Thanksgiving Week

Trying to catch up on our Thanksgiving week! It was pretty hectic because we were leaving for Disney the day after. But, we still made time for some crafts! Addi LOVES painting and while the vision for this tree didn't turn out how exactly how I saw on Pinterest, it is still beautiful and definitley a little more free spirited. :) What matter is, she had an absolute blast just going for it. 

 Tuesday night, we had a Thanksgiving meal with our friends. This is by far the best meal of the year. We had: turkey, ham, cornbread dressing, sweet potato casserole, green bean casserole, green bean bundles, corn casserole, mashed potatoes, mac and cheese, cranberries, rolls and then pumpkin bars and apple pie for dessert. I spent all day in the kitchen and the house smelled like heaven. It actually made me tear up a little because it smelled just like my grandmother's house. :)

 Sweet little Eliza.

 Me and the crazy girls!

Addi's cute little outfit. She was balancing Pascal on her head. 

 Josh's smoked turkey. I need more!

  The next day, our playgroup paid a visit to the fire station! I anticipated Addi to just be so excited because she loves when fire trucks go down our street. Not so much! She was really quiet and almost scared the whole time. She's deathly afraid of fire and maybe she thought there was going to be fire there? Also, she thought the sirens were going to turn on and she doesn't like loud noises. Just like her momma! 

 The firemen were so nice and welcoming to our little group. They had a pretty sweet TV set up that Addi took advantage of!

 This rescue boat was a hit with all the kids. They did not want to get out!

 We went and ate lunch with Leslie and Brilie downtown afterwards. Flying Fish is SO good!

 There were some LSU fans in town that the girls glared at. Too bad we stink so bad and we couldn't trash talk them. ;)

 We went and saw sweet baby Gracynn that night! She is SO precious. Addi gave us a little taste of what to expect when Rhett gets here. I was holding Gracynn and Addi was playing with a plastic ball. She said catch and chunked the ball right at Gracynn's head! Oh my word!! Luckily, I caught it just before it hit, but my word! Rhett is going to be a tough little boy!

Sadly, I didn't get one picture from Thanksgiving. But, we had a delicious meal at Josh's grandparent's house and had a great time visiting. :)

Chicken Enchiladas

This recipe is so super easy because there is not that many ingredients and the cooking creme adds so much flavor and creaminess to the dish.

Ingredients:
3 chicken breasts
1 can of diced green chiles
1/2 onion-diced
1 container of southwest flavored Philly Cooking Creme
1 can of enchilada sauce
1/2 cup shredded cheese
6 flour tortillas
cilantro (optional)

All you do is swirl a couple of teaspoons of EVOO in a saute pan, get your chiles and onion cooking a little, I let mine go for about 3 or 4 minutes, then put your chicken in there and cook till it's done, probably 15 minutes. Take your chicken out and shred it using two forks, put it back in the pan with the chiles and onion, stir in the WHOLE container of cooking creme. Fill your tortillas with the mixture, roll up and place seam side down in a baking dish. I also like to pour a little of the enchilada sauce on the bottom so they won't stick. Top with the rest of the enchilada sauce, and cheese and then bake for 25 minutes at 350. I topped mine with some fresh chopped cilantro and it gave it a really nice flavor.

Enjoy!

Chicken Spaghetti

I'm sure mostly everyone has had this at some point or another. I had not had it since high school, and someone posted about it and I needed it asap! I love it and it's so easy and yummy! It is also great to make ahead, or make ahead and freeze!

Ingredients:

3 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1 (8 ounce) package spaghetti
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup
1 (10 ounce) can diced tomatoes with green chile peppers
1 pound processed cheese food (eg. Velveeta)
salt and pepper to taste
1 pinch garlic powder

Directions:

Boil chicken in a large pot of salted water. When chicken is done, remove from pot, keeping water/broth at a boil. Shred chicken and set aside. Put spaghetti in boiling chicken broth and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, until al dente. When done, drain broth.
Return pot with cooked spaghetti to stove, put over low heat. Add shredded chicken, soup, diced tomatoes with chile peppers and cheese. Season with salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste. Pour into casserole dish, top with shredded cheddar and bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Enjoy!!!

Asian Glazed Chicken Thighs

This was so good! I got boneless skinless chicken thighs and the meat is so flavorful and juicy! I think next time I will marinate these overnight in the sauce, but I just dipped in the chicken and poured the rest of the sauce on top. One time, I just kept brushing on the glaze as they were baking.

Ingredients:

4 boneless skinless chicken thighs

Marinade Ingredients:
1/8 cup soy sauce
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire
1 Tbsp. honey
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 tsp. sesame oil
1 tsp. cilantro

Preheat oven to 400. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes.

Serve with rice and we also had edamame with it too!

Enjoy!!!

Turkey Chili

I made this Sunday night in preparation for our snow day! It was DELICIOUS, but better than that, it's actually semi-healthy! I used turkey instead of ground beef, and I added finely chopped carrots and butternut squash (just had it in the fridge) for an extra veggie dose. The original recipe calls for chopped zucchini, but I didn't have it and I'm not sure if I would like that, but feel free to use that if you like!

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
1 1/2 pounds ground turkey
1 (1 ounce) package taco seasoning mix
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 1/2 tsp. ancho chili powder (if you don't have ancho, just double up on regular)
1 tsp. regular chili powder
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 (14.5 ounce) can beef broth
1 (7 ounce) can salsa
1 (14.5 ounce) can crushed tomatoes, or coarsely chopped tomatoes packed in puree
1 (7 ounce) can chopped green chile peppers
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 green bell pepper, diced

Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large stock pot over medium-high heat. Crumble turkey into the pot, stirring with a wooden spoon to break apart as much as possible. Season with taco seasoning mix, oregano, chili powder, and tomato paste, and mix until meat is evenly coated with seasonings. Continue cooking, reducing heat if necessary, until turkey is well browned.
Pour in beef broth, and simmer to reduce liquid slightly, about 5 minutes. Add salsa, tomatoes, and green chilies, and continue cooking at a moderate simmer for ten minutes. Adjust the thickness at any time you feel necessary by adding water.
While chili is still cooking, heat one tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook onion and green bell pepper, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes, or until onion is translucent and bell pepper is lightly browned. This is where I added the carrots and squash. Add veggie mix to the chili, and continue cooking at a very low simmer.

Ladle chili into serving bowls. Top with sour cream, green onion, and cheddar cheese, and serve.

This was the best chili we've ever made and it had just the right amount of spice.

Enjoy!!!

Coffee Punch

I LOVE this punch! It tastes like a frozen cappuccino!


Ingredients
4 cups brewed vanilla-flavored coffee, cooled
1 can (12 ounces) evaporated milk
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 gallon vanilla ice cream, softened
Ground cinnamon(maybe start with 1 tsp. and add more if you like)

Directions:
In a large container, combine the coffee, milk and sugar; stir until sugar is dissolved. Spoon ice cream into a punch bowl; pour coffee mixture over the top. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Serve immediately. Yield: 2-1/2 quarts.

Enjoy!!!

Buttermilk Pie

Wow!!! Can't believe it's been over a month since I've posted over here! So, this is something that I found off of another blog and thought sounded delicious, so I made it! It is SO good y'all! This is a southern thing too, so even better!

Ingredients:

3 eggs
1 1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup ( 1/2 stick) butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/16 teaspoon salt

one unbaked pie shell

Directions:

Beat eggs, sugar, buttermilk, butter, vanilla and salt in a mixing bowl until smooth.
Pour into pie shell. (Cover edge until last 10 mins or so)

Bake in 350 degree oven for 40-45 mins or until light brown. (Mine had to go a little bit longer and remember, once it cools it firms up, so it's okay if it's a little jiggly!) Also, we think it's best served chilled with some whipped cream!

Enjoy!