FOOD!

Ok so here's another FOOD post for you guys to feast your eyes... and stomachs upon. My sister texted me today and requested I post more recipes on my blog... so I think I'll do that more often. :) 

Pinterest has become my newest "recipe book." I totally go to it for any new recipes I want to try. I usually find a ton of great recipes off the site. Sometimes I definitely find that the food looked better in the picture than it actually tasted... but with pinterest... it's a hit or miss... and I don't mind experimenting. That's why I'm always excited to share my favorites with YOU in hopes that you try them and love them like we have. 

This post is a bit different... Out of all the recipes on this post, I've actually only made the potatoes shown below.  I'm going to make the rest of the meals on this post this week, but they look promising! Let me know what you guys think! 

This potato recipe below was seriously DELICIOUS and so easy! The original recipe was found on the Pioneer Woman's blog ( see below).  You really can never go wrong with red potatoes. This method was genius! You've gotta try it! We ate these with some oven roasted chicken and fresh steamed broccoli. 

You can find the original link HERE. 

Ingredients

• 12 whole New Potatoes (or Other Small Round Potatoes)
• 3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• Kosher Salt To Taste
• Black Pepper To Taste
• Rosemary (or Other Herbs Of Choice) To Taste

Preparation Instructions

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add in as many potatoes as you wish to make and cook them until they are fork-tender.

On a sheet pan, generously drizzle olive oil. Place tender potatoes on the cookie sheet leaving plenty of room between each potato.

With a potato masher, gently press down each potato until it slightly mashes, rotate the potato masher 90 degrees and mash again. Brush the tops of each crushed potato generously with more olive oil.

Sprinkle potatoes with kosher salt, fresh ground black pepper and fresh chopped rosemary (or chives or thyme or whatever herb you have available.)

Bake in a 450 degree oven for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.

FALL IS NEAR! We walked outside today and there is definitely a bit of a chill in the air... and I'm loving it! I really, really love Autumn. ( SO excited to pull out my sweaters and boots!) Since fall is near... that means SOUP season is near too. HOW I LOVE SOUPS! Tomato is my absolute favorite ( I'll share that recipe in the near future) Onion Soup and Taco Soup are right up there with it. ( I'll also share my delicious taco soup recipe with y'all soon.)  I found this onion soup recipe on Pinterest and it looks so yummy. Can't wait to make it this week! 

Original Recipe Site HERE

French Onion Soup
Source: Food Network, Sandra Lee's Semi Homemade

5 small/medium Yellow Onions, thinly sliced

2 cans Beef Broth, 14 oz each

2 cans Beef Consomme (you can find this amidst the rest of the canned soups)

1 packet Lipton's Onion Soup Mix

1 Loaf Crusty French Bread, sliced 1" thick

1 cup Gruyere Cheese, shredded (Monterey Jack and Swiss would also be yummy)

1. Pull out your crock pot and set it to the 6 hour setting

2. Throw in your onions, broth, consomme, and onion mix.

3. Walk away and do lots of fun stuff for six hours.

4. Ladle out some soup into an oven-safe bowl. Top with a slice or two of french bread and sprinkle about 1/4 cup of cheese on top.

5. Broil soup until the cheese is golden brown and bubbly.

6. Let cool and enjoy!

Ok. So. I'm not a big fan of spicy, hot foods. Nick isn't either. I've been watching Gordan Ramsay on hulu a lot and he went on a trip to India to try their delicious foods. It totally made me want to eat Indian food right away. haha. I've only had Indian food maybe 3 times in my lifetime... and I don't quite remember my experience with those. Nick wasn't a huge fan of Indian food when I took him when we were dating. I talked him into taking me to an Indian Restaruant last weekend not too far from our house. BOY WAS IT DELICIOUS. Even Nick loved it! The Naan (flat bread) was my favorite part. :) Too delicious to even describe. Therefore, It drove me to wanting to MAKE some Indian food at home. I've never done it before, but I got all the stuff to make it with... and this looks delicious! Reminds me a lot of the Indian food we just ate.... 

Wish me luck! I'll let you know how it turns out. ( You better believe I got some Naan to eat with it! I'll serve it over some delicious rice.) 

Original Recipe HERE

• Best Sweet Potato, Coconut Chicken Curry 
• 1 tbsp sunflower oil
• 2 tsp mild curry paste
• 2 large boneless, skinlesschicken breasts , cut into bite-size pieces
• 2 medium-sized sweet potatoes , peeled and cut into bite-size pieces
• 4 tbsp red split lentils
• 300ml chicken stock
• 400ml can coconut milk
• 175g frozen peas

Method: 

1. Heat the oil in a deep frying pan or wok, stir in the curry paste and fry for 1 minute. Add the chicken, sweet potatoes and lentils and stir to coat in the paste, then pour in the stock and coconut milk. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 15 minutes.
2. Tip in the peas, bring back to the boil and simmer for a further 4-5 minutes. Season to taste before serving.

Right now my house is smelling of the delicious candle I recently got from Anthropologie called Volcano. MMMM it smells GOOD. Another way to make your home smell delightful are natural spices and smells from your very own kitchen.

I saw this beauty on pinterest and wanted to share. The pinner wrote: 

"If you want your house to smell heavenly, boil some orange peels with a 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon on Medium heat. ~ I do this come Fall and everyone loves it - an old Southern trick"

 It's not something you can eat... but it will make your house smell divine. I usually do something very similar to this every fall season & Christmas time. I just add lots of cinnamon sticks, a handful of cloves, Oranges & lemon slices. Don't throw it out after one day... it smells even better the next day! ( I usually keep mine up to about 3 days.)