I have to say that all in all, this summer has been pretty good. We traveled a little, we visited family, we laughed, we loved, and we ate a lot. But now as summer starts to wind down ( even though the temperatures are still way up), I can tell you with all sincerity... I can't wait until school starts. Oh sure, all you lucky parents with kindergarteners or older have ...
Bread
Strawberry Muffins…no, Cupcakes…no, Muffins…okay, Bread
I'm not very girl-y. I never have been. As a child I refused to wear anything even remotely pink and a dress was the equivalent to being put in the stockade, but I have always loved strawberries. My great-grandmother used to have a strawberry patch behind her house ( wait...have I told you this before?) and it was our job to pick them all so she could make jam. I'm not sure how ...
Pizza on the Grill
I'm here in Tennessee once again visiting with my family. My days have been full of wine, jelly, kids, creeks, and some great Blues music.It has also been full of heat. It's hotter 'an a match! - that's what my brother would tell you. It's been in the upper 90's all week and other than a couple hot dogs or grilled cheese sandwiches, we have not wanted to heat up the kitchen ...
Make Ahead Whole Wheat Refrigerator Dough
I'm heading out for a nice long Memorial Day weekend. Memorial Day weekend also happens to be our wedding anniversary. Our 6th as a matter of fact. We always try to spend some quality time together for our anniversaries. It's funny how the meaning of "quality time" changes as you progress into a relationship. For example, when we first got together, quality time was all ...
No Knead Artisan Bread
Back during the 2008 recession, I slashed our grocery budget down to bare bones. At the time I was running on about a $70 per week budget that fed four of us (granted the kids at that time didn't eat much) and diapers. That meant I had to get real comfortable making my own bread. For a good period of time, I became somewhat obsessed with breadmaking and this no-knead artisan ...
How to make a Bread Bowl
Everyone loves bread bowls. They really are the perfect vessel for soups and dips. Not to mention it can really cut down on your dinner dishes. I have had several of you guys out there ask about the bread bowls so here you go. By the way, I love requests, so keep 'em coming! I have used bread bowls a couple times here on this blog for White Chicken Chili and Shrimp ...
Nannie’s Waffles
I'm a little frustrated with the Georgia state school system. Last night, after spending time with the kids putting together their Valentine's for their class and putting together teacher gift bags, they called school before a single snowflake even fell. And now, here it is 9:20am and there hasn't been so much as a glimmer of any white stuff. So, I had to break it to my kids ...
Snow Showers and a Greek Pie
The snow! Oh the snow! It's everywhere! Blocking traffic! Taking out power lines! Closing schools! Wreaking Havoc! Just look at it! Yea...so no snow. But very, very cold. My poor kids are bored to death. We have watched every movie, played every game, put together every toy. We are all running out of creativity. So, I cook and the kids do the best to entertain themselves. We ...
Pizza Pie in the Sky
Ah...New Years Eve. A night of revelry, drinking and general celebration. Unless of course you have kids, then you are probably like me and will be sitting on the couch with your nice cold beer ringing in the new year with Dick Clark ( is he still alive?). That's assuming of course that you can make it that long. Because we all know that no matter how late you stay up and ...
Bad Excuses and Butter Bars
It's been a long time. Too long. I could give you all kinds of excuses. I could tell you that I lost my part-time gig and had to pick up the slack ( and a couple extra side jobs) to make our ends meet; I could tell you that my kids had their first big birthday party for their 3rd birthday last month at the house,; I could mention that it's nearly Christmas and we all know what ...
An Italian in a Blanket
It has been a while since I have posted anything. My life has suddenly become a whirlwind, but in a good way. All the little side businesses that I have been working on have become much busier and I welcome the work and the money. Unfortunately, my cooking has really fallen by the wayside. I haven't actually cooked anything in weeks. My husband has been really getting into ...
Cowboy Casserole
Post number 98!! Hard to believe it has been almost a year since I started this blog . I have thoroughly enjoyed each and every comment from all of you! I have recently started gaining a few more followers and I am so excited to see some new faces around here. I am planning a giveaway for my 100th post that's coming up. I hope you will all enter and tell your friends to stop by ...
Mmmmm…Donuts
Sometimes, inspiration hits me late at night. Actually, most of my good ideas hit me at night sometime after the kids have finally gone to sleep and I have relaxed a little. Anyway, last night I was thinking about the big wad of refrigerator dough I had in the kitchen and what exactly I should do with it. And then it hit me, DONUTS! And they would be healthy ( sort of) because ...
Rising to the Occasion – Sourdough Part Deux
I have been meaning to get this posted for the last few days. The luscious loaf you see here is long gone now, and has currently been replaced by another. That's the beauty of sourdough starter. With very little effort you can easily make endless loaves of bread for a very long time. The older the starter is the better it becomes, gaining more and more depth with every feeding. ...
Starting Something – Sourdough Part 1
Gloom and Doom. That's the word on the street these days. Everyone is tightening their belts and pinching their pennies in case they lose their job, inflation skyrockets, or the nation collapses in on itself. Whatever the reasoning there is no doubt that people are looking for more and more ways to spend less. Well, I'm throwing my idea into the hat...make some dough. ...