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Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup

September 8, 2015

Easy weeknight meal, Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup

:: Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup ::

Happy day after LABOR DAY! Sara and I started school a few weeks ago, but many of our California friends are just starting today. Though, I am extremely jealous that most of my friends were able to enjoy a few more weeks of summer, I am not envious of having to establish the back to school schedule during this incredibly hot week we have ahead. Not to worry friends, we aren’t firing up the oven or stovetop just yet, we are breaking our go to recipe for Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Food

Wine and Cheese Platter

September 4, 2015

The Cellar Cheese and Layer Cake Sauvignon Blanc Wine

:: Wine and Cheese ::

It’s the last “official” weekend of summer…we can’t believe that! Since I am not ready to give up white, well white wine that is, I am sharing some of my favorite cheeses paired with wine to celebrate the last days of summer and welcoming fall and all it has to offer!

How to create a cheese platter

Though summer has gone by with a blink of an eye, I am super excited for fall and the holidays. Some of my favorite times are spent over a tasty cheese platter with a fruity glass of white wine or a full bodied-red. Either way you choose, you always need a tangy cheese to go with your wine.

My favorite white wine is a crisp Sauvignon Blanc. Right now I am loving this bottle of Layer Cake. It screams summer and makes for a fun and mild white wine. It pairs perfectly with my favorite cheese choices and it is a wonderful bottle of wine to enjoy at a barbecue. 

Cheese and wine are good any time. Easy entertaining.

Okay so now for the goods, what kind of cheese do you prefer, and how do you arrange your platter? It’s all fairly simple and completely up to your taste buds. As for myself, I am not a fan of goat cheese. No matter how I have tried, I don’t like it, but that doesn’t mean I don’t add goat to my cheese platters, especially if I know that my company likes it. Buy different types of cheese if you are hosting or creating an appetizer, you don’t have to eat it! Just fill your cheese platter with a few others you love.

My go to cheeses can be found at my local cheese shop The Cellar or I do love me a crumbly Unexpected Cheddar from Trader Joe’s. I like to have a hard cheese, a semi-soft cheese, and a crumbly cheese that can be easily placed on a cracker. I mix these with nuts such as marcona almonds, pecans, and or walnuts. I also add a fruit and a sprinkling of honey that can be drizzled over cheese and crackers or nuts.  The fats from both the nuts and cheese help to bring out the flavors in the wine.

My wine and cheese platter includes the following:

  • honey
  • marcona almonds
  • spicy pecans
  • crackers
  • grapes
  • Unexpected Cheddar
  • Rogue Creamery Chocolate Stout Cheddar
  • Estero Gold Valley Ford

Sara and I hope you enjoy this holiday weekend. We hope it’s spent well with family, friends, and of course food! For more recipe ideas, check out our recipe index under appetizers.

nicole signature via simply happenstance

Filed Under: Food

Summer Pasta Salad

July 22, 2014

Summer Pasta Salad-4

:: Summer Pasta Salad ::

Do you find, in the summer, that you cook less or look for easier recipes? I certainly do! Our days have been filled with outings, lots of outside time playing, and for us… packing up our mountain home in preparation for our upcoming move {not so fun!}.

During the school year, I’m fairly good at sticking to a routine of eating dinner at a reasonable time so that I can get the kids in bed around 8 p.m. In the summertime, that’s not the case! Usually, I’m throwing dinner together on a whim… with little time to spare! This recipe for a chilled Summer Pasta Salad is perfect for nights like that! [Read more…]

Filed Under: Food

Turkey Meatloaf with Spinach & Mozzarella

September 19, 2013

meatloaf

 :: Turkey Meatloaf with Spinach & Mozzarella ::

Looking for a healthy, easy weeknight meal? Look no further! This has been a family favorite for many years! One of my dear friends gave me this recipe when my oldest son was a toddler. We’ve been eating it ever since! This isn’t your traditional meatloaf. It’s healthier with the use of ground turkey instead of ground beef.  A layer of fresh spinach topped with shredded mozzarella {optional} is rolled up inside, keeping this dish flavorful and moist! This is one of those great meals that you can prepare earlier in the day and throw into the fridge until you are ready to cook. Also… there really is no need to measure. It just takes a pinch of this and a pinch of that to add flavor! [Read more…]

Filed Under: Food

{Date Night Ideas}

March 26, 2013

Date night ideas are a must for any couple.

One of our favorite “date night in” ideas is

having some of our favorite wine paired with cheese,

combined with a savory pasta dish,

or a simple cheese board sampling 

 when the kids go to bed.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Family

Quiche Recipe

February 25, 2013

Quiche Recipe

{Adapted by The Pioneer Woman Cooks}

quiche recipe adapted by the pioneer woman cooks

My quiche recipe is not a manly recipe.

It’s girly through and through.

Light, fluffy, veggie, and cheesy…….

I have cut a few corners and made some of the

steps a bit more skinny so that on a special girl’s day,

all can enjoy without feeling too much guilt.

That being said, it was the perfect recipe to prepare

for my Mother’s birthday.

Ingredients

********************************************************

*16 ounces white mushrooms (washed and sliced)

*2 leeks

*Petite heirloom tomatoes (1 cup sliced)

* 4 mini bell peppers (yellow and red)

*2 tablespoons butter

*8 eggs (I used 5 whole eggs and 3 egg whites)

*1 1/2 cups heavy cream

*2 cups sharp white and yellow cheddar

*salt and pepper to taste

*Pillsbury Refrigerated Pie Crust

Preparation

********************************************************

Preheat Oven to 400 F

{cook time approximately 55 minutes}

1. Place the mushrooms on a large baking sheet and

roast them in the oven for 15-20 minutes until golden.

mushrooms

2. Cut and soak the leeks in cold water

 to remove dirt and grit

3. Slice petite tomatoes and bell peppers in half and set aside.

tomatoes and bellpeppers

4. In a large skillet over medium heat,

saute leeks tomatoes, & bell peppers in the butter for 8-10 minutes.

5. In a separate bowl for the quiche base combine the

eggs and egg whites with the cream and whisk together.

6. Stir in the leeks, mushrooms, tomatoes,

bell peppers, grated cheese, and salt and pepper.

this mixture should be very thick, then set aside.

7. Unroll one Pillsbury Refrigerated Pie Crust and place in a greased

pie pan or quiche pan with a drop bottom.

8. Gently pour in the mixture and cover it loosely with a piece of

foil for 45 minutes so that the crust does not burn.

Remove the foil for the last 10 minutes so that the crust can bake to

a golden brown.

9. Remove from the oven and let it rest for 10 minutes before serving.

quiche

My Mom was impressed.

This was the first time I used the pre-made crust

for a quiche recipe,

but this simple short cut made a world of difference.

I was able to focus more on the goodness of the recipe than

worrying about my crust crumbling away before reaching the oven.

I can’t wait to make this for my girlfriends.

It is an easy recipe and quite adaptable in changing the

ingredients to make it a lighter version of

the most delicious original.

The only thing left to add to this yummy

quiche is a little *sparkling* mimosa for

a brunch celebration.

nicole signature via simply happenstance

Filed Under: Food

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About

bioSara and Nicole are sorority sisters that simply “happened” to end up in the same small town. They have many things in common, which have set the tone of their blog. They hope that you will join them in their journey of motherhood, dreams that may be, the daily life, and their passion for cooking, yoga, fashion, and design!

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