• no flour needed in these brownies

    I have several friends who are gluten free and I am always on the look out for a great gluten free recipe.  These brownies are not only gluten free but no on will ever know they are because they are SOOOOO GOOOD!!! The fudgier the better I am a HUGE fan of brownies.  I love almost all brownies (like these Oreo Caramel Brownies, or these Espresso Brownies), and these GF Brownies are no exception. The key (in my opinion) to any good brownie is that they are fudgy.  You know what I’m talking about, when you bite into it is almost gooey and super rich.  Not only are these brownies…

  • A poppy good time….

    There is one dish my Mammaw would always make for us when we go visit her…Poppyseed Chicken Casserole and I LOVED it!!  Now I get to make it for her (with a few changes here and there)! All from scratch So my Mammaw was a good cook but she tended to use a lot of canned stuffs to make her dinners….you know like canned cream of chicken and canned chicken.  It was easy and quick, which she loved. For me though I prefer to make my recipes from scratch but don’t worry it is still easy…I promise. The base of this casserole traditionally is cream of chicken soup, it is what…

  • get excited…it’s vegetable time

    Is it hard sometimes to get excited about vegetables?  I know it is for me at time.  I mean lets be real…can vegetables really be all that exciting? YES they can be… and you won’t believe how easy it can be. Now first, things first…lets talk about what veggies to choose. When I made this dish the first time we were having some sweet friends over for dinner and we had never had them over before.  I wasn’t 100% sure what they preferred so I went a little crazy and picked quite the assortment. When I went to the store I just couldn’t pick they all looked so good.  I just had to…

  • a new pesto love

    Are you a pesto fan?  I am for sure…I love pesto anyway, anyhow.  Especially when it is changed up a bit. Arugula for the change-up I am a big fan of basil.  I love using it in my red sauce for pasta or for a simple bruschetta, but for pesto I prefer arugula.  It adds a bit of peppery bite to the pesto without it being overpowering.  I also love the color.  It is not too dark, and not too light…it is the perfect green.  Now I know this is not the traditional option, but then again when do I keep things traditional?  And if you want to be traditional…

  • a classic recipe…updated a bit

    I love making classic dishes that bring me back to my childhood.  A favorite soup (like this one), cake (such as this sheet cake) or casserole (like this chicken and rice) but give it a bit of an update…you know add a little sparkle to it.   I am not going to lie, sometimes they work and sometimes they do not work at all.  This time around I have to say to was a HUGE success, and this is now my go to recipe for this old school favorite. To start with…it is all made in one pan Growning up I remember my mom using several pans to make most…

  • Refrigerator Bran Muffins

    Ok so I have an obsession I need to let everybody know about.  I am obsessed with these Refrigerator Bran Muffins!!  I mean OBSESSED!! Just let it chill One of the best parts about this recipe is the fact that once you make it and then let it chill in the refrigerator for up to 6 weeks.  The recipe makes a lot of batter.  I mean a TON of batter meaning you can have warm muffins anytime you want. And I do mean ANYTIME.  I have been known to make a few of them at 9:00 at night, just because I want one…remember I told you I am OBSESSED. Little or…

  • a little caper to make dinner something special

    I am a BIG, BIG fan of capers.  There is just something so wonderful about these salty, briny little balls of goodness.  I use them in my chicken salad (check back soon for that recipe), I use them in place of olives in A LOT of recipes and I use them in dips and spread for appetizers.   As good as those all are my favorite way to use a caper is in a picatta.   Just like this one! Salmon Piccata (in no time) Ok, Ok I know what some of you might be thinking…Picatta sounds kinda fancy, but trust me it really isn’t, it just looks fancy.  In…

  • Cinco de Mayo all weekend long

    Cinco de Mayo is technically May 5th, but in my world it lasts all weekend long.  It starts with nachos and margaritas and ends with a flan cake or brownies with more margaritas in the middle.   Yes…and maybe a few more margaritas! Just a sample of what is on our menu… ” order_by=”sortorder” order_direction=”ASC” returns=”included” maximum_entity_count=”500″]There will be a little something for everyone this weekend.  We will have a little heat, a little sweet and of course a little cheese.  It will be a weekend to remember for sure!! To start everything off with You have to try the Queso Blanco.  It is rich, creamy and a perfect way to start…

  • a little queso fun at home

    Whether you plan on celebrating with a big party or a simple dinner for the family this Queso Blanco is a MUST MAKE!  Just trust me it really, really is. My most favorite (& that is saying a lot) I am not sure there are enough words in my vocabulary to express my love for queso.   I judge restaurants by their level of queso.  To make it great it has to be rich, creamy, not too thick and not too thin, with a little heat to make it the perfect bite. One of my most favorite queso’s I have ever had was actually from a cheesesteak place here in…

  • ch…cha…charro at home

    Are you a refried bean or charro bean person?  Me, I am a charro bean person.  I just love the hint of heat in each bite…and now I can make them at home! It all starts with bacon Yep…you read that right.  These Charro Beans start with bacon.  You can use your favorite bacon but I highly recommend either bacon ends or thick cut bacon.  These beans are going to be cooking for a while and the chunks of bacon will cook down better and in the end add in some great flavor.   I mean just look at that big hunk of bacon in the middle of the beans…