This make-ahead egg vegetable breakfast muffin recipe is perfect for busy mornings or when company is coming! I love to make meals and desserts ahead of time. For the holidays or other family gatherings, it allows me to be fully present with our guests. During every day life, especially when I was in the hectic single mom days of working full-time plus running an evening and weekend taxi service for my kids' practices, games, rehearsals and shows, cooking ahead meant that we avoided the ... continue reading...
Make Ahead Egg Vegetable Breakfast Muffin
Homemade French Bread
Nothing beats hot bread, fresh out of the oven, and this recipe won't disappoint! This homemade french bread is super easy to make, using the dough program on your bread machine to do the hard work for you. This bread goes perfect with just about any meal, especially french onion soup, jambalaya, homemade meatballs (to make meatball subs) and any soup or pasta. It's also perfectly acceptable to eat it by itself with some butter, chocolate spread or plain. Homemade French Bread Turned Garlic ... continue reading...
French Onion Soup
French onion soup is one of the most delicious, soul-warming soups on this earth (in my opinion). Because I'm allergic to cow's milk, when I order it at restaurants, I always have to ask them to omit the cheese. I get odd looks with this request, but I promise the server that it's still delicious without the cheese. When I make french onion soup at home, I can top it with a dairy-free cheese or manchego cheese, made from sheep's milk (which, thank goodness, I am not allergic to). And top ... continue reading...
Cranberry Orange Muffins
Cranberry orange muffins are one of my favorites. They mix sweet and tart in just the right proportion to create a perfect breakfast treat or snack that isn't too rich. And because the recipe uses fresh cranberries and orange juice, they're healthier than a lot of muffin options. :) I especially love to make and freeze them (after eating a couple out of the batch), so I can pull them out when I have guests in town ... especially for the holidays. Zesting Advice This muffin recipe calls for ... continue reading...
Spicy Pulled Pork Sliders
There's nothing like tender, juicy, sweet and spicy pulled pork sandwiches! Especially with a homemade rub and a slow cooker. Once upon a time, taking the long way home on back roads, I stopped into a little BBQ joint (which, unfortunately, has changed hands since then). Nine times out of ten, if I'm in a BBQ restaurant, I order a pulled pork sandwich. They had one with jalapenos! Bonus. And with honey drizzled on top! Double bonus. Give me two!! I Should Make These at Home Mid-way ... continue reading...
Sweet Potato Tots
If you love sweet potato fries or tots, you’ll love these baked sweet potato tots! Kid-friendly and diet-friendly, these are baked, not fried. They're perfect for a party, game day, snack or side dish. ... continue reading...
Roasted Chicken and Red Potatoes with Rosemary
There is nothing quite so beautiful, delicious and comforting as a roasted chicken with potatoes. It's a simple, delicious, easy meal -- and it looks like you worked so hard. :) My favorite is this roasted chicken and red potatoes with rosemary. Sometimes I add carrots to the mix or roast carrots and cauliflower separately. I have always roasted meats in a roasting pan. I guess because that's the way my mom did it ... and because you can fit a lot of veggies around the chicken in a ... continue reading...
Chocolate Amaretto Skillet Cake (dairy-free, egg-free)
Here's a new vegan recipe using one of my favorite kitchen toys - my cast iron skillet! It's a Chocolate Amaretto Skillet Cake (dairy-free, egg-free and soy-free). Bonus: it is NOT alcohol-free or caffeine-free! Although the alcohol gets heated (ruining all the fun - ha ha), and you can use decaf coffee if you prefer. I was craving chocolate cake over the weekend, and I had picked up a bag of fresh cranberries earlier in the week (on sale after the holidays). I was originally thinking I'd ... continue reading...
The Woolworth in Dallas – Restaurant Review
The Woolworth in Dallas has been at the top of my list of new places to try, and it did not disappoint! We tried out The Woolworth on a Saturday night, before heading to the Dallas City Performance Hall for a dance show. We were flying by the seat of our pants that evening, so we didn't have reservations. Luckily, we were there early in the night, and there was seating for two available on the patio. It was a chilly night, but with the heaters and patio enclosure, it was warm and ... continue reading...
Potato Kale Soup + Zuppa Toscana
Have I mentioned that I love soup!? I love it so much that I often make these 2 soups at the same time! Zuppa Toscana Most of the time, my family eats dairy-free because I'm allergic to dairy. It's hard to taste-test a recipe with a lot of cream in it, for example, when you're allergic to anything made from cow's milk. A tiny taste won't kill me, but if I eat much, I get miserable. Sometime last year, after my husband ordered Zuppa Toscana at Olive Garden and raved about it, I ... continue reading...
Dairy-Free Potato Corn Chowder Soup
Winter, spring, summer or fall … I LOVE soup. I can eat it when it’s 10 or 100 degrees outside. However, when a cold snap hits for several days, like it has lately, I enjoy it even more. Tonight, I dusted off my old potato corn chowder recipe, made a few tweaks and … YUM! It sure hit the spot on this cold Sunday night. One of the best features of this recipe (at least for me) is that it’s dairy-free. If you skip the bacon garnish and use vegetable broth, then it’s also VEGAN. If you use ... continue reading...
Cherry Pie Cookie Recipe
I was flipping through an issue of Better Homes and Gardens magazine that started showing up in my mailbox unexpectedly a few months ago, and I saw an ad from Lucky Leaf, with a recipe for cherry pie cookies. I thought I was an avid cherry pie lover … and then I met my husband. If there were a fan club for all things cherry – cherry cheesecake, cherry pie, cherry cobbler, cherry turnovers – he should be their poster boy. So when I saw the recipe, I ripped it out and decided to surprise him by ... continue reading...