Candied Pecans

    If you are looking for the perfect cinnamon sugar candied pecans, look no further. I love how crunchy they turn out, and talk about easy! Your entire house will smell like you just walked by the kiosk at the mall. I had to make two batches, some I brought to a party and most of them I included in my Christmas cookie plates. Trust me, you want to make them!

Candied Pecans

Ingredients:

- 1 large egg white

- 1 tablespoon of water

- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

- 1 cup of sugar

- 1 teaspoon of cinnamon

- 1/2 teaspoon of salt

- 1 pound (4 cups) of whole pecans

    Preheat oven to 250 degrees, line a cookie sheet with tin foil, and spray with cooking spray. In a small bowl, whisk together the cinnamon, sugar, and salt. In a separate large bowl, whisk together the egg white, water, and vanilla until white and frothy. Toss the pecans in the egg white mixture until evenly coated. Add the sugar mixture to the pecans and mix until evenly coated. Pour the entire mixture onto the prepared cookie sheet and bake for 1 hour, taking them out to stir every 15 minutes. 

Cream Cheese Cranberry Bread

    I just haven't been in the blogging mood lately. I've definitely been cooking and baking some great recipes though! If you're curious, head over to Instagram and check out my hashtag #gettingbridgiewithit to see what I've been working on! I do have a few recipes that I want to share with everyone before 2017 is over though! This cranberry bread is so on point! I've made these loafs three times now and I've even substituted the cream cheese for ricotta! I definitely prefer the cream cheese, but feel free to experiment! This is the perfect recipe to share!

Cream Cheese Cranberry Bread

Ingredients:

- 2 cups of flour

- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder

- 1/2 teaspoon of salt

- 1 cup of butter (softened) 

- 1 (8 ounce) package of cream cheese (softened)

- 1 and 1/2 cup of sugar

- 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract

- 4 eggs

- 1 (12 ounce) package of fresh cranberries

    Preheat oven to 350 degrees and and prepare two 9x5 inch loaf pans with cooking spray and then coat the inside with flour, shaking out any excess. In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Then, in a separate large bowl, beat the butter, cream cheese, and sugar until fluffy. Add the vanilla and eggs, one at a time. Next, slowly mix in the flour mixture until just combined and fold in the cranberries being careful not to over-mix. Divide the batter evenly between the two prepared loaf pans. Bake for 45-55 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean and loaves are golden brown. Slice and enjoy!

Easy Caramel Apples

    Oh man, I have been such a slacker! I've been preparing for Thanksgiving! Only to have all of my beautiful plans crumble in my face but that's another story... I've really been wanting to post this recipe for caramel apples. This is THE BEST chewy caramel I've ever made and it got rave reviews at church and from my Carrabba micos at work! You can easily double this recipe! Grab your candy thermometer and definitely pin this for your next fall festival!

Easy Caramel Apples

Ingredients:

- 1 cup of butter (4 sticks)

- 1 cup of light corn syrup

- 1 can (14 ounce) of sweetened condensed milk

- 2 cups of brown sugar

- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

- pinch of salt

- 12 to 15 medium sized apples

    First, prep your apples by washing them and drying very well. Place a popsicle stick of choice into each one. Then, line a cookie sheet with wax paper and set aside. Combined everything except the apples and vanilla in a large heavy bottomed pot over medium heat. Stir the mixture constantly until your candy thermometer hits 240-250 degrees F (the firm-ball stage, it will be just beginning to turn a dark caramel color). Remove from the caramel from the heat and stir in vanilla. Carefully dip each apple and add topping of choice! Let cool and enjoy! 

Roasted Chicken

    I had a lot of fun researching this recipe. I started by watching a couple of episodes of The French Chef, because not only is Julia Child informative, she's also a hoot! Next I searched the Pinterest and I found a recipe from Ina Garten because who doesn't love the Barefoot Contessa? After poking around on the internet a little more, I was ready to tackle my challenge. Two things, you're going to want to get the raw chicken as dry as possible and you definitely want to invest in a baster if you don't have one. I really tried to use every scrap of my vegetables because I hate wasting good food.

Roasted Chicken

Ingredients:

- 1 whole 5-6 pound roasting chicken

- 3/8 cup (6 tablespoons) of butter (divided)

- 1 large bunch of fresh thyme 

- 1/2 of a large garlic bulb (5 or 6 whole cloves)

- 1 small onion

- 4 large carrots

- 1 celery stalk, leaves and all

- sea salt

- black pepper

- favorite poultry seasoning (I used GOYA)

    Start by preheating your oven to 425 degrees. Spray your cast iron skillet or roasting pan with cooking spray and set aside. Clean your chicken by removing the giblets, rinsing with water, cutting off excess skin and fat, trimming the neck, and checking for pin feathers. Make sure that the fat glands behind the tail are removed as well. Next, take paper towels and pat your chicken as dry as you can, inside and outside. Once dry, salt and pepper the inside and place it in your prepared pan. Peel your garlic cloves and place them inside of the chicken. Cut off the ends of your carrots and place them inside as well. Slice carrots into large chucks and set aside. Cut up the celery into large pieces and stuff inside, leaves and all. Cut the ends off of your onion and stuff inside, I used the skin on and all. Peel the rest of the onion and cut into large chunks and set aside. Use half of the fresh thyme to stuff and save the rest. Once stuffed, tuck the bird's wings behind where it's neck would be and tie the legs together with kitchen twine (or tin foil if you are out). Melt 3 tablespoons of butter and brush the entire chicken with it. Liberally season the entire bird with salt, pepper, and poultry seasoning. Place the carrot pieces, onion chunks, and top them with the rest of the thyme in the bottom of the roasting pan. Place the chicken in the oven and let cook for 45 minutes. Melt remaining butter and baste it onto the chicken. Flip the carrots and continue to cook for another 45 minutes, basting with pan juices every 15 minutes. Once your meat thermometer registers 165 degrees throughout your bird, remove and baste again. Cover with tinfoil and let sit for 20 minutes before carving. 

Apple Crisp

    Happy Fall everyone! I am still in shock that September is almost over! Last week, these beautiful gala apples were on sale and I couldn't help but buy a bag and make a pan of apple crisp! I really love this recipe and it's just perfect with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream on top!

Apple Crisp

Ingredients:
Apple filling:

- 5-6 medium apples, peeled and sliced thin

- 3 tablespoons of butter, melted

- 1 tablespoon of flour

- 1 tablespoon of cornstarch

- 1 tablespoon of lemon juice

- 1/4 cup of milk

- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

- 1/4 cup of brown sugar

- 1 teaspoon of cinnamon

- pinch of salt

For the topping:

- 1/2 cup of flour

- 1/2 cup of old fashioned oats

- 1/2 cup of brown sugar

- 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder

- 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon

- pinch of salt

- 1/3 cup of cold butter, cut into cubes

    Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix together all of the ingredients for the apple filling and pour it into a greased 8x8 baking dish. Next, cut together the ingredients for the crumb topping with a pastry blender, a fork, or with your hands until it resembles pebbles. Pour topping over the apple mixture and bake for 30-35 minutes. Once golden brown, remove from the oven and serve topped with ice cream or whipped cream!

Banana Cinnamon Swirl Muffins

    We survived hurricane Irma! What a weekend! Frankie and I didn't leave the apartment for 4 days, and I loved it! I cooked up a storm during the storm and Frankie made jello shots the day before. Thankfully, we never lost electricity. There are people here in Florida going through a very hard time though, and we need to keep them in our prayers as they recover. So, back to my recipe, I really liked these cinnamon banana muffins! They're super fluffy if you make sure to not over-bake them.

Banana Cinnamon Swirl Muffins

Ingredients:
- 1 and 1/2 cup of flour
- 1 teaspoon of baking powder
- 1 teaspoon of baking soda
- 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon of salt
- 3 large bananas, mashed
- 3/4 cup of sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 and 1/3 teaspoon of vanilla
- 1/2 cup of melted butter
For the swirl:
- 1/4 cup of sugar
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
    Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a muffin tin with cupcake liners and spray them lightly with non-stick spray. Then, sift together the dry ingredients and set aside. Mash the bananas and cream the together with the sugar. After, add the egg and vanilla. Once combined, pour in the melted butter slowly while mixing. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet and fold until just barely combined. Don't over-mix. Scoop batter evenly into prepared muffin tin. Mix together the cinnamon and sugar. Evenly distribute the mixture on top of each unbaked muffin and swirl with a toothpick. I have added chocolate chips on top at this point but, that is optional. Bake for 13-15 minutes or until the muffins start to brown and a toothpick comes out clean. Cool and enjoy

Bridget's Turkey Meatloaf

    We are really excited about football season in our house! I made Frankie a Penn State wreath to hang over our television! They kicked some butt yesterday! In between delivering catering orders at work yesterday, I stopped in at Trader Joe's and picked up some ground turkey. I thought it would be cute to make a football out of my meatloaf since we were watching the game but you could put it in a loaf pan as well.

Bridget's Turkey Meatloaf 

Ingredients:

- 1 pound of lean ground turkey

- 1 cup of breadcrumbs (I make my own)

- 2 tablespoons of ketchup

- 1 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce 

- 1/4 cup of diced onion 

- 1 egg

- 1 teaspoon of minced garlic

- 1/8 teaspoon of white pepper

- salt and black pepper to taste

    Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix everything together until just combined, do not over mix. Mold mixture into desired shape on a greased cookie sheet or in a greased loaf pan. Brush the top with ketchup or bbq sauce and bake for about 45 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees. 

My Penn State wreath!

Toasted Coconut Macaroons

    These macaroon cookies were a hit! They're so good! I was trying to find a gluten free option for the market and I figured I could never go wrong with coconut! I bought a pretty basket with mesh at Hobby Lobby to keep my samples in, it definitely added a little something extra!

Toasted Coconut Macaroons

Ingredients:

- 1 (14 ounce) package of unsweetened coconut

- 1 (14 ounce) can of sweetened condensed milk

- 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract

- 1/2 teaspoon of salt

- 1 and 1/2 cup of mini chocolate chips

    Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix everything together. Using a cookie scoop, or a tablespoon, roll cookies into tight balls. Place them on a greased cookie sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Cool and enjoy. 

Farmer's Market July 8th 2017

    Today was my first day at the Veranda Park Farmer's Market! I just wanted to take a moment to thank everyone that stopped in and supported Getting Bridgie With It! The weather was beautiful and I enjoyed meeting some wonderful people! I've been crafting up a storm and I wanted to take a moment to post some of my creations!

Wine Bottle Tiki Torches

Picture Frame Jewelry Organizers

Wine Bottle Wind Chimes

Lavender Teacup Candles

The Best Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

Chewy Double Chocolate Cookies

    If you see anything you like, feel free to email me at Gettingbridgiewithit@gmail.com

Chewy Double Chocolate Cookies

   I hope everyone had a happy and safe Fourth of July! We had a big crawfish boil/BBQ out at my parent's house last weekend, it was awesome! I've been preparing for the farmer's market this weekend all week and I finally have a minute to post my recipe for these heavenly chocolate cookies! I made them last weekend and they are family tested and approved! Hope you love them as much as we did! I tried switching out the white chocolate chips for peanut butter chips too, so good! These are best prepared a day in advance so they can freeze completely before you bake them.

Chewy Double Chocolate Cookies

Ingredients:

- 4 and 1/4 cup of flour

- 3/4 cup of cocoa powder

- 2 tablespoons of cornstarch

- 2 teaspoons of baking soda

- 1 teaspoon of sea salt

- 1 cup of butter, softened
- 1/2 cup of vegetable shortening
- 1 and 1/2 cup of brown sugar
- 1 cup of granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract
- 2 eggs

- 1 (12 ounce) package of white chocolate chips

    Prepare you dough in advance, anywhere from 4 hours to the day before. Whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Set aside the dry ingredients.  In a separate large bowl, cream together the butter, shortening, and sugars. Once fluffy, mix in the vanilla and eggs. After combined, slowly mix the dry ingredients into the wet. I like to do it in thirds. Lastly, fold in the chocolate chips. Measure cookies into 1/4 cup serving, I used a large cookie scoop. Place the dough in the freezer for at least 4 hours. When you're ready to bake them, preheat the oven to 350 degrees, place cookies 2 inches apart on a greased cookie sheet, and bake for 17-20 minutes. Let the cookies cool on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes before removing them to a cooling rack. 

Sweet Cornbread

     I got to hang out with my mom in Ocala for a few days this week!  I helped out with St. John's superhero VBS! Luckly we were blessed by the school board providing the kids with breakfast and lunch all three days!  Hallelujah! That made my job a lot easier, I made a little lunch for the adults. Wednesday I decided I was going to make chili and cornbread! In all of the excitement, I forgot to pick up jiffy corn muffin mix! Luckly, mom had some cornmeal on hand and I set out to make some sweet cornbread from scratch! This recipe is going to be my new go to! Pastor Christine said it was the best cornbread she's ever had!! That is some pretty high praise!

Sweet Cornbread 

Ingredients: 

- 1 cup of flour

- 1 cup of cornmeal

- 1/2 cup of sugar

- 3 and 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder 

- 1 teaspoon salt 

- 1 cup of milk or half & half 

- 1 egg 

- 1/3 cup of oil (I used olive oil)
- 1 (14 ounce) can of whole kernel corn, drained

   Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Sift together the flour, corn meal, sugar, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the milk, egg, and oil. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix well. Fold in the corn and pour batter into a greased 8x8 baking dish. Bake for about 20 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean.

S'mores Cookie Bars

    I have found the perfect dessert for your summer cookout!! We had THE BEST CAMPING WEEKEND!! We thought it was going to rain all weekend, but in true Florida weather fashion, it held off until Sunday evening for us! We were prepared this time and we had a blast! I'll post some pictures after this AMAZING recipe! Seriously, you're going to love this dessert and you will be the hit of the cookout! I made mine with whole wheat flour but, I'm sure you could make it with regular all purpose flour just as easily.

S'mores Bars

Ingredients:

For the crust:

- 2 and 1/4 cup of graham cracker crumbs

- 1/3 cup of sugar

- 2/3 cup of butter, melted

For the cookie top:

- 2 and 1/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour

- 1/2 teaspoon of salt

- 1 teaspoon of baking soda

- 1 cup (2 sticks) of butter, softened to room temp

- 3/4 cup of granulated sugar

- 3/4 cup of packed brown sugar

- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

- 2 eggs

- 3/4 cup of mini chocolate chips

- 2 cups of mini marshmallows

- 2 large Hershey's bars, broken up

    Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x13 pan with non-stick cooking spray. In a medium sized bowl, start the crust by mixing together the graham cracker crumbs and the sugar. Pour the melted butter on top and gently mix together with a fork until crumbly. Press the mixture into the bottom of prepared baking pan. Bake the crust for 7 minutes and mix together the topping meanwhile. To make the cookie top, start by stirring together the flour, salt, and baking soda, set aside. Next, cream together the softened butter (not melted) and the sugars. I used a spoon to mix this recipe, but you could whip out the mixer. Once the butter and sugar is creamed, mix in the vanilla and eggs. Once thoroughly combined, slowly add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients only mixing until just combined. Fold in the mini chocolate chips and mini marshmallows (I may have used my hands at that point). Carefully dollop the cookie dough on top of the baked graham cracker crust, pressing the mixture flat without disturbing the crust underneath. Bake the bars for 12 minutes, remove and top with broken Hershey's pieces. Quickly return to the oven and bake for another 15 minutes. It will puff up a lot due to the marshmallows, you want it to do that. Let it cool and slice into bars. Enjoy!

Now for some camping pictures! 

My camp kitchen setup!

My man!

Happy Birthday Heather!!!!

Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili

    Boy oh boy, we needed the rain that we got this week! It's going to be a hot and dry summer in Florida. I woke up early on Tuesday morning and cleaned the dust off the ole' crockpot! It was pouring rain as my chicken chili simmered away for a few hours. It has just enough kick! We really enjoyed this recipe!

Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili

Ingredients:

- 1 pound of boneless skinless chicken breast

- 1/4-1/2 teaspoon of chili powder

- 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper

- 1 teaspoon of cumin powder

- salt and pepper to taste

- 2 large bay leaves

- 3 cups of chicken broth

- 1 small onion, chopped

- 1 whole fresh jalapeño, diced
- 1 (4 ounce) can of diced green chilies
- 2 (15 ounce) cans of great northern white beans
- 1 (15 ounce) can of whole kernel corn
- small handful of fresh cilantro, chopped
- 1/4 cup of sour cream
- 4 ounces (half a brick) of cream cheese, softened
    Place the raw chicken into the bottom of your slow cooker. Top it with the chili powder, cayenne, cumin, salt, pepper, bay leaves, and chicken broth. Cook on low for 2 hours. Then, add in the onion, jalapeño, green chilies, and white beans. Let cook on low for 4 hours. By now, the chicken will be fall apart tender and ready to shred. Shred the chicken and add back to the pot. Next, add the corn, cilantro, sour cream, and cream cheese. Stir well, let cook for another 30 minutes, and then serve warm.

   

Mint Watermelon Salad

    Frankie and I were watching the Kid's Barbeque Championship on Food Network this weekend! One of the little boys grilled some watermelon slices and topped them with feta, mint, and balsamic, it blew me away. I said, what a good idea for a salad!! So, we picked up a seedless watermelon on or Sunday trip to Trader Joe's! We bought the balsamic glaze already made. If you can't find it, you can easily make it. This fresh watermelon salad just screams SUMMERTIME! I love it and it took me five minutes to make!

Mint Watermelon Salad

Ingredients:

- 1/2 of a medium sized seedless watermelon, cut into chunks

- 1 and 1/2 tablespoon of fresh mint, finely chopped

- 1/2 cup of crumbled feta cheese

- 1 tablespoon of balsamic glaze (balsamic reduction)

    Mix together the watermelon, mint, and feta. Top with a drizzle of balsamic reduction and serve cold. Top with an extra sprig of fresh mint for garnish.

Our fancy Sunday dinner! haha!

Sweet Potato Hash Skillet

    I don't know how many times I've already said it, but I love sweet potatoes! This is a hearty dish and it's perfect for a big breakfast or even brunch! I used turkey sausage and sweet potatoes to try and lighten it up a bit but you can totally make this with regular breakfast sausage and baking potatoes. The secret is a sprinkle of paprika and baking the eggs at the end. I'm sure it'd be great if you cooked the eggs separately, but doesn't it look good?!

Sweet Potato Hash Skillet

Ingredients:

- 1 pound of breakfast sausage, cooked and drained

- 1 tablespoon olive oil

- 2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped

- 1/2 of an onion, chopped

- 1/2 of a green pepper, chopped

- 1/2 teaspoon of paprika

- salt and pepper to taste

- 4 large eggs

    Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large cast iron skillet, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Sauté the onion and green pepper for a minute and then add in the sweet potato. Cook, stirring often, until the sweet potato starts to become tender, maybe 5 minutes. The cook time will depend on how big you cut the potato. Once tender, sprinkle with paprika, salt, and pepper. Next, mix in the cooked sausage. Make 4 small wells in the mixture and crack each egg into them. Bake for about 3 minutes, or longer if you like your eggs well done.

Bridget's Cabbage Soup

    I could go on and on about the benefits of adding cabbage to your diet! I did find this article that says it all! I can remember my mom making cabbage soup growing up. She'd call it her garbage soup! I love how much you could play with this recipe. I've added everything from rice and pasta, to chickpeas, green beans, and black beans. The best part for me is that it's filling. I can eat a lot of it and it's ok because it's not terrible for you. This is a base recipe, feel free to play around with it!

Bridget's Cabbage Soup

Ingredients:

- 2 tablespoons of olive oil

- 1 small onion, chopped

- 2 carrots, chopped

- 2 celery ribs, chopped

- 1 tablespoon of minced garlic (3-4 cloves)

- 4 cups of water

- 4 cups of chicken broth

- 3 large bay leaves

- salt and pepper to taste

- 1/2 teaspoon of white pepper

- 1/2 of a small head of cabbage, chopped into bite sized pieces

- 1 (14 oz) can of petite diced tomatoes (do not drain)

- 1 (14 oz) can of garbanzo beans (drained and rinsed)

    Start by heating the olive oil in a large stock pot over medium high heat. Once hot, add in the onions, carrots, and celery. Sauté for 2 or 3 minutes, until the vegetables start to soften and then add in the garlic. Once the garlic is very fragrant, add the water, chicken stock, bay leaves, salt, pepper, and white pepper. Bring to a boil and then add the cabbage, tomatoes, and garbanzo beans. Let simmer for about 30 minutes or until the cabbage is nice and tender. Don't be afraid of adding more salt, there's a lot of liquid and it needs to be seasoned.

Whipped Buttercream Frosting

    I love cake. It's even better when it's covered with fluffy buttercream! I've been making this frosting for a long time now and it is my favorite. It's not healthy, but it tastes great! My secret is whipping the butter and shortening for several minutes with an electric mixer before incorporating the powdered sugar into the mix. Make sure it gets nice and fluffy before you start to add anything else. If you're looking for a frosting that is perfect for piping, you just found it. I made my friend Lauren a cupcake wedding dress for her bridal shower a few weeks ago and last week, I whipped some up for my Easter bunny cake!

Whipped Buttercream Frosting

Ingredients:

- 1 cup of salted butter, at room temperature

- 3/4 cup of vegetable shortening

- 4 cups of sifted confectioners sugar

- 1 and 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract

- 2 or 3 tablespoons of heavy cream or half and half

    In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the butter and shortening. With the whisk attachment, whip for 4 to 5 minutes. Stop about a minute into mixing and scrape down the sides of the bowl.  Once the butter and shortening mixture is light and fluffy, slowly add in the confectioners sugar. Once combined, add the vanilla. Then, add in the cream one tablespoon at a time until you get your desired consistency. Frost your cake and enjoy.