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It’s Lent and I’m running out of idea’s for Friday night dinners so I’ll be giving this one a shot just as soon as I can pick up some Chef Paul Magic spice. Also, make note that you do not want to use salted butter. Ingredients: Talapia filets Chef Paul Prudhomme’s Blackened Redfish Magic Spice Continue Reading
My daughter just came home from her freshman year in college. This was her first meal request. I guess that speaks volumes. I did it with the asparagus and mashed potatoes. This is typically a summer deal and done on the grill but its 27 degrees and blustery here so the broiler worked just fine. Continue Reading
I’m not big on going out to eat on Valentine’s Day. It’s rushed, crowded, and the atmosphere feels forced…to me anyway. I like to wait and enjoy a nice meal out a few days later. On Valentine’s Day, I prefer to have a fancy cocktail and cook a simple dinner at home that’s delicious but Continue Reading
Maryland is perhaps the king of crab-cakes, at least they make that claim. Texas has brisket, K.C. owns ribs and the Carolina’s are the master of pork. About 10 years ago they held a local crab cake contest in Frederick at the annual county fair and this recipe took home all the marbles. It’s simple Continue Reading
A classic beef stew from my brother’s collection of mom’s favorites. Cook it low and slow or speed the process up, either way it’s delicious. From Rick: “I wish I could say that I had been a studious son of my mom’s talents in the kitchen when I was nearing college. I imagine she had Continue Reading
Don’t you just love these creamy, cheesy pumpkin rolls? You don’t have to buy them from a bakery. My brother Rick shared his recipe for the homemade version and they’re surprisingly simple. It’s as easy as opening a can of pumpkin and sifting some dry ingredients together, spreading the batter onto a jelly roll pan Continue Reading
This is another favorite from my brother’s house at holiday time. He’s was busy baking batches of them this weekend so they would be ready for his daughter when she comes home from college for Thanksgiving, she’s already put her order in by text. I haven’t purchased crystallized ginger yet but I found two stores Continue Reading
Another bread recipe from my brother Rick – so pretty and perfect for Thanksgiving morning. Put some yogurt with some fruit or granola on the table, a plate of sliced pumpkin cranberry bread with a dish of cream cheese spread and you’ve got a light meal to get everyone started while you’re getting things going Continue Reading
This is my brother’s recipe for a delicious alternative to traditional pecan pie. It’s that unexpected twist that will make your Thanksgiving dinner just a little more awesome this year. Ingredients: 1 Pie Crust 3 Tbsp. unsalted butter 1 Tbsp. whipping cream 3 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder 2 Tbsp. instant espresso powder or instant coffee Continue Reading
I was at home feeling a bit under the weather yesterday and I knew I wanted to make something for dinner that would require little (if any) effort and give me the comfort I was craving. I also had to have everything in my freezer or pantry since a trip to the store was out Continue Reading
I swiped this from Tricia Yearwood’s Food Network Show a couple of weeks ago because it looked so good. When I read the reviews online a couple of days later every single person who had tried it after they watched the show gave it a thumbs up and a 5 star rating so I knew Continue Reading
I was introduced to a teriyaki marinade by Soy Vay a few years that was really yummy so when a friend told me about their Hoisin Garlic variety I knew it had to be a hit. I was right and when it’s slowly braised over a chuck roast it loses the Asian flare and simply Continue Reading
I was watching a Giadi DeLaurentis show this weekend that was all about fall vegetables and this recipe caught my eye immediately because I love butternut squash and I’ve been getting a lot of it in my organic co-op lately. This is not a difficult dish to throw together, the most challenging step will be Continue Reading
Last Monday at 6:43pm, a little boy came into this world much to the delight of “Team Tate”. My step-son Jason and his wife Brittany live in San Antonio, Texas which is about a 4 hour drive from our home in Arlington. We left early that morning and arrived in plenty of time to spend Continue Reading
My husband rarely requests anything from the kitchen, so when he asked for apple fritters I started doing my research immediately. I came up with 2 or 3 recipes that sounded good using Bisquick. I love Bisquick because I really like the way it tastes and it makes cooking with dough super easy. I added Continue Reading
Finally, gloriously, at long last, FALL has arrived in Texas. It officially arrived September 21st but I think it was around 112 that day so who noticed? But now we have settled into what is known in the south as that time of year when you may still break a sweat around noon but by Continue Reading
Make sure that you select these ribs out of the butcher’s case so that you get a nice marbling but not a slab of fat – that is NOT a good thing on a short rib! When they have finished braising they should slide right off the bone and on to the plate for serving. Continue Reading
I was going to fry up some okra Sunday night and knew that chicken would be perfect but I didn’t want anything else coming out of hot grease and on to my plate. I found this recipe online and I guess it’s the Panko and mustard together that makes the difference. Whatever it is, oh Continue Reading
I kind of threw this together at the last minute on a Monday night and we loved it. You only need a few ingredients, it’s very inexpensive to make and it’s definitely on the table in less than 30 minutes start to finish. The best part is that it’s really, really tasty! Ingredients: 3.5 oz. Continue Reading
Everyone has “their way” to make chicken & dumplings, I’ve had them made with biscuits and a million other ways. Don’t get me wrong – I’m not turning down dumplings any day of the week, I’ll take them any way I can get them but Bisquick is my personal weapon of choice when it comes Continue Reading
You may have noticed that I’ve taken a break from my blog lately. This is due to the fact that we’ve been a little busy trying to tie up loose ends in good old Paris, Texas. David and I had our hearts set on living in Paris (it’s okay to call us naive city slickers Continue Reading
I don’t know about you but I’m about over summer cuisine at this point. It’s just what happens to me towards the end of every season and this August is no exception. I’m already dreaming of what I really love best…the foods that say FALL IS HERE! I know that I have a ways to Continue Reading
My youngest child was home this summer for the first time since she left for the Air Force at the age of 19. She has spent the last two years far, far away at the University of Hawaii so this was something very different to have her under my roof for an entire summer season. Continue Reading
My friend Claire emailed me last week with this recipe that she found in the Dallas Morning News. The recipe was written by Jane Jarrell and it is a masterpiece. Seriously, this is the best peach pie I’ve ever tasted and it would work with blueberries, raspberries – the possibilities are endless. I cheated and Continue Reading
I’ve posted a BBQ turkey breast before with this same rub but this time I picked up a bone in breast and the results were entirely different. I carefully pulled the skin back, put on some latex gloves and spent some time massaging my little bird with this yummy, moist rub. After the breast meat Continue Reading
This recipe has sort of evolved over time because I love to make turkey breast throughout the year and I love dressing. I was trying to come up with a dressing recipe that tasted more like summer and I just kept adding and tweaking until I nailed it. I served this last night and all Continue Reading
Tamara is the wife of one of the physician’s that I work for and this recipe is one that her husband loves. Tamara makes a lighter version by substituting the dressing with Newman’s Own Light Honey Mustard. I was making this salad for my daughter’s last dinner at home before leaving for school and she Continue Reading
Sandy passed along this recipe from her sister-in-law, Cindy Hackney, who actually published it in Southern Living years ago using chicken rather than pork. It’s absolutely delicious with the Mexican Market Corn and some fresh tortillas! Ingredients: 1 3-4 lb. boneless pork tenderloin 6 limes juiced 1/2 cup honey 1/4 cup soy sauce 4 jalapeno Continue Reading
A girlfriend shared this recipe with me and after a little internet digging I discovered that this is a common street food in Mexico. It’s also something that you can almost always find in the hispanic farmers markets. As far as I’m concerned this is a perfectly good reason to do your fruit and vegetable Continue Reading
This is just my beer bread jazzed up with cheese and jalapeno’s. I love this recipe because it’s fast, super easy and the ingredients are so basic. Best of all, no bread maker in sight and no kneading! Ingredients: 2 1/4 cups flour (you can use all purpose but I prefer bread flour) 2 tbsp. Continue Reading
As we all know, the world went a little crazy over all things Ms. Holmes last month and I have to confess that I too read my share of articles on the debacle of TomKat. I found this recipe in People Magazine one day while browsing a a story about where Katie & Suri like Continue Reading
I had an abundance of fresh okra in my organic bin last weekend and I knew that it was time to make one of my all time favorite treats. It’s incredibly easy, the ingredient list is short and it won’t take you any time at all to make something that has gotten pretty pricey in Continue Reading
Yes, we have indeed explored Paris and we are still in love with this wonderful, remote and rather kooky little Texas town. We signed a contract to purchase our land in early June, it is now mid July and we are just now completing the survey. It has been a lesson in patience and fortitude Continue Reading
My daughter-in-law Brittany tasted this cheesecake at a wedding and said it was the best thing ever and my stepson Jason who is a world class lover of all things “cheesecake” agreed. It’s a Pillsbury recipe but Brittany found the step by step directions on another blog called Cookies & Cups. It couldn’t be easier, Continue Reading
This is amazing folks. That’s really all I can tell you, it’s just extremely delicious and a snap to throw together on a weeknight. I took the basics from a Rachel Ray recipe but swapped out ground chicken for beef, used flour tortillas and a mixture of cheeses to make it a little more my Continue Reading
My good friend Dana lives in Poetry, Texas where the muscadine grapes grow wild and plentiful. She picked a bushel last weekend and then hauled them over to mother-in-law’s house on the 4th of July and spent the afternoon making jelly with an 87 year woman who could preserve your right shoe if she set Continue Reading
This is so simple that it seems almost silly to put it on the website but it seems that some folks don’t really know how to cook up a pan of fresh, fried okra. This is the time of year when it’s abundant and it’s really the only time to make fried okra because the Continue Reading
I honestly like this cheesecake better than the traditional baked version and you won’t believe how simple it is to throw together. Top with anything you like, I just happened to have a boat load of blueberries in the house this weekend but any kind of fruit will work or it’s just fine all by Continue Reading
Thank you Beth from Definitelyleopard.com for nominating me for the Versatile Blogger Award. Always nice to know that I’m “versatile” – at this point in my life knowing how to change gears and put on those big girl pants has been a real plus on more occasions than I care to remember. And if you Continue Reading
I had a nice big package of fresh blueberries in my co-op pickup yesterday so I pulled out my mother’s muffin recipe. Her secret? A can of evaporated milk poured over the top when they’re fresh from the oven. It gives them that extra punch of moist flavor without adding that heavy “too sweet” layer Continue Reading
I looked at Pioneer Woman’s Chocolate Sheet Cake today and it’s almost exactly the same as my mom’s. I wasn’t surprised since PW’s ranch is outside Pawhuska, Oklahoma and that’s where our family roots are too. Regional cooking is timeless and you just can’t stop it – the same recipes travel generation to generation and Continue Reading
You can fully cook these pickles in the microwave and store them in your fridge for several weeks rather than going through a traditional canning process. Or, if you’re going to can your pickles they will continue to cook during the hot bath step so you’ll want to cut back on the microwave cooking time Continue Reading
Yesterday morning I was lounging in bed thinking about all of the productive things that I was going to do this weekend. This usually involves surfing internet news, playing on facebook, checking my email, looking through recipe books, occasionally writing MMD blogs and having intellectual conversations with my dogs who assume their positions on the Continue Reading
I can hardly believe that the lazy days of summer have finally arrived and spring has sprung itself silly until there’s nothing left in it’s arsenal. Birthdays have come and gone, graduations, weddings, Memorial Day, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day…they’ve all come and gone. Now it’s time to kick back where it’s cool and take long Continue Reading
How are you going to celebrate the men in your life today? I’m guessing that my house isn’t that different from most others and that the celebration will definitely revolve around a delicious meal. I’m going to make some ribs using sun dried tomatoes, Roasted Potato Salad, Corn Casserole and a fresh Tomato Salad. Dessert? Continue Reading
I’ve had sun dried tomatoes rolling around in my head for the past week and I finally decided that a jar of sun dried tomato halves in olive oil with Italian herbs would make the perfect stuffing for a nice, juicy flank steak. I butterflied the steak and created a 1/2″ slab that was a Continue Reading
The folks at Mooney Farms sent me a delicious box of their Bella Sun Luci Sun Dried Tomato products this week and I’m looking forward to coming up with some new recipes to post on my website. I was so excited when I opened the package yesterday that I had to make a quick batch Continue Reading
I posted a couple of side dishes this morning that I’ll be taking to a Memorial Day BBQ today. I know the Arugula Salad with Roasted Beets may not float your boat but give it a fair shot! I tasted it when we took the photo earlier and it was really delicious! If you’re really Continue Reading
I’ve tried every potato salad out there and what I ended up with is a combination of 3 or 4 recipes in one final masterpiece. I took the best of one and the best of another and just blended them all together. Try it, I think you’ll agree that it’s the best ever. I don’t Continue Reading
Apparently this is the season in Texas for beets, who knew? I found this out when I joined my organic produce co-op and found fresh beets in my pickup bin last time. I wasn’t horrified like so many others, I actually like a pickled beet every now and again, although it’s not something that I Continue Reading
