Christmas Kitties

I know this is a little late, but I am very happy with how well behaved the girls were this year when it came time to do their Christmas photos.

Comfort Food and the Flu

I'm sure everyone has heard that the flu is trying to take over the world, even though I'm a huge advocate for getting the flu shot, my husband and I ended up with it. And to make the situation worse we got our first snow of the winter. So besides cuddling up with a box of tissues, and my cats I wanted to make a easy yet hardy dinner.

So grab your Crockpot!
(Sorry I didn't post pictures this time because I feel like poo)
We use all organic meat and veggies, but we are trying the clean eating trend.

1 pack of chicken breast
1/2 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup celery chopped finely
1/2 cup chopped carrots
1/2 cup peas
( you can use a can of mixed veggies if you wish)
2 cans of cream of chicken soup

Spices to taste
Salt and Pepper
Cayenne Pepper
Cummin

Place everything in the crockpot and cook until the chicken is done and falling apart.

Cut refrigerator biscuits into 4ths and place in the crock pot and cook until the middle is done.

Drink with Ginger ale or Sprite and enjoy!

Feel Better Soon!

Pumpkin Spice Cookies!

Fall is in the air, and so that means it's time to make our homes smell like Fall as well, and no better way than baking! I am a sucker for Halloween and when I was grocery shopping, I found these Hershey's Pumpkin Spice Kisses, in the treat section, they are amazing on their own but I was wondering what kinda yummy treat I could construct with them.

  Last Thanksgiving I remember making a very light and fluffy pumpkin cookie and I thought these would go great in the middle of them kinda like a peanut butter blossom.

Pumpkin Kiss Cookie (36 - 42 cookies)

1 1/2 packages of Hershey Pumpkin Spice Kisses
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon of ground allspice
1/2 softened butter
1 cup white sugar
1/2 packed light brown sugar
1 1/4 cups of canned pumpkin puree
1 egg
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Pre heat oven to 350 degrees F

Step 1: Mix flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and allspice and set aside

Step 2: In a large bowl (I used a KitchenAid stand mixer with the paddle attachment) mix butter, sugar, brown sugar, on medium until light and fluffy!

Step 3:Add egg, and then vanilla and pumpkin, mix on medium for a couple of minutes or until well mixed

Step 4: Slowly on a low speed ( to prevent a mushroom cloud of flour)  add in your premixed dry ingredients, from step 1

Using a Tablespoon, scoop the cookie dough into ball like shapes onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. This is a very sticky dough! 

Bake at 350 degrees for about 12 minutes

Once the cookies come out of the oven, press a Pumpkin Spice Kiss in the middle of each cookie.

Now with PB Blossoms you would do this immediately after removing cookies from the oven, but I learned the hard way that these Kisses melt SUPER FAST!! WARNING! FREEZE YOUR KISSES!

If you freeze them put them on right away if not give your cookies a few seconds to cool, but as long as they are still warm then place the Kiss in the center of the cookie.  

As noted these are very light and fluffy cookies, and have all the great tastes of fall but the pumpkin isn't overwhelming with these, so sever with a glass of milk and good company and enjoy! 

Coleslaw made super easy

First you will need to wash and shred your cabbage.
This is tool I use to make it super quick and easy!
(If you have kid's helping you in the kitchen, I would be cautious of letting them help you with this part, if you get your finger near this, it's a long bloody trip to the ER)

Attaches into the screw hole in the front of your KitchenAid

Small chunks of cabbage ready for shredding

Shredding action shot 

Now after you have shredded your cabbage it is time to add carrots!

Once you get your carrots and cabbage shredded mix them together.

Once mixed, add the secret ingredient and stir well

Marzetti Slaw Dressing 

I sometimes add pepper for added flavor, but you don't have to you can also add additional veggies or seasonings 

I used 2 heads of cabbage and 1 bag of baby carrots to make mine, so it required 2 bottles of slaw dressing only, 1 was used in this picture.  Once mixed it's ready to serve. 

Fall off the Bone Ribs

As I mentioned in my first post I had a blog about 3 years ago and forgot about it, so I thought I would post some recipes that I had posted on the previous blog so you can enjoy them now.
During the Summer months, I enjoy grilling, the smell of something cooking over a fire, I just can't get enough of it. My husband has been a fan of ribs as long as I have known him, and I have spent the past 5 hrs trying to perfect them.  I am a fan of a sloppy dripping wet with BBQ sauce rib, and he is a fan of a dry rub, so I have come to a compromise and I decided to try a little of each.

For the rub:
1. I started out using a base of a McCormick dry rub, I have tried it with the Apple wood, this time I used the Cowboy rub, both equally yummy.

2. Dig out your spice rack ladies! you will also need

Smoked Paprika, this stuff is amazing! It gives off a wonderful smokey flavor

 - Smoked paprika
 - Garlic powder
 - Onion powder
 - Chili powder
 - Cumin
 -  brown sugar
 - Salt
 - Pepper (course )
I didn't get technical with the measurements, but I used about 1/2 cup of brown sugar, and then about 4-5 tablespoons of the smoked paprika, this to ensure a good smokey flavor, you may use original if you wish. All of the other spices I poured into the palm of my hand which is approx. 1 Tbs, I added more if needed, once you are putting all the spices in a bowl you will be able to eyeball it. 
My Grandma taught me how to cook, so there is a lot of pinches, dashes and eyeballing going on in my kitchen, sorry!

3. To make a rub base, I mixed Dijon mustard and liquid smoke together until it had a nice smokey mustard flavor.

4. Before you go rubbing that beautiful slab of baby back, flip it over to the bony side, and clean any of the fascia off, that is the stringy clear stuff that holds the muscle together, it's a pain, but you will have a more tender rib later.

5. coat your ribs one side at a time, with the mustard/smoke mix, and once you have coated it then cover them with the rub don't be shy with it you can always make more as needed!  Then flip it over and repeat.

6. Place ribs on a foil covered pan and let sit in the fridge for 1 hr, be sure to also cover them in foil. Its much easier to cover than wrap because you will need to check them periodically while in the oven.

7.  Preheat the oven to 250 degrees

8. Place the ribs in the oven bone side up!  and cook for 3 hours, your house will smell amazing!
( Cook times may vary do to the size of your ribs, I have a 3 lb rack so that's why I'm doing 3 hours)

9. Take them out of the oven, cover one side at a time with a BBQ sauce of your choice, I am doing Sweet Baby Rays, and grill each side for 15 minutes!

1 Hour in the oven

I am serving these with fresh made from the garden coleslaw, and mashed garlic cauliflower, and fresh squeeze lemonade! 

2nd hour in the oven

hour 3

On the grill, with the Sweet Baby Ray covering

15 minutes on each side and this is the finished result 

Welcome

Hello Everyone,
I would like to thank you for taking the time out of your busy day to visit my blog. Blogging is a newer concept for me, I had a previous blog, but I forgot about it with time due to being caught up with so many things.
If you are wondering watch to expect with this blog, first I am going to try to update it at daily. You will find helpful hints, recipes, reviews, and photos.
Please feel free to leave comments or leave suggestions, they are greatly appreciated!