The Cozy Little Kitchen

Thank you! "Take a Walk With Me" at my other blog...

2013-05-01T13:12:00.001-05:00

I received so many precious messages about our adoption, and I just wanted to tell you all how much your encouraging words mean to me!

Thank you!!

This is a moment I've been hoping to share for a long time. Your prayers have meant so much and your excitement keeps me ready to start the next leg of this adoption. (There are a few! Ha!)

Today I wrote another post in our blog, Bringing Home Baby Cates, to say hello to my readers over there. I'm letting you all in on just a peak of what my life has been like the past couple of weeks. If you're interested in my adoption journey, please join me there! You'll hear from both my husband and I as we get closer to expanding our family.

Everything has become so lovely and green here. Oh, how I've missed you leaves! If it's as beautiful outside today where you live as it is here, then I hope you get a chance to step outside and enjoy!

Happy May 1st!!!

Big News!

2013-04-29T10:47:00.001-05:00

The Cozy Little Kitchen has not been as busy these day, and I apologize for that! It's not because I haven't been making delicious recipes, but because I've had something pretty big going on in our life the past few weeks.

As you all may know, Heath and I have been trying to start a family for almost 7 long years now. God has never left us on this journey of major ups and downs. We are about to come full circle in a beautiful way. The journey began with innocently trying to start our family, to infertility, to stress and anxiety, to conceiving a miracle baby girl, to burying Bailey Faith, failed fertility treatments, confusion, discouragement, and fear....

Last year after years of seeking God and crying out to Him, the Lord completely delivered me from all of my depression and hopelessness. HE SAVED ME all over again last year!

I decided to whole-heartedly and completely step outside of reason and give my mind, emotions, body and spirit to God in free-falling trust. Last year my eyes were opened up to how massive His love is for me, and because of His love there is no reason not to trust this plan He has for our life. It's WAY better than what ours would be!

Heath and I have walked places that when we married I'd never dreamt we would go. What the enemy was trying to use to destroy us, God has revealed to me that He is using to victoriously REDEEM. Because of this journey, I have a story in the works that He wants us to share with others to give HOPE!

I've said all of that to get to the best part. God's ways are higher and so much better....

We are adopting a baby!!!!

God has laid this on our hearts for a few years now, but now He has called us to do so! We are no less than thrilled. We know the journey isn't over yet and it's not for the faint of heart, but when God calls you to something He will provide and continue to guide, and that's what we stand on!!! :)

Here is a new blog my husband started a few days ago called Bringing Home Baby Cates. We've been swamped with things around here, and I haven't posted in it yet but Heath has. :) There is still much ahead of us and decisions to be made, but just to be finally in this process is exciting for us. He is making a way where there seemed to be no way....

The Cozy Little Kitchen will continue on, but the posts may not be as frequent for a little while. So please keep us in your prayers and follow our new blog as the Lord guides us to meet our new baby!

My Prayer For the Hurting and Pan Seared Tilapia with Crispy Oven Fries

2013-04-19T10:28:00.000-05:00

"Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need." Hebrews 4:16

"Commit your way to the Lord, trust in Him, and He will act. He will bring forth righteousness as the light and your justice as the noonday!" Psalm 37:5-6

I want to start off by addressing the two tragedies that have happen since I last posted. I never. ever. want to grow unaffected by such horrific events, despite the frequency of them. I am heartbroken for the city of Boston, the town of West, TX and for every person and family whose lives have been permanently altered. I've been praying for these communities! I can only imagine how clouded their minds must be from the marathon terrorist bombing and the plant explosion, since there hasn't been much time for reality to sink in.

I pray for peace and comfort that only the Lord can give and for safety and justice in this situation. I trust in God to do this, because He loves us and I'm asking in Jesus' name! Every time I see another tragedy unfold, I'm reminded of the blessing of my health and own family whom I never want to take for granted. It's only because of His grace and mercy. I put my hope in the one constant thing on earth ... His unfailing love!

It's not easy to transition to a recipe from this, but we must continue to live our lives. Perhaps this food can bring you some sunshine today!

So now, I wanted to share with you the delicious plate of food I made for myself one day when I was outside working in the yard and I could smell Long John Silvers wafting my way! We have one very close by.

There was something about the warm, sunny, beautiful day and working outside that made me crave a fish dinner. I grew up on "fish dinners", and they're still one of my favorite meals of all time, really! Usually a classic fish fry style meal consists of fried catfish or crappie, hushpuppies, french fries, coleslaw, white beans, with tarter sauce, lemon with freshly sliced tomatoes. Friends, this is summer cooking at it's best!!

I didn't really want to go out to eat since I was home alone, and I didn't want greasy fish (since I'm working out to be ready for shorts, ha) so I decided to whip up a dinner with what I had. I happen to find some tilapia in the freezer (score!) and I had a baking potato that would be perfect for homemade fries. Delicious, crispy, skin-on french fries doused in some hot sauce for a kick! For some reason I was really wanted fries with hot sauce instead of ketchup.

I didn't have anything for slaw, but I found a ripe avocado that sliced up would be the perfect cool, creamy side I needed. I also just happened to have some sweet tea left over from the night before, and of course that's what you drink with your fish around here! I found lemon for the tea and fish, and I made up a quick tarter/remoulade sauce, too! I had everything for a perfectly delicious and healthy fish dinner that would satisfy my summer craving.

I can't tell you how quick I whipped this dinner up, because I was so hungry after working outside! As you can see, I already started digging in before I took a picture. (I hope you don't mind my occasional blog posting with very casual/real pictures!!) These pictures aren't staged at all, but in fact the one at the top is actually my plate sitting on--you guessed it-- my lap! I ate picnic style in front of the tv. Mr. Cozy thinks I have mad lap-eating skills! ;)

I thought maybe you all would like to know how I fixed this meal in case you also want to make an impromptu fish dinner! These are not exact recipes, but they are all my own. I hope this will give you a good idea of how easy it is to make yourself!

Here's to the taste of summer! :)

Pan Seared Tilapia with Hand-Cut Oven Fries

This is a very loose interpretation of my fish"recipe". I add different seasonings every time, but this time I wanted some spicy heat. I began making pan seared tilapia and salmon after Mom began making it at home with sauteed onions and pepper on a bed or fresh spinach and brown rice. Really fast and delicious!

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Tilapia Fillet

1/4 c. sliced onion

Lemon

Cajun Seasoning

Garlic Powder

Paprika

Salt & Pepper

On a plate or flat bowl, squeeze the lemon juice on your fish. Eyeball the amount, but evenly sprinkle the Cajun seasoning, a little garlic powder and a little paprika to evenly coat the fish. I do this liberally because I love flavor. Add a little salt and pepper depending on how salty your Cajun spice is.

While your fish is sitting, over medium heat swirl some EVOO in a cast iron or regular skillet until the bottom is coated. Once hot, add the sliced onion and cook until tender and translucent or a little browned. Remove from pan.

Add a little more oil, and add the fish to the pan top side down. Cook over med-high heat for about 3-4 minutes and carefully turn to the other side for another 2 minutes or until fish is white and opaque. When you turn the fish (once) put the onions on the top of the fish for the remaining cooking time to flavor it well. Serve hot with a slice of lemon!

Crispy Oven Fries

I make these ALL THE TIME. I very rarely buy frozen french fries anymore, because these are so good! Mind you, I'm only cooking for my husband and I don't have to make that many. Remember, 1 large baking potato serves about two people.

1 large Russet Baking Potato

EVOO

Freshly Ground Pepper (if you have a grinder)

Garlic Salt (I use Mc Cormick's Garlic-Sea salt)

Paprika

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Wash, scrub, and dry your potato well.

Using a steady hand and a large knife, carefully cut the potato in half width-wise. Stand each piece on the flat end and cut in half again. Lay down flat and half again. Now, it's just a matter of slicing to get medium to small shoe string pieces of potato. Mine end up being about 2 1/2 - 3 1/2 inches long. (So sorry for no visual here!)

If you have a little extra patience and want extra crispy fries, put the uncooked fries into a large bowl and submerge with cold water for at least 30 minutes. This draws out the starch in the potato leaving you with potatoes that will be easier to bake and get crispy!

Rinse and dry the potatoes well.

Drizzle a large baking sheet with EVOO to coat. Dump the fries on the pan and drizzle them with more oil. You really don't want them swimming in oil here, but they should feel oily once tossed. Start with about 1 Tbsp. and you can always add more.

Sprinkle all the seasoning on the potatoes and toss well. Spread out evenly and add more seasoning if you can't plainly see it on the potatoes. (Watch the amount of garlic-salt, you can always add more salt once out of the oven.)

You don't want to over crowd your potatoes in the pan, even if that means using 2 pans. An overcrowded pan equals soggy fries!

Bake for about 30-35 minutes--tossing once or twice--until fries are golden with crispy edges. If they finish before the other food, turn the oven off and cracked and leave them in to keep warm.

Taste a fry and add a more salt or pepper if need-be, fresh out of the oven. These french fries are so addicting and especially delicious with fish or grilled hamburgers!

The Sauce

I apologize for not having a recipe for the yum sauce I made for the fish. I will play with the recipe more and post it soon. Here are basically the ingredients if you want to play with it...

Light Mayo

Greek Yogurt

Smidgen of Dijon Mustard

Lemon Juice

Capers

Diced Sweet Pickles and bit of juice

Cajun Seasoning

Garlic Powder

Salt and Pepper

Like I said, I need to make it again and give y'all the exact proportions to make it easier. It's divine with the fish!

Linking up with:

Vanilla Bean Tiramisu

2013-04-14T15:31:00.001-05:00

There are a few desserts that kind of..... intimidate me. Probably because I only see them in restaurants, and nobody seems to really make them at home. You know, those desserts! Give me all the cookie, brownie and pie recipes you want, but there is something about a dessert like the Italian classic tiramisu that I would never normally think of making.

That is until last week when we were going to a friend's house for a homemade Italian supper. When I asked what dessert I could bring, she casually mentioned tiramisu. I confidently said, " that sounds great!". (Although, I've never made that before!) Behold, a challenge was in front of me and I like those! I was to make my first tiramisu for new friends!

Let me tell you guys that there are a few steps, but it's really so simple to make. This is coming from a girl who has only eaten tiramisu a couple of time and didn't know what in the world it really consists of! I was intimidated for no reason, and in fact it was really fun to make.

I knew the recipe I wanted to try. I saw the Gabrielle and Debi from Extra Virgin (The Cooking Channel) make this on an episode a while back and thought it looked amazing! He is Italian, and so who better to learn from? This recipe came out supremely delicious!!

The only major thing I changed from the recipe is that I never have liked the alcohol taste in tiramisu (call me crazy), so I opted to keep it out and replace it with the smooth, warm flavor of vanilla. Oh, what a good decision!! I used my vanilla bean paste instead of giving my kidney for a vanilla bean pod. If you haven't used vanilla bean paste, I urge you to look for it in the nearest specialty food store or order it online. Mine comes from The Fresh Market for 7.99, but I think I've seen it at Home Goods, too. This stuff is like vanilla extract meets vanilla beans and is really amazing! It's a paste and has vanilla beans in it (duh, Leslie) so not only is the flavor more concentrated than extract, but you have the pretty specks of beans, too!

The addition of vanilla resulted in a lusciously delicious mascarpone cream for the filling. (Mascarpone cheese is basically Italian cream cheese, and I get mine at Trader Joes. See picture.)

The filling for the tiramisu is really light and fluffy. It consists of whipping egg whites with sugar and folding that in a mixture of egg yolks, sugar, mascarpone cheese, a dash of strong coffee and vanilla bean paste. It's quite hard to not eat this with a spoon while you're assembling!

This cream is then layered with coffee soaked cookies and a dusting of cocoa powder. Finish it off with lots of dark chocolate shavings and you have a gorgeous homemade tiramisu! It's really that simple. There is no baking or cooking involved to make such an elegant dessert!

Everyone loved the dessert (whew!), and we had a really wonderful night with some new friends just sitting around the table, eating, telling stories, laughing and drinking coffee! There's nothing like good food to bring people together and make an evening really worth remembering!

Vanilla Bean Tiramisu

Makes about 10 Servings

3 c. brewed Coffee

2 (8 oz.) containers Mascarpone Cheese

5 *fresh* Eggs, separated

14 oz. Savoiardi Cookies, known as "Lady Fingers"

4 oz. Sugar, plus 2-3 Tbsp. for the coffee

1 1/2 Tbsp. Vanilla Bean Paste (or 2 shots of rum or Marsala)

Pinch Salt

2 Tbsp. unsweetened Cocoa Powder

1/4 c. Dark Chocolate, shaved to garnish (I used 60%)

Make the strong coffee and pour in a shallow bowl, add about 2-3 Tbsp. sugar and allow to cool.

Mix the egg yolks with 2 ounces of sugar, until you obtain a very pale yellow, creamy mixture.

Work the mascarpone cream in a bowl using a wooden spoon to rid of lumps and then add this to the sugar-egg mixture. Add the vanilla bean paste and I added about 1 Tbsp. of the cold coffee, too. Continue to mix very well. I used a whisk and then a wooden spoon for this.

In a large separate bowl, mix the egg white, salt, and remaining 2 oz. sugar until the eggs get firm and fluffy.

I acted like I was making meringue, so I used the stand mixture and gradually added the sugar a little at a time once it got to soft peaks. Once the sugar was added, I cranked up the speed to high until I got pretty stiff peaks.

Gently fold the fluffed egg whites into the creamy mascarpone mixture. Keep in mind, you want to keep this a fluffy mixture, so I didn't mix this in until smooth. There was probably still a little egg white that wasn't completely incorporated. Once you get it on the tiramisu, you won't taste it. It will just remain light and airy this way!

Have your best cocoa powder handy with a small sieve for part of the layering process.

Here is my work station. As you can see I have my bowl of coffee, my dish where I'm layering it all in, and the fluffy marscapone mixture on the other side. My cocoa powder is handy and so are my lady finger cookies (though not seen here).

Begin by taking the cookies one at a time and dipping them halfway in the coffee mixture. Place the cookie dipped side up in the dish so the coffee will gradually seep through the cookie without making it completely mushy.

Do this until the bottom of the dish is lined with cookies.

Next, heap a big dollop of the cream and spread out evenly over the cookies.

Next, using your small sieve, dust cocoa powder over the cream. (No picture here.)

Repeat the steps ....

Cream

Cocoa powder.

In my dish I actually assembled 3 layers, layering completely to the top of the dish, because it will settle a bit. I ended up having some cookies and a little cream left over. (Mmm, cookies dipped in cream for a snack!)

This is my favorite part...

Shaving the chocolate bar right over the finished tiramisu at the very end. I like lots of chocolate!

Store this is the fridge for at least 3 hours. Cut into squares and enjoy! Eat within 2 days for the best taste, but that won't be a problem!

**Be aware there are raw egg in here, so please don't it allow to sit out of the fridge for very long! This probably wouldn't be a good idea at a picnic.**

I'm linking up with:

Sweet & Salty Green Bean Bundles at Inspired By Family & Thanks to YOU!

2013-04-11T12:19:00.002-05:00

Why, hello there long-lost friends of mine!

... Ha! April is already such a busy month, I haven't posted anything is over a week! :( I've missed seeing what yummy food and beautiful inspiration you all have up. Also, I have a long line of scrumptious recipes that I've made and want to soon share with you! I made tiramisu that I took to a gathering with friends over the weekend that is the best I've ever had... my post for this is in the making!!

Do you ever stubble on a period of time in the year that just seems to be stuffed full of things? They could be events such as birthdays, weddings, spring break activities, overnight guest or perhaps deadlines for something at work or party you're throwing?

Well, I'm having one of those months! After December, April and May are usually one of the busiest times for us, and this one is no different. Everything--praise God-- is all very good things, but all important things that have been consuming my time.

Unfortunately my blog here has been put on the back burner a little. From the start I decided that my blog would be all about my life, instead of my life being all about my blog. That way everything I write about it purely genuine and from my heart, and it doesn't cause me to miss out on my life. If anything, it gives me time to do everything I love and then tell you about it! :) Speaking of things I love ...

I really need to say THANK YOU to all of you! To my family, readers, friends, followers, in the past couple of weeks I have celebrated exceeding my 200th post and my 300th follower! I have all of your precious hearts to thank for expressing support and love for my blog. I truly write from my heart and consider so many of you my friends! I've built some good relationships through email with some of you, and I wanted to let you know if there is anything in your life you want me to pray about, please email me and I will. :)

I hope you'll continue with me on this sweet journey of sharing my kitchen and my life with you.

Let's get to business! .....

Meet my favorite side of delicious sweet & salty green bean bundles....yummers!!! I made these green beans on Easter, and we devoured them. I mean how can bacon, brown sugar, and garlic butter not make green beans the very best they can be??

You really need to check out this recipe where I'm contributing today, at Inspired By Family Magazine! Join me there, because I love when my friends hop over and browse around all the tasty recipes, crafts, and articles on family.

Have a blessed day, and I will meet you back here again very soon with my tiramisu! ;)

Savory Herb Crusted Chicken with Tomato-Garlic Cream Sauce

2013-04-03T08:08:00.000-05:00

In case this picture doesn't do the trick, let me explain to you just how amazing this chicken recipe is!

This was actually the first time to make this recipe that I found on Pinterest and decided to make in the very last few minutes before starting to cook! I just happened to have most all of the ingredients needed for this mouthwatering chicken that's covered with a veil of cream sauce filled with roasted tomatoes and garlic.

Oh. my. goodness, I want seconds nooooow!!

(Sorry for channeling the bratty girl from Willy Wonka.)

Ahem.

The flavors in this dish are incredible! The chicken is seasoned well and pan fried with a light breading. The base of the sauce comes from the "good bits" from the pan, chicken broth, cream, garlic and tomatoes that I quickly oven roasted. It all comes together and marries like any well done recipe really should! I decided to make some spaghetti and toss a little of the sauce and use that as a bed for the chicken breasts that's smothered with the rest of the tomato cream sauce.I did make some changes from the original recipe. Here are the main ones:

I used EVOO instead of butter. (Other than adding a tiny bit to the sauce.)

I didn't have any canned Italian tomatoes, but I did have Roma tomatoes that I needed to use. I seeded and chopped them, tossed with EVOO, minced garlic, dried Italian seasoning salt & freshly cracked pepper and roasted them at 425 degrees for about 12 minutes. Easy and incredible. This could even be done ahead of time.

Unfortunately I didn't have fresh basil , so I did use dried Italian seasoning.

All of the changes were scrumptious. I think either way this dish is perfection.

My mouth is seriously watering as I type!

I mean look at how the hot piece of chicken is soaking up the warm herb cream sauce?

The camera was loving this dish, but a girl can only take so many pics when she's drooling!!

To be honest, I knew the recipe looked good, but it tasted even better than I expected .... Way better! This chicken is restaurant quality. This would be a perfect meal to treat family and friends with! It may look like it would be difficult, but it's really not. It didn't take me long at all to make this and it came together so beautifully with the French green beans (haricot verts) I roasted. You can substitute the pasta for mashed potatoes for a more home style option that would be a really comforting meal!

Please, for the love of your taste buds make this recipe!! The whipping cream does put it in the very infrequent rotation of recipes for us, but you know that makes this dish even more special. I'm already trying to think of a reason to make it again. If you need a new chicken dish to try out, this is the recipe to make!

Herb Crusted Chicken in Tomato-Garlic Cream Sauce

Adapted from Our Kind of Love

Serves 2

2 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts, pounded thin

1/4 c. Milk

6 dashes of Hot Sauce

1/2 c. Italian Dried Bread Crumbs

1 tsp. Paprika

1 tsp. Garlic Salt

1 tsp. Freshly Cracked Black Pepper

3 Tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2-3 cloves Garlic, minced

1/2 c. Chicken broth

2/3 c. Whipping Cream, I didn't use "heavy"

1/4 can of Italian diced tomatoes, drained and finely chopped

That is where I substituted for fresh roasted ones. Instructions above.

1/2 c. Parmesan cheese, freshly grated

Salt & Fresh Cracked Pepper to taste

Fresh Basil

(Please note that this is the recipe after I tweaked it to make it my own, other than the canned tomatoes. The seasonings may not be precise, but they are very close. I love the taste of hot sauce in the milk and please feel free to play with the sauce adding more less cream or additional spices if you like doing that!)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Pour milk in a shallow dish and add the hot sauce and salt and pepper. Go ahead and put your chicken in there to soak while you're preparing the rest of the ingredients.

Place breadcrumbs, paprika, garlic salt and pepper in another shallow bowl or plate.

In a large skillet, heat EVOO on medium heat.

Using tongs, remove the chicken from the milk and place directly into the breadcrumb mixture. Make sure it's thoroughly coated with crumbs.

Cook the chicken until brown and cooked through. Since your cutlets will be thin, it won't take too long. Remove and keep warm in aluminum foil.

In the same skillet, add garlic (I also added a smidgen of butter) and saute for almost a minute.

Add chicken broth and bring to a boil. Using a wooden spoon, scrape the pan to loosen all the good bits.

Stir in the cream and tomatoes. Bring to a simmer for 1-2 minutes.

Reduce heat to low and add the cheese. Reserve some for plating if you wish. Add fresh basil, pepper and stir the sauce until heated through and thickened. This will just take 3-5 minutes.

I served the chicken by slicing it on a cutting board first. Plate the chicken--I did this over pasta--and generously pour the sauce over the chicken.

Divine! You're ready to eat!

Linking up with:

Amazing Family, Delicious Food, and the Love of Christ!

2013-03-26T15:40:00.000-05:00

It's a another cold day here in Kentucky, as I woke to a heavy dusting of snow as more fluffy flakes fell to the ground. It was one of those keep your robe on, lights some candles, and get an extra large mug of coffee kind of mornings!

We've had a few of those lately despite the rumor that spring is here! I don't want to complain, because I do love snow and the excuse to keep my fireplace on all day. But, where was this over Christmastime??

My husband has the day off, as he worked 'till 3:00 am last night and deserved at least a morning to sleep in! I thought it would be a perfect time to make some homemade Good Morning Blueberry Muffins and surprise him with the smell of cinnamon and sugar when he woke up!

We enjoyed our muffins and coffee. We talked about some uncertainty in our lives, but my hubby was quick to remind me of how the Lord is sustaining us and has given us amazing peace when we aren't for sure what the future holds!

I won't go into details in this post, but most of you who have read my blog for a while now know that we're praying and believing for children. We have actually tried for almost 7 years now, and while it feels like we've been running a marathon of a race for years without a break, the Lord has been faithful. He has truly accomplished a miraculous thing in us by taking away constant fear, anxiety, stress, discouragement and hopelessness that I felt for a long period of time. I still have difficult days when I miss our baby girl in Heaven, but God helps me manage those with His love and peace that is no less than unexplainable!

The more I read His Word, the more I trust Him. The more I trust Him, the easier it becomes and the better I hear His voice.

He is showing us the way and giving us direction, but that will be for another blog post! :)

I have a big pot of chili simmering in the crock pot and should be ready tonight just before worship team practice at church! I can't wait for practice tonight!! We're singing in the ensemble this week on Easter, and I'm really looking forward to it! Praising His name on Resurrection Day is my honor!

So I'm going to back up to last Friday, and let you in on my weekend that was full of family and food!

Since we were having complany, I bought a lovely bouquet of delicate tulip buds that were too pretty not to photo!

I haven't seen my family in a while, and I've been missing our "girls time", so Mom and my sister Faith, came up for a quick visit!!!

When they arrived and after all the hugs, I made us a pot of delicious French press coffee to enjoy in some spring tea cups. We love being girly!

They delivered to me a spring/summer wreath that I ordered from my really good friend, Sarah from Wreaths By Sarah. She made it custom for me, and I just love it!! The gorgeous "C" in the middle is my favorite part, and it looks beautiful on my black front door! It makes a statement, even from the street.

Now my door is officially ready for Spring!

We decided to stay in Saturday night and make some homemade pizza. Oh my goodness, we had so much fun!!!

Here you can see a variety of things including, Roma tomatoes, green and kalamata olive, red and orange bell peppers, red onion, fresh basil, turkey pepperoni, parm cheese, fresh mozzarella slices, more grated mozzarella and Colby-jack cheeses.

Everything looked yummy!

Here I am trying my best to roll out and pat fresh pizza dough from Trader Joes (garlic & herb fresh dough) into the pan. It kept tearing and giving me trouble, so I had a frown-y face! (hahaha!)

Success!!! Thanks to us all working together, we built two gorgeous pizzas!

This one is half margarita, which is sliced fresh mozz, Roma tomatoes, and basil leaves with a drizzle of olive oil. The other side was grated mozz and turkey pepperoni.

The other one (that you don't see here) is a veggie pizza on fresh whole wheat dough with red and orange peppers, olives, thinly sliced onion, tomatoes, basil and mixture of mozzarella and Colby-jack cheese. We showered both pizzas with Italian seasonings and dried oregano. YUM!!!

We're excited to put our masterpiece pizzas in the oven!

Please don't mind the "every day-around the house look" about me. I originally didn't think about all these pictures going on the blog. :)

Like I said, delicious.

Oh, and the pizza sauce is my own that I made from scratch! It's really easy to do. I don't have the measurements, but it consists of:

crushed tomatoes

tomato paste

minced garlic

onion powder

Italian seasoning

dried oregano

pinch of sugar

extra virgin olive oil

salt & pepper

I make it a few hours ahead of time and store it in a mason jar in the fridge. It bakes on the pizza, but isn't cooked before so the flavors are bright and fresh! It's so delicious!!

We had a green salad of English cucumber, romaine lettuce, and baby spinach to go along with the meal. We all agreed that making the pizzas was the yummiest idea, and the memories we made were just as good as the pizza!

The next morning, Mr. Cozy actually didn't have to go into work which was a surprise. He fixed us one of our favorite breakfast treats, Delicious Sticky Buns to go along with eggs and bacon. These sticky buns filled with raisins, pecans and cinnamon and are some of the easiest and best little things a person can eat!

It was a very special way of starting off Palm Sunday before we headed to an awesome service at church.

It was cold and rainy on Sunday, and when Mom suggested we go to The Grape Leaf for lunch we agreed that was a terrific idea.

The Grape Leaf is one of our favorite local places! It's an authentic Mediterranean restaurant in Louisville that serves everything so fresh and full of flavor. (As you can see, I ordered the beef-lamb gyro with lots of tzitziki sauce with cauliflower rice that was full of almonds and herbs and spices.)

The atmosphere is very cozy with candles on every table, warm golden colors and even a large fountain in the back corner that is so tranquil! We sipped coffee and enjoyed the experience on a drizzly day.

The whole weekend was a blessing to us all!

I am reminded of the good things the Lord has been so gracious to give me. I don't deserve to have such an incredible family that loves one another so much, but I was born into that kind of stable home. My praise and thanksgiving to God has power to help diminish the other things that I too often focus on not having!

I'm going to go now and check on my chili, but I hope you can also reflect on how the love and grace of God has been poured into your own life this Easter week.

Jesus Christ died on the cross because He loves us so very much (too much to comprehend)! John 3:16-17

He actually carried all of the sins of the world.... all the sins that ever happened and will ever exist. The perfect and blameless Jesus was carrying that load when He died, so that now we have eternal life and have a blessed hope of eternity with Jesus Christ! We can boldly pray to God in Jesus name to forgive us of our sins, and we will be cleansed, set free and redeemed!! Friends, I will tell you that I don't deserve that kind of love and grace. But God thinks so!

So when I have a moment of discouragement, I think about how much He loves me.

When I comprehend that love--as much as my human brain can--I realize there is NO REASON for fear in my life. If He loves me enough to die an agonizing death and bring Himself back to life, how much more will He do in my own life for His glory and praise!? :D 1 John 4:18, 1 John 4:4&5

He is Risen!!!

.... Now I really need to check my chili. :)

Spring Blooms in My Dining Room

2013-03-21T13:23:00.002-05:00

Although it's an abnormally frosty-cold day the sun is still shining, and I've decided to bring out some of my Spring decor to brighten up my home! Bursts of yellow and white with hints of lavender nod to the colors of new life. Spring is officially here (thank you Jesus) whether it feels that way outside or not!

I'm writing here beside my fireplace ablaze and my powder pink sweater, comfy jeans and warm socks. I don't mind it still be cold enough for a cozy fire.

Let's talk homemaking! Decor, specifically. I haven't posted anything on my house in a while because not much has changed once Christmas was over. January and February hold little inspiration for decor. But now that a new season is here... there is inevitably welcomed changes going on inside and outside the home!

A sense of newness has arrived!

The table is dressed with a yellow and pale gray detailed table cloth from home Goods and simply decorated with rustic lanterns and a dish of lemons and now (after getting back from the grocery) limes. I like the understated Tuscan kind of look.

I love to decorate, but I do it "on a dime". I don't have a set style, but I buy the things I love that work together. My home does not look like a designer showroom, instead I'm a believer of flea markets, antique shops, boutiques, and Home Goods! I like Pottery Barn a lot, but I've never bought anything from there directly. It's too expensive for me right now, although I love to browse around and get ideas of what to look for in other places.

Ultimately, I want my home to be comprised of things that reflect us and what we love!

Coziness and warm colors

History

European influences

Details of a bygone era

Lovely things such as flowers and pretty linens or a tea cup and saucer

Textures. Soft blankets, Hardwood floors and cozy rugs, mix n match lamp shades

Incandescent lighting

Family photos

Fresh fruit in baskets or herbs in jars in the kitchen.

Such things give me a sense of joy and home.

Like these sweet birdie salt & pepper shakers that were a gift from my precious sister! Aren't they adorable in the little basket?!

Here is a cart with 3 wheels (haha!) that I bought right after we married on clearance at Pier 1. It's been moved to about 6 different homes! I think it looks the best in this one and in the dining room. The bottom has a basket where I store some of my cloth napkins and antique cut glass serving ware.

I found this flower arrangement at one of my favorite stores, Ivy & Twigs in a small town in the wine country of south-eastern Missouri. I've always loved the antique, Parisian look of the vase! It's often moved around the house, but always ends up in here or our bedroom.

I'm fond of this warm colored, paisley lamp shade I found at The Tin Roof in Princeton, Ky.

The sun was streaming in through the windows beautifully yesterday afternoon when I snapped this photo. It gave so much warmth to the dining room!

I've always wanted to hang plates on the wall, and in this home I've decided to do just that. The dining room seemed like the right place to display some of my collection of country rose china for a pop of cranberry reds. The other two plates have a detail of tiny green flowers, and they came from an antique shop in Paducah, Ky.

I LOVE this little lamp that I purchased at a nice flea market in Murray, Ky. recently when shopping with Mom. We both thought it was too cute to pass up! The glow that comes from the burlap shade is just so pretty at night.

My husband and I completely re finished this old, worn out little table that was passed down to us from his parents. It had water stains, a place where I burned it with a candle (don't ask!!) and just old looking cherry finish.

We are over all pleased with the look, although I'm not sure about how I like the way the top looks. For now I'll keep the runner on it!

I love the curved detail of the legs and how the finish made so beautiful! We first sanded and sanded, them painted the table a creamy white, and glazed it by adding glaze to some charcoal paint. We finished with a bit of distressing. This was our very first time to finish a project with glaze, and it was a little nerve wracking but fun!

Like I said, I love beautiful things. These delicately scalloped cloth napkins were a wedding gift.

I added some lovely sprigs of flowers to the mantle for some spring flair! I think the color really brings out the golds and yellows in the painting.

I strung these simple Dollar Tree wreaths with burlap ribbon to hang on the fireplace screen. I'm not sure how spring time it looks, but I still love it!

The dining room is where you come in from the front door, so you're welcomed with this antique hunt board filled with memories and a greeting!

My dining room reflects my love for antiques, history, Europe and little lovely details. I'm just so thankful to the Lord for giving us a home with my first dining room! It's where many good meals and memories have already been made.

A house is just the shell, but a home is in the details!

I don't just want a perfect house or styled room just for looks and pictures. No, we certainly LIVE in this house! Although I try, it's not always this perfectly kept, because it's used and much loved!!

I'm so grateful that I love homemaking, and I take pride in being the keeper of our house and the one to prepare meals. I do my best to take care of what the Lord has blessed us with, and help make our dollars stretch so we can get the most out of things. I love how God inspires creativity when we look for it!

Friends, that was the nickel tour of my spring dining room!

Whatever the weather is, enjoy the first complete Spring day that we've been given in 2013!

I'm linking up with:

Delicious Baked Oatmeal Cups for Early Mornings

2013-03-19T11:45:00.004-05:00

Here is a "pinned it, tried it, loved it" recipe!

I've seen some really intriguing baked oatmeal recipes that looked delicious! I'm a big fans of oats, so they have always sounded like a great alternative to the same ole stove top version of oatmeal that I eat on a regular basis. When I came across these adorable baked oatmeal cups on Pinterest, I thought I am so making these!

They look like a muffin. They actually even kind of taste like a moist muffin crossed with oatmeal, but they have no flour, butter, oil, or refined sugar! Yes, my friends these sweet breakfast bites are actually healthy.

To Moms out there ... your kids that never have liked oatmeal, will love these!!!

The sweetness comes from raw honey and ripe banana which also adds moisture along with the applesauce. There is ground flax which is very good for your heart, but it doesn't change the taste at all. Cinnamon is added for sweet warmth that smells like Granny's kitchen and tastes divine! I'm telling you, when you're stirring up this batter, the aroma is wonderful. I divided the batter, and added raisins and almonds to half and mini chocolate chips to the other half. You can add whatever you like to eat in your oatmeal. Any nut, dried fruit, or chopped apple would be delicious. I bet you could even throw in some plump blueberries for a springtime flavor!

I'm excited for Mr. Cozy to eat a couple for breakfast before work. I know he's going to love the ease of having a homemade breakfast already made for his early mornings! Tomorrow we'll both enjoy these moist baked oatmeal cups together by the cracklin' fire with a large mug of coffee before the sunrise.

I'm thanking God for these small wonders in my life!

Baked Oatmeal Cups

Recipe from, Sugar Free Mom

2 Eggs

1 tsp. Vanilla Extract

2 C. Unsweetened Applesauce

1 Ripe Banana, mashed

1/2 c. Honey or 6 Stevia Packets (I used raw honey)

5 c. Old Fashioned Oats

1/4 c. Ground Flaxseed (Near the the flour in the store.)

1 Tbsp. Cinnamon

3 tsp. Baking Powder

1 tsp. Salt

2 3/4 c. Milk (I used Skim)

Optional toppings: Mini chocolate chips, raisins, almonds

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Mix eggs, vanilla, applesauce, banana, and honey together in a large bowl.

Add in oats, flax, cinnamon, baking powder, salt, and mix well with wet ingredients.

Pour in milk and combine. Mixture will be runny, but it's supposed to!

I divided the mixture in half and added 1/2 c. mini chocolate chips to one bowl and 1/2 c. slivered almonds and heaping 1/2 c. raisins to the other.

**Note: If you noticed earlier this said 1/4 c. it's because it did. I actually only made half this recipe, but I'm posting this in the full recipe. It is very easy to make half a batch of these and when you do, the add-in proportions are 1/4 c.**

Line two muffin tins with cupcake liners. (I also sprayed the liners, although it may not be necessary.) Evenly divide batter. I put about a heaping 1/4 c. in each muffincup.

Bake in the oven for 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Allow to cool for 5 minutes before eating. Allow to cool all the way before storing. You can put them in freezer bags and freeze for long lasting fresh oatmeal cups. Just sit out however many you want the night before and heat up in the microwave for about 45 sec. the next morning!

They are so soft and decadent when fresh from the oven!

Enjoy the healthy indulgence!

Linking up with:

Avalanche Bars(!) at Inspired By Family

2013-03-14T11:51:00.000-05:00

If you want to know more about these Ah-Mazing Avalanche bars, please join me where I'm contributing at Inspired By Family Magazine today for the easy recipe!!

There's just something about the white chocolate and peanut butter that send the bars over the top, and how about the cute polka-dotted pastel bunny M&Ms in there?

I think your family will really love this recipe!

Hope you have a blessed day,

Leslie

Scrumptious Banana Bread with Orange Glaze

2013-03-10T22:37:00.001-05:00

This delicious bread is a recipe I shared at Inspired By Family Magazine (where I contribute) in January, and I've almost forgot to post it here at The Cozy Little Kitchen, too!

As you can see, this banana bread speaks for itself in that it is tender, moist and really delicious! It's infused with delicious orange flavor that comes from zest of juice of an orange to brighten up the classic banana bread. There is an orange glaze that's drizzled over the entire loaf when you take it hot out of the oven, and it seeps into the bread for a sticky sweet surprise when you taste it!

Because it's made with cake flour instead of all-purpose, it's really light in texture and just falls apart in your mouth as any good quick bread should.

What better than make a fresh loaf of this banana bread with orange glaze for a treat you can share with the family! I hope to make it again soon!

Moist Banana Bread with Orange Glaze

Recipe Origin: Keeping Good Company Cookbook

Makes 2 Loaves

2 c. sugar

1 c. (2 sticks) butter, room temperature

6 very ripe medium bananas, peeled and mashed

4 eggs, well beaten

1 Tbsp. fresh orange juice

2 tsp. freshly grated orange zest

2 1/2 c. cake flour

2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

Orange Glaze:

1/2 c. powdered sugar

1 Tbsp. fresh orange juice

Mix together the sugar and orange juice with a whisk until blended. If you want the glaze a bit thicker add more sugar a teaspoon at a time. If you want it thinner, add more juice. Simple and delicious!

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Cream sugar and butter until light. Add bananas, eggs, orange juice, and zest. Mix well.

Sift together dry ingredients and fold in banana mixture.

Divide between two greased 9x5 inch loaf pans.

Bake for 45-50 minutes, until firm in the middle and clean toothpick.

Pour the orange glaze over the warm bread. Allow to sit for a few minutes--if you can wait!--before slicing and eating.

To store, remove the loaves from the pan and wrap tightly in plastic wrap. The bread should easily come out of the pans. It freezes well, too.

Enjoy!

I'm linking up with Friends at:

Early Morning Thoughts of JOY

2013-03-09T07:55:00.001-06:00

It's a beautiful, clear, early morning ... being Saturday, the streets are quiet enough to hear the birds chirp, the distant church bells ring, and the cyclists stroll by.

God has given us another sunny morning! Two in a row is a lot to be thankful for these days!

I'm sitting here at my (new to me!) desk with my cinnamon-vanilla nut coffee under candle's glow and the faint warm light streaming in through my old, paned windows.

Acknowledging the JOY in my heart.

No, nothing in particular has changed in the past few months, except that growing in Christ means that peace and joy invade and engulf my life, as well. He is the reason for this!

He is why now I want to wake up early, because He's given me a new day to breath new life. To breath air.

To love my husband and live the life He's so graciously given me.

To serve others and try to meet needs, because I want to be His hands and feet. Even if it's just in my little circles of influence.

I am amazed at this miracle He performed in me. It's huge.

Taking me out of years from a dark place of depression ...into the fire... only for me to come out more resilient and stronger than ever. Friends, it's because now I don't rely on my own strength, but the Lord's!

"My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness."

2 Cor. 12:9

This suitcase makes me think of how I hope to go off with my hubby for at least a couple of days when he gets time off this summer! :) It's already March 9th!

Today actually marks 12 years of our "dating anniversary". We have been solely commited to each other every single day since. My husband is the best thing to happen in my life! xo Literally every day I thank God for giving him to me!

I could ramble, because I'm in one of those ~~chatty~~ joyful moods. Instead I think I'll spare all the exclamation points and words this early in the morning....

Jesus is so sweet and precious. His love is greater than anything you will ever face. If you will allow Him to be your Saviour, He will transform your insecurities, broken heart, and confused mind into His glorious beauty.

I am so rich ...

Not in earthly wealth, but in love because I know Jesus.

"Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything with prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

Philippians 4:4-7

Extra Moist Lemon Coconut Poke Cake

2013-03-07T09:14:00.001-06:00

Meet my new cake-love!

This lemon with coconut poke cake is what every good cake should be...

So Easy & fun to make

Incredibly moist and tender

Surprise pockets of sweet filling

Frosted with buttery yet fluffy homemade vanilla whipped cream

Tart, sweet, & divinely delicious!!!

I made this cake for my brother's birthday he just had, because like us, he is a big lemon lover . He absolutely loved it!!!

It was definitely birthday cake worthy!

I love celebrating birthdays, because you are celebrating that person!

I LOVE my brother, and he is a blessing to me! I'm really thankful he lives close-by although the rest of our family doesn't. We always have a good time when we get together!

Needless to say, this cake was phenomenal and everyone enjoyed with with a big glass of cold milk.

I love how easy it was to make, and the options for these poke cakes are almost endless. I wanted lemon as the main flavor, but to add extra texture I thought the coconut was a great idea. For even more of a coconut flavor, add cream of coconut in place of the sweetened condensed milk and it would be fab! I think that's usually what goes in a cream of coconut poke cake.

I really can't convey to you how moist and fluffy this lemon coconut poke cake is, so if you're a lemon lover like we are please try this recipe out. It would be the perfect dessert for Easter Sunday or anytime this Spring season!

Lemon Coconut Poke Cake

1 box Lemon Cake Mix

1 large Lemon, divided

1 can Sweetened Condensed Milk

1 Jar Lemon Curd, or about 1 cup

1 c. Coconut, divided

(You can use frozen/fresh kind or dried, sweetened or unsweetened)

Frosting Ingredients:

2 c. Heavy Whipping Cream

splash Vanilla extract

1/4 c. granulated Sugar

In a small bowl, mix together the sweetened condensed milk, juice of half the lemon, and about 1/2 cup of coconut. Stir together well and set aside.

Mix the cake up according to the package's directions. Add the juice of half a (juicy) lemon to the batter when you're mixing it.

Pour into a greased and floured 9x13 pan, and bake according to the direction. Mine was about 35 minutes at 350 degrees F. or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

As soon as the cake come out of the oven--before it cools at all!-- take the handle of a wooden spoon and poke holes all over the cake. Don't poke all the way through the cake!

Immediately take the milk and coconut mixture and pour all over the cake. Spread it out to all the edges and allow it to seep into the hot cake.

Allow the cake to completely cool!

(I just left mine out on the counter, but if you want, pop it in the fridge.)

Once cooled, spread out the jar of lemon curd all over the cake.

Take your cold heavy whipping cream out of the fridge and pour into a large bowl. Add the vanilla. Using a mixer, mix on medium until the cream starts to slightly thicken.

Add the sugar and turn the mixer up on med- high until the cream has become quite stiff and turned into "whipped" cream. Not butter...that would be too long!

Lift the beaters, and if you have a stiff mixture then you are good. I like to whip mine stiffer in this recipe than I normally would since it's used as the icing for the cake. YUM!

Dump out all the whipped cream onto the cooled cake. Spread out evenly over the lemon curd. It will be thick, fluffy, and delicious.

Sprinkle the remaining coconut over the top.

Cover with plastic wrap and store in the fridge for at least 2 hours and until you enjoy it. It lasts in the fridge for 3 days.

Enjoy this ultra moist, lusciously delicious cake with a big glass of milk!

Thanks for bearing with all the dark pictures lately. We've had cloudiness almost everyday for a while now!

I'm linking up with Friends at:

Wordless Wednesdays: Spring time is Coming!

2013-03-06T06:22:00.000-06:00

Mouth-Watering Crock-Pot Pork BBQ Sandwiches with Homemade BBQ Sauce

2013-03-05T15:30:00.004-06:00

Maybe it's a regional thing, but I adore BBQ! Kentucky has some BBQ joints that could stand up to Memphis any day, in my opinion! The tomato based sauce is usually most popular here, although I've had a really good mustard-based one, too.

Western Kentucky brings the crowds with their BBQ festivals. The one I'm the most familiar with is in Paducah, and it's usually during the first weekend of fall, at the end of September. Tents and smokers galore are set up and the aroma of savory smoked BBQ wafts throughout downtown-riverfront area. It's fun to eat from different places from year to year, although we usually don't stray too far from our favorites. There are a couple places that have all the right things going on like... perfectly smoked, tender, lean meat that's pulled with a kickin' flavorful sauce that will make you wish you ordered a large lemon shake-up!!

Awe ..... the days of warmer weather...

What you may not know is that you can easily make juicy and flavorful pork BBQ at home in your crock pot. This melt in your mouth BBQ is based on a recipe that Mom loves to make, and we love to eat! Usually a pork "butt" or shoulder is the traditional cut of meat to use and that's incredibly delicious, but since I found it's leaner counter-part pork tenderloin on sale last week, that's what I used. Also, I didn't have a bottle of BBQ sauce, but I tweaked this easy recipe I found online and came up with incredible spicy BBQ sauce that's delicious in this recipe! Of course, you can use whatever your favorite sauce is. This recipe, like most of mine, are easy and flexible fitting to your taste!

The aroma of this cooking all day in the kitchen makes you anticipate supper-time even more! I serve this incredible homemade BBQ like Mom always does on warm, soft Hawaiian buns and with bread & butter pickles...those are a must! Coleslaw would be amazing with this, but this time I just served my homemade oven french fries. It was so good to have BBQ pork sandwich on a cold dreary night as a reminder there are warmer, brighter days ahead!

Crock-Pot Pork BBQ Tenderloin Sandwiches

Serves about 6

2 Pork Tenderloins (about 2.5 lb. total)

Salt & Pepper

Olive Oil

Homemade BBQ Sauce (see below for recipe) or large bottle of your favorite sauce

6 Hawaiian- Style Buns

Homemade BBQ Sauce Recipe

I recommend doubling this recipe if you like lots of sauce. Add half to the crock pot with the pork and cook the other half over medium-low heat in a saucepan for extra in the sandwiches. So good!

1 c. Ketchup

1/4 c. Brown Sugar

2 Tbsp. Apple Cider Vinegar

1 Tbsp. Mustard

1 Tbsp. Worcestershire Sauce

1 Tbsp. Reduced-Sodium Soy Sauce

1/2 tsp. Chili Powder

1/2 tsp. Chipotle Chile Pepper (In the spice isle. This adds amazing smokey flavor!)

1 clove of garlic, minced (or 1 tsp. garlic powder)

1 tsp. Onion Powder

Mix all of this up really well in a bowl and it's ready.

Cut the pork tenderloins in half, width-wise. Now you'll have 4 pieces. Salt and pepper the pork well.

In a large cast iron skillet over med-high heat and drizzled with olive oil, pan sear the tenderloin to get some brown color on all sides. Remove from the pan directly to the crock-pot already set on low heat.

Pour the sauce over the top. If you doubled the homemade sauce recipe, then pour about half over the meat.

Cover and cook on low heat for 8 hours.

Remove the 4 tenderloins that are now tender and cooked and set on a cutting board. Cut and shred the pork. Don't shred way too much, because the more you stir and work with the pork the more it will naturally shred.

Place back into the crock pot and stir around in the sauce that it's been cooking in all day.

Serve on warm buns with extra sauce poured over the pork BBQ. Top your sandwich with pickles or eat on the side, but whatever you do...

Don't look away or your sandwich will be eaten up! ;)

Leftovers store well in the fridge and would be delicious in tortillas for pork carnitas!

Linking up with friends at:

Thursdays Treasures

Easy Mediterranean Pantry Pasta Bowl

2013-02-28T12:27:00.000-06:00

As I was eating my lunch at home today, it occurred to me that you all might like to know about this easy dish I made for myself! If you have read my blog for very long, you know that I like making quick but delicious lunches usually meatless and filled with lots fresh vegetables. I love meat as much as the next guy, but good-thing I also love vegetables, so when I'm home-alone I really enjoy making "vegetarian" meals. They usually don't take as much time as cooking something with meat, and I love a hot meal that feels effortless!

One of my favorite lunches to make is "pantry pasta" which is a non-recipe ... recipe! Basically it's whatever pasta you have, with whatever ingredients you want to throw in! Simple, right?! I usually have a base of bell pepper, onion, and garlic and just have fun with the rest.

I usually add chickpeas to my pasta, but this time I added kalamata olives, grape tomatoes, feta and Parmesan cheese. I had whole wheat macaroni and so that's what I used. All of this sauteed and tossed with olive oil and seasonings is really delicious and healthy, too!

(Here is another tasty recipe for Pesto Pantry Pasta that I've made in the past.)

These pictures today were taken on the fly as I already started eating this, but I just wanted to share this with you! I had to edit out the clean laundry basket in the background, ha! :)

Easy, simple, colorful, flavorful, healthy, and delicious are all things that I love about this Mediterranean Pasta Bowl!

Mediterranean Pantry Pasta Bowl

Pasta

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Red & Green Bell Pepper, diced

Onion, diced

Minced Garlic

Grape Tomatoes, halved

Kalamata Olives, diced

Feta Cheese

(I use the herbed crumbled Feta from Trader Joes)

Parmesan Cheese, freshly grated

Italian seasoning

Salt & Pepper

Cook the pasta according to directions on the package.

In a skillet over medium heat, saute the pepper and onion in olive oil until they are softened. Add the other vegetables, Italian seasoning and salt and pepper and cook for an additional 4-5 minutes or until everything is hot.

Add a little of the pasta water in with the vegetables. Allow this to bubble for a minute or so to thicken up.

Add the pasta to the skillet with the vegetables and a little more olive oil. Stir in the feta cheese and pour everything into a bowl. Grate Parmesan cheese over the top with more salt and pepper, if desired. Enjoy!

Wordless Wednesday -- Food for the Body & Spirit

2013-02-27T10:33:00.000-06:00

Sunrise Marmalade & Mascarpone Stuffed French Toast

2013-02-23T21:03:00.003-06:00

Oh, how I looove French toast.

Call me crazy, but I just might like it even more than pancakes...Yes I know, that much!

There's just something about battered bread that's fryed in butter, and served with maple syrup or a delicious berry sauce that makes my heart skip a beat! It's so easy to make, and I always have the key ingredients of bread, eggs, milk and butter on hand!

I'm not sure if you read a couple of weeks ago about my little story, A Tale of Two French Toasts, where Mr. Cozy and I visited a locally favorite cafe for breakfast and had absolutely incredible French toasts! I was inspired by the amazing marmalade one that my husband ordered, so this morning I decided to make French toast with a twist of orange flavor. Fancy French toast, if you will!

Last week I bought Mascarpone cheese at Trader Joes for the first time. I've never bought it before, but I knew it's similar to cream cheese, therefore I would love it. I sure do! It's very soft and spreadable and is almost buttery-sweet....just delicious! Mascarpone cheese is definitely made for sweet recipes as opposed to savory. It was a perfect base for the filling of this French toast!! (Although, if you don't have any at home and want to make this recipe, cream cheese is a terrific substitute! Yum!)

I've never made stuffed French toast in my life and decided to when I woke up craving really good French toast. I used sweetened mascarpone cheese, orange marmalade and fresh orange zest as the filling. It was so delicious, it can easily be a fruit dip or spread for toast and bagels ....Oh my!

You know how after you make a new recipe, as you're eating it, you think of other ways you could improve it? Maybe it's just me.! Anywho, there are a few little things I might try doing differently the next time with this recipe. Let me explain, and you can make the decisions for yourself!

1. I used a little powdered sugar to sweeten the filling a bit more, but the next time I'm going to try adding honey instead for a natural sugar and to make an even gooier filling.

2. I'll probably add even more marmalade to the filling, but I LOVE orange flavor!

3. On the same note, I'll probably add some of the orange's juice to the egg mixture. I did add a lot of orange zest though, and it was still really delicious.

4. For those of you who want a richer French toast, spread more filling on the bread and use half & half instead of skim milk in the egg batter.

(I just try to make everything as light as I can, but if I splurge that's how I would do it!)

5. Finally, using Brioche or French bread would be AMAZING with this! I also really love thick sliced, Texas toast bread for French toast!! Unfortunately I don't usually keep those breads at home, and since I always seem to make French toast on the fly, whole wheat or oatmeal bread it is for me.

This marmalade & mascarpone French toast is dreamy and such a treat to wake your family up to! The bright citrusy orange infusing the crispy bread and warm real maple syrup are all the right flavors to begin a special day. To make it really over the top, serve with an extra dollop of the marmalade-mascarpone cream on top or fresh whipped cream and a dusting of powdered sugar!

Marmalade & Mascarpone Stuffed French Toast

1/2 c. Mascarpone Cheese

You will have a little extra filling with this amount, or use it all for decadent goodness!

1 Tbsp. Powdered Sugar

1 1/2 heaping Tbsp. Orange Marmalade

Zest of 1 Orange, divided

4 slices thick-sliced Bread, a little dried out preferably

1 Egg

Approx. 1/4 c. Milk

Dash of Cinnamon

Splash of Vanilla Extract

1 Tbsp. Butter

For the Filling:

In a small bowl, stir together the Mascarpone, sugar, marmalade, and half of the orange zest really well. Set it aside before you eat it all!

In a shallow bowl, beat the egg, milk, orange zest, cinnamon and vanilla until frothy. Set aside.

Take the filling and divide evenly between two pieces of bread for the richer version. For the delicious-lighter version, spread on about 2-ish Tbsp. (I didn't really measure this part out. I had enough filling left over for my toast the next couple of mornings!)

Top the "sandwich" with the other slice of bread.

Get a large skillet hot over medium heat. Once hot, put the pat of butter in the pan and swirl it around.

Place the bowl of egg mixture near the frying pan.

Dredge both sides of the sandwiches in the egg batter. The drier and thicker the bread is --such as artisan bread--, the longer it should set. (But even crusty French bread should not sit longer than 1 1/2 minute, in my opinion.)

Immediately place them in the hot buttered pan and fry each side until brown and crispy.

Cut the French toast diagnally and serve hot on the plate with warm real maple syrup and orange slices or berries. :)

I'm linking up with:

Chewy White Chocolate Chunk-Cherry Oatmeal Cookies

2013-02-21T16:52:00.000-06:00

I'm here to talk about one of my very favorite things to eat...Cookies!

I don't think I can convey to you just how delicious these oatmeal cookies are! Filled with plump dried cherries, chunks of creamy white chocolate, toasted almonds, and old fashioned oats, this cookie is more like what I call a "gob" cookie that's chock full of good things.

I always like to make a dessert using cherries around Presidents Day in honor of George Washington, our great first President! I usually make a homemade cherry pie, but I decided to make cookies for something different. Also, when I make a pie that feeds 6-8 for just Mr. Cozy and I, it seems like we have to stuff our face with pie for 2 days. (Doesn't seem too bad, I guess...) But with cookies, I make a big batch of dough and refrigerate it and just bake the cookies a few at a time when we want them!

I have a sneaky suspicion these won't last very long, because they are crazy-good! I chopped the white chocolate chunks myself and left them big so the cookies would be dotted with hunks of creaminess, and this tasted great! I highly recommend chopping your own chocolate here rather than buying white chocolate chips.

I roughly chopped the dried cherries. They add a bit of tartness that's so delicious with the chocolate and chewiness that's a perfect pairing with the crunchy toasted almonds.

I hope you all with find time during this winter storm that's blowing across the U.S. to make these White Chocolate Chunk-Cherry Oatmeal Cookies! If you're stuck at home, at least you can crank up the oven and makes a big batch of homemade cookies for--or with!-- your kiddos. Grab a big glass of milk before they get out of the oven, because you want to eat these cookies while they're warm and extra chewy!

Here is the plate we'll be enjoying over the next couple of days while the Mr. has a little time off!

Chewy White Chocolate Chunk-Cherry Oatmeal Cookies

Adapted from Joy the Baker

1 c. (2 sticks) Unsalted Butter, softened

1 c. Firmly Packed Brown Sugar

1/2 c. Granulated Sugar

2 Eggs

1 tsp. Vanilla Extract

1 1/2 c. All-Purpose Flour

1 tsp. Baking Soda

1 tsp. Cinnamon

1/2 tsp. Salt

3 c. Old Fashioned Oats

1 c. Dried Cherries

1 c. White Chocolate, coarsely chopped(I used Ghirardelli)

1/3 Slivered Almonds, toasted and rough chopped

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Spread out the almonds into a dry cookie sheet and bake for 7 minutes, or until fragrant and blonde.

In a medium sized bowl, place the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Stir together and set aside.

In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugars together with an electic mixer and beat until fluffy.

Add the eggs one at a time and vanilla.

With the mixer on low, slowly add the flour mixture. Once all in, turn it up and make sure everything is blended well.

Add the oats, nuts, chocolate and cherries. With a spoon mix all of this together until the add-ins are incorporated throughout.

Take half of the dough and place on plastic wrap.

Fold the plastic around the dough, and using your hands mold the dough into a log.

Twist the ends off then do the same to the rest of the dough. You should have two logs that are ready to go in the fridge.

Refrigerate for 4-24 hours for the best flavor. The dough will last like this in the fridge over the next 5 days. If you want to keep it longer, portion into heaping tablespoons and place in a freezer bag and freeze.

When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Cut into portions about the size of heaping tablespoons and place on a ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake for 10-12 minutes until lightly golden and incredibly delicious! Let cool for 1 minute before moving to a cooling rack. Store tightly.

Chewy, chunky, crunchy and gooey.

Enjoy!!!

I'm linking up with:

Romantic Dark Chocolate Covered Strawberries & My Roses

2013-02-18T08:56:00.001-06:00

For Valentines Day I wanted to make dark chocolate covered strawberries as a treat for the love in my life, my amazing husband!!! He loves them and I do, too! This is probably only the second time I've made a batch of them, because I think they're more of a special thing to make. I find something about chocolate and strawberries quite romantic and perfect for Valentines Day or wedding anniversary. Mom has made a large batch for a cousin's wedding shower, and they weren't only a huge hit but looked so pretty on the table.

For Valentines I originally wanted to make a dessert ridiculously rich, insanely decadent and inevitably calorie-laden, but I decided since we had an indulgent dinner that these beautiful strawberries dipped in bittersweet chocolate would be a better idea. I'm so glad I went with my instincts, because they were perfectly delicious and Mr. Cozy loved them!

I'm not a chocolate covered strawberry expert, but I do have know a couple of things that seem to make them a little better. (Please remember they're very easy to make!)

1. Be sure to thoroughly rinse the fresh strawberries off really well if you're not using organic strawberries, because berries really hold pesticides and dirt well. You don't want those things on your dessert...not very romantic!

2. Wash the strawberries just before using them. It's not a good idea to wash them ahead of time, like the day before. They can mold easily! Which brings me to the next point.

3. Gently dry them off very well! You don't want to dip damp or wet strawberries in chocolate if want the chocolate to adhere well.

4. Do not make these days in advance, but make the day you are eating them. Also do not store for longer than 15 minutes in the fridge. When they stay in the fridge long at all they'll develop annoying condensation that makes them seem slimy and appear not fresh.

These are all little tips I've learned from myself and other's trial and error, but above all, have so much fun with this! It's great when you're working with yummy melted chocolate and can plop a couple of fresh ones in your mouth as you make them!

Treat someone special in your life to some beautiful homemade chocolate covered strawberries and enjoy the chocolate covered fruit of your labor!!!

Dark Chocolate Covered Strawberries

8-10 Medium- Large Fresh Strawberries

3 oz. 60% Bittersweet Chocolate, chopped (I used Ghiradelli)

1 oz. White Chocolate, chopped (I used Ghiradelli)

1/2 tsp. Coconut Oil or Canola Oil

Rinse off and dry unblemished strawberries.

Pull up the leaves from the strawberries so they won't get coated.

In a small glass bowl, put about about 2/3 of the chopped bittersweet chocolate and oil. Microwave for about 30 seconds, take out and stir with a whisk.

Place back in the microwave for about 15 second intervals until the chocolate is almost smooth when whisked. You do this to not burn the chocolate at all.

Add remaining 1/3 of chocolate and allow to sit in the melted chocolate about 1 minute. Then vigorously stir with a whisk until very smooth and shiny.

Congratulations, you've accomplished tempering the chocolate! This is the best way to melt chocolate and will keep it from turning a dull gray.

Hold each strawberry and carfully dip the the chocolate but leave a little of the red strawberry at the top. You'll probably want to tilt the bowl to make it easier. Let the excess drip over the bowl.

Place on a aluminum foil-lined baking sheet. I don't mind if the chocolate pools a little, it's just tastier that way!

In a very small bowl, melt the white chocolate and once melted place in a Ziploc bag. Snip the very end and carefully pipe the strawberries with white chocolate.

I was having trouble taking the photo and piping at the same time...sorry for the blur!

You can pop this sheet pan in the fridge-- if you want-- for just 5-10 minutes to flash harden these. The dark chocolate doesn't take long to set and the white takes a little longer.

There are always those ugly ducklings, right?

Meet "Baldy".

This is "Spiky" or "Sloppy". :/

Good thing, despite what they look like they're all Yummy!

Enjoy.

Mr. Cozy was gave me a few of my favorite things on this extra special day of love, but I wanted to show you the gorgeous deep pink-orange hue roses he gave me! Flowers are a thoughtful gift from my husband, because he always makes the best decision on which ones to buy and often comes home with the bouquet and arranges them for me himself. Doesn't he do a fabulous job!? I love this man!!

I love beautiful things in life, and these sure look lovely in our home.

Finally I'll leave you with a glowing snapshot of the romantic table setting I created for our Valentines Day dinner .....

I'm linking up with:

Fresh Mediterranean Inspired Salads

2013-02-15T10:22:00.004-06:00

I thought I would share with you these beautiful salads while I'm working putting together a post of our sweet Valentines Day for you. Hope yours was wonderful, too!

I am loving salads more all the time! I've been trying new ones at restaurants and come home inspired to experiment with delicious flavors. I've always naturally loved the light and healthy flavors of Mediterranean food! Lately I've been making salads inspired by their cuisine a couple times a week, and they're delicious.

I've always been an olives freak (I can't get enough! I'm always given all the olives in the salad at Olive Garden. It's just known that I'm the olive eater!) Of course I love extra virgin olive oil, chickpeas, feta cheese, and cucumbers....you get the picture. Although chickpeas are a more recent love over the past few years, I'll sometimes eat them a few days a week! I always buy them canned, so I drain and thoroughly rinse the beans to get all the salt water off before adding them to anything. (Actually I do this with any canned bean or vegetable.)

I've recently discovered that I like very finely diced red onion in these salads. Mom has always like this, and I love cooked onions but have always picked raw ones off salads. I gave it a try again and this time I've realized ... a little red onion is amazing in Greek salads!!! Put them right in your homemade Greek vinaigrette dressing for a slightly milder taste that still adds that sweet heat undertone.

I think I was spurred on when I went to Gloria's World Village Cafe (in Murray, Ky.) with my Mom and sister and ordered the gyro salad. It came with tzaziki sauce as the dressing, and of course had all of the other fresh Greek ingredients. We all ordered this with delicious falafal and loved this salad so much! I was inspired to use tzatziki for my salad dressing and that's what I'm doing now. It's really fresh tasting and has little-to-no fat and higher protein from the Greek yogurt that's in it. How's that for a salad dressing!?

I'm sharing with you a couple of my new favorite Mediteranean inspired salads. This first one is more of a classic Greek salad with store bought tzatziki dressing, although I make an easy homemade Greek vinaigrette that's absolutely divine with it, too! I'll give you the ingredients for that, as well. If eaten by themselves (as I often do for lunch) either salad would be delicious with warm pita bread on the side!

Classic Greek Salad

Romaine Lettuce

Chickpeas

Kalamata Olives, or any kind

Red Onion, finely diced or slivered

Cucumber, diced

Grape Tomatoes

Crumbled Feta Cheese (Trader Joes has herbed kind that's delish)

Tzatziki Sauce

Salt & Pepper

If you don't use the tzatziki sauce for dressing, please try out my...

Homemade Greek Vinegarette:

2 parts Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 part Red Wine Vinegar

Freshly squeezed Lemon Juice

Dijon Mustard, enough to make a little creamy

Pinch of Dried Oregano

Sea Salt & Freshly Ground Pepper

(Finely minced shallots would make it perfect!)

Add all of this to a Mason jar with a lid and shake, shake, shake it up!!!

This is dressing absolutely delicious on salads.

The other favorite new salad is....

Creamy Cucumber-Tomato Salad

Graped Tomatoes, halved

English Cucumber, chopped

Red Onion, finely chopped

Fresh Basil

Tzatziki Sauce

Lemon wedge

Sea Salt & Fresh Cracked Pepper

In a medium bowl, mix tzatziki dressing, juice of the lemon wedge, basil, onion, salt and pepper.

Stir until blended together and set aside.

Add the the cucumber and tomato to the same bowl and mix together so the dressing is saturating the vegetables.

This creamy cucumber & tomato salad is wonderful!! I make it in single servings for my lunch at home, and that's my whole meal, It would be wonderful served as a side dish in the summertime with whatever you have on the grill! I want to try it with some feta cheese, too. Be sure and store in in the fridge if you're not eating it right away.

Linking up at these friend's parties:

Easy & Elegant Chocolate-Strawberry Pastries with Almond Glaze at Inspired By Family!

2013-02-12T09:02:00.000-06:00

Good morning, Lovely Friends!

Please come join me over at Inspired By Family Magazine where I'm sharing an easy Valentines Day treat! I made these delicious chocolate & strawberry pastries with almond glaze when a friend of mine came over with her little girls for a nice visit and cup of coffee. We all loved this dessert, and the chocolate smiles gave it away on the little ones! Hope you'll check out the recipe and make them if you get the chance.

Have a delicious day!!!

~Leslie

A Tale of Two French Toasts

2013-02-12T00:35:00.000-06:00

There once with a thoughtful husband who loved his wife so much he took her out for a special breakfast after getting home from a 13 hour overnight shift.

She may have hinted around that she would like to go out to breakfast soon, because she loves the morning and good coffee and sharing that with her man!

On a chilly cloudy morning, they decided to jaunt a couple blocks over to The Meridian Cafe, where they've heard about so many delicious things!

This charming cafe is located in an big historic house and is brimming with character and friendly service. Their server proudly tells them that all the ingredients are locally bought and the food is all made from scratch!

They choose to sit at a cozy two-top in one of the front rooms by the window. There's a Gerber daisy in a vase on the table and quirky moo cow salt & pepper shakers for fun. It's just drafty enough by the picture windows to make their hot coffee taste even better!

The Mrs. orders a half order of the "famous" Heddie's French toast which is made with sweet brioche bread and is smothered in a fresh blueberry-basil sauce that is perfectly sweet and just enough bite of savory! I (err... she) delightfully discovered it was topped with house made mascarpone cheese whipped and fluffed for a pillowy cloud atop the breakfast confection!

The sleepy, but joyful Mr. got the half order of the Meagan's Way French toast, and she gave Heddie a run for her money! Topped with Grand Marnier orange marmalade, whipped cream cheese and fresh maple syrup.

Both French toasts came with a side of these homemade red skinned skillet potatoes that were not at all greasy but quite crispy and seasoned just right with spices and herbs.

The breakfast was one of perfection!!!

Then, like the end to any good meal, the happy couple went home and took a nap. Bliss.

The End! ;)

(As you know!)This story is about us... a couple married 8 1/2 years. What made this morning so special wasn't the restaurant or the food, but the fact that after nearly a decade of marriage we make time in a bustling life for each other.

The talking, the listening, the stories, the catching up, the holding hands, the winks, the silence, the laughter. The places may change, but my view across the table never does and never will!

Make the time to cherish. Say the words to show admiration and love. Do not take for granted the one God has given you, but make a point to relentlessly love each other.

Happy Valentines Day!

I'm linking up with:

Fudgy Mocha Brownies with Cappuccino Icing

2013-02-04T12:46:00.001-06:00

Do irresistibly decadent Fudgy Mocha Brownies with Cappuccino Icing really need explaining?!!?

This is a dessert for the books, my coffee-loving Friends! The brownies have instant coffee in the batter to give them insane depth of dark chocolate flavor along with morsels of milk chocolate chips for extra gooiness to each piece. They are a dense fudge brownie--which is the kind I prefer--and they would be wonderful by themselves!

But, I discovered cappuccino icing and fell in love. The frosting is what elevates these brownies to a heavenly treat! If Haagen Das coffee ice cream was in the form of icing, it would taste just like this frosting!!! It's so simple to make and came together very easily, unlike some of the other homemade icing recipes I've tried. It was reeeally hard to not completely lick the beaters and bowl clean of this stuff.

I'm going to use this icing recipe for other desserts, too. It would be really delicious on chocolate cake or butter yellow cupcakes! I think the creamy consistency would pipe really well.

Honestly, these brownies with cappuccino icing are one of the richest and most delicious things I've ever made! We all certainly loved them!!

Mocha-Fudge Brownies with Cappuccino Frosting

Brownies:

3/4 c. unsweetened cocoa powder

1 Tbsp. instant coffee

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/3 c. canola oil

1/3 c. boiling water

2 c. white sugar

2 eggs

1/3 c. canola oil

1 1/3 c. all-purpose flour

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 c. milk chocolate chip + 2 Tbsp.

Frosting:

1/2 c. butter, softened

1 tsp. vanilla

2 c. powdered sugar

1 1/2 Tbsp. milk

2-3 teaspoons instant coffee

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Grease and flour (or use baking spray like I do) a 9x13 inch pan.

3. In a large bowl, stir together cocoa, baking soda, instant coffee, 1/3 c. canola oil, and boiling water. Stir until well blended and thickened.

4. Stir in sugar, eggs, an remaining 1/3 c. canola oil. Mix all together.

5. Finally, add the vanilla, flour, and salt. Mix until all of the flour is absorbed.

6. Stir in the chocolate chips and spread batter evenly in the prepared pan.

7. Bake for 35-38 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool before frosting them.

8. Once cooled, you can either frost the whole pan and then cut your pieces, or cut your pieces and frost them individually. This just depends on how you want to present them. It doesn't matter at all, they will be wonderful no matter what!

For the Frosting:

1. Cream butter and vanilla with an electric mixer.

2. Dissolve instant coffee in the milk.

3. Add the powdered sugar in about 3 intervals alternately with the coffee/milk. Start and end with the sugar.

4. Beat on high until light and fluffy.

I'm linking up with Friends at:

Winter Weekend Blessings

2013-02-03T21:08:00.000-06:00

I've had one of those weekends that is almost too good to be true! One of those weekends when the Lord sweetly showered simple blessings that He knew I would love!

Mr. Cozy was off all weekend long!!!

This is a first since Christmas, and it was much needed for the two of us to relax and do things like eating big breakfasts at home and going to church together. He completes our home!

His brother and parents came to visit!

We've missed the family so much and LOVE when they come to stay. I'm so happy to have loved ones in our home.

We had our first big snow!!!

A first in our new cozy cottage! I can't believe my husband was home (yay!) and it snowed for days (that's a rarity in Ky.) and we have a fireplace to enjoy and family to enjoy it all with us!! My heart sings.

I was so excited that I woke up bright-eyed and bushy tailed quite early Friday morning. I was laying in my soft, warm bed for a while just thanking the Lord for this moment. Being in bed in the morning with my husband doesn't happen often-- he wakes so early for work-- and knowing that it's snowing outside and our windows probably have frost on them gives me joy. My mind was reeling with possibilities of the upcoming day, and I thought that I might was well go downstairs and savor the moment with a cup of coffee.

I left the hubs in the bed where he needed to be and catch up on sleep while I started the caramel macchiato flavored coffee, turned on the fireplace, and lit candles in my new lanterns on the mantle for the ultimate cozy winter morning.

The glow was beautiful in the dark house.

The beginnings of a chilly sunrise gives the trees a silhouette so beautiful and gives me a reminder that every day is new with the Lord. His mercies are new this morning on this snowy winter day.

I think this photo was actually taken Thursday, but like I said, it basically snowed off and on all weekend long! Last year where we lived got absolutely no snow all winter.

:( Winter darkness and cold without snow just isn't the same, so this snowfall was quite a treat!

Fluffy flakes dance to the ground.

When family or friends come to visit, I get out the baking good and get to work on a luscious dessert. It's just one of the ways I show love.

Company = Homemade Dessert. Period.

I made something incredibly decadent this time, and we all loved them.

Chocolate Chip-Fudge Brownies with Cappuccino Frosting!

I'll post the recipe soon and you will be sending me thank you cards and flowers for the frosting! ;)

There was lots of excitement including highlights of driving in a blizzard (no-joke, in fact it wasn't funny at the time!), dinner at our favorite German restaurant with my In-Loves, these brownies, Downton Abbey movie night, sleeping in with my hubby, snow flakes sticking to the windows, both of us singing in the ensemble at church, and family time.

I'm not good at naming just a few things when there are so many wonderful things to be thankful for! February has had a wonderful start, and I'm expecting good things from God all month long!

Home and family is where my heart is .....

I'm sharing with friends at: