Category: Everyday Life

“I’m one stomach flu away from reaching my goal weight.” ~ Emily (The Devil Wears Prada)

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I made a meal I couldn’t eat.

But it wasn’t because it didn’t taste good!

The DH loved it! I actually made it at his request.

The thing was I had not been feeling very well that day (stupid bug that’s been going around) and was really puny when I started frying the sausage and the grease smell made my stomach turn – automatic food aversion.

So the Olive Garden knock off – Spicy Tuscan Soup was a hit – just not with me. I only had the salad (with bought bottled Olive Garden dressing 🙂 )

As you can probably tell – it was an Olive Garden themed night.  All I needed was their yummo garlic bread sticks.

Maybe next time.

(also – because of not feeling so great – there are not many pictures)

Spicy Tuscan Soup   (adapted from Tasty Kitchen)

  • 1 pound Spicy Breakfast Sausage
  • 1 whole Medium Red Onion, Diced
  • 2 slices Bacon, Diced
  • 3 cloves Garlic, Minced
  • 3 whole Medium Potatoes, cubed
  • 1 quart Warm Water
  • 3 cubes Chicken Bouillon
  • baby spinach
  • ½ cups Heavy Cream
  • Salt And Pepper, to taste

In a large dutch oven, brown sausage, remove and drain on paper towel.

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In same dutch onion, cook onion and bacon until onions are translucent.  Add garlic and cook for one more minute.

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Add water and deglaze pan. Stir in Bouillon cubes and potatoes, cook at a simmer for 20 minutes.

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Stir in cream and spinach and cook for 5 more minutes.

Serve with shaved Parmesan cheese and crusty bread.

DSC03474 Spicy Tuscan Soup

This soup was really really good! I sure hate that I was not able to enjoy like I should have.

-abp

“Spring is nature’s way of saying – Let’s Party!” ~ Robin Williams

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Ahhh……The beautiful sunshine and warmth!! I can feel it coming – SPRING!

I can also feel the pollen coming too……

But that’s ok! I love spring.

Had a great day that started with church and a quick lunch at Zoe’s – I’m very excited about their new app that lets you scan in your receipts and sends you goodies as you build up points.  I highly recommend downloading it if you live around a Zoe’s.  I practically have one in my front yard – so it works great for me.

Even though it seems to be warming up, I’m still craving warm comfort food you usually have during the colder months.  My BFF made this last weekend and told me it was a must try.

Chicken Pot Pie Casserole (adapted from The Shady Porch)

  • 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, boiled and shredded
  • 2 cups chicken stock (from boiling the breasts above)
  • small bag of frozen vegetables
  • ½ stick butter
  • 2 cups Bisquick
  • 2 cups 2% milk
  • 1 can cream of chicken soup
  • 3 chicken bouillon cubes
  • 1/2 t. dried sage
  • 1 t. black pepper & salt

Preheat oven to 350º

Melt butter in 9 x 13 casserole dish.

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Layer shredded chicken and season with salt/pepper and sage. Top with veggies.

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(I forgot to take a picture of the veggies)

In a small bowl, mix together milk and bisquick and evenly pour over chicken and veggies.

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In another bowl whisk together chicken stock, cubes, and soup.

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Pour this mixture over milk mixture.  DO NOT MIX any of the layers.

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Bake for 1 hour 15 minutes or until set and browned on top.

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This one pan dish is a super simple way to make chicken pot pie and it was super delicious too!

-abp

“I just wanna live while I’m alive.” ~ Bon Jovi

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I marked an item off my Bucket List!

I went to see Bon Jovi in concert!! YIPPEE!!

Oh! It was awesome! This dream has been 20+ years in the making!

But because I had to go to Atlanta mid week to see them it kind of knocked out a couple of days which meant I had plenty I needed to get done on Tuesday.

I needed a meal that would cook itself.

Thank goodness for the trusty old crockpot!

(as you can see, I was really off my schedule considering it’s Saturday before this was posted)

Balsamic Pot Roast (adapted from Little B Cooks)

  • 3 lb beef chuck roast
  • garlic salt and pepper for seasoning
  • 2 Tbs olive oil
  • 1 onion, sliced
  • 3-4 potatoes, cut into quarters
  • 1 cup baby carrots
  • 1/2 Tbs dried rosemary
  • 1 tsp poultry seasoning
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 3 cloves garlic, smashed
  • 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
  • 1 cup red wine
  • 1 can (14.5 oz) beef broth

Season roast with garlic salt and pepper and sear both sides in olive oil.

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Place in crockpot, top with onions, potatoes and carrots.

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Mix remaining ingredients in bowl and pour over meat and veggies in the crock pot.

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Cook on low for 8 hours.

I must add – I know my photos are not the super impressive works of art that a lot of blogs have but regardless – pot roast just does not photograph well. 🙂

Balsamic Pot Roast (in the crock pot)

Easy Peasy!

-abp

“Ideas are like pizza dough, made to be tossed around.” ~ Anna Quindlen

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Simple was the key for Sunday night when preparing dinner because I had one eye on dinner and the other eye on the tv watching The Oscars or Oscar coverage. That’s why I opted for the all time favorite – spaghetti.

I love me some “sketti”.

And don’t you just love all those dresses?!?

(Although some of those chicks really need to eat.)

The girly girl in me wishes there were more occasions to dress up – it’s so much fun!

Don’t get me wrong – I looooove casual but I do not think there are enough times that we go all out like they used to in the golden era.

You know – “dress for dinner”

Oh well. I’m sure there are more days that I’m glad I do not have to “dress for dinner” than there are days that I wish I could.

Since Sunday was just a staple dinner I thought last night I would try something a little different.

BBQ Chicken Pizza.  Should be pretty simple and will go perfectly with the left over Cheesecake in the fridge. 🙂

BBQ Chicken Pizza

(adapted from My Baking Addiction)

  • 1 store bought pizza crust or refrigerated crust
  • ½ cup barbecue sauce
  • 1 ½ cup cooked and shredded chicken (I pan fried a few chicken tenders and shredded that)
  • ½ cup thinly sliced red onion
  • ½ – 1 orange bell pepper; diced
  • 1 cup mozzarella  shredded cheese
  • Chopped cilantro; to taste

(all these ingredient amounts vary according to size of pizza crust and your desired tastes)

Preheat oven to the temperature your pizza crust suggests.

Place Pizza dough on pizza stone or foil lined baking sheet and cook until it has a slight toast on it – about 5 minutes. (I opted for foil lined because my stone is round and this pizza crust was square)

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Remove crust and spread barbecue sauce over crust. Add shredded chicken, onion, and bell peppers on top of the barbecue sauce. Top with cheese and cilantro.

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Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until crust is deep golden brown. Garnish with more cilantro.

Chicken BBQ PizzaChicken BBQ PizzaThis was so so good! It tastes like you ordered it from a specialty pizza place! And EASY too!

I might add artichoke hearts next time – and there will be a next time – soon!

-abp

“Let your food be your medicine, and your medicine be your food.” ~ Hippocrates

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I’m so happy that my seafood man “Bayou Joe” (who has been out of commission because of health reasons) is feeling better and back at selling good quality seafood.

That is why I have two shrimp recipes this week. I bought 2 lbs of shrimp and a pound of scallops which I can not wait to use. Anybody have any “can’t live without” scallop recipes??

This recipe is an adapted version of the Shrimp and Wild Rice Casserole from the locally famous Winning Seasons cookbook that was put out by the Tuscaloosa Junior League in the 70’s and is a must have for any southern cook.

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Shrimp and Wild Rice Casserole

  • 2 Tbs chopped green onions (green part only)
  • 2 Tbs chopped sweet onion
  • 2 Tbs slice mushrooms (I used the kind in the jar because it was all I had but fresh preferably)
  • 2 Tbs butter
  • 1 Tbs worcestershire sauce
  • 1/2 Tbs mustard
  • A few shakes of hot sauce
  • 1 lb. shrimp, peeled and deveined
  • 1 can cream of mushroom
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
  • 2 cups cooked wild rice
  • 3/4 cup panko bread crumbs
  • Pam cooking spray

Preheat over to 350º.

Saute pepper, onion and mushrooms in butter until soft.

DSC03362Mix together onion mixture, worcestershire, mustard, hot sauce, shrimp, soup, salt, pepper, cheese and cooked rice.

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Place in prepared (spray with Pam) casserole dish and top with bread crumbs and spray crumbs with Pam (to help brown). Bake for 30-35 minutes or until browned and bubbly. (I had to broil at the end to get it brown enough)

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This is very simple meal that can be easily doubled and served to a crowd or it can be a different swing to a weeknight comfort meal.

**Note** – this could also be made with chicken.

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Enjoy!

-abp

“One man’s poison ivy is another man’s spinach.” ~ George Ade

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Ok, so I’ve been MIA for a little bit.

I have a good excuse – I was out of town for close to a week and as I’ve explained before I am not one of those people who claims to be able to do it all.

I can’t and I know it.

So what is takes to get everything taken care of to get out of town and everything it takes to get it all straightened out when you get back has kept me busy.

I’m pretty much back in the swing of things so tonight I am making Shrimp Scampi with Roasted Peppers and Spinach.

This is a Publix Apron Meal that I ran across while making this weeks grocery list.

Shrimp Scampi with Roasted Red Peppers and Spinach

  • 3 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 1 oz parmesan cheese, shredded
  • 8 oz linguene
  • 2 Tbs olive oil
  • 1/2 cup Gia Russa sweet pepper bruschetta topping
  • 12 oz shrimp, peeled and deveined
  • 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
  • 1/2 tsp salt, divided
  • 1/2 tsp pepper, divided
  • 1/2 cup chicken broth
  • 3 Tbs butter
  • 6 oz baby spinach

Cook and drain pasta.

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Saute garlic in oil until it slightly browns.

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Add shrimp, topping, pepper flakes, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper. Cook and stir for 1 minute.

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Add broth and cook for 2-3 minutes or until reduced by half and shrimp are pink and opaque.

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Reduce heat to low and add in butter, spinach, cheese and remaining salt and pepper. Cook and stir until butter and cheese is melted and spinach is wilted.

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Add in pasta, stir to coat and heat through.

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Serve and spinkle with a little extra cheese.

Scrimp Scampi with Roasted Peppers and SpinachScrimp Scampi with Roasted Red Peppers and Spinach. pooreamy.com

I found it odd that this shrimp scampi did not have lemon in it and to be honest, I missed it.  I would add a couple tablespoons of lemon juice to the next batch.

Hope everyone’s week has started out well!

-abp

“There’s nothing more romantic than Italian food.” ~ Elisha Cuthbert

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One of our favorite dishes we had on our honeymoon trip to Italy was Saltimbocca.  Saltimbocca means “jump in your mouth” and that it does! I knew it would be a meal that I must try back at home and I finally got around to it.

Saltimbocca is a very popular Italian dish that is traditionally made with veal but can be made with chicken (which is what I had on hand).

Chicken Saltimbocca

4 (4-ounce) chicken cutlets
1/8 teaspoon salt
12 fresh sage leaves
2 ounces very thinly sliced prosciutto, cut into 8 thin strips
4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1/3 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon cornstarch

Sprinkle the chicken evenly with salt. Place 3 sage leaves on each cutlet.

top with sage

Wrap 2 prosciutto slices around each cutlet, securing sage leaves in place.

wrap with prosciutto

Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon oil to pan, and swirl to coat. Add chicken to pan; cook for 2 minutes on each side or until done. Remove chicken from pan; keep warm.

Combine broth, lemon juice, and cornstarch in a small bowl; stir with a whisk until smooth. Add cornstarch mixture and the remaining 1 teaspoon olive oil to pan; bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Cook for 1 minute or until slightly thickened, stirring constantly.

Place chicken on bed of fettuccine and top with sauce.

Chicken Saltimbocca

Love, love, love this dish! It’s simple too!

abp

“Society is like a stew. If you don’t stir it up every once in a while then a layer of scum floats to the top.” ~ Edward Abbey

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Even though it is unseasonably warm here for January (right around 70º – which I love by the way) I still have a hankering for a nice warm beef stew.

I know I have made beef stew at some point in my life but I don’t remember how I made it nor do I have a go to recipe for it but after some Pinterest surfing I came across one on the blog Joyously Domestic. It seemed to have all the flavors I liked and it was one that could be cooked in just a couple hours instead of all day. This worked out perfect, since I knew I would not make it to the grocery store until mid-afternoon because of an eye doctor appointment earlier in the day.

BTW – the peepers were in good shape and I have a new pair of very cute glasses on the way. I’ll post a pic when they come in. Maybe now I will not be squinting quite as much!

Ok – on to the stew.

Homemade Beef Stew

  • 2 pounds beef stew meat
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper
  • 3 – 4 cups beef stock/broth (or water with a few beef bouillon cubes)
  • 2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 1 onion, peeled and sliced
  • 1 – 2 bay leaves
  • 1 tablespoon Crazy Jane’s Seasoning
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • ½ teaspoon paprika
  • 1/8 teaspoon cloves or allspice
  • 3 carrots, peeled and sliced
  • 2 ribs celery, chopped
  • 4 potatoes, peeled and cut into small chunks
  • Handful of frozen peas (optional)
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch (if needed to thicken “gravy”)

Season meat with salt and pepper then sear meat in hot oil on all sides in a dutch oven.

sear meat

Add 3 cups of beef stock, Worcestershire sauce, bay leaves, crazy jane’s, garlic, onion, salt, sugar, pepper, paprika and cloves. Simmer on low for 1.5 hours.

add broth

Check seasoning. Now add in carrots, celery, potatoes and peas. If it seems to need more liquid – add more beef stock.

add veggies

Cook for 30 more minutes or until vegetables are softened. 15 minutes in make a slurry with your cornstarch and a little left over stock and add to stew.

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Make a pan of cornbread and you are all set!!

Homemade Beef Stew

Homemade Beef Stew*note: the celery was still a little too crunchy for me so I would cook them with the meat and onions from the beginning.

Happy Monday Y’all!

abp

“Who do you think would win in a fight between a grilled cheese sandwich and a taco?” ~ Andy Samberg

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I love Mexican food and I really like making tacos at home – you know, the kind in the cardboard box. Old El Paso, Taco Bell……I usually buy which ever one is “buy one, get one free” at Publix. They do that quite often so I had started to build up a collection in the pantry and I knew I needed to be making tacos soon.

A few days ago, I saw where Lindsay from normalcooking.com had made Oven Tacos and I thought that would be a great way to change up my normal tacos from a box.

So that’s what I did!

Oven Tacos

  • 1 lb lean ground beef
  • 1/2 small onion diced
  • 1/2 small can diced green chilies
  • 3/4 pkg taco seasoning
  • 1/2 (8 ounce) can low sodium tomato sauce
  • 1/2 (16 ounce) can fat free refried beans
  • 1 cup mexican blend cheese
  • 10-12 hard taco shells
  • your favorite taco toppings

Preheat oven to 400°.

Brown meat and onions, drain.

brown meat

Add chilies, seasoning, tomato sauce and beans to meat mixture. Cook until moisture is absorbed. (I accidentally dumped the whole can of tomato sauce and started to stir before I remembered it was suppose to be only half – I scooped some of it back out so mine is a little more tomato-y than it should be. oops.)

mix

Spoon mixture into shells, top with cheese and place (standing up) in a baking dish. (Lindsay commented the shells with the flat bottoms would be great – and they would – but I didn’t have those).

stuff shellstop with cheese

Bake for 8-10 minutes or until cheese is melted and tacos are heated through.

Bake

Top with your favorite taco toppings.

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There you have it – a new swing to an old favorite!

abp

“Going to the gym wouldn’t be on my list of favorite things to do.” ~ Kate Moss

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After lots of eating out, take out and a few crockpot dinners I decided I might put a little more effort into tonight’s dinner. But not too much, I don’t want to over exert myself considering I already went to the gym today. 😉

Tell me – will it ever not be a chore to go to the gym???

I’m thinking no.

I just don’t get all those people who love working out.

It’s weird. (no offense to my working out friends)

I wish I were weird.

Sorry – back to dinner. So tonight I’m making Baked Shrimp Scampi. Nice and simple.

Baked Shrimp Scampi

  • 1 cup butter
  • 2 tablespoons prepared Dijon-style mustard
  • 2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley (I used dry because it’s what I had)
  • 1.5 – 2 pounds raw shrimp, shelled and deveined

Preheat oven to 450º.

In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the butter, mustard, lemon juice, garlic, and parsley. When the butter melts completely, remove from heat.

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Arrange shrimp in a shallow baking dish. Pour the butter mixture over the shrimp. Stir to coat.

arrange shrimpstir to coat

Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until the shrimp are pink and opaque.

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Serve over angel hair pasta. Top with parsley and squeeze of fresh lemon juice.

serve with angel hair pasta

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Like I said. Nice and easy. Not to mention quite tasty! I very much enjoyed this meal! To make it even better we finished dinner off with an old fashioned Strawberry Shortcake!

Strawberry Shortcake Nothing beats a childhood favorite!

abp