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My granddaughter Chloie came home with us after dinner. We were not even out of the restaurant parking lot when she started suggesting things to make when we got home. I was looking forward to no cooking today since our son took us out for a Fathers Day dinner. Of course I can not say [...]
As most of you know, I love combining new spice and herb blends in my recipes. I love taking chances and seeing just what a new flavor combination will produce. Sometimes I like to just go pick a handful of herbs out of the garden and mix with some flavored oils or spices to set [...]
Growing up I can remember some of my favorite meals mom or my grandma’s would make. One of my favorites had to be when mom made fried pork chops, fried potatoes, fresh green beans out of the garden and apple sauce. Of course the potatoes were out of our garden too and the apple sauce [...]
Y’all, there is nobody I know that can bake pies like my mom. She makes the best fruit pies, and her recipes are so easy. I can’t even bring myself to make any changes at all. Ingredients 4 c. raspberries 1 c. sugar 1/4 c. flour 1/4 c. margarine (melted) pinch of salt sprinkle of [...]
Here is a quick and easy summer grilling recipe. I love the contrast in the sweetness and spiciness of these chops. the ginger adds a bit of bit to them as well. I think y’all will really enjoy these. Ingredients: 4 Pork Chops 6 cloves Garlic, crushed 1 tablespoon Ginger, minced 3 tablespoons Brown Sugar [...]
CLICK ANY PICTURE TO POST TO PINTEREST As y’all can see. I am playing with my granddaughter Chloie’s popsicle molds again. Unfortunately, she is not here with me to make these, but I know I’ll be making them again when she is visiting. We all grew up chasing the ice cream truck. I can remember [...]
CLICK ANY PICTURE TO POST TO PINTEREST I have gotten into a trend of making Salmon each week. I would say it is because of the health benefits because Salmon is considered to be one of nature’s Super foods as it is a rich source of Omega 3s (EPA & DHA). Just two serves per [...]
If y’all like corn on the cob, you are going to love this version. It is so tasty and you can do it on the grill or even just boil it. I grilled mine tonight and they tasted wonderful. The sweetness of the corn and the creaminess of the cheese are wonderful together. I hope [...]
Tonight’s dessert after our barbeque is brought to you by my granddaughter Chloie. She is spending her 9th birthday weekend with us. She has grown up so quick. It seems like just yesterday I was holding a baby, and now my princess is cooking with me. She said she wanted us to have something healthy [...]
Y’all, this Memorial Day weekend is when we all dust off the grills for the official start of summer cookouts. I would though like y’all to remember and thank all those who have died fighting for our freedom, whom we are remembering this weekend. We can never repay their courage and bravery in protecting our [...]
This is a recipe from a family friend “Jean Swink” who passed away earlier this year. She would make these for all of us, family and friends. When she made them she would make around 100 at a time and freeze them. Let me tell you, these are great and even better with a big [...]
Moonshine, white lightning, mountain dew, hooch, or Tennessee white whiskey is a high-proof distilled spirit, generally produced illicitly. As some of you might remember, my mothers side of the family is from the mountains of Kentucky and Tennessee. So I do have family roots in what helped begin NASCAR®. In fact, my grandfather ran moonshine [...]
I wasn’t expecting to make salmon tonight for dinner. I had actually decided on making a shrimp scampi, but when I saw the fresh salmon that had just came in I knew I was making a change. I could eat salmon a couple times a week. It has to be my second favorite fish after [...]
I am sure y’all had your favorite chocolate cookie that your mom or grandma made growing up. Well this was my favorite fudgy cookie that my mom made. It was usually a Christmas treat, but she made so many that by the time Christmas was over, we were tired of them again till the next [...]
I love pork. Any kind of pork. In fact if you put bacon in something, I am going to eat it no questions asked. One of my favorites is my moms fried pork chops. She used to make these along with fried potatoes and a big helping of pinto beans and corn bread. Wow, my [...]
If y’all like roasted potatoes, your going to love them when you toss them in the Fiesta Ranch dressing mix first. You know the one. Hidden Valley Ranch’s mix. I have tried them with the regular ranch mix, but I love the bit of spice the Fiesta Ranch mix brings. Ingredients 1 lb. red [...]
This is the basic Italian Biscotti. They are made most often with olive oil. Butter can be used to make them more sinfully indulgent, but this time I used a wonderfully fruity balsamic vinegar I found at a local merchant. I was a bit concerned in replacing the fat with a vinegar. What would [...]
Just like Friday night football, sweet tea and fried green tomatoes, pork is it’s own religion in the south…and with good reason. Pork was always a cheaper cut of meat that most families could afford. In a southern kitchen, you will find it in each meal during the day. It can be the ham on [...]
Turning to something a bit lighter, I picked up some beautiful Salmon tonight. There is nothing better than a fresh piece of salmon glazed with balsamic vinegar, well maybe bourbon and molasses, but tonight it was a nice balsamic glaze. This is one of my favorite meals. The flakiness of the salmon combined with the [...]
I love a great pasta dish, who doesn’t? But when I add a few secret ingredients to my Ragout like cinnamon and a beautiful “dark chocolate olive oil” I can’t believe how over the top this pasta dish can become. Somehow the chocolate and the tomatoes come together to make a richness that your [...]
Ingredients Cake: 1 butter cake mix 1 egg 8 tablespoons butter, melted Filling: 1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened 2 eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla 6 tablespoons butter, melted 1 16-ounce box powdered sugar Directions Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Combine the cake mix, egg, and butter and mix well with an electric mixer. Pat [...]
I stopped by my favorite new store Joe & Sons Olive Oils today. I was looking for a great olive oil to use to make a spicy roasted chicken. I found just what I was looking for. A Chipotle infused Olive Oil. I think I must have sampled it at least 5 times with the [...]
Ingredients: 2 pounds Baby Red Potatoes 1 Tablespoon Salt 1/2 cup Butter 2 tablespoons bacon fat 1/3 cup water ? cups Chopped Parsley Scrub potatoes clean under running water. Leave the skins on and peel a strip of skin off all the way around the potato. Melt the butter and bacon fat in small [...]
I am such a fan of fresh vegetables. I can totally walk into my garden and pick green beans, peas and tomatoes and eat them fresh off the plants. There is absolutely no way you can get the same taste from your vegetables when you get them at a grocery store. These peas were so [...]
This was one of the meals my mom and grandma Jean would make that was in no way fancy, but it was always such a comfort meal. Piled on top of mashed potatoes so the gravy streamed down into them as well. I have days when I just crave this comfort food from my childhood. [...]
This is a very tasty baked chicken with just a bit of a spiciness. Of course you can eliminate the red pepper flakes and cayenne pepper if you wish and it would be just as good. I love how the mustard and molasses play off the flavor of the Bourbon. I think you will too. [...]
I have to admit, I am a meat and potato type person. Of course I have to have some sort of veggie on the side too, but I can go the meat and potatoes alone at times. Now this is one of the tastiest, yet easy potato dishes you’ll ever make. Plus you can season [...]
My very dear friend Jeannette suggested that I check out an “Olive Oil” store that is not far from my home. I am not sure why I hadn’t been there before, but today I discovered the bounty of wonderful olive oils and balsamic vinegars that Joe and Sons Olive Oils has to offer. I spent [...]
For those of you who think that all tomato sauces for pasta are the same are living under a rock. There is a big difference between a sauce that meat that’s been simply added, and sauce that is patiently prepared by building layers of flavors that include celery, carrots, garlic and meat, and simmered for [...]
I have been being asked at work for weeks for my home made biscotti. I finally broke down this week and started asking everyone what flavor they wanted. A predominate leaning of the vote was towards chocolate. Now I have absolutely no problem with making chocolate biscotti. The problem I have is sharing it. Fortunately [...]
Y’all, this is one of my favorite throw together cakes. Of course it is from the wonderfully talented Paula Deen. There are just some recipes that you don’t have to do anything too to make better. So today I decided to summon up my inner Paula and make her Toffee Gooey Butter Cake. I know [...]
I remember so many Sunday dinners at my grandmother’s house and just knowing that we were eating at my her house was the highlight of my week. Actually, I had two grandmother’s houses that I got to go to when I was growing up. My Grandma Cordie who is my maternal grandmother, and my Grandma [...]
This is such an easy dish to put together for dinner. I think y’all are going to love the complexity of the taste between the salty parmesan crusted chicken and the tangy, sweet and spicy salsa. it is definitely going to be in my normal rotation of meals. Ingredients: 2 large skinless boneless chicken breasts [...]
This such a great salsa for over chicken and fish. The sweet and spicy taste is great against a spicy meat. Let me know what y’all think. Ingredients: 2 peaches, fresh 1 mango 1 bell pepper, red, medium 2 tablespoons cilantro, fresh 1 medium shallot (diced) onion is ok 2 slices jalapenos, sliced (remove seeds [...]
I seem to be in bacon theme to my dinner today. First I made "Bacon Deviled Potatoes" and now I finished the entrée by making “Parmesan Bacon Chicken”. I love the combination of the saltiness from the bacon along with the parmesan cheese. The parmesan cheese thickened up the sauce so well that clung to [...]
Looking for a new side dish? Something special for you Holiday meal? Well y’all ought to try out these tasty little “Bacon Deviled Potatoes”. They are awesome little bite sized finger food. Who doesn’t like to eat with their fingers? Ingredients: 6-10 small red potatoes 2 hard boiled eggs (chopped) 1 small shallot (diced) 4 [...]
I saw some beautiful salmon and shrimp at the market today and decided I had to do something with them for dinner. I have been on a spicy kick lately and decided to do spicy sauce to put over the pan seared salmon. OMG, it turned out so much better than I anticipated. The shrimp [...]
I have been seeing these in others peoples food blogs a lot this past year. So I decided its time to try them myself. They are quite easy to do, and your friends and family are going to love them. First, put your eggs in cold water, place on the stove and bring to a [...]
I made the quickest and one of the tastiest chicken dishes tonight. I had some chicken thighs that I needed to use, so I sautéed them, added a home made sauce and WOW. I kind of impressed myself with this one. I honestly can say it took less than 30 minutes to get it on [...]
I love cooking with my granddaughters, and the holidays are the perfect excuse to do just that. Even if it is only for St. Patrick’s Day. Any excuse to share with them and make memories is good enough for me. I hope y’all like these St. Patrick Day Crinkle Cookies. Ingredients 1 French vanilla cake [...]
Y’all, this is the most moist bread I have made in some time. I was trying to utilize the many quarts of applesauce I have in my pantry, and fix the chocolate craving I was having for 2 days. So I decided to make an apple sauce bread laden with chocolate chips. OMG, it is [...]
I was going through my pantry this morning and realized I have quite a few quarts of applesauce that mom and I put up this past year. So I pulled out a couple quarts to use today. First I made some applesauce snicker doodles. They were so moist and with just a hint of apple. [...]
One of my favorite meals mom made when I was growing up was Swiss Steak. I just thought the rich sweet tomato taste of the sauce, along with all the onions was the best. She cooked it all day long in the crock pot or in the oven. The meat just fell apart. So after [...]
I have never been that big a fan of raisins. I always steered away from those little boxes of shriveled up grapes that mom would put in my school lunch bag. Then there was the other thing mom put them in. Her chewy oatmeal raisin cookies. Now I admit that my favorite cookie growing [...]
There’s no secret that I am addicted to so many of Mario Batali’s recipes. I love that he also likes to add a lot of spice to his dishes. And the simplicity of his pasta dishes is amazing when you taste how delicious they come out. I was crushed when I went to one of [...]
If you all like cobblers, you’re going to love my moms blueberry cobbler recipe. It is so simple and yet so complex in flavors. Don’t forget to plop a big dollop of ice cream on top while it is still fresh from the oven. Ingredients: 2 tablespoons butter 2/3 cup flour 1 1/2 teaspoons baking [...]
Ingredients: 2 thick cut pork chops 1 large apple, diced small 1 cup cornbread, crumbled 1/2 cup wild rice, cooked 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar 2 cups white wine salt and pepper to taste In large bowl combine the diced apple, cornbread and cooked wild rice. Slice large pocket into each pork chop and season [...]
I decided I needed to come up with a recipe utilizing my Candied Bacon. Since I love chocolate, I chose to make a fudge candy with the bacon and pecans. I think I hit this one out of the park. Tell me what y’all think. Ingredients: 1/2 cup brown sugar 1/2 cup granulated sugar 1/4 [...]
Now this is not your ordinary bacon to accompany your eggs and toast. Then again, I can’t see why it couldn’t. This candied bacon is an amazing substitute for regularly fried bacon on a BLT or cheeseburger. But that is not why I made this batch of candied bacon. Today I am using it in [...]
Y’all, in the south the pecan pie rules. Especially if your from Georgia. I grew up eating my moms pecan pies only on holidays. For some reason this is the only time of year she would make them. Now the only thing better than a pecan pie is Southern Gooey Pecan Pie Bars. These are [...]
