Southern Plate

I can't believe I haven't posted in a week! Honestly, I think I've been a little down in the dumps lately. I'm ready for Spring and the fact that it's taking so long to get here is hard for me. Spring arrived rather early last year and I was spoiled by that.

Also, I've been working a lot because I'm heading to Chicago this weekend with my college roomies. I am happy to report that I'll be bringing my iPhone with me, because my husband was able to replace the screen! I am so releived. I'm still using my old phone until the case I ordered for the iPhone arrives. I bought a very sturdy case. :)

Most of my readers know how much I love the South and how much I love to cook. I've been obsessed with a couple recipes I've made recently that I found on a great blog, Southern Plate. Christy is an absolute doll, and offers her readers wonderful Southern recipes that are mindful of the real world. She is a fan of using what you already have on hand and substituting in necessary. I got her book from my library, and it's just beautiful! She tells stories to go with the recipes, which makes the whole cookbook so personal. I've made her Chicken & Dumplings recipe three times already. My husband loves it, and I made it for my family while I was in Naples over the holidays. They, too, gobbled it up. Last week, I woke up early and made her beef stew in my crock pot. She's on twitter, and I asked her about substituting red skins for the russet potatoes. She responded right away and told me to use whatever I had. I also just chopped an onion instead of buying pearl onions, and added some celery I had in my fridge. It was delicious! I was also thrilled to find Dale's sauce at the grocery store across the street from my house. I wasn't sure if I'd be able to find it in Michigan. Funny thing, Dale's is made in Birmingham, AL. I live in Birmingham, MI. When I first glanced at the label, I thought I had some other sauce called Dale's because I thought it said "Birmingham, MI"! I thought, "This can't be right. Does the company bottle here in MI???" Haha! Then I re-read the label and felt pretty lame.

Another very good slow-cooker recipe I've made is the Cheesy Chicken and Rice. I made this when I was still recovering my hip surgery, and my husband has requested that I make it again for him to eat while I'm in Chicago.

So head on over to Southern Plate, follow Christy on Twitter and Facebook and get the book from your library. You'll just love this lady!