Grilled Bacon Ranch Potatoes

Steak, potatoes, and asparagus were on the menu last night. I have tried and like many potato recipes, but felt like something new, so I hit up Pinterest!
I found this pin. It's always nice when you find a recipe you actually have the ingredients for! Granted, there aren't many in this recipe, and that's one of the things that so great about it!

This is an easy prep, throw on the grill, ENJOY recipe!

Basic idea

foil
potatoes (I used yellow)
Cooked bacon pieces
1 packet ranch dressing mix
salt and pepper
3 tbsp butter

Place all ingredients in a large foil packet. I layered mine potatoes, seasonings, bacon, then butter. Close up foil packet and place on grill for 20-30 minutes. Mine were on for right about 30.

Super yummy, super easy, supper for sure going into the regular potato side dish recipe box.

To make camping friendly just make small individual size packets and cook over campfire. Eat out of foil.

Beer Cheese Soup with a Twist

I am so ready for fall this year. Fall is always one of my favorite times of the year. Unfortunately I feel like here in sunny Colorado fall turns into winter way too fast.
There was a chilly day and I totally took advantage of it!

Yes, that is a whiskey and apple cider to help my fall cooking along!

So when I found a pin for beer cheese soup, I knew I had to have it!
She put hers in a bread bowl, I decided to make it too late for the bread bowl so I made my 1 hour skillet foccacia to go with it.
Then I had a genius idea! Next time I am making it in a pretzel bread bowl! Yes, like I said, GENIUS!

The soup itself is so easy! One of the easiest soups I have ever made!
In the end it was full of gooey cheesy beer flavor! This soup definitely tastes like beer. If you don't like beer you won't like this soup.

She says she used a light wheat beer, I used Alaskan white wheat.

I used a half an onion and a whole red bell pepper.

It's almost ready!

The only other thing I did different was I added a link of polish kielbasa with the bacon in the beginning. I sauteed it in the bacon grease before adding the onion and peppers. Then I left it with the bacon and added it back in at the end. It was perfect!

Honestly, I just ate some leftovers for breakfast while I typed this. And once again, this one got a huge 2 thumbs up approval from the ever picky hubs!!!

One Pot Wonder

I didn't find this on pinterest. And I don't have a recipe to follow. My cousin just posted a picture on instagram that looked too yummy not to try and recreate!
First off let me say this is the easiest non recipe recipe I have ever made.
Second, I love one pot meals! Everything about them.

Here is the recipe version:
5-7 slices of thick sliced bacon
4 chicken breasts (I used frozen, my cousin used thighs)
2 yellow squash (sliced)
1/2 yellow onion (sliced)
brussel sprouts (cousin used carrots)
4-6 small gold or new potatoes (had to add for the potato obsessed hubs)
creole seasoning (seasoning salt whatever you have on hand)

Layer bacon on bottom of a stock pot.

Place frozen chicken breasts on top of bacon. Then add squash, onion, brussel sprouts, and potatoes, or whatever veggies you decide.

Sprinkle the whole thing with the creole seasoning.
Cover pot with lid and cook on low for 2-3 hours.

I served it in a bowl with salt and pepper. Without the potatoes it would be AMAZING with a crusty piece of bread. I actually would probably prefer it that way!

The hubs loved the flavor on this but said he wanted the bacon crispy. I explained the cooking method, not sure if he gets it, but I don't really care. This was ridiculously yummy! Could easily be paleo!

I am thinking I may not be a very good food blogger. I love food. In fact it has to be pretty terrible for me to be critical of it. So try it for yourself and let me know what you think!

Bourbon Cream Corn

I go in waves. Sometimes I do everything I can to make substitutions to make my meals healthier. Sometimes I give in to my southern roots and make things just the way I want. There is no way I was cutting corners on this one, so dieters beware!
Tonight we had friends over for dinner. Friends of my hubs from childhood. Friends we really don't get together with often enough. But it also means I didn't take pictures until I was putting the leftovers away! Oh well!
We had brisket and brie quesadillas. I have already reviewed those here, and they are to die for!
So I went on a pinterest hunt for a good side. I thought a scratch cream corn would be good and started looking around. They all looked yummy, but when I saw this one titled Bourbon Cream Corn, I knew I had to try it.
Besides my aversion to measuring I followed the recipe pretty close.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 stick of butter
• 1 cup of chopped shallots (about 4 large) I couldn't find fresh so I used jarred, I didn't use a whole cup.
• 3 garlic cloves, minces
• 1 large red bell pepper, coarsely chopped I had orange mini peppers at home so I used those.
• 3 cups of fresh corn kernels, cut from about 5 medium ears I cut 6 ears of corn, but didn't really change measurements of anything else, it worked great.
• 2/3 cup of whipping cream, divided
• 1/4 cup of good quality bourbon
• 1-1/4 cup of chopped green onions (about 6), divided

DIRECTIONS:

1. Melt butter in a heavy large skillet over medium-high heat.
2. Add shallots and garlic.  Sauté for 2 minutes.
3. Add red bell pepper.  Sauté for 1 minute.
4. Add corn.  Sauté until ALMOST tender, about 2 minutes.
5. Add 1/3 cup cream, plus the bourbon.
6. Simmer until sauce thickly coats corn, stirring occasionally, about 2 minutes.
7. Add remaining 1/3 cup of cream, plus 1 cup of the green onions.
8. Simmer until sauce thickens enough to coat corn thinly, about 2 minutes or longer.
9. Season creamed corn to taste with salt and pepper.
10. Transfer to serving bowl.
11. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup of green onions.
12. Serve.

As far as directions go, the only thing that changed was all the cook times were much longer than the 2 minutes instructed. I just watched it and cooked it until it was done. Per directions it should be done in about 10 minutes, per me it took about 20. 

This was super yummy and I will definitely make again. I also think it is a suitable travel dish, just put it in a corning ware instead of serving bowl and keep warm.   You know it's a keeper when your guests ask for the recipe before they leave! Yay!

Bronco Wreath!

I am loving changing my wreaths with the season. I have learned 2 big lessons from wreaths lately.
My front door must get a crazy amount of Denver sun! My last wreath totally faded the blue burlap and won't be able to be stored and used again. I am just going to unmake it and keep the form for my next project! And this one all my letters are melting off! I don't think hot glue is strong enough to fight the mile high sun! So I recommend super glue!

Anyway, I found THIS blog through pinterest and thought it was perfect! Hers is blue and orange of Auburn, mine is blue and orange of the Denver Broncos!

Basically what you need is

styrofoam wreath form
yarn
letters
hot glue gun/glue
ribbon or scrap material
spray paint

I started wrapping my wreath, it took FOREVER! After you start wrapping you can wrap some parts neater and some messier, some tighter some looser, it all depends on the look you want. You seriously can't go wrong. Then at the end I just tucked the yarn in under the last few wraps.
I spray painted my letters and left them to dry.
I sat with a glass of wine and wrapped the rosettes. HERE is her rosette tutorial. 
Then I hot glued every thing on. Rosettes and letters.
Then they got hot and fell off and I reglued them with super glue!

I have decided I need a new wreath hanger. Mine is obviously meant for the holidays and my new found love of wreaths needs one that is much more versatile!

And my door apparently needs a touch up! No idea where that scratch could have come from!

Lemon Garlic Chicken and Pasta, because sometimes you just need Italian!

So I'm gonna cheat here. I don't have a pin for this. In fact I can't even find the website I found this on in the first place. I just have my written recipe and what I do with it. But you could pin this and then it would have it's own pin! :)


Lemon Garlic Chicken

1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 T butter
1 cup water
6 T lemon juice
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp chicken bouillon granules
1 tsp chopped parsely
1 package cream cheese (you can use fat free)

Season chicken breast with oregano, salt, and pepper.
Melt butter in a skillet and brown chicken breasts. About 4 minutes a side.
Placed browned chicken breasts in crock pot.
In the skillet mix water, lemon juice, garlic, and bouillon and bring it to a boil.
Pour mixture over chicken in crock pot.
Cook on low 6 hours.
Add parsley to crock pot 30 minutes before it's done. 
About 15 minutes before it's done remove chicken.
Cut room temp cream cheese into small cubes and whisk into the juice in the crockpot.
Once it's thoroughly mixed replace chicken in crockpot.

Serve over rice or pasta with a sprinkle of parsley and Parmesan cheese.

We had this tonight over pasta with my 1 hour skillet focaccia bread. I was in the mood for Italian!

You could serve this with spaghetti squash, add some sauteed or roasted veggies. It would be amazing with some toasted pine nuts too! This one is a major keeper in our house!
Tonight the hubs said, "This is a great meal babe!" And you know if it's picky hubs approved it's good for anyone!

Art party Extraordinaire!

My bitty girl just had her golden birthday! We went through themes and what she wanted and she settled on an ART party. It really was a fantastic party for my creative girl!

I went to ETSY to look at invites and found this PERFECT one! 

And for ideas I went straight to pinterest!!!!

Here is the art setup table.

 This has so many great ideas!
 I did the popcorn! It was a hit!

My  cakespiration. I made the cake at our shop. Splatter painting it was a blast!

 The kids had so much fun painting! I put a bucket with water out for them to rinse their brushes in.

Used the raised flower bed as the easel.

The end result!

I found this photo backdrop and thought it was awesome!!!!!!
I am so glad I did it I got the BEST pictures from it! I just used a rubber band and banded them together on top and threw them over the top of the fence.

B Mack and Momma

Bitty Girl and one of her best friends

Momma and Bitty Girl

Beautiful birthday Bitty!

The hubs and I

Bitty and the neighbor

B Mack was hot, and OVER pictures! But this is one of my favorites!

This is by far my favorite birthday party ever!