As you can probably tell from my last post, right now I’m heavy into foods that take me to a place that’s far away from the cold and snow (seriously, is it spring yet?). I’ve been daydreaming about warm weather, and Southern food naturally fits right into my daydreams of stepping outside into 70 degree weather and enjoying the sunshine. I absolutely loved this dish; it was flavorful and the gravy wasn’t too heavy. Hubby liked it too, although he ate it with spaghetti instead of the grits. Serve it up with some hushpuppies for a perfect Southern feast…it’ll help remind you that warmer days are on their way!

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The other day I realized that I haven’t posted very many lunch recipes. I guess that’s because I’m usually making lunches as fast as I can in the morning, so I don’t put a whole lot of thought into them. This one is a little different, though. I had been thinking about this wrap about a week before I made it, so I made sure that when I went grocery shopping, I bought everything I needed to make it. It’s still quick to assemble in the morning, because I can prepare the chicken and bacon the night before. If you’re looking to spice up your lunch a bit, give this a try!

• 2 chicken breasts
• Fresh rosemary
• 5 slices bacon
• Lettuce
• 1 tomato
• 1/4 cup Pepperjack cheese, shredded
• 1/4 cup Parmesean cheese, shredded
• Peppercorn ranch dressing
• Spinach wraps (I get them in a pack of 8, but you only need a couple)

First, cut the chicken into small pieces. I threw mine into the frying pan to cook with some olive oil and fresh rosemary left over from this tart.

When the chicken is done, remove any rosemary still in the pan, and then cook the strips of bacon in the same frying pan. Make sure it gets nice and crispy, and then drain it on a paper towel. Crumble it into small pieces.

Dice the tomato and shred the lettuce. Get some pepperjack cheese ready, as spicy as you can handle…

…and some fresh parmesan cheese, too.

Set one of the spinach wraps on a plate, and then sprinkle some of the chicken, bacon, and tomato on top. Shred the cheeses over the top also, and then pour on some of the dressing.

Top with the lettuce.

Fold up the wrap burrito-style, and lunch is ready! If you need to transport the wraps, stick some toothpicks in them to hold them secure.

Last night we had a little cook out with some friends.  I spent maybe an hour or so Thursday after work cleaning off our deck (Windex Outdoor, people – it’s amazing [our deck is plastic, in case you were wondering]).

Anyway, there was plenty of food!  Burgers, hot dogs, chips and salsa, pretzels, cookies…someone even made sushi!  I made my tortellini antipasto salad.  And, last but not least, BBQ beans.

Oh, BBQ beans.  You’re one of my favorite summer side dishes; a perfect grilling companion.  They can be yours, too…here’s what you need!

• 5 (or more) strips of bacon
• 2 tsp bacon drippings
• 1/2 onion
• 1 28 oz can baked beans, drained
• 1 15.5 oz can butter beans, drained
• 1 15.5 oz can kidney beans, drained
• 1 15.5 oz can pinto beans, drained
• 1/2 cup BBQ sauce
• 1/2 tsp ground mustard
• 1/2 tsp cumin

First, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  While you’re waiting for the oven to preheat, get out the bacon.

Cook it in a skillet on medium heat until it’s good and crispy.

Next, chop the 1/2 onion into small-ish pieces.

When the bacon has slightly cooled a bit, crumble it up.

Now, get out a casserole dish.  I used a 3-quart one, because there are a LOT of beans.  First, I dumped in the butter beans:

Then, the kidney beans:

The pinto beans:

And finally, the baked beans:

Add in the rest of the ingredients, and mix it all up:

Then, cover and bake for about 45 minutes.

My mother-in-law and two brothers-in-law got in late Friday night, so I didn’t get out of bed Saturday morning quite as early as I wanted to. Once I finally made it into to the kitchen, it was probably around 10am…and everybody was hungry, including me! So, I decided to double my mom’s quiche recipe and make us some brunch. Except halfway through, I realized I hadn’t bought enough sour cream.

Mild panic. But just for a few seconds.

Once I gathered myself, I whipped out a Google search: sour cream substitutes. Except I didn’t have buttermilk. Or cream. Or plain yogurt. I started to sweat a little. Then, at the bottom of the list, I saw it. Evaporated milk. I had it!

So, instead of another 1 1/2 cups of sour cream, I use about half a 12 oz can of evaporated milk. And not only did it work, but it made the quiche even better!  When it came out of the oven it was puffier than usual, and when it set after cooling for a few minutes, it was much lighter and fluffier.  Yum!

Here is the new and improved recipe for two quiches:

Ingredients: