Hoppin' John (Black-Eyed Pea Jambalaya)

New Year's Day is tomorrow, and black-eyed peas are a must!  Okay, so eating black-eyed peas is likely not going to bring you prosperity...or luck, for that matter, but it's still a fun tradition to eat these little guys on New Year's Day!

  You may know this dish as "Black-Eyed Pea Jambalaya," or may have never heard of it at all!  Either way, we like it so much, Hoppin' John will make an appearance at our table again before next January.  A perfect cold-weather dish.

The name "Hoppin' John" is so funny that I decided to do a little research on its origins.  The tales are varied...everything from a husband "John" who came hoppin' to the table to eat this dish to the name of a lively waiter in a Charleston, SC restaurant who came hoppin' to the table to serve the dish, and on and on and on!  One fact is certain...it is a deeply Southern dish.

I originally found this recipe over at Bo's Bowl, and have modified it a bit to our liking.  

Hoppin' John

1 T. olive oil

6 bacon slices, diced

1 lb smoked sausage, diced

1/2 onion, diced small

1/2 green bell pepper, diced small

2 celery stalks, diced small

1 jalapeno pepper, diced small

3 fresh garlic cloves, pressed or chopped

1/4 t. cayenne pepper

1/4 t. black pepper

3 T. chicken base (like Wyler's chicken granules)

1 1b. frozen black-eyed peas

6 cups water

2 cups uncooked white rice

1 t. salt

Hot Sauce, for the table

Large Cast Iron Dutch oven (preferred for even cooking)

In a large, cast iron dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium heat.  Add the bacon and cook until it begins to crisp.  At this point, I did turn off the heat and spooned out much of the excess grease, but it is not necessary.  

Add the smoked sausage and cook until it begins to brown.  If you have removed much of the bacon grease like I did, you may need to add a touch of water here to prevent searing.  Then add the onion, green pepper, celery, jalapeno, garlic, cayenne pepper, and black pepper.  Again, add a touch of water, if necessary.  Cook until the onion starts to look translucent, five minutes or so.  

Then add the chicken base, black-eyed peas, and water.  Bring to a simmer and cook, covered, until peas are tender, about 1.5 hours.  

While the peas cook, prepare rice separately according to package directions.  Set aside.  

**Add cooked rice and salt.  Reduce heat to lowest setting and cook, covered, for a few minutes until water is absorbed.  Be careful not to leave the heat on too long. 

**Another option is to serve the black-eyed pea mixture over the rice in individual servings.  In this case, I would recommend cooking the the black-eyed pea mixture uncovered for a while (after having cooked it covered for the 1 1/2 hours) to allow some of the water to cook off.   

Serve with cornbread and collard greens for a complete New Year's Day traditional meal!

Printable Recipe

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Happy New Year!
Linking to:
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Merry Christmas from our House to Yours!

Merry Christmas from our house to yours!

I pray that each one of you will know and accept the miraculous gift of Jesus this Christmas season!

Thank you for being here with me this year at My Heart's Desire blog!  I am taking a break for the next few days to unplug and be with my family.  

So thankful for each and every one of you!

Love,

Candy Cane Kiss Cookies

Have you tried Hershey's "Candy Cane Kisses?"  They are seriously good, and paired with a light sugar cookie, they are hard to resist!

These Candy Cane Kiss cookies showed up recently at a cookie swap Lainey and I attended.  Thanks, Mandy, for sharing the recipe!  If you love the taste of peppermint, these are sure to satisfy!

Candy Cane Kiss Cookies

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1 1/4 cups butter, room temperature

1 t. peppermint extract, optional

1 t. vanilla extract

1 large egg

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 t. baking powder

1/2 t. salt

**1/2 cup Candy Cane Hershey's Kisses, finely chopped

granulated sugar

unwrapped Candy Cane Kisses, about 4 1/2 dozen

Before you begin, make room in your fridge or freezer for your cookie sheet and preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Using mixer, combine powdered sugar, butter, extracts, and egg.  Beat at medium speed, scraping bowl often until creamy.  In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.  Add to wet mixture and beat, scraping bowl often until well blended.  It will be crumbly.  Stir in chopped Kisses. **If you prefer, you can omit the chopped Kisses and substitute 1 1/2 teaspoons of peppermint extract.

Shape dough into 3/4-inch balls; roll in granulated sugar.  Place one inch apart on cookie sheet.  Bake for 8 minutes.  As soon as they come out of the oven, gently press a Candy Cane Kiss in the center of each cookie.  The cookie will crack a little, this is okay.

Optional: Immediately place cookie sheet (and cookies) into the fridge or freezer to allow the Kisses to set quickly.  Leave for just a few minutes, remove cookie sheet, and transfer cookies to a cooling rack or platter.  

I did not do this step and found that only a few of the Kisses lost their shape.

Once Kisses completely set, you can store in an airtight container for up to a week or freeze them for later!

Enjoy!

Printable Recipe

Christmas Decorating with Natural Elements

Perhaps you are having guests to arrive in a few days and need a last-minute centerpiece or have one more little spot in your house that needs a touch of Christmas?  Using natural elements that are easily found during your next grocery trip, you can pull together a great look!

Cranberries...inexpensive, natural, festive, and full of fabulous, rich color!  

Fill any hurricane vase, glass container, or Mason Jar with cranberries to create an instant eye-catcher!  

 Simply place cranberries in hurricane vases or any glass container.  Add a candle, and a bow and you have an instant centerpiece!  (These are battery-operated candles...available at Wal-mart and Hobby Lobby).

 Aren't these berries beautiful?

 For a simple, clean look, cranberries and candles alone is perfect!

If water is added to your container with the cranberries, they will float!  Another easy, beautiful option is to place greenery (I cut from holly bushes in the yard), cranberries, water, and floating candles in any glass container.  

--------------------------------------------

Another very easy way to use natural elements with a touch of Christmas is to incorporate dried beans!  You may remember these Fall Hurricane Vases I filled with lentils and popcorn kernels and these Mason Jars filled with coffee beans.  Concept here is the same, simply using Christmas colors of red, white, and green!  Dark red beans, White Northern beans, and split peas.

This look is perfect for your kitchen or anywhere in your home, especially if you decorate for Christmas with more of a "rustic" flair!

 I popped battery-operated votive candles in these jars, but you can use a real candle inside a mini glass votive.  Place the votive in after the second layer of beans, then fill in the third layer around the votive. 

 Tie simple jute, burlap, or other coordinating ribbon around the jars for a little something extra.  

I love these colors together!  Wouldn't this be perfect for your kitchen table?  Burlap pooled in the center of your table with a few of these bean-filled jars? 

Now I'm off to arrange some of this on my own (very naked) kitchen table!

I'd love for you to join My Heart's Desire Facebook community to receive up-to-date posts and other ideas posted from across the blog world!  

Merry Christmas week to you!
Linking to:
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Stocking Stuffer Ideas for Kids

If you are like me, you may typically run to the local drugstore and pick up odds and ends for last minute stocking stuffers!  Six days left, and perhaps you will find a few different items on this list that your kids will enjoy!  Stockings are one of our family's favorite Christmas morning traditions!

**Please note that my kids are 10, 8, and 3, so this list is either items I have bought or would buy for these particular ages.  Many of these items are appropriate for varying ages.

For boys:

Collector's cards:  
Baseball, football, or other theme.  My son loves the thrill of opening a new pack!  As a larger, separate gift, you can give a 3-ring binder with clear sectioned sleeves to store the cards (available wherever cards are sold)

Vintage Pop Gun
  A fun, vintage toy for any boy, any age! (Cracker Barrel)

Lego Mini Figures

  Each pkg contains a mystery character.  Only a few dollars and fun to collect!  (any Toy Store or Wal-Mart)

Glow Jumper Toy
(Cracker Barrel)

For girls (all ages):

Hair accessories
My girls love new ponytail holders, headbands, barrettes, bobby pins.

Mini Barbie or Princess figures
(Walmart or Target)

Slap Watch
These inexpensive silicone watches come in bright, fun colors and styles 

Earrings
Claire's Boutique carries multiple sets in fun, girly styles

Nail Polish
Crackle polish is all the rage for little and big girls alike!  Any drugstore carries crackle as well as hundreds of other fun choices!

Writing tools
Gel pens, mechanical pencils, markers, fresh crayons, Sharpie pens in wild colors

If you have multiple stockings, buy this multi-pack at Wal-Mart for $10 and split it among the stockings or give the set as a larger gift.

For both girls and boys:

Gift cards
Itunes, Sonic, Chik-fil-a, Yogurt store, Movie Theater, or other favorite place they can get a small "treat"

Favorite Candy or Gum
My kids all have their favorite sweet treat.  $1 boxes at discount stores, plastic tube candy canes filled with favorite candy, LifeSaver books (remember those?), mints or gum, sack of chocolate coins, and I even found this blast from the past gum at Cracker Barrel.  Loved this as a kid!

Cracker Barrel peg game
 (Cracker Barrel store)

Small Games:

Kanoodle

Uno Card Game

 Boggle

 or Go Fish, Old Maid, and regular playing cards

Individual Cokes
Shaped like an ornament (Wal-Mart)

There are countless fun ideas for stocking stuffers...share a few of yours in the comments!

A Baby Changes Everything

I love Christmas music.  I have vivid memories of pulling out my Christmas cassette tapes the day after Thanksgiving every year when I was little...Amy Grant's Tennessee Christmas album!  Remember that one? 


We all have our favorites...the traditional hymns and carols and countless updated versions of these treasured songs.


 Faith Hill's version of "A Baby Changes Everything" is one of the most moving Christmas songs I have ever heard.    The quality of this clip is not fabulous, but listen through to the end.  This song IS the Christmas story manifested in my life.  God coming to earth as an unexpected tiny baby, yet through him I am saved.  My mess of a heart is saved.  Easy tears.  "My whole life...has turned around....I was lost...but now I'm found...a baby changes everything..."  


Be blessed...  

Christmas Tree Canvas

Today, I am guest posting over at Arkansas Women Bloggers, and I'd love for you to join me!  I'll be giving a tutorial on this Christmas Tree Canvas project that you don't want to miss!  Click HERE to head on over...

Have a great weekend!

Shrimp and Grits Casserole

 

If you have never heard of this dish, have never eaten grits, or perhaps do not even know what grits are, please keep reading!  I pinky swear this dish will be one of the most delicious you have ever tasted!

For my non-Southern readers, grits are made from coarsely-ground corn, or "hominy."  South Carolina boasts the original "shrimp and grits," starting when fishermen would eat the two together, calling it "breakfast shrimp." Although typically served as a breakfast side dish, grits have made a name for themselves over the years, and now are served at brunch, lunch, and dinner!   Paired with shrimp and spices, you can find grits in top restaurants all over the South!  

There are countless versions of Shrimp and Grits, and everyone down here has a favorite.  For years, I have loved the Shrimp and Grits at City Grocery in Oxford, Mississippi where they top the cheesy grits with shrimp.  And last January, I had Shrimp and Grits Casserole for the first time at our annual Mississippi cousins' reunion.  If the word "casserole" scares you, be assured it is not packed with cream of anything...it's simply shrimp, grits, and lots of other delicious flavors mixed together to create one amazing dish! 

I recently served Shrimp and Grits Casserole at a luncheon and am eagerly looking for a reason to make it again soon! This recipe is elegant enough for a special Holiday meal or perfect for company who love seafood!

Recipe Adapted from Mississippi Magazine, Sept/Oct 2011

Shrimp and Grits Casserole

1 cup regular grits (quick cooking, not instant)

4 cups chicken broth

1 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese, divided (grate fresh)

1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese, divided (grate fresh)

2 T. butter

4 green onions, chopped fine

1 lb fresh shrimp, cooked and peeled, chopped (for cost and time's sake, I used Kroger's frozen "raw white shrimp" in a bag and followed cooking directions)

1 (10-oz) can original Rotel tomatoes

1/2 t. garlic powder

Salt and pepper to taste

Cook shrimp according to directions.  Peel and pat dry with paper towels to remove moisture.  Cut each shrimp into 4 small, bite-sized pieces, if desired. 

Cook grits according to package directions in chicken broth as liquid.  I used about 1/2 cup extra broth, but you could add a little water to get creamier grits.  

Stir together cooked grits, 3/4 cup Cheddar cheese, and 3/4 cup Monterey Jack cheese.  Saute green onions in butter for about 5 minutes.  Combine grits, green onion mixture, shrimp, tomatoes, garlic powder, salt and pepper.  

Pour into lightly greased 2-quart baking dish.  Sprinkle top with remaining cheese.  Bake for 20 to 30 minutes.  

Serves 6.

**Easily doubled and baked in 9x13 baking dish.

Printable Recipe

Serving suggestion:  Spinach/Spring Mix Salad with Poppyseed Dressing, Buttered Garlic Bread (prepared frozen from grocery to save time), Almond Torte for Dessert

Visit My Heart's Desire Recipe Blog for other ideas!
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Family Christmas Trees!

O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree! 

I am simply amazed at some of the Christmas trees that are floating around blogland, Pinterest...and my friend's homes!  I LOVE Christmas trees.  To me, a Christmas tree is one of the sweetest expressions of a person...who they are, what they love!  Ever thought about that?   It doesn't have to be a designer tree to be beautiful!

Our Christmas tree 2011!  For 13 years, we have had a real tree, and this year decided to join the masses and buy artificial.  A little sad for me, but just for the little bit of time it took for us to put this guy up.  

 For the last several years, I have used deco mesh in our tree.  This year, I bought lime green and love it!  The lime green just makes me happy.

Every year, each of us receives an ornament that pertains to something relevant to the past year.  Here are the ornaments I chose for 2011...

 It IS what you think it is.  PB&J.  Now you know they make an ornament for everything imaginable.  Of course, this one belongs to Maddie, who somehow someway, has managed to take a PB&J to school every single day since kindergarten.  This ornament makes me laugh. (Old World Christmas)

 A mixer for me!  As Lainey says, "Dat is for dah cookies!"  She may or may not partake in eating massive amounts of cookie dough with me straight out of the mixer.  (Target)

 George.  Love this little guy.  If you are a mama, you dearly love the sweet characters that your child loves.  And Lainey loves Curious George. (Hallmark)

 For John David...he discovered pool in his granddaddy's basement/playroom last year and routinely wants David to take him to play pool!  We've found one place in town that is not a bar:) (Hobby Lobby)

An ornament from David and Maddie's trip to New York City

 The Christmas Pickle!  Have you heard of this old English tradition?  Olde World Christmas carries this fun ornament with the tradition of hiding the pickle in your tree, and the first child to find the ornament gets an extra little gift on Christmas morning.  We veer a bit...we decorate our tree, hide the pickle, and the first child to find the pickle gets to open the first gift on Christmas Eve!

This ornament is perfect for an ornament exchange or for a neighbor with children!  It comes with a tiny card explaining the tradition.

I would have photographed our actual pickle, but darn if I can't find the thing!  My kids come home from school and hide it over and over and over.  Seriously, I cannot find it.

They even make these mini pickles, perfect for a child's tree!  Each of my children has one on his or her tree in their bedrooms!  

And one I just received today!  A handmade cotton boll ornament from Farris Wheel Pottery sent to us by a dear childhood friend!  A little Mississippi for my tree.  Love.

The kids' real tree in the kitchen.  It smells divine, and it, too, is full of special ornaments and crafts from school, etc.

The kids each have a tiny tree in their rooms...

 John David's is a mix of sports, trains, and Santa's.  

 Maddie...hot pink and lime green!

 And little Lainey's is baby pink.  Got this one at Wal-Mart last year.  Love it!

And last but not least, my score for this Christmas season...an old ceramic Christmas tree!  Did your grandmother have one of these in her home?  I saw a few of these out in blogland and in early November, I walked into an antique store and this was the first thing I saw.  Isn't she charming?  It sits in my kitchen and it reminds me of simpler times.  I love it.

Do you put up a family tree or do you have more of a designer/themed tree?   What is your Christmas tree tradition?  

My Heart's Desire will have several more Christmas posts before next weekend, so be sure to "Like" us on Facebook  in the right sidebar to receive up-to-date posts! 

Love,

Linking to:
Weekend Bloggy Reading
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Tidy Mom
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