I always tell myself I should do more baking. When I was growing up, my mom baked a cake or something each week. Seriously, my mom is my inspiration. You know how they always tell you that you come to appreciate things from your youth once you get older...it is true. As a mama myself now I realize just how important those little things were that my mom did for us...like her baking us something every single week.



My kids love peaches. While I don't usually cook with canned or frozen goods these days, we keep non-perishables in our pantry in case of emergencies or for those lazy days when I do not feel like doing much.  We have a ton of canned peaches and I was a bit tired of making only peach cobbler so I thought it would be awesome to find another pie idea for my bajillion cans. 


And thus peach and apple butter handpies were born. Dude. These are so easy. You only need three things: pie dough/pastry dough, apple butter and peaches. You do not need sugar, vanilla or anything extra. The apple butter adds in the perfect touch of cinnamon and the peaches combined brings about the perfect sweetness. And you don't have to do any cooking of the fruit before hand either! Perfection, yes!

You will need:
Roll out pie dough or pastry dough
Kyvan Apple Butter
Canned Peaches in heavy syrup


Drain syrup from the peaches, cut into smaller cubes and pour peaches into a bowl. Mix in 4 tablespoons of apple butter and mix.

Roll out dough and cut out 4 inch circles.  Scoop 1-1 1/2 spoonfuls of peach and apple butter mix into middle of dough circles.  Fold over one side of the circle and use a fork to crimp the edges. Use a knife and cut small vent lines in the top of the handpie.

Bake in oven at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes until golden brown.

Serve with ice cream, a dollop of whipped cream or with a simple powdered sugar icing drizzle.

Here it is and  Christmas is right around the corner.  I feel like I am running out of time.

I need to time to do all the crazy, cool and exciting things I want to do. One of them is host one banging arse party where we all laugh, joke and have so much fun that our kids' kids tell stories about that epic party thrown by great-great-great-great-great grandma Divian. *Cue cloud atlas soundtrack*

So while searching for ideas for muh partay (that is bound to be of epic proportions, because, hello, it's ME) I found some stuff I cannot wait to try...

In the spirit of holiday parties, here is what I am loving ideawise.

1. This hot chocolate bar. (Even though my college freshman daughter tells me I try to be too fancy...the nerve of her! She will appreciate this when she is older)
2. This Copper Drink Shaker because, well, it looks amazing. Just think of all the pinterest drinks you can dream of making with this bad boy.
3. I like bar carts and I can not lie...when a bar cart walks by with a circular frame it is epic.
4. When it is a recipe from 2008 and still has you drooling. Gingerbread.

My mom claimed she did not want prime rib or ham for Thanksgiving as my menu so beautifully stated.  Of course, she got a serious side eye and a "What would you like instead?" 

I was serious. This is my mama and even though I was in charge of Thanksgiving dinner and my kids and other invited family members had no say in what I was making, my mama was the exception. Shoot, I still remember those epic punishments I would get when I kept running in and out the house as a kid, so there was no way I was going to say, deal with it mama. Instead, I asked her what she wanted and she answered with chicken.



I consider myself I foodie. I was not just going to do any kind of chicken for her, I planned out this epic worthy whole baked chicken that was sure to knock her socks off but exxxxxcuse me when she called me up and said, Never mind on the chicken, your Aunt Angie bought me some. Now, ok. It's only the day before Thanksgiving. I head to the kitchen, glance in the fridge at the lone whole chicken that is chilling inside and give it a "Maybe tomorrow" salute.



And then tomorrow came. Not thinking, I left most of the leftovers at my mom's, so I was limited on corn, bread, salad and that lonely whole chicken that never made it to the rack of the oven.  I decided that it would make a nice lunch for my crew.



I opened my pantry and pulled out some Kyvan bbq dry rub, Honey Apple BBQ Sauce, some balsamic vinegar and decided, hey, let's make it happen.

Look at that drizzle...Oh yeah.

Thus, this lunch was born.


This is a super tasty and easy to make dinner or lunch for your crew.



My kids could not get enough of the bbq dry rub croutons so I had to use my entire leftover loaf of crusty italian bread to make them more. They popped them like popcorn, so this is a nice way to use leftover bread, an addition to a great salad, or an amazing snack option.

You will need:

Chicken
Whole Chicken (cleaned)
1/2 cup Kyvan BBQ Dry Rub
1/2 cup Kyvan Honey Apple BBQ Sauce
1/2 tsp salt
1.2 tsp black pepper
1/4 cup softened butter

Spread softened butter all over chicken. Pat on and spread the dry ingredients. Bake at 450 degrees in oven for 15 minutes. Reduce heat in oven to 350 degrees and cook 25 minutes per pound.

Once roasted, coat chicken with bbq sauce and place in oven for 10 minutes.



Kyvan BBQ Vinaigrette 
1/2 cup olive oil
1⁄2 cup balsamic vinegar
1⁄3 cup Kyvan Honey Apple BBQ Sauce
1⁄2 lemon squeezed
1/2 tsp crushed garlic
1 tablespoon fresh oregano or parsley, chopped fine
1⁄4 teaspoon ground ginger

Mix all ingredients well. Shake well before serving and refrigerate after making and use.



Kyvan BBQ Croutons
Bread (cut into one inch cubes)
Kyvan BBQ Dry Rub
Olive Oil

On baking sheet line cut bread cubes. Sprinkle lightly with olive oil and then sprinkle bbq dry rub.

Herb Salad
1/2 cup basil
1/2 cup mint
1/2 cup dill
2 cups of arugula spinach mix
1/2 cup micro greens
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup of almonds




Check out Kyvan and purchase their deliciously southern products here.

Parmesan potatoes with gouda, provolone cheeses.

My mom and I alternate cooking duties on holidays. Most often it is her doing all the cooking but this year she told me she would decorate the Thanksgiving table and I do the cooking, and on Christmas we would swap.

Anyone who knows me, knows that I do NOT do cooking for large crowds nor do I cook large quantities of food. I am one of those weirdos who knows how much each person should have and I cook accordingly.

Everyone coming knew that was the case this Thanksgiving. There was no room for pop up visits because seriously, they would be eating crumbs. I just do not overcook. lol

Anywho, within the next few days I will be covering the recipes for these dishes, but here is a photographic recap.

It was such a good time among family and I was reminded just how awesome my mom, kids, sister and aunt are...they all seriously rock.

Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Apple and Cranberry Pie

Chocolate Cake with vanilla icing and blueberry preserves filling.

Herb salad with goat cheese and cranberry

My mom's awesome table setting

Cornbread dressing...the only thing my mom made because seriously hers is the BEST. If I had one word for it, it would be 'golden'. Or creamy. Or delicious.  Or cornbready, chickeny goldeny goodness.

I saw this idea over at the 2QueensVintage blog and knew immediately I had to try it.

So many endless possibilities.

The recipe is simple: Ice cream of your choice plus beer of your choice.

I added two scoops which was plenty and poured in half a beer.

I used KCCO Black Lager which has hints of chocolate and coffee, so it made for a creamy and chilly alcoholic drink.

I tried another one using a local brewery's beer. Truck Stop Honey + Blood Orange Sorbet= Heaven-I-Tell-Ya.

Today I had the bright idea to pull out the Christmas tree and put it up. I know some folks are all, "It ain't even Thanksgiving yet!" but I am in the holiday spirit. I turn on some Christmas music and head to the closet to pull out the tree. The kids are lounging in the living room looking at me like I am crazy as I throw box after box onto the floor. Clearly, they are not experiencing the same enthusiasm I am. Are we in the same family? Get with it, kids!

I am all excited as I begin to put together the base when I realize, I only have two legs. Seriously? Are you kidding me? Searching through camping gear, gallons of water that are in the closet, I find one more leg for the base and it is broken.

Do you think that was going to stop me? Oh no. I propped that cocked and leaning bad boy up against the wall and stood back to admire my handy work.

Tree. was. assembled.

There I stood, all the lights on the limbs of this prelit wonder from last year connected and I held in my hands the extension power cord. Obviously, it was not my day, unlike in National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, I plugged the cord into the outlet and I was greeted with nothing. Not even a moment of joy.   Nothing. Not one light.

I was devastated. I threw on a strand of lights that I had hanging in my boys's room and it just wasn't doing the trick.  Something about a big ol' Christmas tree with one strand of lights cascading around it like garland just was not getting it.

My kids laughed at me and even right now, the Leaning Tower of Christmas Wonder stands in the corner, literally on it's last leg.  No decorations, just that one strand of lights.



To make myself feel better, I finally finalized the Thanksgiving dinner menu. When I sent it to my college freshman daughter, she typed back, "Why you have to be all fancy when you have a big family?"  Seriously? I swear my hard work is not appreciated.

Well, no matter what, this is the menu and I ain't changing it. They can kick a couple rocks, because this is what we are eating.

What is on your holiday menu?




Why not try these tart and sweet kolaches? I am not having them for Thanksgiving but they will be in rotation for the holidays.



Also, I honestly battled with the sweet potatoes this year. I really wanted these twice baked ones my mom made one year but settled on attempting some meringue covered ones.  Of course, I just may have some extra on hand to make the baked ones because...I have....never....made meringue before.

I think I am just a glutton for punishment. Oh lawd.