First Dinner Party...Post Baby

In my pre-baby days, Jason and I loved to host friends over for dinner, football games and any occasion where we could have a party and entertain. We were lots of fun, really. And we still have fun but it just looks a tad different. Like dinner out at 5:30pm with baby toys to keep CC busy and we finish our wild time by picking up the puff cereal that ends up all over the restaurant floor. And sure we can have friends over but now we pretty much shut things down by 7pm or 8 at the latest because Collins's bathtime/bedtime routine awaits us. But she is worth it all so no complaints. So when I can actually plan ahead, the old me creeps in and is ready to host...pre baby style. I am talking planning a yummy menu, table settings....the works. Recently and for the first time since our baby girl arrived, I pulled it off a real dinner party.

And before I take any more credit, I never can pull off any kind of entertaining without my husband. He is always cooking and cleaning with me. This time, one of us had baby duty while the other prepped. And we were still putting the finishing touches on the table as guests arrived but oh well. We are rolling with the punches around here..

  So I got the entertaining bug and we invited a friends over that we rarely get to hang out with but that we love. When you have babies, you tend to hang out with baby mommas and daddies. But that doesn't mean we don't love getting to spend time with our friends without the babies because we SO do. And it is so easy to have a late night because if we are the only ones with a baby, then we just put our little munchkin to sleep and then we can party on. Not a shabby deal.

Right before the little bug said her good night and the adults could play:)

I wanted to host a dinner party with quite a few couples but Jason made me trim the guest list down to only 3 couples because we only have 8 china place settings. Yes, we pulled out the wedding china. We started with Onion Souffle which is a recipe handed to me from a dear old friend, Lacey,  that I lived with in college. It has been a favorite of mine for years since she first made it. I have never met one person who does not go nuts over this appetizer dish. We had Sausage and Sun Dried Tomato Bread Pudding after our salad course along with Carrot Souffle. The Carrot Souffle recipe was given to me my Aunt Gay at my wedding shower that she graciously hosted for me before Jason and I got married. This recipe is amazing and almost tastes like dessert. For actual dessert we had Chocolate Crunch Cheesecake and the secret crunch was rice crisped chocolate and pretzels. It was a hit. We had an amazing time getting to spend a fun evening with our friends while our little cherub slept without ever making a peep..even when we broke out the Wobble and had ourselves a little dance party;) I have to say the menu was delicious and I had so much fun planning it. It's the small things in life...

Onion Souffle

1/2 cup mayonnaise

2 cups parmesan

3 8oz. packages cream cheese

1 package frozen onions

Crushed Red Pepper Flakes

Mix first 4 ingredients in bowl. place in a 9x9 inch baking dish and sprinkle red pepper flakes on top to taste. Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes until gold and bubbly. Serve warm with wheat thins or fritos. 

AMAZING!

Sausage and Sun Dried Tomato Bread Pudding

1 lb. sweet Italian sausage, casing removed

1 bag seasoning blend (bell pepper, onion and celery)

1 lb. loaf Italian bread, cut into 1-inch cubes

3 cups shredded swiss cheese

2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1/2 cup chopped oil packed sun dried tomatoes

2 tsp Italian seasoning

1 tsp salt

8 large eggs

3 cups whole milk

1 cup ricotta cheese

In large skillet, combine sausage and seasoning blend and cook over medium heat. Stir occasionally until sausage is cooked and crumbly. Drain.

Grease a 13X9 inch baking dish with nonstick spray. Spread half of bread cubes evenly in bottom of prepared baking dish. Top evenly with half of sausage mixture. 

In a medium bowl, combine swiss, mozzarella, sun dried tomatoes, Italian seasoning, and salt. Spread half of cheese mixture evenly over sausage. 

In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs and milk. Pour half of egg mixture evenly over cheeses. Dollip evenly with ricotta cheese. Repeat layers, beginning with bread and ending with egg mixture. Let stand for 30 minutes, pressing bread down lightly with the back of a wooden spoon. 

Preheat oven to 375.

Bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until center is set and top is golden brown. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving. 

Carrot Souffle

1 lb. carrots, peeled and chopped

1/2 cup sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp vanilla extract 

3 tbsp flour

3 eggs beaten

1 stick butter, softened

powdered sugar

Cook carrots until tender. Combine hot carrots, sugar, baking powder and vanilla. Beat until smooth . Add flour and mix well. Add egg mixture, add butter and mix well. Spray a 9x9 baking dish with non stick cooing spray. 

Bake at 350 for 45 minutes or until top is a light golden brown. Do not overbake. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Serve warm. 

Chocolate Crunch Cheesecake

1/2 cup butter

1 (1 oz) semisweet chocolate baking square

1 1/2 cups crushed pretzel

1/2 cup  finely chopped pecans

3 Tbsp. sugar

1 (8oz) package cream cheese, softened

1 (3oz) package cream cheese, softened

2/3 cup sugar

5 large eggs

8 (1-oz) semisweet chocolate baking squares, melted and cooled

1/3 cup whipping cream

2 cups frozen whipped topping, thawed

3 (1.55 oz) milk chocolate with crisped rice bars, finely chopped

Combine butter and 1 oz chocolate in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium low heat, stirring frequently, until melted. Remove from heat, and stir in crushed pretzels, pecans, and 3 tablespoons sugar. Press mixture firmly in bottom and 2 inches up sides of a 9 inch springform pan. Bake at 350  for 5 minutes. Cool on a wire rack. 

Beat cream cheese at medium speed with an electric mixer 2 minutes Gradually add 2/3 cup sugar, beating well. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until blended after each addition. Add melted chocolate and whipping cream, beat at low speed until blended. Pour batter into prepared crust. Bake  at 375 for 35 minutes or until center is almost set. Cool to room temperature on a wire rack. Cover and chill 8 hours. Combine whipped topping and chopped candy bars, stirring gently. Spread over cheesecake. Cover and chill until ready to serve. Remove sides of pan. Garnish with crisped rice chocolate bars, if desired. 

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Sisters Weekend in Houma: S'mores Brownies and Jalapeno Corn Casserole

    Sisters...nothing sweeter than that word. Seriously, they are your best friends, honest feedback givers (wanted and unwanted) and trusted confidants. And well, you can fight like no one else but who cares because you forget about it a week later. I have been blessed with 3 sisters. And they are a huge blessing in my life. If you have a sister, you know what I am talking about. And if you don't, I pray you have a best friend who is like a sister and that can work too:) And I have all of the above. I don't deserve it.  Real sisters and best friends like a sister. I have been blessed with close relationships with some amazing girls from Louisiana to Tennessee and now to Texas. Thank you, Jesus.

   When my sisters and I can't be together, we send tons of text messages and we talk on the phone as much as possible. Thank God for technology that we can be together without having to be in each other's physical presence. But when we DO get together, we act nothing short of crazy. We laugh, we cry, we confess and we give advice. We can solve the world's problems in 10 minutes flat. Our husbands think we are nuts, our kids think we are funny and the babies just watch us in wonder. That is what makes a sisterhood, whether blood related or not...you can just be yourself and then they take their masks off too. I LOVE it when sisters(or BFFs) get real.

   Jen, Claire, myself and all the hubbies, kids and babies recently gathered in Houma, where the baby sis, Claire lives. Her and her hubby, JP, just built a beautiful new home and well, we love to bring our families and we somehow manage to dirty up their "perfect, no kids home" within 20 minutes of arriving:)

    Claire is the hostess with the mostess and had a fabulous weekend planned. It consisted of a delicious dinner on Friday night, men fishing on Saturday while the ladies shopped and then we all had a little lunch all together. I know our waitress must have thought we were the circus coming to town. We are loud, babies crying, girls laughing, men drinking and kids playing. Bless her heart.

   On Saturday night, Claire's hubby, JP, cooked the most amazing fried fish you have ever tasted. I wish that is the recipe I had to share but he is all secret about it. But I did have a few things to offer to the menu and I had the cutest help ever, named Cate. 

    She is my niece and she has the biggest heart and loves to help me cook, help me with Collins or whatever. I pray CC has a heart like this precious girl. And can I tell you how much Cate LOVESSSS Collins. I can already tell they will be BFF. Jen and I are in trouble.Double Cuteness Trouble!

    I originally wanted to post one of the many videos we took of ourselves dancing, laughing and just being us. But I am pretty sure my sisters would have made me take it off within a few minutes. But to imagine, there may have been a little "Baby Got Back" played as well as "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" and we may or may not have used wine bottles and baby bottles as microphones:) As always, we had the best time together all weekend long. I hope you enjoy these Houma weekend recipes. 

Jalapeno Corn Casserole

4 (15oz) cans whole kernal corn, drained

1/2 cup butter

1 (8oz) pkg cream cheese, softened

1 cup can evaporated milk

4 tbls all purpose flour

4 jalapenos, seeded and chopped

Preheat oven to 400. 

Place corn evenly in bottom of a 9x13 inch dish.

In a medium saucepan, combine butter and cream cheese; cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until butter is melted and mixture is smooth. Stir in evaporated milk and flour, and continue cooking until mixture is smooth and creamy, about 5 minutes. Stir in jalapenos. Pour butter mixture over corn; mix well. Bake for 30 minutes. 

S'MORE Brownies

1 box of brownie mix

10 whole graham cracker squares, broken into pieces (broken, no smashed!!)

1 bag miniature marshmallows

1 cup milk chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350. 

Grease 13x9 inch pan. Mix brownie mix according to directions on package. Pour into pan and bake 18 minutes.

Remove from oven and sprinkle with graham cracker pieces, pressing down lightly. Sprinkle evenly with marshmallows and chocolate chips util graham cracker layer cannot be see. Return to oven and continue baking 12 minutes. Let cool before cutting.

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Boozed Baked Beans

Boozed Baked Beans....exactly what it sounds like: baked beans with alcohol. And they are amazing!

We recently had a fun summer Saturday cookout with sweet friends who have become dear friends to us. And guess how we met? On a blind date. Seriously. So when we told some of our best friends in Nashville (Jenn and Jett) that we were moving, my dear Jenn said (through her sad little tears) that I would have to meet her sorority sister, Mary Rachel, who just moved to Houston too....at least she and I could be together.

Me and sweet Jenn just a few days ago in Nashville! Still the best of friends!

See, Jenn and I were simpatico from the moment we met so it broke my heart to tell her that we were moving. But now to have a new friend here in Houston that was all orchestrated by Jenn makes me feel like she is present when Mary Rachel and I are together. And Jenn was right, I loved Mary Rachel from the moment I met her. We have way too much in common from both loving our Jenn, to being new to Houston, to teaching Kindergarten to both living in Louisiana at some point to marrying LSU fanatics and now being new mommies together. May Rachel and David had their precious little Matthew last August only 4 months before Collins was born. And Mary Rachel and I both love anything and everything monogrammed. She is like the kind of friend that we pin all the same stuff on Pinterest. That is serious friendship! :)  So now Mary Rachel and David are sweet, dear friends of ours just like Jenn and Jett still are to us. Thank you, my lovely Jenn for introducing us! Oh and our blind date? Mary Rachel and me plus our hubbies all met for pizza right when we moved to Houston last December and have been doing life together since. We love their friendship!

So before babies, the four of us met for yummy dinners out. Well, now? Not so much. However we did recently all go to an Jason Aldean concert and totally rocked it like weren't tired parents with babies at home:) But now, we get together for dinner with babies on board. We love a good cook out and taking the babies for a dip in the pool.  This particular night started with the pool with the mommies and babies swimming together and the men drinking their beer, of course. 

Once the babies got tired of that, we let them play in jello, in diapers on the patio. It was a green but fun mess but oh so cute!

This then led to an outside dinner for both babies because they were covered in sticky jello and bug spray. And that led to a their first little bath together. We took pictures and videos the entire time and promised to embarrass them with the pictures one day when they are older. After bath came bed with both babies going down with ease and Matthew wearing Collins pajamas!  After wine was poured and we could finally relax, we ate.....at 9pm. But that's the new, good life so we roll with the punches! 

So dinner consisted of burgers, chips and dip and Boozed Baked Beans. The men LOVED this dish...probably because of the alcohol but either way, it was GOOD.

Boozed Baked Beans

6 slices bacon

1 large onion, chopped

1 medium green pepper, chopped

2 16-ounce cans pork and beans

1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp. dry mustard

1 cup ketchup

1/4 cup whiskey

Preheat oven to 350. Cook bacon in skillet until done. Remove bacon and chop into small pieces. Set aside. Keep 2 tablespoons of drippings and drain the rest. Add onion and pepper to drippings and saute until soft. Combine all ingredients, except bacon, in 9 x 9 inch dish. Top with bacon. Bake for 40-45 minutes. Enjoy!

This cooking is for you, Momou! I love you!

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Momou's Baked Macaroni

So how do I even begin to write about one of my most favorite and cherished dishes that has ever passed my lips? A recipe that I have loved since before I can even remember and a recipe that probably has more memories than any other. It is time for "that" blog...Momou's Macaroni. I need to stress to you that this is not, I repeat NOT your normal macaroni. Unless the macaroni dish that you bring to mind has sugar and evaporated milk in it. Because my friends...this one does.

There is nothing like this macaroni. Pure creaminess topped with pure sweetness. I have spent so many family dinners/holiday meals with this very macaroni present. If you called Momou right this second and asked her what Leesha's (that's how she refers to me) favorite Momou recipe was, she would know. Her Momou's macaroni.

I have to share 2 particular memories about Momou and this macaroni because this is "that" kind of recipe. One with many stories attached. First of all, when I was younger Momou would frequently come to stay the night with us. What precious times those were. I can remember how exciting a school day was just knowing that Momou would be waiting in the carpool line to pick us up. She would then take us to get a snack, our usual ICEE and bag of chips. Once back to our home, she would pop her trunk and there would be her glass 9x13 dish with all of the macaroni ingredients stacked up in it. EVERY. SINGLE. TIME.

Another sweet memory of Momou's sweet macaroni is that every single Sunday during hunting season I would know that I would be having macaroni for dinner. Do you want to know how I know this? Well, my dad, uncle and grandpa would hunt each and every weekend from Friday to Sunday and then head to Momou's for Sunday lunch. And every Sunday she would make her famous Sunday lunch. Chicken Fricassee, tomato gravy, rice and gravy, rolls and SWEET MACARONI! And that meant that Momou would always send some home to me. EVERY. SINGLE. TIME.

So how do you make this treasured macaroni? See below for this secret and get ready to fall in love...

Momou's Baked Macaroni
1 (12 oz.) package of long macaroni (Yes, this exists! The fancy name is Perciatelli. You may have to search hard but it is worth it. Try Kroger or Brookshires)
1 (12 oz.)can of evaporated milk
1 stick butter
2 tablespoons sugar OR MORE (you can bet that I add at least 1/4 cup)
6 to 8 oz. Velveeta cheese

In a large pot put water to boil. Salt to taste. Put in macaroni. (Momou breaks hers in half before adding to boiling water.) Boil until tender. Drain. Pour macaroni and all other ingredients into a 9 x 13 glass dish. Stir well. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes. Now here's the trick...you HAVE to keep a watchful eye on the macaroni. Once the evaporated milk is just about gone you have to turn off the oven right then and there and let the macaroni sit. And then you will be assured of creamy and sweet macaroni.

A favorite pastime of mine, my aunts, sisters and Momou is to "try" the macaroni once it was out of the oven. We did this without barely anyone noticing. We did this by grabbing a lose edge of a noodle whose end was a little toasted at the top of the dish. Just simply pull this toasted end and it will just slide right out all creamy and yummy on the other end.

I hope this dish finds its way onto your table over the next Sunday lunch or holiday dinner. Or even a random weekday night! I assure you that your day will be much better knowing that Momou's macaroni is at the end of it. Enjoy!

P.S. The picture above is of Momou, my husband and I on our wedding day. We were showing Momou the goblets that we were using. They were the goblets made especially from Momou and Grandpa's 50th anniversary party. Jason had the larger goblet that was engraved "Lut" and mine was the smaller goblet engraved "Narcille". Priceless...

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Rice Cooker Potatoes

Right now, blogging about a Momou recipe is all I can think to do to somewhat feel close to my family in Louisiana. Today is a special and bittersweet day as my family will gather to celebrate my grandfather's 90th birthday and his 90 years of life...and I can't be there. I figured that since I always feel close to home when I blog a Momou recipe that this will have to do for now.

On a lighter note, who exactly has ever heard of rice cooker potatoes? That's right...potatoes cooked in a rice cooker. I have always heard of Momou's famous Rice Cooker Potatoes but could never bring to mind a time that I have had them. Well, I am here to tell you that I know now why these little potatoes are so famous. They are DELICIOUS and easy! If you have some potatoes and a rice cooker (if you don't, then I suggest you run out to get one right now) then you are in business! I know it doesn't sound like anything special but I promise these potatoes were not too shabby for Lisa! The really great thing is that you can add whatever your little heart desires to this recipe...various spices, cheese, sausage...you name it! See below to find out more and I am warning you that this may be just the easiest recipe you ever did see!

Rice Cooker Potatoes
1/2 stick butter
4-5 medium potatoes-peeled and cut into small pieces
1/2 small onion sliced
salt and pepper to taste (Of course a little Tony's too!)

Mix potatoes, onion and salt and pepper in bowl. Put margarine in rice cooker and add potato mixture. Turn rice cooker on. Cook about 1/2 to 3/4 hour or until the rice cooker turns off. Stir occasionally.

And there you have it...done and done! These potatoes remind me of a zesty hash brown dish. What a cheap and quick recipe and one that you truly can fix and forget! In a day where life is so busy and it is important to save money,this recipe is perfect to have on hand. The special part of this recipe is that it is a "Momou original" written in her handwriting which means it is definitely a recipe to add to your "tried and true" collection. Enjoy!

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Potatoes Au Gratin

Well it is official...college football is finally here! I will be honest and say that I am more into the tailgaiting part of things versus actually watching the game but that is why I have my honey. He watches the game and I get to focus on what we are going to be eating while he watches the game:)

Last Saturday, we went to watch a football game (I think it involved Ohio) over at our dear friends house. There were a few other couples there and we each brought a dish (or 2 or 3). I swear we had enough food to feed an entire football team! It truly was the best kind of football party. The girls yapped all night long (not even looking at the TV) and the men were in the living room watching the game...and out of our hair (but we do love them so:). Jason and I were put in charge of bringing a side dish so I immediately went to Momou's collection of recipes...

I think Momou must LOVE potatoes because she has so many different potatoes recipes clipped out! Which is perfect for me because I love potatoes too and I will be happy to try out all of her potato recipes. The recipe is below with my precious little thoughts following. I must add that this recipe was introduced by the following statement "This rich casserole is a delicious and elegant way to serve potatoes". I don't know why but this statement tickles me. No telling when this recipe was printed but in 2009 an elegant way to serve potatoes would be some sort of gourmet recipe that would call for infusing fingerling potatoes with strawberry champagne sauce then drizzling the potatoes with balsamic vinegar THEN topping with garlic roasted baby bella mushrooms. Nothing is simple anymore! But I think I rather Momou's day in age much better where elegant was considered nothing but using lots of butter and cheese and topping it with bread crumbs! Anywho, the recipe is below:

Potatoes Au Gratin

4 medium-size (1 1/2 pounds) all-purpose potatoes,
cut crosswise into 1/4 inch-thick slices (4 cups)
5 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups milk
1 1/4 cups shredded Cheddar, Swiss or Muenster cheese
1 teaspoons salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 cup fresh bread crumbs

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease shallow 1 1/2-quart casserole or baking dish. In heavy 2-quart saucepan, cover potatoes with water. Heat to boiling; boil until just tender-5 minutes. Drain and set potatoes aside in colander.
2. In same saucepan, melt 2 tablespoons butter. Stir in flour and cook, stirring constantly, 3 minutes. Remove from heat. Gradually stir in milk until smooth.
3. Return saucepan to stove and bring to a boil. Lower heat to low-medium heat and cook, stirring constantly, until slightly thickened-5 minutes. Add cheese, salt, and pepper. Cook, stirring until smooth. Remove from heat.
4. In 1-quart saucepan, melt remaining 3 tablespoons butter. Remove from heat; add bread crumbs and lightly toss.
5. Layer half the potatoes in greased baking dish. Pour half the sauce over potatoes, lifting slices to cover all potatoes with sauce. Layer remaining potatoes on top and cover with remaining sauce. Sprinkle with bread crumbs.
6. Bake uncovered until potatoes are tender and top is golden-30 to 40 minutes.

Now I know there are so many au gratin recipes out there but this one really is simple and delicious! The sauce alone is amazing! It is almost like an Alfredo sauce (which I LOVE). For all of you spice lovers out there I would suggest adding a dash of Tony's or Cayenne pepper for a little heat! My bacon lovin honey also suggested adding a layered of crumbled bacon between the 2 layers of potatoes. That is actually not a bad idea of all! This dish feeds about 8 people so it would be great to serve at an intimate dinner party or for Sunday lunch with the family. Or just cook for you loved ones as the perfect comfort food!

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