Kitchen Christmas Tree

 One of my favorite memories of Christmas was the year my mom made an edible tree. Everything on it was homemade and something you could eat!. I remember her going all out with a gingerbread house and everything. It's amazing that it's things like that I remember about Christmas. I think that tree ranks up there with my all time favorites. This year I decided to do something similar at our house for the kids. I was lucky enough to have my mom come down for the weekend to help me put it all together. Everyone at our house is enjoying the fact that Nanny and Papa come pretty often!

I found my tree, tree skirt, and topper at Hobby Lobby. They are currently running a 50% off deal on all Christmas items. While home for Thanksgiving I was lucky enough to come across silver flatware for $1.25 at a local antique store. I wrapped some some ribbon around them and instant ornaments. I also placed cookie cutters, dried fruit, cinnamon applesauce ornaments, and cranberry garland. My house smells amazing right now!

 We did an orange for everyone in our family with cloves making their initial. Jake even did a tangerine for Mollie!

 I cut my applesauce cinnamon ornaments out of cookie cutters from every state we've lived in since we've been married. It was neat for the kids to have something from their birth state on our little tree!

Cinnamon Applesauce Ornaments

1 Cup cinnamon (I bought a big container at the dollar store)

2 individual cups of applesauce

2 tablespoons of craft glue

Mix ingredients together. If the mixture looks and feels loose, add more cinnamon. Shape dough into a ball and sandwich between two sheets of wax paper. Roll out to 1/4 to 1/2 inch thickness. The thinner they are the less time it will take them to dry. Cut out shapes using cookie cutters and place on baking sheet. Bake in oven at 200 degrees for 2 hours, turning after the first hour to keep edges from curling. Depending on thickness, ornaments make take more or less than 2 hours. Just keep checking them.

Smelling these make my day every time I walk into my kitchen. Merry Christmas!



Cinnamon Roll Pancakes

If found this recipe on Pinterest and it originally came from Recipegirl.com. I changed it up a little by using my mastermix instead of the the pancake recipe they used. These are simple AMAZING! No syrup necessary! I will be making this for my mom when I go home next, because she is a cinnamon roll lover. The kids also thought these were pretty cool!

Cinnamon Roll Pancake

 Pancakes

2 cups Master Mix

1 cup milk

2 large eggs

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and set aside.

Cinnamon Filling

1/2 cup butter, melted

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 tablespoon cinnamon

Combine ingredients and place in a plastic bottle with nozzle. I like to use the Wilton ones you can get in the candy making section at craft stores. If you don't have one of those, use a plastic baggie with the tip cut off. It should be the consistency of toothpaste.

Cream Cheese Glaze

4 tablespoons butter

2 oz. cream cheese

3/4 cup powdered sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Melt butter and cream cheese in microwave. Add sugar and vanilla. Set aside.

Pour pancake mixture onto a buttered griddle. When edges begin to bubble, swirl in cinnamon mixture and flip. Continue until pancake mixture is gone. Serve warm with the cream cheese glaze instead of syrup!

These really are worth the time, I promise. I hope to have some time this week to share some of my favorite Thanksgiving dishes!

Halloween and Old Friends

Last week the family and I had the opportunity to catch up with some old friends from our very first duty station, Ft. Stewart. They are actually the couple who gave us our baby shower for my Doodle! It was great getting to see them again and catch up on all the things that have happened since then. I have to say one of the best things about being military is the ability to always take those handful of people from each place and know that no matter how long it is between when you see or talk to each other, you can always pick up where you left off. We are hoping they make it down to us in the future!

Since it was a kid friendly party, I decided to make a Halloween party mix. I've heard this called all kinds of things, but I've always called it white trash. I knew another wife who we were stationed with in VA who had always called it puppy chow. No matter what you call it, it's just plain good! This recipe comes from a Special Halloween/Thanksgiving Betty Crocker cooking magazine.

Halloween Buddies

4 1/2 cups Corn Chex mix

1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1/4 cup peanut butter

2 tablespoons butter or margarine

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

3/4 cup powdered sugar

1 cup candy corn

1 cup salted cocktail peanuts

Into a large bowl, measure cereal; set aside

In 1-quart microwavable bowl, microwave chocolate chips, peanut butter, and butter uncovered on High 20 seconds; stir. Microwave about 15 seconds longer or until mixture can be stirred smooth. Stir in vanilla. Pour mixture over cereal, stirring until evenly coated. Pour into 1-gallon resealable food-storage bag.

Add powdered sugar. Seal bag; shake until well coated. Add candy corn and peanuts; shake to mix. Spread on waxed paper to cool. Store in airtight container in refrigerator.

Hoping to get my favorite cobbler recipe and beer bread muffins out later this week!

Pork Chop and Potato Casserole and Blueberry Lemon Bread

Growing up this was one of my favorite meals! If I haven't mentioned it before, my mom is an amazing cook. This is her recipe, and I find as a busy mom I make pretty often at our house. It has a meat, potatoes, and a gravy, all the things we love at our house!

Pork Chops with Scalloped Potatoes

3 Tablespoons butter or margarine, melted

3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 (14 1/2 oz) can chicken broth
6 rib or loin pork chops (3/4 inch thick)
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
6 cups potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
1 med. onion, sliced
 paprika (optional)
additional salt and pepper (optional)

In a sauce pan combine butter, flour, salt, and pepper. Add chicken broth; cook and stir constantly until mixture boils. Cook for 1 minute; remove from the heat and set aside. In a skillet, brown pork chops in oil; season to taste with additional salt and pepper, if desired. In a greased 9x13x2 inch baking dish, layer potatoes and onions. Pour the broth mixture over potatoes and onions. Place pork chops on top. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour; uncover and bake 30 minutes longer or until potatoes are tender. If desired, sprinkle with paprika.

I love making this in the morning and then just throwing it in the oven in the afternoon. Super easy make ahead dinner!


Somehow I forgot to take a pic of this even though I've made it twice in the last week! Once for Jake's unit bake sale and then again yesterday as a thank you to some neighbors. They were kind enough to bring some paper goods and dish soap over on the the day Jake and I moved in. One of the great things about living in a military community is that everyone takes care of each other! This comes from Trisha Yearwood's cookbook, "Georgia Cooking in an Oklahoma Kitchen".

Lemon Blueberry Bread

1 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)
1 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons sifted all-purpose flour
1/3 cup butter, melted
1 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup milk
2 tablespoons grated lemon zest
1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)

glaze
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup confectioners' sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 4x8x2-inch loaf pan.

In a medium bowl, toss the blueberries in 2 tablespoons flour and set aside. In a bowl of an electric mixer, beat together the butter, granulated sugar, 3 tablespoons lemon juice, and eggs. sift together 1 1/2 cups flour, the baking powder, and the salt. Add the flour and milt alternately to the butter mixture, beginning and ending with the flour. Fold in the lemon zest, pecans, and blueberries. Pour the batter into the pan and bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes; a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf should come out clean. Cool for 10 minutes in the pan, and then turn out onto a wire rack.

Make the glaze by stirring together 2 tablespoons lemon juice with the confectioners' sugar until completely smooth. Drizzle over the top of the loaf while it is still warm, allowing the glaze to drip down the sides. serve the loaf warm or at room temperature.

 Back to the blogging and cooking world for me! Over the last month we have been making the transition from Alaska to Alabama. In between we've had lots of time to see family and friends and take the kids on some pretty awesome day trips. One of the great things about being a military family is that a new adventure is always on the horizon! One of the great places we got to visit while home in Cleveland, GA was Goats on the Roof. This is a really cute country store type of place where goats really live on the roof! The kids thought it was great and I found a great culinary find. Okra chips! These are whole pieces of okra fried like potato chips. These were so good I had to share them with another okra loving Army wife who also found them delicious!

 Jake and I also found time to see a Braves game (even though they choked at the end of the season!). Since we've been married, no matter where we are living we always try to fit in a game. This is also a food heaven. If you go to a baseball game it's all about a hot dog, roasted peanut, and a coke. When I say coke I mean a Coke, Coca Cola! It is Atlanta after all!

 When Jake and I got married we were stationed at Fort Stewart GA. If you've even been stationed there, you know it's all about Rocky! This mascot was actually designed by Walt Disney and sold to the US Army for next to nothing. Other than the blue and white striped patch, Rocky is is one of the most associated items with the 3rd Infantry Division. It was great to take the kids back to where we lived before them. I have to say that it's really changed in the last 5 years, but it still felt like home after all this time!

 While in South GA we also took some time to visit my favorite city, Savannah! I can't say enough how much I love coming here. It's something about the people, culture, and food that make it simply amazing. We had all my favorite places including: Vinnie Van Go Go's, Clary's, and Uncle Bubba's!

 We also got a chance to take the kids to the Atlanta Zoo. The zoo in Anchorage was great, but kind of limited in what animals they could have. Scarlet loved the reptile house as she is going through a phase with snakes, and Wyatt loved seeing the real life Pumba! And I don't care how old you are, riding the train is still awesome!

 Burt's Pumpkin Farm is the essence of Fall! My very first field trip was in Kindergarten, and it was to Burt's! The kids loved the hayride and getting to see all the different kinds of pumpkins. Afterwards we headed over to Amicalola Falls for dinner. The lodge there actually does a buffet that's pretty good, and you can't beat the view of the gorgeous mountains!

After a month of being home in GA, we finally made it to Fort Rucker AL! This is our new house, which we are all loving! I have a very spacious kitchen , that I've already been putting to good use. Jake's new unit has already had a bake sale that I prepared about 3 dozen biscuits for. We are loving all the warm weather and outside time, but we are missing our friends back in AK. I can't lie, it's sad knowing that we won't be able to see the first snow fall!

Come on back tomorrow when I'll be sharing one of all time busy-make ahead meals. It's something my mom has been making forever and it's a favorite in our house now! Happy to back in the blogging world and back to cooking in my own kitchen!!!

Fried Chicken Fingers and Chicken Dipped Biscuits

 Fried chicken is a given in the South. I don't care who you are or where you are from, you know someone who makes great fried chicken. I've had lots of great fried chicken in my life, and I've developed my own recipe that I love. I like it crispy and little spicy!

Fried Chicken Fingers

1 package chicken fingers or 3 chicken breat cut into strips

2 cups well shaken buttermilk

2 tablespoons seasoning salt, divided

1 teaspoon ground pepper, divided

2 teaspoons hot sauce

2 cups all purpose

2 cups vegetable oil

Place chicken, buttermilk, 1 tablespoon seasoning salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and hot sauce in a zip top bag or container with a tight fitting lid. Shake chicken and other ingredients until well mixed and refridgerate for 4-24 hours. When ready to fry, heat oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Mix flour and remaining seasoning salt and pepper together in a large bowl. When oil is hot ( you'll know by dropping a pinch of the flour mixture into the oil and making sure it sizzles and bubbles), coat the buttermilk drenched chicken in the flour mixture and place in oil. Fry for 4-5 minutes on each side and turn. You'll want a nice brown color on the chicken. Drain on paper towels.

When I was little Saturdays meant two things: yard sales and a chicken dipped biscuit from Fraiser's. It's been so long since I've been home, I don't know if Fraiser's is still there or not, but I know I haven't forgotten the taste of those biscuits! It's a piece of fried chicken dipped in milk gravy and stuffed in a buttermilk biscuit!

Chicken Dipped Biscuit

5-6 fried chicken fingers

1 batch buttermilk biscuits

1 pan milk gravy

Milk Gravy

3-4 tablespoon shortening or bacon grease

3-4 tablespoons flour

salt and pepper to taste

2-2 1/2 cups milk

Melt shortening/bacon grease in a skillet over medium high heat. When grease has melted add flour. You may have to add more flour to reach a paste consistance. Once paste consistance is reached, add salt and pepper and allow flour mixture to cook for about a minute to allow the flour taste to cook out. Be sure not to let your paste burn! Using a wire whisk or the back of a wooden spoon, gently pour milk into flour mixture starting with 1 cup. Continue to stir and add milk until desired consistance is reached. I believe that gravy is unique to each person. I like mine on the thick side, but my momma always made her's a little thinner. Once consistance is reach remove from heat as mixture will continue to thicken.

Dip chicken pieces in warm gravy and place in warm biscuits! I made these for the first time this week for Jake, and he told me it's one the best things I've ever made.

My post are about to get few and far between as we will be leaving Alaska in less than a week. I still plan to post about an amazing cockpot pulled pork and lemon bars though! While home in GA I'm going to try and continue to post about not only what I'm cooking, but also some of the places we are eating!

Parmesan Tilapia and Potato Pancakes

 Lately I have been seeing a commercial where they take mayonnaise and Parmesan cheese and spread it over chicken and then bake it. I thought this was a wonderful idea, since cheese and mayo are an essential part of my diet! I thought I'd change it up a little, and do a nice piece of tilapia instead of the chicken. This was a huge hit at our house. My kids both love fish and adding cheese to it only made it that more appealing!

 Parmesan Tilapia

4 Tilapia fillets

1/4 cup of mayonnaise, divided

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, divided

Salt and Pepper to taste

Preheat oven 375 degrees. Place fillets on a foil lined cookie sheet sprayed with a non-stick spray. Spread 1-2 tablespoons mayo on each fillet and season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle cheese evenly over fillets. Place in oven and bake for 8-10 minutes or until fish begins to flake with a fork. Turn on broiler and broil fish for 1-2 minutes or until the cheese begins to brown. I promise this is the easiest fish you will ever make, and to top it off the tastiest as well!

Growing up I remember my momma always making potato pancakes with leftover mashed potatoes. It was rare that we had real mashed potatoes (because my brother preferred instant ones), so it was a special treat when she would make these the next day.

Potato Pancakes

1 1/2 - 2 cup leftover mashed potatoes

1 large egg

2-3 green onions, chopped

salt and pepper to taste

2-3 tablespoons oil

Place oil in a non- stick or cast iron skillet and heat over medium-high heat. While oil is heating, mix  potatoes, egg, onions, and salt and pepper. When oil is heated, drop 3-4 tablespoons of potato mixture into pan to form a patty. Usually you can fit about 3 in a pan at a time depending on the size of your skillet. Fry for 3-4 minutes on each side, or until a nice crispy brown layer is achieved. Flip and repeat on other side. Fry potatoes in batches and drain on paper towels. I love these served with a dollop of sour cream on top!