Category Archives: cooking

Crock Pot Chicken and Barley Soup

Posted on January 7, 2012 | Leave a comment

I’ve had a bag of barley in my pantry for some time now.  I kept meaning to make a chicken and barley stew recipe that I found online.  Late this week I came down with a cold, and here it is Saturday and I’m still feeling crappy.  I looked in my pantry and decided to give the barley a whirl.  I just used items I had on hand.  Here’s what I did:

-  4 cups fat free chicken broth

- 1/2 Cup organic pearled barley

- 1 bag frozen mixed veggies

- 1/2 bag frozen onions

- 2 cloves of garlic

- 3 frozen chicken breasts (thin cut)

- 1 tbsp basil

- 2 bay leaves

Cook the garlic and onions in EVOO till fragrant and translucent.

Assemble all other ingredients in crock pot.  Cook for 3 hours on low.  Enjoy.

Low in fat, high in fiber!

→ Leave a comment

Posted in cooking

Tagged , , , , , , , ,

Merry Christmas 2011

Posted on December 28, 2011 | Leave a comment

The holidays were festive and fun around here!  We kicked off the holidays with a small shindig at our house the weekend before Christmas.  We had yummy food, wine, and cocktails (The Cranberry Kiss is a great holiday drink!).  The party really kicked off the week of Christmas appropriately!

On Christmas Eve we did the annual Day family gathering at my folks house.  Since we did a huge family Thanksgiving party, Brady’s First Birthday, and a family funeral all within a few weeks of Christmas, mom and dad decided to just do our small family on Christmas Eve (10 people vs. 25 people).   The party was great and mom and dad went all out with their menu.  After dinner we did the gift exchange, which is my favorite part!  This year my family used Amazon Wish Lists to help with the shopping and it totally worked.  Also, I was able to order almost every gift online…awesome.

On Christmas Day Ryan and I woke up at 6am to see what Santa had brought us.  Ryan got an XBox 360 and I got a Karaoke Machine and a new workout gadget called the FitBit.  We sang and danced using our new gadgets till 9am when we had to leave for DeSoto.

Ryan’s mom, Karen, was throwing a shindig in DeSoto, but it happened to be the same time as my Grandma’s party (so many parties…so little time!) so we arranged with Karen to come for brunch and leave around 12:30.  It worked out pretty good, we were able to visit with the outta town folks and open gifts with the kiddos.  From there we drove west to Everman, TX (south of Fort Worth).  My Grandparents have been doing this gathering since I can remember.  It’s an awesome lunch spread followed by a chaotic and fun gift exchange.  Each year we gain a few new family members (babies, husbands, wives, etc).  This year we added the new tacky sweater contest element.  I regret not getting any photos of the crew in horrible Christmas sweaters!

From there we drove back up north to Watauga, to open the wine and play with our new toys at my sister’s house.  We stayed way too late, but we were having such a good time!  Ryan had to work the next morning…sorry hun!

Overall it was a great Christmas season.  I got to see lots of family, ate delicious festive meals, and received some awesome gifts.  Below are some pics from the holiday festivities:

→ Leave a comment

Posted in cooking, Family, Fort Worth, Holidays

Tagged , , , , , , , ,

Mini Pumpkin Parfaits

Posted on November 26, 2011 | Leave a comment

A few months ago my sister and I were shopping at Pier One and came across their “Tasting Party” display.  Basically a bunch of cute tiny bowls, shot glasses, and spoons, for just a taste of dessert.  Ever since I saw them, they’ve been on my mind.  Earlier this week I went and purchased the 24-piece set for $29.99. Woohoo!

With it being the week of Thanksgiving, I thought it would be appropriate to attempt Mini Pumpkin Parfaits for my aunt’s Thanksgiving party.   I used this recipe from the Food Network.  The next challenge was how to transport the cute little creations.  Handyman husband to the rescue!  The morning of the party Ryan cobbled me up a carrying tray for my dessert.  Needless to say my family was impressed with my contribution to Thanksgiving dinner!  Pics below:

→ Leave a comment

Posted in cooking, DIY, Family, Holidays

Tagged , , , , , , , , ,

Front Yard Party!

Posted on June 19, 2011 | 1 Comment

We’ve had a dirt front yard ever since we ripped up those boxwood shrubs a few months ago.   My dad had an awesome idea to host a fish fry in the front yard while it is still somewhat cool outside and we don’t have our beautiful landscaping in place (fingers crossed that day will come soon!).  I sent out a few text messages and a Facebook invite and we decided to throw the shindig over Memorial Day weekend.   We had an awesome turnout, and the Grapevine Police had to show up around10:30pm to tell everyone to take the party inside! Success!

A few things that make a front yard party awesome:

  • The front yard is super inviting!  All our neighbors stopped by to say hello and have a beer.  People hanging out in the front yard is way less intimidating to party-goers!
  • Live music!  We are very lucky that my dad and several of our friends are musicians.  We told folks to bring their own instruments for a group singalong.
  • Plenty of beer!  We didn’t anticipate a huge crowd.  We started with a pony keg (about 80 beers), we had to make another run to Grapevine Beer and Wine for more.  Don’t worry, everyone either lived within walking distance or had a designated driver.
Oh, and the Grapevine officer that stopped by was super nice and just responding to a noise complaint.  They are real sticklers on noise violations around here, which we are thankful for when the neighborhood dogs start barking at midnight!
Here are a few photos from this fun party (I was super busy hosting that night so didn’t get many photos…if you have any pics, send them my way!):

→ 1 Comment

Posted in cooking, Family, Grapevine

Tagged , , , , , , , ,

Sunday Dinner: Blueberry Empanadas

Posted on May 17, 2011 | 1 Comment

Last week I made this Empanada recipe featured in Cooking Light.  The whole family raved…they were tasty.  I was left with remaining frozen pie crust, so I searched the web for some inspiration.  It dawned on me that I had a bag of frozen blueberries in my freezer, leftover from a brief smoothie phase I experienced.  I found this recipe from an actual blueberry farm, with a few substitutions:

  • Cut the Granny Smith apples
  • I used a package of cranberries and walnuts (the kind used as salad toppings).
  • Instead of regular butter, I used yogurt butter (Brummel and Brown).
  • Serve warm with a side of ice cream!

Linbo’s Blueberries Recipe #36: Blueberry Empanadas Printer-friendly

2 cups blueberries
1 cup finely copped, pared tart apple (such as Granny Smith)
1/4 cup walnuts
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla
dash salt
12 each 4 1/2 inch pastry round
1 tablespoon butter
Cinnamon-sugar for dusting 

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Combine apple, walnuts, sugar, flour, cinnamon, vanilla and salt in a medium bowl and mix well. Gently fold in berries. Place 2 tablespoons berry filling on half of each

4 1/2” pastry round, leaving about 1/2 inch along edges. Fold the other half of pastry over filled half, moisten edges and seal by pressing with fork. Repeat this procedure until all rounds are folded and sealed. Combine 2 tablespoons sugar with 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon. Brush each empanada with melted butter and sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar. Bake on greased cookie sheet 18 – 20 Minutes or until golden brown.

→ 1 Comment

Posted in cooking, Family, Sunday Dinner

Tagged , , , , , ,

Cowboy Chow

Posted on May 10, 2011 | 1 Comment

For Mother’s Day I took my mom and dad to Cowboy Chow, a cute restaurant in the revitalized downtown Roanoke area.  The restaurant had interesting decor and had a super exciting menu. The downtown area was bustlin’ and crowded, but we didn’t even have to wait for a table!  They also have an outdoor seating area which is a great option.

You can read my full Yelp review here.

→ 1 Comment

Posted in cooking, Fort Worth, Grapevine, Holidays, Southlake, Texas

Tagged , , , , , , ,

Sunday Dinner: Oven Baked BBQ Ribs

Posted on May 2, 2011 | Leave a comment
I found this recipe online here.  It’s truly amazing!  I followed the recipe to a T!  Side dishes were Au Gratin Potatoes (Weight Watchers recipe), and leftover broccoli salad.   Since the ribs took 3 hours and you have to baby sit them, it’s the perfect recipe for a chores-type Sunday.  Next time I’ll invite family over, but wanted to give my first stab at making oven ribs a dress rehearsal first!  Enjoy!
Original Recipe Yield 4 to 8 servings

Ingredients

  • 2 cups sliced onions
  • 2 cups ketchup
  • 2 cups water
  • 4 teaspoons salt
  • 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/2 cup white vinegar
  • 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
  • 4 teaspoons dry mustard
  • 4 pounds pork spareribs

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
  2. In a large bowl, combine onions, ketchup, water, salt, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, vinegar and mustard. Split ribs down the center between the bones.
  3. Heat a large lightly oiled skillet over medium-high heat. Add ribs and sear until browned. This may have to be done in several batches.
  4. Place ribs in a single layer in two baking pans or casserole dishes. Pour half of the sauce over the ribs, reserve remainder.
  5. Bake ribs in preheated oven for 3 hours. Turn and baste meat every twenty minutes with remaining sauce, using all sauce by two hours. Continue turning and basting ribs using sauce in the pan during the last hour of baking.

→ Leave a comment

Posted in cooking

Tagged , , , , ,