• Ribs by James…

    My brother James and my mom are HUGE fans of ribs.  Anytime we go eat at any of our local BBQ joints (which we have several of here in Texas) they always order ribs.  Me, I am more of a brisket and sausage gal, but that is for another day and another recipe.   It is RIB time OK… now back to the ribs…being that my brother loves ribs & he loves to grill and smoke things he took it upon himself to make the best ribs ever…and I will admit they are really, really good. He experimented with several variations of this recipe but finally found the perfect combo of…

  • weeknight ready and oh so yummy

    Summer is almost here.  The business of the end of school will be winding down soon and a new summer schedule will start to become familiar.  For me that means it is time to get back into some favorite routines like cooking dinner.   There is not a much better place to start than this stroganoff.. Weeknight Ready, REALLY? Ok, ok I know beef stroganoff is usually one of those dishes that takes all day to prepare.  Most of the time I throw it in the slow cooker and let it cook all day, but I have an even better version for you. My Godmother, Sandy, makes an amazing beef stroganoff.…

  • 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…

  • 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…

  • 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…

  • 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…

  • a new chili night…steak chili

    Growing up in Texas I have had my fair share of chili.  The traditional chili with beef (no beans) and loaded with spices, turkey chili, white chicken chili and of course chili with beans…but sometimes you just have to take a favorite to the next level. Just trust me Ok now I know you might be shaking your head at me and asking “why go and mess up something and make it weird” but trust me this chili is everything you love about your favorite traditional chili, only elevated!   It is loaded with tons of spices (some that are a little surprising) and big chunks of meat making this a…

  • Avocado Cream Tilapia (KETO Friendly)

    The weather is warming up, the days are getting longer and school is winding down…that means Spring is here!  With Spring comes lighter dinners, citrus kissed almost everything and beautiful colors everywhere, even on your dinner plates. Light but so full of flavor In my family Spring means seafood and lots of it.  One of our favorites is tilapia.  Each filet is frozen individually making it so easy to fix just what you need and it cooks so quick making it perfect for quick dinners. One of my tricks is to season the heck out of it but with just a few spices…salt, pepper, garlic powder and a little chili powder.  Just…

  • Simple Perfection for dinner

    Sometimes the best dinner is all about something super simple, but super delicious.  This chicken may seem a little simple, but just wait until you try it…it is so, so good! Simple and SO GOOD! In my world simple starts with just a few ingredients and as few steps as possible to make it amazing.  And for this chicken it is all about the seasoning combo. When it comes to seasoning combos I sometimes like to use a very fine blend, but sometimes I like a more course blend.  I find that a course blend can really amp up the flavor without adding a ton of work….and that is a…