Category Archives: Mmm…Food…

Because Brunch.

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Y’all know I love a good brunch. I ESPECIALLY love hosting a good brunch! Recently, I hosted a Sunday brunch for the ladies of my small group at church. Eight of us around my hubs’ grandmother’s table just makes me so happy!

IMG_7792I turned the usual “bar” area of the dining room into a coffee and juice bar, which really worked out well. See the flowers? Those were sent to me at work the week before by my hubby and they are still going strong and are a beautiful addition to the house!!IMG_7793

If you’ve been around my blog a while, you’ve probably also noticed my love of baby’s breath. It kind of works out that it’s one of the cheapest flowers out there, so comes in very handy when sprucing up the place for a little event like this. Sunflowers also happened to be my absolute childhood favorite – my dad and stepmom can attest to my bedroom that included a sunflower comforter, yellow walls and dresser drawers, and sunflowers stenciled EVERYWHERE.

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It was a potluck brunch, but as the host I really wanted to be sure to have some main courses ready to roll. Eight people = quiche. Perfect! I made my usual recipe with a few veggies swaps, and added these mini bell pepper slices on top for a little visual prettiness.

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And also bacon. And sausage.

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Everyone brought AMAZING dishes, and we had such a great time just chatting about jobs, marriages, babies, etc. A very happy Sunday for all of us!

Super Easy & Healthy Shredded Chicken {Crock Pot}

Posted in Health, Mmm...Food... by

You get one crappy iPhone photo and THAT’S IT.

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But it doesn’t take away from the awesomeness and easiness of this chicken. I’m kicking myself (figuratively AND literally) for not doing this sooner. How easy, you ask?

THIS EASY:

Put one pound of chicken breast and two cups of chicken stock in your crock pot. Low for 6-8 hours, or high for 4 hours.

YOU’RE DONE. I shredded mine in two seconds with a fork because it was so tender. I let it chill a little longer in the juice, but that’s completely optional.

I also diced an onion into some large chunks and threw it in there with some seasonings. You could add any veggies really: carrots, onions, bell peppers, etc. But at the end of the day, all you REALLY need is chicken and stock.

OMG WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN ALL MY LIFE.

Happy Wednesday, y’all!

Watermelon Margaritas + Memorial Day

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As I mentioned yesterday, I had a great weekend with my dad. And then on Monday, after he left, I spent the afternoon with some friends grilling out and enjoying the weather. I brought Ryman over as well, since one of my friends had his two Dauchshunds. Meeting each other was a little iffy, but once everyone settled in, I think they had a fun day playing! And Ryman has pretty much been out cold ever since…

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Also, as promised, I have a DELICIOUS margarita recipe for you. In fact, it is a WATERMELON MARAGARITA. HELLO. I know it’s not the prettiest picture, but that’s life, guys.

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Watermelon Margaritas

3 cups watermelon

2 cups tequila

1/2 cup lime juice

1/2 cup orange juice

3 tablespoons sugar

large pinch of salt

Blend it all up, and pour it over ice!! You could also blend it with ice, however watermelon has so much water in it, that even blending it with ice doesn’t make it very “slushy,” so I recommend just skipping the blended ice and serving it on the rocks. Garnish with a lime and/or watermelon wedge!

Peanut Butter Banana Blender Muffins

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Happy Monday, and happy “I took all my photos on my phone” day…sorry about the lack of prettiness!

Super easy and super clean, these little muffins will probably become your go to when you want a little baked good. It’s as easy as blending a few ingredients, throwing in any extras you want to have, and baking them up!

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Peanut Butter Banana Blender Muffins

Ingredients

2 eggs
1 cup natural peanut butter
2 very ripe bananas
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla
optional mix-ins: chocolate chips, nuts, coconut, raisins, dried fruit
optional topping: equal parts oats, unsweetened coconut, and brown sugar

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray mini-muffin tin with cooking spray.

2. Blend all ingredients together, and then stir in any extras you’d like. Divvy the batter up among your muffin tins. It should fill about 36 of them. If you want to add a topping, just sprinkle a little on each one and gently press down.

3. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until cooked through. Enjoy!

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Mushroom and Spinach Quiche

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AKA Super Easy Quiche that you can fill with any ingredients you want! YAY!

This weekend, a couple of my girlfriends gathered for a bunch at a friend’s house. Let’s just say we were there for about five hours, and it was glorious, girly time. And my hands-down favorite brunchy food is quiche (well really, anything with eggs, but quiche definitely covers that). There are a million recipes out there, so I kind of just made one up, and I’d say it turned out quite nice.

First off, I pretty much ALWAYS use a store-bought crust. They are delicious, and let’s be real…no one cares. I recommend a frozen deep-dish pie crust…you know, the kind you buy that’s already in the foil tin, and usually you have to buy two which means WOOPS more quiche next weekend please!!

Anyway, here you go. You can always substitute any meat or veggie you want, but I was really happy with the flavor on this one…enjoy!

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Mushroom and Spinach Quiche

Ingredients

  • 4 eggs
  • 1 cup milk (I use skim, but I suppose higher fat might be even more delicious)
  • 1 medium sweet onion, diced
  • 1 10 oz package frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed
  • 1 8oz package of sliced baby bella mushrooms
  • CHEESE. Optional, and the amount/type is totally adjustable.
  • salt, pepper, garlic powder, and any other seasonings you are partial to. Thyme would be good, but I did not have any on hand.
  • Olive oil

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Saute onion in olive oil until it begins to brown and become slightly translucent. Add mushrooms, and cook for a few more minutes until they begin to brown as well. Add in spinach and mix well. Take off heat and let it cool off a bit.

2. In a medium bowl, combine eggs, milk, and seasonings: Beat well. Also add in about 2-4 oz of cheese. I had a bit of feta left in my fridge, so I threw that in with a little shredded cheddar.

3. Stir about 1/2 of your onion, mushroom, and spinach mixture into your eggs. Pour this into your pie crust, and then slowly add as much of the remaining vegetable mixture as you can. You may have a little left over, but I think it’s more important to get all the eggs in there.

4. Bake for about 40 minutes before checking it. It will likely still jiggle a little in the middle. Add a sprinkle of cheese across the top, and bake another 10 minutes, or until the middle no longer jiggles. I also recommend placing your quiche onto a sheet tray, since you’ll likely get a little overflow, and you don’t want to bother cleaning your oven later!

5. Let rest at least 20 minutes. You can serve at room temperature, or even cold. I’m a fan of warm/room temperature…To each his own!

Enjoy BRUNCH!! Because mimosas.

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Coconut Ginger Balls

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Once in a while, I get a hankering for something strange. Lately, it’s been coconut and ginger. Plus, I’m always wanting something sweet around the house that is still pretty “clean.” Trust me, I can do a number on some cookies or cake, but I always feel 100000x guilty afterward. So to me, this recipe is the perfect little something-sweet-and-guilt-free.

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Adapted from Every Last Bite, this recipe seriously took me like, five minutes to whip up. I made them into tiny little balls so I feel like I have more of them… I think these would be delicious spread on an apple, graham crackers, or just popped in your mouth after dinner. Or for breakfast. Or whenever. Enjoy!

Coconut Ginger Balls (makes about 1 dozen)

Ingredients

8 medjool dates, pitted
3/4 cup unsweetened coconut, shredded
2 tablespoons walnut pieces
2 tablespoons fresh ginger
1/2 tablespoon honey (optional – the dates are pretty sweet already!)

Directions

1. Put dates in food processor and pulse for about a minute, until a paste is formed.

2. Add in the rest of your ingredients and blend until combined. A soft, sticky dough will form. You may need to scrape the sides a time or two.

3. Form into tablespoon-ish sized balls. You may want to wet your hands just a little so it doesn’t stick. Keep in the refrigerator for a week, or in the freezer for up to a month.

 

Easter is Coming!

Posted in Creative Crafting, Mmm...Food... by

I know it was JUST St. Patrick’s Day, but next week is Easter! While Easter is absolutely THE most important holiday in the Christian faith, I’m not going to get too into that today. You’re welcome. Instead, I’m going to highlight a few of my favorite springtime crafts and treats from Easters Past.

And so, without further ado…

I like to call this one, “Ode to that one time that Carli and I weren’t married yet and she didn’t have three baby girls yet and we spent a whole weekend crafting and baking and making marshmallows…”

I also don’t have a ton of Easter decor around my house – maybe when we are a little more settled down for the long haul I can buy some of this and this – but I make due! Last year I made this wreath, and bought some cheap but sparkly Easter eggs to brighten things up.

In lieu of an Easter basket for my hubby (he doesn’t eat a lot of candy, anyway), I filled each egg with a reason I love him. Call it a grown up version, I guess!

OKAY let’s talk about food… Breakfast is my favorite, and I’ve shared some of my favorite brunch items before. But my favorite FAVORITE FAVORITE treat, in general, are scones. I don’t know why, I just love them. I love their texture. I love how well they dip into coffee. I just love those little suckers. And here are my favorites, made for Easter a few years back with my roomie: Maple Scones. Happy Easter, Jesus is Risen, INDEED.

Then let’s talk about Easter 2011. This was my first holiday with the family that would later become known as my IN-LAWS. They are amazing, and of course, I really REALLY wanted to impress. How does one impress one’s future possible in-laws? One makes this cake, that’s how!!

And then finally, for Easter 2013, at which point my now-hubster and I were engaged, so now I like really REALLY want to make sure everyone likes me, I made salted caramel brownie parfaits. I think if they weren’t sure yet that I should be marrying their son/nephew/brother/uncle, they were sure then…

Can I get an AMEN? I know that Dennis the Obese Mini-Dachshund told us all that food is NOT love, and I understand that’s very true when it comes to loving your pet-child, but I’m here to tell you that when it comes to winning over future in-laws, FOOD IS LOVE.