Peaches & Cream Tart

2-3 Fresh Peaches Sliced (Not Peeled)
1/2 Cup of Brown Sugar
1 Tbs. of Cinnamon
¼ Cup of Granulated Sugar
1/2 tsp. of salt

Zest and Juice of One Lemon
One Sheet of Frozen Puff Pastry      

Non-Stick Cooking Spray

Layout Puff Pastry for about 40 minutes until it comes up to room temperature.

Spray a Cookie Sheet with Non-Stick Cooking Spray or use parchment paper. 

Preheat oven to 400 Degrees 

Mix the first 6 ingredients in a bowl and set it aside for 10-15 minutes to allow for all the flavors to blend together. 

Lay out Puff Pastry on the Cookie Sheet.


Layer peaches on the pastry.  I always like to make them pretty.  I then drizzle a few spoon-fulls of the yummy juice in the bowl. Save the remaining juice in the bowl.

  

I like to crimp the edges so that the juices of don’t leak out.
 
Place Tart in the Oven for 20 minutes.  Tart will be done when the crust is all flaky and golden brown.  

Remove from the oven & let cool. Then transfer to a serving platter

While tart is cooking, I pour  the remaining juice and those small bits of peaches still in there and in a small heavy saucepan.  I added 1tbs. of Karo Syrup.  I then turned the heat on med-high, stirring frequently   letting it reduce to a syrup, but not quite to the candy stage.  About 10 minutes. 

I like to serve this with homemade Whipped Cream.  Nothing is better than Peaches and Cream.    Pour 2 cups of heavy whipping cream into a bowl, then add a 2 small spoon-fulls of the peach syrup once it’s completely cooled.  Then whip with a mixer until firm peaks start to form (5-8 minutes).  Now you have fresh peach whipped cream.   

**Save the remaining syrup in a jar in the fridge.  Think about how good it will be on pancakes or french toast.****

My favorite way to end the week!

After a week of cooking every night, we invited friends over for leftovers. What a great night to stay in.  The weather was beautiful allowing us to dine outside and I enjoyed a nice cocktail before everyone got there.  Southern Comfort and Raspberry Ginger ale is my current drink of choice.  Just one, washes the week away. 

 Not only did we save money by not heading to a restaurant like we normally do on Fridays.  We were also very much entertained by our friends’ new puppies, now 11 weeks old.
 

I pulled everything out of the fridge, set it up on the counter, pulled out the paper plates and bowls and told everyone to help themselves.   The smart ones jumped in first and didn’t have to wait for the microwave to warm things up.  

Our choices for the night were the Greek Chicken, with Rice, Green Beans and Cream Corn we had Tuesday night, the yummy Sausage, Chicken, & Gnocchi Soup from Wednesday and Thursday’s Creamy Chicken Chili.  

However, I did take pity on all the kids and ordered Pizza.  They really didn't want leftovers.  

I must admit, it was a fun, relaxing night for everyone except for my poor Lab, Bailey.   He will be 10 in a couple of weeks and I'm afraid he's a little set in his way. Those 2 puppies made him a nervous wreck.  One of them thought his tail was a new toy.  And because he is our great protector of the house,  that poor boy felt like he had to follow them everywhere they went.  He spent most of the night keeping them in check. 

Poor baby the more those two puppies roughhoused the more he upset he got.  He sounded like a mom barking at them to settle down.  Believe me, he fell asleep as soon as they left and slept for 10 hours.  He's the best dog in the whole world!!!

Such a fun evening with friends and family.  I couldn’t have asked for a better ending to the week!!!

Creamy Mexican Chicken

Found this on Pinterest last year.  It is one of my family’s favorite meals that I make.  I actually have to make it this at least every other week in the fall and winter to keep my crew happy. With 2 active teenagers always running us in different directions, this has been a wonderful dish to come home to.  For me it’s much better and healthier (believe it or not) than take out or fast food.  I’ve made a few changes to the original recipe.   So I thought I’d share it with you guys. 

1 bag frozen chicken tenders

2 8oz blocks of cream cheese

2 10oz cans of Rotel

1 10oz can of Hot Rotel

2 cans low sodium kernel corn (drained)

2 cans black beans (drained & rinsed) – low sodium if you can find them

2 envelopes of Fajita Seasoning mix

1 Medium Onion diced

2 Tbs. Chili Powder

2 Tbs. Black Pepper

You just literally throw everything in to a crock-pot, cover and cook on High for 6 hours.  Stir occasionally if you can.  

Turn down to warm and remove chicken tenders to a large bowl.  Shred chicken tenders and return to crock-pot. 

I serve this over Spanish rice.  Garnish with fresh cilantro and/or avocado if you wish.   

It’s so yummy!!!

Variations: 

I like to add a small can of green chilies or diced up chipotle peppers to change the flavor sometimes.

 I’ve also made this with taco seasoning instead of fajita seasoning then topped it with shredded cheddar cheese. 

Add 1 additional block of cream cheese & 1 cup of shredded cheddar or Mexican Jack cheese after adding back the chicken.  Stir until Cream Cheese is melted to thicken this up and serve it as a dip with Tostitos Scoops. 

This is also good served in Taco shells both hard & soft, but can be a little messy.

 Now that’s it’s Football season, I plan to try making nachos with this on top of the chips and cheese melted all over it. Mmmmm!!

Creamy Chicken, Sausage & Gnocchi Soup

1 Lb. Italian Sausage (Cooked & Chopped In 1/2-Inch Slices)

1 Lb  Roasted Chicken  (Cooked & Chopped In 1/2-Inch Slices)

4arge Russet Baking Potatoes , Sliced In Half, And Then In 1/4 Inch Slices

1 Large Onion , Chopped

3 Garlic Cloves , Minced

32 Oz. Can Chicken Broth

2 Tbs Salt

1 Tbs Pepper

1 Quart Water

1 16-Oz Package Of Good Gnocchi

2 C. Kale

3 Tbs Fresh Basil

2 C. Heavy Whipping Cream

---------------------------------------------

Place cooked Italian sausage, Chicken, 1/2 of the salt & pepper,  chicken broth, water, garlic, potatoes and onion in slow cooker.

Cover. Cook on High for 3-4 hours until potatoes are cooked and soft.

Optional: Mash the potatoes a bit with a potato masher for texture.

Add package of Gnocchi cook for more 15 minutes

Turn the crock pot off and add the kale & basil.

Add the remaining the salt & pepper

Return the lid and let sit for 10 minutes.

Add whipping cream and serve

Kale is my new favorite Super Food!

I just love kale. I've been using it this summer in so many dishes. I thought I'd share this great post from one of my favorite blogs-- Mindbodygreen.com

http://www. mindbodygreen.com/0-4408/Top-10-Health-Benefits-of-Eating-Kale.html

Yummy Stuff

Just a Few Yummy Lite/Clean Eating Lunches or Dinners We Have Had Recently

Fresh Tomatoes & Figs tossed in Olive Oil, Basil, White Wine Vinegar, Salt, Pepper & Parm Cheese.  

This was the first time I've worked with figs.  I can't begin to tell you how fresh and flavorful this salad was.  I kept making more of it every few days. 

Corn, Black Beans, Avocado, onions, Cilantro, Fresh Tomatoes, Jalapeños, Olive Oil & Lime Juice Salad. 

This is really yummy served in lettuce bundles.  We also had 

the left overs a few days later in roasted shrimp tacos.

My favorite summertime lunch.  

Home Grown Tomatoes, Cucumber and Basil (all from my garden) Topped With Creamy Goat Cheese, Salt & Pepper.  

Each bite is a big burst of freshness.

Steak salad for dinner. 

Love to Combine Bag Spring Salad Mix with Romaine, Broccoli Slaw & Kale as my Salad Base.  I then add Fresh Basil, Parsley, Onions,Back Beans, Home Grown Tomatoes & Blue Cheese. 

It's the best salad ever. The grilled steak is an afterthought.

About Me

Hi, thanks for stopping by my new blog.  I plan to utilize my blog to share some of the things I love most about my life.  Not sure how to categorize my blog. Maybe you guys can help me.

 

To start off, my name is Christy.  I live in a suburb south of Atlanta.  My husband, Chris is a City of Atlanta Fire Fighter and has been for 20 years.  We will be married 23 years this December.  He has been in my life since 1986, he is my best friend, closest confidant, and the LOVE OF MY LIFE!

We have 2 beautiful teenage children.  My son CJ, our oldest is a senior in High School and our daughter Christen is a freshman.  They are my greatest achievement!  Each day they manage new ways to amaze me.  You will hear so much about these two in my blog.

Last but, not least, I have a 10-year-old Chocolate Lab, Bailey.  He is by far my favorite member of our household!  This boy is the one person always happy to see me when I come home and is  never far from me. 

I work in advertising for a group of local community newspapers in 3 surrounding communities.  The best thing about my job, in addition to working with small business owners to help them grow their business; is the involvement I get to enjoy with so many people.  It’s almost like we live in small town atmosphere just outside of the big City of Atlanta.  There are not many places we go here locally that we don’t run into someone we know. 

My other passions include my Rotary Club and our commitment to community service, reading, my incredible friends, gardening, decorating, and most of all cooking.  All of these in addition to stories and photos about my family will be the primary focus of this blog.  I hope you enjoy it!

p.s.  Since I’m so new to this, please feel free to share your constructive ideas on how this blog could be better.

Christy!!