I am super happy to Introduce you to Beth today.

She was kind enough to do a Guest Post for me while I'm out of town.

So please grab a warm mug of something, settle in and get to know this sweet friend of mine.

 

Hi, friends! I'm Beth and I blog over at Becoming a Virtuous Woman.

I've been blogging for a little over a year, but this is my first guest post!

I was so honored when Rachel asked me to guest post!

I met Rachel through Instagram and found her blog.

Isn't she the sweetest little thing?  

I love her heart for people and for the Lord.

I've been married for just over a year to my best friend, Tyler.

He is my light and joy, and I'm so blessed that God picked me to do life with him.

We've been on a roller coaster ride this past year, but I've learned what it really means to be a follower of Christ and wouldn't change it for anything.

 

I love to cook, bake, sew, read, and cheer on our beloved St. Louis Cardinals!

I also run an etsy shop!

I am looking forward to hosting our first Thanksgiving with my family in our apartment in just a few weeks!

Can you believe that the holiday season is upon us?

 

Today, I want to share with you one of my *new* favorite recipes.   I found this one on Pinterest.  Are you as addicted to that site as I am??  I'll be sharing the recipe for Garlic and Lemon Chicken with Green Beans and Red Potatoes.

Ingredients:

• 6 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 lemons: 1 thinly sliced, 1 juiced
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 tsp kosher salt (I used regular salt)
• 1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
• 3/4 lb trimmed green beans
• 8 small red potatoes, quartered (I bought 8, but only used 5)
• 4 chicken breasts, bone-in, skin-on  (I used boneless, skinless breasts)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Trim the green beans, slice the lemon, and quarter the potatoes.  (I trimmed and sliced on a newspaper so I could wrap it all up and throw it away when I was finished...so much easier!)

Coat a large baking dish or cast-iron skillet with 1 tablespoon of olive oil.  Arrange the lemon slices in a single layer in the bottom of the dish.  (I have found that you don't really need that many lemon slices.  A little will go a long way, and if you're like me and don't want your food too lemon-y, you will probably want leave the lemon slices off the bottom.)

In a large bowl, combine the remaining olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and pepper. 

I learned (from watching Rachael Ray) that if you squeeze the lemon, cut side up, the seeds won't spill into the dish!  Brilliant!

Add the green beans and toss to coat.

Remove them and arrange them on top of the lemon slices in the baking dish.  The add the potatoes to the same olive oil mixture and toss to coat.

Place the potatoes around the edge of the baking dish and on top of the green beans.

Place the chicken in the same bowl, in the same olive oil mixture and toss to coat.  

Place the chicken, skin side up, in the dish or skillet (I just placed them in the dish). Pour any remaining olive oil mixture over the chicken.

Roast for 50 minutes.  Remove the chicken from the dish or skillet.  Place the beans and potatoes back in the oven for 10 more minutes, or until the potatoes are tender.

*Notice, the chicken did shrink.  So you will want to use big pieces of chicken {or a bigger pan so you can squeeze more chicken pieces in}.*

I hope you will enjoy this recipe as much as I have!  It's fun to tweak things and make the recipe "yours."

You can find me in various places:

Blog

Shop

Facebook

Instagram:  @beth_elaine

Stop by and say hi! :)

Oh and since y'all are so awesome, I'm giving away one of my favorite ruffle scarves!

The Autumn Ruffle.

Thank you so much for having me today, Rachel!

I am blessed to know you through IG and your blog.

 

Beth, thank YOU for sharing with us and so kind of you to giveaway one of your creations!

 

So if you are interested in winning this beautiful scarf, send me an email or leave a comment and tell us what you love most about the holidays!

Good Morning Good Morning!

Happy Wednesday!

I am so excited about today's post.

My friend Megan from Contented Sparrow is here with us today and she has some yummy things to share!

Hey there! I'm Megan and I tap out words over at Contented Sparrow. It's a pleasure to share a simple recipe here with you today in Rachel's lovely space!

Baking makes me happy. Filling the house with scrumptious smells and special treats for my family is one of my favorite ways to serve them. My mom gave me a new cookbook recently, the Back in the Day Bakery Cookbook, and these Cinnamon-Sugar-Doughnut Muffins are the first recipe I tried. (I was able to visit the bakery during a recent trip to Savannah and it I highly recommend you pop in if you're ever in the area. Cutest bakery ev-ah!)  The muffins are doughnut-like and cakey in texture.  The kids gobbled them down alongside of their cold cups of milk and said, "Ohhhh, they're sooo good, Mom!"  Now, that's the reaction I was hoping for! Here's a photo journey through the muffin-making and then the recipe is posted below.

Have at it and enjoy!

(And, thank you so much to Rachel for having me!)

Cinnamon-Sugar-Doughnut Muffins from Back in the Day Bakery Cookbook Ingredients For the Muffins 3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour 1/4 teaspoon baking soda 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder, preferably aluminum-free 3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons whole milk 2 tablespoons buttermilk 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature 3/4 cup sugar 2 large eggs For the Doughnut Coating 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted 1 cup sugar mixed with 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon Directions To make the muffins: Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Lightly spray 12 large muffin cups with vegetable oil spray. Sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, and cardamom.  In a medium bowl, combine the milk and the buttermilk. In a large mixing bowl, using a handheld mixer on medium speed, cream the butter for 2 to 3 minutes.  Turn the speed to low and gradually add the sugar.  Continue to mix until the mixture lightens in color.  Add the eggs one at a time, beating just until combined.  Add the dry ingredients in thirds, alternating with the milk mixture, mixing just until smooth; do not overmix. With a large ice cream scoop or spoon, scoop the batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling them approximately two-thirds full.  Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the tops are firm to the touch and lightly golden. While the muffins bake, set up two bowls to dunk them in.  In one bowl you will have the melted butter, and in the other bowl you will have the cinnamon sugar. Let the doughnuts cool completely on a wire rack.  Dunk them in melted butter, then coat them with the cinnamon sugar.  The muffins can be stored in an airtight container for up to 2 days.

Are you guys drooling yet? I've been having a serious donut craving lately and I think this just about settles it!

I LOVE Megan's blog and her pictures. She has such a way of capturing the moment and telling a story with the photo's she snaps and the words she so beautifully describes.

And not only does she do all that, but she also has an Etsy Shop!

You must go check it out!

Sparrow Mercantile

Thank you so much for sharing this delicious recipe with us Megan!

You are the Bee's Knees! :)