Personal Food Shopper? Kinda. . .

I got home really late last night.  It was close to 9 p.m.!  One of my fellow bloggers commented about how late it was. . .but that is the reality of my life.  I work full time so all of my appointments and errands have to be run AFTER work.  Which got me to thinking. . .what can I do to remove some of that stress and to help myself be more time efficient? 

Sometimes I run errands at lunch time.  The girls in the office love this too.  We knock out our entire list of household items that need to be picked up at the local discount store, or makeup at the local pharmacy and then stop for a quick lunch on the way back to the office.

Another thing that has been a HUGE convienence. . .my employer started participating in something called Fruit My Cube.  They have both Market Crates along with Fruit Cubes.  I've purchased the fruit in the past (awesome, by the way!).  This week I decided to purchase the Market Crate as well.  It is loaded with all the main things that I will need to put together sides for Thanksgiving. . .almost everything is in there but the turkey!

It will be delivered on Monday.  I'll keep you posted with recipes and photos of what I use the ingredients for next week.

Here is everything included in the Thanksgiving Market Crate:

2lb Sweet Potatoes

2lb Red New Potatoes

12oz Cranberries

Dole Celery

1lb Baby Carrots

1pt Grape Tomatoes

2 Sunkist Oranges

1 Red Pepper

1 Yellow Pepper

2 Yukon Bakers

Cauliflower

1 Sweet Onion

Green Onions

1lb Broccoli Crowns

1pt White Mushrooms

All these items for . . . just $19.99!  The best part?  It is delievered right to my desk at work.  I don't have to go to the store and select everything and then stand in line to pay.  I did it all online today and will have it on Monday.  That is sweet! 

Here is the fruit box I ordered as well:

4 Bananas

4 Premium WA Apples

4 Sunkist Oranges

4 US #1 Pears

The fruit box that I ordered is $10.99.  I think that is a pretty good deal, again, especially considering it gets delivered right to my desk. 

Thanks, Fruit My Cube!  You just made preparing for Thanksgiving a little less stressful!

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Mexicali Chicken Recipe

I just love my crock pot.  Any chance I get I try to use it.  And I'm the queen of just throwing in a variety of ingredients without a recipe and just praying all day it turns out good enough to eat when I get home from work.

I got a really good deal on skinless, bone-in chicken breasts this past weekend, and they needed to be cooked, so I started with those.  Then I looked in the pantry to see what else I could add to the pot to make a main dish.  This is what I came up with. . .I served it over rice and thought it had a lot of flavor.  I used the Hot Rotel with habaneros, but you might want to consider the regular or even the mild variety if you don't prefer very spicy foods.  I love spicy and even I thought it had quite a kick to it.



This is the finished dish once the chicken has been shredded.

Next time (yes, I thought it was good enough to try again) I might consider leaving out the green beans and using the meat as a filling for some soft corn tacos.  They would be very tasty with some black bean, corn and avocado salsa and a little sour cream on top. 

Ingredients:

2 pounds skinless bone-in chicken breasts
1 can Rotel (whichever degree of hotness you prefer)
1 can cut green beans, drained (I used the no salt added version)
1 can condensed cream of chicken soup (I used the 99% fat free version)
2 Tbsp taco seasoning - premade envelopes or make your own homemade
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp season salt





Directions:

1. Place chicken in crockpot breast side down.
2. Sprinkle both salts, pepper and taco seasoning over the top of the breasts.
3. Pour drained green beans around the chicken breasts.
4. Over the top, pour the can of Rotel (undrained) and the can of cream of chicken soup.
5. Turn crock pot on low for approx 8 hours.  It will hold up slightly longer if you need it to.  I usually leave it close to 9 1/2 - 10 hours while I'm at work.  If you cook it on high reduce the time to about 4 hours.
6. Use a fork to pull and shred the chicken off the bone and discard the bones.
7. Serve with rice.

Here is what it looks like when I place all
ingredients in the crock pot prior to cooking.

This recipe is featured on http://www.foodiefriendsfriday.com Linky Party

Cinnamon Honey Butter Recipe

We have a steakhouse chain in my city that I like to go to for a nice dinner from time to time.  They serve peanuts in the shell in their waiting area and have buckets of them on your table so you can continue to nosh until your meal arrives.  When they take you to your table, the hostess picks up a basket of their homemade rolls. . .along with what I like to call the nectar of the gods.  They serve the most amazing cinnamon honey butter with their warm rolls.  If I'm not careful, between eating all those peanuts and the rolls with cinnamon butter, I just might not have room for my meal when it arrives.

This recipe is so easy to make and stores well in the refrigerator for quite some time.  With the holidays approaching, it would also make a nice addition to the table for you to share with your loved ones.

I love to use this in place of plain butter on pancakes and waffles as well.

Tie a ribbon around the lid and it will make a very nice hostess gift if you will be someone's guest this season.

Cinnamon Honey Butter

yields 3 half pint jars

Ingredients:

 1 cup honey

1 cup butter, softened

1 cup powdered sugar

2 tsp cinnamon

3 half pint canning jars

 

 

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a bowl.  Using whisk attachment on mixer, blend until smooth and creamy, scraping down sides of bowl as needed.

Use a rubber spatula to pour mixture into the half pint jars.  If you are worried that you will spill it, you can always use a large pastry bag (or zipper style storage bag), cut off tip and squeeze into the half pint jars. 

*tip:  Place the bag in a tall glass for support or have someone hold the bag while you are filling it.

This recipe is featured on http://www.foodiefriendsfriday.com Linky Party

Foodie Friends Friday Linky Party #20

This week I am excited to be one of the hosts for the Foodie Friends Friday Thanksgiving Themed Linky Party! This is my first time hosting but I hope there will be more in my future.

There are 3 sponsors for this weeks party.  They are each donating an item to give-a-way so there will be 3 winners this week!

• A beautiful Thanksgiving plaque from Krafties by Kasey.  You can also visit her Facebook page as well.
• A Thanksgiving table runner from Sage and Kai
• and finally we have some bright coasters from Art is Everything

Make sure to stop by each of their Etsy shops to see what other great items they have listed!

 

Make sure to enter here for a chance to win one of these great items:  

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Here are this week's hosts.  Make sure to stop by each of the host's blogs and say "hi"!

Foodie Friends Friday

Tracy at Busy Vegetarian Mom

Robyn at Robyn's View

Marlys at This and That 

Lois at  Walking on Sunshine

Lindsey at Family Food Finds  

Michelle at  From Calculus to Cupcakes

Cynthia at Feeding Big  

Jodie at Binomial Baker

R Dawn at Spatulas on Parade

Angie at A lil Country Sugar

Jutta at Hungry Little Girl

Ericka at Chef Picky Kid and Me

Kelly at Adorned Well

Cindy at Cindy's Recipes and Writings

When you link a recipe on Adorned Well, it will also

show up on all of the above blogs. 

That's a lot of visibility!

It would be really swell if you would consider

following my Adorned Well blog and Facebook page, too!

If you are having ANY problems linking up your recipes on my blog, please go to Foodie Friends Friday and link up!

 

Show some love and link the recipe you are submitting back to 

Adorned Well (http://www.AdornedWell.blogspot.com)

and

Foodie Friends Friday (http://www.foodiefriendsfriday.com).

If you forget, we will "gently" remind you!

* for example:

This recipe is featured on http://www.AdornedWell.blogspot.com and http://www.foodiefriendsfriday.com Linky Party

If you want to be the very best Foodie Friend Ever...

• Grab our button at http://foodiefriendsfriday.com and put it on your page and share Foodie Friends Friday!
  
• Take some time and check out other submitted links and the blogs of all of our gracious hosts
  
• Come on over and "like" us on Facebook www.facebook.com/foodiefriendsfriday

Come back on Sunday and vote for your favorite recipes by clicking on the star under the recipe. You only get 3 Votes so use them wisely!

Last Week's Winners:

 

Our sponsor winners last week were:

 

Top 3 voted recipes from last week:

1. Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies from Who Needs a Cape

2. How to Can Apples from Who Needs a Cape

3. Pumpkin Pie Martini from Chef Picky Kid & Me

Recipes receiving the most clicks last week:

1. Cabbage Rolls Redone from Spatulas on Parade

2. Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies from Who Needs a Cape

3. Veggied Meatloaf from Who Needs a Cape

Coming at 8 p.m. CST. . .Foodie Friends Friday Thanksgiving Themed Linky Party

Don't forget. . .the Foodie Friends Friday Thanksgiving Themed Linky Party goes live at 8 p.m. CST and I am one of this week's hosts.  Come back at 8 p.m. CST to post a recipe, and remember EVERYONE is welcome to enter for a chance to win one of three fantastic give-a-way items. . .and you just might find some new recipes you want to try out this Thanksgiving!

Curried Butternut Squash Bisque Recipe

It is a very cool fall day here in St. Louis and I was craving some nice warm soup for dinner.  I have made this before and just love it.  It is a little on the spicy side, so if you don't like things quite as hot, I would suggest reducing the amount of curry you use in the recipe.  Also, I substituted fat-free half and half instead of the heavy whipping cream to make this recipe a little healthier.  It works great as a substitute!

  

If you give it a try, please come back and comment to let me know how you like it!

Ingredients:

2 medium butternut squash, halved and seeded

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) salted butter, divided

1/4 cup light brown sugar, divided

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 yellow onion, diced

1 1/2 tablespoons thyme, minced

2 teaspoons chives, thinly sliced

1  tablespoons curry powder (reduce amount if desired)

2 teaspoons cumin

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 1/4 cups low sodium chicken broth (or vegetable broth for vegetarian option)

2/3 cup heavy cream (I substituted fat-free half and half)

salt and pepper to taste

Directions: 

1.  Preheat oven to 375°F.

2.  Place squash halves, cut side up, onto a baking sheet and

    place one tablespoon of butter and brown sugar into the cavity

    of each.

3.  Roast squash for about 1 hour or until the flesh has

    softened.

4.  Allow the squash to cool for 15 minute before scooping

    the flesh into a bowl. Discard the skin.

5.  Heat oil in saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onions

    and sauté for 5 minutes.

6.  Add thyme and chives and sauté for an additional 2

    minutes.  Season with salt and pepper.

7.  Add curry powder, cumin, cinnamon, and squash

    and stir until just combined.

8.  Pour the broth over the mixture and stir. Simmer

    soup for 15 minutes.

9.  Season with additional salt and pepper if needed.

10.  Pour mixture into a blender (or use an immersion

      blender) and puree until smooth.

11.  Pour the soup back into the pan and adjust seasonings.

      Simmer for 5 minutes, remove from heat. Whisk cream

      into soup and serve.

**Serves 4 to 6

I found this recipe posted on the Spoon Fork Bacon blog and modified it to my liking.

This recipe is featured on http://www.foodiefriendsfriday.com Linky Party

Sneak Peek. . .Foodie Friends Friday Linky Party

This week I am excited to be one of the hosts for the Foodie Friends Friday Linky Party! This is my first time hosting but I hope there will be more in my future. 

 

The Foodie Friends Friday Linky Party is a recipe sharing by bloggers.  You must have a blog to be able to post a recipe, but EVERYONE can check out all the great recipes and vote on their favorites. 

 

Make sure to come back and visit on Thursday evening to link up a recipe or just to view some new recipes for this week's Foodie Friends Friday Linky Party and then return on Sunday for the voting.  I can't wait!

Here is a sneak peek of the 3 sponsors for this week's party. They are each donating an item to give-a-way so there will be 3 random winners this week. . .and EVERYONE can enter for a chance to win one of these great prizes!

 

Don't forget to come back sometime between Thursday night and Sunday to check out all the yummy recipes!

Super Green Smoothie Recipe

I have been trying to eat healthier recently.  Sometimes it gets difficult to get all the servings of fruits and vegetables in a day without feeling like I'm stuffed.

I started making this super green smoothie a few months back and absolutely love it!  Don't let the bright green color throw you off.  Its super good and naturally sweet, no sugar or sweetener added.  I always try to start with frozen fruit as it makes your smoothie extra thick and extra cold.  I buy extra fresh fruit when its on sale and clean and freeze in small amounts in freezer bags.  This much more cost effective that the purchased bags of frozen fruit.  You can always use fresh fruit as well, but you may want to add a few ice cubes to the blender to improve the thickness and to make it colder.

The recipe below is exactly how I prepared the smoothie in the photo above.  You can substitute any fruit you like, but I usually always use a banana with whatever other fruit I select as it also helps in the thickness of the smoothie.  One of my favorite fruits to add is pineapple.  It gives it a real tropical flavor.  Also, if you use mostly darker fruits, be prepared as it won't have such a pretty green color. . .you will get a much darker brownish-green color.  It still tastes great though!

Ingredients:

1 banana roughly sliced or broken into 1 inch segments
1 kiwi, peeled and sliced or cubed
4 strawberries
1 huge handful of fresh spinach leaves
1 - 1 1/2 cups of cold water

Directions:

Place all ingredients into blender and process until you no longer see any chunks of frozen fruit or any small specks of spinach leaves.  Pour into a glass and enjoy!

This recipe is featured on http://www.foodiefriendsfriday.com Linky Party

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Grant's Farm

I was going through some old photos tonight and came upon some that I took at Grant's Farm a few years ago.  Grant's Farm is the 281-acre ancestral home of the Busch family, located just south of the city of St. Louis, MO. . .home of some of the beautiful and famous Clydesdale horses along with about 900 other animals from 100 different species.  Zaggat ranks it as the seventh-best family attraction nationwide.  If you get a chance and are in the St. Louis area, make plans to visit.  Its a favorite of kids and adults alike.

The old Bush home

Covered wagon and cannons
 

Pond

 

Bald Eagle
 

Bison

Kangaroos

 

I am facinated by some of the beautiful architecture there:

 

Stable doors
 

Roofline of the stable

Stone archway with bell

Ivy growing on the stable walls

You can check out their website here:  http://www.grantsfarm.com/

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