Real life with Lar

Momma's Beef Chili  Perfect to celebrate the beginning of Winter This by far the easiest tastiest chili I have ever made.  It makes quite a bit and with cornbread, it truly hits the spot on a cold, winter day. 2 lbs lean ground beef (@least 93% lean 7% fat) 1 large, diced onion 1 large jar (24-32oz) Salsa medium heat (I prefer the white corn and black bean salsa) 1 T Cumin 2 T Chili powder 1 tsp Red pepper flakes 1 T Garlic powder 1 large and one small Bush’s Chili Beans ( they are gluten free) Siracha to taste I use about 1-2 T because we love the heat and flavor. In a large pot over medium heat combine the onion and ground beef, cooking till the meat is almost cooked through. Add the spices and mix well. Let it cook another 2-3 mins. Add the jar of salsa and mix well turning the heat to low. Add the cans of Chili Beans (if you want, add more cans of beans.  I just like a meatier chili) Let simmer for about 30 minutes then

A Tribute to My Mom Today is my mom’s birthday. I hope you don’t mind but I wanted to share a little insight to the kind of lady my mom was. As a little girl mom would make peanut butter sandwiches… cut off the crust and make them into finger sandwiches. I would set up my stuffed animals, tea set, and Mom would join me. Together, with my shaggy brown bear and my Barbie (who had no clothes), we would have the best time sipping 'our tea' and practicing our manners.   When I had my daughters it was mom who gave them their first tea set. She would have tea with them the same way she had tea with me. I loved how they were smiling and laughing together. She would tell them stories of woman in the Bible.   Bringing the women to life and encouraging her granddaughters to become the very best they could be. Mom used our tea parties to teach us what being a true lady was... Generously kind Compassionate to others An encourager  A nd above all, represent Ch

The Thanksgiving Day Dance My Thanksgiving day cooking schedule is something I've tweaked and perfected over time. Its like a well choreographed dance; flowing and moving towards a great ending of...well... making us feel as stuffed as the Turkey. 😉 One of the best decisions I ever made was to start my prep work on the day before. This way I can enjoy my family more on Thanksgiving day itself. So here is my order of prep and cooking... Wednesday I start with my pies. I usually make a few pecan pies. I just double the batch and split the filling in half between the 2 pie crusts. While the pies are in the oven I start on other deserts. This year I'm making Paula Deen's "Oooey Gooey Pumpkin Cake" and some of my fudge brownies. All in all, this takes just a few hours from start to finish. Once I am done with desserts I clean up and then I work on some prep for the actual meal. I will... Chop onions and celery for the stuffing Tear the bread

Lar’s Homemade Stuffing This recipe is truly an act of love. About 25 years ago, my husband (aka Smokin) was wanting homemade stuffing.  I went searching for what makes a good stuffing and this is what I came up with. My husband loves it and so does everyone else. And, although I still love me some Stove Top Stuffing, nothing beats homemade.  My stuffing is easy to make and delicious which is the best kind of recipe.  Here's what you will need... 6 c Stale Bread (just tear up regular white or wheat bread(about 12-16 slices.) Leave out over night to dry out some) 2 Sticks Butter (one melted) 6 Stalks of Celery, diced (leaves included) 1 Lrg. diced Onion (White or Yellow) 1 tsp Pepper Salt to taste(I use between a ½-1 tsp) 1 T Rubbed Sage 1 ½ T  Thyme 1 C Applesauce ⅔ C Chicken Stock To make the stuffing… Put the bread pieces in a large bowl In a skillet or pot melt 1 stick of butter Add the diced onion and celery in the skillet, over med-

Lar's Sweet Potato Casserole It's Supercalifragilisticeexpialidocious! This is a super easy side dish that could also be a dessert. It is sweet, flavorful, and oh so decadent. If you have family or friends who are gluten-free just omit the bourbon and replace with a tablespoon of Vanilla Extract.  Here's what you need... Allspice is not shown  Part 1~ The Casserole Base 6 medium peeled and diced Sweet Potatoes 4 T Butter 2/3 C Orange Juice 1 T Cinnamon  2 tsp Nutmeg 1 tsp Salt (taste after its mixed to see if more salt is needed) 1 (or 2) shot of Bourbon (Omit this and add 1 T of Vanilla Extract for a gluten free recipe) Place the peeled diced potatoes in a pot and cover with water. Boil until fork tender then drain in strainer and return to pan Put all the rest of the casserole base ingredients into the pot and mash together. (This step helps to take out any stress you may have when smashing the potatoes wit

Thanksgiving Meal Grocery List Thankful for this view from my living room sofa! Thanksgiving is a little over a week away!! Have you planned your Thanksgiving Day meal yet!? If not, there is no time like the present. Planning your meal is step one in prepping for your day. Step 2 is making a shopping list.   I like to make my shopping list like this… Go through every recipe and write down what is needed. Then, check your pantry and refrigerator to make sure of what you have on hand so you don’t over buy or “think” you have something you don’t and have to trek to the grocery store on Thanksgiving morning. (Or in my case - send Smokin Hot Hubby) Below is my shopping list for my Thanksgiving Day meal. I always cook A LOT because it’s what I love to do. Cooking great food for family and friends is what makes Thanksgiving my very favorite holiday. The list shown below is the ingredients and amounts needed for my menu but I have found that a Thanksgiving grocery list is

Declutter Challenge Continues Worst cabinet to kick off the declutter challenge! So many of us have been working on getting our kitchen organized these past few weeks. We were/are organizing one drawer/cabinet at a day. If you are just now joining the Fall/Holiday Series there is still time to work on your kitchen. I promise that putting forth just this little bit of effort will make you feel less stressed and make your holidays more enjoyable. I showed a picture above of under my Range. It was by far my worst cabinet. Today I am showing a before and after of my worst drawer. The dreaded "catch all" or "junk" drawer BEFORE                                 AFTER The same organizing method applies to cleaning out the drawers as it does the cabinets Take everything out Sort everything into 3 piles.  *Trash  *Donate *Keep Once you decided what to keep then use drawer dividers or containers to help organize your things. Now that everything in the

Fall Series Recipe Edition Jalapeño Pepper Poppers Nothing says Fall like football. I love to watch college football. Those kids really give it their heart and soul when playing. So of course when there is football there are yummy (not so good for you) snacks that enhance the game even more. One of my favorite is Jalapeño Poppers. I had only bought the frozen poppers and never had homemade until we visited my friend Torri's home, some years back. She pulled the poppers out of the oven and we all pounced.  Wow, they were great! Torri's recipe was my inspiration for this version of Jalapeño Poppers. Thanks girlfriend! Here's what you'll need: 12-- Jalapeño peppers, halved, seeded, and deveined (I recommend wearing gloves when prepping the peppers and make sure you wash your hands after handling the peppers.) 1 12 oz. tub of whipped cream cheese, plain 1 C--Shredded Sharp cheddar cheese 1 C--Pepper Jack cheese, shredded (you can do 2 C cheddar if you wa

SHHH...I have a Secret!! Most people have a junk/catch all drawer; I have a cabinet. It is the bane of my existence. It has everything from tupperware, foil pans, even a gift bag from last Christmas. When I open it to take out a muffin tin everything falls out. I literally have to stuff it back in. It's embarrassing and it's real. I said that in the Fall/Holiday Series we were going to start in the kitchen. The hub of activity for the family is almost always the kitchen. Cookie baking, turkey dinner, holiday parties and more are centered around food. It's important to make sure that our kitchens are in order.  It might seem overwhelming to some because your kitchen is SO crazy, disorganized and chaotic. So we are going to take the rest of October to organize it one step at a time.  Here is the challenge: For the next 15 days we are going to tackle the clutter. We are going to commit to 10 minutes a day, at the most, cleaning out one drawer