Walkin' In Memphis with the Dogs

Do you ever have times when you feel like you blink and you aren't really sure what you've done with the last few weeks of your life? That's been the last month around here for me. It was a crazy whirlwind of events that had me trying to figure out which way was up and what day it was. I finally feel like that crazy twilight zone has come to an end and the seasons are a-changing.  Literally...I woke up this morning and it was 40 degrees outside!  Hello fall finally! Please stick around because your sibling summer has stuck around this year for entirely too long and has definitely overstayed his welcome.

Since Eric was on a hunting trip (one of those things that comes along with fall temps), I took the pups up to Memphis for the weekend so spend some time with my parents and their sweet Maggie Sue. It had been a while since I'd seen her, and my dogs hadn't been around her since she was 6 weeks old. We hit the road early Friday morning and pulled into Memphis just in time for a BBQ lunch from the Germantown Commissary [my favorite =)]. We spent the weekend watching the puppies play, stuffing ourselves silly with some great food, taking the pups for walks, watching some great football games [we changed the channel when Michigan got the ball back with 5 seconds to go and missed the end of the game!], and decorating their front porch for fall!  I was sad to have to head home yesterday afternoon, but I guess I had to come back to the real world at some point.

I told her we were taking a selfie, but apparently she though I said side-eye. 

 The 3 Musketeers

They spent a lot of time sleeping on the couch. Maggie always made sure she was right next to Hawk and they were always laying in nearly the exact same position. 

 I made my brother jealous sending him snaps of all of the homemade deliciousness that we indulged in. Mom and Dad showed out with Mom's homemade spaghetti and Dad's homemade chili.  I have learned how to make these dishes but for some reason they always taste better when they make them!

 We managed to get my parents' front porch ready for fall too with a few decorations that turned out super really cute and has me ready to pull out fall decorations at our house. 

Maggie helped put the gourds on the porch.

I realized when I got home that I didn't take any human pictures aside from my selfie with Maggie, but I assure you my parents were present over the weekend. =)

We couldn't have asked for a more beautiful fall weekend. It was just what I needed to recharge my batteries and get me ready for the week ahead. Time at home with your family does that. =)

Our Football Feast Favorites

A lot of people say that there's nothing better than college football season in the South, most of these folks hail from the South, however we've been known to makes believers out of anyone who comes down to spend a football Saturday with us. A big part of that is the southern hospitality, but the one I am pretty sure ranks right up at the top is the food!  Southern Football Saturday food is nothing short of amazing.  There's always a lot of it and there's a very good change it will involve cheese and cooking at least a portion of it outside. We've hosted our fair share of football get-togethers (it's our favorite Southern Football Saturday pastime), so I feel like I've run the gauntlet of football dips, snacks, and desserts. Praise the Lord for Pinterest, because I know that my football spread arsenal would not have half as many recipes without it. I figured I would share some of our favorites today...these are recipes that we go back to season after season because they're so good!

Tex Mex Dip

This one is a classic that I grew up on and I can say without a doubt is my favorite dip in the whole wide world.  I could eat the entire 9"x 13" pan by myself with absolutely no shame. It's sort of like the layered taco dip that everyone makes but it's not. Apparently I have never shared the recipe on here before so I will definitely have to rectify this sometime this football season.

Knorr's Spinach Dip

Another favorite of mine...especially when it's served with Hawaiian Rolls!

Buffalo Chicken Dip

This one is hands down Eric's favorite dip in the entire world. Like me with my Tex Mex Dip, he eats it for breakfast lunch and dinner until it's gone. This dip comes in several forms including: dip, pizza, and garbage bread (which will be making an appearance at our house this weekend after a 3 year hiatus for some crazy reason), so we end up eating it in some form or fashion a lot.

Bacon Corn Dip

This one is a wild card that has always been a crowd pleaser. I was looking for an easy recipe with just a few ingredients for a game late in the year last year and I was tired of our usual go-to dips. I happened upon this one on Pinterest and it's amazing! It involves a bit of veggie dicing, but I get them all ready and dice everything at once so it takes no time at all!

Ham and Cheese Sliders

My Mom introduced us to these. I had a real hang up about ham a cheese sandwiches as a child after I had to down a cold ham and cheese without any mayo before I was allowed to go to a Girl Scouts meeting when I was 7. It was awful and I've [clearly] never forgotten it. It took 20 years for me to embrace ham and cheese together again, but I am so glad I did because these little puppies melt in your mouth. The Hawaiian Rolls and Butter/Onion Topping help, too!

Homemade Pretzels with Hot Cheese Dip

I am a sucker for a homemade soft pretzel, but when I make them I tend to eat waaaay to many. Hence the reason they don't get made often and only on a football weekend when there will be lots of people around to share them with. Pair them with a jar of cheddar cheese dip mixed with a little Sriracha and you have a masterpiece!

Wings

Wings have become a favorite on game days for us because they're super easy to fry or grill, and Eric usually whips up 3 or 4 sauces so there's something for everyone. Even little ole me who is a serious wimp when it comes to hot wings. 

Conecuh Sausages

These are a specialty that you will only find in Alabama. This sausage hails from Conecuh County in Lower Alabama, population 12,670....for the whole COUNTY. But their sausage is the best and flies off the grocery store shelves this time of year. I have a secret weapon this year...Costco has started selling it! Bigger packages AND a better price!? Yes please!

Deer Chili

When it gets colder we set up a chili bar complete with hot dogs, Frito's, sour cream, shredded cheese and of course onions!  I use my Dad's recipe which always gets rave reviews. Bonus: it's beanless so we don't have to "enjoy" it afterward.

A football spread from a few years ago but you can see several of above mentioned dishes ready for kickoff!

Of course these are just a few of the main players.  They don't all show up every week but there's a good chance at least one of them will be there for kickoff on Saturday. I am always on the lookout for new recipes to try and I am very thankful for friends who serve as guinea pigs for my kitchen experiments. And now I am starving and suddenly my banana with peanut butter and yogurt don't sound so exciting for lunch.

Weekend Recap: A Little Fun Family Time

I know, I know I am late by a few days, but I promise I have a good reason!  We've had a few house guests in town the past few days and how could anyone get anything productive done when you have this completely adorable munchkin who smiles and giggles the most precious baby giggles when you play with him hanging out at your house?

Don't put those shapes in their slots around the number buttons, because he will be removing them as fast as you can put them on! 

Of course we love having his parents around, too because we miss them like crazy!  We got busy this summer and it's been a few months since we've seen my BIL, SIL, and sweet nephew so I was thrilled when Eric told me they were coming in town for a few days this weekend!  This kiddo is seriously on the move these days.  He is a crawling pro and will can be on the other side of the house in .2 seconds if he wants to.  I just know he'll be walking around next time we see them!

We needed a fun visit like this to finish up the weekend because it did not start the way we had hoped.  The football game Friday night started off well, but we hit a brick wall in the second half and ended up losing the game 17-14 after leading 14-0 at halftime.  I don't think I've ever seen Eric so pensive after a ballgame like he was after this one.  The loss really bothered him to say the least.  So much that Saturday morning after he got back home from fishing with his Dad he walked into the living room and told me, "This is what we're going to do..." I thought he meant weekend plans or some new home improvement idea he had. He them proceeded to tell me who they needed to move to what position and what changes they needed to put in for the upcoming week. Oh the life of a coach's wife!  I wouldn't trade it for the world, and I am glad that I can be there as a sounding board for him when he needs it.

Coach Cagle doing his thing.

The rest of our Saturday looked like a nice long morning run for me, puppy walks of course, afternoon naps, and a cookout with one of the other coach's and his family. I was so excited because I made one of our favorite desserts, Shortbread Milk Chocolate Toffee Bars to take over to their house. I put them in the fridge to cool, and I'll give you three guesses where they ended up that evening.  We got all the way over to their house before I realized I'd left them [insert giant sad face here]. Eric and his fellow coaches didn't mind though because they had a film session on Sunday and the entire pan of toffee bars made their way to the field house...minus the few that I kept at the house. I am glad too, because there were 0 left afterward.

Sunday morning I churched while Eric fished and then whipped up some goodies because I was trying to get the time to pass before our guests arrived!  It worked out for me because we've had nothing but delicious home cooked dinners for the past 3 nights, such a departure for us! I whipped up some Southwest Slaw to go with the catfish Eric fried Sunday night. Then I set to work making Skinny Broccoli Chicken and Rice Casserole, which included a rue that I didn't burn or screw up. Shocker, I know. The recipe is amazing and so delicious.  My only suggestion is to cut back on the amount of rice by about 1/3, if not a little bit more. For dessert I threw together one of my childhood favorites, Reese's Peanut Butter Cookies. It's one of those desserts that I could eat the entire pan with no problems. Hence the reason I don't make it often and usually only make a half batch. They are a very dangerous dessert.  I see a recipe share coming in the very near future. =)  And just for funsies, I pulled out the crockpot and made some Slow Cooker Pesto Ranch Chicken (thanks, Mom). My plan is to make some naan pizzas with it tonight for dinner (thanks, Dad).  I'll let you know how it turns out.  Look out world, super wife coming through! Making delicious meals complete with actual sides more than 2 nights a row!

And now the week's half over, college football starts this week,  I have a 3 day weekend coming, and it's September for crying out loud! I am thinking this could be a very good thing!

High Five for Friday

-one-

I am pretty sure fall has the most gorgeous sunrises.  Perhaps it's because the days are getting shorter and so I get to see them in their full glory on my way to work in the morning.  This week they have been absolutely spectacular and I can get enough of them!

-two-

We broke away from our usual after work routine yesterday and headed back downtown for a baseball game.  We watched the Montgomery Biscuits (yes it's the actual name of the team) play the Jackson Generals.  The game was a special one because one of the kids Eric used to coach now plays for the Jackson Generals, so we got to see him, plus we had awesome suite tickets so we got to watch the game in style!  Eric won the tickets a couple of months at a golf tournament he played in and we waited all summer so we could share the tickets with the kid's family and friends while Jackson was in town.  We had a blast, although my tail is dragging today since we didn't get home until almost midnight.  #missedmy9pmbedtime

-three-

You can't go to a ball park without partaking in the food situation, and partake we did.  One of my friends told me about a stand that sold Philly Cheese Steak Nachos, so naturally we had to give them a try.  They were good, but they don't hold a candle to the BBQ Nachos that you can get at any sporting event you go to in Memphis.  At least we can say we tried them.  I indulged in a massive bacon cheeseburger.  It was fantastic and super messy, and I woofed it down so fast that I didn't get a picture of it.  I am going to say it's because I ran right before we went to the game and I was hungry.  =)  I did get to try something that I hope I will be able to find in stores soon....Daily's Spiked Sodas.  I tried the Raspberry Ginger Ale and it was fantastic. Delicious and crisp!  Perfect for a summer evening!

-four-

Tonight is Game 2 of the 2015 football season.  Our team has their work cut out for them as the team we are playing this week is much much better than the one we played last week.  From what I understand THS has never beat this team.  They aren't in our region so we've only played them in the playoffs and a couple of random years we've scheduled games with them, so it would be absolutely fantastic if we could pull out a win tonight!

-five-

Last but certainly not least, we are celebrating 8 years of this crazy monster today! He always keeps us laughing with his crazy antics and is the sweetest, kindest, silliest "lapdog" I know.  Happy Birthday Hawkey Dog!  We love you!