Menu Monday ~ LWD Family Favorites

October 30, 2017 By Deanna Piercy 8 Comments

Welcome to a new week, friends! As I began to work on my schedule for this week it soon became apparent that, at best, we’ll be home for maybe one dinner this week. That makes for a pretty dull menu to share. So I decided to create a menu featuring some Life With Dee favorites. Let’s take a look:

LWD Family Favorites

Monday

How about one of our family’s favorite vegetarian dishes for “Meatless Monday”?

Sour Cream Green Chili Enchiladas
seasoned rice
green salad
chips and salsa

Tuesday

Every Tuesday should be “Taco Tuesday”, right? And if you can enjoy delicious tacos without the expense and calories of meat? All the better!

Lentil Tacos – with all the fixings (lettuce, tomato, green onions, sour cream, cheese, etc.)
chips and guacamole

Wednesday

It’s so-called “Hump Day”. That sounds like a good reason to plan an extra tasty, yet still easy meal.

Easy Jambalaya in the Instant Pot
tossed green salad
crusty French bread

Thursday

We all have those nights when we need a quick meal but that doesn’t mean it can’t still be delicious

Friday

For many, Friday is traditionally a night for fish or seafood. That’s certainly no hardship with this meal!

Sweet and Spicy Shrimp over Cheese Grits
tossed green salad with Homemade Blue Cheese Dressing
crusty French bread

Saturday

Let’s do an at-home date night meal.

Pork Loin in Cognac Sauce
homemade mashed potatoes
tossed green salad with homemade Thousand Island dressing
steamed broccoli

And since it’s “date night”, how about Earl Grey Martinis after dinner?

Sunday

We all deserve brunch once in awhile, right? Invite a few friends over and make it a party.

Chicken and Waffles With Maple Whiskey Cream Gravy
fresh fruit salad
Dark Chocolate Cranberry Scones
coffee, tea, mimosas

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Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. Thank you for supporting Life With Dee!

I am loving my Instant Pot. Not only is it a pressure cooker but it can also be used as a slow cooker. The best part is that it also has a sauté feature so I can brown meat in it first then switch to slow cooker. That means one less pan to wash…always a good thing!

This post is linked up at I’m an Organizing Junkie. Check it out for lots of great menu ideas!

Smoked Gouda Potato Soup ~ An Instant Pot Recipe

October 25, 2017 By Deanna Piercy 8 Comments

As the weather gets cooler nothing satisfies quite like a steaming hot bowl of soup. Whether it’s a simple starter to a meal or a hearty version served as the main course, soup just hits the spot. Soup also happens to be one of my favorite things to make. If you are looking for a rich and filling bowl of yum you can’t go wrong with this Smoked Gouda Potato Soup.

Smoked Gouda Potato Soup

I got the idea for this soup from a restaurant sadly no longer in business. Their potato soup was so delicious but I couldn’t quite figure out what accounted for the rich, smoky taste. Fortunately the owner was a friend so I asked. Smoked Gouda cheese was the answer.

Yum

Smoked Gouda Potato Soup

Ingredients

6 slices bacon
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups chicken broth
6-8 medium potatoes, peeled and cut in 1 inch pieces
4 ounces cream cheese
4-6 ounces smoked gouda, grated
4-6 ounces sharp cheddar, grated
1 cup milk
hot sauce - a few drops
salt and pepper to taste
sour cream (optional)
chives or green onions (optional)

Instructions

Cook bacon on sauté setting of Instant Pot just until lightly crisp.
Remove bacon and set aside.
Pour off all but 1 tablespoon bacon grease.
Cook onions until translucent.
Add garlic and cook about one minute, stirring to avoid burning.
Pour one cup of chicken broth in Instant Pot, stirring and scraping the bottom well.
Add potatoes and the rest of the chicken broth.
Adjust Instant Pot setting to "Soup", secure lid with vent closed and set timer for 8 minutes.
Allow steam to release naturally or manually.
Adjust Instant Pot setting to "Slow Cook".
Add milk, grated cheeses, and hot sauce. Continue to cook and stir until cheeses are melted. Taste and season with hot sauce, salt and pepper to taste.
Serve in shallow soup bowl with a dollop of sour cream, a bit of grated cheese, crumbled bacon and chives or green onions.

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I suggest a light salad course first and then bring out the steaming bowls of soup. A crusty loaf of French bread and a crisp white wine will complete this simple yet delicious meal.

Note: While an Instant Pot is a handy, quick way to make this soup, it can also be made in a regular stock pot. Follow the same directions but allow 20 minutes or so to cook the potatoes. Turn the heat to low before adding the milk and cheeses. Be careful not to let it come to a boil after the milk is added and stir frequently to prevent sticking.

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Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. Thank you for supporting Life With Dee!

This post is linked up at Miz Helen’s Full Plate Thursday. Check it out!

Menu Monday ~ October 23, 2017

October 23, 2017 By Deanna Piercy 1 Comment

Another week, another menu! If you follow me on Instagram you probably figured out that we were out of town a few days last week. That means last week’s menu wasn’t what we really ate. I knew we wouldn’t be eating at home much so I thought it would be fun to create a menu of Autumn-inspired dishes. Did you enjoy it? Every once in awhile I share a “theme” menu rather than what we are actually going to eat. I hope you enjoy these because I have a few more theme menus coming up. But for now, let’s take a look at what is truly on the Piercy menu this week.

Dee’s Menu

Monday

I’m aiming to get back into the habit of “meatless Monday”, or at least “less meat Monday”. Ha!

smoked gouda potato soup with bacon
baked apples

Tuesday

Tuesday means tacos, right?

black bean tacos
lettuce, tomato, green onions, sour cream, cheese, hot sauce
chips and salsa

Wednesday

David will be out of town but I think I’ll go ahead and cook something to share with my parents.

spaghetti
salad
garlic bread

Thursday

David will still be out of town so I’ll either have leftovers or make a salad.

Friday

David will be back and we have an event to set up sound for which begins at 9:30 p.m. That means we have time to eat dinner at home if we do it relatively early.

lemon pepper chicken
steamed rice
broccoli
salad

Saturday

This is going to be a busy, busy day. Between the two of us we have several events. We’ll just have to figure a way to squeeze in dinner somewhere.

Sunday

I’m hopeful that we’ll have a warm day. If that’s the case I’d like to grill outdoors one more time. Then I’ll clean up the grill and cover it for the winter.

grilled burgers or hot dogs
french fries
baked beans
fresh fruit

What’s cooking at your house this week?

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Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. Thank you for supporting Life With Dee!

This post is linked up at I’m an Organizing Junkie. Take a look for lots more menu ideas!

Menu Monday ~ Autumn Recipes

October 16, 2017 By Deanna Piercy 3 Comments

I thought it would be fun to create a weekly menu with a focus on Autumn-inspired recipes. Cabbage, sweet potatoes, butternut squash, pumpkin and other cool weather favorites are featured this week. Enjoy!

Autumn-Inspired Meals

Monday

Mondays are busy days for me around the house as this is the day I wash bedding, catch up on laundry, tidy up after the weekend, water plants, etc. That’s a perfect time for a simple Instant Pot recipe.

Cabbage, Potatoes and Sausage (Instant Pot recipe)
Amish noodles
buttered baguette

Tuesday

Autumn is the perfect time for chili! There are as many ways to make chili as there are cooks. Here’s a vegan option. I’ve paired it with a delicious Tex-Mex cornbread but if you want a completely vegan meal I’ve included a vegan cornbread recipe, as well.

Vegan Chili
Tex-Mex Cornbread

(or Vegan Cornbread)

Wednesday

I’m not much of a breakfast person but I do enjoy breakfast foods for dinner occasionally. Add some homemade Apple Cinnamon Muffins and you’ve got a nice mid-week treat. Tip: Make the muffins Tuesday when you are making the cornbread. Might as well just have one clean-up session and since they both bake at the same temperature you can make your oven do double duty.

eggs (your choice of scrambled or fried)
bacon and/or sausage
Apple Cinnamon Muffins
coffee, tea, orange juice

Thursday

Risotto isn’t hard to make but it’s a bit time consuming. Unless you have an Instant Pot! Add a salad and a chilled bottle of wine and Thursday just became special.

Butternut Squash Risotto
tossed green salad with dried cranberries and balsamic vinaigrette
nice bottle of chilled white wine

Friday

Ahh…Friday. After a long week, dinner out may sound like a great idea. And sometimes that’s exactly what you need. But other times we want nothing more than to spend a quiet evening at home. Add a treat like this green bean casserole to a simple roast chicken and baked potato dinner and you’ve elevated boring to special.

oven roasted whole chicken
Creamy Parmesan Green Bean Casserole
baked potatoes
tossed green salad

Saturday

As the days get chilly, comfort food becomes all the more appealing. Use the leftover bits of chicken from Friday night’s dinner and make a tasty chicken pot pie. Add homemade cranberry sauce and a salad for delicious, cozy autumn meal.

chicken pot pie (using leftover chicken from last night)
homemade cranberry sauce
tossed green salad

Sunday

Invite friends or family over for a “Taste of Autumn” meal. Light some candles, open a bottle of wine, turn on some music and celebrate a week done well.

Ham
Sweet Potato and Apple Casserole with Streusel Topping
leftover cranberry sauce
tossed green salad
homemade rolls
Oatmeal Pumpkin Cookies

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Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. Thank you for supporting Life With Dee!

This post is linked up at I’m an Organizing Junkie. Take a look for lots more menu ideas!

Moroccan Chicken ~ Instant Pot or Slow Cooker

October 11, 2017 By Deanna Piercy 2 Comments

Years ago I came up with this recipe which my clever son named “Croc Moroc”. I made it in my Crockpot, hence the name. These days I use the slow cook setting on my Instant Pot. But any way you cook it, Moroccan Chicken is a winner.

Moroccan Chicken

Yum

Moroccan Chicken ~ Instant Pot or Slow Cooker

Ingredients

6 chicken thighs
1-2 tablespoons coconut oil
1 onion, thinly sliced
3 bell peppers (red, green, orange or any combination) - cut in 1-inch pieces
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 (6 oz.) can tomato paste
1 (15 oz.) can tomato sauce
1 cup chicken broth
2 cups water
1/2 to 3/4 cup raisins

Instructions

Season chicken with garlic salt and black pepper.
Brown chicken in Instant Pot on sauté setting.
Move chicken to side or put on plate and lightly brown onions.
Place chicken over onions and scatter bell peppers and garlic on top.
Sprinkle with cinnamon, ginger, cumin and cayenne.
Pour tomato paste, tomato sauce, chicken broth and water over chicken and vegetables.
Sprinkle raisins on top.
Cook for 4 hours on slow cooker setting of Instant Pot.
Serve over steamed rice.

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I serve this over steamed rice with a dollop of plain yogurt on top. You could also serve it “as is” or over potatoes or other grains.

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Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. Thank you for supporting Life With Dee!

Other Instant Pot recipes:

Easy Chicken Tikka Masala

Cabbage Leek Diet Soup

Brazilian Black Beans

Butternut Squash Risotto

Easy Jambalaya

Low Calorie Vegetable Soup

Lentil Tacos

Cabbage, Potatoes and Sausage

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This post is linked up at Miz Helen’s Full Plate Thursday:

Menu Monday ~ October 9, 2017

October 9, 2017 By Deanna Piercy 5 Comments

Happy Thanksgiving to my Canadian friends! I’m pretty happy to be starting a new week and I have high hopes that it will be a great improvement over the past couple of weeks. At least I have a really fun event to look forward to on Friday. So let’s take a look at what’s on my menu for the upcoming week:

Dee’s Menu

Monday

I have a meeting at 5:15 so I’ll want something that can be ready when I get home. Slow cooker to the rescue!

Crockpot Chicken Creole (I’ll take pictures and share in a blog post soon.)
steamed rice
salad

Tuesday

We have a food and music event this evening.

Wednesday

I have choir at 7 p.m. I like to cook something with minimal cleanup on these nights, as well as something I can easily make extra of to take to my parents.

spaghetti
salad
broccoli
garlic bread

Thursday

Believe it or not, we don’t have anything planned this evening. Sounds like a good night for a special meal.

Skillet Creamy French Mustard Chicken
mashed potatoes
glazed carrots
salad
crusty, homemade artisan bread

Friday

We are going to a Steely Dan concert (yay!!) and will spend the night afterwards since the show gets out pretty late. We’ll eat dinner somewhere before the show.

Saturday

We will be attending a dinner for the volunteer fire department David serves on. The hosts are providing hamburgers and hot dogs. Someone else is bringing dessert. I’ll probably make potato salad and/or baked beans.

Sunday

The usual – Mexican food after church. Our “Music in the Park” events are over for the season so we can eat dinner at home at a normal hour. If we have leftovers from lunch we’ll eat those. Otherwise I’ll do something simple like sandwiches or quesadillas.

What’s cooking at YOUR house this week?

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Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. Thank you for supporting Life With Dee!

MEAL PLANNING RESOURCES:

Menu Planning Simplified

How to Save Money With Your Grocery Shopping List

Once a Month Grocery Shopping

How to Create a Weekly Menu Plan

Do you want to eat a healthy, organic, grass fed diet but don’t think you can afford it? My friend, Victoria of A Modern Homestead, explains how they do it on less than $200 a month. Click here to find out how:

This post is linked up at I’m an Organizing Junkie. You can find lots of menu inspiration there!

Chicken and Waffles With Maple Whiskey Cream Gravy

October 4, 2017 By Deanna Piercy 2 Comments

Do you love chicken and waffles as much as I do? There is just something about that combination of sweet and savory. And when you add a little maple flavored whiskey to the gravy? Well, it just takes chicken and waffles to a whole new level.

Recipe update: Crown Royal Maple Whiskey has sadly been discontinued. If you are fortunate enough to run across a bottle – buy it! Otherwise you can substitute Crown Royal Vanilla Whiskey. Perhaps use a bit less whiskey and a bit more maple syrup.

Yum

Chicken and Waffles With Maple Whiskey Cream Gravy

Ingredients

8-10 chicken tenders
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1-2 tablespoons coconut oil (or whatever you like to fry with)

For Gravy

2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons seasoned flour (leftover from dredging chicken)
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup maple flavored whiskey
1/3 cup maple syrup
salt, pepper, cayenne to taste

Instructions

Use your favorite waffle batter recipe but substitute brown sugar for white, increase vanilla to one teaspoon, and add 1 teaspoon of cinnamon.
Cook waffles and keep warm.
Heat coconut oil in skillet over medium high heat.
Mix 1/2 cup flour with garlic salt, black pepper and cayenne pepper.
Dredge chicken tenders in flour mixture and place in skillet.
Cook until chicken is no longer pink inside.
Remove from skillet and keep warm.
In the same skillet over medium heat melt butter.
Add 2 tablespoons of the seasoned flour leftover from dredging chicken.
Cook about 1-2 minutes stirring constantly.
Slowly add chicken broth while stirring.
Add heavy cream and stir to combine.
Add whiskey, stirring well and cook until gravy has thickened.
Add maple syrup.
Taste and add salt, pepper and/or cayenne if needed to suit your taste.
Place chicken tenders on waffles, pour gravy over, and drizzle with more maple syrup.

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I like to use my cast iron skillet but you can use any heavy skillet.

I meant to make a fruit salad to go with this but by the time I got everything ready I changed my mind. I had a few blackberries and some orange juice in the fridge. Along with a cup of freshly brewed coffee, I decided that was good enough.

Here’s a closeup of the deliciousness:

We aren’t going to discuss the calorie count. Just think of it as dinner and dessert all in one.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. Thank you for supporting Life With Dee!

Menu Monday ~ October 2, 2017

October 2, 2017 By Deanna Piercy 2 Comments

We’ve got a difficult week ahead so I’m keeping our menu simple this week.

Dee’s Menu

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. Thank you for supporting Life With Dee!

Monday

We are attending a candlelight vigil at 7:30 for a friend who died this past week. We’ll need to eat early so I’m keeping it simple.

Sweet Italian chicken sausages in marinara over pasta
tossed green salad
steamed broccoli

Tuesday

I’m attending the preview of the used book sale at our local public library at 6 p.m. We’ll eat after I get back. I’ll cook the lentils in my Instant Pot before I leave and then set it to keep warm. If I have everything else prepped before I go then all I will have to do is fry the tortillas when I get home.

Important note: At the time of this posting, the Instant Pot is a “deal of the day” on Amazon. You can get it for only $69.99 which is a great deal!

lentil tacos
lettuce, tomato, cheese, green onions, etc.
Mexican rice

Wednesday

We have a very, very sad funeral to attend about 2 hours away. Right now I don’t know what our dinner plans will be.

Thursday

It’s the final “East End Eats” music and food truck event for the season. We’ll eat there.

Friday

I think David and I may go to a nearby town for dinner and live music (something WE don’t have to plan or set up the sound for – ha!).

Saturday

I want to take advantage of our nice weather so I think we’ll grill some burgers and if the mosquitos aren’t too bad we may eat on the patio.

grilled cheeseburgers
French fries
baked beans
coleslaw

Sunday

We’ll eat lunch at a Mexican restaurant after church and save half for dinner.

WHAT’S COOKING AT YOUR HOUSE THIS WEEK?

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MEAL PLANNING RESOURCES:

How to Save Money With Your Grocery Shopping List

Once a Month Grocery Shopping

How to Create a Weekly Menu Plan

Sour Cream Green Chile Enchiladas

September 27, 2017 By Deanna Piercy 7 Comments

These delicious sour cream and green chili enchiladas are a family favorite. If you are vegetarian or just trying to add a few meatless meals to your repertoire, give this recipe a try. I’m willing to bet this will become a favorite in your house, too.

Sour Cream and Green Chile Enchiladas

Several years ago we decided to become vegetarian. A friend was struggling with the vegan diet he had been prescribed for his cancer diagnosis (stage 4) so we did this in solidarity with him. We didn’t go vegan but just vegetarian. We ended up doing this for a year and surprisingly, didn’t find it that difficult.

I took on the challenge of finding delicious recipes as well as altering old family favorites.

For many years, one of our favorites was chicken enchiladas made with cream of chicken soup. I’m no fan of canned soups but this was one I still used, for convenience sake.

Our new vegetarian diet required a new approach to this recipe. I experimented a bit and came up with an alternative which is SO MUCH better than the original, even without the chicken. In fact, it’s so flavorful we all agreed we didn’t miss the chicken one little bit.

We are no longer eating a vegetarian diet so theoretically I could put chicken in these enchiladas. But there is honestly no reason to do so. I still like to cook meatless meals fairly often and this one is a keeper.

Yum

Sour Cream Green Chile Enchiladas

Ingredients

1 dozen flour tortillas
1 8 oz. package of cream cheese - softened
8 oz. sour cream
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1-2 (4 oz.) cans of diced green chiles
1 (16 oz.) jar green enchilada sauce
2 cups grated cheddar cheese
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon cumin
salt, pepper and Creole seasoning (or cayenne pepper) to taste

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Melt butter over medium high heat in large skillet.
Add flour and stir constantly a couple of minutes.
Add green chiles, undrained, and stir to combine.
Add chili powder, garlic powder, cumin, salt, pepper and Creole seasoning to taste (or a pinch of cayenne).
Stir and cook one minute.
Lower heat to medium and add softened cream cheese, stirring until combined.
Add heavy cream, stir to combine and remove from heat.
Stir in sour cream.
Warm tortillas in microwave or low oven to make more pliable.
Pour a few tablespoons of green enchilada sauce in bottom of greased, 9x11 baking dish.
In each tortilla, spoon a couple of tablespoons of the sour cream sauce and sprinkle with grated cheese.
Roll and place seam side down in baking dish.
Repeat until all tortillas are filled.
Pour any remaining sour cream sauce evenly over the enchiladas.
Pour green sauce over, making sure enchiladas are well covered.
Sprinkle with remaining grated cheese and bake until bubbly and the cheese is lightly browned - about 35-40 minutes.

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Even though I’m normally just feeding three, I usually still make the full recipe. The leftovers are still really tasty heated up the next day or two for lunches.

Sometimes, though, I just make half. This picture was from the last time I made them and I just used 6 tortillas (because that’s all I had). Even so, I was able to take half of this dish to my parents and they still had leftovers. These enchiladas are very rich so you won’t need a large portion. Oh, and please excuse my old, chipped baking dish. Just keeping it real, y’all!

This is what you want it to look like after baking. That is, unless you don’t like your cheese to be this browned. I’ve heard some don’t. Personally, I loved it this way.

I often serve these enchiladas with rice, salad, chips and salsa. Or sometimes refried beans. You could serve with a dollop of sour cream on top (calories, be damned!) and maybe a few black olives. For company I would likely do that to dress it up a bit.

This particular night we were eating early and we’d all had late lunches so I skipped the rice.

Do you like enchiladas? If you try this recipe I’d love to hear what you think. Leave me a comment!

Note: I use this brand of organic green enchilada sauce:

However, one of these days I plan to make my own and freeze in recipe-size batches. Here is a recipe that looks good:

Homemade Green Chile Enchilada Sauce

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Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. Thank you for supporting Life With Dee!

Giant Pumpkin Recipe Roundup

September 26, 2017 By Deanna Piercy 10 Comments

It’s officially fall which means it’s pumpkin season. If the first thing that comes to mind is a pumpkin spice latte you might not realize that pumpkins are actually rather nutritious. They are high in fiber and several other nutrients. But I’ll be the first to admit that many pumpkin recipes negate much of that with the addition of loads of sugar. Still, as part of a balanced diet, there’s no reason not to include a few pumpkin recipe treats this fall. And if you still feel a bit guilty, be sure to check out the smoothie recipe I’ve included.

Giant Pumpkin Recipe Roundup

Last week as I was linking up my latest recipe on Miz Helen’s Full Plate Thursday link up, I scrolled through the other submissions as I always do. I quickly noticed a theme this week – PUMPKIN! There were so many pumpkin recipes and many sounded absolutely delicious. I wanted to try them all.

That’s when I got the idea to gather them up in one place and share them with y’all. Plus, it will make it easier for me to find them whenever I’m in the mood to make something with pumpkin. By the way, that’s part of the reason I started my old Dee’s Kitchen blog years ago. I figured it was a handy way to have my recipes in one place. Plus, people were always asking for certain recipes and I could then just direct them to the blog. Good idea, right?

So anyway, if you’re looking for a pumpkin recipe, look no further. You’re sure to find something tasty here.