Tonight's Menu

Bacon Wrapped Chicken

 

4 chicken cutlets (pounded thin)
Chive and onion cream cheese
Bacon
Your favorite seasoning 

1/4 cup of brown sugar

Pound out the chicken cutlets and spread the cream cheese on each of them. Gently roll up the chicken while securing a slice of uncooked bacon around each piece. I secured the chicken and bacon together with toothpicks. I then placed each chicken roll up into a shallow baking dish sprayed with cooking spray. Seasoning of the chicken can be done at any stage. I chose to sprinkle the chicken roll ups with seasoning once I placed them in the baking dish. I then sprinkled approximately 1/4 of a cup of brown sugar over the top of each piece. The brown sugar is optional but oh so good. It creates a nice glaze on the bacon wrapped chicken that is almost impossible to resist. 

Bake for 35 minutes at 400. To make the bacon crispier, I recommend broiling the chicken for an additional 5 minutes or so.

 

I think this dish would work well with other flavored cream cheeses. Jalapeño cream cheese would be divine in this recipe. I love anything that adds a little kick. 

Hope you enjoy! It's one of our new household favorites. 

My Weekend Finds

I've been wanting some new, comfortable flats to wear with both black and brown. I found these at Dillards and they are super comfy. They will basically match anything I have in my wardrobe. 

I also found this cute crossbody bag. I've been eyeing a bag similar to this with a more iconic name brand and a much larger price tag. I was happy to find a much more affordable option. 

I've been wanting a smaller purse that can be easily taken virtually anywhere. It's been a real challenge convincing my husband that I needed a new purse. Last year for Christmas, he surprised me with a Louis Vuitton and stated it was the only purse I would ever need. I'm guessing he said this due to the hefty price tag of the bag. He's so funny... A girl needs options though!!! I love that he goes out of his way to surprise me and trust me I love the purse he picked out for me. It will be one of my favorite possessions for years to come. 

The Williams and Sonoma Outlet had all of their food on sale so I pick up a few of my seasonal favorites and a jar of their pasta sauce that I've been wanting to try.

Going to Williams and Sonoma inspires me to be a better cook. I just love that store. 

Sunday Night Supper

Momma's Baked Lasagna

1 ½ lbs of ground chuck                32 oz jar of spaghetti sauce

6 oz tomato sauce                       16 oz grated mozzarella

16 oz ricotta cheese                     1 tablespoon of oregano

1 tablespoon of garlic powder         ½ cup chopped onion

3 garlic cloves chopped                 6 oz lasagna noodles (6 total)

 

Preparation Instructions:  Boil noodles in salt and olive oil, drain and

place noodles in a bowl of cold water until ready to use.

Brown meat with onion, garlic powder, garlic cloves, oregano and salt.

Drain and return to pan. Add to meat, the spaghetti sauce and the

tomato sauce. Simmer for 30 minutes; remove from heat. Spray a

9 x 13 inch casserole dish with pam. Spread 1/3 of meat mixture on

bottom of dish; layer noodles on top of meat mixture. Add more meat

mixture and spread half of ricotta cheese on this layer, sprinkle with

mozzarella cheese. Repeat. Preheat oven at 350; bake for 30 minutes.

Before baking

 

Our Weekend Round Up

This past weekend, Christopher's sister and brother in law came to Memphis for a visit. I love when people make the trip to come and see us. Memphis truly does offer quite a few treasures to show off. Friday night, I made reservations at this new trendy restaurant that I've been wanting to try only to get there and see it was closed. I was pretty mad that the restaurant website still allowed you to make reservations. The sign on the door of the restaurant said they would be re-opening soon so maybe I'll give it another chance someday. After finding a place to eat, we traveled to our favorite country western bar for some after dinner drinks. Here's a picture of my sister in law and me. The lighting was not the best, so I tried to enhance the picture quality. It didn't work out too well : /

Saturday was just Gorgeous! In hopes to find some Christmas gifts, my sister in law and I went shopping for most of the day while the guys stayed home and watched football. Shopping for Christmas gifts was unsuccessful but we found some great things for ourselves. Don't you hate it when that happens? 

Sunday, we headed downtown for a lovely brunch at Automatic Slims. This place was very good and offered a huge selection of great brunch items. I would love to try their dinner menu because everything on it looked delicious. 

Given we were only steps from the Peabody, we headed over to see the ducks. The Peabody is in my mind, a Memphis treasure. The lobby is absolutely gorgeous and a great place to sit, relax, and have some drinks. I've never actually stayed in a room here but I've always wanted to. Christopher even suggested staying here as a fun date night/weekend together. We will see if we follow thru with that idea. 

 

The ducks were a little sleepy. They must have had the same brunch that we did. 

Look at how beautiful this flower arrangement is and those ceilings. Just Gorgeous! It's just another reason why I like visiting the Peabody. 

 

Hope everyone enjoyed their weekend as much as we did.

Souper Weekend

Saturday in Memphis was wet, rainy, and messy. I had already decided I was not leaving the house if I didn't have to. So... Thursday, I planned ahead and made my grocery list to include all the items needed for a week/weekend of home cooked meals. First up on the menu :

Taco Soup

1 ½ lbs ground chuck, cooked and drained

1-28oz can chopped tomatoes

1-14oz. can of chopped tomatoes

2 cans of Rotel​

2 cans of shoe peg corn

1 can of black beans, drained​

1 can of pinto beans, drained

1 can of red kidney beans, drained​

4 cups of water

3 envelopes of taco seasoning mix​

1 envelope of ranch salad dressing mix

Garnishments: sour cream, cheddar cheese, black olives, Fritos

Preparation Instructions: Combine all ingredients in a large stock pot

and mix well; bring to boil while stirring; reduce heat and simmer for 45

minutes. Stir occasionally.

You can also make in this recipe in the crockpot. I cooked mine on low for around 6 hours.

Saturday 

I spent most of the day catching up on housework and watching the Auburn/Mississippi State game. I was mildly disappointed in our tigers but hey, you win some, and you lose some.

Living in Alabama meant one thing, you were either an Auburn fan or an Alabama fan. The rivalry is real people. In Memphis, it seems like everyone is either a fan of Mississippi State or Ole Miss. At first, Ole Miss and Mississippi State were just teams Auburn played. If we lost we lost, if we won... Well Done.  I've lived in Memphis for two years now, and I'll tell you my competitiveness between Auburn winning over these two teams has increased tenfold. I was literally shaking during Saturday's game against Mississippi State and I guess that's what was wrong with the Auburn football team too. War Eagle Anyways! 

Sunday's Menu:

Poppyseed Chicken 

3 chicken breasts, cooked and cubed ​

1 can of cream of chicken soup​

1-8oz container of sour cream

1 stick of butter

1 tablespoon of poppy seeds

1 sleeve of Ritz Crackers

Preparation Instructions: Preheat oven to 350. In a large bowl combine

Chicken, soup and sour cream. Pour meat mixture into a greased 9 x 13

casserole dish. Crush crackers in food processor and add poppy seeds.

Sprinkle cracker mixture on top of meat mixture. Melt butter and

distribute butter evenly over cracker mixture. Bake for 30-40 minutes.

Serve with white rice.

On Sundays, I like to make a big meal in order to ensure we have leftovers for Monday. Mondays are already hard enough and who wants to think about making dinner after a long busy day.  Monday nights I also attend my favorite workout class, so it prevents me from making one of my usual meals for the hubby and I. I like to workout on Mondays because it helps get my week started. I read somewhere that if you are trying to get in shape or stay fit... Never Miss a Monday!

Working out on Monday also helps you feel a little better about all the weekend food you consumed. I know I splurge with the calorie intake on weekends. 

                           

Breast Cancer Awareness

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month!

Wear your PINK and spread the word. As a Mammographer, breast cancer awareness is a part of my job. I consider it my professional responsibility to educate women about their breast health. Most people know that mammograms screen for breast cancer but here are some things you might not know.

• Breast cancer is considered the most frequently diagnosed cancer among women 
• Breast cancer is the 2nd leading cause of cancer death among women
• Breast cancer occurs in 1 in 8 women

Early detection is crucial when it comes to breast health. The earlier a breast cancer is caught the better the prognosis is for the patient. 

• Women 40 and older should have a screening mammogram annually.
• Women should perform monthly self breast exams
• Starting at age 20, women should have a clinical breast exam performed by a physician at least once every 3 years.

Occasionally, I encounter women who believe that having a mammogram is pointless. These women do not consider that anything could possibly be wrong with them; because number one they are asymptomatic and number two they have no family history of breast cancer. If you or someone you know is one of these women, I urge you to reconsider all of the reasons why women age forty and older should have a mammogram annually. 

This October, do not forget to wear your PINK and help support the fight against breast cancer. There are numerous organizations that support the fight against breast cancer. I encourage you to get involved, donate and help save lives.  

Weekend Round Up

This past weekend, we traveled to the great state of Alabama. On Friday night, we met our parents, my brother, sister in law, and nephew for dinner. When we travel home, we like to cram in all the family time we can get. Let me tell you, the weekends pass by way too quickly when we are in our hometown. Here's a picture of me stealing some kisses from my sweet nephew.

He turned 4 months old on Friday. He's such a handsome little fella. 

Saturday, we had tickets to the Auburn vs. LSU game. I was a little anxious about this game, given they were the only team Auburn lost to last year in the regular season. My husband and I love Auburn. Going to the football games is something we both enjoy. In college, it was some of the best quality time we ever spent together. While my husband attended Auburn, he never sat in the student section. Can you believe that? I guess he preferred sitting next to me in his parent's season ticket seats. At least I like to think so : ) Football is kinda our thing though. SEC football is our favorite but recently we have started to get more and more into the pro teams. We both have said we could cancel our cable if it wasn't for football season. Here's just a few of our fun times together during Auburn games. Can you guess which picture is the oldest? 

Here we are before we headed to Auburn  this past weekend. 

Excuse our golden retriever who must have wanted to be in the picture too. 

This was us during the game. My selfie taking skills are improving slowly but surely. 

Needless to say, with Auburn proving to be victorious over LSU, we had a great weekend. War Eagle!!!

Chicken Casserole Recipe

My Momma is an excellent cook. One of my favorite comfort foods is this chicken casserole that she makes. I'm pretty sure she made this casserole a million times when I was young. Today, it's still one of my favorites and my husbands too! While my husband prefers everything "vanilla," I like to spice things up a bit by adding some Rotel to the casserole. I am considerate of his "vanilla" feelings though and only add the Rotel to half the casserole. That's Love!!! 

Time Saver:

I cook the chicken breasts in the crock pot on low for 6hrs or so with some chicken broth and seasoning. While I'm working away, my chicken is cooking and I'll be ready to prepare this comforting feast as soon as I get home. 

CHICKEN CASSEROLE

3 chicken breasts, cooked and cubed (can use rotisserie)

Cooked rice (six servings) cooked with 2chicken bouillon cubes

One can of cream of chicken soup

One cup of mayonnaise

One cup of water

1 and 1/2 teaspoons of salt

1 and 1/2 teaspoons of black pepper

2 cups of cheddar cheese

One can of Rotel tomatoes, optional

Preparation Instructions: Place all ingredients except cheese

in a greased 9 x 13 casserole dish sprayed with pam. Stir until

thoroughly blended. Sprinkle with cheese. You can add ¼

cup of chopped onion or curry powder to mixture. If adding Rotel,

½ cup of water is not needed. Bake in a preheated 350 oven for

35 minutes.

I normally serve this with some type of veggie. 

I might add, this is an excellent dish to prepare for someone who has just had a baby (minus the Rotel for those breast feeding mommas), recent surgery, or even new neighbors. 

Sign Me Up

I LOVE online shopping!!! There is nothing more satisfying than ordering an item online and having it arrive on your doorstep within a few days. As I mentioned previously, the online boutiques have been a serious weakness of mine. However, my addiction became much more real about a month ago when I enrolled in a monthly subscription service that sends selected cleaning products to your door. Yes, I said cleaning products!! What has happened to me? I might need help. Check out this company before you call me crazy.

The Honest Company

Founded by Jessica Alba, this company specializes in providing everyday household items that are free of harmful chemicals. I purchased the Essentials Bundle.  This bundle allows you to mix and match your favorite items to be sent monthly to your door. You also get the option to change the delivery dates to better fit your needs.

The use of these products provides piece of mind that you are decreasing the amount of chemicals that you and your family encounter on a daily basis. After using these products just once, I threw out the majority of my old cleaning products.

 Fabletics

Another company I have become obsessed with is Fabletics. This company was founded by Kate Hudson. It offers tons of cute workout gear for affordable prices. Once receiving your first outfit purchase for as little as $25, one can enroll in the sites VIP program which comes with tons of perks. By enrolling, you will receive new monthly outfit picks, a discounted price, and reward points for every outfit you purchase. You can redeem these points toward new outfits. There is no obligation to buy and you may skip any or every month if the outfits don't meet your liking. Check this site out. Even if you do not workout,  Fabletics has tons of cute loungewear for busy, on the go women.

It's Fall Y'all

Fall is one of my favorite times of the year. I love everything that fall represents. It introduces football season, cooler weather, the beautiful fall decor, back porch sitting and of course fall apparel. Let me just say, I hate hot weather. I'd  rather be cold than hot any day of the week except when it comes to vacationing. There is nothing better than vacationing somewhere warm and beautiful. With this being said, I love cool weather clothing and have become slightly obsessed with some of the new fall trends. There are so many online boutiques that just so happen to send you emails with new arrivals every day. It's very nice of them to remind me of all the cute things I couldn't possibly afford. Anyways... I have become victim of these emails and have bit the bullet and definitely splurged on some new items for my fall wardrobe.
Here are a few of my favorite online boutiques/stores:

The Mint Julep Boutique

The Blue Door Boutique

Pamala's Boutique

These 3 stores offer some of the season's cutest trends. I must warn you, once you start receiving those new arrival emails, temptation sometimes gets the best of you. Go ahead and indulge. You are worth it.