So...is everyone as excited for Thanksgiving as I am? I have been looking forward to delicious food, family and friends for a few weeks now and am excited to share with you today one of my favorite Thanksgiving dishes! It has been a huge hit at our houses so I'm sure they will be with yours. One thing's for sure, I'm very thankful to have each and every one of you in my life and even if we can't spend the holidays together, I'm glad I have you. :) Enjoy.
Maple-Pecan Sweet Potatoes
This is from a Cooking Light magazine. My mother-in-law found this recipe for me about two years ago and everyone has loved it! If you're cooking for a lot of people I would definitely double the batch...Now I know Thanksgiving is not one of those days we watch what we eat, but I do like that they added in the nutrition facts so I'll throw them in for ya too. In a half cup serving: 185 calories, 7.3g fat, 3.2g protein, 28g carb, 3.4g fiber, 41mg chol, 1mg iron, 315mg sodium, 57mg calc. So relatively good for you as far as Thanksgiving food goes. Alright, let's get down to business.
What you need:
2 3/4lbs sweet potatoes
1/4 cup half and half
3 tablespoons butter, melted
3 tablespoons maple syrup
1 teaspoon kosher salt (kosher salt really makes the difference here, so buy it! trust me!)
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
1 large egg, lightly beaten
Cooking spray
mini-marshmallows
pecans, chopped
What you do:
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Pierce your potatoes, place them on foil-lined baking sheet and bake for about an hour or until tender. Let them cool a little bit, peel them, and them throw them in a large bowl and mash them up. Reduce your oven temp to 350. Stir in the half and half, butter, syrup, salt and pepper, vanilla, cinnamon, allspice and egg. Spray at 2 quart baking dish and spoon the potato mixture in. Bake at 350 for about 15 minutes. After the first fifteen minutes, take it out, sprinkle the potatoes with the pecans (as many or as little as you like) and then add your marshmallows in top (same thing goes here, go to town if you like!) Pop it back in the oven at 350 for about 12 minutes or until the marshmallows are slightly melted and golden-brownish looking. Enjoy!
Happy Thanksgiving, y'all!! :)
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
home, sweet home.
Big changes happened for the Lutz family this past week and I'm here to share some of it with you. We moved from a 3 bedroom/2 bathroom ranch house, to a 2 bedroom/1 bathroom apartment on the second floor. Needless to say it has it's challenges at times, but so far city life is proving to be the best decision yet.
Lincoln and Quinn have found sharing a room to be quite fun, a little too much fun in fact at bedtime so we're still working out a good sleep schedule, but all in all they have adjusted wonderfully. They enjoy getting to go up an down the stairs regularly and getting more fresh air. We are super close to all sorts of shops and restaurants and an awesome dog park, so we've really benefited from being able to walk most places and I think the boys have really enjoyed this.
Being closer to school and work for Graham has really been the biggest benefit for me. I feel like we're getting a lot more husband/daddy quality time and for that I am VERY thankful! I mean, I didn't marry this man and have his babies so I wouldn't ever have to see him now did i? Nope, I didn't. But, I'm sure you've all skipped down to the pictures anyway so I'll just get on with it then. ;) It's all still a work in progress with lots of decorating (and couch getting) to be done, so I'll keep updating regularly!
My adorable kitchen.
Now, I know nobody likes bathroom pictures and you can't take a good bathroom picture to save your life, but I just had to show this amazing 60s pink and purple tile job. It's priceless. :)
The living room into the kitchen.
I'm finding that organization is key to living in small spaces. We found an awesome bench and hooks and made a sort of station for coats and shoes and things. I love it.
And lastly, one of my favorite parts of the whole house....is my kitchen sink. I know it doesn't sound very exciting, but I tend to spend a lot of time there so I might as well love it. I love the old cabinets, and the hooks Graham put up for my coffee mugs, I put up all different types of knobs on the cabinets in stead of the original hardware and my cute little shelf for my agave nectar, honey,
butter bell and chia seeds. What more could a granola girl need?
Lincoln and Quinn have found sharing a room to be quite fun, a little too much fun in fact at bedtime so we're still working out a good sleep schedule, but all in all they have adjusted wonderfully. They enjoy getting to go up an down the stairs regularly and getting more fresh air. We are super close to all sorts of shops and restaurants and an awesome dog park, so we've really benefited from being able to walk most places and I think the boys have really enjoyed this.
Being closer to school and work for Graham has really been the biggest benefit for me. I feel like we're getting a lot more husband/daddy quality time and for that I am VERY thankful! I mean, I didn't marry this man and have his babies so I wouldn't ever have to see him now did i? Nope, I didn't. But, I'm sure you've all skipped down to the pictures anyway so I'll just get on with it then. ;) It's all still a work in progress with lots of decorating (and couch getting) to be done, so I'll keep updating regularly!
This is the living room, from the viewpoint of the kitchen.
My adorable kitchen.
Now, I know nobody likes bathroom pictures and you can't take a good bathroom picture to save your life, but I just had to show this amazing 60s pink and purple tile job. It's priceless. :)
The living room into the kitchen.
I'm finding that organization is key to living in small spaces. We found an awesome bench and hooks and made a sort of station for coats and shoes and things. I love it.
And lastly, one of my favorite parts of the whole house....is my kitchen sink. I know it doesn't sound very exciting, but I tend to spend a lot of time there so I might as well love it. I love the old cabinets, and the hooks Graham put up for my coffee mugs, I put up all different types of knobs on the cabinets in stead of the original hardware and my cute little shelf for my agave nectar, honey,
butter bell and chia seeds. What more could a granola girl need?
Like I said, I'll definitely keep updating as we add new touches and get the bedrooms done, but these were just to tie you over for now. ;) Hope you enjoyed.
tasty tuesday
Hello everyone! Well, I'm back this week after skipping last week because things were kind of crazy 'round here. We moved a little over a week ago now into an apartment in Decatur and so far we are LOVING it. So...since I didn't post anything last week I thought this week I would post a regular recipe and an appetizer as a consolation. Hope you enjoy!
Corn Dip
I got this recipe from my friend Jenny Shane. It is delicious. Seriously, it's so delicious you won't even believe it.
What you need:
1 can mexicorn
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
3/4 cups mayonaise
jar of jalepenos
What you do:
Chop up as many jalepenos as you'd like. If you like it spicier add more, if you don't add less. Combine all the ingredients in a 1 or 2 quart dish and bake for about 15-30 minutes at 350. Really just bake it until it's bubbling and looks delicious! If you are making this for a crowd I would suggest doubling it. It'll go fast if you only bring this much and you don't want to make any enemies over corn dip. Trust me.
Brunswick Stew
This recipe is from one of my mom's good friends, Ms. Cece. I have lots of recipes from her so you'll probably see her name around here again. This is a great recipe for feeding a large group...or to make and have leftovers for days...or for freezing. Gotta love the options!
What you need:
2 large cans of BBQ pork (the pre-made kind, or I just buy the tubs of it located next to the hot dogs, ya know what I mean?)
2 large cans of BBQ beef (same as above)
1 large can white chunk chicken
1 large can diced tomatoes
1/2 cup ketchup
1 small can kernel corn
1 can creamed corn
1/2 - 1 bottle of BBQ sauce (any brand you like, use as much as you'd like)
What you do:
Literally just dump everything in the crockpot and forget it! It helps to stir it some, but it's best to cook it all day and don't mess with it. You can also cook it for 4-6 hours if you're short on time because all the ingredients are pre-cooked, so there are no worries about anything being undercooked. Seriously, this is the easiest recipe you'll ever make. Oh, and it's delicious with corn bread.
See you all next week....hope you have some delicious meals between now and then!
Corn Dip
I got this recipe from my friend Jenny Shane. It is delicious. Seriously, it's so delicious you won't even believe it.
What you need:
1 can mexicorn
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
3/4 cups mayonaise
jar of jalepenos
What you do:
Chop up as many jalepenos as you'd like. If you like it spicier add more, if you don't add less. Combine all the ingredients in a 1 or 2 quart dish and bake for about 15-30 minutes at 350. Really just bake it until it's bubbling and looks delicious! If you are making this for a crowd I would suggest doubling it. It'll go fast if you only bring this much and you don't want to make any enemies over corn dip. Trust me.
Brunswick Stew
This recipe is from one of my mom's good friends, Ms. Cece. I have lots of recipes from her so you'll probably see her name around here again. This is a great recipe for feeding a large group...or to make and have leftovers for days...or for freezing. Gotta love the options!
What you need:
2 large cans of BBQ pork (the pre-made kind, or I just buy the tubs of it located next to the hot dogs, ya know what I mean?)
2 large cans of BBQ beef (same as above)
1 large can white chunk chicken
1 large can diced tomatoes
1/2 cup ketchup
1 small can kernel corn
1 can creamed corn
1/2 - 1 bottle of BBQ sauce (any brand you like, use as much as you'd like)
What you do:
Literally just dump everything in the crockpot and forget it! It helps to stir it some, but it's best to cook it all day and don't mess with it. You can also cook it for 4-6 hours if you're short on time because all the ingredients are pre-cooked, so there are no worries about anything being undercooked. Seriously, this is the easiest recipe you'll ever make. Oh, and it's delicious with corn bread.
See you all next week....hope you have some delicious meals between now and then!
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
tasty tuesday's
So here we are again, another week, another Tuesday! I hope all your weeks were fabulous and filled with joy. :) This week for tasty tuesday I'm posting a delicious recipe I found from The Pioneer Woman - Ree Drummond's website. This is DELICIOUS! I mean, ridiculously yummy. Super easy, fairly cheap and a great recipe if you know any or are a vegetarian! (Sorry vegans, too much cream and cheese for you...mmmmm.....) It has some greens hidden in there too, which is great because you don't always want to be fully aware that you are eating spinach, ya know? This is great for adults and kids alike so here's the recipe and let me know what you think if you try it out! (I'm going to give you instructions here, but if you'd like to follow the original directions on the Pioneer Woman website I strongly recommend it. She takes amazing pictures to help you along! I really enjoy that, so here's the link to her website and the recipe there: http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2010/04/pasta-with-tomato-blue-cheese-sauce/ )
Pasta with Tomato-Blue Cheese Sauce
a.k.a. The best pasta dish known to man.
What you need:
1 box of thin spaghetti noodles or angel hair pasta
1 28oz can of diced tomatoes or cut up some fresh tomatoes
1/2c blue cheese crumbles (use more if you like I usually use about that much and it seems great to me)
3/4c heavy whipping cream
4c spinach, fresh or from a bag
Salt and pepper to taste
Sugar (just a dash)
Optional: crushed red pepper flakes for some oomph :)
What you do:
Cook your noodles according to the box instructions. (But if you use angel hair this may not be step one because it doesn't take very long.) Heat some olive oil in a skillet and chop up some garlic, add the garlic to the hot oil. Pour in your can of tomatoes and try to strain it as much as possible. You want little to no juice in there. Stir the tomatoes around and let them cook for a few minutes. Then add in your dashes of salt and sugar. (This is where the red pepper flakes go in too if you want them!) After the tomatoes have cooked for about 10-15 minutes, throw in the blue cheese crumbles. Stir in the cheese until it's all melted. Next, pour in the cream. Stir it around and shake the pan to let it really settle in. After a minute or so, taste the sauce and add whatever you think it needs. (usually pepper) Now....this is going to sound strange and may seem like it's not going to work at first, but trust me and the pioneer woman on this one! Do exactly as we say! Turn the burner OFF, throw in your spinach and stir it all around letting the heat just wilt the spinach. (You don't really want to cook it, you just want it to wilt so it stays yummy and fresh. This will be the last thing you do right before you actually serve it.) As it's wilting combine the pasta and sauce (with the still wilting spinach) in a bowl and combine until it's a homogenous mixture. When the spinach looks wilty (yes, I just made that word up) enough for you, serve and enjoy! It's that easy!
I hope you all enjoy this recipe and have a wonderful week! Let me know if you try it and what you think! Have a tasty tuesday y'all. :)
Pasta with Tomato-Blue Cheese Sauce
a.k.a. The best pasta dish known to man.
What you need:
1 box of thin spaghetti noodles or angel hair pasta
1 28oz can of diced tomatoes or cut up some fresh tomatoes
1/2c blue cheese crumbles (use more if you like I usually use about that much and it seems great to me)
3/4c heavy whipping cream
4c spinach, fresh or from a bag
olive oil
garlic
Salt and pepper to taste
Sugar (just a dash)
Optional: crushed red pepper flakes for some oomph :)
What you do:
Cook your noodles according to the box instructions. (But if you use angel hair this may not be step one because it doesn't take very long.) Heat some olive oil in a skillet and chop up some garlic, add the garlic to the hot oil. Pour in your can of tomatoes and try to strain it as much as possible. You want little to no juice in there. Stir the tomatoes around and let them cook for a few minutes. Then add in your dashes of salt and sugar. (This is where the red pepper flakes go in too if you want them!) After the tomatoes have cooked for about 10-15 minutes, throw in the blue cheese crumbles. Stir in the cheese until it's all melted. Next, pour in the cream. Stir it around and shake the pan to let it really settle in. After a minute or so, taste the sauce and add whatever you think it needs. (usually pepper) Now....this is going to sound strange and may seem like it's not going to work at first, but trust me and the pioneer woman on this one! Do exactly as we say! Turn the burner OFF, throw in your spinach and stir it all around letting the heat just wilt the spinach. (You don't really want to cook it, you just want it to wilt so it stays yummy and fresh. This will be the last thing you do right before you actually serve it.) As it's wilting combine the pasta and sauce (with the still wilting spinach) in a bowl and combine until it's a homogenous mixture. When the spinach looks wilty (yes, I just made that word up) enough for you, serve and enjoy! It's that easy!
I hope you all enjoy this recipe and have a wonderful week! Let me know if you try it and what you think! Have a tasty tuesday y'all. :)
happyween....
I think one of my favorite things ever is hearing how Linc will interpret what we say. For instance, it's not "Happy Halloween", it's "happyween". So adorable! So for our happyween adventure this year we went trick or treating in Graham's old stomping grounds (Grammy and Grampy's neighborhood in Peachtree Corners). We had so much fun! And surprisingly the boys really got the hang of it. Lincoln was walking last year, but obviously not quite as talkative so it was so fun to hear how he was taking all this in. Some of my favorite Linc quotes from happyween:
Daddy and Robin
Mommy and Batman
Daddy, Batman and Puppy ;)
1. We had been to a few houses and he was really starting to get the hang of this when we walked up to a house and I said "ok, say trick or treat". Lincoln looks the gentlemen right in the eyes and says, "Just treats, more treats." He hadn't gotten any tricks yet, but he wasn't taking any chances!
2. Before we had been to many houses and his bucket wasn't very full I said, "Come on we need to fill that pail up with treats!" To which Lincoln stuffs his puppy in his pail and says, "Oh, puppy treat! :)" I swear he's going to get married with puppy as his best man....
3. And lastly, as we were headed back to Grammy's house we told Lincoln he had done a great job and we were all done trick or treating. He just keeps walking and as he waves he says, "Bye, bye happyween! Bye, bye happyween!"
So of course those weren't the ONLY cute things he said, but those were some of my favorite. Quinn was cute too and had a knack for wanting to go straight into people's houses. Very Quinn of him. Never met a stranger that child! He also wanted to pull all the candy out of the homeowner's buckets and attempt to put it all back in! But by the end he understood that you only take one and you put it in your own bucket...he got his Halloween 101 lesson down by the end of the night. :)
So I hope all of you had a wonderful happyween as well. Here are some pictures of our night!
Linc as Batman, Quinn as Robin and
Cousin Oliver as the Lobster :)
Daddy and Robin
Mommy and Batman
Daddy, Batman and Puppy ;)
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