Southwestern Grits from Clarks Condensed

I am so thrilled to be guest posting here at Fry Sauce and Grits. I met Courtney a few months ago, and have enjoyed getting to know her! I loved when I heard the name of Courtney and Melanie's blog, because I could totally relate to it. You see, my husband is from North Carolina and grew up on grits. Me? Well, I'm from Colorado, with heavy roots from Utah, and fry sauce was a regular staple at our house. Two very different cultures pushed together makes for one awesome marriage!

I started thinking about what I wanted to share, and I thought to myself that it would only make sense to share a grits recipe! If you aren't familiar with grits, they are a staple in Southern meals. They can be rather plain, and are just a great addition to any breakfast. My husband and I decided to throw in a bit of a Colorado/Southwestern twist to a typical batch, and believe me when I say, it was delicious. 

Instead of being just a side dish, we created more like a grits casserole. It has all the things people love about grits (the creamy, buttery, cornmeal flavor) and made it a little more hearty. I'm a little ashamed to admit we almost ate the entire batch, but at the same time. And my one-year-old? He LOVED this dish. He was begging for more.

Thanks again, Melanie and Courtney, for having me, and I hope you all will come by Clarks Condensed soon, and let me know what you think of this recipe! And just as a side note, because my son and I are lactose intolerant, I did use almond milk and a butter substitute, but if you can tolerate whole milk and good ol' butter...I definitely recommend using those!

Southwestern Grits

inspired by Alton Brown's Cheesy Grits

2 cups whole milk 

2 cups water 

1 teaspoon salt 

1 cup cornmeal 

1 teaspoon pepper

 4 tablespoons butter 

1/2 cup monterrey jack shredded cheese 

1/2 pound mild chorizo 

1/2 cup green pepper, chopped 

1/2 cup red onion, chopped 

1 teaspoon cilantro 

1 teaspoon garlic

2 teaspoons coconut oil

In a skillet, place coconut oil and chorizo and brown it. Add green pepper, red onion, cilantro, and garlic, and cook until tender. Set aside.  In a large pot, bring milk, water and salt to a boil. After it comes to a boil, slowly add in cornmeal, whisking the entire time. After the cornmeal has been incorporated, turn the heat down to a low and cover, whisking every few minutes for 20 minutes, or until the mixture is the desired consistency. 

Remove from heat, add in butter, and mix until butter melts. Then, add in cheese, and the chorizo/vegetable mixture. Serve with toasts, eggs, biscuits...or just about anything else you can think of! If you want just a plain grits recipe, just omit the chorizo and vegetables. 

Chalkboard Folding Chair Makeover from Girl Loves Glam

Hey Frysauce and Grits readers! I am McKenzie from Girl Loves Glam and I can't even tell you how pumped I am to be here today! Courtney is one of my all time favorite people. I love Fry Sauce and Grits because it is just as fabulous as she is!

Today, I am sharing a really simple tutorial to help you take your boring old folding chairs from drab to totally fab!

What a better way to makeover a folding chair than to paint it a bright, fun color, right? Well, there is a better way! Adding a little chalkboard paint to it takes it one step further into awesome town. Here's what you need to make your own...

*Folding Chair

*Spray paint

*Clear Chalkboard Coating Paint

*Chalk

First, spray paint your chair whatever color you want it to be. It might take 2 coats depending on how dark the color is. Be sure it is a paint that can be used on metal.

Now for the good part! Paint the Clear Chalkboard Coating paint on the backrest part of the chair. Paint the front and the back of the chair. Be sure to follow the directions on the bottle. Paint 3-4 coats of this on, waiting an hour between each coat.

After the paint has cured, you can write on it just like a chalkboard! You can use it to write people's names on it to mark their spots for a BBQ or a party!

You can write the name on both sides of the chair so that their spots are easy to find too!

When you aren't entertaining guests, you can draw fun designs on your chairs to bring more color and design to your decor! Aren't they so fun? I am going to be looking for more chairs at garage sales to add to my chalkboard folding chair collection!

Thanks so much for having me guest post today Fry Sauce and Grits girls! Be sure to come visit me on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, or on www.girllovesglam.com. You might like these posts too...

Front Waterfall with Braided Headband from MyMommyStyle

Hello!  My name is Cassia, and I blog over at MyMommyStyle and I am so honored to be able to guest post here at Fry Sauce and Grits today.  Courtney and I are officially cyber friends, despite the fact that she lives in my hometown of Kaysville, UT (but whenever I finally make it back to Utah, I know we'll be real life friends too!)  

MyMommyStyle.com is group of mommies (go figure, right?) who love to blog about Family, Food, Fashion Photography and Fun.  I think as women, we wear too many hats (and shoes!).  We are so many things to so many people. At My Mommy Style, we just want to create a place for the ladies (or guys too if they want) to unwind, come and find inspiration, camaraderie, share a giggle or two along with the occasional tear, and embrace the beauty (and humor) that is motherhood.

As I write this, I am 29 and I’m a Mommy, a Perpetual student (though I do have a BA degree in Journalism, which I have been teased mercilessly for throughout my life!), a sometimes photographer, graphic designer and an all-too-honest blogger.  I married my all-American soldier 7 years ago and now we have our 3 year old and twin babies. It's the most crazy, beautiful adventure of my life!

Today I am doing something that I have never done before...a VLOG!  Do y'all hate your real life voice as much as I hate mine? Somehow it sounds less annoying in my own head. 

Last week I was at the mall when I saw the most adorable little 3 year old girl with gobs of long, dark gorgeous hair, and it was styled so beautifully, I just had to get a closer look.  Her equally beautiful mommy came up and we both tried to communicate, her in her broken English, and me in my VERY broken Spanish, but I think I got the gist.  

This front waterfall braid with a braided headband is so simple, fresh, and maybe even a little edgy?  Either way, it's great to throw into the mix!  Let me know if you have any questions or comments, I'd love to hear from ya! Also, don't forget to stop on by MyMommyStyle.com. 

Thanks for watchin' my first ever (slightly awkward) vlog! xox

Make sure to follow MyMommyStyle on 

Pinterest

Facebook 

Statigram

BBQ Chicken Salads from Cupcake Diaries

I'm so excited to be blogging here at Fry Sauce & Grits!! I met Courtney at SNAP! Conference in April and I just love the girl. One day I will meet Melanie and my life will be complete!! :)

I'm Alli and I blog over at Cupcake Diaries. I love to cook, bake, throw parties, and tell all about it on my blog! I'm a mom of two young boys so my recipes tend to be quick, easy, and family-friendly. I love being the hostess and sharing my culinary creations with others. I'd love for you to stop by and introduce yourself! You can connect with me on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, Bloglovin', and Google+!

Now that summertime is here and the temperature is rising, salads sound extra good for dinner! There's something about fresh, crisp greens that makes me feel a little bit cooler on these hot days. We love to use our grill during the spring and summer so it was awesome being able to use it for this salad.

This salad requires very minimal work. Just how I like it! The hardest part of this meal was grilling the chicken. (And let's be honest, my husband did that part!) I love the different flavors and textures in this salad. The basil and cilantro give it a pop that's super tasty. The coolness of the ranch dressing combined with the barbecue sauce is a flavor winner!

Cut down the cook time by preparing all the ingredients (minus the chicken) earlier in the day. Place them in separate dishes in the fridge until you need them later! This will save you loads of time when you're making the salads.

This recipe makes restaurant-size salads. You can cut down the amount of lettuce if you want a smaller salad or split the salads up to make three.

BBQ Chicken Salads
makes 2 restaurant-size salads

• 1 (8oz) boneless skinless chicken breast
• 6 c. romaine lettuce, lightly chopped
• 1 c. Monterrey jack cheese, shredded
• 6 basil leaves, sliced thin
• 1/2 c. black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/2 c. whole kernel corn
• 2 Tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1/2 c. tomatoes, diced
• 1/3 c. ranch dressing
• 1/4 c. barbecue sauce
• corn chips
• salt and pepper

Salt and pepper the chicken and place on the grill over medium heat for 6 minutes on each side. Remove from the grill and set aside to rest.

Toss together lettuce, basil, cheese, beans, corn, cilantro, and ranch dressing. Divide the mixture between two separate plates. Sprinkle each salad with half the tomatoes and crush 2 or 3 corn chips over the top.

Slice the chicken into small pieces and toss with barbecue sauce. Divide the chicken and place half on each salad. Serve immediately.

Enjoy!

Six Easy Embellished Onesie Designs

One morning a while back, I was doing my daily morning routine of getting Amelia and I ready.  As I was going through her closet to decide what she was going to wear that day, I started to feel that I had nothing for her to wear (I feel this way all the time in my closet).  She had plenty of clothes to choose from but I was feeling bored of them.  I had received a handful of onesies as baby shower gifts and even though onesies are practical and great to dress your baby in, they can be boring and downright ugly.  I hated how most of the onesies I owned had stupid stitched characters like monkeys and bears on them.  I didn't want to go spend extra money on clothes for her.  So a light bulb went off in my head.  I thought to myself, "Why don't I embellish and cover up the ugly parts of the onesies to make them cute!" 

 To start, I looked for inspiration. I got online and checked out some of my favorite stores that I can't afford (Anthropologie, J Crew, Nordstrom) and then my last stop is the mother load of inspiration, Pinterest.   This helped the creative juices flow.  Whenever I start a new project, I always scavenge the house to see what supplies I already have so I don't have to spend extra money.  I had a bag of old clothes I was going to donate to the Salvation Army, and I decided to take one extra look through them to make sure there wasn't items I wanted to keep.  To my surprise I found a couple of items that had some amazing textures and patterns on it and thought they would look awesome on Amelia's onesies.

Blue Lace Bow Onesie

This onesie is one of my favorites because of the fabric I used on it.  Get this, I had some old lingerie that had seen better days (wink, wink) and it was made from this blue stretch lace.  I loved the texture and color of the lace, so that's when I decided I would make a big bow in the front of the onesie to cover up the, "Daddy's little girl" wording in the center. To make this onesie I first cut two six inch strips out of the cups (the bust part of the lingerie top) pinned them to the edge of the sleeve and sewn over it.  Easy.  For the bow I took the midsection (make sure you have both seams on the sides intact to make it easier) of the lingerie top and folded it back and forth like an accordion.  I squished the middle and tied some thread around it to keep it secure.  I used a cream and gold stripped piece of fabric from an old dress and hot glued it around the middle to make the bow.  To attach the bow I pinned it in the center of the onesie to cover up the words.   Then took some matching thread and hand sewn the outline of the bow to the onesie.   

Cream Doily Onesie

My great-great-grandmother was known for her lace and crochet work.  I actually own a couple of pieces in my home and WOW, what a piece of art they are!  Well I didn't want to use one of old granny's antique doilies so I went to Joann's and purchased this cream one for .99 cents!  I cut a circle out of cream fabric that I already had, put the doily on top of the fabric, pinned both the fabric and doily it to the center of the onesie (to cover up the not so cute looking flowers), used my sewing machine with cream thread and sewn a small circle in the middle and a large circle towards the edge to secure it to the onesie.  To make this even more unique, add some color or textured fabric behind the doily! 

Lace Bib Onesie

To make a this Lace Bib Onesie, I took an old brown lace shirt and cut two six inch strips from the lacy trim (there was two different type of trims on this shirt).  I cut a 12 inch piece of that cream and gold stripped fabric I had from an old dress.  On the cream and gold fabric, I sewn a long length stitch at the top of the fabric and then ruched the fabric to make it look gathered.  I layered each layer on top of each other to give it a waterfall effect.  I pinned them to the onesie and sewn across each layer at the top.   

Green Flower Onesie

I got the inspiration for this Green Flower Onesie from a very expensive Anthropologie shirt I saw a couple months back (I still wish to this day I would have gotten it).  This was one of the easiest onesies to make.  I used an old green ribbed tank top as the fabric for my flowers because I knew it wasn't going to fray.  To make the flowers I free handed it and cut out different sizes of flowers: large, medium and small.  The less perfect, the better. I then layered them on top of each other (2 flowers per flower) and arranged them in a random sequence on the onesie.  I pinned them to the onesie and hand sewn them on with matching green thread.  To get a "curling" effect, just sew the flower petals to the onesie.  Learn how to make Amelia's bow headband here.

Victorian Cameo Onesie

I always loved the look of Victorian Cameos.  My grandma had a cameo pin she would wear all the time, this onesie reminds me of her and how classy she is.  To make the cameo, I used two different colors of felt  for the oval and for the lady.  Draw a medium size oval on one color of felt and cut it out.  For the cameo, I looked at cameos on the internet and hand draw it onto a different colored felt and cut it out. Super glue the lady to the center of the oval.  For the lace fringe behind the oval, I used up more fringe from that lace brown shirt I used in the Lace Bib Onesie.  I cut out a 12 inch section of lace and hot glued it to the back of the oval.  For the cute cheetah print bow, I used an earring who had lost it's mate, so I ripped the bow off the earring and hot glued it to the lady.  Once I was done with all that, I made sure the cameo was centered onto the onesie, and hot glued the entire cameo on the shirt.  For the fringe on the sleeves, I took two six inch strips of lace fringe from the brown lace shirt I used in the Lace Bib Onesie, pinned it to the the edge of the sleeve, and sewn it on there.  BTW, the cute headband Amelia is wearing is from Cozette Couture.  

Draped Metallic Bib Onesie

This white onesie was almost thrown out a couple times.  When I had Amelia I thought I knew how to do laundry and get rid of stains, well let's just say a lot of Amelia's clothes were ruined because I was so ignorant when it came to getting formula, poop, and other bodily fluid stains out of her clothes.  FYI, I've gotten a lot better with getting stains out of clothes.  This onesie had disgusting yellow stains all over the front.  Amelia looked pretty ghetto whenever she wore this poor onesie.  I got the idea to drape the stains with a piece of an old metallic shirt I used to wear.  I cut out a 6" X 12" rectangle piece out of this metallic shirt.  I used my sewing machine to sew a long length stitch at the top of it.  To get the gathered look, I then ruched it, pinned it to the onesie, and sewn over it!  Now no one know there's nasty stains because they're hiding behind the bib.  

I hope you enjoyed reading how I designed these onesies.  I feel that having a stylish baby doesn't have to come at a premium price, it just takes some extra time and some creativity.  Hopefully this has inspired you to create new things out of old things. 

I was featured on My Craft Channel where I demonstrated how I created the onesies. Check out the video here!

Also, check out my Studio 5 debut below! 

Top 5 Makeup Tips for Brides

 I love the month of June because it's starting to get warm, summer is right around the corner, and the flowers are out in full bloom.  June is also a busy month for me because there's a lot of weddings!  I love the saying Liza from Seven Brides for Seven Brothers sings in the musical, "Oh, they say when you marry in June, you're a bride all your life."  I love that musical.  June is a busy month for me because I do a lot of freelance work on the side for weddings.  When I do makeup for these beautiful brides I get a lot of questions asked by them as to how to get their  makeup to look flawless on their wedding day.  I have learned a thing or two about makeup for your wedding day--and I'm here to share it with you!

These are my top 5 makeup tips for brides:

1. Use a foundation primer.  You want your makeup to last all day, and you want a smooth surface to start from.  Choose a primer based on your skin type.  Here are a few recommendations:

Laura Mercier Oil Free Primer

Smashbox Photo Finish Primer

2. Waterproof eyeliner and mascara.  Let's face it, a wedding can be an emotional and overwhelming day.  You'll probably shed a few happy tears and you need something that will stay put.  These are bullet proof options.

Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Gel Eyeliner

Diorshow Iconic Waterproof Mascara

3.  A makeup setting spray.  A fine hydrating mist you spray after you've finished your makeup will help it set into the skin, and it will instantly make it look less makeup-y.  I like the Amore Pacific Moisture Bound Skin Energy Hydration Delivery System

Amore Pacific Moisture Bound Spray

4. Use a highlighting powder to brighten and finish your look.  The idea is to look glowy-not shimmery or glittery.  Dust this on top of your cheekbones, nose, and inner corners of the eyes to add some dimension and highlight your features.

Guerlain Meteorite Compact

Bobbi Brown Brightening Finishing Powder

5.  Please use lipstick and a sheer pressed powder that you can touch up with throughout the day and into the evening.  

Bobbi Brown Sheer Pressed Powder

This is your wedding day--prepare for this detail.  Pick out colors you know you love, and have them handy.  You can ask your maid of honor/mom/wedding coordinator to keep them in her purse and have her bring them to you so you can reapply after you eat or drink.

Laura Mercier Creme Smooth Lip Color in Pink Dusk

Yves Saint Laurent Glossy Stain

I hope these tips will make your wedding day more beautiful.  Even if you're not a bride, but you are wanting to look flawless in photos, these are great tips to try!  If you have any makeup questions, or are wanting to know more on a certain subject, e-mail me at melliecraig@gmail.com!

LeanMoms Review and Membership Giveaway

One of my New Year's resolutions for 2013 was to get healthy, lose the 35 pounds I gained from being pregnant, and to fit into my pre-pregnancy clothes.  These are very lofty goals and I knew that achieving these three goals wasn't going to be easy.  Through the ups and downs of having a newborn, the adjustments to be a new mom, and nursing; I found myself one day looking at the mirror and I cried.  I didn't recognize my body at all.  I have to give my body a lot of credit because it did house, gave birth, and fed a baby for many months.  I had high expectations that I was going to lose the extra  baby weight through nursing, well that didn't work for me at all.  My problem was a combination of not being active, being exhausted, and not eating healthy.  Because I was a SAHM I would try to be domestic and make some cookies or a yummy treat.  Well a lot of the times I would eat the entire batch before McKay would get home.  I had no self control at all.  I knew this combination of eating crappy and not moving was preventing me from getting back into shape. I needed to make changes in my life and I needed help, but I didn't know where to start.  

I was really active before I got pregnant and this was me right when I found out I was pregnant.

 

This was me during pregnancy, I can't believe I would go golfing in heat like that!



Me after having Amelia

I belong to a blogging support group on Facebook and that's when I first heard of a  program called LeanMoms.   Leanmoms.com is an online strength training and body sculpting program created specifically for busy women and mothers, like myself.  Each level is a comprehensive 12-week program designed to help you learn proper strength training and nutrition for a female body to yield great results.  Lacy, the CEO and and founder of LeanMoms breaks everything down from the workouts to the meal plan.  I've been really impressed because the workouts are challenging but totally doable and the meal plan is easy to follow because Lacey tell you what to eat, how much, and when to eat it.  So there's no guess work. 

 I've been doing the program for 18 weeks now and I'm almost done with Level 2!  Each level is 12 weeks long.  It has changed my LIFE, literally.  They're days and weeks I made a lot of mistakes.  I cheated on the meal plan or I didn't get my work outs in.  By doing this program I found out what my weaknesses are that were preventing me from losing weight.  I've learned I eat a lot of snacks and treats because I like to "treat" myself and that I filled boredom with food.  Weekends and social gatherings are really hard for me.  Weekends are not as structured as weekdays and most social gathering focus around food.  I had to find balance, self control, and find enjoyment all at the same time if I was going to succeed.  On the path to finding this balance I realized I'm human, and I make mistakes.  By remembering the goals I set before I started the program, this helped me to get back on track when I was struggling.  One other thing that is so helpful is LeanMoms has an awesome Facebook support group for all of its members.  I can't tell you how many times did I post questions, concerns, issues I has having, or in need of some extra support from other women who were going through the same thing as me.  Lacy, the creator of LeanMoms was always responded to my questions! 

Meal Plan:

What I really like about LeanMoms is that the mentality of the program when it comes to the meal plan is if you get off track, don't give up, just get back on track on your next meal and tomorrow is another day to try harder.  I feel one of the hardest things about losing weight is what should you eat and how much and when?  With Lacy's program she tells you what to eat, how much, and when. She gives you shopping lists to make it even easier for you.  The meal plans includes recipes so you know how to make every meal.  I never felt hungry on the meal plans or deprived.  To sum up the meal plan you have six meal in a day.  You eat every 2-3 hours and consume anywhere between 1,200 to 1,500 calories a day.  You eat a lot of vegetables, fruits, complex carbs, lean protein, and healthy fats.  On Level 1 you get one cheat meal a week that can't be more than 1,000 calories.  This can get tricky if you have a girlfriend who wants to go out to lunch, a husband who wants to go out to eat, and a family dinner all in one week.  You then have decide which meal is going to be your cheat meal.  Planning ahead is critical to sticking to the plan.  On Level 2, depending on how your progressing, you get a cheat day or a cheat meal.  When you get to Level 2 if you have a lot more choices to choose from.  Also, you have alternating high carb and low carb days.  Having more options is awesome, but when you are given more options, you have to track what you eat (I like to use MyFitnessPal on my iphone)  and be accountable.  Level 2 has been harder for me when it comes to the meal plan because of the more freedom.  I found myself cheating more often and so I have to reevaluate how I'm doing and recommit myself on a daily and weekly basis.  

My dinners for a week.  Lot's of salad, lean protein, and complex carbs!

Exercise Plan

The exercise program for Level 1 is all about losing the fat % and building lean muscle mass.  Level 2 is about maintaining and defining your lean muscle.  The plan for both levels consist of alternating high intensity cardio and weights (machines and free weights).  Lacy gives you a worksheet for each of your five workout days.  To progress faster, she recommends you do an extra day of cardio.  With the worksheets are links to  videos of each particular workout being demonstrated so you know how to do it!  You can either print out your workout worksheets (I like doing this option) or you can keep track on your smart phone.  The workouts aren't the same each day.  They're different every two weeks so you don't get bored week after week.  The workouts take between a hour and a hour a half.  This program isn't a quick fix.  It's the good old exercise and eating right plan, and it works!  One day is dedicated to each body part: butt, legs, arms, shoulder, and back.  Most workouts include some type of ab workout too.  You have two options you can do the workouts at home or at the gym.  I like going to the gym because its a way for me to be social, to be around other adults, and a chance to get out of the house.  When you start the workouts it's important to start at a slow weight and slowly increase them overtime.  I remember the first time I used the weighted pull up bar.  The higher the weight, the less resistance it is.  I could only lift 10-15 pounds of my body. Slowy over 18 weeks, I can now lift more than 60 pounds of my body weight.  One last thing, stretching exercises are included on the worksheet.    

By following the plan I've lost the 35 pounds, I've lost over 16 inches, lost 7% of body fat, I'm a lot more toned then I was before I was pregnant, I have a better understanding of what it takes to lose weight and keep it off, how to exercise and eat properly, I have more energy, feel stronger, have more endurance, but most of all, I've gained a lot of confidence that I can accomplish something really hard.  LeanMoms is not a fad diet or quick fix.  It's a program dedicated to staying healthy long term.  It takes commitment and discipline, but if you have the willpower, you can do it!    

  

   

To win a free LeanMoms Molly Membership for life with a value of $197, enter into the giveaway!  The giveaway ends on June 24th and the winner will be announced that day!

Make sure you sign up with LeanMoms. It changed my life and the things I learned in the program were priceless.  I now know how to live a healthy and active lifestyle that gets results.  Click here to sign up.

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