I am always looking for ways to cheat my way into satisfying my cravings. It's a trick I love to do because I refuse to give up the foods that make my belly do a happy dance! Whether it's my favorite pasta, burger, or ice cream I can guarantee I will find a way to cut some corners to make it an acceptable part of my weekly meal plan. Fried chicken is no different and because we seriously hardly ever indulge on the real thing, my easy and healthy breaded chicken is the golden ticket in satisfying my tastebuds.
Happy Monday! This week is a super busy week for me! We have Parks' follow up doctors appointments for his kidney (please say prayers that everything is healing just the way it should) and I have so much to do before leaving to go to Baton Rouge for the Louisiana Book Festival to do my first ever cooking demo and book signing!! I am excited and nervous...and more excited. In addition to this week being super busy, the weather has shifted and it no longer feels like fall...whomp whomp. Don't worry though, to keep myself in the fall spirit, I am cooking with all the fall flavors I possibly can! My apple, bacon, and pumpkin pan pizza with caramelized onions is seriously so delicious and screams fall in the best way!
I always here of these moms who say they haven't had anything to eat all day. In my head I'm like whaaattt?? How can this be? Even on my busiest days, you can betcha I made time to eat something whether I had to stand while eating, take it in the car, or whatevah! I can guarantee you I got my calories in. But, sometimes this gets me into a tricky situation if I am super busy because I end up eating maybe not the best thing nutritionally for my body and then I kinda crash and burn in the energy department, which is not good with a one year old whose energy never stops unless he is asleep. That all changed when I learned that making your own jerky is actually super easy and is the perfect high protein snack to get me through even the busiest of hours.
I have been a little pre-occupied with Parks' birthday and family being in town, therefore I have been a little MIA...oops. I feel like the past eighteen days of October have disappeared right before my very eyes. How is it possible that it's almost Halloween? On top of that, two of my burners on the stove went out last week due to a possible wine spillage (possibly from my mom...we won't tell her though) and I have had to be super creative with our meals due to my limited cooktop. Easy side dishes that can be done quickly to make room for the next pot are a requirement these days! My 10-minute shaved Asian brussel sprouts are going to be your new favorite healthy side dish for any day of the week!
I have dreamed about one day having my own book published. How that was going to happen or what that was going to look like, I didn't know for sure. The only thing I knew, is that food would be involved. When Skyhorse Publishing reached out to me last year and asked me about writing a cookbook, I literally couldn't believe it. ( Um, pinch me...is this real life?) Three years ago, I was a girl who started a blog not knowing much about it other than that I wanted to share my life and the food I was making with all of you. And now here I am awaiting my very own cookbook release and I am just so thankful. The Unexpected Cajun Kitchen is a cookbook where you will find Cajun inspired dishes with a farm to table twist that you can make in your everyday life!
Oh man, the weather here over the weekend was absolute perfection. Windows were open, there was a crispness in the air, and I actually could feel fall. We had Parks' 1st birthday party and celebrated with friends and family and it couldn't have been a more perfect day. His birthday will always signify the start of fall since it's on October 1st, and to me it doesn't seem like fall until October. One of my favorite ways to get into any season is to start cooking with my favorite seasonal flavors. My roasted beet and acorn squash Autumn salad is the perfect side dish or meatless dinner that will have your tastebuds in total fall bliss!
