Baked Artichokes with Cheese

Mmm, artichokes! Here's a very easy recipe using only a few ingredients. It's ready in about 15 minutes! Technically, this is a dip, but I think it could just be a side dish. You don't have to eat it with chips!

Baked Artichokes with Cheese (fancy name, right? 10 points to someone that comes up with a better one!)

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Recipe comes from my Aunt Kay

You'll need:

1 can marinated artichoke hearts, quartered

1 can artichoke hearts in water, quartered

1 can diced green chilies

6 Tbsp mayonnaise

Garlic Powder

Shredded cheddar cheese

Drain the artichoke hearts, and cut them up a little bit smaller.

Put in the bottom of a baking dish

Top with green chilies

Spread the mayo over

Shake over as much garlic powder as you like

Top with cheese. Bake at 350 for about 10 minutes until the cheese is all melted.

Serve with chips or just put on the side!

It's so easy, it's silly.

Menu Monday 9/27

Happy Monday!

Here's what I'm making this week:

From top left:

Grilled Chicken Salad with Parmesan Breadcrumbs - Recipe from Food Network Magazine. I recently tore this out of my favorite mag and it sounds delish! This should be quick and easy for dinner tonight. 

Update: This was good, but not amazing. Doubt I make it again.

Spicy Chipotle Corn Dip & Hot Artichoke Dip - I'm making 2 appetizers for a Mexican potluck/game night dinner we're going to on Tuesday. I couldn't find these recipes online (or accurate pictures), so I'm planning to post both of them! Woohoo- 2 appetizer recipes coming to you this week!

Update: YUM! Posted the recipes here and here.

Wasabi Panko-Crusted Pork with Gingered Soy Sauce - This Cooking Light recipe caught my eye a long time ago and I've never buckled down and made it! This week, it's time. The recipe online has received tons of great reviews, so I can't wait to try it! We'll probably have some veggies and rice on the side, too.

Update: DOUBLE YUM! Posted the recipe here.

Crumbly Apple Pie - This weekend, I'm planning on making a delicious, classic apple pie with a crumbly topping. I realized I've been slacking on pies on this blog, and they're one of my favorite things! So, this should do the trick. Recipe coming to ya soon!

Update: OUT OF THIS WORLD! Posted the recipe here!

Woo Pig Sooie!

This weekend, we went to Fayetteville to cheer on our Arkansas Razorbacks vs Alabama! We had a great time and enjoyed the beautiful weather, exciting atmosphere and good friends. Here are the pics:

We were lucky enough to fly to the 'ville with our friend, Dr. Ben Burris. 45 minutes sure does beat a 5+ hour drive! Thank you, Ben, for letting us tag along!!

When we got to Fayetteville (bright and early on Saturday morning) we circled the stadium for an awesome view!! This was so cool! I love my Alma Mater!

A few hours later, we were tailgating in the pit. The atmosphere was electric in Fayetteville! It was the first time since 1979 that two teams in the top 10 played at the U of A. Tickets were completely sold out, and were selling online for up to $1,000!!! In other words, it was a pretty BIG game!

I love Reynolds Razorback stadium, so many good memories there!

We love walking around all of the tailgates and running into great friends. Here's Keith with one of our faves, Mr. Kyle Shadid.

Funny that all of these guys thought the exact same thing when they got dressed that morning....red polo + khaki shorts = classic combo.

With my besties!! I LOVE this picture! This is my new favorite tailgate pic with these gals, and we've taken many over the years. If only Jessica were in it! (from left: Whitney, Joanna, Lauren and I)

Ugh, boys! Lauren and I had to make fun of our men. Keith was walking around with a chicken tender hanging out of his mouth, and Lee was drinking out of the largest truck stop cup in the world. I suppose we ARE Arkansans, but still :)

Matt Imhoff and I make use of my camera's self-portrait feature. Ladies, he is still single!!!

I love my Jojo!

Me, Whitney, Lauren, Meredith, and Chase. Pro tailgaters!

Game time! The stadium was packed with a sea of red. I loved it!!

Notice everyone looking towards the sky....

There were 3 paratroopers headed towards the field! So cool.

The first half was absolutely FANTASTIC! The #10 Hogs were on fire against #1 Alabama. We had the lead and I was 99% certain we'd win the game. It was SO exciting!

Halftime photo break with the hubs!

Dippin' Dots at the stadium! I was apparently really excited about this....

Then the game took a bad turn south and we lost by a few points. We made some poor mistakes that cost us the game. It was TRAGIC. I'd never seen the stadium so excited and on fire, then just devastated. Like popping a balloon. It was really a heartbreaking loss for Arkansas!

In the end though, I'm still SO proud of the pigs. We played a great game and it was one of the best, most exciting games I've been to. Of course it's sad we didn't win, but that didn't keep us from having a wonderful weekend!

Friends, it was great to see all of you! Dr. Burris, thanks again!!! We owe ya big time :)

Menu Recap (week of 9/20)

Hello, friends! It's time for a quick menu recap from the week:

First up, the Chocolate Autumn Cupcakes were quite good, and I made a whole post about them here. We loved eating them each night this week after dinner. YUM! I'm going to brainstorm other ways to use the same concept for other seasons/holidays :)

Havarti Shrimp Quesadillas - These were a failure. It was sad! They sounded so good, and the reviews online were positive. I don't know exactly what happened. Let me show you:

The ingredients were a great combo, no doubt about it. Apricot preserves, Havarti cheese, sauteed mushrooms, and shrimp.

They looked good at first glance when I opened the 'dilla maker. But, I noticed there was A LOT of liquid coming off of it. The tortillas ended up being soggy (eww), and fell apart. We picked the stuffing out and ate it anyway (which was good), but the whole quesadilla was a disaster.

TOO much liquid. I followed the Taste of Home recipe diligently, but I'm thinking the mushrooms should be patted dry on paper towels after you saute them. The recipe didn't say to do this, but I'm thinking it would help. I will try this again! I'm determined to succeed :)

PS - See, everyone has messes and successes in the kitchen. I'm no exception!!


Chicken Caprese - This dish was good, as always! We had friends over for dinner Tuesday and had a fantastic evening laughing and sharing stories over food and wine.

It looked really pretty with 6 on a platter together. Mmm, appetizing!

Here we are hanging out after dinner. Ashley is my childhood friend and Brooke is my cuz! Love that we are all in the same city now and hanging out every week!

We were hanging out in our spare bedroom/office where Keith does his dental work and studies. He was working on a orthodontic project which involved bending wires a certain way, like in patterns. Since we have 3 to-be dentists in the group, this is, of course, what we congregated over and took turns practicing. What dorks!

We are loving that these friends have moved to Memphis! We're starting a weekly potluck/game night tradition, too. Both Ashley and Brooke like to cook and are really good at it, so I see some recipe ideas coming from them in the future! Can't wait to get together again this week for a Mexican theme :)



Steak with Burgundy Mushroom Sauce - Oh, this was delicious! Just as good as the first time I made it. Pioneer Woman knows her stuff, folks. Just hop on over to her site and print this recipe, if you haven't already!

This was a dinner that we enjoyed by the romantic glow of laptops and iPhones. We are both so busy right now with work and school (literally having stress dreams every night!). At least we shared our misery together over a good meal, right?



I'll have a new menu up tomorrow! Did you make anything that I made last week, too? It looks like my friend Caroline did :)

Chocolate Autumn Cupcakes

This week I made some yummy chocolate cupcakes. Just in time for autumn....

They were simple chocolate cupcakes, but they had something extra special on top.

A little leaf or a pumpkin!

Chocolate Autumn Cupcakes
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Here's how to make them:

Make a batch of Devil's Food cupcakes (boxed is fine) and ice them once they've cooled. I used a milk chocolate creamy icing from Betty Crocker.

I love ya, Betty.

Grab some semi-sweet chocolate chips (1/2 cup) and some butterscotch chips (1/2 cup)

Melt the chips in the microwave. Line a cookie sheet with wax paper and draw an 8 inch square (just so you know how much area you need to cover).

Alternate spoonfuls of each over the square...

Then use the back of the spoon to swirl it together.

Refrigerate for about 30 minutes or until it's like firm bark. Set it out for about 10 minutes so it will soften some...

Use small cookie cutters to carefully press out cute little shapes!

Stick 'em on top of the cupcakes and you have a nice treat! 

Keep these in the fridge for best results, those little chocolates can melt easily :)

The Arrival of Fall

Today is the official first day of Fall!! So long, summer (even though it's still in the 90s here).

I was so ready to transition the house to Autumn this year. I was so over summer colors and the odd months of August and September. I never know what to put out! I'm such a sucker for seasonal 'accents', which is why I LOVE when spring comes after a cold, dark winter, when fall finally arrives after a blazing hot summer, and then Christmas is on the heels of that.

So, without further adieu, here is our fall decor for 2010:

I love my pumpkin sign. So happy to put that back out!

The front porch. I'll be adding some mums and real pumpkins in the next couple of weeks.

This is my third year to use this wreath my mom made. It still looks pretty good!

Now, let's go inside....

Welcome! 

I switched things up here from years past. These are all things I had, except for the branches, so it was nice to do some recycling and just 'shop the house.'

I can't remember where this wooden pumpkin came from, but I sure do love it! Next to it, I just arranged some cream candles on top of fake leaves in a tray.

Ok, I'm quite proud of myself here! I knew I wanted something branchy, twiggy and airy, so I made this arrangement myself. I had the vase in the living room already, and bought the branches half-off at Michael's...

I put a Styrofoam block down in the vase, stuck in the branches, and then added some moss filler. I had some colorful leaves, nuts and random pieces from some potpourri that I stuck in for some extra color.

I stayed with the same thing as last year in the dining room because I liked it so much! No need to reinvent the wheel here.

The mantle was a total re-do. Last year, I didn't do anything special to it, so this time around, I was ready to step it up. I went to one of my favorite cheap decor stores, Garden Ridge, and got all of the accessories for a steal!

Garden Ridge had all of these matching ceramic pieces in a variety of shapes and sizes, and each piece was $5 at most. I knew I could use them year-round, so I scooped 'em up! The branches in the pitcher came from Michael's at half-price, too!

The Ridge also had some cheap feaux pumpkins, and bundles of fall stuff (like acorns, mini gords, leaves, etc.), so I got a few of those as filler.

I got out my colorful wooden pumpkins, and added a new pillow from Pier 1 to a chair.

I also added our warm, cozy blanket and some soft burnt orange pillows to the couch. It totally transformed the room!

My big bowl of magazines is overflowing lately, I've got some reading to do!

I'm so happy with the way our house looks right now. I just want to cozy up every day after work with a glass of wine and light a fall candle. Here's to the weather getting cooler soon!!

Thanks for stopping by :)