Nacho Island Night!

A few years ago we went to an epic nacho night at our friends house. They have an incredible island (it’s HUGE) and Asa had the idea to wrap it in parchment paper and throw down some nachos. Well, the last year or so hasn’t allowed to us to ya know, hang OUT with friends…so recently we were extra thankful to host our own epic nacho night with another great couple!

We don’t play when it comes to nachos. They are Asa’s favorite food and a huge family favorite. You can make nachos however YOU like, but here’s how Asa does his:

-Sauté onions and brown your Kentucky Cattlemen’s Ground Beef
-Season with your very taco seasoning
-Top with corn, black beans, tomatoes (jalapeños too if you like!)
-And NEVER skimp out on the QUESO, my friends!

Because of the parchment paper, clean up is SUPER easy!! Basically you each claim a corner of the nacho island and then that’s your very own ‘plate!’ It’s genius, it’s fun, and it’s delicious. Tell us when you try this, I want to hear what YOUR favorite nacho toppings are!

Easy and Healthy Mediterranean Lamb Bowls

When you think of a summer dinner, what sounds GOOD? For me I tend to lean towards fresh, light, and usually on the healthier side. There is something about these HOT and humid Kentucky days that make my taste buds crave less calories.

We recently partnered with Kroger to show how they support our local brands, and while this blog post is NOT sponsored, it is thanks to them that we found and created this dish and I wanted to share! I haven’t eaten a lot of lamb in my lifetime, but that’s what we went with when working with Kroger, to help promote Freedom Run Farm. Let me tell you, this lamb was DELICIOUS!! We looked up recipe ideas for working with ground lamb and we were led to Fox and Briar’s blog. She introduced us to this INCREDIBLE Mediterranean Lamb Bowl and I had to share with YOU.

For the Spiced Ground Lamb:

• 1 pound ground lamb

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 1/4 cup finely diced onion

• 4 cloves garlic, finely minced

• 1 teaspoon paprika

• 1 teaspoon allspice

• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

• salt to taste

• pepper to taste

• 1/4 cup fresh mint, chopped plus more for garnish

• 1/4 cup flat leaf parsley, chopped + a little more for garnish

Ingredients for the Bowls:

• 1 cup Turmeric Rice or other rice of choice

• Spiced Ground Lamb

• 1 tomato diced

• 1 cucumber peeled and diced

• 1 cup hummus homemade or store bought

• 1 cup feta cheese

• 2 pita bread optional, for serving

To Make The Spiced Ground Lamb:
Heat a large sauté pan over medium heat and add the olive oil. When the oil is hot, add your onions and garlic.  Sauté all of this for five minutes, until starting to soften and then add the ground lamb.  Brown the lamb until cooked through. Add paprika, allspice, red pepper flakes, ginger, salt and pepper.  Mix until fully combined, cook for one or two minutes. Remove from heat and stir in fresh herbs. To assemble the bowls, layer the Turmeric Rice, top with some of the spiced lamb, tomatoes, cucumbers, hummus, and feta. Sprinkle it with fresh mint and parsley! (It’s DELICIOUS!)

I think Asa has made this almost every week since discovering this recipe. He put his own little touches on it, but overall this comes from Fox and Briar. Make this for your next date night, family night, or when you have some friends over. The vibrant Turmeric Rice with the veggies and cheese and pita is SUCH a fun and refreshing meal. We bought some hummus and spinach dip to use on the pita’s, and every bite was filled with so much YUM! Let me know if you make it, I want to hear your spin on it and how/if you enjoyed it as much as we do.

Happy Summer dining, Friends! Stay safe stay well!

xx

Food + Fellowship: Another Sunday Gathering

If there is one thing I want to be remembered by, it is for having an open and loving household. My mom recently shared how every Sunday at their house growing up included having people over for meals. She said my grandma cooked the best food and that my grandpa was always inviting people in. It was sweet to hear that piece of her childhood, and I am excited that my children will have similar memories of their Sundays at home. 

You can always find Elsa curled up under the table when we are in the dining room. She's done that since she was a puppy and I love that goofy trait of hers. This dinner was my husband's homemade manicotti, fresh salad and warm bread--aka, pretty much ALL my favorite foods. If you didn't know, my husband has his own website where he shares recipes, and you can check that out here. Our friends Tim and Stephanie joined us, and it was an amazing afternoon of food, fellowship, and lots of full bellies. 

I always like to have fresh flowers in the dining room (thanks, sweet husband!) and you can always find Humphrey, our Lab, begging at our seats. We have a full house, but I wouldn't have it any other way. Five pets, two kids, friends here often, and us: a husband and wife who have been married almost NINE years! (How did that happen?!) 

When we finished eating, the kids got to coloring. I'm obsessed with their artwork, and love watching how their drawings develop over the years. 

What do you love about Sundays? Anything cooking in your house this afternoon that you want to share?! Leave a comment below with your favorite dishes, and some of you have asked for recipes from past posts; feel free to e-mail me anytime or let me know of a specific dish to post for you. Happy weekend, friends. May it be as yummy as ever! 

Gather: A Sunday Dinner with Friends

I've missed Sunday dinners for a long time. They weren't ever a huge or elaborate affair in my household growing up, however there was still something sweet and wonderful about them. I have a lot of nostalgia remembering the things Mom would cook; I'm pretty sure mashed potatoes were my obsession? But I tell Asa often that I miss Michigan (okay, ALL the time...) and one of the reasons I wish we could be closer than the six hours that we are, is because I wish we could pop in on Sundays after church to eat a meal with my family...

Sigh. Who knows where the Lord will take us in the years to come, but as you can see, meals and fellowship are important to me--to us. We've been blessed by the church we joined last September and with it, some truly amazing friends. Tim and Steph are ones that it's been so evident, God is just using immensely to be a part of our village. Y'all know the familiar saying, 'it takes a village,' in regards to raising kids--as cliche as it may sound, it is TRUE! So these two had the brilliant idea of getting together on Sundays to come around a meal; to eat food, hang out, and to just spend time together. Of course we said YES! Our kids love them, they love our kids, and both Tim and Asa love to cook. So duh. 

Not only am I obsessed with mashed potatoes (pictured above!!), I LOVE Asa's deviled eggs. He adds a piece of bacon on top and they are creamy AND tangy. I could have literally devoured the entire plate but go figure, Tim and Steph loved them too. Tim made the fried chicken (omg!!) and the greens. The whole thing was a giant Southern dream. 

It does my heart good to be able to just carefree sit around the table with friends AND our kids. Let's be real...eating with children is not exactly stress free. They whip their utensils around, spill 90% of what's on their plate, and talk/bicker LOUDLY. Oh wait, I have some proof of a big table spill below! Ha!

Reese had been playing with the salt shaker on the dining room table prior to dinner, but obviously we weren't aware. When one of us went to USE said salt shaker......well, you see what happened. It dumped ALL, OVER, THE, TABLE!!!!!!!!!!! So the second photo was everyone scrambling (minus me, oops) trying to clean it up. Oh my word, I love these people.

And last but not least, I *finally* made a homemade blueberry pie for the first time in a VERY long time. (Remember when I made a new pie a month for 12 months, a tribute to my Grandma?)

Tonight we just had our second dinner together, that I'm sure I'll get around to blogging here soon as well. On my list of must reads is Shauna Niequist's book 'Bread and Wine,' but from this book there is this magical quote that speaks to my soul: 

“The heart of hospitality is about creating space for someone to feel seen and heard and loved. It's about declaring your table a safe zone, a place of warmth and nourishment.”

Now that you've seen OUR Sunday dinner, what do you love about Sundays? Or maybe what is a nostalgic meal you remember from your childhood? Leave a comment below and I hope you have the greatest week! 

xox