Shrimp and grits

I've had shrimp and grits in the past a few times and I've always been a fan- I've been wanting to try a recipe for it-what better night than the Eve before heading to New Orleans? Found a recipe in the gluten free bible cookbook and tweaked it some.  This will be a keeper!

Ingredients: 

1 pound uncooked shrimp

1/2 cup chopped green onions

1 cup chopped celery

1 chopped red bell pepper

1 chopped green bell pepper

Tony's creole spice 

Ground red pepper 

2 tablespoons minced garlic

8 oz shredded cheddar cheese (I found some at publix that had cream cheese shreds mixed in- I think this added a great creaminess to the dish) 

1/4 cup half and half 

3 cups prepared yellow corn grits 

Putting it all together:

1. Cook your grits as per directions- when done add a few tablespoons of half and half and about 1/4 of your package of cheese and stir until melted, keep on warm.

2. Chop all your veggies and peel your shrimp if they are in the shell. Add a generous amount of the Tonys seasoning, some salt and pepper, and a teaspoon of ground red pepper to both the veggies and shrimp. 

3. Melt your 1/2 stick of butter in a pot or Dutch oven- add your minced garlic and sauté peppers, onion, and celery until desired tenderness.

4. Add shrimp and cook until shrimp are done. Taste one and add more Tonys if needed- I like mine on the spicy side :) 

5. When shrimp are cooked through- add remaining bag of cheese and the half and half. 

6. Get a heapin serving of grits onto a plate and spoon the shrimp mixture over top and enjoy! 

Chicken Fried Rice

I LOVE chicken fried rice from Chinese restaurant's, and this taste like any take-out, maybe even better because its fresh and you know the chicken is chicken ;)

Ingredients:

• 3 cups prepared white rice (I use my rice cooker for this step)
• 1/2 pound boneless skinless chicken breast, cooked
• 1 cup frozen mixed peas and carrots
• 1 white onion, finely chopped
• 2 cloves of minced garlic
• 3 eggs
• 3 tablespoons sesame oil- this is a must have, it gives it that signature taste
• 1/4 cup soy sauce

Directions:

Cut chicken into bite size pieces and cook until done with about a tablespoon of soy sauce and set aside on plate. Cook rice as directed to make 3 cups.

Heat the sesame oil in skillet over medium high heat.  Add your onion and garlic.

Add your peas and carrots.

Add your egg into half the pan and scramble.

Add your cooked rice, chicken, and 1/4 cup soy sauce to pan and mix well.

Yum! I'm not a big leftover fan usually, but this makes a good lunch the next day.

Enjoy!

NOT pork chops

Alfredo Balsamic Chicken

This is one of those recipes that's perfect to throw together when you only have 20-30 minutes to get something on the table, or your hungry and the thought of waiting an hour to eat is agonizing, and it's super easy!

Ingredients:

-Pasta of choice
-Package of chicken tenderloins
-Bottle of Alfredo sauce (I used Classico's asiago ramona alfredo, and it's light!)
-Dried thyme
-Balsamic Vinegar
-Salt and pepper
-Broccoli and mushrooms or any veggie's that float your boat
and THIS: 

Go ahead and get the pasta started, then season your chicken with the Tony Chachere's, thyme, and salt and pepper and sauté in a pan on both sides until cooked through then set aside.

Pour your alfredo sauce into the pan (I doubled this recipe and used 2 packs of chicken, and 2 jars of sauce), and add mushrooms and broccoli- let cook until veggies are at desired tenderness.

Add your chicken back to the pan,

And serve over pasta :)

Buffalo Pork Chops

(Disclaimer: I know posting a second pork chop recipe in a row seems a little ironic since I am such a pig lover- but they DO taste good but I promise I DO feel guilty...sometimes... I was telling my Papa how good the parmesan pork chops were after he had left some pork chops in my fridge, and anytime he hears I like something he keeps a supply coming, so I now have two more packages of pork chops to use.)

I often scroll through Pinterest looking for new recipes to try, I have recently gotten into a rut of cooking the same tried and true favorites over and over and am trying to expand my culinary horizons.  I could seriously probably put Franks RedHot sauce on most anything and love it, but this recipe came out pretty darn yummy so I wanted to share.

Ingredients:

Some olive oil
2 tablespoons of butter
Around 3 tablespoons of Frank's RedHot sauce
Slices of mozzarella cheese
Boneless Skinless pork chops
Your favorite seasoning (I used McCormick's montreal steak)

Putting it all together:

Melt your butter, hot sauce, and olive oil all together in a skillet

Season and add your chops and cook on medium high heat on both sides until done (depends on thickness).

I added some more RedHot sauce as they were cooking- cooking the chops in the sauce really seals the flavor inside.  When the chops are done, place on cookie sheet or in dish, drizzle a little more RedHot sauce on top and top with a slice of mozzarella cheese and broil just until cheese is melted.

Served these with sliced potatoes with bacon, cheese and ranch of course!

Enjoy!

Parmesan crusted pork chops

It's not often that a new recipe I'm trying comes out great the first time without having to tweak it.  Someone posted this pin from Pinterest into Facebook for Parmesan crusted pork chops- and get were so YUMMY!

Ingredients:

4 boneless pork chops

1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

3 tablespoons of Italian breadcrumbs 

1/8 tsp. paprika

1 tsp. Italian seasoning

1/2 tsp. garlic power 

2 tbl. Olive oil

1/4 tsp. pepper

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix Parmesan, bread crumbs, paprika, Italian seasoning, and garlic powder in a bowl.

Dip pork chops in mixture, dear in pan with Olive oil on medium high heat, 5 mins each side.

Place in baking dish and cook for 25-30 min if 1/2 inch thick and 45-60 min if inch thick or more. 

Served mine with loaded mashed potatoes, enjoy :) 

Getting started on these resolutions...

Today is a new year! A new beginning! As with every other year, I made a list of resolutions- I actually made this list two months ago and titled it "My happiness project" and have been doing well with all but a few, blogging being one of them.. 

But what better way to start off the new year than with a blog post about my favorite projects of 2013 (this might get long) In February I begin building my home- it's one of the best decisions I ever made and customizing all the details was a blast, I built in a townhouse community which means no yard work and more time for crafts :) my home was completed in may and I began to decorate it and make it mine.  My favorite project was my bookshelf transformation which I have previously written a post about. 

1) My TV stand- I have a thing about TV's over mantles, it's fine for some, but I'd rather decorate my mantle with pretty things so I bought an antique little table from a friend and painted it my favorite shade of yellow. 

Before-

After-

2) Picture collage wall- I hate blank spaces, my grandmother says my house is "cluttery" but to me it's near perfect :) so within 1 week of moving in- I had this blank wall in the kitchen covered.  I have since moved a few frames around and of course added pictures to the empties. 

3) Overall kitchen- my kitchen is the heart of my home, I love to cook and I spend a lot of time in it. I went with dark floors, subway tile, white cabinets and white granite for a clean look and one where I could pick new color schemes as my style is always changing. I found a rug at target that complemented the space perfectly and added pops of color here and there- my favorite being my red "grocery" sign. 

Before-

After-

4) Dining room china cabinet and table- when I first moved in I had my previous counter height modern kitchen table which I liked but I was going more for the farmhouse look this time around- I sold the previous table and while I was looking for my dream dining room table I had a small round table I found for 25.00 at a yard sale to use as a stand in and brought a yellow rug in that I had used in my apartments living room, 

And then while scrolling through Craigslist I found this :) 

And I promptly drove an hour to the middle of nowhere to being it home with me... Strapped in my papas truck.. In the rain... It couldn't be a better fit, although apparently 100 years ago (that's it's estimated age) people and chairs were apparently shorter, the tables skirts hits the top of your legs when you slide under it- I'm still deciding on a solution. 

I've since added 2 blue chairs to each head bringing the seating count to 8. 

5) Living room rug- I first bought a jute rug at ikea that ended up being too small for the room and it now it resides on my patio 

Before- 

While yard sailing one morning a lady was having an estate sale- I walked through her home and found a few odds and ends and walked out onto the back patio and saw this... 

It was huge! And 100% wool- minimally worn and marked 75.00- I asked her if she'd take 50.00, she said yes and home with me it came- I think it fills the space beautifully! And brings in a lot of warmth. 

6) My mason jar collection display- I have a problem- I'll admit it and take no shame, I collect jars.. Lots and lots of jars- so many that I'm only able to display my favorites and the rest are scattered about and in the garage, but the top of my china cabinet is flat allowing me to have my favorites out. :) 

Various other projects that I completed in 2013 as gifts, items for my booth and a few for myself- 

Painted a pig (what else?) as a sign for my booth 

Handmade pillows for booth 

Transformed from a very bright turquoise to white 

Mirror for booth 

A custom order 

This years Halloween cards 

Mirror for booth 

First appliqué 

Pot holders for Christmas gifts 

And that wraps 2013 up! Excited to share projects and home decor as they happen this year- now if only this cold weather would move on! I'm ready for yard sale season. 

-Jamie