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

Gather with Havertys: Finger Food+ Charcuterie Style

Sometimes fancy meals and extensive dinners are fun, but other times you crave simplicity. This past Sunday we had so much fun sitting on the floor, eating in our newly designed living room (thank you, Havertys!!!), and laughing with dear friends. My husband enjoyed choosing the foods for this meal, and my big requests were pesto, a fresh baguette, and a variety of cheeses. Guess what, Y'all? He did NOT disappoint!! 

I've had so many compliments on this cocktail table from Havertys, so go ahead and click here to see more details. It definitely served us well this warm autumn afternoon. We had refreshing cranberry mock-tails mixed with Asa's homemade simple syrup--keep reading for the recipe! 

We did a mix of charcuterie boards and antipasto. Fresh baguettes, peppered salami, roasted red peppers, Swiss cheese, gruyere, prosciutto, grapes, sun-dried tomatoes, (I may have begged for a cheese ball) fresh mozzarella (aka HEAVEN), and, you betcha--pesto! Ha ha!  

Oh, you see that NAVY BLUE SOFA up there behind all that delectable food? Don't worry--you can have one too! Click here to check it out, and remember, you can design your dreams away with H Designers through Havertys, and ALL the employees are super helpful. And the insanely plush and comfy rug that my sweet senior dog is on? Check that here! 

We try to have special Sunday meals regularly throughout the month, and to make them a really memorable event. It's one of my favorite days of the week because all of this, right here, is unforgettable. What you can't hear through the photos is our son Pierson writing letters to Santa and asking us how to spell certain words. And our daughter Reese laughing and walking around with her backpack on, getting ready for 'work.' 

It's always a good day when the kids enjoy the food too--and as you can see, ours did. There was one dilemma... all of the animals felt that the table was perfectly at THEIR level? So keeping them away was quite the struggle. Don't judge me on this photo below ;) 

The rest of the afternoon was spent pretty much outdoors, or else running up and down the stairs and playing all sorts of silly games. One of Pierson's favorites is to dangle his legs out of the banister to get Asa to jump up and grab them. The living room has been our spot, where we sit and mingle and talk and catch up. It's also where we ended the night to start The Grinch; truth be told the weekend had me exhausted and my KIDS had me exhausted--and just sitting in quiet to watch a Christmas movie was really divine. (#momlife)

Okay, and now for the sweet twist to this blog post: Asa's Cranberry Simple Syrup Recipe: 

-Combine 1 cup of sugar, and 1/2 a cup of water.
-Bring to a boil. Add in 6oz of fresh cranberries, and the juice from two oranges.
-Toss in the whole oranges (rind and all). Add 1 tbsp cinnamon, and 1 tsp each clove and allspice. Simmer until thickened.
-Pour everything in a blender and let her rip. Strain the pulp reserving the syrup for your mocktail.  
-For the mocktail fill your shaker with ice. Its very important you shake this drink. Add in 1oz of the cranberry simple syrup, and 4 oz of sprite or club soda. (I suppose you could always add a little rum or bourbon it that's your thing.) Shake well.
-Serve with a little twist of orange. 

Now I'd love to hear from YOU! What is your favorite FOOD memory; it can entail something that you cooked, your mom cooked, or that you would die to know HOW to cook. And you know that I adore Shauna Niequist, so I'm leaving you with one of her endearing quotes: 

"Gather the people you love around your table and feed them with love and honesty and creativity. Feed them with your hands and the flavors and smells that remind you of home and beauty and the best stories you’ve ever heard, the best stories you’ve ever lived."