Crawfish Corn Soup and Cozy Fall Moments

The bright leaves are falling. 

 

The warm flannel sheets are on the bed. The seasonal sinuses and sniffles have hit us hard and it still feels like the most wonderful time of year! 

The warm nights by the fire and hot soup on the stove are the perfect cure. 

Well, mixed with some of these, of course. 

 

I've put in my good week of puny, sinus mess and now that I'm back to normal, it's Sean's turn. Last night, tacos were on the menu, but I rearranged after getting in and out of the car all day in rainy, cold weather. Crawfish Corn Soup was what we both needed.

 

It was so good for crawfish lovers and even better tonight as we enjoy what's leftover while sitting by the fire and catching up on dvr.

Here's the easy recipe I grabbed via Tastebook.com

Crawfish & Corn Soup

ingredients

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 bell pepper, chopped
• 3 stalks celery, chopped
• 1 can Rotel Tomatoes
• Emeril’s Essence
• salt & pepper
• 2 cans whole kernel corn
• 1 can cream corn
• 1 pound Crawfish
• 1 can Evaporated Milk

directions

• Sautee onions, bell pepper, celery, Essence & salt in butter.
• Add Rotel & cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Stir in corn, crawfish and milk.
• Salt & pepper to taste.
• Heat approximately 30 minutes.

Source: Sheila M. Juneau

 Last week, adorable kids holding their parents' hands traipsed through the fall leaves in our front yard to trick-or-treat on our door step.

But our very first trick-or-treaters were by far the MOST adorable. 

Avery and baby Hadley came to visit in their cowgirl and cow-girl costumes!

 

 How cute are they??

 Avery was such a big girl saying "trick or treat" just like mom told her. And she got the family treatment when it came to doling out the candy!

We played around for a minute while we waited for Seany to get home from work.

Yay, Seany's here!

 

 We ordered pizza and watched movies amidst the doorbell rings from superheros, princesses, and ninjas asking for candy. Since I was sick then, part of me wanted to turn the light out and retreat to my bed, but I didn't have the heart to. The kids made me smile and it was worth it.

 We're both recovering and starting to feel back to normal. Although the days are always long when you don't feel well, having a soft place to land at the end of the day is an absolute blessing.

Autumn Blessings,

The Grays

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Our Fave Fish Tacos!

It's been a long work day. Followed by a long workout. 

Cooking sounds like the last thing you want to do. But junk sounds like the last thing you want to eat. 

On days like these. Or any other day we get the craving (which is sometimes once a week!) we make our favorite fish tacos. They're so quick and easy (start to finish: 12 minutes!) and we can't get enough. 

Spice up your normal taco night and give these a try.

  

Ingredients include:

Thawed Tilapia

Olive oil

Taco Seasoning (I just sprinkle on my own)

Taco Shells (we do some soft tortillas, some crunchy shells

shredded cabbage (cole slaw) or shredded lettuce

shredded cheese

diced tomato

sour cream 

AND

 The most important ingredient...

 Pancho's Dressing

Pancho's is a restaurant chain in the Memphis area that has the BEST cheese dip, salsa AND this amazing, unique, dressing. They are both available for sale in Mid-South grocery stores in Arkansas, Tennessee, Mississippi, Missouri, Alabama, and Kentucky. 

If it's not available to you, I. am. sorry. 

The ingredients on the container are vegetable oil, vinegar, mustard, sugar, onion, and oregano. 

Here's a copy cat recipe that features the same ingredients and is probably similar if you aren't familiar with Pancho's Dressing. 

First:

Rub a little olive oil on your fish fillets (1-2 per person)

Then rub your taco seasoning in.

I throw together some chili powder, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, cumin, oregano, salt and pepper. 

Bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes. Since I just bake 3 at a time, they're done in 12. 

Everything else can be prepared before the fish are even done. That's why this just takes 12 minutes!

Toss cole slaw or shredded lettuce some of the Pancho's Dressing. 

 Then dice up the tomato.

 When the oven dings, remove the fish and slice into rough chunks with a fork.

 

 And assemble! 

 Sean adds his sour cream inside and I put mine on the plate for dipping. 

We had ours with a simple mix of corn, tomatoes, and okra on the side. 

It's one of our simple originals. If I'm sharing it with yall, you must be pretty special! ;)

Be Blessed,

The Grays

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Pantry Makeover: Part 1

I've been itching to organize EVERYTHING lately. In fact, my summer is mapped out so that every little nook and corner will be overhauled and organized by fall. The first BIG undertaking was the pantry, which actually didn't take long at all to accomplish. Here's the haphazard (and probably hazardous) before:

And this is how it looks now...

I've been riding on a high ever since I finished it, often leaving the doors open to bask in the tidiness. I started by taking a quick inventory of what we frequently have on hand and wrote a list of how many and what types of containers we needed. I went to Walmart and got: 5 cereal containers, 4 ice trays, 2 large woven baskets, 2 medium bins, and 2 twist top clear jugs. I already had 8 clear canisters to use.

 

 I used chalkboard paint and chalk markers to label the containers for oatmeal, noodles, chips, cookies, dips, brown rice, yellow cornmeal, breadcrumbs, and cider/cocoa.

 

I used tags and twine that I already had to label brown sugar, powdered sugar, instant potatoes and white rice.

 

The clear jugs keep icecream cones/toppings and taco shells airtight and fresh. 

 I used a container/shelf from our refrigerator that we weren't using to hold all baking supplies (cakemix, chocolate chips, muffin mix, cupcake liners, bisquick, nuts, etc) 

Bread, cookies/crackers, and chips each got there own medium sized bin. I used the baskets

for onions/potatoes and napkins/paper goods. 

Now, not only is it so much quicker grabbing what we need, but grocery list making takes no time. Everything is in eyesight and I can tell exactly what is running low. And it's just crazy how much space is left over!

So why is this just part one? 

There is a part two, but it's not about what is on the inside...

Happy Saturday!

Katie

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Pumpkin Pie Spice Latte...At Home!

It's that special time of year...Our pumpkins are scattered on the front porch steps. Our town is adorned with scarecrows on every corner. And our Razorbacks have all the neighbors ordering pizzas and cheering on a Saturday night! The air is crisp in the mornings as we head out to work and I've got to have that cup of comfort coffee to warm my insides...And get me going! Nothing sums up fall in a drink quite like Starbucks' Pumpkin Spice Latte.

You know I would rather do something myself if I can find a way. This is my own little Pumpkin Pie Spice Latte that's been keeping me company every morning on the way to work.

Folgers Caramel Drizzle K-Cup

If you have not yet jumped on the K-cup bandwagon, you might be the only one left! Seriously, one of the best inventions ever. So easy and so fast. And there's so many flavors available.

Coffee House Vanilla Caramel Creamer

I've seen this pumpkin pie spice creamer online but haven't yet seen it in stores. It would be YUM!

And of course, a few shakes of Pumpkin Pie Spice.

If I'm feeling dangerous, I'll add a dollop of whipped cream and a little drizzle of caramel syrup. But only if I really need a pick me up!

It's so easy. The perfect way to greet the autumn days ahead.

MMmmm...

Katie Follow @ktgray13

Easy Chicken Pot Pie

Part 2, in what has apparently become an unintentional "Comfort Food" series, is another quick and recipe-free fall supper. Chicken Pot Pie has to be one of the countriest, most warm and cozy "Come-on-in-and-kick-off-your-shoes" kind of meals. I hadn't thought of making it this way, but here's a genius shortcut that will undoubtedly be added to my arsenal of home-cooked but quick-fix meals.

All it took was:

• a package of frozen vegetables (mine were Italian-style with zucchini, carrots, green beans, etc but Veg-All, frozen mixed vegetables or any other kind you like would work)
• A can of cream of chicken soup
• 3-4 chicken breasts or tenders (or Rotisserie chicken for an even quicker shortcut)
• a can of biscuits
• 1.5 cups of milk
• 1/2 cup of chicken broth
• butter
• seasonings

If you want the full version, I found the recipe here.

Here's the jist:

Boil your chicken until cooked, if using raw. Remove the chicken and set aside. Microwave your frozen vegetables as directed. I used these:

Bake biscuits for 10 minutes at 375 so they rise but do not brown.

Pour your chicken broth and cream of chicken in the pot.

Add your spices (Italian seasoning, garlic and herb seasoning or garlic powder, salt and pepper. Then add your half and half or milk.

Whisk together over medium heat.

Add your cooked vegetables to the sauce.


When incorporated, add chicken and pour into a buttered casserole dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Add the biscuits on top and cook an additional 5 or so, just until the biscuits are golden brown on top.

Voila! So easy, creamy, and comforting. Enjoy:)

The Gray's Follow @ktgray13

Buffalo Chicken+Mac N Cheese=Comfort

The start of a new school year, a new challenging setting for work, and settling into married life has me craving relaxation and comfort every evening when we make it home. My workouts have gone on a short hiatus since the honeymoon (Don't tell!) and I'm not in too big of a hurry to kick it back into gear. We're just TOO busy and need some time to unwind at night. There's no better way to do that than with fall comfort foods.

We hosted a couples shower at our house saturday night after a crazy week of overtime. Totally spent, I slept in Sunday morning later than I have in ages. Sean somehow managed to go golfing that morning while I snoozed. That afternoon, Lindsay and baby Avery (who recently celebrated the big ONE!)

...came to play for a bit. After Sean and Avery swang in the hammock for a minute, I took her to run with the puppies in the yard. 45 minutes later, Sean still hadn't moved from that hammock. And when Lindsay and Avery left to go home, he STILL had not moved.

I checked to make sure he was still breathing.
He was.


Passed out, sound asleep, cocooned up like a caterpillar between two trees in the backyard, slightly swaying in the autumn breeze. I took a few pictures and woke him up with my uncontrolled laughing, then climbed inside for a little peaceful afternoon nap myself.


That weekend for the shower, I made buffalo chicken crescents and needed to use the leftover buffalo chicken. What better comforting combination than buffalo chicken and macaroni and cheese, I thought!

No real recipe here. Just inspiration for a deadly combination. You know I never follow them anyways. In addition to the comfort food kick I'm on, I'm also loving simple, easy "throw-together" meals with any short-cuts I can think of. This was perfect.


I used cavatappi, or corkscrew, pasta which I think makes the best macaroni and cheese. I added butter, milk, and leftover cheeses from different meals for a combination of velveeta, mozzarella, and cheddar, then a little sour cream and salt and pepper. Make whatever macaroni and cheese is your favorite!

The buffalo chicken I had was fully cooked and just needed to be nooked in the oven or microwave. I like the oven so it's crispy.

I used oven-safe ramekins to layer macaroni and cheese, chicken, then a little of the melted cheese from the bottom of the pot.


We topped with red pepper flakes and Sean used a few shakes of extra hot sauce on top. It was oh so bad. SINfully delicious.

If you would rather go full out and like an exact recipe to follow, here's one from YumSugar.

Enjoy!

~Katie and Sean

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Snowed-In with Yellow Rice Casserole

We had the pleasure of being somewhat "snowed in" for a couple days. School was closed for two days and amazingly the clinic was closed for one, so we were able to cozy up inside and catch up on lesson plans/treatment plans, clean house, and watch the snow fall from the window.


Oliver and Owen Bear

It looked like we had cotton growing in front of our house!

Our cold, quiet street before the roads got too bad...

We enjoyed breakfast early in the morning to start a productive day in.


We ventured the 1 mile drive to the gym and loved being able to workout with no rush and no crowd.

With our workout behind us, all paperwork complete and all housework done, we could actually relax with dinner and American Idol Thursday night, and my Yellow Rice Casserole was on the menu.

The recipe is just one of mine and is a spin on traditional chicken and rice casserole, made instead with yellow rice. My favorite! You can change and add just about anything...mushrooms, vegetables, beef. But here's how I made it for our warm and cozy dinner.

Ingredients:

• 16 oz pk Mahatma Yellow Rice
• 1 can Rotel, drained
  
• 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1 link precooked sausage (optional) I had it leftover from another recipe.
  
• 1 can cream of chicken
• 1 bell pepper, chopped
• 1 small onion chopped
• 2 tbs olive oil
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• dried parsley, salt, and pepper to taste
• sour cream for garnish (optional)

Cook rice according to package directions. In a large, deep skillet, saute chopped onion, bell pepper, and garlic in olive oil on low for 2-3 minutes. Chop the chicken breasts into chunks and add to skillet. Add your seasonings and cook until chicken is no longer pink, about 7 minutes. Add your sausage, if using. When the chicken is cooked, combine everything from your skillet into the rice. Add in the cream of chicken and rotel and mix, then spread into casserole and bake for just 15 minutes or so at 350. We served ours with a splash of Lousiana and a dollop of sour cream.

We've had more snowy weather this year, than the last several combined. EVERYone seems to be over the cold weather and itching for spring time. I took our snowman down from our front door in hopes that we've seen the last of snow for the winter.

Here's hopin'!

XOXO,
Katie Follow @ktgray13