• low, slow & grilled short ribs

    My slow cooker is one of my favorite cooking tools all year long but especially in the spring and summer.  And now these short ribs are one of my favorite things to fix in it! Short Ribs? So I am a HUGE fan of short ribs.  I love how tender they are while being full of flavor and texture.  And don’t even get me started on the gravy that is left after they have been cooking for a while.  It really is true perfection. For this recipe I used the boneless short ribs.  Honestly it wasn’t on purpose, but when I picked the package up I just a assumed they had…

  • Valentines at home

    Valentines Day is almost here and I don’t know about you but I love to have a special dinner at home rather fighting the crowds…and this year it is all about steaks. Not your ordinary steak The Hubby loves steaks, and is always up to grilling his favorite cut of meat but this time it is going to be so much more than just a grilled steak…he just doesn’t know it yet. First off we need to season the steaks.  Most of the time I like to keep things simple with just a little salt & pepper but for this steak I want something a little different so I am going to add…

  • Sweet, Sticky & Grilled

    The Super Bowl is just a week away, and that means it is time to start thinking about the food.  In our house we will have a dip of some sort, like this Party Dip or this Dill Pickle Dip.  We will also be grilling. Since we do live in Texas, grilling is almost a requirement and these sausages are definitely on the menu. A little sweet & a little heat The Hubby loves a little sweet with his heat and these grilled sausages offer a bit of sweet for sure.  To bring a little sweet with a little heat I start with my Homemade BBQ Sauce.  This sauce is my…

  • a Honey special

    Ok…as you know I am a Texas girl through and through.   I was born in Dallas but have lived in the Houston area since I was 2.  This girl is a big fan of BBQ, Tex-Mex and CHIKEN FRIED STEAK.  In my world a good chicken fried steak can turn any bad day into a GREAT day. I was scared Chicken Fried Steak is one of those dishes that I have always been a little scared to make.  Ok maybe not a little, maybe I am a lot scared to make.  It is one of those dishes with 1000 memories attached to it, and I don’t want to mess it up. Finally though…

  • grilling in the winter (I live in Texas)

    One of the best parts of living in SE Texas is that we can grill out year round.  It was in the 30’s last week and now we are in the 60’s.  Tomorrow will be in the 70’s.  Gotta love Texas!! A little sweet We are HUGE fans of honey mustard anything.   I may have been known to judge restaurants by how much I like their honey mustard.  Needless to say this Honey Mustard Grilled Chicken has to be good. To make the perfect honey mustard marinade I started with equal parts mustard (I used dijon) and honey.  Then I added in a little mayo for some extra creaminess, some…

  • Super Special Salmon (that comes together in no time)

    The Hubby and I LOVE salmon.  We grill it, roast it, spice rub it and anything else in between. And now we have a salmon topped with a delicious sauce that is baked on the salmon making it something truly special. Making it something The Hubby will love Now as much as The Hubby loves salmon he is NOT a fan of mustard.  In most restaurants if salmon has a sauce paired with it, it is normally a mustard sauce of some sort and The Hubby is not a happy camper. As a special treat I decided to create a restaurant style salmon that The Hubby will love….so off I went on a…

  • one dish with so many options

    It is cold outside, a brisk wind is blowing and maybe even a few snowflakes are falling (at least that is my vision of winter from my warm weather Texas world) and that means it is SLOW COOKER weather!! My favorite slow cooker dishes are the ones that can be used for more than one dish.  This Mexican Slow Cooker Beef not only tastes amazing but can be used for so many dishes.  This is a must make ASAP! Let it go One of the best parts of slow cookers is that you throw everything in and then forget about it.  I love recipes like this so much, especially for those…

  • a winter pumpkin treat that no one will expect

    OK, OK I know pumpkin season is officially over…but just hear me out for a bit. Pumpkin is not just for sweets I am sure you already know this but pumpkin is packed full of protein and I don’t know about you but I don’t only want protein in the fall.  I am always looking for great ways to add protein to dishes without a lot of added fat and calories and pumpkin is a great way to do that.  But don’t worry, it won’t taste like fall in a bowl…I promise. OK, so what does the pumpkin do? It not only adds protein but it also adds a ton…

  • hamburger helper all grown-up

    Did you have hamburger helper as a kid growing up?  If you did I have to tell you I am a little jealous.  I always wanted my mom to make us hamburger helper, but she just never did.  Ever since I have been a little obsessed with it and now I have made a homemade version that is even better than the box…just trust me, it really is. I still remember my first time The very first time I EVER had hamburger helper was my freshman year in college.  I walked into a friends house and they were making dinner.  It smelled amazing and I couldn’t wait to see what…

  • An Update for Taco Tuesday

    Does your family have Taco Tuesday every week?  I love the idea and just may have to make it a weekly deal in our home…especially is this taco skillet was on the menu. No Mess… I don’t know about you but one of my least favorite things about hard (& some soft) tacos is how messy they can be.  Don’t get me wrong I am a fan of messy food (sometimes the messier the better) but not when all the yummy is in the mess and not in my mouth. You know what I’m talking about…when you take the first bite of the taco and all the best parts (the…