The Perfect 4th of July Dessert!

Does your family have certain traditions for each holiday? I know mine sure does! We love to celebrate the 4th with plenty of barbecue and usually a wonderful blueberry or blackberry cobbler before watching the fireworks show in any given location. This year I plan to make a Strawberry Cake! I made it the other day for a dear friend's birthday and it was such a hit and so festive looking that I'm going to make it again in just a few days for our 4th of July celebration.

The fresh strawberries baked right into the yummy cake batter made my house smell amazing!

I'm all about my house smelling yummy when something is baking! 
It's such a comforting feeling for some reason!

I mean, just look at it! There are even fresh strawberries in the frosting as well!

We had fun celebrating Pattie's birthday and then my wheels were already turning for the next time I could make this yummy treat!

I hope you will give this cake a try and let me know your thoughts! Have a wonderful and safe 4th of July! We hope to be celebrating in Highlands this year…but you just never know these days!

Strawberry Cake

1 box Duncan Hines French Vanilla cake mix

1 small box strawberry jello

1/2 Cup sugar

1/4 C all purpose flour

4 eggs

1 Cup Wesson Oil

1/2 Cup milk

1 1/4 Cup sliced fresh strawberries

Beat all ingredients except strawberries in mixer on medium to high for about 2 minutes. Add the strawberries and beat on medium to high until they are well incorporated. Pour batter evenly into 3 greased and floured cake pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until cake springs back lightly when touched. Cool on wire racks for 10 minutes and then invert cake layers onto racks and cool completely. When cool frost with icing recipe below. Spread a thin to medium layer of frosting in between layers and then spread remaining frosting all over to cover cake completely. Store in refrigerator overnight for best results. Take cake out of fridge about an hour before serving.

Frosting

1 8oz. cream cheese, softened

3/4 Cup butter, softened

1 1/2 boxes confectioners sugar

1/2- 3/4 Cup sliced fresh strawberries

beat cream cheese and butter until fluffy, add powdered sugar and strawberries until well blended and desired consistency.

What's A Mama To Do?

A lot of times I pretend that I'm cooking because "Miller is home!" Well, truth be told…I cook pretty much for me and blame it on Miller! What am I supposed to do when he goes back to Auburn tomorrow? I don't like thinking about it so I thought I would share his favorite meal that I made just the other day.

Barbecue Meatloaf…it's both of my boy's favorite and a favorite of mine as well. I got the recipe from my friend, Pattie and I've made it ever since! I will post the recipe below.

Simple mashed potatoes. You have to have mashed potatoes with meatloaf! 

The gravy is so yummy on them!

Then there was the okra….two ways! I love it boiled….they love it fried! (well, I love it fried as well but since I love it boiled I figured that was at least better for me!)

You certainly don't need to be scared to fry okra…it's really very simple! I've gotten to where I use Coconut Oil to fry it in as it is better for you and heats faster. 

It works really well and NO….it doesn't taste like coconut!

Oh, and those Lady Peas! They were so yummy! Got them at our local farmer's market and bought some homemade chow chow as well to go on them. 

Everyone knows a good Southern meal like this has to have sliced, vine ripe tomatoes to go with it! They were some of the best I've ever had! Again, our local farmer's market!

And last but not least….the wonderful corn muffin! Yep! You heard me! Like I said…it's a Southern meal and the corn muffin topped it off! You could do cornbread if you like! I always use the Krusteaz brand now…it's much better for you than the way I used to make it and they are really good! So, if your'e in the mood to cook…if you have boys in your family that love a GOOD meatloaf…this is the meal for you! 

Hope you enjoy the recipes! Let's talk soon!

Barbecue Meat Loaf
5 lbs. lean ground beef
1 C oats 
( yes, they work wonders in meatloaf!)
2 pkgs. lipton onion soup mix (herb seasoned or regular)
1 can French Onion soup
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2-3/4 Cup ketchup
1/8 Cup Pickapeppa Sauce
2 T worcestershire sauce
Mix ingredients well and place into two greased loaf pans or meatloaf pans. Meatloaf pans are wonderful because the grease drains so well! Top with some of the sauce. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hours basting every so often with the sauce. Serve remaining sauce over the *mashed potatoes.
Sauce
2 (8oz) cans tomato sauce
3 T white vinegar
3 T brown sugar
2 T dijon mustard
2 T worcestershire sauce
1/2 Cup water if needed to thin sauce. 
Whisk all ingredients in a medium saucepan until heated through and put on top of meatloaf.

*I like to use evaporated milk in my mashed potatoes…it makes a huge difference!

Fried Okra
12-15 pieces okra, washed and sliced
buttermilk to cover.
Pour buttermilk over the sliced okra and cover. Refrigerate for about an hour before frying. To fry, mix 1 part self rising flour with 1/2 part self rising corn meal. Salt and pepper to taste. Put enough oil in pan so that it's about 2 inches deep. I really do like the way the Coconut Oil fries okra. It tastes less greasy and is "lighter" if that makes since! Take handfuls of the buttermilk soaked okra and place in the flour mixture. Make sure they are coated well and place in the hot oil….be careful! Do this in stages…washing the flour mixture off of your hands in between batches. When brown, drain on paper towels and keep warm in a low oven.

Lady Peas
1 box of fresh lady peas, rinsed
equal parts of water and chicken broth to cover
1 T Ham base ( better than bouillon) 
1/2 T sugar
salt and pepper to taste
3 fresh sprigs of thyme
bring to a boil and then to simmer for about 30 minutes or until desired tenderness. Serve with chow chow if desired.

It really is so much fun to cook yummy meals for your family! I love this one because there are left overs that I can easily send back to Auburn with Miller or they can be frozen…the meatloaf freezes very well even uncooked as do the peas. 

When It's Time To Leave The Beach….It's Time To Leave The Beach!

We said good-bye to the beach as well as the rich yet wonderful meals that we enjoyed…and yes, we certainly enjoyed them! 'Havana's' in Rosemary Beach, 'Bud And Alley's' as well as 'The Great Southern' in Seaside, 'Dewey Destin's' in Destin…you name it we enjoyed them to the fullest! 

But…when it was time to come home this lady was craving down home Southern cooking!

So, I made Squash Casserole!

("before" pic!)

 (Squash Casserole "after" pic!)

As well as my all time favorite Oven Barbecue Chicken with yellow rice! 

(All of the recipes are at the bottom of this post.)

And no Southern meal would be complete without homemade…well, almost homemade corn muffins! (love that Krusteaz brand!) However, I also did a post several years ago which you can see HERE for my grandmother's recipe for the most delicious corn muffins ever! 

With this meal I also served English Peas with it because…well, because I like them and I was tired at this point! 
I must say that I thought it was ironic that Holly chose to make this meal as well…or at least the Oven Barbecue Chicken…we truly do think alike! It's so easy and its really very healthy! 

Try it out and let me know what you think! 

So, until we meet again old faithful beach chair…I will be enjoying home cooked meals and exercising like crazy! I think that is a fair trade! I hope you will try at least one of these recipes. I am posting the chicken and the squash if you'd like to make them!
As always... I would love to know your thoughts!

Oven Barbecue Chicken

6-8 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
6 T ketshup
3 T vinegar
2 T lemon juice
3 T worchestershire sauce
1/2 C water
2 T melted butter
4 T sugar
1/2 t red pepper
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. dry mustard
1 tsp. chili powder
tobasco suace to taste, garlic powder to taste
Place cleaned chicken breasts in an oven proof casserole dish. Mix all of the other ingredients together and pour over chicken, making sure sauce also gets under the chicken. Cover tightly with a lid or heavy foil. Bake covered at 350 degrees for 1 1/2- 2 hours. Serve over yellow or white rice. 
This is truly one of our families all time favorite dishes! Your house will smell amazing while it is cooking!

Squash Casserole

10 pieces of medium sized squash, rinsed and sliced 1/2" thick
1 small onion, diced
1/2 stick light butter
salt and pepper to taste
1 T sugar
1 egg lightly beaten
4-6 ozs. sour cream ( I use light)
3/4-1 C light mayo
1/2 C parmesan cheese
8 ozs. grated cheddar cheese
1 sleeve Ritz Crackers, crushed
1/4 stick melted butter
saute squash and onions with the butter. Season with salt, pepper and sugar before cooking. Drain squash well in a colander once it is tender…pushing out the excess water as best as possible. In a mixing bowl add the squash mixture with the mayo and sour cream, egg and cheeses. Place in a greased casserole dish. Top with crushed crackers mixed with the melted butter. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until bubbly!
I hope you love it like we do!

"My, My, My, I'm Once Bitten Twice Shy Baby!"

I bet you thought when you read this title "I wonder what in the world is SHE thinking!" 

If so…you are right! 'She' isn't thinking!

 She is just trying to come up with a catchy title for a mid week dinner blog post!

It's not always that easy to do but in this case…it sort of makes since. At least..to me it does!

You see…I always make TWICE the amount of sauce that any recipe calls for because my family might as well be called the "sauce hoarders". 

We may even be arrested one day for requesting or taking too much sauce to go with anything and everything! You name it…The Tavern's Honey Mustard, Chick Fil A's Polynesian Sauce, CPK's Ranch Dressing…I could go on and on! 

It's a bit ridiculous!

 So, when I found this recipe on my own Pinterest board that I had pinned a long time ago…I knew it would need extra sauce! I didn't make extra at first mind you…I just panicked at the end!
(you can see that recipe HERE!) 

Because I was too sore from Pure Barre yesterday I didn't go back this morning which gave me plenty of time to put this meal together before work so that I could just pop it in the oven once I got home. It looks yummy here and it was doing great in the oven. After 20 minutes I decided we needed more sauce! Go figure! So I made another batch and poured it on as I basted it. It couldn't have been any more delicious! I'm not sure I would make this again for the just the two of us…but I would definitely make it again to impress a crowd! It reminded me of being in Provence…it was very similar to a dish that we were served at the Bastide Rose. What a wonderful meal we had there!

I simply added mashed potatoes and green beans…so simple! The sauce is divine! Especially when it is doubled! "Once Bitten Twice Shy…or…I'm Just A Saucy Kinda Gal." Not sure which title should've been chosen. All I know is this meal was delightful! 
No wonder it won first place on The Chew!

 Try it and let me know your thoughts!

"The Chew's" Baked Artichoke Chicken

4 bone in/skin on chicken breasts

1 lb. button mushrooms, halved and rinsed

1 small to medium onion, sliced thickly

1 can artichoke hearts drained and halved

2 T brown mustard

2-3 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 C olive oil

1/4 C red wine vinegar

1/4 C white wine

1/4 tsp. dried basil

1/4 tsp. dried thyme

1/4 tsp. dried tarragon

1 bay leaf

kosher salt and pepper to taste

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Place cut up onions, artichokes and mushrooms in the bottom of a medium sized baking dish coated with cooking spray. Place rinsed and dried chicken breasts on top of vegetables. Mix remaining ingredient together with a whisk and pour over top of chicken. Bake uncovered, basting often for one hour. ( this is where my extra batch of sauce came in handy. I would just pour it over gradually as it cooked as well as spooning some of the sauce from the bottom of the pan on top of the chicken and the vegetables.) You don't have to make extra sauce! I just wanted to! It was all delicious…especially with a side of mashed potatoes!

When I Have A Craving…..

I research it…I think about…I dwell on it! It's a bit ridiculous!

 But it is oh.so.true! Today I had a craving for Asian!

 So…I made Asian Pork Tenderloin and Simple Sesame Noodles! 

Please give them a try if you like the wonderful flavors that accompany Asian dishes!

 I had already cleaned a pork tenderloin and it was ready to go! That made it even more simple when I decided to try this dish! This recipe is easy…and it's incredible! Of course, that led me to thinking of side dishes to go with it! The Pioneer Women's Simple Sesame Noodles were the perfect thing to serve as well as my new found favorite choice in salads!

Here is my almost finished Pork Tenderloin when Jim brought it in off of the grill. The marinade for this is so easy and so yummy!

 Once the tenderloin is almost done, it is slathered with the most wonderful Hoisin-Blackberry Glaze in the world and finished off with green onions! 
The recipe for this glaze came from the wing recipe I did back in January.
 You can see that recipe and blog post HERE!

Then it was time for the Simple Sesame Noodles! Oh my! I could eat these noodles just by themselves! So very good!

Naturally….I was all out of linguini, angel hair pasta, even spaghetti noodles! But I did have wide egg noodles that we needed to use up! They worked wonderfully well in this dish so use whatever you have on hand!

And then there is this new salad thing I've discovered…I'm probably late in the game here…I didn't always go for the easy way out but these salad kits are so good that I'm thinking…"Why not?" Miller loved them as well when I tried them out on him. This was our first time to have the Asian flavored one and it was delicious! We have had the Baby Kale salad a lot and love it so much!

 Give it a try and let me know what you think! I am posting the recipes just because I know that if you are like me…coming up with new chicken dishes, new pork tenderloin dishes and even new side dishes can get really old sometimes! 

These recipes are definitely in my new favorite category and I know I will be making these again!

 Hope you had a wonderful weekend! Wasn't it just spectacular! You have to love Spring!

Asian Pork Tenderloin

2/3 C Soy Sauce

1/4 C toasted Sesame Oil

1 tsp. worcestershire sauce

2 T brown sugar

2 tsp. Hoisin sauce

1-2 tsp. hot chili sauce

1/2 tsp. ground ginger

2 tsp. minced garlic

3 green onions, chopped

2 pork tenderloins, cleaned

Mix all ingredients together except for the green onions and the pork. Place pork in a large plastic bag and pour marinade over. Let sit overnight turning once or twice. Grill over medium heat until 3/4 of the way done. Place in an oven proof dish and top with glaze and green onions. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until done.

Glaze:

1/3 C Hoisin Sauce

1/4 C blackberry jam

heat in a small saucepan until blended.

Simple Sesame Noodles

12 ozs. thin noodles cooked according to package directions

1/4 C Soy Sauce

2 T sugar

2 tsp. minced garlic

2 T Rice Vinegar

3 T Sesame Oil

1/2 tsp. Hot Chili Oil

4 T Canola Oil

4 green onions, sliced thinly

Whisk together all ingredients except green onions. Pour over hot noodles and toss well. Add green onions, toss and serve. So simple and so good!

Sharon's 50th Birthday Party! Such A Fun Celebration!

I don't know why I'm like this but I am…if I am hosting a party at my house I like for everything to be ready ahead of time. 

Not for the benefit of the guests (although that is something to be considered!) 

But for me…so I can walk around and enjoy it before it's too late!

Are the flowers ok? Is the table set correctly? Are there enough chairs? Is the appetizer ready? Whew….I can relax now!
But I don't ever seem to really relax until the meal comes along!
Then I can sit back and enjoy!

All of the prep work is done and the worrying is over!

The house is straight, the window's cleaned thanks to my angel of a husband and my sweet, sweet friends are here! 

And I'm really trying to do better with the "small touches" that add a lot…I'm not a detailed oriented person so this has taken some practice! 
I was so glad I remembered this antique vase that belonged to Jim's grandmother and I put a few roses in it…I love the morning light on it and I love that it's a family heirloom to me!

Just putting flowers in the powder bath adds such a nice touch!

And I took the liberty of using the antique water jug that Cottage Decorating just borrowed from my shop for their photo shoot and actually used it on the cover of their magazine…it was effective. Not as pretty as their's was but it suited me just fine! You can see that blog post HERE!

A last minute decision to make these "Easy Breezy Raspberry Wine Spritzers" turned out to be a hit! I love it when that happens! I won't tell you how many batches I had to make…but I will say this…I actually had to get out extra glasses! 

Easy Breezy is the way to go!

Then came my favorite part of all…the photos of the guests and the hostesses! Without these girls I could certainly never have pulled this soiree off! Between Lisa Ann's 'Tomato Pies' and Melissa's 'Chocolate Filled Cheesecake' and Sandy's wonderful 'Baby Blue Salad' the meal was a hit!

Just look at this fun group of friends that came to honor Sharon on her 50th birthday! I'm so glad we had such a great turnout and that is strictly a reflection on her! We missed those that couldn't be there but we sure had a wonderful time! 

Sharon and I have been friends for about 32 years…that my friends…is a long and wonderful friendship! I'm so glad our boys are best friends as well!

More friends enjoying the day!

Sharon and Melissa!

Sharon and Peggy!

Sharon and Gina!

"The hostesses with the mostest!"

At this point my sweet friend Jean Anne started doing the photography and I was ever so glad! I love how this picture turned out for some reason! 
An "artistic" view of the spritzer!

The plates have been stacked on the sideboard and the water is in the glasses…
It's almost time to eat!

Thank you , Jean Anne for capturing this! 

Pork Tenderloin Sandwiches, White BBQ Sauce and a Horseradish Sauce, Couscous with Roasted Vegetables, Tomato Pie and Baby Blue Salad! Yum! At the request of others I am posting a lot of the recipes at the end of this post if you are interested.

So thankful for all of the hostesses and all of their help!

 Without them I could never have pulled this off!

Jean Anne was being very "artistic" at this point! 
She wanted an action shot! This cheesecake was truly heavenly!

Then it was time to open gifts!

Melissa's handiwork showed up once more in her creative gift wrap! How beautiful! 
And all from "scraps" as she said!

All in all I would say it was a perfect party except for missing those that couldn't be with us today! I think we need to get together more often than just a milestone birthday! It's so much fun and does my heart good when I'm with my friends…or even if I'm with Sharon's friends! 

So thankful for so many blessings and one of the biggest ones is friendships over the years! I love you, Sharon and I hope your birthday has been so very special!

(If you want any of the recipes I will put them at the very end of this!) 

Recipes from the lunch:

Pork Tenderloin

2 pork tenderloins, cleaned and trimmed
Olive oil, Creole Seasoning, Lemon Pepper
Place tenderloins in a baking pan coated with Pam. Rub olive oil on both sides and sprinkle with the Creole Seasoning and Lemon Pepper.
Drizzle over both tenderloins the following: Just eyeball the amounts!
Worchestershire Sauce
Soy Sauce
Pickapeppa Sauce
Honey
serioulsy, you just guess at the amounts. Keep in mind the Pickappepa sauce is a tad spicy. Once you do that, pour about 1/2 C to 3/4 C white wine in the pan and Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes. I like it better when I do it the night before and then slice it, put it back in the pan with the juices it has cooked in and then serve it the next day barely re-heated. Especially on Sister Schubert Rolls with either White BBQ sauce or a horseradish mayonnaise.

Tomato Pie

1 pie crust, prebaked for just a few minutes. ( make sure you pierce it with a fork in several places so it won't shrink while cooking. just follow package directions for an unfilled crust)
1 C shredded mozzarella cheese
1 C shredded swiss cheese
1/2 C chopped, fresh basil
4 large tomatoes, peeled and sliced thin
3 T olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
Sprinkle the cheeses over the bottom of the slightly baked pie crust. Add the basil and then the tomato slices. Sprinkle with the salt and pepper and drizzle the olive oil over the entire pie. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes or until bubbly and hot! Let sit for 5 minutes before slicing.

Chocolate Filled Cheesecake

Crust

1/2 C butter, softened

1/3 C sugar

1 C flour

1 T vanilla, divided

2/3 C chopped pecans

Filling

4 pkgs 8 oz. cream cheese, softened

1 1/2 C sugar

4 eggs

1 12 oz package mini chocolate chips ( semi sweet)

whipped cream

Beat butter in mixer until creamy. Gradually add sugar and flour. Stir in 1 t vanilla and chopped pecans.  

( I do my pecans pretty fine in a food processor )

Press in the bottom and partially up the sides of a greased 9" springform pan. Bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes or until slighty golden. Let Cool while making filling.

Beat cream cheese until fluffy and add 1 1/2 C sugar gradually. Beat well and add eggs one at a time. Beat just until yellow disappears. Do not over beat! Stir in vanilla. Pour 1/2 of the batter over the crust and begin sprinkling the chocolate chips....start at outer edge but do not go to edge of the crust all the way.... begin pouring remaining batter over the chips starting at outer edge and moving towards the center. This helps the chips to stay put and not fall over the sides!

Bake at 350 for 1 hour or until set. It will start to brown but don't worry! It's ok... Let cool for several hours. When ready to serve you can either reheat individual pieces or cover the entire cheesecake with foil and  warm on low in the oven. Serve with real whipped cream sweetened with 1/4 C powdered sugar. 

This is truly incredible!!!