Now that we've got somewhat settled in the new house, we are LOVING our new kitchen the most. It really is the heart of a house. Granted, we are still clueless about where certain things are since we had others so graciously unpack basically the entire kitchen for us (a blessing!!) and there's still drawers/cabinets I want to re-organize to get just as I want it...BUT, it is just amazing and as long as we can find a pot and some silverware, we've been cookin' up a storm. Something we both love to do, my husband is just better at it! HA!
Going from having no ice maker for 7 years and no dishwasher for a year. Cabinets that were falling apart and never having granite countertops...this is just a dream for us. We are enjoying it so much already. Chad also moved our stand up freezer to our new garage. It was previously in our shop way behind our old house, like super far from the house, so it was never feasible for me to just walk out and grab things in stock in our freezer.
One thing we've been using a lot out of the freezer is deer meat. Yes, can you believe it? I've actually gotten pretty good at using it in recipes where you can't even tell the difference from deer meat and hamburger meat, I swear. Also, it's so lean and so much better for you. We've got a freezer slap full and did I mention it's waaaaaay cheaper than hamburger meat right now? Now I don't complain so much when Chad goes on those hunting trips in Alabama. I know he's coming back with lots of deer meat to stock the fridge! We love having everything at our fingertips now (and have everything in the kitchen working) and here's a few "five on friday" about what we've been up to in the kitchen!
We've got EGGS.
No, really. Chad got fresh eggs from someone on his mail route and I swear they look too pretty to eat. Who needs to dye eggs for Easter, when we've got these beauties? They're really good too! I can taste a difference.
and here's what I want to stock up and make with all these eggs...
Bacon & Egg Toast and egg muffins, add spinach, sausage, bacon, whatever you want and you can make ahead and freeze, then pop in microwave. Genius. Perfect for busy mornings on the go and healthy! Great protein.
// two //
Next up, the main recipe I wanted to share today that YOU NEED TO MAKE is this super Easy Tortellini Bake. I made once before several months ago, then I just made it again Sunday evening along with Chad's shrimp & grits because I was scared we wouldn't have enough. Of course we had MORE than enough, but this Tortellini Bake was a tasty dish for everyone to sample and I ate it twice for lunch as leftovers and I swear it was just as good, if not better, than before.
I won't even attempt a recipe if it looks too difficult, so trust me this is soooo easy and SO yummy!
From Family Fresh Meals website, but here's the jist.
Here is what you need: 
- 1 16oz jar of spaghetti sauce
- 1 14 oz can of diced tomatoes, drained
- 1 10 oz can of fat free reduced sodium beef broth (I used veggie broth for D)
- 1/4 cup Zesty Italian Dressing
- 18 oz refrigerated cheese filled pasta
- 1 Cup of Shredded mozzarella cheese
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2. First combine sauce, diced tomatoes, broth & dressing in a 13×9 baking dish.
3. Add ravioli and toss to coat. Cover and bake for 50 mins.
4. Take out of the oven and top with cheese. Let stand for 5 mins until the cheese melts.
// three //
I finally tried The Pioneer Woman's Chicken Spaghetti (sound the choir!). This is huge. The Pioneer Woman is one of my favs and I've been wanting to try this famous dish of hers for months...maybe years...never did. Finally I took the plunge last week and it. was. delish. Totally lived up to the hype, even though I may do less peppers and onions in the next one (Chad said no, do more!)
It wasn't the "easy-peezy" recipe for me, but it was well worth the extra effort. Definitely try it and oh, invite people over because it makes plenty!
// four //
This isn't a meal I made, but a huge shout out to my mother-in-law for the yummy veggie soup she sent last week when I was sick. I made Jiffy cornbread muffins (I add sugar so they're sweet cornbread, with butter on top - a must - my mama taught me that and it's my favorite way to eat cornbread) My MIL makes the bomb.com veggie soup. Sometimes she adds noodles, sometimes she doesnt, but it is good EVERY time. No matter what. It instantly made me feel better and although I've attempted her easy recipe before, it was never as good as hers!
// five //
Also, this is not cooking related, but food related. Cade tried out chopsticks for the first time Wednesday when we got sushi/japanese from Uchi E at Sugar (he was helping mama work for a few hours that day). Pretty sure he mastered using chopsticks a full 20 years younger than I did. I mean, seriously...
Oh and if you're trying Uchie E in Uptown Greenwood soon, get the Volcano Roll.
You're welcome.
HAPPY FRIDAY, FRIENDS!
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