Hello Saturday, 

Oh how I love you! You start with a little sleeping in, several mugs of coffee and maybe a little reading.

Then the rest of the day feels endless with opportunities. 

Should we wander about the town? Stopping at the book store, grabbing more coffee (always a good thing) or eating lunch out?

Or maybe instead we should stay in, and bake the day away. A loaf of bread or a new soup sounds super inviting on a cold day.

And then of course there is dinner to think about, should we keep it easy and order in a pizza or should I get that frozen bird out of the freezer and roast a whole chicken? Because recently I am feeling unstoppable when it comes to cooking, even if it turns out terrible.

Have you ever made your own chicken stock?

I looked up a few recipes.

This one looks like a good one to try!

Homemade Slow Cooker Broth

Did I tell you that I whipped up some homemade mayo last week?

Oh yes, I really did.

I found the recipe here. 

This might sound silly, but I really felt a little like a superhero after I did that.

It was so ridiculously easy, it was almost embarrassing. 

The same can be said for homemade pie crust. 

Why do we buy the store bought (I know, I know- it's easy!)?

Each and every time I make it from scratch, I think to myself "Rachel- you should do this more often!"

But then I hear Paula Deen in my ear saying from her show that she uses store bought pie crust and it feels like it's ok. Or is it?

Dear Paula Deen, 

Have you ever looked at the ingredients on a store bought pie crust?

Yours Truly, 

Ambitious in Arkansas

Ha!

Don't worry. I would never send such a letter to her. 

I love her.

Sunday will be church and life group and no doubt a good meal or two. 

There is also the expectance of a "wintry mix" here in Northern Arkansas.

Which really means, anything goes.

And after all this Much Ado About Nothing, I will leave you with this. In case you are all about that bass. :)

Have a great weekend!

Pumpkin Palooza

So here we are approaching November, and like everyone else, I'm all about the pumpkin.

I love the color, I love the smell and I even love them in their purest form. Pumpkin Spice Latte of course! (PSL for all you hardcore coffee drinkers.)

 

 

It's a cool, crisp and semi cloudy day here in Arkansas; the kind I like best.

And wouldn't you know, the baking bug has bit me hard!

Plus my hubby is working and I love having something warm and sweet for him when he gets home.

Trust me, your husband will love this too.

 

So rummaged thru my pantry and of course found a can of pumpkin.

Every time you visit the grocery store during this season, you should grab a can of pumpkin.

One never knows when they might need to whip up a pumpkin pie, pumpkin bread or drum roll please.........a Oatmeal Pumpkin Bundt Cake!

 

 

 

 

 

Naturally my cookbook of choice today was Pinterest. Anyone else run to Pinterest when they need a quick recipe?

I thought so :)

 

Oatmeal Pumpkin Bundt Cake

 

The recipe was large enough for a bundt pan AND a small loaf of bread. Well really more like a thick bar if you will.

Either way, it's moist and DELICOUS!

 

At the Jeter house we are flavor loving fools, so I doubled the recommended amount of spices she used in her recipe.

 

While the cake is baking for an hour, you can read a book, tackle all the dirty dishes piled up on the counter (yep, that was me), catch up on Gilmore Girls, or just park it in front of the oven and enjoy the bakery-esque smells.

 

Well, my percolator just finished brewing and I'm crossing my fingers that when I flip that bundt over, all the cake comes out. It's my first bundt experience! :)

 

I hope you are having a beautiful day!

Go on and bake something.

Guest Post With Beth from Becoming A Virtuous Woman

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!

Happy Wednesday

Hello!

Just wanted to stop in and see how your day is going?

For some reason unbeknownst to me, I woke up at 3:30am and could NOT go back to sleep. So annoying! I tossed and turned and then decided to start re-reading the first book in the Laura Ingalls Wilder series, Little House In The Great Big Woods .

Then I had to pick up the Amish sisters at the crack of dawn and take them to the Farmer's Market.

This was after drinking a REALLY large mug of coffee of course. :)

So I've decided that tonight we're having chicken pot pie. It just seems like the right day to make this savory dish from scratch. I got the inspiration from Megan over at Contented Sparrow . I seriously love her:)

I borrowed this pic from her recipe when she made turkey pot pie after Thanksgiving.

If you have never checked out her blog, GO.

She was even kind enough to do a guest blog for me back in June.

Did I mention that over the weekend I went to a Pinterest Craft Party at my church?

We made grapevine wreaths!

This is mine.

We talked and laughed and ate a yummy dessert, and we got our Craft On!:)

Our campus pastor's wife made the bow for me. She's super talented and really crafty. She has an eye for beautiful!:)

My friend Christina from church shared these images on her Instagram. So fun!:)

And speaking of church- do you attend a church regularly?

For a time, we didn't.

It was while my hubby was working during the week and was gone a lot.

So the weekends were all we had. We told ourselves that it was ok to just watch the live feed on Sunday's from the computer. And while I do believe that was better than not going at all, God's joy is to ultimately see you serving and being involved in a church. No excuses.

We are His eye's, and ears and feet and hands here on this earth. When we accepted Him into our lives, He now lives in us. And if we're sitting at home not going to church and being filled with His word and being supported and encouraged by other Christ followers- then how can other's see His love thru us?

Just something to ponder.

I saw this on Facebook somewhere and it really spoke to me. 

I get so caught up in fluff and stuff, with things that are NOT really important at all.

We watched 2 complete seasons of NCIS in no time at all, yet ask me if I can remember all the scripture I read during that time?

I think you know the answer.

I'm definitely working on this. 

How are you at managing your time with God everyday?

And on a completely unrelated side note, I got a new pair of slippers:)

Yay for warm cozy tootsies!

And one more pic of the my lovely view out of our home office window.

Did you know that the leaves are more brilliant on cloudy or overcast days?

Today is one of those days here in Arkansas. Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs {ha! not really!}

The deep reds and burnt oranges and bright yellows are bursting with color!

God's splendor is truly amazing!

Have a great day!

Romance Uncensored Part 3 and Some Random Good Stuff

Glory Hallelujah, it's Friday! Woooooo!

I could not be happier. I love the weekends. Like really love them.

It might have something to do with the fact that my awesome, amazing hubby is home with me on the weekends. Yeah, that's probably it:)

Anywho, this weekend is going to be great because I'm going to the Beth Moore live simulcast. I look forward to this every September.

Ever heard Beth Moore speak before? [ Please say yes!]

She is inspiring, her words and material are creative and she flat out rocks.

Google her, You Tube her, Facebook her- do whatever it takes to become familiar with her.

And clearly, she is in love with dogs. 

{Not all are hers by the way.} 

We're also having some friends over for dinner at some point and I'm going to crock pot it up. Either chili or a traditional Sunday Baptist Roast. You know, rump roast, potatoes, carrots- all in the same pot?

This was something we had more Sunday's than not growing up. And my mouth waters for that dish still to this day. My grandma made a mean pot roast in her day, let me tell you.

I think I'm going to mash my potatoes this go around, include a green bean casserole and the last of the corn on the cob. There might even be an apple pie thrown in-with homemade crust! Oh yeah!:)Makes me want to shout God Bless America!

I'm talking way too much about food and getting patriotic for no good reason and so we must move on to the next topic. 

I know you are dying to hear more about the Romance Uncensored subject. 

If you are just tuning in, you can find the last two posts here and here.

I have just a few more things to share.

The pastor brought up the importance of pleasing your spouse in many different areas. 

But one of the ways has really stuck with me and that was our appearance.

We dress up for work, get pretty for a coffee date with friends, pull out our best Sunday clothes for church- but how do we get ready and dress for our spouse?

I'm totally guilty of dressing comfy around the house. Yoga pants (which have never seen yoga by the way), hair pulled back, no make up and just a general laid back-ness.

Why do we do this?

We didn't do that while we were dating.

In fact if I remember correctly, my hair was always done, my clothes were always put together, I even painted my nails and threw on some lip gloss.

What happened?

Date your mate. Keep things fresh and alive.

I don't know about the guys, but for us girls a new shirt or blush or manicure can liven things up real quick.

And maybe there are some of you out there feeling like this talk doesn't apply to you?

I'm not saying you have to be someone you're not, or that you have to put on make up and dress nicely for your husband to love you.

He already loves you. But it's important to keep him in love with you.

Are you hearing me?

Your spouse is the most important earthly person you have a relationship with. Make them a priority.

Be your best you for him and most importantly for Him.

On a totally different page, some people see their marriage as something less than great. And some may see the marriage bed as something of fear or regret or hurt.

There are situations out there that are tearing apart marriages and it's going to take some time to work it out. Thru prayer and time, healing will come.

But just know that you are both worth it.

Saying I do until death do us part is no joke in the eyes of God. He takes that very seriously and so should you.

There are also marriages out there where one spouse is living for God and the other isn't.

The Bible tells us:

" Wives, in the same way be submissive to your husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives, when they see the purity and reverence of your lives." 

1 Peter 1-2

"In other words, your natural instinct is to nag and coerce you husband into church or doing the right thing, to try and manipulate him towards God. It won't work ladies. Only God can change your husband heart, your words are more likely to hurt than help. Rather than trying to persuade your hubby, choose to live your life loving God which in turn will spill over to your husband and be shown thru love and respect for him. Your actions will communicate louder than your words ever could."

[ Abbreviated commentary from the True Identity Women's Bible- page 1731}

God brought you two together. And it takes work to maintain. How much more important are our marriages than the mundane things we spend countless hours on everyday? 

Your spouse is worth it.

And so are you. :)

I think that's all I have to share from our AWESOME experience at Romance Uncensored. 

If there is any leftover info, I will be sure to share.

And now for something totally random but I must share.

Chicken Enchiladas.

We love you!

Found this recipe over at the Red Barn Candle Company. You can find here it is Declicious x 100!

Happy Friday ya'll!

Feed My Family Friday- The First and Last

Good Morning!

How is your Friday so far?

So yesterday I decided that I was finally going to join :

She does a Friday post called Feed Your Family.

So I cooked up some yummy things, took pictures and then went to her blog to link up.

But there was nothing for today????? 

I read back some older posts and she is done with the Feed My Family series!

Haha!

Story of my life !!

None the less, I made some food and I'm going to share the recipes with you, ok?

I didn't think you would mind! :)

First I started a basic bread dough recipe. You can find one anywhere! This one came from Jenna Woginrich's book Made From Scratch . It's a GREAT read and will totally bring out the inner farm/country desires in you.

I still have a long way to go on my bread making skills.

Her recipe makes 2 loaves. In this case I made one loaf and a batch of dinner rolls. I also used half whole wheat flour and half regular.

It wasn't my favorite batch. Something was off.

Not Jenna's fault. Purely mine:)

So on to the Breakfast Casserole:

I start by browning my sausage. One pound.

While the sausage is browning, I chopped up some onions and bell peppers from the garden. 2 of each (they were on the small side)

Then added to the mix.

{ I forgot how lame my pics without the filters of Instagram!}

Before I add in the sausage, peppers, onion mix, I ripped up the equivalent of 5 slices of cheesy bread that I left over from the Farmer's Market last week.

I layered it evenly over the bottom of the greased baking dish.

Then I added the sausage mixture and spread it evenly.

I also found some mushrooms in the fridge that needed to be used, so I added those too.

The more yummy ingredients the better!

Next I got out 8 (small) farm fresh eggs and put them into a bowl. I added about 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup of milk. If you have cream or half and half that's even better. Skim milk need not apply, ok? I also added 3 big spoonfuls of sour cream. Once again, it was in the fridge and needed to be used.

I whisked this all together, salt and peppered it and a  hint of garlic.

I didn't season this too much because the sausage has so much seasoning in it already. But you can season your heart out if you want to :)

Pour egg/milk/sour cream mixture over the sausage and bread already in the pan. Smooth and distribute evenly.

Then I added cheese.

We are BIG fans of cheesy goodness at this house.

Yes sir!

I happened to have half a bag of swiss and half a bag of cheddar.

So I used up both.

I suppose this could be called, use up what's in your fridge breakfast casserole! Ha!

You can use as much or as little cheese as you like and any flavor will do.

We give all cheese an equal opportunity around here.

At this point, some recipes would tell you to let it soak over night in the fridge or something to that effect.

The hubby doesn't like the texture of that concoction. I don't mind, but he does.

So, I baked it right away.

Bake at 350 for about 45 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly.

And here it is!

Let is cool for at least 10 minutes, if you want to burn your tongue like I did, cut a piece right away.

I really don't advise that though.

I ate mine for lunch yesterday paired with a few slices of garden fresh tomatoes.

I didn't get pictures of many of the steps, I'll have to work on that.

Also, sometimes I don't add bread.

Most of the time I add, canned or already baked/boiled potatoes cut into chunks. 

This dish is so versatile and good for any meal in my book.

Since I had put up so many peaches earlier in the week, I felt a peach cobbler was DEFINITELY in order.

I never got to the made from scratch pie crust. But I will, I promise!

Easy Cobbler Recipe:

2 cups milk

2 cups sugar

2 cups flour

2 sticks of butter

4 or 5 peaches or whatever fruit you have on hand. Should be about 2-3 cups worth.

Grease a 9x13 baking dish ( I think a glass dish works best.) And we typically use butter for the greasing.

Not the spray, not margarine, definitely not a soy "butter".

Live it up, use butter. 

Melt the butter, add your ingredients, mix with a whisk.

Cut up your fruit of choice. I should have used more fruit is what the hubby told me later. He was right.

Still good though!

Layer fruit in baking dish, then pour wet mixture over it.

I sprinkled a little cinnamon on top, but plain sugar is good too.

Baked at 350 for 45 minutes to an hour. Just keep checking until your knife comes out clean.

If you don't want to make big batch, I think a smaller batch actually bakes up better.

Just cut all the ingredients in half. Voila!

When I knew the hubby was almost home, I put on a fresh pot of coffee :)

He liked it!

Some of the girls on Instgram said " Best Wife Award" or "Aww, what a great wife you are!"

Well today, I sent my hubby to work with a pair of dirty jeans because they were hiding underneath the other dirty clothes and I didn't get to wash them : /

Woops!

And now I'm off to scrub the bathtub!

I hope you enjoy these recipes!

Have you cooked up anything good lately?

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! :)