Thanksgiving with my Mommy!

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays and I'm so happy I got to spend it with my mommy this year! I don't get to spend much time with her and a couple of days of food and fun is just what we needed! Ina's Pecan Shortbread are her most favorite treats in the world so I make them for her every chance I get. I used to be so intimidated by rolling and cutting out cookie dough but practice makes perfect! I used fall-themed cookie cutters to make pumpkins, leaves and turkeys. How cute right? These are super buttery but not too sweet and the perfect combination with pecans.

I also made some Pumpkin Cranberry Muffins so she can enjoy some for breakfast during her stay and also take some home with her. I added some walnuts into the mix cuz my mom loves them and they added a nice lil crunch!

We went out to dinner on Wednesday night and came home to make these really cute Turkey Cookies from my new Smart Cookie cookbook. Aren't they adorable? My mom was happy and her cookies definitely came out better looking than mine! (Love you mommy!)

Thursday finally came and we began our big feast day with some Creamy Crab Dip. OMG it was SO good! Instead of the Old Bay Seasoning, I used some mango and orange herb blend because my mom's not a fan of spicy food. I served the dip with crackers and veggies but honestly I was eating it with a spoon!

Our Thanksgiving dinner started out with a warm green bean salad. I just dressed the beans with Balsamic Vinaigrette and tossed it with dried cranberries, toasted walnuts and crumbled Feta. SO refreshing unlike the usual greasy Green Bean Casserole!

For the Grand Finale, I made Sandra Lee's Herb-Roasted Cornish Game Hens. We fell in love with the roasted veggies on the bottom. I ended up using a honey mustard vinaigrette, which worked so well in the dish! It was definitely so much easier than making a big turkey and having our own little hen was just perfect!

We finished our meal with the cutest Mini Pumpkin Pies! A perfect sweet ending to a perfect meal!

I think we can all agree that I had the most amazing Thanksgiving with my mommy! I sent her home with lots of yummy leftovers and treats so I'm sure she'll be enjoying them for days to come!

Early Thanksgiving with my Hubby!

We usually spend our Thanksgiving with my in-laws but I have to work on Friday this year. My hubby is still flying down to SoCal but I'm staying here and spending the holiday with my mom. That doesn't mean we can't have a little celebration of our own beforehand though! I decided to make it a Pre-Thanksgiving weekend because why not right? It started off with Pumpkin Cranberry Cookies. So soft and yummy!

Then following our tradition, I made Bobby Flay's Corn Muffins that we all love so much from Mesa Grill. (Mine were made with yellow corn cuz blue just never comes out very appetizing!) They're spicy and full of bell peppers and corn.

Friday night, I used some of the leftover pumpkin from the cookies to make a VERY yummy Pumpkin and Thai Curry Chicken. Probably not the most traditional recipe given that it's from Betty Crocker but you can't go wrong with Thai over rice noodles. No complaints here!

Just for kicks, I decided to make some super cute Acorn Cookies from my new cookbook, Smart Cookie. I'm totally in love with all the recipes in there using storebought cookies to make some really creative stuff! In case you can't tell, these were made with Nutter Butter, Chocolate Frosting, Chocolate Sprinkles and Pretzel Sticks. SUPER CUTE right?

Saturday night was our real Pre-Thanksgiving meal with Herb-Roasted Game Hens over Stuffing. Not much of a recipe here. I just drizzles balsamic vinaigrette over the hens and sprinkled Italian seasoning on top. Baked for an hour and they're golden brown and SUPER tasty!

Finally a Sunday night favorite, braised Chicken Legs. Simply browned and slowly braised in my Dutch Oven with onions, garlic and more Balsamic. Served over (what else?)...STUFFING!

Easiest Dinner from the Fridge!

Some nights I just don't have the time or energy to deal with recipes so I turn to my fridge for ideas. Tonight was one of those nights. I opened my fridge and some spicy sausage stared back at me along with my usual onions and mushrooms. My house is never without canned tomatoes and dried pasta so a very quick and easy dinner was born. Gotta love a stocked kitchen!

Ooey Gooey Baked Pasta with Sausage!

For a quick and comforting weeknight meal, there's nothing better than Baked Pasta with Sausage and Fire-Roasted Tomatoes! Baked with ooey gooey cheese on top! YUM!

EASIEST Pasta Dinner EVER!

It's Monday and I'm feeling lazy so I decided to make Baked Rigatoni with Sausage. Why? Because it doesn't get easier than boiling some pasta, heating up already-cooked sausage with store-bought sauce and throwing everything in the oven with cheese on top. Seriously, that was the extent of my cooking and it produced an amazing meal!

 

Trader Joe's to the Rescue

We LOVE just about everything from Trader Joe's and one of our favorites is their Lobster Ravioli. For less than $4, you get a gourmet meal for 2 that takes just 15 minutes to make. I like to serve them in an Alfredo Sauce topped with some extra cheese. Simple yet incredible on a Saturday night!

Easy Weeknight Chicken Paprikash

Chicken Paprikash is such a comforting meal and when you use frozen chicken tenders, it's a snap to make. There's nothing better on a Monday night!

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp butter
1/4 c onions, diced
1 c mushrooms, sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 Tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp paprika
1 bay leaf
1/2 c chicken broth
1/2 lb breaded chicken tenders
1 Tbsp sour cream
Egg noodles, for serving
Parsley, for garnish

Prep:

1. Melt butter in a pan over medium heat. Add onions and mushrooms and cook until softened. Add garlic and cook another minute.

2. Stir in tomato paste, paprika and bay leaf. Add broth and bring to a boil.

3. Add chicken and simmer over medium-low heat until sauce thickens slightly. Take off heat and stir in sour cream.

4. Serve over egg noodles and garnish with parsley.

Rachael Ray-Inspired Pork Chops

Tonight's yummy dinner was inspired by Rachael Ray's Breadeded Pork Chops with Sage Creamy Gravy. I made things even easier on myself by making the entire dish on the stovetop. Of course, no breaded pork chop meal is complete with mashed potatoes!

Ingredients:

2 1-inch bone-in pork chops
1/4 c flour
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp butter
1/2 c mushrooms, sliced
1/4 c onions, diced
3/4 c heavy cream

Prep:

1. Dredge the pork chops in the flour. Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the chops and brown 5 minutes on each side. Remove and keep warm.

2. Add butter and lower heat to medium-low. Add the mushrooms and onions. Cook until softened, 5 minutes.

3. Stir in the heavy cream and bring to a boil. Add chops back and cover. Simmer until meat is cooked through, 10 minutes. Serve over mashed potatoes.

Ketchup and Ground Beef, How can it NOT be Yummy?

This is a recipe that I've come up with from looking at lots of different Mac and Cheese and ground beef recipes. It's kind of a hybrid but believe me, it's SO incredibly good!

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp oil
1/2 lb ground beef
1/2 c onions, chopped
1 c mushrooms, diced
1 can (10-3/4 oz) condensed cream of mushroom soup
1/4 c ketchup
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
Corkscrew pasta, cooked
1/4 c Mozzarella Cheese, shredded
1/4 c breadcrumbs

Prep:

1. Preheat oven to 375. Grease a baking dish.

2. Heat oil in a pan on medium-high heat. Add beef and cook until browned. Add onions and mushrooms and cooked until browned.

3. Stir in soup, ketchup and Worcestershire. Cook until heated through. Stir in pasta.

4. Pour into baking dish and top with cheese and breadcrumbs. Bake for 20 minutes, until bubbly.

No FOOL Whiskey Pork Chop!

I've never been a fan of April Fools so I'm glad no one played any pranks on me. I'm just not into practical jokes whether I'm the giver or the receiver. ANYWAY...for dinner, I made Whiskey Pork Chops (with Jameson, of course! Man, the flavor was just SO perfect with the sour cream, sage and mushrooms. I served the pork with mashed potatoes and there was plenty of gravy to go around!

Crabby Mac and Cheese. TOTAL Comfort Food!

It's a cold night so comfort food is definitely on the menu and tonight, it's Crabby Mac an Cheese. I mean, SERIOUS comfort food! Nothing's better than baked ooey gooey cheesy dinner!

My Meatballs Fell Apart...

We LOVE LOVE LOVE Meatballs so when I came across this recipe for Meatballs in Mushroom Sauce, I knew I had to try it. I love the addition of the sweet chili and nutmeg in the sauce! My meatballs ended up falling apart a bit but hey, they all end up in the same place so we didn't mind some meat in the sauce! LOL. I served mine over pasta instead of mashed potatoes cuz I just felt they went better together. No complaints from the hubby!

Creative Way with BBQ Sauce

We LOVE BBQ Sauce and I'm always looking for new ways to use it beyond just the usual grilled chicken or pulled pork. So when I came across this recipe for BBQ Chicken Pasta Bake, I knew I found a winner! Total comfort food with a hint of summer goodness! The crunchy topping was definitely my favorite part along with the creamy sauce with a little kick from the BBQ flavor. YUM YUM on a Friday!

Marsala + Goat Cheese = YUM!

We always have goat cheese on hand to spread on crackers as TV-watching snacks. So when I came across this recipe for Pork Medallions with Marsala Goad Cheese Sauce, I just couldn't resist! All I can say is YUM! The goat cheese made the sauce super creamy and the marsala added a touch of sweetness. A DEFINITE winner here!

Creamy Marsala Sauce with Pork...YUM!

Creamy Marsala Sauce is just THE BEST comfort food so when I came across this recipe, I couldn't wait to try it. OMG was it delicious! Creamy and super flavorful! LOVE LOVE LOVE!

Crispy Chicken is PERFECT with Fettccine!

It doesn't get much easier than this Crispy Chicken and Fettuccine but OMG did it turn out great!

Paula is the BOMB Y'all!

I LOVE Paula Deen and her recipes never disappoint. Tonight, I made her Chicken Spaghetti and I couldn't be happier!

Philly Cooking Creme is the BOMB!

One of my favorite product finds is the Philly Cooking Creme, which can be found in the refrigerated section of any supermarket. I tried out Creamy Marsala Meatballs tonight and I can't complain! SO delicious! The sauce was so creamy and flavorful and you can't go wrong with spaghetti and meatballs!

If Martha Approves, You KNOW It's GOOD!

I found Emeril's Seafood Mac and Cheese on Martha Stewart's website so I knew it had to be good. I used Imitation Crab for the seafood part cuz my hubby loves that stuff and hey, it's WAY cheaper than lobster! The verdict? SUPER YUM!

Comforting Pork for a Comforting Dinner

Happy March everyone! It's still chilly here in SF so I decided to make a comforting dinner with Pork in a Mustard Cream Sauce. I served the pork with stuffing so what could be more comforting right?

Ingredients:

1/2 lb pork, cut into chunks
Salt and pepper
2 Tbsp butter, divided
1/4 c onions, diced
1/4 c dry white wine
1/2 tsp dried sage
1/2 c heavy cream
1 Tbsp mustard

Prep:

1. Season pork with salt and pepper. Melt 1 Tbsp butter in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add pork and cook until browned. Remove and keep warm.

2. Melt remaining butter and add onions. Cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Slowly add wine and sage. Cook, scraping brown bits from bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon, until wine is reduced by half.

3. Stir in cream and simmer for 5 minutes until sauce is thickened. Stir in mustard and add pork back. Cover and simmer 5 minutes until meat is cooked through.