Every now and then, I get a night completely kid free. The stars will align and both of our children find themselves a place other than our house to crash for the night. Usually at a friend's house surrounded by junk food and video games. When those rare occasions happen, I find myself in quite the predicament...what do I cook for dinner? The answer is this quick and easy ...
healthy
Sausage and White Bean Soup
Sausage and White Bean Soup is an easy dinner for cool nights! Packed with creamy white beans and hearty smoked sausage, this meal is sure to please just about everyone. When the weather turns chilly, nothing warms you up like a hearty bowl of soup. Sometimes though, soup can be an all day affair, but this Sausage and White Bean Soup is not only filling and ...
Sauteed Swiss Chard and Summer Squash
Sauteed Swiss Chard and Summer Squash is a quick and easy healthy side dish with lots of feta cheese and a little bit of spice! Gardening is in my blood. I cannot remember a time when my family didn't grow something. Whether it was the large vegetable garden of my youth or the 10 acre vineyard of today's family winery, I have been surrounded by fresh grown fruits and ...
Braised Chicken Thighs with Spinach and White Beans
Braised Chicken Thighs with Spinach and White Beans is a comforting autumn dish that is easy to pull together any day of the week. The first taste of Fall arrived this morning. 62 degrees with the highs only getting to the mid-70s sometime this afternoon. I am not complaining one little bit. After several weeks of 90 degree weather every day this is a much needed respite ...
My Keto Journey – Part 1
This post contains affiliate links. That means if you click on a link, end up at Amazon and then purchase that item, I make a very small amount of money. Even though I get paid for these transactions I wholeheartedly recommend the products I link to (and would even if I didn't make any money). I'll tell you guys a little secret about me. I'm fat. Not just a little fat, I'm a ...
Strawberries with Cinnamon Cream
Strawberries with Cinnamon Cream is a simple and elegant fruit dessert for warm spring days. Sweet berries topped with the tangy cinnamon cream are a match made in heaven. And it only takes minutes to whip up! So...Mother's Day is this coming weekend. It won't be long until the aisles of every Hallmark store will be jam packed full of people agonizing over just the right ...
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 ...
Summer Granita
I don't know about where you live, but where I live it is stupid hot. Not "so hot it makes you stupid" ( although it will do that), it's more like temperatures are so incredibly high that it's ridiculous. Or, as they say, stupid. I mean 112 degrees?! Really! Did I accidentally wake up in Death Valley? Thank goodness I have an extra well just for the garden, because my poor ...
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 ...
Classic Caesar Salad
Classic Caesar Salad isn't hard to make, in fact it can be a simple and inexpensive salad to accompany dinner. Top it with grilled chicken or salmon and it makes an excellent dinner! I've been a little obsessed with classic Caesar salads lately. Maybe it's because it so hard to find a really good one. Or maybe it corresponds with my other new obsession, anchovy paste. It ...
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 ...
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 ...
Fruit Smoothies
Amazingly enough, I have managed to stick to my goal of getting healthy for a whole month now. Not that I haven't cheated. I have. More than I would probably like to admit. That whole 30th birthday week was pretty much a fattening food and quite a bit of wine free-for-all. But two weeks of guilt and lots of exercise and I am finally back on track. That being said I am ...
Pizza Pasta and the Incredible Shrinking Woman
Happy New Year! I'm only about 2 weeks late on that one. I hope 2012 has gotten off to as good a start for you as it has for me. For the first time...ever I think...I have stuck to my resolutions so far. The most exciting part? I've lost 5 pounds. WooHoo! Five down, 25 to go. I've been putting a lot of focus on not eating like a pig and not drinking like a fish, both of which ...
Spicy Black Eye Pea Salad
I consider myself a good Southerner and I tend to stick to tradition as much as anyone when it comes to welcoming in a new year. I never hang up my new calendar for the new year until January 1st ( much to my daughter's chagrin) and I always eat my black eye peas on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. That's not to say that I get up and particularly look forward to eating a big ...