather, as always, is on top of it and brought some.

Our first truck to stop at was Red Jett Sweets to make sure we got our dessert. Heather had a Red Jett Velvet cupcake, while Kevin and I chose to be more adventurous, trying The B.M.T (bacon + maple together!). Next, it was to decide what to eat. The trucks for the night definitely gave us a range of food choices – Simply Dosa, salsa limon, Gepetto’s Pizza and Easy Slider Truck.

Kevin decided on pizza as his dinner choice.

“First time I had Gepetto’s Pizza. The crust was the best part. Perfectly cooked. The onions were awesome. I normally don’t like onions but theirs were great. Perfect amount of cheese, pepperoni, and sausage. It was probably eight to ten inches around, cut into four pieces.” -Kevin

I’ve had Gepetto’s Pizza prior to this outing and I thought it was great then. Glad to hear from Kevin his thoughts are similar. It’s really a good pizza, and he’s so right about the crust. It was my favorite part as well.

Heather and I, so much alike in so many ways, both wound up at Easy Slider. We each got 3 sliders for $10. Not so shockingly, each got 2 that were the same – Sweet & Lowdown and The Roadside. I also tried the French Revolution and Heather’s 3rd one was the Nutty Pig, which I must say is completely NOT something she’d normally order, but I don’t think the Sweet & Lowdown would be something she’d order either.

roadside_slider_sm

sweet_and_low_down_slidersm

nutty_pig_slider_sm

The French Revolution does not have a picture as it’s a specialty. It was my second favorite. Heather and I both really liked the Sweet & Lowdown. There’s something about the strawberry jam and goat cheese that just made that burger. It was so good, that I can still taste it and now, I want one. We all tried the Nutty Pig, and surprisingly, a burger with peanut butter on it, not too bad. NOT too bad. My least favorite was most definitely The Roadside. I didn’t even finish it.

I don’t eat beef very often anymore so eating these were a bit of a risk for me. I’m glad I took the risk. I’m definitely going to get some more of that Sweet & Lowdown, maybe even my own Nutty Pig.

Now for the cupcakes, you remember, the ones we bought first. We didn’t eat them first though. We were at least adult about that decision.

The Red Jett Velvet was just that – red velvet.

The B.M.T, however, oh my goodness. I’m beginning to think that bacon should just be in EVERY.MEAL.FROM.NOW.ON. Seriously. The bacon was in the actual cupcake and the maple icing on top. YUM! It worked so well together.

“Cupcake. The icing looked like dog crap but obviously (I guess) tasted better. Bacon was an unexpected flavor but I thought it was perfect with the maple flavor. A breakfast cupcake, for sure.” – Kevin

**In Kevin’s defense, the way cupcake shops “present” the icing is a bit on the “dog crap pile” side. We both really loved the cupcake as a whole though.

Sadly, there is no picture of said awesome cupcake because we were clearly eager to stuff our faces with them. Next time, maybe.

What did Heather think of The B.M.T?

She messaged me WHILE I was typing this to say she didn’t like it. Hmph.

If you haven’t been to a food truck park, or even had food from a food truck, you are truly missing out. I’ve had grilled cheese from one of the trucks, and you know what — BEST grilled cheese I’ve ever had. Not even kidding. Find out if you have in food trucks in your area and try it out. The trucks here in the DFW travel back and forth between Dallas and Fort Worth. That’s pretty nice because you have the opportunity to try new ones occasionally.

Speaking of the DFW area — moms, moms-to-be, dads, grandmas and pas, there’s a new consignment sale happening in Grapevine in April. These consignment sales are awesome and Growing Growing Gone is sure to be a hit just like others. If you’re in need of new baby/kids items (clothes, toys, just about anything you can think of), plan to attend April 19-21 at the Grapevine Convention Center. See, it’s even located right in the middle.

Mediterranean Chicken Pasta

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I have made this healthy meal twice now and both times I’ve done a “step” wrong (cooked the artichoke hearts wrong or didn’t keep the juice from the artichokes). Guess what? It still tastes excellent. All three children ate it and loved it. Okay, so 2 of them love it and one just moderately likes it and probably just eats it because it is what I served. This is definitely a keeper for our house.

Mediterranean Chicken Pasta

10 minutes

25 minutes

35 minutes

4 servings

347 Calories

9g fat (1g saturated)

Ingredients

6-ounce jar marinated artichoke hearts
1 tablespoon olive oil
12 ounces skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into bite-size pieces
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1/4 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup dry white wine (or just double the chicken broth like I did)
1 teaspoon dried oregano, crushed
1 7-ounce jar roasted red peppers, drained and cut into strips
1/4 cup pitted Kalamata olives
3 cups hot cooked campanelle or penne pasta
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese (optional)

Instructions

1. Drain artichoke hearts, reserving marinade, and chop them. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat; add chicken and garlic. Cook and stir until chicken is brown. Add the reserved artichoke marinade, broth, wine, and dried oregano.
2. Bring to a boil; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, 10 minutes. Stir in chopped artichokes, roasted peppers, and olives.
3. To serve, spoon chicken mixture over pasta. If desired, sprinkle with feta cheese. (and don't just BUY the feta cheese, actually use it. Unlike me.)

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Have y’all tried any of the recipes we’ve shared? I tried Taco Soup Heather’s Way, but I’ll change mine to “Taco Soup Heather’s Way made Tarah’s way” with ground turkey and less tomatoes.

Easiest beer bread ever.

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While I was hanging out at Home Depot tonight (along with Christie & Sars) and also meeting Whitney & Ashley from Shanty2Chic (!!!), my husband took it upon himself to bake some beer bread for himself. He loves making this stuff, and loves trying it with different beers. Kevin will go through phases where he makes a loaf every other day and then not again for 6 months, so I guess we’re in a phase right now.

It makes the house smell so good, and it tastes excellent! (I also think it is hilarious that he took a picture of it – my blogging is rubbing off on him!)

For the record, our favorite beers to use for this are Shiner Bock and (believe it or not) Bud Light.

Easiest beer bread ever.

Ingredients

12 oz. bottle or can of beer
3 cups self-rising flour
3 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 stick butter, melted (optional)

Instructions

Grease a loaf pan with Pam or butter. Preheat oven to 375°. Mix together the flour and sugar in a large bowl, then pour in the beer. We use our Kitchenaid mixer with the bread hook attachment for this job.
Once it is doughy, put the dough in the loaf pan. Bake for 50 minutes. Take it out, pour the 1/2 stick of butter over it, and bake for 10 more minutes. This browns it a little, and tastes really good!

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