Secret Weapon Southern-Style Philly Cheese-steaks

I'm a huge fan of Philly cheese-steaks, and I know that my homemade version doesn't hold a candle to the real deal up North, but this is just my simple, Southern rendition of a cheese-steak sandwich. Hold on to your britches, it's super simple, and the bold flavor is beyond yummy.

1 box of sirloin break-away style patties
1 big ol' scoop of frozen fajita style peppers and onions
1 generous spoonful of minced garlic
* 2 tsp. bbq sauce
* 2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
* 2 tsp. A1 steak sauce
hoagie or hot dog buns
sliced provolone cheese


Cook the beef patties until about half done then add the frozen peppers and onions. We were out of mushrooms, but they would be equally delicious if added - it's completely up to you. Once the onions and peppers have cooked up nicely, add the garlic and sauces - this is the secret weapon part. You can add more or less if you like, but this combination gives a bold and saucy kick. Allow to simmer for 4-5 minutes.

Spoon into buns, top with cheese, and toss in a hot oven for 3-4 minutes or until cheese is melty.

Looking for Superbowl food ideas? Consider using mini hot dog buns or slider style burgers for the ultimate game-day snack! You can't go wrong with this one, y'all. Enjoy.

Budget Overhaul: Starting With the Kitchen

I'm horrible with New Years Resolutions because I always give up.

So instead of slapping on a label, I'll just say that I'm trying to make better financial choices for our family. If Lily gets into a preschool program this fall, we'll have another expense to plan for, so I think it's wise to start now by optimizing our incomes and making sure we're not overspending now.

I am a closet hoarder of food. If you look in my pantry or chest freezer, it's almost always full. Although this is nothing short of a blessing to be able to provide so much for our family, it's excessive. At least 50% of what we keep on hand is not stuff we use very regularly. It's time to make some changes.

So, the first step in my plan is to eliminate the cans and boxes that are lurking on the back of my shelves. You know, stuff like canned black beans, that one, random box of Hamburger Helper that we always keep on hand for a quick-fix meal, but never eat. That lonely microwave meal that looked good on the shelf, but isn't nearly as appealing once you bring it home.

My freezer is stuffed with crock pot meals that I literally spent hours prepping, shopping, chopping, and pouring. But I'm the world's worst for making those convenient meals and never actually cooking them.

Ultimately, once I get my cabinets and my refrigerator cleared of the ingredient misfits, I would like to take a more planned approach to our meals. I need to reevaluate the items that we should keep on hand and stop buying things that we don't eat very often.

I know from experience that meal planning has the potential to save us tons of money, but it takes time, dedication, and self-control to avoid the temptations of eating out and the convenience of a drive-thru.

Creamy Italian Bell Pepper Chicken

 

 

I threw this meal together last night, and it was a hit at the Bohannon house. I had all the ingredients on hand, and I knew if we didn't eat those bell peppers in the fridge, they would go bad.

 

Ingredients:

2 medium bell peppers, chopped

2-3 large chicken breasts - sliced

1 jar of Alfredo cream sauce

1 heaping spoonful of minced garlic

White wine of choice - I used about 1/4 - 1/3 c.

Pasta of choice (I used penne)

Italian seasoning

salt (optional)

 

Start by grilling your chicken slices. (I used coconut oil since this dish has a slightly sweeter flavor.) Add the minced garlic & a dash of Italian seasoning when the chicken is about half way done. Reduce heat to medium-low.

 

Add wine and peppers when chicken is almost done. Let simmer for about 3-4 minutes before adding the cream sauce. Stir well and allow to sit for about 5 minutes before serving over penne pasta. Garnish with chopped provolone cheese and Italian seasoning.

 

 

I love garlic bread, and my favorite way to fix it is by cooking refrigerated crescents flat. No need to separate or press together. Just bake until golden brown which is only about 6-7 minutes.

 

Slather with butter and top with garlic salt = perfection.

 

 

This dish was incredibly easy to fix and didn't take a significant amount of time or energy. Not to mention the flavor was spot on. Enjoy!

To Share or Not To Share...

Writing is a great outlet for me. It's a form of stress relief like I never imagined. For some reason it is so liberating and so peaceful for me to be able to express my emotions in the form of words.

But there is a drawback.

I'm scared. I'm scared to share my feelings and open those doors to blatant judgment and unwanted criticism. I'm afraid that my opinions might offend others, and as a people pleaser as well as someone who generally prefers to avoid most conflict, the thought of boldly facing opposition makes me cringe.

But there are some days when I feel that God is compelling me to break down those walls, open my heart, share my stories. He wants me to be brave.

I don't lead an incredibly glamorous lifestyle. In fact, between working, writing a few freelance articles on the side, and keeping up with the demands of a family, I don't have a lot of free time to put my personal thoughts on a page. But I have a story, and I have experiences that others can certainly relate to.

I may not have the most eloquent vocabulary, nor do I always succeed in conveying exactly what I'm trying to say, but I hope that by stepping out of my comfort zone, I will grow in my relationship with Christ and find ways of sharing, loving, and supporting other people who may be walking in similar shoes.

I was recently touched by a story in the book of Exodus when Moses pleads with God to have someone else take on the task of approaching Pharoh to free the Israelites. He says:

 “What if they do not believe me or listen to me and say, ‘The Lord did not appear to you’?...Pardon your servant, Lord. I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue."

But God promised Moses that He would teach him what to say and tell him exactly what to do.

I pray that God gives me words that are honorable to him. 

Soul Food Inspired Dinner - Salmon Cakes, Grits, Green Beans, Gravy

Our church is smack dab in the middle of a series titled 'Soul Food' and each week we're exposed to this deliciously funny video clip that features fried chicken, mashed potatoes, fried okra, and a schmorgesborg of my favorite comfort foods.

As if my stomach wasn't gnawing on my backbone enough, this clip makes me drool.

So, I decided to channel my inner Southern self - which wasn't very hard - to make a quick and easy dinner for our family with lots of classic flavors.

One of my grandmother's most acclaimed dishes included her pan-fried salmon cakes, and although I don't make them exactly like she did, I still think they're pretty tasty. I made 'em up with a little something like this:

- 2 cans of salmon, drained and de-boned

- 2 eggs

- ~1/2 onion finely diced

- hefty sprinkle of yellow cornmeal - no more than 1/4 c. or they'll get dry

- dash of salt and pepper

- a little bigger dash of Old Bay seasoning

- small spoonful of minced garlic

- a quick spritz of lemon juice  (~1 tablespoon)

Mash them up with a fork or your hands - keep in mind that you can always add ingredients as needed to reach your desired consistency. Shape into patties. Pan fry until golden brown. I coated my pan with a mixture of coconut and almond oils before cooking.




I fixed up some delicious dinner grits and green beans as sides. House-autry makes a variety of dinner grit flavors, but the broccoli version was the only one we had on hand. Honestly, I didn't think it had a very distinctive 'broccoli' flavor, but there are other options like plain cheddar, parmesan and herb, or creole that are all equally yummy.

Salmon cakes at our house have always been served with ketchup, but I decided to mix it up a bit and garnished my plate with a rather large spoonful of white gravy. The Pioneer brand makes ~2 cups and is just enough for our family. (It's great with biscuits for breakfast too, by the way)

This was the finished product, y'all, and it tasted even better in person. Enjoy.

New Year - New Goals

My recent involvement with Influenster has inspired me to get back on the blogging train. When I first started this blog, it was during a very hectic time in my life, but was a great way for me to keep track of our meal planning. Like many things, I started off on a great foot, made a lot of really great recipe posts, and was fairly motivated to keep this a regular thing.

Then life happened.

At the end of the summer, I lost my job. It pretty much rocked my world and I was forced to transition into life as a stay at home mom. Right about the time that I was getting a routine established, going to the gym daily, meeting new (and pretty awesome) mom friends, and getting our house back to a socially acceptable order, I was offered another position.

After some negotiations, I accepted this new job on my terms - 30 hours per week with an early bird schedule that would still give me afternoons with my kids.

God answers prayers, y'all. He really does.

The first few weeks at my new lab were nothing short of overwhelming, but I quickly found my place. I have gotten to know my co-workers and I have come to love them like family - even though they probably still think I may be a little crazy.

I love my job.

For a long time I went to work because it put funds in my bank account, food on the table, and insurance in our name. The science was great and I had some of the best co-workers a girl could ask for, but the work was stagnant, and I didn't really feel like I was excelling. There was a lot of pent up potential that wasn't being utilized.

My new job is a really great combination of face-to-face contact with our clinical trial patients, some quiet(er) time at my computer, phone calls here and there, and just enough variation to keep me on my toes. I'm busy. It's a little hectic some days. But I truly love what I am doing, and it really is a blessing to be able to say that.

I was devastated when I lost my previous job. I stressed for a long time about whether returning to work would be the best thing for our family. I was scared about starting over. But looking back, I realize that when God seemingly, and very abruptly closed one door, he was preparing me for something bigger. Something greater. And in His time, He gave me exactly what I had asked for. One door may have closed, but a multitude of doors and windows have since opened, shedding a profound amount of light on our many blessings.

Although I don't have a slew of unrealistic resolutions to pile onto my already full plate this year, I will say that I hope God will give me grace, strength, and perseverance to honor Him in all that I do. I hope to blog a bit more often because I enjoy it. I also hope to expand upon some of my blog topics to create something a little more personal. Cheers to a new year, y'all!

Reese's Rolls Recipe

Some mom friends of mine recently introduced me to a great website called Influenster. This site is designed to allow consumers to write helpful product reviews, research potential purchases, and earn member-only discounts and perks.

In addition, Influenster frequently sends free products to their users. Their VoxBoxes contain anything from beauty products and personal supplies to cooking ingredients and snacks.

I was recently chosen to sample and review a new product, Reese's Spreads. If you like these:

        

Then Reese's Spread is something you need in your pantry....today!

This super-smooth, velvety concoction of chocolatey-peanutbuttery goodness is incredibly delicious. It can be paired with snacks like apple slices or pretzels, but personally,

I prefer simply pairing it with a spoon. Yum.

Last night, I created a delicious desert for my family with my free container of Reese's spread and just two other ingredients: refrigerated crescent rolls and powdered sugar. It was quick, easy, and incredibly yummy! Here's how I made it:

How will you use your Reese's spreads?