Halloween Treats

Hard to believe that we are only 6 days out from Halloween. I know that some of y'all are going to be going to parties on Saturday to celebrate the holiday. I'm probably going to watch television (more than likely football since Georgia plays Florida on Saturday), eat some snack, and watch bad Halloween movies. Below are some of the snacks that I have been thinking about making for next weekend:

Halloween Popcorn Treats

Pumpkin Cheese Ball

Halloween Chocolate Chip Cookies

Cheesy Pumpkin Appetizer Puffs

Red Velvet Vampire Cupcakes

Burrito Skulls

Some of these are going to be easier to make then others like the pumpkin cheeseball. I did a mixture of  desserts and a few food items. I'm not having a party or anything, just wanted to make some festive snack. Until next time, Peace & Blessings, all!!!

Fall Soups

      And just like that, it's officially Fall. Oh, and life happened, as usual. Anywho, with it finally being Fall, I can start wearing some of my Fall clothes. I might wait on that one since it's still in the low 80s in the South. I have worn some cardigans and low boots. Fall weather in the South is weird one day it was 69/70 and the next it's 79 degrees out.

Other than way cooler temps, I'm excited about the foods and drinks that are mainly had in cooler/some of the Fall months. Right now, I'm trying to find the Green Mountain Apple Cider K cup. The last 2 years when I've gotten them, I've had to drive to across town to find them since they are sold out at the stores near me.

 Also, since I gave up coffee at the beginning of this year (haven't had a cup since January 1st of this year), I have been drinking green and black tea as well a new drink that I've been getting at Starbuck. It's a Pumpkin Spice Creme. It's pretty much like the Pumpkin Spice coffees but replace the coffee with warm or hot milk. It's a good sub for the coffee (just watch for the sugar amount in it). The other thing that I love about Fall is all the soups I can make. Not sure why soup and chilis remind me of Fall but they do. Here a few recipes from The Pioneer Woman that I want to try making this Fall:

Slow Cooker Potato Soup

Veggie Chili

Butternut Squash Soup With Bacon

Instant Pot Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

Broccoli-Cheese Soup

Slow Cooker Turkey Chili

These are just a few of the ones I found on The Pioneer Woman's website. There are a bunch of desert recipes from there I plan on sharing soon. Some of them I've already made and they are pretty tasty. Until then, Peace & Blessings!

Recipe: Baked Chicken with sweet potatoes

     Hard to believe that today is the last Wednesday of May. Since I did not eat out that much from March-the beginning of April (like everyone else), I have been trying to find new recipes. When I went to the store the other day, I bought this seasoning packet below:

I had about two pounds of chicken breast that I used. First I brined the chicken. To brine it, I cut up the chicken, placed it in a bowl of warm water & salt for about 15 minutes. Brining the chicken makes it juicy. After that, I placed it in a greased baking dish.

After placing the chicken in the baking dish, you can brush the chicken with either melted butter or olive oil. I used melted butter. I brushed all the pieces on both sides with butter.

After brushing the chicken, I sprinkled the chicken with the seasoning on both sides. I cooked the chicken at 400 degrees for 18 minutes.

Here is the chicken after it is done. I let the chicken rest for 10 minutes before plating it.

While the chicken was brining, I cut up some sweet potatoes that I had. The smaller white ones are Japanese sweet potatoes. They are pretty much like regular sweet potatoes but they look like regular white potatoes. I placed them on parchment paper, greased the potatoes with butter & placed the potatoes baking sheet. I baked them for 30 minutes at 400 degrees. 

Here are the potatoes look like once I took them out of the oven. I let these cool for 15 minutes while the chicken cooked.

Once I, took the chicken out I placed the cleaned asparagus in the dish that I baked the chicken with the left over juice from the chicken. I sprinkled them with dash & drizzled a little olive oil on them. I cooked these at 425 degrees for 15 minutes. 

Below is the result of all that I cooked together. The chicken ended up being eaten for 3 meals & the sweet potatoes for 2. I liked the seasoning because all of the spices were in one pouch. It definitely cut back on time searching for all of these in the store.

Next, I am going to try some more recipes with my instant pot that is just hanging out on my counter. If any has some quick recipes I would love to know them. Peace & Blessings, everyone.

PBJ & Banana Smoothie

     Its Tuesday... Last week, I decided to stop eating crap & get back to eating better again. So, at this point all the days are running together. I think we are all at the point where we are all cooked out. Meaning, I think this is the most some people have used their kitchen. Personally, I have been cooking, baking, & making smoothies since the beginning of March. Smoothies are great for so many reasons.

At the moment, it is handy for a quick meal replacement. It is also a great way to incorporate different foods into one place. For example, I sometimes put Ginger, Chia seed, or Turmeric in mine depending on the day. Not going to lie, sometimes it is also easy to just throw a bunch of fruit together & call it a day. Here is one of the smoothies that I have been making recently:

Today's post is going to be short. I hope everyone is staying healthy & learning some new skills. Peace & blessings, have a great day!!!

Fall for soup

Via

Happy Fall, y'all!!! Hard to believe that today is the first day of Fall, even though it is still in the high 80s/ low 90s in Alabama. I've been MIA for a few weeks (par for the course at this point). Life happens as usual & I have to find a way to make time to blog/post on social media regularly. One of the things that I love about Fall (besides the clothes) is the food.

My go-to meal the is quick & you can make to freeze are soups. I love making soups in the Fall since they can be kept in bulk, kept for a couple of meals, & be filled with a variety of ingredients. Food Network always has some great recipes for those who are short on time. Here are a few of the ones that I want to try making this Fall:

Tuscan Vegetable Soup

Butternut Squash Soup

French Three Onion Soup

Rustic Fall Vegetable Soup

Healthified Broccoli Cheddar Soup

Best Tomato Soup Ever

This Fall seems like the perfect time to get back in the kitchen. Yay to Fall! Peace & Blessings, all.