Three Jerks Jerky | and a giveaway!

The great guys over at Three Jerks Jerky sent us some beef jerky to try out. Mike LOVES beef jerky, so I knew he'd be excited to try out jerky  made from filet mignon. You guys, it is so good! Mike likes the original best, but I preferred the Memphis BBQ flavor. It has a smokey, delicious flavor that is just hot enough without being too hot. If you love beef jerky, you really need to try Three Jerks Jerky! 

 

Father's Day is coming up! Want to win a 3-pack of Three Jerks Jerky for Dad? Leave a comment on this post by this Friday, June 5th. Winner will be chosen and announced on our Facebook page on Saturday, June 6th. 

 
Good luck!
 

A Year with Six Sisters' Stuff

Do you struggle with meal planning?  I definitely do. I plan meals but end up doing something different at the last minute that doesn't require as much effort. This momma is TIRED!   That's why I was so excited when Michelle at Shadow Mountain Publishing sent me an early copy of the new book from Six Sisters' Stuff - A Year with Six Sisters' Stuff: 52 Menu Plans, Recipes and Ideas to Bring Families Together.  The book offers menu planning, a list of pantry staples, a food storage plan for beginners, and craft ideas. It also has something to keep the family communicating during meals - 52 dinner conversation starters.  I love that idea, as the art of good dinner conversation sometimes seems to be a thing of the past. 

The recipes are featured in a ’52 Menu Plan’ format that groups three dishes together for a delicious meal. You can mix and match the recipes to suit your family's taste and needs.  There's a good variety of recipes and nothing is too challenging. The Honey-Lime Chicken Enchiladas have become a fast favorite at our house, along with oatmeal scotchies, one of my favorite cookies.

Are you ready to add this book to your own collection? You can buy it here or I'm offering a lucky reader a chance win a copy of their very own. Here's how to win...

1. Like The Hillbilly Chicks on Facebook and leave a comment. 

2. Follow The Hillbilly Chicks on Instagram and leave a comment.

Contest ends Friday, April 18th. Random winner will be drawn and notified via email. Good luck! 

Fabulous Forty | A Giveaway

Michelle at Shadow Mountain Publishing sent me two more copies of Six Sisters' Stuff for my Fabulous Forty giveaway.  I've been using this cookbook a lot since I received a preview copy back in March. The recipes are quick, relatively healthy and delicious. I've made the danish so many times I don't even need to look at the recipe now. 

Do you want to win a copy? Here's how... Just follow/like The Hillbilly Chicks on Facebook and Instagram. Contest ends Sunday, April 28th. Random winners will be drawn and announced on Monday, so be sure to check in.  

Coming Up Next Week...
:: Healthy Surprise
:: Goodwill Finds
:: Scones
:: Currently and/or Q&A

peach cobbler muffins

I finally got around to trying a recipe from The Back in the Day Bakery Cookbook, my new favorite.  I was so excited to try these because peach cobbler is a favorite dessert for both me and my mom.  These muffins were easy to make and had a pretty good flavor but they just didn’t {wow} me. They were a little dry, even after adding a bit of extra buttermilk and they didn’t have enough sweetness for me. That said, they did indeed remind me of cobbler.  And they got Landon’s seal of approval – he LOVED them.

If I try these again, I think I’ll used canned peaches and add a bit of the syrup to the batter or increase the amount of sugar. They are definitely good enough to get a second chance.

Peach Cobbler Muffins

The Back in the Day Bakery Cookbook

Makes 12 muffins

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon baking powder,  preferably aluminium-free

1 teaspoon baking soda1 teaspoon fine sea salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3/4 cup granulated sugar 

1 cup  buttermilk

5 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 large egg

3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract

1-1/2 cups peeled, cubed (1/2-inch cubes) fresh or unthawed frozen peaches 

Turbinado sugar for sprinkling

Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray 12 large muffin cups with oil spray or line them with paper muffin cups. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, soda, salt, cinnamon and granulated sugar. In another bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, oil, egg, vanilla and almond extract. Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Gently fold in the peaches, using as few strokes as possible, be careful not to overmix. With a large ice cream scoop or spoon, scoop the batter into the prepared muffin cups, filing them approximately two-thirds full. Sprinkle the tops with turbinado sugar.  

Bake for 25-30 minutes, until the muffins are golden brown. The tops should be firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin should come out clean. Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes. Turn the muffins out of the pan and enjoy warm or at room temperature. The muffins can be stored in an airtight container for up to 2 days. 

Red Velvet Cheese Ball

I promised you a great recipe today and here it is... Are you ready for this? Red Velvet Cheese Ball! How did I not know about this?!? I HEART red velvet.  I came across this recipe last week when I was searching for a good red velvet brownie recipe and could not wait to try it. It's an original recipe from Taste and Tell and is showing up on pintrest now too.  It's easy to make and so pretty too.  I rolled mine in mini semi-sweet chocolate chips as the recipe instructs but think mini white chocolate chips would be great too. Try it soon and let me know what you think. 

Red Velvet Cheese Ball

8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups red velvet cake mix, dry
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup mini chocolate chiops
assorted cookies/crackers (Vanilla Wafers)

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add in the cake mix, brown sugar and powdered sugar. Beat until smooth and combined.

Turn the mixture out onto a piece of plastic wrap. Shape into a ball and refrigerate for at least two hours.

Put the chocolate chips on a plate or shallow dish. Remove cheese ball from the refrigerator and unwrap. Roll in the chocolate chips. Please on a serving plate and serve with cookies/crackers.

Note ~ the rolling-in-chocolate-chips step can be a bit messy. I kept the bottom in plastic wrap as I dipped/rolled and it worked fine. 

Taste of Summer

My friend Marcia brought me a tomato from her garden yesterday. It was hands-down the BEST tomato I've had all summer. You know the usual story - you pick the best and brightest tomato at the farmer's market, take it home and at first bite you're usually disappointed. Well, this tomato was nothing like that. I could actually tell as soon as I cut into it that it would be delicious. I sprinkled it with a bit of salt and...yum! I actually thought about that tomato several times last night and even told my mom how good it was. So I was extremely happy when Marcia brought me a bagful of tomatoes this morning, including a delicious orange-yellow one. I am one happy, tomato-lovin' girl! It doesn't really get much simpler than that. Thanks Marcia!!

A Feeding Frenzy

For those of you who know me well, you know one of my biggest fears is Landon choking on food. He used to get lots of little bites but I'm proud to say I'm doing better... Last night he had a whole cookie and earlier in the week he had whole saltine crackers. He's so proud of himself and that makes me smile.  He loves so many different foods right now and I hope it stays that way. A few of his favorite foods...peanut butter, turkey,  pasta, green beans, broccoli, chili, yogurt, apples, applesauce, baked potatoes and Cheez-It crackers. I can't wait to introduce him to more fresh fruits and vegetables this spring.

It's cold, rainy and very windy here today, but I can smell spring in the air. It's close & we're so excited.  And so you'll be excited too, I'm going to be announcing another giveaway next week. It's going to be great so be sure to check back.

Happy Weekend!