This isn't a recipe per-se as much as an idea.  A fun, easy way to get the crowd involved and make their own "walking" tacos.

Walking Tacos

Ingredients

• Favorite Taco Toppings
  • Ground beef with taco seasoning
  • Chopped tomatoes
  • Shredded Cheese
  • Sour Cream
  • Salsa 
• Individually bagged chips like
  • Fritos
  • Doritos 

Directions

• Set out all toppings and let everyone add to their bag of chips of choice
• Walk around - of course 😂

Love,

When I think of this recipe I think of the 80's. Of riding my bike over to Anna's and then getting into an argument likely over barbies and storming home, of playing ghosts in the graveyard and the CBS nightly news playing on TV. 

It's truly the flagship recipe from my childhood and the fragrance of it cooking in our kitchen on Lantern Lane comes right back to me when I make it for my own crew.  This has always been a favorite of Emma especially!

I have to laugh when I really break it down as a recipe because it's in no way gourmet or even remotely healthy but it's so good and so easy! At some point after I was grown and flown, Grammy gave me this recipe and for years I followed it to a "T".  As I became more confident in the kitchen I started to tweak it just a bit to suit our tastes.  However, what I have now is very similar to the original I am sure with the addition of water chestnuts.  You can't serve this without the 80's mainstay chow mein noodles, if you do a cabbage patch kid loses their adoption papers. 😂

Pepper Steak
Serves 4 and can be doubled as needed

Ingredients

• 2 cups of cooked white rice
• 2 Tablespoons of vegetable or olive oil
• 1 1/2 lb. of good cut of steak for stir fry, ie flank steak, cut into 2-3" strips (The butcher will do this for you at no cost)
• 1 large white or yellow onion sliced and halved
• 1 green bell pepper seeded and chopped
• 1 can of sliced water chestnuts drained
• 1 packet of brown gravy mix
• 1 cup of water
• 1/2 cup of soy sauce
• 4 roma or plum tomatoes seeded and sliced
• Salt & Pepper to taste
• Crunchy chow mein noodles

Directions

• Heat oil in heavy skillet and add meat that has been seasoned with salt and pepper
• Saute meat on medium high heat until no longer pink
• Add onion and bell pepper to skillet and cook until soft
• Mix water, soy sauce and gravy mix in a small bowl
• Add to meat mixture and turn heat to low
• Stir as sauce thickens
• Add water chestnuts
• Turn off heat and add in tomatoes, gently stirring to coat,
• Serve over hot white rice and chow mein noodles

I hope cooking this will also bring back fond memories for you!

​Love,

Since I was a kid I have always been a sucker for a kitchen gadget!  Just like watching the Jetson's, it always felt like the future had arrived when we would get the next great thing. Over the years I have owned many myself but none will rival those of my childhood!

It's interesting to also reflect on the gadgets I've owned as an adult.  Some of those were a complete waste of money and some I can't go without, like my instant pot.  I honestly don't know how I cooked before it.  Originally a gift for Grammy that she hasn't used in 3 years, it's now my go-to for almost every meal.  Am I still a little afraid it might explode? Of course I am, but I trudge on because it saves so much time and locks in so much flavor.  {I really should be in cooking commercials!}

Another that I use frequently is my air fryer.  I've owned a couple over the years and the current model which is more like a mini oven, is my favorite.  It's funny to think we built our dream home with higher end appliances and yet I still mostly use my air fryer and instant pot!

A mainstay that I don't use as much since getting the instant pot, is the crock pot.  I feel like you're not a true southern cook if you don't own a crockpot or three.  Ours is Alabama themed.  I always have a little laugh when I use either the IP or CP because Mac absolutely hated them both growing up.  He wasn't much of a fan of blended meals where everything cooked together, so he felt like he was being punished if I cooked with one.  He's grown out of that thankfully!
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​Roll Tide,

This dish is great for a weeknight meal because you can start the chicken in the crockpot and cook on low all day.  The chicken alone is so delicious and can be used for many other recipes.  

​White Chicken Spaghetti

Ingredients

• 2 large chicken breasts (frozen if using crockpot) Click here to see instant pot method.​
• 1 small bottle of zesty italian salad dressing
• 8 oz cream cheese
• 1 can cream of chicken soup
• 2 teaspoons dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• Salt & Pepper
• Pasta of choice (I use spaghetti)

Directions

• Spray crockpot with cooking spray and place frozen breasts in bottom
• Pour bottle of salad dressing over chicken
  
• Cover and cook on low for up to 6 hours
  
• Remove chicken from crockpot and shread or dice
  
• Cook pasta per instructions on packaging reserving pasta water
• In a saucepan add cream cheese, soup and spices and cook on low stirring to combine
  
• Once sauce is creamy add shredded chicken and spaghetti and stir to coat noodles
• If sauce is too thick add some of reserved pasta water to thin

Tip: Serve topped with crunchy chow mein noodles.

Love,

Game Day Dip

Ingredients

• 8 oz shredded cheddar cheese (thicker shreds)
• 8 oz cream cheese softened
• 1/4 cup of franks red hot sauce
• 1/2 cup of mild or medium chunky salsa

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​Directions

• Mix cream cheese and hot sauce and spread in bottom of 9" dish.  A pie dish works well.
• Spread salsa onto cream cheese layer
• Top with shredded cheese
• Cover with plastic wrap and gently press down so that the cheese pushes down into the dip
• Chill 2 hours before serving
• Serve with Frito's Scoops

Love,

I first had this appetizer at a friends house and knew I needed the recipe.  It's unlike any bruschetta I've ever had in that it doesn't use garlic or basil.  Over the years I've modified the recipe to suit our tastes. This easy dish makes the perfect appetizer or party food and is so pretty too!

Balsamic Tomato Bruschetta

Ingredients

• 1 baguette cut into 1/2" thin slices
• Olive oil
• Shredded parmesan cheese
• 2 pints of cherry tomatoes halved
• 1/2 cup of brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons of dried rosemary
• 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt
• Pinch of red pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon of fresh black pepper
• 1/4 cup balsamic glaze
• 16 oz of whole milk ricotta

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Directions

• Pre-heat oven to 400°
• Place all bread slices onto a cookie sheet and brush with olive oil
• Sprinkle parmesan cheese onto bread slices and bake in oven until just golden brown
• Remove toasted bread from oven and allow to cool completely
• While bread is toasting, toss tomatoes with brown sugar, red pepper, salt, pepper and balsamic glaze
• Spread onto a lined cookie sheet (I use a silpat mat, but aluminum foil will work also)
• Bake in center of oven for 20 minutes or until tomatoes begin to caramelize
• Allow tomato mixture to cool completely
• Add a 1-2 Tablespoon dollop of ricotta onto each toast slice and spread
• Spoon tomato mixture onto ricotta

Love,

Whenever my Daddy would visit us or when we would visit him in Tennessee, he would make us his fresh squeezed lemonade. It was truly his specialty and he would squeeze bags and bags of lemons. Not with a juicer either, by hand! As soon as one pitcher ran out he would just make more.

His lemonade is the sweetest, best thing you could ever taste. Foolishly, I never asked him write the recipe down for me so I squeezed up a version that is spot on. I knew I had an exact match when the sugar in one gallon reached 4 cups. YES: FOUR CUPS.

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​My Daddy's Lemonade

Ingredients

• 1 large bag of lemons
• 4 cups of sugar
• Water
• Ice

Directions

• Bring a saucepan of water and 4 cups of sugar to a simmer to make a simple syrup. (just enough water to cover the sugar will be fine).
• Squeeze about a dozen lemons.
• Allow sugar mixture to cool and put in a gallon size pitcher along with lemon juice and a few of the squeezed lemons and add lots of ice and then fill to the top with water. ​

Without a doubt, this recipe for no-bake cookies is a family favorite, if not THE family favorite.
I believe Nana gave me this recipe years ago. To be honest I just google it each time I make it because it's such a common recipe.  This version is from food.com

Chocolate No-Bake Cookies - AKA Dump Cookies

Ingredients

• 2 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
• 1 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• Pinch of salt

Directions

• In a medium sized pot melt butter and stir in sugar, milk and cocoa powder.  Once mixture comes to a boil allow to boil for 1 minute stirring constantly and then remove from heat.
• Stir in oats and add creamy peanut butter and vanilla extract and a pinch of salt.
• Spoon cookies onto wax or parchment paper and allow to cool before devouring.

Love,

This soup has been a part of our Christmas tradition for many years.  It's so easy to make and perfect for a Christmas Eve dinner at home because it gets your belly full to sleep and wait on Santa.

Baked Potato Soup
Serves 6 and can easily be halved.
Cook time varies from 20 minutes to 1 hour 20 minutes depending on how the potatoes are prepped.  I prefer baking them but you can also microwave them.

Ingredients

• 4 large baking potatoes
• 1/2 stick of salted butter
• 1 Tablespoon of flour​
• 4 cups of whole milk
• 8 oz. bag of shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 1/2 cups of sour cream
• Salt & Pepper to taste

​Directions

• Bake or microwave potatoes
  • ​To bake, wrap potatoes in foil and bake in 450° oven for 1 hour or until they feel soft when squeezed.
  • To microwave, pierce potatoes with a fork and wrap in plastic wrap.  Microwave for 5 minutes and then turn potatoes and microwave for another 5.  They are done if they are soft when squeezed.
• Once potatoes are cooled, peel and discard peel.  Roughly chop potatoes and set aside.
• In a heavy sauce pan or dutch oven, melt butter over medium high heat,
• Allow butter to just begin to brown before sprinkling flour over the butter.  
• Stir butter and flour mixture and add milk stirring constantly.
• Reduce heat and allow mixture to begin to thicken while stirring gently.  The flour and butter will create the thick base for the soup so be sure to stir well so you don't get lumps.
• Add in potatoes, cheese, sour cream, salt and pepper and gently stir.
• If soup is too thick add a small amount of milk.
• Taste soup and see if you need more salt at this point.

Tips

• Serve soup in a hollowed out bread bowl or roll.
• Set up a topping bar with small bowls of shredded cheese, chopped green onion, sour cream and bacon pieces.

​Love,

I don't like to take shortcuts when cooking if it means flavor or quality are affected in any way, but please believe that I will cheat when possible!  These ribs are a family favorite and not only are they incredibly easy to make, clean up is a breeze!

Oven BBQ Ribs
Serves 4 and can be increased to any amount needed
Cooktime approximately 4-5 hours

Ingredients​

• 1 slab of pork bbq ribs thawed (country ribs will work as well)
• 4-5 Tablespoons of of bbq seasoning (I use various brands but lean towards sweeter, smoky ingredients).
• 1 small bottle of Sweet Baby Ray's bbq sauce
• Shallow oven safe pan filled with water

Directions

• Preheat oven to 250°
• Place pan of water on bottom oven shelf
• Line a large cookie sheet with foil and spray with cooking spray
• Liberally rub bbq seasoning on back and front of ribs and place on cookie sheet
• Lightly cover with foil
• Place Ribs on center rack of oven
• Bake for several hours until meat separates from bone
• Remove from oven and liberally brush bbq sauce onto ribs
• Return to oven uncovered and bake for another 20-30 minutes at 350°.

Tips

• Make your own bbq seasoning by blending brown sugar, paprika, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, black pepper, and cayenne.
• Add liquid smoke or Dale's marinade to the shallow pan of water.  This water will steam the ribs while cooking so they don't dry out.
• Serve with warm buttered bread or corn muffins, hot buttered corn on the cob and salad for a simple but filling meal!

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Love,