a {southern} spring time birthday.

apologies for being away so much last week. i had to travel to houston on a business trip for my other job. what started as an overnight trip turned into two nights away from home. i left my house at 5 in the morning on monday ... and didn't return until well after 8 in the evening on wednesday night. the rest of the week was filled with catching up on orders/emails to notably noted clients and doctors appointments.

while last week was pretty crazy, the weekend prior was fabulous! we were celebrating a very special lady in my life -- my mother. my family lives about thirty to forty-five minutes away in muskogee. i don't get to see them as often as i would like, but i'm grateful that we're as closely located to one another as we are -- it could definitely be worse.

on friday night my little sister drove to tulsa to help me prepare everything for the saturday afternoon late-lunch family party we had planned. i realized after everyone left that i never got a picture of the table setting (sad face!) but my mom loved everything. we all had a blast just spending the day together.

below are just a few details from our day:

not the best shot, but who doesn't love hydrangeas? there's something so romantic about them, and they can brighten my mood in an instance.

so many of my ideas for the party came from pinterest. we didn't have a "theme" other than a bright, springy, laid-back, family function. my mom's only request? "lots of yummy, fattening food." enter southern comfort food.

sierra and i made personal pot pies for everyone as the main dish. i knew they would take a little bit to fully bake, and since we were already having a late lunch, i didn't want everyone sitting around feeling hungry all afternoon. appetizers on display include: personal mac & cheese cups, cream filled strawberries, caprese salad skewers, and white-chocolate stuffed raspberries.

you wouldn't believe how delicious these raspberries were!! and so simple! seriously, so good! even my super-picky fiance was eating them by the handfuls.

i don't have a picture, but following appetizers, we had a yummy corn and cheese chowder (picture below from the pioneer woman):

Source: thepioneerwoman.com via Rhiannon on Pinterest

we didn't do the bread bowls, but it was still oh-so-good. i left the bacon out of mine, but imagine that lots of people would enjoy it with the bacon still included. this recipe makes a huge batch, so i was able to enjoy the leftovers all week long (and even sent some home with my parents and aunt).

finally, the main course:

as i mentioned before, sierra and i created personal pot pies for everyone. not only were they in their own ramekins, but the pies also had the first letter of each person's name marking the top of them (with "m" for "mom" and "d" for "dad"). sierra made my mom's extra special by adding hearts to the top of hers as well.

i know i baked this so i shouldn't be bragging, but oh.my.goodness. these were so delicious! i saw my aunt again this past weekend, and she was telling others that it was the best pot pie she had ever had! i was flattered (and secretly agreed). i played with the recipe myself, subsituting a few things i knew wouldn't be crowd pleasers and using rotisserie chicken instead of chicken breasts.

it was hard to choose sides for the pot pies because they were stuffed to the gills with veggies, but the freshly steamed asparagus and green beans were hits as well. again so simple, but so delish.

we were so stuffed we had to wait a bit before digging into dessert, so we did one of my favorite things -- we just sat around visiting. my brother, his wife, their baby, my parents, my sister, one of my mom's sisters (brenda), and travis and i sat around chatting, watching basketball, and enjoying my sweet little nephew.

now, you know i can't have a special occassion without a cake by seana hon. she didn't disappoint. sierra found cheerful, zany candles that went perfectly with our spring paisley/floral print cake -- vanilla on the top and chocolate on the bottom. it was the perfect size, too! 4" & 6" ... not too much, and not too little ... and all so delicious.

happy birthday, mom! we love you so much!!

14 days of love: food network magazine

it's that time of year again. time for fourteen days of love. my friend jen began this project several years ago and when i began my o.wn personal blog, i loved it so much, i followed in her footsteps. it's fun to look back at the items i was over the moon about a year ago.

01. the food network magazine.




i have recently been on a cooking/baking kick. the food network magazine is my go-to place for easy weekly menus, fun drink ideas, and special treats. i've already tried {successfully} and loved several of the recipes in the january/february 2011 edition, including the mac & cheese soup i shared before. this particular recipe is definitely a keeper. we've made it a couple of times already! i love that it comes together so quickly and is made with ingredients easily on hand.

mac & cheese soup.

in addition to helping you with the details of your fabulous soirees this year, i have also committed to trying new recipes and cooking at home more. earlier this week i tried this recipe from my latest food network magazine. it was delish! not exactly what i expected, but oh so yummy. the picture below is mine, but the recipe can be found on page 71 of the food network january/february 2011 magazine.

the recipe says it takes a total of 35 minutes to prepare and cook the soup ... and it was pretty accurate. i think it would have been right-on, but i don't have a food processor, so i had to mince my shallot, celery, and carrot the old fashioned way -- with a knife & cutting board!

we really enjoyed the recipe and even had leftovers. it's something i will definitely make agaion.

mac & cheese soup

kosher salt + 4 ounces elbow macaroni (1 cup) + cooking spray + 2 plum tomatoes, sliced 1/2-in thick + 4 1/2 inch-thick slices baguette + freshly ground pepper + 3 shallots + 1 carrot cut into 1-in pieces + 1/4 cup all-purpose flour + 3 3/4 cups fat-free, low-sodium chicken broth + 1 1/4 cups 2% milk + 6 ounces shredded cheddar cheese (about 1 1/2 cups) + 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese.

1. position rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat to 450. bring a medium pan of salted water to a boil. add the macaroni and cook as the label directs; drain.
2. mist a baking sheet with cooking spray and arrange the tomato and baguette slices on it in a single layer; season with salt & pepper. bake until the bread is golden brown, about 7 minutes.
3. mince the shallots, carrot, and celery in a food processor. mist a saucepan with cooking spray. add the vegetables and cook over medium-high heat until softened; 4 to 5 minutes. add the flour and cook, stirring, 2 minutes. gradually stir in the broth and bring to a boil. cook, stirring until thickened, 6 to 7 minutes. remove from heat.
4. add the milk, cheeses, and macaroni and stir until the cheeses melt. season with pepper. top the toasts with tomato; serve on the soup.

my baguette, though fresh, had gone a little stale on me, so i drizzled evoo on the baguette & tomato slices while on the cooking sheet and then sprinkled a little garlic salt to all of it and popped it in the oven.

such a delicious new meal! and it's light.

bon appetit!

free printable: christmas recipe card.

several of you really enjoyed the recipe card i posted earlier in the week, so i thought i would gift you with an early holiday present. you're going to need recipe cards for all the holiday goodies i know you're whipping up in your kitchens. =) why not download these and use them to share your delicious recipes. you'll look just like one of santa's lil elves.

m e r r y c h r i s t m a s ! !

copyright notably noted 2010. this free printable is intended for personal, non-commercial use only. please do not sell or distribute this design for commercial purposes. thank you for your cooperation!

pumpkin cupcakes.

last week i picked up a pumpkin cupcake at a local bakery. i posted about its deliciousness on facebook, and travis commented wondering where his pumpkin cupcake was. i decided i would make some for us at the house and called my mom on the way home from work. my mom has the best recipes, and i just knew she would have something in her arsenal. alas, she didn't have a recipe, so i resorted to the internet. i just couldn't stop thinking about those yummy cupcakes.

i knew martha wouldn't let me down, so i headed to the store armed with her recipe. here's the yummy recipe: {i forgot to take my own picture, so i've borrowed martha's}.



ingredients:

• 2 c all purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp coarse salt
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp ground allspice
• 1 c packed light-brown sugar
• 1 c granulated sugar {i used splenda}
• 1 c {2 sticks} unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 4 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 can {15 ounces} pumpkin puree {not pie filling}

directions:

• preheat oven to 350 degrees. line cupcake pans with paper liners; set aside. in a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and allspice; set aside


• in a large bowl whisk together brown sugar, granulated sugar, butter and eggs; add dry ingredients and whisk until smooth. whisk in pumpkin puree.


• divide batter evenly among liners, filling each about halfway. bake until tops spring back when touched and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 20-25 minutes, rotating pans once if needed. transfer to wire rack and let cool completely

this recipe makes 18 cupcakes. i didn't ice them the night i made them. i let them sit and cool for quite some time. travis and i each had one before bed, but neither of us had any icing. they were still really yummy. the next night we both added cream cheese icing to our cupcakes

i hope to make these again and take a picure of the process and the end result.

for now, i will bid you adieu for the week. i wish you and those you love a very happy thanksgiving holiday. i can't wait to hear about your fabulous celebrations. safe travels to you and yours!

xoxo,

r h i a n n o n

baked peanut butter oatmeal.

while in the midst of designing and organizing the house, i got the sudden urge to bake something. i remembered seeing a recipe for baked oatmeal on tidy mom. it's supposed to be a breakfast food, but it sounded absolutely delicious. i had all the ingredients already in the pantry, so i decided to give it a shot. it was super easy to make and made the house smell yummy.


to make this yummy recipe or snack, you'll need the following:

• 1 1/2 c cooking oats
• 1/4 c packed brown sugar
• 1/4 c granulated sugar {i used splenda}
• 3/4 c milk
• 1/4 c melted butter
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 c skippy peanut butter

preheat the oven to 350 degrees. grease a 9x13 pan {i wanted to use a pan that had more of a harvest appeal than just a clear 9x13, so i improvised}. mix all ingredients together in a large bowl and stir well. spread into pan and bake 20-25 minutes {my oven took exactly 20 minutes}, or until edges are golden brown.

tidy mom calls for you to serve with warm milk poured over the top. the recipe doesn't call for it, but i added raisins to ours before putting in the oven. i didn't measure them, but sprinkled just enough to cover the top of the batter and then folded them in.

this wasn't as sweet as i thought it would be {which makes it a good breakfast} and travis thought it tasted like the clif bars he likes to eat while climbing. i think if i make it for a snack again in the future, i might cheat and add a little more sugar.

buffalo chicken dip.

my friend megan tree posted a recipe for buffalo chicken dip earlier this month. since she posted it, i have been dying to try it. i thought i would share it with you as well. you can also check out megan's orginal post for this recipe.

pictures belong to and were taken by megan tree

ingredients:

• 10 ounces of chicken {megan uses two cans of canned chicken}
• 2 cream cheese {10 ounces}
• 1 cup of ranch dressing
• 3/4 cups of frank's red sauce
• 1 1/2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese

directions:

• put the chicken and frank's red sauce in a saucepot and heat on the stove
• add the cream cheese and allow it to melt completely
• add the ranch dressing and mix together
• lastly add the cheese and let it melt
• serve with your favorite chips

if you don't already follow megan's blog, i would highly recommend that you do. she is a hoot and a half. i wait each day for her to update.

dinner tonight.

photo from the personal blog of jenny collier

doesn't that look delicious? my friend jenny posted this recipe on her family's blog some time ago. while trying to think of something light, but tasty i was reminded of her yummy post. since i enjoy it so much, i thought you might enjoy it as well. check out the recipe below:

yum!

picture from everydayfood@e.marthastewart.com

Can you say yumm-o?? I'm always looking for new, easy-to-fix recipes, so I subscribe to Everyday Food e-newsletter {thank you Martha Stewart!} Today, I started drooling as soon as I opened my email. "60 Ice Cream Treats" Really??? I LOVE ice cream {I mean, who doesn't love ice cream}, so I was delighted to see an entire newsletter devoted to this creamy goodness.

I leave you with a preview of a few of the tantalizing treats! Check out the recipes for the following and more. {Again, thank you, Martha!}

fourteen days of love. day 09.

09. Brownie Bites

I'm finally back on track with my fourteen days of love, so you will only see one note from me today. Aren't you thrilled? =)

image courtesy of the inspired bride

Cake balls and cupcakes are all the rage lately. I love them both, so it makes sense that when I stumbled across these Brownie Pops, my heart melted like the candy coated icing on these bad boys. After reading the directions, I realized that they are actually brownie balls, but Pops just sounds so much cuter, doesn't it? It's, of course, the sticks that make them "pops." Guess what ... I love those, too.