TT w/Linky: Hawaiian Chicken ~ Baked or Crock Pot Style

My kids LOVE Hawaiian pizza, so I figured they would easily go for some Hawaiian Chicken with out too much of a fuss.  My kids aren't THAT picky of eaters but when ever I try something new, I know I'll get the "look"....especially from Paige, the six year old....and the dinner battle ensues.   Soooo, after bribing them by dangling a glass of Chocolate Yogurt Mousse in front of their disappointed little faces when announcing Hawaiian Chicken was for dinner last night, they became extremely enthusiastic to eat the Hawaiian Chicken.

The bribery worked....this time.  They cleaned their entire plate, even the brown rice that was hidden underneath.  But they truly DID enjoy their meal.  I'll be doing this one again.

Here's what you need......plus salt {entire recipe below}

Mix the ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, crushed pineapple and brown sugar together.

Salt and pepper {if you wish} the chicken breasts and thighs and place in to a baking dish.  I used my Dutch oven......or you could totally prepare this in a Crock Pot as well.  Pour the mixed ingredients over the top of the chicken.  

Bake at 350 degrees, add pineapple chunks, bake some more.

Serve over your favorite rice.  I used brown rice.  Really good and I think there's some left over today for lunch!

Hawaiian Chicken

Ingredients:
6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts and or thighs
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 tsp. Worchestershire sauce
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
1/2 cup crushed pineapple with juice
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 can pineapple chunks...your choice on size

Directions:
Mix all ingredients together except the pineapple chunks.

Salt and pepper the chicken, place in a baking dish and pour the mixture over the chicken.  Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.  For the last 20 minutes of cooking time, add the pineapple chunks, without juice.  Cook the remaining 20 minutes.

Serve over rice.

If you go the Crock Pot route, cook for 4-6 hours.

Link up with anything you’re thankful for! And if you’re not a blogger, just let us know in the comment section what you happen to be thankful for on this day.
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'BOTW' Lazy Sunday Easy Onion Frittata

I love eggs in the morning and when sauted onions are involved...they're even better.  I love this super easy Onion Frittata by Bon Appetite.  Perfect for a lazy Sunday.  Serve with a side of bacon and some buttered whole wheat toast with raspberry jam, OH My, come to mama.

photo and recipe courtesy Bon Appetite

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TT w/Linky: Workout Trainer

This morning it was a bone-chilling thirty something degrees....maybe even 29 degrees here in northern CA.  I know that temperature doesn't even register as cold for many of you but it's just too dang cold for me to get my butt out of bed at 5 a.m. to go to boot camp class....where we run outside for a portion of the class.

When my alarm went off this morning, I rolled over and buried my head.

Plan B.

I ran three miles at 9 a.m. in 41 degree weather.  Much better.  Okay, not really but that's what I tell myself anyway.

Workouts are a mandatory part of my life.  If only for the reason that I can come home and eat and drink things like this.......

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TT w/Linky: Dutch Oven Chuck Roast

Growing up, I remember my mother cooking roasts on what seemed to be a weekly basis.  We raised our own beef and ate some sort of beef every single night of the week.  This included tongue soup, liver and onions and even some tail soup.  Still clear in my mind is the memory of walking down the lane with the neighbor kids from the bus stop, and as we approached my house, the smell of braised beef would waft out the window and down the lane leaving all the kids craving food once they got to their own doorstep.

Fast forward to the present, we normally always have a freezer full of our own raised beef just as my parents did but it's getting down to slim pickin's at the moment......only a few roasts and some short ribs along with a pile of ground beef chubs remain.  I DO like roast but my only way of cooking it, until now, has been in my slow cooker.  Well, Santa came a few days late this year with this fabulous 8 quart dutch oven roaster and I now can braise and cook my remaining roasts the way my mom used to.

Salt and pepper a roast.  I used Chuck Roast this time.  Add some olive oil in the cast iron roaster and braise the beef until you hear it sizzling for a few minutes and it browns.

Flip the hunk-0-meat and do the same thing to the other side.  I could have probably seared it a little bit longer, but this was all new to me and it was my first time using this method.

Remove the roast and set aside.  Add some butter and sliced onions to the roaster and cook until translucent.  Add some garlic and cook until it's soft.

Add 1 cup of white wine and 1/2 cup of water to the pot, stirring and scraping with a wooden spoon, all the brown bits from the bottom of the pot.  About 1 minute.

Return the beef roast to the pot and add any vegetables you might like.  I use potatoes and carrots.

Cover and transfer to a 300 degree oven for about 3 hours.

The thing I like about cooking roast is you can make it your own.....you can add stewed tomatoes, rosemary, any sort of root vegetable to change it up every time.

Beef Roast

Ingredients:
1 beef chuck roast {about 4 pounds}
Kosher salt and ground pepper
2 T unsalted butter
1 large yellow onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup water
1 pound of potatoes
carrots

Directions:
Preheat oven to 300 degrees.  Heat an 8 quart dutch oven {cast iron roaster} over medium heat until hot, about 5 minutes.  Add olive oil.  Salt and pepper the chuck roast and add to the roaster.  Brown both sides. Transfer to plate and set aside.

Add butter and yellow onion to pot.  Cook until onion is translucent.  Add garlic, cook for another 3 minutes. Add wine and 1/2 cup water to pot and cook, stirring and scraping brown bits from bottom of pot, about 1 minute.

Return beef to pot and add vegetables and more salt and pepper.  Cover and transfer to oven, cook for about 3 hours.

Link up with anything you’re thankful for! And if you’re not a blogger, just let us know in the comment section what you happen to be thankful for on this day.
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TT w/Linky: Cookie Exchange ~ Chocolate Clouds

Every holiday season I attend at least one Cookie Exchange party.  A great way to trade cookies and acquire an entire eclectic array of delicious goodies.....and have a cocktail with the ladies at the same time.  

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TT w/Linky: Top 13 Table Manners for Kids

Teaching kids table manners, or just manners in general, is an on-going, daily process.  Whether we're at home at the dinner table or at a restaurant, bad table manners is something I do not let my kids get away with.

With the holiday season upon us, I like to remind myself to remind the kids of these important table manners.  Here are a few of the top table manners we practice daily....

What Every Kid Should Know! 

1. Come to the table with clean hands and face.
2. Put your napkin on your lap.
3. Start eating when everyone else does – or when given the OK to start.
4. Stay seated and sit up straight.
5. Keep elbows (and other body parts!) off the table while eating.
6. Chew with your mouth closed and don’t talk until you’ve swallowed.
7. Don’t make bad comments about the food.
8. Say “Please pass the ---” instead of reaching.
9. Chat with everyone at the table.
10. Don’t make rude noises like burping or slurping.
11. Ask to be excused when finished.
12. Thank your host or whoever prepared the meal.
13. Offer to help clear the table.

Definitely a work in progress in the Grossi household....

Link up with anything you’re thankful for! And if you’re not a blogger, just let us know in the comment section what you happen to be thankful for on this day.
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TT w/Linky: Celebrating or Drowning Your Sorrows? Cocktails for either

The election is OVER.  If you feel like me, then it feels like a mac truck just ran you down after the ups and downs of election day yesterday.

Are you celebrating or drowning your sorrows?

Whatever the case this Thankful Thursday, you may enjoy one of these to enhance your mood.  I know I will.

Photo and recipe courtesy Shape magazine

Angry Orchard Cocktail  

132 calories, 6 grams of sugar

Ingredients:
1/2 ounce dry gin
1/2 ounce St. Germain
Splash lime juice
3 ounces Angry Orchard Traditional Dry Cider
Lime wheel, for garnish

Directions:
Pour everything except the lime wheel into a mixing cup with ice and stir until chilled. Strain into a martini glass and garnish with lime wheel.

photo and recipe courtesy Shape magazine

Obama'rita

162 calories

Ingredients:
1 part Patron Tequila
1 part Cointreau
1 part pineapple juice
1 part freshly squeezed lime juice
Pinch sea salt
Splash Polar Raspberry-Lime Seltzer
Fresh pineapple, for garnish

Directions:
Combine first five ingredients in a cocktail shaker with crushed ice. Shake vigorously, until the shaker shows condensation. Pour into a glass, top with seltzer, and garnish with skewered pineapple.

Link up with anything you’re thankful for! And if you’re not a blogger, just let us know in the comment section what you happen to be thankful for on this day.
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TT w/Linky: Fall Dinner Party & Easiest Ever Roasted Asparagus

Before having kids we used to have many dinner parties here at home.  Inviting another family over, sharing a home cooked meal, some good wine and conversation was the norm.  It all changed after kids....now our parties are either big blow outs with 100 people or they are centered around holidays and birthdays.  

I have missed the evenings of the low-key dinner parties.  It is time to begin integrating small get-together's back into our lives.....as we did, just recently.  

One of my favorite veggie sides to serve is roasted asparagus.  It's the easiest thing ever, it can be prepared prior to your guest's arrival and just needs to be popped in the oven for 15 minutes when you're ready.

No extra dipping garlic/mayo condiment is needed with this dish, just a drizzling of extra virgin olive oil and a sprinkling of your favorite spices....I use Emiril's Original Essence.  Then bake on a foil lined baking sheet at 450 degrees for 15 minutes and that's it!  SO good.

For dinner we BBQ'd juicy, flavorful Tri Tip, served with rice pilaf, green salad and some garlic bread.....one of my all-time favorite combo's.

Before dinner we enjoyed some cocktails with our BBQ'd oysters.

On this Thankful Thursday, I'm thankful for good friends, and the come back of the small dinner party.

How about you?  Are you a big party person or a small dinner party type?

Link up with anything you’re thankful for! And if you’re not a blogger, just let us know in the comment section what you happen to be thankful for on this day.
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Thankful Thursday Easy Halloween Treats

If your kids are like mine, they love marshmallows.  They'll eat them, one after another right out of the bag if I let them.  I normally only keep them stocked in the house during the summer months for s'mores or during Halloween and a few other holidays.

Marshmallows are a ton of fun to decorate.  Just pop one on a popsicle stick and choose the icing color of your choice and go at it.  

For Halloween I stuck with basic black for a spooky look.  I know my kids are gonna love them when they see them after school today.

This is a great activity for a school Halloween/Harvest party or as an after school fun project with your kids! Get creative and use a variety of colors....orange, green and bloody red would be some ideas for Halloween.

Link up with anything you’re thankful for! And if you’re not a blogger, just let us know in the comment section what you happen to be thankful for on this day
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TT w/Linky: OktoberFest Kona Stout Ice Cream

I recently reviewed the cookbook, Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams At Home by Jeni Britton Bauer for my local newspaper and in doing so, I picked three fall inspired recipes for ice cream.  

My first and favorite is the Kona Stout Ice Cream.  The recipe calls for using any dark beer and stout adds a lot of flavor without adding very much water to the ice cream.  So why not use a chocolate stout?!  I did, in hopes the flavor would taste similar to a mocha.  I wasn't disappointed.  My stout of choice these days is this Bison Chocolate Stout.....in OR out of ice cream.

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TT w/Linky: Get Your Rack Checked ~ Breast Cancer Awareness

I think everyone I know has been touched by breast cancer in some way or another in their lives.  Maybe your best friend had it, your sister, aunt, daughter, mother, for me it was my mother.  She battled it many years ago and won and I'm thankful she is still with us today.  Many other friends have battled and lost.

October is breast cancer awareness month, you can see the signs everywhere from your local grocery store, the gym and even on the players of the NFL wearing their pink cleats! 

Just a friendly reminder to please, please, please get your rack checked.

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TT w/Linky: Self Appointed

Do you remember when you were little and played 'teacher' or 'doctor' or 'mommy', etc?  I used to make-believe all the time when I was little...always wanting to be all grown up, something other than the little girl I was.

Being all grown up now, I realized sometimes adults {ok, me} can still play those games.  This morning on my ATV ranch ride, I decided to appoint myself as the official fence checker to the ranch.

I take every job I do seriously.

There's livestock that needs to be checked on, after-all.

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TT w/Linky: My Parents, the Immigrants

My parents, immigrants from the "Old Country".  My Dad, Portuguese and from the Azores Islands and my Mom, an Italian born and raised in Brazil.  On my Dad's journey to America in the late 1950's, he stopped over in Brazil to stay with his older brother who had moved and made a life for himself there.  

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TT w/Linky: Ground Beef Tacos To Die For

If I had to pick just one summer go-to meal that I make quite often, it would most definitely be Tacos.....ground beef, chicken, shredded beef, you name it, I love them all.   We have a freezer full of ground beef right now, it's 90+ degrees outside ~ which also qualifies for a margarita night {or an ice cold beer} and I have a craving for some Mexican food.

Ground Beef Tacos are it.

Ground Beef Tacos

Ingredients:

2 lbs ground beef

1 teaspoon salt

1 -2 tablespoon chili powder

2 tablespoons paprika

1 teaspoon cumin

1 -2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 green bell pepper, diced

1/2 cup onion, diced

corn tortillas

spinach or lettuce

Shredded Cheese

sour cream

salsa

Directions:  

1.  In a 2 quart sauce pan add ground beef, salt, chili powder, garlic, cumin, paprika, and enough water to cover meat.

2.  Bring to a boil.

3.  Simmer for about an hour.

4.  Add bell pepper, if desired and onion. Continue to simmer for 20 to 30 minutes. (Until bell pepper and onion are fully cooked).
5.  Heat corn tortillas and fill 'em up!

Link up with anything you’re thankful for! And if you’re not a blogger, just let us know in the comment section what you happen to be thankful for on this day.
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 Thank you for taking time out of your busy day to leave a comment. I love to hear from you! Have a fantastic day!
 
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TT w/Linky: The Almighty Peach & Peachy Chicken Salad

It's National Peach Day today and it just so happens I like mine best with a dab of whipped cream.  But today, Cheerios along with creamy whole milk will have to do....

Fun Peach Fact:

The state of Georgia is actually ranked 3rd in peach production, behind California {1st} and South Carolina {2nd}.

California: 796 million pounds, annually.

South Carolina: 111 million pounds, annually.

Georgia: 86 million pounds, annually.

Thankful Thursday this week is all about my love for peaches.

How do you like to eat yours??

Peach growing Statistics found here.

Peachy Chicken Salad

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients

3 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

2 large peaches, peeled and chopped

1/2 cup shredded carrots

1 cup shredded cabbage (Napa, red, green, or substitute broccoli slaw)

4 large Bibb lettuce leaves

2 tablespoons crumbled goat cheese

2 tablespoons chopped walnuts, toasted

Dressing

1/4 cup champagne vinegar

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon minced shallots

1 tablespoon fresh chopped basil

2 teaspoon honey

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

Directions

1. Heat grill pan or grill to medium-high heat.

2. Spray the pan or grill with cooking spray, and place the chicken on it. Grill 5 to 6 minutes on each side until done.

3. Shred or chop the chicken and add it to the mixing bowl along with peaches, carrots, and cabbage.

4. Place the dressing ingredients in a separate mixing bowl; whisk to combine.

5. Pour the dressing over the chicken mixture and toss gently.

6. Arrange one leaf of Bibb lettuce on each plate. Divide the peachy chicken salad among the four plates.

7. Garnish with goat cheese and toasted walnuts. Serve immediately.

Recipe courtesy WebMD

Link up with anything you’re thankful for! And if you’re not a blogger, just let us know in the comment section what you happen to be thankful for on this day.
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 Thank you for taking time out of your busy day to leave a comment. I love to hear from you! Have a fantastic day!
 
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