One of my favorite things...

With Thanksgiving right around the corner, I've been digging around in my recipe box hoping to get a little bit of inspiration. And there, among my messy scribble scrabble recipe cards, are ones that boast the pretty scroll of my Nana's hand. Several years before she passed away, she copied some of her "famous" holiday recipes onto cards just for me. Each one brings back a certain memory...her Easy 5 Minute Fudge (on the back of which she wrote that my brother and I would lick the bowl every time she made it, and that it was our favorite treat!), and her mother's pecan pie (not to be confused with anyone else's!!), her peanut brittle, divinity, and butterscotch fudge. I remember sitting at her kitchen table, just waiting for her to give me the go-ahead to taste all of the yumminess! Once we had our fill, and set aside enough for later, she would pack everything up in pretty tins or in glass jars tied with red ribbon, to give out as gifts.

Today I took my daughter out to buy pretty tins and gift bags of our own. In my quest to find some delicious inspiration, I uncovered a longing to continue the tradition that she started. We'll be making lots of her holiday candy this week and taking it to a nursing home in out town...I think Nana would have liked that :) And just because I love you all so much, I'm going to share my favorite fudge recipe with you, too!!

Easy 5 Minute Fudge

1 & 2/3 cup sugar

2/3 cup evaporated milk (small can)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cups chopped nuts (can omit)

1 & 1/2 cups diced marshmallows

1 & 1/2 cups chocolate morsels (semi-sweet)

1 tsp vanilla

Mix sugar, salt & evaporated milk in medium sized sauce pan. Heat until boiling on medium heat, then cook for 5 minutes stirring constantly. Remove from heat & add chocolate morsels & marshmallows. Stir until melted, and then add vanilla. Pour into buttered tray. Let cool and cut into pieces.

As much as I love the holiday goodies, I love the recipe cards that they come on even more. In fact, they are some of my most cherished possessions. I love them because they are a piece of my beloved Nana, her handwriting forever showing me her heart. Each card has little bits of encouragement on them like, "work fast!", or "don't worry if it foams up (peanut brittle), it's supposed to!". It's the memories that make this season so special, and the ones I have of her are oh so sweet.

**Oh, and the picture above is circa 1995ish :) I have very few pics of Nana and I on my computer, but this one somehow made it! It's one of my fave's!**

Strawberry Gorgonzola Salad

C & I have a favorite restaurant in Starkville that serves an amazing Strawberry Gorgonzola Salad, and we've been meaning to try to make it ourselves for months now! Well, I finally did it a few nights ago and it was too yummy not to share. I'm serious, friends...this salad is absolutely DEVINE and I'm not really a salad fan!!

Strawberry Gorgonzola Salad

~ Equal parts Spinach & Italian Blend Lettuce

*If you don't buy the bagged salad, the Italian Blend has Romaine & Radicchio in it.*

~1 pint of sliced strawberries (I used about 10-12 large ones)

~ 1-2 handfuls of toasted chopped walnuts

~1 handful of crumbled gorgonzola cheese

~ 2 Tbsp. Raspberry Walnut Vinaigrette Dressing

*I used Ken's Steakhouse Lite and it was awesome!*

Throw all of the ingredients in a medium sized bowl, and toss. Of course you could use Strawberry Vinaigrette Dressing, but I just couldn't find any. And I'm sure you could make your own as well, I'm just lazy :)

Enjoy! I'm telling you, you'll LOVE it!!

SUPER Easy Enchiladas!!

I love to play around with recipes, and this is my latest creation. I've made it for most of my family members and they all seem to really like it. It started from the back of the enchilada sauce can, and I tweaked it to fit our family. The great thing is that you can totally make it your own w/ a few minor adjustments. See the end of the post for some suggestions :)

Ingredients:

8 tortillas

1 lb ground beef

Taco Seasoning

1 can of Rotel (I use mild)

1 can of Enchilada Sauce (I use medium)

1/2 onion chopped (you can omit if you don't like onion)

3/4 cup shredded cheese

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees, and spray a 9x13 dish w/ cooking spray.

Brown the meat w/ the onions, and drain the fat. Add the taco seasoning according to directions. Pour in the can of Rotel, about 1/2 the can of enchilada sauce, and about 1/2 cup of the shredded cheese. Stir, and bring to a simmer. Scoop about 3 heaping Tbsp. of the meat mixture into a tortilla, roll it up and place it seam-side down in the dish (I use a ladle & it makes it pretty easy). Continue scooping & rolling until you fill all 8 tortillas...make sure you have a little bit of the meat mixture left in pan at the end. Pour that remaining mixture over the rolled tortillas and spread it around. Then pour the *remaining* enchilada sauce down over that and spread it around as well. Top w/ the rest of the cheese and bake for 15-20 minutes.

**I don't like my enchiladas very saucy, so I usually end up w/ about 1/4 of the can of sauce left; however, you can use all of it and make it super saucy...it's up to you.**

You can make these enchiladas a lot healthier by using whole wheat tortillas & low-fat cheese (or cutting down on the cheese). And you can make it as hot/mild as you like by experimenting w/ different flavors of Rotel & enchilada sauce. Add japs if you like it super hot, or add black beans for a different texture. The above recipe is how we do it at our house, but it's so easy to change it up!! I hope you try them, and I'd love to hear what y'all add/omit when you do!

A Christmas Treat

Want a super easy, and super yummy Christmas treat recipe??  Well, here you go:

Ritz Cracker Goodies

30 or so Ritz Crackers (paired)

Semi-Sweet Chocolate Bark (or you can use Chocolate Chips if you can't find bark)

Peanut Butter

Wax Paper

Put a little bit of Peanut Butter on your Ritz Crackers, and pair them up to make "sandwiches".  Set aside.  In a medium saucepan (I use a double boiler) melt your chocolate.  When completely melted, dip your Ritz sandwiches in the chocolate until they are covered on both sides.  Use a fork to remove, and set on wax paper to cool.  Let them sit for about 30 minutes so that the chocolate can harden, and serve!  Yum!