Parties & Peppermint

This weekend was rather busy with Christmas activities. We attended Christmas parties on Friday and Saturday night, which meant preparing holiday treats to share. For Friday night's party, I made a peanut butter pie which was quickly devoured. Saturday night's party was a fancy affair, so I wanted to make something that could be nibbled on easily. Peppermint bark turned out to be the perfect option.

{The hardest part was not eating it all before party time!}

{Hubby and I at our friends' Christmas party}

I am also rather disappointed in myself. Friday's party included a Secret Santa exchange, and I made one of my girlfriend's a little retro apron. It was seriously the cutest thing I've ever made, and I forgot to take a picture of it!! I definitely plan to make more of them but the fabric combination I chose for my friend just turned out so freakin' cute.

Have you been making any homemade Christmas treats or gifts this year?

And I wonder why I'm gaining weight...

I find myself cooking a lot lately...and not the healthy recipes I was having so much fun whipping up this summer. Nope, lately I'm in the mood for high-calorie, oh-so-delicious, pack-on-the-pounds comfort food. Maybe it's because the holidays just call for rich satisfying foods, or maybe it's because cooking provides a nice outlet from the stresses of doctor school. Whatever the reason, one of my New Year's resolutions will be to revert back to healthier cooking. But I still have one more month to indulge, and I plan on making this holiday classic at least once more.

Sweet Potato Pie

1 large sweet potato or 2-3 small ones (need about 3 cups, mashed)
3/4 cup sugar
2 Tablespoons flour
3 eggs, beaten
3 Tablespoons butter, melted
1 small can of evaporated milk
cinnamon to taste

Peel and slice potatoes and boil in water until tender. Drain and mash.

Mix flour with sugar and add to mashed potatoes. Add eggs, melted butter, and evaporated milk. Beat with a mixer for several minutes until mixture is fluffy. Add cinnamon (I like cinnamon so I use between 1/2 to 1 teaspoon). Pour mixture into unbaked pie crust and sprinkle top with cinnamon. Bake at 350 degrees 45-50 minutes.

It's important to check on your pie while it's baking, as baking time may vary. If you notice crust getting too brown, you may need to lower oven temperature and increase baking time. As easy way to tell if it is done is to lightly shake the pie plate...if the middle wiggles, it's not done yet.

I love you, dumpling

Southern belles love classic comfort foods, especially chicken and dumplings. I love to make a big pot of these when the weather cools off a little. Since cool weather is a rare event in Florida, I took full advantage of the dropping temperatures this weekend and made one of my favorite recipes.

Chicken & Dumplings

Boil chicken approximately 2 hours until chicken is very tender and falling apart. I usually use about 3 frozen boneless skinless chicken breasts.

For the dumplings you need:
2 cups flour
1 egg, beaten
4 tablespoons oil
7 tablespoons cold water
1/2 teaspoon salt


Mix together ingrediants until a soft dough forms.


Roll out the dough and cut into thin strips. Let the strips sit for a while, about 30 mins to an hour.


After chicken is tender, remove from broth and pull apart. Add 1/2 stick of butter to the broth and return broth to a boil. I also like to add a couple of chicken bouillion cubes to the broth. Drop dumplings into the boiling broth. Keep broth boiling until all dumplings are submerged, then reduce heat. Add 1/2 cup of milk. Return chicken to broth, cover, and cook until dumplings are tender (about 20-30 minutes).

Add black pepper to taste.


I served my dumplings with these cheese muffins. It was a delicious supper and even better the next day.

Enjoy!!