Skinny Creamy White Chicken Chili

November 2, 2019 Amanda Plott

It suddenly got freaking cold here, y’all! Really, for the past few days it’s been unseasonably cold. I think I heard that Austin had the coldest Halloween that we’ve had in 30 years or something? That’s pretty incredible. Despite the cold, we still had a lot of fun. And you’ll never find me complaining about it being a little chilly. (Pun intended.)

When it’s cold out, that means I can use my oven AND I get to make hearty stews, soups, and of course… chili! That’s where this Skinny Creamy White Chicken Chili comes in. It’s made DAIRY FREE. Yep, you heard right, a creamy chili with NO cream…

Instant Pot Apple Cider

October 25, 2019 Amanda Plott

Whohooooo. It is coooold out today, y’all. It is cold. Windy. And I am in the process of recovering from a cold. Current state? My body needs all the warm things. Thankfully, I had this Instant Pot Apple Cider on my list to make this week. And can I just say, it really really hit the spot.

There isn’t much that can top a homemade mug of spiced apple cider soothe a sore throat. Especially while we’re in the throes of Fall season.

To be pretty honest, I didn’t think making homemade apple cider would be this easy. Toss everything into a pressure cooker and in 15 minutes you’ve got the makings of apple cider…

Oktoberfest Stew

September 27, 2019 Amanda Plott

Since we’re in the midst of Oktoberfest, I thought it was high time to create an Oktoberfest inspired recipe. Beer included! Don’t worry though, even with the beer in this stew, the whole thing is just about as guilt free as you can get with a meal.

You really do get all the flavors of Oktoberfest in one bowl here. Cabbage, sausage, potatoes, and of course… lager beer! I used an Oktoberfest beer, but a lager or any other ‘German’ beer would be perfect to use as well…

Italian Chicken Soup (Instant Pot)

September 11, 2019 Amanda Plott

The weather is starting to cool off here in Texas. And by cool off, I obviously mean it’s down to being in the 90’s on most days instead of the 100’s. Even so, I’m excited for Fall. I love it when Fall starts to roll in, the temperature changes, the leaves drop, and it’s time for pumpkins and spice. Well, almost…

With Fall on the mind, I decided to make an Italian Chicken Soup for dinner this week. This soup is sort of like a minestrone, only without being quite so tomato heavy. This soup makes its own broth while cooking in the pressure cooker with all those yummy veggies and chicken.

It’s chicken noodle soup, Italian style!

Lightened Up Frey Pie (Game of Thrones)

April 15, 2019 Amanda Plott

As most of the world knows, the premier of the Game of Thrones TV series was yesterday. We’ve only got 5 more (lengthy) episodes left. In this house, we were celebrating with official Game of Thrones beer and also this DELICIOUS Frey Pie. Don’t worry, there’s no people baked into this pie, but it is a fun nod to the popular series and what happens when you cross Arya Stark.

This pie reminds me a lot of a traditional pot pie. One of the main differences here though is the meat that is used is ground instead of the usual shredded or cubed. It’s also loaded up with plenty of veggies. Namely mushrooms, carrots, and of course potatoes. It’s a hearty pie if ever there was one. We’ve got to survive the longer winter after all, right?…

Beef & Barley Stew

February 19, 2019 Amanda Plott

It is cold, raining, and yucky here today. So, naturally… that calls for a hearty meal. Stew sounds about right to me! And with St. Patrick’s Day coming up soon, you know I’ve got to be sure there’s some Irish stew going on.

This beef stew is one of my new favorite dinners for cold weather. Which let me just say, isn’t a label that comes lightly. I haven’t worked with barley a whole lot before, so I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect. But, it was a wonderful addition to stew! There’s big chunks of beef, mushroom, vegetables, and of course that barley in there to help thicken it all up…