Cherry Almond Smoothie & Table Dancers...

Ok so table dancers? Sounds kinda dirty in a way, right? Kinda like the title of my blog, "Dancing on the Table". Or my link being "tabledancing.blogspot".

Well of course it has to pertain to my 3 rowdy kiddos.

You would have never guessed, right?

When I was trying to come up with a title for my blog, (it's hard by the way) I was on the phone with my grandma and had mentioned to her I needed a name. Now mind you, talking on the phone with me, you are guranteed to have to get off, sprint to your medicine cabinet, take some tylenol, and go lay down and rest and thank god you don't live in my household. Hayden and Sadie for the most part are the guiltest of this. They will be all quiet and keeping to themselves playing, watching Spongebob or Scooby Doo, and I get on the phone and

DING!!!!!!! LET'S BE LOUD, ANNOYING, CRY, ASK AND GET INTO EVERYTHING!

It's amazing...and so irritating!

So back to my title, I was on the phone and of course one of those moments happened I turned around and Hayden was on top of our table dancing away, not even minding that is where we eat our food and do homework, with her little dirty Walmart feet on there!

(Definition of Walmart Feet: (if don't already know) You go to Walmart and see some kids running around with no shoes on and you can only imagine what the bottom of their feet look like??? Yep, that's Walmart feet, and no my house isnt dirty by all means by somehow their feet get dirty from outside or their flip flops or who knows???)

So that is when we both thought, theirs your title to your blog!  Dancing on the Table! So if you were ever wondering why that is the name of my blog (MOTHER!), well there ya go!

Now that Sadie has gotten to be a little older and has turned into a little monkey, she has started taking up the whole "dancing on the table" thing too! It scares the crap out of me when I turn around and see my little baby on top of the table, happy as she can be! If she falls, it would really hurt! I say that, but I swear they have some sort of secret shield on them because they fall all the time and it doesnt phase them one bit...Weirdos. I blame it on Jeff, their his genes... I couldnt help though but to snap this picture of her because she really thought she was doing a good job hiding behind my plant on there...

Not such a good hiding job Sadie! But you are so darn cute I want to give you a big kiss! And then scold you for being on top of the table again!

After I got Sadie down, I decided to make a smoothie for Riley and I. This is probably my favorite smoothie to make, its a little different from your regular ones so I thought I would share it with y'all so you could also make it yourselves! Even though it was only in the low 60's here yeserday, it was still just as good as if it would have been hot out!

Cherry Almond Smoothie
(12 ounces)

3/4 cup frozen dark cherries
1/2 cup light vanilla yogurt
1/4 cup skim milk
2 tbs sliced almonds
1 tbs honey
couple of ice cubes

Add all of your ingriedients in a blender/smoothie machine and blend all together. Take a drink, pass out because its so good and easy, wake up, and drink the rest of it.

Happy Monday! Hope you all had a wonderful weekend!

Kirby

Crock Pot Peanut Thai Pork

This is what I made last night...

Words cannot describe how delicious this was! This recipe was found over at Allrecipes.com,  I didnt do a whole lot diffrent to it besides a little more or less of this and that. I was wanting to make something different than your usual crock pot recipes. And this is one of my first recipes to post that has to do with a crock pot (or Slow Cooker, I use both terms, what do y'all say?) I just love throwing everything in the pot, walking away and going about my day!

It makes me happy. So very happy!

It gives me more time to wipe butts, scrub floors, do loads of endless laundry and make countless trips to Walmart. It just never goes away...Now that makes me very unhappy.

I want to cry...or burn all of the clothes. And do wishful thinking my little ones could go poo in the potty instead of their diapers.

Aaaanyways back to Peanut Thai Pork....

This was so easy as most crock pot recipes are so if you want something a little different than the norm than by all means make this one!

Crock Pot Peanut Thai Pork

6 boneless pork chops (not thin ones)
1-2 red bell pepper, cut into thin strips (it all depends on how much red bell pepper you like)
3/4 cup low sodium teriyaki sauce
2 tbs rice vinegar
3 cloves minced garlic
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 cup natural peanut butter
1 1/4 cup of water, divided

Garnish:
Peanuts
Green onions
Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce (its an addiction of mine)

Coat your crock pot with cooking spray. Put your pork chops in the bottom of your slow cooker, add all your ingriedients except red bell pepper strips and peanut butter and use only 3/4 cup of water. Cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours or until tender (it originally calls for 8-9 hours but mine cooked faster and I didnt want it to dry out) An hour before it is ready add your red bell pepper strips and put the lid back on. When it looks like your pork is done, remove your pork (it shreds so nicely and easily!) and set aside while you add another 1/2 cup of water and your peanut butter to make somewhat of a "sauce" I guess you could say. Add your pork back to the "sauce" and let cook 10 more minutes.

Serve over brown rice or any rice of your choice and garnish with green onions and peanuts, and if your brave enough, Hot Chili Sauce! That stuff gets spicy real quick!

Happy First "Official" Day of Fall! I've seen some yummy recipes all day long that are Fall related and can't wait to make alot of them! Greys Anatomy and Private Practice tonite! Woo hoo! Too bad I'll be at work, but bless whoever invented the DVR!

This recipe is linked up with Potluck Sunday over at Mommy's Kitchen.
Kirby

Texas Caviar with Avocado

I made this refreshing little dip this past weekend, its just a little chopping and throwing everything in a bowl and scooping it out with a chip! It's the perfect end of the summer salad/dip since tonite at 10:09 will be officially Fall! Thank Goodness! You can't tell from the weather here though the past several days, it's been in the 90's and humid as all get out! I really didn't even want to water this morning but my flowers were glaring at me. I saw this on Good Morning America the other morning, I was wrong when I answered the question out loud like he was really talking to me (Sam Champion that is) guzzling down my huge cup of coffee. Everyone else that I ask they get also get it wrong!

It makes me feel better they got it wrong, and smarter because I knew the answer and they didn't.

Anyways, the question was this: What makes the leaves start to fall?

I right away said the weather turning cooler, isn't that what you thought it would be too? Or are you smarter than me? (By all means, I'm not a genius!)

Well the answer was shorter daylight! Who knew, right? Thank you Sammie Poo! You taught me something new!

Ok so back to the refreshing little bowl of yumminess I have for y'all today-

Texas Caviar with Avocado

2 cans black eyed peas, drained and rinsed
2 Roma tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup sweet and hot jalapenos, chopped (regular jalapenos are fine too)
1/2 of a red onion, chopped
1/4 cup cilantro
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper (more if like it spicy)
3/4 cup light Italian dressing
1-2 avocados, chopped, depending on how much you like in it!

Mix all your ingredients together in a bowl and stir. Add your avocados in right before you serve it. If you don't like avocados you can make this without, I have done it both ways and its good regardless!

Not much to that, huh? I use Frito's scoops for it but I also caught myself using a Nacho Cheese Dorito too...Hmm not as good I have to say with that...so stick with your tortilla chips or scoops! Oh and my pic doesnt have the avocados added to it yet, I forgot to take another picture of it with them in there!

Another one of my "smart" moments!

Happy Fall! Finally!

Kirby

Hot Wing Dip

Here's another Buffalo type recipe for everyone who wants something quick to watch for a football game or for whenever! It's super tasty and I bet you can't help but to go back for seconds on this one! I first tried it this last year at my Christmas party for work and my manager made it so I had to get the recipe from her, I've added a couple of things to it to make it a tad different and I have seen similar recipes for this one before. I never even knew this existed until last year and I'm so happy I have the recipe now! So I would love to share it with all of you too, hope y'all love it!

Hot Wing Dip

2 (8 oun) blocks fat free cream cheese, softened

2 (9.75 oun, the bigger can) canned chicken breast

1/2 cup Louisiana (Or Franks) Buffalo sauce (Or more the spicier you want it, its gets hot!)

3/4 cup light ranch dressing

1/4 cup blue cheese crumbles

1/2 tsp celery salt

2 cups cheddar cheese, divided

Preheat oven to 350. In a large bowl add your cream cheese, buffalo sauce, ranch dressing, and celery salt. Stir. In another bowl add your chicken, 1 cup of cheddar cheese, and blue cheese (You can add more or less of these cheeses, I'm just not super crazy about blue cheese but it does add a little something more to it and I won't go without anymore in this recipe!) Stir. Add your chicken/cheese mixture to your cream cheese mixture and stir until everything is combined. Pour into an 8 x 8 dish. Bake for 10 minutes. Take out and top with remaining cup of cheddar cheese and bake for 10 more minutes. Serve with any chips you like, I always just do tortilla chips. Enjoy!

On another note, when I got home from work Saturday night this is what I walked into, hubs watching Friday the 13th in 3D. Sound like he had a more exciting night than I did, that's for sure...

The big dork!

Hope everyone had a great weekend!

Kirby

Creamy Mac n' Cheese

Mmmm....I love me some macaroni and cheese. I don't think I have ever come across one I didn't like! It's goes with almost anything if you think about. It's even good just by it's lonesome self. My mom used to make this easy macaroni and cheese for us growing up. There are so many different kinds to make, and I make several of them, but this one is my go to if I'm in a hurry and craving it. And the best part about it is that you probably have everything in your pantry to make it. I know I always keep this stuff around in my pantry anyways...So here it is if you need a quick recipe and don't want it out of the box!

Creamy Mac n' Cheese

1 (16 oun) bag large elbow macaroni, cooked and drained (I use the whole grain so I can eat more! Ha!)

1 (8 oun) Campbell's cheddar cheese soup

4 tbs salted butter

1 (12 oun) can fat free evaporated milk

2 1/2 cups sharp cheddar cheese (You'll wanna grate your own on this one, I wouldn't lie to ya now!)

Plenty of ground pepper (how much you ever prefer)

Preheat oven to 350. After you have your noodles cooked and drained, throw in the cheddar cheese soup, butter, pepper, and 1 1/2 cup of cheese. Stir it all up. Add in about half the can of evaporated milk, this part really depends on creamy you want it, I will use almost the whole can, but usually have a little bit left, taste it and see what ya think. Pour it into your casserole dish and top with your remaining cup of cheese. Lick the bowl like I do after you have poured it in your dish. Pop it into the oven and bake for 20 minutes. And ta-da creamy easy mac n' cheese that is super delish!



I also recieved my second giveaway today! After the day I have had (trust me I will spare yall the details...for now!), it was wonderful to pull up and see a box waiting for me! This giveaway came from Moogie & Pap. Thank you guys! Y'all made my day, I can't wait to go to the farmers market and get me some green tomatoes for my new batter and make some recipes out of my new cookbook!

Hope everyone has a lovely weekend!

Kirby

Nacho Chip Casserole

When I was preggo with precious ornery Hayden, I wasn't very far along and was having cramps in my legs pretty bad, so bad that I couldn't even hardly get my pants on, so I finally decided to go to the doc to see what was up with all that. They hooked me up to the monitors and came to the conclusion, she's a pain in my butt already. No that's not what they said, but its true, she's a pain in the butt-before she was born and even now! She was on a nerve and they gave me some meds and told me to rest up for a couple of days and she would eventually move. So that night we got home, hubs made me dinner. His very first dinner he ever made me was taco salad and I remember at the time of eating it, it was so dang good. I always forget about those tortilla salad bowls and he had made it for me and I was impressed! So this second dinner he made me was even more impressive considering he never really used to cook.

I ate 2 huge plate fulls of it. Maybe more...

I was pregnant, alright, give me a break!

It originally came from Charlie Gibson and he made it on Good Morning America back in 2002. He calls it Enchilada Casserole, I call it Nacho Chip Casserole, only because I have several enchilada casseroles that I make and this one makes it different from the others. I also add meat to mine. I tried to make it a tad bit healthier than he made his and you really cannot tell the difference. I know this because I have made it every time since that first night hubs made it and he hasn't said anything about it tasting any different. Even though I do hate to make it in front of him because I feel like he's criticizing everything I do as I'm preparing it.

Have I mentioned he can be irritating? I see where Hayden gets it from now...

The kids love this! It really is one of my favorite casseroles to make and eat, at that! It makes alot and doesn't cost a whole lot to make depending on what brands and meat you buy. I always make ground turkey meat for everything because its healthier and cheaper. $1.83 at Walmart, you can't beat that! The only time I really use ground beef is for chili, hamburgers (sometimes), meatballs, and some meatloaves. So go to the store and make this for your fam tonite! It will be a keeper in your household! I promise!

And so does Charlie Gibson....

To make this yummy casserole right here...

You will need these ingredient's:

(Sorry about the empty paper towel roll in the back, I ran out!)

1 lb ground turkey, or ground beef, cooked

1 (15 oun) turkey chili w/ beans (Or any chili w/ beans)

1 (10 oun) enchilada sauce (I used medium instead of mild this time)

1 (8 oun) tomato sauce

2-3 tbs spoons of diced onion

1 1/4 cup of fat free sour cream

2 cups sharp cheddar cheese

1 (12 oun) bag of Nacho Cheese chips (I used Doritos here because they were out of the other, I usually get the store brand because I'm cheap like that...and I can't tell the difference in them)

Put your nacho chips in a gallon size zip lock bag and seal it. Crush it with a rolling pin until all the chips are fine and crushed small. (I've even used the chili can before to smash the chips, I was lazy that day) Reserve 2 cups for your topping. Cook your beef. Preheat your oven to 375. In a large bowl, mix together your chili w/ beans, tomato sauce, enchilada sauce, onions, and 1/2 cup of cheese. Stir. Add in your beef and the rest of your nacho chips next. Stir until all is combined. Grease a 9 x 13 casserole dish. Pour all your ingredients in there. Put in the oven and bake for 20 minutes. Take out and spread on your sour cream, your reserved nacho chips, and the rest of your cheese. Sprinkle with a little bit of chili powder. Bake for 5 more minutes or until the cheese is melted.

 

I usually top it off with some avocado, and to make it spicier since I can't with the kiddos eating it, I drench drizzle Louisiana hot sauce all over it. I love that stuff...

This has been linked to mommiecooks

Kirby

Chipotle Tater Tot Taco Bake

This is yet another one of those meals that look like a hot mess on a plate but is really tasty!
I did not want to make a Walmart run yesterday, it was rainy and I was in a blah mood. I really didn't even want to cook to be honest with you. It was real close to being a "fend for yourself" night! But then I started feeling bad because I hadn't cooked since last Friday night since I was working all weekend, so I dragged my butt in the kitchen and literally just started taking things out of my pantry and freezer and going from there! The thing with tater tots is that you can really do a whole lot of things with them, on top of the taco bake, I also just make a regular tater tot casserole and then a breakfast tater tot casserole. Heck, I might as well try to find some kind of dessert to go with them too!

Okay, that would be disgusting.

So here goes-the easiest throw it all together meal!

1 (32 oun) package frozen tater tots

1 lb ground turkey, or beef-cooked

1 pkg chipotle taco seasoning (I get the Taco Bell brand)

1 (15 oun) Rico's Restaurant style white queso blanco

1 (10 oun) diced tomato with green chilis, drained

1 (15 oun) fat free refried beans

1/2 tbs "Tony" (creole seasoning, of course!)

Cook your tater tots according to the package. Meanwhile brown your meat and add your taco seasoning to it. Let simmer for 10 minutes. Pour your white queso blanco, rotel, and "Tony" in a bowl, microwave for 3 minutes, stirring every minute. Throw your refried beans in a bowl and heat them for 2 minutes. When your tater tots are done, line your 9 x 13 casserole dish with all of the tater tots in the bottom. Spoon on your refried beans and spread evenly over your tater tots. Next comes your taco meat, spread on top of your bean/tot mixture and then spoon your white queso on top to cover. Bake in the oven for 5 minutes at 350 degrees to get everything to come together and warm up a bit more.

Garnish with whatever you like, I'm obsessed with avocado so that was my choice.

See what I mean about literally throwing it all together? A very lazy dish! But Riley told me I was the best mom for making it, little does she know, she could have probably made it herself! This is a very filling dish and not to diet friendly but it's too dang good to care at the time your eating it! I've also done it with shredded cheese, but this is what I had in the pantry

So I thought I would give it a try to change it up a bit. It's really good with some tortilla chips too! So if your in a not-so-wanting-to-cook mood, here's y'all something easy to throw together that the fam will love you for!

Kirby

I can't help myself!!!!

So today was my lazy day since I was off for the first day in basically over a week and I refused to ANYTHING! Okay, I did throw a load of laundry in, but there are 3 more loads calling my name and I DON'T CARE! I was actually so lazy today that when I was getting Hayden and Sadie dressed, mind you, Hayden is 13 months older than Sadie, but little Sadie is a chunky monkey that I figured hey why not I'll put some of Hayden's clothes on her...well they fit! So as I was telling hubs this we got a little curious and decided to see just how much they weigh up next to each other;

Hayden: 2 years 4 months= 24 lbs

Sadie: 1 year 2 months=23 lbs (They jacked with the scales on this one, but it really was 23 lbs!)

The thing is I LOVE IT! I love a little chunky baby! She just started walking about 2 months ago, she "tries" to run but instead she wobbles! And as she is wobbling she is giggling about it. Little does she know 1 year and 2 months ago her Momma was wobbling too because she was HUGE! This kiddo was 8 lb 11 oun when she was born! All of us, doctor included, had bets on how much she would weigh and I lost by a long run! It makes me love on her that much more. She has been just the happiest baby out of all mine and makes me want more...

Okay, I think I might need to sleep on that one....

Y'all cannot deny this is not so stinking cute!!!! Little does she know when she gets to be her Momma's age she will not want to ever see a scale!!!! Look at that fat tummy of hers! I want to eat her up! Those turkey legs...She looks like she is flippin me off too... NOT NICE SADIE RAYNE! I'M SORRY MOMMY TOOK PICTURES OF YOU NAKIE!

On another note I won my very first giveaway! Thank you so much Gina @ Mother of 1 Princess and 2 Princes

These were crazy yummy!

A week later I found out I won another giveaway! I'll let yall know what it was as soon as I get it! They made my day! Hope all of you have a wonderful night yourselves!

Kirby Nicole

Busy Weekend = Pepperoni Quiche

I haven't forgot about all of you guys I promise! I've been busy busy! Especially busy working, to put in perspective a little more, since Friday night at 6, I have been at that dang mall all but 3 hours of it being open, listening to Yo Gabba Gabba on the t.v. and kids peeing on the floor!

Seriously.I'm.Tired.Of.Working.

But isn't everyone? Luckily I'm off until Friday night and can get to the mounds of laundry I have laying around...its amazing how many clothes we go thru in a couple of days time! How did all of your weekends go? I'm just happy to be able to get a chance to actually get on here and blog! Another thing that makes me happy is that September 15th is rolling around and that means one thing for me-Halloween  decorations are being put up and I'm scaring the heck outta my kids this year! HEHEHEHEHE! I'm clapping now as I type this being the evil mom that I am! I hit up Target the day after Halloween last year when they put everything half off and bought so many decorations! Now I just have to go dig them all out of my garage, there's no telling where I stashed everything! On the downside of all this, we weren't able to have our pizza night this past weekend since I was gone BUT I did have time to make a Pepperoni Quiche! It sounds odd, I know, thats what I thought to when I came across this recipe. I love quiche but hubs being the picky weird eater he is, suprise, suprise, he doesnt like quiche! But since he loves pepperoni pizza I thought I might be brave enough and give it a shot. Well it worked, he actually LOVED it! I got the recipe from over at Lynn's Kitchen Adventures. She's got some wonderful recipes, you'll have to check her out! It's super easy to put together and the way I make mine is pretty much exactly like hers, I just used some generic brand ingriendients to make it a little cheaper. That was it so the credit for this recipe goes to her! Thanks Lynn! Here's the recipe, give it a shot for a weeknight quick meal!

Pepperoni Pizza Quiche

1 unbaked pie crust (9 inch, I used the Great Value brand that comes 2 in box)

8 ounces of shredded cheddar cheese

2 ounces of pepperoni (Pretty sure I used more though! I also used turkey pepperoni)

1 (12 oun) can evaporated milk (I used Great Value brand fat free evp. milk she used Carnation brand)

3 eggs, beaten

2 tbs flour

1 tsp dried basil

1/8 tsp garlic powder

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Press your pie crust into your dish and sprinkle 1 cup of the cheese on the bottom of the crust and I covered the whole bottom over the cheese with pepperoni. Whisk together your eggs, can of evp. milk, flour, basil, and garlic powder. Pour it into your crust (the pepperoni will rise a bit but its okay it gets baked into the mix anyways!) Carefully top with your remaining cup of cheese and some more pepperoni on top. Bake for 45 minutes or until done. Let it cool for about 5-10 minutes.

It took me literally 5 mintues to make this! I needed something quick since I was getting ready for work and it was so nice just to throw it together, pop it in the oven and walk away. It's good leftover too! So if you want a change from pizza but still want the pizza taste, this is the one recipe you have to try!

Everyone have a Happy Monday!

Kirby

Not Your Ordinary Sloppy Joes

Do you love sloppy joes? Yea, me too! This is one of those recipes that are messy on the plate but yummy goodness in your mouth! And of course super easy! The kids love this, hubs might even love it more. He eats about half of the whole casserole every time... it's really good leftover the next day. It's even really good when you come home from work at 10 o'clock at night and eat it straight from the container cold.

Okay, I was hungry!

It's a really cheap meal to make that goes a long way. I'll write out on the side how much the main ingredients cost just so you can see just how cheap it is! This is all you need to make it:

1 lb ground turkey, cooked ($1.83)

2 can reduced fat crescent rolls ($1.56 each)

1 packet of Sloppy Joe seasoning mix ($0.42)

1 can tomato paste ($0.38)

1 1/4 c. water (free! well kinda...)

1 1/2 c of sharp cheddar (I have no idea, I had half of block of cheese leftover and  it was $3.38 for this block, but any cheese will do!)

1 tbs of sesame seeds

1/2 tsp dried basil

Brown your ground turkey and then follow the packet instructions adding your 1 can of tomato paste and 1 1/4 cup of water, let simmer for 10. Preheat your oven to 375. Spray your 9 x 13 dish and open up one can of your crescent rolls (the longer you can leave the crescent rolls in the fridge the better because they get all warm and gooey and irritating to work with so leave the other can in the fridge until its time to use it!) Press your 1 can of crescent rolls in your dish pushing up the sides a little and closing up any seams that are open to form a crust. When your meat is done pour it over the crescent rolls. Top with cheese. Take your other can of crescent rolls out of the fridge and pinch together the triangles to make a sheet over your meat/cheese mixture. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and dried basil. Bake for 20 minutes or until the top is a golden brown.

There is a little more sesame seeds on one side than the other because Heathen Hayden got ahold of the sesame seeds and went to town pouring them on top, good thing I turned around when I did. Sneaky, sneaky child.

Happy Wednesday!

Kirby

Bacon Cheeseburger Pizza

Bacon Cheeseburger Pizza

...oh how I love thee...

Because you are so easy

This is all you need to make this simple quick pizza

(The only thing I did leave out was the seasonings I used)

Pizza dough (whichever one of your choice)

1 lb ground turkey meat, cooked

1/2 tsp "Tony" (creole seasoning)

1/4 tsp dried basil

1/4 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp garlic salt

1/4 cup prepared yellow mustard

2 cups of cheese (whichever one of your choice, again)

1/4 cup real bacon bits or 3 slices bacon, crumbled

1/2 cup sliced pickles (I love my pickles, it just makes it!)

Prepare your dough, preheat it if needed. Brown your ground turkey or ground beef, add your seasonings. Set aside. When your ready to top your pizza, brush with yellow mustard. Top with your cheese, then your meat, bacon, and pickles. Sprinkle a little more dried basil on top and bake for however long your dough calls for. Mine is 9-11 min. I always just do 9 minutes.

And that is it my peoples! 

My 5 year old could make this...

There's nothing to it and I love burgers and pizza, so why not just put two together?

Yea, thats exactly what I was thinking too!

Have a delish day!

Kirby

Easy Smokey Country Syle Ribs

We decided to get a head start on our Labor Day cooking by doing it on Sunday. That way today we could do absolutely nothing but lay around and watch movies and eat leftovers...all day long. I ate some leftover potatoes for breakfast, and they were cold, and yes they were good. I'm on a mad diet if you can't tell. I'll start it over again tomorrow I guess, because I already blew it for the day. We haven't used the smoker much this summer because it has just been so hot and hubs is the one that is outside always dealing with it, I don't come near that smoker. It's his job, I'll make the sides and prepare the meat but he gets to burn up and drink his beer. I found some country style pork ribs at our local grocery store really cheap and thought those would be perfect for our little cook out. And I was right! They were just completely tender that you could cut it with a fork, even little Sadie chowed them down and she doesn't even have a whole mouth full of teeth yet, close, but not yet! I cheated a little though and didn't make my own rub, I was being lazy, but this is our FAVORITE store bought rub: McCormick Grill Mates Sweet and Smoky Rub with cinnamon and chipotle.  I love anything with any type of chipotle flavor in it. It is excellent on anything you put it on and it's cheap, around $2, and a little goes a long way! So this where alot of flavor on the ribs came from. Go get ya a little tub of this stuff, you won't be sorry!

Here's how we made our ribs if you feel like breaking out the smoker....

Smokey Country Style Ribs

3-5 lbs country style pork ribs, boneless

Sweet and Smoky rub

2 tbs liquid smoke, mesquite flavored

Your favorite BBQ sauce to brush and baste with

For the smoker:

Charcoal, of course, and we used apple wood chips, heated to 225 degrees

(Country style ribs can tend to be on the fatty side so I did trim some of the fat off, a little is okay though for a little more of the flavoring) An hour before you are going to put the ribs on the smoker rub it down real good with your rub. Put them in the refrigerator for 30-45 minutes just to let the flavor soak into them a little more. Take them out and sit them down on aluminum foil. Fold in the sides a little so that when you put the liquid smoke on them it doesn't run off the sides. Pour your liquid smoke over them and brush with BBQ sauce. Completely cover them in aluminum foil and when your smoker is ready to go put them on in there. We let them smoke away for about 2 hours and took them off and basted them with BBQ sauce and do that every hour to get from drying out. We; well ok, hubs, cooked them for a total of 5 1/2 hours.

And 5 beers later. A beer an hour, I guess.

(Here's a pic to let ya know what I'm working with here!)

If you don't have a smoker, or the patience, or the not wanting to sweat and drink beers doing it, you could totally do it in the oven. Just wrap them still in foil put them in a casserole dish or deep pan bake at 250 for 2 1/2 hours, take them out, drain the juice, baste with BBQ sauce, reduce the heat to 225 and cook for an hour longer. (Maybe a little longer than an hour depending on how thick or how many ribs you have). This is how we do it in the winter time with we don't want to freeze our butts off.

I did try something different though, instead of using our family BBQ sauce (Which I STILL don't have the recipe for and probably won't ever get the recipe for, but even if I did it is TOP SECRET, sorry guys, my mom would MURDER me. Mom, recipe, please? I'm almost out!) Anyways, I did try a different kind of BBQ sauce for these ribs that sounded different but good, Texas people like there red BBQ sauce, white BBQ sauce sounds scary! But I was a little on the crazy side yesterday and decided to give it a shot. I got it from Christy Jordan over at Southern Plate and here's a link to her Alabama White BBQ Sauce. It was really good, we even dipped some chips into it! We made the PW's Potatoes au Gratin along side with it, or otherwise known as my breakfast! The best part of the whole dinner was how happy hubs was when he walked in with a plate full of ribs...

And 5 beers later.

Happy Labor Day to All!

Kirby

Tilapia in White Wine Sauce

I love fish. Especially tilapia. I could eat it all the time. That is, if my hubbie didn't gag or cringe at the smell or sight of fish. He hates fish and how I dare to even say it, that he doesnt like pasta either! What a freak, right? Who doesn't like pasta? I did get to make fish tacos a couple of weeks ago and savored every bite that I took of it because I knew I couldnt eat it again for at least another 6 months. He ate it too, but as he was eating it he had this look on his face and 2 hours later was in the kitchen looking for something else to eat. The week before that we ate some catfish and he liked that. But fish in 2 weeks time = thats the years limit for him. Uhhh.....

My mom used to make this fish for us when I was growing up. It is so dang good. If you like fish, I guess. I dont have a picture of it unfortunelty because I havent been able to make it, the thought of a creamy sauce on fish almost made hubs pass out. But you have to trust me on this one guys. It will be one of your favorite tilapia recipes for the rest of your LIFE! So here it is!

Tilapia in White Wine Sauce

 6 fillets of thawed tilapia

1/2 cup flour

1/4 tsp each of seasoned salt and pepper

3 tbs evoo

1 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup white wine (I've even used the white cooking wine (seriously) before I was 21 because that would just be wrong to have wine around your house before your legal...*sarcasim)

1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese

1/2 lime

An additional glass of wine *gulp* for you....(optional)

In a bowl combine your flour, seasoned salt, and pepper. Coat your tilapia fillets and set aside. Heat a big skillet (if you have an electric skillet this does wonders because of how big it is) with your 3 tbs of evoo. When it gets hot, lower your temperture to medium and add your tilapia. Let cook on one side for 5 minutes or until it gets to be a golden brown color. Turn over and let cook for 1 minute longer. Add your cream and white wine over the fish and cook for 5 more minutes stirring the sauce around several times to keep it from sticking. Sprinkle your parmesan on in there and cook an additional minute. Cut your lime in half and squeeze one of the halves over the entire skillet of fish to give it that last touch. And its done! Put it on your plate and pour some of the creamy goodness over it. Don't fall over when you taste just how good this is. Serve along side with a salad and a roll to soak up even more of sauce!

You! My non-loving fish eating husband (who looks really hot in this shirt! Dang it, I'm "trying" to be irritated with you right now!) have GOT to get over this fish phobia because me posting this recipe has just made me hungry for it. Next week this is whats going to be for supper one night. SO THERE!

(Pretty, pretty PLEASE!)

Hope everyone has a fab day!

Kirby

Buffalo Chicken Pizza

Buffalo Chicken Pizza

1 pkg pizza dough, or your own if you make it

2/3 cup Louisiana buffalo sauce

1/4 cup light ranch dressing

3 small chicken breasts

2 tbs butter

salt, pepper and "Tony" (Creole seasoning)

1/4 cup chopped green onions

1 cup Monterrey jack cheese

1 cup sharp cheddar cheese

dried basil to sprinkle on top

Melt butter in your skillet. Slice your chicken breasts into 1 inch pieces and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and "Tony". Add to your skillet and saute until golden brown and done. Drain on a paper towel. Once it has cooled off a bit shred it, or cut it into little bite size pieces. Prepare your dough. Mix together your buffalo wing sauce and ranch dressing. Brush it onto your crust. It's spicy so you can do less or more if you like depending on how brave you are that day! Mix together your cheeses and top the sauce and dough with 1 1/2 cup of cheese. Arrange your chicken on top of your cheeses. Add the rest of your cheese (1/2 cup) and sprinkle with dried basil. Bake according to however long your dough calls for and when it comes out top with the green onions.

If you like blue cheese dressing you could definitely use that instead of the ranch. I'm not fond of blue cheese dressing even though my hubs could drink it from the bottle. What I would have done if I had some would be to sprinkle with some blue cheese crumbles, I can stand a little bit of that.

This was one of our favorite pizzas we have made so far, every week we say the same thing, "This is now my favorite" but this one really does take the cake! And its super easy! Perfect for football season that is just around the corner! It will be gone in minutes!

Hope y'all love, love, love it!

Kirby