Weekend Getaways and New Cities

Very recently my sister and her husband have moved up to Williamsburg, Kentucky. I was so excited when I found out that they were going to be only a mere 4 hours from me! So the first 3 day weekend Joel had off happened to fall on Valentine's day, so we made it a weekend trip to Knoxville (45 min. south of Williamsburg), to see my sister and Joel's best friend.

Of course our first stop had to be Wonderworks in Pigeon Forge!

I had never been to Wonder Works and had such a fun afternoon of hands on activities including rock wall climbing and roller coaster simulators! A definite "must-go" in my book!

I'm not sure what I was expecting, but Knoxville was not it. I was pleasantly surprised by the beautiful downtown and the fabulous shops and local restaurant! Friday evening we went out to eat with Joel's best friend to the Downtown Grill and Brewery. The interior was very industrial, which is something Joel and I love, with seating upstairs and downstairs.  The atmosphere was fun and the service and food was fantastic!

Inside the Downtown Grill and Brewery

Neither Joel's friend or his wife are coffee drinkers so our first stop Saturday morning was to Starbucks!

Then we headed to my Sister's In-laws to met up with her and my sweet nephew before heading to lunch downtown again!

Isn't he just the cutest!?

For lunch we went to Café 4 where they have a small bakery and serve Brunch. You can find their menu here. We all went for a breakfast theme. I had a delicious waffle with their "fruit of the day" topping, along with Greek yogurt with fresh strawberries.

Doesn't that make your mouth water????

I also got to spend some sweet quality time with this hunk o' chunck

He had pees and carrots for lunch.

We spent the afternoon doing some shopping here and there. Then we all met up for some line dancing that night at a local "Honky Tonk." I had know idea how to line dance when I walked in, but it was super easy to pick up and so much fun! It was a sweetheart dance that incorporated some slow dancing, so of course I pulled my sweetheart out with me!

On Sunday, we ended up having to leave earlier than expected because a big snow was coming in and we wanted to make it through Ashville and the mountains before it got too bad, BUT we met up with my sister one last time for lunch at Calhoun's on the River.

The atmosphere here was nice and the view was beautiful. With seating right on the river and skylights throughout you get a full experience of God's Creation. The food was delicious. I couldn't decide what I wanted to eat so, I ordered the Calhoun's Trio, that comes with ribs, Tennessee BBQ pork, and Chicken fingers along with a side of your choice. It was PHENOMENAL. You can find their menu here.

We headed back to NC early Sunday afternoon, but made sure we stopped for a mandatory ice cream date. Even in Sub-freezing temperatures:)

Our weekend was so much fun! I know we will be making a lot more trips to Knoxville as we visit my sister and explore the city. I just love doing life with my best friend and can't wait for the many more adventures to come!

Lasagna Lover's Soup

I am a soup girl. Chicken Noodle, Cheesy Potato, Regular Potato, Minestrone, Chili...... I  just love the cozy feel of soup on a cold day!  So when I found this recipe on Pinterest for a Lasagna Soup , I knew I had to make it! When my husband learned I was going to attempt to put Lasagna in soup form, he wasn't quite sure what to expect, but after his 3rd bowl I'm pretty sure he loved it;) This soup is the perfect winter soup that classifies as some serious comfort food! I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

Ingredients

2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil, divided

1 lb lean ground beef

garlic powder to taste

onion powder to taste

4 cups low-sodium chicken broth

1 (14.5 oz) can petite diced tomatoes

1 (14.5 oz) can crushed tomatoes

2 1/2 Tbsp tomato paste

1 3/4 tsp dried basil

3/4 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp dried rosemary, crushed

1/2 tsp fennel seeds, crushed

1/2 tsp dried thyme

1 tsp granulated sugar

1 1/2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley, plus more for garnish

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

8 lasagna noodles, broken into bite size pieces (6.5 oz)

1 1/4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (5 oz)

1/2 cup finely shredded parmesan cheese (2 oz)

8 oz ricotta cheese

Directions

Heat one tablespoon olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Once hot, crumble beef into pot, season with salt and pepper to taste and cook, stirring occasionally until browned. Drain fat from beef and set aside. In another pot  Add in chicken broth, diced tomatoes, crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, basil, oregano, rosemary, fennel seeds, thyme, sugar, parsley, the cooked ground beef and season with salt and pepper, garlic and onion powder  to taste. Bring just to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare lasagna noodles according to directions listed on package, reserving 1 cup pasta water before draining pasta.

Add cooked pasta to soup along with 1/2 cup - 1 cup pasta water as desired. In a mixing bowl, using a fork, stir together mozzarella, parmesan and ricotta.

Ladle soup into bowls, dollop with a large scoop of the cheese mixture and sprinkle with chopped parsley (you can help the cheese melt better by cooking in the microwave after dolloping over soup for a bit but mine melted and mixed just fine!)

General Tso's Chicken

I am not a big Asian food eater. I am always a little questionable at the meat and what they consider "real" meat. This annoys my husband, who LOVES to eat Asian food.  So 99% of the time, if we eat Asian food, I cook it at home. This recipe is a little lengthier BUT so worth it! You can make the sauce and breading mixture in advance to make it go quicker the day of as well!

Ingredients

(Chicken)
– 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced into 1-inch cubes
– 1 1/2 cups cornstarch
– 1/4 cup salt
– 3 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
– 3 cups vegetable oil for frying, plus 1 tablespoon for stir-frying
– 5 dried red chilis, roughly chopped
– 2 tsp minced garlic

(Marinade)
– 1 tablespoons soy sauce
– 1/4 C. of Rice Vinegar
– 2 egg whites

(Sauce)
– 1/4 cup chicken stock or broth
– 1 1/2 tablespoons tomato paste
– 1 tablespoon soy sauce
– 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
– 1 teaspoon hoisin sauce
– 1 teaspoon chili paste (If you don't have this you can substitute 2 tsp cayenne pepper and red       pepper flakes)
– 1 teaspoons sesame oil
– 1 tablespoon sugar
– 1 teaspoon cornstarch

 Steps:
(1) In a large bowl, combine the soy sauce, rice wine, and egg whites. Coat the chopped chicken in the marinade mixture and let sit for 10 minutes.
(2) In a small bowl, combine the chicken stock, tomato paste, sugar, soy sauce, rice vinegar, hoisin sauce, chili paste, sesame oil, sugar, and the 1 teaspoon of cornstarch. Stir until well combined. Set aside.
(3) In a large bowl or deep plate, mix the cornstarch with salt and pepper. Add the marinated chicken and toss to coat. Shake off any excess before frying.
(4) In a large thick-bottom pan/skillet. Heat vegetable oil on high until it begins to bubble and sizzle/pop. Turn heat down to medium, and start frying your chicken.
(5) Working in 4 or 5 batches, add the first batch of chicken cubes (about 6 cubes per batch) and fry until golden brown on the outside and cooked through, about 3-5 minutes. Remove the chicken with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Repeat until all your chicken is cooked.
(6) Turn stove off, drain the oil into a heatproof container and save for discarding. Leave about 2 tbsp oil in your wok.
(7) Reheat a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chopped dried chilis and garlic, and stir-fry until just fragrant, about 20 seconds.
(8) Pour in the sauce and stir until it begins to simmer and thicken, about 1 to 2 minutes.
(9) Serve on a bed of rice. Pour sauce over chicken.