Mississippi Hush Puppies

 

 Hush-puppies were never a favorite of mine until I became an adult. Now I really enjoy a side of "bread" as I eat my seafood! These aren't just your typical cornmeal flavored hush-puppies, these are exploding with flavor from the green pepper, jalpeno and oinon that is added! They are super simple and are quick to make. I made them first, then threw them into the oven to stay warm until my shrimp were done. They also warm up nicely for left overs!

 

 

Ingredients

• 1 cup self-rising cornmeal mix
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 large egg 
• 1/2 cup milk or beer  (Substituting beer for milk makes these lighter and tangier)
• 1/2 cup diced onion 
• 1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper 
• 1 jalapeño pepper, chopped
•  A few splashes of your favorite hot sauce
• Vegetable oil 

Preparation

1. Combine first 3 ingredients in a large bowl, and make a well in center of mixture.
2. Combine egg and next 4 ingredients, stirring well; add to dry ingredients, stirring just until moistened.
   
   
3. Pour oil to a depth of 3 inches into a Dutch oven or large saucepan; heat to 375°.
4. Drop batter by rounded tablespoonfuls into hot oil, and fry in batches 2 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Drain on paper towels; serve immediately.
   
   
   
   
   I hope you guys will try these! They are a perfect side to shrimp and fish!! We loved the extra spice to them and the flavor that the green pepper and onion add! A must try! 

   

   
   

   Enjoy!

   
   

   Live, laugh & Love,

   ~Lana

"KFC" Cole Slaw

  

I love a good Cole Slaw, especially mounded on top of a good BBQ! But one of the only Cole slaw's I actually enjoy (besides homemade) is KFC Cole Slaw! There is nothing like a sweet, crunchy side of slaw to go with some fried chicken! This recipe is so good!!! We ate the left overs three more times! I have to say, it was actually better the third day! If you are making it for a party or your family dinner I would make it at least a day or two ahead of time! :) 

 Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup buttermilk (or milk plus 1/4 tsp lemon juice; let sit 5 min before using)
• 1 1/2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 2 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1/2 tsp celery seed or celery salt
• 16oz shredded bagged cole slaw cabbage mix

 

1. Whisk everything but the cole slaw mix in a medium to large bowl.  Taste the dressing & season with extra salt & pepper if desired.
   
   
   

   

   Make sure you whisk long enough to dissolve your sugar

2. Add cole slaw cabbage mix & stir thoroughly.
   
3. Let cole slaw chill & break down in the fridge for a minimum of 2-3 hours.  Stir again before serving.
   
   
   I hope y'all love it as much as we do!! It is creamy, crunchy and sweet! Makes my mouth water just talking about it :) ENJOY
   
   Live, Laugh, & Love,
   ~Lana

Oreo Cheesecake Cookies

These cookies are AMAZEBALLS!!!! I absolutely loved them! I love all things Oreo! I love cookies and cream ice cream, yogurt, candy bars, cakes, puddings..... you name it, I love it! This cookie not only has the amazing Oreo flavor but the soft creaminess of cheesecake! I was actually shocked at the texture! And just a heads up, they are 10x better after a day in the fridge! Any "non-cook" can make this super easy recipe by the way! I am not the best baker in the world, so I was happy with the final product myself! :) 


Ingredients:

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

3 onces cream cheese, room temperature

1 cup Granulated sugar

1 tsp. Vanilla extract

1 cup flour

1/2  mini chocolate chips  

1 Cup crushed Oreos (about 12 cookies) 

Directions:


Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. 

In the bowl of stand mixer beat in the butter, cream cheese, and salt on medium-low speed until smooth and creamy. 

Gradually add the sugar and continue beating until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 1-2 minutes. Beat in the vanilla. 

Add the flour and mix on low until completely combined. If needed, add a little bit of extra flour until the dough can be rolled into balls. 

Mix in the chocolate chips.

Roll the dough into 1-inch balls. Roll the balls of dough into the Oreo cookie crumbs and set on the prepared baking sheets.

Bake for 8-10 minutes or until the edges start to brown and the tops are set. 

Cool for a minute or two on the sheets, then transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. 

 I hope your family enjoys them as much as mine do! 

Live, laugh & Love

~Lana

 

'Starbucks' Shaken Passion Fruit Tea

I am so in love with Starbucks passion fruit tea! BUT I am definitely not the type to spend $5+ daily on a drink of any kind. (unless it involves alcohol) :) Being the frugal person I am I decided I have to figure out how to make this myself. So after much research on the trusty ole Pinterest I have finally came up with a recipe I think is identical to Starbucks!


2 quarts of water. 

1/2 cup sugar

4 Tazo Passion Tea bags

a pot



Add the 2 quarts of water and the sugar to the pot and bring to a boil.

Once boiling, shut off the heat and add your tea bags

I let mine steep for about an hour or more... 

Pour the tea into your container and refrigerate.

 After it is chilled Pour your tea over the ice, add the lid and shake the heck out of it. 



TA DA < Yes, I love saying TA DA if you haven't noticed. And so Does my 19 month old daughter :) 

SO for only about 50 cent a glass I don't feel bad having two or three glasses at a time! :) 

I know y'all will love this so give it a shot! I love to serve it to guest as a change up to offering regular old sweet tea!

Live, Laugh & Love,

~Lana

Washer/Dryer Pedestal

I'm sure tons of you have a front load washer and dryer or you may get one in the future. And trust me when I say you will want it raised! But if you are like me, you look at those drawers they sell ($200 a piece) and thank there is no way you want to pay that just to get some height. And you can't even have your laundry soap stand upright in the drawer....so whats the point of having them?? Also, if you are like me then you want to be useful of the space. Since we are in a two story home I love being able to have my laundry baskets right there to be used. I can bring down the dirty and take up the clean, without a ton of laundry baskets under our feet all day while doing laundry. So basically this is a washer/dryer pedestal made of wood to bring your front load laundry system to a back-friendly height. You may need to tweak your measurements to make sure it will fit in the space you have available for your washer and dryer.

 

Dimensions

Dimensions: 

Dimensions: 

One of the best parts of DIY is that you can get exactly what you want, fit to your space. The dimensions above are designed to fit a standard laundry basket. Note that standard washer and dryer pedestals are approximately 13″ tall – so this one is a tad taller. If you have the space and are concerned about the laundry system wobbling off, just make the platform larger. Built to suit the needs of your space and your requirements.

Materials and Tools

Shopping List: 

2 – sheet of 3/4″ MDF or Plywood
5 – 2×4 @ 8 feet long
1 – 4×4 post @ 4 feet long (you can also use 2x4s laminated together – just add another 2×4 to your list)
1 – stick of base cap moulding like this @ 6 feet long
4 – Angle Brackets like these
3″ screws
2″ Screws
Glue
Finish Nails
Wood Filler
Sandpaper

Tools: 

measuring tape

square

pencil

hammer

safety glasses

hearing protection

drill

circular saw

compound miter saw

nail gun

sander

level

countersink drill bit

Cut List

Cut List: 

10 – 2×4 @ 25″ (Joists)
4 – 2×4 @ 60″ (Sides of Floor)
2 – 3/4″ Plywood or MDF @ 28″ x 60″ (Decking)
4 – 4×4 Posts (or 8 2x4s) @ 11″ (Posts)
  molding cut to fit

Step 1

Floors
You are basically going to build two mini floors for this project. The top floor need to be built as shown above. The bottom floor you can skip the center joists – unless you plan on storing gold in those laundry baskets. Use glue and 3″ screws. I do apologize for making the joists 25″ long instead of 24″ (would have conserved more lumber) but this length is necessary for the application. 2x4s are cheap too.

Step 2

Decking
Every floor needs decking, so screw the plywood to the top of the 2x4s.

Step 3

Corner Angles

Step 4

Attach Legs
Attach the legs to the top (the floor with the most supports) and screw down.

Step 5

Bottom Floor
Now the bottom floor will be much easier to attach. Just screw down (and glue).

Step 6

Trim
I’m not going to give measurements here because the trim needs to match the legs exactly. You will need to miter the trim around the legs. Attach with glue and finish nails.

Paint your desired color. (we used left over paint form having our new home painted) Free paint is the best paint!

  
Now this may seem complicated but it really isn't. It was actually so easy I was thinking about making them to sell! But thought there probably wouldn't be enough people in my area interested. If this was something small enough to ship I might have a new business! lol

  I hope y'all can find this useful and I have to say after 2 months in our home now I couldn't imagine not having them!

Here is a picture of our new home! The top being a picture when we purchased it. The bottom, after a ton of yard work..... thanks to my sister, mom, dad and husbands help! :) A new home is a work in progress, there is always something you want changed or added. This laundry pedestal was one of the first home projects we finished and we look forward to many more! :)

Live, Laugh & Love,

~Lana

Hair "Bow"

So I have rocked this hair style many times.....

AND now I will show you how to achieve this super easy but SO cute hair "bow"

It is the best "in a hurry, but look like you put effort in your hair" hair style there is! Better than my bun, and you all know I'm in love with my big bun :)

First wrap you holder around until you have one wrap left. flip the hair forward when you go to wrap it but don't pull it all the way through. 

Only pull a few inches leaving the rest hanging down in front

It will look like this from the side

Then, you will split it down the center to make each side of the Bow

Now grab all that hair hanging in the front and pull it over the center of the bow you created

Like this...

TA DA! You have an adorable bow on your head!

Take the hair you pulled over and bobby pin it up near the back of bow! 

I prefer a messy look most of the time! But you can make it a slicker look if you are going out on the town or to a nice dinner. 

How cute is that? And so simple! Now run to the closest mirror and try it out! 

Live, Laugh & Love,

~Lana

Sausage, Cabbage and Potatoes

This dish is my comfort dish! I grew up with my daddy making this all the time. (As well as gizzards and oxtail soup) :) So I thought it was a staple in everyone's home. Well I guess I was wrong! When ever I talk about it or share it on Facebook everyone is very confused lol I honestly don't think I would make this from just seeing this recipe online, but let me tell you, YOU MUST TRY IT! Just once, I swear you will love it!  And don't say "I'm not a cabbage fan" because I don't want to hear it, YOU WILL LOVE IT! < yes, I am yelling at you in all caps! lol :) Only because I care about you and I don't want you to miss out on a fabulous dish! :) So this is super cheap and super easy as well as most of the dishes I make and share!

Ingrediants:

1 pack Kielbasa sausage (we prefer the hot kind) :)  

Sliced into 1-2 inch pieces 

7 small potatoes (red or Yukon gold is fine)

peeled and diced into bite size

I head of cabbage 

Cut into 6 large chucks then tossed in 

1 box of chicken stock 

Salt, Pepper, and Cayenne to taste 

 

Simply throw all of the ingredients into a crock pot or large pot on the stove top. Fill most of the way with water, until every thing is submerged. Cook until potatoes are done. About an hour on the stove with a lid on medium to low heat. Crock pot about 4 hours. You really cant over cook it. This is a great fall dish and perfect for a quick meal on a busy evening. You will love it, I promise! Don't make me yell at you again! ;)

Live, Laugh & Love,

~Lana

Amazing Chicken Salad

So this chicken salad is really just something I wing every time I make it! I have just perfected it to my husbands taste over the years and he loves it made the same way every time!! EVERY single time he eats it he says "man, this is so good you could sell it"  :)  I don't have an exact recipe but I will just have to make something up for all of you who are asking! Chicken salad can really be made so many different ways. But who doesn't love a good chicken salad? Now my chicken salad will not be that plain standard chicken and mayonnaise salad you might be use to! I love flavor and spice! And pickles, cant forget the pickles! not relish, PICKLES! lol P.S. These are my favorite pickles ever, they are found in the refrigerated section! SO here is the basic Ingredients:

3 cups Chopped up roasted chicken

1/2 cup Mayonnaise

1/4 cup yellow mustard (hubby loves the mustard) :)

1/4 cup chopped Pickles (momma loves the pickles)

1T Lemon Pepper seasoning 

6 cranks of pepper from the mill

A pinch of salt

a splash of lemon juice 

Cayenne pepper (this is all on preference) 

 OK I'm not going to lie, most of that is a rough estimate. Please add as much or as little as your taste desires. Taste as you go, that's how I always cook! Especially when you aren't following a recipe. These are the basic ingredients I use, but customize it to your taste! And ENJOY! We love ours on potato bread, honey wheat bread or just as a snack on top of crackers. I also enjoy mine wrapped in a Boston lettuce leaf!

(this is tuna salad^^, but I wanted you to see what I mean by a Boston lettuce wrap) :)

On potato bread :) With Cayenne sprinkled on top! :) 

Live, Laugh & Love,

~Lana

 

Home Made Fabric softener ~ Super Cheap and Easy!

SO I know Tons of you already make the Laundry detergent  I shared. But I also wanted to share the fabric softener I pair it with. I'm not sure if I would even love my detergent so much if it wasn't used with this softener. If you use the detergent I would definitely say to use this with it. 

This is the easiest thing you will make yet!

Items Needed:

• 6 cups hot water
• 3 cups white vinegar
• 2 cups hair conditioner  (one regular bottle size) 
• container to store it in

All you do is add all the ingredients together.........

 And give it a stir!

 TA DA! That is it. I know, crazy easy right?

And the vinegar is amazing at getting the smell out of your clothes. The conditioner fragrance will be the only scent. If you prefer a stronger smell (I honestly don't smell the conditioner fragrance on our clothes. And I'm OK with that) you can use Essential oils to add any fragrance you prefer! Now when I say to use hair conditioner I mean buy the cheapest stuff you can find! If you want to use a conditioner you know and trust by all means use what ever you like. :)

Until next time!

Live, Laugh, & Love

~Lana.