This dish is always a crowd-pleaser. Make up a double batch, wrap in plastic wrap and store in a ziploc bag for your next busy day! I think this was about the third recipe I ever put up on this blog, and at that point I lived in a poorly lit house with two year old twins and a pretty healthy dose of near-insanity. Although things have changed a lot in the last 4 years there ...
baked
Pumpkin Cupcakes w/ Molasses Cream Cheese Filling
I've been racking my brain for the last few days about what to cook that has pumpkin in it. I mean it's Fall for cryin' out loud! I should be covered up with pumpkin everything!! So, after much turmoil and contemplation I decided pumpkin cupcakes were in order. But how to make them different? How to make them stand out from the crowd? It was then that I remembered my Great Aunt ...
Old Fashioned Pot Roast
Old Fashioned Pot Roast takes a little while to make, but the flavor and the tenderness of the beef and vegetables make it all worth the effort. It seems like folks these days are so interested in quick and easy that they forget how delicious slow and steady can be. Don't get me wrong. Quick and easy plays a significant roll in my nightly dinner line up. We often have ...
Roasted Broccoli and Brussels Sprouts
Roasted Broccoli and Brussels Sprouts is a quick and easy addition to any meal. Covered in cheese and bacon and then roasted to perfection, these are not your grandmas Brussels sprouts. I'm a little late to the Brussels Sprouts train. They aren't really in season but they are in my grocery store and I couldn't pass them up. I love Brussels sprouts. I had my first one ...
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 ...
Buttermilk Pie
I have never looked forward to the dead of winter as much as I do now. The calm and still of January is like a siren song to me. It's speaking of cold days spent warming by the fire, cozying up in big warm cable knit sweaters and eating big bowls of soup. I am ready for January even if that month holds my 30th birthday. But this is not January. This is August. And it's busy. ...
Cheesy Tomato Basil Souffle
Don't let this Cheesy Tomato Basil Souffle intimidate you! Souffles are easy! Showcase all of that summer produce in this creamy and decadent Cheesy Tomato Basil Souffle! Here it is, the end of July and I am happily swimming in fresh, ripe, homegrown tomatoes. It's an event I look forward to all year. It's hard to beat a just picked sweet tomato still warm from the sun and I ...
Rosemary Garlic Foccacia Bread
Life without bread would be dismal. Even those who are allergic to gluten find ways to have bread. And ask anydieter and you will find that they crave bread. Bread is just so delicious, so satisfying. Adding garlic, herbs, and olive oil to bread sends it into another realm entirely. When the heat hits those aromatics your entire house fills with the intoxicating smells of yeast ...
Lemon Roasted Chicken Drummies
I am so tired of the rain. The last 3 weeks have had more rainy days than sunny ones here in Middle Tennessee and just last week many of our creeks and streams broke their banks and flooded roads and fields. Rainy days do have up sides. My garden certainly appreciates the rain and being stuck inside means that I am forced to do some cleaning. Not to mention rainy days are my ...
My thoughts on Food Magazines and Baked Chicken Fajitas
Baked Chicken Fajitas are suuuppper easy to whip together for a delicious weeknight meal. And its healthy too! I don't buy food magazines very often. Those things are so expensive. I have a hard time paying $10 for a monthly publication which is mostly ads and recipes I will never cook. I also have a hard time throwing them away. I mean I paid $10 for that thing! I am ...
Aunt Linda’s Blackbottom Cupcakes
Aunt Linda's Blackbottom Cupcakes are a chocolate confection that dreams are made of. A chocolate outside with a cream cheese middle, Aunt Linda's Blackbottom Cupcakes are the prefect treat for holidays and everyday! So, back in the day. Waayyyy back in the day, my great grandmother, Mama Driver, held all of the family holiday gatherings at her house. It was this tiny little ...
Baked Crab Mac-n-Cheese
This baked crab mac-n-cheese is complete and total decadence. Perfect for holidays and date nights, this ooey, gooey, crabby goodness will make your stomach smile. Here is what I have decided. People who have said that seafood and cheese don't go together are idiots. I have proven them wrong in the past with the Tuna Chowder and now with this fan-freaking-tastic crab ...
Phyllo Wrapped Pork with Apple-Thyme Chutney
Valentine's Day is just around the corner and right now we are up to our eyeballs in Valentine's cards for 14 preschoolers. We have been cutting, gluing, sticking stickers, and writing our names for a couple of days now. The end result is eventually going to be 24 handmade butterfly Valentine's. Aren't they cute?! (I found the print out for them here if you are interested ...