"Sweet Potato Bread with Marshmallow Glaze"

 

This recipe is one of the fun ways I have changed up traditional sweet potatoes and marshmallows on our holiday dinner table this year. This dish was a staple in our home when I was growing up and we always had marshmallows and pecans on our sweet potatoes, a tradition which I carry on as an adult in my home. I made a sweet potato bread with a marshmallow glaze. One of my Grandma Cleva's dear friends recently gifted with a bottle of Rodelle pure vanilla extract and I absolutely loved the quality and taste of this extract in my marshmallow frosting recipe. This makes a wonderful dessert and is perfect for a breakfast bread or fun holiday snack.

"Southern Fried Bride's Sweet Potato Bread with Marshmallow Glaze"

1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 large egg
1/2 cup no-sugar-added applesauce
1/4 cup nonfat or 2% milk
1 cup sweet potatoes, mashed

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat 9 x 5 loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray. In mixing bowl, combine flours, baking powder, cinnamon and sugar. Set aside. In separate bowl, combine  egg, milk and applesauce. Add dry ingredients to egg mixture in thirds until all of dry mix has been added. Stir in mashed sweet potatoes. Spoon batter into loaf pan. Bake for 1 hour or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Glaze, if desired, with marshmallow glaze. Enjoy!

 

"Southern Fried Bride's Marshmallow Glaze"

4 oz. light cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup marshmallow creme
1/2 tsp. Rodelle pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup powdered sugar

In mixing bowl, add cream cheese, marshmallow creme, vanilla and powdered sugar and mix on medium speed until mixture has a glaze consistency. Add powdered sugar and mix until well-combined. Pour glaze over sweet potato bread and garnish, if desired with 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon and 2 teaspoons chopped pecans. Slice and enjoy!

Recipe Corner: "Bountiful Zucchini Squash Quiche"

Are you making squash for Thanksgiving? This is a fun way to change up traditional squash on the holiday dinner table. I made an easy zucchini squash quiche that also is a perfect way to make use of leftover squash after holiday feasting. This recipe can be eaten immediately and does not have to be refrigerated overnight. It is great for breakfast, brunch, side dish and also for a fun meatless spin on lunch or dinner. It tastes great straight from the oven to the dinner table.

"Southern Fried Bride's Bountiful Zucchini Squash Quiche"

1 unbaked 9-inch pie crust (I used a whole wheat crust) 

5 egg whites

1/2 cup yellow squash, cooked and chopped

1/2 cup zucchini squash, cooked and chopped

1/2 cup shredded 2% cheese

1/4 teaspoon salt

Optional: 1/4 cup chopped onions


Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bake pie crust according to package directions. Line rim of crust with aluminum foil to avoid burnt crust edges. Remove baked pie crust from oven and place on cooling rack. In large bowl, whisk egg whites until well beaten. Stir in squash and cheese. Mix well. Add parsley and paprika. Stir until well-combined. Pour into prepared pie crust. Bake 40-45 minutes or until quiche is golden brown in color. Enjoy!

Treat Two Day Free Card Campaign 2012

Treat is Shutterfly’s exciting new greeting card brand and according to the company, they are an easy way for people to create and send one-of-a-kind greeting cards. Treat cards are perfect for all kinds of occasions, including holidays, birthdays, weddings, thank yous and every occasion in between, including just because. It’s a fun and easy way to brighten the day of someone special in your life.

 

With the holiday season upon us, Treat is spreading cheer and spirit by giving people the chance to create a FREE personalized greeting card for someone special on their website today and tomorrow! You can let someone know you're thinking of them in a unique way with a custom card from Treat and you can even add a picture or pictures.

Whether it's saying thanks, wishing a friend or family member a happy birthday, or simply sharing the holiday cheer with a just because card, Treat lets you create a one-of-a-kind card that is sure to impress the recipient.

My husband and I chose to create an extra-special Christmas card for our Grandma Ruth, my husband's paternal grandmother who lives in New Jersey. She is 94 and such a blessing in our lives.

If you would like to create a free card during this two day event on Monday 11/19 and Tuesday 11/20, visit their website here and enter code TREATBLOGR at checkout for your free card. The card will then be sent to you to give or mail to the recipient. If you would like for them to mail it directly to the recipient, you will have to pay a postage fee at checkout. Because it is an ecommerce website, you will need to enter your credit/debit card number at checkout, but you will not be charged for the free card.

Did you personalize a card? I'd love to know which card you chose!

Disclaimer: I received a 20 Treat cards credit in exchange for this blog post. All opinions expressed in this blog are my own.

 

Veterans Day and Shutterfly's "Thank The Troops" Mission

As we observe another Veterans Day here in this great nation, I honor the memory of my beloved late maternal grandfather A.D. Woodard, Army veteran, WWII. As a young child, I was fascinated with his stories of being a WWII soldier far away from home. In the days before he met the love of his life, my Grandma Cleva, he was a young bachelor soldier serving in Europe and his loving sisters at home, Christine, Irene and Ledean, determined to send him some homemade treats in the mail across those many, many miles. I will always remember he told me that by the time the package made it to him, the treats were often in a pile of crumbs from the wear and tear of being mailed so many miles, but he said those crumbs tasted so good because they were sent with love from home. I was reminded of this story when Shutterfly contacted me to share about their American soldiers project. 

Today, there are over 1.5 million American troops serving all around the world. This holiday season, many of them will be overseas and away from their families. In a day and age where technology has made sending notes and packages to our heroes serving our nation so much easier, the Shutterfly company has an amazing mission: they would like to send a thank you card to every American hero and they would love your help and support in this great cause. By going to the "Thank the Troops" tab on their Facebook page, you can select a card from their 4 designs:

You can add your personal message or photo, and Shutterfly will print it and send your card at no cost to you! You can go directly to their "Thank The Troops" Facebook app here.

Disclaimer: Shutterfly provided me with a $50 discount code in exchange for sharing this program with my readers. All opinions expressed in this blog post are my own.

Food Bloggers For Sandy: Light n' Lively Chicken Pot Pie #FBS4Sandy

 

 

I joined the many who have been sending thoughts and prayers to those affected by Hurricane Sandy's wrath, but it has also been especially heartbreaking for me as an Oklahoma girl turned New Yorker with relatives in New Jersey and loved ones all along the East Coast. Here in northern NY, we received Sandy fallout weather of incredibly strong winds. Growing up in Oklahoma, I was all to familiar with strong winds that often came with storm and tornado warning weather. I truly had never been through anything like what my husband and I went through the night Sandy struck here on the East Coast. I am thankful to report that my husband and I are safe with no damage to our home and my in-laws in NY and NJ are all safe. So many here in this state and along the coast cannot report this same news to their friends and loved ones because their lives, homes, cars and belongings have been ravaged by Sandy's aftermath. I prayed non-stop for my loved ones in the path of this storm until they were all accounted for.
    
When fellow food bloggers Barb at Creative Culinary and Jenn at Jenn Cuisine  organized "Food Bloggers for Sandy", I was proud to join in this effort. Today each of us involved in this project are sharing a favorite comfort food recipe on our blog in support of those in the Northeast impacted by Hurricane Sandy, as well as sharing a direct link to the American Red Cross "Hurricane Sandy" donation website for those who would like to make a financial donation. I hope this effort manages, in some small way, to wrap the arms of the food blogging community around those who are in such need. 

For my comfort food recipe, I am sharing a favorite in my household that is a speedy and lightened-up version of a classic Southern favorite: chicken pot pie. A great way to make use of leftover chicken.

 

"Southern Fried Bride's Light n' Lively Chicken Pot Pie"

 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or leftover boneless, skinless chicken), cooked and chopped

1 (10.5 oz.) can reduced sodium cream of chicken soup

1 cup skim milk

1 (15 oz.) can "no salt added" mixed vegetables, drained

1 can "no salt added" sliced mushrooms, drained

1 (9-inch) refrigerated pie crust

 

Thaw frozen pie crust or place thawed crust at room temperature according to package directions in advance of preparing dish. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray 8 x 8 pan with cooking spray. In large bowl, add soup and milk. Stir until well-combined. Add chicken, mixed vegetables and mushrooms. Stir mixture well. Pour mixture into pan. Place unbaked pie crust on safe cutting surface and using a knife, pizza cutter or scallop-edged pastry wheel, cut crust dough into approximately 3/4 inch-wide strips from top to bottom. Place strips evenly apart from top to bottom. Seal edges of pie crust into pan. Place remaining strips evenly across the width of the pan. Bake 30-35 minutes, or until crust is golden brown in color. Remove from oven and allow to cool on heat-safe surface before serving. Enjoy!

 
The American Red Cross is near and dear to both mine and my husband's hearts. My husband was a Red Cross volunteer in New Orleans immediately following Hurricane Katrina. Since the beginning of the Sandy relief effort:

• More than 5,900 Red Cross workers have been assigned to operations from Virginia to Rhode Island, with the majority in Greater New York and throughout New Jersey.
• The Red Cross has provided more than 61,000 overnight shelter stays in more than 250 Red Cross shelters.
• More than 3.2 million meals and snacks have been served.
• The Red Cross has distributed more than 121,000 relief items such as clean-up kits and hygiene kits.

If you would like to make a financial donation, clicking on the link below will take you directly to the American Red Cross "Hurricane Sandy" donation website. You can also text the word “Redcross” to 90999 to make a $10 donation.

12 Weeks of Christmas Treats: "Pleasing Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies"

I am happy to be participating in Meal Planning Magic's "12 Weeks of Christmas Treats" blog hop. This week, I am sharing my recipe for a fun fall pumpkin cookie that has The Southern Fried Husband's official seal of approval.

"Pleasing Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies"
1/2 stick butter, softened

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup canned pumpkin

1/2 large egg

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

3/4 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray cookie sheet with nonstick spray or line with parchment paper. In large bowl, add butter and brown sugar. Beat together until creamy. Mix in pumpkin, egg and vanilla extract until well blended. In separate bowl, combine dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice and cloves. Mix well. Slowly add the dry mixture into the batter in three parts until all of dry mixture has been added. Gently stir in chocolate chips only long enough to blend in mixture. Scoop the cookie dough by heaping tablespoons onto cookie sheet and bake for 12-15 minutes, or until the cookies are browned around the edges. Remove cookie sheet from oven and let cool for 2 minutes before removing with a spatula onto cooling surface. Enjoy!

Shutterfly Holiday Cards 2012 Collection and a Giveaway!

The holidays are upon us, and I'm very happy to announce that I'm working with Shutterfly this year for their holiday campaign. My husband and I celebrate Christmas, and it's almost hard to believe we will be celebrating our second Christmas as husband and wife. It is a favorite tradition of mine to pick out just the right card design that represents us as a couple as we send our wishes to friends and loved ones. Shutterfly offers an amazing selection of Holiday Cards.
I also love seeing friends and loved ones who celebrate some of the other holidays of the season sharing their traditions and greetings. They have you covered for all the winter holidays to be celebrated in 2012 with an astounding 610 design possibilities!

Here are some of my favorites in this year's collection:

This card echoes the sentiment of one of my favorite songs of the season. I love the fonts and color combination of this design, "Wonderful Time Script".

This design reflects our Christian faith and a beloved Christmas carol I have loved since my childhood.

I am crazy about monograms. You will find them throughout our home. I was immediately drawn to this card design, "Classic Wreathed Monogram".

They have the cutest designs perfect for showcasing your treasured pets, such as "Peppermint Countdown".

They literally have every winter holiday covered with this cheery card, "Merry Everything".

They also have a wonderful selection of gift tags, address labels and other accessories.

I love the gingerbread cutie on this gift tag, "Ginger Kids Red".

This "Jolly Ribbons" address label has my favorite color combinations in a delightful design.

You can view their current special offers here and find them on a number of social media channels, including Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.

My friends at Shutterfly are sponsoring a fun holiday giveaway for one of you! One of you will win a promo code for $50 off of your total order (does not include shipping and cannot be combined with any other promos). To enter, leave a comment below telling me if you have a favorite Christmas or other winter holiday tradition. Entries close tonight at 10:00 pm EST. Good luck!

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post by Shutterfly. I received a promo code for the purpose of my honest feedback about their 2012 holiday card collection and a promo code giveaway prize for one of my readers. All opinions expressed in this blog post are my own.