Are you ready for some football?

My beloved Yellow Jackets kick off the season tonight, my beloved husband and I are moving into our house tomorrow, and I was like a kid on Christmas morning today; so excited I literally woke up at 3am and could not go back to sleep.  Just in case you are as pumped as I am about football season and the food that goes along with it, I thought I would throw out some tailgating menu ideas (linked to recipes) to get your little hamster wheel in your head spinning about all the delicious goodness that comes with football!  Football, what a great reason to eat unhealthy and drink beer!

For a noon game: Grits-and-Greens Breakfast Bake or Breakfast Burritos or Potato and Sausage Breakfast Casserole with the Easiest Fruit Dip Ever

For an afternoon game: A big Turkey Sandwich or a Ham Hawaiian Sandwich with Redneck Caviar

For a late game:  Pulled pork Sandwiches with twice baked potatoes (or potato chips) or Frito Pie (my personal fave)

For dessert : Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Click here for all of my tailgating recipes.
I can't wait to get to campus today, play some corn hole (bean bag game) have a cocktail, eat a hot dog and prepare to cheer on the jackets. What are your favorite tailgate foods and activities?
Sincerely Loving Food & Football,
Lainey

For 2: Hot Dog Bun French Toast

I love to throw a couple of hot dogs on the grill for a great summer supper.  But, I hate that hot dog buns are sold in packages of 8 because there are only 2 of us in our house and we do not need to each eat 4 hot dogs.  So, what the heck am I supposed to do with those other hot dog buns?  Make French Toast – duh!  I know you think I am crazy, but trust me this really works!  And you can barely tell they are hot dog buns and that is only from the way they look, the taste is pure French Toast…try it this weekend, hot dogs (or these chicken sausages) for dinner on Friday and French toast for breakfast on Saturday!  Winner! (sorry I couldn’t help myself…I am so glad its Friday).

Sincerely Loving Food,

Lainey

For 2: Chicken Sausages

Dinner doesn’t always have to be complicated.  Sometimes it is a Monday and it is raining and you are tired and you don’t want to do any work and that’s totally fine.  That is how I felt last night, which is why we had these chicken sausages, they are fully cooked all you have to do is brown them on the grill for a minute, and they were delicious! 

 Whenever I use a store bought/prepared products I like to do something a little special to take away the “out of the box” taste, which is why I made caramelized onions to top them with.  Really you can’t get any easier than caramelized onions: melt some butter in a pan; add the onions and sprinkle with  salt, pepper, and cayenne (if you like it spicy) and cook over low to medium low for 20 to 30 minutes. 

I completed dinner with green beans and grilled tomatoes: seasoned with olive oil, salt and pepper grilled for about 5 minutes and topped with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese. 

Look at all the pretty colors on that plate!  So don’t be scared, use short cuts, but dress them up a little and you will be totally satisified with your dinner!  What are your "short cut meals"?  Do you do anything to change them up?  If you live in Atlanta are you also tired of the 2 days straight of rain?

Sincerely Loving Food,
Lainey

One of my favorites: chef's salad

I ate a salad last night. It was a combo chef's salad. Combo because everyone did a little work: my sister chopped the lettuce and veggies, my bf grilled the chicken and I boiled the egg and stopped on the way home to get the ranch dressing. I love ranch on a chef’s salad! We had romaine and spinach with green onions, avocado, feta cheese, boiled egg, and tomatoes topped with the chicken and ranch. OMG it was to die for. I should have taken a picture before the dressing so you could see all the pretty colors, sorry!  And here's the thing, all three of us had a huge salad for less than like $12 total; in a restaurant they would have been like $8 or $9 a piece.  Sorry I just don't get going out for salads, its a rip off.  You can make delicious ones at home! So no real recipe, its just a salad, lettuce topped with whatever you like, but here's a tip:
Salt and pepper your tomatoes and avocados right after chopping, before putting them on the salad. That way the seasoning will really stick to the veggies and add more flavor!
I love ranch on a chef's salad, but italian is generally my favorite and I just can't eat a salad with out tomatoes!  I want to know: what's your favorite salad dressing and what are your favorite toppings?
Sincerely Loving Food,
Lainey

For 2: Braised Chicken and Fully Flavored Green Beans

You know those chicken breasts that are huge?  I had one of those in my freezer and I was sure it was big enough to feed the bf and me.  So, last night that was on the menu along with green beans, because I had a craving for them.  Last time we had green beans I steamed them and the bf told me they didn’t have a lot of flavor, well boys just don’t get steamed veggies, but this time I was determined to make green beans with a ton of flavor.  After searing the chicken breast I braised it with chicken broth, onions and rosemary; then I removed the chicken breast to rest discarded the rosemary stems, reduced the broth with a little white wine and then cooked the green beans in that liquid.  It was awesome!  Added bonus: Chicken and green beans – only one dirty pot.  I rounded out this meal with homemade parmesan potato chips and you can get that recipe tomorrow, but for now here are the details on the braised chicken and fully flavored green beans!

Sincerely Loving Food,
Lainey

For 2: Horseradish Pork Loin and Creamy Mozzarella Spinach

As I have said before I love pork tenderloins for so many reasons, one of them being they hold up to freezing so well. Monday I pulled 2 small loins from the freezer to defrost and marinate for dinner Tuesday. These 2 loins were taken from a very large one that I bought on sale and then cut into small portions and froze individually; this method saves money and cuts down on defrost time. I loved the kick of the horseradish marinade paired with the creamy spinach and mashed potatoes, and since the pork and the spinch were homemade I didn’t feel bad using store bought mashed potatoes. Short cuts are our friend, especially for week night dinners!

For 2: Swiss Onion Burgers with Roasted Broccoli and Potatoes

Many times it has been said, “The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach,” I agree, and I can’t imagine a food men love more than burgers. Truth be told I also adore burgers (and fries)...so, this Sunday I created a burger for the boyfriend and me for dinner, and added a little nutrition with a side of broccoli and potatoes. Okay the broccoli was nutrition…the potatoes were just delicious…and for a recipe that hit me as I was laying on the couch recovering from a fun weekend, I was surprised at how well it turned out. This maybe isn’t the best first date meal, as the onion flavor and therefore your breath will be quite strong, but if you and your date have known each other for a while and both love onions try it out…at least you will have onion breath together!