(relax, breathe...they won't bite)

The part of Rachel will be played today by…Deanna

(hi!)

So there was this storm…A storm that knocked out Rachel’s internet. Like COMPLETELY. So she asked me to step in for her today, and I just hope I don’t wreck the place. (it’s ok, cause I’m her blog designer too)

Speaking of, we are working on a new look for A Southern Fairytale – a little new paint, some new decorations…it will be fabulous!

But you didn’t come here to listen to me ramble – you want to share some recipes!  I’ll be visiting as many of you as I can, and hopefully Rachel will be back by Tuesday!

This beautiful, buttery, cinnamon and brown sugar filled Southern Classic – Sock It To Me Cake – is Nathan’s favorite cake.

It is the one he requests for every birthday.

This year, Monkey and Princess helped me make Nathan’s birthday cake.

I love passing family recipes on to my kids, watching their eyes take in the tattered and stained recipe cards, the smells the same ones that I remember from my own childhood.

With this cake, we even had a milestone reached.

Monkey finally mastered cracking eggs into the bowl without getting eggshells in the bowl!!!

Look! Even the eggs were happy!

This cake is so simple to make – it starts with a boxed cake mix – as so many delicious Southern recipes do and the rich buttery flavor is enhanced by cinnamon, brown sugar, walnuts and even sour cream.  Y’all should have seen Princess’ face when I told her there was sour cream in this cake

Oh.. Wait..

Here it is -

After the gifts were presented and a few tears shed by a very touched and proud Daddy,  the cake was served and declared the best one yet – which is saying A LOT – as I’ve been making this cake for Nathan for over 13 years.

I hope y’all try out this southern and family favorite recipe!

A few favorites from last week’s linky

• Chickpea Salad with Grilled Pita Bread
• Cinnamon Raisin Oatcakes
• Tamale Cups
• Fried Green Beans
• Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms

Thank y’all for linking up your amazing recipes every week.  I love seeing what y’all are serving your friends and families!  You often inspire my own table and definitely leave me hungry!

Don’t forget to visit and comment on a few other participants, link back to A Southern Fairytale and Mouthwatering Mondays in your recipe post and leave a comment after you link up, I love hearing from y’all!

Happy Monday!

Happy Monday, y’all!

I don’t have a recipe for y’all today – mainly because my internet has been out since Thursday and I’m writing this while sitting in a restaurant borrowing the internet.

AT&T is trying to figure out why our router is giving us so many issues, hopefully we’ll have it all wonderful and back in working order soon.

Instead of me sharing and then y’all sharing — I’m asking that y’all share not only your recipes, but your thoughts, ideas and opinions with me.

I want to make my site the best that it can be – the lovely Deanna is hard at work this week redesigning A Southern Fairytale – YAY! and along with the new look, I want to know what else I can do for y’all to make A Southern Fairytale better.

One of my favorite things that I added in 2011 is the ZipList plug-in which allows y’all to save recipes to a custom recipe box, use those recipes to create grocery lists and makes the recipes very easily printable. I love, love, love Ziplist and so many of my favorite food bloggers are using it as well: Two Peas and Their Pod, Buns In My Oven, Baked Bree,  Recipe Girl and so many more.…

Here’s my question:  Do y’all like the big picture in the printable recipe, a smaller picture, no picture at all?

I would love to hear what y’all think and what y’all would like to see!

Please share with me!  Share any thoughts you have!

What would y’all like to see more of?  More appetizers, more main dish, more veggies, more beverages, more stories about the family, more about photography?

What things are you absolutely craving to see more of from me?

Okay – now — it’s y’all’s turn to share your recipes and your ideas GO

** I am not paid by or sponsored by ZipList – I just love it**

A Few Favorites From Last Week

• Vanilla Bean and Cherry Swirled Icebox cookies
• Quinoa Nuggets with Chipotle Cream Sauce
• Bacon, Blue Cheese, and Cherry Stuffed Mushrooms
• Spicy Thai Butternut Squash Soup

Dear Ones,

I’d like y’all to say hello to someone.

It’s time y’all say Hello to a new kind of Breakfast Dish – That little beauty dripping with caramelized sugars and pecans is White Lily Flour’s Caramel Pecan Biscuit Bake

Would y’all like another introduction?

You’re welcome.

This isn’t your typical Breakfast Bake, it doesn’t have a cake base – this little beauty has a Southern Biscuit base made with White Lily’s Self Rising Flour

This recipe intrigued me.

White Lily Flour is the ONLY flour that my Dad uses to make his Beaten Biscuits – a Southern delicacy unlike any other.

However.  HOWEVER.

Biscuits at breakfast, not something unusual in the South.  However… biscuits in the South not topped with gravy, biscuits in the south not stuffed with Country Ham or slathered with homemade jam …. what is this Southern blasphemy you speak of? {wink, wink}
Well let me tell y’all, my biscuits and gravy loving’ Southern husband – devoured two pieces of this and declared it ‘damn good’.

Monkey and Princess both had two pieces and when I came back to cover the baking dish after breakfast, it was fairly evident some little fingers had been helping themselves to more.

This dish is messy and gooey and crunchy and sweet and downright yummy. The biscuit base is a bit of a surprise if you’re expecting a sweet cake style base, and I have to admit – we really liked it.

This recipe today is in conjunction with a giveaway that I partnered with White Lily flour to bring y’all.  I have received product compensation for my time and talents.

Stay Tuned!  I have a Giveaway that involves White Lily Flour – a Cuisinart Hand Mixer – and yumminess on Thursday! Make sure that you’re a subscriber to my blog and following me on Twitter so you don’t miss out!

Favorites From Last Week

• Amy’s Roasted Shrimp with Rosemary and Thyme
• Elsa’s Roasted Brussel Sprouts with Cranberries and Balsamic Reduction
• Mary’s Cake Batter Bark
• Michelle’s Tomato Avocado Salad

Thank y’all for linking up every Monday and sharing the fun of Mouthwatering Mondays with others through your comments, linking back in your posts and visiting each other! Can’t wait to see what y’all have in store for us this week!

I was trying to create a pretty slideshow for y’all filled with some of the highlights from the past two years worth of Handmade Holidays Posts.
There are SO many yummy treats!

Like these gorgeous Christmas Light Cookies from Bridget

and these Homemade Chocolate Dipped Marshmallows from Katie

and these delicious Sugar and Spice Candied Nuts by Karly

and these Homemade Peanut Butter Cups by Liz

Just to give y’all a few ideas of some delicious things that y’all can make and share for the holidays, however, I’m apparently not savvy enough to figure out the plug-in.  Sorry!

You can find more ideas on my Recipe Page under Desserts, though!  And trust me when I tell you, those ladies have more major deliciousness on their blogs, too!

What are your favorite treats to make and give?  I’d love the hear about them!

Thanks for linking up with Mouthwatering Mondays.  Y’all’s recipes are always delicious and inspiring!

Don’t forget to leave a comment saying Hi – your favorite recipe or just whatever pops into your head!

Visit at least 3 other participants, you won’t be sorry

And link back here in your post so that others can join in on the fun!

Good Morning, y’all!

If you’re looking for inspiration and more delicious Thanksgiving recipes, I have a whole round-up over here.

Including a Cranberry Relish from Christy, of Southern Plate and a to die for Sweet Potato Casserole from the queen of cuisine, Jessi, from the delicious To Kiss The Cook and to finish it off – an Apple Galette that had me dying to dive through the computer screen and transport myself to Maria’s kitchen.

I can’t wait to see what deliciousness y’all have in store for me today!  So, on with linky!!

Want this recipe?

Pumpkin Pie {spice} Doughnut Muffins

Link up your recipes here and then go get the recipe and see this month’s challenge here.

Happy Mouthwatering Monday, y’all!

I love making my own seasonings, being able to control the salt, heat, savoriness, sweetness – etc.

Down here in Texas we eat a lot of black beans and steaks, tacos, fajitas, taco salads, nachos, quesadillas, tostadas – so a staple of almost every kitchen I’ve ever been in is Taco Seasoning.  You know, those little packets that you dump in, add water and simmer.

Well, over the past year it became one of my challenges to myself to find and perfect a taco seasoning that I could make at home and in doing so, control the amount of salt and preservatives.

Behold one of my new favorite recipes, homemade taco seasoning!

When Nathan and I decided to try The 17 Day Diet one of the things that challenged me was introducing my steak and potatoes boy to new choices like ground turkey and getting him to not only eat it, but like it.

My homemade taco seasoning was my secret weapon

Made with Comino – Crushed Red Pepper Flakes – Garlic Powder – Coriander – Oregano and more – this taco seasoning is easy, colorful, delicious and wonderful.

Did I mention ridiculously delicious?

Later this week, I’ll share the Turkey Taco Salad recipe that completely won Nathan over.

For today, y’all are getting the secret to that recipe’s success – my Homemade Taco Seasoning

I can’t thank y’all enough for sharing your recipes every Monday.  I love seeing what y’all are cookin’ up, sharing with friends and family and watching new friendships develop through the weekly linky.  Thank you for inspiring me, making me drool and being such a yummy group of foodies!

Happy Halloween, y’all!

In honor of the frightening theme of today – I lost my recipe post

So, I’ll post a recipe tomorrow and visit all y’all’s linked up deliciousness, too!

Happy Halloween!

Hope you get tons of Treats and very few Tricks!

I love spices and I love making my own seasoning mixes.

Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay back in the beginning of my blogging days I shared my Simple Seasoning mix with y’all.

With the recent weight loss that Nathan and I’ve experience 35 pounds and 23 pounds we’ve been doing much, much more cooking at home and relying on homemade seasoning mixes (with the exception of my favoritest seasoning mix from Zatarains)and I realized it was time to share that spice mix again, since we’ve made a much reduced salt version of it.

Isn’t my molcajete pretty! 

Even if I’m not grinding fresh herbs and spices I like to mix my seasoning blends in my molcajete to help season it.

WHAT is a molcajete, you ask?  Stay tuned, the what’s and how-to’s of a molcajete will come later this week.

On to the homemade meat seasoning!

Blend – Salt, Onion Powder, Garlic Powder, Smoked Paprika, Cayenne, White Pepper, Black Pepper, Cinnamon and Cumin

The amount of cayenne that I list is what works for us, if your family isn’t full of native Texans or you are worried about the spice factor – start small, it’s much easier to add than take away.

I love all the recipes that y’all share every Monday, they inspire me, delight me and make me drool! Share a recipe from your own blog, leave a comment, link back and make sure to visit some of the other participants.