Here's the thing about having a best friend who owns an art gallery and another who should be a professional decorator...they love doing things like styling photos. We were hanging out at dk Gallery last weekend for a free jazz concert in Marietta. I had made this smoked salmon dip and needed photos for this post. …
Caprese Bites made with grape tomatoes, mozzarella balls, and basil, and drizzled with balsamic glaze—this is an light, easy appetizer that will have your guests coming back for more! This is just about the easiest appetizer you can make, and the bonus is that it's relatively healthy. All you need are grape tomatoes, mozzarella balls, …
Easy Salmon Recipe with Lemon Zest and Fresh Herbs makes a great dinner for company or a quick weeknight dinner for family! If you're looking for an easy salmon recipe for grilling or broiling, this is it. Originally published in the New York Times, and then adapted by famed Southern Chef Virginia Willis, this recipe uses …
Tomato Salad Recipe--grape tomatoes, onion, balsamic reduction in a simple, easy tomato salad that makes a great side dish! If you've come from a line of Southern cooks, you probably cook most things without a recipe. Just throw in a little of this and a little of that and you have dinner on the table. …
Balsamic reduction from balsamic vinegar is easy to make and a great, low-calorie way to flavor fresh vegetables and grilled meats. I must be on a balsamic vinegar kick...the last post was Balsamic Roasted Chicken and now we have balsamic vinegar reduction. It's just such a wonderful flavor enhancer, I can't resist adding it to …
Chicken is a go-to weeknight dish for many busy moms, and keeping it from becoming boring can be something of a challenge. This recipe is easy to prepare but the complexity of flavors will delight your family and even make for great leftovers. I like to use a whole cut-up chicken, but have also used …
We love anything Italian around here...pizza, pasta, bread...those things can get consumed in mass quantities. Of course, we probably don't eat authentic Italian food, but the Americanized version is just fine. It's so easy to throw together a dinner party with a pot of spaghetti sauce and your favorite pasta, or take a little more …
Creamy Green Herb Dip is cream cheese and sour cream-based, with lots of fresh herbs and garlic. And the best thing is that it's all thrown in the food processor so it's QUICK and EASY! Spring is finally here and I'm so glad! I love feeling the warm sunshine and seeing the green buds everywhere, …
Easy Raspberry and Strawberry Trifle with layers of raspberry sauce, whipped cream, chocolate, and crushed shortbread cookies. This one is delightful for any of your special celebrations—or just Wednesday night! A trifle can be so many things...leftover brownies (is there such a thing?!) layered with whipped cream, or layers of fruit and whipped cream, or banana …
If you want to learn about Italian cooking, you need to start with Marcella Hazan's collection, The Essentials of Italian Cooking. She is an Italian cook who started a cooking school in New York City in the 1960s, has written for the New York Times, is a James Beard award winning cookbook author and is beloved …
Chicken Tortilla Soup with rotisserie chicken, chopped onions and peppers, black beans and corn—lots of flavor happening in this easy and yummy soup! We usually have a few people at our house every weekend during football season. The Georgia game is on downstairs, along with whatever other game folks want to watch. Everyone brings something …
Slow-roasted beef with pepperoncinis and dark beer. Super easy recipe that makes tender, braised beef for a crowd! There are many variations of Italian beef out there, most claiming to originate in Chicago. My Chicago friend Donna's version is slow-roasted for many hours and my other favorite is one that is cooked just slightly and …
Easy French Apple Turnovers made with puff pastry and baked in the oven! Simple enough for a weeknight dinner and elegant enough for company! Classic French pastries, chaussons aux pommes or apple slippers, these turnovers are perfect for a weeknight dessert. They are easy to put together and a little healthier than the Southern traditional …
French Quarter Shrimp or New Orleans Barbecue Shrimp with a silky garlic and herb butter sauce that begs for crusty bread. One of our favorite restaurant's is Gumbeaux Cajun Cafe in Douglasville, Georgia. You have to get there early to get a table without waiting two hours, but once you're seated the food fest begins. …
Chocolate Cobbler is a simple, classic Southern recipe that's so easy to make. You just need cocoa, eggs, butter, sugar, milk, and flour and you'll have this delicious dessert on the table in a jiffy! Chocolate cobbler is one of those old desserts that came about due to the Southern home cook's need to …
You know something's good when this is part of it...grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese. Add some roasted jalapeno peppers and fresh cilantro and well, you've created something amazing. Jalapeño cilantro pesto can be used to enhance fish, chicken, pork or even just vegetables. I've made it a couple of times over the summer and we have …
Blueberry breakfast cake made with fresh blueberries and lemon zest and super moist from buttermilk. It's quick and easy! We've had a busy summer already, and it's only half over. But it's all been the fun kind of busy so that makes it ok. We spent a weekend at Lake Blue Ridge at our friends' house. …
I'm not a fan of chain restaurants. We are blessed with many good, local places to eat where we know the chef and can interact with them and enjoy the food and the atmosphere. However, with that said, if I have to eat at a chain restaurant one of my preferences is Carrabba's Italian Grill. …
"Oh, Aunt Ginny is coming! That means strawberry jam!" That was me, as a little girl, anytime I heard my Aunt Ginny, Papa's sister, was coming for a visit. She and her husband lived in Plant City, Florida, and would visit my grandparents a couple of times a year. They would always bring whatever was …
Honey Cumin Okra is quickly sautéed in a skillet with garlic, cumin, and a touch of honey. The perfect way to cook okra in less than three minutes! If you don't have this wonderful cookbook, Eat Like There's No Tomorrow, by Hans Reuffert, then you need to order it today. I t's full of beautiful photographs, …
Cinnamon rolls without yeast are easy with no waiting on the dough to rise! Filled with brown sugar and cinnamon and topped with cream cheese icing, these are a special breakfast treat! We've had lots of 20-somethings at our house for the past few weeks. Malorie and a couple of her friends came up for …
A good homemade barbecue sauce is a must in your kitchen. You can mix it together quickly, and always have a versatile sauce to complement pulled pork, chicken, ham or even burgers. Here's how I usually make barbecue sauce, although I may add or deleted based on what I have. Just have fun with it …
Southern Pulled Pork is so easy to make! Just throw together a barbecue rub and roast a pork butt in the oven low and slow for several hours. Then shred the meat and it's good to go! So simple yet so delicious! We are a barbecue loving family. Is it because we're Southern? Because we …
Quick and easy Black Bean Salad with a Cumin Lime Vinaigrette makes lunch or dinner fast and nutritious! Years ago, the Atlanta Journal Constitution ran a column each week called the 5:30 challenge. The challenge was for cooks to send in recipes that could quickly be made after work—5 ingredients put together in 30 minutes. …