Weekend? What Weekend?

Last week was a complete blur.  With piling design deadlines, school work to grade, lectures to prepare for and driving in the rain to and from Newark, Ohio.  I was one happy girl when the weekend happily arrived. We did have an unpleasant beginning to the weekend, finding out that my husband's grandfather has lung cancer.  Prayers please! But we visited him on Saturday, taking Hudson to visit as well and he was resting and begins treatment very soon. 

Saturday morning kicked off early with the local Specialty Store Sale Spectacular! Which I will post about separately. After the shopping extravaganza ended, my parent's and I went next door to Winchell's Restaurant.  A local place that has wonderful home cooked food and plenty of TVs for catching UK games!

This was my first brunch at Winchell's and I was not disappointed.  Everything was delicious! Right down to my cup of coffee.  If you eat here, definitely get their jalapeno grits.  They are, as I said to our waitress, "Da bomb!".  Hah-aha! Then the hubby and I spent some time visiting his family and running errands, only to end up at my parent's house to watch the UK Game!

With a UK victory and bourbon in hand, we all celebrated with a Filet Mignon dinner!  Cooked to perfection by my dad!  I made Pioneer Woman's fresh green beans and my mother made hash brown casserole.  Apparently my hubby didn't contribute, he just enjoyed our hard work.  I also was very proud of myself and made a Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Pie for dessert! Not to toot my horn, but it turned out delish.

Not to end the food fest, I woke up Sunday (a bit hungover) and thought it was a great day for pancakes!

Hudson and I enjoyed a walk, then snuggled up for a movie!  We watched The Help, my favorite movie from 2011 by far.  And Hudson liked it, but managed to sneak in a nap during the film (which is fine, he'd seen it before).

So snuggly.  And I'm usually not this yellow I swear!

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend, I know I'm already looking forward to the one coming up.  Happy Monday to all!

Pinning Accomplishments (Part 2)

Since I am on a recipe kick here lately, let us continue.  Back to "What I've actually created thanks to Pinterest!"

This time we're going to talk about recipes I've seen/pinned from Pinterest that I have actually tried.  Mind my recipe board have at least 40 pins, however I have only actually made a handful.  I like to actually take a look at what I've done thanks to Pinterest.  I mean, I can be on the site for hours at a time but never create anything that I loved and inspired me so much.  This is an exercise in hopes that I will continue to re-create what I pin and that, yes it does indeed happen!

This was a lovely pin that sparked my eyes and taste buds, mainly due to the fact that it contains....what for it....Bourbon! 

Link here.

Ginger Apple Bourbon Cider! The recipe is: One parts Apple Cider, One part Ginger Ale to two parts Bourbon. I enjoyed this beverage very much this past fall, using my favorite bourbon (Woodford Reserve), Cider from a local orchard (Boyd's) and my absolute favorite ginger ale - Vernor's!  The only thing that got me was the calories from this delicious drink, so I did opt for a diet ginger ale after I learned how much I did love this. Hehe!

Link here.

Pizza Puffs: My husband is always up for eating one thing....Pizza!  Even if we had it two days ago, he'll eat it again. Delivery, DiGiorno, or whatever else you can think of he is down to eat if for dinner.  I came across this pin, first thinking of it mainly for appetizers during parties/game watching.  Then one night I was craving pizza, but didn't want to fork over the twenty odd dollars for a delivery.  I wanted to make a pizza (which we enjoy to do) and thought this pin would be perfect.  The recipe is very easy, the Pizza Puffs cook fast and most importantly are yummy!  I serve with marinara sauce on the side and we eat it with a salad.  Two thumbs way up!

Link here.

 Pumpkin Fluff was an item I made for our Halloween party last year.  Only containing a few ingredients (cool whip, pumpkin pie spice, and a couple of others), just mix and pop in fridge.  Serve when you're ready with graham cracker sticks to dip.  Very delish and something easy to make and eat at a party.

Link here.

This was another Halloween party snack I made: Mummy Dogs.  Which my husband loves so much we make it now for dinner every now and then.  Did I mention I married a kindergartner?  I wanted to serve some meat of some kind for the men to chow down on.  We had some classic chicken wings, but I made this cute little guys and had ketchup and mustard available for dipping.

Link here.

Chicken Bruschetta Bake: I am a follower of a Weight Watcher's Recipe Board and love to try out these yummy low calorie meals.  I have actually used Weight Watchers before and believe it does work and helps people with calorie and portion control.  This recipe is fairly easy.  I love these recipes where you toss everything together and bake.  This Chicken Bruschetta Casserole is a fine example. I loved it the next day too, so if you're a leftover fan (however the husband isn't, so annoying).

Link here.

These mounds of awesomeness are Oreo Bars.  Similar to Rice Krispie Treats, but with Oreos!  I recommend eating after a low cal meal such as the Chicken Bruschetta Bake so as not to feel too bad.

Under each pin I attached the link so you can see who came up with these wonderful recipes!  Enjoy them if you do try them!  And sometime actually go get the ingredients and make something delicious that you've seen on Pinterest.  You might be surprised and find a new staple for your family.

Cook-Aholic

This past weekend I was a cooking fool!  I made all kinds of different recipes just for fun and they all turned out fantastic.  I was very pleased with my feats of culinary talents.  As per usual, the weekend flew by way too fast.  And Sunday night my husband and I are looking at each other going, "What did we do this weekend?"  It had gone by so fast we had already forgotten what we did Friday night, but we didn't forget this:

Come 'n' get it.

For some reason this weekend I channeled the Pioneer Woman and cooked like I was on a ranch and my husband was a cattle rancher and I had to make sure my man was fed!  So for Friday night dinner we had Pioneer Woman's Rib Eye Steak (We used Sirloin Steak, that way we bypass the bone) with a Whiskey Cream Sauce (and because I live in Kentucky I used Bourbon).  It turned out delicious!  It was rich, creamy and I was amazed that I made this homemade country style meal.  I added some carrots and scalloped potatoes for some veggie factor and we honkered down and enjoyed! Again, any recipe I find in her cookbook is not on her blog (for obvious reasons, girl needs to sell books right?).  But I really have enjoyed this book, she uses pictures and great instructions so that I'm not scared to take on some of these recipes. 

Saturday was a day filled with eye exams, eating breakfast out and watching UK basket ball with friends!  We finished up our night watching the hilarious and one of our favorite movies, Bridesmaids.

Sunday I was back in the kitchen "slaving away", I woke up in the morning and was craving eggs and toast.  Then I remember a recipe in my wonderful cookbook that combined the two:

Cast Iron Workout.

Pioneer Woman calls it Egg-In-The-Hole, but my husband calls it Gas House Egg.  Basically you cut a hole out of your bread and crack and egg in the center and cook it up.  I don't like my eggs runny, so I cooked them over medium.  The toast was yummy, buttery and crisp.  Again, I was like, "I'm pretty good at this!" Hahahaha.  I guess when I'm out of my element and cooking new things I get a little scared about how it will turn out, so when it turns out scrumptious I give my self a high five.

But my culinary achievements were not done yet.  I worked on my syllabus for my new class that I am teaching at UK's College of Design that starts on Wednesday so when it came to dinner time, my husband stepped up and cooked dinner for me.  I decided to tackle dessert:

Kentucky Goodness.

I made a Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Pie!  I used a local recipe and would be happy to share.  This turned out to be so delicious.  It is rich I will warn so a small piece goes a long way.  I can't wait to share this pie with my parent's and blow my Mom's mind.

1 cup sugar

1 cup light corn syrup

1/2 cup butter (1 stick)

-Combine these three ingredients in a saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until sugar is dissolved and butter is melted.   Cool slightly.

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla

1/4 cup bourbon

4 large eggs beaten

-Combine these four ingredients in a large bowl and mix well.  

Once mixed: slowly add the sugar mixture to the egg mixture, whisking constantly while pouring.

6 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 cup chopped pecans

-Add these two ingredients to the mixture, the chocolate will melt as the egg mixture should be very warm.

-Pour into unbaked pie shell (I just used the pre-made ones in the refrigerated section).

-Bake at 325 for 50-55 minutes until top is browned and set.

Now that I ate like a cowgirl this past weekend, this week will be filled with carrot and celery sticks I'm sure!  But it sure was fun to out these fun things, never thought I could straight up make a pie!  Haha! Here's to a good week!

Stocking Stuffers for the Dudes

So when it comes to filling up those Christmas socks of joyful surprises for the husband I always challenge myself to top the year before.  Trying to remember any little thing he has said in the past about items he enjoys using or would like to try.  That way when he sticks his hand in the stocking, he will be pulling out thoughtful and useful gifts!  And I'm sure he puts the same amount of thoughtfulness and time as I do (yeah right).  

Man + Stocking = Mocking

I thought I would share some ideas to help spark some stocking stuffer inspiration when it comes to shopping for the man in your life.

Whiskey Stones

For the whiskey bourbon drinker in your life.  These handy stones are made in Vermont and allow the bourbon to be enjoyed minus the watered down effect from melting ice cubes.  These are for true consumer's that do not want their whiskey tainted with water.  Just place these bad boys in the freezer for 4 hours before using and place in glass, pouring whiskey over.   Follow up with cigar and discussion of manly ideals and politics.  Us little ladies must stay in the kitchen. 

Mini Bottle of Woodford Reserve

To go along with his new stones, a mini-bar bottle of his favorite booze perhaps.  My hubby loves Woodford and Knob Creek.

Burt's Bees Men's Kit

My husband loves Burt's Bees Natural Aftershave.  Problem is, we cannot find it ANYWHERE!  So I'm going to order online to put in his stocking (from Amazon or Macy's).  While looking for the aftershave I came across this great kit that includes body wash, soap, shave cream, cologne and aftershave.  Great for traveling or everyday use.  These natural products are great for sensitive skin too.

BR's Black Walnut Cologne

Small versions of their favorite colognes are great for stockings.  When my husband travels he reaches for the small cologne bottles to put in his shave kit bag.  He also likes to keep one in our "catch-all" by the door so he can dab on some smell good on his way out the door.  I also like to add some samples of new scents for him to try throughout the year.  That way if there are any you both particularly like this gives new ideas for birthday presents and future Christmas gifts.

The building blocks of life.

My husband is a lot like a kid still, we don't have any of our yet so I'll buy the fun toys for him for now.  I like to put little toys that take him back to his childhood.  Like a Ninja Turtle action figure, hot wheels car or our favorite Lego's! Lego's makes small kits to build cars, airplanes, etc. that come in small bags or boxes and these are great for stockings.

iPhone Case from J. Crew

Or how about a super new and cool AND manly iPhone case.  

From soufflebombay.blogspot.com

Candy is a big hit at our house when it comes to stockings!  My husband's absolute favorite is chocolate and peanut butter (Reese cups are his passion) in any combination.  I'm thinking about making home-made chocolate and peanut butter bars to put in his stocking as a little personal touch.  I truly believe the way to a man's heart is through is stomach, although don't let that stomach get too big.  haha!  But I think if you make their favorite candy, they'll love it so much more than if it were store bought.  The trick is to make it without you eating every morsel or having him find it!

There are also great "go-to's" that I keep in my back pocket every year, such as: iTunes gift cards, chewing gum, trouser socks and chapstick.  But it's those presents that show you listen and know what he likes and what he loves that make the stocking.  Happy Holiday Shopping!  I'll post more on gift giving ideas soon!

Talk Derby To Me

As a Kentuckian Derby is a very big deal, as a Lexingtonian I sometimes don't get that into it.  But I am true to tradition so I will be wearing a hat, drinking mint juleps and placing my bet.  The legend behind the mint julep is alluring and sometimes is thought to be a foul drink.  I however love bourbon! I think how it is made is so interesting, the history is romantic and the fact that it is only made in my home state, proud.  I have been told the secret to a fantastic mint julep is the sugar syrup, this will help in the non-bourbon drinking side of things.  And my bourbon snobbery limits my loves to Woodford Reserve and Bulleit. I found a yummy mint julep recipe on DailyCandy (great site, sign up for the newsletter a.s.a.p.) found here. The syrup just sounds delightful.  My mother's very good friend makes a fantastic homemade mint julep and I plan on getting the recipe this Derby and sharing the wealth.  Happy Derby!

Photo: Melissa Hom / Courtesy of Gravy, see link for recipe and picture