Making a House a Home

This yummy recipe is from an older issue of Southern Living magazine. This was quick and tasty! Even Mr. U loved this!!





Penne With Chicken, Spinach, and Tomatoes With Balsamic Vinaigrette

1 (14.5-ounce) box BARILLA PLUS Penne
1 pound skinned and boned chicken breasts, diced
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil, divided
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
2 1/2 cups (3 ounces) firmly packed fresh spinach, chopped
2 1/2 cups seeded and chopped fresh tomatoes
1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion
1/2 cup diced yellow bell pepper

1. Sauté chicken in 1 tablespoon hot olive oil in a medium skillet 5 to 6 minutes or until done.
2. Whisk together vinegar and mustard in a small bowl. Gradually whisk in 6 tablespoons olive oil until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
3. Cook pasta according to package directions; drain. Spread pasta in a single layer on a baking sheet. Drizzle with remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil. Let cool 10 minutes.
4. Toss together pasta, chicken, vinegar mixture, spinach, and remaining 3 ingredients in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately, or, if desired, cover and chill 1 hour before serving.

Makes 6 servings


Southern Living Cooking School, AUGUST 2008

I originally posted this brownie recipe in July of 2006.  2006!!!!!!  Were any of y'all reading blogs then????

Anyway, this is what I said...

Yes, I did it. I admit it. After my post this morning about Weight Watchers, I made brownies anyway. Not low fat brownies, mind you. Fully charged and loaded brownies!!! Wait'll you see the recipe and you'll see what I mean. These are GREAT brownies. Eat them. Share them. But most of all MAKE THEM!! You won't be sorry!! :)

So now that this is 2017 and I do still LOVE these brownies, I figured I'd share them again!!!  We still love them. We still make them.  These are sooooooo easy to make.  So nothings changed about our love of brownies here!!  

Oh, but, full disclosure here.... I do not do Weight Watchers anymore.  LOL. Y'all probably figured that out by now if you look at my recipes.  

What are you waiting for?  Go make these now!!  Mmmmm. Your family will thank you.

Mrs. U's BEST Brownies
12 T unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups sugar
1 cup salted butter, melted
4 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup self-rising flour
1 1/2 T vanilla extract

Combine cocoa and sugar. Stir in melted butter, eggs, flour and vanilla. Pour into a lightly greased 9 x 13 pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes. Cool, cut and eat!!!

Feel free to add nuts if your family likes.

Let me know if y'all make them!!!!!

It's no secret, I LOVE BAKING!!!!!  This past weekend, I decided to make an old favorite of ours- Old Fashioned Oatmeal Cookies.  (Am I the only one that thinks cookies seem healthier when oats are involved?  Ha!)

This recipe is a slight variation of the Vanishing Oatmeal Cookies from Quaker.

Old Fashioned Oatmeal Cookies
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt 
3 cups old fashioned oats
1 cup raisins (optional)

Heat oven to 350°F. In large bowl, beat butter and sugars until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla; beat well. Add combined flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt; mix well. Add oats and raisins (if using); mix well. 

Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls onto parchment lined cookie sheets.
Bake 9-11 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool 1 minute on cookie sheets; remove to wire rack. Cool completely. Store tightly covered. 





And I have got to share my mixer with y'all. I always wanted a big KitchenAid stand mixer, but at our old house, I had ZERO storage for one.  So Mr U sweetly bought me a KitchenAid hand mixer instead.  I LOVE LOVE LOVE  it!!!  I've been using it over 10 years and I haven't had the first problem with it.


Before this mixer, I had two other hand mixers.  What happened to them?  I broke them BOTH (as in they were smoking!!!!) while making the same recipe- a delicious Butter Pecan Cream Cheese Icing.  No joke.  Same recipe caused the motors to burn out on two different hand mixers.  Sooooo when I finally got my KitchenAid hand mixer, what do you think was the first recipe I tried?  Yep, the Butter Pecan Cream Cheese Icing.  Guess what?  IT DIDN'T BREAK!!!!!!!!  Soooo this wonderful KitchenAid hand mixer has been a dream come true for me!! YAY!!

*Amazon links are to my affiliate links.

 Oh y'all!!!!!  I've discovered a WONDERFUL blogger after my own heart- she LOVES baking and cooking for her family!!  Her name is Jenny and her blog is Planner Perfect Meals.  I'm pretty sure y'all will be drooling over all her recipes like I have been this morning as I have scrolled and read her blog.  YUM!!  Yes, I will be trying MANY of her recipes (not sure about roasted beets, but I just may give it a go!!!!)

Sooooo where will I start first?  Easy!!  Her Homemade White Bread!!  My girls and I all agree we NEED this today!!!  :)

How many times do your children want a grilled cheese sandwich and you stand at the stove making one sandwich at a time?  Tons of times, right?  Me, too.  Well, recently I was talking with lady at church who works in a school cafeteria.  She mentioned they served grilled cheese sandwiches that day.  "How in the WORLD do you make THAT many grilled cheese sandwiches?" I asked.  That's when she shared this recipe with me- you bake them in the oven!!!!!!

I heated the oven to 425 degrees then spread each slice of bread on one side only with butter.  I laid the buttered side down for 1/2 the bread slices and then place my cheese on top.  I put the rest of the bread on top with the buttered side facing up.  I baked them in the oven for about 7  minutes, then flipped them over and baked another 6 minutes (but watch your oven- temps vary!!!!)  They each came out DELICIOUS!!!  By far the EASIEST "grilled" cheese sandwiches I've ever made!!!

Here they are!  All ready for the oven!


Bake at 300 degrees for 30-40 minutes, taking them out to toss them around in the pan every 10 minutes.  Watch closely to make sure that they do not burn.  You want your croutons nicely browned all over, but not burned. 


Mmmmmm!!!!  The finished product!!  Yummy, crunchy, flavorful, homemade croutons!! 

Cookie Monster's Homemade Peanut Butter

1 pound (3 cups) dry roasted peanuts, unsalted or lightly salted

1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil

In large bowl, combine peanuts with oil. With a spoon, stir to mix well.

Pour the oiled peanuts into a food processor (I used a blender). Process until very smooth, about 3-4 minutes.

Using a rubber spatula, transfer the peanut butter to a container with a tight-fitting lid. Store in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.

I'm linking up with....

We've all had recipes that have called for "cold butter, diced".  It's such a pain, in my opinion, to try to dice butter. Even when it's straight out of the refrigerator, it still starts melting pretty fast once your hand starts touching it.

I've discovered a tip that works for me!!  I put the butter in the FREEZER about 20 minutes and then take it out and cut it into sticks and then dice it up.  It's firmer so it cuts more easily and it doesn't melt as quickly when my hands touch it.  After I dice it, I'll put it in a bowl in the refrigerator for a few minutes just to make sure it's cold when I use it.  This way it's perfectly cold for my biscuits or pie crust or whatever I need "cold butter, diced" for!!!

Tammy shared yesterday that she made a homemade Green Enchilada Sauce and WOW does it look YUMMY!!! I've made several enchilada recipes, but I'd REALLY love to know YOUR favorite enchilada recipe that uses green enchilada sauce! I'm just dying to try this new recipe.

Would y'all share?? Pretty please???

I know I can't be the only one out there that has looked EVERYWHERE for canned pumpkin lately, can I? If you're like me and cannot find it, I just found out there is a pumpkin shortage!! For real! Read about it here...

Still, this doesn't AT ALL change the fact that my family and I are really craving Pumpkin Sausage Pasta and Thai Style Chicken Pumpkin Soup!!!

I LOVE Watkins Vanilla!! Seriously, this is WAY better than the vanilla my mother used to use (Sorry Mom!!!!). It always smelled so medicine like to me. Watkins vanilla smells like, well, vanilla.

Today was grocery shopping day and I happily strolled down my favorite Walmart isle- the baking isle. (How many of y'all LOVE the baking isle, too?). I reached up to get my beloved Double Strength Vanilla and it was not there!!!!



I just made chocolate chip cookies tonight and there are 2 tsp less vanilla in my cute little bottle. OOOOOH!! I hope they restock their shelves soon!! How can I bake without it???

So tell me, what brand of vanilla do YOU prefer???

I LOOOOOVE Parmigiano Reggiano cheese!! I love the incredible smell that hits your nose when you first unwrap it from the plastic wrap it comes in. But, I do NOT love the plastic wrap!! There's no way that thin piece of plastic can keep your cheese from drying out!! What to do??

According to Whole Food's website this is how you store it properly...

Storing Parmigiano Reggiano

Wedges: Buy pieces that will last you just a week or two. Exposure to air causes the cheese to dry out and lose flavor, so keep it tightly wrapped in parchment paper or aluminum foil. Store in the cheese or veggie drawer of your refrigerator (40°F); freezing destroys its subtle nuances.

Grated: For maximum flavor and aroma, grate your own Parmigiano Reggiano directly onto food or buy it already grated as close as possible to when you plan to use it. Store pre-grated cheese in the refrigerator in a zip bag with all air squeezed out.

How do YOU store your Parmigiano Reggiano? With such yummy cheese, you most certainly don't want it to go bad!!

I've seen a lot of "talk" on blogs lately about Julia Child. I suppose it is because there is a new movie out about her life. She was an amazing chef and I still enjoy watching her TV shows on PBS.

For years, I've heard about pate a choux dough and have definitely eaten my share of eclairs and profiteroles in my life. I've also heard how easy they are to make. "Sure", I thought. "This is the kind of stuff that Julia Child makes, not me!!" And so, I put it off. Until Friday.

Friday afternoon, I had nothing going on. Nothing planned. All my housekeeping duties were completed for the day. It was a quiet, rainy afternoon and nothing stood between me and gougeres except fear!!!!! And fear I did, until I started cooking.

Once I started, I discovered that this "fancy" recipe wasn't quite so hard at all! In fact, it is, by far, the EASIEST bread type of recipe I have ever made!!! So, if any of y'all have ever wondered about the pate a choux process, press on!!!

I used Amy Finley's recipe from Gourmet Next Door. I used half the dough and made gougeres (with Swiss instead of Gruyere) and the other half for, what will be, profiteroles. I froze the profiteroles and will make them into the real deal this week (complete with yummy cream filling) for dessert.

What recipe have you feared making and then, once you started cooking, you didn't fear it so much after all??

There's something extra homey about making your own chicken stock. Not only is it less expensive than buying the boxed stuff at the supermarket, it is WAY healthier for you, too. And OH how my home smells soooo yummy while the stock is simmering on my stove!! I just love knowing that I am giving my family something that tastes so good.


Chicken Stock 101
(at least, the Mrs. U version of it!)

1) Rub 5 chicken breasts (with skin and bones) with extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper. Roast chicken breasts in a 400 degree oven for 45-55 minutes until it is golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool. Once cool, separate the meat from bones and store the meat for later use.

2) Place chicken bones and fat in an 8 qt stock pot. Roughly chop 2 onions, 4 ribs celery and 3 carrots and place in stock pot along with 2 bulbs of garlic (cut in half) and 4 bay leaves, 2 tsp dried thyme, 1 tsp rosemary and a big handful of peppercorns (yes, put them in whole). And, this may sound like a strange ingredient, but also add 2-3 T of apple cider vinegar. Cover everything with water to the very rim of the pot. Cover with lid.

3) Bring stock pot to boil and then uncover and turn down to a simmer. Let this simmer away on the stove for about 6 hours (Yes, you need to be home all day to do this, but BOY is it worth it!!!). The water level will go down 2-3 inches and you will be left with a dark, flavorful broth!!!

4) Once it's done simmering, turn the stove off and let it sit for about 30 minutes to cool slightly. Using a colander, drain the stock into a very large bowl (I use another 8 qt stock pot). The colander will catch all the vegetables, spices and bones and the stock will drain into the large bowl. Discard the lefover vegetables and such and let the stock cool for about an hour more.

5) Once it's cooled a little more, cover the bowl and put it in the refrigerator. I usually let it sit in the refrigerator overnight. The next morning, the fat has risen to the top of the stock and solidified and I can easily skim it off and discard it.

6) Ladel the chicken stock into your containers to freeze the stock (and be sure and leave some headroom to freeze) for later use or use right away in a yummy recipe for your family!!!

A sweet couple in our church went to Tennessee last week and came home with a huge box full of these peppers!! I've never seen pale yellow or purple bell peppers before!! Have you?

I LOVE using fresh herbs in my meals. Even better, though, is when the fresh herbs come from our garden.

Today's meal, Pumpkin Sausage Pasta, has fresh Sage. Mmmmmm, the fragrance is heavenly!

This year we are also growing rosemary (well, that's a year round bush), basil, thyme, oregano and some type of lemon scented oregano.

What herbs are you growing in your garden this year?

What are your favorite fresh herbs to cook with (even if you don't have a garden)?

Mmmmm.... why is it that the first watermelon of the year is ALWAYS the best watermelon of the year?

I make muffins quite often. They are the perfect "fast food" for mornings. I've been making different muffin recipes for years and each time I've used a spoon to get the muffin mixture into the muffin tin. A mess would ALWAYS occur and I'd always try my best to get all the little spills cleaned off the edges of the pan. What a pain.

But recently, I heard Ina Garten recommend using a regular ice cream scoop to, well, scoop the muffin mixture into the individual tins.


Aside from the fact that I have heard her mention this MANY times before and I COMPLETELY ignored her, you know what? It worked!! And it worked PERFECTLY, too, I must add!! All the muffins are incredibly close to being the same size! And it was MUCH quicker than trying to spoon it all in!!

I should have listened sooner!!!

This works perfectly for me everytime!!

Now... to find a spot to picnic....

A reader of this blog emailed me yesterday with photos of her yummy looking Coconut Cream Pie!! She did celebrate National Pie Day in her home, but she wanted to share with us in the blogging world, too. Since she doesn't have a blog (yet!!), she sent the photos, too. YUM!!! And I especially love how she made little individual pies for everyone!!!

Coconut Cream Pie

1 (9 inch) pie shell, baked
1 (5 ounce) package instant vanilla pudding mix
1 1/2 cups milk
1 1/2 cups flaked coconut
1 (8 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed

-In a large bowl, combine the pudding mix and milk until the pudding mixture thickens. Fold 1 cup of coconut and half of the nondairy whipped topping into the pudding. Pour the combination into the prepared pie crust.

-Spread the remainder of the nondairy whipped topping on top of the pie. Sprinkle with the remainder of the coconut. Refrigerate, and serve chilled.



A note from Ellen...

As you can see I opted out of the toasted coconut topping....I ran out of time! I also added a smidge of coconut flavoring since I love coconut!!

Happy National Pie Day!
Ellen