Sunday, November 28, 2010

Menu Plan Monday


Hello everyone ;)  I hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving Holiday.  We really enjoyed ours.  I enjoyed it so much that I found myself wishing that it would've lasted just a few more days.  In any event, we made it back home safely and are gearing up for the Christmas holiday.  These next few weeks are going to be insanely and crazy busy for me.  I have to start my Christmas shopping, have TONS and TONS of baking to do, a cooking class to conduct, a few major posts for this blog, and lastly, preparing everyone for yet, another trip...this time to visit my sister and my family up north.  This weekend I did get a chance to knock out putting up all our Christmas decor and the tree, so at least that is finished ;)  Tonight, I plan to tackle our Christmas cards.

Due to our upcoming busy schedule, our menu for the next two weeks will be full of simple recipes, a few repeats from last week's menu, as well as some freezer meals that I froze a few weeks back. 

***Meals in bold a recipes from this blog***

Breakfast


No Time For Breakfast Biscuits

Oklahoma Cheese Grits

Dinner


Three Cheese Chicken Penne Pasta Bake and a Salad

Garlic Roasted Chicken, MaMaw's Creamer Peas, and Homemade Mac and Cheese


White Bean Chili (frozen) with cheese quesidillas

Turkey Casserole and Veggies

Pasta E'Fagoli with Veggies or a Salad

Pot Roast Meatloaf and Biscuits

Slow Cooker Lasagna

Dessert/Baking

Buckeye Bars

Chocolate Candy Cane Cupcakes

Pretty Pumpkin Cinnamon Buns

Click here for more Menu Plan Monday...have a good week :)










Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Cheesy Spinach Artichoke Dip


Turkey day is tomorrow!!!  The fam and I are heading over to the in-laws to celebrate our Thanksgiving.  The last time we went to their place, we ended up staying an extra day and visiting New Orleans.  I wonder what is going to happen this time around ;)  Guess we'll just have to wait and see ;)

Before we leave, I wanted to post just one more recipe......
last night, I decided to make appetizers for dinner instead of a full course meal.  I am so glad I did because I ended up making the above dip.  It was no short of delicious!!  I have made spinach artichoke dips before, but for some reason, this one has been the best one yet.  It may be because of the addition of two different cheeses (Parmesan and Mozzarella).  Which actually makes sense because afterall, it is called cheesy spinach artichoke dip. 



It was so finger licking good that we only have half of it left ;)  What a great way to get your kids to eat spinach!  Of course, my kids didn't want any, picky eater's as they are.....but your kids may ;) 

Serve it up as an appetizer and let people munch on it while the actual dinner is cooking.  Yummmmmmmmmm!  Two other bonuses, it's super quick to make AND it's low in fat!!  How awesome is that?  Husband Man and I loved it and thought we'd share it with y'all too ;) 

Cheesy Spinach Artichoke Dip
(serves 6-8)


Ingredients:
1 can (14 oz.) artichoke hearts, drained, finely chopped
1 pkg.  (10 oz.) frozen chopped spinach, thawed, well drained
3/4 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
3/4 cup Light Mayo Reduced Fat Mayonnaise
1/2 cup 2% Milk Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
1/2 tsp.  garlic powder

Directions:
1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2.  Mix all ingredients in a bowl and transfer to a 9 inch dish or pie plate. 
3.  Bake for 20 minutes.  Serve with crackers, chips, or veggies.


Recipe Source:  Kraft.com



Monday, November 22, 2010

Menu Plan Monday


These past few weeks have been very busy over here in our house.  So busy that I forgot to do last week's post on our menu.  I will be playing catch up with this post.  Last week, I made our Thanksgiving meal early due to a cooking class I conducted at our house (read here for that post). I made the food for the class and everyone took it all home.  Then, the next day, I made a special Thanksgiving Dinner just for my family.  We lived on left overs of this dinner all last week...lol. 

We also will be going out of town this week due to the actual Thanksgiving Holiday, so this menu will be short and sweet.  Plus, my birthday is this coming Saturday so I am sure Husband Man and the kids are going to want to take me out to dinner ;)  I'm thinking Olive Garden ;)  I've also decided that our lunch options will no longer be posted on our menus due to repetitiveness on every post.   

***Meals in bold are recipes from this blog***

Breakfast


No Time For Breakfast Biscuits

Dinner

Garlic Roasted Chicken, MaMaw's Cooked Creamer Peas, and Homemade Mac and Cheese

Three Cheese Chicken Penne Pasta Bake

Cheesy Spinach Artichoke Dip and Italian Marinated Vegetable Salad

Dessert and Baking

Buckeye Bars

Pretty Pumpkin Cinnamon Buns

Chocolate Candy Cane Cupcakes





Saturday, November 20, 2010

Sausage, Cheese, and Grit Casserole


Grits!!  Nothing screams The South then a hot, steaming bowl of grits on a lazy weekend morning.  Husband Man and The Dude had a HUGE addiction to grits at one point in their lives and had to have them for breakfast at least twice a week.  That addiction has since died down and we have been left with all these grits to use up.  While I am still on a mission to figure out what to do with the rest of them, I did make this wonderful casserole last weekend and wanted to share it with the rest of you :)  The original recipe calls for Gouda Cheese, but I looked high and low for some and couldn't find any...so I opted for pepper jack cheese.  The spices from the cheese and the sausage, combined with the hot sauce made for one flavorful casserole!  We loved it!  This would make a great casserole to make for Thanksgiving Day Brunch ;)

By the way, not sure if any of you know out there, but GRITS also stands for the phrase, "Girls Raised In The South."  If you ever come down here, you will see t-shirts and coffee cups and sweatshirts with this phrase written all over them ;)  I'm still not sure if I consider myself a native of the south.  I am an Army Brat and grew up all up and down the East Coast and in Germany....but I have spent the majority of my teenage years up until the present time below the Mason-Dixon Line.  So this is an identity crisis that I am still trying to figure out! ;)  In the meantime, I will continue to hunt down recipes that call for instant grits.  If any of you would like to share some, please do so ;) 

Sausage, Cheese, and Grit Casserole

1 pound bulk spicy pork sausage
4 cups water
1 cup quick-cooking grits
4 ounces shredded Gouda cheese (we used pepper jack cheese)
3 tablespoons butter
1/4 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
3 eggs, beaten

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

Cook the sausage in a large skillet over medium-high heat, stirring until the sausage is crumbly and lightly browned. Drain off the grease and place the sausage in a bowl. Meanwhile, bring the water to a boil in a large saucepan over high heat. Stir in the grits, and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook and stir constantly for 5 minutes until the grits are tender, or follow package directions.

Stir together the sausage, cheese, butter, hot pepper sauce, and eggs. Fold in the grits until combined, then spread into an ungreased, small casserole dish. Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown on top, 30 to 40 minutes.







Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Candied Sweet Potatoes & My First Cooking Class


Thanksgiving is almost here!  9 more days to be exact ;)  I can't believe it's already around the corner.  It seems like just yesterday I was posting about Scarecrow Cupcakes and getting ready for Halloween!

To celebrate Thanksgiving, I thought it would be a fun idea to round up some friends and teach them how to make a traditional Thanksgiving dinner....turkey and all.  I have always wanted to conduct a cooking class and this past weekend, I did just that :)  Most of the women I know are Military Wives, so some of them were not only going to be away from home for the holidays, but also didn't even know where to begin when it came to cooking a turkey.  It was also my third time cooking a turkey that day, so not only were they learning, I was still learning as well :)

One of the dishes I taught them how to make was Candied Sweet Potatoes (or yams as some would say).  This dish is a tradition in my household every year, so I wanted to teach them how to make it.  I always make this recipe with canned potatoes but for this class, I decided to make it with fresh sweet potatoes. 

I am so glad I did!  They came out super yummy and so full of flavor!  And you can definitely tell there is a difference between canned and fresh.  I skinned, boiled, and then baked them for the class.  But this resulted in a mushy-like consistency.  So the next day, I made the dish again.  This time, I skinned, chopped, and then baked them....completely skipping the boiling step.  I have to say that the second time around was better ;)  No matter how you choose to make them (boiled, steamed, or baked raw) I am sure they will taste great!

Candied Sweet Potatoes (Yams)

4 or 5 fresh sweet potatoes, skinned and chopped (or 4 cups canned sweet potatoes/yams)
Half a stick of butter, chopped
2/4 cups of sugar
Ground Cinnamon
Half a bag of mini-marshmallows

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Mix the sugar with the chopped sweet potatoes and place in a greased casserole dish.  Take the chopped butter and place the pieces all around the casserole.  Take your ground cinnamon and sprinkle as much as you want (I usually just eyeball it). 

Bake for 45 minutes.  Take the dish out of the oven and sprinkle the mini-marshmallows on top.  Bake the dish again and take it out when the marshmallows start to brown. 

Serve with the rest of the Thanksgiving dinner ;)

Here are pictures from the class. 
We all had lots of fun and a plan to do a Christmas themed one is in the works soon ;)

The favors that I made for everyone.....complete with cooking utensils, Thanksgiving themed cookie cutters, fall/Thanksgiving recipe cards, and a pumpkin shaped pot scrubber ;)


The table all done up.  Each participant received a folder full of the recipes that I taught that day, plus a 3 page Thanksgiving Dinner Planner, and 2 cute little cookbooks. 


The lovely ladies...all aproned up and ready to learn how to cook a turkey ;)


That is me, behind the counter, preparing the butter for the turkey....


Brushing our "Tom" the turkey with butter (yes, we decided to name the turkey).....


The turkey, all finished........and ready to eat.



I didn't let the girls go home without making anything that day ;)  I had them make their own pecan pies to bring home to their hubby's ;)  Below are the ingredients for them.....


Their wonderful pecan pies waiting to be baked in the oven......


All in all...it was a wonderful afternoon :)  I can't wait to do it again for Christmas ;)



Thursday, November 11, 2010

Happy Veteran's Day & A Winner!!!


Today is Veteran's Day!  I hope everyone has had a great day so far.

A couple of days ago, I wrote a post about the book above.  Click here to read. 

I am happy to announce that we have a winner!!! 

I let Pookie (my 4 year old daughter) do the honors of helping me pick a name.........

and the winner is.................




Shannon made a post on her blog about this contest and in it she wrote,

I have slowly started my search for books on deployment. I can honestly say that this is a turning point for me because I am finally allowing myself to reach out to others. It is hard for me to ask for help. I am a person who is full of emotions but I don’t like to show my weak side. I have always felt like I have had to be strong especially when it comes to my family. I am learning that this is not an easy task to keep up. I am learning that the reason I have been able to remain so strong for so long is because I have Jason by my side. He is my rock, my foundation. I look at him and know that together we can accomplish the impossible....

Deployment will be tough on the kids and me as well. We are miles away from “home” and miles away from our family and friends. This is the first time in my life that I have been away from my support system and it’s been rough. Everywhere we have ever gone we have been fortunate enough to have had family or we have made great friends who became our family. We haven’t found that here yet.

Congratulations Shannon!!  I hope this book will become a great reference to you when you need it the most.  I know I have enjoyed reading it and have added it to my collection of inspirational books. 

I will be contacting you soon for more information.  Thank you to all who entered :)

And in honor of Veteran's Day, I am posting a few pictures of my lovely Husband Man and I.  He is still active duty Air Force, but he is also a Veteran of the Army ;)  These are really old pictures..by the way...lol.  Oh to be that skinny again...LOL!







Happy Veteran's Day....and stay tuned for more recipes!!

;)







Monday, November 8, 2010

Spiced Pumpkin Waffles & A Giveaway for Military Spouses!


I bet you can't guess what holiday is coming up this week??  No..it's not Thanksgiving, although that one will be creeping up on us soon ;)  It's Veteran's Day.  And it's coming up on the 11th ;)  In honor of Veteran's Day, we have a special giveaway going on.  More on this later in the post....but first.......

Pumpkin waffles!!!  Yum!!  Better yet, spiced pumpkin waffles!  Triple yum!  We've been so busy around here lately that I haven't had a chance to partake in making some homemade meals with pumpkin in them.  I've had these on the menu for a while now and decided to make them this weekend.  I wanted something different to make (other then your normal baked goods) with the pumpkin that I have been saving up, so when I came across this recipe, I immediately incorporated it into our bi-weekly menu.

First off, I must give credit to where I found this recipe.  It came from Tina over at Mommy's Kitchen .   She was right when she wrote about how great these smell while they are cooking!  Your whole house is literally filled with the aroma of the combination of the pumpkin with the spices.  Believe me when I say that the spices are what makes this recipe.  There's everything from nutmeg and cinnamon to cloves and ginger. 

My 4 year old daughter (the picky eater in our family) loved them so much!  We all did, as a matter of fact ;) Which surprised me because my lovely Husband Man isn't much of a pumpkin eater.  Tina, I <3 your blog so much!!! Thanks for such a wonderful recipe!


Spiced Pumpkin Waffles
(adapted from Mommy's Kitchen)

2 1/2 cup(s) all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon(s) baking powder
2 teaspoon(s) cinnamon
1 teaspoon(s) ginger
1/2 teaspoon(s) baking soda
1/2 teaspoon(s) salt
1/2 teaspoon(s) fresh-ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon(s) cloves
4 large eggs
2 cup(s) buttermilk
1 cup(s) pumpkin puree
1/2 cup(s) dark brown sugar (we used light)
1/4 cup(s) (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted (we used regular butter)
1 teaspoon(s) pure vanilla extract

Preheat a waffle iron. Combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, and cloves in a large bowl and set aside. Whisk together the eggs, buttermilk, pumpkin puree, sugar, butter, and vanilla in another large bowl until smooth. While whisking, add the flour mixture and blend until smooth. Generously coat the waffle iron with vegetable oil and cook the batter in the waffle iron as recommended in the manufacturer's instructions. Repeat with remaining batter.

Now, for the Giveaway.......

*******THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED*******

Veteran's Day is coming up :)  And to celebrate Veteran's Day over here at Cooking With Libby, we are having a book giveaway.

See this nifty little book below........

...it's up for grabs.  This whole week ;)

Jocelyn Green was gracious enough to send me two copies of the book.  One for me to read and review, and the other to giveaway.

 Now I know this is a recipe/food blog and you may be wondering why on earth am I giving away a regular book and not a cookbook?  Well, in case any of you have missed what my header says at the top of the blog, I am a Military Wife.  A very proud Military Wife at that ;)  And I honestly, truly, believe with all my heart and soul that the brave men and women of our country would not be able to do their jobs without the support of their wonderful family and friends behind them.  So when we celebrate Veteran's Day this week, we are not only celebrating the Veteran's themselves, but also the courageous and brave sacrifices that their spouses and families have had to make. 

I was interested in reading this book and doing a review on it, so I volunteered to do just that.  And let me tell you, I was not disappointed in the least bit! 

Ms. Green (and others) have done a wonderful job with writing about the experiences that they have had to face while being a Military Wife/Spouse and how that relates to certain versus of the Bible.  After each section, there are certain questions that the reader can ask themselves to evaluate situations in their own lives.  There are also fitting Bible versus that follow the questions. 

My favorite part in the book is the section about the commissary ;) 
To quote the book....
My first visit to the commissary was a landmark occasion.  I wondered through the aisles with wide eyes, clutching my brand-new Military ID, just in case someone questioned my right to be there.  I was finally one of the few, the proud, the chosen--a military ID-holder with commissary and exchange privileges.  It seems silly to me now, but I spent years as a child longing to be allowed into the commissary and exchange.  My missionary family lived overseas, and our only shopping options were little stores full of pricey, imported items.  By contrast, our military friends shopped at their commissary and exchange, buying up-to-date items at fabulously low prices.  My family would have loved to shop in the commissary or exchange, but the "Military ID-holders only" signs marked the stores as off limits to us.  Today I came home from my usual commissary run and complained to my husband about the long wait at the checkout.  The commissary is no longer a thrilling privilege; it's just another ordinary event in my week.  I rarely stop to think about my military shopping privileges, unless I shop at a nonmilitary grocery store. The higher prices cause me to be thankful for the discounts I now take for granted.....
Wow huh?!  If you are Military Wife/Spouse and need some guidance/help with things in your life (because let's face it, being a Military Dependent isn't the easiest job in the world) then this book is for you.  Or maybe some of you know a fellow Military Wife/Spouse who could use this book.  It would make a wonderful gift for Christmas as well ;) 

Even if your loved one has never deployed, but goes TDY a lot (like mine seems to do), this is still a great book to have on hand.  Military Wives/Spouses of all active duty personnel, deployed or not, will find this book helpful. 

More facts about the book.......

Faith Deployed: Daily Encouragement for Military Wives won:

- Bronze Medal, spiritual/religious category, Military Writers Society of America

-Bronze Medal, inspirational category, Branson Stars and Flags Book Awards

-The book’s Web site, www.faithdeployed.com, won third place in the blog category this year from the Evangelical Press Association

 If you are interested in entering this giveaway, all you have to do is the following.....

  • Become a Follower (if you aren't one already) of Cooking With Libby (either on Facebook, through Blogger, or subscribe through e-mail )
  • Leave a comment telling us why you would love to win the book...for my Facebook followers, you can post a comment on the wall....
  • Post about this giveaway on your blog and you will be entered twice ;)
The winner will be announced Thursday, the 11th at 6:00 PM either through Random.org or my family ;)

Good luck to everyone!!!

For more information on this book, head over to http://www.faithdeployed.com/.