I like to go all out on Saturday mornings. It’s really the only day of the week I can do breakfast up right with all the fixins’ since Monday thru Friday mornings are a mad dash of bodies, backpacks, missing socks, frantically gulped coffee and hastily applied mascara as I scramble to get my kids out the door to school. Sundays are pretty much the same except I feel a lot worse about yelling at my kids (for the fourth time) to get in the car when we’re heading out to church instead of school. Oh yeah, Christian Mom of the year right here! Anyhoo, now that I’ve outed myself, let’s move on to my most recent Saturday morning treat. Fritters. Deep fried, crusty on the outside, warm and soft on the inside fritters. Yum yum yum.
Am I the only one who always always always gains weight between November and January? It’s very irritating. You’d think with as many treats as I make all year-long, my body would be accustomed to constantly noshing on goodies. But no. Hello spare tire. Back again? Wonderful. Just in time for 1000 pictures with family during Christmas events. So here it is, the second week of January and my resolution to drop those pesky pounds is in full swing. Which means some healthier options for dinner. Thankfully, that does not mean (at least in my world) bland-tasteless-boring food. No. I cannot. Scratch that – absolutely will not – sacrifice flavor just because I’m trying to drop a few. Enter this easy peasy, monstrously delicious chili.
I love throwing Halloween parties. Mostly because I get to make delicious food and give it disgusting names. Here’s a round-up of all the deliciousness I made this year and the nastiness I called it. Most of these items are easy to make (and can be done ahead of time) so you won’t be slaving away in the kitchen while your guests are having a goulishly good time! My hot hubby and I dressed up as Johnny and June Cash this year. We had a blast!
My mom-in-law makes amazing canned goods. I’ve been enjoying her jams, pickled beans, asparagus and salsa for years. The one thing I have never tried is her jalapeno jelly. I can hardly tolerate mild salsa so I figured anything made entirely from hot peppers was just never going to happen for me. Boy was I wrong. This stuff is like crack. Seriously amazing, can’t stop eating it, addictive with a capital A.
I’ve made cornbread lots of times. And, have a great recipe for big giant fluffy biscuits. But when I made a white chicken chili a couple of weeks ago I just didn’t feel like either of those breads were going to be just right to serve up alongside the chili. I went searching for some combination of the two and found this recipe from America’s Test Kitchen. I just love those guys. I don’t know what it is about the super detailed scientific reasoning behind food but it totally works for me. These babies are a perfect blend of cornbread and biscuits.
This simple strawberry topping is perfect for topping a New York Cheesecake, on ice cream or pancakes. A mix of fresh strawberries as well as jam gives just the right spoonable texture and sweetness.
First of all, I’d like to welcome all the new folks who found me over the weekend from Lizzie’s Tips For Everyday Living! So glad you’ve found all the deliciousness on Bakerlady. Thank you for your many kind comments and for sharing your memories of Banana Pudding with me. You made my weekend full of joy. I love new friends. You guys helped push my little blog over a million all time hits on Saturday. I’m amazed by all of your willingness to put up with my ramblings. I have the best readers ever! Ok, enough sappy love fest-ness. On to some deliciousness.
Not gonna lie. I’m a pushover for the Kraft mac n’ cheese. I’m a total foodie, so it’s a little embarrassing to admit, but it’s true. I get a hankerin’ for it now and then and nothing else will do. Devastating fact of the week: my kids won’t eat it. I know. They are the most bizarre children ever. Madison had a severe dairy allergy from the time she was 1 until she turned three and blessedly grew out of it, so macaroni and cheese was not something she ever ate. I tried making a dairy free, soy cheese version once. Yeah. Just once. A single gag inducing bite later and the whole pot was in the trash. When she suddenly was fine with dairy again, I celebrated by doing a happy dance, then melting butter into powdery orange cheese from the blue box. Alas, she wouldn’t eat it. I was heartbroken.
Bread. Glorious bread. I blame my mother and my English heritage for my adoration of bread. Soft, doughy perfection. And butter. I think I love butter even more. Creamy delicious butter. Mmmmm. This Basil Butter Garlic Bread is out of this world amazing. It cranks up the awesome from your standard garlic bread with the addition of basil and parsley. Then it’s topped off with melted cheese. Oh baby.
Greatest company dinner ever. Amazing and gorgeous, not nearly as much work as it looks like and just incredible tasting. I’ve had this chicken on my Pinterest boards for a while now, just waiting for the right opportunity to make it. I served it up when my mother-in-law was visiting recently. Wow wow wow. I won’t be waiting long before making it again. It was glorious.
