4 ingredient beer bread + 3 piece outfit

last night was low-key and lovely. two of my best friends, caroline and ellie, came over for buffalo chicken chili and beer bread (recipe below) and some buttermilk sky pie shop pies. since the three of us have such different schedules, its hard for us to find a time to all get together, but when we do, we pick up right where we left off! the evening was full of catching up on everything and indulging in too much yummy food! i made my buffalo chicken chili recipe and tried out a recipe for beer bread, which i was so impressed with! it was quick and easy and you probably already have everything you need at home!

4 ingredient beer bread

3 cups all purpose flour

4 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

2 tbsp Splenda brown sugar

12 oz beer of choice (i used coors light)

1. preheat oven to 375 and spray a 9x5 loaf pan with non-stick spray.
2. in a medium mixing bowl, mix together first three ingredients. pour in the beer and stir until just combined.
3. pour batter into loaf pan and bake for 35 minutes, or until the top of the bread is lightly browned and a knife comes out clean.
4. slice and serve! 

(slightly adapted from half baked harvest)

i will end this post with a selfie of what i wore to a meeting today on campus! it was more on the casual side but still looked very put together! 

j. crew cotton cropped sweater, j. crew silk sleeveless blouse in heart dot, 

j. crew sateen toothpick pant, c. wonder novelty smoking slippers

xoxo,

clp

p.s. 8 days until the birthday! 

senior status & a recipe

officially a senior in college! yesterday i bubbled in my last scantron of the semester and motored on home for summer! yesterday was like a marathon but i came out on top and all unpacked! for cinco de mayo we fixed upside-down salsa cornbread, homemade refried beans and homemade guacamole! it was the perfect welcome home supper (the angel food cake and fresh picked strawberries from valley home farm weren't too bad either)!

today was busy as well! i don't know why i always try to do everything the first few days when i get home but i always do! i hit up the MAC for a good workout and then it was on to running some errands, cleaning up the house and doing a bit of cooking! i also had to pack a load of things to take to my nashville apartment tomorrow. life has been a bit of a blur since i got home to be honest!

i did find time this afternoon to sit outside and paint my nails in OPI's "kiss me i'm brazilian" pink and finish allegiant by veronica roth. it was different than the first two in the divergent series in that it is told from two perspectives but it is just as gripping as the first two! this is a series that i am so glad i took the time to read! it is a great summer trilogy!

this post is short and sweet but i wanted to share that i was home from knoxville for the summer! tonight's supper is in honor of summer: BBQ pulled pork, corn, baked beans and watermelon! the BBQ pulled pork recipe is one of the easiest i have ever made and the house has smelled wonderful all day!

crockpot BBQ pulled pork tenderloin

1 trimmed 2 lb pork tenderloin

1/2 to 1 cup chopped onion

1 cup BBQ sauce (we like Sweet Baby Ray's)

garlic powder, to taste

1. cover bottom of crockpot with 1/2 cup BBQ sauce and onion.
2. place pork tenderloin in crockpot and cover with remaining BBQ sauce and season with garlic powder if desired. 
3. cook on low for 4-6 hours, until cooked through and tender.
4. shred tenderloin with two forks (i just did this in the crockpot) and stir to coat. 
5. serve on whole wheat buns with your favorite BBQ sides! 

(recipe courtesy of youbeauty.com)

xoxo,

clp

easy single girl pintos

pinto beans and cornbread: a southern staple. and for some reason, also a meal that has been on my mind. however, since i didn't have the time or patience or mouths to feed to soak a large pot of beans, i came up with this quick and easy single serving recipe for some southern pinto beans! of course, i had some of granny's cornbread with it and also some tomato relish to add in an extra kick of flavor!

easy single girl pinto beans

1/2-3/4 cup canned pinto beans, drained and rinsed

2 slices bacon, chopped

1/4 cup chopped onion

1/4 cup vegetable broth 

1/2 jalepeno, chopped finely 

salt and pepper, to taste

cayenne pepper, to taste

water, enough to cover beans

1. combine all ingredients in pot and bring to a boil. 
2. reduce heat to medium-low and allow to simmer. you want the beans to develop a sort of "bean broth." if they start to cook down too much, add a bit more water. stir occasionally and mash some of the beans. (i probably let mine simmer for about 15-20 minutes). 
3. serve warm with cornbread and chow-chow or tomato relish! 

this isn't a go-by-the-books recipe so do whatever works for you! if you don't want your beans to be mushy like mine, add less liquid and don't allow to simmer as long. this recipe doesn't do justice to the pintos that you would find on my mama or my grandmother's stove, but it serves as an easy, healthier substitute to the southern staple (and it has the health benefit of loads of fiber!). tomorrow i am using the remainder of the pinto beans in a favorite recipe of mine: oven baked tacos! be on the lookout for that recipe coming soon! 

xoxo,

clp

bbq chicken pizza for one

nature and i are no longer friends. the past few days i have gotten to deal with more creatures than i would ever want to. the most recent was the mouse, which i got to see both alive and dead, caught in a trap. the ten seconds i spent trying to figure out what to do once i saw it staring at me from the pantry shelf would probably win a prize on america's funniest home videos. the fact that i used a pack of paper bags and a roll of aluminum foil as my defense against a mouse further solidifies the fact that my life is a joke. nonetheless, the evil mouse that eats our food was caught by the trap and fingers are crossed that we have no more little visitors!

tonight for supper i am having a quick and easy, simple meal. i have been craving bbq chicken pizza so i decided to give into my cravings in a better-for-me way. it was much healthier than the usual bbq chicken pizza found at restaurants and was just right for supper along with a salad, made up of grapefruit, strawberries and grapes!

bbq chicken pizza for one

1 chicken breast, cooked and shredded

1 flat-out flatbread (i used multigrain with flax) 

2 tbsp barbecue sauce (i used sweet baby ray's)

spinach

chopped onions 

chopped bell pepper

shredded cheddar cheese 

1. heat oven to 350. spray flat-out flatbread with cooking spray and bake in oven for about 7 minutes. remove from oven.
2. top flatbread with barbecue sauce and then toppings. 
3. return to oven and cook for about 10 minutes, until crust is crispy and cheese has melted. 
4. cut and serve! 

*other/additional toppings such as avocado, black beans, bacon, corn, apple, hummus, pineapple and/or cilantro would be good as well! 

tomorrow i am headed home for spring break! i could not be more excited to be home, for the cruise and to get out of knoxville! i feel like a break is much needed for everyone. i also cannot wait to meet miss stella! unfortunately, i packed up most of what i want to take with me on the cruise and i already have a packing problem... i still have yet to pack some essentials and the suitcase is already full and most likely over the weight limit... the two days before we leave are going to be busy, spent beautifying myself with nail, hair and other appointments! this girl is in desperate need of some TLC! 

xoxo,

clp