Friday Food Truck Feature- Bananarchy

(from my first trip to the banana stand)

Bananarchy! It's so good. They take fair trade frozen bananas- dip them- and roll them in topping.

You can choose from chocolate, peanut butter or vanilla to dip it in and nuts, oreos, coconut, graham crackers, M&M's, Reese's Pieces, toffee, cookies, sprinkles, cinnamon or granola to roll it in. There are soooo many delicious flavor combinations to choose from!

I normally get a halfsie and it's plenty, but they have halves ($2.75), wholes ($3.75) and doubles available.

There are also several combinations on the menu, such as The Hippy Dippy- granola, craisins and cinnamon or The Gob- two bananas double dipped in chocolate with extra nuts.

Bananarchy has a wonderful home grown feel to it. There are chalkboard areas where you can leave a note. The employees are super nice, and there's a lit picnic area behind the stand where you can enjoy your frozen treat. Plus, there's Bananagrams!

The stand is located at 600 S Lamar right south of Barton Springs Rd- close to Peter Pan Mini Golf, Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar, and the Long Center. They recently expanded their hours to Monday-Thursday noon-10pm and Friday-Saturday noon to midnight... meaning it's now open for a late night treat!

(unless otherwise noted, photos from My Camera Eats Food)

Pork Chops with Apples

One of my favorite food combinations is pork and apples. During Austin Restaurant Week, I tried Perry's Steakhouse's famous pork chop and apple sauce and it totally changed my perspective on pork chops. An apple butter smothered pork loin made into the regular rotation last year and when I saw this recipe on The Pioneer Woman Cooks, I knew I had to try it! I made it a couple weeks ago with some very positive feedback from David and my taste buds. This can get a little pricey if you go for the real maple syrup like I did, but I thought it was worth the investment.

So when I mentioned that I was thinking about making it for dinner on Monday, it quickly went from a dinner for two to a dinner for six. Thankfully, it's really simple to adjust to different quantities. And the recipe itself is easy- the most time consuming part was chopping up the apples and making my side dishes. The sauce for this dish is such a perfect combination of savory and sweet and it was perfect for keeping leftovers flavorful and moist. 

Ten points to anyone who knows which HIMYM character hated the word moist! 

Ingredients

• 6 whole Boneless Pork Chops, About 1/2-inch Thick
• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 2 Tablespoons Butter
• 2 whole Gala Apples, Diced (or more, if you love apples like I do)
• 1/2 cup Dry White Wine (or substitute diluted white vinegar, or chicken broth)
• 2 teaspoons Apple Cider Vinegar
• 3/4 cups Pure Maple Syrup ( or a little less if you want a more savory taste)
• salt and pepper

Heat a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add olive oil and butter and heat until butter in melted.

Salt and pepper both sides of pork chops. Brown them on both sides until nice and golden. Remove pork chops from the skillet and set on a separate plate. Don't overcook them here- you're just getting a nice color on them for now.

Reduce heat to medium. Add apples and stir to combine them with the oil and butter that remains in the pan. Pour in wine and vinegar, then whisk along the bottom of the pan to deglaze it. Cook until liquid is reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Pour in the maple syrup, then add a dash of salt and pepper. Stir, then return pork chops to the pan- be sure to get all the juices from the plate too! Cover the pan and simmer on med-low for 20 minutes. At this point the chops will finish cooking through and the apples will soften.

Serve pork chops and spoon the apple-maple sauce over the top, allowing the liquid pool around them.

 I served mine with loaded mashed potatoes, crispy green beans, mushrooms and garlic bread. This is a meal sure to impress, whether you're hosting a dinner party or... watching The Cowboys like us...

Recipe adapted from The Pioneer Woman

To add insight to injury...

This past Thursday evening, I fell and sprained my ankle (and scraped and bruised my legs of course).

I debated whether or not to mention that I was pretending the curb was balance beam. Surprisingly enough, I didn't hurt myself doing that! I had just decided it was time to go in and stepped off on the innocent looking sidewalk.

This was the culprit. It looked solid. I'm pretty sure I've stepped across it before with no problem. However, this time I stepped on it and the plate fell into the hole beneath it. And so did I.

And this resulted

Thankfully, I have some really wonderful people in my life. To bring me crutches. Or pick up my backpack for me when it falls all the way down the staircase I've just crab-walked up. Or to completely excuse me from office duties because I can't even hop on one foot to the bathroom without wanting to cry. Or to come check on me at the cupcake trailer. 

So, here are a few things I learned about having a sprained ankle this weekend. 

1. Don't trust drains, vents or anything with a hole underneath it in the sidewalk!

2. Seriously- Ice, elevate, Tylenol and rest. 

3. Make sure your crutches are the right height. If they're not and you're normally a clumsy person, this will not help you out. And you might almost fall down and make things worse. Or so I would assume, not from experience or anything...

4. I use my left ankle for support in far more situations than I realized. For example- when bracing myself to close a window. 

5. Not having a vital part of you functioning forces you to be creative about getting things done. I couldn't put enough pressure on my foot to climb the staircase to my bedroom, and I surely did not trust myself to use the crutches on our small stairs, AND I couldn't just crawl because my knees are all banged up from the fall.  So, I crab walked backwards up the staircase- thankfully I only had to do this one day before the pain was dramatically reduced.

6 . I have a lot to be grateful for! I'm grateful for the awesome people who supported me while I was less than able, that I hurt my left foot so I could drive with my right foot, and for my normal abilities. It is easy to take something like healthy ankles for granted, but I am learning to be grateful in all things. And when you're grateful, it is difficult to be bitter.

I'm almost all better now! Just slow with a little limp. Next thing you know I'll be back on the treadmill (ha!).

1 Thessalonians 5:18 

"Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is 

God's will for you in Christ Jesus." 

Hungry Monday- Torchy's Tacos

Happy Monday everyone! 

Hope your week is off to a fantastic start.

My weekend was a little subdued by a sprained ankle, which affects way more than I thought it would, and I am looking forward to a brand new week. (more about the ankle later)

Anyway, this morning  I wanted to share about one of my favorite late night frequents and lunch regulars. Torchy's Tacos!

Let me start off by saying- I. Love. Tacos. So I have pretty high expectations when it comes to my tortillas, fillings and sauces. And I tend to start craving tacos right as most places are shutting down. My first Torchy's experience came from just such a craving. Well lo and behold I discovered that Torchy's is open until 10pm on weekdays and 11pm on weekends! When I got there, Queen was playing. The cashier asked how my day was liked he genuinely cared. I filled my drink cup with Dublin Dr Pepper from the fountain. And the tacos did not fail to deliver.

Since that day, I have been a big fan and frequent customer of Torchy's, and the reasons to love them have grown. They have several locations, including one food truck! They have a variety of flavors, and every time I try something new I am pleasantly surprised. Most have nice outdoor dining which is perfect if your furry friends like to join you for taco dining. They have two spicy ranch sauces- the chipotle and poblano- and I always get extra cups of it to take home. It's that good.

The tacos range from $2 for breakfast tacos to $4 for some of the meatier options. I normally get two tacos and it's plenty filling. I get everything on flour because I'm Caucasian like that, and I put the chipotle or poblano sauce on all of them.

My favorites are:

• The Trailer Park- flour tortilla, fried chicken strips, pico de gallo, lettuce and green chilies with poblano sauce. "Get it trashy" by taking off the lettuce and adding queso. Add the queso. It's sooo good. 

• Fried Avocado - a fried avocado, refried beans, lettuce, cheese and pico de gallo, with poblano sauce. Great vegetarian option, but still scrumptious even if you aren't! 

(photo from torchystacos.com)

• Baja Shrimp- hand battered fried shrimp, cabbage slaw, pickled jalepeno and onion, queso fresco, cilantro and lime, with chipotle sauce. The ingredients sound a little strange but they blend perfectly to make one flavorful little taco.

• The Democrat- barbacoa, avocado, cilantro, onion, queso fresco and lime. This is definitely a heartier taco. Don't be afraid of the word barbacoa. It's a tender shredded beef. And Torchy's version is not nearly as greasy as what you'll get out of a roadside taco truck. Yum!

What are you favorite Torchy's Tacos?

Friday Food Truck Feature: Gourdough's

Gourdough’s

As in gourmet doughnuts.

As in a deep fried, smothered with loving goodness, slice of heart attack heaven.

Gourdough's serves up doughnuts... but these are larger than your hand, perfectly deep fried, and generously paired with fresh and delicious toppings both savory and sweet.

Gourdough’s is conveniently located right across from the Alamo Drafthouse on South Lamar, perfect for a post movie treat if you didn’t fill up on their amazing Once Upon A Time in Mexico salad or the Up in Smoke’d Bacon pizza.

Gourdough’s is beside Trey’s Cuisine and The Odd Duck Farm to Trailer, so there’s something for everyone in the little park. There are lots of outdoor tables, cute hanging lighting and fire pits for cold weather. The park is BYOB so save a little money and bring your own sodas or water bottles. Gourdough’s makes everything to order so expect a little wait, especially if you’re there during peak times.

My recommendations

• Savory

o Porkey’s- cream cheese, jalapeño jelly, and Canadian bacon. The jalapeño jelly looks weird but the flavor combo is SO GOOD.

o The Flying Pig – maple syrup icing and bacon. Like… lots of bacon.

• Sweet
• The Dirty Berry- fudge icing and grilled strawberries. Decadent and delicious- make sure you have something to wash it down!

o Funky Monkey- grilled bananas, cream cheese, and brown sugar topping. The potassium clearly makes this a healthy choice I can feel good about.

My biggest recommendation is that you go with a group and all order different things and pass them around so you can try lots of flavors!

Nom nom nom. Enjoy

Gourdough’s 1219 S Lamar Blvd Austin, Texas 78704

$4.25 each, $1 for meat, $1 for ice cream

Garage Sale Saturday!

I visited my parents over Labor Day weekend and throughout the whole visit, Madisonville was surrounded by massive fires- in Grimes County and Leon County, bordering my family's hometown. The smoke was visible on all sides and small fires became inevitable around highways and in open land. While I was there, fires raged on in Bastrop and small fires ignited all throughout Central Texas- near my home in Austin.

I have known a couple of families throughout my life who lost their homes in fires. It was tragic, truly. However, they had neighbors and friends and family who gave until it hurt so that those families could have clothes and food and shelter again.

I can't imagine entire communities being taken out. But that's exactly what has happened in Bastrop, Texas.

photo courtesy of statesman.com

And despite the enormous loss that so many people have faced in these past couple weeks, I have seen an even greater outpouring of love and generosity from people of all ages and walks of life.

Amber at Bluebonnets and Brownies is hosting an online raffle where a donation to the Red Cross's Fire Relief efforts gets you a chance at some great prizes. So far, $1500 has been raised!

There have been benefit concerts, stand up paddle board races, hair salon events and restaurants collecting to benefit those affected by the fires.

When working the cupcake trailer the other day, two young girls came by with their mom to get a cupcake each. They had been sitting in front of HEB all day selling baked goods in which all of the proceeds went to relief efforts. The 8 and 10 year old girls had wanted to help and so they did! They baked and sold and received more than the asking price for their cookies because people just wanted so much to help out somehow.

When our church was accepting donations, businesses would call and offer to help in any way they could. A Mattress Firm in Houston donated stacks and stacks of mattresses for fire victims. Westoak Woods Baptist Church contributed over $1000 from their own fundraisers.

Oak Meadow Baptist Church was, for a week, a drop off center for donations for fire victims in the Bastrop area, coordinated by the Austin Disaster Relief Network. At this point, our facility is serving as a warehouse and is housing donations until they are transported to Bastrop.

But we have an overabundance of clothing and toys, so this Saturday September 24th from 8am to 1pm the Austin Disaster Relief Network will be hosting a Garage Sale at 6905 S I-35 Austin, Texas 78744 in which all of the proceeds will go to the fire victims in Bastrop. And there is a LOT of stuff to go!

I'm not sure what all we have but I know there are new and brand name clothes, toys, appliances, etc. Please come out and look around and if you don't find anything you need, you can always just make a donation!

For more information call 512-331-2600 or email admin@adrntx.org, or 512-444-1268 and office@ombchurch.org

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins

As Starbucks introduced the Pumpkin Spice Latte last week, officially ushering in the autumn season, I began dreaming of lovely fall things to concoct- like soups and pies and pumpkin flavored anything. Thankfully, every other food blogger had the same idea. And so, armed with a recipe from Annie's Eats, I ran to the store to gather my supplies.

Apparently everyone in the south Austin area had the same idea because H-E-B was cleaned out of regular pumpkin puree. So I grabbed the last couple of cans of organic pumpkin puree and got started!

I made these Saturday as a breakfast treat for my students Sunday morning, and even though my students can be very picky sometimes, they all loved these!

These are a knock off of a Starbucks muffin. I've had it before and I have to say, these are better. Now, these muffins take a little preparation and may be a little more time consuming than normal ones but I thought they were worth the extra effort of including the filling and topping. 

For two dozen muffins, you will need:

For the filling:
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar 

For the muffins:
3 cups  flour
1 tsp.  cinnamon
1 tsp.  nutmeg
1 tsp.  cloves
1 tbsp. plus 1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
4 large eggs
2 cups sugar
1½ cups pumpkin puree
1¼ cups vegetable oil

For the topping:

¼ cup sugar

2 heaping tbsp. flour
1 tsp.  cinnamon
2 tbsp. cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces

Directions:
To prepare the filling, combine the cream cheese and confectioners’ sugar in a medium bowl and mix well until blended and smooth.  Transfer the mixture to a piece of plastic wrap and shape into a log about 1½-inches in diameter.  Smooth the plastic wrap tightly around the log, and reinforce with a piece of foil.  Transfer to the freezer and chill until at least slightly firm, at least 2 hours. (I left my mine overnight.)

To make the muffins, preheat the oven to 350˚ F.  Line muffin pans with paper liners or, if like me you don't have any, just spray generously with cooking spray.  In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, pumpkin pie spice, salt and baking soda; whisk to blend.  In the bowl of an electric mixer combine the eggs, sugar, pumpkin puree and oil.  Mix on medium-low speed until blended.  With the mixer on low speed, add in the dry ingredients, mixing just until blended.

To make the topping, combine the sugar, flour and cinnamon in a small bowl; whisk to blend.  Add in the butter pieces and cut into the dry ingredients with a pastry blender or two forks (or your hands) until the mixture is coarse and crumbly. Transfer to the refrigerator until ready to use.

To assemble the muffins, fill each muffin well with a small amount of batter, just enough to cover the bottom of the liner (1-2 tablespoons).  Slice the log of cream cheese filling into 24 equal pieces.  Place a slice of the cream cheese mixture into each muffin well.  Divide the remaining batter among the muffin cups, placing on top of the cream cheese to cover completely.  Sprinkle a small amount of the topping mixture over each of the muffin wells.

Bake for 20-25 minutes.  Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely before serving.  (It may be hard to resist immediate consumption, but the cream cheese filling gets very hot!)

And voila! Enjoy. And enjoy the way that your house smells while they're baking.

Recipe adapted from Annie's Eats, originally from BakeSpace

Psalms 46

Upon graduating, I sighed a deep sigh of relief. No more classes where professors mock my beliefs, no more dragging hours of study which does not interest me...

And then I looked around and thought... this is it?

I've been preparing all my life to be able to be on my own... and this is it?

I heard about a study recently where younger generations don't make it to a mid life crisis. They're caught in a panic at 25. A quarter life crisis.

Perhaps you've been through the same thing?

What if nothing I do has any kind of impact?

What was the use of getting that degree?

Why do I feel like I have no purpose?

What if college WAS the best years of my life?

Clearly, I have purpose. I'm a youth minister. I have a responsibility to every one of my students to teach and pray and intercede on their behalf.

Despite this knowledge, the months following graduation were difficult for me. I was transitioning into a new house in a new area of the city, a lot of my friends moved away from Austin, and I began a second job. I don't know if I expected instant success or gratification or for my savings to immediately begin growing. I don't know if I expected it to be easy to cultivate deep new friendships. But whatever it was that I was expecting, that's not how it went.

And then I read this passage. I already knew the first verse, had it memorized from Bible drill or something. But the rest of the passage is so beautiful that I was just struck by the words.

Psalms 46

¹ God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble.

² Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change

And though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea;

³ Though its waters roar and foam, Though the mountains quake at its swelling pride.

(get ready for this.)

⁴ There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,

The holy dwelling places of the Most High.

⁵ God is in the midst of her, she will not be moved; God will help her when morning dawns.

⁶ The nations made an uproar, the kingdoms tottered; He raised His voice, the earth melted.

⁷ The LORD of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our stronghold.

⁸ Come, behold the works of the LORD, Who has wrought desolations in the earth.

⁹ He makes wars to cease to the end of the earth; He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two; He burns the chariots with fire.

¹⁰ “Cease striving and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”

¹¹ The LORD of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our stronghold.

And oh, through these words my God calmed me and held me and said- stop. Cease striving and know that I am God.

I am in the midst of you. You shall not be moved.

Psh, post graduation quarter life crisis- my God will be exalted among the nations.

Hungry Monday - Threadgill's

Today marks the beginning of a couple of new series on the blog! Every Monday I'll be reviewing some of my favorite local (Austin) restaurants, diners and eateries, along with my personal recommendations, special events and fun memories. Stay tuned for Friday Food Truck Feature where I'll review the best food trucks and trailers across our great city!

So my first Hungry Monday is an Austin classic and a personal favorite- Threadgill's.

There is a north and south location and both have a great ambiance and history. Threadgill's has hosted rock and roll legends over the years and continues to put on great shows. Every Sunday there's a gospel brunch at the South location with a full brunch buffet to complement your religious experience, as well as a Blues brunch at the north location. Check our their calendar for live music every night of the week!

Each meal starts with their from-scratch rolls and cornbread. Those rolls are so dern good. Try not to fill up on them though. Their specialties are all the best comfort foods- chicken fried steak, chicken fried chicken, meatloaf, pork chops with apple sauce... but I live for their pot roast! It's not on the normal menu but if ever the special of the day is the pot roast, do not hesitate. It's your winner. It's tender and moist- none of this dried out stuff that's hard to chew. Served over a bed of mashed potatoes with seasoned celery and carrots, I seriously can not think of anything better.

Another seriously great perk is that all of the "vegetables" are bottomless. So go ahead and get seconds on that broccoli rice casserole. Or thirds. My favorite side dishes are- mashed potatoes (duh), broccoli rice casserole, San Antonio squash and sweet potato fries. David is a big fan of the mac and cheese, too! The servers are super nice so if you ask for a refill towards the end of the meal, you can take it home with you. And if you're poor like me, this is great.

Check them out!

The north location- "Old No. 1"

6416 North Lamar - Austin, Texas 78752 - (512) 451-5440

The South Location- "Threadgill's World Headquarters"

301 West Riverside Drive - Austin, Texas 78704

Ooo La La Apple Pie

First of all, forgive me because all of my pictures are taken with my phone because months ago I dropped my semi nice Sony point and shoot and now the lens won't extend to open :( If you know how to fix it, let me know?

Anyway, on to the pie!

So, pie is not normally something that jumps to my mind when I think of yummy delicious things. I work at Hey Cupcake and even before that cupcakes have taken the cake in terms of best dessert (tee hee). Or any form of chocolate. Or cheesecake.

But because I have awesome coworkers who gladly take on extra work when I can't, I thought I should say thank you somehow. And of course they've had enough cupcakes on the job, so apple pie was requested. I'd never actually made one, but it didn't sound too complicated so I thought I'd give it a shot.

A couple of things I learned in the process-

1. Be sure if you're preheating your oven and it's one of those digital ones that you hit start. So that the oven actually starts heating. Otherwise you just waste time.

2. Made from scratch crust trumps store bought crust every time. Unless you burn the homemade crust; then it's not so good.

3. Peeling apples takes a long time. Enlist a friend, student, slave for this job.

4. There are lots of ways to make the top of the pie pretty. You can use cookie cutters to cut out shapes and lay it across it (like stars for New Years' Day or the 4th of July or leaves for an autumn celebration). Or you can do some complicated lattice work. Or you can do what I did and just lay the whole dang crust over the top. Because honestly, the crust is the best part of the pie so why skimp on it?

5. Although I'd really love one, you don't NEED a stand mixer to bake. My crust recipe calls for you to use a paddle attachment on the stand mixer. I used my hands. It probably worked better that way and now my hands are all soft from their butter bath. :)

6. If you don't have something... like say nutmeg, just go with it. I sprinkled in some of my roommate's apple pie spice even though it also contained cinnamon and I'd already put in cinnamon. It worked.

7. I was concerned that taking my glass pie plate from the freezer to the oven would cause it to crack and spill delicious pie all over my oven. But it didn't! Whew.

On the the recipe!

First, prepare your crust because it needs to chill for at least half an hour.

Basic Pie Crust

Ingredients:
1¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 tbsp. sugar
¼ tsp. salt
8 tbsp. cold, unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
3 tbsp. very cold water

Directions:
Combine the flour, sugar and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix briefly to blend (Or use your hands or a fork or a pastry blender). Add in the butter pieces and mix on medium-low speed to cut the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse sand and the largest butter pieces are not much bigger than peas. Mix in the cold water on low speed just until the dough comes together.

Shape the dough into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. (This dough can be frozen for up to 2 months.)

Ooo La La Apple Pie

5-6 medium/large Granny Smith apples (about 2½ lbs.), peeled, cored and sliced

1/3 cup granulated sugar

3 tbsp. brown sugar

1 tbsp. all-purpose flour

½ tsp. ground cinnamon

¼ tsp. grated nutmeg

1 tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice

2 tbsp. cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces

1 large egg beaten with 1 tablespoon cold water (for egg wash)

Directions:

On a lightly floured surface, roll out half of the pie dough into approximately a 12-inch round. (Keep the other half of the pie dough chilled for now.) Transfer the dough to a 9-inch pie plate, trimming the excess and crimping the edges. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400˚ F. Position an oven rack in the upper-middle position. In a large mixing bowl, combine the sliced apples, sugars, flour, spices and lemon juice. Toss well to combine. When the bottom crust is finished chilling, pour the apple mixture and accumulated juices into the bottom pie crust and use a spatula to even the top out slightly. Dot the surface of the apples with the pieces of cold butter. Roll out the remaining pie dough on a floured work surface. Arrange over the top of the pie dish and trim the edges, using a fork to seal the two crusts together. Cut small incisions for the pie to vent (I forgot to do this part). Brush the top and edges of the crust with the egg wash.

Place a baking sheet on the lower oven rack (because your pie is going to bubble over!). Place the pie on the upper rack and bake until the crust is golden brown and the juices are bubbling, about 50-60 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and allow to cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Nom nom nom.

Adapted from Annie's Eats, originally adapted from Martha Stewart and Williams Sonoma

Autumn is upon us!

I guess technically autumn doesn't start until September 23rd.

But for the past three days, the weather has been positively fantastic! It's been not too hot, not too cold, and taking a deep sigh of relief from the 70+ days of triple digit heat.

And the relief ensuing from wonderful weather has reminded me of everything I love about fall. Forgive me for mentioning like twelve foods that I'm excited about. I love food, especially fall food. It's my favorite of all. Just wait, in five years I'll definitely have gained a significant amount of weight because of my love of food. Anyway, here are some of the best parts of autumn!

Hot coffee.

Starbucks has solicited so much of my money lately. And the introduction of seasonal flavors is seriously a mark of the changing seasons. The great thing about hot coffee is that I find it a lot easier to replicate at home for cheaper than $5 a cup than iced or blended coffee is (although my sister got me a super legit Cafe Frappe machine for my birthday so that's changing too!)

Scarves and other fun winter accessories

Okay, so I don't really have many hats... but I believe that's something that can change. And scarves are such a perfect pop of color on top of a jacket or solid tee. I know that Black Friday sales always have great prices on both of these!

Soup.

I love soup- Broccoli Cheese, French Onion, Chicken Stew, Tortilla, Beef Stew, Caldo de Res, Tomato... and I've been waiting for cool weather to test run some fabulous new recipes!

This is one I'm excited to try, from Annie's Eats! Click to check it out yourself.

This is a time tested recipe. During the fall and winter months, this one is on the regular rotation for a simple meal. You seriously just throw everything in the crock pot, leave the chicken frozen even if you want and by the end of the day you have a seriously flavorful stew to serve up with cornbread or fresh sliced bread.

Chicken Stew

Ingredients

• 5 red potatoes, peeled and cubed

• 1 1/2 cups chopped fresh tomato

• 1 cup sliced carrot

• 1 onion, chopped

• 3 large skinless boneless chicken breast halves

• 2 (15 ounce) cans tomato sauce

• 1 (14.5 ounce) can chicken broth

• 1 1/2 teaspoons fajita seasoning

• water, as needed

DIRECTIONS

Combine the vegetables in a slow cooker. Place the chicken breasts atop the vegetables. Stir the tomato sauce, chicken broth, and fajita seasoning in a bowl; pour over the chicken breasts. Add water as needed to assure the chicken is completely covered. Cook on Low for 6 hours. As the stew cooks, shred the chicken to ensure flavor throughout the meat. Continue cooking until the vegetables are tender, another 1 to 2 hours.

College Football

Before coming to UT, I had no interest in football and couldn't tell you anything about the games except that touchdowns are good. But UT transformed me to LOVE college football and I will continue to root for my team, especially since this year our team will undoubtedly be better than last year!

Comfort Foods.

Chicken Pot Pie. Pot Roast. Gravy to go with everything. Hearty, warm, filling dishes that just don't make it during the summer months. Time to bust out the crock pot!

Family gatherings.

Labor Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas are just around the corner, plus lots of birthdays to celebrate including mine!

With two jobs, and one which requires me to work every weekend, seeing family is a struggle. I love that autumn and winter give me lots of holidays and excuses to do so.