Stovetop Mac and Cheese—The water and milk that cooks the noodles also makes the sauce for the creamiest, cheesiest, EASIEST ONE-POT mac and cheese ever! I've talked on this blog before about feeding my children the blue box of macaroni and cheese when they were growing up and you know what? I'm not ashamed of …
This cauliflower rice recipe makes a carb-free alternative to rice and potatoes that can accompany almost any meat or vegetable dish. I know y'all have seen the cauliflower rice recipe on Pinterest or floating around Facebook, so I'm not going to reinvent the wheel here. There aren't too many ways to tweak it and every recipe …
Sautéed Brussels Sprouts topped with a lemon and Dijon vinaigrette, then sprinkled with Parmesan cheese and bacon—a new twist on a favorite vegetable! So you might have noticed that I have a thing for Brussels Sprouts—this is the third Brussels Sprouts recipe to make this site. The first, and maybe my favorite, was for Caramelized Roasted Brussels …
Roasted Spaghetti Squash is a healthy alternative to carb-heavy dishes like pasta and rice. It's nutritious and delicious and super easy to prepare! Have you ever wondered how to cook a spaghetti squash? Don't be intimidated—it's so easy! I frequently serve roasted spaghetti squash as an alternative to pasta, but don't be fooled by folks …
Sautéed mushrooms are probably my favorite side dish to serve with steak or most roasted hearty meats. I love the earthy, meaty texture and flavor that you get from mushrooms after roasting or sautéing them. These sautéed mushrooms are so easy you can make them for a quick dinner, but the flavor is intense and …
Quinoa salad with corn, red bell pepper, jalapeno and fresh herbs is a great way to incorporate healthy eating into your family's lifestyle. Doesn't September feel like a renewal month? I think regardless of your season of life, back-to-school is a feeling that never leaves you. Of course, in Georgia back-to-school starts around the first of …
When I was a young girl, my family attended Mt. Zion-St. Luke Lutheran Church in Oglethorpe, Georgia. The Methodist church was directly across the street from our church and most of my friends were either Baptist or Methodist, so I felt a little like an outcast sometimes at school. I loved our church though and …
A few weeks ago I bought some ready-made stuffed peppers at Costco and we absolutely loved them. There were six or eight in the container so I put most of them in the freezer and we got several meals out of them. Then we wanted more, so I went to work coming up with a …
Homemade sweet potato fries, oh how I love thee! Do y'all like sweet potato fries? They are so easy and make a great side dish for so many things: chicken, pork, fish, or even just a big salad. And homemade sweet potato fries are way better than any frozen ones you can pull out of …
Do you ever just want to eat a bowl of fresh vegetables? That's how we felt a couple of weeks ago. We'd had a pretty indulgent weekend with a large wedding shower for Brian and Caroline and a houseful of company. Lots of food, lots of wine, and lots of fun! But, on Monday we …
Fresh salsa made with garden fresh tomatoes, bell peppers, Vidalia onions, and herbs. It's a great sweet and savory appetizer! If you're lucky enough to live in the South, then you know we have an abundance of choices when it comes to fresh vegetables all throughout the spring and summer. One of our favorites around …
I have no idea why I have never shared this recipe with y'all because it's one that I make all the time. It's easy, there's no butter, and it's pretty universally liked, except by my children who want only traditional classic Southern style green beans. But everyone else loves these green beans. All you need …
Roasted baby potatoes with garlic and Italian herbs are crispy on the outside and soft and fluffy on the inside. Easy to make! What does your family meal time look like? Do you sit down with your kids and have dinner together on a regular basis? If you're juggling sports, after school activities, homework, traffic, …
When I was growing up, hamburgers were a regular feature on my mother's menu. Ground beef was cheap, largely because we grew our own cows, and every kid loves hamburgers so there were no complaints about what was for supper. Mama usually fixed the hamburgers in a cast iron skillet and I still prefer them …
This easy polenta recipe is creamy and cheesy and bakes in the oven—no stirring required! Here's what I don't understand about polenta: How is it that Southerners never discovered this dish? We do everything imaginable with cornmeal—bake it as cornbread, fry it as hushpuppies, use it as breading or thickener—how did we never cook it …
Three Bean Salad is a tangy and sweet bean salad that can accompany grilled or roasted meats and makes a perfect addition to a vegetarian menu. Thanksgiving menus abound with starchy, cheesy, fat-laden dishes. That's what makes Thanksgiving so wonderful! You get to eat all the potatoes, cheese, bread, and butter that you want and …
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, …
I was in Oxford, Mississippi a couple of weeks ago, visiting my dear friend Rita's daughter, who is a recent Ole Miss graduate. We dined with Calli and her friend Alex at a lovely restaurant called Snackbar, where we had delicious food such as truffle/parmesan frites (yes, they were as good as they sound). Rita and …
Roasted Brussels Sprouts, caramelized with a little brown sugar and spiced up with some chili powder and cumin...these are divine! My grandfather did not grow Brussels sprouts. He grew cotton for a few years, corn, peanuts and soybeans—and he would fall over laughing if he knew that people now pay good money to eat soybeans right …
Pearl onions, caramelized with a glaze made of sherry and honey...these are delicious! Takes about 10 minutes to put together and an hour to bake. My friend Ashley made these roasted pearl onions years ago at a dinner party and shared the recipe with me. Everyone at the dinner party ate these onions until we …
Creamy mashed potatoes with butter and sour cream will have your family coming back for seconds every time! Nothing says comfort food to me like homemade, creamy mashed potatoes. Butter, cream, warm potatoes...there's just something about that combination that feels good from your tummy to your soul. I use the same combination of ingredients for …
Oven-roasted French fries, a little spicy and slightly crunchy on the outside and velvety smooth and soft on the inside. Your family will love these! We are a French fry loving household. We would eat them every day if we could...but unfortunately, we cannot or we would be as big as the side of a …
My friends think that since I have a food blog and sometimes like to cook fancy stuff, that I never take shortcuts or use convenience products. Nothing could be further from the truth. While I do like to use fresh, real (as opposed to processed), or homemade ingredients as much as possible, sometimes when you're …