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 ...
baked
Green Chicken Pie
Maybe...just maybe....my kids have finally reached that age where if they make it, they will eat it. Like the majority of mothers out there, I sometimes have a hard time getting them to eat what I put in front of them. Getting them to eat anything that isn't a potato chip or a cookie after nearly 2 weeks with grandparents and in-laws is nearly impossible. My kids are culinarily ...
Old Fashioned Whoopie…Pies
What a weekend! I am back from a fantastic time in the North Georgia Mountains. I cheered on my husband and my brother in their second BBQ competition in Young Harris, Georgia. They did well, 3rd in ribs! Then my hubby and I got some much needed R&R for our 6th wedding anniversary. Then we drove back to reality after picking up the kids. I want to give a big shout out to ...
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 ...
Fried Chicken Legs
Food has become a thing of fashion. Certain types of food fall in and out of style. Foie Gras is out, grass-fed beef is in. Canned peas are out, fresh organic edamame is in. But if there is one dish that is never out of fashion, never out of style, it has to be Fried Chicken. Just the mere mention of the name puts your salivary glands into overdrive. You can imagine the ...
Ham and Cheese Egg cups
If you have kids, family will ultimately come to visit. Not that this is a bad thing. Quite the opposite really. Whenever family visits us, we usually take advantage of the free babysitting and leave the house for a while and pretend like we are young and childless for a few hours. The only tough part about visitors is that you must provide room and board. I find that ...
Salmon Salmoriglio with Parmesan rice
Today was beautiful. The temperature was in the mid 60's, there was a light breeze, the sun was shining, people were out and about playing with their kids and dogs and the faint smell of a charcoal grill was in the air. It was a Spring teaser day. Just a taste of what the weather will be like in about 6 weeks. It never lasts, it's always followed by more cold weather leaving us ...
Foodbuzz 24,24,24: Great Depression Cooking for the Recession Cook
I won't lie. Times are tough for us. We stress and worry over every penny that leaves our door. One illness or bad run of luck could ruin us. I don't think it's an uncommon thing these days. I think that during the current recession that there are a lot of people who have trouble making ends meet every month. But it also seems that whenever times get really tough, we tend to ...
Oatmeal Cranberry Applesauce Cookies
Okay, so just because I'm dieting doesn't mean that I can't have sweets. Ok it does mean I can't have sweets, but if I have learned anything about myself it's that I cannot live without a cookie on occasion. If I go for too long without some kind of sweet treat my diet will end knee deep in a bowl of raw chocolate chip cookie dough. So, instead of denying myself, I'm limiting ...
Health Kick – Salmon Fish Sticks
So, I have a confession....I am overweight. I know it. My husband knows it. Even my Wii knows it. For the last several months I have been going to the gym 2 to 3 times a week hoping to lose a few pounds, but it has yet to happen. I mean not a single ounce of weight. ( and I don't want to hear all that muscle weighs more than fat crap) So now there is only one thing left to ...
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 ...
From the Depression to the Recession – Apple Oatmeal Bars
I have become quite fascinated recently with the Great Depression. More accurately, with the food of the Great Depression. It's amazing to me how a whole generation of women and men learned how to make everything last longer, go further, and feed everyone at the table. My great-grandmother lived during the depression. After my great-grandfather got laid off from a factory in ...
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 ...
Last Minute Gift – Chunky Chocolate Cookie Mix
Here it is...crunch time. The day after tomorrow is Christmas and the excitement in the air is nearly palpable. The tree is trimmed, the turkey is thawed, the gifts are... CRAP! GIFTS! I forgot to get a gift for my neighbor/cousin/UPS guy/hairdresser/random person at my door! I need something quick, something that doesn't require a trip to a store. Food! I am NOT baking ...