What’s weird about this is that I am a sugar and grits kind of girl… always have been. However after hearing so much about the corn grits at Zea’s Rotisserie I decided to try them a few weeks ago when I went for my bestfriend’s birthday.

OH-EM-GEE I fell in love… so rich and buttery… just good!!

After mulling over ordering them to go today, I thought maybe I’d see about making them at home. So I looked up this recipe and they came out so good. I keep taking bites of them even though I’m full as a tick.

[of course there are some substitutions to make it a little easier]

Ingredients
2 cups water
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup yellow grits [I couldn't find them so I used regular Quaker instant grits]
1/2 pound butter
1 tablespoon salt
1 ear grilled corn, kernels removed [I used one can of corn and sauteed them in butter]

Directions
Bring liquids to a boil. Stir in grits. Add butter. Cook at simmer until thickened [about 10 minutes with instant grits]. At end, stir in corn.

This recipe makes enough for a small army so next time I think I’ll cut it in half.

Soooooo yum! Enjoy!

I am a sucker for chicken tortilla soup and with the winter cold here, I am all about simple soups that I can make to keep me warm. This is one that even my picky Mini Me loves.

Super simple, and muy yummy!!

However, I have to make it my own and so my version is more like 5 cans and a pack of my fave boneless, skinless chicken thighs. I like dark meat.

• 1 (15 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
• 2 (14.5 ounce) cans chicken broth
• 1 (10 ounce) can chunk chicken (a package of chicken thighs)
• 1 (15 ounce) can black beans
• 1 (10 ounce) can Rotel diced tomatoes with green chile peppers, drained
• Cumin
• Chili Powder

1. Season your chicken thighs (I prefer good ol’ Tony Chachere) and bake until fully cooked on 350 F. (or skip to step 2)

2. Open the cans of corn, chicken broth, black beans, and diced tomatoes with green chilies (and can of chicken).

3. Pour everything into a large saucepan or stock pot. Season to taste with cumin and chili powder.

4. Simmer over medium heat until it’s heated through. Usually about 20-30 minutes.

I top mine with shredded cheese, tortilla chips and sour cream.

Yum.

Hello World! Been a few days since I’ve posted anything… been on a bit of a personal vacay and shopping! I’ve been on a make up binge lately and trying a lot of products that I’ve been wanting to check out.

Two product lines that I just recently picked up were NYX and L’Oreal’s H.i.P. I’ve heard a lot about NYX, so I went on over to ULTA and racked up on a few eyeshadows and jumbo eyeshadow pencil. I wanted to make a list of colors for my wishlist so I logged on to the NYX website and the first thing that caught my eye was “Items On Sale” CLICK! There are 4 sets that all 80% off including this great set of eye shadows. There are 43 colors for $43! Each color retails for $5 each so this is an absolute steal!

The colors are preset but it’s  a great diversity of colors. They are current going fast and are only offering 250 more sets, so if you want it you better jump on it! Check it out.

Now L’Oreal’s H.i.P. line has been around for some time but I just never got around to picking any up other than the lip gloss. So since they were buy one get one free at ULTA, I figured this was a good time to go ahead and try it out. I picked up 4 of the Color Truth Cream Liners and 4 of the Shocking Shadow Pigments. I have never used loose pigment but it was a lot less complicated than I thought.

I’m also wearing the NYX Lip Gloss with Mega Shine in “African Queen” in vlog.

NYX can also be purchased at Nonpareil Boutique (currently has 20% off sitewide ending 3/20) and Cherry Culture for less than retail for some items.

Hope you enjoy the blog, I know it’s a little long but I had a lot to show you guys.

I got J. Holiday’s “Don’t Go” in the background, his new album Round 2 is really good!

I love anything with gravy, I usually do smothered pork chops but I had a taste for some good smothered chicken. So I found this great recipe on FoodTV.com from Patti LaBelle, which I knew could only be great coming from Patti Patti! It came out yummmmmy! See my notes for a more novice chef approach.

One 3 1/2-pound chicken, rinsed and cut into 8 pieces
1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 medium onions, chopped
2 medium celery ribs, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
3 cups chicken broth

Season the chicken with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Place the flour in a large bowl. Roll the chicken in the flour to coat, shaking off excess flour. Transfer 3 tablespoons of the flour to a medium bowl and set aside.

In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook, turning halfway during cooking, until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a plate and set aside.

Pour off all but 3 tablespoons of the oil from the skillet. Reduce the heat to medium. Add the onions, celery, and garlic and cook, stirring often, until tender, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle with the reserved flour and stir well. Gradually stir in the broth and bring to a simmer.

Return the chicken to the skillet. Reduce the heat to low. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is cooked through and shows no sign of pink when pierced at the bone, about 35 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a deep platter and cover with foil to keep warm. Bring the sauce to a boil over high heat and cook, stirring often, until thickened, about 5 minutes. Season the gravy with salt and pepper and pour over the chicken. Serve hot.

Melody’s Note: I don’t cut and clean chicken… I just used packaged drumsticks and thighs. As for the onion, celery and garlic I use my PictSweet seasoning instead, it’s quick, less messy and is probably less costly than fresh. If you use onions just for cooking like me, then this is a great buy.