Brunswick Stew-Dinner In a Pot.

This is so easy to make and so great for the colder weather.  I used double the chicken in this recipe instead of the chicken and the brisket, so it's also very healthy!  I know you'll love it.

 

 

Adapted from the original recipe here.

1 large chopped onion

2 minced garlic cloves

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 1/2 tbsp jarred beef soup base

4 large chicken breasts

1 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes

1 can whole kernel corn

1 can hominy

1 can lima beans

1 12 ounce jar of chili sauce

1 tbsp yellow mustard

1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

salt and pepper to taste

optional hot sauce

Saute onions and garlic in hot oil in a large pot over medium high heat for about 2 minutes.

Stir together beef soup base and 2 cups of water and add to pot.  Stir in chicken breasts and and all the vegetables and seasoning.

Bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to low.  Cook stirring occasionally for 1 to 2 hours.

Uncover and remove chicken.  If its on the bone, remove the meat from the bone and shred it (click here for an earlier post on shredding chicken). Cover and cook at least 20 more minutes.  Serve with hot sauce if desired.

Makes at least 12 good servings.

Getting Ready for Fall

Besides decorating my home for the changing of the seasons, I also like to change the way my home smells.  I love diffusers and I usually use lemon throughout the Spring and Summer. For Fall, Christmas is not far behind and my most favorite scent of the season is Frasier Fir.   I always love the scent of the Christmas Tree and this scent by Thymes is the best reproduction I've found.  So why just limit the sensual enjoyment of this scent for Christmas only.  I change out this scent in my home from October through February, all the colder months.  It's heavenly!! Click here for more information.

Fall Hydrangeas.

As you saw in my post in the Spring about Hydrangeas, I really love them.  Did you know they give you a repeat performance in the Fall?  Be sure to let a few of them dry on their own on the stem and you'll be rewarded with some great Fall flower decorations!

Love these colors. Enjoy!

Fall Entry in Burlap.

I finally got around to decorating the front entry of my home for Fall.  I'm really into burlap right now so I've incorporated it into a Burlap Leaves Wreath and a Pumpkin Topiary on top of a Burlap Wreath (an idea brought to my attention by a very good friend!).

Love using different types of pumpkins (or squash as they are sold at Kroger).

I sawed the stems to be flush with the pumpkins so they would sit on top of each other. 

 All together it looks like this!

Happy Fall!

Simple Lemon Salad

I love this salad.  It's so easy and basic, you wouldn't believe how great it is.  I start with lettuce, I prefer Bibb lettuce and it's used here, but you can use any lettuce.  This is really great with Arugula or Watercress too.

Lightly coat with olive oil and toss, add sea salt to your taste.  Squeeze about 1/4 lemon over and toss again.

That's all!  Really, that's all it takes! You'll love it. It a light and fresh tasting salad for any meal.

Flowers in October.

One of the best times to live in the South is in the Fall.  The humidity drops, the night time temperatures drop, the days are typically sunny and warm and there are still blooms all around.  Here are a few of my favorite flowers that are blooming right now.  Hope you enjoy them.

Love these Nasturtiums.  They didn't do well with the wet Summer, but are starting to look great with the drier weather.  I had these blooming up until Thanksgiving last year.

These light pink Asters are great.  They don't start blooming until October and are such a nice late surprise.

Love the Anenome.  I somehow kept these from the deer this year.

I have had this plant, the Caterpillar plant for years.  This is one of my plants that did well with the wet Summer.

Knock Out roses are a knockout for such a long time.  I couldn't get a picture where they didn't look fake, they are so vibrant!  This is one flower in my yard that is the first and last to bloom.  Love them!

Fall Berries

The sunflowers this week are beginning to look a little shabby.  While trying to figure out what to put in my vase for the week, I noticed all the berries on my Pyracantha. It really needed to be trimmed, so I brought in some of the branches I cut and used them to replace my flowers.  I like the effect of natural elements in a vase, especially in the Fall and Winter.  Try it with branches, boughs of leaves or whatever you feel looks like the season outside.

Try Picadillo Instead of Chili this Fall.

I love flavor, spices and olives.  I also love chili.  It's a great one pot meal that is just as good the next night and frozen for a quick meal.  When I lived in South Florida, I also loved Cuban food.  There was a great restaurant called the Cuban Cafe in Boca Raton, Florida that had wonderful Cuban food.  I always would order the Picadillo and was never disappointed.  Recently I found this recipe for Picadillo and it's been a hit at my house. I've almost replaced my cooler months Chili recipe with it.  Don't be put off by the use of ground cloves and cinnamon in this recipe, it really tastes great and also make your house smell heavenly!

Here's how it's made:

Saute chopped onions, peppers and garlic.

Remove the vegetables and cook the ground beef until it crumbles.

Meanwhile, in a saucepan, combine the olives, capers, spices and vinegar.

Cook over medium heat until the liquid has evaporated.

Add to the ground beef the vegetables and olive mixture.

Add the tomatoes.

Cook for about 1/2 hour over medium heat.

I love it with avocado and served over brown rice.  Hope you do too!

Here's the entire recipe:

Ingredients:

Coat the pan with Pam Olive Oil Spray

2-3 cloves of garlic, minced

1 large onion chopped

5-6 small orange and yellow peppers chopped

2 lbs ground beef (I use lean)

2 cups sliced green olives

1/2 cup capers

1/4 cup white vinegar

salt and pepper to taste

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground cloves

2 dried bay leaves

2 dashes of hot sauce

6 cups of diced tomatoes, using about 1/2 of the liquid

Directions

Cook the vegetables and garlic in the sprayed pan until onions are transparent.  Removed to another bowl.

Add the ground beef to the pan and cook until it crumbles and liquid is absorbed

Meanwhile combine the olives, capers, spices and vinegar in a small saucepan.

Cook on medium until the liquid is absorbed.

Combine the cooked meat with the olive mixture, onions and peppers and the tomatoes.

Cook over medium heat for at least 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, an hour is better.

Enjoy!

Read for a Cause.

I love a good book and I am always looking for a next great read.  This is a great way to find wonderful books to read and help fight Breast Cancer at the same time. While reading is good for your soul, reading these books will be good for a cause.  Click here to find these books

Happy Reading!

Pumpkin Brownies.

Only 2 ingredients.  That's right, only 2, unless you add the toffee on top--which I did.  These are the most moist brownies I've ever seen. They don't taste like your regular brownies, but they are still very good

You can check out the recipe here. I'm not going to repeat it since it is so easy, but I just wanted to get the word out about these. Here's how they looked coming out of the oven

Check out how dense they are!  They are very moist and were even better the next day, really!  You have to try these out.  I served them with Cool Whip Free, and it was wonderful!

These are about 145 calories and less than 3 grams of fat.  It tastes like you're really cheating, but you are being so good. Pumpkin is really good for you and adds fiber to your diet.  These are great!