Catz in the Kitchen - Finding love around the table.

Weekly Menu for the Week of Nov 18

November 17, 2019 By Chelsia Rief Leave a Comment

I’m currently sitting on the couch surrounded by all my kids watching them take turns playing Ocean Horn, which is kind of a video game for the Apple TV. The kids love it and I love watching them play it. I think they want me to take a turn, too, so I’m going to keep the menu short this week so I can get back to spending time with them.

We’re on week two of fixing the dry rot situation in our house. At this point, I think it is safe to say that we will “most likely” have it fixed by Thanksgiving – which is good because we’re hosting this year. They almost have all the new siding up on the back of the house and the main load bearing wall trimmed up. However all of this means that Josh and I have been faced with the issue of paint color for the house. We know we don’t want to keep the existing paint – it’s kind of a peachy color (which I do not like). So we spent some time this afternoon looking at “approved” colors our HOA lets us choose from and while the color we wanted wasn’t an option, we did find a color and trim color we like. Yay!

I’m still doing a lot of recipe testing here for the holidays – which is not easy when you can’t get to all of your baking dishes due to the temporary wall holding your house up…but over the last few weeks I made a (if I do say so myself) delicious cornbread stuffing and potato dish. The recipes weren’t quite perfect, so I’m not ready to share them yet, but I’m going to keep working on them for Christmas….

Caramel Pecan Sticky Buns

November 13, 2019 By Chelsia Rief Leave a Comment

This recipe takes some time and work, but it’s so worth it. The dough, the topping, the caramel…these caramel pecan sticky buns are straight up addicting.

I’m just going to forewarn you – this is not a recipe you can make in 15-30 minutes. This is a recipe that requires time and patience from you, but if you can give it that…it will be so, so worth it!

It just might become a new holiday favorite for you and your family (maybe even your neighbors…?), and that would make me so happy because I definitely think it became that for us. …

$This comforting, brothy take on tex mex chicken tortilla soup is easy to make in a hurry, and features simple, staple ingredients and easy directions!$

Tex Mex Chicken Tortilla Soup

November 6, 2019 By Chelsia Rief Leave a Comment

This comforting, brothy take on tex mex chicken tortilla soup is easy to make in a hurry, and features simple, staple ingredients and easy directions! Oh, how I love a good soup, especially this time of year…ya know the cold and flu season time of year? We don’t often catch the flu (we do typically…

This easy recipe for Green Chili & Cheddar Cheese Scones is a perfect accompaniment to soups, chilis, and so many other warm, southwestern dishes!

Green Chile & Cheddar Cheese Scones

October 24, 2019 By Chelsia Rief Leave a Comment

This easy recipe for Green Chile & Cheddar Cheese Scones is a perfect accompaniment to soups, chilis, and so many other warm, southwestern dishes! I know many ways to my husband’s heart, and one of those ways is with these Green Chili & Cheddar Cheese Scones. They make the house smell good, they are buttery…

“Pantry to the Rescue” Taco Bake

October 16, 2019 By Chelsia Rief 2 Comments

Need an easy, tasty recipe you can make ahead and finish in a hurry? This ridiculously simple taco bake’s got you covered. This post originally appeared on Catz in December of 2013. While it’s one of the simplest little recipes you ever did see, we still make it all the time – it comes together about…

Baked Spaghetti

October 2, 2019 By Chelsia Rief Leave a Comment

This easy recipe for a quick baked spaghetti is perfect for a family meal at home, or better yet, bringing a meal to someone who needs one! I love dinnertime. You might say that it is my favorite meal of the day. It’s not necessarily because of what has been made, although that certainly makes…

Homemade Spanish Rice

September 25, 2019 By Chelsia Rief 3 Comments

This homemade Spanish rice is as easy as the boxed rice you buy at the store, more flavorful, and healthier. This is the perfect side to your taco nights. This post originally appeared on Catz in July of 2014. It’s been remade and rephotographed, and after five years, it seems like a good time to…

Sweet Corn & Thyme Cornbread Cake

September 20, 2019 By Chelsia Rief Leave a Comment

This recipe for sweet corn & thyme cornbread cake is simple, perfect for fall, & rather unexpected…because it’s a dessert, topped with lemon curd & honey! Fall is basically here (a little early) in the Pacific Northwest and I’m trying really hard to get in the autumn spirit. Generally this is not a hard thing…

Weekly Menu for the Week of Nov 11

November 10, 2019 By Chelsia Rief Leave a Comment

Happy Veteran’s Day – do you have today off? For your sake, I hope so – especially if you’re a veteran, though I know that’s not necessarily how it works, sadly. It should. Either way…thank you!

Actually, as I write this, it’s Friday afternoon. I just finished my grocery list and I’ve got the weekend ahead. Did I mention it’s also sunny and dry here, too…?!

A PNW November miracle!

We have some not so fun things happening over at our house currently. We discovered that an area of our house has dry rot and so we’re in the middle of assessing the situation – to see how bad it really is and then making a game plan around fixing it. It’s a bit of a mess over here so I’m actually taking the week a little more lightly with my meals. I recipe tested A LOT last week and this week, I just kind of need a break, especially with all the construction going on.

Did I mention that in the midst of our dry rot situation, we were also in the middle of painting our kitchen cabinets!? We had that one going before the dry rot was discovered, and you kind of have to finish once you start… So we’re knee deep in projects here. One of our choosing and one of circumstance.

It happens right?…