Christmas Sangria Holiday Cocktail

Christmas Sangria Holiday Cocktail

This post may contain affiliate links, but all opinions are my own. Please read my disclosure policy for more information. 

I LOVE sangria! If it is on the menu, I’m probably going to order it. The hubs and I had signature cocktails at our wedding and mine was a White Berry Sangria. It was so delicious! I still have people tell me how much they loved my signature cocktail! I love making delicious cocktails for dinner parties, but I really love making them around the holidays. There are just so many delicious flavors and fruits to incorporate and let’s be honest, they just look lovely on serving trays and bar carts. My favorite cocktail to make around the holidays is this apple and cranberry Christmas Sangria! It is so crisp and refreshing and is absolutely lovely in a champagne glass! It takes no time to make and will really impress all of your holiday guests!

Cranberry and Apple Sangria

Christmas Sangria Ingredients:

2 Green Apples; Chopped

2 Cups of Fresh Cranberries

½ Cup of Granulated Sugar

1 Bunch of Rosemary

1 Bottle of Moscato

1 Bottle of Sparkling Apple Cider

Sugared Cranberries - Christmas Sangria Recipe

Chop both green apples into small pieces. Add all but a few of the pieces of green apple to the bottom of your drink pitcher. You will use the other pieces for garnish.

Rinse the cranberries in a colander and immediately roll a handful into the sugar. Set aside the sugared cranberries to use for the garnish.

Add all cranberries except the sugared cranberries to the pitcher.

Christmas Sangria Recipe Cranberries

Use a muddler or wooden spoon to crush some of the fruit in the bottom of the pitcher. I crush just a few pieces of fruit, specifically the cranberries, to leave a nice flavor. I like to leave most of the fruit whole because it looks so lovely in the pitcher and in the glass.

Pour in the moscato and the sparkling apple cider. Add rosemary to the top to garnish.

Sangria Holiday Cocktail

Wet the rim of your champagne flutes with a little bit of water and roll in granulated sugar and fill with the Christmas Sangria. Also, can we just take a moment to admire these beautiful Mikasa Cheers Champagne Flutes? I’m in love with this design! I have this design for all of my bar glasses and I love that each glass has its own unique design!

Holiday Sangria Cocktail

Add a few of the sugared cranberries and apple pieces to the top of the cocktail. Garnish each glass with one piece of rosemary and enjoy!

Holiday Sangria

Christmas Sangria Recipe

What’s your favorite holiday cocktail? I’m always looking for new recipes!

Christmas Sangria Cocktail
This delicious holiday cocktail will impress all of your guests!
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Prep Time
10 min
Prep Time
10 min
Ingredients
  1. 2 Green Apples; Chopped
  2. 2 Cups of Fresh Cranberries
  3. ½ Cup of Granulated Sugar
  4. 1 Bunch of Rosemary
  5. 1 Bottle of Moscato
  6. 1 Bottle of Sparkling Apple Cider
Instructions
  1. Chop both green apples into small pieces. Add all but a few of the pieces of green apple to the bottom of your drink pitcher. You will use the other pieces for garnish.
  2. Rinse the cranberries in a colander and immediately roll a handful in sugar. Set aside the sugared cranberries to use for the garnish.
  3. Add all cranberries except the sugared cranberries to the pitcher.
  4. Use a muddler or wooden spoon to crush some of the fruit in the bottom of the pitcher.
  5. Pour in the moscato and the sparkling apple cider. Add rosemary to the top to garnish.
  6. Rim your champagne glasses with sugar and fill with the Christmas Sangria.
  7. Add a few of the she sugared cranberries and apple pieces to the top of cocktail. Garnish each glass with one piece of rosemary.
  8. Enjoy!
The Sassy Southern http://thesassysouthern.com/
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S’mores Chocolate Chip Cookies

S'moores Chocolate Chip Cookies

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy for more information. 

The fall season is the start of sweater weather, the holidays, and so many fun family traditions and memories. We all have our favorite recipes to cook and bake during certain seasons and one of my favorite treats in the whole world are s’mores! They are just so delicious! However, they are very messy to make and they are only good as soon as they come off of the fire! These delicious s’mores chocolate chip cookies give you the delicious s’mores taste, without the mess AND you can keep them in your favorite cookie jar or freeze them for later! These s’mores chocolate chip cookies have quickly become a staple in our home during the fall and they are a popular request from my friends to bring to our holiday parties!

S'moores Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

If you love this GORGEOUS Threshold marble tray as much as I do, you should probably just treat your self right now and have it delivered straight to your door from Target! The incredible price will surprise you. 

S’mores Chocolate Chip Cookies Ingredients:

½ Cup of Crushed Graham Crackers

2 Hershey’s Chocolate Bars

1 Cup of Mini Marshmallows

2 Sticks of Butter; Softened

1 Cup of Sugar

1 Cup of Brown Sugar

2 Large Eggs

2 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract

2 Cups All-Purpose Flour

1 Teaspoon Baking Soda

½ Teaspoon Salt

2 Cups of Semi-sweet Chocolate Chips

Let’s Get Cooking!

Heat oven to 375 °F.

In a medium mixing bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, and salt.

S'moores Cookie Ingredients

In your Kitchen Aid Mixer, mix the sugar, brown sugar, and butter on medium. Beat in the eggs and vanilla on medium. If you don’t have a Kitchen Aid stand mixer or hand mixer, you can definitely do this by hand! However, I would highly recommend purchasing a beautiful Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer and your life will be so wonderful! Okay, back to baking.

Crushed Graham Crackers S'moores Recipe

Slowly add your flour mixture while your mixer stays on low. If your flour mixture sticks to the sides of the bowl, use a spatula to push the excess flour into your mixture. Once your ingredients are combined and your blended ingredients look like cookie dough, add your crushed graham crackers and mix on low until combined. This is where my Ninja Chop comes in handy! It quickly crushes my graham crackers to my preferred consistency. This saves my hand a lot work and prevents the graham crackers from flying all over my kitchen as I break the plastic bag I’m crushing them in! It’s okay; we have all been there!

S'mores Cookie Recipe

Kitchen AId Mixer S'mores Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

Fold in your chocolate chips. Let the cookie dough chill for 10 minutes. 

S'mores Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

Add cookie dough to a greased cookie sheet. Can we please stop and take a moment to appreciate these beautiful gold Threshold cookie sheets from Target? They come in a set of three different sizes and they make my kitchen look so glamorous while I bake! Did I mention that they are an absolute steal and are super easy to clean? Okay, back to baking.  I like to use a 1 ½- inch cookie scoop when scooping out my cookie dough. I am in love with this beautiful gold cookie scoop from Target! It matches my gold measuring cups and gold measuring spoons! It helps keep each ball of cookie dough close to the same size so that they cook evenly. It also really makes my eyes happy while I cook.

Cook for 9 minutes at 375 °F.

Cookie Dough Scoop S'mores Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

Gold Cookie Sheet - S'mores Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

S'mores Chocolate Chip Cookies

Pull the cookies out of the oven and add 4-6 minimarshmallows on top. Bake for another 2-3 minutes until the marshmallows start to brown. Quick tip, don’t let the marshmallows get too brown! This will cause them to melt completely into the cookie and you don’t get the ooey-gooey marshmellowey goodness on top!

S'mores Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

S'moores Chocolate Chip Cookies

S'moores Cookie Recipe

Let the cookies cool for 10 minutes and then add a piece of Hershey’s chocolate to the middle of each cookie.

S'moores Chocolate Chip Cookies

S'moores Cookie Recipe

These are delicious straight out of the oven, room temperature, cold, and frozen! Basically, they are good all day every day! Serve with coffee, hot chocolate, or milk and enjoy!

S'moores Cookie Recipe

S'moores Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

Have you tried this recipe? Leave me a comment below to let me know how your S’mores cookies turn out!

S'mores Chocolate Chip Cookies
The taste of s'mores wrapped in a chocolate chip cookie!
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Prep Time
10 min
Cook Time
11 min
Prep Time
10 min
Cook Time
11 min
Ingredients
  1. 1 Cup of Crushed Graham Crackers (About 10 Graham Crackers)
  2. 2 Hershey’s Chocolate Bars
  3. 1 Cup of Mini Marshmallows
  4. 2 Sticks of Butter; Softened
  5. 3/4 Cup of Sugar
  6. 3/4 Cup of Brown Sugar
  7. 2 Large Eggs
  8. 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
  9. 2 Cups All-Purpose Flour
  10. 1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
  11. 1 Teaspoon Salt
  12. 2 Cups of Semi-sweet Chocolate Chips
Instructions
  1. Heat oven to 375 °F.
  2. In a medium mixing bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
  3. In your Kitchen Aid Mixer, mix the sugar, brown sugar, and butter on medium.
  4. Beat in the eggs and vanilla on medium.
  5. Slowly add your flour mixture while your mixer stays on low.
  6. Once your ingredients are combined and your blended ingredients look like cookie dough, add your crushed graham crackers and mix on low until combined.
  7. Fold in your chocolate chips. Let cookie dough chill for 10 minutes.
  8. Add cookie dough to a greased cookie sheet. I like to use a 1 ½- inch cookie scoop. I am in love with this beautiful gold cookie scoop from Target!
  9. Cook for 9 minutes at 375.
  10. Pull the cookies out of the oven and add 4-6 mini marshmallows on top of each cookie.
  11. Bake for another 2-3 minutes until the marshmallows start to brown.
  12. Let the cookies cool for 10 minutes and then add a piece of Hershey’s chocolate to the middle of each cookie.
  13. Enjoy!
Notes
  1. Quick tip, don’t let the marshmallows get too brown! This will cause them to melt completely into the cookie and you don’t get that ooey gooey marshmellowey goodness on top!
The Sassy Southern http://thesassysouthern.com/
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Zucchini Lasagna Recipe

Zucchini Lasagna

Zucchini Lasagna

I want to start this post by expressing how much I LOVE Italian food! It is probably my favorite cuisine. However, it is Jeremy’s (the hubs) least favorite cuisine. So we take turns on when we eat Italian food. This is a great example of what we call a compromise. Most of the dishes I love are usually on the unhealthier side of the scale and full of carbs. One of my friends told me that she had purchased a mandoline and had started replacing pasta with veggies. Obviously, this wasn’t a new concept, but something I hadn’t tried. Since we were trying to eat better, I decided to purchase a mandoline and try it for myself! We purchased this super handy Mandoline Slicer and it works really well! However, for all of my KitchenAid lovers out there like me, I have this Kitchen Aid Vegetable Sheet cutter on my Christmas list this year! The mandoline does work really well, but I would love to save the hassle and just let my beautiful KitchenAid do the work!

Zucchini Slices from Mandoline

Okay, back to the recipe. I decided to make my own version of lasagna using zucchini and my favorite spaghetti sauce! It was so easy and so delicious and we didn’t even miss the pasta! I made it for friends one night and everyone loved it! It was a definite hit! Ready to make this delicious recipe? Here is what you will need:

Zucchini Lasagna Recipe Ingredients:

4 Large Zucchini – Thinly Sliced 

1 lb. Ground Beef

1 Jar of Pasta Sauce (I really like Classico)

15 oz. Low Fat Ricotta Cheese

16 oz. Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

8 oz. Grated Parmesan Cheese  

Let’s Get Cooking! Recipe Directions: 

Mandaline Veggie Slicer

Zucchini Slices from Mandoline

Heat the oven to 350°F. Slice the Zucchini as thinly as possible and add to a greased baking sheet. Salt the sliced zucchini and bake for 12 minutes.

Baked Zucchini Recipe

Baked Zucchini

Cook the ground beef and drain the grease. Add the pasta sauce to the ground beef and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and let the sauce simmer.

Spaghetti Meat Sauce

Mix the grated parmesan, ricotta cheese, and 8 oz of the mozzarella together in a bowl.

Lasagna Cheese Mixture

In a casserole dish, take a small amount of the meat sauce and cover the bottom of the dish. Layer the half of the zucchini on top of the meat sauce. Cover the zucchini with the cheese mixture and cover with the meat sauce. Repeat this step. Cover the meat sauce with the rest of the mozzarella cheese.

Baked Zucchini Lasagna Recipe

Baked Zucchini Lasagna

Zucchini Lasagna

Zucchini Lasagna Recipe

 

Bake at 350°F for 15 minutes or until the cheese starts to brown. Serve with salad and garlic bread.

 Zucchini Lasagna

I hope you enjoy this delicious dish as much as we do! Happy healthy-ier eating!

Zucchini Lasagna
Serves 6
A delicious and healthier take on lasagna!
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Cook Time
20 min
Cook Time
20 min
Ingredients
  1. 4 Large Zucchini
  2. 1 lb. Ground Beef
  3. 1 Jar of Pasta Sauce (I really like Classico)
  4. 15 oz. Low Fat Ricotta Cheese
  5. 16 oz. Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
  6. 8 oz. Grated Parmesan Cheese
Instructions
  1. Heat the oven to 350°F.
  2. Slice the Zucchini as thinly as possible and add to a greased baking sheet.
  3. Salt the sliced zucchini and bake for 12 minutes.
  4. Cook the ground beef and drain the grease.
  5. Add the pasta sauce to the ground beef and bring to a boil.
  6. Lower the heat and let the sauce simmer.
  7. Mix the grated parmesean, ricotta cheese, and 8 oz of the mozerella together in a bowl.
  8. In a casserole dish, take a small amount of the meat sauce and cover the bottom of the dish.
  9. Layer the half of the zuchinni ontop of the meat sauce.
  10. Cover the zucchini with the cheese mixture and cover with the meat sauce.
  11. Repeat this step. Cover the the meat sauce with the rest of the mozerella cheese.
  12. Bake at 350°F for 15 minutes or until the cheese starts to brown.
  13. Serve with salad and garlic bread. Enjoy!
The Sassy Southern http://thesassysouthern.com/
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Easy Chicken and Dumplings Recipe

Chicken and Dumplings Recipe

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy for more information. 

We are finally starting to get colder weather in Texas and I am so happy! I absolutely love this time of year. Not only is it time to bring out those adorable sweaters and boots, but it is also the start to the holiday season and delicious recipes! There is just something about this time of year that makes me feel like a kid again! My mom would always make one of her cold-weather staples for the first cold night of the season. One of my absolute favorites was her healthier Chicken and Dumplings recipe. Now, before you click away because I said healthy, hear me out. It isn’t THAT healthy, just a little healthier than your normal Chicken and Dumplings.

This recipe is really so easy to make and makes delicious leftovers! This has become one of my favorite recipes to make all year because it is super easy for my husband to take for lunch the next day! When we are trying to cut out the carbs, we just don’t add the biscuits and cream of chicken soup and we have a delicious chicken and veggie soup! 

I did something a little bit different with this recipe this time. I recently purchased a Copper Chef 5-Piece Cookware Set and it is amazing! I also purchased a Copper Chef Induction Cooktop and I would highly recommend purchasing this as well. The Copper Chef is safe to use on all cooktops, but the Induction Cooktop really comes in handy when you are cooking a large meal and need extra burners or space. I’m especially excited about this for the holidays! If you are a food blogger and like to post recipe tutorials or step-by-step instructions, the induction cooktop makes it really easy to have a clean photo or video demonstration. I’ll be honest, I was a little bit skeptical when I first saw the infomercial, but my opinion quickly changed the first time I used it in my own kitchen. 

This was the first time I made this recipe in the Copper Chef and I will never make it in any other pan! My husband even commented that this was the best I had ever made this recipe! If you aren’t familiar with the Copper Chef, I would highly recommend checking it out! Are you ready to make this delicious recipe? 

Chicken and Dumplings Ingredients:

  • 4 Chicken Breasts; Chopped
  • 32 oz. of Chicken Broth
  • 1 Can of Cream of Chicken Soup
  • 2 Cans of Pillsbury Southern Homestyle Biscuits
  • 1 Cup of Chopped Carrots
  • ½ Chopped White Onion
  • 1 Cup of Chopped Celery
  • 1 Tbls. of Onion Powder
  • 1 Tblsp. of Garlic Powder
  • Pinch of Salt
  • Pinch of Pepper

Directions For Making Chicken and Dumplings:

Pilsbury Biscuits for Chicken and Dumplings

Bake one can of the biscuits and set aside. You will enjoy these with your Chicken and Dumplings! 

Chicken and Dumplings Ingredients

Chicken and Dumplings Ingredients

Chop your onions and carrots! I LOVE our Ninja Express Chop for exactly this type of recipe. Add all of your baby carrots to the Ninja Chop and push down on the top button one or two times. It chops the carrots perfectly! Repeat this step with half of a white onion. You can add large pieces of the onion to the Ninja Chop and just press down on the button one or times and it chops them perfectly! It is also SO easy to clean, so I don’t dread the cleanup process. 

Ingredients For Chicken and Dumplings

For this recipe, I really like the celery chopped a certain way. I think it is a texture thing. So instead of using the Ninja Chop, I like to use our Clever Cutter scissors. We actually got these in a White Elephant Christmas swap one year and we love them! They seriously save so much time and you can cut them right into the soup! Oh! They can also go in the dishwasher. Let the celebrating begin! 

Chicken and Dumplings Recipe Instructions

Add all ingredients except the biscuits to your Copper Chef or pot and place the lid on top. Bring to a boil on high. If you are making yours in a Copper Chef pan, I would recommend turning the heat up to 450. I originally started with 425, but decided to turn it up to 450. 

How To Make Chicken and Dumplings

Turn the heat to a medium-low heat and cook for 45 minutes.

How To Make Dumplings

Chicken and Dumplings Recipe

Use your hands to roll 1 can of the biscuits into small balls and add them to the soup. Place the lid on to your Copper Chef or cooking pot of choice and cook on low for 30 minutes. 

Homemade Chicken and Dumplings Recipe

Serve with fresh biscuits and enjoy!

Homemade Chicken and Dumplings Dinner Recipe

My Momma’s Chicken and Dumplings Recipe
Delicious Chicken and Dumplings!
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Total Time
1 hr 25 min
Total Time
1 hr 25 min
Ingredients
  1. 4 Chicken Breasts; Chopped
  2. 32 oz. of Chicken Broth
  3. 1 Can of Cream of Chicken Soup
  4. 2 Cans of Pillsbury Southern Homestyle Biscuits
  5. 1 Cup of Chopped Carrots
  6. ½ Chopped White Onion
  7. 1 Cup of Chopped Celery
  8. 1 Tbsp. of Onion Powder
  9. 1 Tbsp. of Garlic Powder
  10. Pinch of Salt
  11. Pinch of Pepper
Instructions
  1. Bake one can of the biscuits and set aside.
  2. Chop onions, carrots, and celery.
  3. Add all ingredients except the biscuits to your Copper Chef or pot and place the lid on top. Bring to a boil on high.
  4. Turn the heat down to medium and cook for 45 minutes.
  5. Roll 1 can of the biscuits into small balls and add them to the soup. Place the lid on your Copper Chef or pot and cook on low for 30 minutes.
  6. Serve with fresh biscuits and enjoy!
Notes
  1. Tip: This is especially tasty with a tall glass of sweet tea!
The Sassy Southern http://thesassysouthern.com/
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Apple Brown Sugar Monkey Bread Recipe

Apple Brown Sugar Monkey Bread Breakfast Recipe

I love having company come to town and stay with us, especially during the holidays! It reminds me of when I was younger and the whole extended family would all stay at one family member’s house! It was the best! Everyone together under one roof spending quality time together while enjoying delicious food around one big table!

Having something yummy to eat at all times is a staple for Southern Hospitality! This is something my family can do in their sleep! My Granny, my Nina, my momma, and every single one of my aunts can give Martha Stewart and Paul Dean a run for their money! I promise you I gain 5 pounds after a weekend with my family! Standing around in my jammies with a hot cup of coffee, laughing and chatting away with my family is seriously like therapy! I absolutely love it! I decided when I was younger that I wanted my home to feel that way for all of my family and friends, too!

Apple Brown Sugar Bundt Cake Recipe

I actually like doing all of the little chores to prepare the house! Things like putting fresh linens on the guest bed, having a welcome basket with bottled water and toiletries that they might need, and having a framed sign with the wifi password on their nightstand. I want to make sure they feel completely at home! While I love having a stunning breakfast to present for my guests, I don’t want to spend hours cleaning up the mess! I want it to taste delicious and look amazing on my table, but I don’t want to lose precious time with my people while I’m having to clean up the kitchen! That is why this delicious Apple Brown Sugar Monkey Bread is the perfect breakfast and brunch recipe to serve to your guests! It requires very little prep work, very little mess, and it looks and tastes like you worked for hours in the kitchen! This is definitely a recipe you will want to print for your recipe box!

Breakfast Recipe Monkey Bread

Monkey Bread Ingredients

2 Cans of Pillsbury Buttermilk Biscuits

3 Chopped Apples (Granny Smith or Red Delicious)

2 Cups of Brown Sugar

1 Cup of Granulated Sugar

1 Tsp. of Salt

1 Stick of Melted Butter

Apple Brown Sugar Monkey Bread Recipe

Directions

Set oven to 350º F and coat your Bundt pan with oil. I was out of canola oil, so I used coconut oil and it worked beautifully!

Cut each biscuit in half. Set aside.

Monkey Bread Recipe

Add the sugar, apples, and salt to a bowl and mix together. Add the butter and biscuits. Lightly toss the biscuits in the mixture until fully coated.

Apple Brown Sugar Breakfast Bundt Cake

Layer the biscuits in the Bundt pan. As you layer, use a spoon to add some of the sugar and apple mixture in-between each piece of dough. Pour any remaining sugar and apple mixture in the bowl on top of the biscuits.

Apple Brown Sugar Monkey Bread

Bake at 350 for 30 to 35 minutes. Every oven is different, so keep an eye on the biscuits to make sure they don’t overcook. Use a toothpick to make sure the biscuits are fully cooked. Let cool for 15 – 20 minutes. Place a bowl on the counter and pour the excess sugary syrup into the bowl. This will prevent the syrup from running all over your beautiful cake stand and it will be perfect to serve as a delicious caramel drizzle!

Bundt Cake Monkey Bread Recipe

Fall Bundt Cake Recipe

Place a cake stand or serving tray on top of the bundt pan. Firmly hold the bottom of the cake stand and quickly flip the bundt pan on top of the cake stand. Slowly pull the bundt pan off of the cake. Drizzle with the caramel syrup and enjoy!

Apple Brown Sugar Bundt Cake

Apple Brown Sugar Bundt Cake Recipe 

Apple Brown Sugar Monkey Bread Breakfast Recipe

Breakfast Monkey Bread Recipe

Do you have a go-to recipe that you love to whip up for company or just a lazy Saturday morning? I would love to try it out! 

Enjoy, friends!

Apple Brown Sugar Monkey Bread
A delicious monkey bread recipe for breakfast, brunch, and dessert!
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Ingredients
  1. 2 Cans of Pillsbury Buttermilk Biscuits
  2. 3 Chopped Apples (Granny Smith or Red Delicious)
  3. 2 Cups of Brown Sugar
  4. 1 Cup of Granulated Sugar
  5. 1 Tsp. of Salt
  6. 1 Stick of Melted Butter
Instructions
  1. Set oven to 350º F and coat your Bundt pan with oil.
  2. Cut each biscuit in half. Set aside.
  3. Add the sugar, apples, and salt to a bowl and mix together. Add the butter and biscuits.
  4. Lightly toss the biscuits in the mixture until fully coated.
  5. Layer the biscuits in the Bundt pan.
  6. As you layer, use a spoon to add some of the mixture in-between each piece of dough.
  7. Pour any remaining sugar and apple mixture in the bowl on top of the biscuits.
  8. Bake at 350 for 30 to 35 minutes. Use a toothpick to make sure the biscuits are fully cooked.
  9. Let cool for 15 – 20 minutes.
  10. Place a bowl on the counter and pour the excess sugary syrup into the bowl.
  11. Place a cake stand or serving tray on top of the Bundt pan.
  12. Firmly hold the bottom of the cake stand and quickly flip the Bundt pan on top of the cake stand.
  13. Slowly pull the Bundt pan off of the cake. Drizzle with the caramel syrup and enjoy!
The Sassy Southern http://thesassysouthern.com/
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Fall Recipes: Pear Preserves

Pear Preserves Recipe

Homemade Pear Preserves Recipe

Pear Preserves Recipe

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy for more information. 

My grandma (lovingly known in our family as Nina) and my mom have been making homemade preserves since I was a little girl. Fig, pear, blackberry… you name it! Each time I spent the night at my Nina’s house, she would make her homemade biscuits and serve them with her homemade preserves. I would eat until I was stuffed! They were always so delicious! This past weekend, my husband and I spent the weekend at his parents’ house and they have a beautiful pear tree on their property. We left with a giant bag full of beautiful pears! There is no way that the two of us could possibly eat all of these before they went bad, so I decided to make a couple of jars of pear preserves! I made a smaller batch since it is just the two of us, but you can easily make are larger batch for more jars. They are delicious and make for adorable gifts! I’m super excited to share a jar with my mom and mother-in-law! This was my first try at making preserves by myself and I am pretty pleased with how they turned out! Ready to get started? Here is what you need for this tasty fall recipe: 

Ingredients

  • 1 Cup of Sugar
  • ½ Cup of Brown Sugar
  • ½ Cup of Water
  • 4 Cups of chopped or sliced pears
  • Canning Jars With Lids
  • Copper Chef
  • Giant Stockpot
  • Tongs
  • Towel

Pear Preserves Recipe

Let’s Get Cooking!

It is time to prep your jars! I will admit I struggled with this part. As I was on the phone with my mom and my Nina, I kept having them tell me how to do this part over and over! I purchased a 12 pack of Kerr Regular Mouth Jars. I was nervous doing this on my own for the first time; so I used this guide to help me with the process of preparing the jars and processing the jars once I filled them with preserves! Before you can put the preserves in your jars, you must boil the jars and the lids. I didn’t purchase any special tools or a pressurizer; I just used a deep saucepot and tongs to handle the hot jars. I boiled the jars for the recommended amount of time in the guide above and kept them in the hot water until I was ready to fill them with the preserves.

Pear Preserves Recipe Copper Chef

Add your chopped pears and water to your Copper Chef and bring to a boil. The Copper Chef made such a difference! The Cerami-Tech Non-Stick Deep Dish Pan made it so much easier to let all of the gooey goodness simmer without sticking to the pan! I highly recommend purchasing a Copper Chef ! I wanted to make sure my pears were super soft, so I had the pears boil for about 10 minutes before adding the rest of my ingredients. Just watch this closely and stir occasionally.

Add all sugar to the mixture and stir.

Leave uncovered and boil for 10 minutes. Bring heat down to a medium-low temperature and let simmer for 1 hour; stir occasionally.

Once your pears are soft and you have a thick consistency, add the pear preserves to your jars leaving about ¼ inch of space between the preserves and the lid. Your jars will be very hot! If you don’t have a cooling rack, I just used a pair of tongs to remove the jars from the pot of water and held them with a thick towel to fill them. If there are any air bubbles in the jar after you add your preserves, use a rubber spatula between the jar and the preserves to remove any air bubbles. Wipe off the edge of the jar and secure the lid on the jar. Repeat this step until all of your jars are filled.

Put your sealed jars back in the pot of hot water and make sure the water covers the jars completely. Bring the pot to a boil and boil the jars for 10 minutes. Turn off the heat and move the pot off of the burner and allow the jars to cool in the water. Once the jars have cooled, have them sit upright for about 12 hours. If your jars have properly sealed, the middle of the lid will not pop up and down. I was so nervous that I didn’t’ do this part correctly because if they don’t seal, there will be bacteria growth! The next day, I tried to lift the lid with my fingers and I couldn’t! This means I had a good seal. Again, since I didn’t have my mom or Nina with me, I was super nervous about this part, so I kept referring to this helpful guide from Ball and Kerr.

Pear Preserves Recipe

We decided to go ahead and open one of the jars the next day because they just looked so yummy! When we opened the jar, we heard the pop sound that lets you know it was properly sealed! Success! These pear preserves turned out so yummy and I was super proud that I didn’t destroy these yummy pears on my first try. They are perfect to serve with gourmet cheeses and artisan bread for a dinner party and they are delicious with biscuits and scones! I added fabric and twine to the top of two jars to give as fall gifts to our mommas! I hope you enjoy!

Pear Preserves
Yields 3
Homemade Pear Preserves
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Ingredients
  1. 1 Cup of Sugar
  2. ½ Cup of Brown Sugar
  3. ½ Cup of Water
  4. 4 Cups of Chopped or Sliced Pears
Instructions
  1. Prep Your Jars (Refer to link in blog on how to do this)
  2. Add your chopped pears and water to your Copper Chef and bring to a boil. Watch closely and stir occasionally.
  3. Add sugar to the mixture and stir.
  4. Leave uncovered and boil for 10 minutes.
  5. Bring heat down to a medium- low temperature and let simmer for 1 hour; stir occasionally.
  6. Add pear preserves to the jars.
  7. If there are any air bubbles in the jar after you add your preserves, use a rubber spatula between the jar and the preserves to remove any air bubbles.
  8. Wipe off the edge of the jar and secure the lid on the jar.
  9. Repeat this step until all of your preserves are in your jars.
  10. Boil and seal the jars to seal. Refer to link in blog post for this process.
  11. Enjoy!
The Sassy Southern http://thesassysouthern.com/
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EASY Two-Ingredient Crockpot Chicken Recipe

Crockpot Chicken Recipe

How many nights do you want to make a delicious and healthy dinner, but you just don’t have the energy? You know the scripture in Matthew, “…the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”? I find myself in that position way more than I would like! That usually leads to eating out or a frozen pizza and that really doesn’t help our fitness or money-saving goals. So I started experimenting with fast, but healthy recipes that would also make for great next day lunches! This two-ingredient crockpot chicken recipe quickly became a staple on our weekly dinner menu! It is the perfect protein for so many dishes and is just so tasty! I think you will be shocked to learn just how easy it is!

Two Ingredients Crockpot Chicken

Crockpot Chicken Ingredients

  1. 4 Raw and Rinsed Chicken Breasts
  2. 1 16 oz. Jar of Pace Chunky Style Medium Salsa

Directions

Place all 4 pieces of chicken in your crockpot and cover with the salsa. Place the lid on the crockpot and select the setting for 4 hours. Go have a glass of wine, read by the pool, or head to the office while the amazing invention that we call the crockpot works its magic! After four hours, take the lid off and watch with amazement as you are able to shred the chicken with a fork!

Shredded Chicken Recipe

Crockpot Chicken Recipe

Two hours in. Looking and smelling so yummy!

Crockpot Shredded Chicken Recipe

Tada! You are done! How easy was that? This chicken is cooked to perfection and is so delicious! You can serve this in a salad, on nachos, or with a side of veggies for a low carb option! This week, I already had the ingredients for tacos, so we decided to have some shredded chicken tacos. Jeremy (my hunky husband) really likes when I serve this Chipotle style with beans, rice, and guacamole on a salad! However you decide to eat it, I can assure you that you will absolutely love it! Enjoy!

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Easy Shrimp and Sausage Foil Packet Recipe

Shrimp and Sausage Foil Packet Recipe

Y’all! It is officially fall and I could not be happier! Football, sweaters, and pumpkins! Oh, I love this time of year. I don’t know about you, but as the colder weather starts rolling in, I find myself getting much more creative with new recipes in the kitchen! As I was heading out to the grocery store for the week, I checked to see what random items we had left over from the recipes I made the week before. You know, trying to use everything possible, because, well, let’s save all the money! I have also made it a game. Like how creative can I be this week?

Anyway, my husband absolutely loves shrimp. While I love the idea of shrimp and I think there are so many delicious recipes out there, my taste buds will never know. Yes. I’m allergic. But thankfully, I’m not so allergic that I can’t cook it for the sweet husband. I had some frozen shrimp and corn from other recipes I had made earlier in the month, so I decided to grab some sausage and make one of his favorite meals! I purposefully did not include potatoes because we are both trying to do low carb, but you can easily add potatoes to this dish. Just boil the potatoes with the corn to make sure they are soft enough. Since I can’t taste test shrimp recipes as I go along, I rely completely on my husband’s review. He promised it was delicious, so I’m trusting his opinion! It is SO easy to make and cleanup is a breeze! This recipe serves 2, but it is so easy to double or triple the recipe for a dinner party! Ready to get started? 

Easy Shrimp and Sausage Fall Recipe

Ingredients

  • 1 ear of corn cut into 4 pieces. You can use frozen or fresh.
  • 20-30 pieces of shrimp depending on how hungry you are! Make sure the shrimp are peeled, no tails, and deveined. You will divide the shrimp between the two foil packets. If you have frozen shrimp, make sure it is fully thawed.
  • 12 ounces of your favorite sausage
  • 3 Tablespoons of butter, melted

Seasoning Ingredients

  • 1 tsp. of garlic powder
  • 1tsp. of onion powder
  • 1 tsp. of Lowrey’s seasoning
  • 1 tsp. of paprika
  • 1 tsp. of Cajun seasoning
  • 1 tsp. of Parsley
  • Pinch of Salt
  • Pinch of PepperRecipe Card

Shrimp and Sausage Recipe

Step 1:
Preheat oven to 400 F.

Step 2:
Boil the corn for 4-6 minutes. Drain.

Step 3:
Add your sliced sausage, corn, and shrimp to a large mixing bowl. If you are using potatoes, add them to the bowl as well. I chose Hillshire Farms Beef Polska Kielbasa Sausage. It is already cooked, so it is ready to heat and serve! I was worried that it would cook too much, but the hubs said it was perfect and so delicious! If you are not using precooked sausage, make sure you cook it ahead of time.

Shrimp and Sausage Recipe

Step 4:
Add the seasoning mixture and melted butter to the bowl and squeeze a little lemon juice on top. Gently stir all of that yummy goodness around to make sure everything in the bowl is evening coated.

Shrimp and Sausage Recipe

Step 5:
Spoon out half of the mixture onto one piece of your aluminum foil cutout. Bunch the foil together at the top to create a foil bowl. Make sure it is completely closed at the top. Repeat.

Shrimp and Sausage Foil Packet Recipe

Step 6:
Bake both foil packets at 400 for 20 minutes or until the shrimp is pink and white in color. Add a lemon wedge to the foil packet and serve!

Easy Shrimp and Sausage Foil Packet Recipe
Serves 2
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Prep Time
20 min
Cook Time
20 min
Total Time
40 min
Prep Time
20 min
Cook Time
20 min
Total Time
40 min
Ingredients
  1. 1 Ear of Corn Cut into 4 Pieces
  2. 30 Pieces of Shrimp; Peeled, No Tails, Deveined
  3. 12 Ounces of Your Favorite Sausage
  4. 3 Tablespoons of Butter, Melted
Seasoning Ingredients
  1. 1 tsp. of Garlic Powder
  2. 1 tsp. of Onion Powder
  3. 1 tsp. of Lawry’s Seasoning
  4. 1 tsp. of Paprika
  5. 1 tsp. of Cajun Seasoning
  6. 1 tsp. of Parsley
  7. Pinch of Salt
  8. Pinch of Pepper
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 400 F.
  2. Boil the corn for 4-6 minutes. Drain.
  3. Add your sliced sausage, corn, and shrimp to a large mixing bowl. If you are using potatoes, add them to the bowl as well. I chose Hillshire Farms Beef Polska Kielbasa Sausage. It is already cooked, so it is ready to heat and serve! I was worried that it would cook too much, but the hubs said it was perfect and so delicious! If you are not using precooked sausage, make sure you cook it ahead of time.
  4. Add the seasoning mixture and melted butter to the bowl and squeeze a little lemon juice on top. Gently stir all of that yummy goodness around to make sure everything in the bowl is evening coated.
  5. Spoon out half of the mixture onto one piece of your aluminum foil cutout. Bunch the foil together at the top to create a foil bowl. Make sure it is completely closed at the top. Repeat.
  6. Bake both foil packets at 400 for 20 minutes or until the shrimp is pink and white in color.
  7. Add a lemon wedge to the foil packet and serve!
The Sassy Southern http://thesassysouthern.com/

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