GeorgiaThis week was my week and I really wanted a taste of home.. And to me home is GA. The greatest comfort food for me is a good old southern food. I made "fried chicken" but it's not your mama's or even Paula Deen's fried chicken. This is a slightly healthier version. Ever so slightly. The biggest difference and the thing that makes it slightly healthier is it isn't fried in a boat load of oil. I found this recipe years ago. It's one of my favorite "fried" chicken recipes. Click below for recipe Parmesan Crusted Chicken JenThis week was a blur of chaos, leaving me without time to cook the recipe I intended. Instead, I am sharing a recipe I made the week before, which happens to fit the category. Hopefully you all forgive me for cheating this time around, as this recipe is worth sharing!! :) Thankfully my husband took a couple pictures… AmyY'all can make what you want but you know that it isn't a proper Southern meal if it doesn't have grits, corn bread and sweet iced tea. I decided to go basic this go round. I have no regrets! Click below for Amy's recipes Southern Amy NikitaThis week was tough. I've been sick most of the week but felt well enough to make my southern dinner tonight. I went through cookbooks that have collected dust in the upstairs office and found I have quite the Paula Deen collection given to me by Matt's southern grandmother. Nothing screams southern like good ol' Mrs. Deen. The first entree I spotted was Fried Chicken. Now I could swear that I have never made Fried Chicken, but my better half begs to differ. This time I drew inspiration from Mrs.Deen's recipe and watched a few videos to get it right. This recipe was my own concoction of a few blended readings and suggestions. Luckily, I had a fryer handy. We don't use it much for obvious reasons, but it was helpful to make sure my chicken looked and tasted like it was right out of South Georgia. Sides included Mashed Taters and Collard Greens (the same ones from our New Year's meal). Love, 99 Until next week when Jen's first choice is on the menu.
Georgia. Jen, Amy and Nikita
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NikitaMatt and Christopher have been fully invested in their soccer schedules over the last month with tournaments and games, both playing and reffing. I chose granola as the secret ingredient this week because I wanted to make something healthy and snackish for them between games. After reviewing Pintrest for a million hours, I found this Apple Pie Granola Bars recipe. No added sugar and only 30 calories per bar. I will say that I was hoping for a crunchy bar, and this is not crunchy. Christopher loved the chewy texture, but Matt said I need to use sweetened apple sauce next time rather than unsweetened. They were a little too healthy-tasting. 😂 Because I like to try different recipes all the time, it happens often that I try something and the boys love it....but then they never see it again. It's become another one of running jokes in the house. Christopher mentioned how much he loved these bars, and Matt sarcastically said, "Welp, you'll never see those again!" 🤣 Love 99 Apple Pie Granola Bars GeorgiaSuper excited to welcome our newest Saturday Bites lady Jen to the party. It's all about the sharing.. So Nikita chose granola and I debated between using it as an ingredient in a dish or just making some. I ended up going with making it, Mainly because granola has been a staple in my morning routine for years and oddly enough I've never really made my own. We;; that has all changed thanks to this challenge. So I decided to marry two of my favorite things. Granola and chai and made... Chai Spiced Granola Jen Fact: my husband loves cheesecake. :) I’ve taken to making mini-cheesecakes because it’s a heck of a lot easier than the real deal. This time around, I used granola as a substitute for the graham cracker crust, but only with half the batch in case my husband was not a fan. Turns out he likes the granola version better!! The texture is really nice with the smooth cheesecake. Pictured on the left is my usual graham cracker crust, and on the right is a granola crust with a touch of granola sprinkled on top. :) Jen Click below for recipe Mini Cheesecakes AmyAllow me to begin by saying welcome Jen. I read the emails earlier this week and was too lazy to reply. In fact, a friend sent an email in November and I hope he wasn't expecting any form of reply right away. Perhaps I should send a reply after I compose this lofty tome. I digress. Nikita unwittingly played right into my hands by choosing granola. I had bought the fixens for this recipe not two days before she threw down the challenge. I am the omnipresent! Or it just happened to turn out this way. I also saw something about some kind of filming...yeah...all we need is for Kalen to roast us. Plus I haven't learned how to do it. Back to the food challenge! My recipe isn't straight up granola. Many of the ingredients are found in granola and I believe if you have extra homemade granola you could add it to this dish. I also believe that there are limitless combinations to be had in this dish. I imagine raspberries, pistachios and rose water would be delightful. So here it is: Berry Breakfast Bake And here we are.. Our 3rd Saturday of 2018 and we are bigger and better than ever. It's never too late to join the party! Next weeks food challenge is anything Southern. Favorite dish or new find.. Until next week, Nikita, Georgia, Jen and Amy AmySo it was my turn to pick the food challenge... I had that Christmas cold and my appetite suffered. I said "noodles" thinking I'd most likely boil a packet of Ramen and call it a day. That is not the case. I was flipping through Living magazine and I saw the words Soup Rx. I felt that I required Soup Rx! There were four recipes for the offering. I went with one that I knew would not so much cure my cold but at least relieve the symptoms. Guess what? It did. Warm, comforting nourishment. I'm sure that many of you will have a good portion of the ingredients on hand. You don't have to be under the weather to enjoy this tasty healthy-ish soup. Plus it takes very little time to prepare. Good bye canned chicken noodle soup. I made a large batch and plan to freeze some. Never know when the cold will strike. Ginger Spice (she was my favorite!) From Martha Stewart Living January/February 2018 In a saucepan over medium-high heat, saute 1 thinly sliced garlic clove, 1/4 teaspoon turmeric, and 1 teaspoon grated ginger in 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil, 30 seconds. 6 cups broth; bring to a simmer. Add 3 ounces angel-hair pasta, broken in half; cook 1 minute less than per package instructions. Add 1 cup shredded chicken; heat through, 1 minute. Remove from heat. Stir in 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice. Serve with scallions and microgreens. Rather than microgreens, I used fresh cilantro and thinly sliced radish. I won't lie, I lifted the bowl to my lips and slurped up the delicious broth. NikitaThis week, I went LIVE on FB to give a sneak peek of my noodle dish which was totally fun! Now it's time for the big reveal...Mongolian Beef and Ramen Noodles. This recipe is a copycat from P.F.Changs, and it was delish! I don't typically fry food because it stinks up the house, and it's unhealthy. But I took the chance on this dish because I just love P.F.Changs. I was quickly reminded that frying is also messy! Oil was everywhere! I had to wipe everything down several times to get rid of the vaseline surfaces that were my countertops and floor. 🤣 Also, I used Ramen Noodle packs without the seasoning, and they were on sale at the store! I wasn't sure that you could get any cheaper than $0.25 per pack but behold....$0.17! So I stocked up. I'd absolutely make this again, but I'll use the splatter screen on my pan next time. Enjoy the recipe! Love, 99 Mongolian Beef and Ramen Noodles Ingredients
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GeorgiaNoodles.. Just so happens that more often than not we have a couple of packs of udon in the freezer.. And as luck would have it I had some tofu in the fridge. So the other night was completely vegan. When it comes to recipes like this one it's just me saute veggies adding udon and calling it good. The first thing I try to do when preparing tofu is to marinate it first. I try for at least an hour before preparing. Tofu is so flavorless and this is a great way to add whatever flavors you are looking for. I believe I added sesame oil (because it's sooo good), soy sauce, garlic, salt, pepper and penzey's mural of flavor . Let that stew in the fridge for a little bit. In the meantime saute your onions, and whatever other veggies you want. I confess I try to keep an oriental blend in the freezer and always try to have onions and carrots on hand. Add your tofu. Add your udon (or noodles of choice) Because the udon is frozen fresh I really didn't have need to add any liquid. Cook for about 10-15 minutes Taadaa - Dinner in less than 30. Not including marinating the tofu Once again.. Three very different takes on a single food item.. Exciting news for Saturday Bites. We have a couple more ladies joining our weekly food challenge. Jen and Elyse. Expect to see their contributions very soon. Next weeks challenge is Nikita's pick and it is granola.. Make your own or use a pre-made in a recipe. Your choice.. If you are interested in joining our weekly food challenge feel free to email me at [email protected] Until next week, Amy, Nikita and Georgia Georgia We had more of a New Years Eve dinner since the husband had to work on New Years day.. So for New Years Eve dinner we had an appetizer dinner.. Did this earlier in the year and it was a big big hit.. Seriously going to do this more often.. So many yummies on the table. From deviled eggs to a delish caprese salad. Auntie made little hand held pies and this amazing hot dip.. Angie made the deviled eggs and brought spring rolls.. Yeah.. I love a good appetizer party .. So many selections.. And zero guilt.. AmyAnd so we survived another crazy year on this big rock. I congratulate us. Of course we all make resolutions we never intend to keep. And that's okay. Every year I resolve to be a better person. I think I peaked at 43. But I keep trying. Though menopause has made it a challenge indeed. I'm keeping the resolutions simple this year. I posted on social media the idea to write down on slips of paper something good that happened once a week and put them in a jar. On New Year's eve I'll read all the good things that happened to me this year. I'm also tossing loose change into the jar. I'm using the Indian chief jar that belonged to Dad. The other thing I posted was that David Bowie's son, Duncan Jones, started a book club based on books Bowie read. I once read Bowie's list of 100 favorite books. He was a fierce reader! So I've ordered the first book. That's about all I've resolved to do. Be a good person. Dedicate to writing down 52 good things and read like Bowie! I got this. As for my New Year's meal, the traditional southern fare. Black Eyed Peas and collard greens. While I stick with this tradition, I make both dishes different every year. I guess it's quite symbolic really. This year I had a taste for mac and cheese instead of corn bread. I put it on top of my chicken. It turned out very nice. I made matcha hot chocolate for dessert. I gave Trixie some ham, chicken and black eyed peas. Food coma.... The only time to eat diet food is while you’re waiting for waiting the steak to cook. -Julia Child NikitaNew Years Traditions in the south include pork, greens, and black-eyed peas. Other superstitions include cleaning your house before the new year to avoid a year of bad luck. I failed at that mission and didn't tackle my mountains of laundry until the 3rd of January. Oops. But my family ate enough greens and peas to make up for my laundry misfortune. The secret ingredient here is bacon grease. In. Everything. It was amazing! I think I shared the collard greens recipe last year so enjoy the pic. Love, 99 I am currently working on a the 2017 Saturday Bites cookbook. Look for it by the end of this month!! Next week is Amy's choice and we are all making some kind of noodle recipe.. Feel free to join if you'd like. Send your recipes and photos to [email protected] no later than Saturday morning.. Preferably Friday evening. In the subject line type Saturday Bites Here's to a fabulous 2018!! Georgia, Amy and Nikita |
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