Category Archives: belle-icious

a belle-ringin’ Mother’s Day breakfast-in-bed…hint, hint

06 Friday May 2016

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We recently had the chance to spend a weekend away with friends and were treated to this incredible do-ahead French Toast casserole that knocked our socks off.  We didn’t rest until we had the recipe.  And now you have it too, belles!!  We wouldn’t mind at all if someone surprised us with this bit of yumminess on Mother’s Day…just sayin’…  
Baked French Toast Casserole 

From Paula Deen, y’all!!

Serves 8-10 

Prep: 20 minutes

Inactive:  8 hours (overnight)

Bake:  40 minutes @ 350 degrees

Ingredients:

1 loaf French bread, cut into 20 slices

8 large eggs

2 c half-and-half

1 c milk

2 T sugar

1 t vanilla extract

1/4 t ground cinnamon

1/4 t ground nutmeg

Dash salt

Praline Topping, recipe follows

Maple syrup

Now…for the assembly:   

Gather ingredients and slice bread, arranging in two layers in a greased 9×13 casserole dish.

   
 

Beat eggs, half & half, milk, sugar, vanilla and spices until well-mixed
    

Pour egg mixture over bread and gather topping ingredients:

1 stick butter (Paula calls for two…of course)

1 c chopped pecans

1 c brown sugar

2 T light corn syrup

1/2 t ground cinnamon

1/2 t ground nutmeg

  

Melt butter and combine with all topping ingredients.  Spread evenly over the entire dish.

Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

Next morning, preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Uncover and bake 40 minutes.
  

Serve with maple syrup…and enjoy!!

Happy Mother’s Day!!!

a&a

what’s ringin’ our belle…round 52

03 Tuesday May 2016

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Quotes to make you feel better instantly 

  
Need more space on your Phone? Try This

 Belles love a churro…see what not take this taste thrill to the next level with this Cinnamon sugar churro cake

  
Wanting to try this easy Slower cooker Mexican chicken for the next Taco Tuesday


Fresh produce belles….How to keep it fresh longer…love these tips!! 


An adult Arnold Palmer…fresh!

Belles ringin’ all over the place!

a&a

a belle-ringin’ summer salad…a belle-icious friend-1-1

29 Friday Apr 2016

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We’ve mentioned the Happy Everything cookbook before…but thought it was time to dig in a bit. Found this Italian Chopped Salad that totally rang belles at a recent dinner party. Just HAD to share!!

Italian Chopped salad

Dressing:

1 T white balsamic vinegar

2 T lemon juice

1/2 t honey

1/2 t Dijon mustard

2 T extra virgin olive oil

Salad:

4 c baby arugula, coarsely chopped

1c flat-leaf parsley, coarsely chopped

1/2 c mint, torn

1 large cucumber, peeled & diced

2 stalks celery, thinly sliced

1 red pepper, seeded & diced

2 c cherry or grape tomatoes, halved

1 can (15.5 oz) chickpeas, drained & rinsed

Sea salt & freshly ground pepper

Now…

Do your choppin’

  
Whisk your dressing…

  
Put it all together…

  
Toss…

…and prepare for the accolades

Again…

Happy Everything!!

a&a

a list of faves…just in time for Mother’s Day

28 Thursday Apr 2016

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Although we tend to subscribe to the belief that every day is Mother’s Day, we don’t think that should stop anyone from remembering Mom with a little something special on the actual designated day…just sayin’.  

Here are some of the items that we use/wear/think about daily.  If you know of a deserving mom…we think she might enjoy them as well…

We have harped on these several times before, so perhaps it’s time to take the hint…


The all-weather gold bangles from BuDhaGirl will set mom off on the right foot every morning with her nine intentions for the day, and thoughts of gratefulness at night.  Stylish and zen all at once…score!

For stylish hydration on-the-go…


we both keep our S’well bottles handy.  We mentioned them here and here before.  Just wondering if you were listening??  We happen to know that they are available locally at Monkees in Greenville.  Now you have no excuse.

For the fitness-minded mom…


As we have noted here and here and here and here (you get the drift), we would bet she will enjoy one of these little beauties from Bezels and Bytes for her FitBit Flex.

For the mom-chef…


She can take a culinary virtual tour of Jerusalem with this beautiful cookbook

For the mom with the sweet tooth (um…is there a mom without one??)


this Sugarfina bento box from Saks should do the trick.  Read all about other Sugarfina treats (and our little visit to heaven) right here.

For her home, sweet home…


this pretty little candle will spruce things right up.   

And for all of the goodies she can’t leave the house without…


This tote might even hold the kitchen sink!  One of our absolute faves, you can get it here from ShopBop, or one of our local haunts, Twill.

Happy shopping, belles (or belle-daughters, sons, husbands…)

a&a

a belle-iciously egg-cellent dish

22 Friday Apr 2016

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As with many casseroles, this one won’t win any prizes in the looks department. But, it takes the ribbons in ease, ability to make ahead,  low carb – and most of all – flavor. 

And by flavor, we mean that when we let one junior belle be the taste tester, it got two thumbs up…from her, that’s no small feat!  Picky doesn’t even begin to describe this one!  If she could eat out every night she would be in hog heaven.

But maybe the tide has changed, because junior belle widened her big green eyes, flipped her golden locks and declared that it was so good she wanted seconds!!! Winning!!!

 

from the food charlatan

 Cheesy Overnight Bacon and Egg Breakfast Casserole

Recipe by The Food Charlatan (a great blog all y’all should peruse) 

Ingredients:

16 ounces shredded sharp cheddar cheese 

1 T flour

1 pound bacon , cooked and crumbled  ( feel free to use ham or sausage)

12 eggs

1 cup milk 

11/2 t salt

3/4 t pepper

1/2 t seasoned salt 

1/4 t dry mustard

1/4 t onion powder

1/4 t garlic powder

1/4 t paprika
Directions:

Spray a 9×13 casserole dish with nonstick spray or grease with butter

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Place cheese in dish and sprinkle with flour.  Toss together to combine (any combination of shredded cheese you like can be substituted) 

Sprinkle bacon evenly over the cheese

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Beat eggs, milk, salt , pepper, seasoned salt, dry mustard, onion powder, garlic powder, and paprika 

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Pour over bacon and cheese

Cover and refrigerate overnight 

Preheat oven to 325. Bake uncovered for about 45 minutes or until center is set and top is browned

Let stand 5 minutes before cutting and serving 

Listen to the chorus of satisfied partakers!

  
We happen to love this Casserole dish….perfect for oven to table!  Might want one for yourself!

a&a

worth making a “raclette” over…a fondue feast

21 Thursday Apr 2016

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  We always learn a little something new when we pow wow with belles…and boy did a lot of sharing get done on a recent girls trip to Montana. We had the best time eating, drinking, and gabbing. 

One evening after a un-belle-ievable day of mountain-fresh activity, the crowd decided to do some eating and relaxing a la maison.

Our new belle friend, Susan Murray, was the chef de cuisine that night. So beyond thrilled to have met this dynamic, talented, fun-loving friend…can’t even begin!  She even snorts when she laughs like one us who shall remain nameless! 

Susan wrote a cookbook that had this belle drooling at every turn. Loved it so much,  I also ordered one for my partner in crime and another cookbook collector friend. You can order it for yourself…the Happy Everything Cookbook right here.

This is the first page I saw when I opened the book: 

 
really…no words…sigh….

The writing, the recipes, and the photography are superior. This cookbook deserves a spot in your repertoire.

Anywhoo…we digress. Back to the evening at hand. The premise of fondue is simple, beautiful, and suits a variety of tastes and diets.  In this particular case, we only used one piece of equipment, which serves up to eight, and grills, cooks and melts for you while you eat to your heart’s galore. Susan had this one and that’s what we are ordering.

Only a little prep work is required for a belle-ringin’ fondue feast. Pick your meat or seafood – or both. Add a few choices of veggies, some tiny potatoes, and some good cheese and you’re set. 

But wait!  We have typically used a belleicious Swiss but sweet Susan introduced us to something soooo much better!!  We couldn’t believe that we had been missing out on this fabulousness all this time!!! It’s Raclette, and you MUST get it if you can find it…or you may order it here. 

 

Here’s Suze in action…   

 
She got all fancy with the veggies…which suited us just fine  

 
Check out this display!!!

Now…time to heat the cheese and cook the meat…

 
And cook a little more while that cheese melts underneath. 

After tossing a quick, healthy salad, the crowd gathered round for the feast.  Everyone served themselves, picking their faves…pouring the melted, heavenly cheese on top. Yum!!!

 
Warning…do not get in the way of a belle and her Raclette.  Just sayin’. 

We can hardly wait to try this at home…and so should you! So, so good!

a&a

what’s ringin’ our belle…round 50

19 Tuesday Apr 2016

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Cocktails anyone?
    

We love this fresh opinion on cultural appropriation. She has humor and a wonderful spirit. There are a few swear words…can’t say we didn’t warn ya…
  

Please make Pancakes….that’s an order. They will taste better if you wear…

  
… these….just sayin…

And then suit up in this…

  

to work it all off…just sayin’

Belles are ringin’!!

a&a

unroll that egg roll, belles

15 Friday Apr 2016

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In trying to avoid the dreaded carbs, we sometimes have to sacrifice some of our favorite dishes. Well…that’s just sad!

While we still sometimes (often) throw caution to the wind and dive into the bread/pasta/rice bowl (pick your poison), our belles ring like crazy when we find a way to enjoy a dish guilt free. 

Enter the unrolled egg roll…

Egg Roll in a Bowl from Simple Roots Wellness

  

Egg Roll in a Bowl…the Belle version…

1 lb ground sausage (or other meat…we used white meat chicken)

1 carrot, shredded

1 small onion, finely chopped

5 cloves garlic, minced

1 pkg mushrooms, finely chopped (we used baby portobello)

2 T olive oil

1 T sesame oil

1 pkg “angel hair” cabbage (we used Fresh Express)

1/2 c Tamari (or soy sauce)

1 t minced ginger

Sliced green onions

Sesame seeds

Drizzle olive oil in sauté pan.  Begin sautéing onion, carrot, and garlic.  Brown for 1-2 minutes.  Add ground chicken/other meat.  Stir/chop to break apart as the meat and veggies cook.  Remove mixture from pan.  Add second tablespoon of oil to pan and sauté mushrooms.  When mushrooms are browned and thoroughly cooked (3-4 minutes), return meat mixture to pan.  Add sesame oil, cabbage, the Tamari, ginger, and green onions.  Stir to incorporate.  Allow to cook down until cabbage wilts.  Sprinkle with sesame seeds.  

Serve in a bowl…or use lettuce leaves as a wrapper.  Delish!!

a&a

what’s ringin’ our belle…round 49

12 Tuesday Apr 2016

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Our favorite spring cocktail:  

Our favorite new artichoke recipe:  

Please avoid making these common kitchen mistakes…

  
Belles like to view the world through rose colored glasses…

 

With spring celebrations popping up, we could all use a new frock…

  

And a new pair of kicks…

   
Time to tip-toe through the tulips, belles!

a&a

that’s hogwash, belles…a belleicious friend-1-1

08 Friday Apr 2016

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Hogwash – hog•wash, noun, orig. mid-15th century England 1. kitchen swill for pigs, 2. nonsense, 3. an incredibly belleicious concoction that must be made immediately…and often!

We recently discovered that hogwash isn’t just something our grandmothers accused others  of speaking (“Well, honey, that’s just hogwash.”).  

Hogwash also happens to be something we can’t live without from now on!  At a recent family oyster roast, a sweet brother and sister-in-law introduced us to this fresh condiment…and we went hog wild! 

Brother dear couldn’t quite remember where he found the recipe but we found it online from several sources…including Hog Island Oysters (from Tomales Bay in Northern California) and Martha Stewart. 

 

Hogwash – the belle-brother version

1/2 c rice vinegar

1/2 c seasoned rice vinegar*

2 large shallots, peeled, minced

2 large jalapeños, seeded, minced

1 large bunch cilantro, finely chopped

Juice of 1 lime 

*Seasoned rice vinegar has sugar and salt added, so it adds just the right touch of sweetness to balance the acidity of the vinegar and lime. 

Mix all ingredients and place in a bowl near your oysters…and watch it disappear!  

And we wouldn’t stop with oysters. Hogwash would be incredible with almost any fish or seafood, pulled pork, grilled chicken or beef…the list goes on. This just might become a staple for every meal!

Go hog wild!

a&a