Below, in alphabetical order, are the recipes brought to the “Family Favorites” swap.

Bec & Bon’s Tomato Basil Soup

submitted by becky r  •  prep time | 10 min  •  total time | 40 min  •  makes | 6-8  • difficulty | easy

Ingredients:

8 Cups crushed tomatoes
1-2 Cups tomato juice
1 Cup vegetable stock
1 Cup heavy cream
1 Stick of butter
12-14 fresh sweet basil leaves (pureed)
1-2 T Mrs Dash tomato, basil & garlic seasoning (Or italian seasoning if can’t find)
Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:

Puree basil leaves. Mix all ingredients together in large stock pot and simmer for 30 minutes, do not boil. Enjoy with grilled cheese. ( If purchasing canned tomatoes – they do make basil or garlic variety’s that are quite yummy)

Beef & Elbows

submitted by marci s  •  prep time | 15 min  •  total time | 45 min  •  makes | 6-8  • difficulty | average

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground beef
8 oz. elbow macaroni (uncooked)
1 small onion
1 green pepper
5-6 cloves fresh garlic, minced
2 tbsp. olive oil
24 oz. tomato juice
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

Directions:

Brown ground beef. Drain excess fat.
Add olive oil, macaroni, onion, green pepper, and garlic. Saute until macaroni turns slightly yellow.
Add tomato juice, salt, black pepper, and Worcestershire sauce.
Bring to boil.
Cover and simmer for 20 minutes.

If you want the sauce thicker, uncover after 20 min. and simmer until it is the thickness you want. I find that it is usually dry enough after the 20 minutes.

Chicken & Stuffing Bake

submitted by lisa h  •   total time | 45 min  •  makes | 4-6  • difficulty | easy

Ingredients:

Box of stove top dressing prepared according to pkg.
4-6 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/3 cup of milk
little wine for flavor 1/4 cup or so
sliced swiss cheese

Directions:

Make a bed of stuffing mix on the bottom of 9×13 pan and place chicken on top. (I usually cut chicken breasts in half or smaller)
Place cheese slices on top of chicken.
Mix soup, milk and wine and pour over top.
Cover and bake for 30 min at 400.

Chocolate Chip Cake

submitted by emily h  •   difficulty | easy

Ingredients:

1 box of yellow cake mix with pudding in the mix
1 small box of chocolate Jello pudding
3 eggs
1 cup water
3/4 cup vegetable oil
8 oz light sour cream
1 small bag of chocolate chips
Powdered sugar

Directions:

Mix wet & dry ingredients together then gently fold the chocolate chips into the batter. Bake in a greased bundt pan at 350 for 1 hour. Let cool completely and then sprinkle with powdered sugar. Enjoy!

Crockpot Mac + Cheese

submitted by callie l  •  prep time | 20-30 min  •  total time | 3.5 hrs  •  makes | 8ish  • difficulty | easy

Ingredients:

1 box of pasta 16 oz.
1 lg can of evaporated milk
1.5 cups milk
1 stick of butter
3 cups of cheese
2 eggs- beaten
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Cook pasta till almost done and drain. Spray crockpot with cooking spray. Pour pasta into crockpot with butter. Add eggs, both milks, salt/pepper and 2.5 cups cheese. Stir till blended. Top with 1/2 cup cheese. Cook on low for 3 hours. Do not stir. Enjoy!

Easy Cheesy Lemon Bars

submitted by stacy e  •  prep time | 15 min  •  total time | 45 min  •  makes | 36 bars  • difficulty | easy

Ingredients:

1 pkg. Pilsbury Plus Lemon cake mix
1/2 c. Butter, softened
1 Egg
1 pkg. Pilsbury Rich ‘n Easy Lemon Frosting
1 (8 oz.) pkg. Cream Cheese
2 Eggs

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour bottom of 9×13 inch pan.
Combine cake mix, butter and 1 egg. Stir until moist. Pat into pan.
Blend frosting mix, cream cheese and 2 eggs until smooth. Spread over base.
Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes. Cut into bars and refrigerate.

Fruit Salsa with Cinnamon Baked Chips

submitted by lois v  •  difficulty | easy

Ingredients:

For Salsa:
2 Kiwi’s–peeled and diced
2 Golden Delicious apples–peeled, cored, and diced
8 oz Rasberries
16 oz Strawberries–diced
2T Sugar
1 T Brown Sugar
2-3 T Fruit Preserves

For Chips:
10 10″ flour tortillas
Melted butter or cooking spray
1 Cup sugar with 2 T Cinnamon mixed together

Directions:

For Salsa:
In large bowl mix the kiwi’s, apples raspberries, sugars and fruit preserves.
Cover and chill at least 15 minutes.

For Chips:
Coat each tortilla (1 side) with melted butter.
Sprinkle with the cinnamon/sugar mixture.
Cut into wedges.
Bake in single layer 8-10 minutes.
Cool 15 minutes.

Grandma’s Cinnamon Rolls

submitted by renee r  •  difficulty | easy

Ingredients:

1 box Pillsbury Hot Roll Mix
1 stick butter
2/3 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons honey or white syrup
pecans
cinnamon
sugar

Directions:

Follow the directions on the Pillsbury Hot Roll Mix box.  Bring butter, brown sugar, and honey (or white syrup) to a boil on the stove. Pour into 9×13 pan. Sprinkle with pecans. Roll bread out into rectangle. Spread with butter. Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. Roll up so it’s a long log. Slice and place in pan. Let rise according to box. Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes.

Grandma’s Pot Roast

submitted by jodi r  •  prep time | 30 min  •  total time | 3.5 hours  •  makes | 8  • difficulty | average

Ingredients:

1 3-4 lb. chuck roast
6 small reds or creamer potatoes
1 package small carrots
2 onions, sliced
2-3 celery stalks, cut lengthwise
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon rosemary
black pepper
minced garlic
bay leaves
1 can beef broth

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325. Trim excess fat from roast and discard. Brown meat on both sides in olive oil and black pepper. Rub garlic on both sides. Scrub or peel potatoes. Put potatoes, celery and carrots around the roast. Put bay leaves on the roast and cover completely the top with sliced onions. Put thyme and rosemary over vegetables. Empty can of beef broth in the bottom of the pan and cook at 325 for 3 hours. Remove bay leaves from meat before serving. (Note: There is a wire rack in the bottom of my pan which keeps the roast above the broth.)

Heath Bar Cake

submitted by lora l  •  makes | 10  • difficulty | easy

Ingredients:

1 box German Chocolate Cake mix
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 jar caramel topping

Topping: Cool Whip & crushed Heath bars

Directions:

Mix and bake cake according to package directions in a 13X9 pan. While cake is still warm, poke holes in the top with a fork or skewer and pour the caramel topping and sweetened condensed milk over it. Refrigerate. When ready to serve, cover with Cool Whip and sprinkle the crushed Heath bars on top.

Orange Creamsicle Cupcakes

submitted by kristen d •  prep time | 40 min  •  bake time | 18 min  •  cool time | 45 min  •  makes | 24 pcs  • difficulty | average

Ingredients:

Cupcakes:
1- 3 oz box of orange jello
1- 4serving size cheesecake instant pudding mix
1 1/4 cups orange juice
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup coconut oil melted (or vegetable oil)
Your favorite vanilla cake recipe (or 1 box vanilla cake mix)

Frosting:
2 sticks butter (room temp)
3-5 cups powdered sugar
1 block cream cheese (room temp
Vanilla etract (to taste)
Orange extract (to taste)
Sugar Pearls or orange sugar crystals (optiona,l but really pretty)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Line 24 Muffin cups with liners. In a mixing bowl, combine cake mix, pudding and gelatin mix, orange juice, eggs, vanilla, and coconut oil.
2. Spoon batter into Muffin cups (about 2/3 full.)
3. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool in pan for 5 minutes and then on wire racks til cool.
4. Mix all frosting ingredients til desired consistancy is reached. Frost as desired and sprinkle with sugar pearls or crystals. Enjoy!!!

Note: When Kristen brought these, they looked SOooo professional, we thought she had bought them from a bakery. Turns out, she does make them for others! You can contact Kristen at 828-361-7837 or krdaniels07@yahoo.com if you’re interested.

Pepperoni Pizza Stuffed Biscuits

submitted by becky r  •  prep time | 10 min  •  total time | 30 min  •  makes | 8  • difficulty | easy

Ingredients:

1 (16.3-ounce) can Pillsbury Grands! refrigerated biscuits
1 (3.5-ounce) package Hormel Pepperoni Minis
3 tablespoons pizza sauce
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions:

1 Heat oven to 375°F. Grease 8-cup muffin pan.
2 Separate dough into 8 biscuits. Cut each biscuit in half horizontally to make 16 biscuits.
3 Press 8 dough rounds into bottom and halfway up side of each muffin cup.
4 Divide pepperoni evenly among muffin cups.
5 Spread 1 teaspoon pizza sauce over pepperoni; sprinkle with cheese. Place remaining biscuit dough halves over cheese. Tuck biscuit dough into muffin cup.
6 Bake 16 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. Let stand 2 minutes before turning onto wire rack. Serve warm.

Pina Colada Punch

submitted by stephanie s  •  difficulty | easy

Ingredients:

1 46 oz. can Pineapple Juice
1 15 oz. can Cream of Coconut
5 oz – 1/2 qt Club Soda (basically your preference)
1 qt Pineapple Sherbert
2 liter bottle of Ginger Ale

Directions:

Chill all ingredients. About 2 hours before serving, place Pineapple Juice and Ginger Ale in freezer.

Blend Pineapple Juice and Cream of Coconut together. Poor into punch bowl. Add Club Soda, Ginger Ale, and scoops of Pineapple Sherbert.

Serve immediately.

Stuffed Mushrooms

submitted by amanda g  •   total time | 30 min  •  difficulty | easy

Ingredients:

8 oz. cream cheese
1 large can of deviled ham
garlic powder to taste
Small bag pepperidge farm herb dressing
1 large tub mushrooms capped
melted butter to brush on outside of mushrooms

Directions:

Lay out all mushroom caps on paper towel, tops up. Brush with melted butter. Cook enough stuffing to fill mushrooms. Mix ham, stuffing, garlic powder, and cream cheese together. Mound stuffing into each cap. Place in shallow glass baking dish and flatten stuffing mound slightly with spoon. Bake in preheated 350 degrees oven about 15 minutes

Sunday Roast

submitted by andrea w  •  prep time | 10 min  •  total time | 8 hrs  •  makes | 6-8  • difficulty | easy

Ingredients:

1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can water
1 packet Liptons dry onion soup mix
1 TBSP veggie oil
2-3 lb boneless chuck roast

Directions:

Brown roast on all sides in oil over med-hi heat. Mix soups & water in crock pot, add roast. Cook on low 8 hrs. Remove meat, pour gravy into serving dish & skim fat/grease from the top. Delicious with mashed potatoes!

Note – make sure you get a “boneless chuck roast” for this recipe, not any other kind of roast, if you want to achieve the desired results.

Turkey Chili

submitted by dorota a  •  prep time | 20 min  •  total time | 50 min  •  makes | 6-8  • difficulty | easy

Ingredients:

1 lb ground turkey
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
2 tbs of olive oil
2 cans (15 oz) of black beans, drained and rinsed
2 cans (15 oz) of kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 can (8 oz) of tomato sauce
2 tbs + 1 tsp of chili powder
2 tsp of ground cumin
1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce ( in a can)
2 cans of water (30 oz total)
Salt & pepper to taste
3 tbs of corn meal

Directions:

To a large pot add olive oil, turkey, garlic and onion. Cook on medium heat until turkey is browned. Drain cooked turkey and return it back to the pot. Add remaining ingredients and bring to a simmer over medium heat, cover and reduce heat to low. Cook for 15 minutes or until slightly thickened.
You can serve it with shredded cheese, sour cream and diced green onions.

•••
Thanks to all the ladies who have attended previous swaps, here are some other delicious recipes to try:

Recipe Swap | 5 Ingredients or Less

Recipe Swap | Appetizers & Desserts

Recipe Swap | Brunch

Recipe Swap | Carrots

Recipe Swap | Cookout Time!

Recipe Swap | Green

Recipe Swap | Healthy Eating!

Recipe Swap | Holiday Favorites

Recipe Swap | Italian Foods

Recipe Swap | Mexican Foods

Recipe Swap | Pinterest Inspired

Recipe Swap | Pizzas

Recipe Swap | Something Cold

Recipe Swap | Something I Make Every Week

Recipe Swap | Soups, Salads, & Breads

Infused Water: Simple & Refreshing

WHAT | A taste-testing themed food party where everyone brings their best recipe that pertains to that theme (no pressure, though; it’s really just a bunch of gals wanting to socialize and find a new recipe or two)

WHY | To find new recipes to try… ya know, it’s  kind of like going to Costco Saturday morning and trying before you buy; you get to taste it before you make it.

WHEN | Tuesday, May 21 beginning at 6pm

WHO | You! All you have to do is submit the recipe you intend to bring here anytime prior to the party. You can get directions there too. And click here to invite your friends!

WHERE | Franklin, NC

ADDITIONAL DETAILS | Well, since I love to take pictures, I will take a shot of each dish that is brought and post the photos/recipes here after the party; it makes for an easy reference later! And you can click and view previous swaps below.

 •••
Thanks to all the ladies who have attended our recipe swaps, here are some other delicious recipes to try:

Recipe Swap | 5 Ingredients or Less

Recipe Swap | Appetizers & Desserts

Recipe Swap | Brunch

Recipe Swap | Carrots

Recipe Swap | Cookout Time!

Recipe Swap | Green

Recipe Swap | Healthy Eating!

Recipe Swap | Holiday Favorites

Recipe Swap | Italian Foods

Recipe Swap | Mexican Foods

Recipe Swap | Pinterest Inspired

Recipe Swap | Pizzas

Recipe Swap | Something Cold

Recipe Swap | Something I Make Every Week

Recipe Swap | Soups, Salads, & Breads

Infused Water: Simple & Refreshing

The Copper Door in Hayesville, North Carolina is on our bucket list each summer when we spend time over by Lake Chatuge. Tucked away in historic Hayesville, they really do have a huge copper door, and the food is just delectable!

A couple weeks ago, my fabulous sister-in-law, Satu, invited me to take one of The Copper Door’s cooking classes, the Fish Cookery.  When I read the summery, “Are you intimidated at the thought of cooking fish at home? After taking our fish cookery class, you’ll understand all the tools, tips and techniques needed to conquer your fear of fish forever…” I was sold.  Quite honestly, the smell of fish makes me nauseous, but the entire concept was right up my alley; similar to our recipe swaps, I would get to taste test multiple recipes and learn how to cook them from five star Chef Dennis himself.  Sign me up!

1 ::  Chef Dennis showed us how determine the freshness of the fish using smell, color, and touch.  The three pictured here are tuna, salmon, and halibut; all which we were about to learn to cook.

2:: Seared Tuna with Asian Pesto. Goodness, this was delicious. Try it next time you eat at The Copper Door.  You can thank me later.

3:: Chef Dennis demonstrating how to remove the skin from the salmon.

1-4 :: Creating a parchment paper bag to cook the halibut via steam in the oven. (Poisson en Papillote).

5 :: The Blackened Salmon

6 :: The finished halibut

7 :: Hands down, my favorite ::drumroll please:: was the Grilled Salmon topped with Citrus-Herb Vinaigrette, and I’ve never liked any salmon before! Here’s how it was done:

Citrus-Herb Vinaigrette
1 oz. apple cider vinegar
3 oz oil (30% olive oil, 70% canola)
1 tsp minced shallot
1 Tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley (less if using dried parsley)
2 tsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp dried tarragon
salt & pepper

Mix together all ingredients above for the Citrus-Herb Vinaigrette topping. Remove the skin from the salmon if necessary. Add oil, salt & pepper and grill 4 minutes per side. Add Citrus-Herb Vinaigrette topping and enjoy. Simply delish!

If you’re in Western North Carolina, be sure and check out The Copper Door and Chef Dennis’ cooking classes.

And if you’ve been waiting for our next recipe swap, the 2013 Summer Recipe Swap is on the horizon! Be sure and sign up for our newsletter for more details.

And because a little behind-the-scenes outtake is always fun…

…notice he’s looking right at the camera, haha!

It’s a small space. Ditching the toddler bed, we only went up to a twin.  The space is functional and sweet with room to add to it as she gets older, yet not feeling as if it lacks anything now.

Above the bed, we hung an Organic Bloom Double Stack frame (shape: Jessie, inner color: pink hydrangea, outer color: purple people eater) with an 18″x18″ artfully composed image from Rik-see Photography in soft colors to blend with the room.Signs Express made these color-coordinated canvas prints featuring one of our favorite hymns.  Below those sit a tea light from her baby shower, sea shells from Florida, and a piggy bank from her auntie.  The Russian nesting doll was one of my travel souvenirs from when I was a child, and I like how it incorporates the metal element we repeated throughout the room.
We snuck in this photo shoot with the girls Noni and Popi last trip to Florida (above). Tucked on the side walls are a book rack from The Land of Nod and this 1.5″ thick Gallery Wrapped Canvas from Rik-see Photography:

Additional Items
Dresser and peg shelf :: The Land of Nod (we replaced the knobs with metal ones from Lowes)
Nightlight & bedding :: Pottery Barn Kids
Bed and nightstand :: World Market
Mattress :: Whistle Stop Furniture

To see more posts on the different products we offer, click here.

Tucked next to the Old Edward’s Inn, this fun, casual dining spot is one of my go-tos in Highlands, North Carolina. My favorite? Their Veggie Quesadilla… fresh broccoli, squash, and peppers mixed with cheese and pressed to the ideal crispiness; with a side of fresh pico, olives, & sour cream.  It’s perfectly delish.

1 :: Go check them out!  Pescado’s of Highlands | 226 South 4th Street, Highlands, NC | (828) 526-9313
2 :: My favorite, the Veggie Quesadilla (hold the olives, please)
3 :: THREE salsas to choose from!

She’s such a fun girl! Beautiful smile. Sweet personality…

Hair by Mirror Dance Hair Studio
Makeup by Spa Siobhan
Sweater from Anna Bedell’s

Interested in having your senior photos taken?  Click here for more information.

Big hearts. Amazing parents. Wonderful friends.  Here are a few from their session…

For Valentine’s Day I thought I would share one of my all time favorite cookie recipes. My grandmother used to make these for us as a special Christmastime treat, and now my mom and I get together once a year to make them with my children. They’re tedious to make, but together it’s lots of fun and they are oh, so delicious! We have a rhythm, my mom and I, and the girls have a blast “helping”. A full batch makes plenty to share, and they’re so good, they’ve been known to bribe my siblings.

Butter Cookies

Ingredients:

2 cups sugar
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vanilla
6 Tbsp. milk
1 cup butter
2 eggs
1 cup shortening
1/2 tsp. salt
4 cups flour

Directions:

Mix all ingredients well, and place dough in fridge overnight. Using a pastry cloth and plenty of flour, roll dough out thin, cut into shapes and bake at 350 degrees for ten minutes.  They don’t rise, so you can bake them close together, just not touching. Place cookies on tinfoil, and allow to cool completely before frosting to your liking. Makes 10+ dozen, depending on the shape and size of the cutters used. They also freeze well.

Hoard all for yourself or share and make lots of new friends!