It has been so nice being at home for so long! I've been able to cook a lot and work on finish decorating the house. It is very close to being complete, but there are still a few rooms that need a little work. Unfortunately, we STILL do not have our Viking kitchen appliances. Our shelf-less refrigerator is driving me insane, so maybe it won't be too much longer! Chris has been gone for the past week (to Malaysia), and is finally getting home tonight. I'm so ready for him to be back at home! He missed a lot this week:
Last weekend, there was a fish fry at my Memaw's house. This has to be one of my favorite meals...fresh fried fish, hush puppies, coleslaw, and cheese grits. There was also homemade ice cream and pound cake.
The view from the dock:
I also did a little shopping...
My mom got this for the nursery. This is the first piece of furniture that I have gotten so far. So now I guess the nursery will be planned around the changing table! This isn't really supposed to be a changing table. I think that it's technically a "tea trolley", but I think that it will work pretty good!
Chris and I have been looking for a pub table and chairs forever, but could never find anything that we really liked. I know that this isn't a pub table, but it is much more useful than a pub table would be and provides a place to sit and drink.
It folds out...
And opens up for storage...
I also did a good bit of cooking while Chris was gone. I'll share the recipes since it has been so long since I have posted one! I didn't take pictures of all of the food that I cooked, but I promise that it all tastes very good!
I used to make this soup for my Papa when he would go hunting. I have been looking for the recipe for the past couple of years, and my mom found it at my Memaw's house last week. So now I finally got to make this soup again!
Sausage, Bacon, and Bean Soup
3/4 lb. smoked sausage, sliced
4 slices thick-sliced peppered bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 medium onions, chopped
1 large green pepper, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 (15 oz) cans kidney beans, drained
1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 qt water
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp seasoned salt
1/2 tsp dried whole thyme
1/2 tsp pepper
2 c peeled, coarsely chopped potatoes
1/4 c fresh parsley, chopped
Saute sausage in a skillet until browed; set aside. Fry bacon in a dutch oven. Remove bacon when crisp; set aside. Reserve 1 tablespoon grease in dutch oven. Add onion, pepper, and garlic to dutch oven to saute for a couple of minutes. Add kidney beans and next 7 ingredients. Bring to a boil; reduce heat; simmer 30 minutes (covered). Add potatoes; simmer 30 minutes (covered). Add sausage; simmer until all vegetables are tender. Remove bay leaf. Add bacon and parsley before serving.
*This recipe is from a very old Southern Living book*
Chicken "Gumbo"
- 1/4 cup oil for frying
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 green bell pepper, chopped
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 container fresh, sliced mushrooms
- 2 cups cooked, chopped chicken breast meat
- 2 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes with green chile peppers, with liquid
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon white sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 3 dashes hot sauce
- *Serve with rice*
- *For this recipe, you can use leftover chicken or you can cook a couple of chicken breasts to add. I have done both, and it's always good.*
- Heat oil in a dutch oven. Stir in flour and cook, stirring constantly. Cook for 5 minutes or until the mixture is a copper color. Reduce heat. Add peppers and onions. Cook for 15 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. While peppers and onions cook, saute mushrooms in a separate skillet with about 1 tablespoon of butter (or oil). Add the remaining ingredients (including cooked mushrooms) to the cooked peppers and onions. Simmer about 20 minutes (covered). Serve with rice.
- Adapted from Gumbo Style Chicken Creole
- Beef Stroganoff
- 1/4 c butter
- 1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic
- 1 container fresh sliced mushrooms
- 1 lb. ground beef
1/2 t pepper
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp SR flour
1 can cream of mushroom soup
- 1 can tomato soup
- 1 c sour cream
Melt butter in pan, add onion, garlic, and mushrooms; cook until lightly browned. Add beef, cook only until redness disappears. Add salt, pepper, flour and soups. Stir thoroughly and cook slowly for 20mins. Add sour cream before serving. Can be served over egg noodles or rice (I always use egg noodles).
- 7-Up Biscuits
- 2 c Bisquick pancake mix
- 1/2 c sour cream
- 1/2 c 7-Up
- 1/4 c melted butter
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
- Cut sour cream into Bisquick mix. Add 7-Up. Sprinkle counter with Bisquick; add dough and pat out. Melt butter; pour into a 9x9 pan. Cut biscuits and arrange on top of butter. Cook 12-15 minutes.
- *The dough was so sticky, even with the Bisquick on my hands and on the counter. I decided against cutting it into pieces before baking and just threw the dough into the pan in one big piece. I did pat it out some once in the pan. When they were finished baking, I cut them into pieces. That seemed to work out really good and it was easy!
- *I found this recipe on Pinterest*
- Not only is Chris coming home today, but we are also finally getting our shutter put up! I'm sure our future guests will appreciate this...
