You can learn a lot of things from a kitchen remodel. For instance you can learn simple things like, your small kitchen houses no fewer than 19 doors, 7 drawers and 26 pulls that have to be either painted or replaced. You can learn, too, that when picking out the color yellow, there is a fine line between buttery and school bus. You may also learn that the old man who lived ...
holiday
Twice Baked Colcannon Potatoes
Ireland is totally on my bucket list. I will make it there one day before I die. I don’t care if I have to spend my children’s inheritance to get there, it will happen. Unfortunately, I’m not there yet. I’m not even close, but a girl can dream and she can cook for St. Patty’s Day. St. Patrick’s Day is just around the corner and whether you will be bellied up at a bar somewhere ...
Chocolate Mousse with Whiskey Cream
Minor holidays that once were merely a reason for my husband and I to go out to a nice dinner or buy each other a sweet card are now filled with dread for me. Holidays like Valentine’s Day are now a gaping black hole where I just throw my hard earned money so that my children don’t feel left out at school. Why do parents feel the need to send their kids balloon-a-grams, a dozen ...
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 ...
Italian Pull-Apart Bread
This Italian Pull Apart Bread is easy to make, but it does take a little time.A basic yeast dough is flavored with fragrant herbs and cheese. There is just something about a loaf of bread that offers a sense of tranquility. That sounds really corny, I realize, but bread as a symbol carries with it so many connotations of warmth, comfort, and love. Even the process of making ...
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 ...
Herb Buttered Turkey
This traditional style turkey is exactly what you want on your holiday table. It's got a nice crispy skin, a wonderfully fruity aroma and nice juicy meat. Serve it up with some homemade cornbread dressing and maybe some decadent crab mac-n-cheese. Happy eating y'all! The funniest thing happened the day before Thanksgiving 6 years ago. There I was, big as a barn, pulling a ...
Chocolate Covered Popcorn Balls
I can remember just about every Halloween outfit I ever wore as a child, mostly because I dressed as the same thing every year. My Mom and I would pull out every scarf and gaudy piece of jewelry we could find (and there was a plethora of that in the 80’s) and we would both walk around as Gypsys for a few hours on Halloween night. We pulled out all the stops, blue eye shadow and ...
Pumpkin Cupcakes w/ Molasses Cream Cheese Filling
I've been racking my brain for the last few days about what to cook that has pumpkin in it. I mean it's Fall for cryin' out loud! I should be covered up with pumpkin everything!! So, after much turmoil and contemplation I decided pumpkin cupcakes were in order. But how to make them different? How to make them stand out from the crowd? It was then that I remembered my Great Aunt ...
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, ...
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 ...
The Difference a Year can Bring
Here we are at the end of another year and I have been thinking over the last few days about how far we have come since this time last year. 2011 started with some really tough decisions for us. We made one huge leap of faith at the beginning of the year when we decided to cut our losses and move back to Tennessee. It wasn't a decision we took lightly, but one that we felt like ...
Overnight Monkey Bread
I can't begin to tell you how much I am looking forward to Christmas morning. I think this year is going to be the best year yet! The kids are old enough to really understand, but not quite old enough to be suspicious and the wonder and excitement is there. And oh boy are they excited! The small mountain of gifts already under the tree is like fuel to the fire. They have ...
Easter Schmeester
Easter has really snuck up on me this year. I don't know why, it's dang near May so I have had plenty of time to prepare for it. Nevertheless, I have found myself fairly unprepared for the arrival of the Easter Sunday. I would like to blame this on the fact that every Easter since we have had children has been spent by myself with the kids while my poor husband had to go ...