Menu for 12/1/14-12/7/14

Oh, my gosh! Can you believe it's already December? I'm amazed. These last couple of months have gone by so quickly that I've hardly had time to do anything at all. I haven't done any Christmas shopping or even made a list for Yaya. I actually had to sit down yesterday to make December's menu, something I normally would have done at least two weeks ago. I have got to get my act together.

Candied Pecan Sweet Potato Casserole

Years ago my Grandmother used to make sweet potato pudding that was like heaven on a plate and even though I have her recipe (in her handwriting) I can't make it like she did. Either the recipe is wrong or the directions are wrong or I'm not reading it right. I'm not sure what the problem is but mine always turns out soupy. I've tried everything from adding extra eggs to doubling the cooking time and it's still just not good. Even Admiral (who has probably made it dozens of times) can't get it to come out right.

Menu for 11/24/14-11/30/14

I've been a bit busy the past week trying to plan our Thanksgiving out so I'm going to get right to the menu again. I'm including my entire Thanksgiving menu and it includes a few new recipes so hopefully in the coming weeks I'll be able to get a few of them up in case anyone want's to use them for Christmas.

Olive Garden's Zuppa Toscana (copycat)

When Aaron and I first met we ate out often. We frequented Applebee's, Chili's, Ruby Tuesday's, and one of my favorites, Olive Garden. Aaron's order was predictable. Almost everywhere we went he ordered chicken tenders and fries, but at Olive Garden that was not an option. He doesn't like salad (or anything in it except for croutons) and he's not a fan of minestrone or pasta y fagioli, but one night he tried their other soup (I know they have chicken gnocchi soup now but at the time they did not), the Zuppa Toscana.

Menu for 11/17/14-11/23/14

Well we have had a fantastic week but the highlight of the week was Dixie Stampede's Christmas show with Aunt Shelia this afternoon. Bailey sat between me and Aaron and watched the animals run around. There were horses and pigs and goats and chickens and sheep and camels... Bailey loved it! She ate most of my chicken, a whole cheese biscuit, and some corn on the cob.

Skillet Chicken and Gravy

One of the first things I ever learned to cook was skillet chicken. There are dozens of ways you can make it. When I was in 4th or 5th grade I started out making it with some "Tiger Seasoning" (at the time it was called "Praise Allah" I think) and testing various other spices on it. I probably went through my parents' entire spice rack experimenting. I liked to use cooking wine to deglaze the pan and then cook down some peppercorns in the gravy.

Menu for 11/10/14-11/16/14

Time is just flying and I'm feeling incredibly stressed about it. I can't seem to get my time management under control. Part of the problem could be Bailey's transition from her crib to her big girl bed. It's difficult to convince her to go to sleep without lying in bed with her and waiting for her to fall asleep but then I get sleepy in the dark room with the noise machine pumping out the sounds of ocean waves. Not to mention that her room has the most comfortable temperature in the house. I tend to fall asleep waiting for her to do the same and then before I know it it's the middle of the night and I'm still too sleepy to get up and do anything useful.

Wishlist Wednesday November 2014

This month the wishlist is going to be all about Thanksgiving. I'm including a turkey recipe, plenty of side dishes and desserts, and a few decorating ideas. Hopefully if you haven't already planned your Thanksgiving down to the last detail some of these wishes will inspire you.

In case you didn't know, I've never hosted Thanksgiving dinner. My family has set plans. Plans that haven't been changed in years. We have lunch at Nana's at 1:00 on Thanksgiving. For years Aaron and I would split up for the day to cover both families. Since we had Bailey we've been attempting to make it to both family meals, but that's difficult when Nana wants to eat at 1:00 and then his family makes reservations at a restaurant an hour away at 3:00.

Menu for 11/3/14-11/9/14

Sorry to have been neglecting the blog the past couple of weeks but I was so busy working on Bailey's birthday party that I couldn't keep my eyes open long enough at night to type.

I pulled an all-nighter the night before her party to finish the cake.