on current food satisfaction

So I'm finding foods that I'm really enjoying that are in line with my food allergies!  And in the interest of being positive about the 9 million things I can't eat, and in the off-chance someone stumbles on this blog that also has food allergies or chooses not to eat dairy, chicken, lamb, pork, turkey, peanuts, almonds, potatoes, or onions, here are a few things I'm loving these days...

This recipe that made AWESOME blueberry muffins that didn't taste the slightest bit vegan!  I've found that searching for Vegan recipes is the most useful... I'm certainly not vegan, but those recipes tend to follow most of my allergy guidelines.  Paleo recipes, on the other hand, have way too much meat and eggs for me to try and modify to suit me. So these muffins... seriously delicious.  I chose to use unsweetened applesauce instead of a banana and coconut oil instead of vegetable oil as well as soy milk instead of almond. They turned out great!  I mean, they did have an average amount of sugar in them.  I didn't say they were healthy.

I'm totally addicted to these microwavable bowls from Sprouts.  They have a decent amount of protein and hardly any sugar.  Literally the best microwavable food I've ever had and I am so picky about that stuff!  

Protein is what I struggle to get.  I have been eating the most unusual amount of beans and lentils lately.  Like, daily.  In my pantry at all times are: black beans, pinto beans, black eyed peas, lentils, baked beans, garbanzo beans, kidney beans, & refried beans.  And I eat at least one of those everyday.  And yes, I hear a sufficient amount of bean jokes from Karl. I eat fish and red meat probably 2-3 times a week and no meat at all anywhere from 1 day a week to 4... depending on how much I hate fish and beef that week.

Breakfast has been a big adjustment because I have to have, wait for it, PROTEIN in the mornings.  Nixing eggs, bacon, & sausage has been rough. So last week I bought meatless bacon.  Gross, right??  It's actually not that disgusting.  It certainly doesn't taste like bacon but I'm not exactly sure what it tastes like?  Regardless, it's fuel and the protein I need to keep me from feeling like I'm going to pass out in between meals.  Also helping? Sunflower butter.  Since peanut butter and the good protein it packs is off the table, I bought some sunflower butter and it's pretty tasty!  I actually think I like the more mild taste than peanut butter.  

I've found a few great quinoa recipes that I have been able to eat-on all week once I've made them during the weekend (like this one) and I bought basically everything at Sprouts that was Hannah allergy approved so I didn't feel empty-pantry-defeated.  Hopefully I don't die of heart disease because of red meat overdose and also I don't gain a million pounds because of all the carboloading that's happening at this house.  I literally have every type of rice and pasta known to man in the pantry right now.

On the menu for this week: lime marinated mahi mahi, my favorite salmon ever, tikka masala, vegan lasagna, and avocado chickpea salad

I'm hoping by posting recipes and sharing more online, I'm slightly more accountable for making good food choices?  I don't know... maybe not.  We'll see.  

Happy cooking and congrats on making it thru the most dry post in the history of DL!

Hannah K.C. Burton

a procedure and a recipe

Remember when I ended up in the ER because {like a gross man child} I had steak stuck in my esophagus?  Well that was like the 5th time that has happened, although the first to send me to the ER.  Obvi it's about time I figure out what the dealio is so yesterday I had an esophageal endoscopy so that the doctor could scope out the situation and biopsy my throat.  Delightful.  While he was at it he decided he would go ahead and stretch it out, ya know, just because.  All of this to make it easier for me to swallow.  Which is ironic because here I am the day after and swallowing is mis.er.able.  I feel like there is a giant rock in my upper chest/lower throat.  Maybe I'll lose a few pounds as a result.  I mean, when life gives you lemons, ya know.  Anyways, after my procedure I went home and slept and then Karl & I ran errands because I felt up to it, however, we did end up at the DMV- the best combination of events that could possibly be packed into one day- anesthesia+throat stretching & biopsy + a trip to the DMV.  Just being positive here.  We did wrap the day up with a delicious dinner, which I will share, you're welcome.
I pinned this recipe on pinterest and made a few adjustments so that Karl would enjoy it also...

Stuffed Zucchini
2 zucchini
1 sweet onion, diced
1/2 cup sweet Italian sausage, cooked & crumbled {or whatever meat sounds good to you- ground turkey, bacon, etc. Or no meat!)
1 small tomato {or whatever veggies you like}
1 tbsp sour cream
1/2 tsp dried thyme {more if your meat isn't as highly seasoned, like the italian sausage is}
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp curry powder
pepper, to taste
cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Cook meat and set aside in medium sized bowl.  Sauté diced onion in a splash of olive oil or butter until nice and caramelized.  Right before they're done, add the curry powder and cook for only 30 seconds more.  Add the onions to the bowl with the meat.  If you can multi-task (which I cannot) you can chop the veggies while the meat/onions are cooking- chop tomato and add to bowl with sausage & onion.  Give the zucchini a good scrub and halve lengthwise.  Core out the zucchini, leaving about a 1/2 inch boat.  Chop the pulp that you removed from the zucchini, add to the bowl of sausage/onion/tomato.  In no particular order, add the sour cream, salt, pepper, and thyme to the bowl.  Mix the contents of the bowl until combined.  Grease a cookie sheet or baking dish and lay the zucchini boats down.  Fill with the veggie/meat mixture.  Top with the shredded cheese of your choice.  Bake for about 20 minutes, then turn on the broiler and let the cheese get nice and toasty.  Top with some curly leaf parsley and eat up!

Enjoy!
Hannah K.C. Burton

Weekend Tidbits

warning: this post is lame but I just needed to write about some mundane activity for my own memory... and because I'm feeling super nostalgic these days and don't want to miss a thing.

Labor Day Weekend: fun.  I don't think Karl & I have had a 4-day weekend, just the two of us, at home, ever.  Normally we take advantage of these long weeekends time off to fly home or go visit family or friends in the area (and by area, I mean 3-4 hour radius) but this weekend has been so nice and long and wonderful!  I feel like the funk of being bored in Sumter wore of a few months ago and we have just been determined to stay busy and find something, anything, to do to fill our time and this weekend has been no exception!  Friday was spent preparing for what has been a continuation of the longest anniversary celebration ever- we had anniversary pictures taken at our home on Saturday so obviously I have been cleaning and 'styling' our house all week and tied up loose ends Friday... and baked these little mason jar cake gems after seeing them on my cousin Lincoln's blog and being challenged by her to try them myself.  So I did.

I'll be posting on those little bad boys later this week because a) it was really fun to make them b) they are delicious and c) I learned a darn good many things in the process because the blog where the recipe originated  was ridiculously vague and for an amateur baker like myself (and unlike Lincoln), I need like detailed step by step with absolutely nothing left out.  

Anyways... the pictures on Saturday went swimmingly and Karl & I had a really awesome time with the photographer, however, we are both SO SUPER awkward in front of the camera that I basically put no stock in how the pictures will turn out.  I will certainly blog more on that when I get the photos back but it's pretty much a crapshoot.  I chose a stranger to shoot them in hopes that we would feel less awkward being all lovey in front of someone we know but whatever, we are just really uncomfortable in that situation no matter what.  I do love the photographer and I prayed that I will love the pics so that's what I'm banking on at this point.  After the pictures on Saturday we went on a date... to Red Lobster.  Yes.  Red Lobster, the nicest restaurant that I'm aware of in Sumter.  And thanks to Shane & Allison, it was freeeeeee for us because we had an awesome gift card from them!  YESSSSS.  It was so nice to eat out with Karl after our long hard day of being models.

Sunday we skipped church.  Heathens.  Well, we mostly skipped church because we knew that the sermon would be on Jonah.  For the 8th week in a row.  That's all I'm going to say about that.  We are struggling with church here.  Rather should I say, The Lord is wrestling with us and church here.  And we are either fighting Him or patiently waiting... not sure but if I know myself, it's the former.  We drove to Columbia and enjoyed walking thru a few stores and then enjoyed the absolutely gorgeous fall-ish weather while we sat outside of Starbucks and indulged in a latte... and maybe a pizza and hotdog at Target.  Then to top it all off we came home and played a rousing game of Phase 10 outside while Karl grilled one of my favorite meals that totally reminds me of home (thanks, Mom!)- Turkey Caribe

4-6 Turkey cutlets

  same number of American cheese slices as turkey cutlets

  same number of bacon slices as turkey cutlets... or double, if you love bacon as much as I do.

  1/2 tsp. garlic powder

  1/2 tsp. onion powder

  1/2 tsp. oregano

       mix the spices together in a bowl.  lay a cutlet out on a cutting board.  top with a cheese slice and sprinkle the spice mixture on top of the cheese.  roll up the turkey and cheese, wrap with bacon, and secure with toothpicks.  Grill or broil until bacon is crisp and internal temperature of turkey reaches 170 degrees.

Just an overall great day in general... except at the end of dinner when Karl & I were talking about this little procedure I'm having on Wednesday (related to the little steak stuck in the esophagus + ER visit = esophageal endoscopy on Wednesday) and the hypothetical situation of my dying came up (thanks, Karl) and I asked what he would do and he said he would probably move to Colorado to be by himself to heal and I burst into tears at the idea of him being alone and I couldn't stop crying.  So yeah, it was a super romantic dinner filled with lots of peace and comfort.

Today Karl plans to smoke ribs all day for our big Labor Day dinner tonight and work on a little woodworking project we've been talking about.  Can't wait to see how i turns out!  ANNND I ordered a planner.  That my mom bought me, even better.  I am obsessed with planners, like, every year LIVE to buy my planner for the next year!  Get this, I haven't even had a planner this year.  Ridiculous for me but I haven't needed one.  We have had such a low-key (read: mundane and sometimes boring) daily schedule that I have had no need for one.  BUT here we are facing a very busy year and hopefully a year with a job so I definitely am ready to have a planner again.  I love expensive, beautiful, efficient planners (as seen by the fact that I blogged about my last favorite one here) and cannot wait for my new planner to get here!  I ordered an Erin Condren planner and am going to be obsessed with it.

Back soon with the cake jar recipe ANNND I never wrote about Callie's visit but I want to include pictures so I will as soon as I have them!  I know all my millions of readers are just beating down my virtual door for the post.
Hannah K.C. Burton

yummmy Blackened Chicken

Karl & I made this the other night and we really enjoyed it!  I loved it because unlike casseroles and stovetop meals, you can more easily control how much you make... and not make food for 6-8 people.  This is basically just well-seasoned chicken so it was a low-fat meal.

{I cut everything in half}...

• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 4 teaspoons sugar, divided
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon lemon-pepper seasoning {we didn't have this... I did have"blackening seasoning" so I added some of that}
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper {I used chili powder}
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pepper, divided
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves {I pounded them out thin}
• 1 1/3 cups mayonnaise {I used fat-free}
• 2 tablespoons water
• 2 tablespoons cider vinegar

1. In a small bowl, combine paprika, I teaspoon sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, garlic powder, thyme, lemon-pepper, cayenne and 1/2 to 1 teaspoon pepper; sprinkle {a lot} over both sides of chicken. Set aside. In another bowl, combine mayonnaise, water, vinegar and remaining sugar, salt and pepper; cover and chill 1 cup for serving. Save remaining sauce for basting.
2. Grill chicken, covered, over indirect medium heat for 4-6 minutes on each side or until juices run clear, basting frequently with remaining sauce. Serve with reserved sauce.

This was really delicious!  We had it with oven-roasted asparagus {doy, my fave} and I think this will definitely be a go-to meal here from now on!

Enjoy!

Uncle Sam, hold on to your hats.

Karl & I had such a fun weekend! Since we found out about South Korea, we have been trying to do extra fun things and not do much sitting around {because Karl would prefer not to- he gets bored really quickly}. SO during the week I've been researching all the free, fun, & unusual activities going on around the state for the weekend! We are definitely doing a lot of driving, but certainly having tons of fun exploring and this weekend was no exception. We had tons of options for fun Fourth activities but we decided to check out the State Farmers Market in Columbia on Saturday with some shopping and a date night, Pawleys Island near Myrtle Beach on Sunday for a day of sand+sun+surf, & Lake Wateree yesterday to celebrate the fourth! It was a blast and made me realize how lucky we are to live in a place where we can be on the ocean one day and a lake the next without more than an hour and a halfs drive

Sunday at the beach was fun and so relaxing, with the exception of losing my hair barrette and modesty to a massive wave in the Atlantic.  Sorry 'bout that children on the beach, you'll understand when you're older.  The drive to Myrtle Beach really isn't that bad, and it's even shorter to Charleston- Karl & I should make it more often- the beaches are BEAUTIFUL with the most wonderfully soft sand and nice warm water!

Pretending like it looks like I have arms and my hair is a little more calm

 hoping he comes across my barrette...

Sunday while we were gone at the beach, I had dinner cooking in the crock pot- it was spicy chicken ranch sandwiches- all uhmerican.  That's one of our favorites here at The Burton household and it's super easy.  I thought I had posted this recipe before but I can't find it, so here it is {again?}.

-2-3 chicken breasts in the crock pot with a packet of Hidden Valley Dry Ranch and 2/3 of a bottle of hot wing sauce and cook on low for 7-8 hours or until fork-tender.

-Remove chicken from the crock pot, shred with forks, return to the crock pot, and stir- adding in 2T of butter

-Serve on toasted hamburger buns or hoagie rolls with ranch + avacado + whatever sounds good to you!

I also whipped up this bad boy the night before and iced+topped it when we got home from our full day- delish!

-Bake a roll of sugar cookie dough on a jelly pan (I lined the pan with wax paper just to be safe) according to package and let cookie cool

-Top with: 1 package of cream cheese {softened} mixed with 1/2 cup sugar and 1T vanilla annnd whatever fruit your little heart desires!- TA-DAH!

Overnight on Sunday I slow-cooked food for Monday at the lake- sweetened pulled pork for tacos, another of our favorites.  I've posted the recipe before- here. We reheated the pork + heated other taco toppings and tortillas on our camping stove that Karl's parents gave us for Christmas- it was so fun!  Definitely a better alternative to dragging our grill out to the lake and making hotdogs or hamburgers, in my humble opinion.  The lake was really fun!  It's a small area that provides access and a little man-made sand area for military only.  There are nice restrooms, pavilions, and tons of picnic tables.  They had a great band out there and an awesome fireworks show- it was perfect and only about 45 minutes away from our house!  Oh and I can't not mention the people watching- I was in heaven.  All the back tats you could imagine + an embarrassing amount of smoking & drinking + american flag bikinis rampant + southern drawls that were past charming.  More cheetos than I knew could be stocked in one state.  I imagine pray it is much classier out there on a regular/not holiday weekend... 

So thankful for Karl's servant heart and service to the grand 'ol USA & to everyone who has served, is serving, and will serve!  Praising God for how He reigns in this country
Hannah K.C. Burton

Beer Cheddar Soup

Karl & I enjoy watching The Food Network show, "The Best Thing I Ever Ate."  The show is normally a theme {like "in a bowl," or "cake walk," etc.} and they interview lots of different Food Network stars to find out what their very very tippity top most favorite is of whatever the theme is.  It's such a fun show.  It definitely makes me feel like I haven't 'lived' as far as food goes.  Annnnd it makes Karl & I verrrryyyy hungry and gives us super powers- like the impression that we can cook anything, like the things on that show.  As in, we can cook Bobby Flay's "most favorite thing in a bowl."  Well, we can't.  But we try sometimes and normally we think it's decent.  So on this show someone loved a beer cheddar soup and holy cow it looked good.  Karl and I thought about it for weeks.  Plus the fact that we have a garage-full of sub-par tasting beer was some motivation to make this and get rid of some of it too {remember this post?}.  So I found a recipe that looked similar and we made it last weekend and it was really good!  I know, not a summery recipe at all, but I've been trying to eat more affordably for lunch and stuff while Karl is at work and having this soup to eat with a sandwich this week has been awfully delightful!  So if you love the flavor of beer and cheesyness then this is totally for you!

• 1 1/2 cups diced carrots {we left this out and added 2 large, peeled, cubed baking potatos}
• 1 1/2 cups diced onion
• 1 1/2 cups diced celery {we left this out too, add whatever veggies you like}
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 2 cups beer
• 1/3 cup butter
• 1/3 cup flour
• 4 cups milk or half and half
• 6 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese {I think using 4c sharp, 1c extra sharp, 1c white cheddar would be great}
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon dry mustard

• 
  

  1. In a large saucepan over medium heat, stir together veggies and garlic. Stir in hot pepper sauce, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper. Pour in chicken broth and beer; simmer {or kind of boil if you used potatoes like we did} until vegetables are tender, about 12 minutes. Remove from heat.
  2. Meanwhile, heat butter in a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Stir in flour with a wire whisk; cook, stirring until the flour is light brown, about 3 or 4 minutes {or if you're an amateur like me, this may take more like 7-8 minutes}. Gradually stir in milk, whisking to prevent scorching, until thickened. Remove from heat, and gradually stir in cheese {like really gradually so it doesn't all clump up}. Keep warm.
  3. Stir beer mixture into cheese mixture. Stir in Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and dry mustard. Adjust for hot pepper sauce. Bring to a simmer, and cook 10 minutes. Serve!  You could top with bacon or avocado {mmm, summery!} or toast or croutons or my current obsession, prosciutto. The original recipe recommends serving with lots of popcorn on top!
  Bon Appetite.
  Hannah K.C. Burton

Homemade Toffee

I've now made this recipe twice and I.love.it. Like, crave it daily. Now, I'm not going to disguise this as healthy, the recipe calls for two sticks of butter. But y'all it is so good. Make a batch and give 2/3 of it away, that's what I do- makes both my taste buds and my thighs happy. Anyway, it's a crowd pleaser, so easy, and you probably already have all the ingredients in your arsenal right now. I'll post the recipe below but click on the recipe link above if you would like step-by-step pictures!



1 c butter
1 c brown sugar
1 sleeve saltines
1/3 c peanut butter (I want to try this with Nutella instead sometime, I think it would be better!)

2 1/2 c semi-sweet chocolate chips

topping of your choice (peanut M&Ms, pretzels, chopped Hershey Hugs, whatever)- all smashed or crunched up... this time I used Hugs on half & pretzels on half
nonstick foil or parchment paper
amateur cook lesson: wax paper is not the same thing as parchment paper. mmhmmm, nope.

-Preheat your oven to 400
-Line a cookie sheet with lips (so liquid doesn't spill out) with the nonstick foil or parchment paper and lay out the saltines salted side up leaving a small amount of space in between each one
-Bring brown sugar & butter to a boil. Once the whole thing is boiling (not just the edges), boil for 3 minutes and don't stir it, then pour mixture on top of the saltines
-Bake for 5 minutes
-Put dollops of peanut butter on top and return to the oven for 1 minute to make the PB more spreadable
-Spread PB all over
-Top with chocolate chips
-Return to oven for 1 minute
-Spread chocolate all over
-Top with the topping of your choice & freeze toffee for at least an hour, then remove foil or parchment paper and break into pieces

en.joy.
Hannah K.C. Burton

yummy pasta & bragging rights

I do not like italian food, namely pasta, very much at all... like I hate it.  BUTTT  I like one dish at a restaurant Karl & I like to eat at in Texas- Johnny Carinos.  It's called like Bowtie Festival, or something.  AND it has bacon in it.  And creamy cheesy buttery sauce.  And I really really like it.  Anyways, I decided to abandon Emealz this week [remember this post??] and branch out on my own so I was meal hunting and came across this recipe that looked awfully (and by awfully, I mean deliciously) similar to Johnny Carino's version.  Done & done.  Totally on my menu for the week.  Anyways, it was AWESOME and totally getting put in my recipe box to repeat sometime next week in the near future.  I would totally recommend it.  AND my lesson as an amateur cook: next time I will double the sauce recipe because I prefer things extra saucy.  {Take that as you will}  Anyways, the sauce just kind of barely covers the 1 lb. of pasta that it calls for so... make and don't double at your own risk.

Secondly, but more importantly, I just have to publicly proclaim how great I think Karl is.  Today is Saturday and he is approaching hour 12 of working today after 5 12-hour work days this past week.  Not a complaint out of his sweet mouth, nope, not one.  He is just such a hard worker and I am 100% grateful for his work ethic and his attitude.  He will maybe work tomorrow, for maybe 12 hours.  He will most likely put in 12 hour days throughout next week, and he is most likely working through next weekend as well.  No extra pay, no pat on the back. Sometimes I have to remind myself how extra special the work that he is doing actually is- these aren't average 84 hour weeks, these are like super american 84 hour weeks.  So so infinitely and extravagantly proud of him.

Hope you have a particularly patriotic weekend, as I apparently am?
Hannah K.C. Burton

14 Layer Cake, I'm not in Kansas anymore, and Maggie Riggan

Topic A) Karl and I had a couple over the other night to celebrate the husbands birthday.  I've been eyeing this recipe on Bakerella for a few weeks- its a 14 Layer Cake!  Like literally, you bake 14 layers... as in, 14 cake pans.  My desire to make this gem stemmed from how beautiful the picture of the cake looked!  So, what better occasion than a birthday to pull out all the stops and make this cake?!  Well, in the interest of full disclosure I would add that I wouldn't make this recipe again.  It was indeed a beautiful cake and very moist.  AND it was fun to make [if you have, ya know, 4ish hours to play & toil in the kitchen].  The flavor just wasn't there for all the effort it took.  I would revamp this recipe- maybe incorporate the 14-layer idea by doubling a cake batter + ganache recipe that I know are hits, even use a couple boxes of cake mix.  Because who wouldn't love a staggeringly tall cake??
Amateur cook lesson: don't bake something just because it looks pretty.  And, be patient if your ganache doesn't look thick enough.  A thin ganache will not cut it.

B) A few friends and most of my family knew that I was supposed to be in Texas now/for the past week/for the next couple of weeks while Karl was supposed to be working in Las Vegas.  Well, long story short, I'm not in Texas and Karl isn't in Vegas.  We're both back in SC as I was after a short 3 days after arriving in Texas.  It's stinky because a) I love to be in control b) I'm such a planner- long term, short term-- all of it c) I had been mentally preparing to be away from Karl and be with my family for months and then in like less than 12 hours I found myself on a plane back to SC.  I want to be in Texas enjoying some much needed Cuppett & friend time but I feel grateful to be getting days with Karl that I didn't think I would have.  I had also planned a trip to Arkansas to visit with friends that I have been missing so much it hurts.  Anyways, needless to say, here we are facing another lesson in "I am not in control, my plan isn't necessarily The Lord's."
C) "B" brings me to this... last night I booked a flight to Little Rock for a weekend trip for one of my very best friend's weekend wedding shower extravaganza.  I knew there was a slim chance that I would be able to get to Arkansas for this, especially with the time Karl & I were facing away from each other with Vegas + my planned trip to AR during my time home in Texas.  Well, since all of that was flushed down the toilet, getting to LR for her bridal shower became like so super important to me.  So, Karl & I talked about it and (in Oprah voice) I'M GOOOOOOINNNNNGGGGGGG!!  It [seems] to be working out perfectly.  It's a short amount away from Karl that both of us are comfortable with!  I know the weekend will feel like the shortest/biggest tease/whirlwind ever but I cannot wait.  I have been looking forward to the Riggan/Chism nuptials for months.  MONTHS.  Come July, wedded bliss for two of my favorite people + reunion with some of my favorite people + Karl will be joining me (praying this doesn't change, PRAYING.  Please please, Jesus)!  WOOOOO HOOOOO

Who wouldn't be excited to see this face?

Reminding myself that this "plan" isn't really anything but a joke... and a way to keep plane tickets from costing me a fortune by "planning" more than a couple weeks in advance. For anyone who knows me, I'm sure you are just reading this and laughing at the lack of "planning" this major Type A girl is facing during this season of life.  Well laugh away, because if I don't, I'll certainly cry.
Hannah K.C. Burton

Pillow Cookies & Black Eyed Pea

Last night was our night to take snacks to life group and my snacks were a hit.  The first time I took snacks I felt like a total dud.  We were 30 minutes late, it was only our 2nd time to life group and around these new friends of ours, and the food was a miss.  Woof.  Well last night I actually prepared the snacks prior to an hour before leaving and 2 cups of vegetable oil weren't involved so I thought I would share the recipe successes.
I found a wonderful hot black eyed pea dip recipe from The Pioneer woman

It was realllly delicious... so delicious that I made a second batch when I got home because it was inhaled at life group.  Story- I didn't eat any at small group because I envisioned myself coming home and sitting down with the platter of leftovers.  Well, that would've been great if there had been leftovers.  I was so fixed on eating this dip that I made Karl take me to the grocery store on our way home to buy a can of black eyed peas so I could make more.  Well, in this recipe The Pioneer Woman notes that if you can buy BEP with jalepenos already in the can, do it.  It will save you having to buy jalepenos separately.  The second time I made the dip that wasn't available so I added the jalepenos from a seperate can- bad idea.  amateur cook lesson learned: use can of BEP with jalepenos in them.  if that isn't available, forget the jalepenos.


For something sweet I made the Pillow Cookies I found on Bakerella.

Yes, you see correctly.  That is a brownie inside of a chocolate chip cookie.  These were really really good and I would totally make them again, very easy.  They made GIANT cookies, like 7 inches wide.  The brownie is from a boxed mix and the cookie dough is homemade.  I would absolutely make plain chocolate chip cookies with this dough again- to die for, and I don't even have a very demanding sweet tooth!

Both times that I have taken snacks I brought this last fruit dip and it is such a hit.  It is so basic and I thought everyone and their dog made this on a regular basis but it is apparently a foreign recipe to some.

A whole block of cream cheese (must be Philadelphia!), a whole jar of Jet Puffed marshmallow fluff, and a teaspoon of vanilla- all blended to sugary perfection and served with fruit... I could eat it by the spoonful.

Happy cooking, or drooling.
Hannah K.C. Burton

eggy egg eggs

i have a love/hate relationship with eggs. love/hate in that sometimes i love them and sometimes i hate them, not that i love to hate them- that would be weird. i recently bought cage free, organic, vegetarian fed, brown eggs... i have never eaten/bought an egg with any, let alone all of those characteristics and let me tell you, you get what you pay for with eggs! man! i'm on the fence with organic stuff and going with trial and error on what to splurge on and buy organic and not. for what my opinion is worth, i would say that eggs are totally worth it! normally, i will crave a fried egg or omelette about once or twice a month but about halfway thru my plate, i want to throw up. not this time ladies and gentlemen! these eggs are so so good- i would say "mellow" is the perfect word to describe them! so, fork over the extra $2.00 and go buy your dozen eggs in the fancy plastic container. you won't regret it. not only are they delicious, but i picture very happy chickens roaming about in a sunny field eating vegetarian stuff. if any of you are aware of my last semester of nursing school, you know it was spent in the confines of tyson chicken plant in springdale, arkansas aka hell on earth. i thoroughly enjoy thinking of happy chickens.

enjoying my 63 degree weather here in SC while my friends and family brave single digits
happy snow day,

Top 10 Loves

This is going to be a very vain and materialistic post.  I hope every single one of my loyal and faithful readers know that my #1 love of life is The Lord and my #1 "couldn't live without" is surely God's word.  Now, luckily I live with modern day conveniences and here in Sumter, I am reminded daily how wonderful those things are.  For my own reminder and the joy of my readers, I am going to compile my top 10 loves right now.

10. Woodwick Candles, specifically in "linen"

9. Parmesan Goldfish.  I buy these 2 and 3 bags at a time.

8. Love.This.New.Network.

7. My nightly beauty regime.  Can't have a pretty day without pretty skin.

6. Live in my new pant/leggings from Forever 21.  Thanks, Emma.

5. Smart Water.  Call me bad for not using my Nalgene but this H2O is so good.

4. You haven't had a bath till you use this stuff in it.

3. Best.Chapstick.Everrrr.

2. Scrabble, with Karl.

1. Tassimo coffee.  My best friend.  I roll out of bed everyday and make my way to my Tassimo for my choice of coffee, latte, capp, whatever my heart desires.  My #1 love, Tassimo.  Die for her.  Best friends since junior year of college.

I dare you to indulge in one of my faves... I mean, I don't know, go crazy and splurge on a few of them.  You won't hate yourself for it.

E-Mealz

Groceries are SOOOO expensive. Karl & I try really hard to live frugally and on a strict budget so I cringe everytime I go to the grocery store. Like, we spend almost $500 on groceries every month- excuse me, am I feeding 34 obese men or two reasonably sized people? I use recipes that call for basic ingredients, use coupons, and shop at WalMart or our local grocery store. I wish I were cooking snow crab and asparagus every night and shopping at Whole Foods or Central Market because then it would be really easy to cut our grocery bill down but I'm not. So, I'm trying a new solution- E-Mealz! Dave Ramsey (financial planner) endorses this website and I can't wait to see if it works for us! My cousin, Lincoln, told me about this site several years ago so it's about time I tried it out. Here's how it works:
-You choose the plan that works best for you (family or couple, normal or low fat or weight watchers, and grocery store you shop at)
-Every week they post a meal plan for you that includes a shopping list, full recipes, and the estimated amount of your bill
-The bill for a 2-person plan is supposed to be between $35-$45 a week and the cost of using e-mealz is $5 a month
My goal is to shave $100-$200 off our grocery bill every month so if we spend $45 a week on dinners + breakfast and lunch randoms, we should easily be able to spend around $350 or less a month! YESSSS, savings baby! I'm also looking forward to meals that are designed for 2 people. Karl and I are forced to eat A LOT of leftovers because I'm usually cooking a basic recipe for 4-8 people. I'll definitely report back on how successful we are on e-mealz and how impressed (or not) we are with the recipes. I thought this may be something some of my newlywed and college friends might be interested in.
Here's a snippet of this weeks menu...

Expect a full report,