Lamb chops...

First, I want to start by saying,
 I am pouring with grief and sadness
for all those at Sandy Hook Elementary.

 Such beautiful blessings taken away too soon,
& what HEROES those staff members were. 

My greatest fear is loosing a child,
so I cannot even begin to imagine, 

& pray I never have to know the pain
 in any way, shape, or form. 

Prayers for all those affected, 

& I pray for PEACE in the world, 

and prayers for our nation.

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I am by NO means a lamb fan,

 but it's my Dear Hubby's favorite meat,

 so this is what I came up with for him tonight!

What you'll need:
1lb Lamb chops
3/4 bottle of red wine (The other 1/4 bottle you can ENJOY while cooking! ;)
1/2 TBSP minced garlic
juice and some zest from 1 med. orange
dash of corriander
1 TBSP worth of fresh Rosemary
dash of McCormick Steak seasoning
tsp of worcestershire
tsp of olive oil
1/4 cup of honey

3 small potatoes
1/2 yellow onion
bundle of chantenay carrots

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

• Throw all the ingredients, except for the meat in a large covered saute pan (We used our Electronic Oil-less Skillet from Saladmaster). 
• Cook on Medium until the potatoes are half way done. 
• Then, add in your lamb and cook until desired meat level. We cooked ours to medium.)

Mango Salsa

So tonight we're having blackened tilapia topped with mango Salsa. My sweet hubby makes the best mango salsa, so here's Big Daddy's recipe!

What You'll Need:
1 ripe mango chopped
1 whole Jalapeno (Not the jar kind.) I leave in the seed
1/4 cup fresh chopped onion
1/4 cup fresh cilantro
* Sometimes, if we can find it, he adds in approx a tsp of this refrigerated Thai seasoning blend. Pictured below. We find it in the produce section at Kroger.

Chop & mix all the above ingredients together and serve chilled.

Baked Taco Roll Ups

So Derek's favorite dish I make is the Cruchy Chicken roll ups, but our son, Dominic, LOVES tacos, so tonight I am combining the two.

What you'll need:
1lb already cooked & seasoned taco meat.
2 oz of Mexican style Velveeta (You could use regular.)
6oz PepperJack
6oz Colby Jack
1 TBSP cream cheese
1 TBSP Plain Greek Yogurt
1/4 cup of corn (I like the yellow/white mix.)
TBSP Red Pepper Flakes
1 pack of flour tortillas
1 tsp minced garlic
Parsley Flakes
Chili Powder
2 green onion stalks
1 TBSP Olive Oil

Combine all the cheeses, with the yogurt, corn, green onion, garlic, red pepper flakes, & taco meat .
Place an over loaded TBSP (More or less to your liking) of the mixture in the middle of a tortilla, roll it up and place in a baking pan.
Continue until all of the tortillas or mixture is used.
Lightly brush the tops of the tortillas in olive oil and sprinkle the tops with parsley flakes and chili powder.
Bake for approx. 20 min (Until lightly browned.) and Enjoy!

*** We LOVE to use Tobasco's chipotle sauce as a taco sauce ***

Thanksgiving left over Gumbo

My favorite part of Thanksgiving is the left overs for GUMBO the next day!!!

What you'll need:

** For the Roux **
~ Use a wooden spoon ~
1/2 cup peanut oil (or oil of your choice.)
1/2 cup flour

* For the Gumbo itself *
1 lb crab meat
1/2 lb cut sausage (I use Hillshire Farm's chicken sausage, & crab boil it first.)
1/3 cup okra
1/4 cup corn
1/2 cup crawfish tails
Whatever left over Gravy you have
tsp hot sauce
tsp tony's
1 tsp Gumbo Filet (Sassafras)
1/2 lb of shredded left over turkey meat
1 can of Rotel (diced tomato and green chili)
5 cups Chicken broth
1/3 cup caramelized onion, celery, pepper mix.

How to get started:
STart making your Roux by placing your oil in the stock pot on medium/low, and very slowly adding in your flour, bit by bit. Do NOT leave your Roux for even a moment. keep stirring. If you even burn one bit, you need to throw it out and start over again! Keep stirring until your roux turns a dark brown/coppery color.

Once your roux is to your desired color, add in your chicken broth and carameized onion, celery, & pepper mix.

While that is going, saute your okra. Basically cook it until it is no longer slimy in the pan.

add in all your seasoning, rotel, hot sauce, turkey, crawfish, crab, corn, & sausage.

Keep cooking for about an hour. The longer it cooks on medium/low, the better it tastes. Once your ready to serve, add in your gumbo filet and serve over a bed of rice! ENJOY!

A Cajun Thanksgiving...

So, My favorite "food" memories in life for Thanksgivings were, 1.) Growing up, my mother would always get a deep fried turkey from Popeyes, & this amazing Crawfish cornbread dressing from Lagniappe market. 2.) My first husband's mother made the BEST homemade macaroni and his Dad made deep fried turkeys himself.

Now that I am in charge of my own Thanksgiving dinners, My husband and I were in search of our own deep fried turkey recipe and found Emeril's! It was great, though everyone besides myself, complained it was too spicy, so I tweeked it and here it is!

What You Will Need:

• 1 (10 to 12-pound) turkey, rinsed well inside and out, patted dry 2 tablespoons 
• 2 TBSP Worcestershire sauce.
• 1 tablespoon concentrated liquid crab boil (We use Zatarian's.)
• 1/4 cup apple cider
• 3/4 cup honey
• 1  bottle of beer. (We use Miller Lite.)
• 1 tablespoon sea salt
• 1/2 cup Creole seasoning (We use a mix of Slap Yo Mamma & Tony's.)
• a Dash of cayenne pepper
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup finely minced garlic 
• 3 teaspoons Sea salt
• 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 stick of butter to rub on the skin.

Blend all the ingredients in a blender until it is as liquified as possible. Then inject into every piece of the turkey as possible. I even stick some down the neck to marinate in!

* Make sure you use a LARGE syringe, because the mixture WILL get jammed in the injector if not! *


Crawfish Cornbread Dressing

What you will need:

•  2 1/2 cups squares of corn bread mixed with whole wheat bread. (When I do cheat, I use a box of  Stouffers Corn Bread Mix or turkey stuffing.
• 3 eggs
• 4 TBSP of REAL BUTTER (Not that spread crap.)
• 1/3 cup caramelized onion, celery, pepper, blend.
• 1 cup crawfish tails, preferably some from a real crawfish boil!
• 1/4 cup of Italian style bread crumbs, used as topping.
• 1 tsp Tony's cajun seasoning
• 3 cups of chicken broth.

What to Do:
Preheat oven to 375.
Combine all the above, except bread crumbs, ingredients in a large bowl. Once it is thoroughly combined, move it into a greased baking dish. I like my Glass Pyrex dish.
Now sprinkle the bread crumbs on top and place into the oven.
Bake for Approx. 20-30 minutes covered, and then for another 10-15 or until the top is browned.

I hope you like it, & have a blessed thanksgiving!
Stay safe, & be careful frying up those turkeys!

Most importantly, put the FUN in dysfunctional family! HA

Banana Muffins... Hold the flour!

In my quest to live healthier, I was looking for better options for desserts, &  found a couple flourless recipes. Here's my twist on my favorite!

You will need:

2 1/2 cups oats (Not the packet kind. REAL OATS!)
1 cup of plain low fat greek yogurt
2 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 TBSP light brown sugar
2-3 bananas

Get Baking:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Combine all of the above ingredients in a blender until oats are broken down, unless you want it oaty!

Spray a baking pan with non-stick spray. (DON'T use baking papers. This WILL stick to the paper if you do!)

Pour in your mixture, and bake until the insides are no longer gooey!

ENJOY!

For the love of Curry...

I absolutely LOVE curry, and I usually make it with rice noodles and shrimp, but tonight I decided to shake it up for the Hubbs...

What you will need:

• 1 cup of Curry sauce. I like the "Golden Curry" from Walmart or any Asian Market. (You can find recipes for homemade curry sauce if you prefer.)
• 1/2 cup organic brown rice. (You could do white or Jasmine if you prefer, but I try to keep it healthy!)
• 2 Large boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1/4 cup chopped onions, peppers, celery blend.
• 2 tsp real butter
• 1 tbsp real butter to caramelize onions, celery, peppers, & garlic in.
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 1 small bag of carrots

Let's get to cookin':
Make your curry sauce or heat it up.

Cook your rice.

Cook your carrots with the 2 tsps of butter, covered.(You can serve them on the side, or cut and add into the mix.)

Bake your chicken on a baking pan. (I topped mine with some red thai chili seasoning from Pampered Chef.)

Carmelize your onions, peppers, celery, and then add in garlic. (I buy the frozen bag and then just throw it in the pan with the butter, Fast & Easy!)

Once chicken is thoroughly cooked, cut into prefered size pieces, (I make mine in 1/2 inch bites because of the kids.) add everything into one, serve, and enjoy! Easy Peezy.

Arroz con pollo is more than just chicken over rice...

You will need:
1/2 chicken (I tend to just put in a rotisserie chicken.)
4 cups chicken broth
2 TBSP green manzanillo olives
dash of salt and pepper
2 tsp lemon pepper
2 TBSP of peppers in vinegar (You can find it at any grocery. Check the latin aisle.)
2 tsp goya
1 giant tsp of minced garlic
1/4 cup green chilies
2 bay leaves
sprinkle of mint
1/4 cup of corn (I use yellow/white mix)
about 1/2 a handful of fresh cilantro
dash of oregano
1/2 can of Rotel (I either us original or mild.)
1/2 small lemon (for juice.)
dash of red pepper flakes
1/4-1/3 cup of caramelized onions and peppers.

~HINT~ If you want to spice it up, add a tsp of Tobasco green chili sauce!

Get to cookin':
Get your broth and water boiling and literally just add all of the ingredients and cook on medium until everything is soft. Serve over a bed of rice.

P.S.
I like mine very soupy, though Hubby prefers his non-soupy. Just add spoonfulls with as much broth as you prefer over the rice. ENJOY

Comfort Cocoa

Nothing says Fall like the comfort in a cup of hot cocoa...

You will need:
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa. (I like Hersey's special dark cocoa)
1/2 cup of water
1/2 cup sugar
a dash of sea salt
3.5 cups of milk
1 tsp of vanilla extract (We use artificial vanilla due to Brie's vanilla allergy.)
mini marshmellows

In a pot, combine water, cocoa, salt, and sugar on medium/low until it boils.
Then immediately add in your milk.
cook on medium until warm, then add vanilla and serve topped with marshmellows!

My kids like it served with toast topped with butter and cinnamon/sugar!

Happy Autumn Y'all!

Skinnigetti and Buffalo Meatballs.

I first learned about & how to cook Spaghetti Squash while watching the Wendy Williams show, when she had Richard Simmons on. I decided to use it as a noodle for my spaghetti. Think of it as a "skinnier" way to make spaghetti with the same great taste for those who can't stand whole wheat pasta, although I DO enjoy whole wheat products. any who...
Tonight is Spaghetti Squash and Buffalo Meatballs for supper...

* Just so you know, when I write 1-2 or something similar I am trying to show approximation. I like things VERY spicy and most people don't. Also, I don't measure things out when I cook. I just throw what seems to enough!  Just use your judgement for what you prefer. *

You will need:
1 spaghetti squash
Spaghetti sauce
1-2 TBSP Italian seasoning
1 tsp minced garlic
1 lb buffalo meat (You can substitute with ground turkey or beef.)
2-3 TBSP worchestershire sauce
1 tbsp ketchup
1 tsp Italian style bread crumbs
fresh cracked salt & pepper
1/2 TBSP crushed red pepper flakes
1-2 TBSP McCormicks Steak Seasoning
pinch of  parsley
Parmesan cheese, We use both grated and shredded.
1 TBSP of butter. (I use REAL BUTTER!)
OPTIONAL
1/2 cup Mozzarella Cheese
10 Jumbo Black Olives
4-5 small sauteed sliced mushrooms (You can saute them right before you add your meatballs to the skillet.)
4-5 sliced cherry or grape tomatoes

For the Spaghetti Squash:

Cut squash in half, lengthwise (This can be VERY difficult.),

remove all of the seeds. (I use a spoon to get it all out.)
Place squash cut sides up in a microwave dish with 1/4 cup water.

Cook on HIGH for approx 10-15 minutes, more if necessary.
Let stand covered, for 5 minutes.
With a fork "comb" out the strands. Add butter

Start heating up your sauce. I like the Organic, Traditional sauce by Muir Glen.

For the Meatballs:
In a mixing bowl, combine buffalo meat, seasonings, minced garlic, worcestershire sauce, ketchup, read crumbs. Then, roll them into individual balls. I like mine a medium size. Too small will cook faster and probably won't be as juicy, big ones won't absorb all of the sauce, so medium seems to be just right for me.

In a medium-large skillet, heat up your olive oil and then place in the buffalo meatballs. You may want to add a bit more ketchup and worcestershire and cover. Cook until desired style. We like medium/well.
**Hint** Tonight, I added a splash of beer in the sauce pan!

* You can serve it just like regular Spaghetti and Meatballs, or follow instructions below *

Mix your spaghetti sauce strings with the 1/2 your mozzarella and 1/8 Cup of parmesan, black olives, tomatoes, and mushrooms. Break some meatballs in half and add those in,sprinkle some more Italian seasonings to your liking, and mix in about 1/2 cup of your spaghetti sauce (More or less to how you prefer your pastas). Add this mixture back into your spaghetti squash halves and cover with the rest of your cheese and some more parmesan. Bake at 350 for 15-20 or until cheese is lightly browned!

ENJOY
I'll add pics once mine is done baking!

Creamy Crunchy Chicken Roll ups! YUMM...

Tonight is Taco Thursday...

I made tacos for the kids, but I wanted to try something new for us.
I found some chicken roll up recipes, and put my own twist on them so here ya go. I was able to make 14, and there are only 5 left...

You will need:
2 Large chicken breasts cooked and shredded.
2 oz of Mexican style Velveeta (You could use regular.)
6oz PepperJack
6oz Colby Jack
1 TBSP cream cheese
1 TBSP Plain Greek Yogurt
1/4 cup of corn (I like the yellow/white mix.)
TBSP Red Pepper Flakes
1 pack of flour tortillas
1 tsp minced garlic
Parsley Flakes
Chili Powder
2 green onion stalks
1 TBSP Olive Oil

Combine all the cheeses, cooked & shredded chicken, with the yogurt, corn, green onion, garlic, and red pepper flakes .
Place an over loaded TBSP (More or less to your liking) of the mixture in the middle of a tortilla, roll it up and place in a baking pan.
Continue until all of the tortillas or mixture is used.
Lightly brush the tops of the tortillas in olive oil and sprinkle the tops with parsley flakes and chili powder.
Bake for approx. 20 min (Until lightly browned.) and Enjoy!

It's spelled PONTCHARTRAIN!

Tonight dinner is:

Blackened Tilapia with Pontchartrain sauce...

It's all in the sauce baby!
1/2 small lemon
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
1 tsp White Pepper
1/8 tsp Paprika
4 Tbsp of butter
1 tsp minced garlic
2 small mushrooms
1/4 cup of chardonnay
1/2  lb of crab meat
1/4 cup of boiled shrimp
1/4 cup of onion, celery, and peppers. (Carmalize them.)
Dash of Lemon Pepper
1 tsp of Tony Chacheries
SMALL dash of Cayenne pepper.

Carmalize onion celery and peppers in chardonnay.
Add your butter. Once melted add in your cream, seasonings, crab meat, lemon juice.
cook until well mixed, on LOW for about 20 min. Add shrimp and let sit for a 5-10 min to thicken.

Filets:
2-4 Tilapia filets.
blackening seasoning. (I like Zatarains)
1/2 lemon for juice
Tony's seasoning
(Preferably Cedar Planks.)

Blacken your Tilapia in lemon juice, blackening seasoning, and Tony's.
 Grill up your tilapia. (Preferably on a cedar plank.) then serve topped with sauce.

Long awaited Steak!!!

So, I haven't been on in awhile. I recently had another miscarriage and school started back up, and the oldest recovering from his surgery, I just never found time. So here is tonight's recipe. It's a super fast and easy steak recipe! Hope you enjoy!

You will need:
2 Thin Steaks (I prefer flank, but what's on sale, is what gets cooked!)
2-3 TBSP Worcestershire sauce
1 TBSP  Butter
1 TBSP McCormicks Steak Seasoning
1-2 tsp Minced Garlic
1/4 cup Water
1 TBSP Ketchup
1 tsp Red Pepper Flakes
1/4 small onion
1/4 cup of peppers (Red, yellow, orange, green. All or just what you have.)

LETS COOK:

Carmalize your onions and peppers in the butter with garlic.
Then add your sauces and steaks, top with seasonings, water, and cover.
Cook until steaks are  done to your likings. (Thin steaks cook FAST.)

Serve over a bed of rice with corn mixed in!!!
* I like to add lots of McCormick steak seasonings and Worcestershire sauce!

What's the harm in suggestion?

I know I haven't been on much, but my poor 7 yr old son, Dom, apparently needs surgery on Monday, so I won't be on here much. Anyways, I decided to post a list of suggestions: Items I cherish in the kitchen. So here it is!

Seasonings and sauces:
 Crystal Hot Sauce

Tobasco GREEN CHILI sauce.

BBQ- Sweet Baby Ray's or Jack Daniels.

Lea Perrin's Worcestershire sauce.

McCormick Steak seasoning! I USE IT ON EVERYTHING! I mix the regular with the spicy one.

GOYA: The yellow bottle with red letters.

Tony Chachere's and Slap Yo Mamma! (Yes, both are necessary!)

You should always have:  Sea Salt & fresh cracked Pepper, FRESH cilantro, italian seasonings, crushed red peppers, parsley, Cayenne, white pepper, cinnamon, bay Leaves, bouillon cubes (Beef, Chicken, & Vegetable), liquid and dry crab boil, Italian bread crumbs, and the above listed.


Cookware:
CROCKPOT! Everyone should own one!! It should be big enough to fix a whole roast with carrots, and potatoes covered in water!

Get yourself a fondue pot!!!!

Pots and Pans. Ok, so I got a knock on my door one day, with a nice lady asking if she could cook me a free dinner and showcase her services, and she'll also do all the cleanup, no purchases necessary. I agreed and figured she was a private chef or something. Anyways, she happened to be a SALADMASTER consultant. May I say, It has changed my life!!! Your nutrients stay in your food, the flavors are unreal WITHOUT seasoning, the HEALTH benefits are unreal, your food doesn't shrink, and it doesn't make the house hot while cooking! You should check them out! They even do dinner shows like Pampered Chef. I wouldn't suggest ANY OTHER cookware. Our set has almost paid itself off in less than 6 mos, from how much we're saving at the grocery! Our bill is almost cut in half at the store!!! This is the HONEST-TO-GOD-TRUTH!!!

SALADMASTER makes an oil-less skillet. You can fry up chicken, without grease, or breading, and it tastes as though you did! It's really is amazing.
  

Spaghetti & AMAZEBALLS!!!

So my plan for dinner tonight was Hubby's fav... Cream of crab soup, but my back started hurting and so I asked Hubby to just make tacos. Then of course, we noticed we had no tortillas or shells. So, I whipped together spaghetti with the defrosted ground turkey. Hope you like my meatballs as much as I do...

Bit of extra info...
1) I use McCormicks Spicy Steak seasoning  and worcestershire sauce for almost EVERYTHING!

2) I LOVE Muir Glen's organic spaghetti sauce. It's delicious and reasonably priced for organic. It usually costs me about $3.25 at Market Street. Before I started switching out to organic, I LOVED Del Monte's Traditional flavor and it only costs about .97. I ALWAYS add more crushed red peppers, fresh minced garlic, and Italian seasoning no matter what though.

For noodles, I use Ronzoni whole grain thin noodles.
and my new love is "Food Club" garlic dinner rolls!!! Sooo good when you dip them in the spaghetti sauce. Just Saying!

3) I like to serve my spaghetti with fried eggplant and fried bowties or fried raviolis.

I peel an eggplant, slice it into 1/2 inch slices, dip into an egg & milk mixture (2 eggs, splash of milk) and roll into Italian bread crumbs, and dip into the deep fryer. Serve topped with jalapeno slices, spaghetti sauce, and parmesan cheese. 

* For the bowties or raviolis, just boil the bowties or raviolis until cooked. dip in egg/milk mixture and dip into your bread crumbs. I find they're better if you redip them into the egg/milk mixture and breadcrumbs before frying!

Cajun Cowgirl Spaghetti & Amazeballs!!!

 Get to cookin':
1 lb ground turkey (extra lean)
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tbsp Italian seasoning
1 tbsp worcestershire sauce
1 tsp crushed red pepper
1 tbsp ketchup
1/2 tbsp McCormick's steak seasoning
1 tbsp Italian bread crumbs

 In a mixing bowl, combine ground turkey, bread crumbs, worcestershire, crushed red pepper, steak seasoning, & minced garlic. After the mixture seems evenly distributed, roll into round balls.

Heat up your pan, then drizzle oil and ketchup into pan. (I never cook anything on high. I like cooking things at lower heat for longer.) Then, place in your meatballs, add another sprinkle of worcestershire, then more steak seasoning, and cover. I like mine medium/well done and roll them around in the sauce created! ENJOY!

Nanny's Crockpot Roast

Sorry, I was gone all weekend, so I had no recipe to post. My amazing, hard working, deserving, Hubby was given an award at the annual Gulf States Toyota awards. They give you a free hotel room, at the Renaissance Worthington in Fort Worth, for the night and make a delicious fancy dinner followed by free breakfast in the morning. The dinner, though very much appreciated, was okay. I am a big food critic, one point of this blog. Anyways, It was a salad wedge with vinegarette dressing, beef medallion with (bland) chicken with some sauce, asparagus, carrots, followed by a chocolate trio mousse. The dessert was amazing, but I wasn't impressed with dinner like I usually am. Also, It obviously had something I am allergic to in it, because since dinner Saturday, I have had unbearable hives! Oh well, It was a nice break from the kids and quality time with my Hubby, and a good excuse to get all dressed up! Breakfast was good. It was in their restaurant called Vadallion, but it was a buffet, which I am not big on. I don't like the idea of my food sitting out, being passed over by a bunch of people. They gave us these AMAZING smoothies, and I finally got a real coca cola! The night of the awards, they had open bar and all Pepsi products so I was DYING for a coke (If you know me, you know I am a Coca Cola addict.) We went out around the square afterwards and I got one, but apparently they're having water problems down there and it just tasted like soap?! YUCK, so I was thrilled that morning!
 
Last night and tonight's supper is from my roast recipe. The difference is on how you serve it! Last night, I served it with the crockpot veggies over a bed of rice with gravy and tonight's will be over fries (Bo fries) and on french bread. (Po-Boy)

My love of Roast come from my Nanny (Who is like a mother to me.).
She made it for me every time I would go visit her. 
I Love you Nanny!

You will need:

1 Roast

Potatoes

Carrots

green onions 

1 beef bouillon cube

Water

1 can of cream of mushroom soup

2-3 brown gravy packets or jars (Or you could just add flour and whip it yourself.)

Seasonings (Crushed red pepper, McCormick's steak seasoning, Sea Salt, black pepper.)

1 tsp worcestershire sauce

Get to Cookin':

The night before the day I plan on eating it, is when I place it into my crockpot. I put it on HIGH by itself after supper until it's bedtime, which I then add about 4 cups of water, the bouillon cube,  and then switch it to LOW. In the morning after breakfast. I cut off the fat, flip it over, add my seasonings, and switch it back on to HIGH! 

Around noon, (You can add it all in the morning if you need to leave for work.) I add in my green onion, carrots, and potatoes, cover and let it keep cooking. Around 3-4:00 I then add in my cream of mushroom and gravy mix. By now, you should be able to take a fork and just pull the meat apart. If you need more water to cover the veggies, then add some, you can fix it latter by adding more gravy powder!

Then, at dinner time, serve as you please. These are my ways.

1.) Serve the roast and gravy with veggies over a bed of rice, with a side of corn or green beans and the option of mashed potatoes.

2). Serve on french bread or pistolet bread with mustard

3.) Serve over french fries and top it with fresh italian cheeses (with the gravy).

Friday the 13th...

Well, no cooking tonight! We had family night, which was great. Hubby had to work late and go pick up my car from the body shop to fix it, and then will have to bring it back to the body shop once he's done so they can finish their part. Anyways, so I ordered Papa John's and then we had Blue Raspberry ICEEs (My fav) with popcorn at the movies. We saw Ice Age 4, which I personally think is the best one yet! Wanda Sykes plays "Granny" and she made the movie!!!! Brie fell asleep half way through, but she sure was fighting it, she seemed to be enjoying it. The big boys were were having a blast! Though I do wish they didn't have a character nicknamed "Wiener" in the movie, because all I heard once we left was, "Wiener Wiener!" ughhh. Little boys! Oh well, my Friday the 13th was blessed and enjoyable! I truly love being a Mommy and I am still undeniably in LOVE with the incredible man I get to call my Hubby! Good Night all and God Bless!!!

Drunken Dumplins

Well first, I must start off by saying, when I met my father-in-law for the first time, he raved about how he made the BEST Chicken and Dumplings ever! Well, one time when he stayed with us over the holiday, he made dumpling, but he was so drunk, they came out so disgusting, and NO ONE would eat them, and I had flour EVERYWHERE throughout the house! lol. Well, today was my first attempt at making them myself, and may I just add, they're AMAZEBALLS!!! So, I shall call them...

DRUNKEN DUMPLINS
 (Serves a family of 4-6 very well.) 

(My measurements and instructions are anything but conventional.)

You will need: 
*2 Chicken Breasts
* 1 QT (8 cups) of Water
* 8 Chicken Bouillon cubes
* 1/2 small bag of frozen green beans
* 1/2 small bag frozen corn
* 2 handfuls of baby carrots
* 1/8 cup vegetable oil
* 1/2 cup milk
* 1-1/4 cups unbleached flour
* .5 tablespoon baking powder
* .5 teaspoon each salt & sugar
* dash of Goya
* dash of lemon pepper
* dash of crushed red peppers
* dash of Tony's Chacheres and Slap yo Mamma

Get to cookin':
Chicken:
Grill or bake your chicken. I baked mine in Tony's and Goya, then when finished and cooled, I pulled it apart into shredds.

Soup:
 In your pot, mix 1 qt water with your 8 bouillon cubes. Add in your veggies and get 'er boiling.

Dumplings: 
In a bowl, combine your seasons, milk, flour, baking powder, oil. Mix until it's a good "dough" Roll it flat with something like a rolling pin, then cut into squares with a pizza cutter or even a butter knife.

(I put some chicken in the middle of my squares and then closed it on top with the dough.)

Once your broth is boiling, add in your dumpling, gently, piece by piece. Cover for about 15-20 minutes. DO NOT PEEK! The broth cooks the dumplings, but the steam is what makes them puffs, so if you open the lid, you'll let the steam out!

Serve either soupy or not. I made it soupy and added some biscuits to the mix. To make it healthier. I made biscuits from scratch (I will add that recipe in a bit.) and made them in a mini-cupcake pan to create smaller portion size to minimize the bread intake!

Here We Go...

My name is Bridgette Brunet (Brew-Nay) Owens. I was born and raised in New Orleans, La. My mother’s family is from Port Huron, MI and my father’s side is from South Lafourche (La-Foosh), La. (Cut Off & La Rose.) I am married to the most wonderful man in the world. I truely didn't think men like him existed. He is an auto-technician and wonderful man. I am a stay at home mother of two. I have a 7 yr old son, Dominic and a 2 yr old daughter, Brielle. I am starting this blog to give out some of my many recipes everyone is always asking me for. Also, I am always coming up with fun ideas for the kids, crafting ideas, tips for all sorts of things, and I am the Queen of speaking my mind on new products. I hope you enjoy!

Laisez les bons temps rouler (lay-say lay bawn tawn roulay) “Let the good times roll” the motto of many Louisianans.