• a little punkin butter fun

    OK it is no secret that I LOVE pumpkin anything and everything…I love pumpkin pie, pumpkin muffins, pumpkin cookies, pumpkin pasta, but I especially LOVE pumpkin butter.   My obsession with pumpkin butter started several years ago on a quick trip to Williams Sonoma to pick-up some kitchen towels (they are he only towels I use) and I was asked to try their pumpkin butter.  I, of course, agreed immediately and gobbled up (yes it was like a gobble…it was pumpkin people) and I was instantly in love.  It was so pumpkiny (that is is a word in my world) with a perfect hint of spice and then the bite…

  • Dessert made easy (as pecan pie)

    ** Making pie can be so intimidating but with these bars are the best of a favorite pie without all the pie crust and intimation factor…love desserts like this!! Growing up my sweet MeeMaw made the best pecan pie.  The crust was flaky and buttery while the filling was sweet and gooey…the only problem was I could not stand the pecans.  Being the best MeeMaw in the world she started making us kids a pecan pie without the pecans each time she would make a normal pecan pie.  It was so good and so perfect without those pesky pecans messing everything up.  Well as I grew up I started to…

  • green beans all bundled up

    ***If your looking to make your Holiday Green Beans something to remember then these bundles are a MUST MAKE!  I have updated the recipe to reflect a slight change I made the last time I made them…the addition of Worcestershire sauce adds a richness to this already wonderful side (updated November 2015) Several years a go we had a pre-Thanksgiving lunch at work and a coworker brought the most amazing green beans.  They were these cute little bundles wrapped in bacon, and I just couldn’t stop eating them.  That year I decided I would make them for our family Thanksgiving and ever since then they have been a staple at…

  • 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…

  • simple green beans are AMAZING!

    Simple sides are sometimes the best sides.  There is just something so good about letting the vegetable come through without a lot of extra seasoning or technique being used to enhance it and these simple green beans are AMAZING! For me I find that roasting a veggie with a few simple spices really brings out the best in most veggies and these green beans are a perfect example of this simple cooking technique.   Growing-up green beans was just about the only veggie I would eat, and the love for this little green spear has only increased as I have moved into adult hood.  I love them cooked low and…

  • 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…

  • keep calm and eat bacon creamed corn

    Thanksgiving is right around the corner…can you believe it?  I know I can’t!!  My sis-in-law is hosting this year and that means I am only responsible for a few sides, but I want to make sure they are super delicious and something special that everyone will love.  And in my family creamed corn is just that, but I wanted to make it even better with some BACON! If you were to ask The Hubby what is favorite foods are bacon would be the top 3 so anytime there is bacon in something I almost guaranteed he will love it, and this side was defiantly a winner.   Now creamed corn is…