I am a lentil-lover. It’s a hard confession to make, especially here in the South where lentils aren’t exactly one of the most popular legumes consumed. Creamy Lentil Soup isn’t a common dish on the Southern table. Some folks have no idea what a lentil is or maybe they have only read about them in the Bible or seen them in passing in the grocery store. Well, I am here to tell ...
quick
Shrimp Tacos with Jalapeno Slaw
Right now, in my mind, I am on vacation. I am not actually on vacation, I am somewhere towards the beginning of what will eventually turn into the busiest, most stressful, and exhausting month of my life. The month of May has now been dubbed Hell Month. Do you ever have one of those months? Where you just stare at your calendar in disbelief and wonder how all of this got ...
Horseradish Dill Deviled Eggs
A few weeks ago I was looking back through some old posts and came across one about what I hoped to have one day (and stuffed artichokes which by the way are delicious and I should totally make this again soon). The very first line of that post is: "My dream is to one day move out of suburbia and back into the country. I would like to have a few acres of land for the kids ...
Chinese Beef Lettuce Cups
My guilty pleasure is Asian cuisine. More specifically, Chinese takeout. Back when we lived in Atlanta, I kept the local Chinese restaurant very busy, especially after the twins were born. I ordered so often that the delivery guy began to comment on how big the kids were getting and would notice when I didn't call in an order for a while. They even recognized my voice when I ...
Spicy Southwest Salad with Creamy Cilantro Dressing
Spicy Southwest Salad with Creamy Cilantro Dressing is a quick and easy dinner salad to whip up from the contents of your kitchen.Make it a healthy lunch or dinner! Happy New Year!! 2013 has arrived despite all of the Mayan prophecies and many people are making all of the usual promises to themselves. I don't know why we feel compelled to make all of these changes on the ...
Chocolate Peanut Butter Balls
An easy no-bake Christmas gift like Chocolate Peanut Butter Balls is worth its weight in gold. Make a double batch and hand out to all of your kids' teachers and neighbors! The kids are finally out of school and the final days before Christmas are upon us. The presents are piled under the tree, the twinkle lights are shining, Melvin the Elf is planning his escape, and the ...
Hot Cocoa Mix and Peppermint Marshmallows
Hot cocoa mix and Peppermint marshmallows is a wonderful make ahead gift for those special people in your life. And don't let the marshmallows freak you out, they are much easier to make than you would imagine. My kids have some extraordinary teachers. They are kind-hearted, patient and have managed to make Kindergarten the most fun place to be for my babies. Honestly, my ...
Turkey Avocado Wrap with Spicy Mayo
Put your turkey sandwich in a wrap with some avocado and spicy mayo and never look back! This Turkey Avocado Wrap with Spicy Mayo is a quick and easy after Thanksgiving lunch. The turkey sandwich is the iconic Day-after-Thanksgiving food for most Americans and our household is no exception. Members of our family have been known to nearly chase you around the house with a ...
Salmon & Potato Chowder
Is it crazy to be wishing for a really cold winter? I feel like we got so jipped on last year's unseasonably warm weather and this year I am craving cold followed by snow and joined by heaping bowls of soup. The last few mornings I have secretly enjoyed the sting of cold on my un-socked feet as I roll out of bed every morning. My morning cup of Joe ( or Johann - I love ...
Parmesan Popcorn
It's been forever since I have posted recipes but in that time I have successfully gotten my two five year olds started in kindergarten. My pocketbook took a final huge sigh of relief as they climbed on the bus and headed toward a free education (goodbye daycare!) Since then, lots of people have asked me if I cried their first day or if I am sad to see them growing up. I have ...
Blue Cheese Stuffed Burgers with Red Onion Marmalade
Memorial Day weekend for many is the rope drop for Summer. I don't even have to look at the calendar to know when Memorial day weekend is, I can tell it's close by the throngs of cars parked on the side of the road by the creek just above me. Come Memorial Day, screams of terror followed by a loud splash fill my yard as teenager after teenager jump off J.H. Barber bridge. And ...
Tex Mex Tortilla Salad
It seems I have gone AWOL from this poor little blog lately. These things happen. For the last month, we have been hopping from one activity to another. Dance and T-Ball on Monday, Taekwondo on Tuesday and Thursday, T-Ball again on Friday. Of course there is also work at the winery, writing for the newspaper, and lets not forget laundry. The never ending laundry. The garden is ...
Asparagus Gremolata
Spring has certainly arrived here in the South and it has brought buckets of pollen with it. Everything I own is covered with a fine layer of yellow dust. Sneezes, snotty noses, and watery eyes are the standard fare for everyone in our family. We have all developed a close, personal relationship with our allergy meds. Other than the stuffy noses, all of our plants and ...
Saucy Mama’s Low Cal Sausage Skillet
If you need a dinner idea that is low calorie but incredibly tasty and filling, you are going to love this Saucy Mama Sausage skillet recipe. It is made with turkey smoked sausage for a filling dinner that is easy to make and clean up, and really hits the spot after a busy day. The sauce really makes this dish in my opinion, but if you have been reading here for a while, ...
Alphabet Soup
There hasn't been much of a winter down here in Tennessee. Take yesterday for example. It was 64 degrees outside! In the middle of February! This weather is just crazy. We have had the odd day or two of really cold temperatures. We actually had some snow last week...briefly. I took that opportunity to make this recipe that I have been thinking about for a couple of weeks ...