Friday Favorites – Week 343 – Southern Corn Pudding

 photo Friday Favorites Banner 2.jpg

Please support and follow our lovely blog party hostesses:

Jerri at Simply Sweet HomeTwitter | FB | G+ | Pin | Inst

Christine at Light and SavvyTwitter | FB | G+ | Pin | Inst

Jen at Creatively HomemadeTwitter | G+ | Pin

Dawn at LeroyLimeTwitter | FB | G+ | Pin | Inst | BL

Maisy at Becoming AliceFB | G+ | Pin

Sheree at Stage PresentsTwitter | FB | Pin | Inst | Inst

Lisa at Condo BluesTwitter | FB | G+ | Pin | Inst

Amy at A Day of Small ThingsPin

Penny at Penny’s PassionTwitter | FB | G+ | Pin | Inst

Kelly at Under a Texas SkyTwitter | FB | G+ | Pin | Inst | BL

If you are featured this week, be sure and grab a featured button for your blog!

 photo Friday Favorites Featured Button.jpg

You can show your love for this week’s favorites by going over and commenting on the posts and by pinning or sharing!

And if you love all of this week’s favorites, please pin, share, and invite your friends to this week’s linky party! Continue reading

Friday Favorites – Week 341 – Homemade Salted Caramel Coffee Creamer

 photo Friday Favorites Banner 2.jpg

Please support and follow our lovely blog party hostesses:

Jerri at Simply Sweet HomeTwitter | FB | G+ | Pin | Inst

Christine at Light and SavvyTwitter | FB | G+ | Pin | Inst

Jen at Creatively HomemadeTwitter | G+ | Pin

Dawn at LeroyLimeTwitter | FB | G+ | Pin | Inst | BL

Maisy at Becoming AliceFB | G+ | Pin

Sheree at Stage PresentsTwitter | FB | Pin | Inst | Inst

Lisa at Condo BluesTwitter | FB | G+ | Pin | Inst

Amy at A Day of Small ThingsPin

Penny at Penny’s PassionTwitter | FB | G+ | Pin | Inst

Kelly at Under a Texas SkyTwitter | FB | G+ | Pin | Inst | BL

If you are featured this week, be sure and grab a featured button for your blog!

 photo Friday Favorites Featured Button.jpg

You can show your love for this week’s favorites by going over and commenting on the posts and by pinning or sharing!

And if you love all of this week’s favorites, please pin, share, and invite your friends to this week’s linky party! Continue reading

Friday Favorites – Week 340 – Slow Cooker Country Breakfast

 photo Friday Favorites Banner 2.jpg

Please support and follow our lovely blog party hostesses:

Jerri at Simply Sweet HomeTwitter | FB | G+ | Pin | Inst

Christine at Light and SavvyTwitter | FB | G+ | Pin | Inst

Jen at Creatively HomemadeTwitter | G+ | Pin

Dawn at LeroyLimeTwitter | FB | G+ | Pin | Inst | BL

Maisy at Becoming AliceFB | G+ | Pin

Sheree at Stage PresentsTwitter | FB | Pin | Inst | Inst

Lisa at Condo BluesTwitter | FB | G+ | Pin | Inst

Amy at A Day of Small ThingsPin

Penny at Penny’s PassionTwitter | FB | G+ | Pin | Inst

Kelly at Under a Texas SkyTwitter | FB | G+ | Pin | Inst | BL

If you are featured this week, be sure and grab a featured button for your blog!

 photo Friday Favorites Featured Button.jpg

You can show your love for this week’s favorites by going over and commenting on the posts and by pinning or sharing!

And if you love all of this week’s favorites, please pin, share, and invite your friends to this week’s linky party! Continue reading

Book Review: The Year of Yes

71rcwqglcul

I am a hard critic.  It takes a lot for me to be impressed with pretty much anything.  But, every now and then I run across something, watch a movie or read something that speaks to me on so many different levels.  This was this case with this book.  For me it encapsulated so much of what it is to be a woman, a mother, a creative, and a dreamer.  At parts it even hurt to acknowledge and admit some of the truths that it laid out.

This is the first book review that I have written here on the SP Blog.  Mostly because I never want to stop anyone from forming their own opinions or thwart their resolve to read any book, because I think that what you take away from every book you read can be such a singular experience.  But, I really wanted to share with you some of the things that spoke to me from this book.  And the reason for that is that we, (women), are complex beings and I think that in being caretakers and nurturers we sometimes lose sight of the fact that we are multi-dimensional.  A good amount of the time we adopt societies way of minimizing our feelings or chalking it up to being emotional or hormones, or whatever.

I know for me the older I get, the more I realize that when I feel cornered or stifled it is more than likely because of a box that I created for myself.  Not based on my feelings thoughts and aspirations, but based on what I think I should be.  I am a lover of spoken word, quotes, etc.  So it should come as no surprise that my favorite parts of this book, came from some of the Speeches that she gave.  In her Dartmouth Commencement Speech, Shonda (Yes, Shonda like I know her she could be “my bff” in my head) talked about the The Dreamer vs. Doer.  I swear I wanted to post pages and pages here instead of just a short excerpt, because I swear she was SCREAMING directly into my soul when she wrote these words.

“Maybe you know exactly what you dream of being.  Or maybe you’re paralyzed because you have no idea what your passion is.  The truth is it, doesn’t matter.  You don’t have to know.  You just have to keep moving forward.  You just have to keep doing something, seizing the next opportunity, staying open to try something new…. Don’t sit at home waiting for the magic dream opportunity.  Who are you Prince William? No.  Get A job.  Work.  Do until you can do something else.”

Being a Creative Person while exhilarating, can be paralyzing.  Why?  Because you have a million thoughts going through your head at any time.  You dreams span from your garage to your international business and everything in between.  Often that great a dream, can be suffocating.  Not knowing what steps need to be taken can stop you dead in your tracks.  And, you forget that you can just take that first step.  It’s like me with exercising, as long as I am doing it consistently, I remember how good I feel afterwards and all the great effects that it has on my health and blood sugar.  But, let me get too many days in between, the aches creep in and my bed or the sofa seems like a much more gratifying option.  Our Etsy Store started out with pillows, I tell this story all the time.  And, now we have over 270 items available in our store.  It was a project that my husband and I could work on together.   So many people told me you don’t want to work with your husband, and not that it hasn’t come with its own set of challenges.  But, it has being a profitable venture, gave me an outlet for my creativity and drive and it’s been good for my marriage.

Then she talks about Balance.  And, God did I need to hear this one.  “ANYONE THAT TELLS YOU THEY ARE DOING IT ALL PERFECTLY IS A LIAR.”  Remember earlier, when I told you that I was a hard critic.  The person that I am hardest on is….. MYSELF.  I can’t sit on the couch and not think about all the things that I am not be doing.  Now, I am not saying that to say that I always get all these things done.  But, I am saying that they haunt me.  Now I will tell you straight up, I got this from my Momma.  But, she is clearly more adept than me, because she actually gets it done.  You can come to my mom’s house day and night and what you will walk right into is A Stepford Wife kitchen.  I know I just finished saying that I know I can’t do it all, and I do.  But, I still aspire to be that chick.  But, it’s true aside from the fact that there are only so many hours in the day.  Achieving balance is damn near impossible.

There is soo much more than I could share about this book, but I don’t want to give the whole thing away.  And, I don’t think I have any more library renewals left on this one.  But, I will say this.  It is worth the read.  I think we often look at celebrities, or writers, or politicians and believe that these people have it all together.  And, I am sure most of them have it more together than I do.  But, this book genuinely reminds me that we are all HUMAN, prone to err, fear, and a multitude of other emotions.  I will definitely be purchasing this book, because it bears re-reading or at the very least to be used as a reference tool.  If you happen to grab it and enjoy it.  Leave your comments below, I would love to hear what spoke to you.

20160103_inq_bk1yes03-b

Shonda Rhimes Glowing from the Inside Out

My Love Affair with Vegetables

myloveaffairwithvegetables

My name is Sheree and I am a “Carb-a-Holic”, but I am also a diabetic, so those two things just don’t mesh do they.  After a serious illness this summer, I was forced to choose my diagnosis over my addiction. So with that choice came the need for a change in the way I ate and in what I ate. Giving up rice and pasta I knew would be the hardest thing for me to conquer. But, I was scared enough that I was willing to let them go.  (Dragging My Feet The Whole Way)

After shedding more than a few tears for my life long affair with Macaroni and Cheese and Lasagna,  I got on Pinterest and started researching substitutes for rice and pasta, and what kept coming up for me over and over again was cauliflower. At this point, I think I had probably eaten cauliflower maybe once or twice in my entire life.  It seemed like Cauliflower was the Alpha and Omega to my new way of living.  And, I believed all the hype about Cauliflower Rice really tasting like rice, or the Faux Loaded Mashed Potatoes tasting just like the real thing.  I know you can’t see it, but I am giving you my “Yeah Right” Screw Face.  You and I know that it is ALWAYS hard to duplicate the real thing.  As you can imagine, there were several both frustrating and failed attempts along this path of mine.  But, once I accepted that there was no magic pill or in this case vegetable things got easier.

So I began to broaden my horizons and incorporate all kinds of Vegetables, many of which I have been fans of all my life.  Like Onions… God I love Onions.  Then my Caribbean Roots started to kick in, after all the base of most of our most popular dishes starts out with seasoning and not typically ones you can shake.  So I started to throw in tomatoes, peppers, garlic, etc.  And low and behold my options became endless.

Yesterday, I received the results of my A1C test.  It is a test that diabetics have to take to make sure that their blood sugar is controlled.  Without going into details, the last test I took was totally off the charts and not in a good way.  The test I just received the results for was phenomenal.  They consider normal 6.99 and below and mine was 7.10.   It was such a joy to see my hard work and the hard work of my family pay off.   I include them in this because everyone in my house has had to make sacrifices for Mommy to eat right.  And, there has been no murmuring or complaining, or at least none that an occasional pizza didn’t cure.

Whether you are diabetic, embarking on a life change, just deciding to go low carb or whatever your reasons are for choosing to add more veggies and protein to your diet here are some of my favorite recipes so far.   I have pretty much put my own spin on everything that I have tried and you probably will too, so be sure to share your secrets with us, or even share a link to your favorites in the comments below.  I look forward to reading all about it.

fave-recipes-collage

Photo Credits Belong to The Blogs Linked Below

Cauliflower Rice with Garlic and Green Onion from Kaly’s Kitchen

Low – Carb Mock Lasagna Spaghetti Squash Casserole from Kaly’s Kitchen

Fried Cabbage with Sausage from Extreme Savings with Diva Desirae

Zucchini and Squash Au Gratin from Just A Pinch

Happy Eating from my plate to yours!!

Friday Favorites – Week 334 – Sorbet Rose Cocktail

 photo Friday Favorites Banner 2.jpg

Please support and follow our lovely blog party hostesses:

Jerri at Simply Sweet HomeTwitter | FB | G+ | Pin | Inst

Christine at Light and SavvyTwitter | FB | G+ | Pin | Inst

Jen at Creatively HomemadeTwitter | G+ | Pin

Dawn at LeroyLimeTwitter | FB | G+ | Pin | Inst | BL

Maisy at Becoming AliceFB | G+ | Pin

Sheree at Stage PresentsTwitter | FB | Pin | Inst | Inst

Lisa at Condo BluesTwitter | FB | G+ | Pin | Inst

Amy at A Day of Small ThingsPin

Penny at Penny’s PassionTwitter | FB | G+ | Pin | Inst

Kelly at Under a Texas SkyTwitter | FB | G+ | Pin | Inst | BL

If you are featured this week, be sure and grab a featured button for your blog!

 photo Friday Favorites Featured Button.jpg

You can show your love for this week’s favorites by going over and commenting on the posts and by pinning or sharing!

And if you love all of this week’s favorites, please pin, share, and invite your friends to this week’s linky party!

Sheree from Stage Presents chose

Sorbet Rose Cocktail from If You Give A Blonde a Kitchen

Now that we have a whole week of school under our belts, and I have settled firmly back into my role of being Mommy Taxi Driver.  Mommy and her friends need some special treats too. So my pick for this week’s Friday favorite is this Tasty Sorbet Rose Cocktail shared by If You Give A Blonde A Kitchen.

If you are looking to add a refreshing new cocktail to your list of favorites, I  am sure you will find this week’s choice as refreshing as as we did.  When you try it and like it, be sure to go by and check out If You Give A Blonde A Kitchen, for other amazing treats.

Oatmeal Add Ins

Jerri at Simply Sweet Home chose

29 Oatmeal Add-Ins from The Gracious Wife

Amy at A Day of Small Things AND Jen at Creatively Homemade chose

Funfetti Cake Batter Popsicles from Unusually Lovely

Kelly at Under a Texas Sky chose

Chicken and Fruit Salad from Miz Helen’s Country Cottage

Shrimp 'n Shells Salad

Penny at Penny’s Passion chose

Shrimp and Pasta Salad from from Nancy on the Home Prudent

DIY Exotic Sunroom Back Porch Makeover from Sew Can Do

Lisa at Condo Blues chose

DIY Exotic Sunroom Back Porch Makeover from Sew Can Do

 photo Friday Favorites Button.jpg
Thanks so much for partying with us this week! Please add your links below.

All family friendly posts are welcome, including recipes, crafts, decor, household tips, and more!

And please support your fellow party goers by visiting other posts linked up to the party!



Friday Favorites – Week 333 – Watermelon Mint Sorbet

I can’t tell you how excited I am to be a part of the Friday Favorite’s Linky Party!! Join me and my co-hostesses for this week’s amazing Friday Favorite Picks!!

 photo Friday Favorites Banner 2.jpg

Please support and follow our lovely blog party hostesses:

Jerri at Simply Sweet HomeTwitter | FB | G+ | Pin | Inst

Christine at Light and SavvyTwitter | FB | G+ | Pin | Inst

Jen at Creatively HomemadeTwitter | G+ | Pin

Dawn at LeroyLimeTwitter | FB | G+ | Pin | Inst | BL

Maisy at Becoming AliceFB | G+ | Pin

Sheree at Stage PresentsTwitter | FB | Pin | Inst | Inst

Lisa at Condo BluesTwitter | FB | G+ | Pin | Inst

Amy at A Day of Small ThingsPin

Penny at Penny’s PassionTwitter | FB | G+ | Pin | Inst

Kelly at Under a Texas SkyTwitter | FB | G+ | Pin | Inst | BL

If you are featured this week, be sure and grab a featured button for your blog!

 photo Friday Favorites Featured Button.jpg

You can show your love for this week’s favorites by going over and commenting on the posts and by pinning or sharing!

And if you love all of this week’s favorites, please pin, share, and invite your friends to this week’s linky party!

Sheree from Stage Presents chose Watermelon Mint Sorbet from Becoming Alice

Even though the kids are back in school, there is still a good bit of summer left for us here in Georgia.  That being said, I am always looking for healthy new snacks to try out with my kids that keep us cool and refreshed after a long day.  And nothing screams summer days like chilled watermelon, in one form or another.

So my pick for this week’s Friday Favorites is this Super Yummy Raw Vegan Watermelon Mint Sorbet that I found over on Becoming Alice.  This treat appeals to the senses, it smells good, taste good, feels good and looks good too.  Not to mention, that it is a perfect ending to a summer meal and gets an A+++ for presentation.

I am sure you will find this week’s favorite as pleasing as we did.  If you do, be sure to go by and check out Becoming Alice, for other amazing treats.

pantry-organization

Jerri at Simply Sweet Home chose

10 Tricks for Pantry Organization from Joyful Homemaking

Jen at Creatively Homemade chose

Homemade S’Mores Dipped Ice Cream Cones from If You Give a Blonde a Kitchen

Homemade-Halvah-Bar

Maisy at Becoming Alice chose

Homemade Halvah Bars by To Simply Inspire

Peanut Butter Banana Ice Cream for Dogs

Kelly at Under a Texas Sky chose:

Peanut Butter Banana Ice Cream for Dogs from Gluesticks Blog

Friday Favorites

Christine at Light and Savvy chose

DIY Farmhouse Pots from Lolly Jane

 

grilled sesame shrimp and vegetables recipe by Simply Stacie
Lisa at Condo Blues chose

Penny at Penny’s Passion chose
No Churn Chocolate Cake Ice Cream from Simply Stacie


Amy at A Day of Small Things chose

Whole Wheat Sourdough Pretzels from Creatively Homemade

Dawn at LeroyLime chose
Craft Room Refresh from LollyJane

 photo Friday Favorites Button.jpg
Thanks so much for partying with us this week! Please add your links below.

All family friendly posts are welcome, including recipes, crafts, decor, household tips, and more!

And please support your fellow party goers by visiting other posts linked up to the party!


2016 Mardi Gras Round-Up

2016 Mardi Gras Round Up stage-presents.com
Have a hankering for something spicy and well seasoned?  Lucky for you its Mardi Gras Season.  Finding New Recipes to try is always on the top of my priority list.  My family isn’t too big on Spicy, but I find that you can pretty much pipe up or pipe down most recipes.  Check out our Super Delish Mardi Gras Round Up.  My mouth is already watering.

GET YOUR SPICE ON with this mardi gras round-up !!

Mardi Gras Round-Up Easy Chicken and Andouille Gumbo Louisiana Cooking

Photo Source: Louisiana Cooking (Link Below)

Easy Chicken and Andouille Gumbo LouisianaCookin

Mardi Gras Round-Up One Pot Red Beans and Rice Southern Bite

Photo Source: Southern Bites (Link Below)

One Pot Red Beans and Rice Southern Bite

Mardi Gras Round-Up Shrimp Etoufee Eat Live Run

Photo Source : Eat Live Run (Link Below)

Shrimp Etouffee Eat Live Run

Mardi Gras Round-Up Cajun Chicken and Rice Jambalaya Recipe Kevin and Amanda

Photo Source: Kevin and Amanda (Link Below)

Cajun Chicken and Rice Jambalaya Recipe Kevin and Amanda

Mardi Gras Round-Up New Orleans Beignets My Recipes

Photo: Jim Franco; Styling: Joe Maer (My Recipes – Link In Profile)

New Orleans Beignets My Recipes

Mardi Gras Round-Up Mardi Gras Hurricane Red White And Blueberries

Photo Source: Red White and Blueberries (Link Below)

Mardi Gras Hurricane Red White and Blueberries

I have been to New Orleans, but, I have never been during Mardi Gras.  I hope to get there one day without the kids.  What is your favorite traditional Mardi Gras Meal?

Mixing Things Up One Pot at a Time – Sausage Pasta Skillet

I have clearly been on a Sausage Kick, since this is the second recipe in less than two weeks that I have posted where the main ingredient was sausage.  But, in my defense, it’s a break from the norm.  The protein portion of our dinner pretty much always consists of Chicken, Beef, or Fish, and that is it.  It doesn’t hurt to mix things up every once in a while.

Quick and Easy One Pot Meal - Sausage Pasta Skillet

In keeping with my rules for trying a new recipe, this one was once again, Quick and Easy with minimal ingredients that were not already in the pantry.  This actually came about because I bought more sausage for the Sausage and Peppers, than I needed.  So I needed to figure out something to do with what was left, and I found this recipe for the Sausage Pasta Skillet here on HweScott.blogspot.com.  As important as reading through the recipe, for me, is reading the reviews.  And, this one had great reviews that included a lot of awesome tips to make this recipe that much better. (follow the link to read the reviews)

Spicy Sausage Pasta Skillet 
via Plain Chicken

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 14 oz smoked sausage, sliced into 1/4″ rounds
  • 1 cup onion, diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
  • 1 (10 oz) can rotel (I prefer mild, but if you want more spice use the original)
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 8 oz whole grain penne (or whatever noodle you prefer, I’ve also used bowtie)
  • Pepper, to taste
  • 1 1/4 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
  • thinly sliced scallions, for garnish

 Heat oil over medium-high heat in an oven safe skillet until hot.  Add the sausage and onion and cook until lightly browned, 4-5 minutes.  Add in the garlic and cook until fragrant, 30 seconds.

Add the broth, rotel, heavy cream, uncooked pasta, and pepper.  Stir well.  Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat to medium-low.  Simmer until the pasta is tender, 15 minutes.  Stir once or twice while cooking.  Preheat the broiler while pasta is cooking.

Remove the skillet from the heat, stir in 1 cup of the cheese. Taste, and add salt as needed. Top with the scallions and remaining cheese.  Broil until the cheese is melted and lightly browned – about 3 minutes.

Tastes great as leftovers the next day, too.. if you have any.  😉

Here are my Notes on this Recipe:  Make sure that you use the recommended amount of Chicken Broth. It may seem like it is a lot but, in order to get your pasta to the desired consistency this is a must.  I used the original Rotel.  I thought it was fine but the kids thought it was too spicy.  They ate it, but with a lot of… drama.  (“We need water, lol”.)  Heavy Cream is the same as Heavy Whipping Cream who knew.  I used the recommended 1/2 a cup of heavy cream, but I could have used some more just to make it creamier.  I used one package of Hillshire Farm Smoked Sausage and I would recommend using 2 packages. I used a whole box of penne pasta, and there were a lot of left overs, after my family of four was done.  Over all it was a very tasty dish, maybe more suited for an adult meal, but I feel like with the small changes I listed above the kids would enjoy it as well.   I plan to try this again, and will share the results from the second time around.

What are your favorite go to recipes this time of year?  If you add this one into the rotation, please share your thoughts.

A New Family Favorite – Smoked Sausage and Peppers

If you are like this Mom, every now and then you get tired of cooking and eating the same things over and over again.  Actually…. that happens pretty often.  But, when I ask the family for suggestions… I get NOTHING, which is probably why I have developed such an unhealthy attachment to Pinterest. (That’s my story and I am sticking to it.)

So yesterday around 2pm, I started searching Pinterest for some dinner ideas… And, at about 3pm, I emailed my hubby and told him I wanted to make Smoked Sausage and Peppers..  and askedwhat did he think.  To which he enthusiastically replied… SURE… (That was sarcasm, in case you didn’t pick it up.)
I second guessed myself all the way from work to the grocery store and then back to the house.  The girls are picky eaters .. what if it didn’t come out right.. what should I serve with it.. blah blah, blah.  Then when I got home I suggested to my dh that maybe we should have something else.  Yes, I was punking out.  Thankfully, he pushed me to go with my original plan.
And, what happened next was pure magic.  lol.   Thirty minutes later we had an amazing meal.  And, everyone approved.  So now we have one more Forever Dinner to put into the arsenal.  Forever Dinners mean meals that everyone will eat without any complaints.
I found this recipe here:
Classic Hillshire Farms Smoked Sausage & Peppers
Photo Source: Hillshire Farms (Their Picture
A New Family Favorite - Smoked Sausage and Peppers
What are your go to aka Forever Meals that your family loves?  Consider sharing a recipe or link with us in the comment section below.