When I’m not cooking or gardening, I’m enjoying all of the new shows on the Magnolia Network about cooking and gardening! One of my new favorites is the show, Zoe Bakes. Zoe Francois is a professional baker who is sharing all of her pro tips with average home bakers like myself. It’s a rare time […]
Nothing says summer to this Midwesterner like freshly picked tomatoes. In addition to cooking, you can find me tending my raised bed garden most days. It’s the first day of August and that means my hard work and labor over the past 3 months are now paying off. My garden is bursting with fresh produce. […]
One of my favorite summer salads is Tabouleh. It’s a Mediterranean dish made with bulgar wheat, plenty of herbs and fresh veggies. This refreshing salad makes a great side dish for grilled protein. You will find that it holds well and is perfect to take to a potluck picnic party. Sometimes I’ll save the leftovers […]
Ciao friends! I wanted to share with you a favorite pasta recipe today…it comes from Ina Garten’s cookbook, Cooking for Jeffrey. She calls it Rigatoni with Sausage and Fennel. Of course with most recipes I tweak them to my personal tastes. In this case I chose to add sliced button mushrooms, doubled the amount of […]
Who doesn’t like the ease of using a slow cooker? Just sear some meat, add vegetables, spices and a bit of chicken stock…come back 8 hours later and you’ve got amazing tender and juicy pork. This is how I like to make Mexican Pork Carnitas. This pork is great served in tacos, burritos, on a […]
You’ve heard the old saying…if I had a dollar for every time I made this dish. Yes…this delicious Shrimp and Grits is one of those dishes that has friends and family oohing and ahhing. I have so far converted everyone who said they didn’t like grits or had never had grits before. About four years […]
There’s nothing more classic American that a chocolate chip cookie. Like many of you I’ve baked several varieties and have eaten even more. Hands down…this recipe has been our family favorite for over 30 years. I encourage you to give this version a try. Your family will love you for it. Don’t let the title […]
Hey all…it’s been a long time since I actually created a blog post for you. Over the past year I turned to posting my recipes on Instagram. That format is much quicker and simpler than blogging about recipes. However, last night I posted a video of the Creamy Taco Soup that I prepared for a […]
There is no doubt I love a good kitchen gadget. Just visit my kitchen and pantry and you’ll discover drawers, cabinets and shelving units filled with all kinds of great stuff. It also helps to have an extremely thoughtful and generous husband…who has gifted me with all manner of kitchen gadgets over the past 34 […]
Two words – special occasion. Two words – two days. Yep…this show stopping dessert is one you’ll want to make to wow your guests. You’ll also need lots of patience and two days to complete the recipe. As with all authentic, New York – style cheesecakes, you need to make and bake the cake one […]
As a foodie, I follow tons of food related social media via Instagram and Facebook. So my news feed is often full of food click bait. You know the ones. Those posts that have gorgeous food pictures and videos that draw you in to click and try a recipe. That’s what happened this week. […]