5 Nov 2014

Pumpkin Oats White Chocolate Chip Muffins

by | posted in: chocolate, food, The Charming South Kitchen | 0

Pumpkin Muffins

Pumpkin overload – right?  Pumpkins are everywhere, even now that Halloween is past and we are moving headlong into the Thanksgiving season.

Do you know what my favorite Thanksgiving commercials are – ever – the Publix pilgrim little figurines – that get so full from all the Publix food that was served on Thanksgiving that their outfits tend to pop buttons.  So fun.  Growing up in Lakeland, FL – the home of Publix – I saw my share of Publix commercials – and am so glad to be living again with a Publix on every corner.

Anyway, back to pumpkins.  As a Mom, sometimes I stress about my kids’ nutrition.  I mean my older son could down all the fruit he could ever eat if I let him.  My younger son loves those little pouches that are fruit-filled.  We have instituted a donut morning one day every week, and I usually bake something sweet, and we eat out just to make life easier.  So, I’m not the healthiest Mom out there – but that isn’t the end all either. They love their fruits and veggies so that is great!  And neither of them really dig french fries – so that’s a plus!

These muffins – both of them are gobbling up.  I feel good about giving them one because there is no added fat in it from butter or oil – so that makes them healthier, right?  And, they are very yummy!  You can change up the add-ins for the muffins, and this time I had a small amount of white chocolate chips left – they are a very nice addition.

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Pumpkin Oats White Chocolate Chip Muffins
Author: 
Recipe type: Muffins
Cuisine: Bread
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 12
 
A healthy hearty filling pumpkin muffin with a touch of sweetness
Ingredients
  • 1 cup rolled oats
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • ½ cup packed brown sugar
  • 1¼ cup Pumpkin Pie Mix in a can
  • 1 egg
  • 1 T applesauce
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp baking soda
  • ¾ tsp cinnamon
  • ⅓ cup white chocolate chips
Instructions
  1. Mix all the ingredients together.
  2. Spray muffin tin (makes 12 muffins) and set oven on 375
  3. Fill each muffin cup about ¾ full with muffin batter.
  4. Bake for about 20 minutes or until done, don't overbake
 

3 Nov 2014

This Week in the Charming South Kitchen

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Raspberry Buttercream

Wow.  We’ve already started a new month, new food budget, and gearing up for the biggest family food fest holiday.  Though Thanksgiving is a few weeks away, I’m already thinking of our menu (it will be our family and my in-laws).  But, this week – just normal stuff!

Feta Herb Scrambled Eggs

Baked Ravioli from a Freezer Food Party I went to in September

Deconstructed Chicken Pot Pie

Chicken Salads

Spanish Chicken and Potatoes

Mojo Chicken Enchiladas

Brinner one of these nights this week

 

 

3 Nov 2014

Creamy Turkey and Spinach Enchiladas

by | posted in: food, The Charming South Kitchen | 1

Turkey and Spinach Enchiladas

My days in seminary were days that were hard pressed for cash. I was very thankful for work, scholarships, and help from the parents, but still, I didn’t eat out that often, especially the first couple semesters.  But, when I did, I would venture around the corner to my favorite Mexican place, Las Margaritas. It was a small chain, but I liked this location the best.  And then I tried their spinach and mushroom quesadillas.  I fell in love.  Gooey, cheesy, healthy (?), and warm, especially good for cold, NC winters.

And this is how life is funny: one of the friends I went to this restaurant with back then, is now my neighbor.  She got me started on making my own enchiladas with this recipe.  And tonight, she is getting these for dinner as she babysits my boys so my mister and I can go to a concert.  Life is grand.

And that taste, is what I’ve recreated in this enchilada recipe.  I’ve fallen in love with enchiladas.  I love making them.  By far, my favorite homemade mexican food to make.  So, I always try to come up with different ones.  So, today, I used what was in my fridge.

Fresh spinach.  Lean Turkey.  Cheese.

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Creamy Turkey and Spinach Enchiladas
Author: 
Recipe type: Main Dish
Cuisine: Mexican
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 8
 
Creamy and warm enchiladas packed with vegetables.
Ingredients
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 pkg ground turkey
  • evoo
  • 1 6 oz bag fresh baby spinach leaves
  • 1 can cream of chicken and mushroom soup
  • ½ cup grated cheddar cheese
  • ½ tsp cumin
  • ½ tsp black pepper
  • ¼ tsp kosher salt
  • 8 soft tacos (or 10 depending on the size of your pan, and how much filling you put in each one)
  • 1 can mild green enchilada sauce
  • 1½ cup grated cheddar cheese
Instructions
  1. Saute onion in evoo. Add ground turkey and cook until almost done.
  2. Add garlic and cook until turkey is no longer pink.
  3. Drain.
  4. Cook spinach in same pan.
  5. Add back in the turkey mixture.
  6. Cook until all spinach is wilted and incorporated into turkey mixture.
  7. Add soup, cheese, and spices.
  8. Fill each tortilla and roll.
  9. Put seam side down in a 9x13 pan.
  10. Pour enchilada sauce over the enchiladas.
  11. Top with cheese.
  12. Bake uncovered for 25 minutes at 375.
  13. Enjoy with sour cream, cilantro, and black beans on the side.
 

1 Nov 2014

Halloween Trash Peanut Butter Rice Krispy Treats

by | posted in: chocolate, food, The Charming South Kitchen, Uncategorized | 0

Halloween Trash Peanut Butter Rice Krispy Treats

Now that Halloween is over and a new month is upon us, must of us are gearing up for the other two big holidays – Thanksgiving and Christmas.  Let the baking season begin (or, um, continue).

Some people wonder what inspires me to cook what I do.  One of the ways is by following great foodie people on Instagram.  That’s how these came about.  One of the best places in Savannah is Back in the Day Bakery. Cheryl Day, co-owner and baker, featured a chocolate covered rice krispy treat yesterday in her feed.

How to Use Leftover Halloween Candy

Well, I thought I would just run to target with my littles and get the ingredients.  Little did I know that it would be the worst Target run ever.  In front of our local Target store, the city has been demolishing a building.  The backhoes and front loaders and bulldozers are in full force.  Yes, I’m a mom to two little toddler boys!  My older one is mesmerized by their action.  So, cue drama and meltdown as I pushed the boy-filled cart toward the Target entrance, away from the construction site.  Then, I get in there and finally am able to calm him down, when my younger one who is usually happy as a clam in a store, completely screams his head off for 20 minutes while I’m in the store.  He was teething.  But, I couldn’t find the marshmallows.  I had everything else.  Finally just put everything back on the shelves and walked out.  Forget making dessert.

Well, later that afternoon I decided I still wanted to make them and we tried again.  This time at our local Publix.  No construction site.  Employees with candy and balloons.  They were happy. Momma was happy.

Thankfully, these were made.  I’m not usually a fan of milk chocolate anything, but I’m glad I went with the milk chocolate frosting as it was just perfect paired with the peanut butter in the rice krispy treat.

This is a perfect way to use up all of your leftover Halloween candy – or give you a perfect excuse to go buy more!

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Halloween Trash Peanut Butter Rice Krispy Treats
Author: 
Recipe type: Dessert
Cuisine: Sweets
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 12
 
Perfect use for all of your leftover Halloween candy
Ingredients
  • 1 T unsalted butter
  • 3 T creamy peanut butter
  • 1 pinch kosher salt
  • 1 bag mini marshmallows
  • ½ tsp vanilla extract
  • 6 cups crisped rice cereal
  • 1 container milk chocolate with chocolate chips frosting
  • leftover halloween candy
Instructions
  1. Grease a 9x13 pan
  2. In large pot, melt together the butter and peanut butter.
  3. Add salt and stir.
  4. Add marshmallows and stir until melted.
  5. Add in vanilla.
  6. Set pot off the heat.
  7. Stir in cereal.
  8. Press into 9x13 pan by using a piece of parchment paper so the mixture won't stick to your hands.
  9. Let cool.
  10. Frost with frosting.
  11. Immediately top with leftover crushed Halloween candy.
  12. Let sit to harden.
  13. Enjoy!
 

 

28 Oct 2014

Soft and Chunky Oreo Peanut Butter Cookies

by | posted in: food, The Charming South Kitchen | 0

 

Soft and Chunky Oreo Peanut Butter Cookies

Here are two disclaimers for this recipe post about a delicious cookie:

1.  I am a purist when it comes to Oreo Cookies.  None of these fancy seasonal flavors or even the double stuff or reduced-fat. No, give me the original!

2.  I wouldn’t say that peanut butter cookies are my favorite.  There are plenty in front of it.

So, when I passed by the Peanut Butter Oreos in the Wal-Mart aisle today, it could only be my creative streak and giving into my son when he said “cookie” that made me want to whip up a batch of these.

Elijah's first baking

But how would Oreos and Reece’s Pieces (E. T. Phone Home – my husband’s favorite childhood flick) go together.  I guess there was only one way to find out!

Reece's Pieces

Bake!

These cookies were like pillow-soft.  I loved that about them.  Perfect texture.  I loved the chewiness with the texture from the Oreo pieces and candy coating from the Reece’s.  My husband said he wouldn’t change a thing. I’m glad. I adore these cookies.

And the colors work perfectly for the Fall.

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Soft and Chunky Oreo Peanut Butter Cookies
Author: 
Recipe type: cookies
Cuisine: dessert
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 18-24
 
Soft, chewy, chunky, peanut butter cookies - easy to munch on all night!
Ingredients
  • 1½ sticks unsalted butter, softened
  • ½ cup dark brown sugar
  • ½ cup regular sugar
  • ½ cup creamy peanut butter
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1¼ cup all-purpose flour
  • ½ tsp baking soda
  • ½ tsp kosher salt
  • ½ tsp cinnamon
  • 1 cup crushed Oreos (but not too fine)
  • 1 cup mini Reece's Pieces
Instructions
  1. Cream butter and sugars for about 5 minutes until light and fluffy.
  2. Add peanut butter, egg, and vanilla - mix for another 5.
  3. Add in dry ingredients
  4. Fold in Oreos and Reece's.
  5. Spray 3 cookies sheets with cooking spray.
  6. Preheat oven to 350
  7. Spoon out onto sheet pans and bake for 10-12 minutes or until set - but don't overcook.
  8. Let cool.
  9. Devour
 

27 Oct 2014

This Week in the Charming South Kitchen

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Orange Bowl - Little Rock

We are at the end of another month.  Fall is slipping quickly away from us.  The nights and mornings are darker and chillier.  Here is what is taking place in our kitchen this week:

Pasta Bake (from my freezer night with friends)

Asparagus Ham Swiss Quiche

Chicken Sausages from TJ

Corn Waffles

Pumpkin Pancakes

Cream Toffee Dip for our Bstudy ladies on Wednesday morning

Lentil Chard Soup that I made over the weekend.

Lots of oats and scrambled eggs and grilled chicken on spinach for me!

 

20 Oct 2014

This Week in the Charming South Kitchen

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Counter Culture Coffee

We are finally out of celebration mode – and I’m happy to say I didn’t gain any, but actually lost some in the last month even with the celebrations.  Thankful for exercise and grace!  I definitely ate too much – but new mercies are every day!

This week I’m cooking high protein and low carb, to jump start my weight loss again – and also using Pinterest.  One other thing I hope to start doing is going back through my old food blog and recreating those recipes and taking better pictures and making improvements.  I’ve hopefully improved some in both photography and cooking in 9 years!

Going Asian with Skinny Mom’s beef and broccoli

POPsugar’s Egg White Frittata for breakfast on my Mister’s day off

Spark People’s Creamy Chicken and Spinach Bake and Buttermilk Chicken

My old recipe of Lentil, Chicken and Chard Soup.

Meatballs

Tuna Melts

 

 

14 Oct 2014

Pimiento Cheese for a Crowd

by | posted in: food, The Charming South Kitchen | 1

Pimiento Cheese

If there ever a Southern food besides collards, cornbread, and fried chicken – it would be pimiento cheese.

I think you could really leave the pimiento’s out and it would still be good – but they offer tang which is needed.

Why not eat cheese and mayonnaise?  What could be better for you?

Pimiento Cheese may not be good for your waistline (though this one is slightly better) but it is definitely good for your food-loving soul.

I definitely recall not liking this sandwich growing up.  I would always opt for the chicken salad to eat at parties and leave the pimiento cheese for the other people.  But, somehow, as I’ve refined my Southern palette, I’ve come to really like grilled cheese.  I even chose to make this over chicken salad for a church gathering we were having.  Who am I?

Grilled Pimiento Cheese Sandwiches

Anyway, this pimiento cheese is great by itself, on crackers, on white bread, grilled on Mountain bread to make a tasty grilled cheese and you might just want to add bacon – you know, if you are looking to make it healthier! 🙂

5.0 from 1 reviews
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Pimiento Cheese for a Crowd
Author: 
Recipe type: Spread
Cuisine: Appetizer/Sandwich
Prep time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 4 loaves
 
Sharp cheddar really makes this sandwich filling a stand out!
Ingredients
  • 3 cups thick grated sharp cheddar cheese (or extra sharp)
  • 2 blocks ⅓ less fat cream cheese
  • 1 cup mayonnaise
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • Cayenne, salt, and pepper to taste
  • 3-4 loaves white bread
Instructions
  1. Soften cream cheese.
  2. Mix all together.
  3. Spread on bread
 

13 Oct 2014

This Week in the Charming South Kitchen

by | posted in: Arkansas, food, The Charming South Kitchen | 0

Cookies

Another week is here.  This one is a big and busy one for us.

We celebrate our little turning ONE!  I can’t believe it!  I feel like a lifetime has passed in the last year with so much happening in the life of our family.

And the littles and I are heading to Little Rock to follow-up with a nutrition study we were doing and see lots of friends and celebrate his birthday up there.  We can’t wait.

Devil’s Food Cupcakes with Chocolate Buttercream

Funfetti Pancakes

Baked Breakfast Tacos

Oreo Brownies (for a women’s event on Thursday night)

Spaghetti Casserole (for my mister while we are away.

So, not much going on but plenty in our books.  I’m making another cake for the birthday too, so will be sharing pictures of that.

6 Oct 2014

This Week in the Charming South Kitchen

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Eggs

Yay for celebration week!  It is our 3 year anniversary.  I love October (and the last 11 days of September).  It is a great time of the year for our family!

A fall salad with roasted squash, pears, pecans, goat cheese, cranberries – and a maple mustard vinaigrette.  I’ll post recipe later.

The Angus Barn chocolate chess pie

King’s Hawaiian Breakfast Casserole

Turkey Enchiladas

Spaghetti and Meatballs

Pumpkin Ravioli (date night in)

The rest will be eaten out – and some of the above will be eaten with friends.  I love sharing food with good friends.