Bacon Makes Everything Better

Doesn't it?! Unless...you're a vegetarian  then it probably doesn't. At least it wouldn't for one of my faves, MJ. But for me...it does. I love everything about it. And when I was in a hurry to cook something, I remembered a recipe I had discovered on the back of a bag of shredded cheese. I couldn't remember exactly how it went and I made a few changes, but for the most part...I think I was somewhat on target, either way: YUMMY!

This really was perfect for a chilly night, it warmed me from the inside out. and it was carb friendly for Wiki, score points for me. Yessss, love it when that happens.

4 Cheddar & Bacon Chowder

Ingredients

3-4 slices thick bacon

1/2 cup scallions

1 1/2 cups whole milk, half & half or heavy cream

1 1/2 cups chicken broth

1 cup celery(chopped)

2 cups shredded cheddar(I used Sargentos 4 state cheddar)

3 tbsp flour

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

Cook bacon till crisp( I sprinkled some maple habanero pepper I had on hand for added flavor) Use a slotted spoon to remove bacon and place on paper towel till later. Pour off all but 2 tbsp of the bacon drippings. Cook celery in drippings, 4-5 min or till tender. Add the flour and cayenne pepper, cook and stir for 1 minute. Stir in milk and broth. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat, simmer 5 minutes, still stirring occasionally  Remove from heat and stir in 1 1/2 cups of shredded cheddar. Stir until completely melted. Ladle in bowls and top w/bacon, cheese and scallions.

The adaptions I made were pretty simple, for wiki's low carb, I think I only used a tbsp of flour, I used more bacon and actually cooked in into the soup when the celery was done and reserved the rest for the topping. You could easily make this using fat free half and half and low fat cheese if you wanted to control your calories, just not skim milk, it would never thicken enough.

This was so easy and so scrumpt~a~di~lumptious.

And now, can I tell you how we finally put our tree up last night. yes, we have been those people this year. How sad. Wiki has been working such long hours and we've been gone on wknds. While I am really pleased w/the end results...let's just say there were some moments. Like when I was supposed to hold the tree straight and when I let go, it was apparent that a woman who is 5'3 and has arms to match...shouldn't be in charge. then the moment when I looked up to see him stringing the lights on and they were white, as in not just the lights. The cord too. I had to breathe deep. and today I'm gonna get some kind of garland to cover it up. Cause it is... ummm, noticeable. haha Oh well, I have a tree. YAY. After almost 10 years of  being a Mrs, I've learned to pick my battles and this wasn't one!  We had so much fun, just the two of us. We watched the Pats game on tv(although it wasn't much of a game. woot woot) and drank some hot cocoa. Perfect Monday night!

These are our "house divided" ornaments, Wiki is from Boston, ergo...obviously a Sox fan. While I root for every other Boston team, my heart is pinstriped. So when Wiki left for work this morning, I put the Yankee ornament in it's rightful place: front and center.And to be fair, I did the same thing w/the Sox one....

Not my fault it's rightful place is somewhere in the back;)

Weekend Wine Hop

This weekend was one of the better we have had in quite some time, we have been so beyond busy lately, Wiki frequently working and traveling so much, that doing something fun and relaxing has been few and far between  Even though we had to drive 2 hours to get to our destination, it was a very "quick" 2 hours, plus, ummm, there was wine at the end. Wine makes life livable. I've decided.

I often times take for granted what we have in our midst here in Raleigh. The beach is a little over an hour and a half away and then an hour and a half the other direction is the mountains. There are quaint towns rich in history and places you can slowly meander your way through. There are a plethora of small breweries around the area(if I drank beer this would make me exponentially happier) that you can tour and explore...but even better are the wineries, of which, there are a plenty!

When our friend asked us for tips on the Yadkin Valley Wine Country and places to stay/eat for his girlfriends birthday,  I happily obliged...When he invited us to join, well, let's just say he didn't have much arm pulling to do!

We met up at Old North State Winery, which is located in a renovated 1890's mercantile building in Downtown Mt. Airy, or the rest of you may know it simply as "Mayberry" yup, it's the town the Andy Griffith show was based on. If you ever eat lunch here I can fully recommend the french dip. Yes, please!

From there we drove about 20 minutes to our first(and mine and Wiki's fave) vineyard, Elkin Creek Vineyard. It's located next to a grist mill built in 1896. It is simply beautiful here, beyond relaxing and the vintners are the sweetest I have ever met. I love these ladies! They have only recently taken over the winery w/their husbands.  And they have just built the sweetest little cabins that you can rent, we will definitely be doing that next time we are in the area!

 oh, their pizza and bread. No words. So good. If only we hadn't already eaten. We had to live off our memories of our last visit here.

just look at their sign, it's as if they truly care about me...

  the view, beautiful blue sky, 65' degrees in the middle of December!

 Some of their awards.

 Wiki and I enjoying the swing next to the bubbling creek, sipping our wine!

Wiki describing something, in depth, I'm sure;)

The birthday girl and I. It's your birthday...(you know the rest;)

Then we sauntered down the road to Shelton Vineyards, also very pretty and much larger, not the intimate feel of Elkin Creek, but they did have homemade truffles to pair w/your wine. So I adapted just fine.

 View from their tasting room

 Salted Caramel dark chocolate truffle, they had roughly 20 some flavors to choose from, under the row of these was a little note that said "to die for" I will only say this

"I concur!!!!!"

Just big enough for a weekend get together;)

Our last winery of the day was Round Peak Vineyards. Wiki and I were skeptical b/c of our last experience here. We thought the wine was really, really good...but the guy they had working was ummm. a douchehole. Sorry, I tried to find a less inappropriate word, but I looked it up and it even had his picture next to the definition;) hahaha I'm basically a terrible person. Oopsie.

Anyways, so glad we went back! He no longer worked there( I mentioned it in passing and she didn't even blink an eye, her response was , "yes, I was his replacement, you weren't the only one") and now they do beer tastings $4 for 4. Wiki was all over that!

 I may have purchased a whole set of these glasses. Loved 'em!

and here is what happens when you ask men to take your picture and there is beer in their midst...

There are so many things I could say here...but I won't.

Then that night we went to dinner at one of our places, Trio, and as usual, the food was so beyond delicious. From the lamb meatballs, to my ny strip and then the 5 cheese potato au gratin  I am still stuffed. And then I was miserable, you know how sometimes your mind is saying, "stop" and your belly shuts it up by eating more. Yea...but, oh so worth it!

Then on Sunday Wiki(as usual) wanted to turn our 2 hour drive home into 7 by exploring the area. We stopped by Hanging Rock State Park near Winston-Salem. My phone died(cause it hates me, a lot & frequently) so I didn't get enough pictures to do it justice:( but they had an awesome visitor center and fully functional cabins you could rent, with the most majestic views!

So, there was my weekend. I had a fabulous time and if you are ever in the Carolinas, do yourself a favor and visit this area!

Tomorrow involves bacon and cheese. I know;)

Have a great rest of the week!

 and I am really excited about a give away that I am participating in, all thanks to one of my new favorites, Taylor from goings on in Texas.

linking up today with

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Whoopie Pie Wednesday:Peppermint Hot Cocoa

Yessssss, now that it is December I can fully indulge in my absolute addiction love of all things peppermint(don't you worry, I am still eating pumpkin & caramel, as I've stated over & over, Fall is still on for another 15 days) Anyhoo, I found these mini peppermint marshmallows at Target and was confounded as to how to work them into a recipe and not just use them as a finisher for my hot chocolate. but hot chocolate IS my favorite, thus this flavor combo. And it was better than I hoped!

Ingredients

1 box chocolate cake mix

1/3 cup veggie oil

2 eggs

1/4 cup water

3 packs peppermint hot chocolate mix

1 cup whipping cream

4-6 oz chocolate cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup marshmallow fluff

1 cup mini peppermint marshmallows 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Combine cake mix, oil, eggs, 1 packet of hot choc & water in bowl, slowly mix in 1 cup of the peppermint marshmallows.(if it's way too dry, you may want to add a tsp of water)  

Drop by  tablespoon onto lined cookie sheet (leave about an inch between each cookie)

Bake 8-9 minutes

Cool on pan 5 minutes, move to wire rack and cool 15 more minutes

Beat softened cream cheese & fluff on low for a min or until fluffy, add 2 hot choc packets & 2 tbsp of whipping cream, beat on low till hot choc is fully incorporated into cream cheese and add remaining whipping cream, turn speed to high and beat until stiff peaks form. Let set in fridge for at least an hour before frosting. 

Place a dollop of frosting in center and top w/another cookie.

Notes***

if you can only find the cans of peppermint hot choc, 3 tbsp would equal one packet. And I just happened to have chocolate cream cheese on hand, regular should work fine too. You can forgo the marshmallow fluff in the filling, I made it that way too and it was tasty...but this just gives it a more "genuine" hot cocoa taste. If you can't find the mini marshmallows, just use andes peppermint pieces or even crushed candy canes. You could also just use the peppermint frosting that is out now and crush in the peppermint pieces.

You could make this so many ways. Can't really go wrong.

and as usual, I had some filling left over, I added a tsp of coffee extract, 2 more oz cream cheese and a little more whipping cream, whipped for a few minutes, put in freezer for an hour, placed in dip bowl and topped w/the mini marshmallows. 

Voila, Peppermint Mocha Dip

Served w/ apples, pretzels & graham crackers.

These are so good and pair perfectly with, what else, a peppermint dunkachino, or if you're one of those people and you love mochas, that works too;)

and today...six years later, I miss you, Jeremy, as much now as I did then. 24 years wasn't enough time, yet the mark you left upon our family will always be felt.

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Caramel Heath Cookies & A Baby Shower

We spent 10 days in Boston for Thanksgiving. The weather was rather splendid  The sun shined almost every day we were there. and while I was still continually in a winter jacket, scarves and mitten...I was at least able to stand outside for more than 10 minutes at a time;)

I arrived so early b/c, along with my mama in law, I threw a baby shower for my sissy in law. I went up a few days before Wiki to tie up some last minute details.  I decided on a Fall theme; pumpkins and owls. I found the most adorable invitations on etsy and went from there.

We had it at this lovely place near my inlaws that lets you rent the whole top floor. Very few decorations needed as it's already lovely. They serve up lunch buffet style and all I had to make were some treats to go along w/the cake.

I decided upon making these & the oatmeal butterscotch goodness bars

I may have had three boxes of caramel cake mix and 6 boxes of cheesecake pudding in my carry on...

I'm sorry...have you ever bought groceries in Boston? haha 

Ingredients

1 8 oz brick cream cheese, room temperature

1 stick butter, at room temperature

• 1 egg

• 1 (18-ounce) box caramel cake mix

• 1 1/2 cup heath bits

• Confectioners' sugar, for dusting
• 
  

Pre heat oven to 350'

DIRECTIONS-Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.In a large bowl with an electric mixer, cream the cream cheese and butter until smooth. Beat in the egg. Then finally add in the cake mix & slowly add in the heath bits . Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours to firm up so that you can roll the batter into balls. Roll the chilled batter into tablespoon sized balls and then roll them in confectioner's sugar.

 Place on an ungreased cookie sheet, 2 inches apart. Bake 10 minutes. The cookies will remain soft and "gooey." Cool completely and sprinkle with more confectioners' sugar, if desired. 

I cannot aptly describe how much I love heath bar...

if you don't believe me, check out a few  posts

Bourbon Heath Mudslide

Pumpkin Caramel Poke Cake

Salted Caramel Mudslide

Anyways, the shower went better than I could have hoped. If I am honest, I was nervous as to how I would feel. I wondered if there would be a lump in my throat, would I feel a tinge of envy that it wasn't my baby shower. I am so relieved to say I didn't. I am so lucky and blessed to have Johanna as my sis in law. You cannot get any sweeter than her and I am genuinely excited to meet my first niece!

 The only time my heart constricted a bit was when someone said something to the effect of "how thrilled my in laws must be to finally be getting their first grandchild." It burns a little, however this person has no idea the struggles we've incurred, the never ending ache my heart has had for 8 years to be a mommy. They didn't mean it rude. It was just the word "finally" that stung. I wish I had been able to give them one a long time ago...

But nothing cures the burn more than pink and ruffles and I am over the moon to spoil this little pumpkin! I have three amazing nephews(on my side) so far and can only imagine a little girl.

Every time I see Johanna I have a full on convo w/lil miss, I need to make sure she knows her favorite auntie;)

The cake had owls & pumpkins, each table setting was welcomed w/ a wishes for baby & a diaper that 

everyone was asked to decorate & write sentiments on each diaper that mom & dad could read

as they put them on the baby. Each table had a bucket of markers to decorate

I did a Fall themed candy bar as favors and strung up "Fallish" bibs as decor that they got to take home

when the shower was over.

Wiki's Auntie Ella & I

 Me & the JoJo

and I am wearing 3 1/2 in wedges in this picture.

I am 5'3(on a good day)

she is a little over 6 feet

Wiki is right at 6'5

Wiki's brother(JoJo's hubby) is almost 6'7

What have we all learned from this?

My niece will probably be born taller than me:(

hahaha

Told you I talk to her as often as possible!

Hope everyone is having a great week thus far.

Whoopie Pie Wednesday may involve peppermint hot cocoa\

linking up w/

Pumpkin Caramel Poke Cake & Apple Cider Sangria

 Hello, Monday...back so soon? And with this Monday...Hello December, feels like just yesterday you were visiting last year...Anyways.

So, remember how I said last week that I was finished posting Fall recipes. Guess what? I lied. and so today you have more pumpkin and more cider. In my defense...Fall is not officially over until December 20th! See people...this means you have 17 days left to gorge yourself on pumpkin whip up some quick tasty treats! It can't be helped. I need to share this with you. 

and by now you should learn...sometimes when I say "tomorrow I am posting this" it can loosely be translated to say "at some point...in the future" haha ugh. I'm trying to be better. Life is just hectic, as it is for everybody!

Anyways, are you familiar with  The Country Cook? Oh. My. Goodness. If you're not, do yourself a favor and check her out. She has such a sweet personality and I love her recipes. And if you've ever been on pinterest before then more than likely you have pinned one of her recipes and not even known it. My favorites are her "poke cakes. Hence...my title and what I whipped up.

As I have always said...I get my ideas for recipes from lots of different people and sites...but many I make up are completely on a whim and all mine. Obviously I didn't originate whoopie pies or mudslides...but many of the flavor combinations are all my own and that's the case w/this cake. When I first stumbled upon a caramel cake mix and a pumpkin pudding, the idea was pretty immediate. It is rather tasty and I hope you enjoy.

Ingredients
1 box caramel cake mix
ingredients used to make cake(eggs, oil & water)
2 boxes pumpkin pudding mix(if you can't find, check my notes & I'll have alternate)
2 cups caramel coffee creamer
2 cups milk
1 container whipped topping(the cinnamon one was perfect for this) or 1 cup whipping cream
1 package heath bar bits

Prepare cake according to directions for a 9x13 cake, allow it to cool for a few minutes. Then, w/a handle of a wooden spoon or something similar  poke holes in the cake. They should be big, so the pudding can "poke" down in there...but really there is no rhyme or reason to this.

In a separate bowl, whisk together pudding using the coffee creamer & milk, then pour directly over the cake into the holes, reserving a 1/2 cup into the fridge to set up. Once you have poured into holes, making sure to "seep"  down into the holes, use the back of a spoon to spread it out evenly and place in fridge to set up, at least 2 hours.

To make "icing" use remainder of pudding and mix w/a container of whip cream. Sprinkle some heath bar bits over the cake and top with the "whipped icing"

Set back in fridge till ready to eat.

***notes.
if you want to use all milk, feel free. I just am a big fan of using flavored coffee creamers to completely change up the flavoring of something. I rarely make pudding w/out one. If you can't find the pumpkin pudding, you could always use cheesecake/or vanilla pudding and use pumpkin spice coffee creamer to make it instead. and the second time I used this...I just got an extra packet of pudding and mixed the dry packet it/w a cup of whipping cream to make my "icing" really easy and so tasty!

Now...if only I could get mine to be as pretty as hers! Or I can just be content in what my inadequacies are;) haha and yes...my recipe varies a little from hers. It's b/c I did hers from memory and I was a little off...but mine came out great too. or so I decided.

And b/c why not I ask...a tasty drink to get you through the week. I love sangria! I abhor apple cider. Somehow together I adore it. I don't make sense. I know. But I love what I love. haha The only reason I came up w/this idea was stumbling upon the bourbon at a party. and nobody hearts bourbon more than me!

Ingredients
1 bottle dry red wine
1 bottle sparkling apple cider
1 cup apple cider bourbon
3 apples cut up(I used a mix)

Combine all ingredients together in a pitch, stir to marry the flavors together. All that's left is to bask in the glory of this tasty beverage.

I have partaken in this from both the fridge and room temp.

***Notes
If you can't find the apple cider bourbon, use 1 cup of bourbon and one cup of apple cider. 

Funny story...the whole time I was typing this as I was reading to myself, pudding sounds like "puddin" I am a word nerd. I love words, ones that are interchangeable  I get made fun of so much for this...So when my accent creeps in, no matter how hard I try, I can't squash it. 

The reason I am so amused is b/c just this weekend a friend of mine from TX and I were talking. She said something to the effect that when she pictures "my South" it's "debutante balls and big dresses" and "her South" is "daisy dukes and cowboy boots" I howled and laughed till I almost cried...

Yes, I love MK and Kate Spade, my Frye boots, and Paige denim. I love fancy restaurants and good wine. I adore fruity martinis and I have worn high heels to grocery shop on more than one occasion...but

~I grew up on a tobacco farm in the middle of nowhere
~if the boondocks had a backwoods, Gladys, VA would be it!
~I learned to drive in a 25 year old jeep and a tractor
~my nearest neighbor was almost 3 miles away
~the only store we had was "Burls Market" 
~I am pretty sure the "penny candy" was original to it's 1943 store opening
~I am fully aware that camo serves a purpose & it isn't a fashion one
~I love cowboy boots
~I prefer bourbon/whiskey to wine and I like it hot...and straight out the bottle;)
~Wide open spaces rock my world
~I realize that everything just tastes better in a mason jar
~I know the difference between a ruger and a remington

Just funny how in life...even our friends can have a completely different picture of us than we do of ourselves!

linking up today with Lisa

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