Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween, dear readers! This month has been yet another whirlwind! I've been busy as can be! Since the last time I've blogged, the Gamecocks beat Alabama, Adam and I went back to Hampden-Sydney for the first time since May for Homecoming and we went on a ridiculously fun trip to Butler Orchard in MD for a bonfire and hayride with some of our great friends! Unfortunately, I did not bring my camera to any of these events, and therefore you will have to take my word that they were so much fun. 

I managed to steal some photos from Facebook of Mallory, Heather, Ashley and Rachel's trip to DC! The weekend was so much fun! I can't wait to reunite at Christmastime for our annual Christmas Party!

Although I hardly ever remember to take photos of anything I do or see, I do, however, always remember to take photos of my food, which could be good or bad... 

Zucchini Chips

These are super yum. Eat them with Ranch. I promise you won't regret it.

Ingredients:

1/4  cup  dry breadcrumbs
1/4  cup  (1 ounce) grated fresh Parmesan cheese
1/4  teaspoon  seasoned salt
1/4  teaspoon  garlic powder
1/8  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper
2  tablespoons  fat-free milk
2 1/2  cups  (1/4-inch-thick) slices zucchini (about 2 small)
Cooking spray

Recipe:

Preheat oven to 425°. Combine first 5 ingredients in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk. Place milk in a shallow bowl. Dip zucchini slices in milk, and dredge in breadcrumb mixture. Place coated slices on an ovenproof wire rack coated with cooking spray; place rack on a baking sheet. Bake at 425° for 30 minutes or until browned and crisp. Serve immediately.

Minestrone

This soup is delicious when served super hot. We ate it with grilled cheeses. Make sure cook this in a "souper" big pot though!* This recipe makes ALOT! Note -- this picture does not do it justice!

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup minced white onion (about 1 small onion)
1/2 cup chopped zucchini
1/2 cup frozen cut green beans
1/4 cup minced celery (about 1/2 stalk)
4 teaspoons minced garlic (about 4 cloves)
4 cups vegetable broth 
2 (15 ounce) cans red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
2 (15 ounce) cans great northern beans, drained and rinsed
1 (14 ounce) cans diced tomatoes
1/2 cup carrot, cut into bite-size chunks
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
3 cups hot water
4 cups fresh baby spinach
1/2 cup small shell pasta

Recipe:

Heat three tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat in a large soup pot. Saute onion, celery, garlic, green beans, and zucchini in the oil for 5 minutes or until onions begin to turn translucent. Add vegetable broth to pot, plus drained tomatoes, beans, carrot, hot water, and spices. Bring soup to a boil, then reduce heat and allow to simmer for 20 minutes. Add spinach leaves and pasta and cook for an additional 20 minutes or until desired consistency. Makes about eight 1 1/2 cup servings.

Chili

Um, yeah. I've never made chili before on my own, but when I came across this recipe, I knew I couldn't mess it up. So I made it. And we are chili for three nights straight. It's the bommmmmmb! Eat it with cheddar corn muffins! Use Jiffy cornbread mix and dump in a ton of cheddar. Then bake them according to to the box. SO GOOD! And, I forgot to take a photo..

Ingredients:

6  ounces  hot turkey Italian sausage
2  cups  chopped onion
1  cup  chopped green bell pepper
1  pound  ground beef
1  jalapeño pepper, chopped
2  tablespoons  chili powder
2  tablespoons  brown sugar
1  tablespoon  ground cumin
3  tablespoons  tomato paste
1  teaspoon  dried oregano
1/2  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper
1/4  teaspoon  salt
2  bay leaves
1 1/4  cups  Merlot or other fruity red wine
2  (28-ounce) cans whole tomatoes, undrained and coarsely chopped
2  (15-ounce) cans kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1/2  cup  (2 ounces) shredded reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese

Recipe:

Heat a large (once again, I mean LARGE) Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Remove casings from sausage. Add sausage, onion, and the next 4 ingredients (onion through jalapeño) to pan; cook 8 minutes or until sausage and beef are browned, stirring to crumble. Add chili powder and the next 7 ingredients (chili powder through bay leaves), and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in wine, tomatoes, and kidney beans; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Uncover and cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Discard the bay leaves. Sprinkle each serving with cheddar cheese. Like most chilis, this version tastes even better the next day.
On to the MOST exciting news of the month yet.. 

Adam and I are..

MOVING INTO OUR OWN APARTMENT!!!

We move into the area of Arlington called Courthouse on November 13, and we couldn't be more excited!! All the odds and ends are falling into place and we will be ready when the move comes! 

So many fun things will be happening in November! Lots of football games, BIRTHDAY, November Supper Club, Mom and Jessica visit, HARRY POTTER 7 in theaters and THANKSGIVING!

It's the MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR!

As always,

 

*Bahahahahaha.

Side note: I found all these recipes on www.myrecipes.com.

Happy Fallidays!

Fall is here! I am head over heels in love with this season and everything that comes along with it. Over the last few weeks, I have been enjoying lots of time with family, friends and all loved ones in my life. It has been such an exciting time! I have a few updates to come in the next few days, but until then, here is what the beginning of fall has offered!

September 19 was Courtney's (one of my best friends and roomies) 24th birthday! We celebrated with dinner and a night on the town the night before, and surprised her with gifts on Sunday! 

Roomies out for Court's birthday 

The Louisiana-shaped cheeseboard I gave her! The heart is on Baton Rouge, her hometown.

Cheeseboard from AHeirloom on Etsy.

Later that week, I made a dish that I found, once again, from one of my favorite blogs The Pioneer Woman. This recipe, Penne alla Betsy, was named after Ree's sister and is so rich and decadent I couldn't pass it up. Sometimes you've gotta indulge, ya know?

Penne alla Betsy

Ingredients:

¾ pounds Penne Pasta
1 pound Shrimp, tail-on
3 Tablespoons Butter
3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 whole Onion (small)
2 cloves Garlic
½ cups White Wine
1 can Tomato Sauce (8 Oz)
1 cup Heavy Cream
Fresh Basil - To Taste
Salt To Taste
Pepper To Taste

Note: I used thin spaghetti because I was out of penne. It's the same effect, and it's still yum.

Recipe:

Cook the penne pasta until tender-firm, also known as al dente. Heat about 1 tbsp. butter and olive oil in a skillet. Add the shrimp and cook for a couple minutes until just opaque. Do not overcook them. Remove from heat and let cool for a few minutes. Now, put the cooked shrimp on the cutting board and pull off the tails. Chop the shrimp into bite –sized pieces and set aside. Finely dice one small onion. Mince two cloves of garlic. In a large skillet heat 2 tablespoons of butter and 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add the garlic and onion and sauté, stirring occasionally. After the garlic and onions have cooked a bit add your white wine. Let the wine evaporate for a few minutes, stirring occasionally. Now add an 8-ounce can of tomato sauce. Stir well until combined. Then add 1 cup of heavy cream. Continue stirring. Turn heat down to low and let simmer. Now chop your basil, or if you’re feeling very proper, chiffonaded. Now add your chopped shrimp back into the tomato cream sauce. Give it a stir and add salt and pepper to taste. Finally add your cooked penne pasta and give it a good stir. Serve with parmesan cheese and basil on top.

The next weekend Heather and Lauren hosted all of our friends at their new home in Glover Park for September's Supper Club. It was Southern themed, so everyone brought a favorite side dish while the hosts made the most DELICIOUS shrimp and grits EVER! I decided on Baked Macaroni and Cheese, minus the tomatoes and plus LOTS more cheese, and.. 

Peach Cobbler

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter, melted
4 cups fresh peaches - peeled, pitted and sliced
2 tablespoons white sugar
1 cup white sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup milk

Note: I divided this recipe in half (except for the amount of peaches) because I don't have a 9 x 13 inch pan. I used a pie dish.

Recipe:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pour butter in to the bottom of a large casserole or 9 x 13 inch pan. In the prepared dish, toss together the peaches and 2 tablespoons sugar. In a mixing bowl, combine the 1 cup sugar, salt, baking powder, flour, cinnamon, and milk. Spoon batter over the peaches. Bake for 45 minutes in the preheated oven, or until top is golden brown.

This past weekend, I hopped on a plane (yes, I know, it feels like I'm in an airport every other week... oh wait, I am..) to sweet South Carolina to celebrate the nuptials of my dear friend and sorority sister, Lauren and her fiance Chris. It was a gorgeous wedding in Sumter and I am so happy that I was able to attend. Congrats Lauren and Chris! I hope you are having a blast on your honeymoon in Mexico and enjoy married life to the fullest! 

 The happy couple! I totally caught Chris off-guard by my yelling from the top of a rather large bench.. but, it's still adorbs. :)

And finally, dinner last night..

Orange Chicken

Ingredients:

1 bag of broccoli, the kind you can microwave in the bag.. judge if you must..
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
2 whole Chicken Breasts Boneless And Skinless
1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
1 teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper, To Coat
1 bag of Uncle Ben's white or jasmine rice

Sauce:

1-½ cup Water Plus 2 Tablespoons Divided
2 Tablespoons Orange Juice
¼ cups Fresh Lemon Juice
⅓ cups Rice Vinegar
2-½ Tablespoons Soy Sauce
1 Tablespoon Grated Orange Zest
¾ cups Brown Sugar, Packed
1/4 teaspoons ground Ginger
3 cloves Garlic, Minced
¼ teaspoons Red Pepper Flakes
½ teaspoons Freshly Ground Black Pepper
3 Tablespoons Cornstarch

Note: This dish is SPICY. So, if you don't like that kinda stuff, go easy on the red pepper flakes or don't add 'em.

Recipe:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. In a saucepan over medium-high heat, combine all the ingredients for the sauce except for the cornstarch and 2 tablespoons water. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Once the sauce has started boiling, reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally. Generously sprinkle kosher salt and pepper over both sides of the chicken breasts.  Put the chicken on an aluminum foil covered baking sheet, and bake in the oven for about 45 minutes or until cooked through. Once cooked through, allow to cool enough to handle, approximately 5 minutes. Slice into bite-size pieces and set aside.
Turn the heat on the sauce to medium. In a small mixing bowl, mix the reserved cornstarch with 2 tablespoons water in order to combine and avoid lumps. Add the cornstarch mixture to the rest of the sauce and stir to combine. You will notice the sauce begin to thicken quickly. Stir for a minute or two until well thickened. Remove from heat.
In a large bowl, gently toss together the broccoli, chicken and sauce. Serve with (or over) rice.
 

And here's just a little something I'm proud of.. call me Martha Stewart, if you'd like. :) (Actually, you can call me Martha because I saw this idea in Martha Stewart Living this month.) 

Candle is from Pier One and smells like fall heaven. Taper candles and holders are from Williams-Sonoma circa 2009. 

So, that's it, folks. I hope that fall is making you as elated as I am feeling. Have a fantastic weekend! I have four of my best friends from high school (L-town, what?), Mallory, Heather, Rachel and Ashley H., coming to visit me in DC this weekend, and I could not be more excited to show them my home! Also, let's all say a prayer to the football gods that my precious Gamecocks can walk away with a win after meeting Alabama in Willy B on Saturday. GO COCKS!

Until next time..