Glazed Pork Chops

I'm always looking for ways to spice up meat. This is a super quick and super easy glaze for pork chops! It's kind of a teriyaki type glaze, and really helped make the chops tender, moist and delicious!

Oven Baked Glazed Pork Chops:

Ease: ****  Taste: ****

1 tablespoon soy sauce

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon lemon juice

2 tablespoons brown sugar

2 tablespoons ketchup

6 pork chops, trimmed

Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Spoon half the mix on top of the chops and bake for 30 mins at 350 degrees. Pull the chops out, flip them over and spoon the glaze on top of the other side. Put them back in the oven for an additional 30 mins. 

Potato Soup

I love potato soup! My mom used to make it for me growing up when I was sick. I love her version. It's my favorite! She simply uses water, potatoes, salt and butter. But, I thought I would try a little different version! It turned out really good. I had to turn my crockpot up to high to get the potatoes done though (it may have just been my slow cooker.) And, I still prefer my Momma's potato soup :)

Potato Soup:

3 lbs. small red potatoes

3 cans of chicken broth

2 cups shredded cheese

1 cup heavy cream

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 package cream cheese )melted)

Salt

Pepper

Fresh bacon bits

Cut potatoes into small pieces. Combine all ingredients in the crock pot, except the cream cheese. Cook on low 6-8 hours in crockpot until potatoes are done and the soup is creamy. During the last hour, add in the melted cream cheese. Top with a little bit of shredded cheese and bacon bits!

Cut potatoes.

Rinse with water.

Combine all ingredients but cream cheese and cook on low for 6-8 hours in the crock pot.

Top with cheese and bacon. Enjoy!

Party Food

I have several go-to finger foods that are always a hit. I make them several times a year for special occasions. Christmas, parties, or football games to name a few. These are by far my favorite snack foods! They are definitely not healthy, but as little as we eat them, I'm too worried. Hope you enjoy our families favorite snacks as much as we do!

Little Smokey's in the Blanket:
1 package of little smokey's weenies
2 cans of crescent rolls

Roll out crescent rolls and cut each triangle into 5 strips. Rolls smokey's up into crescent roll strips and bake at 375 for 10-15 mins until brown! Serve with honey mustard, or ketchup!

Buffalo Chicken Dip:
2 (12.5 oz) cans of white chunk chicken breast, drained
1/2 cup Franks hot sauce
1 cup ranch dressing
1 package cream cheese

Melt cream cheese first in microwave. Mix in all ingredients, stir well. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 mins, or until bubbly. Serve as a dip, with tortilla chips or crackers.

Sausage Balls:
2 cups Bisquick
1 lb. raw sausage
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2-3 tbls. milk


Thoroughly mix sausage, bisquick and cheese. Add 1 tbls. milk at a time if needed to make mix stick better. When thoroughly mixed, roll out small balls and place on well greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 mins or until brown.

Thankful

We have had such a wonderful November! We have been blessed beyond belief! This may be kind of a long post, but I have soooo much to share. Soccer season came to a close a few weeks ago. Maggie was asked to play in a tournament though, so we were able to participate in weekend soccer tournament in Conyers!

The girls placed 2nd, but they had a great time. The first day of the tournament, Carter and Jada stayed with Mema and Papa. We had to leave our house at 5:45 am to get there on time and we did not want all the kids to have to get up that early. Carter went hunting with his Papa that morning, and Jada had a girls day out with Mema shopping. I got a text message around 7:30 in the morning on the way to the soccer fields. I knew exactly what it was before I even looked down at my phone. I picked up my phone and looked down. "New Message from Daddy". I was excited and mad all at the same time! I knew Carter had killed a deer. And I knew I wasn't there! I tapped on the message to open it, and got a major surprise.

I was so proud of him! Not many 11 year olds can say they bagged a 10 pointer. I was a little sad and disappointed that I wasn't here to celebrate with him though. And yes, we will be mounting this one...

After the tournament on Sunday, we decided to spend the afternoon in Atlanta. We took the kids to Underground for the first time. They really enjoyed the scenery and the experience! We walked around, explored and ate lunch at one of our favorite Atlanta joints "Johnny Rockets" (there are juke boxes on every table, and the waiters randomly dance to the music, it's like an old 50's style diner).

 The kids are on a year round school schedule, so they are off all week from school. We have had a rather calm and quiet week. We enjoyed hanging out, watching movies and resting. And of course cooking! There has been lots of cooking here! We celebrated Kevin's 34th birthday too! Me and the girls made him a UNC birthday cake and I grilled steak for dinner!

We actually had quite a different Thanksgiving this year. There were so many different things about it this year. This was my first Thanksgiving without my Nana, ever. This was the first Thanksgiving without my Dad's side of the family, ever. This was the first year I helped cook a big portion of the Thanksgiving lunch, ever. As you can see... it was a very unique Thanksgiving this year. It was a year of firsts, and new traditions.  I have never in my 31 years, had a Thanksgiving without my Nana. I have never in 31 years had a Thanksgiving without all my Aunts, Uncles, cousins and Grandmother. It was kind of sad for me this year. I wasn't quite ready to give up the big Thanksgiving with all my family. We had a wonderful time though! We ate lunch with my parents and my sister's family. There was a total of 13 of us. A rather small Thanksgiving (compared to the 40+ I'm used to.) I cooked collard greens, fresh green beans with new potatoes, deviled eggs and cheesecake. We also had sweet potato souffle, homemade mac and  cheese, macaroni salad, apple salad, turkey, dressing, apple pie, pumpkin pie and pound cake! Since this is the only Thanksgiving dinner for us (my parents as well), I am very glad that we had such a variety of food!

Backyard football.

Everyone staring at the turkey, hoping it's done!

Our delicious food!

Thanksgiving night, we always put up our tree. The girls could hardly stand it! They were soo excited! We managed to get everything decorated before Kennedy woke up from her nap. Her eyes lit up when she woke from her nap to see the beautiful tree, full of glowing lights and ornaments! It was the sweetest thing. There is nothing like the excitement in a child's eye at Christmas!

Black Friday came a little earlier this year. It seems to come a little earlier every year. It seems that it had turned into Black Thursday for Walmart! So, I did what any Mom would do, and I arrived at Walmart at 6:45 Thanksgiving night to score the deals. And I did! I got all the things I came for. Maggie went with me this year to help. She was a little scared at first, but really enjoyed our night out.

With all the shopping done, we decided to celebrate Black Friday in our own way... at Callaway Gardens! We spent the day enjoying the warm, sunny weather biking! It was beautiful! The trees were turning and leaves were falling. It's truly one the most beautiful places in Georgia. We biked over 8 miles, and stopped and picnicked along the way. We really enjoyed ourselves and the gorgeous day!

With so much to be thankful for, I feel like my list could go on and on.... but here are my 22 days of thankfulness:
1-The Lord, who made me and sent his Son to die for me, that I might live with Him! This, above all else, is the most important thing to me. For Him, all my blessings flow!
2-My husband. For 12 years, he has been with me through good times and bad. I can't begin to express how much I love him. He is my soul mate. He is the most wonderful provider, father, and friend!
3-Carter. My oldest child. My only son. He was such a surprise! But, he holds such a special place in my heart. I was so young when he was born, I worried whether or not I was a good Mom to him. But, I can tell from what a wonderful young man he is... that we must have done okay.
4-Maggie Grace. My second born. My smart, beautiful, sneaky little mini-me! She is so bright, and so talented! I know she will do amazing things as she gets older!
5-Jada. My sweet little Jada Tada. She is the spitting image, inside and out of my sister! She is the peanut butter to my jelly, the salt to my pepper... she just makes things feel right! She has such a sweet spirit and is so beautiful! She truly makes our family complete!
6-Kennedy. Oh my little Kennedy. How thankful I am for her! She keeps me on my toes, all day long! She has such a determined, strong will! I was so concerned she wouldn't even make it into this world, now I'm scared she won't be here long! She is a daredevil, a fighter, and I love her to pieces!
7- My Sister. She is my best friend. She is my partner. I could never get through this life without her. She is always there when I need her. She picks me up if I'm down, or wallows with me in my sorrow if I would rather her do that! I love her!
8-My Mother. She is always there for me. She loves me no matter what. She is a great friend! She loves, and gives, and she is the best mother in this world!
9-Banana's- The group of women that God put in my life to help me. There are 9 wonderful women I chat with almost EVERY day about EVERY thing! I have no idea how I ever survived without them!
10-My Phone. This sounds a little silly written out, but it keeps me connected. It keeps me in touch. I can be all over the USA from the comfort of my home. I can share my kids, and life with family and friends across the country!
11-Showers. There is nothing I love more than a long, steamy, hot shower!
12-Reality TV. There are no words to describe how much I love reality television!
13-Running. I started running about 7 months ago. It keeps me feeling healthy both mentally and physically. It gives me something to look forward to. It also helps me teach my kids good exercise habits!
14-Cooking. I have only recently began to enjoy cooking. The woman in my family have always loved it, and I am so happy now that I have begin picking it up!
15-Sleep. There is nothing I love more than getting good sleep.
16-The Beach. This is by far my most favorite place in the world! I look forward to retiring there one day!
17-Football. I was never really a huge football fan, but I sure am now. Over the years, my husband and son have suckered me into the wide world of sports... And now I can honestly say I love it!
18-My Dad. I just realized I left him out at the top! He was always such a great role model, and provider. He sacrificed everything for me. I still call on him all the time to help me out. He is always there in heartbeat to help me with my car, or a leaky pipe, or a financial question. I love him so much!
19-The sunshine. Nothing makes me feel happier than laying around all day soaking up the sun!
20-Birthday cake. Not matter how sad or depressed or happy I am, nothing can brighten my day up anymore than a piece of icing covered birthday cake!
21-My nephews. Since they stepped into my life 4 years ago, I have loved, laughed, cried and had my heart melted hundreds of times! They are the most precious, little devious, handsome three stooges and I can not even remember what life was like before them!!
22-Music. It's been said that music can soothe a soul, and I fully believe it. It can lighten my mood, boost my energy, or pull out the tears in my heart. I don't think I could ever live without my music!

BBQ Bacon Chicken Breast

   This a recipe I adapted from the Pioneer Woman. I made it a little heart healthier by not searing the chicken in the bacon grease. And changed up the marinade. It was very easy and turned out quite tasty! I have had a similar recipe at Longhorns, and this was just as good! You can use whatever BBQ sauce you like. We like Sweet Baby Rays. If your chicken breast are very thick, you can use wax paper and a hammer to thin them out and cut them half into. I like them thinner so they cook more evenly. 

BBQ Bacon Chicken Breast:
Ease:*** Taste:****
3-4 Large Chicken breast (or 6-8 small pieces)
1 cup BBQ sauce
1/4 cup vinegar
Bacon
Shredded Cheese

Marinate chicken in BBQ and vinegar several hours. Fry bacon, until almost crispy. Set aside. Pan seer chicken on med-high 2-3 mins per side, until just starting to blacken. Chicken will not be fully cooked. Place on a well greased baking pan. Top each breast with bacon and a sprinkle of shredded cheese. Bake 10 mins at 400 degrees until cheese is melted. Serve hot. Enjoy!

Using a hammer to pound the meat out was quite refreshing :) 

Marinade the meat several hours in BBQ sauce and vinegar.

Fry several pieces of bacon, don't over cook, you will be baking in the oven.

Seer meat for 2-3 mins per side until a black, crisp outside is attained.

The meat should not be fully cooked, but the outside should be slightly blackened. Place on greased cookie sheet.

Top with bacon and sprinkle with cheese. 

Bake for 10 mins at 400 degrees, until cheese melts.

Risotto

For those of you who know me well, know I am a big Gordon Ramsey fan. That may actually be an understatement. I am a bit obsessed with Chef Ramsey! I watch all the television shows, and even ate at one of his restaurants in New York. One of the most famous sides they cook on Hell's Kitchen is risotto. I nave never cooked risotto before, and have only tasted a small bite at his restaurant. So, I was anxious to try it out! 

Here is Chef Ramsey's lovely risotto, and my dinner from his restaurant at 

The London, in New York City. It was perfect!

Well, I will have to say that I am impressed with myself! It turned out wonderfully! I enjoyed cooking it, even though it was time consuming, and it was truly delicious! I think Chef Ramsey would have been impressed. Well, maybe... he is a bit hard to please...

My beautiful, creamy risotto!

Parmesan Risotto:

Ease: ** Taste: ****

1 cup arborio rice

2 tsp butter

2 cloves miced garlic

1/2 cup white wine

4 cups fat free chicken stock

salt and pepper

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

2 tbsp chopped parsley

Heat stock in small pan and keep hot. In a medium size heavy sauce pan, add butter on medium-low heat. Add garlic, sauté about 1 minute. Add rice mixing well until well coated and transluscent, about 2 minutes. Add wine, salt and pepper and mix well until it is absorbed into the rice. Ladle 1 cup stock into rice and mix until all stock is absorbed, add another ladle, and continue adding and stirring until all broth is absorbed, about 20-25 minutes. Add parmesan cheese and parsley, mix well and serve.

You must use arborio rice. It's what risotto is made best with!

Saute garlic and add in rice.

Add hot broth, 1 cup at a time.

Wait until the rice has fully absorbed the stock before adding more.

Stir, stir, stir. The key to creamy, delicious risotto is to keep stirring!

Finished product!