• celebrate with cookies

    The 4th of July is just around the corner (like next week) and these cookies are a perfect way to celebrate!! These are not just chocolate chip cookies? So what makes these so special?  Simple, pudding.  Yes there is pudding mix in the cookies, making them super moist and tender and oh so good!! The pudding also adds another layer of vanilla goodness giving these cookies something people will remember. Sprinkles everywhere! To make these already delicious cookies even more fun I threw in some sprinkles.  Now you could use any sprinkles you have on hand, but I went with red, white and blue for the upcoming Holiday.  Not only…

  • cheesy campfire goodness

    Grilling has been about all The Hubby and I have been doing lately.  Summer is here and I don’t know about you but heating the house up wth my oven is not so fun…so out to the grill (or campfire) we go. Grilling more than just meat Grilling is not just for the main portion of your meal, it can also be for your sides.  Some of my favorite grilled sides are veggies, especially onions and peppers but tonight we wanted to do something a little different.   The Hubby and I decided to grill some potatoes in a pan to make a delicious potato and cheese casserole.  This cheesy…

  • simple chicken, with TONS of yum

    Sometimes simple chicken really is the answer for dinner, and this simple grilled chicken is a perfect choice for dinner tonight!! A family affair One of my favorite family traditions is family dinner.  We try to all get together (at least with us that live in SE Texas) at least once every few weeks and there is always good food.  A few weeks a go The Brother and Sis-in-Law hosted family dinner and fixed this simple grilled chicken.  Not only was it delicious but it is now a favorite! Now don’t let the name fool you, it may be simple to fix but there is nothing simple about the flavor.…

  • easy peasy peachy peach cobbler

    What is the one dessert you have to have in the summer?  Is it something lemon?  Chocolate anything?  Pie?  For me it is definitely cobbler and peach cobbler is a must!! Peaches are everywhere When I walk through any farmers market or in the produce area of my grocery store I see, and smell, fresh peaches everywhere.  There is just something so summery about the smell of a peach.  It just screams summer to me! Now obviously cobbler is not the only thing peaches are good for, you can grill them and top them with ice cream, or you can make a peach pie…but for me cobbler is the way…

  • double the peanut butter goodness

    Peanut butter cookies are a must make for the summer (at least in my family).  The Hubby loves them, the Dad loves them and my Mammaw loves them.   A good peanut butter cookie to me is soft in the center, crispy on the edges and dusted with sugar giving each  a bit of extra sweetness and a little crunch.  These cookies are all that a little more…I added in some peanut butter chips for an extra bit of peanut butter goodness.  They are so easy! One of my favorite things about these peanut butter cookies is the fact that you can mix them up and bake them immediately…no chilling…

  • grilled goodness for DAD

    Father’s Day is this weekend!  That’s so crazy.   I can’t believe it is already the middle of June and time to celebrate the men in our lives. Celebrating DAD In our home, Father’s Day has always included a home cooked meal, whatever my dad wants, and then typically we watch golf.  The US Open Golf Tournament is usually on so we have to watch, & that is a must watch. Over time we have had everything from BBQ sandwich’s to pasta, but this year we are going to take things up a notch and light up the grill.  Now I know what your thinking…the grill is Dad’s domain, but trust…

  • cheesy bread goodness

    For me, one of the best parts of eating Italian food out is the bread.  My favorite is the crusty bread, slathered in butter with mealy cheese everywhere.   There is one small local Italian restaurant that inspired this bread that makes everything homemade.  Their pasta is homemade, their sauce is homemade, their desserts are homemade and their bread is homemade. It’s all about the butter… Butter is what makes this bread so, so good.  I use real unsalted butter (I typically only have unsalted butter in my refrigerator), not the fake stuff but real butter.  To make it easy to spread I melt the butter.  The melted butter seeps…

  • one pan pasta…perfect for tonight

    Summer is definitely here in SE Texas and summer hasn’t even officially started yet.  Along with a large part of the country out temps are in the 90’s and feel like the 100’s. When the weather is like this the last thing I want to do is have the oven on for a terribly long time and have a ton of pots and pans to clean up after.  This dish is perfect as you cook everything in one pot.  Prep & clean-up are super easy, perfect for summer cooking. People make claims that their dishes are one pot wonders and then it turns into one pot, a skillet & few cutting…

  • slow cooker ranch yumminess

    Just because it is summer doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy the best of all your slow cooker has to bring you.  I mean what is better than being out all day playing (or working) and coming home to dinner being 90% done and knowing that everyone is going to love it…I don’t know about you but that sounds pretty good to me. Not too long a go I started making my own Ranch seasoning and ever since then I can’t seem to stop making everything with it, but favorite combo is with chicken.  I just love how it pairs with the flavors and especially in this slow cooker dish. The…

  • zucchini for everyone

    I have found that zucchini is one of those veggies that people either love or not love…but I have found a solution with these zucchini spears. OK I know you maybe asking yourself…a spear for dinner made out of zucchini?  Yes, I made spears made out of zucchini coated in a  crispy crust that will make everyone a zucchini lover. The very first time I had zucchini (that I can remember) was in Missouri close to my grandparents farm.  There was a restaurant on top of the hill and we would eat there A LOT!  Every time we would go there we would always order the fried zucchini for an…