• homemade is so worth it

    I cannot believe that 2016 is already here.  With all the traveling and family obligations the Holidays had the last few weeks just flew by.  Don’t get me wrong it was an amazing Christmas.  My nephew, Wesley, was loving everything the season had…except maybe Santa… and it was so fun watching him experience it all.  Then with my precious new niece, Audra, she is only 3 months so too little to really take it all in, but I did get to buy the most adorable baby girl things for her, and who doesn’t love buying precious little girl things?  After celebrating Christmas with the family here in SE Texas The…

  • A special treat…beef tenderloin

    In my family beef is always on the menu for special events and this Peppercorn Crusted Beef Tenderloin is quite the treat.   As I have mentioned before my Mammaw is in a memory care facility and sometimes leaving there can be difficult for her (especially in the evening) so to make Christmas special for her we did an early Christmas lunch at our home.  To make this super special I decided to make this beef tenderloin and boy oh boy was it AMAZING! After researching several different cooking methods and seasoning  combos I decided to keep it simple, in my opinion simply seasoned beef really seems to be best…

  • traditional makes a great roast

    Not too long ago The Hubby and I went on one of our infamous shopping trips to Costco.  You know one of those trips where you not only get the essentials such as endless amounts of toilet paper and paper towels but you also end up with way too much cubed cheese and some chicken pot pies that The Hubby swears are “SO GOOD!”  As part of this trip we had some steaks, chicken breasts and string cheese on the list and then we saw the roasts…and immediately The Hubby and I both decided roast had to be on the menu ASAP.   Now over the years I have had…

  • potato soup…a must have comfort

    Are you still surrounded by all the goodness of Thanksgiving, or have you eaten all the turkey you can handle and are ready to move on and embrace all the warm comfort foods of winter…well for The Hubby and I we are ready to move on and this potato soup is a must make.   After all the craziness of Thanksgiving, the endless eating & deal shopping I found it was time to settle into some decorating and a warm bowl of soup.  Anytime I ask The Hubby what soup he would like he immediately goes to potato soup or enchilada soup and this time potato won (only because I had everything on…

  • never order a ham again

    Almost every Thanksgiving my brother-in-law will order a ham from that honey place, but this year I decided I wanted to tackle it on my own…I mean it surely couldn’t be that hard. First I had to decide if I wanted the it to be sweet, more spicy or fruity.  After discussing it with The Hubby we decided a combo of sweet and spicy would be the way to go so off we went.  Second we had to find the ham…off to the store we went.  After looking at several of the hams piled up we decided on a 9 pound bone-in hickory smoked one.  The name alone sounded yummy so anything…

  • Turkey Time folks!!!

     *** This is one of my most favorite ways to cook turkey…it comes out super juicy with tons of flavor and the gravy is AMAZING!!  I have made a few slight updates to this tried and true recipe. (updated November 2015) With less than a week until Turkey Day, it is finally time to Talk Turkey.  One of the biggest challenges with big Holiday meals is the fact I only have 1 oven, as do so many people, but as you probably know it can make it hard to manage all the dishes at the same time and have everything ready and hot all at once…that is until now.  Roasted turkey…

  • traditional mashed potatoes meet me

    As I have said many, many times before I am a HUGE mashed potato fan.  I love the rich, creamy side dish & how they pair perfect with pretty much anything you put with them…I think they really could be the perfect side. Now my go to mashed potato recipe is a favorite (you can find the recipe here) and one that was passed down from my MeeMaw making it even that more special but every once in a while I just have to change things up and this time it was my beloved mashed potatoes.  To make this already amazing side even more rich and more creamy I added in cream…

  • BBQ pork in the winter (no grill needed)

    As the weather cools down using your gill outside is not so easy but don’t worry you can still have your favorite BBQ all made inside and even better it is made in your slow cooker! Break out a freezer favorite! So pork tenderloin is something I always have in my freezer.  It thaws quickly, it cooks quickly and you can do almost anything to it and it takes great!  Just last week I made this roasted pork tenderloin with root veggies that is a great Fall inspired dish and it is perfect for a quick weeknight dinner…but there is just something about a BBQ pork sandwich that transports me back to…

  • Veggies & enchilada soup is so, so good

    Enchilada soup is definitely a favorite of mine & The Hubby’s but I have been working on how to incorporate more veggies into it without losing all the richness of a more traditional version.   There is just something so good about the chicken, enchilada infused broth, beans and of course the cheese…I would never forget the cheese and with the added veggies it is lighter than some other recipes. To start with I wanted to make sure I used veggies that The Hubby and I would both love so zucchini, squash and bell peppers were defiantly a must along with the more traditional veggies of onions and garlic.  I…

  • chicken & sausage = comfort

    I know I have said this before but there is just something so comforting about walking into the house after a busy day and being greeted with the wonderful aroma of your dinner being almost all done…and this chicken & sausage is a real treat.  It really is one of my most favorite things! This slow cooker dish is rich, creamy and so full of flavor in each bite it screams comfort!   The Hubby loves smoked sausage and it always looking for ways that I can incorporate it into dinner, but little did I know just how much he loved it.  We went to Costco one afternoon to get…