Winter Eating

Cookies, eggnog, and coffee does not a diet make.  Unfortunately those seem to be the only things I want to cook and eat lately.  How's that for healthy eating?

And soup--I love soup!  Dustin, not so much.  So I try to keep the soup making to once a week; even though I normally end up eating it for lunch every day.

And the in-season veggies are uninspiring and make me a little sad.  Why do veggies make me sad?  Makes no sense, but it does affect my cooking.

This is pretty much a brain dump list of winter foods that will hopefully inspire me (and you!) to cook this winter!


Chicken Risotto with Carrots and Celery
              Slightly spicy, mostly delicious, with bacon

Polenta
             I want to experiment with this--and learn what it is!

Kale Salad with Warm Bacon Vinaigrette
             Because is there anything better than bacon?

Sausage, Potato, and Kale Soup
             Spicy, warm, and delicious.  Crusty bread a must!

Poached Eggs, Polenta Cakes, and Bacon with spicy creamy sauce
             Because is there anything better than breakfast?

Pork Carnitas
            Yum!

Korean Beef
             Just because

Spicy Shrimp
           With lots of spices, yogurt, and homemade naan

Broccoli Pesto with (leftover) mixed nuts, and Homemade Orechietti
            Because sometimes you need to try make pasta

And maybe I'll post about these things--I'll try at least.  Because I like to make food and take pictures of it.  Maybe we'll combine those two things.

What inspires you to cook in the winter? Do you have someone who doesn't consider soup a meal?  And if you have any great winter meal ideas let me know!

Fall Food Inspiration

Fall Is beautiful. I love the season--breaking out my scarves and picking pumpkins. But food wise I am completely uninspired by fall.

All I want to do is make endless pots of chili and eat it all.  I could too :). So I'm working to be more inspired with fall cooking. I hope to incorporate more seasonal ingredients into weeknight dinners; apples with pork chops instead of apple pie, and pumpkin, potatoes and sage as a side dish instead if only for Thanksgiving.

I'm also hoping to incorporate more prep and cook- ahead meals. Then when we're working on projects at night we can eat at home too.

p.s. Check out my Pinterest Board for Autumn Dinner Inspiration!

Do you have any favorite fall meals? What inspires you to cook in the fall?

Delicious Chicken in Cream Sauce

My mom and I started calling this chicken  "Delicious Chicken" soon after we made it for the first time.  The chicken highlights the best of summer tomatoes and basil, and it all blends together in a delicious cream sauce.

I will literally eat this sauce right out of the pan; the chicken drippings, broth, and cream cheese work so well together and magically create an amazing sauce with only three ingredients.

The tomatoes and basil add freshness and brighten up what could be a heavy dish.  And the tomatoes are so good softly cooked in the sauce.  They melt into puddles of tomato heaven.

Make this quickly! September is still a great time for tomatoes, but evil winter is coming fast, and we'll have to say goodbye to fresh tomatoes until next summer!

Start by pounding chicken into an even thickness--this helps it cook more evenly and stay juicier.  Then mix the salt, pepper, and flour together on a plate.  Use tongs to lightly dredge the chicken in flour and shake of the excess.

Place the chicken into the hot pan and cook until both sides are crispy and lightly browned.  Remove the chicken to a plate.

Pour in the chicken broth and use a wooden spoon to scrape the delicious chicken bits off the bottom of the pan. 

Add in the cream cheese chunks. 

Stir until melted and add salt and pepper to taste. 

Add the chicken to the sauce and turn to coat. 

  At this point you can add the tomatoes and basil and allow them to cook for about five minutes to 'melt' the tomatoes.  Or if you have picky people, leave the tomatoes and basil to garnish at the end. 

Place the chicken on the plate, spoon sauce on, and add basil...

and tomatoes! 

Delicious Chicken

4 small chicken breasts or thighs
1/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 glugs of oil

4 ounces (1/2 block) cream cheese
3/4 cup of chicken broth
salt and pepper to taste

1 cup fresh cherry tomatoes
a handful of fresh basil leaves

Instructions

1. Over medium heat add oil in high sided skillet or dutch oven. 
2. Pound chicken until about a quarter inch thick. 
3. Mix together flour, pepper, and salt on a plate.  Dredge chicken until lightly coated in flour. 
4. Add chicken to hot pan and cook until both sides are golden brown, and the chicken is cooked through.
5. Remove chicken to a plate. 
6. Add chicken broth to skillet and stir with a wooden spoon to scrape the delicious chicken bits off the bottom.
7. Add cream cheese and stir occasionally until melted. 
8. Cut tomatoes into quarters and julianne the basil into pretty strips. 
9. Put the chicken back into the sauce and turn to coat. 
10. You can add the tomatoes and basil in and cook for approx five minutes until the tomatoes have softened slightly.  
11. OR you can plate the chicken and add the tomatoes and basil as garnish. 

And then you devour it!! Your chicken might not have as much sauce as mine do because I'm a sauce hog.  Luckily Dustin loves me and lets me eat all most of the sauce.

So please make this chicken! It is absolutely wonderful, and your taste buds will thank me!

Gray and Coral Bathroom Mood Board

I've had a lot different ideas for our half bathroom. Dark teal with a silver ceiling? Bright green like the kitchen is going to be?  Stripes?  A simple gray is what we decided to go with. We don't want it to be too much of a focal point, and the gray will make it nice and soothing.

The half bathroom is visible from both the kitchen and the living room, and it's the main bathroom our guests use while they are here. We also use it quite often--so it needs to be functional for us and guests. 

It's also currently a rather odd shade of green (most of the house was when we bought it.) It's also a room that we don't have touch up paint for. So after we patched the holes, we've been living with some pretty patched spots on the walls. It's a good look :)

1-Towel  2-Hooks  3-Mirror  4-Frame  5-DIY Rope Containers  

6-Candle  7-Soap Dispenser  8-Vase 9-Trash Can 10-Rug

I'm super excited to start this makeover! Gray paint will bring in the color we're going to paint the main walls in the living rooms. And I think the coral accents will be a fun pop of unexpected color that will give the room some interest, but won't stand out too much. 

White accessories are clean and classic, and I like that I can switch them between rooms if the mood strikes.  A few of the accessories I'm planning to DIY.  Paint swirling the vases and attempting to silver leaf a mirror frame.  Sounds like a good time to me!

What's your go to color for a small bathroom? Do you go subtle or bold?