Things are a Little Crazy Around Here...

...but in reality, when are they not?  It's the best kind of craziness though.  I love a house full of kids.  Not just my children, but having their friends here as well.  Last night was fun.  Henry had his awesome buddy, Josh, over to spend the night.  (I think Hop & Harry would trade Henry for Josh if given the chance.)  Harry had his friend, Joe, to spend the night, and a group of Hoppy's friends came over to hang out.  We had a house full...it was awesome.  Poor Elizabeth was the only one who was a loner.  :(  Oh well, she'll see all her buddies this morning when she goes to dance. 

I don't have any new recipes I've tried, but I wanted to send you over to 'A Year in the Life' for the time being.  If I cook something new, I'll post it, but it's been kinda crazy around here: trying to work, take care of kiddos, and keep up two blogs.  I post on AYITL everyday, so you'll see a variety of things.

The other day I did make Friday Special with 3 pounds of chicken, and at the end of the night there was only a small bowl full left...my I have some little piglets.  (it's now one of their favorite meals)

I hope you join me as I celebrate A Year in the Life.

Y'all be blessed beyond measure,
~ashley

Just for You

Here is me, stepping out of my comfort zone just for you.  Why you might ask?  Because I love you...and I'm tired of cooking the same stuff.  Cooking out of a cookbook for me can be heinous.  Strange ingredients, labor intensive...who has the time? 

Well, I've found 5 recipes that are not so bad.  The appetizer recipe I have posted was a variation on a recipe I have had for years, but it was sightly different so I tried it and I gave it a Mexican flair. The original I have is better, so I have posted that one, but will include the Mexican tweak.  The chicken dish I made last night I will convert into a crock pot recipe for all you cp'ers out there. 

The two recipe books I used are Food for Thought  by The Junior League of Birmingham & Absolutely a la Carte from the restaurant, A La Carte, in Cleveland, Mississippi.  (they have the best blackeye pea soup, I'll do that recipe in the future once it turns cooler!  If it ever does...)  I'm only posting 4 recipes today instead of the 5 I told you.  I'm posting the 5th one tomorrow.  It has made my kitchen smell wonderful, and of course, I'm tweaking it.  (I actually did do something the recipe called for & used fresh garlic..gasp here.)    I'm letting the flavors come together in my fridge for a little while, so I'll let you know tonight what the fam. thinks about it.

All the recipes and the tweaks to them can be found on my recipe blog.  Just click the link below & there you go!  :)  I'm excited about what I've cooked the last 7 days & hope it helps you find something a little different too that your family will eat...even the picky ones. 

Here's the link...make sure you click the recipes tab at the top of the page:  http://wegottaeat.com/ashnance

Y'all be bless beyond measure,
~ashley