Category: Life

Almost Springtime

Leave a comment

Yesterday was absolutely perfect. Saturday. 72 degrees and sunny. The best conditions to go exploring.

Brad got me a really cool book about Arkansas hiking trails for Valentine’s Day.   We finally got to mark one trail off our list. 100 more to go. 

We live in the heart of the city, but it’s surrounded by some of the most beautiful trails in the state. 

Because it was sunny and 72, we decided to go to Pinnacle Mountian, but we opted not to climb it because it was swarming with people. 

So we explored a trail neither of us had ventured down, the Ouachita Trail. It’s a 222 mile trail that starts in Oklahoma and ends at Pinnacle Mountain State Park. 

I have not idea how far we went on the trail, but we spent a good portion of time outside exploring. 

And it was beautiful.   

    
 It was so pretty. A truly perfect day. They don’t get much better than that. 

This is Supper

1 Comment

I’ve been eating a ton of junk food. The more junk food I eat, the more I want junk food. They should call it funk food.

Let me just tell you about the past couple days. Chick-Fil-A. Chinese food. Tropical Smoothie…twice. 

This has been going on for at least three weeks. And I can totally tell. I’m lethargic. And cranky. And all I want to do is stuff my face full of Oreos. It’s stupid. 

In my defense, it’s been a really busy week. But that’s no excuse. I can do better. My priorities are out of whack.

So I tried to fix it with supper tonight. I channeled the mantra my mom preached to me while sitting at the dinner table when I was a little girl.

This. Is. Supper.   

She’d say this because I had a tendency to not eat whatever she cooked for supper, and then I’d ask for cereal or scrambled eggs or little green peas at 10’o clock at night. 

I made a turkey sandwich on a whole wheat English muffin. I topped it with cheese, greens and a bit of ranch dressing. There was also a side of baby carrots.   

And that is supper.

Not fast food. Not junk food. Just a light meal to help get me on the right track. 

The Ultimate Chicken Sandwich

Leave a comment

How do you master the art of the perfect chicken sandwich? 

I’ll tell you the truth. I’ve never tried to make one. So many restaurants make delicious chicken sandwiches, I’ve never felt the need to make one of my own.

Until today.   

The ultimate chicken sandwich was born. And you’ll never want another fast food substitute again.

What you’ll need:

  • Thin-cut chicken cutlets
  • Bacon
  • Pepper jack cheese
  • Buns
  • Lettuce
  • Tomato
  • Avocado
  • Ranch seasoning
  • Smidge of butter

Fry some slices of bacon. Get it crispy.

While the bacon cooks, prep your chicken and coat it in ranch seasoning. I used about half a packet, maybe less. But sure to give it a coat of black pepper, too. 

Sauté the chicken in the bacon grease. Yep, in the bacon grease. You’ll like it. I promise. 

Turn on the broiler, and butter the hamburger buns. Broil until butter is melted and buns are toasted.

Once the chicken is cooked completely, place a few slices of bacon on the chicken and top it with a slice of pepper jack cheese. Put a lid on your pan so the cheese can get melty.

Assemble the sandwich. I topped my chicken, bacon and pepper jack cheese sandwich with shredded lettuce, thinly sliced tomatoes and fresh avocado. 

I made some fried potatoes to serve as my Southern “French fries.” 

Nobody at the table complained. 

It’s a messy, delicious sandwich. You won’t be sorry you made it. 

Semi-Homemade Kind of Night

Leave a comment

Today is the first day I’ve felt inspired to write.

I have been cooking. Lots of good food. And sharing it with others. But for some reason I haven’t felt like writing about it. Or taking pictures.

I just wanted to be in the moment.

Creativity is just like any other muscle. If you work it too much, it gets sore and tired and cranky. So I just let it be that way for a little while.

But today after work, I found myself wandering the aisles of The Fresh Market. Picking up stuff and putting it back. Drinking the thimble of complimentary coffee. Hoping inspiration would strike me.

And then I saw it.

A box of frozen porcini mushroom raviolis with a hint of truffle oil.

My aimlessness was finally holstered. I had purpose.

So I grabbed a jar of marinara sauce and two white wine and garlic turkey sausage links from the butcher, and I got out of there.

While I’d much rather make my own pasta sauce from scratch, it’s a Thursday night. That just ain’t happening. But I took the sausage out of the casing and created little meat balls. I sauteed the meatballs in a skillet, and then added the jar of sauce. Plus a little more pepper and basil.

I cooked the noodles just a bit in a pot of water, and I let them finish cooking in the sauce to get some flavor-melding action.

FullSizeRender (21)

Then I did something crazy. I put the raviolis, tiny meatballs and sauce on a plate, topped it with Parmesan cheese and threw together a fresh side salad of greens, cucumber, yellow bell pepper, radishes and my favorite vinaigrette.

I give you the semi-homemade supper. A delicious creation in half the time. Now if today was Sunday I would have taken the time to create it all from scratch. But it’s Thursday so…I’m just being a real human.

P.S. Annie loves little turkey meatballs when they accidentally fall on the floor during the plating process.

A Decadent Brunch

Leave a comment

I love Sundays. It’s my favorite day. I always feel most creative in the kitchen on a Sunday. Like it’s the last day before the work week where I can truly create something beautiful and delicious and have time to do so.

Yesterday I ate lunch at a local bakery, and a friend of mine bought a loaf of chocolate brioche.

Chocolate brioche is one of my favorite breads. So buttery and delicious, and the chocolate makes it extra special. Rich and sweet without being overpowering.

I usually just eat chocolate brioche slightly warmed in the toaster with a side of coffee.

But today I thought it’s Sunday. And what could be better for Sunday  brunch than chocolate brioche French toast. 

  
Y’all. This will change how you think about French toast. I’d go as far as saying it will change your brunch life. 

What you need:

  • A loaf of chocolate brioche from your favorite local bakery
  • 2 eggs
  • A splash of half and half 
  • A splash of vanilla extract 
  • Two dollops of Kerrygold butter
  • Cinnamon (optional)
  • Maple syrup (optional)

Heat up a skillet with the butter. Cut semi-thick slices of the chocolate brioche. Whisk together the eggs, half and half and vanilla. 

Dredge the slices of brioche in the egg mixture. Cook until both sides of the toast are golden.

Put it on a plate and finish it with a sprinkle of cinnamon and a tiny drizzle of maple syrup.

This is definitely one of those recipes you don’t want to drowned in syrup. It’s already a rich bread without coating it in egg and frying it in butter. So go easy on the toppings. 

But Lord have mercy, this is a game changing brunch item. My advice would be to pair it with bacon or sausage to help curb the richness. 

It’s perfect for lazy Sundays spent doing laundry and binge watching movies on Netflix.