Green Beans with Pancetta

If you’re looking for a simple and tasty side dish or a vegetable to add to a main course, this recipe is for you! I love green beans and I love adding pancetta (or bacon) to them with some shallots and a few seasonings. I think you’re going to love this delicious Green Beans with Pancetta Recipe!

This is a really great side recipe that is so easy to make. It’s especially good when you can get fresh green beans from the store or from your garden!

It’s also a healthy recipe as it has a green vegetable, healthy fat from the olive oil, and some garlic and shallots.

You will love how easy this green beans with pancetta recipe is to make and how tasty it is.

I love serving this with my homemade roasted beef tenderloin and scalloped potatoes with fontina cheese.

It pairs well with any main dish, especially beef, chicken, or fish. I love it with salmon too!

Now for the Recipe

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Delicious Green Beans with Pancetta

This healthy side dish pairs perfectly with any main dish and is easy and fast to make. It's one of my go-to side dishes and is full of flavor and great any season of the year. This will become a staple side dish in your cooking repertoire!

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American, French

Keyword green beans, Side Dish, vegetable

Servings 6

Ingredients

• 1-2 pounds fresh green beans
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2-3 cloves garlic finely chopped
• 1 large shallot chopped
• 3-4 slices pancetta (or bacon) chopped into small pieces
• 1 tsp salt to taste (or more if needed)
• ½ tsp pepper
• 1 tsp garlic seasoning salt (to taste)

Instructions

• In a large frying pan, heat up olive oil on medium heat. Add in chopped shallots and chopped pancetta pieces and sauté for 2-3 minutes.
• Add in washed green beans, salt, pepper, and garlic seasoning salt. Sauté for 5-6 minutes stirring occasionally, then add in the chopped garlic.
• Saute for another 2-3 minutes being careful not to burn the garlic. Stir a few more times to make sure everything gets cooked evenly. Add in more salt and pepper if needed. Green beans take a lot of salt so add a little at a time and then taste one to see if it's to your liking. I prefer mine a little more salty so just add a little at a time so you don't over season them.
• Serve hot in a casserole dish or serving platter.

Enjoy!

If you like this recipe, you’ll want to check out these:

Roasted Beef Tenderloin

Scalloped Potatoes with Fontina Cheese

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Saint Patrick’s Day Chocolate Cupcakes

Making cupcakes is so much fun and something you can include your children in that’s a fun family activity. One of the most fun holidays to make cupcakes for is Saint Patrick’s! When my kids were little, they loved helping me bake and decorate cupcakes and sugar cookies. This year I thought it would be fun to make chocolate cupcakes with Aunt Jeanies Chocolate Cake recipe and decorate them for Saint Patrick’s Day. Instead of using the ganache frosting that goes with this recipe, I used my friend Ashley’s (www.livingbeautafully.com) go-to chocolate buttercream frosting recipe. I needed a stiffer frosting that could be piped so I could top the cupcakes with the gold chocolate coins and green sprinkles.

The Decorations

I found these cute green and gold cupcake liners, green sprinkles, and gold chocolate coins at one of my favorite baking supply stores and couldn’t wait to make these cute cupcakes.

I’ve listed the cake recipe below and also here: Aunt Jeanie’s Chocolate Cake. The only thing I had to alter for the cupcakes was the baking time. Cupcakes take less time to bake. I started checking them around 12-14 minutes and just kept an eye on them until they bounded back in the middle. I overcooked the first batch so watch them closely. Oven temperatures vary so it could be a little longer in your oven.

I’ve linked the buttercream frosting (above) that I used. Aunt Jeanie’s frosting can be used to frost the cupcakes but it sets up fast so you’d have to spread it onto the cupcakes quickly. It’s more of a ganache-type frosting and doesn’t pipe well. If you want to pipe the frosting on like I’ve done here then stick to the buttercream frosting I’ve linked above.

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Aunt Jeanies Chocolate Cake

The best chocolate cake with ganache frosting ever! 

Course Dessert

Keyword baking, cake, chocolate, chocolate cake, chocolate desserts, chocolate frosting, dessert, family recipes, homecooked, homemade

Servings 12

Ingredients

• 2 cups flour
• 2 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup butter
• 4 tbsp cocoa powder
• 2/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup water
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 cup buttermilk

Frosting

• 1 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup milk
• 5 tbsp butter
• 2 cups milk chocolate chips
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 cup Marshmallows *optional
• 1/2 cup chopped nuts *optional

Instructions

• CAKE
• In a large mixing bowl, add 2 cups sugar. Then sift the 2 cups flour and 4 tbsp cocoa powder into the bowl. Sifting the flour and cocoa is an important step so don't skip it!
  
• Then add the 1/2 cup butter on top of the sifted ingredients.
  
• Put the 1 cup water and the 2/3 cup vegetable oil in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Pour all at once over the flour, sugar, and cocoa mixture. 
  
• Stir until well combined.
  
• Add the 2 eggs, 1/2 cup buttermilk, 1 1/2 tsp baking soda, and 1 tsp vanilla and stir until smooth.
  
• Spray the baking dish with cooking spray. Pour into a 9x13 cake pan or large cookie sheet and bake at 350º for 25-30 minutes or until the cake bounces back when touched lightly in the middle. Don't overbake.
  

Frosting

• Put the 1 cup sugar, 1/3 cup milk, and 5 tbsp butter into a saucepan. Bring to a boil. Do not boil for more than 20 seconds. Remove from heat and add the 2 cups milk chocolate chips. Stir until dissolved and then add the 1 tsp vanilla and stir again. If using the marshmallows and/or the chopped nuts, add those in and gently stir. Immediately pour onto the cake and spread. This sets ups fast so work quickly. 
• This is best if made the day ahead. Allow at least 6-8 hours to set up if possible. 

These cupcakes were simple to make and tasted so good!  Happy Saint Patrick’s Day!

xoxo

Tap the images for the links to each item:

Photos by Lizzy Early Cox from @yourcupofcake www.yourcupofcake.com

The post Saint Patricks Day Chocolate Cupcakes appeared first on Home With Holly J.

Holiday Hosting at Home #5: Christmas Table Settings, Decor and More!

Can you believe Christmas is almost here! We’ve all been busy getting ready for the holidays and creating things to inspire you. We are excited to share our fifth post in our blog hop: Holiday Hosting at Home!  This week we are sharing what we’ve all been up to the past few weeks including Christmas tablescapes, Christmas trees, and my family’s favorite recipe! Keep scrolling for fun and simple Christmas decor ideas!

We hope this gives you some ideas for entertaining at home!  If you would like to pin any of these images, please go to the original post linked below each image.  You will want to see their whole posts anyway because there is so much inspiration in each of these posts.

To Have + To Host

Lory created this beautiful tablescape using her grandmothers heirloom china that she received as a gift.  She used this beautiful china and current dinnerware to give this place setting an updated look. Layering the plates is one of Lory’s favorite tricks for creating depth and elegance to a place setting. I couldn’t agree more. That is one of my favorite tricks too! This is my favorite tablescape of Lory’s to date! It’s absolutely beautiful! Click here to see the full post.

Next, Lory shares her Traditional and Classic Christmas Tablescape.  She uses all the traditional reds, greens, and gold in this lively tablescape. Lory likes to change things up and add a twist and this tablescape is no exception. She went with a straightforward classic, traditional, time-honored, historic, customary Christmas and she’s not apologizing for it! Click here to see the details of this festive table!

Home With Holliday

Holliday shares with us her beautiful Silver and Gold Glam Christmas Centerpiece that she used to decorate the buffet in her dining room. She used a combnation of metallics that would go with multiple table settings and used greenery to add some seasonal colors. This neutral display works well with almost every color palette. To see the details click here.

Next, Holliday shares her Simple Woodland And Pine Cone Christmas Table Setting. She used two burlap table runners instead of placemats. Genius! She used a simple cedar garland, a mix of different sized pine cones, and some beautiful candles.  The earth toned dinnerware mixes beautifully with the green garland and pine cones. This table is stunning and could be used all winter long! Click here to see the full post.

Home With Holly J

This week I’m sharing my Christmas Trees in the Highland house from 2017 and 2018. I share the details of how I used most of the same ornaments from the two different trees to create two very different looks. Click here to see the post and all the details.

Next I shared my great grandma’s homemade chicken and noodles recipe that is served over mashed potatoes. If you like comfort food, then you’ll love this! The first time I cooked for my husband I made this family recipe. He went from good friend to boyfriend after realizing I could cook!  Click here to read the details!

Simple Christmas decor ideas

The post Holiday Hosting at Home #5: Christmas Table Settings, Decor and More! appeared first on Home With Holly J.

This homemade chicken and noodles recipe served over mashed potatoes is a cherished family recipe.

I know you’re wondering how can you have double starches?

Potatoes and noodles?

Trust me, this is a delicious combination!

Anyone who has ever had this meal loves it.

We would have this often when I was growing up and this was one of the first recipes I learned to make when I was young.

It has been passed down four generations and originated, as far as I know, from my Great Grandma Stone.

This was the first meal I ever made for my husband not long after we met.

We were in college at the time, and he and his roommates had helped me move to a different apartment.

I wanted to make them dinner as a thank you to them for helping me.

I made them this recipe and they loved it. Especially my husband!

After he had eaten two giant helpings, he decided he liked me a lot more.

I jokingly tell everyone that I didn’t have him at hello, I had him at homemade chicken and noodles over mashed potatoes!

I went from good friend to girlfriend after I cooked this for him.

It’s still one of his favorite meals.

If you’re from Idaho, you know that potatoes are a big part of every meal.

At least it was when I was growing up.

My parents are from Idaho and I spent my summers there with my grandparents.

Both at home in Washington, and at my grandparents house, we almost always had potatoes with every meal.

About six months after we were married, My husband politely asked me if we could have something else besides potatoes with every meal.  

I said, “Well, what else is there?”

He said “How about some rice or pasta?”

I didn’t even know how to make rice or pasta unless it was riceroni or mac and cheese from a box.

We still laugh about that!

I seriously thought you had potatoes with every meal. I loved potatoes and could make them 20 different ways!

This recipe is great for a large crowd as it makes a lot and it’s actually super easy.

It’s not a time consuming  either and doesn’t make a big mess.

I’m sure way back in the day when my great grandma made this, she probably made her own egg noodles.

I tried once to make my own but to be honest, the frozen ones from the grocery store are better than what I made!  

There are two brands I’ve used, Reams Frozen Egg Noodles and Grandmas Frozen Egg Noodles.

They are sometimes hard to find at the grocery store in the freezer section, so I always ask someone who works there if I can’t locate them.

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as my husband did when I made it for him the first time!

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Chicken and Noodles over Mashed Potatoes

This is my family’s recipe that has been passed down four generations. If you’re from Idaho, you’ll know what this is! Chicken and Noodles over Mashed Potatoes. Comfort food doesn’t get any better than this!

Course Main Course

Prep Time 25 minutes minutes

Cook Time 2 hours hours 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 2 hours hours 55 minutes minutes

Servings 8 people

Ingredients

• 1 whole Chicken
• 1 package frozen egg noodles (Grandma’s or Reames Brand)
• 3-5 tbsp chicken bouillon (to taste)
• 2 tsp salt (water covering chicken)
• 1/2 tsp peper (to taste)
• 6 large potatoes
• 1/3 cup cornstarch
• 1/3 cup water
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1/4 cup butter
• 3 tbsp salt (for potato water)

Instructions

• Take a whole chicken and remove the bag inside the chicken that has the liver and heart. Discard.
• Place the chicken in a large stock pot or 7 quart dutch oven pot. Fill up the pot until the chicken is almost covered in water.
• Add salt, 1/2 tsp pepper and bring to a boil. Turn heat down and simmer for approximately 2 to 2 1/2 hours or until the chicken is almost falling off the bone. (Turn chicken over at least once so both sides are submerged at some point) Remove the chicken from the pot and set on a large plate or platter to cool. There should be about 4-6 inches of stock left in the pot.  
• Peel and wash the potatoes, then cut them into 1-2″ pieces. Put in a pot and cover with water then add 2-3 TBSP salt to the water. Always salt your potato water. This is important! Bring to a boil and check potatoes every so often for doneness. 
  
• Once the potatoes are on the stove and cooking, dump the frozen egg noodles into the same pot of chicken stock. Stir a few times to make sure the noodles all separate and don’t get clumped up. Cook on medium to medium high heat and stir often.  
  
• While the noodles and potatoes are cooking, start deboning the chicken and add the meat back into the pot with the noodles. The noodles usually take 20-30 min to cook fully. Test them every so often so that they don’t get overdone.
• When the noodles are fully cooked and chicken has all been added back into the pot, add in the chicken bouillon. This is not an exact measurement so you may need to add a little more or little less depending on how much stock you had after the chicken was removed for deboning. If you need more salt and pepper, you can add more here. The bouillon has a lot of salt so add that first and then taste and see if it needs more. Turn down the heat to medium low.
• In a glass measuring cup, mix cornstarch and water and stir until there are no lumps and all the cornstarch and water are mixed well. Turn heat up a little so that its boiling and add in cornstarch and water mixture. Stir while adding this. Once the chicken and noodles come to a boil, it should start to thicken. If it’s too runny, make a little more cornstarch and water and add a little at a time until it starts to thicken. If you get it too thick, you can always add more water and bouillon to compensate. It should be the consistency of a thin gravy or sauce. It is not a soup so you don’t want it the consistency of chicken noodle soup.
• Once, it’s thickened, the chicken should shred some as you stir. Turn heat to low and then check and drain your potatoes.  
• Mash the potatoes with 1/3 cup milk or half and half and 1/4 cup of butter. 
• Serve the chicken and noodles right over the top of the potatoes.  

Sources Linked Below:

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This is a simple recipe for making your own Pumpkin Pie Spice.  I use this pumpkin pie spice recipe in my pumpkin pie, pumpkin cream cheese muffins, pumpkin roll, and any recipe that calls for pumpkin spice or pumpkin pie spice.

At times, I’ve had a difficult time finding it in the grocery store and it is quite expensive for a small amount. You can make a batch of your own and store it in a spice container or small mason jar.

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Pumpkin Pie Spice Mix

Make your own pumpkin pie spice mix.

Ingredients

• 3 tbsp ground cinnamon
• 2 tbsp ground ginger
• 1 1/2 tbsp ground allspice
• 1 1/2 tsp ground cloves
• 2 tsp ground nutmeg

Instructions

• Mix ingredients together and store in an airtight container or spice jar.

Pumpkin Pie Spice Mix RecipePumpkin Pie Spice Mix Recipe

The post Pumpkin Pie Spice Mix appeared first on Home With Holly J.

Lazy Daisy Cake

The year before my Grandma Benson passed away, I gave her a recipe box filled with blank recipe cards as a Christmas gift.  The following Christmas, she gave the box back to me and had handwritten her favorite recipes on the recipe cards.  A month after this, she passed away. The recipes she wrote for me have become one of my most treasured possessions. Whenever I make this simple, yummy cake recipe, I think of her and the fond memories I have of her.  

One of my favorite recipes that she left for me was “Aunt Mickey’s Lazy Daisy Cake.”  It’s a sponge cake with a cooked, then broiled frosting. This is a family favorite and another one of the recipes I grew up enjoying.  We loved it when Grandma Benson (that’s her in the picture frame when she was a little girl) would come to visit because we knew she’d make us a Lazy Daisy Cake and her Chicken Cracker Casserole. I will need to share that recipe soon, too!  I haven’t been able to figure out who Aunt Mickey is, but I am sure happy she gave this recipe to my grandma! 

I hope you enjoy this cake as much as I do!

Holly’s Helpful Tips:

[holly_healthful_tips]*I usually double the recipe for both the cake and the frosting and bake it in a 9 x 13 pan.  If you have a smaller crowd, you can use an 8×8 or 9×9 pan.

*Don’t overcook the cake.  When it’s a light brown on the top and springs back after you touch the middle, it is done.  You can also insert a toothpick in the middle of the cake and if it comes back clean, it’s done.

*This recipe calls for scalded milk which is milk brought nearly to a boil and then slightly cooled down. Scalded milk makes sponge cakes springier. Slowly heat milk over medium-low heat. The key here is to heat the milk, but not to bring it to a boil. Boiling will burn your milk. Stir continuously to prevent milk from thickening, burning, or sticking to the bottom of the pan. Look for steam and small bubbles around the edges of your saucepan, then remove immediately from heat.[/holly_healthful_tips]

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Lazy Daisy Cake

Course Dessert

Prep Time 25 minutes minutes

Total Time 55 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Ingredients

• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 tbsp butter

Instructions

• Sift together 1 cup flour, 1 tsp baking powder, and 1/2 tsp salt in a bowl and set aside.
• Butter and flour an 8×8 or 9×9 cake pan, and set aside.
• With a hand or stand mixer, beat 2 eggs until creamy. Gradually add the 1 cup sugar in while still beating the eggs. Fold in the sifted ingredients. Scald the 1/2 cup milk in a small saucepan and then add 1 tbsp butter into the milk and stir until the butter is melted. Add the milk and butter into the mixing bowl all at once. Mix until incorporated. Don’t over-mix the batter. This is a thin batter.
• Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes until the cake is done in the middle. It will turn golden brown on top.
• When the cake is done, take it out of the oven and set it aside. Then make the frosting.

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Lazy Daisy Frosting

This is a cooked frosting made in a saucepan and then broiled in the oven after it's spread on top of the cake. 

Ingredients

• 5 tbsp brown sugar
• 3 tbsp butter
• 1/2 cup sweetened shredded coconut
• 3 tbsp evaporated milk

Instructions

• In a saucepan combine all the ingredients and stir.  
• Bring to a boil on medium-high heat and stir until bubbling. Remove from the heat and pour on top of the warm cake. Spread the frosting to cover the entire cake.
• Turn the oven onto broil and return the cake to the oven on the top rack just under the broiler. Leave the oven door cracked open so you can watch the cake. Don’t walk away as this happens quite fast and you don’t want to burn the frosting. When the frosting starts to bubble, take the cake out and serve it warm.

Check out some of my other dessert recipes:

Aunt Jeannie’s Chocolate Cake with Ganache Frosting

Strawberry Cream Cheese Pie

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Simple yummy cake recipe

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