Mexican Layered Salad

This salad was a big hit at the Superbowl party I brought it to last weekend.  It is technically a salad, but a lot of us ate it like a dip with tortilla chips instead.  I ate mine over a little mound of crushed chips.  The chips add a nice crunch and saltiness.  The flavors in this [...]

Corn Mashed Potatoes

My sister Lisa gave me this cookbook a few years ago for Christmas saying, “It may just end up being a coffee table cookbook, but I thought you’d like it.”  It really is a beautiful book.  It is also larger than your average cookbook, so it does look great just sitting out in my house. [...]

Crazy Delicious Creamed Corn

This was the side dish for last night’s dinner, but I could have eaten this as my meal and been very happy and satiated.  While contemplating dinner I had to consider a few things.  What did we have the last  few nights?  Thai curry and spaghetti casserole.  What kind of food is appropriate for the [...]

Crock Pot Applesauce

Our front yard is covered in leaves.  Trees in our neighborhood are boasting leaves in all shades of red, yellow and orange.  The grocery store is selling several different kinds of pumpkins and gourds, and my previously neglected scarf and gloves are being used daily.  It is fall.

A bushel of apples picked at an orchard in New [...]

Thai Coconut Soup

My parents came up from Round Rock to visit for a day on their way to Oklahoma City.  They also came to drop off my amazing Swedish truck!  I am not quite sure where to put it yet.  It’s one of the biggest pieces in our house other than our bed and the couch which [...]

Brown Butter and Chive Mashed Potatoes

I saw Julie and Julia a few weeks ago and thought it was great.  I loved the past and present switches and how their lives seemed to intertwine across decades.  Seeing this movie also increased my passion for cooking.  I love to cook.  I love to cook things I’ve never cooked before and I love [...]

Monster Zucchini Part II: Zucchini Fritters

With the mound of shredded zucchini I could have made 3 batches (6 loaves) of zucchini bread.  I could have done this and frozen loves, or given them to friends.  But lets face it, I just don’t have that many friends and my freezer just couldn’t take the load!

If I would have been thinking more [...]

Dinner Rush: Shrimp with Mango Sauce and Quinoa Salad

The school year is about to begin!  My first day of teacher prep began today, so my casual lifestyle with tons of free time is about to come to an abrupt and unpleasant end.  Taking 8 months off from work to take a couple of part time jobs was pretty great.  It enabled me to [...]

4th of July Feast

It was a lovely 4th for us here in Amarillo!  It was cool enough last night to be outside for dinner and not be sweating like a pig.  After dinner we went to a park a few blocks from the house and played bocce ball.  My glowing friend Jackie (9 months pregnant, due any day [...]

Garlic and Herb Roasted Mushrooms

Ben and I grill steaks a few times a month and I usually make a potato or creamy rice dish as a side along with a salad or steamed veggie.  I was in the mood to try something a little different to have with our incredible New York strips this past Saturday.  I found this [...]