FALL/THANKSGIVING DELICIOUSNESS

Fall is in the air... pumpkin, cinnamon, caramel, cranberries, pecans, the list goes on... Seriously my favorite culinary season of the year. I love it. And the Thanksgiving holiday is definitely my favorite. Enjoying time cooking, praying, and eating with the family; the boys playing football in the yard that's full of leaves; playing with the little ones (which we have lots of in our family these days!!); thinking of and sharing memories of our loved ones that aren't with us anymore, and thanking God for the time we got to spend with them; and topping it ALL off with a big hunk of pecan pie.

And there's nothing better than sitting around with these very special ladies for which I am incredibly thankful...

L to R: Alison, Brandy, Laura, Lindsey, Belinda, Julie, Caroline, Michele, and Lori

Last semester, you may remember THIS POST where we made sweet treats for the elders in our church, The Joy Club. Well, this month, we teamed up with Mrs. Carl Ann to help with their November Joy Club breakfast. We decided to make them soups in a jar as to-go gifts. We decided to go with "Friendship Soup".

Each jar contained the layered dry ingredients and a tag with directions on how to prepare the soup.

L to R: Silly Brandi, Michelle, Julie, and Lindsey working on preparing the jars

L to R: Alison, Caroline, & Laura layering the ingredients

Check out that assembly line!

The final products!

Then, of course, we ate...

Brandi & Michelle (my apologies for the poor photography)

I now present to you, the recipes of the week:

CRANBERRY JALAPENO CREAM CHEESE DIP

Contributed by: Michelle

1 - 12 oz pkg fresh cranberries

1/4 cup green onion, chopped

1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

1 small jalapeno pepper

1 1/4 cup sugar

1/4 tsp cumin

2 tbsp lemon jiuce

Dash of salt

2 - 8 oz packages cream cheese

Chips or crackers for serving (wheat things preferred)

Put your cranberries in a food processor. Chop up your green onion, cilantro, and jalapeno pepper into small pieces (de-seed the pepper if you don't want it to be super hot). Add all ingredients (but the cream cheese and the wheat things) into a bowl. Mix them all together, cover and store in the fridge for at least 4 hours. The sugar needs some time to soak into the cranberries and break up their bitter taste. When you are ready to serve, place your cream cheese bricks on a plate. Spread the cream cheese out as evenly as you can. Spread it all around. Serve immediately with Wheat Things, Ritz Crackers or Tortilla Chips.

SAUSAGE STUFFING BALLS

Contributed by: Lindsey

1 box Stove Top stuffing

2 eggs

2 cups cheese

1 cup chicken broth

1 lb sausage

1/2 cup chopped onions

1/2 cup chopped celery

Preheat oven to 375F. Cook sausage, onions, and celery together until browned. Mix together all ingredients, roll into balls and cook at 375F for 15 minutes. *NOTE: cook in a mini muffin pan to make them perfectly round.

CHICKEN GREEN BEAN CASSEROLE

Contributed by: Laura

4 boneless chicken breasts, cooked and diced

1 cup mayonnaise

2 cans french style green beans

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 medium onion, diced

1 1/2 cups cooked rice

French's french fried onions for topping

Mix all ingredients and pour into a 9x13 baking dish. Bake on 350F uncovered for 45 minutes. With approx. 10 minutes to go, top with french fried onions.

FRUIT PIZZA

Contributed by: Lori

1 pkg (16.5 oz) refrigerated sliceable sugar cookies, sliced

1 pkg (8 oz) cream cheese, softened

Marshmallow creme (optional)

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla

4 cups assorted fresh fruit (kiwi, strawberry, red and black raspberries, drained canned mandarin oranges)

1/4 cup apricot preserves, pressed through sieve to remove lumps

1 tbsp water

Preheat oven to 375F. Line 12 in. pizza pan with foil; spray with cooking spray. Arrange cookie dough slices in a single layer in prepared pan; press together to completely cover bottom of pan. Bake 14 mins; cool completely. Beat cream cheese, optional marshmallow creme, sugar and vanilla with mixer until blended; spread onto crust. Top with fruit. Mix preserves and water; brush onto fruit. Refrigerate 2 hours.

SPICED NUTS

Contributed by: Mallory

2 egg whites

2 cups sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar, packed

2 tbsp water

3 tsp cinnamon

2 tsp salt

4 cups raw pecans, halved

2 cup raw almonds, whole

Preheat oven to 300F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil and spray with non-stick spray. Mix pecans and almonds in a large bowl and set aside. Using an electric mixer, beat egg whites and water on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form, about 4-5 minutes. Add the sugars, cinnamon, and salt, gently folding until combined. Pour/spoon sugar mixture over nuts and stir to coat completely. Spread nuts over the bakin sheet and bake for 45 minutes at 350F, stirring every 15 minutes. Allow to cool completely and enjoy. Store nuts at room temperature for a few weeks, covered.

SPINACH CHEESE ROLLS

Contributed by: Julie

1 package refrigerated crescent rolls

Spinach leaves

Mozzarella cheese (or any mixture of your favorite cheeses)

Preheat oven to 375F. Unroll the crescents and separate into individual triangles using perforations. Fill with spinach and cheese, and roll up into crescents. Place on a greased baking sheet and bake at 375F for 13 to 14 minutes or until golden brown.

APPLE CRISP

Contributed by: Brandi

1 cup flour

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup butter, room temperature

2-3 large apples (Honeycrisp preferred)

Group cinnamon

Preheat oven to 375F. Peel and cube apples. Layer in a casserole dish. Sprinkle cinnamon over apple pieces. Combine flour, brown sugar, and butter in a mixing bowl. Pour dry mixture over apples. Bake at 375F for 30-40 minutes or until golden brown. Optional to top with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

CHOCOLATE ACORNS

Contributed by: Caroline

Mini Nilla Wafers

Hershey kisses

Melt kisses a little and adhere the bottom of the melted chocolate kiss to the bottom side of the cracker. Let cool completely before serving.

CREAMED CORN

Contributed by: Alison

3 - 15.25 oz cans whole kernel corn, drained

1 cup milk

1 tbsp sugar

1/4 tsp pepper

8 oz cream cheese, cubed

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into thin slices

Place corn into a slow cooker. Stir in milk, sugar and pepper until well combined. Without stirring, top with butter and cream cheese. Cover and cook on high heat for 2-3 hours. Uncover and stir until botter and cream cheese are well combined. Cover and cook on high heat for an additional 15 minutes. Serve immediately.

PUMPKIN SPICE DIP

Contributed by: Belinda

4 cups powdered sugar
2 - 8 oz pkgs cream cheese
1 can (30 oz) pumpkin pie filling
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
Gingersnaps, apples, or Nilla Wafers for dipping

Combine sugar and softened cream cheese until well blended. Beat in remaining ingredients. Store in airtight container in the refrigerator. This dip is good with gingersnaps.

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Tonight, I leave you with two things:

1. A "throwback" to 2012's Slapsgiving with my family. All of the cousins (minus Tyler)! This year we get to add 2 more new little cousins to the picture!

2. The Word of God

"Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." 1 Thessalonians 5:16

Lord, I cannot express enough thanks for all that you have done for me. I am so undeserving of your unconditional love and outpouring of blessings, yet you still provide. And you are always with me, through the good times and bad. I thank you that I can lean on you during troubling times, and rejoice with you and praise you during the good times in my life. I am forever grateful for the family, friends, church home, job, material things, spiritual things, and more that you have put in my life and I pray blessings over each of these ladies and their families especially during this holiday season. In your name, Amen.

SCARY SWEETS & GHOULISH TREATS: IT'S HALLOWEEN!

It's HALLOWEEN TIME!! I love Halloween. And not just for the candy (although that is a bonus). I just love the idea of dressing up as a character for a night. The hubby and I have had some fabulous couples costumes over the years, but now that we are super old, we don't really have any parties or anything to dress up for...sad face.

We decided to do Halloween themed food this week. We had a great time hanging out and enjoying all the fun foods!

L to R: Laura & Cooper, Michele, Alison, Belinda (aka Mustard), Julie, Brandi (aka Bat-woman), Shelly, Steph & Charlie

Costumes were encouraged, but optional. We were the only cools ones...obviously...

P.S. Belinda - I love you! You're the mustard to my ketchup :)))

I had a lot of fun breaking out my Halloween decorations! ENTER IF YOU DARE!

Spooky spiderweb :)

We made personalized tombstones for everyone - so fun!

I will take a brief moment to make an embarrassing confession. I have to send pictures from my phone to my email in batches of 5-6 at a time. I thought I had sent three batches in a row to my email, then deleted them off my phone. Apparently, one batch didn't go through - or perhaps I didn't touch send - I'm not quite sure. Either way, the following will be a blend of real pictures and pictures that I'm going to pull from either Google Images or Pinterest. I will try to keep it as close to the real thing as possible. SORRY!!


MUMMY DOGS
Contributed by: Belinda & Mallory

1 package hot dogs
1 can refrigerated crescent rolls
Cheese (optional)
Mustard for eyes

Preheat oven to 375F. Separate the dough into 4 square sections and press together the perforations. Cut each section into thin strips using a pizza cutter. Wrap pieces of dough around each hot dog to resemble bandages. *NOTE: before you wrap, it is optional to add a strip of cheese with the hot dog and wrap it in with the dough. Be sure and leave room for the face. Place on a greased cookie sheet and bake on center rack uncovered for about 15 minutes or until the dough is golden brown. Remove from oven and when cool, place dots of mustard to create eyes.


SPIDERWEB GUACAMOLE DIP
Contributed by: Julie

[STAY TUNED...RECIPE TO COME]


BOO COOKIES
Contributed by: Michele

1 pkg Nutter Butter cookies
1 baker's bar of white chocolate
Mini chocolate morsels
Wax paper

Melt white chocolate according to package. Dip cookies in chocolate and set on wax paper to cool. Before the white chocolate sets, insert morsels as eyes and nose of the "ghosts". Let cool completely.


HALLOWEEN CUPCAKES
Contributed by: Laura

[STAY TUNED...RECIPE TO COME]


CHOCOLATE-DIPPED PRETZEL FINGERS
Contributed by: Julie

Pretzel sticks
Baker's chocolate
Almond slivers

Melt the chocolate, dip pretzel sticks in melted chocolate, and lay on a sheet of parchment paper. Before the chocolate cools and dries, add an almond sliver to the end to create a "fingernail".


OREO EYEBALLS
Contributed by: Brandi

1 pkg Oreo cookies
1 - 8 oz pkg cream cheese, softened
1 pkg white almond bark
Red and blue icing (the kind in the tubes found in the baking section of the grocery store)
Mini chocolate chip morsels

Crush cookies very fine either by using a food processor or by placing them in a sealed bag and crushing them with a mallet or rolling pin. Using an electric mixer, add softened cream cheese to crushed cookie mixture and mix until well blended. Scoop out and form into 1 inch balls and place on waxed paper until ready to dip. Melt almond bark either by using a double boiler or microwave (45 seconds at a time and stirring in between until completely melted). Dip each cookie ball into almond bark and place back on waxed paper to cool completely.  Using the red and blue tube icing, design the eyeballs. Top with mini chocolate chip morsel to make the 'pupil'. Store in an air tight container in the refrigerator.


HOT CIDER
Contributed by: Shelly

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Tonight, I leave you with two things:

1. A picture of my nephew in his first pair of jeans. He is so stinkin' cute!

2. The Word of God

"Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own." 1 Corinthians 6:19

Lord, I thank you for your Holy Spirit that is alive in me. I pray that you help me to remember daily that my body is a temple and is not my own. Help me to listen through you and speak through you. Help me to see through your eyes and recognize needs and opportunities to help others around me. In your name, Amen.

COLOR NIGHT

It's color night! Each lady was assigned a certain color, and they were tasked with bringing a food that either was actually that color, or had that color in it's name. I thought this was pretty fun and something different... as always, we had a great time eating, talking, sharing, encouraging, and praying with each other. Check it out!

How precious are these ladies :) 

L to R: Julie, Alison, Holly, Belinda, Mallory (a rare sighting), Shelly. Photographed by Lindsey

Delicious food!!!

YELLOW - CORNBREAD

Contributed by: Holly

2 boxes Jiffy corn muffin mix

1 cup sour cream

3 eggs beaten

1/2 cup melted butter

1 tsp salt

16 oz creamed corn

Mix all ingredients together and pour into greased 9x13 in. baking dish. Bake at 375F for 35 minutes or until golden brown.

PURPLE - CHICKEN SALAD WITH GRAPES

Contributed by: Lindsey

1 rotisserie chicken

1 cup mayo

Garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper to taste

3 tbsp chopped dill pickles

1 cup of grapes, halved

Hawaiian rolls if you desire to make sliders

Mix all ingredients together besides the grapes. After the chicken salad is well mixed, then fold in the grapes. Add to mini Hawaiian rolls for sliders.

BLUE - BLUEBERRY CRESCENT BARS

Contributed by: Shelly

BARS:

1 tube refrigerated crescent roll

8 oz cream cheese

3 tbsp all purpose flour

1/2 cup granular sugar

1/8 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup frozen blueberries

ICING:

1/2 cup powdered sugar

2 tbsp heavy cream

1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 375F. Combine cream cheese, flour, sugar, and vanilla in small mixing bowl. Open crescent rolls and unroll, leaving them in rectangle shape on an ungreased baking pan spread out to half length of the pan. Cut off 1/2 inch on each side to use on top after spreading cream cheese mixture and blueberries. Bake on 375F for 15-20 mins. until crescent is golden brown then take out of the oven and let cool. After the bars have cooled, combine the icing mixture in a small bowl and spread onto the cooked bars.

RED - RED BEANS & RICE

Contributed by: Alison

7 lb red beans

7 cups water

1 green bell pepper, chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

3 celery stalks, chopped

3 garlic cloves, chopped or minced

2 cans chicken broth

1 1/2 lbs sausage

2 tbsp creole seasoning (prefer Tony Chachere's)

Hot cooked rice

Combine all ingredients except rice and cook in crock pot on high for 7 hours. Serve warm over rice. 

BROWN - SALTED CARAMEL PRETZEL BROWNIES

Contributed by: Belinda

1 box Betty Crocker fudge brownies (for a 9x13 pan)

2 eggs

1/4 cup water

2/3 cup vegetable oil

3 cups pretzels

1 jar caramel sauce

Coarse sea salt

Preheat oven to 350F. Line a 9x13 baking pan with parchment paper or grease with cooking spray. Prepare brownie batter according to package instructions. Pour approx. 1/3 of the brownie batter into the prepared baking pan. Spread until the bottom of the pan is evenly coated. Then add two even layers of pretzels, covering the entire surface. Carefully spoon the remaining brownie batter on top to cover the pretzels. Bake for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the brownies comes out clean. Remove and set on a cooling rack to cool. Spoon the caramel sauce onto the top of the brownies in an even layer (if it is too thick, spoon the sauce into a small bowl first and microwave for 30 seconds to thin). Sprinkle the caramel with a few pinches of sea salt. Serve warm, or let cool to room temperature, then serve.

ORANGE - SWEET POTATO & QUINOA STEW

Contributed by: Mallory

1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 cup quinoa

*NOTE: I used a box of quick cooking quinoa and it was soggy by the time everything cooked, so either use regular quinoa, or if you use quick-cook, put it in about 30 mins or an hour before serving.

2 large sweet potatoes (1 lb or approx. 3 1/2 cups)

1 can (15.25 oz) black beans

1 can (14.5 oz) petite diced tomatoes

1 tsp minced garlic

1 packet (1.25 oz) chili seasoning mix

5 cups chicken broth

Optional: Fresh parsley or grated parmesan cheese for topping

Trim the chicken breasts and put them into the slow cooker along with the rinsed quinoa. Remove the skins and chop the sweet potatoes into cubes adding them into the slow cooker. Drain and rinse the black beans and add those in. Add in the undrained petite diced tomatoes, minced garlic, chili seasoning mix, and chicken broth. Place on high for 3-5 hrs. Using two forks, shred the chicken and stir all the ingredients together. Add salt and pepper and, if desired, top with fresh parsley and grated parmesan cheese. Serve immediately.

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Tonight, I leave you with two things:

1. A picture of the sweetest little face I ever did see...

2. The Word of God

"Trust in Him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to Him, for God is our refuge." Psalm 62:8

Lord, I am humbled and thankful for these ladies that you have put in my path. For this church that you brought Chip and me to, and the leadership that abounds from it. I pray for the time that we spend together, that your Spirit will be present and that through our fellowship time, we will grow closer to you and trust you more deeply with every step we take in our lives. In your name, Amen.

STARBUCKS, BEACH TRIPS, & A BONUS RECIPE

We took a couple of weeks off from cooking and gathering at my house because I had a couple of beach trips -- one with my husband and his family, and one with my girlfriends.

The ladies decided to meet at Starbucks these weeks to catch up. Look how cute they are :)

Starbucks date #1

L to R: Brandi, Lindsey, Alison, Julie (not pictured: Tim)

Starbucks date #2

L to R: Julie, Michelle, Belinda, Alison, Brandi

The hubby and I had a great time on our beach trip with his family. We go every year in late September/early October which we have discovered is a fabulous time to to go the beach. Here are a few pics from that trip:

Day 1 - ate late lunch at DeSoto's, then just relaxed on the beach for a bit

Later that night, the hubby's sister, her husband, and their littles made it! These kiddos LOVE their Paw-Paw...can't you tell?

It rained a couple days in between, so when it finally cleared up, it was serious fishing time.

The hubby (right) and his dad fishing...all.day.long.

After all that, this is all they got (besides catfish)

Beautiful sunset

Capturing the moment

We went to eat at the Original Oyster House and had a great time! Isn't my nephew just the cutest?

 How about this little cutie-pie? Isn't she so adorable?

Such a little ham!

Of course we had to go crab hunting!

The very last night, the in-laws, the hubby, and I tried out a new (new to us) spot called Fisher's. It was delicious! We went to the bottom part of the restaurant which is more casual. It's on the marina with great food and a great atmostphere. Will be going back!

My awesome in-laws!

The second beach trip was great too! Although it was a lot shorter (Friday - Sunday), we had perfect weather. No rain, and temperature was great. Plus I had a great time catching up with my girls. AND as a bonus, we got to hang out with my BF's little boy, Gracen.

Best friends since... well, I don't even remember a time when we all weren't best friends...

Meghan holding sweet little Gracen

Soaking up some sun with my girls

This has as story behind it... fun memories of crazy nights/mornings with my best friend (top picture is circa 2005 and bottom was a replica from this beach trip)

Selfie #1: Bethany and me

Selfie #2: Mary Grace and me

Sweet baby Gracen's first beach trip!! Isn't he just precious?

Since you just suffered through random beach pictures that you could probably care less about unless you were in them, and considering this is a cooking and recipe blog after all, I will treat you to the following bonus recipe: PORK TENDERLOIN WITH MASHED POTATOES & SAUTEED PEPPERS & ONIONS! (a quick and easy weeknight meal)

PORK TENDERLOIN:

- 2 pork tenderloins, approx. 1 lb each

- Salt & pepper

- 1 small garlic clove, minced

- 4 tbsp grainy Dijon mustard or country-style

- 2 tbsp honey

- 2 tbsp brown sugar

- 1 tbsp cider vinegar or balsamic vinegar

- 1/2 tsp dried thyme leaf, crumbled

SIDES:

- Baked potatoes & toppings of your choice (optional: butter, sour cream, cheese, bacon, green onions)

- Sweet peppers, sliced

- 1 medium to large sweet onion, sliced

- More balsamic vinegar for drizzling

- Salt and pepper to taste

Wash and trim the pork and pat dry; sprinkle both sides lightly with salt and pepper. Combine garlic, mustard, honey, brown sugar, vinegar, and thyme. Place pork in crockpot and pour mustard mixture over the pork. Turn pork to coat thoroughly. *NOTE: I always put some liquid in the very bottom of my crockpot to prevent burning, so you can put anything from water to some type of vegetable or chicken broth. Last time I poured just enough water to coat the bottom and added a few dashes of soy sauce then used some of the onion slices to make a little bed for the pork to put on. Cover crockpot and cook on low for 7 to 9 hours, or on high for 3 1/2 to 4 1/2 hours. Remove pork to a plate, shred, and pour some of the remaining juice on top to moisten.

Cook potato(es) in microwave or oven until soft (I prefer microwave). We like to eat mashed potatoes chunky and with the skin, so I just take a fork and knife and cut them up into chunks then stir it around a little to sort of "mash" them up. You could, of course, also use an actual potato masher... 

Add toppings as desired. **I also like to pour some of the juice from the crockpot onto the potatoes (hence the brownish color in the picture...). I think it not only moistens them, but ties in the flavors. I also added some fresh herbs (I believe it was dill, but rosemary is always a great choice with potatoes as well).

Wash and core sweet peppers, and slice them up into approx. 1 in. slices, along with your medium onion. Spray a medium skillet with some cooking spray and heat it up to medium or medium high. Add in your peppers and onions, along with a dash of extra-virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and salt & pepper. Cook until soft and slightly browned. 

Serve it all warm and enjoy!

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Tonight, I leave you with two things:

1. A picture of my sweet Buddy cuddling up with his favorite toy.

2. The word of God

"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast." Ephesians 2:8-9

Lord, words fail me when I try to thank you for the sacrifice made for me. For your unconditional love. For the fact that there's nothing I can do to "earn" your love. Rather, you already love me for who I am, mistakes and all. Although I know it's not enough, I want to thank you. And I pray that I can live a life that is pleasing to you as just another way of showing my gratitude for all you've done for me. In your name, Amen.