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.

DIY Sandwich Tray. Arrange all the necessities for a tasty sandwich and let everyone make their own.

Fajita Platter.  It took me about fifteen minutes to cook the steak and chicken and veggies, then it was just laying them out to be eaten. Super easy and we all love fajitas around here!

Poboys are popular here in the South. I fried up some catfish, steamed some mussels and we had a simple dinner ready to be picked up and devoured.

The new year has kicked off to a fabulous start. While the weather here in the South is a bit unusual for this time of year, the unseasonably warm weather still is not enough to break our winter eating habits. We have been filling our bellies with lots of warm soups and stews and chili is of course a staple for this time of year.




Whenever I make a soup or stew, I always have to serve some sort of bread. Usually, we go for hearty crusty breads that make it easy to sop up the last bit of broth from our bowls. Sometimes we do sandwiches. I mean, seriously, nothing quite beats the soup and sandwich combo and who needs to dine out when you can get a deli experience at home. With four kids, making things at home and giving my kids a restaurant like experience is way easier on my pocketbook.



On Fridays growing up, my mom dubbed it Fun Food Friday. That was the day of the week when she brought the restaurant to us. She made chili dogs, homemade pizzas, whatever we could get at the fast food joint, she made for us at home. I love that I get to give my kids the same thing I got when I was their age. My mom even has these cute little baskets lined with wax paper and she goes from kid to kid, saying, "Can I take your order?"

So on this slightly warm day, with just a hint of a cool breeze, we went deli style. I made a huge pot of Wild Rice and Mushroom soup and I decided to give the melts by Better Bakery a try.



At the end of dinner, all bowls were empty and there were nothing but crumbs left where the Chicken & Bacon Club melt once lay. The melts are a pretty nice size. I cut them in half for my younger kids and it was very filling for them. Of course, my teens wanted a whole one and my 14 year old son scarfed his down like he was breathing. The bread was nice and crunchy on the outside and soft inside with the cheese oozing out. Seriously. Dude. It was so good. It was so good, I called my mom and told her about it.




For the soup, I kept it simple and hearty. I added a bit of heavy cream to the chicken broth to give it just a hint of creaminess. Pair that with some freshly grated Parmesan, it was so good.  Paired with the Better Bakery Chicken and Bacon Club melt, the soup was immediately inhaled by the kids. We loved dipping the pretzel crust into our soup.

This soup is something you can easily make in the crock pot. I cooked my rice separately because I really don't care for swollen overcooked rice. But of course, you can cook it along with your veggies.

Wild Rice, Mushroom Soup with Parmesan
You will need:
1 1/2 cup uncooked wild rice blend
4 cups of chicken broth
1 cup water
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 cup of grated Parmesan
salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons freshly chopped parsley
1-2 stalks of celery (diced)
1-2 carrots peeled and diced
5-8 mushrooms sliced
1 tablespoon diced onion

Add all of your ingredients except the rice to a large pot and bring to a boil.  Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for an hour or until carrots are tender.

Cook rice separately and then add to soup before serving. 

Serve with a bit of grated Parmesan on top. 




For a quick, simple and delicious lunch, why not try my super easy recipe for Pasta Salad and pair it with the Better Bakery Cheese & Pepperoni Pizza melt. I mean, who does not like pizza and what better way to serve it than with a little pasta on the side?




My kids and I are always having pizza in some variation. We make our own or embellish a store bought one.  These are certainly less messy than making our own and we still make it dinnertime or lunch time by adding a nice simple pasta salad.




I try to avoid a lot of chips and fries at our dinner table, and love giving my kids a healthy option that is not only --good for them--but good for them. This is a super easy and quick side dish that can be made ahead of time and placed in the fridge. There are many variations to this type of salad. I have an aunt who makes a delicious one using shrimp and chicken. Simply wow. This is also perfect for warm summer months.

Creamy Pasta Salad
You will need:
2-3 cups cooked pasta
1/4 cup of shredded Parmesan
1/2 cup Italian Dressing
1/2 cup Ranch Dressing
Blackberries
Cubed sharp cheddar cheese
Cucumber (sliced)
Watermelon (cubed)

Mix everything together in a large mixing bowl and refrigerate until ready to serve. Best served chilled.





If you would like to give these delicious Better Bakery melts a try, click here to enjoy a coupon for $1.50 off. You can use this link to find a store near you that sells them. Here they can be found at our local Kroger. Check out the frozen food section at a grocer near you to find these treats and other flavors/varieties they have.

Of course I am madly into making sandwiches. They are quick and easy to make. The combinations that you can come up with are  endless.  Sometimes we go big with making our sandwiches and sometimes we go small.

Meet the Fat Stack. He is huge but trust me, the size of him really depends on you. The sandwich in the photograph was split in half and shared between my son and I. I had a variation of this sandwich at a local book store and fell in love with the Capicola meat. Oh my word. Yes.

To make this sandwich, you will need:

Capicola
Corned Beef
Pork Loin thinly sliced
Coarse Spicy Brown Mustard
Light Rye Bread
Swiss Cheese

Assemble it by just stacking everything and believe me, you will be thankful for this combination. I love mustard, so I put it on both slices of my bread.

I love making sandwiches. With a family consisting of four children, it is quick, simple and the kids love them. Being that I love sandwiches, I am always trying different combinations so it does not get boring. Peanut butter and jelly is so good but this Italian Stallion meatball sub with tons of meat and marinara sauce is soooo much better.

Sometimes making the perfect sandwich is just throwing everything but the kitchen sink onto that bad boy. The possibilities literally are endless when it comes to making them, only your taste buds and creativity is the limit!

For this sandwich you will need:
Bread (of course or you can even try it in a lettuce wrap or tortilla)
Marinara Sauce
Meatballs
Pepperoni
Canadian Bacon
Salami
Fresh Mozzarella

I did not get my camera out in time but for my meatballs, I mixed in sauteed sundried tomatoes that I diced, chopped fresh parsley and italian seasoning with a bit of Creole seasoning. I mixed well and formed into balls.

I cooked my meatballs on low/meduim while covered in a skillet until done.



Now you just assemble your sandwich. Start by spreading marinara on the brea, then layering the salami, canadian bacon and then slices of pepperoni. Add your meatballs, top with sauce and then slices of mozzarella. Place sandwich open in oven on broil until cheese melts into some seriously ooey gooey goodness.



Remove and serve hot and toasty. Kinda messy but seriously tastes like a pizza! It would have been even better topped with sauteed mushrooms and some sliced black olives. Oh yes, please!

It is so cold here. Not New York or Chicago kind of cold but for us Southerners, it is freezing. 34 degrees and it felt like a chili kinda dinner night. This recipe is super easy, as it calls for seasoning packets and canned beans. Usually, I have dried beans on hand, but when you are in a hurry, canned and packets are great.

This surely hit the spot for us and the chipotles added a nice flavor. A quick and super warm dinner. Yes.



You will need:

2 lbs ground beef
3 chili seasoning packets
3 cans of diced tomatoes and chiles
3 cans of crushed tomatoes
1 can chipotles (chopped)
2 cans of black beans
2 cans of red kidney beans

Garnish: Sour cream, cheese, fresh jalapenos, cilantro

Brown your ground beef with one packet of the chili seasoning. Once cooked, drain the grease and add in another packet of seasoning. Add in your tomatoes and stir. Transfer to a large pot on meduim heat. Add in your beans. When it begins to bubble, lower your heat to low and continue to cook for an hour or more.




This makes a large pot. You can cut in half for a smaller crowd. This feeds 6 people.

Thanksgiving is tomorrow and I just finished this cake for my son, Austin. He might think it sucks that his birthday is on Thanksgiving but I for one and super thankful for him, so it seems only fitting.

I made this cake for him. Chocolate overload surrounded by pocky and topped with his favorite---Reese's Peanut Butter Cups.  Recipe coming this weekend!

One of the things I look for when searching recipes on line is how many people actually tried it and if they liked it.  That is one of the reasons why I post when I try a recipe from someone else or even adapted from someone else. I want to be helpful and let them know how it was for me. Well, today I have another hit that is quick, easy and simple : Dinner Rolls found at Real Mom Kitchen.


Of course, I have made it no secret that I love bread. I made two dozen of these today and tonight ending up having to make two dozen more because my kids had INHALED them all at dinner time. When the kids did not leave so much as a bread crumb, this mama knew this was a winner.

And it is so easy!  So if you are looking for a quick and easy dinner roll recipe to make for Thanksgiving, give these a try. These have already been added to my recipe book for my kids.

I have never been a fan of any kind of salad that had meat in front of the name. Tuna salad to me, did not involve relish of any kind because I just could not stand relish. I could not bear the thought of fruit, meat mixed with mayo, so I never tried chicken salad. Imagine how surprised I was when I finally decided to give it a go. I kept it simple, really simple and wowie. I fell in love.

You will need:
2 Chicken Breasts
2 tsp of Creole Seasoning
Mayo
1 cup Red Seedless Grapes
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp of salt

Cook your chicken breast seasoned with creole seasoning. Sprinkle both sides and cook until the juices run clear when poked with a fork to the middle. Remove from heat and shred your chicken.  I shred using a fork once the meat has cooled.


In a bowl, add chicken, grapes (sliced in half), mayo, salt, pepper.  I do not give an estimate of how much mayo because I do not like a lot of mayo, so I add in a tablespoon at a time, until it is the consistency that I like.


And voila! Chicken salad. Seriously, how come no one told me how easy and tasty this was?! My kids engulfed these bad boys and my best friend asked to take some for his lunch.