Fall Recipe Round Up

I’m not sure how this happened, but tomorrow is the fist day of September. WHAT?!?!?!?!  Yeah, I know, I too am in a bit of shock.  I mean I’ve seen the coming of the PSL (pumpkin spice latte, for all of you who aren’t coffee addicts) all over Facebook, but I’m still not ready.  And just last week I started talking with my bestie (hi bestie!!!!) about Thanksgiving plans!  Don’t get me wrong, I’m excited and relieved (weather wise), but still in disbelief.  This year has been somewhat of a blur; before I know it Christmas will be here and we’ll be ringing in 2017.  Ahhhhhhh!!!!  So apparently it’s time to switch gears.  Let’s start cooking for the new season!  We’ve got cold weather, back to school busy nights, football, and Thanksgiving…….obviously we NEED comfort food!!!!!!  Here are some of my favorite fall recipes that I’m going through and scheduling for this fall.  Come join me friends!

What are y’all planning to cook this fall?

Share with me your favorite fall recipes!

Carne Guisada

Y’all I have been working on this recipe, for years!  Yes, honestly years!  Not that it’s terribly difficult to make, it just took me a while to get each ingredient exactly the way I wanted it.  And now for you I have this delicious recipe.  You are probably going to want to add this to your “to make” list for this fall.  This is a crock pot meal that I often start the night before and let get so tender for dinner the next night.  It’s a perfect chili-type dinner…. and get this: you can reinvent it for breakfast the next day! So really I’m giving you two meals today. Wahoo!  Let’s dive in!
Ingredients
2-3 lbs beef chuck roast cut into 1-inch pieces
sea salt & ground pepper
4 tbs coconut oil
14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
2 cups water
1 medium white onion, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 jalapeño, diced
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
3/4 tsp chili powder
3/4 tsp dried oregano
6 tbs all-purpose flour
2 cups chicken broth, or bouillon
tortillas (corn or flour)
cheddar, shredded,
cilantro, shopped
avocado, sliced
Eggs*
sriracha*

Directions
1. Season beef with salt and pepper. In a large skillet (I use cast iron), heat 2 tbs coconut oil over high. Cook beef until browned, and transfer to a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker.  Add tomatoes  and 1-2 cups of water to the crock pot with the meat.  Later if it is too thick you can add more water.

2. In the same skillet, cook 2 tbs coconut oil, onion, bell pepper, jalapeno, and garlic over medium, stirring and scraping up browned bits, until vegetables are tender. Add cumin, chili powder, oregano, and flour and cook 1 minute.
3. Slowly pour chicken broth into skillet, stirring until liquid is smooth. Simmer 2 minutes, then transfer mixture to slow cooker. Season to taste with salt and pepper and stir to combine. Cover and cook on high 6 hours (or I sometimes will cook on warm or low for 12-15 hours).  Serve over tortillas with cheese, cilantro, & avocado.
4. Enjoy!

*The next day, add a little bit of the carne guisada to your eggs with some siracha and you will have some out of this world breakfast tacos!!!! You’re welcome!

Crippling Fear

I think even if you live under a rock you know that the state of our world recently is pretty yuckie.  I hate watching the news just because I honestly don’t want to hear about it anymore.  It’s getting to the point where I’m so concerned every where I go.  I mean I know that I need to constantly be aware of my surroundings, but goodness! What is going on?! I’m scared for our world, and I know that it will only get worse.  I’m terrified for my children; I can’t help but weep for the world they will grow up in.  It’s so hard for me to not live every day in fear; to leave my house and potentially expose my children to the dangers of this world.  What if there is a bombing? What if my children are stolen from me at the grocery store? What if we’re in a car accident?  The what ifs can torture me, and I try so hard not to go to that place in my mind.  But sometimes I do.  I can’t help it.  The only way to get past it is to cling to the Lord.  He already knows what is going to happen; the story is already written.  I trust that He is Mighty and has ultimate control, and therefore I have nothing to be worried about.  I don’t have any control over what will happen, so I pray daily (sometimes many times a day) because I do not need to fear.  The Lord has promised us that there are going to be trials (James 1:2-8, 1 Peter 4:12, more here), so I shouldn’t be shocked or fear that they are coming.

My favorite verse that I cling to in the midst of trials.  Click here for more.

This song (more like a chant or anthem) is what I let play over and over me to remind me that the God of all is in control.  I hope you're reminded of His peace today!

 In this time of desperation
When all we know is doubt and fear
There is only one foundation
We believe, we believe
In this broken generation
When all is dark, You help us see
There is only one salvation
We believe, we believe
We believe in God the Father
We believe in Jesus Christ
We believe in the Holy Spirit
And He's given us new life
We believe in the crucifixion
We believe that He conquered death
We believe in the resurrection
And He's comin' back again, we believe
So, let our faith be more than anthems
Greater than the songs we sing
And in our weakness and temptations
We believe, we believe!
We believe in God the Father!
We believe in Jesus Christ!
We believe in the Holy Spirit!
And He's given us new life!
We believe in the crucifixion!
We believe that He conquered death!
We believe in the resurrection!
And He's comin' back again!
Let the lost be found and the dead be raised!
In the here and now, let love invade!
Let the church live loud our God we'll say
We believe, we believe!
And the gates of hell will not prevail!
For the power of God, has torn the veil!
Now we know Your love will never fail!
We believe, we believe!
We believe in God the Father
We believe in Jesus Christ
We believe in the Holy Spirit
And He's given us new life!
We believe in the crucifixion!
We believe that He conquered death!
We believe in the resurrection!
And He's comin' back,
He's comin' back again!
He's comin' back again!
We believe!
We believe

Vietnamese Shrimp Bun {Rice Noodle Salad}

This is summer staple for dinner in our house.  It’s all things perfect for summer.  It’s a light and refreshing dish, with few calories.  I know that all sounds good, but it’s not the best part.  This recipe doesn’t require much heat, and wont heat up the house while you’re cooking.  To me keep the house cool is THE. BEST. PART. 

Healthy. Okay, that’s nice.

Tasty. A little better.

Fast. Now you’re talking.

Minimal heat.  BEST. THING. EV-ER!!!!

Ingredients:
3 tbs sugar
4 limes, juiced, plus wedges for serving
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbs chili oil
1 tbs fish sauce
1 tbs hoisin sauce
1 tbs vegetable oil
1.5 lbs large shrimp, peeled & deveined
1 package thin rice noodles
romaine lettuce, chopped (could substitute napa cabbage if you want)
carrots, shredded
cucumber, shaved
cilantro, chopped
peanuts, dry roasted & unsalted, chopped
bean sprouts
green onion, chopped
Directions:
1. Combine sugar & 2 tbs hot water in a small bowl and stir until dissolved. Add in the lime juice, garlic, chili oil, hoisin, and fish sauce; transfer 3 tbs of the dressing to a medium bowl and whisk in the vegetable oil. Add the shrimp and toss to coat; set aside. I let my shrimp marinate in the dressing for about an hour in the fridge but you don’t have to do this.
2. Add the rice noodles to the boiling water and cook for about 8 minutes; drain, rinse with cold water and shake off the excess liquid.
3. Add the noodles to a serving bowl & mix with the remaining dressing; add the lettuce, carrots, cucumber, cilantro, peanuts, bean sprouts, and green onion.  Toss to coat.
4. This step you have a choice & either option is yummy: saute or grill.  Grill shrimp for 2-3 minutes per side until charred OR saute shrimp in 1-2 tbs of coconut oil 2-3 minutes until done.  Serve shrimp over noodles & vegges with a lime.
5. Enjoy!

Friday Five.....or Something Like That {August 2016}

It's been a few months since I just dropped in with some tid bits of what's going on and what I've been thinking about (here is the last time), so I thought I would do that today.  And yeah, I know there are more than 5 here….oh well lol

*Cookie Two Step* Yes friends, this is exactly as good as it sounds.  This is the latest genius creation of Blue Bell! Cookies and cream + chocolate chip cookie dough = life changed!  I remember when I was pregnant with Dutch and there was a limited release of mint chocolate chip mixed with cookies and cream, and I have dreamt about this ice cream more times than I would like to admit.  In fact, every time I grocery shop I look in the ice cream aisle hopeful that I will find it.  Until now nothing has compared.  This ice cream is now my ultimate favorite.  Can’t be beat!  The only downfall?  I'm not preggo right now so I don't have a good excuse for eating it constantly :-( Also, apparently I’m not the only one who loves it and it’s often sold out at HEB.  I will be so so so sad if they stop making this flavor. 

*Weird Shoes*  I never wear shoes anymore, or at least not for very long.  The other day I went on our grocery store run(HEB & Costco) and as soon as I got home I kicked off my shoes, which, let’s be honest, are barely shoes because I was wearing flops, and I remember thinking that shoes are the weirdest things to me right.   I mean I love my boots for the fall, but it’s just been so long since they’ve seen my feet.  Anyone else feel like that?

*Crafting* This summer I’ve gotten back to crafting during nap time.  I took some time off, brain mandated when Ellis was born, to adjust to our new normal, and I think I finally started to get into a routine where I could start tapping back into my crafty side. I’ve been making a lot of things lately.  I’ll have to make a post and share my latest projects with you.

*Nine Month Clothes* Y'all, I'm just a tad bit devastated. Ellis just turned 6 months old but is sooooo long that I'm having to switch out all of her 6 month clothes for her 9 month clothes just so she can straighten her legs. She is just so long and skinny!  Her top half is petite and still in 3-6 month clothes, but if she is wearing a onesie and we need it to button, or pants that I don’t want to look like shorts, she needs 9 month clothes!  Silly me built my stash for her thinking she'd be wearing 9 month clothes when she was 9 months old and it would be fall.  So all of the 9 month clothes I have for her are fall themed (think long sleeves and pumpkins).  She's growing too fast AND she’s going through my clothing stash for her at lightening speed. I'm might not be as ready for the holidays as I thought. Waaaaaaaa and my baby is turning into a teenager already waaaaaa #firstworldproblems #tellmybabytoslowdown

This is Ellis in her newborn clothes. 
My brain says that she should still be wearing this size.  Right?!

*Amazon Smile* Speaking of Amazon, I just might be the very last person on earth to learn about this, but oh well.  Better late than never, right?  Have you heard of Amazon Smile? Instead of signing into your regular Amazon account you go to Smile.Amazon.com to sign in.  From here, with your purchases Amazon gives back a portion to an organization of your choice.  I have mine set to give to our church, so every time I make a purchase (which just might be more than I would like to admit) a portion is donated to the church.  How cool and easy is that to give back?! A lot of schools & other outreach programs are listed that you can choose from.  You still get all of your Prime membership discounts; nothing changes except that some portion of your purchase is given back.  Why not shop here?! So smile, make your shopping count!  (Sorry I am in a corny mood, I just had to say that). Great way to justify more shopping, hehehe

*Car Bucket* Dutch loves vehicles of all kinds right now.  We have an abundance of cars and trucks and he likes to play with them on the couch.  I thought he would enjoy one of those carpets that have a road on them so that he could push his cars around.  As I was shopping for one I came across this road mat.  This mat has a road printed on it, is a nice plastic that can easily be cleaned, a decent size, but also, AND THIS IS THE BEST PART, it folds up into a bucket with handles to help carry around and store cars.  How awesome is that?!  We can keep all of our cars in one place and clean.  And y’all, it was only $15!  Thank you Amazon!

*New Girl* The Mr. and I discovered the show New Girl when Ellis was born and we’ve been binge watching this show.  We tape the old reruns to catch up and watch 2 episodes a night (trust me it’s tough to limit it just to 2 episodes!).  We’ve cycled through all of the reruns so I think we’re ready for the new fall season.  Schmidt is definitely my favorite character on the show!  We did the same thing when Dutch was born except it was Big Bang Theory and Chopped.

Okay, that’s enough randomness for now right?

Tell me what’s going on with you and what’s been on your mind lately!

Keep Your Bananas

Did you know that bananas release gas from their stems?  They do, but don’t freak out; while it’s not harmful,  it does cause fruit to turn fast.  It’s called ethylene gas.  This gas is a natural hormone that helps fruit to ripen; think of it as the “aging agent”.
 

Do your bananas ever go bad faster than you can eat them?! That happens in our house all.the.time!  I learned a new trick at the beginning of the summer and I’ve been trying it out every week.  I can honestly say this does keep our bananas fresher for a lot longer, and I wanted to share this trick with you. 

All you have to do is tightly wrap them stem of the banana with plastic wrap.  You can use saran wrap OR use a piece of the plastic produce bag you got at the store. It doesn’t really matter, as long as the plastic is tight preventing the gas from leaking out.  Every time you take a new banana re-wrap the stem to keep the bananas from ripening.  This will also delay ripening of the other fruit that you keep in your fruit bowl. 

Cool, right?! 

I wish I had known this a lot sooner.  I could have saved a lot of bananas.

What kitchen tricks do you have for me?

Basil Squash Pizza

Lately I've been on a weird pizza kick.

Not that a pizza kick itself is weird. In fact, that's very normal for me.

But the types of pizza are weird. I'm not just interested in your everyday pepperoni & cheese folks.

Remember my Supermom pizza I shared with you a couple weeks ago? Oh yeah, that's the kind of pizza I'm lovin' right now.  And today, I have a new one to add to your to do list. This is a MUST do stat pizza.  Like, your life depends on it!  So so good! Try it and tell me what you think :-)

Ingredients

1 yellow squash, sliced
1/2 medium red onion, sliced
2 tbs butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbs basil, chopped
3 oz sliced mozzarella
1 ultra thin pizza crust (mine was store-bought but you can make your own if you want)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

2. In a large skillet, I use cast iron, heat butter then add in squash & onions.  Cook, stirring when needed, until it begins to brown 5-10 minutes.  Then stir in the garlic and cook for another minute or so.  Remove from the heat and stir in basil.

3. Spread the squash mixture over the pizza crush, & then stop with mozzarella.  Bake for 15-20 minutes.  Serve with extra basil.

4. Enjoy!

Honestly Hawley {July}

Last month was the first post in this series, Honestly Hawley.  It’s only the second month but I can’t tell you how much I enjoy doing these already.  I think it’s really fun to kind of recap the month.  I imagine that I’m the only one that really likes these posts, and I'm totally okay with that, but everything is changing so fast it’s nice to capture how things are right now before they change again. 

Recap 2016: June

Hope you're July was awesome!
We're lookin’ forward to August :-)