Whatcha Got Cooking?

We are finally in a less-busy season and I'm enjoying the opportunity and time to try new dishes. Here are a few I've made lately and a few of my personal notes.

I try my best to remember to add things I've tried to my "Things I've Tried" Pinterest board. This is such a great way to remember what changes I made to a recipe, whether I liked it or not, ideas for what to serve with it, and what (if any) changes I might make next time.

(Sorry no photos. I don't agree with using other people's photos on my blog and this was not exactly a planned post.)

Broccoli Cheddar Chicken and Rice Casserole from Half Baked Harvest

I think maybe I heard of this from In Honor of Design (I enjoy getting her email with the weekly menu). We are in a season where weekends are very busy, so I've decided that Fridays are Casserole Fridays. I can prep during the day and we can eat on it Friday night and throughout the weekend. 

My notes: Used a 12 oz bag of broccoli florets and had a little left over that will go to the guinea pigs at the rescue I volunteer for. Chopped about 24ish baby carrots instead of buying whole. Couldn't find orzo at my grocery store so I omitted it and used a total of 1 3/4 cups basmati rice. I use Better Than Bullion for all my chicken broth needs because I can make exactly how much I need of it and none goes to waste. Couldn't find fresh thyme so I used 2 tsp dried. Added a little mushroom umami seasoning for... umami. Used half milk, half cream. (Not sure this made a difference.) This was my first time cooking with lemon zest and ohmygoodness. A game changer. I prepped this casserole during the day and popped it into the oven for dinner.

Creamy Ranch Chicken from The Cooking Jar

We were supposed to have pizza quesadillas* for dinner the other night but I didn't feel like it, so I turned to the internet for a quick recipe. This was fast and tasty. 

My notes: I only used about half the chicken and cut it into strips to cook faster. Even though I used half the chicken, I made the same amount of sauce. I like a thick sauce, so I made a "cornstarch slurry" to add to it to thicken. I make my own Ranch seasoning mix and keep it on hand in a jar, and when I measured out an ounce it seemed like way too much, so I just eyeballed the amount I used. Next time I'll serve with rice.

Crispy Cheddar Chicken from Hello Fresh

A few years ago Casey and I got Hello Fresh for a while and really enjoyed the recipes. Did you know you can access the recipes without purchasing anything? All of the recipes are on the website. I only made the cheddar chicken and we enjoyed it. I liked that it was quick to make and uses ingredients I usually have on hand.

My notes: The only change I made was to add a little dijon with the mayo.

*Pizza quesadilla: A quesadilla made with Italian or mozzarella cheese, pepperoni (we use turkey pepperoni), and a little bit of spaghetti sauce (or you can omit the sauce and dip the quesadilla into sauce instead). This is a fast dinner and a great way to finish up the ingredients I bought to make homemade pizza.

A varieTEA of photos

 Nope, I'm not done making tea puns, apparently. But here are some photos of tea being enjoyed.

My Favorite Meals to Make When Company Comes

Casey and I have been trying to be more purposeful to invite people into our home. I'm learning that it's less about having a perfect home and serving a restaurant-quality meal--it's about the time spent with people we love. So I'm trying to worry less about what I feed people and just enjoy their company. Here are some of my go-to meals to make when company comes over.

1. One Hour Easter Dinner - I don't remember how I found this "one hour Easter dinner" by Chelsea's Messy Apron, but I decided to give it a try and it is a HIT! It's super easy because everything is made on sheet pans and it truly only takes an hour from prep to dinner table. The instructions are super clear so it's not overwhelming to have several things going at once. And it's DELICIOUS. The first time I made this, I couldn't believe how good the food was! I often skip the asparagus and put some green beans on the stove instead. 

2. Tacos - Tacos are so stinking easy and most people like them. Taco meat, refried or black beans, a few toppings (I usually keep it simple with just cheese, tomato, sour cream, and Tessamae's avocado ranch), and some chips and salsa. Simple. Delish.

3. Breakfast for dinner - Another easy one! I love that this one has so many options, too. Mix and match and take your pick! I like to pop some breakfast potatoes in the oven while I cook sausage or bacon, scramble some eggs, cut up some fruit, and maybe put some pancakes on the griddle. (An electric griddle is a game changer for making lots of pancakes at one time.) Some other easy ideas are french toast, plain toast with some yummy jelly from the farmer's market, and frozen hash browns. 

4. Mustard-Roasted Chicken Drumsticks - This recipe can be found in The Whole Smiths Good Food Cookbook. I've borrowed my public library's copy so many times I need to just buy the book. This recipe is so flavorful and easy to make. Serve with some sides like green beans, roasted carrots, breakfast potatoes (they aren't just for breakfast!), and crescent rolls.

5. Brownies - No, not for dinner. For dessert! Brownies are so quick to whip up, especially if you use a box. (I use a family recipe that is super easy and I always have ingredients on hand.) 

When all else fails, order a pizza and call it good. Really, it's not about the food. It's about the fellowship. 

Date Night: Old Town Slidell Soda Shop

Casey popped in for lunch the other day and said, "I was thinking we could go to Slidell for date night. I have a surprise for you... I found a mom and pop book shop and a cool restaurant for us to try." I was pretty excited because books and food are totally the way to my heart. 

At 3:00 we hit the road, aiming to get there around 4:00 since the book shop closed at 5:00. Unfortunately, we got caught in traffic behind a wreck and pulled into town right at 5:00, missing the window to go to the book store. Fortunately, Casey had a backup plan, so we went to Dirt Cheap and I got two new-with-tags Target dresses for $7 each. (I'm thinking of giving them a mini-makeover... we shall see.)

After Dirt Cheap, we headed to the restaurant -- Old Town Slidell Soda Shop. It was so cute! I love a 50s themed diner, and this one was painted PINK on the inside. All the decor was super cute--I loved all the fun vintage decor touches and the arcade. The homemade ice cream was AMAZING. I sampled like 5 flavors and ultimately chose Samoa. Oh em gee. It was so good. None of the flavors were too strong and they were perfectly balanced. It was so nice to get touches of coconut in my bites--so perfectly summer!

Ice cream in hand, we explored the arcade then went outside. The Soda Shop has an adorable outside area, with picnic tables under a plant-covered pergola, a cage filled with pretty birds, two fountains, a big red barn, and... a Little Free Library that looks like a Tardis!!! (It really is bigger on the inside.)

Then we enjoyed walking around the cute downtown. We love towns that have adorable, well-kept old downtown areas. I grew up in a city that had let many of the old downtown buildings crumble, and it always made me so sad. I love living in a town that has spent the last 20 years being purposeful to keep the old downtown alive, and I love visiting other towns that do the same.

Happy Pi Day!

I may not be a math person, but I am definitely a nerd at heart and can get behind celebrating days that combine nerdiness and sweets!

Today I was driving downtown to Courtyard Cafe to get some work done when I saw a sign that said PIE! Immediately my attention was drawn because... pie. There were tables out with fresh homemade pies, people holding signs about pie, and the kicker—they had shut down the street. Literally. They shut down the street so people could sell pies. And in that moment, I received confirmation that I live in the right town. Small towns are the best.

I didn't actually make a pie today (nor did I make one yesterday that could be consumed today), which means I'm totally slacking this year. I did, however, make a chocolate coconut cream pie last week at Casey's request, so I guess we just celebrated early. My fave pie is apple though, and, man, I'm craving an apple pie. Maybe I'll make one next week, so we'll have celebrated pi day early AND late!

Hope you're having a happy pi day!

A Taste of Hammond: Blackend Brew

Casey and I love eating at local restaurants, and we're totally blessed because there are SO MANY good ones! It makes it hard to choose where to eat because they're all so yummy! So I figured I could share some of our local restaurants on the blog!

The other day was my first trip to Blackened Brew. They're known for their burgers and beer (we don't drink, though, so we just went for burgers). Normally I just prefer a plain cheeseburger, and that's what I was planning to get, until I saw the Coffee Rub Cheese Burger. It had a burger rubbed with freshly ground coffee, pecan smoked bacon, smoked Gouda, and BBQ sauce. Oh my word, it was so flavorful and delicious!

Casey went with the "You're Bacon Me Jelly" burger. It's made with freshly ground peanut butter from the local Berrytown Produce and blackberry jam. It also has cheddar cheese and pecan smoked bacon! (Fun fact, my besties' last names are Smoak, so I keep typing "smoaked" instead of "smoked.") I stole a bite (he knows that I'm always going to ask for a bite!) and was happily surprised that I liked it! I wasn't sure how PB&J on a burger would be, but it wasn't too much. Just enough to give it a unique flavor!

I also got the parmesan truffle fries. Normally I'm not a huge fan of flavored fries, but I like to at least give them a try. But these were SO GOOD. I didn't even bother to try one of Casey's normal fries because I loved mine so much.

We've decided that this one of those places where we'd love to take people who are visiting Hammond. I know we will be back when we're craving a delicious burger!

A New Chapter

Every time I get on here I'm like, wow! Life has changed so much! And it has! (Probably because I so rarely blog!) Obviously the biggest thing is that Casey and I are married! People ask me a lot how married life is and I tell them it feels right. I can't believe we've only been married a little over a month. It feels like we've been married for longer, and I think that's just because it feels so natural! This is how life is supposed to be!

The second thing is that I'm living in South Louisiana! (Which I mentioned in my last post.) When we started dating, I knew if we got married that I'd be the one moving. Not because we talked about it, but because I'd felt for a while that I'd eventually find myself living further south. And here I am! Though it was tough to leave home and my family and my church, I really love it here.

We live in Hammond, just a walk away from cute downtown. We love walking downtown to the many delicious restaurants! On Saturday mornings, we walk to breakfast (a lot of places have outdoor seating so Oxford comes with us!) then head to the farmers market for a few goodies. This area is known for strawberries and strawberries are my favorite, so I often get those!

Here are a few photos that I've taken on some of our walks!