My New-found Relationship with Paula Deen

First of all, I'd like to officially say that Nick and I are all moved into our new home in Virginia. It is absolutely perfect for us and I really could not be happier. We even put our tree up on Black Friday! Hooray for the holidays!!! When I moved down here from PA I was not currently employed but pursuing a career with Starbucks to run my own store. Two interviews and a few days after moving in, I got the call from my district manager offering me the job...for $8,500 more than I asked for! I'm really not the kind of person to brag about salaries BUT this is big for me...HUGE. The cost of living in this area is crazy and I needed to be able to keep up with these southern belles (lol) and support myself at the same time!! I am now even more obsessed with Starbucks than I was before and this has led to a caffeine addiction! Today, after only 2 weeks of training, they gave me the keys to the store:o) I feel extremely proud of my hard work ethic. I had an idea of what I wanted our new home to look like but it turned out even better than we hoped for, including our fully renovated and upgraded kitchen. Nick has already spoiled the heck out of me and started my collection of Le Creuset cookware: green, to match my green and yellow Williams Sonoma inspired kitchen decor.

In the meantime, during the time of moving in, finding a job and not working for a solid week and a half/two weeks, I knew I needed to work on my cooking skills. Let's face it, most guys don't expect you to be in the kitchen cooking dinner in an apron for them when they get home from work but when you have the time on your hands it's a great way to learn and also for your beau to be your guinea pig, shall we say. Luckily, Nick loved my cooking to begin with, so he was up for the challenge.

You may or may not have seen the movie Julie & Julia featuring Amy Adams and Meryl Streep but if you have not, and you really love to cook (or are just a big fan of the late Julia Child) then you should see it. I loved it the first time I saw it, now that I've watched it 4 maybe 5 times and I'm reading the book as we speak, I've grown to love it even more. However, Julie Powell's appreciation towards Julia Child is equivalent to my adoration for the ever-so-wonderful, Paula Deen. This woman knows how to cook (and put butter at the top of my grocery list every week!-yep, I said it, every week)!

I have been tweeting about some new recipes that I've tried and I promised a few of you fabulous blog pals that I would share some recipes with you! So, as promised, I am presenting you with the following to try and enjoy:

Appetizer (GREAT for parties):

Blue Cheese-Bacon Dip from Southern Living Cookbook

-low carb (not low fat, sorry!)

-goes a long way, great for crowds

-takes 26 min to cook

You will need:

8 bacon slices

2 garlic cloves, minced

 (I just use two teaspoons of the minced garlic from jar you can buy at grocery store but you can use fresh if you'd like)

2 (8-oz) cream cheese packages, softened

1/3 cup half and half

1 (4-0z) package crumbled blue cheese

2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives

(do not leave these out, they give such great flavor!!)

1/2 cup chopped walnuts, toasted

To make:

Cook bacon, in batches, in a skillet over med-high heat for 6 min or until crispy.

Drain the bacon, save 1 tablespoon drippings in skillet.

Chop bacon, set aside.

Add garlic to skillet, saute for 30 seconds.

Beat the cream cheese at med speed with an electric mixer until smooth.

Add half and half, beat until combined.

Stir in half of chopped bacon, garlic, blue cheese, and chives.

Spoon mixture evenly into a lightly greased 1 quart dish.

Bake, uncovered, at 350 for 15 minutes or until golden and bubbly.

Sprinkle remaining bacon and walnuts over hot dip.
Serve with crackers (I prefer Ritz)

Makes 3 cups.

Entree (GREAT to freeze as leftovers or for bigger crowds):

Slow Cooker Chicken n' Dumplings from Paula Deen

-does not require a lot of attention, let the slow cooker do the work!

-great for a dinner party

-low cost

You will need:

1 (3 1/2 lb. chicken) cut into 8 pieces ***just get the chicken that is already cut up!!***

4 sprigs fresh parsley (or dried parsley flakes)

4 stalks celery with leaves, chopped

2 carrots, peeled and chopped

1 medium yellow onion, cut into chunks (make sure you get yellow and not white or red onion, the yellow ones are sweeter)

3 teaspoons salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

2 bay leaves

1 1/2 cups plus 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 cup milk

2 tablespoons Crisco or any vegetable shortening, melted

1 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley (or, again, parsley flakes)

3 tablespoons butter, softened

To make:

Put chicken in 3-5 quart slow cooker (Crock Pot)

Add water to cover, about 3 cups

Add parsley sprigs, celery, carrots, onion, 2 1/2 teaspoons of the salt, the pepper and bay leaves. Cook for 3 hours on high or for 7 hours on low, until the meat falls off of the bone. Stir every so often.

In a bowl, combine the 1 1/2 cups flour, the baking powder and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. In a separate bowl, combine the milk and shortening.

Stir the liquid into dry ingredients. Fold in chopped parsley or flakes.

Drop the dumplings by tablespoons into the chicken broth.

Cover the slow cooker and simmer on low for 40-45 minutes, until tender and cooked through.

Using a slotted spoon, transfer the dumplings to a bowl.

Transfer the chicken to another bowl.

Once it's cool enough to handle, separate the chicken meat from the skin and bones, discard the skin and bones.

Strain the broth into a medium saucepan. Keep the veggies aside.

Mix the butter and 3 tablespoons flour to form a paste.

Bring the broth to a simmer over medium heat.

Whisk in the paste and let simmer until thick, about 2-3 minutes.

Add the chicken to the sauce, spoon the mixture over the dumplings to serve.

Serves 4-6 people.

Dessert (I made this tonight, it is to DIE for!):

"Punkin" Nut Bread from Paula Deen

-delicious with espresso or a bold coffee

-this recipe makes a moist NOT dry pumpkin bread

-best served warm

-great as a gift with recipe card and loaf pan

You will need:

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 cup pumpkin puree (however, I used 1 1/2 cups to make it even more moist-use what you like)

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1/4 cup vegetable oil

4 tablespoons butter, melted

3/4 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (I used walnuts), lightly toasted

To make:

Preheat oven to 350.

Lightly grease 9x5 loaf pan with shortening and lightly flour.

Sift flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, nutmeg and cinnamon in a medium bowl.

********DO NOT skip the sifting, you will be sorry!!********

Make a well in the center and add pumpkin, eggs, oil and melted butter.

Stir until just combined.

Fold in nuts.

Pour batter into loaf pan, bake until bread is golden on top and a sharp knife comes out clean when inserted into center of loaf (about 1 hour and 15 minutes).

Transfer the pan to a rack and turn loaf out of pan once it is cool.

Makes 1 9 inch loaf.

I hope you decide to try these easy recipes out and enjoy them!

If you do make them, let me know how they work out for you!

PS: Pics of our apartment will be on my blog later this week:o)

Happy Monday Friends!

In the words of Miss Paula...

Get Cookin Y'all!!!