Semi-Permanent Vacation

Wow. I don't even know how to write this. I started this blog last November and it has been an incredible journey. I have had so much fun. Lately, though, its been really hard on me trying to juggle all of the things in my life. The blog takes a lot of time, and I put high demands on myself for the blog. I have decided to take some time off to focus on my family and my job. I can't keep my head straight trying to focus on all three. That being said, I am not shutting it down. I am going to leave the blog up for archive purposes so you can still access all of the old recipes. And I am still cooking. So, when I do come across a good recipe I am going to post it. I just will not have the email updates available or scheduled Match-ups and Menus.

I really hope that you guys understand. I feel so torn with this decision. A part of me really wants to make it work, but I just can't right now. I have to take some time for me and my family. I want this blog to be fun for me. Not a burden. So, I have to re-group. Shannon from The Bargain Buggy and Aubrey from Eastern Shore Mom have both told me that they would welcome a Guest Post any time. I'm not going anywhere. I'm just going to hibernate for a while :)

Thank you so much for all of the love and support you have showed The Fairhope Foodie thus far. It means so much to me to see how this idea has grown into something so wonderful. My heart aches taking this step back, but it is what is necessary for me at this time.

I also wanted to leave you with some of my favorite food blogs. I get a lot of inspiration from these sites, so please use them and subscribe to their updates if they offer it.

Annie's Eats

Let's Dish

Taste and Tell

Gina's Weight Watchers Recipes

Martha Stewart's Everyday Food

Every Day with Rachael Ray

Taste of Home

Pink Parsley

Foodbuzz (I love the Daily Top 9)

Girl Gone Gourmet



Thank you so much for everything.


Until the next recipe...

Sour Cream Coffee Cake

Yummy, Yummy, Yummy! This coffee cake was even more delicious than I thought it would be! It really reminded me of the Snickernoodle Muffins I made several weeks ago. It was so moist and delicious. I loved the cinnamon streusel layer running through the middle of the cake. Everybody in my house loved this one. My little Emme was even grunting for more! Shhh....yes, I give my 11 month old cake sometimes :) This is exactly why I love muffins and coffee cakes. It gives you a legitimate excuse to eat cake for breakfast. I was tempted to plop some Blue Bell ice cream next to it! You have definitely got to put this on the weekend breakfast rotation!



2 cups all purpose flour
1-1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup (8-oz) sour cream
1/2 cup vanilla yogurt
1 stick butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Streusel:
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/3 cup all purpose flour
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray an 11 X 7-inch baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the first five ingredients. In another bowl, combine the eggs, sour cream, yogurt, butter and vanilla. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened.

In a small bowl, combine the streusel ingredients. Spoon half of the batter into the dish. Sprinkle with half of the streusel topping. Top with remaining batter and streusel. Bake at 350 for 35-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Place pan on a wire rack to cool.




Enjoy!



(adapted from Taste of Home)

Cowboy Spaghetti

I love finding new recipes to use with the ground beef I keep in the freezer. Some nights when I don't plan a dinner, its nice to be able to grab some out of the freezer, throw it in the pan, and brown it up. I saw this Rachael Ray recipe on a blog that I follow. I had most of the ingredients in my pantry so I knew I had to try it. And I love Rachael Ray, so I figured it had to be good! Usually my spaghetti consists of Ragu, ground beef and noodles. That is all fine and dandy, but I love this hearty twist. And let me tell you that the leftovers are even better the next day! The crumbled bacon on top gives it such a great "cowboy" flavor!



1 box spaghetti noodles
4 slices bacon, chopped
1 lb. ground beef
1 medium onion, diced
3-4 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons hot sauce
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup beef stock
1 14-oz. can diced fire roasted tomatoes
1 16-oz. can tomato sauce
shredded cheddar cheese, for garnish
scallions, for garnish (I omitted these)

Cook noodles to al dente according to package directions.

Meanwhile, heat a deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add extra virgin olive oil and bacon. Brown and crisp bacon. Remove with a slotted spoon. Drain off a little excess fat if necessary. Leave just enough to coat the bottom of the skillet. Add the beef and crumble with wooden spoon as it browns. Drain off excess fat. Add onions and garlic. Stir into the meat and cook until slightly softened, about 4-6 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, hot sauce and Worcestershire sauce. Add 1/2 cup beef stock and deglaze the pan. Cook 5-6 minutes more then stir in tomatoes and tomato sauce. Cover and cook on low for about 15 minutes to allow the tomatoes to cook and the flavors to combine.

When ready to eat, place a serving of noodles in the bottom of a pasta bowl or large plate. Top with the tomato sauce. Sprinkle with shredded cheese, crisp bacon crumbles, and scallions.





Enjoy!




(adapted from Taste and Tell)

Publix Menu Match-ups 7/7

I haven't been to Publix in almost TWO WEEKS! Crazy, I know. I need to get a trip together and get a few things this week. I guess its good when you have a little bit left over from your grocery weekly budget! Most of the budget last week was spent on formula, so I've been working from my stockpile. I need to use some of this food before it expires! Here's the deals from the ad that started on Wednesday.

Be sure to check out the full match-ups on IHeartPublix!

Athenos Crumbled Feta Cheese B1G1 YUM!
Recipes: Feta Cheese

Ranier Cherries B1G1
Recipes: Sweet Cherry Pie on Annie's Eats...looks incredible!

Barilla Pasta Sauce B1G1
Recipes: Pasta Sauce

Barilla Multigrain Pasta B1G1 (I want to try this kind)
Recipes: Pasta

Pillsbury Moist Supreme Cake Mix B1G1
Recipes: Cake Mix

Musselman's Apple Sauce B1G1
Recipes: Applesauce

Hunt's Tomatoes B1G1
Recipes: Tomatoes

Bumble Bee 4-pk Canned Tuna B1G1
Recipes: Tuna Melts (Yum!)

Thomas' Bagels B1G1
Recipes: Bagels

Yoplait YoPlus B1G1 (the vanilla is awesome)
Recipes: Yogurt (use all of the fresh berries on sale for the Parfaits!)

Simply Potatoes B1G1
Recipes: Hash Browns
Recipes: Potatoes

Cascadian Farms Frozen Vegetables 2/$4 (Frozen Edamame)
Recipes: Chicken Edamame Rice Bowls

Boneless Pork Loin Chops $3.99 lb.
Recipes: Crispy Apricot Pork Chops

Publix Smoked Bacon 2/$7
Recipes: Bacon

Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts $3.99 lb.
Recipes: Chicken

Lean Ground Beef $3.69 lb.
Recipes: Beef

Baby Portabella Mushrooms $1.69
Recipes: Mushrooms

Asparagus $2.49 lb.
Recipes: Asparagus

Baking Potatoes 5 lb. bag $2.99
Recipes: Potatoes

Georgia Peaches $.79
Recipes: Nectarine Puffs (I think these would be great with peaches!)
**If anybody has a peach milkshake recipe that comes close to Chick-fil-a I would LOVE to have it! I tried making one at home and it was not good. I would rather have saved my ice cream and eat the peaches plain :)


I will have my Menu posted shortly. I am going to use some of the things on the sale ad for Winn Dixie also. They had a pretty good week on some basics I need!

Winn Dixie Menu Match-ups 7/7

Is it too late for these match-ups? I hope not! I am really excited about the Grand Reopening at our Fairhope location! They have 8-oz. blocks of Kraft cheese for $.99! Totally stocking up. There are lots of B1G1 deals this week. And I see several good basics on sale. I am going for eggs, cheese, and produce!

For ad match-ups be sure to check out:

Coupons Make Cents

Southern Savers

Eastern Shore Mom



Split Chicken Breasts B1G1
Winn Dixie Frozen Breasts or Tenderloins B1G1
Recipes: Chicken

Assorted and Center Cut Pork Chops B1G1
Recipes: Crispy Apricot Pork Chops

Armour Meatballs B1G1
Recipes: Meatballs

Bakery Kaiser or Hoagie Rolls B1G1
Recipes: Sandwiches

Kellogg's Pop Tarts B1G1
Recipes: Pop Tart Cookies

Nilla Wafers B1G1
Recipes: Nilla Wafers

Ronco Pasta B1G1
Recipes: Pasta

Starkist Chunk Light Tuna B1G1
Recipes: Tuna Melts (good! and you could use the hoagie rolls on sale!)

Del Monte Tomatoes B1G1
Recipes: Tomatoes

Mott's Applesauce B1G1
Recipes: Applesauce

Cauliflower $1.50
Recipes: Cauliflower

Broccoli $1.50
Recipes: Broccoli (I loved all of these!)

WD Russet Potatoes 10-lb. bag $3.99
Recipes: Potatoes

Hickory Sweet Bacon $2.50
Recipes: Bacon

Large Eggs $.99!!
Recipes: Eggs

Eggo Waffles $1.66
Recipes: Monte Cristo Waffle'wiches

Pillsbury Crescent Rolls $1.66
Recipes: Croissants

Wishbone Dressing $1.66
Recipes: Dressing

And here are some local prices for some awesome deals going on for the Grand Reopening in Fairhope, AL! Thanks EasternShoreMom!

Asparagus $1.49 lb.
Recipes: Asparagus

Strawberries 2 lb. package $2.99
Recipes: Strawberries

Kraft Chunk Cheese 8-oz. block $.99!!!!! (limit 4)
Recipes: Cheese


Maybe I'll see some of you around Winn Dixie getting my cheese :) I'll be in a couple of times!

Strawberry Cake Bites

I wasn't planning on making these tonight, but I wanted something sweet. I really liked the Brownie Cookies I made a couple of weeks ago, so I wanted to remix it using the strawberry cake mix I had in the pantry. I didn't think the cookies would work, so I decided to try out my new mini-muffin pan. These little cakes were too cute! And not to mention, quite tasty! I could seriously eat about one thousand. You could use whatever frosting you have on hand. If you have a tub of frosting, whip it up in your mixer first. It really fluffs it up and gives it more of a homemade texture. I only had some heavy cream in the fridge, so I whipped it up with some sugar and topped each cake with a dollop of the whipped cream. It was a nice light balance to the heavier cake. A sweet treat for my Tuesday!



1 8-oz. package cream cheese, softened
1 stick butter, softened
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 box strawberry cake mix

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray or use paper liners in a mini-muffin pan. Set aside.

In a large bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter and cream cheese together until smooth, about 2 minutes. Beat in the egg. Then beat in the vanilla. Add the cake mix and beat on medium speed for 2 minutes.

Drop tablespoon size dollops into the prepared muffin pan. Bake for 16-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cakes comes out clean. Cool. Top with desired frosting or eat plain!





Enjoy!

Chicken Tortilla Skillet

This is another one of those recipes that sat on my radar for quite some time before I actually decided to give it a try. And I must say, that in the process of combining all of the ingredients on the stove I was really hesitant. In my mind, chips+chicken broth= mushy mess. Boy, was I wrong! This dish is awesome. Its all of the traditional Mexican flavors that I love all combined in one easy skillet meal. I changed up the original recipe to make it more pantry-friendly, and I was really pleased with the results. I know we are all looking for ways to use up some of those Tostitos in our pantry. Pull them out and try this! It is so good, and so different than other Mexican dishes that you've tried. I promise!



2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1/4 onion, minced (about 3 tablespoons)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1-3/4 cups chicken broth
5 cups Tostitos, then broken into pieces
1 can Rotel, drained
1-1/2 cups shredded cheddar or Mexican blend cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro or parsley

Preheat the broiler. Trim the chicken breasts of any excess fat and season with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in an oven safe skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook on both sides until golden-brown, 5-7 minutes total (the chicken will NOT be cooked through at this point). Transfer to a plate and set aside.

Add the remaining oil, onion, garlic and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Cook until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes. Add the broth and scrape up any brown bits, and bring to a simmer.

Stir in half of the tortilla chips. Nestle the chicken into the broth and cook over medium low heat until cooked through, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board, and when cool enough to handle, shred into bite-sized pieces.

Return the chicken to the skillet (over low heat) with the drained Rotel, 1 cup cheese, and 1 tablespoon cilantro or parsley. Stir in the other half of the tortilla chips until they are incorporated and moistened (the mixture will be thick).

Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top and broil until the cheese is melted and browning, 2-3 minutes. Top with remaining cilantro or parsley and serve with refried beans or a salad.




Enjoy!




(adapted from Annie's Eats and Pink Parsley)