Bacon Cheddar Jalapeno Squash Biscuits Recipe

This is a great way to put your yellow squash to use!

Thanks to a couple friends of ours that grow their own vegetable gardens we had plenty of fresh organic veggies in our diets this summer. One of which was yellow squash. I am not familiar with cooking  squash and struggled to find things to do with it. But, with the help of Pinterest I found a fabulous recipe for squash biscuits and built my own version of it off of that model. You can find the original recipe here.

Ingredients List:

Batter:

2C yellow squash

1tsp salt

3C flour of your choice

1T baking powder

2tsp baking soda

1/2tsp garlic powder

1C cheddar cheese shredded

3/4C milk of your choice

1/4C fresh cilantro, chopped

1 jalapeno, chopped

3 slices of raw bacon, chopped

Topping:

3T butter or margarine, melted

1/2tsp garlic powder

Directions:

Gather up your ingredients.

I forgot the butter and milk in this pic. I used real salted butter and almond milk

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

Shred the squash and chop up the bacon, cilantro, and jalapeno. 

I cut up the bacon in bite sized pieces like this:

In a large bowl, mix together all the dry ingredients

Mix in the jalapeno and cilantro.

Add the milk, bacon, cheddar, and squash. I took the time to separate all the bacon pieces from each other and mix it in in 2 batches to be sure they Incorporated evenly in the batter.

Mix it all together and then use your hands to get in there and knead it.

I didn't picture the kneading part because my hands were such a mess!

Sprinkle some flour on your counter/cutting board and flatten out the dough. I don't have a rolling pin so I just used my hands. You can make them as thick as you prefer, I made mine about 1/2 inch. Then use a circle cookie cutter to cut out your biscuits!

Cover a cookie sheet with parchment paper and line up your biscuits. They can be close together since they tend to puff up not out. Throw them in the heated oven for 20 minutes.

While we are waiting we can measure and cut the butter.

Put it in a microwave safe bowl with the garlic powder. Microwave on high for 30 seconds.

Pull it out with an oven mitt, that little bowl will get HOT!

Stir ingredients. Set aside.

Check the oven at 15 minutes. Your biscuits are ready when they are golden brown on top.

Drench them in the butter mixture with a glazing brush until all the biscuits are covered and all the butter mix is used.

Pile them in a basket and your all done! Serve immediately!

FYI: They reheat pretty well, too.

I made these biscuits for breakfast but they would be a great addition to any meal! 

These little babies were a big hit with my family and friends. (They remind me a bit of the biscuits from Red Lobster) We always make sure to set aside some of what we make to give to those who gave us the veggies to make it! I feel like they deserve to taste the fruits of their labor, you know?

Till next time,

Don't have any yellow squash?

No problem, you can substitute zucchini!

Did you try this recipe?

Snap a pic and show them off in the comments!

Still have questions?

Leave a comment and let me know, I'm happy to help!

Kansas City Faves - Night Life!

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5 KC Night Life Hot Spots!

When I'm feeling like I need a night out with the girls there is no shortage of interesting things to do in KC! Here are my top 5 places to go cut loose with the gals!

Karaoke Anyone?

My bestie and I love to sing! So when she came to visit, one of our first stops was OFFKEY Karaoke Lounge and Suites. Doors open at 6pm. Singing starts as soon as the first request is put in! Yes, you can start singing at 6pm! I love it! The grand opening earlier this summer has been a highly anticipated establishment for local karaoke goers and has quickly become a local favorite. They have helpful staff to answer your questions and explain how their set-up works as well as keep your glass full! Simply choose your seating at the neon trimmed bar or at a table under the electric blue lighting. Grab a song book, look over the specials, and the wait staff will be out to take your drink or snack order and even turn in your song requests for you! When your song is queued just pick up the cordless microphone from the bar and sing from the anonymity of your seat, or put yourself out there and sing while you walk/dance around! When your song is done just turn in the microphone to the bar again and the next singer is queued. Another cool feature is the Private Party Rooms! You can reserve a room for you and your friends to have your own karaoke bash with a dedicated waitstaff, your own karaoke machine, and soundproof walls. OFFKEY is a fun laid back lounge with the air of an up and coming night club where you can sing your heart out with your friends or form  with common interests!

Dinner And A Show

If you love movies and fine dining this is the place for you! Alamo Drafthouse Cinemas, located in the Power and Light District, looks just like any old movie theater on the outside, but there is a fantastic twist on this one! You are seated at a bar, introduced to your server, and provided with a food and a fully stocked wet bar beverage menu. Just scribble down what you want on the pad of paper and prop it up for the waitstaff to see. They will come and get your order and bring your choices out to you. No need to worry about being disturbed by the staff, they have provided walking room between each row of guests to discretely service your table. They cater the menu to the movie, too. The kitchen created a magnificent "Girl On Fire" sweet potato fries for The Hunger Games. They offer feature film showings but often play classics like Ghostbusters and Bride of Frankenstein. It's a great no-hassle one-stop evening out!

Have a Laugh or Two

KC Improv Co is a professional comedy troupe based in Kansas City. You can catch a hilarious show every week at the Kick Comedy Theater in Westport. They specialize in improvised comedy, and let me tell you, it's quite a show! They even pull audience members up out of their seats and get the crowd involved! They perform on Saturday evenings in the basement of The Westport Coffee Theater. They host monthly comedy throw down matches for the coveted "King in a Cup" Trophy! If you love to laugh (and who doesn't?) then this is great night of coffee, snacks and laughter! I also heard somewhere that laughter burns calories, so it's a win-win!

Country Western Style

Sometimes you need to kick it country style! Denim and Diamonds, Kansas City's largest country dance club, is tucked away in North Kansas City just 5 minutes from down town. Denim and Diamonds is open Friday and Saturday 8pm - 3am. They offer line dancing lessons on Saturdays from 8-9pm so you can really get down when the party starts! Denim and Diamonds has recently remodeled their establishment just this summer. I haven't been down to check it out yet, but I'm excited to see what they've done! You will find exciting drink specials and fun new events every time! You and the girls can learn something new, enjoy great drinks, and dance all night!

Throwback!

There are a few places in KC that can deliver an exhilarating nightlife experience with a historical flair. The Firefly Lounge Located in Historic Westport is one of these places. Open Thursday - Sunday it is the only modern day speak easy in Kansas City. Sample from the specialty cocktails list, nibble on some finger foods, groove to the music mix from the best local DJ's, get lost in the crowd of dancers, enjoy the fresh air on the balcony, relax in the comfy seating and take in the other worldly atmosphere!

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It seams as though I have a small preference for the Westport area! Hm... Maybe it's just that great, right? But, seriously, every time we go out I find a new favorite place! Kansas City is brimming with nightlife entertainment options, these are just the few of what I have been able to check out. So, if none of these scratch your particular itch, there are plenty of other things to choose from! 

Until next time,

*****NOTE*****

The opinions in this post are solely my own and I have received no incentives for recommending the establishments mentioned above.

Like this post? Share it with your friends!
Want more KC faves? See my fave places to eat here!
Did I miss a really cool place? Tell us about it in the comments!

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Jazzing up a Chandelier

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How To Easily Add Pizazz To Your Chandelier Project

This is the chandelier that I painted over the weekend. It looks great as it is but I really wanted it to add some "WOW" to it. So, I decided to go with the draping string of beads look.

This is the perfect project for my hot glue gun! Be sure to plug it in before you get started so that it will be good and hot when you're ready for it. And keep extra glue sticks within reach, too.

I picked up a 4 pack of mardi gras beads from the dollar store. I wanted the larger set of arms to have a double drape of beads and the top tier of shorter arms to have one drape of beads hanging between the candle stick base and where the arm attaches to the center. I measured the long arms first and determined that the longer drape would need to be 9 inches long and that the shorter drape would need to be 7 inches long. Then I measured the small arms and determined that the drape for those would need to be 5 inches long. So, I cut 5 lengths to 16" and 5 more down to 5" for a total of 10 lengths of beads for the 10 arms. 

I put my first dab of hot glue under the candlestick base on the inside of the arm and pressed the end of a 16" string of beads into it until it held firmly. 

I put my next dab of hot glue just under the detail where the arm attaches to the middle and held the string at to the level of drape i wanted and then pressed the beads into the hot glue until it holds. the remaining 7" of the string is left dangling.

Now, for the third dab of hot glue right on top of the beads you already glued under the candlestick base and press the other end of the beads into the glue until it holds. 

This is what it should look like when its all glued on. Pretty!

Repeat for all five of the bottom tier of long arms.

The second tier of short arms is very similar. Glue dab under the candlestick base, attach one end of the 5" length of beads. Glue dab at the arm base, attach opposite end of beads. Repeat for all 5 of the top tier of the short arms. I didn't take any extra pics of this step.

I had some beads left over so I used them to dress up the ball at the bottom. Again, measuring out the length and gluing it in place one hot glue dab at a time starting at one end and working your way around. You should really only need about 3 hot glue dabs to keep it in place.

This is what it will look like from underneath when its hanging above the tea table.

The finishing touch: orange light bulbs for the "flames." 

(Another dollar store find!)

And this is the finished product!

The perfect pop of color with elegant draping beads to give it a little more flair. The perfect prop for my tween's birthday party!

RECAP

Project Duration: 3 Days

This chandelier from purchase to paint to embellishments was a 3 day project since you have to allow for drying time for the primer and paint. 

Plus you really don't want to bring it inside until the spray paint smell has aired out of it.

Total cost: $15

Goodwill Chandelier $2

Primer $5

Paint $3

Beads $1

Light bulbs $4

*Psst* If you missed the previous post on painting the chandelier you can find it here!

This is a great starting point for a chandelier project that you would use in your home as an everyday light fixture in a hallway or your kids bedroom.

That's all for me today!

Until next time,

Have any thoughts or comments?

Questions or suggestions?

Let me know in the comments below!

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Yard Sale Finds: Silver Platter

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 Updating an Old Serving Platter

I recently stopped by a local yard sale and found the proverbial diamond in the rough! Buried at the bottom of a box under balls of newspaper and some sad looking wicker baskets was an old silver serving platter that had been left sitting somewhere to tarnish. Today was this poor beauties day of new birth! I had plans for him...

Cleaning it up

This poor tarnished platter desperately needs some love! We had some silver polish at home that would do the trick! The directions says to use two soft clean towels. One to clean and the other to shine..

Just apply a generous amount to one towel and rub the polish into the metal surface in a circular pattern. It did not have any markings on it to confirm that it was silver, so, I started on the back side of the platter just to be safe. 

    

I was really surprised at how easily the tarnish came up!

It looks so much better!

The front side shined up pretty well, too!

Use the clean towel to remove the residue from the polish.

But there was still plenty of evidence of neglect left around the edges that wouldn't budge.

This was just the prep stage anyway, now on to the next step!

Priming

I used Rust-Oleum clean metal primer to cover the whole thing. It needs plenty of time to dry before you flip it over to do the other side. But you can cut out a lot of time if you have a way to safely hang it up and paint it.

Painting 

I didn't have a way to hang mine, and I was impatient, so after some unfortunate smudging, here it is! Every girl needs a little hot pink in her life right?!

I used Valspar's Paint + Primer Premium Finish spray paint. 

Allow this to dry, and air out that spray paint smell, overnight

Aging

Now to give it the finishing touch with some antiquing gel from the Valspar line!It says to use a cotton cloth for this but I thought that some cotton balls might do just as well.

Valspar products can be found at your local Lowe's store!

After shaking the bottle well I just dabbed a cotton ball in the cap and smeared it all over top of the engraved areas to get it in all the crevices!

(Extra cool points if you know what H.E.B. is!) 

When I was satisfied I used a clean cotton ball and applied some rubbing alcohol to it. Squeeze it out so it isn't sopping wet.

Then I lightly rubbed the surface to get all the excess off of the raised areas. (I only wanted the engraving to have the color in it) This took some time to perfect. I had to go back over a few places with more antiquing gel. But, I finally got the look I was going for!

Here is a close up!

This little beauty is going to be used as a prop for my daughter's birthday party. 

It will hold the tea pot, creamer, and sugar cubes!

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After the party it could be used for: 

Catch-all on a vanity 

or

Display some trinkets and picture frames on a bookshelf

or

As part of a centerpiece for your coffee table

NOTE:

*It would NOT be safe to eat directly off of this platter!*

Stay tuned for pictures of this platter in action at the party!

Until Next Time,

What would you use this piece for?

Let me know in the comments!

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