Simple Pleasures

I tend to think that Sundays are perfect for contemplating the simple pleasures of life. You get to sit in church and sing songs of worship to your Savior. You get to curl up on the couch and watch your favorite football team (a little Go GMEN is necessary...and just for good measure, Go Pats as well!). You get to spend as long as you want making dinner as a labor of love rather than a sprint to get food on the table. You may even be able to sneak in a nap or a long walk. All of these are among the simple pleasures that make my life feel so full.

We spent a truly wonderful weekend with my parents. We toured them around Knoxville, took them to eat at several restaurants, introduced them to the UT culture, and just generally enjoyed each others' company.

Sweet Hubs spent the better part of the weekend studying for finals and wrapping up several major projects. On Sunday, as he drove off to school and I drove my parents to the airport, I thought of how I might bless his day and that of his study group amidst the stress of exams and endless assignments. There was a distinct chill in the air and so my mom and I decided the perfect pick-me-up for the weary grad student is a big ole' bowl of homemade soup -- pumpkin soup in fact...and a few pieces of crusty sourdough to boot!

So after saying my farewell to my fabulous parents (whom I miss already), I drove to the market and picked up everything I would need to concoct this deliciousness. I scurried home intent on creating the most soul warming of soups any of them had ever tasted. Armed with yummy ingredients, a 5 quart Le Creuset dutch oven and a general know-how (as opposed to a legitimate recipe), I set about fixing this soup.

And friends, let me tell you something... it was absolute fall perfection!

When it was finally just right, I sent Hubs a little text asking if I could bring them all a little treat. Three large plastic containers, a sliced baguette and some plastic cups and spoons made for the perfect care package for the study group.

It was such a joy to feed them -- a simple pleasure indeed.

In fact, I was so thrilled with how it turned out, I went straight home and whipped up another batch for Hubs and me to have on hand this week!

The rest of the night flowed from this expression of love. We spent a few stolen moments cuddling on the couch near a warm fire and even got out some of our favorite fall decorations.

Once again, I was reminded that this season, if nothing else, is about being thankful for the many (many) blessings in our lives. I, for one, am taking a great deal of pleasure from considering that these days.

Forging My Own Frontier: Confessions of a Home Cook

So some of you know that in the last few years I have become quite the active home cook. Hubs swears my food is delicious (I'm not sure if he's being entirely honest, but I'll go with it), so I just keep coming up with new ways to experiment in the kitchen. Sometimes I get it way wrong, but the days when I get it right, there really is nothing better!

I'm fairly certain that the catalyst for my love of cooking was the same as many women...becoming a wife. When you're engaged, you register for all of this professional-grade cookware, you start watching Food Network with reckless abandon and dog-earing (or "Pinning") Pottery Barn-esque scenes like a junkie. And then you get married. Something about becoming a wife triggers a chemical release in our brains that tells us (no matter how much of a feminist we are...or aren't), we want to make our man happy. And what better way to a man's heart than through his stomach!?!

Since moving to the South, I've started to expand my repertoire to include some southern classics. I've started watching more Paula Deen than Giada and adding about twice the amount of butter to my dishes. (Mom, ignore that...and the 5 lbs. I've put on in the last month or so when you come to visit).

But my true inspiration, recently, has been a woman many of you fondly refer to as The Pioneer Woman -- the one and only Ree Drummond. I'll spare you the excessive gushing over her fabulousness, as it really speaks for itself, but her recipes and overall outlook on life have really taught me about being "an accidental country girl". I've been reading her blog and watching her shows religiously and she inspires nearly every decision I make in the kitchen these days... from wearing my cowboy boots to whipping up some homemade spinach and artichoke dip for gameday. 

Her cookbooks (the second of which just hit shelves in the last few weeks) arrived today and I couldn't be more excited to dive into them!

I've been actively cataloging my most successful kitchen endeavors via Instagram the last few months, so here is a look at some of my recent homeruns!

Baked Potato-Inspired "Loaded" Filet

 

The Best Beef & Veggie Stir Fry Ever

 

Asparagus Soup & Pan Roasted Halibut

 Fish Taco Night! (One of our favorites)

w/ blackened tilapia, corn tortillas, lime cumin sauce, and all the fixins!

 My (almost) Famous Chorizo & Veggie Fritatta w/ Goat Cheese

A crowd pleaser every time!

 On the fly, gluten free chocolate bread pudding w/ whiskey sauce

(Note: For this one, I was watching an episode of Paula Deen where she was making bread pudding, I pushed Pause, trotted into the kitchen, grabbed what I had on hand, and whipped up this magical deliciousness! Good gracious it was tasty!)

 Pan Roasted Sea Bass & Scallops 

w/ Garlic Rosemary Polenta over Zucchini Ribbons

 Caprese Caesar Salad 

w/ Homemade Dressing and Parmesan Crisps

 Cowboy Ribeyes w/ a Cocoa & Coffee Rub

Bruschetta on Sourdough Boule

(this was one of Ree's)

 

Steak Pizzaiola

 Gluten Free Skillet Cornbread

 

Pasta w/Leeks & Pancetta

(also one of Ree's that Hubs saw on the show and casually said, "So Babe, you're making that for dinner tonight?" And so I did.) 

Apple Oat Muffins - so Fall-y & Delish-y (& Healthy) 

 

Four Cheese Ravioli with Italian Style 

Chicken Sausage & Homemade Tomato Basil Sauce

 

Wings Two Ways

Traditional Buffalo and Sweet & Spicy Asian Glazed

(also inspired by Ree) 

 

Roasted Beef Tenderloin Au Poivre & Peppercorn Cream Sauce

(inspired by Hubs' favorite dish at The Capital Grille) 

 Game Day Pizza Dip

Before

  

After

Homemade Coleslaw

 

Ree's Spinach & Artichoke Dip

(She's right, it is the best ever! No, seriously.) 

Before

  

 After

 

And finally...the most southern of southern dishes...

Pulled Pork 

(This one deserved a play-by-play)

The Dry Rub: The usual suspects

 

 

 

 

Building the Crust: Brown on all sides

Friends of Flavor: Garlic & Onions

Getting Cozy in the Pot

Full Disclosure: Used the bottled stuff this time

 Everybody in the Pool

 And then we wait.....

and wait...

But it is so worth it, because the finished product...amazing!

(Note: when I served this to Hubs' b-school friends, many of whom are from the South, they said it was the best pulled pork they'd ever had...I'll take it.)

 

Well, there you go. I just ate dinner and somehow, I'm starving again from looking at those! While I promise NOT to turn this exclusively into a cooking blog, I'm fairly certain this won't be the last you see of my food! If anyone is interested in specific recipes, feel free to reach out!

FAIL

All I can say is...

Complete and Utter Chicken Fail.

Between my oven not being powerful enough to cook it through and my accidentally cooking it upside down, I was brought to tears (we're talking full on sobs here) Wednesday night as my attempt at roasting a chicken (whom we now fondly refer to as Herbert) proved disastrous.

The night ended with 11:30PM pizza from down the block and of course the 27th World Championship Win from my boys in pinstripes....

A Chicken Dinner...with a penguin.

Happy November All!

My favorite season continues to roll along and the consumer culture-driven, unnecessarily pre-mature Holiday ads are starting to pop up on television (and in my Inbox – leave me alone, Abercrombie, I haven’t worn you since middle school!).

In keeping with that spirit, this week the ManBoy and I will be engaging in two seasonally appropriate activities: (1) Tonight, we will be attempting to roasting a chicken; and (2) Tomorrow, we will be attending a black tie event at the Waldorf (yay for party dresses and sparkly accessories!).

Now, not to toot my own horn here, but over the last year or so, I have become rather handy in the kitchen {Note: This fact came as a not-so-small surprise to my once college roommates, who recently shared with the ManBoy that I was the suitemate who repeatedly opted for take-out when faced with dinner decisions in our off-campus apartment…oops}.

The ManBoy, having been raised by a renowned published chef and a member of Les Dames d' Escoffier, was, needless to say, an intimidating guest to have at my table, in the early days of our relationship. Looking back, I credit my culinary development with the challenge that feeding him poses. Since then, I’ve certainly adopted a sense of adventurousness in the kitchen (not that roasting a chicken is, by any means, adventuresome, I’m just sayin…).

So, this evening, he and I will team up to try our hand at roasting a chicken (consider it the first step in what I fear will be a long and disappointing journey towards one day hosting Thanksgiving at my house and not screwing up the turkey). I’ll be sure to report back with details on our inevitable failure success.

In other news, with birds on the brain, I have been graced with the cordial invitation to attend the American Irish Historical Society Annual Dinner at the Waldorf Astoria tomorrow evening with the ManBoy. I’m looking forward to attending our first festive event of the season, penguin suit clad ManBoy in tow. {Ladies, let me tell you, the boy can rock a tux like James Bond himself…I kid you not…lucky lady I be! I’ll be trying to keep up with his devastating good looks in a strapless gold brocade Shoshanna dress – not too shabby}. Of course, ever the girly-girl, I cannot wait for our elegant evening out!

Pictures to come!