New Kitchen Products: Target, Southern Season, & Kroger

Hey y'all! I thought I would write a post and share some new kitchen products I've purchased over the last few months. I haven't gotten anything big, just a few small items that caught my eye while out and about. :)

First - and I think my favorite! - I found these milk bottles at Target. I thought they were so cute & couldn't resist picking them up. And a plus - they were from the dollar spot & cost $3 for the set! I kinda wish I'd bought a second set so we could use them sometime when we have company too & want to make a sweet treat, so I might go back and see if they still have any. Either way, I look forward to using these for chocolate milk, milkshakes, & floats. Just in time for summer! :)

The second item I wanted to share are these little condiment cups I found at Kroger. I was so excited to stumble upon these. They are perfect for sauces & ketchup to go alongside burgers, fries, & other sandwiches as well as holding dressing for individual salads.

Finally, I picked up a few items from Southern Season. I had a gift card for SS & had a wonderful time walking around the store looking at everything multiple times before I chose what I wanted to use the gift card on. It's a really awesome store & if you live near one or are ever traveling near one, check it out!

I bought a flour sifter. (Rather shamefully, I've gone a year without having one!) . . .

. . .A vinegar bottle. I actually bought this with the intention of using it for syrup, but then decided to use it for vinegar and buy something else for syrup.

The last item I got from Southern Season was this sparkling, crystal sugar. I'll use it for multiple things I'm sure, but I bought it specifically to grace my apple pies with. :)

Well, that's it folks! 'Til next time! :)

Spinach-Strawberry Salad

Hey y'all! I have a quick, simple salad recipe to share today! This salad is sooo good & light, perfect for the spring & summer. There probably are actual salad recipes out there for this, but I actually started eating and loving this salad rather spontaneously last summer. I was packing my lunch for work in a hurry one day last summer & didn't have much in the fridge & pantry so I just threw together some spinach, strawberries, and bleu cheese and said "This should work"!. It sure did & it was so good. I had it again today and decided to share it on my blog with you all. :)

Just toss/arrange spinach, strawberry slices & bleu cheese together on a plate.

Today, to make it a little more filling & hearty, I added some shreds of Rotisserie chicken & some walnuts. I'm not really sure how well the walnuts go with this, but I personally love them, so I decided, 'why not?'.

This would probably be nice with a berry viniagrette. However, I personally find that the juice from the strawberries plus the creaminess of the cheese dresses the salad just fine. :) 

If you're like me, you're always on the lookout for a salad recipe that's simple while also being tasty. I hope you give this salad a try and let me know what you think! :)  

Chicken Enchilada Dip Rollups

Happy weekend everyone! I finally have a new recipe for y'all! :) I am so excited to share this one as it's been on my radar for about 6 months now & when I finally made it the other night it was a big hit. I'm not a huge fan of Mexican/Southwestern style food and never have been, but even I couldn't stop eating it! My best friend, Amber, found this recipe and wrote it down to send to me last fall while she away at college.

I really have her to thank for this because I don't think she could have picked a more perfect recipe to send my way. I'm tucking this one away for future parties, potlucks, midnight snacks, etc. ;)

It's really pretty basic. I started out with two types of cheese - cream cheese & Mexican blend cheese - that I mixed together in a bowl until they were all nice & comfy & well combined. 

Next I added in some seasonings. The recipe actually calls for coriander, but I didn't have any as I thought I did. Sooo, I just thought I'd throw some Adobo seasoning in there 'cause it smelled like it would mix well. ;)You really could substitute a package of taco seasoning in here if you don't have all the separate seasonings that it calls for.

Next up I tossed some Rotel tomatoes, green onions, & cooked, shredded chicken into the bowl. I mixed everything together with a spatula and voila! - you have some real goodness right there. 

Now, I may or may not have paused here and had a spoonful or two or three of this goodness. And then, I may or may not have gone to my pantry & grabbed a bag of chips and started dipping. I just couldn't help it. I had to make sure the flavors were just right, ya know? ;)

Anyway, after I finished "taste testing" I covered the mixing bowl with some plastic wrap & placed it in the fridge for an hour. 

The last steps were super simple - get a tortilla, place a heaping spoonful of the dip on it, roll the tortilla up, and slice it into little spirals. That's it! You're done! You now have a very filling, very tasty, and kinda fun & different meal.

My husband and I had these with some rice on the side. 

And then I took some to my best friend because what kind of friend-cook would I be if I didn't let the recipe-sharer have a taste? :)

As you can see this recipe was very simple. A great option when you need a quick dinner or a lunch to take to work. This also serves a lot! You can get several meals out of it or if you have a bigger family you can serve up to 8 if each person gets one full burrito roll-up. This meal actually fits into my budget meal category too because of how many meals my husband & I were able to get out of one batch. 

Additionally, this makes a great dip as the name implies! We saved a little on the side & used it for that purpose. I think black beans would taste great mixed in as well & add a little more of a filling boost to it. You could even put shredded cheese on top & place it under the broiler until it gets bubbly to have as a hot dip. Either way, I hope you all will try this recipe out for yourselves & let me know what you think or if you add any of your own ingredients to it. :)

*See photo at top of post for recipe instructions*

B-U-T-T-E-R

Ahhh, butter. What could be better? What could be creamier, or richer, or more intoxicating? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Butter is the king of the kitchen. And to quote Paula Deen, "Butter makes everything better". I could not agree more. 

However, I feel like there is a huge difference between the "store" butter and "real" butter. What I mean when I say "store" butter is the butter you buy at the store that comes in a box & holds 4 sticks (1 pound). It's decent. Good even. But it's not real butter. Now, to be honest, I've only had the pleasure of experiencing real butter a handful of times in my life. But enough to know - and love - the difference. I'm talking about the butter that can't be bought at the grocery store. Or so I assumed until recently . . .

You see, I'm particular about milk too. It falls into the same category as butter, "store" or "real". Store milk - the kind that comes in the plastic jugs that are so familiar - really isn't that bad. BUT. There is this wonderful, creamy, delicious, hands-down best ever milk that one of the grocery chains carries around here. It comes in a glass bottle. It's hormone free. You can buy it whole, 2%, skim, chocolate . . . I think even strawberry (although why anyone in their right mind would want to drink strawberry milk is beyond me). It is - Homestead Creamery. A lovely local-ish establishment that produces the best milk EVER. I love this milk. I really do. I feel almost as strongly about milk as I do about butter. And in a day and age when everyone's drinking coconut milk and almond milk, I unashamedly chug the Homestead Creamery whole milk all the time. Yes, I buy whole milk. It's rich. It's creamy. You should try it. 

Anyway, I'm making a terribly long story out of this. Recently, I was at the store buying my 'special' milk when I happened to look up to the very highest shelf. I don't know why, that shelf is waaaay above my head and my milk is on the bottom shelf. But I looked up. It was meant to be. Because when I looked up I laid eyes on this: 

Just look at it. It's a beaut!

. . . And for one moment in time, my heart stopped. (Okay, I'm not that obsessed with butter, but it adds to the effect ;) ) I could not believe what I was seeing, nor could I believe that I had never known it was there! Needless to say, I purchased it with a big grin on my face. 

I really, truly am excited about trying this butter. And once I've tried it, I will give y'all my review of it. I'm not gonna lie, it was a wee bit on the pricey side. But I believe some things deserve a splurge. And this was one of those things. So, one day here soon, I'm going to make some biscuits to smother in this butter. In the meantime, feel free to let me know of any "real" brands of butter that you like in the comments below!

The Scoop (Update)

Hello everyone! Long time no post. :) Spring is finally here & I must admit I've been quite occupied with spring things. I really haven't had much time to write a new post, although my blog & posts that I really have been wanting to write are on my mind constantly. Like every hour, constantly. So, since I haven't had the time/opportunity to post a recipe on here in over a month (!) I decided to give y'all 'the scoop' on what's up & some upcoming plans.

So, first, truth is I've tightened my grocery budget. My husband and I have some savings goals as well as some things we'd like to purchase for our yard/house (i.e. curtains, lamps for end tables, area rug, etc.) so we've tightened our budget to allow for those things. It's been a little hard for me because grocery shopping is to me what shoe shopping is to some women. ;) I have a hard time not overbuying because there are soooo many awesome and wonderful recipes out there that I am just dying to try. Alas, our meals have been rather ordinary lately.(But our budget has been on point!)Add to that the fact that both of us are - how do I want to say this? - improving upon our dietary habits, and basically I haven't been cooking anything particularly rich, or savory, or superbly indulgent. Normally, even on a tight budget I allow for one new, exciting, fatteningly delicious meal per grocery cycle but . . . not for now. *sigh*

On that note, while new recipes are on hiatus (it won't last much longer, I pinky promise) I'm thinking I will post some reviews of kitchen products that I have once a week. And in due time (hopefully no more than a month)I will have scores of new recipes for y'all. :)

Also, since spring is here, I've been working on starting a small garden! I'm going to gradually add more each year, but this year I'm just starting with tomatoes, bell peppers, lettuce (possibly), & a variety of herbs. So y'all might be getting a post about that! Hey, it's stuff I'll be using in my kitchen! :)

Anyway, that's the scoop for now! I'll be back with a review next week. :)

Panko-Crusted Honey Mustard Salmon

Hello all & happy spring! Ahhh, this weather is just beautiful. As a matter of fact, while I write this post it is just too pretty to be inside. So instead, I'm sitting outside on my porch feeling chilly because it's now 6:00 in the evening, the sun is going down, & the temperature is cooling. But I absolutely refuse to go back inside just yet. I spend enough time inside during the rest of the week!

Spring always makes me start thinking of lighter recipes. Recipes that taste good, but aren't so hearty. Simple ingredients, fairly quick cooking time, etc. I discovered this salmon recipe on Pinterest just a couple of weeks ago and fell head over heels in love with it. My husband & I both love salmon & we love honey mustard flavoring. So I bought a big bag of salmon and we've had it for supper about 3 nights a week for the past 2 weeks! Having it tonight as a matter of fact. :)

Honestly, this recipe is super basic. You combine the mustard, honey, & garlic, then proceed to brush it on both sides of each fillet. Next you just transfer it to the crumb mixture, coat both sides & toss it in the oven - in a dish of course. ;)

It bakes about 13-15 minutes and - DONE! :) I love how easy it is, & how light, & this same recipe works great with chicken breasts or tenders as well if you're not a fish person. :)

Panko-Crusted Honey Mustard Salmon

Ingredients:

4 (6oz.) salmon fillets

1 1/2 tbsp. Dijon mustard (or spicy brown mustard...)

1 1/2 tbsp. honey

1 clove garlic, minced

3/4 cup Panko bread crumbs 

2 tbsp. chopped parsley

1 tsp. lemon zest

2 tbsp. olive oil

salt & freshly ground pepper

1. Preheat oven to 400. Spray a 9 x 13 glass dish with cooking spray.

2. Whisk together honey, mustard, & garlic. In a seperate dish, mix bread crumbs, parsley, & lemon zest. Drizzle with olive oil & toss to coat. 

3. Take one piece of salmon at a time & dip it into the honey mustard mixture, turning to coat both sides. Transfer to the bread crumb dish & do the same. Place fillets in spraying baking dish.

4. Bake in the oven for 13-15 minutes until the salmon has cooked through. Serve with lemon wedges (optional, but it makes it way prettier :) ).

--Recipe from: cookingclassy.com--

Onion Strings!

Y'all. These onion strings are the greatest. The. Greatest. I have tried making onion rings in the past & it they just never turned out good. So I gave up on them for a few years. And then, I came across this recipe. The picture made my mouth water & the fact that they were onion strings rather than onion rings really appealed to me. They looked super crispy-crunchy and I just had to try them.

Place very thinly sliced onions in a dish with buttermilk & let them soak for an hour. My dish was a little small - a 9x13 would be good.

After the onions have soaked in the buttermilk, the dry ingredients & seasoning for the onion strings will be mixed together in a bowl.

Then the onions will be tossed in the flour mixture and...

...placed in a Dutch oven of hot oil. 

Fry them until they're golden brown & then - try not to drool, or pass out from excitement, or eat them all at one time! ;) 

These are sooo simple & so good! Great to have with sandwiches, as a topping for a casserole, or on a burger - my favorite option. =D They are packed with flavor & super crispy. I guarantee this recipe will become a favorite in your kitchen! :)

Onion Strings

Ingredients:
1 whole large onion
2 cups buttermilk
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tblsp. salt
1/4 - 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 - 2 qts. Canola oil
black pepper to taste

1. Slice the onion very thin & place in a glass dish with buttermilk. Let soak for 1 hour. 

2. Combine the dry ingredients and set aside.

3. Heat oil in a Dutch oven to 375 degrees.

4. Grab some onions, toss them in the flour mixture, & shake off any excess flour.  Drop (carefully!) in the hot oil & fry for a few minutes until they start to turn golden brown.

5. Repeat with the rest of the onions & then DIG IN! :) 

--Recipe from: The Pioneer Woman--