I am often asked about this recipe that I talk about so often. It’s one of the most common searches that brings people to this blog. But I realized I never actually gave it its own post so you could easily find it.

I made Bow Tie Fiesta (from the Junior League of Columbia cookbook) for two friends this week. It’s such a great meal to take to a family because it’s kid-friendly, husband-friendly, and just undeniably delicious. It is one of Todd’s favorite dishes and it is just so easy to make. It freezes well and reheats well for leftovers. Todd actually swears that it’s better the second day.

This morning, I took Bow Tie Fiesta, a spinach/strawberry/goat cheese salad, and a Butterfinger pie to two families. I like to package things in disposable containers so they don’t have to worry about returning them. I used some of my personalized labels to write the date that it was prepared and any heating or reheating instructions.

I fixed another batch for us to eat at home. Todd gets annoyed when I make yummy meals and take them to others out of the house, but fix turkey sandwiches for us. So I made some Bow Tie Fiesta for him, too. (Did I mention that my picky toddler eats it, too?)

The original recipe calls for black olives and jalapeños, but I omit both of those every time because I just don’t love either ingredient.

And, no, I have no idea how many calories are in each serving. This is one of my “free meals.”

Bow Tie Fiesta

Source: Down By The Water from the Junior League of Columbia

Ingredients

8 ounces bow tie pasta
1 pound ground beef
½ onion, chopped
½ green bell pepper, chopped
1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
1 tablespoon chili powder
Salt to taste
1 cup sour cream
1 cup salsa
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

Directions

Cook the pasta using package directions and cooking for 7 minutes; drain. Brown the beef in a skillet, stirring until crumbly; drain. Add the onion and green pepper and mix well. Cook until the onion is tender, stirring constantly. Stir in the tomato sauce, chili powder, and salt. Combine the pasta, ground beef mixture, sour cream, salsa, black olives, jalapenos, and tomato in a bowl and mix well. Spoon into a 9×11-inch or 9×9-inch baking dish. Sprinkle with the cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 30 minutes or until brown and bubbly. Yield: 8 servings

sometimes the yummiest dishes look the least appetizing in photos

*Hey, friends! Today, I’m welcoming my very first guest blogger. Because I’m heading out of town, and because she’s so flippin’ awesome, I asked my (real-life) friend, Crist, to write a guest post on whatever she wanted to write about. Crist and I have known each other for about five years, but have become better friends in the last couple of years. She is my gym buddy and she took the really fun photography class with me. And both of these things were her idea, so I owe her. So she’s posting on my blog. She shares a cooking blog with her friend Christina, and this blog has the cutest title ever. Be sure to add The Dough Will Rise Again to your Reader.

When Erin asked me to do this guest post, she specifically told me that I “have to be funny,” and I thought to myself — crap, I’m only funny when I’m snarky and most of that’s not fit for public consumption! That said, I’m Crist and I’m the idiot Erin’s been going to early morning jazzercise classes with. (Bless her heart.) I’m also a Master Shopping Enabler, hater of most pop culture and movies, and a lover of all things internet/technology-related. I started a blog in 2004 to chronicle my life, but lost my mojo in 2009. In late 2011, I brought my genius back to the masses with The Dough Will Rise Again, a cooking blog I co-author with my imaginary-turned-real-life best friend, Christina.

My culinary skills have evolved greatly over the last 10 years. From throwing some chicken tenders in a skillet and dousing them in a little buffalo sauce and declaring that supper, to hosting my in-law Christmas dinner this past year – I’ve come a really long way. There have been many bumps over the years, and a couple of nights we’ve dumped my hard work in the trash and opted for scrambled eggs. There’s nothing I hate worse than spending a fortune on ingredients and a couple hours in the kitchen only to have the dish turn out just “eh.” But for all the things I’ve mastered — risotto, actually making chicken delicious, a 14-layer chocolate cake for heavens sakes — one thing laughs at me every single time I attempt it. And it’s embarrassing for all involved.

Y’all, I can’t make grits.
I’m a born and bred South Carolinian who’s loved and appreciated grits for as long as I can remember, and yet. The creamy, decedent perfection alludes me every time. Mine are always grainy and not properly seasoned — no matter how much time I spend or how much salt I add, it never seems to be enough. A friend and I were discussing this one day, and she proclaimed, “making grits is a man thing, Crist.” And she’s right. Fortunately, I married a man who can cook most every Southern delicacy; from perfect butterbeans to country fried steak to boston butts, the boy knows his way around a tub of Crisco. And best of all, his grits are perfection… which is likely his heavy handed seasoning, use of a quart of cream, and a lot of butter, along with the patience of Job.

And so, I’ve accepted my lot in life, and just focus on the grits accompaniments. In that spirit, I want to share with you the shrimp and grits we made a couple of weekends ago. It was simplistic and yet complex – I think the vinegar and brown sugar is a great addition to the tomatoes. Mine never quite got as thick as I imagine the recipe writer wanted it to be, but we decided it was as thick as we would want it. For the love, don’t leave off the bacon. And none of that microwave, pre-cooked bacon, y’all. Besides, if you microwave your bacon, what grease do you plan to cook your onions and garlic with? Hmm?

Southern Cheese Grits with Shrimp and Tomato Conserve
via Natalie Dupree’s Shrimp and Grits Cookbook

4 tbsp butter, divided
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
4 cups cooked grits, cooked with milk
2 pounds shrimp, peeled and deveined
½ pound bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled, grease reserved
1 medium onion, chopped
2 tbsp chopped garlic
1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
¼ cider vinegar1/3 cup brown sugar

Add 2 tablespoons butter and cheese to hot grits.

Heat remaining butter in a large-heavy bottomed frying pan and saute the shrimp quickly, until they turn pink. Remove shrimp with a slotted spoon and set aside.

To make the conserve, add the onion and garlic to the buttered pan with bacon grease and cook until soft, about 4 minutes. Add the tomatoes, vinegar and brown sugar and simmer for 20-25 minutes, or until the sauce is thick and jam-like. Remove from heat and stir in shrimp.

Serve over the hot grits. Top with crumbled bacon.

It’s another fun day for Oh What Fun It Is To…

My friend, Molly, from Duchess of Fork is the hostess today. She is an incredible food blogger, an adorable person and a terrific mother with a darling new baby girl. If you’re not already reading her blog, you should definitely add it to your list.

I’m super excited about today’s topic because who doesn’t love food? Even if cooking isn’t your thing, you can find a great recipe and give it to someone else to make for you!

I wanted to share some of my favorite must-have recipes during the Christmas season.

Around this time every year, I start pulling out my favorite cookbooks and making my grocery lists and planning the meals. Most of the time we keep the meals the same, but we may throw in a curve ball with a side dish or try a new dessert.

My favorite cookbooks out there are the Junior League cookbooks. I have about 20 different cookbooks from various Junior Leagues across the country. These recipes have been tested by many. They come from homes like ours. They’re amazing!

The ones I use the most are Talk About Good, River Road Recipes, Cotton Country Cookbook, and Charleston Receipts. I also use my recipe binder that has lots of tear out and print-outs from different magazines and websites.

(If you want to give the gift of any of these cookbooks, visit www.cookbookmarketplace.com and use the code BEB-Holiday to receive 50% off your order!)

Some of my favorite recipes for this year’s menu are available here for you! Please share them with your friends and family this year!

My mom found these sausage balls on Pinterest and shared them with me. These cream cheese sausage balls from Plain Chicken are a new hit and I am so excited about just having them around the house this year!

via

Every year, on Christmas Eve, we eat gumbo. TC’s mom is allergic to shellfish, so we usually have a seafood gumbo and a chicken and sausage gumbo. I think this year we may just have chicken and sausage. It is so delicious. Get a little green salad and some French bread and you’re set!

On Christmas morning, we pop a breakfast casserole in the oven (that we made ahead of time) and in 30 minutes it’s ready and we can eat! We’ve been eating this casserole for years. It tastes like Christmas morning to me!

For Christmas dinner, we usually have beef tenderloin (and sometimes pork tenderloin) with roasted vegetables and mashed potatoes. This year, we’re also going to have one of my favorites, Spinach Madeline. Yum!

Can’t wait to see what all of you are sharing from your kitchens today! Don’t forget to link up with Molly at Duchess of Fork!

I mentioned yesterday that I was making a couple of casseroles and a couple of desserts for Thanksgiving. I got a few requests for the recipes, so I thought I’d share them here. I’ve put a couple of these on my blog before, but here they are, once again! Enjoy!

I decided to mix in some pictures of Hudson and Hayes in their turkey tees from Lulu McGee. I am finally able to get them sitting together for just a little bit. Long enough to take a picture! But their expressions completely crack me up!

*Broccoli, cheese and rice casserole is seriously one of my favorite things. I love it so much and Thanksgiving isn’t Thanksgiving without this casserole.

Broccoli, Cheese, and Rice Casserole

Ingredients
1/2 c. chopped onions
1/2 stick of butter
1/2 c. chopped celery
1 lg. package of frozen broccoli
1 large jar of Cheez Whiz
4 cups of cooked white rice
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 package of sliced almonds

Directions
Precook broccoli and rice separately. Broccoli may have to be chopped up finely in a food processor. In microwave, melt butter and saute onions and celery (about 2 minutes) in 2 qt measuring cup. Add cream of chicken and cream of mushroom soup and cheese; stir until melted. Make sure broccoli is finely chopped. Fold in broccoli. Layer rice in large, ungreased casserole dish, top with broccoli mixture, and sprinkle almonds on top. Heat for 30 minutes or until bubbly on 350 degrees. Serves 8-10.

*This sweet potato casserole recipe is so yummy and so sweet. You may as well save it for dessert. It’s just so good and the crust/topping is the best part.

Sweet Potato Casserole

Ingredients
3-4 cups cooked sweet potatoes (or canned yams)
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter
1/3 cup half and half
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1 teaspoon vanilla
(may add dash of bourbon if the Baptists aren’t coming for dinner)

Topping: (I always double this)
1/3 cup melted butter
1 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup flour
1 cup chopped pecans

Mash potatoes. Mix in sugar, butter, eggs, vanilla and half and half. Put in 9×13 baking dish.

Topping: Melt butter and mix in remaining ingredients. Sprinkle on top of potato mixture. It’s okay to make more if you need more to cover the potato mixture. The topping makes this recipe– it’s better than dessert.

Bake 25 minutes at 350 degrees. Serves 8-10.

*This “salad” recipe is what my friend, Emily made for the “You Are My Sunshine” baby shower. It was such a hit at the shower and now I can’t wait to make this for Thanksgiving. Again, it’s called “salad,” but it could definitely be dessert. Wow! (recipe courtesy of my friend, Emily) I’m putting this in an 8×8 glass baking dish instead of a trifle bowl.

Pineapple Pretzel Salad

2 cups pretzel sticks, broken into one inch pieces
1/2 cup sugar
1 stick butter, melted
8 oz cream cheese, room temp
1/2 cup powdered sugar
20 oz pineapple tidbits, drained
8 oz cool whip

Preheat oven to 400. Put pretzel pieces in a large mixing bowl. Pour sugar and melted butter on pretzels. Mix until pretzels are coated well. Pour mixture onto a foil-lined cookie sheet and spread evenly. Bake for 7 minutes. Remove from oven, stir and allow to cool. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, cream together powdered sugar and cream cheese. Stir in cool whip.

Layer the following in a trifle bowl (or other dish- layers look pretty in trifle bowl!): drained pineapple, cream cheese mixture, pretzels (add this right before serving so it doesn’t get soggy). Best made and eaten on same day.

These next four pictures are completely out of focus and not good at all, but they made me laugh out loud because Hudson is freaking out because Hayes has latched onto his shirt. This is what it really looks like when you try to get pictures of two little boys.