Fried apples – soft, sweet, and perfect for breakfast or supper. One of my favorite comfort foods at home and at Cracker Barrel is Pinto Beans (you can find the copy cat Cracker Barrel Beans here), fried potatoes, and fried apples. But I also love to have cooked apples with eggs and a biscuit!
My husband recently invited all our church deacons for breakfast and my menu included Hash Brown Bake,French Breakfast Puffs , Pecan Pie Muffins and Fried Apples. I needed quite a lot of apples for the group, so I wanted to cook them in the crock pot so I wouldn’t have to fuss over them on the stove. This method was so simple and absolutely delicious! They tasted every bit as good as Cracker Barrel’s!
Our family loves to celebrate, and that is usually interpreted into the meal planning. If it’s someone who is being celebrated, they rightfully get to help select their favorites.”What should we have for dinner for Father’s Day?” was an important question I asked my husband last week. He landed on some old favorites, then I chose one new recipe, and one I hadn’t made in a while. The result was a sumptuous fare that celebrated him and the gift he is to our family.
We missed our son-in-law who had to be out of town for Father’s Day!
We are traditionalists on most holidays. The same foods are usually served each year on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. But you know what? Sometimes it’s really fun to break out of that “mold” and do something completely different! That’s what happened this year.
My daughter hosted us for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day and she and her sister did all the food. Not only did I not contribute to the meal, I wasn’t allowed to lift a finger. That was a gift in itself. They are the sweetest.
Here are the meals they planned and prepared.
Christmas Eve night, they had all appetizers. (BTW, This would make a great menu for New Year’s Eve, too!)
We had a mid-morning brunch on Christmas morning. The egg casserole Whitney made was a.maz.ing! It had all the brunchy feels to it and balanced out the sweetness of the Pioneer Woman Cinnamon Rolls that Alli and her husband made! What a way to start the day!
Learn from a 5-year old how to eat a cookie. Fill your plate with your favorites. Look carefully at the cookie to decide which corner to attack first. Then go in and nibble away until completely devoured!
After church yesterday we were blessed to host everyone for Sunday dinner. It was very impromptu, but I made a simple meal everyone loves – Soup beans and cornbread. I used the simple recipe I’ve shared here. This is such a great meal for ease and for comfort. I served it with roasted potatoes, cornbread, and cooked apples. Even our little guys love this meal.
All these meals were great, yes, but the best part was sitting around the table as a family, thanking the Lord, chatting, laughing, listening, watching, loving, caring and serving. That’s what mealtime is all about.
Plan something simple this week and invite others to join around your table. Eat slowly. Make conversation. Serve them. Love them. There’s nothing that tastes any better!
What kind of foods did your family share over Chrismtas?
I have an old recipe for you today that can serve as either an appetizer OR a side dish. It can be served any time of the year, but because it’s served with a (red) marinara or spaghetti sauce, it makes a great accompaniment to a Christmas menu! This is also a budget-friendly recipe!
This Toasted Ravioli is super fast and easy, and is a true crowd pleaser. I discovered this recipe years ago in my Southern Living Cookbook. Being crispy on the outside and cheesy on the inside, makes it irresistible! It’s a perfect finger food appetizer, but you can also serve it alongside a meal, as I did recently.
Toasted Ravioli
Packaged frozen Cheese Ravioli – Thawed
Seasoned bread crumbs
Grated Parmesan Cheese
1 egg
1/4 Cup Milk
Cooking oil – Canola works well
Marinara or Spaghetti Sauce
Instructions:
In a dish, combine seasoned bread crumbs and about half as much Parmesan cheese.
In another dish, combine one egg and milk
Dip ravioli in egg wash, then breadcrumbs. Â Place enough oil in the bottom of a medium skillet. After it gets hot, add ravioli, a few at a time, Â Toast until golden This will only take a couple of minutes. Â Keep warm. Â
Serve with a marinara or spaghetti sauce.
I made this French Bread to go along with the meal. I broiled it until it was lightly browned and crisp. This has come to be one of my favorite breads to make because I can have bread in two hours from start to finish.
I hope you’ll add this ravioli recipe to your menu soon, then let me know what you thought about it!
I am a Southern green bean girl! That means I like my green beans cooked through so they’re soft with a little of the fat hugging each bean, meaning there’s great flavor with each bite!
When I saw a recipe on Weight Watchers for green beans, I was a little skeptical, but thought it was worth a try. The result? A.Maz.Ing side dish!! The caramelized onions give this dish tremendous flavor! I did cook my green beans a little longer than the recipe says, because I didn’t want them to be crispy-tender – I wanted them cooked through. You can choose your cooking time to suit your liking, of course!
But whatever you do, you need to give these a try! You’ll feel like you pulled out one of your “special event” recipes! We’ve had them several times since I discovered them, and I truly think I could eat them every week and not mind it all!
Green Beans with Caramelized Onions
1 tsp Olive oil
1 Tbl. Sugar
16 oz. Frozen pearl onion(s)
16Â oz, or whole green beans Frozen cut green beans
Add green beans and cook until crisp-tender, stirring frequently, about 3 minutes.
Remove from heat and stir in dill, salt and pepper. Yields about 1/2 cup per serving.
These are only 1 point on all WW plans! By the way, I’d encourage you, if you’re seeking to lose some weight, check Weight Watchers out! They offer free starts all the time. It’s such a great plan to follow because it’s a change of eating that becomes a habit and way of life. You eat normal foods and can eat all the good things! It’s been one year now since my husband and I started the plan and we have maintained our weight, even with some indulgences for special celebrations! I get no kick-back – I just want to help you! You can join for as little as just under $4 a month!
I’m curious – are you a Southern green bean girl, too? Or do you like the beans just warmed up a little?
RefreshHer 