Oregon 2015

Oh my goodness. I took quite the break!

It's been more than a month since my last post. And let me tell you, time off did me good. I definitely feel invigorated and refreshed. The hubby and I got back from our Oregon trip on Thursday night, but it's taken me a while to find my bearings. It always feels like that coming back from vacation. However, the house is back in order, the laundry is all done, the fridge is stocked with veggies- which means it's time to get back to writing. 

May in the Jarrell Garden

-plus an announcement!

Good morning, and happy Wednesday!

I know I've been away all week, and I apologize. It's been a fairly busy sort of week, between getting the garden going, keeping up with the lawn, and oh yeah, raising a puppy that's new to the homestead. I just wanted to share how the garden is looking at this oh-so-early time of year-

Strawberry Chocolate Popsicles

Ok, foodbloggers. Has this situation ever happened to anyone else?

You think of a quick little project that might make a good post. Say something simple, like popsicles. After you've dreamed up the concept, you then guesstimate that the project will take 10 minutes to complete. Then, smack in the middle of said "quick" project, everything goes south. Instead of taking 10 minutes, it's taking 40 minutes and you're late for another event because the darn project was not supposed to take that long?

Yeah. That was these popsicles. 

Creamy Bacon Broccoli and Brie Pasta

This is really mac and cheese in disguise. A grown-up mac and cheese, if you will. Tender pasta tossed in a creamy cheese sauce flavored by brie, all mixed in with crispy bacon and bright green broccoli. The hubby and I went nuts over this, truly we ate more than we should have.  I couldn't believe when I discovered we (the two of us!) ate almost a whole skillet of that wonderful brie-coated pasta. 

Little piggies, I tell you.

Broccoli and Red Pepper Chicken Stir-fry

Happy Tuesday! 

I usually try to post on Mondays, however, yesterday was a tad cray-cray. I felt like I was going from the moment I woke up. I basically woke up, shotgunned 3 coffees, watered the garden, fed the birds, gathered all the house laundry to start, cleaned out the fridge, ran the dishwasher, headed out to the grocery store, and then the feed store. Came home, mowed the lawn, finished the laundry, took a shower, and...

Collapsed.

Raspberry Lemonade Truffles

Let's wrap up this week of Mexican food with something sweet. Make it a no-bake as well, and you have yourself a deal! These moist, lemon-y, fruity, faux-truffles would be a perfect Mother's Day treat.

Recipe Redux: Tortilla Soup

Happy Cinco de Mayo! 

Tortilla Soup is one of my ultimate favorite soups. In the world. Like, ever. It would be included in my top 5 list. It's a soup that I have on hand at all times, via the freezer, joining the likes of Clam Chowder, Tomato Soup, and Potato Soup. There's rarely a time I would ever turn down Tortilla Soup. In fact, I can't even think of a reason I would turn up my nose. Well, I guess if I had food poisoning, but then I wouldn't be eating anything...

Slow Cooker Chicken Mole

It's Cinco de Mayo week!

It's no secret that Mexican food and/or Tex Mex are some of my favorite cuisines. I never strictly wait for Cinco de Mayo to make Mexican food, I make it year round. That being said, it's my own personal tradition to eat Mexican food and drink a margarita on Cinco de Mayo. And I love my traditions. I haven't decided what to make this year, but I'm leaning towards enchiladas. I may have gotten my chili gravy down, but I haven't found my ultimate enchilada sauce yet. Uh oh. Mouth. watering. already.

Introducing Mariota!

Hello friends! Happy Sunday!

Well, I had quite the unexpected blogging break here. I normally aim to post 3 recipes a week, and this week I only got one in. And it wasn't even a recipe. It was a round-up. Needless to say, little Mariota is keeping me quite busy. And I'm not complaining :)