Posts tagged “New Year”

Why I’m Choosing to Say “Happy Sausage Gnocchi” and “Happy Cream Scones” Instead of “Happy New Year!”

Posted on January 4, 2025

I’m purposefully refraining from saying “Happy New Year” this year. I don’t know why. It’s weird. Normally, I give in completely, but this year feels different. Number one: Can we really describe what “happy” even means and why do we offer it so freely? Happiness isn’t promised and do I even want “happy” to be the one emotion I wish for the new year? I kind of enjoy the reflective parts of a new year (which often comes with some sadness, wonder, gratitude, but not always… happiness). I also don’t adopt the whole “New Year, New Me” (maybe that’s also because I worked at a women’s health magazine for 3 years). So, what do you say to people for the next few weeks in…

Categories: Recipes

Tagged: cream scones, creamy one-pot sausage gnocci, DInner, Food, Happiness, Happy New Year, New Year, Pioneer Woman, Recipe, recipes, sausage, scones, Smitten Kitchen

Magic-Making, Cookie-Baking, and Small Business-Loving: It’s my Holiday Recipes 2024 list!

Posted on December 26, 2024

As I promised on my social media feeds, here are some of the successful recipes I tried this holiday season. I hope all of you had or are having a restorative, peaceful and joy-filled Solstice, Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and end-of-year season. First up: Love and Lemons Broccoli Cheddar Soup (with homemade croutons)Notes: If your kids are like mine and detest cooked carrots (Raw is fine, but cooked? Blasphemy!), you may want to blend your soup in the blender like I did to hide the fact that there are, indeed, cooked carrots in this soup. And guess what? It was a hit with the 13-year-old cooked carrot hater. That’s a big win., Next up: Alexandra’s Kitchen’s No-Knead Buttermilk Pull-Apart RollsNotes: I am a total fan…

Categories: Recipes, Uncategorized

Winter Dinner

Posted on January 5, 2020

Time. That’s the key, y’all. I miss planning and cooking complicated and semi-fancy dinners. I miss trying out new recipes not knowing if they’ll turn out. I miss trying new recipes and being completely surprised how great they turn out. I miss my tried and true recipes. Let’s face it, I miss Ina Garten.

Reality is setting in. I know that next week when school and work start back up, we’ll be back in the routine where cooking won’t look the same when you have days off, but I’m finishing the break STRONG.

Truth is, I haven’t seen my friends this year. I’m not sure how in the world that happens, but it does and I’m sure you can relate. Last night, I had two of my dearest friends and my Mama over for dinner and I decided to throw down. Here’s the menu:

Appetizer:
Smitten Kitchen’s White Bean Soup with Crispy Kale
https://smittenkitchen.com/2019/10/white-bean-soup-with-crispy-kale/
I started on this recipe earlier in the day so that all I had to do was warm it up when it was time for dinner. It’s rather straightforward and simple, but tastes incredibly complex and delicious. We added crispy kale and pancetta and a little bit of a sour cream as toppings. Truthfully, it was great on its own. The photo below is of my leftovers: White bean soup with crispy kale AND the walnut/parmesan/olive oil mixture I used on the cabbage (see below).

Main Course:
Barefoot Contessa’s Chicken Piccata
https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/chicken-piccata-recipe-1952866
There are a few recipes that you know will be good no matter what and they tend to have one common denominator: Ina Garten. I love love love her Chicken Piccata and Chicken Parmesan recipes (both are similar). I decided to do the Piccata recipe. The trick is making sure you get the chicken breasts pounded (yes, pounded) flat. The other trick (and something I’ve learned from Ina) is to mix olive oil with butter when pan frying. The lemon reduction sauce on top (as well as the cooked lemon slices) added the perfect brightness.

Sides:
Smitten Kitchen’s Roasted Cabbage with Walnuts and Parmesan
https://smittenkitchen.com/2019/11/roasted-cabbage-with-walnuts-and-parmesan/
When I saw this recipe on Smitten Kitchen’s website, I got excited. Sure, I could have done a salad of some sort, but I liked the idea of highlighting cabbage. First things first: Savoy cabbage is hard to find. I asked my colleagues atJones Valley Teaching Farm if any of our sites had it before trying grocery stores. Nada. Called every grocery store and they didn’t have it either. My heart was SET on this recipe, so I decided to grab a huge head of Napa Cabbage determined to make it work. I cut the cabbage horizontally in thick rounds and guess what? It worked. The only thing I’d add next time is a little sweetness (maybe balsamic?) to dress it up. Also, because it was Napa cabbage, it kind of fell apart on the plate, which was totally fine because it ended up coming together as a warm salad.

Alexandra’s Kitchen’s Roasted Acorn Squash with Maple Butter
https://alexandracooks.com/2014/10/03/roasted-acorn-squash-with-maple-butter-new-york/
So by now you can see that we have lemons featured in the chicken dish and lemons in the cabbage dish. I really needed a sweet side to round us out. I found this recipe on Alexandra’s Kitchen’s website. Pause. Do y’all follow her on Instagram? You should. Her stories and how-to videos are equal to 15 minutes of meditation. Okay back to the dish. I’ve never cooked acorn squash and was a little nervous. This couldn’t have been easier and during the meal it got the most comments. It was much easier than cooking a butternut or spaghetti squash. Embrace the acorn squash, y’all. It’s absolutely worth it.

Alexandra’s Kitchen’s No Knead Buttermilk Pull Apart Rolls
https://alexandracooks.com/2019/11/24/no-knead-buttermilk-pull-apart-rolls-overnight-or-not/
Shoooooo-wee! I was capital S-C-A-R-E-D to do these rolls. I don’t do bread. I don’t do rolls. Never have. I honestly never thought I had the patience. There were a few bumps in the road, but overall it turned out great. First bump was the yeast. I didn’t get instant yeast — I got active yeast (ugh), so I got behind in my timeline, borrowed some instant yeast from my Mom, and then just scrapped the part where the rolls were supposed to sit overnight in the fridge. See? This is the patience part that comes into play. The good news is that it all worked out in the end. I encourage you to watch her videos first before trying it out. Will you fold over the dough and perfectly separate them and round them out like she does? Nope. Not at all. Will it still work? Yep. The husband and kiddos are eating them this morning and can’t stop talking about them, so go for it. Go forth in your buttered roll confidence — you GOT this.

One other thing I wanted to share, was a book that was mentioned twice in two of these recipes. The husband checked it out from the library for me and I can’t wait to start reading it.

As the holiday break comes to an end, I’m completely aware that I may not post again until next break. It looks like the last time I posted was around the same time last year. I hope that’s not the case, but jussssssst in case, I’m sending love and light to all of you in this New Year.

Categories: Jones Valley Teaching Farm, Recipes, Uncategorized

Tagged: Acorn Squash, Alexandra Cooks, Alexandra's Kitchen, Barefoot Contessa, Cabbage, Chicken Piccata, Ina Garten, Joshua McFadden, New Year, No Knead, Rolls, Six Seasons, Smitten Kitchen, Soup, Winter

Doing Vs. Being (oh, and collards and cheese grits and cornbread)

Posted on December 31, 2019

No goals. No intentions. No resolutions. No reflections. I know December 31st can be a time for all of those things, but this year I’m trying to avoid all of that. I know it works for MANY folks, which I think is wonderful. Me on the other hand? I’ve been working overtime in ALL of that and quite frankly, it’s made me kind of tired. I recently read this article and found myself in every single bit of it.

On my phone, I have every weight loss app and mile-walker app you can possibly imagine. Have I lost weight? Negative.
On my phone, I have a meditation tracker to remind me (every day) that…I haven’t meditated.
On my phone, I have articles saved to read later and… I haven’t read them.
On my phone, I even track how many hours I’m on my phone (specifically scrolling Facebook and Instagram if we are being honest) and that amount of time is atrocious and embarrassing and do you think I’ve limited my time because of that app? Nope.
On my phone, I have THREE email accounts linked and check them regularly. Yes in the car. Yes in the Doctor’s office. Yes, with my kids. Yes, to all of everything.
On my phone, I use the SIRI voice text to send messages constantly because in my 3+ hours of online activity, I somehow lost the ability to pick up the phone and have a conversation with anyone.
On my phone, I am bombarded with calendar updates and requests and alarms and notifications of the meetings about to start or are coming up the next day.

On my computer, I have articles upon articles saved about how to live more holistically. How to be less stressed. How to be present and balanced. Then I send those articles to my phone thinking I’ll read them there, but do I? Nope.

On my phone AND computer, I’ve “saved” books I need to read or listen to and the truth is, I haven’t read a book cover to cover in I can’t tell you how long.

So how in the world CAN you be less distracted, live more holistically, be more present with all the tracking, monitoring, reminding, and distracting things buzzing and ringing all around you? I honestly have no idea. Normal me would immediately begin to delete every single app, put my phone in a drawer, restrict all access to Facebook, and quit all of it cold turkey. Guess what? That never works either.

And because I’ve gained 40 pounds over the last two years, my first reaction is to immediately start every weight loss app, count every single calorie, track every single step, plan every single meal, and buy every app to remind me to do those things. This is my pattern (and I’m sure many of yours). Don’t get me wrong. It works for a little while, but then I fall back into the patterns and I’m back where I a started — mad at my phone, mad at cheese dip, mad at my work schedule, mad at how busy the world is, mad that I can’t get a break, and mostly mad at myself for letting myself get mad. Especially when it comes to being mad at cheese dip because how in the WORLD could anyone be mad at that?

When New Year’s comes around, it’s even harder for me to resist making plans and goals and intentions and restarts and ALL of that. New Year, New You… you’ve heard it before. That’s why I’m trying to do something a bit different (more on the “do” part in a second). I’m not making lists of things I’m not accomplishing or could do better. I’m not downloading apps to track whether or not I’m meeting daily diet and fitness goals. I’m not beating myself up. My therapist says, “Do you ever just stop ‘DOING” and just focus on “BEING?” I don’t even know what that means because even in this well-meaning post, I reference what I’m DOING differently this year (See? Still doing.). “Doing” IS “Being” in my mind, but clearly I’ve created so many to dos and downloaded so many apps that ALL that work of DOING something isn’t accomplishing much of anything. It’s just distracting me from actually doing the hard work of staying present and being okay with where I am and who I am while still working to know better and do better.

With ALL of that said (yeah, I really just got on here to tell you about the recipes I tried this week, so thanks with sticking with me up until this point), I’m thrilled to share some really good recipes I made for our family lunch last weekend. I have NO idea how many points they are and I didn’t even look at the calories. I knew I WANTED black-eyed peas and collards and cheese grits and cornbread and so I made ALL of that and have enjoyed every bit of it as leftovers this week.

First up: Collards.
I hand-picked these collards at Jones Valley Teaching Farm (because, well… I work there so don’t go getting any ideas). Now, let’s pause and give ALL PRAISE TO THE INSTANT POT. Why? Because my collards cooked in 35 minutes, that’s why. And they were soooooo good. I used this recipe and also used smoked turkey wings. They were absolutely delicious and sweet and tender and hit the spot. Oh and speaking of Jones Valley Teaching Farm, today is the LAST day to make your year-end gift: https://poweroffood.swell.gives/

Next up: Pioneer Woman’s version of Hoppin’ John. I served it over cheese grits instead of rice. I mean, why not? Here’s the link to the recipe: https://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/hoppin-john/

Next up: Cornbread: I use the same recipe every time, every year, and will do this forever and ever because of how much I love love love it. Edna Lewis’s Sour Milk Cornbread’s recipe is the best and you can find it here. You can also find it in The Gift of Southern Cooking.

And finally the Cheese Grits: I use McEwen grits cooked low and slow with chicken broth, water, and a little half-and-half. Added some smoked gouda at the very end.

However you decide to bring in the New Year, I am sending light, love, and peace your way. These aren’t easy times, which means space and grace and love is so important right now. A friend posted this poem today and it rang true to me and I hope it helps lift you up as we hold on tight to whatever comes our way next year.

CONTINUE: a poem
By Maya Angelou

My wish for you
Is that you continue
Continue
To be who and how you are
To astonish a mean world
With your acts of kindness
Continue
To allow humor to lighten the burden
Of your tender heart
Continue
In a society dark with cruelty
To let the people hear the grandeur
Of God in the peals of your laughter
Continue
To let your eloquence
Elevate the people to heights
They had only imagined
Continue
To remind the people that
Each is as good as the other
And that no one is beneath
Nor above you
Continue
To remember your own young years
And look with favor upon the lost
And the least and the lonely
Continue
To put the mantel of your protection
Around the bodies of
The young and defenseless
Continue
To take the hand of the despised
And diseased and walk proudly with them
In the high street
Some might see you and
Be encouraged to do likewise
Continue
To plant a public kiss of concern
On the cheek of the sick
And the aged and infirm
And count that as a
Natural action to be expected
Continue
To let gratitude be the pillow
Upon which you kneel to
Say your nightly prayer
And let faith be the bridge
You build to overcome evil
And welcome good
Continue
To ignore no vision
Which comes to enlarge your range
And increase your spirit
Continue
To dare to love deeply
And risk everything
For the good thing
Continue
To float
Happily in the sea of infinite substance
Which set aside riches for you
Before you had a name
Continue
And by doing so
You and your work
Will be able to continue
Eternally

Categories: Family, Instant Pot, Jones Valley Teaching Farm, Recipes, Southern

Tagged: apps, Being, Collards, Doing, Edna Lewis, Hoppin' John, iphones, Maya Angelou, McEwen Grits, New Year, NO MORE TRACKING, Pioneer Woman, Sour Milk Cornbread, Technology

Following Through (okay, it’s only Day One, but that is something!)

Posted on January 1, 2019

If you read my post yesterday, you already know that I’m trying to start 2019 differently by incorporating personal goals in each day. You know, the things I want to accomplish for myself that have nothing to do with anything other than satisfying my own needs/goals/wants. This is new for me. Seems completely obvious that it shouldn’t be new, but it is.

So today I got up earlier than normal. I sat still with Mae Mae on the sofa without scrolling through my phone.

I finally finished the Ezra Klein podcast featuring Bryan Stevenson. This is an incredibly important podcast to listen to and I really hope all of you take some time to do so (thanks to my husband and Ann Laurel for sending it my way).

I cooked while listening to the podcast. How extraordinary is that? Well, minus the time when Mike walked in and had to turn off the garbage disposal that had to have been running for 15 minutes since I couldn’t hear it. But besides that (and maybe not hearing when the dog was play biting Mae or when Martin Everitt was trying to get my attention), it was awesome.

I made Collard Greens we picked at Jones Valley Teaching Farm in my Instant Pot.

I made Cheeseburger Soup without the burger part and extra potatoes, so not really Cheeseburger Soup at all but sure is tasty.

I made Fiesta Bean Salad for the week.

I made Brownies from the box.

I made Black-Eyed Peas.

I made Corn Muffins from the box.

I made boiled eggs in my Instant Pot for the week.

And I made a big breakfast to start our year off right complete with bacon, grits, toast, and eggs.

And I’m writing all of it to you on this blog, which is also a goal of mine.

I’m feeling really good about my own personal Day One. No, I’m not writing down my calories today or exercising. I’m starting simple, but I’m determined to get to all the other things eventually and am also feeling like this:

Happy New Year!

Categories: Family, Instant Pot, Jones Valley Teaching Farm, Prioritizing Me, Uncategorized

Tagged: Collards, Cooking, Fiesta Bean Salad, Instant Pot, Jones Valley Teaching Farm, New Year, Prioritizing, recipes, Skinnytaste

The Perfect Storm and a Black-Eyed Pea Slider

Posted on January 10, 2015

Let’s face it: the odds and timing were not in my favor. You see, I got pregnant in late Fall, which means I have had to face the following realities: 1) I’m pregnant 2) I’m nauseated 24/7 3) The only thing that makes my nausea better includes white potatoes (fried, boiled, hashed, whatever) or crackers or salty, processed things 4) Thanksgiving happened 5) Then Christmas happened 6) All of this hits right after 8 months of Weight Watcher-ing 7) Arctic blast arrived (okay, whatever…but it really is cold in Alabama, which prevents all of the walking I could would should be doing) It was like the perfect storm. All of a sudden I was forced to eat something constantly so that I could put…

Categories: Family, Recipes

Tagged: New Year, recipes, Vegetarian

Happy New Year! How ‘Bout Some Hoppin’ John and Collard Greens?

Posted on January 2, 2013

If it is New Year’s Day in the South (and it is), then your black-eyed peas and greens should be about done, right? Well, this year our peas were added to some rice and the result? Hoppin’ John. I did a quick search and found this recipe on Garden and Gun’s website. The contributing chef? Stephen Stryjewski from the restaurants Cochon, Cochon Lafayette, Cochon Butcher in New Orleans. Overall, I was pleased with the dish, but I offer a few suggestions should you decide to make this recipe: * I am forever confused about how much liquid should or should not be in a Hoppin’ John. And even following these directions, I either had too little or too much. Nonetheless, most of the water…

Categories: Recipes

Tagged: Black Eyed Peas, Collards, Garden and Gun, greens, Hoppin' John, Luck, Maple Valley Nursery, New Orleans, New Year, South, Southern Living

Ms. Edna Lewis and Scott Peacock’s Sour Milk Cornbread

Posted on December 31, 2012

There are some recipes you find and you wonder how in the world you got along without them. This, my friends, is one of those recipes. I found it in The Gift of Southern Cooking by Edna Lewis and Scott Peacock on pages 210-211. It’s officially called “Our Favorite Sour Milk Cornbread” and has quickly become my entire family’s favorite cornbread. There are a couple of caveats so please pay close attention. You will need: Cast- Iron Skillet Ingredients: 1 1/2 cups fine-ground white cornmeal * 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon baking powder** 1 3/4 cups soured milk or buttermilk*** 2 eggs, lightly beaten 2 (ahem, or maybe 3) tablespoons unsalted butter * This cookbook calls for J.T. Pollard cornbread made in Hartford, AL.…

Categories: Recipes

Tagged: Alabama, Cornbread, Edna Lewis, J.T. Pollard Cornmeal, New Year, Scott Peacock, The Gift of Southern Cooking