I don't know what it is about the holidays that brings back every sweet, distant memory of my mother's cooking. I guess because it was always delicious, well almost always delicious. It always came with a house full of people with love,warm conversation and maybe the odd heated political debate.There were always a bunch of kids, 7 of us to be exact.( I was only related to one ...
I love a Good Italian – Meatball Sub
A few months ago, I went on a "diet and exercise program". You may have heard of it - Body for Life. To this day, it is the only diet I have ever completed ( not counting the Beer & Cigarette Diet I was on in college). I lost 12 lbs and dropped 2 dress sizes, it is a great diet and I recommend it to anyone. ANYWAY, the big reason I could stay on the program is because the ...
Marbled Brownies or The Best Brownies You Ever Ate
Moist. Rich. Chocolaty. Creamy. Delicious. Enough said. For Chocolate Batter: 8 oz. semisweet chocolate 6 T butter 4 eggs 1 1/2 cups sugar 1 cup flour 1/2 t salt 1 t. baking powder 2 t. vanilla extract 1 cup pecans or walnuts, chopped For Plain Batter: 4 T butter, at room temperature 6 ounces cream cheese, softened 1/2 cup sugar 2 eggs 2 T flour 1 t. ...
Skirt Steak with Chimichurri
I don't know about you, but I am just about poultry-ed out. I have had enough turkey and chicken in the last month to last me a while. That is why last night I decided some red meat was in order. This is one of the hubby's favorite meals. He requests it quite often. Usually I make it with flank steak, but skirt steak or even a London broil work just as well. The chimichurri is ...
Love Me Tender – Herb Roasted Chicken and Vegetables
There is just something about a cold, wet, rainy day that demands a warm, tender, and flavorful meal. There are several dishes that fit into that category but I think roasted chicken is my favorite. I have a small collection of herbs that I grow in sunny spots in my shady yard and I love the freshness that they add, especially rosemary. I love rosemary. If warm and comforting ...
Sprinkle me this – Chocolate Christmas Cookies
I think one of the best things about having children is that you finally have an excuse to buy cookie cutters and sprinkles. It's hard to justify cookie cutters without children; an adult would never make butterfly cookies with sprinkles. But now I have 2 children who are just barely big enough to enjoy Christmas cookies and the I can finally buy a slew of cookie cutters and ...
Country Style Ribs
I will admit that I did not actually cook this meal. My husband did. I had all the stuff, I had the plan to cook this, but I did not cook this. This particular day I was very tired and very full of snot and just getting over the wicked cold that we have all had since before Thanksgiving. So ...
Jambalaya
One of my readers, Sassy Molassy, mentioned on the last post that she had a great gumbo recipe ( which I would love to try by the way) for leftover turkey. This got me thinking about Louisiana and the phenomenal food that can be found everywhere in that state. Now I haven't been to the great Cajun state since I've had children, but I vividly remember all of the flavors found ...
Much Ado about Turkey
I love the holidays. I get all excited about lights and cookies and vast feasts that continue on for days and days. I also love the tradition that always comes along with the family and friends. Although this year was a little more frustrating than years past ( twin toddlers with colds and 9 people in a 1600 square foot house), there were many good memories made and lots of ...
Secret Southern Classic – Chess Pie
There are many classic Southern dishes that you can get most anywhere such as fried chicken, cornbread, and sweet tea. These dishes are widely publicized and ,thanks to Paula Deen, good recipes are readily available. But there are a few Southern classics that even Ms. Deen hasn't given to the masses. Among those treasured few is Chess Pie. Chess Pie has been in my life for as ...
The evil "C" word – Casserole
When I first got married, I was all about cooking really great, really original food every single night. The very mention of casserole had me turning my nose up. I thought I was too good for casseroles I guess. Well, five years and two kids later, I LOVE casseroles. Not only are casseroles superb at cleaning out everything that is about to go bad in your fridge, but they are ...
Real Tightwads Eat Quiche
I''m sure that you have watched the news at least once in the last couple of months and that you are well aware of the economic crisis that we are now in. And if you are a follower of this blog ( and I actually have some now!) you are probably feeling the pinch. With all of this talk about money and how people are cutting back, I went in search of what the average person spends ...
Spicy White Chicken Chili in a Bread Bowl
I don't know where you live, but where I live it is cold! The high today is going to be 45 with wind gusts up to 30 mph! With weather like that all I can think about is soup. And the spicier the better! This white chili is the perfect solution to the cold day. The bread bowl isn't absolutely necessary but you will thank yourself for it.3 cans white beans, rinsed and drained1 ...
Hakuna Frittata – Spaghetti Frittata
It seems that whenever I make spaghetti I always make way too much. I don't really do it intentionally, but I always end up with this big wad of pasta leftover in the morning. In an effort to use the leftovers, I came across this recipe in my trusty Good Housekeeping Cookbook. Now I know it may sound strange, spaghetti and eggs, but Good Housekeeping would never lead you ...
Homemade Marinara Sauce
If there is one recipe every frugal parent should have in their repertoire it is Marinara sauce. I can't think of one child ( or adult) who doesn't like spaghetti with mounds of sauce and piles of cheese. Not to mention it is one of the healthiest, easiest and most versatile meals to fix for dinner. You can hide a multitude of things in marinara. Vegetables, ground turkey ( ...