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 ...
recipes
Sweet Potato Biscuits
Biscuits are a rite of passage for many Southern women. It’s a skill passed down from generation to generation, a vessel for learning many of life’s lessons. My mother imparted her own wisdom to me through the art of making biscuits. As a small child, Mom taught me to measure the flour, cut in the fat, stir in the milk, be gentle with the dough, and cut your biscuits. There is ...
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 ...
Garden Fresh Chow Chow
I love love love to can. If I loved cleaning as much as I love canning, my house would sparkle. It would look like all of those pictures on Pinterest where everything is neat and organized with cute little labels. So far, the only thing in the house with cute little labels is all of m canning projects. My new favorite canning project is this chow-chow. It's ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
Country Garden Update and Cilantro Lime Grilled Chicken Salad
So 3 weeks of rain was followed by 5 days of searing heat, then... more rain. All of this wishy washy weather has been reeking havoc upon our allergies but the garden doesn't seem to mind much. Especially the broccoli and lettuce. We have been eating off of those plants for the last week or so. Especially the lettuce. I have certainly been adding more fiber in my diet. The ...
Tuna Tuesday: Tuna, Spinach and Bacon Penne
Whew! It's been a couple of weeks since I have done a Tuna Tuesday post. Tuesday keeps sneaking up on me! Anyway, I wanted to show you guys this quick and easy dinner dish. It is packed with a lot of flavor and is a perfect way to use some of the spinach that you can find everywhere right now. If you don't have fresh spinach, feel free to use frozen spinach that has been ...
Rosemary Garlic Foccacia Bread
Life without bread would be dismal. Even those who are allergic to gluten find ways to have bread. And ask anydieter and you will find that they crave bread. Bread is just so delicious, so satisfying. Adding garlic, herbs, and olive oil to bread sends it into another realm entirely. When the heat hits those aromatics your entire house fills with the intoxicating smells of yeast ...
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 ...
From Scratch Chocolate Meringue Pie
Speaking of enjoyable, this Chocolate Meringue Pie is one of my favorite ways to blow a diet. It's so rich and creamy and the ingredients to make one is almost always in my house. It's pretty darn inexpensive, too. Sugar, flour, cocoa, eggs, milk, butter, vanilla and a pie crust and you've got yourself an impressive dessert that everyone will love. If you can get your hands on ...
Tuna Tuesday: Tuna Pesto Pasta with Roasted Tomatoes
It's Tuna Tuesday, where the star of the show is meat in a can! Routine has never really been my strong suit and if I'm honest, I haven't really needed one since the kids where babies. Since regular naptimes were phased out what seems like ages ago ( oh, naptimes! How I miss you!), our daily routine has always been more of a loose list of suggested activities written in pencil ...