Homemade Food that Makes Me Happy: Pizza!

Sorry I've been away from the blogging circuit, y'all. It's been a little hectic over here in Bulls land with me landing my first interview for graduate school (fingers crossed, cause I loved the school!) and other various things. Needless to say, when you're running around for work like crazy or you're stressing about what to say to a professor you reallyreally want to impress, food isn't always on the forefront of your priorities! However, falling into the trap of eating out for convenience has been really bad on our wallet or our health - because if it's healthy, it's probably not sold for 99 cents at McDonalds. And anyway, we pride ourselves on liking our own food at least as much as any food we can get eating out, so there's not a whole lot of reason to eat out often. So what's one of our favorite go-to foods?

Homemade pizza!

Extra: Mexican Dip (AKA My Favorite Dip Ever)

Dip is my favorite thing to bring to parties. Everyone likes dip, you get to eat chips, and there's any number of fantastic recipes out there just waiting to be tried out. This one I got from my mother, who's been making it as long as I can remember. I resisted eating it for a long time because I don't like even one of the ingredients in it (besides the cheese, obviously), but when I finally tried it I was hooked. And she sweetly made it for my bridal shower, this past Christmas, and just cause I came home one weekend. Mom, you're a genius.

Sorry it's so dark - I was in a rush to an NFL party :)

Opinion and Recipe: Paula Deen, Heavenly Chicken, and Moderation

Y'all, I like butter. And TBird likes sugar. And that makes us fans of Paula Deen.

(Isn't she a sweet lookin lady? Source)

As many foodies know, she's recently opened up about her diagnosis of type II diabetes and what it means for her future (spokeswoman for a diabetes group and changing some of her recipes). She's already spoken in public about her battle with panic attacks and agoraphobia and divulging this now, a diagnosis that many will judge her own choices for, is brave and honest.

Recipe Adaptation: Chicken with Mushroom Sauce (Bride and Groom: First and Forever)

When we were married in October of 2010, a sweet soul who clearly knew our love for cooking and eating gave us the Bride & Groom: First and Forever cookbook, by Mary Corpening Barber and Sarah Corpening Whiteford. It's a great resource, especially with the easy-to-use meal plans for holidays in the back (Ever wondered what to make for birthdays, anniversaries, or the 4th of July? This is the cookbook for you).

(Buy it here)

As we flipped through the pages, I found a recipe including chicken, prosciutto, fontina, and mushrooms. It seemed like a bit of work and a lot of ingredients, but I was really in the mood for a creamy mushroom sauce. So I did what I typically do - cut out all the parts of the recipe I didn't want, made do with the ingredients we had on hand, and we ended up with a delicious sauce we use at least once a week.

Recipe: Shrimp & Grits

One of my favorite things about growing up on a tiny island on the East Coast was the fantastic seafood. Now that we live a little further inland, we are what I consider "seafood snobs" - AKA, if Red Lobster would use it, it's inferior quality seafood. How can you even compare that to shrimp you buy off the side of the road that were flopping around in the ocean just hours before?

Well, I essentially had to get over my seafood snobbery somewhat or I'd never get to eat any here. So this recipe features the freshest Publix-bought seafood I could find (on sale, of course).

Personal photo

Recipe Review: Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic (CrepesofWrath.net)

It's Slow Cooker day on BullsBistro!

(source)

I'm a garlicophile, and I've been wanting to try out Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic for a long long time. Combined with an inspired recipe from Crepes of Wrath that uses the Crock Pot (!!!), this is a perfectly easy and delicious meal.

Extra: Make Your Own "Sundried" Grape Tomatoes

What is this, you're asking?

Pure sunshine on a plate!

Recipe Review: Chicken, Wild Rice, and Mushroom Soup

Nothing is better than a warm, filling soup on a chilly day. Not that we have days like those around here often, but every time I get the chance I make a comfort soup! Typically, we go for thicker, heartier soups like curried butternut squash (upcoming!) or roasted tomato, but I ran across several variations of this recipe and just had to try it.

(Personal photo)

There's several easily accessible variations of this soup, for example here, here, or here. Mostly, these are similar soups with tiny differences (mushroom choice, or whether to add a cream-of-mushroom soup to the mix). I took my favorite parts of all of these ideas and melded a super-soup of convenience and taste.

Recipe Review: Chicken With Dark Beer (Cooking Light)

My husband is what you might call a "beer enthusiast". He's always scheming to cook with and drink as much beer as possible, especially on a hot summer day (which last weekend felt like, thanks Florida!). So when we ran across this in Cooking Light: Best One-Dish Meals, we knew we had to try it.

(Yummmm. Source)

Doesn't that look delicious? And a lightened-up meal that includes beer and mountains of veggies - Perfect for continuing to eat healthy while still getting the flavors we love.

Grocery Haul: A Little Peek into the Upcoming Week

Not pictured: Shrimp, chicken breast, a delectable loaf of crusty French bread.

Yep, this is what a week grocery shopping with me looks like. We have fruits, we have veggies, we have whole grains, we have sharp Cheddar. We have hand-made garlic butter from the sweetest baked goods man ever. We have spinach for our new implement, the weekly salad meal. Chicken breast was on sale this week, so expect a focus on lean chicken meals for a bit. This is going to be one delicious week at the Bulls house!

On the menu:

Shrimp & Grits 

Wild Rice, Chicken, & Mushroom Soup

Honey Mustard Chicken Breast with Roasted French Beans

Portabella Mushroom Sauce over Brown Rice

40 Cloves of Garlic Chicken (Crock-Pot special!) with Wilted Spinach Salad

Vegetarian Curry with Sweet Potatoes, Broccoli,  Peanuts, and Edamame