I would be remiss in my southern roots, if I didn’t add one of the most southern recipes I’ve ever had to my blog.

This recipe is so southern in fact, I bet you’ll hear a twang in your voice once you eat it.

Okay, maybe not, but listen to be sure. 🙂

This recipe came from my granny. If you hang around my blog long enough, you are bound to hear about Granny. She was my mom’s mom. The daughter of French Canadian immigrant who only spoke French, and she was my best friend. I lost my granny 4 years ago to the horrible disease of pancreatic cancer, but never fear!

GRANNY LIVES ON!

Not in some weird holy visitation, but in the many, many sayings she had.

Find yourself in a bad situation? You’re in a Mell of a Hess. See what she did there? She didn’t like to cuss. And it’s cuss. Not curse.

You think something is going to go over badly? That’s going to go over like a pregnant pole vaulter.

And you want to tell some exaggerated story? Long before the eye roll emoji, we had, “That’s your tale, I sit on mine.”

The woman was a pantheon of sayings! I miss her dearly, but when I make a recipe she created and loved, I know she’s watching over me. However, I wish she’d look away when I fold laundry, or should I say, WAD my laundry.

Sorry, Granny.

But on to the star, the recipe! I adore this recipe. It’s one of those that has never failed me. I love making it for people from other countries that had no idea how this is all going to work together, and I love watching them fall in love with it. This recipe is super easy to make. Be sure you know where all your parts to your food processor are, because she’s the real work horse in this recipe.

The handy dandy printable is below. Don’t forget to follow my blog and YouTube channel-Just Leigh so you always know when a new recipe is on the blog. And feel free to comment with recipes you’d like to see me make. Honestly, I just think about what I want to make for dinner, then shoot the video, and we eat the food.

Super high tech operation over here, I assure you.

January is here. It feels like winter. Wait. Does it? Where I live it’s a balmy 65 degrees in January. But maybe where you are it feels like winter. And if you live where it snows, send some down to Georgia. It’s going on 2 years since my kids have seen a good snow and THEY. WANT. SNOW.

So, here’s one of my favorite recipes to make when it’s cold outside. I love this version of chili because I can get stuck in a ground beef rut, and the the star of this dish is the chicken.

I use my All-Clad Gourmet Slow Cooker with All-In One to make this chili. I adore this slow cooker. It really does everything for me in one place. Less mess and less fuss when I’m cooking!

But you can totally do this on the stove. Do everything just like I did, but when you add your chicken stock, add you beans then too! Let everything simmer for 30 minutes before you add your sour cream and heavy cream. Once you’ve stirred in those 2 ingredients, you are ready to roll, no matter which cooking method you chose!

In my video, I tell you that I use 2-12 ounce packages of Curly’s Sauceless Pulled Chicken. Don’t run away if you do not like packaged chicken! I totally dislike canned chicken, but Curly’s has a great texture and makes this recipe so easy. And you can totally feel free to use rotisserie chicken from the store or roast your own chicken if you prefer.

I just wanted to give you a shortcut because…LIFE.

So, I hope you enjoy this recipe. The handy dandy printable is below. Don’t forget to follow my blog and subscribe to my YouTube channel Just Leigh for more videos!

Hi! I’m so glad you’ve joined me on my journey! 2020 is here, and I’m stepping out on a new adventure which started for me 10 years ago.

You see, 10 years ago, I made a YouTube video for a recipe-Sausage Cream Cheese Rolls. I used it as an entry into a Philadelphia Cream Cheese competition. I didn’t win the competition, and the video had about 5 views. Woot!

Well, fast-forward to today, and in the last 2 weeks or so, that video now has over 30,000 views. Wow! Now, I know in the large scheme of things, that is not a ton of views, but for me, it felt like a ton.

So, I got to thinking. I’ve learned a lot in those 10 years since I made that video. I’ve tweaked that recipe, created tons more, and in general just learned a lot about life and food. I’ve chatted with friends about creating more videos and starting a blog, and they all tell me to to go for it!!

Whoa boy. You see, I’m a doubter. I like to know success will be around the corner if I try a new thing, and I kept telling my friends, “But it’s just me. What can I share?” But thank goodness, sweet friends and the Good Lord shook some sense into me, and I thought, “It is just me.”

It’s Just Leigh.

So here I am. I’ll share cooking videos with you guys of real food I’m fixing at my table. Sometimes, it’s going to be super healthy. Sometimes, it’s going to make my southern grand mama proud, and sometimes it’s going to require processed ingredients.

But, it’s me. It’s who I am. I’m a homeschooling mom of 2 with little time to spare. But I want to share recipes, tips, tricks, and tools to make your life a little easier. Ask me questions. Give me suggestions. I hope to build a community of people who just love to be with other people, share good food, and love one another.

So come along on this journey. It’s just me. I’m simple, but I’m so glad you’re here.

And to get things rolling, check out that first video. The southern twang-she’s strong here! But stay tuned till the end. You can see me today with some control on that twang. Or control until I have to tell my kids to stop misbehaving. 🙂