Last Minute Potato Wedges (they are to die for)

So the day after any big holiday at my house, everyone comes over again to keep feasting on the leftovers. 

This year we didn't have a ton of people coming so we didn't make a ton. We actually had more people for leftovers than for the actual meal. So I decided to make something fresh and yummy to fill in with. 

I went for something easy because I had just gotten home from Black Friday shopping and still had to wash the kitchen floor. 

These potatoes were perfect. I think more potato wedges were eaten than pieces of pie. 

These things are easy and perfect for the last minute. They only take 20 mins in the oven! 

Here's what y'all need:

1/2c balsamic vinegar 

1/2c olive oil

1T salt 

2T fresh rosemary 

(Mix all those together in a bowl) 

You also need Russet potatoes that have been washed and scrubbed clean. Then cut them into wedges (I like them thin but my sister likes then thick) they don't have to all be the same. I get about 8 wedges per potato. Start with about 4 potatoes and see how many you can get out of your marinade. I don't always use all mine so I pour it into a cute little jar and serve it for dipping when it's just for my family rather than a crowd. 

Then just toss a few wedges at a time in the marinade or whatever ya want to call it. 

Then place them on a baking sheet that had been lines with parchment paper. 

Stick them in the oven at 450 for 20 mins. You need to turn them over half way through. 

If they are done but you aren't ready for them leave them in and just turn off the oven they will get a little crispier and I think that's a good thing :) 

Happy holidays y'all. 

Sugared Cranberries (they should be illegal)

Hey y'all. I've been gone for awhile but these cranberries have brought me back. They are so sinfully delicious and perfect for the holidays. 

Before last night I had not eaten a cranberry that wasn't shaped like a can. Why fix what isn't broken? 

But then I came across these cranberries and I thought they would be nice to serve with the holiday appetizers. 

They were so good. I sent them out of the kitchen to be served while still helping my mom with dinner and I regretted it. I should have kept them for myself. 

This could be the first step to me eating actual cranberry sauce and not the canned stuff. maybe 

I know it's something little that might seem like a waste of time in the busy holiday kitchen but you can start these the day before. 

Here's how to do it:

I just poured a 16oz bottle of pure maple syrup into a medium sauce pan and heated it for a min. If its too hot the cranberries will burst. 

Then remove from heat and add in a bag of fresh cranberries. 

Stir it around to coat them and then chill in the fridge overnight or 12 hrs 

Then full a bowl with sugar and start rolling the cranberries in it. It actually takes a lot of sugar because it starts to clump and you have to throw it out and start a new bowl but it is worth it. 

People thought I soaked them in bourbon which is a good thing I guess but I don't care what they were soaked in they were too Good! 

Happy holidays y'all :)  

The BEST, most comforting Ham and Bean Soup

I am a ham freak mainly because when we have ham we get to have ham soup the next day. 

Anyway, there are some things in life that taste so good that you think only your mom can make it. This ham and bean soup is one of those things. I love love love it but I would never have dreamed of making it.

Last night my mom called and asked me to make the soup becaus she was stuck at work. I was so scared I would mess it up. But to my surprise it wasn't that hard and it turned out just like my mom's. 

This is how to do it. 

After your lovely ham dinner take the leftover ham still on the bone and put it in a large stock pot. The bone has so much flavor so if theres not a ton of ham left on it dont worry. Then cover with water and let it boil then simmer until you go to bed. Then just stick it in the fridge. 

The next day take the pot out and the fat from the ham will be hardened on top of the broth. Scrape off the fat. Then turn on the burner and start heating the soup. Meanwhile add  bay leaf or two and pull out the ham and trim some fat and slice it. You can throw out the bone now and add the ham back into the pot. 

Then add in the tomato soup, tomato paste and beans. Keep cooking until the beans are nice and tender. 

Ingredients 

Bone-in ham 

Water to cover 

1-2 bay leaves 

4  cans of tomato soup 

2 small can of tomato paste 

6 cans white beans 

We serve this soup with Hawaiian sweet rolls. It is so good! 

 

"Healthy" Almond Dark Hot Chocolate

So after purchasing dark chocolate cocoa powder and measuring it out I realized we didn't have milk. Shucks! 

However, we did have almond milk so into the pot it went. 

It was surprisingly good and I'm calling it healthy but I once forgot the egg yolks in an Italian cream cake and called it diet cake so I don't know. 

But anyway here's what you need for my "healthy" hot chocolate 

4c almond milk 

1/2c water

1/4c dark cocoa powder 

1/2c sugar 

3/4t vanilla 

Dash of salt

Stir the milk as it heats in a pot 

Don't boil it just make sure it's nice and hot 

Then add all the yummy stuff and whisk to combine :) 

WHIPPED CREAM! 

Cheerwine Baked Apples

Okay my life will never be the same now that I made these apples. I don't know why but for some reason I have always been intimidated by baked apples. Maybe I'm just lazy or I thought they were some fancy thing but they really aren't. It's just a baked apple... I feel a little stupid.

Anyway, in a weird, sleep deprived and festive moment (fall is ending too soon) I thought "why not bake apples in cheerwine" so I did. 

And with one bite I was told I have to make then for thanksgiving. 

They are really easy but for some reason little individual desserts always impress me and seem perfect for a big holiday meal. And these are easy enough to make for a crowd on a busy day like thanksgiving. 

I used six apples and two cans of cheerwine but you can get up to four apples per can. 

Ingredients 

6 cored apples  (I love my apple corer) 

2 cans cheerwine or diet cheerwine or black cherry cola or diet black cherry cola. Or maybe dr pepper.... Hm maybe another day 

3t sugar (about 1/2t per apple) 

Next cinnamon... I didn't measure but I think I used about 1/4t per apple it is really about how much you like this recipe is hardly a recipe. Mix it up do what you like. 

Put the cored apples in a casserole dish and pour on the cheerwine get it in the holed in the apples. 

Then sprinkle on sugar and cinnamon 

Next bake at 375 for 45 mins (I left mine in longer while we finished dinner but I did turn off the oven after 45mins) 

Then plate them. Spoon on some of the yummy cheerwine in the dish and top with whipped cream. 

Simple and delicious 

Amen 

"You're Missin' Out" Hot Chocolate

If you haven't had this hot chocolate you're missin out! My dad taught me how to make this when I was little I think so I would make it for him. After you have this there is no turning back. 

Forget those packages that call for boiling water I want the good stuff. This is the only way to drink hot chocolate. 

Ingredients 

4c milk 

1/2c water 

1/4c unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2c sugar 

3/4 t vanilla 

Dash of salt 

The milk shouldn't boil but stir it constantly and watch for it to get hot and a little foamy looking. 

Then just stir in the rest of the ingredients until the sugar dissolves and it is all combined. 

And of course add marshmallows ! 

Southern Comfort Pretzel Pudding

So for some reason I feel like soft pretzels are a fall thing, maybe because you can always find them at Oktoberfest. Anyway I had this weird idea to try to make bread pudding with soft pretzels instead of bread. I'm not sure why considering I have never even made a normal bread pudding before but last night I decided to try it out. 

There's what I used. The amounts are a little weird because I was trying to feed a crowd. 

5-8c cut soft pretzels 

2-1/2 to 3c milk 

1-1/2c sugar 

4T melted butter 

2-1/2t vanilla 

2-3 eggs 

Chopped pecans 

For sauce 

1c cream 

1c butter

1c sugar 

1/2c southern comfort 

It's pretty easy

Just throw the pretzel pieces in a dish

Then in a separate bowl whisk the eggs and add the milk, sugar, butter, and vanilla. 

Next pour it over the pretzels and sprinkle on plenty of pecans. 

Bake at 350 for 60-70 mins 

Now for the sauce just put all four ingredients in a sauce pan and let the butter melt and sugar dissolve until it all comes together. It shouldn't be very thick. 

I know this is a little crazy but it turned out pretty good :)

Crockpot 3 Pepper Roast and Mozzarella Sandwiches

I love my crockpot because it makes yummy food. Because I love my crockpot I have come to love chuck roasts. They cook so good in a crockpot and fall apart  and it's a very good thing. 

Yesterday I made sandwiches that I'm calling 3 pepper roast and mozzarella sandwiches. They are juicy and messy and delicious. 

Because they are so juicy you want to slice you rolls so that the bottom half of the roll is thicker than the top. Also I stuck mine in a pan with some butter to toast the inside so that the broth from the meat wouldn't make the bread soggy as fast. I think it helped a little. 

This is what you need:

2-3lb chuck roast

8oz pepperocini  peppers and their juice

8oz roasted red peppers drained 

4oz chopped pimentos( I just threw in the juice too)

14oz crushed tomatoes 

16oz beef stock 

Salt and pepper 

Toasted rolls 

Sliced mozzarella cheese

Just dump everything but the cheese and rolls of course into the crockpot and cook on low for 6-8 and then shred the meat. 

The jars of peppers and can of crushed tomatoes come in larger amounts than you need so you can serve the rest as topping or just stick them in the fridge for later. 

This is super easy and perfect for the busy day I had yesterday. Plus it looks pretty in the crockpot! 

Egg on Toast

Egg on toast, egg in the hole, egg in a basket... Whatever you call it, it tastes the same. 

I got a text from my beau's momma today and it reminded me of this.... Weird I know but I make this for my beau a lot and one day he asked his mom to make it for him. He called me two it three times while they were making it with questions. 

But really is not hard. My mom makes tons of these at a time when we all gather round on Sunday mornings and I bet I've been making it since she let me near the stove.

Ingredients 

Butter for skillet  

Egg 

Piece of bread 

First you cut a hole in the bread. I like to use a shot class for my hole because that's how momma does it but a lot of people use a glass or biscuit cutter to make a larger hole. It's all about what you prefer because that piece you cut out gets fried up too and it's delicious. 

Then place the bread and the cut out in the hot buttery skillet and crack an egg and drop it in the circle. Cook howyou normally   whole cook an egg or until the bread is golden then flip it and let it cook on the other side. It doesn't take long on the second side.

This is a little slice of heaven in the form of a slice of bread. You're gonna want two of these.

Cowboy Boot Makeover

A very long time ago I took an old pair of boots and switched them up. 

These boots are leather but they happen to have a cute western fabric lining so it was easy to fold them down. 

Then I went through my old belts and bandanas and stuck them on there. 

They don't have to match. Mine don't its just fun! 

I've seen people do this with boots that are thick leather and in order to do this the have to cut a line down the back. Yikes that scares me. But it is an option. 

"Tomato Bisque" Pasta

I'm calling this Tomato Bisque Pasta because when I was making the sauce Last night my beau said it looked like "tomato bisque" he was ready to eat it like soup. 

I wish I had some pretty herbs on top but it was thrown together pretty quickly. At least it's on fiesta ware that makes it kinda pretty. 

Anyway these are the ingredients 

2lbs fettuccine cooked according to package

2T olive oil

1 large onion chopped 

8 garlic cloves minced ( I feed a lot of people) 

Pinch Salt 

Pinch Pepper 

Dash Sugar 

1-2 jars of tomato sauce 

1 pt heavy cream 

2c parmesan cheese or other Italian cheese ( I used a blend of parm, romano and asiago.) 

Add oil to skillet. 

Add onion and garlic and  let cook for a minute

Then I added salt and pepper 

Next the tomato sauce -1 jar -and some sugar

Then in goes the heavy cream 

Then I added more tomato sauce until it looked tomatoey enough for my taste. 

Finally I added the cheese and let it melt as I stirred the sauce. 

I pour the sauce into the pot and coated the pasta. I served Hot Italian sausage with it but I didn't put then in the sauce because I wanted a creamy cheesy sauce not one that tasted totally like sausage. 

It was pretty good and easy. I usually think of spaghetti at home and the fancier kinds at restaurants but this was easy enough to do at home on a busy night. 

Amazing Cajun Mac and Cheese

I recently posted a recipe for lobster Mac and cheese but if I could only eat one Mac and cheese for the rest of my life it would definitely be this one. This Mac and cheese contains Cajun seasoning which is my secret ingredient in a lot of things. I can't get enough of it. 

With the holidays coming up this is the perfect Mac and cheese recipe because it feeds a good amount of people. 

Ingredients

2lbs elbow mac cooked and drained 

1lb sharp cheddar cheese shredded

1lb extra sharp cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese (I have tried both) 

2lb block of velveeta 

2c whole milk

4 large eggs beaten

Salt, pepper and Cajun seasoning to taste

1c butter cut into thin slices

Take shredded cheese and mix both kinda together in a bowl 

Pour milk into larger sauce pan and warm

Cut up velveeta and add to milk

Stir continuously until the velveeta melts (it's easy to burn and get brown bits in it) 

If it gets too thick add a little more milk 

Remove from heat 

Beat eggs in separate bowl 

Add a little cheese sauce to the eggs while whisking to temper them then add them to the sauce 

You will need a huge casserole dish for this but I don't have one so I use two smaller ones 

Butter then dish and pour in half the mac 

Add salt, pepper and a bunch of Cajun seasoning over the top 

Then add half the butter slices over the top

Next sprinkle on half of the shredded cheese mixture

Then pour on half of the velveeta cheese sauce 

Then repeat 

This mac and cheese had people asking me for the recipe and it is now a family favorite :) 

Comfort Breakfast

Yes that is a Peter Rabbit plate from when I was a baby. Yes it is a divided plate but hey this is comfort food. 

With Thanksgiving coming up we are all about to have left over mashed potatoes sitting in our fridge. 

My mom is used to take the potatoes and shaped them into cakes and put them in a pan with some butter to brown them on each side and then serve them with over easy eggs. 

Today I had it for the first time in a very long time and it was amazing. It is truly breakfast comfort food forget the biscuits and gravy. 

You don't even need a recipe for this one :) 

Creamy Lobster Mac And Cheese

My Beau loves all seafood but if you mix it with cheese he is hooked. 

I recently made lobster Mac and cheese for him. 

I have looked at a lot of recipes for this dish and I always feel like it is packed with a ton of stuff. This one doesn't have fancy expensive cheeses in it but it is so creamy and so good. 

Ingredients 

1/2c butter 

1/2c flour

1/2t salt

1/2t pepper

1/2t ground red pepper

1/2t granulated garlic 

2c half and half

2c milk 

2 10oz blocks of sharp cheddar cheese shredded 

1 10oz block extra sharp cheddar shredded

1lb elbow Macaroni cooked

Lobster tail steamed and chopped

Melt butter and whisk in flour 

Stir constantly for 2 mins 

Add salt, pepper, red pepper and garlic 

Whisk in half and half and milk

Stir in half of sharp cheddar and all extra sharp until smooth 

Remove from heat 

Combine cheese sauce with macaroni and chopped lobster 

pour into buttered dish

Top with rest of sharp cheddar 

Bake at 350 for 35 mins

I made this as a side dish but this is just half of my recipe I made a ton! We had left overs and it heats up fine so double it, triple it whatever it's so good on a cool fall day :) 

S'mores

A lot of people seem to think that s'mores are a summer thing but I think they are a fall thing. There's nothing better than heat from a fire to warm the cold air. 

I went camping last weekend and well when you camp you need to pack a lot. By using these cookies for s'mores I didn't have to take both graham crackers and chocolate. 

I know it didn't save that much room in my bag but these cookies just taste amazing with a marshmallow in the middle. 

These ones just happen to be dark chocolate but the milk chocolate ones are really good too. 

It's a fun spin on s'mores and the cookies make them extra chocolatey because each cookie has chocolate on it. 

It's just a fun thing to try :)

Easy but Impressive Apple Tarts

A little while back I went to this fancy restaurant where I had and amazing apple tart. It was much lighter than the usual apple crumble you find on most dessert menus. 

This is how I will be eating apples from now on. 

Ingredients 

3-4 apples cores and sliced 

1c brown sugar 

Juice of 1/2 lemon or a spurt of that bottle stuff 

Frozen Sheet puff pastry cut into 2-3 pieces 

Optional toppings

Chopped pecans 

Caramel sauce

Mix the apples in a bowl with brown sugar and lemon juice 

Cut puff pastry into 2-3 long strips 

Place apples overlapping  in a line on the puff pastry 

Bake at 425 for 20 mins 

Add toppings and serve! 

It's perfect for fall. It's easy but pretty enough to serve to company :)