For a Crowd: Grits-and-Greens Breakfast Bake

I love Southern Living recipes; usually they are straight forward, easy to follow and the write up is an honest representation of how complicated (or not) the dish is. I found this recipe for “Grits-and-Greens Breakfast Bake” and decided to make it the day of the FSU v. Florida game and take it to tailgate. Let’s just say I got in a little over my head…Don’t get me wrong, this dish was delicious and in all honesty I did change it up a bit, but this was not nearly as easy as it sounded and mine looked no where near as good; in fact it sort of looked a mess, so much of a mess that I didn’t take a final picture. So, here is the link to the Southern Living  Recipe…check it out! It looks and sounds delicious! I decided I wanted a little more. First I sautéed a chopped onion and some mushrooms, because I love them so much and second I cooked the collard greens for a few minutes in ham hock water like here because that is my favorite way to eat them. My main problem was the eggs didn’t stay down in their holes they just sort of ran all over the top of the grits, next time I will make bigger holes! I think this happened because my baking dish was too small, the onions and mushrooms added moisture which kept the grits from setting and I was inpatient. I should have just let the grits cook longer on their own before adding the eggs, but we had a very important football game to get to! All things considered, I will definitely be making this again; cooking is all about learning experiences!  You should try it too!

Sincerely Loving Food,
Lainey

The Perfect, Southern Living, Completed Dish:

All my ingredients, ready to go:

Stirred up, ready to bake!

After baking, right before the egg spread:

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
And then imagine a mess...and I will imagine mine looked like the one in the magazine!

For a Crowd: Squash Casserole

I love squash casserole, especially when it is still recognizable as squash and not just some gooey cheesy mess. Don’t get me wrong, I love gooey cheesy messes, but not so much in this dish. I like to sauté the squash in a little olive oil until they just start to become tender and then stir them in with everything else and bake it off, with a little panko on top for some crunch! This recipe is super easy and a great way to sneak some veggies into even the pickiest eater’s diet.
Sincerely Loving Food,
Lainey

Get my life together...

Do you ever have those weeks where you feel like you just need to get your life together?  I am probably exaggerating, but I am talking about when you have a lot of dirty laundry (like dirty clothes not baggage) and you still haven’t unpacked from your thanksgiving trip and you feel like the holidays are coming at you like a freight train and … yeah its just like man I need to get my life together. Well, that’s how I feel right now. I really want to tell you guys about some dishes made over the last couple of days: squash casserole, green bean casserole, cornbread dressing, and a delicious breakfast dish with grits and collard greens and I promise I will this week. But today I have to focus on laundry, getting my dress altered for my engagement party, playing a flag football game tonight, and oh yeah I have a 8-5 job….


Are you feeling the holiday crunch already? What’s on your plate today?

So Sorry...So excited!

I have been a really crappy blogger...no post in over a week.  Totally my bad!  I miss it, as much as I miss home cooked food.  We have just been so crazy busy and eating out a ton. (although there is something to be said for a McNugget with sweet and sour sauce, but I digress)  Last night I had some shrimp that I marinated in pesto, pan fried for like 4 minutes and then put on top of spaghetti with store bought alfredo sauce...easy dinner and tasty!

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving pot luck at my office.  Hooray, homecooked food!  Super pumped is the best way to describe me right now.  I love the holidays and all the yummy food that comes with them!  Tomorrow, I am making this awesome macaroni and cheese recipe from The Pioneer Woman.  I am really looking foward to it and will let you know how it goes.  She is just great and I love reading her blog!  Friday night I am going to another Thanksgiving party and making the classic Campbell's green bean casserole.  Green bean casserole is my absolute favorite; I like to make it with french cut green beans, I think that's the best.  I love it so much I am making it for this gathering of friends Friday night and for Thanksgiving on Thursday.  I also love dressing (some people who are wrong call it stuffing) and mashed potatoes covered in gravy on Thanksgiving.  Those are my favorites!  What are your favorites that you just can't do without?  Do you call it dressing or stuffing?  Personally, I think its stuffing if it is actually stuffed inside a bird and dressing if it is cooked in a casserole dish on the side...this has been a huge discussion with the fh, he is wrong...Thanksgiving is only a week away....YES!

Registry Ideas!

So today after work the fh (future husband) and I are going to register.  I have choosen Williams Sonoma and Macy's....I think I pretty much know what I want and what we don't need, but I want to poll my friends in the blogging world.  If you are married what is the one thing you registered for that you couldn't live without and you use all the time?  What is the one thing you registered for and you never use?  And if you aren't married, what will be on your dream registry?
Thanks for the help!
Sincerely Loving Food,
Lainey

For 2 or a Crowd: Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

Last week I had a giant butternut squash that my Mom had brought me from the Farmers’ markets. I just cut it in half, drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with salt, pepper and garlic powder and roasted it at 400 degrees for about 45 minutes. After it was cool enough to handle I cut it into chunks and ate it along with a steak for a delicious dinner. It was so good, but I had so much left over. After eating squash for lunch 3 days in a row…this weekend I still had about 3 cups of cubed squash left so I put together this soup, it made the house smell awesome and it was so creamy and delicious, just perfect to sit on the couch and eat while watching football. It made about 8 servings so you could serve it to a crowd or a make it for just 2 and enjoy the leftovers; it will freeze really well.
Sincerely Loving Food,
Lainey

Crock-Pot Roast

There is nothing better than coming home from a long day and your house being filled with the savory aroma of pot roast. This crock-pot recipe makes a super easy dinner, and I serve the roast with mashed potatoes and green beans…delicious! It is so easy because the night before you put everything in the pot and then the next morning turn it on low and when you get home it is basically ready. Perfect for these rainy fall days…

Sincerely Loving Food,
Lainey