Cranberry-Cinnamon Goat Cheese Spread

A big congratulations to my dear friends Jeremy and Emily on their precious little boy, Benjamin!  I can't wait to meet the little guy!

I'm super excited for the National Peanut Festival tomorrow.  I'mma get me a corndog and about 15 other fried foods.  Maybe not 15.  But it's a fair, so I have to indulge.  I'm pretty sure it's illegal not to.  Obvi I had to run today to even think about gettin' my fair on tomorrow.  Word.  We might even ride the Scrambler!

Goat Cheese and Pancetta Orecchiette

I hope everyone had a lovely Halloween!  I drove up to Columbia to see my Grady-bear.  He was Darth Grady, Sith Lord.  Yeah, not a pumpkin or a sweet pea or any other vegetable.  Villain from Star Wars.  Totes appropriate.  In any event, I made chili per our Halloween tradition.  Nom.

We had a few trick or treaters and started watching a couple of horror movies.  Like TrollHunter.  Oh yeah.  A Blair Witch-style movie, Norwegian of course, about these college kids finding out trolls are real.  Did you know trolls turn to stone?  Well some explode, but I don't remember specifically a story where trolls turn to stone.  Did you know the Norwegian word for troll is troll?  According to Wikipedia the Scandinavians have trolls on lock.  So there you go, all you wanted to ever hear about trolls.

This pasta is the antithesis of a trolls.  It's creamy, comforting, and incapable of becoming a statue.  It's got goat cheese, pancetta, Parmigiano, and tomatoes that come together in a risotto-style pasta to make your life complete.  Complete, people.

Warm Apple Crisp

Goodness gracious, y'all.  I've been cookin' up a storm today in preparation for the game against Tennessee.  We've got cookies, fancy peanuts, feta cheese squares, pumpkin dip, and more to come.  Last night I made this fancy goat cheese spread and ate it while I watched Bridesmaids.  Um, can we talk about that movie for a sec?  I laughed.  I almost cried (what?!).  I wholly admire Kristen Wiig for committing to a role.  Because the scene where she goes berserk at the bridal shower and tackles the giant cookie, rolling around on the ground with it...I have no words.  And kudos to Melissa McCarthy for being a total scene stealer.  I know I'm like a year behind in finally watching this movie.  And Kristen Wiig's character is a baker in the movie.  So ta-da.

Speaking of baking, you have to make this apple crisp.  Martha Stewart never fails me.  I make her food, and it turns out how it's supposed to.  Buh-bam.  This crisp so simple to put together.  Some butter, oats, spices, and apples come together to make a warm bowl of happiness.  Apples are kind of my favorite fruit too.  Especially honeycrisps.  

Sloppy Joes

Sloppy Joes are super Americana right?  Do other countries eat Sloppy Joes?  Perhaps by another name?  Truth be told, they're not my favorite dinner.  I like them well enough, but I'm never like "Man, I could really go for some Sloppy Joes."  Nevertheless, they're a genius way to get in vegetables, especially if you have kids who aren't wild about them.  They're also pretty easy to put together if you have a food processor.  I highly recommend a food processor for this.  I mean, you could open a can of Manwich if you want it to be super easy, but this has got to taste way better than meat from a can.

Creole Kale Chips

I'm back from my too-brief visit to Columbia.  It was hard to leave that sweet little baby behind, but I have things to take care of from my home base.  I think Puddin was happy to have me back this morning since it gave him a bed to sleep in after my mom went to work.  He's also super stoked to have access to my brown blanket again.

So I promised you kale chips and kale chips you will get.  You should give these a shot even if you're not a big fan of greens.  I've been trying for years to like collards without success, and I wolfed down these kale chips in two days.  Something about making them super crispy and paper thin takes away any reluctance I have to eat greens.  Note: Greens, not green food.

Sweet Things

What's as sweet as milk and cookies?

This!

My sweet little nephew, James Grady Donaldson.  He came in 8 pounds 14 ounces and 21 inches long.  As you can see, he's got a lot of hair that's oddly my color.

Little baby foot!  Actually, it's not that little for a baby foot.  He's got big hands and feet and a kung fu grip to match.

Look at his little coming home outfit!

He has two very proud parents.  And a proud auntie.

I mean, look at that face.  How could you help but love him?

I'll be back to my regular blogging soon, but I thought I'd show y'all what I've been busy with!

Super Awesome Chocolate Chip Cookies. Make Them Now.

I want a corn dog.  It's State Fair time, which means fried foods of all kinds.  And delicious corn dogs.  At no other time in my life do I say "A corn dog is the only thing that will cure my hunger!" than at State Fair time.  I don't know if I'll get to go this year, but I do plan on going to the Peanut Festival in Dothan.  Oh, you didn't know Dothan, Alabama is the peanut capital?  Well it is, and they have a festival to celebrate the glorious creation that is the peanut.  And apparently the Corn Dog Man there makes the best corn dogs.  So there you go.  Or maybe I'll make my own?  That sounds like a project for another day.

Dessert Alert:  I made the best chocolate chips cookies of my life.  The edges were lightly crispy, the middle was chewy, and the chocolate was perfectly melty.  I died.  And then I came back to life and ate another one.  I wouldn't let Will hear the end of it.