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southernmadesimple

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Sep 23

We picked a few of our Jack be Little pumpkins from our patch after I noticed worms started to burrow in them. Growing pumpkins in south Alabama is hard. Next time you buy your front porch pumpkins at the farmers market and think they’re overpriced...they probably are. Just tip your hat, say thank you and pay the farmer. They were probably a pain in the patootie to grow.

And remember- Jill be little, Jill can too. If Jack can do it, so can you. And probably 10x better. 💪🏻 🎀

southernmadesimple

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Sep 22

Red hair and blue eyes. It’s apparently the rarest color combination to have. She’s also left handed, so I’m sure that counts for something, too. What a treasure I have in this little one.

A fiery, foot stomping, throw her hands on her hips and give you the business in two second flat treasure.

Y’all pray for me in about 10 years.

southernmadesimple

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Sep 21

#Ad As we inch closer to the month of October, I can finally feel summer fading and the beginning of fall making its presence known. Summer lingers around for quite a long time here in the southern portion of Alabama, and while I'm ready for a new season to roll in, I’ll surely miss those long summer afternoons. While we had a wonderful summer despite the circumstances, I deeply missed gathering with friends and family and sharing food, fun and laughter with them. Here in my neck of the woods, there is no better way to send off the summer than to have a good old fashioned low country boil. 🍤 🥔 🌽

But what do you do when you can’t gather as a group for a low country boil like you used to? You simply scale down on the ingredients just a tad and make Low Country Boil Foil Packs in the oven or on the grill!

Quality ingredients are key when making a low boil, so I choose @littlepotatoco fresh Creamer potatoes from @walmart to use in mine. They're evenly sized and cook quickly, so the cook time for these foil packs is cut down substantially. 🙌🏻

I'm sharing all the details on these low country boil foil packs on the blog now. Link in bio! #easylittlepotato #CreamerPotatoes #LittlePotatoes #LittlePotatoCompany

https://www.southernmadesimple.com/low-country-boil-foil-packs/

southernmadesimple

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Sep 17

#Ad As summer fades into fall, I’ve been finding new ways to utilize fall and winter produce into my cooking. This recipe for Butternut Squash Meatball Stroganoff is a fun fall-inspired twist on a favorite classic dish, and it comes together in about 30 minutes! 🙌🏻🍝

While the butternut squash noodles are a shining star in this recipe, the real MVPs are the #CarandoMeatballs. They're fresh, use premium Italian ingredients and are loaded with robust flavors that make this dish feel extra sophisticated. Swipe to see more! @carandomeats #Carando #IC

I'm showing you how to make it on the blog today - link in bio!

https://www.southernmadesimple.com/butternut-squash-meatball-stroganoff/

#southernmadesimple #southernmade #southernfood #alabamablogger #butternutsquash #stroganoff #foodielife #foodstagram #instafood #foodlovers #foodpost #foodcoma #homemade #homecooking #foodiecrew #goodeats #instayum #foodgram #ontheblog #eatingforthegram #foodstagram #foodblogger #foodpics #recipe #foodphotography #getinmybelly

southernmadesimple

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Sep 15

There is no southern delicacy finer than fresh boiled peanuts. Some may challenge me on that notion, but I guess everyone is entitled to their own 𝘸𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨 opinion every now and then.⁣
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Seeing a hand painted sign on the side of the road that says "Fresh Boiled P-Nuts" ignites a knee-jerk reaction in nearly all southerners to pull over right away and buy a sack or two. I'm pretty sure it's embedded in our DNA or something.⁣
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A sack of boiled peanuts and a Dr. Pepper is all I need to be happy, I'm pretty sure. And once you crack one open, you can't just have 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 37 of them. You keep eating them until you hear the whispers of your ancestors say "Enough, my child" in a thick southern accent. It's true.⁣
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I once met a fellow Alabamian a few years ago who told me she didn't like boiled peanuts. She said they were slimy, salty and weird. She's been on the prayer list at church ever since. Y'all remember her during this time.⁣
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Harvest season is finally here, and if you're lucky enough to get your hands on some fresh green peanuts, I'm showing you how to make boiled peanuts in half the time using an Instant Pot on the blog this morning. Link in bio! ⁣
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https://www.southernmadesimple.com/instant-pot-boiled-peanuts/⁣
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#southernmadesimple #alapeanuts #peanuts #boiledpeanuts #peanutproud #peanut #peanutpause #welovepeanuts #farmingfeeds #eatmorepeanuts #thisisalabama

southernmadesimple

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Sep 14

Goodbye. Adios. Sayonara. Peace out. Deuces. ✌🏻

Another milestone reached. I’m one proud mama!

I cloth diapered both of my babies. It was an unconventional route, but I loved it. I went through and found some of my all time favorite photos of Laken with her fluff. That youngin could give the BEST over the shoulder smile I’ve ever seen. And her rolls could’ve put Sister Schubert’s out of business, I’m telling you. Swipe to see!😍

Here’s to rushing to the potty every 13 minutes because they never have to pee at a convenient time. The fun has just begun! 💯

southernmadesimple

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Sep 13

Happy National Peanut Day! These girls were surprised with a truckload FULL of peanuts straight from their great uncle’s farm in Hartford, AL. (Swipe to see the mountain of peanuts we had to pick!) 🥜

I remember circling around the truck and picking peanuts all the time as kid. It was great to see them get to slow down a bit do the same thing with their grandmother, who was raised by a peanut farmer. #peanutpause @al.peanuts @peanutinstitute

Stay tuned, boiled peanuts will be on the blog soon!

#nationalpeanutday #peanuts #alabamapeanuts #southernmadesimple

southernmadesimple

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Sep 12

Enterprise, AL was a great place to grow up. Still is, best I can tell. But when I left here at 18, I only wanted this place to be a memory. Coming back here is still uncomfortable for me.

If you’re from the southeastern states, you may remember years ago when a tornado ripped through the high school here, killing 8 students and 1 adult. I was 16 and a junior at that high school, and I felt every wretched moment of that tornado blasting through the building. Wretched doesn’t even describe it. Sometimes, I can still feel it.

For 11 years I minimized my trauma. I told myself the things I saw and felt didn’t hold a candle to what others have been through, and therefore it was silly of me to feel the way I felt. Then one day I got up the courage to go and talk to someone about it. I shuddered when I heard the words “PTSD” because it only confirmed what I already knew. I didn’t think I was even worthy of that diagnosis, almost as if that was only something reserved for war veterans or something.

Trauma recovery is often a life sentence, but through my recovery I’ve learned that that’s not a bad thing at all. Trauma rips through your life and can leave a path of destruction, just like that tornado did. But then the rebuilding process comes. Newness emerges, and new life comes forth. Recovery from trauma in your life isn’t easy, but please know you are worthy of breaking free from its chains and living a happy life.

This weekend I finally felt ready to visit the memorial where the tornado hit. My girls and I are standing roughly in the same location that I sat 13 years ago when my life changed.

And look at what new life has come from the rubble in my life. Two beautiful girls. A handsome fella. I fought through many trauma triggers to walk out to this place, but I did it.

And I’m better for it. And I’m getting better every day.

southernmadesimple

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Sep 12

My trip to the grocery store yesterday afternoon confirmed to me that pumpkin spice everything is fully here and summer is dead..at least in the eyes of marketers.⁣
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I have a background in marketing. This is 100% how it's 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘥 to be right now. I get it completely. But while I was fighting the urge to throw it all in my buggy (I caved at the pumpkin spice cinnamon rolls...my self control was gone when I saw those) I almost felt like I was in mourning a little bit.⁣
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Because even though I love the fall season, Alabama doesn't operate on those timetables. Alabama takes its sweet time bringing in cooler weather, and I love that. Slow and steady.⁣
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So frankly, I just feel a little weird eating pumpkin-spice-everything when it still feels like summer outside, minus the extreme humidity. That at least has calmed down a little bit.⁣
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So today I'm going to savor the flavors of summer one more time. A blueberry cheesecake parfait sounds good. And a tomato sandwich. I might even make a little lemonade. I normally embrace changes, but I'm just not ready to say goodbye to summer right now.

southernmadesimple

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Sep 12

My Ooey Gooey Cinnamon Sausage Pull Apart bread is making our Saturday morning extra sweet today. If you have canned cinnamon rolls hanging out in your fridge, you're going to want to try this recipe! 😍⁣
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Recipe is linked in the bio⁣
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https://www.southernmadesimple.com/cinnamon-sausage-pull-apart-bread/

southernmadesimple

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Sep 10

I'll never forget the first time I had a Jim 'N Nick's cheddar muffin. ⁣
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If you know, then you know. Life doesn't stink when there's a basket of those sitting in front of you.⁣
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I'm oversharing about my first time trying one, plus sharing a copycat recipe on the blog now! Link in bio 😉⁣
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https://www.southernmadesimple.com/sweet-cheddar-cheese-muffins-a-jim-n-nicks-copycat-recipe/

southernmadesimple

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Sep 9

Did your mother ever tell you when you were growing up not to eat your food with your hands? I mean, obviously there are exceptions. No one in their right mind would eat potato chips with a fork. But spaghetti? I'm sure eating that at the dinner table without a fork was a no-go for her.⁣
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But I found a way to eat spaghetti with my hands, y'all. I did it. I'm living my childhood dream. Don't mind me. I'm just over here striking up a dinner time revolution for kids all across the world who were told eating spaghetti with their hands was too messy. ⁣
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For all the kids sitting at the dinner table tonight feeling sad that you can't dig in with your hands, I raise this perfectly portioned spaghetti and meatball cup in your honor. Never quit chasing your dreams.⁣
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Someday you might be a 30 year old grown up showing people on the internet how to eat spaghetti with your hands just like me. It's a pretty cool job, and my mom is still proud of me most of the time. 😉🍝⁣
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You can grab the recipe for these Spaghetti and Meatball Cups on the blog now!⁣
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https://www.southernmadesimple.com/spaghettibombs/⁣
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#southernmadesimple #southernmade #southernfood #alabamablogger #foodielife #foodstagram #instafood #foodlovers #foodpost #foodcoma #homemade #homecooking #foodiecrew #hangry #goodeats #instayum #foodgram #ontheblog #eatingforthegram #foodstagram #foodblogger #foodpics #recipe #foodphotography #getinmybelly

southernmadesimple

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Sep 8

I made these Nesquik Brownies a lot for my husband and I when we first got married. We budgeted every dollar we had very meticulously that first year so we could tackle our student loan debt. I took up couponing as a hobby to stretch our grocery bill (I had it down to $60 a 𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘩.) These days I can walk past a grocery store and lose $60 without even lifting a finger. Times were different then. 😂⁣
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Anyway, during one of my couponing adventures I wound up with 15 canisters of Nesquik that I got for free. It was amazing. It didn't take long for us to get tired of drinking chocolate milk, though, so I started experimenting with using it in place of cocoa powder in recipes. My first attempt was using it in a brownie recipe, and now I'll never reach for the cocoa powder when making brownies from scratch ever again. 👌⁣
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If you're looking for a 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 brownie recipe, grab the Nesquik and get to baking! Recipe linked in bio ⁣
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https://www.southernmadesimple.com/nesquik-brownies/

southernmadesimple

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Sep 7

Here’s to hoping your Labor Day is filled with good food, fun, rest, and appropriate social distancing because there is still a pandemic going on. 😉💙

And to those of you who are unable to rest today because of your work, be it a front line worker in healthcare, retail, food service, childcare, etc. You are the backbone that helps keep this country moving, and you are in my heart and on my mind today. Happy Labor Day to all! 🇺🇸

Except those people that continue to call me about my car warranty or to tell me I’ve won a cruise. Y’all need to go sit down.

southernmadesimple

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Sep 6

T got her ears pierced earlier in the summer, and today was the day she could take out her starter earrings and put in new ones.

Naturally she chose the most gaudy (but still adorable...I guess) ones Claire’s had. Huge puffy purple pom pom earrings! I love my girl.

And Go Trojans! ⚔️

southernmadesimple

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Sep 6

Before the pandemic started, we ate dinner after church at our Mema's house every single Sunday. For my husband, that meant basically every Sunday of his life. We miss our Mema and being gathered around her table 𝘴𝘰 much.⁣
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In the meantime, Sunday dinners are made in my kitchen. Today I'm making Cajun dirty rice. It's one of my favorite comfort foods. Mema doesn't make Cajun or Creole dishes, but making dirty rice from scratch is a labor of love, and it reminds me of how much love she's put into all those meals she's made for us over the years. I can't wait sit around her table again. ⁣
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Recipe is linked in the bio⁣
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https://www.southernmadesimple.com/cajun-dirty-rice/

southernmadesimple

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Sep 5

Me: Laken! Did you color on my wall?!

Her: *Responds with this look*

Red headed firecracker to the bone.

southernmadesimple

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Sep 5

Alright, before I say anything about these muffins, I need you to do something for me. This is serious business, folks. ⁣
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Hold out your pinky. We're about to do a pinky promise, okay? So if that makes you uncomfortable, keep on truckin'. ⁣
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Repeat after me: I (𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘭 𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘦) do solemnly swear that I will not tell Laura’s 5 year old daughter that these muffins contain a vegetable. I realize that in doing so I am jeopardizing the peace and harmony that Laura experiences at the breakfast table each time she prepares these muffins, and the 𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘵 thing 2020 needs is a stealer of the peace.⁣
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𝘗𝘩𝘦𝘸. Okay, I feel better. ⁣
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Maybe that's a little dramatic, but as I said earlier...this is serious business. I had to do some 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴 story-telling to get my daughter to eat them. I know, I know. 𝘚𝘩𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘰𝘯 𝘮𝘦. But as far as anyone is concerned, these are "Magic Sparkle Unicorn Muffins" and the "orange stuff" (aka butternut squash) she saw Mama put in the batter is made purely out of the happiest of unicorn dreams. And that's what makes them magical. And delicious. 𝘊𝘢𝘱𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘦?⁣
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Anyway, back to the muffins. They're Butternut Squash Muffins with a cinnamon-sugar crumble. They're amazing. If you like pumpkin-y things, you'll like these. Both of my daughters love them, and I love people who don't break pinky promises. 👌⁣
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Recipe is live on the blog this morning - link in bio!⁣
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https://www.southernmadesimple.com/butternut-squash-muffins/

southernmadesimple

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Sep 4

Every Southerner ever: “And Lord, bless this food to the nourishment of our bodies, and our bodies to Your service, Amen.” - Almost always said over something that is definitely not going to nourish our bodies. 😂

But Lord, your blessings are so abundant. Thank you for the beautiful people in Evergreen, Alabama who make this blessed sausage. And thank you for not letting the saturated fat count when we pray over it. It’s about to go down in my kitchen. 🙌🏻 #blessedbethesausage #conecuhsausage #theonlysausage #shoplocal

southernmadesimple

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Sep 3

I have a confession. I've already bought a pack of candy corn. For years I would grumble and mumble about the stores stocking it so early. "Nobody is buying this stuff in August!" I'd always say. 🙄⁣
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And here I am. Eating candy corn. Biting the white part off first, then the yellow part, then the orange. Just like the good Lord intended it.⁣
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But truthfully, I bought it to get a head start on my Halloween content for the blog. Not because I really want to eat it. Yup, that's the story I'm going with. That's what I'm telling myself. ⁣
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The page views on these candy corn cookies I made a few years back are currently blowing up, which means I'm absolutely not alone in my early consumption of candy corn. They're soft, chewy, and a great way to use up that 5lb bag you impulsively bought!⁣
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I'll probably share this once more before Halloween, but go ahead and save it now so you can come back to it soon!⁣
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Recipe is linked in the bio! (Read the instructions carefully, candy corn will turn into stained glass in the oven if not properly covered with the cookie dough before baking!) 😉⁣
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https://www.southernmadesimple.com/candy-corn-cookies/

southernmadesimple

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Sep 2

I had been using a hand spiralizer for years. During the summer months I frequently make zucchini or squash noodles to use in place of regular pasta, and because yellow squash and zucchini are so easy to cut into, a hand spiralzer works just fine.⁣
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But then my husband bought me a spiralizer attachment for my Kitchen Aid, and that thing is no joke. Game changer. Miracle Worker. Super hero. It's my jam. Butternut squash is a booger to cut into. I could never make butternut squash noodles with my hand spiralizer because the squash is so thick, but the Kitchen Aid spiralizer could handle it. But in all transparency, it still needed a little finagling. Butternut squash is just hard to work with, but once it got going, I had noodles in no time!⁣
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Stay tuned for an upcoming recipe with these boodles (that's short for butternut squash noodles. I love it.) I've already got a few things up my sleeve! ⁣
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And if you're unsure about the Kitchen Aid spiralizer attachment because of the sticker price, I'm here to tell you it's worth every penny. Get one!

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