June/July Recipe Review

Man, I haven't done one of these in a long time!

We've been doing HelloFresh for the last six months now, and while I love it, I don't order it every week. Some weeks I just know we're going to be too busy to cook three meals at home {sounds crazy, but true}, and I need to just cook one that will provide good leftovers for a few days. Anyways, we've been trying out a few recipes and I wanted to share!

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Spicy Cheesy Gochujang Spaghetti
Whoa, yum. We are pretty much Food Network addicts, and in almost every cooking competition show they talk about gochujang at least once. We're recently on the Sriracha train, too, and just Asian food in general. This stuff was so good. It was different, like a sticky spicy spaghetti, but still creamy and cheesy. I used organic lo mein noodles instead of spaghetti noodles to make it even more "authentic." Will definitely make again.

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Avocado Shrimp Burgers
For some reason I'm not the biggest homemade burger fan {although CJM's are delish!}, but after having a delicious shrimp burger at The Battery in Atlanta, I wanted to try my hand at it. This recipe was really really good. I think next time, I'll just put all the shrimp in the food processor instead of only half because mine kind of came apart during the flip in the pan. I also think I'll either use a different kind of bread to make breadcrumbs or will use Panko breading--I went rouge and got potato buns instead of sesame, and when I pulsed them up to make the crumbs it got kind  of clumpy. Will definitely make again.

Poblano Mac & Cheese
In Atlanta, we had the shrimp burger paired with the most amazing macaroni and cheese I think I've ever had. In an attempt to recreate, I tried this recipe. Seems really creamy and had a strong queso element which was a favorite aspect of the original dish. While this wasn't bad, it wasn't awesome either. I like cilantro, but this recipe called for wayyyy too much of it in my opinion. If we attempt again, I'll do less cilantro and more creamy cheesiness.

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Old Bay Shrimp Burritos 
Ours ended up being basically tacos because our low carb tortillas aren't that huge, but these were AWESOME!! Definitely freshened up the ol' Tuesday Taco Night. Will definitely make again.

HelloFresh Review

It's Tuesday, so that means when I get home in the evening I'll have a bright green box waiting for me on my doorstep. What's that, you ask? HelloFresh! We signed up for HelloFresh just after the first of the year, and have been receiving it on a pretty regular basis since. We're signed up for the three meal/two person weekly plan, and I've scheduled our deliveries for Tuesdays. One of my favorite things about HF is that you can skip weeks! Sometimes I know we are going to be too busy to cook three {or any meals if I'm honest} during the week, so we just skip the delivery. There's no fee to skip which is another perk.

Before signing up, I didn't really understand how it worked so I wanted to give you a good run down in case you're interested. Basically, you can sign up at any time, but I recommend finding a good sale or code to get started. We used a "$20 off each box for four boxes" code which was really nice. Once you sign up and select a plan {how many meals you want a week + how many people, two or four} you can then choose your meals. There's about 16 different meals to choose from that change weekly. It took about six weeks of deliveries for us to see a repeated meal offered, but you can always choose different ones or go back to one you tried and loved!

There are a few different types of meals: Hall of Fame, Calorie Smart, Gourmet {extra fee of $5.99+ per person} or Dinner2Lunch {basically makes two meals at once, extra fee of $5.99 per person}. We've tried a couple Gourmet meals but didn't really feel they were worth the extra fee. We tend to try a lot of Latin and Asian influenced dishes, and we're both pretty meat-centric, so I often choose hearty meals with steak and pork chops over pasta dishes or the vegetarian options.

The box is delivered weekly with all the fresh ingredients you need for the meals besides the basics like butter, S&P, and olive oil. Each meal comes with a full color, step-by-step instructional sheet that I keep with my other recipes to reference if I wanted to recreate a meal on my own. They usually take about 30-40 minutes to create, and almost always include scallions which we often laugh about.

Our plan {3 meals/2 people/weekly} runs about $60 a box, which may seem expensive at first, but I honestly feel like we get a much better value for our money doing this. We always eat all of the meals, which isn't necessarily the case if I got to the store and buy a lot of food. It takes the thinking out of meal time which to be honest, is huge for me as I get uninspired quickly and am not interested in creating something new at the end of the day. It also takes out the grocery trip, which is another thing I really love. I've become a Click List user at my grocery store and really avoid going in anytime I can. I don't really enjoy grocery shopping so between HF and Click List, I feel like I'm living my best life!

HelloFresh does not offer carb-conscious meals specifically, but I try to cut carbs where I can. If it's a Mexican meal, I'll swap the included tortilla for one of my low carb ones from the grocery store. Or I'll give CJM more of the rice/potato/etc. and less for me. It's really taught me a lot about cooking {like how long to grill a steak, and how to make a lot of sauces} that I really didn't know, which is an added bonus.

Have you tried HelloFresh or any other meal delivery service? L
et me know what you think!

Want $40 off your first order? CLICK HERE to redeem!

Easy Fall Foods | Crock-pot Chili, Low Carb Pumpkin Muffins, Semi-homemade Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

Do you save certain recipes for certain times of year? I know I was waiting all September for it to finally get cool enough to make a pot of chili! Once October hit, I was ready to break out the pumpkin foods--I don't like pumpkin drinks though.

I served a big pot of chili just last week to some of my Junior League ladies. We had a little potluck night with the exec girls as we went through boxes and sorted event supplies. Everyone brought a little something, and it really made for a nice and easy fall get-together that you could replicate!

We had chili and baked potatoes with all the toppings, cornbread muffins, and a few different desserts to round it all out. Afterwards, the girls were asking for my chili recipe so I wanted to share:

Crock-pot Chili:

1 lb ground beef (or venison if you've got a freezer full like I do!)
2 16 oz cans of Bush's Best Chili Kidney Beans Spicy Chili Sauce
2 16 oz cans of black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can of sweet corn
1 10 oz can of Rotel Hot Diced Tomatoes With Habaneros
1 large can of crushed tomatoes
1 small can of tomato paste
1 mild chili seasoning packet

Cook the ground meat with half of the packet of mild chili seasoning (especially if venison) until well done. Drain. Add with rest of ingredients in crock pot. Cook on high for four hours, or low for six to eight. Serve with sour cream and Tillamook Mexican 4 Cheese Blend.


Another fun fall recipe is my favorite easy "healthy" pumpkin muffins. Easy, because no measuring. Healthy, because they're much lower in carbs and sugars than regular muffins but just as delicious!

Low Carb Pumpkin Muffins

1 15 oz can of pure pumpkin puree
1 box of Pillsbury sugar free yellow cake mix
1 tablespoon of pumpkin pie spice
Semi-sweet chocolate chips (optional, but I mean, come on)

Mix all ingredients until smooth. Grease muffin tin. Bake in regular muffin tin for 18-20 minutes at 350 degrees. Makes roughly 16 muffins.

And if you're looking for something not so healthy, but oh so delicious, my friend Kim shared an easy "semi-homemade" pumpkin cinnamon roll recipe that was easy and fun to make! I honestly felt so accomplished after rolling these up and baking them successfully. And they made the house smell too good!

Semi-Homemade Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

3 packages of crescent rolls (4 rolls per container)
1 15 oz can of pure pumpkin puree
1/2 cup of brown sugar
1 tablespoon of pumpkin pie spice

Lay dough on lightly floured surface, pinching together the seams. Mix pumpkin, brown sugar, and spices. Spread with half of the pumpkin mixture, and sprinkle with cinnamon to taste. Tightly roll lengthwise, and slice into 2 inch sections. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes.

Homemade Cream Cheese Frosting

1 8oz block of cream cheese, softened
3 cups of powdered sugar
1 tablespoon of vanilla
4 tablespoons of melted butter

Mix ingredients thoroughly with mixer. Add milk by the tablespoon if you desire a thinner, more glaze-like texture. Ice cinnamon rolls quickly after removing from the oven while still warm.

There is enough frosting and pumpkin puree mix to save and make a second batch for your neighbors or next weekend!

Share your favorite recipes in the comments so I can try something new this weekend!

Happy Hour 06.15.17

"Our weekends begin on Thursdays...And you ain't seen nothing yet."--Erk Russell

I've seen a lot of bloggers post life updates and recaps in a regular "coffee date" type of post. I really enjoy reading those kinds of things, and while I've recently graduated to Gilmore Girls level of coffee consumption, I don't really enjoy coffee dates; I'm much more of a happy hour kind of girl. Therefore I present to you, Happy Hour: a semi-regular life update type of post here on the blog, featuring a delicious new cocktail recipe! 

Recently, I've joined the local Junior League, learned how to play Bridge, and have just overall been enjoying our new home and town. CJM and I are settling into a schedule, finding a church, and enjoying being on the same work schedule which is the first time that's ever happened in our 5+ years together. I hosted the Junior League summer social and it was so nice to have some girlfriend time again! Our home has been perfect for warm-weather get togethers, especially since CJM built this beautiful U-shaped bench for our screened in porch. The shorter pieces are movable, so we can take them off the porch and onto the patio if we wanted. He's been doing a lot of woodworking, and has been filling lots of orders for corn hole boards! 

It's been nice to have multiple weekends in a row with little to do, and to just stick close to home. I know that will quickly come to the close once summer is over; I'm pretty sure we have a wedding to go to every other weekend in September and October! But I'm looking forward to traveling again and seeing friends I've missed for so long. 

Last weekend, my grandparents came into town to visit and I cooked my first ever low country boil. While it turned out delicious, I now understand why having a giant stock pot is such a necessity. I ended up passing the bag of crab boil seasoning back and forth between the two pots of shrimp, potatoes, corn, and sausage, because I couldn't fit it all in one pot! But it turned out really yummy, and it was nice to try something different. 

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Friday night we had dinner at one of our favorite places in town, Company Supply. It was perfect weather, so we sat outside. I enjoyed their featured seasonal cocktail, the Bee’s Knees. Of course I picked it because of the gin, duh! It tasted like equal parts gin and tea, with lots of lemon. It would be super easy to recreate at home! I'm looking forward to enjoying lots of delicious drinks on the back porch this summer!

The Bee's Knees by Company Supply in Dublin, Ga. 

-Hendrick's Gin

-Earl Grey Tea infused with honey

-Fresh squeezed lemon juice

Palmetto Cheese Shrimp & Grits

Shrimp and grits is seriously one of my most favorite dishes. It must be my South Carolina roots. It’s also become one of my favorites to cook because it’s pretty quick and very easy. One pot? Yes, please!

In recent years, we’ve worked to create new family traditions as our family structure has change. It’s hard to change things that seemed perfect the way they were, but sometimes what comes from the change is even better than the original! One of my favorite new traditions is our seafood family style dinner on Christmas Eve. We’ll have crab legs, shrimp, and shrimp and grits, with all the delicious fixin’s and sides you can imagine.

I like to consider myself a student of Sandra Lee and her semi-homemade ways. This shrimp and grits recipe is just that. Be sure to get a big can of quick grits, but not instant, for this fast and delicious recipe.

Cook four to six slices of chopped thick-cut bacon in a large pot, then set aside. Saute a generous amount of minced garlic in two tablespoons of salted butter in the pot. Add a pound and a half of raw chopped shrimp once the garlic is browned. Here’s where you can play chef: either add Old Bay seasoning to your shrimp if you prefer a smoky flavor, or red pepper flakes if you like a spicy kick. I prefer the red pepper flakes, personally! 

Cook the shrimp until light pink, and remove from pot. In the same pot, add eight cups of water, four chicken bouillon cubes, and two cups of quick grits, and cook per package instruction. Slice and add a pound of kielbasa to the cooking grits. When the grits are done cooking, add a container of Palmetto Pimento Cheese and the previously cooked shrimp to the pot. Allow all to melt and blend together nicely, before serving in a bowl topped with green onions and chopped bacon.

This is definitely a “best the day after” kind of dish that warms up well! It’s one that can be tweaked to please the cheese or spice level of those enjoying it. Enjoy! 

Southern Style Deviled Eggs

As I'm getting ready for our first family dinner in our new home tonight, I realized that I needed just one more dish to round out my dinner menu of one dish pork tenderloin, cheesy spinach, and yeast rolls. So I whipped up my tried and true, and often requested, delicious deviled eggs.

So easy, and so yummy, I wanted to share with you ahead of Easter and a spring season of get togethers! To start, fill a pot of with however many eggs you desire, covering the eggs with cold water. Be sure to sprinkle a little salt in the pot before bringing the water to a rolling boil on the stove. Once the eggs start bouncing around in the boil, remove them from the heat and cover for at least ten minutes. Then, submerge the eggs in an ice bath until they're nice and chilled.

Once the eggs cool, slice them in half, setting aside the whites and putting the yolk in a mixing bowl. Now here comes the really technical part: mix together a two large spoonfuls of mayonnaise {only Blue Plate or Duke's will do!}, a fork-full of sweet relish, a generous squirt of mustard, and a large dash of salt and pepper.

Mix together on high with a hand mixer until smooth, and a beautiful, pastel yellow. Be sure to taste test... I like mine a little more "mustard-y" and yellow than some folks. Fill a sandwich bag with the mix like a piping bag, trim the tip, and fill the hard boiled egg white with swirls of golden filling. I like to top mine of with a generous sprinkle of paprika, and occasionally half of a green olive!

I use this same "recipe" to make egg salad, except I chop up the whites and include in the mix. Then I like to toast some whole wheat bread to complete the sandwich. What a steal...two recipes in one blog post!

Springtime Sweets | Italian Lemon Pound Cake

Spring, where'd ya go? 

It was beautiful last week--warm and sunny almost every day. Yesterday we saw temps in the upper 40's with a steady drizzle. Probably the perfect daylight savings time kind of weather, which allowed for like, three naps throughout the cloudy afternoon. 

This week is going to be busy with all of the St. Patrick's festivities coming up, but I'm looking forward to it, especially after a really great first week at my new job. But of course last Sunday, I had a few little butterflies in my tummy with those "night before nerves."

Baking is quite a good stress reliever for me, and is something I really haven't done a lot of in the last year or so, as I didn't consistently have people who would help me eat the creations! But last Sunday we were heading to a small dinner party, and CJM was working all afternoon, so I browsed through Pinterest for a springy dessert to bake that would compliment an Italian/seafood meal.

This Italian Lemon Pound Cake was a breeze to mix up, baked perfectly, and tasted delicious. It was definitely one of those things that gets better as the days go on, so I'd recommend this as a "make ahead" recipe! Its a dense yet moist cake, with the most amazing tart and tangy icing. Also, the pinch of ginger added in really takes the cake! I may be whipping this one up again for Easter...try it, and let me know what you think.

January Recipe Review

How is it already the end of January?!

I really didn't set any New Year Resolutions this year because I knew we'd have a lot going on the first few months of 2017. And while I didn't succeed in keeping up my goal of trying new Pinterest recipes every month of my newlywed year, I have had a few wins and added some new favorites to my recipe box.

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January saw us trying out two new healthy recipes that I found on Pinterest: Shrimp Fried Cauliflower Rice and One Pan Healthy Sausage and Veggies. 

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Cauliflower rice has become such a "thing" lately, but making it at home always seemed like such a mess. Now there are tons of flavors and varieties of it at the grocery store in the freezer aisle. I used this recipe, but made it easier by using the frozen cauliflower rice {unflavored} and a frozen bag of mixed vegetables. To add a little kick {you know we like it spicy in our house} I cooked the thawed, deveined shrimp in olive oil, garlic salt, and red pepper flakes. This was a super yummy, super quick meal that made a lot!

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I made this deliciousness in my wok one night, and let me tell you, it almost smelled like pizza. Not sure why, maybe it was the Italian seasonings, but it was so good. I left out the potatoes to make it lower in carbs, and just added whatever similar seasonings I had in my pantry {red pepper flakes for the win, again!}. I'm really not a fan of turkey anything, but this turkey sausage was really delicious! I'd definitely add more broccoli the next time around; it soaked up all the flavors and were the best bites of the bunch. This dish packs well for lunches throughout the week, and is so perfect with a sprinkle of parmesan on top! 

Skinny Christmas Cranberry Mojito

This blog post is sponsored by Infinity Jars. All opinions are my own. 

I don't know about you, but I like a little Christmas cheer. With a few days of time off right around the holidays, it's the perfect time to kick back, relax, and celebrate with family and friends. I also like to save calories when and where I can, especially with a tray of lady fingers and other goodies covering my kitchen table. 

I'm trying to be better about stocking my bar and refrigerator with all the goodies that really make crafted cocktails pop. I love anything with mint, but absolutely despise how quickly they can deteriorate even in the coolest spots in the fridge. That's where Infinity Jars comes in. Infinity Jars are black, ultra-violet filtering jars of a variety of shapes and sizes that naturally preserve and rejuvenate freshness of any kitchen staple: herbs, teas, flour, just to name a few!

The secret to the jars' impressive preservation capability is found in the deep violet glass. This type of pigmented glass blocks out harmful visible light rays which quickly degrade organic matter, while still permitting two beneficial light rays proven to preserve and extend the shelf life of these temporary and temperamental ingredients.  

Infinity Jars graciously sent me a 250 ml apothecary jar {perfect for storing my mint leaves!}, a liter square oil bottle with spout, and a 5 ml screw top jar. I can't wait to use the mini jar as a travel container for some of my skincare. For my Christmas cranberry mojito, I used the apothecary jar and the oil bottle. 

To make these mojitos "skinny," I simmered water and stevia extract together to create the simple syrup instead of using granulated sugar! I would recommend ten packets of stevia per cup of water, which is the perfect amount for two cocktails for the hubs and me. Simmer together the stevia extract, water, and two handfuls of cranberries for about ten minutes, or until the cranberries begin to burst. 

While the simple syrup is sweetening, muddle roughly 15 mint leaves and the juice of half of a lime. After muddling, toss the lime and some ice cubes into the glass. Once the simple syrup has become a bright pink color, strain the cranberries from the syrup. I then poured the syrup into the liter oil bottle. This Infinity Jars pour spout has a tiny strainer at the tip, which helps keep the syrup even more fine as I pour about two ounces into the glass. 

Top with equal parts white rum and club soda, stir, and serve with a beautiful garnish of fresh cranberries, a slice of lime, and a fun holiday mixer and straw! 

Skinny Christmas Cranberry Mojito {makes two cocktails} 

2 limes

Mint leaves

Fresh Cranberries

10 packets of stevia extract

1 cup water

White Rum

Club Soda 

Simmer 1 cup water, 10 packets of stevia extract, and two handfuls of fresh cranberries for ten minutes. Strain cranberries and set aside. Pour simple syrup into oil bottle for ease of pouring. While simple syrup is simmering, muddle 15 mint leaves per glass with the juice of half a lime. Once muddled, put ice cubes and lime in class. Pour two ounces of simple syrup into glass once cooled to room temperature. Top with equal parts white rum and club soda; stir, and serve with a lime and fresh cranberry garnish. 

Thank you, Infinity Jars, for sponsoring today's post full of Christmas cheer!

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