My Recent Discovery: Doberge Cake

Y'all! 

As a Southern Diva and Louisiana girl at heart, I'm ashamed to admit this little secret. I mean, seriously.  I feel like I have been living under a rock all my life. I've completely disappointed all my Southern Sisters. Please forgive me, but I've never had Doberge Cake. Gasp! 😱 I know, right?

My fascination with Doberge Cake came recently while I was reading Lisa Wingate's novel, The Book of Lost Friends. Other than bookworms claiming how wonderful this book is (as of this writing, I have yet to finish it), I knew nothing about it. So imagine my surprise when I discovered that the setting takes place in Augustine, Louisiana. Then I read that one of the characters had "brought a Doberge Cake" and my curiosity was peaked. 

Doberge Cake? What the heck is that? I literally had to put the book down and turn to my trusty friend, Google, for help. Pronounced "dough-bosh" in North Louisiana and "dough-bear" in South Louisiana, Doberge Cake is a multi-layered cake with a custard or pudding between the layers and topped with icing glaze or frosting. Sound delicious? Yes, indeed!

So then I got to thinking...have I ever had a piece of this decadent dessert? Surely I have, right? I mean, I AM from Louisiana! I found this three minute clip about a baker in Baton Rouge that is keeping Ms. Beulah Ledner's, the originator of the Doberge Cake, sweetness alive. 

Unfortunately, the closest I've gotten to this cake is my Great Aunt Irene's yellow cake with chocolate icing. She would bring it to our family reunions when I was kid and the adults would nearly knock each other down for a piece of that cake. Although it was multi-layered, it did not have pudding between the layers. Instead, Aunt Irene made a VERY gritty, chocolate icing by boiling cocoa with LOTS of butter and sugar! I remember sitting at the table with my mom, aunts, and grandmother as we listened to her describe how she made the cake. She told us that she used a long piece of string to cut the layers and as a kid, I thought that was just fascinating. What I would give to have that recipe today!

So now I'm on a mission. Although I could probably get a local bakery to make one for me, I'm planning to have an "original" piece of Doberge Cake the next time I'm in New Orleans since that's the birthplace of this sweet treat and I can hardly wait! 

Have you ever had Doberge Cake?

Tasty Tuesday ~ Jambalaya

Are you confused about Sunday Suppers and Tasty Tuesdays? I promise today is Tuesday. 

A few Sundays ago, I posted this pic on my IG Stories and everyone began asking for the recipe. It is really easy, but be warned: it makes alot! And that's why I like to make it for big crowds or share the recipe with friends. On this particular night, I took half of the jambalaya to our neighbor who was recently diagnosed with ovarian cancer.  

Here's the recipe!

Jambalaya

3 Tablespoons of olive oil, divided
2 boneless chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
1 pound of sausage, sliced thinly
3 small bell peppers cored and diced (I use red and green)
2 ribs of celery
1 jalapeno pepper, diced
1 white onion, diced
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 14 oz. can of crushed tomatoes
3-4 cups of chicken broth
1 1/2 cups of uncooked rice (I use brown)
2 Tablespoons of Cajun Seasoning
1 teaspoon of thyme, crushed
1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
1 bay leaf
black pepper

Heat 1 Tablespoon of oil in a very large pan over medium-high heat. Add chicken and sausage and saute until chicken is done and sausage is light brown. Remove from pan and set aside. Add the remaining oil and peppers, celery, jalapeno, onion and garlic. Saute until the onions are soft. Add back the meat, crushed tomatoes, chicken broth, rice and the remaining seasonings. Continue cooking until mixture begins to simmer. Cover, reduce heat and let simmer for 20-25 minutes or until rice is cooked through. 

I only add about 2 bell peppers and half an onion. I also normally have to add 4 cups of chicken broth, but start with 3 and then you can add more to your desired consistency. I don't like "dry" jambalaya and I don't like it "wet," either (the picture above was taken about mid-way through simmering). And, of course, I end up adding more cajun seasoning and cayenne pepper simply because we like spicy food. One thing you do NOT want to do is add salt to this recipe. At least not without tasting it, first. It is plenty salty to me, so I would suggest using low-sodium chicken broth. You can add shrimp if you like, but do so at the very end of the cooking time and simmer until the shrimp are no longer pink. 

Serve with a small salad and garlic bread. Enjoy!

Taco Tuesday: Spicy Shrimp Tacos

It's Taco Tuesday, so I can't think of a better way to celebrate the day than with these delicious spicy shrimp tacos. 

And I have to apologize for not sharing this recipe with you sooner. It's been a little family favorite secret since Alise found the recipe last Spring on the internet. And to say that we didn't enjoy this secret all summer, would be an understatement! Alise's friends have been in and out and every time they come back, THIS is the recipe they ask for! We've even changed it up a little bit by grilling the shrimp and it's even yummier! Don't let the plethora of ingredients scare you. This recipe is SO easy! 

Here's what you need to make these yummy tacos:

Ingredients

flour tortillas
1 lb. of shrimp, fresh or frozen/thawed
1 t. paprika
1/2 t. garlic powder
1/4 t. cayenne pepper
1/4 t. salt
1/8 t. black pepper
1 T. oil
1/4 c. ranch dressing
1 T. Sriracha
1 c. shredded/chopped cabbage
1 jalapeno pepper, diced 
1-2 T. apple cider vinegar
1 T. honey
1 lime
1/8 t. salt
fresh chopped cilantro to taste

Sriracha Ranch Sauce - Stir together the ranch dressing and Sriracha. I usually double the sauce. 

Slaw Mixture - Stir the jalapeno pepper, apple cider, honey, lime, and salt together. Pour over the shredded cabbagge (I buy the slaw in the bag) and sprinkle with cilantro. I usually double the slaw because my family loves it so much. 

Season shrimp with the paprika, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper and then cook in oil until no longer pink. After the shrimp is done, cut into small pieces and layer on warm tortillas. Add the slaw and top with the sriracha ranch sauce. 

Wayne and Alise can't decide if it's the sauce or the slaw that make these tacos so good. You'll have to try them to see which one you think makes this recipe such a winner!

Happy National Pi Day!

A few years ago, I had a survey here on my blog and the question was, "Do you prefer cake or pie?" Surprisingly (to me at least!), the majority of you said, PIE! But being the numbers nerd that I am, National PI Day (March 14th) is one of my favorite days of the year! It's a given that today I'm stopping by my favorite pie shop and picking up not one, not two, but THREE slices of pie for my man, myself, and mini me for dessert! It's tradition in the Horton House. 

Confession: Out of all the things I've baked through the years, I've never made a peanut butter pie. Can you believe that? I can't. I mean, we like peanut butter and Wayne's favorite candy is Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, so WHY have I never made a peanut butter pie?

Another confession: I cheated on this recipe.  Instead of making a home made crust, I used a store bought graham cracker crust. And by doing so, I think this recipe could have actually made two pies, but instead, I made parfaits with the leftover pie filling. 

My inspiration for this recipe came from Pinterest and can be found here. It was a total WIN in our family recipe book. Get ready, though, because this recipe calls for lots of mixing bowls. It took a while for the whipping cream to get fluffy, even with my little hand mixer on the highest level.

The peanut butter layer included a box of vanilla pudding. Doesn't everything taste better with a box of pudding? I've recently discussed this with my blog friends and we've come to the conclusion that yes! Yes, it does! 

Loved that I found these mini Reese's to sprinkle on the top of the pie along with the drizzling of the leftover chocolate layer. Yes, there's even a chocolate layer.

This pie was so creamy and delicious, y'all! We loved it and I will definitely be making it again.

My earliest childhood memory of being in the kitchen with my mom was on Sunday afternoons. While my dad and brother took naps, mom and I would spend a few hours making something, which was usually a dessert. I loved to make parfaits with cool whip and a box of jello. Mama had these cute parfait glasses that she kept at the very top of the cabinet and I thought I was something special when I could coax her to getting them down and making red or green or orange parfaits. I lived for desserts back then and I guess I still do. So THIS is how the extra pie filling turned out! I made perfect parfaits!

My first ever peanut butter pie was a huge success! 

Happy National PI Day, Friends! 

National Spaghetti Day

Being the Carb Queen that I am, you know that I could not let National Spaghetti Day pass without a big shout out, right? And who better than to celebrate it with (other than "real" family and friends, of course!) than this sweet couple?

So here's the tea: There was this pin on Pinterest that has been burning a whole in my apron to try and I had an extra day off from work this week - because y'all know I need a whole extra day to get me back into our daily routine! - and so I decided to pull myself away from a really great book and the twinkling lights (Yes, our tree is still up!) and make it mostly because I already had all the ingredients. BUT...I decided to put my own fun twist on this new recipe and here's how I did it!

I decided to bake it in a cast iron skillet! Some friends and I were recently talking about a cast iron skillet and we managed to talk another friend into purchasing one. My grandmothers ALWAYS used cast iron and my mother cooked certain things in hers, too. Me? I don't normally like dragging that heavy thing out, but I do from time to time.

The recipe I referred to above, and inspired my own version, can be found here. I made some adjustments because, honestly, every time I read that the recipe called for cream cheese, I wanted to gag. Cream cheese in spaghetti? Nope. So here's my recipe for Skillet Spaghetti and even Alise said she liked this version better than the way I normally make spaghetti. That means alot, y'all.

I'm not a fan of meatballs, but Alise likes them and requested that I add some to the recipe. I used frozen meatballs and browned a few in a dutch oven. I removed them and then added ground beef, onion, and minced garlic to the pan. I browned the meat and then drained the excess.

While the spaghetti was boiling, I combined the meat and sauce and brought the mixture to a boil. I like to add additional seasonings like basil, parsley, oregano, and Italian seasoning for added flavor. Just add to your taste.

I ended up leaving out the cream cheese and combined three cups of mozzerella and one and a half cups of parmesan in a small bowl to sprinkle between the layers.

I combined the sauce and spaghetti and layered half the mixture in a lightly buttered cast iron skillet. Then I sprinkled the cheese mixture, added the second layer, and ended with another sprinkling of cheese on top. I baked it in a 350 degree oven for twenty minutes. 

And THIS is how amazing it turned out! Absolutely delicious! I cut the servings into pie wedges and we enjoyed a yummy meal, complete with garlic bread and leftover black eyed peas from New Year's Day. It was the ultimate southern comfort food! 

Happy Weekend, Friends! I'll be busy taking down our Christmas tree on Saturday and having an early birthday dinner with friends later that evening. I've decided that Sundays are going to be as restful as can be for the Horton's in 2019, with no errands or last minute projects (ahem!). I hope your weekend is peaceful, too. I'll be back on Monday to share my word of the year with you. Can't wait!

Tasty Tuesday: Caramel Apple Cream Cheese Spread

Merry Christmas, Loves!

Today I'm sharing an easy peasy recipe that I recently took to a Friendsgiving. I know what you're thinking! You're thinking, you just shared with us yesterday about maintaining your weight during the holidays and now you hit us with a dish like this! Am I right? Look, I have to be all things to all people. Remember, it's called, moderation. 

So the party was scheduled for the Friday after Thanksgiving, and thinking that everyone would still probably be in a food coma, I decided to take an appetizer that was simple and yet "fallish," too. Unbeknownst to me, we ended up sharing my dish as dessert because apparently we WEREN'T in a food coma, and instead, we were suffering from much needed refueling from Black Friday shopping! Ha! After diving in to some delicious gumbo, we devoured this yummy  recipe as a dessert with apple slices and crackers. There may have been a few glasses of wine or Southern Bourbon Slush consumed, too (Not me!  Not a bourbon girl and I've warned off alcohol for the holidays). 

Don't think I'm crazy, but I'm not a fan of the block of cream cheese with some kinda sauce/jelly/whatever poured over it. So the fact that I would even decide to make something that involved a whole block of cream cheese with something poured over it is highly surprising. But y'all! It's caramel! And it's got crushed Health Bar sprinkled on top! What more could you ask for? 

Okay, I know.  The Heath Bar crumbles are missing in this picture, but that's because SOMEBODY ATE MY HEATH BARS for the second helping of this appetizer!! I didn't take a picture of the ORIGINAL dish at the Friendsgiving and when I re-created it for SUPPER for Wayne and Alise last Thursday night (because that's how I roll by the time Thursday nights arrive), my Heath Bars were G-O-N-E! So, they missed out on the extra deliciousness that that particular candy makes! So I guess what I'm trying to say is, don't forget the Heath Bars!  Here's this yummy recipe and I promise it will be a huge hit at your next holiday party! 

Caramel Apple Cream Cheese Spread

8 oz cream cheese

caramel topping

apples, any variety

2 Heath Bar candy bars

Drizzle caramel topping over cream cheese and on the sides of platter. Crush Heath Bar candy and sprinkle over top and sides of cream cheese. Serve with apples or crackers. 

Tasty Tuesday: Pumpkin Dip

When we had our "big" football kick off party a few weeks ago, my friend Amy brought her wonderful Pumpkin Dip. 

Side note: Did I ever tell y'all that my parents almost named me Amy? Just checking. 

Side note number two: If people offer to bring something to your party, LET THEM! Tell them to make that favorite dish of their's that you love. It takes a burden off of you, the Hostess, and makes them feel like they are contributing. 

So needless to say, I love Amy's dip and I don't normally make it myself because I forget about it - and I'm not really a pumpkin fan - but her dip is a delightful exception to my palette. The GUYS even love it! Serve it with vanilla wafers, graham crackers, small butter cookies, and sliced apples.

So I'm leaving you, Friends, in the month of September with an easy Fall recipe to try! I hope you like it as much as we do! And if you REALLY want to show off your Hostess With The Mostess skills, serve the dip in a small hulled out pumpkin! It looks fancy-shmancy that way! You can also impress your friends by serving it in an inexpensive glass pumpkin candy jar. Too cute!!

Pumpkin Pie Dip

12 ounces of cream cheese
2 cups of powdered sugar
1 cup of canned pumpkin
1 teaspoon of ginger
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
2 cups of Cool Whip

Beat cream cheese and powdered sugar until light and fluffy. Stir in pumpkin and spices. Fold in Cool Whip and refrigerate at least 30 minutes before serving.

So easy and delicious! I'm planning on taking this dip to a This Is Us Premiere Party tonight!  Are you ready for season 3?? My friend, Staci, has got a fun game that we're going to play during the show and we're also going to write down our predictions and see who gets the closest at the Season Finale in November. It's going to be a fun night! 

PI Day ~ Strawberry Pretzel Pie

Happy PI Day! And, no, I haven't left off the "E" accidentally. Today is March 14th, also known as the Day of PI - 3.14. March 14th! I have been known to drop in our local pie shop to celebrate this awesome day with a nice slice of chocolate silk pie. What? Your town doesn't have a pie shop? Well, they need to get one, pronto! 

Strawberry season is nearly upon us here in Louisiana and a few weeks ago, I found this delicious looking recipe on Pinterest and decided to try it! I didn't realize at the time I pinned it that it was a Pioneer Woman's recipe. Here's how it turned out! 

Love having my Baby Girl in the kitchen with me! Saturday afternoon, she helped with making this Strawberry Pretzel Pie by chopping up the pretzels in a ziplock bag. My soon-to-be thirteen year old has gotten camera shy and wouldn't let me get a pic of her helping, but she did a great job on the crust!

One of our local grocery stores had strawberries on sale and so I scored these beautiful strawberries, plus an additional package for a mere penny. Alise especially loves strawberries and one of the reasons I decided to try this recipe is for her. I have a tendency to lean toward chocolate desserts and so I thought I would try something different. 

And here's the finished dessert! We all loved the sweet and salty taste and it was the perfect finish to a nice grilled supper by the pool Saturday evening. Instead of cutting the pie into slices, we just scooped it onto dessert plates. I decided not to use the whipped cream topping that the recipe called for, so I used Cool Whip instead. 

You can find Ree's recipe HERE. It would make the perfect dessert for Easter!

And since my Weight Watcher's Lemonade Pie is getting some extra attention these days, I thought I would link that post here today, too! When I got this recipe from our WW leader about twenty years ago, it was two points! It's SO good!

Happy PI Day, Peeps!

Shrimp Creole

The fam and I have really been enjoying some festive Mardi Gras recipes that I found recently in a local grocery magazine. There's just something about this time of year that brings out that creole cravings of dark, rich roux, boiled crawfish, spicy shrimp, andouille sausage, and lots of Cajun seasonings. Maybe it's because it's carnival season and everyone is in good spirits after the long winter month of January. Whatever it is, we're loving it!

This week, I tried the Shrimp Creole recipe, and again, easy peasy! I made it on a Monday night after a middle school basketball game and we were serving the dish up in bowls on a bed of brown rice thirty minutes later.

I took a few short cuts when it came to meal prep though. As I mentioned last week, I used frozen shrimp that I had thawed in the fridge during the day. Instead of all the chopping, I used the frozen blend of onions and peppers, and just eye balled how much I needed. Now, there's one thing ya gotta remember when making the roux (the oil and flour mixture). The darker the better, but you certainly don't want to burn it. I was in a hurry that evening and didn't get my roux as dark as we normally like it, but the dish turned out just as great.

My only change for next time is that I will add a little heat by using some cayenne pepper. We Louisiana peeps love our spice!

Overall: Four and a half stars for our family. We loved the flavor and I certainly loved the ease of preparing it. Shrimp Creole is a win for us!

Shrimp Creole

1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup flour
1/2 cup onions, diced
1/2 cup celery, diced
1/2 cup bell pepper, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup tomato sauce
1/2 cup diced tomatoes
3 cups chicken or seafood stock
1 1/2 lbs shrimp, peeled and deveined 
1/4 cup green onions, chopped
1/2 tsp fresh thyme, minced
1/4 cup parsley, chopped
salt and cracked black pepper, to taste
1 dash Louisiana hot sauce, optional
white rice, cooked

In large heavy-bottomed saucepan, heat oil over medium-high heat. Using wire whisk, add flour until light brown roux is achieved, stirring constantly. Add onions, celery, bell pepper and garlic. Sauce' until vegetables are soft, about 10 minutes. Add tomato sauce and diced tomatoes, blend well into roux mixture.

Slowly add stock, a little at a time, stirring constantly until sauce-like consistency is achieved. Allow to cook for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally (Add more stock if mixture become too thick). Add shrimp, green onions, thyme, and parsley.  Cook for 5 more minutes. Season to taste using salt and pepper. Serve over hot rice. 

You might also enjoy this recipe, New Orleans Creole Shrimp Over Cheese Grits, that I posted last week. Be sure to hop over to The Blended Blog today for more Tasty Tuesday recipes.

Let the good times roll!

The Day I Didn't Want Soup & Made Soup

Did you know that January is National Soup Month?

I recently googled "winter comfort food recipes" on the internet. Our weekend here in Louisiana was going to be C-O-L-D and I was craving something warn, hearty and stick-to-your-bones kinda good. I did not want soup or pasta; I did not want a casserole or chili. I really wanted a great recipe that I had never made before.

I learned, after reading articles like, "The Best Winter Recipes Roundup," and "The Top 50 Winter Recipes To Beat the Blues," that soup, stews, and chilis are the number uno meals for beating the cold weather. And I get that. Other popular choices are Chicken Pot Pie, Shepherd's Pie, Chicken and Dumplings, Meatloaf, and Beef Stroganoff. Y'all know that my husband does not eat soups and stews or anything with the word, "pie" in it as long as it's meant to be consumed as an evening meal. Now, "Pie" for dessert is a different story.

What's a girl to do?

I decided to kick my meal planning up a notch by taking it into my own hands and decided to make something so new and comforting!

I MADE SOUP, Y'ALL!

I used two recipes from two of any favorite cooks, made some adjustments, and voila'!

Tristy's Chicken Tortilla Soup was BORN! Here's the recipe (more about the name twist in another post)!

I boiled my chicken. I'm a chicken snob and only use Tyson's chicken tenders and I like mine cut or diced instead of shredded. But you can do whatever. 

That's Jack photo bombing and hoping I will treat him to a piece of chicken!

I sautéed butter, minced garlic, and half a chopped onion in my dutch oven pot.

Then I added chicken broth, crushed tomatoes, enchilada sauce, and chopped green chilies. I let that mixture just begin to boil.

Next I added the fajita seasoning and about a cup of water. I let that boil. Feel free to add more water and salt and pepper to your consistency and tastes. 

Then I added half of each can of corn and the chicken. Stir it and let it begin to boil. Be careful here or the cream style corn will scortch. Why only half a can? I've learned from making my taco soup recipe, that cream style corn does just that! It tends to make the soup creamier and not so "soupy." I'm not a big corn fan and so the half can of whole kernel was just enough for me. You could probably use only one can of your preference. 

After the soup began to boil, I let is simmer for thirty minutes and then served it  into bowls with tortilla strips and cheese. You can also add a dollop of sour cream or top with tortilla chips instead. 

Tristy's Chicken Tortilla Soup

3 tablespoons of butter
1 teaspoon of minced garlic
1 small onion, chopped
14 ounce can of chicken broth
29 ounce can of crushed tomatoes
11 ounce can of enchilada sauce
4 ounce can of chopped chilies
one package of fajita seasoning (I used the Taco Bell brand)
1 cup of water (maybe more)
2-4 cups of chicken, cooked
1/2 can of whole kernel corn
1/2 can of cream style corn
salt and pepper to taste

Melt the butter in a large pot and saute the onions and garlic. Add the chicken broth, tomatoes, enchilada sauce and chilies and bring to boiling. Then add the fajita seasoning and water. After that mixture begins to boil again, add the chicken and corn. Continue to let the mixture boil and then reduce heat to low and let the soup simmer for thirty minutes. Serve with tortilla strips or chips, cheese, and sour cream.

I took leftovers to work the next day for lunch and it was even better! I think next time I make this recipe, I'll add some Velveeta cheese during the cooking time and leave out the shredded cheese.

Enjoy!

For even more recipe inspiration, visit The Blended Blog.

My Mama's Easy Pecan Pie

Okay I'll be honest. This is not a picture of my mama's pecan pie. I had every intention of making her pie, though, this weekend and sharing all the wonderful steps and pictures like the profs do, but what can I say? The weekend got away from me and well? Her pecan pie got thrown to the curb. Sorry, Mom!

However....

Because so many of you have asked for the recipe, I thought I would post it here for y'all and as a future reference for myself. Ya know? So I won't have to text my mom and say, "Send me a screen shot of your pecan pie recipe when you get a chance." Here goes:

Mama's Easy Pecan Pie

3 eggs

1 cup white Karo syrup

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 tsp. of vanilla

1 T. butter

1 cup chopped pecans

1 9 inch pie shell

Combine all ingredients and beat with mixer until well blended. Pour into uncooked pie shell.Bake at 325 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until the filling no longer shakes.

At this point, you may be like what the what? No worries!  My mama's got you covered!  Here's her own person story she texted me and I'm reposting here because it may be helpful. 

Who the heck wants a "shaky" pecan pie?  Not me! Take Mama's word for it! I promise it's delish!

Simple Shower Punch

This past weekend I got to shower my dear friend and one of my favorite basketball players. Dani is a younger version of myself - even if our hair color is completely different! - and I can't wait to see her walk down the aisle in a few months. We both share the same maiden name and come from the same small town (well, my parents were actually raised there, so that counts!), but we're not related. Dani graduated from college this past spring and found a job in healthcare, too. In some ways, she's like my little Sister and I am just so stinking' proud of her! Dani is also the person that introduced us to Stephanie two years ago so I will forever be indebted to her for that. 

I thought I would share the very simple punch I made for the wedding shower today for Tasty Tuesday. I actually found the recipe on Southern Living's website and it was a huge hit! Everyone loved it and I will definitely be making it again! 

Sparkling Punch

1 12 oz. can of pink lemonade concentrate, thawed

4 cups of white cranberry juice

1 quart of club soda, chilled

Stir together lemonade concentrate and cranberry juice cocktail in a large pitcher. Cover and chill at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours. Stir in club soda just before serving.

I actually made the punch without the club soda the week before the shower and froze it. I thawed it the day of the party and then poured in the club soda. I also had an ice ring full of strawberries and mint leaves. 

Enjoy!

General's TSO Chicken Recipe

Alise called me at lunch time on Monday complaining that there was nothing in the house to eat. Granted, I had just been to the grocery store on Saturday, so I knew better. I think she ended up eating a bowl of cereal, so I know the kid didn't starve, but still.  The phone call had me thinking that I really needed to get back to menu planning. Especially with school starting this week. I'll add that to my to do list.

Having S in our family forces me to make a full-blown meal once a week {twice a week during the summer when we had "family nights" on Tuesdays}. She is always hungry, always sending me recipes to try, always willing to eat anything, always inviting her team mates over, and always running away with my tupperware for her leftovers! I mean, I don't want it to sound like I don't cook - because I do! - maybe just not every single night.

Having said all that, this past Sunday night, S and her team mate W were craving Chinese and I had the perfect two recipes to make! I made fried rice and General's TSO Chicken and the girls loved it! Both recipes are family favorites from Pinterest and you can find the fried rice recipe by clicking HERE.

As for the TSO Chicken, the website is no longer available, but my friend Leigh came to the rescue because she actually had the recipe in her phone and was able to send it to me. So for future reference for myself, I'm posting the recipe here. This meal can actually be made on the cooktop instead of the crockpot, which is how I normally prepare it.

General's TSO Chicken

1 pkg of chicken tenders

1/4 cup ketchup

1/2 cup onion (or 2 Tbs dried onion flakes)

1/2 cup honey

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp ground ginger

3 Tbs cornstarch

Cube the chicken into 1-inch pieces and place in a large Ziplock bag with the cornstarch. Shake the bag to coat the chicken with cornstarch. Add the remaining ingredients to the crockpor and whisk until combined. Then in a non-stick pan add 3 Tbs of olive oil and preheat to a Med-Hi setting. Arrange the chicken in the pan and cook for 5 minutes on each side. It's okay if the chicken does not brown, it will cook the rest of the way in the crockpot. Add the chicken to the crockpot stirring the ingredients and turn the heat to low for 3 hours.  Serve with brown rice and vegetables.

Note: If you're not able to use the crockpot, this can also be done in the pan.  Wipe out the leftover oil from the pan and add all ingredients to it covering with a lid. Turn the heat to Low-Med and cook for 30-45 mins or until the chicken is cooked through.

Enjoy!

I'm linking this recipe to Johannah's blog for her recipe link up.

Summer Grilling In Foil Packets

Have you ever grilled in tin foil?

I'm talking about an entire meal, folded up in a foil packet and either baked in the oven or grilled outside?

When Wayne and I first got married, I bought a Weight Watcher cook book with some pretty descent "point-wise" recipes and one of our favorites became a chicken meal that was entirely baked in foil! Complete with onions, peppers, seasonings, and a little BBQ sauce {if I remember correctly!}. This concept was so new to me, yet, when I tried it for the first time, I couldn't get over the the prep time and clean up. It was SO easy and the food was tasty enough that I wondered why my moma hadn't taught me better about cooking with tin foil!  I mean, really, Moma!

Some of you may be familiar with this style and even refer to it as "Hobo Dinners" because of the simplicity of having a complete meal in one packet. For all you "low carb" peeps out there, this is the cooking/baking/grilling style for you!  I promise!

So a few weeks ago on Memorial Day weekend, Wayne was wrapping some ears of corn in tin foil to put on the grill with our chicken and ribs and it made me think about the "chicken packet recipe" from our newlywed days.  I haven't made that recipe in so long and I got to paroosing Pinterest and we ALL know what happens when I start paroosing Pinterest!

A post is born!

Today I'm sharing four recipes that can be made in tin foil and would be perfect for your next bar-be-que with friends!  I can't wait to try them myself.  Or, better yet, get Wayne to try them for me since he's the Grill Master in our family! Enjoy!

The first recipe I want to share reminds me of a good ol' fashion shrimp boil like we love to have here in Louisiana! And what better - and easier! - way to have a little bit of Louisiana cooking for a tasty meal? I can't wait to try this recipe!  I think it will be the first one I try!

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These Cheesy Chicken Hobo Packs look delish! Not sure about the ranch dressing, but I'm definitely trying this recipe, too.  Steph is trying to stay away from red meat due to workouts and training, so we've been eating alot more chicken this summer. And just about everytime I see broccoli, I think of Angie's daughter, Maddie, who refused to eat it because she said she felt like she was eating "trees." Ha!

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What about a new side recipe? These Grilled Foil Ranch Potatoes look yummy!

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I'm usually not a philly cheesesteak kind of girl, but this recipe is different and - putting my own preferences aside - something I think the family would enjoy! Philly cheesesteak in tin foil could definitely make a busy evening so much better! I bet this would be great on hoagie-style buns!

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I don't know about you, but I'm all about easy suppers and if it means not having to turn the oven on, then I'm all for it.  I guess my favorite Grill Master needs to show me how to turn on our grill so we can enjoy these great recipes! 

Here are some places I'll be linking up with this week: Tuesday Talk, Party At My Place, and Waiting on Wednesday.

Facebook Bar-B-Que Ribs

Do you follow those recipe gurus and sites on Facebook?  I'm talking about the ones with the videos that show making a recipe really, really fast and everything always comes out picture perfect? I follow a few of them and I've tried a few of their recipes - but for the life of me, I can't remember which ones. I'm always looking for new recipes! Maybe one day I'll share some of the sites I follow on Facebook for all you bakers and cooks out there!

Having said that, Wayne - of all people! - recently found a recipe for Bar-b-que Ribs on Facebook that he wanted to try and so we did this past Monday night! Easy, peasy!  Supper and clean up was so quick!  The meat was literally falling off the bone! Definitely a recipe that we will try again in the Horton household! Wayne stopped at a local bar-b-que dive and picked up baked beans and potato casserole on the way home and supper was served! I thought I would share the love today by sharing the recipe with my readers!  Enjoy and let me know what you think!

Facebook Bar-B-Que Ribs via Tasty

2 cups of bbq sauce
1/4 cup of brown sugar
4 T. cider vinegar
3 t. oregano
1 t. Worcestershire sauce
1 T. cayenne pepper
1 T. chili powder
3 lbs of baby back pork ribs
salt & pepper

Combine first seven ingredients in a small bowl. Salt and pepper the ribs.  Place ribs in slow cooker and cover in sauce.  Cook on low for eight hours or high for four hours.  After the ribs are done, spoon the bbq sauce in the slow cooker over the ribs before remvoing.  Cut the ribs and serve with bbq sauce.

My Mom's Strawberry Trifle Recipe

Actually, I think this was a recipe that I use to make and I gave it to my mom! Ha! I completely forgot about it and how light and yummy it is.  When Leigh suggested I make something with strawberries - since it's strawberry season here in Louisiana - for our Life Group party on Friday night, I called my mom and asked her for "my" recipe. Since everyone loved it - and we had it again on Easter Sunday - I thought I would share it here today on my blog.

Strawberry Trifle

1 prepared angel food cake
2 cups of sliced strawberries
1 14 oz. container of strawberry glaze
8 oz. cream cheese, softened (use Philadelphia only)
1 12 oz. container of Cool Whip
1/2 to 3/4 cup of Splenda

Take 2-4 slices of the cake and tear into pieces and line bottom of trifle bowl.  With mixer, cream softened cream cheese and Splenda. With a large spatula, fold in the Cool Whip. In a separate bowl, combine strawberries and glaze. Spread about 1/2 of the strawberry mixture on top of the angel food cake.  Then on top of that, spread 1/2 of the cream cheese mixture.  Put another layer of the torn angel food cake; then the rest of the strawberry mixture then the cream cheese mixture (end with cream cheese mixture).  Can garnish with strawberry halves.  Chill for about an hour or two.  Sometimes, I make 1/2 of the strawberry and cream cheese mixtures to have extra for layering.

Enjoy!