Sometimes ( ok, a lot of times) special occasions kind of sneak up on me. Especially minor holidays. Yes, I consider the Super Bowl a minor holiday. When this happens, I like to dig down into my bag of tricks and pull out a recipe or two that I know will come together well. Here is a quick list for all of you out there looking for something good to whip up for the big game ...
Fruit Smoothies
Amazingly enough, I have managed to stick to my goal of getting healthy for a whole month now. Not that I haven't cheated. I have. More than I would probably like to admit. That whole 30th birthday week was pretty much a fattening food and quite a bit of wine free-for-all. But two weeks of guilt and lots of exercise and I am finally back on track. That being said I am ...
Apple Oatmeal Muffins
Apple Oatmeal Muffins are a cinch to whip together. One bowl and one muffin pan and you are on your way to a warm muffin for breakfast. So, here was the plan. The plan was for me to take my sweet baby girl to dance class and type out this blog post about Apple Oatmeal Muffins in peace out in the lobby of the building where the class is. Here I am. I have a comfortable ...
Pizza Pasta and the Incredible Shrinking Woman
Happy New Year! I'm only about 2 weeks late on that one. I hope 2012 has gotten off to as good a start for you as it has for me. For the first time...ever I think...I have stuck to my resolutions so far. The most exciting part? I've lost 5 pounds. WooHoo! Five down, 25 to go. I've been putting a lot of focus on not eating like a pig and not drinking like a fish, both of which ...
Spicy Black Eye Pea Salad
I consider myself a good Southerner and I tend to stick to tradition as much as anyone when it comes to welcoming in a new year. I never hang up my new calendar for the new year until January 1st ( much to my daughter's chagrin) and I always eat my black eye peas on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. That's not to say that I get up and particularly look forward to eating a big ...
The Difference a Year can Bring
Here we are at the end of another year and I have been thinking over the last few days about how far we have come since this time last year. 2011 started with some really tough decisions for us. We made one huge leap of faith at the beginning of the year when we decided to cut our losses and move back to Tennessee. It wasn't a decision we took lightly, but one that we felt like ...
Overnight Monkey Bread
I can't begin to tell you how much I am looking forward to Christmas morning. I think this year is going to be the best year yet! The kids are old enough to really understand, but not quite old enough to be suspicious and the wonder and excitement is there. And oh boy are they excited! The small mountain of gifts already under the tree is like fuel to the fire. They have ...
Red Wine and Garlic Braised Beef Shanks
Red Wine and Garlic Braised Beef Shanks are a rich, heavenly slow-cooked dinner with lots of meaty flavor. It's like pot roast on steroids. Make this for your next Sunday supper or fancy sit down dinner. You are sure to be thanked. There are some meals that are so unbelievable that you can do nothing but moan through every bite. The kind of meal where the sheer joy of putting ...
A New Turn in the South – A Review
Besides just the fun of writing about whatever I want to write about, there are a few other perks to being a food blogger. No, I'm not talking about big advertising space checks, I don't know anything about those perks. I'm talking about the occasional opportunities that are delivered to my email from time to time asking me to review or promote an item. Sometimes I turn them ...
Green Tomato Salsa Verde
My tomato plants have been good to me this year. While everyone else in town has been complaining about a horrible year for tomatoes, my 3 tomato plants have kept me and my family knee deep in juicy ripe tomatoes all Summer. So, now here it is October and the first frost is expected to come tonight and that means the end of my hard working tomato plants. It took me two trips to ...
Asian Marinated Flank Steak and Bok Choy
The beginning and the end of the growing season can sometimes be challenging for those who are intimidated by green stuff. Fall and Spring veggies are nothing but green. Fall veggies are slightly more varied with the appearance of winter squashes and pumpkins, but this late in the season lettuces, cabbages, spinach, and greens make up the majority of any CSA basket in the ...
Chicken and Broccoli Pasta in Sherry Cream Sauce
Chicken and Broccoli Pasta in Sherry Cream Sauce is classy enough for company and easy enough for a weeknight. Everyone will love this creamy dish! I have a love/hate relationship with this time of year. I love it because it's beautiful. The trees are changing color, the days are mild and the nights are cool. It's the perfect time to be outside. The perfect time... unless you ...
Gardening on the Cheap
This seems like an odd time of year to start talking about gardening, but anyone will tell you that I am not known for great timing. Timing aside though, now is actually a great time to think about gardening. Gardening for next year. This past Summer's garden was a success for us. Out of my two little 4x8 beds, I got enough veggies to help keep my grocery bill manageable. Not ...
Homemade Ruffles Potato Chips
Never buy a bag of potato chips again! Make your own Homemade Ruffles Potato Chips from scratch! Cheap and easy and lots of fun to eat. I'm not sure that I have ever heard of anyone who doesn't love potato chips. I've heard of folks who can't eat potato chips, or "try not" to eat potato chips, and a few people who say potato chips go straight to their thighs, but I can't ...
Food Blog Forum: Nashville Edition
So, this past weekend I handed my kids off to my Mom and headed up to Nashville for Food Blog Forum Nashville. Although this was my third bloggers conference ( and my second Food Blog Forum event), I was really looking forward to this event. Put together by Beth Sachan from Eat.Drink.Smile. , Lindsay of Love and Olive Oil ,and Leah Short of So Hows it Taste, Food Blog Forum ...