Yummy Cauliflower "Alfredo" Sauce

Ahh.. a new year. How many of you have a new years resolution? Fun fact: The number one resolution people have for 2015 is to exercise/lose weight. So if you happen to be among the hundreds of people who are on the road to a healthier lifestyle then this recipe is for YOU!

I don't know where to begin. This sauce is creamy... it's delicious... it's.... CAULIFLOWER? You read it right people - cauliflower. It's a whole new way to pack this not-so-thrilling veggie into meals your WHOLE family will love! Even better - it's so versatile and can be used for tons of yummy recipes. Even better than that - it's only 49 calories per serving!! I was so excited to try out this sauce and let me tell you, it did not disappoint! I admit that I had my doubts before making it. I thought it would have a strong cauliflower taste and that it would have a weird texture to it. WRONG. It even tasted pretty good with some quick Chicken Lazone.

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Cauliflower Sauce

serving size 1/2 cup, 49 calories

ingredients

5-6 cups cauliflower florets

8 large garlic cloves, minced

2 Tablespoons butter

6 cups veggie broth/water

1 teaspoon salt (more to taste)

1/2 teaspoon pepper (more to taste)

1/2 cup milk (more to taste)

optional: parmesan cheese

directions

1. Start boiling water or broth in a large pot. Cook cauliflower until tender (8-10 minutes). Do not drain.

2. Saute minced garlic in butter over low heat. Cook until soft, but not brown or burnt. Remove and Set aside.

3. Using a slotted spoon, put the cauliflower into a blender. Add 1 cup of the cooking liquid, garlic, salt, pepper, and milk. Add parmesan as well if you are using that. Puree for several minutes until the sauce is smooth. Serve hot!

Chicken Lazone

I've got two words that are gonna change your life.

Chicken Lazone.

It's probably some of the best chicken in the entire world! I'm serious. Not much gets a 10/10 on Mr. T's scale, but this did! I believe his words were, "I want you to make a whole cookbook of just this chicken!" And, "I don't care if you make this every night." Maybe that will convince you to make this tonight, or maybe it will be when I tell you this: It is one of the easiest and most flavorful things you'll ever make. Promise!

Once you try this chicken it's sure to become a staple in your kitchen. It's so easy to throw together and I bet you'll have most (if not all) the ingredients already!

First things first, cut your chicken breasts into strips. Next, combine garlic powder, chili powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper, and salt. Coat your chicken in it (I use the plastic bag shaking method) Then, melt a little butter in a pan and cook chicken until done. Remove chicken and pour heavy cream and butter into the pan. Simmer for about 5 minutes and that's that! 

This dish is awesome and pairs really well with pasta. We also love the sauce on fried okra :)

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Chicken Lazone

Ingredients

Seasoning

1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder

1 1/2 teaspoons onion powder

2 teaspoons garlic 

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt

Sauce

1/4 cup butter, divided

2 cups heavy cream

Directions

Combine all the seasoning ingredients and coat the chicken in it. Melt half of the butter in a skillet and cook chicken until done. Remove chicken. In the same pan, melt the other half of the butter and add the heavy cream. Let simmer for 5 minutes and serve over chicken, pasta, potatoes....

Chicken Stew

Hello all! It's been ages since my last post, but I have great news! During that time I've tried many things and hope to be sharing them with you!

Let me start by saying this: there is nothing better than a warm soup or stew during the winter.

Nothing.

I don't know about the rest of you but I just love feeling the warm going all the way down to my stomach! But enough about that, who's ready to get cooking? *raises hand*

Today I bring you a southern family staple.. Chicken stew! At least it is a staple in my family... Mr. T had never heard of it. (He never had chocolate gravy on biscuits either "shaking my head") But honestly, make this dish ASAP. You are guaranteed to love it or I will take your leftovers. Heh :)

So here is your grocery list.

2 large chicken breasts
4 bouillon cubes
6 medium potatoes
1 large onion
4 cups (32 oz) tomatoes - diced or crushed
2 cups (16 oz) whole kernel corn
sugar
salt & pepper


Start off by boiling your chicken breast in some water with 2 bouillon cubes. The bouillon cubes really help make the broth delicious! If you are using whole chicken, you could probably omit this item. While your chicken is doin' it's thang, grab your potatoes and start working on them. Peel them and cut into about 1 inch cubes. Then, peel and dice your onion as well.

When the chicken is finished, set it aside to cool. Make sure your pot is about 2/3 full of your broth. (add some water if you need to) Throw in your potatoes, onion, and 2 bouillon cubes. Cook them until they are fork tender. Scoop out about 1 cup of potatoes and mash them up. Return them to the pot for a bit of thickener.

Add your tomatoes, corn, salt, pepper, and sugar. Let the stew simmer for about 45 minutes (stirring occasionally.) Don't be scared if you think it looks too soupy.. it will evaporate!

Now you are ready to eat some wonderful stew! Perfect with some saltine crackers (my preference) or a slice of bread :)

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Chicken Stew

Ingredients

2 large chicken breasts
7 cups water

4 bouillon cubes

6 medium potatoes, peeled and diced

1 large onion, peeled and diced

4 cups (32 oz) tomatoes - diced or crushed

2 cups (16 oz) whole kernel corn

3 Tablespoons sugar

5 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons pepper

Directions
1. Cook chicken breast until done in the water with 2 bouillon cubes. Peel and dice potatoes and onions.
2. Remove chicken from pot and skim off fat from water.
3. Make sure the pot is about 2/3 full of water and add the other bouillon cubes. Cook potatoes and onions in water until fork tender. Shred chicken.
4. Scoop out 1 cup of potatoes, mash, and return to pot. Add tomatoes, corn, sugar, salt, and pepper. Let simmer for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Banana Bread

 
          I have been itching to get really brave and make some of my own bread. For me I have to ease into that big adventure and make something small first. So here we have some old bananas that are clinching to a very small amount of yellow left. And then here is Mr. T saying, "You know what we can use those for?" and, "You know what old bananas are good for right??" It somehow dawns on me:

Ahhhh, banana bread

I suppose that would be a good (small) step into the bread world. Instead of googling this one, I looked through my trusty cookbooks.

           Okay I might have got a little.... involved with that one. So many recipes!! Anyway, lots and lots of tiny post-its later I manned up and headed for the kitchen. I found a banana bred recipe in one of out old church cookbooks. Those are the best!! And to show how on top of this I was, I even took loads of pictures this time :)

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter and room temp

1 cup sugar

2 eggs, beat one at a time

2 cups flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 Tbsp buttermilk

2 tsp. vanilla

3 ripe, mashed bananas

Directions

1. Mash the three bananas with a fork and set aside 

2. Cream butter and sugar; add eggs one at a time.

3. Add rest of ingredients, including bananas; mix well.

4. May add 1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts if desired.

5. Bake at 350 for 1 hour and 10 minutes. Check after 1 hour with a toothpick; if it comes out clean take it out of oven.

Easy Taco Soup

There are some days that after the laundry, the cleaning, and - for some of you - the kid chasing that you just want to throw something in a bowl for dinner and be done with it. Well ladies do I have a treat for you!! Taco soup for dinner! Let me tell you, after searching the internet for recipes of taco soup I learned some things I didn't know. One: almost all of them have meat in it. Two: no two are the same. Man I tell you. I just kind of made up my own mix of some things and it turned out wonderful!! It was easy, spicy, and if I wanted to add some chicken to it I could.

I'm raiding our cabinets thinking, "What kind of beans do we have?" and, "What tastes like Mexican food?"
Well here is what I came up with:

ingredients
1 can black beans
1 can pinto beans
1 can diced tomatoes with green chiles
1 can whole kernel corn
1 can red enchilada sauce

And really, I just poured them all together and heated it up. It was yummy!! Surprisingly spicy too (but not too bad!) I put some cheese on top and ate it with Fritos! Would have added some sour cream if we had some. Somethings are just too easy!

Fried Squash

              Not too long ago I had a couple of days to go visit my mom. During that time my sweet sweet mawmaw cooked dinner for the family. You know what that means don't you? Oh yes, I got some handy grandmother tips for cooking. And everyone knows that they cook the best!! The main thing I got her to teach me how to make is fried squash. Mmmmmmmmmmmm! For those of you who have not been fortunate to live in the south and tasted this delightful dish straight from the garden. You're missing out! It isn't that hard... so go ahead, try it!

             First you need some squash. I used about 5 of the small/medium size but you will know what is enough to feed your family. (The small squash are the best tasting!) You also need one onion. Any type should work, but I used yellow. Then you need some all purpose flour and corn meal. Take some oil and start heating up a large skillet. Cut the squash and the onion up into slices.
As you may know, grandmothers tend to ditch the books and cook from experience. This means that they don't always have a measuring system. The flour and the corn meal are for coating the squash. Take about 1 cup of flour to 1/2 cup of corn meal, mix it up, and coat the squash in it. Put the squash and onion in the skillet. Let it cook for a little bit (<10 minutes) flipping once. Reduce to medium heat, cover, and let it cook until the squash looks like a delicious hot mess. like this:

Now doesn't that just make your mouth water?

10 Things to Make Instead of Buy

As Mr. T and I stumble through my new life as a housewife and his summer of getting paid once a month, we have to get even thriftier than we were before. After doing some extensive research I have found that homemade cleaners are cheaper and healthier for you! Here is a list of 10 things you should start making instead of buying. Go on, try it out! You know your inner thrifter is begging you to.


1. All-purpose cleaner
This solution is great for everything! And luckily it doubles as a way to get your kitchen smelling fresh!            

1/4 cup white vinegar

1 liter (4 cups) of hot water

 2 Tablespoons baking soda

1/2 a lemon   

Mix the first three ingredients together. Squeeze in the lemon juice and mix well. After the solution cools, you can transfer the cleaner into a spray bottle and you are ready to use!

2. Tub and Tile Cleaner
This is another great cleaner!

Mix together the following: 3/4 cup baking soda, 1/4 cup lemon juice, 3 Tablespoons salt, 3 Tablespoons dishwashing liquid, 1/2 cup vinegar, 10 drops essential oil (optional) Pour into a spray bottle or a container with a lid! (To use; spray and rinse with water)

3. Stain Remover

For those pesky dirt and grass stains..

Mix 1 part blue Dawn dishwashing liquid to 2 parts Hydrogen peroxide and pour directly on the stain. (Also just using hydrogen peroxide works pretty well)

4. Dusting Spray

Although I love using lemon pledge, this is a great homemade alternative! The vinegar cuts through grease and disinfects and the olive oil shines and protects wood. 

Mix 1 cup water, 1/4 cup vinegar, 2 tsp olive oil, and 10-15 drops of essential oil (lemon is my fave!) in a spray bottle. Be sure to shake the bottle before each use and buff with a dry cloth (or old tshirt)

5. Drain Cleaner

This could not be easier. I mean seriously!! 

Pour 1 cup of baking soda down the drain. Follow it by pouring 1/2 cup vinegar down the drain. Immediately cover the drain (using a plate for example.) Let the mix sit for about 30 minutes - do not use the drain during this time. After your 30 minutes are up let hot water run down the drain for 2-3 minutes. May repeat if necessary. 

6. Laundry Detergent
Can I say wow? Before I got married if you had told me I could make my own laundry detergent for dirt cheap I would have laughed at you. But seriously! This one I leave to the pro though, read her wonderful post about it here!

7. Window Cleaner
For every day cleaner here is a simple solution:

Equal parts vinegar and water

Mix together and put in a spray bottle. Then, as always, wipe the window with a dry cloth! :)

8. Febreeze
I try to not use febreeze a lot, because I feel like I should clean instead of try to mask the odor. But there are times that the garbage can smells gross, my grandmothers quilt smells like feet, or I have guests coming in ten minutes. When those times happen this is what I use:

1/2 cups of water, 1 Tablespoon of baking soda (or vinegar), and 1-2 Tablespoons of fabric softener. Shake together in a spray bottle and voila!

9. Swiffer Wet Jet Solution
The fact that Swiffer tries to convince you that you must buy new refills of everything they offer makes me somewhat irate. That being said, I do love my Swiffer Wet Jet! Use it allll the time! Now, how to save money....

Mix 4 cups of hot water, 1 cup of lemon juice, and 3 cups of vinegar in a pitcher. Stir in 1/4 cup liquid dish soap. Make sure it's good and mixed then pour it into your old swiffer container. Now, those lids look like they can't be taken off but they are just being deceptive. Here is an instructable on how you open the darn thing.

10. Swiffer Pads
This is one - I must admit - that is still on my to-do list. (for shame!) I'm simply waiting to use all the pads I have. However, if you have just a smidge of knowledge in the sewing department these handmade Swiffer pads from the Crafty Little Bee are a great project!