I've Moved

It's official! I've moved to my new home online!

Come on by and say, hey!

How Do I Love Thee

It seems like yesterday we were standing in the resort on our honeymoon. Fresh faced twenty-somethings excited to build our lives together.

And then again, my heart doesn't count the years, the months or even the days. It's been full of love since I met him and my love grows deeper every year.


Sonnet 43 - How Do I Love Thee? Let Me Count The Ways
by Elizabeth Barrett Browning

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.

I love thee to the depth and breadth and height

My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight

For the ends of Being and ideal Grace.

I love thee to the level of everyday's

Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light.

I love thee freely, as men strive for Right;

I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise.

I love thee with the passion put to use

In my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith.

I love thee with a love I seemed to lose

With my lost saints,—I love thee with the breath,

Smiles, tears, of all my life!—and, if God choose,

I shall but love thee better after death.


May we always feel the excitement and love we felt on our wedding day!

Bacon, Portabello and Spinach Breakfast Casserole

Our hens are laying a bunch of eggs. Everyday we're getting about a dozen or so and are giving away eggs to family, friends, and people we meet on the street.

I exaggerate, but only slightly.

But, seriously, we've got a lot of eggs, y'all.

I've been using them in a lot of recipes and asked my Twitter friends this weekend for ideas for more recipes. And they had some great ones. The idea came from Hannah Braboy to make breakfast casseroles. I usually make them when we have company, but decided to whip up a new twist on my traditional one.





This time, I made a Bacon, Portabello, and Spinach Breakfast Casserole.

And it was some kind of yummy. It's a must-make around here now.


Here's how I make it.





Start with eggs. Imagine that.






Aren't they pretty? Give them a quick whisk.






Grab some bacon and cook it until it's just the way you like it --- extra crispy or a little flimsy. Your choice.

Rough chop the bacon and throw it in with eggs.






Chop up about two cups of mushrooms and toss with the eggs.






Next goes in chopped spinach. I love spinach, so I used about 3 cups.






Pour in 1/2 cup of melted butter.






Throw in a cup of shredded cheddar cheese. I use sharp. Give it a quick mix.






Pour into a casserole dish that has been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.

Bake for about 15 minutes on 350 degrees.






Remove from oven and let stand for about five minutes. Serve warm and enjoy.



Bacon, Portabello and Spinach Breakfast Casserole
Serves 8 | Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cooking Time: 30 minutes


Ingredients
9 eggs
6 pieces of bacon, cooked and chopped
2 cups portabello mushrooms, chopped
3 cups spinach, chopped
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 cup cheese, shredded


Step by Step
1. Spray casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Whisk eggs and toss in bacon, mushrooms, spinach, butter and cheese. Mix well. Pour into casserole and bake for 30 minutes.

3. Remove from oven and allow to stand for five minutes. Serve warm.


This makes an excellent make-ahead meal you can enjoy as follows:

- Quick Mornings: Mix all ingredients and pour into casserole dish. Place in refrigerator overnight and pull out next morning for a hearty breakfast.

- Freezer Meals: Make casserole per instructions and allow to cool completely. Wrap dish tightly in foil and place in freezer. For cooking, remove from freezer and allow to thaw in refrigerator overnight. Then, remove foil and warm in microwave for approximately five minutes.


Enjoy!

Grilling Set Giveaway from I Can't Believe It's Not Butter

My family loves to grill, y'all. I'm sure you probably know that if you have been visiting along with me, especially this past summer and the On the Grill series.

That's why I'm so excited about this wonderful grilling set giveaway from I Can't Believe It's Not Butter.

It really includes all of the tools you need for a perfect afternoon of grilling. Whether it's for a tailgating party, celebration of early fall or just because, you'll have what you need to get started with this set.





One lucky reader will receive the gift set, which includes:
o Two coupons for a FREE I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter! product
o I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter! Summer Newsletter with great grilling recipes
o I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter! Grill Basket perfect for grilling veggies, fish or chicken
o Set of Crate & Barrel Corn on the Cob Picks and Dishes
o Crate & Barrel Melamine Serving Bowl
o Crate & Barrel Grill Tongs and Turner
o BBQ Mitt





Here's how you enter.

Just leave a comment on this post by Friday, September 24th at midnight. I'll choose the winner using random.org and announce the winner sometime on Saturday, September 25th. There is not a limit on the number of entries.

One winner will be selected and must be located within the United States.

Good luck! 



(Disclosure: I was given a set as described above to review for this giveaway. The opinions of this product, as with all posts, are mine.)

Mingle Monday :: Great Photography Blogs and Link Your Social Accounts

One of my favorite things about Mingle Monday is featuring other people I believe you all will enjoy! Some are new discoveries for me and some have been favorites since before I ever began blogging myself. I love to share from the different topics I enjoy reading, writing, and learning.

And y'all, I love to learn about photography and am always trying to learn how to take better photographs. I feel like I'm constantly asking my friends for photography advice and I'm definitely always reading great sites that offer photography tutorials. This week, I'm sharing a few of those that I love and have helped me. I hope you enjoy them.

• Sideline Dad - Sports Photography Tips for Parents
•  
• Photography by Kent Weakley - Great tutorials and lessons for various photography situations.
•  
• Everyday Elements Online - Even though I use Photoshop CS4 and Lightroom, I've still learned a ton from Amanda's site. 
•  

Now it's time to Mingle!





If it's your first time joining in on Mingle Monday, relax! Mingle Monday is pretty simple and straight forward. No special blog posts to write, you aren't required to use the button, just add your blog, twitter, facebook, or other social media and visit a few of the others linked up when you can.

Swedish Chocolate Balls

We are the host family to a lovely girl from Sweden who is attending the local university. She has such an outgoing and delightful personality and loves to share about her country and her culture. And of course, I love to learn about Swedish foods.

Just take a look at these Swedish Chocolate Balls.





They are so easy to make and delicious!





I really think it's impossible to eat just one.

Or even two.

They are addictive, y'all.





I'm telling you, you'll be amazed at how quickly they disappear. They are a new found favorite at my house. I think they'll show up again over the holidays.


How cute they'll be in mini cupcake papers ready for a holiday party. 


Swedish Chocolate Balls
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups confectioner’s sugar
1 pound butter, softened
1 cup cocoa powder
2 tablespoons really strong coffee
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 cups rolled oats
Decoration: the traditional decoration is coconut flake, but you may use sanding sugar, colored sprinkles, toasted almond slivers, powdered sugar, powdered cocoa, etc.
Step by Step
1. Cream butter, sugar, and cocoa until smooth. Add in coffee, vanilla and chocolate, mix well. Add in oats and mix well on high speed with mixer until completely combined, about 3-5 minutes.
2. Pinch a 1 1/2 inch piece of dough and roll between your two palms. Roll in desired decoration to coat.
3. Eat immediately or chill for approximately 2 hours in the refrigerator for a firmer delight.
I can’t really tell you what to do with any leftovers of this recipe. There haven’t been any yet.
Enjoy!
 

Fall Flowers Make Me Happy

I love fresh, beautiful plants and dressing up my planters and urns for each season.





It just makes me happy.





And makes my whole house look warm and inviting.





And it was so easy to get it done quickly now days, y'all. Cause you know, we're all busy. Regardless of what our days are filled with, they are all filled.





I made a quick trip to my local home improvement store the other morning and was impressed with all of the variety available for autumn months.








Granted, I'm here in Georgia where we have mild weather, but I am impressed with the home improvement and garden supply stores for keeping selections you can easily move from their plastic pot into your own more decorative container. 

Within just a little while, I had all of my geraniums from the summer replaced with gorgeous new plants.

And hopefully any visitors we have surely won't suspect I am lacking in the green thumb department.  So, sshhh, don't tell them, okay?



What are your favorite plants for fall?

Last Days of Summer

We're drinking in the last drops of summer, ripe with sunshine and seasoned with thoughts of cooler evenings and shorter days.




Planning those last jumps off the dock and wondering what to do with the gum.






And thinking surely Mom won't mind holding it.


NOT! Yuck! Ick! Ewwwwww!


I can't even stand to touch my own chewing gum.





Catching those last of summer swims.





And end of day swings.


What are you doing to enjoy this last week of summer?

Easy and Delicious Boeuf Bourguignon

Boeuf Bourguignon can seem intimidating, but it's really easy y'all. And so tender and delicious it will be one of your favorite meals.

Especially in the cooler months.





It's the perfect comfort food.

I love Julia Child's legendary recipe in Mastering the Art of French Cooking. Honestly it's how I learned to make Boeuf Bourguignon and is the quintessential perfect recipe.

And she is the quintessential perfect cook in my book.

I grew up watching her with my Grandmother and loving every minute of it. I was mesmerized watching her. I still get that way when I hear her voice on television.

As I made Julia's recipe as a young bride, I changed it slightly and my husband still loved it.

Who knew?

I modified Julia Child's recipe and it was still edible!

That was most likely the moment I realized I didn't have to use a recipe to cook for my family.

Now, don't get me wrong. I'm still learning. I think I always will be and that's honestly one of the reasons I enjoy cooking so much.

I warn you there are a lot of photographs for this recipe. But please don't let that make you think it is in any way a difficult or complicated recipe to follow.

It does take some time, but is so worth it.

Now, let's get down to business.

Here's how I made it.
 
Start with your favorite beef roast, whatever you normally purchase. I sometimes use a chuck roast and sometimes a sirloin tip.

Either is delicious.

If the meat has a lot of fat in it, go ahead and trim most of the fat off. You don't want it in this recipe.

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees.

Trim the meat into about two inch cubes.






In a dutch oven over medium heat, drizzle approximately 2 tablespoons of olive oil.

Place the beef into the dutch oven and cook until all sides are browned.






Remove the meat from the dutch oven with a slotted spoon. Pour juices from pan into a small bowl for later use.






Put the meat in a large bowl.






Sprinkle flour, salt and black pepper over meat.






Stir until all meat is well-coated.

Return to dutch oven and place in a 450 degree oven for about five minutes, remove stir and return for another five minutes.

Then remove from the oven and turn the oven down to 325 degrees.






Pour burgundy or chianti and the juice you put in the small bowl earlier over the meat. The meat should be barely covered. If it is not, you can add beef broth, more burgundy or equal parts of both.






Chop mushrooms, onion, garlic, and throw in. Stir in tomato paste, fresh thyme and cover the dutch oven.

Return to oven for 2 hours.
 
This is when you can go do other stuff and the magic happens.






And you will want to just grab a fork and dig in when you take it out of the oven.

Yep, you sure will. And don't say I didn't warn you.






Serve over rice, noodles, potatoes alongside fresh vegetables. Garnish with fresh parsley or thyme.

 
Boeuf Bourguignon
Preheat oven to 450 degrees | Serves 6

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
3 pounds beef roast with most fat trimmed, cut in 2 inch cubes
2 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
3 cups red wine, such as burgundy or chianti
1 pound mushrooms, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon fresh thyme + sprigs for garnish


Step by Step

1. Drizzle olive oil into dutch oven over medium heat. Add meat and brown. Remove meat from dutch oven and place in large bowl. Pour juices from meat into small bowl.

2. Add flour, salt, and pepper to meat and coat. Return to dutch oven and place in 450 degree oven for five minutes. Remove and stir. Return for five more minutes. Remove and place on simmer on cooktop.

3. Pour red wine, reserved meat juices in dutch oven until meat is barely covered. Add mushrooms, garlic, onions, tomato paste, and thyme to the dutch oven. Stir until well-combined and allow to reach a simmer. Return to oven at 325 degrees and allow to cook for two hours.

4.  Remove from oven and serve with rice, noodles, potatoes, and vegetables.
Boeuf Bourguignon makes a wonderful make-ahead meal and is really better the next day when it is reheated.





I've been known quiet frequently to make a double batch of this delicious dish to share with family or just to make sure we have plenty for another meal.


As Julia used to say...
Bon Appetit!

Protein Power to Start Your Day {Jimmy D's Giveaway - Closed}

Have you ever had one of those days when you just grabbed a cup of coffee and plowed right on into your day? Skipping breakfast because you just didn't have time?

Remember how you felt about 10 o'clock?

Yeah, I'm dragging.

Not only is it better to grab something to eat, according to WebMD, I'd have a more energy if I included protein. And y'all know I've been working hard to get more protein in my family's mornings. 

While I was in New York City for BlogHer, I was able to meet the star of one of Little Buddy's favorite commercials.






And I learned about the new Jimmy D's line from Jimmy Dean from these wonderful ladies.




Jimmy D's are made with delicious turkey sausage in their French Toast Griddler, French Toast Duos, and their Griddle Sticks. They were so nice to send me coupons for my family to try them and to giveaway so you can try them, too.


About the giveaway:

How to Enter: 
Simply leave a comment on this post by September 17th to be entered into the drawing.

What's the Prize:
Three (3) coupons for any one (1) Jimmy D's product. (up to a $6.99 value EACH).

How Selected:
I'll utilize random.org to select one winner. I'll announce the winner sometime on September the 18th by updating this post and emailing the winner directly.

But you know what? Everyone really gets something out of this. Jimmy Dean has provided a coupon for $1.00 off any box Jimmy D's products!

***** Winner Announced *****

Congratulations to Cara P. for winning this wonderful giveaway. Email me your contact information and mailing address and I'll get these sent right to you.