Wednesday, March 30, 2011

An April Fool's Day Treat


A couple of weeks ago, I saw these on another blog, Our Treasured Home. I quickly bookmarked the page and then bookmarked my brain: I had to make these for my kids to take to school on Friday for April Fool's Day. It's very rare that I'm able to pull off anything cutesy, but these looked simple enough even for me. I was so excited that they turned out well! When I told my kids they would be taking bacon and eggs to school on Friday, my older son said, "Just bacon for me. You know I don't like eggs." But, who can resist these Sunny-side up babies?

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Almost Here

April is the cruelest month, breeding
Lilacs out of the dead land, mixing
Memory and desire, stirring
Dull roots with spring rain.
Winter kept us warm, covering
Earth in forgetful snow, feeding
A little life with dried tubers.

From The Wasteland
-T. S. Eliot



April is almost here with its fools and its showers. It's funny how spring happens. How one Sunday you're looking out your dining room window and the trees are still bare even though warmth is in the air. And, the next Sunday those same trees are covered with small green leaves, the landscape changing overnight. And, you think, "There you are, Spring, I didn't see you come in but welcome."

Saturday, March 26, 2011

The Finale: Orange-Olive Oil Cake


So, I pondered a while on the last cake of the series. I had a recipe for a blueberry swirl pound cake that was in the lead for a while. Then, I had an idea to create my own apple pound cake (notes are written and it WILL happen one day.) But, then I saw this recipe on Where Women Cook. I was intrigued - nervous, but intrigued. It sounded delicious, but would it be pound cake? Studying the ingredients, all of which were comparable in proportion to those in pound cake (the only exception being the use of olive oil instead of butter), I made the executive decision that this would indeed qualify as a pound cake.

Friday, March 25, 2011

Friday's Feast: Rosemary Balsamic Pork Loin


The first meal my husband ever cooked for me when we started dating was a pork loin. Although I did not grow up in a cave, I had never before seen anyone cook a whole pork loin. My dad made his career as a meat cutter, so the meat came to our house already sliced. But, Eric is a fan of the whole pork loin. He enjoys cooking foods that need to be prepared low and slow. It gives him time to chill on the patio and, before he met me, time to impress the ladies with his culinary skills. But, I put an end to that...among other things. However, I kept the tradition of grilling a whole pork loin. I can change, too. This recipe was perfect for a beautiful spring evening, sitting outside and enjoying fresh, new leaves on our Bradford Pears.

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Gooseberry Patch Blog Hop

GBPRecipeRoundUpI'm enjoying the blog hop over at Gooseberry Patch today. Click here to visit Gooseberry Patch's blog and to see some delicious-looking recipes. These blog hops are a great way to find new and interesting blogs and to network your own blog. Please stop by for a visit.

Sunday, March 20, 2011

Honey Lime Cilantro Wings


I can always count on Eric to have three suggestions for dinner - Low Country Boil, steaks, or chicken wings. And, when he started talking about chicken wings last night, I thought it would be a good time to use some of the Key limes that I hard purchased for my Key Lime Pound Cake. I didn't want them to go to waste. Whenever I think of lime-flavored chicken, I think of cilantro, too. I'm quite the Mexican food fan. So, Eric and I sat down together with our main ingredients and, adding a little of this and a little of that, we came up with this basting sauce. It's a winner!

Saturday, March 19, 2011

Key Lime Pound Cake


Another Saturday, another pound cake. I've made it to pound cake #4 in my Pound Cake Month series. This one has been at the top of my list since I started the series, my new bottle of Key lime juice sitting in the cabinet ready to be called in to action. I couldn't wait to try it. Key lime just screams summer to me and, with 90 degree temps here in Georgia, the weather is screaming it, too. The recipe is from Southern Living. I decided not to add a glaze. The beauty of any pound cake is that it needs absolutely nothing to complete it. It completes me!

Friday, March 18, 2011

Corn & Bacon Saute


I am thoroughly convinced that bacon makes everything better! It's a dish like this that makes me weep for people who can't or don't eat pork. I supposed you could use turkey bacon, but I just don't want to know about it. This recipe came to be during one of my "use it up" phases. And, it's a major winner!!! I've tagged this as a side dish but I could eat it as a main dish. It's just that filling and wonderful!

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Skillet Sausage & Pasta


Have I told you how much I love kielbasa? I thought that I may have mentioned it in the past. I always keep a few in the freezer. And, most of the time, I've purchased them on buy-one-get-one free sales. They are perfect for a quick dinner when your plans have changed and you need to get food on the table quickly. I think this is a perfect meal for the mid-week slump.

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

In My Grandmother's Kitchen

I'm reading a new cookbook, At My Grandmother's Knee, Recipes and Memories Handed Down by Women in the South by Faye Porter. I just started reading so I'm not ready to review yet. But, just thinking about the theme of the book makes me think back to my own childhood and the time I spent in my Grandmother's kitchen.

Monday, March 14, 2011

Outside, Having Fun


My six-year-old is obsessed with being outside. We hear "Let's go outside!" all day long until the sun finally sets at night or he gets tired, whatever comes first. As I'm typing this, he's outside practicing his newly acquired skill of swinging by himself, finally learning the rhythm of pumping and extending his legs. Thank goodness! This past Saturday was another gorgeous spring day so my little one decided he would spend the entire day outside enjoying the sunshine and dirt. But, this did not go off without incident. We had several unfortunate events that brought him back inside, searching for Mama.

Sunday, March 13, 2011

Our Saturday Night Hamburgers


Nothing brings a smile to the face of all in our family like announcing that it's hamburger night. While not only acting in the role of my sous chef on occasion and being the king of the grill, Eric is also the master of making hamburger patties. So, my declaration of hamburger night was a call to arms of sort for him. He leapt into action! The kids love it when we eat outside - more time for their crazy antics while we're cooking. I love any meal that has Eric in control and the food served on paper plates. Ah, the weekend...

Saturday, March 12, 2011

Marbled Pound Cake


What would a March weekend be without me baking a pound cake? It's become part of my Saturday routine. I hope you're enjoying Pound Cake Month here on A Well-Seasoned Life. Now, I'm going to take some liberties here. How I have agonized over this one?!? First of all, the official title of this recipe as seen in Christmas with Southern Living Cookbook, copyright 1997, is Two-Toned Pound Cake. I don't know about you, but I just don't like the sound of that. It conjures up images of two-toned shoes, saddlebucks to be exact. Also, a two-toned car - I'm thinking a 70's station wagon with wood paneling. I don't think anyone will mind if I change the name to the far more appetizing title of Marbled Pound Cake.

Another Victory


This beauty was also the number one recipe on another blog link party: Sweet Tooth Favorites on Alli-N-Son. Please visit Alli-N-Son for more delicious dessert recipes!

Not by Bread Alone


Whenever I go to restaurants like Macaroni Grill and Carrabba's, my favorite part of the meal is always the bread, dripping in seasoned olive oil. A couple of years ago, I decided to whip up some dipping oil myself using ingredients I had on hand. The whole family dug in, olive oil dripping down our chins, our jaws popping from chewing the dense bread. We loved the combination I came up with and have been using the blend since then. I mix the seasonings together and keep them in a bottle in my cupboard just waiting for us when we're ready to break bread.

Friday, March 11, 2011

Guess Who?

Guess who had the most popular recipe last week on the dessert blog, Sweet as Sugar Cookies' Sweets for a Saturday post? That would be me! And, this recipe was #1 for the week!!!


If you're a big dessert fan like me, visit Sweet as Sugar Cookies. Lisa includes her own delicious recipes and holds a blog link party on the weekends! Tons of wonderful dessert recipes and photos. Check it out!

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Home...at Night


I know this confession makes me sound so old but I like to be at home before it gets dark. Not to say that I'm never out past dark, but I do prefer to be home by dusk, settling in for the evening. Just the phrase "settling in for the evening" is comforting to me.

Sunday, March 6, 2011

Country-Style Ribs on the Grill


Country-style ribs are a staple in my freezer. I find them on sale fairly often and always buy two packs to make sure I don't run out. I cook them a number of ways: in the crockpot, baked in the oven, and boiled then grilled. But, since I'm such a fan of throwing a foil packet on the grill and forgetting about it for a while, I decided to try this with the country-style ribs. They were moist, tender, and delicious, the foil packet retaining the cooking juices which I used as my sauce or...au jus. No matter how you cook them, country-style ribs only need one thing to make them delicious - time! Oh, love and tenderness helps, too.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts

If you would have asked me before last night if I ate Brussels sprouts, I would have said no. I love cabbage but there was something about the miniature version of it that I found to be less palatable. I had only had Brussels sprouts boiled or microwaved from one of those frozen packets. Either way, yuck! So, I started thinking about how much I loved fried cabbage and how roasting broccoli takes away some of its pungency. Surely, Brussels sprouts could be saved by roasting and bacon. Saved is an understatement...they are now irresistible!

Saturday, March 5, 2011

The Classic: Mama's Pound Cake


This is the pound cake recipe you've been waiting for and you didn't even know it! This is as pure and traditional as pound cake gets. Yes, I've enjoyed many sour cream and cream cheese pound cakes over the years. But, I will be bold enough to say that this pound cake would beat those pound cakes in a taste test. There, I said it! The recipe isn't named for my Mama although it should be. I've baked it for her many, many times over the years. It's her favorite and she's not willing to share it. She will hide it in the corner of the kitchen until everyone leaves. This beauty is from Paula Deen's The Lady and Sons Savannah Country Cookbook, copyright 1997.

Friday, March 4, 2011

Spring ~ Hope ~ Life


This afternoon, I was inspired by the beautiful Bradford pear trees in our backyard. I've never taken photographs of nature before but I couldn't let this brief moment of beauty pass me by. And, I have another reason for wanting to savor the moment. 

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Good Day, Good Meal, Good Life


Last Saturday was just a good day. In addition to being a downright gorgeous pre-spring day, my husband suggested we drive to Savannah and do a little shopping. He seems to think that I don't get out often enough and he's right. So, I jumped on the idea and allowed myself to splurge a little.

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Welcome March: Strawberry Swirl Cream Cheese Pound Cake

If you read my post on Closing the Book, you know that I have personally declared March to be Pound Cake Month for no other reason than I love pound cake, haven't baked one in a while, and have several recipes that I'm dying to try and share here at Well-Seasoned Life. Pound cake is probably the only dessert that I bake that I know will be eaten completely, no crumbs left behind. It is a staple dessert here in the south. We whip one up for births, deaths, birthdays, and convalescing. It feeds a crowd and gets better with age, if it's allowed to stick around that long enough. This recipe is from Southern Living, the experts on pound cake.