Le Creuset Love

A few weeks ago a little invitation arrived in my inbox and I was absolutely giddy!!  A Le Creuset outlet is opening here in Indianapolis and I was invited to attend a special little event.  Tonight, I jumped at the chance.

I first visited the outlet in Destin while on vacation, and although this store seems slightly smaller, it certainly did not disappoint.  The shelves were packed with beautiful pieces of all sorts, in both function and pricing.

The majority of my pieces are in flame, save a few pieces of my grandfather's that are Caribbean.  While I'm a devoted traditionalist with the flame, this evening the pink caught my eye.  A mug may or may not have ended up in my basket which will, no doubt, bring a smile to my face each time I use it.

I would love to share the other pieces I snagged, but started my Christmas shopping and just can't spoil the surprises.  Instead, here are a few of my favorites.  In this hive, the Le Creuset gets daily use, and even though some of it is as old as I am, you would never guess.

My very favorite, and most versitile piece, is the dutch oven.  The possibilities are endless with this one...soups, stews, braised meats, roasted chicken, you name it, you can do it.

Whistling Tea Kettle

Stoneware Casserole

I'm certain there will be many more trips to the new store before Christmas (and let's be honest after Christmas, too)!  Do you, too, share a love of Le Creuset?  What color have you chosen?  What pieces are your favorites?

Happy Shopping!

*While Le Creuset kindly invited me to the opening this evening, this is not a sponsored post.  All opinions are strictly my own.  I have, however, included affiliate links for some pieces.  Thank you for supporting The Happy Little Hive.

Whole Roasted Okra

Happy September!  While everyone is pumpkin happy (myself included, just wait until tomorrow's post) we're enjoying whole roasted okra with every meal.  I love okra in any form, especially fried and even stewed, roasting it whole is a new found love.  It's so easy and gives a little healthier, but still crunchy, spin on breaded and fried.  Give it a try -- I promise it's not slimy in the least!

Whole Roasted Okra

Ingredients:

• 1 pound okra, whole
• 1 T olive oil
• 1/4 t salt
• 1/4 t pepper

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees and line cookie sheet with parchment paper for easy clean up.
• Drizzle okra with oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Mix until all pieces are coated.  
• Make sure okra is in a single layer and bake for 20-30 minutes, shaking pan a few times, until slightly brown and crisp. 

Notes:

• I've only tried this with fresh okra, as it's readily available this time of year.  (If you're in the Midwest, Fresh Thyme has it!)
• It's so good that I have a feeling I will try frozen, but defrosed, okra this winter.....

Happy Cooking!

Peanut Butter and Banana Energy Bites

Sweet friend KB has recently been raving about her new power ball breakfasts consisting of oats, bananas, and all sorts of other yummies she throws in there.  So when Hubby and I had a bunch of bananas that were on their last legs we thought we'd go for it.  I eat breakfast every day, but have a habit of running late so thought these would fit the bill nicely.

After scouring the internet I decided just to go for it without a real recipe.  We don't have flax seed and don't really care for chia seeds so we kept to what we could find in the pantry.  The end result was pretty yummy and they're so easy to keep on hand!  

Peanut Butter and Banana Energy Bites

Ingredients:

• 2 large bananas, mashed (it ended up being about a cup)
• 2 cups oats, uncooked
• 1/4 cup peanut butter
• couple squeezes honey
• 1/4-1/2 t cinnamon
• small handful mini chocolate chips (we used semisweet because that's what we had)

Directions:

• Mash bananas in a bowl large enough to hold all the ingredients.
• Add remaining ingredients and mix well.
• Refrigerate mixture for about 30 minutes or until you're able to roll into balls.
• Roll into 1 inch balls.
• Refrigerate to store.

Notes:

• Throw in whatever sounds good to you!  We've made them a few times and found that in this hive we like the cinnamon on the lighter side.  Sometimes we add more banana, sometimes we leave out the chocolate, it all really just depends on what's on hand.
• You can make a large batch to keep in the freezer and just pull out a few at a time.  Freeze individually on a cookie sheet before putting into a giant Ziploc.  They defrost quickly.
• Use a scoop to form the balls quickly and uniformly!

What's for Dinner [Smoked Sausage and Veggies]

Things have been awfully busy around here with the end of the school year and the beginning of the summer tennis program both quickly approaching.  Sadly, dinner has been at the short end of stick.   Add in the never ending rain and I haven't been to the store in a bit. (Seriously, y'all it rained every day last week and is raining again this morning - some serious flooding, too).  Ultimately, we had a little of this and a little of that on hand, but nothing to make a "true" meal.  As a result, however, we discovered this super easy and super yummy dish.

I really did just clean out the fridge for this one....little bits of bell peppers, part of a zucchini, a hunk of onion, a couple left over potato chunks, you get the idea.  That's just what we happened to have on hand this time, but I can't wait to try it with beans or okra from the garden, brussels sprouts, or broccoli.  Hubby was skeptical as it was going into the oven, but by the end of the meal, agreed that it could definitely go on the permanent rotation. So much so, that he started grabbing bites straight out of the oven - before I could even snap a quick pic.

Smoked Sausage and Veggies

• 1 pkg smoked sausage (we used turkey)
• 1 1/2 bell peppers, large diced
• 1 onion, large diced
• zucchini, large diced
• potatoes, large diced 
• 2 t. dried parsley
• 2 t. dried oregano
• 1/2 t. garlic powder
• 1/4 t. pepper
• olive oil
• Parmesan cheese

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Chop veggies.  I tried to keep roughly the same size, so they would require a similar cooking time.
• Slice the smoked sausage into coins.
• Mix veggies and sausage.  Drizzle with olive oil.  Add spices and mix well.
• Bake 15 minutes.  Flip/Stir ingredients.  Bake 15-20 minutes longer, until slightly browned.  
• Top with a sprinkle of  Parmesan cheese, if desired.  

Notes:

• Our potatoes were leftovers and previously cooked.  I would parboil any raw potatoes or put in ahead of other ingredients to allow enough time for them to cook.  Red potatoes would be delicious in this recipe!
• Some sausage pieces were a little toasty.  We like them that way, but if you don't, just put the veggies in first and add the sausage part way through the cooking time.
• We omitted additional salt because of the sausage and didn't miss it in the end result. 
• This is the perfect weeknight meal.  While it didn't take much time to throw together, you could make it even easier by prepping all the veggies on Sunday and putting in a ziplock.  Just throw them on the cookie sheet and you're good to go!

Happy Cooking!

Thanksgiving Cooking

Thanksgiving is just around the corner and while I can hardly believe it, it will be here before we know it.  Today I''m rounding up a couple things to make the cooking easier (I'm a big believer in "one will love to cook if one has the right tools") and your tabletop just a bit more festive.

OXO Good Grips Fat Separator
Perfect for making the tastiest gravy now and for to die for stock for your winter soups later.  It gets outstanding reviews, and is the best one I've used to date.



Turkey Lifters
Managing the bird isn't always easy.  My dad has a pair of these and while he was unsure of the whole concept at first, they're pretty nice.  Bonus: these are on sale!



Emile Henry Pie Dish
I received one as a wedding gift and have loved it ever since.  It truly does bake the beautifully and is pretty enough to go straight to the table.  Tip: Martha Stewart's deep dish pate brisee recipe works the best!  This is the best price I've seen on them, and  you can use your trusty coupon from the store!

Woodland Spode
I've always loved the Woodland Spode.  So lovely.

Thankful Platter
And finally, a sweet little reminder of what the day is truly all about.



I'd love to hear your must haves for Thanksgiving  What's your favorite dish?  For me it's all about the sides and the persimmon pudding.  Wishing you and yous an incredible upcoming holiday season!

Happy Thanksgiving!

*Affiliate links included.  Thank you for supporting The Happy Little Hive!