Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Cake Batter Rice Krispie Treats


I love Rice Krispie treats! I'm an even bigger fan of the Little Debbie version. In fact, I will embarassingly admit that I have eaten so many of them in one day that my gums were sore from the crunchiness of the cereal. That's some serious snacking there! It's been years since I've made homemade Rice Krispie treats. But, after seeing so many different variations of them out in the blogging world, I decided it was time for me to get busy in the kitchen and whip up a batch of these Cake Batter Rice Krispie Treats.

Saturday, June 25, 2011

Sweet Indulgences Sunday #10

I can't believe this is the 10th week of my linky party. It's been so fun that the time has really flown by. There was another big milestone on my blog this week. I made it to 100,000 hits! It's too bad that there's not a blogging manual out there that lets you know if your blog is growing and progressing well. Until that manual is published, I'll just trudge along and celebrate every little milestone from hits to followers. It keeps me going. And, meeting such great people like I've met here through the linky party makes me feel like I'm part of something special: the sisterhood of the food bloggers.

In the spirit of trudging forward, I've selected my next cookbook for review. I'm working on At My Grandmother's Knee by Faye Porter. It's a compilation of stories and recipes from grandmothers around the country. I've picked out some recipes that I want to try out and feature on the review. This cookbook has a lot of good recipes from which to choose. Hopefully, I'll be able to knock out the recipes and the review in the next couple of weeks. Until then, I want to share my latest dessert with you.


On to the party...here are last week's top recipes. I want to thank everyone who returned to the party last week and those who accepted my invitations and joined for the first time. Please keep coming back. Your recipes are awesome!!

#1
from Eating My Way Back

These three recipes were tied for #2.

from The Kitchen is My Playground


from Indulge

from Brandy's Baking

Kim's Craving
from Cook Bake and Decorate

The Rules...
  1. Please link up to the URL of your specific recipe post, not the URL of your main blog. When it asks for "Name", type in the name of your recipe.
  2. Please place a link back to this post in your original post or Grab My Button included below.
  3. Share your most recent dessert. Link up as many desserts as you would like. More is always better when it comes to desserts!
  4. Leave me a comment in this post to let me know that you've joined the party. Also, if you're having your own linky party, feel free to post the link to your party in the comment section. I would love to join your party!
  5. Now, let's share the love! Please visit at least two others and comment on the delicious desserts that they've brought to the party. It means so much to a blogger to get some positive commentary!
Grab My Button:




Button

The party starts here:


Thursday, June 23, 2011

Pound Cake: A Love Story


Mama's Pound Cake

If there was a way that I could make a living out of baking, eating, and discussing pound cake, I would. It fascinates me in its simplicity, the ingredients are common baking ingredients. But, it is the execution of combining those ingredients together that makes the pound cake so special, unlike any other dessert. The moist density, the flaky top crust with the buttery rim of delicious perfection, the subtle flavors of vanilla, almond, or lemon all come together to create this signature cake.

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Giveaway Winner Announced

The lucky winner of Johnnie Gabriel's Cooking in the South is Lark from Lark's Country Heart. Keep checking back because I have a few more cookbook reviews and giveaways up my sleeve soon. Thanks to everyone who entered the giveaway and is following A Well-Seasoned Life.

Congratulations again to Lark!

Sunday, June 19, 2011

Peach Enchiladas


If you like peach enchiladas and getting caught in the rain...no pina coladas here but I can offer you a can of Mountain Dew. You'll need it when you prepare this dish. Strange? I know. I thought so, too. The name of this recipe and the addition of Mountain Dew really caught my attention when I read this on the Southern Living web site. This recipe also appears in the July 2011 issue of Southern Living. Trust the recipe and the Dew; it will all work out just fine. Because it's peach season here, I used them. But, I think you could substitute apples, too. Either way, it's a fun dish to make.

Okra on the Grill


It's one of my goals in life to figure out which foods can be wrapped in foil and cooked on the grill successfully. We've cooked potatoes, asparagus, squash, zucchini, onions, corn-on-the-cob and broccoli using this method. They've all been excellent. I love the convenience of preparing the entire meal on the grill. That puts the work on my husband so that I can sit back and relax. Clever, I know. So, I decided to try one of this area's favorite veggies - okra - to see if it would hold up to roasting on the grill. This okra did not disappoint!

Saturday, June 18, 2011

Sweet Indulgences Sunday #9

Summer is in full swing here! The kids have finished up a week of Vacation Bible School...to their relief. And, we were blessed with some much needed rain on Wednesday night with a few more chances for a shower or two throughout the weekend. The sprinklers may actually catch a break for a while. I know it may sound crazy but I love rainy weekend nights when the family is safe in the house and we don't have to go out and brave the elements. I can just snuggle in bed with my little boy, watch Scooby-Doo, and listen to the rain tapping at the windowpanes.

In the kitchen, I've got to come up with a few dishes to feed my husband this weekend being Father's Day and all. It's much easier for me to come up with dessert ideas and I have two that I want to try out this weekend. One is the Cake Batter Rice Krispies Treats from last week's linky party. I love to read a dessert and know that I have all of the ingredients in my pantry. I made a Georgia Peach Pound Cake last weekend and it was absolutely delicious! I hope you'll try it one day.


Here is last week's top recipes. I want to thank everyone who returned to the party last week and those who accepted my invitation and visited for the first time. I enjoy seeing all of your recipes. I want to remind you to sign up for my little giveaway Johnnie Gabriel's Cooking in the South. The giveaway runs through June 20th and is open to my followers (new followers are welcome, of course)!

#1
from Lark's Country Heart

#2
from A Little Bit Crunchy A Little Bit Rock and Roll

Two-Way Tie for #3
from Dee-Dee's Delights

Perfect Party Favor For Cupcake or Ice Cream Themed Parties
from Lady Behind the Curtain

And a new category: Kim's Craving
from Dee-Dee's Delights


The Rules...
  1. Please link up to the URL of your specific recipe post, not the URL of your main blog. When it asks for "Name", type in the name of your recipe.
  2. Please place a link back to this post in your original post or Grab My Button included below.
  3. Share your most recent dessert. Link up as many desserts as you would like. More is always better when it comes to desserts!
  4. Leave me a comment in this post to let me know that you've joined the party. Also, if you're having your own linky party, feel free to post the link to your party in the comment section. I would love to join your party!
  5. Now, let's share the love! Please visit at least two others and comment on the delicious desserts that they've brought to the party. It means so much to a blogger to get some positive commentary!
Grab My Button:


Button

The party starts here:


Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Georgia Peach Pound Cake


Have I ever mentioned that this blog is coming to you live from the Peach State? I may have let it slip a time or two that I'm from Georgia. And, I've been waiting to share this pound cake with you, waiting until the peaches are ripe and abundant. They're ready! Are you? I found this recipe years ago on allrecipes.com and I've been baking it ever since. This truly is a unique recipe. I've never seen another Peach Pound Cake recipe in any of my cookbooks. Even people here in Georgia are surprised when they hear about it but pleased when they taste it. The juicy peaches make this cake so moist that you'll just want to cry when you taste it. This ain't Heaven, it's Georgia. But, for me, that's close enough!

Monday, June 13, 2011

Shrimp Creole


My husband has been working out of town for a couple of weeks and, when he came home this weekend burned out on fast food and take-out, I knew that my kitchen was going to get steamy. He needed homecooked food and started listing all the dishes he wanted to fit in over the weekend. Of course, there had to be Saturday Night Steak Night. Cave man wants red meat!! Cave boy does, too! But, another dish on his wish list was Shrimp Creole. He loves it although we don't make it often. So, I pulled out one of my favorite cookbooks, Johnnie Gabriel's Second Helpings, and found a recipe that I thought would please a hungry man. And, he chopped all of the veggies himself which pleased this tired woman.

Saturday, June 11, 2011

Sweet Indulgences Sunday #8

Sometimes, I just have to be realistic with myself about my talents in the kitchen. Looking through all of these wonderful dessert recipes that have been posted here over the last few weeks, I see that I am way out of my league with some of these recipes. But looking at all of your recipes gives me something to strive for. I'm sure the majority of you aren't professional bakers but just home bakers with talent and creativity. By pinpointing my weaknesses, I'm able to realize my strengths and build on them. My talent is in baking pound cakes, sheet cakes, bars, and cookies. And, that's going to be my focus from here on out for a while.


My frustrations are coming from my lastest dessert fiasco that, while still delicious, was not blog-worthy. But, I know that there are many of you out there this week who have had a number of victories in the kitchen. I've already seen them on some of your blogs. Please share them here. And, after coming to terms with my limitations, I did produce a cheesecake bar that was delicious!




Last Week's Top Recipes...

Take a look at last week's top recipes and you'll see what I mean about talent in the kitchen. Thanks to everyone who returned to the party last week and to those who accepted my invitation and joined the party for the first time. I am humbled and inspired...

Also, I'm having a giveaway this week. One of my followers will win a copy of Johnnie Gabriel's Cooking in the South. If you're interested, check out the link to the giveaway here!


#1
from Chef in Training

#2
from Dee Dee's Delights

A Two-Way Tie for #3
from From Cupboard to Cupboard

from Sweet Cheeks Tasty Treats

The Rules...

  1. Please link up to the URL of your specific recipe post, not the URL of your main blog. When it asks for "Name", type in the name of your recipe.
  2. Please place a link back to this post in your original post or Grab My Button included below.
  3. Share your most recent dessert. Link up as many desserts as you would like. More is always better when it comes to desserts!
  4. Leave me a comment in this post to let me know that you've joined the party. Also, if you're having your own linky party, feel free to post the link to your party in the comment section. I would love to join your party!
  5. Now, let's share the love! Please visit at least two others and comment on the delicious desserts that they've brought to the party. It means so much to a blogger to get some positive commentary!

Grab My Button:
Button

 

The party starts here:


Coconut-Blueberry Cheesecake Bars


I'll be honest and tell you that I've had a few flops in the kitchen lately. There were a couple of dessert recipes that didn't turn out as I intended. There was a Nutella swirl pound cake where the Nutella settled to the bottom of the cake and formed a concrete base. Failure! Then, there was an attempt at a lemon cream cake where my whipping cream didn't get stiff enough and the filling ran out all over the sides of the cake. I had to just swirl it around like frosting and put it in the refrigerator overnight. Unattractive but still delicious and edible! A B- at best... Frustrated, but craving redemption, I returned to the kitchen with a recipe from bhg.com (Better Homes and Garden). And, I'm happy to say that I have earned an A+ on this one and I'm well on may way to making the Honor Roll again this term.

Friday, June 10, 2011

500 Followers and a Giveaway!!!

This week, my blog reached the 500 followers mark with the combination of both the Google Friends Connect and Network Blogs. It's so exciting and such a milestone for A Well-Seasoned Life. I still can't believe that there are people out there who are reading my words, but I'm so grateful that you are. Last summer, I decided to follow my dream of becoming a writer and, even if this is as far as it ever goes, I've accomplished that. And, it's all thanks to those of you out there who are following, reading, and encouraging.

To show my appreciation, I'm having a little giveaway. One of my lucky followers will receive a copy of one of my favorite cookbooks, Cooking in the South by Johnnie Gabriel. I've reviewed this cookbook here on the blog and have featured several recipes from it. It's an endearing cookbook. The more you read it, the more you'll like it. I promise!


As a way of saying "thank you", this giveaway is only open to my followers. New followers are always welcome! Just leave a comment below telling me you're interested in the giveaway. Also, please leave an e-mail address where I may reach you if you're the winner! Giveaway deadline is June 20, 2011.

Thank you and good luck!

Saturday, June 4, 2011

Sweet Indulgences Sunday #7

Summer is already here in Georgia - full blast!! Temps have been in the high 90's and we've had NO rain in southeast Georgia. My kids are out of school and are still young enough to need day care so that's costing me a fortune!! I've spent the last couple of months building up a stockpile of food from BOGO sales at Publix and other grocery stores so I'm going to try to use that stockpile to drive my cooking over the next few weeks as a way to possibly save some money until I get these rascals back in school.

I've spent some time going through my cookbooks and finding recipes that match the ingredients I have on hand. I'm planning on baking a couple of cakes this weekend to share here on A Well-Seasoned Life. I've found great inspiration in all of these wonderful blogs that feature such gorgeous desserts and I'm so glad that a lot of them decided to join the party here on A Well-Seasoned Life's Sweet Indulgences Sunday last week. I think you can consider yourself rich when you have a delicious dessert sitting on your kitchen table and family and friends to share it with you.


I prepared this cheese ball this week for a baby shower. I try to keep all of these ingredients in my fridge and pantry. You just never know when you're going to need a good cheese ball.


Last Week's Top Recipes:

#1

from Heritage Schoolhouse

#2


Brown Butter Toffee Blondies
from Indulge

Three Tie for #3

Gooey Chocolate Pudding Cake
from Fantastical Sharing of Recipes


Farmhouse Peach Pie
from Heritage Schoolhouse


Low Calorie Pina Colada Cupcakes
from Eating My Way Back

The Rules...

  1. Please link up to the URL of your specific recipe post, not the URL of your main blog. When it asks for "Name", type in the name of your recipe.
  2. Please place a link back to this post in your original post or Grab My Button included below.
  3. Share your most recent dessert. Link up as many desserts as you would like. More is always better when it comes to desserts!
  4. Leave me a comment in this post to let me know that you've joined the party. Also, if you're having your own linky party, feel free to post the link to your party in the comment section. I would love to join your party!
  5. Now, let's share the love! Please visit at least two others and comment on the delicious desserts that they've brought to the party. It means so much to a blogger to get some positive commentary!
Grab My Button:



Button


Again, thank you to everyone who returned to last week's party and to those who accepted my invitation and came for the first time. Thanks for sharing your desserts.

The party starts here:

Thursday, June 2, 2011

Eating for Two: Turtle Cheese Ball and Grape Salad


No, I'm not eating for two. Well, I'm eating enough for two but that's another story. Actually, my co-worker, Jenifer, is pregnant with her first child and we hosted a baby shower for her. There were tons of gifts and she's set for the first couple of months after the baby's arrival. However, I can't tell you much about what she received because I spent most of the shower hovering around the food: setting it out, replenishing it, explaining to people how to eat certain foods as if they had never seen a cheese ball and crackers. But, that's just the way I am. I call myself "helping". I've dragged myself away from the grazing long enough to share not one, but TWO recipes with you. You may eat them any way you feel is appropriate...

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Craft Corner: Celebration Balloon Wreath


Don't worry. This is not going to be a regular feature because I'm not crafty at all and never will be. I can't tell you how many times I've convinced myself that I could pull off a craft only to buy all of the materials and shove them in my closet never to be seen again. But, when I saw this Celebration Balloon Wreath on Our Best Bites, I thought it could possibly be a craft that I could actually pull off.