Birthday List

Well it's August.  And with August comes my birthday.  It's kind of a big one and I'm sort of nervous about it.  But let's not dwell on that.  Instead, I'm going to focus on my wish list!  The happy things...

Tory Burch

LLL

LLL

Strawberry Cake.  Duh.

The Beaches of 30A

Where has this year gone?

Lots of fun things have happened so far this year: a trip to West Palm Beach, FL; a trip to Williamsburg, VA; three trips to the lake so far, some fun weddings, oh and I've lost 35 pounds in 5 months, December-April.  Yep, before Christmas.  Yea for me!

p.s.  I haven't blogged in quite a while; it hasn't really been a priority lately.  I only blog when it's fun for me and I have something I want to share.  I'm trying to worry less and relax more.  I'm focusing on me and my hubs, and what makes us happy.

That's all I've got for today.  Thanks for stopping by!  Have a fabulous weekend!

It Only Took a Year to Organize My Drawers

Those of you who know me really well know that I'm a bit of an organization freak - borderline OCD even.  Well, you may be surprised, but my kitchen drawers have been in a big ole mess for over a year!  I can't believe it took so long to finally whip them into shape.  Because I live in the middle of nowhere, and the closest Container Store or Bed, Bath and Beyond is about 2 hours away; ordering some online would be the easiest/cheapest way to go for me.  I decided on these bamboo organizers from Amazon.  I like how you can make different combinations of them to fit your drawer. They're so much nicer than those cheap one-size-fits-all silverware dividers that are usually too small for your drawers anyway.  And every single one of the drawers in my kitchen is a different size.  What's that about?  So I played around with them for a few days to figure out which configuration would be best for all my kitchen gadgets.  And I have a LOT of kitchen gadgets that needed organizing.

I also ordered this organizer for all my serving spoons and steak knives.  Everything fit in perfectly!

Don't they look so nice?  I love being organized.  And putting all this stuff in these organizers emptied out one whole drawer on the other side of the island!  Whoo-hoo!  Check off another item on the To Do List.  So now it's time to do the bathroom and laundry room drawers!

Tortilla Roll-ups

Here's two of my favorite roll-up recipes - Mexican chicken and Italian roll-ups.  They're a great appetizer for a party, or you can slice them in bigger halves for lunch or a picnic.

Mexican Chicken Roll-ups

Source

Ingredients:
2 (8 oz.) packages cream cheese
2 cups cooked shredded chicken
1 1/3 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend
1 teaspoon finely minced garlic
1 ½ tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
4 green onions, chopped
10 oz. can Rotel, drained
cayenne pepper to taste
salt to taste
half a bunch of cilantro, chopped (optional)

2 packages burrito sized tortillas

Directions:
-Mix filing ingredients together.  Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
- Spread 2 heaping spoonfuls of filing on each tortilla.  Roll up and cut into slices.

Italian Roll-ups

Source:  Midwest Living

Spread:
8 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
1 tablespoon chives
1 tablespoon chopped green onion
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, crushed
Salt and Pepper to taste

For wraps:
Ham
Salami
Pepperoni
Tortillas

Combine all ingredients for spread.  Cover and chill for at least 1 hour.  Let come to room temperature, spread a heaping tablespoon over each tortilla and layer with choice of meats.  Roll up and slice.

Pineapple Cheeseball

This is a really yummy cheeseball.  The flavors are so different and unexpected and it's very addicting.  It doesn't really have a name; I'm just calling it the pineapple cheese ball.  Anywho, it would be a great appetizer for all the holiday parties coming up!

Ingredients:

8 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
8 oz. shredded sharp cheddar cheese
small can crushed pineapple, drained (8 oz. I believe)
½ green bell pepper, diced small
2 green onions, chopped small
4 oz. diced pimento, drained
1 teaspoon seasoned salt

Combine all ingredients and chill in refrigerator.  It gets even better the longer it sits.  You can shape it into a ball or serve in a bowl with good snack crackers.

Source

Thanksgiving Menu

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving filled with family, friends, and lots of great food.  Even after eating sandwiches for five days, I still have half a ham in my fridge.  Anyone have some ham recipes to share??

I hosted my family at our house, a small 7 people; and then later in the evening we went to C's family's Thanksgiving, which is about 60 people.

Here's what was on our menu this year:

Specialty Cocktail:  Sparking Pear Cocktail

Appetizers:  Spicy Crackers, Blue Cheese Walnut Spread

Main Dishes: Turkey Breast, Ham

Side Dishes:  Vinegar Slaw, Mashed Potatoes, Dressing, Gravy, Fried Corn, Roasted Asparagus, Cranberry Relish, Rolls

Dessert:  Apple-Cream Cheese Bundt Cake with ice cream

Cajun Chicken Pasta

This is a great fall recipe; one of my favorites.  A mix of Cajun and Italian - who doesn't love that?  I made this last Sunday while we were watching the Cardinals.  It's also a really quick and easy weeknight meal.  I was surprised that I've never put it up on the blog because I make it a lot during the fall and winter.  Oh well.  Here it is now!

Courtesy of Emeril

Ingredients:

1 pound linguine pasta (I had spaghetti on hand and it worked just fine)
1-1½ pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch pieces
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons Cajun seasoning (I use Slap Ya Mama!)
salt
1 cup chopped yellow onion
1 tablespoon finely chopped habanero pepper
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1½ cups Half n Half
1 cup canned diced tomatoes
½ cup white wine
½ cup parmesan cheese
chopped green onions, for garnish
chopped parsley, for garnish

Directions:

1. Cook pasta in a large stock pot according to package directions.
2. In a large skillet set to medium-high heat, add butter and olive oil.  Once butter has melted, add chicken and season with 1 tablespoon cajun seasoning and salt to taste.  Sear chicken until brown and cooked through.  Remove from pan and set aside.
3. Add onions and habaneros to pan and saute until lightly caramelized, about 5 minutes.  Add garlic and saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds.  Add wine, Half n Half, tomatoes, remaining tablespoon Cajun seasoning, and reserved chicken to the pan.  Cook until sauce is slightly reduced, about 2 minutes.
4. Add pasta to the sauce and toss with parmesan.  Serve with green onions and parsley.

Chipotle Chicken Tortilla Soup

Well, it is officially fall, and you know what that means....soup time!  Chicken Tortilla is one of my favorite soups so I decided that should be the first one I make this season.  This is a different recipe than I normally use, but I decided to try it because it uses those canned chipotle chilis that I love so much.  I always seem to have some extra I need to use up.  This soup is so so good and was really fast to prepare.  I cooked my chicken the night before so that made it even faster.  It is really spicy though, spicier than I thought it would be; but I don't mind spicy food, so something to think about if you don't like things really hot.  Maybe only use one chipotle.

Based off of Rachael Ray

Ingredients:

1 pound chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
4-8 cups chicken broth, depending on how soupy you like (I use closer to 8 cups because I like a thinner soup)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 chipotles in adobo, plus 2 teaspoons sauce
28 ounces canned fire-roasted tomatoes (I used diced)

For Serving:

Crushed Tortilla Chips
1 Lime, cut into wedges
Shredded Cheese
Sour Cream
Chopped Onion
Chopped Cilantro

Directions:

1.  In a soup pot, heat olive oil and cook onion and garlic for 5 minutes then stir in chipotles and tomatoes.
2.  Add in chicken and broth.
3.  Serve with crushed tortilla chips, shredded cheese, a squeeze of lime, and any other toppings you like.

DElish!