Not long after I began really working within our grocery budget and also being somewhat obsessed with delicious and relatively healthy food, I noticed that my food choices tended to lean toward the more basic ingredients that you would find on shelves of grandmothers everywhere. Oats, flour, nuts, fresh veggies, and so on made a regular appearance on our grocery list. The ...
Parmesan Garlic Roasted Green Beans and Tomatoes
Although I have been without a garden this year I have been enjoying the selection and freshness of our local farmers’ market. And this year’s farmers’ market is even better than last year’s! There is quite a lot to be said for letting someone else grow your vegetables for you. I haven’t pulled a weed all Summer yet I still get to enjoy the flavors that only fresh picked Summer ...
30 Minute Mini Meatloaves
To say that this Summer has been one of rest and relaxation would be a big, fat lie. So far, this particularly hot and muggy season has been nothing but exhausting; new job, new house, new projects, and new routines (if you can call anything in our life right now “routine”). I’m not complaining (ok, maybe a little), everything that has happened has been ...
Spicy Shrimp Gazpacho
The thing is… I never liked tomatoes as a kid. Or cucumbers. Or bell peppers. I also didn’t like spicy things. Something about the self-inflicted pain of hot peppers put me off. I must have been in my teens before I tried actual HOT wings and well into my twenties before I gave all of my most hated vegetables another try. So, up until rather recently, gazpacho never sounded ...
Easy Summer Fruit Cobbler
Easy Summer Fruit Cobbler is a quick and easy way to take advantage of summer's fruits and berries. Feel free to swap out the fruit for whatever you have on hand. Looking for the best Summer fruit cobbler recipe? Your search is over - here is an easy Summer cobbler using fresh fruit. You can't go wrong with this fruit cobbler for a Summer dessert, party food or to ...
Grilled Ribeye Steaks with Blue Cheese Butter
I would venture to say that most hard-working Dads out there don’t get all of the credit they deserve. I mean, they go to work every day to provide for their families only to be tackled by their children as soon as they walk through the door and commanded to then proceed to be the most entertaining toy in the room. My husband in particular must perform the duties of “the fun ...
Sloppy Meatball Joes
I firmly believe that the powers-that-be gave me my daughter so that I would be forced to constantly be creative (He gave me my son to force me to be patient). My young, vivacious look-a-like has some very particular ways of doing things. Ponytails are acceptable, but braids are not. Books are fun but not if Mom picks them out (she will not read A Little Princess no matter how ...
Strawberry Salad with Creamy Poppy seed Dressing
Strawberry Salad with Creamy Poppy Seed Dressing is a simple and elegant salad that makes a delicious lunch or side dish. The dressing is sweet with a little tart finish and pairs well with the sweet strawberries. As we box up all of our belongings and throw our lives into a little more disarray, the world outside marches into my favorite time of year. The landscape is ...
Breakfast Tostada
This breakfast tostada is the perfect food to wipe away that late night or morning hangover. Eggs, beans, avocado all on a crispy tostada tortilla makes this dish a winner! My husband and I just celebrated our 11th wedding anniversary. We celebrated by heading out to a restaurant we had never tried before (Lockeland Table in East Nashville) which is one of our favorite ...
Caramelized Onion Dip
Caramelized Onion Dip is a creamy dip perfect for chips and veggies. The caramelized onions can be made ahead and kept in the fridge for a few days. After nearly two years of “looking” and 8 months of honest-to-goodness, we’ve-got-money-in-our-hand, why-is-this-so-hard shopping, we have finally bought a new home. This is not our first go around in the house shopping ...
Pineapple Ginger Pork Kabobs
Pineapple Ginger Pork Kabobs is a wonderful recipe for a grilled dinner! The sweetness of the pineapple pairs perfectly with juicy pork! With the weather finally nice enough to be outside, at our house, it is time to fire up the grill! Besides the usual hamburgers, steaks, and hot dogs, kebabs are an affordable dinner option that works well with just about any kind of meat. ...
Baked Italian Sandwich
The amount of meals that we now eat somewhere other than our own house has at least doubled in the last month or so. Not only are we eating lunch like most people who work outside of the home (at our desk or otherwise) but the beautiful weather has made for a few very good excuses to soak up some sunshine while holding lunch in our lap. You won’t hear many complaints from me ...
Spicy Pimento Cheese Deviled Eggs
Spicy Pimento Cheese Deviled Eggs are a fun a different way to enjoy this Southern side dish! The filling makes a killer sandwich too! Nothing says “Easter” like an egg. I can’t seem to remember a single Easter without one. I can vividly remember sitting at my great-grandmother’s red kitchen table, intently focused on dying the perfect egg. We had looked at pictures of ...
Crispy Oven Roasted Potatoes
Exciting things are going on in our life right now. My family business is expanding and growing and we are doing our best to keep up with the pace of this quickly unfolding opportunity. We are being pulled in all directions and while the momentum is exhausting, the speed at which progress is moving is pretty damn exciting. Needless to say, dinner is often an after- thought. ...
Cabbage Strudel
There is a bag of dirt on my kitchen floor and little cups of seedlings in my window. My garden has been generously turned over and tilled by a neighbor. I have drawn out my plans for this year’s planting, hoping that this season will be better than last season. I have vowed to stay on top of the weeds and the squash bugs and construct a fence to keep the critters and the ...