"Fig"tastic!

As many of you may know we have had several fruit trees over the past 6 years.  At our old house we had both a cherry tree (read about that here and here) and a peach tree.  Well a few days after we moved into our new house we notice we now have a Fig tree:)  So I immediately starting trying to think of ways to use figs...I have never cooked with figs before so this was quite the challenge!  I ended up making a huge batch of fig jam!
First I had to pick the figs and wash them.

I have actually used the fig jam a lot!  Gave it away to some new neighbors and friends...

Put it on a sandwich...

Made an appetizer.....Gluten Free baguette, spreadable cheese, fig jam and prosciutto.

I made thumbprint ginger cookies, covered them in powdered sugar and filled with fig jam!  A friend said "They taste like Chirstmas":)

Ryan grilled a juicy pork tenderloin and during the last 5 minutes of cooking we slathered some of the fig jam on top....you could also do this with pork chops or chicken!

We hope to try some more fig recipes soon!  Let me know if you have any good ones:)

Nighttime on the Lake and Football X 2

We are trying to recover from a jam packed, fun-filled weekend.  We started it off on Friday with dinner and a boat ride on the lake with Ryan's parents.  Although the weather is a little chilly this time of the year, the lake is quiet and peaceful...so relaxing.   So we bundled up and left all the stress of the week behind us.

We woke up early Saturday morning and drove to Raleigh to see the Wolfpack play.  We had a great time at the tailgate with the Robersons!  Little Miss Leighton came and got to attend her first NC State game!

Guess who sang the National Anthem??? Scotty McCreary!!!

We had a great time watching NC State win and passing this little one around and keeping her entertained:)

Here is a group shot of our football family.  This is our 7th season sitting with this crew!  Go Pack!

After getting home late Saturday...we got up early Sunday and did it all over again.  This time cheering for the Carolina Panthers.  Ryan joked that he "won" this weekend getting to go to back to back games:)

We tailgated with some of our friends in Charlotte.  Great weather, great food, great view of Downtown and a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon!

This is the section mascot who is absolutely hilarious and he dances the entire game. And yes...those are pads under his uniform.

The Panthers did not win:(  But we still believe...Yes We CAM!

Candy Corn Wreath

I saw this idea on Pintrest a few weeks ago and have being dying to make it.  We use the back entrance of our house 99% of the time and I thought that door would make the perfect spot!
So I bought all my supplies and heated up my glue gun!  The only thing I did differently than the instructions above is use a smaller wreath and wrapped it in orange ribbon to match the candy corn colors!

Now for the candy corn....

I did rows and alternated the direction of the candy corn.  By this time my fingers were covered in glue strings:)  It was so worth it...one hour and a sugar headache later....

We now have mums and a candy corn wreath...I just need to purchase and carve some pumpkins!  Now I am thinking my front door looks a little bare....I think it needs a wreath, but maybe something a little less whimsical:)

Emily's Crispy Stuffed Chicken

Don't you love it when you go to a friends house for dinner and go home with a new recipe to try! Well recently we went to a dinner party and got lots of new recipes.  The main course was this crispy chicken breast that was stuffed with yummy goodness!  I asked Emily to share the recipe so here it is...

CREAM CHEESE-PESTO-STUFFED CHICKEN BREASTS
Filling of your choice, (see below)
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, (1-1 1/4 pounds total)
1 egg white
1/2 cup plain dry breadcrumbs
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil

CREAM CHEESE-PESTO FILLING:
2 tablespoons reduced-fat cream cheese, (Neufchatel)
1 tablespoon basil pesto, (store-bought or homemade)
Freshly ground pepper, to taste

PREPARATION
Preheat oven to 400°F. Coat a rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray.
Combine cream cheese, pesto and pepper in a small bowl with a fork.

Cut a horizontal slit along the thin, long edge of a chicken breast half, nearly through to the opposite side. Open up each breast and place one-fourth of the filling in the center.

Close the breast over the filling, pressing the edges firmly together to seal. Repeat with the remaining chicken breasts and filling.

Lightly beat egg white with a fork in a medium bowl. Place breadcrumbs in a shallow glass dish. Hold each chicken breast half together and dip in the egg white, then dredge in the breadcrumbs. (Discard leftovers.)

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken breasts; cook until browned on one side, about 2 minutes.

Place the chicken, browned-side up, on the prepared baking sheet. Bake until the chicken is no longer pink in the center or until an instant-read thermometer registers 170°F, about 20 minutes.

I of course used Gluten Free bread crumbs for this, but when at Emily's house for dinner she made me a special piece of chicken with Gluten Free break crumbs as well....so sweet!...and delicious!!  I have to say this was one of my favorite things at the dinner, but with this group there was a lots of other wonderful food to eat!

So if you have a new recipe that you want to try out or an old recipe that you want to share...invite some friends over!