Smoky Mountain Chicken

Yummy Yummy Yummy!!! There is NOTHING bad about this chicken, it was absolutely delicious. I usually just eat half of my chicken and pass the rest on to Gray but I had to eat every bite of this chicken! This recipe is slightly adapted from BlogChef.

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp Italian seasoning
18oz barbecue sauce
8 slices cooked and crumbled bacon
1 1/2 cup colby jack cheese
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1/2 cup chopped tomato




Heat oven to 350.  Lightly grease a 9x13 pan. Season each chicken breast on both sides with pepper, garlic powder and italian seasoning. Bake for 25 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Remove from oven and brush with bbq sauce on both sides. Top each chicken breast with 1/2 cup of colby jack cheese and then with crumbled bacon. Return to the oven and cook for 8 minutes or until the cheese is melted. Remove from oven and top with green onion and tomato. 

Million Dollar Pound Cake

My Grandmama Sam was known for her pound cakes.  I don't remember ever seeing her and her not having a pound cake for us.  Everyone in her small town knew about them and our whole family loved them. She passed away several years ago and I asked for one of her pound cake pans, she had tons.  It took me a while to get up the guts to try one myself.  This is not her recipe. But in trying pound cakes this is one of my favorites so far! This recipe is from My Recipes.

1 lb butter (softened)
3 cups sugar
6 large eggs
4 cups flour
3/4 cup milk
1 tsp almond extract
1 tsp vanilla extract

Beat the butter on medium speed until it is light and fluffy. Slowly add in the sugar and continue to beat the mixture over medium heat. Begin to add the eggs one at a time until the yolks are gone. Alternate adding the flour and milk.  Once all of the milk and flour have been added the mix in the extracts. Grease a tube pan with generously with butter then lightly sprinkle flour on top of the butter. Pour the batter into the pan and bake at 300 for 1 hour and 40 minutes.  Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes before removing the cake from the pan. Let cool completely before slicing.

Pizza Primavera

I love a good pizza recipe!  We loved loading this up with fresh veggies, especially this time of year! This recipe is adapted from Pink Parsley.

1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
olive oil
salt and pepper
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp flour
3/4 cup milk 
2 garlic cloves (minced)
1 cup Parmesan cheese
1 pizza dough recipe (this one or your favorite!)
3 thinly sliced asparagus spears
2/3 cup chopped fresh spinach
1/3 cup finely chopped vidalia onion
4 sliced baby portobello mushrooms
1 1/2 cup freshly shredded mozzarella cheese

Heat oven to 425. Prepare your pizza dough according the recipe and roll it out. Brush with olive oil and place in the oven for 4-7 minutes then remove and set aside. In a sauce pan melt the butter. Whisk in the flour and let cook and bubble for 1 minute while you continue to whisk. Slowly whisk in the milk. Stir in the garlic and continue to whisk as it thickens up.  Once it's thickened whisk in 1/3 cup of parmesan cheese then remove from heat and season with salt and pepper.  Spread the sauce onto the pizza, you may not need all of it. Layer the spinach, onions and asparagus. Top with mozzarella and then add the tomatoes and mushrooms. Bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbly. Remove from oven and let sit for 5 minutes before slicing.

Chocolate Chip Reese's Pieces Cookies

I love Reese's Pieces, they are on e of those candies that I sometimes forget about but when I have them again I remember how much I love them. I adapted this recipes from Crazy for Crust.


1 cup butter (melted)
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup light brown sugar
 2 large eggs
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 tsp almond extract 
1 tsp baking soda
3 1/4 cups flour
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup milk chocolate chips
1 cup Reese's Pieces

In a stand mixer combine the melted butter and sugars using the paddle attachment. Add one egg and mix until fully combined then add the second egg. Mix in the extracts. In a bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt. Slowly add the flour mixture to the butter mixture. Stir in the chocolate chips and reese's pieces.  Place the bowl in the refrigerator for 3 hours.  When dough is ready heat oven to 350. Scoop the dough and roll into a ball then place on a nonstick cookie sheet. Bake for 11-13 minutes or until the edges are getting golden brown. Remove from cookie sheet and let cool on a wire rack.

Creamy Corn on the Cob

We love corn on the cob especially in the summer when we can get awesome fresh corn! This is hands down one of the most delicious and easy ways to make corn!

4-6 ears of corn (shucked)
1/2 cup milk
1/2 stick of butter

Bring water to a boil in a pot then add butter and milk. Place the corn in the pot and let boil until it is cooked through. Remove corn and serve.

Taco Braid

Okay this might be my new favorite thing.  It was so easy to put together and bake plus everyone got to top it off exactly how they wanted! This recipe is adapted from 365 Days of Baking and More.

1 can refrigerated pizza dough 

1 lb ground beef

1 pkg taco seasoning

1/3 cup water

1 cup shredded mexican cheese blend 

toppings (sour cream, salsa, cheese, onion, avocado, tomato or lettuce)

Heat oven to 375.  Brown ground beef in a skillet and drain off grease then stir in taco seasoning and water.  Grease a sheet ban and roll out the pizza dough. Using a pizza cutter make 1 1/2 in cuts on either side of the pizza dough. Place the taco meat and the shredded cheese in the middle of the crust. Alternate laying the cut sides over the filling to replicate a braid. Fold over each end to seal. Bake in the oven for 25 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven, slice and add toppings.

Vegetable Quiche

Quiche is one of my favorite things to make! It's so easy and makes such a delicious meal with just a side salad or some fruits.  It's also a great way to not waste extra vegetables that you have left over from the week.

1 pie crust
6 eggs
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 cup shredded swiss cheese
2 cups chopped vegetables (i used broccoli, tomatoes, onions and mushrooms)
salt and pepper to taste

Heat oven to 350. Roll the pie crust out and place in a greased pie plate. Place the chopped vegetables into a mixing bowl and toss in the swiss cheese.  In a separate bowl whisk together the eggs, heavy cream, salt and pepper. Pour the egg mixture into the vegetable mixture and mix together. Pour into the pie crust and bake for 45 to 50 minutes or until cooked through. Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

The Best Chip Dip

I made this chip dip for our small group one night and everyone went crazy over it.  I'm a big fan of french onion dip but this was 10 times better. The dill totally makes the dip.  I adapted this recipe from Mostly Homemade Mom.

1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 1/4 tbsp dried minced onion
2 tsp dried parsley
1 1/2 tsp dried dill weed
1 tsp garlic salt

Mix all ingredients together and refrigerate for at least 3 hours before serving.

Margherita Flatbreads

Margherita style pizzas are my absolute favorite. I love fresh mozzarella, I love basil, I love yummy sliced tomatoes.  I adapted this recipe from Let the Baking Begin.

2 Naan
2 roma tomatoes
1 bunch of basil
8oz fresh mozzarella
1/3 cup olive oil
3 garlic cloves (minced)

Heat oven to 400.  Place a pizza stone in the oven while it heats. Mix together the olive oil and garlic. Brush the naan with the olive oil mixture. Once the oven is preheated place the flatbreads on the pizza stone and bake for 5 minutes or until they begin to crisp up.  Slice the fresh mozzarella into 8 pieces. The carefully slice the tomatoes.  Place the mozzarella onto the flatbreads then top with tomatoes and place back in the oven for 5-7 minutes then turn the oven on broil for a minute or two. Remove from oven and top with chopped basil.

Glazed Lemon Brownies

Well looks like I took a break which was totally accidental. My laptop died a sad sad death and so I have to use Gray's to blog.  Well he needed it for work then I was out of town then he was out of town. Finally we have a few normal days so I'm hoping to get some recipes back out there.  These lemon brownies were so intriguing to me so of course I had to try them out.  They are the texture of a good chewy brownie just with lemon flavor, total win in my book. This recipe is from Life in the Lofthouse.

Brownies:
1 cup flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter (softened)
2 eggs
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp lemon zest

Glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
1 1/2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 tsp lemon zest

Heat oven to 350.  Grease an 8x8 pan. In a bowl whisk together flour, sugar and salt. Stir in the softened butter with a spatula. In a small bowl combine the eggs, lemon juice and lemon zest. Stir the egg mixture into flour mixture and pour in to the pan. Bake for 25 minutes. Remove and let cool completely. Once the brownies are cooled, whisk together the powdered sugar, lemon juice and lemon zest. Pour the glaze over the brownies and let sit for 15 minutes before cutting.