Fall Menu Ideas

Happy Tuesday!  

I found some new (to me) recipes that I wanted to try, so I figured I would share them here with you!  I am hoping to cook these up this week, so feel free to stay tuned 

(or follow my insta story: IG-- jenndellefave)

 to see how they turn out!

Chicken Cordon Bleu

Acorn Squash Turkey Meatloaf

Chicken Taquitos

Cheeseburger Soup

Eggplant Chicken One Pan

Crockpot Balsamic Pork Roast

Currently

It's always hard to just start when you've stepped away for a bit.  So I thought I'd just share some of what is happening currently.  I am currently...

Sitting outside on the back deck, sipping on some fruit punch rehydrate and banging out this little blog post.  My fingers just needed to feel the keys under them and share what's on my heart, in my mind and what I've been up to.  I started that Mary Kay Andrews book last night, as I need a lighthearted beach read to just ease my mind a bit, with all that's been happening.

Cooking- I made this yummy and easy pasta dish the other week.  I just sliced up summer squash/zucchini, cooked in on a grill pain with a little extra virgin olive oil & this TS spice.  I sprinkled parm cheese at the end.  I boiled the pasta and then tossed it all together in the grill pan. So good!

Drinking- Iced chai soy lattes.  My jam!

Enjoying a little day date with my girl! We went to Wegmans and the Farmer's Market.  It was so nice to give her my undivided attention.

LOVING this hot Summer weather.  I don't remember having such great weather for so often and I am not taking any of it for granted!

Grateful for my mom staying with us; even under these conditions, it has enabled Joe and I so many little opportunities to spend some one on one time.  This was a day where we went out to lunch!

Getting all sorts of determination lately.  I feel like 'the next big thing' for us is around the corner. We just keep surrounding ourselves with positive people and those who truly 'get us' and it's really making for a beautiful life.

Feeling so blessed to these curly haired babes.  So many times I just find myself sitting and staring; watching them be siblings.  They bicker, of course, but when they're sweet and nice?  Melts my mama heart big time.

Amazed by this sunset at our land; how perfect will this view be?

Adoring this brand new tote that launched today in KEEP!  {Shop my mystery hostess social & enter to win rewards!}

Obsessing over these two necklaces combined to create a festive look for the 4th! {Tulum & Bliss}

What are you currently up to?

Cuban Sandwich {recipe}

As odd as it is, I never had a Cuban sandwich!! I don't know why, other than I thought that I would not like it?  It was something that just never popped out at me at restaurants or sub shops.

My husband and I were watching the movie  Chef a few weeks ago {it was an alright movie!} and the guy was making these Cuban sandwiches in his food truck.  Since I didn't have Cuban ingredients, I will say that I did make us some late night grilled cheese sandwiches because the movie made our mouths water!

Needless to say, the search begin for local Cuban sandwiches and we actually found a delicious place not too far from us called Bomberos.

I realized I could probably make them fairly easily, I just needed a few things:

• Good bread
• mustard
• pickles
• pulled pork
• ham
• swiss cheese

Thanks to our Pig guy, "Norm" we have fresh pork weekly.  We know exactly how the pig is treated and are grateful he doesn't use any hormones, antibiotics etc. 

So I took to the web and found this recipe for a visual:

Cuban Sandwich 

I realized that the Cuban is seriously the perfect go to if you're pinched for time and/or have leftovers!  Simple and cheap.   Plus it's tasty, so you can't beat that!

This is the book I use all of the time for my fresh bread.  I will leave a bowl of the dough in the fridge and cook from it when I need it.  It is so easy and tastes so good!

The New Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day: The Discovery That Revolutionizes Home Baking


This is a similar panini press to the one I have. I love it! Super easy to make hot and ready deli sandwiches for the fam.

Cuisinart GR-11 Griddler 3-in-1 Grill and Panini Press

How to:

You can use French bread at the store, I just didn't have any so I had to make it.

Slice length wise

Spread mustard on the bread.

Thinly sliced ham (you could totally use deli ham)

Pulled pork (I used this leftover recipe, but I'd like to try this one next time!)

Thinly sliced pickles

Swiss cheese

Press in a panini press until the cheese melts and everything is heated through!

It was so good and I believe that my husband was pretty impressed!!  Like I said, next time I'd like to do the pork in the mojo marinade to give it that extra flavor, but I was trying to use leftovers.  

Save that money!

Do you have a Cuban recipe you enjoy?

Currently {Thursday Edition}

Happy Thursday!! Oh man is it snowing outside! I was hoping to take the kiddos to the museum of play, but they're still kind of sick and the roads are terrible.  So I have been trying to break out some fun things like paint in ziploc bags taped to the windows and banging on pots and pans with wooden spoons.  It's sort of working...

I had a few ideas floating around in my head that I wanted to share!  

Meditation:

For 4 days in a row, I have started each morning with this 10 minute guided meditation for my chakras.  I obviously don't expect immediate results, but I have been wanting to meditate and work on this forever, so I just started doing it. I'll grab my iPad first thing and listen to it.  So far I like it. I want to give it 21 days to really start it as a habit and see how I feel.

KEEP:
Today the new Blue Ikat leather keeper was released along with the new Chevron Geo Bar.  How adorable?!  I cannot wait to add this to my arm parties.   " Wear this Limited Edition Key as a reminder that beyond the clouds, the stars still sparkle."  ---I LOVE THAT!!

Sticky Asian Ribs:
Dinner is marinating in the fridge as I type!  I combined two recipes and kind of put my own spin on them.  I am hoping these turn out as good as I hope!! I will for sure let you know and give a better detail of them.  {here and here}  I made a soup the other day kind of concocting a bunch of things together and Joe and I LOVED it. So, here's to another new recipe!!

Listening to:
So this song isn't new, but it's on some commercial and I had Joe look it up...the lyrics are actually really good! It came on my "Today's Hits" on Pandora too, so I just keep playing it.  Nice little ring to it...

Bradley boy:

Have I mentioned that I never had brothers or really any sort of "training" when it comes to baby boys?! Haha.  This one, ohhhh my word.  He is something else, I tell ya! He fell asleep on the way home from Target the other day...

He finds it hilarious to put the soft block in this wood holder and bounce on it.  Repeatedly.  He also really enjoys climbing onto EVERYTHING and giving his momma almost heart attacks.   Clearly he's a bit on the wild side. Most pictures are like this~

And today?  
Brooke was up coughing at 11, 1, 3 {got up to get her some water, let the dog out} and then she was up at 5.  Bradley woke up crying and has been off all day--I had Joe bring home some infant tylenol as I think it's his bottom molar and I usually don't give our babes meds, but this little dude was in pain and I felt so bad for him.  He's finally down napping now and seemed A LOT better after that.  Plus they're both fighting off these stupid colds...



Drinking:
Club W--My friend Amie sent me a coupon to try this wine delivery.  You see, here in NY I can't just grab a bottle of wine at the grocery store.  We have to go to a liquor store, which never happens with two littles in tow.  Plus they have a cool quiz you can take and get some wine recommendations.  If you're interested, here's the coupon for you to try!  {here}  Since that box I ordered hasn't arrived yet, I may have begged hubs to grab me a bottle of white on the way home. #sos

Reading:
I've got a goal to be more of a finisher.  I tend to get sidetracked with great ideas and ambitions, but never finish, or almost never finish and then I feel like poo. {Thanks to a Chalene podcast I was listening to, it really helped me see that!} SO,  I started reading The Sell a few months ago and I am bound and determined to finish it!  I will review it when I am done. #boom

Thought of the day week: I keep pushing on.  This doesn't really mean I'm going to give up as a mom by any means, it's just that in general, things get super hard and I get frustrated...but I know that it's in these crucial moments a breakthrough is bound to happen.

Stay beautiful my friends!! xox

Friday Night Meatballs

We did it!  We actually hosted a "Friday Night Meatballs".  I'm a little late to post about it, but as is life! 

Brooke Lynn
Brooke and Joe did some clean up outside on the back deck, as the furniture was still outside.  Really, they just wanted an excuse to play in the leaves! Love this girl.

It was a lot of fun and definitely something we would love to do again, I just don't think I could do it every week.  Maybe it'd be less of an ordeal, but you could tell for everyone, coming over "for dinner" was a big deal.  I may have invited a lot of people, but I didn't really know what to expect.  We had a lot of "no response" which is always annoying, and we had some people who couldn't make it last minute, understandable.



My niece was getting super hungry and couldn't wait to eat!

Father & Son

 Either way, the house was full of food, laughter, and lots of people!

My love!

My dad & step mom!

Chatting with friends!

I would recommend gathering everyone into the dining room.

We had plenty of room, but I was putting the baby to bed and people were already sitting at the kitchen table eating. I didn't want to make them move.

Next time I would not put out this many chairs.  I reeeeeeeally wanted everyone in one room! Being me, I was kind of upset for a bit about that, but what can I do. I learned for next time!

Most of the food was eaten by the time I remembered to snap a pic.

So, while we didn't get the effect of the table being completely filled up, we still had a wonderful time!

Brookie loved running around with the other kids and goofing around with Daddy.

That was my goal. 1) Have a table full of friends/family 2.) Let the kids play.

It gave us an excuse to light these candles that have been up here forever…

Our sauce with meatballs…smelled so good!

I decided to make some chicken cutlets too, just to make sure we had enough to eat.

The biggest hit?  Homemade bread.  The first batch I tried to make didn't work out and I got pretty upset, but Joe insisted I try again, instead of just buying some at the store.  I was so glad that I did! There was NONE left.  {Recipe}

My favorite part?  He was excited to make meatballs and help tidy the house for our friends to come over.  He'd kill me if he knew I posted this, but how can I not?! Seriously it melts my heart when he is in the kitchen. {real life kitchen = mess}

Have you hosted a dinner party? I will definitely do it again, I'm thinking February when holidays and birthdays are out of the way.  

Home Talk Tuesday: Comfort Food {recipes}

With the weather really starting to get cooler, I tend to start craving comfort (like most) but also being in the kitchen and cooking. It's a lot trickier now, with two littles needing me, but I feel like I'm getting into the groove with them.  It's not easy, by any means, but I've learned to multi-task and start things earlier in the day than I used to. I figured I'd share some of my cooler weather cravings with you today!

Tried & True:

Better than Takeout Chicken Fried Rice -- I just made this Monday night and it was fantastic! I had no idea what to make, and now that Joe gets out at 8pm Monday/Wednesday, it makes bed time/cooking his dinner a little tricky! Still trying to figure it out, but by the time I got the kiddos tucked in, garbage to the curb, I had about 20 minutes and this was perfect!

Cowboy Casserole -- We love this easy and tasty meal, thanks to Nikki!

Vodka Penne-- "You won't be single for long" Good old Rachel Ray, who really inspired my love of cooking long ago…I remember making this dish early on for Joe and he was really impressed!

Pork Stuffing & Apple Pie Filling-- a Fall favorite from my friend Ann and literally 3 ingredients and no thought.

Over-the-Rainbow Macaroni & Cheese-- something about this just screams L-O-V-E.  My mom made it for us when we were living in our new house and we all just about died over how good it tasted! I still make it every year.  Usually just once though, as it's pretty fatty…but it's ok every now and then!

I have a few dishes I want to try too!  I have my eye on two new cookbooks, [Happy Cooking Giada & Laura in the Kitchen] but until I can get my hands on them, I will just scour the internet.

To try:

Mummy Hot Dogs -- with organic hot dogs, I think Brooke will love these!

Apricot Chicken Stirfry -- It just sounds scrumptious

Chicken Florentine Pasta-- I've never made it and you cannot go wrong with the Pioneer woman!

Chicken Pie -- My friend Amie gave me this recipe and I definitely want to give it a whirl!


On another random note, I still have this urge to host a reoccurring friends & food night.  I am so inspired by this article Friday Night Meatballs, (that I read last year) that I just need to bite the bullet and host! I think a lot of us with young kids really miss getting out and about, but it can be so tricky with sitters and restaurants..and kids! So no more excuses, and more to come on this idea!




What are you cooking this Fall? Please share your delicious Fall favorite foods!

Tasty Thursday: Recipe

If you've been with me for awhile, you know we love some Giada up in here.   Her recipes never seem to fail us, and Joe loves anything pasta…so when I saw this last year, I couldn't wait to try it when I wasn't prego!  I decided to give this a whirl over the weekend. Boy, it did not disappoint!

Giada's Penne with Butternut Squash and Goat Cheese 

So yummy!

It doesn't require much, just some simple fresh ingredients.

1 box penne pasta

1 onion

1 butternut squash, cubed and seeded (my store has it all ready in a container!)

1 cup goat cheese (I personally only used 4 oz, as it's pretty powerful!)

it calls for walnuts, but I omitted those since Joe can't do nuts…

I cup packed basil leaves*

1/3 cup of parmesan cheese

425 degree ove-- 

Place sliced onion & squash on a baking sheet, drizzle with EVOO, a little salt & pepper.

Bake 40 minutes.

While they cool, boil a pot of water for the pasta, cook as per directions.

Reserve 2 cups of the pasta water.

In a bowl, place goat cheese, basil and add pasta.  

Mix and stir in the pasta water, which should create a creamy mixture.  

Add in the squash/onion.  

Toss with the parm cheese & walnuts if used.

It's a warm, hearty and meatless dish.  Perfect for cool weather in the Fall.  The basil and butternut squash bring a sweet element that mixes well with the goat cheese. 

Enjoy!

*my friend Alison made the suggestion of trying this with sage, as it may be even better! 

What's Cooking?

Kids Edition: Pumpkin Spice muffins

Of course, you don't need kids to make this simple treat.  I just thought it was the perfect way to let her get her hands messy and enjoy something she cooked up!  Brooke is loving being in the kitchen.  I remembered a few years back when this popular two ingredient muffin surfaced on Pinterest.  I decided to let her do most of the work!

This is literally all you need, and an oven:

Dump in can of pumpkin and spice cake mix.  Stir.

Keep stirring!

I may have helped her stir a little…

Since there are no eggs, I had no worries about her enjoying some "batter"

Bake at 350
12-15 minutes
Enjoy!

Even my hubby loves them!  Perfect with a cup of coffee or tea.  Or even on their own.