in the kitchen: slab pie

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happy monday, y’all!  my family had thanksgiving dinner yesterday.  i love the holidays.  i look forward to them every year and i get so sad when it’s over!  i love spending time with my family and trading recipes and laughs.  i’ve become the dessert lady at my family dinners.  the ladies on my side are some fabulous cooks…i mean like mouth-watering, gain twenty pounds, extraordinary cooks.  it’s a hard name to live up to.  but this recipe seems to be a hit.  i’ve adapted it a couple times depending on what fruit is in season, so for thanksgiving this year, i used apples.  it’s originally from the taste of home magazine.  and, if you’ve never tried rhubarb, it’s worth it.  it’s tart and wonderful.

raspberry rhubarb slab pie

 Ingredients

• 3-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup butter
• 3/4 cup plus 1 to 2 tablespoons 2% milk
• 1 egg yolk
• 2 cups sugar
• 1/3 cup cornstarch
• 5 cups fresh or frozen unsweetened raspberries, thawed and drained
• 3 cups sliced fresh or frozen rhubarb, thawed and drained
• VANILLA ICING:
• 1-1/4 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 5 to 6 teaspoons 2% milk

Directions

• In a large bowl, combine flour and salt; cut in butter until crumbly. Whisk 3/4 cup milk and egg yolk; gradually add to flour mixture, tossing with a fork until dough forms a ball. Add additional milk, 1 tablespoon at a time, if necessary.
• Divide dough in half so that one portion is slightly larger than the other; wrap each in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 1 hour or until easy to handle.
• Roll out larger portion of dough between two large sheets of lightly floured waxed paper into an 18-in. x 13-in. rectangle. Transfer to an ungreased 15-in. x 10-in. x 1-in. baking pan. Press onto the bottom and up the sides of pan; trim pastry to edges of pan.
• In a large bowl, combine sugar and cornstarch. Add raspberries and rhubarb; toss to coat. Spoon into pastry.
• Roll out remaining dough; place over filling. Fold bottom pastry over edge of top pastry; seal with a fork. Prick top with a fork.
• Bake at 375° for 45-55 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely on a wire rack.
• For icing, combine confectioners' sugar, vanilla and enough milk to achieve a drizzling consistency; drizzle over pie. Cut pie into squares. Yield: 2 dozen.

*my personal side notes*

- it takes more than a couple tablespoons of milk to get the dough to “workable” form.

- rolling out the dough is not an easy feat.  get it somewhat rectangular and then just try to manipulate it in the pan. 

- when you “cut in” the butter, use a mix ‘n masher from pampered chef, or just a plain potato masher if you have one. 

this stuff is crazy good.  and trust me, it will be a hit wherever you decide to take it!

today we’re also featuring a few projects from some other lovely bloggers!  here are a few of the simple with a big punch projects that you shared with us last week:

stacey from embracing change re-did this fabulous sideboard.  if you need furniture ideas, her blog is the place to be!

lauren at the thinking closet. made a wedding invitation ornament.  how cute is that?  what a simple gift idea!

pj at planned in pencil. made this adorable banner for her front door.  i can’t wait to try this!  check out her blog to see why she plans in pencil.

hope you have a fabulous week!  enjoy the holiday and soak up all that food and family time!




linking with...

sunday

i heart nap time flamingo toes diy show off nifty thrifty things twigg studios under the table and dreaming debbiedoo's my 1929 charmer sew can do the girl creative lines across
i should be mopping the floor petite hermine flour me with love c.r.a.f.t. wtfab
sumos sweet stuff diy hsh homemaker on a dime This gal cooks the southern institute
keeping up with the rheinlanders three mango seeds Design dreams by anne Cupcakes and crinoline
it's so very cheri Setting for four Navy wifey peters Or so she says

monday

keeping it simple alderberry hill craft-o-maniac serendipity and spice the gunny sack
skip to my lou the dedicated house coastal charm boogieboard cottage funky polkadot giraffe
home stories a to z todays creative blog mrs happy homemaker sew many ways
chef-in-training the rustic pig my uncommon slice of suburbia the-chicken-chick
sewing barefoot

tuesday

cherished bliss a diamond in the stuff tip junkie the only ten cowgirl link up party

claiming our space elizabeth and co ivy and elephants uncommon designs
Thrifty Decor Chick house on the way carolyns homework domestically-speaking
lovely crafty home vintage wanna bee sugar bee crafts not just a housewife
reasons to skip the housework the kurtz corner ladybug-blessings my girlish whims
the winthrop chronicles nap-timecreations the diy dreamer jaqs studio
fabric bows and more twin dragonfly designs sew-much-ado
vintage on a dime

wednesday

southern lovely beyond the picket fence lil luna ginger snap crafts embracing change

savvy southern style live laugh rowe someday crafts 52 mantels grateful belly

tutorial tips & tidbits through the eyes of the mrs no minimalist here seven-alive
snap creativity sugar and dots the trendy treehouse momnivores-dilemma
primp fireflies and jellybeans fine craft guild a creative princess night owl crafting

thursday

the shabby creek cottage my repurposed life liz marie blog somewhat simple a glimpse inside
the 36th avenue house of hepworths love bakes good cakes chase the star love and laundry
craft junkie too western warmth fresh-eggs-daily fingerprints on the fridge
answer is chocolate delightful order chic on a shoestring decorating one artsy mama
simply designing the artsy girl connection little becky homecky sweet bella roos

friday

craftionary 2805 from my grey desk delicate construction 504 main just us four blog
simple home life becoming martha fox hollow cottage my romantic home family ever after blog

the shabby nest crafty scrappy happy finding fabulous stuff-and-nonsense the gingerbread blog
french country cottage the grant life jennifer rizzo redoux tater tots and jello common ground
one project closer lovely crafty home at the picket fence happy hour projects serenity now

saturday

classy clutter funky junk interiors positively splendid six sisters stuff serenity you

too-much-time be different act normal craft envy its overflowing
life on lake shore drive

in the kitchen- taco casserole

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it's no secret- i'm not a cook.  it's not my favorite thing to do, but boys like to eat, and my mama's taco casserole is one of their favorites.  it's also known around here as dorito casserole.  i've seen many other recipes for "dorito casserole", but none hold a candle to my mama's.  mama wasn't much on cooking either, but i managed to snag a couple favorites from her.  and who doesn't love a gooey, cheesy casserole?

ingredients:

1 lb ground beef

1 can cream corn

1 can kidney beans

doritos

1 pkg taco seasoning

shredded cheese

brown ground beef and drain grease off.  add taco seasoning and 2/3 c water and simmer for 2-3 minutes.

add cream corn and kidney beans.

put a layer of crumbled doritos in the bottom of a 9x13 casserole dish.

pour mixture on top of doritos and add as much shredded cheese as your family can hold.  bake for 20 minutes at 450. 

remove from oven and add more crumbled doritos on top.  bake for an additional 5 minutes.

serve with a side of....you guessed it....doritos!

watch family devour.

happy cooking! :)



in the kitchen: enchiladas

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growing up i never had much interest in domestic sort of things.  i would tease my mom relentlessly, saying i would never do all those "homey" things like she did and well, guess what....i love it now.  cooking, decorating, baking, organizing...i have morphed into quite the domestic goddess wannabe.

at the request of a longtime friend and scl reader, i will be posting a recipe a week.  some may be easier than others, but my goal is to break it down as much as possible.  i know when i started learning to cook, i always wanted step-by-step instructions with lots of pictures.  so here goes...endchiladas green family style.

this recipe feeds two, possibly three.  in my case i have one very hungry man and one very hungry toddler, so this is more of a feeds two kinda meal.  just double it, triple it, quadruple it...whatever you need to do!

enchilada ingredients:

2 c chopped/shredded meat

1 pkg taco or fajita seasoning

4 taco or burrito sized tortillas

shredded cheddar

enchilada sauce ingredients:

2 T veg oil

2 T flour

1/4 c chili powder

1 8 oz can tomato sauce

1 1/2 c water

1/4 t cumin

1/4 t garlic powder

1/4 t onion salt

salt to taste

step one:

season your meat with the taco or fajita seasoning.  for our enchiladas, i used leftover chicken and leftover flat iron steak.  but you could use whatever you have.  if you don't have leftovers, boil a couple chicken breasts and shred them or you can used ground beef.  follow the directions on the seasoning packet.  in my case, i added a 1/4 c water and my meat and just let it simmer until the meat was seasoned thru.

step two:

add about 1/4 c of meat filling to the center of your tortilla.  i tend to like more filling, less tortilla, so i used taco size tortillas.  burrito size are usually what enchilada recipes call for, so those work just fine, too.  fold your tortilla on the ends, and then roll the sides in to create a pocket.  place your seam side down in your baking dish.  be sure to grease your baking dish with butter or cooking spray so that the tortillas don't stick.

step three:

once your enchiladas are all rolled up, spoon on the sauce.  i used this recipe that i found online.  you could, of course, use a packaged enchilada sauce, but i like to make as much homemade as i can.  the recipe calls for 1/4 c of oil, but i found that this was too much.  my mom's rule of thumb is equal parts flour and grease, so just use 2 T to match the amount of flour.  to make the enchilada sauce:

heat the oil on med-high.  add the flour and stir.  add tomato sauce, chili powder and water and bring to a simmer.  adjust your heat to keep at a simmer.  add cumin, salt, garlic powder and onion salt and let the sauce simmer for about 10 minutes so that it thickens.  stir occassionally.

step four:

once your sauce is finished and your enchiladas are in your greased baking dish, spoon about half the sauce over the enchiladas.  i found that i used about half the sauce, so if you're doubling the recipe, perfect!  if not, half the recipe or freeze the leftover sauce for next time. :)  sprinkle your shredded cheese on top of this deliciousness and cover with lid or aluminum foil.

step five:

bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.

voila!  yummy enchiladas!  i served ours over rice.  you can use any kind that you like.  it would also be delish with some refried beans and corn chips.  yum.

enjoy!  happy cooking!

 

emeals review

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happy thursday, y’all!  almost made it to the weekend!  today i want to tell you all about the most fabulous meal plan i’ve ever come across.  i have tried lots.  i am a hopeless planner, scheduler, spreadsheeter, etc.  i have attempted lots of menus, meal plans, grocery apps on my phone, you name it. 

i am also an avid fan of dave ramsey, so one day on his website, i ran across an ad for emeals.  i checked out their info and it looked like it would work for us.  it’s just my husband, my two year old and myself, so i decided to go with the menu plan for two.  i was afraid it wouldn’t be enough food, but i always have enough to take for lunch the next day.  i shop at kroger—it’s our local grocery store here in the ky area.  they have a meal plan specifically for the items on sale at kroger that week.  how cool is that?! 

y’all, i have cut our grocery budget in half.  now granted, the meal plan doesn’t include breakfast and lunch, but i’ve been taking leftovers for my lunch and how much does a box of granola bars cost?  i’ve been spending roughly $50 a week.  i’m sure there are people who spend way less, and some who spend way more.  this seems like a good number for us.  we still have plenty of meat (at the hubby’s request), but the variety is probably better than i could come up with on my own.  there’s always a bit of tweaking involved to work around eating habits, but it’s relatively easy with this plan.  there’s at least one crock-pot meal each week.  i just can’t say enough about this…i’m in love! 

it costs roughly $5 a month for this menu.  so what can you sacrifice for that?  oreos, brand names, soft drinks...get creative.  there are also coupon codes available here!

working forty hours a week and coming home with no plan about what to make for my family can be pretty depressing for a type a like myself.  this takes all the guess work out and the plan is already made for me.  voila!  seriously.  check it out.  you will thank me for it.

*side note: emeals is not sponsoring this post and does not have a clue who i am.  i just really like them. :)



Well, here we are!

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Hi y’all!  Welcome to our brand new blog!  We are so excited to finally be up and running!  Big thanks to Nina at Nina’s Design Studio for all of her fabulous work on the blog! 

You can learn a little more about each of us under our “about us” tab.  But just to give you a little background—we are two twenty (ahem, thirty) something ladies chasing a big dream.  We love, love, love dressing up our homes, our closets and our faces. Girly girls in so many aspects, but consider yourself warned—we live in a tiny town in Kentucky so you miiiiight see some camo on here every once in a while.  Our husbands spend their free time hunting and gathering.  (That is possibly a bit of an overstatement.)   Matter of fact, both of us hunt, too.  And it is quite a sight to behold. 

Anyway, we hope that you stumble across something on our blog that you find helpful.  Whether it’s a project, a pretty little outfit, or a recap of a crazy day, know that we’re so excited to be here sharing it all with you!  Thanks for stopping by! 

We’d love to hear from you, so comment below or shoot us an email!