Sweet Italian Chicken

There is something about seeing those two words together that make me smile.

Sweet. Italian. It's gotta be good.

Since September and October are busy months for us, I'm always on the look out for quick and easy dinner recipes. I came across this one on the Big Red Kitchen Blog.

I'm all about trying something new when it comes to chicken recipes. I'm also all about the dark meat, so I loved that this recipe specifically called for thighs.

What I also love? Only 2 ingredients. That's it, TWO. Hmmm. I was a wee bit skeptical.

After one bite, I was pleasantly surprised. The chicken was tangy, not overly sweet and had really great flavor from the dressing mix. My boys devoured it, even ate some cold for lunch the next day.

I doubled this recipe when I made it. I not only used organic skinless chicken thighs, but a package of legs as well.

Sweet Italian Chicken
1 package of Good Season’s Italian Dressing Mix
½ cup packed brown sugar
8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs

I always rinse my chicken off and I usually pat it dry, but because I wanted the mixture to stick on the chicken I didn’t dry it this time.

In a medium size bowl mix both of the ingredients. Coat each piece of chicken evenly. Place on a large baking sheet lined with tin foil that is lightly sprayed. Bake at 375 for 45 minutes.

My little chicken cooking note. I always raise my chicken up (oh dear Josh Groban just came pounding through my brain....get outta my head!) on cooling racks when I bake it. Just place the cooling rack on top of the lined baking sheet. Your chicken gets cooked more evenly all around and you avoid that soggy bottom that can result from laying directly on the cookie sheet.

~ Dream ~

I hear this song and I am instantly taken back to the brook in back of the Wilson girl's house, where the flat rocks were each a room in our "apartment" and dried out bark and leaves were our chicken dinner and salad.

Where we married the neighbor boys, under extreme protest most of the time, and forced Dawn to be the priest in our church because she was the youngest and had no say, and the only reason she concurred was because she got to fill her pockets with the communion host (necco wafers or flying saucers split in two).

Where we laid on the rocks in the sun and talked about David Cassidy and Donny Osmond and tore pages out of our Tiger Beat magazines.

Where we would meet immediately after supper.

Where we caught fireflies in old pickle jars.

Where we shared secrets.

Where we would dream.

Cola Brownies

I'm preparing for a very productive weekend.

I will admit this to you now and hate me if you will....I am "that"person. The one who usually has all her Christmas presents planned out before Halloween, all her shopping done by Thanksgiving.

That chick who aggravates the majority of the population who have the decency to wait until the month of December to shop, but please try and understand me here people. We try and make something handmade each Christmas. We really put a lot of thought and time into each years project. We try to customize each persons gift so they know it was made just for them, cause well, it was. I can't start making things in December, so fall is when we create and paint and stain and antique.

I like to save the month of December for wrapping and cooking and baking. No trips to the shopping malls. No fighting for a parking spot. No stress. It's a beautiful thing.

My close friends and I stopped exchanging gifts a few years ago. Instead, we all chip in and make a delicious, sometimes extravagant, dinner. Break out the lobster, shrimp and filet mignon. We are talking wild and decadent feasting. We have a few adult beverages, we eat, we laugh (hard) and most importantly, we spend time together.

There are all sorts of crafting plans rolling around in my head. I'm excited just thinking about them. So we'll be very productive over the next few months. We'll make a lot of trips to Lowes and Home Depot. My hands will be stained, my eyes strained, and my fingers aching, but it's always all worth it.

I really don't have a smooth segway from Christmas crafts to brownies, so simply put....here's some Cola Brownies I made.

Cola in Brownies. Really? It's true.

I made these on a whim. I think Mrs. Crocker sent me an email and from it, inspiration was born.

I have to say, these were good. Very good. I think my favorite part was the creamy frosting, so much in fact I think I just may have to find other recipes to use it on. It really was light and delicious.

I made this for a weekend dinner filled with friends. They were the perfect little ending.

Oh and in case you're wondering.....no you can't taste the cola in the brownies, and yes, I used a boxed brownie mix *GASP!!!!* Don't be hating.

Cola Brownies
Recipe from Betty Crocker (you rock Betty)
Makes 24 bars.

For the brownies
1 box (1 lb 2.3 oz) Betty Crocker fudge brownie mix
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 egg
½ cup cola (from a 12oz can)
½ cup buttermilk

For the frosting
½ cup butter
¼ cup unsweetened baking cocoa
¼ cup cola
4 cups powedered sugar
½ cup chopped, toasted pecans (optional) We used mini chips.

Oven to 350. Spray bottom only of a 9x13 inch pan with cooking spray.

For the brownies: Combine all the ingredients for the brownies in a bowl and stir until well blended. Spread into pan. Bake 24 – 28 minutes or until toothpick inserted 2 inches from side comes out clean or almost clean. Cool completely.

For the frosting: In a medium microwavable bowl, melt the butter on high for 45 to 60 seconds, stirring once. Stir in the cocoa and cola. Gradually beat in the powdered sugar. Spread over cooled brownies. Sprinkle with pecans if desired. For bars, cut into 6 rows by 4 rows.

Wordless Wednesday~ Last blooms

Cowboy Casserole - looks like dog food - tastes delicious.

I'm so happy that summer is ready to get the heck out of here. Those of you that know me, know that summer is not my favorite season. In fact, it's my least favorite of the four.

If it could just be kind enough to arrive without the heat and humidity, I’d really enjoy it a whole helluva lot more. Humidity is not my friend.

Bad. Bad. Bad. It makes my hair frizz. Frizzy hair is not a good look for me.

Fall, now that is my season. My hair does not frizz in the fall. This makes me happy.

I enjoy cooking and baking so much more in the fall. My kitchen is a little cozier when the oven is heating it up instead of the sweltering heat from outside.

I can barely wait for all the soups, stews and casseroles that are just around the corner.



I saw this recipe is an issue of Taste of Home and I literally couldn’t wait to make it. Luckily the weather wasn’t as hot as it has been over the past few weeks.

Now as you can see from the title…this is nothing to look at. It’s not a pretty looking casserole, but what casserole is really?

I changed it up quite a bit. This is the kind of dish that you can really make your own. It is what my husband would call a “stick to your ribs” kind of meal.

It’s comfort food on a fork. I've made it two times in 3 weeks. Think shepherd's pieish, with a wicked twist. A delicious mix of hamburger, cheese and corn sandwiched in between a layer of crunchy tots. It's the kind of dish Napoleon Dynamite would give 2 thumbs up too.

My casserole dish missed me. "sniff"





Cowboy Casserole
adapted from a recipe at Taste of Home
1 1/2 pounds ground beef (I used 80/20)
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 can (15.25oz) whole kernel corn, drained
1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided
:1/2 cup milk
4 tablespoons sour cream
1 bag (30 oz) frozen tater tots (I used Ore-Ida Crispy Crowns)

Before I got ready to make this casserole, I let the Crispy Crowns sit on the counter to defrost for an hour or so. The original recipe used still frozen tater tots, but I felt they wouldn't cook as well if they were still frozen solid.

In a large skillet cook the onion until tender and translucent. Add the chopped garlic and cook for 1 minute more. Add the beef and cook over medium heat until no longer pink. Drain the mixture and place into a large bowl and set aside.

In a small bowl combine the soup, milk and sour cream. Whisk until smooth. Add to hamburger mixture and stir to combine. Add corn and 1 cup of cheddar cheese. Gently mix to combine.

Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish. Layer half of the Crispy Crowns on the bottom, pour the hamburger mixture over the top and then layer with the other half of the Crispy Crowns. Sprinkle with remaining 1, cup cheese and bake at 350 for 25 - 30 minutes, or until golden brown and crunchy.

*Note - The second time I made this I prepared it the night before and stuck it in the fridge overnight. I took it out about an hour before I wanted to bake it, just so it could come to room temperature a bit. I think it was even better than the first one!

Sour Cream Pound Cake - Plain good.

Sometimes you just want something simple.

You want something that's no fuss.

That you can mix all the ingredients into one bowl, plop it into a pan, stick it into the oven and a little while later, take out a delicious cake that is just plain good.

That's what this pound cake is. Plain good.



I've been making this particular pound cake for ages. I found it in a fundraising cookbook. You know those spiral bound books that churches and organizations sell to raise money? Yup, one of those. Cause honestly, those cookbooks have some of the best recipes.

This book is called the Pimental Family Cookbook. The recipes are predominately Portuguese. The man that I worked with, whom I bought the book from, was indeed Portuguese. Go figure huh.

I worked with Tony for a long, long time. He was one of my favorite people at work. He's retired now. I still see him from time to time. Every once in awhile he'll bring me a loaf of sweet bread. Oh my, if you never had Portuguese sweet bread you don't know what your missing. Toasted with butter....man, my mouth is watering just thinking about. I miss ya Tony, you and that sweet bread.

When I make this cake, from a recipe by his mother, it makes me think of him and smile with every bite.



This cake is sweet and light and the perfect texture. You can top it with fruit or whipped cream, but we love it plain straight outta the pan with a big glass of milk.

Sour Cream Pound Cake
2 stick butter, at room temp (do not substitute)
6 eggs, room temp
8oz sour cream, room temp
3 cups sugar
3 cups flour
¼ teaspoon baking soda
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla
½ teaspoon almond extract (optional)

Oven to 350. Grease and flour a tube pan or a bundt pan*. Use the second rack from the bottom in your oven.

In a mixer, cream the butter and sugar together. Add the eggs in one at a time, beating well after each addition. Fold the baking soda into the sour cream. Add half of the four and half of the sour cream into the mixer. Beat well. Add in the remaining flour and sour cream and the vanilla and almond extract. Mix well. Pour into pan and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center tests done. Cool in pan 10 minutes, invert onto rack to cool completely.

*I used a bundt pan when I made this. I usually use a tube pan cause it's a lot of batter for a bundt. I put a pan under the bundt just in case it overflowed, but it didn't.

Wordless Wednesday~