Caprese Salad Skewers

Caprese Salad Skewers, a simple Caprese salad on a stick, easy to make and, fancy to look at.  The perfect little appetizer to wow your guest any time of the year.

With warm weather and the peak of the tomato season coming, I wanted to share one of my favorite appetizers and an afternoon snack, Mini Caprese Salad Skewers. 

The best part about this recipe is it only calls for four ingredients, fresh, light, and delightful.

Fresh grape tomatoes, mini mozzarella balls, fresh basil, stacked on mini skewers, and a drizzle of balsamic glaze makes for the perfect bite, heaven on a stick.

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Pineapple Casserole

Pineapple Casserole, a sweet Southern casserole that can be served as a side dish or dessert at Easter on many Southern tables without a doubt.   It is made with canned pineapple, flour and sugar, sharp cheddar cheese, and topped with crushed Ritz crackers.  

Who would have thought pineapple, cheddar cheese, and Ritz crackers coming together would make a remarkable, delicious dish, only in the south.Full recipes can read by click this link

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Roast Bone In Chicken Breast with Fennel

Roast Bone In Chicken Breast with Fennel, an elegant dish, and delicious with complex flavors.  But don't let that keep you from devouring this perfect entree.  

Fennel is a wonderfully delicious vegetable when cooked to full tenderness like bone in chicken breast take, which takes longer to cook than boneless chicken breast.

My idea that the fennel would lend flavor to the chicken ad the chicken would flavor the fennel nicely was beyond my expectations.  The results were remarkable.
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Whole Roasted Cauliflower

Whole Roasted Cauliflower, a delicious side dish that is meaty and filling enough it could hold center stage as a meatless main dish.

Cauliflower has become one of our favorite vegetables.  I have always broken the cauliflower into flowerets and roasted them with a little olive oil and seasonings.  After seeing several recipes come across Instagram, I was so intrigued by roasting a whole cauliflower I had to give it try.

The key to getting a tender succulent return on roasting a whole cauliflower is to cook it in butter with fragrant spices and herbs before roasting.  This will cut down on the roasting time and lends a beautiful sauce to serve over the cauliflower cut into glorious steaks.Full recipes can read by click this link

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Blackberry Dumpling Cobbler

Blackberry Dumpling Cobbler, luscious, juicy blackberries layered between three layers of buttery, flaky crust with a rich syrup of butter, sugar, vanilla, and water poured over the whole cobbler.  This is where all the magic happens when the dough in the center forms pillows of tender dumplings. 

I know you are thinking, why am I posting a recipe for blackberries, a summer berry.  Well, we love blackberries and eat them throughout the year.  I missed the window for posting the recipe this summer and thought, why not.  

When I was young and newly married blackberries were only in the grocery stores and better yet on the vines during blackberry season in the summer.  Produce these days have changed so much.  We see blackberries year round in the grocery store and farmer's markets.Full recipes can read by click this link

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Summer Vegetable Gratin

Summer Vegetable Gratin, four simple vegetables layered in a gratin fashion on a bed of sauteed sliced onions then topped with a mixture of buttery breadcrumbs and shredded parmesan cheese.  

With summer overload of squash, zucchini, tomatoes, and eggplant, I like to make a lovely Vegetable Gratin.  The vegetables bake into a tender bubbly casserole, rendering them into a vibrant melody of summertime freshness.

The vegetables are beneficial to using uniform size, so the gratin cooks evenly and not yielding too much moisture.  Also, the larger the vegetables, the larger the seeds.

In the recipe, I use fresh Roma tomatoes, straight neck squash, slender zucchini, and mini Japanese eggplants.  At the last minute, I scattered a few garlic pods in and around the vegetables to enhance the flavors.Full recipes can read by click this link

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Summer Peach and Cherry Salad on a bed of Fresh Collard Ribbons with a Simple White Balsamic Vinaigrette!

Summer Peach and Cherry Salad with Fresh Collard Ribbons and Feta, an elegant salad showcasing fresh seasonal stone fruit.  A beautiful combination of sweet peaches and fresh cherries with the salty taste of feta on a bed of tender collard ribbons.

Capturing the last of the peach season here in Texas.  We have eaten a ton of peaches this year.  Our favorite orchard is winding down as well as our local Sams.  

This Peach and Cherry Salad is lite and fresh with red onions and a sprinkle of feta on my favorite bed of leafy greens, tender collard ribbons.  

The salad is then drizzled with a simple White Balsamic Vinaigrette.Full recipes can read by click this link

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Best Loaded Roasted BBQ Cauliflower Salad

Loaded Keto Roasted BBQ Cauliflower Salad, a low carb version of Loaded Potato Salad also known as Fauxtato.  Taste just like the standard version with all the flavors and few carbs.

Traditional potato salad is a favorite around our house for any occasion.  We love it.  It is perfect for potlucks and picnics you name it, Potato Salad is going to be on the table.

Here recently, my husband is on a low potassium diet, and potatoes are one of the foods that are very high in potassium.  Wouldn't you know he loves potatoes?  

My daughter has been telling me about a faux potato salad that was delicious.  You might say it is a loaded faux potato salad.

The Roasted BBQ Cauliflower Salad is absolutely delicious.  The ingredients are simple and straightforward, cauliflower, bacon, chicken, celery, red onion, red bell pepper, dill pickles, BBQ seasoning, and a dressing of mayonnaise, mustard, and sour cream. Yum. Full recipes can read by click this link

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Peach Dumpling Cobbler May Become Your Favorite Peach Dessert

Peach Dumpling Cobbler, a cobbler made with fresh sliced peaches layered between three layers of sweet, tender, buttery dough.  Boiling water is poured over the whole cobbler.  The dough transforms magically, making sheets of dumplings.

Peach Dumpling Cobbler is the first dessert I want to make as the peach season approaches.  We love my Double Crust Peach Cobbler recipe, but here lately the Peach Dumpling Cobbler has taken the first choice to make.  

They are both easy enough to make.  We just love the dumpling texture in the Peach Dumpling Cobbler.  

And really the only difference in the two recipes is the Peach Dumpling Cobbler has 3 layers of crust instead of two and 2 cups of boiling water is poured over the whole cobbler.  This is where all the magic happens, tender sheets of dumplings.

Since the Peach Dumpling Cobbler is baked with the water, I bake it in a deep oblong baking dish.  Full recipes can read by click this link

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Christmas In July! Chessmen Butter Cookie Pineapple Pudding

Pineapple Pudding, creamy, velvety homemade custard pudding layered between Pepperidge Farm Chessmen Butter Cookies, classic southern.  The Christmas Chessmen add a charming touch to the dessert during the holidays, simply scrumptious.

Christmas in July is a fun Christmas celebration in July that originated from the circumstance that in the southern hemisphere, Christmas is actually celebrated in the summer.  

So for the residents from that area, they began to have Christmas celebration in July so they could enjoy the holiday in the peak of their winter season.

So here in the United States, we began to embrace the concept.  Americans began capitalizing on the profits with sales and promotions. And then there is the early count down, six months, which has us all looking forward to all the Christmas fun.  

Hallmark definitely plays a big part in all the anticipation with all the Christmas movies playing on their channels.Full recipes can read by click this link

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Fresh Vanilla Peach Slab Pie

Fresh Vanilla Peach Slab Pie,  fresh juicy peaches in a buttery lattice crust, baked in a rimmed baking sheet pan.  Easy to serve and perfect for a large crowd.   

Here in Texas, peach season is in full swing.  The peaches are lovely in the grocery stores, but for our peaches, we like to get them at a local peach orchard in a little town close to us.  

They have several varieties, but our favorite is Alberta's, they are not ready yet, so we get another variety.  They are sweet, juicy, and the best part, they are freestone.Full recipes can read by click this link

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Diced Green Tomatoes in Old Fashioned Meatloaf

Diced Green Tomatoes in Old Fashioned Meatloaf brings the meatloaf from average to extraordinary.  The meatloaf has tons of flavor with a delicious ketchup glaze spread over the top.

Old Fashioned Meatloaf is one of my family's favorite meals.  Who doesn't love a good meatloaf sandwich?  I make my classic meatloaf recipe most days, but for this recipes, I did a twist on our favorite.  

I usually add chopped green bell peppers and onions to my recipe, but I didn't have any bell peppers, and it was late in the day, and I didn't want to run to the store.

But I did have a few green tomatoes on the counter and didn't have time to fry them so I chopped them up and thought how would they taste adding them to the meatloaf for a substitute.  Thinking, I may just be on to something tasty.Full recipes can read by click this link

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The Secret to Making the Best Old School Pea Salad

Old School, Pea Salad, a classic salad made with simple ingredients, crunchy pieces of onion, chopped dill pickles, and boiled eggs with a coating of mayonnaise.  An easy summer salad perfect for potlucks and gatherings.   

Pea salad is a classic summer dish.  It pairs well with ham and chicken dishes or any grilled meat.  There is a secret to making the best recipe.Full recipes can read by click this link

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How to Cook the Simplest Most Flavorful Southern Baby Lima Beans (Granny's Recipe)

Baby Lima Beans, they sometimes called butter beans in the south.  They are little green beans with the texture of creamy butter, cooked without adding cream — southern comfort food.

A Southern Spring delight, Baby Lima Beans, served alongside a hot pan of cornbread, fried okra, fresh tomatoes, cole slaw, and garden spring onions.  Add fried chicken, and you have the perfect meal.Full recipes can read by click this link

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Crispy Oven Baked Tacos

Crispy Oven Baked Tacos made with a homemade ground beef filling, covered with refried beans, and grated sharp cheese then topped with pico de gallo.  A weeknight meal the whole family will keep asking for. 

Recipes that take few ingredients and little time to make are often on our meal rotations.  Oven Baked Tacos are in that category.  I like to cook the taco filling ahead of time and have ready just before popping them in the oven.  

I like to heat the refried beans and have them the same temperature as the homemade taco filling.  

For the cheese, there is nothing better than grating the cheese yourself versus buying the bags of grated cheese.  Don't get me wrong I buy bagged grated cheese, but there are certain dishes I like to use the freshly grated cheese.  

I usually have the ingredients for the pico de gallo on hand, chopping and mixing them all together and hang out in the refrigerator to be ready to top the tacos as soon as they come out of the oven.Full recipes can read by click this link

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How To Make Southern Smothered Boneless Pork Chops Hearty And Delicious

Southern Smothered Boneless Pork Chops,  succulent boneless pork chops made from scratch ingredients with no canned soups or milk.  A classic southern comfort dish that is hearty and creamy rich in flavor with a heavy dose of amazing seasonings.  

Have you ever heard that pork is the other white meat?  Several years ago that was an advertising slogan for pork.  The goal was to increase consumer demand for pork and dispel its reputation as a fatty meat.  

When I grew up, I remember ham and pork chops were the favorite pork selections and being high in calories.  But in the last years, pork dish has evolved.    From pork roast made into pull pork to pork tenderloin marinaded, considered the leanest and most expensive piece of pork to buy. 

For the recipe, I used boneless pork chops which are basically top loin or rib chops with ribs removed.  They are lean, very little connective tissue, no fat.

While the boneless pork chops have fewer calories, the absence of the bone and lack of fat around the bone which gives all the rich flavor, tend to be tasteless. 

To bring the rich flavors back in the boneless pork chops sear them in a hot skillet and cook them in a velvety rich gravy, producing superb smothered pork chops.  Full recipes can read by click this link

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