Lil' Smokies aka Pigs in a Blanket

Football time is here!! We enjoy football season! We look forward to it!

There is nothing like the competitiveness of the SEC. Living in the South, football is just more than an athletic event. It's "off the chain!"

My husband is serious about "HIS" team. He is serious about winning. Now, don't get me wrong, many of you know that I am an extremely competitive person and was a collegiate athlete. So...I am all about a good game and a winning season.

But...football season is much more than "the game".

It is about great friends and good food too!!

This weekend, we are gonna have some friends to the house and enjoy our season opener!!

My mind is already churning about what we are gonna eat. I love it!

These Lil' Smokies are a crowd pleaser. You can't go wrong. They will disappear before your eyes.

2 simple ingredients:

1 can of crescent rolls
1 package of smokies



Dump your smokies on a paper towel- lined plate. It will help absorb all the liquid.
You want your smokies to be dry. The crescent roll will stick better to a dry smokie.



Unroll your crescent rolls. They will naturally roll out into triangles. This is a good thing.

**This is the coolest little hint** I saw this on Southern Plate and it was so clever. Cut your crescent roll into five pieces. Just like the photo.



Now roll your smokies up.



Bake at 375 for 10-12 minutes on an ungreased cookie sheet.
(Brown em')



Immediately remove your Lil' Smokies from the cookie sheet and put onto serving plate. This step will help keep the dough stay firm, not get soggy on you.

ROLL TIDE...ROLL!!!!!



Football season is here...bring it! Kristi

Cherry Limeade Muffins

Have y'all ever had a Cherry Limeade at Sonic? This muffin is a replica of that special drink. Ohh sooo good. My favorite part of the muffin, is the strong lime flavor that presents itself.

I am gonna try and put up some cherries for the winter. Cherry season is coming to an end and I need to make sure that I can make some of these "beauties" this winter.

I could sit and eat 2 or 3 of these muffins in one sitting if I let myself. It's an unique muffin.

My oldest son told me "Momma, you should compete in "Muffin Wars". (Have y'all ever watched "Cupcake Wars" on Food Network?) That's where he got the idea. I love that boy!

We make many different muffins at our house. It's fun for the kids and they enjoy it. We like to make apple, banana, orange, blueberry, strawberry, pumpkin, chocolate, raisin/oat, spice, and now...

Cherry Limeade Muffins

Start by cutting the pits out of your cherries. Slice cherries into chunks and set aside. **Little hint** put cherries in a darker colored bowl so, the cherries don't stain one of your favorite dishes.



In a medium size mixing bowl, combine dry ingredients: flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. (You can use all-purpose flour for this recipe.)

In a smaller bowl, add buttermilk, oil, eggs, and the zest of 1 lime.



Whisk!



Pour wet ingredients into dry bowl.



Add cherries and fold ingredients together. **Careful not to over mix.**



Spray muffin tin or use papers. Use 1/3 measuring cup to scoop the batter into your tin.



Now to make the topping... in a smaller bowl, add 1/4 cup sugar and the zest of 1 lime.



Mix it up.



Sprinkle your sugar/ lime zest on top! Generously!



Bake at 400 for approximately 20 minutes.



YUM!




Cherry Limeade Muffins
Recipe from Good Cheap Eats

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup unbleached flour
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup canola oil or vegetable oil
2 eggs
finely grated zest of 1 lime
1 cup fresh cherries, pitted (Next time, I am gonna use 1 1/2 cup cherries)

**1/4 cup sugar, mixed with the finely grated zest of a second lime

Preheat oven to 400F. Line muffin pan with papers or spray with non-stick cooking spray.

In large mixing bowl combine flours, sugar, baking powder, and salt. In another mixing bowl combine buttermilk, oil, eggs, and lime zest. Beat well to combine. Pour wet mixture over dry and add cherries. Fold in with a rubber spatula just until combined.

Scoop batter into muffin cups, about 1/3 cup in each. Sprinkle the tops with sugar-lime zest mixture. Bake in preheated oven for about 20 minutes or until tester comes out clean.


The lime zest puts this muffin over the top!!! Oh YA!! Kristi

Menu Plan August 25 - August 31

Praying that y'all have a great week.

Try to get those menu plans together. I truly believe it will help save you time and money. It is a stress reliever.

Breakfast:

Cereal

Scrambled eggs with cinnamon toast

Apple Muffins and strawberry yogurt

Mc Griddles - Burnett Style



Ham, Egg, and Cheese Cups

Individual Potato Au Gratin (new recipe)

Pumpkin Cranberry Bread (new recipe)

Lunch:

Homemade Thin Crust Cheese Pizza and salad

Ham and Cheese sandwiches/ using Yummy Yeast Rolls and V8 Fusion

Kids Cuisine meals (on sale at Publix this week)

Karen's B-que Meatloaf (freezer) and Mac n Cheese

Out to eat

Spaghettio's and corn bread muffins (from the freezer)

Dinner:

Venison Tenderloin (in crockpot) with rice and gravy with salad

Smoked sausage, potato, and onion pockets / prepared on the grill

Baked whole chicken- using a bundt pan (new recipe) with roasted veggies

Breakfast for dinner/ Southern Plate biscuits (from the freezer) and sausage gravy



Baked Barbecue Chicken, mashed potatoes and corn

Chimichanga's (new recipe) with fixin's - Restaurant Style Salsa

Fruit:

Grapes
Bananas
Cherries

Snacks:

String cheese and Goldfish
Peanut butter and pretzels

Dessert:

Hershey's Soft and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies (my husband requested them again)

Cupcakes with Wilton Buttercream Frosting (From the frig/ I made a double batch of frosting the other day)

Easy Homemade Doughnuts - using the frosting from earlier this week.



My mouth is watering just lookin' at those doughnuts!!

Gotta get back into my running routine. Preparing for another 1/2 marathon!! Doughnuts and marathons don't really go well together. smile!

Have a great week. Surprise your family and try a new recipe. FUN!!

Blessings....Kristi

Mc Griddles- Burnett Style

Y'all ever had a Mc Griddle? Oh yummy. I don't eat alot of fast food breakfast food, but there are a couple of things that I will 'cave' over:

1. Jack's Steak Biscuits

2. Mc Donald's Egg Mc Muffins

and

3. Mc Donald's Sausage, Egg and Cheese Mc Griddles

**Side note*** I was talking to my brother the other day and... "in his neck of the woods", a #1 Big Mac Meal is now $7.07!!!!

I nearly fell out.

Let me reel it back in... Mc Griddle, Mc Griddle, Mc Griddle!

Mc Griddle...Burnett Style

Just a couple things you'll need..

Your favorite pancake (The Best Pancake Ever) **
Maple Sausage Patties (cooked)
Fried Egg (optional)
American Cheese
Syrup

The key to a mean Mc Griddle is a good pancake. You want a pancake that is light and fluffy. A dense pancake will be "too much".

**I like to make a large batch of pancakes and freeze them. They re-heat beautifully. You can re-heat in your microwave our put them in your toaster.

I highly recommend "Best Pancake Ever".



Another recommendation...MAPLE sausage. You won't get the same Mc Griddle taste without using maple sausage. I would actually call it the "secret" ingredient. Jimmy Dean makes the best maple sausage.

The pre-cooked maple sausage patties at Aldi are very good too. You can buy them in the freezer section. They are a time saver! To heat, just pop them into your microwave.

Start with a warm pancake, layer your sausage, egg and cheese. Top with another pancake and pour maple syrup over it all.



You can make your Mc Griddle with eggs or without...your preference. We like them both ways. If you make it with egg, it will give you more protein.



I sometimes make my Mc Griddle - open faced.




Enjoy your Mc Griddles! Super syrup-eeeee dishes! Kristi


This recipe was linked to Tasty Tuesday and Balancing Beauty and Bedlam.

Check it out! A plethora of awesome recipes!!!

Best Ever Pancakes

The title says it all...

In the past, our pancakes have either been too thin, hard as hockey pucks, or bland. They were edible but nothing spectacular. Bless my family.

When I came across this recipe, I was a little sceptical. The name of the recipe was eye catching, but really? The Best Ever Pancake? Thank you Coleen!!!

If you appreciate a good pancake, you will be so pleased with this recipe. The pancakes are soft, tender, fluffy, and sweet.

Just a few steps...

Start by pouring your milk into a small bowl. I used a my Pyrex measuring glass. Add vinegar. Let sit for 10 minutes. You will see it start to thicken up = sour milk. (this is a good thing)



In a medium size mixing bowl, add dry ingredients: flour, sugar, baking powder, baking salt, and salt. Mix well!



Now..to your "soured milk" add egg, melted butter, and vanilla. Whisk together.



Add to your dry ingredients and whisk until combined. It will be lumpy. That is okay. Remember...don't over mix! (my husband could never be a baker, he likes to mix and mix and stir and stir until he can't stir and mix any longer) smile.



Let it sit for 10 minutes and it will get thick and frothy looking. Don't stir it.



Heat your griddle to 325 / 350. Use 1/4 measuring cup and pour onto hot/heated griddle. You can also use a cast iron skillet with butter. It works beautifully. The outer edges of the pancakes become a tad crispy. (buttery goodness)

Once the pancakes start to bubble up, you will want to flip them. They should be a pretty golden brown color. Brown the other side accordingly.



6 beauties!



Slather with butter!



Now the best part...syrup! Lots of it!



Best Ever Pancakes
Recipe courtesy of Coleen's Recipes

1 1/2 cup milk
4 Tablespoons vinegar
2 cups all-purpose flour
6 Tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
4 tablespoons melted butter
2 teaspoons vanilla

Makes 16-18 pancakes

Combine the milk and vinegar in a small bowl for 10 minutes to "sour". This is an important step and it is called "soured milk" which is much different that sour milk. I guarantee you will NOT taste the vinegar in the final product. Set aside.

Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl. In a smaller bowl, whisk the soured milk, egg and melted butter together. Pour into the dry ingredients and whisk until most of the lumps are gone, but don't over beat.

NOTE: The batter will be thick, don't add any more liquid. Let the batter sit, undisturbed for about 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, you will see bubbles in the batter, DON'T STIR. Gently dip out a ¼ cup of batter and place it on a buttered grill or frying pan. Cook until bubbles appear on the surface of the pancake and then flip with a spatula and brown the other side.

NOTE: Don't skip the soured milk part of this recipe, you will not taste the vinegar in the pancakes. The vinegar super-activates the baking soda.

Freeze your left-overs in a baggie and warm up for a quick breakfast.

Best Ever dishes... Kristi

Menu Plan August 19 - 25

I was a little surprised this week. Made a trip to the grocery store and prices are on the rise. Milk, cheese, eggs, sausage, canned goods, fruit, flour has all gone up. I am sad about this. I haven't seen prices rise so quickly in such a short period of time.

As I sit at my laptop, I am watching (listening)to the news with my husband. You'll never guess what was featured on CBS 42 news? Grocery prices are on the rise. Can you believe it? Nothing is a coincidence.

Per CBS 42, our beef prices are up 11% and eggs are up 11%, price of pork is up and so is pasta. Prices will continue to rise.

Have y'all noticed an increase in prices at the grocery store?

Have you had to make adjustments in your budget? Or has it not effected you?

It does make me sad, but I am trying to look at the situation with my glass half full.

Just think how much we are still saving by cooking at the house.

For the cost of our family, to go out to eat for dinner one time, we could buy 15 lbs. of ground beef Whew!!!!

We enjoy going out to eat as a family or going out with friends but, we just can't do it all the time. It is a treat.

15 pounds of ground beef is alot of meat. (smile)

On that note...here is our menu plan for the week:

Breakfast:

Yogurt and Brown Sugar Granola



Sausage Egg and Cheese Biscuits

Cereal

Banana Muffins (recipe to come)

Oven Omelet and toast

Blueberry Bagels and cream cheese

Best Ever Pancakes and cheesy scrambled eggs

Lunch:

Karen's B-que Meatloaf (from the freezer) and Sweet Potato Fries (new recipe)

Sticky Chicken Wraps and fixins

Out to eat with the children

Homemade Lunchables / Ham, Cheese, Pretzel Chips and V-8 Fusion

Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwiches with chips and V-8 Fusion

Pizza Rolls and salad with Homemade Ranch Dressing (new recipe that I have been tweaking')

Nacho's with fixins


Dinner:

Spaghetti in the crockpot with garlic bread and salad (didn't make last week)

Chicken Alfredo Casserole, french bread, sauteed cabbage




My husband's Fried Chicken Fingers, french fries, and okra

Creamy Chicken and Rice Stoup (one of my husband's favorites) with 30 minute rolls and honey butter

Mexican Night/ ??? with Lime Tortilla Chips

Burnett B-que/ Shredded Pork (crockpot) with 40 Minute Hamburger Buns and MiMi's slaw

Emeril's B-que Chicken Nuggets/ veggie?

Fruits:

Pears - Picked them from our tree! Yea!
Peaches
Grapes
Bananas

Dessert:

Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Cake (for my youngest son...he doesn't like chocolate) with Wilton's Buttercream Icing



Lemon Ice Box Pie (with meringue)

Caramel Brownies


Here... is to a great week!! Kristi

Oven Omelet

I found this recipe at Lynn's Kitchen Adventures. I am always on the hunt for breakfast meals.

Breakfast is important to us, especially for my husband. He is a big man and needs some protein in the morning. He cannot survive on cereal alone. If he eats cereal, he will eat 3/4 of a box. (no joke) That is alot of cereal for the average person but he doesn't stop there... in less than an hour or two, he is wanting lunch.

When the kids and I eat yogurt and granola for breakfast, my husband will eat left-overs (if we have any) from the night before.

Please try this wonderful Oven Omelet.

In a medium size mixing bowl, add 8 eggs. (cracked) smile.



Add milk and whisk.



Chunk-up your ham.



Add ham.



Add cheese. Give it a stir.



Pour mixture into greased 8 x 8 baking dish.



Bake at 400 for approximately 20 minutes. Make sure you poke a fork into the middle of the omelet and if it comes out clean, the omelet is done.



Oven Omelet
Recipe courtesy of Lynn's Kitchen Adventure

8 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup chopped ham or sausage, cooked
Season with salt and pepper or seasoning salt of your choice

Beat eggs and milk until combined. Stir in cheese and sausage. Pour into a greased 8×8 or 9×9 pan (you can also bake this in a pie pan, but you may have to change the cooking time). Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. Cut into squares and enjoy.


Great way to start off your mornin'...omelet dish! Kristi

Brown Sugar Granola

I am finally posting the recipe for the granola that we eat every week. It is easy to make and takes about 15 minutes from start to finish. A favorite.

It's like a favorite shade or color of lipstick...you find a one that you like, your sold. You will buy it again, again, and again!! A repeat customer!

I make a big batch of this granola about once every 2 weeks. We eat it with milk, yogurt, and applesauce. Bake with it too. (granola bars)

Brown Sugar Granola

Here is our "staple"...



In a large mixing bowl, add oats and cinnamon. Mix well. Set aside.



Now, in small sauce pan, melt butter, brown sugar and water. (Make sure your brown sugar is packed. If your sugar slides out of your measuring cup in huge chunk, then you know you packed it.)



Let simmer for 2-3 minutes.



Add to oats and stir until all the oats are "wet" looking.



Dump oat mixture into rimmed baking sheet. (cookie sheet)



Bake at 375 for 5 minutes. Stir or flip oats and return to oven for additional 5 minutes.

Let cool and add dried fruit. Transfer to an air tight container.




Brown Sugar Granola
Recipe from Finding Joy in My Kitchen

2 T butter
1 C brown sugar, packed
1/4 C water
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
7-8 C Old Fashion Oats
Dried fruit, etc.

Melt butter, brown sugar and water together in a pan over medium heat. Stir well, and allow mixture to simmer for 2-3 minutes.

In a large bowl, combine oats and cinnamon. Add brown sugar mixture to the oats and stir well. You want all the oats to look a little wet. Dump oat mixture onto a rimmed cookie sheet. Bake for 5 minutes at 375. Take oats out of the oven and gently stir/ toss/ flip oats. Bake for additional 5 minutes. Let cool completely and add dried fruit of your choice. We use raisins and craisins.

Store in air tight container.

Thank you Snow White! (Finding Joy in My Kitchen)


Reliable...Staple...dishes Kristi